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Something about deckchairs…

Written By: - Date published: 7:21 pm, February 24th, 2013 - 71 comments
Categories: labour, polls - Tags:

Word is Labour’s reshuffle will be announced tomorrow.

I’m still picking Mahuta, Street, and Sio demoted, Cunliffe to health and the old guard not moving one iota. And Andrew Little will be given Justice.

Given the latest Reid Research poll, a certain phrase about deckchairs springs to mind…

71 comments on “Something about deckchairs… ”

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  1. Colonial Viper 1
    24 February 2013 at 7:34 pm

    National are in their 5th year of Government and still on their honeymoon. You’ve got to hand it to Key and English, they know exactly what they are doing, and they aren’t afraid to keep rewarding and acknowledging their traditional core voters.

    Labour, well they just seem embarrassed of their traditional core voters.

  2. Aotearoean 2
    24 February 2013 at 7:34 pm

    Sio deserves a promotion not a demotion. He had the best result last election, the party vote grew in Mangere more than anywhere else. Pacific people are vital to Labour. Why do they want to muck around with university educated careerists instead of people who represent their supporters?

    Lianne Dalziel should be given Justice but I guess supporting Cunliffe is a career stalling event.

    There has to be a better way.

    This poll hurts. Labour should be all over National but while Key continues to dominate the leadership contest nothing is going to change, no matter how bad things get.

    • George D 2.1
      24 February 2013 at 10:11 pm

      He’s also underestimated. I don’t think most New Zealanders realise just what a huge part of New Zealand tagata Pasifika are, and how big South Auckland is.

      They’re both 10% of the country’s population. Sio does a good job as a representative of both. I suspect he’ll be promoted, and that Shearer’s hedged homophobe comments on bFM recently reflect his reliance on and confidence in Sio. Just a hunch though, I’ll find out soon enough.

  3. IrishBill 3
    24 February 2013 at 7:44 pm

    I’m not sure Cunliffe will get health. I’m expecting the third of caucus that voted no-confidence in David Shearer to get punished for it. It’s bad politics but Trevor and Phil are holding the reins and they’ll put themselves and their vendettas over the political well-being of their leader.

    • Keeping Stock of Vipers 3.1
      25 February 2013 at 12:59 pm

      I somehow doubt that making David Cunliffe the Health spokesman would give Labour a chance of winning back any seats in Hawke’s Bay. Napier used to be a safe Labour seat, but after Cunliffe sacked the Hawke’s Bay District Health Board (and narrowly avoided an embarrassing judicial review) Christ Tremain has turned Napier into a National fortress with a majority of almost 4000.

  4. The Fan Club 4
    24 February 2013 at 7:52 pm

    Hey, Irish, didn’t Cunliffe flog off half the frontbench for votes? I mean, really. Let’s not get on our high horses here.

    • IrishBill 4.1
      24 February 2013 at 8:02 pm

      Did he? I’ve not heard that. Where did you hear it?

      • The Fan Club 4.1.1
        24 February 2013 at 8:07 pm

        Don’t be cute Irish, you’ve heard it before; it’s part of the standard attack on Cunliffe. I suppose, if I had to say where I’ve heard it, I’d end up saying something mealy mouthed and euphemistic like “sources”. But we both know it’s part of the knock on Cunliffe, and we both know it’s true enough.

        • Colonial Viper 4.1.1.1
          24 February 2013 at 8:14 pm

          But we both know it’s part of the knock on Cunliffe, and we both know it’s true enough.

          it’s funny you reiterating all the standard attacks used in the MSM, acknowledging them as part of a co-ordinated campaign, but then still buying into them.

          • The Fan Club 4.1.1.1.1
            24 February 2013 at 8:22 pm

            Yeah there was a co-ordinated campaign against Cunliffe: it started about Friday night at conference. It was pretty boring in the end, all that happened was a steady reiteration of facts, which also, funnily enough, doubled as a pretty brutal attack on Cunliffe.

            Notice that IB’s studiously avoiding denying that Cunliffe was flogging off front bench positions. (And not just front bench; staff positions were for sale as well. Chief of staff, last I heard it was going to be a particularly, ahem, netsavvy individual…)

            • felixviper 4.1.1.1.1.1
              24 February 2013 at 8:29 pm

              “Notice that IB’s studiously avoiding denying that Cunliffe was flogging off front bench positions. “

              He said hadn’t heard it, didn’t he?

            • Mickysavage 4.1.1.1.1.2
              24 February 2013 at 8:31 pm

              Fan Club you are really annoying. Your anti Cunliffe stuff is really predictable. I would place you as someone who is in or around Parliament whose future career prospects depend on the current balance of power remaining.

              Guess what? The party and the movement are way more important than your career prospects.

              • The Fan Club …
                24 February 2013 at 8:42 pm

                Micky, you sure do know how to flatter a girl don’t you?

                “never heard” is very different to denying.

                • Mickysavage …
                  24 February 2013 at 8:47 pm

                  You mean that ABC does not bestow favours?

                  • The Fan Club …
                    24 February 2013 at 8:50 pm

                    Reow! LP, I never thought you were running that kind of joint.

                    More soberly, do you wanna put some evidence on the table for this kind of slur? And do you want to deny that Cunliffe was flogging off positions for votes?

                    • mickysavage …
                      24 February 2013 at 8:57 pm

                      Sure Fan Club but first I am interested in a you do not have to disclose your identity sort of way do you work in Parliament?

                    • The Fan Club …
                      24 February 2013 at 9:00 pm

                      No, I don’t work in Parliament, I have never done so, and am not likely to. I have also never been employed (directly or indirectly) by the Party. Nor have I ever worked for Parliamentary Services out of Parliament.

                    • mickysavage …
                      24 February 2013 at 9:03 pm

                      I ask because you pretend to have information that only someone within Parliament or very high up the ranks of the party would have. If you are neither then with the greatest of respect you are blowing smoke …

                    • Anne …
                      24 February 2013 at 9:07 pm

                      …do you work in Parliament?

                      Was just about to submit following questions ms.

                      1) Does TFC work in the parliamentary office of a member of the ABC club?
                      If not:
                      2) Is TFC an LEC delegate in the electorate of a member of the ABC club?
                      If not:
                      3) What relationship does TFC have to a member(members) of the ABC club?

                      Does anyone know?

                    • The Fan Club …
                      24 February 2013 at 9:10 pm

                      Cute! It is possible, of course, that I am just a humble member who talks to people, pays attention, and keeps their own mind. It’s not, in fact, the case that any of this stuff is particularly secret. It’s just not public. Your obsession with hierarchy and personality is pretty revealing.

                    • felixviper …
                      24 February 2013 at 9:13 pm

                      I think the fact that you categorically denied working “for Parliamentary Services out of Parliament” but won’t do the same for Anne’s questions is far more revealing.

                    • mickysavage …
                      24 February 2013 at 9:13 pm

                      Nah just trying to work out where your information was coming from. Obviously you do not have first hand knowledge of what you claim.

                      Tell me was it Trevor?

                    • The Fan Club …
                      24 February 2013 at 9:21 pm

                      Micky, I’m not going to play twenty questions.

                      You’re right; I wasn’t in the room for all of the things I discuss here. Lots of it is based on reliable sources I’m not going to name; no doubt the same is true for you.

                      (Anne, I’m not going to play twenty questions with you either. In fact I’m not an LEC delegate at all, and my relationship with Labour members of Parliament is a matter for me to worry about.)

                    • Te Reo Putake …
                      24 February 2013 at 9:46 pm

                      Guys, I don’t think identity speculation is wise. The only thing we know for sure is that TFC is a pompous git. My bullshit detector also suggests a high likelihood of speculative bollocks disguised as insider knowledge.

                    • The Fan Club …
                      24 February 2013 at 9:51 pm

                      Do you work in the precinct then TRP? Worried the hounds might be sniffing too close to home? Don’t worry hun, in the Shearer conspiracy on the 3rd floor we’re all in it together, all in the pursuit of the sweet sweet Parl Serv dollar.

                    • Te Reo Putake …
                      24 February 2013 at 10:16 pm

                      Yeah, as I said, bollocks. Those who need to know already know.

                    • geoff …
                      25 February 2013 at 9:05 am

                      It’s obvious, TFC is Shearer.

                    • geoff …
                      25 February 2013 at 9:18 am

                      No scratch that, not enough stammering.

                  • The Fan Club …
                    24 February 2013 at 9:36 pm

                    And, Micky, you still haven’t started putting up any evidence. I’ve been admirably open to your questions: your turn to play the transparency game.

                    • Anne …
                      24 February 2013 at 9:40 pm

                      No you haven’t. ms asked:

                      Tell me was it Trevor?

                      You haven’t answered.
                      Tell the truth now.

                    • The Fan Club …
                      24 February 2013 at 9:46 pm

                      Anne, like I told him, this isn’t Q&A time. You and MS asked a few questions, I answered, and now it’s my turn to get a bit of honesty it’s all quiet on the western front.

                    • felixviper …
                      24 February 2013 at 10:24 pm

                      Funny, it was Q & A time right up until the Qs got a bit close and he stopped Aing.

                    • The Fan Club …
                      24 February 2013 at 10:40 pm

                      I’ve never talked about the leadership, or parliamentary staffing, with Trevor if that helps your conspiracy theories felix.

                    • felixviper …
                      24 February 2013 at 11:09 pm

                      You’re the one claiming to have inside knowledge of a conspiracy TFC, not I.

                      Another revealingly specific answer by the way. That’s the nice thing about egomaniacs, they just can’t keep a secret if there’s a chance to show off.

                • The Fan Club …
                  24 February 2013 at 8:47 pm

                  ps Micky maybe you could have had a quiet word to your mucker David about the whole “party comes first” thing

                  • Jim Davis …
                    24 February 2013 at 10:23 pm

                    One of the rumours TFC repeated earlier (about who Cunliffe had apparently shoulder-tapped for chief of staff) gives him away. This rumour has been doing the rounds on the third floor and is transparent nonsense to anyone who knows the people who are supposed to be involved. If anything this rumour is indicative of the paranoia that’s taken hold on the third floor, particularly among the staffers who have unwisely allowed their positions to become politicised and know they face the sack if Shearer is rolled. So it’s very interesting to see TFC repeating this particular paranoid rumour. He’s definitely one of the following: an ABC insider, a staffer or the proxy of an ABC insider.

            • mickysavage 4.1.1.1.1.3
              25 February 2013 at 6:14 am

              Chief of staff, last I heard it was going to be a particularly, ahem, netsavvy individual…)

              Fan Club please say who.

              • lprent …
                25 February 2013 at 8:07 am

                Especially as actually being netsavvy and the NZLP are rather divergent concepts. Very few that I have met in the party who know their HTML from their TCP stack.

        • the sprout 4.1.1.2
          25 February 2013 at 7:51 am

          You’re full of shit Fan Club.
          You have no credibility. Give up your day job.

  5. Anne 5
    24 February 2013 at 7:57 pm

    If you are correct IB then:

    1) the ballot counters (president and gen. sec?) leaked the information.

    2) how would the counters know who exactly voted no-confidence?

    If Trevor and Phil are continuing their pathetic vendetta then Labour loses the 2014 election.

    • IrishBill 5.1
      24 February 2013 at 8:05 pm

      In a late rule change they added the whip (Chirs Hipkins) to the ballot count.

      • Aotearoean 5.1.1
        24 February 2013 at 8:14 pm

        You mean Hipkins the guy who should be disciplined for his anti Cunliffe comments?

        Who proposed and what justification did they have for adding Hipkins to the voter counters? Sheesh there are only 34 MPs and surely Barnett and Coatesworth could be trusted to do this.

        If Hipkins was involved in the count this is deeply, deeply disturbing.

      • Anne 5.1.2
        24 February 2013 at 8:19 pm

        OMG!

        Do you know who was responsible for that rule change IB?

        This is the MP who called a colleague (Cunliffe) a “fink” on a TV interview. He is the one who should be demoted because he clearly isn’t yet sufficiently mature to hold any position of responsibility.

        I’ve had enough of these finks – the real ones that is!

      • QoT 5.1.3
        24 February 2013 at 9:08 pm

        *headdesk* Oh my god you’re fucking kidding. I didn’t think I could give less credence to the Many Prosperous Votes in Favour of Glorious Leader.

      • MichaelLP 5.1.4
        25 February 2013 at 12:25 am

        Get the fuck out. I cannot express my distaste for such pathetic practices in our once proud party. Is this really for real?

  6. bad12 6
    24 February 2013 at 7:58 pm

    TV3 = MediaWorks = Government Guarantee of 43 million dollar loan = does Steven Joyce still own MediaWorks shares held within His ‘Blind Trust’,

    Fair and unbiased political coverage from the MediaWorks/TV3 cartel would be an oxymoron and presented by the Alfred E Neumann of NZ TV Patrick Gower simply has that channel presenting us all with an oxymoron by a moron,

    Considering that a week ago the Roy Morgan gave as a result a Labour+Green+Mana Government i will choose to be very disbelieving of TV3,

    Will be an interesting reshuffle tomorrow if it happens…

    • Matthew Whitehead 6.1
      24 February 2013 at 10:41 pm

      Roy Morgan does tend to overestimate support for the Left a bit compared to elections, remember. (Granted, this could be natural variability, or it could just be down to poor campaigning rather than demographic bias) I’d want a positive trend across polls, including a good margin on the Roy Morgan, before assuming we’re doing well.

      • bad12 6.1.1
        24 February 2013 at 11:14 pm

        Yep, and Reid Research/TV3 have a really realy bad habit of massively over-inflating Nationals % as well,

        In June 2011, (or was that 2010), Reid Research had National polling at 57%, would you or anyone else (except maybe the National Party and a handful of manic depressives), really believe that these people are serious,

        Hell the crazy old bat that owns the place is probably hell bent on being made a Dame befor She kicks the bucket…

      • bad12 6.1.2
        24 February 2013 at 11:25 pm

        Why anyone would beleive anything that comes out of the MediaWorks owned tv# is actually beyond me,

        These are the people that set David Cunliffe up and i don’t necessarily believe that Cunliffe was set up by Mallard or Robertson or even both,

        There’s a crew, with the means of control over MediaWorks who had cause to fear Cunliffe far more than anyone in the Labour Party,

        That crew being Slippery’s National Government…

  7. xtasy 7
    24 February 2013 at 8:00 pm

    I fear no matter how much shuffling may be done, the 10 fold face on the website of Labour shows where a re-shuffle should first of all begin.

    Sorry for the sting, but the polls tonight show that under this leadership now the whole left and opposition suffers, as “the Leader” of the opposition is also the one of the largest party in opposition.

    Voters do not see the leadership and competency in the set-up of the opposition as it is, and there are only so few to replace others on the frontbench of Labour. Yes it is overdue, but do not expect too much, I fear.

  8. Afewknowthetruth 8
    24 February 2013 at 9:38 pm

    It makes no difference how many times you reshuffle a pack of dummies and denialists you still lend up with a pack of dummies and denialists.

    • Jenny 8.1
      24 February 2013 at 10:04 pm

      But Cunliffe is neither a dummy or a denialist.

      His promotion could make a real difference.

      Cunliffe could be a kiwi version of Al Gore.

      As the government record is nowhere weaker than on addressing climate change. Cunliffe should be promoted. He would tear the government of denialists and climate back peddlers a new one.

      • bad12 8.1.1
        24 February 2013 at 11:30 pm

        A kiwi version of Al Gore, that i find hilarious, we are talking about Al gore the tycoon are we not…

    • Ed 8.2
      24 February 2013 at 10:04 pm

      Indeed that has been John Key’s problem for a long time now, and he is running out of people to throw on the fire as each disaster needs a scapegoat.

      As far as Labour is concerned I wish them well for the reshuffle; it is important to recognise that while there will be some purported “winners” and “losers”, the only winners most of us care about is getting a government that cares about the country, that can work together and use all its resources well; that recognises that “Leaders” are not always any more important than those forming the team; they just have a different role. Regardless of the past, I want a the Labour Team that is looking to a future in government, with strongly held aims of fairness, integrity, a desire to help all New Zealanders, a wish to see more people employed, and a preparedness to be hard on those who have unfairly profited from some of the current government’s stupidities.

      John Key must look at the reality that Shearer has choices with some envy – he is not even able to replace clearly incompetent ministers as there is no-one out of cabinet even he would trust . . .

  9. Peter 9
    24 February 2013 at 10:07 pm

    All this dirty washing on display in public is too much!

    • Pascal's bookie 9.1
      25 February 2013 at 7:45 am

      Nah bollocks.

      I think give it 5 years and all parties will be doing most of their business in public. You can’t stop people writing things on the internet, so why try?

      • lprent 9.1.1
        25 February 2013 at 8:02 am

        As the costs of publishing and communicating plummet, yep… Won’t be everything. However the bits that are not will be endlessly resurrected.

  10. hush minx 10
    25 February 2013 at 12:01 am

    From my perspective I know if the announcement is tomorrow all the dealings will have been done. But if they haven’t found a tangible way to get the MPs to work together, rather than by punishing those who the power elite regard as the enemy then they still have time. Let the TV 3 poll serve as a reminder that nothing on politics comes for free. No sleepwalking to victory, but hard work and a team that plays to it’s strengths. I hope they do give cunliffe health, as a former minister with some good political years still ahead of him, plus the finance savvy to argue the numbers, he can really do some good. Fingers crossed.

  11. mickysavage 11
    25 February 2013 at 6:26 am

    The Herald is speculating on the reshuffle (http://www.nzherald.co.nz/politics/news/article.cfm?c_id=280&objectid=10867507).

    The demotion of Sio and Dalziel if it occurs will be retrograde and stupid. Both are experienced and hard working local MPs. Sio had the biggest increase in the party vote last time and Dalziel’s work in Christchurch is legendary. This will make divisions worse.

    • Alanz 11.1
      25 February 2013 at 7:15 am

      Oh dear. Let’s hope the Labour leadership can sort itself out in time to put together an alternative government for 2017.

  12. Alanz 12
    25 February 2013 at 7:14 am

    Oh dear. Let’s hope the Labour leadership can sort itself out in time to put together an alternative government for 2017.

    • Sanctuary 12.1
      25 February 2013 at 8:54 am

      in 2017 Mallard will be 62, King will be 69 and Goff will be 64. So don’t expect any of them to retire before 2020. In that scenario, Labour will have drifted down to the mid-high 20’s in the polls and leader Grant Robertson will announce shortly before the election he has taken a job in the office of UN secretary general Helen Clark…

    • Sanctuary 12.2
      25 February 2013 at 8:54 am

      in 2017 Mallard will be 62, King will be 69 and Goff will be 64. So don’t expect any of them to retire before 2020. In that scenario, Labour will have drifted down to the mid-high 20’s in the polls and leader Grant Robertson will announce shortly before the 2020 election he has taken a job in the office of UN secretary general Helen Clark…

  13. millsy 13
    25 February 2013 at 7:35 am

    Not too sure about Little being given justice. Seems to he would be better suited to an economic/labour portfolio. Cosgove seems to me a better fit.

    Labour will have to get this one right though.

    • mickysavage 13.1
      25 February 2013 at 7:45 am

      It should be Dalziel and Little should be given Labour. So why isn’t this happening …

      • yeshe 13.1.1
        25 February 2013 at 10:31 am

        and where wouldyou/theyput Cunliffe ?

        • JBug 13.1.1.1
          25 February 2013 at 11:57 am

          He should be back on the front bench. Regardless of what portfolio, he will make a difference. He’s their best debater in the House.

        • tc 13.1.1.2
          25 February 2013 at 12:40 pm

          DC can do serious damage on the floor and in the MSM given a role such as shadow environment, Health, education, transport gosh so many choices.

          reckon the mallarfia decided last year already who gets the lollies, let’s wait and see.

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    Floating offshore wind turbines offer incredible opportunities to capture powerful winds far out at sea. By unlocking this wind energy potential, they could be a key weapon in our arsenal in the fight against climate change. But how developed are these climate fighting clean energy giants? And why do I ...
    Skeptical Science
    2 days ago

  • The next Maori challenge
    Over the past two or three weeks, a procession of Maori iwi and hapu in a series of little-noticed appearances before two Select Committees have been asking for more say for Maori over resource management decisions along the co-governance lines of Three Waters. Their submissions and appearances run counter ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    2 days ago

  • Secret “war-crime” warrants by International Criminal Court is mischief-making
    The decision of the International Criminal Court (ICC) to issue war crimes arrest warrants for the Russian President and the Russia Children Ombudsman may have been welcomed by the ideologically committed but otherwise seems to have been greeted with widespread cynicism (see Situation in Ukraine: ICC judges issue arrest warrants ...
    Open ParachuteBy Ken
    3 days ago

  • How to answer Drunk Uncle Kevin's Climate Crisis reckons
    Let’s say you’re clasping your drink at a wedding, or a 40th, or a King’s Birthday Weekend family reunion and Drunk Uncle Kevin has just got going.He’s in an expansive frame of mind because we’re finally rid of that silly girl. But he wants to ask an honest question about ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago

  • National’s Luxon may be glum about his poll ratings but has he found a winner in promising to rai...
    National Party leader Christopher Luxon may  be feeling glum about his poll ratings, but  he could be tapping  into  a rich political vein in  describing the current state of education as “alarming”. Luxon said educational achievement has been declining,  with a recent NCEA pilot exposing just how far it has ...
    Point of OrderBy tutere44
    3 days ago

  • Climate Change: More Labour foot-dragging
    Yesterday the IPCC released the final part of its Sixth Assessment Report, warning us that we have very little time left in which to act to prevent catastrophic climate change, but pointing out that it is a problem that we can solve, with existing technology, and that anything we do ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    3 days ago

  • Te Pāti Māori Are Revolutionaries – Not Reformists.
    Way Beyond Reform: Rawiri Waititi and Debbie Ngarewa-Packer have no more interest in remaining permanent members of “New Zealand’s” House of Representatives than did Lenin and Trotsky in remaining permanent members of Tsar Nicolas II’s “democratically-elected” Duma. Like the Bolsheviks, Te Pāti Māori is a party of revolutionaries – not reformists.THE CROWN ...
    Bowalley Road
    3 days ago

  • When does history become “ancient”, on Tinetti’s watch as Minister of Education – and what o...
    Buzz from the Beehive Auckland was wiped off the map, when Education Minister Jan Tinetti delivered her speech of welcome as host of the inaugural Conference of Pacific Education Ministers “here in Tāmaki Makaurau”. But – fair to say – a reference was made later in the speech to a ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    3 days ago

  • Climate Catastrophe, but first rugby.
    Morning mate, how you going?Well, I was watching the news last night and they announced this scientific report on Climate Change. But before they got to it they had a story about the new All Blacks coach.Sounds like important news. It’s a bit of a worry really.Yeah, they were talking ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    3 days ago

  • What the US and European bank rescues mean for us
    Always a bailout: US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said the Government would fully guarantee all savers in all smaller US banks if needed. Photo: Getty ImagesTL;DR: No wonder an entire generation of investors are used to ‘buying the dip’ and ‘holding on for dear life’. US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago

  • Bryce Edwards: Who will drain Wellington’s lobbying swamp?
    Wealthy vested interests have an oversized influence on political decisions in New Zealand. Partly that’s due to their use of corporate lobbyists. Fortunately, the influence lobbyists can have on decisions made by politicians is currently under scrutiny in Guyon Espiner’s in-depth series published by RNZ. Two of Espiner’s research exposés ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    3 days ago

  • It’s Raining Congestion
    Yesterday afternoon it rained and traffic around the region ground to a halt, once again highlighting why it is so important that our city gets on with improving the alternatives to driving. For additional irony, this happened on the same day the IPCC synthesis report landed, putting the focus on ...
    Greater AucklandBy Matt L
    3 days ago

  • Checking The Left: The Dreadful Logic Of Fascism.
    The Beginning: Anti-Co-Governance agitator, Julian Batchelor, addresses the Dargaville stop of his travelling roadshow across New Zealand . Fascism almost always starts small. Sadly, it doesn’t always stay that way. Especially when the Left helps it to grow.THERE IS A DREADFUL LOGIC to the growth of fascism. To begin with, it ...
    Bowalley Road
    3 days ago

  • Good Friends and Terrible Food
    Hi,From an incredibly rainy day in Los Angeles, I just wanted to check in. I guess this is the day Trump may or may not end up in cuffs? I’m attempting a somewhat slower, less frenzied week. I’ve had Unknown Mortal Orchestra’s new record on non-stop, and it’s been a ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    3 days ago

  • At a glance – What evidence is there for the hockey stick?
    On February 14, 2023 we announced our Rebuttal Update Project. This included an ask for feedback about the added "At a glance" section in the updated basic rebuttal versions. This weekly blog post series highlights this new section of one of the updated basic rebuttal versions and serves as a ...
    Skeptical Science
    3 days ago

  • Carry right on up there, Corporal Espiner
    RNZ has been shining their torch into corners where lobbyists lurk and asking such questions as: Do we like the look of this?and Is this as democratic as it could be?These are most certainly questions worth asking, and every bit as valid as, say:Are we shortchanged democratically by the way ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    4 days ago

  • This smells
    RNZ has continued its look at the role of lobbyists by taking a closer look at the Prime Minister's Chief of Staff Andrew Kirton. He used to work for liquor companies, opposing (among other things) a container refund scheme which would have required them to take responsibility for their own ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    4 days ago

  • Major issues on the table in Mahuta’s  talks in Beijing with China’s new Foreign Minister
    Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta has left for Beijing for the first ministerial visit to China since 2019. Mahuta is  to  meet China’s new foreign minister Qin Gang  where she  might have to call on all the  diplomatic skills  at  her  command. Almost certainly she  will  face  questions  on what  role ...
    Point of OrderBy tutere44
    4 days ago

  • Inside TOP's Teal Card and political strategy
    TL;DR: The Opportunities Party’s Leader Raf Manji is hopeful the party’s new Teal Card, a type of Gold card for under 30s, will be popular with students, and not just in his Ilam electorate where students make up more than a quarter of the voters and where Manji is confident ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago

  • Make Your Empties Go Another Round.
    When I was a kid New Zealand was actually pretty green. We didn’t really have plastic. The fruit and veges came in a cardboard box, the meat was wrapped in paper, milk came in a glass bottle, and even rubbish sacks were made of paper. Today if you sit down ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    4 days ago

  • Gordon Campbell on how similar Vladimir Putin is to George W. Bush
    Looking back through the names of our Police Ministers down the years, the job has either been done by once or future party Bigfoots – Syd Holland, Richard Prebble, Juduth Collins, Chris Hipkins – or by far lesser lights like Keith Allen, Frank Gill, Ben Couch, Allen McCready, Clem Simich, ...
    Gordon CampbellBy lyndon
    4 days ago

  • CHRIS TROTTER:  Te Pāti Māori’s uncompromising threat to the status quo
    Chris Trotter writes – The Crown is a fickle friend. Any political movement deemed to be colourful but inconsequential is generally permitted to go about its business unmolested. The Crown’s media, RNZ and TVNZ, may even “celebrate” its existence (presumably as proof of Democracy’s broad-minded acceptance of diversity). ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago

  • Bryce Edwards: Shining a bright light on lobbyists in politics
    Four out of the five people who have held the top role of Prime Minister’s Chief of Staff since 2017 have been lobbyists. That’s a fact that should worry anyone who believes vested interests shouldn’t have a place at the centre of decision making. Chris Hipkins’ newly appointed Chief of ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    4 days ago

  • Auckland Council Draft Budget – an unnecessary backwards step
    Feedback on Auckland Council’s draft 2023/24 budget closes on March 28th. You can read the consultation document here, and provide feedback here. Auckland Council is currently consulting on what is one of its most important ever Annual Plans – the ‘budget’ of what it will spend money on between July ...
    Greater AucklandBy Matt L
    4 days ago

  • Talking’ Posey Parker Blues
    by Molten Moira from Motueka If you want to be a woman let me tell you what to do Get a piece of paper and a biro tooWrite down your new identification And boom! You’re now a woman of this nationSpelled W O M A Na real trans woman that isAs opposed ...
    RedlineBy Admin
    4 days ago

  • More Māori words make it into the OED, and polytech boss (with rules on words like “students”) ...
    Buzz from the Beehive   New Zealand Education Minister Jan Tinetti is hosting the inaugural Conference of Pacific Education Ministers for three days from today, welcoming Education Ministers and senior officials from 18 Pacific Island countries and territories, and from Australia. Here’s hoping they have brought translators with them – or ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    5 days ago

  • Social intercourse with haters and Nazis: an etiquette guide
    Let’s say you’ve come all the way from His Majesty’s United Kingdom to share with the folk of Australia and New Zealand your antipathy towards certain other human beings. And let’s say you call yourself a women’s rights activist.And let’s say 99 out of 100 people who listen to you ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    5 days ago

  • The Greens, Labour, and coalition enforcement
    James Shaw gave the Green party's annual "state of the planet" address over the weekend, in which he expressed frustration with Labour for not doing enough on climate change. His solution is to elect more Green MPs, so they have more power within any government arrangement, and can hold Labour ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    5 days ago

  • This sounds familiar…
    RNZ this morning has the first story another investigative series by Guyon Espiner, this time into political lobbying. The first story focuses on lobbying by government agencies, specifically transpower, Pharmac, and assorted universities, and how they use lobbyists to manipulate public opinion and gather intelligence on the Ministers who oversee ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    5 days ago

  • Letter to the NZ Herald: NCEA pseudoscience – “Mauri is present in all matter”
    Nick Matzke writes –   Dear NZ Herald, I am a Senior Lecturer in the School of Biological Sciences at the University of Auckland. I teach evolutionary biology, but I also have long experience in science education and (especially) political attempts to insert pseudoscience into science curricula in ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago

  • So what would be the point of a Green vote again?
    James Shaw has again said the Greens would be better ‘in the tent’ with Labour than out, despite Labour’s policy bonfire last week torching much of what the Government was doing to reduce emissions. File Photo: Lynn Grieveson/Getty ImagesTL;DR: The Green Party has never been more popular than in some ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago

  • Gas stoves pose health risks. Are gas furnaces and other appliances safe to use?
    This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Sarah Wesseler Poor air quality is a long-standing problem in Los Angeles, where the first major outbreak of smog during World War II was so intense that some residents thought the city had been attacked by chemical weapons. Cars were eventually discovered ...
    Skeptical Science
    5 days ago

  • Genetic Heritage and Co Governance
    Yesterday I was reading an excellent newsletter from David Slack, and I started writing a comment “Sounds like some excellent genetic heritage…” and then I stopped.There was something about the phrase genetic heritage that stopped me in tracks. Is that a phrase I want to be saying? It’s kind of ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago

  • BRIAN EASTON: Radical Uncertainty
    Brian Easton writes – Two senior economists challenge some of the foundations of current economics. It is easy to criticise economic science by misrepresenting it, by selective quotations, and by ignoring that it progresses, like all sciences, by improving and abandoning old theories. The critics may go ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago

  • Geoffrey Miller: New Zealand’s Middle East strategy, 20 years after the Iraq War
    This week marks the twentieth anniversary of the Iraq War. While it strongly opposed the US-led invasion, New Zealand’s then Labour-led government led by Prime Minister Helen Clark did deploy military engineers to try to help rebuild Iraq in mid-2003. With violence soaring, their 12-month deployment ended without being renewed ...
    Democracy ProjectBy Geoffrey Miller
    5 days ago

  • The motorways are finished
    After seventy years, Auckland’s motorway network is finally finished. In July 1953 the first section of motorway in Auckland was opened between Ellerslie-Panmure Highway and Mt Wellington Highway. The final stage opens to traffic this week with the completion of the motorway part of the Northern Corridor Improvements project. Aucklanders ...
    Greater AucklandBy Matt L
    5 days ago

  • Kicking National’s tyres
    National’s appointment of Todd McClay as Agriculture spokesperson clearly signals that the party is in trouble with the farming vote. McClay was not an obvious choice, but he does have a record as a political scrapper. The party needs that because sources say it has been shedding farming votes ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    5 days ago

  • As long as there is cricket, the world is somehow okay.
    Rays of white light come flooding into my lounge, into my face from over the top of my neighbour’s hedge. I have to look away as the window of the conservatory is awash in light, as if you were driving towards the sun after a rain shower and suddenly blinded. ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    6 days ago

  • So much of what was there remains
    The columnists in Private Eye take pen names, so I have not the least idea who any of them are. But I greatly appreciate their expert insight, especially MD, who writes the medical column, offering informed and often damning critique of the UK health system and the politicians who keep ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    6 days ago

  • 2023 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #11
    A chronological listing of news articles posted on the Skeptical Science Facebook Page during the past week: Sun, Mar 12, 2023 thru Sat, Mar 18, 2023. Story of the Week Guest post: What 13,500 citations reveal about the IPCC’s climate science report   IPCC WG1 AR6 SPM Report Cover - Changing ...
    Skeptical Science
    6 days ago

  • Financial capability services are being bucked up, but Stuart Nash shouldn’t have to see if they c...
    Buzz from the Beehive  The building of financial capability was brought into our considerations when Social Development and Employment Minister Carmel Sepuloni announced she had dipped into the government’s coffers for $3 million for “providers” to help people and families access community-based Building Financial Capability services. That wording suggests some ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    7 days ago

  • Things that make you go Hmmmm.
    Do you ever come across something that makes you go Hmmmm?You mean like the song?No, I wasn’t thinking of the song, but I am now - thanks for that. I was thinking of things you read or hear that make you stop and go Hmmmm.Yeah, I know what you mean, ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    7 days ago

  • The hoon for the week that was to March 19
    By the end of the week, the dramas over Stuart Nash overshadowed Hipkins’ policy bonfire. File photo: Lynn GrieveasonTLDR: This week’s news in geopolitics and the political economy covered on The Kākā included:PM Chris Hipkins’ announcement of the rest of a policy bonfire to save a combined $1.7 billion, but ...
    The KakaBy Peter Bale
    7 days ago

  • Saving Stuart Nash: Explaining Chris Hipkins' unexpected political calculation
    When word went out that Prime Minister Chris Hipkins would be making an announcement about Stuart Nash on the tiles at parliament at 2:45pm yesterday, the assumption was that it was over. That we had reached tipping point for Nash’s time as minister. But by 3pm - when, coincidentally, the ...
    PunditBy Tim Watkin
    1 week ago

  • Radical Uncertainty
    Two senior economists challenge some of the foundations of current economics. It is easy to criticise economic science by misrepresenting it, by selective quotations, and by ignoring that it progresses, like all sciences, by improving and abandoning old theories. The critics may go on to attack physics by citing Newton.So ...
    PunditBy Brian Easton
    1 week ago

  • Jump onto the weekly hoon on Riverside at 5pm
    Photo by Walker Fenton on UnsplashIt’s that time of the week again when and I co-host our ‘hoon’ webinar with paying subscribers to The Kaka for an hour at 5 pm. Jump on this link on Riverside (we’ve moved from Zoom) for our chat about the week’s news with ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago

  • The Dream of Florian Neame: Accepted
    In a nice bit of news, my 2550-word deindustrial science-fiction piece, The Dream of Florian Neame, has been accepted for publication at New Maps Magazine (https://www.new-maps.com/). I have published there before, of course, with Of Tin and Tintagel coming out last year. While I still await the ...
    A Phuulish FellowBy strda221
    1 week ago

  • Snakes and leaders
    And so this is Friday, and what have we learned?It was a week with all the usual luggage: minister brags and then he quits, Hollywood red carpet is full of twits. And all the while, hanging over the trivial stuff: existential dread, and portents of doom.Depending on who you read ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    1 week ago

  • This station is Karanga-a-Hape, Chur!
    When I changed the name of this newsletter from The Daily Read to Nick’s Kōrero I was a bit worried whether people would know what Kōrero meant or not. I added a definition when I announced the change and kind of assumed people who weren’t familiar with it would get ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    1 week ago

  • Greens don’t shy from promoting a candidate’s queerness but are quiet about govt announcement on...
    There was a time when a political party’s publicity people would counsel against promoting a candidate as queer. No matter which of two dictionary meanings the voting public might choose to apply – the old meaning of odd, strange, weird, or aberrant, or the more recent meaning of gay, homosexual ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    1 week ago

  • Ask Me Anything about the week to March 17
    Photo by Joakim Honkasalo on UnsplashIt’s that time of the week for an ‘Ask Me Anything’ session for paying subscribers about the week that was for the next hour, including:PM Chris Hipkins announcement of the rest of a policy bonfire to save a combined $1.7 billion, but which blew up ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago

  • Slow consenting could create $16b climate liability by 2050
    Even though concern over the climate change threat is becoming more mainstream, our governments continue to opt out of the difficult decisions at the expense of time, and cost for future generations. Photo: Lynn Grieveson/Getty ImagesTLDR: Now we have a climate liability number to measure the potential failure of the ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago

  • THOMAS CRANMER: Challenging progressivism in New Zealand’s culture wars
    Thomas Cranmer writes  Like it or not, the culture wars have entered New Zealand politics and look set to broaden and intensify. The culture wars are often viewed as an exclusively American phenomenon, but the reality is that they are becoming increasingly prominent in countries around the world, ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    1 week ago

  • District Court Judges appointed
    Attorney-General David Parker has announced the appointment of Christopher John Dellabarca of Wellington, Dr Katie Jane Elkin of Wellington, Caroline Mary Hickman of Napier, Ngaroma Tahana of Rotorua, Tania Rose Williams Blyth of Hamilton and Nicola Jan Wills of Wellington as District Court Judges.  Chris Dellabarca Mr Dellabarca commenced his ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    17 hours ago

  • New project set to supercharge ocean economy in Nelson Tasman
    A new Government-backed project will help ocean-related businesses in the Nelson Tasman region to accelerate their growth and boost jobs. “The Nelson Tasman region is home to more than 400 blue economy businesses, accounting for more than 30 percent of New Zealand’s economic activity in fishing, aquaculture, and seafood processing,” ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • National’s education policy: where’s the funding?
    After three years of COVID-19 disruptions schools are finally settling down and National want to throw that all in the air with major disruption to learning and underinvestment.  “National’s education policy lacks the very thing teachers, parents and students need after a tough couple of years, certainty and stability,” Education ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • Free programme to help older entrepreneurs and inventors
    People aged over 50 with innovative business ideas will now be able to receive support to advance their ideas to the next stage of development, Minister for Seniors Ginny Andersen said today. “Seniors have some great entrepreneurial ideas, and this programme will give them the support to take that next ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • Government target increased to keep powering up the Māori economy
    A cross government target for relevant government procurement contracts for goods and services to be awarded to Māori businesses annually will increase to 8%, after the initial 5% target was exceeded. The progressive procurement policy was introduced in 2020 to increase supplier diversity, starting with Māori businesses, for the estimated ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • Continued progress on reducing poverty in challenging times
    77,000 fewer children living in low income households on the after-housing-costs primary measure since Labour took office Eight of the nine child poverty measures have seen a statistically significant reduction since 2018. All nine have reduced 28,700 fewer children experiencing material hardship since 2018 Measures taken by the Government during ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • Speech at Fiji Investment and Trade Business Forum
    Deputy Prime Minister Kamikamica; distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen. Tēnā koutou katoa, ni sa bula vinaka saka, namaste. Deputy Prime Minister, a very warm welcome to Aotearoa. I trust you have been enjoying your time here and thank you for joining us here today. To all delegates who have travelled to be ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • Government investments boost and diversify local economies in lower South Island
    $2.9 million convertible loan for Scapegrace Distillery to meet growing national and international demand $4.5m underwrite to support Silverlight Studios’ project to establish a film studio in Wanaka Gore’s James Cumming Community Centre and Library to be official opened tomorrow with support of $3m from the COVID-19 Response and Recovery ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • Government future-proofs EV charging
    Transport Minister Michael Wood has today launched the first national EV (electric vehicle) charging strategy, Charging Our Future, which includes plans to provide EV charging stations in almost every town in New Zealand. “Our vision is for Aotearoa New Zealand to have world-class EV charging infrastructure that is accessible, affordable, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago

  • World-leading family harm prevention campaign supports young NZers
    Associate Minister for Social Development and Employment Priyanca Radhakrishnan has today launched the Love Better campaign in a world-leading approach to family harm prevention. Love Better will initially support young people through their experience of break-ups, developing positive and life-long attitudes to dealing with hurt. “Over 1,200 young kiwis told ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago

  • First Chief Clinical Advisor welcomed into Coroners Court
    Hon Rino Tirikatene, Minister for Courts, welcomes the Ministry of Justice’s appointment of Dr Garry Clearwater as New Zealand’s first Chief Clinical Advisor working with the Coroners Court. “This appointment is significant for the Coroners Court and New Zealand’s wider coronial system.” Minister Tirikatene said. Through Budget 2022, the Government ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago

  • Next steps for affected properties post Cyclone and floods
    The Government via the Cyclone Taskforce is working with local government and insurance companies to build a picture of high-risk areas following Cyclone Gabrielle and January floods. “The Taskforce, led by Sir Brian Roche, has been working with insurance companies to undertake an assessment of high-risk areas so we can ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago

  • New appointment to Māori Land Court bench
    E te huia kaimanawa, ko Ngāpuhi e whakahari ana i tau aupikinga ki te tihi o te maunga. Ko te Ao Māori hoki e whakanui ana i a koe te whakaihu waka o te reo Māori i roto i te Ao Ture. (To the prized treasure, it is Ngāpuhi who ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago

  • Government focus on jobs sees record number of New Zealanders move from Benefits into work
    113,400 exits into work in the year to June 2022 Young people are moving off Benefit faster than after the Global Financial Crisis Two reports released today by the Ministry of Social Development show the Government’s investment in the COVID-19 response helped drive record numbers of people off Benefits and ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago

  • Vertical farming partnership has upward momentum
    The Government’s priority to keep New Zealand at the cutting edge of food production and lift our sustainability credentials continues by backing the next steps of a hi-tech vertical farming venture that uses up to 95 per cent less water, is climate resilient, and pesticide-free. Agriculture Minister Damien O’Connor visited ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago

  • Conference of Pacific Education Ministers – Keynote Address
    E nga mana, e nga iwi, e nga reo, e nga hau e wha, tena koutou, tena koutou, tena koutou kātoa. Warm Pacific greetings to all. It is an honour to host the inaugural Conference of Pacific Education Ministers here in Tāmaki Makaurau. Aotearoa is delighted to be hosting you ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago

  • New $13m renal unit supports Taranaki patients
    The new renal unit at Taranaki Base Hospital has been officially opened by the Minister of Health Dr Ayesha Verrall this afternoon. Te Huhi Raupō received around $13 million in government funding as part of Project Maunga Stage 2, the redevelopment of the Taranaki Base Hospital campus. “It’s an honour ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago

  • Second Poseidon aircraft on home soil
    Defence Minister Andrew Little has marked the arrival of the country’s second P-8A Poseidon aircraft alongside personnel at the Royal New Zealand Air Force’s Base at Ohakea today. “With two of the four P-8A Poseidons now on home soil this marks another significant milestone in the Government’s historic investment in ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago

  • Further humanitarian aid for Türkiye and Syria
    Aotearoa New Zealand will provide further humanitarian support to those seriously affected by last month’s deadly earthquakes in Türkiye and Syria, says Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta. “The 6 February earthquakes have had devastating consequences, with almost 18 million people affected. More than 53,000 people have died and tens of thousands more ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago

  • Community voice to help shape immigration policy
    Migrant communities across New Zealand are represented in the new Migrant Community Reference Group that will help shape immigration policy going forward, Immigration Minister Michael Wood announced today.  “Since becoming Minister, a reoccurring message I have heard from migrants is the feeling their voice has often been missing around policy ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago

  • State Highway 3 project to deliver safer journeys, better travel connections for Taranaki
    Construction has begun on major works that will deliver significant safety improvements on State Highway 3 from Waitara to Bell Block, Associate Minister of Transport Kiri Allan announced today. “This is an important route for communities, freight and visitors to Taranaki but too many people have lost their lives or ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago

  • Ginny Andersen appointed as Minister of Police
    Prime Minister Chris Hipkins has today appointed Ginny Andersen as Minister of Police. “Ginny Andersen has a strong and relevant background in this important portfolio,” Chris Hipkins said. “Ginny Andersen worked for the Police as a non-sworn staff member for around 10 years and has more recently been chair of ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago

  • Government confirms vital roading reconnections
    Six further bailey bridge sites confirmed Four additional bridge sites under consideration 91 per cent of damaged state highways reopened Recovery Dashboards for impacted regions released The Government has responded quickly to restore lifeline routes after Cyclone Gabrielle and can today confirm that an additional six bailey bridges will ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago

  • Foreign Minister Mahuta to meet with China’s new Foreign Minister
    Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta departs for China tomorrow, where she will meet with her counterpart, State Councillor and Foreign Minister Qin Gang, in Beijing. This will be the first visit by a New Zealand Minister to China since 2019, and follows the easing of COVID-19 travel restrictions between New Zealand and China. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago

  • Education Ministers from across the Pacific gather in Aotearoa
    Education Ministers from across the Pacific will gather in Tāmaki Makaurau this week to share their collective knowledge and strategic vision, for the benefit of ākonga across the region. New Zealand Education Minister Jan Tinetti will host the inaugural Conference of Pacific Education Ministers (CPEM) for three days from today, ...
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    5 days ago

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  • Special Lotto draw raises $11.7 million for Cyclone Gabrielle recovery
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