Stop being a dick Barry

Written By: - Date published: 7:31 am, November 23rd, 2021 - 54 comments
Categories: jacinda ardern, Media, politicans, the praiseworthy and the pitiful, you couldn't make this shit up - Tags:

The sense of privilege is especially strong with this one.

Barry Soper was politely shut down by Jacinda Ardern during her post Cabinet Press Conference yesterday.  In front of a packed group of reporters all asking her questions she did what was utterly logical and tried to spread the questions around.

Barry Soper, a legend in his own lunchtime, then threw a big tanty and stormed out of the conference.  His justification, he had a deadline to meet and she refused to answer his questions immediately.  The leader of our country should clearly rearrange Cabinet and the handling of the country’s pressing matters so that Barry can meet his corporate imposed deadline.  Maybe Cabinet should meet at 4 am so that Barry has something ready for the morning news.

But not only did Barry get upset at Jacinda attempting to allow all media to ask her questions and then storm out of the conference but he then wrote this clusterfuck of an article to accuse Jacinda effectively of communism because she was not deferential to him.

His piece starts off by prattling on how he upset Muldoon and Lange.  I suspect that these were his best years, but they were over 30 years ago.

He then said this:

Jacinda Ardern’s press conferences are on a whole new level, she’s had more practice at them than any other leader in recent history.

But for her, it’s all about control, to cut off a line of questioning before something difficult takes hold. If it runs the risk of taking hold, she’ll over talk the questioner through the power of the podium microphone and move on.

With the flick of a hand, she’ll switch to another questioner. She’s trained the media to raise their hands which allows her to rattle off the order in which the questions are to be asked.

If you’re working to a deadline, which if you have to go on-air in radio is constant, it’s of no consequence to Ardern, television takes precedence.

Admittedly the question she flicked away on her latest outing was probably one she wasn’t too keen on taking – was she going to do more than a token visit to Auckland this Thursday?

The current crop has all been media trained like no other occupants in the Beehive. The same modus operandi has been adopted by Ardern’s fellow preachers from the pulpit – Grant Robertson and Chris Hipkins.

It’s called media control but asking questions is called democracy and accountability.

He has no self awareness.  Attacking her for “not visiting Auckland” is to reinforce a National attack line that has no substance.  I prefer that the Prime Minister is on top of her game, has had full briefings and is in a position to make decisions on the country’s future rather than spending huge amounts of time on photo opportunities and to witness first hand what she will already be aware of from media and social media reports.

Accusing her of “overtalking the questioner” is exactly what he was doing.

And accusing her of media control as she offers to multiple reporters the chance to question her?  How can this be evidence of control?

Some of the best and toughest questioning has come from Iwi media.  They actually get into the meat of important issues rather than ask where people in Ponsonby are going to have a piss if they cannot go inside the restaurant because the city is battling a pandemic and is still being very cautious.  But they do not have an expectation of entitlement.

It is interesting that the Herald article does not feature video of the conference.  I wonder why?

I have held off cancelling my Herald subscription because of the likes of Simon Wilson, Dave Fisher and Matt Nippert.  But Barry makes this so difficult …

54 comments on “Stop being a dick Barry ”

  • Comments are now closed

  1. tc 1
    23 November 2021 at 7:34 am

    Old man shouts at cloud, his management cheer him on.

    When's he off on paternity leave to give everyone a break from his knowingly arrogant behavior.

    Good point about the iwi media mickey, they’re showing others how it can be done.

    • Tiger Mountain 1.1
      23 November 2021 at 7:55 am

      Yes the Iwi media when I have watched ask pertinent and sometimes difficult questions for the Govt. but manage to do it a non whiny way, with an answer seemingly their goal rather than “aha…but you said in March 2020…Gotcha!”

      • Shanreagh 1.1.1
        23 November 2021 at 4:47 pm

        Yes during last year's outbreak there was a sense of real working together with Iwi media and the 1.00pm speakers as the Maori media asked questions in such a way as to inform to get the best possible outcome. The rest were full of gotchas and reckons.

        Come this year I no longer have the patience with the media questions and so miss any brilliance or the result of hard work and investigation from the Maori media. I got tired of almost throwing things at the screen as I said "she's already said that' or 'he didn't say that….' I don't watch the 1.00pm or any pressers unless I ams ure I wnat to after reading the content on line and never watch the questions. To be honest I find Tova O'B just about as irritating as Barry Soper in a different way. .

    • Peter 1.2
      23 November 2021 at 7:57 am

      Soper on paternity leave didn't occur to me but it raises a question.

      Has he already attached a 'Baby on Board' sign in his vehicle? He should.

      • left for dead 1.2.1
        23 November 2021 at 8:49 am

        Baby's on board not forgetting HDP.

        Edited: this is ‘cartoon caption’ or am I on in the wrong post.

  2. Blazer 2
    23 November 2021 at 8:12 am

    Attacking the P.M is really ramping up.

    The opposition are resorting to every trick they can, to undermine her personal popularity.

    A friend from Australia was 'informed breathlessly' that JA is really a….man!

    Believe it or not…(shades of the dirt spread on Michelle Obama.)

    • Gezza 2.1
      23 November 2021 at 9:03 am

      Gawd. That’s just plain nuts!

      Political . discourse in the age of social media sure has turned into a toxic bloody swamp. In far too many places. Dunno what the solution is. Misinformation & disinformation & just plain bile seem to be everywhere.

      • Anne 2.1.1
        23 November 2021 at 10:35 am

        Read this Gezza:

        http://www.kiwipolitico.com/2021/11/chinese-influence-and-american-hate/

        A brilliant discourse from Dr. Paul Buchanan concerning the situation occurring right now in NZ . It makes for fascinating reading:

        http://www.kiwipolitico.com/2021/11/chinese-influence-and-american-hate/

        … there is another malign foreign influence operating in NZ as well as places like Brazil and Italy. It arrives as a type of cultural or ideological diffusion and it is propagated by US-based non-state political actors like Steve Bannon and his Counterspin media channel as well as the Qanon conspiracy network, Alex Jones and Infowars …

        He goes on to explain their ultimate aims. It is super sobering and reminds me of a modern day version of Germany in the 1930s.

        Paul Buchanan was a former US intelligence analyst.

        • Gezza 2.1.1.1
          23 November 2021 at 11:56 am

          From the linked article: *the NZ intelligence community has warned that a terrorist attack is possible within a year or so and that it will likely come in the form of a “lone wolf” emerging out of the anti-vaxx/mask/lockdown movement (although the process of radicalisation and likely profile of such an individual has not been specified). *

          That’s a worry. ☹️

    • Anne 2.2
      23 November 2021 at 10:17 am

      A friend from Australia was 'informed breathlessly' that JA is really a….man!

      Not new. Helen Clark was accused of being a man because of her low voice – caused by a throat operation after a severe infection when she was a child.

      Next they will be accusing Jacinda’s soon to be husband of being a pedophile. Oops, that's not new either. Helen's husband was accused of… trying to pick up a young boy on an Air NZ flight. The child was sitting next to him and travelling alone so he took on the task of looking after him until those who were meeting him had been located.

      • Visubversa 2.2.1
        23 November 2021 at 4:35 pm

        There never have been any depths that they will not plumb. They are homophobic and misogynist to the core. They have no good arguments so they revert to lies and propaganda. When that fails, out come the threats of violence.

        • Anne 2.2.1.1
          23 November 2021 at 7:52 pm

          Yes. and we are seeing it all coming to the surface in NZ . Covid is merely the vehicle through which they are spreading their contemptuous messages.

  3. Ross 3
    23 November 2021 at 8:12 am

    he then wrote this clusterfuck of an article to accuse Jacinda effectively of communism because she was not deferential to him.

    Yeah nah. He doesn’t say anything of the sort. I’m at a loss to understand how being deferential equates to being communist. 🙂

    • mac1 3.1
      23 November 2021 at 9:23 am

      Ross, from my reading of the post I gather that Soper wrote his complaint because the PM did not defer to his request for more questions ahead of others, as he had a deadline.

      The 'effectively of communism' comes from a current use by protesters of the term communism to describe state mandated restrictions during covid-19.

      Soper ended his article with this line. "It's called media control but asking questions is called democracy and accountability."

      My reading of that is control of the media (by the PM allocating questions to favoured journalists who have been trained to accept the PM's control) is a communist practice because Soper contrasts that with 'democracy and accountability'.

      I can see why the post says what it says. Soper does not get his way, the man who put both Lange and Muldoon in their proper place. He calls it control.

      I'd say sour grapes and a sense of entitlement. He considers himself ahead of Jessica and Tova who he says are favoured by the PM.

      Am I drawing too long a bow to think misogyny when a man accuses a woman of favouring two women ahead of him?

      Perhaps he should be doing what he says worked in the past. Get the chair of the press to have a meeting about procedures, timing etc.

      Or, talk to his radio bosses about the difficulty of their timelines.

    • roy cartland 3.2
      23 November 2021 at 9:35 am

      accuse Jacinda effectively of communism because she was not deferential to him.

      "not"

      You missed a word while reading. That should clear up your loss.

  4. left for dead 4
    23 November 2021 at 8:17 am

    If anyone is not convinced of this chaps entitlement,just read Tom Scott's memoir.

  5. Reality 5
    23 November 2021 at 8:40 am

    Soper is very prone to tantrums. I have mentioned before on The Standard I have witnessed him having an almighty two year old tantrum, the like of which I have never seen before from an adult.

    Wonder if he has regular blood pressure checks. Goodness, what will he be like when baby arrives and he has his sleep disturbed.

    • tc 5.1
      23 November 2021 at 10:03 am

      If he regularly loses his rag then it's likely a theatrical/deliberate tactic.

      Recall a TV news reporter I worked with stated 'only lose your temper when it's necessary'. Just another tool in the radio rant bag.

      • JanM 5.1.1
        23 November 2021 at 10:27 am

        It could be a deliberate tactic, but he ruined a dinner party I was at by throwing a childish wobbly for no tactical reason that I could see

    • woodart 5.2
      23 November 2021 at 8:09 pm

      and ,he isnt the centre of attention in the family home…..

  6. Maurice 6
    23 November 2021 at 9:18 am

    Yet here we are giving him oxygen!

    The Press conference becomes all about Soper’s reaction.

  7. Rapunzel 7
    23 November 2021 at 9:39 am

    Which chapter? I found my copy I thought I'd passed it on but haven't just curious without time for a re-read

    • left for dead 7.1
      23 November 2021 at 11:10 am

      Rapunzel, if you are thinking of my comment,one of the better was with Mike Moore,trade delegation in Europe.

  8. weka 8
    23 November 2021 at 9:43 am

    "Barry Soper, a legend in his own lunchtime…"

    Missed opportunity there micky: Barry Soper, a legend in his own press conference

  9. AB 9
    23 November 2021 at 9:47 am

    It's not just about Barry – the NZ Herald/ZB nexus is a swamp of far-right idiocy. We don't even need the Murdoch press in this country for public discourse to be polluted. When Key was PM the left really disliked him – but it didn't own the media tools for constantly vilifying him.

  10. cathy-o 10
    23 November 2021 at 10:26 am

    "I have held off cancelling my Herald subscription because of the likes of Simon Wilson, Dave Fisher and Matt Nippert. But Barry makes this so difficult …"

    Me too, and they have Mike the Moron as well, having got rid of a whole slew of balanced and intelligent reporters, the likes of Dita de Boni et al.

    don't know how those three hang in there

    • Gezza 10.1
      23 November 2021 at 12:12 pm

      Shock jocks & shill jills stirring up the pot with anti-govt lines are worth clicks & listening to the radio for.

      Everything else is so bland it’s boring. My sister & hubby went to work overseas a few years back. First in WA, Oz, them in Brunei. Ozzer tv drove them nuts, so parochial, & they used to watch Al Jazeera English in WA & Brunei to keep up with happenings around the world.

      Sis told me the other day they were looking forward to getting some good old, decent Kiwi Tv news on TV1 on their return from overseas, like it was before they left.

      Instead they got a shock at how much it had changed in their 6 or 7 years offshore. 1 ewes at 6 has now become “Woman’s Weekly News”, she declared. I agree.

  11. Obtrectator 11
    23 November 2021 at 10:38 am

    Too important to wait his turn – just like Mr Brownlee once.

  12. Chris 12
    23 November 2021 at 11:49 am

    Asking Barry not to be a dick is the same as asking him not to be himself.

  13. Nicola Coldham-Fussell 13
    23 November 2021 at 12:07 pm

    Barry Soper was one of the "big boys" when I was in Primer 2 at St Mary's School in Gore. I well remember him storming out of my class one day when he'd had the temerity to enter to deliver the milk without knocking first. Sr. Mary Bonaventure was not impressed, and gave him a right Catholic dressing-down. He ran out of the room – red-faced and whimpering. Could this have been B. Soper's first flounce, perchance?

  14. Patricia Bremner 14
    23 November 2021 at 12:15 pm

    I think his anger is more about Jacinda Ardern's deft and clearly informed answers.

    His pompous approach using his past position of leading player has come up against an informed straight talker whose clarity leaves him nothing but personal attacks.

    He comes with a "position" which he talks over others to try to "prove". He clearly is not used to having to allow others to have a question.

  15. Reality 15
    23 November 2021 at 12:37 pm

    Re ZB anti Jacinda ravings – occasionally I swap radio stations during the night to ZB and other stations. I think it is a Bruce Russell on ZB. Last night he was snorting about Jacinda having no knowledge of retail as she had only worked in a fish and chip shop (as a teenager). His constant sheer nastiness means I literally move on after 1 or 2 minutes. ZB seems to have a whole stable of these types.

  16. McFlock 16
    23 November 2021 at 2:29 pm

    I was about to say that the dude needs to grow up, but given some of the comments about his tendency towards this sort of thing (excluding the primary school anecdote from the pattern as he was literally a child at the time) it seems he's managed to eek out a long if somewhat forgettable career despite his temperamental shortcomings.

    So no, he should grow up but he doesn't need to do so. Privilege in action.

  17. Bob 17
    23 November 2021 at 3:23 pm

    Barry is washed up still beating the neolib drum with his wife (HduP) to support the Nats and/or ACT at the expense of any alternative political approaches – TINA … there is no alternative … is a common dogma of the neolib movement and is clearly wrong for most of the population – not so bad for millionaires like Key and his buddies. Back to newstalk where he can cut off views he doesn't like.

  18. observer 18
    23 November 2021 at 4:08 pm

    What Barry Soper really resents is that he no longer gets his free bribe gift of bottles of wine from the PM. This helped to explain John Key's cosy relationship with pet reporters like Bazza:

    Colin Espiner (who to be fair was not a Sopery sycophant) once pointed out …

    Everyone in the press gallery knows that Key has an interest in a vineyard. That's how come we all got very nice bottles of pinot noir from Central Otago last Christmas, with "JK" emblazoned on the label.

    The link is about a different story, but is provided for confirmation in case your memory of John Key is as bad as John Key's memory.

  19. Nathan 19
    23 November 2021 at 4:47 pm

    So, why is it ALWAYS Tova or Jessica first??? Barry is not being a dick…Jacinda is

    • Ad 19.1
      23 November 2021 at 5:05 pm

      It's a girl thing you wouldn't understand.

    • observer 19.2
      23 November 2021 at 5:24 pm

      Because the current PM is exactly like the previous PMs. They are the political editors of the 2 main TV networks, and the TV news comes first.

      Were you asleep from 2008-16?

  20. JustMe 20
    23 November 2021 at 5:41 pm

    I missed the event but honestly I cannot stand Barry Soper at the best of times. He is too arrogant and thinks he knows everything. He is one of those Village Idiots that one kind of wonders where his brains are???!!!!

    The tabloid NZ herald has an overflow(abit like a sewerage leak)of very poor quality so-called journalists. And most the sewerage overflow that is allowed to write articles in the taboid herald are often biased towards National.

    If the herald wants to alienate readers much like the NZ National Party are alienating NZers then I suppose they will have themselves to blame. But of course true to form the herald and its writers will naturally blame everyone else but themselves. Much like National MPs do by habit anyway.

    • McFlock 20.1
      23 November 2021 at 6:00 pm

      I heartily recommend the video in the post (in the embedded tweet). Funny as hell.

      Honestly, some folks have spent 18months complaining the PM treats them like children, while they continue to act like babies.

      Thinks – I wonder if anyone's put the clips of the recent time her child interrupted a zoom meeting alongside this clip, and seen whether she uses the same tone in both clips?

      edit: here we are. lol – not quite, but still funny.

      • nzlemming 20.1.1
        23 November 2021 at 7:38 pm

        There's a cute remix of that interruption video showing Ben and Jono at the door arguing.

        I would piss myself if JA accidentally said "darling" to Barely Sober while calling him out for his bullshit.

  21. observer 21
    23 November 2021 at 5:42 pm

    Here's a John Key press conference from the good old days before Ardern.

    Watch the last 30 seconds and you'll see a walkout, but it's not by Barry Soper.

    Then imagine the vitriolic response if Ardern did the same with the press gallery.

  22. DukeEll 22
    23 November 2021 at 5:50 pm

    Always a defining moment in governments tenure when journalists asking questions of the government is a hate crime in the eyes of its cheerleaders

    • Shanreagh 22.1
      23 November 2021 at 6:23 pm

      Really? You jest surely? Journalists are being journalists and are a necessary evil sometimes, John Key found it, PM is finding Barry Soper hard to deal with because of his interruptions. This is far too trifling a matter to weigh in ponderously as those it is some sort of moment.

    • observer 22.2
      23 November 2021 at 6:29 pm

      "hate crime" – citation needed. You'll have none, of course.

      As I'm sure you know, there have been constant complaints from the opposition that the PM is in the Beehive answering questions.

      So, should she turn up for these press conferences – or not?

  23. georgecom 23
    23 November 2021 at 9:28 pm

    was one of his 3 questions about non vaxxed being able to use toilets of eating establishments when doing click and collects?

    that's a recurring theme of his, sums up much of what Soper has to offer in recent times

  24. lance Taylor 24
    24 November 2021 at 6:36 am

    Scotty from Marketing was re-elected in Australia by these sorts of right-wing media attacks. It's all bull%$#@ but some sticks and it erodes away confidence.

    It will ramp up and in 18 months I expect it to be shrill.

    Ardern has become very adept at handling this sort of rubbish and not letting them dominate her pressers.

  25. dottie 25
    24 November 2021 at 10:32 am

    Yes Chris, Barry has got red in the face and carried on like a dick for a long—–

    time now.

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    Chris Hipkins down with Covid, at least for 5 days isolation, National continue to obfuscate, ACT continues to double-down on the poor and Winston… well, he’s being Winston really. Voters beware: this week could be even more infuriating than the last. No Party is what they used to be ...
    exhALANtBy exhalantblog
    2 days ago

  • 2023 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #39
    A chronological listing of news and opinion articles posted on the Skeptical Science Facebook Page during the past week: Sun, Sep 24, 2023 thru Sat, Sep 30, 2023. Story of the Week We’re not doomed yet’: climate scientist Michael Mann on our last chance to save human civilisation The renowned US ...
    Skeptical Science
    3 days ago

  • Clusterf**ck of Chaos.
    On the 11th of April 1945 advancing US forces liberated the Nazi concentration camp of Buchenwald near Weimar in Germany. In the coming days, under the order of General Patton, a thousand nearby residents were forced to march to the camp to see the atrocities that had been committed in ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    3 days ago

  • The party of business deals with the future by pretending it isn’t coming
    Years and years ago, when Helen Clark was Prime Minister and John Key was gunning for her job, I had a conversation with a mate, a trader who knew John Key well enough to paint a helpful picture.It was many drinks ago so it’s not a complete one. But there’s ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago

  • 2023 More Reading: September (+ Old Phuul update)
    Completed reads for September: The Lost Continent, by C.J. Cutcliffe Hyne Flatland, by Edwin Abbott All Quiet on the Western Front, by Erich Maria Remarque The Country of the Blind, by H.G. Wells The Day of the Triffids, by John Wyndham A Tale of Two Cities, by Charles ...
    A Phuulish FellowBy strda221
    4 days ago

  • Losing The Left.
    Descending Into The Dark: The ideological cadres currently controlling both Labour and the Greens are forcing “justice”, “participation” and “democracy” to make way for what is “appropriate” and “responsible”. But, where does that leave the people who, for most of their adult lives, have voted for left-wing parties, precisely to ...
    Bowalley Road
    4 days ago

  • The New “Emperor’s New Clothes”.
    “‘BUT HE HASN’T GOT ANYTHING ON,’ a little boy said ….. ‘But he hasn’t got anything on!’ the whole town cried out at last.”On this optimistic note, Hans Christian Andersen brings his cautionary tale of “The Emperor’s New Clothes” to an end.Andersen’s children’s story was written nearly two centuries ago, ...
    Bowalley Road
    4 days ago

  • BRYCE EDWARDS: The vested interests shaping National Party policies
      Bryce Edwards writes – As the National Party gets closer to government, lobbyists and business interests will be lining up for influence and to get policies adopted. It’s therefore in the public interest to have much more scrutiny and transparency about potential conflicts of interests that ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago

  • LINDSAY MITCHELL: A conundrum for those pushing racist dogma
    Lindsay Mitchell writes – The heavily promoted narrative, which has ramped up over the last six years, is that Maori somehow have special vulnerabilities which arise from outside forces they cannot control; that contemporary society fails to meet their needs. They are not receptive to messages and ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago

  • CHRIS TROTTER:  The greater of two evils
    Not Labour: If you’re out to punish the government you once loved, then the last thing you need is to be shown evidence that the opposition parties are much, much worse.   Chris Trotter writes – THE GREATEST VIRTUE of being the Opposition is not being the Government. Only very ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago

  • The Hoon around the week to Sept 30
    Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The five things that mattered in Aotearoa’s political economy that we wrote and spoke about via The Kākā and elsewhere for paying subscribers in the last week included:Labour presented a climate manifesto that aimed to claim the high ground on climate action vs National, ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago

  • Litanies, articles of faith, and being a beneficiary
    Hello! Here comes the Saturday edition of More Than A Feilding, catching you up on the past two weeks.Friday 29Play it, ElvisElection Hell special!! This week’s quiz is a bumper edition featuring a few of the more popular questions from last weekend’s show, as well as a few we didn’t ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    4 days ago

  • Litanies, articles of faith, and being a beneficiary
    Hello! Here comes the Saturday edition of More Than A Feilding, catching you up on the past two weeks.Friday 29Play it, ElvisElection Hell special!! This week’s quiz is a bumper edition featuring a few of the more popular questions from last weekend’s show, as well as a few we didn’t ...
    More than a fieldingBy David Slack
    4 days ago

  • The ‘Recession’ Has Been Called Off, But Some Households Are Still Struggling
    While the economy is not doing too badly in output terms, external circumstances are not favourable, and there is probably a sizeable group of households struggling because of rising interest rates.Last week’s announcement of a 0.9 percent increase in volume GDP for the June quarter had the commentariat backing down ...
    PunditBy Brian Easton
    5 days ago

  • Climate Change: The wrong direction
    This week the International Energy Association released its Net Zero Roadmap, intended to guide us towards a liveable climate. The report demanded huge increases in renewable generation, no new gas or oil, and massive cuts to methane emissions. It was positive about our current path, but recommended that countries with ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    5 days ago

  • “Racism” becomes a buzz word on the campaign trail – but our media watchdogs stay muzzled when...
    Buzz from the Beehive  Oh, dear.  We have nothing to report from the Beehive. At least, we have nothing to report from the government’s official website. But the drones have not gone silent.  They are out on the election campaign trail, busy buzzing about this and that in the hope ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    5 days ago

  • Play it, Elvis
    Election Hell special!! This week’s quiz is a bumper edition featuring a few of the more popular questions from last weekend’s show, as well as a few we didn’t have time for. You’re welcome, etc. Let us press on, etc. 1.  What did Christopher Luxon use to his advantage in ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    5 days ago

  • Pure class warfare
    National unveiled its fiscal policy today, announcing all the usual things which business cares about and I don't. But it did finally tell us how National plans to pay for its handouts to landlords: by effectively cutting benefits: The biggest saving announced on Friday was $2b cut from the ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    5 days ago

  • Ask Me Anything about the week to Sept 29
    Photo by Anna Ogiienko on UnsplashIt’s that time of the week for an ‘Ask Me Anything’ session for paying subscribers about the week that was for an hour, including:duelling fiscal plans from National and Labour;Labour cutting cycling spending while accusing National of being weak on climate;Research showing the need for ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago

  • Weekly Roundup 29-September-2023
    Welcome to Friday and the last one for September. This week in Greater Auckland On Monday, Matt highlighted at the latest with the City Rail Link. On Tuesday, Matt covered the interesting items from Auckland Transport’s latest board meeting agendas. On Thursday, a guest post from Darren Davis ...
    Greater AucklandBy Greater Auckland
    5 days ago

  • Protest at Parliament: The Reunion.
    Brian’s god spoke to him. He, for of course the Lord in Tamaki’s mind was a male god, with a mighty rod, and probably some black leathers. He, told Brian - “you must put a stop to all this love, hope, and kindness”. And it did please the Brian.He said ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago

  • Labour cuts $50m from cycleway spending
    Labour is cutting spending on cycling infrastructure while still trying to claim the higher ground on climate. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The Labour Government released a climate manifesto this week to try to claim the high ground against National, despite having ignored the Climate Commission’s advice to toughen ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago

  • The Greater Of Two Evils.
    Not Labour: If you’re out to punish the government you once loved, then the last thing you need is to be shown evidence that the opposition parties are much, much worse.THE GREATEST VIRTUE of being the Opposition is not being the Government. Only very rarely is an opposition party elected ...
    Bowalley Road
    5 days ago

  • Skeptical Science New Research for Week #39 2023
    Open access notables "Net zero is only a distraction— we just have to end fossil fuel emissions." The latter is true but the former isn't, or  not in the real world as it's likely to be in the immediate future. And "just" just doesn't enter into it; we don't have ...
    Skeptical Science
    5 days ago

  • Chris Trotter: Losing the Left
    IN THE CURRENT MIX of electoral alternatives, there is no longer a credible left-wing party. Not when “a credible left-wing party” is defined as: a class-oriented, mass-based, democratically-structured political organisation; dedicated to promoting ideas sharply critical of laissez-faire capitalism; and committed to advancing democratic, egalitarian and emancipatory ideals across the ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    6 days ago

  • Road rage at Kia Kaha Primary School
    It is not the school holidays yet at Kia Kaha Primary School!It can be any time when you are telling a story.Telling stories about things that happened in the past is how we learn from our mistakes.If we want to.Anyway, it is not the school holidays yet at Kia Kaha ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    6 days ago

  • Road rage at Kia Kaha Primary School
    It is not the school holidays yet at Kia Kaha Primary School!It can be any time when you are telling a story.Telling stories about things that happened in the past is how we learn from our mistakes.If we want to.Anyway, it is not the school holidays yet at Kia Kaha ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    6 days ago

  • Road rage at Kia Kaha Primary School
    It is not the school holidays yet at Kia Kaha Primary School!It can be any time when you are telling a story.Telling stories about things that happened in the past is how we learn from our mistakes.If we want to.Anyway, it is not the school holidays yet at Kia Kaha ...
    More than a fieldingBy David Slack
    6 days ago

  • Hipkins fires up in leaders’ debate, but has the curtain already fallen on the Labour-led coalitio...
    Labour’s  Chris Hipkins came out firing, in the  leaders’ debate  on Newshub’s evening programme, and most of  the pundits  rated  him the winner against National’s  Christopher Luxon. But will this make any difference when New  Zealanders  start casting their ballots? The problem  for  Hipkins is  that  voters are  all too ...
    Point of OrderBy tutere44
    6 days ago

  • Govt is energising housing projects with solar power – and fuelling the public’s concept of a di...
    Buzz from the Beehive  Not long after Point of Order published data which show the substantial number of New Zealanders (77%) who believe NZ is becoming more divided, government ministers were braying about a programme which distributes some money to “the public” and some to “Maori”. The ministers were dishing ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago

  • MIKE GRIMSHAW: Election 2023 – a totemic & charisma failure?
    The D&W analysis Michael Grimshaw writes –  Given the apathy, disengagement, disillusionment, and all-round ennui of this year’s general election, it was considered time to bring in those noted political operatives and spin doctors D&W, the long-established consultancy firm run by Emile Durkheim and Max Weber. Known for ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago

  • FROM BFD: Will Winston be the spectre we think?
    Kissy kissy. Cartoon credit BoomSlang. The BFD. JC writes-  Allow me to preface this contribution with the following statement: If I were asked to express a preference between a National/ACT coalition or a National/ACT/NZF coalition then it would be the former. This week Luxon declared his position, ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago

  • California’s climate disclosure bill could have a huge impact across the U.S.
    This re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Andy Furillo was originally published by Capital & Main and is part of Covering Climate Now, a global journalism collaboration strengthening coverage of the climate story. The California Legislature took a step last week that has the potential to accelerate the fight against climate ...
    Skeptical Science
    6 days ago

  • Untangling South East Queensland’s Public Transport
    This is a cross post Adventures in Transitland by Darren Davis. I recently visited Brisbane and South East Queensland and came away both impressed while also pondering some key changes to make public transport even better in the region. Here goes with my take on things. A bit of ...
    Greater AucklandBy Guest Post
    6 days ago

  • Try A Little Kindness.
    My daughter arrived home from the supermarket yesterday and she seemed a bit worried about something. It turned out she wanted to know if someone could get her bank number from a receipt.We wound the story back.She was in the store and there was a man there who was distressed, ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    6 days ago

  • What makes NZFirst tick
    New Zealand’s longest-running political roadshow rolled into Opotiki yesterday, with New Zealand First leader Winston Peters knowing another poll last night showed he would make it back to Parliament and National would need him and his party if they wanted to form a government. The Newshub Reid Research poll ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    6 days ago

  • September AMA
    Hi,As September draws to a close — I feel it’s probably time to do an Ask Me Anything. You know how it goes: If you have any burning questions, fire away in the comments and I will do my best to answer. You might have questions about Webworm, or podcast ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    6 days ago

  • Bludgers lying in the scratcher making fools of us all
    The mediocrity who stands to be a Prime Minister has a litany.He uses it a bit like a Koru Lounge card. He will brandish it to say: these people are eligible. And more than that, too: These people are deserving. They have earned this policy.They have a right to this policy. What ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    7 days ago

  • More “partnerships” (by the look of it) and redress of over $30 million in Treaty settlement wit...
    Buzz from the Beehive Point of Order has waited until now – 3.45pm – for today’s officially posted government announcements.  There have been none. The only addition to the news on the Beehive’s website was posted later yesterday, after we had published our September 26 Buzz report. It came from ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    7 days ago

  • ALEX HOLLAND: Labour’s spending
    Alex Holland writes –  In 2017 when Labour came to power, crown spending was $76 billion per year. Now in 2023 it is $139 billion per year, which equates to a $63 billion annual increase (over $1 billion extra spend every week!) In 2017, New Zealand’s government debt ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    7 days ago

  • If not now, then when?
    Labour released its fiscal plan today, promising the same old, same old: "responsibility", balanced books, and of course no new taxes: "Labour will maintain income tax settings to provide consistency and certainty in these volatile times. Now is not the time for additional taxes or to promise billions of ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    7 days ago

  • THE FACTS:  77% of Kiwis believe NZ is becoming more divided
    The Facts has posted –        KEY INSIGHTSOf New Zealander’s polled: Social unity/division 77%believe NZ is becoming more divided (42% ‘much more’ + 35% ‘a little more’) 3%believe NZ is becoming less divided (1% ‘much less’ + 2% ‘a little less’) ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    7 days ago

  • Gordon Campbell on the cynical brutality of the centre-right’s welfare policies
    The centre-right’s enthusiasm for forcing people off the benefit and into paid work is matched only by the enthusiasm (shared by Treasury and the Reserve Bank) for throwing people out of paid work to curb inflation, and achieve the optimal balance of workers to job seekers deemed to be desirable ...
    Gordon CampbellBy lyndon
    7 days ago

  • Wednesday’s Chorus: Arthur Grimes on why building many, many more social houses is so critical
    New research shows that tenants in social housing - such as these Wellington apartments - are just as happy as home owners and much happier than private tenants. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The election campaign took an ugly turn yesterday, and in completely the wrong direction. All three ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    7 days ago

  • Bennie Bashing.
    If there’s one thing the mob loves more than keeping Māori in their place, more than getting tough on the gangs, maybe even more than tax cuts. It’s a good old round of beneficiary bashing.Are those meanies in the ACT party stealing your votes because they think David Seymour is ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    7 days ago

  • The kindest cuts
    Labour kicks off the fiscal credibility battle today with the release of its fiscal plan. National is expected to follow, possibly as soon as Thursday, with its own plan, which may (or may not) address the large hole that the problems with its foreign buyers’ ban might open up. ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    1 week ago

  • Green right turn in Britain? Well, a start
    While it may be unlikely to register in New Zealand’s general election, Britain’s PM Rishi Sunak has done something which might just be important in the long run. He’s announced a far-reaching change in his Conservative government’s approach to environmental, and particularly net zero, policy. The starting point – ...
    Point of OrderBy xtrdnry
    1 week ago

  • At a glance – How do human CO2 emissions compare to natural CO2 emissions?
    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
    1 week ago

  • How could this happen?
    Canada is in uproar after the exposure that its parliament on September 22 provided a standing ovation to a Nazi veteran who had been invited into the chamber to participate in the parliamentary welcome to Ukrainian President Zelensky. Yaroslav Hunka, 98, a Ukrainian man who volunteered for service in ...
    Open ParachuteBy Ken
    1 week ago

  • Youth justice programme expands to break cycle of offending
    The successful ‘Circuit Breaker’ fast track programme designed to stop repeat youth offending was launched in two new locations today by Children’s Minister Kelvin Davis. The programme, first piloted in West and South Auckland in December last year, is aimed at children aged 10-13 who commit serious offending or continue ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    17 hours ago

  • Major milestone with 20,000 employers using Apprenticeship Boost
    The Government’s Apprenticeship Boost initiative has now supported 20,000 employers to help keep on and train up apprentices, Minister for Social Development and Employment Carmel Sepuloni announced in Christchurch today. Almost 62,000 apprentices have been supported to start and keep training for a trade since the initiative was introduced in ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    19 hours ago

  • Government supporting wood processing jobs and more diverse industry
    The Government is supporting non-pine tree sawmilling and backing further job creation in sawmills in Rotorua and Whangarei, Forestry Minister Peeni Henare said.   “The Forestry and Wood Processing Industry Transformation Plan identified the need to add more diversity to our productions forests, wood products and markets,” Peeni Henare said. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    20 hours ago

  • Government backing Canterbury’s future in aerospace industry
    The Government is helping Canterbury’s aerospace industry take off with further infrastructure support for the Tāwhaki Aerospace Centre at Kaitorete, Infrastructure Minister Dr Megan Woods has announced. “Today I can confirm we will provide a $5.4 million grant to the Tāwhaki Joint Venture to fund a sealed runway and hangar ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    20 hours ago

  • Updated forestry regulations increase council controls and require large slash removal
    Local councils will have more power to decide where new commercial forests – including carbon forests – are located, to reduce impacts on communities and the environment, Environment Minister David Parker said today. “New national standards give councils greater control over commercial forestry, including clear rules on harvesting practices and ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    22 hours ago

  • New Zealand resumes peacekeeping force leadership
    New Zealand will again contribute to the leadership of the Multinational Force and Observers (MFO) in the Sinai Peninsula, Egypt, with a senior New Zealand Defence Force officer returning as Interim Force Commander. Defence Minister Andrew Little and Foreign Affairs Minister Nanaia Mahuta have announced the deployment of New Zealand ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • New national direction provides clarity for development and the environment
    The Government has taken an important step in implementing the new resource management system, by issuing a draft National Planning Framework (NPF) document under the new legislation, Environment Minister David Parker said today. “The NPF consolidates existing national direction, bringing together around 20 existing instruments including policy statements, standards, and ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • Government shows further commitment to pay equity for healthcare workers
    The Government welcomes the proposed pay equity settlement that will see significant pay increases for around 18,000 Te Whatu Ora Allied, Scientific, and Technical employees, if accepted said Health Minister Ayesha Verrall. The proposal reached between Te Whatu Ora, the New Zealand Public Service Association Te Pūkenga Here Tikanga Mahi ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • 100 new public EV chargers to be added to national network
    The public EV charging network has received a significant boost with government co-funding announced today for over 100 EV chargers – with over 200 charging ports altogether – across New Zealand, and many planned to be up and running on key holiday routes by Christmas this year. Minister of Energy ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago

  • Safeguarding Tuvalu language and identity
    Tuvalu is in the spotlight this week as communities across New Zealand celebrate Vaiaso o te Gagana Tuvalu – Tuvalu Language Week. “The Government has a proven record of supporting Pacific communities and ensuring more of our languages are spoken, heard and celebrated,” Pacific Peoples Minister Barbara Edmonds said. “Many ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago

  • New community-level energy projects to support more than 800 Māori households
    Seven more innovative community-scale energy projects will receive government funding through the Māori and Public Housing Renewable Energy Fund to bring more affordable, locally generated clean energy to more than 800 Māori households, Energy and Resources Minister Dr Megan Woods says. “We’ve already funded 42 small-scale clean energy projects that ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago

  • Huge boost to Te Tai Tokerau flood resilience
    The Government has approved new funding that will boost resilience and greatly reduce the risk of major flood damage across Te Tai Tokerau. Significant weather events this year caused severe flooding and damage across the region. The $8.9m will be used to provide some of the smaller communities and maraes ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago

  • Napier’s largest public housing development comes with solar
    The largest public housing development in Napier for many years has been recently completed and has the added benefit of innovative solar technology, thanks to Government programmes, says Housing Minister Dr Megan Woods. The 24 warm, dry homes are in Seddon Crescent, Marewa and Megan Woods says the whanau living ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago

  • Te Whānau a Apanui and the Crown initial Deed of Settlement I Kua waitohua e Te Whānau a Apanui me...
    Māori: Kua waitohua e Te Whānau a Apanui me te Karauna te Whakaaetanga Whakataunga Kua waitohua e Te Whānau a Apanui me te Karauna i tētahi Whakaaetanga Whakataunga hei whakamihi i ō rātou tāhuhu kerēme Tiriti o Waitangi. E tekau mā rua ngā hapū o roto mai o Te Whānau ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Plan for 3,000 more public homes by 2025 – regions set to benefit
    Regions around the country will get significant boosts of public housing in the next two years, as outlined in the latest public housing plan update, released by the Housing Minister, Dr Megan Woods. “We’re delivering the most public homes each year since the Nash government of the 1950s with one ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Immigration settings updates
    Judicial warrant process for out-of-hours compliance visits 2023/24 Recognised Seasonal Employer cap increased by 500 Additional roles for Construction and Infrastructure Sector Agreement More roles added to Green List Three-month extension for onshore Recovery Visa holders The Government has confirmed a number of updates to immigration settings as part of ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 weeks ago

  • Poroporoaki: Tā Patrick (Patu) Wahanga Hohepa
    Tangi ngunguru ana ngā tai ki te wahapū o Hokianga Whakapau Karakia. Tārehu ana ngā pae maunga ki Te Puna o te Ao Marama. Korihi tangi ana ngā manu, kua hinga he kauri nui ki te Wao Nui o Tāne. He Toa. He Pou. He Ahorangi. E papaki tū ana ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 weeks ago

  • Renewable energy fund to support community resilience
    40 solar energy systems on community buildings in regions affected by Cyclone Gabrielle and other severe weather events Virtual capability-building hub to support community organisations get projects off the ground Boost for community-level renewable energy projects across the country At least 40 community buildings used to support the emergency response ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 weeks ago

  • COVID-19 funding returned to Government
    The lifting of COVID-19 isolation and mask mandates in August has resulted in a return of almost $50m in savings and recovered contingencies, Minister of Health Dr Ayesha Verrall announced today. Following the revocation of mandates and isolation, specialised COVID-19 telehealth and alternative isolation accommodation are among the operational elements ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 weeks ago

  • Appointment of District Court Judge
    Susie Houghton of Auckland has been appointed as a new District Court Judge, to serve on the Family Court, Attorney-General David Parker said today.  Judge Houghton has acted as a lawyer for child for more than 20 years. She has acted on matters relating to the Hague Convention, an international ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 weeks ago

  • Government invests further in Central Hawke’s Bay resilience
    The Government has today confirmed $2.5 million to fund a replace and upgrade a stopbank to protect the Waipawa Drinking Water Treatment Plant. “As a result of Cyclone Gabrielle, the original stopbank protecting the Waipawa Drinking Water Treatment Plant was destroyed. The plant was operational within 6 weeks of the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 weeks ago

  • Govt boost for Hawke’s Bay cyclone waste clean-up
    Another $2.1 million to boost capacity to deal with waste left in Cyclone Gabrielle’s wake. Funds for Hastings District Council, Phoenix Contracting and Hog Fuel NZ to increase local waste-processing infrastructure. The Government is beefing up Hawke’s Bay’s Cyclone Gabrielle clean-up capacity with more support dealing with the massive amount ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 weeks ago

  • Taupō Supercars revs up with Government support
    The future of Supercars events in New Zealand has been secured with new Government support. The Government is getting engines started through the Major Events Fund, a special fund to support high profile events in New Zealand that provide long-term economic, social and cultural benefits. “The Repco Supercars Championship is ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 weeks ago

  • There is no recession in NZ, economy grows nearly 1 percent in June quarter
    The economy has turned a corner with confirmation today New Zealand never was in recession and stronger than expected growth in the June quarter, Finance Minister Grant Robertson said. “The New Zealand economy is doing better than expected,” Grant Robertson said. “It’s continuing to grow, with the latest figures showing ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 weeks ago

  • Highest legal protection for New Zealand’s largest freshwater springs
    The Government has accepted the Environment Court’s recommendation to give special legal protection to New Zealand’s largest freshwater springs, Te Waikoropupū Springs (also known as Pupū Springs), Environment Minister David Parker announced today.   “Te Waikoropupū Springs, near Takaka in Golden Bay, have the second clearest water in New Zealand after ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 weeks ago

  • More support for victims of migrant exploitation
    Temporary package of funding for accommodation and essential living support for victims of migrant exploitation Exploited migrant workers able to apply for a further Migrant Exploitation Protection Visa (MEPV), giving people more time to find a job Free job search assistance to get people back into work Use of 90-day ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 weeks ago

  • Strong export boost as NZ economy turns corner
    An export boost is supporting New Zealand’s economy to grow, adding to signs that the economy has turned a corner and is on a stronger footing as we rebuild from Cyclone Gabrielle and lock in the benefits of multiple new trade deals, Finance Minister Grant Robertson says. “The economy is ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 weeks ago

  • Funding approved for flood resilience work in Te Karaka
    The Government has approved $15 million to raise about 200 homes at risk of future flooding. More than half of this is expected to be spent in the Tairāwhiti settlement of Te Karaka, lifting about 100 homes there. “Te Karaka was badly hit during Cyclone Gabrielle when the Waipāoa River ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 weeks ago

  • Further business support for cyclone-affected regions
    The Government is helping businesses recover from Cyclone Gabrielle and attract more people back into their regions. “Cyclone Gabrielle has caused considerable damage across North Island regions with impacts continuing to be felt by businesses and communities,” Economic Development Minister Barbara Edmonds said. “Building on our earlier business support, this ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 weeks ago

  • New maintenance facility at Burnham Military Camp underway
    Defence Minister Andrew Little has turned the first sod to start construction of a new Maintenance Support Facility (MSF) at Burnham Military Camp today. “This new state-of-art facility replaces Second World War-era buildings and will enable our Defence Force to better maintain and repair equipment,” Andrew Little said. “This Government ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 weeks ago

  • Foreign Minister to attend United Nations General Assembly
    Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta will represent New Zealand at the 78th Session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York this week, before visiting Washington DC for further Pacific focussed meetings. Nanaia Mahuta will be in New York from Wednesday 20 September, and will participate in UNGA leaders ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 weeks ago

  • Midwives’ pay equity offer reached
    Around 1,700 Te Whatu Ora employed midwives and maternity care assistants will soon vote on a proposed pay equity settlement agreed by Te Whatu Ora, the Midwifery Employee Representation and Advisory Service (MERAS) and New Zealand Nurses Association (NZNO), Minister of Health Dr Ayesha Verrall announced today. “Addressing historical pay ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 weeks ago

  • New Zealand provides support to Morocco
    Aotearoa New Zealand will provide humanitarian support to those affected by last week’s earthquake in Morocco, Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta announced today. “We are making a contribution of $1 million to the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) to help meet humanitarian needs,” Nanaia Mahuta said. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 weeks ago

  • Government invests in West Coast’s roading resilience
    The Government is investing over $22 million across 18 projects to improve the resilience of roads in the West Coast that have been affected by recent extreme weather, Prime Minister Chris Hipkins confirmed today.  A dedicated Transport Resilience Fund has been established for early preventative works to protect the state ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 weeks ago

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