Strong team at leaking

Written By: - Date published: 7:43 am, October 9th, 2020 - 56 comments
Categories: election 2020, Judith Collins, national, same old national, Simon Bridges - Tags:

I wish they would stop doing this.  I want to write about Labour’s proposed changes to the RMA.  Because they are significant and contain lots of detail that need to be investigated further.

But National keeps leaking and self destructing and providing me with more to write about.  And a National MP or a number of National MPs are leaking and doing their best to undermine their leader Judith Collins as well as their campaign.

From Tova O’Brien at Newshub last night:

Newshub can reveal a lack of sympathy from National MPs for leader Judith Collins stems from perceived disloyalty from her.

Once again National MPs are leaking to Newshub saying there’s a communication breakdown between the leadership and the caucus.

The caucus apparently hasn’t seen internal polling for over a month now – nearly two. But Collins says her polls are looking good.

“We’re doing very well, thank you,” she said in Dunedin on Thursday.

Maybe they should disclose what Curia polling results are.  They won’t but this endless “our polls are better than the polls from Colmar Brunton/Reid Research/Roy Morgan” is tiresome.  They should put up or shut up.

And it seems that the leaker is from the Bridges faction, as opposed to the Muller faction.  Again from Newshub:

National MPs have told Newshub there’s a lack of sympathy for Collins because of the perception she was disloyal.

Collins says she’s “never asked anyone for sympathy”.

Newshub can reveal it stems back to April last year when Collins had a standoff with about half a dozen caucus colleagues who confronted her for failing to express support for then-leader Simon Bridges.

“I support the leader,” Collins said at the time, when repeatedly asked by Newshub to specifically say she supported Simon Bridges.

Leaking at this stage of the election campaign?  It looks like an overt sabotage job from an MP or MPs who want to lose as badly as possible.  National’s caucus meetings must be a real hoot right now.

And Judith is clearly feeling the effects and is spouting out some real gibberish suggesting that she still has a chance of being Prime Minister after the election.

The post election melt down will be tremendous to see.  I suspect that National will never be the same again.

56 comments on “Strong team at leaking ”

  1. Patricia Bremner 1

    We don't need to go there. It is their own self made mess, with a Wong Tung on top.

  2. mikesh 2

    Even ACT, under David Seymour, is looking more honorable these days than National. We may disagree with their policies, but they seem open, honest, and much more focused on what they want. National, under Judith Collins, just looks unsavoury and disorganized.

    • Hanswurst 2.1

      Even ACT, […] seem open, honest, and much more focused on what they want.

      Really? Looking at their list and the way they have allowed the gun lobby to latch onto them, I'm more inclined to say that ACT probably don't even know themselves what they want; they are likely to find out over the first months of the next parliament, however.

    • Chris 2.2

      Sure, but collins does seem to be holding the support above where English took the nats in 2002. That's a benchmark. The nats are obviously toast this election. But we want to see burnt toast.

      • Andre 2.2.1

        In 2002, disaffected moderate Nats had a couple of other viable options. They could vote for WinnieFirst, or the Hairdo from Ohariu Plus Cling-ons.

        This time disaffected moderate Nats have the choice of wasting their vote on waaay sub-threshold WinnieFirst or New Cons or TOP, or not voting, or choking down a heaping helping of dead rat and voting Nat.

        I'm guessing there's a lot of recipes for Sauce to Smother Dead Rat getting passed around in Nat circles right now.

      • Obtrectator 2.2.2

        "But we want to see burnt toast."

        OK, as long as the toaster itself doesn't catch fire.

        • NZJester 2.2.2.1

          I don't think it will have a chance to catch fire. At the sort of heat that looks to be coming their way it will simply melt into a pile of molten metal and the toast will be just a pile of carbon dust.

    • Anne 2.3

      @ mikesh.

      ACT honorable? Open, honest and more focused? They don't know what the words honorable, honest and open means. Focused yes, but on the kind of policies that would decimate our democratic system if they ever got a chance to implement them.

      Seymour is riding in on the back of the Euthanasia referendum. He's a one eyed pipsqueak who should never be allowed near the treasury benches. Last night's debate was a good example – simplistic statements and riding roughshod over the other leaders in his attempt to dominate the debate. That's not laudable stuff.

  3. Anker 3
    • Yeah, I think that Act looking good is the msm meme
    • tc 3.1

      Just like in prior elections particularly the 'cup of tea' stunt and the subsequent actions of nationals police where the MSM were played, like a guitar apparently.

      The media crush around that was sycophantic as they obediently trotted along with Banksie having to hold court till shonky arrived.

  4. Adrian 4

    My wife heard yesterday on one of the things she listens to that Seymour couldn't remember the names of possible Act caucus MPs beyond the first two or three.

    • anker 4.1

      Adrian……….ha ha ha! re Seymour not remember his potential caucus. But why isn't this headlines?

      • Red Blooded One 4.1.1

        To be fair (argh) Seymour did get to all the names eventually, It was reported on TV1 and a bit funny watching him wallow around blaming passing traffic until he finally remembered them all. Having said that I think it's a bit unfair those gotcha type questions, on the spot, same with "what's the price of …" etc

  5. Byd0nz 5

    Nats in disarray, hey hey, yay yay,
    Isn't it a lovely day,
    From the leader down the line up is poor,
    The sinking ship nears the ocean floor,
    Flotsam and jetsam will wash to the beach,
    Blond strands of hair and a bottle of bleach.
    Good bye to the party of austerity,
    Only for the richest, prosperity,
    Let us hope the sand sucks you down deep,
    So future generations hear not a peep.
    May you not rest in peace but writher in pain,
    And if you dare surface, we will red boot you again.

  6. anker 6

    Love the pic for this post Mickey. One of many, many mis steps by the Nats along the way.

    Speaking of this mansplaining ad, wheres James nowadays?

  7. Michael 7

    It looks to me that the Nats (+ACT, really the shock troops) will be formidable in the next Parliament. Although smaller in total number, the group will be far more ideologically united; if not actually neofascist, closer to it than before the election. It will also have support from white supremacist, religious fundamentalists, gun nutters (some overlap), all bankrolled by fatcats who calculate they'll get even richer while fragments of the non-rich fight it out. Meanwhile Labour offers pallid neoliberalism with no intention of disrupting the status quo, even though the model is unfit for the challenges of 21st century politics. The most we can hope for is a few Greens MPs in the mix to add a dash of fresh thinking and energy – unless Labour's strategy to drive them out of Parliament altogether (see the Auckland Central campaign) succeeds.

    • Ad 7.1

      Unless Green Party sympathisers pull their damn finger out, they will be gone from Parliament and it will be a National+Act government. Not Labour mixed with a "dash" of anything.

      So wank on about the fascists and neoliberalism all you like, or save your breath and go knock on some doors to get your turnout up.

      • Andre 7.1.1

        If it's any comfort, the voters in my circles that that used to vote Green but haven't this year have all gone to Labour.

        And the way the polls are looking, there will still need to be an awfully big swing back to Nact for them to get a larger vote share than Labour alone. Especially if the numbers of votes the Greens pull from Labour isn't enough to get them over 5%.

      • lprent 7.1.2

        Pretty much my thoughts after reading 'Michael'.

        The probability of the Greens getting and holding an electorate seat over any length of time are minimal. In Auckland Central, if Labour tried to tell Labour voters that they should vote for a Green candidate, the majority would likely vote for a moderately acceptable National candidate.

        Michael is characteristic of the naivity and outright political stupidity that I often hear from some of the Greens and their supporters. Political parties and politicians don't own voters – they woo them.

        If you look at Auckland Central at present you can see the limits of the wooing from the Greens. They are behind the National candidate. If Labour did what the dimwitted Green supporters want, then they would still be behind the National candidate.

        They might get to 3x their party support instead of the double that they are getting right now. But most of the Labour electorate vote would go to the better candidate – the soft National candidate.

        FFS you get the impression that political morons like 'Michael's need to exerting some shoe leather at some time so that they can learn what real voters are like.

        • lprent 7.1.2.1

          I'd point out that as a Labour supporter I will probably vote party vote Green this election purely to keep them in parliament – just as I have for the last two elections. I like MMP and recognize that if we want to keep it then keeping viable parties in circulation is worth voting against my other interests and inclinations.

          Reading a unrealistic lazy political fool like Michael makes me wonder why I should bother… It is like voting for Mana.

        • Incognito 7.1.2.2

          But most of the Labour electorate vote would go to the better candidate – the soft National candidate.

          Why do you think that Emma Mellow is the better candidate?

          • lprent 7.1.2.2.1

            More representative of their own position. Most of the electorate are rather centrist and have been getting more so over the last couple of decades.

            In a representative democracy, voters tend to look for electorate candidates who they think will represent them. That is why you see people like Nikki Kaye or Chris Bishop different to the general trend of their own party – but able to carry electorates that have party votes that should mean that they shouldn't carry their electorate.

            That guy in Central Melbourne is a good example about how to do that as a Green. But he does have an advantage because of the way he tends to ride in on preferences under STV.

            • Draco T Bastard 7.1.2.2.1.1

              In a representative democracy, voters tend to look for electorate candidates who they think will represent them.

              No they don't. They look for a policy platform that broadly align with their values and then look for a candidate that fits. This usually results in people looking at the party platforms and then voting for the party's candidate.

              This is why independent politicians pretty much don't exist.

              That is why you see people like Nikki Kaye or Chris Bishop different to the general trend of their own party – but able to carry electorates that have party votes that should mean that they shouldn't carry their electorate.

              Or, more likely, FPP voting in electorates is putting the wrong candidate into parliament. Really need preferential voting in electorates.

              But he does have an advantage because of the way he tends to ride in on preferences under STV.

              I'm pretty sure that many safe seats would change hands under a preferential voting. Auckland Central is actually a good example:

              • VOTES COUNTED:
              • 30,070
              • 100.0%
              • LEADING CANDIDATE:KAYE, Nikki13,198
              • 2nd CANDIDATE:WHITE, Helen Ione11,617
              • MAJORITY:
              • 1,581
              • PARTY VOTE LEAD:National Party39.2%
              • 2nd PARTY:Labour Party37.7%

              I doubt if the 4170 Green Party voters would have put the National Party candidate as second preference.

        • Muttonbird 7.1.2.3

          I though Michael was ok until the last half of the last sentence. I don't believe Labour have a strategy to drive the Greens out of parliament, but Labour have definitely swung right and have been timid in policy lest they scare the centrist vote.

          Backed down on tax reform and didn't support low-income earners into Kiwibuild houses. I also hate noises they are making about not wanting to address rampant house price growth.

          They really need a kick up the arse sometimes.

          • lprent 7.1.2.3.1

            Such a self-entitled attitude. Reads like a lazy Conservative.

            • Michael 7.1.2.3.1.1

              At least I rattled the cages of a few complacent Labour Party hacks. I still believe the next NACT caucus will be a formidable challenge to Labour, particularly if the Greens don't make it back. The Nats will be much further to the Right than earlier iterations, even more so with ACT providing the shock troops and ideas. Neofascist is a useful shorthand description of their position – certainly not neoliberal, which is the position Labour occupies. I certainly hear your disdain for the Greens loud and clear. Any alliance with Labour will be purely tactical and cannot form a stable basis for cooperation. Another material difference to the NACT relationship. While Labour has some very competent people on its front bench, the same cannot be said for its caucus as a whole, while its membership looks decidedly rickety and threadbare. Smugness and complacency are perennial diseases in all middle class institutions; Labour in 2020 is no exception.

              • lprent

                Well yes – you convinced me to party vote Labour yesterday. I've party voted Green for the last two elections to do help them get into parliament.

                With politically stupid dingbats like you around (and whoever the idiot was that decided to try for a 3-way split and a National MP in Auckland Central), the Greens simply don't need opponents. Some of their partisan dimwitted supporters can easily get rid of their friends.

    • Stunned mullet 7.2

      Neofascist 🙄 the closest to a neofascist party in NZ parliament at present is NZF and they are not within a country mile of deserving that description.

    • Sacha 7.3

      the group will be far more ideologically united

      Boy are you in for a surprise. 🙂

      • Michael 7.3.1

        Perhaps but the Nats will have lost many of their "liberal" caucus (eg Nikki Kaye). The remainder are on the right of the spectrum. 8-10 ACT MPs will have a big influence too. I don't see much ideological dissonance between them and the Nats. An interesting question is whether a harder-Right NACT opposition will drag Labour further in their direction? FWICS, that's distinctly possible.

        • Sacha 7.3.1.1

          Look at the broader party, not just the caucus. Faction City.

          • Michael 7.3.1.1.1

            Does the "broader party" matter? It doesn't seem to in the case of the Labour Party. Perhaps that's because there is no "broader party", just the caucus.

            • Incognito 7.3.1.1.1.1

              Whataboutery = diversion attempt

            • Sacha 7.3.1.1.1.2

              Eh? Of course you need to look at the whole apparatus of any party, not just the shopfront. Where do you think the decisions about direction are negotiated?

              • Michael

                Labour doesn't make its decisions at grassroots level. Neither do the Nats FWICS. With Labour power is tightly held by caucus and the highest echelon of the party machine. No one else gets a look in. And it shows, IMHO.

  8. nzlemming 8

    ACT understand honour about as much as Collins understands 'woke'.

    [Please stick to one user name here, thanks]

  9. observer 9

    Continuing a familiar story … today's campaigning:

    Ardern in Northland (Nat seat, could go Labour).

    Collins in Blenheim (part of safe Nat seat).

    In 2008-14 Key was all over shopping malls in South and West Auckland. Collins has barely set foot in the cities.

    • Uncle Scrim 9.1

      Yeah well she definitely wouldn't want to walk about in central Wellington or, god forbid, Newtown. Things could go horribly wrong.

      • Draco T Bastard 9.1.1

        You think that there may be a danger of her being confronted with reality if she went to the cities?

        • Uncle Scrim 9.1.1.1

          I dunno, she loves Samoa so much I'm surprised she's not campaigning in Porirua.

      • mac1 9.1.2

        According to our local MP, Judith "understands the needs of regional areas" especially viticulture and access to skilled and RSE labour.

        He or she never understood the decline in social services, the effect of the sale of state housing, the huge local housing pressure based on the need for housing 3000 seasonal workers, the decline in potable water, the degradation of the Sounds for timber and unsustainable fishing, the highest cost for supermarket food, the lowest wage area next to the East Coast in the country.

        But the 180 well off citizens in the Whitehaven Room today come to listen to Collins in Blenheim today did not fully understand, either.

        • PaddyOT 9.1.2.1

          So on Judith's visit to Blenheim , the wine industry needs to also know the National party would seriously undermine the wine industry, scuttling 'free ' student training in vineyard plant horticulture and winemaking cellar production in the region.

          NMIT Trades training for viticulture currently free for much needed shortage of qualified viticulturists in a large growth industry.

          With NMIT being a large tertiary training provider closely aligned to the regions industries that would also be an enormous fishing and sustainable aquaculture industry impacted too.

          * Natz policy – "Consider reintroducing fees on first year of study and first two years of training".

          And in bed with ACTZ

          * Act policy- " Reintroduce fees on first year of study and first two years of training" and " Remove the cap on fees for tertiary institutions".

          https://www.nmit.ac.nz/study/filter/all/fees-free/targeted-training-and-apprenticeship-fund

    • Peter 9.2

      Ardern in Northland (Nat seat, could go Labour)?

      Willow-Jean Prime would need a stack of those who might have voted for Jones to vote for her. A vote for Jones is a wasted vote.

  10. ianmac 10

    Penk was due to travel to ummm? to cast his vote on Monday. The message from the WH was that the trip was off. No explanation.

  11. mosa 11

    " I suspect that National will never be the same again "

    No Luxon will be the healing balm to the many open wounds in the next caucus. National always rises like a phoenix from the ashes. Covid will be just another memory in 2023.

    • hanswurst 11.1

      I think there's a strong element of counting chickens before they've hatched with regard to Luxon, actually. Ardern's rise was rather abrupt when it finally eventuated, and came rather from left-field for most observers. Key's rise was relatively obviously sign-posted, but the official story of how he came to the top was a novel one in the context of NZ politics.

      Whether the vision of Luxon as leader is chiefly his own or the National Party's, it has been very clearly telegraphed, and has a broadly ring to Key's (successful in the corporate world, took a pay cut to serve the country as a politician, and maybe to rub some of his stardust off on the populace). He might find that the electorate just sees him as a boring retread.

      • Michael 11.1.1

        I don't think Luxon's going to save them. But Crusher certainly isn't out for the count. The "wealth tax" billboards and word of mouth campaign seems to have been a diabolical masterstroke. I wouldn't be surprised if Satan was directing their campaign.

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    Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago
  • Bring out your Dad
    Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago
  • The bewildering world of Chris Luxon – Guns for all, not no lunch for kids
    .“$10 and a target that bleeds” - Bleeding Targets for Under $10!.Thanks for reading Frankly Speaking ! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.This government appears hell-bent on either scrapping life-saving legislation or reintroducing things that - frustrated critics insist - will be dangerous and likely ...
    Frankly SpeakingBy Frank Macskasy
    3 days ago
  • Expert Opinion: Ageing Boomers, Laurie & Les, Talk Politics.
    It hardly strikes me as fair to criticise a government for doing exactly what it said it was going to do. For actually keeping its promises.”THUNDER WAS PLAYING TAG with lightning flashes amongst the distant peaks. Its rolling cadences interrupted by the here-I-come-here-I-go Doppler effect of the occasional passing car. ...
    3 days ago
  • Manufacturing The Truth.
    Subversive & Disruptive Technologies: Just as happened with that other great regulator of the masses, the Medieval Church, the advent of a new and hard-to-control technology – the Internet –  is weakening the ties that bind. Then, and now, those who enjoy a monopoly on the dissemination of lies, cannot and will ...
    3 days ago
  • A Powerful Sensation of Déjà Vu.
    Been Here Before: To find the precedents for what this Coalition Government is proposing, it is necessary to return to the “glory days” of Muldoonism.THE COALITION GOVERNMENT has celebrated its first 100 days in office by checking-off the last of its listed commitments. It remains, however, an angry government. It ...
    3 days ago
  • Can you guess where world attention is focussed (according to Greenpeace)? It’s focussed on an EPA...
    Bob Edlin writes –  And what is the world watching today…? The email newsletter from Associated Press which landed in our mailbox early this morning advised: In the news today: The father of a school shooter has been found guilty of involuntary manslaughter; prosecutors in Trump’s hush-money case ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    3 days ago
  • Further integrity problems for the Greens in suspending MP Darleen Tana
    Bryce Edwards writes – Is another Green MP on their way out? And are the Greens severely tarnished by another integrity scandal? For the second time in three months, the Green Party has secretly suspended an MP over integrity issues. Mystery is surrounding the party’s decision to ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    3 days ago
  • Jacqui Van Der Kaay: Greens’ transparency missing in action
    For the last few years, the Green Party has been the party that has managed to avoid the plague of multiple scandals that have beleaguered other political parties. It appears that their luck has run out with a second scandal which, unfortunately for them, coincided with Golraz Ghahraman, the focus ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    3 days ago
  • Bernard’s Dawn Chorus with six newsey things at 6:46am for Saturday, March 16
    TL;DR: The six newsey things that stood out to me as of 6:46am on Saturday, March 16.Andy Foster has accidentally allowed a Labour/Green amendment to cut road user chargers for plug-in hybrid vehicles, which the Government might accept; NZ Herald Thomas Coughlan Simeon Brown has rejected a plea from Westport ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • How Did FTX Crash?
    What seemed a booming success a couple of years ago has collapsed into fraud convictions.I looked at the crash of FTX (short for ‘Futures Exchange’) in November 2022 to see whether it would impact on the financial system as a whole. Fortunately there was barely a ripple, probably because it ...
    PunditBy Brian Easton
    4 days ago
  • Elections in Russia and Ukraine
    Anybody following the situation in Ukraine and Russia would probably have been amused by a recent Tweet on X NATO seems to be putting in an awful lot of effort to influence what is, at least according to them, a sham election in an autocracy.When do the Ukrainians go to ...
    4 days ago
  • Bernard’s six stack of substacks at 6pm on March 15
    TL;DR: Shaun Baker on Wynyard Quarter's transformation. Magdalene Taylor on the problem with smart phones. How private equity are now all over reinsurance. Dylan Cleaver on rugby and CTE. Emily Atkin on ‘Big Meat’ looking like ‘Big Oil’.Bernard’s six-stack of substacks at 6pm on March 15Photo by Jeppe Hove Jensen ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • Buzz from the Beehive Finance Minister Nicola Willis had plenty to say when addressing the Auckland Business Chamber on the economic growth that (she tells us) is flagging more than we thought. But the government intends to put new life into it:  We want our country to be a ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    4 days ago
  • National’s clean car tax advances
    The Transport and Infrastructure Committee has reported back on the Road User Charges (Light Electric RUC Vehicles) Amendment Bill, basicly rubberstamping it. While there was widespread support among submitters for the principle that EV and PHEV drivers should pay their fair share for the roads, they also overwhelmingly disagreed with ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    4 days ago
  • Government funding bailouts
    Peter Dunne writes – This week’s government bailout – the fifth in the last eighteen months – of the financially troubled Ruapehu Alpine Lifts company would have pleased many in the central North Island ski industry. The government’s stated rationale for the $7 million funding was that it ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • Two offenders, different treatments.
    See if you can spot the difference. An Iranian born female MP from a progressive party is accused of serial shoplifting. Her name is leaked to the media, which goes into a pack frenzy even before the Police launch an … Continue reading ...
    KiwipoliticoBy Pablo
    4 days ago
  • Treaty references omitted
    Ele Ludemann writes  – The government is omitting general Treaty references from legislation : The growth of Treaty of Waitangi clauses in legislation caused so much worry that a special oversight group was set up by the last Government in a bid to get greater coherence in the public service on Treaty ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • The Ghahraman Conflict
    What was that judge thinking? Peter Williams writes –  That Golriz Ghahraman and District Court Judge Maria Pecotic were once lawyer colleagues is incontrovertible. There is published evidence that they took at least one case to the Court of Appeal together. There was a report on ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • Bernard's Top 10 @ 10 'pick 'n' mix' for March 15
    TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: Climate Scorpion – the sting is in the tail. Introducing planetary solvency. A paper via the University of Exeter’s Institute and Faculty of Actuaries.Local scoop: Kāinga Ora starts pulling out of its Auckland projects and selling land RNZ ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • The day Wellington up-zoned its future
    Wellington’s massively upzoned District Plan adds the opportunity for tens of thousands of new homes not just in the central city (such as these Webb St new builds) but also close to the CBD and public transport links. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Wellington gave itself the chance of ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • Weekly Roundup 15-March-2024
    It’s Friday and we’re halfway through March Madness. Here’s some of the things that caught our attention this week. This Week in Greater Auckland On Monday Matt asked how we can get better event trains and an option for grade separating Morningside Dr. On Tuesday Matt looked into ...
    Greater AucklandBy Greater Auckland
    4 days ago
  • That Word.
    Something you might not know about me is that I’m quite a stubborn person. No, really. I don’t much care for criticism I think’s unfair or that I disagree with. Few of us do I suppose.Back when I was a drinker I’d sometimes respond defensively, even angrily. There are things ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago
  • The Hoon around the week to March 15
    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:PM Christopher Luxon said the reversal of interest deductibility for landlords was done to help renters, who ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • Labour’s policy gap
    It was not so much the Labour Party but really the Chris Hipkins party yesterday at Labour’s caucus retreat in Martinborough. The former Prime Minister was more or less consistent on wealth tax, which he was at best equivocal about, and social insurance, which he was not willing to revisit. ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    5 days ago
  • Skeptical Science New Research for Week #11 2024
    Open access notables A Glimpse into the Future: The 2023 Ocean Temperature and Sea Ice Extremes in the Context of Longer-Term Climate Change, Kuhlbrodt et al., Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society: In the year 2023, we have seen extraordinary extrema in high sea surface temperature (SST) in the North Atlantic and in ...
    5 days ago
  • Melissa remains mute on media matters but has something to say (at a sporting event) about economic ...
     Buzz from the Beehive   The text reproduced above appears on a page which records all the media statements and speeches posted on the government’s official website by Melissa Lee as Minister of Media and Communications and/or by Jenny Marcroft, her Parliamentary Under-secretary.  It can be quickly analysed ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    5 days ago
  • The return of Muldoon
    For forty years, Robert Muldoon has been a dirty word in our politics. His style of government was so repulsive and authoritarian that the backlash to it helped set and entrench our constitutional norms. His pig-headedness over forcing through Think Big eventually gave us the RMA, with its participation and ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    5 days ago
  • Will the rental tax cut improve life for renters or landlords?
    Bryce Edwards writes –  Is the new government reducing tax on rental properties to benefit landlords or to cut the cost of rents? That’s the big question this week, after Associate Finance Minister David Seymour announced on Sunday that the Government would be reversing the Labour Government’s removal ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • Geoffrey Miller: What Saudi Arabia’s rapid changes mean for New Zealand
    Saudi Arabia is rarely far from the international spotlight. The war in Gaza has brought new scrutiny to Saudi plans to normalise relations with Israel, while the fifth anniversary of the controversial killing of Jamal Khashoggi was marked shortly before the war began on October 7. And as the home ...
    Democracy ProjectBy Geoffrey Miller
    5 days ago
  • Racism’s double standards
    Questions need to be asked on both sides of the world Peter Williams writes –   The NRL Judiciary hands down an eight week suspension to Sydney Roosters forward Spencer Leniu , an Auckland-born Samoan, after he calls Ezra Mam, Sydney-orn but of Aboriginal and Torres Strait ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • It’s not a tax break
    Ele Ludemann writes – Contrary to what many headlines and news stories are saying, residential landlords are not getting a tax break. The government is simply restoring to them the tax deductibility of interest they had until the previous government removed it. There is no logical reason ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • The Plastic Pig Collective and Chris' Imaginary Friends.
    I can't remember when it was goodMoments of happiness in bloomMaybe I just misunderstoodAll of the love we left behindWatching our flashbacks intertwineMemories I will never findIn spite of whatever you becomeForget that reckless thing turned onI think our lives have just begunI think our lives have just begunDoes anyone ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago
  • Who is responsible for young offenders?
    Michael Bassett writes – At first reading, a front-page story in the New Zealand Herald on 13 March was bizarre. A group of severely intellectually limited teenagers, with little understanding of the law, have been pleading to the Justice Select Committee not to pass a bill dealing with ram ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • Gordon Campbell on National’s fantasy trip to La La Landlord Land
    How much political capital is Christopher Luxon willing to burn through in order to deliver his $2.9 billion gift to landlords? Evidently, Luxon is: (a) unable to cost the policy accurately. As Anna Burns-Francis pointed out to him on Breakfast TV, the original ”rock solid” $2.1 billion cost he was ...
    5 days ago
  • Bernard's Top 10 @ 10 'pick 'n' mix' for March 14
    TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: Jonathon Porritt calling bullshit in his own blog post on mainstream climate science as ‘The New Denialism’.Local scoop: The Wellington City Council’s list of proposed changes to the IHP recommendations to be debated later today was leaked this ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • No, Prime Minister, rents don’t rise or fall with landlords’ costs
    TL;DR: Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said yesterday tenants should be grateful for the reinstatement of interest deductibility because landlords would pass on their lower tax costs in the form of lower rents. That would be true if landlords were regulated monopolies such as Transpower or Auckland Airport1, but they’re not, ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • Cartoons: ‘At least I didn’t make things awkward’
    This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Tom Toro Tom Toro is a cartoonist and author. He has published over 200 cartoons in The New Yorker since 2010. His cartoons appear in Playboy, the Paris Review, the New York Times, American Bystander, and elsewhere. Related: What 10 EV lovers ...
    5 days ago
  • Solving traffic congestion with Richard Prebble
    The business section of the NZ Herald is full of opinion. Among the more opinionated of all is the ex-Minister of Transport, ex-Minister of Railways, ex MP for Auckland Central (1975-93, Labour), Wellington Central (1996-99, ACT, then list-2005), ex-leader of the ACT Party, uncle to actor Antonia, the veritable granddaddy ...
    Greater AucklandBy Patrick Reynolds
    5 days ago
  • I Think I'm Done Flying Boeing
    Hi,Just quickly — I’m blown away by the stories you’ve shared with me over the last week since I put out the ‘Gary’ podcast, where I told you about the time my friend’s flatmate killed the neighbour.And you keep telling me stories — in the comments section, and in my ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    6 days ago
  • Invoking Aristotle: Of Rings of Power, Stones, and Ships
    The first season of Rings of Power was not awful. It was thoroughly underwhelming, yes, and left a lingering sense of disappointment, but it was more expensive mediocrity than catastrophe. I wrote at length about the series as it came out (see the Review section of the blog, and go ...
    6 days ago
  • Van Velden brings free-market approach to changing labour laws – but her colleagues stick to distr...
    Buzz from the Beehive Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Brooke van Velden told Auckland Business Chamber members they were the first audience to hear her priorities as a minister in a government committed to cutting red tape and regulations. She brandished her liberalising credentials, saying Flexible labour markets are the ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago
  • Why Newshub failed
    Chris Trotter writes – TO UNDERSTAND WHY NEWSHUB FAILED, it is necessary to understand how TVNZ changed. Up until 1989, the state broadcaster had been funded by a broadcasting licence fee, collected from every citizen in possession of a television set, supplemented by a relatively modest (compared ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago
  • Māori Party on the warpath against landlords and seabed miners – let’s see if mystical creature...
    Bob Edlin writes  –  The Māori Party has been busy issuing a mix of warnings and threats as its expresses its opposition to interest deductibility for landlords and the plans of seabed miners. It remains to be seen whether they  follow the example of indigenous litigants in Australia, ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago
  • There’s a name for this
    Every year, in the Budget, Parliament forks out money to government agencies to do certain things. And every year, as part of the annual review cycle, those agencies are meant to report on whether they have done the things Parliament gave them that money for. Agencies which consistently fail to ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    6 days ago

  • Government moves to quickly ratify the NZ-EU FTA
    "The Government is moving quickly to realise an additional $46 million in tariff savings in the EU market this season for Kiwi exporters,” Minister for Trade and Agriculture, Todd McClay says. Parliament is set, this week, to complete the final legislative processes required to bring the New Zealand – European ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 hours ago
  • Positive progress for social worker workforce
    New Zealand’s social workers are qualified, experienced, and more representative of the communities they serve, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “I want to acknowledge and applaud New Zealand’s social workers for the hard work they do, providing invaluable support for our most vulnerable. “To coincide with World ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 hours ago
  • Minister confirms reduced RUC rate for PHEVs
    Cabinet has agreed to a reduced road user charge (RUC) rate for plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs), Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. Owners of PHEVs will be eligible for a reduced rate of $38 per 1,000km once all light electric vehicles (EVs) move into the RUC system from 1 April.  ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    9 hours ago
  • Trade access to overseas markets creates jobs
    Minister of Agriculture and Trade, Todd McClay, says that today’s opening of Riverland Foods manufacturing plant in Christchurch is a great example of how trade access to overseas markets creates jobs in New Zealand.  Speaking at the official opening of this state-of-the-art pet food factory the Minister noted that exports ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    10 hours ago
  • NZ and Chinese Foreign Ministers hold official talks
    Minister of Foreign Affairs Winston Peters met with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Wellington today. “It was a pleasure to host Foreign Minister Wang Yi during his first official visit to New Zealand since 2017. Our discussions were wide-ranging and enabled engagement on many facets of New Zealand’s relationship with China, including trade, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    23 hours ago
  • Kāinga Ora instructed to end Sustaining Tenancies
    Kāinga Ora – Homes & Communities has been instructed to end the Sustaining Tenancies Framework and take stronger measures against persistent antisocial behaviour by tenants, says Housing Minister Chris Bishop. “Earlier today Finance Minister Nicola Willis and I sent an interim Letter of Expectations to the Board of Kāinga Ora. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Speech to Auckland Business Chamber: Growth is the answer
    Tēna koutou katoa. Greetings everyone. Thank you to the Auckland Chamber of Commerce and the Honourable Simon Bridges for hosting this address today. I acknowledge the business leaders in this room, the leaders and governors, the employers, the entrepreneurs, the investors, and the wealth creators. The coalition Government shares your ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Singapore rounds out regional trip
    Minister Winston Peters completed the final leg of his visit to South and South East Asia in Singapore today, where he focused on enhancing one of New Zealand’s indispensable strategic partnerships.      “Singapore is our most important defence partner in South East Asia, our fourth-largest trading partner and a ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Minister van Velden represents New Zealand at International Democracy Summit
    Minister of Internal Affairs and Workplace Relations and Safety, Hon. Brooke van Velden, will travel to the Republic of Korea to represent New Zealand at the Third Summit for Democracy on 18 March. The summit, hosted by the Republic of Korea, was first convened by the United States in 2021, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Insurance Council of NZ Speech, 7 March 2024, Auckland
    ICNZ Speech 7 March 2024, Auckland  Acknowledgements and opening  Mōrena, ngā mihi nui. Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Nor Whanganui aho.  Good morning, it’s a privilege to be here to open the ICNZ annual conference, thank you to Mark for the Mihi Whakatau  My thanks to Tim Grafton for inviting me ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Five-year anniversary of Christchurch terror attacks
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Lead Coordination Minister Judith Collins have expressed their deepest sympathy on the five-year anniversary of the Christchurch terror attacks. “March 15, 2019, was a day when families, communities and the country came together both in sorrow and solidarity,” Mr Luxon says.  “Today we pay our respects to the 51 shuhada ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Speech for Financial Advice NZ Conference 5 March 2024
    Speech for Financial Advice NZ Conference 5 March 2024  Acknowledgements and opening  Morena, Nga Mihi Nui.  Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Nor Whanganui aho. Thanks Nate for your Mihi Whakatau  Good morning. It’s a pleasure to formally open your conference this morning. What a lovely day in Wellington, What a great ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Early visit to Indonesia strengthens ties
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters held discussions in Jakarta today about the future of relations between New Zealand and South East Asia’s most populous country.   “We are in Jakarta so early in our new government’s term to reflect the huge importance we place on our relationship with Indonesia and South ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • China Foreign Minister to visit
    Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Winston Peters has announced that the Foreign Minister of China, Wang Yi, will visit New Zealand next week.  “We look forward to re-engaging with Foreign Minister Wang Yi and discussing the full breadth of the bilateral relationship, which is one of New Zealand’s ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Minister opens new Auckland Rail Operations Centre
    Transport Minister Simeon Brown has today opened the new Auckland Rail Operations Centre, which will bring together KiwiRail, Auckland Transport, and Auckland One Rail to improve service reliability for Aucklanders. “The recent train disruptions in Auckland have highlighted how important it is KiwiRail and Auckland’s rail agencies work together to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Celebrating 10 years of Crankworx Rotorua
    The Government is proud to support the 10th edition of Crankworx Rotorua as the Crankworx World Tour returns to Rotorua from 16-24 March 2024, says Minister for Economic Development Melissa Lee.  “Over the past 10 years as Crankworx Rotorua has grown, so too have the economic and social benefits that ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Government delivering on tax commitments
    Legislation implementing coalition Government tax commitments and addressing long-standing tax anomalies will be progressed in Parliament next week, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The legislation is contained in an Amendment Paper to the Taxation (Annual Rates for 2023–24, Multinational Tax, and Remedial Matters) Bill issued today.  “The Amendment Paper represents ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Significant Natural Areas requirement to be suspended
    Associate Environment Minister Andrew Hoggard has today announced that the Government has agreed to suspend the requirement for councils to comply with the Significant Natural Areas (SNA) provisions of the National Policy Statement for Indigenous Biodiversity for three years, while it replaces the Resource Management Act (RMA).“As it stands, SNAs ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Government classifies drought conditions in Top of the South as medium-scale adverse event
    Agriculture Minister Todd McClay has classified the drought conditions in the Marlborough, Tasman, and Nelson districts as a medium-scale adverse event, acknowledging the challenging conditions facing farmers and growers in the district. “Parts of Marlborough, Tasman, and Nelson districts are in the grip of an intense dry spell. I know ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Government partnership to tackle $332m facial eczema problem
    The Government is helping farmers eradicate the significant impact of facial eczema (FE) in pastoral animals, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay announced.  “A $20 million partnership jointly funded by Beef + Lamb NZ, the Government, and the primary sector will save farmers an estimated NZD$332 million per year, and aims to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • NZ, India chart path to enhanced relationship
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters has completed a successful visit to India, saying it was an important step in taking the relationship between the two countries to the next level.   “We have laid a strong foundation for the Coalition Government’s priority of enhancing New Zealand-India relations to generate significant future benefit for both countries,” says Mr Peters, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Ruapehu Alpine Lifts bailout the last, say Ministers
    Cabinet has agreed to provide $7 million to ensure the 2024 ski season can go ahead on the Whakapapa ski field in the central North Island but has told the operator Ruapehu Alpine Lifts it is the last financial support it will receive from taxpayers. Cabinet also agreed to provide ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Govt takes action to drive better cancer services
    Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says the launch of a new mobile breast screening unit in Counties Manukau reinforces the coalition Government’s commitment to drive better cancer services for all New Zealanders. Speaking at the launch of the new mobile clinic, Dr Reti says it’s a great example of taking ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Govt takes action to drive better cancer services
    Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says the launch of a new mobile breast screening unit in Counties Manukau reinforces the coalition Government’s commitment to drive better cancer services for all New Zealanders. Speaking at the launch of the new mobile clinic, Dr Reti says it’s a great example of taking ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Work begins on SH29 upgrades near Tauriko
    Unlocking economic growth and land for housing are critical elements of the Government’s plan for our transport network, and planned upgrades to State Highway 29 (SH29) near Tauriko will deliver strongly on those priorities, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “The SH29 upgrades near Tauriko will improve safety at the intersections ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Work begins on SH29 upgrades near Tauriko
    Unlocking economic growth and land for housing are critical elements of the Government’s plan for our transport network, and planned upgrades to State Highway 29 (SH29) near Tauriko will deliver strongly on those priorities, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “The SH29 upgrades near Tauriko will improve safety at the intersections ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Fresh produce price drop welcome
    Lower fruit and vegetable prices are welcome news for New Zealanders who have been doing it tough at the supermarket, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. Stats NZ reported today the price of fruit and vegetables has dropped 9.3 percent in the 12 months to February 2024.  “Lower fruit and vege ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Statement to the 68th United Nations Commission on the Status of Women
    Tēnā koutou katoa and greetings to you all.  Chair, I am honoured to address the sixty-eighth session of the Commission on the Status of Women. I acknowledge the many crises impacting the rights of women and girls. Heightened global tensions, war, climate related and humanitarian disasters, and price inflation all ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Speech to the 68th United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (CSW68)
    Tēnā koutou katoa and greetings to you all.  Chair, I am honoured to address the 68th session of the Commission on the Status of Women. I acknowledge the many crises impacting the rights of women and girls. Heightened global tensions, war, climate related and humanitarian disasters, and price inflation all ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Government backs rural led catchment projects
    The coalition Government is supporting farmers to enhance land management practices by investing $3.3 million in locally led catchment groups, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay announced. “Farmers and growers deliver significant prosperity for New Zealand and it’s vital their ongoing efforts to improve land management practices and water quality are supported,” ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Speech to Auckland Business Chamber
    Good evening everyone and thank you for that lovely introduction.   Thank you also to the Honourable Simon Bridges for the invitation to address your members. Since being sworn in, this coalition Government has hit the ground running with our 100-day plan, delivering the changes that New Zealanders expect of us. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Commission’s advice on ETS settings tabled
    Recommendations from the Climate Change Commission for New Zealand on the Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) auction and unit limit settings for the next five years have been tabled in Parliament, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. “The Commission provides advice on the ETS annually. This is the third time the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Government lowering building costs
    The coalition Government is beginning its fight to lower building costs and reduce red tape by exempting minor building work from paying the building levy, says Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk. “Currently, any building project worth $20,444 including GST or more is subject to the building levy which is ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Trustee tax change welcomed
    Proposed changes to tax legislation to prevent the over-taxation of low-earning trusts are welcome, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The changes have been recommended by Parliament’s Finance and Expenditure Committee following consideration of submissions on the Taxation (Annual Rates for 2023–24, Multinational Tax, and Remedial Matters) Bill. “One of the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
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  • Minister’s Ramadan message
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