Suing the taxpayer

Written By: - Date published: 8:06 am, March 30th, 2012 - 42 comments
Categories: Judith Collins, radio - Tags:

Now I think suing 2 Labour MPs isn’t the smartest political move. It keeps your scandal in the spotlight for months, reminding the public about the affair, and have them sour on you. You might win, in theory, so you might make Mallard and Little look bad and you a little less bad at the end of it all – it’s almost certainly not worth it, and a high stakes game if you lose (if you haven’t already lost by then).

But suing Radio New Zealand? Now who will be paying the legal fees for Judith Collins? And who will be paying the fees for Radio NZ? And who will pay the court costs and settlement should there be one?

Yes, that would be us, the taxpayers paying every little bit.

It seems like a Minister feels like she isn’t getting enough money from the taxpayer and is trying to squeeze a bit more out.

Now how does that make me feel about Judith?

42 comments on “Suing the taxpayer ”

  1. That’s exactly what I thought, Bunji. The extent of public support for Radio NZ, last time they were threatened, make this a really dumb idea.

  2. Agreed Bunji although Collins will need to do a lot more if she expects the taxpayer to pick up her legal tab.

    Clauses 4.54 and 4.55 of the Cabinet Manual state:

    4.54A Minister may contemplate taking a suit as a plaintiff in a personal capacity to uphold his or her integrity as a Minister, for example, in a defamation suit. In such a case, the Minister may wish to be indemnified against the costs of the proceedings. Paragraphs 4.34 – 4.53 do not apply in these circumstances.
    4.55Any intention to take proceedings as a plaintiff must first be discussed with the Prime Minister and the Attorney-General (who will usually consult the Solicitor-General). The Attorney-General will then ask Cabinet to agree that the matter should be investigated by the Solicitor-General or by private counsel to determine whether it would be in the public interest for the Minister to take a personal action in the courts at the Crown’s expense to resolve the matter. An opinion on the merits of the claim, prepared either by the Solicitor-General or private counsel, will be provided to the Attorney-General, together with the Solicitor-General’s views on the public interest aspect. On the basis of this advice, the Attorney-General may seek Cabinet’s authorisation for the Minister to pursue the claim at the Crown’s expense.”

    So the decision is not and should not be clear cut.

    One thing I do not understand is why Collins is not suing the Herald.

    Fran O’Sullivan said six days ago:

    “[Collins] would quickly have reached the conclusion that all Boag’s email did was to compromise her.  Hence she sent it to the ACC. 

    Collins’ fingerprints will not be directly attached to the copy of the Boag email that was later leaked to the Herald on Sunday. 

    But the ACC Minister, who is a former Law Society president, will not be shedding any crocodile tears over Pullar’s predicament. Nor will she be concerned at Boag’s embarrassment after she was hung out to dry.”

    The reference to fingerprints not being directly attached to the Boag email is a pretty clear suggestion of the extent of Collins’ involvement.

    • Blue 2.1

      Crusher doesn’t want to buy herself a fight with Fran, clearly. Which makes her defamation action against RNZ and the Labour MPs look even more empty and pathetic.

      • tc 2.1.1

        Also granny’s been very good to the NACT at NZ’s expense so it’s a bridge that if she crossed would be blown to pieces behind her by both party and benefactors/backers.

    • ghostwhowalksnz 2.2

      Next week is just before Easter, so hopefully questions in Parliament will be asked about the above ‘advice’ by then.

  3. tracey 3

    What I object to is politicians making issues about them, whether it is Collins or Mallard or whoever. It’s NOT about them or their precious reputations it’s about serving the people.

    Creating sideshows wastes time and money. This country has neither to spare. There are many hundreds of thousands of kiwis out there working damned hard and struggling, they don’t need the people who can most influence that situation behaving as though they are the rightful centre of the universe.

    Interestingly POA and MUNZ get vilified for their actions which have ramifications for all of NZ. Yet getting the police to investigate tapes, issuing defamation proceedings, and so on and so forth from all major parties through time is childish and self serving and draws vitriol only from one side of the spectrum.

    • Generally good comment but I’m puzzled by “draws vitriol only from one side of the spectrum.”

      • Akldnut 3.1.1

        “draws vitriol only from both sides of the spectrum.”

      • tracey 3.1.2

        Cameron Slater is very upset but is ok about turning on National cos his heart’s with ACT and if ever a party could be helped by a scandal, it’s ACT by these.

        Other than that is Farrar outraged at all? Other National folks who voted for the higher standard of MP behaviour than they felt Labour showed? The police being used to halt the teapot tapes, was that widely vilified by those supporting national?

  4. Tom Gould 4

    This silly knee-jerk ploy by Collins simply proves she is unfit for higher office, unable to see the bigger picture or play the long game. She has out smarted herself. An ‘own goal’ against her own career, in my view.

  5. Tiger Mountain 5

    Is this how it is going to be from now on? National Ministers to attack media outlets everytime they deviate from the “party line”?
    ShonKey led by (bad) example with the “teapot tapes”.

    Trev and Andrew are skilled enough to look out for themselves to a large extent, but RNZ is hated with a vengeance by the torys, still under a funding sinking lid and vulnerable to political pressure.

  6. ianmac 6

    4.55Any intention to take proceedings as a plaintiff must first be discussed with the Prime Minister and the Attorney-General (who will usually consult the Solicitor-General). The Attorney-General will then ask Cabinet to agree that the matter should be investigated by the Solicitor-General or by private counsel to determine whether it would be in the public interest for the Minister to take a personal action in the courts at the Crown’s expense to resolve the matter.
    That’s odd. Judith declared her intention to sue for Defamation within a couple of hours of Mallard/Little broadcast. Be pretty hard to get through all of section 4.55 in that time frame!

    • Aye and I cannot see, for the reasons set out by Bunji, how it could be in the public interest for the Crown to pay for this.

      I get the strong impression this is a gagging action.

    • Frida 6.2

      Agreed ianmac. I would have thought that the Solicitor-General would have to prepare a briefing paper, which went to the Attorney-General with a recommendation and then went to Cabinet (on Monday?) Seems extraordinary timing to have had all those steps ticked off within a couple of hours!

      • Pascal's bookie 6.2.1

        Does indeed.

        As far as I know from media reports, it’s just been lawyers letters sent to people so far, threatening action.

        Wonder what happens if the legal advice to Cabinet is that the case is weak. Maybe Collins will have to fund the suit herself, if she wants to proceed.

        But if she backs down—> eaten alive. So she might have to fund a case that she has been told is weak, and could well lose 😮

    • tracey 6.3

      She was very quick to defend herself as opposed to the 6000 clients of ACC, etc etc

  7. ianmac 7

    I have listened to the broadcast several times and cannot see where the defamation is.
    Broadcast is still up which would be surprising if there was substance to the complaint?

    • deuto 7.1

      I listened at the time but have not yet relistened, and certainly in the interviews themselves, I don’t recall anything that I would consider (as a non-legal) to edge on defamatory.

      But I did have an instinctive feeling of “disquiet” once or twice in the wording of the short lead-ins that Morning Report uses to inform listeners what is coming up. I can’t remember the exact wording – and don’t want to put my faulty recall in writing for obvious reasons! – but it was much more definite than the ensuing interviews as to what Labour (or possibly it was Mallard they referred to) had stated re Collins’ involvement. Thought at the time that it was sloppy wording on the part of the programme. These lead-ins don’t usually get included in the replays on the website.

  8. Tigger 8

    All Labour has to do is remind everyone who is footing the bill and appear reasonable. Clearly Collins has a lot to hide because she’s too canny to do something like this without a reason, a big, dirty reason.

    • Jim Nald 8.1

      Yeah, can we hear the damning comment, made in the Ryall kind of snotty screechy sour tone, saying “what a waste of taxpayers’ money!” ?

      Tony can remind Judith that at the next meeting with their cabinet colleagues.

  9. deuto 9

    Latest contract on iPredict – Judith Collins to sue the Standard. Just gone up today and no bets so far.

    https://www.ipredict.co.nz/app.php?do=contract_detail&contract=COLLINS.STANDARD

    Should we all be very scared? NOT.

  10. tracey 10

    I notice to date Boag aint suing no one for defaming her!!!!!

  11. captain hook 11

    this national government is a congeries of venal imbeciles who are there solely for peculation and self aggrandisement.
    it is no wonder that their edifice is crumbling when there was nothing there in the first place.

  12. mikesh 12

    Winning the case and settling for an apology plus costs would appear to be a good outcome for Ms Collins since it would appear to exonerate her of any leaking, and would not cost the taxpayer much. And if the matter was settled out of court it would be even better since she then gets what she wants without risking a courtroom battle.

    • ianmac 12.1

      Are you real mikesh or just being ironic? I fear for Judith. She is looking desperate and a little foolish. Not a good way to go.

    • Draco T Bastard 12.2

      Why would it settle out of court?

    • mikesh 12.3

      I don’t see how winning in court would not be good for her. Perhaps you and I should be aware of our bias and consider how the proverbial man in the street would view such an outcome. Surely he would see it as exonerating her.

      • lprent 12.3.1

        She won’t win…

        Given the current defamation law in NZ, a politician trying to make a case against anyone would have to prove that the people she is accusing made a statement of fact about her that they knew at the time was certain to be false. It doesn’t matter that she says that it was. the only thing that will matter is that they didn’t.

        I do find your simple minded faith in some mythical legal position of Ms Collins rather touching, considering that damn near everyone else views it as a device of Ms Collins to try to gag debate.

        • Pascal's bookie 12.3.1.1

          I’ve not seen that it’s gone further than lawyers letters yet.

          And according to the cabinet manual, to take a suit as plaintif and have the tax payer foot the bill, she has to jump through a number of hoops;

          getting advice from the government leagal beagles on the likleihood of success, and then submit that advice to cabinet and get cabinet approval to go ahead.

          Given she sent out the press release (a ‘NZ Govt’ press release, written as minister) within a day of the alleged defamation, I strongly suspect she jumped the gun.

          That puts her in the position of having to decide whether to back down completely and drop the suit (which would be politically disastrous), launch the action now (and pay for the suit herself), or wait around for the legal beagles and cabinet to make their minds up and hope thye say she has a good case and that the taxpayer will pay for it (all the while listening to Little and mallard asking when the suits coming).

          It’s a tight spot.

  13. The Stepper 13

    Agree that Collins probably jumped the gun. Strongly defensive response, possibly (probably) disproportionate. Being overly defensive often indicates guilt of some kind.

    The thing is though, what if being overly defensive is actually the result of being offended other people’s statements, questioning your integrity and harming your future employment prospects/leadership ambitions? I think we can all agree that Mallard shoots from the lip frequently, and Little has long experience in the art of making someone look morally suspect. That’s what a good union leader does.

    What if the conspiracy theories re. Collins are entirely inaccurate? I might very well have to eat my words, but it seems like no-one is willing to consider that Collins might just have a point. Can you, best beloved, imagine if someone was accusing you of gross dereliction of duty/negligence/being generally evil when you knew you hadn’t? Wouldn’t you go after them (particularly when you probably won’t have to pay the legal bills) with all the means available to you?

    As far as I am aware, Collins has no history of dodgy dealings. She’s certainly ambitious, and ruthless up to a point, but a hamfisted attempt at smearing a former fringe National supporter for no tangible gain seems to go against the grain. There have been comments about this being a way to discredit various factions of National, but Collins has far more effective means up her sleeve. Why resort to this?

    • ianmac 13.1

      Not sure that they are smearing her. They ask the questions which is their right and responsibility and She chooses to not answer or she deflects the answer. What if it turns out to be say an ACC staffer? Can’t see how the defamation action would rebound on Tevor or Andrew.
      What would help is a proper enquiry from a credible QC. Then all the flim-flam would disappear.

    • felix 13.2

      “As far as I am aware, Collins has no history of dodgy dealings.”

      Wasn’t there something to do with her and her husband scamming a free car or free petrol or some such?

      • The Stepper 13.2.1

        Agree ianmac. A proper enquiry from a credible (let’s not get into the argument about what credible means) QC would clear it up. Apart from the fact that whichever side didn’t ‘win’ would argue the toss incessantly. Ombudsman? Not familiar enough with the machinery of government to know if that’s realistic.

        As stated, I think the response has been disproportionate at best, but possibly understandable if Collins has nothing to hide. It might lead to nothing, but if she is innocent of the allegations it’s something of a line in the sand, both to Labour and to National.

        felix – no idea. Something rings a bell, but that’s as far as I get. A very lazy google search doesn’t reveal anything, but then it was very lazy!

        • ianmac 13.2.1.1

          Ministers get a chauffeur Government car and unlimited use of a self drive car. The tax-payer petrol for her self drive car was somewhere around $400 per month. A huge mileage there perhaps from her husband. Judith was challenged by a reporter and she very quickly put the reporter in his place. It is legal and within the rules.
          What bothered me was the rude arrogant response Judith handed out. I bet the reporter remembers that put-down!

          • Pascal's bookie 13.2.1.1.1

            It was Paddy Gower: http://bit.ly/GZXyCl

          • Draco T Bastard 13.2.1.1.2

            A huge mileage there perhaps from her husband.

            A huge mileage when it was obvious that she wasn’t using the car and thus we were paying for her husband to go to work. Sure, it was legal, just not right.

        • Pascal's bookie 13.2.1.2

          I hear what you are saying Stepper, and I’m not without sympathy for her if she is, in fact, innocent of being at all involved in the leaking of the Boag letter.

          But in a way, that’s irrelevant.

          She is the Minister, and the letter only went, by her reckoning, into 3 hands. The other two people who legitimately have it are within the organisation she is responsible for. There is no real escaping the fact that she is responsible for the letter’s safekeeping. Therefore, as Kevin Hague says, she actually does need to have a bit of a thick skin about questions and allegations with regard to things she is responsible for when things go pear shaped. Especially when someone, somewhere, is actively doing things wrong. These are not accidents that are happening.

          If she is innocent, the refusals to answer questions in the house about seemingly trivial details like ‘when was the email printed?’, and ‘who did she give it to?’, do nothing but wind the opposition up and foster suspicion.

          And given that her opponents will be well enough aware of her temperament, a failure to keep a control of her own reactions to their subsequent goading isn’t something I have a lot of sympathy for.

          I freely admit my own bias. I don’t like her politics.

          I was appalled, quite frequently, at her performance and comments as Minister of Police, and of Corrections. It often seemed that she was the minister *for* police, and her double bunking comments about post earthquake looters in christchurch were beyond the pail. I simply don’t accept that she didn’t know exactly how what she said would be interpreted by a large swathe of the country. Prison rape jokes are not that uncommon.

          So while, like I said, I can feel for her if she has genuinely been accused of doing something of which she is entirely innocent, I won’t be pretending to shed a tear if her recklessness and pride end up costing her politically.

          • The Stepper 13.2.1.2.1

            Yep, agree (far too much agreement on here I think!).

            That said, I think Collins is far more calculating than you give her credit for. She made provocative comments when she was trying to make her name (and everyone knows her name – even before this) and those comments appealed to the ever capricious general public. She, to be completely fair, portrayed the uncompromising, stern Minister that people respond to.

            I entirely appreciate your comments with respect to her comments about prison rape. But it was appealing in a visceral way to the ‘man on the street’.

            What I’m trying to say is I don’t think she has a hair-trigger temperament. I don’t think she does or says things things without thinking them through. For example her comments in the House – that seemed to me (happy to be proved wrong) that it was a quite deliberate wind up. Start Labour frothing and making unsubstantiated comments, and then prove yourself completely right. Nothing like the moral high ground as a basis to become Prime Minister (sidenote: the fight for the leadership between Parata and Collins will be fascinating. Joyce won’t compete. Far better to be the power behind the throne than have to justify yourself in public, and Joyce will back his ability to manipulate whichever of Parata or Collins would win. A tough, uncompromising woman vs a tough uncompromising yet slightly more appealing Maori woman. Pure theatre).

            • Adele 13.2.1.2.1.1

              The Stepper,

              The only contrary view I have with the analysis you paint is that Joyce does not have sufficient juice to manipulate either woman.

            • Pascal's bookie 13.2.1.2.1.2

              Right, wellpurely for the sake of disagreement, here’s an alternative theory of what’s going on:

              (Warning: may contain traces of assumption)

              On the friday before all this blew up, (the first leak in the Sunday Herald about the mass privacy breach), the NBR ran a story saying there were tensions in cabinet and Collins was’ livid’ with Smith about being handed a ‘Lemon’ with ACC. The story described the whole thing with the levies being at a level that private co’s couldn’t compete, effectively scuttling the opening up to competition.

              A suppososition that this wasn’t all Collins was upset with Smith about re ACC doesn’t seem like a stretch in hindsight. She may have been made aware, to some extent, of the Pullar business before it became public

              After that first leak, presumably from Pullar/Boag, ACC made the claims about ‘blackmail’ and the Boag letter was leaked.

              Concurrently to this going on, the Smith letters came out and he resigned after a day.

              So here’s the theory. (Capital T theory, plz don’t sue me Judith, it’s not even opinion, it’s speculation, probably not true at all no sir).

              The story is spiralling out of control, and the ninth floor weighs in. We’ve got police investigations into the matters stemming from the Boag letter leak (the ‘blackmail’) and privacy comm. investigations into the privacy breach. Smith falls on his sword.

              This tidies up* everything except the leak of the Boag letter.

              Now what if Key says asks Collins how the Boag letter got out, and she denies knowledge. Key wants assurities on this before he’ll publically go into bat for her. He got burned taking Worth’s word on the fact that there was nothing to an allegation.

              So he gets a letter of resignation from Collins, puts it in a drawer, and says if I suspect you lied, then this letter admitting you leaked it, goes into effect.

              Or something along those lines.

              Worth promised Key an affidavit, and defamation suits against anyone who went public with the accusations. He got neither.

              Key might have learned something from that.

              Might maybe etc.

              *for certain definitions of ‘tidy up’ only.

              • The Stepper

                While I hate to disperse the air of agreement, to follow your lead I’m not sure if I agree. To be fair, it’s a bit of stretch, for the following reasons:

                1. I imagine Key has had a written, signed but undated letter of resignation from every Minister (if not MP) in his drawer since 2008.

                2. I really don’t see a ninth floor flavour in most of this. I think that this is Collins acting off her own bat. The ninth floor would have handled it much more smoothly. Collins is asserting her own authority, in her inimitable ‘crusher’ style. This is a message as much to ninth floor and to the rest of Cabinet as to the public.

                3. Didn’t read the NBR article, though I would be angry at anyone who handed me the ACC lemon should I (heaven forfend) become a Minister. With privatisation in the wind, there will be few portfolios come next election that could prove more of a poisoned chalice. Might not have blown up now, but it will. The way I read this situation is that Smith kept the ‘Pullar Affair ™’ to himself, hoping it would go away (or more likely never thinking that this formerly friendly woman would turn on him so).

                My theory: the entire matter spills from Smith acting foolishly. Collins may have been made aware of the matter, but certainly not to the point that she thought she would have to do anything about it. I don’t think she would be stupid enough to compound her mistake (her mistake being accepting the portfolio, though how much choice she had is debatable) by leaking any email for scant, if existing, gain.

                I think Mallard and Little have reacted too quickly, and overzealously. I suspect they egged each other on. Backpedalling (or more wisely dead silence) when the outcome of the investigation starts to become apparent. Collins seems to be expecting to emerge from this as the moral (if not legal) victor, which will stand her in good stead come 2014-7. Your move Hekia.

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    TL;DR: The key events to watch in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the week to March 18 include:China’s Foreign Minister visiting Wellington today;A post-cabinet news conference this afternoon; the resumption of Parliament on Tuesday for two weeks before Easter;retiring former Labour Finance Minister Grant Robertson gives his valedictory speech in Parliament; ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 day ago
  • Bitter and angry; Winston First
    New Zealand First Leader Winston Peters’s state-of-the-nation speech on Sunday was really a state-of-Winston-First speech. He barely mentioned any of the Government’s key policies and could not even wholly endorse its signature income tax cuts. Instead, he rehearsed all of his complaints about the Ardern Government, including an extraordinary claim ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    2 days ago
  • 2024 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #11
    A listing of 35 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, March 10, 2024 thru Sat, March 16, 2024. Story of the week This week we'll give you a little glimpse into how we collect links to share and ...
    2 days ago
  • 2024 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #11
    A listing of 35 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, March 10, 2024 thru Sat, March 16, 2024. Story of the week This week we'll give you a little glimpse into how we collect links to share and ...
    2 days ago
  • Out of Touch.
    “I’ve been internalising a really complicated situation in my head.”When they kept telling us we should wait until we get to know him, were they taking the piss? Was it a case of, if you think this is bad, wait till you get to know the real Christopher, after the ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    2 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
    2 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
    2 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
    2 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
    3 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
    4 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
    5 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
  • Echoes of 1968 in 2024?  Pocock on the repetitive problems of the New Left
    Mike Grimshaw writes – Recent events in American universities point to an underlying crisis of coherent thinking, an issue that increasingly affects the progressive left across the Western world. This of course is nothing new as anyone who can either remember or has read of the late ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days 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
    5 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
    7 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
    8 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
    22 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
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  • 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 ...
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  • Speech to Auckland Business Chamber
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  • Speech to Life Sciences Summit
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