Posts Tagged ‘Res Publica’
Trade Like You Mean It: How Aotearoa Can Lead with Values in a Volatile World
Written By: - Date published: 9:49 am, April 5th, 2025 - 36 comments
In an era of weaponised tariffs, crumbling institutions, and trade policy made on the campaign trail, New Zealand’s long game is trust, credibility, and coherence.
If we choose to play it.
The Unbearable Weight of Being a Useful Idiot
Written By: - Date published: 9:57 am, March 23rd, 2025 - 96 comments
Res Publica takes aim at modern day ‘tankies’. Pro-authoritarian leftist, who can apologise for any authoritarian regime provided that it is intellectually cloaked in the ‘correct’ rhetoric and a veneer of geo-politics. In their view, modern day tankies are only good at reducing the left’s credibility to rubble in real-time.
CommentsOpinions
FeedsPartyGovtMedia
- Skeptical Science New Research for Week #15 2025
Open access notables Global and regional drivers for exceptional climate extremes in 2023-2024: beyond the new normal, Minobe et al., npj Climate and Atmospheric Science: Climate records have been broken with alarming regularity in recent years, but the events of 2023–2024 were exceptional even when accounting for recent climatic trends. ...36 minutes ago - The US harms its image in the Pacific with aid cuts and tariffs
USAID cuts and tariffs will harm the United States’ reputation in the Pacific more than they will harm the region itself. The resilient region will adjust to the economic challenges and other partners will fill ...2 hours ago - Good fucking riddance
National's racist and divisive Treaty Principles Bill was just voted down by the House, 112 to 11. Good fucking riddance. The bill was not a good-faith effort at legislating, or at starting a "constitutional conversation". Instead it was a bad faith attempt to stoke division and incite racial hatred - ...3 hours ago - The threat spectrum
Democracy watch Indonesia’s parliament passed revisions to the country’s military law, which pro-democracy and human rights groups view as a threat to the country’s democracy. One of the revisions seeks to expand the number of ...4 hours ago
- Australia needs a civilian cyber reserve. State emergency services are the model
Australia should follow international examples and develop a civilian cyber reserve as part of a whole-of-society approach to national defence. By setting up such a reserve, the federal government can overcome a shortage of expertise ...7 hours ago
- Drawn
A ballot for three Member's Bills was held today, and the following bills were drawn: Life Jackets for Children and Young Persons Bill (Cameron Brewer) Sale and Supply of Alcohol (Restrictions on Issue of Off-Licences and Low and No Alcohol Products) Amendment Bill (Mike Butterick) Crown ...7 hours ago
- Thursday 10 April
Te Whatu Ora is proposing to slash jobs from a department that brings in millions of dollars a year and ensures safety in hospitals, rest homes and other community health providers. The Treaty Principles Bill is back in Parliament this evening and is expected to be voted down by all parties, ...8 hours ago - Paying For Small Indignities
Hi,The piece I wrote last week about the chances of being rounded up and evicted (and/or detained) by the United States seems more… pressing.To be clear: antisemitism is fucking horrible — and in that same breath I also wonder what today’s statement from The Department of Homeland security means for ...8 hours ago - Joint naval exercises with Russia undermine Indonesia’s commitment to international law
Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto has repeatedly asserted the country’s commitment to a non-aligned foreign policy. But can Indonesia still credibly claim neutrality while tacitly engaging with Russia? Holding an unprecedented bilateral naval drills with Moscow ...9 hours ago
- Wednesday 9 April
The NZCTU have launched a new policy programme and are calling on political parties to adopt bold policies in the lead up to the next election. The Government is scrapping the 30-day rule that automatically signs an employee up to the collective agreement when they sign on to a new ...10 hours ago
- Anticipating what Trump wants: Taiwan puts money in America first
Taiwan’s President Lai Ching-te must have been on his toes. The island’s trade and defence policy has snapped into a new direction since US President Donald Trump took office in January. The government was almost ...12 hours ago
- Auckland’s Big Easter Rail Shutdown
Auckland’s ongoing rail pain will intensify again from this weekend as Kiwirail shut down the network for two weeks as part of their push to get the network ready for the City Rail Link. KiwiRail will progress upgrade and renewal projects across Auckland’s rail network over the Easter holiday period ...12 hours ago - Renewables allow us to pay less, not twice
This is a re-post from The Electrotech Revolution by Daan Walter Last week, UK Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch took the stage to advocate for slowing the rollout of renewables, arguing that they ultimately lead to higher costs: “Huge amounts are being spent on switching round how we distribute electricity ...12 hours ago
- Refusing to Disappear
That there, that's not meI go where I pleaseI walk through wallsI float down the LiffeyI'm not hereThis isn't happeningI'm not hereI'm not hereSongwriters: Philip James Selway / Jonathan Richard Guy Greenwood / Edward John O'Brien / Thomas Edward Yorke / Colin Charles Greenwood.I had mixed views when the first ...12 hours ago - Bernard’s Dawn Chorus & Pick ‘n’ Mix Six
(A note to subscribers: I’m going to keep these daily curated news updates shorter in future to ensure an earlier and more regular delivery. Expect this format and delivery around 7 am Monday to Friday from now on. My apologies for not delivering yesterday. There was too much news… This ...13 hours ago - Gordon Campbell On Marketing The Military Threat Posed By China
As Donald Trump zigs and zags on tariffs and trashes America’s reputation as a safe and stable place to invest, China has a big gun that it could bring to this tariff knife fight. Behind Japan, China has the world’s second largest holdings of American debt. As a huge US ...18 hours ago - Seabed sensors and mapping: what China’s survey ship could be up to
Civilian exploration may be the official mission of a Chinese deep-sea research ship that sailed clockwise around Australia over the past week and is now loitering west of the continent. But maybe it’s also attending ...1 day ago
- South Korea must move beyond partisan division to tackle security threats
South Korea’s internal political instability leaves it vulnerable to rising security threats including North Korea’s military alliance with Russia, China’s growing regional influence and the United States’ unpredictability under President Donald Trump. South Korea needs ...1 day ago
- Billionaire Bust-Ups
Here are 5 updates that you may be interested in today:Speed kills and costs - so why does National want more of it?James (Jim) Grenon Board Takeover Gets Shaky - As Canadian Calls An Australian Shareholder a “Flake” Billionaire Bust-ups -The World’s Richest Men Are UncomfortableOver 3,500 Australian doctors on ...1 day ago - Member’s Day
Today is a Member's Day, and its all first readings. First up is Laura McClure's Employment Relations (Termination of Employment by Agreement) Amendment Bill, followed by Carl Bates' Juries (Age of Excusal) Amendment Bill, Adrian Rurawhe's Employment Relations (Collective Agreements in Triangular Relationships) Amendment Bill and then Kieran McAnulty's Sale ...1 day ago
- Australia’s cyber strategy needs a vulnerability disclosure upgrade
Australia is in a race against time. Cyber adversaries are exploiting vulnerabilities faster than we can identify and patch them. Both national security and economic considerations demand policy action. According to IBM’s Data Breach Report, ...1 day ago
- The Comparative Notebook on Trump’s Tariffs.
The ever brilliant Kate Nicholls has kindly agreed to allow me to re-publish her substack offering some under-examined backdrop to Trump’s tariff madness. The essay is not meant to be a full scholarly article but instead an insight into the thinking (if that is the correct word) behind the current ...1 day ago - Humanitarian assistance in the Pacific should be led by Pacific countries
In the Pacific, the rush among partner countries to be seen as the first to assist after disasters has become heated as part of ongoing geopolitical contest. As partners compete for strategic influence in the ...1 day ago
- Tariff madness and monetary policy
We’ve seen this morning the latest step up in the Trump-initiated trade war, with the additional 50 per cent tariffs imposed on imports from China. If the tariff madness persists – but in fact even if were wound back in some places (eg some of the particularly absurd tariffs on ...1 day ago - Weak
Weak as I am, no tears for youWeak as I am, no tears for youDeep as I am, I'm no one's foolWeak as I amSongwriters: Deborah Ann Dyer / Richard Keith Lewis / Martin Ivor Kent / Robert Arnold FranceMorena.
This morning, I couldn’t settle on a single topic. Too ... 1 day ago - Getting Cross with AT’s awful last minute re-designs of Project K
A few weeks ago, I wrote a post extensively detailing the scandal of what happened with the Upper Mercury Lane part of the Karanga-a-Hape Station precinct integration project (also known by its cool title, Project K). It was a prime example of Auckland Transport’s habitual failure to follow through on ...1 day ago
- Climate risks to security in the Indo-Pacific: Indonesia in 2035
Australian policy makers are vastly underestimating how climate change will disrupt national security and regional stability across the Indo-Pacific. A new ASPI report assesses the ways climate impacts could threaten Indonesia’s economic and security interests ...1 day ago
- Brace position
So here we are in London again because we’re now at the do-it-while-you-still-can stage of life. More warm wide-armed hugs, more long talks and long walks and drinks in lovely old pubs with our lovely daughter.And meanwhile the world is once more in one of its assume-the-brace-position stages.We turned on ...2 days ago - To Dire Wolf Or Not To Dire Wolf?
Hi,Back in September of 2023, I got pitched an interview:David -Thanks for the quick response to the DM! Means the world. Re-stating some of the DM below for your team’s reference -I run a business called Animal Capital - we are a venture capital fund advised by Noah Beck, Paris ...2 days ago - A Bit Of Nuance Would Be Nice: Some Thoughts on the Trump Tariffs
I didn’t want to write about this – but, alas, the 2020s have forced my hand. I am going to talk about the Trump Tariffs… and in the process probably irritate nearly everyone. You see, alone on the Internet, I am one of those people who think we need a ...2 days ago - No, it’s not new. Russia and China have been best buddies for decades
Maybe people are only just beginning to notice the close alignment of Russia and China. It’s discussed as a sudden new phenomenon in world affairs, but in fact it’s not new at all. The two ...2 days ago
- The dishonest crown
The High Court has just ruled that the government has been violating one of the oldest Treaty settlements, the Sealord deal: The High Court has found the Crown has breached one of New Zealand's oldest Treaty Settlements by appropriating Māori fishing quota without compensation. It relates to the 1992 ...2 days ago
- Middle Arm project: the infrastructure enabler for Northern Territory development
Darwin’s proposed Middle Arm Sustainable Development Precinct is set to be the heart of a new integrated infrastructure network in the Northern Territory, larger and better than what currently exists in northern Australia. However, the ...2 days ago
- Grooming us for identity theft
2 days ago
- As tensions grow, an Australian AI safety institute is a no-brainer
Australia needs to deliver its commitment under the Seoul Declaration to create an Australian AI safety, or security, institute. Australia is the only signatory to the declaration that has yet to meet its commitments. Given ...2 days ago
- Hine Ruhi (Slice Of Heaven)
Ko kōpū ka rere i te paeMe ko Hine RuhiTīaho mai tō arohaMe ko Hine RuhiDa da da ba du da da ba du da da da ba du da da da da da daDa da da ba du da da ba du da da da ba du da da ...2 days ago - ‘We can afford more drones, but not more homes’
Army, Navy and AirForce personnel in ceremonial dress: an ongoing staffing exodus means we may get more ships, drones and planes but not have enough ‘boots on the ground’ to use them. Photo: Lynn GrievesonLong stories short in Aotearoa’s political economy this morning: PM Christopher Luxon says the Government can ...2 days ago - Oliver’s struggle: a case study in the frustration of trying to join the ADF
If you’re a qualified individual looking to join the Australian Army, prepare for a world of frustration over the next 12 to 18 months. While thorough vetting is essential, the inefficiency of the Australian Defence ...2 days ago
- NZD Freefall, Winston Peters Linked To Green Party Attack Ads & More
I’ve inserted a tidbit and rumours section1. Colonoscopy wait times increase, procedures drop under NationalWait times for urgent, non-urgent and surveillance colonoscopies all progressively worsened last year. Health NZ data shows the total number of publicly-funded colonoscopies dropped by more than 7 percent.Health NZ chief medical officer Helen Stokes-Lampard blamed ...2 days ago - Tuesday 8 April
Three billion dollars has been wiped off the value of New Zealand’s share market as the rout of global financial markets caught up with the local market. A Sāmoan national has been sentenced for migrant exploitation and corruption following a five-year investigation that highlights the serious consequences of immigration fraud ...2 days ago
- Wherefore now with Kiwirail
This is a guest post by Darren Davis. It originally appeared on his excellent blog, Adventures in Transitland, which we encourage you to check out. It is shared by kind permission. Rail Network Investment Plan quietly dropped While much media attention focused on the 31st March 2025 announcement that the replacement Cook ...2 days ago
- More unneeded officers, more military influence. Indonesia’s law revision is a mistake
Amendments to Indonesia’s military law risk undermining civilian supremacy and the country’s defence capabilities. Passed by the House of Representatives on 20 March, the main changes include raising the retirement age and allowing military officers ...2 days ago
- Gordon Campbell On Peter Dutton’s Fading Election Prospects.
So New Zealand is about to spend $12 billion on our defence forces over the next four years – with $9 million of it being new money that is not being spent on pressing needs here at home. Somehow this lavish spend-up on Defence is “affordable,” says PM Christopher Luxon, ...3 days ago
- A letter to America from an appreciative ally
Donald Trump’s philosophy about the United States’ place in the world is historically selfish and will impoverish his country’s spirit. While he claimed last week to be ‘liberating’ Americans from the exploiters and freeloaders who’ve ...3 days ago
- Myanmar’s scam centres demand ASEAN-Australia collaboration
China’s crackdown on cyber-scam centres on the Thailand-Myanmar border may cause a shift away from Mandarin, towards English-speaking victims. Scammers also used the 28 March earthquake to scam international victims. Australia, with its proven capabilities ...3 days ago
- The return of dirty politics
At the 2005 election campaign, the National Party colluded with a weirdo cult, the Exclusive Brethren, to run a secret hate campaign against the Greens. It was the first really big example of the rich using dark money to interfere in our democracy. And unfortunately, it seems that they're trying ...3 days ago
- Our MOOC Denial101x has run its course
Many of you will know that in collaboration with the University of Queensland we created and ran the massive open online course (MOOC) "Denial101x - Making sense of climate science denial" on the edX platform. Within nine years - between April 2015 and February 2024 - we offered 15 runs ...3 days ago
- In trade, nothing can replace the US consumer. Still, Asian countries look to each other
How will the US assault on trade affect geopolitical relations within Asia? Will nations turn to China and seek protection by trading with each other? The happy snaps a week ago of the trade ministers ...3 days ago
- Why Did Police Clear Brian Tamaki Of All Charges?
I mentioned this on Friday - but thought it deserved some emphasis.Auckland Waitematā District Commander Superintendent Naila Hassan has responded to Countering Hate Speech Aotearoa, saying police have cleared Brian Tamaki of all incitement charges relating to the Te Atatu library rainbow event assault.Hassan writes:..There is currently insufficient evidence to ...3 days ago - Reviewing the intelligence reviews (so far)
With the report of the recent intelligence review by Heather Smith and Richard Maude finally released, critics could look on and wonder: why all the fuss? After all, while the list of recommendations is substantial, ...3 days ago
- Healthy Beginnings, Hopeful Futures
Well, I don't know if I'm readyTo be the man I have to beI'll take a breath, I'll take her by my sideWe stand in awe, we've created lifeWith arms wide open under the sunlightWelcome to this place, I'll show you everythingSongwriters: Scott A. Stapp / Mark T. Tremonti.Today is ...3 days ago - Monday 7 April
Staff at Kāinga Ora are expecting details of another round of job cuts, with the Green Party claiming more than 500 jobs are set to go. The New Zealand Defence Force has made it easier for people to apply for a job in a bid to get more boots on ...3 days ago
- Australia’s food security needs national-security frameworks
Australia’s agriculture sector and food system have prospered under a global rules-based system influenced by Western liberal values. But the assumptions, policy approaches and economic frameworks that have traditionally supported Australia’s food security are no ...3 days ago
- Trump just detonated a neutron bomb under the global economy, but NZ could win
Following Trump’s tariff announcement, US stock values fell by the most ever in value terms (US$6.6 trillion). Photo: Getty ImagesLong story shortest in Aotearoa’s political economy this morning: Donald Trump just detonated a neutron bomb under the globalised economy, but this time the Fed isn’t cutting interest rates to rescue ...4 days ago - 2025 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #14
A listing of 36 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, March 30, 2025 thru Sat, April 5, 2025. This week's roundup is again published by category and sorted by number of articles included in each. The formatting is a ...4 days ago
- Trump’s Secret Sauce Spills Over
This is a longer read.Summary:Trump’s tariffs are reckless, disastrous and hurt the poorest countries deeply. It will stoke inflation, and may cause another recession. Funds/investments around the world have tanked.Trump’s actions emulate the anti-economic logic of another right wing libertarian politician - Liz Truss. She had her political career cut ...4 days ago - Wouldn’t really go that far
We are all suckers for hope.He’s just being provocative, people will say, he wouldn’t really go that far. They wouldn’t really go that far.Germany in the 1920s and 30s was one of the world’s most educated, culturally sophisticated, and scientifically advanced societies.It had a strong democratic constitution with extensive civil ...5 days ago - Fact brief – Is Mars warming?
Skeptical Science is partnering with Gigafact to produce fact briefs — bite-sized fact checks of trending claims. You can submit claims you think need checking via the tipline. Is Mars warming? Mars’ climate varies due to completely different reasons than Earth’s, and available data indicates no temperature trends comparable to Earth’s ...5 days ago
- Maxing out – next steps for progressives
Max Harris and Max Rashbrooke discuss how we turn around the right wing slogans like nanny state, woke identity politics, and the inefficiency of the public sector – and how we build a progressive agenda. From Donald Trump to David Seymour, from Peter Dutton to Christopher Luxon, we are subject to a ...5 days ago - Maxing out – next steps for progressives
Max Harris and Max Rashbrooke discuss how we turn around the right wing slogans like nanny state, woke identity politics, and the inefficiency of the public sector – and how we build a progressive agenda. From Donald Trump to David Seymour, from Peter Dutton to Christopher Luxon, we are subject to a ...5 days ago
- FACT CHECKING DAVID SEYMOUR
I was interested in David Seymour's public presentation of the Justice Select Committee's report after the submissions to the Treaty Principles Bill.I noted the arguments he presented and fact checked him. I welcome corrections and additions to what I have written but want to keep the responses concise.The Treaty of ...5 days ago - It’s All Over Now
Well, he runs around with every racist in townHe spent all our money playing his pointless gameHe put us out; it was awful how he triedTables turn, and now his turn to cryWith apologies to writers Bobby Womack and Shirley Womack.Eight per cent, asshole, that’s all you got.Smiling?Let me re-phrase…Eight ...5 days ago - Bernard’s Pick ‘n’ Mix on Saturday, April 5
In short this morning in our political economy:The S&P 500 fell another 5.6% this morning after China retaliated with tariffs of 34% on all US imports, and the Fed warned of stagflation without rate cut relief.Delays for heart surgeries and scans are costing lives, specialists have told Stuff’s Nicholas Jones.Meanwhile, ...5 days ago - Unlike China’s flotilla, the Great White Fleet came in friendship
When the US Navy’s Great White Fleet sailed into Sydney Harbour in 1908, it was an unmistakeable signal of imperial might, a flexing of America’s newfound naval muscle. More than a century later, the Chinese ...5 days ago
- Resource Management and Property Rights
While there have been decades of complaints – from all sides – about the workings of the Resource Management Act (RMA), replacing is proving difficult. The Coalition Government is making another attempt.To help answer the question, I am going to use the economic lens of the Coase Theorem, set out ...6 days ago - Bookshelf: the evolution and future of amphibious warfare
2027 may still not be the year of war it’s been prophesised as, but we only have two years left to prepare. Regardless, any war this decade in the Indo-Pacific will be fought with the ...6 days ago
- Parliament’s secret “transparency” regime
When the Parliament Bill Committee rejected calls for Parliamentary agencies to be subject to the Official Information Act last month, their excuse was interesting: Parliament didn't need the transparency of the OIA because it already had its own transparency regime! Which came as rather a surprise to everyone working in ...6 days ago
- Centring people of colour to close the climate justice gap
Australia must do more to empower communities of colour in its response to climate change. In late February, the Multicultural Leadership Initiative hosted its Our Common Future summits in Sydney and Melbourne. These summits focused ...6 days ago
- Presidency of doom
Questions 1. In his godawful decree, what tariff rate was imposed by Trump upon the EU?a. 10% same as New Zealandb. 20%, along with a sneer about themc. 40%, along with an outright lie about France d. 69% except for the town Melania comes from2. The justice select committee has ...6 days ago - The ideology of grovelling to Trump
Yesterday the Trump regime in America began a global trade war, imposing punitive tariffs in an effort to extort political and economic concessions from other countries and US companies and constituencies. Trump's tariffs will make kiwis nearly a billion dollars poorer every year, but Luxon has decided to do nothing ...6 days ago
- $6m later, 90% against, 8% for, Treaty Principles Bill Committee recommends Bill be shelved
Here’s 7 updates from this morning’s news:90% of submissions opposed the TPBNZ’s EV market tanked by Coalition policies, down ~70% year on yearTrump showFossil fuel money driving conservative policiesSimeon Brown won’t say that abortion is healthcarePhil Goff stands by comments and makes a case for speaking upBrian Tamaki cleared of ...6 days ago - Thanks, Folks: Mountain Tūī Hits A Milesone
6 days ago - The people have spoken
The Justice Committee has reported back on National's racist Principles of the Treaty of Waitangi Bill, and recommended by majority that it not proceed. So hopefully it will now rapidly go to second reading and be voted down. As for submissions, it turns out that around 380,000 people submitted on ...6 days ago
- To fight disinformation, treat it as an insurgency
We need to treat disinformation as we deal with insurgencies, preventing the spreaders of lies from entrenching themselves in the host population through capture of infrastructure—in this case, the social media outlets. Combining targeted action ...6 days ago
- The surprise of the Independent Intelligence Review: economic security
After copping criticism for not releasing the report for nearly eight months, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese released the Independent Intelligence Review on 28 March. It makes for a heck of a read. The review makes ...6 days ago
- Chris Hipkins speech: Treaty Principles Bill second reading
Normally, when I rise in this House to speak on a bill, I say it's a great privilege to speak on the bill. That is not the case today. ...2 hours ago - Release: End to the Treaty Principles Bill, but challenges remain ahead for Aotearoa
Ka mate te pire I te rā neiThe bill dies today ...2 hours ago
- Ka mate te Pire, ka ora Te Tiriti o Waitangi – Treaty Principles Bill dead, Te Tiriti o Waitangi m...
The Green Party is proud to have voted down the Coalition Government’s Treaty Principles Bill, an archaic piece of legislation that sought to attack the nation’s founding agreement. ...3 hours ago - Member’s Bill an opportunity for climate action
A Member’s Bill in the name of Green Party MP Julie Anne Genter which aims to stop coal mining, the Crown Minerals (Prohibition of Mining) Amendment Bill, has been pulled from Parliament’s ‘biscuit tin’ today. ...7 hours ago
- Release: Bill to make trading laws fairer passes first hurdle
Labour MP Kieran McAnulty’s Members Bill to make the law simpler and fairer for businesses operating on Easter, Anzac and Christmas Days has passed its first reading after a conscience vote in Parliament. ...7 hours ago
- Release: Reserve Bank acts while Govt shrugs
Nicola Willis continues to sit on her hands amid a global economic crisis, leaving the Reserve Bank to act for New Zealanders who are worried about their jobs, mortgages, and KiwiSaver. ...1 day ago
- Release: Property Law Amendment Bill pulled from ballot
A Bill to protect first home buyers and others from bad faith property vendors has been drawn from the Member’s Ballot. ...1 day ago
- Release: More children at risk of losing family connections
Karen Chhour is proposing to scrap Oranga Tamariki targets which aim to connect more children under state care with family and their culture. ...1 day ago
- Release: David Parker made a difference – Hipkins
The Labour Leader today acknowledged and celebrated David Parker’s 23-year contribution to the Labour Party and to Parliament. ...2 days ago
- Release: David Parker to step down from Parliament
Long-serving Labour MP and former Minister David Parker has today announced his intention to leave Parliament. ...2 days ago
- Release: Flaws in Govt’s climate strategy will cost us money
The Government’s plan to achieve our climate goals falls short, and will cost New Zealanders money and jobs. ...3 days ago
- Green Party differing view on the Treaty Principles Bill
Read the Green Party's differing view on the Treaty Principles Bill, prepared by Tamatha Paul. ...3 days ago
- Te Pāti Māori Urges Governor-General to Block Repeal of 7AA
Today, the Oranga Tamariki (Repeal of Section 7AA) Amendment Bill has passed its third and final reading, but there is one more stage before it becomes law. The Governor-General must give their ‘Royal assent’ for any bill to become legally enforceable. This means that, even if a bill gets voted ...7 days ago
- Release: Abortion care quietly shelved amid staff shortage
Abortion care at Whakatāne Hospital has been quietly shelved, with patients told they will likely have to travel more than an hour to Tauranga to get the treatment they need. ...1 week ago
- Release: Govt guts Kāinga Ora, third of workforce under axe
The gutting of Kāinga Ora shows public housing is not a priority for this Government as it removes a third of the roles at the housing agency. ...1 week ago
- Release: Thousands of submissions excluded from Treaty Principles Bill report
Thousands of New Zealanders’ submissions are missing from the official parliamentary record because the National-dominated Justice Select Committee has rushed work on the Treaty Principles Bill. ...1 week ago
- Release: Uncertainty remains over the impact of tariffs
Today’s announcement of 10 percent tariffs for New Zealand goods entering the United States is disappointing for exporters and consumers alike, with the long-lasting impact on prices and inflation still unknown. ...1 week ago
- Release: Worst February for building consents in over a decade
The National Government’s choices have contributed to a slow-down in the building sector, as thousands of people have lost their jobs in construction. ...1 week ago
- Release: Labour supports Willie Apiata’s selfless act
Willie Apiata’s decision to hand over his Victoria Cross to the Minister for Veterans is a powerful and selfless act, made on behalf of all those who have served our country. ...1 week ago
- Te Pāti Māori MPs Denied Fundamental Rights in Privileges Committee Hearing
The Privileges Committee has denied fundamental rights to Debbie Ngarewa-Packer, Rawiri Waititi and Hana-Rawhiti Maipi-Clarke, breaching their own standing orders, breaching principles of natural justice, and highlighting systemic prejudice and discrimination within our parliamentary processes. The three MPs were summoned to the privileges committee following their performance of a haka ...1 week ago
- Release: Govt health and safety changes put workers at risk
Changes to New Zealand’s health and safety laws will strip back key protections for small businesses and put working Kiwis at greater risk. ...1 week ago
- Release: Kiwis worse off this April thanks to Govt choices
April 1 used to be a day when workers could count on a pay rise with stronger support for those doing it tough, but that’s not the case under this Government. ...1 week ago
- Release: Three more years for Interislander ferries
Winston Peters is shopping for smaller ferries after Nicola Willis torpedoed the original deal, which would have delivered new rail enabled ferries next year. ...1 week ago
- Release: Myanmar junta must stop the airstrikes
The Government should work with other countries to press the Myanmar military regime to stop its bombing campaign especially while the country recovers from the devastating earthquake. ...1 week ago
- Release: National failing to deliver on supermarkets
National is paying lip service to its promises to bring down the cost of living, failing to make any meaningful change in the grocery sector. ...1 week ago
- Release: Labour backs farmers’ call for better process on GE
Labour shares farmers’ concerns that the Gene Technology Bill is moving too fast. ...2 weeks ago
- Release: Bar still too high for small mental health providers
Small mental health providers will still be locked out of co-funding from the Mental Health Innovation Fund despite a lower threshold. ...2 weeks ago
- Greens call for Govt to scrap proposed ECE changes
The Green Party is calling for the Government to scrap proposed changes to Early Childhood Care, after attending a petition calling for the Government to ‘Put tamariki at the heart of decisions about ECE’. ...2 weeks ago
- NZ First Introduces Bill That Gives Democracy Back To The People
New Zealand First has introduced a Member’s Bill today that will remove the power of MPs conscience votes and ensure mandatory national referendums are held before any conscience issues are passed into law. “We are giving democracy and power back to the people”, says New Zealand First Leader Winston Peters. ...2 weeks ago - Speech: Navigating the New World (Dis)order in Turbulent Times
Welcome to members of the diplomatic corp, fellow members of parliament, the fourth estate, foreign affairs experts, trade tragics, ladies and gentlemen. ...2 weeks ago
- Te Pāti Māori Call for Mandatory Police Body Cameras
In recent weeks, disturbing instances of state-sanctioned violence against Māori have shed light on the systemic racism permeating our institutions. An 11-year-old autistic Māori child was forcibly medicated at the Henry Bennett Centre, a 15-year-old had his jaw broken by police in Napier, kaumātua Dean Wickliffe went on a hunger ...2 weeks ago
- Release: Kiwis lose faith in job market
Confidence in the job market has continued to drop to its lowest level in five years as more New Zealanders feel uncertain about finding work, keeping their jobs, and getting decent pay, according to the latest Westpac-McDermott Miller Employment Confidence Index. ...2 weeks ago
- Greens question Govt commitment to environmental protection with RMA reform
The Greens are calling on the Government to follow through on their vague promises of environmental protection in their Resource Management Act (RMA) reform. ...2 weeks ago
- Release: Govt must tackle meth use crisis
New data shows methamphetamine use is spiralling out of control while the Government sits on its hands. ...3 weeks ago
- “Make New Zealand First Again”
“Make New Zealand First Again” Ladies and gentlemen, First of all, thank you for being here today. We know your lives are busy and you are working harder and longer than you ever have, and there are many calls on your time, so thank you for the chance to speak ...3 weeks ago
- New planning laws to end the culture of ‘no’
The Government’s new planning legislation to replace the Resource Management Act will make it easier to get things done while protecting the environment, say Minister Responsible for RMA Reform Chris Bishop and Under-Secretary Simon Court. “The RMA is broken and everyone knows it. It makes it too hard to build ...2 weeks ago - New Zealand & India Comprehensive FTA consultation begins
Trade and Investment Minister Todd McClay has today launched a public consultation on New Zealand and India’s negotiations of a formal comprehensive Free Trade Agreement. “Negotiations are getting underway, and the Public’s views will better inform us in the early parts of this important negotiation,” Mr McClay says. We are ...2 weeks ago
- Cost of living support coming for 1.5 million New Zealanders
More than 900 thousand superannuitants and almost five thousand veterans are among the New Zealanders set to receive a significant financial boost from next week, an uplift Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says will help support them through cost-of-living challenges. “I am pleased to confirm that from 1 ...2 weeks ago
- This chart explains why Trump backflipped on tariffs. The economic damage would have been huge
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By James Giesecke, Professor, Centre of Policy Studies and the Impact Project, Victoria University The Trump administration has announced a 90-day pause on its plan to impose so-called “reciprocal” tariffs on nearly all US imports. But the pause does not extend to China, ...39 minutes ago - ‘Watch this space’: Seymour on if voted down Treaty Principles Bill will return
While the Treaty Principles Bill was defeated on Thursday, the ACT leader indicated it would not be the end. ...1 hour ago - Watch: Treaty Principles Bill debate at second reading in Parliament
Follow all the reaction as the controversial Treaty Principles Bill was voted down at Parliament at its second reading. ...2 hours ago
- Te Pāti Māori to run candidates in general seats at next election
Co-leader Rawiri Waititi made the announcement after the Treaty Principles Bill was voted down. ...2 hours ago
- Watch: Te Pati Māori film crew ejected from public gallery by Parliament security
A livestream broadcast to Toitū Te Tiriti social media pages within Parliament was abruptly cut short after being supposedly barred from entering the gallery. ...3 hours ago
- Big changes are planned for aged care in 2025. But you’d never know from the major parties
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Hal Swerissen, Emeritus Professor of Public Health, La Trobe University Ground Picture/Shutterstock There has been little new in pre-election promises for Australia’s aged-care workers, providers or the 1.3 million people who use aged care. In March, Labor announced A$2.6 billion ...3 hours ago
- New report reveals public organisations are falling short on treaty settlements
A new report from the auditor general reveals serious failings in how public agencies are honouring treaty settlement commitments and outlines what needs to change. When iwi and hapū sign Treaty of Waitangi settlements with the Crown, they’re not just accepting redress for historic breaches. They’re entering into a renewed, ...5 hours ago - A damning study of online abuse of female MPs shows urgent legal reform is needed
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Cassandra Mudgway, Senior Lecturer in Law, University of Canterbury Media Whale Stock/Shutterstock Women MPs are increasingly targets of misogynistic, racist and sexual online abuse, but New Zealand’s legal framework to protect them is simply not fit for purpose. Recently released research ...5 hours ago
- Fresh details emerge on Australia’s new climate migration visa for Tuvalu residents. An expert exp...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jane McAdam, Scientia Professor and ARC Laureate Fellow, Kaldor Centre for International Refugee Law, UNSW Sydney The details of a new visa enabling Tuvaluan citizens to permanently migrate to Australia were released this week. The visa was created as part of ...5 hours ago
- ER Report: A Roundup of Significant Articles on EveningReport.nz for April 10, 2025
ER Report: Here is a summary of significant articles published on EveningReport.nz on April 10, 2025. Keith Rankin Essay – Rational Expectations, Intelligence, and WarEssay by Keith Rankin. ‘Rational Expectations’ is a problematic theory in economics. Here I want to focus more away from economics; and more on the meanings ...5 hours ago
- Watchdog warns of reputational damage from failure to meet Treaty settlement obligations
The Auditor-General has criticised the public sector over a lack of planning, monitoring and accountability for keeping to commitments laid down in Treaty settlement laws. ...5 hours ago
- Watch live: Treaty Principles Bill debate at second reading in Parliament
Follow all the debate and the speeches as the controversial legislation returns to the House, and looks set to be killed, at its second reading. ...5 hours ago
- The Spinoff event noticeboard: bananas, noir-alt-folk and taonga pounamu
The Spinoff’s top picks of events from around the motu. Welcome to our new weekly to-do list! Each Thursday afternoon, we will share events from around the motu that you can pop into on the weekend. Our focus is on local talent and things you may not already know about, ...6 hours ago
- Keith Rankin Essay – Rational Expectations, Intelligence, and War
Essay by Keith Rankin. Keith Rankin, trained as an economic historian, is a retired lecturer in Economics and Statistics. He lives in Auckland, New Zealand. ‘Rational Expectations’ is a problematic theory in economics. Here I want to focus more away from economics; and more on the meanings of ‘rationality’ in ...6 hours ago
- Location-sharing apps are enabling domestic violence. But young people aren’t aware of the danger
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Maria Atienzar-Prieto, PhD Candidate, School of Health Sciences and Social Work, Griffith University The Conversation/Snapchat Location-sharing apps are shaping how we connect and communicate – especially among younger people. Snap Map, a popular feature within Snapchat, is widely used by teens ...6 hours ago
- Tools like Apple’s photo Clean Up are yet another nail in the coffin for being able to trust our e...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By T.J. Thomson, Senior Lecturer in Visual Communication & Digital Media, RMIT University Apple Clean Up highlights photo elements that might be deemed distracting. T.J. Thomson You may have seen ads by Apple promoting its new Clean Up feature that can be used ...6 hours ago
- Current major party policies fall short for Indigenous communities. Here’s a better path forward
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Bartholomew Stanford, Senior Lecturer of Indigenous Studies, Indigenous Education and Research Centre, James Cook University Since the Voice to Parliament referendum in 2023, the Indigenous Affairs portfolio has not featured prominently in policy debates at the national level. As the election ...6 hours ago
- Good boy or bad dog? Our 1 billion pet dogs do real environmental damage
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Bill Bateman, Associate Professor, Behavioural Ecology, Curtin University William Edge/Shutterstock There are an estimated 1 billion domesticated dogs in the world. Most are owned animals – pets, companions or working animals who share their lives with humans. They are the most ...7 hours ago
- Kmart’s Anko coffee cups recalled due to ‘risk of serious injury’
The coffee cups pose a risk of hot liquid injuries or steam burns and one person has already been injured. ...8 hours ago
- Inland Revenue calls in debt collector Baycorp in crackdown
If you owe money to Inland Revenue, you might soon be contacted by Baycorp, chasing it. ...8 hours ago
- The dystopian nonfiction I didn’t intend to write
Heather McQuillan on the long road to publishing her latest young adult novel, Truth Needs No Colour. Soon after the February earthquakes of 2011, those of us involved in education in Ōtautahi Christchurch faced another shakeup in the reorganisation of our schools. Some closed, some merged. We were told that ...8 hours ago
- Bid to hit the brakes on speed limit increases heard in court
A transport safety advocacy group has filed for a judicial review of the government’s reversal of speed limit reductions, but the Crown is arguing it’s too late. Lyric Waiwiri-Smith reports from Wellington High Court. A call for the reversal of the government’s reversal of speed limit reductions was heard in ...9 hours ago
- Harassment Of NZ’s Female MPs – Expert Reaction
Eleven MPs from across the political spectrum talked to researchers about their experiences of harassment, misogyny, racism and online trolling. The Science Media Centre asked third-party experts to comment. ...9 hours ago - Lorde is about to release her best album
It may only be a 15-second teaser but there’s plenty to suggest album four will be Lorde’s greatest. Art is subjective and can be multiple things at once but sometimes you just know. You just know when someone is cooking. Not since 2021 – a genuine lifetime ago when you ...9 hours ago
- US tariffs ‘confronting’ for New Zealand businesses, Christopher Luxon says
The Prime Minister says events of recent days are the most significant challenge to the rules-based trading system since 1947. ...9 hours ago
- Echo Chamber: Why it took nine attempts for Rawiri Waititi to ask a question
Speaker Gerry Brownlee made Te Pāti Māori’s co-leader rephrase his question again, and again, and again. Te Pāti Māori has always had a healthy disrespect for the rules of parliament. They see it as a stuffy, colonial institution rooted in traditions that exist only for the sake of tradition. By ...10 hours ago
- Help Me Hera: Should I get a new tattoo?
I have three awful tattoos I got as a teenager. Now in my 50s, I really want a new one – but I’m scared I’m going to change my mind again. Want Hera’s help? Email your problem to helpme@thespinoff.co.nz Dear Hera, For the last couple of years, I’ve been thinking ...11 hours ago
- Donald Trump’s 10% US tariff on NZ looks set to remain, officials clarifying – Nicola Wi...
The Finance Minister says diplomats are working "at pace" to figure out the situation. ...11 hours ago
- Labor made plenty of promises at the last election. Did they deliver?
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Frank Rindert Algra-Maschio, PhD Candidate, Social and Political Sciences, Monash University Election promises are a mainstay of contemporary politics. Governments cite kept commitments as proof they can be trusted, while oppositions pounce on any failure to deliver. But beyond the politics, ...11 hours ago
- Australia urgently needs to get serious about long-term climate policy – but there’s no sign of ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Frank Jotzo, Professor, Crawford School of Public Policy and Head of Energy, Institute for Climate Energy and Disaster Solutions, Australian National University The federal election should be an earnest contest over the fundamentals of Australia’s climate and energy policies. Strong global ...11 hours ago
- 1 in 10 tunnel workers could develop silicosis, our new research shows
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kate Cole, Occupational Hygienist, PhD Candidate, University of Sydney Around 10% of underground tunnel workers in Queensland could develop silicosis, our new study has found. Silicosis is a serious, incurable lung disease caused by inhaling small particles of silica dust. You might ...11 hours ago
- Here’s how a ‘silent’ tax hike is balancing the budget – with the heaviest burden on the low...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Chris Murphy, Visiting Fellow, Economics (modelling), Australian National University With just over three weeks to go until the federal election, both major parties are trying to position themselves as Australia’s better economic managers. Labor was able to hand down two consecutive ...11 hours ago
- Our ancestors didn’t eat 3 meals a day. So why do we?
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Rob Richardson, Senior Lecturer in Culinary Arts & Gastronomy, Auckland University of Technology Shutterstock Pop quiz: name the world’s most famous trio? If you’re a foodie, then your answer might have been breakfast, lunch and dinner. It’s an almost universally accepted ...11 hours ago
- Christopher Luxon talks to world leaders as Donald Trump pauses tariffs
The Prime Minister says he will speak to world leaders today about working together to maintain free trade. ...11 hours ago
- Winston Peters declines Benjamin Doyle’s invitation to speak directly
The New Zealand First leader instead suggested the Green MP should speak to police about their private social media posts. ...11 hours ago
- Tripped at the first hurdle: fees-free changes could put some students off tertiary study altogether
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Wendy Ann Alabaster, PhD candidate, University of Canterbury skynesher/Getty Images The door to tertiary education will likely close for some students now changes have kicked in for the fees-free policy. In 2017, the Labour government introduced a fee holiday for students’ ...11 hours ago
- Māui And Hector’s Dolphin Threat Management Plan Unlawful, Unacceptable, Immoral: Dolphin Defende...
Dolphin Defenders founder and Chair, Christine Rose, says, “We know every TMP has failed to do its job, to actually manage the threats to Māui and Hector’s dolphins, because they are still being wiped out by the fishing industry.” ...11 hours ago
- Justice For Palestine Joins Call For Removal Of Chief Human Rights Commissioner
Justice for Palestine says Dr Stephen Rainbow’s misuse of national intelligence, coupled with a history of anti-Palestinian and Islamophobic public statements, has eroded any confidence in his ability to carry out his role impartially. ...12 hours ago
- Are New Zealanders losing confidence in the system?
New data suggests that trust in government, media and each other is slipping – and it’s happening faster than many realise, writes Catherine McGregor in today’s extract from The Bulletin. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign up here. A drop in trust – but is it permanent? Just ...12 hours ago
- Trump could see new wool rule as carpet ban
Now is ‘exactly the wrong time’ to violate the spirit of NZ’s trade commitments, lest it draw White House attention, says economist The post Trump could see new wool rule as carpet ban appeared first on Newsroom. ...13 hours ago
Recent Comments