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Thank you Andrew – go well Jacinda!

Written By: - Date published: 11:13 am, August 1st, 2017 - 54 comments
Categories: election 2017, labour, leadership - Tags: , , , ,

Unlike lprent I am not discouraged by Little stepping down.

Andrew Little, good man. He did a lot of good for the Labour Party, and would have made an excellent PM. Many thanks to him. But whatever Labour was doing wasn’t working. Little doomed himself when he speculated about resigning – the media’s just going to tear you apart after that. Stepping down before the caucus meeting was the right thing to do, and the act of a decent man (see also press release below).

Jacinda has been confirmed unopposed as the new leader (Davis as deputy). That’s a real opportunity. Jacinda is a genuinely new generation, charismatic, and popular. She’s the chance of bringing new people to Labour, and the chance of a way forward. All the best to her!


Andrew Little’s press release on Scoop:

Statement from Andrew Little
Tuesday, 1 August 2017, 10:07 am
Press Release: New Zealand Labour Party

Andrew Little

Leader of the Opposition

MEDIA STATEMENT

1 August 2017

Statement from Andrew Little

Today I have announced that I will step down as leader of the Labour Party.

I’m proud to have been leader of the Labour Party, and have given this position my absolute and unwavering dedication, just as I have done so for more than 25 years in the Labour movement.

While obviously this is a sad decision, I have been privileged to have led a united, talented team of Labour MPs, proud to have progressed the values and issues that New Zealanders care about and proud to stand with working New Zealanders.

I remain committed to the Labour cause of putting people first, lifting the rights of working New Zealanders and strengthening Kiwi families.

The Labour team of MPs and staff have worked incredibly hard during my leadership, however recent poll results have been disappointing.

As leader, I must take responsibility for these results. I do take responsibility and believe that Labour must have an opportunity to perform better under new leadership through to the election.

I am determined to make sure that Labour fights this campaign with the greatest of resolve, because far too much is at stake for far too many New Zealanders.

New Zealand needs a Labour-led Government, and in order to achieve this Labour must fight without questions over its leadership.

The campaign is on a good footing, Labour’s caucus is united and the party is healthy.

My colleagues in the Labour Party caucus will elect a new leadership team this morning. I wish my successor all the very best in their new role, and offer my wholehearted support to them.



54 comments on “Thank you Andrew – go well Jacinda! ”

  1. Ovid 1

    And now it’s confirmed. Ardern is leader and Davis the deputy.

  2. Bunji 2

    Thank you Anthony.
    I don’t blame Labour Caucus either. I thank Andrew for uniting Labour for the last 3 years & getting Labour moving in the same direction. Not sure why there was a lack of cut-through to the public, but hopefully Jacinda can get that.

    Can you please put up live stream of formal announcement of Jacinda&Kelvin as new team at midday?

  3. RRM 3

    Hear hear, I wouldn’t vote for him (obviously) but he seems like a good honest guy. Better luck in his next endeavours.

    • garibaldi 3.1

      Go back to your union bashing RRM. You’re not needed here.

      • RRM 3.1.1

        I <3 haters 🙂

        • lprent 3.1.1.1

          As a gentle warning RRM. Curb your tendency to do dumbarse trolling.

          I have a low tolerance for it these days due to a lack of time, and tend to give a very fast 4 month ban when I detect it. Add to the discussion rather than give me cause to look at you with my moderator cap on.

          • RRM 3.1.1.1.1

            I have been nothing but complimentary of Andrew Little today. You look and see if I haven’t.

            At least he was a union man and, therefore, by definition, for those who work.

            • In Vino 3.1.1.1.1.1

              Weasel words RRM. May I quote your comment No.40 (11.18am) from Bunji’s post?
              “Little seemed like a decent guy to me. Just not quite right for that job.
              Thanks trade unions for your influence and control over who gets to be labour leader. It keeps the party divided and weak, therefore it’s good for New Zealand!”
              Garibaldi is right – you are a Tory Union-basher. And the implication is that Little – even if he was a decent guy, was forced upon the party by the dastardly unions. “Just not quite right for that job” indeed…
              Take responsibility for the bilge you write – don’t try to veneer over it.

              • One Anonymous Bloke

                Asking a right winger to display some personal responsibility begs disappointment.

  4. The NZ Herald is right into the Dirty Politics campaign with Jacinda now – a large picture of her looking frumpy , head down … didn’t take them long ,… there needs to be some complaints laid about all this … broadcasting standards and electoral interference or something…

    WHAT . A . PACK . OF . ARSEHOLES . NZ . HERALD

    • Ffloyd 4.1

      I have the feeling that key is lurking in the background. Orchestrating.

      • WILD KATIPO 4.1.1

        Nah. Just a few good mates of Mattew Hooten in the Labour party. And as I maintain , they need to be purged. Neo liberals belong in either ACT or National.

        Not Labour.

    • Jilly Bee 4.2

      My thoughts too about that photo WK – also Audrey Young, Barry Soper, Matthew Hooten et al are all weighing in now with their six-penneth worth. Dirty Politics 2017 style, here we go. My initial response to Andrew’s resignation was a weary ‘Oh No’ to whoever was in my hearing range (just a couple of cats actually!), and then I was going to resign from the party I have been a member of on and off for over 40 years and stop my monthly donations to VFL. Have calmed down now after also pondering who the hell I would vote for, but the other parties just don’t add up, though if push came to shove I could vote for the Green Party. I actually went to school with Gareth Morgan, he was a few years younger than me, but no TOP for me. So, come on Jacinda Ardern and Kelvin Davis, show us what you are made of. Just caught a bit of the live stream interview with Jacinda giving that odious Paddy Gower a serve – you go girl (and Kelvin).

      • Wensleydale 4.2.1

        She needs to keep that up. Giving Gower stick, I mean. He’s a smug hobgoblin of a man, and she’ll likely win a few hearts and minds by slapping him down every now and then.

    • rhinocrates 4.3

      Doesn’t come on rolls, doesn’t absorb, coarse texture, all these ugly black markings instead of pastel images of seashells and starfish. Not even scented. What use is it?

  5. Ovid 5

    One positive note is that Ardern signals a generational shift and aside from David Seymour is the only Parliamentary party leader under 40.

    She may yet weave the same magic Emmanuel Macron and Justin Trudeau have enjoyed. In the US presidential election last year, Xers + Millennials outweighed Boomers. If not this year then very soon it will be the same case here.

    • DoublePlusGood 5.1

      The allusion to Macron and Trudeau is apt – both of these have pretended to be left wing but are actually committed neoliberals.

      • Ovid 5.1.1

        You’re not going to pull in soft Nat supporters without appearing moderate. Surges between the Greens and Labour are not enough.

  6. nzsage 6

    I like Andrew, a honest, hardworking man and with something very rare in politics, integrity.

    However, the bigger picture is getting Labour into power at the next election and I think he’s done the right thing by resigning.

    Jacinda WILL give Labour a boost in the polls.

    Let’s hope, for the sake of the majority of New Zealanders, it’s enough to get them across the line.

  7. indiana 7

    When National won the last election, there were many commentators here that said that National did not have a mandate, as there was such a low voter turn out and proportionally they did not have the mandate of the NZ public. I’m expecting voter turnout to be even lower this time round. If Jacinda some how pulls it off, will she have a mandate?

  8. Cinny 8

    Thank you Andrew, you’ve worked so very hard. A true team player, he was never in it for himself. I wanted to vote for you Andrew.

    Jacinda I had the pleasure of meeting you a few months back, amazing lady, all the best to you.

  9. SP 9

    My party vote will be going to Labour for the first time in a very long time! Finally someone that I can relate to. Go well Jacinda!

  10. kane656 10

    Thanks Anthony. My thoughts exactly. Andrew did a good job and had external factors against him most of the time.

    I think this will be a good thing for the party, and hopefully the country as whole when it comes to election time. No more questions about leadership. A really clear vision. And for the first time in a long time, Gen Y and Zers on the left have someone in Jacinda they can really connect with in the Labour Party. And it would seem she can connect well with members of the caucaus too.

    I can see the polls going up (and up) for her and Labour as her profile increases. Momentum will create even further momentum. Social media will go into overdrive. Pics of her and her partner (well-known ex-bFM personality Clarke Gayford) in the womens’ mags. Suddenly things will look brighter. Could we even see the first PM in history DJIng at her election night victory?

    Go Jacinda!

  11. savenz 11

    Totally disagree, Little’s strategy was working.

    Yep the Labour/Greens/NZ First alliance was on 50% beating National 47%.

    So apparently that was not acceptable to National and to MSM – so pressure was put on to give National the help they need to keep selling off our country and importing in cheap workers but derailing the steady hand aka Andrew Little keeping the alliance in place.

    Andrew Little was a fucking hero, against all the odds ensuring that the alliance could work and beat the Natz.

    Little got results that mattered – the guy was beating the Natz and NZ First voters overwhelming wanted an alliance with Labour – together they were on 50% with the Greens.

    So Andrew Little got fucked over somehow and made to feel like a loser, before he could even play his final cards to take out the Natz.

    It was all fake news of doom and gloom, his collaborative strategy was winning!

  12. Andre 12

    Hmm, could be interesting negotiations around the Prime Ministership.

    Suppose the results end up something like 22 Labour/16 Greens/16 NZ1st. Then Labour doesn’t really have much of a claim to being the senior member of the group. Of the party leaders, Winston would have by far the most experience and seniority, with Metiria next, then Jacinda, then James.

    A year apiece as PM and Deputy for Winston, Metiria and Jacinda?

  13. Louis 13

    Gosh if only people had of been this supportive of Labour when Andrew Little was leader. How many parties have won after a leadership change this close to an election?

  14. Henry Filth 14

    The timing just makes me think of 1990.

    • With good reason – it features similar levels of mindless panic and will have a similar effect on voters.

      • swordfish 14.1.1

        Nyet

        Moore replacing Palmer 6 weeks out from 1990 Election saved Lab a number of seats + about 2 % (according to NZ Election Study). He repelled some but attracted more.

  15. Adrian 15

    Andrew would have made a very good Prime Minister but in this new media age its is all about the salesperson.
    Watch Jacindas approval among women jump markedly, I know of 3 Nat women who will now vote for her but they never would have voted for AW. It is simply about the spokesperson for the things that concern even quite a few Nat women, child poverty, health and education. Hard things to sell to the target audience by an older white male.
    ( Disclaimer: I’m one ! )
    And I haven’t even mentioned the young.
    I suspect that she is secretly the leader that a very large proportion of our Labour Party has wanted all along.
    She owned that press conference like no other Labour leader has done since Helen Clark and with “relentless optimism ” theres your slogan right there.

    • I suspect that she is secretly the leader that a very large proportion of our Labour Party has wanted all along.

      Yes, the speed of the transfer was amazing. Almost like it was planned.

      She owned that press conference like no other Labour leader has done since Helen Clark

      Yep, she did well in it.

  16. seeker 16

    @lprent

    Not being able to write comments too easily anymore I would like to say that I totally agree with everything you have written in your post and your comments (not sure about NZF one tho’) Thank ypu for expressing them so well. Am voting Green too now.

    • seeker 16.1

      Oops my comment is on wrong post, should have been on lprent’s “O.K. so I’m pissed off with the Labour caucus…”.
      This dopey mistake just reinforces why I don’t comment too much anymore!

  17. Marcus Morris 17

    A seamless and inspired transition. My first reaction to the news that Andrew Little might stand down was one of mild dismay but I had not seen this combination coming. Now I feel energised.
    Andrew Little is a sincere and able person but, from the outset, he lacked the x factor needed to get wide public support, especially from the swinging voter, so essential for success in any election.
    Over the last fifty years Labour has had three such figures, Norman Kirk, so tragically taken in his prime ( and how the country has suffered from that loss), David Lange ( whose legacy was principally his stand for an independent foreign policy – Tomorrows Schools was a disaster) and Helen Clark. All three were, in their own way, charismatic and certainly strong orators. Andrew really has neither of these qualities. Neither of course did a whole succession of National leaders, especially the current incumbent but such is the psyche of New Zealand’s conservative element (little c intended) that those elements are not essential.

    Jeremy Corbyn ran a magnificent campaign in Britain a very short time ago and with little more time to have done it in. Every New Zealander who is tired of what must rank as the most duplicitous government in modern times, needs to get behind and promote the new faces (Greens included) of the Left and do their best to return New Zealand to the just and fair society it once was. Three more years of Tory neglect is going to make that adjustment very difficult indeed.

  18. silvertuatara 18

    Jacinda will make a fantastic prime minister, and I am also really happy to see Kelvin Davis assume the role of Deputy Leader of the Labour Party.

    I know of many 40-50 year olds that have the upmost respect in the way Jacinda Adern approaches politics.

    Jacinda has also brought a level of dignity to politics that has not been seen in the last 9 years within the current National Government. Jacinda has stood above personal attacks on her appearance and does not involve herself in petty/ and or dirty politics which is refreshing to see.

    Yet at the same time Jacinda will not back away from asking the hard questions of the current National government, both through the press and within parliament. So if you ask me who I would be comfortable with as being the next female prime minister of New Zealand when comparing Jacinda Adern, with say, National’s Paula Bennett, Nicky Kaye, etc, Jacinda wins easily through her advanced intellect and greater emotional intelligence.

    And I am looking forward to seeing Kelvin Davis’ and Jacinda Adern’s greater prominence resonate in a manner that will be positively embraced by the Maori population as a whole, so that Labour, as part of the wider left movement is seen as a fresh and credible option for support this election so as to displace the National Government who have failed New Zealand’s middle and lower (for which Maori are over represented in) classes over the past 9 years.

  19. RedLogix 19

    A thoughtful comment from Gareth Morgan:

    It’s an awful day for Andrew Little and I for one am sad to see him go; he’s a gentleman and for sure has the interests of New Zealanders who are struggling deeply ingrained in his being. That matters.

    While Andrew has gone I would say that his departure does not address Labour’s challenge to stay relevant in 2017. What would do are policies that are designed for the 21st Century and not attempts to rehash a 1970’s tax and targeted welfare regime that is well past its use-by date.

    Labour has gone so close to trying to promote stuff that’s relevant to the plight of increasing numbers of New Zealanders who are not sharing in the prosperity that the rest of us are. Their “Future of Work” conference and capital gains tax initiatives have been just two examples. But each time the party has pulled back for fear of opening too big a policy difference with National, the incumbent government. And that has been a loss for voters who need contestability of ideas if they are going to find the best way forward.

    http://www.top.org.nz/labour_in_trouble_is_not_good_for_new_zealand

    • I’d agree with him there.

    • DoublePlusGood 19.2

      Spot on commentary from Gareth. He’s can be quite astute from time to time, when he decides to take a break from calling people morons.

    • rhinocrates 19.3

      Likewise. I respect Gareth Morgan as a commentator who has something interesting and astute to say. As a politician… well, that’s an unknown.

      when he decides to take a break from calling people morons

      The problem with intelligent people is that most of the time, especially in politics, they are dealing with morons – just look at the major parties’ front benches that are stuffed with the intellectual equivalent of Christmas Puddings who couldn’t find jobs elsewhere and use parliament as a stepping stone to corporate board memberships. People like Morgan can be forgiven for forgeting that they aren’t the only smart people around.

      • RedLogix 19.3.1

        I’ve just come out of a two hour meeting with someone very much like Morgan. Incredibly smart and if you say stupid things around him you do get the ‘moron’ treatment PDQ. It can be bit bloody at times.

        But he does keep me on my toes, and I have nothing but respect for what this man has achieved in his chosen field.

        I imagine a lot of people find it hard to distinguish between bullying and challenging. Especially when you’re on the receiving end of it. The difference is a question of motive and outcome; bullying is intended to diminish and demean, while challenging may be uncomfortable, it creates new possibilities.

        I can see how Morgan’s blunt presentation offends a lot of people; but I find him interesting.

    • mosa 19.4

      Word’s of truth !!!!!!!!!

  20. dave 20

    Can’t believe labour were so dumb here.

    Ditching the leader this close, and for Jacinda. Seriously?

  21. rhinocrates 21

    Well good luck to Jacinda Ardern and I’m glad to see someone as spirited as Kelvin Davis as her deputy instead of one of the lukewarm bowls of porridge as her deputy.

    Personally, I’ve not seen much from her yet, but people I respect speak well of her, and these are politically volatile times when safe extrapolations are not at all safe.

    I’m sure that Little is a nice guy, indeed a gentleman, in his limited way, but he would have been a competent dependable senior minister or a good steady hand in safe, steady times. His very inoffensiveness was his weakness however – it indicated that he’d never offer a real change. His willingness to back down on the 90-day law so easily and his willingness to ridicule transgender folk for a cheap score showed his lack of backbone.

    Ardern still seems to me someone who is privileged, not someone who has had to fight. Her dismissal of Metiria’s necessary and desperate dealing with Winz was nasty and showed her disconnection from the struggles many New Zealanders face daily.

    Hopefully Kelvin Davis will compensate for that. He seems to have a popular appeal that Labour’s incredibly tin-eared selection of the misogynists O’Connor and Jackson as candidates are supposed to have, but obviously don’t. Women and minorities vote FYI, and you don’t have to be an awful reactionary bigot in the advanced stages of testosterone poisoning to be populist (and why, for God’s sake, Nash? Just tell him to join National and be honest).

    Thankfully, it wasn’t just a caucus schemer like Robertson or Parker that was selected. However, the self-appointed nobility are still around, aided by people like Pagani, Quinn and Iagreewithmatthew (is his name Williams? I forget). If Labour is unable to make a government after the election, then the opportunists will be out with their knives once again. That will be Labour’s death-knell and demonstration of its terminal decadence as a party.

    I’ve a little smidgeon of hope that there will be a Labour-led government supported by the Greens and the Maori Party. Now, I know that the latter may seem like a strange choice, but Labour has to admit that it took Maori for granted and the split that produced the Maori Party was an avoidable catastrophe. The Maori Party in coalition with National has not delivered for Maori and that is well known. Weka, I disagree that Tuku Morgan has been “unnecessarily antagonistic.” That anger was well-earned and he needs to make his party’s position clear while making his own detachment from National credible as a consistent concern for Maori, not attachment to a party of capitalists. If Adern and Davis can build a bridge with him, that would be a great thing. Labour’s dealings with the Maori Party in the coming weeks may be critical.

    • The Maori Party in coalition with National has not delivered for Maori and that is well known.

      Which is why they’re now on their deathbed pleading with Labour to work with them.

      • greywarshark 21.1.1

        If the Maori Party can work with Labour it is right for Labour to have some sort of working agreement with them and give them the opportunity to advance good Maori policies. Also to ensure that the good ones they have built up are not left to drift without sufficient funding. We could look forward to another renaissance. That would be heartening.

    • Anne 21.2

      Her dismissal of Metiria’s necessary and desperate dealing with Winz was nasty and showed her disconnection from the struggles many New Zealanders face daily.

      Yes. that dismayed me too rhinocrates. She was pandering to the ignorance of the middle classes who have never been in that situation and therefore don’t have a clue what it was like for the many thousands thrown on the scrap heap in the 1990s… trying to live on $130 per week and disallowed by law to make up the shortfall with a bit of part-time work. The destitution of so many finally prompted the Bolger govt. to introduce an $80 gross income per week from other sources over and above the benefit. It was increased to around $100 (not quite sure what it is now) by the Clark govt, in the 2000s.

      As one of those affected at the time I found that statement of Jacinda’s revealing.

  22. mosa 22

    Yes Anne i was on the sickness benefit from 1999 to 2002 with a neck injury that ACC would not cover.
    I was able to work 12 hours a week in a low risk job while i waited for surgery and to supplement the benefit which was very little to live on by $80 per week.

    You have to know what it is like to live or exist on a low income which is why i had some sympathy with Metiria and her disclosure of claiming allowances from the system that is so punitive and destructive.

    If the amount you can earn has improved…. fantastic.

    As for Jacinda i would not worry too much because the Greens will be Labours conscience in government.

    • rhinocrates 22.1

      As for Jacinda i would not worry too much because the Greens will be Labours conscience in government.

      Labour needs one, for sure. They’ve been trying so desperately to gain the Nat voters for so long, they’ve forgotten who they are. Mumbles the Clown once said that gaining a National vote was worth twice as much as any other, and while he’s gone, that thinking remains.

      If they make a government, they need a conscience to be as big a part of that coalition as possible, and for that reason I’ll be voting Green.

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    Greater AucklandBy Guest Post
    2 days ago
  • The Surprising Power of Floating Wind Turbines
    Floating offshore wind turbines offer incredible opportunities to capture powerful winds far out at sea. By unlocking this wind energy potential, they could be a key weapon in our arsenal in the fight against climate change. But how developed are these climate fighting clean energy giants? And why do I ...
    2 days ago
  • The next Maori challenge
    Over the past two or three weeks, a procession of Maori iwi and hapu in a series of little-noticed appearances before two Select Committees have been asking for more say for Maori over resource management decisions along the co-governance lines of Three Waters. Their submissions and appearances run counter ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    2 days ago
  • Secret “war-crime” warrants by International Criminal Court is mischief-making
    The decision of the International Criminal Court (ICC) to issue war crimes arrest warrants for the Russian President and the Russia Children Ombudsman may have been welcomed by the ideologically committed but otherwise seems to have been greeted with widespread cynicism (see Situation in Ukraine: ICC judges issue arrest warrants ...
    3 days ago
  • How to answer Drunk Uncle Kevin's Climate Crisis reckons
    Let’s say you’re clasping your drink at a wedding, or a 40th, or a King’s Birthday Weekend family reunion and Drunk Uncle Kevin has just got going.He’s in an expansive frame of mind because we’re finally rid of that silly girl. But he wants to ask an honest question about ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago
  • National’s Luxon may be glum about his poll ratings but has he found a winner in promising to rai...
    National Party leader Christopher Luxon may  be feeling glum about his poll ratings, but  he could be tapping  into  a rich political vein in  describing the current state of education as “alarming”. Luxon said educational achievement has been declining,  with a recent NCEA pilot exposing just how far it has ...
    Point of OrderBy tutere44
    3 days ago
  • Climate Change: More Labour foot-dragging
    Yesterday the IPCC released the final part of its Sixth Assessment Report, warning us that we have very little time left in which to act to prevent catastrophic climate change, but pointing out that it is a problem that we can solve, with existing technology, and that anything we do ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    3 days ago
  • Te Pāti Māori Are Revolutionaries – Not Reformists.
    Way Beyond Reform: Rawiri Waititi and Debbie Ngarewa-Packer have no more interest in remaining permanent members of “New Zealand’s” House of Representatives than did Lenin and Trotsky in remaining permanent members of Tsar Nicolas II’s “democratically-elected” Duma. Like the Bolsheviks, Te Pāti Māori is a party of revolutionaries – not reformists.THE CROWN ...
    3 days ago
  • When does history become “ancient”, on Tinetti’s watch as Minister of Education – and what o...
    Buzz from the Beehive Auckland was wiped off the map, when Education Minister Jan Tinetti delivered her speech of welcome as host of the inaugural Conference of Pacific Education Ministers “here in Tāmaki Makaurau”. But – fair to say – a reference was made later in the speech to a ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    3 days ago
  • Climate Catastrophe, but first rugby.
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    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    3 days ago
  • What the US and European bank rescues mean for us
    Always a bailout: US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said the Government would fully guarantee all savers in all smaller US banks if needed. Photo: Getty ImagesTL;DR: No wonder an entire generation of investors are used to ‘buying the dip’ and ‘holding on for dear life’. US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago
  • Bryce Edwards: Who will drain Wellington’s lobbying swamp?
    Wealthy vested interests have an oversized influence on political decisions in New Zealand. Partly that’s due to their use of corporate lobbyists. Fortunately, the influence lobbyists can have on decisions made by politicians is currently under scrutiny in Guyon Espiner’s in-depth series published by RNZ. Two of Espiner’s research exposés ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    3 days ago
  • It’s Raining Congestion
    Yesterday afternoon it rained and traffic around the region ground to a halt, once again highlighting why it is so important that our city gets on with improving the alternatives to driving. For additional irony, this happened on the same day the IPCC synthesis report landed, putting the focus on ...
    3 days ago
  • Checking The Left: The Dreadful Logic Of Fascism.
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    3 days ago
  • Good Friends and Terrible Food
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    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    3 days ago
  • At a glance – What evidence is there for the hockey stick?
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    3 days ago
  • Carry right on up there, Corporal Espiner
    RNZ has been shining their torch into corners where lobbyists lurk and asking such questions as: Do we like the look of this?and Is this as democratic as it could be?These are most certainly questions worth asking, and every bit as valid as, say:Are we shortchanged democratically by the way ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    4 days ago
  • This smells
    RNZ has continued its look at the role of lobbyists by taking a closer look at the Prime Minister's Chief of Staff Andrew Kirton. He used to work for liquor companies, opposing (among other things) a container refund scheme which would have required them to take responsibility for their own ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    4 days ago
  • Major issues on the table in Mahuta’s  talks in Beijing with China’s new Foreign Minister
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    Point of OrderBy tutere44
    4 days ago
  • Inside TOP's Teal Card and political strategy
    TL;DR: The Opportunities Party’s Leader Raf Manji is hopeful the party’s new Teal Card, a type of Gold card for under 30s, will be popular with students, and not just in his Ilam electorate where students make up more than a quarter of the voters and where Manji is confident ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • Make Your Empties Go Another Round.
    When I was a kid New Zealand was actually pretty green. We didn’t really have plastic. The fruit and veges came in a cardboard box, the meat was wrapped in paper, milk came in a glass bottle, and even rubbish sacks were made of paper. Today if you sit down ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    4 days ago
  • Gordon Campbell on how similar Vladimir Putin is to George W. Bush
    Looking back through the names of our Police Ministers down the years, the job has either been done by once or future party Bigfoots – Syd Holland, Richard Prebble, Juduth Collins, Chris Hipkins – or by far lesser lights like Keith Allen, Frank Gill, Ben Couch, Allen McCready, Clem Simich, ...
    4 days ago
  • CHRIS TROTTER:  Te Pāti Māori’s uncompromising threat to the status quo
    Chris Trotter writes – The Crown is a fickle friend. Any political movement deemed to be colourful but inconsequential is generally permitted to go about its business unmolested. The Crown’s media, RNZ and TVNZ, may even “celebrate” its existence (presumably as proof of Democracy’s broad-minded acceptance of diversity). ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • Bryce Edwards: Shining a bright light on lobbyists in politics
    Four out of the five people who have held the top role of Prime Minister’s Chief of Staff since 2017 have been lobbyists. That’s a fact that should worry anyone who believes vested interests shouldn’t have a place at the centre of decision making. Chris Hipkins’ newly appointed Chief of ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    4 days ago
  • Auckland Council Draft Budget – an unnecessary backwards step
    Feedback on Auckland Council’s draft 2023/24 budget closes on March 28th. You can read the consultation document here, and provide feedback here. Auckland Council is currently consulting on what is one of its most important ever Annual Plans – the ‘budget’ of what it will spend money on between July ...
    4 days ago
  • Talking’ Posey Parker Blues
    by Molten Moira from Motueka If you want to be a woman let me tell you what to do Get a piece of paper and a biro tooWrite down your new identification And boom! You’re now a woman of this nationSpelled W O M A Na real trans woman that isAs opposed ...
    RedlineBy Admin
    4 days ago
  • More Māori words make it into the OED, and polytech boss (with rules on words like “students”) ...
    Buzz from the Beehive   New Zealand Education Minister Jan Tinetti is hosting the inaugural Conference of Pacific Education Ministers for three days from today, welcoming Education Ministers and senior officials from 18 Pacific Island countries and territories, and from Australia. Here’s hoping they have brought translators with them – or ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    5 days ago
  • Social intercourse with haters and Nazis: an etiquette guide
    Let’s say you’ve come all the way from His Majesty’s United Kingdom to share with the folk of Australia and New Zealand your antipathy towards certain other human beings. And let’s say you call yourself a women’s rights activist.And let’s say 99 out of 100 people who listen to you ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    5 days ago
  • The Greens, Labour, and coalition enforcement
    James Shaw gave the Green party's annual "state of the planet" address over the weekend, in which he expressed frustration with Labour for not doing enough on climate change. His solution is to elect more Green MPs, so they have more power within any government arrangement, and can hold Labour ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    5 days ago
  • This sounds familiar…
    RNZ this morning has the first story another investigative series by Guyon Espiner, this time into political lobbying. The first story focuses on lobbying by government agencies, specifically transpower, Pharmac, and assorted universities, and how they use lobbyists to manipulate public opinion and gather intelligence on the Ministers who oversee ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    5 days ago
  • Letter to the NZ Herald: NCEA pseudoscience – “Mauri is present in all matter”
    Nick Matzke writes –   Dear NZ Herald, I am a Senior Lecturer in the School of Biological Sciences at the University of Auckland. I teach evolutionary biology, but I also have long experience in science education and (especially) political attempts to insert pseudoscience into science curricula in ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • So what would be the point of a Green vote again?
    James Shaw has again said the Greens would be better ‘in the tent’ with Labour than out, despite Labour’s policy bonfire last week torching much of what the Government was doing to reduce emissions. File Photo: Lynn Grieveson/Getty ImagesTL;DR: The Green Party has never been more popular than in some ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • Gas stoves pose health risks. Are gas furnaces and other appliances safe to use?
    This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Sarah Wesseler Poor air quality is a long-standing problem in Los Angeles, where the first major outbreak of smog during World War II was so intense that some residents thought the city had been attacked by chemical weapons. Cars were eventually discovered ...
    5 days ago
  • Genetic Heritage and Co Governance
    Yesterday I was reading an excellent newsletter from David Slack, and I started writing a comment “Sounds like some excellent genetic heritage…” and then I stopped.There was something about the phrase genetic heritage that stopped me in tracks. Is that a phrase I want to be saying? It’s kind of ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago
  • BRIAN EASTON: Radical Uncertainty
    Brian Easton writes – Two senior economists challenge some of the foundations of current economics. It is easy to criticise economic science by misrepresenting it, by selective quotations, and by ignoring that it progresses, like all sciences, by improving and abandoning old theories. The critics may go ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • Geoffrey Miller: New Zealand’s Middle East strategy, 20 years after the Iraq War
    This week marks the twentieth anniversary of the Iraq War. While it strongly opposed the US-led invasion, New Zealand’s then Labour-led government led by Prime Minister Helen Clark did deploy military engineers to try to help rebuild Iraq in mid-2003. With violence soaring, their 12-month deployment ended without being renewed ...
    Democracy ProjectBy Geoffrey Miller
    5 days ago
  • The motorways are finished
    After seventy years, Auckland’s motorway network is finally finished. In July 1953 the first section of motorway in Auckland was opened between Ellerslie-Panmure Highway and Mt Wellington Highway. The final stage opens to traffic this week with the completion of the motorway part of the Northern Corridor Improvements project. Aucklanders ...
    5 days ago
  • Kicking National’s tyres
    National’s appointment of Todd McClay as Agriculture spokesperson clearly signals that the party is in trouble with the farming vote. McClay was not an obvious choice, but he does have a record as a political scrapper. The party needs that because sources say it has been shedding farming votes ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    5 days ago
  • As long as there is cricket, the world is somehow okay.
    Rays of white light come flooding into my lounge, into my face from over the top of my neighbour’s hedge. I have to look away as the window of the conservatory is awash in light, as if you were driving towards the sun after a rain shower and suddenly blinded. ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    6 days ago
  • So much of what was there remains
    The columnists in Private Eye take pen names, so I have not the least idea who any of them are. But I greatly appreciate their expert insight, especially MD, who writes the medical column, offering informed and often damning critique of the UK health system and the politicians who keep ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    6 days ago
  • 2023 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #11
    A chronological listing of news articles posted on the Skeptical Science Facebook Page during the past week: Sun, Mar 12, 2023 thru Sat, Mar 18, 2023. Story of the Week Guest post: What 13,500 citations reveal about the IPCC’s climate science report   IPCC WG1 AR6 SPM Report Cover - Changing ...
    6 days ago
  • Financial capability services are being bucked up, but Stuart Nash shouldn’t have to see if they c...
    Buzz from the Beehive  The building of financial capability was brought into our considerations when Social Development and Employment Minister Carmel Sepuloni announced she had dipped into the government’s coffers for $3 million for “providers” to help people and families access community-based Building Financial Capability services. That wording suggests some ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    7 days ago
  • Things that make you go Hmmmm.
    Do you ever come across something that makes you go Hmmmm?You mean like the song?No, I wasn’t thinking of the song, but I am now - thanks for that. I was thinking of things you read or hear that make you stop and go Hmmmm.Yeah, I know what you mean, ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    7 days ago
  • The hoon for the week that was to March 19
    By the end of the week, the dramas over Stuart Nash overshadowed Hipkins’ policy bonfire. File photo: Lynn GrieveasonTLDR: This week’s news in geopolitics and the political economy covered on The Kākā included:PM Chris Hipkins’ announcement of the rest of a policy bonfire to save a combined $1.7 billion, but ...
    The KakaBy Peter Bale
    7 days ago
  • Saving Stuart Nash: Explaining Chris Hipkins' unexpected political calculation
    When word went out that Prime Minister Chris Hipkins would be making an announcement about Stuart Nash on the tiles at parliament at 2:45pm yesterday, the assumption was that it was over. That we had reached tipping point for Nash’s time as minister. But by 3pm - when, coincidentally, the ...
    PunditBy Tim Watkin
    1 week ago
  • Radical Uncertainty
    Two senior economists challenge some of the foundations of current economics. It is easy to criticise economic science by misrepresenting it, by selective quotations, and by ignoring that it progresses, like all sciences, by improving and abandoning old theories. The critics may go on to attack physics by citing Newton.So ...
    PunditBy Brian Easton
    1 week ago
  • Jump onto the weekly hoon on Riverside at 5pm
    Photo by Walker Fenton on UnsplashIt’s that time of the week again when and I co-host our ‘hoon’ webinar with paying subscribers to The Kaka for an hour at 5 pm. Jump on this link on Riverside (we’ve moved from Zoom) for our chat about the week’s news with ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago
  • The Dream of Florian Neame: Accepted
    In a nice bit of news, my 2550-word deindustrial science-fiction piece, The Dream of Florian Neame, has been accepted for publication at New Maps Magazine (https://www.new-maps.com/). I have published there before, of course, with Of Tin and Tintagel coming out last year. While I still await the ...
    1 week ago
  • Snakes and leaders
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    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    1 week ago
  • This station is Karanga-a-Hape, Chur!
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    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    1 week ago
  • Greens don’t shy from promoting a candidate’s queerness but are quiet about govt announcement on...
    There was a time when a political party’s publicity people would counsel against promoting a candidate as queer. No matter which of two dictionary meanings the voting public might choose to apply – the old meaning of odd, strange, weird, or aberrant, or the more recent meaning of gay, homosexual ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    1 week ago
  • Ask Me Anything about the week to March 17
    Photo by Joakim Honkasalo on UnsplashIt’s that time of the week for an ‘Ask Me Anything’ session for paying subscribers about the week that was for the next hour, including:PM Chris Hipkins announcement of the rest of a policy bonfire to save a combined $1.7 billion, but which blew up ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago
  • Slow consenting could create $16b climate liability by 2050
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    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago
  • THOMAS CRANMER: Challenging progressivism in New Zealand’s culture wars
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    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    1 week ago

  • District Court Judges appointed
    Attorney-General David Parker has announced the appointment of Christopher John Dellabarca of Wellington, Dr Katie Jane Elkin of Wellington, Caroline Mary Hickman of Napier, Ngaroma Tahana of Rotorua, Tania Rose Williams Blyth of Hamilton and Nicola Jan Wills of Wellington as District Court Judges.  Chris Dellabarca Mr Dellabarca commenced his ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    17 hours ago
  • New project set to supercharge ocean economy in Nelson Tasman
    A new Government-backed project will help ocean-related businesses in the Nelson Tasman region to accelerate their growth and boost jobs. “The Nelson Tasman region is home to more than 400 blue economy businesses, accounting for more than 30 percent of New Zealand’s economic activity in fishing, aquaculture, and seafood processing,” ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • National’s education policy: where’s the funding?
    After three years of COVID-19 disruptions schools are finally settling down and National want to throw that all in the air with major disruption to learning and underinvestment.  “National’s education policy lacks the very thing teachers, parents and students need after a tough couple of years, certainty and stability,” Education ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Free programme to help older entrepreneurs and inventors
    People aged over 50 with innovative business ideas will now be able to receive support to advance their ideas to the next stage of development, Minister for Seniors Ginny Andersen said today. “Seniors have some great entrepreneurial ideas, and this programme will give them the support to take that next ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Government target increased to keep powering up the Māori economy
    A cross government target for relevant government procurement contracts for goods and services to be awarded to Māori businesses annually will increase to 8%, after the initial 5% target was exceeded. The progressive procurement policy was introduced in 2020 to increase supplier diversity, starting with Māori businesses, for the estimated ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Continued progress on reducing poverty in challenging times
    77,000 fewer children living in low income households on the after-housing-costs primary measure since Labour took office Eight of the nine child poverty measures have seen a statistically significant reduction since 2018. All nine have reduced 28,700 fewer children experiencing material hardship since 2018 Measures taken by the Government during ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Speech at Fiji Investment and Trade Business Forum
    Deputy Prime Minister Kamikamica; distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen. Tēnā koutou katoa, ni sa bula vinaka saka, namaste. Deputy Prime Minister, a very warm welcome to Aotearoa. I trust you have been enjoying your time here and thank you for joining us here today. To all delegates who have travelled to be ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Government investments boost and diversify local economies in lower South Island
    $2.9 million convertible loan for Scapegrace Distillery to meet growing national and international demand $4.5m underwrite to support Silverlight Studios’ project to establish a film studio in Wanaka Gore’s James Cumming Community Centre and Library to be official opened tomorrow with support of $3m from the COVID-19 Response and Recovery ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Government future-proofs EV charging
    Transport Minister Michael Wood has today launched the first national EV (electric vehicle) charging strategy, Charging Our Future, which includes plans to provide EV charging stations in almost every town in New Zealand. “Our vision is for Aotearoa New Zealand to have world-class EV charging infrastructure that is accessible, affordable, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • World-leading family harm prevention campaign supports young NZers
    Associate Minister for Social Development and Employment Priyanca Radhakrishnan has today launched the Love Better campaign in a world-leading approach to family harm prevention. Love Better will initially support young people through their experience of break-ups, developing positive and life-long attitudes to dealing with hurt. “Over 1,200 young kiwis told ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • First Chief Clinical Advisor welcomed into Coroners Court
    Hon Rino Tirikatene, Minister for Courts, welcomes the Ministry of Justice’s appointment of Dr Garry Clearwater as New Zealand’s first Chief Clinical Advisor working with the Coroners Court. “This appointment is significant for the Coroners Court and New Zealand’s wider coronial system.” Minister Tirikatene said. Through Budget 2022, the Government ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Next steps for affected properties post Cyclone and floods
    The Government via the Cyclone Taskforce is working with local government and insurance companies to build a picture of high-risk areas following Cyclone Gabrielle and January floods. “The Taskforce, led by Sir Brian Roche, has been working with insurance companies to undertake an assessment of high-risk areas so we can ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • New appointment to Māori Land Court bench
    E te huia kaimanawa, ko Ngāpuhi e whakahari ana i tau aupikinga ki te tihi o te maunga. Ko te Ao Māori hoki e whakanui ana i a koe te whakaihu waka o te reo Māori i roto i te Ao Ture. (To the prized treasure, it is Ngāpuhi who ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Government focus on jobs sees record number of New Zealanders move from Benefits into work
    113,400 exits into work in the year to June 2022 Young people are moving off Benefit faster than after the Global Financial Crisis Two reports released today by the Ministry of Social Development show the Government’s investment in the COVID-19 response helped drive record numbers of people off Benefits and ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Vertical farming partnership has upward momentum
    The Government’s priority to keep New Zealand at the cutting edge of food production and lift our sustainability credentials continues by backing the next steps of a hi-tech vertical farming venture that uses up to 95 per cent less water, is climate resilient, and pesticide-free. Agriculture Minister Damien O’Connor visited ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Conference of Pacific Education Ministers – Keynote Address
    E nga mana, e nga iwi, e nga reo, e nga hau e wha, tena koutou, tena koutou, tena koutou kātoa. Warm Pacific greetings to all. It is an honour to host the inaugural Conference of Pacific Education Ministers here in Tāmaki Makaurau. Aotearoa is delighted to be hosting you ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • New $13m renal unit supports Taranaki patients
    The new renal unit at Taranaki Base Hospital has been officially opened by the Minister of Health Dr Ayesha Verrall this afternoon. Te Huhi Raupō received around $13 million in government funding as part of Project Maunga Stage 2, the redevelopment of the Taranaki Base Hospital campus. “It’s an honour ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Second Poseidon aircraft on home soil
    Defence Minister Andrew Little has marked the arrival of the country’s second P-8A Poseidon aircraft alongside personnel at the Royal New Zealand Air Force’s Base at Ohakea today. “With two of the four P-8A Poseidons now on home soil this marks another significant milestone in the Government’s historic investment in ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Further humanitarian aid for Türkiye and Syria
    Aotearoa New Zealand will provide further humanitarian support to those seriously affected by last month’s deadly earthquakes in Türkiye and Syria, says Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta. “The 6 February earthquakes have had devastating consequences, with almost 18 million people affected. More than 53,000 people have died and tens of thousands more ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Community voice to help shape immigration policy
    Migrant communities across New Zealand are represented in the new Migrant Community Reference Group that will help shape immigration policy going forward, Immigration Minister Michael Wood announced today.  “Since becoming Minister, a reoccurring message I have heard from migrants is the feeling their voice has often been missing around policy ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • State Highway 3 project to deliver safer journeys, better travel connections for Taranaki
    Construction has begun on major works that will deliver significant safety improvements on State Highway 3 from Waitara to Bell Block, Associate Minister of Transport Kiri Allan announced today. “This is an important route for communities, freight and visitors to Taranaki but too many people have lost their lives or ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Ginny Andersen appointed as Minister of Police
    Prime Minister Chris Hipkins has today appointed Ginny Andersen as Minister of Police. “Ginny Andersen has a strong and relevant background in this important portfolio,” Chris Hipkins said. “Ginny Andersen worked for the Police as a non-sworn staff member for around 10 years and has more recently been chair of ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Government confirms vital roading reconnections
    Six further bailey bridge sites confirmed Four additional bridge sites under consideration 91 per cent of damaged state highways reopened Recovery Dashboards for impacted regions released The Government has responded quickly to restore lifeline routes after Cyclone Gabrielle and can today confirm that an additional six bailey bridges will ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Foreign Minister Mahuta to meet with China’s new Foreign Minister
    Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta departs for China tomorrow, where she will meet with her counterpart, State Councillor and Foreign Minister Qin Gang, in Beijing. This will be the first visit by a New Zealand Minister to China since 2019, and follows the easing of COVID-19 travel restrictions between New Zealand and China. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Education Ministers from across the Pacific gather in Aotearoa
    Education Ministers from across the Pacific will gather in Tāmaki Makaurau this week to share their collective knowledge and strategic vision, for the benefit of ākonga across the region. New Zealand Education Minister Jan Tinetti will host the inaugural Conference of Pacific Education Ministers (CPEM) for three days from today, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
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  • State Highway 5 reopens between Napier and Taupō following Cyclone Gabrielle
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