The 59,000 failures of John Phillip Key

Written By: - Date published: 10:31 am, February 5th, 2010 - 48 comments
Categories: cycleway, john key, unemployment, Unions - Tags: , ,

Nearly a year ago, John Key, shaken by the first whispers of disquiet over his government’s month-long holiday at the height of an economic crisis (whispers that would later grow into cries of ‘Do Nothing’ Key), decided to hold the Prime Minister’s Jobs Summit.

This would not be a talk-fest, it would be a ‘do-fest’ (whatever the hell that is). Key got business and unions together, he promised ’21 top ideas’ headlined by a cycleway and a nine-day fortnight. The media, in the full swoon of honey-moon, lapped it up and regurgitated it to the public. But it’s a year later and no-one’s buying the empty smiles and the show-boating now.

It’s a year later and 59,000 more Kiwis are unemployed, up over 50%. That’s 162 more Kiwis a day, seven days a week, every week for a year unable to find work. Tens of thousands more have given up looking for work and aren’t counted as unemployed.

While Key promised to created tens of thousands of jobs (the cycleway alone was meant to create 3,400) and save 20,000 jobs with the 9 day fortnight, the reality is that 53,000 jobs have disappeared.

The 9-day fortnight didn’t fail because it was a bad idea. In it’s original form, as proposed by the unions, it would have worked. It was the stupid design of the policy by National that doomed it. They cut the training allowance (the unions wanted the workers training on their day off). They refused to put any decent government money in. They expected the workers to bear all the cost. Far from sharing the burden, businesses got more money from the 9 day fortnight than from firing a worker, and that money came from the workers’ pockets. No wonder the workers wanted nothing to do with it.

The cycleway… The cycleway was always just a cheap trick. If a magician had pulled that kind of crap on 4-year olds he would have been booed and Key deserved to be lambasted for it too. Instead he got mindless praise. Now, finally, the people who fell for that ruse and others are starting to take him to task.

Things are going very wrong for Key very quickly. He is exposed as a fraud, a failure, a charlatan. His over-promise, under-deliver, do-nothing, incompetent government is suddenly teetering. Suddenly, everyone sees that not only does the emperor have no clothes but the clothes he sold you are just rags.

His pathetic excuses – ‘it was population growth’, ‘it was Labour’s policies’, ‘it’s nearly over, promise’, ‘the dog ate my stimulus package’ – just don’t fly any more.

After all the promises he made to the working people of New Zealand only to break them, after he filled people with hope only to let that hope be dashed, his fall is hard and well-deserved.

48 comments on “The 59,000 failures of John Phillip Key ”

  1. tc 1

    The only ‘real’ outcome, the 9 day fortnight, was already being adopted by businesses in an attempt to keep staff….the bikepath’s a joke which the MSM/opposition appear to be ignoring.

    Cracks me up this bunch of gurus/leaders/movers and shakers couldn’t do any better than suggest a measure most intelligent businesses were already adopting…..my mate enjoyed his mid week day off and they didn’t wait for these bozos to tell them…..yet more style over substance

  2. BLiP 2

    What about the ASB’s billion dollar fund to stave off job losses announced to great fanfare and splattered all across the media before the John Key Job Summit?

    . . . oh, yeah, that’s right, quietly cancelled.

    • Draco T Bastard 2.1

      Lets see…

      Losses on the subprime had to be covered and they had to pay their taxes that they had been avoiding paying.

  3. fizzleplug 3

    I look forward to you praising his spectacular rise from the ashes reminiscent of a phoenix when the economy rights itself and things get better. It will be a stunning article I’m sure.

    You know why no-one listened to the boy who cried wolf right? This place is looking increasingly the same. Every day, same story using different words. Is there anything new at all to say?

    I’m not defending the government here, it’s not my job (or hobby). But when I come here looking for some balance after Kiwiblog, all I find is contributors looking to blame everything on the Government and not acknowledge anything that might be good. “Do Nothing” Key is STILL more popular than anyone on this side of the political spectrum likes to acknowledge. “Suddenly, everyone sees that not only does the emperor have no clothes but the clothes he sold you are just rags.” No, not EVERYONE. More than likely, just the likes of you guys, who have never seen any different.

    I don’t expect this post to receive anything except derision (and DTB calling me a RWNJ again probably, for unknown reasons) but seriously, it does get tiresome. And again, I’m not defending the Government or their supporters (this place is still easier to read than Kiwiblog – just).

    • snoozer 3.1

      It’ll be interesting to see where the polls go over the next few months, I think there’s been a shift in the last few days. Particularly in the media coverage.

      the Herald is desperate not to talk about any serious issues all of a sudden, and Farrar is staying well clear too. That says something. It says that the government is failing where it matters.

      • pollywog 3.1.1

        teh maori party need to tread a fine line here cos they are the gov’t as well and they’re also seen to be flailing.

        if i was a left leaning journo i’d be pushing harawira to say more stupid shit and make it unbearable for his handlers and overlords. get him to split from teh MP, front for labour and force a by election in tai tokerau. get jones to broker the deal and hang sharples out to dry.

        and i hope Goff puts his ego aside before the elections and steps down for the good of the party.

      • Jared 3.1.2

        Funnily, it seems every time a so called “scandal” hits National, the leftists say “well, you know. over the last couple of days I think there has been a shift”. How many times has the same line been reiterated and how many times have the polls stayed relatively static? when will you realise that for you to recapture the swing voters gaze you need a charismatic leader no matter the policies you peddle. If you keep a lackey like Goff you will get no where, which is why he has stayed at the bottom of the preferred prime ministers poll for so long.

    • Draco T Bastard 3.2

      I’m not defending the government here, it’s not my job (or hobby).

      Pull the other one – it’s got bells on.

      • fizzleplug 3.2.1

        I picked it in one (close enough anyway).

        • Draco T Bastard 3.2.1.1

          It’s not for no reason, it’s because you support a radical right wing government as your post here shows no matter how much you tried to dress it up. All your posts are about how good this government is.

  4. and not acknowledge anything that might be good.

    so uh…go ahead fizzle mah nizzle, plug whats good in your hood !

    just curious to know how the economy will “right” itself ?

  5. tc 5

    No worries Mr/Ms Plug…….name something good and with long term benefit from the banker and his mates please…..start with election promises then education and work your way through.

    Credit where due, no worries, please show me…….all I see is style over substance and ministers with ‘L’ plates continunally screwing up. I wasn’t a huge fan of Labour but they were competant and did a fair bit of long term good i.e. the ability and tenacity to deliver a vision.

    Remember the PM’s come from a world of buy and sell, speculate, cash in…..classic winners/losers behaviour……is that what NZ is about?

    • Herodotus 5.1

      So it is easy to attack wthis Lab vision. If they had one it was not communicated very well. Oh yes how about moving NZ to the top 1/2 of the OECD and we went where (Remember 2000 and the knowledge economy summit)? Backwards, the obesity issue (NZ is growing and is currently not where we would like it to grow) that will have similar consequences for me as the avoidence (By all) to deal with the looming pension issue and support of the benefits. Under Lab how was the NZ dollar, interest rate when compared to the OCR, but for 20+ years we have gone down the wrong path re OCR & Inflation funny how the truth comes out almost the day after Lab losses the electon !! At least Lab as learnt ONE lesson, now lest hear of the rest…
      As an afterthoght we should ban summits as all they allow is a nice days news.
      Key was always following the big “O” and he is as shallow as everyone else before him.

  6. willaspish 6

    Surely this story should be front page news in our national broadsheet? It barely managed to make it onto page 3 in the Herald.

    I’m so fed up of being dumbed down.

  7. bitchmoaning about how supposedly piss poor Labour was/is isnt gonna help things though is it ?

    cos yeah, if this was a Labour govt failing with a fatcat show pony leader, id be damn sure ragging their arse as much as any righty.

    but like i said, polynesians dont do the left/right class/ideology warfare thing. we tended to just suffer in silence and take our beatings like men/women without the finger pointing.

    Key needs to man up and take one for the team.

    • BLiP 7.1

      Get a grip! Playing the dumb hori and/or the obsequious coconut victim in da hood doesn’t do you or your cause the slightest good. Also, dare you to spout that bollocks to Carmel Sepuloni and come away without a flea in your ear.

  8. and what cause or bollocks might that be blip ?

    but yeah would love to hear Sepulonis thoughts on a whole bunch of shit actually. C’mon Carmel speak up. Whats your take on polynesian failing education stats and rising yoof unemployment ?

    But isn’t she some token ignant poly to fill up labours quota and put a nice face to things after taito got shafted ? i’d say her brief would be toe the party line keep your nose clean or you’ll find yourself back off the listed gravy train.

    • ghostwhowalksnz 8.1

      Taito who ?
      Mangere has another highly qualified polynesian background MP, one of the 3 or 4 in Labour.
      meanwhile JK is still touting Michael Jones to join the list for national

      • pollywog 8.1.1

        ahhh Michael Jones…he such a good boy. Bound to get a shitload of votes with him on your team. Wonder what his asking price is ?

        Polys tend to vote along cult of personality lines and forget the issues.

    • pollywog 8.2

      since blip doesnt want to play. Here’s a quote from Sepuloni’s maiden speech on her wiki page regarding poly yoof.

      “I’ve learned through my own experiences and the experiences of others around me, that our young in particular can quickly begin to self-stigmatise when the media and society stigmatise them. When the media only portrays a picture of a ghettoised, poverty-stricken group of trouble makers, then our youth can resign themselves to the fact that this is what they are. They may even take pride in this prescribed image, because it provides them with a level of attention and status which although negative, is attention and status nonetheless.”

      that tired old copout * yawn*. how about blaming the ignorant parents for not being aware of what the big bad media is doing and letting their stupid kids become hiphop clowns ?

      oh fuck no, cos you dont ever want to dis your elders in public or point the finger at ourselves even if we’re wrong. Or how about nailing the problem to the identity crisis many feel in being torn between 2 worlds/cultures or how poly’s dont have the culture of mainstream success to breed from.

      so is she still associate spokesperson for tertiary education and social development ?…not bad for a coconut only a year and half into teh labour party before being anointed.

      so uum yeah lets talk obsequieous eh ? and will you dumbfucks stop saying ‘da’ instead of ‘the’ when you try to be down with the brown, it makes y’all look patronising and condescending as…

      captcha : fortune

  9. Brett 9

    I think Key is handling this recession correctly

  10. Brett 10

    Key actually deserves credit for not throwing away billions on some half arsed schemes which would probably achieve very little in the long term.
    NZ doesn’t have a lot of money at it’s disposal so we have to make sure we get maximum bang for our buck when it comes to providing a stimulus package for the economy, in reality NZ probably has one shot to make it work.
    I would expect the government to wait until the major economies have shown consistent improvement over a period of time before launching any job creation package.
    We are far to small to go it alone.

    • Clarke 10.1

      That’s a recipe for a do-nothing government if ever I heard one.

      Plainly this government has plenty of dollars to spend – Steven Joyce has just committed $11 billion of them on unnecessary roads, including $1.4 billion on a highway extension to his holiday house.

      So the real issue is not “does NZ have the money for a stimulus package”, but rather “why has this dysfunctional National government hosed it away on projects that don’t create jobs?”

      • Draco T Bastard 10.1.1

        “why has this dysfunctional National government hosed it away on projects that don’t create jobs and returns less value than spent?

        Fixed

      • Herodotus 10.1.2

        this money on roads any comment on a 8 year contract for motorway maintenance for NZTS for around $80m and after 6 years the variations are $90-100m. How is that for wasting money, we have incompetent mangers who can spend more than a contract is worth in add ons. And ask yourself when this occurred?
        For every example you point at the current govt there are countless others from the previous govt. As I will continue to say we are served by self serving MP’s and faceless civil servants. With no one able or willing to do the right thing for NZ. Unfortunately this was clearly displayed by Labour and could be bty Nats. But hey most of you out there dont care what is best for this country otherwise you would not be only attacking the NAts Lab deserve quite abit as well. How else will Lab improve their crap performance unless those from within start revfiewing their past and present performances from a critical viewpoint.

    • BLiP 10.2

      Half arse schemes like paying billions of dollars to polluters and simultaneously trashing our 100% Pure tourist attraction?

  11. tc 11

    Part of paying taxes in a developed nation is having social services and gov’ts that stimulate when/where needed and act as refferees in terms of equitable distribution and ensuring our underclass don’t drift too far and safety nets exist.

    Brett, your approach is one of tough titty lets’ wait till all the big boys recover and is much like a derelict and negligent parent standing aside hands in the air saying not my fault.

    In your world we wait for everyone else to remove the risk and take the position we’re got no control….in my world you lead/act and help your people. No surprises for guessing who your pin up pollys are…..the do nothing brigade.

    • infused 11.1

      It’s not that at all. How the hell are we to sell to other countries when they have no money?

  12. Brett 12

    What a load of shit, I would bet money your either still sucking off mummy’s tit or bludging of the taxpayer in some form.
    Don’t bother replying until you grow some hairs on your balls.

    • Clarke 12.1

      Was that directed at me, every commenter in this thread, the entire readership of The Standard, or did it simply reflect the fact that you’re not bright enough to use the Reply button?

    • BLiP 12.2

      Hehehehe -classic troll. When confronted with facts that dissolves its position down to the ignorance-fueled idiocy that it is, out comes the insults.

  13. Brett 13

    Are you guys teenagers?

    • BLiP 13.1

      What do you want to know for – some kind of dirty old man are ya?

    • Draco T Bastard 13.2

      Actually, from reading the replies, I’d say you were. You’re the one who went to ad hominem attack once the facts came out.

  14. Brett 14

    No I just don’t like wasting my time talking to young kids

    • Clarke 14.1

      I think what you’re trying to say is that you hate being shown up by people that are smarter than you are.

      As it happens, I’m a fair bit past being a teenager, but if we’re going to indulge in sloppy and lazy caricatures then let me play the game too.

      I reckon you’re probably a smelly 50-something bloke who lives on his own in a rented house in the outer suburbs of one of our larger cities. You drive a beat-up second hand Jap import with about a billion miles on the clock, think all Maoris are bludgers and you’re overweight. You’re currently typing on a clapped-out Dell you bought about five years ago and which is covered in viruses. You have a job you hate, your ex-wife won’t have anything to do with you, and you never hear from your children who are all overseas anyway. In short, you’re a loser.

      How’d I do, grandad?

  15. Brett 15

    Me
    late 30’s
    Self employed ( make money off internet), own my own house, part Maori, own a truck, years of hard physical labour kept me in pretty good shape.

    You

    Nerdy little weed of a man, covered in bad acne, dating Mrs Palmer, lives at home with Mum and Dad,
    How’d I do, cockface

    • Clarke 15.1

      Not even close … late 40’s, company director, married with kids, private sector consulting, marathon runner, investment property owner, Mac head. Guess you’ll have to brush up on those Internet stereotypes.

      And I see you still can’t figure out where the Reply button is.

    • Morgan 15.2

      Brett, you have been challenged on your assumptions yet the best you can do is resort to pathetic, scummy namecalling. True to form you, as a right wing nutcase, have exposed yourself as intellectually deficient and emotionally explosive. Please fuck off to Kiwiblog where your idiocy, ignorance and vulgar name calling will be celebrated as a sensible approach to debating. Though if you are prepared to debate on the basis on reason and logic, please stay.

      [lprent: Generally Brett does argue constructively. He just takes some time to shift his position when he finds his current one untenable. ]

  16. Jenny 16

    Hi Marty,

    In commenting on the failure of the 9 day fortnight, I think you may have got it a bit wrong.

    “The 9-day fortnight didn’t fail because it was a bad idea. In it’s original form, as proposed by the unions, it would have worked. It was the stupid design of the policy by National that doomed it. They cut the training allowance (the unions wanted the workers training on their day off). They refused to put any decent government money in. They expected the workers to bear all the cost. Far from sharing the burden, businesses got more money from the 9 day fortnight than from firing a worker, and that money came from the workers’ pockets. No wonder the workers wanted nothing to do with it.”

    You are quite correct in saying that this scheme was only a watered down compromise of the original proposal, (As is the nature of most negotiated agreements).

    Even as you pointed out that the workers were made to bear most of the cost of having one day off a fortnight, they loved it.

    Talking to the delegates and workers at Fisher & Paykel, they told me that that they liked having a paid day off, sweetened by the knowledge that they had saved their workmate’s job. In fact it was their employer who hated it.

    And F&P management actually lobbied the government and pressured the union to be released from it.

    Employers jealously protect their power to hire and fire, and I suspect that this policy is being quietly shelved by the government to keep them happy,

    After all it is only a little over a year ago, before the recession, that employers were complaining of a “tight labour market” where they couldn’t use the fear of redundancy to discipline the workforce.

    We don’t want to throw the baby out with the bath water.

    Therefore, I think it behoves all leftists and unionists to push, and even possibly extend, this (admittedly limited), concession where ever redundancies are threatened.

    And if employers resist, we just say “Hey, we are just carrying out the Prime Minister’s wishes.”

    • Jenny 16.1

      Hi Marty, I was wondering if you could tell me of any other workers experiences (good or bad), of this scheme?

      Do you have any other information on it?

      I see that you are generally negative of the nine day fortnight, could you fill me in a bit more, on your objections?

  17. Carmel Sepuloni 17

    Hey Pollywog – I’ve just read your comments. I’m pretty sure that I’m not just some ‘token ignorant poly…etc etc’. If you really want to hear my thoughts on things then flick me an email and ask away. I’ve done some analysis on how and why our PI people vote, so would be more than happy to share it with you. As for PI education stats and high rates of youth unemployment – of course I take issue with this! I’m a PI sole mum from a working class background – I know firsthand the repercussions of this. Also – I didn’t spend the majority of my adult life working in the education sector just because I needed job (I do actually give a shit and have learnt a few things along the way).

    Anyway – I’d be keen to talanoa over this. Flick me an email carmel.sepuloni@parliament.govt.nz

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    This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Karin Kirk The Inflation Reduction Act is the Biden administration’s signature climate law and the largest U.S. government investment in reducing climate pollution to date. Among climate advocates, the policy is well-known and celebrated, but beyond that, only a minority of Americans ...
    2 days ago
  • ACC wants to administer inflation at more than double the RBNZ’s target rate

    ACC levies are set to rise at more than double the inflation rate targeted by the RBNZ. Photo: Lynn GrievesonKia ora. Long stories short, here’s my top six things to note in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, climate and poverty on Thursday, September 12:The state-owned monopoly for accident insurance wants ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago
  • Harris vs Trump

    We’ve been selected to rock your asses 'til midnightThis is my term, I've shaved off my perm, but it's alrightI solemnly swear to uphold the ConstitutionGot a rock 'n' roll problem? Well we got a solutionLet us be who we am, and let us kick out the jams, yeahKick out ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    2 days ago
  • Treaty Bill “a political stunt”

    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon appears to have given ACT Leader David Seymour more than he has been admitting in the proposals to go forward with a Treaty Principles Bill.All along, Luxon has maintained that the Government is proceeding with the Bill to honour the coalition agreement.But that is quite specific.It ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    2 days ago
  • An average 219 NZers migrated each day in July

    Kia ora. Long stories short, here’s my top six things to note in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, climate and poverty on Wednesday, September 11:Annual migration of New Zealanders rose to a record-high 80,963 in the year to the end of July, which is more than double its pre-Covid levels.Two ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago
  • What you’re wanting to win more than anything is The Narrative

    Hubris is sitting down on election day 2016 to watch that pig Trump get his ass handed to him, and watching the New York Times needle hover for a while over Hillary and then move across to Trump where it remains all night to your gathering horror and dismay. You're ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago
  • National’s automated lie machine

    The government has a problem: lots of people want information from it all the time. Information about benefits, about superannuation, ACC coverage and healthcare, taxes, jury service, immigration - and that's just the routine stuff. Responding to all of those queries takes a lot of time and costs a lot ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    3 days ago
  • Christopher Luxon: A Man of “Faith” and “Compassion” Speaks on the Treaty Pr...

    Synopsis: Today - we explore two different realities. One where National lost. And another - which is the one we are living with here. Note: the footnote on increased fees/taxes may be of interest to some readers.Article open.Subscribe nowIt’s an alternate timeline.Yesterday as news broke that the central North Island ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    3 days ago
  • Member’s Day

    Today is a Member's Day. First up is the third reading of Dan Bidois' Fair Trading (Gift Card Expiry) Amendment Bill, which will be followed by the committee stage of Deborah Russell's Family Proceedings (Dissolution for Family Violence) Amendment Bill. This will be followed by the second readings of Katie ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    3 days ago
  • Northern Expressway Boondoggle

    Transport Minister Simeon Brown has been soaring high with his hubris of getting on and building motorways but some uncomfortable realities are starting to creep in. Back in July he announced that the government was pushing on with a Northland Expressway using an “accelerated delivery strategy” The Coalition Government is ...
    3 days ago
  • Never Enough

    However much I'm falling downNever enoughHowever much I'm falling outNever, never enough!Whatever smile I smile the mostNever enoughHowever I smile I smile the mostSongwriters: Robert James Smith / Simon Gallup / Boris Williams / Porl ThompsonToday in Nick’s Kōrero:A death in the Emergency Department at Rotorua Hospital.A sad homecoming and ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    3 days ago
  • Question Two of The Kākā Project of 2026 for 2050 (TKP 26/50)

    Kia ora.Last month I proposed restarting The Kākā Project work done before the 2023 election as The Kākā Project of 2026 for 2050 (TKP 26/50), aiming to be up and running before the 2025 Local Government elections, and then in a finalised form by the 2026 General Elections.A couple of ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago
  • Why is God Obsessed with Spanking?

    Hi,If you’ve read Webworm for a while, you’ll be aware that I’ve spent a lot of time writing about horrific, corrupt megachurches and the shitty men who lead them.And in all of this writing, I think some people have this idea that I hate Christians or Christianity. As I explain ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    3 days ago
  • Inside the public service

    In 2023, there were 63,117 full-time public servants earning, on average, $97,200 a year each. All up, that is a cost to the Government of $6.1 billion a year. It’s little wonder, then, that the public service has become a political whipping boy castigated by the Prime Minister and members ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    3 days ago
  • New Models Show Stronger Atlantic Hurricanes, and More of Them

    This is a re-post from This is Not Cool Here’s an example of some of the best kind of climate reporting, especially in that it relates to impacts that will directly affect the audience. WFLA in Tampa conducted a study in collaboration with the Department of Energy, analyzing trends in ...
    4 days ago
  • Where ever do they find these people?

    A riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma, is how Winston Churchill described the Soviet Union in 1939.  How might the great man have described the 2024 government of New Zealand, do we think? I can't imagine he would have thought them all that mysterious or enigmatic. I think ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    4 days ago
  • Motorway madness

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    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    4 days ago
  • Our transport planning system is fundamentally broken

    Ever since Wayne Brown became mayor (nearly two years ago now) he’s been wanting to progress an “integrated transport plan” with the government – which sounded a lot like the previous Auckland Transport Alignment Project (ATAP) with just a different name. It seems like a fair bit of work progressed ...
    4 days ago
  • Thou Shalt Not Steal

    And they taught usWhoa-oh, black woman, thou shalt not stealI said, hey, yeah, black man, thou shalt not stealWe're gonna civilise your black barbaric livesAnd we teach you how to kneelBut your history couldn't hide the genocideThe hypocrisy to us was realFor your Jesus said you're supposed to giveThe oppressed ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    4 days ago
  • How mismanagement, not wind and solar energy, causes blackouts

    This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections In February 2021, several severe storms swept across the United States, culminating with one that the Weather Channel unofficially named Winter Storm Uri. In Texas, Uri knocked out power to over 4.5 million homes and 10 million people. Hundreds of Texans died as a ...
    4 days ago
  • The ‘Infra Boys’ Highway to Budget Hell

    Chris Bishop has enthusiastically dubbed himself and Simeon Brown “the Infra Boys”, but they need to take note of the sums around their roading dreams. Photo: Lynn GrievesonMōrena. Long stories short, here’s my top six things to note in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, climate and poverty on Tuesday, September ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • Media Link: “AVFA” on the politics of desperation.

    In this podcast Selwyn Manning and I talk about what appears to be a particular type of end-game in the long transition to systemic realignment in international affairs, in which the move to a new multipolar order with different characteristics … Continue reading ...
    KiwipoliticoBy Pablo
    5 days ago
  • The cost of flying blind

    Just over two years ago, when worries about immediate mass-death from covid had waned, and people started to talk about covid becoming "endemic", I asked various government agencies what work they'd done on the costs of that - and particularly, on the cost of Long Covid. The answer was that ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    5 days ago
  • Seymour vs The Clergy

    For paid subscribers“Aotearoa is not as malleable as they think,” Lynette wrote last week on Homage to Simeon Brown:In my heart/mind, that phrase ricocheted over the next days, translating out to “We are not so malleable.”It gave me comfort. I always felt that we were given an advantage in New ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    5 days ago
  • Unstoppable Minister McKee

    All smiles, I know what it takes to fool this townI'll do it 'til the sun goes downAnd all through the nighttimeOh, yeahOh, yeah, I'll tell you what you wanna hearLeave my sunglasses on while I shed a tearIt's never the right timeYeah, yeahSong by SiaLast night there was a ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago
  • Could outdoor dining revitalise Queen Street?

    This is a guest post by Ben van Bruggen of The Urban Room,.An earlier version of this post appeared on LinkedIn. All images are by Ben. Have you noticed that there’s almost nowhere on Queen Street that invites you to stop, sit outside and enjoy a coffee, let alone ...
    Greater AucklandBy Guest Post
    5 days ago
  • Hipkins challenges long-held Labour view Government must stay below 30% of GDP

    Hipkins says when considering tax settings and the size of government, the big question mark is over what happens with the balance between the size of the working-age population and the growing number of Kiwis over the age of 65. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāMōrena. Long stories short; here’s ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • Your invite to Webworm Chat (a bit like Reddit)

    Hi,One of the things I love the most about Webworm is, well, you. The community that’s gathered around this lil’ newsletter isn’t something I ever expected when I started writing it four years ago — now the comments section is one of my favourite places on the internet. The comments ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    5 days ago
  • Seymour’s Treaty bill making Nats nervous

    A delay in reappointing a top civil servant may indicate a growing nervousness within the National Party about the potential consequences of David Seymour’s Treaty Principles Bill. Dave Samuels is waiting for reappointment as the Chief Executive of Te Puni Kokiri, but POLITIK understands that what should have been a ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    5 days ago
  • 2024 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #36

    A listing of 34 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, September 1, 2024 thru Sat, September 7, 2024. Story of the week Our Story of the Week is about how peopele are not born stupid but can be fooled ...
    6 days ago
  • Time for a Change

    You act as thoughYou are a blind manWho's crying, crying 'boutAll the virgins that are dyingIn your habitual dreams, you knowSeems you need more sleepBut like a parrot in a flaming treeI know it's pretty hard to seeI'm beginning to wonderIf it's time for a changeSong: Phil JuddThe next line ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    6 days ago
  • Security Politics in Peripheral Democracies: Excerpt Six.

    The “double shocks” in post Cold War international affairs. The end of the Cold War fundamentally altered the global geostrategic context. In particular, the end of the nuclear “balance of terror” between the USA and USSR, coupled with the relaxation … Continue reading ...
    KiwipoliticoBy Pablo
    6 days ago
  • Buried deep

    Here's a bike on Manchester St, Feilding. I took this photo on Friday night after a very nice dinner at the very nice Vietnamese restaurant, Saigon, on Manchester Street.I thought to myself, Manchester Street? Bicycle? This could be the very spot.To recap from an earlier edition: on a February night ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    6 days ago
  • Security Politics in Peripheral Democracies, Excerpt Five.

    Military politics as a distinct “partial regime.” Notwithstanding their peripheral status, national defense offers the raison d’être of the combat function, which their relative vulnerability makes apparent, so military forces in small peripheral democracies must be very conscious of events … Continue reading ...
    KiwipoliticoBy Pablo
    1 week ago
  • Leadership for Dummies

    If you’re going somewhere, do you maybe take a bit of an interest in the place? Read up a bit on the history, current events, places to see - that sort of thing? Presumably, if you’re taking a trip somewhere, it’s for a reason. But what if you’re going somewhere ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    1 week ago
  • Home again

    Hello! Here comes the Saturday edition of More Than A Feilding, catching you up on anything you may have missed. Share Read more ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    1 week ago
  • Dead even tie for hottest August ever

    Long stories short, here’s the top six news items of note in climate news for Aotearoa-NZ this week, and a discussion above between Bernard Hickey and The Kākā’s climate correspondent Cathrine Dyer:The month of August was 1.49˚C warmer than pre-industrial levels, tying with 2023 for the warmest August ever, according ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago
  • The Hoon around the week to Sept 7

    The podcast above of the weekly ‘Hoon’ webinar for paying subscribers on Thursday night features co-hosts and talking about the week’s news with:The Kākā’s climate correspondent on the latest climate science on rising temperatures and the debate about how to responde to climate disinformation; and special guest ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago
  • Have We an Infrastructure Deficit?

    An Infrastructure New Zealand report says we are keeping up with infrastructure better than we might have thought from the grumbling. But the challenge of providing for the future remains.I was astonished to learn that the quantity of our infrastructure has been keeping up with economic growth. Your paper almost ...
    PunditBy Brian Easton
    1 week ago
  • Councils reject racism

    Last month, National passed a racist law requiring local councils to remove their Māori wards, or hold a referendum on them at the 2025 local body election. The final councils voted today, and the verdict is in: an overwhelming rejection. Only two councils out of 45 supported National's racist agenda ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    1 week ago
  • Homage to Simeon Brown

    Open to all - happy weekend ahead, friends.Today I just want to be petty. It’s the way I imagine this chap is -Not only as a political persona. But his real-deal inner personality, in all its glory - appears to be pure pettiness & populist driven.Sometimes I wonder if Simeon ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    1 week ago
  • Government of deceit

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    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    1 week ago
  • The professionals actually think and act like our Government has no fiscal crisis at all

    Treasury staff at work: The demand for a new 12-year Government bond was so strong, Treasury decided to double the amount of bonds it sold. Photo: Lynn GrievesonMōrena. Long stories short; here’s my top six things to note in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, climate and poverty on Friday, September ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago
  • Weekly Roundup 6-September-2024

    Welcome to another Friday and another roundup of stories that caught our eye this week. As always, this and every post is brought to you by the Greater Auckland crew. If you like our work and you’d like to see more of it, we invite you to join our regular ...
    Greater AucklandBy Greater Auckland
    1 week ago
  • Security Politics in Peripheral Democracies; Excerpt Four.

    Internal versus external security. Regardless of who rules, large countries can afford to separate external and internal security functions (even if internal control functions predominate under authoritarian regimes). In fact, given the logic of power concentration and institutional centralization of … Continue reading ...
    KiwipoliticoBy Pablo
    1 week ago
  • A Hole In The River

    There's a hole in the river where her memory liesFrom the land of the living to the air and skyShe was coming to see him, but something changed her mindDrove her down to the riverThere is no returnSongwriters: Neil Finn/Eddie RaynerThe king is dead; long live the queen!Yesterday was a ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    1 week ago
  • Bright Blue His Jacket Ain’t But I Love This Fellow: A Review and Analysis of The Rings of Power E...

    My conclusion last week was that The Rings of Power season two represented a major improvement in the series. The writing’s just so much better, and honestly, its major problems are less the result of the current episodes and more creatures arising from season one plot-holes. I found episode three ...
    1 week ago
  • Who should we thank for the defeat of the Nazis

    As a child in the 1950s, I thought the British had won the Second World War because that’s what all our comics said. Later on, the films and comics told me that the Americans won the war. In my late teens, I found out that the Soviet Union ...
    1 week ago

  • Reo Māori the ‘beating heart’ of Aotearoa New Zealand

    From private business to the Paris Olympics, reo Māori is growing with the success of New Zealanders, says Minister for Māori Development Tama Potaka. “I’m joining New Zealanders across the country in celebrating this year’s Te Wiki o te Reo Māori – Māori Language Week, which has a big range ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 hours ago
  • Need and value at forefront of public service delivery

    New Cabinet policy directives will ensure public agencies prioritise public services on the basis of need and award Government contracts on the basis of public value, Minister for the Public Service Nicola Willis says. “Cabinet Office has today issued a circular to central government organisations setting out the Government’s expectations ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Minister to attend Police Ministers Council Meeting

    Police Minister Mark Mitchell will join with Australian Police Ministers and Commissioners at the Police Ministers Council meeting (PMC) today in Melbourne. “The council is an opportunity to come together to discuss a range of issues, gain valuable insights on areas of common interest, and different approaches towards law enforcement ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • New Bill to crack down on youth vaping

    The coalition Government has introduced legislation to tackle youth vaping, Associate Health Minister Casey Costello announced today. “The Smokefree Environments and Regulated Products Amendment Bill (No 2) is aimed at preventing youth vaping.  “While vaping has contributed to a significant fall in our smoking rates, the rise in youth vaping ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Interest in agricultural and horticultural products regulatory review welcomed

    Regulation Minister David Seymour, Environment Minister Penny Simmonds, and Food Safety Minister Andrew Hoggard have welcomed interest in the agricultural and horticultural products regulatory review. The review by the Ministry for Regulation is looking at how to speed up the process to get farmers and growers access to the safe, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Bill to allow online charity lotteries passes first reading

    Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says the Government is moving at pace to ensure lotteries for charitable purposes are allowed to operate online permanently. Charities fundraising online, such as those run by the Heart Foundation, Coastguard NZ, Auckland Rescue Helicopter Trust and local hospices will continue to do ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Tax exempt threshold changes to benefit startups

    Technology companies are among the startups which will benefit from increases to current thresholds of exempt employee share schemes, Science, Innovation and Technology Minister Judith Collins and Revenue Minister Simon Watts say. Tax exempt thresholds for the schemes are increasing as part of the Taxation (Annual Rates for 2024-25, Emergency ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Getting the healthcare you need, when you need it

    The path to faster cancer treatment, an increase in immunisation rates, shorter stays in emergency departments and quick assessment and treatments when you are sick has been laid out today. Health Minister Dr Shane Reti has revealed details of how the ambitious health targets the Government has set will be ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Targeted supports to accelerate reading

    The coalition Government is delivering targeted and structured literacy supports to accelerate learning for struggling readers. From Term 1 2025, $33 million of funding for Reading Recovery and Early Literacy Support will be reprioritised to interventions which align with structured approaches to teaching. “Structured literacy will change the way children ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Survivors invited to Abuse in Care national apology

    With two months until the national apology to survivors of abuse in care, expressions of interest have opened for survivors wanting to attend. “The Prime Minister will deliver a national apology on Tuesday 12 November in Parliament. It will be a very significant day for survivors, their families, whānau and ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Rangatahi inspire at Ngā Manu Kōrero final

    Ehara taku toa i te toa takitahi, engari he toa takitini kē - My success is not mine alone but is the from the strength of the many. Aotearoa New Zealand’s top young speakers are an inspiration for all New Zealanders to learn more about the depth and beauty conveyed ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Driving structured literacy in schools

    The coalition Government is driving confidence in reading and writing in the first years of schooling. “From the first time children step into the classroom, we’re equipping them and teachers with the tools they need to be brilliant in literacy. “From 1 October, schools and kura with Years 0-3 will receive ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Labour’s misleading information is disappointing

    Labour’s misinformation about firearms law is dangerous and disappointing, Associate Justice Minister Nicole McKee says.   “Labour and Ginny Andersen have repeatedly said over the past few days that the previous Labour Government completely banned semi-automatic firearms in 2019 and that the Coalition Government is planning to ‘reintroduce’ them.   ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Govt takes action on mpox response, widens access to vaccine

    The Government is taking immediate action on a number of steps around New Zealand’s response to mpox, including improving access to vaccine availability so people who need it can do so more easily, Health Minister Dr Shane Reti and Associate Health Minister David Seymour announced today. “Mpox is obviously a ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Next steps agreed for Treaty Principles Bill

    Associate Justice Minister David Seymour says Cabinet has agreed to the next steps for the Treaty Principles Bill. “The Treaty Principles Bill provides an opportunity for Parliament, rather than the courts, to define the principles of the Treaty, including establishing that every person is equal before the law,” says Mr Seymour. “Parliament ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Government unlocking potential of AI

    Science, Innovation and Technology Minister Judith Collins today announced a programme to drive Artificial Intelligence (AI) uptake among New Zealand businesses. “The AI Activator will unlock the potential of AI for New Zealand businesses through a range of support, including access to AI research experts, technical assistance, AI tools and resources, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Government releases Wairoa flood review findings

    The independent rapid review into the Wairoa flooding event on 26 June 2024 has been released, Environment Minister Penny Simmonds, Local Government Minister Simeon Brown and Emergency Management and Recovery Minister Mark Mitchell announced today. “We welcome the review’s findings and recommendations to strengthen Wairoa's resilience against future events,” Ms ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Promoting faster payment times for government

    The Government is sending a clear message to central government agencies that they must prioritise paying invoices in a timely manner, Small Business and Manufacturing Minister Andrew Bayly says. Data released today promotes transparency by publishing the payment times of each central government agency. This data will be published quarterly ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Acknowledgement to Kīngi Tuheitia speech

    E te māngai o te Whare Pāremata, kua riro māku te whakaputa i te waka ki waho moana. E te Pirimia tēnā koe.Mr Speaker, it is my privilege to take this adjournment kōrero forward.  Prime Minister – thank you for your leadership. Taupiri te maunga Waikato te awa Te Wherowhero ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Interim fix to GST adjustment rules to support businesses

    Inland Revenue can begin processing GST returns for businesses affected by a historic legislative drafting error, Revenue Minister Simon Watts says. “Inland Revenue has become aware of a legislative drafting error in the GST adjustment rules after changes were made in 2023 which were meant to simplify the process. This ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Strong uptake for cervical screening self-test

    More than 80 per cent of New Zealand women being tested have opted for a world-leading self-test for cervical screening since it became available a year ago. Minister of Health Dr Shane Reti and Associate Minister Casey Costello, in her responsibility for Women’s Health, say it’s fantastic to have such ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Ministry for Regulation’s first Strategic Intentions document sets ambitious direction

    Regulation Minister David Seymour welcomes the Ministry for Regulation’s first Strategic Intentions document, which sets out how the Ministry will carry out its work and deliver on its purpose. “I have set up the Ministry for Regulation with three tasks. One, to cut existing red tape with sector reviews. Two, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Māori Education Advisory Group established

    The Education Minister has established a Māori Education Ministerial Advisory Group made up of experienced practitioners to help improve outcomes for Māori learners. “This group will provide independent advice on all matters related to Māori education in both English medium and Māori medium settings. It will focus on the most impactful ways we can lift ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Government welcomes findings of NZ Superannuation Fund review

    The Government has welcomed the findings of the recent statutory review into the Guardians of New Zealand Superannuation and the New Zealand Superannuation Fund, Minister of Finance Nicola Willis says. The 5-yearly review, conducted on behalf of Treasury and tabled in Parliament today, found the Guardians of New Zealand Superannuation ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • First of five new Hercules aircraft takes flight

    Defence Minister Judith Collins today welcomed the first of five new C-130J-30 Hercules to arrive in New Zealand at a ceremony at the Royal New Zealand Air Force’s Base Auckland, Whenuapai. “This is an historic day for our New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) and our nation. The new Hercules fleet ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Have your say on suicide prevention

    Today, September 10 is World Suicide Prevention Day, a time to reflect on New Zealand’s confronting suicide statistics, Mental Health Minister Matt Doocey says. “Every death by suicide is a tragedy – a tragedy that affects far too many of our families and communities in New Zealand. We must do ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Action to grow the rural health workforce

    Scholarships awarded to 27 health care students is another positive step forward to boost the future rural health workforce, Associate Health Minister Matt Doocey says. “All New Zealanders deserve timely access to quality health care and this Government is committed to improving health outcomes, particularly for the one in five ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Pharmac delivering more for Kiwis following major funding boost

    Associate Health Minister with responsibility for Pharmac David Seymour has welcomed the increased availability of medicines for Kiwis resulting from the Government’s increased investment in Pharmac. “Pharmac operates independently, but it must work within the budget constraints set by the Government,” says Mr Seymour. “When our Government assumed office, New ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Sport Minister congratulates NZ’s Paralympians

    Sport & Recreation Minister Chris Bishop has congratulated New Zealand's Paralympic Team at the conclusion of the Paralympic Games in Paris.  “The NZ Paralympic Team's success in Paris included fantastic performances, personal best times, New Zealand records and Oceania records all being smashed - and of course, many Kiwis on ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Government progresses response to Abuse in Care recommendations

    A Crown Response Office is being established within the Public Service Commission to drive the Government’s response to the Royal Commission into Abuse in Care. “The creation of an Office within a central Government agency was a key recommendation by the Royal Commission’s final report.  “It will have the mandate ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Passport wait times back on-track

    Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says passport processing has returned to normal, and the Department of Internal Affairs [Department] is now advising customers to allow up to two weeks to receive their passport. “I am pleased that passport processing is back at target service levels and the Department ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • New appointments to the FMA board

    Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister has today announced three new appointments and one reappointment to the Financial Markets Authority (FMA) board. Tracey Berry, Nicholas Hegan and Mariette van Ryn have been appointed for a five-year term ending in August 2029, while Chris Swasbrook, who has served as a board member ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • District Court judges appointed

    Attorney-General Hon Judith Collins today announced the appointment of two new District Court judges. The appointees, who will take up their roles at the Manukau Court and the Auckland Court in the Accident Compensation Appeal Jurisdiction, are: Jacqui Clark Judge Clark was admitted to the bar in 1988 after graduating ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
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