The Attack of the Snowflakes

Written By: - Date published: 7:00 am, June 4th, 2019 - 119 comments
Categories: Abuse of power, accountability, making shit up, paula bennett, Politics, public services, same old national, the praiseworthy and the pitiful, treasury - Tags: , , , , , ,

It seems that National’s aim was to control the narrative and cause maximal embarrassment to Treasury and the Government with Budgetgate. The Budget has been publically released and we now all know what is in it and what is not. Yet, a foul taste, a bad smell lingers.

The National Party portrays itself as a victim and wants to clear its name. As if. Like a cornered wild beast, they decided that attack is the best way of achieving this. Alternatively, they smell blood and sense weakness and are going for the kill. Irrespective of their motives, they were and still are not acting in the interest of the New Zealand public.

The Deputy Leader of the National Party has written a letter to the State Services Commissioner (SSC) requesting that he widen his enquiry into Budgetgate.

The two-page letter is written in the first person singular “I” except for the very last sentence where it suddenly becomes “we”. I assume this means the Leader and Deputy Leader of the Opposition National Party together. Oh, how they laughed.

The other interesting thing to observe is that the National Party is not once mentioned in the letter and it only refers to the Opposition. I assume this includes both ACT and the single independent MP for Botany. I also assume they endorse the letter but more likely, they were never asked for their opinion, which would be typical of National’s arrogance.

The writer of the letter is riding her high horse and rather sanctimoniously claims that, by inference, the Secretary to the Treasury “alleged illegal activity by the Opposition” [my italic] and that this raised “constitutional issues if [my bold] the matter was referred [by the Secretary to the Treasury] to the New Zealand Police without clear evidence to back up these allegations.” I am not aware of the Secretary alleging “illegal activity by the Opposition” so indeed this is a big “if” and thus a leading question without any evidential support to back it up. Nice one. As far as I know, the Secretary called (in) the Police because he suspected hacking activity but was completely ignorant of the possible source.

The Deputy Leader of the Opposition also makes a big song and dance about the involvement of the GCSB. Given that Treasury suspected having been hacked, it did the right thing and contacted the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) for advice on Tuesday evening, which falls within the Government Communications Security Bureau (GCSB). They ascertained that Treasury’s computer network was not compromised and suggested that the matter be referred to the Police.

A Treasury staff member described the incident to an NCSC responder and asked if it was a matter for the NCSC or police, the spokeswoman said.

“Given the incident did not involve a compromise of the Treasury computer network and was therefore not the type of incident the NCSC would normally respond to it was recommended that the matter be referred to police for their assessment.”

The other points raised in the letter are something between a fishing expedition and a witch-hunt for the Treasury Secretary. The guy has already accepted a job at the other side of the world so why explicitly state that “[i]t would be unacceptable for this enquiry [by SSC] to be used to delay the removal of the Secretary from his role”? So, guilty till presumed innocent by the SSC?

You’d wonder what National is after or what else they know. The last bulletised question in the letter fascinates me. All previous bullets are about Treasury and/or its Secretary. The last one is about the Minister of Finance and the PM:

  • A complete review of all communications with an between the Minister of Finance or his office, and the Prime Minister’s’ office under the ‘no surprises’ approach

It is completely separate from the previous points and stands in almost complete isolation of the overall contents of the letter. The letter does, however, implicate the Minister of Finance in misleading the public in a way that suggests (undue) political influence of the neutral public service.

The letter also whinges that the Opposition never received an apology (what for?) and continued to be “disparage[d] … in an entirely inappropriate way” (by whom and why?). It seems a demand for natural justice but they have  not once asked for it explicitly; it must be an alien concept to them.

So, there we have it. National (not the Opposition) is trying to play it both ways. It claims innocence saying that they “had acted entirely appropriately” and that they are the innocent victim of some kind of political slander or smear campaign by Treasury and the Minister of Finance without evidence to back it up. This allows them to take the moral high ground and keep a foot in the door concerning the SSC inquiry.

“We’ve got a Beehive where it’s amateur hour, and the reality is they are incredibly embarrassed, they’re not in control of what they are doing, and so they’re lashing out and they are having a witch hunt on the National Party.”

On the other hand, National accuses the Government of being amateurs but fail to mention that they, National, were the aggressor, the instigator and cause of the whole debacle in the first place and responsible for the pre-emptive strike release of parts of the Budget. And they are continuing their attack.

“The Government has botched both the handling and content of this Budget.”

I fail to see how these shenanigans are for the public good. National has turned the Budget circus into a charade. Is this to hide that they are bereft of any counter-ideas? Is this trying to distract from the positives of and in the Budget (there were a few)? Is any of these attack-politics helping New Zealanders ahead and giving them a ‘brighter future’? No, of course not. It is a sad sideshow of cynical politics.

119 comments on “The Attack of the Snowflakes ”

  1. Sam 1

    Being bereft of ideas is actually a National Party strength, it's a good thing for them. If National actually had to implement an idea of there own like Rogernomics, with out looking at the cheat sheets (cabinet recommendations) they’d fall over straight away and start sacking their own Prime Minster and then their own Foreign Minister. That's what happens when National Party MPs get ideas.

  2. …Grant Robertson chose to issue statements implying National carried out a 'systematic hack'," Bennett said in a statement.

    I notice Stuff's corrected "Opposition" to "National" in their paraphrasing. Also, given that Robertson implied no such thing, you can only assume it's Bennett's guilty conscience speaking.

    I too would like the SSC to investigate what happened very closely, including making recommendations on whether it really should be legal for people to find and exploit organisations' cyber-security errors to obtain unauthorised access to confidential data. It could start with demanding all internal National Party correspondence relating to the data theft.

    It would also be worthwhile for them to define “systematic hack,” which should actually include what National did.

  3. Ed1 3

    There have been suggestions that it was a parliamentary staffer, rather than a Nationa; Party adviser that "discovered" the material. It would be concerning if a person supposed to be independent would not draw a security breach to the attention of the relevant department; although I am less clear as to whether, having discovered material, it was reasonable that it be disclosed to Simon Bridges. Some newspapers are also still claiming that it took 2000 attempts to make the "simple search' – in fairness to the staff member that should be determined as well,

    • solkta 3.1

      Just because someone is employed by Parliament that does not make them independent. All MPs have executive assistants and electorate MPs have electorate secretaries as well. There are also researchers and other staff who work for parties. These people are paid by Parliamentary Service but work directly for the MP/party concerned.

      • Ed1 3.1.1

        Thanks. I had thought that staff members of Parliamentary Services were supposed to be politically neutral in din their job, and htat both they and indeed MPs were supposed to act in the interests of all New Zealand and of orderly and effective government. In theory it should be possible (and has been in many instances) for staff to serve successive governments with no problems for anyone. In reality a change of major party in government does tend to result in some staff moving with their parliamentarians. Parliamentary service employees should be be aware of what things they can and cannot do; one thing in this instance that I think would have been desirable would be that a staffer realising that a government website had a security deficiency would very quickly advise the relevant department (or the head of parliamentary services) so that in the interests of New Zealand, that breach could be fixed. I go further and think that such an obligation should also apply as a reasonable expectation from any MP. I am less clear on whether it is reasonable for an MP or parliamentary staff working for him to download anything of interest to themselves first; that possibly depends on the nature of the breach. In this case there was clearly little real public interest in the material they downloaded; respect for privacy and the conventions of parliament should have been enough for any MP to have decided that it should not be published, but I could not blame an Opposition MP from looking at the material as preparation for a speech in the House – sadly it does not seem to have been used for that purpose. I would be interested in the "Rules of Engagement" for parliamentary services staff in MPs offices, and in whether by abusing such commitments there is any effective penalty on a "rogue MP"

    • mauī 3.2

      Thank you Ed.

  4. Chris T 4

    Not being funny, but the continued bitching about National's admittedly immature dealing with the issue, is getting a bit tired.

    At the end of the day Treasury under Labour leaked the thing by accident onto a public web site. Over reacted to the max by calling in the police, when their own uselessness was discovered, and they were frantically arse covering.

    Grant Robertson fell for it like an utter chump with zero actual getting some reliable evidence and implied National broke the law.

    Do the Nats deserve an apology? Well no. They politicised it and Bridges behaved like a 4 year old who just discovered Disneyland

    Should Robertson have offered his resignation and then Ardern say "No Grant. I forgive you".

    Yes. He wouldn't look like such and idiot, and Labour should have just manned up, taken it on the chin, and said "well we were a bit stupid there, but there we go. this is the Budget!!"

    • marty mars 4.1

      Well maybe asking your deputy opposition members to not write silly letters – showering herself with plastic confetti she is – destructive and killing dolphins – nice one paula benefit.

      Everyone I know think the gnats are idiots and it was a dick move trying to get simon to be the big man with his form. Now paula is wading in – classic – at least judith is less thick and watching from the trees.

    • peterh 4.2

      Very few people care about this issue, of those that do just under 40% think that the govt stuffed up big time. and just over 60% think that the Nats And Bridges are a slimey bunch of pricks, so if my figures are right there would have been more damage to the Nats

    • Rapunzel 4.3

      That certainly justifies the snowflake description "not being funny" never means not being funny, what it means is I am "trying" to be funny.

    • Over reacted to the max by calling in the police…

      That's what an organisation does when it finds that a mistake by a staff member has allowed data thieves to exploit that mistake. And good luck to the IT Security manager or CIO who says "Yeah, thieves gained unauthorised access to confidential data, but it was our mistake that let them in so no need to call in the coppers, right?"

    • lprent 4.5

      Personally, I'm just waiting to get the details about exactly who was doing the accessing. As far as I can see this falls within the "dishonest purpose" of section 249 of the Crimes Act. The amount of effort required to weedle out the information from the small extracts was considerable. I'd like to see the reasoning of the police on why this does not constitute "dishonest purpose".

      As far as I can see there is no significiant difference between this and that reported for the attack on Cameron Slater's computer by 'rawshark', except that rawshark apparently did some damage to the website before leaving.

      The difference here is that the attempted damage wasn't to a simple website and its author(s), it was potentially a crime against the whole of the public.

      Now for the inevitable idiots who don't read the statute – that something is in public view by accident or computer errors does not constitute permission to use it for dishonest purpose.

      http://www.legislation.govt.nz/act/public/1961/0043/latest/DLM330422.html

      So far no-one has satisfied me that whoever did this wasn’t doing it for advantage or gain, did not cause damage to others, and had any claim of right to be accessing that information.

      As such, in my opinion, whoever did this act should be personally charged. It simply doesn’t matter if they were a parliamentary staffer, a staffer for the National party, or their superiors ordered them to do so.

      That section of the Crimes Act is there to protect computer systems from idiots. It is worded in the way that it is because the intent of the section was to provide for the same kind of protection that property in an unlocked house has. It isn’t there to protect idiots who want to claim that they can steal anything that isn’t nailed down.

      Similarly the police and other arms of the state do not have exclusive rights to prosecute or recommend criminal idiots for prosecution. That is also available from personal prosecutions.

      Now these haven’t had too good run through the courts recently – mostly because it has only been the vindictive and the fools who have used them. I’ve been on the receiving end of one myself – from Dermot Nottingham the same genius legal adviser who ‘helped’ Cameron Slater.

      I think that it’d be be useful to bring the question of dishonest purpose in s249 to the courts for a clear ruling, while also providing an example of how to use this facility when the police appear to be too constrained to do so.

      When it comes to computer ‘crimes’, one thing has become apparent over the years. That is that it pays to have the interests of the National Party at heart when the legal ambiguity gives them wiggle room before the police are willing to action or inaction.

      • Sacha 4.5.1

        I believe there is more public interest in prosecuting this to clarify the law, no matter the outcome, than there ever was in the initial activity.

        • Dukeofurl 4.5.1.1

          yes . I agree on the clarification part.

          After all just using the 'public facing' part of website and 'inspired guesswork' applies to passwords too.

          The intent to obtain information, which they knew was highly confidential and the systematic way they went about it. A judge could well rule its a 'computer breach'

          I personally think some in national have known for some years about the Treasury search function and had used it on the quiet as giving them a head start on budget day . But this year Bridges is sitting so low on polls he has to do something.

          Plus is there a poll out soon covering the budget period?

          • Sacha 4.5.1.1.1

            Noticed afterwards that @lprent has similar sentiments about the case law value below: https://thestandard.org.nz/the-attack-of-the-snowflakes/#comment-1624455

            • Sam 4.5.1.1.1.1

              So it seems you believe that what Simon Bridges did with the budget was some how illegal. Enjoy your hostilities my friend.

              [lprent: Banned for 1 month for trolling.

              Trying to state what someone else has said by creating a complete lie isn’t conducive to robust debate. Somehow it feels more like intellectual rape by a robotic dildo powered by a Z80 chip – which is what you read like most of the time.

              I think we could all use a rest from this level of stupid trolling. I’ve just read all of your comments for today – and there is simply nothing in there of any value to anyone else reading it. ]

          • alwyn 4.5.1.1.2

            At 4.8, just below here I have listed a very long list of people who released what you like to call " highly confidential" information. Are you calling for all these leakers to be prosecuted as well?

      • Ed1 4.5.2

        There is a good commentary at: http://www.medialawjournal.co.nz/?p=717

        I have commented above (3 and 3.1.1) on the aspect of a "duty of care" that I believe MPs and Parliamentary staff may (or should) have for the interests of government and the people of New Zealand.

        On RNZ this morning I heard a review of the book about the attack on Blomfield, in which a comment was made that by publishing in a book, there may be fewer safeguards against civil prosecution than there would be for a newspaper journalist, which may be another related issue. I would welcome clarification first from the SSC – and if there is an obligation on either or both MPs or Parliamentary Services staff , what the penalties are for ignoring them.

        • lprent 4.5.2.1

          about the attack on Blomfield, in which a comment was made that by publishing in a book, there may be fewer safeguards against civil prosecution than there would be for a newspaper journalist

          That would most likely to be correct. That was the attempted defence that Cameron Slater made for 'journalist' protection in defending against a defamation civil action from Matthew Blomfield (there is no prosecution in civil law). He actually gained recognition of being a journalist in the High Court by Asher. However that protection is limited. Asher also essentially said that in that particular case, that there was no obvious public interest in the Cameron's posts – even if all of Cameron's accusations were proved true.

          However I've read the book. I have been looking at this case and the posts closely since 2013. The writing is excellent because amongst everything else, it is really really hard to point to anything that isn't supported by documentary evidence. Where there is, then it is clearly expressed as being opinion by someone or another, and the factors and evidence that led to that opinion are clearly described.

          I doubt that there is any duty of care from parliamentary services employees (including MPs) to the public that is more than is owed by any other person in their various relationships and to the public.

          There is in whatever the contractual relationships are between parliament and their employees, and whatever criminal law requires.

    • Gabby 4.6

      Game o' 2 halves going forward christy, shame Slick Britches couldn't find his public spiritedness hat and approach treasury with his concerns, the little publicity whore.

      • Marcus Morris 4.6.1

        Totally agree. This is a case of pure Opportunism with nothing "honourable" about it. Actually there is little that is honourable about the National Party and this latest charade is straight out of the Crosby Textor handbook. It is known as "attack" politics – sometimes it works – ask the Aussie Coalition Parties and the Tories in the the UK, that have all used the "combo"- despicable politics where any means justifies the ends.

    • Ed1 4.7

      My reading of it said that Robertson made no such implication – he did not know how Bridges came by the material, but he was concerned that it should not have been published, which is quite a different issue.

    • alwyn 4.8

      The person presenting this topic says

      "the aggressor, the instigator and cause of the whole debacle in the first place and responsible for the pre-emptive strike release of parts of the Budget".

      You say

      "Treasury under Labour leaked the thing by accident onto a public web site".

      I decided to have a look at who were the original leakers of the material in the Budget. This would of course have to be anyone who had access to the material that was going to be in the Budget released on 30 May and who burst out in the public domain with the information, mostly just to try and impress their friends that they were in the know..

      Well here is a partial list. All these people, often on a large number of occasions leaked the supposedly "confidential" information. It was quite easy to obtain. I just looked at the Government Press Releases and found ones where people released information that apparently they shouldn't have.

      Jacinda Ardern, Tracey Martin, Julie Anne Genter, Andrew Little, Nanaia Mahuta, Grant Robertson, Jenny Salesa, Winston Peters, David Clark, Jan Logie, Shane Jones, Iain Lees-Galloway, Chris Hipkins, Phil Twyford, Kelvin Davis, Carmel Sepuloni, Peeni Henare, Stuart Nash, James Shaw, Ron Mark ……….

      And that is just the releases in May. God knows how many other leaks they indulged in in different forums and at earlier dates.

      If it is indeed some sort of heinous crime to release Budget information prior to Budget Day, why have any of this rabble been allowed to retain their warrants as Ministers? They should all have been sacked.

      https://www.beehive.govt.nz/releases

      Just search for the word "Budget". Yes the Government do provide a very simple way to see the information. Now where have I heard that before?

      • Psycho Milt 4.8.1

        If you don't know the difference between authorised and unauthorised access to information (and release of it), try not posting on the subject – always better to remain silent and only be thought a fool, etc.

        • alwyn 4.8.1.1

          In Britain, from which our Political Conventions mostly arose, a politician who leaked anything at all about the Budget would have resigned. Hugh Dalton, Labour Chancellor in 1947, did precisely that. That is the concept of Budget Confidentiality. Any leak at all of the material in the Budget before it is presented in the House is taken very seriously. The current New Zealand Government clearly take not the slightest interest in the idea.

          https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2013/mar/20/budget-leak-uncanny-echo-dalton

          The 2013 case referred to in this story was a paper releasing a story created by using an embargoed copy of the Budget. They are given it only after they agree that they would honour the Embargo.

          New Zealand obviously takes no notice at all of the old-fashioned idea of "Budget Confidentiality" If the Government doesn't keep the Budget confidential why should they expect anyone else to? I suppose you are a fan of Helen Clark who notoriously claimed "By definition I cannot leak"

          https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10125099

          • marty mars 4.8.1.1.1

            maybe read this 10 times "try not posting on the subject"

            • alwyn 4.8.1.1.1.1

              Maybe read this 10 times marty.

              "Don't read things that upset you when you find your heroes are fools"

          • Psycho Milt 4.8.1.1.2

            My interest is in data security and the many ways hackers breach it, not the history of budgets in Westminster democracies. Bottom line is that the owners of the confidential data have the right to release whatever parts of it they like, whenever they like. People who aren't the owners of the data don't have the right to even access the data, let alone release it. There's no "Oh but they made a mistake so it's their fault," there's no "But that's not hacking if I found the mistake via a search engine," there's just "don't have the right." This needs testing in court.

          • Dukeofurl 4.8.1.1.3

            Dalton , personally made brief comments to a journalist, before entering the Commons. While he made a pro forma resignation offer , it was accepted because of internal ructions amoung Atlees top ministers. Nowdays they do it more formally with the 'lockup' which makes sure the media cant publish till the Budget speech is finished

            Its not quite the comparison to modern budgets, as Britain still had a lot of central control of the economy and indeed labour was going to nationalise certain sectors.

            Didnt we have leaks from the Budget Lockup from a national party tweet

            https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/80553821/national-party-budget-breach-that-wouldnt-be-good–john-key

            The National Party staffer who tweeted access details to budget documents before they were officially released, will surely "cease and desist", says the Prime Minister.

            He appeared to brush off questions over a National Party tweet, which included a picture of the secure wi-fi network on which journalists were able to access the full budget documents while in the four-hour lockup.

  5. Gristle 5

    And from the provinces…..,

    Last weekend I asked 15 people about their perceptions of the budget leak. Answers ranged from "what budget leak," through to "its a storm in a tea cup." Nobody was that concerned by it.

    I think that the biggest impact of the budget leak is in the media reducing it's analysis of the budget and focusing on the froth surrounding it.

    Sure it's a cock up to structure your information on servers that are publicly accessible. And I think that it is right that employees should be disciplined. Maybe the MoF should tender his resignation, but I don't expect there to be any political pressure to ensure that such a resignation is accepted.

    If it hasn't happened already there will be a question to the House along the lines of "does the PM have confidence in the MoF?" And some more posturing will go on.

    • WeTheBleeple 5.1

      Thank you Gristle. It is boring trivial news and the average person wouldn't give a flying fig.

  6. The whole incident is too obvious and contrived in an effort to embarrass the government. So probably National knew what was going on to start with. It is typical of the way John Key et al used to behave with his 'beaver boys.' Trigger an incident that directly impacts on the other party, feign all knowledge of the incident, then accuse that other party of carrying out the said incident. Embarrassing for the innocent victim to say the least, especially when they are blindsided and know nothing about how the 'occurrence' happened. I suppose the beaver boys are still around? Actually I've seen 1 around a few times. They may also work with the less obvious police recruits – the 'undergrounders', the ones that live in the dark, or perhaps Thomson and Clark? any other agencies that could have easily carried out this attack and make it look like someone else was messing with it? Then Hooton plays his part on twitter, stirring the pot to make the impact of the action more pronounced. I think I've heard this all before. Somewhere, some other time. Ha and now we've got Bennett doing her blah, blah blah I'm so angry act. I think they've been mucking with the CIA overthrow a govt rulebook for far too long.

    • Sanctuary 6.1

      "…The whole incident is too obvious and contrived in an effort to embarrass the government…"

      There is no need for a conspiracy. National were in government for nine years, dutring which time they thoroughly blurred the line between the civil service, the National party and the government to the point that government agencies from customs to the SIS to WINZ began behaving as if opposition to the National party was tantamount to treason.

      The type of quasi-third world attitudes the Key administrations contempt of the public service and the norms of behaviour for these institutions encouraged was best summed up by a work colleague of mine, a new migrant from India who lives in Botany and who was absolutely wild eyed the day after it was announced Labour would form the government. He was livid that nine years of glad handing and influence peddling within the Botany National Party now meant nothing for his plans to get things done on the nod and wink with the government.

      Within that atmosphere, having a tax-payer funded staffer who both a) knows after nine years how the Treasury machinery functions at a detailed level and b) considers loyalty to the National party as synonymous with loyalty to the rightful government aggressively try and find embargoed information should not be a surprise.

      • Rangimarie 6.1.1

        you know conspiracy theory was weaponised by the CIA to prevent alternative narratives to the mainstream media being heard and given credence. So anyone who decries something as a conspiracy is obviously not willing to open their minds.

      • Anne 6.1.2

        "There is no need for a conspiracy. National were in government for nine years, during which time they thoroughly blurred the line between the civil service, the National party and the government to the point that government agencies from Customs to the SIS to WINZ began behaving as if opposition to the National party was tantamount to treason."

        That attitude has been in practice for decades. A personal example:

        In 1989 -1992 a particular government service I worked for was rorting another government service. There were other unacceptable practices including bullying and harassment which made the situation untenable. For the first and only time in my life I became a whistle-blower.

        I was charged by my immediate manager with having committed treason and he and other senior figures embarked on a campaign to get rid of me. They had me placed under surveillance both within the workplace and beyond. There was clear evidence of eavesdropping on my home phone. The intimidation was terrifying.

        Not long after I left, that workplace was closed down and two regional managers were fired. A year later, I heard the senior management in Wellington were largely replaced. No-one enlightened me as to the reason, but I presume it was at least in part due to the rort. I never got an apology of course.

        So, nothing changes under the sun!

  7. Peter 7

    Paula Bennett is a very caring person. That's why she'd do anything in her power to see that no-one could be slurred by accusations and implications. She wants no more than some sort of ethics and morality.

    Okay Paula, that stuff that came out about Winston Peters before the election. You know the stuff Bill English and you and Anne Tolley had (but shouldn't have had) that was to be the big scandal to sink NZF and became the big story.

    Was it just you three? Was there a conspiracy mounted with a 'no tracks' mantra to get the information out?

    Bennett is like someone who's crapped their pants and is complaining about the smell.

  8. Lucy 8

    Heard one news story that it was a staffer from Chris Bishop's office then that fell off the radar. Who ever it was managed to conflate a something from nothing. There were no numbers, not much that we hadn't heard just a 'gotcha' thing. If this is opposition politics then this is the only lasting legacy of John Key, the spiteful art of try to get something on the other side. After 9 years of politics based on the trading floor National has to raise their game or NZ will end up an incredibly damaged by the lack of humanity this causes.

  9. SPC 9

    The search of the Treasury site was motivated first by historic form for the Minister to offer to resign if the information is leaked and second to force the government into an investigation of staff (undermine morale).

    National's claim they had received a leak was designed to mislead (they had gathered the information themselves) to realise the second goal.

    Total hypocrisy after their criticism of Mallard for placing parliamentary staff under suspicion.

    One wonders whether the Crown Law, Attorney General etc has provided any opinion on the legality of seeking to access hidden pages on government department servers?

    • SPC 9.1

      National has done 4 sharp things.

      1. Opening day of parliament standoff over the Speaker nomination

      2. The effort to catch a minister having a meeting not in theirdiary.

      3. Numerous questions to Ministers to slow down their orientation/workoverload.

      4. The search on the Treasury site.

      • Rapunzel 9.1.1

        Most people are told as "kids" to "be careful you might cut yourself" so sharp they may be but more and more NZers see it that as a waste of time and nothing about NZ only re-election chances for the National Party.

        I bet plenty of people see it as an insult to their intelligence that the National Party thinks that that behaviour is enough to be a governing party any more.

      • Stuart Munro. 9.1.2

        And none of them pass either the public interest test, or the "do the public give a toss" test.

  10. michelle 10

    I see all this nonsense as 'soimons last stand' bring in the next mug

  11. Gosman 11

    There are people here who still think the National party did commit a crime in relation to the Budget leak. In which case why don't you call their bluff and take a private prosecution against them? I know Lprent is going to take his time before making a move but surely others can move this along a bit faster?

    • Stuart Munro. 11.1

      Why use the courts? They're infested with similar scoundrels and they cost the earth.

      In the court of public opinion, stealing public secrets and publicizing them for short term political gain (however illusory) establishes the Gnats firmly as a bunch of malefactors long overdue for what Trurl describes as "a good shellacking".

      • Gosman 11.1.1

        If this was actually damaging to the National party from a political polling point of view you will see a very rapid change in approach from them. The fact they haven't to date suggests to me that they still see political opportunity in running with thelines they have.

        • Stuart Munro. 11.1.1.1

          Well if you're going to bean count, the alleged govt embarrassment won't spruik the Gnat's polls noticeably either. Net effect is anyone's guess, but the literature on negative campaigning suggests it makes a better short than long term strategy.

      • lprent 11.1.2

        The courts work exceedingly slowly and expensively. However they usually wind up with decisions that conform to the underlying laws as written down.

        The police are generally pretty good, in the absence of legal ambiguity, at dealing with crime.

        These sections were put into the Crimes act in 2003

        http://www.legislation.govt.nz/act/public/2003/0039/latest/DLM199766.html

        The problem over the last decade has been that there have been increasing instances of computer access that appear to violate the sections. But there have been very few cases going through to the courts and on appeals to clarify exactly what they mean in terms of law enforcement.

        This case appears to be ideal. It is balanced on the border between public and private access to computers. The people who did the act are obviously well known (the police decided not to charge them virtually immediately – so they must have talked to them). And the potential damage from the access is high enough to make it a case worthy of public concern.

    • In my case, I think what they did should be a crime but the Police declining to prosecute suggests that it currently isn't. That being the case, I'd prefer the coalition to have a good look at the relevant sections of the Crimes Act and tighten them up, rather than waste shitloads of my cash confirming that the cops' assessment was accurate.

    • mpledger 11.3

      I'm willing to supply some money to a crowd fund to do it but I don't have the expertise to do it myself or fund it all myself.

  12. Kat 12

    National are just trying to make themselves look relevant. Fair enough, they have some hungry mouths on the benches and only eighteen months before a fair chunk are gone.

  13. JustMe 13

    Michelle Boag recently mentioned that those with a mental illness so love playing the victim. This could well apply for the NPD NZ National Party of which one Michelle Boag is a supporter..

    They are so busy crying foul and portraying themselves as being a vicitm of perhaps some vendetta by Labour that it, their squealing and whining, has become tiresome.

    I am so over the NZ National Party and its MPs. They possess absolutely no morals or even credibility. Their actions last week in regards to the "budget" leak is the straw that has broken the camels' back(s). They have proven themselves to be totally untrustworthy.

    If they are depending upon votes at next years' general election then it's time they behaved like responsible and mature adults. Right now they do not merit any votes.

    Go away National because no-one wants people like you as their representatives, MPs or government. If you were so eager to drop that 'gem' of information to the public and media then I ask what would you be capable of doing to ordinary NZers if you get into government?

    • Peter 13.1

      If Michelle Boag said that those with a mental illness so love playing the victim she's even lower that I'd thought.

      • Anne 13.1.1

        Sorry Peter but I don't think you and JustMe are correct re- Michelle Boag. We don't know in what context she made that statement. I'm inclined to suspect it was in relation to a specific individual.

        Whatever, it is a statement of fact. People with certain personality disorders are very good at playing the role of victim and often cause a huge amount of trouble because of it. Anyone who has ever been on the receiving end of one, or knows any such individuals will tell you as much.

        I have no truck with Boag's politics or the way she sometimes operates, but she cannot be criticised for speaking a truth.

        • Rosemary McDonald 13.1.1.1

          And lookee here….

          Michele (that Dreadful Apology for a Human Being) Boag on those women who stood up to serial groper Key….

          Former National Party president Michelle Boag has accused female opposition MPs of "parading their victimhood" after they stood up in Parliament to talk about their experiences of sexual assault.

          https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/74006095/

          • Anne 13.1.1.1.1

            I said I didn't like the way she sometimes operated. In that case she wrongly conflated the truth of some with mental health issues… with the experiences of some real victims of sexual crime.

            That of course was quite a few years ago and I bet she earned no brownie points from anyone.

            Nor will she do so over her twitter remark

            Doesn't alter the fact that her comment as repeated by JustMe is true. A link to the context would have been appreciated.

            She's reacting against Jacinda Ardern of course. For someone her age she should have outgrown such puerile jealousy.

            • veutoviper 13.1.1.1.1.1

              Anne, here is a link to the context of Michelle Boag's comments – one of the most "memorable" sessions of The Panel last Friday that I have ever heard in all the years of that five days a week RNZ National programme. The Panel that day was Michelle Boag and David Cormack hosted by Wallace Chapman.

              This is the 26 minute segment in which they "discuss" the mental health and other provisions etc in the 2019 Budget – sorry, don't have time right now to relisten to find the exact time of the mental health stuff.

              https://www.rnz.co.nz/national/programmes/thepanel/audio/2018697693/the-panel-with-david-cormack-and-michelle-boag-part-2

              However, the whole programme last Friday was so jaw dropping and hilarious that I archived the whole thing! Wallace actually stood up to be counted for a change and challenged Boag; and the interactions between her and Cormack were spark raising. LOL.

              Here is a link to the various segments of the whole programme from pre-Panel from 3.45pm through until 5pm for anyone interested in hearing the lead up to the above link and what followed after it.

              https://www.rnz.co.nz/national/programmes/thepanel/20190531

              Note: The full Part 2 audio link above seems to have also been broken down into its various subjects in the 3 separate audio links immediately under the Part 2 link in this link, but I cannot remember which part the mental health comments were in. The 'Uber feeds' bit was also hilarious! Chuckling as I write this in memory – must find the time to relisten to the whole programme …

              • Anne

                Thanks for that heads up vv.

                Had I known the context of Boag's comment my response to JustMe would have been different. I think I understand what she was trying to say and there is probably a small element of truth to it. The difference between most of us and Boag is: there is around 10% of individuals who will rort a system if given the chance… we consider it to be a small price to pay for the betterment of life for the other 80%.

                I got out of the habit of listening to the Panel because I was so sick of Jim Mora always sitting on the fence and letting some panelists get away with murder. Wallace Chapman is a huge improvement so I might start listening again.

  14. Paul Campbell 14

    The thing is that we're still waiting for National to present their alternative budget – instead we got what started as some weird stuff about tanks which then morphed in a gotcha bit of playground dick-waggling about hacking.

    The government meanwhile, while all this was happening, actually published a budget.

    Really the Nats are still in denial about being in opposition and don't really understand how to do it

  15. I'm stayin' out of this !

    Got me some Jim Beam Black Label … and all this argy bargy is gettin' peculiar,… so many angles. Could do with a few meat pies, however. Its good to be a simple man sometimes.

    Lynyrd Skynyrd – Simple Man – YouTube

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sHQ_aTjXObs

  16. CHCoff 16

    It's a quirk that the strident 'free marketers' of society live and breathe so much tabloidism in their market efficiencies of supply and demand.

  17. mpledger 17

    Even if there access was legal (and Felix Geiringer's pretty much summed up my viewpoint on that**), what they did with the information was incredibly stupid.

    1) Releasing the information could have caused harm – it could have caused a run on the dollar etc.

    2) They didn't check whether the information was correct – the pages could have been dummies or out dated information that could have misinformed people into making bad decisions

    3) The arguments they used (poor teachers not getting any money) were just ridiculous because National had never given the teachers any money.

    So, it was incredibly bad judgement from the get-go. It seemed like noone in National stopped and thought through what they were doing.

    ~
    **
    Meanwhile Wellington barrister Felix Geiringer said the unauthorised information gathering from Treasury's website was a criminal offence and required further investigation.

    "There seems to be a mistaken belief that there has to be some sort of overcoming of a security barrier," Geiringer said.

    If someone knew they did not have authority to access information on the internet but accessed it regardless, and continued to do that more than 2000 times, as Treasury claims, then that was against the law, he said.

    "The circumstances of it are highly suspicious in terms of criminal activity," Geiringer said.

    "If you're doing something you know you're not allowed to do then it doesn't matter how easy it is to do, it's against the law."

    https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/industries/113111605/nationals-budget-leaks-go-against-security-agencys-advice-and-treasury-breach-was-unlawful-lawyers-say

  18. soddenleaf 18

    Was it really leaked? I heard there was nothing new.

    Is it more likely Bridges is just oh so predictable that it helps Labour, those who are benefiting don't care, and those who it's irrevalent get a drooling opposition leaders slurry slurp.

    Bridges has nothing to say, so shouts nonsense.

  19. Sacha 19

    Specific SSC investigation announced: https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/political/391209/investigation-launched-into-treasury-secretary-gabriel-makhlouf

    A statement from Commissioner Peter Hughes this afternoon said the investigation would establish the facts about Mr Makhlouf's public statements about the unauthorised access to Budget documents, his advice to the Finance Minister, his basis for them and his decision to refer the matter to police.

    The questions raised were a "matter of considerable public interest and should be addressed," Mr Hughes said.

    "Mr Makhlouf believes that at all times he acted in good faith. Nonetheless, he and I agree that it is in everyone's interests that the facts are established before he leaves his role on 27 June if possible."

    • Anne 19.1

      I ask people to step back and let this process be completed.

      Fat chance of that happening with Soil-man and Paula baby running the Oppo. show. angry

  20. Sacha 20

    Solid explanation of what happened: https://www.theunderstatesmen.com/2019/06/03/the-2019-nz-budget-leak-what-actually-happened/

    The Treasury data breach has been a shitshow. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a bigger disconnect between the experts and the pundits, and I don’t say that lightly. I’m not a security guy, for what it’s worth: I’m a writer at a tech firm, but I’m fascinated by security and over the last few days I’ve been talking to people who actually know their stuff. Almost unanimously they’re calling this a breach. Almost unanimously, the pundits are off shouting that it’s “not a hack!”.

    It’s not “just a search”: it’s using a leaked search index to perform 2000 searches, to take advantage of an exploit that pulled small pieces of content from a staging server, then stitching that content together in post. It’s not something Johnny Q Public could do by accident. It’s not an “open door” at all.

    Metaphors about the door being unlocked do us no favours, unless we really want pundits to be better-equipped to twist the actual events. Whether or not it’s a “hack” doesn’t really matter: it’s an intentional attempt to gain access to private data. It utilised an exploit to pull content that wasn’t meant to be public. It’s a breach. More than that, there are established protocols for what happens if somebody finds an exploit in government software. These rules were written by the National Party in 2014, and National failed to follow them.

    • Gosman 20.1

      In which case will you be pushing for a private prosecution?

      • Sacha 20.1.1

        I've agreed with @lprent it seems an obvious case to prosecute to generate some case law. I would expect the public agencies to do that.

        • Gosman 20.1.1.1

          Why public agencies and not you and people who agree with you?

          • Sacha 20.1.1.1.1

            Resources. Mandate.

            • Gosman 20.1.1.1.1.1

              People have taken successful private prosecutions before. It doesn't have to cost that much. Regardless the cost is reduced per person if many people are involved. Are you claiming that you won't be able to convince many people to take up a private prosecution? Why do you need a mandate for this?

              • Sacha

                I'm really not that interested in this line of questioning.

                • Gosman

                  No because you aren't really interested in the legality of this. You just want to be able to feel like the National party is in the wrong as that gives you a smug sense of satisfaction.

              • solkta

                With the need to set a precedent it could only cost heaps. You need to convince the judge to interpret the law in a particular way rather than how other judges have done in the past.

                • Gosman

                  Don't you believe establishing an important principle around data security is worth a little time and money to get sorted?

                  • solkta

                    Yes i do, that is why i agree with Sacha that Crown agencies should do it.

                    • Gosman

                      But they are plainly not going to do that. To achieve your goal you will have to do it yourself.

                    • McFlock

                      Well, I'll take "they are plainly not going to do that" with the same value as your quickly-abandoned "It doesn't have to cost that much."

                      We'll see how fixed the decision is after the reviews and any input they get from specialists. There are processes still to go through before leaping at the "do it yourself" line.

                    • Gosman

                      The Police took less than 24 hours to decide there was no case to answer here. Are you stating they are incompetent?

                    • McFlock

                      Not for sure, but it wouldn't be the first time they incorrectly decided there was nothing to prosecute.

          • Psycho Milt 20.1.1.1.2

            Why public agencies and not you and people who agree with you?

            Because there are reasons we have public agencies, and one of those reasons is so that individuals don't have to use up their own time and resources on things their society should be taking care of.

            • Gosman 20.1.1.1.2.1

              There is also a reason we have the ability to take a private prosecution and that is when the public agencies don't do what you expect them to do.

  21. Gosman 21

    This is Stephen Mills and Matthew Hooton's views on the "Hacking" scandal.

    https://www.rnz.co.nz/audio/player?audio_id=2018698017

    Mills doesn't seem to think National has done anything wrong here and thinks Labour would have done something similar if they had been in the same situation.

  22. Observer Tokoroa 22

    Simon not Looking very Good

    I feel I should assist Nationals Leader – Simon Bridges. He is undergoing even more Trauma than usual.

    He has to stay as Leader. Because there is no one else in the National Caucus, who can do his Job.

    He released advanced Information on the 2019 Budget, Without Permission. He distributed it. He was a very naughty Boy. And he has made Mrs Bennett write a strange letter about. As if she hasn't got enough to do.

    In the normal world, if a person takes what is not theirs – he/she has committed Theft.

    I imagine that at nightfall Simon has spoken with Mrs Bridges. Explained his terrible dishonesty. And asked her forgiveness. Unfortunately Mrs Bennett is now also caught up in Simon's Mess.

    Mrs Bennett could try and get the stolen Papers back – and have them returned to the owners. Simon might feel a little bit better then.

    Someone in Simon's office will have to defray the wages of the persons who selected the documents, and write up the amount of Dollars used by Equipment.

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    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • How Did FTX Crash?
    What seemed a booming success a couple of years ago has collapsed into fraud convictions.I looked at the crash of FTX (short for ‘Futures Exchange’) in November 2022 to see whether it would impact on the financial system as a whole. Fortunately there was barely a ripple, probably because it ...
    PunditBy Brian Easton
    4 days ago
  • Elections in Russia and Ukraine
    Anybody following the situation in Ukraine and Russia would probably have been amused by a recent Tweet on X NATO seems to be putting in an awful lot of effort to influence what is, at least according to them, a sham election in an autocracy.When do the Ukrainians go to ...
    4 days ago
  • Bernard’s six stack of substacks at 6pm on March 15
    TL;DR: Shaun Baker on Wynyard Quarter's transformation. Magdalene Taylor on the problem with smart phones. How private equity are now all over reinsurance. Dylan Cleaver on rugby and CTE. Emily Atkin on ‘Big Meat’ looking like ‘Big Oil’.Bernard’s six-stack of substacks at 6pm on March 15Photo by Jeppe Hove Jensen ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • Buzz from the Beehive Finance Minister Nicola Willis had plenty to say when addressing the Auckland Business Chamber on the economic growth that (she tells us) is flagging more than we thought. But the government intends to put new life into it:  We want our country to be a ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    4 days ago
  • National’s clean car tax advances
    The Transport and Infrastructure Committee has reported back on the Road User Charges (Light Electric RUC Vehicles) Amendment Bill, basicly rubberstamping it. While there was widespread support among submitters for the principle that EV and PHEV drivers should pay their fair share for the roads, they also overwhelmingly disagreed with ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    4 days ago
  • Government funding bailouts
    Peter Dunne writes – This week’s government bailout – the fifth in the last eighteen months – of the financially troubled Ruapehu Alpine Lifts company would have pleased many in the central North Island ski industry. The government’s stated rationale for the $7 million funding was that it ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • Two offenders, different treatments.
    See if you can spot the difference. An Iranian born female MP from a progressive party is accused of serial shoplifting. Her name is leaked to the media, which goes into a pack frenzy even before the Police launch an … Continue reading ...
    KiwipoliticoBy Pablo
    4 days ago
  • Treaty references omitted
    Ele Ludemann writes  – The government is omitting general Treaty references from legislation : The growth of Treaty of Waitangi clauses in legislation caused so much worry that a special oversight group was set up by the last Government in a bid to get greater coherence in the public service on Treaty ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • The Ghahraman Conflict
    What was that judge thinking? Peter Williams writes –  That Golriz Ghahraman and District Court Judge Maria Pecotic were once lawyer colleagues is incontrovertible. There is published evidence that they took at least one case to the Court of Appeal together. There was a report on ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • Bernard's Top 10 @ 10 'pick 'n' mix' for March 15
    TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: Climate Scorpion – the sting is in the tail. Introducing planetary solvency. A paper via the University of Exeter’s Institute and Faculty of Actuaries.Local scoop: Kāinga Ora starts pulling out of its Auckland projects and selling land RNZ ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • The day Wellington up-zoned its future
    Wellington’s massively upzoned District Plan adds the opportunity for tens of thousands of new homes not just in the central city (such as these Webb St new builds) but also close to the CBD and public transport links. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Wellington gave itself the chance of ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • Weekly Roundup 15-March-2024
    It’s Friday and we’re halfway through March Madness. Here’s some of the things that caught our attention this week. This Week in Greater Auckland On Monday Matt asked how we can get better event trains and an option for grade separating Morningside Dr. On Tuesday Matt looked into ...
    Greater AucklandBy Greater Auckland
    5 days ago
  • That Word.
    Something you might not know about me is that I’m quite a stubborn person. No, really. I don’t much care for criticism I think’s unfair or that I disagree with. Few of us do I suppose.Back when I was a drinker I’d sometimes respond defensively, even angrily. There are things ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago
  • The Hoon around the week to March 15
    Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The five things that mattered in Aotearoa’s political economy that we wrote and spoke about via The Kākā and elsewhere for paying subscribers in the last week included:PM Christopher Luxon said the reversal of interest deductibility for landlords was done to help renters, who ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • Labour’s policy gap
    It was not so much the Labour Party but really the Chris Hipkins party yesterday at Labour’s caucus retreat in Martinborough. The former Prime Minister was more or less consistent on wealth tax, which he was at best equivocal about, and social insurance, which he was not willing to revisit. ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    5 days ago
  • Skeptical Science New Research for Week #11 2024
    Open access notables A Glimpse into the Future: The 2023 Ocean Temperature and Sea Ice Extremes in the Context of Longer-Term Climate Change, Kuhlbrodt et al., Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society: In the year 2023, we have seen extraordinary extrema in high sea surface temperature (SST) in the North Atlantic and in ...
    5 days ago
  • Melissa remains mute on media matters but has something to say (at a sporting event) about economic ...
     Buzz from the Beehive   The text reproduced above appears on a page which records all the media statements and speeches posted on the government’s official website by Melissa Lee as Minister of Media and Communications and/or by Jenny Marcroft, her Parliamentary Under-secretary.  It can be quickly analysed ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    5 days ago
  • The return of Muldoon
    For forty years, Robert Muldoon has been a dirty word in our politics. His style of government was so repulsive and authoritarian that the backlash to it helped set and entrench our constitutional norms. His pig-headedness over forcing through Think Big eventually gave us the RMA, with its participation and ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    5 days ago
  • Will the rental tax cut improve life for renters or landlords?
    Bryce Edwards writes –  Is the new government reducing tax on rental properties to benefit landlords or to cut the cost of rents? That’s the big question this week, after Associate Finance Minister David Seymour announced on Sunday that the Government would be reversing the Labour Government’s removal ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • Geoffrey Miller: What Saudi Arabia’s rapid changes mean for New Zealand
    Saudi Arabia is rarely far from the international spotlight. The war in Gaza has brought new scrutiny to Saudi plans to normalise relations with Israel, while the fifth anniversary of the controversial killing of Jamal Khashoggi was marked shortly before the war began on October 7. And as the home ...
    Democracy ProjectBy Geoffrey Miller
    5 days ago
  • Racism’s double standards
    Questions need to be asked on both sides of the world Peter Williams writes –   The NRL Judiciary hands down an eight week suspension to Sydney Roosters forward Spencer Leniu , an Auckland-born Samoan, after he calls Ezra Mam, Sydney-orn but of Aboriginal and Torres Strait ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • It’s not a tax break
    Ele Ludemann writes – Contrary to what many headlines and news stories are saying, residential landlords are not getting a tax break. The government is simply restoring to them the tax deductibility of interest they had until the previous government removed it. There is no logical reason ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • The Plastic Pig Collective and Chris' Imaginary Friends.
    I can't remember when it was goodMoments of happiness in bloomMaybe I just misunderstoodAll of the love we left behindWatching our flashbacks intertwineMemories I will never findIn spite of whatever you becomeForget that reckless thing turned onI think our lives have just begunI think our lives have just begunDoes anyone ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago
  • Who is responsible for young offenders?
    Michael Bassett writes – At first reading, a front-page story in the New Zealand Herald on 13 March was bizarre. A group of severely intellectually limited teenagers, with little understanding of the law, have been pleading to the Justice Select Committee not to pass a bill dealing with ram ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • Gordon Campbell on National’s fantasy trip to La La Landlord Land
    How much political capital is Christopher Luxon willing to burn through in order to deliver his $2.9 billion gift to landlords? Evidently, Luxon is: (a) unable to cost the policy accurately. As Anna Burns-Francis pointed out to him on Breakfast TV, the original ”rock solid” $2.1 billion cost he was ...
    5 days ago
  • Bernard's Top 10 @ 10 'pick 'n' mix' for March 14
    TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: Jonathon Porritt calling bullshit in his own blog post on mainstream climate science as ‘The New Denialism’.Local scoop: The Wellington City Council’s list of proposed changes to the IHP recommendations to be debated later today was leaked this ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • No, Prime Minister, rents don’t rise or fall with landlords’ costs
    TL;DR: Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said yesterday tenants should be grateful for the reinstatement of interest deductibility because landlords would pass on their lower tax costs in the form of lower rents. That would be true if landlords were regulated monopolies such as Transpower or Auckland Airport1, but they’re not, ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • Cartoons: ‘At least I didn’t make things awkward’
    This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Tom Toro Tom Toro is a cartoonist and author. He has published over 200 cartoons in The New Yorker since 2010. His cartoons appear in Playboy, the Paris Review, the New York Times, American Bystander, and elsewhere. Related: What 10 EV lovers ...
    5 days ago
  • Solving traffic congestion with Richard Prebble
    The business section of the NZ Herald is full of opinion. Among the more opinionated of all is the ex-Minister of Transport, ex-Minister of Railways, ex MP for Auckland Central (1975-93, Labour), Wellington Central (1996-99, ACT, then list-2005), ex-leader of the ACT Party, uncle to actor Antonia, the veritable granddaddy ...
    Greater AucklandBy Patrick Reynolds
    5 days ago
  • I Think I'm Done Flying Boeing
    Hi,Just quickly — I’m blown away by the stories you’ve shared with me over the last week since I put out the ‘Gary’ podcast, where I told you about the time my friend’s flatmate killed the neighbour.And you keep telling me stories — in the comments section, and in my ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    6 days ago
  • Invoking Aristotle: Of Rings of Power, Stones, and Ships
    The first season of Rings of Power was not awful. It was thoroughly underwhelming, yes, and left a lingering sense of disappointment, but it was more expensive mediocrity than catastrophe. I wrote at length about the series as it came out (see the Review section of the blog, and go ...
    6 days ago
  • Van Velden brings free-market approach to changing labour laws – but her colleagues stick to distr...
    Buzz from the Beehive Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Brooke van Velden told Auckland Business Chamber members they were the first audience to hear her priorities as a minister in a government committed to cutting red tape and regulations. She brandished her liberalising credentials, saying Flexible labour markets are the ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago
  • Why Newshub failed
    Chris Trotter writes – TO UNDERSTAND WHY NEWSHUB FAILED, it is necessary to understand how TVNZ changed. Up until 1989, the state broadcaster had been funded by a broadcasting licence fee, collected from every citizen in possession of a television set, supplemented by a relatively modest (compared ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago
  • Māori Party on the warpath against landlords and seabed miners – let’s see if mystical creature...
    Bob Edlin writes  –  The Māori Party has been busy issuing a mix of warnings and threats as its expresses its opposition to interest deductibility for landlords and the plans of seabed miners. It remains to be seen whether they  follow the example of indigenous litigants in Australia, ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago

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

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