The birth of NZ’s very own Birther movement

Written By: - Date published: 9:07 pm, September 26th, 2013 - 81 comments
Categories: david cunliffe, labour, uncategorized, you couldn't make this shit up - Tags: ,

slaterThe right must be very afraid of David Cunliffe.  Because they are coming up with the most extraordinarily crazy conspiracy theories to try and discredit him.

It is becoming a bit like the Birther movement in the US.  Over in the land of the free and the brave some chose to exercise their freedom of speech by claiming that the President of the United States was not born there but was actually born in Kenya.  There is no proof that this actually occurred.  Their basic motivation appears to be that Obama is black.  Deep down they cannot accept that a black person could or should be their leader.  And so they have talked up an amazing conspiracy theory.  It is full of dog whistle, after all they are not complaining that their leader is black, just that he was born in a nation where most of the people had dark skins.  And he is obviously not an American, so why should he lead them.

And despite POTUS producing an unimpeachable piece of paper showing that he is American born, they refuse to believe this and still claim that he is an Alien.  As far as I am aware a poll has not been conducted but I suspect that a significant part of the Birther movement believe that Obama was born on one of Jupiter’s moons.  I guess that democracy requires an acceptance that some people may have the most bat shit crazy beliefs possible.

Despite their efforts, actually probably because of their efforts, Obama was recently reelected leader of the free world.  The last election was fascinating.  Obama probably won the first because he lifted everyone with his soaring oratory and vision, he won the last election because lefties and progressives, even while harbouring significant reservations, insisted that their country should be run by someone who was at least sane.

Over here things are developing in the same way.  David Cunliffe has recently received the overwhelming endorsement of Labour Party members and affiliates.  He has then engaged in a dream week where he has been concise and competent when interviewed by the media, sharp with his policy announcements and somehow he has made the Labour caucus look united.  He then had a significant bump in the latest Herald Digipoll and for the first time in 6 years Labour and National are suddenly getting close to equal pegging.

So what does National do?  It engages its social media geniuses to try and destroy Cunliffe’s reputation.

First off Matthew Hooton calls Cunliffe a liar because he said he had some involvement, not specified, in the formation of Fonterra.  Not once, but four times on National Radio.  An apology today by Kathryn Ryan shows what RNZ thinks of Hooton’s claims.

And then Cameron leaps to the fore and decides to attack Cunliffe’s release of a document showing that when he was with BCG he did work that led up to the formation of Fonterra.  Not just with one post, but with multiple posts where he quotes people such as “A Reader”, also known as a staffer of National’s Parliamentary Research Unit, as confirmation that there is something dodgy about the timesheet that Cunliffe produced.

So let me get this right.  Cunliffe produces a fake timesheet that he says was provided by Boston Consultancy Group, one of the most well respected consultancies in the world with offices in 75 countries and BCG will not notice if it is a fake?  Do you think that if the timesheet is false BCG may actually express its concern?

This has about the same chance as Obama being Kenya born.  Actually it is less likely.

We are witnessing the birth of our very own birther movement.

 

81 comments on “The birth of NZ’s very own Birther movement ”

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  1. Colonial Viper 1
    26 September 2013 at 9:13 pm

    The Righties appear to be spiralling out of control. This is developing into a big problem for Key. If he doesn’t rein them back in it will eat into the credibility of any future attacks on Cunliffe eg during the actual campaign next year.

    • chris73 1.1
      26 September 2013 at 9:54 pm

      This isn’t really required by the right, I’d suggest just sticking with Andrea Vances articles and keep leaking whats coming out of Labour

      • mickysavage 1.1.1
        26 September 2013 at 9:59 pm

        Chris do you get instructions from on high? In the past I agree that Labour leaked like a sieve but my impression is that the caucus is very resolute right now. Do you have any evidence of Labour MPs leaking? Or are you just running lines in the hope that your wishes match reality?

        • chris73 1.1.1.1
          26 September 2013 at 10:32 pm

          Depends because from where I was sitting Phil Goff did an admirable job but was hamstrung by his ministers, David Shearer was set up and dropped by his ministers and Cunliffe was apparently a tad unpopular with some in the party as well

          Yet somehow everything has now changed and its all solidarity and teamwork…its also the same thing that was said during Goffs and Shearers tenure

          You have (mostly) the same people in (mostly) the same positions and yet you think you’re going to have a different outcome?

          I think the same people that stopped Goff from becoming PM, didn’t even let Shearer get to the campaign and actively tried to roadblock Cunliffe are still there and are leaking like a sieve

          Why they’re leaking is something I don’t get because whats the point of being a politician and not wanting to have the power?

        • David H 1.1.1.2
          27 September 2013 at 7:05 am

          Great article Micky, Except I think this “Over in the land of the free and the brave” Should really read ” Over in the land of the Paranoid and Insane.” Now that a way more apt description of the state of mind over there.

          Sorry did not meant to detract from the discussion, but with Chris73 up to his RWNJ Tricks.

      • billy fish 1.1.2
        26 September 2013 at 10:07 pm

        The article also forgot to mention the other facet of the “birther movement” here
        Continual claims that all the shit is coming from inside Labour in an ever increasing leak torrent

        Happy birther day Chris

      • Colonial Viper 1.1.3
        26 September 2013 at 10:08 pm

        Another bad poll or two and National is going to start leaking like Fukushima

        • Rhinocrates 1.1.3.1
          26 September 2013 at 10:21 pm

          Good point. To assume that National is united would be stupid; the would-be successors to Key will see any weakening of his position as an opportunity. Collins may not believe that she can take the leadership before the next election, but after that, surely…

          Keep an ear out for the leaks coming from what so far has been a tightly disciplined machine, but which won’t be for long.

        • Chooky 1.1.3.2
          26 September 2013 at 10:42 pm

          CV+1….smirk

      • mike e 1.1.4
        26 September 2013 at 10:35 pm

        C73 the birther movement has lead to a miscarriage of justice

  2. Hayden 2
    26 September 2013 at 9:22 pm

    WHAR TYMSHET? WHAR?

  4. irascible 4
    26 September 2013 at 9:27 pm

    On Planet Key life can be measured by the slaters which crawl from the woodwork a hooton’ and a hollering that they only have the true tin foil hats to preserve NZ from a Labour government.
    Mind you I’ve heard Key echo the tinfoil conspiracy recently when he proclaimed that a Labour-Green coalition would not be a genuine government if the only opposition was him and his National-ACT party.
    Me thinks the residents of Planet Key are losing their grip on the already shadowy reality they may have.

  5. Pete 5
    26 September 2013 at 9:57 pm

    I mentioned on Monday how Hooton sounded like a shrill Birther or a Truther. Do we have some Koch brothers to go along with it?

  6. Tim 6
    26 September 2013 at 10:10 pm

    He’s running lines. Polly wanna cracker?

  7. karol 7
    26 September 2013 at 10:12 pm

    excellent post, micky. I am amazed how some righties have chosen to keep on trying to claim something that has been proved to be incorrect.

    Mind you, I wonder how much of it is a diversionary tactic? Hard to tell how sincere they are. It means us lefties spend a little less time talking about important policy issues.

  8. QoT 8
    26 September 2013 at 10:15 pm

    Well, see, BCG are obviously part of the conspiracy. Notice the three letters in their name?

    B = Bolshevik
    C = Communist
    G = Gorbachev

    WAKE UP, SHEEPLE.

    • mickysavage 8.1
      26 September 2013 at 10:16 pm

      😀
      😀
      😀

    • Pete 8.2
      26 September 2013 at 10:29 pm

      Just another one to add to The List:

      List of Conspirators Against the National Party, and Therefore New Zealand

      The Boston Consulting Group
      Public broadcasting, especially Radio New Zealand
      Timesheets
      Shower heads
      Gays
      Lesbians
      Artists
      Actors
      Anyone who didn’t like The Hobbit
      All columnists except Fran O’Sullivan
      People who move overseas
      People with student loans
      People who move overseas with student loans
      People who return from overseas with student loans
      Safety inspectors
      The entire city of Christchurch
      Maths
      Bloggers
      ASB Bank
      The Governor of the Reserve Bank
      BBC Hardtalk
      Scientists
      The Commerce Commission
      The Ombudsman
      John Campbell
      Parliamentary Services
      BMW
      Jon Stephenson
      Three-way handshakes
      Nicky Hagar
      Breakfast (the meal)
      Martyn Bradbury
      Environmentalists
      The Supreme Court
      Labour Unions
      The entire public service, except Treasury and the intelligence agencies
      Teachers
      Universities
      Academics
      Bernard Hickey
      Gareth Morgan

      Feel free to amend as you like

  9. karol 9
    26 September 2013 at 10:24 pm

    The suggestion on another thread that the documents Cunliffe provided to RNZ were obviously fake? Did this misguided person think that the documents hadn’t been scrutinised and accepted by RNZ’s lawyers/researchers?

    Or were they just not that bothered, with this issue that could have legal repercussions for them?

    • David H 9.1
      27 September 2013 at 8:18 am

      I think it was attributed to Whaleslime’s sewer site, and therefor a non event. But not positive.

  10. Rhinocrates 10
    26 September 2013 at 10:27 pm

    Vespasian, a Roman emperor (certainly one of the better ones), once said of a critic – “I will not kill a dog for barking at me,” and the effect was far more devastating than an execution would have been. David Cunliffe seems to have handled this well, by making an immediate link with the birthers.

    If this keeps up, they won’t look evil, they’ll look silly – and politically, that’s worse.

    An old proverb, attributed to every great philosopher is this: “who defines the terms wins the argument.” That’s why Gaffe and Mumblefuck lost – it was always “me too” or attacking beneficiaries and teachers. They let Key determine the terms of the argument, as Thatcher said that Blair was her greatest triumph. This time it’s “you’re not even Satan – he had depth”, and it works.

    • Rhinocrates 10.1
      26 September 2013 at 10:45 pm

      I’ll have to say, he certainly didn’t say “Bow wow!” either, which was what Gaffe and Mumblefuck did.

    • The Al1en 10.2
      26 September 2013 at 10:50 pm

      “If this keeps up, they won’t look evil, they’ll look silly – and politically, that’s worse.”

      Watch DC with Gower, he already does this by talking to him like a naughty 5 year old.
      Fun to see.

      • Rhinocrates 10.2.1
        27 September 2013 at 12:12 am

        Seeing Rat Boy put in his place would be nice – do you have a link?

        • The Al1en 10.2.1.1
          27 September 2013 at 9:12 am

          I don’t have a link, but if it helps, there’s a small example of it at the end of DC’s candidature press conference, which would be somewhere on the tv3 site I guess.
          It’s happened a few times before and a couple after, but just check the tone and manner of Cunliffe’s replies next time they’re both on if you can’t find one. I’m picking pre planned as a neutralising tactic, though accept it could well be a subconscious thing.

    • Mike S 10.3
      27 September 2013 at 6:34 am

      Exactly. They obviously didn’t even consider that Cunliffe would produce a timesheet and what’s more produce it immediately for scrutiny. Talk about thickwits.. This is a thing I see in Cunliffe, he is not afraid to stand up and defend himself instead of dismissing the issue as if beneath him or hiding from the issue. In my opinion his actions show someone who has a strong belief in what’s right and who will fight rather than flee or crumple.

      • Delia 10.3.1
        27 September 2013 at 12:24 pm

        He has been around enough that he knows all their dirty tricks and he knows what to do with them, he is not Helen’s ‘son’ for nothing.

    • Rodel 10.4
      27 September 2013 at 9:19 am

      Rhinocrates
      Your Vespasian,quote was on the button but the terminology maligns dogs…. For G and H It’s ‘rodents’.

  11. bad12 11
    26 September 2013 at 10:37 pm

    Now that Blubber Boy has destroyed the ‘news spit paper’ that they gave Him to play with,(Daddy’s attempt to make the little psycho grow up???), what’s the lump of lard do for a crust these days,

    Back on the sickness bene for psyche issues is it, could never quite work that one out either, what was the line there, Wee Cam the only sickness bene in the whole nation who wasn’t faking it…

    • Delia 11.1
      27 September 2013 at 12:30 pm

      He should be happy to be on a Job Seeker allowance and go find another job…just like he and his mate expect all those other ‘bludgers’ do do.

    • Delia 11.2
      27 September 2013 at 12:30 pm

      He should be happy to be on a Job Seeker allowance and go find another job…just like he and his mates expect all those other ‘bludgers’ do do.

    • Murray Olsen 11.3
      27 September 2013 at 3:23 pm

      I have heard that WhaleSpew uses private income insurance. The insurance company possibly thinks it’s better to just pay him than wrestle with a pig in mud. Of course, this probably also allows him to receive money from all sorts of sources that wouldn’t be possibly if he relied on Paula for his income.

      • lprent 11.3.1
        27 September 2013 at 4:29 pm

        I thought that his insurers had cut him off a few years ago.

        • Murray Olsen 11.3.1.1
          27 September 2013 at 8:22 pm

          It’s quite possible that what I heard was wrong. How he supports himself is hardly one of the things that excites my curiosity. On a sociological/psychological level, I am curious as to how he manages to be as influential as he is. I can see why NAct would have him around, as it’s hard to imagine a depth he wouldn’t sink to in his slavish devotion to his daddy’s legacy, but why on Earth does anyone put him on tv?

          • lprent 11.3.1.1.1
            28 September 2013 at 10:26 am

            TV in NZ has dropped to depths that make the news and much of the political commentary to be laughable. It has largely become infotainment and played as much for laughs are information. If you want information then most younger people just use the net – including what broadcast TV is worth .

            The other content on TV is just as useless, including Sky’s pay TV.

            It was kind of weird the other day realising that virtually no one at work watches more than a miniscule amount of broadcast TV any more. They pay reasonably small amounts of money to get their entertainment without ads and in their own time schedules. I’d thought that it was just my circle of friend and family who were doing that.

            I haven’t connected the TV aerial since I moved back into my apartment last september.

            Whaleoil is presumably entertaining and suits the content makers of a dying industry.

  12. mike e 12
    26 September 2013 at 11:08 pm

    hopefully bennett has him drug tested and ready for work!

  13. hellonearthis 13
    26 September 2013 at 11:26 pm

    Matthew Hooton made his claim 5 times before he was told to shut up. He was given a warning at four and then said it again.

  14. tracey 14
    27 September 2013 at 5:38 am

    never underestimate tgd power of the right. whoever controls the dialogue wins and murdoch controls the dialogue… gonna be hard work defying that.

  15. Aotearoean 15
    27 September 2013 at 7:01 am

    Mathew Hooton will have to decide who needs him after the next election?

    • Tim 15.1
      27 September 2013 at 7:24 am

      I think he has aspirations of a job with Crosby Textor

    • David H 15.2
      27 September 2013 at 10:01 am

      And he’s going to point to his “Liar Liar Liar etc etc ad naseum” debacle on his CV? Not a good look, accuser, then made to look a fool all in under 24hrs.

    • felix 15.3
      27 September 2013 at 10:25 am

      He’ll probably be hospitalised by then.

      Unfortunately there’s no cure for what Hooten has, so he’ll almost certainly live out his last days in the “Hospice For Failed Desperate Spinners Who Got Lucky A Couple Of Times And Don’t Know When They’ve Outlived Their Usefulness”.

      You know, where John Ansell lives.

  16. Saarbo 16
    27 September 2013 at 9:26 am

    These idiots can say what they like about Cunliffe, but they (Hooten, Whale, Farrar, Armstrong, Vance) who have a go at him and his CV wouldn’t get close to being employed by BCG. BCG are a clever bunch and to become a BCG consultant requires serious brain power and qualifications. In my 15 year corporate career (I’m out of that scene now, too constraining, they can go and stick their “performance appraisals” up their arse, you know what I mean, the indignity of corporate life) I learned more when the company I worked for contracted BCG than in any other environment I worked in. They come out with some amazing thinking and tools to boost business performance, so I’m very interested to see what DC comes out with in terms of economic development.

    And I have a chuckle when I think about DC versus Steven Joyce, the small time radio man from New Plymouth who made good by rationalising a few radio stations into national format…that is his one claim to fame and he now thinks he has the know-how to create economic development in New Zealand (Lets be honest, he is doing fuck all). In my 15 year corporate career I worked beside heaps of consultants, and BCG would be the only consultant that I reckon were worth the money paid to them, and its fair to say it was serious money too. Steven Joyce wouldn’t get close to being employed by BCG, he’s a lightweight and his performance shows it.

    • tinfoilhat 16.1
      27 September 2013 at 10:08 am

      Strange I also used to work in the corporate sector many years ago and also had dealings with BCG (not David Cunliffe) though, my impression was that they were very expensive buffoons and yes men (very few woman) and generally pretty crap.

      • Saarbo 16.1.1
        27 September 2013 at 6:22 pm

        @tinfoilhat

        There were more women than men on the Fletcher Challenge Paper job, many process engineers with phd’s from US and Aus universities from memory.

        • karol 16.1.1.1
          27 September 2013 at 6:30 pm

          When I was researching Cunliffe, BCG & Fonterra, I found a couple of ex BCG women and men now with Fonterra.

    • Cemetery Jones 16.2
      27 September 2013 at 11:12 am

      One of the most comedic moments from Whale’s Birther/Bircher threads on Cunliffe’s document was the one where a WO moderator, ‘Petal’ indignantly posted that BCG hadn’t replied to his email request for info confirming the legitimacy of the document, so he phoned them. He added that when he told them what blog he was from, they forwarded him to a voicemail. Then, after a dramatic line-break, added ‘I think I’m being stonewalled.’

      I actually sprayed coffee. The idea of the conceited little knob calling BCG and trying to strong-arm his way past reception with an Aaron Gilmore-esque ‘do you know what blog I am from?’ bluff had me in stitches.The dramatic line-break followed with the ‘I think I’m being stonewalled’ might just have damaged my bladder for good in my effort to retain continence.

      The evident cognitive dissonance was fantastic. He may as well have posted a video sobbing “But I thought big business was on our side?”

    • newsense 16.3
      1 October 2013 at 12:59 am

      let’s wait and see him prove that. A dullard with a club can beat a knight with a sword if he hits him first and when he’s not ready…proof of the pudding is the results.

  17. trickldrown 17
    27 September 2013 at 11:02 am

    Hooten is going to work for fisher and paykel so they can do
    research on machines that a permanently stuck on spin cycle.

    • Sable 17.1
      27 September 2013 at 1:01 pm

      I thought he might be working with agricultural research to develop his own brand of extra strength fertilizer..

  18. Sable 18
    27 September 2013 at 1:00 pm

    I think Shakespeare said it best: why stoop to pick up nothing…

    • billy fish 18.1
      27 September 2013 at 6:10 pm

      Is there nothing that Shakespeare had no quote for? I am always awed by the mans skill. The Motzart of the English language

  19. Rhinocrates 19
    27 September 2013 at 11:52 pm

    Funny that Hoots hasn’t shown up here – you know, to “stand by” his excretions. He’s got moral courage and facts by his side – or so he he says, so he’ll “stand by” what he says, I expect.

    Mind you, I once stood in a paddock by a cow pat, so I guess I “stood by” that and so it’s pretty easy.

  20. the sprout 20
    28 September 2013 at 10:27 am

    such fear and loathing towards Cunliffe from the right, and yet they seemed to love Shearer and the ABC.
    funny that

  21. CV 21
    29 September 2013 at 10:57 am

    I have Cameron Slaters CV

    2003 Owned Security Company
    2004 Inbetween Jobs
    2012 Editor of Truth (6 months)
    2012 to today Inbeween Jobs

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    Dead Woman Walking: New Zealand’s media industry had been moving steadily towards disaster for all the years Melissa Lee had been National’s media and communications policy spokesperson, and yet, when the crisis finally broke, on her watch, she had nothing intelligent to offer. Christopher Luxon is a patient man - but he’s not ...
    Bowalley Road
    1 day ago

  • Will political polarisation intensify to the point where ‘normal’ government becomes impossible,...
    Chris Trotter writes –  New Zealand politics is remarkably easy-going: dangerously so, one might even say. With the notable exception of John Key’s flat ruling-out of the NZ First Party in 2008, all parties capable of clearing MMP’s five-percent threshold, or winning one or more electorate seats, tend ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    2 days ago

  • Bernard’s pick 'n' mix for Tuesday, April 30
    TL;DR: Here’s my top 10 ‘pick ‘n’ mix of links to news, analysis and opinion articles as of 10:30am on Tuesday, May 30:Scoop: NZ 'close to the tipping point' of measles epidemic, health experts warn NZ Herald Benjamin PlummerHealth: 'Absurd and totally unacceptable': Man has to wait a year for ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago

  • Why Tory Whanau has the lowest approval rating in the country
    Bryce Edwards writes – Polling shows that Wellington Mayor Tory Whanau has the lowest approval rating of any mayor in the country. Siting at -12 per cent, the proportion of constituents who disapprove of her performance outweighs those who give her the thumbs up. This negative rating is ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    2 days ago

  • Worst poll result for a new Government in MMP history
    Luxon will no doubt put a brave face on it, but there is no escaping the pressure this latest poll will put on him and the government. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: These are the six things that stood out to me in news and commentary on Aotearoa-NZ’s political ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago

  • Pinning down climate change's role in extreme weather
    This is a re-post from The Climate Brink by Andrew Dessler In the wake of any unusual weather event, someone inevitably asks, “Did climate change cause this?” In the most literal sense, that answer is almost always no. Climate change is never the sole cause of hurricanes, heat waves, droughts, or ...
    Skeptical Science
    2 days ago

  • Serving at Seymour's pleasure.
    Something odd happened yesterday, and I’d love to know if there’s more to it. If there was something which preempted what happened, or if it was simply a throwaway line in response to a journalist.Yesterday David Seymour was asked at a press conference what the process would be if the ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    2 days ago

  • Webworm LA Pop-Up
    Hi,From time to time, I want to bring Webworm into the real world. We did it last year with the Jurassic Park event in New Zealand — which was a lot of fun!And so on Saturday May 11th, in Los Angeles, I am hosting a lil’ Webworm pop-up! I’ve been ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    2 days ago

  • “Feel good” school is out
    Education Minister Erica Standford yesterday unveiled a fundamental reform of the way our school pupils are taught. She would not exactly say so, but she is all but dismantling the so-called “inquiry” “feel good” method of teaching, which has ruled in our classrooms since a major review of the New ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    2 days ago

  • 6 Months in, surely our Report Card is “Ignored all warnings: recommend dismissal ASAP”?
    Exactly where are we seriously going with this government and its policies? That is, apart from following what may as well be a Truss-Lite approach on the purported economic “plan“, and Victorian-era regression when it comes to social policy. Oh it’ll work this time of course, we’re basically assured, “the ...
    exhALANtBy exhalantblog
    2 days ago

  • Bread, and how it gets buttered
    Hey Uncle Dave, When the Poms joined the EEC, I wasn't one of those defeatists who said, Well, that’s it for the dairy job. And I was right, eh? The Chinese can’t get enough of our milk powder and eventually, the Poms came to their senses and backed up the ute ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    2 days ago

  • Bryce Edwards: Why Tory Whanau has the lowest approval rating in the country
    Polling shows that Wellington Mayor Tory Whanau has the lowest approval rating of any mayor in the country. Siting at -12 per cent, the proportion of constituents who disapprove of her performance outweighs those who give her the thumbs up. This negative rating is higher than for any other mayor ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    2 days ago

  • Justice for Gaza?
    The New York Times reports that the International Criminal Court is about to issue arrest warrants for Israeli officials, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, over their genocide in Gaza: Israeli officials increasingly believe that the International Criminal Court is preparing to issue arrest warrants for senior government officials on ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    2 days ago

  • If there has been any fiddling with Pharmac’s funding, we can count on Paula to figure out the fis...
    Buzz from the Beehive Pharmac has been given a financial transfusion and a new chair to oversee its spending in the pharmaceutical business. Associate Health Minister David Seymour described the funding for Pharmac as “its largest ever budget of $6.294 billion over four years, fixing a $1.774 billion fiscal cliff”. ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    2 days ago

  • FastTrackWatch – The case for the Government’s Fast Track Bill
    Bryce Edwards writes – Many criticisms are being made of the Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill, including by this writer. But as with everything in politics, every story has two sides, and both deserve attention. It’s important to understand what the Government is trying to achieve and its ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    3 days ago

  • Bernard’s pick 'n' mix for Monday, April 29
    TL;DR: Here’s my top 10 ‘pick ‘n’ mix of links to news, analysis and opinion articles as of 10:10am on Monday, April 29:Scoop: The children's ward at Rotorua Hospital will be missing a third of its beds as winter hits because Te Whatu Ora halted an upgrade partway through to ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago

  • Gordon Campbell on Iran killing its rappers, and searching for the invisible Dr. Reti
    span class=”dropcap”>As hideous as David Seymour can be, it is worth keeping in mind occasionally that there are even worse political figures (and regimes) out there. Iran for instance, is about to execute the country’s leading hip hop musician Toomaj Salehi, for writing and performing raps that “corrupt” the nation’s ...
    Gordon CampbellBy lyndon
    3 days ago

  • Auckland Rail Electrification 10 years old
    Yesterday marked 10 years since the first electric train carried passengers in Auckland so it’s a good time to look back at it and the impact it has had. A brief history The first proposals for rail electrification in Auckland came in the 1920’s alongside the plans for earlier ...
    Greater AucklandBy Matt L
    3 days ago

  • Coalition's dirge of austerity and uncertainty is driving the economy into a deeper recession
    Right now, in Aotearoa-NZ, our ‘animal spirits’ are darkening towards a winter of discontent, thanks at least partly to a chorus of negative comments and actions from the Government Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: These are the six things that stood out to me in news and commentary on ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago

  • Disability Funding or Tax Cuts.
    You make people evil to punish the paststuck inside a sequel with a rotating castThe following photos haven’t been generated with AI, or modified in any way. They are flesh and blood, human beings. On the left is Galatea Young, a young mum, and her daughter Fiadh who has Angelman ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    3 days ago

  • Of the Goodness of Tolkien’s Eru
    April has been a quiet month at A Phuulish Fellow. I have had an exceptionally good reading month, and a decently productive writing month – for original fiction, anyway – but not much has caught my eye that suggested a blog article. It has been vaguely frustrating, to be honest. ...
    A Phuulish FellowBy strda221
    3 days ago

  • 2024 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #17
    A listing of 31 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, April 21, 2024 thru Sat, April 27, 2024. Story of the week Anthropogenic climate change may be the ultimate shaggy dog story— but with a twist, because here ...
    Skeptical Science
    3 days ago

  • Pastor Who Abused People, Blames People
    Hi,I spent about a year on Webworm reporting on an abusive megachurch called Arise, and it made me want to stab my eyes out with a fork.I don’t regret that reporting in 2022 and 2023 — I am proud of it — but it made me angry.Over three main stories ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    3 days ago

  • Vic Uni shows how under threat free speech is
    The new Victoria University Vice-Chancellor decided to have a forum at the university about free speech and academic freedom as it is obviously a topical issue, and the Government is looking at legislating some carrots or sticks for universities to uphold their obligations under the Education and Training Act. They ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago

  • Winston remembers Gettysburg.
    Do you remember when Melania Trump got caught out using a speech that sounded awfully like one Michelle Obama had given? Uncannily so.Well it turns out that Abraham Lincoln is to Winston Peters as Michelle was to Melania. With the ANZAC speech Uncle Winston gave at Gallipoli having much in ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    4 days ago

  • 25
    She was born 25 years ago today in North Shore hospital. Her eyes were closed tightly shut, her mouth was silently moving. The whole theatre was all quiet intensity as they marked her a 2 on the APGAR test. A one-minute eternity later, she was an 8.  The universe was ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    4 days ago

  • Fact Brief – Is Antarctica gaining land ice?
    Skeptical Science is partnering with Gigafact to produce fact briefs — bite-sized fact checks of trending claims. This fact brief was written by Sue Bin Park in collaboration with members from our Skeptical Science team. You can submit claims you think need checking via the tipline. Is Antarctica gaining land ice? ...
    Skeptical Science
    4 days ago

  • Policing protests.
    Images of US students (and others) protesting and setting up tent cities on US university campuses have been broadcast world wide and clearly demonstrate the growing rifts in US society caused by US policy toward Israel and Israel’s prosecution of … Continue reading → ...
    KiwipoliticoBy Pablo
    5 days ago

  • Open letter to Hon Paul Goldsmith
    Barrie Saunders writes – Dear Paul As the new Minister of Media and Communications, you will be inundated with heaps of free advice and special pleading, all in the national interest of course. For what it’s worth here is my assessment: Traditional broadcasting free to air content through ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago

  • Bryce Edwards: FastTrackWatch – The Case for the Government’s Fast Track Bill
    Many criticisms are being made of the Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill, including by this writer. But as with everything in politics, every story has two sides, and both deserve attention. It’s important to understand what the Government is trying to achieve and its arguments for such a bold reform. ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    5 days ago

  • Luxon gets out his butcher’s knife – briefly
    Peter Dunne writes –  The great nineteenth British Prime Minister, William Gladstone, once observed that “the first essential for a Prime Minister is to be a good butcher.” When a later British Prime Minister, Harold Macmillan, sacked a third of his Cabinet in July 1962, in what became ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago

  • More tax for less
    Ele Ludemann writes – New Zealanders had the OECD’s second highest tax increase last year: New Zealanders faced the second-biggest tax raises in the developed world last year, the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) says. The intergovernmental agency said the average change in personal income tax ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago

  • Real News vs Fake News.
    We all know something’s not right with our elections. The spread of misinformation, people being targeted with soundbites and emotional triggers that ignore the facts, even the truth, and influence their votes.The use of technology to produce deep fakes. How can you tell if something is real or not? Can ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago

  • Another way to roll
    Hello! Here comes the Saturday edition of More Than A Feilding, catching you up on the past week’s editions.Share ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    5 days ago

  • Simon Clark: The climate lies you'll hear this year
    This video includes conclusions of the creator climate scientist Dr. Simon Clark. It is presented to our readers as an informed perspective. Please see video description for references (if any). This year you will be lied to! Simon Clark helps prebunk some misleading statements you'll hear about climate. The video includes ...
    Skeptical Science
    5 days ago

  • Cutting the Public Service
    It is all very well cutting the backrooms of public agencies but it may compromise the frontlines. One of the frustrations of the Productivity Commission’s 2017 review of universities is that while it observed that their non-academic staff were increasing faster than their academic staff, it did not bother to ...
    PunditBy Brian Easton
    5 days ago

  • Luxon’s demoted ministers might take comfort from the British politician who bounced back after th...
    Buzz from the Beehive Two speeches delivered by Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters at Anzac Day ceremonies in Turkey are the only new posts on the government’s official website since the PM announced his Cabinet shake-up. In one of the speeches, Peters stated the obvious:  we live in a troubled ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    5 days ago

  • This is how I roll over
    1. Which of these would you not expect to read in The Waikato Invader?a. Luxon is here to do business, don’t you worry about thatb. Mr KPI expects results, and you better believe itc. This decisive man of action is getting me all hot and excitedd. Melissa Lee is how ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    5 days ago

  • The Waitangi Tribunal is not “a roving Commission”…
    …it has a restricted jurisdiction which must not be abused: it is not an inquisition   NOTE – this article was published before the High Court ruled that Karen Chhour does not have to appear before the Waitangi Tribunal Gary Judd writes –  The High Court ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago

  • Is Oranga Tamariki guilty of neglect?
    Lindsay Mitchell writes – One of reasons Oranga Tamariki exists is to prevent child neglect. But could the organisation itself be guilty of the same? Oranga Tamariki’s statistics show a decrease in the number and age of children in care. “There are less children ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago

  • Three Strikes saw lower reoffending
    David Farrar writes: Graeme Edgeler wrote in 2017: In the first five years after three strikes came into effect 5248 offenders received a ‘first strike’ (that is, a “stage-1 conviction” under the three strikes sentencing regime), and 68 offenders received a ‘second strike’. In the five years prior to ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago

  • Luxon’s ruthless show of strength is perfect for our angry era
    Bryce Edwards writes – Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has surprised everyone with his ruthlessness in sacking two of his ministers from their crucial portfolios. Removing ministers for poor performance after only five months in the job just doesn’t normally happen in politics. That’s refreshing and will be extremely ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago

  • 'Lacks attention to detail and is creating double-standards.'
    TL;DR: These are the six things that stood out to me in news and commentary on Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the two days to 6:06am on Thursday, April 25:Politics: PM Christopher Luxon has set up a dual standard for ministerial competence by demoting two National Cabinet ministers while leaving also-struggling ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    6 days ago

  • One Night Only!
    Hi,Today I mainly want to share some of your thoughts about the recent piece I wrote about success and failure, and the forces that seemingly guide our lives. But first, a quick bit of housekeeping: I am doing a Webworm popup in Los Angeles on Saturday May 11 at 2pm. ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    6 days ago

  • What did Melissa Lee do?
    It is hard to see what Melissa Lee might have done to “save” the media. National went into the election with no public media policy and appears not to have developed one subsequently. Lee claimed that she had prepared a policy paper before the election but it had been decided ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    6 days ago

  • Skeptical Science New Research for Week #17 2024
    Open access notables Ice acceleration and rotation in the Greenland Ice Sheet interior in recent decades, Løkkegaard et al., Communications Earth & Environment: In the past two decades, mass loss from the Greenland ice sheet has accelerated, partly due to the speedup of glaciers. However, uncertainty in speed derived from satellite products ...
    Skeptical Science
    6 days ago

  • Maori Party (with “disgust”) draws attention to Chhour’s race after the High Court rules on Wa...
    Buzz from the Beehive A statement from Children’s Minister Karen Chhour – yet to be posted on the Government’s official website – arrived in Point of Order’s email in-tray last night. It welcomes the High Court ruling on whether the Waitangi Tribunal can demand she appear before it. It does ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago

  • Who’s Going Up The Media Mountain?
    Mr Bombastic: Ironically, the media the academic experts wanted is, in many ways, the media they got. In place of the tyrannical editors of yesteryear, advancing without fear or favour the interests of the ruling class; the New Zealand news media of today boasts a troop of enlightened journalists dedicated to ...
    Bowalley Road
    7 days ago

  • “That's how I roll”
    It's hard times try to make a livingYou wake up every morning in the unforgivingOut there somewhere in the cityThere's people living lives without mercy or pityI feel good, yeah I'm feeling fineI feel better then I have for the longest timeI think these pills have been good for meI ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    7 days ago

  • “Comity” versus the rule of law
    In 1974, the US Supreme Court issued its decision in United States v. Nixon, finding that the President was not a King, but was subject to the law and was required to turn over the evidence of his wrongdoing to the courts. It was a landmark decision for the rule ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    1 week ago

  • Aotearoa: a live lab for failed Right-wing socio-economic zombie experiments once more…
    Every day now just seems to bring in more fresh meat for the grinder. In their relentlessly ideological drive to cut back on the “excessive bloat” (as they see it) of the previous Labour-led government, on the mountains of evidence accumulated in such a short period of time do not ...
    exhALANtBy exhalantblog
    1 week ago

  • Water is at the heart of farmers’ struggle to survive in Benin
    This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Megan Valére Sosou Market gardening site of the Itchèléré de Itagui agricultural cooperative in Dassa-Zoumè (Image credit: Megan Valère Sossou) For the residents of Dassa-Zoumè, a city in the West African country of Benin, choosing between drinking water and having enough ...
    Skeptical Science
    1 week ago

  • At a time of media turmoil, Melissa had nothing to proclaim as Minister – and now she has been dem...
    Buzz from the Beehive   Melissa Lee – as may be discerned from the screenshot above – has not been demoted for doing something seriously wrong as Minister of ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    1 week ago

  • Minister acknowledges passing of Sir Robert Martin (KNZM)
    New Zealand lost a true legend when internationally renowned disability advocate Sir Robert Martin (KNZM) passed away at his home in Whanganui last night, Disabilities Issues Minister Louise Upston says. “Our Government’s thoughts are with his wife Lynda, family and community, those he has worked with, the disability community in ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    8 hours ago

  • Speech to New Zealand Institute of International Affairs, Parliament – Annual Lecture: Challenges ...
    Good evening –   Before discussing the challenges and opportunities facing New Zealand’s foreign policy, we’d like to first acknowledge the New Zealand Institute of International Affairs. You have contributed to debates about New Zealand foreign policy over a long period of time, and we thank you for hosting us.  ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    8 hours ago

  • Accelerating airport security lines
    From today, passengers travelling internationally from Auckland Airport will be able to keep laptops and liquids in their carry-on bags for security screening thanks to new technology, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Creating a more efficient and seamless travel experience is important for holidaymakers and businesses, enabling faster movement through ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    10 hours ago

  • Community hui to talk about kina barrens
    People with an interest in the health of Northland’s marine ecosystems are invited to a public meeting to discuss how to deal with kina barrens, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones will lead the discussion, which will take place on Friday, 10 May, at Awanui Hotel in ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    16 hours ago

  • Kiwi exporters win as NZ-EU FTA enters into force
    Kiwi exporters are $100 million better off today with the NZ EU FTA entering into force says Trade Minister Todd McClay. “This is all part of our plan to grow the economy. New Zealand's prosperity depends on international trade, making up 60 per cent of the country’s total economic activity. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    16 hours ago

  • Mining resurgence a welcome sign
    There are heartening signs that the extractive sector is once again becoming an attractive prospect for investors and a source of economic prosperity for New Zealand, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. “The beginnings of a resurgence in extractive industries are apparent in media reports of the sector in the past ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    18 hours ago

  • Ō-Rākau Remembrance Bill passes first reading
    The return of the historic Ō-Rākau battle site to the descendants of those who fought there moved one step closer today with the first reading of Te Pire mō Ō-Rākau, Te Pae o Maumahara / The Ō-Rākau Remembrance Bill. The Bill will entrust the 9.7-hectare battle site, five kilometres west ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago

  • Government to boost public EV charging network
    Energy Minister Simeon Brown has announced 25 new high-speed EV charging hubs along key routes between major urban centres and outlined the Government’s plan to supercharge New Zealand’s EV infrastructure.  The hubs will each have several chargers and be capable of charging at least four – and up to 10 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago

  • Residential Property Managers Bill to not progress
    The coalition Government will not proceed with the previous Government’s plans to regulate residential property managers, Housing Minister Chris Bishop says. “I have written to the Chairperson of the Social Services and Community Committee to inform him that the Government does not intend to support the Residential Property Managers Bill ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago

  • Independent review into disability support services
    The Government has announced an independent review into the disability support system funded by the Ministry of Disabled People – Whaikaha. Disability Issues Minister Louise Upston says the review will look at what can be done to strengthen the long-term sustainability of Disability Support Services to provide disabled people and ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • Justice Minister updates UN on law & order plan
    Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith has attended the Universal Periodic Review in Geneva and outlined the Government’s plan to restore law and order. “Speaking to the United Nations Human Rights Council provided us with an opportunity to present New Zealand’s human rights progress, priorities, and challenges, while responding to issues and ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • Ending emergency housing motels in Rotorua
    The Government and Rotorua Lakes Council are committed to working closely together to end the use of contracted emergency housing motels in Rotorua. Associate Minister of Housing (Social Housing) Tama Potaka says the Government remains committed to ending the long-term use of contracted emergency housing motels in Rotorua by the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • Trade Minister travels to Riyadh, OECD, and Dubai
    Trade Minister Todd McClay heads overseas today for high-level trade talks in the Gulf region, and a key OECD meeting in Paris. Mr McClay will travel to Riyadh to meet with counterparts from Saudi Arabia and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). “New Zealand’s goods and services exports to the Gulf region ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • Education priorities focused on lifting achievement
    Education Minister Erica Stanford has outlined six education priorities to deliver a world-leading education system that sets Kiwi kids up for future success. “I’m putting ambition, achievement and outcomes at the heart of our education system. I want every child to be inspired and engaged in their learning so they ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • NZTA App first step towards digital driver licence
    The new NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) App is a secure ‘one stop shop’ to provide the services drivers need, Transport Minister Simeon Brown and Digitising Government Minister Judith Collins say.  “The NZTA App will enable an easier way for Kiwis to pay for Vehicle Registration and Road User Charges (RUC). ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • Supporting whānau out of emergency housing
    Whānau with tamariki growing up in emergency housing motels will be prioritised for social housing starting this week, says Associate Housing Minister Tama Potaka. “Giving these whānau a better opportunity to build healthy stable lives for themselves and future generations is an essential part of the Government’s goal of reducing ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • Tribute to Dave O'Sullivan
    Racing Minister Winston Peters has paid tribute to an icon of the industry with the recent passing of Dave O’Sullivan (OBE). “Our sympathies are with the O’Sullivan family with the sad news of Dave O’Sullivan’s recent passing,” Mr Peters says. “His contribution to racing, initially as a jockey and then ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • Speech – Eid al-Fitr
    Assalaamu alaikum, greetings to you all. Eid Mubarak, everyone! I want to extend my warmest wishes to you and everyone celebrating this joyous occasion. It is a pleasure to be here. I have enjoyed Eid celebrations at Parliament before, but this is my first time joining you as the Minister ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago

  • Government saves access to medicines
    Associate Health Minister David Seymour has announced Pharmac’s largest ever budget of $6.294 billion over four years, fixing a $1.774 billion fiscal cliff.    “Access to medicines is a crucial part of many Kiwis’ lives. We’ve committed to a budget allocation of $1.774 billion over four years so Kiwis are ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago

  • Pharmac Chair appointed
    Hon Paula Bennett has been appointed as member and chair of the Pharmac board, Associate Health Minister David Seymour announced today. "Pharmac is a critical part of New Zealand's health system and plays a significant role in ensuring that Kiwis have the best possible access to medicines,” says Mr Seymour. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago

  • Taking action on Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder
    Hundreds of New Zealand families affected by Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) will benefit from a new Government focus on prevention and treatment, says Health Minister Dr Shane Reti. “We know FASD is a leading cause of preventable intellectual and neurodevelopmental disability in New Zealand,” Dr Reti says.  “Every day, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago

  • New sports complex opens in Kaikohe
    Regional Development Minister Shane Jones today attended the official opening of Kaikohe’s new $14.7 million sports complex. “The completion of the Kaikohe Multi Sports Complex is a fantastic achievement for the Far North,” Mr Jones says. “This facility not only fulfils a long-held dream for local athletes, but also creates ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago

  • Diplomacy needed more than ever
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters’ engagements in Türkiye this week underlined the importance of diplomacy to meet growing global challenges.    “Returning to the Gallipoli Peninsula to represent New Zealand at Anzac commemorations was a sombre reminder of the critical importance of diplomacy for de-escalating conflicts and easing tensions,” Mr Peters ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago

  • Anzac Commemorative Address, Buttes New British Cemetery Belgium
    Ambassador Millar, Burgemeester, Vandepitte, Excellencies, military representatives, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen – good morning and welcome to this sacred Anzac Day dawn service.  It is an honour to be here on behalf of the Government and people of New Zealand at Buttes New British Cemetery, Polygon Wood – a deeply ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago

  • Anzac Commemorative Address – NZ National Service, Chunuk Bair
    Distinguished guests -   It is an honour to return once again to this site which, as the resting place for so many of our war-dead, has become a sacred place for generations of New Zealanders.   Our presence here and at the other special spaces of Gallipoli is made ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago

  • Anzac Commemorative Address – Dawn Service, Gallipoli, Türkiye
    Mai ia tawhiti pamamao, te moana nui a Kiwa, kua tae whakaiti mai matou, ki to koutou papa whenua. No koutou te tapuwae, no matou te tapuwae, kua honoa pumautia.   Ko nga toa kua hinga nei, o te Waipounamu, o te Ika a Maui, he okioki tahi me o ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago

  • PM announces changes to portfolios
    Paul Goldsmith will take on responsibility for the Media and Communications portfolio, while Louise Upston will pick up the Disability Issues portfolio, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon announced today. “Our Government is relentlessly focused on getting New Zealand back on track. As issues change in prominence, I plan to adjust Ministerial ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

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