The Hamilton West by election

Written By: - Date published: 7:11 pm, December 10th, 2022 - 95 comments
Categories: by-election, elections, labour, national - Tags:

The polling booths are closed.

Who will be the next MP for Hamilton East?

It will not be Gaurav Sharma.  He is the classic example of why political ambition should be analysed carefully.

The next MP should be National’s Tamaka Potaka.  Labour’s Georgie Dansey is really good and anyone who continues to campaign with a dislocated shoulder deserves respect.

But the chances are not good.

Potaka and National should review the rules on election day campaigning because it looks like they may have issues.

If Labour wins this then I will be really surprised.

95 comments on “The Hamilton West by election ”

  • Comments are now closed

  1. Belladonna 1
    10 December 2022 at 7:32 pm

    I must admit that I've found it rather amusing that everyone is claiming to be an underdog in this election.

    https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/politics/an-underdog-story-inside-the-byelection-battle-for-hamilton-west/GPCWPBBHUFA3HCZWBJSNSUZBEM/

  2. Labour_Voter 2
    10 December 2022 at 7:46 pm

    Why are you sounding so defeated even before the counting has started?

  3. swordfish 3
    10 December 2022 at 7:49 pm

    .

    57.1% counted

    Potaka (Nat) 4597

    Dansey (Lab) 3026

    McDowall (ACT) 976

    Sharma (NZMP) 827

    current margin 1571

  4. AB 4
    10 December 2022 at 8:15 pm

    Labour’s Georgie Dansey is really good

    She's the one who actually sounded like a normal human being, right?

    • Labour_Voter 4.1
      10 December 2022 at 8:16 pm

      She did well in the debate.

    • observer 4.2
      10 December 2022 at 8:34 pm

      The TOP candidate sounded pretty good, but it made no difference. Being reasonable gets drowned out in debate when slogans and failed "solutions" are grabbing the headlines.

      • Belladonna 4.2.1
        10 December 2022 at 11:28 pm

        In what is effectively a FPP election – there is really little point in voting for anyone other than the main right or main left candidates.

        Anything else is just virtue signalling, and a wasted vote.

        In that environment, I'm surprised that the TOP candidate got as many as 337 votes.

  5. pat 5
    10 December 2022 at 8:23 pm

    "With 91.4 percent of the vote counted, Potaka has 5938 votes, with Labour's Georgie Dansey trailing with 4042 votes."

    https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/480491/hamilton-west-by-election-national-s-tama-potaka-cruises-to-victory

    Looks like less than 20,000 bothered

  6. observer 6
    10 December 2022 at 8:42 pm

    The result was predictable, and predicted (not Captain Hindsight) …

    https://thestandard.org.nz/daily-review-07-11-2022/#comment-1919884

    In by-elections candidates try to say nothing. Sam Uffindell did that very well (in the campaign itself).

    But now that he's elected the duct tape can come off. Potaka will be an uncomfortable MP in National's caucus. And even more so in a hypothetical Nat/ACT government. Watch this space.

    • Sacha 6.1
      10 December 2022 at 9:33 pm

      Potaka will be an uncomfortable MP in National's caucus.

      How so?

      • observer 6.1.1
        11 December 2022 at 8:01 pm

        See the links in my comment above.

        And today … Potaka's (and his wife's!) comments in the Herald

        The vision of "boot camps" from Luxon/National is red meat for the blue base. Very different from Potaka's perspective. He doesn't see "wraparound" as "kumbaya, mush", those are Luxon's words.

        It's a fundamental difference in world view. It's direct experience (Potaka) versus glib slogan (Luxon). One gets it, the other doesn't care.

      • observer 6.1.2
        11 December 2022 at 8:06 pm

        This is not going to get a standing ovation – or even a nod of recognition – at a National/ACT conference:

        We have to have a space where identity and society and whanaungatanga are foundation stones for a successful economy. Or you can say, actually, it’s not about the economy. It’s about our planet and society — and the planet and society constitute what are really important.

        The economy is a means to enable a better place, but it’s not an endpoint in and of itself. You’ve got to have commercial, environmental, social and cultural touchpoints to create a sustainable community and planet.

  7. Peter 7
    10 December 2022 at 8:44 pm

    14-15,000 voted compared to 40,000 in 2020.

    • RedLogix 8.1
      10 December 2022 at 9:25 pm

      What I am seeing is ACT on 10.1% – which is close to their recent polling nationwide. That suggests that despite the low turnout this by-election is probably not too far away from a General Election.

      Nat+ACT would wind up with a 56% bloc. A dominating position.

      Notably there is no Green Party candidate here so combining the Lab and NZMP vote the left would have a 38% bloc. Which again lines up with general polling which have Lab+Grn at about the same number. I do not get the sense the numbers here are outliers.

      It is going take more than a few tweaks and window dressing to recover from this. There really is only a 6 – 8 month window of opportunity left.

      • Mike the Lefty 8.1.1
        10 December 2022 at 9:39 pm

        The result doesn't surprise me, I expected the National candidate would win. But the low turnout does surprise me. With all the heat being poured on the government at the moment from the official opposition and the nutters opposition you might have expected a large turnout to "give a message to the government". It didn't really happen. National can claim victory, but it is far from a stunning victory and consequently Chris Luxon's leadership is still under question. And where was NZ First? If Winston is serious about making a comeback I would have thought this is where it would have started.

        • Alan 8.1.1.1
          10 December 2022 at 10:12 pm

          I would think that a 33% swing against the government is fairly clear message.

          • Mike the Lefty 8.1.1.1.1
            10 December 2022 at 10:41 pm

            To try and make meaningful analyses on such a low turnout I think is stretching credibility a bit. The fact was that despite the dirty politics and right wing bile the turnout was pathetically low. The fairly clear message here is that people weren't particularly interested in this by-election, even the media were pretty indifferent to it. Of course the fact that no result would have made any tangible difference to the government probably paid a part too.

            • Belladonna 8.1.1.1.1.1
              10 December 2022 at 11:15 pm

              I think that (regardless of the turnout figures) the fact that the results reflected pretty closely the current nation-wide polling figures – in what has always been a bellwether seat – should give Labour very much cause for concern.

              I agree, that only the politically committed (I mean the people who vote out of overwhelming political conviction, as well as those who vote out of civic duty) voted – hence the low turnout.

              The remainder of the electorate (who are likely to vote in the general election – setting aside the terminally uninterested) – appear to be split fairly evenly across the political spectrum – so are unlikely to change the ratios much.

              This result will, no doubt, fuel the changes in policies that Ardern has already signalled for the new year.

              https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/politics/2022/12/prime-minister-jacinda-ardern-confirms-labour-mps-to-retire-government-to-pare-back-some-reforms.html

              She has to do something substantial, or Labour will be sleepwalking into opposition in 2023.

              • barry …
                11 December 2022 at 7:45 pm

                It seems to be "a plague on all of their houses" People may not be enamoured of the government, but not many could bother to turn out to vote against them.

                Based on this result I think next year's election is wide open. More bad economic news will probably sink Labour, but if inflation slows (which is likely with the higher dollar) and housing stats improve (lower house prices can be a winner), then I think Labour can pick up support.

          • joe90 8.1.1.1.2
            11 December 2022 at 7:53 pm

            I would think that a 33% swing against the government is fairly clear message.

            Yeah, astonishingly Labour polled at the same level they polled at in 2017 in an electorate National won in 2017, 2014, 2011 and 2008.

            //

        • Thinker 8.1.1.2
          11 December 2022 at 10:15 pm
          1. Swing to National could have been predicted

          2. Low turnout is a vote against people's expectations that any government will put their needs first, imho. It suggests people are unhappy with the calibre of government of all colours.

          3. Where was Winston? You are correct in thinking this would have been a Pandoras box for NZ1. Having a seat in government going into the election would have given more credibility to them on election day. So, either they didn't fancy their chances of polling like a mainstream party, they haven't got a groomed, credible candidate for the seat yet, their campaign chest needs careful management going into 2023, or they helped one or another party's chances by staying away. IMHO, anyway. I can't think of other reasons.

          • Belladonna 8.1.1.2.1
            11 December 2022 at 11:35 pm

            I'm quite sure Winston had a good hard look at H West – and decided that there was no chance of taking it.
            Their only option would have been to put him in (no one else would have a snowball's chance) – and he has zero connection with the area (and is very probably unwilling to develop any – moving there, for example).

            Winston doesn't waste money on campaigning in un-winnable electorates.

            And, while a seat would have given NZF a better platform for 2023 – losing the campaign would probably have done more damage to his chances.

          • Anne 8.1.1.2.2
            12 December 2022 at 6:37 pm

            Low turnout is a vote against people's expectations that any government will put their needs first, imho.

            Given its close proximity to Xmas (two weeks prior) I think it was inevitable. Who in their right mind thinks about politics at this time of the year? Addicts like us that's who. 😉

        • coge 8.1.1.3
          12 December 2022 at 4:50 pm

          I suspect the low turnout could extend into next year's election. There is a vast bloc of voters who feel they haven't been represented fairly by any of the incumbent elected parties and candidates. If somehow they can be convinced to participate, we might be in for a few surprises.

    • Christopher Randal 8.2
      11 December 2022 at 7:14 pm

      A turnout of 14,000 in an electorate of ~49,000.

      Wow – that's getting into Local Government election territory

      • swordfish 8.2.1
        11 December 2022 at 8:47 pm

        .

        New Zealand Election Study flow-of-the-vote stats (over the decades) suggest when Labour voters are disillusioned with their Party they tend to move into non-voting … whereas disenchanted Nats are much more likely to swing to other parties.

        Does the low turnout in HW presage traditional Labour voters staying home on Election Day next year ? … hard to be sure but maybe.

  9. Mike the Lefty 9
    10 December 2022 at 9:30 pm

    The nutters party (Vision NZ) must obviously have a big support base to gain a whopping 57 votes!

    Just wait for the claims that they actually won and it was Jacinda who changed the numbers.

  10. tsmithfield 10
    11 December 2022 at 7:42 am

    I think the big problem for Labour from now is how to turn this around.

    Big spending promises are really off the table because they are inflationary by nature, and inflation is the problem at the moment. And, there has already been a glut of borrowing and spending, and the evidence of that in terms of inflation is there for all to see.

    I think voters are likely to be looking for a bit more in the way of austerity and reprioritising spending this time around in order to bring the economy back under control. And these are both areas that Labour traditionally would struggle with, I would think.

    • Craig H 10.1
      11 December 2022 at 4:46 pm

      Reworking the tax system, or brackets at least, would be popular and not necessarily inflationary if it was done to be revenue-neutral.

      • tsmithfield 10.1.1
        12 December 2022 at 9:53 am

        Agreed. And that would gazumpt National. At tax bracket change would not be immediately inflationary because it would take quite awhile to have an effect.

        But it would be against character for Labour to start cutting taxes…

      • MickeyBoyle 10.1.2
        12 December 2022 at 10:55 am

        That's literally Nationals policy.

        If the only way to win is to do what National are planning to do, then what the hell is the point?

        Taxes should be increased, not reduced.

        • Gosman 10.1.2.1
          12 December 2022 at 11:07 am

          I would love it if Labour raised taxes. It would confirm the end of them being in government.

        • Craig H 10.1.2.2
          12 December 2022 at 11:34 am

          Who pays the tax and what taxes are paid could be rebalanced significantly while still being fiscally/revenue neutral.

          National has one proposal, but there are plenty of other options e.g. TOP is proposing significant changes.

          A simple example could be a 0-tax threshold. Another could be a decrease in GST. As part of raising additional tax to pay for either of those, a proposal could include increasing the top income tax brackets and introducing new taxes e.g. inheritance, land etc.

    • Sacha 10.2
      12 December 2022 at 8:41 am

      Public spending on the wrong things is inflationary. However Robertson is not brave so your prayers will be answered.

  11. Corey Humm 11
    11 December 2022 at 9:31 am

    Tsmithfield. There's loads of non inflationary and targeted spending options available to the government that don't put money into the economy.

    Kiwis themselves actually have cut spending down , appearing to have listened to the RBNZ governor. I've long said the govt should handle the economic crisis like they did any other crisis with regular but not daily public briefings in plain language speaking directly to the public and a bit of the old come together to fight xyz propaganda.

    Every Labour mp and supporter will tell you they messed up their coms badly this year, instead of the short one sentence answers they were famous for answers were usually long drawn out monologues or cagey non answers.

    Govts rarely win by elections in swing seats, so it's no surprise Labour lost this, however Labour needs to fight and hard.

    Yesterday I was at a labour mps Xmas party with many mps present (I know how am I allowed in these things) they'll all concede this was a bad year and that next year is going to be a real grueling fight but I truly believe they are up for it.

    I think labour got a bit arrogant and thought they couldn't lose, they seem to have eaten a lot of humble pie and are ready for a fight.

    I personally think they can win if they really fight to win the public back.

    Time will tell but here's hoping the left can get it's shit together, the last thing NZ needs is an economic agenda driven by the act party.

    • Anker 11.1
      11 December 2022 at 12:30 pm

      Interesting Corey.

      Unfortunately for me, the Labour MPs you speak of believe they can turn it around have missed the point.

      For me they are like the boyfriend who hasn't listened, who indeed has treated me with contempt when I raised real issues. The boyfriend who continued with wasteful spending even though I said wait, we don't need more debt, stop spending on items that are non essential we need to find the most practical way of spending on things which will get us what we need.

      Now that said boyfriend realizes he is under threat of being ditched, he will do whatever it takes to win me back. Sorry. Too late. Your attempts to change when you are on the brink of being dumped, only show how self serving you are.

      • Tony Veitch 11.1.1
        11 December 2022 at 2:01 pm

        And you seriously think boyfriend Christopher will treat you better?

        Then you must be one of the 1% or their 9% enablers, for he sure as hell has no empathy for bottom-feeders.

        I think you are going to be unlucky in love – again!

        • Peter 11.1.1.1
          11 December 2022 at 2:27 pm

          Ah, but it's the boyfriend who comes up with the notion of housing people in motels, a really clever bugger. One who has the Midas touch (with the gift of the gab I'll grant you), as shown by magically turning a terrible 'housing crisis' into a wonderful 'Comprehensive Housing Plan.'

        • Anker 11.1.1.2
          11 December 2022 at 4:57 pm

          Ha ha well played Tony Veitch.

          Who said I was going to take up with boyfriend Christopher? There's quite a field on offer and I could also go boyfriendless and just look after my own situation.

          My mother would have said to me, "Anker, you know what he's (Labour) like so don't settle. Even if friends tell you the other fish in the sea might not be too hot. When he (Labour) has let you down and shown himself to be a pretty useless boyfriend, who won't listen and treat's you with contempt, time to move on"

          I may consider a temporary liaison with boyfriend National, knowing its a means to an end to get rid of boyfriend Labour, but would go into it with no expectations.

          C'st la vie

          • Louis 11.1.1.2.1
            11 December 2022 at 7:04 pm

            Your mother could have said to you, "Anker, you know what he's (National) is like, he has form, so don't settle and don't forget how many times he (National) has let you down and as it turned out, after arrogantly and contemptuously telling everyone else how useless they are, showed himself up to be the useless one and that he (National) is all talk and no action.

            So don't forget the history son, why court his (National) broken promises and heartbreak? He (National) will leave you shattered, empty and hollow like last time.

            • Anker 11.1.1.2.1.1
              11 December 2022 at 7:11 pm

              Ha, ha. Who would have thought the Standard would have veered into so much dating advice!

              • Tony Veitch …
                12 December 2022 at 10:42 am

                More dating advice – stay a barge pole away from David as a boyfriend.

                As your mother might say, 'Daughter, he's got some wacky ideas from the last century. He'll cause you more grief than he's worth!'

                Your present boyfriend may not be perfect (what man is?) but his heart's in the right place, more so than anyone else you're flirting with.

                No charge for this advice!

                • Anker …
                  12 December 2022 at 11:36 am

                  Thanks Tony V. Nice to have some light hearted banter.

                  “Heart in the right place” always seems to me to be one of those things you say about someone who is misguided and/or hopelessly incompetent

                  • Robert Guyton …
                    12 December 2022 at 8:24 pm

                    You're giving off a strong "scorned" vibe, Anker!

                  • Tony Veitch …
                    12 December 2022 at 10:00 pm

                    While not conceding that your current boyfriend is misguided or hopeless, I think I might prefer that to malignant animosity and lack of empathy which some of the other potential boyfriend display towards bottom-feeders.

                    Choose the wrong boyfriend and you might find yourself being belaboured by a wooden bed-leg in the middle of the night! (metaphorically speaking!)

                    • Anker …
                      13 December 2022 at 9:32 am

                      Swordfish made a comment below that when Labour voters don't vote Labour they stay away from the polls. Less so for National voters.

                      I have come to the realisation over the last 18 months, that I did chose the wrong boyfriend, Labour.

                    • Robert Guyton …
                      13 December 2022 at 10:02 am

                      Given your old flame the flick , Anker?

                      Why then, do you persist here?

                      Running down your ex seems … unnecessary.

      • Patricia Bremner 11.1.2
        12 December 2022 at 10:13 pm

        Remember Christopher Luxon is not a romantic Anker, and he doesn't rate anyone less rich than him.

        • Anker 11.1.2.1
          13 December 2022 at 9:11 am

          Ha ha Patricia.

          I think it is unfair to say that Luxon isn't looking for romance. He seems to be very romantically involved with himself and his own vanity project of becoming PM.

    • Louis 11.2
      11 December 2022 at 2:19 pm

      Even the PM has acknowledged that comms have been bad, but "a bit arrogant and thought they couldn't lose" nah I'm not seeing that at all.

    • tsmithfield 11.3
      12 December 2022 at 9:56 am

      I agree there are things they could do that are not inflationary. The tax reduction on fuel prices for instance was a move I applauded at the time. It takes the pressure off inflation, and I am sure is a popular policy with voters.

      From the government's perspective, though, they have painted themselves into a corner with this policy. I suspect they would like to reverse the policy, but that would feed back into inflation, and certainly would not be a good vote winner in election year.

    • Patricia Bremner 11.4
      12 December 2022 at 10:08 pm

      I hope you are right Corey, for all our sakes.

  12. Ad 12
    11 December 2022 at 9:47 am

    I have zero respect for the person who resigned to cause this by-election. It has been a stupid waste of taxpayer money. No citizen has been served by it, other than just the one who won the election itself.

    • AB 12.1
      11 December 2022 at 11:33 am

      Candidate selection processes need to specifically look for and exclude the self-aggrandising, the paranoid, and anyone with a Messiah complex. Problem is that such a thing is difficult, and ironically, the better such a filter becomes, the more likely it is to mean that no-one is left.

      • swordfish 12.1.1
        11 December 2022 at 2:11 pm

        .

        Candidate selection processes need to specifically look for and exclude the self-aggrandising, the paranoid, and anyone with a Messiah complex.

        Precisely the qualifications selection panels prize most.

    • Anker 12.2
      11 December 2022 at 12:32 pm

      Agree Ad. We are desperately short of Drs. I hope he goes back to that.

      And before anyone says "well I wouldn't want him as my Dr" I would say you may not have too much choice. See him or no one

      • Belladonna 12.2.1
        12 December 2022 at 12:19 am

        For that matter, I wouldn't have the faintest idea of the political party my GP supports (if any), or any other information about her political views. Nor would I expect to. Our conversations are strictly medical in nature – as they should be….

    • observer 12.3
      11 December 2022 at 8:13 pm

      Agreed, totally unnecessary and pure self-indulgence.

      The one plus is that Sharma's deluded Facebook posts will no longer make the news. "Current MP says shit" is a headline, because s/he is in Parliament. "Brendan Horan* says shit" is not.

      (*Brendan who? Well, exactly).

  13. Tiger Mountain 13
    11 December 2022 at 2:20 pm

    And the winner… (of the petulance, self aggrandisement, entitlement & party undermining Award) is…Gaurav Sharma!

    Losers…almost everyone else

    Various Parliamentary parties have made selection mistakes of course, in unlikely to win seats, or lowly list placings…but this one by NZ Labour was a classic, I guess at least Mr Sharma did not beat a defenceless teen with wooden bed legs…

    • ianmac 13.1
      11 December 2022 at 4:24 pm

      It was reported that Sharma visited the winners quarters to congratulate Potaka, and when he entered he was greeted with applause by the Nats assembly. Wonder what that meant?

      • Tiger Mountain 13.1.1
        11 December 2022 at 5:33 pm

        Mr Sharma seemed to be on some sort of revenge driven “last chance power drive” quest, and his role as a useful tool for the Natzos has now been fulfilled.

      • Incognito 13.1.2
        11 December 2022 at 8:04 pm

        Quite possibly, Sharma’s political career is not over yet.

  14. Anne 14
    11 December 2022 at 4:43 pm

    Saying "thank you" to him for being an a******e and resigning so they could grab the seat off Labour… who were more than happy to relinquish it and be rid of the petulant, self centred, entitled, party undermining dipshit. 🙂

  15. observer 15
    11 December 2022 at 8:22 pm

    Before everyone forgets about Sharma (and we soon will), a reminder that many media voices, and indeed some people commenting on this blog, insisted that there would have been no issue if only Labour had held a magical "independent inquiry". Then Jacinda would have said sorry and Kieran would have been sacked and everyone would have had respect for misunderstood whistle-blowing victim/hero Gaurav. He only wanted to stop bullying and do what was best for everyone.

    Given all that's happened since, there is no longer any doubt about the stupidity of that take. It's amazing how many fell for it – or rather, pretended to.

    • Incognito 15.1
      11 December 2022 at 8:41 pm

      The Left likes to point the finger up, the Right points the finger down, but finger pointing is what many people do almost instinctively (it is learned conditioned behaviour, of course) with gusto.

      • Anne 15.1.1
        11 December 2022 at 9:02 pm

        Yeah… but its an easy way to either agree or disagree without having to put any effort into it. 😉

  16. Ffloyd 16
    11 December 2022 at 11:15 pm

    I have wondered, now that bed legs have been mentioned, why it is that Cluckson has refused to release the findings of the review on the actions of Uffendull in his formative years, you know, when he and other like minded non thinking Neanderthals decided to, you know, terrorise a much younger school pupil with wooden bed legs, you know, just a jape. WHY? Because they could. They knew there would be minimum repercussions. PRIVILEGE. Nasty young thugs. Looking at him now does not inspire any great thoughts of redemption and humility. He will do as he is told. Bought and paid for. This new guy for Ham West. Chasing cars. You have to be kidding me.

    • Barfly 16.1
      12 December 2022 at 10:42 am

      Being a Nat MP he is probably chasing parked cars

    • Gosman 16.2
      12 December 2022 at 11:09 am

      You can demand the report all you like but it is essentially yesterday's news and the public is interested.

      • Tony Veitch 16.2.1
        12 December 2022 at 8:07 pm

        and the public is interested.

        I completely agree Gossie! The sooner Luxon comes clean, the better – but I'm not holding my breath!

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    It’s Friday again and Christmas is fast approaching. Here’s some of the stories that caught our attention. This week in Greater Auckland On Tuesday Matt covered some of the recent talk around the costs, benefits and challenges with the City Rail Link. On Thursday Matt looked at how ...
    Greater AucklandBy Greater Auckland
    2 days ago

  • End-of-week escapism
    Amsterdam to Hong Kong William McCartney16,000 kilometres41 days18 trains13 countries11 currencies6 long-distance taxis4 taxi apps4 buses3 sim cards2 ferries1 tram0 medical events (surprisingly)Episode 4Whether the Sofia-Istanbul Express really qualifies to be called an express is debatable, but it’s another one of those likeably old and slow trains tha… ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    2 days ago

  • The Hoon around the week to Dec 8
    Governor-General Dame Cindy Kiro arrives for the State Opening of Parliament (Photo: Hagen Hopkins/Getty Images)TL;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:New Finance Minister Nicola Willis set herself a ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago

  • New Zealand’s Witchcraft Laws: 1840/1858-1961/1962
    Sometimes one gets morbidly curious about the oddities of one’s own legal system. Sometimes one writes entire essays on New Zealand’s experience with Blasphemous Libel: https://phuulishfellow.wordpress.com/2017/05/09/blasphemous-libel-new-zealand-politics/ And sometimes one follows up the exact historical status of witchcraft law in New Zealand. As one does, of course. ...
    A Phuulish FellowBy strda221
    2 days ago

  • No surprises
    Don’t expect any fiscal shocks or surprises when the books are opened on December 20 with the unveiling of the Half Yearly Economic and Fiscal Update (HYEFU). That was the message yesterday from Westpac in an economic commentary. But the bank’s analysis did not include any changes to capital ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    3 days ago

  • Skeptical Science New Research for Week #49 2023
    113 articles in 48 journals by 674 contributing authors Physical science of climate change, effects Diversity of Lagged Relationships in Global Means of Surface Temperatures and Radiative Budgets for CMIP6 piControl Simulations, Tsuchida et al., Journal of Climate 10.1175/jcli-d-23-0045.1 Do abrupt cryosphere events in High Mountain Asia indicate earlier tipping ...
    Skeptical Science
    3 days ago

  • Phone calls at Kia Kaha primary
    It is quiet reading time in Room 13! It is so quiet you can hear the Tui outside. It is so quiet you can hear the Fulton Hogan crew.It is so quiet you can hear old Mr Grant and old Mr Bradbury standing by the roadworks and counting the conesand going on ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago

  • A question of confidence is raised by the Minister of Police, but he had to be questioned by RNZ to ...
    It looks like the new ministerial press secretaries have quickly learned the art of camouflaging exactly what their ministers are saying – or, at least, of keeping the hard news  out of the headlines and/or the opening sentences of the statements they post on the home page of the governments ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    3 days ago

  • Xmas  good  cheer  for the dairy industry  as Fonterra lifts its forecast
    The big dairy co-op Fonterra  had  some Christmas  cheer to offer  its farmers this week, increasing its forecast farmgate milk price and earnings guidance for  the year after what it calls a strong start to the year. The forecast  midpoint for the 2023/24 season is up 25cs to $7.50 per ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    3 days ago

  • MICHAEL BASSETT: Modern Maori myths
    Michael Bassett writes – Many of the comments about the Coalition’s determination to wind back the dramatic Maorification of New Zealand of the last three years would have you believe the new government is engaged in a full-scale attack on Maori. In reality, all that is happening ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    3 days ago

  • Dreams of eternal sunshine at a spotless COP28
    Mary Robinson asked Al Jaber a series of very simple, direct and highly pertinent questions and he responded with a high-octane public meltdown. Photos: Getty Images / montage: Lynn GrievesonTL;DR The hygiene effects of direct sunshine are making some inroads, perhaps for the very first time, on the normalised ‘deficit ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago

  • LINDSAY MITCHELL: Oh, the irony
    Lindsay Mitchell writes – Appointed by new Labour PM Jacinda Ardern in 2018, Cindy Kiro headed the Welfare Expert Advisory Group (WEAG) tasked with reviewing and recommending reforms to the welfare system. Kiro had been Children’s Commissioner during Helen Clark’s Labour government but returned to academia subsequently. ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    3 days ago

  • Transport Agencies don’t want Harbour Tunnels
    It seems even our transport agencies don’t want Labour’s harbour crossing plans. In August the previous government and Waka Kotahi announced their absurd preferred option the new harbour crossing that at the time was estimated to cost $35-45 billion. It included both road tunnels and a wiggly light rail tunnel ...
    Greater AucklandBy Matt L
    3 days ago

  • Webworm Presents: Jurassic Park on 35mm
    Hi,Paying Webworm members such as yourself keep this thing running, so as 2023 draws to close, I wanted to do two things to say a giant, loud “THANKS”. Firstly — I’m giving away 10 Mister Organ blu-rays in New Zealand, and another 10 in America. More details down below.Secondly — ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    3 days ago

  • The Prime Minister's Dream.
    Yesterday saw the State Opening of Parliament, the Speech from the Throne, and then Prime Minister Christopher Luxon’s dream for Aotearoa in his first address. But first the pomp and ceremony, the arrival of the Governor General.Dame Cindy Kiro arrived on the forecourt outside of parliament to a Māori welcome. ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    3 days ago

  • National’s new MP; the proud part-Maori boy raised in a state house
    Probably not since 1975 have we seen a government take office up against such a wall of protest and complaint. That was highlighted yesterday, the day that the new Parliament was sworn in, with news that King Tuheitia has called a national hui for late January to develop a ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    3 days ago

  • Climate Adam: Battlefield Earth – How War Fuels Climate Catastrophe
    This video includes conclusions of the creator climate scientist Dr. Adam Levy. It is presented to our readers as an informed perspective. Please see video description for references (if any). War, conflict and climate change are tearing apart lives across the world. But these aren't separate harms - they're intricately connected. ...
    Skeptical Science
    4 days ago

  • They do not speak for us, and they do not speak for the future
    These dire woeful and intolerant people have been so determinedly going about their small and petulant business, it’s hard to keep up. At the end of the new government’s first woeful week, Audrey Young took the time to count off its various acts of denigration of Te Ao Māori:Review the ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    4 days ago

  • Another attack on te reo
    The new white supremacist government made attacking te reo a key part of its platform, promising to rename government agencies and force them to "communicate primarily in English" (which they already do). But today they've gone further, by trying to cut the pay of public servants who speak te reo: ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    4 days ago

  • For the record, the Beehive buzz can now be regarded as “official”
    Buzz from the Beehive The biggest buzz we bring you from the Beehive today is that the government’s official website is up and going after being out of action for more than a week. The latest press statement came  from  Education Minister  Eric Stanford, who seized on the 2022 PISA ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    4 days ago

  • Climate Change: Failed again
    There was another ETS auction this morning. and like all the other ones this year, it failed to clear - meaning that 23 million tons of carbon (15 million ordinary units plus 8 million in the cost containment reserve) went up in smoke. Or rather, they didn't. Being unsold at ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    4 days ago

  • Gordon Campbell On The Government’s Assault On Maori
    This isn’t news, but the National-led coalition is mounting a sustained assault on Treaty rights and obligations. Even so, Christopher Luxon has described yesterday’s nationwide protests by Maori as “pretty unfair.” Poor thing. In the NZ Herald, Audrey Young has compiled a useful list of the many, many ways that ...
    Gordon CampbellBy lyndon
    4 days ago

  • Rising costs hit farmers hard, but  there’s more  positive news  for  them this  week 
    New Zealand’s dairy industry, the mainstay of the country’s export trade, has  been under  pressure  from rising  costs. Down on the  farm, this  has  been  hitting  hard. But there  was more positive news this week,  first   from the latest Fonterra GDT auction where  prices  rose,  and  then from  a  report ...
    Point of OrderBy tutere44
    4 days ago

  • ROB MacCULLOCH:  Newshub and NZ Herald report misleading garbage about ACT’s van Veldon not follo...
    Rob MacCulloch writes –  In their rush to discredit the new government (which our MainStream Media regard as illegitimate and having no right to enact the democratic will of voters) the NZ Herald and Newshub are arguing ACT’s Deputy Leader Brooke van Veldon is not following Treasury advice ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago

  • Top 10 for Wednesday, December 6
    Even many young people who smoke support smokefree policies, fitting in with previous research showing the large majority of people who smoke regret starting and most want to quit. Photo: Lynn GrievesonTL;DR: Here’s my pick of the top 10 news and analysis links elsewhere on the morning of Wednesday, December ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago

  • Eleven years of work.
    Well it didn’t take six months, but the leaks have begun. Yes the good ship Coalition has inadvertently released a confidential cabinet paper into the public domain, discussing their axing of Fair Pay Agreements (FPAs).Oops.Just when you were admiring how smoothly things were going for the new government, they’ve had ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    4 days ago

  • Why we're missing out on sharply lower inflation
    A wave of new and higher fees, rates and charges will ripple out over the economy in the next 18 months as mayors, councillors, heads of department and price-setters for utilities such as gas, electricity, water and parking ramp up charges. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Just when most ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago

  • How Did We Get Here?
    Hi,Kiwis — keep the evening of December 22nd free. I have a meetup planned, and will send out an invite over the next day or so. This sounds sort of crazy to write, but today will be Tony Stamp’s final Totally Normal column of 2023. Somehow we’ve made it to ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    4 days ago

  • At a glance – Has the greenhouse effect been falsified?
    On February 14, 2023 we announced our Rebuttal Update Project. This included an ask for feedback about the added "At a glance" section in the updated basic rebuttal versions. This weekly blog post series highlights this new section of one of the updated basic rebuttal versions and serves as a ...
    Skeptical Science
    5 days ago

  • New Zealaders  have  high expectations of  new  government:  now let’s see if it can deliver?
    The electorate has high expectations of the  new  government.  The question is: can  it  deliver?    Some  might  say  the  signs are not  promising. Protestors   are  already marching in the streets. The  new  Prime Minister has had  little experience of managing  very diverse politicians  in coalition. The economy he  ...
    Point of OrderBy tutere44
    5 days ago

  • You won't believe some of the numbers you have to pull when you're a Finance Minister
    Nicola of Marsden:Yo, normies! We will fix your cost of living worries by giving you a tax cut of 150 dollars. 150! Cash money! Vote National.Various people who can read and count:Actually that's 150 over a fortnight. Not a week, which is how you usually express these things.And actually, it looks ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    5 days ago

  • Pushback
    When this government came to power, it did so on an explicitly white supremacist platform. Undermining the Waitangi Tribunal, removing Māori representation in local government, over-riding the courts which had tried to make their foreshore and seabed legislation work, eradicating te reo from public life, and ultimately trying to repudiate ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    5 days ago

  • Defence ministerial meeting meant Collins missed the Maori Party’s mischief-making capers in Parli...
    Buzz from the Beehive Maybe this is not the best time for our Minister of Defence to have gone overseas. Not when the Maori Party is inviting (or should that be inciting?) its followers to join a revolution in a post which promoted its protest plans with a picture of ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    5 days ago

  • Threats of war have been followed by an invitation to join the revolution – now let’s see how th...
     A Maori Party post on Instagram invited party followers to ….  Tangata Whenua, Tangata Tiriti, Join the REVOLUTION! & make a stand!  Nationwide Action Day, All details in tiles swipe to see locations.  • This is our 1st hit out and tomorrow Tuesday the 5th is the opening ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago

  • Top 10 for Tuesday, December 4
    The RBNZ governor is citing high net migration and profit-led inflation as factors in the bank’s hawkish stance. Photo: Lynn GrievesonTL;DR: Here’s my pick of the top 10 news and analysis links elsewhere on the morning of Tuesday, December 5, including:Reserve Bank Governor Adrian Orr says high net migration and ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago

  • Nicola Willis' 'show me the money' moment
    Willis has accused labour of “economic vandalism’, while Robertson described her comments as a “desperate diversion from somebody who can't make their tax package add up”. There will now be an intense focus on December 20 to see whether her hyperbole is backed up by true surprises. Photo montage: Lynn ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago

  • CRL costs money but also provides huge benefits
    The City Rail Link has been in the headlines a bit recently so I thought I’d look at some of them. First up, yesterday the NZ Herald ran this piece about the ongoing costs of the CRL. Auckland ratepayers will be saddled with an estimated bill of $220 million each ...
    Greater AucklandBy Matt L
    5 days ago

  • And I don't want the world to see us.
    Is this the most shambolic government in the history of New Zealand? Given that parliament hasn’t even opened they’ve managed quite a list of achievements to date.The Smokefree debacle trading lives for tax cuts, the Trumpian claims of bribery in the Media, an International award for indifference, and today the ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago

  • Cooking the books
    Finance Minister Nicola Willis late yesterday stopped only slightly short of accusing her predecessor Grant Robertson of cooking the books. She complained that the Half Yearly Economic and Fiscal Update (HYEFU), due to be made public on December 20, would show “fiscal cliffs” that would amount to “billions of ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    5 days ago

  • Most people don’t realize how much progress we’ve made on climate change
    This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections The year was 2015. ‘Uptown Funk’ with Bruno Mars was at the top of the music charts. Jurassic World was the most popular new movie in theaters. And decades of futility in international climate negotiations was about to come to an end in ...
    Skeptical Science
    6 days ago

  • Of Parliamentary Oaths and Clive Boonham
    As a heads-up, I am not one of those people who stay awake at night thinking about weird Culture War nonsense. At least so far as the current Maori/Constitutional arrangements go. In fact, I actually consider it the least important issue facing the day to day lives of New ...
    A Phuulish FellowBy strda221
    6 days ago

  • Bearing True Allegiance?
    Strong Words: “We do not consent, we do not surrender, we do not cede, we do not submit; we, the indigenous, are rising. We do not buy into the colonial fictions this House is built upon. Te Pāti Māori pledges allegiance to our mokopuna, our whenua, and Te Tiriti o ...
    Bowalley Road
    6 days ago

  • You cannot be serious
    Some days it feels like the only thing to say is: Seriously? No, really. Seriously?OneSomeone has used their health department access to share data about vaccinations and patients, and inform the world that New Zealanders have been dying in their hundreds of thousands from the evil vaccine. This of course is pure ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    6 days ago

  • A promise kept: govt pulls the plug on Lake Onslow scheme – but this saving of $16bn is denounced...
    Buzz from the Beehive After $21.8 million was spent on investigations, the plug has been pulled on the Lake Onslow pumped-hydro electricity scheme, The scheme –  that technically could have solved New Zealand’s looming energy shortage, according to its champions – was a key part of the defeated Labour government’s ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago

  • CHRIS TROTTER: The Maori Party and Oath of Allegiance
    If those elected to the Māori Seats refuse to take them, then what possible reason could the country have for retaining them?   Chris Trotter writes – Christmas is fast approaching, which, as it does every year, means gearing up for an abstruse general knowledge question. “Who was ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago

  • BRIAN EASTON:  Forward to 2017
    The coalition party agreements are mainly about returning to 2017 when National lost power. They show commonalities but also some serious divergencies. Brian Easton writes – The two coalition agreements – one National and ACT, the other National and New Zealand First – are more than policy documents. ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago

  • Climate Change: Fossils
    When the new government promised to allow new offshore oil and gas exploration, they were warned that there would be international criticism and reputational damage. Naturally, they arrogantly denied any possibility that that would happen. And then they finally turned up at COP, to criticism from Palau, and a "fossil ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    6 days ago

  • GEOFFREY MILLER:  NZ’s foreign policy resets on AUKUS, Gaza and Ukraine
    Geoffrey Miller writes – New Zealand’s international relations are under new management. And Winston Peters, the new foreign minister, is already setting a change agenda. As expected, this includes a more pro-US positioning when it comes to the Pacific – where Peters will be picking up where he ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago

  • Gordon Campbell on the government’s smokefree laws debacle
    The most charitable explanation for National’s behaviour over the smokefree legislation is that they have dutifully fulfilled the wishes of the Big Tobacco lobby and then cast around – incompetently, as it turns out – for excuses that might sell this health policy U-turn to the public. The less charitable ...
    Gordon CampbellBy lyndon
    6 days ago

  • Top 10 links at 10 am for Monday, December 4
    As Deb Te Kawa writes in an op-ed, the new Government seems to have immediately bought itself fights with just about everyone. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Here’s my pick of the top 10 news and analysis links elsewhere as of 10 am on Monday December 4, including:Palau’s President ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    6 days ago

  • Be Honest.
    Let’s begin today by thinking about job interviews.During my career in Software Development I must have interviewed hundreds of people, hired at least a hundred, but few stick in the memory.I remember one guy who was so laid back he was practically horizontal, leaning back in his chair until his ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    6 days ago

  • Geoffrey Miller: New Zealand’s foreign policy resets on AUKUS, Gaza and Ukraine
    New Zealand’s international relations are under new management. And Winston Peters, the new foreign minister, is already setting a change agenda. As expected, this includes a more pro-US positioning when it comes to the Pacific – where Peters will be picking up where he left off. Peters sought to align ...
    Democracy ProjectBy Geoffrey Miller
    6 days ago

  • Auckland rail tunnel the world’s most expensive
    Auckland’s city rail link is the most expensive rail project in the world per km, and the CRL boss has described the cost of infrastructure construction in Aotearoa as a crisis. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The 3.5 km City Rail Link (CRL) tunnel under Auckland’s CBD has cost ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    6 days ago

  • First big test coming
    The first big test of the new Government’s approach to Treaty matters is likely to be seen in the return of the Resource Management Act. RMA Minister Chris Bishop has confirmed that he intends to introduce legislation to repeal Labour’s recently passed Natural and Built Environments Act and its ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    6 days ago

  • The Song of Saqua: Volume III
    Time to revisit something I haven’t covered in a while: the D&D campaign, with Saqua the aquatic half-vampire. Last seen in July: https://phuulishfellow.wordpress.com/2023/07/27/the-song-of-saqua-volume-ii/ The delay is understandable, once one realises that the interim saw our DM come down with a life-threatening medical situation. They have since survived to make ...
    A Phuulish FellowBy strda221
    6 days ago

  • Chris Bishop: Smokin’
    Yes. Correct. It was an election result. And now we are the elected government. ...
    My ThinksBy boonman
    1 week ago

  • 2023 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #48
    A chronological listing of news and opinion articles posted on the Skeptical Science  Facebook Page during the past week: Sun, Nov 26, 2023 thru Dec 2, 2023. Story of the Week CO2 readings from Mauna Loa show failure to combat climate change Daily atmospheric carbon dioxide data from Hawaiian volcano more ...
    Skeptical Science
    1 week ago

  • Affirmative Action.
    Affirmative Action was a key theme at this election, although I don’t recall anyone using those particular words during the campaign.They’re positive words, and the way the topic was talked about was anything but. It certainly wasn’t a campaign of saying that Affirmative Action was a good thing, but that, ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    1 week ago

  • 100 days of something
    It was at the end of the Foxton straights, at the end of 1978, at 100km/h, that someone tried to grab me from behind on my Yamaha.They seemed to be yanking my backpack. My first thought was outrage. My second was: but how? Where have they come from? And my ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    1 week ago

  • Look who’s stepped up to champion Winston
    There’s no news to be gleaned from the government’s official website today  – it contains nothing more than the message about the site being under maintenance. The time this maintenance job is taking and the costs being incurred have us musing on the government’s commitment to an assault on inflation. ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    1 week ago

  • What's The Story?
    Don’t you sometimes wish they’d just tell the truth? No matter how abhorrent or ugly, just straight up tell us the truth?C’mon guys, what you’re doing is bad enough anyway, pretending you’re not is only adding insult to injury.Instead of all this bollocks about the Smokefree changes being to do ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    1 week ago

  • The longest of weeks
    Hello! Here comes the Saturday edition of More Than A Feilding, catching you up on the past week’s editions.Friday Under New Management Week in review, quiz style1. Which of these best describes Aotearoa?a. Progressive nation, proud of its egalitarian spirit and belief in a fair go b. Best little country on the planet c. ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    1 week ago

  • Suggested sessions of EGU24 to submit abstracts to
    Like earlier this year, members from our team will be involved with next year's General Assembly of the European Geosciences Union (EGU). The conference will take place on premise in Vienna as well as online from April 14 to 19, 2024. The session catalog has been available since November 1 ...
    Skeptical Science
    1 week ago

  • Under New Management
    1. Which of these best describes Aotearoa?a. Progressive nation, proud of its egalitarian spirit and belief in a fair go b. Best little country on the planet c. Under New Management 2. Which of these best describes the 100 days of action announced this week by the new government?a. Petulantb. Simplistic and wrongheaded c. ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    1 week ago

  • Ministers visit Hawke’s Bay to grasp recovery needs
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon joined Cyclone Recovery Minister Mark Mitchell and Transport and Local Government Minister Simeon Brown, to meet leaders of cyclone and flood-affected regions in the Hawke’s Bay. The visit reinforced the coalition Government’s commitment to support the region and better understand its ongoing requirements, Mr Mitchell says.  ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • New Zealand condemns malicious cyber activity
    New Zealand has joined the UK and other partners in condemning malicious cyber activity conducted by the Russian Government, Minister Responsible for the Government Communications Security Bureau Judith Collins says. The statement follows the UK’s attribution today of malicious cyber activity impacting its domestic democratic institutions and processes, as well ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • Disestablishment of Te Pūkenga begins
    The Government has begun the process of disestablishing Te Pūkenga as part of its 100-day plan, Minister for Tertiary Education and Skills Penny Simmonds says.  “I have started putting that plan into action and have met with the chair and chief Executive of Te Pūkenga to advise them of my ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago

  • Climate Change Minister to attend COP28 in Dubai
    Climate Change Minister Simon Watts will be leaving for Dubai today to attend COP28, the 28th annual UN climate summit, this week. Simon Watts says he will push for accelerated action towards the goals of the Paris Agreement, deliver New Zealand’s national statement and connect with partner countries, private sector leaders ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago

  • New Zealand to host 2024 Pacific defence meeting
    Defence Minister Judith Collins yesterday announced New Zealand will host next year’s South Pacific Defence Ministers’ Meeting (SPDMM). “Having just returned from this year’s meeting in Nouméa, I witnessed first-hand the value of meeting with my Pacific counterparts to discuss regional security and defence matters. I welcome the opportunity to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago

  • Study shows need to remove distractions in class
    The Government is committed to lifting school achievement in the basics and that starts with removing distractions so young people can focus on their learning, Education Minister Erica Stanford says.   The 2022 PISA results released this week found that Kiwi kids ranked 5th in the world for being distracted ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago

  • Minister sets expectations of Commissioner
    Today I met with Police Commissioner Andrew Coster to set out my expectations, which he has agreed to, says Police Minister Mark Mitchell. Under section 16(1) of the Policing Act 2008, the Minister can expect the Police Commissioner to deliver on the Government’s direction and priorities, as now outlined in ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago

  • New Zealand needs a strong and stable ETS
    New Zealand needs a strong and stable Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) that is well placed for the future, after emission units failed to sell for the fourth and final auction of the year, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says.  At today’s auction, 15 million New Zealand units (NZUs) – each ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago

  • PISA results show urgent need to teach the basics
    With 2022 PISA results showing a decline in achievement, Education Minister Erica Stanford is confident that the Coalition Government’s 100-day plan for education will improve outcomes for Kiwi kids.  The 2022 PISA results show a significant decline in the performance of 15-year-old students in maths compared to 2018 and confirms ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago

  • Collins leaves for Pacific defence meeting
    Defence Minister Judith Collins today departed for New Caledonia to attend the 8th annual South Pacific Defence Ministers’ meeting (SPDMM). “This meeting is an excellent opportunity to meet face-to-face with my Pacific counterparts to discuss regional security matters and to demonstrate our ongoing commitment to the Pacific,” Judith Collins says. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago

  • Working for Families gets cost of living boost
    Putting more money in the pockets of hard-working families is a priority of this Coalition Government, starting with an increase to Working for Families, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon says. “We are starting our 100-day plan with a laser focus on bringing down the cost of living, because that is what ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago

  • Post-Cabinet press conference
    Most weeks, following Cabinet, the Prime Minister holds a press conference for members of the Parliamentary Press Gallery. This page contains the transcripts from those press conferences, which are supplied by Hansard to the Office of the Prime Minister. It is important to note that the transcripts have not been edited ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago

  • Lake Onslow pumped hydro scheme scrapped
    The Government has axed the $16 billion Lake Onslow pumped hydro scheme championed by the previous government, Energy Minister Simeon Brown says. “This hugely wasteful project was pouring money down the drain at a time when we need to be reining in spending and focussing on rebuilding the economy and ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • NZ welcomes further pause in fighting in Gaza
    New Zealand welcomes the further one-day extension of the pause in fighting, which will allow the delivery of more urgently-needed humanitarian aid into Gaza and the release of more hostages, Foreign Minister Winston Peters said. “The human cost of the conflict is horrific, and New Zealand wants to see the violence ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Condolences on passing of Henry Kissinger
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters today expressed on behalf of the New Zealand Government his condolences to the family of former US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, who has passed away at the age of 100 at his home in Connecticut. “While opinions on his legacy are varied, Secretary Kissinger was ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Backing our kids to learn the basics
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