The Labour Conference

Written By: - Date published: 8:04 am, November 6th, 2021 - 50 comments
Categories: Carmel Sepuloni, chris hipkins, jacinda ardern, labour, political parties, stuart nash, uncategorized - Tags:

The Labour Party conference is on this weekend.  It is a different event this year and is being held digitally.  Last night’s events included welcomes, Rino Tirikatene singing a wonderful waiata solo, and senior Ministers answering questions and describing the newsworthy event for them in the past 12 months.  The winner was a toss up betweeen Chris “spread your legs” Hipkins and Carmel Sepuloni’s son pointing out the phallic nature of a carrot during a Zoom meeting although questions are still being asked why Stuart Nash had to take his shirt off to be vaccinated.

Today there will be speeches from senior party figures and debate on proposed constitutional changes.  The most contentious is likely to be that giving a two third majority of Caucus the right to select a new leader and bypass the rights of members and affiliates to have a say in who the new leader should be.  The New Lynn LEC has proposed that this should be 75%.  It should only be in the clearest of cases that members’ and affiliates’ rights to have a say in who the new leader should be should be curtailed.

There is a media drum beat that this is evidence that Jacinda may stand down.  Nothing could be further from the truth.  The constitutional changes are part of the usual review of the constitution and there are a few bugs that need to be ironed out.

I will put up a copy of the leader’s speech when I get my hands on one this afternoon.

50 comments on “The Labour Conference ”

  1. Ad 1

    I would rather they vote on something useful like the Green proposal for a 75% Parliamentary super-majority before any proposal to sell off the new water entities.

    It's a Green Party proposal worth supporting.

    • bwaghorn 1.1

      ?? IS THE 3 WATERS JUST BUNDLING IT UP SO IT CAN BE SOLD?????

      • theotherpat 1.1.1

        well it can be seen that way….i guess we will have to keep an eagle eye on it……that issue and then seeing this issue Mickey has raised makes me wonder.

      • Patricia Bremner 1.1.2

        No if you have been following Nania Mahuta. She is doing the reverse of Bradford with Electricity. Positioning so it can NOT be sold off. Making governance better and not so piecemeal. But the safeguard of 75% would be good to stymie any Nact moves.

        • Ad 1.1.2.1

          It's not Mahuta we need to worry about. It's all mung beans and dancing when the left tilts it their way.

          It's what National will do with the legislation when in power.

          Bolger was relatively mild with Auckland's assets, then Shipley came in and eviscerated them.

          Same with the Auckland reforms. Great when Labour got them going and agreed to implement the Royal Commission findings. Then National and Act came in and we got the corporatised model.

          Same with the 49% of the electricity generators under Key.

          • KJT 1.1.2.1.1

            Given New Zealands constitution "Tory proofing" from future "theft of the commons" is damn near impossible.

            And, anything that does, can be gamed the other way as well. Locking in power privatisation, for example. Noting that, so many of the Neo-liberal "reforms" were intentionally made too expensive to reverse.

            • Puckish Rogue 1.1.2.1.1.1

              Correct me if I'm wrong but weren't asset sales started under Labour and more assets sold off under Labour than were sold off by National?

              • KJT

                Not a Labour supporter, but the current Labour party is infinitly better than the current National party.

                Asset sales. Close. When Labour were the original ACT party. Didn't support them doing that at the time, either.

              • Michael

                That's why we voted for MMP: to stop the Right from gaining control again.

        • Gypsy 1.1.2.2

          Mahuta is creating huge monopolies delivering essential services at a price. Sounds ripe for privatisation to me.

          • KJT 1.1.2.2.1

            You mean, like Key, with ACC?

            • Gypsy 1.1.2.2.1.1

              ACC wasn't privatised; it remained in state ownership. Private providers were allowed to compete with ACC, but had to set up their own infrastructure, systems etc.

        • left for dead 1.1.2.3

          @ PB yes

  2. Tiger Mountain 2

    The NZ Labour Party Caucus and Parliamentary wing have long subjugated the ordinary members and LEC members. In the lead up to, and fall out from “Rogernomics” left wing elements were driven from Labour or put on the outer. Heard of the “Backbone” club anyone? I spent a few rainy Sundays supporting Labour members I knew protesting outside Richard Prebble’s Auckland Central electorate meetings.

    The Joint Council of Labour where top Labour MPs and officials met with Federation of Labour leaders on working class matters was promptly dispatched by Douglas and his henchmen. The people should be kept well away from meaningful power at all times is the monetarist mantra.

    Since the neo liberal based state was initiated by Roger Douglas and expanded by National with the Employment Contracts Act etc. Labour tops were trepidatious about left wingers ever getting near their party again.

    So in the brief period when the rules were changed it looked almost hopeful, the sour looks caught unawares by TV cameras of Jacinda and Grant said it all when Andrew Little became leader in 2014. Union affiliates, and NZ Dairy Workers Union Te Runanga Wai U in particular I believe tipped it in a very close result.

    Of course the rules okaying a sans membership vote for leader close to a general election ultimately came in very handy for Jacinda’s installation into what she possibly felt was Granty’s rightful spot. Anyone with half a brain and a heart loves and respects the PM’s crisis management, but she is a neo liberal in essential respects–how can anyone of her rank and age in Labour not be?

    Labour’s move will be counterproductive in the long run, people have seen them squander a once in a generation majority MMP position of unprecedented power to act. I even know a few tories that were quietly egging them on too to make some radical moves.

    People need to be directly involved in political struggle and organisation again in Aotearoa NZ or those state houses are never going to built, and the bottom 50% of NZers that own just 2% of the wealth is likely to become 60% and 70% owning zilch, renting and battling in a land of plenty.

    • roy cartland 2.1

      Totally agree with that last bit. The ONLY way democracy can work is if the demos actually does some of the crac. In fact all of the crac.

      The "people" have to take part, otherwise it will be done on our behalf, and likely not in our interest.

    • Anne 2.2

      You and I TM have interesting stories to tell about the Labour Party in the1970s and 80s. We were both there among the Auckland melee at the same time. Our paths must have crossed at some point.

      I walked from Labour around 1983, but it wasn't so much because of the rise of the Right. To be honest I didn't know it was happening at the time. My problem lay with a group of belligerent Auckland members (largely women) who I found overbearing and quite bullying in their attitude. It did not include Helen Clark who I knew and admired.

      You were either 100% for them or 100% 'agin' them. There was nothing in between. I suspect they were just as damaging to the Party as the Rogernomes, not so much for their views but the way they went about trying to enforce them. Indeed, I think they ended up being grist to the meal for Douglas and Co.

      I noted not many of them survived for very long and those that did were far less aggressive.

      Looking back the Party was being torn to shreds by elements within the party and it is a miracle it even survived.

      • Tiger Mountain 2.2.1

        Not too many Anne, emerge from Parliamentary and Party politics unscathed. Though it draws the curious of us back for much of our lives, and the internet enables anyone to be a pundit of sorts…

        I add the occasional period detail to jog memories, and show my bona fides for taking certain positions.

    • Drowsy M. Kram 2.3

      …and the bottom 50% of NZers that own just 2% of the wealth is likely to become 60% and 70% owning zilch, renting and battling in a land of plenty.

      yes Not the 'future for all' that one might have hoped for, but probably the best neoliberal Labour can do.

      'Explosion of wealth inequality' as housing boom leaves many behind – economist

      Inland Revenue tells wealthiest NZers questions are coming

      First 'questions', then soft cushions. And, if all else fails, there's always the comfy chair.

    • " Labour’s move will be counterproductive in the long run, people have seen them squander a once in a generation majority MMP position of unprecedented power to act. I even know a few tories that were quietly egging them on too to make some radical moves "

      " People need to be directly involved in political struggle and organisation again in Aotearoa NZ or those state houses are never going to built, and the bottom 50% of NZers that own just 2% of the wealth is likely to become 60% and 70% owning zilch, renting and battling in a land of plenty "

      I don't believe that the Social Democrats will ever be purged from the current LINO party as like everything else in this country they have sold out to free market forces and behave as a corporate entity is expected to behave.

      Corbyn tried in the U.K and look what happened there. That was a perfect example of the left trying to take back their house while the squatters stayed firmly put.

      With MMP and a well organised , funded , principled approach with a non negotiable list of policy positions would form the basis of a new party of the left.

      Sooner or later LINO will need the numbers to form a governing arrangement and the best possible outcome would be to let the Green party wither and die and adopt the majority of their current policies of which there are many sensible ones into a new movement that is also puts the environment along with poverty as its main focus.

      • Tiger Mountain 2.4.1

        Agree. The Parliamentary neo liberal consensus across all main parties sees the neo liberal state and way of operating locked in. There is no anti capitalist party in the NZ Parliament, they are all class peace, or employer orientated.

        What makes quick change more possible in the next two elections is instability from Climate Disaster, capitalist wars and pandemics. The down side is that change could be to authoritarianism.

  3. Nigel Haworth 3

    I strongly support:

    1) the proposal to return the choice of parliamentary leader to the Caucus. I would have returned to the pre-2012 arrangement happily. The 2012 changes may have given party members a vote on the leadership but they simultaneously destroyed the balance of power between Caucus and Party. The price was far too high;

    2) the unsaid corollary, consequent sustained action to rebuild the Party structure – financially, organisationally and politically – so it exerts appropriate oversight over Caucus and holds it to the Platform snd Manifesto. That’s where democracy’s impact is felt most strongly.

    • Ad 3.1

      What are the mechanisms for your "unsaid corollary" that enable appropriate oversight over Caucus?

      It looks more like the Members are needed less and less every year.

      • Dennis Frank 3.1.1

        Puzzles me that they keep failing to follow Bunnings' model and designate them Team Members. The whole point of being neoliberal is to corporatise everything and the corporate team-building ethos has been essential since the '80s when my old mate Bill Watson, a psychologist, was a consultant/leader teaching Ak corporates how to do it.

        I presume Labour are just waiting for AI to become sufficiently robust that they can enroll androids as Team Members and then eliminate the pesky humans.

      • alwyn 3.1.2

        It isn't needed less and less but wanted that is the correct interpretation, at least as I see it from the point of view of someone who isn't a party member. This seems to have me to have been the aim of the politicians in the party since Helen Clark came to power.

        The only real need of the members in the modern parties is to raise money for the campaigns. If, heaven forbid, we get to the stage of taxpayers being compulsorily levied for party campaign funds the need for members will vanish and the Parliamentarians will rejoice. Be careful what you wish for.

        I did like the way that the author of the post said, so delicately, "there are a few bugs that need to be ironed out". Weren't the election of both Cunliffe and Little the two outcomes of the current election method? A few bugs? They seemed to be rather better described in the title of the Coney/Bunkle article. "the Unfortunate Experiment … ". Those elections weren't just a few bugs. They were total disasters.

        • Patricia Bremner 3.1.2.1

          Really? Andrew Little drew the members together for a common purpose. I feel realy proud I voted for him in the Leadership rounds.He has a gritty realism and honesty. Which is why he 100% supported Jacinda Ardern when he saw her ability and connection with the public. As a person on the right Alwyn, tell me what power do you have in electing a Leader?

          • alwyn 3.1.2.1.1

            Why should I have any power at all in electing a political party leader? I am not a member of any political party. I never have been and never will be. Why would they let me vote for their leader?

    • KJT 3.2

      "Democracy is a bitch", eh?

    • mickysavage 3.3

      Hi Nigel. Good to see you here. What about the requirement that MPs at least have to consult with their MPs before voting on the new leader?

      I would respectfully disagree with you. I thought the contests were good for the party in allowing a debate about the future and that if leaders could not negotiate the politics within the party they could not negotiate the politics in the country.

      • Nigel Haworth 3.3.1

        Happily here because this is an issue of fundamental importance for the future of the Party.

        I can’t do the historical argument justice here, but the LP Constitution emerged as a clever way to balance the interests of the Party – long-term, through the electoral cycle, socialist, member-driven – and the Caucus – a separate body of generally good people often with strong roots in Labour, driven in part by its own dynamics, supported by generous funds, and technical support often not linked to the Party, subject to advice and pressure from many directions, the site of some careerism, nominally governed by the manifesto etc but under pressure to shift in different directions.

        A strong, well-resourced, democratic party is needed to manage that relationship on a broadly equal footing. The 2012 changes gave members a voice in an important area, but also reduced the capacity of the Party to maintain its long-term status as different from, and overseeing of, Caucus.

        This is also why I argue for other changes to safeguard the independence of the Party – for example, no-one on Council should be able to stand for Parliament for, say, three years after leaving Council (to reduce the incidence of patronage and its consequences).

        I understand that these views will not find favour in some quarters, but this is a debate to be had, if only to focus on the our gradual slippage from a party committed to socialist transition to an alliance of sectional interests jockeying for precedence.

        • mickysavage 3.3.1.1

          I understand that these views will not find favour in some quarters, but this is a debate to be had, if only to focus on the our gradual slippage from a party committed to socialist transition to an alliance of sectional interests jockeying for precedence.

          Agree with you about this but isn't giving members a say in who the leader is one way to prevent the slide of the party into an alliance of sectional interests?

          • Nigel Haworth 3.3.1.1.1

            I’ve tried the “Render unto Caesar” shorthand explanation but it confused Mr Trotter. I see voting on The Leader as a limited exercise of power which brings with it a much greater threat – the loss of presidential and council authority to a unitary leadership lodged in Caucus and speaking over and round the Party’s democratic structures. It downgrades the authority of members and Party between occasional leadership elections.

            • mickysavage 3.3.1.1.1.1

              Good point although it is arguable that leadership contests are the only occasions where members have significant control over caucus.

              • Nigel Haworth

                It’s a debate, but the important question is whether the simple change today is allowed to lead to that debate. If we don’t get this right now, we face very difficult times in the future as the electoral cycle plays out.

                • Tiger Mountain

                  Opaque comment. An NZ Labour insider supports centralised control…no surprises there bro’.

                  The leadership method of election is important because of basic democracy, and the fact the leader helms the whole party, not just the Parliamentary wing, and potentially the country. So genuine leaders are required rather than obsequious Keir Starmer types.

        • Craig H 3.3.1.2

          I joined Labour the day after the 2014 election, and have certainly been happy with the election results, but have noticed the lack of accountability of Caucus, especially Cabinet, to the party manifesto and policy once elected. Very interested to hear your experience and thoughts in this area as to me it feels like the party membership puts a lot of time and effort into both fundraising and policy for quite limited actual results.

          • Tiger Mountain 3.3.1.2.1

            Go to the top of the class Craig H. NZ Labour is essentially an electoral machine that runs on a cycle, not a consistent force for social change that benefits working class people.

            My partner was involved in New Lynn LEC during the “FJK” election, and detected some electorates were starved of resources while effort was expended on keeping Internet Mana out at all costs in Te Tai Tokerau electorate.

            New gen voters will have to learn quickly if the NZ neo liberal state is ever to be rolled back.

          • Anker 3.3.1.2.2

            100%Craig

    • DS 3.4

      The 1980s destroyed the balance between Party and Caucus. If the dirty peasants are protective of their recent (and hard-won) right to determine the leader of their party, the Caucus has only itself to blame.

    • Michael 3.5

      Precisely as I'd expect from you. Labour is no longer a mass-based political party that can claim legitimacy from broad popular support. Instead it is a vehicle for narrow elite agendas that have nothing to do with the Party's founding principles. Your time as President only reinforced that position.

      • Nigel Haworth 3.5.1

        To be clear, my desire is precisely to rebuild a strong party base that is committed to socialist principles. That project is made easer by the recent rule change, but requires party members to decide if they see the party's future as a class based party or as an alliance of sectional interests.

  4. Visubversa 4

    The Labour Party in Government seems to be determined to remove the hard won principle of separation of Church and State, and to allow the levers of the State to be used to promote an ideology. There is no more evidence for the possession of a separate and immutable "gender identity" that transcends biological reality than there is for the possession of an "immortal soul". The promotion of gender ideology is seen in Health and in Education as well as in at least 3 of the pieces of proposed legislation currently before the House. The lack of proper consultation – and the ignoring of the majority of submitters, as well as the appalling behaviour of some of the Labour Members on the Committees demonstrates the promotion of this ideology.

  5. UncookedSelachimorpha 5

    Ardern announces an extra $20/week for 350k families in her keynote speech.

    A very, very, very small move. Certainly will transform nothing – most will disappear instantly into increased fuel and accommodation costs. I'm not sure of the detail, but looks like a tax credit, so beneficiaries miss out.

    Must be seen in the context of Labour's powerful decision to avoid taxing wealth. NZ's richest man, Graeme Hart, had his wealth increase by $3.4 billion during the first year of the covid pandemic. This increase alone – by one person – would pay for the entire announced spending increase for over 9 years! But Labour wants to leave thousands in poverty rather than risk inconveniencing a single rich person.

    When Ardern says "Ending child poverty is a priority for this government" I just can't believe her.

    • Nordy 5.1

      I suggest you look at the detail before making assertions that should be an embarrassment. The detail is not hard to find.

      This set of changes come on top of a large set of changes since this govt took office in 2017. They need to be see in there entirety, not as a piecemeal exercise.

      Transformation does not occur as a result of a single decision. It is about the sum of all the things both said and done, and things that are planned to be done. That is how the real world works.

      • UncookedSelachimorpha 5.1.1

        Of course transformation typically does not result from a single decision (although single decisions can have huge effects – for example The Mother of All Budgets). Unfortunately in the real world, appalling levels of poverty and homelessness persist and grow in New Zealand, despite the entirety of the changes Labour has made and not made since coming to power in 2017.

        I have no doubt things would be worse under National, but that is a very low bar. Labour could and should do much better. For any kid with bronchitis and scabies living in poverty in New Zealand today – and there are plenty – what Labour has said, done and planned doesn't count for much.

        • Barfly 5.1.1.1

          Well as a beneficiary – I am looking forward the second part of the increases due on 1 April 2022. Whilst there is no shortage of naysayers bagging the governments efforts my situation has certainly improved because of a large number of small increases.

          • Patricia Bremner 5.1.1.1.1

            I am pleased for you Barfly. smiley

            • Michael 5.1.1.1.1.1

              So am I. I only hope your landlord didn't capture all your increased benefit by hiking your rent. Any Labour Party worth the name would have made sure they could not.

Recent Comments

Recent Posts

  • Chris Bishop: Smokin’
    Yes. Correct. It was an election result. And now we are the elected government. ...
    My ThinksBy boonman
    11 hours 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 ...
    11 hours 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
    17 hours 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
    18 hours 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 day 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
    2 days 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
    2 days 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 ...
    2 days 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
    2 days ago
  • While we wait patiently, our new Minister of Education is up and going with a 100-day action plan
    Sorry to say, the government’s official website is still out of action. When Point of Order paid its daily visit, the message was the same as it has been for the past week: Site under maintenance Beehive.govt.nz is currently under maintenance. We will be back shortly. Thank you for your ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    2 days ago
  • DAVID FARRAR: Hysterical bullshit
    Radio NZ reports: Te Pāti Māori’s co-leader Debbie Ngarewa-Packer has accused the new government of “deliberate .. systemic genocide” over its policies to roll back the smokefree policy and the Māori Health Authority. The left love hysterical language. If you oppose racial quotas in laws, you are a racist. And now if you sack ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    2 days ago
  • ELE LUDEMANN: It wasn’t just $55 million
    Ele Ludemann writes –  Winston Peters reckons media outlets were bribed by the $55 million Public Interest Journalism Fund. He is not the first to make such an accusation. Last year, the Platform outlined conditions media signed up to in return for funds from the PJIF: . . . ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    3 days ago
  • Weekly Roundup 1-December-2023
    Wow, it’s December already, and it’s a Friday. So here are few things that caught our attention recently. This Week in Greater Auckland On Monday Matt covered the new government’s coalition agreements and what they mean for transport. On Tuesday Matt looked at AT’s plans for fare increases ...
    Greater AucklandBy Greater Auckland
    3 days ago
  • Shane MacGowan Is Gone.
    Late 1996, The Dogs Bollix, Tamaki Makaurau.I’m at the front of the bar yelling my order to the bartender, jostling with other thirsty punters on a Friday night, keen to piss their wages up against a wall letting loose. The black stuff, long luscious pints of creamy goodness. Back down ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    3 days ago
  • The Hoon around the week to Dec 1
    Nicola Willis, Chris Bishop and other National, ACT and NZ First MPs applaud the signing of the coalition agreements, which included the reversal of anti-smoking measures while accelerating tax cuts for landlords. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The five things that mattered in Aotearoa’s political economy that we wrote ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago
  • 2023 More Reading: November (+ Writing Update)
    Completed reads for November: A Modern Utopia, by H.G. Wells The Vampire (poem), by Heinrich August Ossenfelder The Corpus Hermeticum The Corpus Hermeticum is Mead’s translation. Now, this is indeed a very quiet month for reading. But there is a reason for that… You see, ...
    3 days ago
  • 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.The two coalition agreements – one National and ACT, the other National and New Zealand First – are more than policy documents. They also describe the processes of the ...
    PunditBy Brian Easton
    3 days ago
  • Questions a nine year old might ask the new Prime Minister
    First QuestionYou’re going to crack down on people ram-raiding dairies, because you say hard-working dairy owners shouldn’t have to worry about getting ram-raided.But once the chemist shops have pseudoephedrine in them again, they're going to get ram-raided all the time. Do chemists not work as hard as dairy owners?Second QuestionYou ...
    More than a fieldingBy David Slack
    3 days ago
  • Questions a nine year old might ask the new Prime Minister
    First QuestionYou’re going to crack down on people ram-raiding dairies, because you say hard-working dairy owners shouldn’t have to worry about getting ram-raided.But once the chemist shops have pseudoephedrine in them again, they're going to get ram-raided all the time. Do chemists not work as hard as dairy owners?Second QuestionYou ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago
  • Finally
    Henry Kissinger is finally dead. Good fucking riddance. While Americans loved him, he was a war criminal, responsible for most of the atrocities of the final quarter of the twentieth century. Cambodia. Bangladesh. Chile. East Timor. All Kissinger. Because of these crimes, Americans revere him as a "statesman" (which says ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    3 days ago
  • Government in a hurry – Luxon lists 49 priorities in 100-day plan while Peters pledges to strength...
    Buzz from the Beehive Yes, ministers in the new government are delivering speeches and releasing press statements. But the message on the government’s official website was the same as it has been for the past several days, when Point of Order went looking for news from the Beehive that had ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    3 days ago
  • DAVID FARRAR: Luxon is absolutely right
    David Farrar writes  –  1 News reports: Christopher Luxon says he was told by some Kiwis on the campaign trail they “didn’t know” the difference between Waka Kotahi, Te Pūkenga and Te Whatu Ora. Speaking to Breakfast, the incoming prime minister said having English first on government agencies will “make sure” ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    3 days ago
  • Top 10 at 10 am for Thursday, Nov 30
    There are fears that mooted changes to building consent liability could end up driving the building industry into an uninsured hole. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Here’s my pick of the top 10 news and analysis links elsewhere as of 10 am on Thursday, November 30, including:The new Government’s ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • Gordon Campbell on how climate change threatens cricket‘s future
    Well that didn’t last long, did it? Mere days after taking on what he called the “awesome responsibility” of being Prime Minister, M Christopher Luxon has started blaming everyone else, and complaining that he has inherited “economic vandalism on an unprecedented scale” – which is how most of us are ...
    4 days ago
  • We need to talk about Tory.
    The first I knew of the news about Tory Whanau was when a tweet came up in my feed.The sort of tweet that makes you question humanity, or at least why you bother with Twitter. Which is increasingly a cesspit of vile inhabitants who lurk spreading negativity, hate, and every ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    4 days ago
  • Dangling Transport Solutions
    Cable Cars, Gondolas, Ropeways and Aerial Trams are all names for essentially the same technology and the world’s biggest maker of them are here to sell them as an public transport solution. Stuff reports: Austrian cable car company Doppelmayr has launched its case for adding aerial cable cars to New ...
    4 days ago
  • November AMA
    Hi,It’s been awhile since I’ve done an Ask-Me-Anything on here, so today’s the day. Ask anything you like in the comments section, and I’ll be checking in today and tomorrow to answer.Leave a commentNext week I’ll be giving away a bunch of these Mister Organ blu-rays for readers in New ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    4 days ago
  • National’s early moves adding to cost of living pressure
    The cost of living grind continues, and the economic and inflation honeymoon is over before it began. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: PM Christopher Luxon unveiled his 100 day plan yesterday with an avowed focus of reducing cost-of-living pressures, but his Government’s initial moves and promises are actually elevating ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • Backwards to the future
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has confirmed that it will be back to the future on planning legislation. This will be just one of a number of moves which will see the new government go backwards as it repeals and cost-cuts its way into power. They will completely repeal one ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    4 days ago
  • New initiatives in science and technology could point the way ahead for Luxon government
    As the new government settles into the Beehive, expectations are high that it can sort out some  of  the  economic issues  confronting  New Zealand. It may take time for some new  ministers to get to grips with the range of their portfolio work and responsibilities before they can launch the  changes that  ...
    Point of OrderBy tutere44
    4 days ago
  • Treaty pledge to secure funding is contentious – but is Peters being pursued by a lynch mob after ...
    TV3 political editor Jenna Lynch was among the corps of political reporters who bridled, when Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters told them what he thinks of them (which is not much). She was unabashed about letting her audience know she had bridled. More usefully, she drew attention to something which ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    4 days ago
  • How long does this last?
    I have a clear memory of every election since 1969 in this plucky little nation of ours. I swear I cannot recall a single one where the question being asked repeatedly in the first week of the new government was: how long do you reckon they’ll last? And that includes all ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    4 days ago
  • National’s giveaway politics
    We already know that national plans to boost smoking rates to collect more tobacco tax so they can give huge tax-cuts to mega-landlords. But this morning that policy got even more obscene - because it turns out that the tax cut is retrospective: Residential landlords will be able to ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    4 days ago
  • CHRIS TROTTER: Who’s driving the right-wing bus?
    Who’s At The Wheel? The electorate’s message, as aggregated in the polling booths on 14 October, turned out to be a conservative political agenda stronger than anything New Zealand has seen in five decades. In 1975, Bill Rowling was run over by just one bus, with Rob Muldoon at the wheel. In 2023, ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • GRAHAM ADAMS:  Media knives flashing for Luxon’s government
    The fear and loathing among legacy journalists is astonishing Graham Adams writes – No one is going to die wondering how some of the nation’s most influential journalists personally view the new National-led government. It has become abundantly clear within a few days of the coalition agreements ...
    Point of OrderBy gadams1000
    4 days ago
  • Top 10 news links for Wednesday, Nov 29
    TL;DR: Here’s my pick of top 10 news links elsewhere for Wednesday November 29, including:The early return of interest deductibility for landlords could see rebates paid on previous taxes and the cost increase to $3 billion from National’s initial estimate of $2.1 billion, CTU Economist Craig Renney estimated here last ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • Smokefree Fallout and a High Profile Resignation.
    The day after being sworn in the new cabinet met yesterday, to enjoy their honeymoon phase. You remember, that period after a new government takes power where the country, and the media, are optimistic about them, because they haven’t had a chance to stuff anything about yet.Sadly the nuptials complete ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago
  • As Cabinet revs up, building plans go on hold
    Wellington Council hoardings proclaim its preparations for population growth, but around the country councils are putting things on hold in the absence of clear funding pathways for infrastructure, and despite exploding migrant numbers. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Cabinet meets in earnest today to consider the new Government’s 100-day ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • National takes over infrastructure
    Though New Zealand First may have had ambitions to run the infrastructure portfolios, National would seem to have ended up firmly in control of them.  POLITIK has obtained a private memo to members of Infrastructure NZ yesterday, which shows that the peak organisation for infrastructure sees  National MPs Chris ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    5 days ago
  • At a glance – Evidence for global warming
    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 ...
    5 days ago
  • Who’s Driving The Right-Wing Bus?
    Who’s At The Wheel? The electorate’s message, as aggregated in the polling booths on 14 October, turned out to be a conservative political agenda stronger than anything New Zealand has seen in five decades. In 1975, Bill Rowling was run over by just one bus, with Rob Muldoon at the wheel. In ...
    5 days ago
  • Sanity break
    Cheers to reader Deane for this quote from Breakfast TV today:Chloe Swarbrick to Brook van Velden re the coalition agreement: “... an unhinged grab-bag of hot takes from your drunk uncle at Christmas”Cheers also to actual Prime Minister of a country Christopher Luxon for dorking up his swearing-in vows.But that's enough ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    5 days ago
  • Sanity break
    Cheers to reader Deane for this quote from Breakfast TV today:Chloe Swarbrick to Brook van Velden re the coalition agreement: “... an unhinged grab-bag of hot takes from your drunk uncle at Christmas”Cheers also to actual Prime Minister of a country Christopher Luxon for dorking up his swearing-in vows.But that's enough ...
    More than a fieldingBy David Slack
    5 days ago
  • National’s murderous smoking policy
    One of the big underlying problems in our political system is the prevalence of short-term thinking, most usually seen in the periodic massive infrastructure failures at a local government level caused by them skimping on maintenance to Keep Rates Low. But the new government has given us a new example, ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    5 days ago
  • NZ has a chance to rise again as our new government gets spending under control
    New Zealand has  a chance  to  rise  again. Under the  previous  government, the  number of New Zealanders below the poverty line was increasing  year by year. The Luxon-led government  must reverse that trend – and set about stabilising  the  pillars  of the economy. After the  mismanagement  of the outgoing government created   huge ...
    Point of OrderBy tutere44
    5 days ago
  • KARL DU FRESNE: Media and the new government
    Two articles by Karl du Fresne bring media coverage of the new government into considerations.  He writes –    Tuesday, November 28, 2023 The left-wing media needed a line of attack, and they found one The left-wing media pack wasted no time identifying the new government’s weakest point. Seething over ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • PHILIP CRUMP:  Team of rivals – a CEO approach to government leadership
    The work begins Philip Crump wrote this article ahead of the new government being sworn in yesterday – Later today the new National-led coalition government will be sworn in, and the hard work begins. At the core of government will be three men – each a leader ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • Black Friday
    As everyone who watches television or is on the mailing list for any of our major stores will confirm, “Black Friday” has become the longest running commercial extravaganza and celebration in our history. Although its origins are obscure (presumably dreamt up by American salesmen a few years ago), it has ...
    Bryan GouldBy Bryan Gould
    6 days ago
  • In Defense of the Media.
    Yesterday the Ministers in the next government were sworn in by our Governor General. A day of tradition and ceremony, of decorum and respect. Usually.But yesterday Winston Peters, the incoming Deputy Prime Minister, and Foreign Minister, of our nation used it, as he did with the signing of the coalition ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    6 days ago
  • Top 10 news links at 10 am for Tuesday, Nov 28
    Nicola Willis’ first move was ‘spilling the tea’ on what she called the ‘sobering’ state of the nation’s books, but she had better be able to back that up in the HYEFU. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Here’s my pick of top 10 news links elsewhere at 10 am ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    6 days ago
  • PT use up but fare increases coming
    Yesterday Auckland Transport were celebrating, as the most recent Sunday was the busiest Sunday they’ve ever had. That’s a great outcome and I’m sure the ...
    6 days ago
  • The very opposite of social investment
    Nicola Willis (in blue) at the signing of the coalition agreement, before being sworn in as both Finance Minister and Social Investment Minister. National’s plan to unwind anti-smoking measures will benefit her in the first role, but how does it stack up from a social investment viewpoint? Photo: Lynn Grieveson ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    6 days ago
  • Giving Tuesday
    For the first time "in history" we decided to jump on the "Giving Tuesday" bandwagon in order to make you aware of the options you have to contribute to our work! Projects supported by Skeptical Science Inc. Skeptical Science Skeptical Science is an all-volunteer organization but ...
    6 days ago
  • Let's open the books with Nicotine Willis
    Let’s say it’s 1984,and there's a dreary little nation at the bottom of the Pacific whose name rhymes with New Zealand,and they've just had an election.Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, will you look at the state of these books we’ve opened,cries the incoming government, will you look at all this mountain ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    6 days ago
  • Climate Change: Stopping oil
    National is promising to bring back offshore oil and gas drilling. Naturally, the Greens have organised a petition campaign to try and stop them. You should sign it - every little bit helps, and as the struggle over mining conservation land showed, even National can be deterred if enough people ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    6 days ago
  • Don’t accept Human Rights Commission reading of data on Treaty partnership – read the survey fin...
    Wellington is braced for a “massive impact’ from the new government’s cutting public service jobs, The Post somewhat grimly reported today. Expectations of an economic and social jolt are based on the National-Act coalition agreement to cut public service numbers in each government agency in a cost-trimming exercise  “informed by” head ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago
  • The stupidest of stupid reasons
    One of the threats in the National - ACT - NZ First coalition agreements was to extend the term of Parliament to four years, reducing our opportunities to throw a bad government out. The justification? Apparently, the government thinks "elections are expensive". This is the stupidest of stupid reasons for ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    6 days ago
  • A website bereft of buzz
    Buzz from the Beehive The new government was being  sworn in, at time of writing , and when Point of Order checked the Beehive website for the latest ministerial statements and re-visit some of the old ones we drew a blank. We found ….  Nowt. Nothing. Zilch. Not a ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago
  • MICHAEL BASSETT: A new Ministry – at last
    Michael Bassett writes – Like most people, I was getting heartily sick of all the time being wasted over the coalition negotiations. During the first three weeks Winston grinned like a Cheshire cat, certain he’d be needed; Chris Luxon wasted time in lifting the phone to Winston ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago
  • Luxon's Breakfast.
    The Prime Minister elect had his silver fern badge on. He wore it to remind viewers he was supporting New Zealand, that was his team. Despite the fact it made him look like a concierge, or a welcomer in a Koru lounge. Anna Burns-Francis, the Breakfast presenter, asked if he ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    7 days ago
  • LINDSAY MITCHELL:  Oranga Tamariki faces major upheaval under coalition agreement
     Lindsay Mitchell writes – A hugely significant gain for ACT is somewhat camouflaged by legislative jargon. Under the heading ‘Oranga Tamariki’ ACT’s coalition agreement contains the following item:   Remove Section 7AA from the Oranga Tamariki Act 1989 According to Oranga Tamariki:     “Section ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    7 days ago
  • BRIAN EASTON:  Peters as Minister
    A previous column looked at Winston Peters biographically. This one takes a closer look at his record as a minister, especially his policy record. Brian Easton writes – 1990-1991: Minister of Māori Affairs. Few remember Ka Awatea as a major document on the future of Māori policy; there is ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    7 days ago
  • Cathrine Dyer's guide to watching COP 28 from the bottom of a warming planet
    Is COP28 largely smoke and mirrors and a plan so cunning, you could pin a tail on it and call it a weasel? Photo: Getty ImagesTL;DR: COP28 kicks off on November 30 and up for negotiation are issues like the role of fossil fuels in the energy transition, contributions to ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    7 days ago
  • Top 10 news links at 10 am for Monday, Nov 27
    PM Elect Christopher Luxon was challenged this morning on whether he would sack Adrian Orr and Andrew Coster.TL;DR: Here’s my pick of top 10 news links elsewhere at 10 am on Monday November 27, including:Signs councils are putting planning and capital spending on hold, given a lack of clear guidance ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    7 days ago
  • Gordon Campbell on the new government’s policies of yesteryear
    This column expands on a Werewolf column published by Scoop on Friday Routinely, Winston Peters is described as the kingmaker who gets to decide when the centre right or the centre-left has a turn at running this country. He also plays a less heralded but equally important role as the ...
    7 days ago
  • The New Government’s Agreements
    Last Friday, almost six weeks after election day, National finally came to an agreement with ACT and NZ First to form a government. They also released the agreements between each party and looking through them, here are the things I thought were the most interesting (and often concerning) from the. ...
    7 days ago
  • How many smokers will die to fund the tax cuts?
    Maori and Pasifika smoking rates are already over twice the ‘all adult’ rate. Now the revenue that generates will be used to fund National’s tax cuts. Photo: Getty ImagesTL;DR: The devil is always in the detail and it emerged over the weekend from the guts of the policy agreements National ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    7 days ago
  • How the culture will change in the Beehive
    Perhaps the biggest change that will come to the Beehive as the new government settles in will be a fundamental culture change. The era of endless consultation will be over. This looks like a government that knows what it wants to do, and that means it knows what outcomes ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    7 days ago
  • No More Winnie Blues.
    So what do you think of the coalition’s decision to cancel Smokefree measures intended to stop young people, including an over representation of Māori, from taking up smoking? Enabling them to use the tax revenue to give other people a tax cut?David Cormack summed it up well:It seems not only ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    1 week ago
  • 2023 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #47
    A chronological listing of news and opinion articles posted on the Skeptical Science  Facebook Page during the past week: Sun, Nov 19, 2023 thru Sat, Nov 25, 2023.  Story of the Week World stands on frontline of disaster at Cop28, says UN climate chief  Exclusive: Simon Stiell says leaders must ‘stop ...
    1 week ago
  • Some of it is mad, some of it is bad and some of it is clearly the work of people who are dangerous ...
    On announcement morning my mate texted:Typical of this cut-price, fake-deal government to announce itself on Black Friday.What a deal. We lose Kim Hill, we gain an empty, jargonising prime minister, a belligerent conspiracist, and a heartless Ayn Rand fanboy. One door closes, another gets slammed repeatedly in your face.It seems pretty ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    1 week ago
  • “Revolution” is the threat as the Māori Party smarts at coalition government’s Treaty directi...
    Buzz from the Beehive Having found no fresh announcements on the government’s official website, Point of Order turned today to Scoop’s Latest Parliament Headlines  for its buzz. This provided us with evidence that the Māori Party has been soured by the the coalition agreement announced yesterday by the new PM. “Soured” ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    1 week ago
  • The Good, the Bad, and the even Worse.
    Yesterday the trio that will lead our country unveiled their vision for New Zealand.Seymour looking surprisingly statesmanlike, refusing to rise to barbs about his previous comments on Winston Peters. Almost as if they had just been slapstick for the crowd.Winston was mostly focussed on settling scores with the media, making ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    1 week ago
  • When it Comes to Palestine – Free Speech is Under Threat
    Hi,Thanks for getting amongst Mister Organ on digital — thanks to you, we hit the #1 doc spot on iTunes this week. This response goes a long way to helping us break even.I feel good about that. Other things — not so much.New Zealand finally has a new government, and ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    1 week ago
  • Thank you Captain Luxon. Was that a landing, or were we shot down?
    Hello! Here comes the Saturday edition of More Than A Feilding, catching you up on the past week’s editions.Also in More Than A FeildingFriday The unboxing And so this is Friday and what have we gone and done to ourselves?In the same way that a Christmas present can look lovely under the ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    1 week ago

  • New Zealand welcomes European Parliament vote on the NZ-EU Free Trade Agreement
    A significant milestone in ratifying the NZ-EU Free Trade Agreement (FTA) was reached last night, with 524 of the 705 member European Parliament voting in favour to approve the agreement. “I’m delighted to hear of the successful vote to approve the NZ-EU FTA in the European Parliament overnight. This is ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Further humanitarian support for Gaza, the West Bank and Israel
    The Government is contributing a further $5 million to support the response to urgent humanitarian needs in Gaza, the West Bank and Israel, bringing New Zealand’s total contribution to the humanitarian response so far to $10 million. “New Zealand is deeply saddened by the loss of civilian life and the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 weeks ago

Page generated in The Standard by Wordpress at 2023-12-03T10:33:12+00:00