The Nats’ campaign vid that you and I paid for

Written By: - Date published: 2:14 pm, May 13th, 2009 - 54 comments
Categories: corruption, national - Tags: , ,

I figure the very least the Nats could do after spending our money on their asian-voter campaign video is to share it with us.

Strangely, I couldn’t find it on the National Party website as referenced by last night’s Campbell Live piece.

Fortunately the YouTube user “NationalAsianTeam” still has their copy up – it’s embedded below for your viewing pleasure.

UPDATE: There’s a bit of discussion going on in the comments about attribution and its implications. Looks like it was authorised. Screenshots below.

authorisation


54 comments on “The Nats’ campaign vid that you and I paid for ”

  1. burt 1

    How did the price compare to three elections worth of pledge cards.

    Hell we pay for a lot of stuff that we shouldn’t don’t we!

    Move on or prosecute… precedent…. I think we move on – damm it.

    • george.com 1.1

      You don’t see the biggest irony here Burt? I could have sworn that National were going to bring a new approach in to parliament. No more scandals, everything played by the book. Out with the ‘arrogant, out of touch government’ and in with the honest guys. Hmmm, before the election John Key couldn’t remember how many Kiwirail shares he had, Richard Worth tied himself in knots over a trip to India, and now this. Seems a little of the adage, ‘do as I say, not as I do’.

  2. all_your_base 2

    You can run all the interference you like burt – doesn’t change the fact that John Key has some questions to answer.

    • r0b 2.1

      Burt’s argument is that whatever shenanigans National is caught out in he thinks Labour did it too, so National can’t be held to account for anything. It’s actually a very sophisticated argument – for a two year old eh Burt?

      • burt 2.1.1

        Wrong. Of course they should be held to account – can you not read?

        • r0b 2.1.1.1

          Yes Burt, I can read: I think we move on – damm it.

          • burt 2.1.1.1.1

            rOb

            I also said this;

            However I agree with you the bastards should be held to account for this but precedent tells us they won’t be.

            I quite like the standard now, everybody suddenly seems to agree with me that principles and integrity are very important. Wow I was all alone last year but I seem to have talked all you good folk around to my point of view.

            Was that a little confusing for you?

          • r0b 2.1.1.1.2

            And once upon a time you also said this:

            Oliver, simply because National did something similar (possibly worse, possibly not) it’s no excuse for what Labour have done. Labour need to be judged on what they did – National on what they did – not compared to each other so we can say “Other did it too – move on’.

            Which was exactly what you just did above, and continue to do now with your appeal to “precedent”. The only thing consistent about your position burt is your inconsistency.

            If you genuinely believe that there needs to be a formal investigation of this rort, why not just say so clearly and without prevarication?

          • burt 2.1.1.1.3

            rOb

            You can try and make it sound like that. I did not mean that. Let me explain for you because I know you were a big “Move on” person when Labour were in govt.

            a) I’m not like you rOb. I don’t defend corruption because “my party” did it.
            b) damm it is telling you that I’m not happy with that outcome.

            Is that any clearer. The precedent pisses me off and I hope National don’t do the rOb thing and cry “others did it too”.

          • r0b 2.1.1.1.4

            a) I’m not like you rOb. I don’t defend corruption because “my party’ did it.

            My party did some silly things in government burt, but they weren’t guilty of “corruption”. I hope that you will be able to say the same after how ever many years the NACT government lasts. At the moment I don’t fancy your chances.

            Is that any clearer. The precedent pisses me off and I hope National don’t do the rOb thing and cry “others did it too’.

            Once more you seem a bit confused burt. “Others did it too’ is your line.

          • burt 2.1.1.1.5

            Yes of course rOb, your line was “Labour were not the only ones doing it”. How silly of me. I will be careful not to confuse your childish defense with my mocking of that defense in the future.

  3. Tim Ellis 3

    AYB, he only has questions to answer if the youtube clip cost more than $10k to produce.

    I don’t see how it did. There were many anti-National youtube clips produced during the last election campaign. I doubt any of them cost ten grand either.

    • Not quite Tim. Either Lee or Wong or the Party should have put it in their list of expenses. If it cost more than $10k and was donated then the name of the Donor did not have to be released. But it still had to be recorded in someone’s return.

      • Tim Ellis 3.1.1

        Lee didn’t have a list of expenses micky, since she wasn’t an electorate candidate. It didn’t need to go in Wong’s expenses, since it was a youtube clip for the party.

        I don’t know what the costs of materials for producing a three minute youtube clip might be, but I suspect it is very low. If the costs were prohibitive then you wouldn’t have thousands of people putting up high quality youtube clips now, as they do.

        I suppose there might have been a few paper clips that weren’t individually expensed on party returns as well. Do you think a royal commission into this might be appropriate?

  4. burt 4

    AYB

    It’s not interference. I think if they have broken the law they should stand in court. I said the same for Labour and I say the same for National.

    But precedent tells us that is likely to be shut down pretty quickly. What is more disturbing is that unprincipled hacks will defend this situation. Shame on them.

  5. serpico 5

    Break the law go see a judge.

  6. toad 6

    Hmmm, don’t see an EFA authorisation anywhere in the video either – unless I’ve missed something.

    • burt 6.1

      toad

      I think some MP’s (particularly MP’s who voted for the EFA) thought that the laws associated with authorisations were only for other people and didn’t apply to them.

      Trevor Mallard called me an idiot when I told him that his red labour van with “vote Labour’ all over it required an authorisation and he voted for the EFA so should have understood it 100%. Self serving MP’s will hide behind “the law is confusing’ and “others did it too’ and people who are partisan and have no principles will defend them if it is expedient.

      However I agree with you the bastards should be held to account for this but precedent tells us they won’t be.

      I quite like the standard now, everybody suddenly seems to agree with me that principles and integrity are very important. Wow I was all alone last year but I seem to have talked all you good folk around to my point of view.

      • Eddie 6.1.1

        yeah but to be fair that was a pretty accurate description of you, burt.

        • burt 6.1.1.1

          Fair enough, being smarter than Mallard and understanding more about the laws he supported is nothing to brag about. I’ll take that on the chin 😉

      • Maynard J 6.1.2

        If anyone wants to know what Burt will say for the next two and a half years here it is:

        Any bad thing National does will be directly equated to a Labour “scandal” and, in Burt’s mind, be exactly the same as that Labour scandal. Therefore, if you did not criticise Labour then but are criticising National now, you are a hypocrite, but are now ‘coming around’ to Burt’s way of thinking.

        Direct equivalence will be applied as follows:

        ~ Anything to do with elections, electoral finance, and money in general: Pledge Card.

        ~ Anything to do with passing an Act or any other parliamentary business: EFA/S59 (decided by coin toss)

        ~ Anything to do with anything else on Planet earth, and the Rest of the Known Universe: Picked from a “gate” affair – pledge, speed, corn, Doone. (dual sequential numerical values applied in order above, with answering value ascertained from single roll of an octahedron (8 sided dice))

        Not only will the National act be considered the same in Burt’s mind, it will be the same.

        I hope that helps you all when dealing with our special pupil.

        In this case study, Burt thinks that Lee’s actions are the same as the Pledge Card. One as yet untested hypothesis is that Burt now thinks Lee is Clark, and that the video is a pledge card, but this is difficult to prove.

        • burt 6.1.2.1

          Maynard J

          My being consistent on matters of principle must piss you off big time. I can understand that but your embarrassment over having one standard when Labour are in govt and another for National in govt is not something that concerns me. Please don’t take it personally. Over time I might link to things you said in the past but to me you are just “Maynard J’ and there is nothing personal in it.

          • Maynard J 6.1.2.1.1

            Curses! My observations have upset the experiment. I should have known.

            Is it too much to hope that you will see differences in various actions and not pretend they are exactly the same, not some blanket principle to be applied when you see fit, and demand others also apply?

            I think so, but we will see. Why don’t you start by arguing against Tim and against National here, as rob suggests?

  7. Chris G 7

    Good. Lord.

    Reminds me of the now deceased ‘Salmon Shirt’ video.

  8. all_your_base 8

    @Chris G – the difference is that I’ve managed to grab a copy of this one 😉

    @toad – someone asked about the authorisation at the time in the YouTube comments (bit cryptic though): http://www.youtube.com/comment_servlet?all_comments&v=ULbLhn7Y9MI

    • Chris G 8.1

      I am so pissed off I didnt get a copy of the salmon shirt video… Just finished getting my copy of this video, mind!

      Fantastic.

  9. Tim Ellis 9

    I don’t see how you can claim that you and I paid for it AYB. Do you go past every public servant’s house claiming that you paid for that, too? Do employees who blog in their private time get paid by the customers of their companies to blog?

    If Melissa Lee did this youtube clip, it would have been done in her own time with her own facilities. You don’t have evidence to the contrary, do you?

    • exbrethren 9.1

      Tim I believe that this was referenced on the Campbell clip last night as a piece that was done using ADU staff & facilities which are financed in part by NZ ON Air.

      Why wouldn’t she front to answer questions about it?

      You run away from interviews and it all starts to smell a bit.

      • Tim Ellis 9.1.1

        exbrethren, as the main shareholder of ADU, Melissa Lee owns the facilities of the company. She can use them as she sees fit. They aren’t funded by the taxpayer any more than a house owned by a public servant is funded by the taxpayer.

        I don’t know why Lee didn’t front on Campbell Live. I suspect it was because the reporter ambushed her for an interview the week before, and she wasn’t going to dignify the beaten-up story with a response. The same way that Helen Clark never dignified Ian Wishart’s beaten-up stories with responses. Or the same way Helen Clark didn’t cooperate with John Campbell for a long time after he ambushed her with the corngate interview.

        • exbrethren 9.1.1.1

          There was an implication by an presenter of ADU and others that NZ On Air funding was misappropriated and used in election ads. There is no right for a political party or its candidates to use broadcasting money in this way.

          If Lee can prove that the NZ On Air funding wasn’t used for these purposes she should share it. It should be a relatively simple matter for her to do so.

          There are also direct accusations that Lee influenced election stories, as owner, when she had stepped aside from a production role.

          There is also the precedent of other MPs reliquishing their media holdings when taking a seat in the house.

          I would view these as serious issues that need addressing. To dismiss them as a beat-up sets a very low bar for elected representatives to measure up to.

        • r0b 9.1.1.2

          Melissa Lee owns the facilities of the company. She can use them as she sees fit. They aren’t funded by the taxpayer any more than a house owned by a public servant is funded by the taxpayer.

          That’s not what the TV3 piece referenced in the original post says Tim:

          Asia Downunder is funded by New Zealand On Air – taxpayer money. A Campbell Live investigation has discovered some of that money was spent on an election special prominently featuring fellow National Party MP Pansy Wong.

          Do you know more about this than the TV3 reporters who looked into the evidence? If so, do please tell us how?

          • Tim Ellis 9.1.1.2.1

            r0b I do know that Asia Downunder is produced by a private company, which receives funding from New Zealand On Air to produce programmes. Asia Downunder programmes were produced and delivered to TVNZ. They were obviously of pretty good quality, because they continued to be funded for 13 years.

            South Pacific Pictures also receives a lot of New Zealand On Air funding for programmes. Does this mean that John Barnett also owes the taxpayer a duty to report on every private donation he makes to a charity?

            No, didn’t think so.

            I watched the Asia Downunder election special r0b. The special also prominently featured Rajen Prasad and Ashraf Choudhery, along with MPs and candidates from NZ First, the Kiwi Party, and the Greens. It didn’t look at all as if the coverage was biased in favour of National.

            The TV3 story was a beat-up. Have a look at the Asia Downunder election special yourself, though. It’s over at TVNZ on demand. Pretty high quality programming, in my view.

          • r0b 9.1.1.2.2

            Does this mean that John Barnett also owes the taxpayer a duty to report on every private donation he makes to a charity?

            I know you Nats have some problems around the ethics of donations to your party, but do you really want to call private donations to charity and using tax payer funded staff and equipment to make campaign videos for National the same thing? Really?

          • exbrethren 9.1.1.2.3

            Is John Barnett a MP? Has he ever stood for parliament and used his company to produce campaign ads for his party, possibly using NZ ON Air money?

            Pathetic comparison there Tim.

            And whats that crap about donating to charity? The Nats have serious disorders but they’re not a registered charity as far as I know.

  10. the sprout 10

    i’d say under the circumstances the onus of proof would be on Lee that she did it “on her own time with her own facilities”. maybe not in a court of law, but totally in the court of public opinion.

    BTW, i wonder what NZOnAir will be thinking next time they consider a grant to Asia Downunder considering the growing public awareness that it produces extended ads for National party interests? I’m sure they wouldn’t have felt at all comfortable about granting money to a company owned by say, Michael Cullen or Margaret Wilson that was doing the same.

    and i wonder what it will do to ADU’s ratings as its viewership becomes more aware of its political affiliations?

    i wonder too what Lee’s business partners are now thinking about the future of their company’s funding?

    • Tim Ellis 10.1

      Extended ads? You mean a youtube clip?

      Goodness me. I didn’t realise there were so many resident millionaires on the internet owning television production companies and making youtube clips.

      • r0b 10.1.1

        You mean a youtube clip?

        It survives on youtube because the Nats have pulled it from their web site. According to the TV3 piece linked in the original post it is a:

        …a campaign video made for Asian members of the National Party that can be found on the National Party website.

        • Tim Ellis 10.1.1.1

          Yes, also known as a three minute youtube clip. We’re not talking megabuck budgets here. The cost of materials for this? What other costs apart from volunteer time and use of a camera and editing facilities? No material costs as far as I can see.

          The Standard hosted a number of youtube clips of similar quality during the election campaign. I doubt if any of them cost much to produce either.

  11. toad 11

    Tim Ellis said: If Melissa Lee did this youtube clip, it would have been done in her own time with her own facilities.

    In which case it was a donation and should have been declared by the Nats as an election expense Tim. Can you show me where it appears in their return?

    • Tim Ellis 11.1

      Can you show me any evidence toad that most youtube clips cost $10,000 to produce toad?

      If it doesn’t appear in the return, then it obviously was below the threshhold for a donation. I think the onus is on Mr Mallard to prove otherwise. There would be no reason why National wouldn’t declare it if it did exceed the donation threshhold. A candidate making a donation of $10k or more isn’t a big issue.

      • r0b 11.1.1

        Keep calling it a “youtube clip” Tim, that’s great spin. But according to the TV3 piece linked in the original post it is a:

        …a campaign video made for Asian members of the National Party that can be found on the National Party website.

        I have no idea what it cost, perhaps the ex staff member interviewed by TV3 will come forward with more details…

        • Tim Ellis 11.1.1.1

          This is the same disgruntled staff member who wasn’t able to go so far as to claim that Lee actually had any editorial influence over the election special?

          Nice fishing r0b. Keep calling it a campaign video if you want to play semantics. As far as I’m concerned, there is no difference in cost between a youtube clip lasting three minutes hosted on youtube, and a youtube clip hosted on a National Party website. But if you want to keep calling it that to make it sound more expensive, good for you.

          • r0b 11.1.1.1.1

            Keep calling it a campaign video if you want to play semantics

            I’m quoting the TV3 report Tim. What are you, with your “youtube clip” meme doing exactly?

          • r0b 11.1.1.1.2

            This is the same disgruntled staff member who wasn’t able to go so far as to claim that Lee actually had any editorial influence over the election special?

            Wrong again Tim. From the TV3 report linked in the original post:

            Asia Downunder staff told Campbell Live that even after Ms Lee began campaigning for Parliament, she took inappropriate editorial control of programme content despite staff protests. …

            “Professional and ethical lines were blurred during that time,” says Ms Guruanathan.

            She is talking about the time just before the election when they were working on an election special. Ms Lee told Campbell Live she removed herself from editorial input.

            [Something funny happening with attempt to post, apologies if several copies appear, duplicates can be deleted]

  12. toad 12

    Tim Ellis said: If it doesn’t appear in the return, then it obviously was below the threshhold for a donation.

    Tim, you miss my point. It is not a matter of whether it appears on the return as a donation (donations actually had to be returned on an ongoing basis throughout the campaign period anyway – but, as you say, only if over $10K).

    The issue I’m getting at is that it doesn’t appear in the Nats’ final return as an expense. Election expenses had to be declared, whatever their value, in the final return, and a donation of services should have been declared as an expense at the market value of those services.

  13. gobsmacked 13

    Hilarious interview on Checkpoint just now. She claims the staff all happily gave their time to the National party for free, after the boss (Lee) told … sorry, asked them to! Oh well, then, that’s all clear now.

    A revealing insight into National’s view of employment practices. Model: family firm, circa 1850.

    (but NZ on Air have said they’re investigating, the meanies …)

    • exbrethren 13.1

      “She claims the staff all happily gave their time to the National party for free”

      I think that’ll come back and bite her.

      • Pascal's bookie 13.1.1

        Yeah that’s real convincing.

        She begged off the interview a day ago and that’s the best the Nat spin team could come with?

        Sheesh. maybe they should hire Tim.

        • the sprout 13.1.1.1

          Tim certainly does a more convincing job than their paid/volunteer spinners.

      • the sprout 13.1.2

        “that’ll come back and bite her”

        i’d put money on it, and i’m not a gambling vegetable.

  14. toad 14

    a-y_b said: UPDATE: There?s a bit of discussion going on in the comments about attribution and its implications. Looks like it was authorised. Screenshots below.

    That raises an interesting legal point. Is it sufficient to upload the authorisation information to the YouTube site, but not have the authorisation appear in the actual video itself, given that the YouTube upload in this case permits embedding into any website?

    I know that all the Greens’ ones had the authorisation in the actual video footage itself to ensure compliance

    • the sprout 14.1

      not embedding it in the vid itself makes any supposed authorization look very post-hoc.

    • Graeme 14.2

      That raises an interesting legal point. Is it sufficient to upload the authorisation information to the YouTube site, but not have the authorisation appear in the actual video itself, given that the YouTube upload in this case permits embedding into any website?

      Yes it is. Or at least it was for others over the course of last year.

  15. Nick 15

    The issue is whether or not Melissa Lee used taxpayer money to make electoral videos? Burt seems to have a problem with this question….we are not asking did a labour, Green, ACT or other party politician do this,,,its quite specific to Ms Lee.Only her.

    Ms Lee thinks that the films were not shot in work hours by her production house which was funded by the taxpayer, she says it was outside of hours. Two things to check could verify this…..most video clips are time stamped, There should also be a record of the hours her staff worked and were paid. Lets see these audited and see iif they verify Ms Lee;s contention.

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    Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Retiring former Labour Finance Minister Grant Robertson said in an exit interview with Q+A yesterday the Government can and should sustain more debt to invest in infrastructure for future generations. Elsewhere in the news in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy at 6:36am: Read more ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago
  • Geoffrey Miller: Wang Yi’s perfectly-timed, Aukus-themed visit to New Zealand
    Timing is everything. And from China’s perspective, this week’s visit by its foreign minister to New Zealand could be coming at just the right moment. The visit by Wang Yi to Wellington will be his first since 2017. Anniversaries are important to Beijing. It is more than just a happy ...
    Democracy ProjectBy Geoffrey Miller
    2 days ago
  • The Kaka’s diary for the week to March 25 and beyond
    TL;DR: The key events to watch in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the week to March 18 include:China’s Foreign Minister visiting Wellington today;A post-cabinet news conference this afternoon; the resumption of Parliament on Tuesday for two weeks before Easter;retiring former Labour Finance Minister Grant Robertson gives his valedictory speech in Parliament; ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago
  • Bitter and angry; Winston First
    New Zealand First Leader Winston Peters’s state-of-the-nation speech on Sunday was really a state-of-Winston-First speech. He barely mentioned any of the Government’s key policies and could not even wholly endorse its signature income tax cuts. Instead, he rehearsed all of his complaints about the Ardern Government, including an extraordinary claim ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    2 days ago
  • 2024 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #11
    A listing of 35 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, March 10, 2024 thru Sat, March 16, 2024. Story of the week This week we'll give you a little glimpse into how we collect links to share and ...
    2 days ago
  • 2024 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #11
    A listing of 35 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, March 10, 2024 thru Sat, March 16, 2024. Story of the week This week we'll give you a little glimpse into how we collect links to share and ...
    2 days ago
  • Out of Touch.
    “I’ve been internalising a really complicated situation in my head.”When they kept telling us we should wait until we get to know him, were they taking the piss? Was it a case of, if you think this is bad, wait till you get to know the real Christopher, after the ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    3 days ago
  • Bring out your Dad
    Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago
  • Bring out your Dad
    Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago
  • Bring out your Dad
    Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago
  • The bewildering world of Chris Luxon – Guns for all, not no lunch for kids
    .“$10 and a target that bleeds” - Bleeding Targets for Under $10!.Thanks for reading Frankly Speaking ! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.This government appears hell-bent on either scrapping life-saving legislation or reintroducing things that - frustrated critics insist - will be dangerous and likely ...
    Frankly SpeakingBy Frank Macskasy
    3 days ago
  • Expert Opinion: Ageing Boomers, Laurie & Les, Talk Politics.
    It hardly strikes me as fair to criticise a government for doing exactly what it said it was going to do. For actually keeping its promises.”THUNDER WAS PLAYING TAG with lightning flashes amongst the distant peaks. Its rolling cadences interrupted by the here-I-come-here-I-go Doppler effect of the occasional passing car. ...
    3 days ago
  • Manufacturing The Truth.
    Subversive & Disruptive Technologies: Just as happened with that other great regulator of the masses, the Medieval Church, the advent of a new and hard-to-control technology – the Internet –  is weakening the ties that bind. Then, and now, those who enjoy a monopoly on the dissemination of lies, cannot and will ...
    3 days ago
  • A Powerful Sensation of Déjà Vu.
    Been Here Before: To find the precedents for what this Coalition Government is proposing, it is necessary to return to the “glory days” of Muldoonism.THE COALITION GOVERNMENT has celebrated its first 100 days in office by checking-off the last of its listed commitments. It remains, however, an angry government. It ...
    3 days ago
  • Can you guess where world attention is focussed (according to Greenpeace)? It’s focussed on an EPA...
    Bob Edlin writes –  And what is the world watching today…? The email newsletter from Associated Press which landed in our mailbox early this morning advised: In the news today: The father of a school shooter has been found guilty of involuntary manslaughter; prosecutors in Trump’s hush-money case ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    3 days ago
  • Further integrity problems for the Greens in suspending MP Darleen Tana
    Bryce Edwards writes – Is another Green MP on their way out? And are the Greens severely tarnished by another integrity scandal? For the second time in three months, the Green Party has secretly suspended an MP over integrity issues. Mystery is surrounding the party’s decision to ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • Jacqui Van Der Kaay: Greens’ transparency missing in action
    For the last few years, the Green Party has been the party that has managed to avoid the plague of multiple scandals that have beleaguered other political parties. It appears that their luck has run out with a second scandal which, unfortunately for them, coincided with Golraz Ghahraman, the focus ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    4 days ago
  • Bernard’s Dawn Chorus with six newsey things at 6:46am for Saturday, March 16
    TL;DR: The six newsey things that stood out to me as of 6:46am on Saturday, March 16.Andy Foster has accidentally allowed a Labour/Green amendment to cut road user chargers for plug-in hybrid vehicles, which the Government might accept; NZ Herald Thomas Coughlan Simeon Brown has rejected a plea from Westport ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • How Did FTX Crash?
    What seemed a booming success a couple of years ago has collapsed into fraud convictions.I looked at the crash of FTX (short for ‘Futures Exchange’) in November 2022 to see whether it would impact on the financial system as a whole. Fortunately there was barely a ripple, probably because it ...
    PunditBy Brian Easton
    4 days ago
  • Elections in Russia and Ukraine
    Anybody following the situation in Ukraine and Russia would probably have been amused by a recent Tweet on X NATO seems to be putting in an awful lot of effort to influence what is, at least according to them, a sham election in an autocracy.When do the Ukrainians go to ...
    4 days ago
  • Bernard’s six stack of substacks at 6pm on March 15
    TL;DR: Shaun Baker on Wynyard Quarter's transformation. Magdalene Taylor on the problem with smart phones. How private equity are now all over reinsurance. Dylan Cleaver on rugby and CTE. Emily Atkin on ‘Big Meat’ looking like ‘Big Oil’.Bernard’s six-stack of substacks at 6pm on March 15Photo by Jeppe Hove Jensen ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • Buzz from the Beehive Finance Minister Nicola Willis had plenty to say when addressing the Auckland Business Chamber on the economic growth that (she tells us) is flagging more than we thought. But the government intends to put new life into it:  We want our country to be a ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    4 days ago
  • National’s clean car tax advances
    The Transport and Infrastructure Committee has reported back on the Road User Charges (Light Electric RUC Vehicles) Amendment Bill, basicly rubberstamping it. While there was widespread support among submitters for the principle that EV and PHEV drivers should pay their fair share for the roads, they also overwhelmingly disagreed with ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    4 days ago
  • Government funding bailouts
    Peter Dunne writes – This week’s government bailout – the fifth in the last eighteen months – of the financially troubled Ruapehu Alpine Lifts company would have pleased many in the central North Island ski industry. The government’s stated rationale for the $7 million funding was that it ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • Two offenders, different treatments.
    See if you can spot the difference. An Iranian born female MP from a progressive party is accused of serial shoplifting. Her name is leaked to the media, which goes into a pack frenzy even before the Police launch an … Continue reading ...
    KiwipoliticoBy Pablo
    4 days ago
  • Treaty references omitted
    Ele Ludemann writes  – The government is omitting general Treaty references from legislation : The growth of Treaty of Waitangi clauses in legislation caused so much worry that a special oversight group was set up by the last Government in a bid to get greater coherence in the public service on Treaty ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • The Ghahraman Conflict
    What was that judge thinking? Peter Williams writes –  That Golriz Ghahraman and District Court Judge Maria Pecotic were once lawyer colleagues is incontrovertible. There is published evidence that they took at least one case to the Court of Appeal together. There was a report on ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • Bernard's Top 10 @ 10 'pick 'n' mix' for March 15
    TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: Climate Scorpion – the sting is in the tail. Introducing planetary solvency. A paper via the University of Exeter’s Institute and Faculty of Actuaries.Local scoop: Kāinga Ora starts pulling out of its Auckland projects and selling land RNZ ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • The day Wellington up-zoned its future
    Wellington’s massively upzoned District Plan adds the opportunity for tens of thousands of new homes not just in the central city (such as these Webb St new builds) but also close to the CBD and public transport links. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Wellington gave itself the chance of ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • Weekly Roundup 15-March-2024
    It’s Friday and we’re halfway through March Madness. Here’s some of the things that caught our attention this week. This Week in Greater Auckland On Monday Matt asked how we can get better event trains and an option for grade separating Morningside Dr. On Tuesday Matt looked into ...
    Greater AucklandBy Greater Auckland
    5 days ago
  • That Word.
    Something you might not know about me is that I’m quite a stubborn person. No, really. I don’t much care for criticism I think’s unfair or that I disagree with. Few of us do I suppose.Back when I was a drinker I’d sometimes respond defensively, even angrily. There are things ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago
  • The Hoon around the week to March 15
    Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The five things that mattered in Aotearoa’s political economy that we wrote and spoke about via The Kākā and elsewhere for paying subscribers in the last week included:PM Christopher Luxon said the reversal of interest deductibility for landlords was done to help renters, who ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • Labour’s policy gap
    It was not so much the Labour Party but really the Chris Hipkins party yesterday at Labour’s caucus retreat in Martinborough. The former Prime Minister was more or less consistent on wealth tax, which he was at best equivocal about, and social insurance, which he was not willing to revisit. ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    5 days ago
  • Skeptical Science New Research for Week #11 2024
    Open access notables A Glimpse into the Future: The 2023 Ocean Temperature and Sea Ice Extremes in the Context of Longer-Term Climate Change, Kuhlbrodt et al., Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society: In the year 2023, we have seen extraordinary extrema in high sea surface temperature (SST) in the North Atlantic and in ...
    5 days ago
  • Melissa remains mute on media matters but has something to say (at a sporting event) about economic ...
     Buzz from the Beehive   The text reproduced above appears on a page which records all the media statements and speeches posted on the government’s official website by Melissa Lee as Minister of Media and Communications and/or by Jenny Marcroft, her Parliamentary Under-secretary.  It can be quickly analysed ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    5 days ago
  • The return of Muldoon
    For forty years, Robert Muldoon has been a dirty word in our politics. His style of government was so repulsive and authoritarian that the backlash to it helped set and entrench our constitutional norms. His pig-headedness over forcing through Think Big eventually gave us the RMA, with its participation and ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    5 days ago
  • Will the rental tax cut improve life for renters or landlords?
    Bryce Edwards writes –  Is the new government reducing tax on rental properties to benefit landlords or to cut the cost of rents? That’s the big question this week, after Associate Finance Minister David Seymour announced on Sunday that the Government would be reversing the Labour Government’s removal ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • Geoffrey Miller: What Saudi Arabia’s rapid changes mean for New Zealand
    Saudi Arabia is rarely far from the international spotlight. The war in Gaza has brought new scrutiny to Saudi plans to normalise relations with Israel, while the fifth anniversary of the controversial killing of Jamal Khashoggi was marked shortly before the war began on October 7. And as the home ...
    Democracy ProjectBy Geoffrey Miller
    5 days ago
  • Racism’s double standards
    Questions need to be asked on both sides of the world Peter Williams writes –   The NRL Judiciary hands down an eight week suspension to Sydney Roosters forward Spencer Leniu , an Auckland-born Samoan, after he calls Ezra Mam, Sydney-orn but of Aboriginal and Torres Strait ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • It’s not a tax break
    Ele Ludemann writes – Contrary to what many headlines and news stories are saying, residential landlords are not getting a tax break. The government is simply restoring to them the tax deductibility of interest they had until the previous government removed it. There is no logical reason ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • The Plastic Pig Collective and Chris' Imaginary Friends.
    I can't remember when it was goodMoments of happiness in bloomMaybe I just misunderstoodAll of the love we left behindWatching our flashbacks intertwineMemories I will never findIn spite of whatever you becomeForget that reckless thing turned onI think our lives have just begunI think our lives have just begunDoes anyone ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago
  • Who is responsible for young offenders?
    Michael Bassett writes – At first reading, a front-page story in the New Zealand Herald on 13 March was bizarre. A group of severely intellectually limited teenagers, with little understanding of the law, have been pleading to the Justice Select Committee not to pass a bill dealing with ram ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago
  • Gordon Campbell on National’s fantasy trip to La La Landlord Land
    How much political capital is Christopher Luxon willing to burn through in order to deliver his $2.9 billion gift to landlords? Evidently, Luxon is: (a) unable to cost the policy accurately. As Anna Burns-Francis pointed out to him on Breakfast TV, the original ”rock solid” $2.1 billion cost he was ...
    6 days ago
  • Bernard's Top 10 @ 10 'pick 'n' mix' for March 14
    TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: Jonathon Porritt calling bullshit in his own blog post on mainstream climate science as ‘The New Denialism’.Local scoop: The Wellington City Council’s list of proposed changes to the IHP recommendations to be debated later today was leaked this ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    6 days ago
  • No, Prime Minister, rents don’t rise or fall with landlords’ costs
    TL;DR: Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said yesterday tenants should be grateful for the reinstatement of interest deductibility because landlords would pass on their lower tax costs in the form of lower rents. That would be true if landlords were regulated monopolies such as Transpower or Auckland Airport1, but they’re not, ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    6 days ago
  • Cartoons: ‘At least I didn’t make things awkward’
    This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Tom Toro Tom Toro is a cartoonist and author. He has published over 200 cartoons in The New Yorker since 2010. His cartoons appear in Playboy, the Paris Review, the New York Times, American Bystander, and elsewhere. Related: What 10 EV lovers ...
    6 days ago
  • Solving traffic congestion with Richard Prebble
    The business section of the NZ Herald is full of opinion. Among the more opinionated of all is the ex-Minister of Transport, ex-Minister of Railways, ex MP for Auckland Central (1975-93, Labour), Wellington Central (1996-99, ACT, then list-2005), ex-leader of the ACT Party, uncle to actor Antonia, the veritable granddaddy ...
    Greater AucklandBy Patrick Reynolds
    6 days ago
  • I Think I'm Done Flying Boeing
    Hi,Just quickly — I’m blown away by the stories you’ve shared with me over the last week since I put out the ‘Gary’ podcast, where I told you about the time my friend’s flatmate killed the neighbour.And you keep telling me stories — in the comments section, and in my ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    6 days ago
  • Invoking Aristotle: Of Rings of Power, Stones, and Ships
    The first season of Rings of Power was not awful. It was thoroughly underwhelming, yes, and left a lingering sense of disappointment, but it was more expensive mediocrity than catastrophe. I wrote at length about the series as it came out (see the Review section of the blog, and go ...
    6 days ago
  • Van Velden brings free-market approach to changing labour laws – but her colleagues stick to distr...
    Buzz from the Beehive Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Brooke van Velden told Auckland Business Chamber members they were the first audience to hear her priorities as a minister in a government committed to cutting red tape and regulations. She brandished her liberalising credentials, saying Flexible labour markets are the ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago
  • Why Newshub failed
    Chris Trotter writes – TO UNDERSTAND WHY NEWSHUB FAILED, it is necessary to understand how TVNZ changed. Up until 1989, the state broadcaster had been funded by a broadcasting licence fee, collected from every citizen in possession of a television set, supplemented by a relatively modest (compared ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago
  • Māori Party on the warpath against landlords and seabed miners – let’s see if mystical creature...
    Bob Edlin writes  –  The Māori Party has been busy issuing a mix of warnings and threats as its expresses its opposition to interest deductibility for landlords and the plans of seabed miners. It remains to be seen whether they  follow the example of indigenous litigants in Australia, ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago

  • Government moves to quickly ratify the NZ-EU FTA
    "The Government is moving quickly to realise an additional $46 million in tariff savings in the EU market this season for Kiwi exporters,” Minister for Trade and Agriculture, Todd McClay says. Parliament is set, this week, to complete the final legislative processes required to bring the New Zealand – European ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 hours ago
  • Positive progress for social worker workforce
    New Zealand’s social workers are qualified, experienced, and more representative of the communities they serve, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “I want to acknowledge and applaud New Zealand’s social workers for the hard work they do, providing invaluable support for our most vulnerable. “To coincide with World ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    12 hours ago
  • Minister confirms reduced RUC rate for PHEVs
    Cabinet has agreed to a reduced road user charge (RUC) rate for plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs), Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. Owners of PHEVs will be eligible for a reduced rate of $38 per 1,000km once all light electric vehicles (EVs) move into the RUC system from 1 April.  ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    14 hours ago
  • Trade access to overseas markets creates jobs
    Minister of Agriculture and Trade, Todd McClay, says that today’s opening of Riverland Foods manufacturing plant in Christchurch is a great example of how trade access to overseas markets creates jobs in New Zealand.  Speaking at the official opening of this state-of-the-art pet food factory the Minister noted that exports ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    15 hours ago
  • NZ and Chinese Foreign Ministers hold official talks
    Minister of Foreign Affairs Winston Peters met with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Wellington today. “It was a pleasure to host Foreign Minister Wang Yi during his first official visit to New Zealand since 2017. Our discussions were wide-ranging and enabled engagement on many facets of New Zealand’s relationship with China, including trade, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Kāinga Ora instructed to end Sustaining Tenancies
    Kāinga Ora – Homes & Communities has been instructed to end the Sustaining Tenancies Framework and take stronger measures against persistent antisocial behaviour by tenants, says Housing Minister Chris Bishop. “Earlier today Finance Minister Nicola Willis and I sent an interim Letter of Expectations to the Board of Kāinga Ora. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Speech to Auckland Business Chamber: Growth is the answer
    Tēna koutou katoa. Greetings everyone. Thank you to the Auckland Chamber of Commerce and the Honourable Simon Bridges for hosting this address today. I acknowledge the business leaders in this room, the leaders and governors, the employers, the entrepreneurs, the investors, and the wealth creators. The coalition Government shares your ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Singapore rounds out regional trip
    Minister Winston Peters completed the final leg of his visit to South and South East Asia in Singapore today, where he focused on enhancing one of New Zealand’s indispensable strategic partnerships.      “Singapore is our most important defence partner in South East Asia, our fourth-largest trading partner and a ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Minister van Velden represents New Zealand at International Democracy Summit
    Minister of Internal Affairs and Workplace Relations and Safety, Hon. Brooke van Velden, will travel to the Republic of Korea to represent New Zealand at the Third Summit for Democracy on 18 March. The summit, hosted by the Republic of Korea, was first convened by the United States in 2021, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Insurance Council of NZ Speech, 7 March 2024, Auckland
    ICNZ Speech 7 March 2024, Auckland  Acknowledgements and opening  Mōrena, ngā mihi nui. Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Nor Whanganui aho.  Good morning, it’s a privilege to be here to open the ICNZ annual conference, thank you to Mark for the Mihi Whakatau  My thanks to Tim Grafton for inviting me ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Five-year anniversary of Christchurch terror attacks
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Lead Coordination Minister Judith Collins have expressed their deepest sympathy on the five-year anniversary of the Christchurch terror attacks. “March 15, 2019, was a day when families, communities and the country came together both in sorrow and solidarity,” Mr Luxon says.  “Today we pay our respects to the 51 shuhada ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Speech for Financial Advice NZ Conference 5 March 2024
    Speech for Financial Advice NZ Conference 5 March 2024  Acknowledgements and opening  Morena, Nga Mihi Nui.  Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Nor Whanganui aho. Thanks Nate for your Mihi Whakatau  Good morning. It’s a pleasure to formally open your conference this morning. What a lovely day in Wellington, What a great ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Early visit to Indonesia strengthens ties
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters held discussions in Jakarta today about the future of relations between New Zealand and South East Asia’s most populous country.   “We are in Jakarta so early in our new government’s term to reflect the huge importance we place on our relationship with Indonesia and South ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • China Foreign Minister to visit
    Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Winston Peters has announced that the Foreign Minister of China, Wang Yi, will visit New Zealand next week.  “We look forward to re-engaging with Foreign Minister Wang Yi and discussing the full breadth of the bilateral relationship, which is one of New Zealand’s ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Minister opens new Auckland Rail Operations Centre
    Transport Minister Simeon Brown has today opened the new Auckland Rail Operations Centre, which will bring together KiwiRail, Auckland Transport, and Auckland One Rail to improve service reliability for Aucklanders. “The recent train disruptions in Auckland have highlighted how important it is KiwiRail and Auckland’s rail agencies work together to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Celebrating 10 years of Crankworx Rotorua
    The Government is proud to support the 10th edition of Crankworx Rotorua as the Crankworx World Tour returns to Rotorua from 16-24 March 2024, says Minister for Economic Development Melissa Lee.  “Over the past 10 years as Crankworx Rotorua has grown, so too have the economic and social benefits that ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Government delivering on tax commitments
    Legislation implementing coalition Government tax commitments and addressing long-standing tax anomalies will be progressed in Parliament next week, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The legislation is contained in an Amendment Paper to the Taxation (Annual Rates for 2023–24, Multinational Tax, and Remedial Matters) Bill issued today.  “The Amendment Paper represents ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Significant Natural Areas requirement to be suspended
    Associate Environment Minister Andrew Hoggard has today announced that the Government has agreed to suspend the requirement for councils to comply with the Significant Natural Areas (SNA) provisions of the National Policy Statement for Indigenous Biodiversity for three years, while it replaces the Resource Management Act (RMA).“As it stands, SNAs ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Government classifies drought conditions in Top of the South as medium-scale adverse event
    Agriculture Minister Todd McClay has classified the drought conditions in the Marlborough, Tasman, and Nelson districts as a medium-scale adverse event, acknowledging the challenging conditions facing farmers and growers in the district. “Parts of Marlborough, Tasman, and Nelson districts are in the grip of an intense dry spell. I know ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Government partnership to tackle $332m facial eczema problem
    The Government is helping farmers eradicate the significant impact of facial eczema (FE) in pastoral animals, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay announced.  “A $20 million partnership jointly funded by Beef + Lamb NZ, the Government, and the primary sector will save farmers an estimated NZD$332 million per year, and aims to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • NZ, India chart path to enhanced relationship
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters has completed a successful visit to India, saying it was an important step in taking the relationship between the two countries to the next level.   “We have laid a strong foundation for the Coalition Government’s priority of enhancing New Zealand-India relations to generate significant future benefit for both countries,” says Mr Peters, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Ruapehu Alpine Lifts bailout the last, say Ministers
    Cabinet has agreed to provide $7 million to ensure the 2024 ski season can go ahead on the Whakapapa ski field in the central North Island but has told the operator Ruapehu Alpine Lifts it is the last financial support it will receive from taxpayers. Cabinet also agreed to provide ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Govt takes action to drive better cancer services
    Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says the launch of a new mobile breast screening unit in Counties Manukau reinforces the coalition Government’s commitment to drive better cancer services for all New Zealanders. Speaking at the launch of the new mobile clinic, Dr Reti says it’s a great example of taking ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Govt takes action to drive better cancer services
    Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says the launch of a new mobile breast screening unit in Counties Manukau reinforces the coalition Government’s commitment to drive better cancer services for all New Zealanders. Speaking at the launch of the new mobile clinic, Dr Reti says it’s a great example of taking ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Work begins on SH29 upgrades near Tauriko
    Unlocking economic growth and land for housing are critical elements of the Government’s plan for our transport network, and planned upgrades to State Highway 29 (SH29) near Tauriko will deliver strongly on those priorities, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “The SH29 upgrades near Tauriko will improve safety at the intersections ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Work begins on SH29 upgrades near Tauriko
    Unlocking economic growth and land for housing are critical elements of the Government’s plan for our transport network, and planned upgrades to State Highway 29 (SH29) near Tauriko will deliver strongly on those priorities, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “The SH29 upgrades near Tauriko will improve safety at the intersections ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Fresh produce price drop welcome
    Lower fruit and vegetable prices are welcome news for New Zealanders who have been doing it tough at the supermarket, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. Stats NZ reported today the price of fruit and vegetables has dropped 9.3 percent in the 12 months to February 2024.  “Lower fruit and vege ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Statement to the 68th United Nations Commission on the Status of Women
    Tēnā koutou katoa and greetings to you all.  Chair, I am honoured to address the sixty-eighth session of the Commission on the Status of Women. I acknowledge the many crises impacting the rights of women and girls. Heightened global tensions, war, climate related and humanitarian disasters, and price inflation all ...
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    Tēnā koutou katoa and greetings to you all.  Chair, I am honoured to address the 68th session of the Commission on the Status of Women. I acknowledge the many crises impacting the rights of women and girls. Heightened global tensions, war, climate related and humanitarian disasters, and price inflation all ...
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  • Speech to Auckland Business Chamber
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