The SST does not understand electoral law

Written By: - Date published: 7:30 am, August 21st, 2017 - 32 comments
Categories: journalism, Media, newspapers, the praiseworthy and the pitiful, you couldn't make this shit up - Tags:

The Sunday Star Times had a story in yesterday morning’s paper suggesting that Labour was playing fast with electoral laws relating to donations. The heading of the article “Artworks used to funnel secret donors’ contributions to the Labour Party” says it all. The article contains this hyperbolic passage:

The Labour Party is hiding tens of thousands of dollars in donations behind over-inflated art auctions – and naming the artists as donors instead of the secret individuals handing over the big bucks.

The artists had no idea the party was naming them as the donors – they never saw a cent of the money. They say their works are auctioned off at well above market value to wealthy benefactors who want to keep their support for the party secret.

Labour says the practice complies with electoral rules. But one party operative described the practice as “whitewashing” – a way to keep big donations private at a time when corporate contributions to political parties were falling because of public scrutiny.

I have been to a few of these auctions. They are not secret. Anyone who wants to pay the entry price is welcome to attend. And successful bidders are hardly anonymous.

From the article the process the Labour Party has chosen is to assign a value to a painting and treat that as a donation with the artist listed as a donor. If someone pays more than $15,000 over that value then the difference is also treated as a donation.

This is exactly what the current laws require. Section 207 of the Electoral Act 1993 defines a party donation as “a donation (whether of money or of the equivalent of money or of goods or services or of a combination of those things) that is made to a party”.

So an artist giving the party a painting worth $30,000 is clearly making a donation of goods in that amount and it is correct that this is reported.

And what of the person buying the painting at value? Well they are getting the item for what it is worth. They are not making a donation which involves giving something and getting nothing back.

But what about the generous soul who knowing that the auction is for the Labour Party and they will get all the money and who makes an outlandish bid? Well they are caught. Section 207 includes within the definition of “party donation” “where goods … are provided by a party under a contract or arrangement at a value that is more than their reasonable market value, the amount of the difference between that value and the reasonable market value of those goods or services”. So if someone bids over $15,000 more than its value for a painting then the difference will be treated as a donation which needs to be declared.

So there is nothing underhand in this arrangement. It is precisely the way the donation reporting system is designed to work.

And I am surprised that the paper should concentrate on Labour’s fundraising which compared to National’s is very modest.  If you want proof of this have a look at Labour’s latest return and National’s latest return.

A related article highlights issues relating to anonymous donations although the maths does not appear to be correct.

At least four out of every five dollars donated to the two big parties is given secretly, as transparency around their political funding dwindles.

More than $31 million has been donated to registered political parties in the past six years, most of that to National.

Smaller parties like the Greens publicly disclose who provided most of their funding, but the big parties are secretive. 83 per cent ($8.7m over six years) of the money donated to National is from anonymous donors, and 80 per cent ($2.8m) of that donated to Labour.

I can’t see how the other parties excluding National and Labour received $17 million over the past six years.  I presume the figures also add in electorate donations but if this is so National would be even further ahead.  Possibly the broadcasting allowance is also included.

Of course the best solution is to establish state funding of political parties.  Just think no need for donations, no unfair advantage to one side, no donations regime …

32 comments on “The SST does not understand electoral law ”

  • Comments are now closed

  1. Sanctuary 1
    21 August 2017 at 7:37 am

    A clumsy attempted “hit” that fell flat on it’s face. Probably fed to Fairfax via Farrar and the dirty politics engine.

    Nice to know the Tory press is in full panic mode, though.

  2. marty mars 2
    21 August 2017 at 7:51 am

    Is it gaming the system?

    ‘They do it too’ seems a better response than ‘we are following the letter of the law’ imo

    • red-blooded 2.1
      21 August 2017 at 9:11 am

      Of course it’s not gaming the system. If the donation(s) are declared and assigned to the artist (donations of goods), or a combination of the artist and the buyer (for anything over market value) and they’re declared; where’s the “gaming”?

      I’ve bought a (small, cheap) artwork at an auction. I paid over market value – it was declared. End of story.

      • marty mars 2.1.1
        21 August 2017 at 9:17 am

        It was a question – thank you for your vigourous reply.

        • greywarshark 2.1.1.1
          21 August 2017 at 9:53 am

          The whole point of the post is to show how it is NOT gaming the system, and the lkegal situation is explained. Why then question what has been explained satisfactorily?

          • marty mars 2.1.1.1.1
            21 August 2017 at 10:22 am

            Bloody hell sorry for not being up to your standard of comprehension. I’ll fuck off into the dim corner. And gaming the system is staying within the rules/law as far as I understand it yay I did undastunned only bit

      • Matthew Whitehead 2.1.2
        21 August 2017 at 10:22 am

        The gaming is in that you can dodge the $15,000 threshold quite effectively by claiming a high market value for the artwork, which is purely subjective, and then declaring the donation as the gifting of the artwork, rather than the buyer, when in reality the market value of the work might be below the disclosure threshold, and the real donor was actually the purchaser of the painting. Even the creator of the artwork doesn’t know its real value until they try to sell the thing, it’s all guesses, even from serious appraisers.

        I think for this kind of in-kind auction, the law should probably be changed to require disclosure of the final purchase price and the names of both the creator who donated the piece and the purchaser, to ensure that subjectively priced goods can’t be used to artificially inflate the anonymity threshold. I agree that if the situation is as described, what Labour is doing is arguably legal, however it is also at least mildly unethical, too. (not to the extent that news outfits like stuff were beating their chests about, of course, but still to a notable extent) The other thing you could do is require artworks and other items of similarly subjective value to be commercially appraised before auction, so that the party can’t shop around for a particular price on an artwork, but that is also vulnerable to parties having an “understanding” (ie. a corrupt practice) with appraisers.

        We should also be discussing drastically lowering the disclosure threshold. Shaw thinks $1,000 is a good starting point, I would probably have said that’s too cautious and we could place $500 as the point of non-anonymity.

        That said, I agree this practice is comparatively benign as looking for loopholes around disclosures goes, but it is troubling because the instinct of political parties should be to encourage donors to be public, rather than anonymous, as public disclosure is really the only protection we have against undue influence in politics, and parties should want to talk about who their supporters are so that they can get even more.

        • greywarshark 2.1.2.1
          21 August 2017 at 10:31 am

          Thanks MW good explanation. We definitely should do what you suggest to take this perception or real loophole away. State funding wold be wise but the farmers and bizfibs would object till doomsday.

        • Paul Campbell 2.1.2.2
          21 August 2017 at 5:52 pm

          I think the threshold should be $1, no exceptions – the bulk of transactions are handled electronically these days so there’s not really a record keeping burden

          (and frankly if someone’s coming in the back door with wheelbarrows full of cash we probably particularly want to know)

          If you’re embarrassed to giver money to a political party, don’t do it. If you are worried about repercussions from your boss finding out then we need better laws to protect people who are discriminated against for participating in the electoral process

          • Matthew Whitehead 2.1.2.2.1
            22 August 2017 at 11:31 am

            Hey Paul,

            While in theory I agree that being maximally transparent with private donations to political parties is a good thing if we’re going to have a system that allows private donations, there are considerations beyond the practicality of bookkeeping that make it worth actually having an anonymity/disclosure threshold, and I say that as someone who would be perfectly happy to end private political donations altogether, or at least sharply limit them, in favour of taxpayer funding.

            You’re not understanding the full implications of being a publicly listed supporter (and not just a supporter, but also a donor) of a political party. Many of the people on public lists like this get harassed in anonymous ways that are hard to track, (seriously, if you ever talk to someone who authorizes electoral ads, it gets pretty harassy) let alone the stupid ways like through cellphones or email which can be traced down and put to an end through complaints to service carriers. Writing tougher laws won’t help end that anonymous harassment, so there is a genuine balance to be had in setting anonymity thresholds that allow small donors to avoid the possibility of harassment because of their political views against the legitimate public interest of disclosure. I have no embarassment whatsoever or fear of illegal discrimination on the basis of my political views, but I would probably not want to give an over-threshold donation myself, for instance.

            One way we could tilt that balance towards disclosure without eliminating the privacy side of the equation is require parties to ask people if they want their donation kept anonymous even if they fall under the threshold. There are several who would probably say they’re willing to be declared.

    • Craig H 2.2
      21 August 2017 at 9:46 am

      All political parties rely heavily on donations, whether that’s cash, goods, services or time.

  3. Peter 3
    21 August 2017 at 8:13 am

    A gigantic beat-up of fake news proportions!

  4. Ross 4
    21 August 2017 at 8:13 am

    A cheap shot. At least we all know that the SST has given up pretending to be unbiased.

  5. DH 5
    21 August 2017 at 8:20 am

    Mickey I’d question the wisdom of posts such as this with the election so close. This site is well haunted by media lurkers and IMO it just feeds the vultures future columns with this kind of commentary. You can bet they’ll be poring over every reply in this thread looking for angles. Calling them out may not be the wisest action, it just pisses them off and there’s no need for that at present.

    • Anne 5.1
      21 August 2017 at 8:45 am

      Uggh DH?

      Call them out! Call them out at very available opportunity. Too damm bad if they don’t like it. Hiding the truth under a bushel for fear of reprisal is exactly what is wrong with this big bad world of ours. It encourages the culprits – be they individuals or corporate giants – to keep on doing it.

  6. Psycho Milt 6
    21 August 2017 at 8:53 am

    I did enjoy the way they mention twice that the artists never received any of the money for these artworks. Er, no – because that’s the whole fucking point of a donation, shit-for-brains. Do SST reporters not understand what a donation is, or what?

  7. DH 7
    21 August 2017 at 8:54 am

    Ride the wave while the surf’s up Anne. Last election they needed to be held to account (and were not) . This election they don’t…. not yet anyway.

  8. Bearded Git 8
    21 August 2017 at 9:38 am

    “83 per cent ($8.7m over six years) of the money donated to National is from anonymous donors, and 80 per cent ($2.8m) of that donated to Labour.”

    The law on donations needs to be changed-urgently. It needs to be much more transparent where the donations are coming from.

    • Draco T Bastard 8.1
      21 August 2017 at 12:41 pm

      If you had 100,000 people all donate $10 you’d have $1 million and yet no single donor would have got anywhere close to the threshold.

      Now, I happen to think that every single donor needs to be listed, no matter the amount, just to ensure that large donors aren’t hidden in the mess of small donations.

  9. jennifer 9
    21 August 2017 at 9:46 am

    Now the Nacts are just playing “dirty Politics”. What about the secret “donations” they got from the Exclusive Bretheren??? At the last election. Nothing has been said about that!

  10. greywarshark 10
    21 August 2017 at 9:48 am

    Tryingto raise a shadow of a disagreement about Helen signing the back of a picture which someone bought as hers, presumably without looking at it. Caveat emptor should have applied, but no excuse for the fatuous arguments that RW excel in to prevent any deep reasoning to occur in their brains.

    The SST is hoping for something similar that it can stir up in its little cooking pot that presents floor sweepings and entrails as amazing dishes.

  11. Finn 11
    21 August 2017 at 10:18 am

    Clarifying question: do the party assign a value to the artwork (the value that will be declared as the value of the artist’s donation) before or after the auction?

  12. McFlock 12
    21 August 2017 at 10:40 am

    The valuations are assigned beforehand, according to the article.

    What surprises me is the artist who reckoned that $36k was “a few thousand more” than market price was still surprised to be listed as a donor, when they quite clearly gave the party a painting worth tens of thousands of dollars.

    • One Anonymous Bloke 12.1
      21 August 2017 at 5:32 pm

      They probably would have preferred anonymity. Who wants to attract the attention of National Party thugs?

  13. Draco T Bastard 13
    21 August 2017 at 12:30 pm

    I seem to recall a restaurant that held expensive dinners at some ridiculous price. That restaurant then donated the proceeds to National with the people who bought the meals thus remaining anonymous despite the fact that each had paid well above the limit to remain anonymous.

    I believe that restaurateur also got a ‘Sir’ added to his name under the Key government.

    I believe that we can say that both sides are doing it and that we need them to stop.

    Of course the best solution is to establish state funding of political parties. Just think no need for donations, no unfair advantage to one side, no donations regime …

    And no paying for access via Cabinet Clubs.

    • Alwyn 13.1
      21 August 2017 at 4:18 pm

      I fear your memory is leading you astray and into the realms of fantasy.
      Tony Astle, the resteranteur concerned became an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit. That is a very minor award. It is the sort of thing people get for being a Counciller in a place like Whakatane for 10 years.
      Try looking up the last lot of recipients. I’ll wager you haven’t heard of 90% of them.

      The people who went to the diners paid out about $5,000 each I believe. The limit was $15,000 at the time so no reporting at all was required.
      I find it rather funny that people who see nothing wrong when Labour do it were totally oposed to the National Party dinners.

      And vice versa of course.

      • Draco T Bastard 13.1.1
        21 August 2017 at 5:24 pm

        I fear your memory is leading you astray

        you could be right there.

        Tony Astle, the resteranteur concerned became an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit. That is a very minor award.

        I’m concerned that he got an award for, apparently, being nice to National. I read the reviews and his restaurant is shit so getting an award for something like, IIRC, services to restaurants was bollocks.

        And nobody should get such an award for merely doing their job anyway.

        • alwyn 13.1.1.1
          21 August 2017 at 10:12 pm

          ” I read the reviews “.
          In other words you never ate there?
          I did, once, and I thought it was overpriced. The food was fine but not worth the money charged. On the other hand it was one of the early, and longest lasting fine-dining places in Auckland. He deserved the award as far as I can see. Cuisine Magazine certainly rated it highly for many years and I’m sure their reviewers knew a great deal more about the subject than you do. What did you do? Look up Trip Adviser?

          “And nobody should get such an award for merely doing their job anyway”.
          Wow! How can you justify “Sir” Michael Cullen getting his gong? He didn’t even do his job properly did he?

          • Draco T Bastard 13.1.1.1.1
            21 August 2017 at 10:25 pm

            How can you justify “Sir” Michael Cullen getting his gong?

            I don’t.

            He didn’t even do his job properly did he?

            He’s probably about the best we’ve had at that job for some time.

      • One Anonymous Bloke 13.1.2
        21 August 2017 at 5:30 pm

        Yes, because selling access to Ministers is exactly the same as selling donated paintings.

      • reason 13.1.3
        21 August 2017 at 8:39 pm

        It used to be $25,000 for a secret dinner date with Johnny made-off … our ex-pm.

        And you got your money back …. if the secret got out http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11619417

        “But isn’t it just so very, very curious that the donation most likely to cause the National Party the most amount of embarrassment in the lead up to the 2014 election got treated in a way so radically different to every other donation received by that Party and its candidates, thus allowing it to remain hidden from public sight until after the election is over? So very, very, very curious.” https://www.pundit.co.nz/content/curiouser-and-curiouser

        I’m sure the SST was part of the dirty politics last election …. reporting and spreading lies about Labour and Cunliffe ….. and not reporting on the very real $25,000 donation …. made when John key* was present …. and on the piss with the dodgy donor.

        *Johnny was a Key before he became a made-off

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    3 days ago

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

  • 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
    1 week 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
    1 week ago

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

  • Backing our kids to learn the basics
    Every child deserves a world-leading education, and the Coalition Government is making that a priority as part of its 100-day plan. Education Minister Erica Stanford says that will start with banning cellphone use at school and ensuring all primary students spend one hour on reading, writing, and maths each day. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • US Business Summit Speech – Regional stability through trade
    I would like to begin by echoing the Prime Minister’s thanks to the organisers of this Summit, Fran O’Sullivan and the Auckland Business Chamber.  I want to also acknowledge the many leading exporters, sector representatives, diplomats, and other leaders we have joining us in the room. In particular, I would like ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Keynote Address to the United States Business Summit, Auckland
    Good morning. Thank you, Rosemary, for your warm introduction, and to Fran and Simon for this opportunity to make some brief comments about New Zealand’s relationship with the United States.  This is also a chance to acknowledge my colleague, Minister for Trade Todd McClay, Ambassador Tom Udall, Secretary of Foreign ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • India New Zealand Business Council Speech, India as a Strategic Priority
    Good morning, tēnā koutou and namaskar. Many thanks, Michael, for your warm welcome. I would like to acknowledge the work of the India New Zealand Business Council in facilitating today’s event and for the Council’s broader work in supporting a coordinated approach for lifting New Zealand-India relations. I want to also ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Coalition Government unveils 100-day plan
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has laid out the Coalition Government’s plan for its first 100 days from today. “The last few years have been incredibly tough for so many New Zealanders. People have put their trust in National, ACT and NZ First to steer them towards a better, more prosperous ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    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
    2 weeks ago

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