The strength of the left: working together…

Written By: - Date published: 8:31 am, April 27th, 2014 - 41 comments
Categories: david cunliffe, democratic participation, election 2014, greens, human rights, john key, labour, mana-party, slippery, sustainability, workers' rights - Tags:

The strength of the left: working together …

…. from the flaxroots.

Labour green mana left

I agree with the parts of David Cunliffe’s speech to Young Labour where he talks of the importance of working together and mobilising the grass roots left in order to win the election. He is speaking about the Labour Party, but his words are equally true for the wider left:

“We are diverse, but we are one team with one mission and one unity of purpose.”

I would, however, change a couple of words in his next sentence:

“We speak to for and with the vulnerable, and to for and with hard working middle New Zealanders, because we are passionate about people. All our people.”

And I agree with Cunliffe’s conclusion:

“The conversations you will have today are part of hundreds and thousands of personal contacts we are having all around the country.

But we need your ongoing help to win this election.

We need you to commit to vote.

We need you to continue to make phone calls and to knock on doors and talk to neighbours and share your passion and energy and enthusiasm.

That is how we are going to win this election. That is how we are going to change New Zealand

A grassroots movement for change, built on the progressive values that New Zealanders hold dear.

This election is not about what we have done, it is about what we have yet to do.”

I agree with this:

“I believe that our people are a community, not a commodity.”

He stated that National get support from money.

“We have to fight the National Party’s millions of dollars with our thousands of voices. And we have to win.”

This was seen in John Key’s fundraisers, where he did a personal appearance at a dinner to raise funds for the Maori Party.

Last week Key also attended a fundraiser for the ACT Party’s Epsom candidate, David Seymour.

On 1 May he will be attending a lunch at the Auckland Chamber of Commerce where he will

“speak to us about a range of current issues.  This promises to be an engaging event and provides the perfect opportunity to attend a memorable luncheon with your clients.”

On the left we disagree among ourselves on various policies. MMP gives us a choice between parties, enabling us to support the one with the policies and values that we most agree with. This doesn’t mean that we need to resort to old First Past the Post tactics of dissing every other party, including parties of the left.

Doing a spiteful Jonesey, is not going to help the left change government this year.

Jones did have some impulses to work for the betterment of Maori, but that seems to have got lost to his own ego. He is reported to have claimed that the “seeds of” his decision to quit Labour goes back to when he was stood down by David Shearer because of the accusations against him over the Billy Liu citizenship case. But his is probably right in judging that he is at odds with the modern Labour Party. He seems more comfortable in right wing company. And reinforces this by claiming that “I was deeply influenced in a positive way by the figures of the Lange Government.”

We can disagree on some points of policy and strategy, while still supporting other left parties and respecting their choices about policies and campaign strategies.

And we can strongly talk up the things we agree on most, and on the outcomes we are aiming to achieve: like building a fairer and more inclusive society; like making life better for NZ’s most vulnerable people – those on low incomes, the unemployed, the disabled, and those without access to affordable homes; like ensuring our environment is sustainable, tackling climate change and resource depletion; and like ensuring our infrastructure, democratic processes and society works equally well for the benefit of all Kiwis.

We can talk for a fairer society, with less of an inequality gap, and truly democratic processes – where the wealthiest people and corporations don’t exert their power in their own interests.

And most importantly of all we can focus on how working together, and from within and across local communities, brings power to the people.

 

41 comments on “The strength of the left: working together… ”

  • Comments are now closed

  1. Jim Nald 1
    27 April 2014 at 8:54 am

    Some of us around the country would be interested to host fundraising events and meet-and-greet opportunities with David Cunliffe to connect him widely with many voters.
    Trust that his team and office will help schedule these.

    • Rosie 1.1
      27 April 2014 at 12:44 pm

      Excellent suggestion Jim.

      As for meet and greet opportunities with David Cunliffe, I have been banging on about that idea in regard to a visit to the Ohariu electorate, for several reasons, which I won’t repeat again, as I don’t want to bore readers to tears.

      As for “working together”, something I’ve made my personal mission is to speak to everyone I know who is a non voter, which is many, and find out why they are not voting, and what matters to them. Often folks only think of what’s in for themselves, rather than what’s best for the country. Most people I know wouldn’t care less about the debt that the National Govt has incurred over the last 5 and half years, they can only think about their own mounting debt – they need to know that the policies of the Left are relevant to them, and that the Left has people focused policy.

      A final thought. How about having report backs here on The Standard from different electorates and regions about how campaigning is going? You could be a Green, Labour or Mana volunteer or campaign manager who might want to report back on feedback from door knocking or public meetings etc. It would be a good way for the audience here to feel connected with and encouraged by campaign activities around the country.

      Couple of things though: “Reporters” would need the time to actually do a report and it may be too much of an imposition on them. The other consideration is would it be wise to make such local campaigning information publicly available? Would there be drawbacks in terms of National Party campaigners (and ACT in Epsom, UF in Ohariu and Maori Party in Waiariki)) knowing the business of the opposition?

      Just an idea anyway. As Cunliffe said “we have the voices of thousands”. Lets be heard!

  2. jh 2
    27 April 2014 at 9:08 am

    Yesterday on Open Mike:
    RBNZ slams the population ponzi
    http://www.macrobusiness.com.au/2014/04/rbnz-slams-the-population-ponzi/
    you flatly contradicted it and I suppose Cunliffe would too (he did when he was minister). So one for one and all for all…. on different planets.

    • karol 2.1
      27 April 2014 at 5:10 pm

      We can all learn some things about getting along with those on the left who have different opinions on some policies and strategies. In my post above I acknowledged there will be such differences.

      In my comment yesterday on open mike, I disagreed with you about immigration.

      I didn’t get into name calling or dissing other left wing parties about it. As I said in my post above:

      On the left we disagree among ourselves on various policies. MMP gives us a choice between parties, enabling us to support the one with the policies and values that we most agree with. This doesn’t mean that we need to resort to old First Past the Post tactics of dissing every other party, including parties of the left.

      Doing a spiteful Jonesey, is not going to help the left change government this year.
      […]
      We can disagree on some points of policy and strategy, while still supporting other left parties and respecting their choices about policies and campaign strategies.

      I was meaning not to getting into dissing parties other than the one we are members of, or are voting for – eg not getting into the Jones thing, saying he will never be part of a party tha works with the Greens – and then he gets into attacking the Greens en masse, as well as into some negtaive name calling.

      • jh 2.1.1
        28 April 2014 at 11:43 am

        “We can all learn some things about getting along with those on the left who have different opinions on some policies and strategies. In my post above I acknowledged there will be such differences.”
        ……
        But some differences are fundamental e.g
        1. There is plenty for everyone; the problem is that 10% have 90% of the wealth
        2. While 10% control 90% of the wealth, population is a problem. Outsiders are competition for resources.

  3. just saying 3
    27 April 2014 at 9:37 am

    Great post Karol,

    Unfortunately working together seems to be the hardest thing to do.

    Was there ever a time in history where the working class was so divided and mistrustful of each other? Where in hard hit communities and even within families, fingers are pointed at those who have been battered and blame is dished out most harshly by those teetering on the edge of falling out themselves?

    The unity of the past was illusory in the sense that it relied on a brutally enforced in-group conformity, but at least it allowed those who saw their neighbours as being in the same boat to work together and trust each other.

    Any practical suggestions about working together would be great to hear. I’m involved in a few of the usual things but the barriers seem to be only semi-permeable, and then only some of the time, and any traction is all too quickly lost. I know there are pockets of unity and support, and people doing fantastic things, but these are tough times for the left.

    • RedLogix 3.1
      27 April 2014 at 11:51 am

      Was there ever a time in history where the working class was so divided and mistrustful of each other?

      Divide and conqueor.

      In my father’s generation most workers were hourly paid. Then came the ‘knowledge worker’ whose output couldn’t be so readily measured by time, which meant more and more people moved onto salaries. In all my working life I can recall only two jobs where I was hourly paid and both of those a long time ago.

      Certainly one of the big reasons for the decline of traditional unions has been their inability to adapt successfully to this trend. As a result the idea of working class solidarity has almost completely died.

      The second divide has been those in secure full-time employment and the ‘rotationally employed’ (ht bad12). Casualisation, contracting out and internships and the 90-day insecurity law have created a whole class of precarious employment of a quite different nature, a nature that prevents a person planning for a future. If nothing else it makes housing and mortgages very problematic.

      And the third divide has arisen within the workplace itself – between the people who do the work, and an increasingly arrogant, out-of-touch managerial class which has allocated to itself grossly disproportionate incomes.

      Some time back I was talking to a CEO, making the case that our operators (not myself) were significantly underpaid for the level of skill and responsibility we placed on them. His reply “Oh I’ve lost count of the number of people who’ve stood before me making out that their job is more important than it is” has rankled with me since. This from an jumped-up town-clerk who was being paid more than the Prime Minister. The divide between us was complete (as was my contempt for him.) I was gone within a month.

      Yet these are just smokescreens. The only divide that matters is between the 50,000 odd uber-wealthy who control most of the wealth in the world and the rest of us. And the last thing they want is all us ordinary people waking up to it.

      • Colonial Viper 3.1.1
        27 April 2014 at 12:21 pm

        Ahhh you just made reference to the global 0.1% (actually 0.01%).

        These are the true oligarchs and quasi-oligarchs who apply a masively over-sized influence over the direction of the world. They are enabled of course by the well paid help of the top 1%.

        You may find this article on Zerohedge interesting

        Since the vast majority of us cannot lash out in any satisfying way at the top .01% who own most of the wealth and control the political machinery–in other words, the New Nobility–we seek some other accessible target.

        Expressing anger at the representatives of authority–police, Homeland Security, etc.–is a risky proposition, as being beaten and hauled off to jail or being shot are distinct possibilities.

        Beyond the overwhelming use of raw force, authorities maintain an arsenal of soft weapons such as false public accusations, vague legal charges that keep morphing as the accused demolishes each specific charge, IRS audits, and so on.

        This rage at the dominance of essentially feudal elites and their armies of underlings willing to enforce their rule is increasingly being directed at the elected toadies and lackeys. In response, craven politicos are restricting their exposure to angry serfs.

        That leaves the top 10% as the only accessible target for class envy and the generalized rage of a peasantry that cannot identify the causes of their servitude.This is misdirection, of course; the top 10% of professionals and technocrats have benefited within the New Feudalism, but they are functionaries, not the New Nobility.

        http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2014-04-26/are-you-elitist-class-warfare-and-new-nobility

        • RedLogix 3.1.1.1
          27 April 2014 at 12:39 pm

          Yes I’m privileged to be well within that top 10%. Always been aware of that. And yet if you were to meet me you would be unlikely to see any material sign of it. Not from my car, my clothes, the unit I’m renting, or the fact that I ride a bicycle to work most days.

          My bank account shows a sodding big mortgage that would stop most people’s hearts.

          A very good read at that link. One line popped out at me:

          These accusations are especially irksome because I have been low-income for most of my adult life and have carried far too much lumber on far too many jobsites to tolerate any accusations of elitism. I suspect many others routinely accused of elitism feel the same way.

          Yup.

          This is a tricky place. The 0.1% elites have immense resources to protect, distract and divert attention from themselves. They make themselves very inaccessible. I’m quite aware that us technocrats are the disposable ones who’ll be jettisoned if needed.

          • Colonial Viper 3.1.1.1.1
            27 April 2014 at 2:41 pm

            And it’s interesting in the story you relayed, how even senior executive management can look down on technocrats and engineers like yourself as disposable functionaries.

            Little realising that in this modern world, a middling level sys admin like Edward Snowden might hold far more real power than they themselves do.

  4. Ad 4
    27 April 2014 at 10:11 am

    Unmediated and heartfelt is DC as the most inspirational leader New Zealand could have in generations.

    • Colonial Viper 4.1
      27 April 2014 at 12:13 pm

      Yep.

    • Mainlander 4.2
      27 April 2014 at 1:35 pm

      Ha Ha Ha thx Ad i needed a good belly laugh today, btw its spelt medicated

      • quartz 4.2.1
        27 April 2014 at 2:10 pm

        It’s “spelled” you fucking moron. “Spelt” is a kind of grain.

        • Mainlander 4.2.1.1
          27 April 2014 at 2:22 pm

          Oh know the spelling n azi nows bad words but thx for the grain lesson looks like i learnded summit tday

        • Naturesong 4.2.1.2
          27 April 2014 at 4:36 pm

          Spelt is not just a kind of grain thank you very much.

          It’s the best tasting most awesome grain of them all!!

          Except for maybe Rye. I tend to vacillate between those two. So good.

          Hmm, hungry now.
          I’m off to make some bread – Spelt Sourdough, hmm mmm!!

          • Rosie 4.2.1.2.1
            27 April 2014 at 5:19 pm

            Om nom noms Naturesong. You’re bread sounds delicious. I was a consumer of spelt back in the day when I worked in the organic industry, and spelt was new to NZ. It was cheaper then and I got it wholesale. Spelt makes a beautiful cake too, as well as bread.

            I can’t stretch to the cost of spelt these days but sometimes splash out on a load of Breadman Bakery 100% rye sourdough. Really satisfying, kind of a bit tangy but a bit earthy.

    • Rosie 4.3
      27 April 2014 at 5:14 pm

      +1 Ad. One thing I look forward to is waking up on 21st September with a smile on my face knowing the Blues, figuratively and literally have been banished. In Key’s place will be a compassionate, intelligent and strong leader. That day can’t come soon enough.

  5. Jenny 5
    27 April 2014 at 10:52 am

    Alliances are important in any victory even tactical alliances, if they help advance your cause.

  6. Monty 6
    27 April 2014 at 11:25 am

    One of the reasons why labour support is so low is the perception that they are. Riddled with in fighting both within their own multiple factions and also fighting the greens for votes.

    Labour seem unprepared to take the control of government.

    Even within labour caucas there are many who do not support Cunliffe as leader. This is made worse by the lack of appeal cunliffe has with the voters ( or non voters as may be the case.)

    • One Anonymous Bloke 6.1
      27 April 2014 at 12:00 pm

      Monty seems very concerned.

      Cry us a river of those crocodile tears Monty. Sob sob.

  7. bad12 7
    27 April 2014 at 11:28 am

    Karol the fact you thought you had to change the wording in a sentence from Labour leader david Cunliffe’s speech simply says to me that anyone not comfortably ensconced within that deleted middle class should be concerned about their prospects should there be a Labour lead Government in September,

    That one line says it all to me, Labour if able to form the next Government will fight tooth and nail to maintain the privileged position of that middle class and at this point i can only conclude,(until i hear some actual policy), that those further down the economic pecking order can expect little from Labour,

    Business as usual in other words, the same as the Clark Government, leaving those below the comfortable middle class to await the next kicking from the following National Government…

    • MrSmith 7.1
      27 April 2014 at 4:26 pm

      Or Bad12 is it DC just needs a new speech writer and also some speech training, he has this habit of talking softly some times and at others going into to much detail ( and this applies to the Labour party as a whole), key sounds like a dry drunk but the punters lap it up (maybe because we mostly are), now I’m not suggesting he mimic Key, but he needs to get the peoples attention and hold it the way Winston and Norman do when speaking, he has the skills and speaks very well, maybe it just needs tweaking a little, I hope Labour are working hard on refining it though because I find myself wanting to turn the volume down not up lately when I hear him.

    • karol 7.2
      27 April 2014 at 5:13 pm

      Well, the point of my post is that while we may disagree on such things, and openly debate it, we don’t need to get into totally dissing that party, and attacking them in very negative and nasty ways.

  8. Redbaiter 8
    27 April 2014 at 11:51 am

    Notice Green is the dominant colour in the graphic and the Green Party logo is in the central position.

    An unconscious exposure of the truth.

    The Green Party has taken over Labour.

    • One Anonymous Bloke 8.1
      27 April 2014 at 11:54 am

      🙄

      • blue leopard 8.1.1
        27 April 2014 at 12:06 pm

        …yes Master Baiter appears to be having problems keeping its delusions in check …..+1 One Anonymous Bloke

    • weka 8.2
      27 April 2014 at 12:07 pm

      lolz. The GP are in the middle because you have Mana on the left and Labour on the right. Of course the GP will be in the middle.

      Green is the colour of co-operation.

      • Tiger Mountain 8.2.1
        27 April 2014 at 12:32 pm

        Exactly weka.

        “Big Bruv” and “Rod Beater” are back to share their fevered hallucinations–election looking too close for your liking boys?

    • karol 8.3
      27 April 2014 at 5:18 pm

      Last time I looked for a graphic that represented the main parties of the left, that is the only suitable one I found, and used it. That means it’s now in the Standard gallery.

      This morning, after I started writing this post, TS went down. I finished the post on a Word document. When TS came back online, I only had enough time to do a hasty transfer & format before I started work. I didn’t have any time to look around for a new graphic. I chose that one because it was the first one that came up on TS Gallery.

      I didn’t really have time to think about the colour. Though I may still have chosen it. This election I’m planning to vote Green anyway. If can find a more suitable graphic and colour to represent a Mana-Green-Labour collaboration, I will use it in future.

    • Jenny 8.4
      28 April 2014 at 2:54 am

      You still here Bedwetter? I may have to drag up some of the old stuff.

    • lurgee 8.5
      28 April 2014 at 6:15 pm

      Notice Green is the dominant colour in the graphic and the Green Party logo is in the central position.

      An unconscious exposure of the truth.

      The Green Party has taken over Labour.

      KAROL! You fool! You’ve gone and given it all away. Years of slyly infiltrating the Labour Party, getting our agents in place, distorting the party agenda so our lunatic fringe polices seem mainstream; and now, poised for final victory, some klutz on the interwebs blows our cover with one carelessly designed graphic. You’ll spend the remainder of your days exiled in Eketahuna for this!

  9. One Anonymous Bloke 9
    27 April 2014 at 12:03 pm

    Yea, the infighting in Labour is terrible. Imagine if the Prime Minister’s chief mouthpiece started using his blog to diss the energy and resources minister, or openly supporting one of the rivals for the leadership over the other.

    Isn’t debate simply awful? We should all learn to be nicer to one another 😈

  10. Clean_power 10
    27 April 2014 at 7:20 pm

    Labour should be wary of the Greens let alone Mana and its radicals. To be left of centre is one (and sensible) thing, to be extreme left very different (and dangerous) altogether.

    The average NZ voter does not like Harawhira and company. Stay away from them.

    • Jenny 10.1
      28 April 2014 at 2:56 am

      Wh-OOOooo, Scarey

    • Stuart Munro 10.2
      28 April 2014 at 3:39 am

      Sometimes I wish someone would start an extreme left party, because you ignorant RWNJs have absolutely no freaking idea what one looks like.

      Mandatory retraining for financiers and other speculators into more productive activities like horticulture?

      Nationalising the banks?

      Nationalising the media?

      Workers’ takeovers of large extractive enterprises like the supermarkets and the Warehouse?

      And that’s on the moderate side.

      Public executions of notorious enemies of the state, like asset thieves. This would be VERY popular.

      But no, you just want to whine about anyone who disapproves of your failed neo-liberal model – it’s pitiful. If you wanted the public to support neo-liberalism you would have had to run it scrupulously honestly. The Greens could teach you a thing or two about honesty. And competence.

    • lurgee 10.3
      28 April 2014 at 4:25 pm

      Weird how Mana and the Greens are painted as radicals, and Labour is cautioned to stay away from them; but crazy right wing fringe parties like ACT and the Conservatives aren’t dangerous, scary and anathema to the average NZ voter.

  11. lurgee 11
    28 April 2014 at 10:48 am

    The strength of the left has been its ability to tear itself to pieces more effectively than the right could ever do. This is seen all across the world, not just in New Zealand. I think acceptance of sometimes quite divergent opinion within a unified party is what we need to sort out before we can hope to take the fight to the right. In Britain in the 80s, Thatcherism triumphed because the left was split between Labour and the SDP. Because it was a FPTP system, Thatcher was able to win massive majorities on a declining share of the vote.

    Obviously, things are a bit better under MMP, but I disagree with Karol’s suggestion that the fragmented nature of the left is not really a problem. If nothing else, it makes welding a coalition together more fraught; it also creates the problem of ideological dilution – there are some elements (and voters) of NZ First that are natural left territory, but the party itself is tainted with right wing madness and special interest pleading as to make it toxic; and there is the issue of perception – even if the dog is not being wagged by multiple tails – that the minor parties are getting undue influence and issue of stability will always be a factor for some voters; and the risk of unwise connections, as exampled by the recent dalliance of Mana and the Internet Party.

    So I feel very disappointed when I see people continuing to rave about the supposed malign influence of Mallard-Goff-King, because a) I don’t actually believe it, b) these are some of our most effective and recognisable performers, and c) it shows we still haven’t learned the lesson and learned to accept the idea that people will have somewhat different ideas of what it means to be Labour, or the best ways to achieve leftwing goals.

    This isn’t to say the fault is the minor parties on the left; Mana is looking to Dotcom because it has been systematically excluded by Labour. and the Greens were blocked from coalition throughout the Clark years. To win, Labour needs to accept all strains of reasonable and sane leftism, and all strains of reasonable and sane leftism should be looking to form links with the larger party. Perhaps formal unification is impossible – but more co-operation and development of joint policy is essential. This means Middle New Zealand has to accept that Mana and the Greens are not swivel eyed eco-warriors and racial agitators; and the left needs to accept that Middle New Zealand is also part of Labour.

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  • Winding back the hands of history’s clock
    Chris Trotter writes – IT’S A COMMONPLACE of political speeches, especially those delivered in acknowledgement of electoral victory: “We’ll govern for all New Zealanders.” On the face of it, the pledge is a strange one. Why would any political leader govern in ways that advantaged the huge ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    1 day ago

  • Paula Bennett’s political appointment will challenge public confidence
     Bryce Edwards writes – The list of former National Party Ministers being given plum and important roles got longer this week with the appointment of former Deputy Prime Minister Paula Bennett as the chair of Pharmac. The Christopher Luxon-led Government has now made key appointments to Bill ...
    Point of OrderBy xtrdnry
    1 day ago

  • Business confidence sliding into winter of discontent
    TL;DR: These are the six things that stood out to me in news and commentary on Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy at 10:06am on Wednesday, May 1:The Lead: Business confidence fell across the board in April, falling in some areas to levels last seen during the lockdowns because of a collapse in ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 day ago

  • Gordon Campbell on the coalition’s awful, not good, very bad poll results
    Over the past 36 hours, Christopher Luxon has been dong his best to portray the centre-right’s plummeting poll numbers as a mark of virtue. Allegedly, the negative verdicts are the result of hard economic times, and of a government bravely set out on a perilous rescue mission from which not ...
    Gordon CampbellBy lyndon
    1 day ago

  • New HOP readers for future payment options
    Auckland Transport have started rolling out new HOP card readers around the network and over the next three months, all of them on buses, at train stations and ferry wharves will be replaced. The change itself is not that remarkable, with the new readers looking similar to what is already ...
    Greater AucklandBy Matt L
    1 day ago

  • 2024 Reading Summary: April (+ Writing Update)
    Completed reads for April: The Difference Engine, by William Gibson and Bruce Sterling Carnival of Saints, by George Herman The Snow Spider, by Jenny Nimmo Emlyn’s Moon, by Jenny Nimmo The Chestnut Soldier, by Jenny Nimmo Death Comes As the End, by Agatha Christie Lord of the Flies, by ...
    A Phuulish FellowBy strda221
    2 days ago

  • At a glance – Clearing up misconceptions regarding 'hide the decline'
    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
    2 days ago

  • Road photos
    Have a story to share about St Paul’s, but today just picturesPopular novels written at this desk by a young man who managed to bootstrap himself out of father’s imprisonment and his own young life in a workhouse Read more ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    2 days ago

  • Bryce Edwards: Paula Bennett’s political appointment will challenge public confidence
    The list of former National Party Ministers being given plum and important roles got longer this week with the appointment of former Deputy Prime Minister Paula Bennett as the chair of Pharmac. The Christopher Luxon-led Government has now made key appointments to Bill English, Simon Bridges, Steven Joyce, Roger Sowry, ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    2 days ago

  • NZDF is still hostile to oversight
    Newsroom has a story today about National's (fortunately failed) effort to disestablish the newly-created Inspector-General of Defence. The creation of this agency was the key recommendation of the Inquiry into Operation Burnham, and a vital means of restoring credibility and social licence to an agency which had been caught lying ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    2 days ago

  • Winding Back The Hands Of History’s Clock.
    Holding On To The Present: The moment a political movement arises that attacks the whole idea of social progress, and announces its intention to wind back the hands of History’s clock, then democracy, along with its unwritten rules, is in mortal danger.IT’S A COMMONPLACE of political speeches, especially those delivered in ...
    Bowalley Road
    2 days ago

  • Sweet Moderation? What Christopher Luxon Could Learn From The Germans.
    Stuck In The Middle With You: As Christopher Luxon feels the hot breath of Act’s and NZ First’s extremists on the back of his neck and, as he reckons with the damage their policies are already inflicting upon a country he’s described as “fragile”, is there not some merit in reaching out ...
    Bowalley Road
    2 days ago

  • A clear warning
    The unpopular coalition government is currently rushing to repeal section 7AA of the Oranga Tamariki Act. The clause is Oranga Tamariki's Treaty clause, and was inserted after its systematic stealing of Māori children became a public scandal and resulted in physical resistance to further abductions. The clause created clear obligations ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    2 days ago

  • Poll results and Waitangi Tribunal report go unmentioned on the Beehive website – where racing tru...
    Buzz  from the Beehive The government’s official website – which Point of Order monitors daily – not for the first time has nothing much to say today about political happenings that are grabbing media headlines. It makes no mention of the latest 1News-Verian poll, for example.  This shows National down ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    2 days ago

  • Listening To The Traffic.
    It Takes A Train To Cry: Surely, there is nothing lonelier in all this world than the long wail of a distant steam locomotive on a cold Winter’s night.AS A CHILD, I would lie awake in my grandfather’s house and listen to the traffic. The big wooden house was only a ...
    Bowalley Road
    2 days ago

  • Comity Be Damned! The State’s Legislative Arm Is Flexing Its Constitutional Muscles.
    Packing A Punch: The election of the present government, including in its ranks politicians dedicated to reasserting the rights of the legislature in shaping and determining the future of Māori and Pakeha in New Zealand, should have alerted the judiciary – including its anomalous appendage, the Waitangi Tribunal – that its ...
    Bowalley Road
    2 days ago

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

  • NZ not backing down in Canada dairy dispute
    Trade Minister Todd McClay says Canada’s refusal to comply in full with a CPTPP trade dispute ruling in our favour over dairy trade is cynical and New Zealand has no intention of backing down. Mr McClay said he has asked for urgent legal advice in respect of our ‘next move’ ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 hours ago

  • Stronger oversight for our most vulnerable children
    The rights of our children and young people will be enhanced by changes the coalition Government will make to strengthen oversight of the Oranga Tamariki system, including restoring a single Children’s Commissioner. “The Government is committed to delivering better public services that care for our most at-risk young people and ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 hours ago

  • Streamlining Building Consent Changes
    The Government is making it easier for minor changes to be made to a building consent so building a home is easier and more affordable, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says.      “The coalition Government is focused on making it easier and cheaper to build homes so we can ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    9 hours ago

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

  • Pharmac Chair appointed
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