The trouble with MMP

Written By: - Date published: 10:11 am, March 3rd, 2020 - 93 comments
Categories: nz first, politicans, Shane Jones, uncategorized - Tags:

The trouble with MMP is that some politicians view it as an opportunity to court support amongst people holding decidedly minority views.  Media attention is beneficial no matter what kind when all you want is minority support.  When your goal is just over 5% party support there are a lot of people you can annoy when campaigning.

The system of MMP Government relies on dealings between parties who are part of a coalition to be based on good will. You cannot tear up a coalition just because a member of a partner’s party is being a jerk.  Even if they are confronted about being a jerk and then refer to those upset as belonging to Ngati Woke or claim that their clearly racist comments where they denigrate members of a different ethnicity are somehow not racist.

And claiming that their rights of freedom of speech are being attacked by people saying they should apologise is not an attack on freedom of speech, it is actually an exercise in counter speech.

The problem is that the coalition agreement expressly recognises the respective parties’ independent political identities. And base shtick is part of NZ First’s independent political identity.

If you want to do something about this make sure you do not vote for NZ First this coming election.

93 comments on “The trouble with MMP ”

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  1. Jimmy 1
    3 March 2020 at 10:33 am

    I just wish Jacinda had a bit more back bone and actually put Shane Jones in his place. Helen Clark or John Key did not suffer fools and at least took swift decisive action when needed. Shane just keeps thumbing his nose at her and doing and saying whatever he likes which unfortunately just makes NZF look more powerful than the Labour party. Labour are by far the largest party in the coalition and should have more say / control.

    • Sacha 1.1
      3 March 2020 at 11:35 am

      Where are the calls for Winston to discipline his loudmouth MP. Why is it always mummy's problem?

      • Jimmy 1.1.1
        3 March 2020 at 12:17 pm

        It's Jacinda's problem because she is the Prime Minister and leader of the coalition.

        That makes Jacinda his boss doesn't it?

        • Sacha 1.1.1.1
          3 March 2020 at 2:12 pm

          Winston is the leader of Jones' caucus and party.
          That makes him the boss, doesn't it?

          • Jimmy 1.1.1.1.1
            3 March 2020 at 3:27 pm

            The prime minister is the boss (or should be). That's Jacinda. Winston is the deputy PM (and should answer to her!). Jones is a minister in Jacinda's government.

            You are right though, it is making Winston look like he is in charge and not just of NZF but the coalition govt.

            • Louis 1.1.1.1.1.1
              3 March 2020 at 3:56 pm

              Sacha didnt say that, you are putting words in his mouth. Not the first time the PM has told Jones off but she is not the leader of NZ First.

              • Jum …
                3 March 2020 at 7:05 pm

                Well Jimmy, you can't have been following the earlier attacks by a nat govt on Ardern when she was still finding her way in parliament. Nasty and vicious and she just weathered them. Like Clark says – iron in the glove.

                My mum always said 'pick your battles'. This is not one of them.

            • Sacha 1.1.1.1.1.2
              3 March 2020 at 7:18 pm

              More than one 'boss' in MMP coalitions. Get used to it.

              • Jimmy …
                3 March 2020 at 10:55 pm

                There is only one prime minister of NZ and that is Jacinda. She needs to act like she is the one in charge

                • Louis …
                  4 March 2020 at 9:31 am

                  She already does and its no act.

                  • Jimmy …
                    4 March 2020 at 11:35 am

                    Well i guess we will just have to agree to disagree as Shane Jones has "taken it on the chin" and is now continuing to do and say just what he likes and has been endorsed by Winston!

                    • Sacha …
                      4 March 2020 at 11:43 am

                      So Winston is not acting like the one in charge of his caucus? People must be appalled by his lack of leadership.

    • Psycho Milt 1.2
      3 March 2020 at 12:54 pm

      Helen Clark or John Key did not suffer fools and at least took swift decisive action when needed.

      Really? Clark's government's just a faded memory for me now, but Key's one felt like it was full of obnoxious loudmouths that he was quite OK with. He did dismiss a few ministers, but not in any situation that would have put his government's majority at risk. Ardern's been dealt a much tougher hand than Key ever was and is making a real success of it against the odds – that's "backbone" for you.

      • Jimmy 1.2.1
        3 March 2020 at 1:58 pm

        Maybe I am older or have a better memory than you…..but I don't think Helen (or H2) were to be crossed. John Key was nick named the silent assassin and as you say, a few found out the hard way why.

        I do agree Ardern has been dealt a much tougher hand as the experience of Labour MP's IMO is not as good as Clark had around her, and on top of that, another two parties MP's to keep in line (the greens no problem, but NZF are hard work). I do think Winston and Shane go out of their way to make Ardern look weak on purpose.

    • Louis 1.3
      3 March 2020 at 4:04 pm

      There's no doubt PM Jacinda has a backbone and she uses it.

      Suggest you watch the PM's post cab presser @ 23:20 where she speaks about Shane Jones.

      https://www.beehive.govt.nz/feature/postcab

    • Unicus 1.4
      3 March 2020 at 5:36 pm

      What a bunch of nervy precious little finger pointers we’ve become

      How dare this politician cultivate an unorthodox profile for himself or give free reign to a comical somewhat bombastic temperament .

      But those sins of character pale into insignificance when we consider his worst and utterly unforgivable misdeed of parading his elevated intellect and thumbing his nose in the faces of his quivering do nothing critics

      • Psycho Milt 1.4.1
        3 March 2020 at 6:54 pm

        …parading his elevated intellect…

        You left out the word "alleged" there. Nothing in his public statements suggests he has an elevated intellect – self-importance, lack of empathy, all kinds of things, but not intellect.

        • Unicus 1.4.1.1
          3 March 2020 at 8:20 pm

          A Masters Degree and admission to Harvard as a Harkness Fellow might indicate SJ. has a reasonable level of intelligence

      • Sacha 1.4.2
        3 March 2020 at 7:21 pm

        Plenty of people are 'unorthodox' without being dickheads. Jones lacks the talent.

        • Unicus 1.4.2.1
          3 March 2020 at 8:28 pm

          Unorthodox like ……? Or. Perhaps…..?

          I understand ‘ Dickhead ‘has ended up in the threadbare epithet file along with ‘Cindy’ racist’ and honkey’

  2. Siobhan 2
    3 March 2020 at 10:44 am

    Question time..as a Minister is Shane Jones not answerable to the Prime Minister?…and if not, which seems weird, then surely he is answerable to the Governor-General Patsy Reddy. (and yes, I had to Google to find out who our GG is..I simply cannot recal the last time I heard her speak up about anything..).

    Or are Ministers who are not members of the primary political Party in an MMP Government really free agents?

    • New view 2.1
      3 March 2020 at 2:52 pm

      Of course you are exactly right S but most on this forum would prefer to blame National or talk about what National did three years ago. JA won’t keep her Ministers in line especially NZF and we know why. Is it weak leadership yes.

      • observer 2.1.1
        3 March 2020 at 3:19 pm

        Whereas Bill English would have sacked numerous Ministers in the 2017-20 Nat-ACT-NZF government, such as …

        – JLR and Simon Bridges for their public war

        – Winston Peters for the NZF foundation saga

        – Shane Jones for being Shane Jones

        – David Seymour for opposing government's gun reforms

        etc

        (But obviously PM English wouldn't have done that at all, he would have played the same "different hat" game as Key and Ardern, which is tiresome but no more tiresome than pretending that wouldn't happen).

      • Muttonbird 2.1.2
        3 March 2020 at 3:48 pm

        What's new about that view?

        • New view 2.1.2.1
          3 March 2020 at 9:50 pm

          There’s nothing new about what I’ve said. That’s the point. We have a PM who can’t bring herself to say SJ is racist. It’s nothing to do with National or anyone but JA. If you lot choose not to see that as a problem don’t drag National into it who haven’t been the Government for three years. Just keep ignoring the reality.

          • observer 2.1.2.1.1
            3 March 2020 at 10:29 pm

            Hardly ignoring the reality. The opposite, in fact.

            Nobody can be surprised by Jones/Peters doing what they do. The question is the same as it was after the votes were counted in 2017. It hasn't changed. Two options, and one had to be chosen.

            Should Ardern/Labour accommodate NZF – with entirely predictable baggage – or not? There was another option, to stay in opposition and subject the country to the most reactionary government in a generation who would still be stuck with Peters and Jones, as I outlined above (and you studiously ignored, as if the alternative somehow doesn't matter).

            She decided the cost to the people was too high, too cruel – the compromise cost of government was predictable but preferable. I'd say she got it right, but you may have been happier with the horrendous alternative, I don't know.

            But soon we can have a Labour-Green majority. All we need to do is vote for it.

    • Hanswurst 2.2
      3 March 2020 at 3:00 pm

      Question time..as a Minister is Shane Jones not answerable to the Prime Minister?

      Not as an NZ First MP, however, and I don't think he has any ministerial responsibility for ethnic minorities on university campuses.

  3. adam 3
    3 March 2020 at 11:02 am

    Come on micky, uninhibited immigration which is effectively what has been happening, just empowers the right, and alienates māori.

    The response is not to go around calling them racist, which for labour is a bit rich anyway – who can forget the Chinese names house list. But to actually talk about immigration.

    Then again, why talk about an issue when you can dog whistle and gaslight individuals.

    • Siobhan 3.1
      3 March 2020 at 11:09 am

      You forgot the 'uninhibited exploitation of immigrants'..both in the work place and in the housing market…but no one in power is willing to go there..because the exploitation of labour and the exploitation of people with the temerity to expect a roof over their head, be they immigrants or not, is pretty much the backbone of our economic 'growth'..

  5. bwaghorn 5
    3 March 2020 at 12:10 pm

    So no indian students are using education as a back door entry to citizenship??

    • OnceWasTim 5.1
      3 March 2020 at 2:31 pm

      Of course some are – and ALL based on a system of false promises and lack of oversight that "we" designed or copied and which we still try to pass off as "best practice".

      It really baffles me how some Ministers still seem to be taken in. They really should be asking themselves a few basics about the advice they're given before they utter "I have complete faith in my officials" another time.

      – Why is it that INZ had/has such a big turnover of staff

      – Why is it that there is a huuuuuuuuuuge backlog of visa applications in various categories that cannot be dealt with given the resources, and who was it that chose to structure their Ministry in the way they did and prioritise its resources.

      – Why is it that a bit of tinkering here, and a bit there doesn't seem to be working.

      – Why is it that we're losing people with various skills that we profess to want and need

      – How is it that a 'SCUM' screaming racist was allowed to exercise his ego for as long as he did before being 'managed' out of the place while colleagues apparently knew nothing.

      – Why is it that "restructuring" didn't seem to go so well

      – Why is it that 'lil 'ole NuZull that punches above its weight is starting to get a very bad name, (and things will get worse), and why is it that it'll be a long row to hoe before Winnie and Parker make any progress, and why is it that some are LOLing after their departure
      – why is it that a technophiles approach (a little like the approach to online voting) hasn’t worked thus far

      – the questions go on but even this morning's NinetoNoon (re shipping) was a testament to INZ's brilliance.

    • Paul Campbell 5.2
      3 March 2020 at 11:35 pm

      Every Western Country does this, cherry picks bright students from 3rd world countries, educates them, and hopes they'll stay and boost their economy.

      I used to work designing chips in Silicon Valley, probably 1/3-1/2 of the people I worked with had come from India, most educated in the US, very smart people. India is 1/6 of the world's population, it contains 1/6 of the world's smart people, far far more than here.

      We'd be mugs to not try and lure as many of those smart people here to become citizens

      • bwaghorn 5.2.1
        4 March 2020 at 11:45 am

        So jones was just pointing out the truth of the matter? That the education system is a back door entry to citizenship

        • Sacha 5.2.1.1
          4 March 2020 at 11:46 am

          Yet he chose only one nationality to name, didn't he.

          • bwaghorn 5.2.1.1.1
            4 March 2020 at 12:08 pm

            International students would have been a better phrase although no one would have heard it then .

            • Sacha 5.2.1.1.1.1
              4 March 2020 at 12:59 pm

              He knows exactly what he was doing. No point trying to defend the indefensible.

          • veutoviper 5.2.1.1.2
            4 March 2020 at 12:50 pm

            Probably because Winston Peters and David Parker had just returned from a 4 day trade/business mission to India last week where as well as trade between NZ and India, the increases in services between the two countries were high on the agenda, including tourism – and education.

            This provides a bit of an outline of the visit – plenty more via Google etc
            https://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/WO2003/S00021/india-mission-2020.htm

            • Sacha 5.2.1.1.2.1
              4 March 2020 at 12:58 pm

              Weren't they still there when he burped to the media?

              • veutoviper …
                4 March 2020 at 1:26 pm

                Jones was on TV3's The Nation on Sat morning 29 Feb. The 4 day mission to India ended on Fri 28 Feb. Even if The Nation was pre-recorded (I think it is on the Friday afternoon), I have no doubt WP, DP and the whole team would have been in touch with their colleagues in NZ throughout the visit to India by email, phone etc and even god forbid, the good old NZFAT cable system presuming it still exists. Way back 50+ years ago when I was a DiploBrat (or rather a Trade Brat) the international communications lines ran hot during such missions – and certainly still did when I was on similar overseas govt missions/negotiations 20 years ago in the first half of my career.

  6. observer 6
    3 March 2020 at 12:58 pm

    What the PM should say:

    "Under the National government immigration and international education were a shameful scam, designed to exploit workers of all ethnicities, including Indians. They do not deserve to be made the scapegoat by Shane Jones or anybody else – they are at the bottom of the pile, unlike the ones who ran the scam, like John Key."

    And it's still going on …

    NZ immigration policy, the blunt truth

    Extract: “Singh’s experience was a far cry from how New Zealand Inc first pitched the experience to him through offshore education agents in 2012.

    “In India in those days there was lots of advertisements that all you’ve got to do is one year’s study, once you’ve finished your one year study you will get your residence,” Singh said.

    Kaloti said the families of students often got into debt on the back of those promises and scraped together the money for the single year of study that would be their gateway to residency here.”

    • Graeme 6.1
      3 March 2020 at 1:30 pm

      National put in place an immigration policy that allowed a lot of people to make a shed load of money out of bringing 'students' in to study. The reaction to Jones' comment is as much a distraction to avoid any scrutiny of the previous government's policy, I doubt they want to go anywhere near that right now.

      Would be interesting to know how many $14, 999.99 donations National got from persons associated with the immigration / education industry ex the sub-continent. The sea of light blue turbans Bill English walked through entering Sky City Auditorium on election night could be clue.

    • gsays 6.2
      3 March 2020 at 6:43 pm

      Good read, thanks observer.

      It's important to remember this is happening to people. Not 'others'.

      I don't envy Lee's-Galloway trying to reconcile Greens and NZ1st concerning immigration.

  7. indiana 7
    3 March 2020 at 1:18 pm

    Shane Jones is the 5th type of Racist (https://youtu.be/KSAFiNzdNDI) and Winston is his enabler, claiming that the Indian people he talks too, that NZ First are only repeating their views (https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12313439)

  8. Enough is Enough 8
    3 March 2020 at 2:37 pm

    "If you want to do something about this make sure you do not vote for NZ First this coming election.

    And tell all your friends as well.

    • Janet 8.1
      3 March 2020 at 4:08 pm

      Better still , ask for a referendum on what level of immigration is acceptable to New Zealanders and what criteria should be met before an immigrant can apply to come to NZ. New Zealanders have been tricked by our governments regarding immigration matters in many ways over the last more than 20 years. Contrary to what they indicated just prior to the last elections, Labour has instead shied away from really addressing what has become a huge mess for this country. It is time for the people of New Zealand to have their voices clearly heard and for an immigration policy that is mandated by the people of New Zealand. It is not racist in any way to want immigration numbers significantly reduced and I am tired of "racisr" being used to stultify objections to the current immigration situation.

      • Enough is Enough 8.1.1
        3 March 2020 at 4:21 pm

        Shane was only referring Indians, not immigrants.

        One is racist – one is not

        See the difference?

  9. Janet 9
    3 March 2020 at 4:49 pm

    Shane was referring to the number of Indian students in our education system …….

    "I think the number of students that have come from India have ruined many of those [educational] institutions."

    Briefly speaking to media this morning, Peters said the comments couldn't have been racist as they "come from the Indian people themselves".

    So when is a reporter going to go in and investigate what he is going on about…..

    Does he mean "Indian" or does he mean "the large number of Indians " …..

    Why particularly Indian ?

    How are they ruining our educational institutions ?

    I am waiting, I am interested to know.

    Remember there would not be a NZFirst Party had the governments of the days/years past been mindful of New Zealanders wishes instead of tricking and running rough shod over us…. for why …. the mess we have?

    • observer 9.1
      3 March 2020 at 4:58 pm

      "So when is a reporter going to go in and investigate what he is going on about….. "

      There have been many such investigations, including the one linked to at #6 on this thread.

  10. Adrian 10
    3 March 2020 at 5:30 pm

    Just because people from one country or another are singled out for behaviours that are a bit of a rort does not make allegations racist. The word is used far too often and will lose its power if used loosely, racism is in essense the denial of a particular persons access to services and the like that others get for granted, as well as abuse for simply being different.

    Jones is alluding to something different, NZ has made a fair arrangement whereby access to qualifications, medical among them, are available to people to meet certain criteria with an expectation that the resulting residency/citizenship attraction implies a quid pro quo deal to stay on and work in our system, something I disagree with, India for instance needs these highly qualified people far more than we do, we are raiding their best and brightest which I think is morally questionable. The fact is they are not staying, most are going to Australia to work where the pay is higher. We are training Australia's workforce and we get Oz bred arseholes in return.

    But then "morally questionable"and immigrants are blank stare territory to Aussies.

  11. David Mac 11
    3 March 2020 at 6:26 pm

    NZ First need to walk a bit of a tight-rope as they ramp up for this election. They're traditionally obliged to spotlight ethnic minority issues and this time round they need to avoid the black cloud of hypocrisy whilst handing out work visas from the back door.

  12. pat 12
    3 March 2020 at 6:43 pm

    https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/mar/01/violence-in-delhi-is-not-a-riot-it-is-targeted-anti-muslim-brutality

    That Jones is a dick is beyond dispute but he has asked a pertinent question….when was anybody asked about our immigration policy?

    • KJT 12.1
      7 March 2020 at 10:31 am

      Jones is correct on the results, but not the culprits. He should have directed his anger at the University "managers" running the "education for residency scam, and the New Zealand employers exploiting them. Indian students are victims of exploitative employers and tertiary providers, not the cause.

  13. Sabine 13
    3 March 2020 at 9:08 pm

    MMP reflects the population.

    So maybe the trouble is with the electorate and not MMP.

    And again, what has Labour done to look at immigration for profit, what have the Greens done to address this issue? Because if they had, Shane Jones wuld have nothing much to say.

    But again, it is easier to complain about the 'others' be they the no mates party, the hologram party, or the winston peters party, rather then actually admit that Labour and the Greens are lacking. And they are.

    • solkta 13.1
      3 March 2020 at 9:47 pm

      I don't think Jones will have a problem finding other angles for his racist rants. In fact i expect many before the election. You are just being an apologist for him here.

    • roblogic 13.2
      3 March 2020 at 11:10 pm

      Yes Lab/Greens are lacking. They promised to cut immigration but did not deliver. Exacerbating multiple crises in housing and services and infrastructure. But keeping property values and the education scam afloat. I am deeply offended that foreigners seem to take priority over working Kiwis in our politicians tiny minds. The current deeply corrupt system enables human trafficking and exploitation (e.g. estimates that 40% of liquor store workers are underpaid/exploited).

      https://twitter.com/Biorealism/status/1234689125183156224

      • Sacha 13.2.1
        4 March 2020 at 8:53 am

        They promised to cut immigration but did not deliver

        Really? What direction is this official graph heading? https://www.stats.govt.nz/topics/migration

        • Janet 13.2.1.1
          4 March 2020 at 9:35 am

          Yep I looked, seems that migrants are chasing NZ citizens out of NZ, and look at who and how many have not gone back to their country's after one year in NZ .

          For migrant arrivals in the December 2019 year, New Zealand citizens were the largest group with 34,200 (± 700) arrivals. The next largest groups were citizens of:

          • China – 13,000 (± 300)
          • India – 12,500 (± 300)
          • South Africa – 11,400 (± 200)
          • Philippines – 8,500 (± 200)
          • Australia – 7,200 (± 500.)

          For migrant departures in the December 2019 year, New Zealand citizens were the largest group with 43,300 (± 900) departures. The next largest groups were citizens of:

          • China – 11,300 (± 500)
          • United Kingdom – 5,500 (± 100)
          • India – 5,300 (± 300)
          • Australia – 3,700 (± 300).
        • roblogic 13.2.1.2
          4 March 2020 at 9:59 pm

          Not good enough. A bandaid in the middle of a housing crisis.

          https://twitter.com/Light42Lime/status/1234271014076350469?s=20

          • Muttonbird 13.2.1.2.1
            4 March 2020 at 10:03 pm

            We can't increase supply. We won't regulate Airbnb. We must reduce demand.

            • roblogic 13.2.1.2.1.1
              4 March 2020 at 10:17 pm

              Agreed, but it's a bit rich for knobhead Jones to be making rude remarks when his party is presumably responsible for govt paralysis to keep the oldies onside

              • Muttonbird …
                4 March 2020 at 10:30 pm

                Sure. There have been some adjustments reducing net incoming numbers which is good. Basically the country can't handle it…

                …or more clearly, the country refuses to put in place a system where those who profit from housing and housing development, and those who enter the country with cash pay their fair share with respect to the wider infrastructure required to support that increased housing.

  14. solkta 14
    4 March 2020 at 7:44 am

    There is a typo on his hat. There should be another "first" after the first first.

  15. Climaction 15
    4 March 2020 at 8:29 am

    All your saying Mickey is that you just have to put up with racist friends, saying racist things, as long as you are in government. That it’s not worth standing up and calling out the type of language that empowers lower profile racists to indulge in more racists behaviour, in case the coalition agreement is torn up.

    which is fucking weak from a “new, kind, form of government” that is supposedly built on caring

    • Incognito 15.1
      4 March 2020 at 9:27 am

      A coalition government under MMP is not a Borg Collective or Hive.

      You obviously do not understand MMP politics nor this Post.

      • Climaction 15.1.1
        4 March 2020 at 9:31 am

        Judging by your constant carping that the government is three individual entities, I think it’s you who doesn’t understand MMP. You seem to think that being in government is more important than having standards and standing up for your values.

        i know what the outcome will be if our PM rebukes Shane Jones in a meaningful way.
        But the rest of us can judge the government by the company it keeps.

        • Sacha 15.1.1.1
          4 March 2020 at 11:25 am

          rebukes Shane Jones in a meaningful way

          What would that look like, for you?

        • Incognito 15.1.1.2
          4 March 2020 at 12:41 pm

          You seem to think that being in government is more important than having standards and standing up for your values.

          Au contraire mon frère, you comment applies to that lot that’s currently in Opposition and they, just like you, refuse to accept MMP. It is about time you grow up, don’t you think? MMP has been in place in NZ since 1994.

          But the rest of us can judge the government by the company it keeps.

          Wow! Shane Jones is a Minister in and of this Government; what “company” is he keeping?

          • Climaction 15.1.1.2.1
            5 March 2020 at 5:19 pm

            Blah blah blah opposition. I was referring to your understanding of MMP.

            I accept MMP. Because I accept that labour greens standing on their own, shorn of the corrupt racist burden that is nz1, will form a better government than has been seen yet under MMP.

            your pale and stale belief that NZ1 is somehow a necessity of government shows a concerning lack of values and belief in upholding them.

            in answer to what your question, the company Shane jones keeps is cabinet. And no one is covering themselves in glory there

            • Incognito 15.1.1.2.1.1
              5 March 2020 at 5:29 pm

              You accept MMP. That’s a good start. Unfortunately, you seem to have a problem with accepting the reality of MMP and the current coalition Government, which still includes NZF. You eliminate NZF, you eliminate this Government. Capisce?

              If Labour and the Greens will form the new Government after the election, it will be a different coalition Government than the current one. My pale and stale belief in reading the tea leaves is non-existent.

              • Climaction …
                5 March 2020 at 9:01 pm

                Capisce?

                Righto tony soprano

                want to talk gangster and be a tough guy? Tell nz1 they’re not welcome and go to the polls.

                Quisling

                • Incognito …
                  5 March 2020 at 9:33 pm

                  Never watched The Sopranos but you obviously did. Why don’t you do your Dirty Harry impersonation and tell Shane Jones yourself, to his face, you tough guy?

                  You have made great leaps in understanding MMP: in order to get rid of NZF you need an (snap) election. As it so happens, the PM has called an election. Comprendo?

                  • Climaction …
                    5 March 2020 at 9:42 pm

                    Easy on the italics button mr big stuff

                    So we should sit here for 6 months and let nz1 posture around? That’s a foolish strategy.

                    headlines, media air time, Seats in parliament after the election with no guarantee they’ll work with lab greens?
                    So progressive of you as long as you keep National out right?

                    Quisling

                    • Incognito …
                      5 March 2020 at 9:55 pm

                      Oh, I see. You want the PM to go for the nuclear moment and nuke her Coalition Government before 19 September. Riktig?

                    • McFlock …
                      5 March 2020 at 9:58 pm

                      As long as NZ1 keep being the difference between a national-led govt and a labgrn-led govt, labour telling NZ1 to piss off is a guaranteed national govt. Either it's nat/nz1 or the tory dream of a "grand coalition" labnat (puke).

                      National tried it last time. It's a major reason they're in opposition at the moment.

  16. Muttonbird 16
    4 March 2020 at 9:47 am

    Let's not forget that in modern times it's the people who decide what is or isn't worth a sacking.

    Drawing on reality TV for a moment, we had Hannah Tamaki dumped from DWTS for her views on the Rainbow community.

    And we had Chris Mansfield axed and deleted from MAFS for a history of domestic abuse.

    We also had Robert Jones folding in court and retreating to his high cave after realising he is in fact a racist.

    These outcomes were all due to public pressure, largely on social media, not pressure from journalists looking for a story. And not pressure from opposition politicians and bloggers looking to score political points.

    I think Shane Jones is a complete prick but the public pressure isn't at boiling point yet so he stays for the time being.

  17. Geoff 17
    4 March 2020 at 7:04 pm

    The trouble with MMP is that it essentially a corrupt system that employs a raft of party partisan list MP's totally unaccountable to the electorate.

    With STV there are no list parasites and each member is directly selected and accountable to those electorate voters, plus it also allows independents a much better chance at getting elected to parliament.

    • KJT 17.1
      7 March 2020 at 11:02 am

      The trouble with FPP, MMP, and STV, is that we are stuck with whatever old boys club, time servers political parties want to stick us with.

      Only the Greens even allow members to vote who gets on the list. Which shows in the general high quality of Green MP'S, compared with the many nitwits in the other parties, lineups

      Fixed it for you.

      "Representative democracy" is an oxymoron when politicians consider themselves "managers" not representatives.

      Effectively our system allows the illusion of public democratic control, when, in reality, we just get the opportunity to change the names of the current Dictator's.

Recent Comments

Recent Posts

  • Thinking About the Property Rights in Resource Decisions As Well As Transaction Costs.
    The Fast-Track Approvals Bill enables cabinet ministers to circumvent key environmental planning and protection processes for infrastructure projects. Its difficulties have been well canvassed. This column suggests a different way of thinking about the proposal. I am going to explore the Bill from the perspective of its proponents with their ...
    PunditBy Brian Easton
    8 hours ago

  • Bryce Edwards: Can Shane Jones be trusted in making Fast-track decisions?
    New Zealand First Cabinet Minister Shane Jones has become the best advertisement against the Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill. In selling the radical new resource consenting processes, in which ministers can green light any mine, dam, or other major development, Jones seems to be shooting the proposal in the foot. ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    9 hours ago

  • Seymour appeals to PPTA to call off meetings on charter schools – but does he seriously believe he...
    Buzz from the Beehive Associate Education Minister David Seymour is urging the PostPrimary Teachers Association to put learning ahead of ideology. He wants the union leaders to call off their teachers meetings around the country where they hope to muster the strength to undo the government’s plans to establish several ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    10 hours ago

  • Police don’t fight crime
    What are police for? "Fighting crime" is the obvious answer. If there's a burglary, they should show up and investigate. Ditto if there's a murder or sexual assault. Speeding or drunk or dangerous driving is a crime, so obviously they should respond to that. And obviously, they should respond to ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    11 hours ago

  • Two central banks
    Michael Reddell writes –  I got curious yesterday about how the Australia/New Zealand real exchange rate had changed over the last decade, and so dug out the data on the changes in the two countries’ CPIs. Over the 10 years from March 2014 to March 2024, New Zealand’s ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    13 hours ago

  • TVNZ hīkoi documentary needs a sequel
    Graham Adams writes that 20 years after the land march, judges are quietly awarding a swathe of coastal rights to iwi. Early this month, an hour-long documentary was released by TVNZ to mark the 20th anniversary of the land-rights march to oppose Helen Clark’s Foreshore and Seabed Act. The account ...
    Point of OrderBy gadams1000
    13 hours ago

  • The missing Green MP
    David Farrar writes –  The Herald reports: Suspended Green MP Darleen Tana has passed an unpleasant milestone: she has now been absent for as many parliamentary sitting days as she has been present for this year. Tana is on full pay while she is suspended, and will benefit from a ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    13 hours ago

  • The contest for the future heart and soul of the Labour Party
    Peter Dunne writes –  It is no coincidence that two Labour should-have-been MPs are making the most noise about public sector cuts. As assistant general secretary of the Public Service Association, Fleur Fitzsimons has been at the forefront of revealing where the next round of state sector job ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    13 hours ago

  • Lobbying for Waikato’s Medical School causing problems for the Govt
    Bryce Edwards writes –  It’s becoming a classic case study for why lobbying deals with politicians need greater scrutiny. Former National Minister Steven Joyce runs a lobbying company with a major client – the University of Waikato. The University desperately wants $300m+ of taxpayer funding to establish a ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    13 hours ago

  • Gordon Campbell on the psychological horror film Possession
    This is one of the (extra) weekly columns on music or movies. Plenty of solid analyses of Possession exist online and most of them – inevitably – contain spoilers. This column is more in the way of a first-timer’s aid to getting your initial bearings. You don’t need to have ...
    Gordon CampbellBy lyndon
    14 hours ago

  • Portrait of a Man.
    I am painting in oil, a portrait of a manWho has taken all the heart aches,And all the pain he can stand.I am using all the colors of blue,I have here on my stand.I am painting in oil, a portrait of a man.This has been an interesting week for me. ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    17 hours ago

  • The Hoon around the week to May 17
    Helen Clark joins the Hoon as a special guest talking whether Aotearoa should join Aukus II, and her views on the fast track legislation and how Luxon and the new Government are performing. File Photo: Lynn GrievesonTL;DR: The podcast above of the weekly ‘hoon’ webinar for subscribers features co-hosts ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    17 hours ago

  • Weekly Roundup 17-May-2024
    We’re at the end of another week. Here’s some of the things that caught our attention this week. This Week in Greater Auckland On Monday Matt asked if the Herald’s poor journalism will cost lives On Tuesday Matt covered Wayne Brown’s proposal for public transport in the Long ...
    Greater AucklandBy Greater Auckland
    18 hours ago

  • Rishi’s relaunch
    With an election due in less than nine months, Britain’s embattled PM, Rishi Sunak, gave a useful speech earlier this week. He made a substantial case for his government, perhaps as compelling as is possible in the current environment. Quite an achievement. His overall theme was security, first pulling ...
    Point of OrderBy xtrdnry
    1 day ago

  • Skeptical Science New Research for Week #20 2024
    Open access notables Publicly expressed climate scepticism is greatest in regions with high CO2 emissions, Pearson et al., Climatic Change: We analysed a recently released corpus of climate-related tweets to examine the macro-level factors associated with public declarations of climate change scepticism. Analyses of over 2 million geo-located tweets in the U.S. showed that climate ...
    Skeptical Science
    1 day ago

  • The thrilling possibilities of charter schools
    You can be all negative about these charter schools if you want, but I’m here to accentuate the positive. You can get all worked up, if you want to, by the contradiction of Luxon saying We’re going to make sure that every school in the country is teaching exactly the same ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    1 day ago

  • This Unreasonable Government.
    Losing The Room: One can only speculate about what has persuaded the Coalition Government that it will pay no electoral price for unreasonably pushing ahead with policies that are so clearly against the national interest. They seem quite oblivious to the risk that by doing so they will convince an increasing ...
    Bowalley Road
    1 day ago

  • Supreme Court weighs in on name suppression
    Name suppression decisions can be tough sometimes. No matter your views on free speech, you have to be hard-hearted not to be torn by the tug of the competing arguments. I think you can feel the Supreme Court wrestling with that in M v The King. The case for ...
    Media Law JournalBy Steven
    1 day ago

  • Is This A “Merchants” Government?
    The Merchants of Menace: The Coalition Government has convinced itself that the “Brahmins’” emollient functions have become much too irksome and expensive. Those who see themselves as the best hope of rebuilding New Zealand’s ailing capitalist system, appear to have convinced themselves that a little bit of blunt trauma is what their mollycoddled ...
    Bowalley Road
    1 day ago

  • This is what corruption looks like
    When National first proposed its Muldoonist "fast-track" law, they were warned that it would inevitably lead to corruption. And that is exactly what has happened, with Resources Minister Shane Jones taking secret meetings with potential applicants: On Tuesday, in a Newsroom story, questions were raised about a dinner Jones ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    1 day ago

  • Take that, Vladimir – and be warned: we have plenty more sanctions (at least, we hope so) in our ...
    Buzz from the Beehive One day – hopefully – we will push that Russian rascal, Vladimir Putin, beyond breaking point.  Perhaps it will happen today, when he learns that Foreign Minister Winston Peters is again tightening the thumbscrews. Peters announced further sanctions, this time on 28 individuals and 14 entities ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    1 day ago

  • More Harm Than Good.
    How Labour’s and National’s failure to move beyond neoliberalism has brought New Zealand to the brink of economic and cultural chaos.TO START LOSING, so soon after you won, requires a special kind of political incompetence. At the heart of this Coalition Government’s failure to retain, and build upon, the public ...
    Bowalley Road
    1 day ago

  • The Ombudsman fails again
    In 2020, the Operation Burnham inquiry reported back, finding that NZDF had lied to Ministers and the New Zealand public about its actions in Afghanistan. The inquiry saw a large number of documents declassified and released, which raised another problem: whether they had also lied to the Ombudsman in his ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    1 day ago

  • No Time To Think: Ageing Boomers, Laurie & Les, Talk Politics.
    “Members of Parliament don’t work for us, they represent us, an entirely different thing. As with so much that has turned out badly, the re-organising of MPs’ responsibilities began with the Fourth Labour Government. That’s when they began to be treated like employees – public servants – whose diaries had ...
    Bowalley Road
    1 day ago

  • Bryce Edwards: Lobbying for Waikato’s Medical School causing problems for the Govt
    It’s becoming a classic case study for why lobbying deals with politicians need greater scrutiny. Former National Minister Steven Joyce runs a lobbying company with a major client – the University of Waikato. The University desperately wants $300m+ of taxpayer funding to establish a third medical school in New Zealand, ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    1 day ago

  • Picking Sides.
    Time To Choose: Like it or not, the Kiwis are either going into AUKUS’s  “Pillar 2” – or they are going to China.HAD ZHENG HE’S FLEET sailed east, not west, in the early Fifteenth Century, how different our world would be. There is little reason to suppose that the sea-going junks ...
    Bowalley Road
    1 day ago

  • Universities offer course in self-serving cowardice
    Henry Ergas writes –  When in Randall Jarrell’s Pictures from an Institution, a college president is accused of being a hypocrite, the novel’s narrator retorts that the description is grossly unfair. After all, the man is still far from the stage of moral development at which the charge ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    1 day ago

  • The teacher trainee challenge
    David Farrar writes –  Radio NZ reports: The Education Review Office says too many new teachers feel poorly prepared for their jobs. In a report published on Monday, the review office said 60 percent of the principals it interviewed said their new teachers were not ready. ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    2 days ago

  • Words and (in)actions
    New Zealand’s economic performance and the PM’s vision   Michael Reddell writes –  When I wrote yesterday morning’s post, highlighting how poorly both New Zealand and its Anglo peer countries have been doing in respect of productivity in recent times (ie, in the case of New ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    2 days ago

  • What do you hope for/fear from the budget?
    Hi all,Firstly - thank you! You guys are awesome. The response I’ve received to last night’s mail has been quite overwhelming. It’s a ghastly day outside, but there are no clouds in here.In case you didn’t read my email and are wondering what on earth I’m talking about you can ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    2 days ago

  • Gordon Campbell on ACT’s charter schools experiment
    If there was still any doubt as to who is actually running this government – and it isn’t the buffoon from Botany – then this week’s announcement of a huge spend up on charter schools has settled the matter. While jobs and public services continue to be cut in the ...
    Gordon CampbellBy lyndon
    2 days ago

  • Drought fuels wildfire concerns as Canada braces for another intense summer
    This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Gaye Taylor As widespread drought raises expectations for a repeat of last year’s ferocious wildfire season, response teams across Canada are grappling with the rapidly changing face of fire in a warming climate. No longer quenched by winter, nor quelled by the ...
    Skeptical Science
    2 days ago

  • Bernard’s Dawn Chorus and pick ‘n’ mix for Thursday, May 16
    Half of Christchurch City Holdings Ltd’s directors and its chair resigned en masse last night in protest at Christchurch City Council’s demand to front-load dividends File Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The chair of Christchurch City Council’s investment company and four of its independent directors resigned in protest last ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago

  • Controversial proposal could threaten coalition
    The University of Waikato has reworded an advertisement that begins the tender process for its new $300 million-plus medical school even though the Government still needs to approve it. However, even the reworded ad contains an architect’s visualisations of what the school might look like. ACT leader David Seymour told ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    2 days ago

  • Of Rings of Power Annatar, Dramatic Irony, and Disguises
    As a follow-up to the Rings of Power trailer discussion, I thought I needed to add something. There has been some online mockery about the use of the same actor for both the Halbrand and Annatar incarnations of Sauron. The reasoning is that Halbrand with a shave and a new ...
    A Phuulish FellowBy strda221
    2 days ago

  • The future of Nick's Kōrero.
    This isn’t quite as dramatic as the title might suggest. I’m not going anywhere, but there is something I wanted to talk to you about.Let’s start with a typical day.Most days I send out a newsletter in the morning. If I’ve written a lot the previous evening it might be ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    2 days ago

  • The PM promises tax relief in the Budget – but will it be enough to satisfy the Taxpayers’ Union...
    Buzz from the Beehive The promise of tax relief loomed large in his considerations when  the PM delivered a pre-Budget speech to the Auckland Business Chamber. The job back in Wellington is getting government spending back under control, he said, bandying figures which show that in per capita terms, the ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    2 days ago

  • Fucking useless
    Yesterday de facto Prime Minister David Seymour announced that his glove puppet government would be re-introducing charter schools, throwing $150 million at his pet quacks, donors and cronies and introducing an entire new government agency to oversee them (the existing Education Review Office, which actually knows how to review schools, ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    2 days ago

  • Setting things straight.
    Seeing that, in order to discredit the figures and achieve moral superiority while attempting to deflect attention away from the military assault on Rafa, Israel supporters in NZ have seized on reports that casualty numbers in Gaza may be inflated … Continue reading → ...
    KiwipoliticoBy Pablo
    2 days ago

  • Far too light a sentence
    David Farrar writes – Newstalk ZB report: The man responsible for a horror hit and run in central Wellington last year was on a suspended licence and was so drunk he later asked police, “Did I kill someone?” Jason Tuitama injured two women when he ran a red ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    3 days ago

  • Unwinding Labour’s Agenda
    Muriel Newman writes –  Former US President Ronald Reagan once said, “Freedom is a fragile thing and it’s never more than one generation away from extinction. It is not ours by way of inheritance; it must be fought for and defended constantly by each generation.” The fight for ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    3 days ago

  • Sequel to “Real reason Waitangi Tribunal could not summons Chhour”
    Why Courts should have said Waitangi Tribunal could not summons Karen Chhour Gary Judd writes – In the High Court, Justice Isacs declined to uphold the witness summons issued by the Waitangi Tribunal to compel Minister for Children, Karen Chhour, to appear before it to be ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    3 days ago

  • The Govt’s Fast-Track is being demolished by submissions to Parliament
    Bryce Edwards writes –  The number of voices raising concerns about the Government’s Fast-Track Approvals Bill is rapidly growing. This is especially apparent now that Parliament’s select committee is listening to submissions from the public to evaluate the proposed legislation. Twenty-seven thousand submissions have been made to Parliament ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    3 days ago

  • A generation is leaving at a rate of one A320-load per day
    An average of 166 New Zealand citizens left the country every day during the March quarter, up 54% from a year ago.Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The economy and housing market is sinking into a longer recession through the winter after a slump in business and consumer confidence in ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago

  • NZUP RORS back to life
    The government has made it abundantly clear they’re addicted to the smell of new asphalt. On Tuesday they introduced a new term to the country’s roading lexicon, the Roads of Regional Significance (RoRS), a little brother for the Roads of National (Party) Significance (RoNS). Driving ahead with Roads of Regional ...
    Greater AucklandBy Matt L
    3 days ago

  • School Is Out.
    School is outAnd I walk the empty hallwaysI walk aloneAlone as alwaysThere's so many lucky penniesLying on the floorBut where the hell are all the lucky peopleI can't see them any moreYesterday morning, I’d just sent out my newsletter on Tama Potaka, and I was struggling to make the coffee. ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    3 days ago

  • How Are You Doing?
    Hi,I wanted to check in and ask how you’re doing.This is perhaps a selfish act, of attempting to find others feeling a similar way to me — that is to say, a little hopeless at the moment.Misery loves company, that sort of deal.Some context.I wish I could say I got ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    3 days ago

  • The Rings of Power: Season Two Teaser Trailer
    I have hitherto been fairly quiet on the new season of Rings of Power, on the basis that the underwhelming first season did not exactly build excitement – and the rumours were fairly daft. The only real thing of substance to come out has been that they have re-cast Adar ...
    A Phuulish FellowBy strda221
    3 days ago

  • At a glance – What ended the Little ice Age?
    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
    3 days ago

  • Talking Reo with the PM
    “The thing is,” Chris Luxon says, leaning forward to make his point, “this has always been my thing.”“This goes all the way back to the first multinational I worked for. I was saying exactly the same thing back then. The name of our business needs to be more clear; people ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago

  • Waitangi Tribunal’s authority in Chhour case is upheld – but bill’s introduction to Parliament...
    Buzz from the Beehive It’s been a momentous few days for Children’s Minister Karen Chhour.  The Court of Appeal has overturned a High Court decision which blocked a summons order from the Waitangi Tribunal for her. And today she has announced the Government is putting children first by introducing to ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    3 days ago

  • Australia jails another whistleblower
    In 2014 former Australian army lawyer David McBride leaked classified military documents about Australian war crimes to the ABC. Dubbed "The Afghan Files", the documents led to an explosive report on Australian war crimes, the disbanding of an entire SAS unit, and multiple ongoing prosecutions. The journalist who wrote the ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    3 days ago

  • Some “scrutiny”!
    Back in February I blogged about another secret OIA "consultation" by the Ministry of Justice. This one was on Aotearoa's commitment in its Open Government Partnership Action Plan to "strengthen scrutiny of Official Information Act exemption clauses in legislation" (AKA secrecy clauses). Their consultation paper on the issue focused on ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    3 days ago

  • TVNZ is loss-making, serves no public service due to bias, and should be liquidated
    Rob MacCulloch writes –  According to the respected Pew Research Centre, “In seven of eight [European] countries surveyed, the most trusted news outlet asked about is the public news organization in each country”. For example, “in Sweden, an overwhelming majority (90%) say they trust the public broadcaster SVT”. ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    3 days ago

  • The conflicted Covid Chair
    David Farrar writes –  Kata MacNamara reports:    Details of Tony Blakely’s involvement in the New Zealand Government’s response to the pandemic raise serious questions about the work of the Covid-19 Royal Commission of Inquiry over which he presides. It has long been clear that Blakely, a ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    3 days ago

  • Attacking the smartest and most resilient people in the room is never a good idea
    Chris Trotter writes – Are you a Brahmin or a Merchant? Or, are you merely one of those whose lives are profoundly influenced by the decisions of Brahmins and Merchants? Those are the questions that are currently shaping the politics of New Zealand and the entire West. ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    3 days ago

  • A fortune-telling failure, surely, if the tarot cards can’t see a bulldozer coming
    RNZ reports –  It’s supposed to be a haven of healing and spiritual awakening but residents of the Kawai Purapura community say they’ve been hurt and deceived. It’s the successor to the former Centrepoint commune, and has been on the bush block opposite Albany shopping centre since 2008. It ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    3 days ago

  • The climate battleground heats up
    TL;DR : Here’s the top six items climate news for Aotearoa-NZ this week, as selected by Bernard Hickey and The Kākā’s climate correspondent Cathrine Dyer. Usually we have a video chat to go with this wrap, but were unable to do one this week. We’ll be back next week.Several reports ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago

  • Bernard’ s Dawn Chorus & Pick ‘n’ Mix for Tuesday, May 14
    The Transport Minister has set a hard 'fiscal envelope' of $6.54 billion for transport capital spending. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The economy is settling into a state of suspended animation as the Government’s funding freezes and job cuts chill confidence and combine with stubbornly high interest rates to ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago

  • Gordon Campbell on why anti-Zionism is not anti-Semitic
    To be precise, the term “anti- Zionism” refers to (a) criticism of the political movement that created a modern Jewish state on the historical land of Israel, and to (b)the subjugation of Palestinians by the Israeli state. By contrast, the term “anti-Semitism” means bigotry and racism directed at Jewish people, ...
    Gordon CampbellBy lyndon
    4 days ago

  • Climate change is making hurricanes more destructive
    This is a re-post from the Climate Brink by Andrew Dessler Because hurricanes are one of the big-ticket weather disasters that humanity has to face, climate misinformers spend a lot of effort muddying the waters on whether climate change is making hurricanes more damaging. With the official start to the hurricane ...
    Skeptical Science
    4 days ago

  • Wayne Brown’s PT Plan
    Yesterday the Mayor released what he calls his “plan to save public transport” which is part of his final proposal for the Council’s Long Term Plan (LTP). This comes following consultation on the draft version that occurred in March which showed, once again, that people want more done on transport, especially ...
    Greater AucklandBy Matt L
    4 days ago

  • Potaka's Private Universe.
    And it's a pleasure that I have knownAnd it's a treasure that I have gainedAotearoa’s coalition government is fragile. It’s held together by the obsequious sycophancy of Christopher Luxon, who willingly contorts his party into the fringe positions of his junior coalition partners and is unwilling to contradict them. The ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    4 days ago

  • Our slow regional councils
    The Select Committee hearing submissions on the fast-track consenting legislation is starting to become a beat-up of regional councils. The inflexibility and slow workings of the Councils were prominent in two submissions yesterday. One, from the Coromandel Marine Farmers Association, simply said that the Waikato Regional Council’s planning decisions were ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    4 days ago

  • Ministers are not above the law after all
    Back in April, the High Court surprised everyone by ruling that Ministers are above the law, at least as far as the Waitangi Tribunal is concerned. The reason for this ruling was "comity" - the idea that the different branches of government shouldn't interfere with each other's functions. Which makes ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    4 days ago

  • NZTA takes the wheel after govt gives it the road map for regional roads (and puts a speed governor ...
    Buzz from the Beehive  Tolling was mentioned when Transport Minister Simeon Brown announced the government was re-introducing the Roads of National Significance (RoNS) programme, with 15 “crucial” projects to support economic growth and regional development across New Zealand. All RoNS would be four-laned, grade-separated highways, and all funding, financing, and ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    4 days ago

  • Change in Catalonia?
    or the past 14 years, ever since the Spanish government cheated on an autonomy deal, Catalonia has reliably given pro-independence parties a majority of seats in their regional parliament. But now that seems to be over. Catalans went to the polls yesterday, and stripped the Catalan parties of their majority. ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    4 days ago

  • Having an enrolment date is not depriving anyone of a vote
    David Farrar writes –  Radio NZ report: Labour Party leader Chris Hipkins said the Electoral Commission should make sure the system ran smoothly and “taking away the right of thousands of people to vote” was not the answer. “Thousands of people enroled and voted on the day. If ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago

  • Perhaps house prices don’t always go up
    Don Brash writes –  There was a rather revealing headline in the Herald on Sunday today (12 May). It read “One in 8 Auckland homes on market were bought during boom, may now sell for loss”. The first line of text noted that “New data shows one in ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago

  • Can’t read, can’t write, can’t comprehend – and won’t think…?
    Mike Grimshaw writes –  At a time when universities are understandably nervous regarding the establishment of the University Advisory Group (UAG) and the Science System Advisory Group (SSAG) it may seem strange – or even fool-hardy – to state that there are long-standing issues in the tertiary sector ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago

  • Time for some perspective
    Lindsay Mitchell writes –  A lack of perspective can make something quite large or important seem small or irrelevant. Against a backdrop of high-profile, negative statistics it is easy to overlook the positive. For instance, the fact that 64 percent of Maori are employed is rarely reported. For ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago

  • Will NZ Herald’s ‘poor journalism’ cost lives?
    Earlier this year, the Herald ran a series of articles amounting to a sustained campaign against raised pedestrian crossings, by reporter Bernard Orsman. A key part of that campaign concerned the raised crossings being installed as part of the Pt Chevalier to Westmere project, with at least 10 articles over ...
    Greater AucklandBy Matt L
    5 days ago

  • The Kaka’s diary for the week to May 19 and beyond
    TL;DR: The six key events to watch in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the week to May 19 include:PM Christopher Luxon is expected to hold his weekly post-cabinet news conference at 4:00pm on Monday.Parliament is not sitting this week. It resumes next week for a two-week sitting session up to and ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago

  • Webworm Popup Photos!
    Hi,Thanks to all the beautiful Worms who came to the LA Webworm popup on Saturday.It was a way to celebrate the online store we launched last week — and it was super special.As I talk about a lot, I really value our community here — and it was a BLAST ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    5 days ago

  • 2024 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #19
    A listing of 35 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, May 5, 2024 thru Sat, May 11, 2024. (Unfortunate) Story of the week "Grief that stops at despair is an ending that I and many others, most notably ...
    Skeptical Science
    5 days ago

  • DJ Fred Again – Assurance report received
    "On the 27th of March, I sought assurances from the Chief Executive, Department of Internal Affairs, that the Department’s correct processes and policies had been followed in regards to a passport application which received media attention,” says Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden.  “I raised my concerns after being ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    9 hours ago

  • District Court Judges appointed
    Attorney-General Judith Collins has announced the appointment of three new District Court Judges, to replace Judges who have recently retired. Peter James Davey of Auckland has been appointed a District Court Judge with a jury jurisdiction to be based at Whangarei. Mr Davey initially started work as a law clerk/solicitor with ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    13 hours ago

  • Unions should put learning ahead of ideology
    Associate Education Minister David Seymour is calling on the Post Primary Teachers’ Association (PPTA) to put ideology to the side and focus on students’ learning, in reaction to the union holding paid teacher meetings across New Zealand about charter schools.     “The PPTA is disrupting schools up and down the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    14 hours ago

  • Craig Stobo appointed as chair of FMA
    Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly today announced the appointment of Craig Stobo as the new chair of the Financial Markets Authority (FMA). Mr Stobo takes over from Mark Todd, whose term expired at the end of April. Mr Stobo’s appointment is for a five-year term. “The FMA plays ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    14 hours ago

  • Budget 2024 invests in lifeguards and coastguard
    Surf Life Saving New Zealand and Coastguard New Zealand will continue to be able to keep people safe in, on, and around the water following a funding boost of $63.644 million over four years, Transport Minister Simeon Brown and Associate Transport Minister Matt Doocey say. “Heading to the beach for ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    16 hours ago

  • New Zealand and Tuvalu reaffirm close relationship
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