Then they came for the cartoonists

Written By: - Date published: 11:34 am, June 17th, 2015 - 59 comments
Categories: cartoons, Media - Tags: ,

Kill off Campbell Live. Drive Mihingarangi Forbes out of Maori TV. Sack a bunch of sub-editors. Then they came for the cartoonists…

https://twitter.com/danylmc/status/610903336779280385

59 comments on “Then they came for the cartoonists ”

  1. But conspiring? Neh, They wouldn’t do that. Our government loves us and the MSM is our best friend! And anyway who needs those pesky cartoons?

  2. adam 2

    The only redeeming feature of the newspaper was their cartoonist. I’m quite happy that the money men are now making decisions – because this one is going to hurt them more than they know.

    Torys’ – stupid is, what stupid does.

  3. BLiP 3

    Isn’t it about time the MSM workers downed-tools?

    • tc 3.1

      Why ? Most of those left are pretty relaxed about their work. NACT have successfully weeded out those pesky dissenting voices that the bosses couldn’t get directly.

  4. Sable 4

    As I say every day the MSM are a joke. They are owned by large corporations who in turn are represented by right leaning political parties. No news to be had there only your standard fare of crime/punishment, celebs, disasters and the occasional human interest story.

  5. maui 5

    Bring on the anyone can do journalism era! Today on stuff nation we have: http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff-nation

    – Pet of the day: Jonah the All Black
    – Your favourite Makos moments
    – ‘No need’ for school uniforms

  6. Dazzer 6

    A fundamental shift caused by technological developments that have fundamentally changed business models. So much for conspiracies.

    This is worth reading as it comes from a journalist perspective:

    http://www.washingtonpost.com/pr/wp/2015/04/08/washington-post-executive-editor-martin-baron-on-journalisms-transition-from-print-to-digital/

    It’s interesting how the point is also made that the transition to digital means information is more open and accessible than ever before.

    Change will be even more rapid – you can continue to tilt at windmills or adapt. The conspiracies theories show that many simply aren’t adapting.

    • adam 6.1

      What conspiracy theory?

    • ian 6.2

      Hark,a voice of reason and common sense. Fairfax need to make a profit or they are history. The ‘Press ” cartoon today by an attack cartoonist called murdoch is at the same level as slaters attack medium. He knows his job is on the line.

      • Colonial Rawshark 6.2.1

        Fairfax need to make a profit? Why? Gutter journalism is profitable but is “profitable” any good to society? Perhaps they should talk to the executives at TV3. They really have a hang of keeping audience eyeballs.

      • Tracey 6.2.2

        “attack” cartoonist… “same level as slaters attack”.

        Really? I think you misunderstand what slater and those he uses and who use whim actually do.

        I also thing you might have misunderstood the place of the media, the 4th estate.

    • Colonial Rawshark 6.3

      It’s interesting how the point is also made that the transition to digital means information is more open and accessible than ever before.

      Yes download the power elite’s propaganda narratives faster than ever before.

      • Dazzer 6.3.1

        Clearly you didn’t read the link I provided. In the example the power elite (in this case the church) had in the past been able to claim actions that had been done or not when people were able to use digital media for themselves to see that this was not the case. To suggest that the growth of digital media has someone assisted the power elite is ironic in the least given that without the transition to digital media you would have little opportunity to have your say.

        • Colonial Rawshark 6.3.1.1

          digital media cuts both ways, Dazzer. I was more referring to The Washington Post as a great repeater of the official Washington D.C. narrative (Iraq WMD, Libya, Syria WMD, Snowden/NSA, Ukraine) and thinking it funny that they would still claim to be some great bastion of true journalism.

          BTW the Catholic Church isn’t the power-elite in the USA: the bankster, oligarchic class and military-industrial-surveillance complex is.

    • Tracey 6.4

      Alex Braae ‏@awbraae 15h15 hours ago
      A cartoon can explain a story in seconds, vs a long form article that nobody will read. Strange decision from Fairfax #SaveNZcartoonists

  7. McFlock 7

    At least the withdrawal of fairfax from the actual news market (incremental but incessant) provides an opening for scoop and one or two others.

    Half of it is an overpaid Buzzfeed now, in ten years there will be no more news content on Stuff than there is in Woman’s Weekly.

    In the meantime, I’m on a couple of geopolitical email lists, and seriously considering paying for a (very cheap) subscription to “War is Boring”, a smallish site that covers lots of random war trivia but also issues like the ongoing war in South Sudan. Most of my NZ political news comes from here or FB (I have some interesting friends), and supplemented with a couple of newspaper websites. Stuff basically gives me some soft news and crosswords while machines do my bidding at work muhahahaha.

    • Marvellous Bearded Git 7.1

      @ McFlock
      My theory is many people would subscribe if the price of a (for example) a paywalled Guardian site was say $49 a year, while very few would subscribe if it was $249.

    • Colonial Rawshark 7.2

      War is boring is fun

    • Tracey 7.3

      300,000 kiwis were watching CL at the end, and that suggest a number who want to know about fellow kiwis and the state of the nation. There aren’t many businesses (media or otherwise) who are in the profit business who turn that away.

  8. T Chris 8

    Kill of Campbell Live?

    No one watched it

  9. hoom 9

    Obviously there will be loads of ‘FREE SPEECH UNDER ATTACK’ banner headlines.
    ‘JE SUIS FAIRFAX CARTOONISTS’ etc.

    …oh wait, silly me this is Big Biased Media actually and directly attacking Free Speech. Again.
    No, this will just earn praise from the Dirty Columnists :-/

  10. Bill 10

    I’m kind of heartened by the death of major outlets. There is just a possibility now that when/if something crops up that people actually want information on, that public meetings once again become popular hot-beds of info and ideas.

    If that happens, and it could, ‘our betters’ will have lost control and their wee crowns will be sitting very uneasily.

    • Lanthanide 10.1

      “that public meetings once again become popular hot-beds of info and ideas.”

      You meant to say “social media”, right?

      • Bill 10.1.1

        Nope.

        • Lanthanide 10.1.1.1

          Ok then. You’re a bit backwards looking, in that case.

          I think the days of regular meetups in public are over.

          • Bill 10.1.1.1.1

            The idea that only literate and internet capable people can or should engage on a geographically unbounded platform that is also an impersonal space offering limited communication, popular as the notion among some may be, is…elitist, crap, nuts and…won’t/can’t go anywhere.

            • Lanthanide 10.1.1.1.1.1

              I’m not saying that that “can” or “should” be the case. Just that it is.

              In terms of literacy, it is quite high in this country, thanks to our education system. Internet access is becoming more accessible every year. The concept of access to the internet being a basic human right has been discussed by the UN and other international bodies, and it seems in most public polls, people support it. It’s conceivable that it could be passed into law in NZ within the next 10-15 years.

              The internet is the future of communication. To deny that is, as I said, backwards.

              • Bill

                Access to local public spaces is no bother at all – to both the literate and the illiterate.

                And here’s a thing Lanthanide. We communicate on this forum, but I have no idea who you are or where you live. How the fuck does that distance translate into meaningful political action and solidarity? Even if you lived in Dunedin, I could walk by you on the street, or even have a conversation with you in the pub, and have no idea it was you.

                A face remembered from a meeting though….and conversations lead to or develop ideas that can form real world human connections/bonds that constitute the basis of networks that then translate into political acts.

                • Lanthanide

                  “Access to local public spaces is no bother at all – to both the literate and the illiterate.”

                  But that’s not really true. At work, I can (and obviously do) read and comment on the Standard, since I work at a computer. I wouldn’t be able to meet up for a political movement during the day. Similarly when I get home from work, I spend most of my time at my computer, doing one thing or another, and it’s certainly less bother than attending a physical space would be.

                  “How the fuck does that distance translate into meaningful political action and solidarity? ”

                  I don’t think that real-world interactions are particularly more likely to result in actual political actions than online organisation is. It still takes effort and a will to do anything, either way. In fact using the internet allows people to communicate who otherwise never would – since I’m in Christchurch and you’re apparently in Dunedin, this exchange would not take place except for the internet. I have an acquaintance on Facebook who organises a lot of TPP protests (and other government injustices) in Christchurch, and Facebook is a large part of how she organises the protests.

                  I’ll note that Drinking Liberally fizzled out. The Standard didn’t.

                  • Colonial Rawshark

                    It’s interesting how the point is also made that the transition to digital means information is more open and accessible than ever before.

                    The Catholic Church has been around long before The Standard, and it will be around long after The Standard is gone. And yes, they do meet in person weekly.

                • weka

                  I agree. Pre-internet, people who needed to talk politics generally had to get together to do it. There were magazines and books, films, TV etc for information/ideas/analysis, but the need that we get met here on ts etc could really only happen face to face. From that came direct action. The internet is good for some things, but in this thing it fails (or more fairly, it’s not designed to cater for).

                  I find it hard to tell how much the lack of getting together is a consequence of the internet (and slacktivism), and how much a consequence of 30 years of neoliberalism and people being resigned to it.

              • Tracey

                Not under national. Cos it would cost money. There are still school rooms in NZ that have 1 or no computer int heir classrooms.

          • The Fairy Godmother 10.1.1.1.2

            Some people do attend meetings still. I was at a Playcentre meeting this week at our local Playcentre with 14 people and went to our collective union meeting and there were 17 people – over half the members on our site. So yes some people still know how to attend meetings and have their say. I think they just need to understand what the purpose is.

            • Lanthanide 10.1.1.1.2.1

              Bill seems to be talking about “public meetings” specifically to discuss political things. Not meetings that already exist for a particular purpose, that have politics as a side discussion.

    • gsays 10.2

      hi bill,
      spot on.

    • Ergo Robertina 10.3

      How does it follow that public meetings will be well attended when the major media outlets die? Most public meetings aren’t reported now, so shouldn’t people be already surging into them?
      I think what’s happening is that people are projecting their own stuff on to this ‘death of the MSM’ trope.
      I’m bored with it. Why don’t we hear more about what’s happening industrially and otherwise in other sectors? Education, health, academia, aged care, NGOs.
      Oh that’s right, it’s the MSM’s fault, for not giving us the information. Maybe an information rich utopia awaits when we’re freed of the shackles.

      • Lanthanide 10.3.1

        I agree that the death of MSM is a bit overplayed.

        BUT, the quality definitely has gone down the tubes. stuff.co.nz is full of clickbait and irrelevant entertainment stories dominating the prominent places on the site. News reader scripts often include trite little comments that are supposed to be relevant to the story they’ve just covered, but which don’t add any valuable information and are often misleading unless you know what the story is about anyway. The recent coverage of Jeb Bush entering the GOP candidate selection was classic crap reporting on TVNZ (and Seven Sharp), with them acting like it going to be Bush vs Clinton for the presidency in 2016.

        When it comes to political reporting, it’s always a bland repeating of what the government has said without any actual thought or challenge to what it being said in that it often does not match reality or make sense. They never interview anyone on the 6pm news now (that was relegated to 7pm many years ago now, and I doubt Seven Sharp do it at all) but are in love with their pointless “live crosses”.

      • Bill 10.3.2

        It doesn’t follow.

        But when the, arguably, dampening effect of the msm is removed from public discourse/need for information, then there’s a chance that real face to face and well attended meetings can spring up.

        I suspect I bore people with my regular references to Scottish politics, but here I go again. The entire msm over there was anti- independence. But things took off and much of the public discourse was set via meetings in church halls/community halls or whatever. As far as I’m aware, well attended public meetings are still happening post referendum and post UK general election. Regardless, people there believe that they know a thing or two now, talk politics as a new norm, and so aren’t so easily taken in by msm spin lines.

        In short, political engagement happens between people, not between people and institutions or people and ‘one way’ media. In the latter examples, we are rendered as spectators. In the former, we access empowerment.

        • Ergo Robertina 10.3.2.1

          That’s what I mean by projecting.
          It’s a hell of a long way from provincial newspaper cartoonists losing their voice to the Scottish independence question.
          You may be unaware that New Zealand has a strong history of political cartoons that challenge the establishment and stood up to fascism.
          You may also be unaware that Fairfax Australia is using the New Zealand market to experiment with digital-centrism and shared regional content.
          I seem to recall you were pretty sanguine about Campbell getting the chop too.

          • Bill 10.3.2.1.1

            I wasn’t sanguine about Campbell getting the chop, although I’m well aware people interpreted my comments that way.

            I brought up Scotland in relation to media, particularly a hostile media and the power that come from people merely connecting and communicating in spite of it. I thought it a reasonable point of comparison. Having said that, NZ’s ‘chewing gum’ media may well pose a greater barrier to people taking a similar grassroots path should a potentially galvanizing issue arise.

            All I have to say about cartoonists getting the chop is that it’s, on many levels, shit. But isn’t it part of a bigger picture worth commenting on?

            edit. I’d suggest I’m extrapolating rather than projecting, no?

            • Tracey 10.3.2.1.1.1

              Certainly cartoonists in our major papers are edgy and fearless in their critique, of all politicians. Given my sense of a dumbing down and movement away from education to entertainment and political advertorials it struck me as odd that cartoonists were being tolerated. I suspected Herald would be first to strike, but I take m hat off to them for being beaten by FareFix.

            • Ergo Robertina 10.3.2.1.1.2

              The bigger picture. It’s got to be more expansive than using the issue at hand as a springboard to one’s hobby horse. There is more than one ‘bigger picture’ and at least three or four – often more – sides to every story.
              I would argue the rise of identity/issue based activism to which you allude makes regional diversity in media more vital.
              It’s coinciding with NZ’s population growth being confined largely to the bigger centres – partly because of shortsighted Govt policy – which threatens the future viability of parts of regional NZ.
              Let’s face it: NZ MSM is not dying, its resources are increasingly focused in metropolitan areas and online. Regional stories in the big media outlets tend to be the weird and whacky or spot news.
              Papers based in regions are being run down: increasingly formulaic, early deadlines as print plant isn’t replaced (papers printed in other centres and trucked in), and reporters unable to develop rounds.
              And of course this doesn’t matter until your geographic area is affected adversely by Govt policy, or you have an issue with the local DHB, council or whatever.
              The regions obviously lack the mass of people to effect the pressure increasingly brought to bear through issue or identity based politics (provided it’s done right and connects with people emotionally, which is not as contingent on the MSM’s priorities as many assume).
              This is where regional cartoonists come in. They give papers a sense of heart and home. In a modest way they illuminate an issue by putting a local tweak on a national story or by taking aim at a local issue that no-one outside the region cares about.
              No-one knows how Fairfax’s experiment will turn out, but the least likely outcome is the death of mainstream media and the hastening of your peer-to-peer information enlightenment.

  11. Clemgeopin 11

    Last remaining cartoonist of the Fairfax Media will end up with the last laugh or the sad cry @#SaveNZcartoonists. FFM-biggest joke of all!— Clem Geo Pin (@clemgeopin) June 17, 2015

    Fair Fax : FFF

    • Clemgeopin 11.1

      FF F’s witty and wise intelligent people to control thought and save some bob!

      Something rotten is happening in the land of the long white cloud for big business controlled media world. It is getting dirty, dark & grey.— Clem Geo Pin (@clemgeopin) June 17, 2015

    • Tracey 11.2

      farefix and others must be wanting to buy twitter next to shut down the witty critique of our politicians

    • Tracey 11.3

      “Alex Braae ‏@awbraae 15h15 hours ago
      A cartoon can explain a story in seconds, vs a long form article that nobody will read. Strange decision from Fairfax #SaveNZcartoonists”

      Kind of makes a mockery of the digital age argument

  12. saveNZ 12

    Maybe they will start printing the cartoons inside down, Nazi style.

    There will be no dissent in this ‘rock star’ economy.

    Boycott the advertisers and the paper!

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    Subversive & Disruptive Technologies: Just as happened with that other great regulator of the masses, the Medieval Church, the advent of a new and hard-to-control technology – the Internet –  is weakening the ties that bind. Then, and now, those who enjoy a monopoly on the dissemination of lies, cannot and will ...
    3 days ago
  • A Powerful Sensation of Déjà Vu.
    Been Here Before: To find the precedents for what this Coalition Government is proposing, it is necessary to return to the “glory days” of Muldoonism.THE COALITION GOVERNMENT has celebrated its first 100 days in office by checking-off the last of its listed commitments. It remains, however, an angry government. It ...
    3 days ago
  • Can you guess where world attention is focussed (according to Greenpeace)? It’s focussed on an EPA...
    Bob Edlin writes –  And what is the world watching today…? The email newsletter from Associated Press which landed in our mailbox early this morning advised: In the news today: The father of a school shooter has been found guilty of involuntary manslaughter; prosecutors in Trump’s hush-money case ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    3 days ago
  • Further integrity problems for the Greens in suspending MP Darleen Tana
    Bryce Edwards writes – Is another Green MP on their way out? And are the Greens severely tarnished by another integrity scandal? For the second time in three months, the Green Party has secretly suspended an MP over integrity issues. Mystery is surrounding the party’s decision to ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    3 days ago
  • Jacqui Van Der Kaay: Greens’ transparency missing in action
    For the last few years, the Green Party has been the party that has managed to avoid the plague of multiple scandals that have beleaguered other political parties. It appears that their luck has run out with a second scandal which, unfortunately for them, coincided with Golraz Ghahraman, the focus ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    3 days ago
  • Bernard’s Dawn Chorus with six newsey things at 6:46am for Saturday, March 16
    TL;DR: The six newsey things that stood out to me as of 6:46am on Saturday, March 16.Andy Foster has accidentally allowed a Labour/Green amendment to cut road user chargers for plug-in hybrid vehicles, which the Government might accept; NZ Herald Thomas Coughlan Simeon Brown has rejected a plea from Westport ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago
  • How Did FTX Crash?
    What seemed a booming success a couple of years ago has collapsed into fraud convictions.I looked at the crash of FTX (short for ‘Futures Exchange’) in November 2022 to see whether it would impact on the financial system as a whole. Fortunately there was barely a ripple, probably because it ...
    PunditBy Brian Easton
    4 days ago
  • Elections in Russia and Ukraine
    Anybody following the situation in Ukraine and Russia would probably have been amused by a recent Tweet on X NATO seems to be putting in an awful lot of effort to influence what is, at least according to them, a sham election in an autocracy.When do the Ukrainians go to ...
    4 days ago
  • Bernard’s six stack of substacks at 6pm on March 15
    TL;DR: Shaun Baker on Wynyard Quarter's transformation. Magdalene Taylor on the problem with smart phones. How private equity are now all over reinsurance. Dylan Cleaver on rugby and CTE. Emily Atkin on ‘Big Meat’ looking like ‘Big Oil’.Bernard’s six-stack of substacks at 6pm on March 15Photo by Jeppe Hove Jensen ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • Buzz from the Beehive Finance Minister Nicola Willis had plenty to say when addressing the Auckland Business Chamber on the economic growth that (she tells us) is flagging more than we thought. But the government intends to put new life into it:  We want our country to be a ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    4 days ago
  • National’s clean car tax advances
    The Transport and Infrastructure Committee has reported back on the Road User Charges (Light Electric RUC Vehicles) Amendment Bill, basicly rubberstamping it. While there was widespread support among submitters for the principle that EV and PHEV drivers should pay their fair share for the roads, they also overwhelmingly disagreed with ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    4 days ago
  • Government funding bailouts
    Peter Dunne writes – This week’s government bailout – the fifth in the last eighteen months – of the financially troubled Ruapehu Alpine Lifts company would have pleased many in the central North Island ski industry. The government’s stated rationale for the $7 million funding was that it ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • Two offenders, different treatments.
    See if you can spot the difference. An Iranian born female MP from a progressive party is accused of serial shoplifting. Her name is leaked to the media, which goes into a pack frenzy even before the Police launch an … Continue reading ...
    KiwipoliticoBy Pablo
    4 days ago
  • Treaty references omitted
    Ele Ludemann writes  – The government is omitting general Treaty references from legislation : The growth of Treaty of Waitangi clauses in legislation caused so much worry that a special oversight group was set up by the last Government in a bid to get greater coherence in the public service on Treaty ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • The Ghahraman Conflict
    What was that judge thinking? Peter Williams writes –  That Golriz Ghahraman and District Court Judge Maria Pecotic were once lawyer colleagues is incontrovertible. There is published evidence that they took at least one case to the Court of Appeal together. There was a report on ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • Bernard's Top 10 @ 10 'pick 'n' mix' for March 15
    TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: Climate Scorpion – the sting is in the tail. Introducing planetary solvency. A paper via the University of Exeter’s Institute and Faculty of Actuaries.Local scoop: Kāinga Ora starts pulling out of its Auckland projects and selling land RNZ ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • The day Wellington up-zoned its future
    Wellington’s massively upzoned District Plan adds the opportunity for tens of thousands of new homes not just in the central city (such as these Webb St new builds) but also close to the CBD and public transport links. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Wellington gave itself the chance of ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • Weekly Roundup 15-March-2024
    It’s Friday and we’re halfway through March Madness. Here’s some of the things that caught our attention this week. This Week in Greater Auckland On Monday Matt asked how we can get better event trains and an option for grade separating Morningside Dr. On Tuesday Matt looked into ...
    Greater AucklandBy Greater Auckland
    4 days ago
  • That Word.
    Something you might not know about me is that I’m quite a stubborn person. No, really. I don’t much care for criticism I think’s unfair or that I disagree with. Few of us do I suppose.Back when I was a drinker I’d sometimes respond defensively, even angrily. There are things ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    4 days ago
  • The Hoon around the week to March 15
    Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The five things that mattered in Aotearoa’s political economy that we wrote and spoke about via The Kākā and elsewhere for paying subscribers in the last week included:PM Christopher Luxon said the reversal of interest deductibility for landlords was done to help renters, who ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • Labour’s policy gap
    It was not so much the Labour Party but really the Chris Hipkins party yesterday at Labour’s caucus retreat in Martinborough. The former Prime Minister was more or less consistent on wealth tax, which he was at best equivocal about, and social insurance, which he was not willing to revisit. ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    5 days ago
  • Skeptical Science New Research for Week #11 2024
    Open access notables A Glimpse into the Future: The 2023 Ocean Temperature and Sea Ice Extremes in the Context of Longer-Term Climate Change, Kuhlbrodt et al., Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society: In the year 2023, we have seen extraordinary extrema in high sea surface temperature (SST) in the North Atlantic and in ...
    5 days ago
  • Melissa remains mute on media matters but has something to say (at a sporting event) about economic ...
     Buzz from the Beehive   The text reproduced above appears on a page which records all the media statements and speeches posted on the government’s official website by Melissa Lee as Minister of Media and Communications and/or by Jenny Marcroft, her Parliamentary Under-secretary.  It can be quickly analysed ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    5 days ago
  • The return of Muldoon
    For forty years, Robert Muldoon has been a dirty word in our politics. His style of government was so repulsive and authoritarian that the backlash to it helped set and entrench our constitutional norms. His pig-headedness over forcing through Think Big eventually gave us the RMA, with its participation and ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    5 days ago
  • Will the rental tax cut improve life for renters or landlords?
    Bryce Edwards writes –  Is the new government reducing tax on rental properties to benefit landlords or to cut the cost of rents? That’s the big question this week, after Associate Finance Minister David Seymour announced on Sunday that the Government would be reversing the Labour Government’s removal ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • Geoffrey Miller: What Saudi Arabia’s rapid changes mean for New Zealand
    Saudi Arabia is rarely far from the international spotlight. The war in Gaza has brought new scrutiny to Saudi plans to normalise relations with Israel, while the fifth anniversary of the controversial killing of Jamal Khashoggi was marked shortly before the war began on October 7. And as the home ...
    Democracy ProjectBy Geoffrey Miller
    5 days ago
  • Racism’s double standards
    Questions need to be asked on both sides of the world Peter Williams writes –   The NRL Judiciary hands down an eight week suspension to Sydney Roosters forward Spencer Leniu , an Auckland-born Samoan, after he calls Ezra Mam, Sydney-orn but of Aboriginal and Torres Strait ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • It’s not a tax break
    Ele Ludemann writes – Contrary to what many headlines and news stories are saying, residential landlords are not getting a tax break. The government is simply restoring to them the tax deductibility of interest they had until the previous government removed it. There is no logical reason ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • The Plastic Pig Collective and Chris' Imaginary Friends.
    I can't remember when it was goodMoments of happiness in bloomMaybe I just misunderstoodAll of the love we left behindWatching our flashbacks intertwineMemories I will never findIn spite of whatever you becomeForget that reckless thing turned onI think our lives have just begunI think our lives have just begunDoes anyone ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago
  • Who is responsible for young offenders?
    Michael Bassett writes – At first reading, a front-page story in the New Zealand Herald on 13 March was bizarre. A group of severely intellectually limited teenagers, with little understanding of the law, have been pleading to the Justice Select Committee not to pass a bill dealing with ram ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • Gordon Campbell on National’s fantasy trip to La La Landlord Land
    How much political capital is Christopher Luxon willing to burn through in order to deliver his $2.9 billion gift to landlords? Evidently, Luxon is: (a) unable to cost the policy accurately. As Anna Burns-Francis pointed out to him on Breakfast TV, the original ”rock solid” $2.1 billion cost he was ...
    5 days ago
  • Bernard's Top 10 @ 10 'pick 'n' mix' for March 14
    TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: Jonathon Porritt calling bullshit in his own blog post on mainstream climate science as ‘The New Denialism’.Local scoop: The Wellington City Council’s list of proposed changes to the IHP recommendations to be debated later today was leaked this ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • No, Prime Minister, rents don’t rise or fall with landlords’ costs
    TL;DR: Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said yesterday tenants should be grateful for the reinstatement of interest deductibility because landlords would pass on their lower tax costs in the form of lower rents. That would be true if landlords were regulated monopolies such as Transpower or Auckland Airport1, but they’re not, ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • Cartoons: ‘At least I didn’t make things awkward’
    This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Tom Toro Tom Toro is a cartoonist and author. He has published over 200 cartoons in The New Yorker since 2010. His cartoons appear in Playboy, the Paris Review, the New York Times, American Bystander, and elsewhere. Related: What 10 EV lovers ...
    5 days ago
  • Solving traffic congestion with Richard Prebble
    The business section of the NZ Herald is full of opinion. Among the more opinionated of all is the ex-Minister of Transport, ex-Minister of Railways, ex MP for Auckland Central (1975-93, Labour), Wellington Central (1996-99, ACT, then list-2005), ex-leader of the ACT Party, uncle to actor Antonia, the veritable granddaddy ...
    Greater AucklandBy Patrick Reynolds
    5 days ago
  • I Think I'm Done Flying Boeing
    Hi,Just quickly — I’m blown away by the stories you’ve shared with me over the last week since I put out the ‘Gary’ podcast, where I told you about the time my friend’s flatmate killed the neighbour.And you keep telling me stories — in the comments section, and in my ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    6 days ago
  • Invoking Aristotle: Of Rings of Power, Stones, and Ships
    The first season of Rings of Power was not awful. It was thoroughly underwhelming, yes, and left a lingering sense of disappointment, but it was more expensive mediocrity than catastrophe. I wrote at length about the series as it came out (see the Review section of the blog, and go ...
    6 days ago
  • Van Velden brings free-market approach to changing labour laws – but her colleagues stick to distr...
    Buzz from the Beehive Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Brooke van Velden told Auckland Business Chamber members they were the first audience to hear her priorities as a minister in a government committed to cutting red tape and regulations. She brandished her liberalising credentials, saying Flexible labour markets are the ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago
  • Why Newshub failed
    Chris Trotter writes – TO UNDERSTAND WHY NEWSHUB FAILED, it is necessary to understand how TVNZ changed. Up until 1989, the state broadcaster had been funded by a broadcasting licence fee, collected from every citizen in possession of a television set, supplemented by a relatively modest (compared ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago
  • Māori Party on the warpath against landlords and seabed miners – let’s see if mystical creature...
    Bob Edlin writes  –  The Māori Party has been busy issuing a mix of warnings and threats as its expresses its opposition to interest deductibility for landlords and the plans of seabed miners. It remains to be seen whether they  follow the example of indigenous litigants in Australia, ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago
  • There’s a name for this
    Every year, in the Budget, Parliament forks out money to government agencies to do certain things. And every year, as part of the annual review cycle, those agencies are meant to report on whether they have done the things Parliament gave them that money for. Agencies which consistently fail to ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    6 days ago
  • Echoes of 1968 in 2024?  Pocock on the repetitive problems of the New Left
    Mike Grimshaw writes – Recent events in American universities point to an underlying crisis of coherent thinking, an issue that increasingly affects the progressive left across the Western world. This of course is nothing new as anyone who can either remember or has read of the late ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago

  • Positive progress for social worker workforce
    New Zealand’s social workers are qualified, experienced, and more representative of the communities they serve, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “I want to acknowledge and applaud New Zealand’s social workers for the hard work they do, providing invaluable support for our most vulnerable. “To coincide with World ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 hours ago
  • Minister confirms reduced RUC rate for PHEVs
    Cabinet has agreed to a reduced road user charge (RUC) rate for plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs), Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. Owners of PHEVs will be eligible for a reduced rate of $38 per 1,000km once all light electric vehicles (EVs) move into the RUC system from 1 April.  ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    8 hours ago
  • Trade access to overseas markets creates jobs
    Minister of Agriculture and Trade, Todd McClay, says that today’s opening of Riverland Foods manufacturing plant in Christchurch is a great example of how trade access to overseas markets creates jobs in New Zealand.  Speaking at the official opening of this state-of-the-art pet food factory the Minister noted that exports ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    8 hours ago
  • NZ and Chinese Foreign Ministers hold official talks
    Minister of Foreign Affairs Winston Peters met with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Wellington today. “It was a pleasure to host Foreign Minister Wang Yi during his first official visit to New Zealand since 2017. Our discussions were wide-ranging and enabled engagement on many facets of New Zealand’s relationship with China, including trade, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    22 hours ago
  • Kāinga Ora instructed to end Sustaining Tenancies
    Kāinga Ora – Homes & Communities has been instructed to end the Sustaining Tenancies Framework and take stronger measures against persistent antisocial behaviour by tenants, says Housing Minister Chris Bishop. “Earlier today Finance Minister Nicola Willis and I sent an interim Letter of Expectations to the Board of Kāinga Ora. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Speech to Auckland Business Chamber: Growth is the answer
    Tēna koutou katoa. Greetings everyone. Thank you to the Auckland Chamber of Commerce and the Honourable Simon Bridges for hosting this address today. I acknowledge the business leaders in this room, the leaders and governors, the employers, the entrepreneurs, the investors, and the wealth creators. The coalition Government shares your ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Singapore rounds out regional trip
    Minister Winston Peters completed the final leg of his visit to South and South East Asia in Singapore today, where he focused on enhancing one of New Zealand’s indispensable strategic partnerships.      “Singapore is our most important defence partner in South East Asia, our fourth-largest trading partner and a ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Minister van Velden represents New Zealand at International Democracy Summit
    Minister of Internal Affairs and Workplace Relations and Safety, Hon. Brooke van Velden, will travel to the Republic of Korea to represent New Zealand at the Third Summit for Democracy on 18 March. The summit, hosted by the Republic of Korea, was first convened by the United States in 2021, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Insurance Council of NZ Speech, 7 March 2024, Auckland
    ICNZ Speech 7 March 2024, Auckland  Acknowledgements and opening  Mōrena, ngā mihi nui. Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Nor Whanganui aho.  Good morning, it’s a privilege to be here to open the ICNZ annual conference, thank you to Mark for the Mihi Whakatau  My thanks to Tim Grafton for inviting me ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Five-year anniversary of Christchurch terror attacks
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Lead Coordination Minister Judith Collins have expressed their deepest sympathy on the five-year anniversary of the Christchurch terror attacks. “March 15, 2019, was a day when families, communities and the country came together both in sorrow and solidarity,” Mr Luxon says.  “Today we pay our respects to the 51 shuhada ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Speech for Financial Advice NZ Conference 5 March 2024
    Speech for Financial Advice NZ Conference 5 March 2024  Acknowledgements and opening  Morena, Nga Mihi Nui.  Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Nor Whanganui aho. Thanks Nate for your Mihi Whakatau  Good morning. It’s a pleasure to formally open your conference this morning. What a lovely day in Wellington, What a great ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Early visit to Indonesia strengthens ties
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters held discussions in Jakarta today about the future of relations between New Zealand and South East Asia’s most populous country.   “We are in Jakarta so early in our new government’s term to reflect the huge importance we place on our relationship with Indonesia and South ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • China Foreign Minister to visit
    Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Winston Peters has announced that the Foreign Minister of China, Wang Yi, will visit New Zealand next week.  “We look forward to re-engaging with Foreign Minister Wang Yi and discussing the full breadth of the bilateral relationship, which is one of New Zealand’s ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Minister opens new Auckland Rail Operations Centre
    Transport Minister Simeon Brown has today opened the new Auckland Rail Operations Centre, which will bring together KiwiRail, Auckland Transport, and Auckland One Rail to improve service reliability for Aucklanders. “The recent train disruptions in Auckland have highlighted how important it is KiwiRail and Auckland’s rail agencies work together to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Celebrating 10 years of Crankworx Rotorua
    The Government is proud to support the 10th edition of Crankworx Rotorua as the Crankworx World Tour returns to Rotorua from 16-24 March 2024, says Minister for Economic Development Melissa Lee.  “Over the past 10 years as Crankworx Rotorua has grown, so too have the economic and social benefits that ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Government delivering on tax commitments
    Legislation implementing coalition Government tax commitments and addressing long-standing tax anomalies will be progressed in Parliament next week, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The legislation is contained in an Amendment Paper to the Taxation (Annual Rates for 2023–24, Multinational Tax, and Remedial Matters) Bill issued today.  “The Amendment Paper represents ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Significant Natural Areas requirement to be suspended
    Associate Environment Minister Andrew Hoggard has today announced that the Government has agreed to suspend the requirement for councils to comply with the Significant Natural Areas (SNA) provisions of the National Policy Statement for Indigenous Biodiversity for three years, while it replaces the Resource Management Act (RMA).“As it stands, SNAs ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Government classifies drought conditions in Top of the South as medium-scale adverse event
    Agriculture Minister Todd McClay has classified the drought conditions in the Marlborough, Tasman, and Nelson districts as a medium-scale adverse event, acknowledging the challenging conditions facing farmers and growers in the district. “Parts of Marlborough, Tasman, and Nelson districts are in the grip of an intense dry spell. I know ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Government partnership to tackle $332m facial eczema problem
    The Government is helping farmers eradicate the significant impact of facial eczema (FE) in pastoral animals, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay announced.  “A $20 million partnership jointly funded by Beef + Lamb NZ, the Government, and the primary sector will save farmers an estimated NZD$332 million per year, and aims to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • NZ, India chart path to enhanced relationship
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters has completed a successful visit to India, saying it was an important step in taking the relationship between the two countries to the next level.   “We have laid a strong foundation for the Coalition Government’s priority of enhancing New Zealand-India relations to generate significant future benefit for both countries,” says Mr Peters, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Ruapehu Alpine Lifts bailout the last, say Ministers
    Cabinet has agreed to provide $7 million to ensure the 2024 ski season can go ahead on the Whakapapa ski field in the central North Island but has told the operator Ruapehu Alpine Lifts it is the last financial support it will receive from taxpayers. Cabinet also agreed to provide ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Govt takes action to drive better cancer services
    Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says the launch of a new mobile breast screening unit in Counties Manukau reinforces the coalition Government’s commitment to drive better cancer services for all New Zealanders. Speaking at the launch of the new mobile clinic, Dr Reti says it’s a great example of taking ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Govt takes action to drive better cancer services
    Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says the launch of a new mobile breast screening unit in Counties Manukau reinforces the coalition Government’s commitment to drive better cancer services for all New Zealanders. Speaking at the launch of the new mobile clinic, Dr Reti says it’s a great example of taking ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Work begins on SH29 upgrades near Tauriko
    Unlocking economic growth and land for housing are critical elements of the Government’s plan for our transport network, and planned upgrades to State Highway 29 (SH29) near Tauriko will deliver strongly on those priorities, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “The SH29 upgrades near Tauriko will improve safety at the intersections ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Work begins on SH29 upgrades near Tauriko
    Unlocking economic growth and land for housing are critical elements of the Government’s plan for our transport network, and planned upgrades to State Highway 29 (SH29) near Tauriko will deliver strongly on those priorities, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “The SH29 upgrades near Tauriko will improve safety at the intersections ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Fresh produce price drop welcome
    Lower fruit and vegetable prices are welcome news for New Zealanders who have been doing it tough at the supermarket, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. Stats NZ reported today the price of fruit and vegetables has dropped 9.3 percent in the 12 months to February 2024.  “Lower fruit and vege ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Statement to the 68th United Nations Commission on the Status of Women
    Tēnā koutou katoa and greetings to you all.  Chair, I am honoured to address the sixty-eighth session of the Commission on the Status of Women. I acknowledge the many crises impacting the rights of women and girls. Heightened global tensions, war, climate related and humanitarian disasters, and price inflation all ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Speech to the 68th United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (CSW68)
    Tēnā koutou katoa and greetings to you all.  Chair, I am honoured to address the 68th session of the Commission on the Status of Women. I acknowledge the many crises impacting the rights of women and girls. Heightened global tensions, war, climate related and humanitarian disasters, and price inflation all ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Government backs rural led catchment projects
    The coalition Government is supporting farmers to enhance land management practices by investing $3.3 million in locally led catchment groups, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay announced. “Farmers and growers deliver significant prosperity for New Zealand and it’s vital their ongoing efforts to improve land management practices and water quality are supported,” ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Speech to Auckland Business Chamber
    Good evening everyone and thank you for that lovely introduction.   Thank you also to the Honourable Simon Bridges for the invitation to address your members. Since being sworn in, this coalition Government has hit the ground running with our 100-day plan, delivering the changes that New Zealanders expect of us. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Commission’s advice on ETS settings tabled
    Recommendations from the Climate Change Commission for New Zealand on the Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) auction and unit limit settings for the next five years have been tabled in Parliament, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. “The Commission provides advice on the ETS annually. This is the third time the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Government lowering building costs
    The coalition Government is beginning its fight to lower building costs and reduce red tape by exempting minor building work from paying the building levy, says Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk. “Currently, any building project worth $20,444 including GST or more is subject to the building levy which is ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Trustee tax change welcomed
    Proposed changes to tax legislation to prevent the over-taxation of low-earning trusts are welcome, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The changes have been recommended by Parliament’s Finance and Expenditure Committee following consideration of submissions on the Taxation (Annual Rates for 2023–24, Multinational Tax, and Remedial Matters) Bill. “One of the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Minister’s Ramadan message
    Assalaamu alaikum. السَّلَام عليكم In light of the holy month of Ramadan, I want to extend my warmest wishes to our Muslim community in New Zealand. Ramadan is a time for spiritual reflection, renewed devotion, perseverance, generosity, and forgiveness.  It’s a time to strengthen our bonds and appreciate the diversity ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Minister appoints new NZTA Chair
    Former Transport Minister and CEO of the Auckland Business Chamber Hon Simon Bridges has been appointed as the new Board Chair of the New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA) for a three-year term, Transport Minister Simeon Brown announced today. “Simon brings extensive experience and knowledge in transport policy and governance to the role. He will ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Speech to Life Sciences Summit
    Good morning all, it is a pleasure to be here as Minister of Science, Innovation and Technology.  It is fantastic to see how connected and collaborative the life science and biotechnology industry is here in New Zealand. I would like to thank BioTechNZ and NZTech for the invitation to address ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Progress continues apace on water storage
    Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says he is looking forward to the day when three key water projects in Northland are up and running, unlocking the full potential of land in the region. Mr Jones attended a community event at the site of the Otawere reservoir near Kerikeri on Friday. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
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  • Government agrees to restore interest deductions
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