TVNZ’s Vote Compass

Written By: - Date published: 9:00 pm, August 17th, 2014 - 59 comments
Categories: election 2014, news, tv - Tags:

I had a go at TV NZ’s new Vote Compass:

TVNZ Vote Compass

It aims to provide a check of which party a participant is most likely to vote for.

The explanation of purpose says:

ONE News is hosting Vote Compass – an interactive online tool allowing voters to engage with public policy in a way they’ve never done before.

TVNZ’s Head of News and Current Affairs, John Gillespie, explains: “We want to help people connect with the issues that matter to them this election, and Vote Compass is a really empowering and engaging way to do that. It puts the power in voters’ hands, so they can get a clear picture of how their views match with the different parties.”

[…]

Once you’ve finished, Vote Compass compares your answers with the policy positions of the parties then displays your position on a grid, showing where you stand in the overall political landscape. If you wish, you can choose to share your results page on social media. Your results may surprise you!

ONE News will take this anonymous data as a snapshot, to identify the key policy issues that matter to New Zealand voters then report the findings as part of our overall election coverage.

[…]

ONE News also asked viewers on-air and online what issues they were interested in hearing more about in the lead up to the election. These responses have helped form some of the questions that make up the survey.

There are three main uses for the data that Vote Compass collects:

  1. Personal use – Vote Compass helps voters consider what’s right for them.
  2. ONE News coverage – we’ll use the data to inform our election coverage and help us deliver stories that are useful to viewers.
  3. Academic research – after the election, data will be made available to researchers.

I had a go at the survey.  It really didn’t provide any revelations to me as to which party/ies I favour.

The programme a BIG fail for me, before I even started.  There’s a box to select your electorate from a drop down list. It doesn’t have the new Auckland electorates of Kelston and Upper Harbour.  It’s got the 2011 list of electorates.

At the end of the survey, it says that the Internet Party and the Conservative Party declined to participate.  I’d be interested in their reasons.

It rates people scores on the dual axis of left-right economically and on social progressive/conservative scale.

The main reason I can see for doing it is that responses can influence the issues that TV One covers in the run up to the election.  At the end of the survey you get to rate how important selected issues are for you. You rate the issues already pre-selected for the survey.

 [Update]

The Kelston and Upper Harbour electorates are now in the drop down list

59 comments on “TVNZ’s Vote Compass ”

  • Comments are now closed

  1. Bill 1
    17 August 2014 at 9:25 pm

    The reasons for the Internet Party and the Cons not being there is because they declined due to not having released policies yet. (I think that was explained somewhere in the FAQ section)

    Like you say, there are no surprises regards political placement if you’re already political. I don’t like the fact that TVNZ are going to be reporting on ‘trends’ from the ‘Compass’ when it covers only some policy areas (climate change simply not mentioned anywhere). Also wary that the assumptions behind some of the questions can lead to false placements. For example, on land sales, I don’t give a fck about foreign ownership, not because I’m right wing, but because I’m equally opposed to all private ownership. Absolutely no way that position was accurately reflected in my ‘weighting’.

    quick edit. The question on education (class sizes versus paying ‘some’ teachers more) was also loaded and misleading.

    • Bill 1.1
      17 August 2014 at 9:44 pm

      Should have added that without actual knowledge on some questions, bias/misconceptions merely sail through and are reinforced. It’s not in any way informative or exploratory. So, as a throw away example, when they ask questions about DoC funding or funding of to rebuild Ch/ch, it would be kind of fcking useful to know what current levels are and (if appropriate) what historical levels were….same for immigration numbers and a whole load of other questions besides.

      And did I mention their reference to “the anti-smacking law”? Tell me that’s not utterly loaded!

      I best be off now. I can feel my rant meter gearing up 😉

      • Lanthanide 1.1.1
        17 August 2014 at 9:50 pm

        What surprised me most was the question about “fracking”, without any definition or description of what “fracking” is. I’m sure many people have no clue what that is even talking about, and even if they were given a definition, wouldn’t be able to have an informed opinion either way.

      • karol 1.1.2
        17 August 2014 at 9:54 pm

        All very good points, Bill.

        Also, I found I was really pushed up the anti- for politicians like JK and Whyte.

        The way the questions are set out kind of encourages that. As with the policy questions, there’s no opportunity say say what you like or dislike about the party leaders.

        And the focus on party leaders and party names just sets them up as brands and personalities. It doesn’t explain what each party stands for.

        • Tracey 1.1.2.1
          18 August 2014 at 8:18 am

          How do we know it isn’t just polling in disguise… afterall who we trust any privacy statements on ebsites anymore?

  2. Tom Jackson 2
    17 August 2014 at 10:20 pm

    Why isn’t there a question that asks how much you feel like shooting at conservatives?

    I got near the Greens and Mana, which I consider to be reactionary capitalist parties. This survey is biased to the right, I say!

  3. Mike the Savage One 3
    17 August 2014 at 11:33 pm

    This software program they use is quite flawed!

    It got it totally wrong, as I am a very alert in political matters, I always follow political developments, and I am one who is rather well informed and knows about parties and programs. I also am a good follower and judger of the media.

    So according to this program I should vote Labour, which I will most certainly NOT, and second comes Mana, which I have thought about, but will not after all, and third come the Greens.

    It is exactly the other way around, as my present political preferences are.

    So DO NOT rely on this program, please, it is not that reliable, as most such survey programs are not that reliable.

    It makes me wonder what kind of questions and survey tactics they use with the major polls we get presented. I have little trust in them. Do NOT trust the polls, dear folks.

    Go and vote what YOU want and YOU believe in, and who YOU trust, on 20 September, thanks, and otherwise, inform yourselves a bit more, please, the undecided.

    • Draco T Bastard 3.1
      18 August 2014 at 7:16 am

      So DO NOT rely on this program, please, it is not that reliable, as most such survey programs are not that reliable.

      Oh, I think you’ll find that it’s more reliable than you’re giving it credit for.

    • Lanthanide 3.2
      18 August 2014 at 9:22 am

      “It makes me wonder what kind of questions and survey tactics they use with the major polls we get presented. I have little trust in them. Do NOT trust the polls, dear folks.”

      Actually they used a pretty simple method. The parties all answered exactly the same series of questions, and it compares how your answers stack up with the parties’.

      So while you think your views might reflect what the Green party stands for, actually the Greens are a bit different from what you think.

    • Disraeli Gladstone 3.3
      18 August 2014 at 11:11 am

      It’s quite rare to actually align with precisely what your party wants. For instance, the compass placed me in the triangle between Labour, Maori Party and United Future. I actually think that’s pretty accurate. I’m a centre-left, liberal.

      However, I’m probably party voting Green this year. That’s well outside of my political positioning and I know it. However, the main issue I agree with the Green is on climate change and that’s such an important issue, whereas I disagree with them on lots of little issues that aren’t that important. I also find them refreshing and competent and would like to see them as a stronger, more mainstream, third main party.

      It’s probably true that strictly on issues, I am closer to Labour, Maori or United Future. However Peter Dunne will prop up a corrupt National government. Labour is utterly incompetent and where I agree with them on lots of little issues, I really dislike some of their key policies. The Maori Party, I may vote for. I have the utmost respect for Dr Sharples and Tariana Turia. Flavell is not quite a formidable figure, but he still seems a decent human being. I think the left has been very unfair on them for the last six years. Yes, they’ve supported National, but I don’t have a problem with their “seat at the table” strategy. The fact of the matter is that it’s only been since Banks resigned that the Maori Party votes have actually been necessary for the National Government.

      I also think with Mana now in bed with Kim Dotcom (who is just under Cameron Slater as a despicable human being), I think it would be good for both Maori and the country as a whole if the Maori Party survives.

      So despite probably being somewhere around Labour or United Future, I’m voting Green (or maybe the Maori Party at a stretch).

      And there’s a little case study in how other factors beside policy itself will influence how someone votes.

  4. lurgee 4
    18 August 2014 at 6:38 am

    I think you’re over reacting to slight differences in weighting. It gave me a 78% Mana and 76% Green match up, and only 28% ACT (that’ll be the harsher punishment for repeat offenders coming through), so it can’t be that wild.

    I’d say if you’re within the right 4 block ‘sub square’ it has done pretty well, given it only has 30 questions. So you can be extreme social progressive, centre or extreme social conservative, and extreme left, centre or extreme right economically. Anything more exact is silly and largely dependent on mood and interpretation.

  5. Draco T Bastard 5
    18 August 2014 at 7:14 am

    The big question about this is:

    How many dedicated National voters are finding out that they’re more aligned with the Greens?

  6. You_Fool 6
    18 August 2014 at 8:18 am

    A few thoughts:
    a) I found some of the answers to the questions didn’t really fit into my perspective of how society should be. Some of that may have been because of a lack of background info provided / my own uncertainty on what the answers will provide. An example is the housing and minimum wage questions. I personally feel that both of these should be increased to a point that the minimum needs of people are met, but which answer determines that for me? Somewhat more or Much more? Suggestion would be much more, except I don’t really know how much “much more” is, other my own thoughts on it – but I am being compared to parties who will have their own ideas on what it means.

    b) I found it funny that ACT was more socially conservative than National, it suggests that something is either wrong with ACT’s policies or with the model for determining where everyone is on the scales. Also United Future seemed a bit too much socially progressive compared to their normally moralistic stance (or at least I think that listening to Dunne)

    • Tracey 6.1
      18 August 2014 at 8:29 am

      I agree it takes a very very traditional media accepted perspective of political views and leanings. In order to work though it hjas to be able to be formulated so we ought not be surprised given our economy has been run for over 30 years in a very particular formulaic way?

  7. Dont worry. Be happy 7
    18 August 2014 at 8:18 am

    I did the survey on the grounds that I was not going to let an opportunity to tell media what issues matter to me this election. Yes, there are pushes towards the right…esp the “anti smacking” law…allowing that repeal petition to be called that was Orwellian at the time and the framing . I was asked to sign in at a Kindy by a teacher who had signed and who actually believed that she was siging a petition against smacking! Dishonest and sneaky like the people who voted against the law in Parliament….ACT and Taito Philip Fields.

  8. Tracey 8
    18 August 2014 at 8:27 am

    Fascinating in some ways.

  9. beigeblue 9
    18 August 2014 at 8:58 am

    It’s interesting but where would a liberterian communist (anarchist) end up? The greens and mana are occupying the most liberal and left part of the compass.

  10. Sable 10
    18 August 2014 at 9:01 am

    Yet more pointless gimmicks from the MSM. Hot air, misinformation and misdirection are all they have really.

    • Lanthanide 10.1
      18 August 2014 at 9:19 am

      You should try it. I’m actually pleasantly surprised by how detailed the results are.

      Not too surprisingly to me, I came out very closely aligned with Labour. But I’m going to vote Greens for their Christchurch policy and their top tax policy which is much gutsier than Labour’s.

      • Sable 10.1.1
        18 August 2014 at 9:21 am

        Well as long as they are not drowning ducks I really don’t mind (wink).

      • Tracey 10.1.2
        18 August 2014 at 9:22 am

        Do you feel like the Greens are currently the Labour we used to think we were voting for? That’s how I feel.

        • Sable 10.1.2.1
          18 August 2014 at 9:24 am

          You have it in one Tracey. That’s why the Greens will get my vote.

        • Lanthanide 10.1.2.2
          18 August 2014 at 9:25 am

          No.

          There are aspects of Green policy that I really like quite a lot, which won’t be able to be implemented because Labour will have the upper hand in what eventually gets done. There are other parts of Green policy I don’t really care about.

          There are more aspects of Labour policy that I support, while also some parts I’m ambivalent on.

          • Tracey 10.1.2.2.1
            18 August 2014 at 9:27 am

            Can I ask how many elections you have voted in lanth? I am asking because I am wondering which Labour Party has existed during your voting lifetime?

            • Lanthanide 10.1.2.2.1.1
              18 August 2014 at 9:43 am

              I have voted in 2005 onwards. I would have voted in 2002 except the early election meant I wasn’t old enough.

  11. adam 11
    18 August 2014 at 9:02 am

    Did remind me of this Lehman Brothers inspired ‘test’ http://www.bcaplan.com/cgi-bin/purity.cgi

    Actually more this one http://www.politicalcompass.org/nz2011

  12. One Anonymous Bloke 12
    18 August 2014 at 9:08 am

    They missed a couple of questions.

    “Is ‘Rat-Fucking’ legitimate behaviour from a Prime Minister?”

    “West Coasters: scum or not?”

  13. Karen 13
    18 August 2014 at 9:10 am

    I think it is worth doing because it will be used to suggest voter’s concerns in TVNZ election coverage.
    A bit simplistic – when I did it the Green Party is top with Mana second and there is no way I will be voting IMP this election. Although I have a lot of respect for Laila, Hone, Annette and John, in this election we need a strong Labour/Green alliance.
    I found the lack of any questions about climate change very odd.

    • swordfish 13.1
      18 August 2014 at 9:50 am

      Similar results to my good self. Apparently, I’m 86% compatible with the Greens, 82% Mana, 78% Labour. Not to mention 61% with NZF, 60% Maori Party, 58% UF, 44% the Nats (that’s waaayyyyyyyyy too much), and a mere 23% with the dear old ACT Party.

      All of which is probably why I remain what I’d call a Left Undecided. Labour ?, Green ? or IMP ? Still in three minds about it.

      Mind thee, I’m not entirely convinced by their precise location of the various parties on the double-axis Left/Right, Liberal/Conservative ideological spectrum.

  14. TheContrarian 14
    18 August 2014 at 9:14 am

    I got UF followed closely by Labour…two parties I don’t plan on voting for (and UF I have never voted for).

    Right at the bottom were Mana and ACT.

    • One Anonymous Bloke 14.1
      18 August 2014 at 9:19 am

      That’s the usual right wing response to inconvenient facts: cling to false beliefs even harder. Pitiful, and you’re infested with Slaters.

    • Tracey 14.2
      18 August 2014 at 9:25 am

      It could be a reflection of why Dunne was originally Labour and that he sells those principles down the river to get a ministerial post

      • Sable 14.2.1
        18 August 2014 at 9:28 am

        I see Dunne has his party placards out. Some things just keep on floating back to the surface no matter what…

      • TheContrarian 14.2.2
        18 August 2014 at 9:31 am

        I’m always very skeptical of these political compasses anyway and hope people don’t vote based upon this thing – given I want to vote Green and not UF

        • Tracey 14.2.2.1
          18 August 2014 at 9:38 am

          I agree. My first attempt was as a hybrid of myself and a right winger I know… It had me voting labour first…

          When I went in as Green as Kermit the frog it had me Labour first, and 2% back was green… and I was still a 47% fit for national.

          • Lanthanide 14.2.2.1.1
            18 August 2014 at 9:45 am

            It’s comparing your answers to how the parties themselves answered the same questions.

            It even gives you a You vs Party breakdown of how you answered the questions, as well as a look at how all parties answered the questions. It’s very transparent.

            • Tracey 14.2.2.1.1.1
              18 August 2014 at 9:50 am

              I am trying to work out though… if it is how the parties answered those questions as opposed to formulate the questions, then go to party published policy to find answer?

              The two are not the same. And the former leaves the process manipulatable (new word I think) by spin people framing the answers?

              • Lanthanide …
                18 August 2014 at 10:01 am

                I’m not sure what you’re trying to say here.

                Are you saying, if an individual representing the party, answered the questions ‘incorrectly’ according to the party policy, then the results would be incorrect?

                Then yes, I agree. So we can only assume that whoever answered the questions for the party did it correctly, and they truly reflect their policy position for the questions as phrased.

                • Tracey …
                  18 August 2014 at 11:08 am

                  i mean farrar and his ilk are used to define voters, categories etc. They and other parties, knowling the purpose of the tool could frame their answers to seem more or less of something than they are.

  15. hoom 15
    18 August 2014 at 11:02 am

    Basically an inferior & dodgy rip-off of politicalcompass.org.

    Reversed & renamed Authoritarian vs Liberal vertical scale is kinda ok.

    Significant mislocation of ‘center’ is not though.
    Theirs http://i57.tinypic.com/16lwyzd.jpg
    Compare with http://politicalcompass.org/nz2011
    Or http://politicalcompass.org/nz2008
    Places Nat & UF ludicrously close to ‘center’ when they are actually both way off in loony Right Authoritarian side by Act.

    Allows for cop-out answers (= center) which will put a bunch of people closer to Nat than they should due to Nat being artifically placed closer to center than Lab.
    Politicalcompass.org specifically doesn’t allow cop-out to force people to make a choice.

  16. Shannon 16
    2 September 2014 at 1:16 am

    I’m a 30 year old doctor and consider myself fairly intellingent while admittedly not that interested in politics…but even I didn’t understand most of what the questions were asking about, or how to answer with no indication of what our current policy is, so I’m not sure how the majority of NZders are supposed to get through that fracking survey!

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

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

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

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

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

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

  • Affirmative Action.
    Affirmative Action was a key theme at this election, although I don’t recall anyone using those particular words during the campaign.They’re positive words, and the way the topic was talked about was anything but. It certainly wasn’t a campaign of saying that Affirmative Action was a good thing, but that, ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    3 days ago

  • 100 days of something
    It was at the end of the Foxton straights, at the end of 1978, at 100km/h, that someone tried to grab me from behind on my Yamaha.They seemed to be yanking my backpack. My first thought was outrage. My second was: but how? Where have they come from? And my ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago

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

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

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

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

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

  • While we wait patiently, our new Minister of Education is up and going with a 100-day action plan
    Sorry to say, the government’s official website is still out of action. When Point of Order paid its daily visit, the message was the same as it has been for the past week: Site under maintenance Beehive.govt.nz is currently under maintenance. We will be back shortly. Thank you for your ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    5 days ago

  • DAVID FARRAR: Hysterical bullshit
    Radio NZ reports: Te Pāti Māori’s co-leader Debbie Ngarewa-Packer has accused the new government of “deliberate .. systemic genocide” over its policies to roll back the smokefree policy and the Māori Health Authority. The left love hysterical language. If you oppose racial quotas in laws, you are a racist. And now if you sack ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    5 days ago

  • Skeptical Science New Research for Week #48 2023
    Open access notables From this week's government/NGO section, longitudinal data is gold and Leisorowitz, Maibachi et al. continue to mine ore from the US public with Climate Change in the American Mind: Politics & Policy, Fall 2023: Drawing on a representative sample of the U.S. adult population, the authors describe how registered ...
    Skeptical Science
    5 days ago

  • ELE LUDEMANN: It wasn’t just $55 million
    Ele Ludemann writes –  Winston Peters reckons media outlets were bribed by the $55 million Public Interest Journalism Fund. He is not the first to make such an accusation. Last year, the Platform outlined conditions media signed up to in return for funds from the PJIF: . . . ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    5 days ago

  • Weekly Roundup 1-December-2023
    Wow, it’s December already, and it’s a Friday. So here are few things that caught our attention recently. This Week in Greater Auckland On Monday Matt covered the new government’s coalition agreements and what they mean for transport. On Tuesday Matt looked at AT’s plans for fare increases ...
    Greater AucklandBy Greater Auckland
    5 days ago

  • Shane MacGowan Is Gone.
    Late 1996, The Dogs Bollix, Tamaki Makaurau.I’m at the front of the bar yelling my order to the bartender, jostling with other thirsty punters on a Friday night, keen to piss their wages up against a wall letting loose. The black stuff, long luscious pints of creamy goodness. Back down ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago

  • The Hoon around the week to Dec 1
    Nicola Willis, Chris Bishop and other National, ACT and NZ First MPs applaud the signing of the coalition agreements, which included the reversal of anti-smoking measures while accelerating tax cuts for landlords. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The five things that mattered in Aotearoa’s political economy that we wrote ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago

  • 2023 More Reading: November (+ Writing Update)
    Completed reads for November: A Modern Utopia, by H.G. Wells The Vampire (poem), by Heinrich August Ossenfelder The Corpus Hermeticum The Corpus Hermeticum is Mead’s translation. Now, this is indeed a very quiet month for reading. But there is a reason for that… You see, ...
    A Phuulish FellowBy strda221
    6 days ago

  • Forward to 2017
    The coalition party agreements are mainly about returning to 2017 when National lost power. They show commonalities but also some serious divergencies.The two coalition agreements – one National and ACT, the other National and New Zealand First – are more than policy documents. They also describe the processes of the ...
    PunditBy Brian Easton
    6 days ago

  • Questions a nine year old might ask the new Prime Minister
    First QuestionYou’re going to crack down on people ram-raiding dairies, because you say hard-working dairy owners shouldn’t have to worry about getting ram-raided.But once the chemist shops have pseudoephedrine in them again, they're going to get ram-raided all the time. Do chemists not work as hard as dairy owners?Second QuestionYou ...
    More than a fieldingBy David Slack
    6 days ago

  • Questions a nine year old might ask the new Prime Minister
    First QuestionYou’re going to crack down on people ram-raiding dairies, because you say hard-working dairy owners shouldn’t have to worry about getting ram-raided.But once the chemist shops have pseudoephedrine in them again, they're going to get ram-raided all the time. Do chemists not work as hard as dairy owners?Second QuestionYou ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    6 days ago

  • Finally
    Henry Kissinger is finally dead. Good fucking riddance. While Americans loved him, he was a war criminal, responsible for most of the atrocities of the final quarter of the twentieth century. Cambodia. Bangladesh. Chile. East Timor. All Kissinger. Because of these crimes, Americans revere him as a "statesman" (which says ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    6 days ago

  • Government in a hurry – Luxon lists 49 priorities in 100-day plan while Peters pledges to strength...
    Buzz from the Beehive Yes, ministers in the new government are delivering speeches and releasing press statements. But the message on the government’s official website was the same as it has been for the past several days, when Point of Order went looking for news from the Beehive that had ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago

  • DAVID FARRAR: Luxon is absolutely right
    David Farrar writes  –  1 News reports: Christopher Luxon says he was told by some Kiwis on the campaign trail they “didn’t know” the difference between Waka Kotahi, Te Pūkenga and Te Whatu Ora. Speaking to Breakfast, the incoming prime minister said having English first on government agencies will “make sure” ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago

  • Top 10 at 10 am for Thursday, Nov 30
    There are fears that mooted changes to building consent liability could end up driving the building industry into an uninsured hole. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Here’s my pick of the top 10 news and analysis links elsewhere as of 10 am on Thursday, November 30, including:The new Government’s ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    6 days ago

  • Gordon Campbell on how climate change threatens cricket‘s future
    Well that didn’t last long, did it? Mere days after taking on what he called the “awesome responsibility” of being Prime Minister, M Christopher Luxon has started blaming everyone else, and complaining that he has inherited “economic vandalism on an unprecedented scale” – which is how most of us are ...
    Gordon CampbellBy lyndon
    6 days ago

  • We need to talk about Tory.
    The first I knew of the news about Tory Whanau was when a tweet came up in my feed.The sort of tweet that makes you question humanity, or at least why you bother with Twitter. Which is increasingly a cesspit of vile inhabitants who lurk spreading negativity, hate, and every ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    6 days ago

  • Dangling Transport Solutions
    Cable Cars, Gondolas, Ropeways and Aerial Trams are all names for essentially the same technology and the world’s biggest maker of them are here to sell them as an public transport solution. Stuff reports: Austrian cable car company Doppelmayr has launched its case for adding aerial cable cars to New ...
    Greater AucklandBy Matt L
    6 days ago

  • November AMA
    Hi,It’s been awhile since I’ve done an Ask-Me-Anything on here, so today’s the day. Ask anything you like in the comments section, and I’ll be checking in today and tomorrow to answer.Leave a commentNext week I’ll be giving away a bunch of these Mister Organ blu-rays for readers in New ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    6 days ago

  • National’s early moves adding to cost of living pressure
    The cost of living grind continues, and the economic and inflation honeymoon is over before it began. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: PM Christopher Luxon unveiled his 100 day plan yesterday with an avowed focus of reducing cost-of-living pressures, but his Government’s initial moves and promises are actually elevating ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    6 days ago

  • Backwards to the future
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has confirmed that it will be back to the future on planning legislation. This will be just one of a number of moves which will see the new government go backwards as it repeals and cost-cuts its way into power. They will completely repeal one ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    6 days ago

  • New initiatives in science and technology could point the way ahead for Luxon government
    As the new government settles into the Beehive, expectations are high that it can sort out some  of  the  economic issues  confronting  New Zealand. It may take time for some new  ministers to get to grips with the range of their portfolio work and responsibilities before they can launch the  changes that  ...
    Point of OrderBy tutere44
    7 days ago

  • Treaty pledge to secure funding is contentious – but is Peters being pursued by a lynch mob after ...
    TV3 political editor Jenna Lynch was among the corps of political reporters who bridled, when Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters told them what he thinks of them (which is not much). She was unabashed about letting her audience know she had bridled. More usefully, she drew attention to something which ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    7 days ago

  • How long does this last?
    I have a clear memory of every election since 1969 in this plucky little nation of ours. I swear I cannot recall a single one where the question being asked repeatedly in the first week of the new government was: how long do you reckon they’ll last? And that includes all ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    7 days ago

  • National’s giveaway politics
    We already know that national plans to boost smoking rates to collect more tobacco tax so they can give huge tax-cuts to mega-landlords. But this morning that policy got even more obscene - because it turns out that the tax cut is retrospective: Residential landlords will be able to ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    7 days ago

  • CHRIS TROTTER: Who’s driving the right-wing bus?
    Who’s At The Wheel? The electorate’s message, as aggregated in the polling booths on 14 October, turned out to be a conservative political agenda stronger than anything New Zealand has seen in five decades. In 1975, Bill Rowling was run over by just one bus, with Rob Muldoon at the wheel. In 2023, ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    1 week ago

  • GRAHAM ADAMS:  Media knives flashing for Luxon’s government
    The fear and loathing among legacy journalists is astonishing Graham Adams writes – No one is going to die wondering how some of the nation’s most influential journalists personally view the new National-led government. It has become abundantly clear within a few days of the coalition agreements ...
    Point of OrderBy gadams1000
    1 week ago

  • Top 10 news links for Wednesday, Nov 29
    TL;DR: Here’s my pick of top 10 news links elsewhere for Wednesday November 29, including:The early return of interest deductibility for landlords could see rebates paid on previous taxes and the cost increase to $3 billion from National’s initial estimate of $2.1 billion, CTU Economist Craig Renney estimated here last ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago

  • Smokefree Fallout and a High Profile Resignation.
    The day after being sworn in the new cabinet met yesterday, to enjoy their honeymoon phase. You remember, that period after a new government takes power where the country, and the media, are optimistic about them, because they haven’t had a chance to stuff anything about yet.Sadly the nuptials complete ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    1 week ago

  • As Cabinet revs up, building plans go on hold
    Wellington Council hoardings proclaim its preparations for population growth, but around the country councils are putting things on hold in the absence of clear funding pathways for infrastructure, and despite exploding migrant numbers. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Cabinet meets in earnest today to consider the new Government’s 100-day ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago

  • National takes over infrastructure
    Though New Zealand First may have had ambitions to run the infrastructure portfolios, National would seem to have ended up firmly in control of them.  POLITIK has obtained a private memo to members of Infrastructure NZ yesterday, which shows that the peak organisation for infrastructure sees  National MPs Chris ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    1 week ago

  • At a glance – Evidence for global warming
    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
    1 week ago

  • Who’s Driving The Right-Wing Bus?
    Who’s At The Wheel? The electorate’s message, as aggregated in the polling booths on 14 October, turned out to be a conservative political agenda stronger than anything New Zealand has seen in five decades. In 1975, Bill Rowling was run over by just one bus, with Rob Muldoon at the wheel. In ...
    Bowalley Road
    1 week ago

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

  • New Zealand welcomes European Parliament vote on the NZ-EU Free Trade Agreement
    A significant milestone in ratifying the NZ-EU Free Trade Agreement (FTA) was reached last night, with 524 of the 705 member European Parliament voting in favour to approve the agreement. “I’m delighted to hear of the successful vote to approve the NZ-EU FTA in the European Parliament overnight. This is ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 weeks ago

  • Further humanitarian support for Gaza, the West Bank and Israel
    The Government is contributing a further $5 million to support the response to urgent humanitarian needs in Gaza, the West Bank and Israel, bringing New Zealand’s total contribution to the humanitarian response so far to $10 million. “New Zealand is deeply saddened by the loss of civilian life and the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 weeks ago

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