Twyford to chair Labour’s election campaign

Written By: - Date published: 5:41 pm, September 28th, 2016 - 56 comments
Categories: election 2017, labour, phil twyford - Tags:

At the Herald:

Labour MP Phil Twyford has been given a leading role in the party’s election campaign next year.

Twyford has been made Labour’s campaign chairman, which puts him charge of strategy for the election.

The Te Atatu MP was given the role because of his seniority in the caucus, his campaign experience and his strong performance in Parliament, especially in the housing portfolio.

He will also chair Labour’s campaign in a likely Mt Roskill by-election, which will be triggered if Labour’s Mt Roskill MP Phil Goff wins the Auckland mayoralty.

Good luck Phil.

56 comments on “Twyford to chair Labour’s election campaign ”

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  1. Patrick Leyland 1
    28 September 2016 at 5:43 pm

    Does anyone know the difference between this role (campaign chair) and the campaign manager position – held by general secretary Andrew Kirton?

    • Craig H 1.1
      28 September 2016 at 5:55 pm

      I don’t know for sure, but would guess it’s like the difference between a CEO and Chairperson of the Board i.e. Andrew will run the campaign, particularly the day to day stuff, and Phil will be Chairperson of the governance group.

    • DISTURBED 1.2
      29 September 2016 at 1:15 pm

      I guess Phil will be the opposite to Steven Joyce as “campaign manager” for John Key?

      Phil is very bright and an expert at focusing on issues as he did in Housing and Transport as with Our Gisborne rail he fought hard than anyone else did to expose the government for underfunding the Gisborne rail that caused the washouts because Government deliberately starved the provinces funding for rail maintenance

      see this as his Labour media prowess..

      http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA1302/S00183/kiwirail-admits-lack-of-maintenance-led-to-wash-out.htm

      Phil Twyford
      Transport Spokesperson
      14 February 2013
      KiwiRail admits lack of maintenance led to wash-out
      KiwiRail has admitted that its failure to maintain old and damaged culverts was behind the wash out that closed the Gisborne-Napier line, while cuts to its maintenance budget are putting the network at further risk, Labour’s Transport spokesperson Phil Twyford says.
      “Across the country KiwiRail missed its target of replacing 71 old culverts last year, and only replaced 49. This is cause for alarm.
      “The Gisborne-Napier wash-out shows what happens when essential maintenance work is not carried out.
      “KiwiRail cut and deferred $200 million of network maintenance last year. At the very time it needs to be upgrading its network and improving efficiency, the Government’s unrealistic ‘Turn Around Plan’ is putting enormous stress on the organisation and forcing it to cut maintenance.
      “KiwiRail has told Parliament’s transport committee it has 12,197 rail line culverts around the country and has done a risk assessment identifying 53 high priority culverts but ‘…in spite of every effort to mitigate risk, some incidents of wash out may still occur…’
      “National’s plan for rail is not workable. KiwiRail has missed its financial targets for two of the last three years. It is being forced to make cuts that are a false economy.
      “At a time when the Government is wasting billions of dollars on its ‘motorways of madness’, it makes no sense to cripple the national rail line.”
      ENDS

  2. Sacha 2
    28 September 2016 at 5:47 pm

    Is this really a good thing? Someone signed off on the Chinese surname foot-in-mouth plan, hopefully not Twyford himself if that’s the level of nous on offer.

    • Lanthanide 2.2
      28 September 2016 at 6:43 pm

      +1

    • Muttonbird 2.3
      28 September 2016 at 6:50 pm

      -1

    • john 2.4
      28 September 2016 at 7:07 pm

      well racism doesn’t seem to both either the labour party or many on here.

      Go figure?

      • Muttonbird 2.4.1
        28 September 2016 at 7:16 pm

        Oh yes? Please regale the board how Twyford and the Labour Party are racist.

        • john 2.4.1.1
          29 September 2016 at 10:47 am

          Been living under a stone have you?
          Chinese sounding surnames, ring any bells?
          Any “study” produced as dear old Phillis Twyford produced. Is not only racist in it’s approach and connotation it is incompetent in it’s methodology.
          Labour’s support and obviously your support, lends itself to the allegation of racism.

    • Rae 2.5
      29 September 2016 at 1:13 am

      Sorry, but something had to be done and given that Chinese names are actually very identifiable by dint of the fact they have not interacted (as it were) with the rest of the world for long, it stood to be revealing. They have not been Anglicized as for example the name Li, which is almost certain to be Chinese, whereas Lee is probably European in origin or could be Korean. They have not, yet, by and large, intermarried.
      There was no other effort being put in to identify how many houses were being sold to foreigners and running a ruler over the number of properties being sold to actual Chinese names, not Chinese sounding ones, compared to the number who lived here was a reasonable way to come up with an equation, it did not necessarily reveal or even set out to, that all Chinese were foreigners or that all sales to foreigners were to Chinese, but it DID give us an idea that there was an imbalance that needed further investigation.
      I know this is an unpopular view, but something just had to be done, and it was reasonable to imagine that a great number of Chinese were seeking to get money out of China because of their political system and the system of property “ownership” there, but as the rest of the world is finding, that money is doing serious damage to their citizens, which, incidentally, includes people of Chinese descent.

      • john 2.5.1
        29 September 2016 at 10:52 am

        NO nothing had to be done. As was seen by the research later.
        This was blatantly racist and an attempt to blame that race for a problem that had been endemic in Auckland for many years and almost entirely down to the lack of planning and action by successive Auckland councils as too the roading and all the blocks put in the way of past Govt.’s both Labour and National.

        • Groundhog 2.5.1.1
          29 September 2016 at 2:35 pm

          And it was dumb politics. Labour’s finances are in a parlous state, and it is difficult to see much in the way of funds coming to Labour from the Chinese, or wider asian communities.

          • john 2.5.1.1.1
            29 September 2016 at 3:26 pm

            perhaps Labour are hoping for access to various union slush funds.
            Or perhaps they are looking to produce another “pledge card” using parliamentary services (ie TAX PAYERS money/ our money) to promote themselves?????

        • TheBlackKitten 2.5.1.2
          2 October 2016 at 10:45 am

          If shortage created by the Auckland council is the only cause then why are other cities around the world also experiencing the same issues of house prices rising above the average income earners reach?

      • Jerko 2.5.2
        30 September 2016 at 10:36 am

        Rae, no need to apologize if thems the facts. It is true in most western cities. The Chinese are taking over. Vancouver for example has now slapped a 15% tax on properties sold to foreigners and the market has dropped. Where I live in California – a smallish University town. The population doubles during term time. It’s pretty bloody obvious who the foreign students are and I don’t need to know their names. Not only that the women are frequently pregnant and or walking around with young children who would have been born as US citizens. For all of the political correct comments here it’s good to see yours which is a reflection of the facts. So to you I say please – don’t apologize. And to the others, – wake up!

  3. red-blooded 3
    28 September 2016 at 6:13 pm

    Hey, give the guy some credit – he’s created some real cut-through in the Housing portfolio.

  4. WILD KATIPO 4
    28 September 2016 at 6:18 pm

    Got a lot of time for Phil Twyford, to meet him in person you will see a very quietly spoken chap , to see him in full flight in parliament is to see a tiger.

    He quietly expressed his opinions about neo liberalism , and the contempt for that ideology was almost palpable. Hes one of the decent ones who has the people of this country at heart. And we could do with far more like him.

    • Richard Rawshark 4.1
      28 September 2016 at 6:48 pm

      TY WK, Nice to hear a reference from someone living and not a campaign poster or TV slot.

      I may re-evaluate my perceptions 🙂

    • Anne 4.2
      28 September 2016 at 6:57 pm

      Phil Twyford is a brilliant organiser and has commanded loyalty, respect and admiration from all those who have ever been involved in any of his campaigns. I can’t think of a better person for the job.

      • Jilly Bee 4.2.1
        28 September 2016 at 7:44 pm

        Hear, hear Anne. I lived in Phil’s electorate before I departed the mad Auckland scene last year for the quieter life in Waikato – you know the old tale, ‘you can take the girl out of Waikato, but can’t take Waikato out of the girl’. Phil is a great MP – I first met him through working (volunteering) in Helen Clark’s Mt Albert office for the two elections we lived there. I quietly thought then he had leadership potential and I still do.

      • Chris 4.2.2
        28 September 2016 at 8:40 pm

        Maybe, but he will have to have learned his lesson on the way he approached certain aspects to problems affecting Auckland house prices.

      • RedLogix 4.2.3
        29 September 2016 at 12:22 am

        Thanks Anne; always good to hear first hand from someone you trust.

    • mosa 4.3
      28 September 2016 at 7:06 pm

      Katipo why did he not stand for the leadership ?
      I have seen him front the housing issue and he is very good and performs exceptionally well in parliament and seems well liked and he has had a lot of exposure.
      He holds a pivotal West Auckland seat and that will help with a possible Roskill By election and the Auckland campaign next year.

  5. Colonial Viper 5
    28 September 2016 at 7:26 pm

    GR keeping his hands clean, I see, a clever man that one.

  6. mosa 6
    28 September 2016 at 7:29 pm

    Talking about Roskill does anyone know if a credible poll has been taken in this electorate and if the Greens withdraw will that have an effect.

    Swordfish may have the answer ?

    • muttonbird 6.1
      28 September 2016 at 7:41 pm

      From memory the Green candidate vote was under 2000 in the 2014 election.

      There are a couple of things at play in Roskill. One is the working class, disenfranchised vote who will want change, and the other is the new and recent immigrant vote who will vote for the status quo.

      • pat 6.1.1
        28 September 2016 at 9:47 pm

        why do you assume immigrants will wish to vote for status quo….it appears an unwarranted statement especially in light of the fact it is immigrants seeking to start a new party….that suggests a desire for change does it not?

    • Anne 6.2
      28 September 2016 at 7:51 pm

      A significant portion of the Mt Roskill electorate is of Indian ethnicity. I think Labour might be concerned about the effect the new Indian political party could have on their voting numbers. The Green vote should help offset the loss incurred to the new party.

      Apart from that, they have an excellent candidate in Michael Wood and with the added benefit of Twyford running the campaign for him, the end result should be a reasonable win for Labour.

    • swordfish 6.3
      29 September 2016 at 2:08 pm

      “does anyone know if a credible poll has been taken in this electorate” ?

      Not that I know of.

      By-Election Polls are usually carried out during the campaign itself and released immediately before polling day (ie during the final week). That’s assuming there are any in the first place – I think I’m right in saying that of the 7 By-Elections conducted since 2008, Public Polls were carried out in just 3 – Northland, Te Tai Tokerau and Mt Albert.

      Knowing New Zealand’s broadcast media, an Auckland-based By-Election probably has a better chance of being polled than elsewhere – certainly if that elsewhere is unlucky enough to find itself located south of the Bombay Hills – a mysterious no-mans-land populated by wildlings to TVNZ and TV3.

      ” … if the Greens withdraw will that have an effect” ?

      Have a look at my comment here …
      https://thestandard.org.nz/mt-roskill-by-election-cooperating-parties-cooperate-shock/#comment-1226231

  7. Red 7
    28 September 2016 at 7:59 pm

    At least the next mp for mt roskill won’t live in the white elite conclave of Clevedon

    • Jilly Bee 7.1
      28 September 2016 at 8:08 pm

      Yeah Red, just like the PM – the MP for Kumeu, who lives in Parnell.

      • Red 7.1.1
        28 September 2016 at 8:27 pm

        Working class, Parnell and Kumeu just like working class Clevedon and Mt Roskill, yeah right Jilly Bee good comparison

      • Anne 7.1.2
        28 September 2016 at 8:37 pm

        Jilly Bee you have reminded me of an amusing story… after the last set of boundary changes, a corner of the leafy Epsom electorate was placed in the Mt Roskill electorate. The inhabitants of this leafy corner were horrified. They lobbied hard… leafleted hard… and generally made so much noise the MSM heard them and took up their cause. Their reported concern was: there was no community of interest with Mt Roskill so therefore they should be allowed to stay in Epsom. There was a rapid ‘change of heart’ by the boundary changes committee and the electorates were reset back to their original boundaries.

        The truth of their concern was part racist and part to do with the values of their property which they believed would plummet. Electorate boundaries have no bearing on suburb boundaries so their claims were a load of codswallop, but that didn’t stop the powers that be from bowing to their demands.

      • peterlepaysan 7.1.3
        28 September 2016 at 9:10 pm

        I thought he lived in Hawaii.

    • Ad 7.2
      29 September 2016 at 11:29 am

      What’s wrong with living in Clevedon?

  8. mosa 8
    28 September 2016 at 9:39 pm

    Thankyou Muttonbird and Anne for that information.

    I grew up in Roskill not far from Akarana golf course on Dominion Rd and it was one of the Central Auckland Labour strongholds with the seat held for a long time by Mr Faulkner and then Mr Goff for Labour.
    Then the shock of National taking the seat in the 1990 landslide by Mr Myles.

    National seem to have captured the party vote in Roskill over the last few elections but returning a Labour MP to parliament.

    The Greens 2000 votes will help and be a good indicator of how the MOU will work at the next election, it will be an interesting watch.

  9. Ad 9
    29 September 2016 at 5:54 am

    Labour’s best performer by a country mile.

    Deserves a higher caucus ranking than he has.

    I’ve dealt with him a lot professionally and really like him.

  10. save nz 10
    29 September 2016 at 7:28 am

    As much as I think Twyford performs well – housing is Labours most polarising issue for voters. When Twyford was in the limelight with housing the poll came out and Labour were radically down. Now that Labour has shut up about housing and let the inevitable scandals from National dominate the airwaves like Havelock water supply then Labour surges up 8%.

    Lets hope Labour doesn’t blow getting into power, by obsessing with an issue that is likely to cost them the election if they read it wrong for most voters. (and by that I mean ordinary voters around the country not those lobbying hard for their special issues which they stand to profit from. We saw that enough with the unitary plan).

    We live in an age where anybody can lose their job or have their hours cut with little to zero compensation. It’s hard enough to buy a house, let alone keep it, so any knocks to the economy or crash talk is not a majority vote winner in my view.

  11. Nick 11
    29 September 2016 at 8:18 am

    Go Phil…. I know him, he’s excellent guy and I hope he helps kick natz ass all the way to the shitty little hole they crawled out of

  12. Heather Grimwood 12
    29 September 2016 at 9:50 am

    Anyone doubting his ability to concisely and forcefully put forth his position (on housing in this instance) should get video of his recent speech in the housing debate in parliament the day Govt members absented themselves……superior presentation. I haven’t the skills to find it again but I’m sure most Standardistas will be able to do so.

  13. Observer Tokoroa 13
    29 September 2016 at 10:14 am

    .
    .National Party Deceit

    . As we know from the attempted mauling of Phil Twyford by national party trolls and associated rabble, there are no Chinese or Foreign investors who have purchased real estate in New Zealand.

    There are no Chinese attending Auctions of Property, of land or housing whether in person or by proxy.

    We know from Barfoot and Thompson that they have never had any Chinese or Foreign clients in the past or recently.

    The problem is that John Key and Billy English cannot recognise the difference between a foreigner and gooseberry.

    No English people purchase houses here. Not a single one.

    The only consistent thing is that Key and English are so untrustworthy. Not a single New Zealander can believe a single word that comes out of their deceiving mouths.

    .

  14. The Pink Postman 14
    29 September 2016 at 2:58 pm

    Phil Twyford is an excellent Labour MP. Hard working and obliging vocally street’s ahead of any Nat and certainly a match for the awful puffed up Bennett. He will be an excellent housing minister in the next Labour Government .

    • john 14.1
      29 September 2016 at 3:29 pm

      The man has all the intellect and understanding of a floor board, to use metaphor related to housing.
      He has NO idea what he is talking about, he and Labour make grandious promises they can’t keep.

  15. Observer Tokoroa 15
    29 September 2016 at 9:11 pm

    .
    . John ? as in deceitful John Key.

    . You good boy. We have seldom seen such brilliance as yours on here. Will you get a lil bag of lollies from Paula and Billy?
    .
    . Also have you done anything for the 40 thousand homeless that you, Billy and Paula have released on an unsuspecting Aotearoa? I expect you haven’t. We know people like you are incapable.

    . Now hop away – and get your pretty pony tail pulled – with full fetish feeling.

    .

  16. TheBlackKitten 16
    2 October 2016 at 11:33 am

    I don’t mean to be rude here but housing is such a massive stuff up on the Nationals parties behalf that anyone in any opposition party should be capable of making mince meat out of the government for it. That the Labour Party still lags behind National in the polls speaks volumes of how out of touch with middle NZ they are.
    Auckland housing crisis is created by several issues:
    A) Shortage of land created by the Auckland councils piss poor planning over the past 40 years that has seen the city completely unprepared for the massive immigration numbers it has had since the Auzzie economy tanked. Shortage will always drive up price. The current lack of infrastructure, public transport and adequate roading is also a huge massive failure on councils part. Aucklanders are unable to travel too and from their jobs efficiently in many, many of the suburbs in Auckland. Council have been a huge failure.
    B) massive immigration numbers from overseas countries has seen migrants pouring into this country with cash that enables them to outbid the average Kiwi in a climate of high prices driven by the shortage at auctions. Many run of the mill suburbs in Auckland now attract a price tag of 1 million plus for an average 3 bedroom, 1 bathroom home. Who is paying this price? It’s rich migrants because average Kiwis can’t afford it on their low wages in our pathetic low wage economy that was created by the ECA act in 1991. They all flock to Auckland as no where else in NZ has any jobs. Lack of jobs in the regions is another issue. National have cocked up here. They should have stopped massive migration years ago. Keep in mind, that the Clarke government also allowed Asian migrants to flock in here and push our housing inflation up. The big difference between now and then was that many kiwis were also leaving for a buoyant Auzzie economy so th effects were not as punitive.
    C) investors of the baby boomer generation and rich migrants that see housing as guaranteed money for their dollar are outbidding the average Kiwis at auctions. Again, shortage and lack of other good sound investment opportunities have attracted them to the Auckland housing market. National should have addressed this years and years ago and the bright line test is really a very poor weak fix to deter investors.
    Housing in Auckland has become like a Monopoly game that is seeing the average young Kiwi miss out and rich migrants along with prior home owners be the winners. It is a huge stain on this government to have been the ones that have allowed this to go on unchecked and to have created a society of the haves and the have nots.
    The solutions need a bold party with guts. They need to stop all migration, open up land for building, introduce a government rent to buy scheme, tax the shit out of investors and increase wages to the same level,of home prices. Sadly I don’t see any party with the initiative or guts to do all of these things.

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    Let us consider the utterances of Shane Jones.Let us consider the derogatory terms of abuseNow is not the time for Green Wombles, it's black and white decision making.We will stand with the energy industry and ensure they are not monstered by Green Termites nibbling away at our economic capital.The Green ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago
  • Ukrainian militia receives defective shipment of pagers that just send and receive messages

    There’s been a major setback for one Ukrainian-backed militia on the Russian border, after the group ordered a large shipment of pagers to use as improvised explosive devices. The plan was to litter the pagers throughout abandoned homes and buildings in hopes of wounding Russian soldiers. But upon arrival of ...
    The CivilianBy Ben Uffindell
    3 days ago
  • A constitutional shitshow

    Last month, we learned that the government was half-arsing its anti-gang legislation, adding a significant, pre-planned, BORA-abusing amendment at the committee stage, avoiding all the usual scrutiny processes. But it gets worse. Because having done it once, they're now planning to recall the bill in order to add another such ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    3 days ago
  • Political Round Up

    Note: An earlier version of this article noted Levy was a “party time Health NZ commissioner” - this has been updated - forgive my Freudian slip.Dr Lester Levy is charging $320,000 a year to be a part time Health NZ commissioner. Rachel Thomas reports that Levy is still teaching 2 ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    3 days ago
  • Postcard from Sydney: Southwest and City Metro extension

    This is a guest post from Sydney reader Nik Clement After 2 years in Auckland I moved back to Sydney just over a year ago. While in Auckland, I went to the opening of Puhinui station and used it a fair bit, living in Manukau Central and being able ...
    Greater AucklandBy Guest Post
    3 days ago
  • Tolling revolt brewing in National heartland

    Kia ora. Long stories short, here’s my top six things to note in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, climate and poverty on Wednesday, September 18:Locals gathered in Woodville last night to protest at the National-ACT-NZ First Government’s decision to toll the new road linking the Manawatu and Hawkes Bay, saying ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago
  • The doom spiral

    This is a re-post from The Climate Brink by Andrew Dessler In his last post, Zeke discussed incredible warmth of 2023 and 2024 and its implications for future warming. A few readers looked at it and freaked out: This is terrifying and This update really put me in a ...
    Skeptical Science
    3 days ago
  • Government directs Te Puni Kōkiri to conduct Māori Language Week in English

    The coalition government has issued a directive to Te Puni Kōkiri, the Ministry of Māori Development, instructing them that – in the interests of clear communication – they are to conduct this year’s Māori Language Week primarily or exclusively in English. The directive is in line with the Government’s policy ...
    The CivilianBy Ben Uffindell
    4 days ago
  • Government celebrates fact that New Zealand’s healthcare is so good people are queuing up for it a...

    At yesterday’s post-cabinet press conference, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon, flanked by his Health Minister Shane Reti and someone we can’t independently verify was a real sign language interpreter, announced that he had some positive news for the country. “Alright team, I’m just going to hand over to uh, Dr. Shane, ...
    The CivilianBy Ben Uffindell
    4 days ago
  • Heartwarming: Thoughtful driver uses indicator to tell you what they’ve just done

    It’s 4:10pm in the morning, and you’re in the middle lane heading north on the great southern motorway of our nation’s capital, Auckland. There are no cars directly in front of you, but quite a few in the lane to your left. Suddenly, without warning, a black ute enters your ...
    The CivilianBy Ben Uffindell
    4 days ago
  • NPC teams will now be allowed to actually use the Ranfurly Shield in play

    Following decades of controversy, the governing body of New Zealand rugby, New Zealand Rugby, has ruled that the team currently holding the Ranfurly Shield may once again use it in play during the National Provincial Championship (NPC). The ruling restores the utility of a prize that for many years was ...
    The CivilianBy Ben Uffindell
    4 days ago
  • Climbing out of the hamster wheel

    I arrived home with a head full of fresh ideas about mindfulness and curbing impulsive aspects in my character.On the second night home I grabbed a piece of ginger and began swiftly slicing it on our industrial strength mandolin, the one I have learned through painful experience to treat with ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    4 days ago
  • More Notes From Stinky Town

    Good morning, folks. Another wee note from a chilly Rotorua morning that looks much clearer than yesterday. As I write, the pink glow in the east is slowly growing, and soon, the palest of blue skies should become a bit more royal.A couple of people mentioned yesterday that I should ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    4 days ago
  • Make it make sense: why axe valuable local projects?

    Last week, Matt looked at how the government wants to pour a huge chunk of civic infrastructure funding for a generation  into one mega-road up North, at huge cost and huge opportunity cost. A smaller but no less important feature of the National Land Transport Plan devised by Minister of Transport ...
    Greater AucklandBy Jolisa
    4 days ago
  • Driving blind at higher speeds

    An open letter by experts about plans to raise speed limits warns the “tragic consequence will be more New Zealanders losing their lives or suffering severe injury, along with a substantial burden on the nation's healthcare and rehabilitation services”. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāKia ora. Long stories short, here’s ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • 2024’s unusually persistent warmth

    This is a re-post from The Climate Brink My inaugural post on The Climate Brink 18 months ago looked at the year 2024, and found that it was likely to be the warmest year on record on the back of a (than forecast) El Nino event. I suggested “there is a real chance ...
    Skeptical Science
    4 days ago
  • National plan for 2000 more Kiwis a year in prison

    Open for allYesterday, Luxon congratulated his government on a job well done with emergency housing numbers, but advocates have been saying it‘s likely many are on the streets and sleeping in cars.Q&A featured some of the folks this weekend - homeless and in cars. Yes.The government’s also confirmed they stopped ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    4 days ago
  • I Found a Note in a Tree

    Hi,On most days I try to go on a walk through nature to clear my head from the horrors of life. Because as much as I like people, I also think it’s incredibly important to get very far away from them. To be reminded that there are also birds, lizards, ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    4 days ago
  • Jacqui Van Der Kaay: Politicians need to lift their game

    Declining trust in New Zealand politicians should be a warning to them to lift their game. Results from the New Zealand Election Study for the 2023 election show that the level of trust in politicians has once again declined. Perhaps it is not surprising that the results, shared as part ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    5 days ago
  • Police say they won’t respond to bomb threats anymore as ‘it’s never anything’

    Police Commissioner Andrew Coster says that New Zealand’s police force will no longer respond to bomb threats, in an attempt to cut costs and redirect police resources to less boring activities. Coster said that threat response and bomb disposal was a “fairly obvious” area for downsizing, as bomb threats are ...
    The CivilianBy Ben Uffindell
    5 days ago
  • A dysfunctional watchdog

    The reality of any right depends on how well it is enforced. But as The Post points out this morning, our right to official information isn't being enforced very well at all: More than a quarter of complaints about access to official information languish for more than a year, ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    5 days ago
  • Climate Change: The threat of a good example

    Since taking office, the climate-denier National government has gutted agricultural emissions pricing, ended the clean car discount, repealed water quality standards which would have reduced agricultural emissions, gutted the clean car standard, killed the GIDI scheme, and reversed efforts to reduce pollution subsidies in the ETS - basically every significant ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    5 days ago
  • Vegas Baby

    Good morning, lovely people. Don’t worry. This isn’t really a newsletter, just a quick note. I’m sitting in our lounge, looking out over a gloomy sky. Although being Rotorua, the view is periodically interrupted by steam bursting from pipes and dispersing—like an Eastern European industrial hellscape during the Cold War.Drinking ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago
  • Why Entrust Needs New Leadership

    I am part of a new team running in the Entrust election in October. Entrust is a community electricity trust representing a significant part of Auckland, set up to serve the community. It is governed by five trustees are elected every three years in an election the trust itself oversees. ...
    Greater AucklandBy Patrick Reynolds
    5 days ago
  • London Bridge is falling down

    In the UK, London is the latest of council groups to signal potential bankruptcy.That’s after Birmingham, Britain’s second largest city, went bankrupt in June, resulting in reduced sanitation services, libraries cut, and dimmed streetlights.Some in the city described things as “Dickens” like.Please, Sir, Can I have some more?For families with ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    5 days ago
  • Govt may kick elderly out of hospitals

    The Government is considering how to shunt elderly people out of hospitals, and also how to cut their access to other support. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāKia ora. Long stories short, here’s my top six things to note in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, climate and poverty on Monday, ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • Getting the nephs off the couch

    The so-called “Prince of the Provinces”, Shane Jones, went home last Friday. Perhaps not quite literally home, more like 20 kilometres down the road from his house on the outskirts of Kerikeri. With its airport, its rapidly growing (mostly retired) population, and a commercial centre with all the big retail ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    5 days ago
  • De moralibus orcorum: Sargon of Akkad, Rings of Power, Evil, and George R.R. Martin

    I have noted before that The Rings of Power has attracted its unfortunate share of culture war obsessives. Essentially, for a certain type of individual, railing on about the Wokery of Modern Media is a means of making themselves a online livelihood. Clicks and views and advertising revenue, and all ...
    A Phuulish FellowBy strda221
    6 days ago
  • 2024 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #37

    A listing of 31 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, September 8, 2024 thru Sat, September 14, 2024. Story of the week From time to time we like to make our Story of the Week all about us— and ...
    Skeptical Science
    6 days ago
  • Salvation For Us All

    Yesterday, I ruminated about the effects of being a political follower.And, within politics, David Seymour was smart enough on Friday to divert attention from “race blind” policies [what about gender blind I thought - thinking of maternity wards] and cutting school lunches by throwing meat to the media. Teachers were ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    6 days ago
  • A warm embrace

    Far, far away from here lives our King. Some of his subjects can be quite the forelock tuggers, but plenty of us are not like that, and why don't I wheel out my favourite old story once more about Kiwi soldiers in the North African desert?Field Marshal Montgomery takes offence ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    6 days ago
  • Literal clowns are running the place, we must put a timeout on this stupidity… right Aotearoa?

    These people are inept on every level. They’re inept to the detriment of our internal politics, cohesion and increasingly our international reputation. And they are reveling in the fact they are getting away with it. We cannot even have “respectful debate” with a government that clearly rejects the very ...
    exhALANtBy exhalantblog
    7 days ago
  • Fact brief – Does manmade CO2 have any detectable fingerprint?

    Skeptical Science is partnering with Gigafact to produce fact briefs — bite-sized fact checks of trending claims. This fact brief was written by Sue Bin Park from the Gigafact team in collaboration with John Mason. You can submit claims you think need checking via the tipline. Does manmade CO2 have any ...
    Skeptical Science
    7 days ago
  • Judge Not.

    Judge not, that ye be not judged. For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again. Matthew 7:1-2FOUR HUNDRED AND FORTY men and women professing the Christian faith would appear to have imperilled their immortal souls. ...
    Bowalley Road
    7 days ago
  • Managed Democracy: Letting The People Decide, But Only When They Can Be Relied Upon To Give the Righ...

    Uh-uh! Not So Fast, Citizens! The power to initiate systemic change remains where it has always been in New Zealand’s representative democracy – in Parliament. To order a binding referendum, the House of Representatives must first to be persuaded that, on the question proposed, sharing its decision-making power with the people ...
    Bowalley Road
    7 days ago
  • Looking For Labour’s Vital Signs.

    Flatlining: With no evidence of a genuine policy disruptor at work in Labour’s ranks, New Zealand’s wealthiest citizens can sleep easy.PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN has walked a picket-line. Presidential candidate Kamala Harris has threatened “price-gauging” grocery retailers with price control. The Democratic Party’s 2024 platform situates it well to the left of Sir ...
    Bowalley Road
    7 days ago
  • Forty Years Of Remembering To Forget.

    The Beginning of the End: Rogernomics became the short-hand descriptor for all the radical changes that swept away New Zealand’s social-democratic economy and society between 1984 and 1990. In the bitterest of ironies, those changes were introduced by the very same party which had entrenched New Zealand social-democracy 50 years earlier. ...
    Bowalley Road
    7 days ago
  • Kōrero Mai – Speak to Me.

    Good morning all you lovely people. 🙂I woke up this morning, and it felt a bit like the last day of school. You might recall from earlier in the week that I’m heading home to Rotorua to see an old friend who doesn’t have much time. A sad journey, but ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    1 week ago
  • Winning ways

    Hello! Here comes the Saturday edition of More Than A Feilding, catching you up on anything you may have missed. Street architecture adjustment, KolkataShare Read more ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    1 week ago
  • 48 seconds on a plan that would reverberate for a million years

    Despite fears that Trump presidency would be disastrous for progress on climate change, the topic barely rated a mention in the Presidential debate. Photo: Getty ImagesLong stories short, here’s the top six news items of note in climate news for Aotearoa-NZ this week, and a discussion above between Bernard Hickey ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago
  • Using blunt instruments and magical thinking to ignore evidence of harm

    The abrupt cancellations and suspensions of Government spending also caused private sector hiring, spending, and investment to freeze up for the first six months of the year. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāThis week we learned:The new National/ACT/NZ First Coalition Government ignored advice from Treasury that it didn’t have to ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago
  • Is This A Dagger Which I See Before Me: A Review and Analysis of The Rings of Power Episode 5 (Seaso...

    Another week of The Rings of Power, season two, and another confirmation that things are definitely coming together for the show. The fifth Episode of season one represented the nadir of the series. Now? Amid the firmer footing of 2024, Episode Five represents further a further step towards excellent Tolkien ...
    A Phuulish FellowBy strda221
    1 week ago
  • In Open Seas; A Book

    The background to In Open Seas: How the New Zealand Labour Government Went Wrong:2017-2023Not in Narrow Seas: The Economic History of Aotearoa New Zealand, published in 2020, proved more successful than either I or the publisher (VUP, now Te Herenga Waka University Press) expected. I had expected that it would ...
    PunditBy Brian Easton
    1 week ago
  • The Hoon around the week to Sept 13

    The podcast above of the weekly ‘Hoon’ webinar for paying subscribers on Thursday night features co-hosts and talking about the week’s news with:The Kākā’s climate correspondent on the latest climate science on rising temperatures and the climate implications of the US Presidential elections; and special guests Janet ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago
  • Do or do not. There is no try

    1. Upon receiving evidence that school lunches were doing a marvellous job of improving outcomes for students, David Seymour did what?a. Declared we need much more of this sort of good news and poured extra resources and funding into them b. Emailed Atlas network to ask what to do next c. Cut ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    1 week ago
  • Dangerous ground

    The Waitangi Tribunal has reported back on National's proposed changes to gut the Marine and Coastal Area Act and steal the foreshore and seabed for its greedy fishing-industry donors, and declared it to be another huge violation of ti Tiriti: The Waitangi Tribunal has found government changes to the ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    1 week ago
  • Climate Change: National wants to cheat on Paris

    In 2016, the then-National government signed the Paris Agreement, committing Aotearoa to a 30 (later 50) percent reduction in emissions by 2030. When questioned about how they intended to meet that target with their complete absence of effective climate policy, they made a lot of noise about how it was ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    1 week ago
  • Treasury warned Govt lower debt limits meant less ‘productivity-enhancing investment’

    Treasury’s advice to Cabinet was that the new Government could actually prudently carry net core Crown debt of up to 50% of GDP. But Luxon and Willis instead chose to portray the Government’s finances as in such a mess they had no choice but to carve 6.5% to 7.5% off ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago

  • Tourism on the table for Pacific Ministers’ meet-up

    Tourism and Hospitality Minister Matt Doocey will meet with Trade and Tourism Minister of Australia Don Farrell and Fiji Deputy Prime Minister Manoa Kamikamica in Rotorua this weekend for a trilateral tourism discussion. “Like in New Zealand, tourism plays a significant role in Australia and Fiji’s economy, contributing massively to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    21 hours ago
  • Young people report on family and sexual violence

    The Te Puna Aonui Expert Advisory Group for Children and Young People has presented its report today on improving family and sexual violence outcomes for young people, to the Minister for the Prevention of Family and Sexual Violence, Karen Chhour.  The presentation at the Auckland event was an opportunity for ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    21 hours ago
  • $18 million being invested in the victims of crime

    The Government is putting more than $18 million towards improving the experience of the criminal justice system for victims, Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith and Minister for Children Karen Chhour say. “No one should experience crime, but for those who through no fault of their own become victims, they need to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    22 hours ago
  • Landmark phonics check in te reo Māori

    For the first time, schools can use a purpose-built tool to check how a child is progressing in reading through te reo Māori. “Around 45 schools are trialling a New Zealand first te reo Māori phonics check, known as Hihira Weteoro. It will help kaiako (teachers) focus on what ākonga ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    23 hours ago
  • New sea walls safeguard Ōpōtiki’s transformation

    Two new breakwater walls at Pākihikura (Ōpōtiki) Harbour will provide boats with safe harbour access to support the continued growth of aquaculture in Bay of Plenty, Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters and Regional Development Minister Shane Jones say. The Ministers and leaders from Tē Tāwharau o Te Whakatōhea and other ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Kitmap to improve access to science infrastructure

    Science, Innovation and Technology Minister Judith Collins today announced an online platform to optimise the use of New Zealand’s science and technology research infrastructure and to link the public and private sector. “This country is home to world-class science, technology, and engineering expertise. Kitmap is set to empower Kiwi innovators, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Driving the uptake of low emission heavy vehicles

    The Government has launched the Low Emissions Heavy Vehicle Fund (LEHVF) to promote innovation and offset the cost of hundreds of heavy vehicles powered by clean technologies, Energy Minister Simeon Brown and Climate Change Minister Simon Watts say. “Boosting economic growth and productivity is a key part of the Government’s plan ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Speech on replacing the Resource Management Act

    Replacing the RMA Hon Chris Bishop: Good morning, it is great to be with you. Can I first acknowledge the Resource Management Law Association for hosting us here today. Can I also acknowledge my Parliamentary Under-Secretary, Simon Court, who is on stage with me. He has assisted me in establishing the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Replacement for the Resource Management Act takes shape

    Two new laws will be developed to replace the Resource Management Act (RMA), with the enjoyment of property rights as their guiding principle, RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop and Parliamentary Under-Secretary Simon Court say. “The RMA was passed with good intentions in 1991 but has proved a failure in practice. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Tough laws pass to make gang life uncomfortable

    Legislation passed through Parliament today will provide police and the courts with additional tools to crack down on gangs that peddle misery and intimidation throughout New Zealand, Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith says. “From November 21, gang insignia will be banned in all public places, courts will be able to issue non-consorting orders, and ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • New levy rates set to ensure continued funding of FENZ

    Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says the Government has agreed to the rates for the redesigned levy that will fund Fire and Emergency New Zealand (FENZ) from July 2026.  “Earlier this year FENZ consulted publicly on a 5.2 percent increase to the levy. I was not convinced that ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Police allocate Officers to Beat and Gang Units

    The Coalition Government welcomes Police’s announcement today to deploy more police on the beat and staff to Gang Disruption Units.  An additional 70 officers will be allocated to Community Beat Teams across towns and regional centres.  This builds on the deployment of beat officers in Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch CBDs ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Consultation begins on significant updates to the biosecurity system

    Proposals to strengthen the country’s vital biosecurity system, including higher fines for passengers bringing in undeclared high-risk goods, greater flexibility around importing requirements, and fairer cost sharing for biosecurity responses have been released today for public consultation. Biosecurity Minister Andrew Hoggard says “The future is about resilience and the 30-year-old ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Wānaka community to benefit from new overnight health service

    Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says an Overnight Acute Care Service opening in October will provide people in Wānaka and the surrounding area with the assurance of quality overnight care closer to home.  “When I was in Wānaka earlier this year, I announced funding for an overnight health service – ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Preventing potholes with data-driven technology

    The Government is rolling out data collection vans across the country to better understand the condition of our road network to prevent potholes from forming in the first place, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says.  “Increasing productivity to help rebuild our economy is a key priority for the Government and increasing ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • GDP data shows effect of high interest rates

    Gross Domestic Product (GDP) data for the quarter to June 2024 reinforces how an extended period of high interest rates has meant tough times for families, businesses, and communities, but recent indications show the economy is starting to bounce back, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. Stats NZ data released today ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • NZ to host first Fiji, Australia trilateral trade Ministers’ meeting in Rotorua

    Trade Minister Todd McClay will host Fijian Deputy Prime Minister Manoa Kamikamica and Australian Trade Minister Don Farrell for trilateral trade talks in Rotorua this weekend. “Fiji is one of the largest economies in the Pacific and is a respected partner for Australia and New Zealand,” Mr McClay says. Australia and New Zealand ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • NZ hosts Annual CER Trade Ministers’ meeting in Rotorua

    Trade Minister Todd McClay will meet with Australian Trade Minister Don Farrell for the annual Closer Economic Relations (CER) Trade Ministers’ meeting in Rotorua this weekend.  “CER is our most comprehensive agreement covering trade, labour mobility, harmonisation of standards and political cooperation. It underpins an important trading relationship worth $32 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Government proposing changes to jury trials

    The Government is seeking the public’s feedback on two major changes to jury trials in order to improve court timeliness, Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith says. “The first proposal would increase the offence threshold at which a defendant can decide to have their case heard by a jury. “The second is ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Business key to regional economic dialogue

    Local businesses and industries need to be front and centre in conversations about how regions plan to grow their economies, Regional Development Shane Jones says. The nationwide series of summits aims to facilitate conversations about regional economic growth and opportunities to drive productivity, prosperity and resilience through the Coalition Government’s Regional ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • More funding for Growing Up in New Zealand study

    The Government is investing $16.8 million over the next four years to extend the Growing Up in New Zealand (GUiNZ) Longitudinal Study. GUiNZ is New Zealand’s largest longitudinal study of child health and wellbeing and has followed the lives of more than 6000 children born in 2009 and 2010, and ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Tough targets for charter schools will raise achievement

    Associate Education Minister David Seymour says that Charter Schools will face a combination of minimum performance thresholds and stretch targets for achievement, attendance and financial sustainability. “Charter schools will be given greater freedom to respond to diverse student needs in innovative ways, but they will be held to a much ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • NZ votes for Middle East resolution at UN

    New Zealand has voted for a United Nations resolution on Israel’s presence in occupied Palestinian Territory with some caveats, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says.    “New Zealand’s yes vote is fundamentally a signal of our strong support for international law and the need for a two-state solution,” Mr Peters says.    “The Israel-Palestine ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Honouring the legacy of New Zealand’s suffragists

    Suffrage Day is an opportunity to reaffirm New Zealand’s commitment to ensuring we continue to be a world leader in gender equality, Minister for Women Nicola Grigg says. “On 19 September, 131 years ago, New Zealand became the first nation in the world where women gained the right to vote. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Foreign Minister to travel to New York, French Polynesia

    Foreign Minister Winston Peters is travelling to New York next week to attend the 79th session of the United Nations General Assembly, followed by a visit to French Polynesia. “In the context of the myriad regional and global crises, our engagements in New York will demonstrate New Zealand’s strong support for ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Thanking social workers on their national day

    “Today, on Aotearoa New Zealand Social Workers’ Day, I would like to recognise the tremendous effort social workers make not just today, but every day,” Children’s Minister and Minister for the Prevention of Family and Sexual Violence Karen Chhour says. “I thank all those working on the front line for ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Minister of State for Trade heads to Laos for ASEAN meetings

    Minister of State for Trade Nicola Grigg will travel to Laos this week to attend the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Economic Ministers’ Meetings in Vientiane.   “The Government is committed to strengthening our relationship with ASEAN,” Ms Grigg says. “With next year marking 50 years since New Zealand became ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Members appointed to retail crime MAG

    The Government has appointed four members to the Ministerial Advisory Group for victims of retail crime, Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith and Associate Justice Minister Nicole McKee say. “I am delighted to appoint Michael Hill’s national retail manager Michael Bell to the group, as well as Waikato community advocate and business ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Speech to the New Zealand Nurses Organisation AGM and Conference 2024

    It’s my pleasure to be here to join the opening of the NZNO AGM and Conference for 2024.  First, I’d like to thank NZNO Kaiwhakahaere Kerri Nuku, NZNO President, Anne Daniels, and Chief Execuitve Paul Gaulter for inviting me to speak today.  Thank you also to all the NZNO members ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Improvements for New Zealand authors

    Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says changes to the Public Lending Right [PLR] scheme will help benefit both the National Library and authors who have books available in New Zealand libraries. “I am amending the regulations so that eligible authors will no longer have to reapply every year ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Minister commends Police for gang operation

    Police Minister Mark Mitchell congratulates Police for the outstanding result of their most recent operation, targeting the Comancheros. “That Police have been able to round up the majority of the Comancheros leadership, and many of their patched members and prospects, shows not only the capability of Police, but also shows ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
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