Typical misrepresentation from Farrar

Written By: - Date published: 12:21 pm, August 12th, 2014 - 97 comments
Categories: David Farrar, dpf, making shit up, spin - Tags: , , ,

Sociologist Dr Jarrod Gilbert takes everybody’s favourite right-wing spinster to task for his usual misrepresentation and spin:

My last Farrar

In politics, as in religion, the true believers will never be convinced they are wrong. But I could not let David Farrar away with the incredible assertions in his last blog post defending the incorrect use of gang figures.

Farrar says, “Dr Gilbert now concedes gangs are responsible for the proportions cited”

I did not. Anybody can read my post for themselves and see that. The only thing I’m conceding is that I shouldn’t have called the dishonest Farrar a reasonable bloke – quite clearly he is not. He’s ignorant.
[…]

Farrar says, “Dr Gilbert… is now trying to argue that there is a difference between gang associates and gang members”.

I’m not trying to argue that at all, I am stating it as a fact. Just as every gang researcher in the world does, and just as the New Zealand Police and the Department of Corrections do. Apparently Farrar knows better.

[…]

I don’t have an agenda. It is quite clear that Farrar does and here we see clearly the problem of politics. Both sides won’t concede that they just desperately want to win, and the victim in all of this is the truth.

In coming days I will publish an extract from PATCHED that discusses this in detail. Farrar won’t read it of course, but I hope anybody curious about understanding things a little more might.

Go read the whole post on Gilbert’s blog…

97 comments on “Typical misrepresentation from Farrar ”

  • Comments are now closed

  1. Tracey 1
    12 August 2014 at 12:27 pm

    hooton and farrer, to a large extent, remind me of science versus religion debaters ( they being on the religious side). They will concede small things to seem reasonable but mostly they are truth manipulators to win people to their side. Their stock and trade being based on, and peddling in, ignorance…

    • john 1.1
      12 August 2014 at 12:43 pm

      This site is no different.

      They all use anything, no matter how irrelevant or tenuous, to try to score political points.

      • Tracey 1.1.1
        12 August 2014 at 12:48 pm

        And who gets your vote this time?

        • john 1.1.1.1
          12 August 2014 at 12:52 pm

          The winners – just like most elections.

          I’ll happily vote left again as soon as they have policies and people competent enough to run the country.

          • Sanctuary 1.1.1.1.1
            12 August 2014 at 1:10 pm

            Don’t feed the troll.

          • anker 1.1.1.1.2
            12 August 2014 at 1:58 pm

            J @1.1.1.1 That has to be Cunliffe. Very competent minister, not afraid to sack a corrupt health board, solved an on-going Dr’s dispute by sitting down with both parties. Sorted in one evening. Harvard, business background Mfaft. Fully costed, fully comprehensive policies (visit their website John, to say it out-shines Nationals is an undertatement.

            Dam……….responded to the troll! Just couldn’t help myself!

            • alwyn 1.1.1.1.2.1
              12 August 2014 at 5:33 pm

              That’s all right. You didn’t waste your time giving him a reasoned argument, backed up by facts.
              It wouldn’t have taken very long to provide this little bit of spin, quoting a whole lot of fairy tales.

              • framu …
                13 August 2014 at 7:41 am

                pretty sure youve seen how john behaves alwyn – do facts or reasoned argument even matter to john?

          • ghostwhowalksnz 1.1.1.1.3
            12 August 2014 at 2:31 pm

            Heard of Christchurch rebuild disaster ? Novapay. ? Pike River, Masterton balloon tragedy?
            We will be paying well into to future for Englishs ‘competancy’ for borrowing $1 billion per month for the last 5 years

            • john 1.1.1.1.3.1
              12 August 2014 at 2:51 pm

              Another reminder that the global financial crisis never happened in the heads of planet left.

              • McFlock …
                12 August 2014 at 3:33 pm

                and yet we could still afford a further round of tax cuts for the rich…

                • john …
                  12 August 2014 at 3:55 pm

                  No doubt if they didn’t, you’d be talking about “broken election promises”

                  • McFlock …
                    12 August 2014 at 4:04 pm

                    jeez, it’s almost as if they shouldn’t have promised tax cuts when the GFC was evident.

                    Forbes & Coates were equally shit.

                    • john …
                      12 August 2014 at 4:35 pm

                      In 2008 Labour promised tax cuts “that by 2012 will amount to over $4.6 billion” (quote from Micheal Cullen).

                    • Draco T Bastard …
                      12 August 2014 at 4:44 pm

                      And in 2008, once the GFC was evident, they promised a new budget in 2008 to cover the expected shortfall.

                      National, being the incompetents that they are, just went with unaffordable tax cuts.

                    • john …
                      12 August 2014 at 5:09 pm

                      That was a big reason for Labours 2008 election loss. Cullen increased the tax take from $30b to $60b without giving any tax relief for workers.

                      He was taking a higher and higher % of gdp as tax.

                      By failing to move tax brackets over such a long period, effectively every worker, every year, was paying a bigger and bigger percentage of their wages in tax.

                    • McFlock …
                      12 August 2014 at 5:13 pm

                      By failing to move tax brackets over such a long period, effectively every worker, every year, was paying a bigger and bigger percentage of their wages in tax.

                      so by paying the same percantage in tax they were paying a bigger percentage in tax?

                      You’re an idiot, john.

                    • Gosman …
                      12 August 2014 at 5:21 pm

                      Ahhh…. no. If you have a progressive tax system unless you change the bands occassionally due to wage increases more people end up paying higher rates of tax even though they may have only moved in to the higher tax bracket as a result of cost of living increases. I’m not surprised you didn’t grasp this concept though.

                    • McFlock …
                      12 August 2014 at 5:33 pm

                      actually, fair call.

                      All else being equal, of course.

                    • Draco T Bastard …
                      12 August 2014 at 6:45 pm

                      Cullen increased the tax take from $30b to $60b

                      [citation needed]

                      By failing to move tax brackets over such a long period,

                      All the RWNJs go on about the tax brackets not moving but I suspect that most people didn’t even realise it or weren’t concerned about it. After all, most people don’t have high enough income to be concerned with where the next tax bracket comes in.

                      And, yes, I agree that the tax brackets need to move inline with incomes.

              • meconism …
                12 August 2014 at 5:18 pm

                Global Banking Crisis, not Financial crisis.

          • Clemgeopin 1.1.1.1.4
            12 August 2014 at 9:31 pm

            If you think that the inefficient and/or dishonest nincompoops like Key, English, Joyce, Brownlee, Collins, Bennett, Coleman, Parata, McCully, Groser, Finlayson, Tolley, N smith, N Guy, C.Floss, Williamson, Dunne, Banks, Woodhouse, and oh, Bridges, are ‘competent’, then you are absolutely wrong, pretty blind or thick!

            And as far as the National party’s ‘policies’ are concerned, they are PRIMARILY geared for the benefit of the wealthy with a few vote winning public relations motivated cunning crumbs thrown in for the what Key once referred to as ‘the underclass’!

      • infused 1.1.2
        12 August 2014 at 12:48 pm

        Including the very outdated picture of Farrer.

        • ghostwhowalksnz 1.1.2.1
          12 August 2014 at 2:33 pm

          Oprah had lost a lot of weight …once. But most came back on fairly quickly. So no need to refresh his picture

      • adam 1.1.3
        12 August 2014 at 1:01 pm

        Who here lies and is not stomped on by the moderators, either, be they right or left?

        Who makes assumptions and uses the MSM to extend their propaganda – here on the standard?

        How diverse are the arguments here? Have you not seen left v left fighting? I know I’ve butted heads with people from Labour, the Greens and IMP – and I still like and respect them even though we disagree.

        This is a discussion board, with a huge range of views. They even let in the occasional anarchist on you know.

        So John, your kinda wrong, sorry buddy.

        • Tracey 1.1.3.1
          12 August 2014 at 1:03 pm

          Some people confuse people with sites. I singled out hoots and farrar cos they manage to get high exposure of their “thoughts”. I dont recall seeing or hearing the main authors from this site in MSM where the ignorance can spread like wildfire

          • srylands 1.1.3.1.1
            12 August 2014 at 9:02 pm

            That is because the main authors from this site are anonymous.

            • McFlock 1.1.3.1.1.1
              12 August 2014 at 9:14 pm

              Actually, they’re pseudonumous, sspylands.
              Tell me, does lusk post to the greasy cetacean using his own name?
              edit: oh, you’re trying to get yourself kicked. Need a Medal of Squalor to show your tory mates, huh?

        • Gosman 1.1.3.2
          12 August 2014 at 1:14 pm

          I don’t think David Farrar makes statements he knows are factually inaccurate so therefore you can’t really accuse him of lying. He might put up something that is not correct but he does acknowledge his mistake often times. In this regard he is probably better than many posters here.

          • One Anonymous Bloke 1.1.3.2.1
            12 August 2014 at 1:17 pm

            Nice of you to elucidate the finer points of implausible deniability, Gosman, you being such an expert ‘n’ all.

          • McFlock 1.1.3.2.2
            12 August 2014 at 1:18 pm

            Farrar says, “Dr Gilbert now concedes gangs are responsible for the proportions cited”

            I did not. Anybody can read my post for themselves and see that.

            So your position is that farrar isn’t a liar, he is just incapable of reading while at the same time being capable of formulating a coherent statement that contradicts reality?

            What a unique literacy problem Farrar must have. Or he, like you, is just a fucking liar.

            • felix 1.1.3.2.2.1
              12 August 2014 at 4:58 pm

              I’ve tried to explain to Gosman before how bad it looks when your entire argument consists of defining the word “lie”…

              • Gosman …
                12 August 2014 at 5:26 pm

                The problem for many of you lefties is you are so intellectually arrogant that you can’t grasp than any position which is at odds with your world view can be arrived at by the same level of analysis that you go through to come to yours. There is a lack of acknowledgment that there is more than one way to skin a cat. This arrogance leads to statements whereby anyone presenting a contrary position must by extension be telling a lie. I actually encourage this in leftists behaviour as it is very off putting to many undecided people.

                • BLiP …
                  12 August 2014 at 5:37 pm

                  ‘

                  The problem for many Tories is that you deliberately seek to confuse the telling of lies with analysis. You did read the OP, right?

                • felix …
                  12 August 2014 at 5:39 pm

                  Unfortunately Farrar’s “contrary position” is contrary to the fact, facts that were directly available to him when he told the lies.

                  Twist and turn all you like my little worm. A lie is a lie however you define it.

                • Tracey …
                  12 August 2014 at 5:50 pm

                  Pot. Kettle. FOG

                • tricledrown …
                  12 August 2014 at 11:38 pm

                  The goose has cooked himself in whale oil!
                  you have outed yourself goose!

          • Sanctuary 1.1.3.2.3
            12 August 2014 at 2:03 pm

            Dr Jarrod Gilbert is an expert. He basically called Farrar a liar. Game over.

            • Gosman 1.1.3.2.3.1
              12 August 2014 at 2:13 pm

              Why is that game over?

            • john 1.1.3.2.3.2
              12 August 2014 at 2:26 pm

              Most experts don’t have a “Wanker of the Week”, blog about how fat their girl friend is, or how drunk they are so early in the day.

              • BLiP …
                12 August 2014 at 4:20 pm

                ‘

                Classic . . .

                Tory Ideology 101: when confronted with undeniable facts and/or irrefutable logic, apply ad hom

                • john …
                  12 August 2014 at 4:42 pm

                  And the thousands of examples of the same thing here by left wingers?

                  Perhaps you have missed the irony of your own hypocrisy.

                  • felix …
                    12 August 2014 at 4:55 pm

                    john.

                    When you find someone telling lies, demonstrate it by presenting evidence.

                    It really is that simple. It’s amazing that you never do it.

                    • Gosman …
                      12 August 2014 at 5:15 pm

                      Again the double standards in the comment is fascinating.

                    • john …
                      12 August 2014 at 5:18 pm

                      There are thousands of examples on this site of people on the left attacking the person instead of the subject.

                      If you can’t find any, then you’re deliberately closing your eyes.

                    • felix …
                      12 August 2014 at 5:29 pm

                      Oh indeed. I for one like to make fun of idiots with nothing to add. I’m doing it right now.

                      But I thought you were complaining about lies?

                    • BLiP …
                      12 August 2014 at 5:57 pm

                      There are thousands of examples on this site of people on the left attacking the person instead of the subject.

                      Show me one – yes, just one – instance of Dr Gilbert attacking the person and not the subject. I mean, it is Dr Gilbert’s highlighting of Farrar’s lies we are talking about here and it is Dr Gilbert that you attacked without reference to the actual subject being discussed.

                      Are you 12?

          • tricledrown 1.1.3.2.4
            12 August 2014 at 4:21 pm

            How many dead rats will Key have to swallow to get back in to power crazy colin inbred whyte legally high dunne winnie the pooh splintered is not the right word unhinged like you gossipman!

          • tricledrown 1.1.3.2.5
            12 August 2014 at 11:03 pm

            Especially you gossipman you never acknowledge your mistakes you just stop posting for a while then come back hoping everyone will forget!

            • Gosman 1.1.3.2.5.1
              13 August 2014 at 10:22 am

              Such as?

              • tricledrown …
                13 August 2014 at 10:47 am

                Claiming Ireland’s economy not collapsing eastern European countries were going gang busters and too many other pathetic Toilt?roll actions of pathetic propaganda trying to defend the indefensible!
                Less is more Gossipman. yesterday you admitted you come to this Blog site to cause disruption the first time you have been completely truthful!
                how much do you get paid because recently you have lied more than not and been found out!
                Do you get paid by column inch Lie or half truth!

                • Gosman …
                  13 August 2014 at 11:01 am

                  Yes. I am quite willing to defend my position on those issue. I’m curious though about your comments where you equate Futures with a CDO. Would you classify that as a lie considering it is wrong?

                  • felix …
                    13 August 2014 at 11:27 am

                    Classic Gosman:

                    ‘I’m quite willing to defend my position, let’s change the subject immediately.’

                    • Gosman …
                      13 August 2014 at 11:43 am

                      Not changing the subject at all. If tricledrown wishes to post something on Open Mike I will support my position that Ireland and a number of Eastern European nations got through the downturn after the GFC by following a austerity line much better than nations that didn’t follow such policies.

                    • tricledrown …
                      13 August 2014 at 3:45 pm

                      Lies again gossipman Ireland’s economy only barely keeping head above water you call $170 billion stimulus package +unlimited funding of Irish abnks at virtually 0% Austerity I’ll eat my hat!
                      Unemployment figures look good only because so many have left!

                      Eastern Europe is in permanent recession!

                • Gosman …
                  13 August 2014 at 11:18 am

                  Just to refresh your memory on the topic here is your coment equating futures with CDO’s

                  http://thestandard.org.nz/nrt-32000-out-of-work-under-national/#comment-861761

            • felix 1.1.3.2.5.2
              13 August 2014 at 10:45 am

              Gos never stops posting, but he does switch handles.

        • left for dead 1.1.3.3
          12 August 2014 at 1:56 pm

          occasional anarchist Good stuff Adam. By the way,Loyely sunny day her on the Pennisula.A.M

      • One Anonymous Bloke 1.1.4
        12 August 2014 at 1:16 pm

        Big difference between point scoring and dishonesty. Farrar is exposed as dishonest, not just biased.

  2. Gosman 2
    12 August 2014 at 1:07 pm

    Ummm… you do acknowledge there is quite a major link between Gang mambers and Gang Associates do you? I suspect that if gangs were better targetted by Police it would have some impact on crime committed by associates.

  3. ghostwhowalksnz 3
    12 August 2014 at 2:18 pm

    years ago, when Farrar started his blog I had a great debate with him about his misleading use of % to compare different numbers. A big no no, as its lesson one in how to lie using statistics.

    Hes been superceded by the the Oily Orca as nationals mouthpiece, so traffic has dropped off markedly. So now when he wants to make a point and there is no absurd statement for him to make himself sound reasonable, he goes as says “imagine if they were….[insert ridiculous comment]

  4. Populuxe1 4
    12 August 2014 at 4:37 pm

    I trust we can still all agree that gangs are a bad thing?

    • Tracey 4.1
      12 August 2014 at 5:55 pm

      If gangs are bad does that mean farrar can misrepresent or lie about stats about gangs?

      • Populuxe1 4.1.1
        12 August 2014 at 6:08 pm

        No, it just means that this is all a trivial distraction over terms and point scoring from the real issue which is gangs are bad and society would be better off without them.

        • Pascals bookie 4.1.1.1
          12 August 2014 at 6:24 pm

          Have you read his post? or his blog? or his book?

          having the facts is how you deal with the problems. Fudging the facts, doesn’t help.

          • Populuxe1 4.1.1.1.1
            12 August 2014 at 7:06 pm

            Whatever. This is a side show. Farrar has nothing to do with making policy, he only exists to annoy people.

            • Pascals bookie 4.1.1.1.1.1
              12 August 2014 at 7:13 pm

              The stats are the Minister’s aren’t they? Isn’t Farrar just trying to defend the Minister’s stats?

              Or is the Minister a sideshow too?

              • Populuxe1 …
                12 August 2014 at 7:48 pm

                I wasn’t aware that National’s uselessness was in question. I just fail to see why people keep giving Farrar oxygen.

            • lprent 4.1.1.1.1.2
              12 August 2014 at 9:37 pm

              Actually I suspect that he has quite a lot to do with making policy. That is what party pollsters wind up doing when they test messages. Both at the polling level and in the kiwiblog lab.

    • Murray Olsen 4.2
      13 August 2014 at 3:10 am

      I don’t agree with that at all. The world is not so simple. There is some good in gangs, which should be recognised. I agree that Farrar and Whalespew are bad things.

  5. tricledrown 5
    12 August 2014 at 4:48 pm

    Gangs have proliferated under Nationals get tough on gangs policy ,Gangs don’t show up in the crime stats because they have got a lot smarter and are not easy to prosecute because of intimidation and the high standard of evidence required to required .Then the gangs are able to pool money and get dodgy lawyers to them off!
    Now a couple of weeks out from the election Tolley after 6 years announces a band aid policy

    • Gosman 5.1
      12 August 2014 at 5:17 pm

      You have evidence that membership of gangs have increased over the past 6 years do you?

  6. tricledrown 6
    12 August 2014 at 4:56 pm

    Gangs are having a free reign on petty crime and burglary as the Cops don,t show up to a burglary or maybe a couple of days later even though we have record numbers of cops with modern labour saving devices , the numbers of burglaries solved continues to drop the police are just leaving it to the insurance companies to pick up the pieces
    Violent crime is up a lot worse than the police figures suggest as they have split the types of crime into more categories making the numbers look small!
    And they claim record low crime it just doesn’t add up cops are fudging the figures under Nationals guidance!

    • Gosman 6.1
      12 August 2014 at 5:18 pm

      Any evidence that Cops are fudging crime statistics in a massive way under National party guidance?

      • McFlock 6.1.1
        12 August 2014 at 5:23 pm

        so many weasel words in one sentence: “in a massive way”… “under National party guidance”.

        Pure co-inkydink that five officers fudged the burg stats by 30% in the police minister’s electorate.

        • Gosman 6.1.1.1
          12 August 2014 at 5:28 pm

          Yes I am aware of the one off case. However that is not what trickledown has claimed is happening.

          • McFlock 6.1.1.1.1
            12 August 2014 at 5:37 pm

            lol
            so police respond within twenty minutes to every report of a burglary, do they?

          • Descendant Of Sssmith 6.1.1.1.2
            12 August 2014 at 5:43 pm

            There was a media report about a year after National came in outlining that police had been told to now count fraud such as cheque fraud by changing from each cheque being a charge to group them together.

            Given the long history of individual documents being an individual charge I’d suggest that was fudging.

            No doubt others would call it “efficiency.”

            • BLiP 6.1.1.1.2.1
              12 August 2014 at 5:55 pm

              ‘

              The more grievous twisting of figures by National Ltd™ was when the collecting of crime statistics was tweaked to discount multiple reports of the same crime. Prior to National Ltd™, if the same crime was reported by, say, three people it was counted as three reports, now its counted as one. That’s how National Ltd™ has managed to reduce crime.

              (One aside: remember how in the lead up to the 2008 election there was a MSM-induced sense of fear about crime in New Zealand? There were a couple of shocking murders in the lead up to the election . . . not so much MSM hysteria this time, though and the number and nature of recent murders has been far more baleful. )

            • Gosman 6.1.1.1.2.2
              13 August 2014 at 10:25 am

              Link to media report please. Governments do not usually engage in the detail of how statistics are collected however if you have evidence of this present it.

  7. silverbullet 7
    12 August 2014 at 6:05 pm

    The public are rightly not going to fuss much about the gang member/gang associate differential. The public hates them justifiably and are likely to perceive a pointy head academic sociologist as a bleeding heart Lefty type suffering from Stockholm Syndrome.

    • Pascals bookie 7.1
      12 August 2014 at 6:22 pm

      So I guess this weird rant is in place of an argument that might show which of Gilbert or DPF is actually correct?

      • silverbullet 7.1.1
        12 August 2014 at 7:22 pm

        The point is it is academic.

        • Pascals bookie 7.1.1.1
          12 August 2014 at 7:30 pm

          What’s academic? The question of whether you are just boringly dishonest or actually really stupid?

          I think that’s pretty academic, (in that it doesn’t really matter), but I’ve got a bit of time, should we explore it?

  8. silverbullet 8
    12 August 2014 at 6:12 pm

    Gilbert is a raving neo Marxist Leftie. lol:

    “Honourable mentions: The 94 percent of Israeli Jews, let’s call them evil wankers, who feel that the assault on Gaza is not ‘excessive’; people who live in Epsom for continually being wankers; and all of the lazy wankers not defacing election billboards.”

    • felix 8.1
      12 August 2014 at 6:53 pm

      How come you picked that one and not the one where he lays into the Internet/Mana Party, which also happens to be the very next post to the one we’re talking about?

      • silverbullet 8.1.1
        12 August 2014 at 7:24 pm

        Stop pretending the guy is not well Left.

        • felix 8.1.1.1
          12 August 2014 at 7:35 pm

          Why would I do that? I don’t think being “left” in any way invalidates his facts.

          You, on the other hand, are unable to find any fault with his argument so you’re desperately thrashing around for some other reason to attack him.

          Why didn’t you pick the one where he slams Trevor Mallard?

  9. repateet 9
    12 August 2014 at 8:58 pm

    Cameron Slater is easily identified as a toe rag. He often looks dishevelled, he thinks dishevelled and he writes squalid.

    Farrar gets invited to all the poncey places and media as a conservative, normal, thinking man-of-the -world, albeit from the right. Great uniforms for a feral huckster.

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    TL;DR: As of 6:00 am on Friday, July 26, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:Transport: Simeon Brown announced $802.9 million in funding for 18 new trains on the Wairarapa and Manawatū rail lines, which ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 day ago
  • Radical law changes needed to build road

    The northern expressway extension from Warkworth to Whangarei is likely to require radical changes to legislation if it is going to be built within the foreseeable future. The Government’s powers to purchase land, the planning process and current restrictions on road tolling are all going to need to be changed ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    1 day ago
  • Skeptical Science New Research for Week #30 2024

    Open access notables Could an extremely cold central European winter such as 1963 happen again despite climate change?, Sippel et al., Weather and Climate Dynamics: Here, we first show based on multiple attribution methods that a winter of similar circulation conditions to 1963 would still lead to an extreme seasonal ...
    Skeptical Science
    2 days ago
  • First they came for the Māori

    Text within this block will maintain its original spacing when publishedFirst they came for the doctors But I was confused by the numbers and costs So I didn't speak up Then they came for our police and nurses And I didn't think we could afford those costs anyway So I ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    2 days ago
  • Join us for the weekly Hoon on YouTube Live

    Photo by Joshua J. Cotten on UnsplashWe’re back again after our mid-winter break. We’re still with the ‘new’ day of the week (Thursday rather than Friday) when we have our ‘hoon’ webinar with paying subscribers to The Kākā for an hour at 5 pm.Jump on this link on YouTube Livestream ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago
  • Will the real PM Luxon please stand up?

    Notes: This is a free article. Abuse in Care themes are mentioned. Video is at the bottom.BackgroundYesterday’s report into Abuse in Care revealed that at least 1 in 3 of all who went through state and faith based care were abused - often horrifically. At least, because not all survivors ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    2 days ago
  • Will debt reduction trump abuse in care redress?

    Luxon speaks in Parliament yesterday about the Abuse in Care report. Photo: Hagen Hopkins/Getty ImagesTL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy today are:PM Christopher Luxon said yesterday in tabling the Abuse in Care report in Parliament he wanted to ‘do the ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago
  • Olywhites and Time Bandits

    About a decade ago I worked with a bloke called Steve. He was the grizzled veteran coder, a few years older than me, who knew where the bodies were buried - code wise. Despite his best efforts to be approachable and friendly he could be kind of gruff, through to ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    2 days ago
  • Why were the 1930s so hot in North America?

    This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Jeff Masters and Bob Henson Those who’ve trawled social media during heat waves have likely encountered a tidbit frequently used to brush aside human-caused climate change: Many U.S. states and cities had their single hottest temperature on record during the 1930s, setting incredible heat marks ...
    Skeptical Science
    2 days ago
  • Throwback Thursday – Thinking about Expressways

    Some of the recent announcements from the government have reminded us of posts we’ve written in the past. Here’s one from early 2020. There were plenty of reactions to the government’s infrastructure announcement a few weeks ago which saw them fund a bunch of big roading projects. One of ...
    Greater AucklandBy Greater Auckland
    2 days ago
  • The Kākā’s Pick 'n' Mix for Thursday, July 25

    TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 7:00 am on Thursday, July 25 are:News: Why Electric Kiwi is closing to new customers - and why it matters RNZ’s Susan EdmundsScoop: Government drops ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago
  • The Possum: Demon or Friend?

    Hi,I felt a small wet tongue snaking through one of the holes in my Crocs. It explored my big toe, darting down one side, then the other. “He’s looking for some toe cheese,” said the woman next to me, words that still haunt me to this day.Growing up in New ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    2 days ago
  • Not a story

    Yesterday I happily quoted the Prime Minister without fact-checking him and sure enough, it turns out his numbers were all to hell. It’s not four kg of Royal Commission report, it’s fourteen.My friend and one-time colleague-in-comms Hazel Phillips gently alerted me to my error almost as soon as I’d hit ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    2 days ago
  • The Kākā’s Journal of Record for Thursday, July 25

    TL;DR: As of 6:00 am on Thursday, July 25, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day were:The Abuse in Care Royal Commission of Inquiry published its final report yesterday.PM Christopher Luxon and The Minister responsible for ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago
  • A tougher line on “proactive release”?

    The Official Information Act has always been a battle between requesters seeking information, and governments seeking to control it. Information is power, so Ministers and government agencies want to manage what is released and when, for their own convenience, and legality and democracy be damned. Their most recent tactic for ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    3 days ago
  • 'Let's build a motorway costing $100 million per km, before emissions costs'

    TL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy today are:Transport and Energy Minister Simeon Brown is accelerating plans to spend at least $10 billion through Public Private Partnerships (PPPs) to extend State Highway One as a four-lane ‘Expressway’ from Warkworth to Whangarei ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago
  • Lester's Prescription – Positive Bleeding.

    I live my life (woo-ooh-ooh)With no control in my destinyYea-yeah, yea-yeah (woo-ooh-ooh)I can bleed when I want to bleedSo come on, come on (woo-ooh-ooh)You can bleed when you want to bleedYea-yeah, come on (woo-ooh-ooh)Everybody bleed when they want to bleedCome on and bleedGovernments face tough challenges. Selling unpopular decisions to ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    3 days ago
  • Casey Costello gaslights Labour in the House

    Please note:To skip directly to the- parliamentary footage in the video, scroll to 1:21 To skip to audio please click on the headphone icon on the left hand side of the screenThis video / audio section is under development. ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    3 days ago
  • Why is the Texas grid in such bad shape?

    This is a re-post from the Climate Brink by Andrew Dessler Headline from 2021 The Texas grid, run by ERCOT, has had a rough few years. In 2021, winter storm Uri blacked out much of the state for several days. About a week ago, Hurricane Beryl knocked out ...
    Skeptical Science
    3 days ago
  • Gordon Campbell on a textbook case of spending waste by the Luxon government

    Given the crackdown on wasteful government spending, it behooves me to point to a high profile example of spending by the Luxon government that looks like a big, fat waste of time and money. I’m talking about the deployment of NZDF personnel to support the US-led coalition in the Red ...
    WerewolfBy lyndon
    3 days ago
  • The Kākā’s Pick 'n' Mix for Wednesday, July 24

    TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 7:40 am on Wednesday, July 24 are:Deep Dive: Chipping away at the housing crisis, including my comments RNZ/Newsroom’s The DetailNews: Government softens on asset sales, ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago
  • LXR Takaanini

    As I reported about the city centre, Auckland’s rail network is also going through a difficult and disruptive period which is rapidly approaching a culmination, this will result in a significant upgrade to the whole network. Hallelujah. Also like the city centre this is an upgrade predicated on the City ...
    Greater AucklandBy Patrick Reynolds
    3 days ago
  • Four kilograms of pain

    Today, a 4 kilogram report will be delivered to Parliament. We know this is what the report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in State and Faith-based Care weighs, because our Prime Minister told us so.Some reporter had blindsided him by asking a question about something done by ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago
  • The Kākā’s Journal of Record for Wednesday, July 24

    TL;DR: As of 7:00 am on Wednesday, July 24, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:Beehive: Transport Minister Simeon Brown announced plans to use PPPs to fund, build and run a four-lane expressway between Auckland ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago
  • Luxon gets caught out

    NewstalkZB host Mike Hosking, who can usually be relied on to give Prime Minister Christopher Luxon an easy run, did not do so yesterday when he interviewed him about the HealthNZ deficit. Luxon is trying to use a deficit reported last year by HealthNZ as yet another example of the ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    3 days ago
  • A worrying sign

    Back in January a StatsNZ employee gave a speech at Rātana on behalf of tangata whenua in which he insulted and criticised the government. The speech clearly violated the principle of a neutral public service, and StatsNZ started an investigation. Part of that was getting an external consultant to examine ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    4 days ago
  • Are we fine with 47.9% home-ownership by 2048?

    Renting for life: Shared ownership initiatives are unlikely to slow the slide in home ownership by much. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy today are:A Deloitte report for Westpac has projected Aotearoa’s home-ownership rate will ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • Let's Win This

    You're broken down and tiredOf living life on a merry go roundAnd you can't find the fighterBut I see it in you so we gonna walk it outAnd move mountainsWe gonna walk it outAnd move mountainsAnd I'll rise upI'll rise like the dayI'll rise upI'll rise unafraidI'll rise upAnd I'll ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    4 days ago
  • Waimahara: The Singing Spirit of Water

    There’s been a change in Myers Park. Down the steps from St. Kevin’s Arcade, past the grassy slopes, the children’s playground, the benches and that goat statue, there has been a transformation. The underpass for Mayoral Drive has gone from a barren, grey, concrete tunnel, to a place that thrums ...
    Greater AucklandBy Connor Sharp
    4 days ago
  • A major milestone: Global climate pollution may have just peaked

    This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections Global society may have finally slammed on the brakes for climate-warming pollution released by human fossil fuel combustion. According to the Carbon Monitor Project, the total global climate pollution released between February and May 2024 declined slightly from the amount released during the same ...
    Skeptical Science
    4 days ago
  • The Kākā’s Pick 'n' Mix for Tuesday, July 23

    TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 7:00 am on Tuesday, July 23 are:Deep Dive: Penlink: where tolling rhetoric meets reality BusinessDesk-$$$’s Oliver LewisScoop: Te Pūkenga plans for regional polytechs leak out ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • The Kākā’s Journal of Record for Tuesday, July 23

    TL;DR: As of 6:00 am on Tuesday, July 23, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:Health: Shane Reti announced the Board of Te Whatu Ora- Health New Zealand was being replaced with Commissioner Lester Levy ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • HealthNZ and Luxon at cross purposes over budget blowout

    Health NZ warned the Government at the end of March that it was running over Budget. But the reasons it gave were very different to those offered by the Prime Minister yesterday. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon blamed the “botched merger” of the 20 District Health Boards (DHBs) to create Health ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    4 days ago
  • 2500-3000 more healthcare staff expected to be fired, as Shane Reti blames Labour for a budget defic...

    Long ReadKey Summary: Although National increased the health budget by $1.4 billion in May, they used an old funding model to project health system costs, and never bothered to update their pre-election numbers. They were told during the Health Select Committees earlier in the year their budget amount was deficient, ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    4 days ago
  • Might Kamala Harris be about to get a 'stardust' moment like Jacinda Ardern?

    As a momentous, historic weekend in US politics unfolded, analysts and commentators grasped for precedents and comparisons to help explain the significance and power of the choice Joe Biden had made. The 46th president had swept the Democratic party’s primaries but just over 100 days from the election had chosen ...
    PunditBy Tim Watkin
    5 days ago
  • Solutions Interview: Steven Hail on MMT & ecological economics

    TL;DR: I’m casting around for new ideas and ways of thinking about Aotearoa’s political economy to find a few solutions to our cascading and self-reinforcing housing, poverty and climate crises.Associate Professor runs an online masters degree in the economics of sustainability at Torrens University in Australia and is organising ...
    The KakaBy Steven Hail
    5 days ago
  • Reported back

    The Finance and Expenditure Committee has reported back on National's Local Government (Water Services Preliminary Arrangements) Bill. The bill sets up water for privatisation, and was introduced under urgency, then rammed through select committee with no time even for local councils to make a proper submission. Naturally, national's select committee ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    5 days ago
  • Vandrad the Viking, Christopher Coombes, and Literary Archaeology

    Some years ago, I bought a book at Dunedin’s Regent Booksale for $1.50. As one does. Vandrad the Viking (1898), by J. Storer Clouston, is an obscure book these days – I cannot find a proper online review – but soon it was sitting on my shelf, gathering dust alongside ...
    A Phuulish FellowBy strda221
    5 days ago
  • Gordon Campbell On The Biden Withdrawal

    History is not on the side of the centre-left, when Democratic presidents fall behind in the polls and choose not to run for re-election. On both previous occasions in the past 75 years (Harry Truman in 1952, Lyndon Johnson in 1968) the Democrats proceeded to then lose the White House ...
    WerewolfBy lyndon
    5 days ago
  • Joe Biden's withdrawal puts the spotlight back on Kamala and the USA's complicated relatio...

    This is a free articleCoverageThis morning, US President Joe Biden announced his withdrawal from the Presidential race. And that is genuinely newsworthy. Thanks for your service, President Biden, and all the best to you and yours.However, the media in New Zealand, particularly the 1News nightly bulletin, has been breathlessly covering ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    5 days ago
  • Why we have to challenge our national fiscal assumptions

    A homeless person’s camp beside a blocked-off slipped damage walkway in Freeman’s Bay: we are chasing our tail on our worsening and inter-related housing, poverty and climate crises. Photo: Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • Existential Crisis and Damaged Brains

    What has happened to it all?Crazy, some'd sayWhere is the life that I recognise?(Gone away)But I won't cry for yesterdayThere's an ordinary worldSomehow I have to findAnd as I try to make my wayTo the ordinary worldYesterday morning began as many others - what to write about today? I began ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago
  • A speed limit is not a target, and yet…

    This is a guest post from longtime supporter Mr Plod, whose previous contributions include a proposal that Hamilton become New Zealand’s capital city, and that we should switch which side of the road we drive on. A recent Newsroom article, “Back to school for the Govt’s new speed limit policy“, ...
    Greater AucklandBy Guest Post
    5 days ago
  • The Kākā’s Pick 'n' Mix for Monday, July 22

    TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 7:00 am on Monday, July 22 are:Today’s Must Read: Father and son live in a tent, and have done for four years, in a million ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • The Kākā’s Journal of Record for Monday, July 22

    TL;DR: As of 7:00 am on Monday, July 22, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:US President Joe Biden announced via X this morning he would not stand for a second term.Multinational professional services firm ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • 2024 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #29

    A listing of 32 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, July 14, 2024 thru Sat, July 20, 2024. Story of the week As reflected by preponderance of coverage, our Story of the Week is Project 2025. Until now traveling ...
    Skeptical Science
    6 days ago
  • I'd like to share what I did this weekend

    This weekend, a friend pointed out someone who said they’d like to read my posts, but didn’t want to pay. And my first reaction was sympathy.I’ve already told folks that if they can’t comfortably subscribe, and would like to read, I’d be happy to offer free subscriptions. I don’t want ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    6 days ago
  • For the children – Why mere sentiment can be a misleading force in our lives, and lead to unex...

    National: The Party of ‘Law and Order’ IntroductionThis weekend, the Government formally kicked off one of their flagship policy programs: a military style boot camp that New Zealand has experimented with over the past 50 years. Cartoon credit: Guy BodyIt’s very popular with the National Party’s Law and Order image, ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    6 days ago
  • A friend in uncertain times

    Day one of the solo leg of my long journey home begins with my favourite sound: footfalls in an empty street. 5.00 am and it’s already light and already too warm, almost.If I can make the train that leaves Budapest later this hour I could be in Belgrade by nightfall; ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    6 days ago
  • The Chaotic World of Male Diet Influencers

    Hi,We’ll get to the horrific world of male diet influencers (AKA Beefy Boys) shortly, but first you will be glad to know that since I sent out the Webworm explaining why the assassination attempt on Donald Trump was not a false flag operation, I’ve heard from a load of people ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    6 days ago
  • It's Starting To Look A Lot Like… Y2K

    Do you remember Y2K, the threat that hung over humanity in the closing days of the twentieth century? Horror scenarios of planes falling from the sky, electronic payments failing and ATMs refusing to dispense cash. As for your VCR following instructions and recording your favourite show - forget about it.All ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    1 week ago
  • Bernard’s Saturday Soliloquy for the week to July 20

    Climate Change Minister Simon Watts being questioned by The Kākā’s Bernard Hickey.TL;DR: My top six things to note around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the week to July 20 were:1. A strategy that fails Zero Carbon Act & Paris targetsThe National-ACT-NZ First Coalition Government finally unveiled ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago
  • Pharmac Director, Climate Change Commissioner, Health NZ Directors – The latest to quit this m...

    Summary:As New Zealand loses at least 12 leaders in the public service space of health, climate, and pharmaceuticals, this month alone, directly in response to the Government’s policies and budget choices, what lies ahead may be darker than it appears. Tui examines some of those departures and draws a long ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    1 week ago
  • Flooding Housing Policy

    The Minister of Housing’s ambition is to reduce markedly the ratio of house prices to household incomes. If his strategy works it would transform the housing market, dramatically changing the prospects of housing as an investment.Leaving aside the Minister’s metaphor of ‘flooding the market’ I do not see how the ...
    PunditBy Brian Easton
    1 week ago
  • A Voyage Among the Vandals: Accepted (Again!)

    As previously noted, my historical fantasy piece, set in the fifth-century Mediterranean, was accepted for a Pirate Horror anthology, only for the anthology to later fall through. But in a good bit of news, it turned out that the story could indeed be re-marketed as sword and sorcery. As of ...
    A Phuulish FellowBy strda221
    1 week ago
  • The Kākā's Chorus for Friday, July 19

    An employee of tobacco company Philip Morris International demonstrates a heated tobacco device. Photo: Getty ImagesTL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy on Friday, July 19 are:At a time when the Coalition Government is cutting spending on health, infrastructure, education, housing ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago
  • The Kākā’s Pick 'n' Mix for Friday, July 19

    TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 8:30 am on Friday, July 19 are:Scoop: NZ First Minister Casey Costello orders 50% cut to excise tax on heated tobacco products. The minister has ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago
  • Weekly Roundup 19-July-2024

    Kia ora, it’s time for another Friday roundup, in which we pull together some of the links and stories that caught our eye this week. Feel free to add more in the comments! Our header image this week shows a foggy day in Auckland town, captured by Patrick Reynolds. ...
    Greater AucklandBy Greater Auckland
    1 week ago
  • Weekly Climate Wrap: A market-led plan for failure

    TL;DR : Here’s the top six items climate news for Aotearoa this week, as selected by Bernard Hickey and The Kākā’s climate correspondent Cathrine Dyer. A discussion recorded yesterday is in the video above and the audio of that sent onto the podcast feed.The Government released its draft Emissions Reduction ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago
  • Tobacco First

    Save some money, get rich and old, bring it back to Tobacco Road.Bring that dynamite and a crane, blow it up, start all over again.Roll up. Roll up. Or tailor made, if you prefer...Whether you’re selling ciggies, digging for gold, catching dolphins in your nets, or encouraging folks to flutter ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    1 week ago
  • Trump’s Adopted Son.

    Waiting In The Wings: For truly, if Trump is America’s un-assassinated Caesar, then J.D. Vance is America’s Octavian, the Republic’s youthful undertaker – and its first Emperor.DONALD TRUMP’S SELECTION of James D. Vance as his running-mate bodes ill for the American republic. A fervent supporter of Viktor Orban, the “illiberal” prime ...
    Bowalley Road
    1 week ago
  • The Kākā’s Journal of Record for Friday, July 19

    TL;DR: As of 6:00 am on Friday, July 19, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:The PSA announced the Employment Relations Authority (ERA) had ruled in the PSA’s favour in its case against the Ministry ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago

  • Joint statement from the Prime Ministers of Canada, Australia and New Zealand

    Australia, Canada and New Zealand today issued the following statement on the need for an urgent ceasefire in Gaza and the risk of expanded conflict between Hizballah and Israel. The situation in Gaza is catastrophic. The human suffering is unacceptable. It cannot continue.  We remain unequivocal in our condemnation of ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    18 hours ago
  • AG reminds institutions of legal obligations

    Attorney-General Judith Collins today reminded all State and faith-based institutions of their legal obligation to preserve records relevant to the safety and wellbeing of those in its care. “The Abuse in Care Inquiry’s report has found cases where records of the most vulnerable people in State and faith‑based institutions were ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    21 hours ago
  • More young people learning about digital safety

    Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says the Government’s online safety website for children and young people has reached one million page views.  “It is great to see so many young people and their families accessing the site Keep It Real Online to learn how to stay safe online, and manage ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    22 hours ago
  • Speech to the Conference for General Practice 2024

    Tēnā tātou katoa,  Ngā mihi te rangi, ngā mihi te whenua, ngā mihi ki a koutou, kia ora mai koutou. Thank you for the opportunity to be here and the invitation to speak at this 50th anniversary conference. I acknowledge all those who have gone before us and paved the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    24 hours ago
  • Employers and payroll providers ready for tax changes

    New Zealand’s payroll providers have successfully prepared to ensure 3.5 million individuals will, from Wednesday next week, be able to keep more of what they earn each pay, says Finance Minister Nicola Willis and Revenue Minister Simon Watts.  “The Government's tax policy changes are legally effective from Wednesday. Delivering this tax ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Experimental vineyard futureproofs wine industry

    An experimental vineyard which will help futureproof the wine sector has been opened in Blenheim by Associate Regional Development Minister Mark Patterson. The covered vineyard, based at the New Zealand Wine Centre – Te Pokapū Wāina o Aotearoa, enables controlled environmental conditions. “The research that will be produced at the Experimental ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Funding confirmed for regions affected by North Island Weather Events

    The Coalition Government has confirmed the indicative regional breakdown of North Island Weather Event (NIWE) funding for state highway recovery projects funded through Budget 2024, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Regions in the North Island suffered extensive and devastating damage from Cyclone Gabrielle and the 2023 Auckland Anniversary Floods, and ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Indonesian Foreign Minister to visit

    Indonesia’s Foreign Minister, Retno Marsudi, will visit New Zealand next week, Foreign Minister Winston Peters has announced.   “Indonesia is important to New Zealand’s security and economic interests and is our closest South East Asian neighbour,” says Mr Peters, who is currently in Laos to engage with South East Asian partners. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Strengthening partnership with Ngāti Maniapoto

    He aha te kai a te rangatira? He kōrero, he kōrero, he kōrero. The government has reaffirmed its commitment to supporting the aspirations of Ngāti Maniapoto, Minister for Māori Development Tama Potaka says. “My thanks to Te Nehenehenui Trust – Ngāti Maniapoto for bringing their important kōrero to a ministerial ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Transport Minister thanks outgoing CAA Chair

    Transport Minister Simeon Brown has thanked outgoing Chair of the Civil Aviation Authority, Janice Fredric, for her service to the board.“I have received Ms Fredric’s resignation from the role of Chair of the Civil Aviation Authority,” Mr Brown says.“On behalf of the Government, I want to thank Ms Fredric for ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Test for Customary Marine Title being restored

    The Government is proposing legislation to overturn a Court of Appeal decision and amend the Marine and Coastal Area Act in order to restore Parliament’s test for Customary Marine Title, Treaty Negotiations Minister Paul Goldsmith says.  “Section 58 required an applicant group to prove they have exclusively used and occupied ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Opposition united in bad faith over ECE sector review

    Regulation Minister David Seymour says that opposition parties have united in bad faith, opposing what they claim are ‘dangerous changes’ to the Early Childhood Education sector, despite no changes even being proposed yet.  “Issues with affordability and availability of early childhood education, and the complexity of its regulation, has led ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Kiwis having their say on first regulatory review

    After receiving more than 740 submissions in the first 20 days, Regulation Minister David Seymour is asking the Ministry for Regulation to extend engagement on the early childhood education regulation review by an extra two weeks.  “The level of interest has been very high, and from the conversations I’ve been ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Government upgrading Lower North Island commuter rail

    The Coalition Government is investing $802.9 million into the Wairarapa and Manawatū rail lines as part of a funding agreement with the NZ Transport Agency (NZTA), KiwiRail, and the Greater Wellington and Horizons Regional Councils to deliver more reliable services for commuters in the lower North Island, Transport Minister Simeon ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Government moves to ensure flood protection for Wairoa

    Local Government Minister Simeon Brown has announced his intention to appoint a Crown Manager to both Hawke’s Bay Regional and Wairoa District Councils to speed up the delivery of flood protection work in Wairoa."Recent severe weather events in Wairoa this year, combined with damage from Cyclone Gabrielle in 2023 have ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • PM speech to Parliament – Royal Commission of Inquiry’s Report into Abuse in Care

    Mr Speaker, this is a day that many New Zealanders who were abused in State care never thought would come. It’s the day that this Parliament accepts, with deep sorrow and regret, the Report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care.  At the heart of this report are the ...
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    Minister for Space and Science, Innovation and Technology Judith Collins will travel to Adelaide tomorrow for space and science engagements, including speaking at the Australian Space Forum.  While there she will also have meetings and visits with a focus on space, biotechnology and innovation.  “New Zealand has a thriving space ...
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    7 days ago
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    New Zealand and Japan will continue to step up their shared engagement with the Pacific, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says.    “New Zealand and Japan have a strong, shared interest in a free, open and stable Pacific Islands region,” Mr Peters says.    “We are pleased to be finding more ways ...
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  • New infrastructure energises BOP forestry towns

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  • 'Pacific Futures'

    President Adeang, fellow Ministers, honourable Diet Member Horii, Ambassadors, distinguished guests.    Minasama, konnichiwa, and good afternoon, everyone.    Distinguished guests, it’s a pleasure to be here with you today to talk about New Zealand’s foreign policy reset, the reasons for it, the values that underpin it, and how it ...
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