Wayne Mapp does not deny civilian deaths in botched raid

Written By: - Date published: 5:33 pm, March 22nd, 2017 - 84 comments
Categories: accountability, afghanistan, war - Tags: ,

Well Bill English’s attacks and evasions are in some trouble now – good work Emma Hurley at NewsHub – Wayne Mapp does not deny ‘Hit and Run’ Afghan raid claims:

Former Defence Minister Wayne Mapp has conceded that civilians were killed in the 2010 Afghanistan raid that is the focus of Nicky Hager and Jon Stephenson’s new book.

Dr Mapp denied civilians were killed when the raid became public in 2011, but was open about it on Wednesday.

“One of the disasters of war is these terrible things can happen,” he said.

When asked if he was remorseful, he replied: “In 2014 I was informed that, I saw it on TV in fact, that a three-year-old was killed, I’m sure everyone is remorseful about that. At the time of the attack they thought they were being attacked by insurgents.”

Dr Mapp resigned from Parliament in 2011 and until now has never spoken publicly about what happened in Afghanistan, but according to the book he confided to a friend that the Defence Force was ” doing too much I didn’t know about”.

Good on you Wayne. Hit just got real.

https://twitter.com/NewshubBreaking/status/844398805470625792

84 comments on “Wayne Mapp does not deny civilian deaths in botched raid ”

  • Comments are now closed

  1. mickysavage 1
    22 March 2017 at 5:36 pm

    The Government has tried to reconcile Mapp’s denial with Coleman’s subsequent admission. Something had to give …

  2. Sacha 2
    22 March 2017 at 5:42 pm

    Good on you, Wayne.

    • weka 2.1
      22 March 2017 at 5:46 pm

      +1

      I haven’t followed the details but I hope Mapp isn’t thrown under a bus instead of that smarmy fuck doing a runner.

      • One Anonymous Bloke 2.1.1
        22 March 2017 at 5:52 pm

        +1

      • weka 2.1.2
        22 March 2017 at 5:52 pm

        just had a quick look at the article, still a fair amount of obfuscation going on.

        • One Anonymous Bloke 2.1.2.1
          22 March 2017 at 5:56 pm

          At the time of the attack they thought they were being attacked by insurgents…

          This ties in with my recollection of allegations that were going around at the time – that US troops would manufacture excuses to destroy villages and family compounds.

          My general feeling is that SAS officers were somewhere between uneasy and appalled – which I suppose is why they approached Hager.

          • Sacha 2.1.2.1.1
            22 March 2017 at 6:20 pm

            “My general feeling is that SAS officers were somewhere between uneasy and appalled – which I suppose is why they approached Hager.”

            Properly trained soldiers retain a strong moral sense of when killing is wrong. I imagine it gnawing away at them since. A proper inquiry might lift a huge weight from them. None of us have the right to expect any public servants to carry that load on our behalf.

            • One Anonymous Bloke 2.1.2.1.1.1
              22 March 2017 at 6:36 pm

              The most highly trained soldier is still subject to the fog of war: perhaps it’s just SNAFU.

              There are still hard questions to be asked about the whole fiasco, like, for example: what led to the decision to trust a money trader with the go codes?

              • Matthew Whitehead …
                22 March 2017 at 7:42 pm

                Perhaps, doesn’t explain the allegation that there was intel at the time that the real targets weren’t in the place where the soldiers were sent, though. It’s possible, of course, that that allegation is real but that the intel was judged to be bad for some reason, and thus the whole tragic thing was just a stupid accident- in which case, even more reason not to be fighting other people’s wars.

          • weka 2.1.2.1.2
            22 March 2017 at 6:40 pm

            I was thinking more about the political obfuscation.

      • greg 2.1.3
        22 March 2017 at 5:58 pm

        +1

      • Dale 2.1.4
        23 March 2017 at 1:23 am

        [deleted]

      • Dale 2.1.5
        23 March 2017 at 1:31 am

        [deleted]

        [getting yourself a permanent ban presumably feels just as satisfying – Moderation]

      • North 2.1.6
        24 March 2017 at 8:33 pm

        “that smarmy fuck……..” Bloody brilliant !

  3. Dv 3
    22 March 2017 at 5:49 pm

    Well done Wayne.
    Thank you for your integrity

    • Cinny 3.1
      22 March 2017 at 6:07 pm

      At least he came clean, he didn’t have to, but he did. Good on him.

      • marty mars 3.1.1
        22 March 2017 at 6:23 pm

        “Dr Mapp denied civilians were killed when the raid became public in 2011″

        and Dr Mapp says
        “In 2014 I was informed that, I saw it on TV in fact, that a three-year-old was killed…”

        and in 2017

        “Former Defence Minister Wayne Mapp has conceded that civilians were killed in the 2010 Afghanistan raid”

        Came clean? yeah, nah…

        • weka 3.1.1.1
          22 March 2017 at 6:43 pm

          Yeah, there’s something not quite right still about the story he is telling.

          Cinny, I think it’s more a case of having consulted a lawyer he realised he probably did have to come cleanish.

          • McFlock 3.1.1.1.1
            22 March 2017 at 10:10 pm

            No, he could have just claimed official secrets/military issues/ information at the time/pm made the call.

            And he’s validated at least some of the circumstances (3 year old dead, civilian deaths) described in Hager/Stephenson’s book.

  4. mary_a 4
    22 March 2017 at 5:58 pm

    Well done Dr Wayne Mapp for coming out and stating there were civilian casualties during the raids.

    However, he does go on to almost protect John Key and Jerry Mataparae in his statement …

    “He (Key) , like myself, like Jerry Mateparae, act on the advice that we get. The soldiers involved act in accordance with the threat they are dealing with.”

    So who will carry the can here? Some accountability will be required.

    • Cinny 4.1
      22 March 2017 at 6:06 pm

      ‘acting on advice’ whose advice i wonder?

      • Sacha 4.1.1
        22 March 2017 at 6:18 pm

        Code for ‘the military establishment kept me in the dark’.

      • SpaceMonkey 4.1.2
        22 March 2017 at 8:17 pm

        There is this arbitrary line always drawn between the exective and operational matters. Acting on advice… this will come down to an accountability and chain of command issue. It was a fucked up operation that fucked up. The consequences were tragic and criminal. The Nats want to run this country like a corporation then the executive cannot be separated from operational matters, especially where it is a public institution concerned that HAS to hold itself to the highest standards simply because of who they are… and it was the executive that gave a green light to… oh hang on! …an OPERATIONAL MATTER!

        • dukeofurl 4.1.2.1
          23 March 2017 at 9:20 am

          The whole reason for having civilians in control is to say ‘ thanks for your advice, but Im going to say no on this one, or even ‘ wait for some primary evidence and then get back to me’
          These villages are in the middle of nowhere once they have skilled military observers having a look themselves they can see if its real .

          • SpaceMonkey 4.1.2.1.1
            23 March 2017 at 1:42 pm

            Exactly… which is why the buck has to stop somewhere in either NZDF or the Goverment, and more specifically the PM.

            Who’s going to fold first in that fight? John Key’s done a runner so we know he hasn’t got any guts to stand up and be accountable, but then the very act of him scampering away to hide suggests he knows how serious this is and the potential shit he is in.

            And I’m sure the reason why it was escalated to John Key to sign off on was the military knew how bad this could be and were covering their backsides accordingly.

  5. One Anonymous Bloke 5
    22 March 2017 at 6:03 pm

    One of the disasters of war is these terrible things can happen…

    Also, one of the disasters of peace is that terrible things can happen. Sometimes we call them “accidents”. Sometimes we call them “crimes”.

    The security and well-being of our soldiers, and any civilians they encounter on our behalf, is worth far more than John Phillip Key’s legacy.

  6. Ad 6
    22 March 2017 at 6:06 pm

    This story is looking increasingly like the PMs office and NZDF are in successful defence mode.

    • weka 6.1
      22 March 2017 at 6:44 pm

      successful in what sense?

      • SpaceMonkey 6.1.1
        22 March 2017 at 6:57 pm

        That they are blustering their way through… so far so good… for them. Bill English in the House today along the lines of: there’s not enough evidence to start an inquiry based on the allegations of a book. It’s the same old same old… if you don’t look you won’t find anything… ignorance is bliss.

        I hope the ICC pick this one up because the Nats are sure looking like they’re not going to.

      • SpaceMonkey 6.1.2
        22 March 2017 at 6:58 pm

        And turning into a political issue when it’s not.

  7. outofbed 7
    22 March 2017 at 6:09 pm

    all for a trade deal with the US which ain’t going to happen.. bastards

  8. Ross 8
    22 March 2017 at 6:11 pm

    But the deaths will simply be blamed on the US or another country. Unless there’s an inquiry or someone with additional information comes forward, the allegations will likely go nowhere with this government.

    “The New Zealand Defence Force stands by the statement it made dated 20 April 2011. 

    “As the 2011 statement says, following the operation, allegations of civilian casualties were made. These were investigated by a joint Afghan Ministry of Defence, Ministry of the Interior and International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) assessment team, in accordance with ISAF procedures. 

    “The investigation concluded that the allegations of civilian casualties were unfounded. 

    “The NZDF does not undertake investigations or inquiries into the actions of forces from other nations.  That was the role of the joint Afghan-ISAF investigation.

    “The NZDF is confident that New Zealand personnel conducted themselves in accordance with the applicable rules of engagement.”

    http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/90690165/new-book-claims-john-key-gave-green-light-to-deadly-sas-raid-in-afghanistan

    • One Anonymous Bloke 8.1
      22 March 2017 at 6:20 pm

      Some of the people with the information have already come forward. Reading the limited information available, it looks like there is a group within the NZDF who value integrity and the law, and that they have struggled to make their voices heard.

      It’s vital that whistleblowers be valued and protected.

      And promoted, no matter how many reputations that might sully.

  9. Once was Tim now no longer 9
    22 March 2017 at 6:12 pm

    Earth to Wayne ….. are you reading ….over???

    Time (well past time) to put the shit where the shovel is.
    You’ve proven yourself to be more principled than your peers, now cometh the hour

    Are you reading … over????
    ICJ
    …..
    Shit hits fan
    ….

    Wayne, Wayne, are you reading?
    Over

    • r0b 9.1
      22 March 2017 at 6:15 pm

      I suspect that Wayne will have other demands on his time than reading this blog right now!

      I seldom agree with anything that he says here, but I do admire him for participating.

      • Once was Tim now no longer 9.1.1
        22 March 2017 at 7:03 pm

        22 March 2017 at 6:15 pm
        “I suspect that Wayne will have other demands on his time than reading this blog right now!”
        I bet he does including the demands of our current Proim Munster and Guv Genral.
        (going forward)
        It’s a shame none of them have worked out that the best policy is that of truth, as opposed to CT spin.
        When shit comes to shove, it ain’t going to help, and as wonderboy John will discover, he can’t take it with him, and the offspring will eventually discover just what a cunt he is/was.
        CHRIST! Please!!!! don’t tell me a msm media-assisted Tex Pay-ya spin is not going to have to go into deep and meaningful counselling for dear Mex and Sis when the World’s bestest can’t see their nechrul tellent.

        (I’m already grieving)
        GAWD IT’S PAINFUL…. I can’t cope!!!!

        • Once was Tim now no longer 9.1.1.1
          23 March 2017 at 9:05 am

          I’ve subsequently heard Mapp on radio and elsewhere.
          Good on him for finally coming forward – at least it shows he wasn’t going to be thrown under the bus, but as Weka says – there’s still a bit of obfuscation going on, and setting up various ‘lines of defense’ narratives (like: ‘they can be farmers by day and insurgents by night’ – to paraphrase).

    • Chris 9.2
      22 March 2017 at 9:26 pm

      Wayne ain’t sprayin’.

  10. the pigman 10
    22 March 2017 at 6:16 pm

    Wayne lies about it 2011.
    Lies about it continuously, again in 2014.
    Back against the wall, claims it’s been established since 2014 that a 3 year old girl was killed. Cries some crocodile tears.

    *rousing applause from The Standard commentariat*

    • Anne 10.1
      22 March 2017 at 6:31 pm

      Yes, there’s a hint of that pigman. Wayne was – and clearly still is – a very astute politician. He prevaricated a lot in that interview, but at least he’s starting to concede the truth which is more than the rest of them including that stupid Paula Bennett.

    • weka 10.2
      22 March 2017 at 6:48 pm

      The first 3 sentences are probably true, but I suspect the 4th one isn’t. That would be FJK. That’s why Mapp gets some respect, because despite having some fairly abhorrent politics, he still comes across as a human. I’ll take old school conservatives over the smarmy fuck neoliberals thanks.

    • One Anonymous Bloke 10.3
      22 March 2017 at 6:49 pm

      Essentially you’re saying his public statements conflict with his private statements as reported by Stevenson & Hager.

      I see him in a cleft stick. I suspect his job description meant being bound by security clearances and the Cabinet Manual.

      Dishonest, or just compromised and subject to the rules? Or whatever else the National Party uses as pressure.

      We need to get to the bottom of this: vilifying witnesses is a mistake.

      • the pigman 10.3.1
        22 March 2017 at 10:03 pm

        Hey OAB, are you suggesting that Wayne is a witness and that I’m vilifying him? Because that would be an odd charge given the usual standard of your interactions with him…

        I’m suggesting he’s been lying all along, there’s no mea culpa, he’s just a really bad liar, so when he does it, he fucks up and gets caught out.

        See his interview with Guyon Espiner in 2011 where he was really bad at lying and inadvertently let some cats struggle out of the bag: http://pundit.co.nz/content/the-odonnell-raid-in-afghanistan-the-seeds-of-the-new-hager-book

        Then listen to his Newshub interview today where, again only because he is really, really crap at lying, he accidentally confirms 3 year old Fatima was a casualty (but claims he learnt this through TV in 2014)…

        ….
        ….

        And… and… he is still being LAUDED here. WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK?

        Disclosure: The greatest source of my dislike for the guy is the pomposity he expresses in his posts here given that he is terrible at spelling. If you’re going to be terrible at spelling, don’t try that pompous shit.

        • One Anonymous Bloke 10.3.1.1
          23 March 2017 at 7:29 am

          If there’s going to be an inquiry he will certainly be called as a witness.

          • s y d 10.3.1.1.1
            23 March 2017 at 9:41 am

            and, perhaps later he may be called as a defendant?

            • One Anonymous Bloke 10.3.1.1.1.1
              23 March 2017 at 12:02 pm

              That’s entirely possible. Perhaps he will offer to give evidence against John Phillip Key in exchange for immunity 😈

        • Wensleydale 10.3.1.2
          23 March 2017 at 12:36 pm

          That disclosure made me LOL. I know there are weighty issues being discussed here, but pompous people who can’t spell are still hilarious.

  11. Augustus 11
    22 March 2017 at 6:42 pm

    Dann on One News mentions that Wayne learned about the dead girl on Maori TV. I think he refers to this

    Maybe those who have become sources for Hit and Run are the same who raised the allegations referred to in the article. It states as fact that
    “During the attacks a three-year-old Afghanistan girl died after a piece of the exploding rocket hit her in the head.”
    Key’s line could be read as that New Zealanders didn’t directly kill civilians, not that none were killed. Blame the Yanks.

    [link fixed – weka]

    • Chris 11.1
      23 March 2017 at 1:49 am

      That link’s dead.

    • s y d 11.2
      23 March 2017 at 9:46 am

      Yes Augustus, Mr Key is I think maintaining that either, both or some of each of the following apply:
      1. people don’t kill people, it’s the bullets and rockets that kill people.
      2. it was a US helicopter pilot that fired the rockets
      3. nz’ers only ordered the attack but other people did it, or the bullets did it or somesuch

  12. weka 12
    22 March 2017 at 7:06 pm

    Anyone know why Mapp left parliament?

    • Tricldrown 12.1
      22 March 2017 at 8:04 pm

      Michelle Boag.
      The boag constrictor.
      Tobacco lobbyist’s and T party types took over the National Party.
      Todd Barcley types.

    • exkiwiforces 12.2
      22 March 2017 at 8:26 pm

      Weka,

      From what I’ve been told he and the deputy minister (The lady from ACT) refuse to cut NZDF budget as Treasury instructed. So he was push out so the cuts could go ahead and the end result was the cuts to the NZDF turned to shit. He was the only Defence minister for a long time to stand up to Treasury and Cabinet.

      • Anne 12.3.1
        23 March 2017 at 10:04 am

        The SAS raid in question took place on the 22 Aug. 2010
        Mapp announced he would be retiring at the 2011 election on 15 Dec. 2010.

        I imagine the aftermath of the raid might have had a bearing on his decision to retire especially if he was starting to have grave doubts about the accuracy of what he and his colleagues were told.

  13. weltall89 13
    22 March 2017 at 7:23 pm

    Don’t have anything of value to add, and I am a long-time reader and first time poster here. It’s truly disturbing just how grave this situation is, and my fears are that NZ (and suitable international organisations) will hardly pay it it’s deserved attention, and this will all be fobbed off and swept undee the rug, apart from a small number of aware folk who do their best.

    • Thinkerr 13.1
      22 March 2017 at 9:05 pm

      I dont post a lot, either,weltall89, but dont say you dont have anything of value to add.

      IMHO, every post to this site is valuable, because it allows the powerbrokers of the left to get a picture of how its support base is thinking and which issues are important. I think I’ve even seen some ideas expressed here used as the basis for media articles, although that might be coincidence.

      Keep posting, and try not to let the occasional below-the-belt responses get you down. That’s probably when you said something that got them worried.

      • mickysavage 13.1.1
        22 March 2017 at 9:10 pm

        Yep Matthew Hooton thinks this site is an important window to left thinking. So comment away. The left has never been shy about debating issues.

    • mickysavage 13.2
      22 March 2017 at 9:08 pm

      I appreciate the readers and the thinkers. For every commentator we have there are 60 readers with valid contributions. Don’t be shy!

      • Drowsy M. Kram 13.2.1
        22 March 2017 at 9:45 pm

        Apologies, I have only invective to contribute, by way of self-protection (safety valve).

        Our Government’s embarrassing response to the ‘Hit and Run’ revelations shows yet again that it is rotten to the core. National’s ‘in-your-face’ corruption/contempt makes a mockery of NZ values, and even as the outer shell of deceit collapses English and co. seek to do more harm.

        PLEASE, National, JUST STOP LYING. Really hoped that the Lord of Lies buggering off would help, but it hasn’t.

    • weka 13.3
      22 March 2017 at 10:06 pm

      Like others I find your comment valuable (when I write I think about the non-commenting readers). I’m finding the revelations this week pretty disturbing too, haven’t sifted through that yet to a place where I can express it well.

      • exkiwiforces 13.3.1
        22 March 2017 at 10:24 pm

        I’m no fan of Mr Hager and I’m trying to reframe from making any comments as its a little to close to home for me. But something stinks too high heaven and if Nicky and Co are saying SAS operators from Group have spoken to them about this operation then something wasn’t right from the start to the end of this operation.

        • Anne 13.3.1.1
          22 March 2017 at 10:47 pm

          I’m no fan of Mr Hager…

          Are you letting emotion get in the way exkiwiforces? Not trying to be smart or demeaning btw. Nicky Hager has done some brilliant work. His most acclaimed book to date would have to be Secret Power.

          You clearly have never had the privilege of hearing him speak and meeting him. He’s an engaging speaker and a pleasant and likeable person to talk to. I know he’s touted as being a far-left winger but by my observation, he is neither right nor left.

          • exkiwiforces 13.3.1.1.1
            22 March 2017 at 11:34 pm

            There is no emotion, I’m just not a fan of Mr Hager that’s all.
            As I said something stinks about this operation and for SAS operators from Group to talk to Nicky and Co then something wasn’t right from the start to the end of this operation.

            • In Vino 13.3.1.1.1.1
              23 March 2017 at 12:04 am

              If something wasn’t right, I for one suspect it goes further than just this operation.. I am old, have studied and read history. This strikes me as similar to the cock-ups in World Wars 1 and 2, the My Lai in Vietnam, the crap that went on in Iraq.
              What is wrong with our revered Military?? All that posing at Anzac which our people love, but underneath there is a stench of corruption and hypocrisy, because we support an ally with corrupt policies. USA has made one hell of a botch of the whole Middle East area, and we are in that botch boots and all. And our soldiers are only human.

  14. exkiwiforces 14
    23 March 2017 at 12:45 am

    If Nicky and Co have said that SAS operators from Group have spoken to them about this operation this is news in it’s self it doesn’t happen all that often, but when it does you know something is not right. The SAS operators and others within NZDF must have concerns at the time and still have on this operation from start to finish and I’ve said the whole thing stinks.

    If Nicky and Co are right on what’s happen then a Victory for all of us, if they are wrong we are going to be poorer for it. The Buck must stop somewhere in this whole sorry saga and somebody/ persons need to be held accountable for it. And I’ll keep on saying this the whole thing stinks.

    • greg 14.1
      23 March 2017 at 3:30 am

      buck stops with the wanker thats just bolted, i really hope the ICC takes an interest like pike river,dirty politics there will be no justice from this lot .

    • Tricldrown 14.2
      23 March 2017 at 1:00 pm

      Thanks to our brave SAS soldiers for speaking out.
      Key has slinked off to Hawaii.
      Playing golf .
      Leaving National party spin doctors to clean up his mess and bestow him with a knighthood.

  15. simbit 15
    23 March 2017 at 7:58 am

    A friend of mine was in a platoon in Iraq 1 that shot up a village. The personal repercussions are enormous and, ‘cos bean counters decide, very expensive all round. This is a very typical NZ scandal, denial/relative morality/shrug…

  16. silvertuatara 16
    23 March 2017 at 11:08 am

    I am just waiting for the NZDF to defame either Jon and or Nicky….we know how that last worked out for the NZDF when defaming Jon Stephenson http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11522106

  17. Skeptic 17
    23 March 2017 at 1:32 pm

    While I haven’t read the book yet, there has been some interesting news come out about this particular raid. It was conducted at night on information received. It was conducted with the assistance of US helicopter gunships and Afghan soldiers. The village in question had only one person who was related to a known Taliban fighter. It seems that the majority of casualties were victims of strafing attacks by the gunship(s) but a few were deliberately shot by sniper fire. If these facts are wrong, then my supposition also is.
    The questions I ask are
    (a) who provided the intel – how reliable was it assessed as and by whom?
    (b) what were the rules of engagement and were they adhered to?
    (c) were the after action reports different to what has now been disclosed?
    (d) were the same reports provided to the politicians?
    (e) why were different versions made public at the time and by whom?

    I also deduce from what has been a nasty trend in Afghanistan – that vendettas have been conducted by people against others by means of deliberate false information being fed to Allied intelligence agencies – by debtors, by grudge holders, by feuding families etc.

    Even if such intel had been received, surely our own rules of engagement require positive identification of targets before action, especially before individual rifle fire is taken. This raid was conducted – if the book is right – on a sleeping village by surprise where no counter-fire was received or preceded our attack. Something is not at all right with both the reports and the public reporting at the time – it doesn’t stack up.

    Our own military law, and the ICC law has clear and unambiguous procedures and protocols for troops engaging in warfare in an insurgency situation to follow. Breaking these endangers each individual soldier liable for prosecution under Military Law, ordinary Statutory Law and International Law – a triple liability.

    The cover-up is entirely a different kettle of fish – that is why the call for a Commission of Inquiry is absolutely essential.

    • Anne 17.1
      23 March 2017 at 3:49 pm

      I also deduce from what has been a nasty trend in Afghanistan – that vendettas have been conducted by people against others by means of deliberate false information being fed to Allied intelligence agencies – by debtors, by grudge holders, by feuding families etc.

      I read somewhere yesterday, a story suggesting that is what happened in this case. A villager made up a story about insurgent/insurgents in a particular house. It was motivated by revenge.

      • Skeptic 17.1.1
        23 March 2017 at 4:23 pm

        Wouldn’t surprise me – that’s how all but 12 of the thousands incarcerated in Guantanamo Prison got there. Most of them were there from either family feud – the victim’s great grand father did something to the informant’s great grand niece, or debt avoidance – the informant owed the victim a great deal of money, or petty grievance – the victim got the better of the informant over a trade for a goat or sheep.
        A lot of people who were “rendered” got on the CIA/DIA?Conops lists because of the same thing – there’s a documented case of a whole soccer team bar one or two being detained on the information of a rival team coach. I fault the Intelligence Analyst people for not doing their work properly – they were captured by “Group Think” and “Mind Guards” – a mentality and world view that is somewhat removed from reality. I suspect something of this nature features within our SAS trainers – or did at the time of the incident in question. There was a similar “group think” mentality within the Police SIO who provided the information on the Urewera Raids here in NZ.
        The problem with “group think” is that disaster usually – nearly always – follows. Hitler surrounded himself with yes-men, so did General Galtieri, Stalin, Mao and so does Trump – all these people have a “peculiar world view” and have mind guards to stop others in the group from disagreeing with the “strong mind” of the group.
        Who was the “strong mind” in this disaster?

        • Anne 17.1.1.1
          23 March 2017 at 5:51 pm

          I has a similar experience in NZ about 25 years ago and it involved an arm of the NZ Defence Force. An insanely jealous person reported a telephone conversation to the effect… I was looking for a contract killer with a view to having another person “bumped off”. It occurred around the start of the first Iraq War in January 1991, which gives a wee hint as to the nationality of the supposed victim. What followed was like something out of a fantasy fiction. After a few weeks, it dawned on the idiots in high places (who fell for the story) that they had been had… because suddenly the crap stopped. In the ensuing year or two, I tried to find out who they were and what exactly they had been told, but each time I came up against a brick wall. It was cover-up time. Never mind my honesty and integrity had been destroyed. Too bad… collateral damage that apparently didn’t count.

      • exkiwiforces 17.1.2
        23 March 2017 at 7:48 pm

        Yes it happens on regular a occurrence on just about all of the deployments I’ve been on weather its in the Gan or Peacekeeping and its a real pain in ass for us. So any deliberate operation had to well planned and all intel had to be crossed checked.

        The only time we got it wrong was a non kinetic (without the shooting bit) snatch and grab in Timor 99 where we had breakup blackmarket operation selling UN Food Aid and it was based on false intel. We knew we had the wrong guy from the start, but moral of story we caught the real asshole a few weeks later red handed along with 2 UN official’s as well and as turned out the TNI had their dirty hands all over it as all 3 were from the TNI secret service or whatever it was called.

        • Anne 17.1.2.1
          23 March 2017 at 8:08 pm

          The fallout from my case meant I lost my career. I eventually went to the police because the story involved quite a lot of unlawful and criminal behaviour by persons unknown. Initially they were helpful and I thought they were conducting an investigation then suddenly ‘the line went dead’ and I never heard from them again.

          • exkiwiforces 17.1.2.1.1
            23 March 2017 at 9:06 pm

            Sorry to hear that, yes there can be some real assholes in the mob and sometimes they can’t really handle the truth.

  18. xanthe 18
    23 March 2017 at 2:00 pm

    well I just watched wayne being interviewed on the street and he seems to be speaking dishonestly

    “at the time of the attack the solders thought they were being attacked by insurgents” (this when he said it the second time)

    this is quite deliberate misdirection!

    had he said “at the time of the attacks they thought they were attacking insurgents”

    I could accept that as uninformed opinion (which would be unfortunate enough)

    What he actually said can only be taken as a dishonest attempt to misdirect.

  19. Muttonbird 19
    23 March 2017 at 4:27 pm

    So English and NZDF are both restating there were no civilians killed in this operation and that 12 insurgents were killed.

    That is an intractable position to take. How will they back out of it?

    http://www.nzherald.co.nz/politics/news/article.cfm?c_id=280&objectid=11823840

Recent Comments

Recent Posts

  • Peters’ real foreign policy threat is Helen Clark
    Winston Peters’ much anticipated foreign policy speech last night was a work of two halves. Much of it was a standard “boilerplate” Foreign Ministry overview of the state of the world. There was some hardening up of rhetoric with talk of “benign” becoming “malign” and old truths giving way to ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    1 hour ago

  • NZ’s trans lobby is fighting a rearguard action
    Graham Adams assesses the fallout of the Cass Review — The press release last Thursday from the UN Special Rapporteur on violence against women and girls didn’t make the mainstream news in New Zealand but it really should have. The startling title of Reem Alsalem’s statement — “Implementation of ‘Cass ...
    Point of OrderBy gadams1000
    9 hours ago

  • Your mandate is imaginary
    This open-for-business, under-new-management cliché-pockmarked government of Christopher Luxon is not the thing of beauty he imagines it to be. It is not the powerful expression of the will of the people that he asserts it to be. It is not a soaring eagle, it is a malodorous vulture. This newest poll should make ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    14 hours ago

  • 14,000 unemployed under National
    The latest labour market statistics, showing a rise in unemployment. There are now 134,000 unemployed - 14,000 more than when the National government took office. Which is I guess what happens when the Reserve Bank causes a recession in an effort to Keep Wages Low. The previous government saw a ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    16 hours ago

  • Bryce Edwards: Discontent and gloom dominate NZ’s political mood
    Three opinion polls have been released in the last two days, all showing that the new government is failing to hold their popular support. The usual honeymoon experienced during the first year of a first term government is entirely absent. The political mood is still gloomy and discontented, mainly due ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    17 hours ago

  • Taking Tea with 42 & 38.
    National's Finance Minister once met a poor person.A scornful interview with National's finance guru who knows next to nothing about economics or people.There might have been something a bit familiar if that was the headline I’d gone with today. It would of course have been in tribute to the article ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    18 hours ago

  • Beware political propaganda: statistics are pointing to Grant Robertson never protecting “Lives an...
    Rob MacCulloch writes – Throughout the pandemic, the new Vice-Chancellor-of-Otago-University-on-$629,000 per annum-Can-you-believe-it-and-Former-Finance-Minister Grant Robertson repeated the mantra over and over that he saved “lives and livelihoods”. As we update how this claim is faring over the course of time, the facts are increasingly speaking differently. NZ ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    18 hours ago

  • Winding back the hands of history’s clock
    Chris Trotter writes – IT’S A COMMONPLACE of political speeches, especially those delivered in acknowledgement of electoral victory: “We’ll govern for all New Zealanders.” On the face of it, the pledge is a strange one. Why would any political leader govern in ways that advantaged the huge ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    18 hours ago

  • Paula Bennett’s political appointment will challenge public confidence
     Bryce Edwards writes – The list of former National Party Ministers being given plum and important roles got longer this week with the appointment of former Deputy Prime Minister Paula Bennett as the chair of Pharmac. The Christopher Luxon-led Government has now made key appointments to Bill ...
    Point of OrderBy xtrdnry
    18 hours ago

  • Business confidence sliding into winter of discontent
    TL;DR: These are the six things that stood out to me in news and commentary on Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy at 10:06am on Wednesday, May 1:The Lead: Business confidence fell across the board in April, falling in some areas to levels last seen during the lockdowns because of a collapse in ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    20 hours ago

  • Gordon Campbell on the coalition’s awful, not good, very bad poll results
    Over the past 36 hours, Christopher Luxon has been dong his best to portray the centre-right’s plummeting poll numbers as a mark of virtue. Allegedly, the negative verdicts are the result of hard economic times, and of a government bravely set out on a perilous rescue mission from which not ...
    Gordon CampbellBy lyndon
    21 hours ago

  • New HOP readers for future payment options
    Auckland Transport have started rolling out new HOP card readers around the network and over the next three months, all of them on buses, at train stations and ferry wharves will be replaced. The change itself is not that remarkable, with the new readers looking similar to what is already ...
    Greater AucklandBy Matt L
    22 hours ago

  • 2024 Reading Summary: April (+ Writing Update)
    Completed reads for April: The Difference Engine, by William Gibson and Bruce Sterling Carnival of Saints, by George Herman The Snow Spider, by Jenny Nimmo Emlyn’s Moon, by Jenny Nimmo The Chestnut Soldier, by Jenny Nimmo Death Comes As the End, by Agatha Christie Lord of the Flies, by ...
    A Phuulish FellowBy strda221
    1 day ago

  • At a glance – Clearing up misconceptions regarding 'hide the decline'
    On February 14, 2023 we announced our Rebuttal Update Project. This included an ask for feedback about the added "At a glance" section in the updated basic rebuttal versions. This weekly blog post series highlights this new section of one of the updated basic rebuttal versions and serves as a ...
    Skeptical Science
    2 days ago

  • Road photos
    Have a story to share about St Paul’s, but today just picturesPopular novels written at this desk by a young man who managed to bootstrap himself out of father’s imprisonment and his own young life in a workhouse Read more ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    2 days ago

  • Bryce Edwards: Paula Bennett’s political appointment will challenge public confidence
    The list of former National Party Ministers being given plum and important roles got longer this week with the appointment of former Deputy Prime Minister Paula Bennett as the chair of Pharmac. The Christopher Luxon-led Government has now made key appointments to Bill English, Simon Bridges, Steven Joyce, Roger Sowry, ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    2 days ago

  • NZDF is still hostile to oversight
    Newsroom has a story today about National's (fortunately failed) effort to disestablish the newly-created Inspector-General of Defence. The creation of this agency was the key recommendation of the Inquiry into Operation Burnham, and a vital means of restoring credibility and social licence to an agency which had been caught lying ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    2 days ago

  • Winding Back The Hands Of History’s Clock.
    Holding On To The Present: The moment a political movement arises that attacks the whole idea of social progress, and announces its intention to wind back the hands of History’s clock, then democracy, along with its unwritten rules, is in mortal danger.IT’S A COMMONPLACE of political speeches, especially those delivered in ...
    Bowalley Road
    2 days ago

  • Sweet Moderation? What Christopher Luxon Could Learn From The Germans.
    Stuck In The Middle With You: As Christopher Luxon feels the hot breath of Act’s and NZ First’s extremists on the back of his neck and, as he reckons with the damage their policies are already inflicting upon a country he’s described as “fragile”, is there not some merit in reaching out ...
    Bowalley Road
    2 days ago

  • A clear warning
    The unpopular coalition government is currently rushing to repeal section 7AA of the Oranga Tamariki Act. The clause is Oranga Tamariki's Treaty clause, and was inserted after its systematic stealing of Māori children became a public scandal and resulted in physical resistance to further abductions. The clause created clear obligations ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    2 days ago

  • Poll results and Waitangi Tribunal report go unmentioned on the Beehive website – where racing tru...
    Buzz  from the Beehive The government’s official website – which Point of Order monitors daily – not for the first time has nothing much to say today about political happenings that are grabbing media headlines. It makes no mention of the latest 1News-Verian poll, for example.  This shows National down ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    2 days ago

  • Listening To The Traffic.
    It Takes A Train To Cry: Surely, there is nothing lonelier in all this world than the long wail of a distant steam locomotive on a cold Winter’s night.AS A CHILD, I would lie awake in my grandfather’s house and listen to the traffic. The big wooden house was only a ...
    Bowalley Road
    2 days ago

  • Comity Be Damned! The State’s Legislative Arm Is Flexing Its Constitutional Muscles.
    Packing A Punch: The election of the present government, including in its ranks politicians dedicated to reasserting the rights of the legislature in shaping and determining the future of Māori and Pakeha in New Zealand, should have alerted the judiciary – including its anomalous appendage, the Waitangi Tribunal – that its ...
    Bowalley Road
    2 days ago

  • Ending The Quest.
    Dead Woman Walking: New Zealand’s media industry had been moving steadily towards disaster for all the years Melissa Lee had been National’s media and communications policy spokesperson, and yet, when the crisis finally broke, on her watch, she had nothing intelligent to offer. Christopher Luxon is a patient man - but he’s not ...
    Bowalley Road
    2 days ago

  • Will political polarisation intensify to the point where ‘normal’ government becomes impossible,...
    Chris Trotter writes –  New Zealand politics is remarkably easy-going: dangerously so, one might even say. With the notable exception of John Key’s flat ruling-out of the NZ First Party in 2008, all parties capable of clearing MMP’s five-percent threshold, or winning one or more electorate seats, tend ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    2 days ago

  • Bernard’s pick 'n' mix for Tuesday, April 30
    TL;DR: Here’s my top 10 ‘pick ‘n’ mix of links to news, analysis and opinion articles as of 10:30am on Tuesday, May 30:Scoop: NZ 'close to the tipping point' of measles epidemic, health experts warn NZ Herald Benjamin PlummerHealth: 'Absurd and totally unacceptable': Man has to wait a year for ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago

  • Why Tory Whanau has the lowest approval rating in the country
    Bryce Edwards writes – Polling shows that Wellington Mayor Tory Whanau has the lowest approval rating of any mayor in the country. Siting at -12 per cent, the proportion of constituents who disapprove of her performance outweighs those who give her the thumbs up. This negative rating is ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    2 days ago

  • Worst poll result for a new Government in MMP history
    Luxon will no doubt put a brave face on it, but there is no escaping the pressure this latest poll will put on him and the government. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: These are the six things that stood out to me in news and commentary on Aotearoa-NZ’s political ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago

  • Pinning down climate change's role in extreme weather
    This is a re-post from The Climate Brink by Andrew Dessler In the wake of any unusual weather event, someone inevitably asks, “Did climate change cause this?” In the most literal sense, that answer is almost always no. Climate change is never the sole cause of hurricanes, heat waves, droughts, or ...
    Skeptical Science
    2 days ago

  • Serving at Seymour's pleasure.
    Something odd happened yesterday, and I’d love to know if there’s more to it. If there was something which preempted what happened, or if it was simply a throwaway line in response to a journalist.Yesterday David Seymour was asked at a press conference what the process would be if the ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    2 days ago

  • Webworm LA Pop-Up
    Hi,From time to time, I want to bring Webworm into the real world. We did it last year with the Jurassic Park event in New Zealand — which was a lot of fun!And so on Saturday May 11th, in Los Angeles, I am hosting a lil’ Webworm pop-up! I’ve been ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    2 days ago

  • “Feel good” school is out
    Education Minister Erica Standford yesterday unveiled a fundamental reform of the way our school pupils are taught. She would not exactly say so, but she is all but dismantling the so-called “inquiry” “feel good” method of teaching, which has ruled in our classrooms since a major review of the New ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    2 days ago

  • 6 Months in, surely our Report Card is “Ignored all warnings: recommend dismissal ASAP”?
    Exactly where are we seriously going with this government and its policies? That is, apart from following what may as well be a Truss-Lite approach on the purported economic “plan“, and Victorian-era regression when it comes to social policy. Oh it’ll work this time of course, we’re basically assured, “the ...
    exhALANtBy exhalantblog
    2 days ago

  • Bread, and how it gets buttered
    Hey Uncle Dave, When the Poms joined the EEC, I wasn't one of those defeatists who said, Well, that’s it for the dairy job. And I was right, eh? The Chinese can’t get enough of our milk powder and eventually, the Poms came to their senses and backed up the ute ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago

  • Bryce Edwards: Why Tory Whanau has the lowest approval rating in the country
    Polling shows that Wellington Mayor Tory Whanau has the lowest approval rating of any mayor in the country. Siting at -12 per cent, the proportion of constituents who disapprove of her performance outweighs those who give her the thumbs up. This negative rating is higher than for any other mayor ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    3 days ago

  • Justice for Gaza?
    The New York Times reports that the International Criminal Court is about to issue arrest warrants for Israeli officials, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, over their genocide in Gaza: Israeli officials increasingly believe that the International Criminal Court is preparing to issue arrest warrants for senior government officials on ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    3 days ago

  • If there has been any fiddling with Pharmac’s funding, we can count on Paula to figure out the fis...
    Buzz from the Beehive Pharmac has been given a financial transfusion and a new chair to oversee its spending in the pharmaceutical business. Associate Health Minister David Seymour described the funding for Pharmac as “its largest ever budget of $6.294 billion over four years, fixing a $1.774 billion fiscal cliff”. ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    3 days ago

  • FastTrackWatch – The case for the Government’s Fast Track Bill
    Bryce Edwards writes – Many criticisms are being made of the Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill, including by this writer. But as with everything in politics, every story has two sides, and both deserve attention. It’s important to understand what the Government is trying to achieve and its ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    3 days ago

  • Bernard’s pick 'n' mix for Monday, April 29
    TL;DR: Here’s my top 10 ‘pick ‘n’ mix of links to news, analysis and opinion articles as of 10:10am on Monday, April 29:Scoop: The children's ward at Rotorua Hospital will be missing a third of its beds as winter hits because Te Whatu Ora halted an upgrade partway through to ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago

  • Gordon Campbell on Iran killing its rappers, and searching for the invisible Dr. Reti
    span class=”dropcap”>As hideous as David Seymour can be, it is worth keeping in mind occasionally that there are even worse political figures (and regimes) out there. Iran for instance, is about to execute the country’s leading hip hop musician Toomaj Salehi, for writing and performing raps that “corrupt” the nation’s ...
    Gordon CampbellBy lyndon
    3 days ago

  • Auckland Rail Electrification 10 years old
    Yesterday marked 10 years since the first electric train carried passengers in Auckland so it’s a good time to look back at it and the impact it has had. A brief history The first proposals for rail electrification in Auckland came in the 1920’s alongside the plans for earlier ...
    Greater AucklandBy Matt L
    3 days ago

  • Coalition's dirge of austerity and uncertainty is driving the economy into a deeper recession
    Right now, in Aotearoa-NZ, our ‘animal spirits’ are darkening towards a winter of discontent, thanks at least partly to a chorus of negative comments and actions from the Government Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: These are the six things that stood out to me in news and commentary on ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago

  • Disability Funding or Tax Cuts.
    You make people evil to punish the paststuck inside a sequel with a rotating castThe following photos haven’t been generated with AI, or modified in any way. They are flesh and blood, human beings. On the left is Galatea Young, a young mum, and her daughter Fiadh who has Angelman ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    3 days ago

  • Of the Goodness of Tolkien’s Eru
    April has been a quiet month at A Phuulish Fellow. I have had an exceptionally good reading month, and a decently productive writing month – for original fiction, anyway – but not much has caught my eye that suggested a blog article. It has been vaguely frustrating, to be honest. ...
    A Phuulish FellowBy strda221
    3 days ago

  • 2024 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #17
    A listing of 31 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, April 21, 2024 thru Sat, April 27, 2024. Story of the week Anthropogenic climate change may be the ultimate shaggy dog story— but with a twist, because here ...
    Skeptical Science
    3 days ago

  • Pastor Who Abused People, Blames People
    Hi,I spent about a year on Webworm reporting on an abusive megachurch called Arise, and it made me want to stab my eyes out with a fork.I don’t regret that reporting in 2022 and 2023 — I am proud of it — but it made me angry.Over three main stories ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    4 days ago

  • Vic Uni shows how under threat free speech is
    The new Victoria University Vice-Chancellor decided to have a forum at the university about free speech and academic freedom as it is obviously a topical issue, and the Government is looking at legislating some carrots or sticks for universities to uphold their obligations under the Education and Training Act. They ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago

  • Winston remembers Gettysburg.
    Do you remember when Melania Trump got caught out using a speech that sounded awfully like one Michelle Obama had given? Uncannily so.Well it turns out that Abraham Lincoln is to Winston Peters as Michelle was to Melania. With the ANZAC speech Uncle Winston gave at Gallipoli having much in ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    4 days ago

  • 25
    She was born 25 years ago today in North Shore hospital. Her eyes were closed tightly shut, her mouth was silently moving. The whole theatre was all quiet intensity as they marked her a 2 on the APGAR test. A one-minute eternity later, she was an 8.  The universe was ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    4 days ago

  • Fact Brief – Is Antarctica gaining land ice?
    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 in collaboration with members from our Skeptical Science team. You can submit claims you think need checking via the tipline. Is Antarctica gaining land ice? ...
    Skeptical Science
    4 days ago

  • Policing protests.
    Images of US students (and others) protesting and setting up tent cities on US university campuses have been broadcast world wide and clearly demonstrate the growing rifts in US society caused by US policy toward Israel and Israel’s prosecution of … Continue reading → ...
    KiwipoliticoBy Pablo
    5 days ago

  • Open letter to Hon Paul Goldsmith
    Barrie Saunders writes – Dear Paul As the new Minister of Media and Communications, you will be inundated with heaps of free advice and special pleading, all in the national interest of course. For what it’s worth here is my assessment: Traditional broadcasting free to air content through ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago

  • Bryce Edwards: FastTrackWatch – The Case for the Government’s Fast Track Bill
    Many criticisms are being made of the Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill, including by this writer. But as with everything in politics, every story has two sides, and both deserve attention. It’s important to understand what the Government is trying to achieve and its arguments for such a bold reform. ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    5 days ago

  • Luxon gets out his butcher’s knife – briefly
    Peter Dunne writes –  The great nineteenth British Prime Minister, William Gladstone, once observed that “the first essential for a Prime Minister is to be a good butcher.” When a later British Prime Minister, Harold Macmillan, sacked a third of his Cabinet in July 1962, in what became ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago

  • More tax for less
    Ele Ludemann writes – New Zealanders had the OECD’s second highest tax increase last year: New Zealanders faced the second-biggest tax raises in the developed world last year, the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) says. The intergovernmental agency said the average change in personal income tax ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago

  • Real News vs Fake News.
    We all know something’s not right with our elections. The spread of misinformation, people being targeted with soundbites and emotional triggers that ignore the facts, even the truth, and influence their votes.The use of technology to produce deep fakes. How can you tell if something is real or not? Can ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago

  • Another way to roll
    Hello! Here comes the Saturday edition of More Than A Feilding, catching you up on the past week’s editions.Share ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    5 days ago

  • Simon Clark: The climate lies you'll hear this year
    This video includes conclusions of the creator climate scientist Dr. Simon Clark. It is presented to our readers as an informed perspective. Please see video description for references (if any). This year you will be lied to! Simon Clark helps prebunk some misleading statements you'll hear about climate. The video includes ...
    Skeptical Science
    5 days ago

  • Cutting the Public Service
    It is all very well cutting the backrooms of public agencies but it may compromise the frontlines. One of the frustrations of the Productivity Commission’s 2017 review of universities is that while it observed that their non-academic staff were increasing faster than their academic staff, it did not bother to ...
    PunditBy Brian Easton
    6 days ago

  • Luxon’s demoted ministers might take comfort from the British politician who bounced back after th...
    Buzz from the Beehive Two speeches delivered by Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters at Anzac Day ceremonies in Turkey are the only new posts on the government’s official website since the PM announced his Cabinet shake-up. In one of the speeches, Peters stated the obvious:  we live in a troubled ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago

  • This is how I roll over
    1. Which of these would you not expect to read in The Waikato Invader?a. Luxon is here to do business, don’t you worry about thatb. Mr KPI expects results, and you better believe itc. This decisive man of action is getting me all hot and excitedd. Melissa Lee is how ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    6 days ago

  • The Waitangi Tribunal is not “a roving Commission”…
    …it has a restricted jurisdiction which must not be abused: it is not an inquisition   NOTE – this article was published before the High Court ruled that Karen Chhour does not have to appear before the Waitangi Tribunal Gary Judd writes –  The High Court ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago

  • Is Oranga Tamariki guilty of neglect?
    Lindsay Mitchell writes – One of reasons Oranga Tamariki exists is to prevent child neglect. But could the organisation itself be guilty of the same? Oranga Tamariki’s statistics show a decrease in the number and age of children in care. “There are less children ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago

  • Three Strikes saw lower reoffending
    David Farrar writes: Graeme Edgeler wrote in 2017: In the first five years after three strikes came into effect 5248 offenders received a ‘first strike’ (that is, a “stage-1 conviction” under the three strikes sentencing regime), and 68 offenders received a ‘second strike’. In the five years prior to ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago

  • Luxon’s ruthless show of strength is perfect for our angry era
    Bryce Edwards writes – Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has surprised everyone with his ruthlessness in sacking two of his ministers from their crucial portfolios. Removing ministers for poor performance after only five months in the job just doesn’t normally happen in politics. That’s refreshing and will be extremely ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago

  • 'Lacks attention to detail and is creating double-standards.'
    TL;DR: These are the six things that stood out to me in news and commentary on Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the two days to 6:06am on Thursday, April 25:Politics: PM Christopher Luxon has set up a dual standard for ministerial competence by demoting two National Cabinet ministers while leaving also-struggling ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    6 days ago

  • One Night Only!
    Hi,Today I mainly want to share some of your thoughts about the recent piece I wrote about success and failure, and the forces that seemingly guide our lives. But first, a quick bit of housekeeping: I am doing a Webworm popup in Los Angeles on Saturday May 11 at 2pm. ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    6 days ago

  • What did Melissa Lee do?
    It is hard to see what Melissa Lee might have done to “save” the media. National went into the election with no public media policy and appears not to have developed one subsequently. Lee claimed that she had prepared a policy paper before the election but it had been decided ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    6 days ago

  • Skeptical Science New Research for Week #17 2024
    Open access notables Ice acceleration and rotation in the Greenland Ice Sheet interior in recent decades, Løkkegaard et al., Communications Earth & Environment: In the past two decades, mass loss from the Greenland ice sheet has accelerated, partly due to the speedup of glaciers. However, uncertainty in speed derived from satellite products ...
    Skeptical Science
    6 days ago

  • Maori Party (with “disgust”) draws attention to Chhour’s race after the High Court rules on Wa...
    Buzz from the Beehive A statement from Children’s Minister Karen Chhour – yet to be posted on the Government’s official website – arrived in Point of Order’s email in-tray last night. It welcomes the High Court ruling on whether the Waitangi Tribunal can demand she appear before it. It does ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    7 days ago

  • Who’s Going Up The Media Mountain?
    Mr Bombastic: Ironically, the media the academic experts wanted is, in many ways, the media they got. In place of the tyrannical editors of yesteryear, advancing without fear or favour the interests of the ruling class; the New Zealand news media of today boasts a troop of enlightened journalists dedicated to ...
    Bowalley Road
    7 days ago

  • “That's how I roll”
    It's hard times try to make a livingYou wake up every morning in the unforgivingOut there somewhere in the cityThere's people living lives without mercy or pityI feel good, yeah I'm feeling fineI feel better then I have for the longest timeI think these pills have been good for meI ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    7 days ago

  • “Comity” versus the rule of law
    In 1974, the US Supreme Court issued its decision in United States v. Nixon, finding that the President was not a King, but was subject to the law and was required to turn over the evidence of his wrongdoing to the courts. It was a landmark decision for the rule ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    1 week ago

  • Aotearoa: a live lab for failed Right-wing socio-economic zombie experiments once more…
    Every day now just seems to bring in more fresh meat for the grinder. In their relentlessly ideological drive to cut back on the “excessive bloat” (as they see it) of the previous Labour-led government, on the mountains of evidence accumulated in such a short period of time do not ...
    exhALANtBy exhalantblog
    1 week ago

  • Water is at the heart of farmers’ struggle to survive in Benin
    This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Megan Valére Sosou Market gardening site of the Itchèléré de Itagui agricultural cooperative in Dassa-Zoumè (Image credit: Megan Valère Sossou) For the residents of Dassa-Zoumè, a city in the West African country of Benin, choosing between drinking water and having enough ...
    Skeptical Science
    1 week ago

  • Minister acknowledges passing of Sir Robert Martin (KNZM)
    New Zealand lost a true legend when internationally renowned disability advocate Sir Robert Martin (KNZM) passed away at his home in Whanganui last night, Disabilities Issues Minister Louise Upston says. “Our Government’s thoughts are with his wife Lynda, family and community, those he has worked with, the disability community in ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    13 hours ago

  • Speech to New Zealand Institute of International Affairs, Parliament – Annual Lecture: Challenges ...
    Good evening –   Before discussing the challenges and opportunities facing New Zealand’s foreign policy, we’d like to first acknowledge the New Zealand Institute of International Affairs. You have contributed to debates about New Zealand foreign policy over a long period of time, and we thank you for hosting us.  ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    13 hours ago

  • Accelerating airport security lines
    From today, passengers travelling internationally from Auckland Airport will be able to keep laptops and liquids in their carry-on bags for security screening thanks to new technology, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Creating a more efficient and seamless travel experience is important for holidaymakers and businesses, enabling faster movement through ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    15 hours ago

  • Community hui to talk about kina barrens
    People with an interest in the health of Northland’s marine ecosystems are invited to a public meeting to discuss how to deal with kina barrens, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones will lead the discussion, which will take place on Friday, 10 May, at Awanui Hotel in ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    20 hours ago

  • Kiwi exporters win as NZ-EU FTA enters into force
    Kiwi exporters are $100 million better off today with the NZ EU FTA entering into force says Trade Minister Todd McClay. “This is all part of our plan to grow the economy. New Zealand's prosperity depends on international trade, making up 60 per cent of the country’s total economic activity. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    21 hours ago

  • Mining resurgence a welcome sign
    There are heartening signs that the extractive sector is once again becoming an attractive prospect for investors and a source of economic prosperity for New Zealand, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. “The beginnings of a resurgence in extractive industries are apparent in media reports of the sector in the past ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    23 hours ago

  • Ō-Rākau Remembrance Bill passes first reading
    The return of the historic Ō-Rākau battle site to the descendants of those who fought there moved one step closer today with the first reading of Te Pire mō Ō-Rākau, Te Pae o Maumahara / The Ō-Rākau Remembrance Bill. The Bill will entrust the 9.7-hectare battle site, five kilometres west ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • Government to boost public EV charging network
    Energy Minister Simeon Brown has announced 25 new high-speed EV charging hubs along key routes between major urban centres and outlined the Government’s plan to supercharge New Zealand’s EV infrastructure.  The hubs will each have several chargers and be capable of charging at least four – and up to 10 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • Residential Property Managers Bill to not progress
    The coalition Government will not proceed with the previous Government’s plans to regulate residential property managers, Housing Minister Chris Bishop says. “I have written to the Chairperson of the Social Services and Community Committee to inform him that the Government does not intend to support the Residential Property Managers Bill ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • Independent review into disability support services
    The Government has announced an independent review into the disability support system funded by the Ministry of Disabled People – Whaikaha. Disability Issues Minister Louise Upston says the review will look at what can be done to strengthen the long-term sustainability of Disability Support Services to provide disabled people and ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • Justice Minister updates UN on law & order plan
    Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith has attended the Universal Periodic Review in Geneva and outlined the Government’s plan to restore law and order. “Speaking to the United Nations Human Rights Council provided us with an opportunity to present New Zealand’s human rights progress, priorities, and challenges, while responding to issues and ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • Ending emergency housing motels in Rotorua
    The Government and Rotorua Lakes Council are committed to working closely together to end the use of contracted emergency housing motels in Rotorua. Associate Minister of Housing (Social Housing) Tama Potaka says the Government remains committed to ending the long-term use of contracted emergency housing motels in Rotorua by the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • Trade Minister travels to Riyadh, OECD, and Dubai
    Trade Minister Todd McClay heads overseas today for high-level trade talks in the Gulf region, and a key OECD meeting in Paris. Mr McClay will travel to Riyadh to meet with counterparts from Saudi Arabia and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). “New Zealand’s goods and services exports to the Gulf region ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago

  • Education priorities focused on lifting achievement
    Education Minister Erica Stanford has outlined six education priorities to deliver a world-leading education system that sets Kiwi kids up for future success. “I’m putting ambition, achievement and outcomes at the heart of our education system. I want every child to be inspired and engaged in their learning so they ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago

  • NZTA App first step towards digital driver licence
    The new NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) App is a secure ‘one stop shop’ to provide the services drivers need, Transport Minister Simeon Brown and Digitising Government Minister Judith Collins say.  “The NZTA App will enable an easier way for Kiwis to pay for Vehicle Registration and Road User Charges (RUC). ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago

  • Supporting whānau out of emergency housing
    Whānau with tamariki growing up in emergency housing motels will be prioritised for social housing starting this week, says Associate Housing Minister Tama Potaka. “Giving these whānau a better opportunity to build healthy stable lives for themselves and future generations is an essential part of the Government’s goal of reducing ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago

  • Tribute to Dave O'Sullivan
    Racing Minister Winston Peters has paid tribute to an icon of the industry with the recent passing of Dave O’Sullivan (OBE). “Our sympathies are with the O’Sullivan family with the sad news of Dave O’Sullivan’s recent passing,” Mr Peters says. “His contribution to racing, initially as a jockey and then ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago

  • Speech – Eid al-Fitr
    Assalaamu alaikum, greetings to you all. Eid Mubarak, everyone! I want to extend my warmest wishes to you and everyone celebrating this joyous occasion. It is a pleasure to be here. I have enjoyed Eid celebrations at Parliament before, but this is my first time joining you as the Minister ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago

  • Government saves access to medicines
    Associate Health Minister David Seymour has announced Pharmac’s largest ever budget of $6.294 billion over four years, fixing a $1.774 billion fiscal cliff.    “Access to medicines is a crucial part of many Kiwis’ lives. We’ve committed to a budget allocation of $1.774 billion over four years so Kiwis are ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago

  • Pharmac Chair appointed
    Hon Paula Bennett has been appointed as member and chair of the Pharmac board, Associate Health Minister David Seymour announced today. "Pharmac is a critical part of New Zealand's health system and plays a significant role in ensuring that Kiwis have the best possible access to medicines,” says Mr Seymour. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago

  • Taking action on Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder
    Hundreds of New Zealand families affected by Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) will benefit from a new Government focus on prevention and treatment, says Health Minister Dr Shane Reti. “We know FASD is a leading cause of preventable intellectual and neurodevelopmental disability in New Zealand,” Dr Reti says.  “Every day, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago

  • New sports complex opens in Kaikohe
    Regional Development Minister Shane Jones today attended the official opening of Kaikohe’s new $14.7 million sports complex. “The completion of the Kaikohe Multi Sports Complex is a fantastic achievement for the Far North,” Mr Jones says. “This facility not only fulfils a long-held dream for local athletes, but also creates ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago

  • Diplomacy needed more than ever
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters’ engagements in Türkiye this week underlined the importance of diplomacy to meet growing global challenges.    “Returning to the Gallipoli Peninsula to represent New Zealand at Anzac commemorations was a sombre reminder of the critical importance of diplomacy for de-escalating conflicts and easing tensions,” Mr Peters ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago

  • Anzac Commemorative Address, Buttes New British Cemetery Belgium
    Ambassador Millar, Burgemeester, Vandepitte, Excellencies, military representatives, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen – good morning and welcome to this sacred Anzac Day dawn service.  It is an honour to be here on behalf of the Government and people of New Zealand at Buttes New British Cemetery, Polygon Wood – a deeply ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago

  • Anzac Commemorative Address – NZ National Service, Chunuk Bair
    Distinguished guests -   It is an honour to return once again to this site which, as the resting place for so many of our war-dead, has become a sacred place for generations of New Zealanders.   Our presence here and at the other special spaces of Gallipoli is made ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago

  • Anzac Commemorative Address – Dawn Service, Gallipoli, Türkiye
    Mai ia tawhiti pamamao, te moana nui a Kiwa, kua tae whakaiti mai matou, ki to koutou papa whenua. No koutou te tapuwae, no matou te tapuwae, kua honoa pumautia.   Ko nga toa kua hinga nei, o te Waipounamu, o te Ika a Maui, he okioki tahi me o ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago

  • PM announces changes to portfolios
    Paul Goldsmith will take on responsibility for the Media and Communications portfolio, while Louise Upston will pick up the Disability Issues portfolio, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon announced today. “Our Government is relentlessly focused on getting New Zealand back on track. As issues change in prominence, I plan to adjust Ministerial ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • New catch limits for unique fishery areas
    Recreational catch limits will be reduced in areas of Fiordland and the Chatham Islands to help keep those fisheries healthy and sustainable, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. The lower recreational daily catch limits for a range of finfish and shellfish species caught in the Fiordland Marine Area and ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Minister welcomes hydrogen milestone
    Energy Minister Simeon Brown has welcomed an important milestone in New Zealand’s hydrogen future, with the opening of the country’s first network of hydrogen refuelling stations in Wiri. “I want to congratulate the team at Hiringa Energy and its partners K one W one (K1W1), Mitsui & Co New Zealand ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Urgent changes to system through first RMA Amendment Bill
    The coalition Government is delivering on its commitment to improve resource management laws and give greater certainty to consent applicants, with a Bill to amend the Resource Management Act (RMA) expected to be introduced to Parliament next month. RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop has today outlined the first RMA Amendment ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Overseas decommissioning models considered
    Overseas models for regulating the oil and gas sector, including their decommissioning regimes, are being carefully scrutinised as a potential template for New Zealand’s own sector, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. The Coalition Government is focused on rebuilding investor confidence in New Zealand’s energy sector as it looks to strengthen ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Release of North Island Severe Weather Event Inquiry
    Emergency Management and Recovery Minister Mark Mitchell has today released the Report of the Government Inquiry into the response to the North Island Severe Weather Events. “The report shows that New Zealand’s emergency management system is not fit-for-purpose and there are some significant gaps we need to address,” Mr Mitchell ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Justice Minister to attend Human Rights Council
    Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith is today travelling to Europe where he’ll update the United Nations Human Rights Council on the Government’s work to restore law and order.  “Attending the Universal Periodic Review in Geneva provides us with an opportunity to present New Zealand’s human rights progress, priorities, and challenges, while ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Patterson reopens world’s largest wool scouring facility
    Associate Agriculture Minister, Mark Patterson, formally reopened the world’s largest wool processing facility today in Awatoto, Napier, following a $50 million rebuild and refurbishment project. “The reopening of this facility will significantly lift the economic opportunities available to New Zealand’s wool sector, which already accounts for 20 per cent of ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Speech to the Southland Otago Regional Engineering Collective Summit, 18 April 2024
    Hon Andrew Bayly, Minister for Small Business and Manufacturing  At the Southland Otago Regional Engineering Collective (SOREC) Summit, 18 April, Dunedin    Ngā mihi nui, Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Ko Whanganui aho    Good Afternoon and thank you for inviting me to open your summit today.    I am delighted ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Government to introduce revised Three Strikes law
    The Government is delivering on its commitment to bring back the Three Strikes legislation, Associate Justice Minister Nicole McKee announced today. “Our Government is committed to restoring law and order and enforcing appropriate consequences on criminals. We are making it clear that repeat serious violent or sexual offending is not ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • New diplomatic appointments
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters has today announced four new diplomatic appointments for New Zealand’s overseas missions.   “Our diplomats have a vital role in maintaining and protecting New Zealand’s interests around the world,” Mr Peters says.    “I am pleased to announce the appointment of these senior diplomats from the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Humanitarian support for Ethiopia and Somalia
    New Zealand is contributing NZ$7 million to support communities affected by severe food insecurity and other urgent humanitarian needs in Ethiopia and Somalia, Foreign Minister Rt Hon Winston Peters announced today.   “Over 21 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance across Ethiopia, with a further 6.9 million people ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Arts Minister congratulates Mataaho Collective
    Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage Paul Goldsmith is congratulating Mataaho Collective for winning the Golden Lion for best participant in the main exhibition at the Venice Biennale. "Congratulations to the Mataaho Collective for winning one of the world's most prestigious art prizes at the Venice Biennale.  “It is good ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 weeks ago

  • Supporting better financial outcomes for Kiwis
    The Government is reforming financial services to improve access to home loans and other lending, and strengthen customer protections, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly and Housing Minister Chris Bishop announced today. “Our coalition Government is committed to rebuilding the economy and making life simpler by cutting red tape. We are ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 weeks ago

Page generated in The Standard by Wordpress at 2024-05-01T18:24:51+00:00