Wellywood? Welly-hick, more like

Written By: - Date published: 10:36 am, March 9th, 2010 - 53 comments
Categories: local government - Tags: ,

When you talk to some Wellingtonians they like to tell you their city is different to others in New Zealand because because it’s a bit more metropolitan and sophisticated than towns like Hamilton, Palmerston North or Mosgiel.

My response is generally to point out the fact that Wellington is really just a large provincial town with too high an opinion of itself.

Don’t get me wrong, there’s nothing wrong with provincial towns, they’re part of what I really like about New Zealand but occasionally these wee towns throw up an idea that is so cringingly hick, so small-minded and embarrassing you can’t help but break out the language of the big-city snob.

In this case it’s Wellington’s turn to be the laughing-stock of anyone who doesn’t think guessing the weight of a sheep is a great day at the county fair.

And they’re doing it in grand bumpkin style with plans to erect a huge sign on the Miramar cut declaring the place to be “Wellywood”

That’s right, when people fly into our capital city the first impression they are going to get is of a city, if not a country, that is willing to crawlingly bastardize its name in order to try to gain just a little bit of reflected glamour from a city on the other side of the world.

The only other Kiwi town I can think of that has done such a thing is Mosgiel and at least they had enough self-respect to spell out the name of their town rather than some sycophantic play on the name of their town.

Honestly Wellington, have some dignity. You look like a bunch of bumpkins.

53 comments on “Wellywood? Welly-hick, more like ”

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  1. DeeDub 1
    9 March 2010 at 10:53 am

    As a Welly-dweller can I just say to whoever thought of this lame bullshit idea:

    JUST F**K OFF!

  2. pollywog 2
    9 March 2010 at 11:03 am

    “When you talk to some Wellingtonians they like to tell you their city is different to others in New Zealand because…”

    …its one big cul de sac. An unavoidable dead end you have to drive down then jump a boat to get anywhere decent.

    Mainland for life !

  3. Eric C. 3
    9 March 2010 at 11:06 am

    Sounds like another stupid idea from Kerry Prendergast.

    • Bored 3.1
      9 March 2010 at 12:13 pm

      Common Eric, Kerry does not have ideas, if she even had a stupid one that would be a personal milestone.

      • Bored 3.1.1
        9 March 2010 at 12:22 pm

        Come to think about it, maybe Rexy wants to develop Wellywood Villas on top of the hill, the signs just advance real estate marketing.

  4. randal 4
    9 March 2010 at 11:07 am

    hey guys dont you know how these things are done?
    I bet it was a vibrating drunken little screamer in a little black number who dreamed up this one.
    anyone who has done any busking at all knows that it its the poor people who give most and the creative types that look like they might have some money or awareness are the ones who curl their lip as they walk past but then they come up with something like this and they think its wonderful.
    mainly because they didnt have to pay for it.

  5. Lanthanide 5
    9 March 2010 at 11:17 am

    If they wanted to really honour the film industry in Wellington, they should have had Weta Workshops create something. Like a weta. Or a taniwha.

    • IrishBill 5.1
      9 March 2010 at 11:21 am

      Or they could just not put some tragic and ugly thing on a hill and instead be quietly self-confidant that Wellington is a city known for its film industry and its good taste.

  6. tc 6
    9 March 2010 at 11:29 am

    mmmm Dunno irish, methinks you expect too much from the windy city…..without parliament I always thought it was a hicktown…..with great food/culture and a good public transport system.

    Let’s face it, without PJ and his unswerving vision for doing it all here Weta would be an office only in NZ so maybe a giant CGI of whatever character that’s current like in Avavtor or District 9….my vote would be for Gollum.

  7. Bill 7
    9 March 2010 at 11:38 am

    “Wellington Mayor Kerry Prendergast said the giant sign would capture the essence of the capital.”

    Indeed.

    BTW. Always was going to be a an up hill struggle being a sophisticate coming from a town named in honour of Gumboots though, eh?.

      • Bill 7.1.1
        9 March 2010 at 12:54 pm

        Green waders?

      • Rich 7.1.2
        9 March 2010 at 8:02 pm

        I suppose one may have to give her some support, despite her and Iona being about the least inspiring politicians in the Green Party.

        I’m actually surprised she hasn’t welcomed the sign, given her form for agreeing with anything Kerry and the officers propose (in the cause of being “constructive”).

    • Rich 7.2
      9 March 2010 at 1:12 pm

      Actually, the boot was named after the town.

      It was invented to keep early settlers feet dry as they waded through the unsurfaced muddy streets of the new capital village.

      Oddly, the name never caught on in New Zealand.

      • Zorr 7.2.1
        9 March 2010 at 5:52 pm

        ummmm…. misinformation muh?

        Where did you get that little false nugget from? I’m curious.

        Also, Wellington wasn’t the capital until 1865.

  8. Pascal's bookie 8
    9 March 2010 at 11:42 am

    Oh for the love of fucking.

    I’d have to look at that damn thing at least twive a day on average.
    My axe swinging muscles are already twitching.

  9. Brett Dale 9
    9 March 2010 at 12:18 pm

    Wellington should try and be a little bit more original.

  10. Jimmy 10
    9 March 2010 at 12:18 pm

    Every town / city in New Zealand does equally stupid things. Does this really warrant your vitriol towards Wellington & its inhabitants?

    • IrishBill 10.1
      9 March 2010 at 12:25 pm

      I like Wellington and I like Wellingtonians. I think this is a stupid idea that will make both look stupid. Having a carrot at Ohakune or a bunch of fruit at Cromwell is kind of interesting and eccentric. Having your capital city desperately mimic Hollywood is a bad look whichever way you cut it.

  12. prism 12
    9 March 2010 at 12:32 pm

    Cripes what a cringing attitude to Wellington. Criticising the sign if it does go up is an example of the defensive approach lacking any brash go that NZs are noted for. I say go for it Wellington, flaunt yourself and your great talents and what you have achieved and aim to be.

    Less ‘Oh dear what will the neighbours think” and more “We are a vibrant community and if we want to parody Hollywood with a sense of humour because we have achieved a new international status and valuable real business (unlike financial ponzi schemes or milking cows, which does not require much imagination) we will celebrate it.”

    • Bored 12.1
      9 March 2010 at 1:03 pm

      Come on Prism, anybody coming to the far flung end of the world wind tunnel named Wellington would actually know where they were coming into……the bouncing of the plane on our gentle zephyrs would be enough to conform it. One gust of the local “breeze” pushing them over as they left the terminal would confirm that this was truly a place for an extraordinary type of person, film makers who utilise vast amounts of processing power to build virtual worlds because its too bloody cold and windy to film lightweight Hollywood midgets outside before they are blown into the harbour.

  13. Smokie 13
    9 March 2010 at 12:49 pm

    How f**king cringe-worthy can you get?

    Tell you what. If you tried that in the small North Island town where I live, you’d be run out… and rightly so.

    This shows up Wellingtonians for what they really are. Not culture snobs (the abuse they love to attribute to themselves) but downright tacky and tawdry.

    Remember Wellington, you voted for Prendergast.

    • Daveo 13.1
      9 March 2010 at 1:20 pm

      Not quite. Only one in three actually voted, and out of them only one in three voted for her. What’s that, one in nine? I’d say her largest support base is apathy.

      • Smokie 13.1.1
        9 March 2010 at 1:24 pm

        Wrong again Daveo.

        In a democratic society apathy is nothing less than implicit support for the winner.

        Don’t get all precious now. It’s not my fault Kerry Prendergast is your mayor.

        • Daveo 13.1.1.1
          9 March 2010 at 1:49 pm

          Um, that’s exactly what I said.

          “I’d say her largest support base is apathy.”

          Sigh. Fucking illiterate provincials.

          Anyway, this kind of illustrates my point:
          http://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/news/wellington/4357#mayor

          • Smokie 13.1.1.1.1
            9 March 2010 at 3:15 pm

            Your implication was that Wellingtonians weren’t responsible for her election. Well, they were.

            Maybe if the left down your way could get their fucking act together?

            • Bright Red 13.1.1.1.1.1
              9 March 2010 at 3:19 pm

              lovers’ tiff?

            • Daveo 13.1.1.1.1.2
              9 March 2010 at 3:55 pm

              Like I said, illiterate provincials. My implication was that she has no real popular support and that she keeps getting across the line due to voter apathy – not that Wellingtonians “weren’t responsible for her election”.

              Agreed on the sad state of the left in Wgtn’s local body elections, but then I don’t really care enough myself to get involved so can hardly complain.

  14. torydog 14
    9 March 2010 at 12:53 pm

    true a silly idea……but no more stupid then thick aucklanders voting john banks as ya mayor…….pretty bloody stupid thing to do in my book!

    PS you also have paul henry….

  15. i love wellington, but 15
    9 March 2010 at 1:00 pm

    i can understand it being installed for the oscars each year but that’s it

  16. prism 16
    9 March 2010 at 1:07 pm

    Most of the commentators here are against everything new, go on admit it. No you’ll say that’s wrong, we are not against new things, we just don’t like anything being done for the first time. And what if it didn’t pass the Good Taste examination?
    You don’t quite understand what Good Taste is but you know what you don’t like. Pity you couldn’t get some positive ideas and run with them, a long way perhaps!

    • IrishBill 16.1
      9 March 2010 at 1:13 pm

      Kerry, is that you?

    • Richard 16.2
      9 March 2010 at 2:16 pm

      “we are not against new things, we just don’t like anything being done for the first time”

      But it is not something being done for the first time. Hollywood, Bollywood, Mosgiel have all done this. I remember the Mosgiel lettering going up. Transformed the place….never looked back. Suddenly Momona airport was full of Lear jets bringing in the A-listers for sausage rolls at one of Mosgiel’s many fine teaooms.
      Actually this is the sort of thing I would usually expect Aucland to come up with. I’m not Jafa bashing, but it is the sort of thing you expect from Auckland, not Wellington.

  17. i love wellington, but 17
    9 March 2010 at 1:23 pm

    to prism
    i spend my life making art so new is kind of important to me.

    the sign as a full time installation is a stupid idea, nothing to do with taste, it is simply a stupid idea

    as an annual Oscar event celebration of what Wellington is a part of, yeah it is a fun
    TEMPORARY sign

  18. Tigger 18
    9 March 2010 at 2:44 pm

    Hey, it’s better than the sign Key wanted up there – FOR SALE.

    • IrishBill 18.1
      9 March 2010 at 2:47 pm

      Be patient Tigger. It’ll come down once they finished using it in Auckland.

  19. Rex Widerstrom 19
    9 March 2010 at 3:33 pm

    As if the crosswinds and the too-short runway weren’t enough to create the thrill ride that is flying in and out of Wellington, there’ll now be southerly gale-blown huge letters being flung at the aircraft from the nearby hills.

    Never mind the real estate conspiracy, I’d say they’ll be going after the popcorn and deckchair concession on top of the hill, and possibly a discreet bookmaking operation.

  20. ak 20
    9 March 2010 at 4:55 pm

    Seems a fitting development seeing as how we’re chasing a yankee FTA and dependent on 28 yr-old US bankers – and have the George W Bush of the south pacific….

    “Yo! Bummer!”

    “Er…hello prime minister….how are things in Noo Zeeland?”

    “All’s well and good in the Wellywood hood…er…. blood! Nome sane yall Brackman?”

    “Er….no, prime minister, not really…….”

  21. Pete DGeorge 21
    9 March 2010 at 7:40 pm

    Actually this is the sort of thing I would usually expect Aucland to come up with.

    But that could be Aukwood.

  22. chuck 22
    9 March 2010 at 9:21 pm

    You guys have ENTIRELY missed the point.
    It’s a pretty good way to not take ourselves seriously.
    It’s an in joke.
    Fu#k the rest of the world – its funny because we are NOTHING like Hollywood. We’re a tiny town, on the arsehole of the North Island – that constantly punches above its weight. Hell – you could probably say that about NZ.
    Its tacky like the Beehive, Te Papa, Aro Valley, what was for years the ONE wind turbine.
    Have a sense of humour – or perhaps a pair of over sized genitalia is something we could all agree on?

    • mummybot 22.1
      9 March 2010 at 10:55 pm

      You are right, we are nothing like Hollywood. Hollywood is a plastic hole of a suburb: the main boulevard is lined by sex shops and drug paraphernalia stores, the Kodak theater (where they hold the academy awards) looks like a drive in mall, and the hand prints outside the pastiche Chinese theater – which I digress to say it would belong in Universal Studios except for the fact that it fits right into the plastic and vinyl mess – are a testimony to random shape worship of the divine. The nicest building is the Church of Scientology headquarters. Really nice place to emulate.

      The weirdest thing is it is so hard to see the sign from within Hollywood. It acts as a beacon, luring the unwary and the star struck towards the idea of it, only to have that impression dashed as soon as one talks to the guy on a bus with a cast on his leg who said he had got shot walking down the main boulevard. Wellington can stand on its own without having to broadcast its status. If you really want an ostentatious (unoriginal) symbol of the movie industry in Wellington, go visit Park Road Post .

    • Been Benuane 22.2
      10 March 2010 at 10:04 pm

      Well nobody else will get the joke, and the joke will be on us.
      BTW, The Beehive and Te Papa were inflicted on Wellington mainly by Aucklanders.

  23. Policy Parrot 23
    10 March 2010 at 12:53 am

    The problem really lies with the whole “WOOD” thing. The invention of a single journo has now transcended the mainstream media. Do you know anyone who doesn’t cringe when that portmanteau is mentioned?

    Sure, have the sign. But stick with the proper name at least. Or, I also like Te Whanga-nui-a-tara.

    • Been Benuane 23.1
      10 March 2010 at 10:01 pm

      I don’t think I’ve ever heard anyone in Wellington ever say the word “Wellywood” in conversation… until now. I wasn’t even aware of this pathetic and pretentious attempt at pun until someone showed me Wikipedia’s page on Wellington, which left us stunned and soon editing it out (only for it to soon reappear).

  24. pollywog 24
    10 March 2010 at 11:40 am

    Wellygate FTW !

  25. Been Benuane 25
    10 March 2010 at 9:57 pm

    Hmm… there seems to be much reveling in the fact that this affront to good sense and taste is in Wellington, which (as much as you hate to admit it) IS a bit less low-brow than the rest of NZ. It’s pretty transparent to me that it’s the classic Kiwi chip on the shoulder coming into play again, you’ve all been waiting for an opportunity to stick the boot in Wellington. Well your Christmas has come early, non-entity Kerry’s saved her biggest clanger for now. Laugh away and enjoy this small victory.

    Of course you’ll ignore the fact that despite much spin from the press, the idea’s quite clearly almost universally unpopular in Wellington. And let’s face it, it would only put Wellington in equal footing in the cheesy stakes with Auckland (unless they build that absurd ANZAC bridge) and Christchurch. I mean what other city still promotes a needle tower as one of its main attractions? the viaduct basin will ever be Darling harbour JAFA’s, you just don’t have the right attitude.

  26. peterlepaysan 26
    12 March 2010 at 9:41 pm

    Wellington was my “home ” town.
    I loved it then and still love the memories.

    This “idea” is so grotesque, puerile and irrelevant I cannot imagine why anyone would waste spending public money on it.

    Had the misfortune of hearing (God help me) of hearing Mark Blumsky and (gulp) Stephen Franks
    (on NAT RAD) extolling the virtues of extracting 15 minutes of “fame” for Wellington.

    That this atrocity is being touted at the same time as the NZ Festival of Arts is is symptomatic of a
    society going to hell in a handbasket.

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    New Zealand has  a chance  to  rise  again. Under the  previous  government, the  number of New Zealanders below the poverty line was increasing  year by year. The Luxon-led government  must reverse that trend – and set about stabilising  the  pillars  of the economy. After the  mismanagement  of the outgoing government created   huge ...
    Point of OrderBy tutere44
    3 days ago

  • KARL DU FRESNE: Media and the new government
    Two articles by Karl du Fresne bring media coverage of the new government into considerations.  He writes –    Tuesday, November 28, 2023 The left-wing media needed a line of attack, and they found one The left-wing media pack wasted no time identifying the new government’s weakest point. Seething over ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    3 days ago

  • PHILIP CRUMP:  Team of rivals – a CEO approach to government leadership
    The work begins Philip Crump wrote this article ahead of the new government being sworn in yesterday – Later today the new National-led coalition government will be sworn in, and the hard work begins. At the core of government will be three men – each a leader ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    3 days ago

  • Black Friday
    As everyone who watches television or is on the mailing list for any of our major stores will confirm, “Black Friday” has become the longest running commercial extravaganza and celebration in our history. Although its origins are obscure (presumably dreamt up by American salesmen a few years ago), it has ...
    Bryan GouldBy Bryan Gould
    3 days ago

  • In Defense of the Media.
    Yesterday the Ministers in the next government were sworn in by our Governor General. A day of tradition and ceremony, of decorum and respect. Usually.But yesterday Winston Peters, the incoming Deputy Prime Minister, and Foreign Minister, of our nation used it, as he did with the signing of the coalition ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    3 days ago

  • Top 10 news links at 10 am for Tuesday, Nov 28
    Nicola Willis’ first move was ‘spilling the tea’ on what she called the ‘sobering’ state of the nation’s books, but she had better be able to back that up in the HYEFU. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Here’s my pick of top 10 news links elsewhere at 10 am ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago

  • PT use up but fare increases coming
    Yesterday Auckland Transport were celebrating, as the most recent Sunday was the busiest Sunday they’ve ever had. That’s a great outcome and I’m sure the ...
    Greater AucklandBy Matt L
    3 days ago

  • The very opposite of social investment
    Nicola Willis (in blue) at the signing of the coalition agreement, before being sworn in as both Finance Minister and Social Investment Minister. National’s plan to unwind anti-smoking measures will benefit her in the first role, but how does it stack up from a social investment viewpoint? Photo: Lynn Grieveson ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago

  • Giving Tuesday
    For the first time "in history" we decided to jump on the "Giving Tuesday" bandwagon in order to make you aware of the options you have to contribute to our work! Projects supported by Skeptical Science Inc. Skeptical Science Skeptical Science is an all-volunteer organization but ...
    Skeptical Science
    4 days ago

  • Let's open the books with Nicotine Willis
    Let’s say it’s 1984,and there's a dreary little nation at the bottom of the Pacific whose name rhymes with New Zealand,and they've just had an election.Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, will you look at the state of these books we’ve opened,cries the incoming government, will you look at all this mountain ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    4 days ago

  • Climate Change: Stopping oil
    National is promising to bring back offshore oil and gas drilling. Naturally, the Greens have organised a petition campaign to try and stop them. You should sign it - every little bit helps, and as the struggle over mining conservation land showed, even National can be deterred if enough people ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    4 days ago

  • Don’t accept Human Rights Commission reading of data on Treaty partnership – read the survey fin...
    Wellington is braced for a “massive impact’ from the new government’s cutting public service jobs, The Post somewhat grimly reported today. Expectations of an economic and social jolt are based on the National-Act coalition agreement to cut public service numbers in each government agency in a cost-trimming exercise  “informed by” head ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    4 days ago

  • The stupidest of stupid reasons
    One of the threats in the National - ACT - NZ First coalition agreements was to extend the term of Parliament to four years, reducing our opportunities to throw a bad government out. The justification? Apparently, the government thinks "elections are expensive". This is the stupidest of stupid reasons for ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    4 days ago

  • A website bereft of buzz
    Buzz from the Beehive The new government was being  sworn in, at time of writing , and when Point of Order checked the Beehive website for the latest ministerial statements and re-visit some of the old ones we drew a blank. We found ….  Nowt. Nothing. Zilch. Not a ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    4 days ago

  • MICHAEL BASSETT: A new Ministry – at last
    Michael Bassett writes – Like most people, I was getting heartily sick of all the time being wasted over the coalition negotiations. During the first three weeks Winston grinned like a Cheshire cat, certain he’d be needed; Chris Luxon wasted time in lifting the phone to Winston ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago

  • Luxon's Breakfast.
    The Prime Minister elect had his silver fern badge on. He wore it to remind viewers he was supporting New Zealand, that was his team. Despite the fact it made him look like a concierge, or a welcomer in a Koru lounge. Anna Burns-Francis, the Breakfast presenter, asked if he ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    4 days ago

  • LINDSAY MITCHELL:  Oranga Tamariki faces major upheaval under coalition agreement
     Lindsay Mitchell writes – A hugely significant gain for ACT is somewhat camouflaged by legislative jargon. Under the heading ‘Oranga Tamariki’ ACT’s coalition agreement contains the following item:   Remove Section 7AA from the Oranga Tamariki Act 1989 According to Oranga Tamariki:     “Section ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago

  • BRIAN EASTON:  Peters as Minister
    A previous column looked at Winston Peters biographically. This one takes a closer look at his record as a minister, especially his policy record. Brian Easton writes – 1990-1991: Minister of Māori Affairs. Few remember Ka Awatea as a major document on the future of Māori policy; there is ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago

  • Cathrine Dyer's guide to watching COP 28 from the bottom of a warming planet
    Is COP28 largely smoke and mirrors and a plan so cunning, you could pin a tail on it and call it a weasel? Photo: Getty ImagesTL;DR: COP28 kicks off on November 30 and up for negotiation are issues like the role of fossil fuels in the energy transition, contributions to ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago

  • Top 10 news links at 10 am for Monday, Nov 27
    PM Elect Christopher Luxon was challenged this morning on whether he would sack Adrian Orr and Andrew Coster.TL;DR: Here’s my pick of top 10 news links elsewhere at 10 am on Monday November 27, including:Signs councils are putting planning and capital spending on hold, given a lack of clear guidance ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago

  • Gordon Campbell on the new government’s policies of yesteryear
    This column expands on a Werewolf column published by Scoop on Friday Routinely, Winston Peters is described as the kingmaker who gets to decide when the centre right or the centre-left has a turn at running this country. He also plays a less heralded but equally important role as the ...
    Gordon CampbellBy lyndon
    4 days ago

  • The New Government’s Agreements
    Last Friday, almost six weeks after election day, National finally came to an agreement with ACT and NZ First to form a government. They also released the agreements between each party and looking through them, here are the things I thought were the most interesting (and often concerning) from the. ...
    Greater AucklandBy Matt L
    4 days ago

  • How many smokers will die to fund the tax cuts?
    Maori and Pasifika smoking rates are already over twice the ‘all adult’ rate. Now the revenue that generates will be used to fund National’s tax cuts. Photo: Getty ImagesTL;DR: The devil is always in the detail and it emerged over the weekend from the guts of the policy agreements National ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago

  • How the culture will change in the Beehive
    Perhaps the biggest change that will come to the Beehive as the new government settles in will be a fundamental culture change. The era of endless consultation will be over. This looks like a government that knows what it wants to do, and that means it knows what outcomes ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    4 days ago

  • No More Winnie Blues.
    So what do you think of the coalition’s decision to cancel Smokefree measures intended to stop young people, including an over representation of Māori, from taking up smoking? Enabling them to use the tax revenue to give other people a tax cut?David Cormack summed it up well:It seems not only ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago

  • 2023 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #47
    A chronological listing of news and opinion articles posted on the Skeptical Science  Facebook Page during the past week: Sun, Nov 19, 2023 thru Sat, Nov 25, 2023.  Story of the Week World stands on frontline of disaster at Cop28, says UN climate chief  Exclusive: Simon Stiell says leaders must ‘stop ...
    Skeptical Science
    5 days ago

  • Some of it is mad, some of it is bad and some of it is clearly the work of people who are dangerous ...
    On announcement morning my mate texted:Typical of this cut-price, fake-deal government to announce itself on Black Friday.What a deal. We lose Kim Hill, we gain an empty, jargonising prime minister, a belligerent conspiracist, and a heartless Ayn Rand fanboy. One door closes, another gets slammed repeatedly in your face.It seems pretty ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    5 days ago

  • “Revolution” is the threat as the Māori Party smarts at coalition government’s Treaty directi...
    Buzz from the Beehive Having found no fresh announcements on the government’s official website, Point of Order turned today to Scoop’s Latest Parliament Headlines  for its buzz. This provided us with evidence that the Māori Party has been soured by the the coalition agreement announced yesterday by the new PM. “Soured” ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago

  • The Good, the Bad, and the even Worse.
    Yesterday the trio that will lead our country unveiled their vision for New Zealand.Seymour looking surprisingly statesmanlike, refusing to rise to barbs about his previous comments on Winston Peters. Almost as if they had just been slapstick for the crowd.Winston was mostly focussed on settling scores with the media, making ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    6 days ago

  • When it Comes to Palestine – Free Speech is Under Threat
    Hi,Thanks for getting amongst Mister Organ on digital — thanks to you, we hit the #1 doc spot on iTunes this week. This response goes a long way to helping us break even.I feel good about that. Other things — not so much.New Zealand finally has a new government, and ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    6 days ago

  • Thank you Captain Luxon. Was that a landing, or were we shot down?
    Hello! Here comes the Saturday edition of More Than A Feilding, catching you up on the past week’s editions.Also in More Than A FeildingFriday The unboxing And so this is Friday and what have we gone and done to ourselves?In the same way that a Christmas present can look lovely under the ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    6 days ago

  • Cans of Worms.
    “And there’ll be no shortage of ‘events’ to test Luxon’s political skills. David Seymour wants a referendum on the Treaty. Winston wants a Royal Commission of Inquiry into Labour’s handling of the Covid crisis. Talk about cans of worms!”LAURIE AND LES were very fond of their local. It was nothing ...
    Bowalley Road
    6 days ago

  • Disinformation campaigns are undermining democracy. Here’s how we can fight back
    This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article. Misinformation is debated everywhere and has justifiably sparked concerns. It can polarise the public, reduce health-protective behaviours such as mask wearing and vaccination, and erode trust in science. Much of misinformation is spread not ...
    Skeptical Science
    6 days ago

  • Peters as Minister
    A previous column looked at Winston Peters biographically. This one takes a closer look at his record as a minister, especially his policy record.1990-1991: Minister of Māori Affairs. Few remember Ka Awatea as a major document on the future of Māori policy; there is not even an entry in Wikipedia. ...
    PunditBy Brian Easton
    7 days ago

  • The New Government: 2023 Edition
    So New Zealand has a brand-spanking new right-wing government. Not just any new government either. A formal majority coalition, of the sort last seen in 1996-1998 (our governmental arrangements for the past quarter of a century have been varying flavours of minority coalition or single-party minority, with great emphasis ...
    A Phuulish FellowBy strda221
    7 days ago

  • The unboxing
    And so this is Friday and what have we gone and done to ourselves?In the same way that a Christmas present can look lovely under the tree with its gold ribbon but can turn out to be nothing more than a big box holding a voucher for socks, so it ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    7 days ago

  • A cruel, vicious, nasty government
    So, after weeks of negotiations, we finally have a government, with a three-party cabinet and a time-sharing deputy PM arrangement. Newsroom's Marc Daalder has put the various coalition documents online, and I've been reading through them. A few things stand out: Luxon doesn't want to do any work, ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    1 week ago

  • Hurrah – we have a new government (National, ACT and New Zealand First commit “to deliver for al...
    Buzz from the Beehive Sorry, there has been  no fresh news on the government’s official website since the caretaker trade minister’s press statement about the European Parliament vote on the NZ-EU Free Trade Agreement. But the capital is abuzz with news – and media comment is quickly flowing – after ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    1 week ago

  • Christopher Luxon – NZ PM #42.
    Nothing says strong and stable like having your government announcement delayed by a day because one of your deputies wants to remind everyone, but mostly you, who wears the trousers. It was all a bit embarrassing yesterday with the parties descending on Wellington before pulling out of proceedings. There are ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    1 week ago

  • Coalition Government details policies & ministers
    Winston Peters will be Deputy PM for the first half of the Coalition Government’s three-year term, with David Seymour being Deputy PM for the second half. Photo montage by Lynn Grieveson for The KākāTL;DR: PM-Elect Christopher Luxon has announced the formation of a joint National-ACT-NZ First coalition Government with a ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago

  • “Old Coat” by Peter, Paul & Mary.
     THERE ARE SOME SONGS that seem to come from a place that is at once in and out of the world. Written by men and women who, for a brief moment, are granted access to that strange, collective compendium of human experience that comes from, and belongs to, all the ...
    Bowalley Road
    1 week ago

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

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

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