What goes around…

Written By: - Date published: 5:10 am, August 3rd, 2009 - 53 comments
Categories: corruption, john key, national/act government - Tags: , ,

Paula Bennett appears to have broken the law in releasing private information on members of the public who were critical of National’s “ambitious” cutting of the Training Incentive Allowance. Bennett says she did this to “round out the story”. John Key is “comfortable” with this abuse of power, so presumably now the law doesn’t matter, privacy doesn’t matter, the new standard is “rounding out the story”.

Here’s a story a lot of people would like to see rounded out. John, why did you sack Richard Worth?

Prime Minister John Key is refusing to say why he sacked Richard Worth, on the grounds that the former MP is now a member of the public.

That won’t wash now John, members of the public are perfectly fair game. You’ve made that abundantly clear.

Dr Worth has said he is innocent of any breach of the law, and Mr Key has never disclosed exactly why he was sacked. Under intense questioning at his post-cabinet press conference today, Mr Key said he was not going to go any further.

Why did you sack your minister John? Your secrecy on this matter is unprecedented, leading the press to ask who exactly are you protecting, Dr Worth or yourself? That’s a matter of legitimate public concern don’t you think? Speak up John, don’t be shy…

What other stories need rounding out? Here’s a good one:

Parliament’s Speaker, Lockwood Smith, has cited privacy reasons in refusing a request by Green co-leader Russel Norman to identify lobbyists who have access cards to Parliament. … Dr Norman is seeking more openness in the lobbying process…

The privacy fig leaf has been Bennetted – so it’s time to round out this story. We the public have a legitimate interest in knowing who has the access to influence our government, it’s a fundamental requirement of a healthy democracy. No more excuses, let’s have the truth! Yeah — isn’t this fun? What’s next in this Brave New World — what other stories need rounding out?…
–r0b

53 comments on “What goes around… ”

  • Comments are now closed

  1. Matthew Hooton 1
    3 August 2009 at 7:01 am

    So what about that poll then?

  2. Deciduous 2
    3 August 2009 at 7:24 am

    Eeerrm

    “potentially a breach of both the Privacy Act 1993 and the privacy tort.” is hardly a damning indictment that you can use to claim “appears to have broken the law”

    Although as Hooton points out, any port in a storm after another flogging in the polls aye chaps?!

  3. Deciduous 3
    3 August 2009 at 7:26 am

    By the way, what happened to the excellent search function this site once had?

  4. Geo 4
    3 August 2009 at 7:32 am

    Yes MH.National down one ,Labour NC.The question should be what about the Bill English Rort.The Bennet-ifit basher.The release of private information from Govt data base.

  5. Geo 5
    3 August 2009 at 7:39 am

    And what about Paul Henry this morning calling Johny Key a blackmailer.If you don’t like what Bill English is getting for rent on his OWN house then he will change houses and we will pay him more.

  6. Deciduous 6
    3 August 2009 at 7:42 am

    Now I’m worried Geo! You listen to that toxic dwarf Henry? Thought you folk had the tuning dial super glued to Labour FM & Morning Report?

  7. Eric C. 7
    3 August 2009 at 7:53 am

    Speaking of rounding out the English story, I note DFP has been telling people it is okay that English didn’t declare his $1.2 m Wellington family home in his pecuniary interests if he declared the trust that owns it.

    The problem is English did not declare any trust and he did not declare the family home either.

    Maybe we need to see the papers on that family trust that English is hiding behind so we can round out this story.

    As for the polls, MH, they can turn very quickly when scandal is in the air.

    • Doug 7.1
      3 August 2009 at 7:58 am

      Eric C
      After nine years of Scandal you should know.

    • ghostwhowalks 7.2
      3 August 2009 at 10:01 am

      Dont forget the old weatherboard house that Keys family trust owns in Kumeu, that just happened to be the only place available to rent as a electorate office.

      Yes its listed on his register of interests , but isnt it an abuse of the rules to get the government to rent it from you when you get to decide what what is suitable as an electorate office

      • Draco T Bastard 7.2.1
        3 August 2009 at 11:19 am

        Can anyone say “conflict of interest”?

        These National MPs are taking us all to the cleaners.

  8. outofbed 8
    3 August 2009 at 8:05 am

    jez a few people fired up by the Nats conference
    Did they attend the “Making attacking comments on left wing blogs” workshop, over the weekend?

  9. Eric C. 9
    3 August 2009 at 8:07 am

    National was going to change all of that. Seems they got the scandals going a lot faster! How long was Worth a Minister? How much longer does English have?

  10. Deciduous 10
    3 August 2009 at 8:13 am

    Oh look Eric, I’d be surprised if a 1st term government with a new crew didn’t have its share of controversy. Although I did have a quiet chuckle when the Nat’s got away with it in the latest poll.

    • Eric C. 10.1
      3 August 2009 at 8:20 am

      Controversy? Signing a painting for charity you didn’t paint is controversy. A sex romp that John Key refuses to discuss despite firing his Minister over it, is not ‘controversy’. That is scandal.

      • Doug 10.1.1
        3 August 2009 at 8:25 am

        Eric C
        Using a Honey Trap is the scandal.

        • Eric C. 10.1.1.1
          3 August 2009 at 8:58 am

          Sounds like Worth was into his honey. Is that why John Key let him go?

        • ghostwhowalks 10.1.1.2
          3 August 2009 at 10:11 am

          Its not a ‘honey trap’ when you turn around and tell Worths boss that hes sexually harrassing a woman
          Remember the phone call Key said he didnt get because he was on a plane.

          No one would have heard any more about the Indian woman until a Korean Woman went to the police and to Tau Henares office.

          Some Honey trap?. It was randy goat who was charging the tax payers for his hot sheets hotels

  11. Deciduous 11
    3 August 2009 at 8:24 am

    Lets not sling mud eh Eric. Theres plenty of ammo after the last adminstrations daliance with autocracy.

    • Eric C. 11.1
      3 August 2009 at 8:55 am

      Mud? Such a harsh word.

      It is… What did the Right call it?

      Oh, yes, keeping the bastards honest.

      But I can understand why you guys who have been so silent or at least slow to react on the English scandal want to end the debate with accusations of ‘mud’. Let’s see what comes out in the wash.

  12. vto 12
    3 August 2009 at 8:30 am

    Well done r0b. Very fair calls. Just like me and others used to do with the last labour lot – apply some ‘principle’ or ‘ruling’ from one political situation to another. Helen et al would simply select the ‘principle’ appropriate politically for that moment and then conveniently use another later.

    Though we sit mostly on opposite sides of the spectrum you highlight one of the most frustrating aspects of politicians – namely, changing the rules as they go. It moves me to anger because it is a form of deception, or falsehood or lying.

    I think they think we dont notice. The current nat lot are certainly doing nothing (current expense exposure aside) to lift the lowly perception and reality of politicians in the public’s eye.

    • r0b 12.1
      3 August 2009 at 9:27 am

      Well done r0b. Very fair calls.

      Kind and fair of you to say so vto.

      Just like me and others used to do with the last labour lot apply some ‘principle’ or ‘ruling’ from one political situation to another. Helen et al would simply select the ‘principle’ appropriate politically for that moment and then conveniently use another later.

      But I’m afraid you lose me there. While Labour didn’t get everything right, and made some bad calls, they were guided by principle and I defend their record on that front. In the case of serious allegations Helen Clark stood down ministers, and if due process found them guilty they were sacked.

      In particular, Bennett has broken the law and should go, as Labour’s Lianne Dalziel was stood down for a similar transgression. English is rorting the accommodation allowance and should go, as Labour’s Marian Hobbs and Phillida Bunkle (Alliance) were stood down for similar. Worth should have gone long before he did for his conflicts of interest in India, as Labour’s Parker stood down at even the hint of a transgression.

      Labour ran a clean ship. It’s becoming clear that with National there are no standards and no limits – anything goes and you can stay in cabinet. John’s “new standards” are as low as they can go. I’m sure National get some short term jollies out of that, but surely they can see that they are sowing the seeds of their own destruction…

    • burt 12.2
      3 August 2009 at 3:09 pm

      Labour ran a clean ship. It’s becoming clear that with National there are no standards and no limits

      If you seriously believe this rOb then you should seek professional help.

  13. Bomber 13
    3 August 2009 at 8:44 am

    Paula Bennett is the Sarah Palin of NZ politics (she can see the glass ceiling from her house!) – 19% Westy battler, 30% Stroppy mum from struggle street, and 51% smug accomplishment, the soft sell face of tomorrow’s massive cuts in social spending has breached privacy laws and the cabinet manual to release information about two dirty solo mothers who dared question the shut down of a training allowance that Paula herself had used.

    Bennie bashing dirty bludgers is as traditional to NZ as rugby, psoriasis of the liver and domestic violence. WE LOVE TO BASH THE BENNIE, and this bashing has been spectacular with the argument pushed in the corporate media that because people are on welfare, they have lower rights than real NZers who have jobs and as such can have their privacy thrown out the window for ‘wider debate’ and public denigration. While National was sending the myth of NZ egalitarianism down a vortex of vanity by re-introducing Sir and Dames, they were also lowering the privacy rights of those on the bottom rung to create a caste system that would make even Queen Elizabeth the second blush. Jack is no longer as good as his master, his welfare payment is too much and he has to call his master sir now.

    That enlightened organ of the people, talback radio, erupted with bennie bashing stories of solo mothers eating babies and spreading venereal diseases. “Why are they getting more money than the average wage’ roared the reasoned spittle of the talkback masses. Thank little baby Jesus that NZers were so caught up in damning solo mothers for earning above the average wage, that no one actually questioned why the average wage is so bloody low! It’s the minimum wage that needs to go up, not slashing solo mother benefits, but in our lust to bash the bennie once Big Sister Paula Bennett had unleashed the dogs of war, there was as much reasoned debate as a Michael Laws dinner party.

    The right should be ashamed of themselves! Under Brash it was ‘Maaaaaaaori get too much’ under Paula it’s’the bludger get’s too much’

    • vto 13.1
      3 August 2009 at 9:08 am

      the clang of noisy polemic eh bomber. did you actually say anything in all that other than abuse entire swathes of the nation?

      perhaps instead of simply writing off every single person in the country who has a problem with how much money the poster girls are getting as some sort of collective bunch of hicks you could examine why they have a problem with the poster girsl situation. they are people too you know – in the words of Horton the Elephant ‘a person is a person no matter how small’.

      Or you could just carry on talkback style..

      • SPC 13.1.1
        3 August 2009 at 10:12 am

        Why does the country have a problem vto?

        Is it because they are unaware that $500 a week is the minimum wage amount before any accomodation top up and the person receiving this on the DPB has to live on this and support her child/children as well and provide housing.

        Were they not informed that anyone working with a child children would be receiving more than any beneficiary and that child poverty is now centred around children in beneficiary families,not those with a working parent.

        It actually shows how poorly informed the public is. Especially when the way out of the child poverty is to have the parent educated – via such as the TIA – the hand up.

        As for the person on $700 a week – they were sick, two of their 3 children were sick and who knows what accomodation and travel costs they had (extra expenses being provided for on a means tested basis presumably).

    • sausage fingers 13.2
      3 August 2009 at 9:36 am

      Why are you called “Bomber”? What do you blow up? Do you advocate the use of violence to acheive your ends? Are you, like, really militant?

      Or is it simply sphomoric posturing so your mates’ll think you’re tough?

    • infused 13.3
      3 August 2009 at 9:53 am

      Bomber, you’re such a bore. You haven’t changed at all since channel z. God, why did I bother listening to you in those days. Stupid teen eh?

    • ghostwhowalks 13.4
      3 August 2009 at 10:14 am

      Struggle street ? Her father owned a business and her mother was a librarian.
      And she got a tertiary allowance that she doesnt want others to get

    • Kelsey 13.5
      3 August 2009 at 1:23 pm

      PS It’s cirrhosis of the Liver. Psoriasis is a totally different kettle of fish…

  14. The Voice of Reason 14
    3 August 2009 at 8:49 am

    The opinion polls are a lagging indicator, Dec.

    Two years more of this agenda of secrecy, arrogance and dithering will do the Nats in at the real poll in 2011. The resurgance of support for Winnie comes from your voters, Act are marginalised (well done, Sir Bludger Douglas!) and Labour do not have to improve much to be back in the position of leading the next government. The only real poll so far, the Mt Albert by-election, shows that Labour are more than capable of puttting together a winning campaign.

    Fair enough that the right pat themselves on the back for a good win in November, but that won’t mean a damn thing in two years time.

  15. gobsmacked 15
    3 August 2009 at 9:10 am

    A real scandal is the Prime Minister lying to Parliament. That’s not an allegation, but a proven fact:

    http://norightturn.blogspot.com/2009/08/misleading-house.html

    (To the tedious dittoheads: take some time to read the documentation, and the admission from Key’s own staff.)

    Will Key be held to account? Of course not. But that doesn’t change the fact. He lied.

    • Daveski 15.1
      3 August 2009 at 9:23 am

      well put vto

      In the same light, a PM lying to Parliament a scandal. What’s new apart from short memories at the Standard.

      We should be holding all our MP’s to higher standards (pun intended)

      • burt 15.1.1
        3 August 2009 at 1:13 pm

        Daveski

        It’s OK when Labour do it – actually its OK when Labour validate themsleves for breaking the law but National need to operate within the highest eticle standards or they are corrupt.

        Being active in blogs during a change of govt after a 3 term govt is entertaining. Everyone changes places and defends their team for the stuff they bagged the other team for and vice-a-versa. Hell even rOb thinks accountability is important now.

    • Ianmac 15.2
      3 August 2009 at 10:49 am

      Key is a bit like the kid who safely behind his Mum’s skirt and yells “Ha Ha Ha. You can’t catch me!”
      “Yeah. But you can’t hide for ever behind your mum’s skirt boy’o!”

  16. Bomber 16
    3 August 2009 at 9:21 am

    (yawn) vto, the issue isn’t to attack solo mothers because they are getting more than the average wage – it is to attack the fact the average wage is so fucking low! That’s a minimum wage issue and is the legacy of the new right industrial actions by National in the early 90s. Yes we should be shocked solo mothers earn above the average wage, but only because the average wage is so low! Ignoring that to attack beneficaries and then claim some moral high ground would serve you better in the Young Nats than this website.

    • vto 16.1
      3 August 2009 at 9:50 am

      You have a point re average and minimum wage etc. There are a whole bunch of factors for that and a whole bunch more to remedy too. But the issue re the poster girls was not about the level of the average wage it was about (privacy breach aside) who gets what, who’s paying, and the relative equity.

      And I think you need to pull them talkback specs off as I never once attacked beneficiaries as you claim. And Young Nats?? ha ha ha ha ha ha – not young and not nat. nat young (the aussie) may be …

      • SPC 16.1.1
        3 August 2009 at 10:29 am

        The relative equity?

        $500 a week is the minimum wage amount before any accomodation top up and the person receiving this on the DPB has to live on this and support her child/children as well and provide housing.

        Anyone working with a child children would be receiving more than any beneficiary. Child poverty is now centred around children in beneficiary families,not those with a working parent. The way out of the child poverty is to have the parent educated via such as the TIA the hand up.

        As for the person on $700 a week they were sick, two of their 3 children were sick and who knows what accomodation and travel costs they had (extra expenses being provided for on a means tested basis presumably)

        This equity and Bill English on what means tested basis (is on near $300,000 a year and has a professional partner working as a doctor) needs help paying for his housing?

        A person losing their job cannot get the dole if their partner is on the minimum wage $25,000 a week.

        Yet Bills wife is living in a home they own (via a Trust – whats this rort?) where she works. She should be earning enough to house herself her partner and their children on her own salary. Bill should be as well. And they both can do this together 5 to 10 times over on their combined income.

        What’s their income, is it over $400,000 or near $500,000 or is it more from investment income coming out of their trusts (is one trust paying an additional income to them while also charging them rent, so they can claim expenses off the government?)

        You want to talk equity?

        A person losing their job is supposed to live with her partner on a combined income of $25,000 (before tax) – they don’t receive the dole (and they won’t receive any WFF if there are no children) and they only receive an accomodation supplement IF they rent or pay mortgage (they pay rates – only a half subsidy at most is available and they won’t get all of that either) . This help does not cover the first and major part of any rent (they would have any owned home with a mortgage up for mortgagee sale) and they only get a part subsidy above that.

        Now what does Bill get?

        For near $1000 a week he could get a place in a hotel while his wife lived as a professional career woman capable of providing for herself and children on her own salary income.

        And Bill would still have his near $300,000 salary to live on without any housing costs to worry about.

        You want to talk equity?

        This man heads what Ministry that wants to bring accountability into the cost of public service …Roger Douglas, who spoke of all the tax cuts the rich could have if only they cut waste in government, and Bill are possibly declaring the whole point of “their government programme” is to make the rich richer and as two of that class why should they not do so directly from government

        • vto 16.1.1.1
          3 August 2009 at 10:41 am

          the relative equity of a working family or person getting less than a non-working family or person, all other circumstances being equal.

          you are comparing apples and oranges silly.

          but both the apples and oranges do need examination within their own orchards.

          • SPC 16.1.1.1.1
            3 August 2009 at 10:50 am

            You mean the poor receiving benefits should be means tested as to accomodation supplement. That a person receiving the dole should be partner means tested.

            But not people in power like Bill ?

            PS Yeah I get the poor eat apples so are guilty and should be punished with poverty and powerlessness (patriarchal religion)

            but I thought thought Bill was Catholic, not one of the dour Presbyterian Calvinist elect to the manor born.

            One rule for the poor and another rule for the rich – spearate classes separate rules …

    • infused 16.2
      3 August 2009 at 9:56 am

      They don’t ‘earn’ it, it’s a benefit. Labour has kept it low the last 9yrs. The minimum wage is an artificial way to boost wages. It’s a safety net more than anything.

    • The Voice of Reason 16.3
      3 August 2009 at 10:07 am

      Quite right, Bomber. And the best and quickest way out of the recession is to raise confidence by raising wages. Working people did not create this crisis, but they can help end it, but only if they have an expectation of being paid properly for their work and their confidence rises as a result. Fear is a poor motivator.

      The attacks on beneficiaries and workers that the previous Nat government so enthusiastically bought in only extended the economic misery right through the nineties.

      The philosophical problem for the right in NZ is that the relative equality of benefits and wages is a sign that NZ society wants a social contract underpinned by reasonable social welfare, so the only way a conservative government gets elected is on a platform of wishy washy liberalism. The real agenda cannot be pursued openly.

      The cracks quickly appear within the ranks of the right when the conflict between ideals and electoral reality can’t be resolved. Bashing the beneficiaries is an attempt to cover the cracks, not a well thought nor publicly supported policy.

  17. burt 17
    3 August 2009 at 10:13 am

    rOb

    I’m very excited that now we have a National govt you think MP’s must be accountable under the law as written.

  18. Bill 18
    3 August 2009 at 10:22 am

    Heard the one about the DonKey, the bennetficiary and the $1000 bill yet?

    Them and their worthy mates?

    How they all ‘got together’ and created an ass?

  19. ak 19
    3 August 2009 at 10:42 am

    Good post r0b, but don’t hold your breath. The media love-in has only intensified if anything since yore when “the work was done” and the leading players started getting on the piss with their golden idol.

    Compare the treatment of the substantial issues you outline with the rabid feeding-frenzy unleashed on Hels, Trev, Winnie et al last year for each and every comparatively trifling peccadillo.

    Look no further than today’s headlines: “Key urges kiwis to get behind All Blacks”. “PM invites families home”.

    The $1000/wk issue plastered over or ignored, the youth employment “initiative” a typical PR masterstroke: warm, compassionate Sunny caring for our youth, the media assuaging the base by leading (Espiner) with “Key cuts dole for under 18s”.

    Not a peep from anyone that under 18s haven’t been able to get the dole for years.

    No easy answer. While the handful of key swing-voter influencers retain their monopoly, it’s government by hack for us all.

  20. Rodel 20
    4 August 2009 at 8:42 pm

    If JK is Kermit and Paula is Miss Piggy who are Bill English, Rodney, Murray and Co?? I think Roger is either Waldorf or Statler.

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    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    2 days ago
  • Northern Expressway Boondoggle

    Transport Minister Simeon Brown has been soaring high with his hubris of getting on and building motorways but some uncomfortable realities are starting to creep in. Back in July he announced that the government was pushing on with a Northland Expressway using an “accelerated delivery strategy” The Coalition Government is ...
    Greater AucklandBy Matt L
    2 days ago
  • Never Enough

    However much I'm falling downNever enoughHowever much I'm falling outNever, never enough!Whatever smile I smile the mostNever enoughHowever I smile I smile the mostSongwriters: Robert James Smith / Simon Gallup / Boris Williams / Porl ThompsonToday in Nick’s Kōrero:A death in the Emergency Department at Rotorua Hospital.A sad homecoming and ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    2 days ago
  • Question Two of The Kākā Project of 2026 for 2050 (TKP 26/50)

    Kia ora.Last month I proposed restarting The Kākā Project work done before the 2023 election as The Kākā Project of 2026 for 2050 (TKP 26/50), aiming to be up and running before the 2025 Local Government elections, and then in a finalised form by the 2026 General Elections.A couple of ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago
  • Why is God Obsessed with Spanking?

    Hi,If you’ve read Webworm for a while, you’ll be aware that I’ve spent a lot of time writing about horrific, corrupt megachurches and the shitty men who lead them.And in all of this writing, I think some people have this idea that I hate Christians or Christianity. As I explain ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    2 days ago
  • Inside the public service

    In 2023, there were 63,117 full-time public servants earning, on average, $97,200 a year each. All up, that is a cost to the Government of $6.1 billion a year. It’s little wonder, then, that the public service has become a political whipping boy castigated by the Prime Minister and members ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    2 days ago
  • New Models Show Stronger Atlantic Hurricanes, and More of Them

    This is a re-post from This is Not Cool Here’s an example of some of the best kind of climate reporting, especially in that it relates to impacts that will directly affect the audience. WFLA in Tampa conducted a study in collaboration with the Department of Energy, analyzing trends in ...
    Skeptical Science
    3 days ago
  • Where ever do they find these people?

    A riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma, is how Winston Churchill described the Soviet Union in 1939.  How might the great man have described the 2024 government of New Zealand, do we think? I can't imagine he would have thought them all that mysterious or enigmatic. I think ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago
  • Motorway madness

    How mad is National's obsession with roads? One of their pet projects - a truck highway to Whangārei - is going to eat 10% of our total infrastructure budget for the next 25 years: Official advice from the Infrastructure Commission shows the government could be set to spend 10 ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    3 days ago
  • Our transport planning system is fundamentally broken

    Ever since Wayne Brown became mayor (nearly two years ago now) he’s been wanting to progress an “integrated transport plan” with the government – which sounded a lot like the previous Auckland Transport Alignment Project (ATAP) with just a different name. It seems like a fair bit of work progressed ...
    Greater AucklandBy Matt L
    3 days ago
  • Thou Shalt Not Steal

    And they taught usWhoa-oh, black woman, thou shalt not stealI said, hey, yeah, black man, thou shalt not stealWe're gonna civilise your black barbaric livesAnd we teach you how to kneelBut your history couldn't hide the genocideThe hypocrisy to us was realFor your Jesus said you're supposed to giveThe oppressed ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    3 days ago
  • How mismanagement, not wind and solar energy, causes blackouts

    This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections In February 2021, several severe storms swept across the United States, culminating with one that the Weather Channel unofficially named Winter Storm Uri. In Texas, Uri knocked out power to over 4.5 million homes and 10 million people. Hundreds of Texans died as a ...
    Skeptical Science
    3 days ago
  • The ‘Infra Boys’ Highway to Budget Hell

    Chris Bishop has enthusiastically dubbed himself and Simeon Brown “the Infra Boys”, but they need to take note of the sums around their roading dreams. Photo: Lynn GrievesonMōrena. Long stories short, here’s my top six things to note in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, climate and poverty on Tuesday, September ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago
  • Media Link: “AVFA” on the politics of desperation.

    In this podcast Selwyn Manning and I talk about what appears to be a particular type of end-game in the long transition to systemic realignment in international affairs, in which the move to a new multipolar order with different characteristics … Continue reading → ...
    KiwipoliticoBy Pablo
    4 days ago
  • The cost of flying blind

    Just over two years ago, when worries about immediate mass-death from covid had waned, and people started to talk about covid becoming "endemic", I asked various government agencies what work they'd done on the costs of that - and particularly, on the cost of Long Covid. The answer was that ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    4 days ago
  • Seymour vs The Clergy

    For paid subscribers“Aotearoa is not as malleable as they think,” Lynette wrote last week on Homage to Simeon Brown:In my heart/mind, that phrase ricocheted over the next days, translating out to “We are not so malleable.”It gave me comfort. I always felt that we were given an advantage in New ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    4 days ago
  • Unstoppable Minister McKee

    All smiles, I know what it takes to fool this townI'll do it 'til the sun goes downAnd all through the nighttimeOh, yeahOh, yeah, I'll tell you what you wanna hearLeave my sunglasses on while I shed a tearIt's never the right timeYeah, yeahSong by SiaLast night there was a ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    4 days ago
  • Could outdoor dining revitalise Queen Street?

    This is a guest post by Ben van Bruggen of The Urban Room,.An earlier version of this post appeared on LinkedIn. All images are by Ben. Have you noticed that there’s almost nowhere on Queen Street that invites you to stop, sit outside and enjoy a coffee, let alone ...
    Greater AucklandBy Guest Post
    4 days ago
  • Hipkins challenges long-held Labour view Government must stay below 30% of GDP

    Hipkins says when considering tax settings and the size of government, the big question mark is over what happens with the balance between the size of the working-age population and the growing number of Kiwis over the age of 65. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāMōrena. Long stories short; here’s ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • Your invite to Webworm Chat (a bit like Reddit)

    Hi,One of the things I love the most about Webworm is, well, you. The community that’s gathered around this lil’ newsletter isn’t something I ever expected when I started writing it four years ago — now the comments section is one of my favourite places on the internet. The comments ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    4 days ago
  • Seymour’s Treaty bill making Nats nervous

    A delay in reappointing a top civil servant may indicate a growing nervousness within the National Party about the potential consequences of David Seymour’s Treaty Principles Bill. Dave Samuels is waiting for reappointment as the Chief Executive of Te Puni Kokiri, but POLITIK understands that what should have been a ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    4 days ago
  • 2024 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #36

    A listing of 34 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, September 1, 2024 thru Sat, September 7, 2024. Story of the week Our Story of the Week is about how peopele are not born stupid but can be fooled ...
    Skeptical Science
    5 days ago
  • Time for a Change

    You act as thoughYou are a blind manWho's crying, crying 'boutAll the virgins that are dyingIn your habitual dreams, you knowSeems you need more sleepBut like a parrot in a flaming treeI know it's pretty hard to seeI'm beginning to wonderIf it's time for a changeSong: Phil JuddThe next line ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago
  • Security Politics in Peripheral Democracies: Excerpt Six.

    The “double shocks” in post Cold War international affairs. The end of the Cold War fundamentally altered the global geostrategic context. In particular, the end of the nuclear “balance of terror” between the USA and USSR, coupled with the relaxation … Continue reading → ...
    KiwipoliticoBy Pablo
    5 days ago
  • Buried deep

    Here's a bike on Manchester St, Feilding. I took this photo on Friday night after a very nice dinner at the very nice Vietnamese restaurant, Saigon, on Manchester Street.I thought to myself, Manchester Street? Bicycle? This could be the very spot.To recap from an earlier edition: on a February night ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    5 days ago
  • Security Politics in Peripheral Democracies, Excerpt Five.

    Military politics as a distinct “partial regime.” Notwithstanding their peripheral status, national defense offers the raison d’être of the combat function, which their relative vulnerability makes apparent, so military forces in small peripheral democracies must be very conscious of events … Continue reading → ...
    KiwipoliticoBy Pablo
    6 days ago
  • Leadership for Dummies

    If you’re going somewhere, do you maybe take a bit of an interest in the place? Read up a bit on the history, current events, places to see - that sort of thing? Presumably, if you’re taking a trip somewhere, it’s for a reason. But what if you’re going somewhere ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    6 days ago
  • Home again

    Hello! Here comes the Saturday edition of More Than A Feilding, catching you up on anything you may have missed. Share Read more ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    6 days ago
  • Dead even tie for hottest August ever

    Long stories short, here’s the top six news items of note in climate news for Aotearoa-NZ this week, and a discussion above between Bernard Hickey and The Kākā’s climate correspondent Cathrine Dyer:The month of August was 1.49˚C warmer than pre-industrial levels, tying with 2023 for the warmest August ever, according ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    6 days ago
  • The Hoon around the week to Sept 7

    The podcast above of the weekly ‘Hoon’ webinar for paying subscribers on Thursday night features co-hosts and talking about the week’s news with:The Kākā’s climate correspondent on the latest climate science on rising temperatures and the debate about how to responde to climate disinformation; and special guest ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    6 days ago
  • Have We an Infrastructure Deficit?

    An Infrastructure New Zealand report says we are keeping up with infrastructure better than we might have thought from the grumbling. But the challenge of providing for the future remains.I was astonished to learn that the quantity of our infrastructure has been keeping up with economic growth. Your paper almost ...
    PunditBy Brian Easton
    7 days ago
  • Councils reject racism

    Last month, National passed a racist law requiring local councils to remove their Māori wards, or hold a referendum on them at the 2025 local body election. The final councils voted today, and the verdict is in: an overwhelming rejection. Only two councils out of 45 supported National's racist agenda ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    7 days ago
  • Homage to Simeon Brown

    Open to all - happy weekend ahead, friends.Today I just want to be petty. It’s the way I imagine this chap is -Not only as a political persona. But his real-deal inner personality, in all its glory - appears to be pure pettiness & populist driven.Sometimes I wonder if Simeon ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    7 days ago
  • Government of deceit

    When National cut health spending and imposed a commissioner on Te Whatu Ora, they claimed that it was necessary because the organisation was bloated and inefficient, with "14 layers of management between the CEO and the patient". But it turns out they were simply lying: Health Minister Shane Reti’s ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    7 days ago
  • The professionals actually think and act like our Government has no fiscal crisis at all

    Treasury staff at work: The demand for a new 12-year Government bond was so strong, Treasury decided to double the amount of bonds it sold. Photo: Lynn GrievesonMōrena. Long stories short; here’s my top six things to note in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, climate and poverty on Friday, September ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    7 days ago
  • Weekly Roundup 6-September-2024

    Welcome to another Friday and another roundup of stories that caught our eye this week. As always, this and every post is brought to you by the Greater Auckland crew. If you like our work and you’d like to see more of it, we invite you to join our regular ...
    Greater AucklandBy Greater Auckland
    1 week ago
  • Security Politics in Peripheral Democracies; Excerpt Four.

    Internal versus external security. Regardless of who rules, large countries can afford to separate external and internal security functions (even if internal control functions predominate under authoritarian regimes). In fact, given the logic of power concentration and institutional centralization of … Continue reading → ...
    KiwipoliticoBy Pablo
    1 week ago
  • A Hole In The River

    There's a hole in the river where her memory liesFrom the land of the living to the air and skyShe was coming to see him, but something changed her mindDrove her down to the riverThere is no returnSongwriters: Neil Finn/Eddie RaynerThe king is dead; long live the queen!Yesterday was a ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    1 week ago
  • Bright Blue His Jacket Ain’t But I Love This Fellow: A Review and Analysis of The Rings of Power E...

    My conclusion last week was that The Rings of Power season two represented a major improvement in the series. The writing’s just so much better, and honestly, its major problems are less the result of the current episodes and more creatures arising from season one plot-holes. I found episode three ...
    A Phuulish FellowBy strda221
    1 week ago
  • Who should we thank for the defeat of the Nazis

    As a child in the 1950s, I thought the British had won the Second World War because that’s what all our comics said. Later on, the films and comics told me that the Americans won the war. In my late teens, I found out that the Soviet Union ...
    Open ParachuteBy Ken
    1 week ago
  • Skeptical Science New Research for Week #36 2024

    Open access notables Diurnal Temperature Range Trends Differ Below and Above the Melting Point, Pithan & Schatt, Geophysical Research Letters: The globally averaged diurnal temperature range (DTR) has shrunk since the mid-20th century, and climate models project further shrinking. Observations indicate a slowdown or reversal of this trend in recent decades. ...
    Skeptical Science
    1 week ago
  • Join us for the weekly Hoon on YouTube Live at 5pm

    Photo by Jenny Bess on UnsplashCome and join us for our weekly ‘Hoon’ webinar with paying subscribers to The Kākā for an hour at 5 pm.Jump on this link on YouTube Livestream for our chat about the week’s news with special guests:5.00 pm - 5.10 pm - Bernard and ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago
  • Media Link: Discussing the NZSIS Security Threat Report.

    I was interviewed by Mike Hosking at NewstalkZB and a few other media outlets about the NZSIS Security Threat Report released recently. I have long advocated for more transparency, accountability and oversight of the NZ Intelligence Community, and although the … Continue reading → ...
    KiwipoliticoBy Pablo
    1 week ago
  • How do I make this better for people who drive Ford Rangers?

    Home, home again to a long warm embrace. Plenty of reasons to be glad to be back.But also, reasons for dejection.You, yes you, Simeon Brown, you odious little oik, you bible thumping petrol-pandering ratfucker weasel. You would be Reason Number One. Well, maybe first among equals with Seymour and Of-Seymour ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    1 week ago
  • A missed opportunity

    The government introduced a pretty big piece of constitutional legislation today: the Parliament Bill. But rather than the contentious constitutional change (four year terms) pushed by Labour, this merely consolidates the existing legislation covering Parliament - currently scattered across four different Acts - into one piece of legislation. While I ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    1 week ago
  • Nicola Willis Seeks New Sidekick To Help Fix NZ’s Economy

    Synopsis:Nicola Willis is seeking a new Treasury Boss after Dr Caralee McLiesh’s tenure ends this month. She didn’t listen to McLiesh. Will she listen to the new one?And why is Atlas Network’s Taxpayers Union chiming in?Please consider subscribing or supporting my work. Thanks, Tui.About CaraleeAt the beginning of July, Newsroom ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    1 week ago
  • Inflation alive and kicking in our land of the long white monopolies

    The golden days of profit continue for the the Foodstuffs (Pak’n’Save and New World) and Woolworths supermarket duopoly. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāMōrena. Long stories short; here’s my top six things to note in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, climate and poverty on Thursday, September 5:The Groceries Commissioner has ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago
  • The thermodynamics of electric vs. internal combustion cars

    This is a re-post from The Climate Brink by Andrew Dessler I love thermodynamics. Thermodynamics is like your mom: it may not tell you what you can do, but it damn well tells you what you can’t do. I’ve written a few previous posts that include thermodynamics, like one on air capture of ...
    Skeptical Science
    1 week ago
  • Security Politics in Peripheral Democracies: Excerpt Three.

    The notion of geopolitical  “periphery.” The concept of periphery used here refers strictly to what can be called the geopolitical periphery. Being on the geopolitical periphery is an analytic virtue because it makes for more visible policy reform in response … Continue reading → ...
    KiwipoliticoBy Pablo
    1 week ago
  • Venus Hum

    Fill me up with soundThe world sings with me a million smiles an hourI can see me dancing on my radioI can hear you singing in the blades of grassYellow dandelions on my way to schoolBig Beautiful Sky!Song: Venus Hum.Good morning, all you lovely people, and welcome to the 700th ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    1 week ago
  • I Went to a Creed Concert

    Note: The audio attached to this Webworm compliments today’s newsletter. I collected it as I met people attending a Creed concert. Their opinions may differ to mine. Read more ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    1 week ago
  • Government migration policy backfires; thousands of unemployed nurses

    The country has imported literally thousands of nurses over the past few months yet whether they are being employed as nurses is another matter. Just what is going on with HealthNZ and it nurses is, at best, opaque, in that it will not release anything but broad general statistics and ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    1 week ago
  • A Time For Unity.

    Emotional Response: Prime Minister Christopher Luxon addresses mourners at the tangi of King Tuheitia on Turangawaewae Marae on Saturday, 31 August 2024.THE DEATH OF KING TUHEITIA could hardly have come at a worse time for Maoridom. The power of the Kingitanga to unify te iwi Māori was demonstrated powerfully at January’s ...
    Bowalley Road
    1 week ago
  • Climate Change: Failed again

    National's tax cut policies relied on stealing revenue from the ETS (previously used to fund emissions reduction) to fund tax cuts to landlords. So how's that going? Badly. Today's auction failed again, with zero units (of a possible 7.6 million) sold. Which means they have a $456 million hole in ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    1 week ago
  • Security Politics in Peripheral Democracies: Excerpt Two.

    A question of size. Small size generally means large vulnerability. The perception of threat is broader and often more immediate for small countries. The feeling of comparative weakness, of exposure to risk, and of potential intimidation by larger powers often … Continue reading → ...
    KiwipoliticoBy Pablo
    1 week ago

  • New Bill to crack down on youth vaping

    The coalition Government has introduced legislation to tackle youth vaping, Associate Health Minister Casey Costello announced today. “The Smokefree Environments and Regulated Products Amendment Bill (No 2) is aimed at preventing youth vaping.  “While vaping has contributed to a significant fall in our smoking rates, the rise in youth vaping ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    17 hours ago
  • Interest in agricultural and horticultural products regulatory review welcomed

    Regulation Minister David Seymour, Environment Minister Penny Simmonds, and Food Safety Minister Andrew Hoggard have welcomed interest in the agricultural and horticultural products regulatory review. The review by the Ministry for Regulation is looking at how to speed up the process to get farmers and growers access to the safe, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    18 hours ago
  • Bill to allow online charity lotteries passes first reading

    Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says the Government is moving at pace to ensure lotteries for charitable purposes are allowed to operate online permanently. Charities fundraising online, such as those run by the Heart Foundation, Coastguard NZ, Auckland Rescue Helicopter Trust and local hospices will continue to do ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    18 hours ago
  • Tax exempt threshold changes to benefit startups

    Technology companies are among the startups which will benefit from increases to current thresholds of exempt employee share schemes, Science, Innovation and Technology Minister Judith Collins and Revenue Minister Simon Watts say. Tax exempt thresholds for the schemes are increasing as part of the Taxation (Annual Rates for 2024-25, Emergency ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    18 hours ago
  • Getting the healthcare you need, when you need it

    The path to faster cancer treatment, an increase in immunisation rates, shorter stays in emergency departments and quick assessment and treatments when you are sick has been laid out today. Health Minister Dr Shane Reti has revealed details of how the ambitious health targets the Government has set will be ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    22 hours ago
  • Targeted supports to accelerate reading

    The coalition Government is delivering targeted and structured literacy supports to accelerate learning for struggling readers. From Term 1 2025, $33 million of funding for Reading Recovery and Early Literacy Support will be reprioritised to interventions which align with structured approaches to teaching. “Structured literacy will change the way children ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    22 hours ago
  • Survivors invited to Abuse in Care national apology

    With two months until the national apology to survivors of abuse in care, expressions of interest have opened for survivors wanting to attend. “The Prime Minister will deliver a national apology on Tuesday 12 November in Parliament. It will be a very significant day for survivors, their families, whānau and ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Rangatahi inspire at Ngā Manu Kōrero final

    Ehara taku toa i te toa takitahi, engari he toa takitini kē - My success is not mine alone but is the from the strength of the many. Aotearoa New Zealand’s top young speakers are an inspiration for all New Zealanders to learn more about the depth and beauty conveyed ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Driving structured literacy in schools

    The coalition Government is driving confidence in reading and writing in the first years of schooling. “From the first time children step into the classroom, we’re equipping them and teachers with the tools they need to be brilliant in literacy. “From 1 October, schools and kura with Years 0-3 will receive ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Labour’s misleading information is disappointing

    Labour’s misinformation about firearms law is dangerous and disappointing, Associate Justice Minister Nicole McKee says.   “Labour and Ginny Andersen have repeatedly said over the past few days that the previous Labour Government completely banned semi-automatic firearms in 2019 and that the Coalition Government is planning to ‘reintroduce’ them.   ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Govt takes action on mpox response, widens access to vaccine

    The Government is taking immediate action on a number of steps around New Zealand’s response to mpox, including improving access to vaccine availability so people who need it can do so more easily, Health Minister Dr Shane Reti and Associate Health Minister David Seymour announced today. “Mpox is obviously a ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Next steps agreed for Treaty Principles Bill

    Associate Justice Minister David Seymour says Cabinet has agreed to the next steps for the Treaty Principles Bill. “The Treaty Principles Bill provides an opportunity for Parliament, rather than the courts, to define the principles of the Treaty, including establishing that every person is equal before the law,” says Mr Seymour. “Parliament ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Government unlocking potential of AI

    Science, Innovation and Technology Minister Judith Collins today announced a programme to drive Artificial Intelligence (AI) uptake among New Zealand businesses. “The AI Activator will unlock the potential of AI for New Zealand businesses through a range of support, including access to AI research experts, technical assistance, AI tools and resources, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Government releases Wairoa flood review findings

    The independent rapid review into the Wairoa flooding event on 26 June 2024 has been released, Environment Minister Penny Simmonds, Local Government Minister Simeon Brown and Emergency Management and Recovery Minister Mark Mitchell announced today. “We welcome the review’s findings and recommendations to strengthen Wairoa's resilience against future events,” Ms ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Promoting faster payment times for government

    The Government is sending a clear message to central government agencies that they must prioritise paying invoices in a timely manner, Small Business and Manufacturing Minister Andrew Bayly says. Data released today promotes transparency by publishing the payment times of each central government agency. This data will be published quarterly ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Acknowledgement to Kīngi Tuheitia speech

    E te māngai o te Whare Pāremata, kua riro māku te whakaputa i te waka ki waho moana. E te Pirimia tēnā koe.Mr Speaker, it is my privilege to take this adjournment kōrero forward.  Prime Minister – thank you for your leadership. Taupiri te maunga Waikato te awa Te Wherowhero ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Interim fix to GST adjustment rules to support businesses

    Inland Revenue can begin processing GST returns for businesses affected by a historic legislative drafting error, Revenue Minister Simon Watts says. “Inland Revenue has become aware of a legislative drafting error in the GST adjustment rules after changes were made in 2023 which were meant to simplify the process. This ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Strong uptake for cervical screening self-test

    More than 80 per cent of New Zealand women being tested have opted for a world-leading self-test for cervical screening since it became available a year ago. Minister of Health Dr Shane Reti and Associate Minister Casey Costello, in her responsibility for Women’s Health, say it’s fantastic to have such ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Ministry for Regulation’s first Strategic Intentions document sets ambitious direction

    Regulation Minister David Seymour welcomes the Ministry for Regulation’s first Strategic Intentions document, which sets out how the Ministry will carry out its work and deliver on its purpose. “I have set up the Ministry for Regulation with three tasks. One, to cut existing red tape with sector reviews. Two, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Māori Education Advisory Group established

    The Education Minister has established a Māori Education Ministerial Advisory Group made up of experienced practitioners to help improve outcomes for Māori learners. “This group will provide independent advice on all matters related to Māori education in both English medium and Māori medium settings. It will focus on the most impactful ways we can lift ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Government welcomes findings of NZ Superannuation Fund review

    The Government has welcomed the findings of the recent statutory review into the Guardians of New Zealand Superannuation and the New Zealand Superannuation Fund, Minister of Finance Nicola Willis says. The 5-yearly review, conducted on behalf of Treasury and tabled in Parliament today, found the Guardians of New Zealand Superannuation ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • First of five new Hercules aircraft takes flight

    Defence Minister Judith Collins today welcomed the first of five new C-130J-30 Hercules to arrive in New Zealand at a ceremony at the Royal New Zealand Air Force’s Base Auckland, Whenuapai. “This is an historic day for our New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) and our nation. The new Hercules fleet ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Have your say on suicide prevention

    Today, September 10 is World Suicide Prevention Day, a time to reflect on New Zealand’s confronting suicide statistics, Mental Health Minister Matt Doocey says. “Every death by suicide is a tragedy – a tragedy that affects far too many of our families and communities in New Zealand. We must do ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Action to grow the rural health workforce

    Scholarships awarded to 27 health care students is another positive step forward to boost the future rural health workforce, Associate Health Minister Matt Doocey says. “All New Zealanders deserve timely access to quality health care and this Government is committed to improving health outcomes, particularly for the one in five ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Pharmac delivering more for Kiwis following major funding boost

    Associate Health Minister with responsibility for Pharmac David Seymour has welcomed the increased availability of medicines for Kiwis resulting from the Government’s increased investment in Pharmac. “Pharmac operates independently, but it must work within the budget constraints set by the Government,” says Mr Seymour. “When our Government assumed office, New ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Sport Minister congratulates NZ’s Paralympians

    Sport & Recreation Minister Chris Bishop has congratulated New Zealand's Paralympic Team at the conclusion of the Paralympic Games in Paris.  “The NZ Paralympic Team's success in Paris included fantastic performances, personal best times, New Zealand records and Oceania records all being smashed - and of course, many Kiwis on ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Government progresses response to Abuse in Care recommendations

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