What has happened to Simon Bridges?

Written By: - Date published: 8:40 am, July 19th, 2018 - 42 comments
Categories: blogs, China, david clark, David Farrar, International, jacinda ardern, Media, national, same old national, Simon Bridges, the praiseworthy and the pitiful, you couldn't make this shit up - Tags:

You would think that while Jacinda Ardern takes time out to properly introduce baby Neve to the world opposition leader Simon Bridges would be striding throughout the country like a colossus and really make a name for himself.

But he has been rather invisible.  Maybe it is part of a cunning plan by National Strategists to lull Labour into a false sense of security.  Maybe they think he is better to wait until Jacinda is back.

Whatever it is he has been pretty invisible for the past few weeks. And when he has appeared he has been pretty appalling.

Like when he criticised David Clark for a quick trip to Australia to settle his kids in. Duncan Garner was scathing about his comments describing him as being truly pathetic. From Newshub:

“Leadership in these sorts of incidents, talking things down, talking in good faith about what the solutions are, they matter, and I think [David Clark] should’ve been here,” Mr Bridges told The AM Show.

But Duncan Garner didn’t take the comments lightly. He said it was “truly pathetic” of Mr Bridges to attack Dr Clark for being out of the country for 33 hours during the week when the nurses were striking.

“He has a wife and three young kids who he helped transport to Australia. He stayed the night and came straight home. A sprint to Australia and back to help your family get somewhere is hardly a perk. Being a minister is not his only job in life,” Garner said.

Dr Clark did the right thing by escorting his family over to Australia, Garner said, because travelling with young children is “a pretty stressful thing”.

It was not as if Clark was engaged in the negotiations.  He was not.  Health Board representatives were involved.  And he had his cell phone with him.

Bridges latest major media engagement was this weird interview he had with Radio New Zealand.  He was asked about the recently released New Zealand Defence Force Strategy which warned about expansion of Chinese activity in the South China sea and the implications for peace.  Bridges response was this:

“The defence paper is pretty clear in its critical stance but [Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters] won’t bring himself to be in that space,” he said.

“I think that is worrying. We all deserve, actually China deserves, a clear position from New Zealand, not having to read the tea leaves, not having to be open to misinterpretation.”

There needed to be greater clarity and understanding around the defence paper to avoid the risk of negative economical consequences, he said.

“We need to understand the validity of where Mr Peters is taking us in this – we’ve got the stringent defence document, we don’t see that coming through in his comments, it’s this very obtuse position.

“I’ve got to say as well, this will have economic ramifications for New Zealand. I just don’t think there’s any doubt about that,” Mr Bridges said.

What was he saying?  We should not criticise China because it may affect trade?

He was asked a curly question by Espiner about National MP Jian Yang and blew it.  The discussion went like this:

Espiner – What’s [Yang’s] spokesmanship.

Bridges – Statistics

Espiner – anything else?

Bridges – no, not at this time

Espiner – his bio says he is an associate spokesperson for ethnic communities is that right as well

Bridges – that would be right, he is remarkably effective at that …

But it is not only the misspeaking that is getting him into trouble.  It is also his invisibility.  He seems to be missing from the media at a time when there is little opposition.

As an example the National Party blogger has posted three posts in the past month mentioning Bridges.  One was an incidental mention of him in a quoted passage by Shane Te Pou, the second was a post where questions that Bridges asked of Peters in Parliament were referred to, and the third also contained an incidental reference to him.

By way of contrast my count is that Jacinda Ardern was mentioned in no fewer than 12 Kiwiblog posts.

Although the content is somewhat confusing this Newstalk  ZB heading from a normally supportive media organisation speaks volumes.  It says “If Simon Bridges fails, at least he’s tried”.

Other cheerleaders claim that he is putting in the hard yards and is a social media warrior.  The facebook like count would suggest otherwise.  Jacinda Ardern has 276,000 likes compared to Simon’s 33,000.  And having your invitation list open so that anyone can see that right now only four people intend going to your Te Atatu public meeting scheduled for tomorrow is not the sign of a social media warrior.

I am sure Bridges is trying.  I am also pretty sure he is failing.

42 comments on “What has happened to Simon Bridges? ”

  • Comments are now closed

  1. dukeofurl 1
    19 July 2018 at 8:56 am

    Social media warrior ?

    Does that mean they are spending largish amounts on Facebook ads to put him out there ? I dont use the thing so cant tell

  2. One Two 2
    19 July 2018 at 9:25 am

    33 Hours

    33,000 Likes

  3. Hanswurst 3
    19 July 2018 at 9:41 am

    His interviews read almost exactly like Key’s, tbh. I don’t think the problem is Bridges himself, but the fact that National were caught off-guard without a proper succession plan when the 2017 election was lost (perhaps even by Key’s resignation under a year earlier). If you look back at 2005, Key was being talked up as leader and given minimal but clear framing as a policy heavyweight as National’s economics spokesman before almost anybody had ever even seen him in action. On becoming leader, of course, he revealed himself to be an utter doofus, misspeaking, tying himself in knots (“A Labour government I lead…”, “30,000… erm… 50,000… erm, no, actually 100,000 shares in Tranzrail”) and generally making an ass of himself. Virtually nothing he ever said made any sense at all. However, National already had the roll-out of the statehouse-boy-to-riches story prepared to accompany his becoming leader and capture the imagination of the electorate as a positive framing on what he actually presented.

    The difference for Bridges, I think, is manifold. Firstly, he hasn’t had that carefully crafted spin seeded before he entered the limelight. Secondly, no matter who you are and what the spin, it’s hard to enter the limelight without significant negative baggage when coming off three terms in government. Key had the massive asset of coming from a background outside politics, with his rise as a politician coinciding with his party’s resurgence from opposition; that’s just the way the biscuit breaks sometimes. Thirdly, Key was novel; Bridges is an attempt to recapture that, and it’s been done now. Finally, that particular coveted pole-position in the popular consciousness has been captured by Jacinda Ardern, another politician whose rise in popularity has had more to do with being in the right place at the right time than with any actual substance, regardless of what that substance is. Bridges would have to be all sorts of special to succeed at all at this point.

    • Matthew Whitehead 3.1
      19 July 2018 at 11:09 am

      I think this is a big problem of the emerging trend (helped along by the media) to less parliamentary, more leader-focused politics, where it’s difficult to mentor a successor as Party Leader while maintaining the near-absolute discipline and control of cabinet that the media seem to want. There is little room in such a model for alternative leaders to become independent and learn their own styles under such a model, and I wonder if we can expect a further series of nine-year swings each direction under it if it continues.

      Otherwise I’m quite a fan of what you’re getting at though- there was a lot of careful branding of Key that Simo just can’t capture, he doesn’t have the charisma for it, and he’s very clearly a born-to-rule club member who will find it difficult to capture that centrist vote that National needs to pinch back off Labour.

      • paul andersen 3.1.1
        19 July 2018 at 5:24 pm

        if you can fake sincerity, youve got it made. key could, bridges cant.

        • tc 3.1.1.1
          20 July 2018 at 9:53 am

          Totally and gaming the systems along with rewriting as many rules as required helps heaps.

          Simey’s got the hospital pass after the hollowmens looting of the NZ economy. A low or no profile’s not that bad a play ackshully IMO.

      • swordfish 3.1.2
        19 July 2018 at 11:18 pm

        MW

        … to capture that centrist vote that National needs to pinch back off Labour

        Labour certainly made inroads into the Centrist vote at the last Election … but … according to recent UMR research … National remains dominant in that domain.

        Labour’s real secret is that the Left segment of voters is larger than both the Centrist and Right segments (and so it doesn’t need to win the lion’s share of the Centre vote to win Office … just needs to make reasonable inroads).

        That’s according to UMR research, at least (The New Zealand Election Study tends to record greater Centrist and weaker Leftist sentiment among voters than UMR and thus places more emphasis on the need to capture the Centre).

    • Kevin 3.2
      19 July 2018 at 11:56 am

      Haha, the TranzRail shares. He was played like a fish on that one.

      Still cannot believe that he did not twig earlier that Fran Mold KNEW how many shares he had, yet he still kept lying through his teeth about it.

  4. mauī 4
    19 July 2018 at 9:51 am

    He was on TV3’s the Project last week, he obviously appeals to the hip, young crowd of Gen Yers. Much like Seymour you would have to say..
    https://twitter.com/simonjbridges/status/1017290006216339456

  5. mac1 5
    19 July 2018 at 10:16 am

    “…….China deserves, a clear position from New Zealand, not having to read the tea leaves……”

    Simon Bridges is showing great cultural awareness, having no doubt learnt from his associate spokesperson for ethnic communities, Mt Yang, about how China gets its intelligence.

    Tasseography is one of Simon’s fortes. It seems that it is also how he gets his information and political insights.

    Google informs us- “Tasseography is an ancient practice of divination, or fortune-telling. High quality loose-leaf tea is ideal for practicing this craft. Tea leaf reading is a tradition that likely began soon after the discovery of tea by Chinese Emperor Shen Nun in 2737 BC.”

  6. dV 6
    19 July 2018 at 10:21 am

    SO what is the natz clear unequivocal position regarding China Mr Bridge?

    • Draco T Bastard 6.1
      19 July 2018 at 11:22 am

      Probably that they’ll do whatever China wants.

      It’s part of the psyche of authoritarians and the right-wing that they’ll always kowtow to those with more power.

  7. Tricledrown 7
    19 July 2018 at 10:36 am

    National are like Trump with Russia.
    Having a former Chinese spy trainer on the Defence committee.
    Collins husband able to do deals with China no other NZ company can do.

    • cleangreen 7.1
      19 July 2018 at 1:29 pm

      100% Trickledrown
      We are no effective government now with National as they had no backbone at all, at least NZF sticks upm with Winston Peters always claiming China should be kept at arms length.

  8. Morrissey 8
    19 July 2018 at 11:17 am

    Don’t like to boast, but I tagged this mediocrity way back in 2012….

    The most hilarious bit comes when he obsequiously praises his Dear Leader….

    “When you think about him as a politician and his both intellect and EQ
    [emotional intelligence], he is a complete package so it is hard to go
    past him in terms of his style and the way he does things.”

    “He is not an academic but he is intellectual,” says Bridges.

    https://morrisseybreen.blogspot.com/2018/01/simon-bridges-is-young-not-very-bright.html

  9. veutoviper 9
    19 July 2018 at 11:21 am

    Sorry, MS. I rarely disagree with you and I am definitely no fan of Bridges, but the premise of your post that Bridges“has been pretty invisible for the past few weeks” is questionable if you actually do a Google and a Twitter search.

    Genetic google search
    https://www.google.co.nz/search?q=simon+bridges&rlz=1C9BKJA_enNZ744NZ746&hl=en-GB&tbas=0&tbas=0&source=lnt&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiT56n22qncAhXJHZQKHTElA2YQpwUIIA&biw=1024&bih=724

    Genetic Twitter search
    https://twitter.com/search?q=simon+bridges&ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Esearch TS features in this search quite a lot including your post(s) – h/t Lynn and Mike Smith. Also lots of other relevant posts on that search site. LOL.

    It seems that Bridges is still “striding throughout the country” – but not necessarily like a colossus nor necessarily making a name for himself.” – to use some of your wonderful wording above.

    Bridges is reasonably active on his official Twitter account and posted this a couple of days ago – “Kicked off the week with a jam-packed couple of days in Canterbury. As well as public meetings as part of my roadshow, it was a pleasure to officially open Waimakariri MP Matt Doocey’s new Rangiora office & great to meet with a number of community & business leaders.” –
    https://twitter.com/simonjbridges/status/1019103089880530944

    But in terms of effectiveness etc, much as I know the opinion of many/most people here (including me) of Barry Soper and NZ herald, this article more or less sums up the situation, even just in its title alone – ” Simon Bridges’ biggest problem is Prominence”:

    https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12090053

    As it is not all that long, to save giving clickbait, here is most of it.
    ‘You can say plenty of things about National’s leader Simon Bridges – and plenty of people have. Of all the aspirants for the party’s top job, Bridges was probably the least known. He was, however, considered shrewd.

    … [couple of sentences about other applicants for Nat leader].

    His biggest problem is prominence – he’s not well known by the electorate and, with the last opinion poll putting him at nine per cent, he knows he has cause for worry. At the same time in his leadership, John Key was polling at 24 per cent and Bill English was at 25 per cent.

    So there was only one thing for it: get his mug out to the masses.

    By Saturday, Bridges will have held 66 public meetings through the length and breadth of the country since May. So no one can argue that he’s work-shy, even if a number of the meetings have been at inconvenient times of mid-morning and mid-afternoon.

    While he’s been putting himself out there glad handing, he’s also become a social media warrior, hitting all the platforms, some of them telling us stuff that we don’t really need to know, like how good he is at changing nappies or how obsessive he is with the laundry (still, it’s a step up from Bill English’s pizzas).

    Since Jacinda Ardern’s been on maternity leave, the cut and thrust of Parliament’s bear pit’s become something of a training ground for him, pitted against Winston Peters who obviously finds him less offensive than the two former National leaders. The only thing Peters has got against him is Bridges beat him resoundingly in Tauranga in 2008 which, thanks to Key, saw New Zealand First out of Parliament for the next three years.

    But when Bridges takes on the wily old fox he’d do well to steer clear of the lair which he fell into recently when he asked Peters whether he agreed with David Parker’s view that business opinion surveys are junk.

    Peters shot back quoting an IMF report, quite removed from surveys in this country he reminded him, but praising the economy. Going in for the kill, Peters said the main author of the report was one of Key’s former economic advisers. So, the acting Prime Minister declared, yes he did agree with Parker’s wise comment.

    Stand up more slowly, be more careful and try to be a gentleman, was Peters’ parting shot in the clash.

    But it’s away from Parliament that Bridges really needs to make his mark and, if he can’t make it there, his 55 National colleagues will become restless. But at least they won’t be able to say he hasn’t put in the hard yards.”

    There is plenty more in the general Google search along the same lines, especially if you add a time filter – eg last month or last week – as the momentum re Bridges’ apparent lack of making a positive impact seem to be growing if you measure it by current media feedback.

    CLICKBAIT WARNING: this Newstalk ZB one is a repeat of the Barry Soper one above under a different title – http://www.newstalkzb.co.nz/opinion/the-soap-box-if-simon-bridges-fails-at-least-hes-tried/

    As a slight aside,I found this Newshub item interesting where Duncan Garner of all people blasted Bridges a few days ago for criticising David Clark for flying to Australia with his wife and three young children. Apparently Clark only flew across to Australia with them to help with the children on the flight and then returned to NZ the next day.

    Garner called Bridges’ comments “truly pathetic” and also said “In my view, [David Clark] actually did the honourable thing.”

    https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/politics/2018/07/truly-pathetic-duncan-garner-blasts-simon-bridges-for-david-clark-comments.html

  10. cleangreen 10
    19 July 2018 at 1:32 pm

    Micky you asked; – :What has happend to Simon Bridges”?

    The same question could be asked about the ‘ten bridges’ he promised Northland remember?

    Simon who? – Who cares?

  11. Tuppence Shrewsbury 11
    19 July 2018 at 1:40 pm

    What has happened to any positive mentions of labour ministers in the absence of Jacinda? I would have thought grant Robertson would be front and centre

    • cleangreen 11.1
      19 July 2018 at 2:09 pm

      Tuppence Shewsbury;

      Labour has done ‘much to fix your National Party srew-ups’ – that Labour was left with to deal with quickly so far in the last 8 months; – they have been in Government.

      It may take six years to get NZ back on a straight path again, – no thanks to national.

      So enough said!!!!

      • Lebleaux 11.1.1
        19 July 2018 at 2:41 pm

        Not “enough said”.

        The question was:
        “What has happened to any positive mentions of labour ministers in the absence of Jacinda? I would have thought grant Robertson would be front and centre”

        The response lacked any reference to any positive references to anything. So ……

        “What has happened to any positive mentions of labour ministers in the absence of Jacinda? I would have thought Grant Robertson would be front and centre”

        • Tricledrown 11.1.1.1
          19 July 2018 at 7:43 pm

          Less is more in politics people don’t want polys in their face 24/7 Bridges is trying to do that but barking at tyres is how it comes across

    • Kevin 11.2
      19 July 2018 at 2:58 pm

      Have you been in an information vacuum for the past 15 years TS?

      News media prefer scandal and confrontation to good news stories. Especially when it involves politics.

      • Tuppence Shrewsbury 11.2.1
        19 July 2018 at 3:32 pm

        Where has labour been is what I asked? Plenty of coverage in media of the last government, positive and negative.

        Seems telling I get attacked for asking the hard questions rather than anyone actually being able to answer. #edcall

        • McFlock 11.2.1.1
          19 July 2018 at 3:59 pm

          There’s your slide.
          Labour is not the government.

          The government has had regular coverage.
          Labour has had less, because the acting PM is the one usually interviewed.

          Has the amount of news coverage about Labour cabinent ministers (excluding the PM) changed at all?

          • Tuppence Shrewsbury 11.2.1.1.1
            19 July 2018 at 6:21 pm

            Splitting those hairs awfully finely there McFlock

            The coverage of this government then is almost non existent since the prime minister left. Except for the media reporting the inconsistency of its decision s

            • McFlock 11.2.1.1.1.1
              19 July 2018 at 6:25 pm

              Well, then either our recollection of reporting on issues involving the government differs fundamentally, or the difference is in our respective understanding of the qualifier “almost”.

              Because me local newspaper seems to be reporting on the government regularly.

              edit: unless “inconsistency” is the point of difference?

    • patricia bremner 11.3
      19 July 2018 at 7:43 pm

      Actually, interest co.nz had quite a flattering article on Robertson and the choice of the new Reserve Bank Governor.
      Winston has had praise for his steadiness.
      Phil Twyford has had mixed reviews as the opposition try the “inept” meme, which the faithful rightwing journos have repeated ad nauseum.
      Mostly the Government are getting on with trying to improve things. It won’t happen overnight,but what is achieved will more visible than Bridge’s bridges.

  12. Sabine 12
    20 July 2018 at 8:15 am

    who cares?

  13. Robert Guyton 13
    20 July 2018 at 8:56 am

    Glares, scares (Fezzik).

  15. Delia 15
    20 July 2018 at 11:09 am

    I think he took maternity leave in sympathy with Jacinda, and gave himself a break, a break David Clark was not approved of by him.

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    Sometimes one gets morbidly curious about the oddities of one’s own legal system. Sometimes one writes entire essays on New Zealand’s experience with Blasphemous Libel: https://phuulishfellow.wordpress.com/2017/05/09/blasphemous-libel-new-zealand-politics/ And sometimes one follows up the exact historical status of witchcraft law in New Zealand. As one does, of course. ...
    A Phuulish FellowBy strda221
    3 days ago

  • No surprises
    Don’t expect any fiscal shocks or surprises when the books are opened on December 20 with the unveiling of the Half Yearly Economic and Fiscal Update (HYEFU). That was the message yesterday from Westpac in an economic commentary. But the bank’s analysis did not include any changes to capital ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    3 days ago

  • Skeptical Science New Research for Week #49 2023
    113 articles in 48 journals by 674 contributing authors Physical science of climate change, effects Diversity of Lagged Relationships in Global Means of Surface Temperatures and Radiative Budgets for CMIP6 piControl Simulations, Tsuchida et al., Journal of Climate 10.1175/jcli-d-23-0045.1 Do abrupt cryosphere events in High Mountain Asia indicate earlier tipping ...
    Skeptical Science
    4 days ago

  • Phone calls at Kia Kaha primary
    It is quiet reading time in Room 13! It is so quiet you can hear the Tui outside. It is so quiet you can hear the Fulton Hogan crew.It is so quiet you can hear old Mr Grant and old Mr Bradbury standing by the roadworks and counting the conesand going on ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    4 days ago

  • A question of confidence is raised by the Minister of Police, but he had to be questioned by RNZ to ...
    It looks like the new ministerial press secretaries have quickly learned the art of camouflaging exactly what their ministers are saying – or, at least, of keeping the hard news  out of the headlines and/or the opening sentences of the statements they post on the home page of the governments ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    4 days ago

  • Xmas  good  cheer  for the dairy industry  as Fonterra lifts its forecast
    The big dairy co-op Fonterra  had  some Christmas  cheer to offer  its farmers this week, increasing its forecast farmgate milk price and earnings guidance for  the year after what it calls a strong start to the year. The forecast  midpoint for the 2023/24 season is up 25cs to $7.50 per ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago

  • MICHAEL BASSETT: Modern Maori myths
    Michael Bassett writes – Many of the comments about the Coalition’s determination to wind back the dramatic Maorification of New Zealand of the last three years would have you believe the new government is engaged in a full-scale attack on Maori. In reality, all that is happening ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    4 days ago

  • Dreams of eternal sunshine at a spotless COP28
    Mary Robinson asked Al Jaber a series of very simple, direct and highly pertinent questions and he responded with a high-octane public meltdown. Photos: Getty Images / montage: Lynn GrievesonTL;DR The hygiene effects of direct sunshine are making some inroads, perhaps for the very first time, on the normalised ‘deficit ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago

  • LINDSAY MITCHELL: Oh, the irony
    Lindsay Mitchell writes – Appointed by new Labour PM Jacinda Ardern in 2018, Cindy Kiro headed the Welfare Expert Advisory Group (WEAG) tasked with reviewing and recommending reforms to the welfare system. Kiro had been Children’s Commissioner during Helen Clark’s Labour government but returned to academia subsequently. ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago

  • Transport Agencies don’t want Harbour Tunnels
    It seems even our transport agencies don’t want Labour’s harbour crossing plans. In August the previous government and Waka Kotahi announced their absurd preferred option the new harbour crossing that at the time was estimated to cost $35-45 billion. It included both road tunnels and a wiggly light rail tunnel ...
    Greater AucklandBy Matt L
    4 days ago

  • Webworm Presents: Jurassic Park on 35mm
    Hi,Paying Webworm members such as yourself keep this thing running, so as 2023 draws to close, I wanted to do two things to say a giant, loud “THANKS”. Firstly — I’m giving away 10 Mister Organ blu-rays in New Zealand, and another 10 in America. More details down below.Secondly — ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    4 days ago

  • The Prime Minister's Dream.
    Yesterday saw the State Opening of Parliament, the Speech from the Throne, and then Prime Minister Christopher Luxon’s dream for Aotearoa in his first address. But first the pomp and ceremony, the arrival of the Governor General.Dame Cindy Kiro arrived on the forecourt outside of parliament to a Māori welcome. ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    4 days ago

  • National’s new MP; the proud part-Maori boy raised in a state house
    Probably not since 1975 have we seen a government take office up against such a wall of protest and complaint. That was highlighted yesterday, the day that the new Parliament was sworn in, with news that King Tuheitia has called a national hui for late January to develop a ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    4 days ago

  • Climate Adam: Battlefield Earth – How War Fuels Climate Catastrophe
    This video includes conclusions of the creator climate scientist Dr. Adam Levy. It is presented to our readers as an informed perspective. Please see video description for references (if any). War, conflict and climate change are tearing apart lives across the world. But these aren't separate harms - they're intricately connected. ...
    Skeptical Science
    5 days ago

  • They do not speak for us, and they do not speak for the future
    These dire woeful and intolerant people have been so determinedly going about their small and petulant business, it’s hard to keep up. At the end of the new government’s first woeful week, Audrey Young took the time to count off its various acts of denigration of Te Ao Māori:Review the ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    5 days ago

  • Another attack on te reo
    The new white supremacist government made attacking te reo a key part of its platform, promising to rename government agencies and force them to "communicate primarily in English" (which they already do). But today they've gone further, by trying to cut the pay of public servants who speak te reo: ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    5 days ago

  • For the record, the Beehive buzz can now be regarded as “official”
    Buzz from the Beehive The biggest buzz we bring you from the Beehive today is that the government’s official website is up and going after being out of action for more than a week. The latest press statement came  from  Education Minister  Eric Stanford, who seized on the 2022 PISA ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    5 days ago

  • Climate Change: Failed again
    There was another ETS auction this morning. and like all the other ones this year, it failed to clear - meaning that 23 million tons of carbon (15 million ordinary units plus 8 million in the cost containment reserve) went up in smoke. Or rather, they didn't. Being unsold at ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    5 days ago

  • Gordon Campbell On The Government’s Assault On Maori
    This isn’t news, but the National-led coalition is mounting a sustained assault on Treaty rights and obligations. Even so, Christopher Luxon has described yesterday’s nationwide protests by Maori as “pretty unfair.” Poor thing. In the NZ Herald, Audrey Young has compiled a useful list of the many, many ways that ...
    Gordon CampbellBy lyndon
    5 days ago

  • Rising costs hit farmers hard, but  there’s more  positive news  for  them this  week 
    New Zealand’s dairy industry, the mainstay of the country’s export trade, has  been under  pressure  from rising  costs. Down on the  farm, this  has  been  hitting  hard. But there  was more positive news this week,  first   from the latest Fonterra GDT auction where  prices  rose,  and  then from  a  report ...
    Point of OrderBy tutere44
    5 days ago

  • ROB MacCULLOCH:  Newshub and NZ Herald report misleading garbage about ACT’s van Veldon not follo...
    Rob MacCulloch writes –  In their rush to discredit the new government (which our MainStream Media regard as illegitimate and having no right to enact the democratic will of voters) the NZ Herald and Newshub are arguing ACT’s Deputy Leader Brooke van Veldon is not following Treasury advice ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago

  • Top 10 for Wednesday, December 6
    Even many young people who smoke support smokefree policies, fitting in with previous research showing the large majority of people who smoke regret starting and most want to quit. Photo: Lynn GrievesonTL;DR: Here’s my pick of the top 10 news and analysis links elsewhere on the morning of Wednesday, December ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago

  • Eleven years of work.
    Well it didn’t take six months, but the leaks have begun. Yes the good ship Coalition has inadvertently released a confidential cabinet paper into the public domain, discussing their axing of Fair Pay Agreements (FPAs).Oops.Just when you were admiring how smoothly things were going for the new government, they’ve had ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago

  • Why we're missing out on sharply lower inflation
    A wave of new and higher fees, rates and charges will ripple out over the economy in the next 18 months as mayors, councillors, heads of department and price-setters for utilities such as gas, electricity, water and parking ramp up charges. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Just when most ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago

  • How Did We Get Here?
    Hi,Kiwis — keep the evening of December 22nd free. I have a meetup planned, and will send out an invite over the next day or so. This sounds sort of crazy to write, but today will be Tony Stamp’s final Totally Normal column of 2023. Somehow we’ve made it to ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    5 days ago

  • At a glance – Has the greenhouse effect been falsified?
    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
    6 days ago

  • New Zealaders  have  high expectations of  new  government:  now let’s see if it can deliver?
    The electorate has high expectations of the  new  government.  The question is: can  it  deliver?    Some  might  say  the  signs are not  promising. Protestors   are  already marching in the streets. The  new  Prime Minister has had  little experience of managing  very diverse politicians  in coalition. The economy he  ...
    Point of OrderBy tutere44
    6 days ago

  • You won't believe some of the numbers you have to pull when you're a Finance Minister
    Nicola of Marsden:Yo, normies! We will fix your cost of living worries by giving you a tax cut of 150 dollars. 150! Cash money! Vote National.Various people who can read and count:Actually that's 150 over a fortnight. Not a week, which is how you usually express these things.And actually, it looks ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    6 days ago

  • Pushback
    When this government came to power, it did so on an explicitly white supremacist platform. Undermining the Waitangi Tribunal, removing Māori representation in local government, over-riding the courts which had tried to make their foreshore and seabed legislation work, eradicating te reo from public life, and ultimately trying to repudiate ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    6 days ago

  • Defence ministerial meeting meant Collins missed the Maori Party’s mischief-making capers in Parli...
    Buzz from the Beehive Maybe this is not the best time for our Minister of Defence to have gone overseas. Not when the Maori Party is inviting (or should that be inciting?) its followers to join a revolution in a post which promoted its protest plans with a picture of ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago

  • Threats of war have been followed by an invitation to join the revolution – now let’s see how th...
     A Maori Party post on Instagram invited party followers to ….  Tangata Whenua, Tangata Tiriti, Join the REVOLUTION! & make a stand!  Nationwide Action Day, All details in tiles swipe to see locations.  • This is our 1st hit out and tomorrow Tuesday the 5th is the opening ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago

  • Top 10 for Tuesday, December 4
    The RBNZ governor is citing high net migration and profit-led inflation as factors in the bank’s hawkish stance. Photo: Lynn GrievesonTL;DR: Here’s my pick of the top 10 news and analysis links elsewhere on the morning of Tuesday, December 5, including:Reserve Bank Governor Adrian Orr says high net migration and ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    6 days ago

  • Nicola Willis' 'show me the money' moment
    Willis has accused labour of “economic vandalism’, while Robertson described her comments as a “desperate diversion from somebody who can't make their tax package add up”. There will now be an intense focus on December 20 to see whether her hyperbole is backed up by true surprises. Photo montage: Lynn ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    6 days ago

  • CRL costs money but also provides huge benefits
    The City Rail Link has been in the headlines a bit recently so I thought I’d look at some of them. First up, yesterday the NZ Herald ran this piece about the ongoing costs of the CRL. Auckland ratepayers will be saddled with an estimated bill of $220 million each ...
    Greater AucklandBy Matt L
    6 days ago

  • And I don't want the world to see us.
    Is this the most shambolic government in the history of New Zealand? Given that parliament hasn’t even opened they’ve managed quite a list of achievements to date.The Smokefree debacle trading lives for tax cuts, the Trumpian claims of bribery in the Media, an International award for indifference, and today the ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    6 days ago

  • Cooking the books
    Finance Minister Nicola Willis late yesterday stopped only slightly short of accusing her predecessor Grant Robertson of cooking the books. She complained that the Half Yearly Economic and Fiscal Update (HYEFU), due to be made public on December 20, would show “fiscal cliffs” that would amount to “billions of ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    6 days ago

  • Most people don’t realize how much progress we’ve made on climate change
    This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections The year was 2015. ‘Uptown Funk’ with Bruno Mars was at the top of the music charts. Jurassic World was the most popular new movie in theaters. And decades of futility in international climate negotiations was about to come to an end in ...
    Skeptical Science
    7 days ago

  • Of Parliamentary Oaths and Clive Boonham
    As a heads-up, I am not one of those people who stay awake at night thinking about weird Culture War nonsense. At least so far as the current Maori/Constitutional arrangements go. In fact, I actually consider it the least important issue facing the day to day lives of New ...
    A Phuulish FellowBy strda221
    7 days ago

  • Bearing True Allegiance?
    Strong Words: “We do not consent, we do not surrender, we do not cede, we do not submit; we, the indigenous, are rising. We do not buy into the colonial fictions this House is built upon. Te Pāti Māori pledges allegiance to our mokopuna, our whenua, and Te Tiriti o ...
    Bowalley Road
    7 days ago

  • You cannot be serious
    Some days it feels like the only thing to say is: Seriously? No, really. Seriously?OneSomeone has used their health department access to share data about vaccinations and patients, and inform the world that New Zealanders have been dying in their hundreds of thousands from the evil vaccine. This of course is pure ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    7 days ago

  • A promise kept: govt pulls the plug on Lake Onslow scheme – but this saving of $16bn is denounced...
    Buzz from the Beehive After $21.8 million was spent on investigations, the plug has been pulled on the Lake Onslow pumped-hydro electricity scheme, The scheme –  that technically could have solved New Zealand’s looming energy shortage, according to its champions – was a key part of the defeated Labour government’s ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    7 days ago

  • CHRIS TROTTER: The Maori Party and Oath of Allegiance
    If those elected to the Māori Seats refuse to take them, then what possible reason could the country have for retaining them?   Chris Trotter writes – Christmas is fast approaching, which, as it does every year, means gearing up for an abstruse general knowledge question. “Who was ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    7 days ago

  • BRIAN EASTON:  Forward to 2017
    The coalition party agreements are mainly about returning to 2017 when National lost power. They show commonalities but also some serious divergencies. Brian Easton writes – The two coalition agreements – one National and ACT, the other National and New Zealand First – are more than policy documents. ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    1 week ago

  • Climate Change: Fossils
    When the new government promised to allow new offshore oil and gas exploration, they were warned that there would be international criticism and reputational damage. Naturally, they arrogantly denied any possibility that that would happen. And then they finally turned up at COP, to criticism from Palau, and a "fossil ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    1 week ago

  • GEOFFREY MILLER:  NZ’s foreign policy resets on AUKUS, Gaza and Ukraine
    Geoffrey Miller writes – New Zealand’s international relations are under new management. And Winston Peters, the new foreign minister, is already setting a change agenda. As expected, this includes a more pro-US positioning when it comes to the Pacific – where Peters will be picking up where he ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    1 week ago

  • Gordon Campbell on the government’s smokefree laws debacle
    The most charitable explanation for National’s behaviour over the smokefree legislation is that they have dutifully fulfilled the wishes of the Big Tobacco lobby and then cast around – incompetently, as it turns out – for excuses that might sell this health policy U-turn to the public. The less charitable ...
    Gordon CampbellBy lyndon
    1 week ago

  • Top 10 links at 10 am for Monday, December 4
    As Deb Te Kawa writes in an op-ed, the new Government seems to have immediately bought itself fights with just about everyone. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Here’s my pick of the top 10 news and analysis links elsewhere as of 10 am on Monday December 4, including:Palau’s President ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago

  • Be Honest.
    Let’s begin today by thinking about job interviews.During my career in Software Development I must have interviewed hundreds of people, hired at least a hundred, but few stick in the memory.I remember one guy who was so laid back he was practically horizontal, leaning back in his chair until his ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    1 week ago

  • Geoffrey Miller: New Zealand’s foreign policy resets on AUKUS, Gaza and Ukraine
    New Zealand’s international relations are under new management. And Winston Peters, the new foreign minister, is already setting a change agenda. As expected, this includes a more pro-US positioning when it comes to the Pacific – where Peters will be picking up where he left off. Peters sought to align ...
    Democracy ProjectBy Geoffrey Miller
    1 week ago

  • Auckland rail tunnel the world’s most expensive
    Auckland’s city rail link is the most expensive rail project in the world per km, and the CRL boss has described the cost of infrastructure construction in Aotearoa as a crisis. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The 3.5 km City Rail Link (CRL) tunnel under Auckland’s CBD has cost ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago

  • First big test coming
    The first big test of the new Government’s approach to Treaty matters is likely to be seen in the return of the Resource Management Act. RMA Minister Chris Bishop has confirmed that he intends to introduce legislation to repeal Labour’s recently passed Natural and Built Environments Act and its ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    1 week ago

  • COP28 National Statement for New Zealand
    Tēnā koutou katoa Mr President, Excellencies, Delegates. An island nation at the bottom of the Pacific, New Zealand is unique.          Our geography, our mountains, lakes, winds and rainfall helps set us up for the future, allowing for nearly 90 per cent of our electricity to come from renewable sources. I’m ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • Ministers visit Hawke’s Bay to grasp recovery needs
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon joined Cyclone Recovery Minister Mark Mitchell and Transport and Local Government Minister Simeon Brown, to meet leaders of cyclone and flood-affected regions in the Hawke’s Bay. The visit reinforced the coalition Government’s commitment to support the region and better understand its ongoing requirements, Mr Mitchell says.  ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago

  • New Zealand condemns malicious cyber activity
    New Zealand has joined the UK and other partners in condemning malicious cyber activity conducted by the Russian Government, Minister Responsible for the Government Communications Security Bureau Judith Collins says. The statement follows the UK’s attribution today of malicious cyber activity impacting its domestic democratic institutions and processes, as well ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago

  • Disestablishment of Te Pūkenga begins
    The Government has begun the process of disestablishing Te Pūkenga as part of its 100-day plan, Minister for Tertiary Education and Skills Penny Simmonds says.  “I have started putting that plan into action and have met with the chair and chief Executive of Te Pūkenga to advise them of my ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago

  • Climate Change Minister to attend COP28 in Dubai
    Climate Change Minister Simon Watts will be leaving for Dubai today to attend COP28, the 28th annual UN climate summit, this week. Simon Watts says he will push for accelerated action towards the goals of the Paris Agreement, deliver New Zealand’s national statement and connect with partner countries, private sector leaders ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago

  • New Zealand to host 2024 Pacific defence meeting
    Defence Minister Judith Collins yesterday announced New Zealand will host next year’s South Pacific Defence Ministers’ Meeting (SPDMM). “Having just returned from this year’s meeting in Nouméa, I witnessed first-hand the value of meeting with my Pacific counterparts to discuss regional security and defence matters. I welcome the opportunity to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago

  • Study shows need to remove distractions in class
    The Government is committed to lifting school achievement in the basics and that starts with removing distractions so young people can focus on their learning, Education Minister Erica Stanford says.   The 2022 PISA results released this week found that Kiwi kids ranked 5th in the world for being distracted ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago

  • Minister sets expectations of Commissioner
    Today I met with Police Commissioner Andrew Coster to set out my expectations, which he has agreed to, says Police Minister Mark Mitchell. Under section 16(1) of the Policing Act 2008, the Minister can expect the Police Commissioner to deliver on the Government’s direction and priorities, as now outlined in ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago

  • New Zealand needs a strong and stable ETS
    New Zealand needs a strong and stable Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) that is well placed for the future, after emission units failed to sell for the fourth and final auction of the year, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says.  At today’s auction, 15 million New Zealand units (NZUs) – each ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago

  • PISA results show urgent need to teach the basics
    With 2022 PISA results showing a decline in achievement, Education Minister Erica Stanford is confident that the Coalition Government’s 100-day plan for education will improve outcomes for Kiwi kids.  The 2022 PISA results show a significant decline in the performance of 15-year-old students in maths compared to 2018 and confirms ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago

  • Collins leaves for Pacific defence meeting
    Defence Minister Judith Collins today departed for New Caledonia to attend the 8th annual South Pacific Defence Ministers’ meeting (SPDMM). “This meeting is an excellent opportunity to meet face-to-face with my Pacific counterparts to discuss regional security matters and to demonstrate our ongoing commitment to the Pacific,” Judith Collins says. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago

  • Working for Families gets cost of living boost
    Putting more money in the pockets of hard-working families is a priority of this Coalition Government, starting with an increase to Working for Families, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon says. “We are starting our 100-day plan with a laser focus on bringing down the cost of living, because that is what ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago

  • Post-Cabinet press conference
    Most weeks, following Cabinet, the Prime Minister holds a press conference for members of the Parliamentary Press Gallery. This page contains the transcripts from those press conferences, which are supplied by Hansard to the Office of the Prime Minister. It is important to note that the transcripts have not been edited ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago

  • Lake Onslow pumped hydro scheme scrapped
    The Government has axed the $16 billion Lake Onslow pumped hydro scheme championed by the previous government, Energy Minister Simeon Brown says. “This hugely wasteful project was pouring money down the drain at a time when we need to be reining in spending and focussing on rebuilding the economy and ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • NZ welcomes further pause in fighting in Gaza
    New Zealand welcomes the further one-day extension of the pause in fighting, which will allow the delivery of more urgently-needed humanitarian aid into Gaza and the release of more hostages, Foreign Minister Winston Peters said. “The human cost of the conflict is horrific, and New Zealand wants to see the violence ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Condolences on passing of Henry Kissinger
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters today expressed on behalf of the New Zealand Government his condolences to the family of former US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, who has passed away at the age of 100 at his home in Connecticut. “While opinions on his legacy are varied, Secretary Kissinger was ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Backing our kids to learn the basics
    Every child deserves a world-leading education, and the Coalition Government is making that a priority as part of its 100-day plan. Education Minister Erica Stanford says that will start with banning cellphone use at school and ensuring all primary students spend one hour on reading, writing, and maths each day. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • US Business Summit Speech – Regional stability through trade
    I would like to begin by echoing the Prime Minister’s thanks to the organisers of this Summit, Fran O’Sullivan and the Auckland Business Chamber.  I want to also acknowledge the many leading exporters, sector representatives, diplomats, and other leaders we have joining us in the room. In particular, I would like ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 weeks ago

  • Keynote Address to the United States Business Summit, Auckland
    Good morning. Thank you, Rosemary, for your warm introduction, and to Fran and Simon for this opportunity to make some brief comments about New Zealand’s relationship with the United States.  This is also a chance to acknowledge my colleague, Minister for Trade Todd McClay, Ambassador Tom Udall, Secretary of Foreign ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 weeks ago

  • India New Zealand Business Council Speech, India as a Strategic Priority
    Good morning, tēnā koutou and namaskar. Many thanks, Michael, for your warm welcome. I would like to acknowledge the work of the India New Zealand Business Council in facilitating today’s event and for the Council’s broader work in supporting a coordinated approach for lifting New Zealand-India relations. I want to also ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 weeks ago

  • Coalition Government unveils 100-day plan
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has laid out the Coalition Government’s plan for its first 100 days from today. “The last few years have been incredibly tough for so many New Zealanders. People have put their trust in National, ACT and NZ First to steer them towards a better, more prosperous ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 weeks 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
    3 weeks ago

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