What John Key actually believes in
Written By:
- Date published:
9:21 am, January 6th, 2015 - 146 comments
Categories: child welfare, China, climate change, john key, labour, Media, national, newspapers, poverty -
Tags:
Charlie Mitchell in the Dominion Post recently published this very interesting article giving an insight into how John Key’s thinking may have developed over the past seven years. To come up with data on how often Key talked about different subjects the reporter analysed the text of Key’s formal speeches which appear on his website.
It is clear that the subjects he has concentrated on have changed. And what is also clear is that he started off “Labour lite”, talking about the subjects which appealed to voters’ better instincts but he no longer does this.
“Climate change” was initially a subject of considerable interest. In 2005 before he became leader Key declared himself to be somewhat suspicious on whether or not it existed. By 2007 this was all changed with climate change being mentioned 121 times. More recently it appears to have become less important in Key’s thinking. It has been mentioned only three times and on one of those occasions Key said that there were more important issues than climate change.
In 2007 he really enjoyed talking about young people and youth and mentioned then 170 times. Who can forget the trip to Waitangi with young Aroha Nathan an inhabitant of McGehan Close? In a carefully scripted photo shoot and the use of a Ministerial Limo to do the transporting he transported her to Waitangi to show that he really did care about young people. Aroha’s subsequent life experiences suggest that Key’s expressed desire to do something about the “under class” was for political purposes only. Since that time the use of the words “youth” and “young person” has diminished. Last year they were used only 37 times, and even the phrase “flag” was used more.
Other subjects such as “schools”, “farming”, “wages” and “crime” have plummeted in their use. But “China” has spiked. “Poverty” is rarely used and only to deny that it exists.
As Mitchell notes the most used phrase in all of his speeches is “New Zealand”. It has been used more than 3,500 times or about 23 times each speech. What is that saying about how patriotism is the last refuge of a scoundrel?
146 comments on “What John Key actually believes in ”
- Comments are now closed
- Comments are now closed
CommentsOpinions
Recent Comments
FeedsPartyGovtMedia
- 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 ...2 hours 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 ...10 hours 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 ...11 hours 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 ...16 hours 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 ...1 day 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 ...1 day ago - Home again
2 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 ...2 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 ...2 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 ...2 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 ...2 days ago - Homage to Simeon Brown
2 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 ...2 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 ...2 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 ...3 days 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 ...3 days 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 ...3 days 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 ...3 days 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 ...3 days 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. ...3 days 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 ...3 days 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 ...3 days 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 ...3 days 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 ...3 days 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 ...4 days 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 ...4 days 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 ...4 days 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 ...4 days 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 ...4 days 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 ...4 days 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 ...4 days 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 ...4 days 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 ...4 days ago
- Nicola Willis’s Very Unserious Bungling of the Kiwirail Interislander Cancellation
Open to all with kind thanks to all subscribers and supporters.Today, RNZ revealed that despite MFAT advice to Nicola Willis to be very “careful and deliberate” in her communications with the South Korean government, prior to any public announcement on cancelling Kiwirail’s i-Rex, Willis instead told South Korea 26 minutes ...4 days ago - Satisfying the Minister’s Speed Obsession
The Minister of Transport’s speed obsession has this week resulted in two new consultations for 110km/h speed limits, one in Auckland and one in Christchurch. There has also been final approval of the Kapiti Expressway to move to 110km/h following an earlier consultation. While the changes will almost certainly see ...5 days ago
- What if we freed up our streets, again?
This guest post is by Tommy de Silva, a local rangatahi and freelance writer who is passionate about making the urban fabric of Tāmaki Makaurau-Auckland more people-focused and sustainable. New Zealand’s March-April 2020 Level 4 Covid response (aka “lockdown”) was somehow both the best and worst six weeks of ...5 days ago
- No Alarms And No Surprises
A heart that's full up like a landfillA job that slowly kills youBruises that won't healYou look so tired, unhappyBring down the governmentThey don't, they don't speak for usI'll take a quiet lifeA handshake of carbon monoxideAnd no alarms and no surprisesThe fabulous English comedian Stewart Lee once wrote a ...5 days ago - Five ingenious ways people could beat the heat without cranking the AC
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Daisy Simmons Every summer brings a new spate of headlines about record-breaking heat – for good reason: 2023 was the hottest year on record, in keeping with the upward trend scientists have been clocking for decades. With climate forecasts suggesting that heat waves ...5 days ago
- No new funding for cycling & walking
Studies show each $1 of spending on walking and cycling infrastructure produces $13 to $35 of economic benefits from higher productivity, lower healthcare costs, less congestion, lower emissions and lower fossil fuel import costs. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāMōrena. Long stories short; here’s my top six things to note ...5 days ago - 99
Dad turned 99 today.Hell of a lot of candles, eh?He won't be alone for his birthday. He will have the warm attention of my brother, and my sister, and everyone at the rest home, the most thoughtful attentive and considerate people you could ever know. On Saturday there will be ...5 days ago - Open Government: National reneges on beneficial ownership
One of the achievements of the New Zealand’s Open Government Partnership Fourth National Action Plan was a formal commitment from the government to establish a public beneficial ownership register. Such a register would allow the ultimate owners of companies to be identified - a vital measure in preventing corruption, money ...5 days ago
- Security Politics in Peripheral Democracies: Excerpt One.
This project analyzes security politics in three peripheral democracies (Chile, New Zealand, Portugal) during the 30 years after the end of the Cold War. It argues that changes in the geopolitical landscape and geo-strategic context are interpreted differently by small … Continue reading ...5 days ago
- Tea and Toast
When the skies are looking bad my dearAnd your heart's lost all its hopeAfter dawn there will be sunshineAnd all the dust will goThe skies will clear my darlingNow it's time for you to let goOur girl will wake you up in the mornin'With some tea and toastLyrics: Lucy Spraggan.Good ...5 days ago - NLTP 2024 released – destroying pipeline of shovel ready local projects
Transport Minister Simeon Brown and Waka Kotahi yesterday released the latest National Land Transport Plan (NLTP) for 2024-27. The NLTP sets out what transport projects will be funded for the next three years, including both central and local government projects. As expected given the government’s extremely ideological transport policy, it’s ...6 days ago
- Can Brown deliver his roads
The Government’s unveiling of its road-building programme yesterday was ambitious and, many would say, long overdue. But the question will be whether it is too ambitious, whether it is affordable, and, if not, what might be dropped. The big ticket items will be the 17 so-called Roads of National Significance. ...6 days ago
- New paper about detecting climate misinformation on Twitter/X
Together with Cristian Rojas, Frank Algra-Maschio, Mark Andrejevic, Travis Coan, and Yuan-Fang Li, I just published a paper in Nature Communications Earth & Environment where we use the Computer Assisted Recognition of Denial and Skepticism (CARDS) machine learning model to detect climate misinformation in 5 million climate tweets. We find over half ...6 days ago
- Excerpting “Security Politics in Peripheral Democracies.”
In the late 2000s-early 2010s I was researching and writing a book titled “Security Politics in Peripheral Democracies: Chile, New Zealand and Portugal.” The book was a cross-regional Small-N qualitative comparison of the security strategies and postures of three small … Continue reading ...6 days ago
- Hating for the Wrong Reasons: Of Rings of Power, Orcs and Evil
A few months ago, my fellow countryman, HelloFutureMe, put out a giant YouTube video, dissecting what went wrong with the first season of Rings of Power (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gJ6FRUO0ui0&t=8376s). It’s an exceptionally good video, and though it spans some two and a half hours, it is well worth your time. But ...6 days ago - Climate Change: “Least cost” to who?
On Friday the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment released their submission on National's second Emissions Reduction Plan, ripping the shit out of it as a massive gamble based on wishful thinking. One of the specific issues he focused on was National's idea of "least cost" emissions reduction, pointing out that ...6 days ago
- Israeli Lives Matter
There is no monopoly on common senseOn either side of the political fenceWe share the same biology, regardless of ideologyBelieve me when I say to youI hope the Russians love their children tooLyrics: Sting. Read more ...6 days ago - Luxon Cries
Over the weekend, I found myself rather irritably reading up about the Treaty of Waitangi. “Do I need to do this?” It’s not my jurisdiction. In any other world, would this be something I choose to do?My answer - no.The Waitangi Tribunal, headed by some of our best legal minds, ...6 days ago
- Just one Wellington home being consented for every 10 in Auckland
A decade of under-building is coming home to roost in Wellington. 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 Monday September 2:Wellington’s leaders are wringing their hands over an exodus of skilled ...6 days ago - Container trucks on local streets: why take the risk?
This is a guest post by Charmaine Vaughan, who came to transport advocacy via her local Residents Association and a comms role at Bike Auckland. Her enthusiasm to make local streets safer for all is shared by her son Dylan Vaughan, a budding “urban nerd” who provided much of the ...7 days ago
- 2024 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #35
A listing of 35 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, August 25, 2024 thru Sat, August 31, 2024. Story of the week After another crammed week of climate news including updates on climate tipping points, increasing threats from rising ...1 week ago
- An Uncanny Valley of Improvement: A Review and Analysis of The Rings of Power, Episodes 1-3 (Season ...
And thus we come to the second instalment of Amazon’s Rings of Power. The first season, in 2022, was underwhelming, even for someone like myself, who is by nature inclined to approach Tolkien adaptations with charity. The writing was poor, the plot made no sense on its own terms, and ...1 week ago - Alcohol debris and Crocodile Tears
I write to you this morning from scenes of carnage. Around the floor lie young men who only hours earlier were full of life, and cocktails, and now lie silent. Read more ...1 week ago - When Do We Look Away?
Hi,The first time I saw something that made me recoil on the internet was a visit to Rotten.com. The clue was in the name — but the internet was a new thing to me in the 90s, and no-one really knew what the hell was going on. But somehow I ...1 week ago - The decades just fly by
You turn your back for a moment and a city can completely transform itself. It was, oh, just the other day I was tripping up to Kuala Lumpur every few months to teach workshops and luxuriate in the tropical warmth and fill my face with Char Kway Teow.It has to ...1 week ago - 2024 Reading Summary: August
Completed reads for August: Aesop’s Fables (collection), by Aesop Berserk: Volume XXV (manga), by Kentaro Miura Benighted, by J.B. Priestly Berserk: Volume XXVI (manga), by Kentaro Miura Berserk: Volume XXVII (manga), by Kentaro Miura Berserk: Volume XXVIII (manga), by Kentaro Miura Berserk: Volume XXIX (manga), by Kentaro Miura ...1 week ago - Is recent global warming part of a natural cycle?
Skeptical Science is partnering with Gigafact to produce fact briefs — bite-sized fact checks of trending claims. This fact brief was written by Sue Bin Park from the Gigafact team in collaboration with John Mason. You can submit claims you think need checking via the tipline. Is recent global warming part ...1 week ago
- White Noise
Now here we standWith our hearts in our handsSqueezing out the liesAll that I hearIs a message, unclearWhat else is there to decide?All that I'm hearing from youIs White NoiseLyrics: Christopher John CheneyIs the tide turning?Have we reached the high point of the racist hate and lies from Hobson’s Pledge, ...1 week ago - The Death Of “Big Norm” – Exactly 50 Years Ago Today.
1 week ago
- Claims and Counter-Claims.
Whose Foreshore? Whose Seabed? When the Marine and Coastal Area Act was originally passed back in 2011, fears about the coastline becoming off-limits to Pakeha were routinely allayed by National Party politicians pointing out that the tests imposed were so stringent that only a modest percentage of claims (the then treaty ...1 week ago
-
1 week ago
- The Principles of the Treaty
Hardly anyone says what are ‘the principles of the treaty’. The courts’ interpretation restrain the New Zealand Government. While they about protecting a particular community, those restraints apply equally to all community in a liberal democracy – including a single person.Treaty principles were introduced into the governance of New Zealand ...1 week ago - The Only Other Reliable Vehicle.
An Elite Leader Awaiting Rotation? Hipkins’ give-National-nothing-to-aim-at strategy will only succeed if the Coalition becomes as unpopular in three years as the British Tories became in fourteen.THE SHAPE OF CHRIS HIPKINS’ THINKING on Labour’s optimum pathway to re-election is emerging steadily. At the core of his strategy is Hipkins’ view ...1 week ago
- A Big F U to this Right Wing Government
Open to all - deep thanks to those who support and subscribe.One of the things that has got me interested recently is updates about Māori wards.In April, Stuff’s Karanama Ruru reported that ~ 2/3 of our 78 councils had adopted Māori wards in NZ.That meant that under the Coalition repeal ...1 week ago - Climate Change: James Shaw’s legacy keeps paying off
One of the central planks of the previous Labour-Green government's emissions reduction policy was GIDI (Government Investment in Decarbonising Industry). This was basically using ETS revenue to pay polluters to clean up production, reducing emissions while protecting jobs. Corporate welfare, but it got the job done, and was often a ...1 week ago
- Gravity
Oh twice as much ain't twice as goodAnd can't sustain like one half couldIt's wanting moreThat's gonna send me to my kneesSong: John MayerSome ups and downs from the last week of August ‘24. The good and bad, happy and sad, funny and mad, heroes and cads. The week that ...1 week ago - Ditch the climate double speak and get real
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 Government announced changes to the Fast-Track Approvals Bill on Sunday, backing off from the contentious proposal to give ...1 week ago
- The Hoon around the week to August 30
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 science of changing sea temperatures and which emissions policies actually work; on the latest from Ukraine, Gaza and ...1 week ago
- This Govt’s infrastructure strategy depends on capital gains taxes & new road taxes
Billions of dollars in value uplift was identified around the Transmission Gully project, but that was captured 100% by landowners and not shared to pay for the project. Now National is saying value capture should be used for similar projects. Photo: Lynn Grieveson/ Getty ImagesMōrena. Long stories short; here’s my ...1 week ago - Weekly Roundup 30-August-2024
Kia ora and welcome to the end of another week. Here’s our regular Friday roundup of things that caught our eye, in the realm of cities and transport. If you enjoy these roundups, feel free to join our growing ranks of supporters by making a recurring donation to keep the ...1 week ago
- Table Talk: Ageing Boomers, Laurie & Les, Talk Politics.
“That’s the sort of constitutional reform he favours: conceived in secret; revolutionary in intent; implemented incrementally without fanfare; and under no circumstances to be placed before the electorate for democratic ratification.”TO SAY IT WAS RAINING would have understated seriously the meteorological conditions. Simply put, it was pissing down. One of ...1 week ago
- Big Norm and Chris Hipkins
It’s 50 years ago today that “Big Norm” Kirk died of a heart attack in Wellington’s Home of Compassion. Home of Compassion. Although he was Prime Minister for only 623 days, he has an iconic place in New Zealand history, particularly Labour history. When Labour leaders like Jacinda Ardern recite ...1 week ago
- Sign the petition: Keep military-style firearms off our streets
Help us tell the Government that reintroducing military-style firearms should not be up for debate. ...1 day ago - Vast majority of councils support Māori wards
Councils across the country have now decided where they stand regarding Māori wards, with a resounding majority in favour of keeping them in what is a significant setback for the Government. ...2 days ago - Release: Government on the wrong side of Māori wards
The National-led government has been given a clear message from the local government sector, as almost all councils reject the Government’s bid to treat Māori wards different to other wards. ...2 days ago
- Release: Labour congratulates Kuīni Ngā Wai hono i te po Paki
The Labour Party congratulates Kuīni Ngā Wai hono i te po Paki on being crowned as the eighth Te Ariki Nui – head of Te Kiingitanga. ...3 days ago
- Green Party welcomes new Maaori Kuiini
The Green Party welcomes the coronation of the new Maaori Kuiini, Te Arikinui Nga Wai Hono i te Po, today in Turangawaewae. ...3 days ago
- ECE teachers deserve better than this Government
The Green Party is unsurprised but disappointed by today’s announcement from the Government that will see our Early Childhood Centre teachers undermined and pay parity pushed further out of reach. ...4 days ago
- Urgent intervention needed on supermarkets
The Green Party is calling on the Government to intervene in the supermarket duopoly dominating our supply of groceries following today’s report from the Commerce Commission. ...4 days ago
- Release: Rainbow youth neglected in mental health funding
Labour backs the call from The Rainbow Support Collective members for mental health funding specifically earmarked for grassroots and peer led community organisations to be set up in a way that they are able to access. ...5 days ago
- Release: Transport in NZ has to be more than just roads
As expected, the National Land Transport Programme lacks ambition for our cities and our country’s rail network and puts the majority of investment into roads. ...5 days ago
- Speech: Barbara Edmonds Building Nations 2024
Tēnā koutou katoa, Thank you for your warm welcome and for having my colleagues and I here today. Earlier you heard from the Labour Leader, Chris Hipkins, on our vision for the future of infrastructure. I want to build on his comments and provide further detail on some key elements ...5 days ago
- Govt transport plan deepens fossil fuel fix
The Green Party says the Government’s new National Land Transport Programme marks another missed opportunity to take meaningful action to fight the climate crisis. ...6 days ago
- Greens call for public to back Wrybill in BOTY and beyond
The Green Party is calling on the public to support the Ngutu Pare Wrybill not just in this year’s Bird of the Year competition but also in pushing back against policies that could lead to the destruction of its habitat and accelerate its extinction. ...6 days ago
- Building consents data bad news for construction
News that the annual number of building consents granted for new homes fell by more than 20 percent for the year ended July 2024, is bad news for the construction industry. ...1 week ago
- Te Pāti Māori Pay Tribute to Kiingi Tūheitia Pōtatau Te Wherowhero VII
Papā te whatitiri, hikohiko te uira, i kanapu ki te rangi, i whētuki i raro rā, rū ana te whenua e. Uea te pou o tōku whare kia tū tangata he kapua whakairi nāku nā runga o Taupiri. Ko taku kiri ka tōkia ki te anu mātao. E te iwi ...1 week ago
- Release: Gaps still to be addressed in callouts response
The Government must guarantee New Zealanders will not be at risk after making changes to the way mental health callouts are handled. ...1 week ago
- Poroporoaki: Kiingi Tuheitia passing
Haere e te Kīngi o te kotahitangi Haere ki o nui, ki o rahi I te pō ...1 week ago
- Green Party pays respects to Kiingi Tuuheitia
The Green Party is paying tribute to the Māori King, Kiingi Tuuheitia Pootatau Te Wherowhero XVII, after he passed away earlier this morning. ...1 week ago
- Potaka Brings Whakaata Māori to its Knees
Today’s Whakaata Māori announcement is yet another colossal failure from Minister Potaka, who has turned his back on te reo Māori, forcing a channel offline, putting whānau out of jobs, and cutting Māori content, says Te Pāti Māori. “A Senior Māori Minister has turned his back on Te Reo Māori. ...1 week ago
- Release: National restricts access to disability care homes
With disability communities still reeling from the diminishing of Whaikaha, a leaked document now reveals another blow with National restricting access to residential care homes. ...1 week ago
- Release: Govt must help save 230 manufacturing jobs
Labour is calling on the Government and Mercury Energy to find a solution to the proposed Winstone Pulp mill closure and save 230 manufacturing jobs. ...1 week ago
- Govt shirks its responsibility to Whakaata Māori
The Green Party has called out the Government for allowing Whakaata Māori to effectively collapse to a shell of its former self as job cuts and programming cuts were announced at the broadcaster today. ...1 week ago
- NZ First Member’s Bill To Disestablish Auckland Transport
Today New Zealand First has introduced a Member’s Bill that will restore democratic control over transport management in Auckland City by disestablishing Auckland Transport (AT) and returning control to Auckland Council. The ‘Local Government (Auckland Council) (Disestablishment of Auckland Transport) Amendment Bill’ intends to restore democratic oversight, control, and accountability ...1 week ago - Release: PM fails in constitutional role and leadership
The failure of the Prime Minister to condemn his Minister for personally attacking the judiciary is another example of this Government riding roughshod over important constitutional rules. ...1 week ago
- Waititi urges Rotorua Lakes Council to immediately stop works at Lake Rotokākahi
Te Pāti Māori co-leader and Member of Parliament for Waiariki, which includes Rotorua, has written to Rotorua Lakes Councillors requesting they immediately stop sewerage piping works at Lake Rotokākahi in Rotorua. “Mana whenua have been urging Rotorua Lakes Council to stop works and look at alternative plans to protect the ...2 weeks ago
- Release: Patient care at risk from redundancies
Patient care could suffer as a result of further cuts to the health system, which could lose thousands of staff who keep our hospitals and clinics running. ...2 weeks ago
- Greens call on Govt to wake up on child poverty
The Green Party says the latest statistics on child poverty in this country highlight the callous approach that the Government is taking on this issue of national shame. ...2 weeks ago
- Release: Police are off the beat under National
Foot patrols around the country have decreased 15 percent since National took office, despite National’s Mark Mitchell claiming otherwise. ...2 weeks ago
- Release: Climate denial is an insult to Pacific leaders
Winston Peters’ climate denialism at the Pacific Islands’ Forum is an embarrassing new low. ...2 weeks ago
- Govt must end solitary confinement
The Green Party is urging the Government to end the use of solitary confinement within our prisons after new research revealed some prisoners have been held in confinement for more than 900 days. ...2 weeks ago
- Fossil fuels never the answer in climate crisis
The Government’s moves to enable the import of Liquefied Natural Gas is another step away from the sustainable and affordable energy network that this country needs. ...2 weeks ago
- Government must respect Court’s Uber employee decision
Today’s court ruling upholding the rights of Uber drivers is a message to the Government that it must not tamper with employment protections. ...2 weeks ago
- Release: Uber court decision recognises workers’ rights
The Court of Appeal decision that Uber drivers are entitled to employee rights such as minimum wage, sick leave, holiday pay and collective bargaining is welcome news for the drivers involved and their unions. ...2 weeks ago
- Release: Labour calls on Govt to divest from illegal settlements
The Labour Party is calling on the Government to tell the two major wealth funds, the NZ Super Fund and ACC, to withdraw investments from companies listed by the United Nations as complicit in Israel’s illegal settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territories. ...2 weeks ago
- Release: Govt backtrack on fast-track still not enough
Labour welcomes news that the National Government is backing down on its reckless proposal to give Ministers final sign-off on significant projects, but it’s still not enough. ...2 weeks ago
- Fast track still on track to environmental destruction
Our environment remains at risk despite the Government's proposed changes to its controversial fast-track legislation. ...2 weeks ago
- Ohinemuri River pollution highlights mining risks
The harrowing images of the severely polluted Ohinemuri River caused by an old mining shaft could become a more common occurrence under the mining regime the Government is looking to roll out. ...2 weeks ago
- Govt Incarcerating our Mokopuna into a Failed System
Information released by the Minister for Children has revealed that almost 800 mokopuna Māori have been taken by the state this year, putting it on track for the largest displacement of tamariki Māori since the introduction of Section 7AA in 2019. “Oranga Tamariki is running a crusade against whakapapa Māori ...2 weeks ago
- Release: Chris Hipkins’ Speech to Local Government New Zealand
...2 weeks ago
- Release: Regional deals can’t leave ratepayers picking up the bill again
On the back of a patronising speech to local councils the Government has rushed out an announcement on regional and city deals that leaves out the crucial component – funding. ...2 weeks ago
- Release: Govt in thrall to tobacco lobbyists
The National Government has put the interests of tobacco lobbyists ahead of New Zealanders and their health. ...2 weeks ago
- Government progresses response to Abuse in Care recommendations
A Crown Response Office is being established within the Public Service Commission to drive the Government’s response to the Royal Commission into Abuse in Care. “The creation of an Office within a central Government agency was a key recommendation by the Royal Commission’s final report. “It will have the mandate ...2 days ago - Passport wait times back on-track
Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says passport processing has returned to normal, and the Department of Internal Affairs [Department] is now advising customers to allow up to two weeks to receive their passport. “I am pleased that passport processing is back at target service levels and the Department ...2 days ago
- New appointments to the FMA board
Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister has today announced three new appointments and one reappointment to the Financial Markets Authority (FMA) board. Tracey Berry, Nicholas Hegan and Mariette van Ryn have been appointed for a five-year term ending in August 2029, while Chris Swasbrook, who has served as a board member ...2 days ago
- District Court judges appointed
Attorney-General Hon Judith Collins today announced the appointment of two new District Court judges. The appointees, who will take up their roles at the Manukau Court and the Auckland Court in the Accident Compensation Appeal Jurisdiction, are: Jacqui Clark Judge Clark was admitted to the bar in 1988 after graduating ...2 days ago
- Government makes it faster and easier to invest in New Zealand
Associate Minister of Finance David Seymour is encouraged by significant improvements to overseas investment decision timeframes, and the enhanced interest from investors as the Government continues to reform overseas investment. “There were about as many foreign direct investment applications in July and August as there was across the six months ...3 days ago
- New Zealand to join Operation Olympic Defender
New Zealand has accepted an invitation to join US-led multi-national space initiative Operation Olympic Defender, Defence Minister Judith Collins announced today. Operation Olympic Defender is designed to coordinate the space capabilities of member nations, enhance the resilience of space-based systems, deter hostile actions in space and reduce the spread of ...3 days ago
- Government commits to ‘stamping out’ foot and mouth disease
Biosecurity Minister Andrew Hoggard says that a new economic impact analysis report reinforces this government’s commitment to ‘stamp out’ any New Zealand foot and mouth disease incursion. “The new analysis, produced by the New Zealand Institute of Economic Research, shows an incursion of the disease in New Zealand would have ...3 days ago
- Improving access to finance for Kiwis
5 September 2024 The Government is progressing further reforms to financial services to make it easier for Kiwis to access finance when they need it, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly says. “Financial services are foundational for economic success and are woven throughout our lives. Without access to finance our ...3 days ago
- Prime Minister pays tribute to Kiingi Tuheitia
As Kiingi Tuheitia Pootatau Te Wherowhero VII is laid to rest today, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has paid tribute to a leader whose commitment to Kotahitanga will have a lasting impact on our country. “Kiingi Tuheitia was a humble leader who served his people with wisdom, mana and an unwavering ...3 days ago
- Resource Management reform to make forestry rules clearer
Forestry Minister Todd McClay today announced proposals to reform the resource management system that will provide greater certainty for the forestry sector and help them meet environmental obligations. “The Government has committed to restoring confidence and certainty across the sector by removing unworkable regulatory burden created by the previous ...3 days ago
- More choice and competition in building products
A major shake-up of building products which will make it easier and more affordable to build is on the way, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says. “Today we have introduced legislation that will improve access to a wider variety of quality building products from overseas, giving Kiwis more choice and ...3 days ago
- Joint Statement between the Republic of Korea and New Zealand 4 September 2024, Seoul
On the occasion of the official visit by the Right Honourable Prime Minister Christopher Luxon of New Zealand to the Republic of Korea from 4 to 5 September 2024, a summit meeting was held between His Excellency President Yoon Suk Yeol of the Republic of Korea (hereinafter referred to as ...4 days ago
- Comprehensive Strategic Partnership the goal for New Zealand and Korea
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon held a bilateral meeting today with the President of the Republic of Korea, Yoon Suk Yeol. “Korea and New Zealand are likeminded democracies and natural partners in the Indo Pacific. As such, we have decided to advance discussions on elevating the bilateral relationship to a Comprehensive ...4 days ago
- International tourism continuing to bounce back
Results released today from the International Visitor Survey (IVS) confirm international tourism is continuing to bounce back, Tourism and Hospitality Minister Matt Doocey says. The IVS results show that in the June quarter, international tourism contributed $2.6 billion to New Zealand’s economy, an increase of 17 per cent on last ...4 days ago
- Government confirms RMA reforms to drive primary sector efficiency
The Government is moving to review and update national level policy directives that impact the primary sector, as part of its work to get Wellington out of farming. “The primary sector has been weighed down by unworkable and costly regulation for too long,” Agriculture Minister Todd McClay says. “That is ...4 days ago
- Weak grocery competition underscores importance of cutting red tape
The first annual grocery report underscores the need for reforms to cut red tape and promote competition, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly says. “The report paints a concerning picture of the $25 billion grocery sector and reinforces the need for stronger regulatory action, coupled with an ambitious, economy-wide ...4 days ago
- Government moves to lessen burden of reliever costs on ECE services
Associate Education Minister David Seymour says the Government has listened to the early childhood education sector’s calls to simplify paying ECE relief teachers. Today two simple changes that will reduce red tape for ECEs are being announced, in the run-up to larger changes that will come in time from the ...5 days ago
- Over 2,320 people engage with first sector regulatory review
Regulation Minister David Seymour says there has been a strong response to the Ministry for Regulation’s public consultation on the early childhood education regulatory review, affirming the need for action in reducing regulatory burden. “Over 2,320 submissions have been received from parents, teachers, centre owners, child advocacy groups, unions, research ...5 days ago
- Government backs women in horticulture
“The Government is empowering women in the horticulture industry by funding an initiative that will support networking and career progression,” Associate Minister of Agriculture, Nicola Grigg says. “Women currently make up around half of the horticulture workforce, but only 20 per cent of leadership roles which is why initiatives like this ...5 days ago
- Government to pause freshwater farm plan rollout
The Government will pause the rollout of freshwater farm plans until system improvements are finalised, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay, Environment Minister Penny Simmonds and Associate Environment Minister Andrew Hoggard announced today. “Improving the freshwater farm plan system to make it more cost-effective and practical for farmers is a priority for this ...5 days ago
- Milestone reached for fixing the Holidays Act 2003
Minister for Workplace Relations and Safety Brooke van Velden says yesterday Cabinet reached another milestone on fixing the Holidays Act with approval of the consultation exposure draft of the Bill ready for release next week to participants. “This Government will improve the Holidays Act with the help of businesses, workers, and ...5 days ago
- New priorities to protect future of conservation
Toitū te marae a Tāne Mahuta me Hineahuone, toitū te marae a Tangaroa me Hinemoana, toitū te taiao, toitū te tangata. The Government has introduced clear priorities to modernise Te Papa Atawhai - The Department of Conservation’s protection of our natural taonga. “Te Papa Atawhai manages nearly a third of our ...5 days ago
- Faster 110km/h speed limit to accelerate Kāpiti
A new 110km/h speed limit for the Kāpiti Expressway Road of National Significance (RoNS) has been approved to reduce travel times for Kiwis travelling in and out of Wellington, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Boosting economic growth and productivity is a key part of the Government’s plan to rebuild the economy. ...5 days ago
- IVL increase to ensure visitors contribute more to New Zealand
The International Visitor Conservation and Tourism Levy (IVL) will be raised to $100 to ensure visitors contribute to public services and high-quality experiences while visiting New Zealand, Minister for Tourism and Hospitality Matt Doocey and Minister of Conservation Tama Potaka say. “The Government is serious about enabling the tourism sector ...6 days ago
- Delivering priority connections for the West Coast
A record $255 million for transport investment on the West Coast through the 2024-27 National Land Transport Programme (NLTP) will strengthen the region’s road and rail links to keep people connected and support the region’s economy, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “The Government is committed to making sure that every ...6 days ago
- Road and rail reliability a focus for Wellington
A record $3.3 billion of transport investment in Greater Wellington through the 2024-27 National Land Transport Programme (NLTP) will increase productivity and reduce travel times, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Delivering infrastructure to increase productivity and economic growth is a priority for our Government. We're focused on delivering transport projects ...6 days ago
- Record investment to boost economic and housing growth in the Waikato
A record $1.9 billion for transport investment in the Waikato through the 2024-27 National Land Transport Programme (NLTP) will create a more efficient, safe, and resilient roading network that supports economic growth and productivity, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “With almost a third of the country’s freight travelling into, out ...6 days ago
- Building reliable and efficient roading for Taranaki
A record $808 million for transport investment in Taranaki through the 2024-27 National Land Transport Programme (NLTP) will support economic growth and productivity, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Taranaki’s roads carry a high volume of freight from primary industries and it’s critical we maintain efficient connections across the region to ...6 days ago
- Supporting growth and resilience in Otago and Southland
A record $1.4 billion for transport investment in Otago and Southland through the 2024-27 National Land Transport Programme (NLTP) will create a more resilient and efficient network that supports economic growth and productivity, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Transport is a critical enabler for economic growth and productivity in Otago ...6 days ago
- Delivering connected and resilient roading for Northland
A record $991 million for transport investment in Northland through the 2024-27 National Land Transport Programme (NLTP) will strengthen the region’s connections and support economic growth and productivity, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “We are committed to making sure that every transport dollar is spent wisely on the projects and ...6 days ago
- Top of the South to benefit from reliable transport infrastructure
A record $479 million for transport investment across the top of the South Island through the 2024-27 National Land Transport Programme (NLTP) will build a stronger road network that supports primary industries and grows the economy, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “We’re committed to making sure that every dollar is ...6 days ago
- Government delivering reliable roads for Manawatū-Whanganui
A record $1.6 billion for transport investment in Manawatū-Whanganui through the 2024-27 National Land Transport Programme (NLTP) will strengthen the region’s importance as a strategic freight hub that boosts economic growth, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Delivering infrastructure to increase productivity and economic growth is a priority for our Government. ...6 days ago
- Restoring connections in Hawke’s Bay
A record $657 million for transport investment in the Hawke’s Bay through the 2024-27 National Land Transport Programme (NLTP) will support recovery from cyclone damage and build greater resilience into the network to support economic growth and productivity, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “We are committed to making sure that ...6 days ago
- Transport resilience a priority for Gisborne
A record $255 million for transport investment in Gisborne through the 2024-27 National Land Transport Programme (NLTP) will support economic growth and restore the cyclone-damaged network, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “With $255 million of investment over the next three years, we are committed to making sure that every transport ...6 days ago
- Prioritising growth and reduced travel times in Canterbury
A record $1.8 billion for transport investment Canterbury through the 2024-27 National Land Transport Programme (NLTP) will boost economic growth and productivity and reduce travel times, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Christchurch is the economic powerhouse of the South Island, and transport is a critical enabler for economic growth and ...6 days ago
- Supporting growth and freight in the Bay of Plenty
A record $1.9 billion for transport investment in the Bay of Plenty through the 2024-27 National Land Transport Programme (NLTP) will boost economic growth and unlock land for thousands of houses, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Transport is a critical enabler for economic growth and productivity in the Bay of ...6 days ago
- Getting transport back on track in Auckland
A record $8.4 billion for transport investment in Auckland through the 2024-27 National Land Transport Programme (NLTP) will deliver the infrastructure our rapidly growing region needs to support economic growth and reduce travel times, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Aucklanders rejected the previous government’s transport policies which resulted in non-delivery, phantoms projects, ...6 days ago
- Record investment to get transport back on track
A record $32.9 billion investment in New Zealand’s transport network through the 2024-27 National Land Transport Programme (NLTP) will create a more reliable and efficient transport network that boosts economic growth and productivity, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “New Zealanders rejected the previous government’s transport policies which resulted in non-delivery, ...6 days ago
- Consultation is open on gambling harm strategy
Minister for Mental Health Matt Doocey has welcomed the start of Gambling Harm Awareness Week by encouraging New Zealanders to have their say on the next three-year strategy to prevent and minimise gambling harm. “While many New Zealanders enjoy gambling as a pastime without issue, the statistics are clear that ...6 days ago
- JOINT STATEMENT FOR THE OFFICIAL VISIT OF NEW ZEALAND PRIME MINISTER CHRISTOPHER LUXON
1. Prime Minister YAB Dato’ Seri Anwar Ibrahim hosted Prime Minister Rt. Hon Christopher Luxon on an Official Visit to Malaysia from 1 to 3 September 2024. Both leaders expressed appreciation for enduring and warm bilateral ties over 67 years of diplomatic relations. The Malaysia – New Zealand Strategic Partnership 2. The ...6 days ago
- Open letter to TVNZ – stop the bias, report fairly on the Israeli war on Palestine
OPEN LETTER: Our Action Station Dear TVNZ, We are deeply concerned with the misleading nature of the journalism presented in your recent coverage of the escalating crisis in Gaza and the West Bank. By focusing on specific language and framing, while leaving out the necessary context of international law, the ...2 hours ago - Census will now include questions on sexual orientation and gender identity
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra The Albanese government has shifted again on the 2026 census, now saying it will include questions on both sexual orientation and gender identity. In its latest iteration, the government announced on Sunday the census ...4 hours ago
- New Zealand takes another step towards US space operations
Analysis - Space has rapidly become more hostile for geopolitical reasons, but what are the threats, and what is New Zealand doing to assess them? ...5 hours ago - Business case to replace NZDF’s Boeing 757s in the works, as repair costs skyrocket
The planes have been plagued by multiple breakdowns, in one case nearly derailing a prime ministerial trade mission. ...7 hours ago
- Mediawatch: Kiingi Tuheitia’s tangihanga – epic broadcast marks new epoch for te ao Māori
“Anticipation is growing. The warriors are ready. They’re preparing themselves. The paddlers are already on their waka,” Scotty Morrison, alongside veteran journalist Tini Molyneux, told viewers from the banks of the Waikato River. It was Thursday, and the body of Kiingi Tuheitia was being escorted to the barge to take ...9 hours ago
- Media focus on small stuff in government’s big-budget transport plan
Some media queried how the $33b national transport plan will be funded. Others highlighted aspects that barely dent the budget. ...12 hours ago
- In pictures: Commonwealth Youth Parliament takes over the House
A Queenslander, a Falkland Islander and a Gibraltarian walk into a debating chamber. It's no joke - just the reality at Parliament this week ...14 hours ago
- An Ode to .. King Luxon
Orient ExpressHot air balloon Number OneIs prepared by the Royal Hot Air Balloon ForceFor Prime Balloonist, King Luxon,And his trade delegation to the Orient.But lo! With a splutter and a puffHot air balloon Number One folds in on itselfAnd deflates onto the field.King Luxon sighs and books a ticketOn a ...15 hours ago - Mike Joy on his memoir and butting heads with Sir John Key
The scientist whose work prompted Sir John Key in 2011 to compare academics to lawyers says it was a "surreal" and "scary" time. ...1 day ago
- Results of school property inquiry yet to go to Cabinet
The inquiry was completed months ago, but the minister of education is still weighing up its recommendations. ...1 day ago
- ACT pledges pushback on supermarket crackdown
Further regulation of the supermarket sector may hit a snag in the form of David Seymour, who is mounting strong opposition to any such move. ...2 days ago
- The Weekend: Paralympics appreciation vs everyday apathy
Madeleine Chapman reflects on the week that was. The Paralympic Games end tomorrow after nearly two weeks of incredible athletic feats. On a purely results basis, New Zealand hasn’t done that well. As of writing (Friday), we’re yet to win a gold medal and are placed 61st out of 74 ...2 days ago - ‘I wish I’d never thought of it’: The Blue Monkey on Suzanne Paul’s back
The infomercial queen looks back on an eventful life in TV, filled with Coronation Street, The Blue Monkey and a lot of reality television. Suzanne Paul is a New Zealand television icon. Born and raised in England, Paul worked around the world for 20 years before she arrived in Aotearoa ...2 days ago
- Auckland’s secondhand bookshops, ranked and reviewed
Shanti Mathias visits and ranks the crème de la crème of Auckland’s secondhand bookshops. From Ponsonby to Grafton to Devonport to Parnell, Auckland has some lovely secondhand bookshops, many of which are huge and deserve to be browsed for hours, embracing the way that all bookstores, but especially secondhand bookstores, ...2 days ago
- The Spinoff Essay: An ode to tea, the universal panacea
Skimmed Alive, Earl Gravy or Peanut Safari, there’s nothing like making someone a cup of tea exactly how they like it. The Spinoff Essay showcases the best essayists in Aotearoa, on topics big and small. Made possible by the generous support of our members. ‘Corrie climax sparks power surge.’ That was ...2 days ago
- ‘A bogan-fuelled track to remind us where we came from’: Blindspott’s perfect weekend playlist
Damian Alexander and Shelton Woolright of Blindspott share their perfect weekend playlist. Few embody the “west is best” mindset as well as Blindspott. So, it’s probably a good thing the bogan rockers will be able to let their West Auckland sensibilities loose as a part of a supergroup comprised of ...2 days ago
- Brokenwood – the international hit with a kiwi accent
It’s been a brutal year for New Zealand television, with the demise of Three’s Newshub news operation, costing 300-odd jobs; and the canning of TVNZ’s highly rated Fair Go, Sunday and Late News programmes.It’s also been announced the long-running soap Shortland Street will be cut to three nights a week, ...2 days ago
- The Secret Diary of .. Christopher Luxon
MONDAYGreat news for the nation! In a gesture that I know will resonate with ordinary Kiwis who look to the Prime Minister as an example of someone who can deliver a set of deliverables that will take root and come to pass, I have sold one of my nine or ...2 days ago
- Short story: I’m a Māori, by Airana Ngarewa
“See that car, ow?” A lime-green Beetle puttered into the distance, barely making the speed limit. “Lady in the front winked at me. Almost crossed the centre line she was so lost in my eyes.”“Bro, that’s the lifeguard. She’s seventy.”Māui shrugged his shoulders. “My swag crosses generational lines. What can ...2 days ago
- Podcast: Does the government have it wrong on gas?
The government is making a poor economic move with its plan to import natural gas according to Saul Griffith, renewable energy advocate and former climate advisor to Joe Biden. Saul Griffith is an author, inventor, scientist and co-founder of Rewiring America. A few years back he managed to convince ...2 days ago
- New measurements reveal the enormous halos that shroud all galaxies in the universe
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Deanne Fisher, Associate Professor of Astronomy, Swinburne University of Technology The starry part of every galaxy is surrounded by a vast shroud of gas extending out for more than 100,000 light years. Cristy Roberts / ANU / ASTRO 3D Have you ever ...2 days ago
- Opera Eucalyptus is a lush adaptation of Murray Bail’s novel – with a modern twist
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Moya Costello, Adjunct Lecturer, Southern Cross University Opera Australia My first curiosities about the new opera Eucalyptus, an adaptation of Murray Bail’s multi-award-winning 1998 novel, were regarding how Ellen and the many stories told to her by her ultimately successful suitor ...2 days ago
- The Week in Politics: More roads and maybe fewer tourists
Analysis - The government's $32.9 billion transport spend-up, a big hike in the tourist levy, and the prime minister's ferry-free visit to South Korea. ...2 days ago
- Our cities are losing the small, colourful songbirds that give us the most joy
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Andres Felipe Suarez-Castro, Research Fellow, Ecological Modelling, Griffith University Scarlet honeyeater (_Myzomela sanguinolenta_) Marty Oishi/Shutterstock The birds that fill our mornings with songs and our parks and gardens with colour are disappearing from our cities, our new study has found. We ...2 days ago
- New government funding for family violence is unprecedented, but it can’t afford to wait
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Anastasia Powell, Professor, Family and Sexual Violence, RMIT University A new A$4.7 billion national funding package announced today will deliver much needed resources to address family and sexual violence. For years, specialist support services, community legal services, therapeutic responses and men’s ...2 days ago
- Residency granted for Brazilian couple whose immigration adviser forgot to apply for visa
Brazilians Newton Santos and Nubia Chiarelli had been fighting to get their case reviewed since 2021. ...2 days ago
- Witness 1.8 billion years of tectonic plates dance across Earth’s surface in a new animation
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Alan Collins, Professor of Geology, University of Adelaide Two tectonic plates meet in Thingvellir National Park, Iceland. VisualProduction/Shutterstock Using information from inside the rocks on Earth’s surface, we have reconstructed the plate tectonics of the planet over the last 1.8 billion years. ...2 days ago
- Far North District councillors vote unanimously to retain their Māori ward following impassioned me...
The council's strongly worded resolution also called on the CEO to explore the legal implications of not holding a binding poll as required. ...2 days ago
- The ozone hole above Antarctica will keep opening up each spring for decades to come – here’s wh...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Laura Revell, Associate Professor in Environmental Physics, University of Canterbury NASA via Getty Images At this time of year, as the sun rises over Antarctica, a “hole” opens up in Earth’s ozone layer. The ozone layer is a vital planetary boundary ...2 days ago
- What you need to know about the draft English and maths curriculums
This is what you need to know about the draft English and maths curriculums out for consultation. ...2 days ago
- Is Russia’s changing nuclear doctrine a significant concern – or just another empty threat?
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jon Richardson, Visiting Fellow, Centre for European Studies, Australian National University Russia’s announcement this week that it is revising its nuclear weapons doctrine has raised questions about what this means – and whether it marks a significant escalation in its war in ...2 days ago
- Bunyip birds and brolgas: how can we better protect species important to Indigenous people?
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Bradley J. Moggridge, Professor of Science, University of Technology Sydney Bradley Moggridge, Author provided Kamilaroi Country lies in far northwest New South Wales, past Tamworth and crossing over the Queensland border. Here, the bunyip bird (Australasian bittern, Botaurus poiciloptilus), and the ...2 days ago
- Who are the greatest Paralympians of all time?
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Vaughan Cruickshank, Senior Lecturer in Health and Physical Education, University of Tasmania Thousands of amazing athletes have competed in the Paralympics Games over the past 64 years. But who are the greatest of these Paralympians? And how would you decide? ...2 days ago
- ‘Put down the hammer and pick up the rammer’
One builder’s quest to find a culture of sustainability in construction. This is an excerpt from our environmental newsletter Future Proof. Sign up here. “Have you ever built a sandcastle?” asks Paul Geraets, founder of rammed earth building company Terra Firma. “Everybody has. Rammed earth is the same principle.” Rammed ...2 days ago
- The Friday Poem: ‘Riding in Cars with (Mostly Straight) Boys’ by Josiah Morgan
A new poem by Josiah Morgan. Riding in Cars with (Mostly Straight) Boys titled after a play by Sam Brooks I Back then Kade had a death wish, driving over a hundred an hour after school, past young lads, parents, through the suburbs, cop cars, girl friends. I drove too, ...2 days ago
- Du Val founder faces his last rodeo
Opinion: It was February 9 of this year that Newsroom revealed work had stopped on a big Du Val apartment project in Auckland as contractors threatened legal action.We had visited the Verge site in Mt Wellington. Scaffolders who said they hadn’t been paid were removing their gear. The site was otherwise empty ...2 days ago
- The Unity Books bestseller chart for the week ending September 6
The only published and available best-selling indie book chart in New Zealand is the top 10 sales list recorded every week at Unity Books’ stores in High St, Auckland, and Willis St, Wellington. AUCKLAND 1 Pachinko by Min Jin Lee (Head of Zeus, $25) Min Jin Lee’s novel was published in ...2 days ago
- The government says more people need to use AI. Here’s why that’s wrong
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Erica Mealy, Lecturer in Computer Science, University of the Sunshine Coast The Australian government this week released voluntary artificial intelligence (AI) safety standards, alongside a proposals paper calling for greater regulation of the use of the fast-growing technology in high-risk situations. ...2 days ago
- Bill Shorten’s greatest legacy is the NDIS. It transformed the lives of people like me with disabi...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By George Taleporos, Adjunct Senior Research Fellow, Living with Disability Research Centre, La Trobe University Bill Shorten is resigning from politics in February next year. Throughout his 17 years in parliament, no achievement stands out more than his role in the creation of ...2 days ago
- Birth, deaths and marriages: we all have them, which is why they should be protected
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Janet McCalman, Emeritus Redmond Barry Distinguished Professor, The University of Melbourne Shutterstock Why does Victoria’s Births, Deaths and Marriages registry matter? Civil registrations are the most important documents created about you by the state: they certify your existence in time and ...2 days ago
‘What John Key actually believes in’
For a brief introduction see http://www.act.org.nz/policies :p
I noticed he talks about golf more as well. And as others have noticed, his unbelievable change in his handicap over recent years. Something doesnt add up ?
Yep my handicap used to be not dissimilar to his but during election year mine ballooned out while his plummeted. I don’t know how he did it!
clearly he fundraises with a different on-course crowd than you!
Yep but can he blow a balloon up?
I think they have staff for that kind of thing.
And they have more direct means of offering their spit to the proletariat.
We just need a few more Labour millionaires.
Amen to that!
Look if you want to have a good handicap you just need to make a few sacrifices.
ayn rand..
..he is an admitted fanboy of ayn rand..
..that’s what he ‘believes in’..determinism..
..that fuck-the-poor! litany of hate/greed preached by that hideous ideologue so beloved by the elites/exploiters…
..that’s what john key ‘believes in’..
“..he is an admitted fanboy of ayn rand..”
Citation needed.
sorry..i can’t be screwed hunting for the actual quote/admission..
..you’ll have to take it on faith..
..or..u can look yrslf..
..and yr copies of the fountinhead/atlas shrugged wd b well-thumbed..eh..?
..and why the surprise..?
..many/most in nact..if scratched..wd bleed rand..
..and a frighteningly large number in labour..on the right..
..wd be of a similar blood-group..
..this may not be common knowledge..
..but it is hardly a state-secret..
..and it explains so much..i feel..
..especially that just not giving a fuck about poverty..
..to the true-believer randite..the poor are there because they deserve to be..
..and it is all their own fault..so fuck them..!
..them and their offspring can just rot..!
I take nothing from you on faith Phil.
Never heard Key speak of Rand once so I think your admitted fanboy of ayn rand is bullshit. And since you won’t support the claim then, yeah – I’m calling bullshit.
Tried reading Atlas Shrugged once, made it about 50 pages in before giving up.
please yrslf..like i give a fuck..eh..?
..and i wonder if his hagiographer roughan mentioned rand in that pile of highly polished dross on key..
..that he vomited up..?
..probably not..too much of a glimpse behind the mask..i’d be thinking..
That’s a bit harsh, contrarian. It’s not like pu has ever been accused of being slightly incorrect, outright wrong, or categorically delusional. We can trust his word of what his recollection is…
There is absolutely zero evidence that John Key has any interest in Ayn Rand. Totally made up by Phillip Ure to confirm his own prejudices.
While Standardnista’s will hate this, John Key is a pretty much the epitome of a centrist politician. He instinctively distrusts the extremes.
This of course is one of the main reasons for his success. Middle New Zealand knows he is in sync with them and they trust him to do the right thing on the issues that matter to them – keeping the economy moving, ensuring the schools and the healthy system can do their job, getting crime down and keeping New Zealand’ s name in good standing internationally. Of course I know Standardnista’s think the Nats are a disaster on all these things, but virtually all international measures, including NZ getting on the UNSC, says otherwise.
The nearly 50 % of New Zealanders who cared enough to vote and who voted National could not give a toss for all the minutiae that are the concerns of this site. And they certainly did not like Nicky Hagar, KDC etc trying to screw the scrum on what they see is their election, not that of a self appointed elite.
…schools and the health system…international measures…
Nope. PISA score dropping, NZ featuring in poorer outcomes noted by The Lancet among others. A case study for the ill effects of free market ideology.
What was 14 is now 27. Ring any bells, Dr. Mapp? When it comes to spin, you’re as bad as Phil Ure, in your own special way.
Q. Do you see yourself on the Mapp as ‘middle NZ’ ?
That your statement about the success of Key could have some merit is a resounding indictment of the gullibility of the so called ‘middle’ in NZ
The lies and spin are not not synchronized with humanity and are the devious work of agendas which use such scare tactics to control the gullible
Q. Are you gullible ?
@ wayne..
..i saw a television interview of key..where he was asked about rand..
..i can’t remember who/when..
..and key was reluctant to talk about it/her..
..and.. i do not just make shit up..eh..?..
..key was sitting in a slim-sided armchair..a table just to his right..
..and key was on the right of the viewers’ screen..
..the reporter (male) was in back/side-profile view..
..key moved uneasily/shuffled/blushed..at rand-questions..
..(the reporter did not dwell on it..it was left at the admission..)
..it stuck so vividly in my memory..’cos i found it so illuminating..
“..and.. i do not just make shit up..eh..?..”
🙄 😆
and i sure as hell don’t push big-pharmas’ products for them..
..addictive-products..at that…
(and seeing as you are accusing..care to point at an incident..?..where i have ‘made shit up’..)
..and i should warn you..a pill-pusher attempting to take the high-ground on anything..really..
..isn’t really believable..
..and north shore doc..$50 or $75 for a 15 min ‘consultation’..?
..and care to list the financial-incentives/trips etc. you have accepted from big-pharma in..i dunno..the last couple of yrs..?
..companies whose addictive-products you now push onto yr hapless patients..
..mind you..u cd be pulling our legs..and it’s a phd..
@ phil, public hospital most of the time these days…. so no consultation fees.
In relation to pushing big pharma products – you really do have little to no idea….all the funded products we have discretion to prescribe are on the pharmaceutical schedule which is decided upon by PHARMAC based upon scientific evidence/cost effectiveness…although I know scientific evidence is a completely foreign concept to you.
The products we prescribe most often these days are generic copies manufactured in countries such as India.
The number of trips financial incentives I’ve accepted from pharmaceutical companies in the last five years or so is a big fat zero as is the case for the vast majority of my colleagues….there is little to no presence of your fabled big pharma in NZ. …. we also are funded for educational seminars as part of our collective contract.
As always it is a amusing to read your fact free fancies.
In relation to pointing out an incident for where you have made things up .. I believe most people could type your name in the search engine for this site and >75% of your dribble would qualify as making stuff up.
(i have moved this and replied on open mike.)
“key moved uneasily/shuffled/blushed..at rand-questions”
yeah, that’s a long way from “is an admitted Rand fanboy”, wouldn’t you agree?
why don’t you give us what u understand by/from ‘admitted rand fanboy’..
..eh..?..
Most people do not confuse avoiding a question with ‘admitting’ something. Mind, you perhaps they’re less confused by life in general..
Nope, you can’t play nicely with anyone. Happy everyone can see it’s not just me now 😉
You couldn’t even do three days without resorting to swears and blanket insults. 😆 :shocker:
“If I see you just resorting to open nastiness with others, like you have with Tracy this afternoon, getting personal with the insults where you have no right to at all, then I’ll know it’s not me and you’re beyond help and back I’ll stroll and carry on as normal.”
So back I roll.
I am a Fulham fan. Now I am an admitted Fulham fan.
If ever it’s quoted that I am a Fulham fan, and someone asks for a citation to prove I am an admitted Fulham fan, this post should be linked to.
If an idiot writes – The Al1en is a spurs fan, but when asked for proof, can’t link to prove their claim, it exposes them to rightful ridicule in the vein of ‘what a liar’ ‘he makes up stuff he can’t back up’ etc. etc.
‘why don’t you give us what u understand by/from’ citation please?
sacha..
..as you use the same tactics as alan..make accusations..and then slide off..never respond directly..
..and as such..like alan..u r a total waste of time/energy..
..u can just join alan in the ignore-corner..eh..?
..best all around..i think..
“..he is an admitted fanboy of ayn rand..”
“..that john key and his mother were in a state house was a family-aberration….and key was deeply ashamed of it at the time..”
Citations needed for truthfulness and saving of a rapidly sliding reputation please.
Any verifiable source for either will do.
Thanks 😉
Phillip, people here can read even this one thread and see that it its not me who says shit they can’t back up. It is OK to admit when we make mistakes about something. Life’s too short, etc.
Yep sure, making a mistake is human, no problem with that. Of course lying is a bit different, but still human, so no biggie as long as you fess up and admit the ruse when nabbed in the act.
What isn’t okay though is denial and transference, like claiming others won’t respond to questions or enter into debate then running away for a little bit until the next time and the next time and the next time ad infinitum.
I’m happy to accept pu got a little carried away with the topic here and slipped in a couple of untruths for effect, though he can of course at any time provide some supporting evidence to back up his claims and prove me wrong.
It’s up to phillip to confirm or deny, but it does tell a cautionary tale about misrepresenting the truth.
classic number seven…
“classic number seven…”
Referring to the list posted by travellerev the other day about shill posting.
http://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-04012015/#comment-946715
Okay, playing along, if you think I’m a shill, who I am I shilling for?
Bearing in mind you’ve just posted
“..make accusations..and then slide off..never respond directly..”
“why don’t you give us what u understand by/from ‘admitted rand fanboy’..”
Somebody admitting to being a rand fanboy. Not the recollection of someone “mov[ing] uneasily/shuffl[ing]/blush[ing]” from a faded stoner who can’t barely string a sentence together and can’t remember where he remembers it from.
You’re a complete fucking teacup who has failed to back up his claims in such an epic fashion that it boggles the mind you are still trying to pretend you are right and everyone else is wrong.
As usual miopic Mapp is full of crapp.
Had KDC not been involved in the last election where his political naivity tarnished the whole lefts credibility.
In football terms an own goal!
Nicky Hagers book would have stood out on how John Key is scewing the whole New Zealand political system.
Wayne you are the prophylactive trying your best to frame the left for exposing Key and his Cronies.
Ypur just another Crony complicid in the cover up,propping up an illegal scum pimping for your hooKeyer!
Wayne you sound remarkably like a long time poster here called Fisiani who has disappeared…..
[lprent: Wayne is not fisiani. I think that fisiani picked up a ban which is why he isn’t here at present. Don’t worry fisiani always comes back.. ]
Not me.
As I recall Fisiani was pretty hard right. I regard myself as a centre-right moderate, though I imagine that is not how many Standardnista’s would classify me. But then they think John Key is some some sort of rightwing maniac just itching to unleash the most extreme form of ACT policies on New Zealand if only he could just get away with it.
But a moderate is how the Press Gallery saw me. And I would have thought if you looked at my posts on the is site over the last two years, I pretty accurately reflect the views of the typical New Zealand centre-right voter.
Certainly as the MP for North Shore I was pretty much in sync with the views of the electorate, and I put a lot of effort in doing so. Ask my various opponents in the seat, such as Phil Tywford for their opinion.
I wouldn’t have said that Fis was hard right. His defining blogging characteristic wasn’t the political views that he expressed.
It was more the cloying sycophantic praise that he performed on everything that was John Key and National without any apparent thought behind it that tended to infuriate people. I’d have said that his political views consisted mainly of having a rather large brown smear on his proboscis.
Just my opinion of course… 😈
Yeah, sure Wayne. How about this one, which condemns Clark and Key? I appreciate how some might admire your tribal loyalty, but I think it shows a lack of discernment and character.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2015/01/05/how-inequality-made-these-western-countries-poorer/
My reading of that particular excerpt is that the author was presenting it as an example of Key’s strong patriotism for NZ. That of course is utter rubbish. He wouldn’t have come back if he hadn’t been lured back with the prospect of political power at the top level of government – a stepping stone towards his ultimate goal of a top-of-the-line global corporate posting once he’s done his PM time.
In the long run, he only really cares about what NZ can do for him – not what he can do for NZ.
And the addition of ‘sir’ to his name which will probably help with that top of the line corporate posting.
Yep, he doesn’t give two hoots about NZ. He’s only interested in increasing his own wealth and power and he’s willing to screw over NZ to get it.
That may be how it appears to the deep left, but for most he resonates “New Zealand” (in National’s definition) with New Zealanders like no other PM we’ve ever had. It’s a coded and subtle patriotism, sure, more coded than Labour’s economic nationalism. But all the more powerful for that.
He’s not a statesman’s left tit, mind, but the next term is his and his alone for the taking. After that last election, he stands astride caucus with more actual power than Muldoon had even in his prime. They owe him everything.
The best Crosby Textor advice that money can buy? I would be interested to see a Cameron and Abbott analysis of their speechifying habits.
Cameron is supposedly Key’s model.
I bet it’s the exact reverse.
Abbott is a one-term wonder – if that.
“But all the more powerful for that.” – Ad @ 4.1.1
And all the more worrying for that. As evidenced by my New Year’s Eve experience. Essentially a middle-to-lower middle class crowd of nice people. Wow…….The GodKeyism was in the air ! When it came to it. After some bennie-bashing to shame Maggie Smith for its witheringness
It “came to it…..” for one (‘adult’) guy when the next morning my proffered hand of New Year’s wishes was met with a sulking, sotto, “I’d rather not……”, eyes staring disconsolately away. Faith. It wasn’t a punishing hangover. It was Faith.
And fucked manners. And he’s not even placed anywhere near a Tory in the big basic picture. He’s a worker. And if only by default he’s a believer.
I too have met people who think it’s really not OK to openly dislike the PM – it’s horrible, rude, crazy… The same with being “political” – the PM is a great guy and isn’t really political, he’s just an ordinary Noo Zilder who worked hard and did well. The rest of them, politicians, are as bad as each other – and same goes for anyone “political”. Now shut up with your nasty comments about John, you nasty, crazy political person. We have rugby, and hobbits, WW1 commemorations, our families, and we’ll get a nice new flag, and Noo Zild is the best place in the world to raise kids if you work hard. John is doing his best and John’s rich! what have YOU ever achieved?
I bet National & Key and co just love this attitude and it is this attitude that is rife right through both the Labour and Green parties.
We live in a democracy and in a democracy the majority wins despite if you like that or not, despite if you agree with their beliefs or not the majority still will win, that is a fact so get used to it.
Another fact is that these middle class twits (in your mind and all the other arrogant elitists that comment on this site) are the majority.
Key has the brains to recognise this which is why he plays to their tune ie: bennie bashing etc. Labour/Greens are too dumb and instead continue on the mantra of wanting to promote policies that are not popular with the majority.
My bet is that Key and National must just be killing themselves with laughter that after 3 elections and one absolute dismal result, the left wing parties in NZ politics still don’t get that one simple obvious fact.
Who are the stupid ones here?!
I am going to be generous to the left wing today. Here’s a hint, if you want to be in government again and really want to defeat Key, then try winning the majority of the NZ people instead of bashing them by telling them they are too dumb to understand your policies. Start by telling them how you will address their economic concerns such as high food, power and housing costs and ditch all the PC bullshit and pandering to all the people who choose our welfare system as a lifestyle as opposed to using it as a hand up.
Bet you will ignore my advice, and to do so will be at your peril and will see 2017 being another black election year and will grant Key what he really wants which is to join Holyoake as a 4 term PM.
100% Anne. Wonder how many times Key said “at the end of the day’?
He certainly does not believe in the country of his birth.
John Key must be the most uncommitted Tourism Minister this country has ever had.
At least Jim Bolger spent his holidays walking NZ tramping tracks – this one disappears to his Hawaiian residence every chance he gets. To get his master’s orders, no doubt.
I don’t think there’s much evidence that Key believes in anything other than being prime minister.
In the case of people like Douglas or Richardson, they believed in the (nonsensical because there are no such things nor can there be) ‘free markets’ and they vigorously pursued policies in line with their ‘true believer’ ideology.
Key is a working class boy made good. What do you do when you’ve come from his background and have more money than you could ever know what to do with, but you’re in a position (money man) which is not quite respectable? Well, you could become prime minister of New Zealand and get to meet the Queen, and American presidents, and pop stars and cool people.
The work isn’t arduous – still plenty of time to improve your golf game and holiday in Hawaii.
I think key is genuinely committed to keeping the retirement age at 65 – and he’s to the left of Labour on that. I think that commitment comes from his experience of his mother’s life.
He’s also generally socially liberal – voting for gay marriage, for instance. He seems keen on promoting (bourgeois) women and having more formal equality, while at the same time managing an overall system (capitalism) which, of necessity, continually creates and reproduces a range of inequalities.
He is very largely poll-driven. He voted against civil unions, for instance, but over the next decade it became clear there is a very solid public majority in favour of gay marriage rights, so it became safe for him to vote for gay marriage. if something the government does proves extremely unpopular, they usually back off; the exception being partial sale of state assets. However, since those assets were already being run as capitalist enterprises anyway, it wasn’t like he was doing what Labour and National did in the 1984-1993 period (see: http://rdln.wordpress.com/2012/07/16/state-companies-capitalism-and-the-left-a-marxist-view/)
Chunks of the left made themselves look rather silly and nutty by banging on about him being some kind of fanatical neoliberal. Thankfully, more people on the left are now grasping just how pragmatic a politician he is, and that’s what the malaise-ridden NZ economy needs right now (from the viewpoint of capital).
http://rdln.wordpress.com/2014/12/12/the-key-english-government-in-the-context-of-capital-accumulation-in-new-zealand-today/
It’s all about managing the malaise:
https://rdln.wordpress.com/2013/01/31/keys-vision-managing-the-malaise-of-new-zealand-capitalism/
Phil
Philip, it may be that Key is not a rabid neo-liberal, and it may also be that he seeking to add respectability to his wealth. But it looks to me as if he is happy to financialise every square inch of NZ, since that is something he understands, and is indifferent to the ruin of the real economy. Moreover, he is not much concerned with the people whose vote he doesn’t need, so the poorest are squeezed on every front – wages, housing, and living costs, etc, while the otherwise precarious middle class are consoled with inflated property values. Overall, he seems more of a corporate CEO than a PM, with a similar tendency not to look too far beyond his own tenure.
I agree entirely. He’s after the respect that a financial mercenary can never earn, a bauble like a knighthood, and some nice post-pm sinecures to pass the time and make more money from.
+100
I’m feeling sick…….
On the plus side, there’s a theoretical possibility that hell might actually exist…
Philip I think there is clear evidence that National under Key has morphed from the blind promotion of the free market a decade or so ago, which you rightly points out doesn’t exist. Markets are a creation of society, they require a huge amount of social support that in a modern economy comes from the State.
So Key has backed away from that. What does National support now? Crony capitalism, the National party has been captured by the interests of unproductive capital. John Key is so desperate to successfully leave his social background and join a new ‘class’ in society that he cannot tell the difference between the parasites and productive within that class.
This is most clearly seen in Christchurch a crony paradise for the National party. Landlords are receiving 43% more in suburban rents compared to pre earthquakes. Yet the National party spent hundreds of millions buying up land in the CBD with the specific purpose of ensuring commercial property values did not fall. One of the main beneficiaries of this is Philip Carter who owns the land that will get the commercial spin off from tax and rate payer largess on an oversized convention centre. Philip Carter is brother to David Carter -the Speaker and uncle to National MP Matt Doocey.
It is not just what National are doing, it is what they are not doing that proves they are captured by the interests of unproductive capital.
National could have easily spent the money (rather than on the CBD) on compulsory buying farmland adjacent to the city at rural prices so that affordable land for affordable homes for the red-zoners could be purchased.
That would have stopped the massive inflation in land prices in Canterbury that benefits unproductive capital and is a cost to workers and productive capital.
My general solution is not some sort of mindless sprawl, rather decentralisation and affordable development along the lines of good quality Northern European Local Government.
Yesterday Sacha said I should stop drinking this right-wing Kool-Aid. I don’t think this is right wing and I don’t think it is Kool-Aid.
Go to http://thestandard.org.nz/steady-on/#comment-947274 and follow the links for proof.
It is also interesting how little John Key talks about Rebuilding Canterbury.
The Canterbury earthquakes will have greater historical significance to NZ than he will. A hundred years from now and most kiwis will still know something about the Canterbury Earthquakes but they will have forgotten John Key.
Why does John Key talk so little about Canterbury? Is it about escaping who he was? Maybe he doesn’t want attention focusing on the crony makeover of the region? Maybe it is just poll driven. Saying New Zealand gets more votes than saying Canterbury or Christchurch.
I meant focusing only on land supply is crazy. Totally agree it would have made more sense to use CERA’s extra powers to ensure housing supply for displaced red-zoners (and construction workforce) rather than further enrich existing owners elsewhere in the region. However, they would have had to tackle the financing/workforce/supplies aspects as well.
Sacha the first Labour government success was built on land supply. That was how State housing was built. The dirty little secret about affordable housing is that it can be done by State (at any level -local or central) or the private sector. The important factor is to have access to the cheapest available land, that is usually farmland. When the cheapest available land is forbidden then this allows the unproductive property owning rentier sector to exploit the whole system for enormous capital gains.
John Key would rather hang out with the $800,000+ house group who have ‘made it’ in the likes of Matakana village rather than the young workers struggling to ‘make it’ in a housing market that will make them mortgage slaves for the rest of their lives.
That is the story about the expanding inequality divide in NZ and it is quite clear what side John Key stands on.
Read about Auckland’s Forgotten City to see an alternative type of sprawl.
http://www.thesustainabilitysociety.org.nz/conference/2007/papers/HARRIS-Lost%20City.pdf
Housing is going to be the political battleground. It is important the ‘Left’ informs the public of the true choices.
“the first Labour government success was built on land supply. That was how State housing was built.”
The paper you link to explicitly discusses deliberate low-interest state finance arrangements as a component of early state housing. It’s not an either-or thing, but we need to be smarter than supporting right-wing talking points about the problem being those big bad councils making infrastructure provision including transport more efficient by building cities up rather than out.
Auckland is already multi-hubbed with ten major centres across the region and many more smaller town centres in between. Sprawl into prime growing land on the outskirts is all this government is offering, and what the media are slurping without question.
And notably on p5 of Chris Harris’ paper, discussing the 1940s vision:
“The actual extent of sprawl was to be
contained; the idea of an urban growth boundary is as prominent in plans of that era as it is
today.”
Sacha I have spent hundreds of hours over the last few years investigating housing.
You can do ‘up and out’ together affordably. But not just ‘up’.
Affordable housing, transport and local/regional government reform should not be the preserve of the right. The left have a positive message to sell too.
‘Out’ doesn’t have be road only as a transport option. Transit orientated development that facilitates public transport and walking/cycling can be effective. If this is provided from the outset, housing tends to be notably different, houses are smaller because they only have one car garages/carport and smaller driveways.
Urbanisation is the lesser threat to high quality farm land. Life style blocks are the big consumer. “There are 175,000 lifestyle blocks in New Zealand covering 873 000 ha, and these, along with urbanisation, potentially constrain future land productivity. Lifestyle blocks occupy 10% of New Zealand’s high-class land….” http://www.aucklandcouncil.govt.nz/EN/planspoliciesprojects/plansstrategies/unitaryplan/Documents/Section32report/Appendices/Appendix%203.35.22.pdf
Life style blocks are basically ultra low density housing. There is no way that 175,000 blocks are being used as small scale farms.
The situation in NZ is if you are rich and can afford to buy 4 hectares (10 acres) which is usually the minimum size a Council will consider is a rural farm you can buy land that approximates rural prices.
If you are poor or middle income and need to work in an urban area then you will pay nearly as much but for a land area around 1/20th or smaller in size.
Urbanisation is not a ‘bad’ and farming is not a ‘good’. I thinking I could design a urban area that was less polluting and had a more sustainable ecology than say a dairy farm it replaced.
I agree with everything you say there – and the Auckland Plan reflects that mix. I fear it is about to be up-ended by this government of ideological, provincial fools.
“Urbanisation is the lesser threat to high quality farm land. Life style blocks are the big consumer.”
Interesting. Thank you.
“housing tends to be notably different”
And also because it assumes there will be public provision of park spaces and suchlike to balance the lack of personal 1/4 acre yards. Hence planning of land and transport need to be well-integrated and forward-looking.
Yep, You are onto it Sacha. My personal favoured approach to fixing housing affordability is to take lessons from Germany.
http://www.macrobusiness.com.au/2011/06/how-germany-achieved-stable-affordable-housing/
People who have lived in Germany have reported seeing construction workers in new sub-divisions catch public transport to work!
Didn’t the Greens base some of their rental protection policy on Germany (where only 1 in 5 do not rent)?
https://home.greens.org.nz/housing
https://home.greens.org.nz/press-releases/14-million-renters-benefit-greens-housing-policy
Germany has something like 40% home ownership rate. So that is 2 in 5 not renting.
It is partly the result of having good rental protection policies and partly because there is no expectation of housing inflation.
These factors combine to mean Germans only get into home ownership when they are ready. They are not pressured into getting onto the housing ‘ladder’ by poor quality short term rentals (that are especially bad for families who need long term stability) or worries if they don’t get on the ladder now they may never be able.
The multi-level apartment block recently built in the centre of New Lynn is very interesting. People are now living in them, and, from the outside at ground level they look to offer a very attractive life-style – especially those with balconies.
I notice there’s enough room on the balconies for a barbecue & a couple of arm chairs. And the view from the higher levels must be quite extensive across the city. The block is in the middle of a commercial area, so doesn’t steal the light of any near residential neighbours.
The block is above and next to shops, a mall, and various outdoor spaces, plus is right next to a railway station and a bus terminal, a library and a community centre.
and Auckland’s Deputy Mayor is a tenant..
Yep Waitakere City spent a lot of time thinking about sustainability. If you look at Henderson Central you can see similar things happening there. If you contrast the way the West developed with Manukau City the contrast is startling.
And only the West responded to the draft Unitary Plan by supporting increased denisty in their neighbourhoods. They deserve an equivelent share of investment in publc spaces and connections over coming decades.
I wish Sacha …
The west is getting done like a dinner under Supercity.
Getting nada other than what was underway during Waitakere:
transport, regional parks, local parks, libraries, social housing, economic development, you name it. Auckland’s west has gone backwards in both political voice and in social cohesion and damn near everything.
Better planning for housing isn’t only about whether urbanisation can be less polluting than a dairy farm it covers. It is also about leaving farm land available for food growing. We don’t want land clearances here where the peasant vegetable or produce growers are swept off their land by foraces they can’t resist.
And having land cut off from housing speculation, by zoning it out so that its out of the spic-specs hands. Which means that the land isn’t gradually inflating in value. Which aids the ability of a grower to make an income in today’s constricted, usually supermarket dominated, contracting environment. Numbers of main vege growers have shrunk alarmingly over the years.
If you wanted to protect market gardens around cities. Zone that small area permanently rural. But don’t make some huge area off limits that completely surrounds a city which inevitably will be relaxed at some point (like what has happened with the housing accords).
Land bankers knowing this buy up close in land like market gardens, inflating land prices, not because they are interested in growing food but because they can guess which land will be rezoned urban.
Note this is why the Housing Accords will not work. The options are either get rid of 90% of the rural zone land and flood the market. Alternatively the government steps into the market and compulsory purchases farmland at rural prices for something like KiwiBuild.
Alternatively the government steps into the market and compulsory purchases farmland at rural prices for something like KiwiBuild.
Sounds like a good idea, why can’t we?
I don’t know. The housing situation is getting to crisis levels, the average house price in Auckland is $700,000 that is ridiculous. We should be trying whatever works.
Join Andre Little’s housing campaign and lets all get together and do something about it.
*median* price is over $700k now.
and sustainable city-regions are planned including supply of food and water, much to the annoyance of Rodney, Franklin et al.
– certainly a legitimate interest of our Council.
@ Brendon Harre
The speakers on adionz this am explained the rise (of $90,000 in a year?) of the median house price in Auckland, as a contrived result because of low deposit buyers, probably looking for first homes, not able to buy the almost affordable houses for themselves. So only the rent speculators and the buyers with larger pockets were active.
You sound in your comments re the USA to be talking about a market where private is the channel to housing. If we had controlled state housing building being pursued all the time, at a regular and moderate level when the economy was high, and increased when the economy was low, selling some on licence or whatever, which meant that government would buy back at an agreed valuation method, it would be sensible provision for keeping stocks up for first-home and poorer people. It would keep the market from the over-heating bubbles and building pleasant, practical ordinary houses for families of up to 4 bedroom for individuals and couples of 2 bedrooms, would provide useful stimulus and training in recessions. Unfortunately gummint doesn’t do its job providing stable, good housing for all, in a sensible, prudent way.
I’m reading a book Dogs and Demons on Japan publ. 2005 by Alex Kerr. On housing it is interesting, plus he makes a connection with the poor and housing affecting nation-building.
On housing: ..strong state policy rests on cramped and poorly built housing (affecting poor people)….A crucial part of this economy is the principle of poor people, strong state…[which] is a classic military approach to governance… (He then quotes Spartan approaches which embraced basic conditions and eschewed luxury for the poor.)
He then cuts through myths about Japan having limited suitable land for its population. Housing is expensive. One reason are the restrictive laws on land and building design. He notes that homes in early 1990s carried mortgages binding families for three generations. …the people are forced to save; banks then channel these savings at low interest to industry. Government there could do this, because of their high control of the economy and banks.
These points reflect the same problems we have here, Intelligent planning required, traditionally held ideas need questioning, resistance to buildings of multi-storeys, a lack of interest in people’s needs for a comfortable home in attractive surroundings.
(Private provision in Japan has resulted in poorly insulated, plastic extruded homes, with little style differentiation, coloured grey, replacing the previous character homes but with little improvement in amenities.)
How have other nations dealt with land-bankers?
In the US cities where medium house prices are only three times medium incomes there is freedom to splatter sprawl. Land bankers cannot corner that big an area. A developer who wants to create a new town or subdivision just waits for a farm to come naturally onto the market through the usual process (Death, illness, retirement, divorce…) they do not get into bidding wars with land bankers.
Some US cities have special municipalities that can be created by developers/home buyers that provide additional competition, which assists in providing affordable housing.
Also a lot of US cities have liberal planning rules to assist the intensification process (going up). So Epsom type NIMBYs do not get much of a hearing.
In Sweden and Netherlands they used to frequently resort to compulsory purchase. Germany does it occasionally but more for strategic purchases to break log jams or where land is broken into too many small parcels. Mostly Germany is not that different to the US in its ‘freedom to build’ policy. It is actually in its constitution. Germany has a lot of competing local jurisdictions that assists in providing affordable housing.
The UK is a land banking paradise.
Singapore has leasehold land so the State can always force through needed property developments but it is such a special case being a small island.
Hong Kong, New Zealand under the First Labour Government, Japan and other places did variations on State agencies providing transit orientated developments where the state buys the land for the rail/bus lane right of ways plus the land around the stations for intensive housing developments.
Japan we think also retained ownership of some of this housing, and by acting in the public interest (something JK could try) could be a partial break on property speculation. This might explain how they have managed to slowly deflate the 80s property bubble. Tokyo now has the cheapest housing of all the mega-cities and in fact is now much cheaper than Auckland in relation medium income despite being over ten times larger.
Japan also has a lot of tolerance for ‘choatic’ local communities where small business are on intermingled with residences and additions, alterations, expansions and improvements can be done without fear of NIMBYsm.
There doesn’t seem to be one solution. Some of this seems cultural. A willingness to give opportunities to the next generation.
There is a German saying, “The city air makes you free”.
There is so many solutions to affordable housing, above is just the measures other countries take against land bankers, there are more issues to be dealt with. Such as foreign buyers/ absentee landowners, the building duopoly and the boom/bust construction cycle discouraging investment in skills and improved production processes.
The fact that none of these are being dealt with indicates a lack of political will. This lack of political will is the primary problem for affordable housing in New Zealand.
John Key and National are a ‘property friendly government’, landlords and property investors are gleefully saying so on websites like interest.co.nz.
National is not worker friendly or even productive capital friendly and that includes farmers who not directly affect by unaffordable housing do suffer from high interest and exchange rates because of the property boom.
If the government did something like this in Auckland for struggling workers seeking affordable areas to live/work.
http://transportblog.co.nz/2015/01/06/auckland-vs-perth-rail-comparison-updated/#comment-150702
This captures the spirit of the First Labour government and the City that was Lost. There would be plenty of ‘land supply’ to keep housing affordable.
Instead John Key has his holiday highway for his mates up Matakana way to get to their holiday and retirement homes a bit faster.
No wonder when John parades around Matakana market he gets such a good reception.
(John Campbell’s eating with the leaders 3.40min http://www.3news.co.nz/tvshows/campbelllive/at-home-with-the-leaders-john-and-bronagh-key-2014040719#axzz3O0W0HHMM ) It is really worth watching this video through to about the 11minute mark because John shows he really understands how the worker is getting squeezed and families require wage subsidies -Working for Families and the Accommodation supplement. He just refuses to take the next step -why do workers need a wage subsidy -the cost of housing. Because John Key will not do anything that will bring down property values.
Those Matakana guys know which side John is on.
What a tosser.
and in holiday times it is not much faster… 3hours for a 1 hour 25 min journey, and not on a busy holiday end day
Transport Blog reported about $18,000,000,000 in land-banking at stake along the ‘Holiday Highway’ route. I have no reason to doubt them.
In 2011, Ross George, director of Direct Capital Ltd, purchased 82.80% of Scales Corporation from the South Canterbury Finance receivership, for $44 million.
NZ Super Fund and ACC were gifted the rest of the shares in the company.
In that year, the company was *conservatively* valued at $74 million, having returned a profit of @$13.6 million, which made Ross George’s purchase of more than 80% of the company for $44 million, a gift: http://www.nbr.co.nz/article/scales-corp-posts-136-mln-profit-2012-cuts-debt-50-percent-bd-141140
In late 2014, he publicly listed Scales Corporation on the NZX and raised $149 million from the sale of his shares, a profit of $105 million ( or considerably more than 200% ROI ) in less than two years.
Companies Office records show that Ross George lives at 104 St Stephens Avenue, Parnell: http://www.business.govt.nz/companies/app/ui/pages/companies/2181840/directors?backurl=%2Fcompanies%2Fapp%2Fui%2Fpages%2Fcompanies%2Fsearch%3Fmode%3Dstandard%26type%3Dentities%26q%3Ddirect%2520capital
John Key lives at 105 St Stephens Avenue, Parnell: http://wikimapia.org/23324637/PM-John-Key-s-Parnell-Residence
It is also another example of crony capitalism taking advantage of disasters where the losses are socialised -the $1.6 billion dollar bailout by the taxpayer to South Canterbury Finance but the profits are privatised.
I wonder who Ross George votes for and if he makes campaign contributions?
This is why the greater number of ordinary kiwis need to get behind Labour’s housing campaign and make small contributions. Collectively we can beat the bastards but if we act individually we are screwed.
After reading you Miracle, the scales fell from my eyes.
Thanks MW …
And that is part of the reason why there will be NO investigation into SCF
“Key is a working class boy made good.” – a well-spun Nat myth. His mother grew up in a wealthy merchant family before coming to NZ, and those are the values he absorbed at the dinner table.
Glad you pointed that out Sacha – someone needed to counter the Crosby Textor spin. That entire ‘state house’ poor little boy narrative is, and always was bullshit. If we had decent investigative journalists in NZ, they might well undertake a project in which they talk to some of his former colleagues in that ‘banking sector’, and where he gained the title of being the “smiling assassin” His colleagues couldn’t even understand him half the time (lazy mumbling speech). Luck and animal cunning is the only reason we’re not witnessing John Key as the South Pacific’s Nick Leeson – that roll of the dice could just as easily gone that way.
“That entire ‘state house’ poor little boy narrative is, and always was bullshit.”
Did John Key not grow up in a state house and was not poor?
Social capital – look it up.
..to show where key comes from..
..a great-uncle..(or the like)..at a post-war auction of the belongings of goebbels..at sothebys..
..purchased the massive/ornate bed that had belonged to goebbels..
..i don’t think too many working-class-battlers were even there on the day..
..let alone bidding in that auction..
..or would have had rooms large enough to fit that bed..
..that john key and his mother were in a state house was a family-aberration..
..and key was deeply ashamed of it at the time..
..and since then has been over-compensating..
So what? I have cousin who is a multi millionaire which says nothing of my wealth. I have an auntie who is the CE of a large well known organisation and I didn’t grow up wealthy or better of because of it
can i have citations for that plse..
that’s two citations you’ve missed..
.a recurring theme..
Don’t be fucking daft
lol
maybe phil’s trying to out you :p
..and key was deeply ashamed of it at the time..
Citation needed (also I’m sure a lot of people poor and on a state house may feel ashamed – rightly or wrongly)
i would like to know this too, I didn’t read Roughan’s book, maybe it is in there, Phil???
haven’t read it..
..i am allergic to rightwing hagiographies..
..i come out in a stress-rash..
For a second time on this page Phil makes a claim, is asked for a citation to back it up and doesn’t bother to address it.
A recurring theme…
At that time people weren’t made to feel bad and lowere income because they had some help from the state. That is the sort of sentiment that flows from the elitist USA.
TC, I understand he lived in a state house and his mother received a widow pension as well as working. I don’t know if we measured poverty back then, his Government doesn’t today though.
he did – As did many others. They also had outhouses and bogs in the backyard more often than not. Some even had to journey to traders to pick up bloody big blocks of ice to place in wooden ‘ice-boxes’ before Mr Kelvinator pushed his white ware. (Some even walked 5 miles to school and 5 miles home everyday with cardboard in the soles of their shoes – but did they complain?). Blah blah blah. What Key (or rather his spin meisters – such as yourself) was attempting to portray was that his circumstance was harder than the average bloke, when in fact in many ways he was a lot more fortunate – but always the good bullshit artist eh @ Contrarian?
Don’t we have a fekchecka that visits this site on occasion? Oh no, that’s right – PG is too busy being measured up for his next crimplene beige leisure suit
I think Key is not a fanatical neoliberal because capital learned from the GFC that the greed and incompetence of the free market leads to disaster for their financial institutions. They needed the state to bail them out and provide further opportunities for them through fire sales of assets and the mechanisms of crony capitalism. They’ve seen that their goals become far too obvious when left to their own devices, so they need an ordinary bloke PM to keep the great unwashed and the ashprishnuls calm while they use the state to further enrich themselves. In 2007 Key would have been totally in synch with Roger Douglas. Their ideology changes when a new one can make them more money.
One word sums up John Key for me – and that’s opportunist – no matter what the cost to anyone other than himself. An opportunist for personal gain. I know I’m at odds with the commentariat when I say I don’t believe Key is the sharpest knife in the drawer – but then I draw a distinction between intelligence – which involves the need for critical thought processes, and animal cunning – which is more about survival instincts. Like many of his ilk (the used car salesman; the dealing room banker/insider trader Joe; the bizznuss-leader/job-creator; etc., etc., etc.) – one learns the lingo, and with enough confidence and arrogance ….. you know the rest
He’s also quite bloody lazy – lazy speech, lazy mind – propped up by a few disciples who fawn all over the poor man-made-good narrative.
And in many ways, Steven Joyce is a more dangerous proposition than Key is. Btw – anyone hear that RNZ doco on student radio the other day in which Joyce featured (along with others)?
QFT
I suspect he was one of those people who believe that politicians don’t actually do any work and then he became PM and found out that they actually work harder than he’s ever worked in his life.
Didn’t John key say, after becoming PM, that he didn’t know that he had to read so much !!
Can you imagine the field day, ( that would have never ended), the media would have had, if a Labour PM had of said that?
Yeah i listened to the doco that championed Joyce as the saviour of student radio by separating the funding of them from Student Unions so as to be run “more independently” and “on their own two feet”.
Was a complete load of codswallop as per usual. Collectively funding a major contributor to student culture and training future radio hosts has yet again been over looked as the neo-liberal model of development has been argued as much fairer and cheaper overall for students. Can’t have every student contributing a meagre $10 a semester for news, views and music aimed directly in their interests can we? God no, that might actually be participatory democracy!
100% Once was Tim,
“Steven Joyce is a more dangerous proposition than Key is”.
Yes he makes Key look like a Sunday school teacher.
Steven Joyce is akin to a ruthless master Propagandist.
He is a excessively a dominating character as seen with the TV debate with Grant Robertson remember how he was so overbearing almost like a Gestapo interrogator right?
That video made me sick to watch.
http://www.3news.co.nz/tvshows/thenation/debate-grant-robertson-and-steven-joyce-on-the-wealth-of-the-nation-2014080211#axzz3O1fOhVB8
I agree with you about Key. I’m certainly not impressed by his intellect. I don’t have much of an impression of Joyce apart from the debate with Robertson, where he just seemed a deranged idiot.
FJK Obviously doesn’t want to remind people that we’ve gone backwards in our efforts to head off climate change under National.
Yeah and the reasons would be, at a guess,
1. That everyone except the farmers are pissed off with the pollution and other environmental damage done by the farmers while they get massive government subsidies
2. Everyone except the National Party are pissed off with their continually falling incomes
3. Most people are beginning to realise that crime is only a minor factor in their lives and that law-n-order types are really just looking for more excuses for more mass spying on the populace.
National has made things worse for NZers and FJK is trying to hide that fact by not mentioning it.
What really worries me about the government, is that I do not think that they are fully aware about how dire housing is, and how many people cannot get on a public hospital waiting list for surgery.
they have multiple homes, including holiday and investment, and private health schemes…
They are aware.
They don’t care.
I thought that caring about housing and health care for ALL New Zealanders is core government business.
I would like to know what the government thinks is core business?
Its owners’ instructions.
a surplus… they measure things only in financial terms…
money first… money first.
It is – unless the government is National in which case the purpose of government is to enrich the already rich and blame everyone else while punishing them for being poor.
At the end of the day, (another phrase he frequently uses), whatever John key says, it’s all propaganda and bullshit isn’t it?
Key’s next line is going to be, nice that the cricket world cup is on, (without blinking) 20,000 state homes are going to be sold off, (rubbing his hands together).
he dropped secret services cos it became too hard. tourism is more his version of meet a celebrity… our clean green image has been hammered.
he is a small boy on the inside who still thinks the measure of the man is who he is seen with… one mr alex swney of heart of the city is very similar and it has caught up with him (i know him through marriage)…
the thing key most admired and was a bit envious of was Helen Clark’s Rolodex… says it all
you dont drop a golf handicap from the 20’s to low teens and single figures without a lot of playing, cheating or both.
“he is a small boy on the inside who still thinks the measure of the man is who he is seen with”
A few in cabinet share that affliction, and we all suffer for it.
He’s in the early bit of his third term having overcome a crisis that would have sunk most other governments flat.
And looking like he’s ready for a fourth. He is more in command of this caucus and across more portfolios than Clark ever was – she had H2 and Cullen, which Key definitely does not have.
What makes you think he’s overcome the crisis?
Like you said “He’s in the early bit of his third term…”
Poll tracking since election.
It’s called propaganda, and he certainly didn’t get anywhere near that in the recent election, did he?
John key has a permanent stink attached to him, and a lot can still happen in the next 3 years.
If you’re referring to DP Ad, then he only overcame it because he lied through his teeth day after day and the journos knew it and yet not one of them took him up on his lying. Instead they stood around him each day – expressionless and silent – as if they were playing a predetermined role. They not only let him get clean away with it, most bought into the lying meme even though they knew it was lies. They allowed him to crucify Hager for telling the truth, even though Hager is one of them (a journalist) and they knew Hager was telling the truth.
Now, in my book Key can only get away with that level of malfeasance once. Next time it will be doubly hard for him to succeed… and there will be a next time. He also has Little to contend with now and Andrew Little is not afraid of John Key.
Hope you are right because that approach hasn’t worked for three elections in a row.
“He is more in command of this caucus and across more portfolios than Clark ever was – she had H2 and Cullen, which Key definitely does not have.”
Key has Eagleson and English performing the same functions. If anything, he’s *less* across even his own portfolios. Not that it seems to matter.
All things are subject to interpretation whichever interpretation prevails at a given time is a function of POWER and not truth…….Nietzsche………short answer
Nietzsche connects to John Key how exactly?
I guess the quote itself was a bit complex for you and went over your head.
Which part of which Nietzsche book is is quoting from, and how does it relate?
Was a pretty simple question.
The quote isn’t about Nietzsche or John Key: it’s about the way power distorts the way truth is interpreted.
That said, Einstein put it better when he noted the significance of the observer’s relative position.
In the long term, power dies. Facts don’t.
PS: Oh, and you’re right: the quote is falsely attributed to Neitszche 😆
well whilst accurate of his views you are right….not said by him exactly like this but widely put out there as by him…..however still an apt description of FJK and his ilk methinks…..apologies if it offends the purists
and it must be a relief to key to get back to his home in hawaii..
.after his periods here at his fly-in/out job..
..we are his west australian mine…
Key doesn’t have to believe in anything.
The momentum of the earthquakes, Pike River, Rugby World Cup, The Hobbit, and now Cricket World Cup and World Masters Games will be enough. It’s excellent political luck.
You don’t have to believe in anything when the deals and the publicity and the political work come to you.
Things John Keys has NEVER said…………………………
It is my fault, I apologize.
I really will work tirelessly for the benefit of all in Our Country.
There is no way your doing that to my country Obama.
Lets lower GST or better still take that tax off meat , vegetables..bread and milk.
Lets offer the true hand of friendship to the Green Party.
Lets get rid of those speed cameras as they haven’t lowered the death toll and are stealing out of everyones pockets.
Lets get families into homes by assisting them.
Lets not spend all our holidays in Hawaii..Lets go to the West Coast..Where I am loved.
You know what Darling, stuff this comb over I am going to go slap head and live with it!
Jesus on a fooking motorbike…my balls just dropped.
I did not have sex with Paula.
I did not have sex with Judith.
I did not have sex with Judith and Paula.
Sky TV isn’t reporting the facts anymore.
Lets make it fair and equal.
I have a man crush on Andrew Little and Sonny Bill Wiliams’
Darling? what the hell did you do with those tapes i gave you for safe keeping at that Tea Room?I want them published.
and last but not least.. Pete George is a bloody genius hire him now!
I think key truly believe’s that big business and open global market is the path to travel down .
Trading is all the man knows and he’s willing to gamble big .
In a world that classes having money as being a success people are drawn to him.
His objective is to make us all traders.
John Key believes in total control of us sleepy hobbits.
Consider this;
Noticed how gagged the TVNZ/RNZ has been over the start of the worst Global economic crash in the past three days?
Reminiscent of TVNZ RNZ both being the master trumpet for the NatZ Government around election time when this public run MSM failed to cover the serious leaks of 9th Floor beehive Jason Ede spying with the PM’s office.
Today Wednesday the third day of monumental losses happening around all the world’s stock markets that this morning even CNBC the business channel is even trumpeting a historic economic crash is again here, as is BBC saying but our Hobbit TV one is quietly talking about rubbish backfill while the markets are burning.
I fear the public media is actually gaged for Government purposes interests only. CNBC just announced this global stock market crash is the worst start to any year in history.
Where is our public free press? Steven Joyce as Goebbels did in 1933 is at play here using our public media for his and his puppet master’s propaganda use
A bear market hardly qualifies as “the worst Global economic crash” these days. Where are the failed banks seeking handouts?
Analysing what’s in John Keys speeches will give you no idea about what he believes in. All you will see is what his carefully crafted speech writing committee what you to see.
Analysing what he says when he is not scripted shows a totally different John key to the one put forward in his speeches. It shows a man with no compassion for a grieving mother who lost her son and instead only showing compassion to a man for the backlash he received over writing nasty comments about her son in the media.
It shows a man who said he was willing to offer an apology to a rape victim when he did not know their name but as soon as that person outed themselves to the media changes his story so he does not have to issue an apology.
John Key has only shown sympathy and apologised to one person while trying to hide it. A person who deserves no-one’s compassion or apologies after what he has done to others.
I personally think Keys does not believe in anything save making money for himself at any cost.