Where Is New Zealand Extremism Going?

Written By: - Date published: 12:00 pm, April 28th, 2023 - 78 comments
Categories: class war, Deep stuff, International, Politics, uncategorized, us politics, war - Tags:

I’ve worked my way through two books recently, both on extremist sects, one about New Zealand groups and one about those in the United States of America. It’s startling.

The New Zealand book is by Byron C. Clark called Fear: New Zealand’s Hostile World Of Extremists. It starts from the Christchurch massacre and the supporting cast around that, and becomes the author’s own journey through a variety of hardline movements operative here including the anti-vaxxer Parliamentary protesters, the deep hard right of Catholicism in Wargus Christi, the growth of women as a major presence within the alt right here, and in different chapters names many of the groups and their leaders from Action Zealandia, Voices for Freedom, Counterspin, QAnon, Groundswell, Hindutva, and many more.

It’s not to be considered an academic tome or a work with high researched rigour. It’s the author’s own engagement with the personalities that make for the compelling reading. And yes, they do track him down to his work and his home.

But there is no doubt the author is signalling growth and diversity in extremism in New Zealand and that we have not heard the last of it.

When you read it side by side with the American work you can’t help but be struck by the early-stage growth parallels.

Jeff Sharlett’s The Undertow: Scenes From A Slow Civil War, gets straight to the dark twist in US evangelical fundamentalism that brings up Trump as saviour and all the citation of scripture required to prepare for a civil war.

In this militarised version of the far right that led to a more specific attempt for seizure of power at Congress rather than New Zealand’s own longer Parliamentary encampment, their forty-fifth president is a focused lens of conspirational fears and fantasies. But even when the current lot are jailed as many already are, a new generation of this kind of leadership will now arise.

Sharlet also remembers and celebrates the courage of those who sing a different song of community, and of activists who work towards an America dedicated to justice and freedom for all.

The second book is a document in the gradual rise of a kind of fascism in the USA, one which I’ve found hard to recognise because I didn’t see the usual cultural accoutrements of uniforms, unifying songs, and orchestrated masses in serried ranks. I have to change my mind about what fascism in its early phase can look like.

It’s of course a trap to see the New Zealand book as simply the nascent phase of what’s on the rise in the USA. Neither signal a fixed destiny to the other. Fate is what we are on earth to make and not what we wait for like a Calvinist assuming deistic determination. Those we can uncomfortably engage with and bring into established political orbit will be hard work but it is a necessary work.

These worlds may never reach Parliamentary representation and so will be little exposed to discourse, but they are also real. Many of them will be watched by appropriate arms of state. I would encourage anyone with half a political brain to read Fear: New Zealand’s World of Hostile Extremists and check out how unlikely it is that New Zealand will return to its pre-Christchurch and pre-COVID peaceability.

It is not yet clear we can win them back.

78 comments on “Where Is New Zealand Extremism Going? ”

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  1. roblogic 1
    28 April 2023 at 12:35 pm

    Of course, the extremists with the greatest potential for death and mayhem, are those who were democratically elected. Like Roger Douglas or Rob Muldoon.

    Fringe subcultures are interesting but their capacity for destruction is limited. Real problems arise when extremist ideas that appeal to the dark side of human nature infect wider society.

    The dehumanising of out-groups, victimhood narratives, cancellation and violence are discourses of deception.

    • bwaghorn 1.1
      28 April 2023 at 12:44 pm

      Can you point to the news story where those two gunned down 50 people?

      • roblogic 1.1.1
        28 April 2023 at 1:01 pm

        Just because state sanctioned violence is legal, doesn’t make it right. These guys declared war on the working class. Do you think our terrible performance in poverty indicators, stagnant wages, and suicide stats comes from nowhere?

        https://milfordasset.com/insights/how-muldoon-threw-away-nzs-wealth
        https://nzhistory.govt.nz/culture/1981-springbok-tour
        https://www.eastonbh.ac.nz/2012/04/rogernomics-and-the-left/

        The Rogernomes took no prisoners either – with numerous promising careers destroyed by their backroom manipulation. Lenin said the first thing after the revolution was to kill the intellectuals. The social democrats were put down vigorously because the neo-liberals were arguing there were no alternatives (except Muldoonism): those who could offer alternatives had to be eliminated from the public debate – even to the extent of approaching editors to say that certain persons should not be used – some journalists who acquiesced may be still so embarrassed that twenty years later they dont approach the black-listed.

        Extremists.

        And now they are vilifying and criminalising the victims of their class war

  2. r0b 2
    28 April 2023 at 1:23 pm

    The book "Fear" referred to is by Byron C. Clark (not Chris Wilson).

  3. David J Harvey 3
    28 April 2023 at 1:29 pm

    Fear by Clark (not Wilson) is a Polemic. See my review – https://djhdcj.substack.com/p/fear-and-hatred-books-for-our-time

    • Shanreagh 3.1
      28 April 2023 at 6:51 pm

      I read it and saw it as a series of chapters about RW extermists, his definition So as a sort of dictionary/encycopaedia it is useful.

  4. Anker 4
    28 April 2023 at 1:42 pm

    I regard gender ideologists as extremists. They assert that if you are a biological man you can assert you are a women and should be regarded as such. “Trans women are women”. There is no debate on this and dissenters are called transphobic, bigots and often are smeared as being alt right. This not tolerating dissent includes cancelation. If they can’t cancel you, then they use extremist tactics such as intimidation and actual violence as we saw in Albert Park. btw Ad do you condemn the violence against women in Albert Park?

    did the book cover anything about trans rights activists extremists, both overseas and in NZ

    • Martin C 4.1
      28 April 2023 at 3:13 pm

      Anker, you are voicing a narrative of the right. Posey Parker is too recent to be in Fear.

      • Visubversa 4.1.1
        28 April 2023 at 5:01 pm

        The "Trannish Inquisition" permits no heresy or apostasy.

      • Anker 4.1.2
        28 April 2023 at 6:12 pm

        Martin C, I am afraid you are incorrect.

        The vast majority of gender critical feminists are from the left.

        The modus operandi of the trans rights activists up till Posie involved shutting down debate, smearing and cancelling. Posie Parker showed us what happens if women say no we won't be silenced. The extremists use violence to stop free speech. Whenever has the alt right championed free speech.

        To believe trans women are women is science denial

        • SPC 4.1.2.1
          28 April 2023 at 6:19 pm

          But are the majority of left wing feminists gender critical feminists?

          The majority of women on the right support gender critical feminists, not that this has had any impact on NACT policy.

          • Anker 4.1.2.1.1
            28 April 2023 at 6:42 pm

            The majority of gender critical feminists e.g. in SUFW are left wing and many of these women are members of the Rainbow community i.e. lesbian. If you go to their website and click on about us, you can read about the left wing activistism of the SPFW women.

            Where is your evidence that the majority of left wing feminists aren't gender critical SPC?

            • SPC 4.1.2.1.1.1
              28 April 2023 at 7:01 pm

              Where is your evidence that the majority of left wing feminists aren't gender critical SPC?

              Where is your evidence that they are?

              Polls show more of those supportive of gender identity rights are women, not men. And that does not come from right wing women. So if its not from left wing women, or centre-left, it comes from the majority that are neither, in the centre.

            • weka 4.1.2.1.1.2
              28 April 2023 at 7:42 pm

              The majority of gender critical feminists e.g. in SUFW are left wing and many of these women are members of the Rainbow community i.e. lesbian. If you go to their website and click on about us, you can read about the left wing activistism of the SPFW women.

              Here's the link https://www.speakupforwomen.nz/who-we-are

              I'm not sure I would call SUFW predominantly left wing. They strike me as old school liberals and centre lefties. Historically they've been centrist, willing to work with the right, not sure where they are at with that currently.

              Women's Liberation Aotearoa are overtly leftist,

              https://womensliberationaotearoa.org.nz/principles-of-womens-liberation-aotearoa/

              • Anker …
                28 April 2023 at 7:47 pm

                SUFW did a survey of their membership and they were prodominantly Labour and Green voters (if you call that left wing, I do).

                Many of these women now feel politically homeless.

                Remember too the group that invited Posie Parker to NZ were Mana Wahine Korero, a group of Maori gender critical women. Hard to argue that they are alt right. Hard too to argue that they would invite a so called alt right speaker. The idea is ridiculous.

                • weka …
                  28 April 2023 at 8:13 pm

                  Labour are a neoliberal centre left party, have been for over 30 years and played a bit part in shifting the Overton Window in NZ to the right. They've actively resisted attempts to shift leftward again. Remember the ABCs? Anyone But Cunliffe. That's the centrists holding the party to the centre to stop it moving leftwards.

                  Voting for them doesn't make one leftist, although there are leftist people in the party and leftist people who vote for them.

                  Likewise in the UK. KJK saying she used to vote for Labour doesn't make her left wing, it means she voted for a Blairite, third way, anti-leftist party. She's shifted her politics since then, and I agree she's not alt-right or far right. She's a somewhat socially liberal conservative populist. She's also got the potential to become far right. Which is why she's comfortable with Tucker Carlson, or not automatically rejecting Nazis.

                  Left =/= liberal. Left means things like worker's rights, collectivism, egalitarianism, wealth sharing, looking after people, social and economic equality, but also being politically committed to those things.

                  I don't know what MWK's politics are outside of GC. But Māori politics don't sit exactly with the left/right spectrum anyway, they exist within their own right.

                  • Darien Fenton …
                    29 April 2023 at 2:25 am

                    Weka : oh geez not the old "ABC" argument again. I was named as one and pilloried for it by people like you ; I had good reasons, which were proven in the disastrous 2014 election. Turns out the MPs I was supporting became PM and Finance Minister. You learn a lot about people you work with. Me, I go for authenticity and trust is also a big issue for me. I will admit DC makes a good management consultant.

                    • weka …
                      29 April 2023 at 8:34 am

                      I don't remember pillorying you Darien. I was mostly following the number of Labour members and those outside of Labour that were working for a more left position (I don't know your position or history on that).

                    • Darien Fenton …
                      29 April 2023 at 12:52 pm

                      Weka : you mean the Labour members on the Standard eh who saw DC as the second coming? One day I will tell the full story ; but I am of the Left, born Left, never sold out or compromised, stuck to my cause which is workers' rights. I was so Left DC dumped me.

                    • Corey …
                      29 April 2023 at 1:44 pm

                      Yes let's not talk about how the current prime minister and current minister of finance were part of a group of mp's hellbent on destabilizing the Labour party leadership because they'd openly rather be in opposition than be in government led by someone they didn't like

                      Constantly leaking to the media and breaking ranks, mps like Curran and Co posting diatribes to destabilize the leader of a party in an election year is a disgrace not just to the labour's movement and the party membership who elected Cunliffe but also every working class and poor person in nz.

                      Let's not talk about how the same group of mps was also leaking internal polling in 2017.

                      Let's not talk about the fact that they were so frightened of the party membership, that they had to wait til the cut off period in 2017 where chosing a new leader wouldn't cause a membership primary because none of their candidates including Grant/Jacinda could win a leadership primary.

                      Let's not talk about the fact that this group so frightened of the labour party membership that they pretty much changed the leadership voting rules unilaterally so caucuses favorite robots didn't have to convince the membership to vote for then.

                      And sure the ABCs got some great cabinet positions, but what have they achieved? Absolutely SFA and ruled out and denied doing anything substantial.

                      With the exception of Jacinda the ABCs were a bunch of no talent political robots who actively hated the party membership and engaged in destabilizing skull duggary during an election campaign.

                      Hipkins would never have won a party wide leadership vote without the rule changes.

                      Cunlife would have made a great minister in this government with its shallow talent pool.

                      And for those who say membership chose bad candidates and caucus picks better candidates….

                      Caucus elected Goff and Shearer membership elected Cunliffe and Little , 2 failures each, Ardern herself would have been elected by membership, Chippie wouldn't, we'll see how the election goes

                  • Anker …
                    30 April 2023 at 2:39 pm

                    Yes interesting quiz, but I wonder how valid the questions are.

                    Interestingly enough, I scored as mildly left and mildly libertarian.

          • weka 4.1.2.1.2
            28 April 2023 at 7:38 pm

            But are the majority of left wing feminists gender critical feminists?

            No way of knowing so long as No Debate exists. Consider the Green Party, which has suppressed discussion of GC positions. No Debate means that people are too afraid to say anything, or they have left the party.

            If you want to get a sense of how the general public feel about gender identity and the boundaries that GCFs keep banging on about, look at the Yougov polls in the UK, which show a broad tolerance for trans people, but that support drops when people understand that a trans woman wanting into women's spaces can be an intact male. Again, No Debate means that this hasn't been widely discussed.

            The majority of women on the right support gender critical feminists, not that this has had any impact on NACT policy.

            I seriously doubt the majority of women int he right support GCFs. Many support GC positions, but that's not the same thing.

            • SPC 4.1.2.1.2.1
              28 April 2023 at 9:49 pm

              Most want to be inclusive of others, as to citizenship for all, regardless of difference.

              It's more nuanced when it comes to practicality – safe spaces, fair competition etc. Especially if there is self ID.

              I seriously doubt the majority of women int he right support GCFs. Many support GC positions, but that's not the same thing.

              Sure, the word feminist is one they run from. This may explain K-JK's care not to pose her campaign as a feminist one.

      • Shanreagh 4.1.3
        28 April 2023 at 6:35 pm

        PP is actually a left winger not from the right. She belonged to the UK Labour party.

        it is mistake i think to consider the latest concerns with women’s issues as being from the left or right. Many women are waiting to see party/ies meet their concerns before deciding who to vote for.

        • Anker 4.1.3.1
          28 April 2023 at 6:42 pm

          100% Shanreagh

        • SPC 4.1.3.2
          28 April 2023 at 7:18 pm

          It's led by someone of the left (but who never identified as a feminist) who sees others on the left as the main opposition to her campaign, so seeks support from the right.

          • Anker 4.1.3.2.1
            28 April 2023 at 7:48 pm

            SPC, Parker will talk to anyone willing to listen about womens rights.

          • weka 4.1.3.2.2
            28 April 2023 at 8:14 pm

            where did you get that KJK never was feminist from?

            • SPC 4.1.3.2.2.1
              28 April 2023 at 9:40 pm

              She saw feminists supporting things she did not support, thus did not see herself as a feminist (they were prostitution and pornography). I'll link to that if I find it again.

              Here, as to her current attitude.

              Video 3min 30s "not a radical feminist".

              Video 6 min 50s "feminism not the answer".

              • weka …
                28 April 2023 at 10:05 pm

                I know her current position, I'm asking why you think "but who never identified as a feminist". Past tense and ever.

        • weka 4.1.3.3
          28 April 2023 at 8:16 pm

          PP is actually a left winger not from the right. She belonged to the UK Labour party.

          UK Labour aren't leftist, they're centre left and those in power in UK Labour have actively resisted the party being moved leftward. KJK isn't left wing she's a centrist populist.

          it is mistake i think to consider the latest concerns with women’s issues as being from the left or right. Many women are waiting to see party/ies meet their concerns before deciding who to vote for.

          I agree with this. But that doesn't mean that left, centre, right, far right aren't meaningful.

          • weka 4.1.3.3.1
            28 April 2023 at 8:22 pm

            there are flaws in this model, but it's still useful to understand relative political positions. If you haven't before, do the quiz to see where you sit.

            This is the 2017 version

            2020 version here https://www.politicalcompass.org/nz2020

            Quiz here https://www.politicalcompass.org/test

            • weka 4.1.3.3.1.1
              28 April 2023 at 8:35 pm

              I just redid the compass. My results plus NZ 2020

              https://twitter.com/wekatweets/status/1651866876216229888

            • Belladonna 4.1.3.3.1.2
              28 April 2023 at 8:56 pm

              I'm a bit surprised to see ACT so far 'up' on the Authoritarian scale.
              I thought their core premise was Libertarianism (small government, individual choice, etc.)

              • Tricledrown …
                28 April 2023 at 9:11 pm

                ACT has been dog whistling the fascist racist vote for some time .

                • Belladonna …
                  28 April 2023 at 11:04 pm

                  Your definition of 'fascist' appears to depart rather markedly from the generally accepted one.

                  Perhaps you should share exactly what you mean, when you use the term.

                  ACT generally advocates for less involvement of government in regulating citizen's lives.

              • weka …
                28 April 2023 at 10:03 pm

                ACT are libertarian for Consumers and Taxpayers, aka wealthy people.

                • Belladonna …
                  28 April 2023 at 11:01 pm

                  So the authoritarian/libertarian scale in this graph means something other than the usual definition of those terms.

                  Because, little as though the left may like ACT – their ethos is a libertarian party.

                  • weka …
                    28 April 2023 at 11:21 pm

                    I was looking at the 2020 graph, where they're in the libertarian quarter. Afaik the positions in the graph are based on policy, so there must have been something in 2017 that made them more authoritarian.

                    I wrote this a few weeks ago,

                    ACT want to remove current benefit entitlements for most unemployed and solo mums and replace them with electronically monitored and controlled income. This is anti-libertarian, ACT's libertarianism if for well off people. It cements in beneficiaries as second class citizens. You can look at how this kind of scheme has played out in Australia to see the daily problems it causes.

                    https://www.act.org.nz/welfare

                  • Anker …
                    29 April 2023 at 1:33 pm

                    Agree Belladonna

            • Anker 4.1.3.3.1.3
              30 April 2023 at 2:40 pm

              Top look as far to the right as Act. Interesting.

              • weka …
                1 May 2023 at 8:57 am

                probably a hangover from Gareth Morgan's days. They've made changes since 2020, my guess is they will be more centrist in the 2023 map, but they position themselves as working with either National or Labour so I wouldn't call them left wing. In some ways they are orthogonal to the L/R axis (the Greens are too, but for different reasons).

    • LawfulN 4.2
      28 April 2023 at 3:59 pm

      There's a big difference between authoritarianism as a means (like cancel culture) and authoritarianism as an end (like full on state-enforced racial and sexual hierarchies). The gender ideologists are more the former than the latter.

      Much 'wokeism' is really just people like them, who may have a good cause—at least in some respects—but who are terrible human beings who lack the basic civic virtues required of reasonable citizens. One of our current problems is that a large percentage of people in the media and other positions of privilege are like this now.

      • Anker 4.2.1
        28 April 2023 at 6:18 pm

        The authoritarianism on both the extreme of right and left are regugnant to me. The trans rights activistists extremists are authoritarian.

        Why do you think people get in to trouble in the public service if they don't use pro nouns (a mild example but part of the whole deal).

        I heard an interview with Professor Grant Scofield who said free speech at the university is severely compromised and he doesn't mention transgenderism because he would be called before the Vice Chancellor.

        If you are going to decree extremism then it needs to be all extremism especially if it is authoritarian.

        • Visubversa 4.2.1.1
          28 April 2023 at 8:05 pm

          This is extremism. The removal of the ability to even explore a contrary narrative.

          https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2023/04/15/university-blocks-academic-gender-wars-research/

          "Her final work has not been published, as it was derailed by complaints about an article for Times Higher Education in which she warned that “a culture of discrimination, silencing and fear has taken hold”.

          Following this, she says, her line managers told her that the study had “become an institutionally sensitive issue” and that “City considers my data to be dangerous” and is “frightened of making it public”.

          A research participant who “did not like the findings” and academics sympathetic to trans issues were among those who complained. One, Dr Sahra Taylor, a City lecturer, claimed it was an “attack piece on trans people [and] our existences” that has “clearly caused harm to many interviewed”.

    • RoseyK 4.3
      28 April 2023 at 4:16 pm

      The Press ran an article by Clark (and someone else? I can't remmber who) a few weeks ago suggesting that those who believe in biology and the reality that sex is more important than gender identity in certain settings (anywhere women are undressed – eg communal changing areas, prisons and in women's sports) are the true extremists. Thus I take anything by Clark with a huge dose of salt.

      • Shanreagh 4.3.1
        28 April 2023 at 6:44 pm

        I have had more than a few discussions with Byron Clark on Womens issues, if that is the Clark you are meaning.

        He has little knowledge of womens issues generally and seems out of his depth when discussing what happened at Albert Park as he has bought the media narrative of her being anti trans when she is pro women. An important distinction.

        • Anker 4.3.1.1
          1 May 2023 at 11:43 am
          • So in other words Shanreagh, Clark’s take lacks any real understanding of the issues, he’s pushing a narrative.
          • I think it is impossible to push a narrative that GC is extremism. 10 years ago our views were mainstream and for most people nowadays are views are mainstream
        • weka 4.3.1.2
          1 May 2023 at 2:55 pm

          that's my impression of him too (from following on twitter), doesn't really understand feminism or women's perspectives.

    • roblogic 4.4
      28 April 2023 at 4:55 pm

      That debate is radioactive and in the USA has been a factor in at least 2 mass shooting incidents. There are two groups that cannot stand each other; each viewing the other side as evil incarnate.

      NZ doesn't have the same level of gun-toting religious fundamentalists. But the local trans rights movement is as toxic and paranoid as the parliament protests. Albert Park was just the tip of the iceberg. I think a more extreme campaign against women, child safety, religious freedom, etc is on the cards.

  5. Ed1 5
    28 April 2023 at 1:57 pm

    This podcast was recommended on RNZ a week or so ago – worth listening to. https://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-presents-ultra

    There have been various Nazi parties in the USA over the years . . .

  6. Martin C 6
    28 April 2023 at 3:09 pm

    Years ago I bought The Politics of Nostalgia. by Bruce Jesson and Paul Spoonley. An excellent book published in the early 90s. Histories of Hate updates it and Fear puts a recognizable face to it.

    To understand the decay of modern NZ read, But Their Purpose is Mad by Bruce Jesson and The Fire Economy by Jane Kelsey will tell you how we got here.

    • Ad 6.1
      28 April 2023 at 3:24 pm

      No doubt Spoonley is the leading researcher on this.

      But just don't agree that the origin of all our extremism is in economic restructuring.

  7. SPC 7
    28 April 2023 at 4:41 pm

    It is not yet clear we can win them back.

    They're now connected into the American alt-right propaganda network and some will be receiving funding – one that demonises anyone on the left globally (thus Charlie Kirk's obssession with Ardern).

    What they will not have is the American adventism – a cult that believes that a right wing friendly God will eliminate from public life all liberal and left wing human beings via bowls of judgment (we are not in Kansas now – the Chiefs are based in a city of the state of Missouri). Thus the absurdity of Trump prophecy and right wing agency of God on earth.

  8. roblogic 8
    28 April 2023 at 5:08 pm

    Maybe we should be less concerned about our own citizens and more concerned about who is embedded in our security infrastructure. WTF is the GSCB up to?

    https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/political/488824/revealed-senior-ex-us-military-officers-land-nz-government-jobs

    • SPC 8.1
      28 April 2023 at 5:19 pm

      The one at GCSB is an assurance manager.

      Overseas applicants for military jobs here must be a currently serving member of the UK, Australian, US or Canadian armed forces, or been a citizen of any of those countries for at least a decade.

    • Ad 8.2
      28 April 2023 at 9:48 pm

      Hiring competent and security-cleared experts who enable better interoperability with our partners.

  9. adam 9
    28 April 2023 at 5:21 pm

    Paul Jay has done some great interviews on this topic.

    That said, the reality is the wave of extremism will only get worse as we get closer and closer to extinction.

    • roblogic 9.1
      28 April 2023 at 9:23 pm

      Only if we spend too much time bullshitting on social media. We tend to forget our differences in times of crisis and muck in together. Maybe earthquakes and floods are trying to teach us something.

  10. roblogic 10
    28 April 2023 at 5:41 pm

    Here's a beautiful tribute to the better angels of our nature. We can choose cooperation and sharing, instead of fighting and selfishness

    The real Lord of the Flies: what happened when six boys were shipwrecked for 15 months

    https://www.theguardian.com/books/2020/may/09/the-real-lord-of-the-flies-what-happened-when-six-boys-were-shipwrecked-for-15-months

    I also found the post apocalyptic TV series "Station Eleven" really uplifting. Instead of violent criminal gangs and hordes of zombies, it shows communities of humans working together to survive. Because they aren't forced to live in the sociopathic system of capitalist exploitation that we marinate in

    https://youtu.be/1rvYYD9mlac

  11. tWiggle 11
    28 April 2023 at 7:43 pm

    Big Hairy News interview with Byron Clarke

    Longform discussion about Byron's interest in rightwing extremism, mis and disinformation around the NZ anti-vax movement, and other recent conspiracy-theory movements in NZ.

    If you don't know much about the topic, it's a good intro.

  12. RedLogix 12
    29 April 2023 at 4:39 pm

    This is as good a place as any to drop this 53min clip. It explores ideas around how family structure feeds into political ideology and history across various cultures. There is plenty to react to – both positively and negatively – but it does add a layer of nuance to the political debate we rarely discuss:

    And in an era of rapid changes to family structure everywhere, it poses the question of what will be the consequences politically? Which in turn feeds into the OP.

  13. Martin C 13
    30 April 2023 at 1:40 pm

    Last one to leave please turn out the lights.

  14. Anker 14
    1 May 2023 at 10:53 am

    https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/restore-passenger-rail-protesters-block-traffic-near-parliament-in-wellington/IVAWU5EHAFFNXIEZ4BSAI2OAAA/

    would people consider these protesters extremists? Especially in view of the Govts recent commitment to buying more trains for Wairapapa and Manawatu

    the climate protesters are facing a backlash in he UK and it looks likely that this will happen here with one women shouting at them I am just trying to get to work to fed my kids

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    In 2003, the Court of Appeal delivered its decision in Ngati Apa v Attorney-General, ruling that Māori customary title over the foreshore and seabed had not been universally extinguished, and that the Māori Land Court could determine claims and confirm title if the facts supported it. This kicked off the ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    1 day ago
  • Gordon Campbell on the Royal Commission report into abuse in care

    Earlier this week at Parliament, Labour leader Chris Hipkins was applauded for saying that the response to the final report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care had to be “bigger than politics.” True, but the fine words, apologies and “we hear you” messages will soon ring ...
    WerewolfBy lyndon
    1 day ago
  • The Kākā’s Pick 'n' Mix for Friday, July 26

    TL;DR: In news breaking this morning:The Ministry of Education is cutting $2 billion from its school building programme so the National-ACT-NZ First Coalition Government has enough money to deliver tax cuts; The Government has quietly lowered its child poverty reduction targets to make them easier to achieve;Te Whatu Ora-Health NZ’s ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 day ago
  • Weekly Roundup 26-July-2024

    Kia ora. These are some stories that caught our eye this week – as always, feel free to share yours in the comments. Our header image this week (via Eke Panuku) shows the planned upgrade for the Karanga Plaza Tidal Swimming Steps. The week in Greater Auckland On ...
    Greater AucklandBy Greater Auckland
    1 day ago
  • God what a relief

    1. What's not to love about the way the Harris campaign is turning things around?a. Nothingb. Love all of itc. God what a reliefd. Not that it will be by any means easye. All of the above 2. Documents released by the Ministry of Health show Associate Health Minister Casey ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    1 day ago
  • Trust In Me

    Trust in me in all you doHave the faith I have in youLove will see us through, if only you trust in meWhy don't you, you trust me?In a week that saw the release of the 3,000 page Abuse in Care report Christopher Luxon was being asked about Boot Camps. ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    1 day ago
  • The Hoon around the week to July 26

    TL;DR: The podcast above of the weekly ‘hoon’ webinar for paying subscribers last night features co-hosts and talking about the Royal Commission Inquiry into Abuse in Care report released this week, and with:The Kākā’s climate correspondent on a UN push to not recognise carbon offset markets and ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 day ago
  • The Kākā’s Journal of Record for Friday, July 26

    TL;DR: As of 6:00 am on Friday, July 26, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:Transport: Simeon Brown announced $802.9 million in funding for 18 new trains on the Wairarapa and Manawatū rail lines, which ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 day ago
  • Radical law changes needed to build road

    The northern expressway extension from Warkworth to Whangarei is likely to require radical changes to legislation if it is going to be built within the foreseeable future. The Government’s powers to purchase land, the planning process and current restrictions on road tolling are all going to need to be changed ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    1 day ago
  • Skeptical Science New Research for Week #30 2024

    Open access notables Could an extremely cold central European winter such as 1963 happen again despite climate change?, Sippel et al., Weather and Climate Dynamics: Here, we first show based on multiple attribution methods that a winter of similar circulation conditions to 1963 would still lead to an extreme seasonal ...
    Skeptical Science
    2 days ago
  • First they came for the Māori

    Text within this block will maintain its original spacing when publishedFirst they came for the doctors But I was confused by the numbers and costs So I didn't speak up Then they came for our police and nurses And I didn't think we could afford those costs anyway So I ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    2 days ago
  • Join us for the weekly Hoon on YouTube Live

    Photo by Joshua J. Cotten on UnsplashWe’re back again after our mid-winter break. We’re still with the ‘new’ day of the week (Thursday rather than Friday) when we have our ‘hoon’ webinar with paying subscribers to The Kākā for an hour at 5 pm.Jump on this link on YouTube Livestream ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago
  • Will the real PM Luxon please stand up?

    Notes: This is a free article. Abuse in Care themes are mentioned. Video is at the bottom.BackgroundYesterday’s report into Abuse in Care revealed that at least 1 in 3 of all who went through state and faith based care were abused - often horrifically. At least, because not all survivors ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    2 days ago
  • Will debt reduction trump abuse in care redress?

    Luxon speaks in Parliament yesterday about the Abuse in Care report. Photo: Hagen Hopkins/Getty ImagesTL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy today are:PM Christopher Luxon said yesterday in tabling the Abuse in Care report in Parliament he wanted to ‘do the ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago
  • Olywhites and Time Bandits

    About a decade ago I worked with a bloke called Steve. He was the grizzled veteran coder, a few years older than me, who knew where the bodies were buried - code wise. Despite his best efforts to be approachable and friendly he could be kind of gruff, through to ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    2 days ago
  • Why were the 1930s so hot in North America?

    This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Jeff Masters and Bob Henson Those who’ve trawled social media during heat waves have likely encountered a tidbit frequently used to brush aside human-caused climate change: Many U.S. states and cities had their single hottest temperature on record during the 1930s, setting incredible heat marks ...
    Skeptical Science
    2 days ago
  • Throwback Thursday – Thinking about Expressways

    Some of the recent announcements from the government have reminded us of posts we’ve written in the past. Here’s one from early 2020. There were plenty of reactions to the government’s infrastructure announcement a few weeks ago which saw them fund a bunch of big roading projects. One of ...
    Greater AucklandBy Greater Auckland
    2 days ago
  • The Kākā’s Pick 'n' Mix for Thursday, July 25

    TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 7:00 am on Thursday, July 25 are:News: Why Electric Kiwi is closing to new customers - and why it matters RNZ’s Susan EdmundsScoop: Government drops ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago
  • The Possum: Demon or Friend?

    Hi,I felt a small wet tongue snaking through one of the holes in my Crocs. It explored my big toe, darting down one side, then the other. “He’s looking for some toe cheese,” said the woman next to me, words that still haunt me to this day.Growing up in New ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    2 days ago
  • Not a story

    Yesterday I happily quoted the Prime Minister without fact-checking him and sure enough, it turns out his numbers were all to hell. It’s not four kg of Royal Commission report, it’s fourteen.My friend and one-time colleague-in-comms Hazel Phillips gently alerted me to my error almost as soon as I’d hit ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    2 days ago
  • The Kākā’s Journal of Record for Thursday, July 25

    TL;DR: As of 6:00 am on Thursday, July 25, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day were:The Abuse in Care Royal Commission of Inquiry published its final report yesterday.PM Christopher Luxon and The Minister responsible for ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago
  • A tougher line on “proactive release”?

    The Official Information Act has always been a battle between requesters seeking information, and governments seeking to control it. Information is power, so Ministers and government agencies want to manage what is released and when, for their own convenience, and legality and democracy be damned. Their most recent tactic for ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    3 days ago
  • 'Let's build a motorway costing $100 million per km, before emissions costs'

    TL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy today are:Transport and Energy Minister Simeon Brown is accelerating plans to spend at least $10 billion through Public Private Partnerships (PPPs) to extend State Highway One as a four-lane ‘Expressway’ from Warkworth to Whangarei ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago
  • Lester's Prescription – Positive Bleeding.

    I live my life (woo-ooh-ooh)With no control in my destinyYea-yeah, yea-yeah (woo-ooh-ooh)I can bleed when I want to bleedSo come on, come on (woo-ooh-ooh)You can bleed when you want to bleedYea-yeah, come on (woo-ooh-ooh)Everybody bleed when they want to bleedCome on and bleedGovernments face tough challenges. Selling unpopular decisions to ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    3 days ago
  • Casey Costello gaslights Labour in the House

    Please note:To skip directly to the- parliamentary footage in the video, scroll to 1:21 To skip to audio please click on the headphone icon on the left hand side of the screenThis video / audio section is under development. ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    3 days ago
  • Why is the Texas grid in such bad shape?

    This is a re-post from the Climate Brink by Andrew Dessler Headline from 2021 The Texas grid, run by ERCOT, has had a rough few years. In 2021, winter storm Uri blacked out much of the state for several days. About a week ago, Hurricane Beryl knocked out ...
    Skeptical Science
    3 days ago
  • Gordon Campbell on a textbook case of spending waste by the Luxon government

    Given the crackdown on wasteful government spending, it behooves me to point to a high profile example of spending by the Luxon government that looks like a big, fat waste of time and money. I’m talking about the deployment of NZDF personnel to support the US-led coalition in the Red ...
    WerewolfBy lyndon
    3 days ago
  • The Kākā’s Pick 'n' Mix for Wednesday, July 24

    TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 7:40 am on Wednesday, July 24 are:Deep Dive: Chipping away at the housing crisis, including my comments RNZ/Newsroom’s The DetailNews: Government softens on asset sales, ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago
  • LXR Takaanini

    As I reported about the city centre, Auckland’s rail network is also going through a difficult and disruptive period which is rapidly approaching a culmination, this will result in a significant upgrade to the whole network. Hallelujah. Also like the city centre this is an upgrade predicated on the City ...
    Greater AucklandBy Patrick Reynolds
    3 days ago
  • Four kilograms of pain

    Today, a 4 kilogram report will be delivered to Parliament. We know this is what the report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in State and Faith-based Care weighs, because our Prime Minister told us so.Some reporter had blindsided him by asking a question about something done by ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago
  • The Kākā’s Journal of Record for Wednesday, July 24

    TL;DR: As of 7:00 am on Wednesday, July 24, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:Beehive: Transport Minister Simeon Brown announced plans to use PPPs to fund, build and run a four-lane expressway between Auckland ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago
  • Luxon gets caught out

    NewstalkZB host Mike Hosking, who can usually be relied on to give Prime Minister Christopher Luxon an easy run, did not do so yesterday when he interviewed him about the HealthNZ deficit. Luxon is trying to use a deficit reported last year by HealthNZ as yet another example of the ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    3 days ago
  • A worrying sign

    Back in January a StatsNZ employee gave a speech at Rātana on behalf of tangata whenua in which he insulted and criticised the government. The speech clearly violated the principle of a neutral public service, and StatsNZ started an investigation. Part of that was getting an external consultant to examine ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    4 days ago
  • Are we fine with 47.9% home-ownership by 2048?

    Renting for life: Shared ownership initiatives are unlikely to slow the slide in home ownership by much. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy today are:A Deloitte report for Westpac has projected Aotearoa’s home-ownership rate will ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • Let's Win This

    You're broken down and tiredOf living life on a merry go roundAnd you can't find the fighterBut I see it in you so we gonna walk it outAnd move mountainsWe gonna walk it outAnd move mountainsAnd I'll rise upI'll rise like the dayI'll rise upI'll rise unafraidI'll rise upAnd I'll ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    4 days ago
  • Waimahara: The Singing Spirit of Water

    There’s been a change in Myers Park. Down the steps from St. Kevin’s Arcade, past the grassy slopes, the children’s playground, the benches and that goat statue, there has been a transformation. The underpass for Mayoral Drive has gone from a barren, grey, concrete tunnel, to a place that thrums ...
    Greater AucklandBy Connor Sharp
    4 days ago
  • A major milestone: Global climate pollution may have just peaked

    This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections Global society may have finally slammed on the brakes for climate-warming pollution released by human fossil fuel combustion. According to the Carbon Monitor Project, the total global climate pollution released between February and May 2024 declined slightly from the amount released during the same ...
    Skeptical Science
    4 days ago
  • The Kākā’s Pick 'n' Mix for Tuesday, July 23

    TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 7:00 am on Tuesday, July 23 are:Deep Dive: Penlink: where tolling rhetoric meets reality BusinessDesk-$$$’s Oliver LewisScoop: Te Pūkenga plans for regional polytechs leak out ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • The Kākā’s Journal of Record for Tuesday, July 23

    TL;DR: As of 6:00 am on Tuesday, July 23, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:Health: Shane Reti announced the Board of Te Whatu Ora- Health New Zealand was being replaced with Commissioner Lester Levy ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • HealthNZ and Luxon at cross purposes over budget blowout

    Health NZ warned the Government at the end of March that it was running over Budget. But the reasons it gave were very different to those offered by the Prime Minister yesterday. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon blamed the “botched merger” of the 20 District Health Boards (DHBs) to create Health ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    4 days ago
  • 2500-3000 more healthcare staff expected to be fired, as Shane Reti blames Labour for a budget defic...

    Long ReadKey Summary: Although National increased the health budget by $1.4 billion in May, they used an old funding model to project health system costs, and never bothered to update their pre-election numbers. They were told during the Health Select Committees earlier in the year their budget amount was deficient, ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    4 days ago
  • Might Kamala Harris be about to get a 'stardust' moment like Jacinda Ardern?

    As a momentous, historic weekend in US politics unfolded, analysts and commentators grasped for precedents and comparisons to help explain the significance and power of the choice Joe Biden had made. The 46th president had swept the Democratic party’s primaries but just over 100 days from the election had chosen ...
    PunditBy Tim Watkin
    5 days ago
  • Solutions Interview: Steven Hail on MMT & ecological economics

    TL;DR: I’m casting around for new ideas and ways of thinking about Aotearoa’s political economy to find a few solutions to our cascading and self-reinforcing housing, poverty and climate crises.Associate Professor runs an online masters degree in the economics of sustainability at Torrens University in Australia and is organising ...
    The KakaBy Steven Hail
    5 days ago
  • Reported back

    The Finance and Expenditure Committee has reported back on National's Local Government (Water Services Preliminary Arrangements) Bill. The bill sets up water for privatisation, and was introduced under urgency, then rammed through select committee with no time even for local councils to make a proper submission. Naturally, national's select committee ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    5 days ago
  • Vandrad the Viking, Christopher Coombes, and Literary Archaeology

    Some years ago, I bought a book at Dunedin’s Regent Booksale for $1.50. As one does. Vandrad the Viking (1898), by J. Storer Clouston, is an obscure book these days – I cannot find a proper online review – but soon it was sitting on my shelf, gathering dust alongside ...
    A Phuulish FellowBy strda221
    5 days ago
  • Gordon Campbell On The Biden Withdrawal

    History is not on the side of the centre-left, when Democratic presidents fall behind in the polls and choose not to run for re-election. On both previous occasions in the past 75 years (Harry Truman in 1952, Lyndon Johnson in 1968) the Democrats proceeded to then lose the White House ...
    WerewolfBy lyndon
    5 days ago
  • Joe Biden's withdrawal puts the spotlight back on Kamala and the USA's complicated relatio...

    This is a free articleCoverageThis morning, US President Joe Biden announced his withdrawal from the Presidential race. And that is genuinely newsworthy. Thanks for your service, President Biden, and all the best to you and yours.However, the media in New Zealand, particularly the 1News nightly bulletin, has been breathlessly covering ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    5 days ago
  • Why we have to challenge our national fiscal assumptions

    A homeless person’s camp beside a blocked-off slipped damage walkway in Freeman’s Bay: we are chasing our tail on our worsening and inter-related housing, poverty and climate crises. Photo: Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • Existential Crisis and Damaged Brains

    What has happened to it all?Crazy, some'd sayWhere is the life that I recognise?(Gone away)But I won't cry for yesterdayThere's an ordinary worldSomehow I have to findAnd as I try to make my wayTo the ordinary worldYesterday morning began as many others - what to write about today? I began ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago
  • A speed limit is not a target, and yet…

    This is a guest post from longtime supporter Mr Plod, whose previous contributions include a proposal that Hamilton become New Zealand’s capital city, and that we should switch which side of the road we drive on. A recent Newsroom article, “Back to school for the Govt’s new speed limit policy“, ...
    Greater AucklandBy Guest Post
    5 days ago
  • The Kākā’s Pick 'n' Mix for Monday, July 22

    TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 7:00 am on Monday, July 22 are:Today’s Must Read: Father and son live in a tent, and have done for four years, in a million ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • The Kākā’s Journal of Record for Monday, July 22

    TL;DR: As of 7:00 am on Monday, July 22, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:US President Joe Biden announced via X this morning he would not stand for a second term.Multinational professional services firm ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • 2024 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #29

    A listing of 32 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, July 14, 2024 thru Sat, July 20, 2024. Story of the week As reflected by preponderance of coverage, our Story of the Week is Project 2025. Until now traveling ...
    Skeptical Science
    6 days ago
  • I'd like to share what I did this weekend

    This weekend, a friend pointed out someone who said they’d like to read my posts, but didn’t want to pay. And my first reaction was sympathy.I’ve already told folks that if they can’t comfortably subscribe, and would like to read, I’d be happy to offer free subscriptions. I don’t want ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    6 days ago
  • For the children – Why mere sentiment can be a misleading force in our lives, and lead to unex...

    National: The Party of ‘Law and Order’ IntroductionThis weekend, the Government formally kicked off one of their flagship policy programs: a military style boot camp that New Zealand has experimented with over the past 50 years. Cartoon credit: Guy BodyIt’s very popular with the National Party’s Law and Order image, ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    6 days ago
  • A friend in uncertain times

    Day one of the solo leg of my long journey home begins with my favourite sound: footfalls in an empty street. 5.00 am and it’s already light and already too warm, almost.If I can make the train that leaves Budapest later this hour I could be in Belgrade by nightfall; ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    6 days ago
  • The Chaotic World of Male Diet Influencers

    Hi,We’ll get to the horrific world of male diet influencers (AKA Beefy Boys) shortly, but first you will be glad to know that since I sent out the Webworm explaining why the assassination attempt on Donald Trump was not a false flag operation, I’ve heard from a load of people ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    6 days ago
  • It's Starting To Look A Lot Like… Y2K

    Do you remember Y2K, the threat that hung over humanity in the closing days of the twentieth century? Horror scenarios of planes falling from the sky, electronic payments failing and ATMs refusing to dispense cash. As for your VCR following instructions and recording your favourite show - forget about it.All ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    1 week ago
  • Bernard’s Saturday Soliloquy for the week to July 20

    Climate Change Minister Simon Watts being questioned by The Kākā’s Bernard Hickey.TL;DR: My top six things to note around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the week to July 20 were:1. A strategy that fails Zero Carbon Act & Paris targetsThe National-ACT-NZ First Coalition Government finally unveiled ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago
  • Pharmac Director, Climate Change Commissioner, Health NZ Directors – The latest to quit this m...

    Summary:As New Zealand loses at least 12 leaders in the public service space of health, climate, and pharmaceuticals, this month alone, directly in response to the Government’s policies and budget choices, what lies ahead may be darker than it appears. Tui examines some of those departures and draws a long ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    1 week ago
  • Flooding Housing Policy

    The Minister of Housing’s ambition is to reduce markedly the ratio of house prices to household incomes. If his strategy works it would transform the housing market, dramatically changing the prospects of housing as an investment.Leaving aside the Minister’s metaphor of ‘flooding the market’ I do not see how the ...
    PunditBy Brian Easton
    1 week ago
  • A Voyage Among the Vandals: Accepted (Again!)

    As previously noted, my historical fantasy piece, set in the fifth-century Mediterranean, was accepted for a Pirate Horror anthology, only for the anthology to later fall through. But in a good bit of news, it turned out that the story could indeed be re-marketed as sword and sorcery. As of ...
    A Phuulish FellowBy strda221
    1 week ago
  • The Kākā's Chorus for Friday, July 19

    An employee of tobacco company Philip Morris International demonstrates a heated tobacco device. Photo: Getty ImagesTL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy on Friday, July 19 are:At a time when the Coalition Government is cutting spending on health, infrastructure, education, housing ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago
  • The Kākā’s Pick 'n' Mix for Friday, July 19

    TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 8:30 am on Friday, July 19 are:Scoop: NZ First Minister Casey Costello orders 50% cut to excise tax on heated tobacco products. The minister has ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago
  • Weekly Roundup 19-July-2024

    Kia ora, it’s time for another Friday roundup, in which we pull together some of the links and stories that caught our eye this week. Feel free to add more in the comments! Our header image this week shows a foggy day in Auckland town, captured by Patrick Reynolds. ...
    Greater AucklandBy Greater Auckland
    1 week ago
  • Weekly Climate Wrap: A market-led plan for failure

    TL;DR : Here’s the top six items climate news for Aotearoa this week, as selected by Bernard Hickey and The Kākā’s climate correspondent Cathrine Dyer. A discussion recorded yesterday is in the video above and the audio of that sent onto the podcast feed.The Government released its draft Emissions Reduction ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago
  • Tobacco First

    Save some money, get rich and old, bring it back to Tobacco Road.Bring that dynamite and a crane, blow it up, start all over again.Roll up. Roll up. Or tailor made, if you prefer...Whether you’re selling ciggies, digging for gold, catching dolphins in your nets, or encouraging folks to flutter ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    1 week ago
  • Trump’s Adopted Son.

    Waiting In The Wings: For truly, if Trump is America’s un-assassinated Caesar, then J.D. Vance is America’s Octavian, the Republic’s youthful undertaker – and its first Emperor.DONALD TRUMP’S SELECTION of James D. Vance as his running-mate bodes ill for the American republic. A fervent supporter of Viktor Orban, the “illiberal” prime ...
    Bowalley Road
    1 week ago
  • The Kākā’s Journal of Record for Friday, July 19

    TL;DR: As of 6:00 am on Friday, July 19, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:The PSA announced the Employment Relations Authority (ERA) had ruled in the PSA’s favour in its case against the Ministry ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago
  • The Hoon around the week to July 19

    TL;DR: The podcast above of the weekly ‘hoon’ webinar for paying subscribers last night features co-hosts and talking with:The Kākā’s climate correspondent talking about the National-ACT-NZ First Government’s release of its first Emissions Reduction Plan;University of Otago Foreign Relations Professor and special guest Dr Karin von ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago
  • Skeptical Science New Research for Week #29 2024

    Open access notables Improving global temperature datasets to better account for non-uniform warming, Calvert, Quarterly Journal of the Royal Meteorological Society: To better account for spatial non-uniform trends in warming, a new GITD [global instrumental temperature dataset] was created that used maximum likelihood estimation (MLE) to combine the land surface ...
    Skeptical Science
    1 week ago

  • Joint statement from the Prime Ministers of Canada, Australia and New Zealand

    Australia, Canada and New Zealand today issued the following statement on the need for an urgent ceasefire in Gaza and the risk of expanded conflict between Hizballah and Israel. The situation in Gaza is catastrophic. The human suffering is unacceptable. It cannot continue.  We remain unequivocal in our condemnation of ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    16 hours ago
  • AG reminds institutions of legal obligations

    Attorney-General Judith Collins today reminded all State and faith-based institutions of their legal obligation to preserve records relevant to the safety and wellbeing of those in its care. “The Abuse in Care Inquiry’s report has found cases where records of the most vulnerable people in State and faith‑based institutions were ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    19 hours ago
  • More young people learning about digital safety

    Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says the Government’s online safety website for children and young people has reached one million page views.  “It is great to see so many young people and their families accessing the site Keep It Real Online to learn how to stay safe online, and manage ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    20 hours ago
  • Speech to the Conference for General Practice 2024

    Tēnā tātou katoa,  Ngā mihi te rangi, ngā mihi te whenua, ngā mihi ki a koutou, kia ora mai koutou. Thank you for the opportunity to be here and the invitation to speak at this 50th anniversary conference. I acknowledge all those who have gone before us and paved the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    22 hours ago
  • Employers and payroll providers ready for tax changes

    New Zealand’s payroll providers have successfully prepared to ensure 3.5 million individuals will, from Wednesday next week, be able to keep more of what they earn each pay, says Finance Minister Nicola Willis and Revenue Minister Simon Watts.  “The Government's tax policy changes are legally effective from Wednesday. Delivering this tax ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    24 hours ago
  • Experimental vineyard futureproofs wine industry

    An experimental vineyard which will help futureproof the wine sector has been opened in Blenheim by Associate Regional Development Minister Mark Patterson. The covered vineyard, based at the New Zealand Wine Centre – Te Pokapū Wāina o Aotearoa, enables controlled environmental conditions. “The research that will be produced at the Experimental ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Funding confirmed for regions affected by North Island Weather Events

    The Coalition Government has confirmed the indicative regional breakdown of North Island Weather Event (NIWE) funding for state highway recovery projects funded through Budget 2024, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Regions in the North Island suffered extensive and devastating damage from Cyclone Gabrielle and the 2023 Auckland Anniversary Floods, and ...
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    1 day ago
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