Who will be National’s Tauranga candidate

Written By: - Date published: 8:18 am, March 29th, 2022 - 66 comments
Categories: by-election, humour, national, nick smith, Satire, Simon Bridges - Tags:

National opens up nominations for the Tauranga seat by election today and I am sure there will be a slew of candidates seeking the position.  After all last election it was one of National’s safest seats with Simon Bridges enjoying a thumping majority of 1,856 over Labour’s Jan Tinetti.

Times have changed however and National’s relentless negativity and the fact it has stopped disemboweling itself in public every week has seen its fortunes improve.

So I expect National to win the seat without any major issues unless the candidate does something really stupid.  Given the calibre of recent selections there is a chance this could occur.

But who will the candidate be?

Will it be don’t you know who I am Aaron Gilmore?

Or a younger candidate with a particular skill of taping conversations of Parliamentary Staffers without their knowledge or consent and go for  Todd Barclay?

Or will they go for the white supremacist youth vote and pick William Wood?

Or will they go full racist and select former MP Hamish Walker who memorially claimed last election that Indian, Pakistani and Korean Covid sufferers were ready to invade Queenstown?

Or how about this guy and his ability to reach out to teenagers using social media?

They could go for experience and select Nick Smith who has particular skills in worker relations, particularly with his own staff.

How about Jake Bezzant and his particular skills in the writing of fantasy curriculum vitaes?

Or how about this guy who has publicly stated that he wants to become a National MP and has been bitter and twisted ever since Ardern has become leader?

But if they want someone with national prominence who day in and day out sticks to National talking points and who does his best to make sure that National is returned to its rightful position as the ruler of all the plebs there can be only one candidate.

Will this person be National’s Tauranga candidate?

66 comments on “Who will be National’s Tauranga candidate ”

  • Comments are now closed

  1. Byd0nz 1
    29 March 2022 at 8:50 am

    Hopefully none of the above, but who really cares.

    • Blade 1.1
      29 March 2022 at 9:06 am

      No one cares. National would never pick Mikey. His value as an armour piercing shell that cuts through Jacinda's bs media utterances is far to valuable.

    • rod 1.2
      29 March 2022 at 4:40 pm

      What about Batman Mark Richardson, he is busting to become Tory mp.

  2. Pataua4life 2
    29 March 2022 at 9:02 am

    Jacinda has already thrown in the towel.

    Told you she won't show. She must be protected.

    https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/300552275/tauranga-byelection-jacinda-ardern-doesnt-expect-labour-to-win-will-set-date-soon

    • mickysavage 2.1
      29 March 2022 at 9:14 am

      Only a fool would think that Labour has a chance. Unless the National candidate self destructs.

      • Incognito 2.1.1
        29 March 2022 at 9:20 am

        Sometimes it is a fine line between being a fool or a dreamer.

      • Pataua4life 2.1.2
        29 March 2022 at 9:31 am

        Why the post then?

        Maybe Labour could nominate this guy. He fits right in to the party culture.

        https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/hughes-case-naked-man-seen-in-street/KSFBX2DTVJBR4ZG7YJZA7B7N5Q/

        • Ad 2.1.2.1
          29 March 2022 at 9:35 am

          To keep expectations nice and low. Labour should sit this one out, so it wouldn't turn into a referendum on the government.

          I seriously pity the people of Tauranga. Everything about our 5th largest city is just a ruin with no guidance or government.

        • Scotty 2.1.2.2
          29 March 2022 at 10:44 am

          What ever happened to Mike Sabin ?

          You'll know Pataua – you keep tabs on such things

        • Blade 2.1.2.3
          29 March 2022 at 12:02 pm

          Given the wackos the Left produce, I'm at a loss why Mickey would open himself up to body shots by posting a rogues gallery of feral Righties.

          • Incognito 2.1.2.3.1
            29 March 2022 at 12:13 pm

            So, you found the Post confronting?

            • Blade 2.1.2.3.1.1
              29 March 2022 at 12:28 pm

              No, I found it very funny, especially the picture of Willy Wood.

              Only a sycophantic Rightie would find that post confronting.

              I mean, what else should anyone expect on a Left leaning blog?

              • Incognito …
                29 March 2022 at 12:48 pm

                Phew! That’s a relief!

                For a moment I thought Micky’s Post needed a warning similar to yours (https://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-19-03-2022/#comment-1876642) for people such as you, but you’re were never at any risk by a long shot cheeky

                Warning. The following post may be confronting for people who have an IQ higher than 98. Reader discretion is advised.

              • Ross …
                29 March 2022 at 1:38 pm

                what else should anyone expect on a Left leaning blog?

                Some expectations of the Labour candidate? Positive comments about the Government? Why Three Waters is essential? The importance of free speech? The list goes on…

                • Peter …
                  29 March 2022 at 1:57 pm

                  Yeah, and every book in the library should be a sober tome, with no pictures or colour or humour. And no talking in there thank you.

          • Louis 2.1.2.3.2
            29 March 2022 at 12:14 pm

            "What wackos the left produce"?

            • Blade 2.1.2.3.2.1
              29 March 2022 at 12:43 pm

              1-The present Labour government.

              2-Kevin Davis, who is DPM, and still doesn't know perception is everything, especially when using a word like ''Grizzling.''

              3-David Benson-Pope.

              4-Anna Lorck.

              5- Dover Samuels.

              6-Clair Curran.

              7- Special mention- Trevor Mallard

              Of course, there is much more scandal around sex and naughty stuff from both Labour and National that will never make the headlines.

            • Drowsy M. Kram 2.1.2.3.2.2
              29 March 2022 at 12:59 pm

              Some fear-filled righties believe "wackos" lurk around every left turn.
              They should get out more smiley

              • Phil …
                29 March 2022 at 2:09 pm

                Sounds just like some of the commenters here believing that everyone to the right of Jacinda is secretly a full blown Nazi.

                • Drowsy M. Kram …
                  29 March 2022 at 4:18 pm

                  Phil, do you really believe "some of the commentators here" believe "that everyone to the right of Jacinda is secretly a full blown Nazi" – really and truly?

                  Sure, some of them righties are pretty woeful, but “full blown Nazi? Not seeing it, but happy to be put right.
                  wink

                  P.S. First mention of “Nazi” in/on this post/page is yours!!
                  Doesn’t that qualify you for some sort of award?

                • Blade …
                  29 March 2022 at 4:29 pm

                  ''Commenters here believing that everyone to the right of Jacinda is secretly a full blown Nazi.''

                  Phil, that's the funniest line on this thread so far.

                  yeslaughlaughlaugh.

                  • Drowsy M. Kram …
                    29 March 2022 at 5:09 pm

                    yes The idea that "some of the commenters here" believe "that everyone to the right of Jacinda is secretly a full blown Nazi" is laughable.

                    • gsays …
                      30 March 2022 at 5:53 am

                      Yes, after all, the Wellington Protest posts ended when the protest was disbanded.

                    • Drowsy M. Kram …
                      30 March 2022 at 11:12 am

                      @gsays (5:53 am)

                      Wellington Protest posts ended when the protest was disbanded.

                      All things (good, bad, and meh) must end – protests, protest posts, vaccine mandates and passes, prudent public health restrictions on gatherings, travel etc. – even pandemics.

                      Imho the idea that many, if any commenters here think "that everyone to the right of Jacinda is secretly a full blown Nazi" defies belief – it’s just fanciful.

                      35 deaths recorded yesterday. Still masking up (because I don't want to be infected with the Omicron variant of COVID-19), and scanning in at every opportunity, for example my dentist. Just trying to maintain good public health habits (my way of living with COVID-19) until this latest wave is done – the tail may be long if Australia (60,000 new cases and rising, plus 29 deaths yesterday) is anything to go by.

                      https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/country/australia/

                      Be well.

        • Louis 2.1.2.4
          29 March 2022 at 12:12 pm

          "Former MP Darren Hughes says he has paid a high price for the sex complaint dismissed by police today"

          "In a statement Hughes said he had been falsely accused of a serious crime he did not commit and it had been "one of the most challenging experiences in my life"

          https://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/5116292/No-charges-laid-against-Darren-Hughes

      • James Simpson 2.1.3
        29 March 2022 at 10:35 am

        I agree.

        It will be as uneventful as the 2017 Mt Albert by-election when Jacinda romped in.

        If I was Labour, I wouldn't allow the Nats to treat this as some kind of victory over the government and would therefore not put up a candidate and essentially ignore it. Don't give them any oxygen.

        • Mike the Lefty 2.1.3.1
          29 March 2022 at 12:32 pm

          I agree and argued this in an earlier post.

          If Labour doesn't stand a candidate, but rather endorses another such as as Greens or even Winston! (I'm being serious) then the Nats' victory will be a kind of hollow one for them. (Hollow – Hollow Men – Get it?).

          Of course they will play the "Labour is too gutless to stand a candidate because…." argument but Labour should simply just ignore that. When you have an overall majority in parliament you don't have to respond every time you get called out.

          If Labour stands a candidate (probably Tinetti) they won't win, but a big loss could be bad for the party's morale.

          Let your political enemies bump their heads together. Why risk putting your head in the way when it won't gain you anything?

          But at the end of the day I think Labour will nominate Tinetti to stand because they won't be able to resist.

    • Louis 2.2
      29 March 2022 at 12:06 pm

      Not about throwing in the towel, more like reality. "Asked if Labour had a shot of winning the seat, Ardern noted it had not done so since 1935"

      • Phil 2.2.1
        29 March 2022 at 2:15 pm

        In 2020 Labour won more party votes than National in Tauranga. Last time they beat national head-to-head on party vote was 2002.

        Not standing a candidate in the by-election would be a massive 'fuck you' to the 18 and a half thousand people who party voted Labour last time around.

        • Louis 2.2.1.1
          29 March 2022 at 2:38 pm

          Yes and Labour won the party vote in 71 out of the 72 electorates in 2020. I don't know whether Labour will stand a candidate or not, usually they do though.

  3. Tony Veitch (not etc.) 3
    29 March 2022 at 9:56 am

    My expectation is that Woodhouse's mystery homeless man will be the candidate, and will be chosen to show the absolute inadequacies of our MIQ system that kept us so safe for so long.

    He was a Natz supporter all along, you see!

  4. Tiger Mountain 4
    29 March 2022 at 9:58 am

    Micky has provided a timely reminder of the full glory of Nashnull’s motley crew–“don’t you know who I am…”–many tories project that, but few have been captured on record saying it!–classically, to a worker in a waiting role. Pony puller Sirkey of course targeted a young female service worker for his unwanted attentions also.

    “Towelronga” is a cultural and intellectual desert of the NZ provincial kind with dysfunctional local Govt. and significantly run on National Superannuation and other pension fund income.

    • Pataua4life 4.1
      29 March 2022 at 10:05 am

      You could play this game with any Party. Please see link above.

      I just don't think the post brings anything intelligent to the site or the writer.

        • Pataua4life 4.1.1.1
          29 March 2022 at 10:51 am

          I must be damn funny then wink

        • mac1 4.1.1.2
          29 March 2022 at 11:49 am

          Bob Jones alleged that Lefties had no sense of humour. Surveys show that Lefties are more intelligent than Righties. So, where does that put Righties' sense of humour? Either Bob was making it up or Righties are really grumpy….. it’s all quite hilarious.

          • Incognito 4.1.1.2.1
            29 March 2022 at 11:59 am

            I’ve got two left hands and two left feet and my humour is out of left field when I feel right. There’s nothing left to say, right? Let’s go back to those clowns in National.

            • mac1 4.1.1.2.1.1
              29 March 2022 at 12:23 pm

              Be careful, incognito, when giving directions to a car driver, when telling them to go left, right?

              As for National clowns, they have made a basic mistake in trying to alleviate their poor candidate selection. Luxon has suggested Candidate 101 as a compulsory course but the problem goes back to the personal qualities of the candidates themselves.

              At its worst end of the spectrum, can you teach someone to get past sociopathic personality traits and become an empathetic, wise, considerate, true servant of the people?

              This is why this topic of candidate selection is so important, even when it involves the opposition. I don't want to be governed by sociopaths.

              History and current events both teach this. Has National, for example, learnt from its recent history? Does its basic culture and values allow otherwise?

              Are business values and behaviour a good basis for empathetic political leadership? Business has more than its fair share of middle management sociopaths, after all.

              Will it put up a decent (in the sense of personal qualities) candidate? National will return to government at some stage. We need them to be well chosen before that.

          • Blade 4.1.1.2.2
            29 March 2022 at 12:11 pm

            Yes, I perused one of those surveys written by the Wheel Tappers And Shunters Union Of Aotearoa. All I can say is the survey lacked intellectual rigour.

            • mac1 4.1.1.2.2.1
              29 March 2022 at 1:44 pm

              "Eee, lad, but it's knowing where to tap them. that's the thing….."

              • Blade …
                29 March 2022 at 4:40 pm

                Aye, comrade. By gum, I just had a piffiny.. where are them trains these chaps are meant to be tappin and shunting?

  5. Blazer 5
    29 March 2022 at 10:04 am

    Someone with a …'big brain'….will need to step…forward!laugh

  6. AB 6
    29 March 2022 at 11:24 am

    New National candidates are always interesting and absorbing. I really like it when one crops up who is repellent in an entirely new way, or in an unusual combination of existing ways.

    • Drowsy M. Kram 6.1
      29 March 2022 at 11:31 am

      New National candidates are always interesting and absorbing.

      Sponges (spongers?) are absorbing, but they don't have very big brains.

  7. Macro 7
    29 March 2022 at 12:07 pm

    But who will the candidate be?

    All of the above.

  8. Reality 8
    29 March 2022 at 12:34 pm

    Perhaps Michelle Boag has served her time on the naughty chair and can be brought back to give PR advice and media training and a quick rundown on ethics as well.

  9. Binders full of women 9
    29 March 2022 at 1:47 pm

    Maybe Louisa Wall will stand??

    • Pataua4life 9.1
      29 March 2022 at 2:21 pm

      You could do a lot worse.

      I don't agree with her politics but a women of real integrity. Parliament is worse off without her.

      • Westykev 9.1.1
        29 March 2022 at 3:03 pm

        Agree about her ethics and morals, we need many more MP's of that calibre. Pity that she was too left wing for Labour

      • mac1 9.1.2
        29 March 2022 at 3:27 pm

        That's the issue which lies behind who should be National's candidate for Tauranga- integrity, good ethics and morals.

        As for all public office.

        That person will most likely become an MP.

        I hope that all commenters here, from whatever party allegiance we might have, will at least do our darndest to bring forward our best people to be our candidates.

        Tonight I am a candidate for an electorate chair. This next year will be spent in finding and supporting a candidate to prepare for the 2023 election.

        It's why we should all be involved in political parties. Be there to help get the best candidates and policies.

        • Shanreagh 9.1.2.1
          29 March 2022 at 8:53 pm

          These are really important points mac1.

          There is a thought about choir singing that the sum of all the different voices is a sublime voice floating above/from with no individual voices able to be discerned. While not totally applicable the idea in politics is to get those best voices and meld them together for the best results, sometimes across a party sometimes across the whole of parliament.

          So saying, this is why I am so astounded at the klutzy selections from the Nats in recent times.

          Obviously we do want/need soloists from time to time.

          In this spirit above I wish to say how disappointed/sad I am about the resignation of Louisa Wall.

          • mac1 9.1.2.1.1
            29 March 2022 at 10:01 pm

            People at the meeting tonight felt the same. She got some good legislation through the House.

  10. roblogic 10
    30 March 2022 at 1:41 am

    David Farrar

    Cam "WhaleOil" Slater

  11. Hunter Thompson II 11
    31 March 2022 at 9:44 am

    Natz will likely stand some ex-cop and let him/her sleepwalk to victory. Pushing the buttons on gangs and law and order should be enough, with a nod to Greypower.

Recent Comments

Recent Posts

  • Look who’s stepped up to champion Winston
    There’s no news to be gleaned from the government’s official website today  – it contains nothing more than the message about the site being under maintenance. The time this maintenance job is taking and the costs being incurred have us musing on the government’s commitment to an assault on inflation. ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 hours ago

  • What's The Story?
    Don’t you sometimes wish they’d just tell the truth? No matter how abhorrent or ugly, just straight up tell us the truth?C’mon guys, what you’re doing is bad enough anyway, pretending you’re not is only adding insult to injury.Instead of all this bollocks about the Smokefree changes being to do ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    11 hours ago

  • The longest of weeks
    Hello! Here comes the Saturday edition of More Than A Feilding, catching you up on the past week’s editions.Friday Under New Management Week in review, quiz style1. Which of these best describes Aotearoa?a. Progressive nation, proud of its egalitarian spirit and belief in a fair go b. Best little country on the planet c. ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    12 hours ago

  • Suggested sessions of EGU24 to submit abstracts to
    Like earlier this year, members from our team will be involved with next year's General Assembly of the European Geosciences Union (EGU). The conference will take place on premise in Vienna as well as online from April 14 to 19, 2024. The session catalog has been available since November 1 ...
    Skeptical Science
    22 hours ago

  • Under New Management
    1. Which of these best describes Aotearoa?a. Progressive nation, proud of its egalitarian spirit and belief in a fair go b. Best little country on the planet c. Under New Management 2. Which of these best describes the 100 days of action announced this week by the new government?a. Petulantb. Simplistic and wrongheaded c. ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    1 day ago

  • While we wait patiently, our new Minister of Education is up and going with a 100-day action plan
    Sorry to say, the government’s official website is still out of action. When Point of Order paid its daily visit, the message was the same as it has been for the past week: Site under maintenance Beehive.govt.nz is currently under maintenance. We will be back shortly. Thank you for your ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    1 day ago

  • DAVID FARRAR: Hysterical bullshit
    Radio NZ reports: Te Pāti Māori’s co-leader Debbie Ngarewa-Packer has accused the new government of “deliberate .. systemic genocide” over its policies to roll back the smokefree policy and the Māori Health Authority. The left love hysterical language. If you oppose racial quotas in laws, you are a racist. And now if you sack ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    1 day ago

  • ELE LUDEMANN: It wasn’t just $55 million
    Ele Ludemann writes –  Winston Peters reckons media outlets were bribed by the $55 million Public Interest Journalism Fund. He is not the first to make such an accusation. Last year, the Platform outlined conditions media signed up to in return for funds from the PJIF: . . . ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    1 day ago

  • Weekly Roundup 1-December-2023
    Wow, it’s December already, and it’s a Friday. So here are few things that caught our attention recently. This Week in Greater Auckland On Monday Matt covered the new government’s coalition agreements and what they mean for transport. On Tuesday Matt looked at AT’s plans for fare increases ...
    Greater AucklandBy Greater Auckland
    1 day ago

  • Shane MacGowan Is Gone.
    Late 1996, The Dogs Bollix, Tamaki Makaurau.I’m at the front of the bar yelling my order to the bartender, jostling with other thirsty punters on a Friday night, keen to piss their wages up against a wall letting loose. The black stuff, long luscious pints of creamy goodness. Back down ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    1 day ago

  • The Hoon around the week to Dec 1
    Nicola Willis, Chris Bishop and other National, ACT and NZ First MPs applaud the signing of the coalition agreements, which included the reversal of anti-smoking measures while accelerating tax cuts for landlords. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The five things that mattered in Aotearoa’s political economy that we wrote ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago

  • 2023 More Reading: November (+ Writing Update)
    Completed reads for November: A Modern Utopia, by H.G. Wells The Vampire (poem), by Heinrich August Ossenfelder The Corpus Hermeticum The Corpus Hermeticum is Mead’s translation. Now, this is indeed a very quiet month for reading. But there is a reason for that… You see, ...
    A Phuulish FellowBy strda221
    2 days ago

  • Forward to 2017
    The coalition party agreements are mainly about returning to 2017 when National lost power. They show commonalities but also some serious divergencies.The two coalition agreements – one National and ACT, the other National and New Zealand First – are more than policy documents. They also describe the processes of the ...
    PunditBy Brian Easton
    2 days ago

  • Questions a nine year old might ask the new Prime Minister
    First QuestionYou’re going to crack down on people ram-raiding dairies, because you say hard-working dairy owners shouldn’t have to worry about getting ram-raided.But once the chemist shops have pseudoephedrine in them again, they're going to get ram-raided all the time. Do chemists not work as hard as dairy owners?Second QuestionYou ...
    More than a fieldingBy David Slack
    2 days ago

  • Questions a nine year old might ask the new Prime Minister
    First QuestionYou’re going to crack down on people ram-raiding dairies, because you say hard-working dairy owners shouldn’t have to worry about getting ram-raided.But once the chemist shops have pseudoephedrine in them again, they're going to get ram-raided all the time. Do chemists not work as hard as dairy owners?Second QuestionYou ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    2 days ago

  • Finally
    Henry Kissinger is finally dead. Good fucking riddance. While Americans loved him, he was a war criminal, responsible for most of the atrocities of the final quarter of the twentieth century. Cambodia. Bangladesh. Chile. East Timor. All Kissinger. Because of these crimes, Americans revere him as a "statesman" (which says ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    2 days ago

  • Government in a hurry – Luxon lists 49 priorities in 100-day plan while Peters pledges to strength...
    Buzz from the Beehive Yes, ministers in the new government are delivering speeches and releasing press statements. But the message on the government’s official website was the same as it has been for the past several days, when Point of Order went looking for news from the Beehive that had ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    2 days ago

  • DAVID FARRAR: Luxon is absolutely right
    David Farrar writes  –  1 News reports: Christopher Luxon says he was told by some Kiwis on the campaign trail they “didn’t know” the difference between Waka Kotahi, Te Pūkenga and Te Whatu Ora. Speaking to Breakfast, the incoming prime minister said having English first on government agencies will “make sure” ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    2 days ago

  • Top 10 at 10 am for Thursday, Nov 30
    There are fears that mooted changes to building consent liability could end up driving the building industry into an uninsured hole. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Here’s my pick of the top 10 news and analysis links elsewhere as of 10 am on Thursday, November 30, including:The new Government’s ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago

  • Gordon Campbell on how climate change threatens cricket‘s future
    Well that didn’t last long, did it? Mere days after taking on what he called the “awesome responsibility” of being Prime Minister, M Christopher Luxon has started blaming everyone else, and complaining that he has inherited “economic vandalism on an unprecedented scale” – which is how most of us are ...
    Gordon CampbellBy lyndon
    2 days ago

  • We need to talk about Tory.
    The first I knew of the news about Tory Whanau was when a tweet came up in my feed.The sort of tweet that makes you question humanity, or at least why you bother with Twitter. Which is increasingly a cesspit of vile inhabitants who lurk spreading negativity, hate, and every ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    2 days ago

  • Dangling Transport Solutions
    Cable Cars, Gondolas, Ropeways and Aerial Trams are all names for essentially the same technology and the world’s biggest maker of them are here to sell them as an public transport solution. Stuff reports: Austrian cable car company Doppelmayr has launched its case for adding aerial cable cars to New ...
    Greater AucklandBy Matt L
    2 days ago

  • November AMA
    Hi,It’s been awhile since I’ve done an Ask-Me-Anything on here, so today’s the day. Ask anything you like in the comments section, and I’ll be checking in today and tomorrow to answer.Leave a commentNext week I’ll be giving away a bunch of these Mister Organ blu-rays for readers in New ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    3 days ago

  • National’s early moves adding to cost of living pressure
    The cost of living grind continues, and the economic and inflation honeymoon is over before it began. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: PM Christopher Luxon unveiled his 100 day plan yesterday with an avowed focus of reducing cost-of-living pressures, but his Government’s initial moves and promises are actually elevating ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago

  • Backwards to the future
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has confirmed that it will be back to the future on planning legislation. This will be just one of a number of moves which will see the new government go backwards as it repeals and cost-cuts its way into power. They will completely repeal one ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    3 days ago

  • New initiatives in science and technology could point the way ahead for Luxon government
    As the new government settles into the Beehive, expectations are high that it can sort out some  of  the  economic issues  confronting  New Zealand. It may take time for some new  ministers to get to grips with the range of their portfolio work and responsibilities before they can launch the  changes that  ...
    Point of OrderBy tutere44
    3 days ago

  • Treaty pledge to secure funding is contentious – but is Peters being pursued by a lynch mob after ...
    TV3 political editor Jenna Lynch was among the corps of political reporters who bridled, when Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters told them what he thinks of them (which is not much). She was unabashed about letting her audience know she had bridled. More usefully, she drew attention to something which ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    3 days ago

  • How long does this last?
    I have a clear memory of every election since 1969 in this plucky little nation of ours. I swear I cannot recall a single one where the question being asked repeatedly in the first week of the new government was: how long do you reckon they’ll last? And that includes all ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago

  • National’s giveaway politics
    We already know that national plans to boost smoking rates to collect more tobacco tax so they can give huge tax-cuts to mega-landlords. But this morning that policy got even more obscene - because it turns out that the tax cut is retrospective: Residential landlords will be able to ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    3 days ago

  • CHRIS TROTTER: Who’s driving the right-wing bus?
    Who’s At The Wheel? The electorate’s message, as aggregated in the polling booths on 14 October, turned out to be a conservative political agenda stronger than anything New Zealand has seen in five decades. In 1975, Bill Rowling was run over by just one bus, with Rob Muldoon at the wheel. In 2023, ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    3 days ago

  • GRAHAM ADAMS:  Media knives flashing for Luxon’s government
    The fear and loathing among legacy journalists is astonishing Graham Adams writes – No one is going to die wondering how some of the nation’s most influential journalists personally view the new National-led government. It has become abundantly clear within a few days of the coalition agreements ...
    Point of OrderBy gadams1000
    3 days ago

  • Top 10 news links for Wednesday, Nov 29
    TL;DR: Here’s my pick of top 10 news links elsewhere for Wednesday November 29, including:The early return of interest deductibility for landlords could see rebates paid on previous taxes and the cost increase to $3 billion from National’s initial estimate of $2.1 billion, CTU Economist Craig Renney estimated here last ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago

  • Smokefree Fallout and a High Profile Resignation.
    The day after being sworn in the new cabinet met yesterday, to enjoy their honeymoon phase. You remember, that period after a new government takes power where the country, and the media, are optimistic about them, because they haven’t had a chance to stuff anything about yet.Sadly the nuptials complete ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    3 days ago

  • As Cabinet revs up, building plans go on hold
    Wellington Council hoardings proclaim its preparations for population growth, but around the country councils are putting things on hold in the absence of clear funding pathways for infrastructure, and despite exploding migrant numbers. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Cabinet meets in earnest today to consider the new Government’s 100-day ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago

  • National takes over infrastructure
    Though New Zealand First may have had ambitions to run the infrastructure portfolios, National would seem to have ended up firmly in control of them.  POLITIK has obtained a private memo to members of Infrastructure NZ yesterday, which shows that the peak organisation for infrastructure sees  National MPs Chris ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    4 days ago

  • At a glance – Evidence for global warming
    On February 14, 2023 we announced our Rebuttal Update Project. This included an ask for feedback about the added "At a glance" section in the updated basic rebuttal versions. This weekly blog post series highlights this new section of one of the updated basic rebuttal versions and serves as a ...
    Skeptical Science
    4 days ago

  • Who’s Driving The Right-Wing Bus?
    Who’s At The Wheel? The electorate’s message, as aggregated in the polling booths on 14 October, turned out to be a conservative political agenda stronger than anything New Zealand has seen in five decades. In 1975, Bill Rowling was run over by just one bus, with Rob Muldoon at the wheel. In ...
    Bowalley Road
    4 days ago

  • Sanity break
    Cheers to reader Deane for this quote from Breakfast TV today:Chloe Swarbrick to Brook van Velden re the coalition agreement: “... an unhinged grab-bag of hot takes from your drunk uncle at Christmas”Cheers also to actual Prime Minister of a country Christopher Luxon for dorking up his swearing-in vows.But that's enough ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    4 days ago

  • Sanity break
    Cheers to reader Deane for this quote from Breakfast TV today:Chloe Swarbrick to Brook van Velden re the coalition agreement: “... an unhinged grab-bag of hot takes from your drunk uncle at Christmas”Cheers also to actual Prime Minister of a country Christopher Luxon for dorking up his swearing-in vows.But that's enough ...
    More than a fieldingBy David Slack
    4 days ago

  • National’s murderous smoking policy
    One of the big underlying problems in our political system is the prevalence of short-term thinking, most usually seen in the periodic massive infrastructure failures at a local government level caused by them skimping on maintenance to Keep Rates Low. But the new government has given us a new example, ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    4 days ago

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Page generated in The Standard by Wordpress at 2023-12-02T06:06:39+00:00