Why there should be an equal number of men and women in Cabinet

Written By: - Date published: 9:00 am, November 6th, 2015 - 160 comments
Categories: gender, Social issues - Tags:

Justin Trudeau equality

160 comments on “Why there should be an equal number of men and women in Cabinet ”

  • Comments are now closed

  1. Alan 1
    6 November 2015 at 9:21 am

    representation should be based solely on merit, not gender

    • BM 1.1
      6 November 2015 at 9:43 am

      This.
      It’s about skill and talent, not genitals.

      • Crashcart 1.1.1
        6 November 2015 at 9:51 am

        The classic “based on merit” argument.

        By following it through this would indicate that you believe there are more men who are the best choice for leadership rolls and that is why they have them. It could never have anything to do with a society that makes it harder for women to advance than men. It couldn’t be the attitudes of men in leadership rolls groomign and then hiring other men into senior rolls.

        Clearly men having the majority of power positions is because they are better and more suitable for the job right? Women just don’t get the job because they aren’t as good so can’t get it on “merit”.

        • Alan 1.1.1.1
          6 November 2015 at 9:57 am

          classic because it is true.

          • weka 1.1.1.1.1
            6 November 2015 at 10:00 am

            no, you just asserted an opinion. Obviously you belief in it, that doesn’t make it true. Crashcart pointed out a problem with your assertion, care to respond to that?

          • One Anonymous Bloke 1.1.1.1.2
            6 November 2015 at 1:49 pm

            😆

            If position were based on merit, right wingers wouldn’t get high positions. You’re crap at everything from logic to economics.

            • maui 1.1.1.1.2.1
              6 November 2015 at 2:52 pm

              lol, if its about merit, how come bill, gerry, sam, murray and hekia are still at the table.

            • Nessalt 1.1.1.1.2.2
              6 November 2015 at 4:10 pm

              yet it’s the right that control business, currently politics, the media according the rabid left. What do the left control, basically anything with tenure where there is no mechanism for removing dead wood. academia, unions, the labour party. So you’re crap for not even checking your assertion. if it counts, the right control it. if it’s irrelevant the left are welcome to it. you control commenting on this blog, you are of the left, therefore you are irrelevant. happy?

              • One Anonymous Bloke …
                7 November 2015 at 6:53 am

                My “assertion” is that position is not based on merit. Even if your lines about who controls what were true, they don’t address my assertion at all – in fact they assert that position is based on political allegiance, not merit.

                Own goal, bud.

        • BM 1.1.1.2
          6 November 2015 at 10:11 am

          No, it’s more to do with more men being interested in those sort of roles than women, therefore more men get chosen

          • RedLogix 1.1.1.2.1
            6 November 2015 at 10:37 am

            Yes there is an element of truth in that BM. Men are generally more comfortable in competitive, confrontational environments than women.

            Certainly it is men who have constructed the political models we currently have, and it is not so surprising they have created environments which work best for them. This wasn’t so much an evil plot – just the way things have evolved. Certainly some women have proven more than capable of succeeding within the existing system; Helen Clark being the obvious example. But they are as you suggest BM – a minority of women.

            But why should we persist in political and management models, that by their nature, tend to exclude half the population? As I argued below, it’s a waste of talent if nothing else.

            By mandating 50:50 ratios we do more than just widen the talent and skills net – we also start pushing the political system itself in a different direction, one in which I would hope that women would feel more interested in participating in.

            • BM 1.1.1.2.1.1
              6 November 2015 at 10:57 am

              First thing would be to get rid of that wankey debating chamber stuff that politicians do, it achieves fuck all except make politicians look like juvenile dick heads or at the very least they should stop televising it.

              That would go along way in encouraging more women and probably guys to get more involved.

              • RedLogix …
                6 November 2015 at 11:02 am

                Agreed the debating chamber seems to add relatively little value these days. Occasionally it turns up a star performance, but for the most part it’s degenerated into pointless posturing. And reflects badly on the whole business of politics.

                By contrast most of the useful work of politics gets done in the far less structured and more consultative Select Committees.

              • Naturesong …
                6 November 2015 at 1:11 pm

                The debating chamber is where policy is released and discussed. It is also the only time the opposition (on behalf of the public – that’s you and me) get to question the govt to ensure it’s doing its job properly.

                If an MP or Minister behaves like a dick / lies / refuses to answer a question it is purely a reflection upon that individual MP / Minister.
                That they are allowed to do it more than a single time is the responsibility of the Speaker.

                A strong impartial speaker is needed at all times to ensure that our representatives attend to the business of the house and not drift off into pettiness.

                Requiring a supermajority in order to elect a speaker, or ensuring that the speaker has consent of the house (i.e. any individual MP can blackball a prospective speaker at the time they are elected) might be a good place to start.

              • weston …
                6 November 2015 at 9:45 pm

                cant agree bm its an important part of the process and despite the ridicule it gets from a largely politically ignorant population its doubtfull if any or many of us could do much better . A better solution would be teaching our children about the subject by education in schools from an early age . Imo adults are often more stupid than children so starting at the top may not be as effective as starting at the bottom with the kids .

          • weka 1.1.1.2.2
            6 November 2015 at 10:50 am

            “No, it’s more to do with more men being interested in those sort of roles than women, therefore more men get chosen”

            Is it better for society to have men as leaders then? I think not (demonstrably not).

            If more men than women want those roles, then it’s probably because the way the roles are structured in ways that make them men’s jobs. If you don’t have paid maternity leave for instance, you drastically reduce the number of women that are going to go for those leadership roles. Most of the places of power in NZ are still structured around what men consider important not what women consider important. If women were in positions of power that would change or course, but they can’t get there, viscious circle. Which is why we need to change things structurally.

            • Colonial Viper 1.1.1.2.2.1
              6 November 2015 at 12:15 pm

              Is it better for society to have men as leaders then? I think not (demonstrably not).

              “society” hasn’t gotten noticeably better over the last 30 years as more women have turned up in boardrooms, as CEOs, on rich lists and as Prime Ministers. What makes you think more of the same is a solution?

              • Bill …
                6 November 2015 at 12:26 pm

                Society will only improve when we grow out of our childish fetish of following leaders. (Ideas, not people, should lead)

                • Colonial Viper …
                  6 November 2015 at 12:27 pm

                  I don’t think we’re going to change tens of thousands of years of cultural inclination towards leaders and hierarchies any time soon.

                  • Lanthanide …
                    6 November 2015 at 1:08 pm

                    +1

                  • Puddleglum …
                    6 November 2015 at 3:57 pm

                    Probably 10 – 15,000 years rather than tens of thousands of years. Hierarchical societies proper emerged with herding/horticultural/agricultural societies, as a best guess.

                    Delayed-return hunter gatherer societies (that employed some capital) probably had more inequality than immediate-return hunter gatherer societies (in which food is hunted and gathered as needed and little capital employed to be able to create a surplus).

                    The latter (immediate return) was far and away the dominant form over the entire evolutionary history of the species. (Here’s an interesting economic study on how egalitarianism was possibly maintained.)

                    Hunter-gatherer societies (especially ones with little semi-horticultural or herding aspects to them) were and are overwhelmingly considered to have been egalitarian and non-hierarchical.

                    That egalitarianism may well have been achieved by ‘reverse dominance’ – ganging up on anyone who tried to assert dominance – and distinguished humans from their chimpanzee relatives. (Solidarity of alliances by the many against the few goes back a long way and was probably responsible for such things as the pair-bond based ‘family’ itself being able to come into being.)

                    This recent study simulating hunter-gatherer residential decision making also supports the idea that there was probably gender equality as the norm during the human evolutionary past.

                    • weka …
                      6 November 2015 at 5:38 pm

                      Nice one. That last link is intriguing because it suggests that kinship doesn’t have to be the key to social cohesion.

                      Let’s also remember we are fortunate to live in a country where hunter gatherers lived a mere 200 years ago. There is much we could be learning here.

                    • weka …
                      6 November 2015 at 5:45 pm

                      btw, Puddleglum, while you are here, can I ask your opinion about the idea that the Green Party have reached an electoral ceiling? Is there any useful way to assess that, and do the election results over time demonstrate it in any meaningful way?

                    • Puddleglum …
                      6 November 2015 at 10:58 pm

                      Hi weka,

                      I don’t really have any useful ideas about ‘electoral ceilings’ for the Green Party. Ten years ago most people would have said that the GP had ‘topped out’ at around 5-8%.

                      I seem to remember seeing a graph (but can’t now find the link) comparing the various parties and their supporters/voters in terms of educational background. Labour and National had proportions of their voters similar to the educational profile of the New Zealand population in general.

                      By contrast, NZ First had a lower educational profile (i.e., disproportionately fewer of those in the more advanced educational categories than found in the general population) while both the Greens and ACT were disproportionately supported by those with undergraduate university level or higher qualifications.

                      That kind of a profile may be indicative of a more ‘niche’ appeal for parties like the Greens, NZFirst and ACT than for Labour and National, which could be interpreted as an expression of a ‘ceiling’, I suppose, at the population level for each of those parties.

                      But over the longer haul tides always turn (or at least fluctuate markedly) for political parties that have more than marginal support (i.e., barely registering in polls and elections) as the Green Party clearly does.

                      The New Zealand Labour Party itself took four elections (and the intervention of WWI and the Russian Revolution) to get over 20% of the popular vote.

                      It then stayed in the 20s in percentage terms until the crash and depression helped launch it to 34.3% in 1931 and 46.1% in 1935. It may well have been received wisdom prior to WWI that Labour had ‘plateaued’ at less than 10% popular appeal and then, again, after WWI it may well have been accepted wisdom that they had reached a new plateau in the mid-20% range.

                      So one lesson, I guess, is that major social and economic changes can result in major political shifts. Given the prospect of more environmental (and socioeconomic) issues impacting more directly over coming years it’s anyone’s guess what appeal the Green Party will have over the next decade or two.

                      But that’s probably a longer timescale than you were thinking of in your question about ‘electoral ceilings’.

                      Another point that’s worth considering is that as parties gain greater popular support they are also likely to shift in policy terms. I have no idea what that would mean for the Green Party if, for example, it doubled its popular vote over the next few elections.

                    • weka …
                      6 November 2015 at 11:56 pm

                      thanks for that.

                      Shaw’s plan is to double the membership, so that will change the party too.

                • vaughan little …
                  6 November 2015 at 8:20 pm

                  people always want a champion, especially in times of distress.

                  we’re a heavily symbol-oriented species. probably tied in with our being a linguistic species. we seek leaders who will symbolize us to ourselves and to other groups.

                  i don’t think that’s a childish fetish that can be outgrown. it seems to be at the core of what we are. and whence aesthetics without the dynamic?

                  but yes, if we pursue our symbols at the neglect of meaningful content, then we are up a creek. and it’s so easy to be neglectful. i mean, democracy requires a knowledge on the part of the electorate that’s damn well formidable. i don’t think such knowledge is remotely attainable without thick relationships – tight-knit communities. but capitalism pushes us toward thin relationships. the plug’n’play worker/consumer.

                  • Bill …
                    6 November 2015 at 8:51 pm

                    I’ll go with most of the last para.

                    But the claim that “people always want a champion” – No.

                    And yes, we’re very hooked on symbols and their supposed meaning, but that could be as much about an inherent psychotic trait as it could be about being linguistic creatures ;-). Anyway, it doesn’t follow from that, that we seek to invest symbolic meaning in any given person or whatever so that we can reflect ourselves back to ourselves and onto others. (That’s what you were saying, yes?) I mean, that diminishes the person you’ve imbued with your meaning while simultaneously diminishing yourself.

                    Don’t know what you mean by aesthetics and dynamics? Does that matter?

              • weka …
                6 November 2015 at 1:59 pm

                ““society” hasn’t gotten noticeably better over the last 30 years as more women have turned up in boardrooms, as CEOs, on rich lists and as Prime Ministers. What makes you think more of the same is a solution?”

                I’m not talking about token positions above the glass ceiling available esp to women who are willing to work in the patriarchal system and play the game with the boys with limited influence to change it (and that applies to men who want to change it too). We have no way of knowing what would happen if women were on 50% of every leadership position across society because it’s been too long since we’ve had that (in Pākehā dominated society at least).

                If you look at somewhere like Parliament, where women have incrementally made inroads over a long period of time, it’s pretty easy to see that the women that manage to stay in that system are the ones that can handle the macho culture and the discrimination. I still believe that if Parliament were mandated to have 50% women within a short space of time eg two terms, then we would see a marked change in the culture of the place. Sure there would still be the Jenny Shipleys and Paula Bennets who are quite happy to play and promote the patriarchal game, but I think there would be much more of a balance across the spectrum of women who bring in different values and different approaches to government.

                • Colonial Viper …
                  6 November 2015 at 2:05 pm

                  you’re doing a lot of supposing, and as I said, with women far more prominent in elite positions in society now than 30 or 40 years ago, very little has changed for the better.

                  By the way MPs are the very definition of one percenters. Having more women one percenters might give you a thrill but I don’t think it will change jack for the ordinary NZer.

                  • weka …
                    6 November 2015 at 2:39 pm

                    “and as I said, with women far more prominent in elite positions in society now than 30 or 40 years ago, very little has changed for the better.”

                    Yes, I know you’ve said that, that’s why I specifically addressed that point.

                    You’ve ignored what I’ve said and you’ve now started talking about something else entirely.

                    I don’t believe what you’ve just implied I do, so please stop misinterpreting my comments. If you want to debate what I’ve said, feel free.

                • Tracey …
                  6 November 2015 at 4:07 pm

                  30 years versus 10000 is enough for women to prove their worth…

              • Tracey …
                6 November 2015 at 4:06 pm

                More doesnt mean many

              • Korero Pono …
                8 November 2015 at 8:04 am

                ““society” hasn’t gotten noticeably better over the last 30 years as more women have turned up in boardrooms, as CEOs, on rich lists and as Prime Ministers. What makes you think more of the same is a solution?”

                Could that be because men still call the shots?

                I do not care how you paint it, how you wrap it up, your statement implies that if women were effective in leadership roles, there would have been change. You imply that women make no difference to society.

                There have been significant changes driven by women, changes in the the Domestic Violence Act for example – introduction of Protection Orders, replacing the discriminatory and arbitrary non-violence and non-molestation orders. There are many women in important leadership roles, as change agents, these roles are ignored and considered unimportant by some men. Meanwhile these silent and unrecognised leaders walk amongst us, changing the lives of women and children every day. These leaders chip away at the patriarchal and colonial system by having a voice at the table and effecting change at a deeper societal level. These women mostly go unnoticed because men do not see their role as important, in fact some men see them as the enemy, an enemy who are teaching women every day about how men, society and even other women use tactics of power and control to maintain their positional power. If for no other reason, this is why, not only should there be 50/50 representation at the political table, that representation should be representative of both men and women, not just the dominant societal ideology that sees women as inferior.

          • Ana 1.1.1.2.3
            8 November 2015 at 6:12 pm

            There are no reputable studies which suggest that women aren’t interested in politics at the same level as men, or that the number of qualified women is significantly smaller than the number of qualified men.

            The research does tell us that men are more likely to put their names forward as candidates, even if they have minimal political experience or qualifications – women on the other hand are most likely to put themselves forward as a candidate if they are directly asked by someone from a political party and will only do so if they feel they have “considerable” political experience and qualifications.

        • Daniel Cale 1.1.1.3
          6 November 2015 at 11:21 am

          What very strange logic. There are potentially numerous reasons why there are more men in certain positions, just as there are numerous reasons there are more women in certain positions than men (e.g. Early Childhood Teaching). There are a significant number of capable and high achieving women in Parliament. Quota’s are simply a way of saying women can;t make it on merit. They can, they have, and they will.

          • One Anonymous Bloke 1.1.1.3.1
            6 November 2015 at 2:05 pm

            Yes, there are reasons. Gender bias and male privilege, for example.

            The obvious logic behind it is that better decisions will be made.

            • Daniel Cale 1.1.1.3.1.1
              6 November 2015 at 5:04 pm

              “Male privilege”?? What a nonsense expression. Better decisions will be made when the best people are in the jobs.

              • One Anonymous Bloke …
                7 November 2015 at 6:38 am

                How amusing that you think a shorthand phrase for wage inequality, the glass ceiling, social expectations etc. is “a nonsense”. None of these things exist on Planet Daniel, eh?

                I appreciate you have your own deeply held beliefs about this Danny, and you believe them very very hard, and they’re utterly irrelevant to decision-making theory. Fact: diverse groups make better decisions, no matter what your personal sky-fairy says.

              • Ana …
                8 November 2015 at 6:13 pm

                How do you define “best” for a political job ?

          • mpledger 1.1.1.3.2
            6 November 2015 at 2:09 pm

            But you seem to assume that “merit” is some objective standard. It’s not, it’s a subjective standard, in this case set by those within the system i.e. men.

            And men don’t get chosen on “merit”, they get chosen for a wide variety of reasons that often have little to do with merit – wealth, connections, they know where the bodies are, to gain experience etc.

            • Daniel Cale 1.1.1.3.2.1
              6 November 2015 at 5:06 pm

              Oh women get chosen for some very strange reasons too, mp, including some of the ones you’ve mentioned above. That’s why I don’t support tokenism, whether it’s based on gender, race or any other perceived disadvantage.

              • One Anonymous Bloke …
                7 November 2015 at 7:31 am

                If it were mere tokenism I suppose we’d have to establish the value of tokens.

                However, diverse groups make better decisions than homogenous ones, so this is a matter of seeking a competitive advantage.

          • Tracey 1.1.1.3.3
            6 November 2015 at 4:09 pm

            If life were only as simple as you think it is. But then it might be for some men.

        • Matthew Whitehead 1.1.1.4
          7 November 2015 at 2:28 pm

          Crashcart has it precisely correct. If you believe that women are equally as capable as men, they should be filling roughly 50% of leadership positions if you’re hiring based on merit. Making an effort to identify enough talented women in your own party to achieve rough gender parity in cabinet is literally the least a good leader should do to show women getting a fair go.

      • Zorr 1.1.2
        6 November 2015 at 9:52 am

        If it were actually about merit, the majority of the current cabinet would not be employed as they have continued to display a complete lack of ability and integrity.

        So far, it just seems about maintaining the farce that there is some intrinsic “merit” to being some majority combination of old, cis, hetero, white or male.

        • Colonial Viper 1.1.2.1
          6 November 2015 at 12:17 pm

          If it were actually about merit, the majority of the current cabinet would not be employed as they have continued to display a complete lack of ability and integrity.

          Yet somehow the Opposition parties can’t come close to scratching them. Seems like the current Government isn’t as short of ability as you might suppose. Or is it that the Opposition parties are in even more dire straits?

          • Zorr 1.1.2.1.1
            6 November 2015 at 12:29 pm

            How about instead of lumping everybody not in Government under the broad term “Opposition”, we actually approach this both accurately and objectively. That the current government is as it stands is no proof of either competence or talent in their ministerial portfolios but a competence at getting elected.

            The Greens now are operating under a mandate to have 50/50 representation and it hasn’t hurt their numbers at all. They have never been a majority party in NZ politics and are unlikely to ever be as the implications of our cultural values confines them to a support role. It doesn’t stop them showing the way on a national stage in much the same way we used to, as a country, light the way on the international stage.

            Labour, on the other hand, couldn’t punch their way out of a wet paper bag and their incompetence has nothing to do with other parties in opposition.

            • Colonial Viper 1.1.2.1.1.1
              6 November 2015 at 1:23 pm

              The Greens now are operating under a mandate to have 50/50 representation and it hasn’t hurt their numbers at all.

              You’re only going to know that at the next election.

              Do you think the Greens will get to 15% in 2017? I don’t.

              • Zorr …
                6 November 2015 at 1:37 pm

                Cool. Opinion noted.

                Glad to know your opinion gets decided for you by poll numbers rather than any kind of personal morals. However, considering you are often the sexist dinosaur around here, I personally think that this is some kind of fig leaf you are wearing to cover the fact you’d just prefer people would focus on “the real issues” rather than the underrepresentation of women in parliament.

                • Colonial Viper …
                  6 November 2015 at 2:09 pm

                  Hey Zorr, weaksauce name calling now?

                  I’m simply making a point that the Greens have hit an electoral ceiling and whatever they do with gender politics and identity politics and following Labour down that track ain’t gonna make a difference to that fact.

                  My analysis is that the Greens are now following Labour into cultural irrelevance.

                  Enjoy the journey.

                  you’d just prefer people would focus on “the real issues” rather than the underrepresentation of women in parliament.

                  Parliament is an elite game for elitists talking to the elite. You can get more women into these $160K per annum jobs in Wellington, but it ain’t gonna make a difference to life for ordinary NZers.

                  • Tracey …
                    6 November 2015 at 4:10 pm

                    Have you left the labour party CV?

                  • Zorr …
                    6 November 2015 at 5:32 pm

                    *shrug* I’m not going to be back. This was kind of a last attempt at trying to engage from me just to confirm, to myself, that my assessment was accurate.

                    The problem that is happening here is that the most vocal minority (like yourself) cannot seem to see is that the power of the left has *always* been a progressive, inclusive message. The labourer of today that does not need employment relations legislation that protects them is the same as the women claiming they no longer need feminism. The current benefits that these people experience are the result of much hard work and agitation towards changing the structures that govern us.

                    Whatever the hell the Labour ever stood for is now neatly encapsulated by the Greens but their stupid leadership (Labour’s) is still too busy arguing over who gets to captain the sinking ship rather than looking at why they are no longer relevant. The vocal minority in and around the “Left” – the leadership and MPs, the various blogs and the committed members of their commentariat – effectively block any engagement with the larger voting blocs. It is difficult to want to engage with whatever barrow is being pushed when it always appears like the only thing that is ever happening is a discussion around who should push and what kind of manure we should fill it with.

                    When the times that people try to engage, they are commonly lambasted for how wrong they are and that they should go away and think more about their mistakes in life does not encourage them to engage and provides an example to others of what will happen if they do. The “left”/values you seeem to want to promote is not inclusive at all despite your continuing rhetoric around how if we just followed your lead, we would find ourselves in some cultural relevance Nirvana.

                    Fuck that. I will go where I can make a difference because the blogosphere is not a place where a difference can be made. All the best authors that ever wrote for this site have become burned out dealing with the shit flung at them by aggressive entitled members of the commentariat. Enjoy your echo chamber. You worked hard to make it this way.

              • Korero Pono …
                8 November 2015 at 8:12 am

                CV are you suggesting that a mandate for 50/50 gender representation is likely to hurt the Greens? If so, why?

            • Daniel Cale 1.1.2.1.1.2
              6 November 2015 at 5:13 pm

              “The Greens now are operating under a mandate to have 50/50 representation and it hasn’t hurt their numbers at all.”

              Really? The Greens have had gender based co-leadership since 1995. From 195 through to 2008 their % of the vote stayed static around 7%. In 2011, as Labour’s vote collapsed, it rose to 11.1%, but dropped again in 2014 to 10.7% despite expectations of around 15%. By any measure the Greens have been an electoral failure, 7 elections (excluding when they were part of the Alliance), never formally part of a government.

              • Zorr …
                6 November 2015 at 5:16 pm

                An electoral “failure” despite consistently getting over 10% of the vote? That is definitely a new definition of “failure” to me. Maybe if we were still in FPP land it would be remotely relevant but they have consistently managed to have progressive policies implemented through their advocacy.

              • maui …
                6 November 2015 at 9:01 pm

                Ok, the greens who have more than doubled their vote in the last 9 years are a failure in your eyes. What’s your version of a success, an 8x times increase?

                • Korero Pono …
                  8 November 2015 at 8:15 am

                  Perhaps success is when the leading party (in this case National) can manipulate the system and the voters by ensuring that irrelevant players such as Dunne and Seymour (and their dying parties) get into parliament without a mandate.

              • One Anonymous Bloke …
                7 November 2015 at 7:40 am

                Meanwhile, as the Greens have been increasing their share of the vote, Labour and National have been adopting and implementing their policy proposals.

                So it’s an odd variety of “failure”. A touch of bias peeking out?

          • Naturesong 1.1.2.1.2
            6 November 2015 at 1:15 pm

            Unfortunately the ability that they have an abundance of, which has ensured they stay in power, is not that governance, policy or policy / project implementation.

      • Molly 1.1.3
        6 November 2015 at 9:52 am

        “It’s about skill and talent, not genitals.”
        This. Which is why the current system needs addressing.

        • BM 1.1.3.1
          6 November 2015 at 10:03 am

          What women mps are being discriminated against because of their gender?

          • weka 1.1.3.1.1
            6 November 2015 at 10:10 am

            If cabinet is has significantly more men than women, you either believe that men are more capable, or you have to look at why the gender balance wouldn’t reflect the 50/50 split of men/women in society.

            To answer your question more specifically, all women MPs are being discriminated against, and women in general.

            • BM 1.1.3.1.1.1
              6 November 2015 at 10:16 am

              Are male teachers being discriminated against? because there seems to be a serious gender imbalance going on within teaching.

              • vaughan little …
                6 November 2015 at 10:20 am

                from direct experience – yes. it can be extremely, unimaginably painful.

                • BM …
                  6 November 2015 at 10:28 am

                  In what way?

                  • vaughan little …
                    6 November 2015 at 10:41 am

                    “he’s a pervert” “she said it so it must be true”. happens. teens making super-serious stuff up is rare, but so is getting hit by lightning. and due process is a different kettle of monkeys to being thrown under a bus.

                    if you think about it, how often have strangers insinuated that there’s something sexually fishy about you as a dude? stuff like a visit to my childhood playground, seeing a sign, “please don’t take photographs around this playground”, or in a park, i take a snap of some birds and a few minutes later some teens come up to me and say “were you taking photos of us?” – those were dudes too…. in a pub, “i’ve got a chinese girlfriend” response: “you only want an asian girlfriend so you can dominate her”. words to that effect. all in NZ.

                    maybe i gotta start wearing crispy white business shirts and tasteful ties.

                    • Alethios …
                      6 November 2015 at 11:02 am

                      Sorry to hear that brother.

                      Having spent a lot of time in Asia recently, it’s about the most normal thing in the world for men to be playing with children – and you’ll often see beaming smiles from the parents for doing so. Here in NZ, it’s difficult to even be around kids without my female partner for fear of being given the stinkeye or worse.

                      In my understanding, it’s significantly harder again for male teachers – you’re effectively forced to follow the rule of never being alone with a student. This might seem reasonable enough, but is far more difficult in practice – a student lingers after class to discuss homework, wants to see you to talk about test results, bumps into you in a hallway on the far side of school and so on. Poor bastards.

                    • McFlock …
                      6 November 2015 at 1:34 pm

                      Friend of mine is an ECE professional. She reckons that male ECE educators also get flak because they get paid more because they are as rare as hen’s teeth so are in demand. If it’s not one thing it’s another.

                      That having been said, that’s one of the few areas where the discrimination shoe is on the other foot. It is just an interesting point that the same system that (at best) makes positions of power less accessible or hostile to women also makes a few other areas less accessible or hostile to men.

                      The sooner we stop pretending we don’t have a problem and actively confront it, the better IMO. And the quickest way of confronting it is by demonstrating that the sky won’t fall in when parity is reached.

              • weka …
                6 November 2015 at 10:22 am

                Not sure tbh (how much is discrimination, how much is that men want better paying jobs and are granted them more than women?). But let’s say the answer is yes, you’d then have to ask is that a problem for society.

                • weka …
                  6 November 2015 at 10:29 am

                  Quick google, it looks like at the Principal level in 2002, 70% are men 30% are women, compared to 40% male teachers and 60% female.

                  That’s discrimination.

                  Vaughn above can talk more about individual men’s experiences of being a teacher (and I’ve got stories from a relative). That’s a different thing than looking at gender as a class and how discrimination is working. Still important.

                • BM …
                  6 November 2015 at 10:31 am

                  Are there more women applying to be teachers than men, which is why there’s less male teachers.

                  Are there more men applying to be mps than women, which is why there’s less female mps.

                  If in both professions, the applicants were 50/50 male/female then I’d say there could be a bit of discrimination going on, other wise the gender percentages are just a reflection of the people who have applied.

                  • weka …
                    6 November 2015 at 10:39 am

                    The reasons why more men than women apply are also part of the discrimination. Discrimination is structural as much as anything.

                    For instance women who want to have children and be an MP need different supports than most men in that situation. If we managed society to enable gender equity there would be all sorts of things in place to ensure that mothers could be MPs.

                    Another example is how macho the party culture is. The more macho the less women are going to apply. The more egalitarian the party is, the more attractive it is going to be to women. What this comes down to is whether it’s seen as desirable to have more women MPs. Some people will argue yes because women deserve that. I would also argue yes, because it will make parliament and government better and more effective institutions to have more women.

                    • BM …
                      6 November 2015 at 11:08 am

                      Why are the greens still around 10%, why aren’t more women voting green?

                    • weka …
                      6 November 2015 at 11:57 am

                      what does that have to do with anything I’ve said in this thread? Are you suggesting that parties should have more men in them so that more people will vote for them? Are you suggesting that political parties should sacrifice core values to gain votes?

                    • Colonial Viper …
                      6 November 2015 at 1:28 pm

                      what does that have to do with anything I’ve said in this thread?

                      ? Huh? You spoke directly about it:

                      Another example is how macho the party culture is. The more macho the less women are going to apply. The more egalitarian the party is, the more attractive it is going to be to women. What this comes down to is whether it’s seen as desirable to have more women MPs.

                    • weka …
                      6 November 2015 at 1:48 pm

                      I was talking about women becoming MPs. BM is talking about who women vote for. They’re not the same thing.

              • just saying …
                6 November 2015 at 4:11 pm

                Teachers are poorly paid, particularly compared to other jobs requiring similar skills, education and responsibility. The work is long and hard and conditions are often poor. Most do it for the love of the students and education. Teachers are able to spend much of the school holidays at home (though they have a lot of shcool work to complete).

                I think these are more likely to be the reasons for more women outnumbering men. Decent pay and conditions would see far more men taking on the job, as in countries where this is the case.

              • Tracey …
                6 November 2015 at 4:12 pm

                Are you concerned at how male teachers rise to principal in numbers disproportionate to their overall numbers in the teaching ranks? Just another coincidence BM?

          • Korero Pono 1.1.3.1.2
            8 November 2015 at 8:20 am

            Jacinda Ardern having to deal with sexist comments on a regular basis. Helen Clarke was subject to criticism for her looks and for not bearing children, her husband’s manliness was questioned. There are probably a huge amount of examples if one wants to go hunting.

        • weka 1.1.3.2
          6 November 2015 at 10:08 am

          ha! nice one Molly.

      • Anno1701 1.1.4
        6 November 2015 at 10:06 am

        “It’s about skill and talent, not genitals.”

        half assed…..

      • RedLogix 1.1.5
        6 November 2015 at 10:16 am

        @BM

        Only if you are going to measure ‘skill and talent’ in pure masculine terms. I’ve strongly argued elsewhere that the genders are largely complementary and bring different perspectives to the table.

        (And to anticipate the howl of protest – yes gender is not binary, it exists on a spectrum. Many people do not conform to either strictly masculine or feminine models of behavior).

        To use a crude rugby analogy – if you stack your team with 15 players all built like props – no matter how ‘talented’ they are as forwards, they are going to be beaten a team which has a balance of talented forwards AND backs.

        From my perspective mandating a balance of men and women in senior roles is a good idea, not just from a basic human dignity and rights point of view, but it makes really good sense from a performance one as well.

      • Tracey 1.1.6
        6 November 2015 at 1:00 pm

        It is. he made sure he chose 50% of his cabinet from women equal to the rest. You really do struggle with this. You seem to have in this inbuilt acceptance and inability to challenge the enormous coincidence that is that men just are better than women, more skilled and more talented in disproportionate terms

    • Michael 1.2
      6 November 2015 at 11:07 am

      a) There are more than enough qualified women to achieve a gender-balanced cabinet. It is silly to suggest that it would be impossible to find qualified women.

      b) If there aren’t – guess what, you can recruit more women for Parliament and pursue affirmative action measures to get strong women candidates into Parliament.

      c) We live in a representative democracy. Surely the Government should represent society – not just white males. You need diversity of voices at the Cabinet: for example, when discussing equal pay for equal work, surely it would be good to have some *women* to give their input on it – they have experience in it!

      Anyone who disagrees is just attempting to justify gender inequality, and it’s not okay.

      • arkie 1.2.1
        6 November 2015 at 11:09 am

        Hear hear

      • Richard@Down South 1.2.2
        7 November 2015 at 12:43 am

        You make some good points, however I ask you… how many women (qualified or not) would want to deal with the bullshit that is parliament… seems to me that it would be like dealing with the detention room with all the kids hyped up on sugar and a sense of self entitlement

    • infused 1.3
      6 November 2015 at 12:18 pm

      Yep. Based on what’s between your legs is stupid. More and more women are getting in to parliament on merit.

      This bullshit has gone on long enough.

    • DoublePlusGood 1.4
      6 November 2015 at 12:49 pm

      Look at the standard of MPs in our parliament and tell me that merit has anything to do with most of the people in there.

    • One Anonymous Bloke 1.5
      6 November 2015 at 1:46 pm

      What a noble utopian ideal. Meanwhile, on Earth, privilege tilts the playing field along gender lines, while right wingers make excuses.

    • Fustercluck 1.6
      6 November 2015 at 5:47 pm

      If the dudes pick the criteria then what you get is the sociopathic sausage-fest that dominates NZ and world politics. “Merit” usually means rigged for the existing power structures that are overwhelmingly patriarchal. In my limited experience, the fastest way to get a project moving is to increase the ratio of women to men to something approaching 50/50, regardless of simple “merit” metrics. Increase the emotional intelligence and maturity of the group and you get far better results than with pseudo-expert technocrats.

  2. vaughan little 2
    6 November 2015 at 10:08 am

    i’ve noticed a bit of that lately: if you’re right you don’t have to bother with careful communication cos, hey, you’re right. this is a blight on social media.

    it’s a shitty attitude to 1965. why is 2015 cooler and more deserving of a 50/50 gender thing than 1965?

    if the borg took over cabinet, what gender would it be?

    equal is a shitty, arid metaphor. probably as healthy socially as the idea of “balance” is in public finance. as in, “balancing the books”. liberals are rationalists who swim around in logical constructions like movie stars in swimming pools. aesthetics doesn’t fit into such a strictly rationalist paradigm. you know, justice=fairness=mathematical proportions – cutting pies just so. and since the human world is 5050ish mf, well that’s what cabinet should be too. but wouldn’t it be more fruitful to ditch that and say “justice is whatever is conducive to beauty”? liberalism is unsatisfying. except to middle class geeks with mortgages who were trained in universities to be the pencil pushers of capitalism.

    what kind of resources do feminists need to achieve equal representation in cabinet? labour’s been femmo for a while and women just aint stepping up to the plate in sufficient numbers.

    what’s wrong with “let’s get up to 33 or 40%, pat ourselves on the back and then try to agree on what the hell we just did and what therefore to do next?” a bit of social engineering is fine as long as it’s not done on absolutist terms. nobody wants any more stalinist totalitarian bullshit. for one, how could we possibly know if the world would be better under such conditions since we’ve never had them before? for two, i get a bit anxious when politicos start banging on about ends but go light on means. there’s a whole lot of history to show that politicos should major on means and fit in ends somewhere around that.

    the implication that 2015 is somehow cooler than, say 556, is progressive. things getting better and better. ashis nandy (cool indian intellectual) states that in the 20th century, 220 million people were killed in genocide, 10% by religious motivation, two thirds by communism/nationalism. how the hell can progressives still justify their beliefs? did tolkien – he of the 20th century’s most loved English language fictional work, he of the ‘history as long defeat’ persuasion – simply never happen? enlightenment imperialism? the first world war? did they not happen? things only seem to be getting better and better for that disappearing class of people whose material conditions are getting better and better – people paying off mortgages and such.

    • weka 2.1
      6 November 2015 at 10:17 am

      not really following most of that (better formatting would help), but would like to point out that the main difference between the GP, that has equal representation in its list, and National, that doesn’t, is that the GP made sure that it happened. They did this by first structuring it into the list selection process, and then they worked to support and encourage women to become MPs. It’s not rocket science. If it’s not happening it’s because the party doesn’t want it to.

      As someone pointed out the other day in the thread about Marama Davidson entering parliament, the GP have yet again brought in someone very talented as someone else very talented was leaving, they have a pool of upcoming talent. That that’s because the GP make it a priority. You can apply that to gender.

      Myself, I think NZ should be run by kuia, so I see ‘equality’ as a pretty basic, low level starting point for making society more egalitarian (and apparently we can’t even do that much).

      • vaughan little 2.1.1
        6 November 2015 at 10:24 am

        partially insomnia-inspired vent. paragraphs aren’t meant to connect.

        sometimes i like to go a bit emo. hope that’s not too unconducive to the generally impeccable tone people have come to expect from the standard.

    • Alethios 2.2
      6 November 2015 at 11:12 am

      Just with respect to that “history is a long defeat” idea, you might be interested in Stephen Pinker’s “The Better Angels of Our Nature” which effectively argues that violence has been on the decline over the millenia, centuries and recent decades, and outlines why that might be. It’s a fascinating book, and suggests that while we might have some serious environmental and social problems on our hands, and that the traditional story of human progress (in the sense of our inevitable utopian destiny in the stars, complete with hovercraft) might well be nothing more than myth, there is still something to be said for human progress – the breaking down of traditional barriers, and the slowly growing realisation that we’re all one big family etc.

      • vaughan little 2.2.1
        6 November 2015 at 8:43 pm

        Wikipedia does a nice summary of the criticisms of Pinker’s book.

        I consider him a fruitcake.

        But then neither am i convinced of the boot stamping on a face forever thing.

        I consider the enlightenment a fuckup. I could ramble but I’ll keep it tight:

        1. Enlightenment is a religious term. It denotes the transition from darkness to light. That should be sufficiently embarrassing in itself to warn most people off it.

        2. It’s got the wrong anthropology. Humans just aren’t like that – so terribly reasonable. Reason is just one feature in a grab bag of many that makes us who we are. To privilege one, to elevate one, I interpret as a historical move, based on economic conditions as much as anything else. I’m capital C Christian but I draw from Marx quite heavily to understand movements in intellectual history.

        Back to the cabinet issue. Abstractions like “discrimination” are pretty useless, but they’re what modern day identity politics movements are based around. You go back to the Christian civil rights movement, or the predominantly Christian first wave feminism (wollstonecraft was a marginal and marginalized figure) and you see they based their movement around concrete issues that they could campaign on. very unfluffy, very achievy. if you want women in cabinet, you need political parties to do training programs.

        the empiricist in me says that if it’s worth getting right, it’s worth taking time over.

        • Puddleglum 2.2.1.1
          6 November 2015 at 11:08 pm

          My take is that the Enlightenment was far more a political project (to undermine the hold on power of aristocratic structures) than it was a philosophical or scientific project.

          That’s why the ‘individual’ gets star billing during the Enlightenment (and hence why ‘reason’ – which is characterised as a property of individual cognition – became lauded; it was a highly subversive intellectual cocktail riding on the Reformation’s coattails).

          Most of the Enlightenment philosophers and thinkers were, of course, quite self-aware political activists and essayists. From Descartes on they knew what they were engaged in was a highly political act, first and foremost.

          • vaughan little 2.2.1.1.1
            7 November 2015 at 5:25 am

            they wanted to take power from those who had power plain and simple. but they were never honest with themselves about that. instead they appealed to nature and natural laws, like progress, to validate them.

            had they been honest they would have just called it what it was. a power grab. incredibly destructive, as it turns out.

            • RedLogix 2.2.1.1.1.1
              7 November 2015 at 9:14 am

              Not to mention the sheer economic impact of the Black Death, meaning that skilled trades-people and workers suddenly had a bit of real bargaining power for the first time in several millenia.

        • Molly 2.2.1.2
          7 November 2015 at 8:46 am

          ” It’s got the wrong anthropology. Humans just aren’t like that – so terribly reasonable. “
          I’m not sure that you are correct here. There are many traditional indigenous cultural practices that seek peaceful resolutions. Particularly in communities where collective ownership and sharing is still existing.

          I think you are speaking from mainly a modern western perspective, even though I’ll admit there are some pretty hairy indigenous responses to conflict as well. However, the Norway system of rehabilitative justice does show progress that is coming to this aspect of modern life as well.

          if you want women in cabinet, you need political parties to do training programs.
          Why? To train prospective MP’s to fit the mould? That could well eliminate the benefits. Embracing diversity requires shifts in practice, thinking and decision making. That change often does create a space for better long term decisions.

  3. alwyn 3
    6 November 2015 at 10:10 am

    Rather than do it by sex I think we should do it by age.
    For a Cabinet of 30 say we should have
    5 in their 20s.
    5 in their 30s
    5 in their 40s
    5 in their 50s
    5 in their 60s
    and 5 older than that.
    I am not really willing to suggest it would be necessary to have 5 in the age group up to 9, but others might.
    That would certainly clean out the no-hopers in the current political parties wouldn’t it?

    • weka 3.1
      6 November 2015 at 10:19 am

      Unlike with gender, I think we can argue that the things we might value in a Minister do vary with age.

      • alwyn 3.1.1
        6 November 2015 at 10:39 am

        I suspect that you, like nearly everyone, would think that their own age is probably the correct one for the majority of politicians.
        I like Ronald Reagan’s reply to a questioner in the second TV debate of the 1984 campaign when his age, 73 at the time I think, was questioned. His opponent, Mondale would have been about 50.

        Reagan’s response was perfect.
        “I want you to know that also I will not make age an issue of this campaign. I am not going to exploit, for political purposes, my opponent’s youth and inexperience.”
        Even Mondale had to laugh.

        Personally I think there may be good sense in the argument that no-one under 70 should be allowed to be in Cabinet, or Parliament for that matter.
        They wouldn’t hang around for ever like some of the present lot would they?

        Out of curiosity what traits did you have in mind and what age group best personifies them? If you nominate different desirable traits as appearing in different age groups I think my point would be proved.

        • weka 3.1.1.1
          6 November 2015 at 10:45 am

          “I suspect that you, like nearly everyone, would think that their own age is probably the correct one for the majority of politicians.”

          Nope, not what I was thinking at all. I just don’t think you can swap age for gender in this discussion and have them be the same arguments.

          “Out of curiosity what traits did you have in mind and what age group best personifies them? If you nominate different desirable traits as appearing in different age groups I think my point would be proved.”

          Kind of odd that you think that someone over 70 shouldn’t be there then.

          The most obvious one is that a 20 year old is unlikely to have the work experience that enables good management of a government department. It’s not about desirable traits, it’s simple physics as related to time.

          • Crashcaart 3.1.1.1.1
            6 November 2015 at 11:07 am

            I actually agree with Alwyn on this.

            Just as differing Genders bring different strenghts and weaknesses so do different age groups. They would also bring a more varried point of view in both cases. Issues that may seem minor to a person close to or at retirement age with their own home sorted could be very important to someone just starting to make their way through life.

            Age by no means denotes wisdom. I work with people of hugely varying age groups. We have people in their 50’s who act like they are 21 and people in thiier 20’s with families who show a level of maturity I only aspire too.

            Just as Political parties would benefit from having a braod range of genders so they would benefit from having a braod range of ages and societal back grounds.

            • weka 3.1.1.1.1.1
              6 November 2015 at 11:51 am

              It’s not an age = wisdom argument, it’s an age = immaturity argument (and I don’t mean that pejoratively). Would you be ok with a 20 year old doing brain surgery? Or a 15 year old midwife? Or a 15 year old flying a plane? It’s nothing to do with the perspectives of those people (I’m sure they have useful ones), it’s simply a matter of how much time it takes to train and gain the experience to take on responsibilities.

              Of course age diversity is important, and it makes sense to have someone pretty young in charge of Youth Affairs. I’m talking about the actual capacity to oversee a government department, but then maybe Im over-estimating what Ministers do 😉

              My main objection was to the idea that age was synonymous to gender in terms of the issues (it’s not), and the 5, 5, 5, 5 split thing just seemd artififical and daft to me. The reason that we look at 50/50 for gender is because that reflects what is in society. The 5/5/5/5 thing doesn’t reflect age distribution, it’s just arbitraty allocation of numbers our brains happen to like. If we want better age diversity in parliament, that’s not the way to do it.

              • alwyn …
                6 November 2015 at 3:07 pm

                ” The 5/5/5/5 thing doesn’t reflect age distribution, it’s just arbitraty allocation of numbers” according to your view.
                I suggest that you look at the Age pyramid for New Zealand.
                http://www.stats.govt.nz/pop-pyramid
                I would say that the allocation I proposed wouldn’t be to different from the actual population and isn’t just “arbitrary”.
                It would lead to a little bit higher allocation to those over 60 perhaps but wouldn’t otherwise be greatly different to the real distribution.

                As for your comments about the 15 year olds doing things. You will note that, in fact, the minimum age for being in Cabinet at least would be 20.

                I find a proposal that we should allocate Cabinet positions rigidly by Gender, as you seem to support to be at least as “artififical and daft ” as any other rule of its ilk. It just happens to be one that you don’t approve of.
                Anything other than pure ability is artificial and arbitrary isn’t it?

                • One Anonymous Bloke …
                  6 November 2015 at 3:09 pm

                  If you believe that why are you excusing privilege as a measure?

                  • alwyn …
                    6 November 2015 at 3:23 pm

                    “you excusing privilege”
                    Where am I doing that? I don’t understand what you mean by this comment.

                    • One Anonymous Bloke …
                      6 November 2015 at 3:30 pm

                      At the moment men are riding on gender bias and privilege, not ‘pure ability’. It limits the talent pool.

          • alwyn 3.1.1.1.2
            6 November 2015 at 11:10 am

            “someone over 70 shouldn’t be there”
            No, no. I said that people UNDER 70 shouldn’t be there.
            It isn’t meant as a serious view though. There is an argument that age brings experience I suppose but I’m not sure it really applies.

            As far as sex goes as a qualification I suspect that there are more men than women MPs mostly because a smaller proportion of women want the job. I remember a proposal in the US that anyone who wanted to be President should be automatically disqualified as being emotionally unstable.

            Oh that a few more would take Sherman’s approach.
            “”I hereby state, and mean all that I say, that I never have been and never will be a candidate for President; that if nominated by either party, I should peremptorily decline; and even if unanimously elected I should decline to serve.”

            • Crashcaart 3.1.1.1.2.1
              6 November 2015 at 11:17 am

              I do think a quota is not the right way to go about it, I don’t see any harm in parties trying to identify people based on a much wider variety of skill sets adn then try and grow and mentor them into politics.

              • alwyn …
                6 November 2015 at 3:20 pm

                Now that I do approve of. A mix of people are to be applauded.
                You might not approve of the individuals but that is what National did with people like Key, Groser and Joyce.

                I do have a problem with the modern trend to getting people in Parliament who have never done anything else in their life though. These are the ones who do degrees in Pol Sci, go into student politics, get a job in the party support offices in Parliament, then get jobs in the PM or a Cabinet Ministers office, get into Parliament and stay there forever.
                It is, so far, more common in the ‘Left” parties in New Zealand but it is spreading. People like Robertson and Hipkins are examples. Little at least did something else in the meantime and got a more useful degree.

                It is getting particularly bad in the Conservative Party in Britain. People like Cameron have done nothing else in their entire life. Those of his ilk are dominating the Cabinet and highly skilled people who did other things before their election are ignored.

          • Bill 3.1.1.1.3
            6 November 2015 at 9:14 pm

            …is unlikely to have the work experience that enables good management of a government department

            And since we manage things by ways that are informed by (that ‘P’ word again), then it’s implied that anyone seeking some elevated status or position would have to be cognisant with that particular culture. In effect, they’d have had to have internalised and accepted its ways. At which point the gender balance becomes banal except that it strengthens and nomalises to an ever greater degree (that “P” word again).

            But then, that’s one of the age old arguments between liberal feminism and anarcho feminism.

            • weka 3.1.1.1.3.1
              6 November 2015 at 9:27 pm

              and some argue that since we’re all products of the patriarchy none of us can operate outside the patriarchy 😉

              As you probably know, I’m all for reforming parliament in whatever ways we can so that we have more chance of doing the real work and change beyond that. I don’t for instance believe that the GP gender equity policy, or if parliament adopted such a policy, would enable the patriarchy except to the extent that the people there were unaware of it. Thank god for feminism then. Which is why I disagree with my first sentence above.

    • Puddleglum 3.2
      6 November 2015 at 4:49 pm

      Hi alwyn,

      The one relevant difference between age and gender (in terms of the analogy you present) is that a lack of full age diversity in cabinet does not discriminate against individual citizens because we (almost) all traverse the decades you’ve listed.

      No-one misses out by virtue of being 20 years old all their life.

      For that reason, I’m less surprised that young people are under-represented in, for example, the Fortune 500 rich list or in nation state level cabinet positions than I am by women being under-represented in those same positions.

      Most things that we accumulate (wealth, knowledge, skills, etc.) take time to accumulate to any great degree (unless we win the lottery when it comes to wealth).

      That’s not to say that I don’t support people of all ages being able to gain positions of public responsibility and I certainly support people of (almost) all ages having a direct say in collective decisions, especially those that directly affect them.

      The lack of women in leading political roles does surprise me, as I said. It’s especially surprising if, as some suggest, the route to those positions is laid with meritocratic paving stones. I struggle to think of a theory that explains why women are either less desirous of having some say over our (and their) collective destiny than are men or that women are systematically less capable of developing and gaining the skills required to take on those leadership positions.

      A simpler theory, and one backed up by research is that women actually have just the traits required to be successful leaders but that our perceptions of what makes for a successful leader are quite ‘masculinist’ (‘strong’, ‘swaggering’, ‘self-confident’, etc.).

      That is, women may well make as good – or even more successful – leaders as men but they don’t possess the characteristics required for the rest of us to make them leaders.

      Our bad.

  4. vaughan little 4
    6 November 2015 at 10:18 am

    if you want to be terrified, put beauty at the heart of your politics.

  5. Ad 5
    6 November 2015 at 10:18 am

    I don’t think the sky would fall in.
    Why not?

    • Lanthanide 5.1
      6 November 2015 at 10:22 am

      The sky might not “fall in”, but we might end up with a situation where people who have better skills or are more suited to the job, are passed by for the position due to a need to fill a quota.

      How significant a problem this is, is very debatable and incredibly hard to quantify.

      • weka 5.1.1
        6 November 2015 at 10:35 am

        It’s possible, but only if parties don’t make an effort to address why there is a gender issue. If all they do is appoint a 50/50 mix and they don’t also have policies in place that redress the inherent bias towards men become MPs more than women, then there might be a problem. I gave an explanation above about the GP list and how they also make sure that they have good people coming through i.e. they have a pool of talented women because they make sure that talented women are sought, encouraged etc.

        • Lanthanide 5.1.1.1
          6 November 2015 at 11:05 am

          Does the extra resources the GP use attract and retain women MPs pay off?

          Would the GP be more successful if they used those resources elsewhere?

          • arkie 5.1.1.1.1
            6 November 2015 at 11:24 am

            It clearly does pay off, the GP is packed full of talented and passionate representatives.

            By what metric do you measure ‘success’? And is that success worth dismantling a core aspect of their party policy? I would argue that their success is to stand firm to principles in the face of these sort of arguments.

            • Lanthanide 5.1.1.1.1.1
              6 November 2015 at 1:04 pm

              Are you suggesting that if they didn’t have women in the party, it wouldn’t be packed full of talented and passionate representatives?

              • McFlock …
                6 November 2015 at 2:31 pm

                Probably not to the same extent.

                I think that working in an environment with diverse colleagues helps find a broader range of solutions, better ways of doing things, and makes it easier to state your opinion if it’s different to the group’s.

                That’s just my personal experience of different workplaces: the less diverse ones were still dedicated, but there were more conceptual blank areas when it came to problem solving and convention trumped originality.

                • One Anonymous Bloke …
                  6 November 2015 at 3:11 pm

                  Thanks McFlock – I’ve been trying to figure out how to articulate that and now I don’t have to.

                  Well put.

            • Mike S 5.1.1.1.1.2
              8 November 2015 at 2:15 am

              In terms of a political party surely you measure success in the percentage of votes the party receives.

          • weka 5.1.1.1.2
            6 November 2015 at 11:54 am

            Does the extra resources the GP use attract and retain women MPs pay off?

            Maybe they don’t need to use ‘extra’ resources because gender equity is built into their processes and structures so it happens naturally. They probably had to use extra resources to set that up. As Arkie points out, the GP doesn’t seem to have a problem with talent, not IMO good women MPs, so I’d say yes, it pays off.

            Would the GP be more successful if they used those resources elsewhere?

            More successful at what?

            • Lanthanide 5.1.1.1.2.1
              6 November 2015 at 1:05 pm

              “More successful at what?’

              Any of their own metrics they use to judge their success on. I would guess that one of those is “seats in parliament”.

              • weka …
                6 November 2015 at 1:46 pm

                Do you think the GP should give up core values in order to get more seats?

                • Lanthanide …
                  6 November 2015 at 3:31 pm

                  Depends if they want a chance to effectively implement their vision, or just sit on the sidelines.

                  • weka …
                    6 November 2015 at 3:46 pm

                    It’s an old argument, but my view is that the GP know what’s best for them. I also think that if they backtracked on their gender equity policy (I bet it’s cheaper to have one leader for instance) that they would lose members, activists and voters.

                    • Lanthanide …
                      6 November 2015 at 5:11 pm

                      But that same rigorous adherence to that policy may also prevent them from truly breaking into the mainstream and becoming a 30%+ party.

                      Of course, society should change and adapt to the Greens way of doing things. And of course if people don’t actually advocate and enact change themselves, it won’t happen.

                      I guess it boils down to being impossible to quantify this sort of stuff in any real objective fashion, so might as well just go with ‘whats right’ and suffer any consequences – and benefits – in the process.

                    • weka …
                      6 November 2015 at 5:27 pm

                      One of the reasons I vote Green is because they have core values that determine action. If that were to change substantially, I’d resign my membership. So I think it’s a moot point. If they changed their gender internal policy they’d face massive resistance from the rest of the party. In fact I can’t even think who ‘they’ might be because such a thing would need very wide support and I just can’t see how that could happen.

                      It’s also part of the GP kaupapa to see change not power. They may very well be better off having less MPs but demonstrating good principles like the gender one.

      • Tracey 5.1.2
        6 November 2015 at 4:17 pm

        We already have peolple with greater experience and exprtise being passed over due to an unspoken and largely unacknowledge quota system. Its the “i am more comfortable hiring people like me ” quota system that many dont know they are using.

      • RedBaronCV 5.1.3
        7 November 2015 at 9:49 am

        Currently plenty of people “who have better skills or are more suited to the job, are passed by for the position” are being passed over for positions so why attack quota’s in that way.

    • Bill 5.2
      6 November 2015 at 10:23 am

      Basically the beginning and end of the whole debate right there Ad.

  6. Chrys Berryman 6
    6 November 2015 at 10:29 am

    
..if the system was based on merit,we’d have women holding down 80% of the top jobs in the country

.at the moment its an old boys network deciding top job placements based on what elitist school you attended

.

    • alwyn 6.1
      6 November 2015 at 11:20 am

      Do you have any evidence at all for the statement that
      ” top job placements based on what elitist school you attended

.”?

      That is certainly due in Britain, where a Public School seems to be the norm for about a third of MPs from all parties, but I don’t see anything that justifies the claim being true for New Zealand politicians.

  7. Psycho Milt 7
    6 November 2015 at 10:43 am

    “Because it’s 2015”

    I’m confused – is 2015 the International Year Of The Equal-Number-Of-Men-And-Women-in-Cabinet or something?

  8. One Anonymous Bloke 8
    6 November 2015 at 1:47 pm

    Good for Trudeau.

  9. sabine 9
    6 November 2015 at 2:20 pm

    not sure how to post a picture, but this one says more then a thousand words.

    half of our minister are women
    half of our minister are men
    and the minister of transport is a fucking astronaut
    and one is openly ginger

    https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10156149309560403&set=a.229167980402.293257.600270402&type=3&theater.

  10. Henry Filth 10
    6 November 2015 at 3:09 pm

    Men are just more corrupt, and thus more likely to employ others from the same school/club/whatever.

    Exacerbated by the fact that New Zealand has a really small talent pool

  11. greywarshark 11
    6 November 2015 at 9:49 pm

    How Yes Minister thought about the male/female gap in higher positions.
    (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fJMW6M28Clw)

  12. Drowsy M. Kram 12
    6 November 2015 at 10:23 pm

    “It is amazing what you can accomplish if you do not care who gets the credit.”
    ― Harry S. Truman

    Men, Women, and Ghosts in Science

    • Lara 12.1
      8 November 2015 at 7:06 am

      Yes, we’re different.

      Historically, and for too many people currently, that difference has been interpreted as women aren’t as good as men, men are better. So leave women to the things they do well (having babies and making sammiches) and leave men to the important things like work and running the country.

      But we’re just different. Not better, not worse, just different.

  13. Foreign waka 13
    7 November 2015 at 7:48 am

    The discussion seem to imply that gender balance is an issue that needs to be addressed from the top down. But it isn’t. The difference is being made in the upbringing and education of the kids in the same way as smoking once was seen as cool (50’s ?) and now it is viewed as yuck (for the lack of a better word). Not that I propose that there only can be a black and white experience, grey shades are preferable.
    Many influences shape a person and it is getting more and more difficult to change the mind on a subject as one gets older. Therefore, would it not stand to reason that the experience in school life, the music industry, fashion and sport are the mind sharpers and hence the “bottom up” game changer?
    In all of that balance is the key.
    Just one example: why would it be that a mother that likes to be just that has in many cases a feeling that she is not contributing to society (and yet she absolutely is)? Is this because the measure of success is pegged against values that are based almost entirely on acquisitions. A trait from a tribal time where it was so important for the survival of the group. Women were not part of that (hunting, trading, politics, etc) and to some extent still aren’t. This expresses itself on issues of “power” sharing, pay equity and the value structure of the “civil maintenance” work women do. Too tedious for the so important men of this world.
    There is nothing left to hunt other then money and property to the detriment of the whole society, why would a women want to participate in that? Most women who enter the fray like to think that they can change this. Whether they succeed is a different story.

  14. Lara 14
    8 November 2015 at 7:11 am

    I watched this conversation for a while, not wanting to get into something like this. But I must say that apart from a very few pretty horrid comments overall this discussion has improved my perception of fellow human beings. Mostly polite and focussing on facts, not so much name calling.

    There’s a big problem with even discussing topics of sexism online. The virulent misogyny on display over time has the effect of pushing out those who are affected by it the most. Its hard to join a discussion on the topic when you know you’ll have to argue the basics every single time and be subjected to hatred directed at you personally.

    And so the discussion loses many important voices over time. Only those with enormous energy and thick skins stay.

    The trolls win.

    But I’m heartened to see a relatively civilised discussion of an issue of sexism here at TS. Thank you.

Recent Comments

Recent Posts

  • The worth of it all
    Hello! Here comes the Saturday edition of More Than A Feilding, catching you up on the past week’s editions.State of humanity, 20242024, it feels, keeps presenting us with ever more challenges, ever more dismay.Do you give up yet? It seems to ask.No? How about this? Or this?How about this?Full story Share ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    2 hours ago

  • What is the Hardest Sport in the World?
    Determining the hardest sport in the world is a subjective matter, as the difficulty level can vary depending on individual abilities, physical attributes, and experience. However, based on various factors including physical demands, technical skills, mental fortitude, and overall accomplishment, here is an exploration of some of the most challenging ...
    Gareth’s WorldBy admin
    5 hours ago

  • What is the Most Expensive Sport?
    The allure of sport transcends age, culture, and geographical boundaries. It captivates hearts, ignites passions, and provides unparalleled entertainment. Behind the spectacle, however, lies a fascinating world of financial investment and expenditure. Among the vast array of competitive pursuits, one question looms large: which sport carries the hefty title of ...
    Gareth’s WorldBy admin
    5 hours ago

  • Pickleball On the Cusp of Olympic Glory
    Introduction Pickleball, a rapidly growing paddle sport, has captured the hearts and imaginations of millions around the world. Its blend of tennis, badminton, and table tennis elements has made it a favorite among players of all ages and skill levels. As the sport’s popularity continues to surge, the question on ...
    Gareth’s WorldBy admin
    5 hours ago

  • The Origin and Evolution of Soccer Unveiling the Genius Behind the World’s Most Popular Sport
    Abstract: Soccer, the global phenomenon captivating millions worldwide, has a rich history that spans centuries. Its origins trace back to ancient civilizations, but the modern version we know and love emerged through a complex interplay of cultural influences and innovations. This article delves into the fascinating journey of soccer’s evolution, ...
    Gareth’s WorldBy admin
    5 hours ago

  • How Much to Tint Car Windows A Comprehensive Guide
    Tinting car windows offers numerous benefits, including enhanced privacy, reduced glare, UV protection, and a more stylish look for your vehicle. However, the cost of window tinting can vary significantly depending on several factors. This article provides a comprehensive guide to help you understand how much you can expect to ...
    Gareth’s WorldBy admin
    5 hours ago

  • Why Does My Car Smell Like Gas? A Comprehensive Guide to Diagnosing and Fixing the Issue
    The pungent smell of gasoline in your car can be an alarming and potentially dangerous problem. Not only is the odor unpleasant, but it can also indicate a serious issue with your vehicle’s fuel system. In this article, we will explore the various reasons why your car may smell like ...
    Gareth’s WorldBy admin
    5 hours ago

  • How to Remove Tree Sap from Car A Comprehensive Guide
    Tree sap can be a sticky, unsightly mess on your car’s exterior. It can be difficult to remove, but with the right techniques and products, you can restore your car to its former glory. Understanding Tree Sap Tree sap is a thick, viscous liquid produced by trees to seal wounds ...
    Gareth’s WorldBy admin
    5 hours ago

  • How Much Paint Do You Need to Paint a Car?
    The amount of paint needed to paint a car depends on a number of factors, including the size of the car, the number of coats you plan to apply, and the type of paint you are using. In general, you will need between 1 and 2 gallons of paint for ...
    Gareth’s WorldBy admin
    5 hours ago

  • Can You Jump a Car in the Rain? Safety Precautions and Essential Steps
    Jump-starting a car is a common task that can be performed even in adverse weather conditions like rain. However, safety precautions and proper techniques are crucial to avoid potential hazards. This comprehensive guide will provide detailed instructions on how to safely jump a car in the rain, ensuring both your ...
    Gareth’s WorldBy admin
    5 hours ago

  • Can taxpayers be confident PIJF cash was spent wisely?
    Graham Adams writes about the $55m media fund — When Patrick Gower was asked by Mike Hosking last week what he would say to the many Newstalk ZB callers who allege the Labour government bribed media with $55 million of taxpayers’ money via the Public Interest Journalism Fund — and ...
    Point of OrderBy gadams1000
    11 hours ago

  • EGU2024 – An intense week of joining sessions virtually
    Note: this blog post has been put together over the course of the week I followed the happenings at the conference virtually. Should recordings of the Great Debates and possibly Union Symposia mentioned below, be released sometime after the conference ends, I'll include links to the ones I participated in. ...
    Skeptical Science
    13 hours ago

  • Submission on “Fast Track Approvals Bill”
    The following was my submission made on the “Fast Track Approvals Bill”. This potential law will give three Ministers unchecked powers, un-paralled since the days of Robert Muldoon’s “Think Big” projects.The submission is written a bit tongue-in-cheek. But it’s irreverent because the FTAB is in itself not worthy of respect. ...
    Frankly SpeakingBy Frank Macskasy
    14 hours ago

  • The Case for a Universal Family Benefit
    One Could Reduce Child Poverty At No Fiscal CostFollowing the Richardson/Shipley 1990 ‘redesign of the welfare state’ – which eliminated the universal Family Benefit and doubled the rate of child poverty – various income supplements for families have been added, the best known being ‘Working for Families’, introduced in 2005. ...
    PunditBy Brian Easton
    15 hours ago

  • A who’s who of New Zealand’s dodgiest companies
    Submissions on National's corrupt Muldoonist fast-track law are due today (have you submitted?), and just hours before they close, Infrastructure Minister Chris Bishop has been forced to release the list of companies he invited to apply. I've spent the last hour going through it in an epic thread of bleats, ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    17 hours ago

  • On Lee’s watch, Economic Development seems to be stuck on scoring points from promoting sporting e...
    Buzz from the Beehive A few days ago, Point of Order suggested the media must be musing “on why Melissa is mute”. Our article reported that people working in the beleaguered media industry have cause to yearn for a minister as busy as Melissa Lee’s ministerial colleagues and we drew ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    18 hours ago

  • New Zealand has never been closed for business
    1. What was The Curse of Jim Bolger?a. Winston Peters b. Soon after shaking his hand, world leaders would mysteriously lose office or shuffle off this mortal coilc. Could never shake off the Mother of All Budgetsd. Dandruff2. True or false? The Chairman of a Kiwi export business has asked the ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    18 hours ago

  • Stop the panic – we’ve been here before
    Jack Vowles writes – New Zealand is said to be suffering from ‘serious populist discontent’. An IPSOS MORI survey has reported that we have an increasing preference for strong leaders, think that the economy is rigged toward the rich and powerful, and political elites are ignoring ‘hard-working people’.  ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    21 hours ago

  • Melissa Lee and the media: ending the quest
    Chris Trotter writes –  MELISSA LEE should be deprived of her ministerial warrant. Her handling – or non-handling – of the crisis engulfing the New Zealand news media has been woeful. The fate of New Zealand’s two linear television networks, a question which the Minister of Broadcasting, Communications ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    23 hours ago

  • The Hoon around the week to April 19
    TL;DR: The podcast above features co-hosts and , along with regular guests Robert Patman on Gaza and AUKUS II, and on climate change.The six things that mattered in Aotearoa’s political economy that we wrote and spoke about via The Kākā and elsewhere for paying subscribers in the ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    23 hours ago

  • The ‘Humpty Dumpty’ end result of dismantling our environmental protections
    Policymakers rarely wish to make plain or visible their desire to dismantle environmental policy, least of all to the young. Photo: Lynn GrievesonTL;DR: Here’s the top five news items of note in climate news for Aotearoa-NZ this week, and a discussion above between Bernard Hickey and The Kākā’s climate correspondent ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    23 hours ago

  • Nicola's Salad Days.
    I like to keep an eye on what’s happening in places like the UK, the US, and over the ditch with our good mates the Aussies. Let’s call them AUKUS, for want of a better collective term. More on that in a bit.It used to be, not long ago, that ...
    Nick’s KƍreroBy Nick Rockel
    1 day ago

  • Study sees climate change baking in 19% lower global income by 2050
    TL;DR: The global economy will be one fifth smaller than it would have otherwise been in 2050 as a result of climate damage, according to a new study by the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK) and published in the journal Nature. (See more detail and analysis below, and ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 day ago

  • Weekly Roundup 19-April-2024
    It’s Friday again. Here’s some of the things that caught our attention this week. This Week on Greater Auckland On Tuesday Matt covered at the government looking into a long tunnel for Wellington. On Wednesday we ran a post from Oscar Simms on some lessons from Texas. AT’s ...
    Greater AucklandBy Matt L
    1 day ago

  • Jack Vowles: Stop the panic – we’ve been here before
    New Zealand is said to be suffering from ‘serious populist discontent’. An IPSOS MORI survey has reported that we have an increasing preference for strong leaders, think that the economy is rigged toward the rich and powerful, and political elites are ignoring ‘hard-working people’.  The data is from February this ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    1 day ago

  • Clearing up confusion (or trying to)
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters is understood to be planning a major speech within the next fortnight to clear up the confusion over whether or not New Zealand might join the AUKUS submarine project. So far, there have been conflicting signals from the Government. RNZ reported the Prime Minister yesterday in ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    1 day ago

  • How to Retrieve Deleted Call Log iPhone Without Computer
    How to Retrieve Deleted Call Log on iPhone Without a Computer: A Step–by–Step Guide Losing your iPhone call history can be frustrating, especially when you need to find a specific number or recall an important conversation. But before you panic, know that there are ways to retrieve deleted call logs on your iPhone, even without a computer. This guide will explore various methods, ranging from simple checks to utilizing iCloud backups and third–party applications. So, let‘s dive in and recover those lost calls! 1. Check Recently Deleted Folder: Apple understands that accidental deletions happen. That‘s why they introduced the “Recently Deleted“ folder for various apps, including the Phone app. This folder acts as a safety net, storing deleted call logs for up to 30 days before permanently erasing them. Here‘s how to check it: Open the Phone app on your iPhone. Tap on the “Recents“ tab at the bottom. Scroll to the top and tap on “Edit“. Select “Show Recently Deleted“. Browse the list to find the call logs you want to recover. Tap on the desired call log and choose “Recover“ to restore it to your call history. 2. Restore from iCloud Backup: If you regularly back up your iPhone to iCloud, you might be able to retrieve your deleted call log from a previous backup. However, keep in mind that this process will restore your entire phone to the state it was in at the time of the backup, potentially erasing any data added since then. Here‘s how to restore from an iCloud backup: Go to Settings > General > Reset. Choose “Erase All Content and Settings“. Follow the on–screen instructions. Your iPhone will restart and show the initial setup screen. Choose “Restore from iCloud Backup“ during the setup process. Select the relevant backup that contains your deleted call log. Wait for the restoration process to complete. 3. Explore Third–Party Apps (with Caution): ...
    Gareth’s WorldBy admin
    1 day ago

  • How to Factory Reset iPhone without Computer: A Comprehensive Guide to Restoring your Device
    Life throws curveballs, and sometimes, those curveballs necessitate wiping your iPhone clean and starting anew. Whether you’re facing persistent software glitches, preparing to sell your device, or simply wanting a fresh start, knowing how to factory reset iPhone without a computer is a valuable skill. While using a computer with ...
    Gareth’s WorldBy admin
    2 days ago

  • How to Call Someone on a Computer: A Guide to Voice and Video Communication in the Digital Age
    Gone are the days when communication was limited to landline phones and physical proximity. Today, computers have become powerful tools for connecting with people across the globe through voice and video calls. But with a plethora of applications and methods available, how to call someone on a computer might seem ...
    Gareth’s WorldBy admin
    2 days ago

  • Skeptical Science New Research for Week #16 2024
    Open access notables Glacial isostatic adjustment reduces past and future Arctic subsea permafrost, Creel et al., Nature Communications: Sea-level rise submerges terrestrial permafrost in the Arctic, turning it into subsea permafrost. Subsea permafrost underlies ~ 1.8 million km2 of Arctic continental shelf, with thicknesses in places exceeding 700 m. Sea-level variations over glacial-interglacial cycles control ...
    Skeptical Science
    2 days ago

  • Where on a Computer is the Operating System Generally Stored? Delving into the Digital Home of your ...
    The operating system (OS) is the heart and soul of a computer, orchestrating every action and interaction between hardware and software. But have you ever wondered where on a computer is the operating system generally stored? The answer lies in the intricate dance between hardware and software components, particularly within ...
    Gareth’s WorldBy admin
    2 days ago

  • How Many Watts Does a Laptop Use? Understanding Power Consumption and Efficiency
    Laptops have become essential tools for work, entertainment, and communication, offering portability and functionality. However, with rising energy costs and growing environmental concerns, understanding a laptop’s power consumption is more important than ever. So, how many watts does a laptop use? The answer, unfortunately, isn’t straightforward. It depends on several ...
    Gareth’s WorldBy admin
    2 days ago

  • How to Screen Record on a Dell Laptop A Guide to Capturing Your Screen with Ease
    Screen recording has become an essential tool for various purposes, such as creating tutorials, capturing gameplay footage, recording online meetings, or sharing information with others. Fortunately, Dell laptops offer several built-in and external options for screen recording, catering to different needs and preferences. This guide will explore various methods on ...
    Gareth’s WorldBy admin
    2 days ago

  • How Much Does it Cost to Fix a Laptop Screen? Navigating Repair Options and Costs
    A cracked or damaged laptop screen can be a frustrating experience, impacting productivity and enjoyment. Fortunately, laptop screen repair is a common service offered by various repair shops and technicians. However, the cost of fixing a laptop screen can vary significantly depending on several factors. This article delves into the ...
    Gareth’s WorldBy admin
    2 days ago

  • How Long Do Gaming Laptops Last? Demystifying Lifespan and Maximizing Longevity
    Gaming laptops represent a significant investment for passionate gamers, offering portability and powerful performance for immersive gaming experiences. However, a common concern among potential buyers is their lifespan. Unlike desktop PCs, which allow for easier component upgrades, gaming laptops have inherent limitations due to their compact and integrated design. This ...
    Gareth’s WorldBy admin
    2 days ago

  • Climate Change: Turning the tide
    The annual inventory report of New Zealand's greenhouse gas emissions has been released, showing that gross emissions have dropped for the third year in a row, to 78.4 million tons: All-told gross emissions have decreased by over 6 million tons since the Zero Carbon Act was passed in 2019. ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    2 days ago

  • How to Unlock Your Computer A Comprehensive Guide to Regaining Access
    Experiencing a locked computer can be frustrating, especially when you need access to your files and applications urgently. The methods to unlock your computer will vary depending on the specific situation and the type of lock you encounter. This guide will explore various scenarios and provide step-by-step instructions on how ...
    Gareth’s WorldBy admin
    2 days ago

  • Faxing from Your Computer A Modern Guide to Sending Documents Digitally
    While the world has largely transitioned to digital communication, faxing still holds relevance in certain industries and situations. Fortunately, gone are the days of bulky fax machines and dedicated phone lines. Today, you can easily send and receive faxes directly from your computer, offering a convenient and efficient way to ...
    Gareth’s WorldBy admin
    2 days ago

  • Protecting Your Home Computer A Guide to Cyber Awareness
    In our increasingly digital world, home computers have become essential tools for work, communication, entertainment, and more. However, this increased reliance on technology also exposes us to various cyber threats. Understanding these threats and taking proactive steps to protect your home computer is crucial for safeguarding your personal information, finances, ...
    Gareth’s WorldBy admin
    2 days ago

  • Server-Based Computing Powering the Modern Digital Landscape
    In the ever-evolving world of technology, server-based computing has emerged as a cornerstone of modern digital infrastructure. This article delves into the concept of server-based computing, exploring its various forms, benefits, challenges, and its impact on the way we work and interact with technology. Understanding Server-Based Computing: At its core, ...
    Gareth’s WorldBy admin
    2 days ago

  • Vroom vroom go the big red trucks
    The absolute brass neck of this guy.We want more medical doctors, not more spin doctors, Luxon was saying a couple of weeks ago, and now we’re told the guy has seven salaried adults on TikTok duty. Sorry, doing social media. The absolute brass neck of it. The irony that the ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    2 days ago

  • Jones finds $410,000 to help the government muscle in on a spat project
    Buzz from the Beehive Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones relishes spatting and eagerly takes issue with environmentalists who criticise his enthusiasm for resource development. He relishes helping the fishing industry too. And so today, while the media are making much of the latest culling in the public service to ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    2 days ago

  • Again, hate crimes are not necessarily terrorism.
    Having written, taught and worked for the US government on issues involving unconventional warfare and terrorism for 30-odd years, two things irritate me the most when the subject is discussed in public. The first is the Johnny-come-lately academics-turned-media commentators who … Continue reading → ...
    KiwipoliticoBy Pablo
    2 days ago

  • Despair – construction consenting edition
    Eric Crampton writes – Kainga Ora is the government’s house building agency. It’s been building a lot of social housing. Kainga Ora has its own (but independent) consenting authority, Consentium. It’s a neat idea. Rather than have to deal with building consents across each different territorial authority, Kainga Ora ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    2 days ago

  • Coalition promises – will the Govt keep the commitment to keep Kiwis equal before the law?
    Muriel Newman writes – The Coalition Government says it is moving with speed to deliver campaign promises and reverse the damage done by Labour. One of their key commitments is to “defend the principle that New Zealanders are equal before the law.” To achieve this, they have pledged they “will not advance ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    2 days ago

  • An impermanent public service is a guarantee of very little else but failure
    Chris Trotter writes –  The absence of anything resembling a fightback from the public servants currently losing their jobs is interesting. State-sector workers’ collective fatalism in the face of Coalition cutbacks indicates a surprisingly broad acceptance of impermanence in the workplace. Fifty years ago, lay-offs in the thousands ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    2 days ago

  • What happens after the war – Mariupol
    Mariupol, on the Azov Sea coast, was one of the first cities to suffer almost complete destruction after the start of the Ukraine War started in late February 2022. We remember the scenes of absolute destruction of the houses and city structures. The deaths of innocent civilians – many of ...
    Open ParachuteBy Ken
    2 days ago

  • Babies and benefits – no good news
    Lindsay Mitchell writes – Ten years ago, I wrote the following in a Listener column: Every year around one in five new-born babies will be reliant on their caregivers benefit by Christmas. This pattern has persisted from at least 1993. For Maori the number jumps to over one in three.  ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    2 days ago

  • Should the RBNZ be looking through climate inflation?
    Climate change is expected to generate more and more extreme events, delivering a sort of structural shock to inflation that central banks will have to react to as if they were short-term cyclical issues. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāMy pick of the six newsey things to know from Aotearoa’s ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago

  • Bernard's pick 'n' mix of the news links
    The top six news links I’ve seen elsewhere in the last 24 hours, as of 9:16 am on Thursday, April 18 are:Housing: Tauranga residents living in boats, vans RNZ Checkpoint Louise TernouthHousing: Waikato councillor says wastewater plant issues could hold up Sleepyhead building a massive company town Waikato Times Stephen ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago

  • Gordon Campbell on the public sector carnage, and misogyny as terrorism
    It’s a simple deal. We pay taxes in order to finance the social services we want and need. The carnage now occurring across the public sector though, is breaking that contract. Over 3,000 jobs have been lost so far. Many are in crucial areas like Education where the impact of ...
    Gordon CampbellBy lyndon
    2 days ago

  • Meeting the Master Baiters
    Hi,A friend had their 40th over the weekend and decided to theme it after Curb Your Enthusiasm fashion icon Susie Greene. Captured in my tiny kitchen before I left the house, I ending up evoking a mix of old lesbian and Hillary Clinton — both unintentional.Me vs Hillary ClintonIf you’re ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    2 days ago

  • How extreme was the Earth's temperature in 2023
    This is a re-post from Andrew Dessler at the Climate Brink blog In 2023, the Earth reached temperature levels unprecedented in modern times. Given that, it’s reasonable to ask: What’s going on? There’s been lots of discussions by scientists about whether this is just the normal progression of global warming or if something ...
    Skeptical Science
    2 days ago

  • Backbone, revisited
    The schools are on holiday and the sun is shining in the seaside village and all day long I have been seeing bunches of bikes; Mums, Dads, teens and toddlers chattering, laughing, happy, having a bloody great time together. Cheers, AT, for the bits of lane you’ve added lately around the ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago

  • Ministers are not above the law
    Today in our National-led authoritarian nightmare: Shane Jones thinks Ministers should be above the law: New Zealand First MP Shane Jones is accusing the Waitangi Tribunal of over-stepping its mandate by subpoenaing a minister for its urgent hearing on the Oranga Tamariki claim. The tribunal is looking into the ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    3 days ago

  • What’s the outfit you can hear going down the gurgler? Probably it’s David Parker’s Oceans Sec...
    Buzz from the Beehive Point  of Order first heard of the Oceans Secretariat in June 2021, when David Parker (remember him?) announced a multi-agency approach to protecting New Zealand’s marine ecosystems and fisheries. Parker (holding the Environment, and Oceans and Fisheries portfolios) broke the news at the annual Forest & ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    3 days ago

  • Will politicians let democracy die in the darkness?
    Bryce Edwards writes  – Politicians across the political spectrum are implicated in the New Zealand media’s failing health. Either through neglect or incompetent interventions, successive governments have failed to regulate, foster, and allow a healthy Fourth Estate that can adequately hold politicians and the powerful to account. ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    3 days ago

  • Matt Doocey doubles down on trans “healthcare”
    Citizen Science writes –  Last week saw two significant developments in the debate over the treatment of trans-identifying children and young people – the release in Britain of the final report of Dr Hilary Cass’s review into gender healthcare, and here in New Zealand, the news that the ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    3 days ago

  • A TikTok Prime Minister.
    One night while sleeping in my bed I had a beautiful dreamThat all the people of the world got together on the same wavelengthAnd began helping one anotherNow in this dream, universal love was the theme of the dayPeace and understanding and it happened this wayAfter such an eventful day ...
    Nick’s KƍreroBy Nick Rockel
    3 days ago

  • Texas Lessons
    This is a guest post by Oscar Simms who is a housing activist, volunteer for the Coalition for More Homes, and was the Labour Party candidate for Auckland Central at the last election. ...
    Greater AucklandBy Guest Post
    3 days ago

  • Bernard's pick 'n' mix of the news links at 6:06 am
    The top six news links I’ve seen elsewhere in the last 24 hours as of 6:06 am on Wednesday, April 17 are:Must read: Secrecy shrouds which projects might be fast-tracked RNZ Farah HancockScoop: Revealed: Luxon has seven staffers working on social media content - partly paid for by taxpayer Newshub ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago

  • Fighting poverty on the holiday highway
    Turning what Labour called the “holiday highway” into a four-lane expressway from Auckland to Whangarei could bring at least an economic benefit of nearly two billion a year for Northland each year. And it could help bring an end to poverty in one of New Zealand’s most deprived regions. The ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    3 days ago

  • Bernard's six-stack of substacks at 6:26 pm
    Tonight’s six-stack includes: launching his substack with a bunch of his previous documentaries, including this 1992 interview with Dame Whina Cooper. and here crew give climate activists plenty to do, including this call to submit against the Fast Track Approvals bill. writes brilliantly here on his substack ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago

  • At a glance – Is the science settled?
    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

  • Apposite Quotations.
    How Long Is Long Enough? Gaza under Israeli bombardment, July 2014. This posting is exclusive to Bowalley Road. ...
    Bowalley Road
    4 days ago

  • What’s a life worth now?
    You're in the mall when you hear it: some kind of popping sound in the distance, kids with fireworks, maybe. But then a moment of eerie stillness is followed by more of the fireworks sound and there’s also screaming and shrieking and now here come people running for their lives.Does ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    4 days ago

  • Howling at the Moon
    Karl du Fresne writes –  There’s a crisis in the news media and the media are blaming it on everyone except themselves. Culpability is being deflected elsewhere – mainly to the hapless Minister of Communications, Melissa Lee, and the big social media platforms that are accused of hoovering ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago

  • Newshub is Dead.
    I don’t normally send out two newsletters in a day but I figured I’d say something about… the news. If two newsletters is a bit much then maybe just skip one, I don’t want to overload people. Alternatively if you’d be interested in sometimes receiving multiple, smaller updates from me, ...
    Nick’s KƍreroBy Nick Rockel
    4 days ago

  • Seymour is chuffed about cutting early-learning red tape – but we hear, too, that Jones has loose...
    Buzz from the Beehive David Seymour and Winston Peters today signalled that at least two ministers of the Crown might be in Wellington today. Seymour (as Associate Minister of Education) announced the removal of more red tape, this time to make it easier for new early learning services to be ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    4 days ago

  • Bryce Edwards: Will politicians let democracy die in the darkness?
    Politicians across the political spectrum are implicated in the New Zealand media’s failing health. Either through neglect or incompetent interventions, successive governments have failed to regulate, foster, and allow a healthy Fourth Estate that can adequately hold politicians and the powerful to account. Our political system is suffering from the ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    4 days ago

  • Was Hawkesby entirely wrong?
    David Farrar  writes –  The Broadcasting Standards Authority ruled: Comments by radio host Kate Hawkesby suggesting Māori and Pacific patients were being prioritised for surgery due to their ethnicity were misleading and discriminatory, the Broadcasting Standards Authority has found. It is a fact such patients are prioritised. ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago

  • PRC shadow looms as the Solomons head for election
    PRC and its proxies in Solomons have been preparing for these elections for a long time. A lot of money, effort and intelligence have gone into ensuring an outcome that won’t compromise Beijing’s plans. Cleo Paskall writes – On April 17th the Solomon Islands, a country of ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago

  • Climate Change: Criminal ecocide
    We are in the middle of a climate crisis. Last year was (again) the hottest year on record. NOAA has just announced another global coral bleaching event. Floods are threatening UK food security. So naturally, Shane Jones wants to make it easier to mine coal: Resources Minister Shane Jones ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    4 days ago

  • Is saving one minute of a politician's time worth nearly $1 billion?
    Is speeding up the trip to and from Wellington airport by 12 minutes worth spending up more than $10 billion? Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The six news items that stood out to me in the last day to 8:26 am today are:The Lead: Transport Minister Simeon Brown announced ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago

  • Long Tunnel or Long Con?
    Yesterday it was revealed that Transport Minister had asked Waka Kotahi to look at the options for a long tunnel through Wellington. State Highway 1 (SH1) through Wellington City is heavily congested at peak times and while planning continues on the duplicate Mt Victoria Tunnel and Basin Reserve project, the ...
    Greater AucklandBy Matt L
    4 days ago

  • PM’s South East Asia mission does the business
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has completed a successful trip to Singapore, Thailand and the Philippines, deepening relationships and capitalising on opportunities. Mr Luxon was accompanied by a business delegation and says the choice of countries represents the priority the New Zealand Government places on South East Asia, and our relationships in ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    38 mins ago

  • $41m to support clean energy in South East Asia
    New Zealand is demonstrating its commitment to reducing global greenhouse emissions, and supporting clean energy transition in South East Asia, through a contribution of NZ$41 million (US$25 million) in climate finance to the Asian Development Bank (ADB)-led Energy Transition Mechanism (ETM). Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Climate Change Minister Simon Watts announced ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    17 hours ago

  • Minister releases Fast-track stakeholder list
    The Government is today releasing a list of organisations who received letters about the Fast-track applications process, says RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop. “Recently Ministers and agencies have received a series of OIA requests for a list of organisations to whom I wrote with information on applying to have a ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    19 hours ago

  • Judicial appointments announced
    Attorney-General Judith Collins today announced the appointment of Wellington Barrister David Jonathan Boldt as a Judge of the High Court, and the Honourable Justice Matthew Palmer as a Judge of the Court of Appeal. Justice Boldt graduated with an LLB from Victoria University of Wellington in 1990, and also holds ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    20 hours ago

  • Education Minister heads to major teaching summit in Singapore
    Education Minister Erica Stanford will lead the New Zealand delegation at the 2024 International Summit on the Teaching Profession (ISTP) held in Singapore. The delegation includes representatives from the Post Primary Teachers’ Association (PPTA) Te Wehengarua and the New Zealand Educational Institute (NZEI) Te Riu Roa.  The summit is co-hosted ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    21 hours ago

  • Value of stopbank project proven during cyclone
    A stopbank upgrade project in Tairawhiti partly funded by the Government has increased flood resilience for around 7000ha of residential and horticultural land so far, Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones today attended a dawn service in Gisborne to mark the end of the first stage of the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    21 hours ago

  • Anzac commemorations, TĂŒrkiye relationship focus of visit
    Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters will represent the Government at Anzac Day commemorations on the Gallipoli Peninsula next week and engage with senior representatives of the Turkish government in Istanbul.    “The Gallipoli campaign is a defining event in our history. It will be a privilege to share the occasion ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    21 hours ago

  • Minister to Europe for OECD meeting, Anzac Day
    Science, Innovation and Technology and Defence Minister Judith Collins will next week attend the OECD Science and Technology Ministerial conference in Paris and Anzac Day commemorations in Belgium. “Science, innovation and technology have a major role to play in rebuilding our economy and achieving better health, environmental and social outcomes ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    24 hours ago

  • Comprehensive Partnership the goal for NZ and the Philippines
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon held a bilateral meeting today with the President of the Philippines, Ferdinand Marcos Jr.  The Prime Minister was accompanied by MP Paulo Garcia, the first Filipino to be elected to a legislature outside the Philippines. During today’s meeting, Prime Minister Luxon and President Marcos Jr discussed opportunities to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago

  • Government commits $20m to Westport flood protection
    The Government has announced that $20 million in funding will be made available to Westport to fund much needed flood protection around the town. This measure will significantly improve the resilience of the community, says Local Government Minister Simeon Brown. “The Westport community has already been allocated almost $3 million ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • Taupƍ takes pole position
    The Government is proud to support the first ever Repco Supercars Championship event in Taupƍ as up to 70,000 motorsport fans attend the Taupƍ International Motorsport Park this weekend, says Economic Development Minister Melissa Lee. “Anticipation for the ITM Taupƍ Super400 is huge, with tickets and accommodation selling out weeks ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • Cost of living support for low-income homeowners
    Local Government Minister Simeon Brown has announced an increase to the Rates Rebate Scheme, putting money back into the pockets of low-income homeowners.  “The coalition Government is committed to bringing down the cost of living for New Zealanders. That includes targeted support for those Kiwis who are doing things tough, such ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • Government backing mussel spat project
    The Coalition Government is investing in a project to boost survival rates of New Zealand mussels and grow the industry, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones has announced. “This project seeks to increase the resilience of our mussels and significantly boost the sector’s productivity,” Mr Jones says. “The project - ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • Government focused on getting people into work
    Benefit figures released today underscore the importance of the Government’s plan to rebuild the economy and have 50,000 fewer people on Jobseeker Support, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “Benefit numbers are still significantly higher than when National was last in government, when there was about 70,000 fewer ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • Clean energy key driver to reducing emissions
    The Government’s commitment to doubling New Zealand’s renewable energy capacity is backed by new data showing that clean energy has helped the country reach its lowest annual gross emissions since 1999, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. New Zealand’s latest Greenhouse Gas Inventory (1990-2022) published today, shows gross emissions fell ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • Earthquake-prone buildings review brought forward
    The Government is bringing the earthquake-prone building review forward, with work to start immediately, and extending the deadline for remediations by four years, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says. “Our Government is focused on rebuilding the economy. A key part of our plan is to cut red tape that ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • Thailand and NZ to agree to Strategic Partnership
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and his Thai counterpart, Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin, have today agreed that New Zealand and the Kingdom of Thailand will upgrade the bilateral relationship to a Strategic Partnership by 2026. “New Zealand and Thailand have a lot to offer each other. We have a strong mutual desire to build ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago

  • Government consults on extending coastal permits for ports
    RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop and Transport Minister Simeon Brown have today announced the Coalition Government’s intention to extend port coastal permits for a further 20 years, providing port operators with certainty to continue their operations. “The introduction of the Resource Management Act in 1991 required ports to obtain coastal ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago

  • Inflation coming down, but more work to do
    Today’s announcement that inflation is down to 4 per cent is encouraging news for Kiwis, but there is more work to be done - underlining the importance of the Government’s plan to get the economy back on track, acting Finance Minister Chris Bishop says. “Inflation is now at 4 per ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago

  • School attendance restored as a priority in health advice
    Refreshed health guidance released today will help parents and schools make informed decisions about whether their child needs to be in school, addressing one of the key issues affecting school attendance, says Associate Education Minister David Seymour. In recent years, consistently across all school terms, short-term illness or medical reasons ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago

  • Unnecessary bureaucracy cut in oceans sector
    Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones is streamlining high-level oceans management while maintaining a focus on supporting the sector’s role in the export-led recovery of the economy. “I am working to realise the untapped potential of our fishing and aquaculture sector. To achieve that we need to be smarter with ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago

  • Patterson promoting NZ’s wool sector at International Congress
    Associate Agriculture Minister Mark Patterson is speaking at the International Wool Textile Organisation Congress in Adelaide, promoting New Zealand wool, and outlining the coalition Government’s support for the revitalisation the sector.    "New Zealand’s wool exports reached $400 million in the year to 30 June 2023, and the coalition Government ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago

  • Removing red tape to help early learners thrive
    The Government is making legislative changes to make it easier for new early learning services to be established, and for existing services to operate, Associate Education Minister David Seymour says. The changes involve repealing the network approval provisions that apply when someone wants to establish a new early learning service, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago

  • RMA changes to cut coal mining consent red tape
    Changes to the Resource Management Act will align consenting for coal mining to other forms of mining to reduce barriers that are holding back economic development, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. “The inconsistent treatment of coal mining compared with other extractive activities is burdensome red tape that fails to acknowledge ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago

  • McClay reaffirms strong NZ-China trade relationship
    Trade, Agriculture and Forestry Minister Todd McClay has concluded productive discussions with ministerial counterparts in Beijing today, in support of the New Zealand-China trade and economic relationship. “My meeting with Commerce Minister Wang Wentao reaffirmed the complementary nature of the bilateral trade relationship, with our Free Trade Agreement at its ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago

  • Prime Minister Luxon acknowledges legacy of Singapore Prime Minister Lee
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon today paid tribute to Singapore’s outgoing Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong.   Meeting in Singapore today immediately before Prime Minister Lee announced he was stepping down, Prime Minister Luxon warmly acknowledged his counterpart’s almost twenty years as leader, and the enduring legacy he has left for Singapore and South East ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago

  • PMs Luxon and Lee deepen Singapore-NZ ties
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon held a bilateral meeting today with Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. While in Singapore as part of his visit to South East Asia this week, Prime Minister Luxon also met with Singapore President Tharman Shanmugaratnam and will meet with Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong.  During today’s meeting, Prime Minister Luxon ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago

  • Antarctica New Zealand Board appointments
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters has made further appointments to the Board of Antarctica New Zealand as part of a continued effort to ensure the Scott Base Redevelopment project is delivered in a cost-effective and efficient manner.  The Minister has appointed Neville Harris as a new member of the Board. Mr ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago

  • Finance Minister travels to Washington DC
    Finance Minister Nicola Willis will travel to the United States on Tuesday to attend a meeting of the Five Finance Ministers group, with counterparts from Australia, the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom.  “I am looking forward to meeting with our Five Finance partners on how we can work ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago

  • Pet bonds a win/win for renters and landlords
    The coalition Government has today announced purrfect and pawsitive changes to the Residential Tenancies Act to give tenants with pets greater choice when looking for a rental property, says Housing Minister Chris Bishop. “Pets are important members of many Kiwi families. It’s estimated that around 64 per cent of New ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago

  • Long Tunnel for SH1 Wellington being considered
    State Highway 1 (SH1) through Wellington City is heavily congested at peak times and while planning continues on the duplicate Mt Victoria Tunnel and Basin Reserve project, the Government has also asked NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) to consider and provide advice on a Long Tunnel option, Transport Minister Simeon Brown ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago

  • New Zealand condemns Iranian strikes
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Foreign Minister Winston Peters have condemned Iran’s shocking and illegal strikes against Israel.    “These attacks are a major challenge to peace and stability in a region already under enormous pressure," Mr Luxon says.    "We are deeply concerned that miscalculation on any side could ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago

  • Huge interest in Government’s infrastructure plans
    Hundreds of people in little over a week have turned out in Northland to hear Regional Development Minister Shane Jones speak about plans for boosting the regional economy through infrastructure. About 200 people from the infrastructure and associated sectors attended an event headlined by Mr Jones in Whangarei today. Last ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Health Minister thanks outgoing Health New Zealand Chair
    Health Minister Dr Shane Reti has today thanked outgoing Health New Zealand – Te Whatu Ora Chair Dame Karen Poutasi for her service on the Board.   “Dame Karen tendered her resignation as Chair and as a member of the Board today,” says Dr Reti.  “I have asked her to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Roads of National Significance planning underway
    The NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) has signalled their proposed delivery approach for the Government’s 15 Roads of National Significance (RoNS), with the release of the State Highway Investment Proposal (SHIP) today, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says.  “Boosting economic growth and productivity is a key part of the Government’s plan to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Navigating an unstable global environment
    New Zealand is renewing its connections with a world facing urgent challenges by pursuing an active, energetic foreign policy, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says.   “Our country faces the most unstable global environment in decades,” Mr Peters says at the conclusion of two weeks of engagements in Egypt, Europe and the United States.    “We cannot afford to sit back in splendid ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • NZ welcomes Australian Governor-General
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has announced the Australian Governor-General, His Excellency General The Honourable David Hurley and his wife Her Excellency Mrs Linda Hurley, will make a State visit to New Zealand from Tuesday 16 April to Thursday 18 April. The visit reciprocates the State visit of former Governor-General Dame Patsy Reddy ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Pseudoephedrine back on shelves for Winter
    Associate Health Minister David Seymour has announced that Medsafe has approved 11 cold and flu medicines containing pseudoephedrine. Pharmaceutical suppliers have indicated they may be able to supply the first products in June. “This is much earlier than the original expectation of medicines being available by 2025. The Government recognised ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • NZ and the US: an ever closer partnership
    New Zealand and the United States have recommitted to their strategic partnership in Washington DC today, pledging to work ever more closely together in support of shared values and interests, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says.    “The strategic environment that New Zealand and the United States face is considerably more ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Joint US and NZ declaration
    April 11, 2024 Joint Declaration by United States Secretary of State the Honorable Antony J. Blinken and New Zealand Minister of Foreign Affairs the Right Honourable Winston Peters We met today in Washington, D.C. to recommit to the historic partnership between our two countries and the principles that underpin it—rule ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

Page generated in The Standard by Wordpress at 2024-04-19T21:26:42+00:00