You know you’re in trouble when: The bookies open a contract on you

Written By: - Date published: 10:28 am, March 29th, 2012 - 163 comments
Categories: ACC, Judith Collins, police - Tags: ,

One of the amusing things in my mailbox this morning was a link with new contracts at iPredict looking at the possible political casualties from the ACC/Pullar leaks. Looks like the contracts opened yesterday and have had minimal trading when I wrote this post.

You know that bookies sense when there is blood in the water and they’ll create contracts.

I don’t gamble (especially on insider micromarkets like iPredict) but the interesting ones in my mind are:-

  • Judith Collins to cease being a Minister before 1 June 2012
  • An ACC official (excluding Judge, McCliskie or Beehive secondees) to be found to have leaked Boag email
  • Beehive staffer to be found to have leaked Boag email
  • Police to launch investigation into ACC scandal

These also happen to be the highest probability ones on the current trading.

And in other news of the “You know you’re in trouble when..”, Judith Collins reckons that she is going to start defamation proceedings

ACC Minister Judith Collins says she is starting defamation proceedings against two Labour Party MPs and a news media organisation.

Collins alleged on Radio Live this morning that defamatory statements about her had been made outside of Parliament.

“I take my reputation very seriously and when I’ve been defamed I have to take action,” she told host Marcus Lush.

Ah yes.. The relevant comment about that would have to be this one in comments this morning by Frida.

Typical reaction of a NACT bully. When the pressure comes on, squeal to the Police or run and consult a lawyer.

Nothing to worry about here as far as I can see Mickey (I’m a lawyer too). Defamation wouldn’t stick – too many defences available here

Crusher is just trying to shut down debate because she is quaking in her boots as her time is up and her leadership aspirations thwarted

Yep, the results and judgements of the Lange vs Atkinson case pretty much killed the ability of politicians to use defamation as a anti-criticism weapon. That is why recently the political attacks against critics have been launched using spurious police investigations.

The teagate taping results are pretty typical of that approach. In the end it is never judged by the police as being worth while to actually test in court.

163 comments on “You know you’re in trouble when: The bookies open a contract on you ”

  1. Deb 1

    “The teagate taping results are pretty typical of that approach. In the end it is never judged by the police as being worth while to actually test in court.”

    However defamation is a civil matter and does not rely on prior police evaluation.
    There are precedents where defamation against politicians was successful.

    • lprent 1.1

      Yep. But this a politicians threatening a news organisation and what are effectively two members of the public when they are out of the house.

      But since the re-judgement in the Court of Appeal on Lange vs Atkinson in 2000 (?) (after it’d come back from the Privy Council), I don’t think I have seen a case by a politician get anywhere near a court. There is a reason for that. There is no real defence against deliberately misusing or inventing “facts”, but there is a defence if you inadvertently get them incorrect.

      It is in the public interest that we expose politicians to scrutiny. Prior to that case there had been a rash of litigation by politicians against critics. After that case the public interest outweighed the politicians outrage and/or attempts to shut down debate.

      Another thing to thank MMP for. The change in voting system was a factor in causing the Court of Appeal to shift the defences when it comes to politicians.

      My point about the police was that since politicians were limited in what they could do with defamation, we have seen a curious rise in political complaints to the police. Few of those politically motivated complaints appear to actually make it to court.

      • Inventory2 1.1.1

        lprent; it’s pretty naive to suggest that MP’s are “effectively two members of the public” when they are out of the House. In fact MP’s do far more of their work away from the House than they do in it.

        • lprent 1.1.1.1

          In legal terms they are – if a politician is suing them for defamation. The qualified defence of political speech in Lange vs Atkinson applies just as much to them as any other citizen. Note that it is a “defence”. There is nothing that prevents a politicians being sued by another politician from relying on that defence.

          Perhaps you should read and think about some recent NZ law rather than guesswork and instinct?

          • Tom Gould 1.1.1.1.1

            The defamation action is simply a stunt, and I hope the MSM realise it before getting too carried away. A politician suing a politican for defamation over a political matter? The judge will throw it out.

            • Draco T Bastard 1.1.1.1.1.1

              The problem isn’t that the MSM don’t realise that but rather that they won’t inform people that it’s a stunt to divert attention.

  2. alex 2

    Great news for Parata then, or will Collins be more effective from the backbench?

    • Te Reo Putake 2.1

      If Collins can be proved to have leaked this document, then the only bench she’ll be sitting on is the one provided for defendants in court.

      • Jim Nald 2.1.1

        Threatening defamation? Hope that is not sleepwalking to demotion. Oh well, go ahead …

        “Out, damned spot! out, I say!
        One: two: why, then, ’tis time to do’t.
        Hell is murky!
        … What need we fear who knows it, when none can call our power to
        account?”

        Yet who would have thought [this unravelling mess] to have had so much blood …

        • Lanthanide 2.1.1.1

          Especially compared to something like Bill English’s double dipping. Slap with a wet bus ticket.

          Write two letters, as a case of bad judgement, and lose your ministerial position. Leak someone’s name and lose your ministerial position (but then Bennett hasn’t been punished for her privacy breaching either?).

  3. DavidW 3

    If Collins is successful will David Shearer insist that the two MP’s concerned resign their seats? Now that would be acting with integrity.

    • Pascal's bookie 3.1

      And by the same token, Key should demand Collins resign her seat if she drops the case.

  4. Deb 4

    Sorry lprent, I cannot accept your definition of politicians out of the house an “two private citizens” – not remotely – their comments were entirely politically motivated.

    As for suing of MPs, the former PM Helen Clarke was sued for defamation twice that I know of – reaching out of court settlements in the instances of Yelash and Brownlee. Perhaps MP v MP is slightly different, but the suggestions outside the house that she has abused her ministerial warrant, without substance thus far, are highly defamatory.

    • Te Reo Putake 4.1

      What were the defamatory comments, Deb?

    • Re the Lange v Atkinson comparison:

      …the courts affirmed a new qualified privilege for the media to discuss politicians when expressing the criticisms as the “honest opinion” of the author. (wiki)

      Atkinson wasn’t a politician. MP v MP might (or might not) make a difference. “Honest opnion” may clash with “political attack”?

      • mickysavage 4.2.1

        Pete you are such a hoot.

        The principle applies to comments made about politicians.  Robust debate is and should be permitted in a democracy.

        It is not a political attack.  FFS someone in Government has leaked private information to the media.  One Minister has already resigned.  Of course there is a proper public interest in what has happened. 

        • Pete George 4.2.1.1

          There could also be public interest in whether you and Mallard and Little are expressing ‘honest opinions” as robust debate or deliberately making accusations you have no evidence for.

          I think you are confusing “robust debate” with deliberate unsubstantiated statements designed to inflict political damage.

          Do you think “honest opinion” covers making accusations you know are unsubstantiated?

          • mickysavage 4.2.1.1.1

            Petey like I said before put up or shut up.
             
            Go on cite comments that I have made which are defamatory.  Knock yourself out.
             
            FYI it sounds like the Herald may be the one in the gun, presumably because of the Fran O’Sullivan article on the issue.
             
            Point out somewhere where I have got even close to what O’Sullivan said.
             

            • Inventory2 4.2.1.1.1.1

              So you have the proof that “someone in Government has leaked private information to the media” micky? To use your own words; put up or shut up 😉

              • Sure I2
                 
                A private email between erstwhile National party friends finds its way into the Herald on Sunday.  Unless the journalist concerned has mystical powers someone leaked it.

            • Pete George 4.2.1.1.1.2

              You’re choosing to ignore the question again.

              Do you think “honest opinion” covers making accusations you know are unsubstantiated?

              • Te Reo Putake

                Well done, Pete. You have identified that ‘opinion’ and ‘fact’ are two different things. Do you have anything to say that adds value to the debate here?

            • lprent 4.2.1.1.1.3

              FYI it sounds like the Herald may be the one in the gun, presumably because of the Fran O’Sullivan article on the issue.

              It’d be hilarious if that was the case bearing in mind that Fran was defending Collins. When I saw that article I was half-expecting that Boag would be tearing legal avenues to have a go at Fran.

          • ghostwhowalksnz 4.2.1.1.2

            Good grief man , Lange lost when a journalist said he was ‘lazy’. All that has swirled around Collins is on a far higher plane that that and directly related her actions as a minister. Shes admitted printing the email which seems to have had legs of its own from then on.

          • deuto 4.2.1.1.3

            PG

            What is your evidence for making the following claims:

            “deliberately making accusations you have no evidence for.”

            “accusations you know are unsubstantiated?”

            Where is your evidence for “you have no evidence for” and “you know are unsubstantiated” ?

            If you have no evidence for these claims, then they are unsubstantiated.

            Pot calling the kettle ……

            • Pete George 4.2.1.1.3.1

              I don’t have any evidence – and your partial quotes are missing some key aspects of those statements. I didn’t claim those as anything other than queried possibilities.

              Which notably savagemicky won’t answer.

              • felix

                “Which notably savagemicky won’t answer.”

                Ahem. You have started several threads this week which have led to straight questions being put to you which you have left unanswered.

                Perhaps you ought to resolve these before you get too high on your horse.

              • Aw Petey not true.
                 
                I refused to give you details.
                 
                If you read my comments you will see quite a bit of content.  You will have to be patient.

          • Pascal's bookie 4.2.1.1.4

            You just claimed, as matter of fact, that you know what other people know. That you know whether or not they are being honest about their beliefs.

            Are you Jesus?

            • The Gormless Fool formerly known as Oleolebiscuitbarrell 4.2.1.1.4.1

              No.

              I am Jesus.

            • Pete George 4.2.1.1.4.2

              “You just claimed, as matter of fact, that you know what other people know.”

              I didn’t. I gave him the option of clarifying and he has so far chosen not to.

              Are you Exodus 20:16?

              • Pascal's bookie

                “I think you are confusing “robust debate” with deliberate unsubstantiated statements designed to inflict political damage.”

                That seems to me to be saying that you think you know when someone is making “deliberate unsubstantiated statements “.

                In other words, you are claiming to know, as a matter of fact, what other people know. Unless you know what they know, it’s impossible to say whether or not it’s deliberate.

                • “I think” and “claiming to know, as a matter of fact, ” are quite different things. I think I’m allowed to express “honest opinion”.

                  I’ll clarify for you by explaining in a different way – I don’t think making “deliberate unsubstantiated statements“ can be claimed to be”robust debate”.

                  And I’d wager that there’s a fair few “deliberate unsubstantiated statements“ that make no attempt to engage in debate, robust or otherwise, but try to inflict political damage.

                  • Pascal's bookie

                    Pete.

                    In that quote you say you ‘think’ he is confused.

                    You may think they are making unsubstantiated claims. That’s fine. Think what you want.

                    You seem to be claiming they are making ‘deliberate unsubstantiated’ claims.

                    At the least, you are saying that people can make judgements about whether or not someone else in making an unsubstantiated claim deliberately or not.

                    How do you know if it is deliberate or not?

                    You might have an opinion on their state of mind, and that’s cool. But it will be an unsubstantiated opinion unless you actually know what they know.

                  • Pascal's bookie

                    And while I hesitate to get into a discussion about epistemology with you, perhaps it would help my confusion if you could define ‘substantiated’ for me, in the sense that you are using the idea here.

                    thanks.

              • alex

                Ooh good, a biblical lesson from the moral and spiritual conscience of the blogosphere.

                • The Gormless Fool formerly known as Oleolebiscuitbarrell

                  Do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.

                  • felix

                    Thank you Father.

                  • Kevin Welsh

                    Hmm, part Ghandi, part Yoda?

                    • The Gormless Fool formerly known as Oleolebiscuitbarrell

                      The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For out of the overflow of his heart his mouth speaks.

      • lprent 4.2.2

        MP v MP might (or might not) make a difference

        Unlikely to be any different. It is a defence available to anyone when accused of defamation by a politician.

    • lprent 4.3

      As I have said elsewhere. A legal defence doesn’t care what their motivations are or even who they are. What it cares about is the relevant tests.

      And once again, a non-politician suing a politician for defamation is completely different legal beast to politician suing anyone else (including a politician).

  5. tsmithfield 5

    A lot of hope here seems pinned on Lange v Atkinson.

    An analysis of that ruling is given here.

    Lange v Atkinson [2000] 3 NZLR 385 reaffirms that there is a qualified privilege for the media to discuss politicians. However, the 2000 decision tempers to some extent the generosity of the earlier 1998 judgement.

    • Not every statement about a politician is privileged. The statement must be one which is made on a privileged occasion. That depends on the circumstances and context in which it is made, including the identity of the publisher, the audience, the content, etc.

    • Privilege is lost if “improper advantage is taken of the occasion of publication”. This can be constituted by reckless or irresponsible journalism.

    Notice that priviledge can be lost in the case of reckless or irresponsible journalism.

    Would any of the commentary on this site with respect to Collins qualify as reckless or irresponsible journalism? I am not qualified to give an opinion on that. However, it does seem to demonstrate that there are limits on what can be published about politicians.

    • lprent 5.1

      You’re relying on a source that was talking about media law to a audience of media. That is a wee bit silly.

      It is arguable if we are media or journalists. In fact the Law Commission has been looking at this right now – a debate that I have found to be technically ridiculous considering the rate that barriers to entry are dropping. Are they going to claim that people on twitter are journalists? We don’t claim to be and have never claimed to be the type of media that journalists frequent or that we are journalists (whatever that means).

      If you read the actual judgement then you will discover that the defence is potentially available to anyone. The test about loss of privilege had nothing to do with “reckless or irresponsible journalism” – that was just a framing given to it for that audience. It had to do with the deliberate and knowing misstatement of fact.

      Try reading the several judgements on the L vs A case.

      • Jim Nald 5.1.1

        The Minister responsible for the Law Commission should be in touch with her former Cabinet colleague she appointed, thanks to the special she used that involved ignoring recommendations and not consulting her ministry or other interest groups, to look some more into revising defamation law.

  6. Sanctuary 6

    It is worth bearing in the mind the strongly corporate authoritarian flavour of this government when considering Collin’s actions. Bullying corporate authoritarians – Joyce, Key, Bennett, Collins – dominate this government’s cabinet, along with just plain vanilla bullies like Brownlee.

    As John Key showed over the teapot tapes, corporate authoritarians will show no hesitation in subordinating the levers of power to their personal ends when they are challenged. In the private sector, this takes the form of assuming that the will of the leadership elite can be expressed by manipulating the system via threatening and bullying letters from the corporate legal division and drawn out litigation. In government, it takes the form of an assumption the organs of state power exist entirely to serve the will of the executive branch of government.

    From that mindset, using your access to unlimited taxpayers money to sue in order to try and shutdown a growing public and internal internecine scandal is an entirely predictable course of action.

    • Anne 6.1

      Well said Sanctuary.

      I see some of the dumb pixies from the bottom of the tory garden have been sent here to raise fear and trepidation among the Standard troops. They should know by now that bully boy and girl tactics only serve to whet our appetite…

      Question Time should be interesting this afternoon. Will Collins refuse to answer any questions on the grounds of a pending court hearing? If so, we’ll have proof of the real reason she has embarked on this process. Scared of implicating herself over her role in the scandal!

      • Frida 6.1.1

        Anne, she can’t claim something is sub judice over THREATENED proceedings. So I don’t see how she can use that excuse in response to this afternoon’s questions for oral answer? Maybe after she’s filed proceedings (if she does) but not before surely?

        • Jim Nald 6.1.1.1

          Maybe John Key’s numerous plans, eg cycleway, 170,000 jobs and closing the gap with Oz, will now materialise quickly before her plan for defamation action starts to take shape.

        • Anne 6.1.1.2

          Frida, I’m sure you are right. I have no legal background, but if there is some way she can use the threatened proceedings to get out of answering a question she doesn’t want to answer I’m sure she will – even if it is a trumped up consideration with no substance to it.

      • deuto 6.1.2

        I also found Sanctuary’s analysis excellent – and would add that such people also appear to feel affronted when questioned with Collins’ being a good example in my “honest opinion”. IMO she tends to talk down to the questioner and/or give the impression that they have no right to question her.

        Question time will be interesting – she may well try the “cannot answer as before the courts”. IIRC she tried that one yesterday using the Privacy Commissioner’s expanded investigation as the reason.

        • Colonial Viper 6.1.2.1

          IMO she tends to talk down to the questioner and/or give the impression that they have no right to question her.

          Indeed, the tiresome serfs are revolting.

      • felix 6.1.3

        “I see some of the dumb pixies from the bottom of the tory garden have been sent here to raise fear and trepidation”

        Always a good sign.

        In this instance I note that the Parliamentary wing of the party, AND their public activists & stirrers, AND their internet sockpuppet teams are all in as much of a panic as each other.

        Very good sign.

  7. HelensYourAunty 7

    From EDDIE’s whinge on 26th March:

    “Collins has imitated her fellow ministers by leaking Pullar’s private details in revenge.”

    I hope this works out badly for EDDIE too.

  8. Pascal's bookie 8

    The PM has said he supports the defamation case. Good on him.

    I remember when Worth reassured him that he would sue anyone who repeated something that was said about him. He never did sue, even when all sorts of people repeated the allegations.

    I trust that should Collins drop the case, Key will respond in a similar fashion.

    Perhaps the PMs confidence in his minister is somehow dependent on the case going forward.

    • ghostwhowalksnz 8.1

      The taxpayer is paying for her legal machinations so Key has to be in on the loop.

      • Deb 8.1.1

        GWWNZ – the taxpayer also pays for every utterance the members of parliament have.

        While I wish that the entire lot of them would give up their gotcha politicking and invest their time multi-party brainstorming for the good of the nation rather than brainfarting – that’s not about to happen either. We’re stuck with the worst of adversarial politics and, imho, it’s nigh on time some of the worst MP offenders and zealots in the media and blogosphere were held accountable for unsubstantiated claims.

        • Pete George 8.1.1.1

          I agree with you there Deb, but don’t expect many zealots of the blogosphere to take much notice, they seem addicted to the worst of adversarial politics.

        • muzza 8.1.1.2

          Agree on the comments about the MPs, however as I have stated many times, until a mass is reached which demands better of government, then we will see the continued degredation of parliament. It is already below bad joke level currently, and one can speculate as to where the real influences come from externally.

          Media – No chance, the reasons are obivous

          Blogsphere – doesn’t run the country does it..keep the focus on the MP’s

  9. outofbed 9

    So what did radio NZ say, that Collins is pissed about?

  10. tsmithfield 10

    I don’t pretend to be qualified to give an opinion on whether a statement is defamatory or not. However, I think it is fair to say that some statements published on this site come closer to the defamatory end of the spectrum than if they had been stated slightly differently.

    For instance, Eddies statement from the other day:

    “Collins has imitated her fellow ministers by leaking Pullar’s private details in revenge.”

    could have been more carefully worded as:

    “Perhaps Collins has imitated her fellow ministers by leaking Pullar’s private details in revenge”

    or:

    “Did Collins imitate her fellow ministers by leaking Pullar’s private details in revenge?”

    As I pointed out above, priveledge can be lost if publications are consdered as “reckless or irresponsible journalism”. Given that, as I have demonstrated, there are more considered and careful ways of phrasing the statement above, I do wonder if some statements here could be pushing into that “reckless and irresponsible” arena.

    I wonder if the boiling frog analogy could apply here, where unwittingly statements could gradually become more and more extreme, until the boundary is crossed without it even being realised. In this respect, I do wonder if too much faith is being placed in Lange v Atkinson.

    Another point is, that even if a suit for defamation was unsuccessful, the judge may consider the behaviour of the defendant in awarding costs. If the judge feels the defendant has been pushing the boundaries, then the judge may not award very much in the way of costs to the defendant, leaving the defendanat to bear a lot of their own costs. So, winning can be losing.

    Far be it from me to tell the owners here how to run there own site. However, if I were running my own blog, I know I would be using language in the least prejudicial sense possible to get my point across but minimising my potential for liability.

    • bbfloyd 10.1

      weak gerry brownlee impersonation…..

    • lprent 10.2

      I had a careful look at the post when it went up and decided that it was carefully written in a speculative mode rather than

      It is an interesting question if we could be considered to be journalists, and therefore if we are either protected by the rules and laws governing journalists or if we have their obligations in the legal system. An alternative view is that we’re no different from people speculating in a pub or other social club settings which would probably be the case if you were considering income and other characteristics of media.

      We do have a readership that probably exceeds many provincial newspapers and local radio stations. And readership appears to have been the criteria that the Court of Appeals was using. But of course the costs of reaching that audience have reduced to the point that this site was and still is well within my personal budget. We put the advertising in when it hit $150 per month for server costs and it is currently about $400 (and about to fall again).

      But if anyone wants to sue The Standard Trust to find out, then it’d be an interesting exercise in proving a legal point.

      And by the way, the actual test of reckless or irresponsible would be if you published it knowing it was wrong in fact. The problem for Collins is that no-one really knows, but the number of people who had access and position to leak the documents is quite a small set. Leakage from ministerial offices appears to have become rife and it is a practice that I think needs stamping out in the public interest.

      • Lanthanide 10.2.1

        “But if anyone wants to sue The Standard Trust to find out, then it’d be an interesting exercise in proving a legal point.”

        Be careful what you wish for. Defending against legal action can be quite expensive.

        • lprent 10.2.1.1

          Not as expensive as trying to show that there is a case to answer in the first place. And it’d play in public because we aren’t Radio NZ or the Herald.

      • tsmithfield 10.2.2

        1prent, at the risk of being accused of “concern trolling”, I wonder if it might be wise to consider potential liability, regardless of how small, in the way in which articles are constructed.

        As I pointed out above, it is quite easy to say pretty much the same thing, and probably reduce the liability risk considerably, simply by being more careful in the way that sentences are constructed. I realise you are quite confident the risk of litigation is minimal. However, the costs can be quite high, even for the winner. If that risk can be eliminated by simply slightly changing the way points are made, then would it be worth doing so?

        I am reminded of the story of the queen selecting a new carriage driver. Candidates bidded up their skill by claiming how close they could go to the edge of the cliff without falling off, with each candidate claiming they could get progressively closer. The candidate who won the contract was the one who advocated staying as far away from the edge as possible. Food for thought.

        • lprent 10.2.2.1

          We could tone posts well well down to having zero risk. But we could do all sorts of things including requiring logins to leave comments so that we can eliminate anyone who might leave a defamatory remark (our liability is just as high on comments remember). We could require that every post is vetted by a legal team or even a editor before release.

          But basically the site would involve a hell of a lot more work, some very high expenses (lawyers like to be paid), and the site would be completely dull and boring.

          We chose instead to set a policy that places the responsibility directly on the authors and commentators, where we clued up on the legal risks, and where a terrible retribution (ie me and the other moderators) is called on people who transgress. For the most part this has worked pretty well. We keep the site in a standard that would almost certainly pass the legal defence tests if someone was daft enough to sue us rather than pointing what they consider are problems to us.

          In the 4 and half years we have been running we have had a handful of actual complaints (I tend to ignore the thousands of ‘concern’ comments) almost entirely about comments we missed, only one of which we did not remove. There has been one post complained about but I looked at it and found the person was complaining about something being repeated that he’d said elsewhere. There have been several posts where people requested that the post was modified for clarity or fact (because they were showing up on google searches), and I think most of those were done.

          If someone sues for defamation without contacting us with the specifics via e-mail and let us deal with it first, then my presumption will be that they don’t really have an issue, or a real case, and is just indulging in a exercise motivated by factors other than the actual offence. In other words nuisance cases. My general response would be to give them a nuisance response and make them run around..

          Incidentally the costs are far far higher for the person trying to make a case than they are for the defence.

          • tsmithfield 10.2.2.1.1

            1prent: “Incidentally the costs are far far higher for the person trying to make a case than they are for the defence.”

            That wouldn’t surprise me. Except, in this case those making the case would likely be the government who tend to have rather deep pockets, and have already shown a tendency to take legal action to make a point.

            • Colonial Viper 10.2.2.1.1.1

              Using someone else’s money to make a point. How typical 😉

            • lprent 10.2.2.1.1.2

              Yep and you can just imagine how it will play if the government takes a political blog to court for criticizing and speculating…. *smile*

              I’d have a few choices of countries to place the site in, and I suspect it’d open the floodgates to aussie for the resistance movement.

              That is why politicians usually defend their reputation using their own funds. Does anyone have actual confirmation that she has applied for government funds to defend her ‘reputation”? On reflection I’d rather surprised if she has. I have a post working in my head about why it’d be a really bad idea and pretty damn bad for her reputation..

              …have already shown a tendency to take legal action to make a point.

              Not exactly on their own dime. They have mostly gotten the police to do it.

  11. Politicians are employed by the tax payers, tax payers demand a higher standard by those
    employees and if those standards are found to be wanting then those employees loose
    their jobs,end of.
    Tax payers also have a right to demand actual facts and knowledge of corrupt practices,
    within tax payer owned corporations or companies,any denial of producing facts or
    evidence of corrupt practices should be viewed as guilt.
    Tax payers will not and should not turn a blind eye or turn their back on wanting to
    discuss or assess any dubious dealings by any politician.

    • burt 11.1

      So much has changed from the good old days of “The business of government is whatever government say it is” and “move on”… Now we want accountability….

      Love this change – what was it again… Oh that’s right – it’s not your team needing your apologist protection.

  12. Johnny 12

    Owen Jennings MP of ACT got taken down for 50K in 2001. http://tvnz.co.nz/content/35410/2556418/article.html

    Nick Smith had to settle in 2010.
    http://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/news/politics/3793354/Minister-pays-and-apologises.

    Mallard has form when Tuku initiated defamation proceedings against Mallard for comments about Tuku’s spending on underpants.

    • Johnny Jennings and Smith said things about a private individual and a private company.  Not applicable at all.

    • lprent 12.2

      Only one of those is vaguely relevant – the last one (and you notice that it went nowhere?). The first two were non-politicians suing a politician and winning either in court or out of it. Politicians are not particularly protected against defamation cases against them except when speaking in the house.

      If you’d read the post and engaged your brain, you would have realized that it was about politicians suing others for defamation that have a reduced ability to win.

      • Johnny 12.2.1

        I suppose it will come down to whether Mallard behaved “responsibily” in making the allegations and whoever it was in publishing them. Peters has spent years and 1000s trying to sue TVNZ for defamation over that scampi issue and failed at every corner. I agree that’s its wrong for politicians to use defamation to try and shut down questions or debate. If Crusher backdown no mercy should be shown.

  13. SHG 13

    I’m actually surprised Mallard said anything actionable outside the House, he usually cowers behind parliamentary privilege.

    • Dean 13.1

      he didn’t say anything actionable. This is just an effort by Collins to intimidate and distract.

  14. vto 14

    Ahaa!

    Finally, confirmation that much of the shit spoken in Parliament is just that – shit. And defamatory.

    It is clear from this thread and Collins’ statement that defamatory statements inside Parliament are ok. That, if the statements had been inside Parliament then those statements get some sort of legitimacy. What this actually means is that the standards for Parliament are criminally low. They are certainly far lower standards than those to which the public comply.

    And there was Pete George trying yesterday to claim that those who make it Parliament are the cream of the crop. Ha ha ha ha ha ha. It is in fact the opposite.

    Liars and bullshitters.

    • ghostwhowalksnz 14.1

      Most of what is said in court is defamatory as well. But the proceedings and reports are privledged like parliament.

      Your point is ?

      • vto 14.1.1

        I thought the point was pretty clear from the implications of what has been said by Collins and others – that the accepted standards for debate in Parliament are at such a low level that anything said aint worth shit. Not worth listening to. Has no value.

        I understand the reasons for privilege, in the various places it occurs in our society, but that privilege has effects and this particular effect is that the value of debate in Parliament is low.

    • And there was Pete George trying yesterday to claim that those who make it Parliament are the cream of the crop.

      I said they should be, not that they are.

      I agree with you that parliamentary standards are low – but I think we shouldn’t just accept that, we should pressure MPs to do better. Much better.

    • Dean 14.3

      it’s important that nothing MPs say in Parliament can be subject to legal action, or else our sovereign Parliament can be constrained by deep-pocketed litigious persons.

      • vto 14.3.1

        I understand that Dean, but that completely unconstrained debate devalues it at the same time and to such a level that it is impossible to assign a level of truth to anything that is said.

        Don’t ask me what the answer is, I only knows the issue which is unreliable debate.

  15. NickS 15

    /smirk

    Like Collins will actually be able to prove those statements are defamatory with out incriminating herself to some extent, or trying to make a scapegoat out of one her minions and not have it backfire on her.

    • Deb 15.1

      Nick, that is entire conjecture. You can have no knowledge of how things will pan out in a judicial context.

      If only some would confine themselves to the evidence, rather than rely on crystal ball gazing. Fortunately, I am reliably told that the courts work this way 🙂

      • Colonial Viper 15.1.1

        If only some would confine themselves to the evidence, rather than rely on crystal ball gazing. Fortunately, I am reliably told that the courts work this way 🙂

        Which was why the PM was relieved to see the Ambrose thing sorted out of court.

        • Deb 15.1.1.1

          Was he? I wasn’t privy to his “relief”. Many Kiwis, left and right, would rather have had a judicial ruling i am convinced. Court action come at considerable personal cost, and it could as well have been Ambrose’s as Keys

          • Pascal's bookie 15.1.1.1.1

            The PM was reported as telling prosecutors that he’d like it to go away, and that a letter of regret would do the trick. the letter was written, which expressed regret for the circus but denied that the taping was deliberate, and that the meeting could be construed as private.

            Key told police that that letter was good enough for him, and the police took that as reason not to prosecute.

            Did you really miss all that?

  16. Copra 16

    I keep having this recurring nightmare of a woman with grossly deyed hair going around and crushing things.

  17. Pascal's bookie 17

    Felix Marwick saying that Labour says nothing has been served yet. No official word on anything, other than the press release.

    MPs can’t be served on Parliamentary grounds, question time starts in about 40 mins.

    Andrew Little has one question to the Minister of ACC about when she printed out the Boag Email.

    Gosh.

    • felix 17.1

      What what what?

      I hope you’re not suggesting that Collins and Brownlee are going to try to hide behind court proceedings that don’t even exist. That wouldn’t be kosher would it old boy?

      See also Q1 and Q10. Time to get the popcorn ready. By which I mean beer.

      • ghostwhowalksnz 17.1.1

        Shes refused to answer the questions !

        Thats what its all about now. No more answers – except what they leak

  18. ianmac 18

    I suppose that should the Defamation Case be brought, it would take years to be actioned wouldn’t it? Like such a long time would pass that the relevance would be lost?
    “Who was that Minister? Wonder what that was all about? Colin who?”

    • Anne 18.1

      Yes. I nearly commented on that earlier after one of the tory pixies tried to intimidate us. If a case was brought against those of us on The Standard who have expressed our true feelings about J Collins, we would be dead and buried before it even came to court. 🙂

  19. Bonn 19

    Collins is a hardwoman. She looks like she eats cement. Like one of those rock eaters in the never ending story.

    • Deb 19.1

      The old “hardwoman” huh – if all reasonable argument escapes one, TG there’s always good old misogyny to fall back on

      • Colonial Viper 19.1.1

        The term hard man often applies so using it equally to women seems fair enough. or would you prefer the term “soft woman” to apply to women?

        Or perhaps you would prefer that Minister Collins not to be referred to as a woman at all?

        • Deb 19.1.1.1

          Your support for this commentator – “eats cement” “rock eater” “hardwoman” is admirable on some level I’m sure, but for my part I see a theme of misogyny in this three sentence post.

  20. Kevin 20

    Privacy Commissioner Marie Shroff has been appointed to investigate the leaks which could include the forensic examination of computers and other devices.
    Now that the Privacy Commission is involved the affair has become ramped up to the extent that it may cost heads at the highest level.

    • And Collins is using this to justify not answering questions in Parliament.  Incredible …

    • ghostwhowalksnz 20.2

      The Minister responsible for the Privacy Commissioner ??

      Why, that would be the the Hon Judith Collins.

      Good luck on expecting her to pull the Minister down, especially Collins

  21. Anne 21

    Her stock answer to all questions today has been:

    since this matter is before the Privacy Commissioner, it is not in the public interest for me to answer the question.

    Despite the fact she was talking publicly about it only this morning – and not all of the questions came under the auspices of the privacy section anyway – our supposedly impartial Speaker has aided and abetted her by letting her get away with it.

    • Pascal's bookie 21.1

      And in spite of the fact that she has served papers to have the whole thing discussed in open court.

      • ghostwhowalksnz 21.1.1

        No no . The result is that it goes away, for years, till it gets to court or dropped at the ‘steps of the court’

        Labour deputy leader Grant Robertson says the MPs involved in Ms Collins’ legal bid are Mallard and Little, and they had received papers.

        So far only solicitors letters I presume.

  22. Johnny 22

    Crusher’s defamation action has the potential to cost us ordinary taxpayers tens of thousands of dollars. She needs a harder, tougher skin. The Government tells us its time for austerity, then we are subjected to an outrageous charade where a Government Minister threatens to sue opposition members for raising issues of public interest. The taxpayer forked out $270,000 for one of Nick Smith’s defamation cases. This time round we could be funding both sides. Jennings costs were $200,000. With three MPs involved, that could mean $600,000 plus. How many staff salaries, operations or school resources would that be better spent on.

    • Deb 22.1

      Johnny, why do you leave out Clark’s two out of court settlements for her defamatory remarks out of your reckonings – both of which we forked out for.

      Mallard has a history of shooting his mouth off, the consequences of this hallmark being personally and politically devastating in some instances. I think it is about time someone called him on it, and if there are legs to this it should be allowed to proceed.

      • lprent 22.1.1

        Probably because they weren’t relevant?

        The post is about a politician taking a defamation case against someone. It isn’t about a member of the public taking a defamation case against a politician. Quite quite different levels of difficulty.

        Basically Judith Collins has about as much chance in court as a snowball has in hell. But I guess it isn’t going to be her money that she will be wasting. It will be ours.

        • Deb 22.1.1.1

          ” Judith Collins has about as much chance in court as a snowball has in hell. But I guess it isn’t going to be her money that she will be wasting. It will be ours”

          It always is when anyone sues a politician.

          The ultimate abuse is attacking anyone’s integrity and honesty, and such an orchestrated, disdainful and repetitive attack on one’s character would make anyone irate. Personally I hope to hell she takes it to them all the way and that as a consequence we may see MP’s behaviour improve in this area.

          • Pete George 22.1.1.1.1

            Another possibility is that David Shearer will start to exert his leadership and instead of just talking about “no gotcha” principles he will convince his MPs to follow his lead and change their practices.

            Leader of the Opposition is often seen as a powerless thankless position waiting for an opportunity, but regarding MP behaviour and party tactics Shearer is in the best position of anyone to make a real difference – to MP behaviour and to Labour’s electoral chances.

            Now is an ideal time to make a mark on this.

            • Inventory2 22.1.1.1.1.1

              Speaking of David Shearer, where is he? Since getting his head shaved on Monday he seems to have disappeared. He hasn’t been in the House all week, but he was able to appear on The Farming Show on Radio Sport yesterday. I thought he was the Leader of the Opposition…

      • Johnny 22.1.2

        I wasn’t writing an essay on MPs legal costs, though I note Gerry Brownlee asked the taxpayer for $48,000 to defend himself against shoving a senior citizen in 1999. He was refused and lost the case. The rules were changed in 2001 to make it easier for MPs to draw on taxpayer funds and seems to favour opposition MPs who are more likely to make critical remarks. But this brings us back to the question? What is the point of MPs. It’s to provide government and to hold government to account. That is what Mallard is doing. So why is a Government Minister suing him using taxpayer funding. The state is displaying fascist tendences.

        • Pete George 22.1.2.1

          It’s to provide government and to hold government to account.

          Yes.

          That is what Mallard is doing.

          Is it? Possibly.

          Or is it to maliciously try to damage Government? Possibly, in which case a Minister must have some right of response.

          And it’s quite possible Mallard thinks he’s doing what he should, and Collins doesn’t think he should. Hence the action to test that.

          We should wait and see if Mallard (and Little and Radio NZ) respond by 5pm, that may give an indication of what they think their degree of rightness is.

  23. Treetop 23

    Assume that there was no Boag email to Collins, Pullar’s identity would still have come out as the person recieving 6752 privacy breaches.

    Slater has put two and two together and probably Lusk knew something from Boag about the December 1 2011 meeting. The two of them (Slater/Lusk) combining what they knew would have come up with Pullars name. Put the spotlight on Slater and Lusk, both had the info, but until they combined the info there was no confirmation and until the ACC client made the comment of an ACC client getting special attention there would not have been a story. Slater and Lusk definitely have sources out there who feed them titbits.

  24. vto 24

    This drama has now turned into a beltway drama. I don’t think people out here in the weather and the work and the earthquakes and the hills and the dales and the shopping malls and the beaches and in bed have even the faintest idea of this nor any care. Not that it isn’t important. Which reminds me, I should get back to the work and earthquakes and weather and hills and bed myself. I waste so much time reading you lot.

  25. Pascal's bookie 25

    Kevin Hague asked Collins to express confidence in ACC chair, John Judge; she declined the oppurtunity.

    • Ross 25.1

      A reporter hould ask Judge if he has confidence in his Minister. I suspect we all know what he’d like to say in response. 🙂

  26. Kotahi Tane Huna 26

    Judith Collins: “I take my reputation very seriously.”
    QC: “May I remind the court that the plaintiff is a National Party MP.”
    Judge: “Case dismissed.”

    • yeshe 26.1

      best comment all day, thank you !!! loved it. ( are you really Tom Scott ?)

      • Colonial Viper 26.1.1

        hmmmm identity speculation bad

        • yeshe 26.1.1.1

          sorry .. it was intended as a compliment, not a fishing expedition. for me, it was right up there with
          Tom ‘s brilliance. apologies offered.

  27. Johnny 27

    Crusher’s behaviour in the House today was outrageous as she hid from answering parliamentary questions about the Pullar leak. She claimed that it was not in the public interest to answer because of the PC inquiry. What a load of rubbish. The Speaker supported this behaviour, even after Labour MPs reminded him of the Ingram inquiry. The Police investigated Field from 31 August 2006 to 24 May 2007 when he was charged. Throughout that time the responsible Minister answered all of Lockwood Smith’s detailed questions on the issue in the House. None of this, “it’s not in the public interest and you can’t make me” cry baby carry on. If she can tell Radio Live listeners the details in the morning, she can tell the nation’s Parliament the details in the afternoon.
    http://www.parliament.nz/en-NZ/PB/Debates/Debates/7/d/3/48HansD_20070227_00000001-Questions-for-Oral-Answer-Questions-to-Ministers.htm

    • Deb 27.1

      We can see the line she’s pursuing. The normal defence Mallard and Little would probably argue is the “public interest” angle. Collin’s every utterance is designed to display the lack of it due to the PC’s involvement prior to their alleged defamation.

      Let the game begin.

      • Pete George 27.1.1

        Didn’t the Mallard and Little alleged allegations occur after Colins clearly stated she was not responsible?

        I don’t know about legally, but that’s different to just stating an ‘honest opinion’, even if it’s plucked out of the air fishing. It’s stating contrary to a publicly expressed position, so to honestly speak against that they must have some evidence to back it up?

        Mallard and Little appear to have not retracted by the deadline. It’s familiar territory for Mallard, Little may be a bit more apprehensive. Interesting to see him so openly defying Shearer’s “no gotcha” position.

        • lprent 27.1.1.1

          a. It depends what they said.

          b. It depends what Collins said. Her statement was slippery because it was full of interesting qualifiers because she concentrated on how she didn’t leak the e-mail rather than simply stating that she didn’t leak the information. You have to watch for what is not said rather than hearing what you expect to hear.

          c. And yes I suspect that she is likely to be lying because of what she avoided saying. There are more ways of shifting information around than e-mails.

          d. I think that hiding behind a defamation suit that is unlikely to even get in front of a hearing is a hell of a convenient way to avoid answering questions in the house or anywhere else. Since there is no particular reason why she cannot answer questions in the house for a civil case, it just looks like a way to stifle speculation.

          e. And because of that, speculation is going to be rife and loud… Very stupid move.

          f. If I am wrong, I am prepared to make a simple apology – in a few years after the case goes to trial and a judgement is made (and never if it does not)

        • Pascal's bookie 27.1.1.2

          Yes Pete, she denied it a couple of days ago.That doesn’t mean people can’t honestly believe she was being slippery, or even flat out lying.

          She also said that people “can speculate all they like”

          “People can speculate all they like but I’m also aware that it didn’t come from my office and it didn’t come from me – I’m 100% certain.”

          http://tvnz.co.nz/national-news/acc-denies-leaking-information-4801207

          • Colonial Viper 27.1.1.2.1

            Only way to be 100% certain is to already know who it did come from.

          • Carol 27.1.1.2.2

            “Yes, I did print out the email, but I never inhaled…. and once it was printed out, it wasn’t an email, so I never shared that woman’s email with anyone…. in the privacy of my office or anywhere else.”

      • Pascal's bookie 27.1.2

        Not sure what you’re getting at here Deb.

        No defence is necessary for anything said in the house. The opposition can ask the minister any question they like relating to the portfolio.

        The minister can refuse to answer on the grounds that to do so is not in the public interest. that’s all that’s happening here.

        Given she has said she’ll sue, (so far it’s only lawyers letters), evrything will come out in the open anyway. this makes her ‘not in the public interest’ line look somewhat disengenuous, but she is still free to do that of course, if she doesn’t want to answer the questions.

        I can’t really see why it isn’t in the public interest to answer the particular questions asked, but that’s by the by.

  28. marsman 28

    Is the Privacy Commissioner the same one who has taken how many years and still has not made public whether Paula Bennett breached privacy rules when she made public private information about beneficiaries? Is that commissioner a NAct appointment? Can ‘Urgency’ be invoked?

  29. toad 29

    Seems that John Key himself may be donkey deep in this.

    Not exactly sure what Close Up have tonight, but definitely worth a watch.

    • Anne 29.1

      toad beat me to it.

      Close Up has explosive new evidence, involving Bronwyn Pullar, John Key and an insurance company

      Oh dear… it’s turning into ultra-turgid syrup!

      • Pascal's bookie 29.1.1

        PMs office has denied any involvement or knowledge by Key of this, to Paddy Gower

        • mickysavage 29.1.1.1

          Gower just tweeted:

          “John Key named as part of support group for Bronwyn Pullar in 2007 insurance claim. PM office says this is wrong; nothing to do with it.”

          This really is a case of getting the pop corn out … 

        • rosy 29.1.1.2

          The words he used about his contact with Pullar are similar to those outlining his contact with the MediaWorks head, aren’t they? – just ran into him at a social function…

  30. Anne 30

    I wanna buy shares in a popcorn-making company.

    • Colonial Viper 30.1

      My guess is staff in the PM’s office will be working late tonight.

      • Frida 30.1.1

        Yep CV lots of lights on in the Beehive when I drove past just now. Loving this!!! Pullargate.

        Also keen to contribute to Little’s and Mallard’s defense fund

  31. Carol 31

    We’re getting an insight into the world of the wealthy and the powerful

    – the Lombard 4 escape jail and show no remorse for misleading investors.

    – National Party people calling of their crony networks to support and $million insurance claim.

    I thought Bryce Edwards misinterpretted one of the Walrus’s questions. He asked about people saying “this doesn’t feel right” – I interpreted that to mean they thought the leaked claims against the Nats seemed contrived. Edwards interpreted it as meaning that people were critical of the Nat ethics, and felt the goings on were out of keeping with mainstream Kiwi ethics.

  32. Anne 32

    I took Edward’s interpretation – and before he answered the Walrus.

  33. randal 33

    this whole government is starting to smell as badly as the last days of the Nixon administration in 1973 before he resigned in disgrace.
    I never thought New Zealand politics would sink this low but there ya go.
    the efforts of slater and his crew that geared up the ‘permanent campaign’ while Labour was in office are now turning into arrogance and sleaze that we ciould do without but it looks like the boil is going to be lanced soon.
    and it wont just be a changing of the guard but a general election and the s.o.b.s’ will get thrown out of office asap.

  34. randal 34

    so…
    where is he tonight?

    • Anne 34.1

      In Queenstown?

    • starlight 34.2

      key will be in queenstown because of the micheal hill golf classic,apparantley the govt
      supports the event and i am sure the tax payers have contributed to the event.
      at least that was in the paper a few days ago.
      At least key and boag can put their heads together on the 19th hole and decide
      how to dig themselves out of this,they may have got rid of the ladder though.
      Hill golf classic march 29th-1st april

      • ianmac 34.2.1

        Will Mr Key be in the House next week for the last 3 days of this session?
        Or will he have urgent business elsewhere? Watch this space!

      • starlight 34.2.2

        PM to tee off,The golf tournament got $500.000 of tax payers money,sthlnd times 26/3

  35. Pascal's bookie 35

    Mallard said he was “absolutely certain” that Collins is serious about taking action, but added: “We’ll see how she feels about that next week.”

    Labour says the ACC minister is using the defamation action and an investigation by the Privacy Commissioner into how the information was leaked as a way to fend off further questioning.

    Radio New Zealand said it is now talking to its lawyers, as are the Labour MPs who say they will pay for lawyers out of their own pocket.

    Collins is refusing to say if the taxpayer will be picking up her bill.

    http://tvnz.co.nz/national-news/mallard-little-ignore-collins-deadline-4805838

    Interesting.

    Collins was quite forthright in her press release that it was the insult to her name that was the issue, rather than a slur on ACC or the ministry.

    One would hope that will be reflected in a decision to pay for her own costs.

    • Jim Nald 35.1

      Out of concern for the public interest (thanks, Collins, for making that phrase reverberate), there are a few of us who would make anonymous donations to the parties defending the case. Would someone care to run the donation campaign online? Happy to walk into a bank and make a cash donation if the bank account number is provided.

  36. So tell me lprent; using your own title (You know you’re in trouble when: The bookies open a contract on you), does this mean that The Standard is is trouble?

    https://www.ipredict.co.nz/app.php?do=contract_detail&contract=COLLINS.STANDARD

    Just askin’ 😉

    • Pascal's bookie 36.1

      Christ, If I found out that I’d been beaten to the punch on a joke by Pete George, I think I’d pretty much call it a day. 😉

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    1 day ago
  • Bernard's six newsy things at 6.36am on Monday, March 18
    Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Retiring former Labour Finance Minister Grant Robertson said in an exit interview with Q+A yesterday the Government can and should sustain more debt to invest in infrastructure for future generations. Elsewhere in the news in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy at 6:36am: Read more ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 day ago
  • Geoffrey Miller: Wang Yi’s perfectly-timed, Aukus-themed visit to New Zealand
    Timing is everything. And from China’s perspective, this week’s visit by its foreign minister to New Zealand could be coming at just the right moment. The visit by Wang Yi to Wellington will be his first since 2017. Anniversaries are important to Beijing. It is more than just a happy ...
    Democracy ProjectBy Geoffrey Miller
    1 day ago
  • The Kaka’s diary for the week to March 25 and beyond
    TL;DR: The key events to watch in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the week to March 18 include:China’s Foreign Minister visiting Wellington today;A post-cabinet news conference this afternoon; the resumption of Parliament on Tuesday for two weeks before Easter;retiring former Labour Finance Minister Grant Robertson gives his valedictory speech in Parliament; ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 day ago
  • Bitter and angry; Winston First
    New Zealand First Leader Winston Peters’s state-of-the-nation speech on Sunday was really a state-of-Winston-First speech. He barely mentioned any of the Government’s key policies and could not even wholly endorse its signature income tax cuts. Instead, he rehearsed all of his complaints about the Ardern Government, including an extraordinary claim ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    2 days ago
  • 2024 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #11
    A listing of 35 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, March 10, 2024 thru Sat, March 16, 2024. Story of the week This week we'll give you a little glimpse into how we collect links to share and ...
    2 days ago
  • 2024 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #11
    A listing of 35 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, March 10, 2024 thru Sat, March 16, 2024. Story of the week This week we'll give you a little glimpse into how we collect links to share and ...
    2 days ago
  • Out of Touch.
    “I’ve been internalising a really complicated situation in my head.”When they kept telling us we should wait until we get to know him, were they taking the piss? Was it a case of, if you think this is bad, wait till you get to know the real Christopher, after the ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    2 days ago
  • Bring out your Dad
    Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    2 days ago
  • Bring out your Dad
    Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    2 days ago
  • Bring out your Dad
    Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    2 days ago
  • The bewildering world of Chris Luxon – Guns for all, not no lunch for kids
    .“$10 and a target that bleeds” - Bleeding Targets for Under $10!.Thanks for reading Frankly Speaking ! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.This government appears hell-bent on either scrapping life-saving legislation or reintroducing things that - frustrated critics insist - will be dangerous and likely ...
    Frankly SpeakingBy Frank Macskasy
    3 days ago
  • Expert Opinion: Ageing Boomers, Laurie & Les, Talk Politics.
    It hardly strikes me as fair to criticise a government for doing exactly what it said it was going to do. For actually keeping its promises.”THUNDER WAS PLAYING TAG with lightning flashes amongst the distant peaks. Its rolling cadences interrupted by the here-I-come-here-I-go Doppler effect of the occasional passing car. ...
    3 days ago
  • Manufacturing The Truth.
    Subversive & Disruptive Technologies: Just as happened with that other great regulator of the masses, the Medieval Church, the advent of a new and hard-to-control technology – the Internet –  is weakening the ties that bind. Then, and now, those who enjoy a monopoly on the dissemination of lies, cannot and will ...
    3 days ago
  • A Powerful Sensation of Déjà Vu.
    Been Here Before: To find the precedents for what this Coalition Government is proposing, it is necessary to return to the “glory days” of Muldoonism.THE COALITION GOVERNMENT has celebrated its first 100 days in office by checking-off the last of its listed commitments. It remains, however, an angry government. It ...
    3 days ago
  • Can you guess where world attention is focussed (according to Greenpeace)? It’s focussed on an EPA...
    Bob Edlin writes –  And what is the world watching today…? The email newsletter from Associated Press which landed in our mailbox early this morning advised: In the news today: The father of a school shooter has been found guilty of involuntary manslaughter; prosecutors in Trump’s hush-money case ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    3 days ago
  • Further integrity problems for the Greens in suspending MP Darleen Tana
    Bryce Edwards writes – Is another Green MP on their way out? And are the Greens severely tarnished by another integrity scandal? For the second time in three months, the Green Party has secretly suspended an MP over integrity issues. Mystery is surrounding the party’s decision to ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    3 days ago
  • Jacqui Van Der Kaay: Greens’ transparency missing in action
    For the last few years, the Green Party has been the party that has managed to avoid the plague of multiple scandals that have beleaguered other political parties. It appears that their luck has run out with a second scandal which, unfortunately for them, coincided with Golraz Ghahraman, the focus ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    3 days ago
  • Bernard’s Dawn Chorus with six newsey things at 6:46am for Saturday, March 16
    TL;DR: The six newsey things that stood out to me as of 6:46am on Saturday, March 16.Andy Foster has accidentally allowed a Labour/Green amendment to cut road user chargers for plug-in hybrid vehicles, which the Government might accept; NZ Herald Thomas Coughlan Simeon Brown has rejected a plea from Westport ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago
  • How Did FTX Crash?
    What seemed a booming success a couple of years ago has collapsed into fraud convictions.I looked at the crash of FTX (short for ‘Futures Exchange’) in November 2022 to see whether it would impact on the financial system as a whole. Fortunately there was barely a ripple, probably because it ...
    PunditBy Brian Easton
    4 days ago
  • Elections in Russia and Ukraine
    Anybody following the situation in Ukraine and Russia would probably have been amused by a recent Tweet on X NATO seems to be putting in an awful lot of effort to influence what is, at least according to them, a sham election in an autocracy.When do the Ukrainians go to ...
    4 days ago
  • Bernard’s six stack of substacks at 6pm on March 15
    TL;DR: Shaun Baker on Wynyard Quarter's transformation. Magdalene Taylor on the problem with smart phones. How private equity are now all over reinsurance. Dylan Cleaver on rugby and CTE. Emily Atkin on ‘Big Meat’ looking like ‘Big Oil’.Bernard’s six-stack of substacks at 6pm on March 15Photo by Jeppe Hove Jensen ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • Buzz from the Beehive Finance Minister Nicola Willis had plenty to say when addressing the Auckland Business Chamber on the economic growth that (she tells us) is flagging more than we thought. But the government intends to put new life into it:  We want our country to be a ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    4 days ago
  • National’s clean car tax advances
    The Transport and Infrastructure Committee has reported back on the Road User Charges (Light Electric RUC Vehicles) Amendment Bill, basicly rubberstamping it. While there was widespread support among submitters for the principle that EV and PHEV drivers should pay their fair share for the roads, they also overwhelmingly disagreed with ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    4 days ago
  • Government funding bailouts
    Peter Dunne writes – This week’s government bailout – the fifth in the last eighteen months – of the financially troubled Ruapehu Alpine Lifts company would have pleased many in the central North Island ski industry. The government’s stated rationale for the $7 million funding was that it ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • Two offenders, different treatments.
    See if you can spot the difference. An Iranian born female MP from a progressive party is accused of serial shoplifting. Her name is leaked to the media, which goes into a pack frenzy even before the Police launch an … Continue reading ...
    KiwipoliticoBy Pablo
    4 days ago
  • Treaty references omitted
    Ele Ludemann writes  – The government is omitting general Treaty references from legislation : The growth of Treaty of Waitangi clauses in legislation caused so much worry that a special oversight group was set up by the last Government in a bid to get greater coherence in the public service on Treaty ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • The Ghahraman Conflict
    What was that judge thinking? Peter Williams writes –  That Golriz Ghahraman and District Court Judge Maria Pecotic were once lawyer colleagues is incontrovertible. There is published evidence that they took at least one case to the Court of Appeal together. There was a report on ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • Bernard's Top 10 @ 10 'pick 'n' mix' for March 15
    TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: Climate Scorpion – the sting is in the tail. Introducing planetary solvency. A paper via the University of Exeter’s Institute and Faculty of Actuaries.Local scoop: Kāinga Ora starts pulling out of its Auckland projects and selling land RNZ ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • The day Wellington up-zoned its future
    Wellington’s massively upzoned District Plan adds the opportunity for tens of thousands of new homes not just in the central city (such as these Webb St new builds) but also close to the CBD and public transport links. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Wellington gave itself the chance of ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • Weekly Roundup 15-March-2024
    It’s Friday and we’re halfway through March Madness. Here’s some of the things that caught our attention this week. This Week in Greater Auckland On Monday Matt asked how we can get better event trains and an option for grade separating Morningside Dr. On Tuesday Matt looked into ...
    Greater AucklandBy Greater Auckland
    4 days ago
  • That Word.
    Something you might not know about me is that I’m quite a stubborn person. No, really. I don’t much care for criticism I think’s unfair or that I disagree with. Few of us do I suppose.Back when I was a drinker I’d sometimes respond defensively, even angrily. There are things ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    4 days ago
  • The Hoon around the week to March 15
    Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The five things that mattered in Aotearoa’s political economy that we wrote and spoke about via The Kākā and elsewhere for paying subscribers in the last week included:PM Christopher Luxon said the reversal of interest deductibility for landlords was done to help renters, who ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • Labour’s policy gap
    It was not so much the Labour Party but really the Chris Hipkins party yesterday at Labour’s caucus retreat in Martinborough. The former Prime Minister was more or less consistent on wealth tax, which he was at best equivocal about, and social insurance, which he was not willing to revisit. ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    5 days ago
  • Skeptical Science New Research for Week #11 2024
    Open access notables A Glimpse into the Future: The 2023 Ocean Temperature and Sea Ice Extremes in the Context of Longer-Term Climate Change, Kuhlbrodt et al., Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society: In the year 2023, we have seen extraordinary extrema in high sea surface temperature (SST) in the North Atlantic and in ...
    5 days ago
  • Melissa remains mute on media matters but has something to say (at a sporting event) about economic ...
     Buzz from the Beehive   The text reproduced above appears on a page which records all the media statements and speeches posted on the government’s official website by Melissa Lee as Minister of Media and Communications and/or by Jenny Marcroft, her Parliamentary Under-secretary.  It can be quickly analysed ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    5 days ago
  • The return of Muldoon
    For forty years, Robert Muldoon has been a dirty word in our politics. His style of government was so repulsive and authoritarian that the backlash to it helped set and entrench our constitutional norms. His pig-headedness over forcing through Think Big eventually gave us the RMA, with its participation and ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    5 days ago
  • Will the rental tax cut improve life for renters or landlords?
    Bryce Edwards writes –  Is the new government reducing tax on rental properties to benefit landlords or to cut the cost of rents? That’s the big question this week, after Associate Finance Minister David Seymour announced on Sunday that the Government would be reversing the Labour Government’s removal ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • Geoffrey Miller: What Saudi Arabia’s rapid changes mean for New Zealand
    Saudi Arabia is rarely far from the international spotlight. The war in Gaza has brought new scrutiny to Saudi plans to normalise relations with Israel, while the fifth anniversary of the controversial killing of Jamal Khashoggi was marked shortly before the war began on October 7. And as the home ...
    Democracy ProjectBy Geoffrey Miller
    5 days ago
  • Racism’s double standards
    Questions need to be asked on both sides of the world Peter Williams writes –   The NRL Judiciary hands down an eight week suspension to Sydney Roosters forward Spencer Leniu , an Auckland-born Samoan, after he calls Ezra Mam, Sydney-orn but of Aboriginal and Torres Strait ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • It’s not a tax break
    Ele Ludemann writes – Contrary to what many headlines and news stories are saying, residential landlords are not getting a tax break. The government is simply restoring to them the tax deductibility of interest they had until the previous government removed it. There is no logical reason ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • The Plastic Pig Collective and Chris' Imaginary Friends.
    I can't remember when it was goodMoments of happiness in bloomMaybe I just misunderstoodAll of the love we left behindWatching our flashbacks intertwineMemories I will never findIn spite of whatever you becomeForget that reckless thing turned onI think our lives have just begunI think our lives have just begunDoes anyone ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago
  • Who is responsible for young offenders?
    Michael Bassett writes – At first reading, a front-page story in the New Zealand Herald on 13 March was bizarre. A group of severely intellectually limited teenagers, with little understanding of the law, have been pleading to the Justice Select Committee not to pass a bill dealing with ram ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • Gordon Campbell on National’s fantasy trip to La La Landlord Land
    How much political capital is Christopher Luxon willing to burn through in order to deliver his $2.9 billion gift to landlords? Evidently, Luxon is: (a) unable to cost the policy accurately. As Anna Burns-Francis pointed out to him on Breakfast TV, the original ”rock solid” $2.1 billion cost he was ...
    5 days ago
  • Bernard's Top 10 @ 10 'pick 'n' mix' for March 14
    TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: Jonathon Porritt calling bullshit in his own blog post on mainstream climate science as ‘The New Denialism’.Local scoop: The Wellington City Council’s list of proposed changes to the IHP recommendations to be debated later today was leaked this ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • No, Prime Minister, rents don’t rise or fall with landlords’ costs
    TL;DR: Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said yesterday tenants should be grateful for the reinstatement of interest deductibility because landlords would pass on their lower tax costs in the form of lower rents. That would be true if landlords were regulated monopolies such as Transpower or Auckland Airport1, but they’re not, ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • Cartoons: ‘At least I didn’t make things awkward’
    This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Tom Toro Tom Toro is a cartoonist and author. He has published over 200 cartoons in The New Yorker since 2010. His cartoons appear in Playboy, the Paris Review, the New York Times, American Bystander, and elsewhere. Related: What 10 EV lovers ...
    5 days ago
  • Solving traffic congestion with Richard Prebble
    The business section of the NZ Herald is full of opinion. Among the more opinionated of all is the ex-Minister of Transport, ex-Minister of Railways, ex MP for Auckland Central (1975-93, Labour), Wellington Central (1996-99, ACT, then list-2005), ex-leader of the ACT Party, uncle to actor Antonia, the veritable granddaddy ...
    Greater AucklandBy Patrick Reynolds
    5 days ago
  • I Think I'm Done Flying Boeing
    Hi,Just quickly — I’m blown away by the stories you’ve shared with me over the last week since I put out the ‘Gary’ podcast, where I told you about the time my friend’s flatmate killed the neighbour.And you keep telling me stories — in the comments section, and in my ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    5 days ago
  • Invoking Aristotle: Of Rings of Power, Stones, and Ships
    The first season of Rings of Power was not awful. It was thoroughly underwhelming, yes, and left a lingering sense of disappointment, but it was more expensive mediocrity than catastrophe. I wrote at length about the series as it came out (see the Review section of the blog, and go ...
    6 days ago
  • Van Velden brings free-market approach to changing labour laws – but her colleagues stick to distr...
    Buzz from the Beehive Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Brooke van Velden told Auckland Business Chamber members they were the first audience to hear her priorities as a minister in a government committed to cutting red tape and regulations. She brandished her liberalising credentials, saying Flexible labour markets are the ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago
  • Why Newshub failed
    Chris Trotter writes – TO UNDERSTAND WHY NEWSHUB FAILED, it is necessary to understand how TVNZ changed. Up until 1989, the state broadcaster had been funded by a broadcasting licence fee, collected from every citizen in possession of a television set, supplemented by a relatively modest (compared ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago
  • Māori Party on the warpath against landlords and seabed miners – let’s see if mystical creature...
    Bob Edlin writes  –  The Māori Party has been busy issuing a mix of warnings and threats as its expresses its opposition to interest deductibility for landlords and the plans of seabed miners. It remains to be seen whether they  follow the example of indigenous litigants in Australia, ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago
  • There’s a name for this
    Every year, in the Budget, Parliament forks out money to government agencies to do certain things. And every year, as part of the annual review cycle, those agencies are meant to report on whether they have done the things Parliament gave them that money for. Agencies which consistently fail to ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    6 days ago
  • Echoes of 1968 in 2024?  Pocock on the repetitive problems of the New Left
    Mike Grimshaw writes – Recent events in American universities point to an underlying crisis of coherent thinking, an issue that increasingly affects the progressive left across the Western world. This of course is nothing new as anyone who can either remember or has read of the late ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago

  • Positive progress for social worker workforce
    New Zealand’s social workers are qualified, experienced, and more representative of the communities they serve, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “I want to acknowledge and applaud New Zealand’s social workers for the hard work they do, providing invaluable support for our most vulnerable. “To coincide with World ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 hours ago
  • Minister confirms reduced RUC rate for PHEVs
    Cabinet has agreed to a reduced road user charge (RUC) rate for plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs), Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. Owners of PHEVs will be eligible for a reduced rate of $38 per 1,000km once all light electric vehicles (EVs) move into the RUC system from 1 April.  ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 hours ago
  • Trade access to overseas markets creates jobs
    Minister of Agriculture and Trade, Todd McClay, says that today’s opening of Riverland Foods manufacturing plant in Christchurch is a great example of how trade access to overseas markets creates jobs in New Zealand.  Speaking at the official opening of this state-of-the-art pet food factory the Minister noted that exports ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    8 hours ago
  • NZ and Chinese Foreign Ministers hold official talks
    Minister of Foreign Affairs Winston Peters met with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Wellington today. “It was a pleasure to host Foreign Minister Wang Yi during his first official visit to New Zealand since 2017. Our discussions were wide-ranging and enabled engagement on many facets of New Zealand’s relationship with China, including trade, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    22 hours ago
  • Kāinga Ora instructed to end Sustaining Tenancies
    Kāinga Ora – Homes & Communities has been instructed to end the Sustaining Tenancies Framework and take stronger measures against persistent antisocial behaviour by tenants, says Housing Minister Chris Bishop. “Earlier today Finance Minister Nicola Willis and I sent an interim Letter of Expectations to the Board of Kāinga Ora. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Speech to Auckland Business Chamber: Growth is the answer
    Tēna koutou katoa. Greetings everyone. Thank you to the Auckland Chamber of Commerce and the Honourable Simon Bridges for hosting this address today. I acknowledge the business leaders in this room, the leaders and governors, the employers, the entrepreneurs, the investors, and the wealth creators. The coalition Government shares your ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Singapore rounds out regional trip
    Minister Winston Peters completed the final leg of his visit to South and South East Asia in Singapore today, where he focused on enhancing one of New Zealand’s indispensable strategic partnerships.      “Singapore is our most important defence partner in South East Asia, our fourth-largest trading partner and a ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Minister van Velden represents New Zealand at International Democracy Summit
    Minister of Internal Affairs and Workplace Relations and Safety, Hon. Brooke van Velden, will travel to the Republic of Korea to represent New Zealand at the Third Summit for Democracy on 18 March. The summit, hosted by the Republic of Korea, was first convened by the United States in 2021, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Insurance Council of NZ Speech, 7 March 2024, Auckland
    ICNZ Speech 7 March 2024, Auckland  Acknowledgements and opening  Mōrena, ngā mihi nui. Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Nor Whanganui aho.  Good morning, it’s a privilege to be here to open the ICNZ annual conference, thank you to Mark for the Mihi Whakatau  My thanks to Tim Grafton for inviting me ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Five-year anniversary of Christchurch terror attacks
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Lead Coordination Minister Judith Collins have expressed their deepest sympathy on the five-year anniversary of the Christchurch terror attacks. “March 15, 2019, was a day when families, communities and the country came together both in sorrow and solidarity,” Mr Luxon says.  “Today we pay our respects to the 51 shuhada ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Speech for Financial Advice NZ Conference 5 March 2024
    Speech for Financial Advice NZ Conference 5 March 2024  Acknowledgements and opening  Morena, Nga Mihi Nui.  Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Nor Whanganui aho. Thanks Nate for your Mihi Whakatau  Good morning. It’s a pleasure to formally open your conference this morning. What a lovely day in Wellington, What a great ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Early visit to Indonesia strengthens ties
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters held discussions in Jakarta today about the future of relations between New Zealand and South East Asia’s most populous country.   “We are in Jakarta so early in our new government’s term to reflect the huge importance we place on our relationship with Indonesia and South ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • China Foreign Minister to visit
    Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Winston Peters has announced that the Foreign Minister of China, Wang Yi, will visit New Zealand next week.  “We look forward to re-engaging with Foreign Minister Wang Yi and discussing the full breadth of the bilateral relationship, which is one of New Zealand’s ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Minister opens new Auckland Rail Operations Centre
    Transport Minister Simeon Brown has today opened the new Auckland Rail Operations Centre, which will bring together KiwiRail, Auckland Transport, and Auckland One Rail to improve service reliability for Aucklanders. “The recent train disruptions in Auckland have highlighted how important it is KiwiRail and Auckland’s rail agencies work together to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Celebrating 10 years of Crankworx Rotorua
    The Government is proud to support the 10th edition of Crankworx Rotorua as the Crankworx World Tour returns to Rotorua from 16-24 March 2024, says Minister for Economic Development Melissa Lee.  “Over the past 10 years as Crankworx Rotorua has grown, so too have the economic and social benefits that ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Government delivering on tax commitments
    Legislation implementing coalition Government tax commitments and addressing long-standing tax anomalies will be progressed in Parliament next week, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The legislation is contained in an Amendment Paper to the Taxation (Annual Rates for 2023–24, Multinational Tax, and Remedial Matters) Bill issued today.  “The Amendment Paper represents ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Significant Natural Areas requirement to be suspended
    Associate Environment Minister Andrew Hoggard has today announced that the Government has agreed to suspend the requirement for councils to comply with the Significant Natural Areas (SNA) provisions of the National Policy Statement for Indigenous Biodiversity for three years, while it replaces the Resource Management Act (RMA).“As it stands, SNAs ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Government classifies drought conditions in Top of the South as medium-scale adverse event
    Agriculture Minister Todd McClay has classified the drought conditions in the Marlborough, Tasman, and Nelson districts as a medium-scale adverse event, acknowledging the challenging conditions facing farmers and growers in the district. “Parts of Marlborough, Tasman, and Nelson districts are in the grip of an intense dry spell. I know ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Government partnership to tackle $332m facial eczema problem
    The Government is helping farmers eradicate the significant impact of facial eczema (FE) in pastoral animals, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay announced.  “A $20 million partnership jointly funded by Beef + Lamb NZ, the Government, and the primary sector will save farmers an estimated NZD$332 million per year, and aims to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • NZ, India chart path to enhanced relationship
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters has completed a successful visit to India, saying it was an important step in taking the relationship between the two countries to the next level.   “We have laid a strong foundation for the Coalition Government’s priority of enhancing New Zealand-India relations to generate significant future benefit for both countries,” says Mr Peters, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Ruapehu Alpine Lifts bailout the last, say Ministers
    Cabinet has agreed to provide $7 million to ensure the 2024 ski season can go ahead on the Whakapapa ski field in the central North Island but has told the operator Ruapehu Alpine Lifts it is the last financial support it will receive from taxpayers. Cabinet also agreed to provide ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Govt takes action to drive better cancer services
    Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says the launch of a new mobile breast screening unit in Counties Manukau reinforces the coalition Government’s commitment to drive better cancer services for all New Zealanders. Speaking at the launch of the new mobile clinic, Dr Reti says it’s a great example of taking ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Govt takes action to drive better cancer services
    Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says the launch of a new mobile breast screening unit in Counties Manukau reinforces the coalition Government’s commitment to drive better cancer services for all New Zealanders. Speaking at the launch of the new mobile clinic, Dr Reti says it’s a great example of taking ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Work begins on SH29 upgrades near Tauriko
    Unlocking economic growth and land for housing are critical elements of the Government’s plan for our transport network, and planned upgrades to State Highway 29 (SH29) near Tauriko will deliver strongly on those priorities, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “The SH29 upgrades near Tauriko will improve safety at the intersections ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Work begins on SH29 upgrades near Tauriko
    Unlocking economic growth and land for housing are critical elements of the Government’s plan for our transport network, and planned upgrades to State Highway 29 (SH29) near Tauriko will deliver strongly on those priorities, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “The SH29 upgrades near Tauriko will improve safety at the intersections ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Fresh produce price drop welcome
    Lower fruit and vegetable prices are welcome news for New Zealanders who have been doing it tough at the supermarket, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. Stats NZ reported today the price of fruit and vegetables has dropped 9.3 percent in the 12 months to February 2024.  “Lower fruit and vege ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Statement to the 68th United Nations Commission on the Status of Women
    Tēnā koutou katoa and greetings to you all.  Chair, I am honoured to address the sixty-eighth session of the Commission on the Status of Women. I acknowledge the many crises impacting the rights of women and girls. Heightened global tensions, war, climate related and humanitarian disasters, and price inflation all ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Speech to the 68th United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (CSW68)
    Tēnā koutou katoa and greetings to you all.  Chair, I am honoured to address the 68th session of the Commission on the Status of Women. I acknowledge the many crises impacting the rights of women and girls. Heightened global tensions, war, climate related and humanitarian disasters, and price inflation all ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Government backs rural led catchment projects
    The coalition Government is supporting farmers to enhance land management practices by investing $3.3 million in locally led catchment groups, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay announced. “Farmers and growers deliver significant prosperity for New Zealand and it’s vital their ongoing efforts to improve land management practices and water quality are supported,” ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Speech to Auckland Business Chamber
    Good evening everyone and thank you for that lovely introduction.   Thank you also to the Honourable Simon Bridges for the invitation to address your members. Since being sworn in, this coalition Government has hit the ground running with our 100-day plan, delivering the changes that New Zealanders expect of us. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago
  • Commission’s advice on ETS settings tabled
    Recommendations from the Climate Change Commission for New Zealand on the Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) auction and unit limit settings for the next five years have been tabled in Parliament, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. “The Commission provides advice on the ETS annually. This is the third time the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Government lowering building costs
    The coalition Government is beginning its fight to lower building costs and reduce red tape by exempting minor building work from paying the building levy, says Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk. “Currently, any building project worth $20,444 including GST or more is subject to the building levy which is ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Trustee tax change welcomed
    Proposed changes to tax legislation to prevent the over-taxation of low-earning trusts are welcome, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The changes have been recommended by Parliament’s Finance and Expenditure Committee following consideration of submissions on the Taxation (Annual Rates for 2023–24, Multinational Tax, and Remedial Matters) Bill. “One of the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Minister’s Ramadan message
    Assalaamu alaikum. السَّلَام عليكم In light of the holy month of Ramadan, I want to extend my warmest wishes to our Muslim community in New Zealand. Ramadan is a time for spiritual reflection, renewed devotion, perseverance, generosity, and forgiveness.  It’s a time to strengthen our bonds and appreciate the diversity ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Minister appoints new NZTA Chair
    Former Transport Minister and CEO of the Auckland Business Chamber Hon Simon Bridges has been appointed as the new Board Chair of the New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA) for a three-year term, Transport Minister Simeon Brown announced today. “Simon brings extensive experience and knowledge in transport policy and governance to the role. He will ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Speech to Life Sciences Summit
    Good morning all, it is a pleasure to be here as Minister of Science, Innovation and Technology.  It is fantastic to see how connected and collaborative the life science and biotechnology industry is here in New Zealand. I would like to thank BioTechNZ and NZTech for the invitation to address ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Progress continues apace on water storage
    Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says he is looking forward to the day when three key water projects in Northland are up and running, unlocking the full potential of land in the region. Mr Jones attended a community event at the site of the Otawere reservoir near Kerikeri on Friday. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Government agrees to restore interest deductions
    Associate Finance Minister David Seymour has today announced that the Government has agreed to restore deductibility for mortgage interest on residential investment properties. “Help is on the way for landlords and renters alike. The Government’s restoration of interest deductibility will ease pressure on rents and simplify the tax code,” says ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Minister to attend World Anti-Doping Agency Symposium
    Sport and Recreation Minister Chris Bishop will travel to Switzerland today to attend an Executive Committee meeting and Symposium of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA). Mr Bishop will then travel on to London where he will attend a series of meetings in his capacity as Infrastructure Minister. “New Zealanders believe ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Pacific Language Weeks celebrate regional unity
    This year’s Pacific Language Weeks celebrate regional unity and the contribution of Pacific communities to New Zealand culture, says Minister for Pacific Peoples Dr Shane Reti.  Dr Reti announced dates for the 2024 Pacific Language Weeks during a visit to the Pasifika festival in Auckland today and says there’s so ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

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