Youtube punishes Murdoch’s Sky News for pedalling Covid misinformation

Written By: - Date published: 7:44 am, August 3rd, 2021 - 38 comments
Categories: australian politics, covid-19, human rights, Media, news, youtube - Tags:

This will have the conspiracy theorists spinning.  Youtube have stopped Murdoch’s Sky News Australia from uploading videos for the next seven days after the channel uploaded videos questioning Covid and advocating for the use of alternative medicines including Donald Trump’s favourite hydroxychloroquine.

From the Guardian:

Sky News Australia has been banned from uploading content to YouTube for seven days after violating its medical misinformation policies by posting numerous videos which denied the existence of Covid-19 or encouraged people to use hydroxychloroquine or ivermectin.

The ban was imposed by the digital giant on Thursday afternoon, the day after the Daily Telegraph ended Alan Jones’s regular column amid controversy about his Covid-19 commentary which included calling the New South Wales chief health officer Kerry Chant a village idiot on his Sky News program.

News Corp told Guardian Australia the ending of Jones’s column did not mean the company does not support the “compelling” broadcaster.

YouTube has not disclosed which Sky News program the videos were from but said there were “numerous” offending videos which have now been removed.

The Guardian has identified six videos that caused the problem and have been removed.

Five of the six videos were from Dean and Panahi’s Outsiders program, and from 2020. Five of the six videos are either promoting hydroxychloroquine or ivermectin as treatment for Covid-19.

In one video, Panahi said “the leftist media’s disdain for Trump” meant it was “willing to have lives lost” due to opposition to hydroxychloroquine as a treatment for Covid-19.

Another features Jones in April 2020, then hosting the Jones & Richo show, speaking to billionaire Clive Palmer after he had secured 32m doses of hydroxychloroquine for Australia.

The last video is Dean calling an incident about the removal of a family from a flight after their two-year-old child could not be fitted with a mask “evil” and “authoritarianism”.

Unbelievably the Australian authorities have refused so far to take action.

And Sky is having a normal one.

Sky News host Chris Kenny said on Monday that the ban was “cancel culture writ large” and “censorship”.

Houghton said the ban was based on “one factor, the political persuasion of the person making the comments” and a lack of freedom of speech led to “Holodomor, Auschwitz and Mao”.

A Sky News Australia spokesperson said: “We support broad discussion and debate on a wide range of topics and perspectives which is vital to any democracy.

“We take our commitment to meeting editorial and community expectations seriously.”

It did not take long for Godwin’s law to kick in.

I only hope that strikes two and three kick in.  This sort of monetised hate speech is damaging and precisely what Australia does not need right now.  Murdoch’s business model is to spread equal amounts of hatred and stupidity.  There has to be a better way.

38 comments on “Youtube punishes Murdoch’s Sky News for pedalling Covid misinformation ”

  1. Adrian Thornton 2

    "This will have the conspiracy theorists spinning"….no what has critical thinkers spinning is that a private corporation with control of such a huge share of pubic discourse, get to say what is misinformation or not with no pubic oversight or debate.

    As usual you are a cheerleader for deplatforming and canceling by these private corporations…not understanding or acknowledging for whatever reason, that these very same corporations and their allies, using the same playbook, are already silencing all sorts of legitimate voices of protest and dissent on the Left…also done without any public oversight.

    Digital apartheid: Palestinians being silenced on social media

    Social media companies, from Zoom to Facebook and Twitter, are reinforcing Israel’s erasure of Palestinians.

    https://www.aljazeera.com/opinions/2021/5/13/social-media-companies-are-trying-to-silence-palestinian-voices

    • Ad 2.1

      Facebook doesn't own Zoom.

      Different story.

    • Gypsy 2.2

      "no what has critical thinkers spinning is that a private corporation with control of such a huge share of pubic discourse, get to say what is misinformation or not with no pubic oversight or debate."

      I have some sympathy for that view, but the world is fighting a global pandemic that has so far claimed over 4m lives. Some of the material being circulated on-line is bat shit crazy, and there does have to be a line drawn somewhere. My preference would be to see the more absurd theories rebutted in situ, but there simply isn't the capacity to refute every false narrative put up on line.

      • Ad 2.2.1

        The main US-originated social media companies are on the whole more powerful and more reliable than most states.

        They also self regulate better than most states.

        State-controlled Social media are the darkest forces we have in the world right now.

        • RedLogix 2.2.1.1

          I'm not sure anyone voted to make google the sole arbiter of what is allowed to be said. You can argue all you like that 'they own the platform' – but the reality is that when the platform is the only place where anyone is really heard, then if you aren't able to access it you have been silenced.

          And yes if you think the state run social media are bad, I've not a lot more confidence in corporates getting it right. We used to have a profession called journalism whose explicit task and skill set was to try to get this right – but ironically google took them out. Now we're bereft of the tools to make sense of what's happening in the public domain.

          Maybe the correct answer just is to declare COVID a war-footing event – and shoot all the dissenters. That should keep all the closet authoritarians happy.

          • Gypsy 2.2.1.1.1

            " I've not a lot more confidence in corporates getting it right"

            I agree. What's more, if they get it wrong, they will likely pay a price (reputation, viewship/readership, share price etc). When governments get it wrong, not so much .

            • gsays 2.2.1.1.1.1

              "What's more, if they get it wrong, they will likely pay a price (reputation, viewship/readership, share price etc"

              I disagree. FB live streamed the Chch mosque mass murder. It was still up when the murderer was in custody. I am yet to meet anyone that stopped using FB because of that.

              Helen Clark was held accountable for light bulbs and shower heads.

          • Drowsy M. Kram 2.2.1.1.2

            Maybe the correct answer just is to declare COVID a war-footing event – and shoot all the dissenters.

            I'm on record here (despite my “closet authoritarian” tendencies) as opposing the shooting of all COVID dissenters – too extreme imo. Just offer them a jab – global active COVID cases (15.2 million) and (tragically) daily deaths are rising, again.

            C'mon team NZ – stamp it out, keep it out – don't let your guard down.

            https://covid19.govt.nz/health-and-wellbeing/protect-yourself-and-others-from-covid-19/

          • Ad 2.2.1.1.3

            I sure ain't arguing for this current state of affairs. There is no good option.

            I certainly ain't arguing for some Gattica-Minority Report state in which there is simply zero elected accountability to surveillance by all kinds of media and all that entails.

            But sometimes major digital empire corporates do good things – and it's not by luck because it never is.

          • ghostwhowalksnz 2.2.1.1.4

            "I'm not sure anyone voted to make google the sole arbiter of what is allowed to be said."

            Dont you mean Facebook, ?

            However you DID ACCEPT them when you agreed to their terms and conditions, which I doubt you have even read

            3. Your commitments to Facebook and our community

            We provide these services to you and others to help advance our mission. In exchange, we need YOU to make the following commitments:

            https://www.facebook.com/terms.php

            Same goes with The Standard terms and conditions , you accepted them when commenting

          • Stuart Munro 2.2.1.1.5

            We used to have a profession called journalism whose explicit task and skill set was to try to get this right – but ironically google took them out.

            Google is not altogether innocent – but much of the collapse of journalistic standards can be laid at Murdoch's door. Instead of resisting online news by providing better content, Murdoch took the world downmarket. Journalism is now so debased any half-assed clown can rant on a par with it.

      • mauī 2.2.2

        Surely the bat shit crazy theories would be ignored by the general population.. as after all they're bat shit crazy. Why then the need to remove people talking bat shit? Do we not trust people's intelligence? I guess not. The best explanation I can think of is that the bat shit crazy theories are actually some kind of threat to something…

        • Gypsy 2.2.2.1

          I guess it comes down to how much damage the bat shit craziness causes.

          As I said above, "my preference would be to see the more absurd theories rebutted in situ" or, put another way, my natural inclination is toward free speech, and to expose any nuttiness to the sunlight.

          However there is a very real risk that (in the face of a global pandemic) such an approach could have extreme public health outcomes.

        • Anne 2.2.2.2

          Why then the need to remove people talking bat shit? Do we not trust people's intelligence?

          No, we can't trust some people's intelligence. In statistical terms, close to half a nation's population are below average intelligence. Some of them at least need to be protected from their own stupidity, particularly when other people's lives are at stake. Hence the need to monitor and remove bat-shit crazy conspiracy theories and theorists.

          Btw, I’m not casting aspersions… a genuine response.

    • AB 2.3

      Yeah – the bigger problem is that YouTube exists – or at least, that it is not public infrastructure under democratic control.

      However, finding a better way of stopping batshit crazy people undermining public health initiatives and costing lives is a problem.

      • Incognito 2.3.1

        People undermining public health policies and initiatives and eroding trust in public health officials and measures whilst spreading blatant nonsense that they seem to honestly and genuinely believe is nothing new. It is on full display here on The Standard on a depressingly regular basis and despite people calling it. For the sake of the kaupapa of this site we have little choice but let the dim-witted ‘debates’ continue and pray for that glimmer of hope at the end of the tunnel. And that’s without any commercial imperatives influencing decisions!

        • Poission 2.3.1.1

          And if health policy is incorrect,constrains calls to shut borders immediately, would the world be a better place today?

          Who is the arbiter of what opinion is correct,what is misinformation and what is truth.

          https://publish.twitter.com/?query=https%3A%2F%2Ftwitter.com%2FDrTedros%2Fstatus%2F1223288483265089537&widget=Tweet

          • Gabby 2.3.1.1.1

            Not Murderoch, whatever he might think.

          • Incognito 2.3.1.1.2

            Can you please elaborate on what you mean with a health policy being “incorrect”?

            Opinions are neither right nor wrong; they’re not facts, as such, contrary to common belief. They may be based on correct or incorrect facts, on accurate or inaccurate information, on sound or unsound reasoning, on feelings and emotions, on ‘good’ or ‘bad’ values that one holds, et cetera. Sound debate aims at discerning a shared truth, in my view.

            I mentioned “blatant nonsense”, but if you think this cannot exist if there’s no “arbiter” then please make you argument. I think it depends on context and time/timing but maybe you’re advocating some universal rules?

            I have no time to read your link and I prefer if commenters state their arguments with support of suitable links rather than simply linking, pointing, and handwaving. It makes it so much easier for others to follow and engage.

        • AB 2.3.1.2

          Yes – all the moderators here deserve a medal for their forbearance and YT shouldn't be arrogating to itself the right to judge truth and falsehood. But truth isn't a completely relative thing – and if one person's falsehood results in another's death, are we happy to let that ride? I don't know the answer.

    • Gabby 2.4

      The Murderoch machine meantime gets to say what is misinformation or not with no public oversight or debate, via the media outlets it controls.

      • ghostwhowalksnz 2.4.1

        A bit rich claiming censorship when Sky News agreed to allow Facebook or You tube to remove any content not within its own guidelines.

        The Daily telegraph newspaper also did the same for that blowhard Alan Jones, removed content they dont like

  2. Tiger Mountain 3

    Mr Murdoch will thankfully join Mrs Thatcher soon enough, but obviously that will not solve the issue of neo liberal hegemony that they and many others at the time helped set up.

    “Freedom of the press belongs to ‘them’ that owns one” went an old saying from analogue days. And likewise digital media–sure anyone can indulge in citizen journalism, comment and post on line, but how many want to, or can, pay for their own servers, distribution and promotion that reaches mega audiences and influence levels?

    Corporate bans on the likes of Trump and Aussie SkyNews seem justified enough when they directly relate to evidence based concerns on public health in a pandemic, and upholding democratic norms like respecting election results. But on matters of opinion who should get to rule? Small groups of CEOs and shareholders are accountable to who exactly?–themselves and finance capital is the obvious answer.

    Bans can seem great when it is something you agree with, but I support Palestinian solidarity groups and don’t want them banned, there is a Kaitaia FB community group that bans political discussions, but regularly runs statements from local tories and the “tractor & ute” protest, till people like me draw attention to it, or post an opposing opinion and then the proverbial drops and they take down the tory post too–but really no one should be taken down the discussion should go on. Agree with AB above about public health initiatives being undermined by wackos.

    So more democracy for the internet is needed–more of it should be publicly owned and controlled. Peer to peer technology was set up for business meetings but imagine extending that for street and neighbourhood meetings and beyond.

  3. WeTheBleeple 4

    Cancel culture vs stopping dangerous disinformation… While the line at first seems blurry it's not hard to discern what is blatantly false and what is not.

    I for one have zero fears over flat earthers falling off the edge. But my idiot neighbour with multiple health issues who won't take his jabs… whoever filled his head with shit should have been taken to task a long time ago.

    Yesterday I was subject to cancel culture. In discussing cancel culture some backward fiddle playing (literally) nonce tried say cancel culture is what got women the vote, stopped slavery…

    My answer was:

    "That's a poor interpretation/comparison (imo) to what we're seeing today where someone says/does something off and there's a pile-on of epic proportions. To change the vote etc took massive social movements with many persons protesting their lot. The changes were societal issues, not personal grievances. Today it's one aggrieved idiot followed by mob mentality to get some hapless fool and ruin their life.

    In one instance society moves forward. Today's cancel cult stymies progress, as people are too scared to be anything but courteous. How do we resolve past transgressions if everyone's too scared to show a chink in their act. How do we move forward together if we can't simply disagree at times. It's utterly fake whether the intention is good (shutting down a racist e.g.) or not (taking personal grievance to a kangaroo court)."

    For this I was reported for hate speech. I objected and they upheld my (7 day) ban from the platform.

    So on the one hand (censure FOX) social media did something useful, on the other they did something ridiculous.

    It's so tempting to take that chap to court for defamation of character for false accusation of hate speech, just to put this mob mentality BS in its place, and to highlight how stupid it's about to get.

    But who can be bothered it's all just a bit too shrill out there. Help each other, that's better. I try, but still got very little patience for liars and fools.

    If you are tearing someone down (cancel culture) instead of trying to help them up (how-to human) you are the anti-social one.

    FOX, as we know, was always garbage. It's hard not to enjoy watching them squirm. But, like all right wing outlets, the cries of victim will overwhelm (within their followers) any lesson they might learn from this.

    • Incognito 4.1

      Good comment, thanks.

      If you are tearing someone down (cancel culture) instead of trying to help them up (how-to human) you are the anti-social one.

      That’s an interesting way of putting it and sets it up as a dichotomy, almost.

      You’re correct that people like to shoot the messenger and to lash out at others who might be trying to ‘help’. However, people tend to take things so personal when it is usually just something they said or wrote. People seem to be wedded to their communications as if they’re saying: if you disagree with me and attack something I said, you’re attacking me and I’ll attack you back in return, as it is my right to self-defend and stand my ground, et cetera. I think this happening a lot. People don’t know how to debate and seem to think it is some kind of blood sport and contest where the last person standing wins.

      • WeTheBleeple 4.1.1

        Absolutely and I am just as guilty as any. Trying to learn from all this.

        It is my hope many of us are learning from our own folly/knee-jerk reactions, to take a few seconds, breathe, and think before hammering at the keyboard.

        So easy to be mindless these days. caught up in whatever it is that will distract us from horribly depressing realities. Covid, climate, the political climate…

        We get through this together. Somehow…. a concerted effort is what it’s going to take.

        Hence me trying not to carry silly resentments lately, other humans are helping me with this.

  4. mac1 5

    Regarding hydroxychloroquine and ivermectin, we had these being touted as viable alternatives at the recent Grey Power AGM by a member. I am pleased to say that his ideas were resoundingly rejected, wise and proper scientific advice acted on by government was instead praised, and a University academic speaker also gave similar wise and proper advice to the meeting. I was much heartened by my colleagues' own wisdom and rejection of rabbit-hole conspiracy and essentially what was dangerous hubris in someone claiming to know more than the mass of highly ranked scientists pronouncing in their fields of expertise.

    • KSaysHi 5.1

      I know that I'm in the minority here in that at I think we are about to discover this is the worst medical mistake in history. My reasoning for this is that it looks to me that we have early signs of ADE. If this is correct (big "IF"!!) then before the end of this year the vaccination program will be halted, and those who have had it will need to prevent infection since they will be more vulnerable than the unvaccinated. Ivermectin or #Pfizermectin could play a big role in that, but the Pfizer version would be multiples of the price and our dependence as a country would likely continue for years.

      If anyone is interested in Tweet evidence of Ivermectin, this guy has a ton of charts (ongoing) that support the use of it. Yeah yeah, I can hear you trashing my use of this rather than actual source data, but research is corrupted to hell at this point and I’m not used to reading the raw material. https://twitter.com/jjchamie

      Small aside…in South Africa doctors fought to make it legal to prescribe Ivermectin for Covid. They succeeded in doing that which would suggest it isn't the boogyman it is made out to be.

      Our current strategy relies in no small part on smothing public discussion. The vaccinations could fail for any number of reasons and as yet we have crumbs in the way of backup strategy although the Covid Committee is a good step (forgot official name). For those of you in agreement with the current plan, will you be understanding of the medical doctors who advised vaccination as the way forward if failure occurs? I hope you will be.

      • mac1 5.1.1

        The Auckland University academic and epidemiologist who addressed our AGM was not persuaded by the individual advocating for ivormectin et al.

        If you look at your actual language, you do not persuade me when you use such phrases as "I think" and "that it looks to me" when you don't claim expert knowledge status and you admit to reading raw data is a problem but prefer to use Twitter sourced material.

        Your claim that research data is corrupted to hell is a convenient out to dismiss data that does not meet your inexpert beliefs.

        My final paragraph applies above at 3.48.

  5. Maurice 6

    Surely, the greatest 'conspiracy theory' is that alternative points of view and/or "misinformation" are conspiracy theories?

    • mac1 6.1

      Surely, to call a theory a theory is not a theory? To say something's unproven and unsubstantiated is itself able to be substantiated purely by the fact that the substantiating proof has not been given.

      My head hurts………

  6. Brendan Waugh 7

    Sky has the freedom of speech to spread their views.

    But Youtube also has freedom of speech as well. They are free to dump anyone from their platform.

    And so they have.

    • RedLogix 7.1

      The ministry of truth is sending all dissidents to the Googlags cheeky

      • mac1 7.1.1

        Ha! My doctor warned me about Dr Google after I had a blood test that Google told me the figures meant I had end stage renal failure! He obviously knew by looking at me that was not the case, gave me the warning and had another blood test ordered. It turned out I was sent some other poor bastard's results!

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    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
    6 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
    6 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
    8 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
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  • Commission’s advice on ETS settings tabled
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