You’ve got to lively up yourself …

Written By: - Date published: 7:18 am, December 12th, 2018 - 44 comments
Categories: Media, national, Politics, same old national, Simon Bridges, spin, the praiseworthy and the pitiful, you couldn't make this shit up - Tags:

Another day and more ineptitude from the National Party. Fresh from siding with Donald Trump and Breitbart in the hope that they could wedge Winston Peters they then decided to engage in a bit of reefer madness.

Perhaps they have our best interests at heart. Maybe this is what they think will happen if people dying from cancer are allowed to regulate their pain by using something that is actually not toxic.

But their response to the passage of the Government’s medicinal cannabis law was really weird.  It was like they had smoked a few really fat doobies and then decided on what to say.

I mean it is a bit of a jump to go from having a quiet joint because you are dying from cancer and the pain is intense to making the smoking of cannabis in front of mental health centers compulsory.  And the claim that this is decriminalisation by stealth with no controls is plainly wrong.  The only people who can safely smoke cannabis are those who have been certified by a medical practitioner as requiring palliation.

But National leader Simon Bridges went all “hold my joint” on it … this is what he said in Parliament during the debate on the bill:

The Minister is sitting there, he’s looking down, he doesn’t want to listen to this, but not a single thing he has said in this House over the passage of this bill says anything otherwise: that when this bill passes, when it is signed off by the Governor-General, loose-leaf cannabis will be able to be smoked in public in New Zealand. What do you call that? He’s shaking his head. That Minister has been asked these questions. He’s had the ability every single time he’s spoken to answer the basic questions, and he hasn’t done that. In fact, he’s all but confirmed it. I say to him: what will the police do when they’re outside a school and someone, under this legislation, is smoking cannabis? What will they do? Chlöe Swarbrick’s shaking her head. I’ll tell you what they’ll do. I don’t reckon they’ll do much at all, actually, because today that’s what this Parliament arguably—but certainly there’s been nothing to allay our concerns—has lazily, has irresponsibly done in this House.

I don’t think that the risk of cancer sufferers electing to smoke joints in front of schools just because they can is a very high one.

Finally some advice I hope Simon Bridges never accepts.

44 comments on “You’ve got to lively up yourself … ”

  1. Gabby 1

    Why would people with cancer want to risk being rolled by schoolkids?

  2. solkta 2

    loose leaf cannabis

    I wish they would stop using this term. I mean, if they are only going to legalise cabbage then what’s the point.

  3. Cinny 3

    When people mention cannabis, many immediately imagine people rolling up joints.

    Many who use cannabis for medicinal purposes don’t smoke it.

    But maybe the nat’s forgot to mention that.

    PS simon people smoke pot in public anyways, so what was you point?

    Jeepers old simeon brown was slayed on his twitter comment, lmao

  4. marty mars 4

    even barry soper is laughing at simon

    “Opposing the law change, Simon Bridges, in referring to the first bill he’s actually spoken to since becoming leader, seemed to have his drugs confused, telling Parliament’s bear pit he wanted to make it crystal clear. Seriously though, he and his colleagues said it was the decriminalisation of cannabis by stealth.

    Next thing, he fumed, they’ll be smoking it outside the school gate – and then appeared to contradict himself, saying National’s up for debating the decriminalisation of dope.”

    Yeah well, someone smoking weed with a terminal illness isn’t likely to be on the school run. Anyone in palliative care listening in to Bridges banging on would at least know where to go to get their illegal supply – there’ll be shoes all over our power lines, he told his fellow grizzlies.”

    https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12175176

    Might be good for simon to do a drug test methinks. You know leadership and all that and then the rest of the motley bunch can follow their beloved leader.

  5. Heather Tanguay 5

    The man is a complete tosser, he appears to have no knowledge on the subject at all.
    Friend who is having chemo has cookies, which she now will be able to eat without being arrested. The green fairies can help people, just like Lucretia Seals and Helen Kelly battled for.
    Two amazing women, may they rest in peace.

  6. Oh yes the pot issue. I’ve stayed out of this one by and large because I’m in two minds about it. Not sure I like yet another substance to be on the market that makes us go a lil AWOL… I’ve worked with those who have had some and they are a real pain in the date after partaking… yet others not at all… it seems.

    There’s also that synthetic cannabis which appears to be just plain dangerous and should be outlawed by comparison to the actual stuff.

    Then again , all plants contain phytochemicals , and many that can be used for our benefit , so a good , govt regulated standardized pharmaceutical extract could be developed around this long maligned plant species. ( In medieval Germany it was punishable by death if you were convicted of smoking the new ‘Tobacco’ – and people in taverns smoked weak hemp in their pipes… hemp being crucial to the sailing and clothing industry at that time…)

    Then there is the challenge to the booze industry and govt taxation to consider if for personal use. How have the Americans fared with all this ? And are they a good example anyway ? I really wouldn’t know, tbh. And after all those years of convicting , imprisoning and fining people, – how would all those people be feeling?

    I must admit to being a tad socially conservative on the issue, – but then I can see benefits and have spent a lot more time with those who do than I will say being a musician in my twenties. And I never had a problem with the partakers. But I did with the grog people.

    But since you tastefully provided the song from Uncle Bob Marley and the Wailers , Advantage ,… I must also say I had a soft spot for that movement and the imagery of Jamaica. So many poor , in their colorfully painted houses, ( often just shacks ) where it was OK to be a beach bum…where it doesn’t get freezing bloody cold like it does here… they could happily toke their tokes and I for my part could happily knock back Jamaican rum… I could happily live out my days in such a slow paced environment. I would love the sense of community and being among friends and family.

    The rat race is cancer.

    Ah but all good things have to come to an end and its the same with the Wild wood Weed… and then the vicious drug mobsters moved in on Jamaica and it all went to pot.

    Anyways,… here’s Rowley Birken QC.

    Rowley Birkin QC – Very Drunk, Terrible Flattulence – YouTube
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rh8CQRerBVA

    • Draco T Bastard 6.1

      I’ve worked with those who have had some and they are a real pain in the date after partaking… yet others not at all… it seems.

      Never come across anybody who was an issue after smoking dope.

      I have come across people that have had issues after smoking dope that was spiked with something else that they didn’t know about.

      It is the latter that I think full legalisation needs to happen. Leaving it in the hands of criminals without regulation causes more problems.

      There’s also that synthetic cannabis which appears to be just plain dangerous and should be outlawed by comparison to the actual stuff.

      Synthetic cannabis isn’t cannabis at all. Doesn’t even have THC in it. It’s usually a by-product of creating other artificial drugs that someone has decided can be used to make a profit.

      As you say, it should be outlawed.

      In fact, we need one primary law that makes it illegal to introduce anything onto the market until it has been fully tested and regulated. That is not what happened to ‘legal highs’.

  7. Pete 7

    His poll has him at 7% and he’s trying to impress people with the same IQ. And he will, amongst their hordes of supporters.

  8. esoteric pineapples 8

    In the United States, now that many states have legalised cannabis to one level or another, I notice that people are starting to openly talk about their cannabis use, For example, Billy Crystal on The Late Show.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v5B4F5a8ib8

  9. Ad 9

    Was really impressed with the dignity of the two women sufferers on RNZ this morning.

    Also the complexity: one terminal woman’s ex was using the illegality of her using marijuana instead of chemotherapy as a factor in the family court against her retaining custody of her children.

    Both came across really well.

    I think I’m on record here as opposing this, but I like the changes to the proposed law and the more I hear people with stupid consequences of illegality the more I see it’s the right thing.

  10. Ad 10

    Also can I vote for this as best Standard headline of the year.

    Nice work Sir.

  11. NZJester 11

    The original reasons for banning it in the US were mostly on racist grounds and other countries followed the US in banning it on a lot of the fake evidence presented at the time to get it banned.
    From the history channel website

    Despite its medical usefulness, many Americans’ attitudes towards cannabis shifted at the turn of the century. This was at least partly motivated by Mexican immigration to the U.S. around the time of the 1910 Mexican Revolution, according to Eric Schlosser, author of Reefer Madness: Sex, Drugs, and Cheap Labor in the American Black Market.

    “The prejudices and fears that greeted these peasant immigrants also extended to their traditional means of intoxication: smoking marijuana,” Schlosser wrote for The Atlantic in 1994. “Police officers in Texas claimed that marijuana incited violent crimes, aroused a ‘lust for blood,’ and gave its users ‘superhuman strength.’ Rumors spread that Mexicans were distributing this ‘killer weed’ to unsuspecting American schoolchildren.”

    It’s worth noting that research has shown alcohol to be more dangerous than marijuana. In addition, cannabis doesn’t really cause superhuman strength, and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration’s fact sheet on the drug says that “No death from overdose of marijuana has been reported.”

    Even though there was no evidence to support claims that marijuana had a Jekyll-and-Hyde effect, 29 states outlawed marijuana between 1916 and 1931. The Marihuana Tax Act of 1937 essentially banned it nation-wide despite objections from the American Medical Association related to medical usage. This act came just a year after the film Reefer Madness warned parents that drug dealers would invite their teenagers to jazz parties and get them hooked on “reefer.”

    https://www.history.com/news/why-the-u-s-made-marijuana-illegal

    My goodness (distributing this ‘killer weed’ to unsuspecting schoolchildren) where have I heard that lately?
    Is someone recycling some early 1900s racist propaganda to keep it illegal?

    • Here is a good site I stumbled upon once when rummaging around the history of the Old West…

      Quite an eye raiser of what the people of the 19TH century were into. But you’ve got to remember that they had none of the advantages of modern medicine and lived in far flung places as well for the most part…

      Wild West: Vices (Documentary) – YouTube
      Video for vices of the old west youtube▶ 44:29
      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nmeKeMU3br8

  12. Tricledrown 12

    Even Rush Limbaugh admits he uses Cannibis.
    Simple Siomon is out of touch on just about everything his Party is spamming on Facebook to try and connect but all I see is how much people hate what National did to people. They are stuck in the dark ages pandering to the religious right the Exclusive Brethren a bunch of pedofiles trying to hold the high moral ground like Billy English stopping an enquiry into the Catholic Church.
    These religious zealots have Simon by the balls. Living in the past. Punish the poor for being poor punish those in pain because it’s God’s will. No rest for the wicked.

  13. Observer Tokoroa 13

    Hard Work

    Simon explained how hard National had worked to get to know about Cannabis. The upshot was that he kept repeating that Labour was decriminalisng Cannabis by Stealth.

    The Doctor they brought in was very repetitive too. He also explained how Labour was going to use stealth to release loose leaf marijuana at the school gates. He had flown over to America a number of times to chat with science chaps in Colorado and elsewhere. He did not say what they told him.

    As I understood him, The Doctor wanted the schools to be removed five Kilometers from the school gates, so that National could safely collect up the loose leaf. He predicted huge numbers of deaths and malfeasance as soon as Labour released by stealth the loose leaf at the school gates. (Labour are seeking to decriminalise Medicinal Marijuna- as you know! Not lose leaf. Nor ill informed politicians.)

    The Doctor did not allude to the terrible suffering of people who can get relief from medicinal cannabis. Neither did Simon. It is as if National want the suffering to continue. Simom screamed about the loose leaf at the school gates.

    Simon seemed quite happy about the excessive cost of Medicinal Marijuana. I wonder why? At least the poor won’t get any help. Written all over the mean National brows.

    • veutoviper 13.1

      “The Doctor” you are rambling about is Dr Shane Reti, who is the National MP for Whangarei, and a medical doctor. He was not “brought in” by National as an expert or in any other capacity. He was the lead National MP on the Health Select Committee which examined this Bill, and his nose is out of joint because his various attempts to change the draft Bill to restrict it massively were not agreed.

      Dr Liz Craig, also a medical doctor and Labour list MP (from Invercargill) was also on the Committee and spoke well yesterday.

    • Draco T Bastard 13.2

      Simon explained how hard National had worked to get to know about Cannabis. The upshot was that he kept repeating that Labour was decriminalisng Cannabis by Stealth.

      Seemed to work when John Key brought out his Communism by Stealth about WFF – which they then kept because they recognised that businesses needed the subsidy.

      Labour are seeking to decriminalise Medicinal Marijuna- as you know! Not lose leaf. Nor ill informed politicians.

      Making ill-informed politicians illegal would do us the world of good. National would be gone by lunch time.

      The Doctor did not allude to the terrible suffering of people who can get relief from medicinal cannabis. Neither did Simon. It is as if National want the suffering to continue.

      They do. It’s easy to grow marijuana and so there’s going to be huge competition in providing it which is going to cut down the profits of the pharmaceutical companies.

      Keeping the suffering going keeps the profits of their donors up.

      Of course, Labour didn’t like the Green’s policy that allowed people to grow their own.

  14. My mother aged 88 is on Oxycodone. It has terrible side effects including constipation and it also makes her dementia heaps worse meaning she find it hard to keep track of time and no longer reads as well as sometimes being nasty and paranoid . Reading novels used to help keep her happy rather than feeling utterly hopeless. If cannabis could relieve her pain without the horrible side effects of oxycodone her life would improve no end.

    • Yep , and I’m sure there are many ways to standardize doses and extract the active ingredients whether it is by oral or intravenous administration etc. We really have to get over the hippies sitting around strumming guitars on the commune thing and start looking at what benefits can be derived instead of this immature prejudice.

      Quinine as an example saved millions, something discovered long ago … well the same can be said for a lot of things.

      I’m positively sure it remains an untapped marketable resource. The potential for its close relative in hemp products is an example of how it can be put to work once banal prejudices are abandoned.

      That’s what I’m interested in seeing.

    • Grafton Gully 14.2

      A growing body of research on cannabis derived drugs and a recent international conference. http://international-cdp.com/whats-on/speakers/
      Botanix is developing treatments for skin diseases and there is recently approved epilepsy drug and attempts to find something for sleep apnoea. Our government looks on the right track with this legislation and good to see the opposition joining the conversation. Sorry to hear about your mother and maybe if she had access to cannabis it could help.

  15. Nick 15

    Simon is not self aware. A jibberish leader. Natz should ask themselves, “why did we put him out front and center in front of NZ and the world?”

  16. Craig Glen Eden 16

    Please please please National keep Siomon as leader, he is the bestest leader you guys could have.
    Someone might want to inform him that high school kids in Auckland are buying meth now for shits and giggles, which sadly is no laughing matter.

  17. Mr Marshy 17

    As typical, the dim socialist ‘journalist’ here fails to mention the wider intention to legalize personal use, if their referendum goes ahead. This is what Bridges is actually highlighting. But anyway, how are those leaks coming along, showing this inept government is running out of money next year …

  18. Ross 18

    It appears that Simon, unlike Bill Clinton, really did inhale…repeatedly. How else would you explain this brain fart?

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    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
    4 days ago
  • How Did FTX Crash?
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    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
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    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
    5 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
    5 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
    6 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

  • Government moves to quickly ratify the NZ-EU FTA
    "The Government is moving quickly to realise an additional $46 million in tariff savings in the EU market this season for Kiwi exporters,” Minister for Trade and Agriculture, Todd McClay says. Parliament is set, this week, to complete the final legislative processes required to bring the New Zealand – European ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 hours 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
    8 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
    10 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
    11 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
    1 day 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 ...
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    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 ...
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    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 ...
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    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
  • 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 ...
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    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
  • 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,” ...
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    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. ...
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    1 week 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 ...
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    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

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