Written By: - Date published: 7:57 am, July 11th, 2024 - 40 comments
Nicola Willis’s decision to cancel the Kiwirail i-Rex contract without a back up plan is coming back to bite. As costs pile up for the taxpayer, we have already lost half a billion dollars, but that won’t be the final bill. And there are still no ferries.
Written By: - Date published: 11:06 am, July 10th, 2024 - 18 comments
The Government is hoping that Carbon Capture and Sequestration will reduce the country’s greenhouse gas emission levels. But it is refusing to protect forests and trees, which are the best Carbon Capture and Sequestration devices going.
Written By: - Date published: 12:39 pm, July 4th, 2024 - 36 comments
Chris Bishop has announced proposed changes to planning laws that will increase urban sprawl and damage to the environment.
Written By: - Date published: 12:29 pm, June 29th, 2024 - 14 comments
Are things back on track? How about for those who can least afford to feed themselves? It appears not with reports that funding for food banks is being slashed. And the consequence could be dire.
Written By: - Date published: 10:31 am, June 29th, 2024 - 30 comments
Jo Biden’s recent debate with Donald Trump did not go well.
Written By: - Date published: 9:08 am, June 27th, 2024 - 45 comments
The Government is in a rather precarious position relating to the contract to replace the ageing Cook Straight ferries, which clearly need replacing.
Written By: - Date published: 4:24 pm, June 22nd, 2024 - 67 comments
The grounding of the ferry Aratere is potentially a political gift to National.
Written By: - Date published: 11:01 am, June 19th, 2024 - 28 comments
Christopher Luxon has accused senior business leaders who travelled with a trade delegation with Chris Hipkins of being “C listers and tag alongs”.
Written By: - Date published: 2:06 pm, June 18th, 2024 - 26 comments
Last year Christopher Luxon said that he would not use Defence Force planes to travel internationally if elected as prime minister. Turns out that this is not actually true.
Written By: - Date published: 9:56 am, June 16th, 2024 - 18 comments
The Government is planning to reverse Labour’s previous policy relating to permanent safe speeds around schools. The change will decrease safety and walking and cycling and increase car use. And the upside is?
Written By: - Date published: 1:42 pm, June 13th, 2024 - 21 comments
It was always going to happen but it still rankles that an attempt to get farming to at least confront the damage it causes to the climate is being put on hold.
Written By: - Date published: 10:04 pm, June 10th, 2024 - 12 comments
The UK still has the First Past the Post Electoral system. Something New Zealand should have absolutely no nostalgia for. This means that, while the campaign is UK-wide, a lot of campaign activity is directed into constituencies that are deemed marginal. In marginal constituencies, a General Election brings a conveyor belt of the good and the great supporting their prospective parliamentary candidate. In “safe seats” voters get much less attention.
Written By: - Date published: 11:08 am, June 9th, 2024 - 16 comments
Yesterday’s Greenpeace’s War on Nature protest in Tamaki Makaurau suggests growing unity on the left and an increasing determination to stop the Fast Track Projects Bill from being passed.
Written By: - Date published: 7:33 pm, June 8th, 2024 - 35 comments
Only a fool insists on furiously flogging a dead horse to go faster on the track.
Written By: - Date published: 8:46 am, June 7th, 2024 - 21 comments
Be there, bring your whanau, bring friends. Make it noisy and passionate and make it count.
Written By: - Date published: 10:43 am, June 6th, 2024 - 15 comments
Police Minister has been caught out claiming an increase in patrols in Central Auckland when a proper analysis of the data shows that the number of patrols have decreased.
Written By: - Date published: 6:05 am, June 5th, 2024 - 11 comments
When the fabric of lies unravels the gaslighting increases.
Written By: - Date published: 2:57 pm, June 3rd, 2024 - 10 comments
* or is it?
Written By: - Date published: 2:00 pm, June 1st, 2024 - 24 comments
National’s breaking of its election promise to fund 13 cancer treatments is cruel beyond words.
Written By: - Date published: 2:43 pm, May 30th, 2024 - 80 comments
Early comments on the budget. Basically tax cuts are being paid by more borrowing. There is no way this can be described as being fiscally neutral.
Written By: - Date published: 11:11 am, May 26th, 2024 - 46 comments
The past fortnight has seen a number of breaking stories each of which raises concerns about the motivations and goals of this Government. It makes you wonder whether the pursuit of self interest is an embedded feature as opposed to a bug.
Written By: - Date published: 10:58 am, May 25th, 2024 - 36 comments
Maybe Shane Jones is at least partially right about mining.
Written By: - Date published: 6:10 am, May 25th, 2024 - 10 comments
“But the truth is that real gains only ever come out of a mobilised civil society and achieving a mobilised civil society is exactly what we have to do.”
– Russel Norman
Written By: - Date published: 8:34 am, May 22nd, 2024 - 39 comments
Guest post by Nigel Haworth where he discusses Labour membership’s desire for taxation reform and why it is important that Labour decides on its position as soon as possible.
Written By: - Date published: 9:02 am, May 21st, 2024 - 6 comments
In the past week Christopher Luxon and Chris Hipkins have both delivered future vision themed speeches. With some dramatic contrasts.
Written By: - Date published: 1:53 pm, May 18th, 2024 - 16 comments
What is the antidote for our socio-economic problems and how do we deal with this coalition government?
Written By: - Date published: 9:53 am, May 16th, 2024 - 69 comments
Following on from the decision to cut $103 million a year from the school lunch programme the Government has announced the return of chartered schools at a cost of $153 million over four years.
Written By: - Date published: 9:22 am, May 15th, 2024 - 31 comments
As part of its coalition agreement NZ First is wanting to end a policy that has already ended. And the Government is struggling to work out what to do.
Written By: - Date published: 7:51 am, May 15th, 2024 - 16 comments
The Court of Appeal has ruled that the summons issued to Children’s Minister Karen Chhour was valid but decline to enforce it as the date has passed. And the Government has hastily introduced the bill to stop any further action being taken by the Tribunal.
Written By: - Date published: 9:01 pm, May 2nd, 2024 - 203 comments
Yesterday in Parliament Julie Anne Genter lost her cool when Matt Doocey misrepresented what the last Government’s NLTP priorities were. Should she be sanctioned? Or should she get a medal for pointing out that Doocey was totally wrong?
Written By: - Date published: 8:57 am, May 1st, 2024 - 94 comments
The Remuneration Authority has announced that MPs will be getting a 10% increase in their salaries during the course of this Parliament.
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