Nicky Wagner couldn't "make it" to the debate about Canterbury Regeneration in Christchurch last night. The former Minister and local MP, Gerry Brownlee, had time on his hands and stepped in. If it were a personal emergency I am sure they would have said? In…
https://twitter.com/jamespeshaw/status/902405785765810177 https://twitter.com/jamespeshaw/status/902332321545601024 The sanctuary will protect critically endangered Blue whales and 37 other species of marine mammals. Gareth Hughes explains what this is about: https://twitter.com/GarethMP/status/902424428427878400 Local support: https://twitter.com/GarethMP/status/902344045157949441 Some of the media coverage: https://twitter.com/jamespeshaw/status/902625476824285184 https://twitter.com/robellcampbin/status/902445371384664064 https://twitter.com/wanganuishout/status/902609729351974912 Press release: Green Party announces plan for largest-ever marine…
Republished with permission from Denis Tegg's Tegg Talk. Embarrassing Climate Information Kept Secret until after the Election Earlier this year I reported on how a major Ministry for the Environment Guidance Report on climate change and sea level rise has not been released even though…
National used to be ambitious for New Zealand. But if you look at what it did to create its campaign video (h/t Simon Wilson) it seems that this ambition is no more ... I understand this is the instructions handed out to people who took…
The Horizon methodology (online sample) is of questionable real-world validity, so take this with a bag of salt: Ardern drives vote switch: nett 10% leave National for Labour Labour’s leadership change has potentially shifted 11% of the 2014 National Party vote to Labour, while 2%…
Two excellent but very disturbing pieces in The Herald yesterday. Kirsty Johnston: Damp, overcrowded homes bigger threat to kids than car crashes Diseases linked to cold, damp, overcrowded homes are killing more New Zealand children than car crashes or drownings. An average 20 children die…
I know I shouldn't sweat the small stuff, but this piece by Rachel Smalley is full of lies about Labour. On the tertiary education policy: It's straight out of Helen Clark's book on how you win an election. Her last minute decision in 2005 to…
Open mike is your post. For announcements, general discussion, whatever you choose. The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the Policy). Step up to the mike …
Daily review is also your post. This provides Standardistas the opportunity to review events of the day. The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the Policy). Don’t forget to be kind to each other …
Kezia Dugdale is gone. That's very good news. Depending on how the next leader of the Scottish Labour Party is chosen, they may be on their way back. Correspondingly, the SNP may well be about to take a serious dive. Dugdale was a Blairite, a "Third…
I have read the decision of Justice Ellis on Teina Pora's compensation. Andrew Geddis has also done a great analysis here National's recent Justice Ministers (ex lawyers) really do struggle with interpretation of the Law. Ms Collins doesn't understand conflict of interest and later got…
Bennett made a number of statements today in her interview with Jack Tame which may or may not be of interest. I note Tolley remains silent. The full interview (and full view of Bennett in righteously indiginant mode) is here She made several comments: Why…
NZ Labour have said they will seek to renegotiate foreign sales before accepting the TPPA. They've been silent on the investor-state dispute settlement (ISDS) provisions (y'know, the mechanism whereby legislation around the likes of environmental protection or social welfare can be a cash cows for…
When you ain't living on the bread line and stressing over the smallest financial outgoings, there's absolutely no excuse for not responding honestly to letters like this.
It seems National's most passionate and vocal cheerleaders are no longer feeling the love. Clearly they see the writing on the wall and understand that a change of Government is looking more and more likely after every error filled day of National campaigning. Bill English…
Simple rules and instructions on how NZers can cast a vote in the general election from anywhere in the world. https://twitter.com/golrizghahraman/status/900935890171592704
The Peters super story looks like a clumsy dirty politics hit by National. Rachel Smalley: Winston Peters super saga: I smell a rat I smell a rat. I think a few people do. You've got to ask yourself, who benefits from this? If Peters takes…
David Fisher in The Herald has more on the Barclay scandal - Bill English fought to have his police statement over Todd Barclay affair withheld Prime Minister Bill English fought to have his police statement over the Todd Barclay affair withheld from the public despite…
Open mike is your post. For announcements, general discussion, whatever you choose. The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the Policy). Step up to the mike …
Daily review is also your post. This provides Standardistas the opportunity to review events of the day. The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the Policy). Don’t forget to be kind to each other …
https://twitter.com/jjpalethorpe/status/902311945096765440 The sense of desperation and cynicism here is strong. After vetoing Sue Mooney's Paid Parental Leave bill last year using wrong data and cooked up excuses National has announced its own policy. It is like Labour's but only 22 weeks not 26 weeks. Typical…
As the Nats stand exposed in another apparent dirty politics hit, Labor gets on with the job of winning the election. Jacinda Ardern today announced new policy: Making tertiary education and training affordable for all ... Despite Labour’s interest-free loans, cost remains a major barrier…
Labour has announced a Tourism and Conservation Infrastructure Fund. In a land of just over 5 million people, we get more than three million people a year from all over the world visiting. International tourists spent $10b here last year, supporting more than 300,000 jobs.…
It seems to be a practised technique of this Government when asked an embarrassing question to make as much positive aggressive noise as possible and to hell with the facts. Such was the housing debate that occurred between Phil Twyford and Amy Adams on Q&A…
The hit job that has just been performed on Winston Peters is a sign of how desperate National is to divert attention from Jacindamania. But I suspect the attempt will backfire. The timing and the mode of disclosure, using multiple media contacts to ensure the…
This year’s Loading Docs theme is ‘diversity’, which is probably not a bad thing to ponder in the run up to an election. If you haven’t sampled a loading doc before, they’ve become an annual event. Local documentary filmmakers present ideas for three-minute films. Ten…