Coming up, Babies!
Jacinda’s baby is going to be big news soon.
julie anne genter
What did we want from Marama Davidson?
While there has been some informed commentary on Marama Davidson’s ascension as co-leader of the Green Party, some of the more right-wing outfits have failed to understand the dynamics within the party right now. What did Marama promise, and what were Greens expecting of her?
Green Party female co-leader announcement: Marama Davidson (updated)
Marama Davidson is the new female co-leader. Speech and transcript, with a bit of analysis of what this means for the party and NZ politics.
Julie Anne Genter: Working for Women’s Rights on the World Stage
The Minister for Women on her recent trip with the NZ delegation to the UN.
Genter and Davidson
The Green female co-leader candidates did a Q and A last night with Stuff political reporter Henry Cooke. They covered a range of topics, including the Budget Responsibility Rules. The interview gives good insight into how the Green Party works and where they are headed, as well as into the two candidates themselves.
And we’re off to the races!
With Julie Anne Genter, Minister for Women, entering the co-leadership race, there’s now a real contest on our hands as to who joins James Shaw as co-leader of the Green Party. What does that mean for the Greens, and for New Zealand politics in general?
The new Green Ministers and Undersecretary
An outline of the Green Party positions in the new government, and which Green MPs hold them.
No Right Turn: Here’s hoping
Julie Anne Genter as the new Minister for Women is likely to revisit a private members bill that would advance pay equity in NZ.
National no friends
In a sign of desperation Bill English rang Winston Peters on the weekend but the call was not answered. Clearly National realises that waiting for the special votes to be released will significantly weaken its bargaining position.
Greens to fast-track airport rail for America’s Cup
The Green Party is announcing today that in Government it will fast-track the building of a new rail line to Auckland airport to be completed in 2021, in time for the next America’s Cup.
The left bites back
A little bit of feel good for a Sunday morning (plus a very clever cat!).
How to make medicinal cannabis laws based on the needs of ill and disabled people
The Greens’ bill would make medicinal cannabis easily accessible to those in need without hoop jumping or financial barriers.
The Mt Albert By election
It is election day today in Mt Albert for the successor to David Shearer.
Comments are open.
Mt Albert – the left and the right
All the best to all candidates, and thank you to Julie Anne Genter and Jacinda Ardern for showing us all such a model of cooperation.
Mt Albert – a friendly by-election
Campaigning is underway in Mt Albert. Looks like it will be a very different kind of by election.
Julie Anne Genter to stand in Mt Albert by-election
Green Party MP Julie Anne Genter will be standing in the Mount Albert by-election to be held on 25 February
Fair and sustainable economics
Green Party finance spokesperson Julie Anne Genter starts a conversation about post-neoliberal economics.
Cluster f*&k on cluster bombs
The Government is refusing to accept there are legal issues with Kiwisaver providers investing in manufacturers of cluster bombs. But it is also not ruling out there may be a problem.
New Zealand wins fossil of the day award – again
For a small country New Zealand is certainly punching above its weight. It has been awarded a second fossil of the day award by the Climate Action Network.
Increase productivity. Make builders subject to criminal charges.
Nick Smith is being his usual dickhead self again suggesting that self-certifying electricians, directly subject to criminal prosecution, are the same as self-certifying builders who do not. The Government’s rules reduction taskforce is repeating the same mantras from the 1990s that lead directly to the destruction of productivity by National’s policies to create leaky buildings.
Labour and the Greens
Some thoughts on how Labour and the Greens need to manage relations in the hope that they can form a future progressive Government.
Paul Goldsmith and the bag of flour
Yesterday TV3 on the Nation hosted a debate between the candidates for the Epsom seat. Unbelievably National’s Paul Goldsmith did not show up. Labour’s Michael Wood produced a bag of wholemeal flour and has promised to take this bag to every public event and to put it where Goldsmith should be every time he does not show up. I suspect we are going to see this particular bag of flour a lot …
LocalBodies: Gerry Brownlee, Making Stuff Up Again!
The crazy thing about Gerry Brownlee is that he is so incompetent because he never seems to study anything that he is responsible for. On Monday, Local Bodies wrote about his current burst of illiterate and untutored whining and blowhard posturing about roads. And yet people on the inside of the National party appear to rate him? What does that say about their competence?
Greens attack stupid spending, rattle Key
The NZ Transport Agency’s “Drive Social” programme looks like one gigantic waste of money, and the Greens are hammering it. Key’s response? “They just want everyone to cycle everywhere.” Is he looking a little tired to anyone else?
Opposition speeches & ‘Roads of Madness’
Debates on the PM’s statement to the House show that this do-nothing government needs to go. Plenty of good ideas from opposition MPs. An excellent speech by Genter against Joyce’s ‘Roads of Madness’ & for public transport.
Roads to nowhere paved with your gold
You know how the government’s short of cash, eh? Well, the guy spending $14 billion on highways that don’t make sense on the government’s rosy numbers, isn’t even going to consider whether they’re still a good idea now the IMF says petrol is heading to $5 a litre. Nor is he concerned about the $6 billion shortfall because that’s in ‘the future’ – because he’ll be out of office by then (seriously)
Brownlee’s head in the sand, looking for cheap oil
Rookie Green MP Julie Anne Genter, a transport planning expert before entering Parliament, gave Transport Minister Gerry Brownlee, whose qualification for the job is that he used to teach kids to make wooden toy cars, a sharp lesson in transport policy in the House yesterday. It’s rare for a newbie to show up an old tusker like that. With petrol prices at record levels, I hope someone in the government’s listening.