Peter Wilson: The Week in Politics - Luxon likely to get what he doesn't want

Christopher Luxon's announcement that he'll work with Winston Peters after the election if he has to boosts NZ First's chances of getting back into Parliament; the latest polls show a three-way coalition is a likely outcome; and Chris Hipkins comes blasting back in the second leaders' debate.

National leader Christopher Luxon's announcement on Monday that he would work with NZ First after the election, if he had to, changed the dynamics of the campaign.

Jonathan Turley: Harvard's Jacinda Ardern calls on the United Nations to crack down on free speech as a weapon of war

Jacinda Ardern may no longer be Prime Minister of New Zealand, but she was back at the United Nations continuing her call for international censorship. Ardern is now one of the leading anti-free speech figures in the world and continues to draw support from political and academic establishments. 

In her latest attack on free speech, Ardern declared free speech as a virtual weapon of war. She is demanding that the world join her in battling free speech as part of its own war against “misinformation” and “disinformation.” Her views, of course, were not only enthusiastically embraced by authoritarian countries, but the government and academic elite.

Breaking Views Update: Week of 24.09.23

Saturday September 30, 2023 

News:
It’s time for Māori to do the leading, and for governments to walk alongside.
In the Far North, Labour leader Chris Hipkins told his audience that division had no place in New Zealand’s politics.

He pledged his continued support for Te Tiriti o Waitangi. “Any Government I lead will uphold it.”

Robin Grieve: Reimagining Educational Equity

In a recent report by Radio New Zealand, it was highlighted that universities face the challenge of setting deadlines to ensure the academic success of Maori and Pacific students is the same as that of white students. These deadlines are a mandate from the Tertiary Education Commission (TEC), which has been striving for over a decade to tackle the high dropout and course failure rates of Maori and Pacific students.

In the past academic year, universities reported an overall course pass rate of 88 percent for white students, while Maori students achieved an 80 percent pass rate, and Pacific students reached only 69 percent. Similarly, at polytechnics, European students achieved an 81 percent pass rate, with Maori and Pacific students achieving 72 percent and 70 percent, respectively. The success rates of Asian and other student groups were not addressed in RNZ's report.

Owen Jennings: Farmers Deserve Better

My first farm was mainly old sand dunes with thirty to fifty mm’s of good soil on the tops.  We farmed cows and pigs, collected the manure and spread it on the ridges.  Within a few years we built the soil humus to 200 to 300mm’s.  We called it humus or topsoil. Today, we call it “carbon”.

In fact, we built thousands of tonnes of carbon all taken from atmosphere.  It was a ratio of 8:1 – it took eight tonnes of CO2 from the atmosphere to build one tonne of carbon in the soil. We call it ‘sequestering’.  It all happens via photosynthesis and the carbon cycle you learnt at school.  CO2 in the atmosphere gets taken in by plants, animals eat plants and burp methane back into the atmosphere that eventually becomes CO2 that the next lot of plants need.

John Robinson: A positive future - to get the job done free from racial division

Division by race, along with co-governance, partnership and an insistence to follow a vague Maori way of organisation (tikanga, based on pre-1840 squabbling tribalism) is creating a confusion of sinecures, jobs for the boys, well-paid positions for relatives, for the folk of the whanau (whanaungatanga) – a great deal of empty effort that ensures that nothing gets done and problems continue to fester.  This time-wasting process is seen across the country, on the national level (such as with the failure of the dual health system) and locally.  One such example is a ‘new’ Maori way of managing the Wanganui River.[1]

There, “Iwi of the Whanganui River expect a new strategy will reform resource management in the catchment. … Te Heke Ngahuru ki Te Awa Tupua, which was unveiled on Friday, was released for consultation by Te Kopuka na Te Awa Tupua, a 17-member strategy group made up of iwi, central government, mayors and council leadership, and industry and sector interests. …

Lushington D. Brady: Are We Applying the One-Flag Rule, Still?

As New Zealand’s panjandrums of “combatting extremism” like to babble, “If there’s just one Nazi flag at your rally, it’s a Nazi rally”. Worse, we’re finger-wagged, “If nine people sit down at a table with one Nazi without protest, there are ten Nazis at the table”.

So, if one Communist joins your rally without protest, does that mean that there are now thousands of Communists at your rally? What does it mean if there’s a Communist flying a flag at your rally?

Bryce Wilkinson: Of deficits and debt

How big is the fiscal deficit problem and how long will it take for our governments to turn it around?

Do not be fooled by rosy scenarios of painless correction. They typically rest on two assumptions: 1) an implausible degree of future spending constraint and 2) continuing positive national income growth to lift tax revenues.

Kerre Woodham: We're in for a tough couple of years

I wanted to start by saying it is no secret that we're in the poo.

As a country economically, and in Auckland and Wellington's case, quite literally in the poo as aging infrastructure fails and stormwater and sewage pipes collapse. Right now, Auckland city engineers are battling to deal with a tennis court sized sinkhole and sewage flowing into Waitemata Harbour. The third sinkhole they've had to deal with in as many months and there will be many, many more to come.

Friday September 29, 2023 

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Point of Order: Buzz from the Beehive - 29/9/23

“Racism” becomes a buzz word on the campaign trail – but our media watchdogs stay muzzled when the Māori Party offends

Oh, dear. We have nothing to report from the Beehive.

At least, we have nothing to report from the government’s official website.

But the drones have not gone silent. They are out on the election campaign trail, busy buzzing about this and that in the hope of winning media attention, and winning lots of headline when they are buzzing about racism.

Garrick Tremain: Campaign trail

 Here is Garrick Tremain's cartoon commentary on the campaign trail with hysterical Hipkins! 

Mike Hosking: It's time to mix up the election debate format

Based on the premise that you learn from your mistakes and the general idea that you want to improve, the conclusion I have reached this week as another seven days in the campaign ends is we need to have a good long think about the debates.

I am not alone. Several pieces I have now read say essentially the same thing.

Michael Johnston: Now is the time to face up to our education challenges

In a recent survey[1], New Zealand voters were asked to nominate the issue of most importance to them in the forthcoming election. Unsurprisingly, hip-pocket matters topped the list, with the cost of living on 28% and the economy on 17%. The top-five list was rounded out with healthcare (14%), crime (9%) and the environment (8%). Education was in seventh-equal place, on 5%, alongside housing and government operations.

Capitalist: Could the Dam Be About to Break?

I remember a radio discussion a couple of weeks before the 2002 general election between the respective party Presidents – Mike Williams, and (You-Know-Who) for National. Williams delivered what probably turned out to be a king hit by lisping “National cannot win the election so supporting them is a wasted vote”: this when National was polling higher than Labour is today. I shall draw a polite veil over the embarrassing response from the National Party president.

Could the following scenario be about to occur? (Apologies in advance for the history lesson.)

Cam Slater: Media and Hipkins Handing Winston Free Hits

In the unseemly debate on Wednesday night Chris Hipkins used a quote from NZ First candidate Rob Ballantyne out of context. It allowed Winston Peters to have a free hit and get free publicity across all the media at once, hijacking the news cycle brilliantly.

Hanna Wilberg: Forcing people to repay welfare ‘loans’ traps them in a poverty cycle

The National Party’s pledge to apply sanctions to unemployed people receiving a welfare payment, if they are “persistently” failing to meet the criteria for receiving the benefit, has attracted plenty of comment and criticism.

Less talked about has been the party’s promise to index benefits to inflation to keep pace with the cost of living. This might at least provide some relief to those struggling to make ends meet on welfare, though is not clear how much difference it would make to the current system of indexing benefits to wages.

Clive Bibby: We need a government that is prepared to say NO!

Listening to the different political parties contest the right to occupy the treasury benches after the election campaign isn’t an exercise that instils confidence in the nation’s ability to extricate itself from the economic and social mess we are in.  

Admittedly, a decent chunk of the debt accumulated over the last three years has been money spent where the government had no choice.

And it is fair to say that the debate surrounding the accumulation of that debt should not be about whether the mostly borrowed money should have been spent but more precisely about how it was spent.

Heather du Plessis-Allan: Winston's back in Government, isn't he?

I don’t quite know how we’re back here, but we are- Winston's back in Government, isn’t he? 

I think all the signs now point to the fact that National can’t do it without him.

The Herald’s Poll of Polls says National and ACT have a 40 percent chance of forming Government alone. With Winston, it’s a 99.7 percent chance.

The big donors are backing him, he’s pulling in more money right now than in any other election beforehand- and it’s coming from the big end of town.

Kerre Woodham: Did last night's debate change anything for voters?

Last night's leaders' debate was vastly more entertaining than the first one.

Was it a debate? Well, Sister Philippa, my old debating coach at Sacred Heart Girls College, wouldn't have seen it as a debate per say. I think it was more of a bit of infotainment.

Peter Williams: Reflections

Random thoughts after a week away

London in the autumn is decidedly pleasant. Despite almost annual trips to the British capital from the late nineties till the onset of Covid, I don’t think I’ve been here in September since the 1999 Rugby World Cup.

It’s warm enough to not worry about a sweater or jacket during the day yet the leaves in the abundant green spaces haven’t started to turn.

Mike Hosking: A much livelier debate

I think most people would agree with the winner, wouldn't they?

Andrew Webster deserved the Dally M Coach of the Year.

But back here we seemed to call it for Chris Hipkins.

Lushington D. Brady: Election 2023 - How Deep Do You Want It?

The Climate Cult has New Zealand’s political class almost completely in its grip. You can vote for any colour, so long as it’s green. The spectrum of party policies ranges from wishy-washy mint to poisonous emerald.

The sad truth is that the entire political class is so terrified of the media inquisitors that no one dares utter even a whisper of heresy.

 Thursday September 28, 2023 

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Point of Order: Buzz from the Beehive - 28/9/23

Govt is energising housing projects with solar power – and fuelling the public’s concept of a divided society

Not long after Point of Order published data which show the substantial number of New Zealanders (77%) who believe NZ is becoming more divided, government ministers were braying about a programme which distributes some money to “the public” and some to “Maori”.

Alan Jones: We are sick to death of the rank ingratitude of indigenous activists

What Alan says about Australia parallels with New Zealand. The sinister takeover is similar to here.

Lindsay Mitchell: A conundrum for those pushing racist dogma

The heavily promoted narrative, which has ramped up over the last six years, is that Maori somehow have special vulnerabilities which arise from outside forces they cannot control; that contemporary society fails to meet their needs. They are not receptive to messages and opportunities in the same way as other races because the trauma of colonisation carried from one generation to the next.

JC: Will Winston Be the Spectre We Think?

Allow me to preface this contribution with the following statement: If I were asked to express a preference between a National/ACT coalition or a National/ACT/NZF coalition then it would be the former.

This week Luxon declared his position, which was if Winston is needed he will pick up the phone. A couple of scenarios emanate from this statement. The first is, that depending on the size of the National/ACT majority, Winston might come in for consideration anyway. Winston could well be used as a form of insurance policy to ensure that policies get passed with good majorities.

Peter Dunne: Decline in Labour's support

Chris Hipkins demonstrated enthusiasm borne of desperation in the second leaders' debate this week. After his lack lustre performance in the first debate and on the campaign trail generally, he needed to. But it is still unlikely to be enough to reverse Labour's declining fortunes.

What was notable about Hipkins' performance was his focus on National's policies and record when last in office, rather than his government's achievements or plans for a further term in office. It looked an implicit recognition that a change of government is likely, a quite remarkable concession from an incumbent Prime Minister.

Cam Slater: New Poll Confirms Winston as Kingmaker

1News has released the latest 1News/Verian Poll and it confirms the Newshub poll. The trend is the most important thing and the trend says National and Labour are slipping away, Act has stalled, and Winston Peters is on a surge, gaining 1 per cent a week.

Net Zero Watch: Net Zero is dead as Asia turns to coal-fired energy future

 

In this newsletter:

1) Net Zero is dead as Asia turns to coal-fired energy future
Reuters, 27 September 2023
 
2) New Rosebank oil and gas field will ‘secure Britain against tyrants,’ says Energy Secretary Claire Coutinho
The Daily Telegraph, 27 September 2023

Jon Miltimore: Why We Shouldn't Fear AI Destroying Hundreds of Millions of Jobs

Workers, entrepreneurs, and companies should explore ways to incorporate artificial intelligence into their workflows and businesses—and give the job displacement fears a rest.

I recently saw a quote on Facebook attributed to Sigmund Freud that I was going to share on social media.

“One day, in retrospect, the years of struggle will strike you as the most beautiful,” the quote read.

John MacDonald: Mama Hooch victims being let down

How do you feel about you and I paying the legal bills for the Mama Hooch rapists, while their victims have had to pay for their own counselling?

Because it's been revealed today by the NZ Herald that the Jaz brothers have had nearly $900,000 in legal aid so far. And that bill is just going to increase, now they’re appealing their convictions and their sentences.

Tim Dower: National's beneficiary sanctions are unlikely to work

I guess it had to come at some point in the campaign... National's traditional swipe at the beneficiaries.

I really don't know why they do this, sanctions of one kind or another have been tried and tried again, but the fact is they really don't work.

This time the formula includes mandatory community work experience, and of course benefit cuts or suspensions.

Bob McCroskie: Only the man would defend women

A recent TVNZ debate for young voters featured six panelists (including four current MPs). Just one of the panelists was male. But it was the man who spoke up for girls’ and women’s rights, safety and protection while the women either stood silent or attacked the man. If a candidate for Parliament can’t define what is a woman, why would we trust them with being in a position of influence in Parliament. Our country desperately needs leaders and political parties who can define Truth.

 Wednesday September 27, 2023 

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Point of Order: Buzz from the Beehive - 27/9/23

More “partnerships” (by the look of it) and redress of over $30 million in Treaty settlement with Bay of Plenty tribe

Point of Order has waited until now – 3.45pm – for today’s officially posted government announcements. There have been none.

The only addition to the news on the Beehive’s website was posted later yesterday, after we had published our September 26 Buzz report.

Garrick Tremain: Foot shot

 Here is Garrick Tremain's cartoon commentary on the animosity between David and Winston! 

Mike Hosking: Finally something being done to fix Jobseeker

One of the great mysteries of the economic landscape is how on earth we ended up with more people on the Jobseeker Support benefit, at a time when jobs were so plentiful it wasn’t funny.

When the borders were closed, there were mass labour shortages and yet, there we were, with tens of thousands more jobless.

National will fix it and in fixing it remind us of what we once had as a country; discipline and consequences and expectations.

Alex Holland: Labour's spending

In 2017 when Labour came to power, crown spending was $76 billion per year. Now in 2023 it is $139 billion per year, which equates to a $63 billion annual increase (over $1 billion extra spend every week!) In 2017, NZ’s government debt stood at $112 billion. Today, excluding an accounting trick, that debt is now doubled at $224 billion or $115,000 per household. Meanwhile, in 2017 individual tax payers paid the government $33 billion. By 2023 this had gone up 67% to $55 billion to help fund Labours spending. 

Here is just some of the wasted spending (which most media swept under the carpet):

John Robinson: On Kapiti Coast DC’s ideas for having a Maori ward

Opposed

I want to live in a community where I am the equal of my neighbours. Where we all belong because it is our land, and we are one people. Meeting together, debating together and voting together.

There is too much racial division in New Zealand. We should aim to reduce the differences, to remove them completely. Not to add more. This is what you propose, with the introduction of Maori wards in Kapiti. Since Maori are believed to be a race (the official definition is “a Maori is a member of the Maori race”), this is racism, the very opposite to the first principle of the United Nations (“all human beings are born free and equal”).

NZCPR Newsletter: Undue Influence

As the election closes in, there appears to be an overwhelming mood for change.

New Zealanders have had enough. The chickens are coming home to roost for Labour as disgruntled voters, sick and tired of the incompetence, the lies and deceit, search for alternatives.  

KSK: Will They or Won’t They?

The sweet-talking tax on sugar

The issue was raised in the Leaders’ Debate amongst issues of the economy, of increasing crime, of education: what about a sugar tax or banning fizzy drinks?

John MacDonald: Welcome to the People's Republic of Pushovers

Welcome to the People's Republic of Pushovers.

Because, as much as I think I want to, I just can’t bring myself to support this idea of an amnesty for overstayers who have been here more than 10 years.

JC: The Media Need to Be Honest

The media need to start being honest with New Zealand’s voters. As heartbreaking as it must be to find themselves on the losing side of the political divide, they should not be in the business of taking sides. The job of a journalist is to report without fear or favour. The public want objective reporting, not a slanted viewpoint of the media’s own making. That is not to say they are not reporting the facts. It is more how they are reporting them.

Kerre Woodham: Luxon's being respectful of democracy

A little bit of politics, because we didn't really get a chance to talk about Christopher Luxon and David Seymour saying yes, okay, if we have to, we will work with New Zealand First.

Commentators have got themselves into quite the lather over that. A sign of weakness, they were saying, being bullied by the media and all that sort of carry-on. And it's not often I agree with the leader of New Zealand First, but like him, I think that the only poll that really matters is the one on Election Day.

 Tuesday September 26, 2023 

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Point of Order: Buzz from the Beehive - 26/9/23

Further funding for Pharmac (forgotten in the Budget?) looks like a $1bn appeal from a PM in need of a strong tonic

One Labour plan – for 3000 more public homes by 2025 – is the most recent to be posted on the government’s official website.

The Deficit Diaries - Six years of red

The New Zealand Initiative’s latest research note, written by Dr Bryce Wilkinson and Dr Oliver Hartwich, analyses Labour’s six-year fiscal record.

Cam Slater: Newshub Poll - Winston Game On

The latest Newshub/Reid Research poll is out and it confirms that Labour are toast. But it also shows what I have been predicting for months: that National’s support would wane and NZ First’s would grow. No wonder Christopher Luxon felt squeezed enough to have to confirm he’d pick up the phone after the results are known and call Winston Peters to get discussions underway.

Mike Hosking: We've proven we like democracy

My favourite quote of the week, and admittedly it is only Tuesday, is from the Governance Services Manager at the Auckland city council.

Submissions have just closed on the council's plan to establish Māori wards. The manager says "most submitters seemed to not want Māori seats".

No kidding.

Bob Jones: University degrees

The degradation of university degrees over my life-time, is tragic. Readers familiar with my novel of 20 years back, “Degrees For Everyone” will understand. Consider this.

A regular contributor in the NZ Herald is a Canterbury University sociologist, (a bogus subject lacking any intellectual element) namely a Dr Jarrod Gilbert. In a recent Herald article he wrote, “… I told you how me and a mate bought shares in a couple of racehorses”.

Graham Adams: Will the racists please stand up?

Accusations of racism by journalists and MPs are being called out.

With the election less than three weeks away, what co-governance means in practice — including in water management, education, planning law and local government — remains largely obscure. Which is hardly surprising when anyone who suggests that co-governance may not be fair or democratic has to be prepared to be accused of being racist. Or, perhaps, the target of the slightly less direct term “dog-whistling”, which has become the slur du jour.

Jeffrey McNeill: The RMA is dead, long live the RMA

Why NZ’s resource laws won’t change overnight after this election

RMA – three letters that have struck fear into a generation of farmers, developers, politicians and anyone building a house. Or so legend would have it.

Whatever its original goal of promoting sustainable management of natural and physical resources, the Resource Management Act (RMA) has long been dogged by claims of unnecessary and inefficient rules that strangle innovation and progress.

Tim Dower: We're now at the point where the election campaign is limping into a petty bidding war

You know you're getting down to the rats and mice when you've got a major political party promising to change speed limits, if only we'll vote for them.

Now I'm not saying National's wrong about a lot of those 30k zones especially, some of them are probably really daft but others might make sense.

I guess the point is we're down to fairly trivial stuff now and the election campaign is limping into a petty bidding war.