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Wednesday, October 18, 2023

Point of Order: Buzz from the Beehive - 18/10/23



A Little bit helps by quitting – he misread the public mood on democracy and he didn’t deliver on the OIA

Another day, another check with the government’s official website – and another disappointment at finding no news since before election day.

Or maybe that’s a good thing, bearing in mind too many bad decisions by the outgoing Hipkins gang and the Ardern-led mob that preceded it.

The electorate has expressed its disapproval and the decision-makers have been given their marching orders.

One of those who was given the heave-ho by his electorate but made it back into Parliament on the list is calling it quits anyway.

His last official announcement as a minister was…

2 OCTOBER 2023

New Zealand resumes peacekeeping force leadership

New Zealand will again contribute to the leadership of the Multinational Force and Observers (MFO) in the Sinai Peninsula, Egypt, with a senior New Zealand Defence Force officer returning as Interim Force Commander.

RNZ has recorded his announcement that he will retire from politics.

It also records his misreading of the public’s reaction to his government’s persistent invoking a contentious interpretation of the Treatment of Waitangi to undermine the country’s democratic governance arrangements…

Andrew Little – who first entered Parliament in 2011 – has confirmed he will not take a list seat and will retire from politics – but not without taking a parting shot at the “sheer and utter ignorance” of the incoming government’s views on the Treaty of Waitangi.

But the incoming government has not been formed – so far as we know. Its position on the Treatment of Waitangi can only be a matter for conjecture.

It is likely to take public attitudes into account, rather than ride roughshod over them as Little plainly would do.

But the No Right Turn blog registered its delight at Little’s decision to quit for other reasons…

Good riddance to authoritarian rubbish

Former spy minister Andrew Little has announced he will not be taking up his list seat in the new parliament. Good. As justice minister he failed to deliver on a promised review of the OIA, as spy minister he presided over a further expansion of spy powers, and as defence minister he over-rode a bipartisan select committee to impose secrecy to protect NZDF war crimes. So I’m not at all sorry to see the back of him.

The downside? He’ll be replaced by the next candidate on Labour’s list – in this case, Shanan Halbert, who is a known bully. It would be good if he did the decent thing and stood aside too.

Point of Order ventures that he won’t.

Point of Order is a blog focused on politics and the economy run by veteran newspaper reporters Bob Edlin and Ian Templeton

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