Perspective with Heather du Plessis-Allan: Is being a 'strong woman' really such a problem?

Judith Collins has two weeks left as an MP and she’s given an exit interview to Audrey Young at the New Zealand Herald in which she says people don’t like strong women - obviously referring to herself.

Now, I don’t disagree with Judith that she is a strong woman. She’s formidable.

Bob Edlin: Advice to Todd Stephenson - leave the patsies to others...

Advice to Todd Stephenson: leave the patsies to others and press on with promoting common sense in state agency names

ACT MP Todd Stephenson has used his right to question government ministers in Parliament to toss a patsy about the Government’s response to the prospect of a fuel shortage.

He could be accused of squandering his right.

Bob Edlin: Putting English ahead of te reo on names of public agencies is a challenge....

Govt can be quick to pass new laws but putting English ahead of te reo on names of public agencies is a challenge

My email in-tray today included a newsletter from the source pictured above which – when opened – was found to be Land Information New Zealand (LINZ),

That’s the government agency which manages land titles, surveying, crown property, and topographic/hydrographic information.

John Robertson: Army’s Bicultural Policy

The recent spectacle involving attempts to insert “bicultural doctrine” into the New Zealand Army should have been a moment of national embarrassment—and, for many people, it was.

When a military institution whose sole purpose is the defence of a modern democratic nation begins flirting with the inclusion of mythological cosmologies and spiritual frameworks as part of its internal doctrine, sensible people are naturally going to ask a very simple question: what on earth is going on? The reported pause placed on the initiative by Defence Minister Judith Collins only underscores the fact that something had clearly gone too far.

Perspective with Heather du Plessis-Allan: Politics will be a little less fun without Ju‑Co in it

Right, so the biggest political news of the day is that Judith Collins has announced she’s retiring from politics to take up a new job as the head of the Law Commission mid‑year.

I, for one, am going to miss Judith Collins being in politics, because she has that thing very few politicians have.

David Farrar: Collins to head up Law Commission

The Government has announced:

Minister and National MP for Papakura Hon Judith Collins KC is honoured that she will be appointed President of the Law Commission: Te Aka Matua o te Ture following a political career spanning 24 years.

Prime Minister Christopher Luxon today announced Ms Collins will be appointed to the Law Commission from mid-2026.

Chris Lynch: Judith Collins’ open letter to New Zealanders

Open letter to the people of New Zealand

by Judith Collins

To the patients, students and families affected by this week’s planned strike,

The Government regrets the impact on you, your children and your families that is expected on Thursday because of a strike planned by a number of unions.

Bob Edlin: Politicians are chided for visiting Ukraine (Collins) and China (Clark and Key).....

Politicians are chided for visiting Ukraine (Collins) and China (Clark and Key) – but aren’t they free to choose where to go?

Three political big-wigs have drawn flak for their jet-setting.

Defence Minister Judith Collins has been denounced by Waikanae Watch for flying to Kyiv while former Prime Ministers Helen Clark and John Key have been criticised for flying to China.

Bob Edlin: Collins fluffed her teacher pay figures.....

Collins fluffed her teacher pay figures but has paved the way to protecting the PM from prickly probing about directors fees

A question about teachers’ pay was among the more awkward questions put to the PM at Question Time in Parliament in recent weeks.

DTNZ: Collins urges industry to embrace Digital Identity

Digitising Government Minister Judith Collins told the Digital Identity NZ Hui Taumata that the government is pressing ahead with building a secure, user-friendly digital identity system for all New Zealanders, moving away from reliance on physical cards.

DTNZ: Collins silent as $32m NZ methane satellite mission fails amid transparency concerns

Space Minister Judith Collins is facing criticism for refusing to comment on the failure of New Zealand’s first taxpayer-funded satellite, MethaneSAT, which lost communication in June after just 15 months in orbit—well short of its intended five-year mission.

Bob Edlin: Collins makes no mention of iwi, demi-gods – or public funding....

Collins makes no mention of iwi, demi-gods – or public funding – in update on Tāwhaki space development

When it was first announced on June 1 2021 by Megan Woods, who then was Minister of Research, Science and Innovation, Project Tāwhaki was lauded as an “exemplar Māori-Crown partnership”.

Bob Edlin: A big Budget boost for Defence spending....

A big Budget boost for Defence spending – does that call for even more hospital spending, to care for war casualties?

Joy Wilkie, from Ōtaki, no doubt was especially interested in the news from Defence Minster Judith Collins on Budget Day. Earlier in the day, her letter of disapproval of the Government’s intentions to sharpen our military capability had been published in The Post.

Collins press statement was headed National security brings economic benefits.

David Farrar: New helicopters for NZDF

Judith Collins announced:

The Defence Force’s ageing maritime helicopters will be replaced to increase the defensive and offensive capability and surveillance range of New Zealand’s frigates, Defence Minister Judith Collins announced today.

“The replacement of the Seasprite helicopters will also extend the Navy’s ability to support non-combat tasks such as humanitarian assistance and disaster relief,” Ms Collins says.

Bob Edlin: Jones enthuses about “holistic” strategies.....

Jones enthuses about “holistic” strategies – and has a whole lot of money ($60m) for Taupo geothermal project

This report was triggered by a ministerial press statement which our Beehive watchdogs last week filed in the “what the hell does that mean?” category.

The statement came from the Coalition Government’s master of verbosity, Shane Jones, but it contained an expression which we expect will be employed by politicians disposed to “wokeness”.

He said:

Point of Order: Commissioner recommends panel inquire into Judge’s conduct

• News from the Attorney-General –

The Judicial Conduct Commissioner has recommended a Judicial Conduct Panel be established to inquire into and report on the alleged conduct of acting District Court Judge Ema Aitken in an incident last November, Attorney-General Judith Collins said today.

KSK: The Choices We Make Are Our Responsibility

Personal responsibility: remember that quaint idea? It is positively Dickensian these days, when individual problems are made the responsibility of the country at large by way of various blunt instruments. The bottom line is that large numbers of our citizens accept no responsibility for their choices in their lives – it is always someone else’s fault and that someone had damned well better step up and fix it – with more money. And lots more money. And with no accountability required.

Karl du Fresne: Hallucinatory moments of optimism

Notwithstanding everything I wrote on this blog site yesterday about contemporary journalism (none of which I resile from), there are days when, in insane moments of giddy optimism, I imagine that the tide might be turning after years of largely sycophantic media coverage of the government.

Take last night’s edition of Newshub’s 6 o’clock news, in which the first item put the heat on the government over the alarming and apparently uncontrollable surge in inflation. Here was a news outlet doing exactly what the media are supposed to do in a liberal democracy: namely, report on issues that affect the community and hold those in power accountable.

That report was followed by politically damaging coverage of the government’s refusal to ease harsh MIQ requirements, with heartbreaking consequences for the thousands of people affected, even after Ministry of Health officials had advised that it was safe to do so.

Later came an item asking why the government was dragging the chain over the resumption of economically beneficial cruise ship visits when comparable countries, notably Australia, have given them the green light.

All this seemed to represent a striking change in tone from Newshub’s usual political coverage.

Point of Order: Why our Royal Society is investigating defenders of science?

Soon after the latest National Party line-up was announced this afternoon, Newshub was reporting who had finished up with higher rankings than before and who had slipped.

Chris Luxon’s election as leader last week obviously led to his being catapulted from number 29 to number one. Nicola Willis, his deputy, jumped from 16 to two, while Simon Bridges was up from seven to three, two places below where he was this time two years ago.

And former leader Judith Collins?

Kate Hawkesby: National Party have completely stuffed this up

 

What the hell is going on inside the National Party? 

Here's the problem with that question. We shouldn't even be asking it. We shouldn't need to ask it. They shouldn't be making everything about them and drawing attention to themselves in this way - at a critical time for the opposition to make hay, with so much material available to them to clobber the government with. What are they thinking? 

This hit job on Bridges is so poorly timed, mind you, so is his clearly bungled coup attempt.