“We’re all shades of sheep” – the Calvert interview

Written By: - Date published: 1:28 pm, September 25th, 2010 - 49 comments
Categories: act, interview - Tags: ,

Check out Hilary Calvert’s interview in the ODT. It’s, um, extraordinary and hilarious. Calvert can’t remember whether she was ever a member of a different political party, when she first stood for ACT, or whether she has any convictions. More evidence of the depth of talent in ACT these days.

Q Have you been a member of any political party other than Act?
A I’m not sure. I might well have been a member of both Labour and National in an earlier formative stage of my life. They have records. They could tell you.
Q When did you first stand for Parliament?
A I think it was, and I’m going to have to go and have a look at some of these things… I think it was probably, it might have been 2002. It might have been 1999 but I think it was probably 2002. It would have been Dunedin North.

Can’t remember what parties sh’e sbeen in, when she ran for Parliament, and not 100% sure where. It’s not like she’s being asked where she left her keys.

Q Someone described you as perhaps being the black sheep of your family by being a right-leaning politician but it only applies to your mother, does it?
A We used to laugh sometimes. In the last 10 years or so we would go up to the polling booth, five of us . . . and we’d all be members of the family and we would all be voting different ways… So, we’re all shades of sheep in that sense.
Q How did you get on the Act list?
A Back in the day, [an Act party member] came to our door and said: ‘What do you think about Act?’ and that was the first I had heard of it. And I thought that makes a certain amount of sense. So that’s how I got involved.

That’s how I got involved in the Moonies.

Btw, does that mean her own family doesn’t vote for her?

Q In dollar terms, how much do you think you have spent personally on getting into Parliament?
A I’ve got no idea. If you campaign in Dunedin North you are campaigning against Pete Hodgson. And I mean, quite frankly, it’s not going to happen for you. So, any money the party spends in Dunedin North is money spent wanting the Act Party vote, not the seat… I’m not a person who naturally just puts my hand in my pocket and says I’ll give you a whole lot of money, why don’t you choose me? In fact, I’m essentially Scottish. It’s sort of like people who are Maori who think of themselves as Maori, if they’re that way inclined. Although I’m a variety of different things in my background the one that bubbles to the surface from time to time that I notice is the eighth or sixteenth part of me that’s Scottish.

She lost me when she started talking about Maori and blaming her great-greatgrandad for her tight-fistedness. Actually, she lost me well before that.

Q Any convictions you would like to declare now?
A Look, I don’t think I have but I will find out. I think I can from the police… I’ll probably go and do that in the next while because I can’t think of anything useful as an answer to that question. I’m not saying I’ve never had; look I don’t even remember a speeding ticket actually, but I’m not saying I’ve never had one.
Q I would have thought a conviction would have stood out enough that you would have remembered it.
A Yes, that’s what I think too. I’m just very wary with all this crap that’s going on at the moment. Friends have been sending me things saying I remember when you didn’t wear your gloves and your beret at school… You would expect me to remember and I’m not trying to be coy. I’m just not wanting to say there’s nothing there in case I’ve just had sort of a mental block or something and then you come back and say: ‘You told me there was nothing’.

Ah, yes, the great beret and gloves scandal. Wait, what?

Q According to The New Zealand Herald you “unreservedly” support Rodney Hide. Why?
A I support him as leader. He is the leader. But what Act doesn’t require is caucus not focusing on Act core business and I’ll be in there focusing on Act core business. The people in Act are the messengers that take our policies to the people. He’s the leader. He’s the chief messenger at the moment; has been for some time.
Q Has your support wavered at any point – the taxpayer-funded holiday for instance, the handling of the Garrett business?
A It’s a small party and there are lots of things to be handling here and there. I think these things aren’t sort of illegal or whatever. They are the sort of things that when you wake up in the morning you’d think that wasn’t a very smart choice to make. But you are making choices all the time. And Rodney himself said that the choice he’d made about having the taxpayer fund his girlfriend-partner overseas was a bad one and the wrong one.
Q Is your support for the man or for the only Act member with an electorate seat?
A Probably both. I don’t think I’d want to chose one or the other. Clearly the Epsom seat is crucial to us particularly at this stage and I would support Rodney in that and as leader. But I don’t think it’s an either/or.
Q Could you ever contemplate supporting Heather Roy?
A It’s sort of one of those questions like y’know if your wife left you do you think you’d ask for half? Who’s to say? She hasn’t left.

So if Hide is rolled, Calvert’s suing him for alimony?

Q How much of a commitment on your part is it to go to Wellington facing the prospect that Act might not be there after the next election?
A There’s a possibility we could all be dead, isn’t there? It’s surprising that earthquake didn’t get some people in Christchurch, wasn’t it? Things happen. It’s very important we do get a party like Act in Parliament.

One for the tasteless comparisons file

Q How can you be helpful to the Act party?
A As a lawyer, legal training is very useful when you are in Parliament because of the legislative things that are going on… So having lawyers look over documents, as much as we don’t like lawyers on the whole, is quite a useful thing.

Calvert’s clearly the kind of person one turns to for succinct and clear explanations.

I guess this shows what a state ACT is in these days.

The leader is an unprincipled slime-bag who has taken democracy away from Auckland and proven himself a perks hypocrite.

The former deputy is a middle-aged mum of five who convinced the Army to waste tens of thousands of dollars training her to be a Territorial when she would obviously never get the call-up (high-value government spending, anyone?).

Number 3’s name is used to invoke terror in small kids across the country (‘if you don’t behave and go to bed Roger Douglas will come and steal your future’).

Number 4, the current Deputy. I don’t know if he actually has some kind of obsessive compulsive disorder but something’s not right (who can forget “Answer my question, Prime Minister!”?) and got his list placing because he donated so much money.

Number 5 got in as a sop to the Sensible Sentencing Trust even though that meant covering up his own disgusting offences and lies to the Court.

And, now, Number 6, well what can you say? I guess when you’re ranked below the obsessive weirdo and the identity thief you’re hardly going to be pick of the crop.

49 comments on ““We’re all shades of sheep” – the Calvert interview ”

  • Comments are now closed

  1. IrishBill 1
    25 September 2010 at 1:39 pm

    But to give her her due this is a pretty funny response to the predictable brothel question:

    I’ve got a variety of interests in real estate round town and the tenants… include a finance company, bank and lawyers and a variety of places, but they also include a massage parlour. So I think some people might be more concerned that as a landlord I’ve got an interest in housing a finance company. That might be a worse thing to do, I don’t know. But that’s where that came from. I’m not financially interested in the massage parlour. I’m a landowner.

  2. Eddie 2
    25 September 2010 at 1:51 pm

    yeah, that’s pretty funny. but given her other answers I think it’s unintentional.

  3. Tigger 3
    25 September 2010 at 1:51 pm

    So ACT doesn’t screen candidates for criminal convictions? Well that maakes a lot of sense now.

    What lawyer can’t remember criminal convictions? We’re not talking speeding and parking tickets, these aren’t legally ‘convictions’ and she would know that.

    She thinks she’s Scottish but doesn’t even know how much? Honey, if that’s your driving force you might want to do some genealogy.

    Train, meet wreck….

  4. Marty G 4
    25 September 2010 at 1:59 pm

    “we’re all shades of sheep” – if you read ‘shades’ with the meaning ‘ghosts’ it’s a very apt description of the ACT party.

  5. Searlo 5
    25 September 2010 at 2:16 pm

    “It’s surprising that earthquake didn’t get some people in Christchurch, wasn’t it? Things happen. It’s very important we do get a party like Act in Parliament. ”

    …

    Where do they get these people?

    • bbfloyd 5.1
      13 October 2010 at 7:49 pm

      Searlo.. from the kind of catalogue you have to send away for, and comes in a plain brown wrapper i suspect.

  6. felix 6
    25 September 2010 at 2:18 pm

    Eh?

    So after everything that’s happened over the last 2 weeks she doesn’t know if she’s got a criminal record?

    And here’s the weird bit: that implies that Rodney hasn’t asked her!

    (Either that or she’s lying of course)

  7. Jim Nald 7
    25 September 2010 at 2:24 pm

    Calvert in ACT: more baa-d ?

  8. gobsmacked 8
    25 September 2010 at 3:27 pm

    A comic tour de farce from Hilary there.

    But in between the gags, she gives us a clear preview of what’s about to happen in the ACT caucus:

    “I support him as leader. He is the leader. But what Act doesn’t require is caucus not focusing on Act core business and I’ll be in there focusing on Act core business. The people in Act are the messengers that take our policies to the people. He’s the leader. He’s the chief messenger at the moment; has been for some time.”

    Translation: I’m with Heather and Roger, it’s bye-bye Rodney and Garth McVicar.

    Of course Hide knows this, but the next on the list is Peter Tashkoff, so any way you look at it, Rodney’s toast.

    • Lazy Susan 8.1
      25 September 2010 at 5:56 pm

      Agreesd G. She clearly signals Wodney’s a gonna. Just about the only thing she appears to be clear about!

  9. Jeremy Harris 9
    25 September 2010 at 4:45 pm

    Wow, that is one bad interview, I can’t wait for her maiden speech:

    “There are things that we know and things that we don’t know, but there are also things we know we don’t know – known unknowns, and things we don’t know we don’t know – unknown unknowns”…

    If I’m arrested in the mean streets of Dunedin North I think I’ll represent myself…

    I thought Kerre Woodham had made it into Parliament when I saw the photo…

  10. Irascible 10
    25 September 2010 at 5:10 pm

    Calvert is a miracle of linguistic gymnastics as she turns herself inside out.
    Introduce her to Tolley as a candidate to test the much vaunted National Literacy Standards on. Then ask Tolley to write an assessment and recommendations how to improve based on the helicopter overview the National Standards have provided.
    Calvert’s convolutions would fail her at NCEA level 1 for literacy.

    • bbfloyd 10.1
      13 October 2010 at 7:53 pm

      Irascable.. you’re assuming tolley would be competent to give the test in the first place…

  11. Ian 11
    25 September 2010 at 5:22 pm

    This woman has a memory like a sieve. Like Jeremy I can’t wait for her maiden speech.

  12. Tiger Mountain 12
    25 September 2010 at 5:32 pm

    Rather pathetic really. Wouldn’t want her as a legal rep if I was in a tight spot. What Springbok tour!

    • mickysavage 12.1
      25 September 2010 at 7:44 pm

      Maybe she is just following the example given by our glorious leader. He cannot remember what his opinion on the Springbok tour was, despite the fact he was 20 at the time. As if …

  13. Carol 13
    25 September 2010 at 5:43 pm

    It’s all smoke, mirrors, diversion & spin. Calvert’s memory lapses are meant to show that any MP could forget past brushes with the law. Except, as this thread shows, we’re not that gullible.

    The ACToids are showing themselves to be a moral/ethical void. They don’t get the significance of the difference between identity theft, passport fraud and more trivial offences. They try to spin them as being the same. They don’t really care, as long as they can spin a line that the majority swallows, and hope the voters will move on and forget the depth of hypocrisy – nothing matters except all that glitters…. and lock up those they don’t have access to the real, gold, or god forbid, that have a way of stealing some of NACT mates’ gains from creative accounting, creative politicking, and creative ethics!

  14. Rex Widerstrom 14
    25 September 2010 at 5:50 pm

    The last thing we want is someone so uninterested and disengaged with politics that she can’t recall when she stood for Parliament or which party or parties she might have been a member of.

    We need passionate, dedicated and determined people with clear goals for how they want to change New Zealand. Which is exactly the kind of person John Boscawen has, so far, struck me as being.

    You see “some kind of obsessive compulsive disorder” I see a dedication to principle which translates into active engagement and a determination to see things through.

    You see a somewhat histrionic advertisement (as do I) but beneath it I see real passion for an issue and a willingness to spend his own money pursuing it. And I see frustration – which I share – at politicians whose arrogance leads them to dismiss the concerns of vast numbers of their fellow citizens with glib epithets.

    I’d rather this sort of person – even if they’re passionately fighting for ideas I oppose – than the principle-and-goal-free zone Hilary Calvert appears to be.

    And where you say “got his list placing because he donated so much money”, I say “evidence please?”. His donation of $100,000 was made on 26 September 2008. The ACT party list was announced on 20 August 2008. I guess perhaps he could have signed a secret pledge or something, but that’d be pure speculation – which I imagine is the entire basis for your smear… and would a multimillionaire really bother buying a job with a $130k salary?

    • felix 14.1
      25 September 2010 at 6:23 pm

      Couple of things Rex.

      1) Did Boscowen know about Garrett? Cos if he did he’s no better than the others.

      2) He has donated more than that to the party over the years, even going by the declared donations.

      3) Are you fucking kidding? He didn’t buy a $130k salary, if he bought anything he bought power. He’s a government minister in his first frickin term.

      You’re using the same logic as the morons who say “Key wouldn’t rip us off, he’s already rich and doesn’t even need his salary”.

      This is the first time I’ve seen a smart person use that reasoning and I’m surprised, Rex. You know better than that.

      (p.s. I don’t have anything against Boscowen. He seems like a bit of a spoilt rich kid but he also seems genuine in his beliefs in exactly the way Hide doesn’t. Time will tell though.)

      • Rex Widerstrom 14.1.1
        25 September 2010 at 8:35 pm

        1. Agreed entirely. I can only hope the answer is no. And even if he didn’t know about Garrett’s background his peculiar thinking would have been apparent and I’m disappointed he went along with it.

        2. Okay, but provided it’s all declared I have no problem with that.

        3. No, there’s a difference… Key might “rip us off” based on his beliefs (or lack thereof) regardless of his wealth. As might someone like Paula Bennett, who’s been poor. That’s a different thing altogether and I agree that that’s naive reasoning.

        I’m saying no one with money would see a backbench MP’s salary and perks worth buying when greater influence could be had by, say, donating substantially to the National or Labour Party and owning a complete set of MPs 😀

        Remember that when he gave those donations, the only thing he would have been guaranteed was backbench MP status if Act won a sufficient number of votes to get 4 people in. The coalition with National wasn’t guaranteed (though I accept it was a probability, but one dependent on a National win) and nor was being a Minister.

        I don’t think he gave money with the intention of being rewarded. I think he gave money to something he believed in (wonder what he really thinks now?!) and stood for election out of the same motives.

        • felix 14.1.1.1
          26 September 2010 at 10:54 pm

          That’s fair enough, and I take your point about being able to buy more influence without standing himself.

          But we’re still ignoring ego, vanity, hubris, and all the other things that might drive a person into politics aside from just raw power 😉 .

          My gut tends to agree with your last para re his motives. (I do have a habit of being monumentally wrong about these things though)

        • prism 14.1.1.2
          13 October 2010 at 8:21 pm

          Trust me to go for the trivial. That matching set of MPs – would they be Hawaii-bound (ours wouldn’t be Morrocco-bound) and what sort of shelf bookends would they have?

    • bbfloyd 14.2
      13 October 2010 at 7:55 pm

      fair go guys, we may be mocking the afflicted here.. a case could be made for a medical condition affecting her higher brain functions.

      • Colonial Viper 14.2.1
        13 October 2010 at 8:26 pm

        yeah, a zombie land virus infection, but one which still lets the body respond – albeit abysmally – to reporters’ questions.

  15. ZeeBop 15
    25 September 2010 at 8:22 pm

    A bit of a deadend for ACT, a Calvert Sack even.

  16. Rharn 16
    25 September 2010 at 8:31 pm

    Interesting mindset for lawyer: Calvert thinks that stealing the ID of a deceased infant and lying to a Judge (perjury) is a ‘load of crap.’

    As for the need to ask the police to confirm or deny any convictions is there something in her background that gives her some concern?

    As for ethics I don’t not know if she has any daughters but I doubt any
    ‘ responsible’ mother would be collecting rent from a brothel where ‘her’ daughter worked. But it’s OK to collect rent for some other mothers daughter.

    • Colonial Viper 16.1
      26 September 2010 at 11:55 pm

      There are a lot of bad environments and bad events which happen to NZ young people. And yes, it does seem that a lot of people think its OK as long as it happens to someone elses’ kids.

  17. Rodel 17
    25 September 2010 at 9:22 pm

    I used to be amused by Winston taking the piss out of the media.
    In his absence I went to the Fox channel or the comedy channel for laughs.
    Now we have the ACT Party. Yea! Its the funniest!!
    Hope Winston gets back ’cause ACT won’t be there to laugh at. shame that !

    • prism 17.1
      13 October 2010 at 8:47 pm

      Winston we miss you – as the song goes ‘Nobody does it better’ – that is, string a line to the media and get the reporters tied up in knots.

  18. Drakula 18
    25 September 2010 at 10:16 pm

    Oh Dear, Oh Dear, Oh Dear, Calvert seems to have a bit of a memory problem for a lawer doesn’t she.

    She can’t remamber whether she has been in a different political Party.

    She can’t remember whether she has a criminal record.

    She can’t remember whether she wore berets and black gloves

    Would you have her as your lawer? Damned if I would Judging from what she has uttered above I am not quite sure as to whether she is mentaly challenged or just plain crooked like the rest of her coleagues in ACT.

  19. outofbed 19
    25 September 2010 at 10:46 pm

    “I’m not financially interested in the massage parlour. I’m a landowner”
    Why is that not a financial interest?
    She get finances from renting the property out to people who get money for providing shagging services. So therefore the rent is paid because someone daughter is on their back for half the night
    One could say if she charged less rent the aforementioned daughters would not have to earn as much,
    Conversely if she puts the rent up….

    • Jim Nald 19.1
      25 September 2010 at 11:48 pm

      Folk must really wonder if she herself really believes in what she is saying
      … and that applies to her other rambles

    • prism 19.2
      13 October 2010 at 8:43 pm

      I am sure that paid sex is hard work and it is legal. And sex is something we all owe our lives to, apart from special cases, so even if we wouldn’t want our daughters to be working in the sector why condemn those that do or their landlords. Town planning regulations do apply for me though, to give some control over position of premises. I don’t want this type of commercial activity just anywhere, same with bars.

  20. Patricia M 20
    26 September 2010 at 12:56 pm

    Seeing her gadding about the town, wearing a long coat and black trilby hat with flowing, dyed blond hair, one is reminded of “Spy versus Spy” and “Alice in Wonderland”. Just another dark force for Twinkle Toes Rodney to worry about .LOL. :>)

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    National has broken another manifesto health promise, apparently to save only $550,000. It will now train an additional 25 med students next year rather than the 50 it promised. This comes on top of the delays caused by National’s coalition partners in pushing ahead with the Waikato Medical School and ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    3 days ago

  • Climate Adam: Coping as the world’s best known climate scientist
    This video includes conclusions of the creator climate scientist Dr. Adam Levy. It is presented to our readers as an informed perspective. Please see video description for references (if any). Katharine Hayhoe is quite possibly the world's most famous climate scientist. She's produced wide ranging research, and communicated climate change with ...
    Skeptical Science
    3 days ago

  • SIS “evidence” isn’t, again
    Back in 2016, then-Internal Affairs Minister Peter Dunne cancelled a New Zealand woman's passport, claiming she was a terrorist. The basis for his decision was a secret briefing by the SIS, which claimed that if she was allowed to travel, the woman would "engage with individuals who encourage acts of ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    3 days ago

  • As Low As You Go
    Taking you as low as you goAs low as you goA sense of Déjà vu this morning. How many times have I begun a newsletter, “just when you thought they couldn’t go any lower…” Only for the groundhog to reappear, more pissed off than the day before.Another day with headlines ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    4 days ago

  • Bernard's Dawn Chorus and pick 'n' mix for Wednesday June 5
    TL;DR: The public health costs of human-caused air pollution in Aotearoa-NZ is estimated at $38.8 billion a year because it kills 3,300 people each year, which is almost ten times more than the death toll on roads from accidents. Yet the Ministry for the Environment has just one staff member ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago

  • A Better Broadway: Act 1
    This is the first of a two-part guest post by Grant A, a long time reader and commenter with a keen interest in all things urban, especially cycling and public transport. He’s been thinking about how to fix Broadway. Stay tuned for Act 2! Readers might remember the pre-Christmas traffic snarl-ups in ...
    Greater AucklandBy Guest Post
    4 days ago

  • Road trance
    Sometimes technology is your friend and sometimes it can’t be bothered with you. Once you’re away from home and your dependable wifi, well, there’s no telling what will happen. I’ve been going in and out of high-speed and low-speed no-speed Internet pockets all over England and France and look, I’m ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    4 days ago

  • You Can't Undo Fake News
    Hi,I’ve been thinking a lot about Corey Harris, the 44-year old man who went viral after Zooming into his court appearance while driving. The headlines generated were basically all the same: “Man With Suspended Driver's License Dials Into Court Hearing While Driving”. The headlines said it all, and most people ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    4 days ago

  • At a glance – CO2 is the main driver of climate change
    On February 14, 2023 we announced our Rebuttal Update Project. This included an ask for feedback about the added "At a glance" section in the updated basic rebuttal versions. This weekly blog post series highlights this new section of one of the updated basic rebuttal versions and serves as a ...
    Skeptical Science
    4 days ago

  • Acting Prime Minister David Seymour.
    When it came to David Seymour, Jacinda got one thing right, and another wrong. What is the sacrilege, I hear you ask? In what world in relation to David Seymour was our Jacinda ever wrong?Subscribe nowAs you no doubt remember, and personally I think there should be some sort of ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    4 days ago

  • More democratic abuse from National
    "Abuse of democracy" seems to be the emerging theme of this government, with bills rammed through under urgency or given pathetically short select committee submission times seemingly designed to limit and undermine public engagement. And today we have another case, with the public given just nine days to submit on ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    4 days ago

  • Gordon Campbell on the curse of being politically moderate about everything
    Nigel Farage’s initial reason for not standing in the British election – because he wanted to be a Trump adviser – never looked very convincing. His perfectly timed “change of mind” though, has won him extensive media coverage, and he’s now plunging into the election campaign as the rival candidate ...
    Gordon CampbellBy lyndon
    5 days ago

  • Bernard’s Dawn Chorus and pick ‘n’ mix for Tuesday, June 4
    Placards at a 2018 rally for better funding for new cancer drugs. National’s pre-election promise to do so may have won it votes, but the attempt to quietly drop the plan has now ignited a firestorm of protest. Photo: Lynn GrievesonTL;DR: The Government is now being engulfed in a firestorm ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago

  • Budget 2024 Highlights
    Last week the government delivered their first budget and while there’s been plenty of other discussion about the main aspects of it, I was particularly interested to look at what it meant for transport. Before getting into too much detail, the chart below shows at a high level where transport ...
    Greater AucklandBy Matt L
    5 days ago

  • Jeff Masters and Bob Henson give us the low-down on the 2024 Atlantic hurricane season
    This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Samantha Harrington (Background photo credit: NASA/NOAA GOES Project / CC BY 2.0 DEED) To kick off hurricane season, Yale Climate Connections editors Sara Peach and Sam Harrington sat down with meteorologists and Eye on the Storm writers Jeff Masters and Bob ...
    Skeptical Science
    5 days ago

  • Bernard's pick 'n' mix for Monday, June 3
    TL;DR: The Tiwai Point aluminium smelter, which consumes over 15% of the motu’s renewable electricity, has struck a deal to stay open for another 20 years. This will delay Aotearoa-NZ’s transition to carbon zero and make it more expensive and unfair for the 100,000 households who currently can’t afford their ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    6 days ago

  • maBaguette
    Today we rolled through troglodyte caves and ate a fresh roast chook by the river, the mighty Loire River, the still quite angry-looking Loire River. The Loire is not itself because it has been raining here for the last seven months without a break, the locals have been telling us, ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    6 days ago

  • Empty Promises.
    Fighting out of the blue corner, wearing a pale pink jacket, a half hearted smile, and a lot of flack from the left and the right, it’s your Finance Minister - Nicola Willis.Her challenger will probe the Minister for answers. Armed with boyish charm and tricky questions, the last remaining ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    6 days ago

  • 2024 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #22
    A listing of 33 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, May 26, 2024 thru Sat, June 1, 2024. Story of the week Sometimes one story is not enough. Our ongoing 2023-2024 experiences with lethal heatwaves, early wildfires and a threatening Atlantic hurricane season ...
    Skeptical Science
    6 days ago

  • Treaty Principles Bill: Smokescreen for sweeping change?
    Much has been said about how the coalition government’s Treaty Principles Bill distorts te Tiriti o Waitangi. However, it could also serve as a Trojan horse, installing an extreme libertarian agenda. We don’t know the intent driving the proposed Bill; however, many serious effects may ensue. Far from simply clarifying the ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    7 days ago

  • Fact Brief – Have climate models overestimated global warming?
    Skeptical Science is partnering with Gigafact to produce fact briefs — bite-sized fact checks of trending claims. This fact brief was written by John Mason in collaboration with members from the Gigafact team. You can submit claims you think need checking via the tipline. Have climate models overestimated global warming? Climate ...
    Skeptical Science
    1 week ago

  • Te Pati Loco?
    Normally I would not write about Maori issues. I may have been living in NZ for over 25 years but I do not feel that it is my place to opine because I am not an expert on Maori history … Continue reading → ...
    KiwipoliticoBy Pablo
    1 week ago

  • Falling monkeys and 'kitty cat' storms
    Tornado damage, like this in Oklahoma, has left the insurance industry reeling at the accumulated scale of losses. Photo: Getty ImagesTL;DR: Here’s the top six news items of note in climate news for Aotearoa-NZ this week, and a discussion above between Bernard Hickey and The Kākā’s climate correspondent Cathrine Dyer:A ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago

  • The Hoon around the week to June 1
    Poster on Cuba St, Wellington. Similar signs were prominent at the Budget Day protests around the country. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The podcast above of the weekly ‘hoon’ webinar for paying subscribers features co-hosts and talking with:The Kākā’s climate correspondent about extreme heat in India ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago

  • Pedalling flat out
    Hello! Here comes the Saturday edition of More Than A Feilding, catching you up on the past somewhat interrupted week. Been on the move!Share Read more ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    1 week ago

  • “Since 2009 I've Been Running a Facebook Page Devoted to Reptilian-Shapeshifters”
    Hi,When Webworm contributor Jackson James Wood (the guy who marathoned Lord of the Rings and investigated Kremelta’s horny recipes) told me he’d been secretly running a Facebook page dedicated to reptilian shapeshifters for 15 years I said, “You must write about what you’ve learnt about both reptilians and the human ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    1 week ago

  • 2024 Reading Summary: May (+ Writing Update)
    Completed reads for May: The King of Elfland’s Daughter, by Lord Dunsany The House on the Borderland, by William Hope Hodgson The Book of Wonder (collection), by Lord Dunsany Fifty-One Tales (collection), by Lord Dunsany Magna Carta (1215) The Creole Village, by Washington Irving Tales of Wonder (collection), by ...
    A Phuulish FellowBy strda221
    1 week ago

  • On Hens, Eggs, Temperature and CO2
    The original version of this blog – written by Giacomo Grassi, with contributions from Stefano Caserini, Giorgio Vacchiano, Gianni Comoretto, Claudio della Volpe, and Mario Grosso - appeared in the Italian climate website Climalteranti. The version here has been checked and further enriched by Pierre Friedlingstein (Global Carbon Project). A recent ...
    Skeptical Science
    1 week ago

  • The Taxpayers’ Union at Eleven
    How to run a successful pressure group.In 2013 a group of idealists, led by Jordan Williams and David Farrar, established the Taxpayers’ Union. To celebrate its first decade as surely New Zealand’s most successful political pressure group NZTU published The Mission: The Taxpayers Union at 10, ten short interviews (by ...
    PunditBy Brian Easton
    1 week ago

  • Bryce Edwards: Budget 2024 shows NZ has some tough choices to make – Scandinavia or Singapore
    To truly understand yesterday’s Budget, it’s worth returning to a statement made in 2020 by the then British High Commissioner Laura Clark that New Zealand has “Scandinavian ambitions in terms of quality of life and public services, but a US attitude to tax”. Her point is that New Zealand politicians ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    1 week ago

  • The Disease That Didn't Spread.
    Not Wanted: What is truly astonishing about Pukekohe is that it was the only place in New Zealand where the vicious racism endemic to the other Anglo-states took hold with sufficient force to construct a permanent system of overt racial oppression and humiliation. At a moment in history when Western racial ...
    Bowalley Road
    1 week ago

  • Naked corruption
    There's been all sorts of corruption swirling around the government's Muldoonist fast-track law, with various donors invited to apply. And now we have another case, with a donor demanding specific amendments to help it in a legal dispute: A NZ First donor wants Fast Track legislation to free up ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    1 week ago

  • Willis borrows an extra $12b to pay for $14.7b of tax cuts
    Willis is dancing not-so-daintily on the head of a fiscal pin when she describes the tax cuts as ‘fully funded’ by spending cuts and a few little revenue increases. Photo: Hagen Hopkins / Getty ImagesTL;DR: Finance Minister Nicola Willis has delivered her first Budget, deciding to go ahead with long-promised ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago

  • How Much a Fortnight?
    I was supposed to be sent awayBut they forgot to come and get meI was a functioning alcoholic'Til nobody noticed my new aestheticAll of this to say I hope you're okayBut you're the reasonAnd no one here's to blameBut what about your quiet treason?Those first lines resonate, having done my ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    1 week ago

  • Gordon Campbell on Nicola Willis and her surplus fetish
    So…. according to the Treasury, we’ll have to borrow $17.1 billion by June 2028, to help fund ( among other things) a nearly $10 billion tax cut programme, also paid for by slashing billions – and 240 line items – from our public services. Conventional political wisdom to the contrary, ...
    Gordon CampbellBy lyndon
    1 week ago

  • Budget learnings
    And so this is budget week, and what have we learned? Or rather: what are the takeaway learnings going forward?Learning number 1: Just saying a thing is true doesn’t make it so Remember last year when these people were all like: Oh, we can totally do all this without borrowing we can ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    1 week ago

  • Weekly Roundup 1-June-2024
    Welcome to June, a long weekend (happy birthday to all the kings and queens of urbanism out there), and another  Rāmere Roundup! Here are a few things that caught our eye this week. Header image: Toitū te Tiriti march moving down Queen St, Thursday 30 May 2024 This Week ...
    Greater AucklandBy Greater Auckland
    1 week ago

  • The next cuts will be the deepest
    A slowing economy and, consequently, a lower tax take means we are looking at three years of economic austerity from the Government. That austerity will be the product of what will need to be more deep cuts to Government spending. That much was evident from yesterday’s Budget, which showed tax ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    1 week ago

  • The Incredible Shrinking Nicola Willis
    What you see is what you get. Mostly. For all the coalition haggling, culture wars and “let me be clear” obfuscation we’ve seen in the first six months of this government, National has delivered a very National budget. It’s not so much the axe being swung in this budget as ...
    PunditBy Tim Watkin
    1 week ago

  • Of George R.R, Martin, Adaptations, and Improving the Story
    George R.R. Martin has taken a potshot at the adaptation process, arguing that screenwriters’ desire to improve on source material leads to a worse story outcome: https://georgerrmartin.com/notablog/2024/05/24/the-adaptation-tango/ “Everywhere you look, there are more screenwriters and producers eager to take great stories and “make them their own.” It does ...
    A Phuulish FellowBy strda221
    1 week ago

  • Skeptical Science New Research for Week #22 2024
    Open access notables Unveiling Unprecedented Methane Hotspots in China's Leading Coal Production Hub: A Satellite Mapping Revelation, Han et al., Geophysical Research Letters: China is likely the world's largest anthropogenic source of methane emissions, with coal mine methane (CMM) being the predominant contributor. Here, we deploy 2 years of satellite observations ...
    Skeptical Science
    1 week ago

  • Join us for the weekly Hoon on YouTube Live
    Photo by Marino Linic on UnsplashIt’s that new day of the week (Thursday rather than Friday) when and I co-host our ‘hoon’ webinar with paying subscribers to The Kākā for an hour at 5 pm. Jump on this link on YouTube Livestream for our chat about the week’s news ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago

  • This matters
    I've been watching the reports of the Māori-led protests all around the country this morning, seeing huge crowds not just in Auckland and Wellington and other major cities, but in much smaller places like Nelson and Whangārei. Its a significant show of opposition to the government, and hopefully they are ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    1 week ago

  • This matters
    I've been watching the reports of the Māori-led protests all around the country this morning, seeing huge crowds not just in Auckland and Wellington and other major cities, but in much smaller places like Nelson and Whangārei. Its a significant show of opposition to the government, and hopefully they are ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    1 week ago

  • Communication Breakdown.
    Inadequately Equipped: Forget the loud-hailers Minister, what you need is TikTok. Shane Jones marches into Blackball preaching the gospel of “Mine, Baby, Mine!” the old-fashioned way.IT ALMOST WORKED. “Matua Shane”, local supporters in tow, advanced down the main street of Blackball. Had the Minister for Resources, Shane Jones, been supplied with a ...
    Bowalley Road
    1 week ago

  • Communication Breakdown: Roy Orbison.
    A treat for all those who have just read the preceding post. Roy Orbison sings (as only Roy Orbison can sing) his 1966 hit, Communication Breakdown.Video courtesy of YouTubeThis post is exclusive to Bowalley Road. ...
    Bowalley Road
    1 week ago

  • Nationwide Activation Day
    Hi all,I thought I’d write a quick note on the start of a long day. Protests this morning, speeches soon, then that budget thingy, and no doubt a lot of post match analysis.After the appalling weather last evening I was a little reluctant to get up, but this was no ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    1 week ago

  • What you need to know about record-breaking heat in the Atlantic
    This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Michael Lowry Over 90% of the tropical Atlantic is experiencing record or near-record warm sea surface temperatures for late May. Waters across the Atlantic’s tropical belt — extending from the coast of Africa through the Caribbean — are hotter now ...
    Skeptical Science
    1 week ago

  • Bernard’s Dawn Chorus and pick ‘n’ mix for Thursday, May 30
    We find out at 2:00 pm today what Finance Minister Nicola Willis has in her first Budget. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The new Government’s first Budget due today at 2:00 pm is focused on delivering ‘cost of living relief’ in the form of income tax cuts for middle ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago

  • In praise of alleyways and paths through parks
    The Waitematā Local Board is currently consulting on the cutely named Local Active Modes Plan (aka LAMP), which aims to illuminate a programme of quick wins for walking and cycling. There’s a nifty drop-a-pin map here. Get in quick – consultation closes tomorrow, Friday 31 May, presumably at midnight. In the ...
    Greater AucklandBy Jolisa
    1 week ago

  • New Zealand and Malaysia to intensify connections
    New Zealand and Malaysia intend to intensify their long-standing, deep connections, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says.    “Malaysia is one of New Zealand’s oldest friends in South-East Asia – and both countries intend to get more out of the relationship," Mr Peters says.   "Our connections already run deep and ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    9 hours ago

  • Ending contracted emergency housing motels in Rotorua
    The end of Contracted Emergency Housing (CEH) motels in Rotorua is nearing another milestone as the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) announces it will not renew consents for six of the original 13 motels, Associate Housing Minister Tama Potaka says. The government is committed to stop using CEH ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    16 hours ago

  • Faster consenting for flood protection projects in Hawke's Bay
    Work to increase flood resilience in Hawke’s Bay can start sooner, thanks to a new fast consenting process, Minister for Emergency Management and Recovery Mark Mitchell and Environment Minister Penny Simmonds say.  “Faster consenting means work to build stop banks, spillways and other infrastructure can get underway sooner, increasing flood ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago

  • Judge Craig Coxhead and Nathan Milner newest Māori Land Court appointments
    Tangata tū tangata ora, tangata noho tangata mate. Minister for Māori Development Tama Potaka today announced acting Deputy Chief Judge Craig Coxhead as the new Deputy Chief Judge, and Nathan Milner as Judge of the Māori Land Court. "I want to congratulate Judge Coxhead and Mr Milner on their appointments ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • Government signs Indo-Pacific Economic agreements to boost trade
    Trade Minister Todd McClay and Climate Change Minister Simon Watts, today signed three Indo Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF) agreements that will boost investment, grow New Zealand’s digital and green economies and increase trade between New Zealand and the 14 IPEF partners. IPEF’s partners represent 40 per cent of global GDP ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • Government signs Indo-Pacific Economic agreements to boost trade and cooperation
    Trade Minister Todd McClay and Climate Change Minister Simon Watts, today signed three Indo Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF) agreements that will boost investment, grow New Zealand’s digital and green economies and increase trade between New Zealand and the 14 IPEF partners. IPEF’s partners represent 40 per cent of global GDP ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • Visit to Viet Nam strengthens ties
    New Zealand and Viet Nam are focused on strengthening cooperation by making progress on mutually beneficial opportunities, Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters says. “Viet Nam matters enormously to New Zealand," Mr Peters says. "Our countries enjoy broad cooperation, in such areas as defence, security, trade, education and tourism. We are ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • Government delivers funding boost to fix potholes
    The Coalition Government is delivering on its commitment to boost funding for pothole prevention, with indicative funding levels confirmed by NZTA showing a record increase in funding to help fix potholes on our State Highways and Local Roads, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says.  The NZTA Board has today confirmed indicative ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • Government making fuel resilience a priority
    The Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment will halt work on procuring reserve diesel stock and explore other ways to bolster New Zealand’s diesel resilience, Associate Energy Minister Shane Jones says. The Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) will also begin work on changes to the minimum fuel stockholding ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago

  • Govt strengthens COVID-19 preparedness
    Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says additional supplies of COVID-19 rapid antigen tests (RATs) will enable New Zealanders to continue testing this winter.  “In January, we announced an extension of public access to free RATs until the end of June,” Dr Reti says.  “I’m pleased to confirm that Health New ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago

  • NZ and Fiji commit to strengthening partnership
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has met with his Fijian counterpart, Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka, and discussed how New Zealand and Fiji can further strengthen their partnership.  During their bilateral talks in Suva this morning, Mr Luxon and Mr Rabuka canvassed a range of issues including defence and regional security, trade, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago

  • Making it easier to invest in New Zealand
    The Associate Minister of Finance David Seymour has issued a new Ministerial directive letter to Land Information New Zealand (LINZ) to make consent processing timeframes faster under the Overseas Investment Act.  “New Zealand is currently rated as having the most restrictive foreign direct investment policy out of the OECD countries ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago

  • $30m investment for faster access to radiology services
    New Zealanders will now benefit from free access to radiology services referred directly by their general practitioner, resulting in faster diagnosis and improved health outcomes, says Health Minister Dr Shane Reti. “Our Budget last Thursday delivered the foundations for a thriving New Zealand economy, but also for better public services ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago

  • Speech to Pacific Economic Development Agency – Pacific Business Trust
    Good afternoon everyone, and warm Pacific greetings. Thank you for your lovely introduction Mary Losé. It’s wonderful to be here today at the Pacific Economic Development Agency - Pacific Business Trust. I want to acknowledge the chair Paul Retimanu and chief executive Mary Losé, your team and the many business ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago

  • Progress for fixing the Holidays Act 2003
    The Minister for Workplace Relations and Safety Brooke van Velden says this Government will improve the Holidays Act 2003 [the Act] with the help of businesses and workers who will be affected by changes to the Act.  “Change has been a long time coming, and I know there are many ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago

  • New Zealand and Niue mark special milestone
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Niue Premier Dalton Tagelagi have agreed to enhance the special relationship that exists between their two countries, as Niue marks 50 years of self-government in free association with New Zealand. Mr Luxon and Mr Tagelagi held formal talks this morning and released a Joint Statement ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago

  • Ministry for Regulation kicks off first sector review – Early Childhood Education
    Minister for Regulation David Seymour today announced the terms of reference for the sector review into early childhood education (ECE) by the new Ministry for Regulation. This will be the first review by the Ministry.   “Issues with affordability and availability of early childhood education, and the complexity of its regulation, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago

  • $43 million commitment for local catchment groups
    The Government is backing farmers to improve land management practices with a $36 million commitment to support locally led catchment groups, and an additional $7 million direct investment into catchment groups across the country, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay has announced. “Budget 2024 provides $36 million over four years for regionally based ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago

  • $36 million commitment for local catchment groups
    The Government is backing farmers to improve land management practices with a $36 million commitment to support locally led catchment groups, $7 million of which will go directly to catchment groups across the country, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay has announced. “Budget 2024 provides $36 million over four years for regionally based ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago

  • Communities reap rewards of regional investment
    The success of regional investment in the Far North has been highlighted with the opening of two community projects that benefit their communities, Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones attended a dawn blessing for the $10.16 million Te Hiku Revitalisation project, which has provided much-needed community infrastructure improvements ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago

  • Government to sign groundbreaking Indo-Pacific agreements
    Trade Minister Todd McClay and Climate Change Minister Simon Watts travel to Singapore tomorrow to sign three Indo Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF) agreements.  IPEF’s 14 partners represent 40 per cent of global GDP and account for 50 per cent of New Zealand’s exports. They include critical markets for Kiwi exporters ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago

  • King’s Birthday Honours recognise significant contributions to education
    Minister of Education Erica Stanford today recognises the significant achievements of those included in the King’s Birthday 2024 Honours List, particularly those being celebrated for their services to education. “This year’s King’s Birthday Honours recognises the commitment, dedication and passion that those who have been honoured have shown,” Ms Stanford ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago

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    ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago

  • King’s Birthday Honours for East Coast champion
    Me aro koe ki te hā o Hine-ahu-one The devotion shown by Katareina Kaiwai to improving the lives of people across her community is an inspiration to all New Zealanders, Māori Development Minister Tama Potaka says. Katareina Kaiwai (Ngāti Porou, Rongomaiwahine, Ngāti Kahungunu ki Heretaunga) has been awarded a King’s Service Medal ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago

  • Ethnic communities recognised in King’s Birthday Honours
    Ethnic Communities Minister Melissa Lee has congratulated the King’s Birthday 2024 Honours recipients hailing from ethnic communities, saying they embody the valuable contributions of diverse peoples to New Zealand society. “The King’s Birthday 2024 Honours List recognises a number of outstanding individuals for their services to New Zealand’s ethnic and ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago

  • King’s Birthday Honours recognise significant contributions to medical sciences and Pacific leader...
    Minister of Health and Pacific Peoples Dr Shane Reti today recognises the significant work of those included in the King’s Birthday 2024 Honours List, particularly those being honoured for services to health and medical sciences and services to Pacific communities.  “This year’s King’s Birthday Honours List represents a massive breadth ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago

  • Champions of women top King’s Birthday Honours
    Acting Minister for Women Louise Upston has congratulated the large number of women who received King’s Birthday Honours this year, including two inspiring new Dames Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit. “Dame Joan Withers’ is a formidable force in the business world and a true champion of diversity ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago

  • PM congratulates King’s Birthday Honours recipients
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has congratulated the recipients included on the King’s Birthday 2024 Honours List, saying they reflect the best of New Zealand. The 176 recipients include the appointments of two Dames and two Knights. “The New Zealanders being honoured in this year’s King’s Birthday Honours have given decades ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago

  • Speech to the IISS Shangri-La Dialogue 2024
    Thank you to the International Institute for Strategic Studies for the invitation to speak on this panel today, and for your ongoing work organising the Shangri-La Dialogue.  It’s great to be here today alongside my Thai and Canadian colleagues to discuss security connections across the wider Indo-Pacific. I am so ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
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  • Prime Minister heads to Niue and Fiji
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