/news/politics/rss 九一星空无限 Get the latest political and government news from 九一星空无限talk ZB's Beehive team. Thu, 30 Jan 2025 23:23:38 Z en /news/politics/not-all-conservation-land-is-equal-shane-jones-starts-mining-conversation/ /news/politics/not-all-conservation-land-is-equal-shane-jones-starts-mining-conversation/ Resources Minister Shane Jones wants to have a conversation about mining on conservation land — and he thinks he’s found a way of saving his endangered amphibian nemesis, “Freddy the frog”.  He argues that the revenue generated from mining poor quality land with limited conservation value and the conservation initiatives of mining companies themselves would have a net conservation benefit. He made the remarks in a speech in Waihī, home to a large gold mine. Jones also released the final Minerals Strategy and Critical Minerals list — a list of minerals the Government argues are critical to New Zealand’s prosperity.  Controversially, the Government has added metallurgical coal to the final list. Better-known as coking coal, this is a critical component in the manufacturing of steel, although new, less coal-intensive methods are coming available, including in New Zealand thanks to a grant by the last Government.  It is part of a broader Government push to support more mining and to link it to better incomes and social services for New Zealanders.  Not everyone is convinced. The Greens have dispatched MP Steve Abel to Waihī today to make their opposition known.  Jones is particularly keen to talk about mining opportunities on stewardship and other categories of DoC land, while promising that national parks and the highest value DoC land is “not on the table” for mining.  Jones has been locked in a rhetorical battle over “Freddy the frog”, also known as Archey’s frog, an endangered species that could be put further at risk by mining.  “It is correct that our Archey’s frog is endangered,” Jones said today, “but it is not from mining.  “The real threat to Freddy is the rats, stoats and pigs that populate significant extents of our stewardship and conservation land.”  Jones argued that “responsible mining” was “the best news Freddy has had for a long time”. He said that under a Fast-Track project, OceanaGold, a mining company “will be stepping up with an intensive predator control programme in the Coromandel Forest Park”.  “In fact, it’s because of OceanaGold and its specialist conservationists that we have some of the most insightful research collected on the species to date. Over $600,000 towards ecological outcomes around this mining site,” he said.  “Actually a much larger sum when one considers the broader commercial footprint including Macraes, Otago, South Island. Such a quantum is not possible without a successful business.”  Jones wanted an “honest and considered debate on mining”, although he might have undermined the “considered” part of that debate in his very next sentence, describing one side of the debate as “woke collar spongers”.  Jones said the critical minerals list acknowledged how important minerals were to daily life. He said that of the 37 on the list, 21 are produced or could be produced in New Zealand.  “We are a prospective destination for sought-after minerals like antimony and we have operators working rare earth, vanadium and titanium projects, which I note are all ways for New Zealand to support a transition to a clean energy future.  “Some people argue against minerals extraction, but gladly rely on the conveniences of modern society and economy built by those resources. As our Prime Minister said, we don’t have the luxury of turning off growth.  “We are now targeting a goal of doubling our exports to $3b by 2035, up from the previous target of $2b, with a roadmap for how we will get there.”  Thomas Coughlan is Deputy Political Editor and covers politics from Parliament. He has worked for the Herald since 2021 and has worked in the press gallery since 2018.  Thu, 30 Jan 2025 22:07:36 Z /news/politics/mexican-embassy-wades-in-after-nz-first-minister-s-comments-pm-christopher-luxon-repeats-rhetoric-warning/ /news/politics/mexican-embassy-wades-in-after-nz-first-minister-s-comments-pm-christopher-luxon-repeats-rhetoric-warning/ Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has refused to say if he’ll reprimand New Zealand First’s Winston Peters and Shane Jones over comments that have been labelled “xenophobic” by the Greens, instead deciding to just tell all MPs to “watch their language”. Responding to Jones calling out in Parliament “send the Mexicans home”, the Mexican Embassy in New Zealand said it was “following up on this matter through diplomatic channels”. In a statement, a spokesperson for Foreign Affairs Minister Peters said he was “aware of concerns raised by the Mexican Ambassador with MFAT” and looked forward to seeing the Ambassador at Waitangi next week. “In the heat of the moment in the robust environment of Parliament, sometimes some members say things when provoked that, on reflection, may have been expressed differently.” However, Peters earlier said he wouldn’t speak to Jones about his remarks and he stood by his own remarks. Winston Peters and Shane Jones. Photo / Tania Whyte Peters caused a stir on Tuesday when he told Green MPs Lawrence Xu-Nan and Francisco Hernandez to “show some gratitude” for being in New Zealand. That same day, Jones shouted out “send the Mexicans home”, which the Greens’ Ricardo Menéndez March (born in Mexico) said was “xenophobic”. He said that type of language “emboldens” others to say similar things in public and called on the Prime Minister to act. Luxon on Thursday refused to say whether he would reprimand his two ministers. “They are not remarks I would make myself,” he said. “I obviously have conversations with colleagues all the time. All I will just say is having seen remarks from members of parties across Parliament, even in the last 48 hours, my call, as I said last year, was every MP needs to watch their rhetoric.” He said he hadn’t had a chance to speak to the ministers about their remarks. Asked how it was appropriate for his ministers to make those comments and not face consequences, the Prime Minister again said he had seen comments from other MPs that weren’t helpful. The Herald pushed for him to address the comments of his ministers rather than those from MPs from different parties. He responded by saying, “everyone just needs to watch their rhetoric” as they were in Parliament to focus on New Zealanders. Peters said a lot of comments in the House are “absolutely overreacted to” and “this is one classic case”. He wouldn’t speak to Jones about his interjection and believed the Greens were “separatists” and “divisionists”, whereas he was a “nationalist”. When the Herald asked whether he would watch his language as the Prime Minister had asked all MPs to, Peters responded: “I’m watching my language all the time, I’m more concerned about your language actually”. He stood by all his comments. “I have been here a darn long time. I know what is par for the course. I know what is acceptable. I am not going to be one of those gutless twits who the moment he gets offended thinks it’s a Standing Order matter. No, it’s not.” Peters believed he had helped improved the relationship between New Zealand and Latin America. The Mexican Embassy told 九一星空无限 it was “following up on this matter through diplomatic channels”, but Luxon said he wasn’t concerned it was affecting New Zealand’s international relations. Labour’s deputy leader Carmel Sepuloni said it wasn’t good enough the Prime Minister wasn’t acting. “That’s indicative of the weak leadership that we’ve seen from him as a Prime Minister. “They may be Members of Parliament from a different political party, but they are ministers in his Cabinet. He is responsible for them and their actions and statements. He needs to hold his ministers to account.” Jamie Ensor is a political reporter in the NZ Herald press gallery team based at Parliament. He was previously a TV reporter and digital producer in the 九一星空无限hub press gallery office. Thu, 30 Jan 2025 03:47:40 Z /news/politics/green-mp-benjamin-doyle-apologises-for-not-wearing-seatbelt-in-cab/ /news/politics/green-mp-benjamin-doyle-apologises-for-not-wearing-seatbelt-in-cab/ By RNZ New Green Party MP Benjamin Doyle has taken “full responsibility” after not wearing a seatbelt in the back of a cab on Thursday morning. They shared video on Instagram this morning, promoting their speech for this afternoon’s third reading of the Taranaki Maunga Collective Redress Bill. It’s clear Doyle is not wearing a seatbelt in the headshot video, which has since been taken down. Green Party musterer Ricardo Menéndez March said it would not happen again. “Benjamin made a mistake. They take full responsibility for it and will ensure it is not repeated.” It comes a day after the Green Party criticised the coalition Government’s move to lift speed limits on some stretches of state highway. The party’s transport spokeswoman Julie-Anne Genter said the change would kill people and ruin lives. Menéndez March said the party stood by this criticism. “It’s absolutely critical that we address the systemic issues which can make our roads more or less safe for all of us. That’s why we’ve been clear about the need for safe speed rules.” Doyle entered Parliament in October. – RNZ Thu, 30 Jan 2025 02:26:02 Z /news/politics/christopher-luxon-faces-questions-over-winston-peters-shane-jones-xenophobic-comments/ /news/politics/christopher-luxon-faces-questions-over-winston-peters-shane-jones-xenophobic-comments/ Prime Minister Christopher Luxon says remarks made in the House about Mexicans which have been branded ‘xenophobic’ by the Green Party are “not words I would use”. Luxon has faced questions this afternoon about the conduct of his senior ministers Winston Peters and Shane Jones after they were accused of making “xenophobic” and “racist” comments. Luxon said every MP needed to “watch your language” and mind the rhetoric being used in Parliament. A press conference is being livestreamed at the top of this file. The Greens’ Ricardo Menéndez March alleges that the ministers engaged in “xenophobic and anti-migrant rhetoric” this week that potentially “emboldens poeple on the ground who may feel like they’ve been given a greenlight to say that kind of stuff in public”. “That can lead to violence,” Menéndez March said. “The Prime Minister’s missing in action when it comes to holding his own ministers to account.” On Tuesday, while speaking in the House, NZ First leader and Deputy Prime Minister Peters told Green MPs Lawrence Xu-Nan and Francisco Hernandez to “show some gratitude” for being in New Zealand. Shane Jones in his Beehive office. Photo / Mark Mitchell “The very people who are here on the very refuge that we give to them have come here with their ideas, foreign to our country, native to theirs, and they wish to impose them upon our Parliament. No, you don’t. “You’re not going to succeed here. You might be laughing now, you might be laughing now, but you’ll be crying tomorrow. Come to this country, show some gratitude.” Also that day, NZ First’s Jones shouted out “send the Mexicans home”. Menéndez March, who was born in Mexico, called that “xenophobic” too. The Green MP said he wasn’t particularly interested in getting into a tit-for-tat with Jones, but was concerned about the flow-on effect for those in migrant communities. “What I’m interested in is preventing further harm to our migrant communities, and this is why this has to go to the Prime Minister.” Green MP Ricardo Menéndez March. Photo / RNZ Asked by 九一星空无限talk ZB’s Mike Hosking this morning whether he stood by his comments, Jones said “It’s a Mexican stand-off”. Peters posted on X (formely Twitter) saying the Greens needed “to stop the pearl clutching and the faux outrage when confronted with the truth”. “When we have some Green Party MPs who have been here for five minutes lecturing us all on their woke globalist agendas, New Zealand First won’t sit back and take it. “ Jones’ comments follow National Minister Todd McClay yelling “you’re not in Mexico now” during a debate in July last year. McClay later apologised. Thu, 30 Jan 2025 00:18:07 Z /news/politics/what-wellington-city-council-crown-observer-lindsay-mckenzie-said-in-his-first-report/ /news/politics/what-wellington-city-council-crown-observer-lindsay-mckenzie-said-in-his-first-report/ A report detailing initial observations by Wellington City Council’s Crown observer has been made public.  Lindsay McKenzie said factors increasing challenges at the council include political positioning and ideologies and the media spotlight.  McKenzie will now report to Simon Watts who is the new Local Government Minister after Simeon Brown was made Health Minister.  Wellington City Council’s Crown observer says it’s surprising the organisation hasn’t “totally wilted under the pressure” it’s facing.  A report detailing initial observations by observer Lindsay McKenzie dated December 13 has been posted on social media and verified by the Herald.  It’s understood the five-page document was sent to all city councillors on Monday.  McKenzie wrote that some of the issues they faced were similar to other councils around the country, including prevailing economic conditions, Covid-19 disruption and significant shifts in central government policy.  Other factors that have exacerbated challenges at Wellington City Council included personalities, political positioning and ideologies, earthquake risk, the media spotlight, the proximity to central government and “wicked” problems.  Former Local Government Minister Simeon Brown intervened at the council after it stopped the controversial sale of its 34% share in the airport – upending the Long Term Plan (LTP).  The council now has to amend the LTP and cut hundreds of millions of dollars in capital spending to create additional debt headroom to respond to the insurance risks the airport sale was designed to solve.  Wellington Mayor Tory Whanau has said the presence of a Crown observer has helped her colleagues work more collaboratively. Photo / Mark Mitchell  McKenzie described this, as well as the current chief executive stepping down, as “massively disruptive”.  “In many respects, this was the perfect storm, even more so when the challenges and expectations of local water done well reforms, on Wellington especially, are overlain.  “My initial observation is that it is surprising that the organisation hasn’t totally wilted under the pressure. It didn’t need to be this way.”  After the council signed off the initial LTP, which included selling the airport shares, councillors still had the opportunity to stop the sale in December if they wanted to.  Chief financial officer Andrea Reeves has previously said council officials would report back to the council in December with recommendations outlining the process to sell the shares. She confirmed councillors would have an opportunity at this time to say they didn’t want to progress.  However, a majority of councillors forced the decision in October by lodging a notice of motion.  If the decision had been made in December, it would have given the council more time and decoupled the issue from three waters reform changes triggered by the change in government, McKenzie said.  “I observe that the alternative path doesn’t appear to have been considered by the proponents, nor does it appear that the impact on the organisation was a factor in the majority decision.”  McKenzie observed the perceived performance and the underlying performance of the council were likely different.  “But perceptions, shaped mostly by elected members' performance in committee room/council chamber, become reality.”  Crown observer Lindsay McKenzie says the perceived performance and the underlying performance of the council were likely to be different. Photo / Mark Mitchell  McKenzie said the recruitment process for a new chief executive was well managed, after Barbara McKerrow said she would step down from the role in March 2025, at the end of her term.  However, McKenzie also said he had been briefed that the name of the new chief executive had been disclosed before the agreed timeline.  He did not say by whom.  “I understand that the disclosure occurred while a non-disclosure agreement was in place and before the appointee had advised his employer and before Wellington City staff and residents could be properly advised of the appointment.  “That is extremely disappointing and unless well-handled from here on will add to concerns about leaks.”  Many of McKenzie’s observations related to the procedural mechanics of council meetings.  In a separate report to Brown, sent on the same day, McKenzie outlined similar preliminary observations to what he had told councillors.  He said some elected members were concerned about the quality and timeliness of information they received ahead of making decisions.  He said a few were concerned about biases in officers' reports and advice.  McKenzie noted the way the council provided information to elected members was “as thorough as one could expect”.  “While mistakes will occur from time to time there is nothing to suggest that these are in any way deliberate or designed to constrain elected members' roles and responsibilities.  “That said, some councillors cite examples of selective advice and a lack of timeliness as well as examples from the past that eroded trust and confidence.”  McKenzie said there was nothing to suggest that the governance-management relationship was constraining the council’s performance.  He said his own appointment as a Crown observer had “moderated” much of the conduct that has called the council into question.  Mayor Tory Whanau has also said McKenzie’s presence has helped her colleagues work more collaboratively.  McKenzie told Brown he expected there would be very little to report in January given the holiday break.  He will now be reporting to Simon Watts who is the new Local Government Minister after Brown became the Minister of Health.  Georgina Campbell is a Wellington-based reporter who has a particular interest in local government, transport, and seismic issues. She joined the Herald in 2019 after working as a broadcast journalist.  Wed, 29 Jan 2025 22:12:23 Z /news/politics/new-zealand-apologises-for-failing-to-consult-pacific-countries-on-rse-worker-changes/ /news/politics/new-zealand-apologises-for-failing-to-consult-pacific-countries-on-rse-worker-changes/ Immigration Minister Erica Stanford says New Zealand has apologised to Pacific countries for failing to consult them about changes to income and accommodation policies for RSE workers.  Stanford revealed in a select committee on Wednesday an apology was made through those countries’ diplomats.  Late last year, a series of changes were introduced to the RSE scheme. They included lifting a pause on accommodation cost increases and adjusting the application of the 10% above the minimum wage requirement, so it applies to only experienced workers.  Speaking to the Education and Workforce Committee, Stanford admitted the Government had not consulted with the Pacific-labour sending countries whose residents would be affected by the changes.  “That was an issue that we had between us and foreign affairs,” Stanford said in response to questions from Labour MP Phil Twyford.  “My view at the time was that that had been consulted on, and it hadn’t. We have said to the high commissioners that we have apologised for that, and it won’t happen again.”  Immigration Minister Erica Stanford, seen with Prime Minister Christopher Luxon, says there was a miscommunication between officials in terms of consulting with Pacific partners. Photo / Mark Mitchell  In a statement, Stanford told the Herald there was a miscommunication between officials in terms of consulting with Pacific partners.  “An apology was made to the relevant high commissioners at the time and a commitment was made to ensure consultation takes place on any proposed future changes,” she said.  Twyford, Labour’s immigration spokesman, told the Herald the failure to consult was “pretty poor form” and a “gross oversight”.  “It’s a sensitive issue because the RSE scheme delivers economic benefits for the labor-sending countries like Samoa, for example.  “But they also try to manage the downsides – that is villages being stripped of their working-age population, losing skilled workers to New Zealand that they need for economic development at home.”  The RSE scheme gives temporary employment to Pacific workers who can then send their earnings to their communities in the Pacific.  Labour's immigration spokesman Phil Twyford says the Government’s changes last year meant RSE workers were “taking a lot less money home to their family”. Photo / Mark Mitchell  The Pacific countries eligible under the RSE scheme are Fiji, Kiribati, Nauru, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu.  Twyford said he was surprised the Government had not given “the basic courtesy of consultation” with the Pacific countries on such an important issue.  “This shouldn’t be a one-way street. New Zealand doesn’t get to dictate the terms to these countries, they’re sovereign countries, and they’re participating in a scheme that is supposed to be delivering benefits to both sides.”  Twyford said the Government’s changes last year meant RSE workers were “taking a lot less money home to their family”.  “These people are leaving their spouses and children, leaving their villages and communities to spend many months in a foreign country working so they can send money back to their families at considerable sacrifice.  “To not even have the good grace to consult properly with those labour-sending countries, I think it’s pretty poor form.”  In announcing the changes in August, Stanford said they would reduce costs and compliance for employers, and improve flexibility for RSE workers.  Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters said at the time the RSE scheme was central to New Zealand’s relationships in the Pacific and has delivered benefits to everyone involved.  “New Zealand is committed to supporting Pacific priorities. That is why these changes include broader opportunities for skills development, greater flexibility in visa settings, and pay based on experience.”  Julia Gabel is a Wellington-based political reporter. She joined the Herald in 2020 and has most recently focused on data journalism.  Wed, 29 Jan 2025 20:19:13 Z /news/politics/treaty-principles-bill-former-labour-minister-kiri-allan-slams-despicable-government-actions-ahead-of-oral-submission/ /news/politics/treaty-principles-bill-former-labour-minister-kiri-allan-slams-despicable-government-actions-ahead-of-oral-submission/ Kiri Allan is the latest former politician to voice opposition to the controversial Treaty Principles Bill, telling the Herald it will go down as a “black mark” on our history and has created “a sense of heart-brokenness” among Māoridom.  She joins the likes of former National MPs Christopher Finlayson and Dame Marilyn Waring and former Labour MP Andrew Little who all implored the Justice Select Committee to ditch the bill during the first day of submissions.  Today marks the second day of oral submissions. Allan, who was a Labour MP from 2017-2023, is expected to speak to the committee via Zoom at 9.10am.  “This bill has intentionally decided to divide us based on a misrepresentation of our history ... and I think that is a despicable action,” Allan told the Herald.  “This is a sad period for democracy, for relationships within our nation.”  The bill proposes replacing the current Treaty principles – ways of interpreting the Treaty proper in legislation - that have been developed over decades by courts and the Waitangi Tribunal with three new ones determined by Cabinet.  The bill’s architect - Act leader David Seymour - says the purpose of the bill is to provide certainty and clarity, and promote a national conversation about their place in our constitutional arrangements.  In his submission on Tuesday, Seymour said: “The (way) courts and the Waitangi Tribunal have sought to define the principles of the Treaty is incompatible with freedom under the law, a free society, where each of us has equal rights.  “Dividing people into racial groups is the definition of racism. When you see people as a member of a group first and an individual second, you miss interesting things about them, you also open the door to dehumanising oppression.”  Responding to Allan’s comments that the bill has caused division, Seymour said: “What has caused division is successive governments treating New Zealanders based on their ethnicity, which is the problem the Treaty Principles Bill seeks to solve.”  The Justice Select Committee is set to hear 80 hours of oral submissions. That’s after the more than 300,000 submissions received by the committee in writing, a record.  It is a bill that has caused a “visceral reaction” across New Zealand, Allan said. Indeed, tens of thousands of people marched to Parliament in November, chanting “kill the bill” and imploring Prime Minister Christopher Luxon to prevent it from going through the select committee process.  The hīkoi mo te tiriti crosses the Auckland Harbour Bridge in November last year. Photo / Michael Craig  The hīkoi outside Parliament in Wellington. Photo / Mark Mitchell  Luxon, and Act’s other coalition partner NZ First, have said ad nauseam they would vote down the bill at the second reading. That means it will not become law, but its very existence has nonetheless caused significant damage to the Māori-Crown relationship, Allan said.  “It’s eroded social cohesion; it’s eroded the fundamental trust between all of us as New Zealanders because you have political leadership driving a discussion that seeks to put wedges between people based on race.  “But Te Tiriti is not about race, Te Tiriti is about how each of us find a home here in Aotearoa. It weaves us together, but that’s not the political rhetoric that’s been driven by those that are the leaders and the architects of this bill.”  Allan, former Minister of Conservation, is expected to focus partly on the impacts such a bill would have on the Conservation Act in her oral submission today.  She says section four of that act has “arguably one of the strongest Treaty provisions in all legislation”.  “That created such a strong obligation on, for example, the government agency, the Department of Conservation, to work in partnership with hapū and iwi on the ground.  “Everywhere where that was done in a positive way, you saw incredibly positive outcomes, not just for Māori, but for entire communities. Where you saw that had not been done work in partnership with hapū and with iwi, there was a fractured environment.”  Kiri Allan at Parliament during her time as Labour's Justice Minister. Photo / Mark Mitchell  In her written submission, Allan asks the Justice Select Committee to recommend that all Cabinet policy decisions are required to be compliant with Te Tiriti o Waitangi, that all policy work on the Treaty Clause Review ceases and the recommendations from the Waitangi Tribunal’s reports are adopted.  Allan told the Herald the Government had created a fear among New Zealanders that the Treaty/Te Tiriti gave extra benefits to Māori.  “That is a fundamental lie,” she said.  “All within the Government parties are complicit in driving this wedge in our communities albeit whether it passes the second reading or not, the fact that political leaders have allowed this bill to go through to where it has, it has incited so much fear and tension within the collective populace.  “This bill and this period and this submission process and everything that’s contained in this bill will go down as a black mark in our history.”  Allan said the bill was a “huge topic of conversation” in her hometown of Whakatāne to the point where her daughter’s kura kaupapa was actively monitoring the debate.  “There is a real sense of heart-brokenness across Māori. All of the political leaders, community leaders, iwi leaders ... have come out in opposition so strongly to this bill.”  Allan also recalled a “heartbreaking” conversation she had with her 7-year-old daughter.  “My child asked me at one point, ‘Why do so many people hate our language, hate te reo?’ It’s a heartbreaking conversation to have with young kids.  “I shouldn’t be having that conversation with my own child in our own country.”  Julia Gabel is a Wellington-based political reporter. She joined the Herald in 2020 and has most recently focused on data journalism.  Wed, 29 Jan 2025 18:07:36 Z /news/politics/wellington-live-owner-graham-bloxham-announces-mayoral-bid-sale-of-facebook-page/ /news/politics/wellington-live-owner-graham-bloxham-announces-mayoral-bid-sale-of-facebook-page/ Graham Bloxham says he’s sold the Wellington LIVE social media page and is entering the race to become mayor of Wellington. Bloxham describes himself as an “independent centre left” candidate focused on community, transparency, and affordability. He joins Tory Whanau, Ray Chung, and Kelvin Hastie in the bid to be Wellington mayor. The man behind popular Facebook page Wellington LIVE says he’s sold the page and is running for mayor in this year’s local body elections. Graham Bloxham told the Herald he recently sold the social media page to One Network Group, which he describes as a Wellington media organisation. He would not be drawn on details of the sale or his future involvement, saying he is in a “contract phase of the deal” and hopes to continue working for the group. “I’ve decided to run for the exciting and fantastic role of the mayor of Wellington - of our stunning harbour capita l.. I am actually super excited and positive. I can talk to anyone and won’t back down from bullying or hate/abuse. NO WAY [sic]”, Bloxham sent in a message. Graham Bloxham says he will run for the city's top job as an independent centre left candidate. Photo / Linkedin He said he is not a current owner or director of One Network Group and would not comment on who the new operator of the Facebook page is. Bloxham’s LinkedIn page states he is content creator for One Network group. Part of the reason he decided to sell the page he said was because of constant social media attacks from “ruthless” haters. “In the end it was quite tough”. The community Facebook page, which currently has 253,000 followers, started as a live updates page during flooding in the capital in 2015. It was sold to Bloxham in 2021. It has faced some criticism in the years since, including accusations of spreading misinformation. One such incident followed the Loafers Lodge fire, when Wellington LIVE posted that Michael Wahrlich, a well-known street personality also known as Mike the Juggler, had survived the blaze. It was later confirmed Wahrlich died in the fire. Bloxham said he has long intended to run for Mayor. “I’ve always loved politics and I love this city, I’ve had speeding tickets, parking tickets, all sorts of things, I’ve lived and loved in this city,” he said. “Wellington is emotionally bankrupt it’s emotionally broken, it’s emotionally hurt and it hasn’t recovered from Covid.” Bloxham said he would also be running for a council seat in the Motukairangi/Eastern Ward. He described himself as an “independent centre left” candidate but would engage with people from all sides of politics. “I would talk to Julie-Anne Genter of course, I love her she’s awesome, she rides bikes [...] we’ll talk to anyone, Chippy out in the Hutt Valley or Nicola the bean-counter for National.” He said he would run on a platform of “local, community, transparency, and affordability”. Bloxham joins current Wellington City Councillor Ray Chung and Mayor Tory Whanau in the race for the top job. Predator-free champion Kelvin Hastie has also confirmed his candidacy. Whanau has always maintained she wants another term as mayor, although she appeared to waver in that thought in an interview with 九一星空无限talk ZB last year, saying she’d be having conversations with family and friends when the time came. Questions have also been raised about whether former Wellington mayor Justin Lester intends to run for the city’s top job again, with the launch of a new Facebook page Wellington Alive. He says while he doesn’t intend to run, Labour has approached him about his potential candidacy and he’d “never say never”. Ethan Manera is a multimedia journalist based in Wellington. He joined 九一星空无限 in 2023 and is interested in local issues, politics and property in the capital. Ethan is always on the lookout for a story and can be emailed at ethan.manera@nzme.co.nz. Wed, 29 Jan 2025 01:33:25 Z /news/politics/boot-camps-te-p%C4%81ti-m%C4%81ori-mp-says-karen-chhour-does-not-understand-essence-of-being-m%C4%81ori-in-tense-exchange/ /news/politics/boot-camps-te-p%C4%81ti-m%C4%81ori-mp-says-karen-chhour-does-not-understand-essence-of-being-m%C4%81ori-in-tense-exchange/ Te Pāti Māori MP Mariameno Kapa-Kingi has told Children’s Minister Karen Chhour she does not understand the “essence of being Māori” in a tense and impassioned debate during a Parliamentary Select Committee on Wednesday. Chhour’s Oranga Tamariki bill which would allow the Government to set up military boot camps for young offenders and create a new “young serious offender” sentencing category has been a source of heated criticism. Opponents are concerned about the camps’ efficacy and the ultimate effect the “intensive” programme would have on young people, who often come from disadvantaged or vulnerable backgrounds. Several participants of a boot camp pilot have been accused of reoffending. But Chhour says the current system is not equipped to respond effectively to youth offenders and her proposal would bring about “more immediate, intensive interventions” that would lead to long-term changes for young people. Kapa-Kingi, the MP for Te Tai Tokerau, raised concerns about Chhour’s approach to the boot camps, youth offending and the removal of section 7AA from the Oranga Tamariki Act. During the Select Commitee, she asked Chhour how te ao Māori would be incorporated into the process. “Often in your rhetoric, you refer to ancestry cannot matter more than the safety of a mokopuna which is absolutely abhorrent to tikanga, it is abhorrent to Māori, it is abhorrent through the way in which we see the world,” Kapa-Kingi said. Te Tai Tokerau MP Mariameno Kapa-Kingi during the swearing-in ceremony at Parliament. Photo / Mark Mitchell When Chhour said she disagreed with the statement, Kapa-Kingi replied: “Because you’ve got a gap of knowledge, Minister, you don’t understand the essence of being Māori. You don’t understand that, Minister.” It’s not the first time the two have locked horns. Last year, Kapa-Kingi called Chhour a party puppet in te reo Māori while in the House during a general debate and called for her to resign over her handing of Oranga Tamariki. A spokesperson for Te Pāti Māori said the party took “absolute issue” with the Minister’s implication that ensuring tamariki remained connected to their iwi and hapū compromised their safety. This is in reference to Government plans to remove section 7AA from the Oranga Tamariki Act, which places obligations on the agency including ensuring it considers the whakapapa of Māori children, and reduces disparities between Māori and non-Māori children. Children Minister Karen Chhour. Photo / Mark Mitchell “The state views our move vulnerable tamariki and their whānau through the lens of statistics. Iwi view them as whānau and understand their needs,” the Te Pāti Māori spokesperson said. “The Minister is working from the premise that the safety of tamariki is more important than their whakapapa – as though those two things are mutually exclusive.” Speaking to reporters at Parliament ahead of Question Time, Te Pāti Māori co-leader Debbie Ngarewa-Packer backed Kapa-Kingi, saying when the comment should be seen in the context of wider policy changes at Oranga Tamariki that affect Māori. “I get how it is seen out of context, but absolutely in context it is about (the Government) ensuring the removal of 7AA, the way the Oranga Tamariki has been a plight on te ao Māori so yeah, I think that is what she is saying, that is the context that we support her in saying it as well.” In a statement to the Herald, Chhour said there was “no right or wrong way to be Māori.” “As a Māori person who has experienced the care system, I can tell you there is no difference between a Māori child and any other child when it comes to care and protection. They all want to know they are loved, safe, and cared for, by those who are supposed to love them. “So that all children can have better futures and better lives, I will continue to provide the best tools and options to support them and to help protect all children from harm – because abuse and neglect do not discriminate, whether it is rich, poor, Māori or non-Māori. Chhour said the boot camps were intended to help young people and to help people see their potential with opportunities to learn and grow. Seymour says he’s “shocked and offended” Act leader David Seymour said he was “shocked and offended” by Kapa-Kingi’s comment. “Everybody is different in some way, if there is no area of common understanding then we are never going to be able to solve the more serious problems we have.” During the select committee, Kapa-Kingi described Chhour’s approach as “institutionalised” – a concern shared by Green MP Tamatha Paul who suggested the use of the YSO sentencing label and uniforms for the young people could be degrading and humiliating. Paul also suggested the dynamic could lead to institutionalisation – “when you’re a child being put into a uniform, it’s kind of setting them up for a lifetime where they might always be wearing a uniform and it might be a prison uniform.” Chhour also faced a series of sharp questions from Labour’s Willow-Jean Prime. Prime asked if the boot camp pilot had been a success. Chhour did not answer the question directly but said there had been “some learnings” and “some positives” during the in-residence part of the pilot. Components that went well included physical activity and the young people had asked for more, Chhour said. She also said the educational components had led to all young people gaining NCEA credits. Other positive elements include life-skill development and hearing from guest speakers. “There were no incidences of young person on young person harm and no incidences that I am very concerned about which is actually quite interesting because with this cohort we generally do find putting a group of young people that have serious offences there are usually incidences that happen.” Julia Gabel is a Wellington-based political reporter. She joined the Herald in 2020 and has most recently focused on data journalism. Wed, 29 Jan 2025 01:07:35 Z /news/politics/government-announces-roads-where-speed-limit-reductions-will-be-reversed/ /news/politics/government-announces-roads-where-speed-limit-reductions-will-be-reversed/ The Government has announced the reversal of speed limit reductions on a large number of New Zealand roads, including many in the northern regions of the country. The move will result in speed limits being increased on 38 sections of key routes, including parts of State Highway 1 in Northland, State Highway 16 near Auckland and State Highway 3 in Hamilton. Also on the list are changes to State Highway 2 between Featherston and Masterton, and State Highway 3 Whanganui. Making the announcement in Wairarapa, where the speed limit increase will save drivers around three minutes on their journey, Transport Minister Chris Bishop said: “it all adds up - that is productivity and growth.” A list of an additional 49 sections of roads is also being released for public consultation. As the Herald revealed on Wednesday morning, 13 of the changes relate to roads in Northland, Auckland and Waikato. They include specific sections of:  SH1 Kamo Bypass  SH1 Whangārei  SH11 Te Haumi  SH1 Moerewa  SH16 Waimauku  SH22 Paerata  SH1C Hamilton  SH3 Hamilton  SH26 Hamilton  The speed limits on the sections of roads will be reversed to their previous limits by July 1. This will take place alongside planned maintenance and project work, beginning tonight. For example, on a near-kilometre long stretch of road on State Highway 1 Kamo Bypass, the limit will go from 60km/h to 80km/h. A 1.43km long section of State Highway 16 in Waimauku, north-west of Auckland, will go from 60km/h to 70km/h. This is the part from 140m east of Wintour Rd to 95m east of Mabbett Lane. On a section of State Highway 1C in Hamilton from west of Howell Ave to south of Riverlea Rd, the limit will jump from 50km/h to 60km/h. “Where Labour was about slowing New Zealand down, the coalition Government is all about making it easier for people and freight to get from A to B as quickly and efficiently as possible, which will help drive economic growth and improved productivity,” Transport Minister Chris Bishop said. “Growth, growth, growth,” Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said in his opening remarks at a media gathering to announce the speed limit reversals. Overnight, a number of speed limits would be returned to their previous, higher limit. “It’s a great day, it’s a great day for New Zealand,” Bishop said. Bishop said the 38 roads where the speed limits would increase were chosen because they were easy, long straight stretches of state highways. He said the first section to have its limit reversed will be a section of State Highway 2 between Featherston and Masterston, “where the speed limit reduction in early 2023 under the previous government met with huge community hostility”. That section of road will retun to 100km/h from 80km/h. Former Labour associate Transport Minister Kieran McAnulty had wanted that speed limit reviewed, but Bishop said he had failed to get action. McAnulty has said NZTA previously told him they wouldn’t review it. “I know how resolute NZTA were on it. I was associate transport minister and looked them in the eye and said, ‘I want you to review the speed limit,’ and they said no,” the Labour MP recently told the Wairarapa Times-Age. Bishop has also released a further list of 49 sections of state highway for further public consultation “so local communities can have their say on keeping their current lower speed limit or returning to the previous higher speed”. Public consultation on those sections begins tomorrow and will run for six weeks. “In terms of local road changes, councils have until 1 May 2025 to advise NZTA of the specified roads subject to reversal under the new Rule.” The new rule also requires variable speed limits outside schools during pick-up and drop-off times. “We are prioritising the safety of Kiwi kids by introducing reduced speed limits outside schools during pick-up and drop-off times. We want to see these changes brought about quickly,” Bishop said. “By 1 July 2026, local streets outside a school will be required to have a 30km/h variable speed limit. Rural roads that are outside schools will be required to have variable speed limits of 60km/h or less. “Throughout the world, 50km/h is used as the right speed limit to keep urban roads flowing smoothly and safely. The evidence on this is clear – comparable countries with the lowest rates of road deaths and serious injuries, such as Norway, Denmark, and Japan, have speed limits of 50km/h on their urban roads, with exceptions for lower speed limits.“ Asked about the impact higher speed limits could have on the road toll, Bishop said the major cause of deaths on the road was drugs and alcohol. “Thirty per cent of deaths on our roads can be attributed to drugs.” “It is not to say speed isn’t important, it is important,” he said, adding that speed limits were being put up where it was safe to do so. Asked if he would be open to reducing the speed limits again if there was an uptick in serious injuries or deaths on the given roads, Bishop said: “we have been clear this will not come at the [cost] of safety.” Reversing speed limit reductions where it is safe to do so was a promise made to New Zealanders in the National-Act coalition agreement. The parties argued, including during the 2023 election campaign, that speed limit reductions unnecessarily slowed New Zealanders down and that had flow-on effects for the economy. The Government last year introduced a new rule requiring that speed limits lowered since January 2020 on some categories of road be reversed by July 1 this year. Public consultation on this found 65% of people supported reversing speed limits. “Those in support of the draft Rule felt it proposes a reasonable and common-sense approach to setting speed limits,” the Ministry of Transport said last year. “Supporters of the reversal proposal often felt frustrated by reduced speed limits and believed they are slowing down the economy, and in some cases causing motorists to perform risky overtaking manoeuvres.” Those in opposition were “mostly concerned about the safety impacts of increasing speed limits”. A group of health and road safety experts last year wrote to the Government asking they reconsider their plans. Labour has also raised concerns about the effects on safety. Full list of speed increases  Northland  SH1 Kamo Bypass 60km/h to 80km/h. From 300m north of Puna Rere Dr to 40m north of Kamo Rd.  SH1 Kaitaia north 60km/h to 100km/h/70km/h. From 60m north of Wireless Rd to 220m north of North Park Dr.  SH1 Kaitaia 50km/h to 70km/h. From 220m north of North Park Dr to 65m south of North Park Dr.  SH1 Whangārei 60km/h to 70km/h. Western Hills Dr - from 185m south of Manse St to 180m north of Selwyn Ave.  SH11 Te Haumi 50km/h to 80km/h. From 130m north of Smith Camp Rd to 90m south of Tohitapu Rd.  SH1 Moerewa 50km/h to 70km/h. From 60m east of Leaity St to 330m east of Sir William Hale Cres east.  Auckland  SH16 Waimauku 60km/h to 70km/h. From 140m east of Wintour Rd to 95m east of Mabbett Ln.  SH22 Paerata 60km/h to 70km/h. From 430m north of Crown Rd to 10m north of Lough Bourne Dr.  Waikato  SH1C Hamilton 50km/h to 60km/h. From approximately east of Alison St to approximately northeast of Lorne St.  SH3 Hamilton 50km/h to 60km/h. From Lorne St (SH1) intersection to Ohaupo Rd/Normandy Rd roundabout  .  SH1C Hamilton 60km/h to 80km/h. From northwest of the centre of the Crawford St / Avalon Dr / SH1 Roundabout to east of Alison St.    SH3 Hamilton 50km/h to 60km/h. From the Kahikatea Dr (SH1) intersection to south-east of Resthill Cres.  SH1C Hamilton 60km/h to 80km/h. From northeast of Lorne St to approximately west of Howell Ave.  SH1C Hamilton 50km/h to 60km/h. From west of Howell Ave to south of Riverlea Rd.  SH26 Hamilton (Morrinsville Rd) 50km/h to 60km/h. From SH1 intersection to northeast of Berkley Ave.  Bay of Plenty  SH5 South Rotorua 50km/h to 50km/h,80km/h. From northwest of Malfroy Rd to south of the SH5/SH30 Old Taupō Rd/Hemo Rd roundabout.  SH30 Whakarewarewa to Tihiotonga 50km/h to 50km/h, 60km/h 70km/h, 80km/h. From centre of SH5/SH30 Old Taupō Rd/Hemo Rd roundabout to northeast of Tarawera Rd.  SH30A 50km/h to 70km/h. From west SH30/SH30A intersection to SH30A eastern termination point.  Coastlands Urban 60km/h to 80km/h. From 310m west of the centre of the SH30/ Gateway Dr/Phoenix Dr roundabout to 100m north of the northern abutment of the Whakatāne Bridge.  Gisborne  SH35 Gisborne 60km/h to 80km/h, 70km/h. From approximately 60m east of Wheatstone Rd to approximately 20m north-west of Coldstream Rd.   SH35 Okitu 60km/h to 70km/h. South-west of Wairere Rd to north of Sirrah St.  Hawke’s Bay  SH5 Rangitaiki - Eskdale 80km/h to 100km/h. South-east of Matea Rd to west of Waipunga Rd (excluding interregional connectors for consultation on 3 x SH5 sections listed below).  SH51 Napier to Clive 80km/h to 100km/h. South of SH51/Marine Parade (south of the intersection) to north of Farndon Rd.    Manawatū/Whanganui  SH3 Whanganui 50km/h to 70km/h. From approximately 200m north of Tirimoana Pl to south of Turere Pl.  SH57 Shannon south 60km/h to 70km/h. 360m south of Graham St outside Shannon to Shannon Town, 20m south of Vance St.  Greater Wellington  SH1 50km/h to 70km/h. Taurima St to Wellington Rd.  SH1 60km/h to 70km/h. Evans Bay Parade to Broadway.  SH2 Masterton west 50km/h to 70km/h. 260m east of William Donald Dr to 64m northeast of the existing 100km/h to 70km/h change point on the Waingawa River Bridge.  SH2 Masterton to Carterton 80km/h to 100km/h. 64m northeast of the existing 100km/h to 70km/h change point on the Waingawa River Bridge to 260m south of Somerset Rd (existing speed change location).  SH2 Carterton to Greytown 80km/h to 100km/h. 50m southwest of Portland Rd to 550m north-east of Hupenui Rd.  SH2 Greytown to Featherston 80km/h to 100km/h. 85m southwest of Bidwills Cutting Rd to 35m east of Boundary Rd.  SH2 Featherston south 50km/h to 70km/h, 50km/h. 30m west of the SH2 / Wakefield St / Bethune St intersection to 120m west of Renall St.  Top of the South  SH6 Marybank 60km/h to 100km/h, 80km/h. From approximately 440m north-east of Allisdair St to approximately 100m southwest of Atawhai Cres north.  SH6 Wakefield north 60km/h 80km/h. From approximately 440m north-east of Bird Ln to approximately 310m north-east of Franklyn Cl.  Canterbury  SH1 50km/h 70km/h Rakaia township urban area    SH73/75 Curletts Road 60km/h to 70km/h, 100km/h (change point southeast of Lunns Road) South of Blenheim Rd to northwest of Halswell Rd.  SH75 Halswell to Tai Tapu 80km/h to 100km/h South of Candys Rd to northeast of Lincoln Tai Tapu Rd.  SH75 Tai Tapu to Little River 80km/h to 100km/h South of Michaels Rd to southwest of Morrisons Rd.  Jamie Ensor is a political reporter in the NZ Herald press gallery team based at Parliament. He was previously a TV reporter and digital producer in the 九一星空无限hub press gallery office.  Tue, 28 Jan 2025 18:11:03 Z /news/politics/christopher-luxon-floats-national-potentially-campaigning-on-asset-sales-at-election/ /news/politics/christopher-luxon-floats-national-potentially-campaigning-on-asset-sales-at-election/ Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has suggested National may take asset sales to the next election but denies there are any immediate plans for a sell-off. He will deliver a statement kicking off Parliament this afternoon, which will be live-streamed above. David Seymour, the Act leader who will take the Deputy Prime Minister role in May, put the issue into the headlines with his State of the Nation speech last week, in which he said New Zealand needed to move past a “squeamishness” about privatisation. As the Herald revealed on Friday, Seymour wants to begin a conversation about whether Government assets that aren’t delivering returns should be kept in public ownership or sold off, with the resulting resources deployed elsewhere, such as towards infrastructure. That debate’s now been well and truly sparked, with the Prime Minister facing several questions on Tuesday morning about whether he stood by his previous commitment not to sell assets this term. “Yes, absolutely,” Luxon responded. “Our focus is on driving economic growth and, as I have said, that is not something we’ve been talking about this term. We won’t be talking about [it] this term. I am open to talking about it in the longer term, at the next election. That is something for this term is not on.” Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and State-Owned Enterprises Minister Simeon Brown. Photo / Mark Mitchell The Prime Minister said an election victory would be a mandate to move forward. “We would take it to the election and it would be part of our programme that we’d want to talk about and be upfront with New Zealanders about,” Luxon said. “I am open to the idea of asset recycling and the best use of capital and that is something we should always be attuned to. But as I have committed to, we’re not going to be having asset sales this term.” He refused to say what assets he would be open to selling. Economic Growth Minister Nicola Willis yesterday said Treasury had identified some areas where entities are not delivering “as well as it should” and more would be said in the future. Elaborating on Tuesday, Willis said the findings of the Government’s review would be shared with New Zealanders ahead of the election. She said Kiwis wanted more investment in hospitals, schools and transport infrastructure, but not many people were calling for “more investment in QV [Quotable Value]”, the property valuation provider which has been speculated could be sold. Labour leader Chris Hipkins said his party wasn’t interested in asset sales, other than “what you might do on a day-to-day thing like selling one state house to build four more”. “This Government wants to sell out New Zealand from under New Zealanders. New Zealanders would become tenants in their own country under this Government.” Asked why QV shouldn’t be sold, Hipkins said New Zealanders benefit “from the profits QV makes”. The provider reported a $1.2 million profit in its 2024 annual report. Labour leader Chris Hipkins. Photo / Mark Mitchell The Labour leader noted that at the 2013 asset sale citizens-initiated referendum — which related to the partial privatisation of energy companies and Air New Zealand — most Kiwis voted against a sell-off. He didn’t believe an election victory would be a mandate for asset sales. Despite that referendum result, the John Key National Government still went ahead with the sale, arguing National had won the most recent election with asset sales being a policy. Hipkins said the privatisation of energy companies hadn’t worked out, with Kiwis still paying high energy costs. Another part of Seymour’s speech related to giving New Zealanders more choice about health and education funding. He suggested one idea could be to allow Kiwis to opt out of the public health system and instead receive money to spend privately. New Health Minister Simeon Brown said on Tuesday that there were aspects of the healthcare system, such as infrastructure, where public-private partnerships would be looked at, but the provision of services wouldn’t change. Asked if he could give Kiwis more options to opt into private healthcare, Brown said it was “early days” as he had just taken on the role, but he wanted all New Zealanders to be able to access healthcare in a “timely and quality fashion”. While Luxon has said he is focused on economic growth, he has also suggested raising more foreign investment into New Zealand infrastructure could be a way of doing that. The Greens’ Chlöe Swarbrick also wrote to Luxon yesterday asking him to “end all speculation” about future selloffs. “We are requesting that you urgently show necessary leadership and put this issue to bed once and for all, committing to keep public services and key infrastructure in the ownership of the people of this country,” Swarbrick told the Prime Minister. She highlighted that when she previously asked Luxon whether the Government may be paving “the way for an eventual sell-off” of assets, Government MPs “laughed at the questions” and Luxon said she was in a “very dark and conspiratorial mood”. Jamie Ensor is a political reporter in the NZ Herald press gallery team based at Parliament. He was previously a TV reporter and digital producer in the 九一星空无限hub press gallery office.  Mon, 27 Jan 2025 23:31:02 Z /news/politics/trump-names-jared-novelly-as-new-zealand-ambassador-while-winston-peters-speaks-to-marco-rubio-in-first-official-call-with-trump-administration/ /news/politics/trump-names-jared-novelly-as-new-zealand-ambassador-while-winston-peters-speaks-to-marco-rubio-in-first-official-call-with-trump-administration/ President Donald Trump has revealed the person he wants to serve as the next United States Ambassador to New Zealand.  Trump said on social media Jared Novelly was a highly respected philanthropist and chairman of Crest Sports and Entertainment and Crest Management.  “He will fight hard to protect our Nation’s interests in the Indo-Pacific, and always put AMERICA FIRST,” Trump posted.  If confirmed by the Senate, Novelly will also serve as the US Ambassador to the Independent State of Samoa.  Meanwhile, Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters has spoken with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio.  Peters posted on social media about their conversation.  New Zealand and the US were two great, long-running democracies united by shared interests and values, Peters said.  “Our strategic partnership matters a great deal to the security and prosperity of New Zealand and the Indo-Pacific region.  “Based on today’s discussion and our experience of working closely with the first Trump Administration, we are confident that the New Zealand-United States relationship can go from strength to strength in the years ahead.”  Peters said the Government was ambitious for its relations with the US.  This included advancing Pacific priorities, building on increasing and mutually beneficial bilateral trade, and expanding collaboration in critical sectors such as space.  It was a pleasure to speak with Marco Rubio today, in his first week as Secretary of State. New Zealand and the United States are two great, long-running democracies united by shared interests and values.Our strategic partnership matters a great deal to the security and… pic.twitter.com/iW30ma3Wzn— Winston Peters (@NewZealandMFA) January 24, 2025 It’s understood the pair also discussed common strategic and security challenges facing the two countries, in the Indo-Pacific region and around the world, and the importance of bilateral and regional collaboration.  Peters sought Rubio’s views about initiatives the Trump Administration was inheriting, including the Quad and AUKUS.  It’s also understood they exchanged views on pressing issues including North Korea, the war in Ukraine, and the ceasefire in the Middle East.  Peters indicated a desire to travel to Washington DC early in Rubio’s term to help set the agenda for the US-NZ relationship over the coming few years, it’s understood.  It is New Zealand’s first official call with the Trump administration since the President’s inauguration.  In November, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon had a lengthy telephone call with Trump.  Luxon said on social media: “Good to speak with President-elect [Donald Trump] this morning to congratulate him on his historic victory.  “We agreed on the importance of deepening ties between our two nations and I look forward to doing just that.  “New Zealand and the United States have a strong and enduring partnership.”  Sat, 25 Jan 2025 00:21:50 Z /news/politics/act-s-david-seymour-believes-nz-at-tipping-point-between-two-tribes-raises-privatisation/ /news/politics/act-s-david-seymour-believes-nz-at-tipping-point-between-two-tribes-raises-privatisation/ Act leader David Seymour says New Zealand is at a “tipping point” between “two invisible tribes” within society - “change-makers” and the “majority for mediocrity”.  He used his State of the Nation speech in Auckland on Friday to address the “tough times” New Zealand finds itself in and call for “tough choices to be made”.  As the Herald revealed on Friday morning, Seymour believes part of this involves moving past a “squeamishness” about privatisation.  He made a pitch for privatising assets not delivering returns and raised the idea of giving New Zealanders more choice about healthcare and education.  The Act leader believes such conversations are necessary to avoid the risk of New Zealand “losing its first world status”.  The change-makers Seymour referred to are those who “who act out the pioneering spirit that built our country every day”, including by growing their business, buying homes for others to live in, and studying to improve their skills.  He said these people don’t see others by their ancestry and argued ACT members are change-makers.  “We don’t just believe it is possible to make a difference in our own lives; we believe it’s an obligation,” he said.  David Seymour believes New Zealand is at a "tipping point". Photo / George Heard  In contrast, he said the majority for mediocrity believe their ancestry is destiny and other people are responsible for issues in their own lives. These people look for politicians who will cut tall poppies down, he said.  “They would love nothing more than to go into lockdown again, make some more sourdough, and worry about the billions in debt another day,” Seymour added.  Seymour said the division between New Zealanders who wanted another lockdown for the Covid-19 variant Omicron and those who didn’t “put the tribes into sharp relief”.  He pointed to a poll that had 48% of Kiwis in favour of another lockdown and 46% opposed.  “If you were a business owner who needed to open, a parent worried about missed education, a migrant missing their family, or just someone who wanted their life back, you wanted to open.  “When the Government finally lifted restrictions, many of those people left. Real estate agents report people selling because they’re moving to Australia every day. This is where the balance between these two invisible tribes comes into focus.”  He said many of those people “with get up and go” are leaving the country, tipping New Zealand in favour of that “mediocrity majority”.  “Motivated New Zealanders leaving is good news for the shoplifters, conspiracy theorists, and hollow men who make up the political opposition,” he said.  “A few more good people leaving is all they need for their Majority of Mediocrity. The more that aspirational, hardworking people get up and leave New Zealand, the more likely it is we’ll get left-wing governments in the future.”  David Seymour: "The more that aspirational, hardworking people get up and leave New Zealand, the more likely it is we’ll get left-wing governments in the future”.  He also said young people are looking at the housing market and seeing “little hope” and “wondering if they aren’t better off overseas”.  “Many decide they are. Those who stay are infected by universities with the woke mind viruses of identity politics, Marxism, and post-modernism.  “Feeling like you’ll never own your own capital asset at the same time as some professor left over from the Cold War tells you about Marx is a dangerous combination.  “This is the other political tipping point that risks manufacturing a majority for mediocrity.  “A bad housing market and a woke education system combined are a production line for left-wing voters.”  He said the “hard left prey on young New Zealanders”.  “They tell them that their problems are caused by others’ success. That they are held back by their identity, but if they embrace identity politics, they can take back what’s theirs.  “Their mechanism is a new tax on wealth.  “These are the opposite of the spirit brings New Zealanders to our shores in the first place. The state of our nation is that we’re at a tipping point , and what we do in the next few years will decide which way we go.”  Seymour said while change is happening under the current government – pointing to declining interest rates, not “wasting borrowed money” and less red tape – more “tough choices” need to be made.  “The Government cannot measure itself by just being better than Labour. Instead, we need to ask ourselves, is this policy good enough to make New Zealand a first world country that people want to stay in?”  He pointed to three areas of government activity – spending, ownership and regulation.  It is here where he raised the notion of privatisation and potentially providing Kiwis more options about how their money is used.  Seymour noted the large amount of spending on healthcare and New Zealand’s ageing population.  “Healthcare spending has gone from $20 billion to $30 billion in five years, but people are so dissatisfied that healthcare is now the third biggest political issue. Put it another way, we are now spending nearly $6,000 per citizen on healthcare.  “How many people here would give up their right to the public healthcare system if they got $6,000 for their own private insurance? Should we allow people to opt out of the public healthcare system, and take their portion of funding with them so they can go private?  He made a similar argument regarding education, asking whether people should be able to take the money that would otherwise be spent on their public education and have more control of it.  “Instead of spending next year because we did it this year, we need to ask ourselves, if we want to remain a first world country, then do New Zealanders get a return on this spending that justifies taking the money off taxpayers in the first place?  “If spending doesn’t stack up, it should stop so we can repay debt or spend the money on something that does.”  Seymour also said the Government owns about $570 billion worth of assets. He believes there “are greater needs for government capital” than holding on to some of those.  “We haven’t built a harbour crossing for nearly seven decades. Four hundred people die every year on a substandard road network. Beaches around here get closed thanks to sewerage overflow, but we need more core infrastructure.  “Sections of this city are being red zoned from having more homes built because the council cannot afford the pipes and pumping stations.  “We need to get past squeamishness about privatisation and ask a simple question: if we want to be a first world country, then are we making the best use of the government’s half a trillion dollars’ plus worth of assets?  “If something isn’t getting a return, the government should sell it so we can afford to buy something that does.”  Speaking earlier at Ratana, the Greens co-leader Chlöe Swarbrick said any suggestion of privatisation should deeply concern New Zealanders.  “It’s not at odds necessarily with some of the words that we heard from our Prime Minister yesterday. The likes of overseas investment does seem to be a bit of a euphemism for privatisation and for overseas ownership of some of our critical infrastructure.  “That poses real issues to the resilience of that infrastructure but also that ownership and therefore the accountability that our government has to invest in the infrastructure that all New Zealanders believe in and rely on.”  Prime Minister Christopher Luxon on Thursday announced new moves to increase foreign investment in New Zealand, including the creation of the Invest New Zealand agency that will help market the country.  Act previously campaigned on what it called Student Education Accounts, which would give parents a choice about how to fund their children’s education.  Under that policy, the money the Government currently spends on education would be distributed across the students’ accounts. Parents would be able to see the balance of funding available and then choose how to fund their children’s education.  Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has ruled out asset sales this term. Photo / Sylvie Whinray.  Its previous alternative Budgets delivered in Opposition have also suggested selling off state-owned assets.  Last November, Health Minister Shane Reti said he was interested in working more closely with the private sector to fulfil the Government’s goal of cutting waiting lists. But he said privatisation was not his “overt policy”.  Luxon has previously ruled out asset sales this term, including this week when asked about his vision for generating greater economic growth.  “We’ve made a commitment for this term, that’s not something that we’re looking at,” he told 九一星空无限talk ZB.  Seymour’s speech would have caught attention even without the mention of privatisation. He’s delivering it on the same day as the annual Rātana celebrations, which are being attended by every party bar Act.  The Act leader has always been opposed to needing to make the trek to Rātana, though it’s likely his Treaty Principles Bill will be the focus of many conversations there this year.  Jamie Ensor is a political reporter in the NZ Herald press gallery team based at Parliament. He was previously a TV reporter and digital producer in the 九一星空无限hub press gallery office.  Fri, 24 Jan 2025 00:22:05 Z /news/politics/act-leader-david-seymour-expected-to-blow-open-privatisation-debate/ /news/politics/act-leader-david-seymour-expected-to-blow-open-privatisation-debate/ Act leader David Seymour is today expected to blow open what will likely be a controversial public debate on privatisation.  The Herald understands Seymour will use his State of the Nation speech in Auckland on Friday to suggest New Zealand needs to move past squeamishness about privatisation and consider whether taxpayers are getting bang for their buck from government services and assets.  He’s expected to ask whether New Zealanders should consider if the Government is making the best use of its assets. If not, Seymour would suggest selling them.  Act leader David Seymour will speak in Auckland on Friday. Photo / Mark Mitchell  The concept of privatisation is understood to be part of a wider theme in Seymour’s speech about tough times requiring tough choices. He also believes the country can’t just wait around for change.  Any suggestion of privatisation will cause concern in some quarters.  But Seymour’s expected to argue there’s a greater need for government capital in building core infrastructure.  The rising cost of services like health, which has jumped from costing about $20 billion in the 2020/21 year to nearly $30b (about $6000 per citizen) in the current year, is also likely to be highlighted.  It’s expected Seymour will question whether Kiwis should have the option to give up their right to the public healthcare system and take their $6000 for their own private insurance.  A similar argument will likely be made about education. Act previously campaigned on what it called Student Education Accounts, which would give parents a choice about how to fund their children’s education.  Under that policy, the money the Government currently spends on education would be distributed across the students’ accounts. Parents would be able to see the balance of funding available and then choose how to fund their children’s education.  Healthcare is getting more expensive. Photo / 123rf  Last November, Health Minister Shane Reti said he was interested in working more closely with the private sector to fulfil the Government’s goal of cutting waiting lists. But he said privatisation was not his “overt policy”.  Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has previously ruled out asset sales this term, including this week when asked about his vision for generating greater economic growth.  “We’ve made a commitment for this term, that’s not something that we’re looking at,” he told 九一星空无限talk ZB.  Health Minister Shane Reti has said privatisation isn't his "overt policy". Photo / Mike Scott.  Seymour’s speech would have caught attention even without the mention of privatisation. He’s delivering it on the same day as the annual Rātana celebrations, which are being attended by every party bar Act.  The Act leader has always been opposed to needing to make the trek to Rātana, though it’s likely his Treaty Principles Bill will be the focus of many conversations there this year.  Jamie Ensor is a political reporter in the NZ Herald press gallery team based at Parliament. He was previously a TV reporter and digital producer in the 九一星空无限hub press gallery office.  Thu, 23 Jan 2025 21:19:29 Z /news/politics/labour-leader-chris-hipkins-set-to-respond-to-pm-luxon-s-state-of-the-nation-after-urging-mps-to-dial-up-the-volume-on-govt-criticism-in-2025/ /news/politics/labour-leader-chris-hipkins-set-to-respond-to-pm-luxon-s-state-of-the-nation-after-urging-mps-to-dial-up-the-volume-on-govt-criticism-in-2025/ Labour leader Chris Hipkins is set to respond to Prime Minister Christopher Luxon’s State of the Nation address in which the country’s leader claimed a “culture of saying no” is holding back economic growth. Hipkins is expected to give a press conference about 3pm. A livestream can be found below. Hipkins, speaking from Labour’s caucus retreat in Palmerston North, is likely to give his view on Luxon announcing the creation of Invest New Zealand, an agency to attract foreign investment amid the Prime Minister’s focus on economic growth. In his latest ministerial reshuffle, he gave Finance Minister Nicola Willis the portfolio of Economic Growth. Luxon often referenced the Government’s eagerness to tap foreign pools of capital. While Luxon was giving his speech to members of the Auckland business community, Hipkins was leading his party’s caucus retreat, telling MPs they will need to have better answers to the questions voters will have ahead of the next election as he accepts Labour “over-promised and under-delivered” while in government. A relaxed-looking Hipkins, striding into the Distinction Hotel in shorts and jandals, gave a fairly frank assessment of Labour’s missteps in government that led to a heavy defeat at the 2023 election. Labour leader Chris Hipkins during his opening remarks at the Labour caucus retreat in Palmerston North. Photo / Mark Mitchell In the weeks after the election, Hipkins stated Labour would spend the next year listening to the electorate to find out where it went wrong, which he said today was “really important” so the party could hear the “hard truths”. “We heard pretty clearly from New Zealanders that in the big challenges that they saw going into the last election campaign, they didn’t see the best answers coming from us,” Hipkins said to his MPs. He cited Labour’s inability to articulate how it would address the high cost of living, manage crime, grow the economy and create jobs. “That’s one of our challenges as we develop our policies for the next election, we’ve got to have more to say on all of those things. “But we also heard some home truths from them, that they felt that across our six years in government, we’d often over-promised and under-delivered.” Labour leader Chris Hipkins strolling into his caucus retreat in shorts and jandals. Photo / Mark Mitchell Aside from those reflections, Hipkins focused largely on what opportunities he saw where Labour could gain public support as the coalition Government implemented its own agenda. “I think what we can already hear from New Zealanders is that they’ve seen enough of this Government to know that they don’t like it,” Hipkins said as his MPs murmured in agreement. He pointed to the number of New Zealanders moving to Australia, the level of unemployment, the state of the health system and a painful recession as key indicators the Government was failing. Hipkins also referenced the Government’s cuts to the public service. MPs were set to hear from former Public Service Commissioner Peter Hughes about how to extract the best from the public service. Another of Hipkins’ priorities in 2024 had been to refrain from “barking at every passing car”. While he cautioned against embracing that strategy completely in 2025, Hipkins declared Labour would be “ramping up the pressure”. “We’re going to make sure we’re looking at using every avenue that we have available to us to dial up the volume there a little bit.” Ahead of his opening remarks, Hipkins told reporters there would be no policy announcements made at the caucus retreat. Instead, there would be more high-level policy discussions. Tax remained a policy area of interest with Labour given the failings of the party’s policy it campaigned on ahead of the 2023 election and Hipkins’ decision to scrap plans for a wealth tax policy, which had been developed by current MP David Parker and former MP Grant Robertson. Hipkins wouldn’t be drawn on what Labour’s policy would be, nor would he comment on whether it would be discussed by MPs today. Labour MPs listening to their party leader's address at the caucus retreat. Photo / Mark Mitchell Parker today acknowledged policy items including tax were being worked through. “What the outcome will be, I think, will be clearer by the end of the year, but there are clearly unfairnesses in the tax system, which I think Labour will address in the next election,” he said. Parker said he wouldn’t walk away from the party if Labour settled on a tax policy he wasn’t satisfied with. “I’m confident we’ll get to a good outcome.” Adam Pearse is a political reporter in the NZ Herald Press Gallery team, based at Parliament. He has worked for 九一星空无限 since 2018, covering sport and health for the Northern Advocate in Whangārei before moving to the NZ Herald in Auckland, covering Covid-19 and crime. Thu, 23 Jan 2025 02:19:55 Z /news/politics/christopher-luxon-state-of-the-nation-speech-culture-of-saying-no-hurting-economic-growth/ /news/politics/christopher-luxon-state-of-the-nation-speech-culture-of-saying-no-hurting-economic-growth/ Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has taken aim at a “culture of saying no” in his State of the Nation address, arguing it is holding back New Zealand’s economic growth.  He’s claimed it is “always easy” for someone to find an issue or get in the way of halting growth, pointing to issues at the Port of Tauranga and an inability to hold more concerts at Eden Park.  “There’s always a reason to say no, but if we keep saying no, we’ll keep going nowhere. We need larger ports. We need more concerts,” he said.  “We need more jobs, more investment, more innovation, exports, and talent. The bottom line is we need a lot less no and a lot more yes.”  On concerts, Luxon said they can boost our local economies.  “Kiwis spend thousands flying across the Tasman to see massive concerts, go out to bars and restaurants, and boost the Australian economy, when back home Eden Park sits empty because of council event rules.  “Now in fairness, the council has increased the limit, but I think they should seriously consider abolishing it completely.”  His speech was almost completely about the economy, something he was front up about from the start.  “As far as I’m concerned, going for growth is without a doubt priority number one,” he said.  To aid with that, Luxon made two announcements, including the creation of Invest New Zealand, an agency to attract foreign investment.  He said the Government had addressed issues with the Overseas Investment Act but more action needed to be taken than just dealing to legal barriers.  “Invest New Zealand will roll out the welcome mat – streamlining the investment process and providing tailored support to foreign investors.  “The objective is to increase capital investment across a range of critical sectors – like banking and fintech, key infrastructure like transport and energy, manufacturing, and innovation.”  Invest New Zealand will incubate within New Zealand Trade and Enterprise (NZTE) and then transition to a new Autonomous Crown Entity.  It is expected to have a clear mandate to attract international capital, infrastructure investment, ideas, and expertise.  NZTE will be refocused with a single mandate to support Kiwi businesses to export more and grow international markets.  They will both retain NZTE staff and help achieve the Government’s goal of doubling exports by value in ten years.  The second announcement is a major reform to Crown Research Institutes, including transferring them into four new Public Research Organisations (PROs).  Those PROs will be focused on bio-economy, earth sciences, health and forensic sciences, and AI and other advanced technologies.  “Each are expected to have a sharp focus on commercialisation – harnessing Kiwi talents for maximum economic impact – higher incomes, more investment, and more opportunities to get ahead.  “I am particularly excited about the establishment of an advanced technology institute, focused on the commercialisation of cutting edge technology, like AI, quantum computing, and synthetic biology.”  Luxon also signalled other areas he is interested in getting more growth from.  That includes creating more competition, repealing and replacing the Resource Management Act, dealing to “broken” health and safety laws, making mining a bigger part of the economy, and growing tourism.  On the point about mining - likely to be controversial - Luxon said it needs to play a bigger role in the economy.  “It’s easy in politics to say you want a sovereign wealth fund like Norway, or much higher incomes like Australia – but it’s much harder to say you want the oil and mining that pays for it.  “In regions like Taranaki and the West Coast there are big economic opportunities – higher incomes, support for local business and families, and more investment in local infrastructure.  “The minerals sector will also be critical for our climate transition – EVs, solar panels, and data centres aren’t made out of thin air.  “I want to see mining employ more Kiwis and power more growth in the economy and I’m adamant we must take further steps to make that a reality.”  The speech comes after Luxon began the political year with a reshuffle to create a “refreshed team” focused on economic growth.  That included appointing Finance Minister Nicola Willis to the new portfolio of Economic Growth Minister.  Labour’s finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds, speaking at her party’s caucus retreat in Palmerston North on Thursday morning, said the renewed focus on economic growth was an admission the Government didn’t do enough last year.  “It has taken them a while to get to that point, to understand that that is the actual issue for us. When I talk about economic growth and productivity, it is around jobs. We have seen higher unemployment... we are seeing a deeper recession than it needs to be,” she said.  “They took their eye off the ball. They should have known productivity was the issue they needed to look at.”  Edmonds said she had been focused on economic growth since taking on the finance portfolio nearly a year ago.  Labour finance spokeswoman Barbara Edmonds believes the Government has taken its eye off the ball. Photo / Mark Mitchell.  Unemployment was recorded at 4.8% in the September 2024 quarter. According to Treasury’s forecasts in the Half-Year Economic and Fiscal Update (Hyefu) released in December, it is expected to peak at 5.4% in June this year before declining.  The Hyefu also put into picture the slow rate of growth expected in the coming years, with Real GDP growth expected at just 0.5% in the year to June, rising to 3.3% in 2027 and then falling again.  In the September quarter, GDP fell 1%, following a 1.1% drop in the June quarter. Those two quarters of negative growth put New Zealand into a technical recession.  The Government has argued it has had its eye on economic growth, pointing to moves like fast-track legislation to streamline large infrastructure projects and regulatory reforms.  “I am very proud of what we did last year,” Luxon said on Wednesday.  “We made some very significant structural reform last year around fast track, around getting rid of red tape, freeing up our farmers, putting in place the basics on education, making sure we gave people tax relief, inflation relief, interest-rate relief.”  Inflation data released on Wednesday showed it steady at 2.2%. However, the biggest contributor, rent, was up 4.2%.  Luxon also suggested the Government may make further reforms to improve competition, potentially in sectors like banking and energy. Luxon pointed to the increase in energy costs during last year’s winter and said that shouldn’t happen with “abundant natural resources” in New Zealand.  Willis has made comments this week about the need to boost tourism numbers and the Government’s role in making it easier for them to come to New Zealand.  “I am thinking about this portfolio in terms of what are the actions the Government can take in the short term, the medium term, and the long term, to make this a wealthier economy,” Willis said on Wednesday.  “In the short term, that’s things like working alongside industry to drive up tourism numbers... It’s about things like international education and how we can get our settings right there.”  She said in the medium term, the reform agenda included improving skills, reducing regulation, driving overseas trade, and bringing in more foreign investment.  Jamie Ensor is a political reporter in the NZ Herald Press Gallery team based at Parliament. He was previously a TV reporter and digital producer in the 九一星空无限hub Press Gallery office.  Thu, 23 Jan 2025 00:19:46 Z /news/politics/australian-diplomat-s-partner-pleads-guilty-to-assault-in-wellington-nightlife-hotspot/ /news/politics/australian-diplomat-s-partner-pleads-guilty-to-assault-in-wellington-nightlife-hotspot/ The partner of an Australian diplomat has accepted a charge of assault on a night out in Wellington.  Police had to request the Australian Government waive diplomatic immunity for the man before they could charge him.  The man, who has interim name suppression, will apply for a discharge without conviction at his next hearing.  The partner of an Australian diplomat has admitted committing an assault during a night out in Wellington - but continues to fight to keep his name secret and to avoid conviction.  The man’s antics made headlines late last year when video emerged of him allegedly yelling a homophobic slur at police before loudly claiming he has “diplomatic immunity”.  In the video, viewed by the Herald, a man can be heard yelling “You f***ing stupid fa****t! I’ve got diplomatic immunity! You f***!” while three police officers restrain him against a wall.  He appeared in the Wellington District Court today where he pleaded guilty to common assault, having earlier expected to receive police diversion.  Despite diversion initially being offered, defence lawyer Louise Sziranyi confirmed today the offer had been withdrawn. She earlier indicated the offer was being withdrawn after “other branches of police” became involved.  The diversion scheme, offered by police, provides eligible adult defendants with an alternative to a full prosecution and potential conviction.  At his last appearance in December, Sziranyi asked for interim name suppression to continue, telling the judge it normally ran “in tandem” with diversions.  The Herald opposed suppression in subsequent written submissions, arguing the threshold for name suppression was whether the defendant would suffer extreme hardship, and whether or not he received a diversion was irrelevant to the suppression process.  The argument over suppression has been put off until his next appearance so his legal team can file further submissions if desired.  Sziranyi asked Judge Nicola Wills not to enter a conviction today, as she will be applying for a discharge without conviction for her client. This will be argued in early April.  The man was charged at the end of October, a month after the alleged assault between three people on Dixon St. The incident happened in the early hours of the morning, just hours after the All Blacks played the Wallabies in a Bledisloe Cup test in the capital city.  He was taken into custody but was later released after claiming he was covered by diplomatic immunity.  In order to charge the man, police required the Australian Government to waive immunity. This was confirmed by New Zealand’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade on October 9.  What is diplomatic immunity and how can it be waived?  “Immunity” can be granted to diplomats and their families under international law – the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations 1961.  It’s a long-standing principle designed to ensure diplomats and foreign representatives can perform their duties with freedom, independence and security, as the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT) explains.  Former British High Commissioner Vicki Treadell told the Herald previously this was particularly useful in countries with poor human rights.  Diplomatic immunity means a person cannot be arrested or detained, prosecuted or subpoenaed as a witness. They can, however, be issued a traffic infringement notice.  MFAT documents set out how the New Zealand Government expects the sending state – the country the diplomat is representing – to waive the immunity of a foreign representative or accredited family member where a serious crime is alleged to allow for legal proceedings against the individual.  The definition of a “serious crime” here is one with a penalty of imprisonment of 12 months or more.  “Serious crimes therefore include offences against persons such as murder, manslaughter, sexual offences, and common assault; certain driving offences such as dangerous driving causing injury; and certain property offences including theft of more than $500,” MFAT documentation says.  An individual who is immune from local jurisdiction cannot waive their own immunity.  Immunity belongs to the sending state, not to the individual, and must be waived by the sending state, MFAT says.  In 2020, then Prime Minister Dame Jacinda Ardern said she had spoken with South Korea’s President over disappointment that diplomatic immunity was not waived during the police investigations facing a South Korean diplomat.  In late August, the South Korean diplomat was given a suspended jail sentence after he was convicted of sexually assaulting a New Zealand staffer at a Wellington embassy.  In 2018, a landlord was left fuming at MFAT which protected a foreign diplomat who owed $20,000 in rent and damage to the property.  The Tenancy Tribunal had ruled in favour of the Wellington landlord – but MFAT intervened, saying the proceeding should never have taken place because the person had diplomatic immunity.  Melissa Nightingale is a Wellington-based reporter who covers crime, justice, and news in the capital. She joined the Herald in 2016 and has worked as a journalist for 10 years.  Wed, 22 Jan 2025 23:49:25 Z /news/politics/labour-aiming-to-ease-voters-doubts-and-dial-up-the-volume-on-govt-criticism-in-2025/ /news/politics/labour-aiming-to-ease-voters-doubts-and-dial-up-the-volume-on-govt-criticism-in-2025/ Labour leader Chris Hipkins says his party needs to have better answers to the questions voters will have ahead of the next election as he accepts Labour “over-promised and under-delivered” while in Government.  He is also encouraging his MPs to “dial up the volume” on criticising the Government while speaking in his opening address at Labour’s caucus retreat in Palmerston North today.  A relaxed-looking Hipkins, striding into the Distinction Hotel in shorts and jandals, gave a fairly frank assessment of Labour’s missteps in Government that led to a heavy defeat at the 2023 election.  In the weeks after the election, Hipkins stated Labour would spend the next year listening to the electorate to find out where it went wrong, which he said today was “really important” so the party could hear the “hard truths”.  “We heard pretty clearly from New Zealanders that in the big challenges that they saw going into the last election campaign, they didn’t see the best answers coming from us,” Hipkins said to his MPs.  He cited Labour’s inability to articulate how it would address the high cost of living, manage crime, grow the economy and create jobs.  “That’s one of our challenges as we develop our policies for the next election, we’ve got to have more to say on all of those things.  “But we also heard some home truths from them, that they felt that across our six years in government, we’d often over-promised and under-delivered.”  Labour leader Chris Hipkins strolling into his caucus retreat in shorts and jandals. Photo / Mark Mitchell  Aside from those reflections, Hipkins focused largely on what opportunities he saw where Labour could gain public support as the coalition Government implemented its own agenda.  “I think what we can already hear from New Zealanders is that they’ve seen enough of this Government to know that they don’t like it,” Hipkins said as his MPs murmured in agreement.  He pointed to the number of New Zealanders moving to Australia, the level of unemployment, the state of the health system and a painful recession as key indicators the Government was failing.  Hipkins also referenced the Government’s cuts to the public service. MPs were set to hear from former Public Service Commissioner Peter Hughes about how to extract the best from the public service.  Another of Hipkins’ priorities in 2024 had been to refrain from “barking at every passing car”.  While he cautioned against embracing that strategy completely in 2025, Hipkins declared Labour would be “ramping up the pressure”.  “We’re going to make sure we’re looking at using every avenue that we have available to us to dial up the volume there a little bit.”  Ahead of his opening remarks, Hipkins told reporters there would be no policy announcements made at the caucus retreat. Instead, there would be more high-level policy discussions.  Tax remained a policy area of interest with Labour given the failings of the party’s policy it campaigned on ahead of the 2023 election and Hipkins’ decision to scrap plans for a wealth tax policy, which had been developed by current MP David Parker and former MP Grant Robertson.  Hipkins wouldn’t be drawn on what Labour’s policy would be, nor would he comment on whether it would be discussed by MPs today.  Labour MPs listening to their party leader's address at the caucus retreat. Photo / Mark Mitchell  Parker today acknowledged policy items including tax were being worked through.  “What the outcome will be, I think, will be clearer by the end of the year, but there are clearly unfairnesses in the tax system, which I think Labour will address in the next election,” he said.  Parker said he wouldn’t walk away from the party if Labour settled on a tax policy he wasn’t satisfied with.  “I’m confident we’ll get to a good outcome.”  Adam Pearse is a political reporter in the NZ Herald Press Gallery team, based at Parliament. He has worked for 九一星空无限 since 2018, covering sport and health for the Northern Advocate in Whangārei before moving to the NZ Herald in Auckland, covering Covid-19 and crime.  Wed, 22 Jan 2025 23:23:05 Z /news/politics/donald-trump-pardons-silk-road-drug-kingpin-ross-ulbricht/ /news/politics/donald-trump-pardons-silk-road-drug-kingpin-ross-ulbricht/ United States President Donald Trump said today that he had pardoned Ross Ulbricht, the man behind the “Silk Road” online marketplace that facilitated millions of dollars of drug sales. In 2015, Ulbricht was sentenced to life in prison after being convicted of masterminding the “dark web” platform, on which some US$200 million ($353m) in narcotics were sold to customers across the world. Ulbricht, who ran Silk Road under the alias “Dread Pirate Roberts” and who had also been accused of commissioning five murders, was sentenced to two life sentences for narcotics distribution and criminal enterprise. On the campaign trail last year, Trump had promised to free Ulbricht during a speech at the Libertarian National Convention, as he sought to gain the fringe party’s support. Ross Ulbricht. “I just called the mother of Ross William Ulbricht to let her know that in honour of her and the Libertarian Movement, which supported me so strongly, it was my pleasure to have just signed a full and unconditional pardon of her son,” Trump said in a post on his Truth Social website, a day after being sworn in. Ulbricht’s case had become a cause celebre in libertarian circles, with supporters decrying the conviction as government over-reach and against the principles of free markets. “The scum that worked to convict him were some of the same lunatics who were involved in the modern-day weaponisation of government against me,” Trump said today. Trump has repeatedly claimed that federal and state criminal charges filed against him were politically motivated. The Republican has previously vowed to impose the death penalty on drug traffickers – though the promise to free Ulbricht brought cheers from the crowd last May. The Libertarian Party routinely runs minor candidates that promote both popular limited-government ideas like marijuana legalisation while simultaneously pushing fringe ideas such as abolishing the federal tax collection agency or social security. – Agence France-Presse Wed, 22 Jan 2025 03:07:27 Z /news/politics/national-party-caucus-meeting-mps-meet-after-reshuffle-poor-poll-result/ /news/politics/national-party-caucus-meeting-mps-meet-after-reshuffle-poor-poll-result/ National Party leader Christopher Luxon is expected to spell out more of his plan for unleashing economic growth at a caucus meeting in Hamilton on Wednesday.  The caucus retreat – an annual tradition at the start of the political year – comes just days after the Prime Minister reshuffled his team of ministers, as well as a poor poll result that had National below the 30% mark and behind Labour.  That Taxpayers’ Union-Curia poll showed the cost of living remained New Zealanders’ main concern and National hasn’t been subtle in its messaging that growth is its top priority this year, sending out emails and statements focused solely on that issue.  At the reshuffle press conference on Sunday, Luxon said he wanted to ensure his team was “refreshed” to zero in on “economic growth”, including by handing Finance Minister Nicola Willis the new role of Minister for Economic Growth, a reskinned version of the Economic Development portfolio.  In keeping with that theme, it’s understood National MPs will hear from Rocket Lab chief executive Sir Peter Beck about his experiences driving innovation. Luxon’s Government was the first to have a Minister for Space and the Prime Minister was present at a deal between Rocket Lab and a Japanese company in Tokyo last year.  Science and technology are viewed by the Government as a critical way for driving that economic growth.  Prime Minister Christopher Luxon. Photo / Mark Mitchell  Luxon told 九一星空无限talk ZB this week the area gets “quite a bit of money” and “we come up with great innovations, but we are not actually commercialising them and building out the big companies and creating employment for people”.  The minister who will oversee science, innovation and technology is the one who experienced the biggest demotion in Sunday’s reshuffle – Dr Shane Reti. He lost the Health Minister role to Simeon Brown and also dropped several positions in the Cabinet rankings.  National MPs will be quizzed by media on their reaction to that reshuffle and whether there are any grievances relating to Luxon’s decisions. It’s also likely reporters will seek their thoughts on last week’s poll, the first Curia result since April 2023 to have National behind Labour.  Dr Shane Reti has been dumped as Health Minister. Photo / Sylvie Whinray  ‘The CEO guy’  As always, 2025 is expected to deliver a mix of pressing policy priorities, events and personalities for the Prime Minister to juggle.  But it’s the economy that will likely dominate much of Luxon’s agenda. Forecast subdued growth, a slump in the dollar, concerns about the impact of potential Trump tariffs and an increase in bond yields globally will all be playing on his and his ministers’ minds.  Although there are other issues dominating the headlines – such as the Treaty Principles Bill – Dr Lara Greaves, a politics professor at Victoria University, said what’s happening to people’s wallets often rules.  “I think a lot of the evidence has shown that people are more fixated on things like the economy, are more fixated on the cost of living and poverty and inequality and those broader economic issues,” she said.  Greaves noted the former businessman had also begun the year trying to “own the trade deals and the positive things for the economy”, referencing his whirlwind trip to the United Arab of Emirates last week to witness the signing of a trade agreement.  “I suspect that what he’s going to keep doing is being that kind of economic management guy, the CEO guy.”  Finance Minister Nicola Willis is the new Economic Growth Minister. Photo / Mark Mitchell  While Act and New Zealand First are “taking up a lot of attention”, Greaves said voters may drift to “middle-of-the-road National”.  Luxon, however, remains in the “unusual” position of not seeing any marked improvement to his personal ratings with the public, Greaves said.  “We’ve not really seen that kind of likeability shoot up or the preferred Prime Minister [ratings] shoot up in the way that has happened with previous Prime Ministers in a sort of so-called honeymoon period.  “For a long time, it was like, ‘oh, we just don’t know Luxon, we’re trying to get to know Luxon’ and now he’s been leader for a couple of years and people still don’t kind of have a finger on exactly who he is.”  The politics professor will also be watching to see how the “relatively inexperienced” Luxon – he was only elected to Parliament in 2020 – manages the “three-headed coalition” as it changes Deputy Prime Minister and as parties ready for next year’s election.  “The question is always whether the tail is wagging the dog, which is a very cute metaphor, but in this case it’s like two tails, which is quite intense and hard,” Greaves said.  ‘Build some bridges’  Over the course of last year, Luxon became more vocal about his dislike for the Treaty Principles Bill, the Act-backed legislation set to die at second reading when National pulls its support. By the end of the year, he was telling members of the public he would “spike it”.  But despite acknowledging that Māori-Crown relations had likely worsened under his watch, he won’t be attending annual events in Waitangi next month, opting instead to spend Waitangi Day with another – currently undisclosed – iwi.  Ella Henry, a Māori academic with a focus on business, said a large number of new voters at the next election are expected to be Māori.  “I do think that the National Party, and Luxon in particular, are going to have to think about what kind of relationship they want with this significant new chunk of voters,” Henry said.  After the turbulence of 2024, what should Luxon do to improve his relationship with Māori voters this year?  “Turning up. Māori respect people who walk their talk. Turning up and being present and going to those events where lots of Māori will be may mean that he causes umbrage, but it also shows kaha [strength] and it shows mana, and we respect that as a people.”  Prime Minister Christopher Luxon was at Waitangi in 2024 – but won't be this year. Photo / Michael Cunningham  Henry said he will need to “build some bridges”, which she said won’t be achieved by not going to Waitangi.  She acknowledged Luxon was “caught between a rock and hard place” when it came to the Treaty Principles Bill. National had to support it at first reading as part of its coalition agreement with Act.  “Where he does have some flexibility is in building stronger relationships with Māori and Māori community – and just talking to his own Māori MPs is not actually consulting with Māori.”  Henry said Luxon should also continue highlighting how the Government’s policies which don’t directly target Māori – think tax cuts or changes in the education space – will benefit Māori as well.  ‘Defining feature of the year’  While it may seem Luxon’s plate is full with domestic considerations, there are also international moves to account for. As he’s been known to say, New Zealand is a small trading nation so what’s happening globally has a big impact on our economy.  And that means the global stage could be particularly important in 2025. The return of Trump (and his threat of tariffs), potential decisions with regards to Aukus and Luxon’s ambitious goal of getting a free trade agreement with India this term will see the Prime Minister racking up the airpoints.  Geoffrey Miller, a geopolitical analyst, said the new Trump administration will be “a defining feature of the year” and influence how New Zealand approaches foreign affairs.  So, could we see a Luxon-Trump handshake in the near future? The pair will certainly cross paths at global forums, but New Zealand will hardly be first in line for a sit-down.  “Face time is always helpful,” said Miller. “Getting that one-on-one meeting would be beneficial. I think there’ll be an awful lot of world leaders trying to get Trump’s ear, though, and I don’t think New Zealand will be high up on the priority list.”  One of the items at the top of the agenda would be tariffs, which could hurt our exports if Trump’s words become reality. The United States was New Zealand’s second-largest export destination in the year to September 2024, worth more than $15 billion to our economy.  Donald Trump is back in 2025.  Miller pointed out that some of the Government’s key personnel focused on the US are the same as when Trump was first in office, such as Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters and ambassador Rosemary Banks. Both have strong relationships with the Republican Party.  On the issue of Aukus, Miller doesn’t believe it will be another year of just “exploring” the idea of joining Pillar II. While it’s ultimately up to the participating countries to invite New Zealand to get involved, he anticipates Luxon will need to make signals or decisions in 2025.  It is here also where Luxon will be watching Trump, Miller suggested. For example, if Trump goes cold on Aukus, New Zealand may not be so inclined to get involved in Pillar II. If the tariffs do eventuate and hurt our exports, the Government’s alleged US bent may also soften.  On the other side of the Aukus coin is China, whose ambassador hasn’t been exactly quiet in expressing its opposition to New Zealand getting involved. With China being our largest trading partner – by far – those complaints won’t have gone unnoticed. Luxon’s also expected to travel to the Asian superpower this year.  “That might be quite a defining consideration ... Can he keep those good relations with China while joining Aukus pillar two? The ambassador’s comments suggest that that’s not going to be possible,” Miller said.  “Christopher Luxon, I think, might be swayed in terms of New Zealand’s positioning by his visit to China and the talks that he has there. So that could also have an impact on some of the decisions that he takes.”  Prime Minister Christopher Luxon (left) met with China's President Xi Jinping at the Apec Summit in Peru. Photo / Pool  Miller believes Luxon’s voice will get louder on foreign affairs issues this year.  “Christopher Luxon is going to have to balance all of these different considerations and he might have to just take more of the lead when it comes to foreign policy,” he said.  As mentioned, Luxon has already this year been overseas to welcome a fresh trade deal, and the goal of doubling New Zealand’s exports by 2030 remains a key focus.  That brings into play India. Luxon famously promised a free trade agreement (FTA) with India this term and has said he has no regrets about that, despite it being considered overly ambitious.  The Prime Minister will travel there this year, but Miller said Luxon’s KPI should really be the reopening of FTA negotiations, which have been dormant since 2015.  “I think it’s right and proper to continue to focus on India, to put in the effort, but I think it should be seen as a long-term proposition.”  The analyst said Luxon has certainly showed he’s willing to work for it.  “I think New Zealand needs to get in there and do the hard yards and certainly Christopher Luxon has shown that he’s willing to travel ... I think he does understand the importance of the face-to-face meetings and that’s to his credit.  “What Luxon’s big challenge will be this year is just balancing out all these competing factors and making decisions which are in the end in the best interest of New Zealand.”  Balancing competing factors on the global stage and likely back at home too.  Jamie Ensor is a political reporter in the NZ Herald Press Gallery team based at Parliament. He was previously a TV reporter and digital producer in the 九一星空无限hub Press Gallery office.  Tue, 21 Jan 2025 19:33:19 Z /news/politics/cabinet-reshuffle-live-updates-christopher-luxon-unveils-changes-health-minister-dr-shane-reti-losed-portfolio/ /news/politics/cabinet-reshuffle-live-updates-christopher-luxon-unveils-changes-health-minister-dr-shane-reti-losed-portfolio/ Dr Shane Reti has lost the health portfolio to minister Simeon Brown in one of a series of changes Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has made in his reshuffle, including demoting Melissa Lee and promoting James Meager. In taking on health, Brown sheds the local government, transport and energy portfolios. Climate Change Minister Simon Watts will pick up local government and energy while Chris Bishop has been given transport. In a statement, Luxon described health as a “priority area” and acknowledged Reti’s work to “reset the culture and performance of Health NZ”. “It was critical to establish targets and refresh their leadership – and I am confident the organisation is heading in a much better direction than it was when we entered office,” he said. “But I have also heard Kiwis’ concerns that they expect to see even more progress, ensuring they can access the care they need, when they need it. To deliver on that expectation, I have decided Simeon Brown will become Minister of Health. Luxon described Brown as an “outstanding and diligent minister” who had delivered on the Government’s priorities. “Off the back of that performance, I have decided his skills are best placed to take leadership of our health system going forward.” Brown would also become the Minister for State Owned Enterprises, taking over from Paul Goldsmith. Reti would take on a new role as Minister for Universities, alongside his other portfolios. Simeon Brown is the country's new health minister. Photo / Mark Mitchell In other changes, Luxon has demoted Melissa Lee from his ministerial team, taking her economic development and ethnic communities portfolios off her, with the latter being given to Mark Mitchell, who also picks up sport and recreation. Last year, Lee was demoted from Cabinet and stripped of her media portfolio after struggling in her response to financial pressures within the sector. In his statement, Luxon acknowledged Lee’s contribution in Government and her work engaging with New Zealand’s ethnic communities. Lee’s economic development portfolio had morphed into economic growth, which has been given to Finance Minister Nicola Willis. “[Willis'] focus will be on leading the Government’s growth agenda to unleash the potential of our businesses to grow, develop talent and attract investment,” Luxon said. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Finance Minister Nicola Willis at today's announcement of the Cabinet reshuffle. Photo / Mark Mitchell “That will mean co-ordinating and strengthening efforts that are already under way to deliver economic growth – and taking responsibility for new initiatives designed to promote growth and productivity in the New Zealand economy.” The public service portfolio shifted from Willis to Judith Collins. Social Development Minister Louise Upston also gained new roles, taking on Tourism and Hospitality from Matt Doocey, who also lost ACC to Andrew Bayly. Upston would also become Deputy Leader of the House under Bishop. In changes to ministers outside of Cabinet, Chris Penk would become Small Business and Manufacturing Minister, taking over from Bayly. Luxon had also promoted justice select committee chairman James Meager, giving the Rangitata MP the new title of Minister for the South Island alongside the youth and hunting and fishing portfolios, as well as an associate transport role. Finance Minister Nicola Willis at today's reshuffle announcement in Wellington. Photo / Mark Mitchell Changes predicted The Herald earlier today reported the health portfolio was expected to be taken from Reti amid ongoing scrutiny of the Government over persistent pressures within the health sector, including a shake-up of Health New Zealand’s governance and the entity’s major deficits. Transport and Local Government Minister Simeon Brown was tipped as a contender to take on the challenging portfolio. Reti was expected to remain in Cabinet with different portfolios but slide down the rankings to reflect the loss of health. He was ranked fourth in Cabinet. In other potential changes, Finance Minister Nicola Willis was expected to be given a wider economic growth portfolio as well as finance as Luxon tries to sharpen the focus on the economy. Dr Shane Reti lost the health portfolio in the reshuffle. Photo / Mark Mitchell Her public service portfolio was expected to be given to another minister. It was speculated that could be Judith Collins, Luxon’s most experienced minister, who knows the public sector well. Collins also already has responsibility for the programme to digitise Government. The reshuffle was of National ministers only and did not impact coalition partners NZ First and Act. It is Luxon’s first major reshuffle since forming his Government in December 2023. He has previously only made some small-scale changes when a minister was not performing. Today’s reshuffle did not include significant changes to Cabinet rankings. Adam Pearse is a political reporter in the NZ Herald Press Gallery team, based at Parliament. He has worked for 九一星空无限 since 2018, covering sport and health for the Northern Advocate in Whangārei before moving to the NZ Herald in Auckland, covering Covid-19 and crime. Sat, 18 Jan 2025 20:18:11 Z /news/politics/taxpayers-union-curia-poll-labour-passes-national-for-first-time-in-nearly-two-years-new-zealand-on-wrong-track/ /news/politics/taxpayers-union-curia-poll-labour-passes-national-for-first-time-in-nearly-two-years-new-zealand-on-wrong-track/ Labour has surpassed National for the first time in nearly two years in the latest Taxpayers’ Union-Curia Poll, with Christopher Luxon’s party dropping into the 20s.  There’s also more bad news for the Government, with the right-wrong direction indicator taking a negative turn.  The results come ahead of the political year ramping up next week. National and Labour will hold their summer caucus retreats, both Luxon and Act’s David Seymour will deliver major speeches, and politicians will attend annual Rātana celebrations.  The poll, which was conducted between January 9 and 13, shows Labour at 30.9%, up 4 percentage points compared to December’s results. National has fallen by 4.6 points to 29.6%. This is the first time since April 2023 that Labour has been ahead of National in this poll.  Act is on 10.8%, down 2.2 points, the Greens are on 9.5%, up 1.2 points, New Zealand First is at 8.1%, up 2.7 points, and Te Pati Māori is on 5.3%, down 0.2.  In terms of seats in Parliament, Labour would get 39, the Greens 12, and Te Pati Māori 7. That’s 58 for the centre-left bloc.  National would get 38, Act would receive 14, and New Zealand First would get 10. For the current governing parties, that’s 62, which would be enough to govern.  While Labour is on the rise in the party vote, its leader Chris Hipkins is down 4.6 points to 15.3% in the preferred Prime Minister stakes.  National’s Luxon is also down 2.6 points to 24.5%, while Seymour is up slightly (0.5) to 6.3%, New Zealand First’s Winston Peters has jumped 3 points to 8.8% and Chlöe Swarbrick is at 8.5% (up 4 points).  The poll also presents an indication of whether the Government is heading in the “right” or “wrong” direction.  It found 39% of participants believed the country was heading in the right direction compared to 53% who thought it was going in the wrong direction. That provides a net right/wrong direction of -14%, which is down 17 points. It’s the first time since April last year that the poll has shown the country is going in the wrong direction.  Cost of living also clearly remains the main issue for voters with 22.3% of people saying it’s their top issue, followed by the economy (17.5%), health (11.6%), Māori or Treaty issues (8%), the environment (5.8%) and education (4.5%).  Events since the previous poll include the Government’s announcement about its approach to replacing the Interislander ferries, the release of data showing GDP fell 1% in the September quarter, a number of high-profile pieces of legislation moving through Parliament, and select committee submissions ending on the Treaty Principles Bill.  The poll was conducted by Curia Market Research Ltd for the Taxpayers’ Union. It is a random poll of 1000 adult New Zealanders and is weighted to the overall adult population. It was conducted by phone (landlines and mobile) and online between Thursday 9 and Monday 13 January 2025, has a maximum margin of error of +/- 3.1% and 5.4% were undecided on the party vote question.  Jamie Ensor is a political reporter in the NZ Herald Press Gallery team based at Parliament. He was previously a TV reporter and digital producer in the 九一星空无限hub Press Gallery office.  Fri, 17 Jan 2025 00:07:31 Z /news/politics/police-investigating-new-shoplifting-complaint-against-former-mp-golriz-ghahraman/ /news/politics/police-investigating-new-shoplifting-complaint-against-former-mp-golriz-ghahraman/ Police are investigating a complaint of shoplifting at an Auckland supermarket made against former Green Party MP Golriz Ghahraman, the Herald understands. Ghahraman has already pleaded guilty to four shoplifting charges in March 2024, relating to $9000 worth of theft from three separate stores in 2023. The most recent incident is alleged to have occurred in late 2024 at a Pak’nSave supermarket in the Auckland suburb of Royal Oak. When presented with the allegations against a former MP, a police spokesperson said: “Police can advise a shoplifting complaint is under investigation from late 2024.” Police would not comment any further on privacy grounds. No charges have been laid. Ghahraman’s lawyer did not deny the allegations. Ghahraman resigned from Parliament on January 16, 2024, less than a week after 九一星空无限 broke the story of the first of what would become four shoplifting allegations. She was later convicted for the theft of more than $7800 worth of clothing during two trips to Scotties Boutique in Ponsonby in the week before Christmas in 2023. She also stole $695 worth of clothing from Cre8tiveworx in Wellington in October and a $389 cardigan from Standard Issue in Newmarket during the same three-day period when she targeted the Ponsonby store. In October 2024 at Auckland District Court, Judge June Jelas denied her request for a discharge without conviction, the basis for an appeal. Ghahraman is not at her Auckland home, her flatmate and tenant told the Herald. ”I think she’s out of town with friends,” he said. Another neighbour said he saw Ghahraman at her home on Monday. He said her car was parked in one of a handful of allocated street parks that day but he hadn’t seen her or her car since. Pak’nSave would not confirm details of the shoplifting complaint when questioned. “Each quarter, Foodstuffs North Island stores report 4500 to 5000 incidents of retail crime,” a Pak’nSave spokesperson said in response to the Herald’s questions. “We have responsibilities around respecting people’s privacy, so providing information on whether an individual is known or not known to our retail crime teams is not something we can help you with.” The Green Party had no comment on the matter. Wed, 15 Jan 2025 20:09:08 Z /news/politics/record-treaty-submissions-could-be-result-of-nefarious-activity-tech-expert/ /news/politics/record-treaty-submissions-could-be-result-of-nefarious-activity-tech-expert/ Tech experts say it’s possible the unprecedented number of Treaty Principles Bill submissions was caused by nefarious online behaviour. More than 150,000 submissions were lodged through Parliament’s website on Tuesday alone, with technical problems preventing many people from giving feedback at all. This single-day record easily exceeds the previous record for the total number of submissions on a bill, which was about 107,000 on the conversion therapy ban in 2021. The Treaty Principles Bill has been contentious, attracting high public interest, and it’s possible all of Tuesday’s submissions were made by legitimate individuals. However, Inde Technology’s chief technology officer Rik Roberts said there was a “high possibility” it could have been the result of some form of automated attack. “There is a high chance there could be a lot of fictitious submissions through bots,” he said. “An attack is a strong word to use but this bill has got a lot of publicity and a lot of attention and it makes it an easy target to direct some bots against to influence or interfere with the process.” Roberts couldn’t be conclusive about what went wrong on Tuesday but said it would be easy enough to overload Parliament’s website in a world of generative artificial intelligence. “You can create a whole bunch of virtual machines all around the world and on those virtual machines you can instruct it to log on to the website, put in some details. “It can randomly make up some names, randomly make up some submissions, and submit those as if it was a human and each of those virtual machines can do 1000 of those a minute.” This type of scenario is called a Distributed Denial-of-Service (DDoS) Attack, where a website is made unavailable to users by overwhelming its ability to process requests. Tech expert Louisa Taylor said she observed several error messages on the website on Tuesday that suggested it was overloaded. She thought it could be a DDoS Attack, given she did not see any prevention technologies, like puzzles that require people to prove they’re not a robot, on Parliament’s website. But another expert Sam Sehnert has since checked the now re-opened Treaty Principles Bill submission form and said the submission forms appeared to be protected from bots. “That doesn’t necessarily completely rule out DDoS being a factor but does mean that the Treaty submissions themselves are most likely legit. “There are still ways around captcha but they require a lot more resources to pull off, which makes the cyberattack scenario a lot less likely and would be more of a state actor level attack.” RNZ has asked the Clerk of the House, David Wilson’s office if Parliament’s website has protections against DDoS attacks. Wilson has already said the website issues were caused by an unprecedented volume of submissions coming in at the same time and wasn’t aware they were the result of anything untoward. “To my knowledge, there is no evidence that issues were due to nefarious activity,” he said. The country’s cyber watchdog, the National Cyber Security Centre, which is part of the GCSB, said it has no information to believe this was a cyber security incident. Sehnert said digital forensics could be used to detect any sort of pattern or cadence in the submissions, like feedback coming in at regular intervals, to rule out nefarious behaviour. Roberts said small countries like New Zealand were generally inexperienced when it came to handling high levels of traffic and preventative measures were a must. “Any website these days has to have DDoS protection in front. We live in an age where it’s all too easy to fire up bots to take down a website so anything that’s going to have high publicity needs to have those prevention tools in place.” - RNZ Thu, 09 Jan 2025 21:06:55 Z /news/politics/parliament-website-issues-could-be-cost-cutting-tech-experts/ /news/politics/parliament-website-issues-could-be-cost-cutting-tech-experts/ Tech experts say problems with Parliament's website that stopped people from submitting on the Treaty Principles Bill may come down to cost-cutting measures. People have expressed frustration and outrage this week, after persisent technical issues stopped them from giving online feedback before the midnight Wednesday deadline. MPs will meet to discusss allowing late submissions Thursday morning, though bigger questions about the state of Parliament's tech infrastructure remain. Consultant Louisa Taylor has about two decades' of experience in the tech field and said the errors she observed on the website could be caused by two things. "One is that there's high traffic on their website which has taken it out of action because they haven't prepared enough server capacity. That's the negligent part of it." "The second part was that the same sort of error might come from an attack. If a nefarious actor sent a lot of traffic to the site they could actually take it down." Taylor said whatever the cause, Parliament's tech infrastructure clearly wasn't up to scratch and it could be down to the coalition's cost-cutting measures. "It was highly foreseeable that there would be a large number of submissions so the server needed to be sized. They just needed to get more machinery, more kit, ready." Another tech expert Sam Sehnert said it was "mind-boggling" Parliament's website wasn't up to handling high volumes of traffic and any investment made would be worthwhile. "It does take some time to set up but as you can see the value of doing that is well worth it and usually it's a result of cutting corners or trying to save a buck. "If you do that sort of thing, you cut those corners, then outages like this can happen." It's not clear how many people were affected by techincal problems but RNZ has seen evidence they could date back to late November 2024. Back then, a submitter emailed their feedback to Parliament, flagging they had experienced problems with the official submissions portal. RNZ approached both the government and the Clerk of the House to ask what went wrong with the website and if it was connected to the coalition's cost-cutting measures. The government referred RNZ to a statement provided by the Clerk David Wilson, who said Parliament did attempt to prepare for the busy period. "The Office of the Clerk is aware that the unprecedented volume of submissions being made simultaneously caused issues for the Parliament website and submission portal. "While we anticipated a high volume of submissions, and had made improvements to deal with them within the constraints of the current architecture, the amount of traffic was even greater than expected." Wilson said his office was not required to make any savings from its baseline during Budget 2024. 'There's a trust issue now with it' Among those affected by the technical issues was Wellingtonian Peter McKenzie, who filled out all the fields before the vital second part of his submission disappeared when he submitted it. "It basically contradricted what I'd said in the first part which was why I didn't think the bill was appropriate given the way Māori have been treated." He called the helpline but had no luck. "The message said basically they were effectively out of the office at that time of day so I left them a message saying can somebody please call me back because I'm not happy at what's happened. "And I'll give you until 11.59pm which is when the thing closes and then I'll go to the news." McKenzie said it was incredibly frustrating. "There's a trust issue now with it. Was this deliberatly slanted so it would support the bill? That was the thinking I went through on Tuesday night which is why I was so angry with them. "Thinking you're misrepresenting my views deliberately with the system you're using." Te Pāti Māori, Labour, the Greens and the ACT Party all support extending the submissions deadline to allow for give those who missed out on giving feedback another chance. MPs on the Justice Committee will meet via Zoom at 9am Thursday to discusss next steps for the Treaty Principles Bill. "In light of the technical issues receiving submissions online, the meeting will include decisions about how we treat emailed submissions (which aren't normally accepted), whether we re-open submissions and for how long, and how we treat late submissions from people who could not submit due to the website issues," committee chair James Meager said. "I would expect that anybody who tried to make a submission before the deadline, but was unable to do so due to technical reasons, will be given the opportunity to do so. "This is happened in the past when other technical issues have prevented submissions being made. We are treating this as we would any other bill so I don't see why it would be any different here." - RNZ Wed, 08 Jan 2025 23:17:14 Z /news/politics/treaty-bill-submissions-surge-hapai-health-delivers-10-000-in-person/ /news/politics/treaty-bill-submissions-surge-hapai-health-delivers-10-000-in-person/ Māori health organisation Hapai Te Hauora will deliver more than 10,000 Treaty Principles Bill submissions to Parliament today following a Justice Select Committee computer glitch. Over the past few days, Hapai has received more than 20,000, submissions to its portal. Submissions closed at 11.59pm last night but there are calls for that deadline to be extended. Hapai managed to load 10,000 to the committee webpage and decided to deliver the rest personally. Māori health organisation Hapai Te Hauora will hand deliver 10,596 Treaty Principles Bill to Parliament today. “We were inundated with over 15,000 over the last two days through our submission builder,” Hapai chief operating officer Jason Alexander told the Herald. “We received a total of 20,596 submissions through the submission builder. “E mihi ana ki a koutou katoa i whakatinana i te mana Māori motuhake. “Our team has submitted 10,596 online, and the remaining 10,000 submissions will be hand-delivered to Parliament. “It wasn’t smart to close the deadline while the justice select committee secretariat was on leave so no one could access support in the final couple of weeks.” Hapai Te Hauora COO Jason Alexander. Photo / 九一星空无限 He said the computer glitch had nothing to do with its decision to deliver the 10,596 submissions in hard copy. “We decided we would like to hand in hard copies as well as submit through the website. Our team are heading down to Wellington this morning to hand the hard copies into Parliament. Act leader David Seymour has no problem with an extension to the Treaty Principles Bill. Hundreds of complaints have been made that the overload of submissions has caused a meltdown - meaning people could not load their submissions online. Labour and Te Pāti Māori have asked for last night’s deadline to be extended and Seymour told the Herald: “I respect it’s a decision for the committee, who are totally independent from ministers,” he said. “However, I am very pleased that there appears to be a great interest in Parliament deciding the principles of the Treaty.” Meanwhile, New Zealanders are using innovative tools, including submission templates, to voice their concerns about the Bill. In just two days, nearly 3500 visits have been made to a popular template online, showcasing widespread engagement and concern among Kiwis – in total 15,905 have visited the page since November 2024. Roimata Smail. “Templates are a universal tool that empower everyday people to participate in the democratic process,” said best-selling author, lawyer and educator Roimata Smail. She has been advocating for public participation on this issue. “They provide a straightforward way for Kiwis, who may not be academics or lawyers, to have their say on legislation that impacts us all.” “This isn’t just for experts – every New Zealander has the right to tell the select committee what they think of this bill.” The submission template she developed free of charge, available on Wai Ako Books, has seen a significant surge in visits since being launched two months ago. Thousands of New Zealanders viewed and shared the template, and many have said they have used it to express their opposition to the bill. “This is about making participation accessible – templates are not a novel concept,” she said. “If someone believes this bill is wrong, they shouldn’t have to spend hundreds of hours drafting a submission from scratch. Templates make it possible for their voices to be heard. “The Treaty Principles Bill is not a complex issue, requiring complex technical legal arguments – ordinary New Zealanders can tell the Government that the bill is wrong. “The public response reflects the growing understanding of ordinary New Zealanders that Te Tiriti is our founding document, not just for academics and legal professionals to understand. The huge numbers of Kiwis who joined the hīkoi demonstrated this as well. “It’s vital for the select committee to hear from everyday New Zealanders. “This is about democracy in action – ordinary New Zealanders telling those in power that the Treaty Principles Bill is wrong.” - NZ Herald Tue, 07 Jan 2025 21:14:09 Z /news/politics/tributes-flow-after-death-of-dame-tariana-turia/ /news/politics/tributes-flow-after-death-of-dame-tariana-turia/ Politicians across the country are paying tribute to Te Pāti Māori co-founder, leader and long-serving MP Dame Tariana Turia following her death. Turia passed away in the early hours of this morning, aged 80. Turia served as a minister under both Labour and National Governments and was an MP for 18 years. The wāhine Māori political leader first entered Parliament as a Labour list MP in 1996, a year after leading the 79-day Moutua Gardens protest in Whanganui. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said Turia had made a “significant contribution” to New Zealand. Dame Tariana Turia made a significant contribution for Māori and to New Zealand as an MP, Minister and political leader. Among many things, she will be remembered for her work establishing Whānau Ora, and for always being guided strongly by her principles. My thoughts and…— Christopher Luxon (@chrisluxonmp) January 2, 2025 Former politician Peter Dunne spoke to 九一星空无限talk ZB about the passing of his former “parliamentary benchmate” Turia. “She was certainly a highly principled person and had a huge sense of what was right and wrong. “She was able to achieve a lot through that time as a minister.” Very sad news about Dame Tāriana Turia. She was my Parliamentary benchmate for many years, and one of the most principled, dignified and honourable people I have met. I admired and respected her greatly. May she rest in peace.— Peter Dunne (@honpeterdunne) January 2, 2025 九一星空无限talk ZB senior political correspondent Barry Soper spoke to 九一星空无限talk ZB’s Roman Travers about Turia’s time in parliament and determination for the “betterment of Māori”. “She was a woman with a great sense of humour, quite a wicked sense of humour. I shared quite a number of laughs with her over the years,” Soper said. “She was very much a force to be reckoned with in parliament.” Former Attorney General and ex-Treaty Negotiations Minister Chris Finlayson saw her as his favourite politician. In a prior interview with the Herald, Finlayson said “it’s no exaggeration to say I love her”. During her tenure in Parliament, Turia was responsible for the creation of wellbeing agency Whānau Ora, something she has later admitted she feels a sense of pride about. She retired from politics in 2014. Tariana Turia was made Dame Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit for her services as a Member of Parliament in the 2015 New Year Honours list. Photo / Stuart Munro Turia was made a Dame Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit, for services as an MP, in the 2015 New Year Honours. At the time, Turia considered turning down the honour. “In the first instance I thought I might not take it but they [her whānau] said it’s not really for me, it’s for our whānau, hapū and iwi - for all the people I have worked alongside,” she said. When a Treaty of Waitangi settlement gave the Whanganui River legal personhood, Turia was appointed to act as its voice in a move she labelled “the most important role of my life”. Thu, 02 Jan 2025 20:59:30 Z /news/politics/barbara-edmonds-deletes-facebook-post-incorrectly-claiming-labour-rapidly-reduced-debt-the-opposite-is-true/ /news/politics/barbara-edmonds-deletes-facebook-post-incorrectly-claiming-labour-rapidly-reduced-debt-the-opposite-is-true/ Labour’s finance spokeswoman Barbara Edmonds has taken down a graph that incorrectly stated the Ardern-Hipkins Government reduced New Zealand’s debt levels by about $31 billion in its second term.  In nominal terms, the graph appeared to show the Ardern-Hipkins Labour Government repaid debt faster than any Government since 1972 — an extraordinary feat in the midst of a pandemic.  In fact, depending on what measure you use, Labour’s second term saw a rapid increase in borrowing thanks to the pandemic, reducing the tax take and increasing expenses. Debt increased by $72b or $36b by two of the most common recent metrics.  A deleted Facebook post purporting to show Labour reducing debt in its second term. Photo / Facebook  Finance Minister Nicola Wills described the incident as “either a case of extraordinary fiscal ignorance or wilful deception. Either way, it does not look good for Barbara Edmonds”.  “Government debt did not go down in Labour’s last term and to claim it did in a misleading graph is disgraceful,” she said.  After Labour was alerted to the error by the Herald, Edmonds replaced the graph with a more accurate one. Editing her Facebook post, Edmonds said, “[w]e’ve changed the chart to use the Treasury graph (with our crisis inserts)”, but did not say that the original graph was inaccurate or misleading.  Edmonds told the Herald that Willis was “so desperate to distract from her mismanagement of the economy she’s going after a social media post that has since been corrected”.  “After a week where she has delivered record debt, increasing unemployment, and now the deepest recession since 1991, this is what she wants to focus on?  “Kiwis expect more from the Minister of Finance. She should be focused on getting New Zealand out of this recession and getting people into jobs. She has her priorities wrong.”  The graph was posted in response to the publication of Treasury’s Hyefu forecasts, which showed a significant worsening in the Government’s fiscal position with large deficits forecast out to the rest of the decade and debt forecast to peak at about 46.1% of GDP or $228b.  Labour seized on Willis’ decision to drop the main indicator that shows whether the Government is running a surplus or a deficit, Obegal, for a new measure, Obegalx, which removes ACC, which has the effect of making the deficits look smaller.  Labour ran ads accusing Willis of “cooking the books”.  Text accompanying Edmonds’ post said that “[n]o amount of spin can cover this”.  “The numbers don’t lie. The Government’s decisions are actively making our economy worse. It’s time they take responsibility for their choices and stop blaming others.”  In a twist of fiscal irony. The error in Edmonds’ chart is a result of Labour’s own book-cooking in Government.  In 2022, then-Finance Minister Grant Robertson changed the Government’s main debt indicator from net core Crown debt to something called net debt. The difference between the two indicators was that the old indicator did not include the assets of the Super Fund, which has the effect of making debt look larger, and the new indicator did include the Super Fund, making net debt look smaller.  The argument for the old indicator was that the fund should be excluded because the Government was unlikely to sell the fund if it got into a fiscal pickle, the argument for the new indicator, which was backed by Treasury, was that it was more comparable with other countries’ debt metrics.  Edmonds’ graph was created by a Labour supporter and not the party itself and was a popular meme during the earlier part the Sixth Labour Government because it showed, using a line in Labour red, the rapid reduction in debt under the Clark Government followed by, in a line of National blue, the rapid increase in debt under the Key Government, prompted by the Global Financial Crisis and the Christchurch Earthquakes.  The original chart used net core Crown debt. Someone appears to have updated the chart to add the years 2020 to 2023, but instead of using net core Crown debt, they switched to net debt, which has the effect of suggesting Labour borrowed vast amounts of money in 2017-2020 and then repaid most of it in 2020-2023.  The chart purports to show the “net debt” figure, although net debt figures have not been calculated as far back as 1972, when the chart begins. The current debt indicator has figures stretching back to 1992.  Edmonds’ new graph uses a net core Crown debt indicator. It expresses debt as a percentage of GDP, which tends to be preferred when looking at debt over a long period of time. It no longer makes a distinction between National and Labour Governments, which is no longer as flattering to Labour as it was before 2020. If colours were used, the chart would still flatter Labour Finance Minister Michael Cullen — but it would also show the finance minister who really bent the debt curve was National’s Ruth Richardson, under whom the debt ratio peaked, before beginning to fall.  Thomas Coughlan is Deputy Political Editor and covers politics from Parliament. He has worked for the Herald since 2021 and has worked in the press gallery since 2018.  Fri, 20 Dec 2024 01:42:28 Z /news/politics/prime-minister-christopher-luxon-won-t-attend-waitangi-treaty-ground-celebrations-will-be-elsewhere/ /news/politics/prime-minister-christopher-luxon-won-t-attend-waitangi-treaty-ground-celebrations-will-be-elsewhere/ Prime Minister Christopher Luxon will not attend Waitangi Treaty Grounds events on Waitangi Day next year. The Prime Minister on Thursday afternoon released a statement saying that while the Government would have “senior representatives” in attendance at events around the country, including at the treaty grounds, he would be “elsewhere”. Details of where the Prime Minister will spend the national day will be released closer to the time. “It has always been my intention to celebrate Waitangi Day around the country with different iwi,” said Luxon. “I have been in Waitangi the last two years, including in my first year as Prime Minister, so next year I have decided to head to another part of the country. “Waitangi Day is of national importance, and I am keen to join New Zealanders celebrating it in other regions. “I have spoken to Waitangi National Trust chair Pita Tipene and wished them all the best for their event in Waitangi.” He will also not attend the National Iwi Chairs Forum in Waitangi on February 4. He met iwi leaders in Wellington on Thursday. “It was a very positive and productive discussion. There are a number of areas where the Government and Māori are already working together, for example in health, housing, infrastructure and climate adaptation,” Luxon said. “There is a lot of great work being done by iwi throughout the country and there are many opportunities for us to work together and do so much more.” Prime Minister Christopher Luxon, flanked by ACT leader David Seymour (left) and New Zealand First leader Winston Peters (right), being welcomed onto the Treaty Grounds at Waitangi in 2024. Photo / Getty Images Waitangi National Trust chair Pita Tipene said Luxon’s decision was disappointing, and there was “no other place for the Prime Minister to be” on Waitangi Day. He said Luxon had contacted him today to advise him of the decision. “I’m very disappointed. I do understand other iwi have invited him, he will still send senior Cabinet ministers to Waitangi to be part of the commemorations but, yeah, we as a board and the Waitangi National Trust are always looking to the kāwanatanga [government] to front up.” He said there had been some calls for the Government not to be invited to Waitangi, given the controversy over its measures impacting on Māori, such as the Treaty Principles Bill. “But still it’s disappointing the Prime Minister won’t be there because he is the lead for the kawanatanga and it needs to be led.” He said Te Whare Rūnanga was built to allow for ongoing conversations about Te Tiriti on the Treaty grounds. “We as the Waitangi National Trust want to ensure that, whatever happens, the ongoing conversation continues to be held on the day that it was signed. There is no other place for the Prime Minister to be than in front of Te Whare Rūnanga on the 6th of February, where Te Tiriti was signed.” Earlier this week, Tipene had urged the PM to continue to mark the day at Waitangi after Luxon revealed he was considering visiting other places. Luxon had said security was not one of the reasons for his decision-making and Tipene said the organisers worked hard to ensure it was safe. “We uphold our manaakitanga [hospitality] at Waitangi and all manuhiri or visitors are welcome. And we’ll do our darnedest to accommodate people and make sure they’re safe through some demanding times.” Waitangi National Trust chair Pita Tipene. Photo / Susan Botting On Monday, Luxon wouldn’t say whether he would attend the Waitangi Day commemoration in the Northland town next year, saying he had received a number of invitations from different iwi. He noted that former National Prime Minister Sir Bill English had visited Ngāti Whātua insetad, which was a “really good example”. Other Prime Ministers, including Helen Clark and Sir John Key, also decided to stay away from Waitangi and Te Tii marae on occasion. The Government has faced significant backlash against some of its policies affecting Māori, including the decision to allow Act’s Treaty Principles Bill to have a first reading. National and New Zealand First plan to oppose it at the second reading. Tens of thousands of people marched on Parliament last month in opposition to those policies. Act’s David Seymour has previously confirmed he would attend Waitangi. He’s been contacted for further comment, as has New Zealand First leader Winston Peters. Labour’s Chris Hipkins believed the Prime Minister should front up if the Government was going to do something “controversial”. “It’s more important than ever that you show up and talk about it,” he said. His colleague, Willie Jackson, said that he had heard that there were concerns about MPs' safety, but Luxon on Monday said security wasn’t an issue. “Māori are angry, Māori are furious, and we saw that with the hīkoi, but at least it was a very peaceful hīkoi but if I was part of the Government I’d be worried going up there too,” Jackson said. Te Pāti Māori co-leader Rawiri Waititi said if Luxon didn’t turn up, it would show “he’s got no balls and may be a drop-nuts in terms of facing the people”. More to come Thu, 19 Dec 2024 01:54:36 Z /news/politics/government-mandates-free-speech-policies-for-universities/ /news/politics/government-mandates-free-speech-policies-for-universities/ By RNZ The coalition is tweaking university regulations to curb what it says is an increasingly “risk-averse approach” to free speech. The proposed changes will set clear expectations on how universities should approach freedom of speech issues. Each university will then have to adopt a “freedom of speech statement” consistent with the central Government’s expectations. The changes will also prohibit tertiary institutions from adopting positions on issues that do not relate to their core functions. Associate Education Minister David Seymour said fostering students' ability to debate ideas is an essential part of universities' educational mission. “Despite being required by the Education Act and the Bill of Rights Act to uphold academic freedom and freedom of expression, there is a growing trend of universities deplatforming speakers and cancelling events where they might be perceived as controversial or offensive. “That’s why the National/Act coalition agreement committed to introduce protections for academic freedom and freedom of speech to ensure universities perform their role as the critic and conscience of society.” Minister for Tertiary Education and Skills Penny Simmonds said freedom of speech was fundamental to the concept of academic freedom. Minister for Tertiary Education and Skills Penny Simmonds. Photo / Phil Smith “Universities should promote diversity of opinion and encourage students to explore new ideas and perspectives. This includes enabling them to hear from invited speakers with a range of viewpoints.” It is expected the changes will take effect by the end of next year, after which universities will have six months to develop a statement and get it approved. - RNZ Thu, 19 Dec 2024 01:51:25 Z