political parties

Will Shane Jones stand for NZ First in Whangarei?

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 9:08 am, September 5th, 2016 - 53 comments

Rumours suggesting that Shane Jones will stand for New Zealand First in Whangarei at the next election have resurfaced.

Only unsustainable net migration fuels “growth”

Written By: lprent - Date published: 10:22 am, September 2nd, 2016 - 107 comments

Our National dipshit ministers have decided to start a new growth industry. They importing low-skilled to extract their savings, using them to generate artificial heat in the service economy and to slow wage growth. On the way through they’re also screwing the housing market. Our current net permanent long-term migration is completely unsustainable. Perhaps it is time to vote NZ First?

Water quality too important for bird-brained excuses

Written By: Anthony R0bins - Date published: 7:01 am, September 1st, 2016 - 59 comments

Nick Smith’s latest excuse for inaction on water quality is birds. Yes birds. You couldn’t make this shit up.

For a dose of blessed sanity, watch the (10 min) webcast by Dr Mike Joy explaining what the real problem is.

Mt Roskill by election – cooperating parties cooperate shock!

Written By: Anthony R0bins - Date published: 7:02 am, August 31st, 2016 - 96 comments

If Phil Goff wins the Auckland mayoralty there will be a by-election in Mt Roskill. Building on their MOU, Labour and the Greens may cooperate. Good!

Nats cut police resources then demand the impossible

Written By: Anthony R0bins - Date published: 12:02 pm, August 30th, 2016 - 46 comments

We have had years of systematic under funding of the police and front-line numbers are falling. None the less police are now expected to attend every burglary. For the sake of this exercise in public perception other areas of police wrok will suffer.

Nanaia Mahuta: “I refuse to engage in the politics of desperation”

Written By: notices and features - Date published: 12:00 pm, August 30th, 2016 - 108 comments

The MP for Hauraki-Waikato has responded strongly to the latest jibes coming from the Māori Party.

Labour’s Auckland Push

Written By: te reo putake - Date published: 10:51 am, August 30th, 2016 - 57 comments

Matt McCarten is to head a new Labour party office in Auckland. The party is going to take to fight to National in the city that decides the election. Yet another bold step from Andrew Little, who is looking more and more like the next PM.

Key finally admits there is a housing crisis but says it is all Labour’s fault

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 8:35 am, August 30th, 2016 - 32 comments

John Key has used some very dodgy figures to claim that the housing crisis was worse under Labour than it is now.

Roy Morgan August; Nat’s Down 7%

Written By: te reo putake - Date published: 7:50 pm, August 29th, 2016 - 268 comments

The latest Roy Morgan is out. A solid 7% drop for National.

Land banking – National gives up on housing crisis

Written By: Anthony R0bins - Date published: 7:02 am, August 29th, 2016 - 29 comments

As the average Auckland house price hits $1 Million, the Special Housing Areas fail, and Real Estate agents openly promote land banking, what does National do? Why, they give up, of course.

Toby Morris: TA’s Story

Written By: notices and features - Date published: 11:12 am, August 28th, 2016 - 10 comments

Illustrator and commentator Toby Morris has animated TA’s story: “What do you want most in the world,” John Campbell asks TA, who has been living in a van with her family since February. “A library.”

Fair and sustainable economics

Written By: weka - Date published: 12:42 pm, August 27th, 2016 - 168 comments

Green Party finance spokesperson Julie Anne Genter starts a conversation about post-neoliberal economics.

Nick Smith commits to raising average wage to $250,000

Written By: Anthony R0bins - Date published: 10:55 am, August 27th, 2016 - 37 comments

Great news everyone! On The Nation this morning Nick Smith committed to raising average NZ wage to $250,000!

The Spinoff: Housing crisis costing Nats

Written By: notices and features - Date published: 7:23 am, August 27th, 2016 - 14 comments

The Spinoff: “Lose the top of your party vote in Auckland, with Labour making ground, and the picture for the general election in 2017 looks like, walks like and quacks like a crisis.”

Robertson: Lessons from the Future of Work Commission

Written By: notices and features - Date published: 1:22 pm, August 26th, 2016 - 10 comments

Robertson: “What is the economic paradigm that will meet the challenge of world of less secure work, more automation?”

Chart of the day: The “building boom”

Written By: notices and features - Date published: 9:48 am, August 26th, 2016 - 119 comments

building-consents

Third term and full of ideas…

Written By: Ben Clark - Date published: 8:22 am, August 26th, 2016 - 59 comments

You know National really have their finger on the pulse with their latest members bills. First was Nuk Korako showing why he’s 50 on the list with a bill that seems to not actually affect anything. There don’t seem to be any Airports that have local Councils force them to advertise their lost luggage auctions […]

Homeless crisis – Nats in full denial

Written By: Anthony R0bins - Date published: 7:01 am, August 26th, 2016 - 82 comments

New research on homelessness from Otago University sheds light on the depth and breadth of the problem. Naturally Paula Bennett says she doesn’t believe it, and that she won’t read it. Because of course.

Foreign buyers estimated at 29%

Written By: notices and features - Date published: 7:03 am, August 25th, 2016 - 75 comments

Most of the media has reported the Government’s “3%” spin on the extent of residential property purchases in NZ going to foreign buyers pretty uncritically. There have been honourable exceptions, and yesterday property editor Anne Gibson in The Herald joined them.

Nats push stupidest education plan ever

Written By: Anthony R0bins - Date published: 2:26 pm, August 23rd, 2016 - 218 comments

It’s not April 1st, so I’m forced to conclude that this is a genuine announcement: Students to learn online from home instead of at school under major education reform.

Andrew Little on housing

Written By: notices and features - Date published: 10:16 am, August 23rd, 2016 - 109 comments

Andrew Little: “John Key will give you all the excuses you can stomach for his failure to stabilise house prices and boost incomes but the truth is clear: if we want to change the path we’re on, we need to change the government.”

Guest post: Tane Phillips for Māori Vice President

Written By: Guest post - Date published: 8:00 am, August 23rd, 2016 - 11 comments

The Standard’s authors have offered candidates for the upcoming Labour Party internal elections the chance to guest post about why they’re running. Tane Phillips has been nominated for the position of Māori Vice President. Here’s his vision for the role and the party.

The cross-party inquiry into homelessness is under way

Written By: Anthony R0bins - Date published: 1:04 pm, August 22nd, 2016 - 48 comments

After National blocked a proposed official inquiry into homelessness, Labour, The Greens and The Maori Party went ahead with their own. It will no doubt come up with useful recommendations. But to see them implemented we will need to change the government.