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Radio NZ’s bizarre handling of the Bayly fiasco

Written By: - Date published: 4:08 pm, February 25th, 2025 - 42 comments

This morning on Radio New Zealand there was sharp questioning of Christopher Luxon by Ingrid Hipkiss and sharp analysis by Jo Moir. But they allowed Brigette Morten air time to spin the issue in a National friendly way.

Come Rich Foreigners – New Zealand Is For Sale

Written By: - Date published: 1:08 pm, February 24th, 2025 - 4 comments

Long signaled, all right wing parties are opening the doors for wealthy foreigners to easily acquire our significant assets and lands.

New school lunches waste appears to exceed 70% as David Seymour’s incompetence and PR reliance rises to the fore

Written By: - Date published: 12:31 pm, February 24th, 2025 - 13 comments

The Associate Education Minister has defended the new school lunch program even as the government says it is not collecting any official feedback. Meanwhile no word from National’s Education Minister Erica Stanford.

Seymour is wrecking the school lunch program

Written By: - Date published: 9:00 am, February 24th, 2025 - 26 comments

David Seymour’s handling of changes to free school lunches has been an unmitigated disaster. Is the plan to make the scheme that bad it can then be cancelled?

Good as gold

Written By: - Date published: 3:44 pm, February 22nd, 2025 - 19 comments

A fascinating expose from Michael Hudson on the causes and implications of the recent rise in the price of gold. When Nixon took the US dollar off the standard in 1971 you could get an ounce for $35. Not now; Hudson explains why.

A Commercial Peace Agreement? 

Written By: - Date published: 10:54 am, February 20th, 2025 - 68 comments

Trump’s opening bid for peace towards Ukraine was that the United States would gain access to Ukraine’s rare earth minerals.

About Karen Chhour’s youth offending claims

Written By: - Date published: 11:53 am, February 19th, 2025 - 11 comments

Karen Chhor has made two recent claims, that youth crime is at an all time high, and that serious and persistent offending has increased dramatically to justify her boot camps policy. Neither claim appears to be true.

Happy Pride weekend everyone – except to you Brian Tamaki

Written By: - Date published: 9:36 am, February 16th, 2025 - 40 comments

Yesterday Destiny Church followers terrorised some children in Te Atatu library watching a children’s science show hosted by drag artist Hugo Grrrl and then disrupted Auckland’s Pride parade in a misconceived attempt to prove their manliness.

State of the Nation – dire

Written By: - Date published: 8:23 am, February 12th, 2025 - 18 comments

Remember National’s promise to get us back on track? Salvation Army’s latest state of the nation report suggests that for ordinary people things are getting much worse.

Kieran McAnulty is underrated: How Chris Bishop Got Away with Blowing Up Kāinga Ora & State Housing Momentum

Written By: - Date published: 9:39 am, February 11th, 2025 - 13 comments

Kieran McAnulty’s points are fair and important – so why is media ignoring most of them? Also – Labour delivered 14,000 homes in government – so why is Chris Bishop blowing that trajectory up?

Leadership D.O.A.

Written By: - Date published: 8:41 am, February 10th, 2025 - 31 comments

As we approach the half-time oranges for his government, I thought I’d give Mr Luxon some feedback and a few suggestions on how he might turn things around – if becoming a real leader interests him.

The Anti-China Consensus is a Matter of World War III

Written By: - Date published: 3:23 pm, February 8th, 2025 - 24 comments

Team Biden might have believed that it kept America out of World War III, but
it’s far too early to declare even that much. Zero-sum biases plague US foreign policy, especially toward China.

Dear Mum and Dad

Written By: - Date published: 5:05 pm, February 4th, 2025 - 5 comments

I had a great week at school!

Cancun Cruz’s crazy tweet

Written By: - Date published: 12:12 pm, February 2nd, 2025 - 17 comments

Ted Cruz has criticised New Zealand for requiring all Israelis to detail their military experience before coming to New Zealand. But there is a problem with this. He is wrong.

Tim Jago is part of a bigger ACT Party issue

Written By: - Date published: 11:51 am, February 2nd, 2025 - 95 comments

The former ACT Party President’s name suppression ceased 2 years after Jago was charged, allowing ACT to bypass critical scrutiny during the 2023 election

The Second Major Offensive of Neoliberalism in New Zealand Since the 80s

Written By: - Date published: 8:00 am, February 2nd, 2025 - 28 comments

The Coalition is fighting a multi-front blitzkrieg to entrench neoliberal hegemony in NZ.

What will he do next?

Written By: - Date published: 10:18 am, February 1st, 2025 - 29 comments

I did not think it possible but it seems that every week Donald Trump does something that makes me think even worse of him.

Better Late than Never?

Written By: - Date published: 6:13 pm, January 31st, 2025 - 10 comments

Davey Seymour’s Disgusting School Dinners, and the faster you go, the bigger the mess, but does Chris Bishop look bothered?

Keep on Digging

Written By: - Date published: 3:44 pm, January 30th, 2025 - 30 comments

The latest outbursts and brain farts from the great Kumara of the North…

Open to all today in Nick’s Kōrero – Shane Jones calls climate change ‘woke’ and says, ‘Send the Mexicans home’.

Later Stuart

Written By: - Date published: 5:06 pm, January 29th, 2025 - 14 comments

Stuart Nash has suggested that Labour is losing support for not sticking to its values. But his suggested policy solution would have Labour resemble National lite, not deepest red Labour.

If that’s Luxon’s Plan, What About Labour? 

Written By: - Date published: 1:05 pm, January 26th, 2025 - 56 comments

It’s time to highlight what a Labour plan for the New Zealand economy under a 2026 government would look like. And ask questions. 

In Defence of Golriz Ghahraman

Written By: - Date published: 2:11 pm, January 22nd, 2025 - 39 comments

Golriz Ghahraman didn’t shoplift “again” – but recent media reports made it sound like she did. This article looks back on her history and her treatment by NZ’s political and media class.

The difference between Christopher Luxon and Donald Trump *

Written By: - Date published: 12:15 pm, January 22nd, 2025 - 23 comments

* is not as great as you think.

NZ: The Final Atlas Network Puzzle Piece Has Arrived

Written By: - Date published: 6:41 pm, January 16th, 2025 - 28 comments

The final Atlas Network playbook puzzle piece is here, and it slipped in to Aotearoa New Zealand with little fan fare or attention from media or opposition. The implications are stark.

Reviewing the Cook Strait Ferry fiasco

Written By: - Date published: 1:07 pm, January 16th, 2025 - 35 comments

A review of the history of the Ferries issue suggests that this could be coalition ending and career ending.

The Los Angeles fires – could they happen here?

Written By: - Date published: 12:02 pm, January 11th, 2025 - 20 comments

With large parts of Los Angeles burning and the right still trying to divert attention and blame the question arises, could the same thing happen here?

Interesting Yanis Varoufakis.

Written By: - Date published: 8:48 am, January 7th, 2025 - 27 comments

That Star Trek depicts a communist society, without of course calling it that, is crystal clear.

President Trump makes a new Middle East Possible

Written By: - Date published: 6:04 pm, January 5th, 2025 - 23 comments

U.S. President-Elect Donald Trump makes more things possible in the Middle East than the Biden administration.

Costello hands out free vapes

Written By: - Date published: 5:43 pm, January 5th, 2025 - 11 comments

The Government has announced that it will be supplying vaping starter kits to stop smoking services. It is not known who will be the suppliers of these kits or on what terms.

2024 in review

Written By: - Date published: 11:01 am, December 31st, 2024 - 25 comments

It is that time of year when during the brief hiatus of civilisation known as the holidays we get the time to reflect on what has happened over the past 12 months.

Wage theft – now that is a real crime

Written By: - Date published: 5:38 pm, December 30th, 2024 - 17 comments

In Australia, the Fair Work Act is enhanced to provide for jail time and large fines for individuals and companies who deliberately indulged in wage theft. It is a Federal act with investigative powers. Our members ‘Theft by Employers’ bill looks pathetic by comparison. But worth passing in its 3rd reading. It would be a “real tough on crime” act – not weak like Mark Mitchell’s tee-shirt snatch.