Wednesday April 24, 2024 

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Mike Butler: Maori wards basic facts

Maori wards became an issue again when the New Zealand coalition government announced, on April 4, 2024, that it would restore the rights of communities to determine whether to introduce Maori wards in local government.

Since the Ardern Labour government in 2021 removed the right to petition for a vote, 32 councils imposed Maori wards knowing that mostly whenever a vote was held, substantial opposition would block the proposal.

This piece serves to fill in the gaps because recent commentary promoting Maori wards mostly neglects to give basic facts, context, or background.

Point of Order: Buzz from the Beehive - 24/4/24

At a time of media turmoil, Melissa had nothing to proclaim as Minister – and now she has been demoted

Melissa Lee – as may be discerned from the screenshot below – has not been demoted for doing something seriously wrong as Minister of Media and Communications.

To the contrary, her career has been besmirched by her failure to do anything – an accomplishment embarrassingly recorded on a blank sheet on the official government website (which was updated this afternoon to remove her name from the page).

David Farrar: Is the Commerce Commission for consumers or suppliers

Max Salmon writes:

Last week the Commerce Commission announced its concern with a proposed merger between Foodstuffs North Island and Foodstuffs South Island. Their concern is a decrease in competition in the market.

It sounds crazy when you first hear it, but it’s even weirder when you see what the Commerce Commission is actually worried about.

Hon Chris Bishop, Hon Todd McClay, Hon Andrew Hoggard: RMA Bill

Urgent changes to system through first RMA Amendment Bill

The coalition Government is delivering on its commitment to improve resource management laws and give greater certainty to consent applicants, with a Bill to amend the Resource Management Act (RMA) expected to be introduced to Parliament next month.

RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop has today outlined the first RMA Amendment Bill which will make urgent changes to the resource management system.

David Farrar: Two Ministers lose portfolios

1 News reports:

Melissa Lee has been relieved of the role of Media and Communications Minister, while Penny Simmonds has also lost her disabilities portfolio.

Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has explained the change saying due to significant challenges in each portfolio they should be held by senior Cabinet ministers.

Sir Bob Jones: Reefton - The new Paris

In an at times ridiculously over the top article by an Annamarie Quill, the Stuff website recently waxed worshipfully about the virtues of the West Coast town of Reefton.

First, it had the cheapest houses in New Zealand. There’s an age-old reason for that being few people want to live there, notwithstanding its vaunted trout-fishing, potential gold mining resources and the discovery of a rare mineral, antimony, yet to be mined but apparently in hot demand.

Cam Slater: Labour – The Party for Crims

While the Government moves to honour an election promise by introducing legislation to bring back the Three Strikes laws, Labour is hell-bent on proving that they are the party for the criminal classes in New Zealand.

Professor Robert MacCulloch: How National Can Neutralize Serious Allegations of Corruption

How National Can Neutralize Serious Allegations of Corruption Should the "Fast Track" Bill Become Law

Pundits from the left and the right are arguing that National's Fast Track Bill that is designed to speed up infrastructure decisions could end up becoming mired in a cesspool of corruption. Political commentator Bryce Edwards has summarized them - noting that even National Party pollster and analyst David Farrar has written about his concerns, saying that a “legitimate concern is the potential for corruption” flowing from the new rules.

Professor John Raine: Refocusing our Universities on Excellence

Many will have raised a glass to the 27th March Government announcement of the establishment of the University Advisory Group (UAG), which will consider the effectiveness of the current university system in supporting teaching and research. There are key issues to address around the university business model, operational efficiency, and the loss of political neutrality.

Mike's Minute: The moral question around advertising on social media

One of the mysteries of our time is why so many businesses, and big businesses, spend so much money on social media platforms, given what's on those platforms.

Hyundai are the latest to pause their advertising on 'X' after anti-Semitic posts were highlighted and the car company's ads were right next door.

Breaking Views Update: Week of 21.4.24

Wednesday April 24, 2024 

News:
HRC Hijacked By Radicals, Disband It
“While Kiwi households and government departments are tightening their budgets, the Human Rights Commission is throwing its $15 million budget at left-wing activism – the latest being a campaign for a divisive constitution,” says ACT Justice spokesperson Todd Stephenson.

“After it recently hired Claire Charters, a co-author of the radically divisive He Puapua report, the Commission has now held a conference at Auckland University called ‘Designing our Constitution’ for the purpose of designing a ‘Te Tiriti-based constitution’.

Dr Eric Crampton: Still no prudential regulation case around climate change

The Reserve Bank of New Zealand desperately wants to find reasons to have workstreams in climate change.

It makes little sense.

They've run another stress test on the banks looking to see if they could find a prudential regulation case.

John MacDonald: The Government is playing placebo politics

Have you ever heard of a placebo policy? That’s what this Three Strikes law is, and I don’t think bringing it back is going to make one bit of difference.

You’ll know what a placebo is when it comes to things like clinical trials where they give someone a sugar pill but tell them it’s medicine, and the person says ‘oh I feel much better, thanks’.

Eliora: At Last, It’s Coming Back to Bite Them in the Bum

Watch These Three Declarations Backfire

In March 2020, then Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern told the country she had all the legislative means and enforcement powers to tell us what we could and couldn’t do. The doctors in New Zealand were told they must be positive about the Covid-19 vaccine. New Zealanders were told they must affirm the wishes of a child or young person wanting to change gender. Three forceful declarations.

David Farrar: A good win for Newsroom

Newsroom has won in the Court of Appeal over whether it can make available its video exposing the then practice of reverse uplifts because the foster parents were the wrong ethnicity.

A key quote:

Tuesday April 23, 2024 

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Professor Robert MacCulloch: Bizarre Claims

On Richard Prebble and Don Brash's Bizarre Claims about the link between Trade and Military Alliances

Last week, former ACT Party leader & Labour Minister, Richard Prebble, who reads this blog, wrote an opinion piece for Main Steam Media behemoth, the NZ Herald, with the blazing headline, "It is lunacy to join a military alliance aimed at our biggest trading partner". Don Brash, former National Party Leader & RBNZ Governor, together with Helen Clark, our former PM, have been writing articles with the same theme.

Point of Order: Buzz from the Beehive - 23/4/24

RMA reforms aim to ease stock-grazing rules and reduce farmers’ costs – but Taxpayers’ Union wants even more changes

Reactions to news of the government’s readiness to make urgent changes to “the resource management system” through a Bill to amend the Resource Management Act (RMA) suggest a balanced approach is being taken.

The Taxpayers’ Union says the proposed changes don’t go far enough. Greenpeace says they go much too far.

Mike’s Minute: Ideology is hijacking reality on climate

Surely we didn’t miss the irony on climate change?

On the day it's announced we have reduced our emissions now for three years in a row, so good on us, the very next day Transpower, the people who get the electricity into your lounge, tell us yet again that this Winter has issues and peak load and demand might be problematic.