Greenpeace hate it. So do farmers’ groups. But James Shaw is determined that the Zero Carbon Bill forges a fair path to a net-zero future. Toby Manhire sits down in a parliamentary corridor with the climate change minister to discuss the bill, and why he’s been bending over backwards to win National’s support. For James … Read more
This is the perfect time to announce a future ban on sales of fossil fuel cars, argues former National Party cabinet minister Wayne Mapp. Now that we have got past the CGT shemozzle, we can get back to the serious policy that the prime minister says is the existential crisis of our times, climate change. … Read more
A cornerstone of the Labour-Green post-election deal, the legislation will enshrine net zero emissions by 2050, with an independent Climate Change Commission installed. Methane gases, primarily emitted by agriculture in NZ, will need to reduce by 10% by 2030 under the bill. Read the Spinoff interview with climate change minister James Shaw here. Almost a … Read more
The government wants to call the vote on legalising marijuana a binding referendum but it isn’t a binding referendum, explains Graeme Edgeler. So, the government has announced a binding referendum will be held on the legalisation of cannabis? No. The government has announced a non-binding referendum on the legalisation of cannabis. They want to … Read more
Andrew Geddis sifts through the constitutional implications of forthcoming vote on legalising cannabis, and offers a warning about the way the campaign is likely to unfold Today we sort-of found out what we are going to get to vote on at this election’s “reeferendum”. We are going to get to say whether we want to … Read more
The details for the 2021 referendum on legalising personal cannabis use have been published. What will the question be? Will there be legislation and can the government elected in 2020 change it? And are cannabis cafes on the horizon? Russell Brown makes sense of it all Since the 2017 confidence and supply agreement between the … Read more
‘All New Zealanders should have equal access to the same standard of treatment’ was the pledge 80 years ago. The data reveal just how far we are from honouring that pledge, explain Carl Shuker and Robin Gauld. Data analysis and assistance by Alexis Wevers, Vincent Carroll and Catherine Gerard. Richard Smith, the irascible, brilliant editor … Read more
The Opportunities Party’s top echelons are at war, with the board’s membership representative accusing leader Geoff Simmons of misleading the party, having a conflict of interest over roles, and warning of a dire financial situation. Alex Braae reports. It’s tough at the top for Opportunities Party leader Geoff Simmons. Just a few days ago, he … Read more
The goal is a crackdown on violence and extremism online. But if the French president’s record is anything to go by, anyone who values civil liberties should be very concerned, writes Branko Marcetic. This time next week Jacinda Ardern will be preparing to leave for Paris to co-chair with French president Emmanuel Macron a G7 … Read more
The Welfare Expert Advisory Group’s report could have been the backbone for so much more, writes activist and former Green MP Sue Bradford. The government’s response to the findings of the Welfare Expert Advisory Group (WEAG), which was released on Friday, is dismal. It appears the only substantive welfare reform we can expect during this parliamentary term … Read more
Averting catastrophic climate change will require system-level change, not the light touch, ‘gradual transition’ approach our government is taking. “You lied to us. You gave us false hope. You told us that the future was something to look forward to.” These were the words of Greta Thunberg, the 16-year-old who inspired the global school strikes … Read more
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and her fish-hunting boyfriend Clarke Gayford are getting married, it was revealed today. What will it all involve? Almost certainly these things. Most likely theme for hen night: Working Group. Most likely theme for stag do: Catch and Release Most likely wedding venue: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Hobbiton. … Read more
One of the government’s most important working groups has just reported back on what changes should be made to the welfare system. So what have they said? And what will the government do about it? At a glance: Sanctions on solo mothers who refuse to name the father of their child will be abolished Benefit … Read more
In ditching the CGT, Jacinda Ardern has implicitly accepted that the primary structure of savings and investment in New Zealand will remain bound up in the family home. Accepting this reality may have been necessary to keep Kiwibuild on life support as house prices begin to fall. Avoiding solutions to the political question of wealth … Read more
On May 1st 2019, Simon Bridges stood up in parliament and yelled the word “slushies” at the government. Madeleine Chapman dives deep into the slush. Hon SIMON BRIDGES: So what has the Government delivered? Hon Members: Nothing. Hon SIMON BRIDGES: Oh, nothing. Slushies—Kelvin Davis says 193 slushy machines, at nearly $6,000 each. Well, Grant Robertson … Read more
Scientists say that gene editing is the same as selective breeding, and could make a big difference in combating our environmental challenges. But the government refuses to listen, argues Opportunities Party leader Geoff Simmons. We are facing some enormous environmental challenges over the coming decades, in particular climate change, waste, and water quality. Meanwhile, we … Read more
Is the bond of trust and confidence between Mihingarangi Forbes and Annabelle Lee-Mather as strong as that between Judith Collins and Simon Bridges? In the latest Gone By Lunchtime, also featuring Toby Manhire and Ben Thomas, we investigate over a cool, refreshing slushy. Special guest Mihi Forbes joins the usual rabble to discuss the fallout … Read more
David Seymour is one of the most visible political figures in NZ media, with his opinions aired more widely than you might expect from the sole MP for a party that polls at 1%. How does the ACT leader manage such an impressive media presence, asks Gareth Shute. In the past two months, David Seymour … Read more
Publicly telling the world a bunch of private visitors intend to cause prisoner revolts is a very good way of giving prison authorities “reasonable grounds” to deny you entry, writes Andrew Geddis For someone who says he simply wants his Destiny Church’s “Man Up/Tu Tanganta” programme (sorry, “lifestyle”) to help “restore men to their true … Read more
When a political career is about to go up in flames, there’s almost always a moment when the politician just becomes utterly ridiculous. Has Simon Bridges just had that moment? In almost anyone’s books, blathering on about slushies on Morning Report would be considered a low point. For Simon Bridges, it might just be the … Read more
If we want to have nice things again, our best bet is to unite across age, race, gender or other lines under shared economic interests, rather than divide ourselves generationally, writes Branko Marcetic. Duncan Greive and I have a disagreement. Well, actually, we mostly agree. I, too, am disappointed by the prime minister’s abandonment of … Read more
Ukraine has elected as its president a comedian with no political experience and not many policies. So what would our comedians do if elected to be the President of New Zealand? Here are their manifestos. Guy Williams Two words: Flag referendum. The last one was a shambles and we need another one! I genuinely think New … Read more
The prime minister and the leader of the opposition are supposed to be enemies, but Madeleine Chapman just wants Jacinda Ardern and Simon Bridges to be friends again. There’s a moment in every romantic comedy when one protagonist realises that the other protagonist likes them, despite all their actions and words up until that point … Read more
ISIS and a junior defence minister in the Sri Lankan government have asserted the terrorist attacks on churches and hotels were a response to the attack on mosques in Christchurch on 15 March. The claims need to be treated with scepticism, writes security analyst Paul Buchanan in this post originally published at RNZ Having been defeated … Read more
A month ago the ABC published an open letter to Jacinda Ardern from Summer Joyan, a 13-year-old Australian Muslim. Ardern replied personally. Here, Summer Joyan writes on the impact of the Christchurch attack, and the NZ prime minister’s response, in her country. I recently wrote an open letter to Jacinda Ardern. I wrote to her … Read more
Jacinda Ardern will head to Paris next month to co-host a forum devoted to an accord on ‘eliminating terrorist and violent extremist content online’. What could such a pledge look like, and what could it usefully achieve, asks Jordan Carter of InternetNZ. Jacinda Ardern this morning announced that New Zealand and France are working together … Read more
Revelations that the Ministry of Health has been forced into a u-turn on cuts to disability services might have attracted attention, but as Chris Ford points out, the sector has long been under attack. Over Easter, the reality of the now-cancelled cuts to disability support services (DSS) was laid bare in an article by Kirsty … Read more
Traditional local council structures are shutting out indigenous voices. Māori wards were supposed to be the answer – so why are so few being created? Local government elections occur every three years, and are a chance to decide who we want to represent us in our local councils. But year after year, proposals to establish … Read more
The number of ‘attachment orders’ on benefits has grown dramatically in recent years, locking some of the poorest New Zealanders into ever deeper cycles of debt. Joseph Nunweek writes. When Sharon* first heard the knock at her door and saw the men standing outside, she assumed it was something to do with her ex. Before … Read more