Political Yarns Latest Topics

Freedom of Speech??

Thu, 11 Sep 2025 19:31:59 +0000

With the shooting of Charlie Kirk, the spotlight has been turned on freedom of speech.

One question, if people's rights and freedom of speech is the cornerstone of democracy, why is America such a cot case

An American Pope voted in in super quick time

Fri, 09 May 2025 06:48:32 +0000

The memes of Donald Trump as the Pope have come to fruition.

Most sense heard in a while

Sun, 23 Feb 2025 02:28:19 +0000

I've listened to an interview on ZB, Leighton Smith talking to former Act MP Dr Muriel Newman. Her views on the China invasion into the South Pacific, the law changes on NZ seabed ownership and climate change were the most sense I've heard in this mad world lately. If there is anyone capable of adding a link to it I think it's well worth a listen.

Police Commissioner Coster Resigns!

Mon, 23 Sep 2024 23:49:17 +0000

Image for representation© Getty

Police Commissioner Andrew Coster has resigned to take on the role of chief executive of the new Social Investment Agency.

His term at police was due to end in April next year, and he had already signalled he would not look to renew it.

Acting Public Service Commissioner Heather Baggott announced the new appointment on Tuesday - a dual role at both the Social Investment Agency and Secretary for Social Investment.

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Coster has been appointed for a five year term from 11 November.

Baggott said in a statement the role of secretary was the government's lead advisor for delivering social investment, and responsible for embedding the government's social investment approach, driving change in the delivery of social services, and influencing more effective expenditure and better outcomes for New Zealand's most vulnerable.

Coster was appointed police commissioner in 2020 - a five year term position, taking over from Mike Bush.

Before that he was acting deputy commissioner of police and had a previous role as deputy chief executive at the Ministry of Justice.

"He is a highly respected and impressive public service leader who has considerable experience delivering initiatives to address complex social issues," Baggott said.

National has had a turbulent relationship with the Commissioner - its former leader Simon Bridges called him a wokester - but the Prime Minister Christopher Luxon wants to put that in the past.

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"I'm not Simon Bridges if you haven't noticed, I'm Chris Luxon - leader of the National Party and Prime Minister of New Zealand.

"The point is, he's done an exceptionally good job, go back and look at the record," Luxon told RNZ.

"Think about gang tangi and how that was a problem, think about the Commanchero's being taken out, think about the beat police going in, extra resources going into gangs.

"He's done an exceptional job," Luxon said.

Police Minister Mark Mitchell wouldn't answer any of RNZ's questions about whether Coster was moving on because of the relationship with the new government.

However, Housing Minister Chris Bishop told RNZ he didn't believe Coster was leaving the role early because the "writing was on the wall".

Who the hell buys this shit?

Tue, 18 Jun 2024 07:35:46 +0000

Jacinda Ardern to lead global fellowship of progressive leaders

By 1News Reporters

3:10pm

Jacinda Ardern. (Source: Jacinda Ardern/Facebook)

Former prime minister Jacinda Ardern has announced she will lead a new fellowship programme for political leaders about leading with kindness and empathy.

Named Field, the programme will begin in Europe and bring together progressive politicians for a year-long programme.

"Field is hosted by Global Progress and will create a network of like-minded political leaders who use pragmatic idealism, speak to people with hope and optimism rather than fear or blame, and want to unite, rather than divide as we look to solve the challenges ahead," Ardern said in a statement.

She said it was an "incredibly humbling and exciting" project to lead.

"[It's] all part of my ongoing mission to help rehumanise leadership and just be useful."

Maiki Sherman....the "Breaking News" - "Crisis" that wasn't.

Mon, 29 Apr 2024 22:31:13 +0000

How relevant are political polls ?

Context is always important. National, NZ First and ACT are now Government due mostly to the fact large numbers of New Zealanders despised what the previous Labour Government did and wanted a Government to do virtually the opposite. That's pretty much what they got. In what way are those voters represented in TV New Bulletins? They aren't. All we've had since the election in October is a relentless flood of vested interest nonsense bagging the Government dressed up as news. There is zero balance. As always, media agendas dictate the direction of travel. After six months of that crap it would be a shock to see political polls showing anything other than a fall in support for the new Government. This is exactly why another poll seen in news bulletins on April 8th 2024 is far more relevant. What a shame Maiki Sherman like other media have chosen to ignore it.

https://www.rnz.co.nz/national/programmes/mediawatch/audio/2018933239/people-s-trust-in-news-has-tumbled-over-the-past-year-survey-shows#:~:text=For the first time since,40 per cent in 2023.

How relevant is the timing of political polls? Three months out from an election polls are relevant. A month out they are more important. Two weeks out they are even more relevant.

130 weeks out from the next election polls mean absolutely squat. Opposition parties are in a dripping water on a stone campaign mode but the Government couldn't possibly care less and rightly so.

Nobody runs an election campaign better and smarter than Winston Peters so what NZF is polling at two and a half years out from election day has zero relevance. If you want a reminder of that just look at the 2% he was polling at six weeks out from election day 2023. How quickly has vested interest Maiki Sherman forgotten that?

ACT and National are also just getting on with being Government. As time ticks over and the positive results of some of their policies start to come in you'll see folk knowing they are so much a better alternative to the previous load of Muppets who farcically still believe Hipkins is the right person to lead NZ despite conclusively proving he's absolutely not......unless of course you're Maori or Pacifica demanding and receiving special treatment, unemployed, gay, transgender or an unskilled immigrant. Labour's new voter base. Forget blue collar workers. Why? Because that's what Labour has done.

When you have to clean up a mess left behind and start rebuilding things take time. Our media place zero relevance on that fact. It contradicts their agenda.

If the way TVNZ's new political editor presented the new poll result last night is any guide she's not fit for purpose. It was presented like a major crisis and how NZF would no longer be in Parliament if an election was held tomorrow. All context was lost as there is no election for 130 far king weeks. David Seymour copped the same sort of bullshit.

It's not "Breaking News" and it's absolutely not a "Crisis".

What it is in reality is an irrelevant snapshot completely bereft of context.

Is Princess Kate dead?.

Wed, 13 Mar 2024 23:13:53 +0000

Is the house of Windsor about to disintegrate, Kate missing now for 79 days, fake photo's being put out by the Palace. Rumors of William committing adultery with another women just as his father did to Princess Diana. The King looking like death warmed up. Something is going on, and we the subjects are being lied to. Watch this space.

Past time for Hipkins to far koff

Fri, 26 Apr 2024 18:21:10 +0000

He's so weak and pathetic with his constant sniping trying desperately to be relevant and hold on to the Labour Leaders role. He failed so badly when in Government that it gifted the top floor to Luxon, Peters and Seymour who I believe are mostly doing a very good job. Their only failure so far to my eye is the way they're treating Police pay negotiations etc.

The only success Hipkins had was to help divide NZ via his virtue signaling and naivety. He reminds me of a little white poodle yap dog humping away at your leg.

NZ needs a good opposition party. The Maori Party and Greens are all about their own agenda and nobody gives a monkey's toss what Hipkins says so Labour need to pull finger sooner rather than later. Hipkins should put the good of the country over his own personal ambitions. He's not fit for purpose.

Is the Minister for Racing a psycopath??

Sun, 17 Mar 2024 06:01:15 +0000

One's judged by the company one keeps...

The racing industry has to put up with having a freaken lunatic at the helm it seems..

Comparing ANY coalition Government of NZ with Nazi Germany and the holocaust is a fucking disgrace and whichever racing club 'invites' this psycopath to it's next meeting should be pilloried...but let's face it...

..some in the racing industry believe Trump is the saviour of the World...they live amongst us

james Shaw. gooooorne

Tue, 30 Jan 2024 01:54:24 +0000

Left the greens to let them deal with their problems. I see people are saying Chloe hairy arm pits was with golly gravity? The most useless party ever. Shaw doesn't have to answer for his made up cv

Hipkins now wins 2023 quote of the year award.

Fri, 22 Dec 2023 23:58:28 +0000

"Two months on from Labour's election-night shellacking, leader Chris Hipkins still cannot pinpoint what the party could have done differently during the campaign to win"

https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/politics/2023/12/chris-hipkins-reflects-on-2023.html

Social Housing.

Tue, 19 Mar 2024 10:16:31 +0000

I'm sure there is sympathy from us all for people who through no fault of their own find themselves homeless. We do however know one size doesn't fit all on this topic.

More and more people in our communities however don't embrace the homeless via Kianga Ora being set up in their area. Why? Reason number one is many of these people bring all of their issues with drugs, alcohol, crime, gangs and violence right into their neighbourhood and on a daily basis. Their quality of life is invariably demolished and the value of their biggest asset is often negatively impacted. Many of these people are routinely intimidated, abused and threatened by their new neighbours. This is where the next big issue arrives. That being the refusal of Kianga Ora refusing to act on the thousands of serious complaints they receive.

The complainants who are often elderly homeowners are told there is nothing that can be done as these people need a home and that's their only priority. It's now beyond dispute that many of these social housing tenants are fully aware Kianga Ora gives them protected special treatment. Many take full advantage either via their conduct or not paying rent.

Residents all over NZ are aware of the facts so the moment they hear of yet another monstrosity about to be built in their area they don't want a bar of it. Kianga Ora have been just as much the architect of this outcome as the unruly tenants.

Now we have a new Government that is finally respecting home owners and their quality of life. Unruly tenants will now be evicted just like they would be in the real world.

First to bitch and moan about it was predictably the Green Party. At no point did they go into bat for home owners. It was just the poor old tenants regardless of the distress they've inflicted onto others....their victims. Absolutely no mention of the real victims from the Green Party and other bleeding hearts.

Here's a novel idea. Be warned that your outrageous conduct will no longer be tolerated. If you decide to ignore the warning, you'll be evicted.......just like in the real world.

I see now that Mr Useless Sausage Roll Munching Hipkins is saying he should have done more with tenants that terrorized neighbours while Labour was in Government. What a joke! How ironic that now he's powerless he says that.

He and his colleagues very deliberately dismissed every complaint made against these tenants. Servicing their agenda was their priority. Labour have been their enablers and made a rod for the backs of many good New Zealanders. Same sort of logic involved in keeping certain serious criminal offenders out of prison. We have all paid the price for that.

https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/politics/2024/03/labour-leader-chris-hipkins-concedes-his-government-could-ve-done-more-on-unruly-k-inga-ora-tenants.html

Police Pay Offer?

Sun, 31 Mar 2024 02:10:20 +0000

I support the coalition Government who are light years better than the previous Muppets..but my support is not unconditional.

The Police describe their pay offer recently as insulting and no improvement on what Labour offered them and was rejected. These Police officers are being put in harms way more and more. Now they are being asked / instructed to stop Gangsters wearing their gang patches in public rather than gifting them a free pass as the previous Government did.

I felt their pay offer was tone deaf. I support landlords having tax relief but the perception of many is a conflict of interest. Luxon himself like numerous other MP's have multiple investment properties so will receive a nice injection of funds with their housing investment portfolio's while telling others they are instead motivated by "Mum and Dad investors". Turned out even more funds were needed than originally budgeted on. No problem, just sign that off. No waiting around for this change to take place like the Police and Nurses etc etc have been forced to endure. This change happens almost immediately.

Luxon himself was claiming 50k a year tax payer dosh for a property he owns in Wellington. I assume he's been claiming that since he became an MP in 2020? He's agreed to repay what he's received since becoming PM three years later stating it was becoming a distraction. No mention of it being outrageous and tone deaf.

Steven Joyce is to be paid a staggering $4000 a day to head a working group. Yep, that's $20,000 a week. Regardless of the duration of the gig it's still a huge windfall for any person, especially an unelected ex MP that removed himself from politics. There will be other considerable perks involved for Joyce. That sort of tax payer money points to a couple of things. One being a handsome treasure chest to call on and these unelected ex MP's deserving pay days that bare no resemblance to the reality facing the rest of NZ including our Police and Nurses etc during a cost of living crisis.

I have nothing against Steven Joyce but my understanding of him looks a bit like this.

During the 2017 election campaign that he managed, NZ First was treated as the enemy to be destroyed by Joyce. This played no small part in Peters / NZF choosing Labour in 2017 over National.

Joyce won his seat at the election. To do this he indicated he was there for the long haul. He then put his hat in the ring to be the new National Party leader. To do this he again needed to reaffirm his intention to stay on long term. His bid failed and soon after he announces he's retiring from politics. Reason given was the old chestnut of spending more time with family.

Another ex MP is Murray McCully. Same man known for the dubious 11.5 million dollar Saudi Sheep deal. A report at the time was reluctant to call it "corruption" but described "significant shortcomings". McCully now dragged out of mothballs for a 10k a week plus expenses / perks gig.

Not only are National showing themselves to be tone deaf to our Police and a great many others, they are not leading the way in all of us tightening our belts together during a challenging cost of living crisis. They "appear" to be feathering their own nest faster than ever.

I have no family members in the Police but do have several friends that are either sworn Police or ex Police. Without exception they are all National Party voters. Also without exception, they are all scathing of the recent pay offer and Luxon's ignorance on what they are actually paid.

I do have numerous family and friends in our health system both via the DHB's and Primary Care. The pay situation has dragged on for way too long. Pay equity is still a huge issue especially for Primary Heath Care professionals. My wife does a lot of hiring and firing and I'm aware of ongoing staffing issues. I've witnessed first hand the distress for our nurses with them breaking down in tears no longer being rare. What they are witnessing now with the pay offer to Police has set off alarm bells with them and I assume many other nurses.

Labour divided NZ on race. They also taught us that words like "inclusive" and "diversity" don't mean what they tell you it does. Now, National are in danger of dividing NZ into have's and have nots. I hope sincerely they don't wait until the next election comes into view before looking after and respecting our Police and Nurses...........along with a list of others.

Let's get Bishop Brainless to Ellerslie!!!

Wed, 27 Mar 2024 23:17:08 +0000

Could be an EPIC idea this...

Seen Ellerslie's brand new FUGLIEST BLACK TARSEAL carpark??...right in sight of the finish line in what used to be an incredible HQ vista??

Get Chloe and her painters out...RAINBOW it....

...that gets the Destiny maniacs involved...Bishop Brainless in his designer white overalls nicely complimenting his spray on tan and face filler

INSTANT publicity for a struggling racing media!!

#callthecops

Holy Ravioli gets the short shrift off News Talk ZB!

Sat, 16 Mar 2024 03:24:47 +0000

I hear @holy ravioli got the DCM on Kerre Woodhams talk back show for making extravagant claims without any proof!

Who would have thought?

cleaning job

Mon, 19 Feb 2024 01:44:53 +0000

my son applied for a cleaning job a couple of weeks back with the canterbury dhb,but has since been told he by someone in the know that he would have had a much better chance if he was maori.

Then yesterday he was telling me how he was talking to a filipino friend who had applied for a non paying,voluntary position within the canterburty DHB involving cleaning. He had hoped by gaining the cleaning skills without receiving pay would help him get a full time or part position at the dhb. Well the filipino friend got a call a couple of days back from the person who was deciding who it was they give the unpaid position to. Initailly the filipino man was delighted to get the call,but the call then was only brief. The last 2 questions asked were..was he maori to which he replied no i'm filipino,then do you have a brother or sister who are maori,to which he replied...no i'm living with my brother ,but he is filipino as well and asked did that matter as he thought he was just voluteering for cleaning as advertised. Then the call ended without further questions.

So i looked up the canterbury dhb policy on such jobs.

It said any vacancy or new position that occurs within the canterbury dhb has to be assessed for the need to be redesignated as a position maori or pacific island should do.

It was interesting that a couple of years ago 3 of the 7 community and public health team leaders with canterbury,south canterbury and west coast were maori.

Then i went on to read what must be considered every time a position is advertised at the canterbury DHB. Now i'm not sure whether this applies to all cleaning jobs,but certainly applies to other jobs such as health care, before deciding who gets an interview and what is asked at those interviews.

Aspects to consider.

Do you know if the interviewee is maori.

Is there maori on the interview panel and if so,what roles do they want in the interview and have they been involved in such things as short listing,developing of questions and preparation pior the interview.

it also says interview panels should have at least one maori.

All interview incorporate questions based on tikanga,te tiritio waitangi and maori health inequalities.

Interviews to include questions about cultural competencies as required and that maori questions and competencies included in the short listing process.

Questions to be asked in relation to health care roles to include .. Partnership,participation and protection are commonly recognised as 3 principles of the treaty of waitangi-how would you incorporate these or other treaty principles in your work within this role.

Maori health inequities within nz are well documented-can you give an example in the canterbury/south canterbury/west coast district.

How do you believe your work in this role will help improve health inequities for maori.

What experiences and exposure have you had with te reo maori.

Anyway you get the picture . this is what the labour government/maori party/ green party prioritised when in government.

So when i read all that i can see why maori are so anti the currwent government. They must be worried about the gravy train drying up to a small degree,although you would imagine 6 years of these polices would be hard to undo.

Which all goes back to what the filipino friend of my son said. Why can't they just judge me on whether i can do the job or not.

but but Labour were tough on gangs....haha :) :)

Mon, 26 Feb 2024 23:19:17 +0000

https://www.1news.co.nz/2024/02/26/nash-says-labour-govt-softened-stance-on-gang-asset-seizures/

When was the last time

Mon, 19 Feb 2024 11:13:03 +0000

a former Prime Minister dropped 10 points in the preferred Prime Minister Poll?

Even ex PM's that have retired still don't suffer that sort of drop. Mrs Ed took a big nose dive in the polls but she was so far ahead at the time it doesn't compare.

Hipkins despite being weak and pathetic managed to play a big hand in dividing NZ while smiling like a Cheshire Cat and munching on another sausage roll.

His position as Labour Party leader is absolutely untenable. 10,9,8,7........bye bye Chippie. Thanks for nothing.

Preferred prime minister (results compared to previous survey, taken 7-10 October):

Christopher Luxon: 25 percent - steady
Chris Hipkins: 15 percent - down 10 points
Winston Peters: 6 percent, up 1 point
David Seymour: 4 percent, steady
Chlöe Swarbrick: 4 percent, up 2 points
Jacinda Ardern: 2 percent, up 1 point
Nicola Willis: 1 percent, up 1 point
James Shaw: 1 percent, down 1 point
Marama Davidson 1 percent, down 1 point

Sweepstake ...

Sat, 03 Feb 2024 20:21:30 +0000

We all accept the Maori protests on Waitangi Day this Tuesday will be loud, confused and angry. We may even see some Palestinian flags despite that having absolutely zero to do with our National day.

Maori protestors will be keen to intimidate the Crown and have them and other New Zealanders believe their numbers are much bigger than they are.

Of concern is that one or two of the protestors may believe "any" action they take is reasonable and justified regardless of how diabolical it is. May even gift some nobody the opportunity to become some type of hero or martyr to other Maori and gain their 15 minutes of fame.

The question of the day is this.

WHAT WILL BE THROWN @ DAVID SEYMOUR?

1) PAINT.

2) POO

3) DILDO

4) FLAG

5) OTHER

~Happy New Year...new Govt starts 2024...with more..

Mon, 15 Jan 2024 07:43:36 +0000

b/s-

Before Christmas he declared that this all-action get-things-done government would be getting everyone back in Parliament by – well, about now.

https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/political/500936/parliament-summer-close-down-period-will-be-shorter-incoming-pm-luxon-says

~observing the 3headed hydra ...new Govt,their election promises and delivery...

Mon, 27 Nov 2023 19:19:42 +0000

One could be forgiven for thinking Luxon was sharing the P.M's role with Winston,going by the press conferences where Winston dominates.

The pre Xmas priorities -repeal the fair pay Act....something that exists in Australia and is a reason Kiwis emigrate there.

-pacify the tin foil hat brigade with 'reserve against'WHO regulation updates.

-repeal RMA reform legislation to accomodate big developers agendas.

-visit Australia...God knows ..why!

-present a mini budget.

This alone is a terrible indictment on this troika of disaster...'Reversal of smoke-free laws to pay for tax cuts estimated by Treasury to add $5.25b in health costs, cut productivity growth by $5.88b and destroy 588,000 Health Adjusted Life Years'

Buckle ...up.🦨

For Sale: Holy Ravioli's Toyota Prius.

Tue, 16 Jan 2024 04:56:55 +0000

$1000/year to drive your EV: Road user charges for electric vehicles from April 1, Transport Minister Simeon Brown confirms

www.nzherald.co.nz

It will soon cost close to $1000 per year to drive your Tesla or Nissan Leaf.

Electric vehicles will lose their long-time exemption from road user charges (RUCs) on April 1, Transport Minister Simeon Brown confirmed this afternoon.

EV owners will be charged $76 per 1000km (the same rate applied to other non-petrol light vehicles; essentially diesel-powered cars), plus admin fees of $12.44 (online) or $13.71 (over the counter) when you pre-pay for a block of 1000km or more..(See bullet points below for the mechanics of the new system..

The AA says the average motorist drives 12,000km per year, which equates to $912 in RUCs, not including admin fees.

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“This transition to RUC is about fairness and equity. It will ensure that all road users are contributing to the upkeep and maintenance of our roads, irrespective of the type of vehicle they choose to drive,” Brown said.

The previous National government exempted EVs from paying the charge to encourage their uptake. “This exemption was always intended to end when EVs hit around 2 per cent of the light vehicle fleet and we’re now at that point.”

Both the AA and the MIA (Motor Industry Association) had raised fears of “double dipping” by the Crown in the case of plug-in hybrids (or PHEVs) - which could potentially be charged both RUCs and petrol tax.

Brown said that concern had been addressed by a lower RUC rate for PHEVs, whose owners will pay $53 per 1000km. The partial rate assumes that on average, a plug-in hybrid will consume petrol at a rate of just under three litres per 100km.

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Filling a $2b hole

The outgoing Labour Government set March 31, 2024, as the final day of the exemption. Brown said today that he would stick to that date.

Both of the major parties are aware that around $4 billion in revenue is generated each year by RUCs and petrol tax - with around half of that from the latter.

If EVs maintained their RUC exemption as NZ’s fleet electrifies, the Crown would be left with a $2b hole in its books.

Only light EVs (those weighing 3500kg or less) are losing their RUC exemption. Heavy electric vehicles will be hit by RUCs from December 31, 2025.

The imposition of RUCs represents the other boot dropping for EV sellers.

The first was the elimination of the Clean Car Discount - and the associated “ute tax” on December 31.

December saw record EV sales as the discount entered its final days.

“I hope that with the removal of the CCD [Clean Car Discount] that we don’t go too far backwards in our low-emission vehicle sales,” MIA chief executive Aimee Wiley told the Herald last week.

Wiley said boom-and-bust cycles with various regulatory changes made it difficult for dealers as they ordered cars months in advance.

Overall, she supported the elimination of electric vehicles RUC exemption, however.

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“They’ve had a free ride. It’s time for EV owners to pay their fair share,” Wiley said.

Although the Clean Car Discount has been wiped, and RUCs imposed, Brown said the Government would subsidise the rollout of 10,000 public chargers by 2030 to encourage EV uptake.

The EV charges announcement came on the same day the news cycle was consumed by the resignation of Green MP Golriz Ghahraman following shoplifting allegations. Brown told the Herald the date of the announcement was long-planned.

The RUCs will mainly be paid by wealthier Kiwis. EV registration figures show the heaviest concentrations of electric vehicles in Remuera and other top-earning suburbs (see table here).

MTA: Spend it on roads

Motor Trade Association chief executive Lee Marshall welcomed the move, which he said was necessary as NZ’s fleet electrified.

“Now the challenge is to ensure that the proceeds of the RUC goes where it’s needed – on-road,” Marshall said.

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Weather events of the last 12 months have accelerated the deterioration of our roads, he said.

“The reality is that cyclones and storms are only going to occur more frequently in the future.”

The National Land Transport Fund - to which RUCs contribute - previously went solely to roads.

“In 2020, the law was changed to allow these funds to pay for rail. While rail has an important role to play in our transport network, the principle that road users only pay for roading projects is the correct one, and we trust the Government to follow through on that,” Marshall said.

How to RUCs work?

RUCs are pre-purchased in blocks of 1000km online or from the likes of VTNZ
Pure EVs will pay $76 per $1000, plug-in hybrids $53 per 1000km.
Hybrids that don’t require a charge at the wall, like the Toyota Prius, are exempt. E-scooters, e-bikes and electric mopeds and motorbikes are also exempt.
An odometer reading must be given the first time you buy a block of RUCs.
An odometer reading is then taken each time your car gets a warrant of fitness allowing NZTA Waka Kotahi to monitor your figures. If the odometer exceeds the RUCs purchased by the vehicle’s owner, they will be invoiced for any difference.
There will be a two-month grace period as the new system is phased in.
Every EV owner will receive a letter from NZTA before April 1 explaining the system.
An individual can be fined up to $15,000 for providing false RUC records.
Late payment can incur a 10 per cent penalty on the amount owed.
Under the RUC Act 2012, owners of vehicles over 3500kg have to install an approved electronic device for recording mileage.

Chris Keall is an Auckland-based member of the Herald’s business team. He joined the Herald in 2018 and is the technology editor and a senior business writer.

empty vessels make the most...noise...

Wed, 17 Jan 2024 06:58:54 +0000

From the day she took office, Finance Minister Nicola Willis claimed that the previous government had cooked the books and left the new coalition with a financial mess to clean up. It was a serious allegation, made all the more serious because we have institutional protections against exactly this sort of thing, in the form of the Public Finance Act and the Pre-Election Financial Update (PREFU), dating from the last time a government did this back in 1990. Essentially, Willis was claiming that the PREFU was inaccurate. But if that was the case, you'd have expected her to have raised any inaccuracies with Treasury, the agency responsible for its preparation.

So did she? I used the OIA to ask for all communications from the Minister of Finance or her office with Treasury on the accuracy of the PREFU. And surprise, surprise, there weren't any. You can draw your own conclusions about the honesty of the Finance Minister and the accuracy of her claims from that.

Posted by Idiot/Savant at 1/15/2024 01:43:00 PM

Chippy Hipkins is heading for mash!

Tue, 16 Jan 2024 04:54:59 +0000

National soars in new poll, as voters agree country is ‘on track’, Chris Hipkins crashes record low

www.nzherald.co.nz

Voters appear to have warmed to the Government over the summer break, with the first poll of the new year showing National breaking the 40 per cent threshold.

National hit 41 per cent in January, a massive jump from the 36.5 per cent it scored in the December poll.

It’s a first for this particular poll, which began in 2021, a particularly bad period for the party. The poll comes from Curia market research, which also conducts National’s internal party polling. It is comparable with the Taxpayers’ Union-Curia poll which has been paused over summer.

The last time a party polled above 40 in the poll was in February 2022, when Labour polled 42.3 per cent.

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Now, Labour is static on 28.4 per cent. The Greens polled 9.5 per cent, down one point. Act rose from 6.3 per cent last month to 7.8 per cent in January. NZ First polled 5.6 per cent, down from 8.1 per cent last month. Te Pāti Māori fell to 3.6 per cent from 5 per cent.

Those scores would give National 51 seats, Act 10 seats, and NZ First 7 seats.

Labour would have 36 seats, the Greens would have 12, and Te Pāti Māori would have 6.

The poll has more bad news for Labour, with leader Chris Hipkins crashing 9 points as preferred prime minister, a new low for a Labour leader in this poll, opening up an 18-point gap with Christopher Luxon who was up one point to 31 per cent . Hipkins polled 35 per cent as preferred prime minister when he took over the job a year ago.

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Luxon has overtaken Hipkins in the favourability stakes too, with a net favourability of 5 per cent, compared to Hipkins’ 3 per cent.

Favourability is comprised of polling how many people view a politician favourably and unfavourably. The unfavourable number is subtracted from the favourable number to give a net favourability ranking.

Luxon is more favoured than Hipkins, but also slightly more unfavoured. Forty-two per cent of people view him favourably, compared with 37 per cent who see him unfavourably.

The figures for Hipkins are 37 per cent and 34 per cent.

Act leader David Seymour has a favourability of -14 per cent, up from -19 per cent last month, and NZ First leader Winston Peters has a rating of -24 per cent - a huge improvement on last month’s rating of -36 per cent.

The poll registered another significant milestone: for the first time since February 2022, more people think the country is on the “right track” than the “wrong track”. A net 4 per cent of people say the country is heading in the right direction - a massive jump from December when a net 19 per cent of people believed the country was heading in the wrong direction.

That shows a massive course correction in public sentiment which had seen a net 42 per cent of people think the country was heading in the wrong direction by the middle of last year. It is still a long way off the heady days of January 2021 when a net 53 per cent of people believed the country was heading in the right direction.

National has opened up a lead with Labour on all major voting issues. Last month Labour was ahead on just one: health. Now, National is ahead on health, polling at 32.6 per cent as the party best at dealing with health issues, ahead of Labour which polled 30.9 per cent.

The largest lead was on the economy, where National polled 54.7 per cent, compared to 20.1 per cent for Labour - a massive reversal from 2021, when Labour once out-polled National on the economy.

The poll may just be registering a “summer bump”. It’s sometimes felt that people feel happier about the status quo after some time off at the beach over Christmas.

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Whatever the cause, it will be welcome news to the National Party, which will gather this week in Christchurch for its caucus retreat, ahead of the political year starting in earnest.

The poll was taken between Monday, January 8 and Wednesday, January 10. It polled 1000 respondents, giving the poll a margin of error of 3.1 per cent.

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.

Golly grabit ......... shoplifter

Fri, 12 Jan 2024 02:52:42 +0000

These righteous mps are a law unto themselves. Second time too I'm informed. Then clothes anonymously dropped back.

Filthy greenie.