So Louise Upston owns a Wellington apartment but claims a $52,000 a year tax free accommodation allowance for the city But she wants accommodation allowance cut for the poorest Kiwis. This is the same Upston who relied on the benefit & now maligns beneficiaries www.stuff.co.nz/politics/360...

Finance Minister Nicola Willis and one of her plans for saving her Budget. My #cartoon today #NZpol #PublicService

Imagine (justifiable) public consternation, and MSM coverage if someone held up the ISIS flag inside Parliament House? But this, by neo-Nazis championing the violent extremist 'remigration' trope I suspect won't elicit a single question even in parliament. #nzpol @ponekeantifa.bsky.social

The longer you look at this, the worse it gets

It's wild how over the course of my life, I've seen popular conceptions of "free speech" expand from "the right to express any opinion" to "the right to tell any lie" and ultimately to "the right to have your lies taken seriously on television." I wonder why so many voters are unmoored from reality.

Willis thinks writing a report on public service reform is MUNDANE, therefore low enough of a task for Microsoft Co-Pilot. #nzpol

Careful now…

In today’s NZ Herald

“Pope Clement, one of the worst popes we’ve ever had, won’t give us the ANNULMENT, which is so badly needed for heir. And Thomas “No” More won’t declare your favorite king (Me!) supreme head of the Church of England. But we have more Thomases. So many Thomases you’re gonna think we need other names”

#nzpol ahem

'I thought spies were supposed to be stealthy. Another day dawns on MI-f*cking useless.'

Just take a look at this raving commie, going on about the right to a living wage and “the cruelty of grasping speculators…” en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rerum_n...

A headline with amazing meme possibilities has been released

Is the US slowly waking up to the fact that the rest of the world is never going to take them seriously ever again, mostly because after electing a totally unqualified moron for President in 2016, they just went and did it again in 2024? Even Germany only elected Hitler once… #ushistory

Kash Patel lacks the experience to be the head of the FBI. But he has a perfect life experience to be the head of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms.

Scientists named this species of hairy ghost pipefish after beloved Sesame Street resident Mr. Snuffleupagus and we're obsessed.

3. Govt are always dicking around with the net debt definition - including and excluding things to suit the mood and mumbers of the day. But, Treasury publish pretty consistent data from 1972 to 2022 and you can roughly derive the rest. [3/n]

2. Now, the same gross debt numbers adjusted for the size of the economy (GDP). We're back to 1980 - let's do the locomotion etc. [2/n]

Some terrible tribal govt debt scare threads doing the rounds over the last few days. Here's some facts to inflame / calm (depending on who you are). 1. First, the number you use for max debt scare drama... oh no, won't someone think of the grandkids?!? [🧵1/n]

Catching up on an old favourite. Tax revenue is a decent indicator of economic activity. Look at that flaccid, trailing off into slumpy-slumpy. Image 2 shows the annual change in the data in image 1. Early-2026 signs of recovery? My arse.

NZ: hi-viz, hard hat and goggle to go within even half a mile of a defunct refinery Singapore, active refinery: PPE? lmao, the potential hazard is a 5 kilometre wide fireball.

Meet the Mosquito Terminator - a spider that likes us and eats our enemies. I have written about these legendary spiders for The Conversation 🕷️ @theconversation.com @uk.theconversation.com @aunz.theconversation.com! #LoveSpiders @marsdenfund.bsky.social @royalsocietynz.bsky.social @smcnz.bsky.social

The case for Super Rugby-based regional councils

David Seymour threatens to fire RNZ boss for hiring John Campbell. It's illegal for a Shareholding Minister to interfere in state broadcasters' independence Kiri Allan was hauled through the coals for a mere suggestion & Seymour said at the time democracy was at risk & media interference not OK

The Spinoff’s New Zealand Citizenship Test

In today’s NZ Herald

Petrol and diesel cars fought for their lives in Norway but, as you can see, that smelly old Victorian technology ultimately lost the battle to EVs forever. I'm all for it and I love that's happening here too now. I also love how this is frightening some pretty evil businesses. Good.

For consideration. AoNZ may be considered perhaps more at the US-end of the car-loving spectrum. Estimated bill to upgrade US public transit infrastructure to European levels is now $4.6 trillion (US). www.theguardian.com/environment/...

🧵My take here is that the coalition government has decided to abolish the BSA because it has advice that the authority's assertion that the Broadcasting Act gives it jurisdiction over online broadcasting is well-founded and would prevail in a court. www.rnz.co.nz/news/politic...

Abolishing a media regulator in an environment of increasing mis- and dis-information seems like a bad idea for democracy.

Slowing the move to renewables through the cancellation of schemes like GIDI isn't look quite so "fiscally responsible" now #nzpol businessdesk.co.nz/article/ener...

contributor

Now you too can support the bombing of schools and hospitals, by donating to the US war machine! Get in quick before ALL the kids are dead!! #nzpol

Time to seriously consider the political "donations" laws in Aotearoa New Zealand We're hurtling towards US style lobbying AKA corruption #nzpol

I am so sick of New Zealand media parroting "Trump Says" in new reporting. He says literally *everything*, none of it has any kind of baseline to reality. If he was a liar, you could discern some reality from his words. He's not even a liar, he spews words without connection to earth.

Given this person has admitted spraying these words on the pavement, I’m curious why they weren’t charged with the offence in section 174 of the Crimes Act. Any thoughts from lawyers? @graemeedgeler.bsky.social @kiwipeterkelly.bsky.social @danielneljack.bsky.social

No lie…

trying to play peekaboo with my child but he's a European diplomat: me: where'd daddy go? baby: we must articulate a post-daddy vision of strategic autonomy me: peekaboo! baby: my historic relationship with my father is stable despite recent troubles

We ain’t doing too bad. Thanks, Hydro! #nzpol

Ummmm. An entire article about how much money is spent where. And no pie chart. WTAF RNZ? #nzpol www.rnz.co.nz/news/busines...

Someone has FA, now FOing. Don’t FA in Singapore lol. #fafo

Nicola Willis's #Debt Way Higher Than All 6 Years of Ardern Govt, (despite Covid payouts to protect jobs & businesses, Cyclone & Climate emergency funding, ferries & good change) Nat/ACT/NZF spent it on oil & tobacco corps & Rich Landlords taxcuts #nzpol thestandard.org.nz/nicola-willi...

It's ANZAC Day tomorrow so it's time for my annual musing that Gallipoli being such a gigantic catastrophe, and it being the memorialised day, has stopped Australia and NZ going full War Christmas like the Brits have.

Remember, our gov is in chaos, we're in an international crisis with illegal wars and states of emergency back home And Luxon is having $10,000 dinner appointments to raise funds #nzpol