Final figures in for Māori wards "referendum"😠. A resounding margin of nearly 74,300 (over 7%, 53.7% v 46.3%) in favour❤️. But, of course, lots more to do. Toitū Te Tiriti. Take care all, keep well, be safe, stay strong. Kia kaha.

How did the Nobel committee consider María Corina Machado worthy of its esteemed Peace Prize, citing her efforts to promote democracy in Venezuela? Given her adolation of Trump I doubt that she'd be any more of an adherent to democratic principles if she held power than Maduro or Trump are.

My parents had children and I can prove it.

Am starting to think that this doctor laughing at Simeon's gaslighting and lies is a good way to deal with this govt's incessant dishonesty. Laugh at them, ignore them, turn your backs on them. They don't deserve anything less #nzpol #kiwi

Winston threatened journalists, Seymour said RNZ's budget was cut to "teach them a lesson," Goldsmith low key threatened our national broadcaster. And now they're all crying because Sean Plunket might be subject to basic scrutiny. It's becoming so farcical, it feels like we're in a sketch #nzpol

A warming climate is behind growing floods of glacier meltwater in Alaska’s capital. Scientists say it’s the new normal. A glacier burst, flooding Juneau. Again. This one broke records www.sciencenews.org/article/glac...

Who will be the first National MP to change their name to Someone Else?

School prize-giving season is upon us. Always brings back memories of being the parent of a student who always won multiple prizes and the parent of a student who never won any prizes. On balance my feelings about school prize-givings are somewhat negative.

Yet again, when I start babbling about conversations with imaginary people who tell me what I want to hear, its called a psychotic episode or a mental health crisis. When senior Government Ministers do it with monotonous regularity, its called politics and public policy. #nzpol

Was the farm methane emissions announcement yesterday deliberately timed for the eve of the big international climate conference in Christchurch or was it an unintentional own goal?

100% brilliant www.youtube.com/watch?v=h-yj...

Has Luxon just set a new daily record for the amount of desperate idiotic balderdash that pours out of his mouth? Will he set another new record tomorrow? How high does the balderdash-o-meter have to go before his head explodes?

The saddest thing is that they did this without telling any lies

RNZ seems to be doing a great job of reporting the latest #nzpol poll results without mentioning the Green Party 🤨

#nzpol 20 Economists have penned an open letter to the Prime Minister and Minister of Finance - asking for change. The contents and signatories to the letter are at: craigrenney.substack.com/p/open-lette...

So Collins wants New Zealand to become an international arms dealer. My kiwisaver fund explicitly excludes weapons because they're incompatible with ethical fund management, but here's Judith Collins gleefully announcing our entry into this appalling trade. WT actual F. #nzpol

What a read. Long but worth it. A wake-up call. "this is not about pedagogy. It is about a choice we must make about how we want power to operate in this country. If there is one thing history teaches us, in places where power rests in the hands of the few, that few is smaller than you think"

How can we make a better country for all - wonderful thoughtful thread with many aha moments thanks to @melulater.bsky.social feat @seaqub.bsky.social

You mean like the University you studied, the support you got, the social housing that was available at the time, the airlane you used to go places, the health system that was available to you and now you want to take away from everyone else you tosser! www.1news.co.nz/2025/01/24/s...

We do not gotta hand it to Key but it illustrates just how far this current government have swung to the right in terms of not even remotely trying to build a tent and do anything long-term. They're only governing on spite and destruction; definitely fash-lite stuff. #nzpol

I like that there's a sliver of distance between Charlie and Trump.

New Zealand media institutions have been running stories on the murder of an obscure US podcaster for the better part of a week, and I'm not sure I like what that says about the editorial judgment of those organisations.

This is important. Years ago, while I was advising the City of Sydney Australia on various things, there was an INFAMOUS day where a particularly bad state-level minister of roads was stuck in traffic and saw bike riders zooming by his limousine in a well-used, safe, protected bike-lane. Well… 1/

"Trying to decide the truth on the fly is impractical unless someone were to fund a vast team of fact checkers to adjudicate." All MPs should be able to tag statements recorded in Hansard for fact checking & have it noted when any statement contradicts fact checked evidence. #nzpol

I've checked my calendar and can advise that 24th Sept is not a convenient day for a rapture. Please reschedule.

Evidence from the Ministry that 12 — Erica’s MAG — people were writing the English and Maths curriculums and Erica knew. Included in those 12: Elizabeth Rata and Melissa Derby. None of them Ministry employees. That, my friends, is what real political theatre looks like.

Yes! We need more high profile voices to highlight harassment and abuse against women and Māori in politics. I’m so glad Fisher has kept a light on this issue. Bravo. www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/politics/...

Chris Luxon on RNZ: “as you know, we inherited a recession”. Err, no you bloody didn’t; you created one, in fact. No pushback from Ingrid, as per. #nzpol

#nzpol #sexism #patriachy #leadership I appreciate David Fisher's reporting on this - but the sub ed needs to be told there's no question mark needed in this headline. Fisher gives us multiple clear cut eg's of how sexism & patriarchal culture actually works 🧵 www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/auckland-...

One of the biggest problems with NZ is this certain type of dipshit contrarian who gets up on to their little soap box and says, with a shit eating grin on their face and a glint in their eye, “What if we didn’t? What if we kept on kicking the can down the road? What if we cheaped out?”

For the record, it appears that this story is not, as the whiny males, insist, a set-up on the part of their female colleagues. David Fisher started making calls after someone sent him the video of Maurice Williamson's shitty Tory Whanau comments, and that's where the story started.

Tough one for me today. Wordle 1,519 6/6 ⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜ ⬜⬜🟨⬜🟩 ⬜🟩⬜⬜🟩 ⬜🟩⬜⬜🟩 ⬜🟩⬜⬜🟩 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

Just pay health workers what they need to keep people safe. You, the actual politician, are literally the one "playing politics". www.rnz.co.nz/news/nationa...

This government is so hateful, so full of contempt for teachers, it's breaking the very system they’re meant to protect. Society as a whole benefits from well resourced, excellent teachers, and failing to recognise that is the real political stunt. #nzpol

The Speaker has docked Chloe's pay? Sounds like it's time for a bit of a whip around. I've just donated to the Green Party. That one's for you, Gerry. @nzgreenparty.bsky.social #nzpol

The old grey-bearded codger I live with got mistaken for Mayor Wayne Brown while riding his bike through Keith Hay Park today. 😅😅🚴‍♀️

This is not a "serious case" that involved the "effective conduct of proceedings". If Brownlee had simply said "I overreacted to Swarbrick's comments and made a mistake", then this would be over. Instead, he's invented a new power with flimsy rationale to cover over his initial error.

Why did NZ First vote in favour and then their leader Winston Peters spoke against? Trying to have it both ways? I'm so confused.

Speaker Brownlee decided that something Chloe Swarbrick said was offensive to governing party members, even though none had taken offence or even, given the speed of Brownlee's intervention, had much or any opportunity to take offence. Brace for the follow-up - members taking offence willy nilly.

The way that Ministers in this CoC government of ours take it upon themselves to get involved in the minutiae of decisions in their portfolios. Micro-managers, wot? Bringing a new level of interfering nannying to the nanny state.

Does structured literacy have to be quite so structured? I wish I could remember more specifics of how I learned to read. Pretty sure it was fairly unstructured, given that I was 4yo and it involved demanding of my parents that they tell me *now* what that word is and that one and that one.

lol, Chloe should apologise for using the word spine and amend it to guts instead.

How delicious it would be if 6 government backbenchers actually did rise from their seats and cross the floor in support of Chloe Swarbrick. Surely a few of them must have contemplated doing it.

Wrote a little thing about turning ya frustration into action! Thanks for the space @mountaintui.bsky.social open.substack.com/pub/mountain...

If political parties started out with a stated goal of maximising human happiness what would be their first policy announcement?

"It is unclear why the Trump administration seeks to end the missions." Let me take a wild guess : Data. Good, extensive, accurate, useful data. Can't be having any of that stuff messing with whatever alternative facts the Trump administration cares to conjure up. www.npr.org/2025/08/04/n...

Erica Stanford hiring a radical anti-Maori language & education advisor who is teaching Stanford how to roll back "de-colonisation" is both riveting and extraordinary Logically it should be blaring red lights, but in practice, it's not apparently so #nzpol #rata

[ www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/politics/... ] #nzpol