Kiwiblog

A VERY SPECIAL BACK BENCHES:Watch Wallace Chapman, Damian Christie, the Back Benches Panel and special guests discuss the issues surrounding 2011 and they Rate the MPs!

YEAR IN REVIEW: We take a look back at 2011. What were the highs and lows of the year? How did the Government and the Opposition handle the big issues? Any real stand-outs? We will look back at the election. Any big surprises? Who were you sorry to see go? And the new Parliament will be set—new parties, new leaders, new ministers, etc?

NEWBIES:We take a look at the new intake of MPs. Who has the most promise? Which party has the most interesting new MPs? What about the new Ministers? Who will make the biggest difference?

Join us for a night of pub politics from the Backbencher Pub: Tuesday, 13th of December. Our Panel: One News Political JournalistJessica Mutch, Maui Street Blogger Morgan Godfery, Political Science Lecturer Ana Gilling, and Jordan Williams of Franks & Ogilvie and Vote for Change Campaigner.

Come watch the action on Tuesday, 13th of December from 8-9pm. The show airs on December 21st between 9-10pm on TVNZ 7.

THIS WEEK ON BACK BENCHES: Watch Wallace Chapman, Damian Christie, the Back Benches Panel and special guests discuss the week’s hottest topics!

THE SELL-OFF DEBATE CONTINUES: The election may be over but the debate over asset sales continues. Does National have a mandate for asset sales? Will their coalition partners United Future, ACT and possibly the Maori parties be a great influence on what is sold? Will the opposition hold much sway? What protections will be in place to make sure the majority stake in the assets stay in Kiwi hands?

A TIME FOR GIVING: Tis’ the season for giving. But are we only opening our wallets for more crap we don’t need or are we helping our fellow man? Are we a charitable nation? Are our corporations giving? What about the common man? Are we generous? Should we be encouraging one another to give either with time or money? Is it time to offer tax credits to encourage us to give?

Join us for a night of LIVE pub politics from the Backbencher Pub: Wednesday, 7th of December. Our Panel: Green Party MP Catherine Delahunty, Labour MP Andrew Little, National MP David Bennett.

Back Benches screens on TVNZ 7 every Wednesday at 9.05pm with encore screenings on Thursdays at 9.05am and 1.05pm, Saturdays at 10.05pm, Sundays at 10.05am and 2.05pm.

THIS WEEK ON BACK BENCHES: Watch Wallace Chapman, Damian Christie, the Back Benches Panel and special guests discuss the week’s hottest topics!

POST-ELECTION ROUND-UP?: After an exhaustive few weeks of furious campaigning the election is over. Now, we sort through the results to look at what the hell happened and what the next three years will look like. What do the results mean for National, Labour, the Greens, ACT, United Future and New Zealand First? Speaking of New Zealand First—who predicted 8 MPs? Who made it in on the list? Who lost out? What coalition deals will we see? What will be the bottom line for these parties?

GET OUT THE VOTE: A million registered voters stayed out of the voting booths. Why? Who did it hurt the most? How can we get people more excited about their civic duty? And do we need to be doing more to get people to the polls? Is it time to make voting compulsory?

Join us for a night of LIVE pub politics from the Backbencher Pub: Wednesday, 30th of November. Our Panel: Green Party MP-Elect Holly Walker, Labour MP-Elect David Shearer, National MP-Elect Chris Tremain, and United Future Leader Peter Dunne.

TVNZ 7 Wednesday 9.05 pm and Saturday 10.05 pm

THIS SATURDAY ON THE BACK BENCHES—ELECTION NIGHT SPECIAL: Watch Wallace Chapman, Damian Christie, the Back Benches Panel and special guests as the election results roll in!

We’ll bring you up-to-the minute election results using the most hi-tech equipment on offer—the Electionator 2000.2.1. We’ll be visited by the candidates and special guests. Plus, our fifth panellist—the audience. All will be a part of the show. Be there or be square for the best Election Night party in town.

Join us for a night of LIVE pub politics from the Backbencher Pub for the Election Night Special—at a new hour: Saturday, 26th of November from 8-9pm. Our Panel: Charles Finny of Saunders Unsworth, Victoria University Lecturer Ana Gilling, James Sleep Step Up Spokesman, and Mark Unsworth of Saunders Unsworth.

Broadcast on TVNZ 7

THIS WEEK ON BACK BENCHES—THE ELECTION PREVIEW: Watch Wallace Chapman, Damian Christie, the Back Benches Panel and special guests discuss the week’s hottest topics!

GOOD TIMES, BAD TIMES: The Campaign is less than a week away. What have been the highs & lows of this campaign? Who has been effective in getting their message across? Who has failed? What have been the big issues? How would you rate each of the campaigns? Which party has surprised you?

TEMPEST IN A TEACUP: There have been a few scandals in this campaign—with New Zealand even getting their own Tea Party. We will be discussing the scandals—the tea-gate? The damaged hoardings and the carpetbaggers. How much of an impact will they have on the results? And were the “scandals” really scandals?

Join us for a night of LIVE pub politics from the Backbencher Pub: Wednesday, 23RD of November. Our Panel: David Farrar of Kiwiblog.co.nz, Victoria University Lecturer Ana Gilling, Morgan Godfery of Mauistreet.blogspot.com, and Mark Unsworth of Saunders Unsworth.

Back Benches screens on Wednesdays at 9.05pm with encore screenings on Thursdays at 9.05am and 1.05pm, Saturdays at 10.05pm, Sundays at 10.05am and 2.05pm – TVNZ 7

THIS WEEK ON BACK BENCHES—THE HUTT SOUTH ELECTORATE DEBATE: Watch Wallace Chapman, Damian Christie, the Back Benches Panel and special guests discuss the week’s hottest topics!

HAVING STANDARDS: National Standards has been an education programmed welcomed with open arms by some and absolutely despised by others. Why is there such controversy over National Standards? Do National Standards pick on kids—labelling some as failures? Or is it an effective way of showing parents when their child may be falling behind? Are National Standards unfair to teachers? If not National Standards, then how do we prevent our children from falling through the cracks?

GET A JOB, KID!: Thousands of our young people are out of work but what should be done? Is it youth wages? How do we stop kids from checking out from education? And how do we make sure there is work training? Will employers take a chance on young people without employment law changes?

Join us for a night of LIVE pub politics from the Backbencher Pub: Wednesday, 16th of November. Our Panel: ACT Party Candidate Alex Speirs, Green Party Candidate Holly Walker, Labour Candidate Trevor Mallard, National Candidate Paul Quinn, and United Future Candidate Rob Eaddy.

Back Benches screens on Wednesdays at 9.05pm with encore screenings on Thursdays at 9.05am and 1.05pm, Saturdays at 10.05pm, Sundays at 10.05am and 2.05pm – TVNZ 7

THIS WEEK ON BACK BENCHES—THE WELLINGTON CENTRAL DEBATE: Watch Wallace Chapman, Damian Christie, the Back Benches Panel and special guests discuss the week’s hottest topics!

IT’S THE ECONOMY, STUPID!: At the heart of the election is the issue of the economy and which party we most trust to balance the books? Who do you trust? And what about job losses? The public sector is facing cuts-how will be effected by job losses? And kiwisaver—will changes improve the people’s pockets?

WELFARE REFORM: The Government has pledged to reform welfare after the election. Up for reform: solo parents with kids over 14 will have to return to full-time work, part-time once their child is of school age, and those on the sickness benefit will be encouraged to return to work as their health improves. Are these changes fair or another form of benefit bashing? Are there even jobs for them to go to? Will there be job training?

Join us for a night of LIVE pub politics from the Backbencher Pub: Wednesday, 9th of November. Our Panel: ACT Party Candidate Stephen Whittington, Green Party Candidate James Shaw, Labour Candidate Grant Robertson, and National Candidate Paul Foster-Bell.

THIS WEEK ON BACK BENCHES—THE BATTLE FOR AUCKLAND CENTRAL: Watch Wallace Chapman, Damian Christie, the Back Benches Panel and special guests discuss the week’s hottest topics!

BUSES, TRAINS, AUTOMOBILES-OH MY: As our largest city it makes sense that Auckland has the largest transportation woes, too. City Rail link—how should it be funded? Should we be investing more on rail? Are we too focused on roads? Can the current transportation options keep up with expected population growth? Is Auckland walking/cycle friendly? What should we be doing to improve Auckland’s transport?

SMALL BUSINESSES: Auckland has thousands of small businesses—how are our current employment laws affecting these businesses? Do we need to make changes to our employment laws? What about raising the minimum wage to $15 an hour? Are small businesses and self-employment the backbone of our economy? How do we create an environment for job creation?

Join us for a night of LIVE pub politics from the Britomart Country Club in Auckland: Wednesday, 2nd of November. Our Panel: ACT Party Candidate David Seymour, Green Party Candidate Denise Roche, Labour Candidate Jacinda Ardern, and National Candidate Nikki Kaye.

Back Benches screens on Wednesdays at 9.05pm with encore screenings on Thursdays at 9.05am and 1.05pm, Saturdays at 10.05pm, Sundays at 10.05am and 2.05pm – TVNZ 7

UPDATE: Location of the Back Benches pub corrected.

THIS WEEK ON BACK BENCHES—THE WEST COAST-TASMAN DEBATE: Watch Wallace Chapman, Damian Christie, the Back Benches Panel and special guests discuss the week’s hottest topics!

FUTURE OF MINING: The West Coast is New Zealand’s mining country. The electorate, the people and the industry are still reeling from the Pike River tragedy. How is the Pike River recovery? And what about the future of mining in New Zealand? Should we continue mining? How is mining safety? How do we prevent further disasters?

GET A JOB: The economy is the centrepoint of the election and at the heart of the economy is JOBS. How do we create jobs? Especially, on the West Coast where there are fewer industries. And when it comes to employment—are our workplace laws fair? Is it time to abolish the 90-day probation period? Or Monday-ise holidays? Or raise the hourly wage? Or will changes only make job creation more difficult?

Join us for a night of LIVE pub politics from the Backbencher Pub: Wednesday, 26th of October. Our Panel: Green Party Candidate Kevin Hague, Labour Candidate Damien O’Connor, and National Candidate Chris Auchinvole.

Back Benches screens on Wednesdays at 9.05pm with encore screenings on Thursdays at 9.05am and 1.05pm, Saturdays at 10.05pm, Sundays at 10.05am and 2.05pm – TVNZ 7

THIS WEEK ON BACK BENCHES—OHARIU ELECTORATE DEBATE: Watch Wallace Chapman, Damian Christie, the Back Benches Panel and special guests discuss the week’s hottest topics!

OCCUPIED TERRITORY: The “Occupy Wall Street” movement has travelled the globe and landed in New Zealand. The protesters may not have solidified what they’re fighting for but it’s evident they’re angry at the rich & big business. So, are the poor staying poor, while the rich get rich? Do the rich owe us anything? Is big business to blame for our financial struggles or is it poor decisions made by the world’s governments? If businesses get a bailout from the taxpayer…do they owe us?

TRAINS, BUSES AND AUTOMOBILES: The Ohariu electorate has a lot of residents who rely on public transport and highways to travel to work. But with stories often hitting the press about train delays and fares on the rise—can we improve transportation? A decision on Transmission gully is expected in the months while $58 million has been set aside to buy 45 homes in Transmission gully. Is this the best way to improve access to Wellington? Will it have too great of an impact? Do we need the road? Would you pay the toll?

Join us for a night of LIVE pub politics from the Backbencher Pub: Wednesday, 19th of October. Our Panel: Green Party Candidate Gareth Hughes, Labour Candidate Charles Chauvel, National Candidate Katrina Shanks, and United Future Leader & Candidate Peter Dunne.

THIS WEEK ON BACK BENCHES: Watch Wallace Chapman, Damian Christie, the Back Benches Panel and special guests discuss the week’s hottest topics!

RENA FAILURE: The Rena—the container ship stuck off of the coast of Tauranga threatens to become a huge environmental disaster. The oil from its tanks is floating towards shore, damaging wildlife along the way. Are we moving fast enough to fix the problem? What should be done? And with bad weather on its way—can we prevent further damage?

MMP, FPP, SM, PV, STV—WHAT THE HELL ARE THEY? WHAT TO CHOOSE?: How do you want to vote for your politicians? Mixed member? First Past the Post? Supplementary Member? Preferential Voting? Single Transferable? Do you even know what they all mean? What will provide the best governing body?

Join us for a night of LIVE pub politics from the Backbencher Pub: Wednesday, 12th of October. Our Panel: ACT Deputy Leader John Boscawen, Green Party MP David Clendon, Labour MP Kelvin Davis, and National MP Michael Woodhouse.

THIS WEEK ON BACK BENCHES: Watch Wallace Chapman, Damian Christie, the Back Benches Panel and special guests discuss the week’s hottest topics!

UP & DOWN—THE FINANCIAL ROLLERCOASTER: New Zealand was hit with a double-downgrade last week. But what does that mean to our financial stability? With the EU and the United States facing a double-dip recession—are we also facing another recession? Or will we be protected by China and Australia? What does the ratings downgrade mean for kiwis? Will we pay more for our mortgages? John Key seems optimistic but the opposition doesn’t agree. Who’s right?

PUBLIC & PRIVATE: Social media, facebook and twitter, are big ways the politicians reach the public. But are privacy changes, by facebook in particular, putting us all at risk? Are we exposing too much of our lives to too many people? What can we do to protect themselves?

Join us for a night of LIVE pub politics from the Backbencher Pub: Wednesday, 5th of October. Our Panel: ACT MP Heather Roy, Green Party MP Kevin Hague, Labour MP Lianne Dalziel, and National MP Todd McClay.

THIS WEEK ON BACK BENCHES: Watch Wallace Chapman, Damian Christie, the Back Benches Panel and special guests discuss the week’s hottest topics!

STOP PENALISING THE PUFF?: ACT Leader Don Brash has suggested its time for cannabis to be decriminalised. Saying the current law made crims of some 400,000 kiwis who were harming no one except themselves. Is he right? Is it time to stop punishing the pot smoker? Is marijuana harmful? Some call it the slippery slope. Are we wasting money by chasing down the average joint smoker? And should we be spending our time and effort on harder drugs? Or does decriminalisation just give permission for people to break the law?

LAW & ORDER: Crime stats show Maori are disproportionately represented in prison—although they represent only 12.5% of the population, half of all prisoners are Maori. How do we turn this statistic around? Will a Maori-led approach be the most effective? And what will that look like? How do we prevent crime? And once crime has been committed how do we rehabilitate? Do we need to re-think our laws over crime & punishment?

Join us for a night of LIVE pub politics from the Backbencher Pub: Wednesday, 28th of September. Our Panel: Labour MP Shane Jones, Mana Party Leader Hone Harawira and National MP Simon Bridges.

THIS WEEK ON BACK BENCHES: Watch Wallace Chapman, Damian Christie, the Back Benches Panel and special guests discuss the week’s hottest topics!

ETS—ENVIRONMENTAL TRADING SLOW-DOWN?: The new Caygill review of the ETS puts agriculture equal to other industries but will the Government be letting farmers off the hook? The review panel says we should stay on track to bring agriculture into the ETS scheme by 2015 but Climate Change Minister Nick Smith said that farmers would only be included if there were “practical technologies…available to enable farmers to reduce their emissions,” and if other countries reduced their emissions, too. So what does this mean for our ETS? Does Nick Smith have a point? Is it fair to omit those responsible for nearly half of our emissions? Does tiny New Zealand need to be leading the world on bringing farmers into the ETS if the trading partners won’t follow suit? Is not putting farmers in the ETS–just another form of a Government handout?

HAVING IT ALL? This week we mark Woman’s suffrage. It’s been 118 years since women secured the right to vote but are they any better off? Can women have it all? Pay equality? Jobs and families? Or does suffrage also mean sacrifice? Does the Government need to do more to close the gap between men & women?

Join us for a night of LIVE pub politics from the Backbencher Pub: Wednesday, 21st of September. Our Panel: Green Party MP Keith Locke, Labour MP Annette King and National MP John Hayes.

THIS WEEK ON BACK BENCHES: Watch Wallace Chapman, Damian Christie, the Back Benches Panel and special guests discuss the week’s hottest topics!

ON THE TRAIN TO NOWHERE: Was the opening night of the Rugby World Cup marred by public transport problems? At least 2,000 people missed the opening ceremony due to train delays. Does that warrant compensation? Do we need more trains? Is the failure due to anti-train bias? And what about the riders who kept pushing the emergency stop buttons? Can this be cleared up before the end of the cup? And do we really need to look at how we get around town?

ARE WE SAFER? This week the world commemorates the 10th anniversary of 9/11. The terror attacks may have been on American soil but the reverberations spread far wider. 9/11 saw law changes in New Zealand, changes in aviation, changes the way we see each other. Ten years on—are we any safer? And if you were to look ahead ten years—where will we be?

Join us for a night of LIVE pub politics from the Backbencher Pub: Wednesday, 14th of September. Our Panel: Green Party Co-Leader Metiria Turei, Labour MP Phil Twyford and National MP David Bennett.

THIS WEEK ON BACK BENCHES: Watch Wallace Chapman, Damian Christie, the Back Benches Panel and special guests discuss the week’s hottest topics!

SCHOOL FOR SCOUNDRELS: More and more small children are being kicked out of school for bad behaviour…reaching an all new high. Why is this becoming such a problem? Some are blaming it on the parents, some on exposure to drugs and alcohol, some say food & environment are to blame. What can be done to make sure the troubled kids get an education? How do we make sure well-behaved children aren’t being held back? What about teachers—are teachers becoming more than teachers? What role do the teachers and the schools have to play? And where does learning fit in on all of this? And for those teachers who don’t perform well—should they get paid less?

CLEAN RIVERS: The Green Party wants to clean up our rivers and streams. No surprise there. The Government wants to clear up our waterways too but the Greens say they don’t go far enough. Do we need national water standards? Limits of amount of water used? Can we limit the amount of pollution going into our rivers & streams? Should we be charging for water used in irrigation and commercial use? Is this a job for our new EPA? Is charging for irrigation fair to our agriculture industry? Should we all be doing our part any pay for the water we use?

Join us for a night of LIVE pub politics from the Backbencher Pub: Wednesday, 24^th of August. Our Panel: ACT MP Sir Roger Douglas, Green Party MP Sue Kedgley, Labour MP Chris Hipkins and National MP Aaron Gilmore.

 

THIS WEEK ON BACK BENCHES: Watch Wallace Chapman, Damian Christie, the Back Benches Panel and special guests discuss the week’s hottest topics!

REFORMS, REFORMS, REFORMS: National has pledged an overhaul of the welfare system and they’re starting with young people.  But are the solutions proposed by the Government the best way to stop people from becoming life-time beneficiaries? Is about more training? Or job creation? Is stopping 16 & 17 year olds from buying (illegally) alcohol
& cigarettes the right move? Why not make it harder for adults to use their benefit checks to buy their booze & cigs? Is a payment card the right move or is it just another form of food stamps? ACT says the moves don’t go far enough without introducing youth wages?

Join us for a night of LIVE pub politics from the Backbencher Pub: Wednesday, 17^th of August. Our Panel: Green Party MP Dr. Kennedy Graham, Labour MP Carmel Sepuloni, and National MP Michael Woodhouse.

There was a good crowd at the Backbencher last night for the unveilign of the new puppets. John and Bill were cast as the Blue Baron and Snoopy. Was very disturbing as John kept ticking Bill’s stomach (the puppet that is).

Also had Pita Sharples in a waka, and Roger Douglas as Rodney Hide’s puppet master.

John Key joked that he could have done with the machine gun in the plane at around 8 am yesterday. Bill joked about wanting to know about which National MPs had been seen in the Backbencher after Boycie revealed this is where Clark, Wilson and co plotted against Mike Moore.

And as the Dom Post reports, Rodney said:

“The great thing about having Roger Douglas in our caucus is that you get plenty of advice,” Mr Hide said last night.

“The advice is never contradictory because it hasn’t changed in 20 years.”

Afterwards around 60 of us went upstairs to hear about Obama’s first 100 days from a visiting US expert. Thanks to the US Embassy and State Department for helping make it happen. People seemed to enjoy it, and we had a good turnout of MPs.

After that we had Backbenches which was fun also. A good Wednesday night.

Tonight at the Back Bencher from 9 pm. The panel is:

1. ACT MP Roger Douglas
2. Green co-leader Metiria Turei
3. Labour Deputy Leader Annette King
4. National Junior Government Whip Chris Tremain

Topics are:

1. MP expenses
2. The Budget
3. Cell Phone Ban in Cars

On Backbenches tonight:

• Jeanette Fitzsimons, Greens
• David Garrett, ACT
• Charles Chauvel, Labour
• Louise Upston, National

Starts at 9 pm, best to be there by 8.30 pm at the Backbencher to view live. Should be fun.

I won’t make it as I have too much work on, but for those in Wellington who can attend, the panelists tonight are:

• Rodney Hide (ACT)
• Metira Turei (Greens)
• David Bennett (National)
• Darren Hughes (Labour)

Topics are the Jobs Summit, youth violence and KiwiRail.

Starts around 9 pm at the Backbencher.

That was a long but fun evening. We had a pretty good crowd at the Wellington blogger drinks with around 30 people there. The drinks then morphed into Back Benches which had on Simon Bridges, Grant Robertson, Metira Turei and John Boscawen. All four were strong performers in my opinion. The new MPs have given Back Benchers a renewed lease of life.

There would be close to 100 people in the bar for Back Benches. Many of the new younger MPs in attendance, and you know its a really nice environment to socalise across the political boundaries. The inhouse parliamentary bar isn;t heavily patronised, so Back Benches may end up becoming the de facto weekly gathering for MPs, journalists and groupies

A few of us heading to Hummingbird after the Backbencher closed and I got home around 2 am, so that was a nice nine hours on the turps.

Further to the the two stories yesterday from lifetime Labour voters who will not vote Labour this time due to Labour’s condoning of Peters’, I had an interesting encounter at the Backbencher last night, after Back Benches.

A gentleman came over to me and asked if I was David Farrar. He was in his 50s I would say. When I responded that I was he said he wanted to tell me something but put it in context.

He told me how he hates the National Party and would never vote for them. In fact his exact words were “I would rather take out a knife, cut off my cock and stuff it down my throat than vote for National”. He also went on to say he does not agree with any of my political views, which he finds repugnant. In fact he joked (I hope he was joking) that if I was crossing a road and he was in a car, he would speed up.

After having got that out of the way, he then went on to say how disgusted he is with Labour over Winston Peters (and ironically Winston was in the room as he had turned up to watch Back Benches), that their tolerance and implicit condoning of his activities verges on corruption, and how they need to be thrown out of office for a couple of terms.

Voting to defend Winston was a step too far even for Jim Anderton. And it seems for a growing number of lifeling Labour voters.

Could be fun tonight:

• Ron Mark New Zealand First
• Winnie Laban Labour
• Gordon Copeland Kiwi Party
• Russel Norman from the Greens.

They’ll be talking Privileges Committee, the trade deal with the United States and Fonterra did they tell soon enough.

If you’re in Wellington, come on down to the Backbencher pub between 8 and 8.30pm… (the show starts just after 9pm); otherwise tune into TVNZ 7 (on Freeview) or on-line at tvnzondemand.co.nz

Tonight on Back Benches our panel is Jeanette Fitzsimons co-leader of the Greens, Peter Dunne United Future leader and Charles Chauvell from Labour.

We’ll be talking about the November 8 election date and what the issues will be, Fonterra and the infant formula scandal in China and whether gangs should be outlawed.

We’ll be Peeping and Peering in Steve Maharey’s office and we have Damian Christie’s News Review.

If you’re in Wellington, come on down to the Backbencher pub between 8 and 8.30pm … we’d love to see you … (the show starts just after 9pm); otherwise tune into TVNZ 7 (on Freeview) or on-line at tvnzondemand.co.nz