Stuff reports:

The disparity in pay between New Zealand’s top men and women rugby players is on the new Government’s agenda.

Sport and Recreation Minister Grant Robertson was asked on Three’s The Nation on Saturday if the national women’s team the Black Ferns should paid the same as the men’s team the All Blacks.

“I will be looking forward to a conversation with NZ Rugby about how they will achieve the Government’s goal of pay equity,” Robertson said.

So Grant thinks it is his job to talk to the rugby union about how much they pay their players!

Of course the Black Ferns get paid less than the All Blacks. And the NZ Mens Netball team get paid less than the Silver Ferns.

I happen to think the Black Ferns should get better pay from the NZRFU. But I sure as hell don’t think it has anything to do with the Government.

Good to see the Minister of Finance though focused on the big issues facing NZ.

Stuff reports:

A Kuwaiti ambassador who fled serious assault charges in New Zealand returned for 10 days to tie up loose ends and hold a farewell party.

Police were powerless to act due to diplomatic immunity – a form of legal protection that ensures diplomats are given safe passage and can’t be prosecuted under a host country’s laws.

Absolutely we must respect diplomatic immunity. But after he had left NZ, we should not have allowed to return.

Razouqi’s return “to conclude his affairs” in New Zealand – requested on March 16, 2016 – was on the condition it was for no more than 10 days.

This should not have been granted in my opinion.

I rarely criticise other polling companies, due to professional courtesy. NZ is generally well served by the various research companies and we saw Reid Research and Colmar Brunton get some very accurate pre-election polls.

Some other companies were less accurate, and that is also fine. All companies have polls that are less accurate than others. Curia has. Sometimes your poll is a bit dated. Sometimes you’re at one end of the margin of error. So long as one is constantly self-assessing your results and methodology, there is no shame that some polls are less close to an actual result than others.

But what annoys me is when a company tries to spin an inaccurate result as accurate. That just insults the intelligence.

So I can’t let past this release from Roy Morgan, which I quote from:

The final Roy Morgan New Zealand Poll of the campaign titled: ‘NZ Election on a knife edge but Labour favoured’ predicted a tight result with Labour favoured to form Government over the incumbent National-led coalition.

That poll predicted Labour/Greens would get 48.5% and National 40%. In fact National beat Labour/Greens by 2% rather than trailed by 8.5%.

Roy Morgan predicted a potential coalition of Labour/Greens/Maori Party would hold 62 seats in Parliament compared to 58 seats for the National-led Opposition. As it turned out the Maori Party failed to hold their two seats in Parliament which instead went to Labour and the combination of Labour/Greens/NZ First will govern with a majority of 63 seats compared to the National-Act NZ opposition which holds 57 seats.

This makes it sound like they were just slightly out. Actually the difference were large. Their poll and the results were:

• National 50 seats, got 56
• Labour 49 seats, got 46
• Greens 11 seats, got 8
• NZ First 7 seats, got 9

As I said there is nothing wrong with not getting the result right. They were disadvantaged by finishing their poll on 10 September, 13 days before the election. What I object to is the press release which selectively quotes their poll to make it look more accurate than it was.

NBR reported:

Meanwhile, Mr Peters revealed there is a 38-page addendum to the coalition agreements that have already been publicly released. It will be released later, he said.

The document was a briefing to government ministers, laying out specific rules and processes over how they should address issues like accountability and media strategy while working as a cohesive government.

I’m amazed that the media haven’t reported on the existence of this secret addendum and demanded it be immediately published.

The Herald reports:

Lee Harvey Oswald met a senior KGB agent months before the assassination of John F Kennedy, documents from the newly-released trove have revealed.

Oswald met agent Valeriy Vladimirovich Kostikov in Mexico City’s Soviet embassy two months before the president was shot and killed in Dallas on November 22, 1963, the Daily Mail reported.

Kostikov was a senior agent in the 13th Department which was responsible for assassinations.

That’s a mighty big coincidence.

Oral questions are proportional to the number of non-executive MPs a party has. These numbers are:

• National 56
• Labour 24
• NZ First 4
• Greens 4
• ACT 1

In a three week session there are 108 questions. So the average questions per sessions of nine days will be:

• National 68 which is seven or eight a day
• Labour 29 which is three most days and sometimes four
• NZ First 5 so one every second day approx
• Greens 5 so one every second day approx
• ACT 1 so one every three weeks

So the average day will see eight questions from National, three from Labour and one from NZ First or Greens.

Stuff reports:

The new Labour Government has promised to get the ball rolling on repealing the controversial ‘Hobbit law’ in its first 100 days in office.

Incoming Workplace Relations Minister Iain Lees-Galloway told Radio New Zealand that restoring worker’s rights was a priority.

“We’re looking to restore a lot of workers rights that have been diminished over the last nine years and that is a priority for us. It’s something that we want to have the legislation at least introduced within the first 100 days of government,” he said.

A huge win for the Australian union that tried to blackmail Peter Jackson with a global boycott.

The Hobbit law, the commonly referred name for the Employment Relations (Film Production Work) Amendment Bill, was passed through government in 2010 – at the time The Hobbit was being made.

It meant that workers in the film industry were put on a independent film contracts, rather than employee contracts.

The nature of film productions is such that having employees doesn’t work well. Your schedule changes constantly. You may need someone for a couple of days and then not again for a few weeks.

This law change will drive productions out of New Zealand, and destroy jobs.

The Herald reports:

Unions are firmly opposed to Shane Jones’ proposal to introduce a work-for-the-dole scheme for the unemployed, while bosses would support such an initiative in principle.

The newly-appointed Minister for Regional Economic Development said today he had been encouraged to look into the idea as part of the $1 billion extra funding to go to regional New Zealand.

Jones will lose this fight if the unions are against it, as Labour does what they say.

The Herald reports:

Catalonia is headed for a dramatic confrontation with Spain after the insurgent region’s parliament voted to declare independence and the government in Madrid gained the power to oust its separatist leadership.

The resolution approved by lawmakers in Barcelona said the establishment of Europe’s newest sovereign country had been set in motion. The portion of the text submitted to a vote included measures to ask all nations and institutions to recognize the Catalan Republic.

Meanwhile in Madrid, the Spanish Senate approved measures giving Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy the power to seize control of the Catalan administration via Article 155 of the 1978 constitution. The legislation already has come into force.

It is unclear if the majority of people in Catalonia do want independence. The recent vote was boycotted with a very low turnout.

Not sure how this one will end. Ideally there should be a proper vote on independence agreed to between both Spain and the regional government (as in Scotland). Unilateral action is unlikely to end well.

Zach Castles writes:

The incoming government makes no secret of its regard for capitalism as a “blatant” failure. This is despite nearly one billion people over the last 20 years having been lifted out of poverty because of it. Moreover, the very “neoliberalism” the incoming prime minister criticises, and yet refuses to define, has helped many Kiwis out of a life of welfare dependence and into the dignity of a job.

No one is saying capitalism is perfect. Especially Bill English. His entire social investment approach, one I had the privilege of working on government, anticipates this by accepting that governments must invest more money early on to reduce the cost of crime, health inequalities and intergenerational welfare dependence.

But to engage with Jacinda Ardern’s attempt at class warfare rather than to call it out is to New Zealand’s detriment.

Capitalism is what allows us to fund the welfare state, and health and education.

In a world of Brexit and Trump, and a media-branded upsurge against perceived “neoliberalism”, the question is no longer whether National is capable of reform, but how far it is prepared to redefine a centre ground that is rapidly shifting in the direction of Jeremy Corbyn, the far-left leader of the UK Labour Party. The fact that National and New Zealand First are not in government shows that this process is already underway. A fundamental schism between the socialist left’s unholy union with authoritarian populism on one side, and the liberal right on the other, is opening up.

Populism and socialism is always a bad measure.

Far from being in a “very, very dark place” as Paddy Gower was quick to assert, National has just been handed a golden opportunity. In fact, the biggest impact Bill English can make now on the National Party, more than at any other time in his political career, will be in these initial weeks and months.

As the party regroups and refocuses its efforts, National has never had a better opportunity to make capitalism cool again by re-making the case that it is the best tool we have to transform lives in a dangerous and uncertain world. Indeed, transforming lives through the investment approach is the essence of the Key-English legacy, and it is National’s task to defend that legacy and advance its cause vigorously in the next three years.

I agree.

Stuff reports:

Health authorities in Wellington have door-knocked residents and local businesses in the suburb of Newtown as the owner of a local spice store applies for a new liquor licence.

It comes months after police admitted “poorly worded” communication after they were accused of attempting to drum up opposition to another liquor licence application.

On Wednesday, a Regional Public Health (RPH) regulatory officer visited homes and businesses near Silk Route Spices on Riddiford St, informing them about a liquor licence application under the company name of Liquor Hub Limited.

It’s one think for DHB staff to put in a submission reflecting their views. It is quite another for taxpayer funded staff to be door knocking around the neighbourhood trying to whip up opposition.

The 1st post election poll is out. It was done after the election but before the coalition announcement.

Compared to their final pre-election poll National is up 6%, Labour down 8.5%, Greens up 2% and NZ First up 0.5%.

The Herald reports:

Auckland ratepayers are picking up a $45.6 million tab to employ 234 communication staff at Auckland Council and five council-controlled organisations, according to a leaked review.

A “confidential draft” of the review, obtained by the Weekend Herald, has uncovered a huge blowout in communication salary costs at four council bodies.

Between 2013 and 2017, salary costs soared by 75 per cent at Auckland Council, 87 per cent at Auckland Tourism, Events and Economic Development (Ateed) and 56 per cent at Auckland Transport.

You know if maybe the Council could cope with less than 234 spin doctors, then they wouldn’t have to stick up petrol tax by 10 cents a litre to fund their activities.

According to the communications review, a previous business case to improve communications at Auckland Council in 2014 largely failed. The 2014 goal was to reduce the number of communications staff to 92. Staff numbers have increased to 105.

Out of control.

The Herald reports:

Some Auckland motorists are threatening to fill up out of town, and even leave the city, to avoid a new regional petrol tax expected to be 10c a litre.

Comments flowing into the New Zealand Herald newsdesk this morning are running heavily against the new tax, planned by the new Labour-led Government to help fund light rail to the airport and other transport projects. …’\

Readers branded new Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern “Taxinda” and named the tax the “Twyford Tax” after new Transport Minister Phil Twyford.

Tom and Julia Kinzett spoke for many in parts of the region that don’t have rail, commenting: “So again the majority are going to have to fork out for a selected few. What benefits are there for someone living in east or north Auckland?”

“I live in rural north Auckland. I have no choice but to use my car as there is no public transport,” another reader said.

Yep it is a tax on all of Auckland that will benefit just a few.

A congestion charge is a far more sensible way of funding transport – true user pays.

The Herald reports:

The Labour-led Government’s move to restrict foreign speculators from taking a chunk out of the property market is being questioned given a similar policy across the Tasman has done little to curb prices in Australia.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has told members of the public a bill to stop overseas buyers from purchasing existing homes would be introduced by Christmas.

Meanwhile, those in the property industry are questioning if restricting foreign buyers was the answer to the country’s housing crisis, given Australia, which already had a similar policy in place, was one of the most unaffordable countries globally.

It’s populism trying to scapegoat people with Chinese sounding surnames for house prices. It will have little impact.

Real estate agent Ollie Wall, from Graham Wall Real Estate, said there were not as many foreign buyers snapping up properties as the public thought.

“We sell properties to a lot of what would be considered foreigners, 99 per cent of them have New Zealand passports.”

Land Information New Zealand showed that in April to June 2017, 3 per cent of property transfers involved overseas tax resident buyers.

What is really going to impact affordability is interest rates as they start to rise.

Radio NZ reports:

The new Labour-led government is dismantling the mega-ministry, splitting it into three parts covering forestry, fisheries and agriculture respectively.

This is a bad move, and one ironically done by National in the 1990s. National went for more smaller focused agencies but it really just lead to huge duplication of costs as each agency had their own HR, IT divisions etc. Clark’s Government correctly reversed this and started to put them back together.

I’d continue with that and be looking to merge more agencies, rather than split them up.

She singled out fisheries, saying it had faced “dysfunction” under MPI’s watch.

Greenpeace has repeatedly accused the ministry of being in thrall to the fishing industry and turning a blind eye to illegal activity.

Greenpeace NZ director Russel Norman said he hoped the change in approach would help turn that around.

“Everybody knows that the regulation of fisheries does need special attention.”

But Dr Norman, who was a former Green Party co-leader, warned it would be a massive task.

“No one should underestimate the ability of the fishing industry to influence the regulation,” he said.

“They’ve been at it for decades and decades, so they are very well experienced at any attempts to reform it.”

If that is the concern, the solution is likely to make it worse. The industry is likely to be far more influential with a stand alone fisheries ministry than with c combined Primary Industries Ministry.

Stuff reports:

A priest shouted “f… Trump” at a Peace Corps celebration party in Samoa after being rudely “shushed” by United States Ambassador Scott Brown, an attendee claims.

So the Ambassador shushed an a******e priest. The priest is the one who should apologise.

“When he was giving a speech he rudely shushed everyone … [it] was a cocktail party so it was supposed to be a fun event, and there were a lot of heads of state at the party,” she said.

“People were appalled, it felt like he was channelling [US President Donald] Trump.”

Seriously? He shushed everyone? And this requires an investigation.

The source acknowledged there was tension because a lot of the Americans who came over with the Peace Corps were Democrats, and Brown was one of the first ambassadors to be appointed by the Republican president after his inauguration in January.

Yep, I suspect he is guilty of being a Republican.

Brown had not done anything to “release the tension”,  she said.

So his crimes are shushing people and not releasing the tension!

The ABC reports:

The Turnbull Government has lost its one-seat majority after the High Court ruled Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce’s election invalid because of his New Zealand citizenship.

Mr Joyce will now face a by-election. The court also found former Greens senators Scott Ludlam and Larissa Waters were not validly elected, along with One Nation’s Malcolm Roberts and Senator Fiona Nash.

Hilarious. The Government may fall as the father of the Deputy PM was a Kiwi. Joyce is likely to retain his seat in the by-election but if he doesn’t then the Government may need to call an election.

This should make Barnaby Joyce a favourite to win New Zealander of the Year.

Stuff reports:

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern to high schoolers: Next year’s on me

Typical socialist attitude to taxpayers. It’s not on Jacinda, it is on the millions of taxpayers who are having their modest tax cuts taken away from them next year.

Most taxpayers will end up paying $1,000 more a year in tax (compared to if the legislated tax cuts went through) so that students get an even greater subsidy for their tertiary education. The average lifetime earnings gain from a degree is $1.5 million so Labour is robbing everyone to bribe students.

Andrew Geddis writes:

One of the more surprising matters included in the Labour-NZ First coalition agreement is their joint commitment to pass a ‘Waka Jumping’ Bill”. Such legislation effectively requires any MP who leaves her or his party, whether willingly or not, to also leave Parliament.

And it was a farce last time we had it:

We saw the problem with freezing representation in this way in 2002 when the Alliance Party fractured into two over the issue of supporting the post-9/11 invasion of Afghanistan.

Because neither grouping wanted to leave Parliament, they were forced to pretend they remained one united party even as Jim Anderton set about creating his own new one outside of it.

The opposition’s reaction to this charade was then cited by Helen Clark as a reason for holding a snap election in 2002. So rather than ensuring parliamentary stability, the anti-party hopping law actually contributed to an early end to its term.

A good reminder of the farce it was.

Second, the one occasion on which the original party-hopping law was applied – against Donna Awatere Huata – it resulted in proceedings that went all the way to the Supreme Court. It concluded that where an MP ceased to be a member of a party, that fact in and of itself justified the party leader having the MP removed from Parliament.

In other words, the Supreme Court collapsed the right of an MP to remain in Parliament into the right of a person to be a member of a particular party. If a party chooses to use its own internal rules to expel an MP from the party, that action thereby enables the party leader to get the MP kicked out of Parliament altogether.

And that is too much power for party leaders. We’ve seen Peters abuse his role as leader before such as when he suspended Brendan Horan from the caucus on the basis of allegations. There was no consultation with caucus or board – just fiat from Winston.

This proposed law change will allow party leaders to expel MPs from Parliament. I’m against it.

The last Standing Orders review stated:

We propose instead that the Business Committee adopt a target of 96 seats across the 12 subject select committees. …

In order to ensure the seats are distributed proportionally, we recommend that at the start of each Parliament the Clerk of the House calculate each party’s proportional allocation of the 96 seats based on its seats in the House and using the Saint-Laguë method of proportionality—as used in our electoral system—and inform parties of their allocations as soon as practicable. The Business Committee can then negotiate and agree upon any changes to the overall number of seats and the associated impact on proportionality.

So what is the proportional allocation of the recommended 96 seats:

• National 45
• Labour 37
• NZ First 7
• Greens 6
• ACT 1

It will be very interesting to see how many select committees the Government gets a majority on.