The Herald reports:

A long chain of communication between the author of a contentious new Jacinda Ardern biography and the PM’s staff has revealed the convoluted efforts the author made to bag an exclusive interview.

Author Supriya Vani courted controversy this year when she published a biography of Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, co authored with Carl A. Harte.

The book raised eyebrows when its publishers said it contained “exclusive interviews” with Ardern, which was contrary to Ardern’s policy of not doing interviews for biographies. …

“I realise that whereas Mahatma Gandhi, Nelson Mandela, and Martin Luther King were heroes of the twentieth century, Jacinda Ardern would go in annals of twenty-first century [sic],” she said.

Obviously a neutral and balanced journalist!

“You have established a very high bench mark in the realm of empathy for suffering fellow human beings transcending all barriers of religion. It requires a heart of purest ray serene and Edenic innocence. You have become world’s iconic figure. Kindly share your message for world peace? [sic]” Vani asked.

Move over Jesus and Buddha.

All the stuff they didn’t campaign on, and are now quietly implementing!

Andrea Vance writes:

When are we going to admit that New Zealand’s Covid-19 vaccine roll-out is not going to plan?

One of the biggest criticisms of this Government is that they fail on delivery. While true of some major promises (housing affordability, transport, child poverty), they are driving through generational change – in local government, health and education.

They are driving through significant change in those three areas, but it remains to be seen if it will be good change.

But the immunisation programme is their biggest challenge. And the signs are not promising.

The truth is mired in mixed messaging. The weekly sermon from the Beehive pulpit would suggest all is on track.

On the ground, this is not the reality. Listening to Covid-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins and Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, it feels like we slipped down the rabbit hole into an alternate vaccine Wonderland where graphs make no sense, up is down and right is left.

New Zealand is at the bottom of the OECD for vaccination rates.

Only half a million people are fully immunised. A third of border workers have not had both jabs – a milestone that was supposed to have been reached by June’s end.

The reality is that the Ministry of Health is not particularly competent at operational things. It is a policy ministry in the main.

But if Hipkins and Ardern persist in their White King and Queen double-act, while the rest of us experience more delays on the other side of the Looking Glass they will squander that trust, and patience will run out.

If the rest of the world opens up because they have been vaccinated and we remain the least vaccinated country in the OECD, people will get grumpy.

Tom Pullar-Strecker writes:

There are a couple of pieces of evidence to suggest may Labour may want to go to the next election proposing an inheritance tax.

The first is the Government’s decision to allocate $5 million over two years to Inland Revenue in the Budget to assessthe income and wealth of high-wealth individuals.

An IR spokeswoman confirms that work should shed light on issues including the amount of inherited wealth.

If the Government is going to consider an inheritance tax, commissioning such research was probably going to be a necessary first step. …

So did Parker order IR’s wealth and income study in the expectation that it might help inform a discussion on an inheritance tax?

Parker says “no’.

National’s Willis is unconvinced.

“I just don’t accept the idea that you would be doing that research with no view to changing policy,” she says.

“My suspicion is the minister is trying to create an evidence base for new taxes that Labour may to campaign on.”

If Labour wants to go to an election campaigning on taxing people because they died, then bring it on. Running a campaign against a death tax would be great fun.

President Biden has nominated Tom Udall to be his Ambassador to New Zealand. As a former Senator, he should easily get confirmed by the Senate.

His background is:

• Attorney-General of New Mexico 1991 to 1999
• US Representative for New Mexico’s 3rd district 1999 to 2009
• Senator for New Mexico 2009 – 2021

Most people were surprised when he retired from the Senate after just two terms.

He is very big on conservation, so I imagine that will be a focus of his time here.

Sir Michael Cullen writes:

This would be far preferable to some of the current proposals, which have something of the air of monument-building about them.

The enormous cost and disruption of the proposed single-line light-rail project in Auckland is airily dismissed by its more enthusiastic supporters as of little consequence.

It seems they arrived at the solution well before properly analysing the problem.

A solution looking for a problem!

Buses, preferably electrified, will be the backbone of Auckland’s public transport network for the future.

It is not clear what a $10 billion-plus tram line will add to that.

The same applies in Wellington. A spend on buses will do far more to relieve congestion and improve public transport usage, than on light rail. But light rail is a religion to the converts and they ignore what is best.

Newshub reports:

The Trans and Non-Binary Dignity Collective NZ have urged Foster to declare a state of emergency to protect Wellington against the event, saying it classifies as an emergency for their community.

They really are fascists. This was a meeting to discuss a law change being considered by Parliament, where the organisers advocate the current law does not need to change.

And this group believe that allowing people to hear arguments against changing the law is so harmful that martial law should be declared to stop people being allowed to hear a view they disagree with.

Newshub reports:

Newshub can reveal the early draft script of the They Are Us film is a Hollywood rewrite of New Zealand history. …

Bridges, who was Leader of the Opposition at the time, is described in the script as looking “conservative” with a “very electable haircut”.

He’s portrayed as deeply opposed to Ardern’s firearm law reforms, and at one point delivers the line: “Come for our guns, you might get bullets.”

In another scene, he points to an assault rifle and says: “If one of those worshippers had one of these they could have stopped this tragedy in seconds.”

In reality, Bridges actually supported the law change.

“This scripting is entirely inaccurate and offensive. We immediately supported the ban,” Bridges told Newshub about the draft They Are Us script.

The death porn film needs a hero (Jacinda) and a villain so not content with the actual terrorist they smear Bridges as someone who parrots NRA lines.

David Seymour is one New Zealand political leader who has been left out of the draft script entirely.

In his place is a fictional character ‘Solomon Marsh’, a devout Christian who confronts Jacinda Ardern for wearing a hijab.

He’s the leader of a made-up party called the Independent Party and is Ardern’s arch-nemesis on gun law changes, often regurgitating arguments commonly made by the powerful NRA lobby of the United States.

And a second made up villain.

This is a work of fiction designed for US audiences. They are aiming to make millions of dollars by exploiting the pain of those killed in the attack.

Yesterday, late, I added a post script re Hipkin’s refusing to even allow a superb application for a new school (non-zoned) and near a transport hub in Auckland (I have included it in here as many KBs would have missed Ardern’s comedian-like performance yesterday on why some things get funded.

With regards to the teacher aiding issue I have actually been impressed by both the level of media engagement and their understanding of what is at stake. Lots that is worth fighting for.

In the last 10 days I have had the privilege of working alongside two amazing groups of people.

1. Mike King and team – working with us in Russell, Bay of Islands, being involved in three events and doing an incredible job bringing his mental health message to the Far North (where it is desperately needed).

2. A group of courageous, passionate and highly informed parents as the Friends of Mt Hobson Middle School advocating for diverse learners across the country, putting their own stories in public and challenging the Minister of Educations view that a new school for 480 students near an Auckland transport hub is not needed because (his words): “the are available supports for all learners in existing State schools” and that a new school of 480 students would make “no material difference to the network.”

Both causes have gathered significant traction and remarkable public support. 
Those with the purse strings have preferred to fund a white elephant bike and footpath from Birkenhead to Ponsonby and a gang led drug programme. 

I have just watched Jacinda Ardern explain why: 

“Our position is to fund what works, fund what makes a difference.”

(40 secs into this: https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/politics/2021/07/mongrel-mob-rehab-funding-likened-to-money-laundering-officers-angry-police-association.html)

Surely she jests! How does she keep a straight face – that was funnier than Mike King.

Stats NZ reports:

Annual inflation as measured by the consumers price index (CPI) increased to 3.3 percent in June 2021, Stats NZ said today.

This was the biggest increase in nearly 10 years and was driven by higher prices for new housing and petrol.

So aspiring home owners and vehicle owners most affected.

The cost of building a new house was the biggest contributor to both annual and quarterly inflation this quarter, up 7.4 percent for the year, and 4.6 percent for the quarter.

A 5% quarterly increase is huge. We’re looking at doing an extension on our house and the projected costs from the quantity surveyor were unbelievably high.

Petrol prices increased 16 percent between the June 2020 quarter and June 2021 quarter. The weighted average price of a litre of 91 octane was $2.13 in the June 2021 quarter, up from $2.00 in the March 2021 quarter. 

Even worse now – up at $2.27.

Expect mortgage rates to start to increase now inflation is above the 1% to 3% target band.

The Herald reports:

The Defence Minister has made clear his dissatisfaction with army top brass after an essay criticising moves to increase diversity in the ranks won a writing competition, only to be taken off the website amid an internal backlash.

On July 1 the essay titled Can the Army Afford to go Woke, Benign Social Progress or National Security Threat was published on the Knowledge-Enabled Army (KEA) website as winner of the “private writing” category in the Chief of Army’s Writing Competition.

The Army Chief had an essay competition which was a good thing. There were categories – best essay from an officer, from an NCO and from a grunt. The winning essay in the officer section was Reconciliation or reimagination? Shifting the diversity dialogue from force design to cultural design. For NCOs it was Diversity and Inclusion Threats to the NZ Army’s Warrior Ethos and War-Fighting Culture and for grunts it was Can the Army Afford to go Woke, Benign Social Progress or National Security Threat.

Two of them were very pro-diversity and one was more sceptical. So a range of views. Once upon a time that was seen as a good thing. The idea of essay competitions is to provoke, to challenge, to make people think. Giving high marks to an essay doesn’t mean you agree with it. I’d never have passed a university paper if my lecturers had to agree with my essays.

It’s a bit like debating. I remember at school I was on a team proposing that soccer had replaced rugby as the national sport. This was in 1982. We were judged the winning team, which delighted and surprised us. The judge was a former All Black. I have no doubt he didn’t agree with us – he just thought we had argued well.

So three essays were picked as winners. But the woke warriors couldn’t handle that an essay had been published they they disagreed with. So they howled and complained until in a fit of cowardice the Chief of Army deleted the winning essay. No explanation (originally) as to why. Just cancelled. God forbid that people would realise there is a diversity of views in the Army.

The original essay is on the FSU site. It is inoffensive. Its crime is that the woke warriors are terrified others might read it and agree with it. The main points he made are:

• the Army has actually done a good job in terms of racial inclusivity with Maori over-represented, relative to the population
• this synergy of Maori and British cultures is one of the unique features of the NZ Army that has contributed to its reputation for ‘punching above its weight’ in theatres of war across the globe.
• increasing focus on these identity-based notions of Diversity only sews greater division and dischord in society and would, I fear, within the Army too
• there is value in the fusion of cultures but a deliberate effort to engineer diversity will do more harm than good
• a trend to increasingly focus on race, gender and sexual orientation feels like a return to a pre-social revolution era where these arbitrary features of a person were given so much more weight than they deserve
• the kinds of diversity that should matter to an organisation like the Army are diversity of opinion, experience, attitude, class and background.
• The Army should be more inclusive by relaxing some of the barriers to entry such as mental health conditions

Now you can agree or disagree with what he wrote, but to delete the winning essay because some people disagree with it is ludicrous.

He actually is pro-diversity in itself, but is saying you shouldn’t try to artificially engineer it.

After questioning from Newstalk ZB, Defence Minister Peeni Henare said he delivered a blunt message to Defence Force chief Air Marshal Kevin Short yesterday.

He told Short his expectations were that “we’re better than that, and have values that don’t align with the essay.”

“Ultimately, the decision to either put it up or take it down sits with the Army.”

Henare said he first heard about the essay on Tuesday, once it was posted online.

By Wednesday afternoon, Henare hadn’t read it, but said he was satisfied with the outcome.

So the Minister didn’t even read the essay but felt strongly enough to lambast the Defence Force Chief about. Henare has totally failed to deliver any of the extra capital items that the Government promised last term, but he does have the time to stamp on an essay.

Ironically Private Dell started his essay by noting:

The open discussion of any issue must be possible without fear of repercussions on both sides of the debate if the best outcome is ever to be reached.

Rather than have open discussion, we have a poor private who has been publicly humiliated by both the Minister of Defence and the Chief of the Army because he submitted an essay. This is punching down massively.

The Army is meant to protect democracy. Now it is there to censor views that don’t confirm with the prevailing ideology.

The Police Association states:

Association President Chris Cahill has been contacted by officers asking why they should even bother making the huge commitment and taking the risks they do to bring to account gangs who are armed, dangerous, and dealing meth on a massive scale, when the money is just going to go back to the gangs.

“One officer likened it to the most successful money laundering scheme he’d heard. Police take $2m of dirty money – as they recently did from the Notorious chapter of the Mongrel Mob in Operation Dusk in Hawke’s Bay – and the Government returns $2.75m in clean money to people so closely linked to the same gang,” Mr Cahill says.

Great deal for the gang. They have Police take $2 million off them and Jacinda gives them $2.75 million back!

“Association members are clearly angry that Police hierarchy and the Ministry of Health consider a gang such as Notorious Mongrel Mob, which is responsible for the majority of meth dealing in central Hawke’s Bay, should now be trusted stewards of millions of dollars to fix a problem they are instrumental in creating.”

This is the key point. The Notorious Mongrel Mob are drug dealers. They import and manufacture the meth which causes havoc in Hawke’s Bay. To them see them as part of the solution, is crazy.

“It is difficult to understand how those who promote the need for drug rehabilitation seem blind to the dreadful optics of this Mongrel Mob scenario – let alone have faith in this multi-million-dollar scheme to do anything but line the pockets of key gang leaders.”

The so called rehabilitation scheme is a rort. The activities such as gardening in the Mob chapter boss’ yard does not cost millions of dollars to provide. They will be making hundreds and hundreds of thousands of dollars profit from this contract.

The association asks for this money to be funnelled to legitimate addiction services in provincial New Zealand who are crying out for such help.

Exactly. There are many excellent providers of such services.

Radio NZ reports:

In the same year that the government declared a climate emergency, imports of an especially dirty type of coal from Indonesia topped a million tonnes for the first time since 2006.

Last year, 235 kilograms of overseas coal was imported for every New Zealander in order to power homes and businesses. This is also only imported coal; the country also produces coal domestically.

Ninety-two percent of the imported coal was from Indonesia, and the vast majority of that was a low grade, high emissions type – sub-bituminous coal.

“Not only are we burning more coal, [but] it’s the dirtiest coal. And it comes from Indonesia where the conditions and the mining is appalling,” Cindy Baxter, an environmental campaigner, said.

The Government has banned natural gas exploration and surprise surprise we are now importing record levels of coal. More competence.

In the days of my youth, farmers used to descend on town on a Friday. For some, it was a trip to the stock sales, to buy or sell their sheep and cattle, for others it was an opportunity to shop for equipment for the farm at the local farm supplies store, whilst the farmers’ wives stocked up on groceries.

Farmers, growers, beekeepers, rural contractors and tradies will be heading to town tomorrow, but for a different purpose. Groundswell NZ is a volunteer group of farmers and rural professionals advocating for our Grass Roots farmers and rural communities has organised A Howl of a Protest, which will take place in more than 50 towns and cities around the country around lunchtime.

From Kaitaia to Invercargill, tractors, utes, horses, dogs and unhappy rural folk (and plenty of city folk) will assemble to send the Government a message that its policies are hurting the rural sector. Fed up with increasing government interference in their lives and businesses, unworkable regulations and unwarranted costs, thousands will turn out tomorrow across New Zealand.

Turn the clock back a year. New Zealand was locked down, tourism and international education, two of our biggest export earners literally disappeared overnight, and it was left to the primary sector to keep the country’s economy afloat. And despite labour shortages arising from the Government’s determination to keep the border closed, the primary sector responded magnificently, as it always has.

There’s little doubt that farmers are not the current Government’s best friends. But recent events have really grated on the sector, culminating in the Clean Car Discount Scheme, otherwise known as the Ute Tax, which for many farmers already struggling was the final straw. And what a groundswell this proposed protest has created, with new protest venues being added every day this week, and possibly the biggest show of strength ever by our rural friends to take place tomorrow, under the banner of No Farmers; No Food.

Get out and support the farmers and ute-drivers tomorrow, or better still, go and join them. I’m sure you’ll be made welcome, and you’ll help send a message to the Prime Minister and her colleagues that their policies are hurting rural people; they’re quite literally biting the hand that feeds them! Well done Groundswell NZ, and here’s hoping for a show of strength and unity tomorrow that the Government can only ignore at its peril.

Stuff reports:

Heritage New Zealand is opposing the design of the Snapper machines proposed for Wellington Railway Station.

Official information documents provided to Stuff show the Crown entity told Greater Wellington Regional Council in June it did not support the proposed card validators, because they did not match the building’s design and layout.

Not content with designating some of the ugliest buildings in Wellington as historic, they’re not impeding the use of Snapper on trains because they think the Railway Station should be more concerned about aesthetics than functionality. It is not a museum, it is a railway station.

Currently, Wellington train commuters need to buy paper tickets before travelling, or pay by cash on board.

I used to travel on the Kapiti line as a kid a lot in the 1970s to visi tmy grandmother in Pukerua Bay. After 45 years away from the trains, I was amazed to find in 2018 that the method of payment and ticketing was unchanged – a paper ticket you can only pay for by cash (or eftpos if at one of the rare stations which sell tickets).

Since the 1970s the Internet has changed the world, but not the trains. It is beyond belief that you can’t pay for your fare electronically – either by Snapper type card or EFTPOS.

(updated below)

For the Villa Education Trust our passion has always been for working with kids who have barriers to otherwise succeeding in school. Why? Because it is so desperately needed.

In 2002 we took a model to the Ministry of Education for a Middle School (Y7 – 10) that had all of the traits that we ended up building into Mt Hobson Middle School, South Auckland Middle School and Middle Schools West Auckland. A split day (academic morning, arts and activity-based afternoon), small classes (max 15), high-quality academics (core plus cross-curricula projects), a high level of family engagement and well-being care.

In 2002 the Ministry (Mallard) turned us down flat. So, as a family, we took all the risk and started as a private school. For 18 years we have worked with kids who have behavioural needs, anxiety, autism etc, and the results have been outstanding. 96% of the students subsequently passing L1 NCEA and moving on from there.On that basis we were approved for South Auckland Middle School and Middle School West Auckland as Charter (now Designated Character) schools. They are also outstanding. They have the same model as MHMS but with uniform, stationery and IT provided. We have outstanding academic results for our leavers – at least 20% above the national average for Maori, Pasifika and decile 1 kids. Attendance at 90% and transience at 3%.

Over the last two years, we have applied to the Minister for Mt Hobson Middle School to become a Designated Character School – near a transport hub – for up to 480 “diverse learners”. The Ministry has – both years – significantly misrepresented our proposal to the Minister – in this case about the State school level of provisions for diverse learners and the proposed location and cost.

This year, Hipkins declined the application (so far – we are not quitting) and said that there is no need for a school like this, as “there are available supports for all learners in existing State schools.” The responsibility for the rejection lies with him and his kind and transparent government.One of our parents last week disputed that these children are catered for as she has an 8-year-old with autism and ADHD who the Ministry has rejected any funding for. To help him (the teacher and the class) she volunteers the funding. She wrote to Hipkins last Monday afternoon with the amount she had funded for the term.

That night a Ministry official contacted the school and informed them that they must stop accepting the money. The next day the school’s special needs co-ordinator contacted the family to tell them this Minister lead decision. Clear political interference in the operation of a school.

The implications of this Ministry action are massive throughout the country and yesterday the media storm that has blown up even got Hipkins out of his Covid cave to talk education for two minutes. He told porkies about what had happened but at least admitted that his rejection letter to use was highly inaccurate.

Dear Chris

In your Newstalk interview today you told a story very different to the one that the Ministry official told the Principal at Jo Martin’s school and also very different from that the school then subsequently told Jo and Paul Martin.

I am also interested that you acknowledged the need for more work and professionals for children with needs. That is exactly what our DCS application offers you. Yet; in the rejection letter the reason you give is that “there are available supports for all learners in existing State schools.”

Either you were not telling the truth in the rejection letter – or you were not telling the truth to the NZ public today.

Can we meet please? I know I have asked many, many times over the last 4 years. This school is needed and we will do a superb job.

You were misled by your officials on potential locations and cost (etc).

You may also want to know that South Auckland Middle School – with great consideration – applied for in class assistance or IWS for 19 students this year. They got 1 (as in ONE) though.

Yours

Alwyn Poole

Villa Education Trust

ps:

Dear VET Supporters and Interested Parties

In the last 10 days I have had the privilege of working alongside two amazing groups of people.
1. Mike King and team – working with us in Russell, Bay of Islands, being involved in three events and doing an incredible job bringing his mental health message to the Far North (where it is desperately needed).
2. A group of courageous, passionate and highly informed parents as the Friends of Mt Hobson Middle School advocating for diverse learners across the country, putting their own stories in public and challenging the Minister of Educations view that a new school for 480 students near an Auckland transport is not needed because (his words): “the are available supports for all learners in existing State schools” and that a new school of 480 students would make “no material difference to the network.”

Both causes have gathered significant traction and remarkable public support. 

Those with the purse strings have preferred to fund a white elephant bike and footpath from Birkenhead to Ponsonby and a gang led drug programme. 

I have just watched Jacinda Ardern explain why: 

“Our position is to fund what works, fund what makes a difference.”

(40 secs into this: https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/politics/2021/07/mongrel-mob-rehab-funding-likened-to-money-laundering-officers-angry-police-association.html)

Surely she jests!

This chart above shows the annual increase in the median house price for every year since 2000. Note the 2021 figure is for June 20 to June 21, the rest are calendar years.

There was sold growth from 2003 to 2006. From 2007 to 2011 only one year had growth of over $20,000.

2016 and 2017 saw pretty large growth – what Labour called a crisis. But they pale in comparison to 2019, 2020 and 2021 to date. 2019 saw larger growth than any previous year. 2020 saw an average increase more than double the worst year under National. And the last 12 months has seen larger growth than a combined eight of the nine years under National.

A guest post by National Defence Spokesperson Chris Penk:

Dear PM

Today you are visiting Linton Army Camp / Base, I understand.

Your visit today is the reason I was not allowed to visit that venue yesterday. I did visit the bases at Waiouru and Ohakea yesterday, however, along with my colleagues Ian McKelvie and Joseph Mooney.  I was highly impressed – as always – with the skill and professionalism of our troops.

It is fair enough that scheduling priority has been given to the PM, over the opposition spokesperson.  In your role you have a much greater ability than almost anyone else to improve conditions for our serving personnel.

The question being asked by the NZDF, however, isn’t about your ability to help.  It’s your government’s willingness that is in doubt.

I have previously written to you and the Defence Minister about various issues with defence accommodation: you have exempted the government from “healthy homes” standards you impose on others, rents rose sharply in April and contaminated soil around defence housing has not yet been remediated.

I hope you actually ask our troops about these matters.  More importantly, I hope that you listen when they tell you the truth about having been neglected by your government these past four years.

In particular, I recommend that you ask to see mouldy walls of the buildings in which our fine women and men spend considerable time serving (as well as being out in the field, of course).  When your government first took over, you made much of allegedly mouldy walls in buildings administered by District Health Boards.  Let us now see if your concern was genuine or merely a political ploy, now that you have the ability to make change for the better.

None are more deserving than those whom this country sends into harm’s way to protect and promote our interests.

Earlier I noted that your ability to improve conditions was greater than that of “almost anyone else”.  I refer to the Defence Minister.  Please know that your appears distracted from his duty to advocate on behalf of the NZDF.  I hope you know what I mean by this.

Importantly, this is not merely my impression but the impression of our troops.

I am visiting all the NZDF bases and am listening carefully to the feedback they entrust me to hear.

I hope you enjoy your visit to Linton likewise. As I will not have the opportunity to do so myself on this occasion, for reasons I have explained, please thank on my behalf – and yours – for their service.

Yours sincerely

Chris Penk MP

National spokesperson for Defence 

PS. If you are not yet aware of a difficult and embarrassing issue regarding our soldiers’ pay then I’d respectfully advise you to ask the Defence Minister about this. Your attention to the matter is clearly needed.”