Shane Jones’ Sky News Lies

In a cringe-worthy spectacle, Shane Jones, New Zealand First’s shameless spruiker for the oil and gas industry, slithered onto Sky News Australia on Friday, peddling lies so brazen that they would have collapsed under even a whiff of scrutiny.

By blaming renewable energy like solar and wind for New Zealand’s exorbitant electricity prices, Jones swapped truth for fiction, serving his mining cronies while continuing to shaft Kiwi consumers.

Without a shred of skepticism, the hosts, Andrew Bolt, Peta Credlin, and Rowan Dean, fawned over Shane Jones pathetic promotion of polluting industries, swallowing his lies about renewables inflating power bills without any hesitation. Their sycophantic nods peaked when Jones smeared Jacinda Ardern, falsely tying her policies to price hikes, with zero pushback, amplifying the deceit Jones served up on a silver platter.


Today, Sky News reported:

 

‘A 180-degree turn and buried Jacinda’s thinking’: NZ try to recover from high energy prices

New Zealand Associate Energy Minister Shane Jones says the increase in electricity bills is due to a “hatred of fossil fuels” and a “false belief” of thinking you can run an economy without “peaking power”.

“The real problem is we were a low-cost energy system … the reality is, the power prices have not come down as a consequence of wind and solar,” Mr Jones said.

“Last winter, I believe we had the highest spiking prices for electricity in the entire OECD.

“We went through a 180-degree turn and basically buried Jacinda’s thinking.”

 

Since the neoliberal reforms of the 1980s, New Zealand’s electricity prices have surged, mainly driven by partial privatization. Economist Geoff Bertram’s 2020 study, “Weak Regulation, Rising Margins, and Asset Revaluations,” shows residential prices soared from 4.84 cents per kilowatt-hour in 1985 to 26.85 cents by 2018, doubling in real terms against an inflation-adjusted 14.08 cents. By 2024, the Ministry of Business, Innovation & Employment reported prices at 33.06 cents per kWh, a 75% jump from 18.87 cents in 2006. This isn’t due to solar or wind; it’s a market rigged for profit over people.

The last National government (2008-2017) under John Key partially privatised Mighty River Power (now Mercury), Meridian, and Genesis, promising competition would cut costs. Utter nonsense. Bertram notes retail markups spiked, with the energy component up 70% from 2004 to 2018, while gentailers’ asset revaluations drained $10-12 billion from consumers after the reforms.

Contrast this with Jones’ baseless claim that renewables are the villain. New Zealand’s electricity mix is already over 80% renewable, with hydro dominating at over 50% of capacity. Solar and wind, while growing, remain small contributors, hardly enough to move the price needle.

The Electricity Authority’s 2024 reports highlight that price spikes, like those exceeding $800/MWh in August 2024, stem from low hydro storage and reliance on costly gas-fired thermal plants, not renewables. Rising gas prices, driven by depleting domestic fields, add further pressure. If anything, expanding solar and wind could reduce dependence on volatile fossil fuels, stabilising prices in the long run.

So why does Jones peddle this drivel? Follow the money. His cozy ties to mining interests, evident in his advocacy for numerous extractive projects, suggest a vested interest in fossil fuels. Renewables threaten the profits of his cronies in extractive industries, so he spins a narrative to discredit them. It’s a tired old tactic from a politician who seems more comfortable shilling for corporate mates than serving the people he's meant to represent.

The real scandal is the $10.8 billion in dividends gentailers paid out from 2010 to 2020, while generation capacity grew by a measly 1%, as reported by Newsroom in 2024, causing companies to fail. That’s money that could have bolstered infrastructure or eased consumer prices, especially for low-income households facing energy hardship. Instead, it lined shareholders’ pockets. Jones’ refusal to acknowledge this while scapegoating renewables isn't just ignorant...it’s insulting to every Kiwi currently struggling to pay the bills.

Managed Retreat gets Mentioned in the News

The Nelson Tasman region, battered by relentless storms, stands as a stark reminder of New Zealand’s vulnerability to climate-driven disasters. The floods of June and July 2025, which inundated homes, crippled infrastructure, and forced evacuations in areas like Tapawera and Motueka Valley, have exposed the government’s woeful inaction on flood risk management.

Despite the growing threat of climate change, with over 400,000 buildings at risk nationwide and property assets worth more than NZ$135 billion exposed, the current administration’s response remains a patchwork of half-measures. This failure to confront the crisis head-on, particularly in Nelson-Tasman, risks not only livelihoods but also a looming collapse in property values.


On Thursday, RNZ reported:

 

Almost 15,000 properties could be damaged by floods in next 35 years - report

A report prepared for the government says 14,500 properties worth $12.9 billion could be expected to experience at least one damaging flood by 2060.

The country should expect the equivalent of last month's Tasman District floods "basically every year", according to the author, with between 300 and 400 homes a year seeing "significant damage" from water reaching at least 30cm above the floorboards.

...


An independent expert panel has recommended that homeowners whose houses are flooded or damaged by weather events should not expect buy-outs, and individuals should be responsible for knowing the risks and making their own decisions about whether to move away from high-risk areas.

The panel suggested a transition period of 20 years before people are on their own when it comes to property losses, to provide people with time to make decisions and spread any cost.

The panel did not recommend any coordinated retreat from at-risk areas and critics called the recommendations "unworkable".

The science is unequivocal. NIWA’s coastal flood maps project that 72,065 New Zealanders live in areas susceptible to so-called once-in-a-century floods, which are currently occurring on a monthly basis, with 675,500 in broader flood-prone zones also at risk. Nelson Tasman’s recent deluge, causing millions in damages, underscores its place among high-risk regions like Gisborne and Porirua. Height maps reveal low-lying areas near rivers like the Motueka are especially vulnerable to inundation, exacerbated by rising sea levels. 

Unfortunately, the government’s approach to managed retreat, relocating communities from flood-prone areas, is essentially non-existent, with only lip service being provided to the idea of ensuring people's safety through relocation. The absence of a national strategy leaves local councils scrambling, with Nelson Tasman residents facing uncertainty and inadequate support.

Managed retreat is not a novel concept; it’s a necessity acknowledged globally as climate impacts intensify. In New Zealand, research suggests towns like Gisborne may need retreat within 10–15 years, with other areas in the Nelson Tasman region potentially following by 2040–2050. However, the current government, led by a coalition seemingly allergic to proactive policy, has failed to advance meaningful legislation or funding frameworks.

Climate Change Minister Simon Watts has dodged calls for clear directives, leaving communities to fend for themselves. This inertia is not just negligent, it’s a betrayal of those bearing the brunt of increasingly frequent storms.

The economic fallout of this inaction is already looming. Nelson Tasman’s property market, once buoyant, faces a grim future as flood risks deter buyers. With hundreds of thousands of buildings across the country at risk, a potential market crash is likely in vulnerable regions. In Nelson Tasman, where recent floods highlighted systemic vulnerabilities, property values are likely to plummet as insurance premiums soar and buyer confidence erodes. 

The government’s refusal to prioritise managed retreat only amplifies this risk, leaving homeowners to face financial ruin without a clear path to safety.

The social cost is equally dire. Families displaced by floods in Nelson Tasman have received little more than temporary aid, with no long-term plan for relocation or adaptation. The government’s failure to engage with communities concerning managed retreat, despite recommendations from expert groups, reveals a callous disregard for those most affected. The 2023 weather events, costing up to $15 billion, should have been a wake-up call. Instead, the right-wing administration clings to short-term fixes, ignoring the need for systemic change to protect vulnerable populations.

This is not governance; it’s abdication. The National-led government’s reluctance to confront the reality of climate-driven flooding, particularly in regions like Nelson Tasman, is a policy failure of staggering proportions. Managed retreat, though complex and costly, demands national leadership, not the current patchwork of local efforts. Without swift action, the economic and social toll will only grow. The government must act now, legislate, fund, and plan for managed retreat, or condemn communities to a future of uncertainty and loss. The clock is ticking, and New Zealanders are waiting.

DOGE is Legally Liable for Texas Drownings

In a world increasingly battered by the ferocity of climate-driven storms, the catastrophic Texas floods of July 2025 stand as a grim testament to governmental negligence. 

The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), under the previous stewardship of Elon Musk and propelled by Donald Trump’s administration, slashed funding and staffing to critical agencies like the National Weather Service (NWS) and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).


On Tuesday, AP reported:

 

Debate erupts over role job cuts played in weather forecasts ahead of deadly Texas floods

Questions linger about level of coordination

Questions remain, however, about the level of coordination and communication between NWS and local officials on the night of the disaster. The Trump administration has cut hundreds of jobs at NWS, with staffing down by at least 20% at nearly half of the 122 NWS field offices nationally and at least a half dozen no longer staffed 24 hours a day. Hundreds more experienced forecasters and senior managers were encouraged to retire early.

The White House also has proposed slashing its parent agency’s budget by 27% and eliminating federal research centers focused on studying the world’s weather, climate and oceans.

The website for the NWS office for Austin/San Antonio, which covers the region that includes hard-hit Kerr County, shows six of 27 positions are listed as vacant. The vacancies include a key manager responsible for issuing warnings and coordinating with local emergency management officials. An online resume for the employee who last held the job showed he left in April after more than 17 years, shortly after mass emails sent to employees urging them to retire early or face potential layoffs.

Democrats on Monday pressed the Trump administration for details about the cuts. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer demanded that the administration conduct an inquiry into whether staffing shortages contributed to “the catastrophic loss of life” in Texas.

These cuts, which saw NWS staffing plummet by 20% across half its field offices and 550 meteorologists depart, directly undermined the ability to issue timely flood warnings. The result? Over 100 lives lost, including 27 girls at Camp Mystic. This is not just a moral failure, it’s a legal one, demanding prosecution for negligent acts by federal employees.

The evidence is damning. The Austin/San Antonio NWS office, tasked with forecasting for the flood-ravaged Texas Hill Country, operated with six of 27 positions vacant, including a critical warning coordination role. Forecasts underestimated rainfall by up to 50%, and warnings, though issued, failed to reach communities effectively.

Former NOAA administrator Rick Spinrad has pointed to these staffing shortages as a direct cause of inadequate alerts. Yet, while Musk and Trump championed “efficiency” to justify slashing vital infrastructure, they funnelled tax cuts to themselves and their elite allies, a grotesque prioritisation of profit over people which has resulted in numerous American lives lost.

Legal precedents underscore the potential for accountability. In Katrina Canal Breaches Consolidated Litigation (2009), the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers was held liable for negligent maintenance of flood control systems, a ruling that bypassed sovereign immunity by focusing on operational failures.

Similarly, Freeman v. United States (1971) found the government liable for failing to warn of dangerous weather, affirming a duty to disseminate critical information. Indian Towing Co. v. United States (1955) further established that once the government undertakes a service like weather forecasting, it must execute it with accuracy and care.

DOGE’s cuts, which left NWS offices understaffed and unable to coordinate effectively, mirror these operational lapses. Under the Federal Tort Claims Act, such negligence by federal employees, caused by politicians cutting funding, could (and should) face prosecution, especially if specific regulations on staffing or warning protocols were violated.

Climate change amplifies this tragedy. Scientists like Avantika Gori note that warming oceans fuel more intense, localised storms, as seen in Texas with 30 to 50 cm (12-20 inches) of rain falling in hours. Governments worldwide, including New Zealand’s, share liability for failing to mitigate climate change or bolster infrastructure against its impacts.

The Paris Agreement’s tepid progress and inadequate emissions reductions leave communities vulnerable, with leaders complicit in disasters they’ve failed to prepare for. In Texas, DOGE’s cuts exacerbated this vulnerability, turning a climate-driven deluge into a massacre.

Musk and Trump’s actions reflect a callous disregard for public safety. While they gutted NOAA’s budget by 27% and eliminated research centres, they celebrated tax breaks for the ultra-wealthy, a moral bankruptcy that echoes across the globe.

Governments, whether in Washington or Wellington, have a duty to protect citizens from foreseeable harms. By prioritising fiscal “efficiency” over robust forecasting and mitigation, they’ve failed in that duty.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer’s call for an investigation is a start, but it’s not enough. Those responsible for these cuts must face legal consequences, not just political scrutiny.

The Texas floods are a clarion call. Climate change demands urgent investment in resilient systems, not reckless tax cuts to appease billionaires. Governments worldwide must be held accountable, legally and morally, for failing to act.

In New Zealand, we watch with horror, knowing our own climate inaction could invite similar tragedies. The time for excuses is over; the time for justice is now.

Democracy Under Siege: NZ Government Gags Youth MPs

In a development that epitomises authoritarian overreach masquerading as administrative procedure, the Coalition of Chaos government has decided to censor Youth MPs during the 11th Youth Parliament, an event that was meant to amplify the free voices of our young people.

The revelation that youth representatives, invited to Parliament to debate the very issues that will define their futures, have been forced to water down or outright remove criticisms of government policy represents a fundamental assault on the democratic principles this coalition once claimed to champion.

Yesterday, RNZ reported:

 

Youth MPs accuse government of 'censoring' them, ministry says otherwise

The government is rejecting accusations it is censoring Youth MPs, saying the protocols followed are the same as 2022 and the young people get the final say on their speeches.

However, the email sent to one Youth MP carries the subject line "changes required", and stated the ministry "have had to make some changes".

Some of the Youth MPs involved say they will not be suppressed and the issue has fuelled the fire to make their voices heard.

 

Coalition parties spent years in opposition decrying Labour's supposed nanny state mentality, lambasting what they saw as overbearing governmental control. Yet here they stand, dictating what young people can say in a forum explicitly designed to foster free expression and democratic participation. This isn't the bold, open democracy that Chris Luxon promised, it's a masterclass in hypocrisy that would embarrass even the most cynical political operator.

The current Youth Parliament involves 123 young people aged 16-18, selected by MPs to represent their constituencies. But despite this broad church of political views, these voices are being systematically silenced when they dare to speak truth to power. 

The Ministry of Youth Development's decision to issue emails with the subject line "changes required" to approximately half of the Youth MPs preparing to address Parliament reveals breathtaking audacity from a government that has transformed from opposition critics into zealous practitioners of the very control they once condemned.

Youth MP Thomas Brocherie, co-director of Make It 16, cut straight to the heart of the matter:

However, the Youth MPs spoke to reporters at Parliament with one - Thomas Brocherie, a spokesperson for Make it 16, a group pushing for a voting age of 16 - saying the approach taken to the speeches was diluting the value of the Youth Parliament.

"We have been told to not argue on either side of contentious issues such as the pay equity reforms or the Treaty Principles Bill for the excuse that they are current topics in the current Parliament. This is not just illogical, it is censorship," he said.

"We cannot say we value democracy unless we actually show and prove we value democracy. Silencing the stakeholders of the future does not value democracy."

Another Youth MP Nate Wilbourne, a spokesperson for Gen Z Aotearoa, said rangatahi were being silenced and censored.

"We've been told to soften our language, to drop key parts of our speeches and to avoid criticizing certain ministers or policies. This isn't guidance. This is fear based control."

Brocherie said the emails being titled "changes required" was "not at all a suggestion, that is blatant editing, they want us to change something to suit their purpose, to suit their agenda".

Youth MP Lincoln Jones said they were provided with "a PDF of edited changes... delivered to our inbox, and that was the expected requirement, that we speak that speech".

"It's honestly like they've gone through with it with a microscope to find any little thing that might be interpreted wrong against, I guess, the current government."

These young people's arguments carry particular weight when considering the existential nature of the issues they're attempting to address, climate change being foremost among them.

Two-thirds of New Zealanders expect severe climate impacts in their area over the next 10 years, whilst New Zealand ranks 41st internationally as a "low climate performer". These are not abstract policy debates for young New Zealanders, they represent the scaffolding of their future. When Youth MP Nate Wilbourne speaks of the "war on nature" and attempts to name ministers responsible for environmental vandalism, he exercises the fundamental democratic right to hold power accountable on matters of existential urgency.

The government's justification for this censorship reveals either breathtaking ignorance or calculated dishonesty. Minister for Youth James Meager insists speeches are not being censored whilst simultaneously defending a process that removes criticisms of government policy, edits references to environmental action, and sanitises language deemed "too political." This isn't guidance; it's censorship dressed up in bureaucratic doublespeak.

However, the decision to abandon livestreaming of this year's Youth Parliament, citing "resource constraints" represents perhaps the most cynical element of the government's censorship regime. Previous Youth Parliaments were fully livestreamed, allowing young New Zealanders across the country to witness democratic participation in action. Youth MP Lincoln Jones rightly identified this change as an attempt to "ensure that speeches that don't fit the narrative of this government are not getting out to the general public."

⚠️ News that this year’s 3-day Youth Parliament has been heavily censored by the Ministry of Youth Development is a shocking act of political control.

Youth MPs were invited to engage — yet have been told to stay silent on issues like climate change, voting rights, and pay… pic.twitter.com/gplINLmaC2

— Kelvin Morgan 🇳🇿 (@kelvin_morganNZ) July 1, 2025

Youth MP Sam Allen noted that participants have gone "from what should be a really exciting event" to "just feeling quite scared" about potential consequences. This erosion of confidence in democratic participation reflects something far more troubling than isolated administrative overzealousness, it's symptomatic of a broader democratic crisis that extends well beyond Parliament's youth programme.

This pattern of democratic erosion has not gone unnoticed by New Zealand's most respected institutions. The New Zealand Law Society's recent watershed report painted a stark picture of rule of law deterioration, highlighting "unequal access to justice and concern at an increased failure to follow good lawmaking processes." 

The Society warned that "accelerated legislative processes have restricted public consultation and select committee review through the use of urgency and Amendment Papers," cautioning that "without deliberate action and adequate investment public confidence in the justice system, and the principle that all are equal before the law, will continue to erode."

On Friday, NZ Lawyer reported:

Access to justice barriers and poor legislative and policy making processes were two major threats

The New Zealand Law Society | Te Kāhui Ture o Aotearoa has released a watershed report that has cautioned against the rule of law being eroded.

The Strengthening the rule of law in Aotearoa New Zealand report indicated that significant and urgent threats included access to justice barriers, poor legislative and policy making processes, and sustenance of the judicial system's independence.

"Predominantly, what we heard focused on unequal access to justice and concern at an increased failure to follow good lawmaking processes. Issues with access to fair justice processes were particularly prevalent in the conversations. The barriers vary, including unaffordability of legal services, underfunded legal aid and duty lawyer schemes, and delays in courts and tribunals", Law Society President Frazer Barton said.

Outgoing Auditor-General John Ryan delivered an equally damning assessment in his final report, noting that "public trust in government is declining." His observation that "trust is the lifeblood of a well-functioning democracy but it is vulnerable" proves particularly prescient when examining how this government treats criticism from any quarter, whether from teenagers, councils, or democratic institutions themselves. 

Ryan identified that Māori, disabled, and Pasifika communities, who "experience disproportionately worse outcomes," show less trust in the public sector, a crisis compounded when young advocates for these communities face systematic silencing.

Yesterday, the Controller and Auditor General reported:

Public trust in government is declining

The public sector represents about one third of the economy. To be successful as a country, we need an effective and efficient public sector that demonstrates that it provides value and is trusted by the public. Although there is much to celebrate in the quality and resilience of New Zealand’s public sector in recent years, the public’s trust in democratic institutions is declining.

Trust is the lifeblood of a well-functioning democracy but it is vulnerable. We saw, for example, in the latter stages of the Covid-19 pandemic how disinformation and a breakdown in trust in parts of the community negatively affected how some responded to public health messages, guidance, and restrictions aimed at protecting the health of all New Zealanders.

We know that levels of trust vary considerably between different population groups. Māori, the disabled, and Pasifika communities experience disproportionately worse outcomes in health, education, housing, employment, and justice. It is likely no coincidence that they are less inclined than the rest of the New Zealand population to trust the public sector.

In my view, the persistent inequity of outcomes needs to be tackled if we are to increase and maintain the trust of all New Zealanders in our system of government.

 

This government’s penchant for undermining democratic processes is further evidenced by its handling of the Fast-track Approvals Act, passed in December 2024.

The government's authoritarian legislation, which allows ministers to bypass standard regulatory processes for infrastructure and resource projects, was rushed through Parliament with limited public consultation and minimal transparency. Documents detailing the 149 projects included in the bill were withheld from MPs until just 72 hours before the final vote, severely restricting scrutiny and public debate. 

Critics, including the Waitangi Tribunal, have raised alarms about the Act’s potential to erode Māori rights under the Treaty of Waitangi, particularly in relation to seabed mining off Pātea. This blatant sidelining of democratic oversight and indigenous voices underscores a troubling willingness to prioritise corporate interests over public accountability.

Equally concerning is the government’s suspension of three Māori Party MPs in June 2025 for performing a haka in protest against policies perceived to undermine Māori rights. This heavy-handed response to a cultural expression of dissent within Parliament, a space meant to embody free speech, signals an intolerance for any opposition that runs counter to their authoritarianism.

The haka incident, coupled with the coalition’s broader moves to review the Treaty of Waitangi and reduce the use of Māori language in government, has sparked widespread protests and accusations of rolling back decades of indigenous progress. Such actions suggest a government more interested in consolidating control than fostering inclusive debate.

The government’s moves to override local councils through Resource Management Act (RMA) reforms further exemplify this democratic erosion. By centralising decision-making powers and sidelining local authorities’ ability to reflect community priorities on housing and environmental protections, the coalition has effectively neutered local democracy. 

These reforms, driven by a top-down approach, limit public input and undermine the ability of councils to represent their constituents, echoing the same authoritarian impulse seen in the censorship of Youth MPs. This pattern of stripping away local agency betrays the coalition’s earlier promises to empower communities, revealing a government more concerned with control than collaboration.

When teenagers can't criticise ministers over climate inaction without bureaucratic interference, when councils can't represent their communities without central government override, and when proper legislative processes are abandoned in favour of urgency and expedience, we witness democracy's foundations being systematically undermined by a government that treats participation as an inconvenience rather than a cornerstone of good governance.

This government must immediately reverse its shameful censorship of Youth MPs, restore transparent democratic processes, and abandon its attacks on local governance. The warnings from our legal and auditing experts are clear, we stand at a crossroads between democratic renewal and authoritarian drift. New Zealand's democracy cannot survive when those in power systematically silence criticism and circumvent accountability. Our young people deserve better, our communities deserve better, and our democracy demands nothing less.

Government Doesn't Care About the Nelson-Tasman Flooding

New Zealand’s weather is turning rogue, and the National-led government seems content to sit on its hands. The recent flooding in the Tasman District, which claimed one life and left homes, businesses, and livelihoods underwater, is yet another stark reminder of the escalating climate crisis.

This deluge, described by locals as unprecedented, saw the Motueka River breach its banks and State Highway 6 close due to slips and flooding. The government’s response, or lack thereof, betrays a disturbing indifference to the growing frequency and severity of such extreme weather events, driven by climate change.

As New Zealand grapples with an ever-wetter, wilder weather pattern, the coalition’s inaction on flood resilience, emissions reduction, and basic preparedness is nothing short of reckless.

On Friday, 1 News reported:

'Heartbreaking': Flooding turns Tasman farm into 'raging creek'

A farm owner in Tasman says severe weather which has "smashed" her farm overnight is "heartbreaking" for her business.

A state of emergency in place for part of Marlborough, as well as Nelson and Tasman as heavy rain batters the regions. Marlborough District Council has asked residents to avoid all travel unless absolutely necessary.

Wild Oats farm owner Kirsty Lalich told 1News it wasn't the first time her farm on Pretty Bridge Rd had experienced flooding, but said she'd "never, ever seen it like this".

The Tasman floods are not an isolated incident. NIWA’s updated storm rainfall profiles and Nelson City Council’s flood modelling show that climate change is amplifying the intensity and frequency of extreme weather. Since 2018, New Zealand has seen over 30 local states of emergency due to flooding, more than double the number from the previous five years. 

The 2022 Nelson floods were a warning. However, here we are, three years later, with the same region battered again and the new government dragging its feet. Climate change is no longer a distant threat; it’s hammering our communities now, and the National-led coalition seems wilfully blind to the urgency.

Emergency Management Minister Mark Mitchell’s response was emblematic of this apathy. On May 26, 2025, Nelson Mayor Nick Smith, who declared a local state of emergency alongside Tasman District Council, spoke with Mitchell about the escalating crisis. Mitchell downplayed the event, stating the threshold for a national state of emergency hadn’t been met and that the storm would likely pass. Tell that to the family of the person killed while clearing flood damage. 

Yesterday, the NZ Herald reported:

 

Person dies near Nelson after being hit by tree while clearing floodwaters

A person has died after being hit by a tree while clearing floodwaters near Nelson.

Acting Nelson Bays area commander Senior Sergeant Martin Tunley said the incident happened at Wai-iti, southeast of Wakefield, this morning.

“Around 9.40am, emergency services were called to a property on State Highway 6 after a person was reportedly hit by a tree while clearing flood damage.”

Despite efforts by emergency services, the person died at the scene, Tunley said.

 

Mitchell’s dismissive stance, coupled with his absence from meaningful action, underscores a government more interested in optics rather than saving lives. A national declaration could have unlocked critical resources, but instead, locals were left to fend for themselves.

Associate Transport Minister James Meager’s silence is equally damning. When approached by media about the flooding and repeated calls for a Nelson weather radar, Meager didn’t even bother to comment. This radar, which could provide precise, real-time data to predict severe storms, has been a priority for Nelson and Tasman councils since 2010. MetService has acknowledged its value but noted it lacks Crown funding, a decision that rests with the government. 

The public, caught off-guard by the storm’s ferocity, had little warning due to reliance on Wellington’s distant radar, which is obstructed by terrain. This failure to invest in basic forecasting infrastructure is a direct betrayal of communities facing increasingly volatile weather.

Worse still, the National-led government has slashed funding critical to flood resilience. In Budget 2024, it returned $3.2 billion of the $6 billion National Resilience Plan, established in 2023 to bolster infrastructure against extreme weather. This gutting of funds, intended for medium and long-term projects, leaves regions like Nelson Tasman vulnerable. 

The coalition’s broader climate record is equally dismal: it has watered down emissions reduction targets, scrapped the Clean Car Discount, and prioritised fossil fuel interests over renewable energy. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon’s government seems to view climate adaptation as an inconvenience rather than a necessity.

The Nelson Tasman floods are a clarion call. New Zealanders deserve a government that takes climate change seriously, through robust emissions cuts, investment in forecasting tools like the Nelson radar, and restored funding for resilience projects. 

Instead, we’re left with a coalition that downplays disasters, ignores media, and leaves communities to drown. The tragedy in Wai-iti and the chaos in Nelson Tasman region demand accountability. It’s time for the government to wake up before the next deluge washes away more lives and livelihoods.

National's Fossil Fool Fiasco Betrays Climate Commitments

New Zealand’s National-led government has once again proven its reckless disregard for our planet and our international reputation by abandoning the Beyond Oil and Gas Alliance (BOGA), a commitment made in 2021 to phase out fossil fuel production.

This incredibly dumb decision, coupled with a $200 million fund to subsidise oil and gas exploration in Budget 2025, is a slap in the face to our climate obligations and a dangerous gamble with our trade relationships.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT) explicitly warned the coalition of chaos about the legal and reputational risks, yet Ministers like the corrupted Shane Jones have ploughed ahead anyway, cozying up to fossil fuel barons while thumbing their noses at science and our global partners.

This isn't just incompetence...it’s a betrayal of New Zealand’s future just so a few politicians can line their and their oil baron mates' pockets.

Today, Newsroom reported:

 

NZ abandons international fossil fuel pledge

New Zealand’s departure from the Beyond Oil and Gas Alliance came quietly, but not as a surprise to anyone closely following the Government’s fossil fuel policies.

Resources Minister Shane Jones says the coalition’s fossil fuel plans meant the exit was inevitable. But he also says more formal agreements, like free trade deals with the EU, include wriggle room for matters of sovereign risk, such as national energy supply.

...

Legal advice later provided to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade said repealing the 2018 ban on offshore oil and gas “would likely be inconsistent with the obligations in several of New Zealand’s free trade agreements”.

The Green Party warned on Tuesday that, based on the assessment of an independent KC, the move breached another international commitment: the Agreement on Climate Change, Trade and Sustainability. This agreement was celebrated by Trade Minister Todd McClay last year as a “pioneering” endeavour.

On Tuesday afternoon, McClay responded to questions from Greens co-leader Chlöe Swarbrick by doubling down on the nation’s commitment to its climate targets: “What it says about this Government is we will meet our international obligations. When we enter into them, we take them seriously.”

The following morning, New Zealand was found to have withdrawn from the Beyond Oil and Gas Alliance.

 

MFAT’s legal advice, as revealed in a Regulatory Impact Statement, was crystal clear: repealing the 2018 ban on offshore oil and gas exploration risks breaching trade agreements with the EU, UK, and the Agreement on Climate Change, Trade and Sustainability (ACCTS) with Costa Rica, Iceland, and Switzerland. The $200 million fund, described by Green Party co-leader Chlöe Swarbrick as a “clear breach” of ACCTS, directly violates commitments to eliminate fossil fuel subsidies.

The government's own MFAT, hardly known for their green idealism, cautioned that this could also be seen as backsliding on our Paris Agreement obligations, potentially increasing New Zealand's emissions. Yet, the National-led government has ignored these warnings, prioritising short-term profits over long-term stability. Trade Minister Todd McClay’s feeble claim that New Zealand remains “compliant” with ACCTS is laughable when legal experts like Nura Taefi KC confirm the fund’s illegality under international law.

Shane Jones, the Resources Minister, is at the heart of this debacle, and his track record reeks of corruption and fossil fuel favoritism. Known for his “Make NZ Great Again” theatrics, Jones has a history of bending over backwards for industry mates. In 2019, as Forestry Minister, he was caught pushing for a $15 million bailout for West Coast logging firms, sidestepping due process.

"This is a declaration based on science."

New Zealand has declared a climate change emergency and committed to being carbon-neutral by 2050. pic.twitter.com/6rSEnD7e15

— DW News (@dwnews) December 2, 2020

The coalition of chaos is funnelling $200 million of taxpayer money to oil and gas companies, with $8 million alone for “administering” the fund, which smells distinctly like another slush fund for cronies. Shane Jones' dismissive quip that BOGA is a “women’s knitting group” reveals not just his contempt for climate action but his cozy relationship with Energy Resources Aotearoa, the oil and gas lobby that’s been begging for taxpayer-backed exploration since July 2024. Jones’s refusal to disclose conditions for the $200 million fund during parliamentary scrutiny further fuels suspicions of backroom deals.

The National and Act parties, meanwhile, are doubling down on climate denialism. National’s Simon Watts, Climate Change Minister, claimed in November 2024 that New Zealand could stay in BOGA while lifting the ban, an assertion contradicted by BOGA’s co-chair, Lars Aagaard, who warned of re-evaluation. Act’s David Seymour, ever the contrarian, has long scoffed at climate science, once calling emissions targets “symbolic nonsense.” Their policies reflect this: Budget 2025 slashed funding for renewable energy initiatives by 20%, while natural gas production is being propped up as a “transitional” fuel until 2070. This flies in the face of the International Energy Agency’s 2021 warning that no new fossil fuel projects are compatible with 1.5°C goals.

New Zealand’s climate resilience is crumbling under this government. Extreme weather events cost the economy $4.3 billion in 2023 alone, yet National and Act have cut climate adaptation funding by 15%, leaving communities vulnerable. Pacific Island nations, like Tuvalu, have slammed New Zealand’s fossil fuel pivot as a betrayal, risking our regional leadership. With 68% of Kiwis in a 2024 poll demanding stronger climate action, this government’s fossil fuel obsession is not just reckless...it’s undemocratic. The coalition of chaos is burning our future for a quick buck, and we're all going to pay the price.

Coalition’s Climate Cop-Out Risks $2 Billion Export Hit

New Zealand’s National-led coalition of chaos government has once again proven its inability to tackle the climate crisis with even a shred of competence. The world is watching, and the verdict is damning: Aotearoa is failing to curb CO2 emissions by any meaningful measure and the National-led government's 2025 Budget is kicking the climate change can down the road, prioritising carbon capture fantasies over genuine climate action.

Let’s start with agriculture, which accounts for nearly half of New Zealand’s greenhouse gas emissions, largely methane from livestock. Despite earlier promises to include agriculture in the Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) by 2025, the coalition has delayed this to 2030, bowing to pressure from farming lobbyists. This exemption, plus other pro-farming policies that will increase pollution, ensures that the sector responsible for 43.5% of our current methane emissions faces no real accountability.

The 2025 Budget, which will make any reductions harder to achieve, is a grim reflection of the government’s cowardice to curb agricultural emissions in any meaningful way. Instead, it allocates $200 million to fossil fuel developments at gas fields while slashing $56 million for electric buses. They're also cutting $100 million from climate resilience projects for the Pacific. Meanwhile, the coalition scrapped incentives for electric vehicles and cycleways, undermining low-emission transport. Then there’s the government’s losing bet on the lame horse that is carbon capture.

In May, RNZ reported: 

 

Climate solution all but buried before it begins

The CCS project - led by Todd Energy and backed by the government - aims to capture carbon dioxide from industrial processes and inject it deep underground in Taranaki, at the Kapuni gas field, locking it away for centuries.

The start date has been pencilled in for around 2027, and from then until 2030 it is expected to store a million tonnes of CO₂, with a further almost million tonnes stored over the following five years.

It is a big part of the government's broader plan to meet its legal obligations to cut emissions by 2030 - about a third of the carbon savings needed.

But Gibson tells The Detail the project's future is now uncertain unless Todd Energy gets "more money or less liability or a combination [of both]".

"There is a whole raft of things that have changed, one is the carbon price is low compared to other countries ... then there is the issue of the liability regime, so if there is a leak 15 years after you have filled up a field and closed it off, who is responsible for that ... so there is wrangling going on around the rules."

Globally, CCS has a mixed track record. Some projects, like Norway's Sleipner, have stored CO₂ safely for decades. Others have failed spectacularly, costing billions and storing less than promised.

Nicola Willis’ austerity budget also fails to bolster the ETS, which excludes agriculture and relies on a flawed cap that doesn’t prioritise gross emissions reductions. Instead, it pours funds into unproven carbon capture and sequestration technologies that are just pipe dreams. The Climate Change Commission projections showed the government won’t deliver any meaningful cuts, rendering younger generations to a future of climate chaos. Christopher Luxon's idiotic approach bets on “immature technologies” that may never be commercially viable, wasting resources that could be better spent on already consented solar and wind projects that are waiting in the wings.

Internationally, New Zealand’s backsliding is raising eyebrows. Our free trade agreements with the EU and UK, which include robust climate commitments, are at risk. The EU-NZ FTA, for instance, explicitly ties trade to Paris Agreement obligations, yet our reversal of the offshore oil and gas exploration ban and failure to cut agricultural emissions could breach these terms.

Breaching our FTA climate commitments could cripple New Zealand’s export sectors, with estimated losses of $1-$2 billion annually. Agriculture, contributing $29 billion to exports in 2023, faces the greatest risk. Dairy and meat exports to the EU, valued at $5.2 billion, could see tariff reinstatements costing $435-$870 million yearly, while trade disputes and penalties might add hundreds of millions more. Reputational damage in climate-conscious markets like the EU and UK could further erode demand for our “clean, green” products, threatening the economic backbone of our nation.

Climate campaigners, like 350.org Aotearoa, have slammed the coalition’s “pathetic” 2035 NDC target (51-55% emissions cuts below 2005 levels, barely a 1-5% improvement over the 2030 goal) calling it a “disgrace” compared to the UK’s 81% cut. But it’s not just New Zealand organisations that are noticing the National-led government’s climate failures.


On Tuesday, RNZ reported:

 

Climate change scientists accuse government of 'ignoring scientific evidence'

The prime minister has dismissed international climate scientists as "worthies" for criticising the government's approach to methane.

But the Green Party says New Zealand appears to be on a "climate denial bandwagon" and needs to end the speculation over what it plans to do about the country's single biggest source of emissions.

Christopher Luxon received a letter from 26 international climate change scientists accusing the government of "ignoring scientific evidence" over plans to lower its methane target.

New Zealand has one of the highest per-capita methane rates in the world because of its farming exports and the current target is reducing methane by between 24 and 47 percent by 2050.

Farmer lobby groups are demanding the government lower the target, and back away from any plans to put a price on methane.

What’s even worse, the government’s rhetoric is once again flirting with climate denial like the science isn't already settled. Coalition of chaos Minister’s have recently downplayed methane’s impact, with Agriculture Minister Todd McClay dismissing offshore carbon credits, saying they are unnecessary despite an 84-million-tonne shortfall in our Paris targets.

The government's head-in-the-sand approach not only impacts our potential for a clean and green economy but tarnishes our global image, which will affect not just our export sector, but also our already struggling tourism industry as well. The world is noticing, and New Zealand’s climate inaction will cost us dearly, both environmentally and economically.

Coalition’s Climate Chaos: Selling Out To Big Polluters

Climate Change Minister Simon Watts

You may have noticed that climate change has largely dropped off the radar, even though many people are still dealing with the long laborious task of recovering after unprecedented storms decimated many parts of New Zealand. So what is the National-led government doing about this existential threat? Nothing good really. The latest reforms to the New Zealand Emissions Trading Scheme (NZ ETS), rolled out by the Coalition of Chaos, are yet another example of the government kicking the climate can down the road. These changes, meant to bolster our fight against climate change, are about as effective as a paper towel in a cyclone. Let’s unpack this mess and remind ourselves how we got here, thanks to decades of gutless decisions by government's who appear obsessed with cooking the planet.


On Monday, RNZ reported:

Auckland prepares for climate change realities

Auckland's emergency response teams are preparing for the realities of climate change, considering potentially life saving options such as leaving air conditioned libraries open for longer during heatwaves.

But when it comes to stopping climate change from getting worse, figures show our biggest city is way off target.

…

But University of Auckland senior planning lecture Dr Tim Welch said public transport trips were still below pre-lockdown levels in 2019, while cycling trips have only just recovered to their 2019 levels - at about 370,000 journeys a month in March.

Add plunging electric vehicle sales, and the goals looked out of reach.

"We're wildly off track and I could say, without being pessimistic, just being a realist here, that unless we do something dramatic very very soon that's transformational we are going to miss these targets by a significant amount."

It's becoming more apparent that NZ’s climate policies are no longer enough to help keep warming at 1.5°C. In particular, the NZ ETS, our flagship tool for cutting emissions, has been tinkered with time and time again, with the coalition claiming it’ll somehow magically align with our 2050 net-zero goal. But dig into the details, and it’s clear this is more about appeasing big polluters than saving the planet.

The reforms, following 2023 consultations, aim to cap emissions and tweak forestry rules, but they’re riddled with loopholes. Agriculture, which churns out nearly half of our emissions, gets another free pass until at least 2030, despite promises to price methane by 2025. This isn’t reform; it’s a love letter to the dairy lobby while they rob New Zealanders blind, signed by a government too spineless to act.

National’s refusal to ditch pollution subsidies is a gut-punch to climate action. Forking out $250 million annually to prop up big polluters like NZ Steel and Methanex, while crying poor on schools and hospitals, exposes their priorities: corporate mates over a liveable planet. Treasury and He Pou a Rangi begged for a review, but Simon Watts slammed the door shut.

These handouts, entrenched since 2008, let emissions-intensive industries pollute without penalty, undermining the ETS’s purpose. It’s a shameless betrayal of New Zealanders, locking us into a dirtier more precarious future while National hands tax cuts to landlords. The next government must end this rort and make the unrepentant polluters pay.

Simon Watts, National’s Climate Change Minister, is a polluter’s dream. A former banker with zero climate credibility, he’s dodged reviewing $250 million in subsidies to big polluters, ignoring Treasury and IRD. His ETS fumbles and fossil fuel flip-flops at COP28 expose a minister out of his depth, prioritising corporate cronies over the planet.


In April, RNZ reported:

 

Ministers rejected advice to review climate grants

Ministers rejected advice to take a hard look at hundreds of millions of dollars in climate grants to the likes of NZ Steel, Methanex, Rio Tinto, and Fletcher Building.

Inland Revenue and Treasury told the government there was no proper evidence that yearly subsidies to some of the country's biggest carbon polluters were needed.

Their recommendation for a thorough review was met with a no thanks from Minister Simon Watts. 

 

He Pou a Rangi’s plan to flood the ETS with 13.6 million extra NZ emission units from 2026-2030 is a reckless backslide. National’s cronies on the commission seem happy to juice auction volumes, letting polluters off the hook. Lower industrial allocations should mean emissions cuts, not more credits to burn. This isn’t climate policy. We need a hard cap, not a free-for-all that spikes our Paris NDC costs. Time to stop sabotaging the ETS and start putting pressure on polluters to force New Zealand's emissions down.

The coalition’s obsession with forestry offsets is another head-scratcher. They’re doubling down on planting exotic trees to soak up carbon, ignoring the Climate Change Commission’s warning that over-reliance on pine trees masks real emissions cuts. This isn’t new; past governments have leaned on dodgy Land Use, Land Use Change and Forestry (LULUCF) accounting to fudge numbers, pretending we’re greener than we are. The result? Our 2030 Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) relies on buying billions of dollars worth of international offsets, because we can’t cut emissions at home.

Flash back to the 2000s: the ETS was launched without a cap, meaning unlimited emissions were “traded.” Genius. Then, the National-led government of 2008-2017 kept prices so low that polluters had no reason to change. Fast forward to today, and the coalition’s squabbling with ACT wanting to gut the Zero Carbon Act, while NZ First peddles climate denial, and National just shrugs, ensures we’re stuck in neutral and doing nothing. Their plan to divert the Climate Emergency Response Fund to tax cuts is a gross denial of the realities of climate change fuelled storms.

The science is screaming: methane cuts are urgent, yet the coalition’s dragging its feet on any meaningful investment. The Zero Carbon Act’s split-gas target was a compromise, but even that’s too much for this lot. They’re betting on future tech miracles while ignoring low-hanging fruit like public transport or regenerative farming. New Zealand’s climate goals (net-zero by 2050, halving emissions by 2030) are slipping away, and the coalition’s reforms and pro oil and gas policies are just more nails in the coffin.

New Zealand’s pollution crisis is dire: 2015 saw 17.5 tonnes of greenhouse gases per capita, 33% above the industrialised nation average. Agricultural methane, half our emissions, remains untaxed, ballooning our carbon footprint. Storm frequency is surging. NIWA projects a 30% increase in flooding risks by 2099 under high-emission scenarios, with 1-in-50-year storms already being a regular occurrence and hitting harder. Climate change is pummelling Aotearoa hard, yet National’s ETS fiddling and polluter subsidies keep us on a collision course with catastrophe.

The government’s cozying up to polluters reeks of corruption. Their refusal to axe $250 million in subsidies for NZ Steel and Rio Tinto, despite expert warnings, shows that big business is pulling the strings. While the Coalition of Chaos cries poor on public services, their loyalty lies with corporate donors, not the planet. It’s a bribe-fueled betrayal of every Kiwi facing the very real consequences of climate disaster.

This isn’t leadership; it’s a betrayal of future generations. The Coalition of Chaos is recycling the same tired excuses, leaving others to clean up their mess. Time to force polluters to reduce their footprint, price agriculture’s emissions properly, and actually fight for a liveable planet. Anything less is just hot air.

Why Has The World Forgotten About Hollywood?

It’s only been a few months since the Hollywood fires tore through Los Angeles, leaving a trail of devastation, numerous deaths, over 10,000 homes reduced to rubble, and a once glorious film industry on its knees. The Palisades and Eaton fires, fueled by climate-driven dry winds, didn’t just burn houses; they scorched the very heart of Tinseltown. Yet, the world seems to have shrugged its shoulders and moved on.

First, the fires exposed Hollywood’s fragility. Already struggling after writers strikes, a pandemic, and a production exodus to tax-friendly havens like Atlanta, Hollywood's films have deteriorated markedly since the fires burnt much of the industries capacity to the ground. The January blazes, which torched iconic filming locations and displaced countless crew members, should’ve been a wake-up call for the world. But here we are wondering again why nothing has changed?

Instead, global attention fizzled away faster than the fires dying embers. The Grammy's gave a nod with a somber opening, and some celebs like Spencer Pratt tossed around a few bucks on TikTok Live, but the world’s gaze soon shifted. Economic losses topped $60 billion, yet the narrative pivoted to mundane issues designed to pacify the masses. Hollywood’s plight? Just collateral damage in a war with nature that humans cannot possibly win.

The global silence reeks of selective outrage. South Korea’s wildfires, which killed 27 and razed cultural treasures, got more ink for their sheer exoticism. Meanwhile, LA’s fires, despite their enormous scale, were framed as a local problem...rich folks losing mansions, right? Wrong. Over 40% of Angelenos surveyed knew someone directly hit; jobs vanished, small businesses crumbled and everyday Americans lost everything due to the insurance industry refusing to cover risky homes. This wasn’t just a celebrity sob story; it was a working-class gut punch that has put Hollywood on its knees. But the world’s media, obsessed with clickbait and power games, barely blinked.

Climate change, the real culprit, got a passing mention. Scientists pegged the fires as 35% more likely due to a warming planet, yet global leaders keep kicking the can down the road. Nobodies expecting Trump to do anything, but the fires should’ve sparked a reckoning for the free world on emissions and urban planning. Instead, we’re fed distractions about celebrities flying to the upper atmosphere. Oh whoop de do!

The world’s ignoring Hollywood’s fires because they expose uncomfortable truths: our addiction to fossil fuels, spectacle, our apathy toward climate chaos, and our willingness to let even the dream factory burn if the story’s not sexy enough. Wake up, folks...this isn’t just LA’s tragedy; it’s our collective failure...a collective human failure that cannot continue to be ignored.

Government funds vanity projects instead of the disabled

If there’s one thing that can damage Labour's brand, it’s misspending public money on vanity projects and unnecessary PR campaigns instead of funding things that really matter to everyday Kiwis. The opposition knows this, and often attempts to exploit a perception that Labour isn’t able to properly allocate taxpayer dollars in a way that truly benefits the entire country.

However, unlike the opposition, the vast majority of voters are thankfully a lot more reasonable, particularly in terms of the Government’s funding allocations. This is especially the case when you consider the considerable amounts of money being generated for the Government through our hard work and an export sector that is incredibly profitable.

Obviously we should all share in our mutually generated wealth, and one of the best ways to do that is by ensuring our infrastructure is functioning properly and everyone’s basic needs are being adequately met. However, the current Government unfortunately appears to have lost the high ground and has already become arrogant about where they allocate vast sums of public money. Not yet into their third-termitis, the Labour led Government's disconnect between what should and what is being funded appears to be getting worse, and therefore needs to be highlighted.

While MBIE is busy spending hundreds of thousands of taxpayers dollars on flashy new PR videos about climate change, that try to place responsibility for man-kinds biggest existential threat onto us mere individuals, inflation has all but wiped out any wage increases for low to middle income earners, ensuring that most will be without the financial means necessary to adapt to the serious consequences of climate change.

While the Minister of Energy and Resources, Megan Woods, is busy making excuses for another badly produced video that cost taxpayers $600,000, students are having to take the Government to court to try and halt new oil and gas exploration…polluting enterprises that will ensure New Zealand has already failed to meet our COP26 obligations before the ink has even dried.

While Minister Carmel Sepuloni is busy promoting a new so-called Ministry for the Disabled, which will be run by the same old dysfunctional Ministry of Social Development, she's also splashing $500,000 worth of public money on a badly designed book website, which has little to no value for most hard working Kiwis. Meanwhile, the re-allocated support for people who’re struggling to survive is almost non-existent.

Obviously the Government’s current incrementalist approach to beneficial social change isn’t going to fix the entrenched inequality that creates adverse effects throughout Aotearoa, whereby one in five Kiwi kids continues to go without adequate food or proper housing.

In fact the Labour led Government has decided, somewhat under the cover of Covid-19, to even start hassling disabled WINZ clients again, in order to make cuts to their welfare payments. Surely not I hear you say? But here’s a small sample of tweets from a recent online discussion by and for the New Zealand disability community, which clearly shows the Government isn’t being very kind at all, not even to our most isolated and vulnerable citizens:

Someone close to me had Spina Bifida (she passed away in 2019) & every year MSD/WINZ demanded a medical certificate from her to prove her condition had not miraculously "gone away"!?

I cannot over state the vileness of this cruel practice.

— Frank,Socialist Hermit Kingdom,sez get vaccinated (@fmacskasy) November 4, 2021

Have been doing this for my autistic son for 17 years.
Dr signed for 5 years and I had to asked her to change it to 2 as anything over that gets either declined/questioned etc. Plain &simple stupid.
My mum's cerebral palsy finally didn't need a Drs cert by the time she was 53!

— Jo politically homeless (@JoGillett4) November 4, 2021

My friend had to keep giving evidence that her son's arm hadn't grown back.

— Mrs W - vaxxed for Aotearoa (@teresanz68) November 4, 2021

My son has albinism. We go through this regularly as well. Like you don't grow out of Down Syndrome, albinism....or a host of other disabilities. I think they should have a list of disabilities that don't go away, but that would be too easy. My GP gets really mad

— Charlotte French 🇳🇿 She/Her 🏳️‍🌈 🏳️‍⚧️ (@lottiefrench45) November 4, 2021

Oh for... @CarmelSepuloni this needs to be fixed!! One, dangerous to take a baby into a clinic RN, and two, most of the issues in this thread are permanent. Why WINZ needs to make people jump hoops is beyond me. Cruel, like waterboarding.

— scan, then stitch all the things BMLSc ✝️ (@paulainauckland) November 5, 2021

My grandmother who broke her spine in several places in a car accident in the 70s or 80s also had to suffer through this ordeal, wheeling herself in her MNUAL WHEELCHAIR the 10km to the local WINZ office to prove she hadn't suddenly decided to start walking again...made me irate!

— 𝓙𝓸𝓼𝓱 𝓛𝓾𝓬𝓪𝓼 ✌🏻 (@giosuelucas) November 5, 2021

I see nothing has changed since my daughter received CDA 20 years ago…nope her congenital scoliosis has not fixed itself, yes we are holding out for a miracle but they seem to be in short supply… like PICU beds…

— Jussi 💉💉 (@justjussi) November 4, 2021

Omg I gotta do my two yearly to, for my ASD boy and yup still there . 2 years later my boy is still himself but nope gotta do this stupid form again just in case he got cured from being himself lol

— T (@AnyaNaraya6) November 4, 2021

No different for me being autistic and having to explain that "no, my brain wiring hasn't changed"

— Katz (@CaelKatzi) November 4, 2021

My mother, who has been blind for 50 years, is going through this now with her disability allowance. I can totally empathize with your patients.

— Hayley ☀️ (@LadyHayley_) November 4, 2021

It’s the same for T1 Diabetes. Maybe they know something we don’t about a cure. pic.twitter.com/XWD095qq8A

— Haupᴉua Muɹu (@hpm_1) November 4, 2021

Yes it is so depressing, parents HATE doing it. Can my brain damaged child feed herself these days ? No. Can she walk? No can she talk? No. It is cruel.

— Anne Keith (@as_wk) November 4, 2021

This stuff is just heartbreaking.

My son fronts up every two years. No, his back isn't better, yes it has deteriorated further since he last was checked.

Inhumane, degrading BS.

Frankly, I thought a Labour government would put a stop to this dehumanising practice. Guess not😢

— DebNZ Vaxxed x2 (@DebNZ4) November 4, 2021

So dumb. My cousins son has Williams Sydrome that they had to affirm constantly for ORS I think. No he hasn’t grown his chromosome back again this year 🙄.

— JDF Hockey (@JulesFDF) November 4, 2021

My friend was tetraplegic, could not even move his head. When he told them he couldn't do the jobs they suggested, they then said - well what about this other job, how do you feel about climbing ladders?
!!!!!!!!!!!

— AliS (@AliS63206825) November 4, 2021

We were promised that this stupidity would stop several years ago but no.. Try this 1. My son had his benefit stopped because he didn't respond to a letter WINZ didn't send asking to prove his genetic syndrome hadnt suddely gone away.

— Broken (@Head_Weasel) November 4, 2021

Same for friend with multiple sclerosis. Ridiculous and time consuming and an unnecessary cost to provide medical certificates

— Satsuma (@Satsuma04523379) November 4, 2021

Of course it would be a lot worse for impoverished Kiwis, particularly those living with disability, under a National and ACT Government, especially one where Judith Collins was calling the shots. But that doesn’t excuse the Labour led Government or let them off the hook for continuing to persecute the disabled while wasting taxpayers money on PR vanity projects that have no cultural or societal worth whatsoever.

National's oily mates love burning coal

You’ve probably noticed the National Party criticising the Labour and Green Coalition Government recently about the amount of coal that’s being imported into New Zealand.

In fact they’ve been incessantly repeating their disapproval about imported coal for well over a year now, which is getting a bit tedious to say the least.

There is however a major problem with National’s recurring coal condemnation, and that is the Government doesn’t actually control the power companies anymore.

That’s because the industry was deregulated and most of the power companies privatised (contrary to what voters wanted) under John Key’s neoliberal Government. So any say the current Government has about what power companies use as fuel is somewhat limited.

Surely shipping millions of tonnes of coal from Indonesia is worse for the environment than using our own natural resources? pic.twitter.com/SrDlqyLWwk

— NZ National Party (@NZNationalParty) July 31, 2021

It’s no secret that the oil industry prefers there to be a National Party in power, obviously because the right wing is more conducive to facilitating a carbon dependent future. And as I’m sure you’re aware, one of the best ways to initiate a change of Government is to hit voters in the pocket.

There are a number of ways to achieve this, one of them being to manipulate the energy market by limiting the supply of natural gas, which would cause higher generating costs and therefore increased electricity bills for consumers.

In December of last year, RNZ reported:

Problems at offshore fields lead to reduced natural gas production

Gas supplies are set to be reduced because of problems at several of the country's biggest fields.

Contact Energy has been told its allocation of gas from the offshore Maui and Pohokura fields will be cut by 3.7 petajoules (PJ) to 10.6 PJ for next year, down about a quarter on its supply for 2020.

The primary issue appears to be with the Pohokura field where there has been an unexpected and unexplained fall in production.

The field's operator, Austrian-owned OMV, has been investigating why Pohokura's output has fallen as much as 15 percent after maintenance work on several wells earlier in the year.

It’s almost as if someone just turned the gas off for some reason.

In September, the company brought into operation a large compressor to increase production from the field which supplies 40 percent of the country's natural gas.

OMV said it was still looking into the fall in production from offshore wells, but expected tests might provide some causes and possible remedies.

"The production outlook for 2021 remains uncertain and it is too early to indicate the impact of the ongoing well interventions or any future work that may be undertaken in 2021," the company said in a posting on a gas industry website.

OMV said it expected production from Pohokura for next year to be around 39 PJ, which compared with 67.7 PJ produced in the 2019 calendar year.

Unexpected outages of the field in 2019, which reduced gas supplies, were a factor in a major spike in wholesale electricity prices which affected thousands of consumers.

Since then, OMV hasn’t bothered to provide any valid reasons for such a significant drop in production. The Government and public are simply meant to accept these huge reductions from numerous producing natural gas fields without any proper explanation at all.

NZ just burned the most coal in 5 years. The ban on oil and gas exploration will make us more dependent on coal. The Govt doesn't have a plan to make up for energy sources they're cutting. We need a real solution to get us on the path to low emissions. https://t.co/rAKX2PBt1q

— NZ National Party (@NZNationalParty) January 23, 2019

There’s no question that National is the preferred party of the oil and gas industry, not only because they’re climate change deniers, but also because National would once again allow ocean exploration permits to try and find new oil and gas deposits.

Being that National are close allies with the petrochemical industry, you’ve got to wonder if the unexplained gas shortages are intentional in order to increase power prices and therefore provide the opposition with ammunition against the Government?

It’s certainly a shoe that appears to fit both National and their oily mates perfectly.

National continue climate change denial

It seems somewhat absurd for there still to be climate change deniers around these days. Not only is the world experiencing unprecedented heat waves, droughts, floods and more intense wildfires than ever before, but these extreme weather events have all been categorically linked to climate change by peer-reviewed scientific research.

However it’s even more ludicrous to still have climate change deniers within our political institutions trying to persuade the public that the science isn’t settled on the matter. I am of course talking about New Zealand's Parliament, and the fact that many National Party politicians continue to question the scientific evidence concerning anthropomorphic climate change.

Yesterday, the NZ Herald reported:

'Science of bull****': National MP Stuart Smith alleges climate change cover-up

National Party MP Stuart Smith has described a Government climate change plan as the "science of bull****" during a talk in Ashburton this week.

The Kaikōura MP floated suggestions that warmer temperatures would not cause an increase in extreme rains - contrary to the Government's National Climate Change Risk Assessment (NCCRA) plan.

Smith, who is National's climate change spokesman, confirmed during the meeting that he was making official parliamentary inquiries with Climate Change Minister James Shaw around the legitimacy of the report, sparking several heated reactions from patrons.

In other words, Stuart Smith is wasting Minister Shaw’s time.

Smith said, in light of recent floods in Mid Canterbury, that a Niwa study showed flooding risk would actually fall as the climate got warmer but had been ignored by the NCCRA document.

Stuart Smith really is on a roll lately. Not only is this idiot trying to claim that the recent severe flooding in New Zealand wasn't linked to climate change, he also wants to ban the public sector from using the word Aotearoa. Talk about a Neanderthal!

Often a person being a climate change denier and a racist goes hand in hand. But when we’re talking about duly elected officials, you would expect them to at least have enough intelligence to not express such monumentally stupid opinions in public.

Of course it would be even better if they didn’t hold these terribly out-dated opinions in the first place, because allowing them to cause us any further delay to mitigating climate change, which is what these morons are advocating for, could prove disastrous for the human race.

Therefore listening to these climate change denying fools isn't something anybody in their right mind should be doing. In fact you'd have to be a bit mentally defective to even consider supporting the views expressed by the National Party recently, particularly those concerning climate change.