The Women Before

A Mother’s Day poem from Scottish poet Donna Ashworth:

THE WOMEN BEFORE

It is not just your mother who may walk with you in spirit, it is her mother too. And her mother’s mother. And her mother’s friends, who loved by choice and not blood. And the women before them. Generations and generations of female energy, watching in admiration as you forge ahead living better, feeling better, accepting better, than they ever did. As they were much hoped you would.

So, when you feel low, lonely or unloved. Remember them, feel them. They are with you, and they burn brightly with their boundless light, in everything you do. You, my friends, are the ‘moment in time’ of many women gone before, and you will lay pathways, like they did, for those who come up next.

What a beautiful, unending legacy.

From her book Wild Hope

The Wild Iris

THE WILD IRIS
by Louise Glück

At the end of my suffering
there was a door.

Hear me out: that which you call death
I remember.

Overhead, noises, branches of the pine shifting.
Then nothing. The weak sun
flickered over the dry surface.

It is terrible to survive
as consciousness
buried in the dark earth.

Then it was over: that which you fear, being
a soul and unable
to speak, ending abruptly, the stiff earth
bending a little. And what I took to be
birds darting in low shrubs.

You who do not remember
passage from the other world
I tell you I could speak again: whatever
returns from oblivion returns
to find a voice:

from the center of my life came
a great fountain, deep blue
shadows on azure sea water.

Hat tip: The Marginalian

Sunday soapbox

Sunday’s  soapbox is yours to use as you will – within the bounds of decency and absence of defamation. You’re welcome to look back or forward, discuss issues of the moment, to pontificate, ponder or point us to something of interest, to educate, elucidate or entertain, amuse, bemuse or simply muse, but not abuse.

Anger doesn’t solve anything. It builds nothing, but it can destroy everything. – Lawrence Douglas Wilder

Atrocities cannot be denied

The assertion that black is white, that facts are not and that something that happened didn’t is a troubling aspect of modern life.

For years antisemites have denied that the holocaust happened and now, in spite of video evidence and personal testimony, people are saying the atrocities  on October 7th didn’t happen.

How can anyone deny that in the face of these horrifying personal testimonies in Screams Before Silence: (The video is age-restricted for good reason).

These atrocities cannot be denied.

Woman of the day

Woman of the Day the Venerable Honora Nagle of Co. Cork who died OTD 1784, aged 66. Known by her childhood nickname, Nano is credited with establishing education for girls in Ireland through her work with the Presentation Sisters.

Born at a time when the Education Act 1695, one… pic.twitter.com/Tvl5GzRwRH

— The Attagirls (@TheAttagirls) April 26, 2024

Beautifying the blogosphere

Anguloa Uniflora, the orchid with flowers that resemble swaddled babies. pic.twitter.com/ItzlASejnt

— Massimo (@Rainmaker1973) March 13, 2024

Word of the day

Crucifix – representation of a cross with a figure of Christ on it, as distinct from a bare cross.

Taxes not for political propaganda

Education, health and infrastructure are all appropriate recipients of taxpayer funding.

There are other areas where public funding is appropriate, political propaganda is not one of those.

The Film Commission has decided to dish out $800,000 of taxpayer money into a hero worship film about Dame Jacinda Ardern. Any funding of films about politicians is questionable, most countries call it propaganda.

The Film Commission and New Zealand On Air have proven themselves to be nothing but leftie love-ins that ignore any pretence of being politically neutral. In 2021, NZ On Air and the New Zealand Film Commission allocated NZ$220,000 to a feature-length documentary focusing on the political career of Swarbrick called Being Chlöe. In 2018, the same organisations threw $870,000 of taxpayer money at a film about Helen Clark. 
 
To the best of our knowledge no fiscally conservative politician has been promoted with content funded by the New Zealand Film Commission. Not even once. . . 

Even had the Commission been politically even-handed in its funding of political films it wouldn’t make it right.

Public funds are for public good and public services, not promoting political propaganda of any shade.

The Taxpayers’ Union has a petition calling for an end to taxpayer funding of political propaganda. You can sign it here.

Quotes of the week

I want to start by reiterating that I believe we all have the same dream for the health system: we all want to address health inequities, we all want to shorten waiting lists, and we all want a workforce that isn’t overstretched and that has the right skills to respond effectively to all our diverse populations.

Even though this particular version of the dream with the Māori Health Authority is coming to an end, as Minister I want to paint a new one, one that is outcomes-focused, driven by need, and with decisions made closer to the home and hapū.

This Government is totally focused on outcomes. The question we ask about any policy is: will it improve outcomes? Will it mean people get better care? Will it mean people get faster care? Will it mean people will get the care that suits their circumstances, including cultural competency? – Shane Reti

My dream for the health system isn’t about bureaucratic structures and endless plans and reports; it’s about identifying need and responding to it.

One of the fundamental differences in approach to health is enabled by this legislation: this Government believes that decisions should be made closer to the community, to the home and the hapū. Local circumstances require local solutions rather than national bureaucracies. – Shane Reti

Primary and community healthcare is most people’s gateway to the health system. When we get this right, we’ll be supporting New Zealanders to stay in good health for longer wherever they are, whoever they are, and whatever their health needs are. – Shane Reti

For health: we can choose form or function; I choose function.

We can choose activism or actions; I choose actions.

We can choose outrage or outcomes; I choose outcomes. – Shane Reti

Confidence is no longer going backwards, but it’s still in the gutter. – Wayne Langford

On the surface, DEI sounds like a nice concept to bring in a variety of employees, and treat everyone fairly. Perhaps it does do these things sometimes, but it’s also harsh and unforgiving, with parameters of ‘correct’ behaviour and speech which are ever narrowing. It gives managers free reign to formerly admonish or punish staff like Emma, an ex-Ministry of Transport employee, who dared to express a different belief to what was deemed the only acceptable one to have. DEI encourages staff to lay complaints against each other for minor offences they should be able to weather, and creates a gag effect on the expression and exchange of ideas, in the event an incorrect thing is said. There are many employees who don’t like the negativity that DEI can create in the workplace, but are too afraid of repercussions to speak up about it there. –

So, this is the direction New Zealand’s Reserve Bank is going in. I don’t anticipate it will have a problem filling the DEI Advisor vacancy, unless some sensible person who is a position to do so puts the brakes on it. The salary for this role isn’t stated, but I don’t count on it being peanuts.

Nor do I expect that DEI, whether in the Reserve Bank or elsewhere, will ever be the Utopia it’s determinedly portrayed as, or anything close to it. From what I’m hearing, the chasm between that and how it plays out in real life is vast. But, our entire public service, including the Reserve Bank of New Zealand, continue to embed it. You’d think, of any organisation, our central bank would be able to spot an investment which wasn’t living up to its hype, wouldn’t you? – Katrina Biggs

It doesn’t matter who our Prime Minister is or what party they represent. If we are to value the office of the Prime Minister, then we should value the support structure that exists around them. That means their security, housing and transport arrangements. The fact that two of those matters cannot be relied on is not acceptable in a first world country. – Bruce Cotterill

While we will always differ in terms of who our Prime Minister is, or what party they represent, we should be respectful of the office and ensure that our country is well presented to the international marketplace that we rely on for our economic survival.

But we’re majoring in minor things here. The location of the Prime Ministerial residence or the aircraft on which he travels are neither here nor there. What I care about is whether he is doing a good job. And right now the list of priorities is long and complex. For the time being at least, Ministerial housing and Defence Force planes are a long way down that list. But we should recognise the need to ensure that our PM, and indeed all of our representatives, have the infrastructure and the support that they require to enable them to function to the best of their ability. – Bruce Cotterill

In a mistaken belief, developing from the 1950s onwards, that the best thing society could do to assist the disadvantaged was to give them money and help with housing, my generation and subsequent ones eventually created a world bereft of the basic need all people have to look after themselves. Instead, we created a huge sense of entitlement. “The world owes us a living” seems to be today’s catch-cry.  Sir Apirana Ngata predicted that Maori would be particularly susceptible to such a message and likely to skimp on education and hard work, succumbing instead to a world of idleness, boredom, and eventually mayhem. – Michael Basssett

These days, commitment is an unknown virtue, replaced, in too many cases, by violence from mum’s current bed-mate. – Michael Basssett

The mother who put her best foot forward in the 1970s, more often these days adopts a “why me worry” approach. – Michael Basssett

Collectively, society has failed far too many young children, especially Maori, by paying easy money and expecting, despite advice, that there would be no adverse outcomes. Today’s young criminals have to be apprehended; but doing no more than locking them up is no solution. There have to be alternatives that incentivise them to go straight. – Michael Basssett

It’s one thing to deal with today’s problem youth. Much work is also needed on the welfare system to reduce the growing legions of troublemakers in the pipeline. We need sticks and carrots. – Michael Basssett

Iwi leaders, many of them benefiting from tax-free trusts and vocal about Maori entitlement, need to be obliged to get more involved with their dysfunctional Maori children instead of endlessly calling for more money from the rest of us. Now we are in the post-tribal settlement era Maori leaders need to show they intend to assist their tamariki and rangatahiand not just criticise non-Maori.

Whatever, it will be a long process weaning people off excessive welfare dependency. Remember, it’s taken more than 50 years to get here so there is no overnight fix. – Michael Basssett

Politics is often a choice between a bad option and one that is worse. – Richard Prebble

Governments are poor at picking winners. Projects regarded as significant may be lemons, and those regarded as insignificant may be acorns.

We have an infrastructure crisis. Doing nothing is not an option.

My suggestion is that after a limited timeframe, the fast-track planning legislation should expire. This will incentivise the Government to draft and pass planning laws that do allow projects large and small to be approved in a timely and efficient manner. – Richard Prebble

The impact of having planning laws that can be used to block needed infrastructure is enormous.

In my experience, Auckland’s traffic congestion is worse than New York’s. Auckland’s gridlock is not an accident. The city’s planners planned it. – Richard Prebble

A cost-benefit analysis is a way of taking politics out of decision-making. But, no matter how much cheaper a bus lane is, it cannot alter the fact Auckland needs more roads. You cannot take freight on a bus. The journey from Botany to the airport can take longer than the flight to Wellington. – Richard Prebble

Traffic congestion is not inevitable, it is a choice.

As we wait for the perfect plan, Auckland continues to gridlock. – Richard Prebble

I did not wait for the technology before implementing road user charges, so trucks pay their full cost of using the road. If every motorist paid their full cost of using the road, we can fund and maintain a modern roading network.

Pass the empowering legislation and the geeks will find a way to collect the charges. – Richard Prebble

Devastated and bewildered that my embrace of inclusive language has angered its most enthusiastic devotees, so let's just say:

Happy Mother's Day to all females who've raised children. 💐❤️ https://t.co/OawEAORPJP

— J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) March 10, 2024

The expansion of Human Rights, without a parallel expansion of Human Responsibilities, is why the liberalism of our modern age has descended and degraded into mere libertinism.

— Alice Smith (@TheAliceSmith) March 13, 2024

It feels like Golriz’s lawyer is trying to make the media the bad guys here. The bad guy in this case is the one who stood in court yesterday and pleaded guilty.

I feel sorry for Golriz, I genuinely do. I feel sorry that this is the turn her life has taken, it must be incredibly hard to deal with.

But this is the consequence of her actions, tough as it is- unwelcome media attention included. – Heather du Plessis-Allan

The slogan in Wellington is to “lean back” as the spending-cut bus rolls past, before business as usual returns in 2025.

The bureaucracy has no intention of allowing a mere Government to butcher it. To the contrary, it plans to kill the Government with death by a thousand cuts. – Matthew Hooton 

Too many 20-something cub reporters in other media can’t comprehend that increasing funding for a government programme doesn’t necessarily improve the quality or quantity of the service, and nor does a cut necessarily reduce either. – Matthew Hooton 

At the moment Falls Dam is around empty, meaning that what is coming out is virtually what is coming in. The flow at the most common measuring point will be just around 900 litres per second.

It is on the verge of having only domestic and stock water, with none available for irrigation. If it doesn’t rain, and only domestic and stock water continue to be taken, it will keep reducing. It turns out that councillors in the ORC cannot require the river to be happy and healthy and higher flowing, even if we knew what makes a river happy. It would be as useful to pray or do a rain dance.

Instead of councillors fighting with the government, they would be better to attempt to reach agreement about what actually can be achieved. They could stop pretending if they were good stewards they could create water from nothing.

Only dams and rain create river flow. No amount of reports or virtuous councillors, even with the support of opposition members of Parliament, will change the evidence-based reality.  – Hilary Calvert

You see, I’m a writer by profession. All my life, for more than fifty years, I have been folding words. My novels have been translated into 40 languages, including Albanian, Turkish, Chinese, Esperanto… and many others.

Now, with great pleasure, without using too many expressions, I sincerely and with all the strength of my soul send all the brainless “intellectuals” interested in my position go to ass. In fact, very soon you will all be there without me. – Dina Rubina

Talent, skill, brains, determination, acumen, experience, these are the measures of value, that’s why they say age is but a number.   – Mike Hosking

There is a fundamental dishonesty in the language of politics in the 21st century. Liberal buzzwords disguise authoritarian crusades. The old language of equality is marshalled to the cause of devastating women’s rights. Gay-friendly slogans are used to justify the grotesque policy of putting young gays on a metaphorical rack in order that their supposedly faulty sex might be corrected. Tyranny is snuck in under a banner of ‘freedom’. Enough is enough. Liberty and equality must be defended from their fake champions. – Brendan O’Neill 

The idea that there is such a thing as ‘trans children’ is central to their movement. Rather than acknowledge that, for some men, there is a sexual driver behind the desire to identify as a woman, and that there might be nefarious reasons for their desire to shimmy into women’s spaces, the trans movement wants us to believe there have always been a minority of people who are innately trans, from birth. In practice, the idea of the ‘trans child’ is a fig leaf for the fetishes of adult men. The children who are encouraged to transition, and who suffer hideous side-effects from drugs like puberty blockers, are merely collateral damage. – Jo Bartosch

It’s tempting to think that a country loses its press freedoms when laws are passed that limit free speech and the government starts locking up journalists. But that’s not the only way it happens. And it’s not what is happening now, in the UK, where editors and journalists have issued their own gagging orders.

Not every newspaper. Not every media outlet. But enough, and importantly, our state broadcaster and media of record, the BBC, has gagged its own journalists on certain issues.

Nowhere is this more apparent than with Gender Identity Ideology and so called “gender affirming healthcare”. – Claire Loneragan

We have grown to expect that journalists will be brave. They go into war zones, they uncover wrongdoing in the criminal underworld and corporate boardrooms, and in doing so many put themselves in real physical danger. Having the backing of their editors and fellow journalist gives them courage, because they know their actions will be held up as important and morally right.

That is not true for those who dare to speak out against Gender Identity Ideology. – Claire Loneragan

All of this matters because a free press is one of the pillars of democracy. We would notice if the government was to pass a law curbing press freedom. But the poisonous influence of groupthink has taken hold almost unchallenged, and all to shore up the lie that men are women if they say they are.

If your aim was to undermine our western liberal way of life, it would be a very effective way to get started. – Claire Loneragan

I don’t claim to be an expert in tikanga, but usually you are meant to be a good host to your manuhiri, your guests, and I think one or two students failed at that, so by a te ao Māori lens, they weren’t doing a very good job. – David Seymour

Think of the engineering, the effort in installing and de-constructing her stage, the thousands of hours invested in getting the stadium ready; all to create a brief euphoria. Transience contributes to the joy.

Nothing tangible produced, no advance in economic well-being, no improvement in any measurable metric that means anything; and that is the point. Engaging in things only for the joy it brings us is the best part of being human. – Damien Grant

Transgenderism is the ultimate expression of The Patriarchy because it’s men redefining what a woman is, then forcing women out of women only places and roles.

— Alice Smith (@TheAliceSmith) March 16, 2024

Word of the day

Quank  –  to utter a harsh croaking or honking cry to utter a harsh croaking or honking cry;  to overcome, to subdue; to quiet.

Bureaucracy or services?

The government is replacing an expensive bureaucracy with better services:

Legislation that will disestablish the Māori Health Authority will be introduced in Parliament today, heralding the start of a new vision for Māori health says Minister of Health Dr Shane Reti. 

“We have said we will bring healthcare for all New Zealanders closer to the home and closer to the community. This will serve Māori and non-Māori well,” Dr Reti says. . . 

“Merging the functions of the Māori Health Authority and transferring its roles into the public health system means the health system keeps the expertise it needs to improve health outcomes for all New Zealanders including Māori. . . 

“Iwi Māori Partnership Boards (IMPBs) and the Hauora Māori Advisory Committee remain in place. Both were established under the Pae Ora Act 2022. 

“The Government will continue working with both groups to chart a new direction for Māori health. Their voices may evolve but both can have a role. 

“No matter how the health system is shaped, what’s important is how it functions. 

“We need function over form, we need results over reports.

“The Government intends to shift decision-making closer to communities to allow the people who know their communities best to guide service design and commissioning,” Dr Reti says. 

Māori are over represented in negative health statistics but it doesn’t need a separate health authority to change that.

The causes are complex and none will be addressed by a bureaucracy.

What’s needed is better services and it’s far better to spend money on that than wasting more on the failed experiment that was the Māori Health Authority.

 

Word of the day

Lea – an open area of arable or grassy land; land that has been sown with seed; a field or meadow; a stretch of level fields or commons; a unit for measuring lengths of yarn, usually taken as 80 yards for wool, 120 yards for cotton and silk, and 300 yards for linen; a measure of yarn expressed as the length per unit weight, usually the number of leas per pound.

Labour’s legacy – nurses leaving

This is part of Labour’s legacy:

More than 9000 New Zealand nurses have registered to work in Australia in the past 10 months – about 12 percent of the active workforce.

The rate of nurses expressing interest is growing, despite a boost in pay last year.

Any nurse wanting to work in Australia must first get a registration with the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (Ahpra).

The latest figures show an average of 900 a month had signed up in the 10 months until January. In April last year, the average was 625 a month over eight months. . . 

Registering to work doesn’t mean all these nurses will cross the Tasman to work but it is an indictment on the mess Labour made of the health system that so many are contemplating it.

Who can blame them for seeking better pay and conditions than staying here where so many hospitals are understaffed, and nurses are overworked and underpaid?

The last government wasted millions of dollars restructuring the health system instead of addressing the problems of staff shortages across the sector.

That so many are considering leaving to work in Australia is a result of that and part of Labour’s legacy of spending too much money in the wrong places and too little where it was, and still is, desperately needed.

Word of the day

Subriguous – watered or moist or wet beneath; well watered.

Sowell says

What matters enormously is whether or not people lose the freedom to say what they think. That loss is a loss to all of us, those who agree and those who disagree.

Even wrong ideas have a contribution to make, when they provoke open discussions and investigations that end up…

— Thomas Sowell Quotes (@ThomasSowell) January 19, 2024

Grant McCallum’s maiden statement

National’s Northland MP Grant McCallum delivered his maiden statement yesterday :

GRANT McCALLUM (National—Northland):

[Authorised te reo Māori text to be inserted by the Hansard Office.]

[Authorised translation to be inserted by the Hansard Office.]

Mr Speaker, congratulations on your election as Speaker. While I know you will do an outstanding job, I have one concern. Namely, given your deep Canterbury roots, you are known to have one red eye and one black eye. I hope you won’t hold the fact I have two blue eyes against me.

It is an honour and a privilege to have been selected by the members of the Northland electorate of the National Party to be their representative, and then to have been elected by the people of Northland to represent them in Parliament.

It has been quite a journey to get here. While it is always fraught to thank people for fear of missing some out, I feel it is important to acknowledge those who have helped. My electorate chair, Iain Huddlestone, and his wife, Janet, my campaign chair, Colin Rowse, my campaign consultants, Michael Little and Dylan Parshotam, long-serving secretary, Lynn Pooley, my treasurer, Nigel Wooding, the amazing Sally Macauley, and in the Hon John Carter I could not have a better mentor, although I will leave the joke telling to him.

I’d like to acknowledge the great work of our leader, and now Prime Minister, the Rt Hon Christopher Luxon, and the campaign team headed up by President Sylvia Wood. Finally, a big thank you to all the volunteers across Northland who have helped.

I’d like to recognise all the other MPs in Northland. The Hon Shane Jones, from New Zealand First, the Hon Willow Jean Prime, from Labour, Act MP and fellow dairy farmer, Mark Cameron, Hūhana Lyndon of the Green Party, Mariameno Kapa-Kingi from Te Tai Tokerau—from Te Pāti Māori, sorry—and the Hon Kelvin Davis, who has served Te Tai Tokerau for many years and will shortly be delivering his valedictory speech. A special recognition to the former MP for Northland, Rt Hon Winston Peters, who first campaigned for the seat of Northern Maori in 1975.

Finally, I would like to thank New Zealand’s first female Prime Minister, Dame Jenny Shipley, and her husband, Burton, for their advice and support.

I am a farmer, a farmer who is proud of the contribution our sector has made to New Zealand. Farming is in the blood on both sides of my family. My mum’s family, the Whites, arrived in the early 1900s, first settling in Hawke’s Bay. After experiencing a few droughts, they put in for a ballot farm near Tokirima, west of Taumaranui in the King Country, and were successful. So Richard and Mary White moved there in 1906, and Te Moata station was born.

This steep unforgiving country was a real challenge to break in, and it is a real testament to the pioneering families that they stuck at it. My grandfather, Lewis White, married a journalist from New Plymouth, Aileen Wells, who had secured a scholarship to Canterbury University, where she graduated with a Master of Arts—quite an achievement for a woman in the early 1930s. Lewis and Aileen had three daughters, Pam, Elizabeth, and Lois. Pam is my mum.

Mum loved growing up on the family farm. Unfortunately, at the age of six, she had to go and live with her auntie, Jessie Grant, in Turakina so she could attend primary school. She did this for two years as there was no school bus. This changed after Aileen negotiated with the Education Department in New Plymouth to have a school bus service provided. Clearly, sub-standard services in rural communities were as much a challenge then as now.

In 1960, tragedy stuck. Grandfather Lewis White was killed by a falling tree. So I never had the chance to meet him, but I do carry Lewis as my middle name with pride. Sadly, tragedy in farming families was not unusual, and highlights the sacrifices some families made in trying to build their businesses and contribute to the prosperity of New Zealand. I would like to acknowledge all the descendants of the White family who have come today, some wearing kilts.

My dad, Ron McCallum, and his family hailed from Goodwood, Otago. A settlement halfway between Palmerston and Waikouiti—or “whack-a-wight”, as the locals referred to it—where the local primary school was called Flagswamp. Dad often brags of attending Flagswamp Primary and tells great stories of his teacher Mr Brown, an out and out Labour supporter who used to enjoy nothing more than strapping those Tory farming kids.

It is the McCallum family that carries the strong National Party connection. Great-grandfather Frank was involved when the Party was created in 1936, and Grandfather Duncan and his brother Charlie were also heavily involved.

Then there was dad. Many of us have political heroes like Winston Churchill, Nelson Mandela, Maggie Thatcher, and Barack Obama. Well, I have a political hero—my dad. You see, dad was a well-respected activist in the Northern Region. When the Rt Hon Sir Lockwood Smith became the National Party candidate for Kaipara in 1983, dad took over as electorate chair, a role he held until 1996, when he became chair of the Whangārei seat, held by the Hon John Banks.

The Kaipara electorate in 1983 had 36 branches, and dad and Lockwood went to all the AGMs. Dad would often joke that if Lockwood lost his voice during a meeting, he could stand up and carry on giving his speech. Thirty-six makes my 10 branches in the much larger electorate of Northland seem a part-time job. That symbolised the level of commitment dad gave to the National Party and democracy in New Zealand. I salute all the volunteers who, like dad, work hard for the cause they believe in. I thank you all.

So, to my own political journey, and my strong desire to serve my local community. Not surprisingly it started when I joined as a Young Nat at 18-years-old. In 1985, I attended Lincoln College to study a Bachelor of Commerce in Agriculture. One of the dominant issues of 1985 was the Homosexual Law Reform Bill.

During this debate, I was door-knocking one evening in the Selwyn electorate for the Hon Ruth Richardson. One door was opened by a youngish guy who invited me in. He introduced me to his flatmate. It was immediately obvious to me that they were a same-sex couple. They encouraged me to ask Ruth to support the law change. As I was listening to them, I was thinking that under the law of the day, they could be in jail. Why? Why should two adults who clearly loved each other and weren’t harming anyone else be punished for it? The lesson for me out of this experience was that it is up to leaders to see through the current noise and do what is best for the country, and, in particular, minority communities, in the long term.

Saying these things is easy; doing it when you are swimming against the tide of popular opinion is more difficult. Not long after that visit, I attended the Selwyn electorate AGM, where I helped to move a motion supporting the Homosexual Law Reform Bill. Disappointingly, it lost. In 2005, after many years of activism, I was elected to the board of the National Party, a position I held until 2015, when I retired. In Northland, my main role was chairing every campaign since 2002, with the win in 2017 being a real highlight!

The 2017 election was a tough time to be a farmer. Farmers became the punching bags of the campaign. We were threatened with a water tax, blamed for all the water-quality issues in New Zealand, and were continuously used as a pincushion by the left. Farmers’ concerns were so strong that it led to me organising a protest in Morrinsville with the help of Lloyd Downing, who did a great job of fronting it. I know you’re here somewhere! The stress and worry that flowed through the rural community at that time reminded me of the mid 1980s, when Rogernomics was in full swing, the share market was booming, and agriculture was being called a sunset industry.

All of these experiences have taught me that, while change is inevitable, it is the job of leaders to take people with them during periods of change and to help cushion the effects on society. The other aspect that was highlighted by these experiences was the need to reach cross-parliamentary consensus on long-term issues like water quality. As farmers, all we ask for is a clear direction of travel that is achievable while maintaining a profitable business. Having the pendulum swing wildly every time there is a change of Government is not good for anyone, and it is certainly not good for the environment.

In 1998, the Hon Simon Upton and the Hon Nick Smith formed the Bluegreens. I joined in 1999 and have been an executive member ever since. The Bluegreens is an excellent forum for debating some very challenging environmental issues. It is a forum where all sides of the political and environmental spectrum can meet. Organisations as diverse as Greenpeace, Federated Farmers, Environmental Defence Society, DairyNZ, Forest and Bird, and Beef + Lamb are regular attendees at our annual forum. It was there that I met long time Greenpeace campaigner Steve Abel, who now sits opposite me in the House as a first-term Green MP. We have had many discussions about the way forward for farming and the environment, and I look forward, between jousting in the House, to having many more. It is respectful relationships like this that need to chart a way forward as we work through long-term environmental issues. One final point on the environment: solutions to environmental challenges lie with Parliament and New Zealand as a whole. No single political party or organisation owns the environment; we all do.

So what is my vision for the primary sector, a sector that has consistently been the mainstay of the New Zealand economy? As I’ve highlighted, we are used to challenges. We are innovative and collaborative. Farmers love sharing their knowledge; we all know how tough and lonely it can be. Right now, we have another challenge: climate change. Some see this as too tough and as a pointless battle; I see it as an opportunity—an opportunity to help the world reduce global emissions and increase the value of our exports. Let’s back ourselves and our amazing scientists to find solutions. Then, we can add real value to our produce and help secure a future for the next generations, both financially and environmentally.

And so, to the amazing electorate of Northland, the electorate that is miles above the rest, and my 2040 vision for it: if ever there is a region that has untapped potential, it is Northland. We are located next to the biggest city in the country, and we have a great coastline and beaches. We are blessed with quality soils that can grow a large range of crops. We have one of the highest percentages of young people under-15 in the country, yet we are struggling economically and socially, and have done for a long time. The single-biggest factor holding us back is connectivity and, in particular, the quality of our roading infrastructure. It is best summed up by the state of the Brynderwyns and the Mangamukas.

The Mangamukas have been closed since August 2022 and are expected to be closed for the rest of 2024. The Brynderwyns were shut for 58 days after the wet weather last summer and are going to be shut for at least another nine weeks to do some urgent repairs, just to try and stop a catastrophic failure this winter. That is two parts of State Highway 1 shut at the same time. Northlanders have had enough. It is time to stop politicising Northland’s roads. It is time all the members of this House release the handbrake on Northland’s prosperity and back the four-lane highway. It is a vital part of lifting families out of poverty, by enabling businesses to invest, creating jobs and opportunities across a range of sectors, and breathing new life into Northland. Northland will not prosper by increasing the size of the welfare cheque.

The next part of my 2040 vision is highlighted by two towns. Northland is a community of small communities—towns like Kaitāia, Mangonui, Kawakawa, Dargaville, Maungaturoto, and Mangawhai to name a few. The two towns I wish to focus on are Kerikeri and Kaikohe. They are 30 minutes apart but, in some cases, a world apart. They symbolise the challenges and opportunities in Northland. They need each other. This is not an “either/or” story; it’s an “and/and” one. In 1953, Kaikohe was the hub of the North, where Queen Elizabeth stayed during her tour of New Zealand. Kerikeri was a smaller village to the east. So what changed? Water. That’s what changed. In the 1970s and 80s, two dams were built to irrigate the fertile land around Kerikeri. The results are obvious: economic growth, resulting in jobs, in a town that now has a population of 8,500 and is still growing. It has become a significant economic driver for Northland. I am pleased to see that, in the Kaikohe area, we now have one dam that has been built and another being built at Waimate North. There is also the Ngāwhā Geothermal Power Station, the first carbon-neutral plant in New Zealand, and the Ngāwhā Innovation and Enterprise Park.

The other aspect of these two towns is the cultural difference. This is best summed up by the rolls of the two high schools. Northland College, in Kaikohe, has a roll that is 98 percent Māori, whereas Kerikeri High school is 38 percent Māori. So how do we help create a greater understanding and connection between these two communities? The answer is education. Through education, we can teach the history of our cultures and what all our ancestors have contributed to New Zealand. For example, the settlers developed world-leading pastoral farming practices and were encouraged to do so by Chief Hongi Hika, who, after visiting England, asked the settlers to teach the farming techniques to Māori. This led to what was effectively New Zealand’s first demonstration farm at the Waimate North mission station.

We also need to celebrate our Māori culture, which is uniquely New Zealand. Central to Māori culture is te reo. Wouldn’t it be great if, in 2040, we are starting to be seen as a bilingual society, as our younger generations embrace te reo? Through language and leadership, we help create understanding. In Northland, the other significant contributor towards creating a united and thriving community would be a Ngāpuhi settlement. I stand ready to help and engage however I can to help achieve this. So my vision is clear: by 2040, a four-lane highway to Northland; a society where we celebrate and respect all our cultures; and a Treaty settlement for Ngāpuhi. And then we can celebrate together the 200th anniversary of the signing of Te Tiriti o Waitangi as a united region and a united country.

Finally, to Mum and Dad, who are watching at home: thank you for being great parents and for your love and support. To my sister, Sandra, and my brother, Murray, I want to say thank you also for your love and support on this never-ending journey. To my children, Eve and Jeremy: I am incredibly proud of you, as is your amazing mother, Kate, who has done an outstanding job of being your mum. I love you both dearly and could not have become the Northland MP without your support. The family hug we had in the Kaikohe hall when the results of the nomination contest were announced is a memory I will always cherish. Nō reira, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, tēnā tātou katoa.

What were they doing?

How did this and who let it happen?

The number of new social houses sitting vacant across New Zealand is completely unacceptable, Housing Minister Chris Bishop says. 

“I was dismayed to learn that, as of late last year, the total number of vacant social homes in New Zealand was 3,906, or five per cent, of New Zealand’s total public housing stock.

“It’s simply not okay that 786, almost 20 per cent, of the new public homes delivered by Kāinga Ora – Homes & Communities between June 2022 and October 2023 were vacant as of 31 October 2023. Of these new homes, 287 were empty for more than four months despite thousands of families waiting for social homes such as these.  

“I have written to the Board of Kāinga Ora – Homes & Communities to make clear my expectation that, with over 25,000 people on the social housing waitlist – almost 20,000 more than when the previous Labour Government took office – social homes are not to be left empty for a day longer than absolutely necessary. 

“It is disgraceful that New Zealanders needing a warm, dry home for their family are waiting in motel rooms, in cars and on family members’ couches while hundreds of newly built social housing units sit empty.

“While I understand there may be instances where, for valid reasons, it takes time to fill a new home, the timeframes identified in this response are well beyond what I consider appropriate. 

“It is critical that Kāinga Ora – Homes & Communities is focused on efficiently placing tenants into social housing across New Zealand and works with much greater urgency to do so. 

“I look forward to receiving the report from the independent review led by Sir Bill English and discussing with Kāinga Ora – Homes & Communities what needs to change, and how.”

A delay in getting tenants into existing houses could be explained by the need to refurbish or upgrade them.

But what possible reason can there be for so many houses being empty when there are so many people desperate for a home?

It begs the question what were Labour’s Housing Minister, the board and staff of Kāinga Ora staff doing?

This large number of empty new houses suggests they weren’t focused on getting as many people as possible into houses as soon as possible.

A Town Like Alice

Neville Shute’s classic A Town Like Alice was made into a film starring Virginia McKenna and Peter Finch in 1956.

 

If you prefer a more modern version, it was also serialsed for television in 1981.

The the full film, all 5 hours and 16 minutes of it, starring Helen Morse, Bryan Brown and Gordon Jacksondoesn’t want to embed but you can watch it here.

Word of the day

Abubble – characterised by, or full of,  intense enthusiasm, excitement or activity; bubbling, as while cooking or boiling.

Real cost of net zero

The catastrophists warn of the cost of climate change but ignore the costs of net zero.

Bjorn Lomborg, a member of the Copenhagen Consensus and author of False Alarm,  explains :

. . . Like Kabuki theater, performative set pieces lead from one to the other: politicians and celebrities arrive by private jets; speakers predict imminent doom; hectoring NGOs cast blame; political negotiations become fraught and inevitably go overtime; and finally, the signing of a new agreement that participants hope and pretend will make a difference.

This circus has repeated since the 1990s. Despite 27 previous conferences with iterations of ominous speeches and bold promises, global emissions have increased every year except once, during the economic shutdowns of COVID. . . 

Almost every rich country preaches far more than it delivers.  This is exemplified by the European Union, which has promised more than anyone else, yet — when forced by Russia’s barbaric invasion of Ukraine to cut off gas imports — went looking in Africa for more oil, gas and coal. Meanwhile, almost every poor country understandably prioritizes prosperity, which means abundant, cheap and reliable energy — which still means fossil fuels. . . 

Europe shows what happens when you try to put the green cart in front of the economic and social horses.

Poor countries can’t be blamed for putting economic and social considerations first when the alternative is policies that will leave their people colder, hungrier and poorer.

Underpinning the climate summit farce is one big lie repeated over and over: that green energy is on the verge of replacing fossil fuels in every aspect of our lives. . . 

The claim ignores the fact that any transition away from fossil fuels is occurring only with enormous taxpayer-funded subsidies. And while major energy players like Exxon and Chevron are moving back to investment in fossil fuel, big bets on green energy have failed spectacularly.

Over the past 15 years, alternative energy stocks have plummeted in value, thus sending the pensions of ordinary workers tumbling due to virtue signaling finance companies while general stocks have increased more than four-fold.

What won’t be acknowledged in the United Arab Emirates — because it has never been acknowledged at a global climate summit — is the awkward reality that while climate change has real costs, climate policy does, too.

Climate policy motivated by politics and bureaucracy rather than being led by research, science and technology comes at a very high cost which too often outweigh any benefits.

In most public conversations, climate change costs are vastly exaggerated. Just consider how every heat wave is depicted as an end-of-the world, cataclysmic killer, while the far greater reductions in deaths from warmer winters pass without being remarked on. Yet the costs of climate policy are bizarrely ignored.

Analysing the balance between climate and policy costs has been at the heart of the study of climate change economics for more than three decades. Renowned economist William Nordhaus is the only climate change economist recognized with a Nobel prize. His research shows that we should absolutely do something about climate change: early cuts in fossil fuel emissions are cheap and will reduce the most dangerous temperature rises.

But his work also shows that highly ambitious carbon reductions will be a bad deal, with phenomenally high costs and low additional benefits.

Climate activists, who insist we should listen to the science, have consistently ignored this research and encouraged rich world leaders to make ever-greater climate promises. Many leaders have even gone so far as to promise net-zero carbon emissions by 2050.

Despite this likely being the single costliest policy ever promised by world leaders, it was made without a single peer-reviewed estimate of the full costs.

Earlier this year, a special issue of the scientific journal Climate Change Economics made this analysis.

This astonishing work has gone almost entirely unreported by any major news outlet. It shows that by mid-century, pursuing “net zero” will lead to benefits — meaning the avoided costs from climate change — of about $1 trillion each year.

But the costs would be much, much higher. Three different modelled approaches all show far higher costs than benefits for every single year throughout the 21^st century and far into the next. By 2050, the annual costs of the policy range between $10 and $43 trillion. That’s 4-18% of global GDP.

Consider that the total tax intake of all governments across the world today is about 15% of global GDP — and politicians would potentially have us spend more than that.

Across the century, the benefit is 1.4% of global GDP while the cost averages out at 8.6% of global GDP. Every dollar in cost delivers perhaps 16 cents of climate benefits. Clearly, this is an atrocious use of money.

The only thing that could avoid this summit being a retread of 27 other failures is if politicians acknowledge the real cost of net zero policy — and instead of making more carbon cut promises, vow to dramatically increase green energy research and development.

This would help innovate the price of low-carbon energy below that of fossil fuels so every country in the world will want to make the switch.

Instead of subsidizing today’s still-inefficient technology and trying to brute force a transition by pushing up the price of fossil fuels, we need to make green technologies genuinely cheaper.

Market forces work far better than political persuasion and misguided subsidies.