Latest news with #EchoChamber
The Spinoff
5 days ago
- Politics
- The Spinoff
Echo Chamber: Emergency housing, climate targets and the art of not saying sorry
'I was wrong' isn't always as easy as saying 'what I would just say to you …' Echo Chamber is The Spinoff's dispatch from the press gallery, recapping sessions in the House. Columns are written by politics reporter Lyric Waiwiri-Smith and Wellington editor Joel MacManus. Question time in the House on Wednesday was another bog-standard affair. Straight into it, probing from Labour leader Chris Hipkins to prime minister Christopher Luxon over emergency housing had MPs across the benches going rogue, like how one might act after consuming too many drinks at an awards ceremony. The issue has been a question time hot topic all year, after the government 'tighten[ed] the gateway into emergency housing' last August, making eligibility criteria stricter. Since then, the number of families in emergency housing has dropped by 75%, five years earlier than anticipated, but 20% of those who have left emergency housing remain unaccounted for – while homelessness is at an all-time high. When he's been questioned on where those one in five might be in recent months, Luxon typically starts with the same line: 'I would just say to that member …' What he'd say is that actually, 'on all four dimensions of housing', there have been 'improved outcomes'. What he'd say is that when he thinks of the 'abject failure' of the previous government, he feels 'incredibly proud' of his record. What he'd say is, kids are out of motels, rates and housing prices look stable, 'and interest rates are coming down'. But voices from the opposition side already had their own narrative: 'they're on the street!', 'they're homeless!', 'people are leaving [the country]!' National MP Tom Rutherford had a retort for them: 'Cheer up!' And, like clockwork, the barracking became enough for speaker Gerry Brownlee to threaten to throw everybody out, as he does in most question time sessions. It was NZ First minister Shane Jones who was the voice of reason. 'Sir,' he told the speaker, 'from this hitherto unknown perch we can't hear a thing the prime minister is saying. You really need to enforce your ruling to have some order and a better sense of decorum from that side of the House.' It wasn't just teething issues with the new seating chart put in place after the deputy prime minister switcheroo – the heckling truly was louder than the prime minister. Later, Te Pāti Māori co-leader Rawiri Waititi asked Luxon about comments made by new deputy prime minister David Seymour alleging 99.5% of submissions on a discussion document on the Regulatory Standards Bill were 'fake' and 'driven by bots'. Luxon said the DPM had 'clarified his comments'. Then, amazingly, Waititi was finally the first person in the House to mention minister Chris Bishop's music awards gaffe last week, asking Luxon why he had said he was 'comfortable' with it. The three ministers to Bishop's right – Erica Stanford, Paul Goldsmith and Louise Upston – all turned and grinned at him. 'As I've said publicly, I quite like country music, but a lot of people give me grief for that too and use similar language that Chris Bishop used,' Luxon said, to expected groans from the opposition. 'Can you give us an example?' Waititi asked. 'Sing us a song?' Earlier in the session, after fielding questions on pay equity from Labour's finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds and pledging her appreciation to the care workers of the nation, finance minister Nicola Willis made a misquote that clearly haunted her. Asked about 'stripping' the $12.8bn contingency for pay equity claims, Willis said Edmonds should talk to her leader, who apparently had said the figure was an 'awfully big number that he doesn't understand'. So, after patsy time between National's Vanessa Weenink and Stanford, with her phone open on the relevant NZ Herald article, Willis now understood her paraphrasing was wrong. Now, 'out of an abundance of caution and wishing not to have misled the House', she wished to repeat the correct quote, but Brownlee wanted to know why she couldn't just say sorry, and get over it. 'If you said something that's wrong, apologise for saying it's wrong and move on,' Brownlee told her, but she persisted. And after more back and forth, Willis repeated Hipkins' direct quote: 'What National should do is release to the New Zealand public how they arrived at that figure because it is a very big number.' And all Brownlee had to say in response was 'well, that's good'. Elton John said it best: sorry seems to be the hardest word. When Greens co-leader Chlöe Swarbrick had her turn to question the prime minister, she focused on an open letter penned by 26 climate scientists, urging our government not to adopt a 'no additional warming' method of measuring methane emissions, which they say would put Aotearoa's Paris Agreement targets at risk. Luxon was indifferent: 'I'd just say to the people who kindly wrote the letter that they should write it to 194 other countries before they send me a letter, and then I might read it.' Then something about farmers. It was clearly exasperating for Swarbrick, who had spent the whole session hearing her new neighbours from across the way, NZ First, call her a Marxist and communist. We could debate how good our farmers are till we're blue in the face – like, quite literally blue – she told Luxon, but what about our climate targets? The cheers from the government benches, and jeers from NZ First, seemed to throw the co-leader off. Once Luxon confirmed that no, he would not be 'heeding' the call of these scientists, she tried to get him to commit to something else, but ran into a grumpy old obstacle. 'Spit it out!' Winston Peters taunted, before Swarbrick gestured the speaker's attention towards Peters and Jones, leaned together in their seats and giggling like two schoolboys who had just been called out by the class tattletale. 'Hoax! Hoax!' Jones mocked her. 'We are back on track,' Luxon grinned over his methane targets. Maybe there's more than one person in this House who could learn when to admit that they're wrong.
The Spinoff
6 days ago
- Business
- The Spinoff
Echo Chamber: The trouble with taking David Seymour at his word
If the Act Party leader misspoke in a forest and no one was around to hear it, would it still make a sound? Echo Chamber is The Spinoff's dispatch from the press gallery, recapping sessions in the House. Columns are written by politics reporter Lyric Waiwiri-Smith and Wellington editor Joel MacManus. A long weekend stumbled into a short week back in the House, where a Mad Hatter call of 'change places!' has seen NZ First and the Act Party swap sides at the tea party. Over the weekend, some 642km north, NZ First leader Winston Peters' reins of power as deputy prime minister were handed over to Act leader David Seymour, who celebrated the occasion in typical low-key style: with an Auckland brunch for fans of David Seymour to pay their respects to David Seymour. Peters, sat in the south end of the chamber, now rests in a no man's land two seats away from Te Pāti Māori, where co-leader Rawiri Waititi shot glances to his koro from up north throughout the session. Meanwhile Seymour, at the prime minister's side, whispered sweet nothings into Christopher Luxon's ear then flipped through documents throughout the circus, with three full glasses of water at his side. Before Tuesday's question time began, Te Pāti Māori's Hana-Rawhiti Maipi-Clarke called for the House to acknowledge the 30-year anniversary of Waikato Tainui's raupatu settlement, with which only one party leader took issue. If we celebrated every single successful Treaty settlement, Peters argued, we'd be losing valuable time almost every day of the week. Labour MP Peeni Henare's unimpressed voice floated through the chamber: 'Wooooow ….' Greens co-leader Chlöe Swarbrick was first up on oral questions, and once the prime minister agreed that yes, he did stand by all of his government's statements, she went in for her kill: the funding, or lack thereof, for the government's increased KiwiSaver contributions, an alleged hole in Budget 2025 that the party has been quite happy to claim responsibility for discovering. Luxon shot down Swarbrick's claims the government had failed to budget for its own employer contributions to KiwiSaver, saying the bill would be footed through baselines. And the prime minister also didn't accept claptrap from Labour leader Chris Hipkins, nosily asking how many families had received the $250 Family Boost rebate promised last March. 'I don't have the numbers in front of me,' Luxon said, before being cut off by Labour's Willow-Jean Prime: 'Do you have them at all?' The minister for resources, Shane Jones, had spent the first 30 minutes of question time spurting his favourite slogans – 'mining!', 'fossil fuels!', 'heavy metal!' – at random, even when no one was talking about mining, fossil fuels or heavy metals. Finally, his NZ First colleague Tanya Unkovich offered him some patsies, so he could relish in the noble art of drilling a well into gas fields like those in Taranaki, and having the Crown take a 10-15% stake from these projects. 'Gas is short,' Jones started – 'not from you!' an opposition voice called – then 'talk is cheap'. The country's natural gas resources have been in decline, he declared, thanks to a 'foolish and dangerous … fateful decision of 2018 ' to ban oil exploration (Jones was indeed a minister for that Labour-led government at the time). Labour MP Kieran McAnulty, a star student of the school of standing orders, raised a point of order: that was clearly a political statement, he told the speaker, and shouldn't have been allowed. Well, I disagree with you, Gerry Brownlee replied – how could a government campaign against something and not be able to talk about it? Proving his respect for Brownlee's rulings and never-ending wish for unity among the parties, Jones began his next answer: 'Decisions riddled with woke ideology from the past government …' and the House erupted in laughter, clearly tired of such performative acclaim. Labour MP Duncan Webb was allowed to pose a question to a member of parliament rather than a minister, asking National backbencher and chair of the finance and expenditure committee Cameron Brewer why the submission window for the Regulatory Standards Bill was only open for four weeks, when the bill had a six-month reporting deadline. Parliament's left bloc has gone hard on campaigning against said bill, an Act Party classic hit, with claims that it's more controversial and damaging to Treaty obligations than the recently deceased Treaty principles bill. Mr Speaker, Brewer explained, the minister for regulation (aka Seymour) has already written to me to explain that he had 'misspoken' when the bill had its first reading on May 23. You may remember Seymour moved for the bill to be reported to the House on December 23, 'when he in fact meant to say September 23!' He'd take the minister at his word, Brewer said, as groans rippled through the House. So, Webb continued, would the committee chair bend to Seymour's demands, or follow the usual parliamentary process which asks that select committees be given six months to report back to the House? Brewer quoted former clerk David McGee's Parliamentary Practice: 'it is not uncommon for bills referred to select committee for four months to have a submissions period of four weeks'. Seymour, clearly tired of having his name and work thrown around with such indifference, rose for a point of order. When he failed to argue that there was no decision of the House to even be disregarded in this case, Seymour continued to argue with the speaker from his seat, annoying a voice on the opposition side: 'Just because you're deputy now!' Eventually, Brownlee was happy with Brewer's assertion that Seymour 'clearly misspoke', and McGee's guidance was enough to 'end the matter'. The faces of the opposition looked like they would be doing anything but, and maybe that's the trouble with taking Seymour at his word: nothing he says will ever be good enough for at least half of the entire 54th New Zealand parliament. Once question time had wrapped up, Seymour headed to Brewer's bench, perhaps passing along some further notes and corrections to misquotes. A tiny question time blip, a long weekend to celebrate his ascension to 2IC and now in the UK to take part in an Oxford Union debate on stolen land, the Act Party leader's cup still runneth over, even as his three water glasses remained untouched.
The Spinoff
21-05-2025
- Politics
- The Spinoff
Echo Chamber: Te Pāti Māori gets the last laugh
Te Pāti Māori rises from the ashes of the government's pride to get its say in the budget debates – before having to go back to the dog box. Echo Chamber is The Spinoff's dispatch from the press gallery, recapping sessions in the House. Columns are written by politics reporter Lyric Waiwiri-Smith and Wellington editor Joel MacManus. The public gallery was closed for Tuesday's question time. All this talk of filibustering and Te Pāti Māori must have sent a chill down the speaker's spine, keeping him awake all hours of the night with a dreadful anxiety over the decorum in the chambers. Were those Māori plotting against him? Hath none any respect for this institution? It's easier to close the door on the possibility of a haka in the public gallery than risk being turned into the butt of the joke simply for saying 'no, don't do that'. But the privacy did work out nicely for one senior minister, who needed only worry about the vultures circling above in the press gallery benches – but he tries his best to act like he doesn't care what they think of him, anyway. Winston Peters, as the MPs milled around and took their seats, scrolled his X account in silence, and watched the video of himself that went viral earlier that day, in which he met a fellow geezer who likes saying naff and bollocks just as much as he does, and realised there are still people out there who can match his freak. View this post on Instagram A post shared by RNZ (@radionewzealand) If a closed gallery wasn't enough of a flashing red warning sign of Gerry Brownlee's lack of patience, his interruptions during oral questions as an attempt to defuse any landmines along the way should have been enough of a hint. Finance minister Nicola Willis kicked off oral questions with patsies from National MP Cameron Brewer, and as she was laying it on thick, her mind naturally wandered to the MPs on the opposition benches and their failures. In not so many words, Brownlee basically said: 'no, don't do that.' When Peters, minister for rail, fielded questions from his NZ First colleague Jenny Marcroft, it gave him an opportunity both to promote a $600m investment from the upcoming budget to rail upgrades, and slam the Green Party's alternative budget. It was alarming, Peters declared, to see a proposal to build light rail in Christchurch, Auckland and Wellington to the tune of $11bn – only for Brownlee to remind the deputy prime minister that a supplementary question cannot be used as ammo against another party. Peters, well aware of the rules of parliament as he had just last week described it as a 'House of Chaos', returned to his notes with a lack of sincerity, but appeared to get a kick out of the charade: 'If they want an education, pull into the station,' he finished. Te Pāti Māori co-leader Debbie Ngarewa Packer was ninth up in oral questions, asking the prime minister about recent comments made about Māorification with Newstalk ZB's Mike Hosking, and his sentiment that 'where we see it, we call it out'. Well, Luxon replied, that isn't quite what I said, and said media outlet has since corrected my comments – but I do still have issues with a stop-go sign being in te reo Māori. They bickered and Luxon ummed, ahhed and stuttered, until Rangatira Peters (that's what Matua Shane Jones calls him) rose for a supplementary to save the day. 'In the question on the issue of 'Māorification,'' he asked the prime minister, 'would it be 'Māorification' if every Thursday I went down and got myself a suntan?' It was equal parts cringe, offensive and hilarious to the opposition benches. 'You're embarrassing yourself, geez,' Te Pāti Māori MP Mariameno Kapa Kingi called. 'It would help,' Te Pāti Māori co-leader Rawiri Waititi joked. It was enough to get Peters booted out of the House altogether. 'I'll be back, don't you worry,' he warned the speaker. 'That's something everyone has noticed through your whole career,' Brownlee replied. Following question time, the MPs (Peters included) were straight into the debate over Te Pāti Māori's suspension, delivered by the privileges committee. The chair of that committee, minister Judith Collins, told the House that never in her 23 years in parliament had she seen such a 'serious incident'. There were plenty of cutting remarks, but the only interjections from Te Pāti Māori's benches were corrections to Collins' pronunciation of their names. The day's circus was all for nothing. After Labour leader Chris Hipkins left his left bloc allies in the lurch with no plans of filibustering but a whole lot to say about democracy hanging by a thread, minister Chris Bishop – after his party had promised there would be no concessions for Te Pāti Māori – set an adjournment motion until June 5. The mythological filibuster never came to fruition. Speaker Gerry Brownlee will have to close the public gallery again in a few weeks. But, the silver lining: it all ended just in time for Te Pāti Māori to walk outside, see their few hundred supporters perform a haka, and relish in having – at least for now – the last laugh.
Scoop
15-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Scoop
Join Juno Is And Her Live Band To Celebrate The Release Of Her ‘Psychedelic Dream Pop' Debut Album ‘Where To Begin'
Press Release – Juno Is , the long-awaited debut album from Tāmaki Makaurau-based artist Juno Is, arrived four years after her breakthrough EP, Creature of Habit. Created over two years in a series of spontaneous songwriting sessions, this album marks a distinct evolution for Juno Is, the project of musician Mackenzie Hollebon. In the early stages, Where To Begin became a deeply collaborative endeavour. Hollebon teamed up with engineer-producer De Stevens, crafting the album's foundation in late-afternoon sessions in her sunny, minimalist bedroom, fueled by black coffee and creative energy. As they shaped the album's pre-production, their collaborative process naturally opened the door to other key contributors, including Christchurch-based multi-instrumentalist Thomas Isbister. Thomas's contributions on bass, trumpet, congas, synth, and more added layers of texture to the album, fulfilling Juno Is' vision of an immersive, colourful soundscape inspired by the likes of early MGMT and Melody's Echo Chamber. Drummer Hamish Morgan further brought the album to life by translating Juno Is' unconventional MIDI drum demos into concise, stylistic live performances, blending seamlessly with the album's experimental textures. The result is a work that marries instrumental brightness with introspective lyrics, creating a unique contrast of warmth, melancholy, and determination. With Where To Begin, Juno Is offers a rich, sonically expansive album that reflects years of growth and exploration, establishing her as a distinctive voice in today's musical landscape. In Auckland After 5 years, Juno Is (aka Mackenzie Hollebon) has decided to announce her first ever headline show at Double Whammy which is in her current hometown of Tāmaki Makaurau. This show will be an exciting live exploration of her debut album Where To Begin which was released on the 8th of November 2024. This Juno Is 8 piece live band will consist of Mackenzie Hollebon, Jacob Brown, Hamish Morgan, Zoë Larsen Cumming, Benjamin Mack, Riley Noonan, Nimah Joy Pritchard and Emily Fe'ao. Not only is this Juno Is' first headline show in Tamaki Makaurau, but it is also a rare chance to celebrate her debut album, live!
Scoop
15-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Scoop
Join Juno Is And Her Live Band To Celebrate The Release Of Her ‘Psychedelic Dream Pop' Debut Album ‘Where To Begin'
Where To Begin, the long-awaited debut album from Tāmaki Makaurau-based artist Juno Is, arrived four years after her breakthrough EP, Creature of Habit. Created over two years in a series of spontaneous songwriting sessions, this album marks a distinct evolution for Juno Is, the project of musician Mackenzie Hollebon. In the early stages, Where To Begin became a deeply collaborative endeavour. Hollebon teamed up with engineer-producer De Stevens, crafting the album's foundation in late-afternoon sessions in her sunny, minimalist bedroom, fueled by black coffee and creative energy. As they shaped the album's pre-production, their collaborative process naturally opened the door to other key contributors, including Christchurch-based multi-instrumentalist Thomas Isbister. Thomas's contributions on bass, trumpet, congas, synth, and more added layers of texture to the album, fulfilling Juno Is' vision of an immersive, colourful soundscape inspired by the likes of early MGMT and Melody's Echo Chamber. Drummer Hamish Morgan further brought the album to life by translating Juno Is' unconventional MIDI drum demos into concise, stylistic live performances, blending seamlessly with the album's experimental textures. The result is a work that marries instrumental brightness with introspective lyrics, creating a unique contrast of warmth, melancholy, and determination. With Where To Begin, Juno Is offers a rich, sonically expansive album that reflects years of growth and exploration, establishing her as a distinctive voice in today's musical landscape. In Auckland After 5 years, Juno Is (aka Mackenzie Hollebon) has decided to announce her first ever headline show at Double Whammy which is in her current hometown of Tāmaki Makaurau. This show will be an exciting live exploration of her debut album Where To Begin which was released on the 8th of November 2024. This Juno Is 8 piece live band will consist of Mackenzie Hollebon, Jacob Brown, Hamish Morgan, Zoë Larsen Cumming, Benjamin Mack, Riley Noonan, Nimah Joy Pritchard and Emily Fe'ao. Not only is this Juno Is' first headline show in Tamaki Makaurau, but it is also a rare chance to celebrate her debut album, live!
