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Arming up for emergency legislation and lengthy urgency
To the surprise of absolutely no-one, Parliament once more adopted urgency this week as the government pressed to get a plethora of Bills progressed before Christmas.
Southern Say
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The griller gets grilled under the health committee’s scrutiny
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The griller gets grilled under the health committee’s scrutiny
This past week has been Scrutiny Week at Parliament, where the actions of ministers and ministries are put under under the spotlight during a series of committee hearings.
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Seeking a unified approach to making the golden years glow
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Seeking a unified approach to making the golden years glow
The hurly-burly of politics seldom intrudes on the quiet halls of Bupa Windsor Park Care Home in Gore.
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Compounding interest in select committees banking inquiry
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Compounding interest in select committees banking inquiry
Yes, it has been a big few days at Parliament, what with MPs being expelled and a major corruption scandal at New Zealand Police.
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Summoning up the energy to be enthusiastic about wool
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Summoning up the energy to be enthusiastic about wool
As has been noted in this column before, New Zealand First Taieri list MP Mark Patterson likes wool.
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Hard work being sorry
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Hard work being sorry
As a trained lawyer, Joseph Mooney will be well familiar with the legal adage "hard cases make bad law".
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Thank you very much, thank you very very very very much
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Thank you very much, thank you very very very very much
Back in 1942, Greer Garson won the Best Actress Academy Award for her work in Mrs Miniver.
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Being popular does not make it right when it comes to a vote
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Being popular does not make it right when it comes to a vote
Parliament is on holiday now, but that does not mean politics has stopped.
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Saving the rights of teenage workers, one petition at a time
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Saving the rights of teenage workers, one petition at a time
For this week only Southern Say is venturing over the border from the South — but not so very far away — for an inspiring tale
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The custom of dragging a debate out as long as possible
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The custom of dragging a debate out as long as possible
It is the nature of Parliament that sometimes things which matter not one jot, and which everyone pretty much actually agrees on, take up an enormous amount of the House’s time.
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Going round and round the circular economy mulberry bush
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Going round and round the circular economy mulberry bush
For most of this week the House has been occupied with the Estimates Debate, the annual run through with ministers about their various portfolios.
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The pointless exercise which might actually mean something
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The pointless exercise which might actually mean something
At the end of a long recess with no Parliament what is one to do when there is no House of Representatives to watch but to go to the ‘‘Clayton’s’’ Parliament - the Parliament you have when you are...
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Still fighting, in the electorate and the supermarket aisles
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Still fighting, in the electorate and the supermarket aisles
As you may have noted earlier in today’s newspaper Dunedin is now blessed to have another local MP.
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Watching via video link as Stephenson dices with danger
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Watching via video link as Stephenson dices with danger
Todd Stephenson doesn’t really strike one as being danger adjacent, even if the Act New Zealand Southland list MP does live in the adrenaline sports capital of the world.
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MPs, MPs everywhere and many a vote to seek
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MPs, MPs everywhere and many a vote to seek
If you didn’t see a Labour MP this week you weren’t looking hard.
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Space Bill debate: I think it’s gonna be a long, long time
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Space Bill debate: I think it’s gonna be a long, long time
Rachel Brooking gets plenty of time speaking in the House on her main portfolio responsibilities.
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The ‘Death to Te Pukenga’ NZ tour
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The Penny Simmonds Experience ‘Death to Te Pukenga’ NZ tour
It has been a big week for National Invercargill MP Penny Simmonds as the work she, largely, got in to politics to do, well and truly got under way.
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The ins and outs of what is in, and out, of the Standards Bill
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The ins and outs of what is in, and out, of the Standards Bill
On Thursday, as Act New Zealand leader David Seymour was touring Dunedin, back in Wellington a somewhat surreal select committee process of keen interest to him was drawing to a close.
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Southern say: The Bill and the trees
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The Bill and the trees
Something which often surprises those whose only glimpse of Parliament is a few seconds on the TV news of MPs shouting at each other, is that most politicians actually get along fairly well.
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Simmonds out and about and talking trash in recess week
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Simmonds out and about and talking trash in recess week
As regular readers of Southern Say will know, this is a column which likes a cheap pun as much as the next hack.