Snapshot: NZME Agenda Advances while Luxon Slips Further
An international mix - free to all subscribers
Grateful for all the messages folks, bowled over. Thanks, everyone, here’s my article for today while I work on the migration plans in the background.
There are some important international precedents I think you need to be aware of so today it’s a mix of local and global.
1. Pew Research study shows extraordinary insight into how toxicity has penetrated the US pysche
Pew Research Centre found that in their 25 country survey, Americans were most likely to view their fellow citizens as “morally bad”. An extraordinary 53% of Americans view their fellow citizens as “bad” or “very bad”.
Last year, Pew also found that 37% of Americans viewed Fox News as trustworthy and their primary/exclusive source of information. And while more Republicans trusted Fox News than any other news source, more Democrats distrusted it than any other source
It’s relevant to New Zealand and other countries in so far as recognising how powerful culture wars, billionaire and corporate media ownership, and cultivating distrust/hatred in fellow country folks can be - especially given enough time and money.
Of note, Abraham Lincoln’s 1838 quote was rather prescient. At the time he said of the USA:
“At what point then is the approach of danger to be expected? I answer, if it ever reach us, it must spring up amongst us. It cannot come from abroad. If destruction be our lot, we must ourselves be its author and finisher.”
2. Kristi Noem fired from US post
Trump has fired Collins’ “my friend,” Department of Homeland Security Secretary, Kristi Noem. Trump made the announcement on Truth Social while Noem was due for a scheduled appearance on TV.
A former Vice President contender for Trump, Noem made headlines in 2024 for writing about how she killed her family’s young dog and their farm goat, seemingly without any contrition or any self-awareness.
As Homeland Secretary, she defended multiple ICE murders, and yesterday, “white lied” about a toddler who had almost died after being detained by ICE in the US Government’s ‘concentration camps’.
The toddler was only released after lawyers fought for her freedom, but Noem sidestepped that part, only admitting that the little girl had not broken any laws and was presently at home.
Noem was a loyal foot soldier for Trump, but the US Administration told Fox, that replacing Kristi Noem was based on the culmination of her “many unfortunate leadership mishaps” including apparently, “constant feuding with the heads of other agencies including CBP and ICE.”
Her replacement is GOP Senator Markwayne Mullin of Oklahoma.
3. TVNZ Financial Results sees $1.6m dividend to Government
Newsroom’s Tim Murphy notes:
Publicly owned TVNZ has reported a $2.4m net profit after tax for the six months to December 31, down from a comparable $12m in the same period a year earlier.
Its total revenue fell by 12% from $152m to $134m. Costs were cut by 10.8%. It will pay the Govt a $1.6m dividend.
The results also include a $17 million write down as part of a wider impairment charge.
TVNZ’s Chair, a former Goldman Sachs investment bank boss, offered to discuss a 1News media report on gangs that National were unhappy with. Maiki Sherman was then tasked to fix it.
4. NZME is led by ex National MP Steve Joyce (Chair), and billionaire James (Jim) Grenon (Director). Its new editorial board to guide content is National Party linked Hamish Rutherford
The Post reported yesterday on a news story I’d been aware of but hadn’t had time to write on - namely that NZME - of which brands include: Newstalk ZB, NZ Herald, One Roof, Business Desk, Time Out, Bay of Plenty Times, Hawkes Bay Today, Northern Advocate, ZM Radio, The Hits Radio etc etc etc - has chosen who will lead its new “Editorial Board”
That person is of course Luxon’s former press secretary Hamish Rutherford.
He resigned in 2024 and is currently, wait for it, a government lobbyist.
Prior to the successful takeover, Grenon was open about his criticisms of Herald coverage, including what he viewed as poor reporting on Covid-19 etc.
I’d previously written about James Grenon’s takeover of NZME here, here and here
My first piece was here:
5. New Poll shows Luxon’s popularity at 28% while rumours accelerate
Thomas Coughlan (NZME) and Stuff are both previewing a new poll by Taxpayers Union and Curia Market Research today, that shows Luxon’s popularity has hit record lows.
While NZME posit that as a “bombshell,” in fact, even Chuck and Mary could have seen that coming.
The Taxpayers’ Union is set to release a poll tipped to show the National Party only a couple of points above its disastrous 2020 wipeout.
The poll is done by Curia, which also does internal polls for the National Party. It is likely to be released this morning.
The Herald understands that the poll is the worst in the series since Judith Collins led the National Party, with a rounded figure of 28% circulating among MPs.
That would be about two-and-a-half points above the party’s performance in the 2020 election (25.58%) and lower than the last 1 News-Colmar Brunton Poll recorded prior to Simon Bridges losing the leadership. National scored 38.06% at the last election.
National polled 29.6% in the Taxpayers’ Union-Curia Poll last October.
On Newstalk ZB, Willis expressed disappointment in the polls while Winston Peters took the opportunity to sell NZ First, and intimate that NZ First would be willing to work with Luxon & National again:
Peters said [NZ First] was on a mission to ensure its 2023 success wasn’t “a one-election wonder”.
“This country was saved from being a Myanmar or a Venezuela in 2023 and that mission is still required in 2026.”
Asked if he could work with Luxon as Prime Minister again after the election, Peters said in any crisis “you take the circumstances you have got, you make the very most of it”.
“Make the very most of it is what NZ First is going to do.”
Paul Goldsmith however, backed Luxon, declaring that the PM “won’t be going anywhere”.
Luxon has always been relatively unpopular, and the rumour mill has started again today.
Mountain Tūī
6. Chris Bishop considers scrapping entire Clean Car Standard
In 2024, Simeon Brown pushed ahead with weaker tailpipe standards after lobbying by the car industry, and despite being told it would blow out our ability to meet emission goals, and result in New Zealand becoming a dumping ground for “dirtier” cars.
Now Chris Bishop is looking to do away with the Clean Car Standard altogether despite already chipping away at it over the last year.
Introduced by the previous government, the Clean Vehicle Standard charges importers a penalty for cars that exceed the target emissions level, but that can be offset by also importing cars with lower emissions.
That penalty was slashed by nearly 80 percent last November, with Bishop saying supply constraints meant importers could not source enough low-emissions vehicles to avoid being penalised…
He said then that a full review of the standard would follow this year but it was unlikely the standard would be removed entirely.
RNZ has learned that a targeted consultation carried out for that review has just ended, which included asking submitters whether the standard should be “abolished”.
The consultation included the motor vehicle industry, international bodies, other government agencies, some advocacy groups, and subject matter experts, but was not open to the public.
7. US Military attacked a Iranian warship during a pre-arranged Indian military exercise
This is an extraordinary precedent being set by the United States - attacking a warship during a joint military exercise that the USA pulled out of at the last minute.
The Iranian ship was defenseless and carried no ammunition.
Former Indian Foreign Secretary Kanwal Sibal confirmed India had invited the Iranian warship for the exercise, and the US was also supposed to be there, but pulled out at the last minute.
The Iranian ship will not be where it was if we had not invited it to talk part in our Milan exercise. We were the hosts.
I am told that as per protocol for this exercise ships cannot carry any ammunition. It was defenceless.
The Iranian naval personnel had paraded before our president .
The attack by the US submarine was premeditated as the US was aware of the Iranian ship’s presence in the exercise to which the US navy was invited but withdrew from participation at the last minute, presumably with this operation in mind.
The US has ignored India’s sensitivities as the ship was in these waters because of India’s invitation.
We are far from politically or militarily responsible for the US attack.
Our“responsibility” is at a moral and human plane.
A word of condolence by the Indian Navy ( after political clearance) at the loss of lives of those who were our invitees and saluted our president would be in order.
The exercise had been publicly announced, and as one NZ commentator said:
Striking a ship on its way back from an exercise - not in the theatre of war - feels like a dangerous precedent when the US has roughly 50,000 troops presumably sitting in hotels, after evacuating various ME bases.
8. Paul Goldsmith defends Sunny Kaushal - again
Jimmy Ellingham for RNZ reports that Paul Goldsmith has been warned that following the exodus from Sunny Kaushal’s retail crime ministerial advisory group, the group “don't have relevant expertise in matters it will issue advice about.”
Kaushal, who owns Auckland's Shakespeare Hotel and is an advocate for retail shop owners, says he's confident he and Parmar can deliver robust work.
It’s not the first time Goldsmith has defended Kaushal. Last year he brushed off reports of “concerning behaviour” by the Chairman too.
And this year, over half of its members resigned citing issues with him.
Quick Takes
Good Stuff That’s Happening
Scientific American covers this important story about our Kākāpō
A massive bloom of rimu berries in New Zealand fueled a mating surge among the critically endangered Kākāpō.
And this update and video from Andrew Digby
