Podcasts about Ardern

There's bad news, really, and it's been coming and I think I've had my head in the sand for some time. I've been wanting things to get better quickly. I've wanted things to move out from grindy-ness, and a lack of fun, and excess, and nonsense. It's just been for four years of long, slow grind, it seems. Well, Matthew Hooton's opinion piece in the New Zealand Herald has laid it out starkly, unequivocally, in no uncertain terms. The grindy times are here for a long time, as he says. Brooke van Velden's constitutionally dubious and deeply unpopular legislation to amend the Equal Pay Act and more bold moves like it, are now unavoidable, whether they take the form of massive spending cuts, much higher taxes, or most likely, he says both. And the reason? Successive governments have been on a massive jolly, and now we, and successive generations have to pay for it. As Hooton reminds us, Treasury began formerly warning in 2006, about the looming fiscal challenges after 2030. It expected future governments would follow the responsible fiscal management of the Bolger, Shipley, and Clark governments, that they would maintain surpluses, pay back debt, put aside cash for a rainy day. Had we heeded the advice and followed the blueprint, we would be 15% of GDP in the black this year. Instead, the Key-English and Ardern-Hipkins Governments went on a 15-year spending spree, putting us 23% of GDP in the red, despite the Super Fund's returns on investments exceeding expectations. You can say what about the Canterbury quake, the GFC, and Covid? You can say all of that. But he's quite right. Successive governments have had to recover from crises, but they've also used that time to have a spend up, to push through expensive legislation and policies, of their choosing, of their ideology, while at the same time having to fork out billions in damage recovery. So, the four years of grindy times are going to be nothing in comparison to what we are going to see. There's more with this came from. Thanks to the Key-English and Ardern-Hipkins legacy, we're nearly 40% of GDP, or more than $170 billion, behind where Helen Clark, Winston Peters, and Sir Michael Cullen planned back in 2006, just as baby boomers retire and health costs start to explode. He says and argues without radical policy change, there is no plausible scenario that doesn't lead to eventual financial and social collapse. I urge you to read it and have a look and see what you think. That is why Labour's well-intentioned and accurately costed ill thought-out legislation is being scrapped. That is why superannuation and healthcare costs will be put under the microscope as costs balloon. And that is why I would argue, National and Labour need to work together to get us out of this mess. Treasury warned of the fiscal challenges in 2006. They warned of them again in a 2012 post-election briefing to John Key, the papers stressed again as baby boomers move into retirement, New Zealand's 65 and over population is projected to grow nearly four times more quickly than the total population, and consequently there'll be a rapid rise in health, aged care, and New Zealand super costs. Treasury said the fiscal challenge is considerable. There is no way to avoid making trade-offs. Given the potential economic and social instability that could result from any uncertainty about these trade-offs, we think it's crucial that effort be made to build broad public consensus on the way forward. And that's where we are today. The trade-offs are starting but there's no consensus, because it's just been sprung on us. Well, it hasn't been sprung on us. Treasury have been warning of this for some time, and we have ignored it as voters and the parties have ignored it. Both National and Labour are at fault, but we voters are to blame as well. We can't just stand there saying, “oh, we're victims we didn't know”. Would we have elected any party to government that laid out the grim prognosis for New Zealand Inc. and spelled out the tough measures we would need to take to recover? If Christopher Luxon had stood there in 2023 and said, we're in a real mess and it goes way beyond Hipkins and Robertson, Ardern and Robertson. It goes back a lot further than that and we are going to have to cut the equal pay amendment legislation, we're going to have to raise the age of superannuation, as every other western country we measure ourselves against has done, we're going to have to look long and hard at healthcare, we're have to look long and hard at welfare payments, and we're probably going to have to scrap some of them because we're in a deep, deep fiscal hole. Would we have said thank you so much for spelling it out. We're going to vote National back in to do these austere and tough measures that we need to recover so that we've got a country for our grandchildren. I doubt it. We are just as much to blame. The party is well and truly over, and it has been for some time. We've just borrowed to keep it going and buried our heads in the sand, turned up the music so we don't hear the creaking and the groaning of the economy as it struggles to keep the party going. It's time we all grew up. And it's time both the Prime Minister and the Leader of the Opposition worked together to try and keep the country together while we work our way out of this mess. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

With the upcoming one day conference on matters of motivation, Denise, Crystal, and Jane joined me to share their takes on what motivation really is and why it matters. 

Sunday 27 April 2025 Ps Geoff Woodward "Grow with Rev Marcus Ardern" "Grow - April 2025" metrochurch, Perth Western Australia

The Australian election on May 3 is just as important as the next New Zealand election in 2026. With the flood of Kiwis who have fled this country as a result of the Ardern devastation, most have moved to Australia. The outflow has been horrific and most of them will not return. Nick Cater covers issues of relevance to any prospective NZ emigrants that could influence how their future is affected. Following the Mailroom we address developments in science and climate that should influence present and future governments in NZ; that is if they really care for the country's future. File your comments and complaints at Leighton@newstalkzb.co.nz Haven't listened to a podcast before? Check out our simple how-to guide. Listen here on iHeartRadio Leighton Smith's podcast also available on iTunes:To subscribe via iTunes click here See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Sunday 13 April 2025 Ps Geoff Woodward "Marcus Ardern's Story" "My Story - April 2025" metrochurch, Perth Western Australia

Sunday 6 April 2025 Rev Marcus Ardern "God is Good" "April 2025" metrochurch, Perth Western Australia

Here was a headline to mark the day: "We aren't ready, the next pandemic is coming." In that line of paranoia is everything that was wrong with the five year anniversary, if that's the right word, of our first lockdown for Covid. As two commissions have, or continue, to wade through any number of submissions, it's all a waste of time. There are those who are determined to forecast doom and, as such, would do exactly the same next time as they did five years ago. I noted Ashley Bloomfield popped up for a chat. He told us the bird flu is a worry, and he should have listened more. What's that actually mean? Listen more? Does it lead to anything? Of course not. It's a sop. The epidemiologists who flooded our living rooms would unquestionably be no different in Covid 2.0 than they were with the original. In fact, if anything should have come out of 2020 and lockdown it should have been we don't mark anniversaries. We shouldn't be allowed to interview either Hipkins, Bloomfield, or Ardern about Covid ever again. Hearing them whine is bad for your health. It is triggering. One Covid report is already out. It was a reflection, ironically, of the Covid response itself, limited in its scope. It was a stitch up designed to look like a report. You've had a bit of a look at how we handled it. But the terms of reference were very much designed not to illicit anything too dramatic. Part two is being driven by the new Government, aghast at part one's scandalous limitations. They're working away feverishly as we speak. But it doesn't matter what it says. Nothing will come of it. As I've said from day one, luck is your pre-determining factor. Get a government of competence and you stand a chance. Get some interlopers the way we did, and you're done for. If I learned anything, it is that warnings about doom from the likes of Bloomfield mean little, or nothing. If any Government here ever tries half the stuff they did again, from the pulpit of truth to vaccine mandates, to lockdowns for spurious reasons, the reaction would be vastly different. And you don't need a commission of inquiry to figure that out. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In tonight's programme:We could see the Canada Life Men's Premier League and Ardern & Druggan Ltd. Division 2 titles wrapped up in Manx football tomorrowOn their longest winless run of the season, can FC Isle of Man play a role in the NWCFL Premier Division title on Saturday night when they host high-flyers Lower Breck?In rugby, its the final home encounter of a grueling 2025 season for Vagabonds whilst the Manx Cup continues at Port-e-CheeAnd more champions and relegations could be decided in the penultimate weekend of the 2025 Isle of Man hockey seasonRob Pritchard is joined by Tony Mepham, Dave Christian and Ben Cunningham

If the New Zealand Labour Party wants to get real about re-election, they should look no further than the UK Labour Party. Keir Starmer blew up the NHS on Friday because he said it doesn't work. He says the bloating of the numbers has not improved anything. Jobs will be lost. Before he blew up the NHS, he attacked the welfare system. He called it unjust and unfair because, essentially, there are too many people sitting on welfare doing nothing and there is no incentive for them to change their habits. Remember, this is a British Labour Prime Minister. We are also expecting the chancellor to slash more spending. Why? Because they don't have any money. If only a Hipkins or an Ardern or a Robertson were anything close to this. What was close to this was Roger Douglas, David Lange, David Caygill, and Mike Moore - the proper Labour Party. The Labour Party many recognise as being a middle-of-the-road centrist-type party that a lot of New Zealanders could recognise. If what Starmer is up to works, he is Tony Blair 2.0, and the lesson Blair taught us is the same thing Bob Hawke taught us in Australia – a Labour movement doesn't have to be about wokeness and largesse and economic ineptitude. It needs to be about common sense and the worker. Not a hardcore unionist, but a middle class New Zealander who gets up, makes their kid's lunches, heads to work and comes home late, a bit tired and ready for a beer and a BBQ at the weekend, living in their own home in suburbia with a belief that life is pretty good, New Zealand is pretty good and the future is moderately bright. None of that is hard. But I bet you it's completely foreign to most of the current Labour lot who butchered the place between 2017-2023. The old adage around votes and political support about the centre being large and the place to get a lot of votes, is real. We wouldn't mind some wider representation. National or Labour can occupy the centre. History shows it's possible and it's successful. Hipkins needs to study Starmer and learn. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

You have to read it to believe it and even in reading it, it might well be you still can't believe it. A report, one of a number of investigations now underway, has reported back on whether personal Census and Covid intel collected at Manurewa Marae was misused for electoral purposes. It's important to point out that this particular report didn't have it within its scope to find out whether the marae did anything shonky. That's still to come. The marae, if you recall, was managed by Takutai Tarsh Kemp, who was also a Māori Party candidate, and she went on to win the electorate by a handful of votes. What this report does find is proof, beyond any shadow of a doubt, that even when you stack the public service full of people the way the Labour Government did, they are still incompetent. The head of Stats NZ is going. He won't be reappointed. Each of the departments looked into —Stats NZ, Health New Zealand, and the Ministry of Health— have all been found hopelessly wanting. It was a combination of not really having any oversight on information that may, or may not, be protected and that may, or may not, be inappropriately used, plus when concerns were raised still doing nothing about it. "High trust models" were in place. Remember the golden Ardern and Hipkins days of high trust models? It basically confirms the Public Service Commissioner's findings last week that the public service isn't fit for purpose. It has too many meetings, there are too many departments, we need a few gotten rid of, and if you designed it today it wouldn't be like it is. There are no safeguards, no regard for privacy, and the issues around privacy in the report shows it's just a litany of uselessness. Remember the alleged skullduggerous part of whether the Māori Party used some of this intel to help their election campaign? That outcome is still to surface. It's bad enough as it is. If they get pinged, it's a full-blown scandal. At least one head has rolled, but you can't make this stuff up. It's gliding on, it's worse than most would have thought and it's not even over. The worst may well still be to come. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

New Zealand's internet safety agencies took aggressive legal action against the Human Rights Commission, after it called out social media giants for failing to protect Jacinda Ardern from vicious online abuse. Guyon Espiner has the story.

On today's REX Daily Podcast, Dom talks with former Taranaki-King Country MP Shane Ardern about politics, dairy farming and having the fastest cowshed in the country... He talks with Glen Herud from Happy Cow Milk about moving back to Canterbury following his extended North Island sojourn, the developments to his 'factory in a box' pasteurisation and refrigeration plant and the pros and cons feeding palm kernel as a supplementary feed... And he talks with the winner of the Taranaki/Manawatu Young Farmer of the Year regional competition, Jock Bourke. Tune in daily for the latest and greatest REX rural content on your favourite streaming platform, visit rexonline.co.nz and follow us on Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn for more.

Dom talks with former Taranaki-King Country MP Shane Ardern about politics, dairy farming and having the fastest cowshed in the country. Tune in daily for the latest and greatest REX rural content on your favourite streaming platform, visit rexonline.co.nz and follow us on Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn for more.

The Government has released Phase One of the Covid inquiry - all 700 pages of it. Here are some key points: There was an issue with focusing on people's health rather than all aspects of their lives. Vaccine requirements were too broad and were in place for too long. Ardern's "single source of truth" comment was found unhelpful. Former Director-General of Health Sir Ashley Bloomfield joins with his thoughts. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Labour leader Chris Hipkins says New Zealand should use Dame Jacinda Ardern's star power. Prince William bestowed Ardern her Damehood at an investiture ceremony at Windsor Castle. Hipkins says Ardern could help New Zealand's image on the world stage in things like trade and tourism. He says she's a uniting force. "Actually, I know a lot of National Party people who didn't vote Labour, wouldn't vote Labour - but they still respect Jacinda. And they would still like to see her more positively reflected by the country." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We've got a fascination with prime ministers and their money, it turns out. Last night 1News did the calculation that Christopher Luxon stands to make $480,000 off the sale of his apartment in Wellington —he's moving out because he's going over to Premier House— and also a rental property that he's selling in South Auckland. Now the implication of the story was that Christopher Luxon's making too much money off these properties, and he should be taxed. Over the weekend, a newspaper in Wellington also reported that Jacinda Ardern is earning $316,000 per appearance every time she speaks on the international speaking circuit, and the implication there was —certainly in commentary afterwards— that it's unethical for her to be doing that. It's damaging her reputation by showing that she really does love money over doing good after all. And if prime ministers keep on doing stuff like this, how do we know that they're actually making the right decisions when they are in power and not thinking about what kind of money they're gonna earn afterwards? Now, look, I don't mind the fascination with prime ministers and former prime ministers' earnings. I think it's completely human nature to be into it. We're fascinated by what our colleagues earn, right? So why wouldn't we be fascinated by what Luxon and Ardern earn? However, that is where I think it should stop – at fascination. There's nothing wrong with Jacinda Ardern earning that much money off the speaking circuit. Frankly, if we're honest about it, talking was about the only thing she was actually good at, and she'd be a fool not to take that kind of money if it's on offer. Same goes for Luxon. He was a well-paid businessman before politics. You would expect him to have plenty of money, you would expect him to put some of that money into property. And unless things have gone very bad for him in his calculations, you would expect him to make money off a property, especially one that he has apparently renovated. Nothing wrong here. To suggest that Luxon's capital gain on his property is evidence that we need a capital gains tax and to suggest that Jacinda's speaking circuit means that we need to put some sort of restraint of trade on future prime ministers is just taking it a bit far, isn't it? It's fine to be fascinated, just leave it at that. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Great news for the ski fields. Winter has finally decided to do its thing and snow is dumping.  And the wild and wooly weather arrived in the week we learnt that we are no more ready for a natural disaster today than we were before Cyclone Gabrielle.  A few weeks ago work stopped on the COP project.  COP is Common Operating Platform. It's a data system that could mean that any agency involved in a disaster can communicate with each other in real time. It's making sure all the computers and phones can talk to each other.  We need one for all sorts of things - weather events, fire, terrorist attacks, invasions. Everyone needs to be able to access it - Police, Fire, Army, Civil Defence.  And then the whole thing can be coordinated from a local, regional or central position.  Not having a common operating system was cited as the major failure in Gabrielle so this is a big thing. And I was very glad to hear the Prime Minister and Mike talking about it this morning.  After describing the problem, the PM then said you can see how big our turnaround job is. And yes it is.  And then Mike read out a text complaining that Ardern and Robertson were asleep at the wheel over this issue.  Blaming the previous administration for all our woes is why nothing ever happens.  The reality is the programme to create a common operating system started in 2014 under the John Key administration. His cabinet also ordered spatial data infrastructure be built to house the COP. Infrastructure that all New Zealanders could use to improve their business communication. They failed.    The Bill English administration failed to implement the system. And then the Ardern administration and then the Hipkins administration and now the Luxon administration. Because they've let the parties walk away.  The common factor in all the failures over a decade is the inability of the public services' involved to agree. They are also loathe to share data.  And there's the rub. Politicians and governments come and go, but the public service is forever. And in this case, they just may be pretty useless.  Now whenever I get stuck into public servants, I'm told off for punching down and that the buck stops at the top with the minister.  And I get that. But at some stage, you've just got to stop blaming the coach and sack some players.  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A Hollywood documentary starring Dame Jacinda Ardern is reportedly in the works. The feature-length film, produced by Madison Wells studios, is set to follow Ardern from the moment she receives the Labour Party nomination to the birth of her child to her resignation in 2023. Los Angeles entertainment reporter Sean Mandell says there had been talks of other plans for the movie before it was finalised. "It will also have Dame Jacinda's participation - she has said one of the reasons why she is participating is because there aren't any dollars from New Zealand's Film Commission." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Prime Minister says the Christchurch Call has done good work. The Government has decided to pull taxpayer funding for the initiative, launched by former Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern after the Christchurch mosque attacks. From July, it will run off donations with Ardern staying on as patron - rather than New Zealand's special envoy for the foundation. Chris Luxon says eliminating violent extremism online is a very tough task. "But actually, the work of coordinating tech players to see what they can do to eliminate it is actually a good thing. And it's a good mission." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I have got nothing bad to say about Chris Luxon demoting Melissa Lee and Penny Simmonds today. This is exactly the kind of performance management that the country deserves, don't you think? Obviously on a human level, I feel sorry for both of those ministers because this will humiliating - but don't tell me this wasn't deserved. Melissa Lee has done an appalling job of looking like she knows what she's doing with media, with senior commentators going on the radio to say - "She doesn't know what she's doing." And Penny Simmonds oversaw one of the biggest stuff ups for the Government, with the cutting of disability-related funding. So Melissa Lee's been stripped of the media portfolio and kicked out of Cabinet and Penny Simmonds has lost the disability portfolio - and she was already a minister outside of Cabinet. Now this does two things:  Firstly, it signals to voters that are there are standards in this Cabinet and incompetence will not be tolerated. That is a great signal to send to voters, it will likely lift the public regard of Cabinet. Secondly, it sends a very important message to other ministers that if you stuff up in public, this will happen to you. Luxon's made it clear we're going to see more of this as the Government goes along, and there is nothing like the threat of losing a job to make someone pull their socks up. What's happened today will shock a lot of people, because over the last few years we've got used to Prime Minsters just putting up with their ministers doing a bad job or behaving badly in public. Kiri Allan, Phil Twyford, Michael Wood, Clare Curran, even Nanaia Mahuta - the Foreign Minister who didn't like international travel. It took forever for Hipkins or Ardern to demote the under-performers, and they suffered for it - public opinion of them was tainted. That is clearly not how Chris Luxon operates, and it's a good thing. Because who doesn't want performance from the people that we pay to run the country? LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

One of the key questions out of the annual Trust in News survey is, did Covid kill trust in New Zealand's media?  There are several notable numbers and trends and also a couple of problems.  What is trust, is another question. Your trust is not my trust and what you use to form trust is not covered in this.  For example, Newstalk ZB is a mix of news and commentary. Do you trust the news and not the commentary? Or both? Or the opposite? Does the fact Radio New Zealand fell mean you listened to Jim Mora once too often, or they don't provide a straight bat in their bulletins anymore?  Does the fact Simon Dallow opens the 6pm news with what seems like an increasingly long Māori version of "good evening" affect your outlook on the bulletin that follows?  The upshot is that in the last handful of years our trust in news in this country has plummeted, and badly.  In 2020 it was 53%, now it is 33%.  Where did the trust go? And does the collapse in trust get sheeted back to Covid, the one o'clock lectures from the pulpit of truth and the Government's millions to newsrooms to help them through the period?  The biggest individual falls year on year are with TVNZ and Newshub?  Not far behind was Radio New Zealand. For what it's worth, as a punter, this feels like my story because my trust is way down. I can also argue, to a degree given I work in the trade, that I have a bit of insight and there is not a shadow of a doubt in my mind that the media and wider New Zealand do not, and have not, connected particularly well for a number of years.  In my professional opinion gleaned over four decades and counting, it's largely because social media has given a smallish group licence to go nuts with conspiracies, it's because a lot of journalists are very young and very inexperienced with next to no institutional knowledge and as a result they parrot press releases as opposed to asking questions, and it's because they also tend to be left-leaners who were more than open to the Ardern leadership of the day, which they fell for hook, line and sinker.  And so, the rot began.  In other words, they have dug their own grave.  Here's the sad bit - these stats come at a time when bits of the media are on their knees. That, in part, explains why the TVNZ open letter petition at last glance got 12,100 signatures, which hardly a cavalcade of support for what those trying to save their jobs would argue is vital work that we will sorely miss when it's gone.  My question - will we? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I've been surprised this week by the amount of coverage Chris Hipkins managed to get himself around tax.  If you think about it, he didn't say anything specific, and certainly nothing new. The left generally argue the tax system is not fair.  The trouble is he had a chance to do something about it but, living up to the ongoing reputation of his and Ardern's Government, failed to deliver.  Part of the story about the story is, I suspect, two things were at play. The first is that it has been a very quiet week locally for news.  And two is the media, in general, are still sympathetic to the Labour cause.  The Labour Party have also moved onto the Disability Minister Penny Simmonds, who made a hash of the detail around funding and has since apologised.  But she's also been humiliated by her own party, who now require decisions in the area to be passed by Cabinet.  That has led to Hipkins calling for her to be sacked, which of course isn't going to happen.  Simmonds is the new target after the original target, Casey Costello, basically stared Labour down over tobacco by turning out not to be the shambles in terms of information requests they tried to make her out to be, then announcing that crackdown on vapes last week that basically put Labour to shame, given it's exactly the sort of thing they should have done but, once again, failed to deliver on.  Which brings us back to tax. Whether because of a quiet week, or by sympathy, surely someone other than me needed to ask themselves why you would give the level of coverage you did to a thought bubble, given the thought bubbler was the abject failure who failed to introduce and make law the very thing he is now bubbling about?  Talk about a hypocrite.  You long for Government to make the changes, to espouse, only to fail to do so, then in the first major speech you give you re-espouse the core topic that you did nothing about, by moaning about it some more!  What's worse, the media cover it as though it's worth a discussion, despite the fact it got discussed and has been discussed for several elections in a row and still nothing has been done.  It's like there is an industry in hot air. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Compassion is an attribute of Christ. It is born of love for others and knows no boundaries.

We could spend some time on the ineptitude of Jan Tinetti, who may well go down as one of our most ineffective education ministers.  The blow out in school buildings, as the Prime Minister suggested, borders on a crisis and, according to Labour, that's just the price of stuff going up.  Which leads you to ask - were they setting traps for a new Government knowing they were going to lose, or were they genuinely thinking they could win and, if they did, they would worry about paying the ever-mounting bills another day?  But some real insight from former minister Stuart Nash who, in an irony of ironies, turned out to be a big Government supporter in their gang crackdown.  As the media set about finding every man, woman and dog to tell us how cracking down on gangs was a mixture between a stunt and a gimmick and a waste of time, forgetting of course most of last year's outrage over violence, what we got from Stuart was the proof of what Mark Mitchell had been banging on about for a year or so.  There's a limit set on what police could grab as a result of moneys earned by nefarious means.  The limit set by the previous Government on assets police can seize was $30,000.  Mark, and the rest of us, asked why?  Your chopper is $25,000 so you keep it, despite the fact you sold drugs to fund it. Why?  It turns out Stuart was busy in cabinet fighting for a zero target and he was being overruled by Hipkins and Ardern. In that revelation is an insight, or perhaps a confirmation, of what we suspected.  Labour are soft on gangs. Labour let people out of prison. Labour funded an industry in cultural reports. Labour encouraged the judges to go soft, and what we got was rampant crime and anti-social behaviour.  So much of it that it became somewhere between the number one or two issue in the election.  I don't blame Stuart. He always struck me as being at the more sensible, practical end of the party. But look at what he was dealing with.  This new Government has been left with the equivalent of an unexploded World War II bomb in a major built-up area and they're looking at how to defuse it and take it away.  It's almost daily at the moment.  And the more we get, the more we see the mess, the carnage, the tragedy, the abject failure and fiscal incompetence of Labour 2020 - 2023.  And with the more we know, surely the further from power they should be kept. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

"When President Russell M. Nelson invited us to think celestially, it reminded us to look harder, take the long view, and change our perspective. For the next six months, that is our quest. We will consider Perspective, Devotion, and Relationship. Let us all look harder and think celestial. It will lead us to discover the rich blessings Heavenly Father has in store for each of us.”

There are several questions you can ask about Grant Robertson bailing now.  1) Why not on the night, or shortly afterwards?  He seemed to give some indication post-election he would hang around for a while to see how things were travelling.  But the clue was there last year when he pretended that you couldn't be a Finance Minister and an electorate MP at the same time, despite having been a Finance Minister and an electorate MP at the same time.  I've watched him this year at question time. He has fired a couple of probing inquiries to Nicola Willis but the gusto, the wit, the energy, and the joie de vivre is well and truly gone.  In fact, the air has gone out of the tyres of the whole party. They look flat, bored, bewildered and with eight press releases so far and a poll that has Chris Hipkins dropping 10% in preferred Prime Minister.  Some of which is to be expected. They got hammered, they got rejected, and they got a message over an approach to life I suspect came as a genuine shock to some of the more idealistic of them.  2) Who wrecked the economy the most? Muldoon or Robertson?  As much as National are playing to the crowd over what they have been left with, it's actually real. In some cases, it's dangerous.  This country is in a number of fiscal areas in a shocking state and that is on the former Finance Minister.  His co-conspirator, Ms Ardern, you will note is long gone, never to be questioned again. So, in that respect I suppose you could say he deserves an element of credit for hanging around the place to watch the outworkings of the vote.  But politicians are measured in legacy and records.  The ultimate aim is to leave the place better off than when you found it. The reality for Grant Robertson is so far from that it is tragic.  He will defend at least some of it because some of it is ideological. But whether it's pipes, trains, ferries or debt welfare the numbers don't lie and the numbers are desperate.  He softened it with his wit, humour, and personality. As I have said many times, I always liked him, and I enjoyed talking to him.  But let the record show the Grant Robertson era was as ruinous as any you will ever see. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

David Seymour wants New Zealand to recover from what he calls two lost decades. In his state of the nation address over the weekend, he claimed not much progress was made under the Ardern, Key and Clark governments. He pointed to the housing crisis, lagging education standards and productivity problems. Seymour told Tim Dower infrastructure is a key part of the turnaround. He says we need to reform regulation so things don't take so long to build. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Whether Jacinda Ardern will continue as New Zealand's special envoy for the Christchurch Call - is still up in the air. The multilateral body brings together tech companies and countries to fight online extremism. Ardern's already met up with Prime Minister Chris Luxon in Auckland, and he says they'll discuss the matter in coming months. Tech commentator Paul Spain says it's likely tech companies would filter out extremist content on their own accord, regardless of the Call. "That's open to some debate- what we've seen is some improvement in the algorithms from the social media platforms over this time, but that's hard to measure." LISTEN ABOVE  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week I found myself wondering if we're too hard on politicians? Is there enough support for those who choose to go into public service? And why do we forget they're human too?   When we see some of politics' most passionate, talented, hard-working participants, some touted as potential leaders, hit mental health road bumps which often derail their careers, you've got to wonder if it's worth it.    This time last year our then Prime Minister called a press conference and announced she didn't have enough energy in the tank to do the job well and was resigning. She wanted to spend more time with her family.   It was a shock, but not surprising. It had been a brutal, unprecedented 5 years at the top for Ardern, and would have taken a toll on any leader.    This January we have another surprising resignation of a high-profile politician, for quite different reasons. In the case of Greens MP Golriz Ghahraman it was due to allegations of shoplifting, for which she has now been charged.   Ghahraman did not offer an excuse —and rightly so, as there's no excuse for illegal behaviour— but she did try and offer an explanation. An extreme stress response to her work and unrecognised trauma contributed to her irrational behaviour – basically, it was down to her mental health.   As I know from hosting Summer Mornings this week, some of you feel empathy for Ghahraman, appreciate her hard work, and wish her the best in dealing with her issues. Some of you believe that mental health is just a convenient excuse.   I think it's both. We need to differentiate between a person's mental health crisis, which deserves our compassion, and their actions, which can be inexcusable. It is possible to hold both thoughts at the same time.  What we don't want though is for the mental health ‘excuse' to become an easy PR solution to a problem, because it's really important people —from all walks of life— share their stories to destigmatise mental health issues.  What intrigued me this week was when Ghahraman's Green Party colleagues and former members of Parliament spoke out about the stress, violent and sexual threats, and the challenges of being a politician, but especially a female politician.   Abuse has always been a part of being a politician. Talk to any politician and they will tell you about some of the crazy abuse they have received over the years, but you get the sense from those in the business now that it's worse.   Why do people feel they have the right to abuse and threaten politicians?   If you don't like their policies, don't vote for them. There is never any rationale or excuse for sexual or violent threats. We must differentiate between the person and the politics, and at the same time offer better support for those who decide to enter public service.   This needs to come from both the party and Parliamentary Services. The last thing we want is for our politicians to become unreachable and untouchable due to a fear of the public, or for good, capable people to decide to avoid public service altogether.   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Compassion is an attribute of Christ. It is born of love for others and knows no boundaries.

Compassion is an attribute of Christ. It is born of love for others and knows no boundaries.

There's three little things I am enjoying about the new Government so far.  The first is the media imploding about the use of Māori language. Winston Peters didn't help with his claim at Government House yesterday that the media were bribed by the previous Government.  That is categorically not true. But a lot of what Winston says has the seeds of some sense about them.  What he is commenting on is the media's shocking performance around neutrality these past six years and especially the first three years and their lovefest over Jacinda Ardern.  The $55 million broadcasting fund he refers to did not buy favour. But it went into an industry that already favoured the people who gave them the money so you can see how those who want to see what they want to see, get to think Winston has a point.  The second is the tertiary fees deals. It hasn't got a lot of coverage, given a lot has happened.  But handing out a year for free at the end of the study was what we all collectively said when Labour, for reasons best known to themselves, decided to make it the first year.  “Next year's on me,” said Ardern. Do you remember that vacuous nonsense?  Most of us questioned why you would give it out year one when people get to try university for nothing, then walk away when it's not for them, leaving us stuck with the bill.  Why not make it an incentive? Six years on there's a touch of good, old common sense.  The third thing is wool.  Government departments must prioritise wool, which the Education Department didn't last year because they bought American and artificial to essentially save themselves money.  In a true centre-right Government the market would win, efficiency would win and cheap would win. But there are times in life you want the influence to pick winners.  New Zealand is about farming. It's about sheep and it's about wool. We have the best wool in the world.  Can it beat plastic when it comes to the price for flooring? No. But neither can Savile Row beat Marks & Spencer.    But, sometimes backing quality for quality's sake is worth the price and wool, like farmers, has had a hell of a time.  But merino has shown there is money to be made and Italy is interested, so the rest of the wool sector can be lifted by a Government backing something profoundly local and of the best quality.  See, it's only Tuesday and already things look brighter. And we haven't even had our first Cabinet meeting yet.   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode Todd, Alia, Rivka and Elder O'Neal discuss the talk, "Love thy Neighbour" by Elder Ian S. Ardern from the October 2023 General Conference.

Winston Peters is refusing to apologise for his extraordinary attack on the former Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern - in which he wrongly accused her office of hiding information from the public about the March 15 terror attack. In a social media post last night, the New Zealand First leader said that yesterday was "the first time" we'd learnt that the PM's office received information about the massacre before it took place. In fact, her office was sent the terrorist's manifesto less than 10 minutes before the first shots were fired - a detail revealed and widely reported one day later. Labour is demanding the former deputy Prime Minister remove the tweet, labelling it bizarre and clearly inaccurate - but to no avail. Mr Peters has refused RNZ's interview requests, and his potential coalition partners National and ACT are also keeping quiet. Here's our deputy political editor Craig McCulloch.

Compassion is an attribute of Christ. It is born of love for others and knows no boundaries.

Host of Outkick's "Tomi Lahren is Fearless" Tomi Lahren joins Fox Across America With Jimmy Failla to give her take on the declining standards in the U.S. Senate. Jimmy slams President Biden and his administration for shamelessly trying to blame the U.S. Southern border crisis on former President Trump. Co-host of “The Bottom Line” on Fox Business Sean Duffy stops by to discuss the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine, and how he thinks things are going to end. PLUS, Lincoln Failla checks in to preview the Clarke Rams' football game this weekend.   [00:00:00] Biden says he wants to welcome more illegal immigrants [00:37:03] Tomi Lahren  [00:55:27] Ardern warns about the dangers of free speech  [01:13:50] Senate dress code update   [01:32:10] Sean Duffy [01:45:10] Lincoln Failla  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

TOPICS by TIMECODEF-35 MYSTERY SOLVED! LOLDesigner dress stolen by cross-dressing Biden official is returned to rightful owner (a woman). But he had designs on other women's clothing and committed grand larceny 3 TIMES but no punishment in the first 2 trials (9:31)Your home/consumer WiFi signals are being used for surveillance and imaging THROUGH WALLS. It's not new — here's the history and how it has rapidly evolved in the last couple of years with a new IEEE protocol for its use (12:39)NFT's have gone to ZERO in value. Remember Trump's NFT sale? (25:58)Police order band director to stop high school band that was playing as football field emptied. When he doesn't they taser him in front of the kids. Bye, bye Miss American Pie. (29:18)How Many Different Positions Can "ProLife" Trump Take on Baby Murder?Trump mocked by Babylon Bee for rejecting pro-life issue — like he did with guns and his weakness on DACA. Trump craves the support of the left like NYT and Woodward which is why he gives them more access and will betray his base again if given the chance (36:21) DeSantis' mistake — pushing pot prohibition (46:04)CBDC — DeSantis gets this right (54:12)Genocide: Armenians Haven't Got a Prayer — Unless YOU PrayUSA, EU, and Russia turn their back on the Armenian Christians. But a thank you from Angry Tiger reminds us how important and powerful prayer is (1:04:56)WATCH Jab-cinda Ardern (former NZ dictator) tells UN that governments MUST go to war with our free speech (for our own good) (1:21:14)INTERVIEW Major Banks Take NEXT Step to CBDC FedCoin Edging closer and closer to a CBDC, two major banks take FedNow (billed as only bank-to-bank) very close to a retail CBD. Tony Arterburn, DavidKnight.gold, joins as we look at the Fed's interest rate game, and why inflation will follow (1:31:21) Great Replacement Accelerates with "Populist" Politicians Betrayal Biden knows this is a 4th Turning and he is weaponizing Great Replacement. But then there's the 5th Column traitor populist politicians like Meloni in Italy. A quick look at what's happening in many, many countries (the same thing) (2:02:33) Caitlin Johnstone says our entire life is controlled for corporate profits. I think it's a bit bigger than that and we each have something we can say/do to ensure we're not trapped in the "love of money" but global government will be a corporate governance by multinational corporations. (2:37:07)Apple's new virtue signaling ad about its "carbon neutral" Apple Watch is actually about the pagan green religion — "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry Goddess", a strange twist on Jonathan Edwards' famous sermon from the Great Awakening (2:46:40)Find out more about the show and where you can watch it at TheDavidKnightShow.comIf you would like to support the show and our family please consider subscribing monthly here: SubscribeStar https://www.subscribestar.com/the-david-knight-showOr you can send a donation throughMail: David Knight POB 994 Kodak, TN 37764Zelle: @DavidKnightShow@protonmail.comCash App at: $davidknightshowBTC to: bc1qkuec29hkuye4xse9unh7nptvu3y9qmv24vanh7Money is only what YOU hold: Go to DavidKnight.gold for great deals on physical gold/silverFor 10% off Gerald Celente's prescient Trends Journal, go to TrendsJournal.com and enter the code KNIGHT

TOPICS by TIMECODEF-35 MYSTERY SOLVED! LOLDesigner dress stolen by cross-dressing Biden official is returned to rightful owner (a woman). But he had designs on other women's clothing and committed grand larceny 3 TIMES but no punishment in the first 2 trials (9:31) Your home/consumer WiFi signals are being used for surveillance and imaging THROUGH WALLS. It's not new — here's the history and how it has rapidly evolved in the last couple of years with a new IEEE protocol for its use (12:39)NFT's have gone to ZERO in value. Remember Trump's NFT sale? (25:58) Police order band director to stop high school band that was playing as football field emptied. When he doesn't they taser him in front of the kids. Bye, bye Miss American Pie. (29:18)How Many Different Positions Can "ProLife" Trump Take on Baby Murder?Trump mocked by Babylon Bee for rejecting pro-life issue — like he did with guns and his weakness on DACA. Trump craves the support of the left like NYT and Woodward which is why he gives them more access and will betray his base again if given the chance (36:21) DeSantis' mistake — pushing pot prohibition (46:04)CBDC — DeSantis gets this right (54:12)Genocide: Armenians Haven't Got a Prayer — Unless YOU PrayUSA, EU, and Russia turn their back on the Armenian Christians. But a thank you from Angry Tiger reminds us how important and powerful prayer is (1:04:56) WATCH Jab-cinda Ardern (former NZ dictator) tells UN that governments MUST go to war with our free speech (for our own good) (1:21:14)INTERVIEW Major Banks Take NEXT Step to CBDC FedCoin Edging closer and closer to a CBDC, two major banks take FedNow (billed as only bank-to-bank) very close to a retail CBD. Tony Arterburn, DavidKnight.gold, joins as we look at the Fed's interest rate game, and why inflation will follow (1:31:21) Great Replacement Accelerates with "Populist" Politicians Betrayal Biden knows this is a 4th Turning and he is weaponizing Great Replacement. But then there's the 5th Column traitor populist politicians like Meloni in Italy. A quick look at what's happening in many, many countries (the same thing) (2:02:33) Caitlin Johnstone says our entire life is controlled for corporate profits. I think it's a bit bigger than that and we each have something we can say/do to ensure we're not trapped in the "love of money" but global government will be a corporate governance by multinational corporations. (2:37:07)Apple's new virtue signaling ad about its "carbon neutral" Apple Watch is actually about the pagan green religion — "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry Goddess", a strange twist on Jonathan Edwards' famous sermon from the Great Awakening (2:46:40)Find out more about the show and where you can watch it at TheDavidKnightShow.comIf you would like to support the show and our family please consider subscribing monthly here: SubscribeStar https://www.subscribestar.com/the-david-knight-showOr you can send a donation throughMail: David Knight POB 994 Kodak, TN 37764Zelle: @DavidKnightShow@protonmail.comCash App at: $davidknightshowBTC to: bc1qkuec29hkuye4xse9unh7nptvu3y9qmv24vanh7Money is only what YOU hold: Go to DavidKnight.gold for great deals on physical gold/silverFor 10% off Gerald Celente's prescient Trends Journal, go to TrendsJournal.com and enter the code KNIGHT

Chris and Sam sat down with Clare Ardern to discuss all things return to sport. Clare is the Editor-in-Chief of JOSPT, the Journal of Orthopedic and Sports Physical Therapy, Physiotherapist, and researcher currently based out of Vancouver, British Columbia. We focus the conversation around the paper titled, “2016 Consensus statement on return to sport from the First World Congress in Sports Physical Therapy, Bern” in which Clare was the lead author. We discuss: The spectrum of return to participation all the way up to return to performance, defining success across multiple stakeholders, shared decision making, the StaRRT Framework, assessing readiness, ACL specific RTS considerations and timelines, and future priorities and directions. Primary Paper Discussed:  2016 Consensus statement on return to sport  An additional read that Clare recommends:  2022 Bern Consensus Statement on Shoulder Injury Prevention  More About Clare and JOSPT:  Clare's Twitter JOSPT Twitter JOSPT Insights Podcast JOSPT.org JOSPT Instagram --- More about us:  YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/e3rehab  Website: https://e3rehab.com/  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/e3rehab/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/E3Rehab --- Sponsors: Minimalist Footwear: https://www.vivobarefoot.com/ (Discount code: E3Rehab15 for 15% off) VALD: www.vald.com --- @dr.samspinelli @dr.surdykapt @tony.comella @chrishughen --- This episode was produced by Matt Hunter.  

Photo: No known restrictions on publication. 1911 new zealand 1911 in new zealand cass new zealand midland line new zealand @Batchelorshow #Bestof2021: Ardern departs suddenly in the 21st Century: Deregulating New Zealand succeeded in the 20th Century. @RichardAEpstein (Originally posted October 21,, 2021) https://www.jstor.org/stable/41147804 Deregulation of the New Zealand labour market Philip S. Morrison GeoJournal  Vol. 59, No. 2, Re-Inventing Government: Emerging Geographies in New Zealand (2004), pp. 127-136 (10 pages)

Jacinda Ardern's resignation as New Zealand's PM this month came as a surprise to millions around the world. When she came to office in 2017, she stuck out as a contrast to populist leaders that dominated the global scene at the time. To some, she was a progressive female icon. She had to contend with intense public scrutiny throughout her journey, from announcing her pregnancy just months after taking office to her decision to take six weeks of maternity leave, which sparked debate on whether it was too short. Former prime minister Helen Clark, New Zealand's first female elected leader, said Ardern faced “unprecedented” attacks during her tenure. Only 26% of the world's politicians are women. The three most commonly held portfolios by women ministers are still: Family, children and youth. So what are the challenges of being a woman at the top of politics? Are female political leaders under more scrutiny than men? And what can be done to encourage more women into top roles in government? Paul Henley is joined by a panel of experts: Rosie Campbell, professor of politics and Director of the Global Institute for Women's Leadership at Kings College, London. Helen Clark, former Prime Minister of New Zealand. Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, former President of Liberia and winner of the 2011 Nobel Peace Prize. Also featuring Ruth Davidson, former leader of the Scottish Conservative Party. Photo: New Zealand's Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern addresses the Lowy Institute in Sydney, Australia, July 7, 2022. Dean Lewins/Pool via REUTERS Producers: Pandita Lorenz and Ellen Otzen

New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern surprised many when she announced her decision not to run for reelection. Though she enjoyed global popularity as a feminist icon, her reputation at home was more mixed. Ishaan Tharoor explains why.Read more:Ishaan Tharoor's column on Ardern's legacyJacinda Ardern didn't make mothering look easy. She made it look real.

Photo: No known restrictions on publication. 1860 fences in new zealand northcote new zealand thomas bartley politician @Batchelorshow #NewZealand: PM Ardern departs & What is to be done? Gregory Copley, Defense & Foreign Affairs https://www.bbc.com/news/av/world-asia-64383638

Jacinda Ardern resigned as New Zealand's prime minister last week. As Chris Hipkins prepares to take over, we reflect on Ms Ardern's legacy, and look at the challenges her successor inherits. What the world's plethora of grandparents means for families. And which issues currently motivate America's far-right.For full access to print, digital and audio editions of The Economist, subscribe here www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jacinda Ardern resigned as New Zealand's prime minister last week. As Chris Hipkins prepares to take over, we reflect on Ms Ardern's legacy, and look at the challenges her successor inherits. What the world's plethora of grandparents means for families. And which issues currently motivate America's far-right.For full access to print, digital and audio editions of The Economist, subscribe here www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On Today's Episode The Chicks discuss PM of New Zealand abruptly resigning, Naomi Judds family drama, Trump returning to Twitter and more!Please support our great sponsors at:Bonefroghttps://bonefrogcoffee.comSave 5% on your coffee subscription. Let ‘em know the Chicks sent you.Cozy Earthhttps://CozyEarth.com/CHICKSSave 35% no on Cozy Earth Loungewear. Enter Chicks at checkout. Offer ends soon.Field of Greenshttps://fieldofgreens.comUse promo code CHICKS to save 15% off your first order and another 10% when you subscribe.Genucelhttps://genucel.com/chicksGet your probiotic moisturizer today and use code CHICKS at checkout for an extra 10% off your entirepurchase.Healthycellhttps://healthycell.com/chicksUse code CHICKS to save 20% on your order.My Pillowhttps://mypillow.com/chicksSlip into the most comfortable Giza Dream Sheets for as low as $29.98 with code CHICKS.Omaha Steakshttps://omahasteaks.com/Fill your freezer with flavor and save an extra $30 with code CHICKS.RuffGreenshttps://ruffchicks.comGet your FREE Jumpstart Trial Bag of Ruff Greens, simply cover shipping.

Join Jim and Greg as they cheer the impending resignation of New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, whose years in power were most notably marked by draconian COVID policies and unilaterally outlawing the right to own many different weapons. They also shake their heads as some House Republicans propose a national 30 percent sales tax to replace all other federal taxes. They appreciate the effort to simplify the code and hope discussions continue but fear this plan will only be used by Democrats to hammer Republicans. Finally, they respond to former Vice President Al Gore bellowing about boiling oceans and a billion climate refugees.

In a surprise announcement, Jacinda Ardern, New Zealand's prime minister, said she would step down within the next three weeks. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

[00:30] Vaccination Queen Resigns (11 minutes)New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced yesterday that she is resigning because she doesn't have “enough left in the tank.” Ardern insisted that her resignation had nothing to do with her approval rating, which has plummeted over the last few years because of her dictatorial coronavirus measures. Sky News called her resignation a “failure of woke politics.”[11:00] Why Are Healthy People ‘Dying Suddenly'? (13 minutes)The latest death rates from the United Kingdom and Europe paint a chilling picture of the results of coronavirus vaccines. Excess non-COVID deaths have skyrocketed, but Anthony Fauci still claims that vaccines are saving lives. Also, Tucker Carlson reported this week that the Federal Aviation Administration quietly loosened its requirements for pilots' heart health, allowing pilots with cardiac injuries to fly.[23:45] Woke Nutrition (4 minutes)The U.S. government is changing the definition of nutrition to help save the environment—not to tell you what is healthiest to eat. The new government-funded woke nutrition guidelines prioritize plant-based foods and give low scores for meat and other animal products.[28:00] Develop Godly Courage (27 minutes)A National Hockey League player is facing tremendous criticism for courageously refusing to wear a LGBT pride jersey because of his religious beliefs. Instead of going along with the crowd, we must develop the spiritual courage to stand up for God regardless of the circumstances.

The one hundred and seventy-first episode of the DSR Daily Brief.   Stories Cited in the Episode Ukraine war: Russia deploys dozens of drones in two days - Zelensky Elon Musk begins Twitter reign by firing CEO, top executives Pyongyang shoots two missiles into East Sea Brazil's Lula keeps lead in roughly stable race against Bolsonaro, two polls show Nigeria: US orders diplomats' families to depart Abuja Done deal: Europe scraps the car engine New Zealand leader Ardern makes rare trip to Antarctica Maine begins removing those naughty license plates Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices