Kiwiblog

Kiwiblog is the personal blog created by David Farrar, launched in July 2003 after he became hooked on reading various blogs. Before starting his blog, he was actively involved in Usenet Internet newsgroups since 1996. On Kiwiblog, David shares his thoughts on a wide range of topics, primarily focusing on politics, along with insights into technology and the Internet. The blog also serves as a platform for his friends to stay updated on his life, featuring personal stories, travel photos, restaurant experiences, theater or movie reviews, and anything else he wishes to share. The blog attracts about half a million pageviews each month. David typically publishes three to five posts daily, generating over 500 comments on busy days. There are more than 10,000 registered users who actively comment on the blog.

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The party above the law

2 days ago | kiwiblog.co.nz | David Farrar

Bryce Edwards reports:New revelations this week show Te Pāti Māori still hasn’t produced an auditor’s report for its 2023 financial statements of political donations. The party told the Electoral Commission that a “delay with the auditing firm continued to be a problem” in explaining why its 2023 accounts remain unaudited.
Guest Post: Cultural reports: You didn’t think you’d get rid of me that easily, did you?

2 days ago | kiwiblog.co.nz | David Farrar

A guest post by a reader:I regret to inform you that cultural reports are back, wearing a wig and a false mustache. In March 2024, Parliament passed the Legal Services Amendment Bill, which abolished public legal aid funding for section 27 reports, also known as “cultural reports”.
Huge drop in victims of violent crime

2 days ago | kiwiblog.co.nz | David Farrar

The latest NZ Crime and Victims Survey has found a massive drop in the number of New Zealanders who say they were the victim of a violent (including sexual) crime in the last year. Now recall these are over a 12 month period so only the last two data points reflect an entire year under National. Basically from 2022 to 2024 the number of NZers who were violently or sexually assaulted increased from 160,000 to 215,000 or 45,000 more victims.
Guest Post: My experiences of the Police Professional Conduct Unit: the PPCU, not the IPCA, are the true villains

3 days ago | kiwiblog.co.nz | David Farrar

A guest post by Lucy Rogers:I knew immediately on the day of my arrest that there was something terribly wrong with police oversight and accountability structures in this country, and said as much in a Kiwiblog article at the time.
It shouldn’t take a Minister for common sense to prevail

3 days ago | kiwiblog.co.nz | David Farrar

Radio NZ reports:The coalition has directed Health New Zealand to say “women” instead of “pregnant people” in its communications about health issues. Associate Health Minister Casey Costello wrote to interim chief executive Dr Dale Bramley on 27 March, telling the agency to use “clear language”.
Mitchell on why Maori must take control

3 days ago | kiwiblog.co.nz | David Farrar

Lindsay Mitchell writes:There were 17,028 Maori babies born in 2024. According to an official information response from the Ministry of Social Development, 5,997 were dependent on welfare by the end of the year. That’s 35.2 percent. Most would have been born onto a benefit. Of the 17,397 born in 2023, 7,737 were on a benefit by age two. That’s 44.5 percent.
Who do Brits see as allies and enemies?

3 days ago | kiwiblog.co.nz | David Farrar

The number who see the US as an ally has fallen to 43% (down 6 pts since early March), meanwhile Brits are actually more likely to say that Donald Trump is an enemy rather than an ally of the UK 30%-28% and 33% say he's neither. In contrast 71% say Canada is an ally, 61% France.
RIP Pope Francis

3 days ago | kiwiblog.co.nz | David Farrar

Pope Francis has died aged 88. He was Pope for 12 years, a Cardinal for 24 years, Archbishop for 27 years and a Bishop for 32 years. He was born Jorge Mario Bergoglio and was the first Jesuit Pope. He was also the first non European Pope in 1300 years. The 115th papal conclave to elect the 267th pope will convene in the next few days with 135 cardinal electors, so 90 votes needed to elect the new Pope. The first papal conclave was in 1276.
Hehir reveals another cult

4 days ago | kiwiblog.co.nz | David Farrar

Liam Hehir writes:There is, in New Zealand, a certain powerful, tightly controlled organisation. It has secretive membership numbers, opaque finances and a history of safeguarding and other scandals. It boasts strong connections at the highest levels of New Zealand public life. Its followers, who include a number of former government ministers and current opposition figures, meet regularly. They are expected to adhere to internal discipline. Dissent is discouraged and an exclusive loyalty enforced.
Electoral law changes

4 days ago | kiwiblog.co.nz | David Farrar

Paul Goldsmith announced some changes to electoral law. The more useful ones are:Consider removing the requirement for a street address in promoter statements in light of personal safety and security concerns of people participating in the election. Consider amending the cut-off date for enrolments and updates to enrolment details to be prior to polling day. Consider whether electoral law should move towards a single voting period. All sensible stuff.