2026 school lunches are just as bad, but they are also emblematic of Seymour's spin and facade. Plus: Camilla Belich's Modern Day Slavery Bill, Hastings District Councillor Steve Gisbon, and the Karakia controversy
ACT's whole purpose appears to be predicated on money and financial calculation. No room for empathy, human connection, nature, humour or the arts - all the things that make life worth living. Soulless zombies.
Her response to the slavery bill was gobsmacking “it’s not my priority.” Right, her priority is enabling workers to be treated a bit more like slaves. Of course she can’t allow corporations to be held accountable in any way that might impact their “certainty” and “flexibility.”
I think this party genuinely doesn't care about the condition of workers - every single focal point and priority has been about businesses.
In 2024, in her first Q&A interview as Minister for Workplace, Van Velden consistently pivoted from questions about worker safety to the employer, and only positioned worker care in the context of "businesses need workers"
These people are some order of sociopaths, and I'd defer to you on categorisation, but the empathy gene seems to be missing for anyone outside of their inner circle or donor/power base.
Seymour says the Modern Slavery Bill is virtue signaling, because it only applies to companies earning more than $100 million. Simple fix Davey Boy. Bring the threshold down. I've found the reporting on the bipartisan approach to the bill a little irritating, with Greg Fleming getting most of the running in media. Camilla has had a Modern Slavery Bill in the ballot for ages. She also managed to get National to agree to her Pay Transparency Bill, which is now law thanks to her. (NZ First and ACT voted against). She also got her wage theft bill with NZ First voting for it. Camilla is really an outstanding MP and deserves a lot of credit for her work. It is very rare to get a members' bill through.
👍💯 I saw Camilla on a BHN segment today talking about attending the Tauranga area memorial (?) but mostly this Bill & the ACT posture on it - she was very impressive...
Seymour and Van Velden along with Luxon are personally 'sorted'. Their aim is to ensure that the ladder to a more equitable redistribution of wealth in this country is permanently removed for the majority of New Zealand's citizenry. Everything else they do and say is distraction from this simple maxim. They and their like are terrified of unity. So long as hatred is formented between pakeha and Māori, men and women, rich and poor, foreigners and Kiwis then theur job is done. A house divided is easy prey for the ACT Party.
ACT are rabid. And yes, I think that descriptor stands up. Rabid means someone who is extremely unreasonable, fanatical or zealous about a topic or opinion. I mean, with regard to ACT, Seymour or van Velden I would be happy to argue that case all day long. I find it difficult to understand what drives human beings to behave like they do. With regard to Seymour, the evidence is in, he is toxic.
His actions and ACT party policies have been, and are, divisive, racist, and damaging to the nations culture, economy and society. His transgressions include the Treaty Principals Bill, the Regulatory Standards Bill, and anti-Māori initiatives to name a few. He purports to be a libertarian, yet he defends monopolies, oligopolies and the commercial interests of his donors and the wealthy. So Seymour what are you? You are by definition, not a libertarian.
For me though, the challenge is trying to understand how and why New Zealand’s MMP system has allowed the Seymours and van Veldens of the world to create so much chaos and havoc. Those guardrails are missing and the weakness of the current coalition leader has demonstrated New Zealand’s vulnerability to being pushed to the right, and being forced to adopt policy the majority of New Zealanders don’t want a bar of. That’s what I think is dangerous. Americans thought they had mutually reinforcing guard rails, yet an 80 year old malignant narcissist - backed by powerful and corrupt capitalists - has torn the safety net wide open. I would ask, what’s different about the risk Seymour is exposing?
As for van Velden and school lunches, don’t get me started.
And the 3 parties are really working in unison to push the country more right. NZ First's culture wars have a very distinct effect too so the power of this lot is doubled and tripled via National's complicit and in other cases direct support
Yep, exactly MT. Luxon’s legacy will be defined by his weak leadership, National’s accelerating implosion, and the enabling of radical right wing parties. Radical in a political context means: advocating extreme measures to retain or restore a political state of affairs. That to my mind describes Peters and Seymour to a tee. And combining large egos with radical right-wing ideology never ends well, and like or not, New Zealand is on that trajectory.
Mr 8% Seymour is acting as a true disciple of The Atlas Network – fanning dissent and division are hallmarks of the Atlas playbook. Seymour's recent announcement that he may introduce the failed Treaty Principles Bill again after the next election despite overwhelming public dissent, illustrates his determination to continue to stir racial division in this country.
Despite all its PR spin, the Atlas Network and its adherents have a deliberate, organised approach to building and maintaining influence which is well underway in NZ.
Interesting that there seems to have been a media blackout about why and in what capacity Seymour visited Argentina recently – a country closely aligned with the Atlas Network. It's President sought to overhaul that country's economy through pro-market and public sector reforms, while increasing foreign policy alignment with the USA. These reforms have failed miserably and the US has now provided a $US20 billion currency swap line bailout to stabilise the currency. I shudder to think that this could possibly be what Seymour is trying to emulate with the NZ economy.
Let’s hope that all those who’ve left Aotearoa for Australia VOTE this year to remove this callous Coalition from power. Seymour and his 8 percenters are totally despicable. Let them feed on school lunches for a week.
Their thinking and behaviour is shameful - but then they are politicians having the power to make life truly difficult for those who oppose them in any way.
The silicosis issue Van Velden discussed with Jack Tame in 2024 relates primarily to engineered stone.
The stone is banned in Australia across all states as I understand it.
From media:
Engineered stone is a man made material used in products such as benchtops and flooring.
When it is cut, dust particles called crystalline silica are released that can cause silicosis and other serious lung diseases when breathed in.
In Australia engineered stone was banned due to a rise of silicosis diagnoses in workers using it.
The Employers and Manufacturers' Association, The Council of Trade Unions and MinEx - the national health and safety council for New Zealand's extractive sector - want a similar ban.
MinEx chief executive Wayne Scott told RNZ the organisations also wanted a Occupational Lung Disease Registry to provide data to track illness rates and provide support to affected workers.
"We don't have any data in this country so what tends to happen is people just tend to think there's no problem through the lack of information."
Thanks Tui. I agree with everything you say about ACT. However, I disagree with “It was not that long ago that Americans proudly stood by the terms “my fellow American” and where country and brotherhood / kinship were held as significant societal morals that most abided by. “ This really only applied if you were white and even then often only the ‘right’ class of ‘white’. The USA is founded on slavery, racism and ethnic cleansing and people of colour have been murdered and denied human rights from the beginning of the colonisation. I realise you say “… most abided by” but in reality it was a ‘sanitised’ version of the USA that was being marketed to the rest of the world. Take for example the outcry about the executions/murders of Alex Pretti and Renee Good… 6 people of colour had already been executed/murdered by ICE but we didn’t hear much about that. I think there is a danger in believing things were so much better when the rot was simply hidden. We need to acknowledge the atrocities of the past if we are to move toward something better.
I agree with you KSJ and you're right, you absolutely are.
I remember feeling shock that there were black men in prison for stealing food from years ago.
It was never right or the sanctified version, but I do genuinely also think there were many who tried to fix things and to remedy and to improve, and as a whole that progression, liberalism, democratic aspects were advancing - hence the "American revolution", the government takeover, media takeover, societal takeover we now see enacted.
Trump is the lynchpin - he's the method they found but he wasn't the originating force.
So I agree and accept and salute your point, but I guess....I also do see the good side of the Americans I've met and even seeing the bravery of some police, politicians, people like Pretti, in this environment - it means something to me too.
Thanks Tui… I’m sure we agree 🙂. I was really just making the point that a lot of what we have seen and hear from the USA is performative and an exercise in marketing. The only difference now is that there seems to be little effort to really hide the truth despite there being plenty of lies. The truth is many people don’t even realise they’re racist, it’s so insidious…
💯👍 Personally have been aware of what you say through the "stories" of non-white people - one was Trevor Noah who related (years ago) how he had to develop a strategy for traffic stops for "driving while black", along with items from less well known everyday Americans who have been stopped on the street for no reason, or when buying soda, or 1000 other non-reasons from when they were CHILDREN until now when they are mid-30s/40s/50s, & are getting to share their reality because there is a crack in the veneer right now & independent media are giving them a voice to say "what is happening in Minneapolis is not new - it has ALWAYS been this way for me, my friends, my family, my neighbourhood..." - up to and including unjustified killings. Plus "woke" reporters adding the names of non-white victims of ICE et al sometimes!
😱 Ooof! That school "lunch" is a perfect metaphor for the ACT party eh? Lacking substance, poorly thought through, lacking any beneficial purpose, and only fit for the trash can 💩🤡 As for NOT supporting the anti-slavery Bill (based on similar legislation in other countries plus also part of our obligations under various trade agreements 🤔) what can we expect from a party who thinks the afore-mentioned "food" is all that our children deserve 🤷🤬
Thank you again, for all of the well-written, well-researched and essential work that you produce for us, MT! I really value it! Great to have you back, and prolific, again.
Cheap labour, pay for your own health or die and cheap inedible school meals seem to be ACT priority etc. etc. . Its seems that to be a member of ACT you have to have dead eyes and lack any empathy. I suppose it just attracts this type with its policies. I am still thankful they were not in government when Covid was here. Hoping that they are not in when next pandemic comes around, as it will.
ACT's whole purpose appears to be predicated on money and financial calculation. No room for empathy, human connection, nature, humour or the arts - all the things that make life worth living. Soulless zombies.
Pay for play in every way
I think ACT people were all in the wrong queue when hearts were handed out, too, as none of them seem to have one!
That's a Major concern for Vampire Hunters!!! Knowing where to drive the stake is important!
Her response to the slavery bill was gobsmacking “it’s not my priority.” Right, her priority is enabling workers to be treated a bit more like slaves. Of course she can’t allow corporations to be held accountable in any way that might impact their “certainty” and “flexibility.”
I think this party genuinely doesn't care about the condition of workers - every single focal point and priority has been about businesses.
In 2024, in her first Q&A interview as Minister for Workplace, Van Velden consistently pivoted from questions about worker safety to the employer, and only positioned worker care in the context of "businesses need workers"
These people are some order of sociopaths, and I'd defer to you on categorisation, but the empathy gene seems to be missing for anyone outside of their inner circle or donor/power base.
Brooke van vampire is mates with uber, no surprise here
Accepts direct lobbying notes, and copies and pastes it as NZ Government policy.
You couldn't find a better stooge than this lot. And at what price? Cheap, is my guess
Seymour says the Modern Slavery Bill is virtue signaling, because it only applies to companies earning more than $100 million. Simple fix Davey Boy. Bring the threshold down. I've found the reporting on the bipartisan approach to the bill a little irritating, with Greg Fleming getting most of the running in media. Camilla has had a Modern Slavery Bill in the ballot for ages. She also managed to get National to agree to her Pay Transparency Bill, which is now law thanks to her. (NZ First and ACT voted against). She also got her wage theft bill with NZ First voting for it. Camilla is really an outstanding MP and deserves a lot of credit for her work. It is very rare to get a members' bill through.
I remember seeing her in Parliament last year or the year before, and asking "Who is she?"
She's awesome. Credible, intelligent, calm, thoughtful, diligent. Huge fan honestly. She's amazing and what credit to her.
Yes I was irritated with that, as she was the initiator.
And I agree re her being an outstanding MP.
Thanks Tui, good write up.
👍💯 I saw Camilla on a BHN segment today talking about attending the Tauranga area memorial (?) but mostly this Bill & the ACT posture on it - she was very impressive...
+1 I like her
Seymour and Van Velden along with Luxon are personally 'sorted'. Their aim is to ensure that the ladder to a more equitable redistribution of wealth in this country is permanently removed for the majority of New Zealand's citizenry. Everything else they do and say is distraction from this simple maxim. They and their like are terrified of unity. So long as hatred is formented between pakeha and Māori, men and women, rich and poor, foreigners and Kiwis then theur job is done. A house divided is easy prey for the ACT Party.
"A house divided is easy prey for the ACT Party" sums it up, Mike.
Van Velden cold and calculating.
She is Soulless I agree! And strange that she looks a lot like our “friend’
Nicola….
People with Pet's tend to resemble them after a time. Maybe they both have Rat's for Pet's???
😱 Ouch!
Scary thought eh???
Glad I have two cute dogs! I like the analogy though, I thought weasels perhaps.
Argh, more actual journalism. Thanks MT.
ACT are rabid. And yes, I think that descriptor stands up. Rabid means someone who is extremely unreasonable, fanatical or zealous about a topic or opinion. I mean, with regard to ACT, Seymour or van Velden I would be happy to argue that case all day long. I find it difficult to understand what drives human beings to behave like they do. With regard to Seymour, the evidence is in, he is toxic.
His actions and ACT party policies have been, and are, divisive, racist, and damaging to the nations culture, economy and society. His transgressions include the Treaty Principals Bill, the Regulatory Standards Bill, and anti-Māori initiatives to name a few. He purports to be a libertarian, yet he defends monopolies, oligopolies and the commercial interests of his donors and the wealthy. So Seymour what are you? You are by definition, not a libertarian.
For me though, the challenge is trying to understand how and why New Zealand’s MMP system has allowed the Seymours and van Veldens of the world to create so much chaos and havoc. Those guardrails are missing and the weakness of the current coalition leader has demonstrated New Zealand’s vulnerability to being pushed to the right, and being forced to adopt policy the majority of New Zealanders don’t want a bar of. That’s what I think is dangerous. Americans thought they had mutually reinforcing guard rails, yet an 80 year old malignant narcissist - backed by powerful and corrupt capitalists - has torn the safety net wide open. I would ask, what’s different about the risk Seymour is exposing?
As for van Velden and school lunches, don’t get me started.
Thanks James.
And the 3 parties are really working in unison to push the country more right. NZ First's culture wars have a very distinct effect too so the power of this lot is doubled and tripled via National's complicit and in other cases direct support
Yep, exactly MT. Luxon’s legacy will be defined by his weak leadership, National’s accelerating implosion, and the enabling of radical right wing parties. Radical in a political context means: advocating extreme measures to retain or restore a political state of affairs. That to my mind describes Peters and Seymour to a tee. And combining large egos with radical right-wing ideology never ends well, and like or not, New Zealand is on that trajectory.
Thank you for another insightful post MT.
Mr 8% Seymour is acting as a true disciple of The Atlas Network – fanning dissent and division are hallmarks of the Atlas playbook. Seymour's recent announcement that he may introduce the failed Treaty Principles Bill again after the next election despite overwhelming public dissent, illustrates his determination to continue to stir racial division in this country.
Despite all its PR spin, the Atlas Network and its adherents have a deliberate, organised approach to building and maintaining influence which is well underway in NZ.
Interesting that there seems to have been a media blackout about why and in what capacity Seymour visited Argentina recently – a country closely aligned with the Atlas Network. It's President sought to overhaul that country's economy through pro-market and public sector reforms, while increasing foreign policy alignment with the USA. These reforms have failed miserably and the US has now provided a $US20 billion currency swap line bailout to stabilise the currency. I shudder to think that this could possibly be what Seymour is trying to emulate with the NZ economy.
I could not agree with every point of yours more if I tried, Jude.
Thanks Mountain Tui.
Let’s hope that all those who’ve left Aotearoa for Australia VOTE this year to remove this callous Coalition from power. Seymour and his 8 percenters are totally despicable. Let them feed on school lunches for a week.
Their thinking and behaviour is shameful - but then they are politicians having the power to make life truly difficult for those who oppose them in any way.
Shouldn't be a problem given Seymour said it's one of the best meals he ever had!
Agree about voting - the ability to galvanise that will be key
Agree about galvanising. And as for Seymour - just a small man wanting to seem big.
Is the silicosis thing about engineered stone bench tops or a more general issue? The bench tops sound terrible, no safe way to work with them.
The silicosis issue Van Velden discussed with Jack Tame in 2024 relates primarily to engineered stone.
The stone is banned in Australia across all states as I understand it.
From media:
Engineered stone is a man made material used in products such as benchtops and flooring.
When it is cut, dust particles called crystalline silica are released that can cause silicosis and other serious lung diseases when breathed in.
In Australia engineered stone was banned due to a rise of silicosis diagnoses in workers using it.
The Employers and Manufacturers' Association, The Council of Trade Unions and MinEx - the national health and safety council for New Zealand's extractive sector - want a similar ban.
MinEx chief executive Wayne Scott told RNZ the organisations also wanted a Occupational Lung Disease Registry to provide data to track illness rates and provide support to affected workers.
"We don't have any data in this country so what tends to happen is people just tend to think there's no problem through the lack of information."
https://www.stuff.co.nz/nz-news/360617410/engineered-stone-ban-people-just-tend-think-theres-no-problem
Thanks Tui. I agree with everything you say about ACT. However, I disagree with “It was not that long ago that Americans proudly stood by the terms “my fellow American” and where country and brotherhood / kinship were held as significant societal morals that most abided by. “ This really only applied if you were white and even then often only the ‘right’ class of ‘white’. The USA is founded on slavery, racism and ethnic cleansing and people of colour have been murdered and denied human rights from the beginning of the colonisation. I realise you say “… most abided by” but in reality it was a ‘sanitised’ version of the USA that was being marketed to the rest of the world. Take for example the outcry about the executions/murders of Alex Pretti and Renee Good… 6 people of colour had already been executed/murdered by ICE but we didn’t hear much about that. I think there is a danger in believing things were so much better when the rot was simply hidden. We need to acknowledge the atrocities of the past if we are to move toward something better.
I agree with you KSJ and you're right, you absolutely are.
I remember feeling shock that there were black men in prison for stealing food from years ago.
It was never right or the sanctified version, but I do genuinely also think there were many who tried to fix things and to remedy and to improve, and as a whole that progression, liberalism, democratic aspects were advancing - hence the "American revolution", the government takeover, media takeover, societal takeover we now see enacted.
Trump is the lynchpin - he's the method they found but he wasn't the originating force.
So I agree and accept and salute your point, but I guess....I also do see the good side of the Americans I've met and even seeing the bravery of some police, politicians, people like Pretti, in this environment - it means something to me too.
Thanks KSJ as always.
Thanks Tui… I’m sure we agree 🙂. I was really just making the point that a lot of what we have seen and hear from the USA is performative and an exercise in marketing. The only difference now is that there seems to be little effort to really hide the truth despite there being plenty of lies. The truth is many people don’t even realise they’re racist, it’s so insidious…
Fair points as always, KSJ.
Fair points 🙂🍀
💯👍 Personally have been aware of what you say through the "stories" of non-white people - one was Trevor Noah who related (years ago) how he had to develop a strategy for traffic stops for "driving while black", along with items from less well known everyday Americans who have been stopped on the street for no reason, or when buying soda, or 1000 other non-reasons from when they were CHILDREN until now when they are mid-30s/40s/50s, & are getting to share their reality because there is a crack in the veneer right now & independent media are giving them a voice to say "what is happening in Minneapolis is not new - it has ALWAYS been this way for me, my friends, my family, my neighbourhood..." - up to and including unjustified killings. Plus "woke" reporters adding the names of non-white victims of ICE et al sometimes!
😱 Ooof! That school "lunch" is a perfect metaphor for the ACT party eh? Lacking substance, poorly thought through, lacking any beneficial purpose, and only fit for the trash can 💩🤡 As for NOT supporting the anti-slavery Bill (based on similar legislation in other countries plus also part of our obligations under various trade agreements 🤔) what can we expect from a party who thinks the afore-mentioned "food" is all that our children deserve 🤷🤬
Not much at all!
I tell you, those meals are horrible! I hope their slavery response will see another drop in the polls. 🙏
Thank you again, for all of the well-written, well-researched and essential work that you produce for us, MT! I really value it! Great to have you back, and prolific, again.
hehe Thanks Vicki - too prolific to be honest, I'll have to dial it back a little!
Thank you for your patience and kindness
NO please don't dial it back
Cheap labour, pay for your own health or die and cheap inedible school meals seem to be ACT priority etc. etc. . Its seems that to be a member of ACT you have to have dead eyes and lack any empathy. I suppose it just attracts this type with its policies. I am still thankful they were not in government when Covid was here. Hoping that they are not in when next pandemic comes around, as it will.