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Balancing act beckons for Budget
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Balancing act beckons for Budget
Crafting her debut Budget has been all about striking a balance, Finance Minister Nicola Willis tells Otago Daily Times political editor Mike Houlahan.
Mike Houlahan
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Yelling aplenty, and there is more to come
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Yelling aplenty, and there is more to come
During World War 2 there was a period called the "phoney war", where the Western Front stood idle for months before the fighting really started.
Conflict of interest allegations ‘defamatory’: Peters
Conflict of interest allegations ‘defamatory’: Peters
ACT New Zealand leader David Seymour has vehemently denied any wrongdoing by his Southland list MP Todd Stephenson in his role as a parliamentary private secretary.
New MP grateful to be a citizen
New MP grateful to be a citizen
Dunedin's newest MP began his parliamentary career with impassioned thanks to his adopted country.
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Not dragging the chain: the fast-track process speeds along
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Not dragging the chain: the fast-track process speeds along
They say that a fast game is a good game — but fast-tracking the game is another matter entirely.
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Reading books to escape from the unhappiness of one’s life
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Reading books to escape from the unhappiness of one’s life
As any school pupil or tertiary education student can tell you, there are few things more excruciating than having a teacher or lecturer going through your homework in public and picking holes in it.
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Going round a mulberry bush with hospital funding queries
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Going round a mulberry bush with hospital funding queries
Southern Say has highlighted the many attempts by our local MPs to get any indication at all from Health Minister Shane Reti that he'll deliver a National pledge to restore plans for the new Dunedin hospital (mostly) to the way they were.
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Yeah right — Penny Simmonds supports how the boss rolls
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Yeah right — Penny Simmonds supports how the boss rolls
The new government has had its first "Tui moment".
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New Dunedin Green MP’s journey to Parliament
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New Dunedin Green MP’s journey to Parliament
From political exile to future member of Parliament, Francisco Hernandez has been on a quite a journey, Mike Houlahan reports.
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Leaders asking us to take the Aukus 2 model for a test drive
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Leaders asking us to take the Aukus 2 model for a test drive
Parliament is in recess and the Prime Minister is sunning himself in Asia — which he may be very grateful for given the heat his government is feeling about its long-promised plans to pare back the public service.
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Son fought to stay with his family and farm
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Son fought to stay with his family and farm
War has deprived thousands of southern families of loved ones, but not every war story involves a battlefield. Mike Houlahan explores the story of Otago farmer Frederick Hugh Russell.
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Southern Say: Simmonds dispenses with rights Bill
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Southern Say: Simmonds dispenses with rights Bill
The James Shaw farewell tour kicked into high gear this week, as Parliament debated - and rejected - his New Zealand Bill of Rights (Right to Sustainable Environment) Amendment Bill at first reading.
Review: Enthusiasm emerges in rock recollections
Review: Enthusiasm emerges in rock recollections
Thurston Moore, co-founder of US so-hip-it-hurts band Sonic Youth, would be ashamed of me.
Review: Taking stock of how fear has driven us
Review: Taking stock of how fear has driven us
Of the thousands of quotes about fear, perhaps the most famous is US President Franklin Roosevelt’s immortal line that "the only thing we have to fear is fear itself".
MP demands government fulfil hospital promise
MP demands government fulfil hospital promise
Taieri Green list MP Scott Willis has demanded that the government commit to building the new Dunedin hospital, as promised.
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Acting regionally but with the broader electoral map in mind
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Acting regionally but with the broader electoral map in mind
In November 2019, two weary years after he became the minister for regional economic development, Shane Jones came to Dunedin and dished out $60 million of tax payers’ money on a variety of projects.
Obituary: revered teacher, prized singer
Obituary: revered teacher, prized singer
Bruce McMillan was first and foremost a teacher, but he also made a significant contribution to the musical life of Dunedin.
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Taieri MP’s exercise in trivialities
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Taieri MP’s exercise in trivialities
The voters of Taieri got their money’s worth out of local MP Ingrid Leary this week, at least in terms of time taken up speaking in Parliament.
Obituary: revered performer and teacher
Obituary: revered performer and teacher
As a performer and educator, Honor McKellar has left a remarkable musical legacy in New Zealand.
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Debacle for Simmonds avoidable
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Debacle for Simmonds avoidable
It is something which befalls every new government, and every new Cabinet minister lives in dread it will be them — being the first minister on whose watch something goes catastrophically wrong.