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Reposted by henry cooke

The Post @thepost-nz.bsky.social · 3h

“We’re just living how we believe ... and that doesn’t make us dangerous. Weird? Maybe. But not dangerous.”

‘We’re really quite normal’: At home with NZ’s sovereign citizens

They look like any other Kiwi family: school runs, sandwiches, the evening chaos. But behind the everyday chaos is a world view that sets them apart.

www.thepost.co.nz

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henry cooke @henrycooke.bsky.social · 1h

Amelia Wade dives into the Family Boost policy, which was designed in a hurry using guesswork, and is now so complex one Kindergarten has hired a staffer explicitly to help parents navigate it:

www.thepost.co.nz/nz-news/3608...

Families miss out on FamilyBoost after being caught by quarterly income rule

Parents hoping to claim childcare rebates have been rejected because their quarterly incomes are too high ‒ despite being told it was based on what their households earned yearly.

www.thepost.co.nz

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henry cooke @henrycooke.bsky.social · 4h

yes! I think I make clear how important it is to us in the first few lines

henry cooke @henrycooke.bsky.social · 7h

In a column today I try to guess the election date 🎄🎄🎄

www.thepost.co.nz/politics/360...

Why we could see Christmas coalition talks next year

OPINION: An election late in the year is looking more and more likely. But that comes with a big risk.

www.thepost.co.nz

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henry cooke @henrycooke.bsky.social · 7h

I still write to print slots for weekend reads which top off at around 1200w a page. We do go longer but it is less usual. Thank you for the feedback which I will now use to argue for ever longer reads!

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henry cooke @henrycooke.bsky.social · 9h

Long graph-filled piece out today on all the stuff the opposition agree on - and some of the things they really don’t.

www.thepost.co.nz/politics/360...

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Reposted by henry cooke

Slow News Dave @wellingtonskeleton.space · 1d

Every time I went along one of these (which I did most days for nearly 5 years) I felt extremely George Smiley-ish. Something about the slow pace, bland decor, and sense of bureaucratic anonymity really pulled it all together. Excellent experience, 10/10, I will remember it always.

henry cooke @henrycooke.bsky.social · 1d

True tragedy at Parliament this week: www.thepost.co.nz/nz-news/3608...

End of an era as Parliament’s travelators decommissioned

The airport-style walkways that let MPs duck down to Lambton Quay are ‘no longer financially viable’.

www.thepost.co.nz

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henry cooke @henrycooke.bsky.social · 1d

They went both ways thank you very much

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henry cooke @henrycooke.bsky.social · 1d

Another huge paper (+website!) full of politics reads this morning
- Luke Malpass on the decline of the right
- Thomas Manch talks to a Kiwi aid worker in Ukraine
- Stewart Sowman-Lund on how the Ardern ended up in a Pike River film
- RIP travelators

thepost.co.nz

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henry cooke @henrycooke.bsky.social · 1d

True tragedy at Parliament this week: www.thepost.co.nz/nz-news/3608...

End of an era as Parliament’s travelators decommissioned

The airport-style walkways that let MPs duck down to Lambton Quay are ‘no longer financially viable’.

www.thepost.co.nz

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henry cooke @henrycooke.bsky.social · 2d

Government fails to count

www.thepost.co.nz/politics/360...

The Post

www.thepost.co.nz

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henry cooke @henrycooke.bsky.social · 4d

Have we ever really had a bipartisan foreign policy consensus?

My column this week argues it is largely a myth:

www.thepost.co.nz/politics/360...

Our foreign policy consensus is a myth

OPINION: When voters care a lot about an issue overseas, our politicians generally start to disagree on it.

www.thepost.co.nz

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henry cooke @henrycooke.bsky.social · 5d

NEW: Andrew Hoggard pushed to double the lead-in time for new rules around farrowing crates- pushing them out to 2035 when his officials suggested they could be done by 2030.

The last Govt wanted something in place by Dec this year.

www.thepost.co.nz/politics/360...

Minister of animal welfare delays farrowing crates changes - by 10 years

Officials say farrowing crate changes could be done by 2030, but Andrew Hoggard extended it to 2035, a move criticised by the Greens: "He's the minister of animal welfare, he's not the minister of pig...

www.thepost.co.nz

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henry cooke @henrycooke.bsky.social · 9d

The news that Toitū Te Tiriti are breaking away from TPM so publicly changed the stakes of this chaotic saga for TPM.

The party's 'reset' next week will be a huge test and shape the next 12 months in opposition politics.

www.thepost.co.nz/politics/360...

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henry cooke @henrycooke.bsky.social · 9d

Prime Minister Christopher Luxon declines to criticise Israel for potentially detaining Kiwis in international waters, repeats that MFAT advice is to not to try and travel to Gaza.

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henry cooke @henrycooke.bsky.social · 10d

They don’t I asked

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henry cooke @henrycooke.bsky.social · 10d

Nah it’s just a straight min reg media response but keen to get into this report

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henry cooke @henrycooke.bsky.social · 10d

Officials drafting Government policy say more than half of the time they are being "constrained" from following a normal policy process.

New story from me in The Post:

www.thepost.co.nz/politics/360...

Most Government policies skip normal process

Officials are increasingly complaining about constraints when preparing new laws or policies, with time pressures the most common issue.

www.thepost.co.nz

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henry cooke @henrycooke.bsky.social · 10d

Huge story from Māni Dunlop: Toitū Te Tiriti is breaking off relations with Te Pāti Māori. They led the hikoi last year and were seen as interwoven with TPM - but apparently no more:
www.teaonews.co.nz/2025/10/02/t...

Toitū Te Tiriti cuts ties with Te Pāti Māori

Toitū Te Tiriti distances itself from Te Pāti Māori over leadership and value issues, emphasising community-driven kaupapa and criticising centralisation of power.

www.teaonews.co.nz

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henry cooke @henrycooke.bsky.social · 10d

tbf in many urban areas you can generally do an ordinary vote in the neighbouring electorate's polling booths

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henry cooke @henrycooke.bsky.social · 10d

The Govt explored the idea of barring people from voting outside of their electorate - about 149k votes last time - but ultimately ditched the idea.

www.thepost.co.nz/politics/360...

Government explored ban on people voting outside their electorate

The justice minister had said it was “worth exploring” requiring people to be in their electorate to vote, one of the ideas for cutting down on the number of special votes.

www.thepost.co.nz

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henry cooke @henrycooke.bsky.social · 11d

We may be heading into a period of one-term Governments, making tax reform very tricky to stick.

My column today is on the one weird trick that would still let Labour change the tax system anyway:

www.thepost.co.nz/politics/360...

Labour’s capital gains tax plan might need a referendum

OPINION: In an era of one-term Governments, getting tax policy to stick will become impossible. Unless...

www.thepost.co.nz

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henry cooke @henrycooke.bsky.social · 12d

i am v embarrassed to not be that across this one! thank you

henry cooke @henrycooke.bsky.social · 12d

my colleagues and I have got to eat and pay rent

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henry cooke @henrycooke.bsky.social · 12d

EXC: Plans are underway for a coordinated strike across the public sector on October 23 featuring:
- Nurses
- Teachers
- Doctors
- and more

If the ballots go ahead it could well be the biggest coordinated strike in NZ history

www.thepost.co.nz/politics/360...

Tidal wave of strike action planned for October 23

Plans are under way for a co-ordinated strike across much of the public sector, with nurses, teachers and other public sector workers potentially walking off the job on the same day.

www.thepost.co.nz

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