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Newsroom
a day ago
- Politics
- Newsroom
Anne Salmond: New Zealanders deserve better
Comment: The past few weeks have been extraordinary. It's not every day that you're targeted in an online 'Victim of the Day' trolling campaign authorised by an Acting Prime Minister, and delivered via the Parliamentary Service from the Beehive, for writing a Newsroom article about the Regulatory Standards Bill. Or that the same Acting Prime Minister attacks you on Breakfast TV, accusing you of misinformation and having described a New Zealand government as Nazis. It's been surreal – reminiscent of George Orwell's imaginary Oceania in 1984, with Big Brother and his 'thought police' (think tanks?) with their 'doublethink' slogans – 'Truth is Falsehood,' 'Inequality is freedom'. Or since I'm a woman, maybe Margaret Attwood's Gilead in The Handmaid's Tale, with its tales of female oppression and its hidden motto of resistance, carved on the closet floor -'Nolite te bastardes carborundorum'- 'Don't let the bastards grind you down.' That's what my brothers and my sister said when I phoned during a family gathering recently. And those 25,000 citizens who signed an Action Station petition protesting against the 'Victim of the Day' campaign, asking the Prime Minister to call the Acting Prime Minister to account, said much the same thing. Rather than a barrage of hate mail, there's been a stream of messages of support and encouragement, and strangers coming up and asking 'Are you all right?' The radical disjuncture between the tactics adopted by some politicians and the expectations that New Zealanders have of their leaders is dismaying, but at the same time, a sign of hope. It seems that those who use the tactics of verbal bullying and intimidation to try and silence critics, or to divide and rule are misjudging their audience, or most of them. This is not Orwell's Oceania or Attwood's Gilead – not yet, at least; and these tactics are more likely to backfire and damage their own credibility. Across the board, many Kiwis are disenchanted with the political class in New Zealand and their top-down ways, the radical zig-zagging from 'left' to 'right,' the rush to cancel the projects of the last administration, and the self-serving lobbying and elite capture. In their tit-for-tat exchanges, too many politicians are forgetting the 'middle ground' inhabited by most New Zealanders, who want governance that is honest, respectful and competent, and relatively consistent through time. In the past, responsible leaders have worked to build cross-party consensus on key matters including climate change, Te Tiriti and the need for a healthy environment. Divisive tactics including climate denial, 'Iwi vs. Kiwi' politics and a disdain for 'Freddy the Frog' work against the national interest, making it harder for New Zealanders to agree on long-term strategies that give us a chance of a prosperous, peaceful future. Measures like changes to the Pay Equity Act put the boot into people who are already struggling. From the 'politics of kindness' we've switched to an empathy bypass, making radical inequality even worse in New Zealand. At present, many Kiwis feel that the occupants of the Beehive need reining in. The executive has seized too much power, both within government and beyond it. At the same time, fringe parties are allowed to run riot, imposing unpopular measures on the electorate without their consent. Some politicians seem to regard themselves as a higher form of life, looking down on the populace, berating us and telling us what to do, rather than listening. As a result, many voters feel disenchanted and resentful. My recent experience may be a case in point, when minor politicians assume power beyond their capacity to wield it wisely. With public displays of bullying and abusive behaviour, they authorise others to do the same. New Zealanders deserve better. Law-making has become shoddy, rushed and peremptory, often serving the interests of particular elites rather than the public interest. Serious constitutional reform is needed. At present, the constant use of urgency, the degradation of select committees, the overreach by minor parties and the debates over the Regulatory Standards Bill and the attempted treaty principles bill make this urgent, and imperative. According to the Cabinet Manual 'there is no statutory provision that constitutes the office of Prime Minister or defines its role.' That needs to change. The current mantra that a coalition agreement overrides the clearly expressed will of the people, in the case of the Regulatory Standards Bill, for instance, is deeply undemocratic. A Prime Minister should be required to uphold democratic conventions in New Zealand, and their constitutional duties defined more precisely, so it's clear what's expected. Otherwise, as they say, 'Rot starts from the head of the fish' – which in te ao Māori, is in Wellington.
The Spinoff
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Spinoff
The New Zealand Youth Choir global award shows there's soft power in more than just sports
The New Zealand Youth Choir was recently awarded the title of 'Choir of the World' at the Llangollen International Eisteddfod in Wales. Labour arts spokesperson Rachel Boyack reflects on her experiences touring with the choir over 20 years ago. If you didn't hear the news this week, our beloved New Zealand Youth Choir won the 'Choir of the World' title at the Llangollen International Eisteddfod in Wales. The Llangollen Eisteddfod is the crème de la crème, the Holy Grail if you like, of choral competitions, and winning the title is an outstanding feat for a national choir from a small country like Aotearoa. I woke up to the news last Sunday morning, and after shedding a tear, I watched the choir's winning set, swelling with pride for these outstanding young singers and how they represent us so admirably on the world stage. I've been lucky to spend time with the choir this year and to see them perform a number of times. This has included watching the choir performing live on Breakfast TV at Waitangi on Waitangi Day, and filling Holy Trinity Cathedral in Auckland in an extraordinary farewell concert. I've been struck by the joy the choir has when they perform, and the obvious respect they have for each other, and the choir leadership. It's hard to pull together a group of fifty 18-25 year-olds from across New Zealand and turn them into a well-oiled team, but that is exactly what music director David Squire, assistant music director Michael Stewart and vocal consultant Morag Atchison have done. The New Zealand Youth Choir was established in 1979 by Dr Guy Jansen, with professor Peter Godfrey acting as its first conductor. Both giants of the choral music scene in New Zealand. The purpose of the choir is to develop choral excellence among some of the country's most talented young singers, and contribute to other musical goals, like commissioning new work from New Zealand composers, and training the next generation of global opera singers, conductors and music teachers. The choir quickly cemented itself on the international choral scene, winning big awards from the very beginning, being invited to sing at significant New Zealand events, and performing with the likes of Dame Kiri te Kanawa at Wembley. According to my mother, I first heard the choir singing during the summer of 1989-90, while holidaying in St Arnaud as a 10-year-old. While I have many memories of tramping around Lake Rotoiti with my brother and father, and staying overnight in the hut, I don't recall the concert! It wasn't until I was age 13 that I fell in love with the choir listening to their first album, Te Roopu Rangatahi Waiata o Aotearoa (1992), which featured choral works from some of New Zealand's greatest composers: Jack Body, David Griffiths, Douglas Mews, and prolific choral composer, and alumni, David Hamilton. I would listen to that album every day, probably driving my family mad! I was entranced by the youthful but rich voices, the incredible blend of the choir, and the perfection of the intonation and timing. This was a craft I wanted to master. At that young age, I set myself a goal to be selected for the New Zealand Youth Choir and joined every choir possible throughout my teenage years to achieve it. After spending two years as a member of the New Zealand Secondary Students' Choir, and beginning music studies at the University of Auckland, I was selected to join the choir as a 19-year-old and was privileged to be a member from 2000-2004, including two international tours, one to the United States, and a later tour of Europe, where we traversed Italy, Slovenia, Hungary, Austria and finally a week in St Petersburg and Moscow in Russia. Among many formative moments from that European tour in 2004, one sticks out. On our way to Europe we stopped off in Singapore and performed to a packed town hall of high school students – our first concert of the tour. It wasn't the European Art Song, or Bach's motets, or Antonio Lotti's famous baroque masterpiece 'Crucifixus' that led to the audience of high school students giving us a standing ovation. It was a performance of 'I te timatanga', gifted to the Choir by the Wehi Whanau and that tells the story of the separation of Ranginui from Papatūānuku, that led to a hall full of screaming schoolgirls on their feet. The kind of response usually reserved for a 1990s boyband! As a choir girl it wasn't something I had ever experienced before. We described ourselves as 'the All Blacks of the singing world.' Every time the choir travelled overseas it would return with a trophy haul that required the building of a new cabinet, and accolades from top international choral judges. Pulling on the black and silver uniform and representing our country overseas was a thrill, and one of the privileges of my life. While the choir receives funding from Creative New Zealand, they have to rely on fundraising and personal contributions from choir members to travel internationally. That has always felt inequitable given the work the choir does to promote New Zealand internationally, especially when compared to some award-winning sporting codes. It also means some singers may miss out on being involved in the choir due to financial constraints. The current government has continued the work of the previous Labour government and released a draft Arts Strategy: Amplify. One of the 2030 targets listed in the strategy is for New Zealand to rank among the top 25 nations in the world for culture and heritage soft power, resulting in high-value cultural tourism and exports. It is an ambitious target, and I support it. The New Zealand Youth Choir is an excellent example of that soft power in action. Everyone at Llangollen in Wales was talking about the New Zealand Youth Choir, with reports on the choir broadcast all over the media in the region, and globally. Social media lit up with videos of the choir's performances, and the incredible haka they performed for their music director David Squire after their win was announced. The New Zealand Youth Choir, and their sister choirs, the New Zealand Secondary Students' Choir and Voices New Zealand rely on government funding from Creative NZ. Currently, they receive multi-year funding from the Totara Programme, which CNZ is ending. While I am confident that the choir's success on the world stage will ensure their funding continues, having the certainty of multi-year funding means the choirs can operate with confidence, plan international tours and commission new works by New Zealand composers. And this alumni, and the rest of New Zealand, can continue to be so very, very proud of our world-class New Zealand Youth Choir.
Yahoo
25-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Reports huge ITV star could leave broadcaster amid overhaul of daytime schedule
TV presenter Lorraine Kelly may leave ITV by the end of 2025 following an overhaul to the daytime schedule. It comes after ITV announced that Good Morning Britain (GMB) would be extended by half an hour starting from January 2026. The extension to GMB means that Lorraine Kelly's morning show will be reduced to 30 minutes for 30 weeks of the year. The future of Lorraine is in doubt as reports from The Sun suggest that the host may be leaving the show by the end of the year. Discussing the reports, a source told The Sun: "Lorraine was asked if she wanted to retire, having just celebrated her 40 years on breakfast TV, but she instead chose to see out her contract. "Bosses thought it would be an ideal opportunity for her to spend more time with family, especially given how little she was on her own show last year. "Many think it is unlikely she will stay on after her current contract and that is further proven by the fact that the boss of her show will be part-time and on a one-year contract. 'She is a hugely valued member of the ITV history and is likely to do other shows at the channel, with some thinking she may explore documentaries, travelogues and passion projects." Recommended Reading ITV unveils major changes to GMB, Lorraine and Loose Women Lorraine Kelly fans slam 'brutal' decision after star 'lost her ITV iron fist' Lorraine Kelly 'glad to be back' on her TV show and explains reason for surgery When ITV previously announced the changes to the daytime schedule, Kevin Lygo, managing director of ITV's Media and Entertainment Division, said the changes will enable the broadcaster "to continue to deliver a schedule providing viewers with the news, debate and discussion they love from the presenters they know and trust." Adding: "These changes also allow us to consolidate our news operations and expand our national, international and regional news output and to build upon our proud history of trusted journalism at a time when our viewers need accurate, unbiased news coverage more than ever.' Lorriane Kelly has not commented on the reports.
Yahoo
03-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Sally Magnusson: I need the stimulation of work but it has always been family first
Sally Magnusson has always maintained an air of calm authority and professional serenity during 27 years presenting Reporting Scotland. She has interviewed everyone from royalty to first ministers and high-profile celebrities on BBC Scotland's flagship TV news programme. There have been elections and referendums aplenty, human tragedies and national celebrations. But, as she steps down from the programme, she admits that juggling a hugely successful career with bringing up five children carried one great fear - blurting out a children's bedtime story at the most inopportune moment. "Bedtime was like a military operation and all the children would be in bed by seven," she tells BBC Scotland's Scotcast. "But I remember I would be sitting with one of the children singing Goodnight Darling and they would say, Mummy – do octopuses fart. "You'd struggle with that and then the phone would ring downstairs and they'd say it's Breakfast TV here and we've got the chancellor of the exchequer on tomorrow. "There would then be this list of financial facts and figures to get your head round and I would think – goodness, what kind of life have I got? "I was always afraid of going to a dinner and finding myself sitting next to the director general and asking if he'd like Mummy to cut his meat for him." So do octopuses fart? "I've never found the answer to that – I'll look it up!" The journalist and author will present her final edition of Reporting Scotland on Friday, having joined the programme in 1998. Before that, her career in journalism began at The Scotsman newspaper in 1979. Her mother, Mamie Baird, was a newspaper journalist in Glasgow and her father, Magnus Magnusson, was a print journalist, historian and broadcaster best-known as the presenter of the BBC's Mastermind. She started in television on BBC Scotland's Current Account programme and then on network news programmes including Sixty Minutes and Breakfast. Then came her return to Scotland to present Reporting Scotland two days a week. Other television programmes she has fronted include Newsnight Scotland, Panorama and Songs of Praise as well as Sunday Mornings on BBC Radio Scotland. She anchored many major stories for the corporation, including the deaths of Prince Philip and Queen Elizabeth II. Family has always come first though. "It has to," she says. "You don't go and have five children and commit to family if you don't put that first. I come from a big family myself and I always thought I would replicate that. "I was doing Breakfast TV for the 10 years that I was having children. "Of course it was knackering and I spent the entire time just dreaming of sleep. "But all young mothers, and older mothers, do that anyway so I don't think it would have been any worse for me." Surely you can't put yourself under that kind of pressure without being hugely ambitious? "I don't think I am particularly ambitious and I often think I could have been more so," Sally says. "I was once offered the BBC London Six O'clock News gig, which was the big one, and I turned it down because I wanted to be home for bathtime. I now think, really Sally? "But I turned down things without a huge deal of angst or anguish. I was just in that mode and that's what I did. "But I found that I had to work. I found that as much as I adore my children – and had a great propensity for giving birth to them – I've always longed to be stimulated and have stuff going on with my brain. And that's what has driven me." Sally says getting the tone right while delivering different types of news stories has been "absolutely crucial" throughout her career. "I've tended to use my own judgement and think, how am I reacting to this? And if I can trust that, I can let it be part of what I conduce to the viewer. "I don't want to say this the wrong way but when Prince Philip died and we were doing that on Reporting Scotland, I remember thinking that he was an old man and he'd had a great life. "He had reached his mid-90s and we can celebrate that. "We don't need to have our faces tripping us and we can smile a bit." Sally admits the closest she came to letting the human emotion of an event get to her was as she covered the aftermath of the Dunblane shootings in 1996, when 43-year-old Thomas Hamilton killed 16 pupils and a teacher. "I don't think it is our job to be emotional," she says. "I think we can convey the emotion of an occasion without actually giving in to it ourselves. "But that was the nearest I came to not quite achieving that." As well as her TV presenting career, Sally has also turned her hand to making television documentaries. Her latest for BBC Scotland was Alzheimer's, a Cure and Me, about her mother having Alzheimer's, which aired last year. She is also an acclaimed author. Among her books is a biography of the Scottish runner and missionary Eric Liddell, an account of her mother's dementia, and three novels. She is the founder of the charity Playlist for Life, which promotes the use of music to help people with dementia. She was awarded an MBE in 2023 in recognition of her charity work. Gary Smith, head of news and current affairs at BBC Scotland, has paid tribute to Magnusson and her work on Reporting Scotland. "Sally is an outstanding journalist, broadcaster and writer," he said. "She has skilfully guided viewers through countless big and sometimes difficult stories and the teatime audience will miss her hugely - as will all of us who have worked with her over the years." Sally Magnusson to leave Reporting Scotland Will I be diagnosed with Alzheimer's like my mother?
BBC News
03-04-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Sally Magnusson: I need the stimulation of work but it has always been family first
Sally Magnusson has always maintained an air of calm authority and professional serenity during 27 years presenting Reporting has interviewed everyone from royalty to first ministers and high-profile celebrities on BBC Scotland's flagship TV news have been elections and referendums aplenty, human tragedies and national as she steps down from the programme, she admits that juggling a hugely successful career with bringing up five children carried one great fear - blurting out a children's bedtime story at the most inopportune moment. "Bedtime was like a military operation and all the children would be in bed by seven," she tells BBC Scotland's Scotcast."But I remember I would be sitting with one of the children singing Goodnight Darling and they would say, Mummy – do octopuses fart."You'd struggle with that and then the phone would ring downstairs and they'd say it's Breakfast TV here and we've got the chancellor of the exchequer on tomorrow."There would then be this list of financial facts and figures to get your head round and I would think – goodness, what kind of life have I got?"I was always afraid of going to a dinner and finding myself sitting next to the director general and asking if he'd like Mummy to cut his meat for him."So do octopuses fart? "I've never found the answer to that – I'll look it up!" The journalist and author will present her final edition of Reporting Scotland on Friday, having joined the programme in that, her career in journalism began at The Scotsman newspaper in mother, Mamie Baird, was a newspaper journalist in Glasgow and her father, Magnus Magnusson, was a print journalist, historian and broadcaster best-known as the presenter of the BBC's started in television on BBC Scotland's Current Account programme and then on network news programmes including Sixty Minutes and came her return to Scotland to present Reporting Scotland two days a television programmes she has fronted include Newsnight Scotland, Panorama and Songs of Praise as well as Sunday Mornings on BBC Radio Scotland. She anchored many major stories for the corporation, including the deaths of Prince Philip and Queen Elizabeth has always come first though."It has to," she says. "You don't go and have five children and commit to family if you don't put that first. I come from a big family myself and I always thought I would replicate that."I was doing Breakfast TV for the 10 years that I was having children."Of course it was knackering and I spent the entire time just dreaming of sleep. "But all young mothers, and older mothers, do that anyway so I don't think it would have been any worse for me." Surely you can't put yourself under that kind of pressure without being hugely ambitious?"I don't think I am particularly ambitious and I often think I could have been more so," Sally says."I was once offered the BBC London Six O'clock News gig, which was the big one, and I turned it down because I wanted to be home for bathtime. I now think, really Sally?"But I turned down things without a huge deal of angst or anguish. I was just in that mode and that's what I did."But I found that I had to work. I found that as much as I adore my children – and had a great propensity for giving birth to them – I've always longed to be stimulated and have stuff going on with my brain. And that's what has driven me."Sally says getting the tone right while delivering different types of news stories has been "absolutely crucial" throughout her career."I've tended to use my own judgement and think, how am I reacting to this? And if I can trust that, I can let it be part of what I conduce to the viewer."I don't want to say this the wrong way but when Prince Philip died and we were doing that on Reporting Scotland, I remember thinking that he was an old man and he'd had a great life."He had reached his mid-90s and we can celebrate that."We don't need to have our faces tripping us and we can smile a bit." Sally admits the closest she came to letting the human emotion of an event get to her was as she covered the aftermath of the Dunblane shootings in 1996, when 43-year-old Thomas Hamilton killed 16 pupils and a teacher."I don't think it is our job to be emotional," she says."I think we can convey the emotion of an occasion without actually giving in to it ourselves."But that was the nearest I came to not quite achieving that."As well as her TV presenting career, Sally has also turned her hand to making television documentaries. Her latest for BBC Scotland was Alzheimer's, a Cure and Me, about her mother having Alzheimer's, which aired last is also an acclaimed author. Among her books is a biography of the Scottish runner and missionary Eric Liddell, an account of her mother's dementia, and three is the founder of the charity Playlist for Life, which promotes the use of music to help people with dementia. She was awarded an MBE in 2023 in recognition of her charity Smith, head of news and current affairs at BBC Scotland, has paid tribute to Magnusson and her work on Reporting Scotland."Sally is an outstanding journalist, broadcaster and writer," he said."She has skilfully guided viewers through countless big and sometimes difficult stories and the teatime audience will miss her hugely - as will all of us who have worked with her over the years."
