Craig McCulloch
@craigmcculloch
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Deputy Political Editor at @RadioNZ. Based at Parliament's Press Gallery.
Wellington NZ
Joined November 2009
waking up to find the entire ariana grande fanbase in my mentions π. pretty sure you have the wrong craig mcculloch
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The Freedom and Rights Coalition has arranged another Covid-19 protest outside Parliament this Thursday. Parliament's last day for the year is on Wednesday.
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Worth noting National's "32-page document" is only 29 pages - and this is one of them.
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how is it that wellington regards its antiquated cash-only system as a charming quirk and not a truly unforgivable embarrassment
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Disappearing from Twitter for a while to give sleep deprivation a go. Rowan Alice McCulloch. Born 6 March 21. Here she is, mimicking my current mental state.
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Apropos of nothing, I was reminded today of the first chapter in Simon Bridges' book where he reflects on being MΔori and shares an experience he once had with the healthcare system.
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The PM's office, Opposition leader, and some media outlets were all emailed the manifesto less than 10 mins before the shooting began. This was widely reported at the time. The PM spoke about it in her media conference literally the day after the attack.
We waited until today to find out, for the first time, that the Prime Minister's Office received information about the March 15 terrorist attack before the massacre took place. Jacinda Ardern should be called to the hearing and asked to explain this appalling lack of transparency.
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I realise that my entire personality is now "aggrieved first home buyer", but if you'll allow me one more rant:. House sold for $530k in 2017. RV $550k. No renovations. Bank valued it at $670k. It went for close to $780k. The property market is broken.
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seems an appropriate time to revisit this old tweet
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THE EVOLUTION OF JACINDA ARDERN ON TAX. 2017: "We need fairness in our [tax] system.". 2017: "We do not think that assets are treated fairly.". 2019: "I am ruling out a capital gains tax under my leadership.". 2020: "I won't allow [a wealth tax] to happen as Prime Minister.".
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Ardern does not seem at all keen these days to be associated with her decision to kill off a CGT. REPORTER: "You ruled out a capital gains tax. Will you look at - ". ARDERN: "You know, I'd say that New Zealanders ruled it out.".
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Commentators: "Labour has a decisive majority this term. It commands the most powerful MMP government ever. There's no one to blame anymore.". Jacinda Ardern:.
. @jacindaardern says public bears some responsibility for housing crisis after failed taxation attempts.
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The Greens say it is "an absolute abdication of political responsibility". ChlΓΆe Swarbrick: "What on earth is the point of being elected to Parliament and having such an overwhelming mandate, if not to undertake the things that you believe in?".
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Peters says the long wait for vote-counting is because "people decided to have people enrolling on election day". "I wish the media would focus on who caused that delay.". For the record, NZ First voted in favour of that move in 2019.
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National wants the traffic light system scrapped and replaced with simple rules for mask-use and capacity limits. But it seems to me - now that vax passes are gone - that is exactly what the traffic light system is.
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Hipkins: "There is a place in MIQ for people with special circumstances like Ms Bellis. No oneβs saying there is not.". Some people on Twitter might want to reflect on that.
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My girlfriend's surname is McCullagh and I'd be lying if I said the hyphenation possibilities aren't part of the attraction.
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Old mate came in hot but ran out of steam pretty quick.
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PM: "We are on track for our delivery of our public housing programme. We are now expanding it.". ME: "How are you expanding it?". PM: "The 8000 houses.". ME: "They were announced last year.". PM: "That's what I'm referencing. we're not dressing this up as a new announcement.".
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Guyon's packed his bag. Susie's got her leave request in. Forget @NZMorningReport and brace yourself for its balmy replacement - Summer Report with @ChrisBramwell and me. Tune in for our Christmas Eve special and then from January 3-18. Apologies in advance.
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Another Labour minister engaging in misinformation. In his latest newsletter, Duncan Webb claims "Matariki would be abolished" under National despite Luxon repeatedly ruling that out.
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Someone just pulled the alarm on the Jubilee line because a Middle Eastern man was sweating. The Paris attacks have people on edge.
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nearly 8 years after we met and a year later than planned, @NinaMcCullagh and i finally got hitched
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π π π π π π . "[Simon Bridges] needs to pull his head out of whatever it's stuck in," says ex-Aussie-cop Mike Kennedy. "He's living a dream.". "I'm not a bleeding heart liberal. but [the zero-tolerance strategy has] just been a disaster." .
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2020 has not gone exactly as planned. Still no house. Election delayed. Wedding postponed. and now a baby on the way. πΌ Bring on 2021! πΌ
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It's one thing to criticise or challenge a person's position. It's another thing entirely to suggest the media stop publishing or broadcasting that person's views because you disagree with them. Particularly when that person is the leader of a political party.
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Just had the distressing experience of having to explain to @katiescotcher what a floppy disk is/was. πΎ. "You mean, like a USB stick?" she asked as I felt the crushing inevitability of death fast approaching.
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Ardern finished up her post-cab presser by noting that her Government lifted main benefit rates this year for "the first time. in decades". Uh. Bill English may have something to say about that.
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A sitting Minister has defected from her party and government. And yet no one seems to know exactly why. No one seems to know whether she stays or goes from Parliament. Absolute shambles.
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Remember when Billy Te Kahika and co. were predicting a nationwide lockdown on Jan 15 and then it never happened?. And then they said it was delayed and the Jan 24 Northland case was a ploy in order to prompt a lockdown. And then it never happened.
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To be clear: Family 2 and Family 4 had contact during Level 3 in breach of lockdown rules. Family 2 did not disclose the connection to contact tracers after testing positive. Family 4 (which should've been isolating anyway) then visited numerous highly populated locations.
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Labour has mucked up a major part of its youth crime policy not even two hours after announcing it. The PM spoke at length about creating a new offence for people who commission kids to commit crime. He said the "extra tool" for police would carry a 10 year sentence. Except.
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Ardern "calls time" on questions after just ten minutes the day after taking the unprecedented step of banning all travel from India.
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"I hope I have got my message across and that it may save a few lives."
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Last night, Brian Easton told me he feared NZ could head toward a "Trumpian" future where facts were dismissed outright. This morning, Simon Bridges questioned the veracity of all Stats NZ figures - even those unconnected to the Census.
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In an extraordinary display of Ruth Richardson-erasure, Michael Woodhouse just told Parliament he reckoned new Labour MP Barbara Edmonds could be "the first female Minister of Finance".
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House of Cards is back! Because what my life is really missing right now is outlandish political drama.
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A stranger stopped me mid-sentence yesterday and asked whether I worked for RNZ. "I knew it!" she said. "I listen to RNZ all the time. I knew I recognised your voice.". "Nice to meet you," I said. "No, nice to meet you, @alexperro," she replied.
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I see your "East Coast Wave" and raise you an "Office Corridor Eyebrow Raise".
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Asked Michael Baker about these claims NZ has one of the highest vax rates. "It's not correct and it's not helpful. we're in the middle of the bunch at the moment.".
On track for New Zealand to reach 90% of eligible people fully vaccinated next month. One of the highest vaccination rates in the world.
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Backbench MPs like Dr Sharma are not covered by the OIA - and neither is election policy stuff - so why would they need to be taught how to avoid OIAs?
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Tired of people thinking media should broadcast only views they personally agree with. ACT polled 7.6% in 2020 and 11.5% in the most recent public poll. Like him or not, Seymour represents a significant chunk of the electorate.
Why broadcast Seymour? Heβs only in parliament through a dodgy deal, he represents almost no one @NZMorningReport.
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(1) Covid made it into NZ because of multiple MIQ failures. (2) Delta couldn't be eliminated because of its transmissibility and late vax roll-out. (3) Omicron couldn't be eliminated because of its vax evasion. Hard to see how the blame lies with Bishop and the "haters".
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Statement from police re: Kiri Allan's arrest: . "Police can confirm a dog unit was called by attending staff to assist with scene enquiries, although it was not required to locate people as staff were already talking with individuals allegedly involved in the crash.".
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I see a handful of people still saying the Nats should've deported Sroubek when they were in charge. For clarity, Immigration NZ has confirmed Iain Lees-Galloway was the first and only Minister they alerted to the case. Here's the INZ statement explaining why:
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I always knew it was just a matter of time before I got cancelled, but I never imagined it like this.
waking up to find the entire ariana grande fanbase in my mentions π. pretty sure you have the wrong craig mcculloch
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Six days now since Luxon declared coalition talks were in their "final stages". Six days since Seymour surmised a deal was "on the cusp". And five days since Peters said: βweβre probably closer to the finish line than you guys thinkβ.
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No wonder these youngins don't know what "trivial" means. Whenever they ask, they're told it's not a big deal.
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The chatter over whether Luxon is up to the job has been around since before he was elected. The Nats know he's green. They're banking on him learning quickly on the job and the public forgiving any minor mistakes on the way. The polls are all that matters.
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This is a big deal. Your pretty single-layer cotton mask only stops 10% of particles escaping. Brand new disposable ones? 98%.
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good steak & cheese > good mince & cheese > bad mince & cheese > bad steak & cheese.
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It took multiple emails and nearly two weeks, but I finally established how often the NZDF has sent dedicated back-up planes on prime ministerial travel. Turns out: just this once.
Backup plane for PM Hipkins' trip more 'unusual' than NZDF claimed
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Jacinda Ardern claims an "artificial distinction" is being made as to whether NZ is offering Ukraine "lethal" or "non-lethal" aid. Except, of course, she made the distinction herself two weeks ago when announcing "non-lethal military assistance".
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Todd Muller: "You really need to give 120 per cent for this [job].". Christopher Luxon: "Todd gives 110 per cent of himself to whatever he does.".
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Very odd attack line from Labour, particularly given one of the main stories that came out of that UK trip was Hipkins being blindsided and betrayed by a defecting Minister.
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The drug-checking legislation is a stark illustration of how different the political environment is this term. Labour couldn't muster more than 55 votes for the law change last term. Today it has a massive 87 votes in favour - with just National's 33 MPs opposed.
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My friend always moans about his apartment building's FB group, so I decided to join and liven things up.
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And then in post-cab, Ardern inexplicably tried to shift responsibility to the Nats despite Labour's clear parliamentary majority. "I really would challenge, for instance, the National Party to consider their position on this issue.".
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During my first year away from home, my parents visited and took me to a nice Indian restaurant for dinner. My dear dad invited me, newly 18, to select an alcoholic beverage to go with my tikka masala. I ordered a Red Bull and vodka.
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Today @NinaMcCullagh and I were supposed to get married. Instead our friends have decreed we get very, very drunk. #tryagainnextyear
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Just eight active cases of Covid-19 currently recorded in NZ. Five in WaitematΔ, two in Auckland, and one in Counties Manukau. Extraordinary.
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Worth revisiting this exchange from post-cab yesterday. Media: was this careless lawmaking?.PM: no.Media: were you aware what you were voting for?.Hipkins: no. π€¦
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Just putting the finishing touches on the group email announcing our wedding postponement. #Covid_19
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When I was an intern, my boss asked me to make tea and I panicked and rang my mother to ask for instructions. This is an actual thing I did.
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Gone are the days of political consensus on Covid-19. The Greens and MΔori Party say Auckland's border opening is too hasty. National and ACT say too slow.
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Those Twitter folk who've been so critical of ACT over vax mandates have been curiously quiet about the MΔori Party.
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RNZ asked all the party leaders in Parliament for their best joke. I give you Winston Peters, in true form:
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David Cameron: Well, that backfired. Boris Johnson: Well, that backfired. Michael Gove: Well, that backfired. Theresa May: Well, that backfi.
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Post-cab presser in 10 mins. Who's gonna ask the PM for reaction to the Will Smith punch? @Jasonwalls92?.
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This image swayed me. That's the one I want. Right in the middle there. http://t.co/mATwpoM3JN.
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ok so i've always been confused by these articles because i never understood what people meant by "visualise mental images". but are y'all telling me you actually see images in your mind? . like, you close your eyes and see actual images?. because, if so, my mind is blown.
my friend kate has an amazing condition called aphantasia - in which she is absolutely incapable of visualising mental images. she writes insightfully about what that's actually like, here:
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