Pacific nations have closed ranks and reacted strongly against China\u2019s missile test \u2013 and most island states have included a rider against any future missile test by any nuclear power, including the United States.<\/p>\n
Confronting the nuclear \u2018bogeyman\u2019<\/p>\n
New US ambassador Jared Novelly wouldn\u2019t be the first US ambassador who thinks he can joke or charm the country out of its anti-nuclear laws. His brainwave is to get New Zealand to invite a US aircraft carrier into the Waitemat\u0101 Harbour and let the Tall Blacks cement relations with a basketball game on the deck with the crew \u2013 or perhaps his own Illawarra Hawks team based in New South Wales.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou need to see these things and realise it\u2019s not some sort of bogeyman that you have to worry about,\u201d he told reporters at an introductory press conference at his residence.<\/p>\n
Of course, the US would not just show up, he said. \u201cIt requires an invite from New Zealand.\u201d<\/p>\n
Not quite, ambassador. It would require a law change. Last time I checked with Google, there\u2019s not a single US aircraft carrier that is not nuclear-propelled. But thanks for throwing a great 250th party last week. Read all about it in Jamie Ensor\u2019s report<\/a>. <\/p>\n Big cheese rolls into town<\/p>\n The visit by India\u2019s Prime Minister, Narendra Modi<\/a>, tomorrow night is the most significant to New Zealand by a foreign leader in a very long time. There was a time when it was not unusual for New Zealand to receive global figures, usually attached to their visits to Australia. But New Zealand\u2019s dance card has become relatively bare in the past 10 years.<\/p>\n For example, this year Australia has hosted Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and Japan\u2019s Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, neither of whom made the trip across the Tasman.<\/p>\n The high point in recent years was probably 2014, when New Zealand hosted (at different times) Japan\u2019s then-Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Germany\u2019s Angela Merkel and China\u2019s Xi Jinping.<\/p>\n Michael Laws v women<\/p>\n The announcement that Michael Laws, broadcaster, Otago Regional Councillor and former National and New Zealand First MP, will be standing again for New Zealand First<\/a> this election unleashed a backlash among commentators, with particular reference to his age and gender.<\/p>\n The two strongest reactions were from Newstalk ZB\u2019s Heather du Plessis-Allan, who said in the Herald on Sunday it was \u201cdesperate\u201d<\/a> to be resurrecting a politician from last century, and Andrea Vance in a withering piece in the Sunday Star-Times, where she dubbed Winston Peters\u2019 candidates \u201ca toxic manosphere\u201d and \u201can algorithmic collection of outrage merchants, culture-war hobbyists, and men convinced Western society is on the brink of collapse, and they\u2019re only one homemade podcast away from saving it\u201d.<\/p>\n Other retreads include ex-Labour minister Stuart Nash and ex-National minister Alfred Ngaro.<\/p>\n This week Laws hit back at critics during a show on The Platform, where he is an internet broadcaster. He suggested they were in perpetual menopause for commentary he could only ascribe to \u201can antipodean equivalent of Trump derangement syndrome\u201d, and being liberal luvvies of inner-city Auckland and Wellington who despise anyone who doesn\u2019t live like them.<\/p>\n At the risk of annoying the sisterhood, I would say New Zealand First could do a lot worse than getting Laws back into Parliament. Having observed his work closely last century, he was a formidable political operator. Yes, he can be offensive in the way he expresses his views, but he is a thinker and is more than willing to engage with people he disagrees with, usually in a civil manner. By the way, he wrote one of the most amusing political memoirs ever produced in New Zealand, The Demon Profession.<\/p>\n By the way<\/p>\n Policies galore:\u00a0There has been a steady release of policies this week, including yesterday\u2019s by Act to\u00a0expand the Three Strikes law<\/a>\u00a0to include three counts of burglary; New Zealand First\u2019s promise to\u00a0limit voting in New Zealand to citizens only<\/a>, not residents; Labour\u2019s scheme to\u00a0incentivise the installation of solar power<\/a>; and the Greens\u2019\u00a0Drink, Swim, Fish policy<\/a>\u00a0for cleaner water.His poor wife:\u00a0Much fuss has been made globally about the blunder of Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese in answering a crude question on a supposedly light-hearted local podcast about which Aussie actress he would like to \u201cdate, shag or marry\u201d (Kylie Minogue, he said after being pressed for an answer). But the far worse decision he made was in answering the host\u2019s next question about whether he and recently wed wife Jodie Haydon were still \u201cbonking like rabbits\u201d, at which point he lost all judgment to reveal what they do after the Rabbitohs win a game. Never has there been such inappropriate over-sharing by a Prime Minister since Sir John Key told Radio Hauraki that he peed in the shower.<\/p>\n Quote unquote<\/p>\n \u201cIt won\u2019t be for changing under my leadership at all\u201d \u2013 Prime Minister Christopher Luxon on New Zealand laws banning nuclear-armed or -propelled vessels.<\/p>\n Micro quiz<\/p>\n The Reserve Bank raised the official cash rate to 2.5% yesterday, but by how many basis points? (Answer at the bottom of this article.)<\/p>\n Brickbat<\/p>\n Goes to new US ambassador Jared Novelly. Dreaming big but with little reference to reality (see \u201cbogeyman\u201d above).<\/p>\n Bouquet<\/p>\n Goes to Reserve Bank Governor Anna Breman for the clear, crisp, no-fuss way she conducts her press conferences.<\/p>\n This week\u2019s top stories<\/p>\n Burglary policy: Act to campaign on new three strikes regime for burglary<\/a><\/p>\n MP profile: \u2018Not scared of M\u0101ori\u2019 \u2013 meet the Labour MP emerging as a key voice in Parliament<\/a><\/p>\n VPN confusion: Stanford claims VPN ban never considered, NZ First cites proposal\u2019s \u2018ambiguity\u2019<\/a><\/p>\n China missile test: US says Beijing\u2019s nuke build-up of \u2018great concern\u2019<\/a><\/p>\n Nuclear wish-list: US Ambassador wants warships in NZ waters, jokes about using time machine to \u2018fix nuclear thing\u2019<\/a><\/p>\n India-NZ FTA: India \u2018very happy\u2019 with FTA progression despite Peters\u2019 claims \u2013 PM<\/a><\/p>\n Solar policy: \u2018It\u2019s currently illegal\u2019 \u2013 solar policy hits snag over banned tech<\/a><\/p>\n Water policy: Greens release drinking water, oceans and rivers policy<\/a><\/p>\n Voting policy: Peters outlines NZ First plan to make voting citizens-only<\/a><\/p>\n Family harm policy: \u2018Victims should never have to choose\u2019 \u2013 Act targets pet abuse in family harm<\/a><\/p>\n Trade policy: National pledges new trade deals with seven economies if re-elected<\/a><\/p>\n Laws candidacy: New NZ First candidate wants broadcasting portfolio to scrap RNZ<\/a><\/p>\n Electioneering: Are National, Labour MPs acting like they\u2019re on podcasts in these videos?<\/a><\/p>\n Power transfer: How Luxon quietly empowered Mitchell \u2013 and delegated national security responsibilities<\/a><\/p>\nIndia’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Photo \/ Atul Loke, The New York Times<\/p>\n