Latest work
July
Cartoon depicts a farmer driving a ute down a bumpy pot-holed country road towards a school. Hi dog and load are jumping and jarred into the air. Tow omen are atching fromm the verge. Woman: "Before anyone raises speed limits they'll need to repair all our dodgy roads." Refers to National governments plans to lift speed limits nationally, without regard to local community wishes.
Cartoon depicts a basketball game in which Prime Minister, John Key propels a woman into a basket attached to a pole labelled 'Australia'. The basket is labelled 'jobs'. Other job seekers await their turn. The 'hoist' is a common term in basketball for scoring. Here it refers to Government inaction on unemployment causing New Zealanders to leave for Australia, scoring not only jobs but higher wages. 2012
Cartoon depicts a ship run aground on the east coast of New Zealand, near Wairoa. It is spilling cheap imported maize over local growers crops. "Now they've flooded the damn market as well" cries a farmer. Refers to floods spoiling crops of vegetables and imports lowering prices for maize growers. Growers have no market for their product this season and are pondering their future as growers.
https://www.farmersweekly.co.nz/news/grim-harvest-for-maize-grain-growers/
Cartoon depicts a room labelled 'Rich political donor support group' of sad elderly white men sitting in a semi-circle with one saying "I thought my money would buy me love and eternal gratitude". A group of rich political donors sitting in a circle in their support group. One of them is Owen Glenn who is embroiled in the problems around donations given to New Zealand First over which leader, Winston Peters, is being investigated for fraud. Owen Glenn says that he thought his money would buy him love and eternal gratitude. He has been snubbed by Prime Minister, Helen Clark, to whom he has also donated.
Cartoon depicts a bonfire of sticks reading 'surplus'. "stimulate that lot says finance minister Michael Cullen ( holding a flaming torch) to PM Helen Clark. She is dressed as Napoleon and he as a cavalry man. Refers to Labour economic stimulus as a downturn created by the GFC ripples through the New Zealand economy. The incoming National finance minister Bill English must face this.
"Woah there Speedy - slow down" cries snail John Key to turtle Helen Clark who is flying a tattered flag reading 'Carbon Trading Scheme'...2008
Cartoon depicts two border-collie farming dogs sitting on boxes in a la where a lab working is tanding. 'Working dog dna test - news'. A patchy-looking dog says "Apparently I'm well over the border from collie." Refers to
Massey Uni doing DNA tests on farm dogs to try and enhance working dog breeds.
Cartoon depicts Winston Peters Minister of Foreign Affairs and leader of NZ First. He holds a large notice that says 'No to China-NZ free trade and says "I would have asked for more baubles." Refers to Winston Peters' ambivalent attitude to New Zealand's free trade deal with China. As Minister of Foreign Affairs he is obliged to support it but at leader of NZ First he is critical, believing that China does better out of it than does New Zealand.
"Don't look around says National leader John Key to finance minister Bill English both carrying signs labelled 'Less Regulation' & 'Tax Cuts' as global financial system collapses behind them consisting of American banks such as AIG - Lehman Brothers - Merrill Lynch - Fannie Mae - Freddie Mac + greed + Wall Street... 20 September, 2008
Cartoon depicts blue (right-wing) and red (left) hydra monsters "Yeuch too many heads" says John Key looking at the four heads on his coalition Refers to criticism of coalition governments made by John Key in the election campaign.
Cartoon depicts a hideous monster with four heads; the central head is that of new Prime Minister John Key and the other three are those of Pita Sharples co-leader of the Maori Party, Peter Dunne leader of United Future and Rodney Hide leader of ACT. On the ground below the monster is the dead cast-off skin of the five-headed monster they have succeeded. The five-headed monster was the coalition group of former Prime Minister Helen Clark, Peter Dunne, the Maori Party, the Greens, and New Zealand First 12 November 2008
Cartoon depicts a red 'Highcarbonder Turbo' being driven along a road belching out large clouds of gas. The message on the spare wheel that is mounted on the back says 'My other vehicle is a train' and the number plate says 'Labour'. Refers to the problem of offsetting carbon emissions by both the individual and the government. The individual driving the vehicle which is a high carbon emitter tells the world that their other vehicle is the train (Labour has just bought back rail and ferry from Toll Holdings Ltd), thus absolving guilt and offsetting (maybe) their carbon emissions. The Labour Party has the dilemma of sticking to its promise to reduce New Zealand's carbon emissions substantially by introducing the emissions trading scheme but at the same time 2008 is an election year and the cost of living is rising as the economy slows and people want tax breaks.
Cartoon depicts Prime Minister, Helen Clark, (Labour) standing beside a sign saying 'Affordable homes' that is on the grass in front of a new house. John Key, (National Party) asks "Where all the fancy hollow columns and smoked-glass windows and big fat sales commissions?. Refers to the Labour Party's new policy to provide affordable homes for first home owners and people on low incomes. Refers to the Italianate style of Key's home and holiday house.
2008 asset sale fever ... National Party ministers led by John Key clutching his '100 days list' rush into government "So much to do over, so little time." They are trampling over the rights of workers. Refers to the introduction of the policy that will give businesses with fewer than 20 staff the ability to introduce a three-month trial for new workers. The government is attempting to pass with speed many new policies in their first hundred days in government.
Key erects a sign 'National's boot camp at the bottom of the cliff to be erected here' as a ambulance drives away from a cliff labelled 'Youth'.
Cartoon depicts the corpse of Roger Douglas emerging from a coffin in an open grave ( Gravestone reads: 'Rogernomics died 1990's' ) sparked by wires to a battery operated by Act Party leader Rodney Hide. Douglas: "If McCain can do it, so can i!" NZListener 20 March 2008 Refers to Republican Senator McCain rcampain for POTUS.
June
Cartoon depicts Act party leader David Seymour as the Tin Man from Wizard of Oz carrying an axe into a store "Easy - just like pseudoephedrine." he says to a couple of farmers looking at Agri-chemicals not approved sucha as Bovaer, army worm poison etc. Title: 'Tin man to the rescue'
Cartoon based on the govt's announcement to take agriculture out of the ETS and getting rid of He Waka Eke Noa, the partnership aiming to reduce agricultural greenhouse gas emissions and build the primary sector's resilience to climate change, introduced by the previous government. Heading reads: 'Agriculture removed from ETS' - news. A canoe labelled 'He Waka Eke Noa' has sprung multiple leaks and is drifting away, sinking fast. Minister of Agriculture Todd McClay is standing on the river back holding a smoking shotgun. "We got rid of that old wreck for you." A farmer is standing next to McClay is looking nervously back over his shoulder. Coming over a hill in the background is a angry man in a suit with a clipboard labelled 'NZ Export customers'. ( The relevance is that international customers may be waiting in the wings to police emissions. )
Cartoon depicts two farmers looking at a Metservice south island weather forecast map, one saying "There - fixed it". He has turned the south island upside down but kept the weather the same. Refers to a drought spreading from Marlbourgh/Tasman down into North Canterbury while in Southland it's so wet farmers are struggling just as much.
Cartoon depicts PM Chris Luxon & finance minister Nicola Willis in medieval costume throwing rotten food at a woman in stocks labelled 'Vilify me I'm a jobseeker'. Willis: The unemployed will always have work - keeping wages low, other workers desparate, and absorbing targeted food waste assistance."
Cartoon depicts duck shooters in hides upn a lake shooting ducks in the form of PM Chris Luxon and Finance Minister Nicola Willis "Duck!" yells Luxon. OECD and every other economist +Biz +CTU blast away merrily. Refers to massive borrowing for tax cuts.
Cartoon depicts the % of public housing of New Zealand (3.4%) compared with rates of OECD (7%) and Netherlands (34%), forming a bar chart. Housing minister Chris Bishop (National) is distressed, exclaiming "OMG We have way too much public housing. That's a crisis for private landlords."
Cartoon depicts the scene from Oliver Twist but here a cow labelled 'NZ' asks "Please Sir, can I have some?" US's Uncle Sam is laddling out Bovaer methane reducer feed supplement for livestock. Cows from other countries are gobbling down plenty. Cartoon is based on a decision by the United States to use Bovear, basically a supplement, as a way to reduce methane emission in cows. NZ is one of the few countries still awaiting approval to use Bovear.
Earlier 2024
Cartoon depicts finance minister Nicola Willis as a stage magician 'Nicola's amazin budget show' She is about to pull a rabbit from a hat. "This is where the magic happens...". Thae audience of four men stand with begging hats. They are labelled farmers, border security, catchment groups, scientists.
Cartoon depicts minister Chris Bishop throwing the RMA rule book across a stream to catchment groups - various people such as farmers, fishermen, scientists, environmentalists, local people, farmers reaching up to catch it.
Cartoon depicts a NZ farm Association man with a pen chasing a deer jumping over a fence. "hey - I need to verify your origin." Deer: "Trace this."
Cartoon depicts a bull called Farside Illustrious being inducted into the LIC Hall of Fame. LIC is the company that provides bull semen to dairy farmers and Illustrious has fathered more than 17,000 cows. Illustrious is on stage holding his award saying "I'd like to thank my family, Molly, Maude, Jane, Daisy, Edith...etc "
Cartoon depicts Actor Sam Neill @twopaddocks who is the new ambassador for a Wool NZ campaign. 'Sir Sam Neill joins campaign for wool - news. "Amazing - Sheepius Vegesaurus - like a small woolly dinosaur." he says cuddling a high country sheep.
"Do you have any books stacked the other way?" Cartoon by Chris Slane shows a man with his head bent sideways to the horizontal standing in a bookshop speaking to a glasses-wearing woman behind the counter. All books on the shelves appear to have titles on their spines designed to be read sideways and are stacked to show only their spines.
Cartoon by Chris Slane depicts a middle-aged couple sitting on a couch watching a tv series similar to Fallout at home. The male is double-screening by also watching his phone saying "Shh! I'm trying to watch a breakdown of all the bits I missed while looking at my phone."
Cartoon shows two fashionable women seated outside a cafe, one holding a smart phone:
Woman: “I knew it was an AI scam as soon as I heard a cheerful voice
trying to sound like my teenage daughter.”
Rob Muldoon bust wearing a wizard's hat sculpted in clay, painted and dressed by cartoonist Chris Slane around 1984.
Cartoon depicts an dilapidated steam train reversing at high speed along washed out rail track and falling into empty space. Riding a coal cart is Shane Jones (NZFirst) waving a lump of coal - Dr Strangelove Slim Pickens style - shouting "Black is the new green!" David Seymour (ACT) waves a lantern towards the abyss. Chris Luxon (National) "You're right, backwards is way faster" Nicola Willis (National) looks towards a carriage ( labelled 'Polluters". ) of rich villiains. A sign bedside the rails reads 'Fast Track' points in the opposite direction.
Cartoon by Chris Slane depicts a woman and a man at the movie theatre who notices a gamer kid with a controller appearing to be playing the film they are watching.