Andrew Little’s Palmerston North Speech

Written By: - Date published: 2:18 pm, October 26th, 2014 - 38 comments
Categories: Andrew Little, labour - Tags: , , , ,

Video and speech from the Palmerston North meet the candidates meeting

Tēnā koutou katoa.

Good evening everybody.  My name is Andrew Little and I want to begin first of all by thanking you all.  This has been a pretty tough year, for us a hard year and in the end a pretty disappointing result for us.

But it is a testament to your dedication and commitment and to the spirit of this great party that so soon after that election and the events of election night you are prepared to turn out to be part of this very important democratic process for this great party.  So thank you for doing that because this is important as my fellow leadership contenders have pointed out.

New Zealand’s values are Labour values.  They are the values of looking after each other, doing things together, solidarity you might say.  Making sure that no one is left out and no one is left behind.  That is what we stand for, that is what we have always stood for.

The truth about New Zealand today is that growing numbers are being left out and are being left behind.

We have a quarter of a million children living in poverty, living below the poverty line.  Turning up to school with empty bellies, and not being able to learn.  They are being left behind.  And we have situations in our workplaces now where growing numbers of working people are dependant on multiple jobs, part time jobs, low paid jobs, insecure jobs, just to make ends meet.  They are being left behind.

This is not the New Zealand that we ever expected and nor is it the New Zealand that we should accept and tolerate.

And we have another major challenge as well that we are about to face and this is about the future world of work.  Technology is rapidly going to change the nature of work, the availability of work, and what people do.

And if we are to confront that challenge as well as the ones that we have right now then we need a Government that takes work seriously.

It sits at the centre of so much of what people do.  The way people earn and whether or not people earn determines whether or not people can fulfil their dreams and their ambitions.

But for so many people they do not even have dreams any more.  Young people on reasonably good incomes who no longer aspire to owning their homes because it is just so far out of reach.  That’s the New Zealand we have got today.

There is only one political party in our political system that takes these issues seriously and actually works to ensure that people do get ahead, that they don’t get left behind, and that they don’t get left out.  And that is the New Zealand Labour Party, our party.  The party we worked so hard for this election, and the last election and the election before that.

And the truth is, we are not getting elected, we are not in government.  And because we are not in government we will not see those issues being properly addressed.

But if we want to be in Government the reality is that after three successive defeats and a still declining vote we have to make change.  We have to get our house into order.  We have to fix the machine.  Because it is not working.

There are two areas we need to address soon.  The first is about caucus’ cohesion.  We need to be communicating effectively and acting cohesively.

The other is about the party.  We need the party organisation to be the best it possibly can.  We need a party organisation where all parts of it, the voluntary part and the paid part are talking to each other and effectively.  Because we need to run a good party vote campaign in a way that we have not done in the past few elections.

And we need to harness the great resource and capability that are our affiliates.  Thirty or forty thousand working people are our affiliates.  But we don’t use them in a way that we could if we were an effective machine and an effective operation.

I am standing for the Labour Party Leadership for two principal reasons.  Firstly I have led significant change in a large organisation.  When I took over at the EPMU, our largest private sector union, we were an organisation in three parts.  Some people were not talking to each other.  The organisation was not coordinated. People just went off and did what they liked.

I made the organisation one organisation.  I gave it a single purpose that it organised to and worked under.  And I turned it into a high impact organisation.

I nurtured the talent that we had and I brought in new talent.  And I made it an organisation that was the envy of the Labour Movement and indeed of many others.

So I have done change.

The second reason I am seeking the Labour Party leadership is because of what drives me.  What has driven me in every job that I have had as a lawyer as a Union Leader and as an MP.

It is about justice.  In fact it is about injustice.  I cannot stand injustice.  And when I talk about injustice I am talking about when the powerful take advantage of the weak.  And we have a society and a country where increasingly we are allowing the powerful to take advantage of the weak, the economically powerful, the privileged taking advantage of those who don’t have that privilege and that power.

And it sticks in my craw and it is wrong and it is against every Labour principle that we all know.

And so I want to take that drive and my energy and turn Labour around and give it the same unifying single purpose the way that I did with the EPMU and give it to the Labour Party.

To nurture the talent and lets face it we have great talent in our caucus.  You only had to see those maiden speeches yesterday and seem y caucus colleagues to know that we have a huge depth of talent and use that to take us forward.

We have to regain New Zealand’s trust.  And we will do that when we are talking about New Zealanders’ issues, when we are standing alongside them helping them fulfil their ambitions.  When we are talking about not just what is wrong but also what is right.  If we want to fix child poverty, if we want to address the future world of work and the major challenges that brings to us we need to be in Government.

We need a leader to bring us there.  I am that leader.

If other leadership candidates want to have speech transcripts and video posted drop us a line.

38 comments on “Andrew Little’s Palmerston North Speech ”

  1. mickysavage 1

    Can I repeat that if other candidates want to provide video and/or speech transcripts then one of the Authors will I am sure be willing to put them up in a post. Nanaia Mahuta has today provided a guest post and we are working out the best time for her to be available to answer questions.

  2. You stood in the House and led your party in opposing the right of prisoners to seek compensation. Could you clarify how you reconcile that position with the statement “I cannot stand injustice”?

    • chris73 2.1

      He did that? Good on him, maybe he is the right man to lead Labour.

    • mickysavage 2.2

      Greetings Giovanni. Are you referring to the Prisoner and Victims Claims Amendment Bill past last year. It changed a law that was padded by the Clark Government in 2005 before Little was in power. To be honest I thought the original law to be ham fisted. Part of the law had the same effect as a well designed Injunction. The other part placed some restriction on claims for compensation and required any payment to be held pending payment of outstanding fines, legal aid and creditors who applied.

      Little as Justice Spokesperson would have to front the issue. From what I understand Caucus supported the bill and since many of them had supported the original Act they had no choice.

      • “Having no choice” to support an horrid authoritarian law is not something that smacks of leadership. Let alone of all those values that supposedly Labour “has always had”.

        • Tracey 2.2.1.1

          but…but…but middle nz!

          • Colonial Rawshark 2.2.1.1.1

            The way we imprison Kiwis, the massive numbers we put inside, and how we treat these Kiwis once they (almost inevitably) return to our communities. SUCKS. And watch for the encroachment of the US and UK style prison industrial complex.

            Put simply, a brown male under 30 is a liability to society unemployed, but in prison, becomes a massive income generating asset to the private sector.

            Make no mistake, this is a kind of new-age slavery.

            Labour’s one saving grace in this situation is that they are going to return the vote to prisoners. But any pandering to the Garth McVicar crowd has to end.

            • Giovanni Tiso 2.2.1.1.1.1

              Their policy going into the last election wasn’t to return the vote to prisoners, but to return the vote to prisoners serving a sentence of less than three years.

              For some reason, participating in democracy is not viewed by them as part of the rehabilitation process it seems.

              • bruhaha

                Three years lines up with the rules for Kiwis voting overseas doesn’t it? I’d guess it’s about giving the vote to people that will participate in the society they vote for.

              • Colonial Rawshark

                Ah yes, that’s right. Thanks for the clarification.

    • Murray Rawshark 2.3

      In Brazil the extreme right have a saying: Direitos humanos para humanos direitos. You can probably get the meaning, but for others, it’s basically: Human rights for right thinking/acting humans. Many in the Labour Party, with Goff and Shearer being prime examples, take this approach. Economically they pretty much all take it, what with WFF not applying to unworthy beneficiaries.

  3. karol 3

    I liked the structure of Little’s speech. He started with what the Labour Party needs now. Then he gave his credentials for leading that process. He ended with a fairly sincere sounding statement about his commitment to social justice.

    • AmaKiwi 3.1

      I have not met Andrew so this is an unprejudiced view.

      I was impressed. The speech was “tight” and focused. No b.s. generalizations.

      I intend to meet Andrew on Labour Day at Servo Cafe, 450 Old Te Atatu Rd. from 2:30 pm. I also plan to meet David Parker at Bastion Point from 10 a.m.

      • Colonial Rawshark 3.1.1

        Ask Parker about the very serious depletion of fossil fuel affordability and availability especially oil, over the next 20-30 years. And what NZ needs to do to get ready for it.

  4. Whateva next? 4

    So easy to keep whipping these guys who have the courage to put themselves in the spotlight, perhaps those who want to pick out parts of the speech could put their money where their mouth is and go into politics themselves? Could they do a better job? Or should we simply hear what each contender has to say, decide who is best suited ( knowing that none are perfect) and vote? Then accept that we are stronger together than divided, so actually support to start creating a decent society again.
    The alternative is National.

  5. Atiawa 5

    The labour movement also requires change. Andrew Little turned the EPMU into a national organisation and the next step is to begin unifying the union movement. The majority of unionised workers won’t care which union they belong to, however they will want a movement that speaks & listens to them, organises and educates them & advocates on their behalf with a set of common goals. Unions should be in the first instance sharing their resources to enable effective research, legal, education and membership support teams. They must organise on an industry basis and have a physical presence in communities and work locations close to their members and potential members. Unions need to focus more on what they can do, not what they can’t do. Just as the Labour party is unable to affect change sitting on the opposition benches, unions are unable to change the draconian right-wing actions of the current government with a “business as usual” approach.
    If business were able to create monopolies without the scrutiny of the Commerce & Securities Commission they would not hesitate to do so. Capitalism by its nature requires competition to exist, yet,a competition’s outcome is a winner and many losers.
    A unified workers movement at least gives a chance for more winners and fewer losers, and there are no impediments for that not to occur other than ego’s and dung heap protection.

    • Chooky 5.1

      +100…unionisation of NZ workers is not encouraged in many work places and when this is combined with non New Zealand companies owning the employment …it makes NZ workers very vulnerable…especially if they are not allowed collective bargaining and action …they can be kept at the lowest possible rates…lower than even equivalent jobs in the same company overseas, where workers have more rights and higher pay rates

  6. KJS0ne 6

    One thing I am getting really sick of is this idea within element of Labour that it is the ONLY party that takes the issues of employment, poverty, and education seriously. It belies the fact that the Greens for example campaigned on child poverty and had extremely comprehensive policies in all the aforementioned areas. It’s that arrogance that turned no small amount of voters off, and as someone who was considering putting Andrew Little first, I am now thinking of taking him down a notch in my vote.

    Labour will not govern alone, so these guys need to stop the pretensions of being the only party with a moral compass.

    • Atiawa 6.1

      Andrew Little is not standing for the leadership of the Greens! His chances in New Plymouth were not aided by the closeness of association between Labour & the Greens. New Plymouth is an oil & gas town – Energy City -.
      Labours policies are not theirs exclusively, however make no mistake, their association with the Greens did nothing to enhance their chance of victory.
      The Greens need to put their energies into core “Green Issues” and if they don’t, Labour should continue to put distance between them.
      Any review of the Labour Party’s election performance, rightly or wrongly, requires this understanding.

      • KJS0ne 6.1.1

        I’m sorry but what I’m getting from you is more of the same arrogance, that I’m taking issue with: That the Greens should be defined entirely by their environmentalism and leave any ideas about Child Poverty, Education and well, anything involving social issues to the one and only party fit for thinking, talking and deciding policy about social issues – Labour.

        So when Andrew Little says Labour is the only party that takes these issues seriously and the only party that actually works to achieve those ends on the one hand, and claims the need to work with other party’s on the other, I am left feeling like “working with” is a continuation of the platitudes that Labour have expressed towards other left parties over the years. Giving lip service to left wing solidarity while continuing to believe in the absolute primacy of the one true party. This was evident too in the amendments to the Labour signage across the country in the last weeks of the campaign: “ONLY a party vote Labour will change the Government.”

        New Zealanders do not like arrogance, never have, never will. And Labour’s false belief in its monopoly over morality and social policy is just that, arrogance. How low does the party vote have to sink before this ‘sinks in’?

        • Atiawa 6.1.1.1

          I am aware of plenty of previous/potential Labour voters who because of the possibility of a Labour coalition with the Greens gave their vote to either National or NZ First. Why?
          Are you suggesting it was Labours arrogance that saw that vote flee elsewhere?
          The Greens have plenty to be passionate about without attempting to poach their potential coalitions partners vote.
          Labours focus has to be about winning another 25% of the party vote if it is to become government. They can’t be concerned about offending the Greens.
          Oh, and by the way New Zealanders must love arrogance. They just voted into power one of our most arrogant governments ever.

          • karol 6.1.1.1.1

            “poaching” their vote?

            What a strange view of democracy. All parties need to earn the votes they get. No party can assume some people’s vote belongs to them of right.

            If people choose to vote NZF or National rather than Labour, they probably aren’t committed to left wing values.

            The Greens have always had a social justice as part of their values. It’s not possible to split the environment and a sustainable society from social justice issues.

            It’s good to see that Labour in recent years have been developing stronger environmental polices. I don’t see that as an attempt to “poach” the Greens’ vote.

            In fact, Labour have recently developed other policies that were first taken up by the Greens.eg CGT.

            • Tracey 6.1.1.1.1.1

              people first.

              green party slogan at some point i think.

              encapsulates many things including the environment

          • Colonial Rawshark 6.1.1.1.2

            Labour has left a lot of voters for parties further to the left than itself to pick up. And pick them up they will.

            By the way, National gets away with acting arrogantly because they know how to do it and communicate it as strength and direction. Labour doesn’t. It communicates it as weakness, divided purpose, and a cultural inability to understand MMP and cultivate allies.

            Labours focus has to be about winning another 25% of the party vote if it is to become government.

            That’s exactly what I mean. Why on earth do you think Labour needs 50% to lead a government. This is not FPP. It hasn’t been for almost 20 years!!!

          • KJS0ne 6.1.1.1.3

            Plenty of previous Labour voters giving their votes to National because they were scared of a Labour/Greens minority coalition?

            I think you’re blowing hot air. I can say that Jennifer Lawrence flew in and visited me in the night, but unless I give evidence to back it up, it’s nothing more than hearsay. I can tell you that I have an uncle who’s an ardent National voting farmer, who has much less antipathy towards the Greens than he does Labour, but it doesn’t back up what I’m saying in the least because A) it’s a sample size of sweet f.a. and B) I could also be making it up (I’m not, but how would you know). Furthermore, leaving tax aside, Greens economic policy was in many ways more centrist than Labour (higher and faster debt repayment, lowering company tax rate etc). And few are arguing which side Russell Norman’s bread is buttered on (it’s the right side of left). I just don’t see that argument having much of a logical basis.

            But if you feel it, come out and clarify: Do you think the Greens are (partially) responsible for Labour election loss? Because that’s what you seem to be implying.

            +1 to everything Karol and CV said.

            • Atiawa 6.1.1.1.3.1

              I’m not unsupportive of Greens policy and I’m not a casual observer of the political landscape either. I attended four candidates meetings in New Plymouth and spent a number of hours debating and listening to other peoples point of view.
              The general narrative was the reality of Labour requiring the Greens and other parties to form a government and that the Greens environmental policies were a danger to the local & national economy.
              Little was head & shoulders above Young, Roberts and the other local candidates during those candidates meetings. Both Young & Roberts often deferred to his answers to questions as if they were their own. Amongst other things he knocked on countless doors, attended school & community events, advocated on behalf of electors when Young wouldn’t/couldn’t, he had a personal view on issues such as abortion which he was unafraid to share and had a weekly column in a community newspaper. Few other first time MP’s have risen as rapidly within a major party as he did.
              Yet he lost by double the margin he was defeated by in 2011. Why?
              Yes, it was the appeal of his leader, yes it was Dirty Politics, yes it was the ample German, yes it was the CGT, yes it was lifting the retirement age, yes it was a pretty lack-lustre national campaign, yes it was a supposedly divided caucus – and yes it was also the scaremongering associated with a Greens/Labour coalition. And who knows it might have been about Kiwis not prepared to listen to an Aussie voice telling us about our exploitation industries when his own country has done very well from exporting its mineral wealth to other peoples economies. All I know is that working people in this area weren’t interested in voting for a potential government that was a threat to their current jobs associated with farming & the energy extraction industry.
              My sister and brother in law are free-hold dairy farmers and have always voted Labour, well so they tell me.

  7. Chooky 7

    +100 …KJSOne…. “Labour will not govern alone, so these guys need to stop the pretensions of being the only party with a moral compass”.

    • whateva next? 7.1

      curious, I heard Andrew say loud and clearly that Labour need to work with other parties on the left? No hint of arrogance.

      • wekarawshark 7.1.1

        He should stop telling outright lies that negate future coalition partners then eg,

        “There is only one political party in our political system that takes these issues seriously and actually works to ensure that people do get ahead, that they don’t get left behind, and that they don’t get left out. And that is the New Zealand Labour Party, our party.”

        btw, Little has ruled out working with Mana, IMP. That just leaves the Greens, so you might want to ammend your comment so it reflects the singular rather than the plural.

        • Colonial Rawshark 7.1.1.1

          The ruling out of Mana/IMP is a sop to the conservative white middle classes.

          • greywarshark 7.1.1.1.1

            It’s time for Labour to point out that Maori business nous and profit is the saving of the ordinary man and woman. The vitality in business they put in is getting tremendous.

            However there has to be a balance that when a business gets over a certain size, it can’t claim tax-free status. Maori and Sanatarium, they make lots, put a marginal tax on successful entities of whatever type after a certain turnover, applying to Salvation Army,. Sanitarium, Southern Cross. Let them put some of that dough back into everybody’s pockets, not just into top ranking CEOs.

            An allowance for new developments would be made though, so they could start new ventures, develop new ideas. But really there will soon be no large real charitable charities left in this country.

        • whateva next? 7.1.1.2

          NZF are in there, so plural stays, but hear what you say

  8. Bill 8

    New Zealand’s values are Labour values. They are the values of looking after each other, doing things together, solidarity you might say.

    Unfortunately, here’s a lot of this rhetoric flying around in Labour speeches. Thing is, any expression of laudable attitudes revolving around some nebulous concept of egalitarianism, just aren’t a part of most peoples’ lives any more. As such, such talk is somewhat indicative of the very disconnect Labour is seeking to overcome.

    If the same things (shades of solidarity, mutual aid etc) were put out there as Labour values without trying to legitimise or underscore them by appealing to ‘NZ values’, then people would, in my mind, ‘buy in’ and occupy that space Labour seems to believe is already occupied.

    Meanwhile, to suggest that people have already bought in, is to deny day to day reality as experienced by most people. Those values that Labour would have us believe we all have and seek to express, were ripped away and trashed by successive governments touting the wonders of a neo-classical economic model that pitted all against all.

  9. Oan 9

    So why are we only talking about Little? Is he our knight in shining armour? I was at the PN husting and was not particularly impressed. I found it interesting that only Parker spoke of equality of opportunity AND equality of outcomes and a more egalitarian society.

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    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago
  • Geoffrey Miller: Wang Yi’s perfectly-timed, Aukus-themed visit to New Zealand
    Timing is everything. And from China’s perspective, this week’s visit by its foreign minister to New Zealand could be coming at just the right moment. The visit by Wang Yi to Wellington will be his first since 2017. Anniversaries are important to Beijing. It is more than just a happy ...
    Democracy ProjectBy Geoffrey Miller
    2 days ago
  • The Kaka’s diary for the week to March 25 and beyond
    TL;DR: The key events to watch in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the week to March 18 include:China’s Foreign Minister visiting Wellington today;A post-cabinet news conference this afternoon; the resumption of Parliament on Tuesday for two weeks before Easter;retiring former Labour Finance Minister Grant Robertson gives his valedictory speech in Parliament; ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago
  • Bitter and angry; Winston First
    New Zealand First Leader Winston Peters’s state-of-the-nation speech on Sunday was really a state-of-Winston-First speech. He barely mentioned any of the Government’s key policies and could not even wholly endorse its signature income tax cuts. Instead, he rehearsed all of his complaints about the Ardern Government, including an extraordinary claim ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    2 days ago
  • 2024 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #11
    A listing of 35 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, March 10, 2024 thru Sat, March 16, 2024. Story of the week This week we'll give you a little glimpse into how we collect links to share and ...
    2 days ago
  • 2024 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #11
    A listing of 35 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, March 10, 2024 thru Sat, March 16, 2024. Story of the week This week we'll give you a little glimpse into how we collect links to share and ...
    2 days ago
  • Out of Touch.
    “I’ve been internalising a really complicated situation in my head.”When they kept telling us we should wait until we get to know him, were they taking the piss? Was it a case of, if you think this is bad, wait till you get to know the real Christopher, after the ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    3 days ago
  • Bring out your Dad
    Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago
  • Bring out your Dad
    Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago
  • Bring out your Dad
    Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago
  • The bewildering world of Chris Luxon – Guns for all, not no lunch for kids
    .“$10 and a target that bleeds” - Bleeding Targets for Under $10!.Thanks for reading Frankly Speaking ! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.This government appears hell-bent on either scrapping life-saving legislation or reintroducing things that - frustrated critics insist - will be dangerous and likely ...
    Frankly SpeakingBy Frank Macskasy
    3 days ago
  • Expert Opinion: Ageing Boomers, Laurie & Les, Talk Politics.
    It hardly strikes me as fair to criticise a government for doing exactly what it said it was going to do. For actually keeping its promises.”THUNDER WAS PLAYING TAG with lightning flashes amongst the distant peaks. Its rolling cadences interrupted by the here-I-come-here-I-go Doppler effect of the occasional passing car. ...
    3 days ago
  • Manufacturing The Truth.
    Subversive & Disruptive Technologies: Just as happened with that other great regulator of the masses, the Medieval Church, the advent of a new and hard-to-control technology – the Internet –  is weakening the ties that bind. Then, and now, those who enjoy a monopoly on the dissemination of lies, cannot and will ...
    3 days ago
  • A Powerful Sensation of Déjà Vu.
    Been Here Before: To find the precedents for what this Coalition Government is proposing, it is necessary to return to the “glory days” of Muldoonism.THE COALITION GOVERNMENT has celebrated its first 100 days in office by checking-off the last of its listed commitments. It remains, however, an angry government. It ...
    3 days ago
  • Can you guess where world attention is focussed (according to Greenpeace)? It’s focussed on an EPA...
    Bob Edlin writes –  And what is the world watching today…? The email newsletter from Associated Press which landed in our mailbox early this morning advised: In the news today: The father of a school shooter has been found guilty of involuntary manslaughter; prosecutors in Trump’s hush-money case ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    4 days ago
  • Further integrity problems for the Greens in suspending MP Darleen Tana
    Bryce Edwards writes – Is another Green MP on their way out? And are the Greens severely tarnished by another integrity scandal? For the second time in three months, the Green Party has secretly suspended an MP over integrity issues. Mystery is surrounding the party’s decision to ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • Jacqui Van Der Kaay: Greens’ transparency missing in action
    For the last few years, the Green Party has been the party that has managed to avoid the plague of multiple scandals that have beleaguered other political parties. It appears that their luck has run out with a second scandal which, unfortunately for them, coincided with Golraz Ghahraman, the focus ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    4 days ago
  • Bernard’s Dawn Chorus with six newsey things at 6:46am for Saturday, March 16
    TL;DR: The six newsey things that stood out to me as of 6:46am on Saturday, March 16.Andy Foster has accidentally allowed a Labour/Green amendment to cut road user chargers for plug-in hybrid vehicles, which the Government might accept; NZ Herald Thomas Coughlan Simeon Brown has rejected a plea from Westport ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • How Did FTX Crash?
    What seemed a booming success a couple of years ago has collapsed into fraud convictions.I looked at the crash of FTX (short for ‘Futures Exchange’) in November 2022 to see whether it would impact on the financial system as a whole. Fortunately there was barely a ripple, probably because it ...
    PunditBy Brian Easton
    4 days ago
  • Elections in Russia and Ukraine
    Anybody following the situation in Ukraine and Russia would probably have been amused by a recent Tweet on X NATO seems to be putting in an awful lot of effort to influence what is, at least according to them, a sham election in an autocracy.When do the Ukrainians go to ...
    4 days ago
  • Bernard’s six stack of substacks at 6pm on March 15
    TL;DR: Shaun Baker on Wynyard Quarter's transformation. Magdalene Taylor on the problem with smart phones. How private equity are now all over reinsurance. Dylan Cleaver on rugby and CTE. Emily Atkin on ‘Big Meat’ looking like ‘Big Oil’.Bernard’s six-stack of substacks at 6pm on March 15Photo by Jeppe Hove Jensen ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • Buzz from the Beehive Finance Minister Nicola Willis had plenty to say when addressing the Auckland Business Chamber on the economic growth that (she tells us) is flagging more than we thought. But the government intends to put new life into it:  We want our country to be a ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    4 days ago
  • National’s clean car tax advances
    The Transport and Infrastructure Committee has reported back on the Road User Charges (Light Electric RUC Vehicles) Amendment Bill, basicly rubberstamping it. While there was widespread support among submitters for the principle that EV and PHEV drivers should pay their fair share for the roads, they also overwhelmingly disagreed with ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    4 days ago
  • Government funding bailouts
    Peter Dunne writes – This week’s government bailout – the fifth in the last eighteen months – of the financially troubled Ruapehu Alpine Lifts company would have pleased many in the central North Island ski industry. The government’s stated rationale for the $7 million funding was that it ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • Two offenders, different treatments.
    See if you can spot the difference. An Iranian born female MP from a progressive party is accused of serial shoplifting. Her name is leaked to the media, which goes into a pack frenzy even before the Police launch an … Continue reading ...
    KiwipoliticoBy Pablo
    5 days ago
  • Treaty references omitted
    Ele Ludemann writes  – The government is omitting general Treaty references from legislation : The growth of Treaty of Waitangi clauses in legislation caused so much worry that a special oversight group was set up by the last Government in a bid to get greater coherence in the public service on Treaty ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • The Ghahraman Conflict
    What was that judge thinking? Peter Williams writes –  That Golriz Ghahraman and District Court Judge Maria Pecotic were once lawyer colleagues is incontrovertible. There is published evidence that they took at least one case to the Court of Appeal together. There was a report on ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • Bernard's Top 10 @ 10 'pick 'n' mix' for March 15
    TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: Climate Scorpion – the sting is in the tail. Introducing planetary solvency. A paper via the University of Exeter’s Institute and Faculty of Actuaries.Local scoop: Kāinga Ora starts pulling out of its Auckland projects and selling land RNZ ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • The day Wellington up-zoned its future
    Wellington’s massively upzoned District Plan adds the opportunity for tens of thousands of new homes not just in the central city (such as these Webb St new builds) but also close to the CBD and public transport links. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Wellington gave itself the chance of ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • Weekly Roundup 15-March-2024
    It’s Friday and we’re halfway through March Madness. Here’s some of the things that caught our attention this week. This Week in Greater Auckland On Monday Matt asked how we can get better event trains and an option for grade separating Morningside Dr. On Tuesday Matt looked into ...
    Greater AucklandBy Greater Auckland
    5 days ago
  • That Word.
    Something you might not know about me is that I’m quite a stubborn person. No, really. I don’t much care for criticism I think’s unfair or that I disagree with. Few of us do I suppose.Back when I was a drinker I’d sometimes respond defensively, even angrily. There are things ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago
  • The Hoon around the week to March 15
    Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The five things that mattered in Aotearoa’s political economy that we wrote and spoke about via The Kākā and elsewhere for paying subscribers in the last week included:PM Christopher Luxon said the reversal of interest deductibility for landlords was done to help renters, who ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • Labour’s policy gap
    It was not so much the Labour Party but really the Chris Hipkins party yesterday at Labour’s caucus retreat in Martinborough. The former Prime Minister was more or less consistent on wealth tax, which he was at best equivocal about, and social insurance, which he was not willing to revisit. ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    5 days ago
  • Skeptical Science New Research for Week #11 2024
    Open access notables A Glimpse into the Future: The 2023 Ocean Temperature and Sea Ice Extremes in the Context of Longer-Term Climate Change, Kuhlbrodt et al., Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society: In the year 2023, we have seen extraordinary extrema in high sea surface temperature (SST) in the North Atlantic and in ...
    5 days ago
  • Melissa remains mute on media matters but has something to say (at a sporting event) about economic ...
     Buzz from the Beehive   The text reproduced above appears on a page which records all the media statements and speeches posted on the government’s official website by Melissa Lee as Minister of Media and Communications and/or by Jenny Marcroft, her Parliamentary Under-secretary.  It can be quickly analysed ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    5 days ago
  • The return of Muldoon
    For forty years, Robert Muldoon has been a dirty word in our politics. His style of government was so repulsive and authoritarian that the backlash to it helped set and entrench our constitutional norms. His pig-headedness over forcing through Think Big eventually gave us the RMA, with its participation and ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    5 days ago
  • Will the rental tax cut improve life for renters or landlords?
    Bryce Edwards writes –  Is the new government reducing tax on rental properties to benefit landlords or to cut the cost of rents? That’s the big question this week, after Associate Finance Minister David Seymour announced on Sunday that the Government would be reversing the Labour Government’s removal ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • Geoffrey Miller: What Saudi Arabia’s rapid changes mean for New Zealand
    Saudi Arabia is rarely far from the international spotlight. The war in Gaza has brought new scrutiny to Saudi plans to normalise relations with Israel, while the fifth anniversary of the controversial killing of Jamal Khashoggi was marked shortly before the war began on October 7. And as the home ...
    Democracy ProjectBy Geoffrey Miller
    6 days ago
  • Racism’s double standards
    Questions need to be asked on both sides of the world Peter Williams writes –   The NRL Judiciary hands down an eight week suspension to Sydney Roosters forward Spencer Leniu , an Auckland-born Samoan, after he calls Ezra Mam, Sydney-orn but of Aboriginal and Torres Strait ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago
  • It’s not a tax break
    Ele Ludemann writes – Contrary to what many headlines and news stories are saying, residential landlords are not getting a tax break. The government is simply restoring to them the tax deductibility of interest they had until the previous government removed it. There is no logical reason ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago
  • The Plastic Pig Collective and Chris' Imaginary Friends.
    I can't remember when it was goodMoments of happiness in bloomMaybe I just misunderstoodAll of the love we left behindWatching our flashbacks intertwineMemories I will never findIn spite of whatever you becomeForget that reckless thing turned onI think our lives have just begunI think our lives have just begunDoes anyone ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    6 days ago
  • Who is responsible for young offenders?
    Michael Bassett writes – At first reading, a front-page story in the New Zealand Herald on 13 March was bizarre. A group of severely intellectually limited teenagers, with little understanding of the law, have been pleading to the Justice Select Committee not to pass a bill dealing with ram ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago
  • Gordon Campbell on National’s fantasy trip to La La Landlord Land
    How much political capital is Christopher Luxon willing to burn through in order to deliver his $2.9 billion gift to landlords? Evidently, Luxon is: (a) unable to cost the policy accurately. As Anna Burns-Francis pointed out to him on Breakfast TV, the original ”rock solid” $2.1 billion cost he was ...
    6 days ago
  • Bernard's Top 10 @ 10 'pick 'n' mix' for March 14
    TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: Jonathon Porritt calling bullshit in his own blog post on mainstream climate science as ‘The New Denialism’.Local scoop: The Wellington City Council’s list of proposed changes to the IHP recommendations to be debated later today was leaked this ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    6 days ago
  • No, Prime Minister, rents don’t rise or fall with landlords’ costs
    TL;DR: Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said yesterday tenants should be grateful for the reinstatement of interest deductibility because landlords would pass on their lower tax costs in the form of lower rents. That would be true if landlords were regulated monopolies such as Transpower or Auckland Airport1, but they’re not, ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    6 days ago
  • Cartoons: ‘At least I didn’t make things awkward’
    This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Tom Toro Tom Toro is a cartoonist and author. He has published over 200 cartoons in The New Yorker since 2010. His cartoons appear in Playboy, the Paris Review, the New York Times, American Bystander, and elsewhere. Related: What 10 EV lovers ...
    6 days ago
  • Solving traffic congestion with Richard Prebble
    The business section of the NZ Herald is full of opinion. Among the more opinionated of all is the ex-Minister of Transport, ex-Minister of Railways, ex MP for Auckland Central (1975-93, Labour), Wellington Central (1996-99, ACT, then list-2005), ex-leader of the ACT Party, uncle to actor Antonia, the veritable granddaddy ...
    Greater AucklandBy Patrick Reynolds
    6 days ago
  • I Think I'm Done Flying Boeing
    Hi,Just quickly — I’m blown away by the stories you’ve shared with me over the last week since I put out the ‘Gary’ podcast, where I told you about the time my friend’s flatmate killed the neighbour.And you keep telling me stories — in the comments section, and in my ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    6 days ago
  • Invoking Aristotle: Of Rings of Power, Stones, and Ships
    The first season of Rings of Power was not awful. It was thoroughly underwhelming, yes, and left a lingering sense of disappointment, but it was more expensive mediocrity than catastrophe. I wrote at length about the series as it came out (see the Review section of the blog, and go ...
    6 days ago
  • Van Velden brings free-market approach to changing labour laws – but her colleagues stick to distr...
    Buzz from the Beehive Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Brooke van Velden told Auckland Business Chamber members they were the first audience to hear her priorities as a minister in a government committed to cutting red tape and regulations. She brandished her liberalising credentials, saying Flexible labour markets are the ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago
  • Why Newshub failed
    Chris Trotter writes – TO UNDERSTAND WHY NEWSHUB FAILED, it is necessary to understand how TVNZ changed. Up until 1989, the state broadcaster had been funded by a broadcasting licence fee, collected from every citizen in possession of a television set, supplemented by a relatively modest (compared ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago
  • Māori Party on the warpath against landlords and seabed miners – let’s see if mystical creature...
    Bob Edlin writes  –  The Māori Party has been busy issuing a mix of warnings and threats as its expresses its opposition to interest deductibility for landlords and the plans of seabed miners. It remains to be seen whether they  follow the example of indigenous litigants in Australia, ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago

  • Government moves to quickly ratify the NZ-EU FTA
    "The Government is moving quickly to realise an additional $46 million in tariff savings in the EU market this season for Kiwi exporters,” Minister for Trade and Agriculture, Todd McClay says. Parliament is set, this week, to complete the final legislative processes required to bring the New Zealand – European ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    10 hours ago
  • Positive progress for social worker workforce
    New Zealand’s social workers are qualified, experienced, and more representative of the communities they serve, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “I want to acknowledge and applaud New Zealand’s social workers for the hard work they do, providing invaluable support for our most vulnerable. “To coincide with World ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    15 hours ago
  • Minister confirms reduced RUC rate for PHEVs
    Cabinet has agreed to a reduced road user charge (RUC) rate for plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs), Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. Owners of PHEVs will be eligible for a reduced rate of $38 per 1,000km once all light electric vehicles (EVs) move into the RUC system from 1 April.  ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    17 hours ago
  • Trade access to overseas markets creates jobs
    Minister of Agriculture and Trade, Todd McClay, says that today’s opening of Riverland Foods manufacturing plant in Christchurch is a great example of how trade access to overseas markets creates jobs in New Zealand.  Speaking at the official opening of this state-of-the-art pet food factory the Minister noted that exports ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    17 hours ago
  • NZ and Chinese Foreign Ministers hold official talks
    Minister of Foreign Affairs Winston Peters met with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Wellington today. “It was a pleasure to host Foreign Minister Wang Yi during his first official visit to New Zealand since 2017. Our discussions were wide-ranging and enabled engagement on many facets of New Zealand’s relationship with China, including trade, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Kāinga Ora instructed to end Sustaining Tenancies
    Kāinga Ora – Homes & Communities has been instructed to end the Sustaining Tenancies Framework and take stronger measures against persistent antisocial behaviour by tenants, says Housing Minister Chris Bishop. “Earlier today Finance Minister Nicola Willis and I sent an interim Letter of Expectations to the Board of Kāinga Ora. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Speech to Auckland Business Chamber: Growth is the answer
    Tēna koutou katoa. Greetings everyone. Thank you to the Auckland Chamber of Commerce and the Honourable Simon Bridges for hosting this address today. I acknowledge the business leaders in this room, the leaders and governors, the employers, the entrepreneurs, the investors, and the wealth creators. The coalition Government shares your ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Singapore rounds out regional trip
    Minister Winston Peters completed the final leg of his visit to South and South East Asia in Singapore today, where he focused on enhancing one of New Zealand’s indispensable strategic partnerships.      “Singapore is our most important defence partner in South East Asia, our fourth-largest trading partner and a ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Minister van Velden represents New Zealand at International Democracy Summit
    Minister of Internal Affairs and Workplace Relations and Safety, Hon. Brooke van Velden, will travel to the Republic of Korea to represent New Zealand at the Third Summit for Democracy on 18 March. The summit, hosted by the Republic of Korea, was first convened by the United States in 2021, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Insurance Council of NZ Speech, 7 March 2024, Auckland
    ICNZ Speech 7 March 2024, Auckland  Acknowledgements and opening  Mōrena, ngā mihi nui. Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Nor Whanganui aho.  Good morning, it’s a privilege to be here to open the ICNZ annual conference, thank you to Mark for the Mihi Whakatau  My thanks to Tim Grafton for inviting me ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Five-year anniversary of Christchurch terror attacks
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Lead Coordination Minister Judith Collins have expressed their deepest sympathy on the five-year anniversary of the Christchurch terror attacks. “March 15, 2019, was a day when families, communities and the country came together both in sorrow and solidarity,” Mr Luxon says.  “Today we pay our respects to the 51 shuhada ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Speech for Financial Advice NZ Conference 5 March 2024
    Speech for Financial Advice NZ Conference 5 March 2024  Acknowledgements and opening  Morena, Nga Mihi Nui.  Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Nor Whanganui aho. Thanks Nate for your Mihi Whakatau  Good morning. It’s a pleasure to formally open your conference this morning. What a lovely day in Wellington, What a great ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Early visit to Indonesia strengthens ties
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters held discussions in Jakarta today about the future of relations between New Zealand and South East Asia’s most populous country.   “We are in Jakarta so early in our new government’s term to reflect the huge importance we place on our relationship with Indonesia and South ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • China Foreign Minister to visit
    Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Winston Peters has announced that the Foreign Minister of China, Wang Yi, will visit New Zealand next week.  “We look forward to re-engaging with Foreign Minister Wang Yi and discussing the full breadth of the bilateral relationship, which is one of New Zealand’s ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Minister opens new Auckland Rail Operations Centre
    Transport Minister Simeon Brown has today opened the new Auckland Rail Operations Centre, which will bring together KiwiRail, Auckland Transport, and Auckland One Rail to improve service reliability for Aucklanders. “The recent train disruptions in Auckland have highlighted how important it is KiwiRail and Auckland’s rail agencies work together to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Celebrating 10 years of Crankworx Rotorua
    The Government is proud to support the 10th edition of Crankworx Rotorua as the Crankworx World Tour returns to Rotorua from 16-24 March 2024, says Minister for Economic Development Melissa Lee.  “Over the past 10 years as Crankworx Rotorua has grown, so too have the economic and social benefits that ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Government delivering on tax commitments
    Legislation implementing coalition Government tax commitments and addressing long-standing tax anomalies will be progressed in Parliament next week, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The legislation is contained in an Amendment Paper to the Taxation (Annual Rates for 2023–24, Multinational Tax, and Remedial Matters) Bill issued today.  “The Amendment Paper represents ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Significant Natural Areas requirement to be suspended
    Associate Environment Minister Andrew Hoggard has today announced that the Government has agreed to suspend the requirement for councils to comply with the Significant Natural Areas (SNA) provisions of the National Policy Statement for Indigenous Biodiversity for three years, while it replaces the Resource Management Act (RMA).“As it stands, SNAs ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Government classifies drought conditions in Top of the South as medium-scale adverse event
    Agriculture Minister Todd McClay has classified the drought conditions in the Marlborough, Tasman, and Nelson districts as a medium-scale adverse event, acknowledging the challenging conditions facing farmers and growers in the district. “Parts of Marlborough, Tasman, and Nelson districts are in the grip of an intense dry spell. I know ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Government partnership to tackle $332m facial eczema problem
    The Government is helping farmers eradicate the significant impact of facial eczema (FE) in pastoral animals, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay announced.  “A $20 million partnership jointly funded by Beef + Lamb NZ, the Government, and the primary sector will save farmers an estimated NZD$332 million per year, and aims to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • NZ, India chart path to enhanced relationship
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters has completed a successful visit to India, saying it was an important step in taking the relationship between the two countries to the next level.   “We have laid a strong foundation for the Coalition Government’s priority of enhancing New Zealand-India relations to generate significant future benefit for both countries,” says Mr Peters, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Ruapehu Alpine Lifts bailout the last, say Ministers
    Cabinet has agreed to provide $7 million to ensure the 2024 ski season can go ahead on the Whakapapa ski field in the central North Island but has told the operator Ruapehu Alpine Lifts it is the last financial support it will receive from taxpayers. Cabinet also agreed to provide ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Govt takes action to drive better cancer services
    Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says the launch of a new mobile breast screening unit in Counties Manukau reinforces the coalition Government’s commitment to drive better cancer services for all New Zealanders. Speaking at the launch of the new mobile clinic, Dr Reti says it’s a great example of taking ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Govt takes action to drive better cancer services
    Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says the launch of a new mobile breast screening unit in Counties Manukau reinforces the coalition Government’s commitment to drive better cancer services for all New Zealanders. Speaking at the launch of the new mobile clinic, Dr Reti says it’s a great example of taking ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Work begins on SH29 upgrades near Tauriko
    Unlocking economic growth and land for housing are critical elements of the Government’s plan for our transport network, and planned upgrades to State Highway 29 (SH29) near Tauriko will deliver strongly on those priorities, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “The SH29 upgrades near Tauriko will improve safety at the intersections ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Work begins on SH29 upgrades near Tauriko
    Unlocking economic growth and land for housing are critical elements of the Government’s plan for our transport network, and planned upgrades to State Highway 29 (SH29) near Tauriko will deliver strongly on those priorities, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “The SH29 upgrades near Tauriko will improve safety at the intersections ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Fresh produce price drop welcome
    Lower fruit and vegetable prices are welcome news for New Zealanders who have been doing it tough at the supermarket, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. Stats NZ reported today the price of fruit and vegetables has dropped 9.3 percent in the 12 months to February 2024.  “Lower fruit and vege ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago
  • Statement to the 68th United Nations Commission on the Status of Women
    Tēnā koutou katoa and greetings to you all.  Chair, I am honoured to address the sixty-eighth session of the Commission on the Status of Women. I acknowledge the many crises impacting the rights of women and girls. Heightened global tensions, war, climate related and humanitarian disasters, and price inflation all ...
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    Tēnā koutou katoa and greetings to you all.  Chair, I am honoured to address the 68th session of the Commission on the Status of Women. I acknowledge the many crises impacting the rights of women and girls. Heightened global tensions, war, climate related and humanitarian disasters, and price inflation all ...
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  • Speech to Auckland Business Chamber
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