A brilliant (if flawed) event – Key must resign

Written By: - Date published: 6:06 am, September 16th, 2014 - 71 comments
Categories: accountability, defence, election 2014, International, Spying - Tags: , , , ,

Last night Dotcom made a complete mess of his personal “big reveal”. He should have backed up the letter leaked earlier that day to The Herald. He didn’t, and that can only lead to increased doubts over its authenticity. That story will play out over time, of course, but it created a diversion on the night which distracted from the main message.

In other respects it was a brilliant event. All of the speakers had their strengths, but Snowden was particularly compelling, setting out his personal testimony – New Zealanders are under mass surveillance. Here’s how Key’s “story” with respect to such claims has evolved – from:

Greenwald has had access to leaked documents provided by whistleblower Edward Snowden, and he says he will release a report that would show the GCSB has been conducting mass surveillance on New Zealanders — a claim Mr Key strongly denies. “There’s no ambiguity. No middle ground. I’m right. He’s wrong,” Mr Key told reporters today.

to:

Mr Key said Cabinet signed off a proposal for the GCSB to investigate a business case for widespread cyber protection of New Zealand entities, but he personally stopped the work in March last year because he thought it was a step too far. “In the end, that never even got to a business case.”

to:

Mr Key today acknowledged the GCSB had indeed tapped into the cable, but for the purposes of a cybersecurity programme. However, Mr Key said concerns the project would be perceived as mass surveillance led to it being scaled back to a much narrower programme.

…to the pure distraction of the release of hastily declassified documents that relate to something else entirely (CORTEX).

The Greenwald / Snowden revelations (no need to repeat them, go read the originals here and here) relate not to CORTEX but to Speargun and XKEYSCORE, about which Key says – nothing:

”we don’t discuss the specific programmes the GCSB may, or may not use”

So from Key we have changing stories, irrelevant distractions and refusal to comment. From Snowden we have compelling first person testimony and supporting documents (uncontested by any other Five Eyes leader). New Zealand is under mass surveillance. “If you live in New Zealand you are being watched”. Changes to the GCSB legislation were part of a planned expansion of that process. Time for Key to make good on his promise:

Prime Minister John Key says he and the head of GCSB would resign if the spy agency were found to have conducted mass surveillance.


XKEYSCORE


See international coverage:
The Sydney Morning Herald: “Edward Snowden reveals tapping of major Australia-New Zealand undersea telecommunications cable”,
The Wall Street Journal: “Edward Snowden Accuses New Zealand Leader of Deception Over Surveillance”,
The Guardian: Kim Dotcom accuses New Zealand government of mass spying,
ABC News: Snowden: NSA Collects Mass Data on New Zealanders

71 comments on “A brilliant (if flawed) event – Key must resign ”

  1. Gruntie 1

    Audrey Young should be talking to Key about this today

    http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11111384

  2. deWithiel 2

    It’s highly unlikely Audrey Young be reporting on this today but she’ll definitely be pushing her ideological beliefs as she spins Key’s narrative while soothing his fevered brow. The Herald subbies will probably do what they did yesterday when they headlined his ‘chat’ with Hosking a ‘grilling’. New Zealand journalism, as embodied by the Herald, really is going from bad to worse in its pursuit of corporate hegemony.

    • Tracey 2.1

      Audrey claims Snowden is a hero. Does that mean she believes what he has said? If it does mean that, where is her story along the lines just explained by Anthony above.

      It IS that simple…

  3. Tigger 3

    Fuck, do your fucking job MSM!

    http://i.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/10501778/US-spy-base-in-NZ

    On X-Keyscore, Key said that although he did not comment on the programmes the GCSB used, the agency did “not collect mass metadata on New Zealanders, therefore it is clearly not contributing such data to anything or anyone”.

    Stop letting him slip through the net with carefully crafted spin.

    • Paul 3.1

      They’ll just be looking for their angle.

    • mickysavage 3.2

      It seems very simple. The Americans collect the data and the GCSB interrogates it through xKeyScore.

      Here is what Key said last night:

      “There is not, and never has been, a cable access surveillance programme operating in New Zealand.

      “There is not, and never has been, mass surveillance of New Zealanders undertaken by the GCSB.

      “Regarding XKEYSCORE, we don’t discuss the specific programmes the GCSB may, or may not use, but the GCSB does not collect mass metadata on New Zealanders, therefore it is clearly not contributing such data to anything or anyone”.

      As for the cable if it is accessed at the Hawaii end the what Key said is true.

      As for mass surveillance if the data is agglomerated by the NSA then it is the NSA and not the GCSB that engages in mass surveillance of us.

      Perhaps reporters should ask Key if any 5eyes intelligence agency collects mass metadata about kiwis. This is the only rational way to explain Key’s spin with what appears to be a clear reality.

      • Tracey 3.2.1

        Key’s documents show the following

        On 3 April 2012 an Option 1 and Option 2 (the later included Option one) were explored with Option 2 the preference. Option 1 would provide “an automated investigative capability” and an “effects” defence option” – not explained in the documents.

        Option one was at that time agreed for implementation …

        if automated investigative capability is X-KEYSCORE then we have been mass surveilled since 2012.

        He doesnt need to tell us about the programme details but he can tell us if X-KEYSCORE is the “automated investigative capability”…

      • Tom Jackson 3.2.2

        No. It’s collected as an alliance.

  4. Tracey 4

    a whooooooosh moment for many journalists and NZers

    “Internet Party leader Laila Harre tried to close down questions, saying a complaint had been made to Parliament’s Speaker and no comment should be made until after an inquiry.

    But it didn’t stop questions, leaving Dotcom trying to point the media to the issue of mass surveillance.

    “[The public] don’t care about my case tonight. They care about being subjected to this evil mass surveillance.”

    Finally, he appeared to lose his cool and angrily lectured the media: “You have an obligation after what you have learned tonight to take the information you have learned from Glenn Greenwald.

    “You have failed New Zealanders in the past — look at Dirty Politics,” he said, referring to the book about the alleged National Party attack politics campaign. “You need to wake up and do your jobs.

    “My case only affects me. It doesn’t matter tonight. That’s why we didn’t make a big deal out of it. You need to get your priorities right. We have focused on the much bigger lie, which is every single New Zealander subjected to mass surveillance.””

  5. Awww 5

    Resign you prick.

  6. Hanswurst 6

    My immediate reaction to the documents released by Key was the same. They look like an abject failure and a massive own goal for him; it looks like he tried to play a game of chicken on the release of documents and lost. There is one single, passing mention of “mass surveillance”, the context of which as a hypothetical in a discussion of targeted searching for malware makes it completely irrelevant to Greenwald’s argument.

    It seems impossible that Key expected Greenwald and Snowden to be referring to something else, since the announcements yesterday were pretty much in line with what Greenwald had already signposted, and yet it beggars belief that Key thought that his declassified documents were any kind of reply to Greenwald’s revelations. So Key claims that Greenwald will give us half a story… then ostentatiously fails to give us his purported other half. Where is Key’s promised evidence that there was a plan for mass surveillance that Key himself rejected on the grounds that it was too far-reaching? I mean, we all know that Key’s not exactly the sharpest knife in the drawer, but he has advisers to prevent him from doing stupid things. He now needs to be hammered on the questions of why those documents were classified in the first place and why he declassified them, especially given that they appear on the face of it to have no substantive pertinence to Greenwald’s revelations.

    New Zealand’s favourite performing monkey must not be allowed to swing, whoop and cartwheel his way out of this one.

    • Tracey 6.1

      It also beggars belief that Key wasn’t using GCSB to try and pre-empt what Snowden et al were going to throw (and I am not talking about declassifying those 3 documents)

    • Tom Jackson 6.2

      If Key is that stupid, then he needs to resign. Does he not read the papers, or have assistants who do? The Guardian has been running this story for over a year. To anyone who read that reporting, it was obvious what Snowden and Greenwald were going to report.

      • Hanswurst 6.2.1

        It does seem rather odd, doesn’t it? Greenwald flies in, basically tells everybody exactly what he’s going to reveal, which is nothing that should have surprised Key as minister responsible for the GCSB, and yet Key sees it as necessary to release documents that do precisely nothing to assuage anybody’s concerns. All that this hurried declassification of dubiously relevant documents does, in fact, is make Key look like a shifty bastard who has something to hide. There seems to be a pattern emerging here.

        • Tracey 6.2.1.1

          but isnt it being reported as though his documents have proved him right, so why would people bother to read them to find out it proves no such thing?

          • Hanswurst 6.2.1.1.1

            The journalistic silence on the content of Key’s documents has been predictably deafening, as far as I can see (being outside the country, I can only access online sources). It’s interesting to see the framing of such issues. Obviously, it would be poor form for a journalist to state or imply in their capacity as a reporter that Key’s documents are not what he claims. However, there is nothing to stop them from doing so in an opinion column. It’s enough of an open-and-shut case to warrant a headline along the lines of “Key Documents a Smokescreen”, and an opening statement like, “John Key stated that he would release documents that refuted Glen Greenwald’s conclusions that New Zealand’s intelligence services had been involved in mass spying on its populace. The documents, hurriedly declassified and released to the media yesterday, do no such thing.”

            Such a statement would be factual and supported by the documents as released. Key is a big boy, and always under cordial invitation to appear before any media he chooses. His right of reply and ability to exercise it are in the rudest if health. It should be incumbent on him to support the positive argument he is making. Until he has done so, his documents should be treated as misleading the public, whether intentional or not. Why are Greenwald and Snowden being held to a higher standard of proof than Key?

  7. Tracey 7

    So thrilled to someone else, if not the media picking up that CORTEX was only being talked about from December 2013.

    Those papers, from my (admittedly) quick reading do NOT state that mass surveillance had not happened before that time and would not happen.

    It appeared that CORTEX and its formation as a “business case” was authroised by PM in December 2013….

    On 3 April 2012 an Option 1 and Option 2 (the later included Option one) were explored with Option 2 the preference. Option 1 would provide “an automated investigative capability” and an “effects” defence option” – not explained in the documents.

    Option one was at that time agreed for implementation

    If “an automated investigative capability” refers to X-KEYSCORE then mass surveillance was implemented on NZers in 2012 or 2013?

    Also agreed for implementation was “directing NCPO to work with the GCSB and other agencies on any wider cyber security policy issues” related to Option 2

    Option 2 required a business case in 2013

    2 September 2013 Cabinet rescinded the decision for a developed business plan for Option 2.

    That suggests between January 2013 and September 2013 the GCSB was developing a business case for option 2 because they could not know the decision would later be rescinded?

    Wouldn’t it be cool if the PM had released the plan they had put together for option 2 as of that date. No security issues around it cos we werent going to use it, right?

    Oh and don’t you all feel reassured that both Collins and Banks were at the meeting to discuss and assess all this?

  8. Tracey 8

    He may end up having to resign but after the election and National will still be in power (if they win on saturday night) but with a different leader… The USA won’t care who that leader is.

  9. Tracey 9

    Can anyone explain to me how John Key’s documents have refuted this claim…

    “Snowden claimed that while working for the US NSA he “routinely” came across the communications of New Zealanders while working in the XKeyscore mass surveillance tool.

    “It allows total, granular access to the database of communications collected in the course of mass surveillance. It is not limited to or even used largely for the purposes of cybersecurity, as has been claimed, but is instead used primarily for reading individuals’ private email, text messages, and internet traffic,” he wrote.

    A network of sensors placed around the world would allow him to search on an email address. One of those sensors is in New Zealand .”

    Doesn’t it sound like it could fit this label

    ““an automated investigative capability” ” which was authorised for implementation in April 2012?

    “Snowden said X-Keyscore is collecting the communications of people in New Zealand and it is not related to foreign intelligence.

    Snowden said that within the Five Eyes intelligence network, New Zealand’s Government Communications Security Bureau (GCSB) contributes to the collection of communications.

    “There is not just metadata… and specifically the GCSB not only uses X-Keyscore, they have expanded it, they have contributed to its development.” “

    Did anyone at the meeting ask Snowden if he knew when NZ adopted X-KEYSCORE?

    • infused 9.1

      You do know xkeyscore was mentioned about 3yrs ago. It’s not new.

      And where is the evidence of the capture of data in NZ?

  10. Hanswurst 10

    Don’t know whether this has been noted already, but I also find it interesting that “CORTEX” bears more than a passing resemblance to “X-KEYSCORE“… almost enough to make one wonder whether it wasn’t somebody’s cute idea of a play on words. Not terribly significant, but curious nonetheless.

    • Tracey 10.1

      and then there is the defintion

      “:the furrowed outer layer of gray matter in the cerebrum of the brain, associated with the higher brain functions, as voluntary movement, coordination of sensory information, learning and memory, and the expression of individuality. “

    • Rich 10.2

      They’ve been doing this forever, Hanswurst, so yes you’re probably right. It’s oh so clever.

    • yeshe 10.3

      well spotted; it is a simple reduction. How much easier to verbalise Cortex than X-Keyscore. And, small point only, allow Key to continue to lie about it.

  11. sabine 11

    interesting report on global spying on internet activity and connectivity

    http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/snowden-documents-indicate-nsa-has-breached-deutsche-telekom-a-991503.html

    Quote: Treasure Map is anything but harmless entertainment. Rather, it is the mandate for a massive raid on the digital world. It aims to map the Internet, and not just the large traffic channels, such as telecommunications cables. It also seeks to identify the devices across which our data flows, so-called routers.
    Furthermore, every single end device that is connected to the Internet somewhere in the world — every smartphone, tablet and computer — is to be made visible. Such a map doesn’t just reveal one treasure. There are millions of them

    Quote: reasure Map allows for the creation of an “interactive map of the global Internet” in “near real-time,” the document notes. Employees of the so-called “FiveEyes” intelligence agencies from Great Britain, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, which cooperate closely with the American agency NSA, can install and use the program on their own computers. One can imagine it as a kind of Google Earth for global data traffic, a bird’s eye view of the planet’s digital arteries.

  12. infused 12

    Key won’t be going anywhere. Especially over such a stupid fucking side show.

  13. karol 13

    Excellent analysis from Keith Ng of the differences between CORTEX and SPEARGUN – the first sits with businesses and IPs; the latter sits on the major highways of our network.

    Agree with him on the email as well.

  14. Tigger 14

    Key will resign. In tears. They’ll be put on for the camera. But he’ll be crying. He’s lied. He’s caught. Time to go.

    • yeshe 14.1

      dear tigger, I like your poem very much. love piglet

    • Rosie 14.2

      Oh if only Tigger! I tend to agree with Tracey’s suggestion above at 8, Key to resign post election.

      The Hollywood version would be much better though.

      • Rosie 14.2.1

        PS, and until he does resign he’ll bluff, deflect and malign and carry on in a childish manner under the influence of a stinking gut rotting hangover, as the reality that the chickens of deceit have well and truly came back home to roost.

        How sad that NZer’s paid the price for his downfall, and what a price to pay, the loss of a basic human right, our privacy and the loss of decent public service orientated governance (ala Dirty Politics).

        Hope on the horizon though. The hope of a win for the Left on Saturday and a return to people centred policy, and hopefully a return to normality in a post Key era.

        And maybe another celebration – Independence for Scotland. We can dance a jig on the grave of this government.

  15. One Anonymous Bloke 15

    Herald readers favouring Dotcom over Key 321:147

    That the email looks like a fake is irrelevant at this point it seems – no-one likes being spied on.

  16. infused 16

    Ill come back to you tracey when im off my phone

  17. infused 17

    Lprent u need some way of inline commenting on thr mobile site

  18. Anne 18

    Lets be clear.

    New Zealanders – have – been – the – victims- of – spying – and – harassement – by – off shore – intelligence – agencies- for – many – years.

    How do I know? Because I was once such a victim. It dated back to spurious and absurd claims involving my late father and moved on to me after he died. Sure, it wasn’t mass surveillance in those days because they didn’t have the technology. But as one who has been on the receiving end, I can appreciate better than most that if they were doing it 20 to 40 years ago, then of course they are doing it now and on a far greater scale than in the past. It beggars belief that anyone would believe a malfeasant liar like john Key over a genius like Edward Snowden who has never been shown to be wrong. And it also beggars belief the GCSB is not implicated.

    This morning I heard Sir Bruce Ferguson venomously describe Edward Snowden as “a traitor”. As someone who has defended him on this site in the past, I am deeply disapppointed. It seems I gave him credit for being more intelligent and discerning, and not a brain-washed and gullible toady to US interests.

    • Rosie 18.1

      Thank you Anne. You’ll know first hand the motivations of a government such as ours and I should imagine feel the sting of it more than most, because it’s personal.

      I heard Bruce Ferguson describe Snowden as “not a credible source”. That was an outrageous thing to say given the evidence Snowden presented last night.

      • Anne 18.1.1

        Yes Rosie it does sting. Together with false claims made by a jealous former associate who was in contact with the perpetrators, they came perilously close to destroying my life.

        In this regard, I have sympathy for Kim Dotcom because I know what it feels like.

        • Tracey 18.1.1.1

          nothing to hide = nothing to fear is the oldest hoax in the world…

          and oh so many buy it and become complicit…

        • Rosie 18.1.1.2

          I’m very sorry to hear that Anne. It’s hard to imagine that despite your treatment you have probably, I’m guessing, remained invisible and unacknowledged for your troubles.

          I’ve had the privilege of spending some time in the company of a veteran activist who has been under the spotlight, quite unnecessarily I should add, of the “authorities” for decades. The stories I’ve heard have left me feeling cold, at the reach of the state into our lives and the personal affect of that.

          What is humbling is that person’s determination and courage to continue advocating and agitating.

          Much respect to you for enduring what you have and for getting through it.

    • Richard Christie 18.2

      Re Ferguson et all, they seem oblivious to fact that those who oppose popular movements against the over reach of the state, always end up on the wrong side of history. Always.

      • Anne 18.2.1

        … always end up on the wrong side of history. Always.

        Indeed always. Too many examples to list in NZ alone!

    • Chooky 18.3

      +100 Anne

  19. brian 19

    Still no weasel response from John Key to his Cortex being irrelevant to his X-KEYSCORE.

    Moment of Truth PLUS 16 hours and counting.
    Key’s “Score” is descending rapidly.

    .

    • Tracey 19.1

      has anyone actually asked him?

      • Rosie 19.1.1

        Thats what I’ve been wondering………

        • karol 19.1.1.1

          An Intercept journalist has asked a series of related questions:

          Why did you inform the public that the GCSB Act would not lead to an expansion of powers when at the same time you were planning the Speargun mass surveillance initiative?

          Why was phase one of the Speargun project completed if it was something that never made it past the “business case”?

          Why were New Zealanders not informed about the Cortex project until the government’s hand was forced by disclosures based on documents from Snowden?

          How much data is collected on a daily basis by GCSB under the Cortex project, and how does the agency ensure this data does not “incidentally” include the content or metadata of citizens’ communications?

          The Cortex documents refer to the use of technology that “has been in use for some time.” What technology is this?

          Is any information collected by GCSB under Cortex — or any other program that accesses internet data — shared with the NSA and/or other Five Eyes agencies through systems such as XKEYSCORE?

          Does GCSB have access to XKEYSCORE and, if so, for how long has this been the case?

          Does GCSB use its access to internet data streams — under initiatives like Cortex or similar — to launch active/offensive cyber operations that involve hacking computer systems to collect information?

          When will you declassify documents detailing the Speargun project and showing that it was not completed?

          • Rosie 19.1.1.1.1

            Thanks karol. Key wouldn’t answer those questions because they come from the “loser’s” website, and not one of his trustworthy “repeaters”, to borrow a phrase from Slater.( Ugh, shudder).

    • Rosie 19.2

      I reckon it’s that stinking hangover he’s got. He can’t get himself together this morning. Either that or he’s plotting his best BS response ever.

    • brian 19.3

      Moment of Truth PLUS 17 hours

      It appears that Key has been with his defence lawyer all morning and has been told:
      “Talk about anything else but your x-KEYscore”

    • Rosie 19.4

      And where are the questions for Peter Dunne? As Greenwald mentioned last night, and we all know, the GCSB Act passed by only two votes, one of them being Dunne’s.

      How much did Dunne know about Xkeyscore and Project Speargun? Was anything disclosed to him by Key during his discussions? Or did Key dupe him like he has the public?

      On 7th July last year Dunne responded to concerns I raised with him as one of his constituents, via email, about his intention on voting for the bill.

      This was his response:

      “My main concerns relate to ensuring proper protection of the privacy of communications by New Zealand citizens and residents and I am presently in discussion with the government about the best way of meeting these.

      My future position on this Bill will be determined by the outcome of these discussions.”

      We know what happened after that. He sold his vote on the condition that their would be an independent review of the GCSB and SIS in 2015 (among a number of other conditions)

      http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10901514,

      which Key later said wouldn’t go ahead.

      Mr Dunne, do you still have full confidence in John Key and do you believe NZer’s rights to “proper protection of the privacy of their communications” has been upheld?

  20. Dimpost has outlined a particular lie from key. I think this line of questioning will prove very fruitful.

    Also significant: the Prime Minister has changed his story about surveillance in New Zealand three times in the three days. On Saturday there was no mass surveillance and Key said of Greenwald’s allegations: ‘There’s no ambiguity. No middle ground. I’m right. He’s wrong.’ On Sunday he admitted that Cabinet signed off on a business case for the GCSB to investigate ‘mass protection’ of New Zealanders against ‘cyber-attacks’ but that Key cancelled that program outright. ‘It never got past the business case’. Then yesterday he told the New Zealand Herald that the GCSB had tapped the Southern Cross cable for ‘cyber-protection’ but that he had then scaled back the program.

    http://dimpost.wordpress.com/2014/09/16/the-smoking-speargun/

  21. philj 21

    xox
    I heard Sir Bruce Ferguson state at least three times in quick succession on Morning Report, that the leakers were ‘ traitors’. Sir F came across as a vindictive,venal stooge and its scary he was at helm of our security agency.

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    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    1 day ago
  • Labour’s final report card
    David Farrar writes –  We now have almost all 2023 data in, which has allowed me to update my annual table of how  went against its promises. This is basically their final report card. The promise The result Build 100,000 affordable homes over 10 ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    1 day ago
  • “Drunk Uncle at a Wedding”
    I’m a bit worried that I’ve started a previous newsletter with the words “just when you think they couldn’t get any worse…” Seems lately that I could begin pretty much every issue with that opening. Such is the nature of our coalition government that they seem to be outdoing each ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    1 day ago
  • Wang Yi’s perfectly-timed, Aukus-themed visit to New Zealand
    Geoffrey Miller writes – 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. ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    1 day ago
  • Gordon Campbell on Dune 2, and images of Islam
    Depictions of Islam in Western popular culture have rarely been positive, even before 9/11. Five years on from the mosque shootings, this is one of the cultural headwinds that the Muslim community has to battle against. Whatever messages of tolerance and inclusion are offered in daylight, much of our culture ...
    1 day ago
  • New Rail Operations Centre Promises Better Train Services
    Last week Transport Minster Simeon Brown and Mayor Wayne Brown opened the new Auckland Rail Operations Centre. The new train control centre will see teams from KiwiRail, Auckland Transport and Auckland One Rail working more closely together to improve train services across the city. The Auckland Rail Operations Centre in ...
    1 day ago
  • Bernard's six newsy things at 6.36am on Monday, March 18
    Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Retiring former Labour Finance Minister Grant Robertson said in an exit interview with Q+A yesterday the Government can and should sustain more debt to invest in infrastructure for future generations. Elsewhere in the news in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy at 6:36am: Read more ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 day 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
    2 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
    3 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
    3 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
    3 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
    3 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
    4 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
    4 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
    4 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
    4 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
    4 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
    4 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
    4 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
    4 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
    5 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
    5 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
    5 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
    5 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
    5 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 ...
    5 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
    5 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
    5 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 ...
    5 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
    5 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
  • There’s a name for this
    Every year, in the Budget, Parliament forks out money to government agencies to do certain things. And every year, as part of the annual review cycle, those agencies are meant to report on whether they have done the things Parliament gave them that money for. Agencies which consistently fail to ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    6 days ago
  • Echoes of 1968 in 2024?  Pocock on the repetitive problems of the New Left
    Mike Grimshaw writes – Recent events in American universities point to an underlying crisis of coherent thinking, an issue that increasingly affects the progressive left across the Western world. This of course is nothing new as anyone who can either remember or has read of the late ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days 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
    6 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
    8 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
    9 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
    22 hours 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
    4 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
    4 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
    4 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
    4 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
    5 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
    5 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
    5 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
    5 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
    5 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
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