Dumbest journo award goes to Armstrong

Written By: - Date published: 9:00 pm, March 7th, 2012 - 55 comments
Categories: Media, privatisation - Tags:

Yesterday Shearer asked Key: “Is it correct that under the current provisions of the bill half a dozen foreign investors could legally purchase all the listed shares?”.

Key answered “No, because the limit is 10 percent, 6 times 10 is 60, and the Government is keeping 51 percent.”

Armstrong thinks that Key slammed Shearer writing “It was the equivalent of the maths teacher handing a pupil the dunce’s hat and telling him to go and stand in the corner.”

But of course 6 can buy 49% when there’s a 10% cap. Key lied.

If you’re as thick as Armstrong, I’ll spell it out to you by analogy.

6 people can lift up to 10kgs each. Another person has 100kg of flour and is letting people take 49 kgs. Can the 6 people, between them take 49kgs? Of course they can. They can take up to 10kgs, they don’t have to take 10kgs each. Of the myriad permutations, how about: 5 take 8kgs and one takes 9 =49kgs?  To be more precise, they could take 8.16kgs each on average and none would have to over 10kg. In fact, you can do it with 5 – 4 take 10kgs and one takes 9kgs, or 9.8kgs each.

Get it now, John?

So, Key lied to Parliament when he said that 6 people couldn’t buy all the shares between them. Either he is a complete moron himself and not the numbers genius we’re led to think or, more likely because only a complete fucken idiot like Armstrong would think what Key said was correct, Key knowingly misled the House. I expect the breach of privilege is already under way.

So what are we left with?

A situation where:

  • 6, of 5 for that matter, individuals (which could all be subsidiary companies) can buy all the shares in our assets;
  • the PM is a lair or a moron and;
  • the Herald’s political editor can’t even recognise a breach of privilege in front of him and, apparently no-one else at the Herald picks it up either.

What a goddam embarrassment.

55 comments on “Dumbest journo award goes to Armstrong ”

  1. There’s something I don’t get in the following:

    Shearer was the first to cop it. He asked Key if it was correct that under the provisions of just-introduced legislation covering the part-sale of state-owned enterprises like Genesis Energy, “half a dozen foreign investors” could legally purchase all the listed shares.
    “No,” Key replied firmly before adding that no-one would be able to hold more than 10 per cent, that six times 10 was 60, and the Government was retaining 51 per cent.
    It was the equivalent of the maths teacher handing a pupil the dunce’s hat and telling him to go and stand in the corner.

    Perhaps I don’t understand what ‘listed shares’ refers to but my sense is that the lesson in arithmetic (and logic) needs to be given to John Armstrong and John Key, not David Shearer.

    If 49% of the shares are sold (i.e., publicly listed) and there is a maximum cap of 10% then, how about six shareholders buying 8.166% of the shares, five buying 9% and one 4%, five buying 8% and one buying 9%, etc., etc., etc.?

    If the government’s 51% is going to be ‘publicly listed’ then, surely, it could be traded – but I thought that was out of the question (and legislation).

    If it isn’t out of the question – and the 51% of shares the government holds will be publicly listed – then the partial privatisation is worse than expected. That is, the government would be able to sell its shares whenever it wanted to without altering the legislation.

    If the legislation does prevent the government selling its shares, then how are the shares being ‘listed’?

    • Colonial Viper 1.1

      Yeah its all ***facedesking*** material here. I can feel myself getting dumber just associating with these people.

    • Blue 1.2

      Give John Armstrong a break. He doesn’t know or care anything for numbers or complex financial stuff. He just loves to snigger like a schoolboy when his idol scores a ‘point’ in Parliament.

      He couldn’t even restrain himself until tomorrow to tell the world how fabulous John Key’s ‘performance’ was. He had to rush out an article this very afternoon to share the news!

      John Key – 1 smartarse point
      John Armstrong – 1 dumbarse point

      • Zetetic 1.2.1

        Well, this is the weird thing, Blue. The exchanges happened the previous question time.

        In this question time, Key was embarrassed by the revelation that Mfat staff have been advised by the contractors handling their redundancies to cope with stress by ‘getting a pet or praying’ – http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/6538752/Get-a-pet-Ministry-spends-340-000-for-contractors

        Armstrong chose not to cover that in his piece immediately after and went back instead to something that happened the day before. Which he didn’t understand.

        A remarkable contortionist feat.

        The only question is whether he did it because he was pissed Labour had given Stuff the cat story to be released simultaneously with question time, or because he’s just a hopeless Key-lover.

        • David H 1.2.1.1

          Just watching Parliament Yeah it’s late/early, and in the 2nd question Chris Hipkis is going well on a supplementary. But there’s the so called PM just bloody laying back texting or playing a game on his Cell phone! Question 2 4.44 in I mean can he be any more disrespectful to the house and other members? Maybe he’s playing Angry Birds to get the next round of figures he needs for his spin, NZ run by a High Score.

    • PoliticallyCorrected 1.3

      Puddlegum this government has a proven track record of using the sales theory of it’s easier to ask for forgiveness than permission so for me you’ve raised a point I’ve been cautious about ever since Key first announced National’s intentions of pursuing mixed ownership model for these companies back in January 2011.

      Very early on in this interview on Campbell Live he says,

      “then the government, through ‘Mum & Dad’ would own 51%”

      State asset sales – Key explains why – Video : http://tinyurl.com/72rnymw

      The context of the discussion at the time allowed for ‘Mum & Dad’ to be used in his response, still it struck me as an odd thing or slip (?) to say. Does National have intentions for ‘Mum & Dads’ to be included in the government’s 51% and if yes why are we not been told?

    • Rosemary 1.4

      Maybe it’s me who needs some sort of lesson, Puddlegum, but I think you have simply restated the precise point of Zetetic’s post.

      • Puddleglum 1.4.1

        I actually posted it in Open Mike about half an hour before this post went up.

        The comment got moved over. Same with CV’s comment that follows mine. I haven’t got any problem with that – it fits here.

        • Rosemary 1.4.1.1

          Okay, that makes sense. Looked a response to Zetetic’s post but obviously it wasn’t.

  2. Reagan Cline 2

    Whoever owns the shares, the company will still be selling the power and we will be paying for it The company will have to charge realistically because there are competitors and we could decide to “power down”, the shareholders will be paying tax back to us and will be carrying the burden of ownership, we will still be collecting the GST. Will the company be worth a whole lot more in 20 years ? How sustainable are those dividends really, compared to the dividend from using the cash in other ways.

    • Zetetic 2.1

      sigh.

      1) Private owners have a higher cost of capital than the Crown, which borrows at sovereign rates (4%) compared to 8% for a corporation.

      So, the Crown can make a profit off owning companies returning 6% (the figure used in the Budget Policy Statement), while a private investor can’t. Even mum and dad are better off paying down the mortgage than taking a 6% before tax return.

      The CEO of Contact, just yesterday, said that corporate investors shouldn’t put their money in power companies unless prices and profits go up.

      2) Currently, the two highest charging power companies are Contact and Trust power. Meridian is the lowest. Partial privatisation will mean the SOEs all move up, allowing the private cos to move up too. The boards will be legally obliged to increase prices if it increases profits. And what are we meant to do when everyone puts their prices up ‘power down’? Shit, do you realise that the major electricity users are our manufacturers? You’re basically saying ‘shrink the economy’. Is that the outcome from privatisation you want? A smaller economy with fewer jobs?

      3) The Budget Policy Statement by the government says that the deficit will be $100m a year larger after the assets are sold. That’s right, selling these profitable assets will leave the government $100m a year worse off. Is that a price to pay for being ‘relieved’ of half the ‘burden of ownership’. When has it ever been ‘burdensome’ to own these companies anyway?

      4) You think that these dividends are unsustainable? What, we’re all going to stop using electricity? If that happens, it be because we have bigger issues than partial asset sales.

      And, no, we’re not all going to be off the gird making our own energy – Meridian’s dams have basically no capital cost and little operating cost, they can always out-price the cost of you getting your own solar panels and wind turbines. In fact, we’re going to end up using more electricity as transport belatedly switches from liquid fuels.

      And, like I said at the start, the return on these assets is greater than the Crown’s cost of borrowing, so the opportunity cost of holding these assets is holding less debt, and that would be a worse alternative.

      • shreddakj 2.1.1

        Everything you said in this comment, over and over. This should be compulsory reading for anyone who is pro-infrastructure sales…

      • David H 2.1.2

        “You’re basically saying ‘shrink the economy’ Is that the outcome from privatisation you want? A smaller economy with fewer jobs?”

        To the NACTS thats heaven.and a well run economy. To the rest of us, well it means ever increasing prices, and decreasing wages, and all the profit goes off shore. To say nothing of the little announce fact that the minority shareholders can take the majority shareholder to court or something . and accuse them of not ‘making proper moves to maximise profits’. Maybe someone else can elaborate, I just know that this 51% bullshit from Keys lips, is NOT the full story, and he KNOWS what can happen, hell he has probably forced it as a rapacious banker.

      • thatguynz 2.1.3

        +1

      • Simon Poole 2.1.4

        Have you considered submitting editorials, Zetetic? Posts like this need as much airing as possible.

        You don’t even need to resort to an ideological argument over asset sales – economic facts make their sale untenable. This isn’t about left v. right, this is about the fact that it doesn’t make financial sense to sell the assets.

        Of course, some people don’t care about financial sense or simply don’t understand the issue. None so blind as those unwilling to see etc.

  3. queenstfarmer 3

    Zet, I haven’t seen the draft legislation, but are you sure it isn’t the case that 100% of the shares will be listed, with the Govt retaining 51% and private investors able to buy 49%?? That is the way it usually works.

    In which case Key’s answer is completely accurate.

    • Zetetic 3.1

      it doesn’t actually talk about listing at all. It says the Crown must hold at least 51% of voting rights and others may hold no more than 10% each.

      • queenstfarmer 3.1.1

        Then in the absence of something in the legislation, the company will be regarded as listed, with 49% of the shares floated (not a legal term, but obviously meaning “for sale”). So Key’s statement is technically right.

        To force the desired answer from Key, Shearer’s question could have been: “Is it correct that under the current provisions of the bill half a dozen foreign investors could legally purchase all the offered shares?”

        To which the answer would be technically yes, but highly unlikely for the same reason that no NZX-listed companies have only 6 shareholders, instead typically having many thousands.

        Plus I can guarantee that I will be a shareholder, so in reality the answer to Shearer’s question would still be no 🙂

        • Colonial Viper 3.1.1.1

          Plus I can guarantee that I will be a shareholder, so in reality the answer to Shearer’s question would still be no

          Shame to lose your shares back to the Government with no compensation.

        • thatguynz 3.1.1.2

          “Plus I can guarantee that I will be a shareholder, so in reality the answer to Shearer’s question would still be no”


          Are you sure that you can guarantee that QSF?  Have you been assured that there will be no preferential institutional placements and that those placements won’t be fully subscribed? 
           
          Don’t be so quick to believe that the availability to “Mum & Dad investors” is a guaranteed outcome.

          • queenstfarmer 3.1.1.2.1

            Yes I do guarantee it. I expect there will be institutional placements and quite possibly oversubscription. That is a sign of a healthy IPO.

            • thatguynz 3.1.1.2.1.1

              I think you missed my point QSF (Unless you are an institutional insider in which case I apologise)..
               
              If the full allotment of available shares is made to institutional placements and it is fully subscribed (or over-subscribed) how do you propose that you are going to get any shares at a personal level? (Again – assuming you would categorise yourself as a “Mum & Dad” investor.)
               

              • queenstfarmer

                Easily. The same way I get all my shares. Buy them on-market. How else do you propose one does it?

                • thatguynz

                  Again, you missed my point.  My point is that with preferential institutional placements there is no guarantee that the shares will hit the open market.  Ergo, there will be none available for you to buy.  It is wholly contingent on whether the institutional placements are in turn back-stopped by hedge funds and the like who may be taking a buy and hold approach.
                   
                  As I said – you don’t have a guarantee irrespective of what John and Bill have been telling you.

                  • queenstfarmer

                    Are you suggesting that liquidity will suddenly grind to halt on the NZX, and large holders will no longer be willing to make trades at any price?

                    If that is your prediction, go ahead and make it.

                    My guarantee stands. I suspect you know how this will turn out.

    • Policy Parrot 3.2

      There are three main problems with the mixed ownership model privatisation the government is proposing. Some are already well documented, and others aren’t so.

      1. Stakeholder interest lessened – State Owned Enterprises are effectively private companies operating under the aegis of the state. As such, they can be directed to operate in manner more reflective of stakeholder theory, the additional stakeholders being (in the case of the electricity companies) customers (power consumers), environmental and cultural groups (i.e. Fish and Game, iwi). Partial privatization no doubt means that there will be a greater focus on profit, at the expense of other stakeholders.

      2. Loss of effective control – Under the MOM, the government is placed in a dilemma. In addition to being a part-owner (majority is irrelevant), it is also a regulator. This situation puts the government in a position where it has serious potential for conflict of interest. Thus, private investors will be likely be cold on investing unless sufficient guarantees can be offered that the government will not unduly interfere in the operation of the company. One likely concession is a board of directors that is either weighted in favour of private investors, or even in the event of a split or state dominated board, the government may instruct its directors to remain largely silent in setting strategic direction and policy, for example, pursuing profit maximisation. In addition, there will no longer be ministerial responsibility for the company, e.g. no Minister of Air NZ?, when there is a Minister for say, ACC.

      3. Loss of dividend stream/Catch 22. Profits made by the company, will under the MOM model be partially portioned out to private investors, instead being wholly returned to the government. If the government can convince private investors that ownership of these companies is such a good idea, why is it so keen to flog them off? Surely either one of two scenarios will result from a float:
      a) Capital returns increase, and the government therefore is worse off than it would have otherwise been (opportunity cost), a huge possibility if the SOEs are undervalued or sold at/near the bottom of the market, or
      b) Capital returns decline, and private investors are worse off, the mum and dad investors that the government has touted the sharemarket to as good place to invest lose money.
      They can’t have it both ways.

      In summation, a poor decision from an economic standpoint.

      • Colonial Viper 3.2.1

        In summation, a poor decision from an economic standpoint.

        Of course, you’re talking about the standpoint of the nation. John Key is talking about the standpoint of himself, his banker mates, and the top 0.1%.

      • Pascal's bookie 3.2.2

        Good poonts PP.

        Another aspect I haven’t seen get any coverage at all is the fact that we are going to have these behemoths listed on the nzx, competing for investors, with an implict govt backing against co. failure.

        I can remember when that sort of thing was considered to be a very damaging lunacy that distorted market outcomes and what not.

        I haven’t heard a peep from any of the people that used to warn against it however, so I guess it was all just a load of shit, but I would like to hear an explanation of why it was a load of shit, and why it’s all kosher now.

    • Blighty 3.3

      They could hold the Crown’s shares as a different class, unlisted.

      All the references I see in google talk about listing or floating 49%.

      It would be dancing on the head of a pin to argue Key was saying that all the shares will be listed, including those held by the govt, when the question is clearly about those to be sold.

      • Blighty 3.3.1

        In fact, the Crown’s 51% is legally a substantially different type of ownership than the 49% – it can’t be sold.

        Like the Kiwishare in Air NZ, I would think the 51% would be treated as a different, unlisted class.

        • KJT 3.3.1.1

          Until the Government wants to cut taxes to their mates even more as the inevitable deficit from their policies gets larger. Then it will be “deja vu all over again”. TINA.

        • alwyn 3.3.1.2

          Technically the Kiwi Share in Air New Zealand can be disposed of at any time.
          The Kiwi Shareholder can instruct the company to convert it to an ordinary share and then that share can be sold immediately. Once it becomes an ordinary share it cannot be changed back.
          See section 3.5 of the Air New Zealand constitution.

  4. Ed 4

    It does seem to be wordplay. It would not surprise me if the stock exchange regarded all the shares as being listed – there are plenty of companies where a majority owner is extremely unlikely to sell; having all the shares ‘listed’ would make it easier to work out percentage holdings.

    Shearer clearly meant ‘of the available listed shares’, or ‘of the listed shares available for sale’, but in the context of parliament should perhaps have been more precise.

  5. Draco T Bastard 5

    So, Key lied to Parliament when he said that 6 people couldn’t buy all the shares between them.

    Key’s reply was a well crafted misdirection implying that the question was about the full ownership rather than the 49% that would be listed as public shares. Armstrong, being the NAct brown-noser that he is, is reinforcing that message.

    • Colonial Viper 5.1

      Armstrong is past his use-by date, he just hasn’t stopped twitching on the keyboard yet.

      • Hami Shearlie 5.1.1

        When I see Armstrong’s photo I’m always reminded of Victor Meldrew!!!

    • Ed 5.2

      I don’t think there was anything ‘well crafted’ about Key’s response. It was instinctive and relates directly back to his view of all assets as being ‘available for sale’ in the Right circumstances. If Shearer had referred to the shares being sold that would have been different – in theory 5 shareholders could hold that portion of the company. Once the company is set up, it is only one same change of legislation to enable more to be sold; Trader John won’t want to exclude that possibility. The article by Armstrong reflects the media bias towards entertaining trivia rather than reporting substance.

  6. tc 6

    Armstrongs pieces are classic examples of the sycophantic approach the MSM has to key, they couldn’t look past the BS if they tried as they are biased shills, osullivan is another blatant Nat apologist.

    Journalism doesn’t exist in granny just opinion and spin that suits its masters.

  7. Spammer 7

    Just from reading the article and not doing any research i would presume that John Key was referring to a maximum buy of 10% of the shares on offer. Which is 4.9% of the total shares in the company. Not sure if this is correct but i don’t think Key would screw up such a simple question like that.

    • I don’t think you are correct (but it was worth suggesting).

      Key mentions “6 times 10 is 60” which only makes sense if Key himself thinks that ‘10%’ is relative to the 100% of shares of which the government will retain 51%.

      Also, that interpretation would suggest that the 51% he refers to as the government’s ‘kept’ share must be 51% of the 49% being ‘offered’, which would mean that the government was, in effect, retaining something around 75% of the overall shares in the entities (the 51% not being ‘offered’ and 51% of those shares that are on offer). (And, incidentally, that would mean that 6 foreign investors could still buy the 49% of 49%, in toto – even with a ‘cap’ of 4.9%.)

      But I don’t think this is what Treasury based their estimates on – and no-one thinks that is the plan.

      Key has either made an elementary arithmetical error (when he had time to make a simple calculation) or he was being (or thought he was being) a clever dick in trying to bamboozle people with nonsensical numerology.

      If the latter, then this may be the secret to his financial success. In that case, I’m sure we’re all glad that our world so handsomely rewards such unproductive, adolescent clever-dickery.

    • Blighty 7.2

      No, 10% is 10% of the whole company. read the bill on legislation.govt.nz

  8. framu 8

    and the comments there just came on line – armstrong is getting a real hammering on his maths skills

  9. tsmithfield 9

    Zetetic “So, Key lied to Parliament when he said that 6 people couldn’t buy all the shares between them…..”

    If it is true that all the shares are to be listed but only 49% offered to the public, then Key has not lied to parliament at all, and the above comment should be withdrawn and an apology issued both to Key and to Armstrong.

    Sure, Key may have been able to assume what Shearer was getting at. However, his job when answering questions is to answer the question as it is put accurately, and not make assumptions about what the questioner might mean. If it is true that all shares are to be listed, then Key would have technically lied in answering the question if he had answered it according to what he might have assumed Shearer had meant. It is the job of the questioner to ask the question in a way that extracts the information desired.

    This shows to me that Shearer simply is not up to the job at the moment. Larry Williams made absolute mincemeat of him on Newstalk ZB last night. Must have been quite embarrassing for Labour.

  10. Kevin 10

    Through the process of mergers and acquisitions 10% investors can consolidate their ownership into one, or alternatively through partial acquisitions increase their holdings to a majority. This will happen.
    Also the mums and dads investors Mr Key often refers to won’t in fact be individuals, they will be shareholders or stakeholders in institutional investment vehicles such as KiwiSaver and Iwi organisations but not as individuals. There may be sub 1% share clubs that may play on the fringes for fun.

  11. Fortran 11

    Why do I feel that Shearer is business naive and is capable of being bamboozled in such matters.

    Would it not have been better for say Cunliffe to raise this. He has been a merchant banker so has some clear iunderstanding of how business works.

  12. Reagan Cline 12

    Zetetic, your analysis is pursuasive, so why is our Government so set on the sale ?

    The picture you paint seems incomplete. Perhaps the policy is supported more by faith than by reasoned argument. In which case a reasoned response might not be persuasive.

    How about moving from an economy based on cheap energy courtesy of Government ownership, in concert with ruthless primary production, the externals never properly costed, to a more knowledge based economy ?

    A comparative analysis of the energy consumption rates of various manufacturing sectors will show differences. Why not try to encourage industries with lower energy and environmental costs and greater input of human cleverness and skills ?

    How can 4.4 miilion people afford to pay for the education and training this might require ?

    How about collecting the cash value of the externals not accounted for by farming, forestry, horticultural and fishing businesses and using it to pay for an education system that will enable a more knowledge based economy. One reason our Government gives for the asset sales is to put more cash into education infrastructure. Would the profits from primary production be too damaged if they payed for the environmental effects ? Is that a reason for raising cash by other means, like selling state assets ?

    We live off the inherited capital of our climate, lands and seas (and of course the largely imported know-how to expoit them). How about creating more human capital assisted by the appropriate government policies, rather than relying so much an accidents of nature. Who would form such a government and devise such policies ?

    • Kotahi Tane Huna 12.1

      The picture you paint seems incomplete: it’s the drivel.

    • Policy Parrot 12.2

      There are a good many other ways in way the same results can be achieved without partial privatisation, the fact that you linked your plausible commendable outcome to such an irrational process demonstrates how the public at large can be persuaded under TINA.

  13. Reagan Cline 13

    Policy Parrot how can my “plausible commendable outcomes” be achieved without partial privatisations and who would form a government to achieve them ?

    • Policy Parrot 13.1

      On the one hand, you talk about the problems we face because our economy is “based on cheap energy courtesy of Government ownership, in concert with ruthless primary production, the externals never properly costed, and yet you go on to ponder “would profits from primary production be too damaged if they paid for the environmental effects?”

      How are we supposed to move towards a “knowledge-based, high-skilled, low energy economy” if those who are most directly involved the production of the negative externalities are not directly disincentivised, so that private investment considers the “knowledge-based, high-skilled, low energy economy” relatively more attractive? Ultimately, we will not achieve the desired economy if the private sector does not sufficiently believe in it – that means they, in addition to the state, have to invest in it.

      Partial asset sales are an irrelevance because the government already possesses the power to simply hike the power dividend from its energy companies. It does not need to privatise them simply so they charge in a manner that reflects the true costs of their power generation. In addition, the dividend stream foregone by the sale would easily cover the portion of the projected proceeds allocated to education within 4 or 5 years.

      Your second question is more difficult to answer. There are many sweetheart deals (e.g. Tiwai Point) and sacred cows (pun intended) that would have to sacrificed in order to shift investment into categories that fit with the vision you have outlined.

  14. Reagan Cline 14

    Helloo again KTH, SO IT’S THE DRIVEL THAT’S MISSING ? Can you be more specific ?

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  • Bernard's Top 10 @ 10 'pick 'n' mix' at 10:10am on Tuesday, March 19
    TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: Gavin Jacobson talks to Thomas Piketty 10 years on from Capital in the 21st Century The SalvoLocal scoop: Green MP’s business being investigated over migrant exploitation claims Stuff Steve KilgallonLocal deep-dive: The commercial contractors making money from School ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    12 hours ago
  • Bernard's six newsy things on Tuesday, March 19
    It’s a home - but Kāinga Ora tenants accused of “abusing the privilege” may lose it. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The Government announced a crackdown on Kāinga Ora tenants who were unruly and/or behind on their rent, with Housing Minister Chris Bishop saying a place in a state ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    13 hours ago
  • New Life for Light Rail
    This is a guest post by Connor Sharp of Surface Light Rail  Light rail in Auckland: A way forward sooner than you think With the coup de grâce of Auckland Light Rail (ALR) earlier this year, and the shift of the government’s priorities to roads, roads, and more roads, it ...
    Greater AucklandBy Guest Post
    14 hours ago
  • Why Are Bosses Nearly All Buffoons?
    Note: As a paid-up Webworm member, I’ve recorded this Webworm as a mini-podcast for you as well. Some of you said you liked this option - so I aim to provide it when I get a chance to record! Read more ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    16 hours ago
  • Bernard’s six-stack of substacks at 6.06 pm on March 18
    TL;DR: In my ‘six-stack’ of substacks at 6.06pm on Monday, March 18:IKEA is accused of planting big forests in New Zealand to green-wash; REDD-MonitorA City for People takes a well-deserved victory lap over Wellington’s pro-YIMBY District Plan votes; A City for PeopleSteven Anastasiou takes a close look at the sticky ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 day ago
  • Peters holds his ground on co-governance, but Willis wriggles on those tax cuts and SNA suspension l...
    Buzz from the Beehive Here’s hoping for a lively post-cabinet press conference when the PM and – perhaps – some of his ministers tell us what was discussed at their meeting today. Until then, Point of Order has precious little Beehive news to report after its latest monitoring of the ...
    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 ...
    2 days 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
    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
    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
    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
    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
    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
    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
    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
    5 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
    9 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
    11 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
    12 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
    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
    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
    6 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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Speech to the 68th United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (CSW68)
    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Government backs rural led catchment projects
    The coalition Government is supporting farmers to enhance land management practices by investing $3.3 million in locally led catchment groups, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay announced. “Farmers and growers deliver significant prosperity for New Zealand and it’s vital their ongoing efforts to improve land management practices and water quality are supported,” ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Speech to Auckland Business Chamber
    Good evening everyone and thank you for that lovely introduction.   Thank you also to the Honourable Simon Bridges for the invitation to address your members. Since being sworn in, this coalition Government has hit the ground running with our 100-day plan, delivering the changes that New Zealanders expect of us. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Commission’s advice on ETS settings tabled
    Recommendations from the Climate Change Commission for New Zealand on the Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) auction and unit limit settings for the next five years have been tabled in Parliament, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. “The Commission provides advice on the ETS annually. This is the third time the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Government lowering building costs
    The coalition Government is beginning its fight to lower building costs and reduce red tape by exempting minor building work from paying the building levy, says Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk. “Currently, any building project worth $20,444 including GST or more is subject to the building levy which is ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Trustee tax change welcomed
    Proposed changes to tax legislation to prevent the over-taxation of low-earning trusts are welcome, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The changes have been recommended by Parliament’s Finance and Expenditure Committee following consideration of submissions on the Taxation (Annual Rates for 2023–24, Multinational Tax, and Remedial Matters) Bill. “One of the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Minister’s Ramadan message
    Assalaamu alaikum. السَّلَام عليكم In light of the holy month of Ramadan, I want to extend my warmest wishes to our Muslim community in New Zealand. Ramadan is a time for spiritual reflection, renewed devotion, perseverance, generosity, and forgiveness.  It’s a time to strengthen our bonds and appreciate the diversity ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Minister appoints new NZTA Chair
    Former Transport Minister and CEO of the Auckland Business Chamber Hon Simon Bridges has been appointed as the new Board Chair of the New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA) for a three-year term, Transport Minister Simeon Brown announced today. “Simon brings extensive experience and knowledge in transport policy and governance to the role. He will ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Speech to Life Sciences Summit
    Good morning all, it is a pleasure to be here as Minister of Science, Innovation and Technology.  It is fantastic to see how connected and collaborative the life science and biotechnology industry is here in New Zealand. I would like to thank BioTechNZ and NZTech for the invitation to address ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Progress continues apace on water storage
    Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says he is looking forward to the day when three key water projects in Northland are up and running, unlocking the full potential of land in the region. Mr Jones attended a community event at the site of the Otawere reservoir near Kerikeri on Friday. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Government agrees to restore interest deductions
    Associate Finance Minister David Seymour has today announced that the Government has agreed to restore deductibility for mortgage interest on residential investment properties. “Help is on the way for landlords and renters alike. The Government’s restoration of interest deductibility will ease pressure on rents and simplify the tax code,” says ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Minister to attend World Anti-Doping Agency Symposium
    Sport and Recreation Minister Chris Bishop will travel to Switzerland today to attend an Executive Committee meeting and Symposium of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA). Mr Bishop will then travel on to London where he will attend a series of meetings in his capacity as Infrastructure Minister. “New Zealanders believe ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

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