Asset sales could be delayed a year or more

Written By: - Date published: 8:35 am, August 7th, 2012 - 52 comments
Categories: privatisation, treaty settlements - Tags:

Unusual and inappropriate” – that’s how the Waitangi Tribunal has described National’s ‘report by August 24th or we’ll ignore you’ ultimatum. Imagine if you or I were party to a court case and tried that! Now, the Tribunal is going to deliver a truncated report before that deadline and the full one in September. This is going to the courts. Injunctions will delay the sale.

National has handled this terribly. In an effort to win back some rednecks by looking tough on Maori, it has acted with appalling bad faith towards the treaty partners and disrespect for the Tribunal. That will all add to the case for injunctions.

The Nats could have settled this at any time. Instead, they have kept on going with their politics of division. And ho that has backfired. By trying to portray the Maori Council as not representative of Maori – another play to the redneck audience, they forced Maori into a single united front.

Now, Key’s strategy just seems to be praying that something will show up. Not only is he going to miss the October/November sale window, I reckon he’ll miss the April/May one as well. Have you ever heard of an issue of this complexity, which will go to the Supreme Court, being settled within six months? And, by then, we’ll be looking at the October/November 2013 window – the same time as the referendum is likely to be held. There might even be injunctions to prevent a sale pre-empting that too.

Key’s whinging now. He says that a delay would cost “a lot of money” in extra interest costs if he has to borrow instead of having the sales revenue. Key needs to go and read his government’s Budget. It shows that the extra interest cost from more government debt is more than offset by the profits that the Government gets to keep by not selling its shares.

52 comments on “Asset sales could be delayed a year or more ”

  1. Kotahi Tāne Huna 1

    Four years of planning, all those bribes will have been spent by now. The National Party’s clients will be disappointed.

    Anyone still harbouring illusions that the Christchurch rebuild will be anything but an incompetent mess, take note.

  2. millsy 2

    Awesome if it would be, but the bad news is that we will have to pay iwi elites through the nose for a dip at the local swimming hole 🙁

    • shorts 2.1

      rather them iwi elites than a foreign corporation eh millsy…

      or your point is rubbish… take ya pick

      • millsy 2.1.1

        Water should be owned by the Crown for the benefit of all New Zealanders. Plain and simple. Big Iwi and Big Business can get fucked.

        • Kotahi Tāne Huna 2.1.1.1

          The Crown disagrees.

          • TT 2.1.1.1.1

            and Iwi disagree. Water is a taonga and as such belongs to Maori. The crowns pathetic attempts to placate with koha should be firmly rebuffed.

            • vto 2.1.1.1.1.1

              Well TT, if that is the case that maori own water then it isn’t a sustainable long-lasting position. Like much thrown up by the Treaty the result does not serve New Zealand even moderately well in the long term. Quite why the parties expected such a hastily drawn document to stand the test of time I do not know. The treaty needs re-writing, while still keeping the same similar content. I know even thinking this makes me a racist but if that is the case then that is the case.

              • TT

                It doesn’t make you a racist; it just makes you wrong on this point. Why should Te Tiriti be renegotiated when Pakeha never honoured the original document? It’s time to decolonise tangatawhenua and the lands of Aotearoa. With it will go the evils of western civilisation, in particular it’s capitalist system. Aotearoa is Maori Land, Honour the Treaty, and give Maori sovereignty now.

                http://www.coloursofresistance.org/397/new-wave-old-wave-aotearoa-new-zealands-colonial-continuum/

                “Organisations and movements working for global justice in countries like Aotearoa New Zealand cannot talk of justice, democracy and liberation in a meaningful way until their starting point is the decolonisation of Indigenous Peoples and territories.”

              • Like much thrown up by the Treaty the result does not serve New Zealand even moderately well in the long term.

                There is zero evidence for that. It is just your opinion or can you show the evidence?

                I think you may mean it does not serve YOUR interests – and I have no issue with that because it is probably true.

                • vto

                  In case it escaped your notice marty, most of the late immigrants to these islands fled the tyranny of birthright privilege and its resultant injustice and inequality because it does not create a healthy society. But it surprises me not that you would tend to avoid that reality as it doesn’t suit your opinions.

                  And TT, aotearoa is not maori land. That is just silly and blinkered. Where is your evidence?

                  • so no evidence for your opinion then…

                    Aotearoa is most certainly Māori land – evidence is in front of your eyes if you would care to look. Remember the treaty and all those *pesky* settlements?

                    and your use of ‘late’ implies something. Don’t you think Māori are the indigenous inhabitants of these isles vto?

                    • vto

                      I just gave you some evidence. Please read more carefully.

                      My right to exist in these lands does not stem from the treaty (other peoples may, that is for them to determine). It is not maori land. It is land that was first, arguably, occupied by maori. First in first served is merely one way of establishing an ownership / place to call home. There are others and I’m sure you are aware of them. The fact that they are not considered indicates a lack of objectivity on your part.

                      And yes late implies that all people here are immigrants, including maori. How is that not right? And why is only grudgingly acknowledged, if at all?

                      You see marty, you and I start out from quite different outlooks and perspectives, which stem from each of our own histories and cultures. How do those two views and outlooks come together and co-exist? Well, I am not sure.

                      The treaty is flawed in its structure and cannot stand the test of time. It needs to adjust as time passes. Tell me marty, if the treaty could be re-written today, what sort of form do you think it would / should take, giving due consideration to the state of the world, its peoples, globalisation and demographics? Picture starting again from scratch… what would it look like?

                    • Kotahi Tāne Huna

                      vto: Why should Marty have to summarise all the court/tribunal decisions/recommendations that interpret the modern meaning of Te Tiriti? There’s quite a lot of them. What makes you think that a modern re-interpretation would look any different?

                    • vto

                      Oh hi kotahi. Not a reinterpretation of the treaty, a re-drawing of the treaty. Starting from scratch – everything up for consideration. Clean slate. Able to withstand the rigours of today’s planet, not the instant of history in 1840 and shortly prior.

                    • most of the late immigrants to these islands fled the tyranny of birthright privilege and its resultant injustice and inequality because it does not create a healthy society.

                      is not evidence for

                      Like much thrown up by the Treaty the result does not serve New Zealand even moderately well in the long term.

                      but please feel free to enlighten me.

                      It is land that was first, arguably, occupied by maori

                      Really? Arguably? Only by loonies vto or those who would like Māori to fuck up or fuck off which isn’t going to happen, is it?

                      How do those two views and outlooks come together and co-exist?

                      Simple really – you are going to have to adjust your view.

                      As for redoing the treaty – I don’t agree with that idea at all. But imagine if the crown and colonisers had acted honourably and treated Māori with respect and dignity, IMO the country would be a million times better. What has been done cannot be undone, but the objective of making this country better, by respecting Māori as tangata whenua and true partners, can still be achieved. And if those who do not like it jump off the waka we will all be better off.

                    • vto

                      Ok, I’ll just leave it for now. Two different worlds marty. We are just heading for the same impasse again. All the best.

                    • Kotahi Tāne Huna

                      I’m not convinced Te Tiriti has any “rigours of today’s planet” that can be defined as anything other than political: ie: the desire of a minority to do away with it in what they perceive as their own self-interest.

                    • Fair enough vto.

                      the country I imagine we can be includes you vto.

                    • If your legal right to be here relies on the current governmental structure of New Zealand in any way, I don’t care how you interpret Te Tiriti, you are reliant upon it for your legal justification to even be a citizen of this country and should show one of our founding constitutional documents a little more respect, sir.

                    • RedLogix

                      Yes Matthew. Every square mm and all resources in this land, extending out through the entire continental shelf are the absolute property of various iwi.

                      All other later immigrant are mere squatters who will eventually have to pay propert market rent to the rightful owners of Aoteoroa… or find somewhere else to live.

                      Simple

                    • onya red but it isn’t always about money – that’s a projection.

      • vto 2.1.2

        But shorts, iwi elites / corporates have shown themselves to act entirely in accordance with typical corporate behaviour. There will be no difference in conduct.

        For me the positive difference in having iwi in a position similar to most corporates is that they are “NZ-owned” and not foreign, which helps to grow our place by continually adding to the base. Unlike corporates which take away from the base.

        • shorts 2.1.2.1

          one could say if the govt weren’t hell bent on selling these assets we’d not be discussing the ownership of water rights

          saying that I prefer local ownership of strategic assets and the resources they rely on to offshore interests whose only care for those assets is in the paper ($) they can produce

    • mike e 2.2

      Millsy maybe you could have the same argument with the toilet paper millionare spencers when you go for a swim on his private beach Maori in your case are not allowed property rights conferred a 172 years ago but never upheld.
      A little home spun propaganda tale of white supremacy.

    • NickS 2.3

      /facepalm

      Keep up with the delusional bullshit please, the rest of us will enjoy our perfectly free to access rivers and lakes for recreation, more so since it’ll be free of delusional, racist idiots such as yourself.

  3. Dv 3

    And there will be no problem with the court because Key says the case is rock solid.
    Hah

    • Tracey 3.1

      Just like the case for not paying care workers overnight was rock solid, until it wasn’t, twice… still, we spent the money on the crown law office defending the indefensible.

  4. tc 4

    All those top advisers and spin doctors along with a docile MSM that never challenges the BS and this is the result.
    Along with the sell out Maori Party going along for the limos and whanau ora junkets this shows how the bully hollowmen just want their way regardless of the long term cost and damage so they can buy another investment property, take an even bigger overseas holiday and add another luxury vehicle to the spare garages.

    Divide and conquer mentality, so much for the transparent higher standard of government and a brighter future.

  5. Dr Terry 5

    The real problem is that Key can happily continue doing just as he wants, counting on his strong support base (combined with lack of support for Labour). I expect he will get away with it all, as usual.

    • Anne 5.1

      I’m not so sure this time Dr. Terry.

      As EDDIE has suggested… Maori are a single united front now. That’s a force to be reckoned with!

    • Tracey 5.2

      Sigh, I think you are right. Someone please, somewhere, press Mr English and Mr key for… Plan B in case asset sales fail to attract the required interest and

      what happens AFTER asset sales to make New Zealand a fairer and healthier nation? And no, a knighthood is not a sufficient answer.

      Is Prince Phillip still one of the 20 greatest living NZers????????

      • vto 5.2.1

        “Is Prince Phillip still one of the 20 greatest living NZers????????”

        ha ha ha, that was the most absurd, pompostic, laughable, credibility draining, stinking shit heap of a decision ever. Would be great to see the application (or whatever it is) and report (or whatever it is) that went into this decision. Great way to fart and shit all over the honours system.

        What has Prince Philip done for New Zealand that makes him one of our 20 greatest living? Does anyone know? (nobody will answer this question. Nobody answers any questions. Just make bald empty deceitful statements and refuse to answer questions. It’s just bullshit. Key is bullshit. No he isn’t, that’s too good for him. Key is flyshit and about to dry up and be blown away into the nearest stinky creek)

      • alwyn 5.2.2

        To be fair it is only the “ordinary” members who are supposed to be the top 20.
        Phillip is in a category of “additional” members.
        What the difference is supposed to be is, I admit, totally incomprehensible.
        Jonathon Hunt is meant to be one of the 20. Come on, give us a break. I suppose he must have had some really juicy knowledge about the honours committee members who appointed him.
        Owen Woodhouse, father of ACC, is only one of the additional ones.

    • Carol 5.3

      Yes, that is my fear, too, Dr Terry.

      Key will push it as far as he can get away with it. The equivocating by the Maori Party doesn’t help.

      • mickysavage 5.3.1

        Agreed Carol.
         
        For Key there is a political virtue in smashing this through against the wishes of Maori.
         
        This may heavily damage race relations in the country and send the country’s finances into a dive but it will keep his friends happy and could be worth a couple of points of support in the polls.
         
        Key will be having difficulty what is better.
         
        I would not rule out urgent legislation.

        • felix 5.3.1.1

          “This may heavily damage race relations in the country and send the country’s finances into a dive but it will keep his friends happy and could be worth a couple of points of support in the polls.”

          More and more like his hero every day, ain’t he?

  6. One World Government – One world Bank – Key is their man in NZ.

    Keys sole interest is making Corporate New Zealand to fit into this system
    He won’t give up his reputation depends on getting the job done.

  7. gobsmacked 7

    If anybody heard Pita Sharples on Morning Report today, they wouldn’t put much confidence in the Maori Party lying in the path of Key’s asset sale steamroller.

    Asked if he would consider leaving the gov’t, Sharples replied: “Why would I do that?”

    Great tactics, Pita: throw away your strongest card before you start. Can I play poker with you some time?

    Anyway, I reckon Key and English will push on, say “taniwha” and other distractions, and treat the Maori Party as the irrelevance they are.

  8. UpandComer 8

    Timings are relevant in a court situation – judge’s will take into account the timing of what lawyers/parties do in their deliberations.

    The tribunal could have made this report many many months ago. There was/is no compelling reason for it to have delayed it’s processes all the way until now – it speaks of bad faith and a deliberate effort to sabotage the government.

    Asset sales have been transparently in the works since the election – yet now the Tribunal makes it’s unfortunate statements.

    A deadline from the government is more then reasonable in these circumstances. They may do a lot of things, including court – but I suspect the asset sales will go through, and the government will actually gain votes as a result of this bad faith on the part of the tribunal.

    • gobsmacked 8.1

      The tribunal could have made this report many many months ago.

      When?

      • Tracey 8.1.1

        why before the hearing of course. They should have anticipated this. This has to be the most hilarious conspiracy theory yet expressed.

        I wish Key would have told the weathertight tribunal to hurry up with their decision on my leaky home because I am down $120k just getting this far and it’s REALLY inconvenient to my future economic plans!!!!

    • lprent 8.2

      As I remember it, the claim by the Maori Council that you are complaining about was only made early this year in about Jan/Feburary after they’d had a close look at government’s bill. It couldn’t have really been put forward prior to that since it is a response to that.

      It is rare that a claim has proceeded this fast through either the Waitangi Tribunial or indeed in any other court in 6 months. It was done under quite a high level of urgency because of the governments rather accelerated timetable.

      The sight of the bull excrement stupidly pouring from your fingers is somewhat amusing, but quite unrelated to reality. Perhaps you should examine actual court processes rather than your self-produced fantasies.

    • Kotahi Tāne Huna 8.3

      UpandComer: is lprent correct? Is your wholly false belief about this matter self-created? Or did someone feed it to you?

      It’s the difference between a liar and a credulous fool.

    • Draco T Bastard 8.4

      The tribunal could have made this report many many months ago.

      So, according to you the Tribunal could have ruled on the claim before it was brought to the Tribunal’s attention? Riiiiight.

  9. ad 9

    I quite like how Prime Minister Key seeking to sink the racist wedge into New Zealand has worked so little. Sure he got a bit of a blip in the polls, sure it excited a specific talkback sector, but it was nowhere near the impact of of Brash’s Orewa speech.

    We don’t have to presume a growing national maturity or anything, just soemthing akin to Gay marriage: teeth may grind in the heartland, but no-one’s head actually exploded.

    Key’s only possible play against the unpopularity of asset sales was to turn Maori and non-Maori against each other about asset sales and hence weaken the overall opposition. Sink the wedge.

    I enjoyed the shadenfreude in the post and look forward to Oh so much more schadenfreude as it grinds its way through the High Court, and the the Appeal Court, and then the Supreme Court.

    Even though the Foreshore and Seabed-enthused marches were grander in political impact, in consitutitional and economic impact these impending cases are the really big stormfronts.

  10. Roy 10

    Kudos to the Tribunal for openly reprimanding Key for pressuring them to decide quickly, anyway. It is a measure of Key’s arrogance that he tried.

  11. captain hook 11

    ho hum.
    when key is finished here he will probably be headhunted for a CEO gig at a soft drink company.

    • Hami Shearlie 11.1

      Or a tobacco company!!! Or a Liquor Empire. The list is endless!!! Whatever he takes on is bound to be NOT for the benefit of humankind – just his!!

    • rosy 11.2

      He couldn’t do CEO. Doesn’t have the skills and private companies don’t hire all the minders he has now to ensure he makes a fool of himself as infrequently as possible. A directorship or two would suit just fine but.

  12. Tracey 12

    Is Hawaii ripe for ceding from the US!!?????

  13. Bored 13

    Me and my rich boy buddies from Parnell are really pissed off, and we are going to stamp our little feet really hard because we are really cross with those naughty Maoris. All we wanted to do was use our large dollops of disposable income for the benefit of the country by owning the power companies. Johnnie could have used the cash to pay for our tax cuts, and all those bennies out there who we fund with what tax we do pay could buy their electricity from us so we get our money back…now that’s fair isn’t it?

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    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
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    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
    10 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
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  • Minister’s Ramadan message
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