Building our future

Written By: - Date published: 12:00 pm, March 10th, 2011 - 69 comments
Categories: disaster, Gerry Brownlee, housing, jobs, john key, Keynes - Tags: ,

Facing a housing shortage in Auckland now and a massive rebuilding programme in Christchurch to come, the Government has announced the biggest public building initiative since World War 2. Thousands of unemployed young people will be paid to train as apprentices in building trades and contribute to their country’s future.

The Building Our Future initiative will fund apprenticeships for several thousand young Kiwis who will get their training, first, in assisting with the construction of 5,000 new State Houses in Auckland and then in replacing and repairing the multitude of homes that have been ruined by the Christchurch earthquake.

Prime Minister John Key explained:

“Christchurch is going to be a massive rebuilding job, totally outside the capacity of New Zealand’s existing building industry workforce to complete in any reasonable timeframe on top of existing demand. We could go overseas to try to find builders but that carries with it additional complications and the wages would flow offshore. It just makes more sense to take some of the 67,000 unemployed people below 24 years of age in this country and not only give them something to do and a way to earn some money but valuable skills and work experience for the future, and a chance to be part of building that future.

It’s going to be about 18 months until rebuilding really gets underway in Christchurch, Gerry will talk more about that, but there’s a housing shortage in Auckland right now. Rents are shooting up because not enough houses are being built due to the recession. And, I’ll admit we didn’t help by canceling nearly all the funding for new State House construction in the last Budget. Only 5,000 new dwellings have been consented in the past two years in Auckland, which is about half the rate needed to keep up with population growth.

So, the government will step in with the apprentice programme and a joint operation with Fletchers to build 5,000 State Houses in Auckland by the middle of next year. Obviously, these houses will be built to get the best value for money now and in the future by being constructed to meet stringent health and energy-efficiency standards. With that training under the apprentices’ belts, the focus will turn to Christchurch where the Crown/Fletchers venture will lead the construction of new sub-divisions and replacement homes.

We’re setting aside some extra money for this project but with insurance payments, State House rents, and the money saved by not having these people on the dole, we think it will work out pretty revenue neutral.

It’s kind of appropriate that we’re working in partnership with Fletchers in this. Like every major Kiwi company, Fletchers got big thanks to the government. James Fletcher designed the State Housing plan with the First Labour Government and Fletchers built the houses. When Fletchers made a loss, the government underwrote its debt allowing it to grow to what it is today. Today, as then, Fletchers and the government stand side by side to build the homes of future generations and provide jobs to the young people of today.”

The ‘Building Our Future’ initiative is just part of the ‘Roadmap to Recovery’ announced today by Prime Minister John Key and Minister for Earthquake Recovery Gerry Brownlee in Christchurch. The Roadmap also includes:

  • Neighbourhood by neighbourhood target dates for the restoration of utilities.
  • A target date for when announcements will be made on any houses or areas that need to be abandoned because of quake damage. This comes with a check-list that geo-engineers will be working off to assess the viability of land and a guarantee that announcements will be made to affected communities in person by the Minister.
  • A step by step flowchart sent to each household in the quake-zone showing how, depending on their house’s circumstances, they will be restored to normality – whether that’s minor repairs, total reconstruction, or relocation to a new house and property, and in what approximate timeframe they can expect these steps to take place. This will give families a chance to trace out their future.

Brownlee said:

“We can only give a rough set of dates for the time being and dates may move around but we feel it is very important that people know there is light at the end of the tunnel and that they have some idea of how long it will take to get there. Knowledge is power. It simply wouldn’t be good enough for me to make ominous and vague pronouncements from afar like ‘you might not know for three months whether we’re tearing down your house’. Look, there’s bad news on the way for a lot of families out there that but we want you to know that these are all steps to a brighter future and the government will walk that path beside you. We have a plan and we are sharing that plan with you.”

In other news, Prince William has canceled his visit to Christchurch and, instead, bought 200 Portaloos and sent them by plane. “I just thought the people would appreciate something that would actually make a difference in their lives” said the second in line to the throne.

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

Nah. Not really.

As Phil Goff revealed yesterday, Christchurch building companies are currently laying off staff and over 3,400 building industry workers leaving the country in the past year, including 350 just in January. Yet Key says the market will take care of providing all the building trades people – they’ll magically appear when demand picks up and he has no intention of increasing training or working to make sure we hold on to our skilled workers. And English defends cutting apprenticeships funding.

Eastern Suburbs residents say its not the conditions that they’re living in that is the problem but not knowing when it will end or how they will move forward. Brownlee says ‘I’ll tell you what’s going to happen to your houses in a few weeks, or a few months’

Meanwhile, Key’s trying to work out how to smile and wave behind a visor with cricket gloves on. Don’t get me wrong. I love cricket and I’ll be at the Basin on Sunday chucking some extra money into Hadlee’s bucket. I just don’t get why Key thinks he should be making it all about him. Or why he thinks clowning around is the best way the PM can help Christchurch.

At least there’s the Royal visit to look forward to. I wonder if Wills will bring Kate! I can hardly wait!

69 comments on “Building our future ”

  1. lprent 1

    I put the appropriate image in as a thumbnail – a old plan of a state house 🙂

    • Marty G 1.1

      cheers. had forgotten to put in the pic of the strapping young apprentice.

      • lprent 1.1.1

        That is better….

      • Lanthanide 1.1.2

        Mmm, eyecandy.

      • Blondie 1.1.3

        Uh, this is probably terribly inappropriate of me, but who’s the hot builder?

        Is he single? Can you send him my direction?

        • felix 1.1.3.1

          That’s a pic of the author.

        • Lanthanide 1.1.3.2

          I already called dibs.

        • Marty G 1.1.3.3

          he’s the first good pic that shows up when you type “apprentice builder” into google images.

          Ah, now I’ve clicked through to the website, http://www.weeklytimesnow.com.au/article/2009/12/16/143021_sport-news.html

          he’s an Aussie Rules player who is, ironically, giving up being an apprentice builder to play in the AFL.

          “Dream come true: tenacious midfielder Andrew Hooper, from the North Ballarat Rebels, will give up his job as an apprentice builder to join the Western Bulldogs.”

          • Rex Widerstrom 1.1.3.3.1

            he’s an Aussie Rules player

            Ah, a real charmer with an abiding respect for the female sex then. The AFL’s sexual harrassment policy: “Hey, at least we’re not the NRL“. 😀

            Still keen ladies? If not, I should point out, apropos of nothing in particular, that I own a hammer…

            • Marty G 1.1.3.3.1.1

              “If not, I should point out, apropos of nothing in particular, that I own a hammer…”

              if this wasn’t a family blog, I would make a pun about nails.

              • Lanthanide

                I’m not sure it really is a family blog, since swearing is completely uncensored and allowed. We’ve had people saying ‘cocksnot’ and ‘cocktwat’ and other such things, calling people cunts. I asked for “sex” to be removed from the captcha because it’s NSFW and was laughed at.

                These ‘talented’ guys http://www.hotchippies.com.au/site/team.php show up 8th on the google search, and appear to be actual builders.

                • lprent

                  I wouldn’t say that it was a “family blog” either. But I when I read it, I thought that Marty was being as ironic as Rex was.

                  We don’t really care too much about what language is used. We do care if there isn’t a point to go with the language or if the point made doesn’t justify the language. In other words we’re interested in the behavior not if people are ‘polite’.

                  Quite simply there really isn’t a broad enough standard of politeness that covers the whole range of society. You’d have to exclude some groups to impose one. Since we have limited effort available we impose it on what we consider to be bad behavior for a forum like this – people who can’t argue.

                  BTW: I’d also care if the words used caused access issues into ISP’s or organisations through blocking border censorship. In that case I’d be more likely to work on whomever is imposing the border issues. McDonalds comes to mind.

                  • Lanthanide

                    Yeah, I appreciate he was being ironic (since he made it clear was his joke was anyway).

                    My post was actually mainly to coax you into posting the rationale that you just did. And also to link to some hotties (literally, it says it right there on their shirts).

  2. Colonial Viper 2

    You had me going there for a moment. All I can say now is: the stagflation ninja is going to kill the economy.

    • LynW 2.1

      Me too! Just for a brief moment I felt some hopeful excitement! Trying to get used to your style Marty G!

    • Me too. I was ready to rip up my Labour Membership card and give these guys a chance then thwack, back to reality …

      • Jum 2.2.1

        Me too, and if we can get taken in so easily, and we don’t even trust the guy!…

  3. tc 3

    ‘I just don’t get why Key thinks he should be making it all about him’ yes that a fair question if he was a leader who focused on issues and outcomes but being a PR seeking media whore type it’s all about him as usual.

    Remember this is a bloke who made his millions speculating on currencies and financial devices such as the ones that fueled the GFC so cause and effect or taking responsibility is not really something he cares about just show him the PR opp and he’s happy like most kiddies are when given a treat.

    Paraphrasing a line from a TVNZ7 doco about bottled water summed up sideshow John ‘ a classic late 20/early 21st century product that you don’t need but everyones convinced they do even though it didn’t exist before and everyone got along just fine’ Great work CT, Bravo.

  4. BLiP 4

    Heh!! Yep, got me too. Ya bugger. Wouldn’t it be good, though? Everyone would benefit sooner and not just the foreign-owned banks now.

  5. fermionic_interference 5

    Thanks Marty
    Just the scare I needed. Instantly I thought “a plan oh shit there goes the damned election and we’re going to lose all our public assets next term”
    Thank goodness for satire.

  6. Lanthanide 6

    “At least there’s the Royal visit to look forward to. I wonder if Wills will bring Kate! I can hardly wait!”

    You don’t need to wonder, because he isn’t and this has already been publicly confirmed.

    I think that visiting CHCH should be their first official function together after their marriage.

  7. felix 8

    Well done Marty. For about a paragraph I was thinking “Crikey, they’ve actually seen sense – or at the very least been dragged grudgingly to sense by their internal polling”.

    You know what the sad part is? Clowning around at the cricket really is the best way for Key to help Christchurch.

    And that sucks. We need a leader who will actually make things happen, instead we have one who plays cricket and leaves the rest to the market. Sad state of affairs, but clowning is all he’s good for.

    In Parliament yesterday he referred to the hardships in Christchurch affecting both “businesses and consumers”. No John, it’s PEOPLE you fucking useless cunt. PEOPLE.

  8. Zaphod Beeblebrox 9

    The free market! The free market! The free market will save us!

    • billy fish 9.1

      baaaaa baaaaaaaa baaaaaaaa maaaaaaaket mmmmmmaaaaaaaaket

      [lprent: Do I have a policy excluding goats? I’m sure I have a policy excluding goats! No goats allowed…. ]

      • mcflock 9.1.1

        lprent – no need to be so gruff

      • mickysavage 9.1.2

        What about fish? Or do you discriminate?

      • Uncle Helen 9.1.3

        [lprent: Do I have a policy excluding goats? I’m sure I have a policy excluding goats! No goats allowed…. ]

        Have you yet been able to distinguish between the Linux Operating System the BASH Shell and the Fortune application? Lynn Prentise, you are a joke.
        take a week off – Marty

        • lprent 9.1.3.1

          Sigh. Apart from the fortune application (which I think is a total waste of time), I get paid to write c++ code that uses the others. I wind up writing configurations and shell scripts all of time for this site.

          BTW: The goat stuff was a joke, one that appears to have \e\s\c\a\p\e\d you. Just like the spelling of my last name.

          Adding an extra week because you are foolish enough to waste cpu using fortune utility.

    • Colonial Viper 9.2

      Technically, it’s the invisible hand of the free market which will make everything alright in Christchurch again. A few waves of the capitalist wand is all it requires.

      Just you wait.

  9. neoleftie 10

    Damn it, what a cruel post – i read it with increasing relief then the bombshell at the end.
    The ‘Building Our Future’ initiative is just part of the ‘Roadmap to Recovery’ give this to Phil Goff and Co.
    We need decisive leadership right now – bring us someone who can grasp the big pcture and provide the resolve to get things done…..inaction is killing this country.

    • give this to Phil Goff and Co

      Why bother? If Goff and co were worth the effort, they’d have announced precisely this as their policy and be sitting back smugly taunting Key to call an election right now to get to decide who rebuilds the country.

      No, Goff’s too busy slithering round after the handful of voters who don’t have a champion now David Garrett has gone, as reported by none other than Whaleoil, who quotes the Leader of the Opposition as saying on BFM, vis-a-viz looters:

      I saw the army out in the street. I thought, okay, court mar­tial, fir­ing squad.

      Then he weakly says he was joking. Just like… you guessed it… “Crusher” Collins!!.

      Could Labour get any more frackin useless?

      [Apologies, LP, for the links which no doubt mean you’ll have to fish this out of moderation. But the posts have the original audio, links to the Herald story, etc etc… just more convenient that way]

      • Pascal's bookie 10.1.1

        Oh for fucks sake. Nice ‘joke’ there too from a former Minster of Defence. Dick.

        Not that I’m giving dpf much credit for this post either:

        http://www.kiwiblog.co.nz/2011/03/why_we_shouldnt_give_into_our_primal_instincts.html

        It can’t have been easy for him to write, but:

        A number of people commented about how they were disappointed Mr Wilson-Carver had not fallen down any flights of steps. And to be honest on a primal level, that was pretty much my response also.

        But then we had another “looter” appear in court, and it looked like indeed he had fallen down many flights of steps. He was Cornelius Arie Smith-Voorkamp.

        Well, no actually, “to be honest” when people were commenting about their disappointment re Mr Wilson-Carver not being assaulted, dpf cracked a joke about Arie Smith, which he later deleted.

        http://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-08032011/#comment-305833

        Then a day or so later he wrote this post which makes the generous acknowledgment that umm, ‘the rule of law’ trumps ‘vigilante cops’. Why? Because sometimes the perp might have a mental health issue.

        From his post:

        But it seems very clear [Arie Smith] was not someone who was in the same category as Mr Wilson-Carver. He wasn’t really a looter, seeking to inflict misery and make illegal monetary gain from the earthquake.

        And so this is a good reminder about why we shouldn’t give into our primal instincts. Why punishments should be meted out by a Judge and/or jury after a trial – not by the Police or vigilantes based on what we think are the facts.

        How about we don’t give in to our primal instincts because it’s fricken barbaric? But I guess it’s progress of a sort, right?

        Phill Goff however? Hang your fucking head mate.

        • just saying 10.1.1.1

          Is there anything Goff could do, along with his big fat nothing postive, that could get him kicked off the Labour leadership. The guy is beyond parody. The word pathetic is too damn sympathetic.

          Can anyone, ANYONE please explain what the hell he is doing there as the leader of the purported opposition. Is this about him knowing where the bodies are buried or what?
          Hell he has shown his true colours time and time again. And it’s all blue with a very red neck folks. No-one, other possibly than Annette King, (god help us, number 2) could possibly be worse.

      • Rosy 10.1.2

        jeez, some times it’s a relief that Goff gets no media coverage.

      • felix 10.1.3

        Fuck me.

        Can someone from Labour (mickey?) confirm whether you’re still interested in having ANY liberals at all vote for you?

        • Colonial Viper 10.1.3.1

          **Sigh**

          At this time I am just too tired to make any more of a remark than that.

        • mickysavage 10.1.3.2

          Ummmmm

          I can explain and minimise the statement but not justify it. It was said shortly after the earthquake during an informal BFM chat that Phil has and he was obviously talking about a feeling and not a thought. He was not advocating the shooting of looters and I believe he was joking.

          BUT …

          Phil must do better. This sort of stuff sends the wingnuts into raptures and allows the Nats to continue pillaging and looting under the smoke screen that gets thrown up.

          • Rex Widerstrom 10.1.3.2.1

            It’s worse than that micky, and I suspect you know it.

            Remarks like that coming from the “Opposition” validate the comments of Collins, Garrett et al.

            Just as does, sometimes, saying nothing – like Labour essentially did (bar one weak blog post) when the government attacked the Chief Justice.

            Resorting to “Shucks, I was just kidding” rather than “Sorry, I don’t know WTF I was thinking” is a calculated validation of the sentiment regardless whether or not the first outburst was “accidental” – which personally I don’t think it was.

            If “all it takes for evil to flourish is that good men do nothing”, then evil will certainly prosper when the people who are meant to be good go about repeating it.

            • Armchair Critic 10.1.3.2.1.1

              True enough, Rex.
              I read the comment (10.1.3.2) and thought it was quite harsh, considering who wrote it.
              Let’s hope the message gets through, otherwise I’ll be forced to waste my electorate vote on the Greens.

  10. ianmac 11

    Brilliant Marty. And oddly your plan is exactly what Labour should be trumpeting, loudly. But there is little sign of a clear dynamic coming from Labour leadership. You could just hand this to Phil Goff and give him a swift kick to get him started.

  11. Tel 12

    Marty, that is hilariously funny. 😆

    Nearly as funny was the huge gob of spit sliding down the cover of a M2 magazine with “Man of the Year” on the cover I saw this lunchtime in a magazine rack. Clearly not everyone is in agreement?!

  12. tc 13

    I dunno if you look at typical M2 target audience …..gadget fixated, style over substance 21st century urban males who think Top Gear is the pinnacle of TV then they’ve nailed it.

  13. Irascible 14

    Anti-spam- Misled.
    A brilliant piece of satirical writing with a kicker at the end that gave relevance to the royal family.

    The anti-spam word also sums up the whole NACToid govt – a party that has misled NZ for the past 2 & a bit years in every way possible.

  14. JonL 15

    Barstard! Just for a minute I thought the Gov. had pulled 2 rabbits out of the hat!!!!
    I should have known better…
    Business as usual – run the country into the ground……

    • Jim Nald 15.1

      I thought ‘Wow! National Party! I lurve you!’
      But started to get a bit suspicious when the sentences seemed a bit too long and made too much sense to be coming from John Key and Brownlee.

      Roadmap from Nat rats? Got my hopes up there.
      Try talking to Bill English when the microphones are off. He will give you a Rortmap.

  15. Mac1 16

    Capcha ‘false”! Well done Marty G. Fooled me. Read it thinking what’s the catch, there’s got to be an angle here, can’t be this good.

    The sad part (well, part of the sad part) is the energy and talent of unemployed youth being lost, the run down of the apprenticeship scheme, the bloodletting to Australia, the sheer dearth of positive thinking shown.

  16. adriank 17

    Urgh… I’m passing on the cricket because he’s there… will just make another donation of $50 or so instead.

    Unless, of course, they decide to replace Shane Warne with Shane Bond? And take away Key’s pads?? I’d take a out loan to make large donation to see that!

  17. Adrian 18

    Like I said a few days ago. What’s our chances of ressurecting Harold Larwood. I think he was even workin’ class from oop norf!

    • Mac1 18.1

      A Nottinghamshire lad, he used cricket to get away from an early death to black lung disease down t’ mine. Poor enough to have to walk miles to and from work, games and practice which kept him in very good shape.

      He was staked for six months’s hotel accommodation personally by the Australian Labour leader Curtin when he emigrated to Australia, with no future in England. His biography was a bloody good read, but never mentioned his politics, as I remember.

      Harold Larwood was a private, loyal and principled man who was sorely abused by the English cricketing establishment. He kept in deference to and some fear of his mother her adherence to truth and honesty – that alone would have put John Key in the opposite team.

  18. Damn…that would have got me voting for the shifty bugger

    as is, i’ll be doing whatever to make sure he doesn’t get an easy look in this time round

  19. Kevyn Miller 20

    Politicians setting target dates for engineers to meet! That insane bit of the plan had me believing that this was a real plan, especially since the road map begins with targets for fixing the damage. Since a road map is meant to show you how to get from here to there and stay on track along the way, the logical first step is to find out where you are and what’s actually in the way of getting from here to there. Picking a few dates at random and giving them to affected home owners/renters might be psychologicly bneficial in the short term, especially in an election year but in the end it’s just a cruel deception.

    But then, this government doesn’t seem to have even bothered asking the engineers for even a broad timeline for the investigation phase which would at least give some sense of control to those whose lives are currently in limbo.

    • Marty G 20.1

      Yeah. If it were real the dates would be estimates from the engineers, as you describe in the last paragraph, not political targets.

  20. RedLogix 21

    I started reading this out to my partner, but had to stop after a couple of paras… too cruel.

  21. B 22

    WHAAAAT… just got whiplash from coming back to reality so fast…

  22. KJT 23

    And they will pay skilled builders enough wages to attract them back from Australia to train the apprentices. Yeah right.

  23. Jenny 24

    This sounded like such good news, I wanted to skip to the end and rush to make a comment “Hooray!!!” I wanted to say.

    I honestly thought good sense and decency had broken out in parliament.

    How dumb can you be?

    I felt as annoyed as professor stickman looks like here, when I finally realised I’d been had.

    captcha – “misleads” (Lynne you gotta be kidding me?)

  24. vto 25

    Quite why no party has suggested such a type of plan is a bit bizarre. Do they not think?

    I guess the next best thing would be to repeal that legislation which now requires all housing to be built by certified builders. I mean, everybody says “oh they don’t build houses like they used to blah blah rant”, so lets build them like they used to then i.e. non-certified builders and non-certified home owners.

    Worked then, will work now. In fact, requiring certified builders solves NOTHING of the leaky home scenario. Just a pander to the noise by Clark et al to be seen doing something (adding another layer to the complexity of buildling – typical useless political response).

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    I’m a bit worried that I’ve started a previous newsletter with the words “just when you think they couldn’t get any worse…” Seems lately that I could begin pretty much every issue with that opening. Such is the nature of our coalition government that they seem to be outdoing each ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    1 day ago
  • Wang Yi’s perfectly-timed, Aukus-themed visit to New Zealand
    Geoffrey Miller writes – Timing is everything. And from China’s perspective, this week’s visit by its foreign minister to New Zealand could be coming at just the right moment. The visit by Wang Yi to Wellington will be his first since 2017. Anniversaries are important to Beijing. ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    1 day ago
  • Gordon Campbell on Dune 2, and images of Islam
    Depictions of Islam in Western popular culture have rarely been positive, even before 9/11. Five years on from the mosque shootings, this is one of the cultural headwinds that the Muslim community has to battle against. Whatever messages of tolerance and inclusion are offered in daylight, much of our culture ...
    1 day ago
  • New Rail Operations Centre Promises Better Train Services
    Last week Transport Minster Simeon Brown and Mayor Wayne Brown opened the new Auckland Rail Operations Centre. The new train control centre will see teams from KiwiRail, Auckland Transport and Auckland One Rail working more closely together to improve train services across the city. The Auckland Rail Operations Centre in ...
    1 day ago
  • Bernard's six newsy things at 6.36am on Monday, March 18
    Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Retiring former Labour Finance Minister Grant Robertson said in an exit interview with Q+A yesterday the Government can and should sustain more debt to invest in infrastructure for future generations. Elsewhere in the news in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy at 6:36am: Read more ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 day ago
  • Geoffrey Miller: Wang Yi’s perfectly-timed, Aukus-themed visit to New Zealand
    Timing is everything. And from China’s perspective, this week’s visit by its foreign minister to New Zealand could be coming at just the right moment. The visit by Wang Yi to Wellington will be his first since 2017. Anniversaries are important to Beijing. It is more than just a happy ...
    Democracy ProjectBy Geoffrey Miller
    1 day 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
    1 day 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
    1 day 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 ...
    1 day 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 ...
    1 day 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
    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
    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
    2 days ago
  • The bewildering world of Chris Luxon – Guns for all, not no lunch for kids
    .“$10 and a target that bleeds” - Bleeding Targets for Under $10!.Thanks for reading Frankly Speaking ! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.This government appears hell-bent on either scrapping life-saving legislation or reintroducing things that - frustrated critics insist - will be dangerous and likely ...
    Frankly SpeakingBy Frank Macskasy
    3 days ago
  • Expert Opinion: Ageing Boomers, Laurie & Les, Talk Politics.
    It hardly strikes me as fair to criticise a government for doing exactly what it said it was going to do. For actually keeping its promises.”THUNDER WAS PLAYING TAG with lightning flashes amongst the distant peaks. Its rolling cadences interrupted by the here-I-come-here-I-go Doppler effect of the occasional passing car. ...
    3 days ago
  • Manufacturing The Truth.
    Subversive & Disruptive Technologies: Just as happened with that other great regulator of the masses, the Medieval Church, the advent of a new and hard-to-control technology – the Internet –  is weakening the ties that bind. Then, and now, those who enjoy a monopoly on the dissemination of lies, cannot and will ...
    3 days ago
  • A Powerful Sensation of Déjà Vu.
    Been Here Before: To find the precedents for what this Coalition Government is proposing, it is necessary to return to the “glory days” of Muldoonism.THE COALITION GOVERNMENT has celebrated its first 100 days in office by checking-off the last of its listed commitments. It remains, however, an angry government. It ...
    3 days ago
  • Can you guess where world attention is focussed (according to Greenpeace)? It’s focussed on an EPA...
    Bob Edlin writes –  And what is the world watching today…? The email newsletter from Associated Press which landed in our mailbox early this morning advised: In the news today: The father of a school shooter has been found guilty of involuntary manslaughter; prosecutors in Trump’s hush-money case ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    3 days ago
  • Further integrity problems for the Greens in suspending MP Darleen Tana
    Bryce Edwards writes – Is another Green MP on their way out? And are the Greens severely tarnished by another integrity scandal? For the second time in three months, the Green Party has secretly suspended an MP over integrity issues. Mystery is surrounding the party’s decision to ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    3 days ago
  • Jacqui Van Der Kaay: Greens’ transparency missing in action
    For the last few years, the Green Party has been the party that has managed to avoid the plague of multiple scandals that have beleaguered other political parties. It appears that their luck has run out with a second scandal which, unfortunately for them, coincided with Golraz Ghahraman, the focus ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    3 days ago
  • Bernard’s Dawn Chorus with six newsey things at 6:46am for Saturday, March 16
    TL;DR: The six newsey things that stood out to me as of 6:46am on Saturday, March 16.Andy Foster has accidentally allowed a Labour/Green amendment to cut road user chargers for plug-in hybrid vehicles, which the Government might accept; NZ Herald Thomas Coughlan Simeon Brown has rejected a plea from Westport ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago
  • How Did FTX Crash?
    What seemed a booming success a couple of years ago has collapsed into fraud convictions.I looked at the crash of FTX (short for ‘Futures Exchange’) in November 2022 to see whether it would impact on the financial system as a whole. Fortunately there was barely a ripple, probably because it ...
    PunditBy Brian Easton
    4 days ago
  • Elections in Russia and Ukraine
    Anybody following the situation in Ukraine and Russia would probably have been amused by a recent Tweet on X NATO seems to be putting in an awful lot of effort to influence what is, at least according to them, a sham election in an autocracy.When do the Ukrainians go to ...
    4 days ago
  • Bernard’s six stack of substacks at 6pm on March 15
    TL;DR: Shaun Baker on Wynyard Quarter's transformation. Magdalene Taylor on the problem with smart phones. How private equity are now all over reinsurance. Dylan Cleaver on rugby and CTE. Emily Atkin on ‘Big Meat’ looking like ‘Big Oil’.Bernard’s six-stack of substacks at 6pm on March 15Photo by Jeppe Hove Jensen ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • Buzz from the Beehive Finance Minister Nicola Willis had plenty to say when addressing the Auckland Business Chamber on the economic growth that (she tells us) is flagging more than we thought. But the government intends to put new life into it:  We want our country to be a ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    4 days ago
  • National’s clean car tax advances
    The Transport and Infrastructure Committee has reported back on the Road User Charges (Light Electric RUC Vehicles) Amendment Bill, basicly rubberstamping it. While there was widespread support among submitters for the principle that EV and PHEV drivers should pay their fair share for the roads, they also overwhelmingly disagreed with ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    4 days ago
  • Government funding bailouts
    Peter Dunne writes – This week’s government bailout – the fifth in the last eighteen months – of the financially troubled Ruapehu Alpine Lifts company would have pleased many in the central North Island ski industry. The government’s stated rationale for the $7 million funding was that it ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • Two offenders, different treatments.
    See if you can spot the difference. An Iranian born female MP from a progressive party is accused of serial shoplifting. Her name is leaked to the media, which goes into a pack frenzy even before the Police launch an … Continue reading ...
    KiwipoliticoBy Pablo
    4 days ago
  • Treaty references omitted
    Ele Ludemann writes  – The government is omitting general Treaty references from legislation : The growth of Treaty of Waitangi clauses in legislation caused so much worry that a special oversight group was set up by the last Government in a bid to get greater coherence in the public service on Treaty ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • The Ghahraman Conflict
    What was that judge thinking? Peter Williams writes –  That Golriz Ghahraman and District Court Judge Maria Pecotic were once lawyer colleagues is incontrovertible. There is published evidence that they took at least one case to the Court of Appeal together. There was a report on ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • Bernard's Top 10 @ 10 'pick 'n' mix' for March 15
    TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: Climate Scorpion – the sting is in the tail. Introducing planetary solvency. A paper via the University of Exeter’s Institute and Faculty of Actuaries.Local scoop: Kāinga Ora starts pulling out of its Auckland projects and selling land RNZ ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • The day Wellington up-zoned its future
    Wellington’s massively upzoned District Plan adds the opportunity for tens of thousands of new homes not just in the central city (such as these Webb St new builds) but also close to the CBD and public transport links. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Wellington gave itself the chance of ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • Weekly Roundup 15-March-2024
    It’s Friday and we’re halfway through March Madness. Here’s some of the things that caught our attention this week. This Week in Greater Auckland On Monday Matt asked how we can get better event trains and an option for grade separating Morningside Dr. On Tuesday Matt looked into ...
    Greater AucklandBy Greater Auckland
    4 days ago
  • That Word.
    Something you might not know about me is that I’m quite a stubborn person. No, really. I don’t much care for criticism I think’s unfair or that I disagree with. Few of us do I suppose.Back when I was a drinker I’d sometimes respond defensively, even angrily. There are things ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    4 days ago
  • The Hoon around the week to March 15
    Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The five things that mattered in Aotearoa’s political economy that we wrote and spoke about via The Kākā and elsewhere for paying subscribers in the last week included:PM Christopher Luxon said the reversal of interest deductibility for landlords was done to help renters, who ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 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
    4 days ago
  • Skeptical Science New Research for Week #11 2024
    Open access notables A Glimpse into the Future: The 2023 Ocean Temperature and Sea Ice Extremes in the Context of Longer-Term Climate Change, Kuhlbrodt et al., Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society: In the year 2023, we have seen extraordinary extrema in high sea surface temperature (SST) in the North Atlantic and in ...
    5 days ago
  • Melissa remains mute on media matters but has something to say (at a sporting event) about economic ...
     Buzz from the Beehive   The text reproduced above appears on a page which records all the media statements and speeches posted on the government’s official website by Melissa Lee as Minister of Media and Communications and/or by Jenny Marcroft, her Parliamentary Under-secretary.  It can be quickly analysed ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    5 days ago
  • The return of Muldoon
    For forty years, Robert Muldoon has been a dirty word in our politics. His style of government was so repulsive and authoritarian that the backlash to it helped set and entrench our constitutional norms. His pig-headedness over forcing through Think Big eventually gave us the RMA, with its participation and ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    5 days ago
  • Will the rental tax cut improve life for renters or landlords?
    Bryce Edwards writes –  Is the new government reducing tax on rental properties to benefit landlords or to cut the cost of rents? That’s the big question this week, after Associate Finance Minister David Seymour announced on Sunday that the Government would be reversing the Labour Government’s removal ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • Geoffrey Miller: What Saudi Arabia’s rapid changes mean for New Zealand
    Saudi Arabia is rarely far from the international spotlight. The war in Gaza has brought new scrutiny to Saudi plans to normalise relations with Israel, while the fifth anniversary of the controversial killing of Jamal Khashoggi was marked shortly before the war began on October 7. And as the home ...
    Democracy ProjectBy Geoffrey Miller
    5 days ago
  • Racism’s double standards
    Questions need to be asked on both sides of the world Peter Williams writes –   The NRL Judiciary hands down an eight week suspension to Sydney Roosters forward Spencer Leniu , an Auckland-born Samoan, after he calls Ezra Mam, Sydney-orn but of Aboriginal and Torres Strait ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • It’s not a tax break
    Ele Ludemann writes – Contrary to what many headlines and news stories are saying, residential landlords are not getting a tax break. The government is simply restoring to them the tax deductibility of interest they had until the previous government removed it. There is no logical reason ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • The Plastic Pig Collective and Chris' Imaginary Friends.
    I can't remember when it was goodMoments of happiness in bloomMaybe I just misunderstoodAll of the love we left behindWatching our flashbacks intertwineMemories I will never findIn spite of whatever you becomeForget that reckless thing turned onI think our lives have just begunI think our lives have just begunDoes anyone ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago
  • Who is responsible for young offenders?
    Michael Bassett writes – At first reading, a front-page story in the New Zealand Herald on 13 March was bizarre. A group of severely intellectually limited teenagers, with little understanding of the law, have been pleading to the Justice Select Committee not to pass a bill dealing with ram ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • Gordon Campbell on National’s fantasy trip to La La Landlord Land
    How much political capital is Christopher Luxon willing to burn through in order to deliver his $2.9 billion gift to landlords? Evidently, Luxon is: (a) unable to cost the policy accurately. As Anna Burns-Francis pointed out to him on Breakfast TV, the original ”rock solid” $2.1 billion cost he was ...
    5 days ago
  • Bernard's Top 10 @ 10 'pick 'n' mix' for March 14
    TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: Jonathon Porritt calling bullshit in his own blog post on mainstream climate science as ‘The New Denialism’.Local scoop: The Wellington City Council’s list of proposed changes to the IHP recommendations to be debated later today was leaked this ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • No, Prime Minister, rents don’t rise or fall with landlords’ costs
    TL;DR: Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said yesterday tenants should be grateful for the reinstatement of interest deductibility because landlords would pass on their lower tax costs in the form of lower rents. That would be true if landlords were regulated monopolies such as Transpower or Auckland Airport1, but they’re not, ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • Cartoons: ‘At least I didn’t make things awkward’
    This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Tom Toro Tom Toro is a cartoonist and author. He has published over 200 cartoons in The New Yorker since 2010. His cartoons appear in Playboy, the Paris Review, the New York Times, American Bystander, and elsewhere. Related: What 10 EV lovers ...
    5 days ago
  • Solving traffic congestion with Richard Prebble
    The business section of the NZ Herald is full of opinion. Among the more opinionated of all is the ex-Minister of Transport, ex-Minister of Railways, ex MP for Auckland Central (1975-93, Labour), Wellington Central (1996-99, ACT, then list-2005), ex-leader of the ACT Party, uncle to actor Antonia, the veritable granddaddy ...
    Greater AucklandBy Patrick Reynolds
    5 days ago
  • I Think I'm Done Flying Boeing
    Hi,Just quickly — I’m blown away by the stories you’ve shared with me over the last week since I put out the ‘Gary’ podcast, where I told you about the time my friend’s flatmate killed the neighbour.And you keep telling me stories — in the comments section, and in my ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    5 days ago
  • Invoking Aristotle: Of Rings of Power, Stones, and Ships
    The first season of Rings of Power was not awful. It was thoroughly underwhelming, yes, and left a lingering sense of disappointment, but it was more expensive mediocrity than catastrophe. I wrote at length about the series as it came out (see the Review section of the blog, and go ...
    6 days ago
  • Van Velden brings free-market approach to changing labour laws – but her colleagues stick to distr...
    Buzz from the Beehive Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Brooke van Velden told Auckland Business Chamber members they were the first audience to hear her priorities as a minister in a government committed to cutting red tape and regulations. She brandished her liberalising credentials, saying Flexible labour markets are the ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago
  • Why Newshub failed
    Chris Trotter writes – TO UNDERSTAND WHY NEWSHUB FAILED, it is necessary to understand how TVNZ changed. Up until 1989, the state broadcaster had been funded by a broadcasting licence fee, collected from every citizen in possession of a television set, supplemented by a relatively modest (compared ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago
  • Māori Party on the warpath against landlords and seabed miners – let’s see if mystical creature...
    Bob Edlin writes  –  The Māori Party has been busy issuing a mix of warnings and threats as its expresses its opposition to interest deductibility for landlords and the plans of seabed miners. It remains to be seen whether they  follow the example of indigenous litigants in Australia, ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago
  • There’s a name for this
    Every year, in the Budget, Parliament forks out money to government agencies to do certain things. And every year, as part of the annual review cycle, those agencies are meant to report on whether they have done the things Parliament gave them that money for. Agencies which consistently fail to ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    6 days ago
  • Echoes of 1968 in 2024?  Pocock on the repetitive problems of the New Left
    Mike Grimshaw writes – Recent events in American universities point to an underlying crisis of coherent thinking, an issue that increasingly affects the progressive left across the Western world. This of course is nothing new as anyone who can either remember or has read of the late ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago
  • Two bar blues
    The thing about life’s little victories is that they can be followed by a defeat.Reader Darryl told me on Monday night:Test again Dave. My “head cold” last week became COVID within 24 hours, and is still with me. I hear the new variants take a bit longer to show up ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    6 days ago
  • Bernard's Top 10 @ 10 'pick 'n' mix' for March 13
    TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: Angus Deaton on rethinking his economics IMFLocal scoop: The people behind Tamarind, the firm that left a $500m cleanup bill for taxpayers at Taranaki’s Tui oil well, are back operating in Taranaki under a different company name. Jonathan ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    6 days ago

  • Positive progress for social worker workforce
    New Zealand’s social workers are qualified, experienced, and more representative of the communities they serve, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “I want to acknowledge and applaud New Zealand’s social workers for the hard work they do, providing invaluable support for our most vulnerable. “To coincide with World ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 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
    6 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
    7 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
    20 hours ago
  • Kāinga Ora instructed to end Sustaining Tenancies
    Kāinga Ora – Homes & Communities has been instructed to end the Sustaining Tenancies Framework and take stronger measures against persistent antisocial behaviour by tenants, says Housing Minister Chris Bishop. “Earlier today Finance Minister Nicola Willis and I sent an interim Letter of Expectations to the Board of Kāinga Ora. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Speech to Auckland Business Chamber: Growth is the answer
    Tēna koutou katoa. Greetings everyone. Thank you to the Auckland Chamber of Commerce and the Honourable Simon Bridges for hosting this address today. I acknowledge the business leaders in this room, the leaders and governors, the employers, the entrepreneurs, the investors, and the wealth creators. The coalition Government shares your ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Singapore rounds out regional trip
    Minister Winston Peters completed the final leg of his visit to South and South East Asia in Singapore today, where he focused on enhancing one of New Zealand’s indispensable strategic partnerships.      “Singapore is our most important defence partner in South East Asia, our fourth-largest trading partner and a ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Minister van Velden represents New Zealand at International Democracy Summit
    Minister of Internal Affairs and Workplace Relations and Safety, Hon. Brooke van Velden, will travel to the Republic of Korea to represent New Zealand at the Third Summit for Democracy on 18 March. The summit, hosted by the Republic of Korea, was first convened by the United States in 2021, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Insurance Council of NZ Speech, 7 March 2024, Auckland
    ICNZ Speech 7 March 2024, Auckland  Acknowledgements and opening  Mōrena, ngā mihi nui. Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Nor Whanganui aho.  Good morning, it’s a privilege to be here to open the ICNZ annual conference, thank you to Mark for the Mihi Whakatau  My thanks to Tim Grafton for inviting me ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Five-year anniversary of Christchurch terror attacks
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Lead Coordination Minister Judith Collins have expressed their deepest sympathy on the five-year anniversary of the Christchurch terror attacks. “March 15, 2019, was a day when families, communities and the country came together both in sorrow and solidarity,” Mr Luxon says.  “Today we pay our respects to the 51 shuhada ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Speech for Financial Advice NZ Conference 5 March 2024
    Speech for Financial Advice NZ Conference 5 March 2024  Acknowledgements and opening  Morena, Nga Mihi Nui.  Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Nor Whanganui aho. Thanks Nate for your Mihi Whakatau  Good morning. It’s a pleasure to formally open your conference this morning. What a lovely day in Wellington, What a great ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Early visit to Indonesia strengthens ties
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters held discussions in Jakarta today about the future of relations between New Zealand and South East Asia’s most populous country.   “We are in Jakarta so early in our new government’s term to reflect the huge importance we place on our relationship with Indonesia and South ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • China Foreign Minister to visit
    Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Winston Peters has announced that the Foreign Minister of China, Wang Yi, will visit New Zealand next week.  “We look forward to re-engaging with Foreign Minister Wang Yi and discussing the full breadth of the bilateral relationship, which is one of New Zealand’s ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Minister opens new Auckland Rail Operations Centre
    Transport Minister Simeon Brown has today opened the new Auckland Rail Operations Centre, which will bring together KiwiRail, Auckland Transport, and Auckland One Rail to improve service reliability for Aucklanders. “The recent train disruptions in Auckland have highlighted how important it is KiwiRail and Auckland’s rail agencies work together to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Celebrating 10 years of Crankworx Rotorua
    The Government is proud to support the 10th edition of Crankworx Rotorua as the Crankworx World Tour returns to Rotorua from 16-24 March 2024, says Minister for Economic Development Melissa Lee.  “Over the past 10 years as Crankworx Rotorua has grown, so too have the economic and social benefits that ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Government delivering on tax commitments
    Legislation implementing coalition Government tax commitments and addressing long-standing tax anomalies will be progressed in Parliament next week, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The legislation is contained in an Amendment Paper to the Taxation (Annual Rates for 2023–24, Multinational Tax, and Remedial Matters) Bill issued today.  “The Amendment Paper represents ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Significant Natural Areas requirement to be suspended
    Associate Environment Minister Andrew Hoggard has today announced that the Government has agreed to suspend the requirement for councils to comply with the Significant Natural Areas (SNA) provisions of the National Policy Statement for Indigenous Biodiversity for three years, while it replaces the Resource Management Act (RMA).“As it stands, SNAs ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Government classifies drought conditions in Top of the South as medium-scale adverse event
    Agriculture Minister Todd McClay has classified the drought conditions in the Marlborough, Tasman, and Nelson districts as a medium-scale adverse event, acknowledging the challenging conditions facing farmers and growers in the district. “Parts of Marlborough, Tasman, and Nelson districts are in the grip of an intense dry spell. I know ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Government partnership to tackle $332m facial eczema problem
    The Government is helping farmers eradicate the significant impact of facial eczema (FE) in pastoral animals, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay announced.  “A $20 million partnership jointly funded by Beef + Lamb NZ, the Government, and the primary sector will save farmers an estimated NZD$332 million per year, and aims to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • NZ, India chart path to enhanced relationship
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters has completed a successful visit to India, saying it was an important step in taking the relationship between the two countries to the next level.   “We have laid a strong foundation for the Coalition Government’s priority of enhancing New Zealand-India relations to generate significant future benefit for both countries,” says Mr Peters, ...
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