Campbell: The TPP dairy deal is done

Written By: - Date published: 2:50 pm, September 28th, 2015 - 63 comments
Categories: capitalism, International, spin, trade - Tags: , , ,

Gordon Campbell (one of the last known practitioners of the dying art of journalism) claims that the TPP dairy deal is already done.

Gordon Campbell on New Zealand’s TPP done deal on dairy, and on investor-state disputes

For five years, the public has been denied any meaningful information about the content and progress of the TPP – on the bogus excuse that for the government to do so would jeopardise its ability to conduct the negotiations. Yet in other countries, far more information is publicly available than is the case here. As a result, the public is being made vulnerable to political manipulation – as information is drip fed by the government primarily for its own political ends. We are not North Korea, but a five year blackout amounts to a near- totalitarian abuse of information on matters of crucial public interest.

Currently a classic example of this process is under way. For the past week, the government has been actively downplaying the likely deal on dairy access to overseas markets that New Zealand may achieve via the TPP … What’s going on here?

The likely explanation is that the dairy deal, has in fact, been done. Over the weekend, evidence has emerged that a new deal for NZ on dairy – and a solution to the previous impasse – has been reached, and is being reported on in North America. What our government has done is to talk down the likely outcome, so that it can maximise the gains of pulling the rabbit successfully out of the hat. Secrecy breeds the opportunities for this kind of spin.

The evidence about the New Zealand dairy deal is on the (expensively paywalled) Inside Trade publication. I can’t link you directly to it … the two articles to look for are (a) the article about the memo summarising the current state of TPP negotiations that has been written and circulated by the House Ways and Means Committee Ranking Democrat Sandor Levin, and (b) the separate article about the US deal on dairy with New Zealand, and the furious response by US dairy industry leaders.

Whether it is Canada that is conceding unilaterally or the US that is doing so, one thing is clear : New Zealand has won a specific carve-out for greater dairy access, and it knows exactly what it is because our dairy industry leaders have been heavily involved in formulating it. Groser’s coyness to RNZ on Friday about whether or not he will attend the ministerial meeting in Atlanta set for September 30- October 1st this week is – as mentioned – mere politicking. … [minor typos corrected]

Go read the whole article on Scoop for much more detail on the emerging evidence.

63 comments on “Campbell: The TPP dairy deal is done ”

  1. Matthew Hooton 1

    Well, some good news and a major and important govt achievement for a change.

    • NZSage 1.1

      What a foolish statement or can we assume from your euphoria you are “in the know” on the details of the TPPA?

      Nah, thought not….. just kowtowing to your coprorate maters I suspect.

    • If by “good news” you mean a wholesale destruction of our intellectual property protections, costing the government more on medicines and potentially opening the government to million- or billion-dollar lawsuits “judged” by trade lawyers, then you have an interesting definition of good news. Especially given the so-called good news is thought to be so controversial by its drafters that they’ve forbidden potential signatories from even talking about the details for the next few years.

      No amount of dairy access is worth the long-term costs of those consequences, and we wouldn’t need policy-laundering techniques if it were actually a deal to be proud of. Go back to your echo chamber, Hooton.

    • cogito 1.3

      Good news? Absolutely not when the government behaves like this:

      ” We are not North Korea, but a five year blackout amounts to a near- totalitarian abuse of information on matters of crucial public interest.”

  2. millsy 2

    So Hooten, you think its OK for corporations to sue the government if they want to keep water reticulation in public hands, or have employee protections.

    • Matthew Hooton 2.1

      No, that would be terrible and I would oppose it strongly.

      • Ronin Thorpe 2.1.1

        Well Mathew, if that happens you can oppose it all you want. Nothing that you can do or say will change it because JK, Grosser and the rest will have signed away our rights to have a say in anything.

      • One Anonymous Bloke 2.1.2

        I would oppose it strongly then get in line for the PR contracts with the rest of the professional liars.

        I have a question: when your peer-group (trash) learned that you conspired to murder Nicky Hager, were they appreciative or envious?

      • One Anonymous Bloke 2.1.3

        I have another question: is your manifest bias and corruption a liability or an asset in your chosen criminal enterprise?

    • Millsy- to be fair the trade lawyers can’t actually do that. Now, if we decided to say, nationalise the power industry, or even implement a policy like Kiwipower, foreign stakeholders could absolutely take us to a TTP-mandated disputes tribunal run by trade lawyers who are unlikely to give the government a fair shot, and we’ll most likely be ordered to pay them outrageous amounts in forgone profits for the privilege of changing our own damn laws.

      Of course, if National ever rolls back certain employee protections or public ownership of water, then trying to claw it back again would be subject to a similar dispute process, in which we would have to prove we have the right to legislate in the public interest.

      • One Anonymous Bloke 2.2.1

        Or we could simply tear up the slave contract and instruct the GCSB to exact revenge against corporate trash.

      • crashcart 2.2.2

        Sort of makes you wonder if this is the point of the legislation that is currently going through that will lock in zero hour contracts and limits to employees abilities to take secondary work.

        Put in place this sort of abusive legislation before TPP is signed and that beomes the base line. If the next government then tries to introduce protections for workers the companies could legitimately argue that it will cut their ability to make profits either preventing action by government or getting large payouts via ISDT.

  3. Sabine 3

    Well, once WE the people now what was signed and for what, one can say it is a good achievement.
    So lets wait to hear what precisely was achieved for the NZ Dairy Farming comunity/businesses and at what cost to our environment.

    • They can’t tell you. Part of the deal is that they agree to keep it secret for several years, even after it’s signed. So we have to rely on leaks to even judge how terrible this agreement is for us, because nobody is willing to talk about the parts they’ve agreed on.

      • crashcart 3.1.1

        From what they were saying on the weekend what is secret is the negotiation documents not the actual final text. So we will know what we get out of it just not how they got there. Of course it does allow them to hide what the article is talking about i.e. we will not be able to prove that the dairy deal was in fact done a while ago and the government has been playing politics with the info they are releasing. This of course means they can’t be held accountable for that sort of deception until well after the fact and Key and his mates have probably retired.

    • savenz 3.2

      Well Sabine, it might achieve an increase in the 18% payrise the CEO of Fonterra has given himself, while overseeing declining turnover, huge lay offs and a record low payment to farmers.

      Yep I really want the Natz sell our soul and environment and jobs, for the never never of dairy, which has like many other industries in NZ become a cash cow, asset stripped, poorly governed, corporate welfare recipient of the government to individual managers in Fonterra.

      Like the Rebstocks they have a strategy and are well paid for implementing it.

      • Sabine 3.2.1

        mate, it was tongue in cheek. I don’t think anything good will come form a ‘trade agreement’ that is so toxic that it needs to be discussed secretly, that is so secret that only a handful of people have to approve it and that virtually no one wants other then a few temporarily appointed Dear Leaders of this world.

        we need sarcasm tabs.

  4. David 4

    The whole thing is a rather nasty mash up between big government and big corporations, there really is very little worthwhile in it for someone who supports actual free trade.

  5. maui 5

    http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/canada-election-2015-trans-pacific-partnership-dairy-1.3242234

    The short strokes on dairy come down to how much of Canada’s domestic market would be opened up to American products to compensate U.S. dairy producers for opening up their market to TPP partners such as New Zealand, an aggressive and competitive dairy exporter.

    If that’s true how will this all wash up? We get some dairy access into the States while we stand to be screwed by large companies at any time and Pharmac loses it’s effectiveness.

    • Northshoredoc 5.1

      Oh for goodness sake if all that happens is data exclusivity is extended for a few years on biologics the effect on Pharmac will be minimal

  6. Richard@Down South 6

    We can have greater dairy access, but when milk solids are sold at $3.85 for a KG, I doubt farmers will be too happy (nor will it make Milk like gold to the economy, as promised)

  7. Robert Guyton 7

    Yes it is.
    More fool us.

  8. Pasupial 8

    There are some small points of hope in Campbell’s article:

    Canada is only weeks away from an election in which seats in the dairy-producing provinces will be crucial. If that wasn’t deterrence enough for Canada to cave in on dairy, it is also under similar Japan/US pressure within the TPP for it and Mexico to cave in on the auto parts issue. Moreover, the opposition Liberals (who are leading in the polls) are saying they wont ratify a TPP deal that disadvantages Canada… furious response by US dairy industry leaders [to dairy deal].

    NAct will sign anything put in front of it with lickspittle alacrity, trusting in the compliant NZ media to dismiss any protest. But the Canadian and USA election cycle may mean that concluding an agreement will not be possible until 2017. NZ Labour need to make their opposition at least as clear as the Canadian Liberals.

  9. Tautoko Mangō Mata 9

    Remember the Cabinet ratify TPPA, not the whole Parliament.

    • Detrie 9.1

      Actually I think it can be signed off just by the executive council, which can comprise as few as govt 3 ministers so doesn’t even need to be debated or approved by parliament or even cabinet. That would appeal to John Keys inflated ego and bravado…
      https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Executive_Council_of_New_Zealand

      • George Hendry 9.1.1

        So I understood, courtesy of LPrent.

        I went looking for a list of the members of the executive council, couldn’t find one yet. Will someone tell us who they are?

        When we know which of them actually signed the deal on our behalf, perhaps Mr Hooton will kindly provide the names of the streets they live in, though just to be safe, not the numbers as well.

        • One Anonymous Bloke 9.1.1.1

          All ministers (including those outside Cabinet) must be sworn in as Executive Councillors before their appointment as ministers.

          • George Hendry 9.1.1.1.1

            Thanks OAB. 🙂

            Here’s an idea for a game. Ask ministers individually if they signed or not. Doesn’t matter how they answer, the whole thing could be like a twitter flag diversion where their names get associated with selling out the country.

            After enough chance to reply, bring out the wikileak (it will surely arrive) that gives the details, just the way it happened with all the others that were supposed to be so secret all these years.

            • One Anonymous Bloke 9.1.1.1.1.1

              I’m not so fussed about the secrecy: until we adopt distributive negotiation it’s a given.

              What I don’t like is restraint of trade. Corporations are people, apparently, but somehow I don’t get to sue the government when they do stupid shit that affects my bottom line.

        • George Hendry 9.1.1.3

          How symbolic of what we face, that so few have so much power over the wellbeing and livelihoods of all the rest of us.

          Such legislation, which presumably wasn’t passed just yesterday but has been a disaster waiting to happen for some time now, needed to be spotlit so we could start the process of dismantling it, as older, more experienced democracies have already done.

          Though it will probably cause much pain for the next several years, we may need it as a lesson in how low the henchmen will stoop before we remove both them and their legalised excuses for the wrong they do.

  10. Reddelusion 10

    Great news if true, Groser deserves a knighthood

    • One Anonymous Bloke 10.1

      When did you decide restraint of trade is a good thing?

    • half crown 10.2

      Are you aware of some details of the TPPA the rest of NZ isn’t to make that statement? or are you just mouthing off right wing crap as per usual without considering the long term consequences this could have for NZ, my and others grandchildren.

      This is the thing that gets me with you lot you never question why, if the fucking spiv shit on you from a great height you would try and convince yourself and us that it is gold, or at lest good quality shit.

    • crashcart 10.3

      Only a RWNJ could think that a member of government decieving the general public for their own political gain is deserving of a knighthood.

      Well played sir.

  11. Ovid 11

    Copied and pasted from Open Mike:

    TPP COUNTRIES HEAD TO ATLANTA WITHOUT DEAL IN SIGHT ON AUTO ROO

    Schewel, Matthew. Inside US Trade33.37 (Sep 25, 2015).

    But there have been no publicly announced meetings between TPP countries on dairy or biologics since the Maui meeting. New Zealand’s trade ministry indicated in a Sept. 24 press release that negotiators were still far from laying out acceptable options on dairy market access.

    It did so by implicitly threatening that Trade Minister Tim Groser would not attend the TPP ministerial scheduled for Sept. 30-Oct. 1 in Atlanta absent more progress on dairy market access. “Should negotiators make sufficient progress resolving outstanding issues, including dairy market access, to warrant ministerial engagement, Mr. Groser intends to travel to Atlanta to meet other trade ministers,” the ministry said.

    However, the ministry said its officials would definitely attend the Sept. 26-29 chief negotiators meeting in Atlanta.

    Both the Peruvian and New Zealand governments signaled this week in separate documents that the outstanding issues generally fall into the categories of intellectual property (IP), market access, rules of origin, textiles, and legal and institutional issues. New Zealand’s trade ministry said in a Sept. 22 letter responding to an official information request that it would send negotiators for these areas as well as state-owned enterprises to the Atlanta meetings.

  12. les 12

    well Wayne already foreshadowed NZ Dairy exports would rise by the phenomenal sum of $30 plus million if this deal is done…happy days!

    • lprent 12.1

      The peanuts that’d we’d expect from a National led agreement eh?

      • One Anonymous Bloke 12.1.1

        Not to mention the betrayal we’d expect from a law commissioner who collaborates in the degradation of human rights and the rule of law.

        • Wayne 12.1.1.1

          Not sure what you are getting at here.

          Are you suggesting that everyone who supports TPP is ipso fact against the rule of law and human rights?

          So that if TPP is completed, then Australia, Canada, Chile, Japan, New Zealand, Singapore and the United States, among others, would suddenly become counties no longer interested in human rights and the rule of law?

          Surely it is a rather a long stretch to draw this inference from a trade and investment agreement.

  13. tracey 13

    Key is at the UN as a “leader” but mostly will use his time following Obama like a puppy (as he does Ritchie McCaw at dinners that Mccaw attends). I note Key says he takes the deportation (and death) of kiwis in Aussie seriously and will talk to Turnbill when get gets home…

    Rather begs the question why he isn’t talking to him at the United Nations, that bastion of Human Rights, treatment of people in custody rights and so on…? You know, cos he takes it so seriously.

    He must find a place like the UN quite bewildering, chokker with people focused on human rights, other than the politicians focused on economics, economics, economics.

    “He once quipped to me – with just the slightest tinge of envy – that one of the things he most admired about Clark was “she has the Rolodex from heaven” built from the international relationships she made as prime minister.” Fran O’Sullivan
    http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11379425

  14. RedBaronCV 14

    Where’s Wayne? He’s usually here by now to convince us that ‘it’s a good thing”. His absence is a good indicator that we have agreed to sign already?

    • Wayne 14.1

      RedBaronCV,

      Just waiting to see what happens. If the deal is as close as we imagine, it would seem that the time for punditry on the deal is pretty much over.

      • Tautoko Mangō Mata 14.1.1

        The problem with the TPPA is the fact that the public has been excluded while part of their sovereignty rights are being traded away. The public has been given no opportunity to change what is being traded away. To use John Key’s analogy of a house sale, the vendor has no idea whether any of his chattels are being included in the sale being run by the salesmen, Key and Groser, and what is more, the vendor has not even been asked whether he wants his chattels to be sold. You expect us to trust the Government, Wayne. Given the track record of blunders, (Sky City, Saudi Sheep, Rio Tinto, Warner Bros) why would we?

        • Tautoko Mangō Mata 14.1.1.1

          @Wayne The major problem with the TPPA is that the public has no faith in a process which has been carried out with unprecedented secrecy and we have lost respect for those who are pushing this through with a complete disregard to the responsibility of following democratic principles and their arrogant dismissal of our objection to the flawed process. We do not respect the flawed process, Wayne.

          Here is a short excerpt on respect.
          “Discord contributes nothing positive to democratic culture. A healthy democracy is founded on respect – respect for democratic principles, democratic institutions and political office; respect for the ethos of a fair go; respect for gender equality; respect for the next person; robust and respectful debate; respect for truth in reporting; respect for sound policy and legislation and, above all, respect for the common good.

          Read more: http://www.theage.com.au/it-pro/suffering-a-sad-lack-of-respect-20120915-25z26.html#ixzz3n4BIKeHf

          • savenz 14.1.1.1.1

            And what is the Maori party doing about it – making cuppa’s for John Key to support his government.

            And as for Labour and Greens – pathetic on this issue! NZ First what are they doing?

            A petition is not really doing it. Get some guts and burn an effigy of John Key outside parliament – do something – walk the Streets, collaborate with Greenpeace of the like, anything to actually show that the opposition is actually and ACTIVELY with the people against TPPA, secret deals and the joke our country and it’s parliament has become.

            • cogito 14.1.1.1.1.1

              “Get some guts and burn an effigy of John Key outside parliament”

              Yes, you need guts and principles to do that. Hard to find either in NZ these days. People love to remember those who fought for freedom and democracy, but when it comes to standing up for it today, on the streets, and calling the Liar of NZ to account, they prefer to look the other way.

  15. Barbara 15

    Tuesday morning news – right on cue, a nice softener/feel good story from Nick Smith about the new marine reserve thats been named for NZ – getting in before the TPPA announcement which is due very soon if not already signed. Even Key has had a short chat with Obama about the TPPA at the UN – my partner said after the marine reserve news – the Govt is so predictable – why can’t people see through it, its either diversions or feel good stories like Pandas.

  16. Tiger Mountain 16

    Gordon Campbell deserves a medal and a huge cash payout for this article alone, being onto a publication not many if any even know about as one of his sources

    Mr Hooton was a prompt replier, maybe he did not know?

  17. Tautoko Mangō Mata 17

    Meanwhile Claire Trevett begins her article about Key with toilet paper, which, on reflection, is quite apt considering the content

  18. Lloyd 18

    There is nothing wrong with the ability of a foreign corporation suing a government in an open and fully reported court as long as there is a reciprocal ability for:
    – citizens of any country involved to sue corporations for excessive profits;
    – Citizens to sue to claw back payments to executives of corporations that are significantly greater than the average worker in that corporation;
    -citizens and governments to sue for the portion of global warming/sea level rise/ sea acidification that a corporation or government was responsible for, and any other environmental effect;
    -citizens of any country to sue corporations for low salaries and poor safety records in any country
    -citizens to sue foreign governments for actions that threaten health standards in any country.

    Any other deal is shonky as a three dollar note and should not be part of any deal that a representative of the New Zealand people agrees to.

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

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