Can We Support Phil Goff for Auckland Mayor?

Written By: - Date published: 9:00 am, June 21st, 2016 - 59 comments
Categories: auckland supercity, local government, phil goff, supercity - Tags:

Phil Goff cropped

Every year, Auckland is more of New Zealand. More of its real estate risk, more of its social problems, more of its productivity drag. Just more. And hence more of its politics. This government has long since abandoned policy coherence over any Auckland issue: housing, immigration, innovation, transport, electricity, youth employment, poverty, public health, growth, wealth – anything you can name. It continues to legislate the role of local government to be weaker and weaker. And on every subject, central government makes a point of avoiding the unified approach with Auckland Council that New Zealand clearly needs.

Which makes this Auckland mayoral race matter.

Almost everywhere in New Zealand, if you’ve got name recognition and haven’t eaten any children lately, you’ll get elected. But we need Auckland to be governed on more than name recognition.

Which is why Phil Goff needs to tell us some actual policy.

Granted, a few won’t vote for him because he’s pro-TPP, is unrepentant as a reformer in the Lange government, and has abandoned the Labour brand for his run. Policies won’t alter such voters.

Instead let’s get to his substance. His site is weak.  He has one policy: shift the sea port off the Waitemata.  This appeals to the Kohimarama yachties and Devonport estate agents. It’s an otherwise stupid idea. If it ever happened, it would take 15 years minimum, which is crap politics first off: ruling out the Manukau or Bethells as suicide, Whangarei would need Marsden Point rail link and rail from Avondale to Onehunga, and a motorway through the Brynderwyns. It would need whole bunches of permissions from RMA to Commerce Commission to OIO, and the Public Works Act selldown procedures. Any one of those will have you in court for a decade (witness the recent Te Atatu port saga that went to the Supreme Court). And its a policy that achieves nothing. It’s make-work dressed as “strategy”.

On the site he’s got a little blog about the housing bubble being ready to burst, with allusions to the stock market in 1987. He claims that the property bubble is too far gone to fix. Not too many candidates outline a major problem and say from the outset it’s too hard to fix. I can’t even tell if he wants to fix it:

“As a member of the reforming Labour government of the 1980s, I support a market economy. However … governments also need to intervene to ensure socially fair outcomes, such as by preventing homelessness.”

Mr Goff, proposing to form a government, neglects to tell us how he will intervene. Or if.

What are his objectives? What executive instruments will he use? What needs fixing, and how will he fix it? Will we have the same council run 95% of the time by bureaucrats? Does he still have the capacity to reform anything? After 30 years in politics, why don’t we know what he wants to do? Even if he did, does he know how he’d do it?

It’s early. More policies will be released. But this candidate needs to spell out how he will in three years make Auckland “a city where talent and enterprise thrive”. Mr Goff is coasting on name recognition, and this is no time for such political laziness.

Mr Goff, your name is not enough. Fix it.

59 comments on “Can We Support Phil Goff for Auckland Mayor? ”

  1. TC 1

    Sad that this troughing centrist is akl’s best shot at getting something done however small and inconsequential that may be.

    Supershity is designed with the mayor as a ceremonial figure.

    • save nz 1.1

      TC centerist??? Goff’s a closet ACT supporter from the 80’s who has mellowed to NatLite over the years.

      His emminent absence from Labour probably gave them a lift last poll.

      The scariest thing, is that people who hate him, will probably still consider voting for him as Mayor incase someone worse, like a Slater run campaigner gets in and starts doing a post 2014 National government destruction to our biggest city.

      That is how dysfunction our politics is, Sheeple. Weep.

      • Colonial Viper 1.1.1

        Best reason to support Goff for Mayor is to get him out of the Labour caucus.

  2. Ovid 2

    A mayor can’t do much without council backing so there’s a limit on what can be promised.

    • One Anonymous Bloke 2.1

      Haven’t all the meaningful levers been placed out of the reach of democracy by the National Party yet?

  3. Greg 3

    Rodney Hide and the National Party created the Super city to be Super, and its is Super, super inefficient, with far to many managers, )+how many have been before before the courts for corruption charges and convictions) And why does Auckland need so many promotional staff.

    Can Goff fix a very poorly designed Super city?

    Will he find out, whats happen to the million dollars donated by Barefoot and Thomson owner for a state house art work on the Wharf, the council has already shacked out 2 million for extra’s on it (=homeless privy). And its all just disappeared from any Herald media commentary.

    Can Goff wind back the ridiculous rates bill linked to property price, it should be driving out the asset rich cash poor baby boomer house owners en mass after a cold winter.
    Council Rates should be only ever assessed on services provided.

    Real wages in Auckland are stagnant, it needs to promote an Auckland living wage.

    Foreign student numbers need to be restricted to what accommodation is available, not just bums on seats in lecture rooms. They are a factor in rising accommodation costs and overcrowding. Just look at trade me flatmates wanted, I have heard of six sleeping in a double bed.

    Does Goff really know what he is in for in tackling Auckland moribund issues left fermenting, by a current Mayor able to hide to a secret bathroom.

  4. stunned mullet 4

    He is possibly a better option than Penny Bright.

  5. Xanthe 5

    Phil goff as minister of justice was in a position to pardon peter ellis , he ducked !
    I would never support him in any position of responsibility!
    (Mind you some good arguments here that mayor is not a position of responsibility)

    • Stuart Munro 5.1

      A career foreign minister is essentially a runner – never takes responsibility. The same pathology as Grocer but slightly less overt.

      • the pigman 5.1.1

        Do you mean (Tim) Groser, ex-trade minister?

        McCully is the career foreign minister and yes, he really is the Pits.

  6. Lanthanide 6

    I suspect it’s probably impossible for any single person to fit the problems Auckland has. It requires co-operation from a lot of people, particularly central government.

  7. Cricklewood 7

    It may be difficult for him to make significant change unless he gets a like minded majority on council but that no reason why he couldn’t put forward his likely policy or areas to target.
    I’m absolutely convinced that council can and should redirect/defer some less essential funding to address issues like community housing which greatly effect Auckland.
    In my extremely limited (2 small projects) involvement with council I have seen 100k of wasteful spending in the last couple of years coupled with some extremely dubious requests to split quotes and invoices to keep invoices at a level where they don’t have to be scrutinized and signed off by someone higher up the food chain.

  8. fisiani 8

    Phil Goff would make a great mayor of Auckland. I fully support him.

    • John shears 8.1

      Oh Dear!!! Fizzy strikes again Poor Phil that’s the end of him Fizzy is in control.

  9. s y d 9

    Phil Goff, donning the blue and black.
    What are his objectives?
    What executive instruments will he use?

    Who cares, he doesn’t. After 30 years (30 years!) in politics Phil just reckons it’s his turn.
    There will be a few sideshows (moving the port indeed Ad!) to distract while assets will be stripped (via edict from wellington) to fund chinese state construction of evermore empty suburban tract housing.

    chur.

    3 cheers for Mr Goff.

    • Chris 9.1

      Goff just wants to make Auckland Great Again! – that’s all he’ll ever try to do.

  10. Tiger Mountain 10

    it can certainly be said that Phil has to be the best of the right wing candidates, but I prefer to vote positively so it is slim pickings in the mayoral race for me, it is not like a “lesser of two evils” situation when the other 3 right contenders will also be subservient to the business cliques, perhaps Goff will not sell off the Ports and airport, he should say so pronto if that is his point of difference

    under 40% (36% last time) of Aucklanders can usually be arsed sending in a postal vote so the mayoralty is indeed up for grabs if one sector could do a Len Brown first term equivalent where he got in on substantial South Auckland votes; last election Penny Bright and John Minto got around 10,000 votes each from memory, with no media coverage or budget to speak of

    the 2016 contest desperately needs a good lefty, like “Minto for Mayor” with a platform of free public transport, slashed salaries for the over $100,000 council staff, and making business pay a bigger rating contribution

    • Draco T Bastard 10.1

      the 2016 contest desperately needs a good lefty, like “Minto for Mayor” with a platform of free public transport, slashed salaries for the over $100,000 council staff, and making business pay a bigger rating contribution

      QFT

  11. Enviro Gal 11

    Phil Goff is a better option than anyone else:
    he has been an Auckland MP for a long time and has a reputation as a hard worker,
    was Auckland born raised and educated [ I gather his father is here in Auckland, 95 years young]
    His electorate Roskill is the most multicultural electorate in the country.
    He looks younger and fitter than the PM and has some idea what needs to be done.
    Having a supportive council would make A BIG difference !
    I always remember Kim Hill saying when she retired from mornings, that he was one of the hardest people to interview because he is so articulate.

    • Colonial Viper 11.1

      articulate supporter of free trade and the TPP

    • Ad 11.2

      Agreed a lot will rest on the kinds of people that make up the new Council. The current lot are just toxic with each other.

      I have a feeling that after the election there will be more fresh faces than last time, because the level of anger and frustration at this Council has built up over 6 years.

      We still have to endure the food fight that will ensue in August and September when they finally get to vote on the Unitary Plan. They will either get it right, or Minister Smith will simply overrule them and impose his will directly. Either way their names won’t look good to the voters on election day.

      I also agree that Phil has a lot of really good points that would make him a great Mayor.

  12. Draco T Bastard 12

    After 30 years in politics, why don’t we know what he wants to do?

    Same reason as John Banks?

    I certainly won’t be voting for him. I want a Left wing mayor – not Right wing one dressed up as a Left wing.

  13. indiana 13

    Auckland needs to vote for a mayor who will promise in their first 100 days to reduce rates, be willing to sell Auckland Airport shares to fund expenses and immediately open land for development including relaxing rules to allow current property owners to subdivide their sections so long as new house is built. Additionally, they should allow property owners to tear down existing houses only to be replaced by duplexes if the section cannot be subdivided reasonably. While they are at it, get rid of the tight rules on protecting trees, and heritage housing in certain suburbs just so that people can cling onto the good old days.

    • Draco T Bastard 13.1

      Auckland needs to vote for a mayor who will promise in their first 100 days to reduce rates

      Considering that the rates probably aren’t high enough that’s probably a bad idea – unless you want to force the council to sell off city assets like National does.

      be willing to sell Auckland Airport shares to fund expenses

      Doing that actually does the exact opposite and will force the council to increase rates.

      immediately open land for development

      There’s enough land open for development for the next 6 years or so and it’s also a bad idea because of the huge cost burden sprawl puts on the city and thus forcing up rates.

      including relaxing rules to allow current property owners to subdivide their sections so long as new house is built.

      They were doing that but National told them that they’re not allowed to.

      While they are at it, get rid of the tight rules on protecting trees

      A city needs trees, especially mature ones, for its social health so this is another really stupid idea.

    • save nz 13.2

      @Indiana – while you’re at it, blacktop all of Auckland – that’s progress, then we can just drive everywhere. If you can see the sun then lay a complaint to the electricity commission, as some commie somewhere might be hiding a solar panel and TAKING the right of business to make a profit from the grid.

      Think how many foreign students we can pack into a sardine can, we can just pump all the sewerage out to sea or maybe it could be like the Ganges.

      Wadable is the new washable after all. Don’t worry existing rate payers can pay for all the infrastructure, the new homeless can be shipped off to Nuie.

      • save nz 13.2.1

        forgot to mention when the new homeless are shipped off to Nuie… of course it is at tax payer expense and Scenic hotels paid $200 per night be be deducted off the homeless person’s benefit…

        • save nz 13.2.1.1

          Funny enough London manages to house nearly 9 million people and they have very tight zoning and very tight council rules on development.

          What screwed London up the most, was allowing foreign investment and now like Auckland, people can’t afford to live in London, who run the city and work on local wages.

          Development is a risky business, having few and inconsistent rules like at Auckland council planning and a 99.9% success rate at environment court (literally any consent will get passed no matter how bad) actually does the opposite – it creates chaos and then people don’t want to take the risk to build. Once building, the problems past back to the council and then the ratepayers when things go wrong.

          This happened in the early days of apartments in the CBD, someone could literally build another block in front of the other block’s windows and take out the other apartment block amenity legally and no one cared how well they were built. It took 25 years to recover from that.

          Maybe ‘the good old days’ are something to aspire too, when rates were low, quarter acre was normal, homelessness was unusual, jobs were plentiful, people built to do a good job, not to try and make as much profit as possible, education was about teaching local people not some business to educate other nation’s kids for profit (which when all factored in, is not a profit but a loss).

          Everything is often good in moderation, the problem in Auckland is that the government and council have gone full tilt with neoliberalism and want citizens and charity to pick up the pieces while they pocket the profits, they seem incapable of looking at other cities and not following their mistakes or their advantages.

    • Sacha 13.3

      Wow, you must really miss C&R. Those same policies delivered Auckland leaking sewers needing billions in catch-up maintenance – but by golly they ‘kept rates down’ for the eastern suburbs.

  14. Richardrawshark 14

    Has Banks declared any interest in standing for Mayor, I note he’s selling his mansion in Auckland is this perhaps to raise money to contend? This would open up the selection for Auckland.

    Be interesting Banks Goff, Bright, some talent right there /sarc

    When is some brave party going to come out and say what everyone’s thinking, super city not working, so scrap it already and go back to what worked better.

    • Ad 14.1

      Nope; Banks is spent.
      He’s selling his apartment on Albert Street and will shortly be retreating to Queenstown which is where his family are.

  15. AB 15

    In 2010 I voted for Len Brown as John Banks had to be beaten.
    In 2013 Brown had no credible right-wing competition (only Palino) so I voted for John Minto.
    2016 – does Victoria Crone have a chance? She would be intolerable. Not as bad as Banks obviously but she sounds like a typically shallow, over-confident, right-wing business person.
    I will have to make that assessment at the time and vote accordingly.
    It sucks having to choose the least bad.

  16. Jenny Kirk 16

    Maybe you were looking in the wrong place, Advantage, for the Goff policies.
    Maybe you would have been better off reading his speech at the opening of his campaign. Plenty of policy stuff there.

    But before I get onto that, perhaps I should say Phil Goff and I have not always seen eye-to-eye on many matters, but he did tell me once that it was a huge shock when he lost his Roskill seat (to Gilbert Myles), and that caused him to have a re-think on WHY that had happened.

    Okay – he blotted his copybook on the TPPA matter, but in reality his vote did not make any difference to the actual outcome.

    Now – back to those policies :

    Goff says:

    ” We need to do more than just finish the motorway network. We need to get on with the city rail link to double passenger capacity and deal with congestion at Britomart. We need light rail on the isthmus, in the East and out to the airport. We need more bus-ways like the Northern Expressway.

    “Funding for this infrastructure can’t just come out of rates. But the Government must also provide funding to meet the needs of growth. After all, a large portion of the Government’s revenue comes from taxes paid by Aucklanders. It’ll be my job as Mayor to make sure that message gets through.

    ” There are ways to bring supply and demand in housing back into balance and Auckland should be strongly advocating for those solutions. Policies that give the building industry confidence and certainty to gear up for construction. Policies that put home buyers ahead of speculators. …..

    Edit – I didn’t finish the policy bits.
    “good urban design, plenty of public open space and protection for areas of high heritage value.”

    ” We should be opening up our harbours to people, not extending the port further into the Waitemata to create parking spaces for imported cars. We have to address pollution, silting in the Gulf and harbours and protect our access to recreational fishing….”

    ” Council spent half a million dollars on two reports released last week saying we should privatise our strategic assets. That was a waste. Aucklanders don’t want that. Privatising Watercare would double water charges to Aucklanders. ”

    • Ad 16.1

      No, I read the speech. I’m not asking for a costed budget or anything, and it’s good he’s supporting light rail since it’s been under development at AT for three years and has already been shrunk right back.

      He doesn’t state what he’s going to do to “put home buyers ahead of speculators.” There are plenty of instruments available – what will he do?

      He doesn’t state what he will do to generate “good urban design, etc etc”. Same.

      I’ve covered the Waitemata ports policy.

      It’s not too much to ask that he speak plainly and say what he’s going to do. I’m not even asking for something so old-fashioned as a manifesto. But apart from the woeful ports-shifting idea, he hasn’t said what he expects to do. That’s how you hold politicians accountable for their results.

  17. Jenny Kirk 17

    Yes, Ad. I, too, think Goff has been remiss in not spelling out a bit more detail, but maybe that is to come.

    Meanwhile, I disagree with you re the woeful ports-shifting idea. I personally asked him to come north and meet the Northland Ports people and have a good look around (which he did) – because the very obvious solution to stop the extension of Auckland Port out into the Waitemata is to remove some of its business elsewhere – imported cars could just as easily come into Marsden Port as to Auckland.

    And shifting the Port is not just an appeal to the rich yachties, its also a major environmental issue – protection of the current sea life, animals, whales and so on – as well as the enjoyment huge numbers of ordinary Aucklanders get from going out into the harbour. Its crowded on a sunny day – and port expansion will get in the way of that enjoyment.

    • Ad 17.1

      Be careful what you wish for.

      That marine environmental impact you speak of will simply be shifted from Auckland to Whangarei and Marsden Point.

      The land-based impact will be felt on the thousands of hectares that get smashed to push the motorway all the way from Warkworth to Whangarei.

      If you think there are net environmental, financial, social, or economic benefits to Auckland-Northland, do give them to Phil. He sure could use some actual facts.

  18. Richardrawshark 18

    I don’t think any of the candidates would change this to what I wanted so it would be a waste to vote for any of them.

    I can’t think of anywhere amassing control of anything by one group has had benefits.

    In fact the more people have control of their lives and regions welfare who live in those regions the better things are.

    Rodney hide …I mean seriously…., he’s just sitting in his armchair like the shit stirring devil he is and laughing his arse off.

  19. Ad 19

    Pay attention all: Gabriel Makhlouf the Head of Treasury has put out a speech today in Auckland outlining exactly the same concerns I have:

    https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/2890370-Committee-for-Auckland-Speech-FINAL.html#document/p1

    Excerpts:
    “Right now, the greatest lever to improve affordability and the supply of housing in Auckland sits with Auckland Council.”

    “The challenges are formidable … Central government will continue working shoulder to shoulder with you on this because a thriving, successful Auckland doesn’t just matter to Aucklanders. It matters to every New Zealander.”

    He also spells out the specific transport projects that generate the greatest positive effects. The ATAP Preliminary Findings and Conclusions were released today.

    Honestly Phil, if the New Zealand Head of Treasury can pop up to Auckland and spell out some actual actions clearly, so can you.

    • Jenny Kirk 19.1

      oh come on, Ad. This is the Treasury speaking Government-speak. Didn’t you see/hear the deputy mayor recently saying the land was available for housing, but the government needed to step up to do its share.?
      and BS about central govt working shoulder to shoulder with Auck when they haven’t give a stuff for years, and effectively stopped a regional tax on petrol for instance which would have paid for some of the transportation infrastructure.
      And the govt – (with info from the Treasury) is very reluctant to help Auckland fund the necessary infrastructure for future housing development, let alone anything else like railway linkages, etc.
      Get a bit real please Ad. and don’t go blaming Goff or Len Brown for the lack of support the current govt gives Auckland.

  20. Sounds to me like he’s just looking for an easy job before retirement. The last thing Auckland needs is someone with that sort of lazy attitude who is looking for a ratepayer trough before sailing off into the sunset to retire. But seriously, who else is there?

    • Ad 20.1

      Being Mayor is no easy job, and there’s no doubt Goff has the stamina and smarts for the position.

      Who else is there indeed.

      • Jenny Kirk 20.1.1

        Indeed. I don’t think Phil G is looking for an easy job before retirement. But I do think he’s probably got more Auckland-nous than you’re giving him credit for, Ad.

        I’m no longer an Aucklander, and I wasn’t too keen on Phil when I was in Parliament either, (but that was 30 years ago) but you all (if you’re all Aucklanders) probably could do a lot worse for Mayor – and you might even be surprised at the outcome.

      • Jenny 20.1.2

        Who else is there?

        The Labour Party could have chosen David Cunliffe, as their Auckland Mayoral Candidate. Obviously talented and with strong loyal organising electoral team around him, it would have seemed to me an obvious choice.

        You can’t help but think that getting Goff to stand for Mayor was the only way Labour could think of to persuade this long term trougher to leave their front bench.

        Even then you see him covering his bases, making sure he can safely return to his guaranteed trough in parliament if his mayoral campaign tanks and he hands the Mayoralty to the Right due to sheer incompetence.

        Look at his ill thought out indecent rush to defend those who keep houses empty from being charged for it. While families with out homes sleep in cars.

        The man who as Minister of Education in the Lange/Douglas administration alienated a whole generation of students by introducing fees into tertiary education. Which at the time almost the total student population to almost as a body organise to get Labour out. Delivering a landslide win to the Bolger led National Party.

        As opposition Labour Leader led a campaign to “AXE THE TAX” against National’s plant to raise GST to 15%spending $33,000 to paint a big bus bright red and drive around the country with “Axe The Tax” written all over it. This campaign swiftly fizzeled out and had to be aborted when Phil Goff revealed that he actually wouldn’t “axe the tax” if he became Prime Minister.

        Apart from that I can’t recall anything useful or outstanding that this long term trougher has ever produced from his marathon time in parliament. That is apart from achieving the almost impossible task of losing the safest of safe Labour Party seats, not to the Nats (obviously), but to somebody that wasn’t him.

        For goodness sake can’t Phil Goff just be satisfied with his millionaire life style block in Clevedon and quietly retire there and leave the rest of us alone.

        I mean his idea of moving the port of Auckland inland is just ridiculous.

        What other ill thoughr out lunacy could we expect from a Goff Mayoralty?

  21. Peter 21

    Can We Support Phil Goff for Auckland Mayor?
    NO NO NO

  22. Jenny 22

    Phil Goff the Ken Barlow of New Zealand politics.

    If Phil Goff is the answer what was the question?

  23. Andrew 23

    I will be voting Phil Goff for mayor and possibly leafleting for his campaign if studies allow. Two words: Public Transport.

    • Jenny 23.1

      What is Phil Goff’s plan for public transport?

      Will it be anything like Len Brown’s which has proved totally inadequate to the problem?

  24. Jenny 24

    And what about climate change as it relates to Auckland?

    http://www.theguardian.com/sustainable-business/2016/jun/22/michael-bloomberg-global-covenant-links-600m-people-and-7000-cities-fight-against-climate-change?utm_source=Inside+Climate+News&utm_campaign=24e720e56b-Weekly_Newsletter_Week_of_6_126_17_2016&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_29c928ffb5-24e720e56b-327500597&mc_cid=24e720e56b&mc_eid=bd6bf4131f

    What is Phil Goff’s Auckland plan for dealing with climate change?

    From what I hear Phil Goff, thinks that this is problem for central government and nothing to do with him or the Auckland Mayoralty.

    And he will do his damned best to make sure that the candidates stand on climate is an issue that will not be raised in the campaign for the Mayoralty.

    For this single piece of ignorant buck passing alone, Phil Goff shows he is unfit for the job.

    Cities are key to solving the climate change challenge. They account for most of the world’s carbon emissions, and mayors often have control over the largest sources. Just as importantly, mayors have strong incentives to attack those sources because steps that reduce carbon also improve public health and strengthen local economies.

    Clean air is increasingly a factor business leaders weigh when deciding where to invest. Cities can also act quickly to confront climate change, without the political and bureaucratic hurdles that often hold back national governments.

    cue weka to jump in here with some character assassination in defence of climate change ignoring Phil Goff.

  25. Andrew 25

    Len Brown has done more for public transport than any Mayor in the past 50 years. Have you been living under a rock?

    There’s this thing called the City Rail Link, it’s one of the biggest pieces of PT infrastructure in the history of Auckland. Have you heard of it?

    Phil Goff wants to make heavy rail and trams a priority. What other serious mayoral candidate has better public transport policies?

    Blaming the government for housing problems is largely pretty correct. The council is not allowed to build houses, so WTF do you expect a Labour council to do?

    You need to orientate yourself to reality, Jenny, because these issues are too serious to be left to idealist fantasies.

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  • Bryce Edwards: Is Simon Bridges’ NZTA appointment a conflict of interest?
    Last week former National Party leader Simon Bridges was appointed by the Government as the new chair of the New Zealand Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA). You can read about the appointment in Thomas Coughlan’s article, Simon Bridges to become chair of NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi The fact that a ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    10 hours ago
  • Is Simon Bridges’ NZTA appointment a conflict of interest?
    Bryce Edwards writes – Last week former National Party leader Simon Bridges was appointed by the Government as the new chair of the New Zealand Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA). You can read about the appointment in Thomas Coughlan’s article, Simon Bridges to become chair of NZ Transport Agency ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    10 hours ago
  • Bernard's Top 10 @ 10 'pick 'n' mix' at 10:10am on Tuesday, March 19
    TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: Gavin Jacobson talks to Thomas Piketty 10 years on from Capital in the 21st Century The SalvoLocal scoop: Green MP’s business being investigated over migrant exploitation claims Stuff Steve KilgallonLocal deep-dive: The commercial contractors making money from School ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    11 hours ago
  • Bernard's six newsy things on Tuesday, March 19
    It’s a home - but Kāinga Ora tenants accused of “abusing the privilege” may lose it. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The Government announced a crackdown on Kāinga Ora tenants who were unruly and/or behind on their rent, with Housing Minister Chris Bishop saying a place in a state ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    12 hours ago
  • New Life for Light Rail
    This is a guest post by Connor Sharp of Surface Light Rail  Light rail in Auckland: A way forward sooner than you think With the coup de grâce of Auckland Light Rail (ALR) earlier this year, and the shift of the government’s priorities to roads, roads, and more roads, it ...
    Greater AucklandBy Guest Post
    13 hours ago
  • Why Are Bosses Nearly All Buffoons?
    Note: As a paid-up Webworm member, I’ve recorded this Webworm as a mini-podcast for you as well. Some of you said you liked this option - so I aim to provide it when I get a chance to record! Read more ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    15 hours ago
  • Bernard’s six-stack of substacks at 6.06 pm on March 18
    TL;DR: In my ‘six-stack’ of substacks at 6.06pm on Monday, March 18:IKEA is accused of planting big forests in New Zealand to green-wash; REDD-MonitorA City for People takes a well-deserved victory lap over Wellington’s pro-YIMBY District Plan votes; A City for PeopleSteven Anastasiou takes a close look at the sticky ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 day ago
  • Peters holds his ground on co-governance, but Willis wriggles on those tax cuts and SNA suspension l...
    Buzz from the Beehive Here’s hoping for a lively post-cabinet press conference when the PM and – perhaps – some of his ministers tell us what was discussed at their meeting today. Until then, Point of Order has precious little Beehive news to report after its latest monitoring of the ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    1 day ago
  • Labour’s final report card
    David Farrar writes –  We now have almost all 2023 data in, which has allowed me to update my annual table of how  went against its promises. This is basically their final report card. The promise The result Build 100,000 affordable homes over 10 ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    1 day ago
  • “Drunk Uncle at a Wedding”
    I’m a bit worried that I’ve started a previous newsletter with the words “just when you think they couldn’t get any worse…” Seems lately that I could begin pretty much every issue with that opening. Such is the nature of our coalition government that they seem to be outdoing each ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    1 day ago
  • Wang Yi’s perfectly-timed, Aukus-themed visit to New Zealand
    Geoffrey Miller writes – Timing is everything. And from China’s perspective, this week’s visit by its foreign minister to New Zealand could be coming at just the right moment. The visit by Wang Yi to Wellington will be his first since 2017. Anniversaries are important to Beijing. ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    1 day ago
  • Gordon Campbell on Dune 2, and images of Islam
    Depictions of Islam in Western popular culture have rarely been positive, even before 9/11. Five years on from the mosque shootings, this is one of the cultural headwinds that the Muslim community has to battle against. Whatever messages of tolerance and inclusion are offered in daylight, much of our culture ...
    1 day ago
  • New Rail Operations Centre Promises Better Train Services
    Last week Transport Minster Simeon Brown and Mayor Wayne Brown opened the new Auckland Rail Operations Centre. The new train control centre will see teams from KiwiRail, Auckland Transport and Auckland One Rail working more closely together to improve train services across the city. The Auckland Rail Operations Centre in ...
    2 days ago
  • Bernard's six newsy things at 6.36am on Monday, March 18
    Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Retiring former Labour Finance Minister Grant Robertson said in an exit interview with Q+A yesterday the Government can and should sustain more debt to invest in infrastructure for future generations. Elsewhere in the news in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy at 6:36am: Read more ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago
  • Geoffrey Miller: Wang Yi’s perfectly-timed, Aukus-themed visit to New Zealand
    Timing is everything. And from China’s perspective, this week’s visit by its foreign minister to New Zealand could be coming at just the right moment. The visit by Wang Yi to Wellington will be his first since 2017. Anniversaries are important to Beijing. It is more than just a happy ...
    Democracy ProjectBy Geoffrey Miller
    2 days ago
  • The Kaka’s diary for the week to March 25 and beyond
    TL;DR: The key events to watch in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the week to March 18 include:China’s Foreign Minister visiting Wellington today;A post-cabinet news conference this afternoon; the resumption of Parliament on Tuesday for two weeks before Easter;retiring former Labour Finance Minister Grant Robertson gives his valedictory speech in Parliament; ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago
  • Bitter and angry; Winston First
    New Zealand First Leader Winston Peters’s state-of-the-nation speech on Sunday was really a state-of-Winston-First speech. He barely mentioned any of the Government’s key policies and could not even wholly endorse its signature income tax cuts. Instead, he rehearsed all of his complaints about the Ardern Government, including an extraordinary claim ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    2 days ago
  • 2024 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #11
    A listing of 35 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, March 10, 2024 thru Sat, March 16, 2024. Story of the week This week we'll give you a little glimpse into how we collect links to share and ...
    2 days ago
  • 2024 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #11
    A listing of 35 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, March 10, 2024 thru Sat, March 16, 2024. Story of the week This week we'll give you a little glimpse into how we collect links to share and ...
    2 days ago
  • Out of Touch.
    “I’ve been internalising a really complicated situation in my head.”When they kept telling us we should wait until we get to know him, were they taking the piss? Was it a case of, if you think this is bad, wait till you get to know the real Christopher, after the ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    2 days ago
  • Bring out your Dad
    Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago
  • Bring out your Dad
    Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago
  • Bring out your Dad
    Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago
  • The bewildering world of Chris Luxon – Guns for all, not no lunch for kids
    .“$10 and a target that bleeds” - Bleeding Targets for Under $10!.Thanks for reading Frankly Speaking ! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.This government appears hell-bent on either scrapping life-saving legislation or reintroducing things that - frustrated critics insist - will be dangerous and likely ...
    Frankly SpeakingBy Frank Macskasy
    3 days ago
  • Expert Opinion: Ageing Boomers, Laurie & Les, Talk Politics.
    It hardly strikes me as fair to criticise a government for doing exactly what it said it was going to do. For actually keeping its promises.”THUNDER WAS PLAYING TAG with lightning flashes amongst the distant peaks. Its rolling cadences interrupted by the here-I-come-here-I-go Doppler effect of the occasional passing car. ...
    3 days ago
  • Manufacturing The Truth.
    Subversive & Disruptive Technologies: Just as happened with that other great regulator of the masses, the Medieval Church, the advent of a new and hard-to-control technology – the Internet –  is weakening the ties that bind. Then, and now, those who enjoy a monopoly on the dissemination of lies, cannot and will ...
    3 days ago
  • A Powerful Sensation of Déjà Vu.
    Been Here Before: To find the precedents for what this Coalition Government is proposing, it is necessary to return to the “glory days” of Muldoonism.THE COALITION GOVERNMENT has celebrated its first 100 days in office by checking-off the last of its listed commitments. It remains, however, an angry government. It ...
    3 days ago
  • Can you guess where world attention is focussed (according to Greenpeace)? It’s focussed on an EPA...
    Bob Edlin writes –  And what is the world watching today…? The email newsletter from Associated Press which landed in our mailbox early this morning advised: In the news today: The father of a school shooter has been found guilty of involuntary manslaughter; prosecutors in Trump’s hush-money case ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    3 days ago
  • Further integrity problems for the Greens in suspending MP Darleen Tana
    Bryce Edwards writes – Is another Green MP on their way out? And are the Greens severely tarnished by another integrity scandal? For the second time in three months, the Green Party has secretly suspended an MP over integrity issues. Mystery is surrounding the party’s decision to ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    3 days ago
  • Jacqui Van Der Kaay: Greens’ transparency missing in action
    For the last few years, the Green Party has been the party that has managed to avoid the plague of multiple scandals that have beleaguered other political parties. It appears that their luck has run out with a second scandal which, unfortunately for them, coincided with Golraz Ghahraman, the focus ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    4 days ago
  • Bernard’s Dawn Chorus with six newsey things at 6:46am for Saturday, March 16
    TL;DR: The six newsey things that stood out to me as of 6:46am on Saturday, March 16.Andy Foster has accidentally allowed a Labour/Green amendment to cut road user chargers for plug-in hybrid vehicles, which the Government might accept; NZ Herald Thomas Coughlan Simeon Brown has rejected a plea from Westport ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • How Did FTX Crash?
    What seemed a booming success a couple of years ago has collapsed into fraud convictions.I looked at the crash of FTX (short for ‘Futures Exchange’) in November 2022 to see whether it would impact on the financial system as a whole. Fortunately there was barely a ripple, probably because it ...
    PunditBy Brian Easton
    4 days ago
  • Elections in Russia and Ukraine
    Anybody following the situation in Ukraine and Russia would probably have been amused by a recent Tweet on X NATO seems to be putting in an awful lot of effort to influence what is, at least according to them, a sham election in an autocracy.When do the Ukrainians go to ...
    4 days ago
  • Bernard’s six stack of substacks at 6pm on March 15
    TL;DR: Shaun Baker on Wynyard Quarter's transformation. Magdalene Taylor on the problem with smart phones. How private equity are now all over reinsurance. Dylan Cleaver on rugby and CTE. Emily Atkin on ‘Big Meat’ looking like ‘Big Oil’.Bernard’s six-stack of substacks at 6pm on March 15Photo by Jeppe Hove Jensen ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • Buzz from the Beehive Finance Minister Nicola Willis had plenty to say when addressing the Auckland Business Chamber on the economic growth that (she tells us) is flagging more than we thought. But the government intends to put new life into it:  We want our country to be a ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    4 days ago
  • National’s clean car tax advances
    The Transport and Infrastructure Committee has reported back on the Road User Charges (Light Electric RUC Vehicles) Amendment Bill, basicly rubberstamping it. While there was widespread support among submitters for the principle that EV and PHEV drivers should pay their fair share for the roads, they also overwhelmingly disagreed with ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    4 days ago
  • Government funding bailouts
    Peter Dunne writes – This week’s government bailout – the fifth in the last eighteen months – of the financially troubled Ruapehu Alpine Lifts company would have pleased many in the central North Island ski industry. The government’s stated rationale for the $7 million funding was that it ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • Two offenders, different treatments.
    See if you can spot the difference. An Iranian born female MP from a progressive party is accused of serial shoplifting. Her name is leaked to the media, which goes into a pack frenzy even before the Police launch an … Continue reading ...
    KiwipoliticoBy Pablo
    4 days ago
  • Treaty references omitted
    Ele Ludemann writes  – The government is omitting general Treaty references from legislation : The growth of Treaty of Waitangi clauses in legislation caused so much worry that a special oversight group was set up by the last Government in a bid to get greater coherence in the public service on Treaty ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • The Ghahraman Conflict
    What was that judge thinking? Peter Williams writes –  That Golriz Ghahraman and District Court Judge Maria Pecotic were once lawyer colleagues is incontrovertible. There is published evidence that they took at least one case to the Court of Appeal together. There was a report on ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • Bernard's Top 10 @ 10 'pick 'n' mix' for March 15
    TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: Climate Scorpion – the sting is in the tail. Introducing planetary solvency. A paper via the University of Exeter’s Institute and Faculty of Actuaries.Local scoop: Kāinga Ora starts pulling out of its Auckland projects and selling land RNZ ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • The day Wellington up-zoned its future
    Wellington’s massively upzoned District Plan adds the opportunity for tens of thousands of new homes not just in the central city (such as these Webb St new builds) but also close to the CBD and public transport links. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Wellington gave itself the chance of ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • Weekly Roundup 15-March-2024
    It’s Friday and we’re halfway through March Madness. Here’s some of the things that caught our attention this week. This Week in Greater Auckland On Monday Matt asked how we can get better event trains and an option for grade separating Morningside Dr. On Tuesday Matt looked into ...
    Greater AucklandBy Greater Auckland
    5 days ago
  • That Word.
    Something you might not know about me is that I’m quite a stubborn person. No, really. I don’t much care for criticism I think’s unfair or that I disagree with. Few of us do I suppose.Back when I was a drinker I’d sometimes respond defensively, even angrily. There are things ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago
  • The Hoon around the week to March 15
    Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The five things that mattered in Aotearoa’s political economy that we wrote and spoke about via The Kākā and elsewhere for paying subscribers in the last week included:PM Christopher Luxon said the reversal of interest deductibility for landlords was done to help renters, who ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • Labour’s policy gap
    It was not so much the Labour Party but really the Chris Hipkins party yesterday at Labour’s caucus retreat in Martinborough. The former Prime Minister was more or less consistent on wealth tax, which he was at best equivocal about, and social insurance, which he was not willing to revisit. ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    5 days ago
  • Skeptical Science New Research for Week #11 2024
    Open access notables A Glimpse into the Future: The 2023 Ocean Temperature and Sea Ice Extremes in the Context of Longer-Term Climate Change, Kuhlbrodt et al., Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society: In the year 2023, we have seen extraordinary extrema in high sea surface temperature (SST) in the North Atlantic and in ...
    5 days ago
  • Melissa remains mute on media matters but has something to say (at a sporting event) about economic ...
     Buzz from the Beehive   The text reproduced above appears on a page which records all the media statements and speeches posted on the government’s official website by Melissa Lee as Minister of Media and Communications and/or by Jenny Marcroft, her Parliamentary Under-secretary.  It can be quickly analysed ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    5 days ago
  • The return of Muldoon
    For forty years, Robert Muldoon has been a dirty word in our politics. His style of government was so repulsive and authoritarian that the backlash to it helped set and entrench our constitutional norms. His pig-headedness over forcing through Think Big eventually gave us the RMA, with its participation and ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    5 days ago
  • Will the rental tax cut improve life for renters or landlords?
    Bryce Edwards writes –  Is the new government reducing tax on rental properties to benefit landlords or to cut the cost of rents? That’s the big question this week, after Associate Finance Minister David Seymour announced on Sunday that the Government would be reversing the Labour Government’s removal ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • Geoffrey Miller: What Saudi Arabia’s rapid changes mean for New Zealand
    Saudi Arabia is rarely far from the international spotlight. The war in Gaza has brought new scrutiny to Saudi plans to normalise relations with Israel, while the fifth anniversary of the controversial killing of Jamal Khashoggi was marked shortly before the war began on October 7. And as the home ...
    Democracy ProjectBy Geoffrey Miller
    5 days ago
  • Racism’s double standards
    Questions need to be asked on both sides of the world Peter Williams writes –   The NRL Judiciary hands down an eight week suspension to Sydney Roosters forward Spencer Leniu , an Auckland-born Samoan, after he calls Ezra Mam, Sydney-orn but of Aboriginal and Torres Strait ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • It’s not a tax break
    Ele Ludemann writes – Contrary to what many headlines and news stories are saying, residential landlords are not getting a tax break. The government is simply restoring to them the tax deductibility of interest they had until the previous government removed it. There is no logical reason ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • The Plastic Pig Collective and Chris' Imaginary Friends.
    I can't remember when it was goodMoments of happiness in bloomMaybe I just misunderstoodAll of the love we left behindWatching our flashbacks intertwineMemories I will never findIn spite of whatever you becomeForget that reckless thing turned onI think our lives have just begunI think our lives have just begunDoes anyone ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago
  • Who is responsible for young offenders?
    Michael Bassett writes – At first reading, a front-page story in the New Zealand Herald on 13 March was bizarre. A group of severely intellectually limited teenagers, with little understanding of the law, have been pleading to the Justice Select Committee not to pass a bill dealing with ram ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • Gordon Campbell on National’s fantasy trip to La La Landlord Land
    How much political capital is Christopher Luxon willing to burn through in order to deliver his $2.9 billion gift to landlords? Evidently, Luxon is: (a) unable to cost the policy accurately. As Anna Burns-Francis pointed out to him on Breakfast TV, the original ”rock solid” $2.1 billion cost he was ...
    5 days ago
  • Bernard's Top 10 @ 10 'pick 'n' mix' for March 14
    TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: Jonathon Porritt calling bullshit in his own blog post on mainstream climate science as ‘The New Denialism’.Local scoop: The Wellington City Council’s list of proposed changes to the IHP recommendations to be debated later today was leaked this ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • No, Prime Minister, rents don’t rise or fall with landlords’ costs
    TL;DR: Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said yesterday tenants should be grateful for the reinstatement of interest deductibility because landlords would pass on their lower tax costs in the form of lower rents. That would be true if landlords were regulated monopolies such as Transpower or Auckland Airport1, but they’re not, ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    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 ...
    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
    4 hours ago
  • Positive progress for social worker workforce
    New Zealand’s social workers are qualified, experienced, and more representative of the communities they serve, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “I want to acknowledge and applaud New Zealand’s social workers for the hard work they do, providing invaluable support for our most vulnerable. “To coincide with World ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    9 hours ago
  • Minister confirms reduced RUC rate for PHEVs
    Cabinet has agreed to a reduced road user charge (RUC) rate for plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs), Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. Owners of PHEVs will be eligible for a reduced rate of $38 per 1,000km once all light electric vehicles (EVs) move into the RUC system from 1 April.  ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    11 hours ago
  • Trade access to overseas markets creates jobs
    Minister of Agriculture and Trade, Todd McClay, says that today’s opening of Riverland Foods manufacturing plant in Christchurch is a great example of how trade access to overseas markets creates jobs in New Zealand.  Speaking at the official opening of this state-of-the-art pet food factory the Minister noted that exports ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    11 hours ago
  • NZ and Chinese Foreign Ministers hold official talks
    Minister of Foreign Affairs Winston Peters met with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Wellington today. “It was a pleasure to host Foreign Minister Wang Yi during his first official visit to New Zealand since 2017. Our discussions were wide-ranging and enabled engagement on many facets of New Zealand’s relationship with China, including trade, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Kāinga Ora instructed to end Sustaining Tenancies
    Kāinga Ora – Homes & Communities has been instructed to end the Sustaining Tenancies Framework and take stronger measures against persistent antisocial behaviour by tenants, says Housing Minister Chris Bishop. “Earlier today Finance Minister Nicola Willis and I sent an interim Letter of Expectations to the Board of Kāinga Ora. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Speech to Auckland Business Chamber: Growth is the answer
    Tēna koutou katoa. Greetings everyone. Thank you to the Auckland Chamber of Commerce and the Honourable Simon Bridges for hosting this address today. I acknowledge the business leaders in this room, the leaders and governors, the employers, the entrepreneurs, the investors, and the wealth creators. The coalition Government shares your ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Singapore rounds out regional trip
    Minister Winston Peters completed the final leg of his visit to South and South East Asia in Singapore today, where he focused on enhancing one of New Zealand’s indispensable strategic partnerships.      “Singapore is our most important defence partner in South East Asia, our fourth-largest trading partner and a ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Minister van Velden represents New Zealand at International Democracy Summit
    Minister of Internal Affairs and Workplace Relations and Safety, Hon. Brooke van Velden, will travel to the Republic of Korea to represent New Zealand at the Third Summit for Democracy on 18 March. The summit, hosted by the Republic of Korea, was first convened by the United States in 2021, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Insurance Council of NZ Speech, 7 March 2024, Auckland
    ICNZ Speech 7 March 2024, Auckland  Acknowledgements and opening  Mōrena, ngā mihi nui. Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Nor Whanganui aho.  Good morning, it’s a privilege to be here to open the ICNZ annual conference, thank you to Mark for the Mihi Whakatau  My thanks to Tim Grafton for inviting me ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Five-year anniversary of Christchurch terror attacks
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Lead Coordination Minister Judith Collins have expressed their deepest sympathy on the five-year anniversary of the Christchurch terror attacks. “March 15, 2019, was a day when families, communities and the country came together both in sorrow and solidarity,” Mr Luxon says.  “Today we pay our respects to the 51 shuhada ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Speech for Financial Advice NZ Conference 5 March 2024
    Speech for Financial Advice NZ Conference 5 March 2024  Acknowledgements and opening  Morena, Nga Mihi Nui.  Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Nor Whanganui aho. Thanks Nate for your Mihi Whakatau  Good morning. It’s a pleasure to formally open your conference this morning. What a lovely day in Wellington, What a great ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Early visit to Indonesia strengthens ties
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters held discussions in Jakarta today about the future of relations between New Zealand and South East Asia’s most populous country.   “We are in Jakarta so early in our new government’s term to reflect the huge importance we place on our relationship with Indonesia and South ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • China Foreign Minister to visit
    Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Winston Peters has announced that the Foreign Minister of China, Wang Yi, will visit New Zealand next week.  “We look forward to re-engaging with Foreign Minister Wang Yi and discussing the full breadth of the bilateral relationship, which is one of New Zealand’s ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Minister opens new Auckland Rail Operations Centre
    Transport Minister Simeon Brown has today opened the new Auckland Rail Operations Centre, which will bring together KiwiRail, Auckland Transport, and Auckland One Rail to improve service reliability for Aucklanders. “The recent train disruptions in Auckland have highlighted how important it is KiwiRail and Auckland’s rail agencies work together to ...
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