Christmas at the extremes

Written By: - Date published: 10:24 am, December 13th, 2014 - 65 comments
Categories: capitalism, class war, economy, poverty - Tags: , , ,

Two New Zealands will shortly celebrate Christmas, the poor and the rich. Two recent articles really highlight the differences, the first on food banks:

Mission in action: Christmas rush as tough times bite

Hundreds of families from as far away as Hamilton are queuing at the Auckland City Mission for help to put food on the table this Christmas.

City Missioner Diane Robertson said the queue started at 1am on Monday after word got out on social media that Work and Income staff would be at the mission’s Hobson St offices from this week to process applications for emergency help.

The mission gave out 125 food parcels on Monday, compared with 39 on the first day a similar pre-Christmas Work and Income service opened last year.

It closed when the queue reached 200 families on Tuesday, up from 160 on the second day last year, and expected to feed a further 200 families yesterday. …

…and the second on tax avoidance:

Only half of NZ’s most wealthy paying top tax rate

Figures given to ONE News show many of those worth more than $50 million are only paying tax on around $70,000 dollars of annual income.

When the tax man comes knocking, most of us expect to pay our fair share. But some of us can avoid it. Even millionaire Gareth Morgan admits he’s not paying his. “Ah no, definitely not. But that’s the way the tax regime is,” he says.

Inland Revenue monitors 200 New Zealanders worth more than $50 million each. Yet 46.5% of those multi-millionaires earn less than $70,000 a year, meaning they avoid paying the top income tax rate. “The system is so stupid that it allows people to do this,” Mr Morgan says.

Here’s a crazy thought – why not eliminate tax avoidance and use the proceeds to alleviate poverty? According to the OECD the increased economic activity would make us all better off.

65 comments on “Christmas at the extremes ”

  1. vto 1

    The silence of the rich, like Key and the National Party, on issues like this is deafening………..

    Greedy selfish bastards

    • Paul 1.1

      He’s never here for Christmas.
      Too busy getting his orders from Obama in Hawaii.

      • Potato 1.1.1

        Paul, I am going to ask you and the other readers here to stop referring to our PM’s holiday destination as ‘Hawaii’.
        Sure it is geographically correct but it is the mental perception we get of these two men travelling to a pacific island for their holiday.
        Let’s remember instead that Hawaii is the 50th state and say it is the US !
        Our PM doesn’t holiday in Hawaii. He spends time at his property in the US.

  2. Manuka AOR 2

    “many of those worth more than $50 million are only paying tax on around $70,000 dollars of annual income.”

    Meanwhile those in poverty may be paying tax at the higher rate. If someone is working at two low-paying part-time jobs, however low their total income is, they still have to choose one as the “main” income, taxed at the cheaper rate, and the other is taxed at the higher rate. This is one feature of NZ’s Poverty Trap construction.

    • BassGuy 2.1

      Why, if only they worked a little bit harder someone would recognise and reward their hard work. /sarc

  3. Sabine 3

    It is simple, I don’t want to ever hear this Gareth Morgan guy ever say anything about poor people, or social welfare recipients.

    In fact, until the man pays his fair share, he should just go to his mansion and stay there.

    I am sick and tired of these rich government depended f**wits to pretend that they made themselves and are still making themselves.

    Yes. I am angry here.

    • RedLogix 3.1

      Ah right. Here’s a couple who are using their wealth to advocate changing the very system you are so angry about – and you want to silence them.

      Moments like this when I understand why the left is so fucked.

      • BassGuy 3.1.1

        So when one Left person is angry, the whole “Left is so fucked”, but when one Right person says we have a rock star economy (in spite of the evidence otherwise), the economy proves the whole Left are wrong and can suck it?

        • RedLogix 3.1.1.1

          Gareth Morgan has done far more than anyone else in the entire history of this country to argue and promote a much fairer, simpler and effective tax system.

          But because he doesn’t comfortably come with a left/right wing label attached to him – he’s considered a fair target for the kind of silly spleen that sabine above has indulged in.

          Politics is about building consensus, finding common ground and working towards achievable steps. You are not going to get it all your own way, and alienating people who might otherwise help get you some of what you want is immature and dumb tactics.

          If you want to be taken seriously in politics you have to be seen as able to work with other people, with different ideas. So often the left gets trapped in an impotent ideological fervour which achieves nothing.

          • batweka 3.1.1.1.1

            Very well put Red.

            I’m confused about the Morgan issue. Is he able to pay more tax and isn’t? Or is there no way for him to pay more tax?

            • RedLogix 3.1.1.1.1.1

              I’m not sure myself weka.

              He could always make a donation to the IRD – I’m not sure if they can accept that. But even assuming he did, it would be a one-off event.

              Instead when he uses some of his money towards driving a systemic tax change he might conceivably make a far larger difference. Compare this with the venal behaviour of so many other wealthy people who use their money to covertly disrupt our democracies in order to protect their privilege.

            • Colonial Rawshark 3.1.1.1.1.2

              I’m confused about the Morgan issue. Is he able to pay more tax and isn’t? Or is there no way for him to pay more tax?

              If Morgan accepted a less “tax efficient” structure to his businesses and his affairs, and also declined to claim various deductions etc that he is eligible for, then of course he could pay more tax.

              But why do that when the system is deliberately set up to allow you to operate in a “tax efficient” way.

              Morgan’s son Sam knows the system is utterly unfair – he was able to pocket hundreds of millions from the sale of Trade Me without paying a single cent in tax, and said that the system was wrong to allow him to do so.

              • batweka

                yeah that’s what I figured, he could stop using the tax system to his advantage and therefore pay more tax. Kind of like Brash complaining about Super not being asset tested, but still claiming it even though he didn’t need it and was under no obligation to.

                However I do agree with Red, that Morgan should be supported in what he is doing in pushing tax reform. Rich people are going to take way more notice of him.

                (The comparison with Brash is unfair, and I don’t know if running a business without taking advantage of the tax system is that straightforward).

          • The Al1en 3.1.1.1.2

            He was the first I heard talking about a ubi for NZ a few years back which made sense.
            Cat lovers won’t like him though.

      • greywarshark 3.1.2

        @ sabine
        As Red Logix points out, it is not simple. If you are venting about any rich person but picking on Gareth Morgan as the nearest target, he is not representative of the type. He is thinking and discussing ideas or change and improvement to taxes and welfare that will benefit us all, breaking ranks with the others who don’t want to change anything. It is unfortunate that he wandered into this thread at this time and got the custard pie.

    • Deb Kean 3.2

      I have never understood why people love Gareth Morgan so much.

      • The Al1en 3.2.1

        Do you mean brotherly love or homosexual love?

        • Deb Kean 3.2.1.1

          “Do you mean brotherly love or homosexual love?”
          You are being deliberately stupid – I meant his policies, lackwit.

          • Colonial Rawshark 3.2.1.1.1

            “lackwit” haha that’s actually quite funny

            Sorry nothing personal The Al1en 😛 (brotherly love vs homosexual love was funny too heh)

            • The Al1en 3.2.1.1.1.1

              It’s okay, CV, second place hurts but I’ll survive 😉

              I was just making sure Deb Kean wan’t going to use loving Gareth Morgan as a set up before launching another rabid anti gay rant… Like usual.

              • Deb Kean

                ‘As usual’ not like, sigh…
                Just because you are all about the gay doesn’t mean I am.

                • The Al1en

                  Accepting and protecting homosexual’s human rights from abuse by bigoted pious non entities, interpreting a cave man like civilisations 2000 year old simple minded world view as gospel, isn’t “all about the gay”, it’s about making sure people like you get held to account and ridiculed until you realise what arseholes you are and how your religious teachings of peace and love have you so corrupted.

                  Thanks for enabling, like usual.

          • greywarshark 3.2.1.1.2

            Actually Deb The Allen is often witty. Whereas you come here to tell us how much you don’t understand. Are you being deliberately stupid?

      • RedLogix 3.2.2

        Well for a start I supported for some years to a UNICEF fund Morgan backed dollar for dollar that was targeted at improving village water supplies in various parts of the world. Since then I still continue the autopayment which is going towards similar projects.

        http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gareth_Morgan_(economist)

        http://morganfoundation.org.nz/

        Does this mean I agree with everything he says or does? Nonsense, but I can respect someone who is using their wealth constructively.

        • Colonial Rawshark 3.2.2.1

          Morgan is thinking about NZ’s social issues is a serious way. And he is willing to put his money where his mouth is.

          • Stephanie Rodgers 3.2.2.1.1

            Except into the tax system.

            • RedLogix 3.2.2.1.1.1

              A fact he has recognised and is doing something constructive about.

              Your line is really not a lot different to those who slag climate change activists for flying to conferences or events – when in reality in order to travel the effective option at present is to fly.

              There is no value is attacking individuals for being forced to choose poor options by a system which itself needs changing.

              • batweka

                He’s doing some constructive things, but the question remains why is he not doing the others?

                TIme we stopped flying, even CC activists. Just because it’s the most effective way of doing something doesn’t mean it should be done.

                “There is no value is attacking individuals for being forced to choose poor options by a system which itself needs changing.”

                I think were still unclear what choices Morgan has.

                Asking these questions isn’t attacking Morgan so much as examining how far the ethics go.

                • RedLogix

                  TIme we stopped flying, even CC activists

                  JMG did make that argument a while back. Not for any practical reasons, but purely for its ethical, symbolic power.

                  However while I can appreciate the purity of this thinking; meanwhile people still want to get places.

                  • batweka

                    Wants don’t take precedent over extinction I’m afraid (or at least in a sane world they don’t). People can wait for alternatives to be put in place and fly in the meantime and then they can watch the world burn as they drive around in their electric cars.

                    • Draco T Bastard

                      As it stands we could probably live with the use of aircraft – if we got rid of cars.

                      Aircraft: Total Climate effects:

                      The IPCC has estimated that aviation is responsible for around 3.5% of anthropogenic climate change, a figure which includes both CO2 and non-CO2 induced effects.

                      NASA Says: Automobiles Largest Net Climate Change Culprit

                      Now, in other terms and looking at additional factors, NASA has determined that automobiles are the largest net contributor to climate change pollution.

                      Although I find that NASA research somewhat problematical as it rates industry as causing less climate change because of the other pollution that it emits which causes global dimming.

                    • batweka

                      Maybe, but given that the window of averting catastrophe is shrinking rapidly, we need to be looking at cutting emissions wherever we can as soon as we can.

                      Also, bear in mind that when the CC activist flies to the conference, the flight itself is not the only thing that has emissions.

                      I think doing the maths is important, but I also think we are past the point of having choices about trading this off for that.

                      None of this is a purity of thinking, it’s just plain pragmatics.

                    • Colonial Rawshark

                      I rather think that nation governments aren’t going to take any effective action within the next 15 years, at which point 3 deg C to 4 deg C climate change will be baked in, and the oil depletion cliff will be upon us, which in the decade after that will drastically reduce carbon emissions anyway. Haphazardly, chaotically, painfully.

                    • Draco T Bastard

                      I think doing the maths is important, but I also think we are past the point of having choices about trading this off for that.

                      It’s a question of priorities, practicalities and which will make the most difference. Given those constraints which do we get rid of first?

                      Personally, I think getting rid of cars first is more practical and will achieve more.

                    • batweka

                      @CV, Don’t have to leave it up to them though.

                    • batweka

                      Probably, but I wasn’t suggesting getting rid of planes, I was suggesting that people choose to stop flying. It’s those choices and acts that will shift the paradigm. We have to get passed this idea of what can we give up without inconveniencing ourselves too much.

                      Instead of looking at the carbon audit of airplanes, let’s look at the carbon audit of tourism or international holidays, and ask ourselves are these thing really worth the risks?

                    • jcuknz

                      But as I undestand things there is no need to fly anywhere as it is these days posible to hold conferences by linking computers together or however it is done.

            • Colonial Rawshark 3.2.2.1.1.2

              why be friends with the left; they are an ungrateful spiteful jealous bunch who are quick to criticise and impossible to please.

            • Draco T Bastard 3.2.2.1.1.3

              He’s paying what the law demands that he pay and then says that it’s not enough. This is, IMO, an excellent example as he can point to it and say that it’s not enough. On top of that he’s also made suggestions on what to change so that he will be paying enough (according to him).

              The real problem, though, is the fact that no society can afford rich people.

              • Lanthanide

                But no matter what Gareth Morgan says, you still can voluntarily donate money to the IRD and they’ll accept it.

                So he could calculate his own tax using his preferred method and pay the difference to IRD. Put his money where his mouth is.

                On the other hand, he does run a bunch of charities.

                • Draco T Bastard

                  But no matter what Gareth Morgan says, you still can voluntarily donate money to the IRD and they’ll accept it.

                  I keep hearing people say this and yet there’s nothing that I can find on the IRD website about it. So, time to front up and show where and how someone can donate money to the government.

                  • Lanthanide

                    I can’t find any specific page about it. Perhaps I was getting mixed up with the US, which recently passed a law to allow it.

                    But anyway, I’m pretty sure you can pay additional tax to the IRD. Either you can just make additional payments out of the blue, or you can file an income tax return that over-states your actual income, and thus have to pay additional tax on it (or form a company / trust specifically for this purpose and do the same).

                    In either case, tax refunds are not automatic and only occur if you arrange for a tax summary etc.

                    Finally, I think if Gareth Morgan rang up IRD and volunteered to pay several hundred thousand in tax, do you think they’d say “no, sorry, you can’t”, or do you think they would work out some way by which he could do it?

                    Hell, even if he couldn’t give money to the IRD, I’m sure he could give it to Treasury.

                    • Draco T Bastard

                      Either you can just make additional payments out of the blue

                      If you make additional payments it simply sits on your account until they have a reason to reduce your account.

                      or you can file an income tax return that over-states your actual income,

                      And what would the other shareholders think about that or the fact that the competition can now under-cut you and drive you out of business.

                      In either case, tax refunds are not automatic and only occur if you arrange for a tax summary etc.

                      That’s PAYE and I’m pretty sure that you’ll find that Gareth Morgan isn’t on PAYE and someone who isn’t on PAYE has to hand in a tax return every year.

                      Finally, I think if Gareth Morgan rang up IRD and volunteered to pay several hundred thousand in tax, do you think they’d say “no, sorry, you can’t”, or do you think they would work out some way by which he could do it?

                      If they don’t have any processes to allow it then, yep, pretty sure that they’d have to turn him down as they actually have to account for the money.

                      And, after all that, we don’t know what he’s actually doing. He may be maximising his tax already and still thinks it too low.

                    • Lanthanide

                      “If you make additional payments it simply sits on your account until they have a reason to reduce your account.”

                      For 7 years, then any unclaimed amount is written off.

                      “And what would the other shareholders think about that or the fact that the competition can now under-cut you and drive you out of business.”

                      I’m talking purely about individual tax, ie that tax that Gareth Morgan thinks he personally should be paying. So there aren’t any other shareholders to care about.

                      “That’s PAYE and I’m pretty sure that you’ll find that Gareth Morgan isn’t on PAYE and someone who isn’t on PAYE has to hand in a tax return every year”

                      The government cannot force you to take a tax refund. Have you seen the “unclaimed monies” page that lists all the money IRD is holding on to for people (from various sources)?

                      “If they don’t have any processes to allow it then, yep, pretty sure that they’d have to turn him down as they actually have to account for the money.”

                      Again, they may not have a formally published page that says “he’s how to pay extra tax”, just because it so seldom happens. But that doesn’t mean they wouldn’t have a mechanism they could use; or again, I’m sure Treasury would accept it, even if IRD couldn’t.

                  • The Al1en

                    “So, time to front up and show where and how someone can donate money to the government.”

                    I have a feeling a plain brown paper bag stuffed with cash will do the trick with this lot.
                    No emails, no texts and no paper trail to have a brain fade over when questioned should the poo ever hit the fan is how it works.

    • Murray Rawshark 3.3

      Yeah, it annoys me too, but that’s life. Whatever we achieve in the end, it’ll be because we’ve done it for ourselves as a class, not because of some rich blokes being charitable.

  4. Paul 4

    This article made the Guardian today.

    http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/dec/12/how-new-zealands-rich-poor-divide-killed-its-egalitarian-paradise

    ‘In the 1940s, New Zealanders hated inequality so much that one visiting academic suggested they should erect a statue of equality in Auckland harbour, as a counterpart to the United States’s celebrated sculpture. And that image lingers: many people still think of New Zealand as an egalitarian paradise, a friendly and accommodating country where “a fair go” is the national phrase.’

    ‘Those observers, and indeed many New Zealanders, might have got a shock this week when the OECD published a landmark report, showing that economies the world over are being hamstrung by growing inequality – and that New Zealand was the worst affected. A stark rich-poor divide, the OECD argued, had taken over a third off the country’s economic growth rate in the last 20 years.’

    ‘The simple answer is that in the two decades from 1985 onwards, New Zealand had the biggest increase in income gaps of any developed country. Incomes for the richest Kiwis doubled, while those of the poorest stagnated. Middle income earners didn’t do too well, either.’

    ‘Because New Zealand had previously been so egalitarian, that world-beating increase still wasn’t enough to rocket the country right to the top of the inequality league table, but it is now doing just as badly on some measures as Britain. In both countries, the top fifth get about 40% of after-tax income; the bottom fifth get just 8%. New Zealand is now just as divided as the country that many of its citizens’ ancestors left in order to find a more equal society.’

    ‘Outrage over New Zealand’s widening gaps has been muted, partly because much of the extremes are hidden: poverty tends to be In recent years, after that explosive 20-year rise, income gaps have been steady, leading some to dismiss the issue. But as the OECD report shows, the key learning is the long-term impact. What started in the 1980s continues to hold back New Zealanders – and their economy – today.’

    ‘Alarm bells are finally beginning to sound. Recent polling shows three-quarters of New Zealanders think theirs is no longer an egalitarian country, and that this is a bad thing. Part of the unease stems from a realisation that big income gaps aren’t compatible with the idea that there should be an equal chance for all.’

  5. Ad 5

    From that same Guardian article:
    “In very unequal countries like the United States, half an adult’s income can be predicted from what their parents earned. New Zealand isn’t there yet …”

    Great to see The Guardian holding up a clear mirror. The Listener this week covers the same territory in more detail.

    What chills me most is how very hard it is now in New Zealand for those children and young people who start off with little, to gain stability and mobility upwards. I want this to be Labour’s principle task. I don’t know what the answers are.

    • Paul 5.1

      Look at how parts of South America disentangled themselves from neoliberalism.

      • Colonial Rawshark 5.1.1

        And watch how western financial systems act to try and destabilise and crush them.

        • Draco T Bastard 5.1.1.1

          +1

          The Western financial system can’t stand to have a good example of a system that actually works for the benefit of the country.

    • RedLogix 5.2

      Well part of the answer is to get those parts of the system that we have some common ground with onside.

      For instance; the graphs in the OP clearly show that total growth in NZ has gone backwards because of inequality. It’s bad for everyone (except perhaps the very top 0.1% who can afford to insulate themselves from it’s effects). There is the entry point – that reducing inequality is not a zero sum game, rather it creates opportunities at all parts of the economic, social and environmental spaces to deliver better lives for everyone.

      We have to make it safe for people to actually talk about it in their families, workplaces and communities. People need to be able to say “I don’t want to live in a shitty, stressed-out, alienated and sneering society of snobs and scramblers. I want to live in a community where I can feel safe and belong, where I can contribute and make a difference.”

      Once people can articulate that it is the extremes of wealth and poverty which form a large element of the barriers holding them back from actually enjoying their lives – then the discussion will become normalised and action will inevitably, irresistably follow.

      • greywarshark 5.2.1

        @ Red Logix
        I like that – sizes up the present situation – ‘snobs and scramblers’. But the pity of it
        is that many of the proud scramblers feel it is their fault, they just have to be stoic and work their way out of it.

        Our trouble is that we have never been taught how economies and politics work and how they can work against the people who are working hard, obeying laws, trying to be good citizens, in other words exemplary citizens. Yet the government takes from them who have little, takes their weekends where once they had time to be people and build a life and place in the community, impose unstable working hours insufficient for stability and controlled planning, limit wages severely, use erroneous measures for measuring inflation (ie leaving out soaring house prices) and people can’t get their head around what’s happening.

        Mask the poverty with lots of credit so neighbours look better than their income allows, and people can’t get a clear picture of their and their peers’ position any more, the focus is always blurry. So they blame themselves and their inability or bad luck to get that upwards mobility that we used to pride ourselves on.

  6. Telepathy 6

    Just dropped a food parcel off today at the Mission with my family, with some goodies for the kids! Best to drop the parcels off at the back entrance.

    A time of great joy yet so many people are scared, frightened, weak and incapable, a time of great sadness.

    You wonder in these times if there really is a God who will “protect you” when people are frozen with fear. If only God could talk into the mind of these frightened individuals and give them some comfort when facing such scary futures.

    God only protects those who are truly scared!

    God Bless this Christmas!

  7. what we need is a big Xmas charity ball….lets have it at Sky City and invite all the rich folks and celebrities and the newly arrived Russian oligarchs….and John Key and Owen Glenn.. and make the tickets $5000….and have a big charity auction…and sell donated items like art from sycophantic artists and All Blacks underwear and Bronas shoes and get some funny host from TV….and televise it so all the rest of us can watch and just wish we were there…and the Herald can do a big feature with lots of photos of well fed and watered people hugging each other…and give all the$$$$$ to the City Mission so they can give the poor some cans of Watties………and then the ball goers can go home feeling really good about themselves,knowing that overcoming poverty is not a task of justice,its an act of charity…….merry bloody Xmas

    • Colonial Rawshark 7.1

      We are living in perverse times, of that there is no doubt.

    • greywarshark 7.2

      They do that sort of charity do in Sydney and all the wannabe celebs have their photos taken and get in the paper or wherever. The women in their nice outfits, three-quarter face to the photographer to show off their best side, the men looking bluff and sleek at the same time. The Herald would love it. That’s fun charity – there should be more of it.

      Then again we used to have telethons that raised a lot of money from all and artists appeared and endorsed the aims and performed and they went for 24 hours and so on.
      I don’t know if that style would work now.

  8. Naki man 8

    “Hundreds of families from as far away as Hamilton are queuing at the Auckland City Mission for help to put food on the table this Christmas’

    What a joke, some bludgers have enough money for petrol to drive there car from Hamilton to Auckland to get a free feed. More money than brains.

  9. Realblue 9

    Surely there are more christamases than just rich and poor. What about the not rich and not poor, which is the vast majority of New Zealanders. To talk in binary absolutes is a fallacy.

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    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
    10 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
    12 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 ...
    1 day ago
  • Bernard's six newsy things at 6.36am on Monday, March 18
    Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Retiring former Labour Finance Minister Grant Robertson said in an exit interview with Q+A yesterday the Government can and should sustain more debt to invest in infrastructure for future generations. Elsewhere in the news in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy at 6:36am: Read more ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 day ago
  • Geoffrey Miller: Wang Yi’s perfectly-timed, Aukus-themed visit to New Zealand
    Timing is everything. And from China’s perspective, this week’s visit by its foreign minister to New Zealand could be coming at just the right moment. The visit by Wang Yi to Wellington will be his first since 2017. Anniversaries are important to Beijing. It is more than just a happy ...
    Democracy ProjectBy Geoffrey Miller
    1 day ago
  • The Kaka’s diary for the week to March 25 and beyond
    TL;DR: The key events to watch in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the week to March 18 include:China’s Foreign Minister visiting Wellington today;A post-cabinet news conference this afternoon; the resumption of Parliament on Tuesday for two weeks before Easter;retiring former Labour Finance Minister Grant Robertson gives his valedictory speech in Parliament; ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    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
    2 days ago
  • Bring out your Dad
    Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    2 days ago
  • Bring out your Dad
    Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    2 days ago
  • The bewildering world of Chris Luxon – Guns for all, not no lunch for kids
    .“$10 and a target that bleeds” - Bleeding Targets for Under $10!.Thanks for reading Frankly Speaking ! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.This government appears hell-bent on either scrapping life-saving legislation or reintroducing things that - frustrated critics insist - will be dangerous and likely ...
    Frankly SpeakingBy Frank Macskasy
    3 days ago
  • Expert Opinion: Ageing Boomers, Laurie & Les, Talk Politics.
    It hardly strikes me as fair to criticise a government for doing exactly what it said it was going to do. For actually keeping its promises.”THUNDER WAS PLAYING TAG with lightning flashes amongst the distant peaks. Its rolling cadences interrupted by the here-I-come-here-I-go Doppler effect of the occasional passing car. ...
    3 days ago
  • Manufacturing The Truth.
    Subversive & Disruptive Technologies: Just as happened with that other great regulator of the masses, the Medieval Church, the advent of a new and hard-to-control technology – the Internet –  is weakening the ties that bind. Then, and now, those who enjoy a monopoly on the dissemination of lies, cannot and will ...
    3 days ago
  • A Powerful Sensation of Déjà Vu.
    Been Here Before: To find the precedents for what this Coalition Government is proposing, it is necessary to return to the “glory days” of Muldoonism.THE COALITION GOVERNMENT has celebrated its first 100 days in office by checking-off the last of its listed commitments. It remains, however, an angry government. It ...
    3 days ago
  • Can you guess where world attention is focussed (according to Greenpeace)? It’s focussed on an EPA...
    Bob Edlin writes –  And what is the world watching today…? The email newsletter from Associated Press which landed in our mailbox early this morning advised: In the news today: The father of a school shooter has been found guilty of involuntary manslaughter; prosecutors in Trump’s hush-money case ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    3 days ago
  • Further integrity problems for the Greens in suspending MP Darleen Tana
    Bryce Edwards writes – Is another Green MP on their way out? And are the Greens severely tarnished by another integrity scandal? For the second time in three months, the Green Party has secretly suspended an MP over integrity issues. Mystery is surrounding the party’s decision to ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    3 days ago
  • Jacqui Van Der Kaay: Greens’ transparency missing in action
    For the last few years, the Green Party has been the party that has managed to avoid the plague of multiple scandals that have beleaguered other political parties. It appears that their luck has run out with a second scandal which, unfortunately for them, coincided with Golraz Ghahraman, the focus ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    3 days ago
  • Bernard’s Dawn Chorus with six newsey things at 6:46am for Saturday, March 16
    TL;DR: The six newsey things that stood out to me as of 6:46am on Saturday, March 16.Andy Foster has accidentally allowed a Labour/Green amendment to cut road user chargers for plug-in hybrid vehicles, which the Government might accept; NZ Herald Thomas Coughlan Simeon Brown has rejected a plea from Westport ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago
  • How Did FTX Crash?
    What seemed a booming success a couple of years ago has collapsed into fraud convictions.I looked at the crash of FTX (short for ‘Futures Exchange’) in November 2022 to see whether it would impact on the financial system as a whole. Fortunately there was barely a ripple, probably because it ...
    PunditBy Brian Easton
    4 days ago
  • Elections in Russia and Ukraine
    Anybody following the situation in Ukraine and Russia would probably have been amused by a recent Tweet on X NATO seems to be putting in an awful lot of effort to influence what is, at least according to them, a sham election in an autocracy.When do the Ukrainians go to ...
    4 days ago
  • Bernard’s six stack of substacks at 6pm on March 15
    TL;DR: Shaun Baker on Wynyard Quarter's transformation. Magdalene Taylor on the problem with smart phones. How private equity are now all over reinsurance. Dylan Cleaver on rugby and CTE. Emily Atkin on ‘Big Meat’ looking like ‘Big Oil’.Bernard’s six-stack of substacks at 6pm on March 15Photo by Jeppe Hove Jensen ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • Buzz from the Beehive Finance Minister Nicola Willis had plenty to say when addressing the Auckland Business Chamber on the economic growth that (she tells us) is flagging more than we thought. But the government intends to put new life into it:  We want our country to be a ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    4 days ago
  • National’s clean car tax advances
    The Transport and Infrastructure Committee has reported back on the Road User Charges (Light Electric RUC Vehicles) Amendment Bill, basicly rubberstamping it. While there was widespread support among submitters for the principle that EV and PHEV drivers should pay their fair share for the roads, they also overwhelmingly disagreed with ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    4 days ago
  • Government funding bailouts
    Peter Dunne writes – This week’s government bailout – the fifth in the last eighteen months – of the financially troubled Ruapehu Alpine Lifts company would have pleased many in the central North Island ski industry. The government’s stated rationale for the $7 million funding was that it ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • Two offenders, different treatments.
    See if you can spot the difference. An Iranian born female MP from a progressive party is accused of serial shoplifting. Her name is leaked to the media, which goes into a pack frenzy even before the Police launch an … Continue reading ...
    KiwipoliticoBy Pablo
    4 days ago
  • Treaty references omitted
    Ele Ludemann writes  – The government is omitting general Treaty references from legislation : The growth of Treaty of Waitangi clauses in legislation caused so much worry that a special oversight group was set up by the last Government in a bid to get greater coherence in the public service on Treaty ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • The Ghahraman Conflict
    What was that judge thinking? Peter Williams writes –  That Golriz Ghahraman and District Court Judge Maria Pecotic were once lawyer colleagues is incontrovertible. There is published evidence that they took at least one case to the Court of Appeal together. There was a report on ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • Bernard's Top 10 @ 10 'pick 'n' mix' for March 15
    TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: Climate Scorpion – the sting is in the tail. Introducing planetary solvency. A paper via the University of Exeter’s Institute and Faculty of Actuaries.Local scoop: Kāinga Ora starts pulling out of its Auckland projects and selling land RNZ ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • The day Wellington up-zoned its future
    Wellington’s massively upzoned District Plan adds the opportunity for tens of thousands of new homes not just in the central city (such as these Webb St new builds) but also close to the CBD and public transport links. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Wellington gave itself the chance of ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • Weekly Roundup 15-March-2024
    It’s Friday and we’re halfway through March Madness. Here’s some of the things that caught our attention this week. This Week in Greater Auckland On Monday Matt asked how we can get better event trains and an option for grade separating Morningside Dr. On Tuesday Matt looked into ...
    Greater AucklandBy Greater Auckland
    4 days ago
  • That Word.
    Something you might not know about me is that I’m quite a stubborn person. No, really. I don’t much care for criticism I think’s unfair or that I disagree with. Few of us do I suppose.Back when I was a drinker I’d sometimes respond defensively, even angrily. There are things ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    4 days ago
  • The Hoon around the week to March 15
    Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The five things that mattered in Aotearoa’s political economy that we wrote and spoke about via The Kākā and elsewhere for paying subscribers in the last week included:PM Christopher Luxon said the reversal of interest deductibility for landlords was done to help renters, who ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    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 ...
    5 days ago
  • Solving traffic congestion with Richard Prebble
    The business section of the NZ Herald is full of opinion. Among the more opinionated of all is the ex-Minister of Transport, ex-Minister of Railways, ex MP for Auckland Central (1975-93, Labour), Wellington Central (1996-99, ACT, then list-2005), ex-leader of the ACT Party, uncle to actor Antonia, the veritable granddaddy ...
    Greater AucklandBy Patrick Reynolds
    5 days ago
  • I Think I'm Done Flying Boeing
    Hi,Just quickly — I’m blown away by the stories you’ve shared with me over the last week since I put out the ‘Gary’ podcast, where I told you about the time my friend’s flatmate killed the neighbour.And you keep telling me stories — in the comments section, and in my ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    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
  • There’s a name for this
    Every year, in the Budget, Parliament forks out money to government agencies to do certain things. And every year, as part of the annual review cycle, those agencies are meant to report on whether they have done the things Parliament gave them that money for. Agencies which consistently fail to ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    6 days ago
  • Echoes of 1968 in 2024?  Pocock on the repetitive problems of the New Left
    Mike Grimshaw writes – Recent events in American universities point to an underlying crisis of coherent thinking, an issue that increasingly affects the progressive left across the Western world. This of course is nothing new as anyone who can either remember or has read of the late ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago

  • 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
    6 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
    8 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
    8 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
    22 hours ago
  • Kāinga Ora instructed to end Sustaining Tenancies
    Kāinga Ora – Homes & Communities has been instructed to end the Sustaining Tenancies Framework and take stronger measures against persistent antisocial behaviour by tenants, says Housing Minister Chris Bishop. “Earlier today Finance Minister Nicola Willis and I sent an interim Letter of Expectations to the Board of Kāinga Ora. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Speech to Auckland Business Chamber: Growth is the answer
    Tēna koutou katoa. Greetings everyone. Thank you to the Auckland Chamber of Commerce and the Honourable Simon Bridges for hosting this address today. I acknowledge the business leaders in this room, the leaders and governors, the employers, the entrepreneurs, the investors, and the wealth creators. The coalition Government shares your ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Singapore rounds out regional trip
    Minister Winston Peters completed the final leg of his visit to South and South East Asia in Singapore today, where he focused on enhancing one of New Zealand’s indispensable strategic partnerships.      “Singapore is our most important defence partner in South East Asia, our fourth-largest trading partner and a ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Minister van Velden represents New Zealand at International Democracy Summit
    Minister of Internal Affairs and Workplace Relations and Safety, Hon. Brooke van Velden, will travel to the Republic of Korea to represent New Zealand at the Third Summit for Democracy on 18 March. The summit, hosted by the Republic of Korea, was first convened by the United States in 2021, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Insurance Council of NZ Speech, 7 March 2024, Auckland
    ICNZ Speech 7 March 2024, Auckland  Acknowledgements and opening  Mōrena, ngā mihi nui. Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Nor Whanganui aho.  Good morning, it’s a privilege to be here to open the ICNZ annual conference, thank you to Mark for the Mihi Whakatau  My thanks to Tim Grafton for inviting me ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Five-year anniversary of Christchurch terror attacks
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Lead Coordination Minister Judith Collins have expressed their deepest sympathy on the five-year anniversary of the Christchurch terror attacks. “March 15, 2019, was a day when families, communities and the country came together both in sorrow and solidarity,” Mr Luxon says.  “Today we pay our respects to the 51 shuhada ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Speech for Financial Advice NZ Conference 5 March 2024
    Speech for Financial Advice NZ Conference 5 March 2024  Acknowledgements and opening  Morena, Nga Mihi Nui.  Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Nor Whanganui aho. Thanks Nate for your Mihi Whakatau  Good morning. It’s a pleasure to formally open your conference this morning. What a lovely day in Wellington, What a great ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Early visit to Indonesia strengthens ties
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters held discussions in Jakarta today about the future of relations between New Zealand and South East Asia’s most populous country.   “We are in Jakarta so early in our new government’s term to reflect the huge importance we place on our relationship with Indonesia and South ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • China Foreign Minister to visit
    Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Winston Peters has announced that the Foreign Minister of China, Wang Yi, will visit New Zealand next week.  “We look forward to re-engaging with Foreign Minister Wang Yi and discussing the full breadth of the bilateral relationship, which is one of New Zealand’s ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Minister opens new Auckland Rail Operations Centre
    Transport Minister Simeon Brown has today opened the new Auckland Rail Operations Centre, which will bring together KiwiRail, Auckland Transport, and Auckland One Rail to improve service reliability for Aucklanders. “The recent train disruptions in Auckland have highlighted how important it is KiwiRail and Auckland’s rail agencies work together to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Celebrating 10 years of Crankworx Rotorua
    The Government is proud to support the 10th edition of Crankworx Rotorua as the Crankworx World Tour returns to Rotorua from 16-24 March 2024, says Minister for Economic Development Melissa Lee.  “Over the past 10 years as Crankworx Rotorua has grown, so too have the economic and social benefits that ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Government delivering on tax commitments
    Legislation implementing coalition Government tax commitments and addressing long-standing tax anomalies will be progressed in Parliament next week, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The legislation is contained in an Amendment Paper to the Taxation (Annual Rates for 2023–24, Multinational Tax, and Remedial Matters) Bill issued today.  “The Amendment Paper represents ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Significant Natural Areas requirement to be suspended
    Associate Environment Minister Andrew Hoggard has today announced that the Government has agreed to suspend the requirement for councils to comply with the Significant Natural Areas (SNA) provisions of the National Policy Statement for Indigenous Biodiversity for three years, while it replaces the Resource Management Act (RMA).“As it stands, SNAs ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
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  • Government classifies drought conditions in Top of the South as medium-scale adverse event
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