Crime and punishment

Written By: - Date published: 9:40 am, August 23rd, 2010 - 25 comments
Categories: capitalism, crime - Tags:

We are told that no one is exempt from the law. We are told that everyone is equal before the law. But it isn’t really true is it. The law in general has a built in perspective, a structural bias, which is to do with the protection of property and privilege, the preservation of the status quo. It can be summed up in the following observation by French novelist Anatole France: “The law, in its majestic equality, forbids the rich as well as the poor to sleep under bridges, to beg in the streets, and to steal bread.”

One of the ways that this bias manifests itself is in the way that the crimes of the rich and powerful are perceived and are punished. At the extreme end of the spectrum we have the most powerful politicians. Those like Tony Blair who — I agree with Nick Clegg on this — are war criminals. Or Dick Cheney and others in various American administrations who have enabled torture.

Of more relevance to us here in NZ is white collar crime, and the non-existent or very light punishments that it attracts. Driven by the recession, white collar crime is on the increase: “White-collar crime cases explode”, “White collar crime booming”, and so on.

The Right loves crime as a political issue, they get to strut about talking tough about how crime must be “fought”, “stamped out” or “crushed” with harsher penalties (“sensible sentencing”) or aggressive “three-strikes” legislation. But on the subject of white-collar crime they are strangely muted. As Gordon Campbell put it earlier in the year:

On the government’s tolerance of white collar crime

This government takes a crush ‘em and crate ‘em approach to crime unless that is, the offender happens to be wearing a tie. In which case, judging by the Ministry of Economic Development discussion paper on business cartels released yesterday, we need to be very, very worried …

With white collar crime so much on the increase in NZ, and with the government talking so tough on other forms of crime at every opportunity, the structural bias in the law and its application will become ever more apparent in the coming years. I wonder how we as a country will respond.

25 comments on “Crime and punishment ”

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  1. pollywog 1
    23 August 2010 at 11:30 am

    I’ve said it before so i’ll say it again. Justice needs to be seen to have been done…

    Only there isn’t much of that sort of justice being seen on TV. There is however, a lot of penny ante targetting and issuing of fines to poor people on shitty, cheap, nasty programmes like Highway Patrol and Police 10/7.

    I’d like to see aTV programme about debt collecting white collar criminals for the money they’ve stolen. Chasing them down in their flash cars and repo ing them, kicking down their doors and confiscating shit, including the jewelery and designer clothes, then putting them up for auction or donating them to charity. Exposing the lifestyle they’ve fraudulently maintained by showing bank records of purchases and transfers of money to others.

    Enough of the cultural bias bullshit and don’t even get me started on the ethnic bias in sentencing. Sure, it aint like Oz trailer trash but still, it’s pretty bad.

    • Rex Widerstrom 1.1
      23 August 2010 at 3:02 pm

      shitty, cheap, nasty programmes like Highway Patrol and Police 10/7

      And in Australia we get to see “Highway Patrol” (and I get to cop endless smartarse remarks about “dumb Kiwi drivers”) plus:

      Send in the dogs
      RBT
      The Force: Behind the Line
      The Force: K9 Unit
      Crash Investigation Unit
      Recruits
      Australian Families of Crime
      Gangs of Oz
      Missing Persons Unit

      …just “off the top of my head” of the “reality” shows either on screen now or resting betrween current seasons plus dramas like:

      Wildside
      Water Rats
      Stingers
      Young Lions
      White Collar Blue
      Rush
      The Strip
      Water Rats
      City Homicide
      East West 101
      Halifax f.p.
      Police Rescue

      …again just the ones I can think of, either current or very recent. And the one thing they all have in common is that the cops shown in them never make a mistake and certainly never indulge in corruption and perjury. Totally unlike the real world.

      Filling our heads with these “shitty, cheap, nasty programmes” conditions people to believe that’s the way things are. They never question whether the police are honest, whether the people they’re arresting are the ones that ought to be arrested, and consequently never ask whether those who aren’t arrested ought to be.

      The exception to this long and proud tradition of arse-kissing cop shows was of course Underbelly, but the subliminal message there too was “that’s the way it used to be, things are cleaned up now”, which is, of course complete bullshit.

      • Lindsey 1.1.1
        23 August 2010 at 3:21 pm

        I always thought Stingers was good, several corrupt cops in that one.
        Also Dominick Dunn’s “Power, Privelege and Justice” goes some way to show the rich trying to get away with it. Mind you, he only does the ones where they didn’t get away.

        • Rex Widerstrom 1.1.1.1
          23 August 2010 at 5:32 pm

          Dunn’s show was great, though I kind of got the uneasy feeling that we were still supposed to realise the crims were our betters. Maybe he’d have treated a black convenience store robber with the same sort of respect if he’d been reporting their trial, I don’t know. And/or maybe I’m too used to grainy dissolves to black and white shots of the accused just as they display a murderous grimace (even if, in reality, they were just about to sneeze).

          The trouble with the portrayal of corrupt cops on Australian TV is that they’re almost always caricatures and their corruption is of the obvious, monetary kind. I’ve just watched (on the ABC, natch) a two part BBC series called “Criminal Justice” where an officer was personally offended by what he saw as callousness on the part of a woman arrested for the murder of her husband (in fact she was numb from years of abuse) that he promised she could see her daughter if she confessed. That sort of “noble corruption” is far more common than the other kind, I believe.

          • Deborah Kean 1.1.1.1.1
            23 August 2010 at 6:32 pm

            “where an officer was personally offended by what he saw as callousness on the part of a woman arrested for the murder of her husband (in fact she was numb from years of abuse) that he promised she could see her daughter if she confessed. That sort of “noble corruption’ is far more common than the other kind, I believe.”
            Proof if any was needed that New Zealand is culturally American, is that 85% of our TV programming comes from the land of the (Un)Free. That kind of thing is all over American cop shows. “Noble corruption”, yes and lies, bullying and threats! (I would never go to the USA, they’re scary people). But after 30 years of American TV programming, are NZ police and people any better?

    • jimmy 1.2
      23 August 2010 at 5:34 pm

      So far the only slightly white collar crime progamme that springs to mind is that docco ‘Catching the King of the Benefit Cheats’ on the guy who did an identity fraud and was taking in benefits in the name of 150-odd dead people. The IRD investigators made a really good show of it and the sheer crazyness of the guys treasure hoards was amazing with boxes of gold bars for africa.

      With that NZ pozi scheeme dude and the westpack monster overdraft case we could have a good documentary series if one of the networks got off their arses.

  2. Draco T Bastard 2
    23 August 2010 at 11:46 am

    Crime is only a crime if the people writing the laws don’t engage in it. In other words, you’ll need to persuade the politicians to hold themselves to account and that seems unlikely to happen.

    • pollywog 2.1
      23 August 2010 at 11:59 am

      exactly DTB…

      He’s been caught out rorting the system, fudging the stats, lying in the house, gifting money to dodgy privateers in the budget and transferring wealth to those who need it least via taxcuts and expecting the rest of us to make up the shortfall.

      …so why are we still suffering this chump running our country’s finances into the ground while trying to snaffle as much as can get into his and his mates private coffers ?

      • Bored 2.1.1
        23 August 2010 at 1:54 pm

        Polly, about the only time the media focusses on white collar crime is when the brown bros are filching it off one another….like Donna Huata doing her bit. Shock horror, but when Blinglish rips us off for rent its altogether different because: one he not a brown boy buying porn videos and two because as a white fella he must have only made a mistaken interpretation of the regulations.

        Perhaps the media being mainly good middle class whiteys with a few tame pollys in tow are all jockeying for nice little sinecures like being a “press secretary” or similar. Pays not to bite the hand that feeds off your pay packet as well.

        • pollywog 2.1.1.1
          23 August 2010 at 2:48 pm

          hmmm…interesting.

          So do you reckon Taito Philip Field wouldn’t have suffered the humiliation of jail time and the rest if his name were Bill English ?

          • Bored 2.1.1.1.1
            23 August 2010 at 3:56 pm

            Doubt they would humiliate an “honourable member” in that way if he came from the right white side. Look at how the WineBox was swept under the carpet to keep a pack of similar types away from prosecution. When you are left and “ethnic” you better make sure you are whiter than white, cleaner than clean. That will probably raise screams because theoretically and ethically it should not be so, but the track record of who in NZ gets incarcerated states otherwise.

  3. stargazer 3
    23 August 2010 at 1:21 pm

    doesn’t help that most crime programmes on tv are about violent (and increasingly violent) crime. how many of them actually deal with white collar crime? i don’t watch csi, ncis, svu, cold case etc etc so couldn’t say conclusively whether these sorts of programmes cover white collar crimes regularly and in-depth, but somehow i doubt it. maybe boston legal did, sort of, now and then but yeah, not my favourite show either.

    the point is that because white collar isn’t part of our “entertainment” either, it is even less in the public consciousness.

    • Bored 3.1
      23 August 2010 at 1:44 pm

      Star, you are right. there is not enough visible blood for the entertainment of the masses in “white collar” crime. Maybe we need to reject the frivolity of “crime” series, maybe some have already and moved on to vampire and zombie TV……as one of the masses I hope some more of us might just reject all of these vapid genres.

      • Bored 3.1.1
        23 August 2010 at 2:01 pm

        Saw some of the best “reality” TV early Sunday, the adorable Paula Bennett focussing her ire on brown collar crime, benefit abuse no less. Paula kindly noted that “slimebags” were out there corrupting the lives of her flock, solo maternal beneficiaries. And she had the cure, get them all back to work (at the non existant jobs that pay zippo)…and meanwhile make sure all of those “sickness” beneficiaries who criminally are ripping off the system go to job interviews at the same non existant jobs…..AARRRGGGHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Save us from this criminally lunatic minister and her equally twisted peers.

        • pollywog 3.1.1.1
          23 August 2010 at 2:45 pm

          Was that the dunkin’ donut garner interview ?

          …thought it was good to see her follow up my idea of hitting up cashed up iwi to look after their own kids 🙂

          i mean, what good is being rangatira with a fat treaty settlement and exercising sovereignty over your people if you’re just gonna let em get fucked over by their elders and the system….oh don’t tell me i know.

          Cultural elitism applies as much in Maoridom as in eurocentrist NZ.

          Still, There should be some diversionary justice thing to send kids back to their rohe to do some hard yards on the land i reckon, and maybe look at forcing the whangai option of some kids to solo teen mums back to the aunties as well ?

          • Bored 3.1.1.1.1
            23 August 2010 at 4:24 pm

            Yeah, it was the aforementioned programme….I sat aghast at the iwi cash idea…any takers I thought, it will all be locked up in “Trust” accounts and stands a snowballs chance in hell of ending up in Otara with some random urban Rangi.

            Back to the aunties? Was up on the East Coast last year and saw Ngati Porou doing holiday programmes with kids on a marae, all sorts going on, great kids, interesting community stuff. Or you see what goes down in Wainuiomata with evening family rugby etc. It might upset “Super City” types to see communities successfully taking the lead as opposed to waiting for uninterested government or Treaty iwi to show any leadership. Sort of takes away their official legitimacy.

      • Deborah Kean 3.1.2
        23 August 2010 at 6:37 pm

        None of the above, Bored! I have given up cop shows, vampire and zombie TV, and reality shows. I feel all the better for it!
        That doesn’t leave much mind – Survivors, Top Gear, oh and a few others… But studies have shown that heavy crime show watchers rate their chances of being victims of crime much higher than is even possible!

    • Olwyn 3.2
      23 August 2010 at 3:06 pm

      Apart from Boston Legal, which is now gone, they do largely centre on the criminal lower orders, rather than individuals of any class who succumb to temptation. I do not watch them regularly either, but whenever I do see them, that is what seems to be the case. In an old fashioned detective story, for example, the story might be about a high ranking fellow who does his uncle in to get the inheritance. The modern US version is all about the low lives who are out to get you, especially if you are an attractive female.

      • Rex Widerstrom 3.2.1
        23 August 2010 at 5:35 pm

        Ahhh like “Law ‘n’ Order: SVU” which, given how often bungled forensics hampers the case till Detective Stabler “understandably” roughs up a suspect for which he rarely, if ever, receives so much as a reprimand, I like to call “Sex Violators University”.

  4. tc 4
    23 August 2010 at 4:19 pm

    mmmm that would mean getting tough with shonky operators like watson/hotchin etc who are the ‘aspirational’ kiwis sideshow hoists as his pin up boys….fat chance.

    On that note I see Mr Smarmy Weldon released his poor NZX results after hours whilst he castigates others who do so…..mmm that kitchen cabinet again…..White with one Mr PM sir?

  5. vto 5
    23 August 2010 at 5:48 pm

    But what about Hubbard? They are getting tough on him. They put him into stat management ffs…

    Which is the saddest commentary on white collar crime in this country and under Count Key’s watch. They choose the most innocent of the rich, an 82 year old man who has never defaulted on anything and who is physically weak and cannot skidaddle out of the country as easy as Hotchin has.

    It is a fucking joke. I have nothing but contempt left for this government – on every front.

  6. Frederico 6
    24 August 2010 at 9:16 am

    The white collar crime of identity theft is becoming out of control and they only catch 1our of every 600 thieves, particularly because many operate outside the country.

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    Skeptical Science
    1 day ago

  • Backbone, revisited
    The schools are on holiday and the sun is shining in the seaside village and all day long I have been seeing bunches of bikes; Mums, Dads, teens and toddlers chattering, laughing, happy, having a bloody great time together. Cheers, AT, for the bits of lane you’ve added lately around the ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    2 days ago

  • Ministers are not above the law
    Today in our National-led authoritarian nightmare: Shane Jones thinks Ministers should be above the law: New Zealand First MP Shane Jones is accusing the Waitangi Tribunal of over-stepping its mandate by subpoenaing a minister for its urgent hearing on the Oranga Tamariki claim. The tribunal is looking into the ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    2 days ago

  • What’s the outfit you can hear going down the gurgler? Probably it’s David Parker’s Oceans Sec...
    Buzz from the Beehive Point  of Order first heard of the Oceans Secretariat in June 2021, when David Parker (remember him?) announced a multi-agency approach to protecting New Zealand’s marine ecosystems and fisheries. Parker (holding the Environment, and Oceans and Fisheries portfolios) broke the news at the annual Forest & ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    2 days ago

  • Will politicians let democracy die in the darkness?
    Bryce Edwards writes  – Politicians across the political spectrum are implicated in the New Zealand media’s failing health. Either through neglect or incompetent interventions, successive governments have failed to regulate, foster, and allow a healthy Fourth Estate that can adequately hold politicians and the powerful to account. ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    2 days ago

  • Matt Doocey doubles down on trans “healthcare”
    Citizen Science writes –  Last week saw two significant developments in the debate over the treatment of trans-identifying children and young people – the release in Britain of the final report of Dr Hilary Cass’s review into gender healthcare, and here in New Zealand, the news that the ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    2 days ago

  • A TikTok Prime Minister.
    One night while sleeping in my bed I had a beautiful dreamThat all the people of the world got together on the same wavelengthAnd began helping one anotherNow in this dream, universal love was the theme of the dayPeace and understanding and it happened this wayAfter such an eventful day ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    2 days ago

  • Texas Lessons
    This is a guest post by Oscar Simms who is a housing activist, volunteer for the Coalition for More Homes, and was the Labour Party candidate for Auckland Central at the last election. ...
    Greater AucklandBy Guest Post
    2 days ago

  • Bernard's pick 'n' mix of the news links at 6:06 am
    The top six news links I’ve seen elsewhere in the last 24 hours as of 6:06 am on Wednesday, April 17 are:Must read: Secrecy shrouds which projects might be fast-tracked RNZ Farah HancockScoop: Revealed: Luxon has seven staffers working on social media content - partly paid for by taxpayer Newshub ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago

  • Fighting poverty on the holiday highway
    Turning what Labour called the “holiday highway” into a four-lane expressway from Auckland to Whangarei could bring at least an economic benefit of nearly two billion a year for Northland each year. And it could help bring an end to poverty in one of New Zealand’s most deprived regions. The ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    2 days ago

  • Bernard's six-stack of substacks at 6:26 pm
    Tonight’s six-stack includes: launching his substack with a bunch of his previous documentaries, including this 1992 interview with Dame Whina Cooper. and here crew give climate activists plenty to do, including this call to submit against the Fast Track Approvals bill. writes brilliantly here on his substack ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago

  • At a glance – Is the science settled?
    On February 14, 2023 we announced our Rebuttal Update Project. This included an ask for feedback about the added "At a glance" section in the updated basic rebuttal versions. This weekly blog post series highlights this new section of one of the updated basic rebuttal versions and serves as a ...
    Skeptical Science
    3 days ago

  • Apposite Quotations.
    How Long Is Long Enough? Gaza under Israeli bombardment, July 2014. This posting is exclusive to Bowalley Road. ...
    Bowalley Road
    3 days ago

  • What’s a life worth now?
    You're in the mall when you hear it: some kind of popping sound in the distance, kids with fireworks, maybe. But then a moment of eerie stillness is followed by more of the fireworks sound and there’s also screaming and shrieking and now here come people running for their lives.Does ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago

  • Howling at the Moon
    Karl du Fresne writes –  There’s a crisis in the news media and the media are blaming it on everyone except themselves. Culpability is being deflected elsewhere – mainly to the hapless Minister of Communications, Melissa Lee, and the big social media platforms that are accused of hoovering ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    3 days ago

  • Newshub is Dead.
    I don’t normally send out two newsletters in a day but I figured I’d say something about… the news. If two newsletters is a bit much then maybe just skip one, I don’t want to overload people. Alternatively if you’d be interested in sometimes receiving multiple, smaller updates from me, ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    3 days ago

  • Seymour is chuffed about cutting early-learning red tape – but we hear, too, that Jones has loose...
    Buzz from the Beehive David Seymour and Winston Peters today signalled that at least two ministers of the Crown might be in Wellington today. Seymour (as Associate Minister of Education) announced the removal of more red tape, this time to make it easier for new early learning services to be ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    3 days ago

  • Bryce Edwards: Will politicians let democracy die in the darkness?
    Politicians across the political spectrum are implicated in the New Zealand media’s failing health. Either through neglect or incompetent interventions, successive governments have failed to regulate, foster, and allow a healthy Fourth Estate that can adequately hold politicians and the powerful to account. Our political system is suffering from the ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    3 days ago

  • Was Hawkesby entirely wrong?
    David Farrar  writes –  The Broadcasting Standards Authority ruled: Comments by radio host Kate Hawkesby suggesting Māori and Pacific patients were being prioritised for surgery due to their ethnicity were misleading and discriminatory, the Broadcasting Standards Authority has found. It is a fact such patients are prioritised. ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    3 days ago

  • PRC shadow looms as the Solomons head for election
    PRC and its proxies in Solomons have been preparing for these elections for a long time. A lot of money, effort and intelligence have gone into ensuring an outcome that won’t compromise Beijing’s plans. Cleo Paskall writes – On April 17th the Solomon Islands, a country of ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    3 days ago

  • Climate Change: Criminal ecocide
    We are in the middle of a climate crisis. Last year was (again) the hottest year on record. NOAA has just announced another global coral bleaching event. Floods are threatening UK food security. So naturally, Shane Jones wants to make it easier to mine coal: Resources Minister Shane Jones ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    3 days ago

  • Is saving one minute of a politician's time worth nearly $1 billion?
    Is speeding up the trip to and from Wellington airport by 12 minutes worth spending up more than $10 billion? Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The six news items that stood out to me in the last day to 8:26 am today are:The Lead: Transport Minister Simeon Brown announced ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago

  • Long Tunnel or Long Con?
    Yesterday it was revealed that Transport Minister had asked Waka Kotahi to look at the options for a long tunnel through Wellington. State Highway 1 (SH1) through Wellington City is heavily congested at peak times and while planning continues on the duplicate Mt Victoria Tunnel and Basin Reserve project, the ...
    Greater AucklandBy Matt L
    3 days ago

  • Smoke And Mirrors.
    You're a fraud, and you know itBut it's too good to throw it all awayAnyone would do the sameYou've got 'em goingAnd you're careful not to show itSometimes you even fool yourself a bitIt's like magicBut it's always been a smoke and mirrors gameAnyone would do the sameForty six billion ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    3 days ago

  • What is Mexico doing about climate change?
    This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections The June general election in Mexico could mark a turning point in ensuring that the country’s climate policies better reflect the desire of its citizens to address the climate crisis, with both leading presidential candidates expressing support for renewable energy. Mexico is the ...
    Skeptical Science
    3 days ago

  • State of humanity, 2024
    2024, it feels, keeps presenting us with ever more challenges, ever more dismay.Do you give up yet? It seems to ask.No? How about this? Or this?How about this?When I say 2024 I really mean the state of humanity in 2024.Saturday night, we watched Civil War because that is one terrifying cliff we've ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    4 days ago

  • Govt’s Wellington tunnel vision aims to ease the way to the airport (but zealous promoters of cycl...
    Buzz from the Beehive A pet project and governmental tunnel vision jump out from the latest batch of ministerial announcements. The government is keen to assure us of its concern for the wellbeing of our pets. It will be introducing pet bonds in a change to the Residential Tenancies Act ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    4 days ago

  • The case for cultural connectedness
    A recent report generated from a Growing Up in New Zealand (GUiNZ) survey of 1,224 rangatahi Māori aged 11-12 found: Cultural connectedness was associated with fewer depression symptoms, anxiety symptoms and better quality of life. That sounds cut and dry. But further into the report the following appears: Cultural connectedness is ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago

  • Useful context on public sector job cuts
    David Farrar writes –    The Herald reports: From the gory details of job-cuts news, you’d think the public service was being eviscerated.   While the media’s view of the cuts is incomplete, it’s also true that departments have been leaking the particulars faster than a Wellington ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago

  • Gordon Campbell On When Racism Comes Disguised As Anti-racism
    Remember the good old days, back when New Zealand had a PM who could think and speak calmly and intelligently in whole sentences without blustering? Even while Iran’s drones and missiles were still being launched, Helen Clark was live on TVNZ expertly summing up the latest crisis in the Middle ...
    Gordon CampbellBy lyndon
    4 days ago

  • Govt ignored economic analysis of smokefree reversal
    Costello did not pass on analysis of the benefits of the smokefree reforms to Cabinet, emphasising instead the extra tax revenues of repealing them. Photo: Hagen Hopkins, Getty Images TL;DR: The six news items that stood out to me at 7:26 am today are:The Lead: Casey Costello never passed on ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago

  • True Blue.
    True loveYou're the one I'm dreaming ofYour heart fits me like a gloveAnd I'm gonna be true blueBaby, I love youI’ve written about the job cuts in our news media last week. The impact on individuals, and the loss to Aotearoa of voices covering our news from different angles.That by ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    4 days ago

  • Who is running New Zealand’s foreign policy?
    While commentators, including former Prime Minister Helen Clark, are noting a subtle shift in New Zealand’s foreign policy, which now places more emphasis on the United States, many have missed a key element of the shift. What National said before the election is not what the government is doing now. ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    4 days ago

  • 2024 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #15
    A listing of 31 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, April 7, 2024 thru Sat, April 13, 2024. Story of the week Our story of the week is about adults in the room setting terms and conditions of ...
    Skeptical Science
    5 days ago

  • Feline Friends and Fragile Fauna The Complexities of Cats in New Zealand’s Conservation Efforts

    Cats, with their independent spirit and beguiling purrs, have captured the hearts of humans for millennia. In New Zealand, felines are no exception, boasting the highest national cat ownership rate globally [definition cat nz cat foundation]. An estimated 1.134 million pet cats grace Kiwi households, compared to 683,000 dogs ...

    Gareth’s WorldBy admin
    5 days ago

  • Or is that just they want us to think?
    Nice guy, that Peter Williams. Amiable, a calm air of no-nonsense capability, a winning smile. Everything you look for in a TV presenter and newsreader.I used to see him sometimes when I went to TVNZ to be a talking head or a panellist and we would yarn. Nice guy, that ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    5 days ago

  • Fact Brief – Did global warming stop in 1998?
    Skeptical Science is partnering with Gigafact to produce fact briefs — bite-sized fact checks of trending claims. This fact brief was written by Sue Bin Park in collaboration with members from our Skeptical Science team. You can submit claims you think need checking via the tipline. Did global warming stop in ...
    Skeptical Science
    6 days ago

  • Arguing over a moot point.
    I have been following recent debates in the corporate and social media about whether it is a good idea for NZ to join what is known as “AUKUS Pillar Two.” AUKUS is the Australian-UK-US nuclear submarine building agreement in which … Continue reading → ...
    KiwipoliticoBy Pablo
    6 days ago

  • No Longer Trusted: Ageing Boomers, Laurie & Les, Talk Politics.
    Turning Point: “What has turned me away from the mainstream news media is the very strong message that its been sending out for the last few years.” “And what message might that be?” “That the people who own it, the people who run it, and the people who provide its content, really don’t ...
    Bowalley Road
    6 days ago

  • Mortgage rates at 10% anyone?
    No – nothing about that in PM Luxon’s nine-point plan to improve the lives of New Zealanders. But beyond our shores Jamie Dimon, the long-serving head of global bank J.P. Morgan Chase, reckons that the chances of a goldilocks soft landing for the economy are “a lot lower” than the ...
    Point of OrderBy xtrdnry
    6 days ago

  • Sad tales from the left
    Michael Bassett writes –  Have you noticed the odd way in which the media are handling the government’s crackdown on surplus employees in the Public Service? Very few reporters mention the crazy way in which State Service numbers rocketed ahead by more than 16,000 during Labour’s six years, ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago

  • Minister to Europe for OECD meeting, Anzac Day
    Science, Innovation and Technology and Defence Minister Judith Collins will next week attend the OECD Science and Technology Ministerial conference in Paris and Anzac Day commemorations in Belgium. “Science, innovation and technology have a major role to play in rebuilding our economy and achieving better health, environmental and social outcomes ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 hours ago

  • Comprehensive Partnership the goal for NZ and the Philippines
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon held a bilateral meeting today with the President of the Philippines, Ferdinand Marcos Jr.  The Prime Minister was accompanied by MP Paulo Garcia, the first Filipino to be elected to a legislature outside the Philippines. During today’s meeting, Prime Minister Luxon and President Marcos Jr discussed opportunities to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    13 hours ago

  • Government commits $20m to Westport flood protection
    The Government has announced that $20 million in funding will be made available to Westport to fund much needed flood protection around the town. This measure will significantly improve the resilience of the community, says Local Government Minister Simeon Brown. “The Westport community has already been allocated almost $3 million ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    19 hours ago

  • Taupō takes pole position
    The Government is proud to support the first ever Repco Supercars Championship event in Taupō as up to 70,000 motorsport fans attend the Taupō International Motorsport Park this weekend, says Economic Development Minister Melissa Lee. “Anticipation for the ITM Taupō Super400 is huge, with tickets and accommodation selling out weeks ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    20 hours ago

  • Cost of living support for low-income homeowners
    Local Government Minister Simeon Brown has announced an increase to the Rates Rebate Scheme, putting money back into the pockets of low-income homeowners.  “The coalition Government is committed to bringing down the cost of living for New Zealanders. That includes targeted support for those Kiwis who are doing things tough, such ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    22 hours ago

  • Government backing mussel spat project
    The Coalition Government is investing in a project to boost survival rates of New Zealand mussels and grow the industry, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones has announced. “This project seeks to increase the resilience of our mussels and significantly boost the sector’s productivity,” Mr Jones says. “The project - ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    23 hours ago

  • Government focused on getting people into work
    Benefit figures released today underscore the importance of the Government’s plan to rebuild the economy and have 50,000 fewer people on Jobseeker Support, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “Benefit numbers are still significantly higher than when National was last in government, when there was about 70,000 fewer ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago

  • Clean energy key driver to reducing emissions
    The Government’s commitment to doubling New Zealand’s renewable energy capacity is backed by new data showing that clean energy has helped the country reach its lowest annual gross emissions since 1999, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. New Zealand’s latest Greenhouse Gas Inventory (1990-2022) published today, shows gross emissions fell ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago

  • Earthquake-prone buildings review brought forward
    The Government is bringing the earthquake-prone building review forward, with work to start immediately, and extending the deadline for remediations by four years, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says. “Our Government is focused on rebuilding the economy. A key part of our plan is to cut red tape that ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago

  • Thailand and NZ to agree to Strategic Partnership
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and his Thai counterpart, Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin, have today agreed that New Zealand and the Kingdom of Thailand will upgrade the bilateral relationship to a Strategic Partnership by 2026. “New Zealand and Thailand have a lot to offer each other. We have a strong mutual desire to build ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • Government consults on extending coastal permits for ports
    RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop and Transport Minister Simeon Brown have today announced the Coalition Government’s intention to extend port coastal permits for a further 20 years, providing port operators with certainty to continue their operations. “The introduction of the Resource Management Act in 1991 required ports to obtain coastal ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • Inflation coming down, but more work to do
    Today’s announcement that inflation is down to 4 per cent is encouraging news for Kiwis, but there is more work to be done - underlining the importance of the Government’s plan to get the economy back on track, acting Finance Minister Chris Bishop says. “Inflation is now at 4 per ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • School attendance restored as a priority in health advice
    Refreshed health guidance released today will help parents and schools make informed decisions about whether their child needs to be in school, addressing one of the key issues affecting school attendance, says Associate Education Minister David Seymour. In recent years, consistently across all school terms, short-term illness or medical reasons ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • Unnecessary bureaucracy cut in oceans sector
    Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones is streamlining high-level oceans management while maintaining a focus on supporting the sector’s role in the export-led recovery of the economy. “I am working to realise the untapped potential of our fishing and aquaculture sector. To achieve that we need to be smarter with ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • Patterson promoting NZ’s wool sector at International Congress
    Associate Agriculture Minister Mark Patterson is speaking at the International Wool Textile Organisation Congress in Adelaide, promoting New Zealand wool, and outlining the coalition Government’s support for the revitalisation the sector.    "New Zealand’s wool exports reached $400 million in the year to 30 June 2023, and the coalition Government ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago

  • Removing red tape to help early learners thrive
    The Government is making legislative changes to make it easier for new early learning services to be established, and for existing services to operate, Associate Education Minister David Seymour says. The changes involve repealing the network approval provisions that apply when someone wants to establish a new early learning service, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago

  • RMA changes to cut coal mining consent red tape
    Changes to the Resource Management Act will align consenting for coal mining to other forms of mining to reduce barriers that are holding back economic development, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. “The inconsistent treatment of coal mining compared with other extractive activities is burdensome red tape that fails to acknowledge ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago

  • McClay reaffirms strong NZ-China trade relationship
    Trade, Agriculture and Forestry Minister Todd McClay has concluded productive discussions with ministerial counterparts in Beijing today, in support of the New Zealand-China trade and economic relationship. “My meeting with Commerce Minister Wang Wentao reaffirmed the complementary nature of the bilateral trade relationship, with our Free Trade Agreement at its ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago

  • Prime Minister Luxon acknowledges legacy of Singapore Prime Minister Lee
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon today paid tribute to Singapore’s outgoing Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong.   Meeting in Singapore today immediately before Prime Minister Lee announced he was stepping down, Prime Minister Luxon warmly acknowledged his counterpart’s almost twenty years as leader, and the enduring legacy he has left for Singapore and South East ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago

  • PMs Luxon and Lee deepen Singapore-NZ ties
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon held a bilateral meeting today with Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. While in Singapore as part of his visit to South East Asia this week, Prime Minister Luxon also met with Singapore President Tharman Shanmugaratnam and will meet with Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong.  During today’s meeting, Prime Minister Luxon ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago

  • Antarctica New Zealand Board appointments
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters has made further appointments to the Board of Antarctica New Zealand as part of a continued effort to ensure the Scott Base Redevelopment project is delivered in a cost-effective and efficient manner.  The Minister has appointed Neville Harris as a new member of the Board. Mr ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago

  • Finance Minister travels to Washington DC
    Finance Minister Nicola Willis will travel to the United States on Tuesday to attend a meeting of the Five Finance Ministers group, with counterparts from Australia, the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom.  “I am looking forward to meeting with our Five Finance partners on how we can work ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago

  • Pet bonds a win/win for renters and landlords
    The coalition Government has today announced purrfect and pawsitive changes to the Residential Tenancies Act to give tenants with pets greater choice when looking for a rental property, says Housing Minister Chris Bishop. “Pets are important members of many Kiwi families. It’s estimated that around 64 per cent of New ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago

  • Long Tunnel for SH1 Wellington being considered
    State Highway 1 (SH1) through Wellington City is heavily congested at peak times and while planning continues on the duplicate Mt Victoria Tunnel and Basin Reserve project, the Government has also asked NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) to consider and provide advice on a Long Tunnel option, Transport Minister Simeon Brown ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago

  • New Zealand condemns Iranian strikes
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Foreign Minister Winston Peters have condemned Iran’s shocking and illegal strikes against Israel.    “These attacks are a major challenge to peace and stability in a region already under enormous pressure," Mr Luxon says.    "We are deeply concerned that miscalculation on any side could ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago

  • Huge interest in Government’s infrastructure plans
    Hundreds of people in little over a week have turned out in Northland to hear Regional Development Minister Shane Jones speak about plans for boosting the regional economy through infrastructure. About 200 people from the infrastructure and associated sectors attended an event headlined by Mr Jones in Whangarei today. Last ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago

  • Health Minister thanks outgoing Health New Zealand Chair
    Health Minister Dr Shane Reti has today thanked outgoing Health New Zealand – Te Whatu Ora Chair Dame Karen Poutasi for her service on the Board.   “Dame Karen tendered her resignation as Chair and as a member of the Board today,” says Dr Reti.  “I have asked her to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago

  • Roads of National Significance planning underway
    The NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) has signalled their proposed delivery approach for the Government’s 15 Roads of National Significance (RoNS), with the release of the State Highway Investment Proposal (SHIP) today, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says.  “Boosting economic growth and productivity is a key part of the Government’s plan to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago

  • Navigating an unstable global environment
    New Zealand is renewing its connections with a world facing urgent challenges by pursuing an active, energetic foreign policy, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says.   “Our country faces the most unstable global environment in decades,” Mr Peters says at the conclusion of two weeks of engagements in Egypt, Europe and the United States.    “We cannot afford to sit back in splendid ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago

  • NZ welcomes Australian Governor-General
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has announced the Australian Governor-General, His Excellency General The Honourable David Hurley and his wife Her Excellency Mrs Linda Hurley, will make a State visit to New Zealand from Tuesday 16 April to Thursday 18 April. The visit reciprocates the State visit of former Governor-General Dame Patsy Reddy ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Pseudoephedrine back on shelves for Winter
    Associate Health Minister David Seymour has announced that Medsafe has approved 11 cold and flu medicines containing pseudoephedrine. Pharmaceutical suppliers have indicated they may be able to supply the first products in June. “This is much earlier than the original expectation of medicines being available by 2025. The Government recognised ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • NZ and the US: an ever closer partnership
    New Zealand and the United States have recommitted to their strategic partnership in Washington DC today, pledging to work ever more closely together in support of shared values and interests, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says.    “The strategic environment that New Zealand and the United States face is considerably more ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Joint US and NZ declaration
    April 11, 2024 Joint Declaration by United States Secretary of State the Honorable Antony J. Blinken and New Zealand Minister of Foreign Affairs the Right Honourable Winston Peters We met today in Washington, D.C. to recommit to the historic partnership between our two countries and the principles that underpin it—rule ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • NZ and US to undertake further practical Pacific cooperation
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters has announced further New Zealand cooperation with the United States in the Pacific Islands region through $16.4 million in funding for initiatives in digital connectivity and oceans and fisheries research.   “New Zealand can achieve more in the Pacific if we work together more urgently and ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Government redress for Te Korowai o Wainuiārua
    The Government is continuing the bipartisan effort to restore its relationship with iwi as the Te Korowai o Wainuiārua Claims Settlement Bill passed its first reading in Parliament today, says Treaty Negotiations Minister Paul Goldsmith. “Historical grievances of Te Korowai o Wainuiārua relate to 19th century warfare, land purchased or taken ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Focus on outstanding minerals permit applications
    New Zealand Petroleum and Minerals is working to resolve almost 150 outstanding minerals permit applications by the end of the financial year, enabling valuable mining activity and signalling to the sector that New Zealand is open for business, Resources Minister Shane Jones says.  “While there are no set timeframes for ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Applications open for NZ-Ireland Research Call
    The New Zealand and Irish governments have today announced that applications for the 2024 New Zealand-Ireland Joint Research Call on Agriculture and Climate Change are now open. This is the third research call in the three-year Joint Research Initiative pilot launched in 2022 by the Ministry for Primary Industries and Ireland’s ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Tenancy rules changes to improve rental market
    The coalition Government has today announced changes to the Residential Tenancies Act to encourage landlords back to the rental property market, says Housing Minister Chris Bishop. “The previous Government waged a war on landlords. Many landlords told us this caused them to exit the rental market altogether. It caused worse ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Boosting NZ’s trade and agricultural relationship with China
    Trade and Agriculture Minister Todd McClay will visit China next week, to strengthen relationships, support Kiwi exporters and promote New Zealand businesses on the world stage. “China is one of New Zealand’s most significant trade and economic relationships and remains an important destination for New Zealand’s products, accounting for nearly 22 per cent of our good and ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Freshwater farm plan systems to be improved
    The coalition Government intends to improve freshwater farm plans so that they are more cost-effective and practical for farmers, Associate Environment Minister Andrew Hoggard and Agriculture Minister Todd McClay have announced. “A fit-for-purpose freshwater farm plan system will enable farmers and growers to find the right solutions for their farm ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

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