Do you pray to take on crushing debt for the rest of your life?

Written By: - Date published: 8:58 am, July 13th, 2016 - 89 comments
Categories: housing, national, useless - Tags: , , ,

There is a pretty bloody silly leader on The Herald at the moment:

housing-crisis-silly-question

The piece reads:

Frustrated would-be first-home buyers will get a hand up as the Government moves to lift house price limits for KiwiSaver subsidies and low-deposit loans.

Housing Minister Nick Smith has told the Herald he will make an announcement this month about the house price and income caps for the Welcome Home scheme, which allows first-home buyers to get mortgages from selected banks with only a 10 per cent deposit. The changes are also expected to apply to KiwiSaver first-home deposit subsidies.

Both schemes are currently limited to single people earning up to $80,000 a year or couples on up to $120,000, and buying homes priced below $550,000 in Auckland, $450,000 in Hamilton, Tauranga, Wellington, Nelson, Christchurch and Queenstown, and $350,000 elsewhere. …

Hey look – we’ve been here before, in 2013. And that’s fine I guess, if your prayer is to take on crushing debt for the rest of your life. In other news today:

Rising NZ house prices fuel debt binge, and a hangover could be brewing

Surging household debt levels will create a lengthy debt hangover, potentially hitting growth for years to come, economists warn.

After several years of deleveraging in the aftermath of the global financial crisis as households reined in spending, New Zealand household debt levels, relative to incomes, have been climbing since late-2011. By March they had hit a fresh high, with household debt as a share of disposable income at 163 per cent.

The level has probably climbed further in the months since, with spending surging at a time of fairly flat income, driven by soaring house prices, cheap credit and a strong New Zealand dollar. …

Pathetic tinkering with loan limits does nothing realistic for first home buyers, but it does add more fuel to the debt fire. We need to actually build some affordable houses. If only there was a party that would do that…

89 comments on “Do you pray to take on crushing debt for the rest of your life? ”

  1. Ad 1

    A really good question; mortgages and debt management should be part of the school curriculum because they dominate so much of our lives for so long. I’m heading for 50, and I’ve still got 3 years of mortgage left. That’s the majority of my life.

  2. DH 2

    I’m half surprised no-one has brought up the fact National has wrecked Kiwisaver with this. It’s no longer a savings scheme for retirement for many people.

    • Paul 2.1

      The media does not question the National government.

      • DH 2.1.1

        It’s not just the media Paul. I haven’t heard much from the Greens or Labour who should be furious that Kiwisaver is being dismantled & looted by National to keep house prices up.

        The whole idea of Kiwisaver was to let the earnings compound and those who withdraw savings won’t have enough to retire on.

        • Michelle 2.1.1.1

          National have a track record of wrecking retirement schemes. But people should not buy houses they cant afford they need to buy within there means.

          • DH 2.1.1.1.1

            You can’ really blame people Michelle. We only have two choices; rent or own. When house prices go up rents are sure to follow and buying your own home kills rent inflation stone dead.

            • Chuck 2.1.1.1.1.1

              DH you can’t have it both ways.

              “I’m half surprised no-one has brought up the fact National has wrecked Kiwisaver with this. It’s no longer a savings scheme for retirement for many people.”

              A first home buyer has 2 choices, save for retirement, or save for a house deposit first (most can’t do both).

              “You can’ really blame people Michelle. We only have two choices; rent or own. When house prices go up rents are sure to follow and buying your own home kills rent inflation stone dead.”

              Which cancels out your first post. A first home buyer if they want to own needs to save a deposit. The Kiwi saver option aids in acquiring that deposit.

              Rent inflation has not kept pace with house inflation.

              • DH

                I think you need to practice your reading comprehension. Kiwisaver was designed and intended solely as a superannuation scheme. That some people find it necessary to withdraw funds from the scheme is not an indictment on those people but on the Govt who put them in that position.

                “The Kiwi saver option aids in acquiring that deposit.”

                And that is not what Kiwisaver is for is it.

                • Chuck

                  Using your logic then DH, a young couple / person looking to save a house deposit then should not enroll into kiwi saver. In order so they can direct savings into a “house deposit savings fund”.

                  Look it does not matter what you call the savings scheme, main point is you create a savings discipline. First cab off the ranks is a house deposit (if they want to buy a house) next cab is retirement savings.

                  I known you are trying to bash the government…and logic does not matter!

                  • DH

                    No, using my logic a Govt doesn’t loot a retirement scheme to fund housing inflation.

                    Stop trying to twist my words and meaning, you only think you’re smarter than everyone else.

                    • Chuck

                      I will make it simple for you then…first home buyer needs to save for a deposit. Unless you earn big $$ that means diverting all resources into this task, before a retirement fund.

                      I would prefer to allow first home buyers to use kiwi saver for this purpose, as after the deposit is taken care of they can continue with phase 2 – retirement savings. The habit has already been formed – that is regular savings.

                      Now you have brought this into your argument…

                      “No, using my logic a Govt doesn’t loot a retirement scheme to fund housing inflation.”

                      Its the individuals retirement scheme, not the governments. For a purpose like a first home deposit its acceptable. A young couple would still have 25 – 30+ years to save.

                    • DH

                      I haven’t ‘brought it in to my argument’ Chuckly. That was my argument. Do read the plot.

                  • Lanthanide

                    +1

                  • Sam C

                    What’s wrong with having a house as part of your retirement scheme?

                    • Lanthanide

                      Nothing, although many baby boomers have multiple houses as their retirement scheme, ensuring that others can’t even buy one.

                    • McFlock

                      yep.
                      I’m considering the sweet spot of when my fund increase % goes below house inflation and interest rate % as the point to seriously consider using the fund as a downpayment. Probably closer to 40% deposit rather than 20%, but what they hey.

    • Lanthanide 2.2

      National super is paid at a rate that assumes you own your own house, mortgage free.

      So using Kiwisaver to achieve that component of super is sensible.

      • DH 2.2.1

        That argument might have merit if we were talking about super Lanthanide. We’re not.

        Look, there’s no secrets about Kiwisaver. It was born out of widespread recognition that super in its present form is unsustainable and that future generations will be required to at least partially fund their retirement.

        For the wannabe home owner it makes perfect sense to withdraw Kiwisaver funds to make up the house deposit. But it doesn’t make sense for a Government, those withdrawn funds create a retirement fund shortfall that someone else will have to pay for in the future.

        • Colonial Viper 2.2.1.1

          Stupid of Labour to feed workers wages to Wall St investment banks and their local commission driven profit focussed private agents.

          • te reo putake 2.2.1.1.1

            My Kiwisaver balance says you’re wrong. But I’m always keen to hear what your practical alternatives are, CV. What should workers do instead?

        • Lanthanide 2.2.1.2

          Kiwisaver is a complement, not a replacement, for superannuation.

          Superannuation assumes you have a mortgage-free house.

          Kiwisaver complements the superannuation assumption by helping people get into a house. Many of these people would probably end up with a house anyway. But there are some people for whom kiwisaver would be the difference between having a house or not.

          Also, it was Labour that had this rule as part of the initial Kiwisaver rollout, not National. National have increased the $ grant allowed and increased the threshold prices of the houses, but they didn’t introduce the ability to begin with.

        • Nic the NZer 2.2.1.3

          Its patent nonsense to claim that super is unsustainable.

          One basic premise of the argument is that the govt will run out money to pay super. Thats absurd the govt operates an institution which can not become insolvent and it literally creates money as key strokes at will. The RBNZ.

          The other premise is that large deficits will cause deleterious consequences (such as inflation) but the evidence from multiple economies is that inflation is not caused by an increase in payments its caused by high real resource utilisation rates.

          So then the only credible argument is that the lack of workforce compared to retirees will make it expensive to deal with the retired. But who believes this especially given technology and productivity increases.

          Its entirely a sham case arguing to turn over peoples retirement plans to the private wealth schemes where they will be gambled.

          • DH 2.2.1.3.1

            It’s not nonsense Nic. You may have a differing opinion but that doesn’t make the orthodox view nonsense.

            • Nic the NZer 2.2.1.3.1.1

              Uh huh. So whats the problem with a higher percentage being retired? Are you with the Labour caucus for example? Which believes that deficits are such a problem that the population will suddenly turn around and vote for a party which wants to hike the retirement age (despite many being retired and no issues having ever arisen from the govt deficit in NZ).

              The orthodox view is nonsense because its based on a model of reality where people are so cleaver that they can accurately make odds of the future. For this to be a problem the models require reality to be every bit as hyperrational as Famas efficient markets models which could not ever undergo a financial crisis. Believing in and acting on such a basis is living in a dream world.

    • b waghorn 2.3

      I started a kiwisaver for wag jr at 1 i hope it will be ok to put it towards uni fees by then.

  3. Tory 3

    Crocodile tears that are simply political posturing from the Left,

    Successive Labour Governments have thought nothing of screwing over students, along with the current National Government and creating huge debts for graduates.

    http://craccum.ausa.auckland.ac.nz/features/a-brief-history-of-student-debt

  4. jcuknz 4

    As a DIYer I guess I have a different attitude to most and did ‘my thing’ in easier times. But I have lived in a ‘new’ house for most of my life with never more than $5000 mortgage. For a total of six years maybe seven I lived in a rough old place while I built the new place which replaced it, first the family home and later my retirement cottage. Note I am not a tradie but a DIYer … though in the second form [UK] I came top of the woodwork class making a dovetail joint by using the tail to mark the slot 🙂
    I feel for ‘Ad’ and those like him whose standard of living has been compromised by feeding the banks.

    • RedLogix 4.1

      So am I jcuknz. I’m not really a tradie either, but my partner and I have built, hands on, four new houses from the ground up.

      But those days are past now. More or less when we finished the last one around 2006 the building inspector made comment that I’d probably be one of the last real owner-builders he expected to see. He said that while we usually over-built to compensate for our lack of experience, the licensing and increasing code rules would make it almost impossible for us in the future.

      Besides DIY just isn’t for everyone. And yet everyone does need a home. So while I understand what you suggest, it isn’t a whole solution.

      • Pat 4.1.1

        owner builds are still permitted under the new consenting rules and judging by the industry standard are probably superior.

    • DH 4.2

      At least you accept times were easier. I for one get a little tired of the pompous chest beating of the older generations who have no ferking idea what younger generations are facing.

      Bureaucracy has pretty much killed the DIY. People can still renovate but building your own is a minefield of rules & regulations that most people can no longer navigate.

      • RedLogix 4.2.1

        Each generation faces different challenges. But what HAS changed is nothing to do with whether us baby boomer’s had it good or not, and everything to do with the fact that since the 1980’s the top 1% or so of incomes have been steadily growing their share of global wealth, while the other 90% have been either static … or recently going backwards.

        And that is a political, not a generational, issue.

        • DH 4.2.1.1

          I think many younger people would disagree with you there. They’re the ones who largely have to pay for the housing inflation we’ve been seeing and I daresay they’re not happy about it.

          • RedLogix 4.2.1.1.1

            And if younger generations are being encouraged to blame baby boomers for all their woes, who do you think really benefits in the meantime?

            Does the term ‘divide and conquer’ mean anything to you?

            • Brendon Harre -Left wing Liberal 4.2.1.1.1.1

              I agree with Redlogix, lets not fall into the divide and conquer trap, it is not like BabyBoomers had a big meeting where there was 100% agreement to screw over their kids.

              There has been policy mistakes going back 20 to 30 years -most probably not deliberate. The pressure to do something has been part of the public debate since at least 2007 -John Key was talking about a housing crisis back then -but once in power his efforts have been feeble at best.

              What we need is everyone getting behind the Labour/Greens nation building project of building more homes.

        • miravox 4.2.1.2

          +1 and especially…

          “And that is a political, not a generational, issue.”

          ^^This.

        • jcuknz 4.2.1.3

          If you believe Thomas Picketty, and I do, the rise of the ‘1%ers’ was happening up until WWI and it took the war to even things out and likewise the rot has been going on from some time after WWII to the current deplorable state of affairs….. born in 1931 I am not sure to which group I belong but when I consider the conditions I worked in with the current I am glad I am an old fogie in retirement, well into 🙂

  5. Paul Campbell 5

    Don’t forget that a decade ago we were seeing mortgage interest rates of 10%+, before you take on a mortgage don’t just make sure you can pay it now, make sure you can pay it once the GFC slump is over and interest rates rise again.

    Remember we don’t have 30 year fixed rate mortgages like they do in the US (or my Dad had in NZ in the 60s)

    • mauī 5.1

      What if rates don’t come up again? We’ve flooded the world with debt, about 200 trillion worth. When rates rise all that debt people have borrowed starts tipping people over and we’re on our way to a major depression. Japans interest rate has been sitting at near zero for a couple of decades, maybe reflecting the hole where we’re heading towards.

  6. gsays 6

    If this hands off Tory regime are going to tutu with the ‘market’, why not make these changes available to kiwibank only?

    Help build up the local bank.

  7. leftie 7

    “We need to actually build some affordable houses. If only there was a party that would do that…”

    LABOUR WILL, they’ve got a BIG PLAN !!!!

  8. jcuknz 8

    When experience in the States shows that having a degree is not a sure-fire path to success and riches,and likely here in NZ student loans to enable many more to go to varsity was a serious error. We should educate only those capable that the country can afford to give 100% free education instead of 75% as currently I gather.
    Shades of empire building by the varsities.

  9. Greg 9

    And whats for single people, + women are outliving men by five years, wheres affordable secure accommodation for single people.
    Surely its a developers investment especially with a university nearby.
    Everything is about being a breeder, humph.

    • Lucky someone was a breeder otherwise you wouldn’t be around, able to make your foul breeding statements

      • Greg 9.1.1

        politicians have a breeding fetish, n more than a few women dont have children.

        Its actually quite offensive to call names of people who dont want to breed.
        And I’m paying tax for the breeders.

        My mother was quite comfey in her old age

        • marty mars 9.1.1.1

          Yep you’re a breeding idiot

        • Colonial Viper 9.1.1.2

          its obvious that workers without kids pay more taxes and get less services for those taxes.

          • marty mars 9.1.1.2.1

            Thank goodness you aren’t breeding. The less of your attitude the better off we’ll all be imo

          • marty mars 9.1.1.2.2

            Sorry cv that wasnt to you. But this is

            That view only holds if you have no sense of community or whānau. Lots of people pay tax and lots of services get provided. iit is not a one to one relationship.
            Btw your statement is just right wing western headed rhetoric – well done you

        • Anno1701 9.1.1.3

          “And I’m paying tax for the breeders.”

          you idiot

          enjoy your old age,

          alone…..

          • Greg 9.1.1.3.1

            retirement homes are full of people whose family never visit them.
            im limiting my tax by working less,

            many men are starting to do the same,

            • Anno1701 9.1.1.3.1.1

              “retirement homes are full of people whose family never visit them”

              like old people farming ( retirement homes ) is how your elders should treated

              my elderly mother lives with her extended whanau, like it should be

              “im limiting my tax by working less,”

              i prefer going on a benefit from time to time , i call it working class tax minimization

              “many men are starting to do the same,” and gender is relevant to this
              because……….. ?

              Yep 100% an idiot

            • McFlock 9.1.1.3.1.2

              so you’re lowering your own take-home pay to lower the amount of tax you pay.

              Seems to me that you’re cutting off your nose to spite your face.

      • jcuknz 9.1.2

        It is common sense not to breed more humans onto this finite planet and I am happy to have had just one child and one grand daughter. Scare tactics about who will look after the old do not bother me as that is just what they are.

        • marty mars 9.1.2.1

          so YOU breed more humans and thus did not exhibit common sense – good oh thanks for clarifying that jc

          personally I find the argument foolish – have children, don’t have children, make your decisions, who cares…

  10. Anno1701 10

    Mortgage = Death grip

    no thanks….

    • Ben 10.1

      Not necessarily. A manageable (and sustainable) mortgage is OK, and all part of buying a house, and in some cases can be less than paying rent.

      The death grip comes in the current Auckland market with only a 10% deposit, and worse still signing up for an interest only mortgage.

  11. jcuknz 11

    Pull the other leg Leftie 🙂 The system simply isn’t capable of it…. mores the pity.

    Anno 1701 .. the choice is either paying the bank or the landlord.
    and Greg … it was the stupid sheepie crying out for something to be done which caused the politicians to introduce the obstructive rules.

    • Anno1701 11.1

      sheepie”

      you know as soon as you use that word your credibility hits rock bottom ?

  12. jcuknz 12

    Sorry not Greg but Redlogic.

    • RedLogix 12.1

      Mainly because as a result of the leaky buildings crisis the so-called professionals in the building industry foisted on us. And that was the direct outcome of National’s wrong-headed deregulation in the early 1990’s.

  13. Keith 13

    The idea of syphoning of your retirement savings as a deposit is idiot economics. It got slammed in Aussie and rightly so. The main reason is it just adds to the purchase price, any fool knows it most especially National. But they don’t care, as long as it looks like they’re doing something and throwing fuel on an out of control fire is all they know.

    And let’s not get started on the hair on fire panic kitset houses scheme from Bennett. That has all the planning of deck chair rearrangement on the Titanic!

  14. Adrian Thornton 14

    As long as houses are traded as commodities nothing will change in the long term.
    What is going to stop any body who buy’s one of Labour’s proposed ‘affordable houses’ from jumping on the revolting property ladder after 5 years, and just starting the whole destructive cycle again?
    And here we are left subsidizing nearly the whole rental industry, as well as subsidizing the upgrade of their assets, it is an outrage, it is unethical, trading houses should have the social stigma of smoking in a maternity ward.

    Two Billion per year in subsidies.
    Subsidizing 60% of rental properties…..come on.
    http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=11623826

    • Chuck 14.1

      “As long as houses are traded as commodities nothing will change in the long term.
      What is going to stop any body who buy’s one of Labour’s proposed ‘affordable houses’ from jumping on the revolting property ladder after 5 years, and just starting the whole destructive cycle again?”

      No argument with that. I know some commentators here (Draco for example) want the state to legislate for all housing to be brought / sold in narrow band determined by the government (eg housing no longer subject to market forces or used as an investment / retirement fund).

      Of course it will never happen, as any political party that suggested that would be decimated in a election.

  15. johnm 15

    Why German House Prices have been Flat

    The picture below says it all – German house prices have been flat (in real terms) for the past 30 years, while over the same time ours have increased by 150%. This despite the fact that Germany is the one of the most successful economies in the world and their per capita incomes have risen faster than those of New Zealanders. Why is that, why have we lost the plot and what can we learn from them?

    The German government has a history of getting involved in the market whenever the private sector gets too out of control. After the re-unification in 1989/90 there was a law that controlled rapid house price rises to a maximum of 4%, and any capital gain had to be the result of investment made in improving the property. This policy effectively killed speculation post re-unification.

    To summarise – the Germans have policy settings that encourage the population to see housing as providing shelter, and as part of their basic infrastructure, rather than an investment. This is driven by policy. The policymakers have known for a long time that true prosperity comes from investing in business and generating income and employment – not setting policy to encourage people to bid up the prices on the same property year after year. That’s not wealth creation – it’s wealth redistribution.

    http://morganfoundation.org.nz/german-house-prices-flat/?utm_campaign=coschedule&utm_source=facebook_page&utm_medium=Gareth%20Morgan&utm_content=Why%20German%20House%20Prices%20have%20been%20Flat

  16. Ralf Crown 16

    The problem is simple, the solution is even simpler. Speculators, gamblers, buy up homes wholesale, let the tenants pay the mortgage, and walk off with the loot – tax free. There is well oiled system of real estate agents to promote and drive the speculation. Tax speculators to the hilt, put horrendous fees on their activity, raise the rates for them, dismantle the real estate system, forbid auctions, go after the individuals causing the home mayhem. Homes are to live in, not investment for tax free capital gains. To be reasonable, the home prices need to drop with a factor of 75%, and hopefully it will come. Let the speculators pay that price, not the young people.

    • johnm 16.1

      100% right RC! 🙂 There is no party in Parliament with the guts to do this even remotely. 🙁

      • mikes 16.1.1

        There will be eventually once home ownership rates dip below 50%. When the majority of the voting age population are unable to buy a house then politicians will be forced to change things

        • Siobhan 16.1.1.1

          Of the current percentage of renters, a good number will eventually own a home, or THINK they will own a home.

          The change will only come when a significant number of renters are in a situation when they realise they will NEVER own a home and that the terms of rental in NZ are having a negative impact on peoples lives and their childrens prospects.

          They will then start looking for a political party to vote for, one that is willing to stand up and say the system is no longer fit for purpose for the majority of citizens.

  17. Smilin 17

    Show us the money Key not our growing debt balance you Ponzi PM

  18. Dave 18

    That is pure madness the last thing a first home buyer should even consider is buying a home in today’s market and the government to use kiwi saver as a cash cow to prop up the houseing market that is a ponzu scheme will just add the ruin of legacy to add to there already disastrous list even doctor brash has come out with a honest warning nz is sitting on a debt bomb that will go bang

  19. Jack Ramaka 19

    Quite frightening what has happened with housing prices here in NZ rubbish houses in Auckland going for $1.0 million, it is mindless stuff, letting foreign investors into NZ having a free for all is ridiculous. First home buyers can not compete with overseas investors with deep pockets.

    The banks are the big winners in this game as they keep increasing their lending as the house prices increase, they are making more interest on home owners borrowings as their mortgages increase. If the market falls the banks still win so long as the market doesn’t drop more than 20-30% as the homeowner is the loser as their equity will have disappeared.

    How horrible would if be for a first home buyer to lose their equity in their first home.

    The Auckland Housing market is National’s Ponzi Scheme?

  20. Gangnam Style 20

    Checkpoint had someone who has been trying to get on the waiting list for an ‘affordable home’ in the new ‘special housing areas’ in Auckland, she had been given the run around no one has been able to find out how to get on the waiting list & no one knows if there even is a waiting list as no one is over seeing it. Sounds dodge huh?

  21. Jack Ramaka 21

    Sounds like a hoax to me, it is a charade just something to get the masses thinking that this Government has a solution, the horse has bolted on the Auckland Housing market and the only solution for this Government and future Governments is to start building social housing again, rather than cashing up State Assets. It worked in the 1930’s through to the 1960’s why would it not work again ? National has done nothing for the past 8 years the least they could do is try and do something ?

    The Government is the only organisation in the country with the financial clout to solve the problem which this National Government has created, by selling our housing stock to absentee offshore investors.

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    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    9 hours ago
  • Bernard's six newsy things on Tuesday, March 19
    It’s a home - but Kāinga Ora tenants accused of “abusing the privilege” may lose it. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The Government announced a crackdown on Kāinga Ora tenants who were unruly and/or behind on their rent, with Housing Minister Chris Bishop saying a place in a state ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    10 hours ago
  • New Life for Light Rail
    This is a guest post by Connor Sharp of Surface Light Rail  Light rail in Auckland: A way forward sooner than you think With the coup de grâce of Auckland Light Rail (ALR) earlier this year, and the shift of the government’s priorities to roads, roads, and more roads, it ...
    Greater AucklandBy Guest Post
    11 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
    13 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
    2 days ago
  • Geoffrey Miller: Wang Yi’s perfectly-timed, Aukus-themed visit to New Zealand
    Timing is everything. And from China’s perspective, this week’s visit by its foreign minister to New Zealand could be coming at just the right moment. The visit by Wang Yi to Wellington will be his first since 2017. Anniversaries are important to Beijing. It is more than just a happy ...
    Democracy ProjectBy Geoffrey Miller
    2 days ago
  • The Kaka’s diary for the week to March 25 and beyond
    TL;DR: The key events to watch in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the week to March 18 include:China’s Foreign Minister visiting Wellington today;A post-cabinet news conference this afternoon; the resumption of Parliament on Tuesday for two weeks before Easter;retiring former Labour Finance Minister Grant Robertson gives his valedictory speech in Parliament; ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago
  • Bitter and angry; Winston First
    New Zealand First Leader Winston Peters’s state-of-the-nation speech on Sunday was really a state-of-Winston-First speech. He barely mentioned any of the Government’s key policies and could not even wholly endorse its signature income tax cuts. Instead, he rehearsed all of his complaints about the Ardern Government, including an extraordinary claim ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    2 days ago
  • 2024 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #11
    A listing of 35 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, March 10, 2024 thru Sat, March 16, 2024. Story of the week This week we'll give you a little glimpse into how we collect links to share and ...
    2 days ago
  • 2024 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #11
    A listing of 35 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, March 10, 2024 thru Sat, March 16, 2024. Story of the week This week we'll give you a little glimpse into how we collect links to share and ...
    2 days ago
  • Out of Touch.
    “I’ve been internalising a really complicated situation in my head.”When they kept telling us we should wait until we get to know him, were they taking the piss? Was it a case of, if you think this is bad, wait till you get to know the real Christopher, after the ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    2 days ago
  • Bring out your Dad
    Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago
  • Bring out your Dad
    Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago
  • Bring out your Dad
    Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago
  • The bewildering world of Chris Luxon – Guns for all, not no lunch for kids
    .“$10 and a target that bleeds” - Bleeding Targets for Under $10!.Thanks for reading Frankly Speaking ! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.This government appears hell-bent on either scrapping life-saving legislation or reintroducing things that - frustrated critics insist - will be dangerous and likely ...
    Frankly SpeakingBy Frank Macskasy
    3 days ago
  • Expert Opinion: Ageing Boomers, Laurie & Les, Talk Politics.
    It hardly strikes me as fair to criticise a government for doing exactly what it said it was going to do. For actually keeping its promises.”THUNDER WAS PLAYING TAG with lightning flashes amongst the distant peaks. Its rolling cadences interrupted by the here-I-come-here-I-go Doppler effect of the occasional passing car. ...
    3 days ago
  • Manufacturing The Truth.
    Subversive & Disruptive Technologies: Just as happened with that other great regulator of the masses, the Medieval Church, the advent of a new and hard-to-control technology – the Internet –  is weakening the ties that bind. Then, and now, those who enjoy a monopoly on the dissemination of lies, cannot and will ...
    3 days ago
  • A Powerful Sensation of Déjà Vu.
    Been Here Before: To find the precedents for what this Coalition Government is proposing, it is necessary to return to the “glory days” of Muldoonism.THE COALITION GOVERNMENT has celebrated its first 100 days in office by checking-off the last of its listed commitments. It remains, however, an angry government. It ...
    3 days ago
  • Can you guess where world attention is focussed (according to Greenpeace)? It’s focussed on an EPA...
    Bob Edlin writes –  And what is the world watching today…? The email newsletter from Associated Press which landed in our mailbox early this morning advised: In the news today: The father of a school shooter has been found guilty of involuntary manslaughter; prosecutors in Trump’s hush-money case ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    3 days ago
  • Further integrity problems for the Greens in suspending MP Darleen Tana
    Bryce Edwards writes – Is another Green MP on their way out? And are the Greens severely tarnished by another integrity scandal? For the second time in three months, the Green Party has secretly suspended an MP over integrity issues. Mystery is surrounding the party’s decision to ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    3 days ago
  • Jacqui Van Der Kaay: Greens’ transparency missing in action
    For the last few years, the Green Party has been the party that has managed to avoid the plague of multiple scandals that have beleaguered other political parties. It appears that their luck has run out with a second scandal which, unfortunately for them, coincided with Golraz Ghahraman, the focus ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    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
    4 days ago
  • How Did FTX Crash?
    What seemed a booming success a couple of years ago has collapsed into fraud convictions.I looked at the crash of FTX (short for ‘Futures Exchange’) in November 2022 to see whether it would impact on the financial system as a whole. Fortunately there was barely a ripple, probably because it ...
    PunditBy Brian Easton
    4 days ago
  • Elections in Russia and Ukraine
    Anybody following the situation in Ukraine and Russia would probably have been amused by a recent Tweet on X NATO seems to be putting in an awful lot of effort to influence what is, at least according to them, a sham election in an autocracy.When do the Ukrainians go to ...
    4 days ago
  • Bernard’s six stack of substacks at 6pm on March 15
    TL;DR: Shaun Baker on Wynyard Quarter's transformation. Magdalene Taylor on the problem with smart phones. How private equity are now all over reinsurance. Dylan Cleaver on rugby and CTE. Emily Atkin on ‘Big Meat’ looking like ‘Big Oil’.Bernard’s six-stack of substacks at 6pm on March 15Photo by Jeppe Hove Jensen ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • Buzz from the Beehive Finance Minister Nicola Willis had plenty to say when addressing the Auckland Business Chamber on the economic growth that (she tells us) is flagging more than we thought. But the government intends to put new life into it:  We want our country to be a ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    4 days ago
  • National’s clean car tax advances
    The Transport and Infrastructure Committee has reported back on the Road User Charges (Light Electric RUC Vehicles) Amendment Bill, basicly rubberstamping it. While there was widespread support among submitters for the principle that EV and PHEV drivers should pay their fair share for the roads, they also overwhelmingly disagreed with ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    4 days ago
  • Government funding bailouts
    Peter Dunne writes – This week’s government bailout – the fifth in the last eighteen months – of the financially troubled Ruapehu Alpine Lifts company would have pleased many in the central North Island ski industry. The government’s stated rationale for the $7 million funding was that it ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • Two offenders, different treatments.
    See if you can spot the difference. An Iranian born female MP from a progressive party is accused of serial shoplifting. Her name is leaked to the media, which goes into a pack frenzy even before the Police launch an … Continue reading ...
    KiwipoliticoBy Pablo
    4 days ago
  • Treaty references omitted
    Ele Ludemann writes  – The government is omitting general Treaty references from legislation : The growth of Treaty of Waitangi clauses in legislation caused so much worry that a special oversight group was set up by the last Government in a bid to get greater coherence in the public service on Treaty ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • The Ghahraman Conflict
    What was that judge thinking? Peter Williams writes –  That Golriz Ghahraman and District Court Judge Maria Pecotic were once lawyer colleagues is incontrovertible. There is published evidence that they took at least one case to the Court of Appeal together. There was a report on ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • Bernard's Top 10 @ 10 'pick 'n' mix' for March 15
    TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: Climate Scorpion – the sting is in the tail. Introducing planetary solvency. A paper via the University of Exeter’s Institute and Faculty of Actuaries.Local scoop: Kāinga Ora starts pulling out of its Auckland projects and selling land RNZ ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • The day Wellington up-zoned its future
    Wellington’s massively upzoned District Plan adds the opportunity for tens of thousands of new homes not just in the central city (such as these Webb St new builds) but also close to the CBD and public transport links. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Wellington gave itself the chance of ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    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
    5 days ago
  • The Hoon around the week to March 15
    Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The five things that mattered in Aotearoa’s political economy that we wrote and spoke about via The Kākā and elsewhere for paying subscribers in the last week included:PM Christopher Luxon said the reversal of interest deductibility for landlords was done to help renters, who ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • Labour’s policy gap
    It was not so much the Labour Party but really the Chris Hipkins party yesterday at Labour’s caucus retreat in Martinborough. The former Prime Minister was more or less consistent on wealth tax, which he was at best equivocal about, and social insurance, which he was not willing to revisit. ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    5 days ago
  • Skeptical Science New Research for Week #11 2024
    Open access notables A Glimpse into the Future: The 2023 Ocean Temperature and Sea Ice Extremes in the Context of Longer-Term Climate Change, Kuhlbrodt et al., Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society: In the year 2023, we have seen extraordinary extrema in high sea surface temperature (SST) in the North Atlantic and in ...
    5 days ago
  • Melissa remains mute on media matters but has something to say (at a sporting event) about economic ...
     Buzz from the Beehive   The text reproduced above appears on a page which records all the media statements and speeches posted on the government’s official website by Melissa Lee as Minister of Media and Communications and/or by Jenny Marcroft, her Parliamentary Under-secretary.  It can be quickly analysed ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    5 days ago
  • The return of Muldoon
    For forty years, Robert Muldoon has been a dirty word in our politics. His style of government was so repulsive and authoritarian that the backlash to it helped set and entrench our constitutional norms. His pig-headedness over forcing through Think Big eventually gave us the RMA, with its participation and ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    5 days ago
  • Will the rental tax cut improve life for renters or landlords?
    Bryce Edwards writes –  Is the new government reducing tax on rental properties to benefit landlords or to cut the cost of rents? That’s the big question this week, after Associate Finance Minister David Seymour announced on Sunday that the Government would be reversing the Labour Government’s removal ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • Geoffrey Miller: What Saudi Arabia’s rapid changes mean for New Zealand
    Saudi Arabia is rarely far from the international spotlight. The war in Gaza has brought new scrutiny to Saudi plans to normalise relations with Israel, while the fifth anniversary of the controversial killing of Jamal Khashoggi was marked shortly before the war began on October 7. And as the home ...
    Democracy ProjectBy Geoffrey Miller
    5 days ago
  • Racism’s double standards
    Questions need to be asked on both sides of the world Peter Williams writes –   The NRL Judiciary hands down an eight week suspension to Sydney Roosters forward Spencer Leniu , an Auckland-born Samoan, after he calls Ezra Mam, Sydney-orn but of Aboriginal and Torres Strait ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • It’s not a tax break
    Ele Ludemann writes – Contrary to what many headlines and news stories are saying, residential landlords are not getting a tax break. The government is simply restoring to them the tax deductibility of interest they had until the previous government removed it. There is no logical reason ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • The Plastic Pig Collective and Chris' Imaginary Friends.
    I can't remember when it was goodMoments of happiness in bloomMaybe I just misunderstoodAll of the love we left behindWatching our flashbacks intertwineMemories I will never findIn spite of whatever you becomeForget that reckless thing turned onI think our lives have just begunI think our lives have just begunDoes anyone ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago
  • Who is responsible for young offenders?
    Michael Bassett writes – At first reading, a front-page story in the New Zealand Herald on 13 March was bizarre. A group of severely intellectually limited teenagers, with little understanding of the law, have been pleading to the Justice Select Committee not to pass a bill dealing with ram ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • Gordon Campbell on National’s fantasy trip to La La Landlord Land
    How much political capital is Christopher Luxon willing to burn through in order to deliver his $2.9 billion gift to landlords? Evidently, Luxon is: (a) unable to cost the policy accurately. As Anna Burns-Francis pointed out to him on Breakfast TV, the original ”rock solid” $2.1 billion cost he was ...
    5 days ago
  • Bernard's Top 10 @ 10 'pick 'n' mix' for March 14
    TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: Jonathon Porritt calling bullshit in his own blog post on mainstream climate science as ‘The New Denialism’.Local scoop: The Wellington City Council’s list of proposed changes to the IHP recommendations to be debated later today was leaked this ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • No, Prime Minister, rents don’t rise or fall with landlords’ costs
    TL;DR: Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said yesterday tenants should be grateful for the reinstatement of interest deductibility because landlords would pass on their lower tax costs in the form of lower rents. That would be true if landlords were regulated monopolies such as Transpower or Auckland Airport1, but they’re not, ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • Cartoons: ‘At least I didn’t make things awkward’
    This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Tom Toro Tom Toro is a cartoonist and author. He has published over 200 cartoons in The New Yorker since 2010. His cartoons appear in Playboy, the Paris Review, the New York Times, American Bystander, and elsewhere. Related: What 10 EV lovers ...
    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

  • Government moves to quickly ratify the NZ-EU FTA
    "The Government is moving quickly to realise an additional $46 million in tariff savings in the EU market this season for Kiwi exporters,” Minister for Trade and Agriculture, Todd McClay says. Parliament is set, this week, to complete the final legislative processes required to bring the New Zealand – European ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 hours ago
  • Positive progress for social worker workforce
    New Zealand’s social workers are qualified, experienced, and more representative of the communities they serve, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “I want to acknowledge and applaud New Zealand’s social workers for the hard work they do, providing invaluable support for our most vulnerable. “To coincide with World ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 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
    9 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
    10 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
    23 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
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