Fight you bastards fight

Written By: - Date published: 9:26 am, October 23rd, 2013 - 49 comments
Categories: bill english, election 2014, john key, Judith Collins, national, same old national - Tags: ,

fight scene

Another day and another piece of information of the Brown – Palino debacle.  This latest piece is that Len was tipped off indirectly by a National MP on October 7 that news of the affair would break.  It is then that he chose to tell his wife.  And it may be that that the whole National Caucus knew about it.  If this was the case I would not be surprised as politicians are the most dreadful gossips and they would be tripping over themselves to pass this on.

The original source of the information about the affair has to be Luigi Wewege.  How a National MP could find out about the affair yet Slater and Palino not be told about it is improbable in the extreme.  This latest piece of information shows that senior National figures have been involved and I bet there is a scurry of activity within Parliament as advisers try and assess what damage this is causing to the National Party.

A recent comment by Bad12 deserves to be put into a post of its own.  He is responding to lprent’s excellent post yesterday on how Cameron Slater may actually be a gift to the left.

It is interesting that now even Trevor Mallard is on the Labour train as it moves forward and the train has definitely left the station.  Suddenly Labour is united and National is looking deeply, deeply fractured.

John Key came out yesterday with claims that Labour will somehow do nothing about the Sky City deal.  This was probably the number one suggestion on his Crosby Textor provided list of things to raise to try and divert attention from the clusterfuck that is the John Palino campaign for the Auckland Mayoralty.  While these diversionary attempts may have worked in the past they now look very cynical.  The political tide is going out on John Key and suddenly he is no longer teflon coated.  He is looking tired and his diversionary attempts are looking very cynical.

Anyway over to Bad12.

Lolz, what a excellent piece of journalism, all I could think while reading it was “fight you bastards fight”.

A fight like this isn’t going to disappear anytime soon, it’s a smouldering ruin spurred on by Nationals abysmal polling and it will now morph into the dog chasing it’s tail as the support base in Auckland walks away from National not being able to stand the stench.

The ramifications of this explosion within Nationals elite arm of movers and shakers will sooner or later become apparent in the Parliament.

I picked Slippery the Prime Minister’s recent prolonged sojourn into the heady realm of international diplomacy as Judith Collin’s best chance to roll Him for the leadership position and I am going to assume here it is in fact the abysmally low polling numbers that have in fact stopped her leadership challenge albeit temporarily so.

Having picked Maurice Williamson quite some time ago as one quietly painting a large target on the back of Slippery the PM I am not surprised now that he is showing up in more mainstream commentary as the “other half” of the Collins leadership ticket, it was obvious when Slippery urged Maurice to take up the Speaker’s role in the Parliament that he was trying to get rid of Maurice and just as obvious from Williamson’s refusal to take the Speakers Chair (usually followed by a plum ambassadorial role), that he had “unfinished business”.

I am picking that Collins/Williamson, one or the other astutely reading the political landscape, have decided amidst the National Government’s dramatic fall from electoral grace that they will face after November 2014 a Labour/Green Government of at least two terms and that there is far more to be gained by playing the waiting game.

Should this be true I would expect Collins/Williamson to “allow” Bill English to take the National Party leadership into the first term of Opposition in what is beginning to have the faint whiff of a total electoral rout for National.

Expect then a woeful election fought by Bill English as leader in 2017 followed by a Collins/Williamson takeover soon after, of course they just might be able to scrape together the numbers to roll Slippery prior to the 2014 election but time for this to gain the pair any political traction is fast running out,

I can only add again, fight you bastards, fight …

Update:  Here is a link to the Metro editorial that Bryce Edwards refers to, h/t Pascal’s bookie.

In it Simon Wilson says:

I’d first heard the rumour about 10 days [before election day], and was also told “The National Party caucus” knew about it too. The word was that Slater was going to publish in election week, but because he didn’t, I had assumed the rumour was false. Duh.

A few things now seem clear. One is that Brown is an idiot. Another is that the stench of depravity emanating from this affair comes largely from Slater and his little gang, not from Brown and his erstwhile lover Bevan Chuang. A third, following the golden rule of gossip, is that if I heard there was a scandal in the wings, and if some National Party MPs knew, then a great many people on the centre-right of Auckland politics probably also knew.

49 comments on “Fight you bastards fight ”

  1. Tat Loo 1

    bad12, you certainly have a nuanced turn of phrase 🙂

  2. The Lone Haranguer 2

    I think you are dreaming to think that the Nats are already dead in the water.

    Regrettably (for any party) if you only talk with like minded folk, you will always have everyone agreeing with you, and that will further reinforce your belief that you are 100% correct in your summation of the “facts”

    Politics is, and will always be a black art.

    The senior Nats havent asked the right questions regarding who knew what and who leaked what, because they cant be seen to know the answers. But Labour did seem to use exactly the same approach around the Taito Phillip Field accusations and supported him pretty much till he chose not to support them. Then they hung him out to dry. But he never bit them back.

    The Nats cant hang Luigi out to dry, because they know, and we know too, that the bugger will put all their dirty laundry in the public domain. Luigi will bite back for sure.

    The tide for the Nats is certainly going out, but they arent dead in the water simply because they can (and will) make good capital around the huge differences in Green and Labour policies and the likely instability that such a marriage of convenience will bring.

    • Lanthanide 2.1

      Winston was on the radio yesterday saying he knows there is proof that Key knew about Dotcom prior to the raid, and that once that proof comes out Key is goneburger.

      • Populuxe1 2.1.1

        Winston has a habit of saying things like that – the Peter Dunne thing, for example – and not following through. What he means is that he thinks he knows something exists but he doesn’t know what or where it is.

        • felix 2.1.1.1

          Winston is a lawyer.

          He knows when to stop telling the story.

          • The Gormless Fool formerly known as Oleolebiscuitbarrell 2.1.1.1.1

            “Winston is a lawyer.”

            Sort of. He was first elected to Parliament in 1978 at the age of 33. Not much lawyering lately.

            • Te Reo Putake 2.1.1.1.1.1

              Er, actually, he’s just had 3 years away from Parliament to upgrade his lawyerly skills. I’m pretty sure he hasn’t forgetten which party gave him that opportunity.

              • The Gormless Fool formerly known as Oleolebiscuitbarrell

                Except I don’t think he did any actual lawyering during that period.

    • Zorr 2.2

      It takes time to turn any situation around and at the moment the Nats are sinking *very* fast

      And the timing couldn’t be worse – John Key isn’t just going to shuffle off, he has to either be knifed in the back by his own party or removed from the position through being completely untenable (i.e. through the Dotcom court case bringing him down)

      So – once National quit the infighting (and who knows when that will happen) whoever ends up at the helm will have to unify the party and then get them headed in the same direction. But there is an election next year – can it be turned around on a dime? I don’t think so.

      • King Kong 2.2.1

        That’s brilliant Zorr.

        A truly spectacular accidental knifing of the Labour party.

        • Zorr 2.2.1.1

          huh? Does your comment make any sense when you reread it?

          Or are you just making shit up as you go and excreting it on to the internet?

    • Tat Loo 2.3

      I tend to agree with you TLH.

      The NATs have lost their composure but only for the moment, and we would be foolish to think that they will not try and fight back from this. There’s no time for gloating or complacency from the Left, and there’s barely enough time to build real momentum and organisation ahead of a possibly very early election.

    • Varity 2.4

      you’re not wrong and that’s a timely reminder and a good post.

      confidence is a good thing too though.

  3. pollywog 3

    Williamson is yesterdays newspaper wrapping Collins cold fish n chups.

  4. King Kong 4

    Do you know how I know this is the ravings of a mental?

    “it’s a smouldering ruin spurred on by Nationals abysmal polling”

    Unless you are referring to those polls this year when National slipped under 30% and Labour where consistently around 50%…oh wait.

    • Te Reo Putake 4.1

      We’ve had MMP for years now. Do try and get your head around it, KK. Silly monkey.

    • McFlock 4.2

      heh heh heh – at 41.5% “consistently around 50%” is beginning to be a touch unrealistic. In fact, this term in the roymorgans the nats have hit fifty… once.

    • bad12 4.3

      Lolz, what i do know is that Garner leaked via twitter the results of the regular polling carried out by the Labour Party and laughably that polling matched the series of Roy Morgan polls in the last few months,

      The rumor from the ‘mill’ here in Wellington is that National’s own polling of the same nature, not for publication but for Party use, had last time round National polling 39%,(at which point all the faces round the Cabinet table are said to have taken on the pallor of pasty white corpses and more then one pace-maker alarm was said to have been triggered),

      Calling me mental has the same effect upon me as calling you a dickless wanker has on you, i am happy to report that i have the paper-work somewhere which would tend to agree with you, in your case tho, no matter how much porn-tube you watch the prognosis for you will remain the same…

  5. Calltoaccount 5

    Your Bryce Edwards link isn’t working. And his latest round up post, read yesterday, re The Affair seems to have been removed, as far as I can see. Hmmmm?

    [Fixed thanks cta – MS]

  6. Pascal's bookie 6

    Here’s the Metro editorial Bryce Edwards tweeted about earlier:

    http://t.co/40AEx6OSIU

    He seems to have deleted the earlier tweet, but helpfully tweeted the link to that just now.

  7. Calltoaccount 7

    And the Nat MP leaker to Brown’s camp was… “National MP Mark Mitchell”. So was the reason he leaked was he was tired of Slater etc’s antics or just saying because everyone was??

    So the id of the fighting people in your graphic (which movie?) is Slater and Mark Mitchell

    • karol 7.1

      Cocktail gossip. Webster (Councillor) passed it on.

      Key said Auckland councillor Penny Webster telephoned him this morning to confess she had been gossiping with the MP.

      “My understanding is that [he] … didn’t have the details but he was aware of some gossip at a function,” Key said today.

      “He had a discussion with Penny Webster. Penny Webster spoke to Len Brown.”

      Sounds like “I’m not bovvered” Key, behind the scenes, was wanting to know what involvement Nat party members/MPs had in the leaks, smears, etc.

      • bad12 7.1.1

        Lolz Slippery might be trying to ‘display’, like a peacock that’s suffered a sex change operation and is now unsure of it’s role in life, that He aint ‘bovvered’ by how the spray of defecation whats best described as ‘the Brown affair’ has blown back on those who attempted to orchestrate this into political advantage, but His body language tells a far far different tale,

        Mark Mitchell, replying in the media to His one claim to fame lifting Him from obscurity to the giddy heights of a mere mediocrity seems to be back-pedaling at a rate of knots that would have that cartoon character ‘the road-runner’ in admiration of such speed,

        Is such a shy, wilting flower demeanor from Mitchell brought about by the stench Blubber boy, Palino and Luigi have so far managed to fan toward the National Government from the revelation surrounding their actions amidst this ‘affair’,

        Or is this ones reticence to take up and wear the cloak of infamy simply the fear of the National Party’s silent but ruthless machine that will at a whim crush the political future of an MP seen to have used His ‘loose lips’ to save ‘the ship’ from being torpedoed by a carefully orchestrated smear really only stymied by Ms Chuang’s refusal to sign an affidavit until ‘after’ Brown’s re-election,

        Far from having any belief in the Prime Minister and His claims that this is ‘only’ an Auckland centric issue His body language says to me that Slippery the PM knows of a RAT at the very heart of efforts to relieve Len Brown of the Auckland Mayoralty, said RAT being known to scuttle amidst the scrime given off from within the confines of the Beehive’s 9th floor…

      • Tat Loo 7.1.2

        Who on earth just walks up to a work colleague and says “hey I heard some idle gossip at a party claiming that you’ve been cheating on your wife. Thought you should know about it, just in case.” Or calls the PM just to say, hey I heard a rumour about an affair at a party.

        It’s not really the way it happens, is it.

  8. North 8

    Seems like Populuxe at 2.1.1 above (reply button not working sorry) has forgotten that Kim Dotcom made it very clear to ShonKey Python’s face at the GCSB select committee hearing that he can prove that ShonKey did indeed know about his existence at a date earlier than the one ShonKey gave to Parliament and the people of New Zealand as the date on which he first became aware.

    I have not a shred of doubt that with counsel of the calibre of Paul Davison QC Dotcom would not contemplate making claims he cannot ultimately prove.

    So it’s not just Winston Populuxe. It would pay not to simply write Winston off and think that having done that all is well for ShonKey Python.

  9. rod 9

    Luigi Wewege, John Palino, John Slater, Cameron Slater and the National Party had absolutely nothing to do with the stitch up of Len Brown. Yeah Right!

    • karol 9.1

      Well, it’s certainly interesting how the story keeps developing. If I recall correctly, Slater Jnr said on The Nation that he hadn’t lied about anything and/or challenged Smalley to find anything he had said that hadn’t been found to be true…. or something similar.

      Yet:

      Slater first said that Chuang came to him and he was misleading in failing to mention that there is a guy called Luigi Wewege who brought Chuang to Slater.

      Slater also said only Brown’s closest contacts knew that his WO reference to Brown’s eye for “Asian beauties” was a reference to Chuang – so he was initially claiming the “threatening” text could only have come from the Brown camp. Now we learn that Brown’s affair was a widely known rumour all over town, including around the National Party/caucus – although it’s not clear who could name names.

      WO: the unreliable blogger and smear merchant.

  10. mickysavage 10

    The Herald is naming Mark Mitchell as the National MP source of the leak. He is one of Cameron’s very good friends and I believe he had the benefit of Simon Lusk’s support when he went for Rodney.

    Interesting …

    http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11144954

    • karol 10.1

      Aha! The Lusk connection is interesting, micky. Yep. You’re right.

      • bad12 10.1.1

        It’s becoming more ‘interesting’ as those in the know deny being so either taking the vows of silence or using the Sergeant Shultz ”i know nothing, nothing you hear”, defence,

        Len Brown could possibly enlighten us all about what, or more to the point who gave Him a large enough hint to have Him on the front foot telling the wife befor the defecation became entangled in the air-conditioning,

        i havn’t checked over at the sewer, but, assume Blubber boy has been silenced by Daddy Blubber threatening to not pay for any more of His toys in the future if Blubber junior doesn’t shut it,

        The intrigue, the suspense, the question, does the sea of utter shit, the reeking puddle of porcine scum regularly wallowed in by the Blubbers both junior and senior start splashing against the feet of Nationals Government Ministers or will the enforced vows of silence make the tide go out…

      • ghostrider888 10.1.2

        sigh nd off

    • Anne 10.2

      Someone else who had the benefit of Lusk’s support was Louise Upston (Nat. Party whip) and was Chris Tremain the other one? Mind you it cost them big bickies. Did Mark Mitchell pay for Lusk’s expensive services?

      Interesting former ACT MP, Penny Webster is such a strong supporter of Len Brown. The morning after the story broke I heard Michelle Boag on Radio NZ also extolling his Mayoral talents. I assume they both voted for him. It shows he has the ability to appeal across the political spectrum which has to be an asset for the Mayor of Auckland.

  11. Huginn 11

    Call me an idealistic, but . . .

    I think that what’s happening here goes beyond the usual infighting that goes on in all political parties.

    I agree with the argument that lprent made yesterday and the one Bryce Edwards made right from the outset that dirty politics is bad for democracy and that we were on the brink of sliding into a very dangerous place where Slater’s tactics become normal.

    Statements of support for Len Brown from Michelle Boag and John Key, and Hamish Price’s letter to Cameron Slater and even Len Brown’s early disclosure should be seen as a stepping back from that place and an attempt to heal the political meta-culture.

    We should give them room to do that.

    here’s the link to Bryce Edwards’ oped
    http://www.nzherald.co.nz/opinion/news/article.cfm?c_id=466&objectid=11142399

  12. captain hook 12

    the thing is scumblog slater claims to be operating from a set of higher principles than the rest of us plebs but everything he touches turns to crap.
    time to get out the “RAID”.

  13. Pete 13

    Hard to see why Bad12 justified a post. Nothing remotely interesting in that piece – just puerile rhetoric.
    Since this post started on Len Brown, I will confine my comments to that topic.
    Personally, I don’t really care how these revelations came about – that is a different topic to the matter of Len Brown’s indiscretions.
    I just can’t get past the fact that a sitting mayor has the abysmal lack of judgement to recommend a women he has a romantic interest in for an official role in the councils sphere of influence. Leaving aside the location for some of his rendezvous, this alone is enough to make me think he is completely unfit for the role.
    I believe this has alienated such a large portion of the community that there is no coming back from it. I was in the local supermarket a few days ago and a group of locals were talking at the checkout (my guess is that everyone would be a labour voter) and their criticism of Brown was severe. I think the community will stay very divided on this matter.

    • McFlock 13.1

      What you can’t get past is being investigated by the appropriate authorities.

      I’m intrigued that you can so easily get past the point of the post, though.

    • bad12 13.2

      Pete, yeah me too i consider my comment posted here was hardly worthy of inclusion in a post, but, unlike you i don’t try and tell the Standards authors either ‘what’ they should write or what information they include in a particular post they choose to write,

      Talking of ‘puerile rhetoric’ your comment is simply full of it and imparts NO facts of any interest except for your claim to be able to ‘think’ which in itself is laughable,

      However the gut-busting utter bullshit contained within the final paragraph of your comment would have to,if one were available, have you at the head of the queue to win the weekly ‘bullshit i have patently made up’ award,

      You went to the local supermarket and groups of locals were talking, utter shit right there dimbo, go to any supermarket in the land and ‘groups of locals’ do not stand around talking, they get the shopping outta the way and get on with going about their biz for the day,

      How would you know who was a Labour voter and who wasn’t, 30 or 40 years ago you might have been able to make a guess upon the particular clothing choices of people but these days you just never know,

      In essence your entire last paragraph is simply a re-working of the old ‘some of my best friends are’ or ‘last time i voted x but never again’, in other words the same tired old bullshit regurgitated by the same boring old wing-nuts, lift your game wont you…

      • mickysavage 13.2.1

        Don’t underestimate the quality of your comment bad12.

        What attracted me to it is that it summed up a dramatic change in political fortunes. Suddenly Labour is united and national is publicly divided.

        National has been disciplined for the past five years and Labour has been struggling. Suddenly the caucus is disciplined and National is publicly scrapping.

        Long may it last …

        • bad12 13.2.1.1

          Cheers MS, yes the whole ‘Brown affair’ produced a stunningly different political picture than what was to be seen a mere few months ago,

          Wasn’t it great, in spite of the mainstream media, how ‘the left’ took control of and managed the story where those who broke the news in such a smutty way got to wear all the s**t as ‘the left’ united to blow it back in their faces…

  14. Pete 14

    McFlock: it will be interesting to see what eventuates from this investigation. Whether it will lead to his resignation is unclear (probably not in my view). What isn’t unclear is that it was an appalling lapse of judgement and a clear conflict of interest.
    As to by passing the point of the post, I found the post quite wide ranging and was only interested in commenting on the Brown matter which was the the subject of the lead in paras.

    • bad12 14.1

      The point of the post seems to me to be pointing out that the ‘Brown affair’ far from burning Len Browns mayoralty as the revelation of that affair was intended by the right wing scum merchants, instead the blow-back from the people would seem to not only have the right now openly gutting each other in public but the public reacting in horror at the actions of those connected to the National Party in exposing the affair in the first place…

    • McFlock 14.2

      lol

      love how you’re waiting for the investigation to finish. What isn’t being officially investigated is the clear conflict of interest Luigi had, and what Palino and slater snr knew about it.

  15. Pete 15

    Bad12 you can abuse me and swear all you like but it changes nothing. Brown had an astounding lapse in judgement.
    Did you really think that I invented that bit about the supermarket? If you did you were dead wrong. I live within the supercity, but in the outskirts of the city where people at least know one another by sight if not by name. A small group of men and women including the checkout operator and the packer were freely expressing their opinions. That’s what happens in communities.
    Because I am local I have an informed opinion about where political,loyalties might lay.
    Your last point about reworking the tired old argument ‘some of my best friends…’ is irrelevant. You have simply no basis for assuming who I voted for, or who I didn’t.
    What I didn’t like about your original post, but was too polite to say, was that it was so laden with emotion and invective that it wasn’t really worth reading. By the way point out where I told the authors what to publish. What I did say was that It was hard to see why it was made a post.

    • bad12 15.1

      Hahaha, yeah sure it does, pfft ”i was standing in the supermarket and groups of people were standing round talking about how bad lLen Brown is”, ha ha ha, only on the Planet Dumbo inhabited by Pete,

      Lolz ‘laden with emotion and invective”, some folks love it, other’s more dead in the head than alive want the internet to resemble the 6 oclock news which is really designed to entertain those with a 12 year old’s mentality…

  16. Pete 16

    Bad12 I am going to discontinue this as it is futile trying to have dialogue with someone who doesn’t know how to converse.

Recent Comments

Recent Posts

  • EV road user charges bill passes
    Transport Minister Simeon Brown has welcomed the passing of legislation to move light electric vehicles (EVs) and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) into the road user charges system from 1 April.  “It was always intended that EVs and PHEVs would be exempt from road user charges until they reached two ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Bill targets illegal, unregulated fishing in international waters
    New Zealand is strengthening its ability to combat illegal fishing outside its domestic waters and beef up regulation for its own commercial fishers in international waters through a Bill which had its first reading in Parliament today. The Fisheries (International Fishing and Other Matters) Amendment Bill 2023 sets out stronger ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Reserve Bank appointments
    Economists Carl Hansen and Professor Prasanna Gai have been appointed to the Reserve Bank Monetary Policy Committee, Finance Minister Nicola Willis announced today. The Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) is the independent decision-making body that sets the Official Cash Rate which determines interest rates.  Carl Hansen, the executive director of Capital ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Stronger protections for apartment owners
    Apartment owners and buyers will soon have greater protections as further changes to the law on unit titles come into effect, Housing Minister Chris Bishop says. “The Unit Titles (Strengthening Body Corporate Governance and Other Matters) Amendment Act had already introduced some changes in December 2022 and May 2023, and ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Travel focused on traditional partners and Middle East
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters will travel to Egypt and Europe from this weekend.    “This travel will focus on a range of New Zealand’s traditional diplomatic and security partnerships while enabling broad engagement on the urgent situation in Gaza,” Mr Peters says.   Mr Peters will attend the NATO Foreign ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Keep safe on our roads this Easter
    Transport Minister Simeon Brown is encouraging all road users to stay safe, plan their journeys ahead of time, and be patient with other drivers while travelling around this Easter long weekend. “Road safety is a responsibility we all share, and with increased traffic on our roads expected this Easter we ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Cost of living support for over 1.4 million Kiwis
    About 1.4 million New Zealanders will receive cost of living relief through increased government assistance from April 1 909,000 pensioners get a boost to Superannuation, including 5000 veterans 371,000 working-age beneficiaries will get higher payments 45,000 students will see an increase in their allowance Over a quarter of New Zealanders ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Tenancy reviews for social housing restart
    Ensuring social housing is being provided to those with the greatest needs is front of mind as the Government restarts social housing tenancy reviews, Associate Housing Minister Tama Potaka says. “Our relentless focus on building a strong economy is to ensure we can deliver better public services such as social ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Kermadec Ocean Sanctuary plan halted
    The Kermadec Ocean Sanctuary will not go ahead, with Cabinet deciding to stop work on the proposed reserve and remove the Bill that would have established it from Parliament’s order paper. “The Kermadec Ocean Sanctuary Bill would have created a 620,000 sq km economic no-go zone,” Oceans and Fisheries Minister ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Cutting all that dam red tape
    Dam safety regulations are being amended so that smaller dams won’t be subject to excessive compliance costs, Minister for Building and Construction Chris Penk says. “The coalition Government is focused on reducing costs and removing unnecessary red tape so we can get the economy back on track.  “Dam safety regulations ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Drought support extended to parts of North Island
    The coalition Government is expanding the medium-scale adverse event classification to parts of the North Island as dry weather conditions persist, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay announced today. “I have made the decision to expand the medium-scale adverse event classification already in place for parts of the South Island to also cover the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Passage of major tax bill welcomed
    The passing of legislation giving effect to coalition Government tax commitments has been welcomed by Finance Minister Nicola Willis.  “The Taxation (Annual Rates for 2023–24, Multinational Tax, and Remedial Matters) Bill will help place New Zealand on a more secure economic footing, improve outcomes for New Zealanders, and make our tax system ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Lifting economy through science, tertiary sectors
    Science, Innovation and Technology Minister Judith Collins and Tertiary Education and Skills Minister Penny Simmonds today announced plans to transform our science and university sectors to boost the economy. Two advisory groups, chaired by Professor Sir Peter Gluckman, will advise the Government on how these sectors can play a greater ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Government announces Budget priorities
    The Budget will deliver urgently-needed tax relief to hard-working New Zealanders while putting the government’s finances back on a sustainable track, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says.  The Finance Minister made the comments at the release of the Budget Policy Statement setting out the Government’s Budget objectives. “The coalition Government intends ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Government to consider accommodation solution
    The coalition Government will look at options to address a zoning issue that limits how much financial support Queenstown residents can get for accommodation. Cabinet has agreed on a response to the Petitions Committee, which had recommended the geographic information MSD uses to determine how much accommodation supplement can be ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Government approves extension to Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care
    Cabinet has agreed to a short extension to the final reporting timeframe for the Royal Commission into Abuse in Care from 28 March 2024 to 26 June 2024, Internal Affairs Minister Brooke van Velden says.                                         “The Royal Commission wrote to me on 16 February 2024, requesting that I consider an ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • $18m boost for Kiwis travelling to health treatment
    The coalition Government is delivering an $18 million boost to New Zealanders needing to travel for specialist health treatment, Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says.   “These changes are long overdue – the National Travel Assistance (NTA) scheme saw its last increase to mileage and accommodation rates way back in 2009.  ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • PM’s Prizes for Space to showcase sector’s talent
    The Government is recognising the innovative and rising talent in New Zealand’s growing space sector, with the Prime Minister and Space Minister Judith Collins announcing the new Prime Minister’s Prizes for Space today. “New Zealand has a growing reputation as a high-value partner for space missions and research. I am ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Concerns conveyed to China over cyber activity
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters has confirmed New Zealand’s concerns about cyber activity have been conveyed directly to the Chinese Government.     “The Prime Minister and Minister Collins have expressed concerns today about malicious cyber activity, attributed to groups sponsored by the Chinese Government, targeting democratic institutions in both New ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Independent Reviewers appointed for School Property Inquiry
    Independent Reviewers appointed for School Property Inquiry Education Minister Erica Stanford today announced the appointment of three independent reviewers to lead the Ministerial Inquiry into the Ministry of Education’s School Property Function.  The Inquiry will be led by former Minister of Foreign Affairs Murray McCully. “There is a clear need ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Brynderwyns open for Easter
    State Highway 1 across the Brynderwyns will be open for Easter weekend, with work currently underway to ensure the resilience of this critical route being paused for Easter Weekend to allow holiday makers to travel north, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Today I visited the Brynderwyn Hills construction site, where ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Speech to the Infrastructure Funding & Financing Conference
    Introduction Good morning to you all, and thanks for having me bright and early today. I am absolutely delighted to be the Minister for Infrastructure alongside the Minister of Housing and Resource Management Reform. I know the Prime Minister sees the three roles as closely connected and he wants me ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Parliamentary network breached by the PRC
    New Zealand stands with the United Kingdom in its condemnation of People’s Republic of China (PRC) state-backed malicious cyber activity impacting its Electoral Commission and targeting Members of the UK Parliament. “The use of cyber-enabled espionage operations to interfere with democratic institutions and processes anywhere is unacceptable,” Minister Responsible for ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • NZ to provide support for Solomon Islands election
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters and Defence Minister Judith Collins today announced New Zealand will provide logistics support for the upcoming Solomon Islands election. “We’re sending a team of New Zealand Defence Force personnel and two NH90 helicopters to provide logistics support for the election on 17 April, at the request ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • NZ-EU FTA gains Royal Assent for 1 May entry to force
    The European Union Free Trade Agreement Legislation Amendment Bill received Royal Assent today, completing the process for New Zealand’s ratification of its free trade agreement with the European Union.    “I am pleased to announce that today, in a small ceremony at the Beehive, New Zealand notified the European Union ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • COVID-19 inquiry attracts 11,000 submissions
    Public consultation on the terms of reference for the Royal Commission into COVID-19 Lessons has concluded, Internal Affairs Minister Hon Brooke van Velden says.  “I have been advised that there were over 11,000 submissions made through the Royal Commission’s online consultation portal.” Expanding the scope of the Royal Commission of ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Families to receive up to $75 a week help with ECE fees
    Hardworking families are set to benefit from a new credit to help them meet their early childcare education (ECE) costs, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. From 1 July, parents and caregivers of young children will be supported to manage the rising cost of living with a partial reimbursement of their ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Unlocking a sustainable, low-emissions future
    A specialised Independent Technical Advisory Group (ITAG) tasked with preparing and publishing independent non-binding advice on the design of a "green" (sustainable finance) taxonomy rulebook is being established, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says.  “Comprising experts and market participants, the ITAG's primary goal is to deliver comprehensive recommendations to the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Chief of Army thanked for his service
    Defence Minister Judith Collins has thanked the Chief of Army, Major General John Boswell, DSD, for his service as he leaves the Army after 40 years. “I would like to thank Major General Boswell for his contribution to the Army and the wider New Zealand Defence Force, undertaking many different ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Minister to meet Australian counterparts and Manufacturing Industry Leaders
    25 March 2024 Minister to meet Australian counterparts and Manufacturing Industry Leaders Small Business, Manufacturing, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly will travel to Australia for a series of bi-lateral meetings and manufacturing visits. During the visit, Minister Bayly will meet with his Australian counterparts, Senator Tim Ayres, Ed ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Government commits nearly $3 million for period products in schools
    Government commits almost $3 million for period products in schools The Coalition Government has committed $2.9 million to ensure intermediate and secondary schools continue providing period products to those who need them, Minister of Education Erica Stanford announced today. “This is an issue of dignity and ensuring young women don’t ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Speech – Making it easier to build.
    Good morning, it’s great to be here.   First, I would like to acknowledge the New Zealand Institute of Building Surveyors and thank you for the opportunity to be here this morning.  I would like to use this opportunity to outline the Government’s ambitious plan and what we hope to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago
  • Pacific youth to shine from boost to Polyfest
    Minister for Pacific Peoples Dr Shane Reti has announced the Government’s commitment to the Auckland Secondary Schools Māori and Pacific Islands Cultural Festival, more commonly known as Polyfest. “The Ministry for Pacific Peoples is a longtime supporter of Polyfest and, as it celebrates 49 years in 2024, I’m proud to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • 2024 Ngarimu VC and 28th (Māori) Battalion Memorial Scholarships announced
    ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Speech to Breast Cancer Foundation – Insights Conference
    Before moving onto the substance of today’s address, I want to recognise the very significant and ongoing contribution the Breast Cancer Foundation makes to support the lives of New Zealand women and their families living with breast cancer. I very much enjoy working with you. I also want to recognise ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Kiwi research soars to International Space Station
    New Zealand has notched up a first with the launch of University of Canterbury research to the International Space Station, Science, Innovation and Technology and Space Minister Judith Collins says. The hardware, developed by Dr Sarah Kessans, is designed to operate autonomously in orbit, allowing scientists on Earth to study ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Speech to the New Zealand Planning Institute
    Introduction Thank you for inviting me to speak with you today and I’m sorry I can’t be there in person. Yesterday I started in Wellington for Breakfast TV, spoke to a property conference in Auckland, and finished the day speaking to local government in Christchurch, so it would have been ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Support for Northland emergency response centre
    The Coalition Government is contributing more than $1 million to support the establishment of an emergency multi-agency coordination centre in Northland. Emergency Management and Recovery Minister Mark Mitchell announced the contribution today during a visit of the Whangārei site where the facility will be constructed.  “Northland has faced a number ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Celebrating 20 years of Whakaata Māori
    New Zealanders have enjoyed a broader range of voices telling the story of Aotearoa thanks to the creation of Whakaata Māori 20 years ago, says Māori Development Minister Tama Potaka. The minister spoke at a celebration marking the national indigenous media organisation’s 20th anniversary at their studio in Auckland on ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Some commercial fishery catch limits increased
    Commercial catch limits for some fisheries have been increased following a review showing stocks are healthy and abundant, Ocean and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. The changes, along with some other catch limit changes and management settings, begin coming into effect from 1 April 2024. "Regular biannual reviews of fish ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

Page generated in The Standard by Wordpress at 2024-03-29T14:21:24+00:00