Gareth Hughes on the Prime Minister of New Zealand

Written By: - Date published: 10:59 am, February 12th, 2016 - 66 comments
Categories: greens, Social issues - Tags: , ,

Green MP Gareth Hughes’ response in Parliament to John’ Key’s opening speech for 2017. Hughes cleanly and definitively nails Key’s true contribution to New Zealand.

Some selected quotes have been reproduced here for your enjoyment. But seriously – watch the vid link.

Just outside of this debating chamber are the portraits of our great leaders.
From Seddon, to Savage and Fraser to Kirk how do these giants who established universal suffrage, a caring state in the midst of a depression and world war and a modern independent, bicultural New Zealand compare with you?
Is the flag it?
Your desperate, lumbering, grasping attempt at building a legacy with a flag won’t mask the realities.
Hungry kids up
Inequality up
Pollution up
Debt up
Housing costs up
Electricity costs up
Foreign ownership up
Corruption up

To the 300,000 kids growing up in poverty are you saying ‘Ask not what your country can do for you but what you can do for Serco, Sky City, Saudi Sheiks, Media works, Warners, and Rio Tinto?’
Under your leadership scientists have been ridiculed and silenced and NGOs have had their funding and voice cut.

Rape crisis centres are closing and food banks are doing a brisk trade.

Kiwis are noted for their generosity and hospitality but Prime Minister, under you, New Zealand has become more welcoming to oil companies than refugees.
Whenever there is a Government scandal, extreme benefit measures are floated, and ‘look over there – pandas.’

But you seem like a good guy to have a beer with. No one else in this room could have got away with your stunts, gaffes and antics.
How have you gotten away with it? We could ask Crosby and Textor and point to the biggest of big business bucks and the dirtiest of dirty tricks operations in New Zealand history.
Kiwis are a good people, a caring people and we can reclaim our democracy from big money and dirty politics.
One of your legacies is what you cynically call the rent a crowd is growing into a real political movement for change.
Another legacy of your term is a Green Party stronger than ever before. Thank you Prime Minister.
Prime Minister as you reflect this may be one of your last opening speeches to Parliament I have no doubt you will go down in history as one of the most successful politicians of a generation. By ‘politician’ I mean the way it’s written on the Stuff comments section.

The full transcript is here.

66 comments on “Gareth Hughes on the Prime Minister of New Zealand ”

  1. weka 1

    The Greens have been doing good stuff in the past week or so. First Turei’s SotN speech, now this. I hope this is a sign of Hughes coming into his own and it bodes very well for the party and NZ to have a relatively young MP performing this well.

    • Lanthanide 1.1

      Pity he didn’t bring this out before the leadership contest last year.

      • weka 1.1.1

        Why? Hughes shouldn’t be co-leader at this time. He’s growing into the position.

        • AmaKiwi 1.1.1.1

          The party and the country don’t have time for “growing into the position.”

          We need strong voices NOW!

          • weka 1.1.1.1.1

            Just as well he got his shit together then 😉 I do agree with your general point about time. I would say though that we don’t need another co-leader just yet. Having a strong set of MPs in addition to two strong and complementary co-leaders is very good for them and the country.

          • marty mars 1.1.1.1.2

            Do you think this speech represents a strong voice now – I do.

    • savenz 1.2

      +1 for Weka and +100 for Gareth’s speech.

  2. Anno1701 2

    That beard tho…

    talk about the “swazye” effect

  3. alwyn 3

    What a bitter little man he is.
    Never been the same since he only got a single vote in the election to become the male co-leader of the party. It was probably his own.
    Now it seems even his own party don’t want to listen to him
    Is there really only a single person from his own party who could be bothered being in the chamber for his speech? I suppose they didn’t want the camera to show how alone he was so someone had to be rostered to sit behind him.

    • weka 3.1

      “What a bitter little man he is.”

      I think the whole of your comment demonstrates just how much of a projection that is of yourself alwyn.

      • Anno1701 3.1.1

        I think alwyn is gunning for some overtime

        valentines day coming up soon and the boss likes flowers and chocolates ( and ponytails )

    • alwyn = must not talk about the speech or the content of the speech, must find some distraction, any distraction will do, must hurry before discussion gets going and becomes meaningful and excludes me and my mischief, oh I have it I will talk rubbish and display my pathetic mind as a way to take one for the team so the lefties can talk about how dim I am instead of Hughes who scares me… 3, 2, 1, “What a bitter…”

    • Scott M 3.3

      Do you disagree with any of his claims? Playing the man and not the ball so much easier though eh?

      • weka 3.3.1

        Alwyn did tell me off once for thinking he was a girl 😉

      • alwyn 3.3.2

        How can one possibly discuss something that is nothing more than the bilious rant of a loser?
        It was simply a bitter attack with nothing that backed him up.
        It makes the Green Party look like the Labour Party. It can best be summed up as “I hate John Key” Then repeat, and repeat and repeat.

        If you want the Green Party to be taken seriously you should follow the pattern set by the male co-leader. James Shaw gave an intelligent thoughtful speech. Sure he got in some digs but he also said positive sensible things.
        The Green Party will be in far better shape with him as leader than Gareth Hughes.
        Why are you not applauding his contribution?

        • vto 3.3.2.1

          lol, the speech has clearly got under your skin

        • stever 3.3.2.2

          OK perhaps we could kick off with a discussion about which of these is not true:

          Hungry kids up
          Inequality up
          Pollution up
          Debt up
          Housing costs up
          Electricity costs up
          Foreign ownership up
          Corruption up

          • framu 3.3.2.2.1

            is that a tumble wed?

            • AmaKiwi 3.3.2.2.1.1

              The social mood has changed dramatically from acceptance of the status quo to anger and rejection.

              Just look overseas: USA, UK Labour, Germany, Poland to say nothing of the disaster economies like Greece.

              Turei’s speech was 1,000% out of touch and I’m not giving Shaw high marks either.

              Hughes has got the winning style for this revolutionary political era. So does Cunliffe. His misfortune was to be the leader one election too early.

              • b waghorn

                “Hughes has got the winning style for this revolutionary political era. So does Cunliffe. His misfortune was to be the leader one election too early.”

                Cunliffe was so complementary of keys good work in the election debates he nearly convinced me to vote national.!!

          • BevanJS 3.3.2.2.2

            One, six and seven.

    • katipo 3.4

      Ad hominem – look it up.

    • riffer 3.5

      @alwyn – confirmation bias much?

    • Whateva next? 3.6

      Have to say Alwyn, it is you that seems “bitter”, I can’t even begin to reason why you would respond like that?

  4. Mosa 4

    Keep the blowtorch on the treachous tories
    Well done Mr Hughes.

  5. weka 5

    I think my favourite line is this,

    To the 300,000 kids growing up in poverty are you saying ‘Ask not what your country can do for you but what you can do for Serco, Sky City, Saudi Sheiks, Media works, Warners, and Rio Tinto?’

    One of the things that makes this speech great is that Hughes is a nice young man and this speech burns with dig after pointed dig about who Key really is and what his politics really are. Nice calm delivery too, which is such a great counterpoint to Key’s frothing at the mouth invective when he has a go at the opposition. The Greens are so good at this, making their points based on the facts and being reasonable and not getting into all the bullshit drama. Great to see this in action from Hughes.

  6. NZJester 6

    John Keys legacy has never been so well phrased as in Gareth’s speech.

    Pity he had to just limit it to the highlights due to time constraints as the full list would have been longer than a Peter Jackson movie.

  7. thechangeling 7

    Brilliant stuff from the Greens! In the end, the truth it does come out.

  8. Grey Area 8

    No help from Today in Parliament where yesterday Tom Frewen covered responses to Key’s speech from Finlayson rabbiting on about his golfing hole in one and Jian Yung going on about the Year of the Monkey and being proud to be in a Nats government…zzzzz

    Non-partisan coverage of Parliament indeed.

    • Wisdumb 8.1

      For me this was the best Opposition speech for a long time: comprehensive in scope, incisive, and blunt.

      As well as Today in Parliament and more of a worry, why did the MSM not report it?

      Mind you, I am also wondering whether Gareth Hughes had any help in putting it together.

  9. vto 9

    That speech is great. It took it to Key and got really stuck in. Pushed the knife and turned it.

    It would be good to see this more often.

    Key plays up the personal stuff all the time, so taking the personal back to him is entirely justified.

    Keep it up.

    • AmaKiwi 9.1

      +1

      “Play the ball not the man” is nonsense in politics. We vote for PEOPLE we trust.

      As for their policies, we can only guess what tricks they will pull out of the bag once they ascend the throne of NZ political dictatorship.

      Key needs to be brought down PERSONALLY.

  10. First time posting – or attempting to- on The Standard.

    Look.. Gareth Hughes was electrifying in his blunt , succinct summation and accurate profile- ling of this current PM.

    He hit all the high points. He was calm , he was articulate, and confident.

    Confident because he knew these truths would resonate with so many New Zealanders.

    Hes won me over , …with people like this in the Greens … Im confident now in who will get my vote. This country indeed has a chance with people like this in parliament.

    [Any subsequent comments should come straight through to a thread with no time lag. All first time comments hit moderation] – Bill

    • weka 10.1

      “with people like this in the Greens”

      It’s like they’re NZ politics’ best kept secret.

  11. Bill 11

    Who was the person sitting in the speaker’s chair (Chester Burrows – Nat mp) ? And was that a nod of agreement I saw at the end of Hughes’s speech?

    • vto 11.1

      It was most definitely a nod, and smile, of agreement, well spotted.

      • alwyn 11.1.1

        Probably a smile of relief. He was no doubt thinking something like.
        “Thank God that drivel is finished. I get paid a lot more than a back bench MP to be Deputy-Speaker but when I have to listen to that rubbish I don’t think it is worth it.”.
        Then the smile when he realised the suffering was over.

        • whateva next? 11.1.1.1

          gawd!

          • alwyn 11.1.1.1.1

            I am more used to the formal “God” with a capital letter. However I try and heed the petitions of my subjects, no matter how informal is the form of address.
            What benefaction is it you wish my child? It will be considered although I am sure you will understand if I decide to refuse it.

            • whateva next? 11.1.1.1.1.1

              and despite your apparent flippancy, I would rather have you as the Speaker than our current piece of fluff, Gawd help us!

              • alwyn

                ” I would rather have you as the Speaker”
                Your plea is refused. Refused. REFUSED.
                Nothing would get me to take on the role of a politician.
                As Shakespeare would then say in a stage direction.
                “Exit left, screaming”.

                • whateva next?

                  and Alwyn..

                  “All the world’s a stage, And all the men and women merely players; They have their exits and their entrances, And one man in his time plays many parts….”
                  As You Like It, Act II, Scene VII
                  William Shakespeare

                  or to remain sat in box seats barracking like Statler and Waldorf?

                  • alwyn

                    I am reminded of a statement which I think, but am not sure, was by Lord Rutherford. When told that politicians were paid more than he was, as Head of the Cavendish Laboratory, he is said to have replied that it was only fair as they had too do such awful things.
                    I am afraid that going into politics is an absolute NO NO.

                    • Incognito

                      Yet you engage in political discourse here on TS!?

                    • Lloyd

                      So you know FJK does awful things, do you Alwyn?

                      Can you confirm all the negative things that Gareth Hughes listed are FJK’s fault?

                      Do you not want to go into politics because you know that what JFK has done while he has been in power is immoral, obscene and just down-right indefensible? And I assume you have more morality, are less perverted and just generally of better character than FJK?

                    • alwyn

                      @Lloyd.
                      In this case I was thinking rather more of young Mr Hughes.
                      He entered Parliament, I am sure, with such high hopes. He thought he was going to save the world no doubt.
                      Now he is reduced to being assigned to speak, on the last day of a debate , to an empty chamber and in which only one member of his party, probably with similar orders, even turned up.
                      Try inserting the name Gareth Hughes instead of Eleanor Rigby in these lyrics and you will see what his “career” has turned out like.
                      http://www.lyricsfreak.com/b/beatles/eleanor+rigby_10026674.html
                      Would you want to be delegated to speak to an audience who couldn’t care less, long after the leaders of your party had left?

                    • Incognito

                      @ alwyn at 14 February 2016 at 8:57 am:

                      Ah yes, only the top dog matters in a world in which competition and winning are becoming the dominant dogma.

                      I have great admiration for people that start (or stay) at the bottom, the ‘foot soldiers’, and who are not afraid or ashamed (!) to do seemingly mundane jobs as without these the top dogs would have nothing to stand on.

                      People on the Right also seem to detest political activists and public demonstrations, for example. I guess they prefer to call it “lobbying” and “networking”. Same thing, different words.

                      You neatly sidestepped answering the question by Lloyd:

                      Can you confirm all the negative things that Gareth Hughes listed are FJK’s fault?

                      Not surprising since this appears to be your Modus Operandi.

                    • alwyn

                      @incognito
                      I really don’t think that “Female Jedi Knights” can be blamed for anything really. I’m not someone who puts myself down as being of the “Jedi” religion in the census.
                      Gareth might of course think that sort of thing.
                      He seems to like dressing up and pretending he is a character out of a science fiction movie.
                      http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/10086549/Today-in-politics-Tuesday-May-27

                    • dv

                      @ncognito

                      You neatly sidestepped answering the question by Lloyd:

                      Can you confirm all the negative things that Gareth Hughes listed are FJK’s fault?

                      Not surprising since this appears to be your Modus Operandi.

                      Yep Alwyn still has a question to answer from me a couple of days ago and to wether she supported the taxpayer bail out of SCF and Rio.

                    • alwyn

                      @dv.
                      I’ll assume you have paraphrased your question correctly. I had forgotten about it.
                      “wether she supported the taxpayer bail out of SCF and Rio”
                      Briefly. I am neither a wether nor a she.
                      There was no “tax payer bailout” of Rio. The did receive a short term reduction in the power price at the Bluff smelter which they partly own.

                      There was no “tax payer bailout” of SCF. SCF was liquidated.

                      Now I will split your comment about SCF into two meaningful components.
                      (1) Should SCF have been allowed into the Labour Government implemented Crown Retail Deposit Guarantee Scheme”?
                      NO.
                      When did this happen? The arrangements were made by Treasury while the Labour Government were continuing to operate (in caretaker mode) after the 2008 elections. That is between 8/11 and 19/11 2008.
                      The list was presented to Bill English to approve on the day he was sworn in. No opportunity was available to cull the list.
                      Did we need such a scheme?
                      YES
                      (2) Once they were included in the scheme should depositors have been paid when SCF collapsed?
                      YES
                      Not to have done so would have led to the whole scheme being doubted and there would have been a massive run on all banks. Do you really want a Government that refuses to honour contracts?
                      There. Happy?

                      Now a question for you. Do you approve of the Green Party proposal to subsidise purchasers of $250,000 cars by 33% subsidies on such vehicles?

                    • dv

                      Sorry about the messy answer

                      “wether she supported the taxpayer bail out of SCF and Rio”
                      Briefly. I am neither a wether nor a she.

                      Huh a ram then!!

                      There was no “tax payer bailout” of Rio. The did receive a short term reduction in the power price at the Bluff smelter which they partly own.

                      Fair enough, but the tax payer paid money to Rio

                      Do you approve of that payment?
                      There was no “tax payer bailout” of SCF. SCF was liquidated.

                      Now I will split your comment about SCF into two meaningful components.
                      (1) Should SCF have been allowed into the Labour Government implemented Crown Retail Deposit Guarantee Scheme”?
                      NO.

                      That may well be true.
                      When did this happen? The arrangements were made by Treasury while the Labour Government were continuing to operate (in caretaker mode) after the 2008 elections. That is between 8/11 and 19/11 2008.

                      ONE of the reasons for the protection was that the Aussie were setting up a similar scheme and NZ had to fall in line so there wasn’t a capital out flow from NZ

                      The list was presented to Bill English to approve on the day he was sworn in. No opportunity was available to cull the list.

                      True But I think the nats did have access to the list before the election

                      Did we need such a scheme?
                      YES Agreed

                      (2) Once they were included in the scheme should depositors have been paid when SCF collapsed?
                      YES

                      ‘Not to have done so would have led to the whole scheme being doubted and there would have been a massive run on all banks. Do you really want a Government that refuses to honour contracts?
                      There. Happy?

                      NO Not quite.
                      The SCF were retained in the scheme 2010? by the nats AGAINST the specific advice of treasury and then there was a payout.
                      As well as some very murky dealing around scales corporation.

                      Thank you for the full answer it is appreciated

                      Now a question for you. Do you approve of the Green Party proposal to subsidise purchasers of $250,000 cars by 33% subsidies on such vehicles?
                      Do you mean the new BMWs?

                    • alwyn

                      @dv
                      SCF were allowed to remain in the scheme, true.
                      I understand that it was quite clear that if they were not included there would have been an immediate run on the company, it would fold and the payout would have had to be made then and there.
                      Keeping it in was done in the hope that it could be cleaned up before the final conclusion of the scheme and it might survive.
                      That didn’t happen and the Government oversight of SCF certainly wasn’t as good as it could have been during that period.. That direct oversight was not done by English though he was certainly responsible for the Department.

                      No, it could involve far more cars than that. The Green Party policy is to waive FBT on all electric cars purchased by companies. What CEO could resist having an S model Tesla? The price here will certainly be up in the $250,000 bracket.
                      At the moment a company will spend 100c plus 49.25c (FBT) to provide a dollars worth of the cars value as a fringe benefit.
                      The Greens are going to forego the 49.25c on every dollar which works out as a 33% subsidy.

                      ps If they got their way and put the tax rate up to 40% it would mean a 40% subsidy. Way to go, baby.

                      ps2I couldn’t resist the first bit when you misspelt “whether” as “wether” as well as getting my sex wrong.

                    • dv

                      @alwn
                      “That didn’t happen and the Government oversight of SCF certainly wasn’t as good as it could have been during that period.. That direct oversight was not done by English though he was certainly responsible for the Department.

                      Yes the oversight was CRAP. There needs to be an independent enquiry.
                      The whole situation with the scales corp where a apparently neighbour of Keys made 70?million from the transaction looks and smells very fishy.

                      “No, it could involve far more cars than that. The Green Party policy is to waive FBT on all electric cars purchased by companies. What CEO could resist having an S model Tesla? The price here will certainly be up in the $250,000 bracket.
                      At the moment a company will spend 100c plus 49.25c (FBT) to provide a dollars worth of the cars value as a fringe benefit.
                      The Greens are going to forego the 49.25c on every dollar which works out as a 33% subsidy.

                      ps If they got their way and put the tax rate up to 40% it would mean a 40% subsidy. Way to go, baby.

                      Don’t know enough about the scheme. I suspect there may be more controls than that. And you show a interesting reaction about the morality of CEOs

                      ps2I couldn’t resist the first bit when you misspelt “whether” as “wether” as well as getting my sex wrong.
                      I could see you were weak. You are forgiven. I even enjoyed the crack.
                      Your the MAN!!!!

  12. It was an excellent speech.

    For me it summarised the concerns and insights that those who oppose Key’s depthless style of political operation have with him. For whatever reasons to do with his personal development, Key is not just all about winning; he is only about winning.

    That was the import of Hughes’ last sentence and it cut to the hollow core of Key’s political ambitions. There’s this disturbing sense that Key is not in politics for New Zealanders – he is in it solely to achieve that universally pointless goal of being ‘top of the heap’.

    From the evidence of what he projects in the media and public appearances, it seems that this is one of the few ‘principles’ that acts as a gut-level guide for him.

    That soulless ambition – ‘aspiration’ – is why he has been manna from heaven for his elite supporters and the National Party political machine. It has been what they probably see as a ‘win-win’ situation, and since winning is all that matters …

    Sadly, our society now appears to be one in which such ‘raw ambition’ is not only produced at a greater rate than previously but also is now openly promoted as some sort of required ‘positive’ cultural shift.

    New Zealand’s young people deserve to imbibe from their culture far wiser life-prescriptions than unfettered egotism and the constant pursuit of success, fame, celebrity, ‘winning’ and ambition for the sake of ambition.

    One thing I know for sure – given that life ends in death the central point of it all cannot possibly be about winning, in any ordinary sense of the word. So why waste a life constantly trying to ‘win’ as a primary motive?

    • Bill 12.1

      So why waste a life constantly trying to ‘win’ as a primary motive?

      This isn’t a cheap shot or a glib throw-away. But those ever rising suicide stats in a society awash with vacuous ideas of ‘success’ (ie – narrowly defined ideas of worth), well….sans approved alternatives, perhaps increasing numbers of people are opting out the only way they know how.

      • Puddleglum 12.1.1

        There’s nothing glib or throw-away about your comment.

        In a society increasingly promoting personal ‘success’ as the point of life the flip-side is the diminution of the worth of simply living a life, being with and caring for those around you, navigating through daily difficulties, playing your part in a much larger unfurling canvas.

        The glitz of the spectacle and the exceptional has usurped the value of the modest well-lived life. And I don’t just mean in attitudes. Culturally, structurally and economically we should prioritise the everyday human processes that are shared by the vast bulk of people (friendship, community, family, cooperative effort, etc.) and stop valorising the exceptional individual to the extent that we do.

        The exceptional is, after all, little more than a spark occasionally emitted by the hearth-fire of the everyday. To stretch the metaphor, we’ve forgotten the value in making sure everyone’s home fires keep burning.

        • vto 12.1.1.1

          You are exactly right Puddleglum. I made a similar comment a while ago following some recent events and exchanges in our community.

          We have just suffered another one this morning.

          Our society has changed – of that there is no doubt.

          It is exemplified by John Key.

          It is a poor society.

        • Ant 12.1.1.2

          Culturally, structurally and economically we should prioritise the everyday human processes that are shared by the vast bulk of people (friendship, community, family, cooperative effort, etc.) and stop valorising the exceptional individual to the extent that we do.

          Well put, but note plenty of alternative going on in NZ (Google coop, community, TimeBank, Organic etc).
          Collectively though we tend to subscribe to the perceived reporting of MSM which abides by the sensational, relentlessly driven by their corporate bosses and the proven value of keeping the population mesmerised by mindless consumerism.

  13. cowboy 13

    I too add my congratulations to Gareth Hughes on his extraordinary speech.

    I had Parliament going on the ute wireless as background noise. When the magnitude of what I was hearing started to dawn on me I had to pull over and give it my full attention. If im being honest I had never given much attention to Gareth who had always come across as a bright but slightly earnest political nerd. The genius of the speech is that it is that he was not only talking truth to power but in delivering such a withering critique with such measured distain.

    Well spoken Gareth Hughes, the mouse that roared!

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    TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: Gavin Jacobson talks to Thomas Piketty 10 years on from Capital in the 21st Century The SalvoLocal scoop: Green MP’s business being investigated over migrant exploitation claims Stuff Steve KilgallonLocal deep-dive: The commercial contractors making money from School ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    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
    11 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
    12 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
    14 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

  • 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
    Legislation implementing coalition Government tax commitments and addressing long-standing tax anomalies will be progressed in Parliament next week, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The legislation is contained in an Amendment Paper to the Taxation (Annual Rates for 2023–24, Multinational Tax, and Remedial Matters) Bill issued today.  “The Amendment Paper represents ...
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  • Statement to the 68th United Nations Commission on the Status of Women
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  • Speech to Life Sciences Summit
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