Gough 1916-2014

Written By: - Date published: 11:49 am, October 21st, 2014 - 46 comments
Categories: democracy under attack, history, International, leadership, Left, social democracy, vision - Tags:

I remember Aussie in Gough’s time as PM, when I visited on holiday.  It was a time when people were looking forward to a more inclusive, caring, and egalitarian society: a time of hope.

Gough Whitlam

That was all ended with his controversial sacking by the governor general.  Many in Austrialia saw this as a US-CIA-backed coup.

The Guardian obituary today:

Gough Whitlam, who was prime minister for just three years but became a defining political figure of modern Australia, has died aged 98.

[…]

The election of his government on 2 December 1972, with the famous “It’s time” election campaign, ended 23 years of conservative rule and its dismissal by the governor general Sir John Kerr on 11 December 1975 remains one of the most controversial events in Australian political history.

But in just three years the Whitlam government instituted sweeping changes that transformed Australian society as the baby boomer generation came of age.

In a rapid program of reform it called “the program”, the Whitlam government created Australia’s national health insurance scheme, Medibank; abolished university fees; introduced state aid to independent schools and needs-based school funding; returned traditional lands in the Northern Territory to the Gurindji people; drafted (although did not enact) the first commonwealth lands right act; established diplomatic relations with China, withdrew the remaining Australian troops from Vietnam; introduced no-fault divorce laws; passed the Racial Discrimination Act; blocked moves to allow oil drilling on the Great Barrier Reef; introduced environmental protection legislation; and removed God Save the Queen as the national anthem.

Now that is truly aspirational!

This image accompanies Julia Gillard’s article today in The Guardian: “Julia Gillard on Gough Whitlam: a giant of his era, he will live on in our nation

Gough Whitlam Its Time

 

Well, it is of its time.

An inspirational Labor leader.

46 comments on “Gough 1916-2014 ”

  1. adam 1

    He sure was, Probably the last of, and the greatest.

  2. Te Reo Putake 2

    A good website history of the Whitlam era here: http://whitlamdismissal.com/

    And a nice song about him from a band named after him:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dnj68nq2n4c

  3. Not a PS Shark Sashimi 3

    He spoke at a business conference I attended in Cairns in 1994 or 95. He was past his prime I’d guess.

    My memories are that he spoke and spoke: he liked the sound of his own voice.

    The bit that really jarred with me was that he spent a huge amount of time explaining why Australians were NOT racist toward Aborigines. it was really odd.

    • Murray Rawshark 3.1

      He was also dead against letting Vietnamese refugees into Australia, on the basis that they’d be conservative and vote Liberal. It was Malcolm Fraser who let them in, and also enacted a few of Whitlam’s proposals. I saw a tv program about the two of them a couple of years back. It rammed home to me how different politics was 40 years ago, when the Liberals were close to Labor. These days, Labor are close to the Liberals.

  4. Chooky 4

    +100% Great post Karol …thanks!

    He truly was a “giant of his era”…a great Australian …and a revolutionary and visionary Labour Leader !

    ( and I too was in Australia when he was Prime Minister ….and even saw him in Canberra flash past in the back of his black limousine)

  5. Ad 5

    So. Political counterfactual of the day:

    In terms of changing Australia for the better, was it better to burn out (like Whitlam), than to fade away (as most others do)?

  6. Tracey 6

    add in rupert murdochs directive to his editors to politically kill whitlam. sound familiar?

  7. SHG 7

    Whitlam’s achievements and his aspirations for Australia will live long after his failings are forgotten.

    RIP.

  8. “..it was a time when people were looking forward to a more inclusive, caring, and egalitarian society: a time of hope..”

    a bit like that brief period when cunliffe ran labour..?

    • Tracey 8.1

      nothing like that…

      • phillip ure 8.1.1

        i dunno about you..but when he was at the stage when he was walking the streets of new lynn whistling ‘the internationale’..

        ..and talking about taking labour back to its’ roots..

        ..i thought he was promising something like that..

        ..if not that..what..?

        • Tracey 8.1.1.1

          this is a thread about whitlams legacy. those were words from cunliffe, whitlam had actions to show for his words

          In a rapid program of reform it called “the program”, the Whitlam government created Australia’s national health insurance scheme, Medibank; abolished university fees; introduced state aid to independent schools and needs-based school funding; returned traditional lands in the Northern Territory to the Gurindji people; drafted (although did not enact) the first commonwealth lands right act; established diplomatic relations with China, withdrew the remaining Australian troops from Vietnam; introduced no-fault divorce laws; passed the Racial Discrimination Act; blocked moves to allow oil drilling on the Great Barrier Reef; introduced environmental protection legislation; and removed God Save the Queen as the national anthem.

          • phillip ure 8.1.1.1.1

            and a special hair-splitting award for you..

            ..i clearly wasn’t talking about his record..he has none..

            ..i was noting an air of expectation i had noted..

            ..nothing more..nothing less..

            ..(an ‘air of expectation’ that has now vanished..like a puff of smoke..)

            ..and would you like me to get you a ladder..?

            ..so you can get down from yr high-horse..?

            ..you do seem to have climbed up there all by yrslf..

            ..and for no good reason..eh..?

            • phillip ure 8.1.1.1.1.1

              ‘cos..y’see..i was there in those ‘heady’ whitlam yrs..

              ..blatting around in a monaro..and taking lots of psychedelics..

              ..sometimes both at the same time..

              ..(it was the 70’s..eh..?..almost de rigeur at the time..and unlike most..i cd still drive even when twisted on acid..so i was usually the designated-driver..but not as you know the modern incarnation of that beast..)

              ..and funny story..!..we used to have all nite acid/dope-parties..

              ..in a house right next door to the home of the then minister of customs…

              ..i’m not quite sure how we managed to get away with that..

              • Tracey

                you do surprise me…

                you were a great driver on acid.

                what a guy…

                how quickly the thread becomes about you rather than a,man who stood up, fronted up, changed his world and made life better for others…

                sorry for distracting you from raving about you.

                • sheesh..!..have a (vegan) kit-kat/go and smoke a joint..!..eh..?

                  ..do something..!

                  ..bitter..?..much..?

                  ..you must be more fun than a barrel of monkeys..in person..

                  ..and did law-school leach out yr s.o.h..?

                  ..i just made an observation comparing the moods of the times..(both of which i lived thru….u r the one who made the case out of it..eh..?

                  ..(see what i did with the ‘case’ law-reference there..?..)

                  ..and i don’t think i was alone in having that hope/anticipation re cunliffe..

                  ..that he was (finally!) going to break labour out of its’ neo-lib ideological-straightjacket..

                  ..many in labour..esp those new members..i am sure felt the same way..

                  ..but now..?..yeah..nah..eh..?

                  • Chooky

                    lol..you should have been a lawyer pu…to get away with so much bullshit

                    • nah..tracey is the pettifogger here…

                    • Tracey

                      he has a fixation with my qualification…

                      second only to his fixation with his own views

                      RIP gough whitlam, a man of the people

                    • Chooky

                      @ Tracey …he is probably jealous…and Gough Whitlam was a lawyer …but a special sort

                    • but on a serious note..

                      ..it was a great time to be in yr twenties..

                      ..surrounded by boundless optimism that we were heading for a better world..it was a ‘given’..

                      ..so different than how it is now for people in their twenties..

                      ..ruled by a generation that doesn’t seem to care about their future..

                      ..and is doing nothing about the real/impending threats to their future..

                      ..and are just hell-bent on making the situation even worse..

                      ..and that is beyond kinda sad..

                    • Chooky

                      @ pu…yes well said ..it was a time of hope and a time of hidden menace

                      now we are not quite so hopeful…but the menace is no longer so hidden either

  9. fambo 9

    Reminds of Norm Kirk, George McGovern in the US, President Allende in Chile – funnily enough it didn’t end well for any of them.

    • Chooky 9.1

      yes although these others were Left politicians of this time ..i think Whitlam was out on his own for flair and wit and sheer Australian audacity

      …the others were worthy and noble and brave …but Whitlam was brilliant!…and of course he attracted the ire of the CIA.

      (..and the GG was used against him ( i dont think Queenie had anything to do with it!)

      • Murray Rawshark 9.1.1

        I’d take Big Norm ahead of Whitlam. He stopped a racist rugby tour and sent a frigate to Mururoa. I think he went out on a limb more than Whitlam. He was also a better speaker.

        Allende was also incredibly brave. At the end he died with a submachine gun in his hands, defending La Casa da la Moneda against Pinochet’s thugs.

        Whitlam was probably the last “leftish” Labor PM, which gives him his place in history. Subsequent Labor PMs have been timid wee things, more intent on keeping Murdoch happy than anything else.

        • Colonial Rawshark 9.1.1.1

          And out of those, only Tony Blair has done particularly well (for himself). Although Helen Clark is really proving the true, uh, statesperson in her UN role. While Blair private jets around making millions in corporate consulting fees.

          • Murray Rawshark 9.1.1.1.1

            I was thinking Labor only, but adding Labour to the mix doesn’t change much.

    • Anne 10.1

      Haven’t had time to read the links but I vividly remember the crisis in the mid 1970s.

      That the CIA was implicated is beyond question. You have to remember it happened during the height of the Cold War years. Paranoia was rife among the western nations and “progressive” governments everywhere were held in the deepest of suspicion. The western establishments saw Reds under the beds, in the closets and behind every curtain – especially darkened curtains. They were stark raving mad, but so was the other side.

      From memory there was a theory that Governor General Kerr was blackmailed into assisting the plotters and (effectively) forced to sack Gough Whitlam. If there is any truth to it, then one has to wonder what they were blackmailing him about. I bet there was a woman (or 2 or 3) in there somewhere. There usually is. 🙂

    • les 10.2

      fascinating links…all conspiracy theories of course.

  10. greywarshark 11

    There was an opposition and press attack on Jim Cairns Deputy PM to Gough Whitlam’s government at this time. It had hints of sex and a beautiful ‘exotic’ woman given preferential treatment, this in an era where women hadn’t quite got out of the kitchen and off the bed in Australian men’s eyes.

    Then her husband might have been seeking a business advantage so there could have been, might have been, fraud. The press spun and it stayed alive in the news for ages.
    This was another tool to be used to bash the Whitlam government.
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Junie_Morosi

    • the 10 min video-summary of whitlam in that link is particularly tidy..

      ..and should be required-viewing for all the labour party leadership candidates..

      ..to show them what a labour leader is/does..

  11. Shona 13

    The reforms of the Whitlam Labor government made a huge difference to the quality of healthcare I received for free thanks to medibank ,when I resided across the ditch. Working conditions were excellent over there in the late 70’s and early 80’s. He reformed the Labor party and made several seats in Victoria Labor seats for the first time. Australia was still in shock after the coup by the Liberals when i went over there to live.
    Fraser his successor,seems like a left wing reformer now compared to our present day NZ Labour leaders.
    Whitlam made Australia a much better country for workers to live in.
    He was brilliant!

    • and fraser now is particularly ‘left’/challenging of the current paradigm…

      ..he has turned into a sort of ‘good guy’..

      ..whodathunkit..?

  12. tc 14

    From one ex labour mp and midnight oils frontman…..Gough was tough till he hit the rough, uncle sam and john (kerr) were quite enough.

    Rip gough, true believer, reformer, a truly great ozzie bloke.

  13. Ad 15

    You could also argue that Whitlam’s political mismanagement and policy overreach burnt Labor from retiring for many, many terms at Federal level.

    Surely the Hawke model proved superior in its duration, and thorough acceptance of Labor across all levels of government.

  14. Scott Chris 16

    Whitlam personifies Australia. Australia has an amazing history.

    Good innings mate.

  15. joe90 17

    It will always be time.

    robcorr @_robcorr

    I’ve read a few people remarking that Whitlam permanently changed Australia – but Abbott is working hard to make it temporary.
    7:20 PM – 21 Oct 2014

    I’m about to spam you with a list of Whitlam’s great achievements and the Abbott government’s response to them.
    7:20 PM – 21 Oct 2014

    https://storify.com/robcorr/it-will-always-be-time

  16. Neil 18

    Big Gough was a real intellect, a man with big ideas.Unfortunately as a leader he was quite deficient. Like so many left wing progressives his cabinet was full of unionists,teachers and social misfits. People like Jim Cairns,Rex Connor and others. About the only sane person in his cabinet was ex-GG Bill Hayden. They had no idea of the value of money- free this free that courtesy of the Australian taxpayer.
    At one stage early in Labour’s term they had a cabinet of only two Whitlam and Lance Barnard.
    One thing Whitlam’s government could do was turning on the spending spigot. When oil prices spiralled out of control increasing inflationary pressures Whitlam surged ahead spending even more,
    What really finished Whitlam was after Cyclone Tracy in Darwin 1974 when Whitlam flew home from the ruins of Athens to Darwin stayed for three hours and flew back to more intellectually stimulating studies in Greece. He left the dirty work in Darwin to Jim Cairns.;
    However he did open Australia up to new ideas something the Liberals and Menzies had never done.
    I was in Australia when he was in power and the dinkum Aussie didn’t rate Gough very highly- both Gough and Margaret didn’t suffer ordinary folks easily.

    • Murray Rawshark 18.1

      The dinkum Aussies being the ones who hate union “thugs”, think Australian is a language, education is dangerous, and Howard was the greatest PM ever. Yeah, they wouldn’t have liked Gough at all. He was in fact renowned for his ability to relate to anyone with respect. I think you’re looking at this through a bright blue lens.

  17. greywarshark 19

    @ neil
    Thats quite a hatchet job on Gough. Sounds very much in the RW tradition and like a thumbnail sketch of your personally jaundiced opinion, as if you were one of the types of more ordinary folks that he didn’t warm to. As thumbnails go, I think it was a bit dirty.

    Like so many left wing progressives his cabinet was full of unionists,teachers and social misfits.
    They had no idea of the value of money- free this free that courtesy of the Australian taxpayer.
    When oil prices spiralled out of control increasing inflationary pressures Whitlam surged ahead spending even more,
    both Gough and Margaret didn’t suffer ordinary folks easily.

    • Neil 19.1

      Don’t agree. Whitlam failed as a leader,as a purveyor of socoal change he would get a pass.
      Hardly think LW are pure and virtuous when discussing rw politicians.
      Of course left wing bloggers never spread dirt do they !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

      • greywarshark 19.1.1

        Neil
        You misunderstand me, which I think is probably general in your reading of any form of analysis. I thought your opinions lacked rationality, were more emotional opinion. I made the comment that your thumbnail sketch was dirty as a pun, not that there was political dirt. But the nuance went over your head.

  18. Maisie 20

    Pilger’s article in the Asia Times is well worth a look for an analysis of the CIA interference and role in his dismissal.

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    Bryce Edwards writes – Is another Green MP on their way out? And are the Greens severely tarnished by another integrity scandal? For the second time in three months, the Green Party has secretly suspended an MP over integrity issues. Mystery is surrounding the party’s decision to ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    3 days ago
  • Jacqui Van Der Kaay: Greens’ transparency missing in action
    For the last few years, the Green Party has been the party that has managed to avoid the plague of multiple scandals that have beleaguered other political parties. It appears that their luck has run out with a second scandal which, unfortunately for them, coincided with Golraz Ghahraman, the focus ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    3 days ago
  • Bernard’s Dawn Chorus with six newsey things at 6:46am for Saturday, March 16
    TL;DR: The six newsey things that stood out to me as of 6:46am on Saturday, March 16.Andy Foster has accidentally allowed a Labour/Green amendment to cut road user chargers for plug-in hybrid vehicles, which the Government might accept; NZ Herald Thomas Coughlan Simeon Brown has rejected a plea from Westport ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago
  • How Did FTX Crash?
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    PunditBy Brian Easton
    4 days ago
  • Elections in Russia and Ukraine
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    4 days ago
  • Bernard’s six stack of substacks at 6pm on March 15
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    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
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    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • Weekly Roundup 15-March-2024
    It’s Friday and we’re halfway through March Madness. Here’s some of the things that caught our attention this week. This Week in Greater Auckland On Monday Matt asked how we can get better event trains and an option for grade separating Morningside Dr. On Tuesday Matt looked into ...
    Greater AucklandBy Greater Auckland
    4 days ago
  • That Word.
    Something you might not know about me is that I’m quite a stubborn person. No, really. I don’t much care for criticism I think’s unfair or that I disagree with. Few of us do I suppose.Back when I was a drinker I’d sometimes respond defensively, even angrily. There are things ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    4 days ago
  • The Hoon around the week to March 15
    Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The five things that mattered in Aotearoa’s political economy that we wrote and spoke about via The Kākā and elsewhere for paying subscribers in the last week included:PM Christopher Luxon said the reversal of interest deductibility for landlords was done to help renters, who ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • Labour’s policy gap
    It was not so much the Labour Party but really the Chris Hipkins party yesterday at Labour’s caucus retreat in Martinborough. The former Prime Minister was more or less consistent on wealth tax, which he was at best equivocal about, and social insurance, which he was not willing to revisit. ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    5 days ago
  • Skeptical Science New Research for Week #11 2024
    Open access notables A Glimpse into the Future: The 2023 Ocean Temperature and Sea Ice Extremes in the Context of Longer-Term Climate Change, Kuhlbrodt et al., Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society: In the year 2023, we have seen extraordinary extrema in high sea surface temperature (SST) in the North Atlantic and in ...
    5 days ago
  • Melissa remains mute on media matters but has something to say (at a sporting event) about economic ...
     Buzz from the Beehive   The text reproduced above appears on a page which records all the media statements and speeches posted on the government’s official website by Melissa Lee as Minister of Media and Communications and/or by Jenny Marcroft, her Parliamentary Under-secretary.  It can be quickly analysed ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    5 days ago
  • The return of Muldoon
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    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
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    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago
  • Māori Party on the warpath against landlords and seabed miners – let’s see if mystical creature...
    Bob Edlin writes  –  The Māori Party has been busy issuing a mix of warnings and threats as its expresses its opposition to interest deductibility for landlords and the plans of seabed miners. It remains to be seen whether they  follow the example of indigenous litigants in Australia, ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago
  • There’s a name for this
    Every year, in the Budget, Parliament forks out money to government agencies to do certain things. And every year, as part of the annual review cycle, those agencies are meant to report on whether they have done the things Parliament gave them that money for. Agencies which consistently fail to ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    6 days ago
  • Echoes of 1968 in 2024?  Pocock on the repetitive problems of the New Left
    Mike Grimshaw writes – Recent events in American universities point to an underlying crisis of coherent thinking, an issue that increasingly affects the progressive left across the Western world. This of course is nothing new as anyone who can either remember or has read of the late ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago

  • Positive progress for social worker workforce
    New Zealand’s social workers are qualified, experienced, and more representative of the communities they serve, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “I want to acknowledge and applaud New Zealand’s social workers for the hard work they do, providing invaluable support for our most vulnerable. “To coincide with World ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 hours ago
  • Minister confirms reduced RUC rate for PHEVs
    Cabinet has agreed to a reduced road user charge (RUC) rate for plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs), Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. Owners of PHEVs will be eligible for a reduced rate of $38 per 1,000km once all light electric vehicles (EVs) move into the RUC system from 1 April.  ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    8 hours ago
  • Trade access to overseas markets creates jobs
    Minister of Agriculture and Trade, Todd McClay, says that today’s opening of Riverland Foods manufacturing plant in Christchurch is a great example of how trade access to overseas markets creates jobs in New Zealand.  Speaking at the official opening of this state-of-the-art pet food factory the Minister noted that exports ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    9 hours ago
  • NZ and Chinese Foreign Ministers hold official talks
    Minister of Foreign Affairs Winston Peters met with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Wellington today. “It was a pleasure to host Foreign Minister Wang Yi during his first official visit to New Zealand since 2017. Our discussions were wide-ranging and enabled engagement on many facets of New Zealand’s relationship with China, including trade, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    22 hours ago
  • Kāinga Ora instructed to end Sustaining Tenancies
    Kāinga Ora – Homes & Communities has been instructed to end the Sustaining Tenancies Framework and take stronger measures against persistent antisocial behaviour by tenants, says Housing Minister Chris Bishop. “Earlier today Finance Minister Nicola Willis and I sent an interim Letter of Expectations to the Board of Kāinga Ora. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Speech to Auckland Business Chamber: Growth is the answer
    Tēna koutou katoa. Greetings everyone. Thank you to the Auckland Chamber of Commerce and the Honourable Simon Bridges for hosting this address today. I acknowledge the business leaders in this room, the leaders and governors, the employers, the entrepreneurs, the investors, and the wealth creators. The coalition Government shares your ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Singapore rounds out regional trip
    Minister Winston Peters completed the final leg of his visit to South and South East Asia in Singapore today, where he focused on enhancing one of New Zealand’s indispensable strategic partnerships.      “Singapore is our most important defence partner in South East Asia, our fourth-largest trading partner and a ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Minister van Velden represents New Zealand at International Democracy Summit
    Minister of Internal Affairs and Workplace Relations and Safety, Hon. Brooke van Velden, will travel to the Republic of Korea to represent New Zealand at the Third Summit for Democracy on 18 March. The summit, hosted by the Republic of Korea, was first convened by the United States in 2021, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Insurance Council of NZ Speech, 7 March 2024, Auckland
    ICNZ Speech 7 March 2024, Auckland  Acknowledgements and opening  Mōrena, ngā mihi nui. Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Nor Whanganui aho.  Good morning, it’s a privilege to be here to open the ICNZ annual conference, thank you to Mark for the Mihi Whakatau  My thanks to Tim Grafton for inviting me ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Five-year anniversary of Christchurch terror attacks
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Lead Coordination Minister Judith Collins have expressed their deepest sympathy on the five-year anniversary of the Christchurch terror attacks. “March 15, 2019, was a day when families, communities and the country came together both in sorrow and solidarity,” Mr Luxon says.  “Today we pay our respects to the 51 shuhada ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Speech for Financial Advice NZ Conference 5 March 2024
    Speech for Financial Advice NZ Conference 5 March 2024  Acknowledgements and opening  Morena, Nga Mihi Nui.  Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Nor Whanganui aho. Thanks Nate for your Mihi Whakatau  Good morning. It’s a pleasure to formally open your conference this morning. What a lovely day in Wellington, What a great ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Early visit to Indonesia strengthens ties
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters held discussions in Jakarta today about the future of relations between New Zealand and South East Asia’s most populous country.   “We are in Jakarta so early in our new government’s term to reflect the huge importance we place on our relationship with Indonesia and South ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • China Foreign Minister to visit
    Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Winston Peters has announced that the Foreign Minister of China, Wang Yi, will visit New Zealand next week.  “We look forward to re-engaging with Foreign Minister Wang Yi and discussing the full breadth of the bilateral relationship, which is one of New Zealand’s ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Minister opens new Auckland Rail Operations Centre
    Transport Minister Simeon Brown has today opened the new Auckland Rail Operations Centre, which will bring together KiwiRail, Auckland Transport, and Auckland One Rail to improve service reliability for Aucklanders. “The recent train disruptions in Auckland have highlighted how important it is KiwiRail and Auckland’s rail agencies work together to ...
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    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 ...
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    5 days ago
  • Government delivering on tax commitments
    Legislation implementing coalition Government tax commitments and addressing long-standing tax anomalies will be progressed in Parliament next week, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The legislation is contained in an Amendment Paper to the Taxation (Annual Rates for 2023–24, Multinational Tax, and Remedial Matters) Bill issued today.  “The Amendment Paper represents ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Significant Natural Areas requirement to be suspended
    Associate Environment Minister Andrew Hoggard has today announced that the Government has agreed to suspend the requirement for councils to comply with the Significant Natural Areas (SNA) provisions of the National Policy Statement for Indigenous Biodiversity for three years, while it replaces the Resource Management Act (RMA).“As it stands, SNAs ...
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    5 days ago
  • Government classifies drought conditions in Top of the South as medium-scale adverse event
    Agriculture Minister Todd McClay has classified the drought conditions in the Marlborough, Tasman, and Nelson districts as a medium-scale adverse event, acknowledging the challenging conditions facing farmers and growers in the district. “Parts of Marlborough, Tasman, and Nelson districts are in the grip of an intense dry spell. I know ...
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    5 days ago
  • Government partnership to tackle $332m facial eczema problem
    The Government is helping farmers eradicate the significant impact of facial eczema (FE) in pastoral animals, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay announced.  “A $20 million partnership jointly funded by Beef + Lamb NZ, the Government, and the primary sector will save farmers an estimated NZD$332 million per year, and aims to ...
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    5 days ago
  • NZ, India chart path to enhanced relationship
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters has completed a successful visit to India, saying it was an important step in taking the relationship between the two countries to the next level.   “We have laid a strong foundation for the Coalition Government’s priority of enhancing New Zealand-India relations to generate significant future benefit for both countries,” says Mr Peters, ...
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    6 days ago
  • Ruapehu Alpine Lifts bailout the last, say Ministers
    Cabinet has agreed to provide $7 million to ensure the 2024 ski season can go ahead on the Whakapapa ski field in the central North Island but has told the operator Ruapehu Alpine Lifts it is the last financial support it will receive from taxpayers. Cabinet also agreed to provide ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Govt takes action to drive better cancer services
    Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says the launch of a new mobile breast screening unit in Counties Manukau reinforces the coalition Government’s commitment to drive better cancer services for all New Zealanders. Speaking at the launch of the new mobile clinic, Dr Reti says it’s a great example of taking ...
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    6 days ago
  • Govt takes action to drive better cancer services
    Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says the launch of a new mobile breast screening unit in Counties Manukau reinforces the coalition Government’s commitment to drive better cancer services for all New Zealanders. Speaking at the launch of the new mobile clinic, Dr Reti says it’s a great example of taking ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Work begins on SH29 upgrades near Tauriko
    Unlocking economic growth and land for housing are critical elements of the Government’s plan for our transport network, and planned upgrades to State Highway 29 (SH29) near Tauriko will deliver strongly on those priorities, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “The SH29 upgrades near Tauriko will improve safety at the intersections ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Work begins on SH29 upgrades near Tauriko
    Unlocking economic growth and land for housing are critical elements of the Government’s plan for our transport network, and planned upgrades to State Highway 29 (SH29) near Tauriko will deliver strongly on those priorities, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “The SH29 upgrades near Tauriko will improve safety at the intersections ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Fresh produce price drop welcome
    Lower fruit and vegetable prices are welcome news for New Zealanders who have been doing it tough at the supermarket, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. Stats NZ reported today the price of fruit and vegetables has dropped 9.3 percent in the 12 months to February 2024.  “Lower fruit and vege ...
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    6 days ago
  • Statement to the 68th United Nations Commission on the Status of Women
    Tēnā koutou katoa and greetings to you all.  Chair, I am honoured to address the sixty-eighth session of the Commission on the Status of Women. I acknowledge the many crises impacting the rights of women and girls. Heightened global tensions, war, climate related and humanitarian disasters, and price inflation all ...
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  • Speech to the 68th United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (CSW68)
    Tēnā koutou katoa and greetings to you all.  Chair, I am honoured to address the 68th session of the Commission on the Status of Women. I acknowledge the many crises impacting the rights of women and girls. Heightened global tensions, war, climate related and humanitarian disasters, and price inflation all ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Government backs rural led catchment projects
    The coalition Government is supporting farmers to enhance land management practices by investing $3.3 million in locally led catchment groups, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay announced. “Farmers and growers deliver significant prosperity for New Zealand and it’s vital their ongoing efforts to improve land management practices and water quality are supported,” ...
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    6 days ago
  • Speech to Auckland Business Chamber
    Good evening everyone and thank you for that lovely introduction.   Thank you also to the Honourable Simon Bridges for the invitation to address your members. Since being sworn in, this coalition Government has hit the ground running with our 100-day plan, delivering the changes that New Zealanders expect of us. ...
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    1 week ago
  • Commission’s advice on ETS settings tabled
    Recommendations from the Climate Change Commission for New Zealand on the Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) auction and unit limit settings for the next five years have been tabled in Parliament, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. “The Commission provides advice on the ETS annually. This is the third time the ...
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    1 week ago
  • Government lowering building costs
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    1 week ago
  • Trustee tax change welcomed
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    1 week ago
  • Minister’s Ramadan message
    Assalaamu alaikum. السَّلَام عليكم In light of the holy month of Ramadan, I want to extend my warmest wishes to our Muslim community in New Zealand. Ramadan is a time for spiritual reflection, renewed devotion, perseverance, generosity, and forgiveness.  It’s a time to strengthen our bonds and appreciate the diversity ...
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    1 week ago
  • Minister appoints new NZTA Chair
    Former Transport Minister and CEO of the Auckland Business Chamber Hon Simon Bridges has been appointed as the new Board Chair of the New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA) for a three-year term, Transport Minister Simeon Brown announced today. “Simon brings extensive experience and knowledge in transport policy and governance to the role. He will ...
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    1 week ago
  • Speech to Life Sciences Summit
    Good morning all, it is a pleasure to be here as Minister of Science, Innovation and Technology.  It is fantastic to see how connected and collaborative the life science and biotechnology industry is here in New Zealand. I would like to thank BioTechNZ and NZTech for the invitation to address ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Progress continues apace on water storage
    Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says he is looking forward to the day when three key water projects in Northland are up and running, unlocking the full potential of land in the region. Mr Jones attended a community event at the site of the Otawere reservoir near Kerikeri on Friday. ...
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    1 week ago
  • Government agrees to restore interest deductions
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    1 week ago
  • Minister to attend World Anti-Doping Agency Symposium
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    1 week ago
  • Pacific Language Weeks celebrate regional unity
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    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

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