Greek PM calls new election

Written By: - Date published: 6:34 am, August 21st, 2015 - 51 comments
Categories: accountability, capitalism, class war, International - Tags: ,

A bold move by an administration in an impossible position:

Greek bailout: Alexis Tsipras steps down to trigger new elections

Prime minister announces his resignation and paves way for general election, with 20 September predicted as most likely date for a poll

Seven months after he was elected on a promise to overturn austerity, the Greek prime minister, Alexis Tsipras, has announced he is stepping down to pave the way for snap elections next month.

As the debt-crippled country received the first tranche of a punishing new €86bn (£61bn) bailout, Tsipras said on Thursday he felt “a moral obligation to place this deal in front of the people, to allow them to judge … both what I have achieved, and my mistakes”. ….

Read on for more in The Guardian.

51 comments on “Greek PM calls new election ”

  1. Draco T Bastard 1

    Interesting…

    I wonder if Syriza will now campaign on dropping out of the Euro. It’s the only choice that Greece has to return to prosperity.

    • nadis 1.1

      They should but its unlikely. Recent poll had Tsipras with 68% approval rating. Greeks clearly want to remain in the Euro. Bailout money is flowing with the Bundestag passing the bailout plan, so short term all the good things are happening.

      This election is about strengthening Tsipras position. Syriza will most likely fracture and the hard left leave to form a new minor party with little electoral impact. Right now, campaigning for Euro exit is an electoral non-starter, and never has been a solution the Greeks would have embraced any time in the last 5 years.

      Personally I think Greece will eventually leave the Euro – sometime in the next 12-18 months. Eventually the Germans will lose patience with the lack of tax and bureaucratic reform in Greece, and the Greeks will finally refuse or be unable to meet Euro demands for reform. Syriza is just as bad as previous governments in terms of cronyism, favouritism and corruption. The real irony is the whole swag of EURO zone countries that are no richer than Greece that are exporting aid to Greece (Slovenia, Portugal, Malta, Slovakia, Estonia, Lithuania, Latvia)

      Devaluation is their only real chance to return their economy to sustainable policy settings but unless they can implement serious internal reforms they are more likely to be Zimbabwe or Venezuela story rather than an Iceland story. Devaluation only works if the entire econmy and particular it’s export sector is able to capture and invest the benefits. Aside from tourism, Greece has no export sector.

      Interesting that the IMF is still refusing any kind of role in Greece despite European pressure, until the Europeans allow a significant reduction in debt burden.

      • Colonial Viper 1.1.1

        Personally I think Greece will eventually leave the Euro – sometime in the next 12-18 months. Eventually the Germans will lose patience with the lack of tax and bureaucratic reform in Greece, and the Greeks will finally refuse or be unable to meet Euro demands for reform.

        The Greek crisis has been very profitable for German industry and the German economy as a whole. It has kept the Euro weaker increasing German export competitiveness, and kept Bund rates low saving the German Government a huge amount in interest payments.

        The latest bailout package passed with a large majority through the Bundestag.

        And German companies will now be running Greece’s airports.

        What’s not to like, from the German point of view?

        • nadis 1.1.1.1

          Germany has done well out of the Euro but that’s not Greece. It is because of any country that has lower productivity growth than Germany – i.e., all of them.

          Greece has nothing to do with keeping bund rates low – that’s entirely due to German creditworthiness and now QE. In fact Greece and other countries have profited significantly from piggybacking on Europe’s term structure. Only two countries (France and Germany) have a lower debt burden (in terms of interest cost/per gdp) than Greece. Spain, Ireland, Portugal and Ireland all pay MORE than Greece. The average term of Greece’s debt is 16.5 years.

          Europe is in a middle land that ultimately doesnt work for anyone – they either neeed to be more like the US or less like the US, but where they are now doesnt work. Here’s a good article

          http://www.bloombergview.com/articles/2015-07-13/europe-s-insane-deal-with-greece:

          • Colonial Viper 1.1.1.1.1

            Greece has nothing to do with keeping bund rates low – that’s entirely due to German creditworthiness and now QE.

            ?

            You talk as if the Greek crisis has not been a major issue affecting investor confidence in the Eurozone.

            • nadis 1.1.1.1.1.1

              no – i talk as though low bund rates have nothing to do with the greek crisis. They were low beforehand and low afterward.

              • Colonial Viper

                I really have had enough of your bullshit pretend knowledge.

                Why don’t you go argue with Forbes and the Wall St Journal:

                Germany has a national debt, just like just about every other country does. So, it must pay out interest to those who hold that debt. And one of the effects of the Greek debt crisis has been that people have deided they’d really rather not be holding either Greek or other eurozone periphery debt. And that they really would like to be holding Bunds, that’s the German government debt. More people buying something pushes up the price and with bonds that’s the same as saying that the yield falls. And that’s exactly what has been happening. On short term debt (bills) Germany has been paying pretty much nothing (0.05% and the like, in normal terms for bonds this is spit and no more) and a little more for 10 and 30 year bonds.

                Now of course this doesn’t change by one single iota the amount that Germany must pay in interest on bonds it has already issued. But they do mature, in stages, and the country then issues more bonds to repay those that are maturing (Germany hasn’t had a budget deficit for a few years now, so it’s not issuing any to cover an ongoing deficit, it’s just refinancing the old stock, even then it’s running that stock down). Those refinancing bonds pay the newer much lower interest rates. And the calculation is that the interest savings have been as above, 300 basis points or 3%.

                The exact numbers? No, I’m not going to chew through them and it’s not necessary for you to either. We can do a rough check on this. Germany expects to issue around €180 billion of bonds this year, the longer bonds will be rolling over longer bonds which carried much higher interest rates. The bills, the short term stuff, will be rolling over bills that have already been paying the very low interest rates. But just back of the envelope stuff, call that €1 trillion of bonds refinanced over 5 years and that 300 basis points lowering of the issuance yield. Yes, OK, we can see that €100 billion sounds about the right ballpark for the savings.

                More detail here:

                http://www.forbes.com/sites/timworstall/2015/08/11/despite-losing-tens-of-billions-of-e-germany-is-making-a-profit-out-of-the-greek-crisis/

          • Draco T Bastard 1.1.1.1.2

            Europe is in a middle land that ultimately doesnt work for anyone – they either neeed to be more like the US or less like the US, but where they are now doesnt work.

            You’re correct in that the Euro and Europe isn’t actually working for anyone but they most definitely do not need to be more like the US. Why would anyone want more poverty, more violence and generally more of all the negatives? Hell, from what I can make out it is Europe trying to be more like the US that is the problem.

        • Jones 1.1.1.2

          Why buy the cow when you can milk it for free? Greece will be exited from the Euro when they have nothing left to sell to the German bankers.

        • dukeofurl 1.1.1.3

          Didnt they start running the airports back in 41…

          They even pioneered the tourist trade by sending passengers by air to Crete.

  2. Paul 2

    I just hope Syriza offers a radical solution for the Greeks to free them from the tyranny of corporate rule.
    The appalling treatment of the Greeks by the European bankers may sadly see the extreme right getting a foot in the door, as desperate people go for extreme measures to solve their plight.

  3. Blue Horsehoe 3

    Latest example of the cartels ability to overthrow elected governments

    • nadis 3.1

      No – Tsipras is doing this for consolidation of control reasons and will get re–elected.

      • Blue Horsehoe 3.1.1

        YES – He has failed to prevent austerity being forced onto Greece

        I understand what you’re saying, and you are probably correct that is what Tsipras has done

        This outcome was not his choice, tells you his hand was forced

        • nadis 3.1.1.1

          Why not his choice? Tsipras wants a mandate to continue with bail out program. The way to get that mandate is to win an election. sounds like his choice to me.

          Greece has two obvious choices.
          1.Accept the bailout terms, stay in the Euro.
          2. Leave the EUR, accept transitional aid, stay in the EU. Restructure debt. Regain sovereign control over all of economy.

          Both choices are on the table – the majority of the Greek population and Greek politicians are choosing #1. It’s called democracy.

          What isn’t on offer is choice #3.

          3. All the good bits of #1, all the good bits of #2, none of the bad bits.

          • Colonial Viper 3.1.1.1.1

            Germany should listen to the IMF and massively haircut the amount that Greece owes, instead of deliberately forcing Greece’s economy to contract further.

            • Gosman 3.1.1.1.1.1

              The majority of the German electorate it seems don’t want to give the Greek government a haircut it seems. At least there isn’t any major grass roots pressure in Germany demanding that their politicians do so.

              Syriza’s major mistake was to assume that simply having the Greeks vote for something like this the other nations of the Eurozone would agree. It suggests a degree of naivity or stupidity on their part that would be laughable if it didn’t have such a tragic outcome for the Greeks themselves.

              • dukeofurl

                The NSA would have been reading their internal communications and tipped off the Germans – too keep them sweet after they were sprung doing the same to Merkel.

                Syriza should have borrowed the GOP tactics in congress. Shut it all down, paralyse the complete EU system and the only comprise is every demand met.

  4. Gosman 4

    You are aware that Tsipras is likely to campaign FOR the reform programme he has signed up for aren’t you?

    I find the irony of an anti-Austerity party going to the polls to seek a mandate for austerity simply amazing.

    • Colonial Viper 4.1

      A small country of 12M is being crushed underfoot by the financial powers of Europe. What you see now is the outcome the financial powers of Europe wanted.

      What’s amazing about that? Just a simple variation of the standard Economic Hitman debt/economic extortion routine.

      • Gosman 4.1.1

        I keep telling you, and you keep ignoring it, Greece is free to reject the bail out terms and conditions. They will fall out of the Eurozone (and possibly the EU) and their economy will suffer much more than it is currently in the short term. They have that option but Syriza doesn’t want to take that for some reason. Why do you think that is?

        • Colonial Viper 4.1.1.1

          The Syriza electoral mandate was to stay in the Eurozone. Many Greeks still seem to want to stay in the Eurozone at any cost to their fellow countrymen.

          • Gosman 4.1.1.1.1

            That is correct. And the only way to stay in the Eurozone is to accept the conditions imposed by the other Eurozone members. It is quite simple. The only way the Greeks could hope to ‘vote’ against austerity is if the other nations took pity on them and gave in to the demands for more money without the same sort of strings attached. The Northern European members (more importantly the majority of their electorates) weren’t convinced by that argument. Syriza failed to end Austerity because the constinuency they had to convince wasn’t the ones that voted them in.

            • Colonial Viper 4.1.1.1.1.1

              The only way the Greeks could hope to ‘vote’ against austerity is if the other nations took pity on them and gave in to the demands for more money without the same sort of strings attached.

              Don’t be an idiot Gosman. Varoufakis and Tsipras weren’t asking the Eurogroup for “pity” – they were asking the Eurogroup for terms and conditions which would actually allow the debt to be paid back by growing the Greek economy.

              • Gosman

                Except the other nations didn’t trust the Greeks to do what they said they were going to do. The main reason for this is probably the Greek track record at following through on economic reforms. Billions of Euro’s have been transfered to the Greek state in the past (and continue to do so) from the rest of the EU. Instead of building a dynamic and productive economy the Greeks seem to have squandered much of this. Syriza’s reform programme was insuffiently detailed to convince the other nations that their new proposed way should be financed by them.

                • dukeofurl

                  LIke what reforms?

                  Oh yes, they have a closed market for pharmacys, which must be owned by a pharmacist and they cant own more than one.

                  WHich is exactly the situation in NZ.

                  Another reason for the government deficit spending was the high proportion of GDP spent on defence, up to 5%. Thats what belonging to Nato does to a country

          • Draco T Bastard 4.1.1.1.2

            The Syriza electoral mandate was to stay in the Eurozone.

            That was the electoral mandate several months ago. Things may have changed since then.

        • Draco T Bastard 4.1.1.2

          They will fall out of the Eurozone (and possibly the EU) and their economy will suffer much more than it is currently in the short term.

          Actually, I figure they won’t if they do it right.

          • Gosman 4.1.1.2.1

            Yeah but your ideas on economics are so radical not even the Socialists in places like Venezuela or Cuba follow them. It is unlikely the Greek government would do something along the same sort of lines.

            • Draco T Bastard 4.1.1.2.1.1

              Yes, it’s a major problem when reality is considered radical.

            • dukeofurl 4.1.1.2.1.2

              And your (Gosman) ideas are so impractical that when you get a neo-liberal MP, like Seymour, he has to disavow his policies as unworkable and give their constituents what they want.

    • Blue Horsehoe 4.2

      Gossip seems to be pleased with the crushing of humanity, death and misery

      DICK

      • Gosman 4.2.1

        No, I am truly applalled that the inevitable result of Big Government policies coupled with corruption and incompetence has led the Greeks to such economic ruin. I am merely pointing out (and have been dooing so since before Syriza was elected the first time) that the Greeks have little choice given their desire to keep being part of the Eurozone and EU.

        • Colonial Viper 4.2.1.1

          “Big Government” is not the issue: the issue is a financial system reliant on debt, and on debt to fund more debt.

          • Gosman 4.2.1.1.1

            Where did the money from the debt go C.V? Answer that question before you blame the financial system. If it went to rich prick Greek corporates then the Greek State should just take over the assets of these companies to recoup it. Syriza isn’t doing that for some reason.

            • Blue Horsehoe 4.2.1.1.1.1

              You have no fucken idea where the ‘money’ went either dickhead, despite your make believe financial nous

              Stop pretending the Greeks are in control, they clearly are not

              Hey look, the worlds under hundreds of Trillions on fiat debt

              Where did the ‘money’ go

              Knob end

              • Colonial Viper

                The answer to Gossie is quite clear: most of the money from that debt went to the 1%, and went to repay French and German banks as well as the French and German Government.

                • Blue Horsehoe

                  Yes, it is very clear where the money has gone

                  That gossip continues to pretend otherwise while smearing his shit around, reflects poorly that his handle has not managed to be permanently banned yet

                • Gosman

                  Then the Greek government should be demanding the 1% should give the funds back. Why isn’t Syriza asking for the money back or seizing the 1% Greek Assets?

                  • Colonial Viper

                    Syriza has no ability to seize bank accounts or financial portfolios held in Switzerland, the Caymans or Bermuda.

                    The Greek Government operates by rule of law, not by arbitrary expropriation.

                    Further, the Greek oligarchs still wield massive power in the country.

                    • Gosman

                      It isn’t arbitary expropriation. These funds were attained by corrupt methods (that is the only conclusion that can be reached from your position). They are therefore the ill gotten gains of crime and can be forfeited to the State. Even right wingers like me agree with that. As for them being in Tax havens like the Cayman islands (which I suspect you have no evidence for this) the Greek Government should be shouting this from high heaven. Given the fact the rest of the Eurozone would love it if the Greeks could finance their own budget themselves they would have a hiuge amount of support in applying pressure on these tax havens.

          • Gosman 4.2.1.1.2

            This is where both you and I will be in total agreement. If the debt that Greek State built up was corruptly used to line the nests of the rich and powerful then the Greek government now should use all in it’s power to make sure these people pay and their assets are seized. I see very little in the way of the Greeks doing this. Instead I see silly calls for multi-billion compensation from Germany for WWII, They should tackle the issues in your own country before they try to get money from others.

            • Colonial Viper 4.2.1.1.2.1

              The Greek government has no power to seize bank accounts held in Switzerland, Bermuda or the Caymans.

              Instead I see silly calls for multi-billion compensation from Germany for WWII, They should tackle the issues in your own country before they try to get money from others.

              Why? Germany should repay its debts if it is not willing to forgive debt like it was forgiven.

              • Gosman

                Forget them not having the power to do so. They are not even calling for the funds to be given back. Also these individuals are largely based in Greece. The Greek authorities could arrest them or at least seize their Greek assets. They are not even doing that.

                • Colonial Viper

                  The Syriza Government is not a government of pirates or bandits, Gosman.

                  But let’s get to the point – the Eurogroup have refused to give Greece reasonable and economically rational terms and conditions.

                  And Greece will pay a heavy price for its lack of negotiating power and leverage.

                  • adam

                    Greece does have one piece of leverage, and it’s quite a big piece of leverage. Crete and the NATO base there. That base means that NATO forces can fly pretty much all over the middle east and into south Russia.

                    Gosman, you need to look where a lot of this money from all the loans has/is going – do a google search – you may be shocked. Maybe not. I don’t know your opinion of spending that amount of money, on a portion of the state?

                  • Gosman

                    Demanding illegally attained funds be returned to the State (essentially what they are doing with Germany over the Nazi Debt) is not acting like a pirate.

                    I believe you can’t face the fact that the money did not go to the 1% like you believe but was actually spent quite legitimately by the Greek Government on things such as over staffed Hospitals and generous pension schemes.

                    Because it doesn’t fit your meme of “evil” Bankers and Rich Pricks screwing the nation you create this fiction of the funds being hidden away in overseas bank accounts in tax havens. The cognitive dissonance between your position and reality is wide indeed.

            • Tricledrown 4.2.1.1.2.2

              Goldman predatory practice’s lead by Goldman Sachs and its credit ratings lackies of bribing politicians bankers to load up Greece with debt it could never repay.
              Why not sure and arrest these companies.
              It won’t happen the head of Goldman Sachs Europe who was behind this corruption was made The Eurozone finance minister!
              Which suggests their is corruption at a much higher level.
              Lagarde Strauss Kahn and other world bank IMF officials found to be corrupt.
              Corruption is the problem.Greek politicians were wined and dined by these corrupt officials on the super yatchs of non taxpaying Greek tycoons.

              • Gosman

                Again I will ask you some simple questions.

                Where did the funds from this debt go?

                Why isn’t the Syriza government demanding the people who received it pay it back?

                • dukeofurl

                  So debts are never written off ?

                  Pleeeese. If all the local Banks didnt write off debt and forever kept it on their books waiting for payment- it would sink them.

                  Do you think the banks that lent money to the buyout for TV3 will ever get their money back? A quick visit to the company’s office ( electronically speaking) and it disappears and a new company rises from the ashes ( leaving IRD in the lurch as well!!!)

                  Then we start on US and UK banks…. but I dont have the time.

                  Then there’s GM, ….where did the money go you ask ….or not

                  If only you ran your beady eye over accepted capitalist practices

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    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
    3 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
    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
    4 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
    4 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
    5 days ago
  • Invoking Aristotle: Of Rings of Power, Stones, and Ships
    The first season of Rings of Power was not awful. It was thoroughly underwhelming, yes, and left a lingering sense of disappointment, but it was more expensive mediocrity than catastrophe. I wrote at length about the series as it came out (see the Review section of the blog, and go ...
    6 days ago
  • Van Velden brings free-market approach to changing labour laws – but her colleagues stick to distr...
    Buzz from the Beehive Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Brooke van Velden told Auckland Business Chamber members they were the first audience to hear her priorities as a minister in a government committed to cutting red tape and regulations. She brandished her liberalising credentials, saying Flexible labour markets are the ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago
  • Why Newshub failed
    Chris Trotter writes – TO UNDERSTAND WHY NEWSHUB FAILED, it is necessary to understand how TVNZ changed. Up until 1989, the state broadcaster had been funded by a broadcasting licence fee, collected from every citizen in possession of a television set, supplemented by a relatively modest (compared ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago
  • Māori Party on the warpath against landlords and seabed miners – let’s see if mystical creature...
    Bob Edlin writes  –  The Māori Party has been busy issuing a mix of warnings and threats as its expresses its opposition to interest deductibility for landlords and the plans of seabed miners. It remains to be seen whether they  follow the example of indigenous litigants in Australia, ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago
  • There’s a name for this
    Every year, in the Budget, Parliament forks out money to government agencies to do certain things. And every year, as part of the annual review cycle, those agencies are meant to report on whether they have done the things Parliament gave them that money for. Agencies which consistently fail to ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    6 days ago
  • 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
  • Two bar blues
    The thing about life’s little victories is that they can be followed by a defeat.Reader Darryl told me on Monday night:Test again Dave. My “head cold” last week became COVID within 24 hours, and is still with me. I hear the new variants take a bit longer to show up ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    6 days ago
  • Bernard's Top 10 @ 10 'pick 'n' mix' for March 13
    TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: Angus Deaton on rethinking his economics IMFLocal scoop: The people behind Tamarind, the firm that left a $500m cleanup bill for taxpayers at Taranaki’s Tui oil well, are back operating in Taranaki under a different company name. Jonathan ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    6 days ago
  • AT Need To Lift Their Game
    Normally when we talk about accessing public transport it’s about improving how easy it is to get to, such as how easy is it to cross roads in a station/stop’s walking catchment, is it possible to cycle to safely, do bus connections work, or even if are there new routes/connections ...
    6 days ago
  • Christopher's Whopper.
    Politicians are not renowned for telling the truth. Some tell us things that are verifiably not true. They offer statements that omit critical pieces of information. Gloss over risks, preferring to offer the best case scenario.Some not truths are quite small, others amusing in their transparency. There are those repeated ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    6 days ago
  • Funding hole for tax cuts growing by the day
    The pressure is mounting on the Government as it finalises its Budget Policy Statement, but yet more predicted revenue ‘goes missing’. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The Climate Commission has delivered another funding blow to the National-ACT-NZ First coalition Government’s tax-cutting plans, potentially carving $1.4 billion off the ‘climate ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    6 days ago
  • Luxon’s brave climate change promise
    The Government now faces the prospect of having to watch another tax raise the price of petrol when, only six days ago, it abolished the Auckland Regional Fuel tax. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon argued that the regional fuel tax imposed costs on lower-income people with less fuel-efficient vehicles  and that ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    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
    3 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
    5 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
    6 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
    19 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
    23 hours 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 ...
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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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    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, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 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 ...
    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 ...
    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • 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,” ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    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. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days 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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Government lowering building costs
    The coalition Government is beginning its fight to lower building costs and reduce red tape by exempting minor building work from paying the building levy, says Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk. “Currently, any building project worth $20,444 including GST or more is subject to the building levy which is ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Trustee tax change welcomed
    Proposed changes to tax legislation to prevent the over-taxation of low-earning trusts are welcome, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The changes have been recommended by Parliament’s Finance and Expenditure Committee following consideration of submissions on the Taxation (Annual Rates for 2023–24, Multinational Tax, and Remedial Matters) Bill. “One of the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    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. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Government agrees to restore interest deductions
    Associate Finance Minister David Seymour has today announced that the Government has agreed to restore deductibility for mortgage interest on residential investment properties. “Help is on the way for landlords and renters alike. The Government’s restoration of interest deductibility will ease pressure on rents and simplify the tax code,” says ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Minister to attend World Anti-Doping Agency Symposium
    Sport and Recreation Minister Chris Bishop will travel to Switzerland today to attend an Executive Committee meeting and Symposium of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA). Mr Bishop will then travel on to London where he will attend a series of meetings in his capacity as Infrastructure Minister. “New Zealanders believe ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Pacific Language Weeks celebrate regional unity
    This year’s Pacific Language Weeks celebrate regional unity and the contribution of Pacific communities to New Zealand culture, says Minister for Pacific Peoples Dr Shane Reti.  Dr Reti announced dates for the 2024 Pacific Language Weeks during a visit to the Pasifika festival in Auckland today and says there’s so ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

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