Groser and National have a plan to save the world from global warming

Written By: - Date published: 7:00 pm, December 6th, 2014 - 61 comments
Categories: climate change, Environment, global warming, national, same old national, you couldn't make this shit up - Tags:

climate change head in sand-1I kid you not.

Tim Groser and National have a plan to solve global warming so cunning you could put a tail on it and call it a weasel.

The plan apparently is the only game in town and it is hard line.  And according to Groser unless the world agrees to New Zealand’s proposal there will be no agreement.

The plan is … [drumroll] …

Wait for it …

Countries will be obliged to set targets but not obliged to meet them.

These are the pearls of wisdom that have come from the one person who can solve the world’s climate change problems.

“So the problem here is this. China, which is now the world’s largest emitter, although doing very serious things now in this space, is never going to commit to meeting a target and if it fails, be accountable legally for failing to do this. They will, however, do serious stuff. Therefore, the United States, given the Congress, will never agree to a different legal structure to China.

“So my view, and it’s a real hard-line view here, I think it’s a black and white situation. This deal will be based on the underlying concepts of the New Zealand proposal or there won’t be a deal.”

Apparently the problem is that all the pressure went onto the European Union and other countries that signed up to Kyoto like New Zealand, Australia, the United States, Canada and Russia.  Coincidentally these countries are most of the biggest producers of greenhouse gasses so this is not surprising but like rich people being asked to do something about poverty they are demanding that the poor share the burden.

Groser needs to go back to the drawing board.  The only thing that matters is the reduction in the burning of coal and petroleum and the reduction in the production of methane.  And the planting of trees, many many many trees.

Groser’s grand statements will not achieve this.  And as can be seen by the trends New Zealand’s performance is exceptionally poor and the chances of us meeting our historically agreed obligations are miniscule.

I normally try and be discrete and respectful in my blogging but climate change is one of those issues where my tolerance of stupidity is running low.  So let me say this as clearly as I can, Tim Groser is a muppet.

If you want to express your views on Aotearoa’s response to climate change you can with many others put your head in the sand tomorrow.  A more fitting description of this Government’s response I cannot think of.

61 comments on “Groser and National have a plan to save the world from global warming ”

  1. Ad 1

    Give a guy a Security Council seat and immediately his balls are too big for his pants.

    Groser – despite the full backing of most major corporations in the world and most of the major governments – has utterly failed to pull of the TPP. Playa he ain’t.

    His special place in hell will be at the front of the a titanic screaming “I’m the king of the worrrrrrrrrrrrrld!” as the proverbial ship crunches into the ice.

    • David H 1.1

      That and speaking for hours and hours and hours, without saying anything at all. Just Bullshit piled upon Bullshit all the way.

  2. Poission 2

    The US Senate rejected ratification of the KP 95-0, ie the Byrd -Hagel resolution.

    http://www.nationalcenter.org/KyotoSenate.html

  3. tc 3

    The best move Nat did with tiny mind timmy is keep him out of NZ as much as possible. One very dim bulb just bright enough to follow street directions to the next trough.

    Watch out for clean coal as a sure sign him and Oz’s hunt are snouting it up large together

  4. batweka 4

    Meanwhile, down south. An animated graphic from new NASA research showing how the West Antarctic ice melt will probably happen much faster than expected and may lead to 3.5m sea rises.

    http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/research-casts-alarming-light-on-decline-of-west-antarctic-ice-sheets/2014/12/04/19efd3e4-7bbe-11e4-84d4-7c896b90abdc_story.html

    For two decades, scientists have kept a close watch on a vast, icebound corner of West Antarctica that is undergoing a historic thaw. Climate experts have predicted that, centuries from now, the region’s mile-thick ice sheet could collapse and raise sea levels as much as 11 feet.

    Now, new evidence is causing concern that the collapse could happen faster than anyone thought. New scientific studies this week have shed light on the speed and the mechanics of West Antarctic melting, documenting an acceleration that, if it continues, could have major effects on coastal cities worldwide.

    Twin papers this week show that the rate of ice loss from West Antarctica is increasing — with the acceleration particularly pronounced in the past decade — and also why this is happening: Warmer ocean waters are pushing up from below and bathing the base of the ice sheet.

    • RedLogix 4.1

      Yes. NZ’s own Prof Tim Naish was saying this for a while now. I could be wrong, but his personal opinion at the time was that there was evidence of earlier WAIS breakups occurring over periods of just a decade or so.

      http://thestandard.org.nz/unassailable-evidence/

      That post was five fucking years ago.

      • batweka 4.1.1

        This is why the post-election argument that it’s not ok to criticise people for not voting doesn’t wash with me. It’s now or never folks. We already know the worst case scenario is utterly catastrophic but we are working on the assumption we might get lucky and get away with the best case scenario. Or maybe people just don’t care.

      • Colonial Rawshark 4.1.2

        Our global civilisation won’t be ended by any single shock. But a serious of severe ones which shake the fabric of the status quo apart. A 3.5m sea level rise over 10-20 years would generate most of those shocks all by itself.

        • batweka 4.1.2.1

          Not so sure about that. Look at how quickly Japan recovered after Fukushima. 10 – 20 years sounds like a fair amount of time. Of course, we wouldn’t be relocating civ in that time, it’d be downsizing massively.

          I tend to think loss of coastal land is one of the lesser AGW worries. Increasing droughts and storms (esp wind) concern me more, and tipping points that collapse whole ecosystems, along with all the stupid we are doing instead of preparing (if we get lucky and don’t end up with worst case scenarios, the things that fuck us will be our own actions, like draining aquifers to send milk powder to China).

          • Colonial Rawshark 4.1.2.1.1

            Look at how quickly Japan recovered after Fukushima.

            ??? Uh, I don’t think so.

            Yes, ecosystem collapse is more serious than a 1m-2m sea level rise, but the latter still screws up the lives of a billion or more people.

            • batweka 4.1.2.1.1.1

              Sorry, I meant the quake and tsunami. Japan’s ability to recover in terms of infrastructure was impressive (esp compare to Chch). Not wanting to downplay the ongoing suffering or damage because of the nuclear plant issues.

              “Yes, ecosystem collapse is more serious than a 1m-2m sea level rise, but the latter still screws up the lives of a billion or more people.”

              True, and as usual the poorest people will get hit the hardest. Nevertheless, in places like NZ, having to move and adjust down majorly but still having enough to eat, good shelter, ways to make a living, intact communities etc, these are all pretty good all things considered.

      • Chooky 4.1.3

        yes and about 10- 15 years before the Christchurch Earthquakes a scientist was warning that Christchurch could have a catastrophic earthquake….no one really listened…because Christchurch seemed so safe and flat and soft ..not like Wellington sitting astride two tectonic plates….ha ha…

        ….maybe if the authorities had listened to the scientist’s warnings about Christchurch they would have been a lot more careful about massive underground water extraction out of the Christchurch/ Waimakariri hinterland.

        http://www.stuff.co.nz/the-press/news/christchurch-earthquake-2011/9381274/Rising-flood-risk-in-a-sunken-city

        Lesson: listen to the scientists

  5. Lloyd 5

    I find it interesting that every time the Herald reports on global warming that there is always another report in the same edition on how the government won’t spend money on the rapid construction of Auckland’s Central Rail Loop. Anyone who looks at Auckland (and therefore New Zealand’s) CO2 production must realise that building the CRL is the quickest way to reduce the use of fossil fuels in the city and therefore is a significant potential step the reduce the global warming contribution from NZ,

  6. PipAlbany 6

    The only thing that matters is the reduction in the burning of coal and petroleum and the reduction in the production of methane

    New Zealand as big producers of this should quiver ….

  7. batweka 7

    “And the planting of trees, many many many trees.”

    As important as that, we need to shift to regenerative agriculture. Perennial pasturing and polycropping rebuilds soil and sequesters carbon. It’s not a silver bullet, we still desparately need to reduce emissions asap. But it also happens to be the solution to drought, Peak Soil, and shifting to a post-peak oil society.

    “Healthy grasslands, livestock and associated livelihoods constitute a win-win option for addressing climate change in fragile dryland areas where pastoralism remains the most rational strategy for the wellbeing of communities,”

    “It is a win-win scenario for sequestering carbon, reversing environmental degradation and improving the health, well-being and long term sustainability of livestock based livelihoods.”

    UN discussion paper Review of evidence on drylands pastoral systems and climate change – Implications and opportunities for mitigation and adaptation

    http://www.carbonranching.org/INTRO/Discussion_Paper.pdf

    .

    Bioneers: What’s the most important agricultural climate change practice?

    Darren: We can start to build more soil carbon into the equation because that’s one of the great buffers against climate change. Not only does it download atmospheric carbon out of the process, but it also creates a resiliency against the biggest problem in a lot of zones where there has been reliable rainfall in the past and now rainfall is unreliable.

    Bioneers: How does carbon farming work?

    Darren: There’s an amount of carbon right above any landscape that can be utilized, primarily in the form of carbon dioxide and other carbon compounds that soil organisms, plants and others use as nutrients.

    We’re looking to create systems that hold more of that carbon in the organisms and the residues of those organisms for the longest possible times, and then take advantage of the benefits that the diversity and the residues provide. Whether that’s residues in the form of humus, which is a very stable carbon-compound, or whether it’s residues in terms of a leaf litter that’s on the soil surface, which reduces evaporation.

    We’re trying to increase the retention time of carbon in its solid form in landscapes for as long as possible as opposed to allowing it to become gaseous, that’s when it becomes quite dangerous to us all. That is what carbon farming is all about.

    http://www.bioneers.org/agriculture-climate-change-interview-darren-doherty/

    .

    Experimental design using two rangelands (a valley grassland and a coastal grassland), with untreated controls and treatment sites with a single application of ½ inch of commercially available composted organic green waste. Both sites are composed largely of nonnative annual grasses. The field experiment continued for three growing seasons. All plots were grazed using a rotational regime typical of the region during the spring and fall for up to four weeks, depending on the amount of available forage.

    Sequestration of just 1 Mg C ha-1 y-1 (or one metric ton per hectare) on half the rangeland area in California would offset 42 million metric tons of CO2e, an amount equivalent to the annual GHG emissions from energy use for commercial and residential sectors in California.

    http://www.marincarbonproject.org/science/land-management-carbon-sequestration

    • RedLogix 7.1

      Thank you. There is enormous potential in these ideas. Technology alone will not provide enough new energy or sufficient savings.

      An agricultural revolution has to be the other component.

      • batweka 7.1.1

        The great thing is that regenag farmers are already doing this and so have built up the expertise for others to follow. This is happening in NZ too. And now the universities and scientists are increasingly looking at this thanks to pioneers in those spheres. I still don’t see a lot in the public domain that is easy for the public to get to grips with (or politicians), so I guess the next step will be getting journos and NGOs with PR and education budgets on board. Not holding my breath about the govt, but I should go look at whether the GP are on board.

        • RedLogix 7.1.1.1

          Another area we are actively pursuing right now is aquaponics. One of several pioneering experts is located within an hours drive and we’re definitely planning a visit soon.

        • b waghorn 7.1.1.2

          One thing that is becoming more common is no tillage direct drilling of crops as farmers are realising the value of keeping carbon and moisture in the soil, its cheaper to which will help with the more hard headed old timers.

          • batweka 7.1.1.2.1

            Do you know if the farmer advisors are getting on board with this?

            • b waghorn 7.1.1.2.1.1

              No sorry I Havn’t had much to do with consultants. There’s a chap buy the name of Dr John Baker doing good work with cross slot no tillage in Palmerston north.

            • b waghorn 7.1.1.2.1.2

              Another guy doing good stuff is Doug Avery he’s farming some of the hardest dry land in nz with Lucerne instead of irrigation and spreading his knowledge.

    • b waghorn 7.2

      There has been a compost trial going on in south Canterbury since about 09

  8. One Anonymous Bloke 8

    Theatre, theatre, read all about it: New Zealand brokers pre-arranged agreement to do nothing, National Party profits in the short term.

    Meanwhile, on Earth, primary insurers face “rising income uncertainty and more volatile results”, which is a lovely euphemism for “massive losses that they will pass on to their customers”.

  9. Matthew Hooton 9

    Do you think NZ should tell China it must sign up to a legally binding target?
    And say what?
    “Or else”?
    Do you think that would be effective?
    If not, what would you do?

    • more pettifogging from hooton..

      ..it must be a day ending in a ‘y’…

      ..what wd u do..?

      ..or r u just on a default do-nothing! setting..?

      ..like most other tories..

      • You think trying to achieve a climate deal that can be supported by all of China, US, EU, India and Brazil is trivial and petty?
        Whereas, say, placing a floor on the price of an NZU would be something important and serious?

        • phillip ure 9.1.1.1

          u r a professional pettifogger..it’s what you do..

          ..with every important issue…working for yr tory masters..

          ..you drape those issues with irrelevancies..

          ..u cloud the waters..

          ..and it is no difference here..

          ..we should be leading the world in our adoption of the changes needed..

          ..we aren’t..we use the lucky accident of our high levels of renewable energy,,as the reason/excuse to do s.f.a.else…

          ..and u r here supporting this govt and their do-nothing/s.f.a. stances around climate-change.

          ..so take yr faux-outrage at being called out..and stick it somewhere…eh..?

        • Psycho Milt 9.1.1.2

          It will be supported because it doesn’t require anyone to do anything – which makes it, yes, trivial. Witness the fact that the NZ government hasn’t actually set the ball rolling by committing to an emissions cut itself, and has implemented an ETS specifically designed to offer the appearance of having an ETS without suffering any of the consequences of actually having one. The other countries will understand hypocrisy very well and it’s on that basis they’ll be willing to sign up.

    • mickysavage 9.2

      Thanks Matthew.

      I would not be promoting New Zealand’s position as “the only game in town” and “hard-line”. It is not. It is a weak cop out that will continue to do nothing about climate change.

      • That still doesn’t say what you would do.
        And given the NZ proposal is the only one that BOTH the US and China might possibly support, and which might have an outside change of being ratified by the US Congress, that does make it “the only game in town” doesn’t it?

        • Poission 9.2.1.1

          that does make it “the only game in town” doesn’t it?

          The US/China agreement is a non antagonistic game,insofar as it is an agreement for fair play principles by temporal bounds only.

          It eliminates the idealistic constraint of affixing an arbitrary number to subjective opinions.

          the so called fair play games allow each (both developed and developing countries) to develop systems that are compatible with their own internal resources to reduce emissions. eg Svirezhev

          http://www.pik-potsdam.de/~bloh/publications/svirezhev99a/welcome.html

  10. les 10

    Nobel Prize winner Al Gore in 20007…’the ice cap is falling off a cliff.It could be completely gone in summer in as little as 7 years from now’!-2014 Record Antarctic sea ice recorded….global warming…yeah right!

    • Te Reo Putake 10.1

      Gore was referring to land ice. Melting land ice contributes to an increase in sea ice. It’s actually proof that Gore was correct, les.

      • les 10.1.1

        so when he says ‘ice cap’ he means land ice…because!

        • One Anonymous Bloke 10.1.1.1

          Because he’s a politician relaying information (and an entry on the “Climate Denial Bingo” card), not a peer-reviewed journal.

        • Murray Rawshark 10.1.1.2

          Yes he does. An ice cap is ice on land. The equivalent over water is called an ice sheet. Try harder next time.

          • les 10.1.1.2.1

            heres definition…’An extensive dome-shaped or platelike perennial cover of ice and snow that spreads out from a center and covers a large area, especially of land.’=ice cap….p.s I know’ ice’ is not land.

    • One Anonymous Bloke 10.2

      Les apparently can’t conceive of a reason increasing Antarctic sea ice might be evidence of a problem. A wingnut of very little brain.

      • Te Reo Putake 10.2.1

        Apparently the paid deniers have been promoting this bunkum in recent months. Happily, quite a few actual science articles have popped up to debunk it. But you can see how, at a superficial level, it can fool folk like les. The good news is that climate change is accepted almost without dispute these days. The bad news is that the corporations who are the primary cause of it are fighting bitterly to keep polluting.

        • les 10.2.1.1

          yes , a lay person like myself finds it hard to line these things up.Very skeptical when I look at things like the so called ‘good nutriton’ pyramid that gets turned upside down or reshuffled quite frequently.

          • One Anonymous Bloke 10.2.1.1.1

            Really, Les. What fundamental principles of greenhouse Physics have been “turned upside down” since 1896?

          • Psycho Milt 10.2.1.1.2

            les – nutrition guidelines are based on social science, ie they’re effectively opinion-based and should be treated as such. AGW is based on demonstrable principles of physics, eg changing the mix of gases in the atmosphere has effects that are predictable. The two things aren’t comparable. The only arguments left re AGW are about how much of an effect, and how that translates into actual conditions experienced by humans – those are based on computer-modelling and therefore subject to argument, but AGW itself isn’t.

            • les 10.2.1.1.2.1

              thank you for your measured reply.That actually makes sense.

              • One Anonymous Bloke

                It certainly does, and are you saying you hadn’t figured that out for yourself?

                It’s worth noting, by the way, that the first successful climate model was described in 1896, and every single one of the predictions it made were “skillful”. Modern global circulation models merely seek to increase the “resolution” available – dividing the atmosphere into smaller and smaller “cells” as computer power increases.

      • les 10.2.2

        Les just stated 2 facts…you are the one making assumptions.Evidence of a ‘problem’ =?

        • One Anonymous Bloke 10.2.2.1

          What are the sources of the extra sea-ice, Les?

          • les 10.2.2.1.1

            surely you jest!Are you really Stephen Hawking or did you teach him everything he knows?’ A wingnut of very little brain.’

            • One Anonymous Bloke 10.2.2.1.1.1

              Ah, so you cited the Antarctic sea-ice figure without even the slightest inkling why it’s at record levels? Yes, I think your stunted intellect might explain why you did that.

              Next.

          • Naturesong 10.2.2.1.2

            Increase in Antarctic sea ice.

            AND

            Current sea level rise is about 3 mm/year worldwide.
            NOAA states “this is a significantly larger rate than the sea-level rise averaged over the last several thousand years”, and the rate may be increasing.

            Points to, a LOT more water entering the oceans from somewhere.

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    2 days ago
  • Bitter and angry; Winston First
    New Zealand First Leader Winston Peters’s state-of-the-nation speech on Sunday was really a state-of-Winston-First speech. He barely mentioned any of the Government’s key policies and could not even wholly endorse its signature income tax cuts. Instead, he rehearsed all of his complaints about the Ardern Government, including an extraordinary claim ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    2 days ago
  • 2024 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #11
    A listing of 35 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, March 10, 2024 thru Sat, March 16, 2024. Story of the week This week we'll give you a little glimpse into how we collect links to share and ...
    2 days ago
  • 2024 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #11
    A listing of 35 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, March 10, 2024 thru Sat, March 16, 2024. Story of the week This week we'll give you a little glimpse into how we collect links to share and ...
    2 days ago
  • Out of Touch.
    “I’ve been internalising a really complicated situation in my head.”When they kept telling us we should wait until we get to know him, were they taking the piss? Was it a case of, if you think this is bad, wait till you get to know the real Christopher, after the ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    3 days ago
  • Bring out your Dad
    Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago
  • Bring out your Dad
    Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago
  • Bring out your Dad
    Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago
  • The bewildering world of Chris Luxon – Guns for all, not no lunch for kids
    .“$10 and a target that bleeds” - Bleeding Targets for Under $10!.Thanks for reading Frankly Speaking ! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.This government appears hell-bent on either scrapping life-saving legislation or reintroducing things that - frustrated critics insist - will be dangerous and likely ...
    Frankly SpeakingBy Frank Macskasy
    3 days ago
  • Expert Opinion: Ageing Boomers, Laurie & Les, Talk Politics.
    It hardly strikes me as fair to criticise a government for doing exactly what it said it was going to do. For actually keeping its promises.”THUNDER WAS PLAYING TAG with lightning flashes amongst the distant peaks. Its rolling cadences interrupted by the here-I-come-here-I-go Doppler effect of the occasional passing car. ...
    3 days ago
  • Manufacturing The Truth.
    Subversive & Disruptive Technologies: Just as happened with that other great regulator of the masses, the Medieval Church, the advent of a new and hard-to-control technology – the Internet –  is weakening the ties that bind. Then, and now, those who enjoy a monopoly on the dissemination of lies, cannot and will ...
    3 days ago
  • A Powerful Sensation of Déjà Vu.
    Been Here Before: To find the precedents for what this Coalition Government is proposing, it is necessary to return to the “glory days” of Muldoonism.THE COALITION GOVERNMENT has celebrated its first 100 days in office by checking-off the last of its listed commitments. It remains, however, an angry government. It ...
    3 days ago
  • Can you guess where world attention is focussed (according to Greenpeace)? It’s focussed on an EPA...
    Bob Edlin writes –  And what is the world watching today…? The email newsletter from Associated Press which landed in our mailbox early this morning advised: In the news today: The father of a school shooter has been found guilty of involuntary manslaughter; prosecutors in Trump’s hush-money case ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    3 days ago
  • Further integrity problems for the Greens in suspending MP Darleen Tana
    Bryce Edwards writes – Is another Green MP on their way out? And are the Greens severely tarnished by another integrity scandal? For the second time in three months, the Green Party has secretly suspended an MP over integrity issues. Mystery is surrounding the party’s decision to ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 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
    4 days ago
  • Bernard’s Dawn Chorus with six newsey things at 6:46am for Saturday, March 16
    TL;DR: The six newsey things that stood out to me as of 6:46am on Saturday, March 16.Andy Foster has accidentally allowed a Labour/Green amendment to cut road user chargers for plug-in hybrid vehicles, which the Government might accept; NZ Herald Thomas Coughlan Simeon Brown has rejected a plea from Westport ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • How Did FTX Crash?
    What seemed a booming success a couple of years ago has collapsed into fraud convictions.I looked at the crash of FTX (short for ‘Futures Exchange’) in November 2022 to see whether it would impact on the financial system as a whole. Fortunately there was barely a ripple, probably because it ...
    PunditBy Brian Easton
    4 days ago
  • Elections in Russia and Ukraine
    Anybody following the situation in Ukraine and Russia would probably have been amused by a recent Tweet on X NATO seems to be putting in an awful lot of effort to influence what is, at least according to them, a sham election in an autocracy.When do the Ukrainians go to ...
    4 days ago
  • Bernard’s six stack of substacks at 6pm on March 15
    TL;DR: Shaun Baker on Wynyard Quarter's transformation. Magdalene Taylor on the problem with smart phones. How private equity are now all over reinsurance. Dylan Cleaver on rugby and CTE. Emily Atkin on ‘Big Meat’ looking like ‘Big Oil’.Bernard’s six-stack of substacks at 6pm on March 15Photo by Jeppe Hove Jensen ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • Buzz from the Beehive Finance Minister Nicola Willis had plenty to say when addressing the Auckland Business Chamber on the economic growth that (she tells us) is flagging more than we thought. But the government intends to put new life into it:  We want our country to be a ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    4 days ago
  • National’s clean car tax advances
    The Transport and Infrastructure Committee has reported back on the Road User Charges (Light Electric RUC Vehicles) Amendment Bill, basicly rubberstamping it. While there was widespread support among submitters for the principle that EV and PHEV drivers should pay their fair share for the roads, they also overwhelmingly disagreed with ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    4 days ago
  • Government funding bailouts
    Peter Dunne writes – This week’s government bailout – the fifth in the last eighteen months – of the financially troubled Ruapehu Alpine Lifts company would have pleased many in the central North Island ski industry. The government’s stated rationale for the $7 million funding was that it ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • Two offenders, different treatments.
    See if you can spot the difference. An Iranian born female MP from a progressive party is accused of serial shoplifting. Her name is leaked to the media, which goes into a pack frenzy even before the Police launch an … Continue reading ...
    KiwipoliticoBy Pablo
    4 days ago
  • Treaty references omitted
    Ele Ludemann writes  – The government is omitting general Treaty references from legislation : The growth of Treaty of Waitangi clauses in legislation caused so much worry that a special oversight group was set up by the last Government in a bid to get greater coherence in the public service on Treaty ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • The Ghahraman Conflict
    What was that judge thinking? Peter Williams writes –  That Golriz Ghahraman and District Court Judge Maria Pecotic were once lawyer colleagues is incontrovertible. There is published evidence that they took at least one case to the Court of Appeal together. There was a report on ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • Bernard's Top 10 @ 10 'pick 'n' mix' for March 15
    TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: Climate Scorpion – the sting is in the tail. Introducing planetary solvency. A paper via the University of Exeter’s Institute and Faculty of Actuaries.Local scoop: Kāinga Ora starts pulling out of its Auckland projects and selling land RNZ ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 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
    5 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
    5 days ago
  • That Word.
    Something you might not know about me is that I’m quite a stubborn person. No, really. I don’t much care for criticism I think’s unfair or that I disagree with. Few of us do I suppose.Back when I was a drinker I’d sometimes respond defensively, even angrily. There are things ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago
  • The Hoon around the week to March 15
    Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The five things that mattered in Aotearoa’s political economy that we wrote and spoke about via The Kākā and elsewhere for paying subscribers in the last week included:PM Christopher Luxon said the reversal of interest deductibility for landlords was done to help renters, who ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • Labour’s policy gap
    It was not so much the Labour Party but really the Chris Hipkins party yesterday at Labour’s caucus retreat in Martinborough. The former Prime Minister was more or less consistent on wealth tax, which he was at best equivocal about, and social insurance, which he was not willing to revisit. ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    5 days ago
  • Skeptical Science New Research for Week #11 2024
    Open access notables A Glimpse into the Future: The 2023 Ocean Temperature and Sea Ice Extremes in the Context of Longer-Term Climate Change, Kuhlbrodt et al., Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society: In the year 2023, we have seen extraordinary extrema in high sea surface temperature (SST) in the North Atlantic and in ...
    5 days ago
  • Melissa remains mute on media matters but has something to say (at a sporting event) about economic ...
     Buzz from the Beehive   The text reproduced above appears on a page which records all the media statements and speeches posted on the government’s official website by Melissa Lee as Minister of Media and Communications and/or by Jenny Marcroft, her Parliamentary Under-secretary.  It can be quickly analysed ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    5 days ago
  • The return of Muldoon
    For forty years, Robert Muldoon has been a dirty word in our politics. His style of government was so repulsive and authoritarian that the backlash to it helped set and entrench our constitutional norms. His pig-headedness over forcing through Think Big eventually gave us the RMA, with its participation and ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    5 days ago
  • Will the rental tax cut improve life for renters or landlords?
    Bryce Edwards writes –  Is the new government reducing tax on rental properties to benefit landlords or to cut the cost of rents? That’s the big question this week, after Associate Finance Minister David Seymour announced on Sunday that the Government would be reversing the Labour Government’s removal ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • Geoffrey Miller: What Saudi Arabia’s rapid changes mean for New Zealand
    Saudi Arabia is rarely far from the international spotlight. The war in Gaza has brought new scrutiny to Saudi plans to normalise relations with Israel, while the fifth anniversary of the controversial killing of Jamal Khashoggi was marked shortly before the war began on October 7. And as the home ...
    Democracy ProjectBy Geoffrey Miller
    5 days ago
  • Racism’s double standards
    Questions need to be asked on both sides of the world Peter Williams writes –   The NRL Judiciary hands down an eight week suspension to Sydney Roosters forward Spencer Leniu , an Auckland-born Samoan, after he calls Ezra Mam, Sydney-orn but of Aboriginal and Torres Strait ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • It’s not a tax break
    Ele Ludemann writes – Contrary to what many headlines and news stories are saying, residential landlords are not getting a tax break. The government is simply restoring to them the tax deductibility of interest they had until the previous government removed it. There is no logical reason ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 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
    6 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
    6 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 ...
    6 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
    6 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
    6 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 ...
    6 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
    6 days ago
  • I Think I'm Done Flying Boeing
    Hi,Just quickly — I’m blown away by the stories you’ve shared with me over the last week since I put out the ‘Gary’ podcast, where I told you about the time my friend’s flatmate killed the neighbour.And you keep telling me stories — in the comments section, and in my ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    6 days ago
  • Invoking Aristotle: Of Rings of Power, Stones, and Ships
    The first season of Rings of Power was not awful. It was thoroughly underwhelming, yes, and left a lingering sense of disappointment, but it was more expensive mediocrity than catastrophe. I wrote at length about the series as it came out (see the Review section of the blog, and go ...
    6 days ago
  • Van Velden brings free-market approach to changing labour laws – but her colleagues stick to distr...
    Buzz from the Beehive Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Brooke van Velden told Auckland Business Chamber members they were the first audience to hear her priorities as a minister in a government committed to cutting red tape and regulations. She brandished her liberalising credentials, saying Flexible labour markets are the ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago
  • Why Newshub failed
    Chris Trotter writes – TO UNDERSTAND WHY NEWSHUB FAILED, it is necessary to understand how TVNZ changed. Up until 1989, the state broadcaster had been funded by a broadcasting licence fee, collected from every citizen in possession of a television set, supplemented by a relatively modest (compared ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago
  • Māori Party on the warpath against landlords and seabed miners – let’s see if mystical creature...
    Bob Edlin writes  –  The Māori Party has been busy issuing a mix of warnings and threats as its expresses its opposition to interest deductibility for landlords and the plans of seabed miners. It remains to be seen whether they  follow the example of indigenous litigants in Australia, ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago

  • Government moves to quickly ratify the NZ-EU FTA
    "The Government is moving quickly to realise an additional $46 million in tariff savings in the EU market this season for Kiwi exporters,” Minister for Trade and Agriculture, Todd McClay says. Parliament is set, this week, to complete the final legislative processes required to bring the New Zealand – European ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 hours ago
  • Positive progress for social worker workforce
    New Zealand’s social workers are qualified, experienced, and more representative of the communities they serve, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “I want to acknowledge and applaud New Zealand’s social workers for the hard work they do, providing invaluable support for our most vulnerable. “To coincide with World ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    12 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
    14 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
    15 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
    1 day 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
    5 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
    5 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
    5 days ago
  • Early visit to Indonesia strengthens ties
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters held discussions in Jakarta today about the future of relations between New Zealand and South East Asia’s most populous country.   “We are in Jakarta so early in our new government’s term to reflect the huge importance we place on our relationship with Indonesia and South ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • China Foreign Minister to visit
    Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Winston Peters has announced that the Foreign Minister of China, Wang Yi, will visit New Zealand next week.  “We look forward to re-engaging with Foreign Minister Wang Yi and discussing the full breadth of the bilateral relationship, which is one of New Zealand’s ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Minister opens new Auckland Rail Operations Centre
    Transport Minister Simeon Brown has today opened the new Auckland Rail Operations Centre, which will bring together KiwiRail, Auckland Transport, and Auckland One Rail to improve service reliability for Aucklanders. “The recent train disruptions in Auckland have highlighted how important it is KiwiRail and Auckland’s rail agencies work together to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Celebrating 10 years of Crankworx Rotorua
    The Government is proud to support the 10th edition of Crankworx Rotorua as the Crankworx World Tour returns to Rotorua from 16-24 March 2024, says Minister for Economic Development Melissa Lee.  “Over the past 10 years as Crankworx Rotorua has grown, so too have the economic and social benefits that ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Government delivering on tax commitments
    Legislation implementing coalition Government tax commitments and addressing long-standing tax anomalies will be progressed in Parliament next week, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The legislation is contained in an Amendment Paper to the Taxation (Annual Rates for 2023–24, Multinational Tax, and Remedial Matters) Bill issued today.  “The Amendment Paper represents ...
    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
    6 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
    6 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
    6 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
    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 ...
    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
    7 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
    7 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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    7 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
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  • 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 ...
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  • 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 ...
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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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  • Minister appoints new NZTA Chair
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  • 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 ...
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  • Progress continues apace on water storage
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  • Government agrees to restore interest deductions
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  • Minister to attend World Anti-Doping Agency Symposium
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    1 week ago

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