Hypocrisy and the cost of crime

Written By: - Date published: 7:54 am, October 21st, 2014 - 58 comments
Categories: benefits, class war, crime, law, scoundrels - Tags: , , , ,

RNZ had an excellent weekend piece on the cost of crime:

Economic crime costs up to $9.4bn

Economic crime is costing New Zealand up to $9.4 billion a year according to a draft Serious Fraud Office (SFO) report obtained by Radio New Zealand.

At the beginning of last year the then Minister for the SFO, Anne Tolley, was reported as saying that a number of Government ministries had been working for two years on a report quantifying the cost of economic crime and it would be presented to Cabinet in the near future.

But the report did not make it to Cabinet and was not released.

Why didn’t the report get published? Why did RNZ have to use the OIA to get it? The Nats (Michael Woodhouse) say it was because they had concerns about the methodology. What they mean, of course, is that they didn’t like the results:

cost-of-crime-2014

National spends much of its spin and legislative effort demonising benefit fraud. It is a tiny fraction of fraud over all, which is completely dominated by $2Bn of tax fraud.

The report noted that was more than twice the combined annual budgets of police, the Department of Corrections, and the courts; more than the total net profit of New Zealand’s top 200 companies and top 30 financial institutions; or the equivalent of $2000 for every adult living in New Zealand.

By far the biggest component of that $6.1 to $9.4 billion was an estimated $2 billion a year in tax fraud – benefit fraud by comparison was thought to be about $80 million.

No wonder the Nats tried to bury it. Go read the full article on RNZ, plenty of other interesting stuff in there.

My conclusion (which should sound vaguely familiar) – our priorities as a country are completely screwed. If we put as much energy into cracking down on economic crime as we did chasing welfare cheats – we could afford a proper welfare system…

58 comments on “Hypocrisy and the cost of crime ”

  1. One Anonymous Bloke 1

    Concerns about methodology are the equivalent of whining that the model is wrong.

    Is the methodology so broken that the model is useless? Of course not, and in all circumstances the obvious next step is to improve the methodology.

    It’s tempting to conclude that the problem for the National Party is that they don’t want anyone following where the money goes too closely (I am forcibly reminded of Lester Freeman. Not to mention Clay Davis. Sheee-it!).

    Edit: what a crying shame that lots of information about the model is available somewhere the National Party can’t ratfuck it 😈

    • Draco T Bastard 1.1

      Is the methodology so broken that the model is useless? Of course not, and in all circumstances the obvious next step is to improve the methodology.

      Yep. The correct path was to publish the results and make a fact based critique of the methodology. The fact that National didn’t do this indicates that the failure to publish was simply because they didn’t like it.

      It’s tempting to conclude that the problem for the National Party is that they don’t want anyone following where the money goes too closely

      I’m pretty sure that’s exactly their problem with it. Just think, if the tax fraud alone was tracked and properly accounted for the profits of the top two hundred firms in NZ would effectively disappear which means that accumulation of money to the wealthy bludgers would seriously decrease.

      Quite specifically, what such a report is showing is that business can’t make a profit without ripping off the country.

      • RedLogixFormes 1.1.1

        Or more accurately – the only profits that remain are to be made are from ripping off ordinary people with less influence and power.

      • greywarshark 1.1.2

        Rock stars often find that their managers fiddle the books, and leave them with large tax bills, and little working capital or investments.

        Our rock star economy is then working true to form, and it’s not the Nat government’s fault, the others in private enterprise do it too (even if Labour didn’t). And if Labour didn’t seem to bend the rules and the books, it’s just because they haven’t been caught out by being audited ‘properly’.

        Everyone knows that Labour can’t and don’t do anything right, NACTs are always reminding everybody of this until the public have accepted it like trained Pavlovian dogs. It’s a real bone of contention.

    • NickS 1.2

      All models are wrong, some are just less wrong than others 😈

      But yes, if they’re going to whine about methodology, but not state what’s wrong with it, that’s usually a sign someone is bullshiting, and Woodhouse’s statement here:

      “The work previously done to quantify the cost of economic crime in New Zealand was based on a methodology developed overseas. In the course of the work, it became clear that the methodology was not directly applicable to the New Zealand context.

      Is pretty damn weak, how was it not applicable? Was it over/under estimating, or missing various types of frauds?

      And as the Minister for the SFO shouldn't he know the specifics of the problem?

      And why weren't these issues picked up during the initial research? As usually methodological issues show up pretty early on in the design stage, where a research group is nutting out the foundations of the paper. The ones that make it past this stage are usually due to lack of expert knowledge, but in this case they were collaborating with the people in the UK who did the original fraud estimation work.

  2. just saying 2

    We can afford a proper social security system now. Affordability is not the reason we don’t have one. Let’s not repeat this narrative, even to emphasise another important point.
    How much tax revenue was spent bailing out SCF investors?

  3. Sabine 3

    1. surely no one expects the PM and his cronies to dob in their mates. Really what are you thinking.
    2. would it not be awesome if we had some opposition parties that could have a statement of two on the events of the country.
    Alas, the Greens are silent, the Labour Party is in a Pillow fight for who will be leader in the place of leader ad NZ First might have something to say.

    Missing Hone, muchly.

  4. Phil 4

    Here are the highlights of the methodology section.

    “… as this first Cost of Economic Crime Report is essentially a stock-take of exisitng information, no new data collection activities or surveys were undertaken.”

    “Where a figure for detected or undetected fraud was provided… it has been used without adjustment.”

    “Total fraud (detected and undetected) is therefore almost entirely based on international benchmarks.”

    This is, quite frankly, a terrible way to quantify fraud. The SFO has not approached this report with any statistical rigour whatsoever. Data has been accepted without sufficient validation and the cross-checking of results against international peers is hand-wavy and vague at best.

    If I were Woodhouse and the Nats, I would have tossed this report back at the SFO and said “get off your asses and do it properly”.

    • left for deadshark 4.1

      One thing i’m sure of,Jester Borrows stated in Parliament,in relation to the bill penalizing beneficiary partners.Q + A from opposition member,(they spent four times that amount on all other fraud)in relation to monies spent on welfare fraud.that is a fact,only four,thats pitiful go check Hansard.

      that would be earlier this year,maybe late,the previous year.

    • Aaron 4.2

      so what are you saying – welfare isn’t a tiny component of fraud in this country?

      Other figures I’ve seen: Yearly benefit fraud cost $23 million, yearly tax dodging cost between 0.5 to 6 billion. The estimate for tax fraud is at least more honest because by definition there’s no actual records of lost tax and it’s a bit of a stab in the dark.

      As usual in these debates though there is no discussion about where that money goes. If it’s the local tradie doing cash jobs then at least that money is spent back into the local economy (with other taxpayers having to pick up the slack). If it’s the local multinational corporation of course unpaid tax immediately goes overseas.

      • Phil 4.2.1

        so what are you saying – welfare isn’t a tiny component of fraud in this country?

        No, I’m not saying that. I am saying that this report is a terrible starting point for understanding the size and scope of financial fraud.

        If it’s the local tradie doing cash jobs then at least that money is spent back into the local economy… If it’s the local multinational corporation of course unpaid tax immediately goes overseas

        That’s overly simplistic thinking. There is likely to be a much higher incidence-rate of local tradespeople taking on cash jobs and not delcaring income. If that cash is spent on imported goods (new iPhone or samsung LCD TV) it isn’t going “back into the local economy” at all.

        • Aaron 4.2.1.1

          If you don’t want to be simplistic we should say that a portion of the undeclared money spent by tradespeople is spent on products from overseas and that a portion of that portion goes overseas (to manufacturers and shipping companies) but thanks for the insult.

          And you’re right that most of the official tax dodging is from small business people, the corporates tend to make sure their tax dodging gets legalised.

          Another interesting point too, a lot of tradespeople actually pass on the savings for cash jobs to their customers and are just happy to avoid all the bookwork.

          My main point however is that the way we talk about economics in this country is so bad that we might as well not bother. Out little debate illustrates how fuzzy a lot of this stuff is and consequently the only things I know I can be sure of are that benefit fraud is a much, much smaller problem than tax fraud and that neither are as big a problem for New Zealand as the money that gets repatriated overseas.

        • Draco T Bastard 4.2.1.2

          No, I’m not saying that. I am saying that this report is a terrible starting point for understanding the size and scope of financial fraud.

          Actually, it’s an excellent starting point. Why?

          Because it shows:

          1. That we have to deal to the fraud and
          2. Where we need to tighten up the figures

          Which pretty much defines a good starting place.

        • b waghorn 4.2.1.3

          The obvious way to stop petty fraud buy tradies is to create a cashless society .

          • adam 4.2.1.3.1

            I argue the avoidance of GST and other flat taxes to be a good thing. Anytime we show up flat taxes as the route they are the better.

            Also as the state in the hands of this lot is so corrupt – is it not your duty, to not uphold that corruption, as a honest, fair minded citizen?

            Those who help working people by making it cheaper for goods and services are the good guys, not the bad.

            Can some on the left get over their love affair with the state – this lot have used the state to punish and brutalise people ffs. And that is not a historical anomaly – it’s business as usual.

            • One Anonymous Bloke 4.2.1.3.1.1

              “The State” is such a trite and reductionist description of the way government functions in Aotearoa, that its use as a rhetorical device seems almost dishonest, Hootonesque, if you will.

              • adam

                The face of the elites, who use instruments of manipulation and control like, the courts, parliament and the media. When threatened will use brutal force and violence – via agents like the military and police to enforce their will. That is the state I mean OAB – did you think I meant something else?

          • Draco T Bastard 4.2.1.3.2

            Not just petty fraud – all fraud. In fact, you can pretty much throw in all crime that involves money including theft.

            • b waghorn 4.2.1.3.2.1

              At risk of contradicting my self I just read a article at a sight called new American and it raised the point that it might not be a good idea to become a cashless society if you’ve got a run away government that could then track all your spending habits and use that information against you. I guess we would have decide if the benefits are worth the risk.

              • Draco T Bastard

                As long as the government remains unaccountable to the populace we have that problem. Just look at the laws on surveillance that this government have passed.

                In other words, we need to change the present system. At the moment we have an elected dictatorship and we need to change that to make the people the government and our elected representatives our servants.

                Oh, and I’m also sure that this government would be against being a cashless society as their own crimes would rapidly become apparent.

    • adam 4.3

      BFW – seriously, any government worth it’s salt would have got this sorted – rather than sit on it.

      This is just another example of distraction, fiddle and waffle.

    • NickS 4.4

      🙄

      As far as I can glean from the draft, what they used was government report figures, which are usually taken as statistically valid unless there are prior known concerns, along with international estimates, which have likely already been put through extensive review. About the only time you generally review data in depth in research is when it’s observational/test data your group has gathered, it’s poor quality, comes from a dodgy source or you’re looking for statistically significant signals others have missed or not looked for (preferably not fishing for P-values though…).

      And while yes, the report could have done with more and better sourcing (page/journal numbers, more peer reviewed stuff) they do state in the introduction and forward the known problems with estimating fraud on both the global and local scale. Also, they are using relatively robust (for rough estimates) sources if you’d bothered checking the citations.

      But hey, why critically read when you can quote mine instead? It’s so totes easier, until someone notices it that is…

    • Murray Rawshark 4.5

      What evidence do you have that the international benchmarks do not apply to Kiwi fraud? What’s so different about our paragons of business that you’d throw this report away?

  5. Aerobubble 5

    Key retook govt because he bailed out mortgagee NZ. The more in debt the more income you must have and so the bigger tax drop was required. The problem. Key assumed that the GFC would eventually end, and I suppose Labour would rebalance the tax system. The GFC however was the market failure from peak oil and not about to be redressed anytime soon. So for key to keep bailing out mortgage nz, he will continue to have to sell, borrow and cut. Key recognized this admitting lower and middle NZ would get a tax cut, and that can only come from tax on wealthier nz.

    • leftie 5.2

      @Aerobubble

      What tax cut? Are you referring to the one that may or may NOT come in 3 years time in 2017?

    • Lloyd 5.3

      Surely a significant reason for the continuation of the GFC is the neo-liberal policies being applied in almost every country except China. If you keep wages and benefits low and give tax breaks to the rich the outcome will be a depressed economy, because the rich don’t have to spend their money. Replace the neo-liberal economic policies generally in vogue across the large economies of the world with Keynesian policies towards the poorer members of society, tax the rich hard to pay for those benefits and increased wages of public servants and any worry about peak oil will vanish.

      • aerobubble 5.3.1

        Neo-liberal policies came into being as cheap high density middle east oil began to flow. The relaxation of financial limits has allowed for massive gearing, leveraging a small about of money into become trillions. The GFC correction was the market realization of a basic physical law, that flows of the cheap oil would contract and disappear, on which the high leveraging was based. Hence. GFC is a fact of life. Key, due to the tyranny of distance, was far enough away from, essential to, and yet poorly managed enough, with a Chinese boom. I mean if you pay over the odds, a risk premium on interest rates, you are likely the last the banks will come calling on. Now Key’s no economic div, he could see that mortgagees foreclosures were going to eventually hit NZ too, and so he quickly started borrowing (thanks to Labour), promised to sell prime assets (flying his ministers too Europe to talk to rating agencies), start cutting services, while rushing a tax cut that magically matched up with income tax payers mortgage obligations. The million dollar mortgages needed a larger income, so got a larger tax windfall from Key, those at the bottom got nothing yet paid more GST.
        Now Key, rightly claimed he was still a believer in progressive taxation, that he believed in welfare too, he’s not stupid, just because the rank boring reiteration of flat taxes and benefit baiting that comprises much of what passes for entertainment news nowadays, does not make it so in anyone’s reality. Key also clearly understands that NZ has not had the impact of the GFC, the rise in petrol prices was buffered by the Chinese baby dragon year boom, as Chinese babies move onto solids, the demand would drop. So the the great tax rebalance cannot last, the lower and middle income earners (those who out of mortgage swan off Key and those in mortgage strife thank he for letting them sell on, lock in low rates, etc). The party however is coming to an end, Key keenly aware he needs to raise taxes back up on the richest, and reinstate the former balance. Else election defeat will be assured. Key keenly understand he needs partners in Dunne, Seymour, Maori parties, so no running off and dictating with his majority.

        Peak oil, abated by markets, for now. The pincher though is going to continue to pressure, oil becoming more expensive and climate change forcing investment in change.

        So yes, Key is a prick, as could be seen in parliament today, openly letting people see when he’s not PM he happy to associate with a nasty piece of work.

  6. wekarawshark 6

    Can someone please work out what % the welfare fraud is? (use say 7 billion as total).

    I saw something the other day, wish I had bookmarked it, that was talking about the govt’s fraud figures including overpayments where no dishonesty was involved. Would be interesting to know which figures the report was using.

    • adam 6.1

      Less than 1% Weka. (at 9+billion) Opps soz just saw the figure you suggested 1-2 % then.

      • Draco T Bastard 6.1.1

        Nope, even using $7b figure it’s still less than 0.01%.

        • adam 6.1.1.1

          Thanks Draco – I moved the decimal point again – this is why I don’t do maths.

          • emergency mike 6.1.1.1.1

            Huh? $80m is 1.1% of $7b.

            • adam 6.1.1.1.1.1

              and less than 1% if the 9 billion figure is used. This is an inflated figure anyway because of the way that records are kept and processed.

              Benefit fraud costing the nation is now an open lie!

            • Draco T Bastard 6.1.1.1.1.2

              Oops, I was using the $22m dollar figure from memory rather than reading the post graph. And then I misread the decimals myself. I should have said ~0.3%.

  7. wekarawshark 7

    Thanks adam. I got 1% but thought that can’t be right (too low).

    • adam 7.1

      No Weka, it is that low. And of that at least 80% of so called fraud, is a mistake by winz staff – then fixed and the person repays.

      It’s a very, very bad joke, which keeps getting told over and over.

      • One Anonymous Bloke 7.1.1

        Not mistakes: a natural consequence of the fact that benefit is paid before income is declared. It takes a spectacular level of dishonesty to misrepresent that as “fraud”.

        • adam 7.1.1.1

          Nailed it in one OAB

        • greywarshark 7.1.1.2

          @ OAB
          It is also likely to result in overpayment because of the narrow way that income is counted and how it must be accounted for on a weekly or fortnightly basis, so the benefit might have to be partly repaid in the next short period.

          It must be hell for the worker in these days of peculiar, lack of committed hours and regular shifts. Easy to be always in a state of uncertainty, it is certainly not a state of democracy that shows respect to all citizens.

          • adam 7.1.1.2.1

            But to count that as fraud – does nothing more than inflate the figures for political purpose.

            • One Anonymous Bloke 7.1.1.2.1.1

              Another example of sophistry employed in the service of deceit, which characterises so much right wing “philosophy” these days,

          • wekarawshark 7.1.1.2.2

            with some benefits income is assessed yearly. I don’t know why WINZ use the set up they do (apart from the obvious) ie they could actually make the system more functional quite easily. Long term beneficiaries declare yearly, short term weekly/fortnightly, medium terms monthly or quarterly. Better yet, let the beneficiary decide (in consult with a WINZ advisor?).

  8. dave 8

    Its the wankers at the top where most of corruption comes from its mostly management a truth this government doesn’t like oh dirty politics proved key and Co are corrupt

    • greywarshark 8.1

      @ dave
      The trouble is that now and then some really blatant beneficiary scams come along and the RWNJs start foaming at the mouth. Nothing but a baseball bat to the system is going to cool them down and so everyone suffers.

      Those on the gravy train feel superior, make happy comments to each other about these lazy, wasteful people and the whole merrygoround starts again with less goodwill and less funding and supportive encouragement.

      They want every post to be a winning post, someone on welfare fails probably because the only way they can manage is by fiddling the system. But then the system is called broke, useless, and expensive but properly run, it can be a little cheaper, and the outcomes are more people doing some work and there would be support for good parenting by learning, and learning to acquire skillsets for a new wort of worker who would have broad rather than narrow skills and capability.

      Deliberate frauds by people in positions of trust and ethics are not regarded so badly. They have just ‘fallen from grace’, but fallen, graceless bennies are beyond the pale.

  9. greywarshark 9

    National spends much of its spin and legislative effort demonising benefit fraud. It is a tiny fraction of fraud over all, which is completely dominated by $2Bn of tax fraud.

    Add to the word ‘dominated’, that of ‘overshadowed’. Welfare $80,(000,000) compared to tax evasion, $2000,(000,000).

    The figure is $80 million on welfare fraud (and this is always open to scrutiny. as to whether it was actual fraud, or someone being overpaid by mistakes in the Department.

    If the beneficiary knows and understands that the figure is wrong, and has tried to get it altered, then it is not fraud, it is inefficiency of the Department. And remember there are loss large tax payers and a lot of beneficiaries for various reasons – old age, lack of employment because of destruction of the economy, by deliberate government policy.

    • One Anonymous Bloke 9.1

      No: the overpayments are inevitable because of the way the system works: any given week’s benefit is calculated on the previous week’s earnings.

      • greywarshark 9.1.1

        OAB
        I knew there was some crazy system. Thanks for detailing it. They are so afraid that they will pay out some little sum too much that they want constant accounting and that is expensive in beneficiary time, and no doubt wages, and in the office and tech time in keeping count. Once a month settling would be better. Or of course UBI with a simplified checking system which would increase unemployment with WINZ clerks being let go.

      • wekarawshark 9.1.2

        “No: the overpayments are inevitable because of the way the system works: any given week’s benefit is calculated on the previous week’s earnings.”

        I’m not sure your implication is correct OAB. I’ve been assuming that the overpayments being lumped in with fraud are the really big ones ie ones that go on for months or years.

        You can’t calculate on future earnings, because they vary so much. That’s not why overpayments are happening. They’re happening because the system is too complicated, and WINZ are basically adminstratively inept.

  10. Wht NEXT 11

    The opposition should be doing everything to make theis pack of ratbastards called the Nat govt to do what the nation requires of them “fix it or fuck off ” namely that thieving Key who knows all to well how to hide his dough and stop BSING us

  11. Penny Bright 12

    Fellow anti-corruption watchdog – Grace Haden – has a petition for a NZ Independent Commission Against Corruption before the Law and Order Select Committee.

    Penny Bright

  12. AmaKiwi 13

    @ Anthony Robins

    “My conclusion (which should sound vaguely familiar) – our priorities as a country are completely screwed.”

    National lives by the Golden Rule: “Them what’s got the gold makes the rules.”

  13. Dont worry. Be happy 14

    Seems weird for the Govt to be dissing this report into fraud based on methodology given that, in choosing those who will compile any report, the Government signs off on the methodology.

    Did they sign off on this methodology in order to be able to diss the report when and if it caught the wrong bunch of crooks (ie the ones they play golf with, the upright citizens who donate to their continued “election” or are asked to God parent their offspring)

  14. Scottie 15

    There is no excuse for the National Government not to vigorously chase public/ business tax fraud, the information makes this clear. Picking on beneficiary fraud is just picking on the low hanging fruit. National needs to throw some money at this, it will pay for itself by the revenue it will gather from fraudulent business and contribute to a more equal society. How can they justify not doing it?

Links to post

Recent Comments

Recent Posts

  • At a glance – Does CO2 always correlate with temperature?
    On February 14, 2023 we announced our Rebuttal Update Project. This included an ask for feedback about the added "At a glance" section in the updated basic rebuttal versions. This weekly blog post series highlights this new section of one of the updated basic rebuttal versions and serves as a ...
    2 hours ago
  • Bernard’s six-stack of substacks at 6.06 pm on Tuesday, March 19
    TL;DR: In today’s ‘six-stack’ of substacks at 6.06pm on Tuesday, March 19:Kāinga Ora’s dry rot The Spinoff DailyBill McKibben on ‘Climate Superfunds’ making Big Oil pay for climate damage The Crucial YearsPreston Mui on returning to 1980s-style productivity growth NoahpinionAndy Boenau on NIMBYs needing unusual bedfellows Urbanism SpeakeasyNed Resnikoff's case ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 hours ago
  • Relentlessly negative
    Negative yesterday, negative today. Negative all year, according to one departing reader telling me I’ve grown strident and predictable. Fair enough. If it’s any help, every time I go to write about a certain topic that begins with C and ends with arrrrs, I do brace myself and ask: Again? Are ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    5 hours ago
  • Scoring 4.6 out of 10, the new Government is struggling in the polls
    Bryce Edwards writes –  It’s been a tumultuous time in politics in recent months, as the new National-led Government has driven through its “First 100 Day programme”. During this period there’s been a handful of opinion polls, which overall just show a minimal amount of flux in public support ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 hours ago
  • Promiscuous Empathy: Chris Trotter Replies To His Critics.
    Inspirational: The Family of Man is a glorious hymn to human equality, but, more than that, it is a clarion call to human freedom. Because equality, unleavened by liberty, is a broken piano, an unstrung harp; upon which the songs of fraternity will never be played. “Somebody must have been telling lies about ...
    6 hours ago
  • Don’t run your business like a criminal enterprise
    The Detail this morning highlights the police's asset forfeiture case against convicted business criminal Ron Salter, who stands to have his business confiscated for systemic violations of health and safety law. Business are crying foul - but not for the reason you'd think. Instead of opposing the post-conviction punishment and ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    6 hours ago
  • Misremembering Justinian’s Taxes.
    Tax Lawyer Barbara Edmonds vs Emperor Justinian I - Nolo Contendere: False historical explanations of pivotal events are very far from being inconsequential.WHEN BARBARA EDMONDS made reference to the Roman Empire, my ears pricked up. It is, lamentably, very rare to hear a politician admit to any kind of familiarity ...
    6 hours ago
  • Bryce Edwards: Scoring 4.6 out of 10, the new Government is struggling in the polls
    It’s been a tumultuous time in politics in recent months, as the new National-led Government has driven through its “First 100 Day programme”. During this period there’s been a handful of opinion polls, which overall just show a minimal amount of flux in public support for the various parties in ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    7 hours ago
  • Bishop scores headlines with crackdown on unwelcome tenants – but Peters scores, too, as tub-thump...
    Buzz from the Beehive Housing Minister Chris Bishop delivered news – packed with the ingredients to enflame political passions – worthy of supplanting Winston Peters in headline writers’ priorities. He popped up at the post-Cabinet press conference to promise a crackdown on unruly and antisocial state housing tenants. His ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    8 hours ago
  • Will it make the boat go faster?
    Ele Ludemann writes – The Reserve Bank is advertising for a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion advisor. The Bank has one mandate – to keep inflation between one and three percent. It has failed in that and is only slowly getting inflation back down to the upper limit. Will it ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    11 hours ago
  • Bryce Edwards: Is Simon Bridges’ NZTA appointment a conflict of interest?
    Last week former National Party leader Simon Bridges was appointed by the Government as the new chair of the New Zealand Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA). You can read about the appointment in Thomas Coughlan’s article, Simon Bridges to become chair of NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi The fact that a ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    11 hours ago
  • Is Simon Bridges’ NZTA appointment a conflict of interest?
    Bryce Edwards writes – Last week former National Party leader Simon Bridges was appointed by the Government as the new chair of the New Zealand Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA). You can read about the appointment in Thomas Coughlan’s article, Simon Bridges to become chair of NZ Transport Agency ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    11 hours ago
  • Bernard's Top 10 @ 10 'pick 'n' mix' at 10:10am on Tuesday, March 19
    TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: Gavin Jacobson talks to Thomas Piketty 10 years on from Capital in the 21st Century The SalvoLocal scoop: Green MP’s business being investigated over migrant exploitation claims Stuff Steve KilgallonLocal deep-dive: The commercial contractors making money from School ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    12 hours ago
  • Bernard's six newsy things on Tuesday, March 19
    It’s a home - but Kāinga Ora tenants accused of “abusing the privilege” may lose it. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The Government announced a crackdown on Kāinga Ora tenants who were unruly and/or behind on their rent, with Housing Minister Chris Bishop saying a place in a state ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    13 hours ago
  • New Life for Light Rail
    This is a guest post by Connor Sharp of Surface Light Rail  Light rail in Auckland: A way forward sooner than you think With the coup de grâce of Auckland Light Rail (ALR) earlier this year, and the shift of the government’s priorities to roads, roads, and more roads, it ...
    Greater AucklandBy Guest Post
    14 hours ago
  • Why Are Bosses Nearly All Buffoons?
    Note: As a paid-up Webworm member, I’ve recorded this Webworm as a mini-podcast for you as well. Some of you said you liked this option - so I aim to provide it when I get a chance to record! Read more ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    16 hours ago
  • Bernard’s six-stack of substacks at 6.06 pm on March 18
    TL;DR: In my ‘six-stack’ of substacks at 6.06pm on Monday, March 18:IKEA is accused of planting big forests in New Zealand to green-wash; REDD-MonitorA City for People takes a well-deserved victory lap over Wellington’s pro-YIMBY District Plan votes; A City for PeopleSteven Anastasiou takes a close look at the sticky ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 day ago
  • Peters holds his ground on co-governance, but Willis wriggles on those tax cuts and SNA suspension l...
    Buzz from the Beehive Here’s hoping for a lively post-cabinet press conference when the PM and – perhaps – some of his ministers tell us what was discussed at their meeting today. Until then, Point of Order has precious little Beehive news to report after its latest monitoring of the ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    1 day ago
  • Labour’s final report card
    David Farrar writes –  We now have almost all 2023 data in, which has allowed me to update my annual table of how  went against its promises. This is basically their final report card. The promise The result Build 100,000 affordable homes over 10 ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    1 day ago
  • “Drunk Uncle at a Wedding”
    I’m a bit worried that I’ve started a previous newsletter with the words “just when you think they couldn’t get any worse…” Seems lately that I could begin pretty much every issue with that opening. Such is the nature of our coalition government that they seem to be outdoing each ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    1 day ago
  • Wang Yi’s perfectly-timed, Aukus-themed visit to New Zealand
    Geoffrey Miller writes – Timing is everything. And from China’s perspective, this week’s visit by its foreign minister to New Zealand could be coming at just the right moment. The visit by Wang Yi to Wellington will be his first since 2017. Anniversaries are important to Beijing. ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    1 day ago
  • Gordon Campbell on Dune 2, and images of Islam
    Depictions of Islam in Western popular culture have rarely been positive, even before 9/11. Five years on from the mosque shootings, this is one of the cultural headwinds that the Muslim community has to battle against. Whatever messages of tolerance and inclusion are offered in daylight, much of our culture ...
    1 day ago
  • New Rail Operations Centre Promises Better Train Services
    Last week Transport Minster Simeon Brown and Mayor Wayne Brown opened the new Auckland Rail Operations Centre. The new train control centre will see teams from KiwiRail, Auckland Transport and Auckland One Rail working more closely together to improve train services across the city. The Auckland Rail Operations Centre in ...
    2 days ago
  • Bernard's six newsy things at 6.36am on Monday, March 18
    Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Retiring former Labour Finance Minister Grant Robertson said in an exit interview with Q+A yesterday the Government can and should sustain more debt to invest in infrastructure for future generations. Elsewhere in the news in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy at 6:36am: Read more ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago
  • Geoffrey Miller: Wang Yi’s perfectly-timed, Aukus-themed visit to New Zealand
    Timing is everything. And from China’s perspective, this week’s visit by its foreign minister to New Zealand could be coming at just the right moment. The visit by Wang Yi to Wellington will be his first since 2017. Anniversaries are important to Beijing. It is more than just a happy ...
    Democracy ProjectBy Geoffrey Miller
    2 days ago
  • The Kaka’s diary for the week to March 25 and beyond
    TL;DR: The key events to watch in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the week to March 18 include:China’s Foreign Minister visiting Wellington today;A post-cabinet news conference this afternoon; the resumption of Parliament on Tuesday for two weeks before Easter;retiring former Labour Finance Minister Grant Robertson gives his valedictory speech in Parliament; ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago
  • Bitter and angry; Winston First
    New Zealand First Leader Winston Peters’s state-of-the-nation speech on Sunday was really a state-of-Winston-First speech. He barely mentioned any of the Government’s key policies and could not even wholly endorse its signature income tax cuts. Instead, he rehearsed all of his complaints about the Ardern Government, including an extraordinary claim ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    2 days ago
  • 2024 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #11
    A listing of 35 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, March 10, 2024 thru Sat, March 16, 2024. Story of the week This week we'll give you a little glimpse into how we collect links to share and ...
    2 days ago
  • 2024 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #11
    A listing of 35 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, March 10, 2024 thru Sat, March 16, 2024. Story of the week This week we'll give you a little glimpse into how we collect links to share and ...
    2 days ago
  • Out of Touch.
    “I’ve been internalising a really complicated situation in my head.”When they kept telling us we should wait until we get to know him, were they taking the piss? Was it a case of, if you think this is bad, wait till you get to know the real Christopher, after the ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    2 days ago
  • Bring out your Dad
    Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago
  • Bring out your Dad
    Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago
  • Bring out your Dad
    Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago
  • The bewildering world of Chris Luxon – Guns for all, not no lunch for kids
    .“$10 and a target that bleeds” - Bleeding Targets for Under $10!.Thanks for reading Frankly Speaking ! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.This government appears hell-bent on either scrapping life-saving legislation or reintroducing things that - frustrated critics insist - will be dangerous and likely ...
    Frankly SpeakingBy Frank Macskasy
    3 days ago
  • Expert Opinion: Ageing Boomers, Laurie & Les, Talk Politics.
    It hardly strikes me as fair to criticise a government for doing exactly what it said it was going to do. For actually keeping its promises.”THUNDER WAS PLAYING TAG with lightning flashes amongst the distant peaks. Its rolling cadences interrupted by the here-I-come-here-I-go Doppler effect of the occasional passing car. ...
    3 days ago
  • Manufacturing The Truth.
    Subversive & Disruptive Technologies: Just as happened with that other great regulator of the masses, the Medieval Church, the advent of a new and hard-to-control technology – the Internet –  is weakening the ties that bind. Then, and now, those who enjoy a monopoly on the dissemination of lies, cannot and will ...
    3 days ago
  • A Powerful Sensation of Déjà Vu.
    Been Here Before: To find the precedents for what this Coalition Government is proposing, it is necessary to return to the “glory days” of Muldoonism.THE COALITION GOVERNMENT has celebrated its first 100 days in office by checking-off the last of its listed commitments. It remains, however, an angry government. It ...
    3 days ago
  • Can you guess where world attention is focussed (according to Greenpeace)? It’s focussed on an EPA...
    Bob Edlin writes –  And what is the world watching today…? The email newsletter from Associated Press which landed in our mailbox early this morning advised: In the news today: The father of a school shooter has been found guilty of involuntary manslaughter; prosecutors in Trump’s hush-money case ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    3 days ago
  • Further integrity problems for the Greens in suspending MP Darleen Tana
    Bryce Edwards writes – Is another Green MP on their way out? And are the Greens severely tarnished by another integrity scandal? For the second time in three months, the Green Party has secretly suspended an MP over integrity issues. Mystery is surrounding the party’s decision to ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    3 days ago
  • Jacqui Van Der Kaay: Greens’ transparency missing in action
    For the last few years, the Green Party has been the party that has managed to avoid the plague of multiple scandals that have beleaguered other political parties. It appears that their luck has run out with a second scandal which, unfortunately for them, coincided with Golraz Ghahraman, the focus ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    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
    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
    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
    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
    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
    4 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
    9 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
    11 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
    12 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
    4 days ago
  • Five-year anniversary of Christchurch terror attacks
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Lead Coordination Minister Judith Collins have expressed their deepest sympathy on the five-year anniversary of the Christchurch terror attacks. “March 15, 2019, was a day when families, communities and the country came together both in sorrow and solidarity,” Mr Luxon says.  “Today we pay our respects to the 51 shuhada ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Speech for Financial Advice NZ Conference 5 March 2024
    Speech for Financial Advice NZ Conference 5 March 2024  Acknowledgements and opening  Morena, Nga Mihi Nui.  Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Nor Whanganui aho. Thanks Nate for your Mihi Whakatau  Good morning. It’s a pleasure to formally open your conference this morning. What a lovely day in Wellington, What a great ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Early visit to Indonesia strengthens ties
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters held discussions in Jakarta today about the future of relations between New Zealand and South East Asia’s most populous country.   “We are in Jakarta so early in our new government’s term to reflect the huge importance we place on our relationship with Indonesia and South ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • China Foreign Minister to visit
    Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Winston Peters has announced that the Foreign Minister of China, Wang Yi, will visit New Zealand next week.  “We look forward to re-engaging with Foreign Minister Wang Yi and discussing the full breadth of the bilateral relationship, which is one of New Zealand’s ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Minister opens new Auckland Rail Operations Centre
    Transport Minister Simeon Brown has today opened the new Auckland Rail Operations Centre, which will bring together KiwiRail, Auckland Transport, and Auckland One Rail to improve service reliability for Aucklanders. “The recent train disruptions in Auckland have highlighted how important it is KiwiRail and Auckland’s rail agencies work together to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Celebrating 10 years of Crankworx Rotorua
    The Government is proud to support the 10th edition of Crankworx Rotorua as the Crankworx World Tour returns to Rotorua from 16-24 March 2024, says Minister for Economic Development Melissa Lee.  “Over the past 10 years as Crankworx Rotorua has grown, so too have the economic and social benefits that ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Government delivering on tax commitments
    Legislation implementing coalition Government tax commitments and addressing long-standing tax anomalies will be progressed in Parliament next week, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The legislation is contained in an Amendment Paper to the Taxation (Annual Rates for 2023–24, Multinational Tax, and Remedial Matters) Bill issued today.  “The Amendment Paper represents ...
    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
    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
    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
    1 week ago
  • Commission’s advice on ETS settings tabled
    Recommendations from the Climate Change Commission for New Zealand on the Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) auction and unit limit settings for the next five years have been tabled in Parliament, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. “The Commission provides advice on the ETS annually. This is the third time the ...
    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

Page generated in The Standard by Wordpress at 2024-03-19T08:40:31+00:00