In the middle of a housing crisis Housing Corp is selling state houses

Written By: - Date published: 9:31 am, May 20th, 2016 - 49 comments
Categories: benefits, national, paula bennett, poverty, same old national, the praiseworthy and the pitiful, welfare - Tags: ,

To repeat something that Anthony Robins commented on John Campbell really is a national treasure.  His journalism is of the simple kind, find an event that impacts on ordinary kiwis, talk to them, get them to say how an issue is impacting on them.

The reporting is stripped of left wing or right wing analysis and neatly sidesteps the spin and propaganda that emanates from the Government every day.  He just says it the way it is.  He reports on what is actually happening.  And his reporting is so much more powerful because of this.

Yesterday two stories in a gentle caring way absolutely nailed how and why homelessness is such an important political issue.  And why it is disgusting and appalling is that in the land of milk and honey and the land where Micky Savage and the first Labour Government put in place so many measures to improve ordinary Kiwis lives there are suddenly so many people without even a roof over their heads.

The first story was a simple tale about the sale of a Queenstown home owned by Housing Corporation.  Queenstown’s issues are comparable to Auckland’s.  Too few houses and too many ordinary workers competing with the tourist wave.

The story highlighted this Government’s approach to statistics gathering.  Housing Corporation claimed to have only have two people on its waiting list even though social housing providers say there are more than 300 people looking for social housing in the area.  And it is clear that Queenstown has a crisis as ordinary workers find they cannot afford to live in the area where they work and people are forced to live in overcrowded houses while paying an exorbident.

But Housing Corporation made a profit.  A home they bought for $265,000 13 years ago sold for $400,000665,500.  This is an extraordinarily good business model.  As long as you park any desire to make sure that all Kiwis have a roof over their heads.

The second story relates to a leak of a briefing to the Housing Ministers by some civic minded public servant who has a heart and a soul.  They wanted New Zealand to know that the public service has not let us down and that they warned this Government that it’s policies were heartless, destructive and inhumane.  I cannot do better than to let Radio New Zealand describe the situation.

Here goes:

Officials from the Ministry of Social Development told the Social Housing Minister a year ago that the emergency housing system was incoherent, unfair and unaccountable.

The scathing remarks come in a review obtained by Checkpoint, delivered to the Minister, Paula Bennett, last June.

It also recommends she accept that the system is failing those who need it, and says the funding system is ad-hoc.

A separate document reveals just eight of more than 60 social housing providers were dedicated providers, and the rest were hotels, motels and campgrounds.

Get that?  The vast majority of “social housing providers” are hotels, motels and campgrounds.  One of them is Western Park Village in Ranui West Auckland.  The owners have perfected a business model that involves housing poor people in very basic conditions and then profiting from the Accommodation supplement.  Read this article if you want to be understand the type of care that is being provided and wonder why Paula has continued with National’s policy’s for so long when clearly it does not work.

Paula’s recent appearance on Morning Report where she conceded that National’s 3,000 new beds were actually existing beds and the funding will stop them from disappearing showed how bereft of commitment this Government is.  Things are that bad that Te Puea Marae in Mangere is offering sanctuary to the homeless.  Local Iwi are doing something this Government seems incapable of doing.

49 comments on “In the middle of a housing crisis Housing Corp is selling state houses ”

  1. vto 1

    It is also paying dividends to the government instead of investing that back into more housing.

    shameful

    bill english is a sorry excuse for a man… pathetic, cowardly, mean

  2. dukeofurl 2

    Some one had checked the ‘wayback machine’ and found the full detail of selling state houses to ‘providers’ was only added after the election.

    Which party publishes its election housing policy details a few days after the votes have been cast ?

    • left for dead 2.1

      Found down the back of the headboard, no point releasing adverse policy before an election, the people will figure it out. 👿

  3. Anne 3

    But Housing Corporation made a profit. A home they bought for $265,000 13 years ago sold for $400,000.

    If my memory serves me correctly it was sold yesterday for $660,000 mickysavage.

    Edit: exact price “$665,000 and a half.”

    [Right you are. I meant to say that it made a profit of $400,000. Now corrected – MS]

  4. Venezia 4

    By anyone’s standards this government is a farce. Why do NZers accept such ineptitude and lack of leadership? How have we got into such a mess? National & their supporters have turned meanness, mendacity and greed as virtues in their political schemes.

    • Draco T Bastard 4.1

      Why do NZers accept such ineptitude and lack of leadership?

      It’s not ineptitude. National really are doing this on purpose. They’re out to destroy the state and it’s support for people because then the rich can lower wages while increasing profits.

      • Macro 4.1.1

        National really are doing this on purpose. They’re out to destroy the state and it’s support for people because then the rich can lower wages while increasing profits.

        Quoted for Truth
        Many sheeple however will not understand this, until it is too late. All they see is the “smiling image” of a bloke they would like to have a beer with.

        You can have the most despicable and xenophobic “MInister” of Immigration in the world living down the road and not know or even understand who he is or what he represents – and even vote for him!

        How we can ever have a working democratic system when many people are so disconnected from reality I do not know.

      • Kevin 4.1.2

        +100 Draco

        This whole government is an ideological driven organisation. They make the right noises to the voters but behind closed doors its drive the neo-liberal agenda as hard and as fast as possible.

        • srylands 4.1.2.1

          I assure you it is not an ideologically driven government. It is a government driven by evidence of what works in practice. In social policy that is about identifying measures that can improve well being of those in need. There is no tolerance for ideology driven policy.

          It is for this reason that the Government is determined to maintain evidence based strong social policies and an efficient welfare system built around an investment approach. That includes housing policy.

          If you knew nothing about New Zealand, reading the comments on this post would have you think that New Zealand is a hell hole. Of course it is not. Most people are prosperous. When I head down town tonight the eating and drinking establishments will be heaving with happy people. these are not the 1 percenters but ordinary New Zealanders.

          Yes there is a problem with housing. It is a problem of poor planning policies by local government and an unwillingness of central government to fix that.

          • Draco T Bastard 4.1.2.1.1

            It is for this reason that the Government is determined to maintain evidence based strong social policies and an efficient welfare system built around an investment approach.

            So why are they doing the exact opposite?

            Oh, that’s right, because they’re ideological fuckwits – just like you.

            All the evidence of the last 5000 years shows that capitalism simply does not work.

          • Mike Bond 4.1.2.1.2

            So good to see a comment like this. I often think what people from other countries must think of New Zealand when you see these headlines of “poverty”, “hardship”,”corruption” etc etc. After all, the majority of Kiwis are happy as you say. Unfortunately we do have some that are so fill with the “entitlement syndrome” and they are the vocal ones that the MSM will pimp and put on TV and front pages of the news papers. Socialism has never worked because someone has to pay for it!

            • Draco T Bastard 4.1.2.1.2.1

              Socialism has never worked because someone has to pay for it!

              And another person who’s ignoring history and reality to hold onto their ideological delusions.

              Society did better under even the limited socialism after WWII than in any of the times of hard capitalism. Hard capitalism always brings about poverty, depression and finally collapse.

              The people who pay for capitalism are the poor.

              • Reddelusion

                I will just answer with Venezuela m, the last socialist succes story. Socialism is immensely fair it ensures every one is poor as this is how the elites hold power, rather than the 1pc as you so fondly quote, Who is the richest Venezulean, surprise surprise, Chavezes daughter, while the rest of the country can’t even by bread or toilet paper as the socialist Ponzi scheme fell over with no more money or resources to expropriate to fund the socialist dream

                • joe90

                  Who is the richest Venezulean, surprise surprise, Chavezes daughter,

                  Other than an unsubstantiated claim I’ve noted over on another thread, have you any proof or are you lying?.

                • mauī

                  Your economy would be screwed too if you were selling oil at under $50 a barrel and it made up over 90% of your exports. But don’t let facts get in the way of your delusion.

                • Ch-ch Chiquita

                  Or you could look at Finland, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Germany for example and see how their democratic socialism has failed. Oh wait….

                • Draco T Bastard

                  Venezuela’s problem is the attacks by the capitalists. Their own home-grown psychopaths helped by the US.

                  The Venezuelan government, as soon as there was a shortage of toilet paper, should immediately built a factory to produce it from their nations resources and sold it at cost price.

                  Do that and the capitalists attacks wouldn’t work.

                • gnomician

                  Sod off or consider growing a brain cell, even just one. And ffs take a course in English as a first language. Are you not even slightly embarassed by your public displays of idiocy? But of course you don’t even realise what a fool you are.

              • Reddelusion

                NZ is far from hard capitalism Draco, stop the bs’

                • Draco T Bastard

                  Oh, it’s most definitely hard capitalism and has been since the neo-liberal revolution of the 4th Labour government. That’s why we’re seeing increasing poverty while a few people get massively and the real economy stagnates.

                • Stuart Munro

                  People sleeping and dying on the streets not right enough for you? You need full-blown totalitarian – Putin’s your man, God help you.

                • Paul

                  Another defender of international capital against the poor and vulnerable citizens of New Zealand.
                  Cruel.
                  Selfish.
                  Greedy.
                  John Key’s New Zealand and his cultish followers.

              • Mike Bond

                And who pays for socialism?

              • Anno1701

                “And another person who’s ignoring history and reality to hold onto their ideological delusions.”

                “another person who has heard someone they consider smarter than them say something they think sounds pithy,so they parrot it it ad nauseum ”

                FIFY 🙂

              • Mosa

                Well put Draco.

          • framu 4.1.2.1.3

            “When I head down town tonight the eating and drinking establishments will be heaving with happy people.”

            never mind that its not hard to go down town and see the streets littered with agrressive anti social drunks – in fact its a massive social harm issue that costs the country untold $$

            i do love it when you so effortlessly sink your own dinghy

            • Treetop 4.1.2.1.3.1

              Were $$$ not wasted on the drunk and disorderly and put into housing where some real benefit would be achieved, the country would not have people sleeping in cars and garages.

      • AmaKiwi 4.1.3

        Draco +1

        This National government’s goal has always been to reduce the size of the state to an absolute minimum.

      • Murray Simmonds 4.1.4

        George Monbiot’s new book:
        “HOW DID WE GET INTO THIS MESS?”
        I just bought my e-copy this morning. From a quick browse, it’s EXCELLENT.
        Highly recommended.

        p.s. It was reviewed on “Nine to Noon” this morning. Unfortunately, the reviewer was more interested in discussing its literary qualities than its political content. However, it was positive review, nevertheless.

        • Draco T Bastard 4.1.4.1

          I like this bit in the intro:

          In reality, the free market is a political construction, that often has to be imposed by violence, such as Suharto’s massacres in Indonesia, Pinochet’s coup in Chile and the suppression of protests against structural adjustment and austerity all over the world.

          Simple, powerful and true.

        • Paul 4.1.4.2

          Reading it atm – a brilliant read.

  5. Smilin 5

    The appalling thing about all this is the lies by Smith and Wesson, I mean Key
    The blatant agenda to get rid of or reorganise state housing to the private sector is so corrupt that we as NZ are losing our moral compass
    This is not the UK Key, we are different and if you cant see that then leave
    Why do we have to follow a failed economics system that is ruining this country ?
    Key : “I think one day I would like to run a small country ”
    Since when did democracy accommodate the personal desires of one over the many

    • Draco T Bastard 5.1

      Why do we have to follow a failed economics system that is ruining this country ?

      Because it’s making a few rich people richer. That is the entire justification of the last three decades of neo-liberalism.

    • Mary Hall 5.2

      Your last sentence is Spot On.
      Even if you look at what many of the National MP’s say and do, it is directed to please the man at the top. It is quite weird.

  6. Olwyn 6

    National under Key has done pretty much everything that scared people off Brash. They are not likely to meaningfully address the housing issue, since their mission seems to be to dismantle the welfare state, and not replace it with anything at all reassuring to those at the sharp end. The heartrending stories appearing in the media are just the tip of the iceberg – those living in garages do not borrow for motel rooms, and youngish “middle-class” families who have lost their rental accommodation, and are living four or five in a parental basement, are too embarrassed to make a squeak.

    To get a context, you often have to stumble across things by chance, as they are not trumpeted. Firstly, there is the chasm between wages and housing costs. This is generally bridged by the accommodation supplement – the landlord’s welfare cheque – but you are not allowed this supplement if you have more than $8,200 in the bank (for a single person, it may be more for a family). Handily, this is just enough to bury you, and it is something I learned of when a friend of mine was dying. Since you need quite high wages to pay Auckland rents without recourse to the supplement , this means that many renters with some savings are forced to slowly destitute themselves while their landlords continue to prosper.

    Add to this the push to get people out of state houses once they are able to pay market rent, bearing in mind that the precariousness of employment means that this ability will often be temporary. Add to this the transformation of legal aid into an interest-bearing loan scheme, which pours people out of jail into a low-wage economy with the weight of debt around their neck. And then the gouging of people seeking temporary shelter while actually being in need of permanent homes, that is mentioned in the post. Not to mention the obstacle course involved in getting on a benefit at all. And there are no doubt still more shards of cruelty and spite that one only hears of when one is forced to encounter them.

    Key has achieved these things by persuading much of the middle class to side with the elites against the workers and the poor, and reassuring them that the latter are not being treated too badly, as is shown in the “they should go down to WINZ” comment. It is a centre-right leader’s job to push the importance of his supporters’ interests within the context of a whole social economy. It is not his job to crush a social group and share the spoils with his friends – that is colonisation, not leadership.

  7. Wensleydale 7

    I guess Housing NZ feel that if they can make a $400,000 profit, while desperate families fight each other for the scraps like mangy dogs, then the market has spoken. You can die in a gutter, just so long as I end up with another fistful of cash. Whoever made that decision needs to be named and shamed, and I know Harcourts are real estate agents, and therefore rapacious brigands almost by default, but even you people must have trouble sleeping at night when you’re complicit in this sort of amoral profiteering.

    This makes me almost physically ill.

  8. Keith 8

    Bennett thought she could spin a yarn about 3000 extra beds and that the reality that they already existed but were doomed for lack of funding would not be uncovered. Sly and very dishonest.

    Worse though is her acceptance that a “bed” is even acceptable. All she cares about is reelection.

  9. Jack Ramaka 9

    The Government are stripping NZ Housing stocks to pay the interest on their offshore borrowings.

    They don’t give a rats anus about the poor who can not fend for themselves, JK is an extreme hypocrite having been brought up in a State House, he shows zero compassion towards fellow human beings.

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    PunditBy Brian Easton
    4 days ago
  • Elections in Russia and Ukraine
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    4 days ago
  • Bernard’s six stack of substacks at 6pm on March 15
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    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • Buzz from the Beehive Finance Minister Nicola Willis had plenty to say when addressing the Auckland Business Chamber on the economic growth that (she tells us) is flagging more than we thought. But the government intends to put new life into it:  We want our country to be a ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    4 days ago
  • National’s clean car tax advances
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    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.
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    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
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    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • Bernard's Top 10 @ 10 'pick 'n' mix' for March 15
    TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: Climate Scorpion – the sting is in the tail. Introducing planetary solvency. A paper via the University of Exeter’s Institute and Faculty of Actuaries.Local scoop: Kāinga Ora starts pulling out of its Auckland projects and selling land RNZ ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • The day Wellington up-zoned its future
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    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • Weekly Roundup 15-March-2024
    It’s Friday and we’re halfway through March Madness. Here’s some of the things that caught our attention this week. This Week in Greater Auckland On Monday Matt asked how we can get better event trains and an option for grade separating Morningside Dr. On Tuesday Matt looked into ...
    Greater AucklandBy Greater Auckland
    4 days ago
  • That Word.
    Something you might not know about me is that I’m quite a stubborn person. No, really. I don’t much care for criticism I think’s unfair or that I disagree with. Few of us do I suppose.Back when I was a drinker I’d sometimes respond defensively, even angrily. There are things ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    4 days ago
  • The Hoon around the week to March 15
    Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The five things that mattered in Aotearoa’s political economy that we wrote and spoke about via The Kākā and elsewhere for paying subscribers in the last week included:PM Christopher Luxon said the reversal of interest deductibility for landlords was done to help renters, who ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • Labour’s policy gap
    It was not so much the Labour Party but really the Chris Hipkins party yesterday at Labour’s caucus retreat in Martinborough. The former Prime Minister was more or less consistent on wealth tax, which he was at best equivocal about, and social insurance, which he was not willing to revisit. ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    5 days ago
  • Skeptical Science New Research for Week #11 2024
    Open access notables A Glimpse into the Future: The 2023 Ocean Temperature and Sea Ice Extremes in the Context of Longer-Term Climate Change, Kuhlbrodt et al., Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society: In the year 2023, we have seen extraordinary extrema in high sea surface temperature (SST) in the North Atlantic and in ...
    5 days ago
  • Melissa remains mute on media matters but has something to say (at a sporting event) about economic ...
     Buzz from the Beehive   The text reproduced above appears on a page which records all the media statements and speeches posted on the government’s official website by Melissa Lee as Minister of Media and Communications and/or by Jenny Marcroft, her Parliamentary Under-secretary.  It can be quickly analysed ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    5 days ago
  • The return of Muldoon
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    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    5 days ago
  • Will the rental tax cut improve life for renters or landlords?
    Bryce Edwards writes –  Is the new government reducing tax on rental properties to benefit landlords or to cut the cost of rents? That’s the big question this week, after Associate Finance Minister David Seymour announced on Sunday that the Government would be reversing the Labour Government’s removal ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • Geoffrey Miller: What Saudi Arabia’s rapid changes mean for New Zealand
    Saudi Arabia is rarely far from the international spotlight. The war in Gaza has brought new scrutiny to Saudi plans to normalise relations with Israel, while the fifth anniversary of the controversial killing of Jamal Khashoggi was marked shortly before the war began on October 7. And as the home ...
    Democracy ProjectBy Geoffrey Miller
    5 days ago
  • Racism’s double standards
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    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • It’s not a tax break
    Ele Ludemann writes – Contrary to what many headlines and news stories are saying, residential landlords are not getting a tax break. The government is simply restoring to them the tax deductibility of interest they had until the previous government removed it. There is no logical reason ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • The Plastic Pig Collective and Chris' Imaginary Friends.
    I can't remember when it was goodMoments of happiness in bloomMaybe I just misunderstoodAll of the love we left behindWatching our flashbacks intertwineMemories I will never findIn spite of whatever you becomeForget that reckless thing turned onI think our lives have just begunI think our lives have just begunDoes anyone ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago
  • Who is responsible for young offenders?
    Michael Bassett writes – At first reading, a front-page story in the New Zealand Herald on 13 March was bizarre. A group of severely intellectually limited teenagers, with little understanding of the law, have been pleading to the Justice Select Committee not to pass a bill dealing with ram ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • Gordon Campbell on National’s fantasy trip to La La Landlord Land
    How much political capital is Christopher Luxon willing to burn through in order to deliver his $2.9 billion gift to landlords? Evidently, Luxon is: (a) unable to cost the policy accurately. As Anna Burns-Francis pointed out to him on Breakfast TV, the original ”rock solid” $2.1 billion cost he was ...
    5 days ago
  • Bernard's Top 10 @ 10 'pick 'n' mix' for March 14
    TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: Jonathon Porritt calling bullshit in his own blog post on mainstream climate science as ‘The New Denialism’.Local scoop: The Wellington City Council’s list of proposed changes to the IHP recommendations to be debated later today was leaked this ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • No, Prime Minister, rents don’t rise or fall with landlords’ costs
    TL;DR: Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said yesterday tenants should be grateful for the reinstatement of interest deductibility because landlords would pass on their lower tax costs in the form of lower rents. That would be true if landlords were regulated monopolies such as Transpower or Auckland Airport1, but they’re not, ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • Cartoons: ‘At least I didn’t make things awkward’
    This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Tom Toro Tom Toro is a cartoonist and author. He has published over 200 cartoons in The New Yorker since 2010. His cartoons appear in Playboy, the Paris Review, the New York Times, American Bystander, and elsewhere. Related: What 10 EV lovers ...
    5 days ago
  • Solving traffic congestion with Richard Prebble
    The business section of the NZ Herald is full of opinion. Among the more opinionated of all is the ex-Minister of Transport, ex-Minister of Railways, ex MP for Auckland Central (1975-93, Labour), Wellington Central (1996-99, ACT, then list-2005), ex-leader of the ACT Party, uncle to actor Antonia, the veritable granddaddy ...
    Greater AucklandBy Patrick Reynolds
    5 days ago
  • I Think I'm Done Flying Boeing
    Hi,Just quickly — I’m blown away by the stories you’ve shared with me over the last week since I put out the ‘Gary’ podcast, where I told you about the time my friend’s flatmate killed the neighbour.And you keep telling me stories — in the comments section, and in my ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    5 days ago
  • Invoking Aristotle: Of Rings of Power, Stones, and Ships
    The first season of Rings of Power was not awful. It was thoroughly underwhelming, yes, and left a lingering sense of disappointment, but it was more expensive mediocrity than catastrophe. I wrote at length about the series as it came out (see the Review section of the blog, and go ...
    6 days ago
  • Van Velden brings free-market approach to changing labour laws – but her colleagues stick to distr...
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    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago
  • Why Newshub failed
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    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago
  • Māori Party on the warpath against landlords and seabed miners – let’s see if mystical creature...
    Bob Edlin writes  –  The Māori Party has been busy issuing a mix of warnings and threats as its expresses its opposition to interest deductibility for landlords and the plans of seabed miners. It remains to be seen whether they  follow the example of indigenous litigants in Australia, ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago
  • There’s a name for this
    Every year, in the Budget, Parliament forks out money to government agencies to do certain things. And every year, as part of the annual review cycle, those agencies are meant to report on whether they have done the things Parliament gave them that money for. Agencies which consistently fail to ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    6 days ago
  • Echoes of 1968 in 2024?  Pocock on the repetitive problems of the New Left
    Mike Grimshaw writes – Recent events in American universities point to an underlying crisis of coherent thinking, an issue that increasingly affects the progressive left across the Western world. This of course is nothing new as anyone who can either remember or has read of the late ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago
  • Two bar blues
    The thing about life’s little victories is that they can be followed by a defeat.Reader Darryl told me on Monday night:Test again Dave. My “head cold” last week became COVID within 24 hours, and is still with me. I hear the new variants take a bit longer to show up ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    6 days ago
  • Bernard's Top 10 @ 10 'pick 'n' mix' for March 13
    TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: Angus Deaton on rethinking his economics IMFLocal scoop: The people behind Tamarind, the firm that left a $500m cleanup bill for taxpayers at Taranaki’s Tui oil well, are back operating in Taranaki under a different company name. Jonathan ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    6 days ago

  • 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
    5 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
    7 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
    8 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
    21 hours ago
  • Kāinga Ora instructed to end Sustaining Tenancies
    Kāinga Ora – Homes & Communities has been instructed to end the Sustaining Tenancies Framework and take stronger measures against persistent antisocial behaviour by tenants, says Housing Minister Chris Bishop. “Earlier today Finance Minister Nicola Willis and I sent an interim Letter of Expectations to the Board of Kāinga Ora. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Speech to Auckland Business Chamber: Growth is the answer
    Tēna koutou katoa. Greetings everyone. Thank you to the Auckland Chamber of Commerce and the Honourable Simon Bridges for hosting this address today. I acknowledge the business leaders in this room, the leaders and governors, the employers, the entrepreneurs, the investors, and the wealth creators. The coalition Government shares your ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Singapore rounds out regional trip
    Minister Winston Peters completed the final leg of his visit to South and South East Asia in Singapore today, where he focused on enhancing one of New Zealand’s indispensable strategic partnerships.      “Singapore is our most important defence partner in South East Asia, our fourth-largest trading partner and a ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Minister van Velden represents New Zealand at International Democracy Summit
    Minister of Internal Affairs and Workplace Relations and Safety, Hon. Brooke van Velden, will travel to the Republic of Korea to represent New Zealand at the Third Summit for Democracy on 18 March. The summit, hosted by the Republic of Korea, was first convened by the United States in 2021, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Insurance Council of NZ Speech, 7 March 2024, Auckland
    ICNZ Speech 7 March 2024, Auckland  Acknowledgements and opening  Mōrena, ngā mihi nui. Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Nor Whanganui aho.  Good morning, it’s a privilege to be here to open the ICNZ annual conference, thank you to Mark for the Mihi Whakatau  My thanks to Tim Grafton for inviting me ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Five-year anniversary of Christchurch terror attacks
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Lead Coordination Minister Judith Collins have expressed their deepest sympathy on the five-year anniversary of the Christchurch terror attacks. “March 15, 2019, was a day when families, communities and the country came together both in sorrow and solidarity,” Mr Luxon says.  “Today we pay our respects to the 51 shuhada ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Speech for Financial Advice NZ Conference 5 March 2024
    Speech for Financial Advice NZ Conference 5 March 2024  Acknowledgements and opening  Morena, Nga Mihi Nui.  Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Nor Whanganui aho. Thanks Nate for your Mihi Whakatau  Good morning. It’s a pleasure to formally open your conference this morning. What a lovely day in Wellington, What a great ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Early visit to Indonesia strengthens ties
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters held discussions in Jakarta today about the future of relations between New Zealand and South East Asia’s most populous country.   “We are in Jakarta so early in our new government’s term to reflect the huge importance we place on our relationship with Indonesia and South ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • China Foreign Minister to visit
    Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Winston Peters has announced that the Foreign Minister of China, Wang Yi, will visit New Zealand next week.  “We look forward to re-engaging with Foreign Minister Wang Yi and discussing the full breadth of the bilateral relationship, which is one of New Zealand’s ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Minister opens new Auckland Rail Operations Centre
    Transport Minister Simeon Brown has today opened the new Auckland Rail Operations Centre, which will bring together KiwiRail, Auckland Transport, and Auckland One Rail to improve service reliability for Aucklanders. “The recent train disruptions in Auckland have highlighted how important it is KiwiRail and Auckland’s rail agencies work together to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Celebrating 10 years of Crankworx Rotorua
    The Government is proud to support the 10th edition of Crankworx Rotorua as the Crankworx World Tour returns to Rotorua from 16-24 March 2024, says Minister for Economic Development Melissa Lee.  “Over the past 10 years as Crankworx Rotorua has grown, so too have the economic and social benefits that ...
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    5 days ago
  • Government delivering on tax commitments
    Legislation implementing coalition Government tax commitments and addressing long-standing tax anomalies will be progressed in Parliament next week, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The legislation is contained in an Amendment Paper to the Taxation (Annual Rates for 2023–24, Multinational Tax, and Remedial Matters) Bill issued today.  “The Amendment Paper represents ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Significant Natural Areas requirement to be suspended
    Associate Environment Minister Andrew Hoggard has today announced that the Government has agreed to suspend the requirement for councils to comply with the Significant Natural Areas (SNA) provisions of the National Policy Statement for Indigenous Biodiversity for three years, while it replaces the Resource Management Act (RMA).“As it stands, SNAs ...
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    5 days ago
  • Government classifies drought conditions in Top of the South as medium-scale adverse event
    Agriculture Minister Todd McClay has classified the drought conditions in the Marlborough, Tasman, and Nelson districts as a medium-scale adverse event, acknowledging the challenging conditions facing farmers and growers in the district. “Parts of Marlborough, Tasman, and Nelson districts are in the grip of an intense dry spell. I know ...
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    5 days ago
  • Government partnership to tackle $332m facial eczema problem
    The Government is helping farmers eradicate the significant impact of facial eczema (FE) in pastoral animals, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay announced.  “A $20 million partnership jointly funded by Beef + Lamb NZ, the Government, and the primary sector will save farmers an estimated NZD$332 million per year, and aims to ...
    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 ...
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    6 days ago
  • Govt takes action to drive better cancer services
    Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says the launch of a new mobile breast screening unit in Counties Manukau reinforces the coalition Government’s commitment to drive better cancer services for all New Zealanders. Speaking at the launch of the new mobile clinic, Dr Reti says it’s a great example of taking ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Work begins on SH29 upgrades near Tauriko
    Unlocking economic growth and land for housing are critical elements of the Government’s plan for our transport network, and planned upgrades to State Highway 29 (SH29) near Tauriko will deliver strongly on those priorities, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “The SH29 upgrades near Tauriko will improve safety at the intersections ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Work begins on SH29 upgrades near Tauriko
    Unlocking economic growth and land for housing are critical elements of the Government’s plan for our transport network, and planned upgrades to State Highway 29 (SH29) near Tauriko will deliver strongly on those priorities, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “The SH29 upgrades near Tauriko will improve safety at the intersections ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Fresh produce price drop welcome
    Lower fruit and vegetable prices are welcome news for New Zealanders who have been doing it tough at the supermarket, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. Stats NZ reported today the price of fruit and vegetables has dropped 9.3 percent in the 12 months to February 2024.  “Lower fruit and vege ...
    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 ...
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    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,” ...
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    6 days ago
  • Speech to Auckland Business Chamber
    Good evening everyone and thank you for that lovely introduction.   Thank you also to the Honourable Simon Bridges for the invitation to address your members. Since being sworn in, this coalition Government has hit the ground running with our 100-day plan, delivering the changes that New Zealanders expect of us. ...
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    7 days ago
  • Commission’s advice on ETS settings tabled
    Recommendations from the Climate Change Commission for New Zealand on the Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) auction and unit limit settings for the next five years have been tabled in Parliament, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. “The Commission provides advice on the ETS annually. This is the third time the ...
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    1 week ago
  • Government lowering building costs
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    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 ...
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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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Minister appoints new NZTA Chair
    Former Transport Minister and CEO of the Auckland Business Chamber Hon Simon Bridges has been appointed as the new Board Chair of the New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA) for a three-year term, Transport Minister Simeon Brown announced today. “Simon brings extensive experience and knowledge in transport policy and governance to the role. He will ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Speech to Life Sciences Summit
    Good morning all, it is a pleasure to be here as Minister of Science, Innovation and Technology.  It is fantastic to see how connected and collaborative the life science and biotechnology industry is here in New Zealand. I would like to thank BioTechNZ and NZTech for the invitation to address ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Progress continues apace on water storage
    Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says he is looking forward to the day when three key water projects in Northland are up and running, unlocking the full potential of land in the region. Mr Jones attended a community event at the site of the Otawere reservoir near Kerikeri on Friday. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Government agrees to restore interest deductions
    Associate Finance Minister David Seymour has today announced that the Government has agreed to restore deductibility for mortgage interest on residential investment properties. “Help is on the way for landlords and renters alike. The Government’s restoration of interest deductibility will ease pressure on rents and simplify the tax code,” says ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Minister to attend World Anti-Doping Agency Symposium
    Sport and Recreation Minister Chris Bishop will travel to Switzerland today to attend an Executive Committee meeting and Symposium of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA). Mr Bishop will then travel on to London where he will attend a series of meetings in his capacity as Infrastructure Minister. “New Zealanders believe ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Pacific Language Weeks celebrate regional unity
    This year’s Pacific Language Weeks celebrate regional unity and the contribution of Pacific communities to New Zealand culture, says Minister for Pacific Peoples Dr Shane Reti.  Dr Reti announced dates for the 2024 Pacific Language Weeks during a visit to the Pasifika festival in Auckland today and says there’s so ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

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