Is anyone else thinking…

Written By: - Date published: 5:48 pm, August 12th, 2011 - 53 comments
Categories: humour, tv - Tags:

It seems that the US has lost an experimental hypersonic space plane:

Fastest-ever plane goes missing on test flight

A US military plane developed to fly anywhere in the world in an hour has gone missing on its second test flight.  The unmanned hypersonic plane developed for US defence research into super-fast global strike capability was launched atop a rocket overnight but contact was lost after the experimental craft began flying on its own, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency said. …

The craft is part of a US military initiative to develop technology to respond to threats at 20 times the speed of sound or greater, reaching any part of the globe in an hour. …

The agency said the launch of the Minotaur 4 rocket was successful and separation was confirmed. It next reported that telemetry had been lost.  No further details were immediately reported. There was no immediate response to an email request to DARPA for information on the mission.

Doesn’t sound good does it.  Hey  now – and recall here that it is Friday night! – is anyone else thinking what I’m thinking?  Compare Falcon-V2 and Farscape-1.  Uncanny.


53 comments on “Is anyone else thinking… ”

  1. r0b 1

    Not that I ever took to Farscape by the way.  I’m more of a Firefly kinda guy.  Go the Browncoats!  Sigh. 

    • Deadly_NZ 1.1

      Naa Farscape then Bab 5, I could not really get into Firefly.

      • Puddleglum 1.1.1

        What’s ‘Farscape’, ‘Bab 5’ and ‘Firefly’ (not to mention ‘Browncoats’)? Am I missing something?

        • Carol 1.1.1.1

          sci fi TV programmes.

        • whistlerspa 1.1.1.2

          Sci Fi shows (as all us geeks know) Farscape was Ozzy made 2002ish Firefly 2004ish and Bab 5 not sure (latter 2 Yankie) 8/10, 9/10 and 4/10 respectively

          • Colonial Viper 1.1.1.2.1

            Come now, most of B5 was a solid 5/10 or 6/10. And some of the episodes around the Shadow War and the civil war with Earth Gov were damn fine, up around the 8/10 mark.

            Of course, a few of the episodes were kitschy and improbable, but it is SF 😛

    • Draco T Bastard 1.2

      Tried watching Firefly. The movie wasn’t bad but the series sucked.

      • Boris Clarksky 1.2.1

        [I see you’ve been banned under another name. Good bye then. r0b]

      • r0b 1.2.2

        Blasphemy!

      • Vicky32 1.2.3

        Tried watching Firefly. The movie wasn’t bad but the series sucked.

        I disagree! It was good, but nowhere near the standard of B5, which is in my Top 5…
        My theories about the plane :
        1. It became sentient, and was so disgusted at what the Amerikans intended it to do, it said “sod this for a game of soldiers, I am out of here”
        2. The greys took it..

  2. Afewknwothetruth 2

    As the US descends into fascism and starvation due to resource depletion and corruption in high places the military will continue to think up new ways of squandering precious finite resources to counter fabricated threats.

    • Draco T Bastard 2.1

      This

      The economy is about to collapse and so the US is looking for more ways to try and secure the dwindling resources.

      • Colonial Viper 2.1.1

        Roman Empire did the same during its drawn out collapse. Even as territorial integrity declined and the wealth of the people disappeared more and more resources was diverted into the military in an attempt to hold the empire together against outside forces.

        • mik e 2.1.1.1

          CV The Romans turned to religion to hold their empire together not unlike the tea party palin bachman

          • Colonial Viper 2.1.1.1.1

            With the legions being overwhelmed and the land north of the Rhine no longer accessible, what else could Romans do to explain their fall from favour (the end of Roman Exceptionalism if you like) but turn to religious explanations.

            Yeah, exactly like Bachmann et al.

          • Frank Macskasy 2.1.1.1.2

            Perceptive, Mik…

  3. millsy 3

    Wheres the Tea Party on this?

    • jackal 3.1

      Hopefully on the plane on the way to the moon or sitting on the X where it’ll crash. Wouldn’t that be poetic justice.

    • Deadly_NZ 3.2

      They were the ones that were the holdouts in the last wee financial troubles the yanks had. ANd they are gonna be trouble unless they are weeded out and sent packing. Fat Chance!

    • john 3.3

      down the wormhole

  4. freedom 4

    aliens taking their tech back

    • I reckon it vwas a secret mission, crewed by US astronauts, to test a new engine. The engine drive opened up a time-warp, propelling the ship far into the future, to the year 3955AD.

      Cue: talking apes; wrecked Statue of Liberty half buried on the beach; and last remaining astronaut throwing a hissy-fit, screaming;

      “God damn you all to hell – you blew it up! You maniacs! Why did you vote Republican in ’12?!!?” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gb4eZ7Z5yk8&feature=related

  5. hellonearthis 5

    Stuxnet virus?

  6. randal 6

    yeah and I wuz abducted by aliens once too…

  7. it might be on the way to the trojan ahead of us in the same orbit

    http://www.astronomynow.com/news/n1108/01trojan/

  8. Colonial Viper 8

    It’s extraordinarily unlikely that the US military has been updating the news media on real test flight events. Come on, WHY would they even release a briefing on anything like this, whether it went good or bad.

    Wasn’t there a crappy Hollywood movie about an AI jet fighter which went rogue?

    • Pascal's bookie 8.1

      At a guess, I’d say they announce it when something like this happens because it has gone somewhere.

      So, if it’s landed in a some other countries territory they need to get it out that it’s an accident rather than a botched attack of some sort; that it is theirs in case somebody thinks it’s from their traditional enemy or what have you, and most importantly get in front of the story so that if it has crashed in China or wherever they will get less propaganda value out of it. It also gives them a public standpoint to say, erm, can we have the bits back please if there are any?

      But as someone said on twitter, I’d say the place to look will be Dr Evil’s secret volcano base.

      • Colonial Viper 8.1.1

        Your rationale is all quite reasonable, but the US State Dept can get a cable to any foreign government within minutes. It doesn’t need to use the mass media. In terms of a propaganda win, admitting that your brand new toy has gone AWOL is not that great propaganda. Still not sure, really.

        • Pascal's bookie 8.1.1.1

          I’m thinking that if they don’t know where it is then it changes the game quite a bit.

          In terms of a propaganda win, admitting that your brand new toy has gone AWOL is not that great propaganda.

          True. But better than if you send the cable out to half the world, and then China or Iran finds the damn thing on a mountain side somewhere and announces to the world that your brand new toy is in their back yard and that you are trying to hide from your own people how shit it is.

          At least if you announce it first, you’ve set the scene.

    • Deadly_NZ 8.2

      Yep but it must have been programmed by the NACTS because it was supposed to do one thing, and went and did the opposite,. It was called funnily enough S.T.E.A.L.T.H.

  9. Carol 9

    The story now is that it crashed in the sea:

    http://www.boston.com/news/science/articles/2011/08/12/ultrafast_unmanned_glider_flies_then_crashes_in_sea/

    “More than nine minutes of data was collected before an anomaly caused loss of signal,’’ it said. “Initial indications are that the aircraft impacted the Pacific Ocean along the planned flight path.’’

    […]
    The HTV-2 is designed to be launched to the edge of space, separate from its booster, and maneuver through the atmosphere at 13,000 miles per hour before intentionally crashing into the ocean.

    That last sentence is confusing because a spokseman then says that failures are to be expected at this stage of development.

  10. Reality Bytes 10

    It’d be a bit of a bastard if that thing went off course and obliterated your fishing/whatever boat. Considering how it’s failed, and the speed (and therefore envelope of potential crash sites), how can they even be close to guaranteeing where the damn thing will splashdown??

    I find it interesting that they said they can only simulate upto mach 15, and this thing moves at mach 20+!!! That’s over 5 kilometers per second!!!

    Even if the thing does what it says on the label repeatedly and passes tests like this, who’s to say when actually deployed it doesn’t stuff up, and tough shit when a bolt from the blue crammed with a few tons of explosives on-board smashes down into your community and takes you & several other unfortunate buggers out.

    • Pascal's bookie 10.1

      yeah. It’s hard out stuff eh.

      • Reality Bytes 10.1.1

        The technology is remarkable, we just need it to be supplying emergency humanitarian / aid missions, where time is of the utter essence – instead of blowing up other human beings.

        Then when an unfortunate ultra-sonic accident occurs it is offset by the good purpose the vehicle achieves. Just like how people are unfortunately killed by ambulances.

        Why not scale up the cargo volume… So when some countries/refugees have emergency medical supplies/water/nutrition needs to avoid suffering and death…

        …BLAM there in under 1hr at mach 20, sending what you need.

        …Dropping off supplies and saving lives!

        That’s how technology like this should be used. Not for killing other humans.

        • felix 10.1.1.1

          “The technology is remarkable, we just need it to be supplying emergency humanitarian / aid missions, where time is of the utter essence – instead of blowing up other human beings.”

          HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

          ha.

  11. hoom 11

    Hi there, long time lurker first time poster.

    This is **not** a ‘space-plane’.

    FALCON (Force Application and Launch from Continental United States) project is openly a first-strike/assassination missile program.

    Its about being able to blow up political figures even in deep bunkers anywhere on the planet within a couple of hours without the possibility of allies refusing basing/airspace transit or the public getting upset about use of nukes.

    • r0b 11.1

      Thanks for the clarification – depressing as it was….

    • Vicky32 11.2

      Its about being able to blow up political figures even in deep bunkers anywhere on the planet within a couple of hours without the possibility of allies refusing basing/airspace transit or the public getting upset about use of nukes.

      I’d rather gathered that from Al Jazeera which is why I favour the idea that it went nuts a la Hal 9000, and went AWOL..

  12. burt 12

    I think I just saw it refueling at the local gas station !

    • Wrong burt, the friggin thing has just landed on my sofa. The cat has jumped on it and my dog is brutally attacking it. Even the goldfish has jumped from the tank into the action.
      Shall I ring the space police or the lost in space Nobama?

      (DPF- 100000000000000 demerits.Life time ban.)

      • burt 12.1.1

        Yes yes D4J, apparently there is plenty of high octane fuel at your place !

      • The Voice of Reason 12.1.2

        Funniest comment of the week, D4J, if just for the demerits!
         
        Hate to burst anyone’s bubble but this is how test flights work. The first few crap out over the ocean, then you put a pilot in and give it a spin with manual control when you think it’s stable. It’s pretty much the formula Richard Pierce used, with a paddock standing in for the ocean. This is the second test. The first one gave usable data for a few minutes, then died.
         
        It’s going at 20 times mach. That is, 30 times faster than most commercial airliners. At that speed a stray fart will knock the vehicle off course and turn into a metallic smear in the sky in seconds. As for the assassination theory … rolls eyes, shakes head, leaves room.

        • rosy 12.1.2.1

          Trouble is that is the last of the 2 test planes. The program is now considered for closure . How many billions do you reckon for a fail like that?

          • Colonial Viper 12.1.2.1.1

            We were told that the mission was a fail and that the programme may be closed.

            Not sure what either or those propositions might have to do with actual reality though.

  13. Jenny 13

    USA! USA!

    Great stuff. Just imagine.

    The US has just discovered their enemy. You know, the one they can’t wait to nuke. So they dispatch their doughty nuclear armed hypersonic dreadnought to pour nuclear fire on the guilty enemy population.

    Only to find that shortly after take off, their automated craft has “gone missing” in hypersonic space, due to reappear at any possible point on the planet’s surface, within the next 60 minutes!

    Way to go Uncle Sam.

    And what was the cost again?

    • Reality Bytes 13.1

      Pretty sure they have had ICBMs have been able to hit anywhere on the globe/ruin the planet since the 50s or so.

      Likewise to a similar degree; Russia, China, UK, France etc etc and so on and so forth. All these nations and others that have mastered the ability to deploy nukes and or trigger ww3.

  14. vto 14

    What propels this thing?

    I would have thought that no amount of combustion would so propel, so what and which forces pull this thing along? Perhaps gravity, like a slingshot effect? Or magnetic forces of the planet?

    Serious question. Always wondered when mankind would be able to harness such other forces. Perhaps the time has come …….

    • The Voice of Reason 14.1

      You’ve answered yourself, VTO. A rocket takes it to the edge of space and then it separates and glides down like a returning space shuttle. There are engines on board, but they’re relatively small thrusters for directional guidance rather than thrust.
       
      The original concept was military and very much a weapons delivery concept, which is the main difference between it and the space shuttles, which are reusable. The main advantage over ICBM’s is speed, which means both a quick strike and little chance of an enemy’s ‘star wars’ defensive capabilities shooting it down.

  15. By the way, I’m thing that the “Falcon V2” looks more like Colonel Taylor’s ship… http://www.oocities.org/boating_mayhem/PlanetOfTHeAPes_SpaceShip.jpg

  16. joe90 17

    When I heard that they’d lost it I wondered if Wen Jiabao could be doing an uncle Joe and indulging in a little reverse engineering.

  17. gnomic 18

    Am I missing something here? Isn’t this COMPLETELY INSANE? Even by the bizarre standards of the people who wear funny hats, aka the military. Can I haz another planet now please, free of these weirdos? OBL is dead guys. Shouldn’t you be concentrating on repressing the urban chav insurgencies? Not that you don’t already have contingency plans for that. Oh well. I guess it doesn’t matter. We are all so doooomed already.

  18. Maybe the Chinese have hacked their computers, intercepted it and are rapidly cloning it in Nanjing?

Recent Comments

Recent Posts

  • EV road user charges bill passes
    Transport Minister Simeon Brown has welcomed the passing of legislation to move light electric vehicles (EVs) and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) into the road user charges system from 1 April.  “It was always intended that EVs and PHEVs would be exempt from road user charges until they reached two ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    11 hours ago
  • Bill targets illegal, unregulated fishing in international waters
    New Zealand is strengthening its ability to combat illegal fishing outside its domestic waters and beef up regulation for its own commercial fishers in international waters through a Bill which had its first reading in Parliament today. The Fisheries (International Fishing and Other Matters) Amendment Bill 2023 sets out stronger ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    12 hours ago
  • Reserve Bank appointments
    Economists Carl Hansen and Professor Prasanna Gai have been appointed to the Reserve Bank Monetary Policy Committee, Finance Minister Nicola Willis announced today. The Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) is the independent decision-making body that sets the Official Cash Rate which determines interest rates.  Carl Hansen, the executive director of Capital ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    13 hours ago
  • Stronger protections for apartment owners
    Apartment owners and buyers will soon have greater protections as further changes to the law on unit titles come into effect, Housing Minister Chris Bishop says. “The Unit Titles (Strengthening Body Corporate Governance and Other Matters) Amendment Act had already introduced some changes in December 2022 and May 2023, and ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    15 hours ago
  • Travel focused on traditional partners and Middle East
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters will travel to Egypt and Europe from this weekend.    “This travel will focus on a range of New Zealand’s traditional diplomatic and security partnerships while enabling broad engagement on the urgent situation in Gaza,” Mr Peters says.   Mr Peters will attend the NATO Foreign ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    16 hours ago
  • Keep safe on our roads this Easter
    Transport Minister Simeon Brown is encouraging all road users to stay safe, plan their journeys ahead of time, and be patient with other drivers while travelling around this Easter long weekend. “Road safety is a responsibility we all share, and with increased traffic on our roads expected this Easter we ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    18 hours ago
  • Cost of living support for over 1.4 million Kiwis
    About 1.4 million New Zealanders will receive cost of living relief through increased government assistance from April 1 909,000 pensioners get a boost to Superannuation, including 5000 veterans 371,000 working-age beneficiaries will get higher payments 45,000 students will see an increase in their allowance Over a quarter of New Zealanders ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    19 hours ago
  • Tenancy reviews for social housing restart
    Ensuring social housing is being provided to those with the greatest needs is front of mind as the Government restarts social housing tenancy reviews, Associate Housing Minister Tama Potaka says. “Our relentless focus on building a strong economy is to ensure we can deliver better public services such as social ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    19 hours ago
  • Kermadec Ocean Sanctuary plan halted
    The Kermadec Ocean Sanctuary will not go ahead, with Cabinet deciding to stop work on the proposed reserve and remove the Bill that would have established it from Parliament’s order paper. “The Kermadec Ocean Sanctuary Bill would have created a 620,000 sq km economic no-go zone,” Oceans and Fisheries Minister ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    19 hours ago
  • Cutting all that dam red tape
    Dam safety regulations are being amended so that smaller dams won’t be subject to excessive compliance costs, Minister for Building and Construction Chris Penk says. “The coalition Government is focused on reducing costs and removing unnecessary red tape so we can get the economy back on track.  “Dam safety regulations ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    20 hours ago
  • Drought support extended to parts of North Island
    The coalition Government is expanding the medium-scale adverse event classification to parts of the North Island as dry weather conditions persist, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay announced today. “I have made the decision to expand the medium-scale adverse event classification already in place for parts of the South Island to also cover the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    21 hours ago
  • Passage of major tax bill welcomed
    The passing of legislation giving effect to coalition Government tax commitments has been welcomed by Finance Minister Nicola Willis.  “The Taxation (Annual Rates for 2023–24, Multinational Tax, and Remedial Matters) Bill will help place New Zealand on a more secure economic footing, improve outcomes for New Zealanders, and make our tax system ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Lifting economy through science, tertiary sectors
    Science, Innovation and Technology Minister Judith Collins and Tertiary Education and Skills Minister Penny Simmonds today announced plans to transform our science and university sectors to boost the economy. Two advisory groups, chaired by Professor Sir Peter Gluckman, will advise the Government on how these sectors can play a greater ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Government announces Budget priorities
    The Budget will deliver urgently-needed tax relief to hard-working New Zealanders while putting the government’s finances back on a sustainable track, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says.  The Finance Minister made the comments at the release of the Budget Policy Statement setting out the Government’s Budget objectives. “The coalition Government intends ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Government to consider accommodation solution
    The coalition Government will look at options to address a zoning issue that limits how much financial support Queenstown residents can get for accommodation. Cabinet has agreed on a response to the Petitions Committee, which had recommended the geographic information MSD uses to determine how much accommodation supplement can be ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Government approves extension to Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care
    Cabinet has agreed to a short extension to the final reporting timeframe for the Royal Commission into Abuse in Care from 28 March 2024 to 26 June 2024, Internal Affairs Minister Brooke van Velden says.                                         “The Royal Commission wrote to me on 16 February 2024, requesting that I consider an ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • $18m boost for Kiwis travelling to health treatment
    The coalition Government is delivering an $18 million boost to New Zealanders needing to travel for specialist health treatment, Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says.   “These changes are long overdue – the National Travel Assistance (NTA) scheme saw its last increase to mileage and accommodation rates way back in 2009.  ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • PM’s Prizes for Space to showcase sector’s talent
    The Government is recognising the innovative and rising talent in New Zealand’s growing space sector, with the Prime Minister and Space Minister Judith Collins announcing the new Prime Minister’s Prizes for Space today. “New Zealand has a growing reputation as a high-value partner for space missions and research. I am ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Concerns conveyed to China over cyber activity
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters has confirmed New Zealand’s concerns about cyber activity have been conveyed directly to the Chinese Government.     “The Prime Minister and Minister Collins have expressed concerns today about malicious cyber activity, attributed to groups sponsored by the Chinese Government, targeting democratic institutions in both New ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Independent Reviewers appointed for School Property Inquiry
    Independent Reviewers appointed for School Property Inquiry Education Minister Erica Stanford today announced the appointment of three independent reviewers to lead the Ministerial Inquiry into the Ministry of Education’s School Property Function.  The Inquiry will be led by former Minister of Foreign Affairs Murray McCully. “There is a clear need ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Brynderwyns open for Easter
    State Highway 1 across the Brynderwyns will be open for Easter weekend, with work currently underway to ensure the resilience of this critical route being paused for Easter Weekend to allow holiday makers to travel north, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Today I visited the Brynderwyn Hills construction site, where ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Speech to the Infrastructure Funding & Financing Conference
    Introduction Good morning to you all, and thanks for having me bright and early today. I am absolutely delighted to be the Minister for Infrastructure alongside the Minister of Housing and Resource Management Reform. I know the Prime Minister sees the three roles as closely connected and he wants me ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Parliamentary network breached by the PRC
    New Zealand stands with the United Kingdom in its condemnation of People’s Republic of China (PRC) state-backed malicious cyber activity impacting its Electoral Commission and targeting Members of the UK Parliament. “The use of cyber-enabled espionage operations to interfere with democratic institutions and processes anywhere is unacceptable,” Minister Responsible for ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • NZ to provide support for Solomon Islands election
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters and Defence Minister Judith Collins today announced New Zealand will provide logistics support for the upcoming Solomon Islands election. “We’re sending a team of New Zealand Defence Force personnel and two NH90 helicopters to provide logistics support for the election on 17 April, at the request ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • NZ-EU FTA gains Royal Assent for 1 May entry to force
    The European Union Free Trade Agreement Legislation Amendment Bill received Royal Assent today, completing the process for New Zealand’s ratification of its free trade agreement with the European Union.    “I am pleased to announce that today, in a small ceremony at the Beehive, New Zealand notified the European Union ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • COVID-19 inquiry attracts 11,000 submissions
    Public consultation on the terms of reference for the Royal Commission into COVID-19 Lessons has concluded, Internal Affairs Minister Hon Brooke van Velden says.  “I have been advised that there were over 11,000 submissions made through the Royal Commission’s online consultation portal.” Expanding the scope of the Royal Commission of ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Families to receive up to $75 a week help with ECE fees
    Hardworking families are set to benefit from a new credit to help them meet their early childcare education (ECE) costs, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. From 1 July, parents and caregivers of young children will be supported to manage the rising cost of living with a partial reimbursement of their ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Unlocking a sustainable, low-emissions future
    A specialised Independent Technical Advisory Group (ITAG) tasked with preparing and publishing independent non-binding advice on the design of a "green" (sustainable finance) taxonomy rulebook is being established, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says.  “Comprising experts and market participants, the ITAG's primary goal is to deliver comprehensive recommendations to the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Chief of Army thanked for his service
    Defence Minister Judith Collins has thanked the Chief of Army, Major General John Boswell, DSD, for his service as he leaves the Army after 40 years. “I would like to thank Major General Boswell for his contribution to the Army and the wider New Zealand Defence Force, undertaking many different ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Minister to meet Australian counterparts and Manufacturing Industry Leaders
    25 March 2024 Minister to meet Australian counterparts and Manufacturing Industry Leaders Small Business, Manufacturing, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly will travel to Australia for a series of bi-lateral meetings and manufacturing visits. During the visit, Minister Bayly will meet with his Australian counterparts, Senator Tim Ayres, Ed ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Government commits nearly $3 million for period products in schools
    Government commits almost $3 million for period products in schools The Coalition Government has committed $2.9 million to ensure intermediate and secondary schools continue providing period products to those who need them, Minister of Education Erica Stanford announced today. “This is an issue of dignity and ensuring young women don’t ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Speech – Making it easier to build.
    Good morning, it’s great to be here.   First, I would like to acknowledge the New Zealand Institute of Building Surveyors and thank you for the opportunity to be here this morning.  I would like to use this opportunity to outline the Government’s ambitious plan and what we hope to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Pacific youth to shine from boost to Polyfest
    Minister for Pacific Peoples Dr Shane Reti has announced the Government’s commitment to the Auckland Secondary Schools Māori and Pacific Islands Cultural Festival, more commonly known as Polyfest. “The Ministry for Pacific Peoples is a longtime supporter of Polyfest and, as it celebrates 49 years in 2024, I’m proud to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago
  • 2024 Ngarimu VC and 28th (Māori) Battalion Memorial Scholarships announced
    ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago
  • Speech to Breast Cancer Foundation – Insights Conference
    Before moving onto the substance of today’s address, I want to recognise the very significant and ongoing contribution the Breast Cancer Foundation makes to support the lives of New Zealand women and their families living with breast cancer. I very much enjoy working with you. I also want to recognise ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago
  • Kiwi research soars to International Space Station
    New Zealand has notched up a first with the launch of University of Canterbury research to the International Space Station, Science, Innovation and Technology and Space Minister Judith Collins says. The hardware, developed by Dr Sarah Kessans, is designed to operate autonomously in orbit, allowing scientists on Earth to study ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago
  • Speech to the New Zealand Planning Institute
    Introduction Thank you for inviting me to speak with you today and I’m sorry I can’t be there in person. Yesterday I started in Wellington for Breakfast TV, spoke to a property conference in Auckland, and finished the day speaking to local government in Christchurch, so it would have been ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago
  • Support for Northland emergency response centre
    The Coalition Government is contributing more than $1 million to support the establishment of an emergency multi-agency coordination centre in Northland. Emergency Management and Recovery Minister Mark Mitchell announced the contribution today during a visit of the Whangārei site where the facility will be constructed.  “Northland has faced a number ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago
  • Celebrating 20 years of Whakaata Māori
    New Zealanders have enjoyed a broader range of voices telling the story of Aotearoa thanks to the creation of Whakaata Māori 20 years ago, says Māori Development Minister Tama Potaka. The minister spoke at a celebration marking the national indigenous media organisation’s 20th anniversary at their studio in Auckland on ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago
  • Some commercial fishery catch limits increased
    Commercial catch limits for some fisheries have been increased following a review showing stocks are healthy and abundant, Ocean and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. The changes, along with some other catch limit changes and management settings, begin coming into effect from 1 April 2024. "Regular biannual reviews of fish ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago

Page generated in The Standard by Wordpress at 2024-03-28T15:50:07+00:00