Is this as good as it gets?

Written By: - Date published: 10:59 am, November 5th, 2009 - 66 comments
Categories: capitalism, class war - Tags:

Most of the wealth in New Zealand is owned by a tiny fraction of the people because our political/economic system makes it that way.
10% of people have more income than 50% combined.

 income deciles

That’s just income. The inequality of wealth distribution is far greater. The net wealth of 10% of people is 20 times the wealth of 50% of us combined. In fact, the wealthiest 10% have more wealth than everyone else put together.

 wealth by decile

These aren’t just numbers. That tiny amount of wealth the lowest 40% have is poverty, the cause of so many of society’s ills – crime, suicide, violence, obesity, social alienation, poor health, poor education are all linked to poverty.

Plutocracy: not as cute as it sounds

Plutocracy: not as cute as it sounds

We allow a tiny portion of the population to control the wealth of this land. This isn’t some natural state, an inevitability. It is the result, the purpose, of the capitalist economic system, which is only possible because of the legal framework that exists to create and support it. Our company law, our land law, our tax system are all set up to enrich those few at the expense of the rest of us.

My question is: ‘why do we let it be this way?’ We have a democracy, we have a relatively uncorrupted political system. The people that capitalism steals from far out-number the people it serves; we can out-vote them. Another way is possible. We can easily create a fairer, and ultimately more successful society than this without drastic reform, just sensible changes.

So why don’t we do it? Why won’t we vote for it? Why don’t we demand change?

 Is it the endless pro-capitalist propaganda in the corporate media (not just the news, the ‘entertainment’ too)? Is it that the promise of some income growth blinds us to the greater injustice? Or is the reason that the capitalists have won and are still winning is that they are the most aggressive and greedy members of our society, while we are too weak and subservient to fight back?

66 comments on “Is this as good as it gets? ”

  1. IrishBill 1

    I see unemployment is up. I wonder how many of that top ten percent lost their jobs?

  2. Pat 2

    Phrases like “class war” probably don’t help.

    • snoozer 2.1

      why not? What else do you call 10% of the people controlling more wealth than everyone else put together?

      Which section are you in, btw, Pat? The 10% with everything or the 90% getting ripped off? And are you fighting for that side’s interests?

      • IrishBill 2.1.1

        From the New York Times: “There’s class warfare, all right,’ Mr. Buffett said, “but it’s my class, the rich class, that’s making war, and we’re winning.’

        Nuff said really.

      • Pat 2.1.2

        “Which section are you in, btw, Pat? The 10% with everything or the 90% getting ripped off? And are you fighting for that side’s interests?”

        I’m in neither of those sections. Surely there must be another category for normal people? Maybe I’m Switzerland. In which case I’ll hold your money for you while you have your class war.

        • felix 2.1.2.1

          So you’re in the 50 odd percent who don’t realise they’re being screwed. Goodo.

        • Bright Red 2.1.2.2

          What Pat is saying is he is in the 90% of people with less than half the wealth to share between them (in fact, propbably in the 60% with less than 10% of the wealth) but he defends the interests of the rich 10% in the hopes of getting a few crumbs from their table or (lol) becoming one of them some day

          house slave is the term.

  3. trademark 3

    It’s likely that most kiwis will be unaware of these statistics in the first place. A good start would be to raise New Zealanders’ awareness of just how unequal our society is. That might get people to see all the fetishising of wealth that the MSM promotes in a different light.

    The next question is, who in the political realm can address these inequalities, and how far can you go *without* drastic reform? New Zealand relies heavily on foreign investment, so raising taxes or weakening the pillars of monetary policy will cause adverse reactions in the market, and since we’re so tied to the market, we’ll get screwed. Embedded neoliberalism means that you can only tinker at the very edges before the rich bite back. In other words, ‘sensible changes’ don’t really seem so sensible. Or sufficient, for that matter.

    • So Bored 3.1

      Good question on how to address the imbalance? The issue of national economic sovereignty is high on the list, as is control of the money supply and the creation there of.

      On national economic sovereignty Keynes idea (shot down by the US post WW2) was for an international clearing house that aimed at zero balances…in short fair trade, no international money market casinos. When 95% plus of all foreign currency trades have no relation to a physical transaction for goods and services we have a big problem, so killing that market has to be a top priority.

      On money supply start with severe regulation of all banks, then nationalise the creation of cash by each national reserve bank.

      • trademark 3.1.1

        NZ’s currency is among the most heavily traded in the world, especially considering our small population. Add to that the fact that on the whole, most kiwis are poor savers and the picture becomes more bleak – we have to look offshore to create wealth here, but then much of the wealth that gets created here returns to where it came from.

        “In a land of plenty” has an ad that demonstrates how New Zealand sold itself overseas in the 90s:

        Aotearoa, New Zealand.

        Behind the veil of south pacific beauty is an expanding economy, well prepared for the 21st century.

        Now highly competitive after a decade of reforms, New Zealand invites international partners to share in an exciting business future.

        Supportive government policies provide a commercially transparent environment, with no hidden costs. There are low interest rates and inflation restrained by law, a freely convertible currency with no restrictions on transfers, equitable taxation with no levies on capital gains.

        New Zealand – the profitable partner.

        These are the foundations of our economy, and with a few minor modifications, the ad would still ring true today. The problem with any transformation of the economy that goes beyond tinkering with the edges and marketing it as a transformation is that things will get a whole lot worse before they get better. Without a popular consciousness (i.e., solidarity) against these pillars of inequality, there’s not much anyone can hope to achieve. We all know who has the greatest control over the popular consciousness at the moment.

        So, in my mind, transformation has to be a bottom-up process, not a top-down one. Only when ordinary people clearly understand the roots of inequality (and recognise the power in their hands) will they be able to resist attempts to entice them into apathy or pro-capitalist fetishism that any positive transformation will inevitably bring with it from the other side.

  4. Bill 4

    Just an angle on the whys and wherefores.

    Almost all kids are brought up on a marvellous diet of superman and batman et al. These fictional characters become our stereotypical heroes….our white hats riding out of or into the sunset.

    Oh. And there are the sporting heroes fighting the mythical ‘good fight’ on the green green corporate astro turf

    These, and other mythical heroes have no relevance to our every day life’s except in maybe the most tangental of ways.

    Meanwhile the relevant heroes; he real life heroes and their deeds are buried by the writers of history. I’ll bet that no kids are regaled with the defiance and courage of Mother Jones or the dare and do any number of .anonymous and (sadly) forgotten working class heroes.

    And perhaps that is all we need to know and understand to demand something different or better….that we have been lied to and continue to be lied to. We don’t need to rediscover or reinvent the lost cultural markers to reject our present culture. The level of rejection required to deliver whatever the something better is, is of course, another set of discussions.

  5. Gosman 5

    I know, why don’t you articulate a coherent, detailed and realistic alternative to the current system rather than decrying how unfair and unequal it is and how evil the ‘Haves’ are and how downtrodded the ‘Have nots’ are?

    This has been the problem of the left since the days of Marx and Engels. It is easy to point out faults in society but coming up with something that could be put in place instead beyond some utopian dream is somewhat lacking.

    Heck if all you did was state that we should follow lock stock and barrel what Sweden does it would at least be a starting point.

    • snoozer 5.1

      well, there you go – let’s be like more successful, more equal societies like Norway and Sweden. That’s the beginnings of a solution.

      In fact, there have been endless articulations of different possibilies or at least the creation of a fairer society with a moderated capitalist economic system. You just don’t hear about them because they don’t get a look-in in a world where the capitalists control the media.

    • Daveo 5.2

      There’s no shortage of alternatives to capitalism, but that’s another discussion. The first step is to admit we have a problem.

      • Geek 5.2.1

        Is it really another discussion? The numbers above can’t be argued with. There really is no discussion that can be had with them alone. If you present them to the public the response will always be “That is horrible, but what can we do about it?”. If you don’t have an answer to present right at that point you have lost the audience.

        I am completely uneducated in this matter. I know that other societies do things far better than we do. What I don’t know is what they do. Just saying look at Sweden is not enough. You have to be able to say that it is this policy or this social factor that results in their success.

        If you can articulate that then you stand a far stronger chance of making this the priority in our nation that it deserves to be.

        • IrishBill 5.2.1.1

          For a (social democratic but still capitalist) start:

          * An eight stage progressive tax system topping out at (say) 80% at $2m

          * Incresed regulation of financial markets (this would probably increase investment)

          * Proper taxing of capital gains made by property speculation

          * More publicly funded media

          * stronger labour laws including an award system

          * Free tertiary education offered according to academic merit

          * re-nationalisation of essential infrastructure including the electricity industry and the telecommunications network

          • Geek 5.2.1.1.1

            Are these along the lines that others are using?

            There are some pretty radical changes in what you have there. I don’t argue against them. I just wonder how long they would take to implement. I also wonder what effect on our current market system a true discussion by those who can act upon it would have.

            The progressive tax alone would start sphincters puckering in offices every where.

            Do you know how our close economic ties with Australia would effect these kind of changes? I am not sure on what the economic situation is in the region around Sweden but I would be concerned that if we were to make some of these changes our own economy may suffer as New Zealand becomes a less desirable place to operate business.

          • Bill 5.2.1.1.2

            For a (truly democratic and non-capitalist) start:

            Why start with SD and capitalism Irish when these systems have incrementally delivered for over 100 years precursors to exactly what we have today?

            edit. And what Daveo says below somewhere about the inevitability of arriving right back where we started if we merely fiddle with the extremities….as it were.

            • Geek 5.2.1.1.2.1

              An interesting site Bill. It does however seem like something that really is unattainable with out some for of major melt down that would require rebuilding from block one. People aren’t willingly going to give up ownership.

              I also worry about it being directionless. As stated in its own description Parecon is born from many movements including the Anarchist movement. I understand that there is a valuable input to be gained from all but it seems to me the model lacks control. There is no force controlling direction. The ideal of everyone having input in decisions based upon its effect upon them is admirable but how do you enforce that with out any over riding controlling system?

              Thank you for the link though. I may spend a bit of time running around on that site. i am sure my questions have already been addressed some where in there.

            • Quoth the Raven 5.2.1.1.2.2

              Geek – You should ask yourself why you need force why you need control?
              On parecon I think there are many many problems that I don’t think are addressed adequately. You can read a criticism on the same site Bill linked to. I think the market is democratic and market distribution can handle most things pretty well.

            • Daveo 5.2.1.1.2.3

              How is the market democratic? I mean, unless you think rich people should get more votes than poor people.

            • Quoth the Raven 5.2.1.1.2.4

              Daveo – Read the link. Markets indeed have defects, but they have virtues as well. We need to think dialectically about markets. Markets are democratic (in that they respond to consumer preferences), and they are undemocratic, (since they tend to exacerbate income inequality). And that comes from what seems to be a very radical social democrat. I happen to disagree with the latter believing, like many (many socialists as well) that a free market would be more egalitarian than what we have now – radically so.

          • Richard 5.2.1.1.3

            > * Free tertiary education offered according to academic merit

            I don’t think this is a good idea.

            Tertiary education is about learning to think and developing academic skills. It doesn’t make much sense to limit it to those who already have academic skills.

            Limiting education to the clever seems as unjust as limiting it to the rich.

            Free tertiary education should be offered according to desire. That is, if you want to get a tertiary education, you can.

          • Rich 5.2.1.1.4

            You forget a wealth tax (maybe an annual 1% of global wealth over $1mln, rising to 10% on over $10mln and 40% on anything over $100mln).

            Also, forget old-style nationalisation. That just enriches overpaid senior management who run the business as if they owned it, leaving the taxpayer to provide funds and take the risk. All large businesses should be transitioned to a suitable form of worker/customer coop, where the financial benefits and control of the business are apportioned on an equal basis.

          • SHG 5.2.1.1.5

            If such a tax system were implemented, all the high-earners left in NZ would up and leave.

            Thus the govt of the day would have fewer tax dollars coming in, meaning that “free” this and “nationalised” that and “publicly funded” whatever would never happen.

            • Rich 5.2.1.1.5.1

              Wrong – I’m a high earner and I wouldn’t.

              How come the many wealthy Swedes don’t “up and leave”?

              Besides, if the many wealthy parasites left (having been made to pay an appropriate level of tax on their wealth before being allowed out), others would take over running their businesses.

  6. tsmithfield 6

    I have heard it said before that if all the wealth in the world was distributed equally, in a relatively short time it would be back in the hands of those who had it in the first place.

    Can’t point to a link, but it seems to make logical sense.

    • Chris 6.1

      Or in the hands of the toilet cleaners to the rich. Either possibility is there.

    • Pat 6.2

      As proven by the history of Lotto winners.

    • Daveo 6.3

      If you retained a capitalist system, then yes, it would happen eventually, because inequality is a result of capitalist power relations. Leave those power relations intact and the inequality will return.

      That’s why it’s not just a matter of redistributing a bit of wealth from within the capitalist system. You have to do away with the capitalist system and replace it with an alternative based on human dignity and economic democracy.

      • Pat 6.3.1

        But how do you prevent the people democratically reinstating a capitalist system?

        Or protests from annoying pro-capitalist demonstrators pointing out minor flaws in your new system (like, say, bread shortages)?

        (I think I know the answers – I’m reading “Gulag – A History” by Anne Applebaum at the moment).

        • Bright Red 6.3.1.1

          no-one’s espousing Stalinism here.

          And you would be a fool to ignore the fact that a lot of the problems (the tendency to authoritarianism especially) with the Soviet Union existed in Russia before and exist now – it’s deeper rooted than blaming the system that they purport to have in place at any one time.

  7. roger nome 7

    “stronger labour laws including an award system”

    Irish – do you know why the CTU doesn’t advocate for a return to an awards system? It’s very strange IMO.

  8. roger nome 8

    Pat:

    Why is the capitalist system in Norway, Denmark, Finland and Sweden far more equal than ours?

    Capitalism doesn’t have to mean extreme inequality, and socialism doesn’t have to mean Stalinism. Your binary thinking is child-like.

    • Pat 8.1

      Daveo wrote “You have to do away with the capitalist system…”

      I don’t think he was suggesting it be replaced with a Scandinavian capitalist system.

      Maybe he could elucidate what system he thinks we should adopt.

    • Pat 8.2

      “…Norway, Denmark, Finland and Sweden…”

      I would be interested to know whether the opening up of EU borders has resulted in a drift or exodus of skilled labour to other EU countries where they could earn a higher income with less taxes.

      Becuase the natural argument against NZ adopting a similar income/tax system, would be that there would be an exodus to Australia.

  9. Macro 9

    Q. Why are there no workers in the religious right?

    A. Because the capitalists pray for the workers on Sunday and prey on them for the remaining six days of the week

    Good post Marty! It was all going well in “God’s Own” until we were Rogered in the 1980’s and served up a mother of a budget in 1991 – and the last crowd seemed incapable of doing anything constructive to address the imbalances that had been created – despite a huge mandate in the early years.

    There are far more equitable means of distributing wealth – we have to get rid of thae antiquated property laws for a start. Michael Fox hinted at this in an earlier post. For those not aquainted with what I am referring to – the property laws of NZ are derived from the property laws of Gt Britain, which in turn were drafted in the 18th C and based upon the ethics – drawn up specifically – by John Locke. These laws completely overlook the concept of communal property – so we can have the likes of Rodbey Hide now proposing that the common property of NZers ie water can be sold to a private company to manage! Everybody owns that water – the rain from heaven falls on the rich and the poor alike! We need proper government to fairly manage its distribution. Furthermore the laws of property completely overlooked the rights of indigenous people! We have a problem in our parliament today following that oversight!

    There are far better ways to distribute wealth than relying on an amoral and ineffectual market. Markets are ineffectual when there is a need to distribute in an equitable manner. There is a growing need looming for instance to distribute energy equitably. An ETS may go someway towards signaling to consumers the real costs of their energy usage (depending upon the price setting for Carbon) but it will ultimately drive the poor even further into poverty and the distribution of energy will flow only to those who can afford it!

    • Bill 9.1

      Nice comment.

      One point though. By saying “Everybody owns that water the rain from heaven falls on the rich and the poor alike! We need proper government to fairly manage its distribution.”, you are inviting central planning…command and control economics through centralised government power.

      On the assumption that you are not in favour of replicating all the woes of Soviet era planning can I suggest that you’d be better asserting that we need a democratic economy to fairly manage distribution? And while we’re at it, recognise that a democratic economy (as opposed to either a market one or a centrally planned one) would also address the issues of resource use rather than simply the distribution arising from any development of a resource as well as ensuring that all manufacturing or resource use was for social good?

      • Macro 9.1.1

        “On the assumption that you are not in favour of replicating all the woes of Soviet era planning can I suggest that you’d be better asserting that we need a democratic economy to fairly manage distribution? And while we’re at it, recognise that a democratic economy (as opposed to either a market one or a centrally planned one) would also address the issues of resource use rather than simply the distribution arising from any development of a resource as well as ensuring that all manufacturing or resource use was for social good?”

        Yes exactly!

        Central regulation however may be required in some areas initially – where there is wide disparity. eg in China the central government has banned the deforestation in the catchment areas of their rivers – why? because even they could appreciate the effects of the result – sand storms, eroded earth, desertification etc.

    • Bill 9.2

      In fucking purgatory….. or somewhere…… again

  10. roger nome 10

    Pat:

    “Becuase the natural argument against NZ adopting a similar income/tax system”

    One of the many faulty assumptions of the neo-liberal economic model is that all people are driven by avarice. Many are driven by family, community, quality of life – you know, that’s why most business people in the Scandinavian countries actually support the Social Democratic model. It’s a different values system, and a healthier one.

  11. prism 11

    One of the reasons why we are stuck in the economic and political style we are in today is language – we are connected by English to class-ridden, tending towards fascism and hard-line-economist USA and Britain.

    We as a people don’t know enough about how our own country works, what is important for the people and economy’s health and wellbeing, or how we are impacted by larger, dominant countries. That is all stuff we could take in in English, and to go outside the English cabal we would have to learn other languages for real understanding. So many people are reluctant to learn some Maori, and I think foreign languages are being taken from the curriculum in some schools.

    The Scandinavian countries have been having political spats for centuries, and live at the top of the globe, as we do at the bottom. There are similarities, we could learn from them and they seem to have made considered policies that are worth considering. Lucky they are more intelligent about foreign languages than us, and can communicate in English.

    • George D 11.1

      You’re absolutely right, beyond a shadow of a doubt. The relentless obsession of both the ruling classes and the population with the Anglosphere, and the ignorance of anything outside it, means that our policy inspiration is drawn from two of the countries in greatest decline. During the last century you could pretend they were doing just fine – it’s becoming increasingly obvious that they aren’t. We share the English prejudices against foreigners (Europeans), and we’re poorer in every way as a result.

  12. Homo Domesticus 12

    Friends, what do you expect? NZ is being sold out by National, Auckland will soon be asset stripped. The results will be that the 10% will get richer, the rest of us and the country will not. Rise up and drive out Key and English and those that would sell out country.

    Homo d. (FPP)

  13. JD 13

    “we are connected by English to class-ridden, tending towards fascism”

    The National Front could only rally two dozen supporters for their march. So much for tending to fascism whatever that means.

  14. Jenny 14

    If it was the last generation’s historic task to dismantle communism.

    Maybe it this generation’s historic task to dismantle capitalism.

    Future generations and the planet will surely be thankful.

  15. Macro 15

    we are fast progressing towards a “corporatocracy” where corporations run the country on the behest and in collusion with the political power.
    They obey the the new golden rule!
    “those with the gold – RULE”

  16. Anthony Karinski 16

    From table 2 in your:http://www.stats.govt.nz/~/media/statistics/publications/analytical-reports/wealth-and-disparities-in-new-zealand/wealth-disparities.aspx link

    Percent of total net worth
    Top 1% 16.4
    Bottom 50% 5.2

    The top 1% of kiwis is worth more than three times as much as the bottom 50% combined. Meaning on average each person in the highest percentile has assets worth more than 157 times the average for the bottom 50%. I’m sure they’ve worked 150 times harder for it and risked 150 times more. Yeah right.

    Would be interesting to see some historical trends for this.

  17. prism 17

    Jd I was talking about the USA and Britain in that quote that you cut short. The fascism I was referring to is an orientation that the state has, and the National Front are one of the disaffected groups that arise in society.

    Jenny – sounds a bit pie in the sky. No great change will be the answer to struggle, and when something good is done, the details and reasons are soon forgotten plus the sacrifices that those involved made. Example – Sir Keith Park NZ who had a major role in defending London and attacking in the Battle of Britain I think. Got given the push afterwards and was not mentioned in some official report. That was WW2. Then there was the 1970’s feminist push for women to be have better opportunities and to be respected as equals, many young women dismiss the gains made. They have no idea of attitudes and conditions then and the improvements now.

  18. SHG 18

    I look at the graphs and see equal-opportunity policies paying off.

    CONGRATULATIONS COMRADE COMMISSAR EO OFFICERS, YOU HAVE WON

  19. modern 19

    Great post.

    ‘why do we let it be this way?’

    The million dollar question.

    Surely much of the answer is ‘ignorance’.

    So keep up the good work…. keep doing what you’re doing

  20. Harpoon 20

    ” … is the reason that the capitalists have won and are still winning is that they are the most aggressive and greedy members of our society, while we are too weak and subservient to fight back?”

    Folks, everything rightists do is done to achieve one of two things, ether
    (a) move money from the rest of the population to the already rich, or
    (b) distract the rest of the population from the fact that (a) is happening.

  21. Gosman 21

    I love it when you ask leftists to articulate their alternative to the ‘evils’ of Capitalism.

    You tend to get the responses falling into two main camps.

    The first is the social democratic managed capitalism group who think you can just keep the current system but somehow control it via strict controls and the welfare state. People who advocate this approach hold up the Scandanavian countries as the ideal.

    The other group is those who think that the entire system is rotten and you need to replace it with something better. This something is the rather vague and utopian ideas of Socialism.

    I actually have a bit of sympathy for those who fall in to the second camp. They are at least not hypocritical when they decry Capitalism. However the alternatives they propose are of course ‘pie in the sky’ stuff.

    • Ag 21.1

      What’s wrong with the Scandinavians? They’ve had a higher standard of living than most other countries for years.

      They must be doing something right.

    • Sam 21.2

      I love it when people who have absolutely no idea what they are talking about carry on as if they do, attempting to command some sort of “daddy knows best” ideal of right wing dominance.

      Read a book.

  22. Michael 22

    Most New Zealanders have a reasonably comfortable standard of living, so they feel no need to question capitalism. Capitalism is preferred by the rich.

    I predict that in a few hundred years when poverty hits a much larger proportion of our country there will be a greater movement towards a socialist economic system.

    Look at what poor countries in South America (eg. Venezuela) are doing now, this is what will happen to us in a few hundred years.

    It took us 1000 years to get out of the middle ages and it will take a similar amount of time for us to realise capitalism doesn’t work.

  23. sean14 23

    Closing down golf courses?

  24. Ben 24

    One possible answer to the last paragraph may be that “You can’t vote the rascals out, because you never voted them in, in the first place”. The sequence of events of the last 30 years are that of capital pressure on governments locally, and internationally. I know this I’m hugarian. I have lost one country already. We can’t pressure such a vote to take place, because we don’t have capital that governments are competing to accomodate, like the multinational corps do. The politicians are in no stronger position than us.

    If they decide to crack down with taxes on the rich, the rich in turn can threaten, or actually take their business to Aus, for instance, or worse, have the World Bank’s MIGA arm put mighty pressure on the NZ government. They clearly have a better hand of cards than the people.

    One reasons why national solutions are off the table for us, the 90%, worldwide.

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    TL;DR: The podcast above features co-hosts and , along with regular guests Robert Patman on Gaza and AUKUS II, and on climate change.The six things that mattered in Aotearoa’s political economy that we wrote and spoke about via The Kākā and elsewhere for paying subscribers in the ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    13 hours ago
  • The ‘Humpty Dumpty’ end result of dismantling our environmental protections
    Policymakers rarely wish to make plain or visible their desire to dismantle environmental policy, least of all to the young. Photo: Lynn GrievesonTL;DR: Here’s the top five news items of note in climate news for Aotearoa-NZ this week, and a discussion above between Bernard Hickey and The Kākā’s climate correspondent ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    13 hours ago
  • Nicola's Salad Days.
    I like to keep an eye on what’s happening in places like the UK, the US, and over the ditch with our good mates the Aussies. Let’s call them AUKUS, for want of a better collective term. More on that in a bit.It used to be, not long ago, that ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    14 hours ago
  • Study sees climate change baking in 19% lower global income by 2050
    TL;DR: The global economy will be one fifth smaller than it would have otherwise been in 2050 as a result of climate damage, according to a new study by the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK) and published in the journal Nature. (See more detail and analysis below, and ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    14 hours ago
  • Weekly Roundup 19-April-2024
    It’s Friday again. Here’s some of the things that caught our attention this week. This Week on Greater Auckland On Tuesday Matt covered at the government looking into a long tunnel for Wellington. On Wednesday we ran a post from Oscar Simms on some lessons from Texas. AT’s ...
    15 hours ago
  • Jack Vowles: Stop the panic – we’ve been here before
    New Zealand is said to be suffering from ‘serious populist discontent’. An IPSOS MORI survey has reported that we have an increasing preference for strong leaders, think that the economy is rigged toward the rich and powerful, and political elites are ignoring ‘hard-working people’.  The data is from February this ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    17 hours ago
  • Clearing up confusion (or trying to)
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters is understood to be planning a major speech within the next fortnight to clear up the confusion over whether or not New Zealand might join the AUKUS submarine project. So far, there have been conflicting signals from the Government. RNZ reported the Prime Minister yesterday in ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    18 hours ago
  • How to Retrieve Deleted Call Log iPhone Without Computer
    How to Retrieve Deleted Call Log on iPhone Without a Computer: A StepbyStep Guide Losing your iPhone call history can be frustrating, especially when you need to find a specific number or recall an important conversation. But before you panic, know that there are ways to retrieve deleted call logs on your iPhone, even without a computer. This guide will explore various methods, ranging from simple checks to utilizing iCloud backups and thirdparty applications. So, lets dive in and recover those lost calls! 1. Check Recently Deleted Folder: Apple understands that accidental deletions happen. Thats why they introduced the Recently Deleted folder for various apps, including the Phone app. This folder acts as a safety net, storing deleted call logs for up to 30 days before permanently erasing them. Heres how to check it: Open the Phone app on your iPhone. Tap on the Recents tab at the bottom. Scroll to the top and tap on Edit. Select Show Recently Deleted. Browse the list to find the call logs you want to recover. Tap on the desired call log and choose Recover to restore it to your call history. 2. Restore from iCloud Backup: If you regularly back up your iPhone to iCloud, you might be able to retrieve your deleted call log from a previous backup. However, keep in mind that this process will restore your entire phone to the state it was in at the time of the backup, potentially erasing any data added since then. Heres how to restore from an iCloud backup: Go to Settings > General > Reset. Choose Erase All Content and Settings. Follow the onscreen instructions. Your iPhone will restart and show the initial setup screen. Choose Restore from iCloud Backup during the setup process. Select the relevant backup that contains your deleted call log. Wait for the restoration process to complete. 3. Explore ThirdParty Apps (with Caution): ...
    20 hours ago
  • How to Factory Reset iPhone without Computer: A Comprehensive Guide to Restoring your Device
    Life throws curveballs, and sometimes, those curveballs necessitate wiping your iPhone clean and starting anew. Whether you’re facing persistent software glitches, preparing to sell your device, or simply wanting a fresh start, knowing how to factory reset iPhone without a computer is a valuable skill. While using a computer with ...
    1 day ago
  • How to Call Someone on a Computer: A Guide to Voice and Video Communication in the Digital Age
    Gone are the days when communication was limited to landline phones and physical proximity. Today, computers have become powerful tools for connecting with people across the globe through voice and video calls. But with a plethora of applications and methods available, how to call someone on a computer might seem ...
    1 day ago
  • Skeptical Science New Research for Week #16 2024
    Open access notables Glacial isostatic adjustment reduces past and future Arctic subsea permafrost, Creel et al., Nature Communications: Sea-level rise submerges terrestrial permafrost in the Arctic, turning it into subsea permafrost. Subsea permafrost underlies ~ 1.8 million km2 of Arctic continental shelf, with thicknesses in places exceeding 700 m. Sea-level variations over glacial-interglacial cycles control ...
    1 day ago
  • Where on a Computer is the Operating System Generally Stored? Delving into the Digital Home of your ...
    The operating system (OS) is the heart and soul of a computer, orchestrating every action and interaction between hardware and software. But have you ever wondered where on a computer is the operating system generally stored? The answer lies in the intricate dance between hardware and software components, particularly within ...
    1 day ago
  • How Many Watts Does a Laptop Use? Understanding Power Consumption and Efficiency
    Laptops have become essential tools for work, entertainment, and communication, offering portability and functionality. However, with rising energy costs and growing environmental concerns, understanding a laptop’s power consumption is more important than ever. So, how many watts does a laptop use? The answer, unfortunately, isn’t straightforward. It depends on several ...
    1 day ago
  • How to Screen Record on a Dell Laptop A Guide to Capturing Your Screen with Ease
    Screen recording has become an essential tool for various purposes, such as creating tutorials, capturing gameplay footage, recording online meetings, or sharing information with others. Fortunately, Dell laptops offer several built-in and external options for screen recording, catering to different needs and preferences. This guide will explore various methods on ...
    1 day ago
  • How Much Does it Cost to Fix a Laptop Screen? Navigating Repair Options and Costs
    A cracked or damaged laptop screen can be a frustrating experience, impacting productivity and enjoyment. Fortunately, laptop screen repair is a common service offered by various repair shops and technicians. However, the cost of fixing a laptop screen can vary significantly depending on several factors. This article delves into the ...
    1 day ago
  • How Long Do Gaming Laptops Last? Demystifying Lifespan and Maximizing Longevity
    Gaming laptops represent a significant investment for passionate gamers, offering portability and powerful performance for immersive gaming experiences. However, a common concern among potential buyers is their lifespan. Unlike desktop PCs, which allow for easier component upgrades, gaming laptops have inherent limitations due to their compact and integrated design. This ...
    1 day ago
  • Climate Change: Turning the tide
    The annual inventory report of New Zealand's greenhouse gas emissions has been released, showing that gross emissions have dropped for the third year in a row, to 78.4 million tons: All-told gross emissions have decreased by over 6 million tons since the Zero Carbon Act was passed in 2019. ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    1 day ago
  • How to Unlock Your Computer A Comprehensive Guide to Regaining Access
    Experiencing a locked computer can be frustrating, especially when you need access to your files and applications urgently. The methods to unlock your computer will vary depending on the specific situation and the type of lock you encounter. This guide will explore various scenarios and provide step-by-step instructions on how ...
    1 day ago
  • Faxing from Your Computer A Modern Guide to Sending Documents Digitally
    While the world has largely transitioned to digital communication, faxing still holds relevance in certain industries and situations. Fortunately, gone are the days of bulky fax machines and dedicated phone lines. Today, you can easily send and receive faxes directly from your computer, offering a convenient and efficient way to ...
    1 day ago
  • Protecting Your Home Computer A Guide to Cyber Awareness
    In our increasingly digital world, home computers have become essential tools for work, communication, entertainment, and more. However, this increased reliance on technology also exposes us to various cyber threats. Understanding these threats and taking proactive steps to protect your home computer is crucial for safeguarding your personal information, finances, ...
    1 day ago
  • Server-Based Computing Powering the Modern Digital Landscape
    In the ever-evolving world of technology, server-based computing has emerged as a cornerstone of modern digital infrastructure. This article delves into the concept of server-based computing, exploring its various forms, benefits, challenges, and its impact on the way we work and interact with technology. Understanding Server-Based Computing: At its core, ...
    1 day ago
  • Vroom vroom go the big red trucks
    The absolute brass neck of this guy.We want more medical doctors, not more spin doctors, Luxon was saying a couple of weeks ago, and now we’re told the guy has seven salaried adults on TikTok duty. Sorry, doing social media. The absolute brass neck of it. The irony that the ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    1 day ago
  • Jones finds $410,000 to help the government muscle in on a spat project
    Buzz from the Beehive Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones relishes spatting and eagerly takes issue with environmentalists who criticise his enthusiasm for resource development. He relishes helping the fishing industry too. And so today, while the media are making much of the latest culling in the public service to ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    1 day ago
  • Again, hate crimes are not necessarily terrorism.
    Having written, taught and worked for the US government on issues involving unconventional warfare and terrorism for 30-odd years, two things irritate me the most when the subject is discussed in public. The first is the Johnny-come-lately academics-turned-media commentators who … Continue reading ...
    KiwipoliticoBy Pablo
    1 day ago
  • Despair – construction consenting edition
    Eric Crampton writes – Kainga Ora is the government’s house building agency. It’s been building a lot of social housing. Kainga Ora has its own (but independent) consenting authority, Consentium. It’s a neat idea. Rather than have to deal with building consents across each different territorial authority, Kainga Ora ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    1 day ago
  • Coalition promises – will the Govt keep the commitment to keep Kiwis equal before the law?
    Muriel Newman writes – The Coalition Government says it is moving with speed to deliver campaign promises and reverse the damage done by Labour. One of their key commitments is to “defend the principle that New Zealanders are equal before the law.” To achieve this, they have pledged they “will not advance ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    1 day ago
  • An impermanent public service is a guarantee of very little else but failure
    Chris Trotter writes –  The absence of anything resembling a fightback from the public servants currently losing their jobs is interesting. State-sector workers’ collective fatalism in the face of Coalition cutbacks indicates a surprisingly broad acceptance of impermanence in the workplace. Fifty years ago, lay-offs in the thousands ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    2 days ago
  • What happens after the war – Mariupol
    Mariupol, on the Azov Sea coast, was one of the first cities to suffer almost complete destruction after the start of the Ukraine War started in late February 2022. We remember the scenes of absolute destruction of the houses and city structures. The deaths of innocent civilians – many of ...
    2 days ago
  • Babies and benefits – no good news
    Lindsay Mitchell writes – Ten years ago, I wrote the following in a Listener column: Every year around one in five new-born babies will be reliant on their caregivers benefit by Christmas. This pattern has persisted from at least 1993. For Maori the number jumps to over one in three.  ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    2 days ago
  • Should the RBNZ be looking through climate inflation?
    Climate change is expected to generate more and more extreme events, delivering a sort of structural shock to inflation that central banks will have to react to as if they were short-term cyclical issues. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāMy pick of the six newsey things to know from Aotearoa’s ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago
  • Bernard's pick 'n' mix of the news links
    The top six news links I’ve seen elsewhere in the last 24 hours, as of 9:16 am on Thursday, April 18 are:Housing: Tauranga residents living in boats, vans RNZ Checkpoint Louise TernouthHousing: Waikato councillor says wastewater plant issues could hold up Sleepyhead building a massive company town Waikato Times Stephen ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago
  • Gordon Campbell on the public sector carnage, and misogyny as terrorism
    It’s a simple deal. We pay taxes in order to finance the social services we want and need. The carnage now occurring across the public sector though, is breaking that contract. Over 3,000 jobs have been lost so far. Many are in crucial areas like Education where the impact of ...
    2 days ago
  • Meeting the Master Baiters
    Hi,A friend had their 40th over the weekend and decided to theme it after Curb Your Enthusiasm fashion icon Susie Greene. Captured in my tiny kitchen before I left the house, I ending up evoking a mix of old lesbian and Hillary Clinton — both unintentional.Me vs Hillary ClintonIf you’re ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    2 days ago
  • How extreme was the Earth's temperature in 2023
    This is a re-post from Andrew Dessler at the Climate Brink blog In 2023, the Earth reached temperature levels unprecedented in modern times. Given that, it’s reasonable to ask: What’s going on? There’s been lots of discussions by scientists about whether this is just the normal progression of global warming or if something ...
    2 days ago
  • Backbone, revisited
    The schools are on holiday and the sun is shining in the seaside village and all day long I have been seeing bunches of bikes; Mums, Dads, teens and toddlers chattering, laughing, happy, having a bloody great time together. Cheers, AT, for the bits of lane you’ve added lately around the ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    2 days ago
  • Ministers are not above the law
    Today in our National-led authoritarian nightmare: Shane Jones thinks Ministers should be above the law: New Zealand First MP Shane Jones is accusing the Waitangi Tribunal of over-stepping its mandate by subpoenaing a minister for its urgent hearing on the Oranga Tamariki claim. The tribunal is looking into the ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    2 days ago
  • What’s the outfit you can hear going down the gurgler? Probably it’s David Parker’s Oceans Sec...
    Buzz from the Beehive Point  of Order first heard of the Oceans Secretariat in June 2021, when David Parker (remember him?) announced a multi-agency approach to protecting New Zealand’s marine ecosystems and fisheries. Parker (holding the Environment, and Oceans and Fisheries portfolios) broke the news at the annual Forest & ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    2 days ago
  • Will politicians let democracy die in the darkness?
    Bryce Edwards writes  – Politicians across the political spectrum are implicated in the New Zealand media’s failing health. Either through neglect or incompetent interventions, successive governments have failed to regulate, foster, and allow a healthy Fourth Estate that can adequately hold politicians and the powerful to account. ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    2 days ago
  • Matt Doocey doubles down on trans “healthcare”
    Citizen Science writes –  Last week saw two significant developments in the debate over the treatment of trans-identifying children and young people – the release in Britain of the final report of Dr Hilary Cass’s review into gender healthcare, and here in New Zealand, the news that the ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    2 days ago
  • A TikTok Prime Minister.
    One night while sleeping in my bed I had a beautiful dreamThat all the people of the world got together on the same wavelengthAnd began helping one anotherNow in this dream, universal love was the theme of the dayPeace and understanding and it happened this wayAfter such an eventful day ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    3 days ago
  • Texas Lessons
    This is a guest post by Oscar Simms who is a housing activist, volunteer for the Coalition for More Homes, and was the Labour Party candidate for Auckland Central at the last election. ...
    Greater AucklandBy Guest Post
    3 days ago
  • Bernard's pick 'n' mix of the news links at 6:06 am
    The top six news links I’ve seen elsewhere in the last 24 hours as of 6:06 am on Wednesday, April 17 are:Must read: Secrecy shrouds which projects might be fast-tracked RNZ Farah HancockScoop: Revealed: Luxon has seven staffers working on social media content - partly paid for by taxpayer Newshub ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago
  • Fighting poverty on the holiday highway
    Turning what Labour called the “holiday highway” into a four-lane expressway from Auckland to Whangarei could bring at least an economic benefit of nearly two billion a year for Northland each year. And it could help bring an end to poverty in one of New Zealand’s most deprived regions. The ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    3 days ago
  • Bernard's six-stack of substacks at 6:26 pm
    Tonight’s six-stack includes: launching his substack with a bunch of his previous documentaries, including this 1992 interview with Dame Whina Cooper. and here crew give climate activists plenty to do, including this call to submit against the Fast Track Approvals bill. writes brilliantly here on his substack ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago
  • At a glance – Is the science settled?
    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 ...
    3 days ago
  • Apposite Quotations.
    How Long Is Long Enough? Gaza under Israeli bombardment, July 2014. This posting is exclusive to Bowalley Road. ...
    3 days ago
  • What’s a life worth now?
    You're in the mall when you hear it: some kind of popping sound in the distance, kids with fireworks, maybe. But then a moment of eerie stillness is followed by more of the fireworks sound and there’s also screaming and shrieking and now here come people running for their lives.Does ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago
  • Howling at the Moon
    Karl du Fresne writes –  There’s a crisis in the news media and the media are blaming it on everyone except themselves. Culpability is being deflected elsewhere – mainly to the hapless Minister of Communications, Melissa Lee, and the big social media platforms that are accused of hoovering ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    3 days ago
  • Newshub is Dead.
    I don’t normally send out two newsletters in a day but I figured I’d say something about… the news. If two newsletters is a bit much then maybe just skip one, I don’t want to overload people. Alternatively if you’d be interested in sometimes receiving multiple, smaller updates from me, ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    3 days ago
  • Seymour is chuffed about cutting early-learning red tape – but we hear, too, that Jones has loose...
    Buzz from the Beehive David Seymour and Winston Peters today signalled that at least two ministers of the Crown might be in Wellington today. Seymour (as Associate Minister of Education) announced the removal of more red tape, this time to make it easier for new early learning services to be ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    3 days ago
  • Bryce Edwards: Will politicians let democracy die in the darkness?
    Politicians across the political spectrum are implicated in the New Zealand media’s failing health. Either through neglect or incompetent interventions, successive governments have failed to regulate, foster, and allow a healthy Fourth Estate that can adequately hold politicians and the powerful to account. Our political system is suffering from the ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    3 days ago
  • Was Hawkesby entirely wrong?
    David Farrar  writes –  The Broadcasting Standards Authority ruled: Comments by radio host Kate Hawkesby suggesting Māori and Pacific patients were being prioritised for surgery due to their ethnicity were misleading and discriminatory, the Broadcasting Standards Authority has found. It is a fact such patients are prioritised. ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    3 days ago
  • PRC shadow looms as the Solomons head for election
    PRC and its proxies in Solomons have been preparing for these elections for a long time. A lot of money, effort and intelligence have gone into ensuring an outcome that won’t compromise Beijing’s plans. Cleo Paskall writes – On April 17th the Solomon Islands, a country of ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    3 days ago
  • Climate Change: Criminal ecocide
    We are in the middle of a climate crisis. Last year was (again) the hottest year on record. NOAA has just announced another global coral bleaching event. Floods are threatening UK food security. So naturally, Shane Jones wants to make it easier to mine coal: Resources Minister Shane Jones ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    3 days ago
  • Is saving one minute of a politician's time worth nearly $1 billion?
    Is speeding up the trip to and from Wellington airport by 12 minutes worth spending up more than $10 billion? Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The six news items that stood out to me in the last day to 8:26 am today are:The Lead: Transport Minister Simeon Brown announced ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • Long Tunnel or Long Con?
    Yesterday it was revealed that Transport Minister had asked Waka Kotahi to look at the options for a long tunnel through Wellington. State Highway 1 (SH1) through Wellington City is heavily congested at peak times and while planning continues on the duplicate Mt Victoria Tunnel and Basin Reserve project, the ...
    4 days ago
  • Smoke And Mirrors.
    You're a fraud, and you know itBut it's too good to throw it all awayAnyone would do the sameYou've got 'em goingAnd you're careful not to show itSometimes you even fool yourself a bitIt's like magicBut it's always been a smoke and mirrors gameAnyone would do the sameForty six billion ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    4 days ago
  • What is Mexico doing about climate change?
    This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections The June general election in Mexico could mark a turning point in ensuring that the country’s climate policies better reflect the desire of its citizens to address the climate crisis, with both leading presidential candidates expressing support for renewable energy. Mexico is the ...
    4 days ago
  • State of humanity, 2024
    2024, it feels, keeps presenting us with ever more challenges, ever more dismay.Do you give up yet? It seems to ask.No? How about this? Or this?How about this?When I say 2024 I really mean the state of humanity in 2024.Saturday night, we watched Civil War because that is one terrifying cliff we've ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    4 days ago
  • Govt’s Wellington tunnel vision aims to ease the way to the airport (but zealous promoters of cycl...
    Buzz from the Beehive A pet project and governmental tunnel vision jump out from the latest batch of ministerial announcements. The government is keen to assure us of its concern for the wellbeing of our pets. It will be introducing pet bonds in a change to the Residential Tenancies Act ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    4 days ago
  • The case for cultural connectedness
    A recent report generated from a Growing Up in New Zealand (GUiNZ) survey of 1,224 rangatahi Māori aged 11-12 found: Cultural connectedness was associated with fewer depression symptoms, anxiety symptoms and better quality of life. That sounds cut and dry. But further into the report the following appears: Cultural connectedness is ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • Useful context on public sector job cuts
    David Farrar writes –    The Herald reports: From the gory details of job-cuts news, you’d think the public service was being eviscerated.   While the media’s view of the cuts is incomplete, it’s also true that departments have been leaking the particulars faster than a Wellington ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • Gordon Campbell On When Racism Comes Disguised As Anti-racism
    Remember the good old days, back when New Zealand had a PM who could think and speak calmly and intelligently in whole sentences without blustering? Even while Iran’s drones and missiles were still being launched, Helen Clark was live on TVNZ expertly summing up the latest crisis in the Middle ...
    5 days ago
  • Govt ignored economic analysis of smokefree reversal
    Costello did not pass on analysis of the benefits of the smokefree reforms to Cabinet, emphasising instead the extra tax revenues of repealing them. Photo: Hagen Hopkins, Getty Images TL;DR: The six news items that stood out to me at 7:26 am today are:The Lead: Casey Costello never passed on ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • True Blue.
    True loveYou're the one I'm dreaming ofYour heart fits me like a gloveAnd I'm gonna be true blueBaby, I love youI’ve written about the job cuts in our news media last week. The impact on individuals, and the loss to Aotearoa of voices covering our news from different angles.That by ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago
  • Who is running New Zealand’s foreign policy?
    While commentators, including former Prime Minister Helen Clark, are noting a subtle shift in New Zealand’s foreign policy, which now places more emphasis on the United States, many have missed a key element of the shift. What National said before the election is not what the government is doing now. ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    5 days ago

  • $41m to support clean energy in South East Asia
    New Zealand is demonstrating its commitment to reducing global greenhouse emissions, and supporting clean energy transition in South East Asia, through a contribution of NZ$41 million (US$25 million) in climate finance to the Asian Development Bank (ADB)-led Energy Transition Mechanism (ETM). Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Climate Change Minister Simon Watts announced ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 hours ago
  • Minister releases Fast-track stakeholder list
    The Government is today releasing a list of organisations who received letters about the Fast-track applications process, says RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop. “Recently Ministers and agencies have received a series of OIA requests for a list of organisations to whom I wrote with information on applying to have a ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    9 hours ago
  • Judicial appointments announced
    Attorney-General Judith Collins today announced the appointment of Wellington Barrister David Jonathan Boldt as a Judge of the High Court, and the Honourable Justice Matthew Palmer as a Judge of the Court of Appeal. Justice Boldt graduated with an LLB from Victoria University of Wellington in 1990, and also holds ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    10 hours ago
  • Education Minister heads to major teaching summit in Singapore
    Education Minister Erica Stanford will lead the New Zealand delegation at the 2024 International Summit on the Teaching Profession (ISTP) held in Singapore. The delegation includes representatives from the Post Primary Teachers’ Association (PPTA) Te Wehengarua and the New Zealand Educational Institute (NZEI) Te Riu Roa.  The summit is co-hosted ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    11 hours ago
  • Value of stopbank project proven during cyclone
    A stopbank upgrade project in Tairawhiti partly funded by the Government has increased flood resilience for around 7000ha of residential and horticultural land so far, Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones today attended a dawn service in Gisborne to mark the end of the first stage of the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    11 hours ago
  • Anzac commemorations, Türkiye relationship focus of visit
    Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters will represent the Government at Anzac Day commemorations on the Gallipoli Peninsula next week and engage with senior representatives of the Turkish government in Istanbul.    “The Gallipoli campaign is a defining event in our history. It will be a privilege to share the occasion ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    11 hours ago
  • Minister to Europe for OECD meeting, Anzac Day
    Science, Innovation and Technology and Defence Minister Judith Collins will next week attend the OECD Science and Technology Ministerial conference in Paris and Anzac Day commemorations in Belgium. “Science, innovation and technology have a major role to play in rebuilding our economy and achieving better health, environmental and social outcomes ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    14 hours ago
  • Comprehensive Partnership the goal for NZ and the Philippines
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon held a bilateral meeting today with the President of the Philippines, Ferdinand Marcos Jr.  The Prime Minister was accompanied by MP Paulo Garcia, the first Filipino to be elected to a legislature outside the Philippines. During today’s meeting, Prime Minister Luxon and President Marcos Jr discussed opportunities to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Government commits $20m to Westport flood protection
    The Government has announced that $20 million in funding will be made available to Westport to fund much needed flood protection around the town. This measure will significantly improve the resilience of the community, says Local Government Minister Simeon Brown. “The Westport community has already been allocated almost $3 million ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Taupō takes pole position
    The Government is proud to support the first ever Repco Supercars Championship event in Taupō as up to 70,000 motorsport fans attend the Taupō International Motorsport Park this weekend, says Economic Development Minister Melissa Lee. “Anticipation for the ITM Taupō Super400 is huge, with tickets and accommodation selling out weeks ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Cost of living support for low-income homeowners
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    2 days ago
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  • Thailand and NZ to agree to Strategic Partnership
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and his Thai counterpart, Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin, have today agreed that New Zealand and the Kingdom of Thailand will upgrade the bilateral relationship to a Strategic Partnership by 2026. “New Zealand and Thailand have a lot to offer each other. We have a strong mutual desire to build ...
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  • School attendance restored as a priority in health advice
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    3 days ago
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  • Removing red tape to help early learners thrive
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    4 days ago
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  • Prime Minister Luxon acknowledges legacy of Singapore Prime Minister Lee
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon today paid tribute to Singapore’s outgoing Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong.   Meeting in Singapore today immediately before Prime Minister Lee announced he was stepping down, Prime Minister Luxon warmly acknowledged his counterpart’s almost twenty years as leader, and the enduring legacy he has left for Singapore and South East ...
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  • Antarctica New Zealand Board appointments
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    5 days ago
  • New Zealand condemns Iranian strikes
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Foreign Minister Winston Peters have condemned Iran’s shocking and illegal strikes against Israel.    “These attacks are a major challenge to peace and stability in a region already under enormous pressure," Mr Luxon says.    "We are deeply concerned that miscalculation on any side could ...
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  • Huge interest in Government’s infrastructure plans
    Hundreds of people in little over a week have turned out in Northland to hear Regional Development Minister Shane Jones speak about plans for boosting the regional economy through infrastructure. About 200 people from the infrastructure and associated sectors attended an event headlined by Mr Jones in Whangarei today. Last ...
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    1 week ago
  • Health Minister thanks outgoing Health New Zealand Chair
    Health Minister Dr Shane Reti has today thanked outgoing Health New Zealand – Te Whatu Ora Chair Dame Karen Poutasi for her service on the Board.   “Dame Karen tendered her resignation as Chair and as a member of the Board today,” says Dr Reti.  “I have asked her to ...
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  • Roads of National Significance planning underway
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  • Navigating an unstable global environment
    New Zealand is renewing its connections with a world facing urgent challenges by pursuing an active, energetic foreign policy, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says.   “Our country faces the most unstable global environment in decades,” Mr Peters says at the conclusion of two weeks of engagements in Egypt, Europe and the United States.    “We cannot afford to sit back in splendid ...
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  • NZ welcomes Australian Governor-General
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has announced the Australian Governor-General, His Excellency General The Honourable David Hurley and his wife Her Excellency Mrs Linda Hurley, will make a State visit to New Zealand from Tuesday 16 April to Thursday 18 April. The visit reciprocates the State visit of former Governor-General Dame Patsy Reddy ...
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  • NZ and the US: an ever closer partnership
    New Zealand and the United States have recommitted to their strategic partnership in Washington DC today, pledging to work ever more closely together in support of shared values and interests, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says.    “The strategic environment that New Zealand and the United States face is considerably more ...
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  • Joint US and NZ declaration
    April 11, 2024 Joint Declaration by United States Secretary of State the Honorable Antony J. Blinken and New Zealand Minister of Foreign Affairs the Right Honourable Winston Peters We met today in Washington, D.C. to recommit to the historic partnership between our two countries and the principles that underpin it—rule ...
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