Key booed by rugby crowd

Written By: - Date published: 3:21 pm, February 7th, 2016 - 81 comments
Categories: john key, Minister for Photo-ops - Tags: ,

Key refused to go to Waitangi on Friday (likes to talk, doesn’t like to listen).

On Saturday he went to the rugby and went grandstanding in front of the crowd (of course). But it didn’t go as planned. See the video here (15 seconds) – “quite loud boos from the Eden Park crowd” as Gower puts it.

He was also booed at Ratana.

This is going to give his handlers something to think about.

81 comments on “Key booed by rugby crowd ”

  1. Sam 1

    This is just lame. Key and National have always been disliked by RUGBY LEAGUE fans. There is a difference between a very working class and brown sport in rugby league and the much more elitist and whiter sport of rugby union.

    • simbit 1.1

      So he would be cheered at a Highlanders v Chiefs game? Not sure, and bet he isn’t either. They all go in the end…

    • Keith 1.2

      Nah, they know a wanker when they see one!

    • McFlock 1.3

      He’s always booed at league games, even after the endorsement of Sir Mad Butcher?

      That was almost a Waitangi-level reception as the poser did his wee promenade…

  2. whateva next? 2

    and Patrick Gower akshully reported it? wil Key resign over this, if he was thinking of it after the Tea Pot Tape saga, and talked about leaving when the polls indicate his shine is rubbing off (or teflon coat) well…..I am watching this space

    • Whispering Kate 2.1

      He could resign after this – his job is over with the TPPA signed, that’s what he was groomed and or singled out for all those years ago, a perfect mole for the US to sell us down the river so they could get hegmony in the Pacific as a counter against China. He has bigger prizes in store for him in payment for this job accomplished. Now all he wants a corporate tea towel for a flag and he will be in clover. He has said he would like to run for another term but knowing how he lies that could have been just spin – its a wonder he doesn’t get dizzy with it all.

    • Pascals bookie 2.2

      Hilariously, on the One News report you can see Gower get a slefie with the PM

      Still grab here with a link to the video, selfie grab is at about 2:25

      https://twitter.com/watershitdown/status/695846288403726336

      • miravox 2.2.1

        and on the topic of selfies – mr sleaze has not gone away. The woman getting a selfie with the PM seemed to have had a bit more up close and personal than she expected.

        • Jilly Bee 2.2.1.1

          My thoughts too miravox – I thought the PM was actually groping her – I was looking to where his hands may have connected. Sheesh, it was gross.

      • whateva next? 2.2.2

        I spotted him in the background straight way, bein a bro with his m8

  3. chris73 3

    Its finally the proof needed that Kiwis finally agree with the left that John Key is the devil!

    I fully expect that this will lead to National dropping in the polls and Labour triumphantly surging into the thirties

    • One Anonymous Bloke 3.1

      Once again, you demonstrate that the only tool in your box is bad faith.

      • chris73 3.1.1

        No no you misunderstand me. I really believe that John Key getting booed at the league nines is proof positive that the tide has turned, people now see John Key for what he is

        Its brilliant, this is the fillip the left have been looking for, in fact I wouldn’t be at surprised if theres going to be a coup in National soon because, as everyone knows, when you get booed at the league (which is the most tribal National supporters you could ever find) its all over

        I’m calling it now, the left will win the next election and it all started when John Key was booed at the league nines competition

  4. mac1 4

    When was a NZ Prime Minister last booed by a sizeable sports crowd, by the way?

    Googling of NZ PM’s being booed elicits references to Key’s being booed was by demonstrators at demonstrations (which might be expected), his being booed at last year’s gay pride day and the recent events. Was he booed at the World Cup at the award ceremony? No reference to be found of other NZ PM’s being booed though references for other PMs were cited for Abbott, as Australian PM, and the Turkish PM.

    • Matthew Hooton 4.1

      I remember Bolger getting booed by the Eden Park crowd in the 1990s, at a rugby game. Can’t remember if it was before he won the 1993 and 1996 elections. Note that was a rugby crowd not a league crowd so probably worse for Bolger than this was for Key.

      • mac1 4.1.1

        Thanks, Matthew Hooton. You’re right. In 1996 Eden Park four minutes after the Blues beat Natal, Bolger was booed.

        The 1996 Budget had just been announced and Auckland MP Ross Robertson comments in the House, “Forty-eight hours after having this Budget delivered in this House ……….James Bolger was given the sort of roasting he deserved for failing to release the imagination of ordinary New Zealanders.”

        In a year he was gone, rolled by Shipley, for talking soft on poverty.

        The point is that it’s difficult to find instances of Kiwis booing the PM except at political rallies or demonstrations. When it happened to Bolger, he was soon given the boot. This booing by a sports crowd is indicative of something bigger than what words like ‘League, brown and working class.” can excuse.

        At the World Cup in 2011 Key was groaned at. Now he’s being booed at sports events, less than forty eight hours after announcing hypocritically that he won’t front up at Waitangi.

        Now, what will happen in 2017, vis-a-vis Bennett or Collins? Who will be the Queen maker as it was with Tony Ryall and Shipley? Is National going to try and have its first woman Prime Minister actually elected to the office?

        • North 4.1.1.1

          Thank you very much for your excellent fact check on Matthew’s bullshit there Mac1. God he’s such a bad little person, for a lie that’s not a lie…..sort of thing. Incorrigible !

      • red-blooded 4.1.2

        Why is it such a big deal that it was a rugby league event? The first commenters said, “This is just lame. Key and National have always been disliked by RUGBY LEAGUE fans. There is a difference between a very working class and brown sport in rugby league and the much more elitist and whiter sport of rugby union,” and now you comment in a similar way. Is it OK to have “brown” and “less elite” fans disaffected and booing? Is it “lame” to care about the opinions of these people?

        Yes, I know that this probably wasn’t Key’s usual voter base, and heaven forbid that non-brown elites should be offended: that really WOULD be something for Key to worry about, but I think it’s perfectly reasonable for people on this site to care about the people at this event who obviously felt so offended and disaffected with Key. After all, we need everyone who doesn’t identify with the direction of Key and co to care enough to organise and to get out and vote.

  5. “quite loud boos” indeed

    imo he would have been told and was expecting fawning claps – after all these are the people he is trying to reach as mrmiddle – alas as with TPPA signing, as with Waitangi the keyster’s advice is slipping, badly, for him – oh, yay

  6. Dazzer 6

    For goodness sake, what would Waitakere Man think about that. Someone at that Standard can’t even differentiate between rugby and league.

    Given that this was Helen Clark’s core constituency and she was a dedicated Warriors fan, it’s hardly surprising.

    • sabine 6.1

      Helen Clark? The Helen Clark that left the building 8 years ago, is the reason why Dear Leader was not handwaited on at a rugby game?

      Really?

      it’s Aunty Helens constituency? I thought it was the home of westy crap leopard print Pulls’her Bennefitt Paula Bennet, MP National Party?

      fucksake, can we have better National Bots. Maybe the National Party should increase the wage for its 101st Keyboard brigade. It feels like they are not pulling their weight? Wonder if they are gonna meet their KPI’s?

      • Dazzer 6.1.1

        FFS Stop showing a. your ignorance and b. how disconnected people here are from the real world.

        It’s a rugby league event, not a rugby event. If you don’t understand the difference constituencies between a rugby crowd and a league crowd, your parents shouldn’t let you on the interweb unsupervised.

        You don’t need to worry about people on the other side shooting at you when you’re knocking yourself out with friendly fire.

        No wonder the working class is deserting Labour.

        • sabine 6.1.1.1

          this working class labour supporter can’t give a flying fudge about men running after an oval ball. In fact i can’t think about a more boring game ……but yeah…..bwhahahahahahahahah youse funny dear.

        • te reo putake 6.1.1.2

          Weirdly, Dazzer, you’ve just spotted the mistake Key’s handler’s made. They thought there was no difference between rugby and league. Turns out league fans are a bit more in touch with real life and don’t mind letting Key know what they really think about him. It’s a great wake up call for someone used to being immune from criticism.

          PS, it’s also a cultural marker of how irrelevent rugby union is becoming in NZ. It’s not the national sport anymore, except we keep being told it is by advertisers and the media.

          • Dazzer 6.1.1.2.1

            @TRP not sure I am as weird as you think but I’ll take that as a compliment.

            I would be surprised if they thought they wouldn’t have considered they would get a reaction of sorts. As I said, it’s no secret that Helen was a mad Warriors fan and league in AK has always been a south Auckland stronghold. Interestingly, league was also traditionally exceptionally strong on the West Coast hence my comments re the links between league and Labour.

            Another interesting point too. I suspect rugby is still the national sport – as in the sport that has the strongest national support. I was flying out of Wellington at the time of the WC final and you would have been in no doubt that there was strong support for the game. That said, I agree that it is no longer the dominant cultural force it once was – and I think is some respects it’s actually helped rugby become less arrogant and more inclusive. For example, the last 10 years have marked a return to humility and respect as opposed to the arrogance and closed minds of the past.

            I suspect all politicians are used to getting criticism tho. You have to admire them all for putting up with BS that comes with the job. i couldn’t for one.

            • ropata 6.1.1.2.1.1

              “you have to admire them all”

              get off the grass mate.
              sucking up to the powerful is bad for the moral fibre.
              give them heaps

          • Reddelusion 6.1.1.2.2

            To be fair also saw key attracting a lot of positive attention and selfies

            • maui 6.1.1.2.2.1

              Well he is the PM, if people just ignored him then we really would be in trouble. I’m guessing too even the ozzie media put a positive spin on Abbott by showing selfies and handshakes.

        • ropata 6.1.1.3

          If you think a small oversight in a blog post is more significant than the fact that FJK was publicly booed and embarrassed then I am surprised, I guess that’s what you need to reinforce your cognitive bias huh?

        • miravox 6.1.1.4

          rugby league, rugby union… meh, pedant.

          • chris73 6.1.1.4.1

            Well in the context of John Key getting booed it is rather important, I mean John Key getting booed at the Rugby League = no big deal but John Key getting booed at an All Blacks test…well that’d mean something

            • Reddelusion 6.1.1.4.1.1

              Len brown was booed last time , go figure he was a darling albeit fallen angle of the left

              I think most politicians get booed at these events irrespective of left or right, sports is seen as escapism you don’t want to be reminded of politics

            • North 6.1.1.4.1.2

              Yeah, like that’ll happen when Richie gets a restraining order under the Harassment Act. For the stalking round the changing sheds. Like couldn’t happen otherwise. No one in ‘decent’ society would boo John. Eden Park wouldn’t. Hang on it was Eden Park ! “Honest John” as Fizzy Anus divines him. It couldn’t be people finally giving voice to their silent gut sense – “This guy’s a fuck’n’ fake ! Much closer to voting next time that person. Not gonna vote for the fake. Very possibly didn’t vote at all last time.

          • Dazzer 6.1.1.4.2

            Not at all. I am clearly surprised at how many hear don’t understand how entwined league and Labour have been. That many here think there’s no difference simply underlines my point. That it is someone from the other side of the fence pointing this out – more so.

            League’s stronghold in NZ has traditionally been south Auckland, parts of working class Chch, ditto wellington (especially Wainuiomata) and the West Coast.

            • miravox 6.1.1.4.2.1

              Rugby can be shorthand for league as well as union. Someone using that shorthand doesn’t deserve that pedantic abuse. Anywhere else in the world, except maybe South Africa, that would have passed with a touch of understanding.

              I’m also quite aware of the socio-political links of the sport. Unlike you, I wouldn’t be stupid enough to conclude there is not a large socio-political-economic crossover in the crowds but.

            • locus 6.1.1.4.2.2

              oh dear…. league equals Labour and working class….

              and this is what…. your 101 framing to suggest that booing a detested PM at a league match is therefore only left wing opinion…. ?

              and that what….. working class, or critics of the PM, or Labour supporters don’t go to All Black tests?

              patronising, judgemental and insulting…..

              • chris73

                Deny all you like but League has traditionally been strongest in working class areas whereas union (in NZ anyway) is more egalitarian

                Look at where League was strongest: on the West Coast with miners (not a lot of love for National there), South Auckland, working class suburbs of Christchurch and Wellington

                I would bet any amount of money that John Key would get more boos at a league test then he would at a union test or a NRL game vs a super game

                I realise that you would like the narrative to be John Key is unpopular everywhere but its really only among the left and the league also happens to be strongest among the left

                • swordfish

                  Key currently averaging 39% in Colmar Brunton and Reid Research Preferred PM Polls, lowest average since becoming PM. Well down on his heyday.

                  Put another way, more than 60% of New Zealanders do not favour Key as PM.

                  • chris73

                    I expect there’ll be a lift for Key in the next few polls so he’ll be back over 40 again and closer to 50 I’d expect

                    • One Anonymous Bloke

                      Fluffing Judith Collins and spreading for The Prime Minister all at the same time.

                      Never let it be said that Christopher is inflexible.

                    • swordfish

                      Unlikely, he’s been on a downward trajectory for quite some time now.

                      But, they do say that wishful thinking – particularly, it seems, among diehard Tories like your good self – can stimulate the reward response system in the ventral tegmental area of the brain. So, you know, for you Christopher it’s always gonna be a win-win situation.

                    • chris73

                      Well swordfish I guess I could make a comment about Labours wishful thinking, like wishing Andrew Little could take Labour back to the days of David Shearers popularity

                      Or wishing that Little was even close to John Key in popularity

                      Or wishing that the next poll will see National drop in popularity due to the TPPA and Waitangi

                      But something about wishing in one hand and crapping in the other springs to mind

                      So if 60% don’t want John Key how many don’t want Little or Peters or the Greens

                • red-blooded

                  You use the word “egalitarian” is a strangely counter-intuitive way in your comment above, Chris73. I’m pretty sure sweet little rich kids aren’t denied the opportunity to participate in league; it’s not like the costs are too high or the teams refuse to train them. If a group of people choose not to participate in something, that doesn’t make it unegalitarian. More people in NZ drink coffee than tea, but that doesn’t make it more egalitarian.
                  http://www.teara.govt.nz/en/graph/23006/coffee-and-tea-consumption

              • Dazzer

                Locus you miss my point on two levels. As a number have said, it’s little surprise that there was a larger element at Eden Park today who booed Key. TRP seemingly accepts this point – as the background I gave supports, there are very very strong historical links. So it’s not framing, patronising, judgemental, nor insulting.

                The broader point that I think a few will acknowledge but not openly is that it is telling how much many here reflect the new “activist” left rather than the traditional strengths. I can guarantee that no self respecting leaguie would tolerate the lack of delineation between league and rugby. it is less so in NZ but in Oz and England but it still exists.

                As i said, what is most stunning is that it’s a couple of RWNJ who are pointing this out.

                There is another analogy about the Bolsheviks and Menshiviks and in particular the origin and meaning of their names. However, I don’t get the feeling my entertaining and informative history lessons are being appreciated the way they should.

                • locus

                  you both avoided my observations on your framing …that the PM is only getting criticism from people you are trying to label as Labour and working class

                  and now you’re highlighting my points by continuing the framing and embellishing it with a remark that reveals how you set yourself above others

                  i thought i was pretty clear…

                  patronising, judgemental and insulting….

                • ropata

                  FFS mate everyone knows the difference between league and union, your pedantry and silly finger wagging adds nothing

                  • s y d

                    look, he got booed by the crowd and had to retreat to the corporate box for anyone to give him the time of day.
                    Even then a lot the punters in the background had a good smirk.
                    the guys a total fake.

                • North

                  Even if you’re right Dazzer…..people are now doing it ! Didn’t happen before, even in places where obviously he was a fish out of water. Like Election 2014 in South Auckland. Where incredibly he smarmed in then started yelling “Polys Love Me !” Accompanied by his fiapalagi Sam and Alfred, embarrassed.

                  I’d like to see some links to verify that Helen Clark was serially booed at sports events. I doubt she ever visited the Remuera Northern Slopes Croquet Club (est. 1894).

  7. Rodel 7

    Gower couldn’t help finish with “It happened to Helen Clark as well”. has to placate his media master or he won’t get interviews.

  8. North 8

    Predicted yesterday that Shaun Johnson would be Key’s next sporting hero target. Was wrong. Joseph Parker the man. Cringe to see Key doing the ‘street greet’ with the said.

    • Reddelusion 8.1

      Jealousy, let it go, people just like the guy and he is not the monster you portray or want him to be , build a bridge

      • sabine 8.1.1

        if he is that good, than people would applaud and not boo him. As for bridges, would they be one or two laned ones? I think the National Party and its Leader have a few issues with bridges especially in Northland.

        • chris73 8.1.1.1

          Don’t worry about it Uncle Winnies going to sort those bridges out

          • McFlock 8.1.1.1.1

            Yep.
            It takes other parties to make good on the promises of the National party: bridges, economic management, home ownership…

            • chris73 8.1.1.1.1.1

              Yet Nationals looking good for a fourth (and dare I say fifth…) term so the publics still not buying what they left are selling

              • McFlock

                🙄

                Yep – gravitas, dignitas, integritas: none of it counts as long as you can con a third of the electorate /sarc

          • sabine 8.1.1.1.2

            Well considering that National did sweet fuck all up north other than produce a law and order man under name suppression, one can understand why Northlanders would rather have Winston Peters work for them.

        • Reddelusion 8.1.1.2

          Sabine most politicians of any persuasion get booed at these events , simply for interfering in thier day out, it’s simply part of the fun like a Mexican wave, I would not read to much into it or raise your hopes it is the demise of honest John

          • mac1 8.1.1.2.1

            If you google booing of politicians at events, reddelusion, as I did for another thread’s discussion, (above at 4.1.1) you will find very little mention. I’d have to call you on your assertion, there.

      • Skinny 8.1.2

        The Tories are in a jam over selling Kiwis out to corporations.

        Easy enough to setup a fantastic Friday special for each and everyone of their MP’s. A chorus of booing and chants not a problem, all waving the current New Zealand flag. Yes another string to the bow. 🙂

      • North 8.1.3

        As a resident of the North and a beneficiary of the promise of ten bridges win or lose the ball is in the court of your friends Delusion. Foolish of you to introduce the word.

  9. NZSage 9

    And at the end of that report dutiful Gower sticks to the National script of “Labour did it too”.

    That’s the first time I’ve watched a report by the new TV3 “Newshub”. Clearly nothing has changed and it’s still same old Gower garbage and crap TV3 news coverage.

  10. Grim 10

    National in damage control, flooding social media with their meat-puppets,

    without fail whenever something slips through their media control.

  11. SaveOurNix 11

    If the Prime Minister was to be introduced at an All Blacks match this year, it will be interesting what the crowd reaction will be then. I was at the Rugby World Cup final in Auckland back in 2011 and when Key was introduced at the post-match presentation, he got a rousing reception from the crowd. After hearing that response, I thought to myself that Phil Goff was toast- given that the general election was just around the corner at that time.

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    Last week Transport Minster Simeon Brown and Mayor Wayne Brown opened the new Auckland Rail Operations Centre. The new train control centre will see teams from KiwiRail, Auckland Transport and Auckland One Rail working more closely together to improve train services across the city. The Auckland Rail Operations Centre in ...
    2 days ago
  • Bernard's six newsy things at 6.36am on Monday, March 18
    Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Retiring former Labour Finance Minister Grant Robertson said in an exit interview with Q+A yesterday the Government can and should sustain more debt to invest in infrastructure for future generations. Elsewhere in the news in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy at 6:36am: Read more ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago
  • Geoffrey Miller: Wang Yi’s perfectly-timed, Aukus-themed visit to New Zealand
    Timing is everything. And from China’s perspective, this week’s visit by its foreign minister to New Zealand could be coming at just the right moment. The visit by Wang Yi to Wellington will be his first since 2017. Anniversaries are important to Beijing. It is more than just a happy ...
    Democracy ProjectBy Geoffrey Miller
    2 days ago
  • The Kaka’s diary for the week to March 25 and beyond
    TL;DR: The key events to watch in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the week to March 18 include:China’s Foreign Minister visiting Wellington today;A post-cabinet news conference this afternoon; the resumption of Parliament on Tuesday for two weeks before Easter;retiring former Labour Finance Minister Grant Robertson gives his valedictory speech in Parliament; ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago
  • Bitter and angry; Winston First
    New Zealand First Leader Winston Peters’s state-of-the-nation speech on Sunday was really a state-of-Winston-First speech. He barely mentioned any of the Government’s key policies and could not even wholly endorse its signature income tax cuts. Instead, he rehearsed all of his complaints about the Ardern Government, including an extraordinary claim ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    2 days ago
  • 2024 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #11
    A listing of 35 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, March 10, 2024 thru Sat, March 16, 2024. Story of the week This week we'll give you a little glimpse into how we collect links to share and ...
    2 days ago
  • 2024 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #11
    A listing of 35 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, March 10, 2024 thru Sat, March 16, 2024. Story of the week This week we'll give you a little glimpse into how we collect links to share and ...
    2 days ago
  • Out of Touch.
    “I’ve been internalising a really complicated situation in my head.”When they kept telling us we should wait until we get to know him, were they taking the piss? Was it a case of, if you think this is bad, wait till you get to know the real Christopher, after the ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    3 days ago
  • Bring out your Dad
    Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago
  • Bring out your Dad
    Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago
  • Bring out your Dad
    Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago
  • The bewildering world of Chris Luxon – Guns for all, not no lunch for kids
    .“$10 and a target that bleeds” - Bleeding Targets for Under $10!.Thanks for reading Frankly Speaking ! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.This government appears hell-bent on either scrapping life-saving legislation or reintroducing things that - frustrated critics insist - will be dangerous and likely ...
    Frankly SpeakingBy Frank Macskasy
    3 days ago
  • Expert Opinion: Ageing Boomers, Laurie & Les, Talk Politics.
    It hardly strikes me as fair to criticise a government for doing exactly what it said it was going to do. For actually keeping its promises.”THUNDER WAS PLAYING TAG with lightning flashes amongst the distant peaks. Its rolling cadences interrupted by the here-I-come-here-I-go Doppler effect of the occasional passing car. ...
    3 days ago
  • Manufacturing The Truth.
    Subversive & Disruptive Technologies: Just as happened with that other great regulator of the masses, the Medieval Church, the advent of a new and hard-to-control technology – the Internet –  is weakening the ties that bind. Then, and now, those who enjoy a monopoly on the dissemination of lies, cannot and will ...
    3 days ago
  • A Powerful Sensation of Déjà Vu.
    Been Here Before: To find the precedents for what this Coalition Government is proposing, it is necessary to return to the “glory days” of Muldoonism.THE COALITION GOVERNMENT has celebrated its first 100 days in office by checking-off the last of its listed commitments. It remains, however, an angry government. It ...
    3 days ago
  • Can you guess where world attention is focussed (according to Greenpeace)? It’s focussed on an EPA...
    Bob Edlin writes –  And what is the world watching today…? The email newsletter from Associated Press which landed in our mailbox early this morning advised: In the news today: The father of a school shooter has been found guilty of involuntary manslaughter; prosecutors in Trump’s hush-money case ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    3 days ago
  • Further integrity problems for the Greens in suspending MP Darleen Tana
    Bryce Edwards writes – Is another Green MP on their way out? And are the Greens severely tarnished by another integrity scandal? For the second time in three months, the Green Party has secretly suspended an MP over integrity issues. Mystery is surrounding the party’s decision to ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    3 days ago
  • Jacqui Van Der Kaay: Greens’ transparency missing in action
    For the last few years, the Green Party has been the party that has managed to avoid the plague of multiple scandals that have beleaguered other political parties. It appears that their luck has run out with a second scandal which, unfortunately for them, coincided with Golraz Ghahraman, the focus ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    4 days ago
  • Bernard’s Dawn Chorus with six newsey things at 6:46am for Saturday, March 16
    TL;DR: The six newsey things that stood out to me as of 6:46am on Saturday, March 16.Andy Foster has accidentally allowed a Labour/Green amendment to cut road user chargers for plug-in hybrid vehicles, which the Government might accept; NZ Herald Thomas Coughlan Simeon Brown has rejected a plea from Westport ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • How Did FTX Crash?
    What seemed a booming success a couple of years ago has collapsed into fraud convictions.I looked at the crash of FTX (short for ‘Futures Exchange’) in November 2022 to see whether it would impact on the financial system as a whole. Fortunately there was barely a ripple, probably because it ...
    PunditBy Brian Easton
    4 days ago
  • Elections in Russia and Ukraine
    Anybody following the situation in Ukraine and Russia would probably have been amused by a recent Tweet on X NATO seems to be putting in an awful lot of effort to influence what is, at least according to them, a sham election in an autocracy.When do the Ukrainians go to ...
    4 days ago
  • Bernard’s six stack of substacks at 6pm on March 15
    TL;DR: Shaun Baker on Wynyard Quarter's transformation. Magdalene Taylor on the problem with smart phones. How private equity are now all over reinsurance. Dylan Cleaver on rugby and CTE. Emily Atkin on ‘Big Meat’ looking like ‘Big Oil’.Bernard’s six-stack of substacks at 6pm on March 15Photo by Jeppe Hove Jensen ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • Buzz from the Beehive Finance Minister Nicola Willis had plenty to say when addressing the Auckland Business Chamber on the economic growth that (she tells us) is flagging more than we thought. But the government intends to put new life into it:  We want our country to be a ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    4 days ago
  • National’s clean car tax advances
    The Transport and Infrastructure Committee has reported back on the Road User Charges (Light Electric RUC Vehicles) Amendment Bill, basicly rubberstamping it. While there was widespread support among submitters for the principle that EV and PHEV drivers should pay their fair share for the roads, they also overwhelmingly disagreed with ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    4 days ago
  • Government funding bailouts
    Peter Dunne writes – This week’s government bailout – the fifth in the last eighteen months – of the financially troubled Ruapehu Alpine Lifts company would have pleased many in the central North Island ski industry. The government’s stated rationale for the $7 million funding was that it ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • Two offenders, different treatments.
    See if you can spot the difference. An Iranian born female MP from a progressive party is accused of serial shoplifting. Her name is leaked to the media, which goes into a pack frenzy even before the Police launch an … Continue reading ...
    KiwipoliticoBy Pablo
    4 days ago
  • Treaty references omitted
    Ele Ludemann writes  – The government is omitting general Treaty references from legislation : The growth of Treaty of Waitangi clauses in legislation caused so much worry that a special oversight group was set up by the last Government in a bid to get greater coherence in the public service on Treaty ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • The Ghahraman Conflict
    What was that judge thinking? Peter Williams writes –  That Golriz Ghahraman and District Court Judge Maria Pecotic were once lawyer colleagues is incontrovertible. There is published evidence that they took at least one case to the Court of Appeal together. There was a report on ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • Bernard's Top 10 @ 10 'pick 'n' mix' for March 15
    TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: Climate Scorpion – the sting is in the tail. Introducing planetary solvency. A paper via the University of Exeter’s Institute and Faculty of Actuaries.Local scoop: Kāinga Ora starts pulling out of its Auckland projects and selling land RNZ ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • The day Wellington up-zoned its future
    Wellington’s massively upzoned District Plan adds the opportunity for tens of thousands of new homes not just in the central city (such as these Webb St new builds) but also close to the CBD and public transport links. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Wellington gave itself the chance of ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • Weekly Roundup 15-March-2024
    It’s Friday and we’re halfway through March Madness. Here’s some of the things that caught our attention this week. This Week in Greater Auckland On Monday Matt asked how we can get better event trains and an option for grade separating Morningside Dr. On Tuesday Matt looked into ...
    Greater AucklandBy Greater Auckland
    5 days ago
  • That Word.
    Something you might not know about me is that I’m quite a stubborn person. No, really. I don’t much care for criticism I think’s unfair or that I disagree with. Few of us do I suppose.Back when I was a drinker I’d sometimes respond defensively, even angrily. There are things ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago
  • The Hoon around the week to March 15
    Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The five things that mattered in Aotearoa’s political economy that we wrote and spoke about via The Kākā and elsewhere for paying subscribers in the last week included:PM Christopher Luxon said the reversal of interest deductibility for landlords was done to help renters, who ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • Labour’s policy gap
    It was not so much the Labour Party but really the Chris Hipkins party yesterday at Labour’s caucus retreat in Martinborough. The former Prime Minister was more or less consistent on wealth tax, which he was at best equivocal about, and social insurance, which he was not willing to revisit. ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    5 days ago
  • Skeptical Science New Research for Week #11 2024
    Open access notables A Glimpse into the Future: The 2023 Ocean Temperature and Sea Ice Extremes in the Context of Longer-Term Climate Change, Kuhlbrodt et al., Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society: In the year 2023, we have seen extraordinary extrema in high sea surface temperature (SST) in the North Atlantic and in ...
    5 days ago
  • Melissa remains mute on media matters but has something to say (at a sporting event) about economic ...
     Buzz from the Beehive   The text reproduced above appears on a page which records all the media statements and speeches posted on the government’s official website by Melissa Lee as Minister of Media and Communications and/or by Jenny Marcroft, her Parliamentary Under-secretary.  It can be quickly analysed ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    5 days ago
  • The return of Muldoon
    For forty years, Robert Muldoon has been a dirty word in our politics. His style of government was so repulsive and authoritarian that the backlash to it helped set and entrench our constitutional norms. His pig-headedness over forcing through Think Big eventually gave us the RMA, with its participation and ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    5 days ago
  • Will the rental tax cut improve life for renters or landlords?
    Bryce Edwards writes –  Is the new government reducing tax on rental properties to benefit landlords or to cut the cost of rents? That’s the big question this week, after Associate Finance Minister David Seymour announced on Sunday that the Government would be reversing the Labour Government’s removal ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • Geoffrey Miller: What Saudi Arabia’s rapid changes mean for New Zealand
    Saudi Arabia is rarely far from the international spotlight. The war in Gaza has brought new scrutiny to Saudi plans to normalise relations with Israel, while the fifth anniversary of the controversial killing of Jamal Khashoggi was marked shortly before the war began on October 7. And as the home ...
    Democracy ProjectBy Geoffrey Miller
    5 days ago
  • Racism’s double standards
    Questions need to be asked on both sides of the world Peter Williams writes –   The NRL Judiciary hands down an eight week suspension to Sydney Roosters forward Spencer Leniu , an Auckland-born Samoan, after he calls Ezra Mam, Sydney-orn but of Aboriginal and Torres Strait ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • It’s not a tax break
    Ele Ludemann writes – Contrary to what many headlines and news stories are saying, residential landlords are not getting a tax break. The government is simply restoring to them the tax deductibility of interest they had until the previous government removed it. There is no logical reason ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • The Plastic Pig Collective and Chris' Imaginary Friends.
    I can't remember when it was goodMoments of happiness in bloomMaybe I just misunderstoodAll of the love we left behindWatching our flashbacks intertwineMemories I will never findIn spite of whatever you becomeForget that reckless thing turned onI think our lives have just begunI think our lives have just begunDoes anyone ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago
  • Who is responsible for young offenders?
    Michael Bassett writes – At first reading, a front-page story in the New Zealand Herald on 13 March was bizarre. A group of severely intellectually limited teenagers, with little understanding of the law, have been pleading to the Justice Select Committee not to pass a bill dealing with ram ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • Gordon Campbell on National’s fantasy trip to La La Landlord Land
    How much political capital is Christopher Luxon willing to burn through in order to deliver his $2.9 billion gift to landlords? Evidently, Luxon is: (a) unable to cost the policy accurately. As Anna Burns-Francis pointed out to him on Breakfast TV, the original ”rock solid” $2.1 billion cost he was ...
    6 days ago
  • Bernard's Top 10 @ 10 'pick 'n' mix' for March 14
    TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: Jonathon Porritt calling bullshit in his own blog post on mainstream climate science as ‘The New Denialism’.Local scoop: The Wellington City Council’s list of proposed changes to the IHP recommendations to be debated later today was leaked this ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    6 days ago
  • No, Prime Minister, rents don’t rise or fall with landlords’ costs
    TL;DR: Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said yesterday tenants should be grateful for the reinstatement of interest deductibility because landlords would pass on their lower tax costs in the form of lower rents. That would be true if landlords were regulated monopolies such as Transpower or Auckland Airport1, but they’re not, ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    6 days ago
  • Cartoons: ‘At least I didn’t make things awkward’
    This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Tom Toro Tom Toro is a cartoonist and author. He has published over 200 cartoons in The New Yorker since 2010. His cartoons appear in Playboy, the Paris Review, the New York Times, American Bystander, and elsewhere. Related: What 10 EV lovers ...
    6 days ago
  • Solving traffic congestion with Richard Prebble
    The business section of the NZ Herald is full of opinion. Among the more opinionated of all is the ex-Minister of Transport, ex-Minister of Railways, ex MP for Auckland Central (1975-93, Labour), Wellington Central (1996-99, ACT, then list-2005), ex-leader of the ACT Party, uncle to actor Antonia, the veritable granddaddy ...
    Greater AucklandBy Patrick Reynolds
    6 days ago
  • I Think I'm Done Flying Boeing
    Hi,Just quickly — I’m blown away by the stories you’ve shared with me over the last week since I put out the ‘Gary’ podcast, where I told you about the time my friend’s flatmate killed the neighbour.And you keep telling me stories — in the comments section, and in my ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    6 days ago
  • Invoking Aristotle: Of Rings of Power, Stones, and Ships
    The first season of Rings of Power was not awful. It was thoroughly underwhelming, yes, and left a lingering sense of disappointment, but it was more expensive mediocrity than catastrophe. I wrote at length about the series as it came out (see the Review section of the blog, and go ...
    6 days ago
  • Van Velden brings free-market approach to changing labour laws – but her colleagues stick to distr...
    Buzz from the Beehive Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Brooke van Velden told Auckland Business Chamber members they were the first audience to hear her priorities as a minister in a government committed to cutting red tape and regulations. She brandished her liberalising credentials, saying Flexible labour markets are the ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago
  • Why Newshub failed
    Chris Trotter writes – TO UNDERSTAND WHY NEWSHUB FAILED, it is necessary to understand how TVNZ changed. Up until 1989, the state broadcaster had been funded by a broadcasting licence fee, collected from every citizen in possession of a television set, supplemented by a relatively modest (compared ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago
  • Māori Party on the warpath against landlords and seabed miners – let’s see if mystical creature...
    Bob Edlin writes  –  The Māori Party has been busy issuing a mix of warnings and threats as its expresses its opposition to interest deductibility for landlords and the plans of seabed miners. It remains to be seen whether they  follow the example of indigenous litigants in Australia, ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago

  • Government moves to quickly ratify the NZ-EU FTA
    "The Government is moving quickly to realise an additional $46 million in tariff savings in the EU market this season for Kiwi exporters,” Minister for Trade and Agriculture, Todd McClay says. Parliament is set, this week, to complete the final legislative processes required to bring the New Zealand – European ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 hours ago
  • Positive progress for social worker workforce
    New Zealand’s social workers are qualified, experienced, and more representative of the communities they serve, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “I want to acknowledge and applaud New Zealand’s social workers for the hard work they do, providing invaluable support for our most vulnerable. “To coincide with World ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    11 hours ago
  • Minister confirms reduced RUC rate for PHEVs
    Cabinet has agreed to a reduced road user charge (RUC) rate for plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs), Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. Owners of PHEVs will be eligible for a reduced rate of $38 per 1,000km once all light electric vehicles (EVs) move into the RUC system from 1 April.  ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    13 hours ago
  • Trade access to overseas markets creates jobs
    Minister of Agriculture and Trade, Todd McClay, says that today’s opening of Riverland Foods manufacturing plant in Christchurch is a great example of how trade access to overseas markets creates jobs in New Zealand.  Speaking at the official opening of this state-of-the-art pet food factory the Minister noted that exports ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    14 hours ago
  • NZ and Chinese Foreign Ministers hold official talks
    Minister of Foreign Affairs Winston Peters met with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Wellington today. “It was a pleasure to host Foreign Minister Wang Yi during his first official visit to New Zealand since 2017. Our discussions were wide-ranging and enabled engagement on many facets of New Zealand’s relationship with China, including trade, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Kāinga Ora instructed to end Sustaining Tenancies
    Kāinga Ora – Homes & Communities has been instructed to end the Sustaining Tenancies Framework and take stronger measures against persistent antisocial behaviour by tenants, says Housing Minister Chris Bishop. “Earlier today Finance Minister Nicola Willis and I sent an interim Letter of Expectations to the Board of Kāinga Ora. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Speech to Auckland Business Chamber: Growth is the answer
    Tēna koutou katoa. Greetings everyone. Thank you to the Auckland Chamber of Commerce and the Honourable Simon Bridges for hosting this address today. I acknowledge the business leaders in this room, the leaders and governors, the employers, the entrepreneurs, the investors, and the wealth creators. The coalition Government shares your ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Singapore rounds out regional trip
    Minister Winston Peters completed the final leg of his visit to South and South East Asia in Singapore today, where he focused on enhancing one of New Zealand’s indispensable strategic partnerships.      “Singapore is our most important defence partner in South East Asia, our fourth-largest trading partner and a ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Minister van Velden represents New Zealand at International Democracy Summit
    Minister of Internal Affairs and Workplace Relations and Safety, Hon. Brooke van Velden, will travel to the Republic of Korea to represent New Zealand at the Third Summit for Democracy on 18 March. The summit, hosted by the Republic of Korea, was first convened by the United States in 2021, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Insurance Council of NZ Speech, 7 March 2024, Auckland
    ICNZ Speech 7 March 2024, Auckland  Acknowledgements and opening  Mōrena, ngā mihi nui. Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Nor Whanganui aho.  Good morning, it’s a privilege to be here to open the ICNZ annual conference, thank you to Mark for the Mihi Whakatau  My thanks to Tim Grafton for inviting me ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Five-year anniversary of Christchurch terror attacks
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Lead Coordination Minister Judith Collins have expressed their deepest sympathy on the five-year anniversary of the Christchurch terror attacks. “March 15, 2019, was a day when families, communities and the country came together both in sorrow and solidarity,” Mr Luxon says.  “Today we pay our respects to the 51 shuhada ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Speech for Financial Advice NZ Conference 5 March 2024
    Speech for Financial Advice NZ Conference 5 March 2024  Acknowledgements and opening  Morena, Nga Mihi Nui.  Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Nor Whanganui aho. Thanks Nate for your Mihi Whakatau  Good morning. It’s a pleasure to formally open your conference this morning. What a lovely day in Wellington, What a great ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Early visit to Indonesia strengthens ties
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters held discussions in Jakarta today about the future of relations between New Zealand and South East Asia’s most populous country.   “We are in Jakarta so early in our new government’s term to reflect the huge importance we place on our relationship with Indonesia and South ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • China Foreign Minister to visit
    Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Winston Peters has announced that the Foreign Minister of China, Wang Yi, will visit New Zealand next week.  “We look forward to re-engaging with Foreign Minister Wang Yi and discussing the full breadth of the bilateral relationship, which is one of New Zealand’s ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Minister opens new Auckland Rail Operations Centre
    Transport Minister Simeon Brown has today opened the new Auckland Rail Operations Centre, which will bring together KiwiRail, Auckland Transport, and Auckland One Rail to improve service reliability for Aucklanders. “The recent train disruptions in Auckland have highlighted how important it is KiwiRail and Auckland’s rail agencies work together to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Celebrating 10 years of Crankworx Rotorua
    The Government is proud to support the 10th edition of Crankworx Rotorua as the Crankworx World Tour returns to Rotorua from 16-24 March 2024, says Minister for Economic Development Melissa Lee.  “Over the past 10 years as Crankworx Rotorua has grown, so too have the economic and social benefits that ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Government delivering on tax commitments
    Legislation implementing coalition Government tax commitments and addressing long-standing tax anomalies will be progressed in Parliament next week, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The legislation is contained in an Amendment Paper to the Taxation (Annual Rates for 2023–24, Multinational Tax, and Remedial Matters) Bill issued today.  “The Amendment Paper represents ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Significant Natural Areas requirement to be suspended
    Associate Environment Minister Andrew Hoggard has today announced that the Government has agreed to suspend the requirement for councils to comply with the Significant Natural Areas (SNA) provisions of the National Policy Statement for Indigenous Biodiversity for three years, while it replaces the Resource Management Act (RMA).“As it stands, SNAs ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Government classifies drought conditions in Top of the South as medium-scale adverse event
    Agriculture Minister Todd McClay has classified the drought conditions in the Marlborough, Tasman, and Nelson districts as a medium-scale adverse event, acknowledging the challenging conditions facing farmers and growers in the district. “Parts of Marlborough, Tasman, and Nelson districts are in the grip of an intense dry spell. I know ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Government partnership to tackle $332m facial eczema problem
    The Government is helping farmers eradicate the significant impact of facial eczema (FE) in pastoral animals, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay announced.  “A $20 million partnership jointly funded by Beef + Lamb NZ, the Government, and the primary sector will save farmers an estimated NZD$332 million per year, and aims to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • NZ, India chart path to enhanced relationship
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters has completed a successful visit to India, saying it was an important step in taking the relationship between the two countries to the next level.   “We have laid a strong foundation for the Coalition Government’s priority of enhancing New Zealand-India relations to generate significant future benefit for both countries,” says Mr Peters, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Ruapehu Alpine Lifts bailout the last, say Ministers
    Cabinet has agreed to provide $7 million to ensure the 2024 ski season can go ahead on the Whakapapa ski field in the central North Island but has told the operator Ruapehu Alpine Lifts it is the last financial support it will receive from taxpayers. Cabinet also agreed to provide ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Govt takes action to drive better cancer services
    Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says the launch of a new mobile breast screening unit in Counties Manukau reinforces the coalition Government’s commitment to drive better cancer services for all New Zealanders. Speaking at the launch of the new mobile clinic, Dr Reti says it’s a great example of taking ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Govt takes action to drive better cancer services
    Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says the launch of a new mobile breast screening unit in Counties Manukau reinforces the coalition Government’s commitment to drive better cancer services for all New Zealanders. Speaking at the launch of the new mobile clinic, Dr Reti says it’s a great example of taking ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Work begins on SH29 upgrades near Tauriko
    Unlocking economic growth and land for housing are critical elements of the Government’s plan for our transport network, and planned upgrades to State Highway 29 (SH29) near Tauriko will deliver strongly on those priorities, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “The SH29 upgrades near Tauriko will improve safety at the intersections ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Work begins on SH29 upgrades near Tauriko
    Unlocking economic growth and land for housing are critical elements of the Government’s plan for our transport network, and planned upgrades to State Highway 29 (SH29) near Tauriko will deliver strongly on those priorities, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “The SH29 upgrades near Tauriko will improve safety at the intersections ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Fresh produce price drop welcome
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  • Statement to the 68th United Nations Commission on the Status of Women
    Tēnā koutou katoa and greetings to you all.  Chair, I am honoured to address the sixty-eighth session of the Commission on the Status of Women. I acknowledge the many crises impacting the rights of women and girls. Heightened global tensions, war, climate related and humanitarian disasters, and price inflation all ...
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  • Speech to the 68th United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (CSW68)
    Tēnā koutou katoa and greetings to you all.  Chair, I am honoured to address the 68th session of the Commission on the Status of Women. I acknowledge the many crises impacting the rights of women and girls. Heightened global tensions, war, climate related and humanitarian disasters, and price inflation all ...
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    6 days ago
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    7 days ago
  • Speech to Auckland Business Chamber
    Good evening everyone and thank you for that lovely introduction.   Thank you also to the Honourable Simon Bridges for the invitation to address your members. Since being sworn in, this coalition Government has hit the ground running with our 100-day plan, delivering the changes that New Zealanders expect of us. ...
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  • Trustee tax change welcomed
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  • Minister’s Ramadan message
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  • Speech to Life Sciences Summit
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