Key not even trying any more

Written By: - Date published: 7:38 am, May 23rd, 2015 - 92 comments
Categories: john key - Tags: , ,

Those pesky knuckleheads:

John Key says levy ‘won’t make a blind bit of difference’ to tourist numbers

Asked what the difference was between a tax and a levy, he replied “many”, and when pressed, to “Google it”.

“There’s a lot of technical answers, IRD can give you those answers,” Key said. “I could too, but I’m not going to bother.”

Edit:  Remember this?

National no new taxes

92 comments on “Key not even trying any more ”

  1. CnrJoe 1

    Hes gonna start yanking hair again – I can just feel it starting again.

    • linda 1.1

      Bradbury is alluding to another hair story at a government debt watch this space
      pervkey is going serial

  2. Matthew Hooton 2

    I think he’s trying air harder than you think. Having taken West Auckland off Labour, he now wants South Auckland. How he speaks with journos over the border tax isn’t relevant to his goals.

    • felix 2.1

      Do you ever consider that anyone might be talking about anything apart from political strategy?

      • vto 2.2.1

        That is a great opinion piece (well I think it is great because I completely agree with it).

        And the comments support the opinion piece by reinforcing the very things she says. Just like the right wing’s harassment of Eleanor Catton when she had a go at the exact same ‘feature’ of our society, highlighted by John Key’s character.

        This feature – the nasty right wing who hate the poor – is solidly in place in our society.

        Our society really is very divided imo.

        the
        greedy
        shallow
        ignorant
        selfish
        bastards
        of the right

    • Lanthanide 2.3

      Pretty sure the PM doesn’t get to pick the aspects of their job that the rest of the country find important. Like answering questions.

      • Matthew Hooton 2.3.1

        Oh yes he does. And which hat he is wearing.

        • felix 2.3.1.1

          Matthew.

          Stop and take breath before you say something you’ll spend the rest of the day back-pedalling from

          • weka 2.3.1.1.1

            No, what he says makes sense. For National (and Hooton), the person with the most power gets to make the rules. On Planet Key, the PM doesn’t run the country for the country, he runs it for the people who he deems he gets the most benefit from.

            • felix 2.3.1.1.1.1

              Yes I think you’re right. Matthew is essentially a feudalist.

              • Once was Tim

                +1 …. that is right up until the time some circumstance puts him in the category of the struggling.
                Then watch him screech like a stuffed pig. No wonder they are all promoting the concept of ‘fear’ and tearusm in all and everything.
                Maybe they ARE feintly conscious of history and the inevitable.

                (Btw …… I’m NOT advocating anything)

                It occurs to me tho’ (for example) that 5yo’s are starting school …. whereas often 3yo’s are quite often still in shitty nappies and bonding with their parent(s).
                There’s not going to be a good outcome from this bujit medium to long term (goan forwid)

    • mickysavage 2.4

      Last time I checked Matthew West Auckland had 5 out of the 7 electorate MPs covering the area.

      Besides do you think there should be some ethics in politics? If someone makes a promise shouldn’t they keep it?

      • Matthew Hooton 2.4.1

        Check the party vote results. Only Kelston remains Labour.

        • mickysavage 2.4.1.1

          New Lynn Labour plus Greens won party vote solidly.

          Te Atatu Labour plus Greens won party vote.

          • felix 2.4.1.1.1

            Come on micky, you know the Green votes don’t count unless Matthew is trying to scare the horses, at which time they count more than anything in the world.

          • Matthew Hooton 2.4.1.1.2

            Under that model, when it’s National 49, Labour 20 and Greens 31 you’ll be saying Labour is doing well.

            And who says the Greens will automatically back Labour, especially after this week?

            • weka 2.4.1.1.2.1

              The GP members say. But I’m sure you know that.

              It’s MMP. Labour will never govern alone again. This is good, diversity better reflects represenation, and it devolves power (which I’m sure scares the neoliberals).

            • mickysavage 2.4.1.1.2.2

              Under that model, when it’s National 49, Labour 20 and Greens 31 you’ll be saying Labour is doing well.

              Nope I will say that progressives are doing well.

              The sooner that the Greens and Labour reach some sort of accord or understanding the better.

              • Matthew Hooton

                I doubt there will ever be an accord of the sort you advocate. What would the Greens get out of it?

                • Dave

                  A damn sight more than you would you old weka.

                  • weka

                    lolz.

                    I can see all sorts of things the Greens would get out of it, but I’m certainly not going to feed that to someone whose day job is to undermine the GP and the left.

          • dukeofurl 2.4.1.1.3

            Thats because national has turned its party vote allies into beetles.

            happened as well in UK, the Tories /LP %vote and number of seats dropped after the recent election, yet its a triumph. Helps to have the headline writers on your side.

          • swordfish 2.4.1.1.4

            Yeah, Matthew’s been pushing this Labour’s former West Auckland stronghold turns deep Blue meme for a few years, now.

            He knows full well that the Left vote has increasingly fractured over recent Elections, so that the Nats win the individual Party-Vote in West Auckland (though only just) while still trailing well behind the combined Left Bloc vote.

            West Auckland 2014 Party-Vote

            Lab 37.6
            Left Bloc 48.4
            Oppo Bloc 56.4

            Nat 37.7
            Govt Bloc 39.6
            Broad Right Bloc 43.1

            (Note: Left = Lab+Green+IMP, Oppo = Left+NZF, Govt = Nat + ACT + Maori + UF, Broad Right = Govt + Cons.
            Includes Kelston + New Lynn + Te Atatu.
            Excludes Upper Harbour – which mixes part of West Auckland with North Shore suburbs)

      • Tracey 2.4.2

        lol@ ignoring the hard question

    • DoublePlusGood 2.5

      Have you ever been to South Auckland and seen the effects of National government policies? There’s a reason the South Auckland electorates vote Labour.

      • Matthew Hooton 2.5.1

        Yes. But seeing you know it better than me, what is the reason the National party vote is growing in South Auckland?

        • felix 2.5.1.1

          Because he’s the best PM ever, and he never lies, and he really cares about the people, and he’s like a tv star, and he’s captain of the all blacks, and he’s really rich, and he’s kind of a pimp who doesn’t give a fuck, and he puts bitches in their place, but he’s also like really nice to everyone, and all he wants is what’s best for all of us, which is whatever he says it is.

          • Matthew Hooton 2.5.1.1.1

            Great attitude you have towards voters

            • felix 2.5.1.1.1.1

              Oh I’m being facetious.

              You, on the other hand, actually assist in pedaling this bullshit for money.

              • Matthew Hooton

                Ok. So why is National making gains in South Auckland?

                • Tigger

                  National have absorbed the social conservative vote that in the past went elsewhere.

                • Sacha

                  Saint Judith, naturally.

                • felix

                  Fucksake Matthew I explained that above.

                  People vote for stories. Key’s story looks quite good if you aren’t paying much attention to it.

                  Also changing demographics. When you say “South Auckland” people think you mean poor brown people but you and I know better.

                • swordfish

                  Matthew Hooton “What is the reason the National Party vote is growing in South Auckland ?”…..”Why is National making gains in South Auckland ?”

                  National’s Party-Vote in South Auckland 2008-14 – %

                  2008……………..2011……08-11 Diff………..2014……….11-14 Diff
                  Mangere
                  16.43……………14.36…….– 2.07………………15.66………+ 1.30

                  Manukau East
                  24.19…………….19.61…….– 4.58………………20.29……..+ 0.68

                  Manurewa
                  30.33…………….26.13…….– 4.20………………27.69………+ 1.56

                  Looks to me like a consistent pattern of big Nat fall in 2011 and only a slight Nat bounce back in 2014. The Blue Team’s still down on where they were two Elections ago.

                  • You_Fool

                    Don’t ruin his story with facts and figures! He had a really good line going there, and now people are pointing out the holes in it and he will get all mad and stuff… i mean really!

                • geoff

                  Matthew, people take actions which aren’t in their best interests all the time, even when they know those actions aren’t in their best interests.

                  For example, people with drinking problems.

            • emergency mike 2.5.1.1.1.2

              “Great attitude you have towards voters”

              So no self-awareness at all then Matthew? You’re a bullshit artist for hire.

              • Tracey

                yup… spend time money and energy pulling the wool over voters eyes and then patronisingly defend them from being called duped.

                you seem to have recovered from your few weeks of almost balanced and compassionate outlook.

                are you taking your libertarian anger over the budget out on the left cos you cant bring yourself to target the real culprits

          • Clemgeopin 2.5.1.1.2

            You forgot he loves dirty politics and nice pony tails.

    • Tracey 2.6

      makes you wonder why bennett ran from waitakere if they own west auckland.

  3. Facetious 3

    You have to say the Nats are trying hard, very hard, and succeeding in winning over sectors of the traditional Labour vote. Key and his government deserve credit for that.

    • Paul 3.1

      It helps to have closed down all media that might question them.

      • Matthew Hooton 3.1.1

        Which media outlets has the govt closed down?

        • felix 3.1.1.1

          Outlets?

        • Lanthanide 3.1.1.2

          I’m sure the funding freeze they have on Radio NZ, despite it being a fraction of a rounding error on the government’s total spending, is just a coincidence.

          Also there used to be these things called TVNZ 6 and TVNZ 7. I seem to recall the government shut them down.

    • Colonial Rawshark 3.2

      Key and English have outflanked Labour on the Left and let loose with a major artillery barrage. I think the next 2 Roy Morgans will show that the Government is on track for 4 National terms.

      • Facetious 3.2.1

        Not that many, I hope. If the Nats win in 2017, they are likely to repeat in 2020, so 2023 will definitely be Labour’s turn.

        • DoublePlusGood 3.2.1.1

          That requires that there is no collapse of the economy at any time in the next five years. Which, given we’re close to 100 billion in debt, dairy prices are tanking, the housing bubble is poppable, and insurance money that’s been propping up the Canterbury economy will dry up, seems pretty damn unlikely.

          • Colonial Rawshark 3.2.1.1.1

            If there’s a collapse of the global economy, National will simply run with the rhetoric of being the safe pair of hands after the last GFC and that Labour has an inexperienced leadership team with no economic experience.

            Don’t even have to pay Lynton Crosby for that.

    • Stuart Munro 3.3

      Borrowing $15 billion a year for tax cuts has exhausted their credit.

      • Matthew Hooton 3.3.1

        $15b a year for tax cuts? What are you taking about?

        • Stuart Munro 3.3.1.1

          How much is debt increasing year on year?

          • Matthew Hooton 3.3.1.1.1

            About $600m this year. Not at all next year (if you believe the forecast)

            • Stuart Munro 3.3.1.1.1.1

              So where did this $70 billion debt come from – I don’t recall budgets that admitted taking on tens of billions of debt. They’re not just lying about not borrowing surely. And it’s serious – Cullen in a good year only came up with about $2 billion – so 35 years of Cullen or an infinite number of years under English just to pay for the damage he’s done so far.

            • dukeofurl 3.3.1.1.1.2

              Wrong: The borrowing isnt just $600m

              2015/16 Domestic Bond Programme Set at $8.0 Billion (21 May 2015)

              From treasury , the people who do the borrowing

              http://www.nzdmo.govt.nz/publications/mediastatements/debtprogramme

              If you look at repayments the nett amount is $6.8 bill, next year its $7 bill
              For a political commentator you really need better sources than those of the pajamas media

            • Lanthanide 3.3.1.1.1.3

              “Not at all next year (if you believe the forecast)”

              No, that’s not what the forecast actually says, Hooton.

              Here’s the treasury website: http://www.treasury.govt.nz/budget/forecasts/befu2015/021.htm

              Gross debt is expected to peak at $93.6 billion in 2016/17 after which forecast maturities are expected to exceed new debt being issued, so gross debt begins to decline. Gross debt is forecast to be $83.7 billion in 2018/19 which is equivalent to 29.3% of nominal GDP.

              The government debt is going to keep rising until 2017, even though English and Key are claiming we will be in surplus next year (which of course we won’t), they are still increasing government borrowing.

              • Matthew Hooton

                Thanks for that. Cash-flow v accounting. (And I certainly don’t believe even the accounting surplus forecast. They’ll be in deficit through to the election – they must now figure voters don’t care.)

                • Stuart Munro

                  In any case this brings us back to an English in a good year deficit of $6 billion. So any talk of tax cuts are the height of irresponsibility – the last ones failed to operate effectively as a stimulus – they almost never do. (Krugman has a good explanation here http://krugman.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/09/15/the-economics-of-high-end-tax-cuts/)

                  This being so the voices of fiscal responsibility on the right ought to be all over English like Key on a ponytailed waitress. Oddly however, they’re quiet.

                • Lanthanide

                  When English posts his deficit next year, he will be the first FM to post 8 in a row.

                  Weren’t they saying something about a “decade of deficits” back in 2008? Seems like they’ve delivered.

                  • Stuart Munro

                    Assuming he evades the slings and arrows of outraged constituents that long.

                • linda

                  they will care all right when the repo man (kravites brown and roberts)arrives when they cant pay it back

            • Tracey 3.3.1.1.1.4

              so when did we stop paying interest on the borrowings?

    • BevanJS 3.4

      No they bloody don’t!

  4. RedLogix 4

    CV is right. John Key will remain PM just as long as he can be bothered.

    This talking down to the media increases his popularity.

    • vto 4.1

      Talking down to media never lasts though mr red…. it is like the last sugar rush before collapse

      • Colonial Rawshark 4.1.1

        That’s what they reckoned before the last election when he was taking the piss out of the Snowden stuff and also after he got the police to raid TV3 for the teapot stuff

  5. ianmac 5

    Many feel helpless when confronted with adversity. Either as the victim or the observer. Somehow John Campbell allowed us, just for a brief moment, to feel that someone was listening and for the observers we could contribute a little empathy and maybe a few dollars.
    I cannot think of any other TV program that can fill this space.

  6. I swear I linked to this just the other day in Open Mike – Clarke & Dawe on the use of English in Australia (and, clearly, New Zealand):
    https://youtu.be/lQoT9xXRXtY

  7. ianmac 7

    Stephanie! How timely is that. So true. Mr Key would get away with renaming a rose as a spade, if it suited him.

    • Hateatea 7.1

      So true, sadly of our language torturers too.

      Please come home John Clarke. Our Prime Minister and Minister of Finance need this clarification as well.

  8. SteveW 8

    Key is probably right about the travel tax. The amount is so small you can barely buy lunch at the airport with it.

    • dukeofurl 8.1

      The provisional tax bailout for dairy farmers will come later in the year

    • Lanthanide 8.2

      He is right, demand for travel is sufficient that this small increase in price will make no real difference.

      It’s called the “price elasticity of demand”, in this case international travel is fairly inelastic to small price shifts.

      I think user-pays rather than direct taxation isn’t a terrible way of paying for the border protection anyway, particularly as it will be foreigners footing a lot of the bill and really they’re the ones that are more risky than the average NZ citizen (who generally has some understanding of our laws and economy). If anything I would have reduced the levy for NZ passport holders, although that might be difficult for the airlines to administer.

      • dukeofurl 8.2.1

        I suppose they have to make up for the money lost by going back to 10 year passports

  9. SMILIN 9

    Key is trying very fuckin tryin for any sane person who has the ability to see thru nationals destruction of Leftist politics and the benefits from the tenure of Helen Clark’s govt to the only logical solution
    Vote For a Better future Thru Labour or
    Rather be Red than Dead
    Or straight up FUCK U KEY u thief
    Your are certainly not a comedian
    Why the hell is money always so important because thats all Key really knows
    Get someone with a broader consciousness

  10. Reddelusion 10

    Good week for national, pretty much outflanked left on every agenda. me think it’s all over for labour, hence why jk doesn’t care about an irrelevant, intellectually bankrupt and incredibly stupid ( even by left standards) opposition

    [lprent: If you are going to troll then do so with some originality and dignity. Recycling idiotic banalities from 2008 is just boring – even from a conservative. ]

  11. Tigger 11

    Why is Hooten so rabid on this thread? National must be paying this troll today.

  12. Clemgeopin 12

    The Budget. A kiss and a kick. My #cartoon today @PressNewsroom #nzpol #childpoverty #parenthood pic.twitter.com/vzt7EDo0US— Sharon Murdoch (@domesticanimal) May 22, 2015

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    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
    4 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
    6 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
    6 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
    6 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
    8 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
    13 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
    15 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
    15 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
    5 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
    5 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
    5 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
    Lower fruit and vegetable prices are welcome news for New Zealanders who have been doing it tough at the supermarket, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. Stats NZ reported today the price of fruit and vegetables has dropped 9.3 percent in the 12 months to February 2024.  “Lower fruit and vege ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Statement to the 68th United Nations Commission on the Status of Women
    Tēnā koutou katoa and greetings to you all.  Chair, I am honoured to address the sixty-eighth session of the Commission on the Status of Women. I acknowledge the many crises impacting the rights of women and girls. Heightened global tensions, war, climate related and humanitarian disasters, and price inflation all ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago
  • Speech to the 68th United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (CSW68)
    Tēnā koutou katoa and greetings to you all.  Chair, I am honoured to address the 68th session of the Commission on the Status of Women. I acknowledge the many crises impacting the rights of women and girls. Heightened global tensions, war, climate related and humanitarian disasters, and price inflation all ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago
  • Government backs rural led catchment projects
    The coalition Government is supporting farmers to enhance land management practices by investing $3.3 million in locally led catchment groups, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay announced. “Farmers and growers deliver significant prosperity for New Zealand and it’s vital their ongoing efforts to improve land management practices and water quality are supported,” ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    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. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Commission’s advice on ETS settings tabled
    Recommendations from the Climate Change Commission for New Zealand on the Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) auction and unit limit settings for the next five years have been tabled in Parliament, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. “The Commission provides advice on the ETS annually. This is the third time the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Government lowering building costs
    The coalition Government is beginning its fight to lower building costs and reduce red tape by exempting minor building work from paying the building levy, says Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk. “Currently, any building project worth $20,444 including GST or more is subject to the building levy which is ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Trustee tax change welcomed
    Proposed changes to tax legislation to prevent the over-taxation of low-earning trusts are welcome, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The changes have been recommended by Parliament’s Finance and Expenditure Committee following consideration of submissions on the Taxation (Annual Rates for 2023–24, Multinational Tax, and Remedial Matters) Bill. “One of the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
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  • Minister’s Ramadan message
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