Left Side Story: What do New Zealanders actually earn?

Written By: - Date published: 7:02 am, August 12th, 2016 - 91 comments
Categories: blogs, economy, wages - Tags: , ,

Reprinted with permission, by Deborah Russell from Left Side Story:


What do New Zealanders actually earn? And why we need to understand these figures.

Before you read the rest of this post, get out a pen, and write down what income you think someone in New Zealand needs to earn to count as rich.  You could also write down what income you think the top 5% of income earners in this country earn, and what income you think the top 1% earn.  I’ve got some data on that at the end of the post, but you’ll find it more interesting if you test it against your own assumptions.

In Question Time on Tuesday 9 and Wednesday 10 of August, the Prime Minister responded to questions about Auckland house prices by listing the numbers of houses in Auckland that had sold at various prices in the last few months, and saying just how many were sold under the average price. For context, the average house price in the Auckland region is now getting close to a million dollars, and in Auckland city itself, it’s over a million.

Here’s how the PM responded to concerns about Auckland house prices on Wednesday 10 August.

I stand by my full statement in the House yesterday, which was: “If you look at the year to 31 March 2016 in Auckland there were 31,963 sales. Sales in the under $600,000 category of … homes were over 30 percent of that—9,638 sales. For … houses under $650,000 there were 11,842—37 percent of sales.” My point was that there is a significant number of Auckland houses selling for well under the reported average price. Source – Hansard

So 37% of homes sold at 2/3 of the average price. Those are the cheaper homes in Auckland, and they’re the homes that we would expect lower paid people to be able to buy.

Later on in Question Time, Metiria Turei, co-leader of the Green Party, made the point that principals and firefighters were finding it hard to afford houses in Auckland. This is one of the critical concerns with respect to outrageous house prices: soon the people we rely on to run our communities – teachers, police officers, fire fighters, and so on – simply won’t be able to afford to live in those communities.

Here’s what Ms Turei said, and what the PM said in reply.

Metiria Turei: Is that the excuse for unaffordable housing that he would give to the principal of an average-size primary school, who would have to spend about eight times their income to buy a median-priced house in Auckland; I mean, is the housing market working for that family?

Rt Hon JOHN KEY: Well, the member talks about an average principal of a New Zealand primary school, I think she quoted. If they live in Hamilton, 71 percent of all sales that took place were under $500,000. But if they lived in Auckland, 30 percent of sales that took place were under $600,000, and 37 percent under $650,000. My colleague before was just looking on TradeMe and the number of properties in Auckland that are under $500,000. There are many properties listed there. Source – Hansard

Putting a somewhat uncharitable gloss on this, the Prime Minister’s advice is for principals of Auckland schools to live in Hamilton, or for them to buy a house in the lower third of the market.

But we expect people to buy houses that are roughly commensurate with their incomes. That is, we expect, more-or-less, that people who are better paid to buy higher priced houses, and we would ordinarily expect people who are less well paid to buy lower priced houses. Of course, some of the least well paid people will rent houses instead. But in a property owning liberal democracy, where most people aspire to owning their own home, we might expect that higher paid people are buying houses above the average price.

So are principals among New Zealand’s higher paid income earners?

Yes. In fact, principals are in the top 10% of income earners in the country. The very lowest paid principals earn about $85,000 a year (Source: NZEI Principals Collective Agreement – pdf). And based on IRD data, the top 10% of income earners in this country earn $81,000 or more.

Here’s the breakdown of incomes in this country. These are incomes based on taxable income, that is, the amount that Inland Revenue thinks that each person earns.

incometable

This analysis excludes untaxed income such as capital gains, and it doesn’t adjust for the way business income can be calculated. There are no assumptions in this data: it’s just the cold, hard numbers collected by Inland Revenue. But let’s be very clear about this: most people in this country are wage and salary earners. This is as good a basis as any for assessing how much money people have available to spend, based on what they earn.

So what does this table tell us?

It tells us that school principals are in the top 10% of income earners in this country.  Yet our PM expects them to look for the less expensive houses in Auckland.  Is he really saying that people in the top 10% should only aspire to cheaper housing?

It tells us that based on the hard numbers that IRD collects, about half of all income earners in New Zealand earn less than $28,000 a year.

It also tells us that if we think that say, the top 10% of income earners in New Zealand are “the rich”, then we think that earning around $80,000 is enough to make someone “rich”.  Not just well off, but rich.  I strongly suspect that many of the people earning around $80,000 or so don’t feel rich, especially if they are living in Auckland.  Yes, I know that an income of $80,000 is massive compared to what many people earn, but I am talking about people’s perceptions here.

Some other information from the same source but not shown in the table: the top 5% of taxable income earners in New Zealand earn $107,000 or more, and the top 1% of income earners have taxable incomes of about $200,000 or more.

The PM’s glib answers in Question Time yesterday do him no credit.  They were fob-off answers that disguised the real problems with Auckland house prices: they are simply far too far out of reach for even people who are earning in the top 10% of incomes in this county.  It’s time for him to grapple with this problem, instead of treating it as just one more playing piece in the game of politics.

**************

Some caveats with the data: it’s for the year ending 31 March 2014, and it’s based on information collected by IRD up to September 2015. So there’s still some data coming in. But, if you look at the previous years, you will see that the same broad pattern holds: the top 10% band of income earners kicks in around $80,000 or so. The data does account for Working for Families tax credits, and income earned from benefits, but not for people with no income whatsoever, or people who earn only interest and dividends that are fully taxed at source.  You can see the bands I’ve used in the table are not exact 10% bands: I decided it was better to work as closely as possible with the raw data, rather than making assumptions about where to draw the exact line on some income bands.

You can download the data yourself from the Research and Tax Statistics page on the IRD website.  There’s a wealth of information available there.

91 comments on “Left Side Story: What do New Zealanders actually earn? ”

  1. weka 1

    The other factor is how many people have low accommodation costs ie older people who’ve paid off their mortgage are obviously way better off than their same income peers, both in terms of being ‘wealthy’ and in terms of what they can afford to buy.

    I realise that might complicate the argument but it would be interesting to know if figures on that are available given the boomer spike.

    • mac1 1.1

      Good question, Weka. Here goes.

      Ownership costs at a lower level are $65 per week (rates $1200, home insurance $600, maintenance $1500 all per annum).

      Rents range from $130 upwards to NZ average of $384 per week, and beyond.

      Therefore, depending on the actual rental, there could be a differential per week between $65 up to $320, and higher.

      The average NZ renter pays rent of $384. A couple owning a $500,000 average house incurs home ownership costs of $110 per week, The difference is $274.

      At the low end, a low rent payer might pay $130 per week for a council house, against the housing costs for a low cost house of about $65 per week. The difference is $65 per week.

      A renter is not eligible for up to $600 per annum from a low income rate rebate, a difference of up to $12 per week.

      Baby boomers who are superannuitants earn after tax $385 for a single living alone and $591 for a couple.

      • weka 1.1.1

        Hi mac, I was meaning the numbers of people mortgage free. But those figures are interesting. Accommodation Supplement will complicate things further. Plus the low income people that the govt helped buy a house up until the early 90s will be retiring in the next decade and after that there will a further spike in retirees who have high accommodation costs.

        The whole couples/single thing is interesting too. Although some people will find their situation improving upon turning 65.

    • Sacha 1.2

      The rate of retirees who are mortgage-free is projected to decline (can’t recall which govt/academic report I found that in).

      Future retirees – including boomers – will not have that advantage. They will also tend to live longer after retirement age, and run up larger health/disability support costs.

      • weka 1.2.1

        Given the huge increase in house prices and the size of mortgages now relative to income that’s not surprising. What was the time frame?

  2. Psych nurse 2

    Key always dominates Question time with his arrogance, glibness and confabulation.He makes the headlines with his performance, no one questions his truthfulness.
    Just think how much he would hate it if no questions were asked of him.He would have to sit there like a dummy.No adoring applause or media fawning.Direct questions to those less able to deflect them.

    • AmaKiwi 2.1

      Psych nurse

      Excellent idea!

      Obviously you’ve learned a lot about managing conversations working on the psych ward. I just hope the Opposition MPs do it.

      • Leftie 2.1.1

        Effectively gagging the ringmaster from holding court on behalf of his ministers/mps and forcing them to stand on their own feet to provide answers would be a good way to unravel the myths that surround the Nats and it would really show them up.

    • smilin 2.2

      Yes watch him answering always from the script then the school boy smart arsed attack on the opposition and its all nothing but emotive rubbish like hes on stage entertaining the world
      No ones laughing John youve sold us out

    • weston 2.3

      Right on the money Psych nurse

    • Leftie 2.4

      +1 Psych nurse. Excellent strategy that would work.

  3. Wayne 3

    I note that the table is based on the IRD assessments of every taxpayers income.

    At 3.5 million taxpayers it is around 75% of the total New Zealand population. As I read the table it includes children, retirees, students, part-time workers.

    A better approach, if we are using this measure as a proxy of the ability of people to afford homes, would be the earnings of people in the workforce between the ages of 18 and say 65. Virtually all home buyers, certainly those purchasing their first home, come from that group. Thus the median income for full time wages and salaries was $51,000 (June 2014, NZ Stats). The average salary for those jobs advertised on Jobseek was $75,000.

    To specially look at teachers, the top of the scale (T10) is $75,949. Basically every teacher hits that level after ten years teaching, typically aged around 32 to 34. It does not include promotions or units of responsibility.

    So to take two people who are teachers, (or police officers, nurses or in qualified trades) at around 30, it is likely the household income will be $140,000 to $150,000. The Kiwisaver incentive, plus direct savings from salary mean that a $100,000 deposit is an achievable goal at around this age. A mortgage of say $500,000 has an annual cost of about $30,000.

    I appreciate that this will be difficult stretch. It takes a 5 year plan. At the time the house is bought it will be common for the family to go to one income, which is quite likely at around that point in life. I guess it explain why people remain in the workforce part-time even with young children.

    Also there is a big risk if interest rates go up. It would certainly be prudent to lock in the interest rate for a good 5 years.

    I also appreciate I have described what most people would regard as well qualified middle income earners. I do not see how lower income earners could buy a house in Auckland without parental help, or in the past spending some time in Australia at the mines, especially for the deposit.

    So you can see why Don Brash and others say prices are too high. Many would say that the $600,000 house should really cost $450,000, which is a 33% reduction.

    Could this be achieved in Auckland. Possibly if more land was freed up, which is why the adoption of the Unitary Plan is crucial. A section price of $250,000 (300 meters) and a house build price of $200,000 garage and landscaping included. It will mean living as far out as Kumeu or similar. I would assume Auckland Transport will push the electric trains to Kumeu and Pukekohe.

    What effect would it have on other prices higher up the scale. I don’t know, probably some but not a 33% reduction, since the proposed houses at $450,000 sit in a specific market.

    • RedLogix 3.1

      Possibly if more land was freed up,

      From where I’m sitting it is entirely impossible for us to ‘free up’ enough land to satiate the demand to launder dirty money out of China.

    • Sabine 3.2

      How many million people do you think NZ could accommodate? or is that something you don’t want to pontificate about?

    • adam 3.3

      I noticed you did not include disabled there Wayne. Or people who get injured at work and go on ACC, or children (well a little).

      To me it just a whole lot of wishful maths. I get you have start somewhere, but when the mark(et) you purpose as a target – is in reality a pipe dream for the majority, then what are you actually arguing for?

      Because society is made up of 100% of the people, 100% of the time.

    • mac1 3.4

      A question to which i do to know the answer, Wayne, but which will affect the usefulness of your argument based as it is on all income earners aged from 18-65.

      How many in the latter part of this age group will be contemplating first home ownership?

      The use of the 18-65 demographic may distort your argument. Firstly, the older members will be mostly at the top of their earning power, as opposed to the 18-35 year olds. Secondly, as the prospect of a 25 year mortgage takes the prospective first home owner into the 65+ age bracket that is still paying a thirty thousand mortgage on a combined superannuation of $30,742, this must surely decrease the uptake of first home ownership in the forties, more for the fifties, and the sixties especially?

      The consequence, if this is true, is that your figures for the $150,000 threshold which makes home ownership barely possible at $30,000 annual mortgage must be discounted to a lower number of people who are of an age and an income to achieve it.

      • Wayne 3.4.1

        mac1

        You make a fair point, which is why I focussed on people around 30 as they will the first home buyers. Over a 30 year period there will be enough wage inflation so that at the end of the mortgage, the payments will only be a small proportion of the income.

        However, people inevitably trade up, and make all sorts of life choices so I suspect the size of the payment in 30 years is not that relevant. The real issue is the first 5 to 10 years, which also covers the likely time of one and a bit full time incomes.

        • Stuart Munro 3.4.1.1

          You are living in an idealised past Wayne – the job volatility in present day NZ is substantial – unless you’re a shabby little trougher on a sinecure – a 30 year mortgage can be expected to undergo at least six job changes in the current environment – any one of which can break it. NZ is broken, the shameful incompetence of this government has crushed the poor and is now immiserating the former middle class.

          • Ross 3.4.1.1.1

            Yes Stuart, Wayne ignores the fact that many workers start of a 90 day trial which gives employers the ability to fire at will.

            Many jobs are casualised which means they offer little or no job security and are possibly among the lowest paid jobs.

            Wayne has this fantasy that all workers can aspire to become a teacher or police officer but the reality if quite different.

        • mac1 3.4.1.2

          Waiting for wage inflation over a thirty year period will be how much? Wage inflation at the moment is 1-2%, inflation is 1%, but where I live, a small provincial town, the July-July inflation has been 13%.

          I talked to a real estate agent today. She says that houses here are 20% above RV, that rental properties for sale turn over in a fortnight.

          Since the topic of this Left Side story is wages and house prices, Wayne, how long can we continue to have house inflation at some ten times above wage increases and expect ordinary wage earners to have a hope of home ownership?

          This puts pressure on rents since again in our little town 5% more rent than did ten years ago. How will super annuitants fare, along with other beneficiaries, in a rental market driven by speculation, investors and profit takers?

          Does not that figure of 5% increase in renters here in a provincial SI town indicate the difficulty that people are under? That ordinary NZers aren’t making it into home ownership? Does the 13% figure here not show that this is a NZ wide problem, and not confined to Auckland?

          Meantime, accommodation is still to be found for thousands of vineyard workers needed here in the near future, but employers are not stumping up to the counter with decent wages or acknowledging their role in providing accommodation, hiding instead behind contractors. Again, this puts pressure on ordinary workers/low income earners as the housing market deals with over-demand against supply.

          Historically, a low wage economy here, pressure by large seasonal labour demands, and 13% house increases is a huge worry- for workers, super annuitants, beneficiaries alike.

        • As someone who’s currently 30, I can absolutely confirm what Stuart is saying. Job insecurity is incredibly real, if you’re not highly qualified or experienced you’re lucky to be on more than a fixed term contract, and there’s little to no opportunity to make your way upwards in an organisation without significant investment in qualifications at your own expense, as most learning and development spending is restricted to those who are already reasonably qualified. Basically unless you have a useful degree or get promoted into middle-management you are SOL on climbing the wage ladder. Good luck to people who don’t manage well in a tertiary education environment I guess, because essentially it’s necessary to get a lot of the secure jobs that are available in cities. (You could learn a trade, but again, apprenticeships are more difficult to come by too, although probably not as hard as breaking the graduate barrier)

          People in better-paid professions and who are simply older are really underestimating the extent to which inter-generational warfare is real. This is going to be the first generation that is poorer than its parents, (which of itself isn’t terrible, it’s just that we’re still legislating like every subsequent generation will be richer and will have its own turn having it good) and you’re sitting here assuming that it’s okay to look at a dual income household where both earners are in the top 20% of wage earners in order to calculate who can own a home and thus have security of where they live. Some of the people I went to school with are buying houses or setting up businesses, that’s true. But I had expected back in the day that almost everyone would be at that stage of their life by now, and it’s probably less than half.

          I’m tired of having housing insecurity. I’m tired of having job insecurity. I’m tired of insecurity in general, and I don’t mind the economic disadvantage of it, what I mind is the stress it adds to your life. The housing market is the most obvious reflection of the economic issues that are plaguing younger kiwis, and if the older generations can’t solve it, then there are going to be real problems on their hands, because at some stage we’re going to take over the political mainstream, and the longer we keep funneling money to baby boomers (and other members of the capital class) in the forms of tax exemptions and policy favours, the more painful things are going to be when we have to adjust policies to actually reflect the rest of the nation and solve the problems going on with the rest of society.

          • aj 3.4.1.3.1

            +1
            (Age 63 and fortunate enough to have had 40+ yrs full employement)

            • In Vino 3.4.1.3.1.1

              +2. But that said, I am 60+, and a baby-boomer who (apart from voting for Lange against Muldoon the first time when pretty well everybody was fooled and betrayed) has always fought against neo-lib policies.

              It amuses me when people blame baby-boomers. My experience is that the majority of every generation since have turned out to be short-sighted right-wing voters in the same proportion as baby-boomers did. More fools them. (Including us baby-boomers.) So more fools us all together.

              We were warned against the consequences of job casualisation (the abolition of permanent full-time jobs in favour of ‘flexibility’) way back in the early 90s, but too few people could see past their rugby and lotto ticket…

              • I don’t think all of the blame belongs to Boomers, (I’m pretty sure you’re not talking about me specifically anyway but the overall trend, right?) but it’s certainly been their responsibility to act on the various problems and make sure that the generation that comes after them does okay.

                What I do think is that an alarming number of Boomers don’t see anything wrong and think my generation are just lazy or whiners or something.

          • Gangnam Style 3.4.1.3.2

            Thank you Matthew, +++!!!, I amin a similar position to what you describe in your comment but 10 years older with children. I am OK for now, but I know (unlike most of my older colleagues) my job is not secure long term. Good luck!

          • Foreign waka 3.4.1.3.3

            Yes, and it is a world wide phenomena. My perception is that the economic model had it’s day and the current situation is quite similar to the 1920.
            As for the baby boomers, well maybe they had for a couple of years more fun and less care, the price they pay is high. They have joined savings programs with promises of better retirement planing and income. Low and behold, the money is gone (watch out kiwi savers). Of cause the 50-60 year old haven’t got a show in hell to get same savings scraped together after that loss and most are ashamed to talk about it. I have met a number of people how were close to killing themselves because they cannot see how they can, after a lifetime of manual labor, work many more years because they are not able to have enough income to support themselves and their families. What is often forgotten is that this constant decisive squabble about baby boomers had it so good, that it is in the end the whole family that suffers.
            Young people with degrees can travel the world as their skill is transferable. Many do and good luck to them. We need to first look at those with young kids that need a roof over their heads, clothes on their back and food on the table.
            If this ever increasing jealous professional lot is not getting this then nothing will ever change. Neither on the left nor right, as this is not a political but a humanity issue.
            PS Mind you, after the baby boomers supporting an anti authoritarian style, experimenting with less and less self discipline we will see a generation with a sense of entitlement that will take ones breath away.

            • Matthew Whitehead 3.4.1.3.3.1

              Yeah it is a worldwide phenomena. We’re lucky it’s not quite as bad here as the USA, (where unpaid internships are a common thing for new entrants to the labour market) but it’s still pretty bad. And yeah, you can definitely travel the world, especially if you’re one of the people who’s done alright in this generation, but on the other hand, globalisation has made the economic situation much the same the world over, wheras previously emigrating could be a way to get into a very different economy if this one didn’t suit you, so that freedom has come at a significant price.

              Losing retirement savings is definitely very hard. That’s absolutely the thing that concerns me the most about Kiwisaver as a policy is that many people are going to be vulnerable to market crashes and dodgy investment strategies. But I also find it hard to muster up my full degree of sympathy for retiring boomers, as you’ll have NZ Super which combined with any degree of savings and a house and you’re already in a very good position. People my age know that Super is going to be dramatically changed or gone by the time we retire, as it’s not affordable as-is. (It’s the single largest spending program the government has, and it’s not that far short of the education spend on primary, secondary, and tertiary combined, and is that big a liability despite having no associated revenue stream to pay for it. And it’s only going to get more expensive in the medium-term- I expect once all boomers reach Super age it’ll outspend education) I’m very worried about what happens to people whose Kiwisaver accounts get hit in similar downturns when Super isn’t as reliable anymore, because that’s going to be a huge problem. I hope people are switching to resilient investment profiles once they start having siginificant savings.

              Actually, as far as sense of entitlement goes, I think that’s actually trending downwards. People know first-hand they can’t expect everything their parents before them had, even if they’d like things to be fairer than they are now. They do expect that their freedoms be respected, but I’d hesitate to call that a “sense of entitlement” so much as a “sense of justice.” Most people don’t want a guarantee they’ll win in the economy, they just want an equal chance to participate.

              What confuses people is that we’re very attached to screens and other modern forms of media and find it more difficult to cope without them. Part of that is a generational shift to a different type of media, but another part of it is that the things that replace people’s intense focus on media, like starting a family, or owning a home, or having a fulfilling career, aren’t as available as they once were, so we’re “less engaged with society” because society doesn’t have as much to offer us as it did to previous generations. The love affair with technology and pop culture has nothing to do with entitlement, in fact it’s a reflection of escapism to deal with the fact that we can’t rely on a sense of entitlement any longer.

              • Foreeign waka

                Matthew, I hear you. It is getting increasingly difficult for everybody.
                The world economies are on a crash course, the environment is damaged by ever increased consumption and the next “threat” is the full automation of the workforce.
                This will affect everybody, and I mean everybody.
                The younger ones as their skills are in oversupply for the jobs available and for the older generation because they haven’t got any chance to find work until they are 70 as most of them are worn out. One has to remember that this is a generation that grew up when there were no computers and most were employed in physical labor jobs. No sitting down and mentally pondering some academic subject there. Women were holding low paid jobs and worked the household, raising the kids.
                It should not come as a surprise that suicide stats will show you that it is the 65’s and up who kill themselves most often. So ask yourself why this is.
                So back to you, please don’t take this the wrong way – you need to try and stay away from the destructive self pitty. It stands in the way to make sure you understand that you have actually a voice, you can vote for the crowd in parliament that at least promises most of what you want.
                You also can use the new social media to actually meet and talk about options, ideas, community involvement etc.
                Above all – the society is an expression of many and one of those is you.

    • Henry Filth 3.5

      “So you can see why Don Brash and others say prices are too high. ”

      Possibly pay is too low? $80k a year puts you in the top 10%. Really? $80k a year makes you rich?

      Astounding! Frightening!

      • Wayne 3.5.1

        There is a difference between incomes of all people (IRD returns) and full time pay.

        “Pay” implies salary and wages or business income. The median full time pay is $51,000 (June 2014). So $80,000 and above will not be the top 10%, it is more like the top 25 to 30%.

        • Deborah Russell 3.5.1.1

          There is a difference between incomes of all people (IRD returns) and full time pay.

          “Pay” implies salary and wages or business income. The median full time pay is $51,000 (June 2014). So $80,000 and above will not be the top 10%, it is more like the top 25 to 30%.

          I agree with the point about the difference between pay (wages or salary) and income. The reason I’ve used income data is partly it’s the data that’s readily available to me, but also because what matters is total income. Someone might have wages of say $40,000 a year, and interest and dividend income of say $10,000 a year, giving them an income of $50,000. What matters to them in terms of whether or not they can afford a house is not the $40,000 of wages, but their total income.

          What really prompted the post was listening to the PM suggesting that principals, whom I know to be among the higher income earners in NZ, should buy lower priced properties. That mismatch seems wrong to me, an indication that either house prices are too high, or incomes are too low, or mostly likely, both house prices are too high and incomes are too low.

          Many thanks for your comments on the post, Wayne.

          • Brendon Harre -Left wing Liberal 3.5.1.1.1

            Deborah another issue you should explore with this mismatch is that if high income earners are buying below average houses then what are medium or low income earners buying? The answer is they are not buying -they have been rationed out of home ownership by high house prices. This pushes more people and families into renting and I suspect the same again happens. Medium income people take all the decent rentals and low income people -the working poor are increasingly being pushed out into garages and cars.

          • DH 3.5.1.1.2

            You’re not that far out Deborah. For only those earning wages & salary, from which PAYE was deducted, $81k is in the top 9%.

            The only caveat for that 9% is IRDs numbers would include some part time workers but not all – only part timers who pay PAYE.

            Interestingly, if you remove all of those earning below $30k (assuming they’re all part time) $81k is still in the top 16%. That would also give a median wage of $53k

            (those stats are calculated from IRDs wage & salary data)

            • DH 3.5.1.1.2.1

              “For only those earning wages & salary, from which PAYE was deducted, $81k is in the top 9%. ”

              Sorry, correction I missed a line in the spreadsheet calc – it’s 11% not 9% and 19% not 16%. Still supports Deborahs figures & rebuts Wayne’s though.

      • mosa 3.5.2

        What Don Brash also should have commented on is the LOW Wage economy and how that effects everything but no the right wing thinkers always ignore the poor in the room.
        The low wage of course benefits the banks because getting a credit card is easier than inhaling air and the low pay cant pay down the interest let alone the principlal and Brash of course would know this.
        The income table tells us what we already know that most wages and salaries are abysmally low and dont reflect the long hours and rate for the work we do and the people working two or more jobs to make ends meet because their main source of income is not enough especially when you are taxed at the secondary rate that hurts the wage -salary earner.
        Also more importantly the tax system needs a full review which wont happen untill we have a change in government that better reflects our miserable incomes.

    • Lanthanide 3.6

      Well here you go Wayne:
      “The calculator takes into account all types of income before tax and the number of adults (over 15) and children (under 15). ”
      http://www.stuff.co.nz/business/money/80229052/interactive-see-how-your-household-income-compares

      Knock yourself out.

      Seems that your $150,000 household income is actually in the 90th percentile of all household incomes.

      Now obviously it will be more than 1 in 10 Auckland households that have that income, since there are more high paying jobs in Auckland than elsewhere, but your figures show that buying houses in Auckland is hardly something that the average family could look forwards to.

    • Sacha 3.7

      I also appreciate I have described what most people would regard as well qualified middle income earners.

      Middle? You really have ignored the point of the original post.

    • weston 3.8

      450 000 k for a glorified jib board toilet …go for it folks

  4. Sanctuary 4

    Deborah Russell must be in parliament next election. The fact that the totally clapped out Trevor Mallard will be higher on the list so she probably won’t make it is an utter scandal, and neatly illustrates Labour’s ongoing crisis of entitled job for lifers shutting out new talent.

    • ankerawshark 4.1

      100% Sanctuary.

    • mauī 4.2

      Agree. Dont know exactly how it works right now, but if the party membership have the responsibility of ranking the party list I can see the MP quality going up a great deal.

    • Mrs Brillo 4.3

      Yes. She has to be there. Labour: make it so.

    • Sacha 4.4

      Even service to the party is no guarantee. Last election, talented loyalists like Claire Szabo, Michael Wood, and Arena Williams were bumped down the list to preserve the sinecures of flatulent dinosaurs.

      • Anne 4.4.1

        I can concur re – Claire Sazbo. Currently CEO of Habitat for Humanity, she’s up there with Deborah Russell. Don’t know Arena Williams, but they are top drawer candidates.

        The list selection process has undergone some radical changes in the past year due to membership pressure having been applied at recent conferences. I understand the old system whereby serving MPS take the top list positions no longer applies. I hope it will have the desired effect and the most talented on offer get the best spots.

    • mosa 4.5

      Spot on Sanctuary.

    • Leftie 4.6

      “Deborah Russell must be in parliament next election.” Agreed. From the times I have listened to her speak, she is extremely intelligent and a very competent person, she knows what she is talking about. I see her as an asset to the Labour party.

  5. The Lone Haranguer 5

    Well I guess its hard to declare a taxable income of $150,000 when the loss offsets on your rental properties are taken into account.

    Perhaps a way simpler way to deal with house price inflation would be to offer rental property taxpayers the option of:

    1) offsetting the rental loss against other income, but paying tax on the capital gains on the property when sold (recognising the properties as a business deal)
    or
    2) Allowing no rental loss offsets against other income as purchase being a “long term investment” rather than a business transaction. Any sale would not be taxed (like the family home)

  6. Chuck 6

    “It tells us that school principals are in the top 10% of income earners in this country. Yet our PM expects them to look for the less expensive houses in Auckland.”

    Of course what is being over looked here by this post is the huge assumption that said principals are all first home buyers.

    To be a principal of a school would require many years of teaching and working his/her way up to principal level. So common sense would say a good % would already be homeowners…if they moved across town, they sell and buy on the same market.

    If a principal sold in say Hamilton to move to Auckland for a new position, they would still have a decent deposit…etc.

    The problem Turei has in these type of examples is there are many inputs that need to be considered. Its impossible for her to make a point as its so easily countered.

    • One Anonymous Bloke 6.1

      The problem the National Party has is that she’s right. As a signpost reading “I agree with the Prime Minister”, you bring precisely nothing to the table.

    • Ross 6.2

      The problem Turei has in these type of examples is there are many inputs that need to be considered. Its impossible for her to make a point as its so easily countered.

      Yeah you’re right, Chuck. With a deceitful, dishonest, do-nothing, intellectually lazy PM, any argument can be countered.

      • Chuck 6.2.1

        “any argument can be countered.”

        Only ill thought out arguments Ross.

        The point clearly goes over your head.

  7. indiana 7

    What about home buyers that are in a double income household – will that have any impact? I truly believe that an individual earning $81k and above will find it hard to service a $500k mortgage, but in a double income situation this changes drastically.

    • The Lone Haranguer 7.1

      The problem with double incomes and big debt is risk.

      Sure maybe you can get by on two incomes and a bigass mortgage, but sometimes things happen that you cant plan for, and your income drops and your financial world goes upside down super quick.

      Do you think the Westpac workers likely to lose their jobs (and the other banks always seem to follow) were feeling okay a week or two back? There will be some not sleeping well tonight – because $916m isnt enough profit out of NZ after all…….

      A local plumbing firm tipped up here in Chch last night. So theres a whole bunch of plumbers and TAs wondering where next months mortgage payments are coming from. And there suppliers will ge looking at their own exposure to it and maybe the suppliers own workers jobs are at risk too.

      In our “gimmee gimmee gimmee then throw it out” society, debt is a curse that folk tend to think is a blessing.

      • Chuck 7.1.1

        “The problem with double incomes and big debt is risk.”

        It always has been, no different today to 20 years ago.

        DINKS (double income no kids) at some point mum has a baby…

        Steps can be taken to mitigate as much as possible. Income protection insurance, redundancy insurance, rent out the spare bedroom, sell and downsize etc…

        “In our “gimmee gimmee gimmee then throw it out” society, debt is a curse that folk tend to think is a blessing.”

        Agree – the worst kind of debt…on the credit card or HP loan.

        • mosa 7.1.1.1

          It used too be save and wait…. now its pay twice for the original goods with easy credit and pick up the same day.
          One of the greatest fiddles of all time.

    • weston 7.2

      Until you …break a leg …contract cancer …have a relationship breakup ….be made redundant ….have a family emergency involving paying significant sums to fix ….buy a leaky house ….get ripped off by a business partner ……get shot by a passing nutter while you are opperating a stop go sign …..

  8. dave 8

    what ever way you look its sober reading there is no way nz income levels can support our house hold debt at those income levels a economic collapse is inevitable 1/2 trillion
    dollars the country is stuffed.
    https://youtu.be/GXcLVDhS8fM

  9. McGrath 9

    I’m surprised the bands are so low. I was expecting the top 10% to be well over $100k.

    • I first ran the numbers on this about six months ago, McGrath, and I was astonished too. It’s worth remembering that the data excludes untaxed income, such as capital gains, but even so, I’d have expected the top 10% to be earning over $100,000. Most people do think that the top 10% income earners are into six figures. That’s why I have that opening paragraph about writing down the numbers.

      I was with a group of professional people a few weeks back, and I tried the question on them ie. what did they think the top 10% of people earned. After a bit of discussion they settled on $200,000. I’ve never yet had an answer to the question below six figures. So I think we’ve got quite a warped understanding of incomes. And it’s no wonder that people think they can afford Auckland houses. Even if people are not earning big incomes right now, they think that they *will* get into the top 10% one day, so they think that they *will* earn over $100,000 one day, so they think that they *can* afford the house.

      • Sacha 9.1.1

        I’m not surprised. We’re all coached into conflating income with wealth.

        What was that report about half NZ’s top 100 rich-listers not even being in the top personal tax bracket? One’s trust fund owns a Porsche, etc ..

        • Craig H 9.1.1.1

          That was IRD themselves who said that. They have a unit specifically for ensuring high wealth individuals don’t dodge too much, but if you own a lot of assets outright, your disposable income is much higher than someone else who has a mortgage, for example, so you don’t actually need that much taxable income once that has been achieved.

        • miravox 9.1.1.2

          “What was that report about half NZ’s top 100 rich-listers not even being in the top personal tax bracket?”

          I was thinking that. Wealthy people I know easily get things like student allowances because they have no income. They’d be in the bottom band.

          This behaviour has made me reconsider the value of targeted or universal benefits.

          I don’t trust tax-based statistics on income-related data anymore.

      • Sanctuary 9.1.2

        I had a similar FB conversation with friends. Almost everyone I know earn over 70K. That three quarters of New Zealanders earn less than 50K stuns most people in that income bracket.

        This disconnect is probably the number one reason why I spend so much time trying to puncture the bubble so many online commentators live in.

        • Lanthanide 9.1.2.1

          It always blows my mind, too. I think the disconnect is the shopping malls. They are so busy, with people mostly buying stuff they don’t need, stuff I myself don’t buy and I’m in the top 5% of incomes.

          I guess most people just have a lot of consumer debt.

        • Wayne 9.1.2.2

          Sanctuary

          You are repeating the fallacy of this whole post.

          The people you are talking about are in the workforce (I imagine). These IRD stats are not about the workforce, they cover all taxpayers, children, retirees etc.

          Most people with reasonable qualifications and a few years in the workforce will be on around $70,000.

          • Lanthanide 9.1.2.2.1

            Well Wayne, it turns out that Statistics New Zealand actually collect and publish that data, so we don’t have to listen to your hypotheticals, instead we can actually look at the data.

            http://www.stats.govt.nz/browse_for_stats/income-and-work/Income/NZIncomeSurvey_HOTPJun15qtr/Tables.aspx

            Data we want are in the Supplementary tables

            The average weekly income for full-time workers (30+ hours) in NZ regardless of sex or ethnicity, of all ages from 15 to 65+ is $1,209 per week, or $28.68 per hour. Assuming a 40 hour week, the average income is $59,654 per year.

            Since you seem interested in people who are aged 32-34 for some reason, we’ll just look at the 30-34 age bracket that stats NZ report. That figure is $1,174 per week, or $58,780 using 40 hours per week on the hourly average.

            So your claim that “Most people with reasonable qualifications and a few years in the workforce will be on around $70,000.” is not borne out by the available data.

            Note that this is the average figure, not the median, so the very few outliers at the top end will have a disproportionate impact on the distribution so we can assume that the average reported here is a couple of thousand higher than the (unreported) median, and it *still* doesn’t even reach $60k.

            For comparison, the 40-44 age bracket actually does earn $69,284 on average, assuming a 40 hour week. But that’s easily 20 years after these people have entered the workforce, not “a few years”.

            • dv 9.1.2.2.1.1

              Lanth that is hardly fair. Using real data to refute Waynes hypotheticals

              • Wayne

                Actually the figures cited by Lanthanide are pretty much what I have been using. The average wage quoted is almost exactly the same that I used from the NZ Stats June 14 figure.

                Of course the stats are for all people in full time work, irrespective of qualification.

                I specially referred to people with reasonable qualifications, by which I meant teachers, nurses, police officers and trades, such as electricians etc. So rather than Lanthanide’s figures disproving what I said, they actually confirm what I have been posting.

                Anyway the broader point of my posts is that policy in this area (housing) is not made on the basis of all income earners (the IRD figures Deborah has used), it is made on the basis of people in work, particularly at the age when they will be first home buyers.

                Hence for instance why there is a 5 year qualification in Kiwisaver before you can withdraw the money for a deposit and have it matched with a government grant. Labour had the same approach with Working for Families.

                I am pretty sure if Deborah gets to parliament and is a key policy maker in this area, she will inevitably have to pull back from looking at all income earners, and will have to focus on the circumstances of those people who are most likely to be, or aspire to be first home owners.

                After all Labour has a substantial policy for social housing for those people who may not be able to buy a home, due to their economic circumstances. That is what State Housing is actually intended to achieve – provide decent housing for people unable to buy their own home.

                • Lanthanide

                  So rather than Lanthanide’s figures disproving what I said, they actually confirm what I have been posting.

                  No they don’t, because you don’t actually have the figure for “people with reasonable qualifications”. You’re just guessing numbers and saying they’re correct without any evidence.

                  it is made on the basis of people in work

                  The figures I’ve quoted are for people in full time work. So you are not talking about “people in work”, you are talking about “people with high qualifications who are in full-time work”, which at the very broadest can only refer to 57% of people earning salary or wages, from table 4 in the stats excel sheet.

                  Hence for instance why there is a 5 year qualification in Kiwisaver before you can withdraw the money for a deposit and have it matched with a government grant.

                  Actually the minimum time is 3 years, but I wouldn’t expect you to know that, since you already own your own home. You’re entitled to more money if you keep it in for 5 years.

                  • Wayne

                    Lanthacide,

                    I am not guessing what teachers earn. I checked the published salary scales, which is why my first post had $75,949 for T10. I know that police officers and nurses are on similar levels, though I did not actually check them this time. But it was something I always did when I was involved in policy formation, since they were seen as a highly representative.

                    These groups provide a good representation of income levels for people with good qualifications and 10 years in the workforce. You would expect that since there are tens of thousands of people in these groups, and thus have a big influence in salaries for this category.

                    So it is not just random guessing, it was based on an actual check of current teacher salaries before I posted and my broader knowledge of state sector salaries.

                    • DH

                      Here’s an addition to Deborah’s numbers, Wayne has been complaining they’re not representative of the typical worker so I’ve calculated the actual wage & salary numbers. This data is taken straight from IRDs data on wage & salary earners who pay PAYE. It is only for those who have PAYE deducted so it captures what we could call the typical worker.

                      The source data would include part time workers so I’ve removed all workers earning below $24k. The full time definition is a minimum 30hrs a week and at the minimum wage that starts at about $24k so we can assume everyone in the data is in fulltime work (or equivalent).

                      Income band, Number, Percentage of total

                      $24-$28k 96,210 6.4%
                      $28-$38k 280,720 18.7%
                      $38-$48k 290,350 19.3%
                      $48-$61k 292,950 19.5%
                      $61-$81k 279,670 18.6%
                      $81k+ …. 263,850 17.5%

                      Total number of workers is 1,503,750 which is a close match to the Household Income Survey number of 1,541,600 fulltime workers. There is a margin for error, some high earning part timers will be captured, but I think it’s a pretty accurate representation and one which supports Deborah’s argument.

                    • Lanthanide

                      Wayne, please quote where I said you were guessing what teachers earn.

                      You will in fact, not be able to quote me saying that, because I didn’t say it.

                      What I said was:
                      ou don’t actually have the figure for “people with reasonable qualifications”. You’re just guessing numbers and saying they’re correct without any evidence.

                      Unless your definition of “reasonable qualifications” is literally restricted to teachers, police officers and nurses, which I don’t believe it would be because by restricting yourself in that way you’d be undermining your own broader argument.

                      These groups provide a good representation of income levels for people with good qualifications and 10 years in the workforce.

                      You have no evidence for this.

            • Pat 9.1.2.2.1.2

              Is it possible to break those stats down to ascertain the average income of the following groups….cabinet ministers, barristers and commissioners?…..it may explain a certain disconnect.

          • Stuart Munro 9.1.2.2.2

            Fantasy.

      • dave 9.1.3

        even if you earned 100000 a year an affordable house is 300000 thousand dollars the disconnect between the realty of income and asset prices is a ticking time bomb

  10. The Chairman 10

    “It tells us that based on the hard numbers that IRD collects, about half of all income earners in New Zealand earn less than $28,000 a year.”

    That’s a staggering stat. Which would suggest there would be a good number of votes for a party that advances the living standards of this large group.

    • In Vino 10.1

      The depth of your insight is exceeded only by the shallowness of your sincerity.

      • The Chairman 10.1.1

        The shallowness of sincerity may be an insight into why Labour is largely failing to resonate with this large group.

        • Craig_H 10.1.1.1

          That group includes superannuitants, who are least likely to vote Labour.

        • ropata 10.1.1.2

          Don’t worry, FJK promised to help the underclass. He’s doing a great job
          🙄

          • The Chairman 10.1.1.2.1

            Considering the stat, he’s doing a great job of mustering voter support.

            • ropata 10.1.1.2.1.1

              if you you think disenfranchising record numbers of kiwis and throwing families into poverty is “a great job”

              • The Chairman

                One would assume a Labour Party would naturally appeal to those legitimately earning less than $28k. Therefore, considering the stat and the polling majority Key/National hold, one could argue its been Labour that have failed to connect with this large group. Resulting in disenfranchising record numbers, thus their poor election result.

  11. John 11

    Double income and big debt has always been and will always be a problem. I believe there’s nothing we can do about it. Loans or debts on credit cards are literally killing us.

  12. righty right 12

    see thats the problem there to many poor people there of no economic value to they want housing food medical care jailing
    we need a solution all these people have made poor life choices

  13. UncookedSelachimorpha 13

    Good post and good conclusions!

    The disclaimer:

    “This analysis excludes untaxed income such as capital gains, and it doesn’t adjust for the way business income can be calculated. ”

    Is actually an elephant in the room. IRD-declared income is likely a good indication for the poorer 50%, but not so much for the wealthiest 1% (particularly 0.01%). As mentioned in some of the comments, almost half of those New Zealanders with $50m or more wealth, have no income at all in the top tax bracket.

Recent Comments

Recent Posts

  • At a glance – Does CO2 always correlate with temperature?
    On February 14, 2023 we announced our Rebuttal Update Project. This included an ask for feedback about the added "At a glance" section in the updated basic rebuttal versions. This weekly blog post series highlights this new section of one of the updated basic rebuttal versions and serves as a ...
    3 hours ago
  • Bernard’s six-stack of substacks at 6.06 pm on Tuesday, March 19
    TL;DR: In today’s ‘six-stack’ of substacks at 6.06pm on Tuesday, March 19:Kāinga Ora’s dry rot The Spinoff DailyBill McKibben on ‘Climate Superfunds’ making Big Oil pay for climate damage The Crucial YearsPreston Mui on returning to 1980s-style productivity growth NoahpinionAndy Boenau on NIMBYs needing unusual bedfellows Urbanism SpeakeasyNed Resnikoff's case ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 hours ago
  • Relentlessly negative
    Negative yesterday, negative today. Negative all year, according to one departing reader telling me I’ve grown strident and predictable. Fair enough. If it’s any help, every time I go to write about a certain topic that begins with C and ends with arrrrs, I do brace myself and ask: Again? Are ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    6 hours ago
  • Scoring 4.6 out of 10, the new Government is struggling in the polls
    Bryce Edwards writes –  It’s been a tumultuous time in politics in recent months, as the new National-led Government has driven through its “First 100 Day programme”. During this period there’s been a handful of opinion polls, which overall just show a minimal amount of flux in public support ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 hours ago
  • Promiscuous Empathy: Chris Trotter Replies To His Critics.
    Inspirational: The Family of Man is a glorious hymn to human equality, but, more than that, it is a clarion call to human freedom. Because equality, unleavened by liberty, is a broken piano, an unstrung harp; upon which the songs of fraternity will never be played. “Somebody must have been telling lies about ...
    6 hours ago
  • Don’t run your business like a criminal enterprise
    The Detail this morning highlights the police's asset forfeiture case against convicted business criminal Ron Salter, who stands to have his business confiscated for systemic violations of health and safety law. Business are crying foul - but not for the reason you'd think. Instead of opposing the post-conviction punishment and ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    6 hours ago
  • Misremembering Justinian’s Taxes.
    Tax Lawyer Barbara Edmonds vs Emperor Justinian I - Nolo Contendere: False historical explanations of pivotal events are very far from being inconsequential.WHEN BARBARA EDMONDS made reference to the Roman Empire, my ears pricked up. It is, lamentably, very rare to hear a politician admit to any kind of familiarity ...
    7 hours ago
  • Bryce Edwards: Scoring 4.6 out of 10, the new Government is struggling in the polls
    It’s been a tumultuous time in politics in recent months, as the new National-led Government has driven through its “First 100 Day programme”. During this period there’s been a handful of opinion polls, which overall just show a minimal amount of flux in public support for the various parties in ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    8 hours ago
  • Bishop scores headlines with crackdown on unwelcome tenants – but Peters scores, too, as tub-thump...
    Buzz from the Beehive Housing Minister Chris Bishop delivered news – packed with the ingredients to enflame political passions – worthy of supplanting Winston Peters in headline writers’ priorities. He popped up at the post-Cabinet press conference to promise a crackdown on unruly and antisocial state housing tenants. His ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    9 hours ago
  • Will it make the boat go faster?
    Ele Ludemann writes – The Reserve Bank is advertising for a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion advisor. The Bank has one mandate – to keep inflation between one and three percent. It has failed in that and is only slowly getting inflation back down to the upper limit. Will it ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    12 hours ago
  • Bryce Edwards: Is Simon Bridges’ NZTA appointment a conflict of interest?
    Last week former National Party leader Simon Bridges was appointed by the Government as the new chair of the New Zealand Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA). You can read about the appointment in Thomas Coughlan’s article, Simon Bridges to become chair of NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi The fact that a ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    12 hours ago
  • Is Simon Bridges’ NZTA appointment a conflict of interest?
    Bryce Edwards writes – Last week former National Party leader Simon Bridges was appointed by the Government as the new chair of the New Zealand Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA). You can read about the appointment in Thomas Coughlan’s article, Simon Bridges to become chair of NZ Transport Agency ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    12 hours ago
  • Bernard's Top 10 @ 10 'pick 'n' mix' at 10:10am on Tuesday, March 19
    TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: Gavin Jacobson talks to Thomas Piketty 10 years on from Capital in the 21st Century The SalvoLocal scoop: Green MP’s business being investigated over migrant exploitation claims Stuff Steve KilgallonLocal deep-dive: The commercial contractors making money from School ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    12 hours ago
  • Bernard's six newsy things on Tuesday, March 19
    It’s a home - but Kāinga Ora tenants accused of “abusing the privilege” may lose it. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The Government announced a crackdown on Kāinga Ora tenants who were unruly and/or behind on their rent, with Housing Minister Chris Bishop saying a place in a state ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    14 hours ago
  • New Life for Light Rail
    This is a guest post by Connor Sharp of Surface Light Rail  Light rail in Auckland: A way forward sooner than you think With the coup de grâce of Auckland Light Rail (ALR) earlier this year, and the shift of the government’s priorities to roads, roads, and more roads, it ...
    Greater AucklandBy Guest Post
    15 hours ago
  • Why Are Bosses Nearly All Buffoons?
    Note: As a paid-up Webworm member, I’ve recorded this Webworm as a mini-podcast for you as well. Some of you said you liked this option - so I aim to provide it when I get a chance to record! Read more ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    17 hours ago
  • Bernard’s six-stack of substacks at 6.06 pm on March 18
    TL;DR: In my ‘six-stack’ of substacks at 6.06pm on Monday, March 18:IKEA is accused of planting big forests in New Zealand to green-wash; REDD-MonitorA City for People takes a well-deserved victory lap over Wellington’s pro-YIMBY District Plan votes; A City for PeopleSteven Anastasiou takes a close look at the sticky ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 day ago
  • Peters holds his ground on co-governance, but Willis wriggles on those tax cuts and SNA suspension l...
    Buzz from the Beehive Here’s hoping for a lively post-cabinet press conference when the PM and – perhaps – some of his ministers tell us what was discussed at their meeting today. Until then, Point of Order has precious little Beehive news to report after its latest monitoring of the ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    1 day ago
  • Labour’s final report card
    David Farrar writes –  We now have almost all 2023 data in, which has allowed me to update my annual table of how  went against its promises. This is basically their final report card. The promise The result Build 100,000 affordable homes over 10 ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    1 day ago
  • “Drunk Uncle at a Wedding”
    I’m a bit worried that I’ve started a previous newsletter with the words “just when you think they couldn’t get any worse…” Seems lately that I could begin pretty much every issue with that opening. Such is the nature of our coalition government that they seem to be outdoing each ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    1 day ago
  • Wang Yi’s perfectly-timed, Aukus-themed visit to New Zealand
    Geoffrey Miller writes – 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. ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    1 day ago
  • Gordon Campbell on Dune 2, and images of Islam
    Depictions of Islam in Western popular culture have rarely been positive, even before 9/11. Five years on from the mosque shootings, this is one of the cultural headwinds that the Muslim community has to battle against. Whatever messages of tolerance and inclusion are offered in daylight, much of our culture ...
    2 days ago
  • New Rail Operations Centre Promises Better Train Services
    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
    5 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
    10 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
    12 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
    13 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
    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
    6 days ago
  • Speech to the 68th United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (CSW68)
    Tēnā koutou katoa and greetings to you all.  Chair, I am honoured to address the 68th session of the Commission on the Status of Women. I acknowledge the many crises impacting the rights of women and girls. Heightened global tensions, war, climate related and humanitarian disasters, and price inflation all ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Government backs rural led catchment projects
    The coalition Government is supporting farmers to enhance land management practices by investing $3.3 million in locally led catchment groups, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay announced. “Farmers and growers deliver significant prosperity for New Zealand and it’s vital their ongoing efforts to improve land management practices and water quality are supported,” ...
    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
    1 week ago
  • Minister’s Ramadan message
    Assalaamu alaikum. السَّلَام عليكم In light of the holy month of Ramadan, I want to extend my warmest wishes to our Muslim community in New Zealand. Ramadan is a time for spiritual reflection, renewed devotion, perseverance, generosity, and forgiveness.  It’s a time to strengthen our bonds and appreciate the diversity ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Minister appoints new NZTA Chair
    Former Transport Minister and CEO of the Auckland Business Chamber Hon Simon Bridges has been appointed as the new Board Chair of the New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA) for a three-year term, Transport Minister Simeon Brown announced today. “Simon brings extensive experience and knowledge in transport policy and governance to the role. He will ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Speech to Life Sciences Summit
    Good morning all, it is a pleasure to be here as Minister of Science, Innovation and Technology.  It is fantastic to see how connected and collaborative the life science and biotechnology industry is here in New Zealand. I would like to thank BioTechNZ and NZTech for the invitation to address ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Progress continues apace on water storage
    Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says he is looking forward to the day when three key water projects in Northland are up and running, unlocking the full potential of land in the region. Mr Jones attended a community event at the site of the Otawere reservoir near Kerikeri on Friday. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Government agrees to restore interest deductions
    Associate Finance Minister David Seymour has today announced that the Government has agreed to restore deductibility for mortgage interest on residential investment properties. “Help is on the way for landlords and renters alike. The Government’s restoration of interest deductibility will ease pressure on rents and simplify the tax code,” says ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Minister to attend World Anti-Doping Agency Symposium
    Sport and Recreation Minister Chris Bishop will travel to Switzerland today to attend an Executive Committee meeting and Symposium of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA). Mr Bishop will then travel on to London where he will attend a series of meetings in his capacity as Infrastructure Minister. “New Zealanders believe ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

Page generated in The Standard by Wordpress at 2024-03-19T09:31:04+00:00