Make the TPP a Conscience Vote

Written By: - Date published: 6:29 pm, May 15th, 2016 - 84 comments
Categories: capitalism, colonialism, Economy, Environment, exports, Financial markets, International, overseas investment, Privatisation, sustainability, workers' rights - Tags: , , ,

Bryan Bruce, the award winning documentary maker, noted today on his Face Book page that Andrew Little had given permission to Phil Goff to cross the floor and vote with the Key government last week in support of the TPP.

Bruce asks a simple question: now that Little has accepted that voting on the TPP is a matter of conscience, will he advocate for that point in Parliament to give all MPs, including both National and Labour ones, that freedom.

what Little’s decision over Goff indicates that he has agreed that voting for or against the TPPA is a matter of principle – a matter of conscience.

Well, here’s two matters of principle I think that ALL MP’s should be given the freedom to decide upon.

The first is whether to vote for a treaty agreement which will allow overseas investors to sue our government in overseas tribunals which are not courts and have no process of appeal.

The second is whether to vote for an agreement that will deny many New Zealanders early access to new medicines and thereby cause extended suffering and unnecessary deaths.

(Depending on who you believe, patent protections will be extended 5, 6 or 8 years before cheaper generics and biosimilars can be sold and purchased.)

In my view if it is fine for Phil Goff to cross the floor on the TPPA it should be fine for all MP’s to do so from all parties.

In short, there is a strong argument to make voting for or against the TPPA a conscience vote.

But which of our MPs would be willing to promote such an argument in the House?
… oh…wait…How about it Andrew?
Is the TPPA a conscience issue or not?

84 comments on “Make the TPP a Conscience Vote ”

  1. One Anonymous Bloke 1

    What “vote”? Parliament doesn’t get one – at least not one that counts for anything. Have you been listening to the lying Prime Minister?

    I note your well-rehearsed personal bile against the Labour Party makes you a poor advocate when it comes to expecting anything from them.

    We need better splitters.

    • Colonial Viper 1.1

      Hi OAB, you’re now banned from this post, thanks. Comments on this post which is about Bryan Bruce’s idea about making the TPP a conscience issue for MPs, remain welcome.

      • Johan 1.1.1

        Wow;-)))

      • Chooky 1.1.2

        have to agree CV…AOB often hits below the belt and does not address the topic but rather tries to put down the person with a personal attack …and this was totally unwarranted by him

        …”well-rehearsed personal bile” actually applies to his own modus operandi

        • Words 1.1.2.1

          I think that it also applies to a number of people , and wasn’t it a valid point that there is no parliamentary vote, and that John Key lied?

      • Enough is Enough 1.1.3

        Thanks for that ban CV – I couldn’t stand reading another one of OAB’s trolling rants.

  2. Joy FL 2

    Yeah, regardless of what the politicised polarising party in government has been doing, the democratic Labour Party should empower its caucus to exercise conscience votes. The bill is already going to be passed by the government with the support of an de-whipped Labour MP vote (thanks to Phil Goff’s), so why not release the other Labour caucus MPs to exercise each of their votes according to their good conscience!

    • Draco T Bastard 2.1

      After thinking about this, I agree. Then the Labour Party members can get rid of the deadwood (those who voted for the TPP) for the next election.

      • Chooky 2.1.1

        +100 DTB….however seems to be a bit of a cop out by a weak leadership ( David Cunliffe would have stood strong on being anti TPP)

        …the NZ Labour Party itself should be capable of taking a principled stand on the TPP

        …the USA corporate designed , self-serving TPP which is clearly NOT in the interests of New Zealand environmentally, democratically, NZ sovereignty, NZ long term economically or for NZ creatively and enterprise …MUST be OPPOSED by any principled political party

        …this is why I won’t be voting Labour…but will vote NZF and /or Green

        • Words 2.1.1.1

          David Cunliffe, although tried to make a stand against the TPPA, didn’t have control caucus, so couldn’t make a strong stance at all. Andrew Little publicly opposes the TPPA with a united caucus, even Shearer, who, in my opinion, should be in the National Party, is now toeing party lines. That shows a strong leadership on Little’s part, and giving Goff, who is going anyway, leave from party line, is more to do with Goff’s bid for the mayoralty than anything else.

  3. Joy FL 3

    Oops. Typo. Can’t edit

    • BM 3.1

      That’s a shame, your comment is now null and void.

      Better luck next time.

      • Joy FL 3.1.1

        Okieeees, for clarication and correction of typo as well as confirmation, here’s my comment again: Yeah, regardless of what the politicised polarising party in government has been doing, the democratic Labour Party should empower its caucus to exercise conscience votes. The bill is already going to be passed by the government with the support of a ‘de-whipped’ or ‘un-whipped’ (or whatever-the-term-might-be) Labour MP (thanks to Phil Goff), so why not release the other Labour caucus MPs to exercise each of their votes according to their good conscience as to how they reflect and consult with the electorate or people they represent!

        • Colonial Viper 3.1.1.1

          Releasing Labour MPs to a conscience vote would give us a clear indication of who still harbours neoliberal leanings in that caucus.

          • Chooky 3.1.1.1.1

            agreed…probably most of them…however NZers could vote accordingly for the Labour MPs who sell out to USA corporate interests and against New Zeasland’s interests

            • Words 3.1.1.1.1.1

              “” MPs who sell out to USA corporate interests and against New Zeasland’s interests””

              Isn’t that what John Key and his National government have done already?

          • billmurray 3.1.1.1.2

            Yes CV it expose’s the neo-libs but most importantly a free vote would get Little and Labour a chance to get off their present idiotic policy “we are against TPPA but if we get government benches ,we will stay in the TPPA”.
            A nation wide MMP electorate will not tolerate that sort of nonsense and Little and Labour need to ditch that statement as National will hang them for it in 2017.
            Yes a free vote would solve a few problems, a very good idea.

            • Words 3.1.1.1.2.1

              Would it really solve all the problems though? Key would never allow a conscious vote. How would you get out of the TPPA unscathed? What John Key has signed this country up to makes it hard for any future government, it is not just a matter of walking away, and I haven’t heard of any other opposition party saying they will leave it. The hope lies with one or more of the 6 countries, where ratification is crucial for the TPPA’s survival, to bin it. NZ doesn’t belong to that group of 6 countries that hold that power, but NZ is a cooked goose anyway if John Key gets his way with legislative changes. Even if the TPPA fails, foreign corporations etc will still be able to exploit NZ and its resources because John Key would have already changed our laws for them. Why do you think Key, who has the numbers, is so desperate to ram through these legislative changes?

  4. BM 4

    Andrew Little had given permission to Phil Goff to cross the floor and vote with the Key government last week in support of the TPP.
    Bruce asks a simple question: now that Little has accepted that voting on the TPP is a matter of conscience, will he advocate for that point in Parliament to give all MPs, including both National and Labour ones, that freedom.

    So why did Shearer vote against the TPP?, he’s on record for being all for it.

    Only reason I can think of that he voted no is because Little threatened him.

    • Colonial Viper 4.1

      I had thought that Shearer would stick to his guns and remain pro-TPP, so I have no idea on this.

      • BM 4.1.1

        Sorry modified my original comment.

        Little has no control over Goff, Goff has checked out, he’s in mayoral mode.

        Shearer still needs the MP salary, which is why he voted no.

        • Colonial Viper 4.1.1.1

          Well, that’s so very cynical of you BM 😛

        • b waghorn 4.1.1.2

          While we’re being cynical , is it likely Little released Goff to vote for the tpo so he could gaurentee it would pass while he gets to look tuff on the Shearer type in their ranks and anti tpp.

          • Joy FL 4.1.1.2.1

            Teehee!
            Little looked tough by selective release and whipping?
            Why not be consistent, fair and authentic by enabling the other 31 MPs vote according to their democratic and representative capacities

          • BM 4.1.1.2.2

            More to do with keeping on side with Goff.

            Mayor of Auckland has a lot of power, you want to have the mayor on your side.

            • Colonial Viper 4.1.1.2.2.1

              Also remember that Little needs a winnable seat before 2017.

              He’s running out of time to find one.

              He can’t go into 2017 standing and losing in New Plymouth again. Last time he lost by 10,000 votes.

              • Joy FL

                Anyone knows if Goff offered his safe seat to AL? If not, why not?
                If it can’t be done, why?
                If it couldn’t happen, why not?
                Anyone? (Not necessarily you, CV)

                • Colonial Viper

                  Michael Wood is getting Goff’s seat.

                  • billmurray

                    Yes CV, Michael Wood will stand in Goff’s seat, unless he is challenged and loses the nomination, but he is not liked as much as what he would have you believe. There is now a large migrant population in the Mount Roskill, many of those folk will be looking for something that gets the area away from Labour.
                    National will put in a strong candidate and spend money to defeat Labour.
                    I believe if Andrew Little carpet-bagged the nomination then he would get defeated. I also believe that he knows that and will not put up his hand.
                    Jacinda might!!!.

                    • Words

                      Colonial Viper is right, Goff’s seat is Michael Wood’s. Aren’t you getting ahead of yourself? How do you know he is not liked? I don’t think he will have trouble gaining votes from the immigrant population, they certainly kept Goff in his seat.

                    • Words

                      How do you know there are “” so much tension in the Labour party about list placing’s”” BillMurray?

                      Sorry, posted in wrong spot. Question is for comment below.

                • Anne

                  Annette King is standing as a list MP only next time- or so I believe. That would free up the seat of Rongotai for Little.

                  • Colonial Viper

                    King won’t give up her safe seat if Labour continues to poll in the 20s because of the heightened job insecurity involved with being list only.

                    • billmurray

                      CV if King ( as deputy leader ) was assured No2 spot on the list then she would concede the seat to Little but there is so much tension in the Labour party about list placing’s that such assurance is improbable.
                      There is urgency in getting these problems resolved though I cannot see much happening before Labours Centenary conference in late November.
                      I know that some MPs say that Little is number 1 on the list so let him stand again in New Plymouth and with his status as Party leader he would have a good chance of winning.
                      I have strong doubts that.

                    • Colonial Viper

                      Little ain’t overcoming a 10,000 vote National majority.

          • Bb8 4.1.1.2.3

            It would have passed anyway. Goff’s vote is immaterial and he’s on his way out. That’s why he was given a free pass.

        • Johan 4.1.1.3

          Why does a person who has difficulties putting two words together get so much oxygen;-)))??? I have voted and supported Labour all my working life, and would enjoy seeing a cleaning-out of Labour MP’s, who in particular do not hold true Labour Party values.

        • Richard McGrath 4.1.1.4

          Perhaps Shearer’s in the wrong party?

    • Words 4.2

      Shearer is stupid BM, and belongs in the National Party. He thought he could do what he did to David Cunliffe, but found himself standing alone with zero support.

    • Words 4.3

      BM, Shearer is stupid, and belongs in the National Party. He tried to do what he did to David Cunliffe, but found himself standing alone with zero support.

  5. Draco T Bastard 5

    The MPs shouldn’t be voting on their conscience at all ever. They need to be voting the way that the people they represent choose.

    That means that electorate MPs need to go to their electorate and ask via referendum. List MPs are a little more difficult but essentially need to vote how their parties decide to vote after asking their members.

    • Colonial Viper 5.1

      I take your point, DTB. MPs are supposed to represent us, not themselves.

      NZF has a history of wanting to take issues to the people via referenda but I reckon that Labour does not.

    • Hanswurst 5.2

      What would be the point in that? If you want direct democracy, put the actual issue to referendum. The idea of representative democracy is that you elect someone to examine the issues on your behalf full-time and trust them to consult as far as appropriate. I can see value in increased direct and participatory democracy, but I can’t see the value of having our representatives act as agents for direct democracy. It just seems superfluous.

      • Draco T Bastard 5.2.1

        I figure that we need people to write up the laws and to do the day to day managing of the state. This is the role of the MPs. But the actual deciding of policy should be left to the people.

        Of course a full national referendum on policy would be preferential to electorate referenda but I’m looking for a way to get there from here without crashing the entire political system. This would be such a step.

  6. GregJ 6

    Not a conscience issue but indicative of Labour’s wishy-washy, half-arsed, do we support it or not, dollar-both-way policy on TPP.

    Labour set 5(?) criteria for supporting the deal and it didn’t meet those so they should have shown some gumption, enforced discipline and required all MPs to vote against it stating clearly the deal is a poor one for the country. Goff is a member of the party – he doesn’t get a pass just because he started the negotiations off in the distant past (I’m sure the right is looking forward to his forthcoming mayoralty).

    Spineless, rudderless & incompetent politics by Labour – giving up a golden opportunity to hold the Government’s feet to the fire over something that many people dislike, are deeply suspicious off and/or are outright opposed to.

  7. Chuck 7

    Should a conscience vote apply to both a list MP and electorate MP?

    A list MP owes his/her position to the “party”…

    • Colonial Viper 7.1

      And that loyalty to the party’s hierarchy ahead of to ordinary voters (or even to ordinary party members) – is a major undemocratic problem.

      • cricklewood 7.1.1

        I would be in favour of having a ‘list’ selected automatically using a first loser type scenario.

        I haven’t quite figured out the nuts and bolts of it but it would work along the lines of the candidate that is the least number of percentage points below the winning candidate in their electorate takes the first available ‘list’ position allocated to that party due as per their party vote.

        This would require all MPs to at least stand for a seat and thus able to be held accountable for their vote by the constituents without upsetting the proportionality of parliament.

        • Cricklewood 7.1.1.1

          To add, I would exclude list position number one which would be held by the party leader.

          Also as a bonus it would also go someway towards removing the Epsom and Ohariu gerrymander. Be very hard to stand a patsy candidate without the ability to offer a safe list position in exchange.

          • Rae 7.1.1.1.1

            You’d remove that possibility by removing the coat tailing rule, one of the things the commission recommended after the “conversation” we have about MMP that the govt ignored, as it did not suit their agenda.
            I for one, will not forget that, ever

    • Rae 7.2

      That is actually a very good point, but having said that, if the issue at hand is one that is subject to a conscience vote, then the party does not have a particular view

  8. Tautoko Mangō Mata 8

    A conscience vote requires an MP to have a conscience, There are some MP’s who shouldn’t qualify for such a vote.

  9. Gabby 9

    If Labour intends to campaign on the basis of not giving a shit about TPPA, a conscience vote would be fine. Can’t imagine why Natianal would conform.

  10. Pat 10

    may not be a silly idea…assuming National agreed, which I don’t think they would.

    Any likely candidates from government side that may not support?

    • b waghorn 10.1

      Given that in 8 years not a single nat has ever rocked the boat over the many dodgy things that have gone on ,or stood up for the abuse of a young lady by the pm and the cover up of an attempted rape by a diplomat I doubt there would be a single one with the spine to go against keys wishes.

    • Joy FL 10.2

      Nats don’t have to give permission to Lab Party caucus to whip or not whip Lab Party’s own MPs

      • Pat 10.2.1

        no point , in my opinion for Labour to create a very public division in the party(I’m assuming there is a reasonable remnant of neolibs within) to no purpose….National have the numbers, esp. given Goff’s get out of jail free card …..but if National are confident its in the “best interests of the country” it would be interesting to see if any were prepared to vote against if given the freedom.

        Either way its going to pass.

        • Hanswurst 10.2.1.1

          I don’t see what good it is to have neolib MPs just sitting there pretending to represent the working class. We deserve to know exactly who they are and what they stand for. If that means a rift in the Labour Party, or its rapid spiral towards irrelevancy, then that’s the way the biscuit breaks.

          • Pat 10.2.1.1.1

            and i don’t see any purpose to shooting oneself in the foot….

            but lets explore your reason….who are the “working class”,in your opinion that Labour represent?

            • Hanswurst 10.2.1.1.1.1

              I didn’t say that they represent them.

              • Pat

                ‘I don’t see what good it is to have neolib MPs just sitting there pretending to represent the working class.”

                Ok , I can see there could be a semantic argument there….so you DON’T believe Labour’s role is to represent the working class?

                • Hanswurst

                  Eh? No, I’m proceeding from your idea that it is a good thing to have a bunch of neolibs pretending not to be neolibs, in order that they can be seen as a credible bunch to replace the other neolibs currently warming the government benches. I’m wondering what gains the working class are supposed to make from such a swap.

                  • Pat

                    back to the working class…..who are the working class that you think Labour should be representing?

                    • Hanswurst

                      Short answer would be people whose only work or work prospects are restricted to a small hourly wage, and who do not have other means (except benefits) of supplementing that income. A longer answer would be complex and take time. Firstly, however, this post is about the lines along which parliament should vote on the TPPA enabliing legislation. Secondly, your suggestion was that there were reasonable numbers of neolib MPs in Labour who would vote for it, but that this should be kept under wraps. My question concerned what purpose it would serve for neolibs to conceal their agenda while purporting to serve the working class (“Labour” = “work”; the clue’s in the name. What I “think” is irrelevant).

                      Now that I’ve provided an answer to your irrelevant counter-question, would you please answer my relevant question?

                    • Colonial Viper

                      The “working class” is anyone whose life would be totally fucked up if they lost their job and couldn’t get another one for 5 or 6 months.

                      Anyone who can go 5 or 6 months without their job, and not have to worry about changing their lifestyle or their outgoings in the least, is middle class*.

                      *Eg. freehold home and $200K in term deposits

                    • Pat

                      “Almost half of working New Zealanders would only last a month on their savings if they lost their job, a new survey shows.

                      More than a quarter say they will need to use their credit cards to pay bills in the coming quarter.

                      People in the 18 to 34 age bracket were particularly vulnerable, according to Dun and Bradstreet’s survey of consumer credit expectations released yesterday, with 55 per cent only able to survive for four weeks if they weren’t working.

                      This compares to 46 per cent for Kiwis aged 35 to 49 and 32 per cent of those aged 50 and over.”
                      http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10584518

                      “The working class (also labouring class and proletariat) is the people employed for wages, especially in manual-labour occupations and in skilled, industrial work. Working-class occupations include blue-collar jobs, some white-collar jobs, and most service-work jobs” ……wiki

                  • Pat

                    my suggestion was it should not cause an unnecessary public split….that there are neolibs within labour is hardly a secret.

                    The reason for my irrelevant question was to ascertain who you think Labour should represent…and you provided the anticipated answer.

                    Ask yourself this, how many wage workers are there in NZ? and how many of those are homeowners?and how many own investment property?

                    Labour cannot be a party solely for the “working class” and expect to achieve the level of support much greater than it currently attracts.
                    It needs to develop an alternative to the current neolib model and sell it as a better option for the great majority of Kiwis.
                    It is impossible to tinker at the edges of neoliberalism, as they currently propose and do any more than slow the inherent structural inequality gap and resulting societal collapse……and they need to do this with CC in the forefront of mind.
                    Outing a few neolibs within caucus will do nothing to achieve this and potentially hand the treasury benches again to a bunch of true believers who think/care not of the destination.

                    • Hanswurst

                      The reason for my irrelevant question was to ascertain who you think Labour should represent…and you provided the anticipated answer.

                      Mate, I have not said anything about whom I think Labour should represent, and that’s not relevant here. By calling themselves “Labour”, they are purporting to represent the working class, and riding on the historical baggage that that brings. I think they should be honest about what they do support, and have the electorate vote on that. Harbouring a neolib agenda while paying lip-service to other aims in opposition doesn’t help the Left at all. It just means we get a right-wing government called “Labour” once the electorate tires of National.

                    • Pat

                      “Mate, I have not said anything about whom I think Labour should represent, and that’s not relevant here. By calling themselves “Labour”, they are purporting to represent the working class,”

                      guess I misunderstood your previous series of posts then.

  11. Incognito 11

    Award-winning or not, it seems to me that Bryan Bruce has made an assumption and jumped to conclusions.

    The way I see it is that Goff got given special dispensation because of his career-long investment in free trade and his involvement in doing the groundwork for the TPPA. I don’t see it as a single-issue based on conscience alone.

    • Colonial Viper 11.1

      If that is so you must believe that the TPP is primarily:

      1) About free trade and not about entrenching corporate power over sovereign states, and
      2) That today’s TPP largely represents what Labour originally envisioned in the groundwork that Goff did for it.

      However, if the TPP is none of these things, then the rationale you set forward for Goff’s “special dispensation” is null and void.

      • Incognito 11.1.1

        Crikey dick! Your advanced logical reasoning is lost on me; I could try and pick a few holes in it but let me just say that it was my honest attempt to interpret Andrew Little’s rationale for his decision to allow Goff to cross the floor in this instance. Please direct your misgivings to AL.

        • Colonial Viper 11.1.1.1

          but let me just say that it was my honest attempt to interpret Andrew Little’s rationale for his decision

          And you accuse Bryan Bruce of jumping to unsupported interpretations.

  12. Tory 12

    The only beneficiary of a conscience vote would be Little, he has a caucus in which approx only 4 MP’s voted for him and it’s clear he is on borrowed time, a conscience vote gets him out of a hole in which he has rebellious MP”s. Goff crossing the floor is a victory for National and another nail in Littles coffin, Little needs to “get some guts” and move on allowing new talent such as Nash to be prompted.

    • left for dead 12.1

      You wont some guts Tory, well son where do you live, I’ll drop off a ton or two for you, where abouts, on the lawn, directly on the the ex’s car or is to be charity an in your neighbours garden.
      Abattoir Blues

      Nash has only the pimple on his grandfathers arse too compare himself with.

  13. Janet 13

    Despite the unpopularity and serious misgivings about the TPPA, Labour and Goff enabled the reading to go through. If ever there was a reason to stop voting Labour this is it.
    I will not only not vote for Goff in the Ak mayoral election, I will actively vote against him. On his past record, starting with his Housing Portfolio in the 80’s he has been a right winger de luxe. I wouldn’t trust him with the assets.

  14. Xanthe 14

    goff turned his back on his conscience a long time ago

  15. Smilin 15

    So now its ok to sellout your party as well as the nation to a debt building economic ideology run by idiots and warmongers and multinational corporations turning our country into a shit hole

    Is that the bullshit we worked all our lives for
    150 BILLION DOLLARS IN DEBT

  16. johnm 16

    The facts are clear the TPPA is an unconscionable Corporate take over against democracy.

    Kill TTIP Now

    Paul Craig Roberts

    In his May 9, 2016, speech to European medical professionals, Michael Hudson points out that the result of TTIP for Europe will be the privatization of health care systems with the associated much higher costs.

    Hudson’s accurate description of TTIP shows that politically powerful corporations have gained the power in Western “democracies” to sacrifice the welfare of all populations to corporate greed for profit regardless of the cost to peoples, countries, and societies.

    The evil of American “democratic capitalism” is total and irredeemable. TTIP gives corporations unaccountable power over governments and peoples. The corporations must be slapped down hard, fiercely regulated, and forced by threat of long prison sentences to serve the public interest, and not the incomes of the executives and shareholders who comprise the One Percent.

    Here is Hudson’s analysis:

    http://www.counterpunch.org/2016/05/11/the-dangers-of-free-trade-agreements-ttips-threat-to-europes-elderly/

    What goes for the transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership goes 100% for the TPPA.

    ” shareholders have the right to sue the directors of a public company if they believe the directors are not acting in their interests to maximize profits. ”
    In this instance the shareholders are the Corporations! Our so called democratic leaders are the directors who can be sued if profit is not maximised! But it is the public who pay up when these secret corporation courts rule against New Zealand!! This is just f*cking crazy! It’s madness, it’s a sell out!

  17. Tautoko Mangō Mata 17

    My wishful thinking: Phil Goff, having voted for the first reading of the TPP, will, look at the clauses, (and the fact the the US corporations are trying to strong-arm NZ to accept “fixes” -see https://wtonewsstand.com/topic/trans-pacific-partnership) and will
    have an epiphany and vote AGAINST the TPP omnibus bill.

  18. Penny Bright 18

    It appears that I am the only 2016 Auckland Mayoral candidate who has consistently and persistently actively opposed the signing and ratification of the TPPA.

    Time for an Auckland ‘Peoples’ Mayor’ who will defend the interests of the public 99% against the corrupt corporate 1%, locally, nationally and internationally?

    I think so.

    Penny Bright.
    Proven anti- corruption / anti-privatisation ‘Public Watchdog’.

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    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    6 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
    7 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
    10 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
    10 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
    10 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
    11 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
    12 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
    13 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
    15 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 ...
    1 day 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
    2 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
    4 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
    4 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 ...
    5 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
    5 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
    5 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
    4 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
    8 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
    10 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
    11 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
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