NRT: National hates transparency

Written By: - Date published: 7:54 am, February 12th, 2014 - 56 comments
Categories: accountability, International, labour, national, Parliament, Politics, you couldn't make this shit up - Tags: , , ,

no-right-turn-256Yesterday No Right Turn put up this observation.

Today Labour tried to put forward a Parliamentary motion calling on the government to release the draft text of the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement before signing it, on the simple democratic grounds that the public deserved to know what agreements were being made in our name.

National refused to.

The upshot: National hates transparency. It also hates democracy. Rather than negotiating openly and transparently with a clear and ongoing mandate from the public about what it is allowed to give away, it wants to do so in secret, so as to present us with a fait accompli, in the manner of a king.

Fuck that. A deal made in secret, on which we have no input, let alone opportunity to consent, is simply not legitimate. Its time we tore down this entire rotten way of doing foreign policy, and replaced it with a democratic one: open, transparent, and with ratification by the people, not Parliament. If the government can’t convince us to endorse the deals its been making, then it has no business making them. It’s that simple.

lprent: Contrary to myth, the current treaty system has the cabinet being the only political body that may make any effective decision on treaties.

Parliament gets 15 sitting days to *look* at the public parts of a treaty and the analysis in select committee. They make *recommendations* that cabinet may ignore and usually does. Cabinet may then start presenting whatever legislative changes are required to parliament.

Frequently no substantive legislative changes are required as much of the business of government may be done by regulation by the executive council or ministers. Or any changes required are so minor that their passage does not substantially affect the treaty implementation. Often some of those legislative changes will only need to be done when specific parts of a treaty have to take effect years later. In particular many trade treaties are staged over years.

In other words, there is usually no effective public input on any treaty regardless how abhorrent it is. Currently cabinet and only cabinet makes the decision often binding subsequent cabinets especially where international legal procedures are involved. This is what Idiot Savant is referring to.

56 comments on “NRT: National hates transparency ”

  1. Max and Stacy and their interview of Linda Kaucher from Stop TTIP about the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP)

    The TTIP is the European variant of the TTP and if you think that National as a party has anything to say about this Global corporate banker takeover you have not grasped the seriousness of our situation.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5T9vgoICvyc

    But hey nobody conspires here. No Sir our governments would never do that!

  2. ianmac 2

    I have watched some of the Paul Henry show to see if it was worth the bother. Last night he had a curious interview with Dean Barker over the failure of the NZ challenge in the Americas Cup. Dean was amazingly cautious and circumspect but it seems that Grant Dalton may have been a problem especially on the agreement for the lay day. This has relevance considering the question of future taxpayers money being involved in future challenges. There is to be more on this tonight. ( Otherwise I had decided to flag the program.)

  3. Wayne 3

    Clearly the public does not get a say, in the sense indicated here, to participate in the outcome of the negotiation or to change the agreed text. It will have been negotiated by ten countries, and they have agreed on the process of disclosure. New Zealand will not break that deal. And once the text is finalised, there will be no changes. No one country will be allowed by the others to unravel it.

    I suppose one can argue that with the text released before signing, the public could say “no” to New Zealand signing it, but how would this be done. The usual people opposed will be against no matter what. There won’t be a referendum on it. And clearly a National govt is not going to listen to a campaign organised by Jane Kelsey, Simon Terry, Helen Kelly et al..

    So the reality is that if the TPP is negotiated before the election, the govt will sign it. And I am sure everyone who follows this issue actually knows that already.

    The Left, especially the Greens and Mana, though perhaps not Labour, will oppose TPP and use the issue in the election campaign. The Nats will presumably stress the opportunity for New Zealand.

    Nothing new in any of that. The parameters of that political/economic debate are well known, and cross just about every debate about the future direction of New Zealand.

    • Tracey 3.1

      Hand on heart Wayne, do you really think with all the NSA and other stuff each government’s position is still a secret that needs protecting by confidentiality? If confidentiality was so crucial why open up the process to the nearly 400 corporate advisors int eh US, who then have boards they report to, confidentially?

      When Mr Key campaigned on transparency back in 2008 Wayne, what did you think he meant by that? I point to the Govt record on OIAs as one example of where transparency desires could be measured.

      You speak of the opportunity? Imagine the TPP is signed next month. How many years until you expect to see the minimum wage rise significantly as a result? For the median income to rise and the gap between the rich and poor to shorten? Cos that’s what an “opportunity” would look like to me.

      There are five or six questions in all. I await your reply.

      The usual people will support it no matter what. There won’t be a referendum on it. And clearly a National govt is going to listen to private lobbying by J P Morgan, Oil interest et al..

      I know of at least one lawyer who thinks it’s a great idea and recommends it despite never having read it and never having seen anything other than leaks which arent the final agreement.

      • Wayne 3.1.1

        Tim Groser has just released an important speech on TPP, which I guess soon will be on Scoop. Anyway he spends a lot of the speech on the econometrics of free trade. He has specific reference to China. I recall when the Select Committee got the briefing from MFAT in 2008, that their numbers would prove to be a huge underestimate.

        Tracey I know you have all sorts of specific questions. In dealing with I refer to the China FTA. The NZ economic recovery has been substantially dependent on the FTA. Median incomes have risen, the minimum wage goes up, unemployment is reducing. All this is all a direct result of growth, much of which is connected to the China FTA. I expect that TPP will have similar effects, because both the US and Japanese markets will open up. In aggregate these two economies are twice as large as China. Also NZ will make big inroads into the Canadian market.

        But I guess you won’t change your mind on TPP, just as Jane never changed her mind on China. Well, perhaps she has, but has not said so publicly.

        By the way that is what I mean by Jane being more flexible. If she was able to say, “Well I understand why you might want TPP, but you need to look at this issue, and deal with it like this.” It is not the same as endorsing TPP, but it enables participation with officials in dealing with thorny problems. Or maybe she already does this quietly.

        • framu 3.1.1.1

          or maybe your lot are to busy trying to discredit her to notice?

          Shes not making some sort of “to the barricades” noise is she – just like the asset sales issue, any kind of argument against, no matter how reasoned or researched, is dismissed, mocked and vilified by people like you and john key. Then once youve done that you start in on their character. (you do it yourself on this thread in that lurvly subtle, “im being quite nasty, but using polite language” so fond of many RWngers who comment here)

          It must be easy to then go, when “shes anti free trade” when you cant even be assed admitting theres a point to discuss

          why the hell should jane kelsey be more flexible when people like you are rigid as a frozen power pole?

          • Wayne 3.1.1.1.1

            Being ‘rigid as a frozen power pole’ does mean I support TPP. And I am hardly likely to flip on that.

            But obviously there are difficult negotiating issues, which Jane has got a lot of expertise on. But if the role is from the “barricades”, it is hard to get listened to, or perhaps more accurately, advise the MFAT team.

            I think Jane is seen as being “on the barricades”. She is a key contributor to the key website opposing TPP.

            In any event read Tim Groser’s speech on participating. For an alternative approach look at Phil Goff. He has hard questions on TPP, but he also acts in manner that he ensures that he gets briefings from the MFAT officials on progress. Mind you he was the Minister for the China FTA so he is really an insider on all of this.

            • framu 3.1.1.1.1.1

              “I think Jane is seen as being “on the barricades””

              no – your lot go out of your way to paint her that way – thatws my point. It doesnt matter hoe moderate someone is – if it goes against the nat agenda – they are a loony

          • Tracey 3.1.1.1.2

            Anyone who disagrees with nact, to them, is by definition an activist or a loon. How else could they justify much of their actions.

        • Tracey 3.1.1.2

          You get that an fta is not what tpp is?

          I can understand you not answering because the answer is that you have no idea. I woudnt expect groser to paint anything but a rosie picture.

          I can’t change my mind because no one will provide evidence, including you. Just ideological hopes and dreams dressed up…. like a pig with lipstick.

          • Wayne 3.1.1.2.1

            The China FTA is also more than an agreement on trade in goods. And I reckon it is good evidence of the value of such deals. But if you don’t see that…

            • tracey 3.1.1.2.1.1

              could you point to how it has increased the minimum wage and closed the income gap between rich and poor in NZ? But if you don’t see the importance of that…

        • hoom 3.1.1.3

          ” If she was able to say, “Well I understand why you might want TPP, but you need to look at this issue, and deal with it like this.””

          People **CAN’T** say ‘we understand why you might want TPP’ because we don’t know what it is!!!
          That is the whole point.

    • bad12 3.2

      Wayne, i hate to nit-pick, but, didn’t you ‘toss the toys’ the other day stating you are not going to be commenting here again, specially in an election year???,

      Having made the comment i mention do you not see that prior comment as some sort of ‘drama queen’ hissy fit, in effect a demand from you that the debate should be conducted in terms and language that you decide is appropriate…

      Ps, this is not an attempt to derail this Post, and if the Doktor deigns to answer my query perhaps Mods can move this to “Open Mike’…

      • Tracey 3.2.1

        In fairness to Wayne, it isn’t really anew comment, more a copy and paste of what he has said on TPP as his mantra. I suspect he meant not answering anyone else. He certainly stopped answering any of my questions some weeks ago.

      • veutoviper 3.2.2

        In the intersts of fairness and transparency, bad12, Dr Mapp did include a possible exception in respect of the TPP in his last comment about not commenting here in an election year.

        http://thestandard.org.nz/keys-transparent-gerrymander/#comment-771171

        • bad12 3.2.2.1

          vv, Good point and i stand corrected, my apologies to the Doktor for what has turned out to be a somewhat unwarranted criticism with my comment at (3.2),

          Having said that tho i did find Wayne’s comment you kindly provided a link to, to be somewhat in the vein of ”i am not debating the issues with you unless the debate is in words and of a form that i agree with”,

          However, the apology is still warranted…

        • Tracey 3.2.2.2

          He’s been flipping past my questions to answer others around them for weeks. I don’t mind repeating them each time he makes one of his posts.

          • veutoviper 3.2.2.2.1

            I’ve noticed that Dr Mapp doesn’t really answer anyone’s questions or respond to comments per se. Just tends to come back on lesser issues such as his response at 3.2.4 below. Note the word ‘contribute’ – not ‘respond’.

            I have no expectations that he will ‘respond’ to my comment at 3.4 re politicians from 7 of the 12 TPPA countries calling for transparency; or my comment at 3.4.2 re the transparency and input sought by the US Congress in the US Senate Committee on Finance fast track bipartisan Bill introduced on TPP.

            However, I am with fender at 3.2.3 as Dr Mapp’s ‘contributions’ give an insight into National’s thinking.

            • Tracey 3.2.2.2.1.1

              Hes very selective indeed. Fair to assume the questions he breezes past he has no answer to.

              Basically, tim groser says and jane is fringe sums up his answers to date.

      • fender 3.2.3

        I for one would like to see Wayne continue his propaganda on behalf of National. He has more to offer than the BM’s of this world, if only to indicate how the right-wing intend to water-down the appearance of their far-right shenanigans.

      • Wayne 3.2.4

        I said that I would contribute on TPP, but I have concluded that on broader electoral issues I would not. For me the tone of the debate does matter.

        On TPP, perhaps because it is not a central electoral issue, the debate is generally civil, even if strongly expressed. International trade policy and law is a specific area of interest to me, having taught the subject at university and actively participated in trade issues in Parliament.

        • bad12 3.2.4.1

          Wayne, i won’t drag the Post any further off topic with a discussion about your overly prissy sensitivities,(unless you care to discuss the issue in ‘Open Mike’),

          You have an apology for my first comment to you at (3.2.2.1), other than that you should have read the ‘about’ link at the top of the page where it is obvious that discussion here is of a robust no holds barred nature only tempered by the intrusion of the moderator(s)…

        • Tracey 3.2.4.2

          On that basis you would have been mute in parliament.

    • veutoviper 3.4

      Well Dr Mapp, it seems that it is not only the NZ opposition parties and a lot of the NZ general public that wants to know what is being negotiated in the TPP.

      Apparently politicians from 7 of the 12 countries negotiating the TPP also want to see the text.

      http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/political/235882/politicians-from-7-countries-demand-tpp-text

      As the RNZ report is short, here is the full text – in the interests of transparency of course.

      Pressure is mounting on the Government to disclose the details of talks for a Pacific-wide trade deal.

      Politicians from seven of the 12 countries involved in the Trans Pacific Partnership have signed an open letter demanding that the text of the proposed agreement be released, before it’s signed.

      MPs from New Zealand, Australia, Canada, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico and Peru argue the talks need detailed scrutiny and public debate.

      More than 150 other politicians in Chile and the United States have already called for greater transparency.

      In New Zealand, the Greens, New Zealand First, and the Maori and Mana parties have all endorsed the statement.

      The Government says the public will get a chance to have its say once a deal is concluded.

      • Tracey 3.4.1

        It’s easier to glibly label jane kelsey and others as some kind of fringe dwellers. Wearing a suit and tie seems to make Mr Mapp think that a gaggle of such people can’t be fringe dwellers.

        From what I have seen and read Ms Kelsey has at least poured over everything she can about TPP. I would be surprised if, say, Mr Key could say the same. He probably just gets summaries of someone’s views on it.

        • Wayne 3.4.1.1

          Tracey,

          I agree that Jane is deeply researched on TPP and other trade issues. It is really her prime area of research. Its just that since she has opposed every FTA (and in dogmatic terms), the Govt has decided they cannot constructively interact with her.

          In my view she would make more of a difference if she moderated her views somewhat. And Jane knows my views on that.

          Well I guess we all make the choices we make.

          • bad12 3.4.1.1.1

            ”Moderated Her views somewhat”, that is an amusing comment Wayne, free trade agreements have seen this country move from a position of near full employment to one of massive unemployment,

            i am sure that the $ value of this free trade is of more value to those with the ability to trade in such markets than that of the individual benefits paid to those who have no work in a shrinking demand side employment situation brought about by such free trade agreements,

            i doubt tho that the taxation paid to the Government by those able to take advantage of those free trade agreements goes anywhere near matching the cost of benefits to those in essence disenfranchised from employment as a result of such agreements,

            Thus for some sectors of the economy free trade agreements are a ‘subsidy’ by way of creating unemployment which those sectors benefitting from these agreements do not meet the full cost of via taxation paid,

            It then remains a cost to those working/trading in the economy in a non export business who pay for the unemployment directly caused by free trade agreements thus creating another subsidy for those engaged in business which can take advantage of those free trade agreements…

          • framu 3.4.1.1.2

            “In my view she would make more of a difference if she moderated her views somewhat”

            stop rocking the boat in other words – real nice attitude there wayne

          • lprent 3.4.1.1.3

            For a change I agree with her on the TPP. I like FTAs. Problem is that TPP isn’t one.

            Despite a few nominal bits of trade stuff for NZ, It looks to me more like RTA (Restraint of Trade Agreement) for most of the NZ economy that isn’t agricultural.

            We wind up with a pile of extended restraints that we don’t currently have from ridiculous times for copyright (how many decades after and authors death?), patents (how to massively increase R&D times for NZ companies), restrictions of distribution that we got rid off a decade ago,

            What do we get from it? Well supposedly some extra commodity level agricultural access to the US and Japan. Anyone notice that the fastest growth in milk exports to the rest of the world is from the US? And in a number of agricultural products at present. Or that these barriers to agriculture in Japan and the US are procedural and are unlikely to get affected much for the agricultural goods we export to them. That is why the aussie agreement with the US hasn’t reaped very many benefits.

            Plus the US congress are a tough to get any substantive trade agreements through – like heading cats. I think we should make all trade legislation and regulation conditional on the US passing their legislation EXACTLY as required by the treaty before our legislation becomes effective.

            FFS the fanciful East-West study numbers showed an extra 6% odd growth in our exports at the end of a few decades – on top of a growth that was something like 10x that. Our agriculture is selling food in world market that has a rising affluent population. The biggest hassle for us is that we’re selling most of it with minimal processing as low-value commodities, something that the TPP is likely to increase.

            For that minimal concession, we’re sacrificing the high value export parts of our economy to a higher cost structure from the TPP, because those areas already have free trade access to all potential members of the TPP.

            Who was the moron who thought this was a Free Trade Agreement ?

            • Tracey 3.4.1.1.3.1

              Wayne keeps pointing to fta to boost his support of tpp but I wouldnt call him a moron.

              In the last 30 years the gap between rich and poor has widened. Fta hasnt helped that at all. Why would tpp.

              Wayne cant answer that. So he ignores it and accuses kelsey as being fro. The barricades.

              Note how anyone who disagrees with nats is either described in kind of war like terms or by reference to poor mental health.

              • Wayne

                Tracey,

                “From the barricades” was a quote from Framu. And where on earth have I ever made reference to “poor mental health” of someone. Though I note you did not accuse me of that as such, it was included it in the same sentence.

                • One Anonymous Bloke

                  …she has opposed every FTA (and in dogmatic terms)…

                  Ah, but so many of the arguments in favour are themselves dogmatic. The argument against punitive measures to combat human rights abuses is that such matters are for sovereign nations to sort out themselves, but trade tariffs or business subsidies are not.

                  It’s easy to see why the distinction is made. If you tell your clients to stop torturing people they might not do business with you any more. You could drop the pretence that it’s based on any kind of dogma-free principle though.

                • tracey

                  it was meant as a way to generalise the national mp’s name calling… crazies, idiots, loonies…

                  “But if the role is from the “barricades”, it is hard to get listened to, or perhaps more accurately, advise the MFAT team. “

                • framu

                  wayne – stop turning comments that refer to a generalised group into being solely about you. Your old enough to damn well know that many people here are talking about national in general, not you sepcifically

              • lprent

                The problem with your analysis as far as NZ goes is that you’re ignoring the incredible shift that had to be made in NZ after Britian joined the EU 40 years ago. Basically you’re looking at a complete shift in the basis of the NZ economy during my working life.

                The easiest way to see just how big a shift it was is to hunt down the country of export and type of export figures between somewhere in the 1960s and now.

                If you look at some other countries who were developed in the OECD as a comparison, I suspect you’ll only find Norway as having anything like a similar shift, and theirs was due to oil extraction.

                The key to doing that kind of shift in exports has been the free trade agreements. Starting with CER back in the early 80’s and all the way through to the whale of the Chinese FTA. I have certainly noticed the change in the business environment for exports. Been working in exports for most of my working life. Was a complete pain back in the 80’s. Now it is simple and outright easy.

                Basically the variance in income levels is important. But if we hadn’t managed to get free trade agreements then we’d be far more concerned with having income at all and lost in the wake of people who’d already left (including me BTW)

          • Tracey 3.4.1.1.4

            Which fta have you opposed. I recall you wrote none. So you speak from the barricades as do groser and key.

      • veutoviper 3.4.2

        And further to the above (repeated/updated on RNZ National’s 10am News), back in January there was considerable discussion on the “How big were the TPPA gimmes, John” post on secrecy on the TPPA negotiations.

        I contributed a very long, complicated (and badly written) comment on the US Senate Committee on Finance fast track bipartisan Bill introduced on TPP.

        http://thestandard.org.nz/how-big-were-the-tppa-gimmes-john/#comment-759186

        What struck me about this Bill was the completely different stance that Congress is taking on transparency and the involvement of Congress at all stages of the negotiation by the US adminstration of trade agreements – compared to the lack of similar processes here in NZ (including the BS we are being fed by Groser and other Ministers on the need for secrecy on the TPPA.)

        According to the press release and one pager, the US Bill also:

        “Establishes robust consultation and access to information requirements before, during, and after negotiations that ensure an open and transparent process for Members and the public

        “Requires transparency, as well as processes for public participation and collaboration through written guidelines on public engagement and on information-sharing with advisory committees.

        “Provides Robust Reporting Requirements: Expands reporting requirements on the effects of trade agreements. Requires that all reports be made public.”

        SO, so different to the BS we are being fed.

        I am not up to date as to what is going on with the US Bill, but IMO it could well be that even if the TPPA is agreed and signed, it will not have a smooth and fast passage through the US Congress. And may well fall down for this reason (albeit for very different reasons for opposition, eg US Congress wanting even stronger protections etc for US businesses).

        Huggin also had a very good comment @15 on the January post on the US non-government corporate interests involved in the TPPA negotiations which is worth reading. (Just down from my long comment).

    • framu 3.5

      “Clearly the public does not get a say, in the sense indicated here, to participate in the outcome of the negotiation or to change the agreed text. It will have been negotiated by ten countries, and they have agreed on the process of disclosure. New Zealand will not break that deal. And once the text is finalised, there will be no changes. No one country will be allowed by the others to unravel it. ”

      Thats what weve been saying for months, and constantly get told “no, no your wrong – everything will be ok. It doesnt work like that”

      serious question wayne – it seems pro TPP people have been thoroughly bullshitting everyone – (surprise surprise) – is that the case?

      • Wayne 3.5.1

        I thought I had always been consistent on this point.

        The negotiation, signing and ratification of treaties is essentially an executive process in New Zealand.

        Sure, there is a Select Committee consideration of treaties, but that can not change the text of the treaty. I guess the SC could say the Govt should not ratify, but I have not seen that happen.

        Of course some treaties require legislation to be implemented in New Zealand law. That will certainly be the case for some parts of TPP, given what is understood to be the content of some of the chapters. It would be a problem for a govt if the Treaty was signed, but Parliament did not pass the relevant enabling legislation. Realistically it might be some specific clauses in legislation that the fight is over.

        As previously noted Labour and the Nats have done these things together. This was the case with the China FTA, with the Greens, NZF, and the MP voting against. It seems to me to be shaping up that way again on TPP.

        • Crashcart 3.5.1.1

          Perhaps if the details of the negotiations were released then all parties could give a well based opinion on what their position would be as to its progress and what their sticking points would be. Then in an election year the NZ public could give their feed back as to what they want on election day.

          It seems to me that if National were really confident that the TPP was in the best interests of Kiwi’s then they would be lording what they are achieving as opposed to hiding it and trying to rush it through secretly before an election.

        • framu 3.5.1.2

          you need to learn to read – ffs, i didnt single you out – im talking about the general discourse

          ” it seems pro TPP people have been thoroughly bullshitting everyone”

          so – “pro TPP people have repeatedly claimed that nzers would have the chance for input once the deal has been signed” – yes or no

  4. Clemgeopin 4

    TPP Caution:

    Here is an interesting news item that drew my attention about the draw backs of trade related agreements such as the TPP. Take a look: INDIA, USA trade dispute.

    http://www.stuff.co.nz/world/americas/9709477/US-launches-new-trade-action-against-India

    • Jim in Tokyo 4.1

      Well spotted!

      Really brings home the point that the TPP might make future Labour or Green policy moves on sustainable government sourcing impossible.

      Just another case that demonstrates that the US is a classic repeat offender when it comes to maintaining protectionist double standards at home while pushing an aggressive trade liberalisation agenda abroad.

  5. Mary 5

    National hates transparency and democracy, as well as a lot of other things, like children and women. It also likes a lot of things, too, like poverty, injustice and inequality. But why is it that only bloggers like Idiot/Savant tell it like it is? Why doesn’t Labour and the rest of the opposition do the same instead of mincing their words which only gives Key a free run? Until the Left properly wakes up and starts telling the truth Key and his mates will keep all the pseudo-support it currently has and probably pick up a bit more and waltz off yet again with the next election. Our opposition is totally stuffed. We deserve another three years of misery.

    • Tracey 5.1

      “But why is it that only bloggers like Idiot/Savant tell it like it is? ”

      He’s a blogger not a party running for election to Government.”tell us like it is” is a euphemism for “I agree with what he writes” which is not really a good yardstick unless you can say with your hand on your heart that you are representative of my thinking or anyone else’s?

      • adam 5.1.1

        Politicians do speak in half truths and waffle Tracy, they do. The old joke – how can you tell a politician is lying…there lips are moving – is a bad joke because it has a ring of truth to it.

        And I agree with Mary, the left and labour in-particular, are shallow dilly dallies in many instances – when straight speaking would win them respect.

        Slightly off topic, but it’s the TTPA —– so it might not be…

        Talking of this government and there attitude towards women. Be warned this clip is not-for-the-pc inclined.

        https://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=404516989568534

      • Mary 5.1.2

        “He’s a blogger not a party running for election to Government.”

        Herein lies the problem.

  6. Ian 6

    ALL governments hate transparency – not just the Nats. Do you really think Labour or the Greens would be conducting a transparent process under similar circumstances?

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    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
    7 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
    7 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
    8 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
    9 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
    12 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
    23 hours 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 ...
    1 day 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
    1 day 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
    1 day 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
    1 day 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
    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
    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
    2 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
    3 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
    3 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
    4 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
    4 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 ...
    5 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
    5 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
    5 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
  • There’s a name for this
    Every year, in the Budget, Parliament forks out money to government agencies to do certain things. And every year, as part of the annual review cycle, those agencies are meant to report on whether they have done the things Parliament gave them that money for. Agencies which consistently fail to ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    6 days ago
  • Echoes of 1968 in 2024?  Pocock on the repetitive problems of the New Left
    Mike Grimshaw writes – Recent events in American universities point to an underlying crisis of coherent thinking, an issue that increasingly affects the progressive left across the Western world. This of course is nothing new as anyone who can either remember or has read of the late ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago
  • Two bar blues
    The thing about life’s little victories is that they can be followed by a defeat.Reader Darryl told me on Monday night:Test again Dave. My “head cold” last week became COVID within 24 hours, and is still with me. I hear the new variants take a bit longer to show up ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    6 days ago
  • Bernard's Top 10 @ 10 'pick 'n' mix' for March 13
    TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: Angus Deaton on rethinking his economics IMFLocal scoop: The people behind Tamarind, the firm that left a $500m cleanup bill for taxpayers at Taranaki’s Tui oil well, are back operating in Taranaki under a different company name. Jonathan ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    6 days 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
    5 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
    7 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
    8 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
    21 hours 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
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