National: the party the insurance companies bought

Written By: - Date published: 6:47 am, November 4th, 2013 - 72 comments
Categories: business, capitalism, national - Tags:

National and the Insurance Council are in lock-step in their opposition to KiwiAssure (though their terror at the prospect of a new insurer rather makes a lie of their claim that the insurance market is competitive). That’s no coincidence, the two are very closely linked.

We know that the Insurance Council’s head was Bill English’s Chief Advisor. But the links go deeper. The Hollow Men records that the insurers gave National a million dollars for its ACC privatisation policy in 2005, and a memo shows they colluded to keep the details secret. That’s very probably the largest donation in New Zealand political history. That kind of money buys a lot of loyalty.

So, when National screams that KiwiAssure won’t work (just like State Insurance ‘didn’t work’ all those years it was the publicly-owned insurer), remember that who pays the piper calls the tune.

72 comments on “National: the party the insurance companies bought ”

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  1. Paul 1
    4 November 2013 at 7:00 am

    Also owned by the liquor industry, hence the failure to deal with the binge drinking problems in NZ.
    Welcome to the corporatocracy of NZ.

    • Tom Gould 1.1
      4 November 2013 at 8:49 am

      By resorting to his Tory party roots, silly Tim Grafton has now hopelessly compromised the entire general insurance industry in the political and public policy spheres. I’m sure there are Chief Executives of the major insurers grinding their teeth over his amateur knee-jerk response, and they will be carefully planning ways to mend fences. No industry, especially not one so sensitive to public opinion and so integral to the commercial nexus, can afford to make an enemy of the incoming government. I suspect Grafton’s days are numbered.

      • David H 1.1.1
        4 November 2013 at 3:25 pm

        But no doubt the golden parachute will soften the blow. And a nice shiny new job somewhere else.

    • TheContrarian 1.2
      4 November 2013 at 8:54 am

      Our binge drinking culture transcends politics. No party has been able to deal with it.

  2. Sanctuary 2
    4 November 2013 at 7:07 am

    You buy a prostitute. Enthusiastic amateurs come free.

  3. risildowgtn 3
    4 November 2013 at 7:12 am

    Also owned by The Transport Lobby,hence RONS.. Roads of no significant importance

    *We’re on a road to nowhere,shutup and drive*

  4. irascible 4
    4 November 2013 at 7:20 am

    Chaung, Chaung went the register as the votes were brought and sold by those who look to corrupt!

  5. vto 5
    4 November 2013 at 7:28 am

    But if an electoral system of a country allows big business to donate to parties of their choice, which then provides those chosen parties with far greater resources to turn voters their way, then surely the end result will be big business controlling pretty much everything with their big fat chequebooks…

    Disgusting
    Despicable
    Dirty

    Corrupt.

    The National Party is corrupt.

    • One Anonymous Knucklehead 5.1
      4 November 2013 at 9:10 am

      Support the blackballing of current National MPs, stopping them from trading on their time as MPs to build a lucrative business career. National’s cabinet have largely ignored the financial backers [OAK: he means the ones he represents], MPs will continue to do so unless I can point out the consequences of ignoring donors.

      If donors buy into this, and the next National government does not offer former ministers jobs there will be a clear incentive…

      Simon Lusk.

      • vto 5.1.1
        4 November 2013 at 11:53 am

        That seems to clearly indicate outright corruption.

        And yet we sit idly by in the sunshine, somehow thinking that this sort of thing doesn’t happen in New Zealand.

        If National MP’s have acted according to their donors wishes instead of their constituents wishes then surely that means pretty much every law they have enacted can be subjected to judicial review…..

        What a bunch of pigs
        (apologies to actual pigs, which have far greater standing on the planet than National Party MPs)

  6. Paul 6
    4 November 2013 at 7:44 am

    Radio New Zealand giving a lot of publicity to the Insurance Industry and Gerry Brownlee bleating on how it’s not needed. Funnily enough no journalist has questioned their vested interests…
    I becoming less and less impressed with their coverage.

    • tc 6.1
      4 November 2013 at 9:32 am

      Checkout the board of RNZ and is it any wonder. Kings College, former Nat MP’s advisers to Bolger etc etc.

  7. Saarbo 7
    4 November 2013 at 7:55 am

    Interesting, there is a good story here for anyone from the MSM that wants to run with it.

  8. Jim Nald 8
    4 November 2013 at 8:02 am

    And also, guess whose pocket NZ Herald is in?

    Latest online so-called “poll” is trying very hard to frame the answers and generate a result favourable to their money friends:

    “What do you think of Labour’s plan for a state insurance company?

    – Great idea. Insurance companies are holding out on vulnerable Kiwis.

    – I’ll support it if it stops profits going overseas.

    – No way. The last thing we need is more Government.

    – No, the costs are too high.”

    • Tat Loo (CV) 8.1
      4 November 2013 at 10:25 am

      I see that National is pushing the meme that Labour is going to “nationalise” the insurance industry. Just like KiwiBank “nationalised” the banking industry eh? LOLZ

      Also they are using the Planet Labour phrasing again…how hackneyed!

      • Tracey 8.1.1
        4 November 2013 at 10:41 am

        And the punter’s will swallow the lie. Nationalisation is the forcing of an existing company into state ownership with little of no compensation.

        Setting up a company to compete with others within an industry is usually called entrepreneurship or allowing the market to set the price and so on by national.

        labour need to start countering the nationalism lies…

        if insurance companies are doing good work and serving their customers well they have nothing to fear from a new player on the block, do they???

  9. framu 9
    4 November 2013 at 8:07 am

    is this the same insurance council who tried to tell me that even though they are forcing everyone to go to sum insured on their house insurance, they are still taking all the risk?

    Yeah – theyre reall smart ones there

    • Tracey 9.1
      4 November 2013 at 10:43 am

      Insurance companies will cream it on sum insured because unless there is a major disaster hundreds of thousands of home owners will be paying for excessive coverage they will never need. No wonder they are all queuing at bendon for new undies.

      • tc 9.1.1
        4 November 2013 at 12:01 pm

        +1 the recent reinsurance under the new policies was an F’n nightmare and they’ll never lose Tracey.

        Had to invest heaps of time reading all the companies policies to discover exactly what you’ve said that we are now way over insured and carry all the risk if we can’t rebuild for that number as they’ve capped their exposure.

        WTF should they profit at all if they have no risk as they’d have this all hedged offshore built into our premiums so even in disaster they’re covered or they do an AMI and fold.

        • Foreign Waka 9.1.1.1
          4 November 2013 at 7:33 pm

          Yes, its a pyramid scam. The only “insurance” that holds some form of credibility in NZ is ACC and EQC albeit some serious sabotage is going n there to undermine the basic coverage of Kiwis and create a problem that is then solved by “privatizing” the SOE’s.

  10. Ashley 10
    4 November 2013 at 12:20 pm

    Surely a free market government would welcome a new player if only to test the market competitiveness theory. The fact that the Nats knee jerked a plethora of negativity suggests some cosy little deal will be exposed.
    Quite why this initiative wasn’t suggested by government remains a mystery. The appalling way the insurance ‘market’ has dealt with Christchurch is a national disgrace. NZ could learn a lot from the US, where settlement of a claim has to be completed within 6 months of the incident. A concept no insurer in NZ could even contemplate as they continue to let delay and inflation erode claims value.

  11. aerobubble 11
    4 November 2013 at 12:46 pm

    The problem with the NZ housing sector
    is its lack of choice, that the only real choice
    is a expensive non-standard, maybe leaky-cold-damp
    home, no double glazing as standard, even noise
    abatement is optional. The problem is NZ has no choice,
    a competitive market in a very niche area, McMansions
    is proof how corrupt the sector is.

    But hey, let’s drill down a bit. By making homes so
    one off, piecemeal you could say, the market can suggest
    its vital and virile because it attracts higher prices.
    But its not true. When they put phone lines in, water, to
    homes, they did it all at once, however broadband is being
    done piecemeal and thus demands a high cost from consumers
    (i.e. capping charges).

    Its just another story of the rigged corrupt nature of the NZ
    economy, that the political class shutdown the market in all
    but a few niches and then allow prices to get out of control.

    Key’s government has royally screwed NZ by not rolling out
    broadband a street at a time, not a house at a time. Every time a
    new connection is needed contractors have to dig up the road
    again. That means they have to travel to each street a hundred times
    when they could just go house to house, its makes a joke of the
    whole efficiency cloak of National.

  12. Ashley 12
    4 November 2013 at 1:12 pm

    Agreed!

  13. Plan B 13
    4 November 2013 at 2:43 pm

    Insurance Council

    Adam Smith hand something to say about this.

    People of the same trade seldom meet together, even for merriment and diversion, but the conversation ends in a conspiracy against the public, or in some contrivance to raise prices. It is impossible indeed to prevent such meetings, by any law which either could be executed, or would be consistent with liberty or justice. But though the law cannot hinder people of the same trade from sometimes assembling together, it ought to do nothing to facilitate such assemblies; much less to render them necessary.

    • Ashley 13.1
      4 November 2013 at 3:16 pm

      Thank you for joining up all the dots – very insightful and informative. More’s the pity that the wider community doesn’t question the status quo preferring to believe there is no corruption in NZ and that it is ‘clean & green’. Neither is correct.

  14. Natwest 14
    4 November 2013 at 3:10 pm

    We already have a Government owned insurer – it’s called EQC and, if their performance through the Christchurch Earthquakes is anything to go on, good luck to those who want to place their asset protection with Kiwiasure.

    • Tat Loo (CV) 14.1
      4 November 2013 at 3:13 pm

      KiwiAssure will be a brand new organisation, with a far different scope of activity to EQC. Also EQC was never geared to cope with something the scale of the Christchuch earthquakes and there was way too much improvising going on.

      We already have a Government owned insurer – it’s called EQC and, if their performance through the Christchurch Earthquakes is anything to go on, good luck to those who want to place their asset protection with Kiwiasure.

      Don’t forget how shit private insurer AMI was. It was the public sector which had to salvage them.

      • Lanthanide 14.1.1
        4 November 2013 at 3:17 pm

        The odd thing about AMI is when it first fell over there were all these people saying “well you shouldn’t have gone with a discount insurer like AMI then! you get what you pay for!” except that AMI’s premiums were pretty much the same as other offerings anyway.

      • Draco T Bastard 14.1.2
        4 November 2013 at 3:38 pm

        Also EQC was never geared to cope with something the scale of the Christchuch earthquakes and there was way too much improvising going on.

        Which is rather odd considering that NZ exists on the Ring of Fire. You’d think that someone would have had the imagination to consider just how much damage an earthquake could do. Hell, all they had to do was look up our history and 1931 really wasn’t all that long ago.

      • David H 14.1.3
        4 November 2013 at 4:36 pm

        I hope so. Because at the moment I don’t carry insurance. I figure it will be a lot less stressful on me to just replace stuff, (Important things like photo’s are in the clouds, Docs are somewhere else.) than to go through the heartache, stress, and bullshit that the insurance companies put in their policies. They are written in a language that’s relationship to English has to be seriously questioned. Maybe Small Print should be a foreign language.

    • Foreign Waka 14.2
      4 November 2013 at 7:52 pm

      It was not so much EQC but Mr Brownlee sitting on his hands and hoping for god knows what. Also there was a problem with getting hold of engineers or any trained builders, electricians etc. That disaster with the red, green, yellow stickers was something else. And to have people wandering around n the winter cold for a toilet and shower was just plain disgusting.
      To move things along some decisive leadership was needed not a consensus to milk this for the later political purpose to privatize. The outcome of this disaster has more to do with political will than anything else.

  15. Natwest 15
    4 November 2013 at 3:38 pm

    The “shit insurer AMI” had a great following in Christchurch, where it offered cheap premiums, but failed to buy enough reinsurance to cover it’s liabilities. So how is Kiwiassure going to offer more competitive/cheaper premiums, when it has to buy reinsurance protection from the same market as all insurers? Not buy the required amount, and rely on the tax payer to bail it out when the balloon goes up???

    • Draco T Bastard 15.1
      4 November 2013 at 3:40 pm

      when it has to buy reinsurance protection from the same market as all insurers?

      It doesn’t have to.

      • Natwest 15.1.1
        4 November 2013 at 4:07 pm

        Oh, but it does!

        • Draco T Bastard 15.1.1.1
          4 November 2013 at 4:51 pm

          There’s a law saying this? Or is this just you talking out your arse as per usual?

      • Naturesong 15.1.2
        4 November 2013 at 4:13 pm

        Interview on Q&A yesterday, DC stated they would buy reinsurance on the international market to limit exposure.

        Like Clarke (who I personally did not like – but thats another story), Culiffe oozes competence so I would expect to see it set up properly.

        • Foreign Waka 15.1.2.1
          4 November 2013 at 8:10 pm

          Excerpt from a letter relating to the Christchurch Earthquake and AMI being sold.
          http://thechristchurchfiasco.wordpress.com/2013/01/23/understanding-what-happened-to-ami/

          “The reinsurers behind the private insurers expressed dissatisfation with this scenario.
          AMIs reserves and reinsurance were above the industry recognised levels, but AMI were in effect given to IAG, removing effective competition and assuaging the reinsurers who back the large private insurers.
          This government sold out AMI to cover up their failure to heed the advice of the EQC board and its consequences when the February 2011 quake exposed the gamble they had taken”

          And who was involved in the sale? Yep, Mr Bill English.

  16. Tracey 16
    4 November 2013 at 3:56 pm

    But but but ami had the crusaders rugby stadium name they must be good

    • Natwest 16.1
      4 November 2013 at 4:11 pm

      They were (so called) good, until they fell over leaving their customers in the crap! You get what you pay for – cheap is not always best. Remember that when you are buying from KiwiAssure.

      • Naturesong 16.1.1
        4 November 2013 at 4:17 pm

        So instead of buying naming rights to stadiums and paying dividends to policyholders Kiwiassure can spend that money on the oppropriate amount of reinsurrance

  17. Plan B 17
    4 November 2013 at 4:12 pm

    One day maybe the whole AMI story will come out.
    Some points however
    1. AMI was owned by its policy holders

  18. rod 18
    4 November 2013 at 4:54 pm

    I thought the insurance companies bought the National Party just before Muldoon got in, in 1975.

  19. North 19
    4 November 2013 at 8:43 pm

    The sky DID fall in with Kiwibank……….didn’t it ?

  20. Fisiani 20
    4 November 2013 at 9:29 pm

    The nationalist socialists of the Left are old hat. The State always knows best.

    British Labour Party in 1918 adopted Clause IV
    To secure for the workers by hand or by brain the full fruits of their industry and the most equitable distribution thereof that may be possible upon the basis of the common ownership of the means of production, distribution and exchange, and the best obtainable system of popular administration and control of each industry or service.

    • McFlock 20.1
      4 November 2013 at 9:37 pm

      And for many people the proof that Blair had destroyed labour and bought the thatcher delusion was when they revoked Clause IV.

      Clause IV is one of the finest objectives and government can have.

  21. Fisiani 21
    4 November 2013 at 10:02 pm

    Cunliffe is rebranding Labour as the Clause IV party with nationalistic Kiwi this that and everything. What next, will it be Kiwifood to stop the evil Countdown and New World ripping off the Kiwi battlers/

  22. Richard McGrath 22
    8 November 2013 at 12:55 pm

    Poor old Jim Anderton:

    http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO1311/S00031/they-said-kiwibank-would-fail-too.htm

    Has he forgotten that Kiwibank, which he mentions in the first paragraph, is associated with Kiwi Insure – an insurance company?

    http://www.kiwibank.co.nz/personal-banking/insurance/

    Looks like Davy boy didn’t notice it either.

    If Kiwibank is not just another arm of the Labia Party, perhaps they should consider litigation, as Silent T’s ‘KiwiAssure’ sounds more than a little like Kiwibank’s ‘Kiwi Insure’ doesn’t it?

  23. international removals 23
    28 November 2013 at 12:23 pm

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    Hi,From time to time, I want to bring Webworm into the real world. We did it last year with the Jurassic Park event in New Zealand — which was a lot of fun!And so on Saturday May 11th, in Los Angeles, I am hosting a lil’ Webworm pop-up! I’ve been ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    2 days ago

  • “Feel good” school is out
    Education Minister Erica Standford yesterday unveiled a fundamental reform of the way our school pupils are taught. She would not exactly say so, but she is all but dismantling the so-called “inquiry” “feel good” method of teaching, which has ruled in our classrooms since a major review of the New ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    2 days ago

  • 6 Months in, surely our Report Card is “Ignored all warnings: recommend dismissal ASAP”?
    Exactly where are we seriously going with this government and its policies? That is, apart from following what may as well be a Truss-Lite approach on the purported economic “plan“, and Victorian-era regression when it comes to social policy. Oh it’ll work this time of course, we’re basically assured, “the ...
    exhALANtBy exhalantblog
    3 days ago

  • Bread, and how it gets buttered
    Hey Uncle Dave, When the Poms joined the EEC, I wasn't one of those defeatists who said, Well, that’s it for the dairy job. And I was right, eh? The Chinese can’t get enough of our milk powder and eventually, the Poms came to their senses and backed up the ute ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago

  • Bryce Edwards: Why Tory Whanau has the lowest approval rating in the country
    Polling shows that Wellington Mayor Tory Whanau has the lowest approval rating of any mayor in the country. Siting at -12 per cent, the proportion of constituents who disapprove of her performance outweighs those who give her the thumbs up. This negative rating is higher than for any other mayor ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    3 days ago

  • Justice for Gaza?
    The New York Times reports that the International Criminal Court is about to issue arrest warrants for Israeli officials, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, over their genocide in Gaza: Israeli officials increasingly believe that the International Criminal Court is preparing to issue arrest warrants for senior government officials on ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    3 days ago

  • If there has been any fiddling with Pharmac’s funding, we can count on Paula to figure out the fis...
    Buzz from the Beehive Pharmac has been given a financial transfusion and a new chair to oversee its spending in the pharmaceutical business. Associate Health Minister David Seymour described the funding for Pharmac as “its largest ever budget of $6.294 billion over four years, fixing a $1.774 billion fiscal cliff”. ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    3 days ago

  • FastTrackWatch – The case for the Government’s Fast Track Bill
    Bryce Edwards writes – Many criticisms are being made of the Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill, including by this writer. But as with everything in politics, every story has two sides, and both deserve attention. It’s important to understand what the Government is trying to achieve and its ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    3 days ago

  • Bernard’s pick 'n' mix for Monday, April 29
    TL;DR: Here’s my top 10 ‘pick ‘n’ mix of links to news, analysis and opinion articles as of 10:10am on Monday, April 29:Scoop: The children's ward at Rotorua Hospital will be missing a third of its beds as winter hits because Te Whatu Ora halted an upgrade partway through to ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago

  • Gordon Campbell on Iran killing its rappers, and searching for the invisible Dr. Reti
    span class=”dropcap”>As hideous as David Seymour can be, it is worth keeping in mind occasionally that there are even worse political figures (and regimes) out there. Iran for instance, is about to execute the country’s leading hip hop musician Toomaj Salehi, for writing and performing raps that “corrupt” the nation’s ...
    Gordon CampbellBy lyndon
    3 days ago

  • Auckland Rail Electrification 10 years old
    Yesterday marked 10 years since the first electric train carried passengers in Auckland so it’s a good time to look back at it and the impact it has had. A brief history The first proposals for rail electrification in Auckland came in the 1920’s alongside the plans for earlier ...
    Greater AucklandBy Matt L
    3 days ago

  • Coalition's dirge of austerity and uncertainty is driving the economy into a deeper recession
    Right now, in Aotearoa-NZ, our ‘animal spirits’ are darkening towards a winter of discontent, thanks at least partly to a chorus of negative comments and actions from the Government Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: These are the six things that stood out to me in news and commentary on ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago

  • Disability Funding or Tax Cuts.
    You make people evil to punish the paststuck inside a sequel with a rotating castThe following photos haven’t been generated with AI, or modified in any way. They are flesh and blood, human beings. On the left is Galatea Young, a young mum, and her daughter Fiadh who has Angelman ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    3 days ago

  • Of the Goodness of Tolkien’s Eru
    April has been a quiet month at A Phuulish Fellow. I have had an exceptionally good reading month, and a decently productive writing month – for original fiction, anyway – but not much has caught my eye that suggested a blog article. It has been vaguely frustrating, to be honest. ...
    A Phuulish FellowBy strda221
    3 days ago

  • 2024 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #17
    A listing of 31 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, April 21, 2024 thru Sat, April 27, 2024. Story of the week Anthropogenic climate change may be the ultimate shaggy dog story— but with a twist, because here ...
    Skeptical Science
    4 days ago

  • Pastor Who Abused People, Blames People
    Hi,I spent about a year on Webworm reporting on an abusive megachurch called Arise, and it made me want to stab my eyes out with a fork.I don’t regret that reporting in 2022 and 2023 — I am proud of it — but it made me angry.Over three main stories ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    4 days ago

  • Vic Uni shows how under threat free speech is
    The new Victoria University Vice-Chancellor decided to have a forum at the university about free speech and academic freedom as it is obviously a topical issue, and the Government is looking at legislating some carrots or sticks for universities to uphold their obligations under the Education and Training Act. They ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago

  • Winston remembers Gettysburg.
    Do you remember when Melania Trump got caught out using a speech that sounded awfully like one Michelle Obama had given? Uncannily so.Well it turns out that Abraham Lincoln is to Winston Peters as Michelle was to Melania. With the ANZAC speech Uncle Winston gave at Gallipoli having much in ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    4 days ago

  • 25
    She was born 25 years ago today in North Shore hospital. Her eyes were closed tightly shut, her mouth was silently moving. The whole theatre was all quiet intensity as they marked her a 2 on the APGAR test. A one-minute eternity later, she was an 8.  The universe was ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    4 days ago

  • Fact Brief – Is Antarctica gaining land ice?
    Skeptical Science is partnering with Gigafact to produce fact briefs — bite-sized fact checks of trending claims. This fact brief was written by Sue Bin Park in collaboration with members from our Skeptical Science team. You can submit claims you think need checking via the tipline. Is Antarctica gaining land ice? ...
    Skeptical Science
    5 days ago

  • Policing protests.
    Images of US students (and others) protesting and setting up tent cities on US university campuses have been broadcast world wide and clearly demonstrate the growing rifts in US society caused by US policy toward Israel and Israel’s prosecution of … Continue reading → ...
    KiwipoliticoBy Pablo
    5 days ago

  • Open letter to Hon Paul Goldsmith
    Barrie Saunders writes – Dear Paul As the new Minister of Media and Communications, you will be inundated with heaps of free advice and special pleading, all in the national interest of course. For what it’s worth here is my assessment: Traditional broadcasting free to air content through ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago

  • Bryce Edwards: FastTrackWatch – The Case for the Government’s Fast Track Bill
    Many criticisms are being made of the Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill, including by this writer. But as with everything in politics, every story has two sides, and both deserve attention. It’s important to understand what the Government is trying to achieve and its arguments for such a bold reform. ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    5 days ago

  • Luxon gets out his butcher’s knife – briefly
    Peter Dunne writes –  The great nineteenth British Prime Minister, William Gladstone, once observed that “the first essential for a Prime Minister is to be a good butcher.” When a later British Prime Minister, Harold Macmillan, sacked a third of his Cabinet in July 1962, in what became ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago

  • More tax for less
    Ele Ludemann writes – New Zealanders had the OECD’s second highest tax increase last year: New Zealanders faced the second-biggest tax raises in the developed world last year, the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) says. The intergovernmental agency said the average change in personal income tax ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago

  • Real News vs Fake News.
    We all know something’s not right with our elections. The spread of misinformation, people being targeted with soundbites and emotional triggers that ignore the facts, even the truth, and influence their votes.The use of technology to produce deep fakes. How can you tell if something is real or not? Can ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago

  • Another way to roll
    Hello! Here comes the Saturday edition of More Than A Feilding, catching you up on the past week’s editions.Share ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    5 days ago

  • Simon Clark: The climate lies you'll hear this year
    This video includes conclusions of the creator climate scientist Dr. Simon Clark. It is presented to our readers as an informed perspective. Please see video description for references (if any). This year you will be lied to! Simon Clark helps prebunk some misleading statements you'll hear about climate. The video includes ...
    Skeptical Science
    5 days ago

  • Cutting the Public Service
    It is all very well cutting the backrooms of public agencies but it may compromise the frontlines. One of the frustrations of the Productivity Commission’s 2017 review of universities is that while it observed that their non-academic staff were increasing faster than their academic staff, it did not bother to ...
    PunditBy Brian Easton
    6 days ago

  • Luxon’s demoted ministers might take comfort from the British politician who bounced back after th...
    Buzz from the Beehive Two speeches delivered by Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters at Anzac Day ceremonies in Turkey are the only new posts on the government’s official website since the PM announced his Cabinet shake-up. In one of the speeches, Peters stated the obvious:  we live in a troubled ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago

  • This is how I roll over
    1. Which of these would you not expect to read in The Waikato Invader?a. Luxon is here to do business, don’t you worry about thatb. Mr KPI expects results, and you better believe itc. This decisive man of action is getting me all hot and excitedd. Melissa Lee is how ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    6 days ago

  • The Waitangi Tribunal is not “a roving Commission”…
    …it has a restricted jurisdiction which must not be abused: it is not an inquisition   NOTE – this article was published before the High Court ruled that Karen Chhour does not have to appear before the Waitangi Tribunal Gary Judd writes –  The High Court ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago

  • Is Oranga Tamariki guilty of neglect?
    Lindsay Mitchell writes – One of reasons Oranga Tamariki exists is to prevent child neglect. But could the organisation itself be guilty of the same? Oranga Tamariki’s statistics show a decrease in the number and age of children in care. “There are less children ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago

  • Three Strikes saw lower reoffending
    David Farrar writes: Graeme Edgeler wrote in 2017: In the first five years after three strikes came into effect 5248 offenders received a ‘first strike’ (that is, a “stage-1 conviction” under the three strikes sentencing regime), and 68 offenders received a ‘second strike’. In the five years prior to ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago

  • Luxon’s ruthless show of strength is perfect for our angry era
    Bryce Edwards writes – Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has surprised everyone with his ruthlessness in sacking two of his ministers from their crucial portfolios. Removing ministers for poor performance after only five months in the job just doesn’t normally happen in politics. That’s refreshing and will be extremely ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago

  • 'Lacks attention to detail and is creating double-standards.'
    TL;DR: These are the six things that stood out to me in news and commentary on Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the two days to 6:06am on Thursday, April 25:Politics: PM Christopher Luxon has set up a dual standard for ministerial competence by demoting two National Cabinet ministers while leaving also-struggling ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    6 days ago

  • One Night Only!
    Hi,Today I mainly want to share some of your thoughts about the recent piece I wrote about success and failure, and the forces that seemingly guide our lives. But first, a quick bit of housekeeping: I am doing a Webworm popup in Los Angeles on Saturday May 11 at 2pm. ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    6 days ago

  • What did Melissa Lee do?
    It is hard to see what Melissa Lee might have done to “save” the media. National went into the election with no public media policy and appears not to have developed one subsequently. Lee claimed that she had prepared a policy paper before the election but it had been decided ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    6 days ago

  • Skeptical Science New Research for Week #17 2024
    Open access notables Ice acceleration and rotation in the Greenland Ice Sheet interior in recent decades, Løkkegaard et al., Communications Earth & Environment: In the past two decades, mass loss from the Greenland ice sheet has accelerated, partly due to the speedup of glaciers. However, uncertainty in speed derived from satellite products ...
    Skeptical Science
    7 days ago

  • Maori Party (with “disgust”) draws attention to Chhour’s race after the High Court rules on Wa...
    Buzz from the Beehive A statement from Children’s Minister Karen Chhour – yet to be posted on the Government’s official website – arrived in Point of Order’s email in-tray last night. It welcomes the High Court ruling on whether the Waitangi Tribunal can demand she appear before it. It does ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    7 days ago

  • Who’s Going Up The Media Mountain?
    Mr Bombastic: Ironically, the media the academic experts wanted is, in many ways, the media they got. In place of the tyrannical editors of yesteryear, advancing without fear or favour the interests of the ruling class; the New Zealand news media of today boasts a troop of enlightened journalists dedicated to ...
    Bowalley Road
    7 days ago

  • “That's how I roll”
    It's hard times try to make a livingYou wake up every morning in the unforgivingOut there somewhere in the cityThere's people living lives without mercy or pityI feel good, yeah I'm feeling fineI feel better then I have for the longest timeI think these pills have been good for meI ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    1 week ago

  • “Comity” versus the rule of law
    In 1974, the US Supreme Court issued its decision in United States v. Nixon, finding that the President was not a King, but was subject to the law and was required to turn over the evidence of his wrongdoing to the courts. It was a landmark decision for the rule ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    1 week ago

  • Streamlining Building Consent Changes
    The Government is making it easier for minor changes to be made to a building consent so building a home is easier and more affordable, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says.      “The coalition Government is focused on making it easier and cheaper to build homes so we can ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 hours ago

  • Minister acknowledges passing of Sir Robert Martin (KNZM)
    New Zealand lost a true legend when internationally renowned disability advocate Sir Robert Martin (KNZM) passed away at his home in Whanganui last night, Disabilities Issues Minister Louise Upston says. “Our Government’s thoughts are with his wife Lynda, family and community, those he has worked with, the disability community in ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    16 hours ago

  • Speech to New Zealand Institute of International Affairs, Parliament – Annual Lecture: Challenges ...
    Good evening –   Before discussing the challenges and opportunities facing New Zealand’s foreign policy, we’d like to first acknowledge the New Zealand Institute of International Affairs. You have contributed to debates about New Zealand foreign policy over a long period of time, and we thank you for hosting us.  ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    16 hours ago

  • Accelerating airport security lines
    From today, passengers travelling internationally from Auckland Airport will be able to keep laptops and liquids in their carry-on bags for security screening thanks to new technology, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Creating a more efficient and seamless travel experience is important for holidaymakers and businesses, enabling faster movement through ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    18 hours ago

  • Community hui to talk about kina barrens
    People with an interest in the health of Northland’s marine ecosystems are invited to a public meeting to discuss how to deal with kina barrens, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones will lead the discussion, which will take place on Friday, 10 May, at Awanui Hotel in ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    24 hours ago

  • Kiwi exporters win as NZ-EU FTA enters into force
    Kiwi exporters are $100 million better off today with the NZ EU FTA entering into force says Trade Minister Todd McClay. “This is all part of our plan to grow the economy. New Zealand's prosperity depends on international trade, making up 60 per cent of the country’s total economic activity. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    24 hours ago

  • Mining resurgence a welcome sign
    There are heartening signs that the extractive sector is once again becoming an attractive prospect for investors and a source of economic prosperity for New Zealand, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. “The beginnings of a resurgence in extractive industries are apparent in media reports of the sector in the past ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago

  • Ō-Rākau Remembrance Bill passes first reading
    The return of the historic Ō-Rākau battle site to the descendants of those who fought there moved one step closer today with the first reading of Te Pire mō Ō-Rākau, Te Pae o Maumahara / The Ō-Rākau Remembrance Bill. The Bill will entrust the 9.7-hectare battle site, five kilometres west ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • Government to boost public EV charging network
    Energy Minister Simeon Brown has announced 25 new high-speed EV charging hubs along key routes between major urban centres and outlined the Government’s plan to supercharge New Zealand’s EV infrastructure.  The hubs will each have several chargers and be capable of charging at least four – and up to 10 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • Residential Property Managers Bill to not progress
    The coalition Government will not proceed with the previous Government’s plans to regulate residential property managers, Housing Minister Chris Bishop says. “I have written to the Chairperson of the Social Services and Community Committee to inform him that the Government does not intend to support the Residential Property Managers Bill ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • Independent review into disability support services
    The Government has announced an independent review into the disability support system funded by the Ministry of Disabled People – Whaikaha. Disability Issues Minister Louise Upston says the review will look at what can be done to strengthen the long-term sustainability of Disability Support Services to provide disabled people and ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • Justice Minister updates UN on law & order plan
    Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith has attended the Universal Periodic Review in Geneva and outlined the Government’s plan to restore law and order. “Speaking to the United Nations Human Rights Council provided us with an opportunity to present New Zealand’s human rights progress, priorities, and challenges, while responding to issues and ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • Ending emergency housing motels in Rotorua
    The Government and Rotorua Lakes Council are committed to working closely together to end the use of contracted emergency housing motels in Rotorua. Associate Minister of Housing (Social Housing) Tama Potaka says the Government remains committed to ending the long-term use of contracted emergency housing motels in Rotorua by the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • Trade Minister travels to Riyadh, OECD, and Dubai
    Trade Minister Todd McClay heads overseas today for high-level trade talks in the Gulf region, and a key OECD meeting in Paris. Mr McClay will travel to Riyadh to meet with counterparts from Saudi Arabia and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). “New Zealand’s goods and services exports to the Gulf region ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago

  • Education priorities focused on lifting achievement
    Education Minister Erica Stanford has outlined six education priorities to deliver a world-leading education system that sets Kiwi kids up for future success. “I’m putting ambition, achievement and outcomes at the heart of our education system. I want every child to be inspired and engaged in their learning so they ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago

  • NZTA App first step towards digital driver licence
    The new NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) App is a secure ‘one stop shop’ to provide the services drivers need, Transport Minister Simeon Brown and Digitising Government Minister Judith Collins say.  “The NZTA App will enable an easier way for Kiwis to pay for Vehicle Registration and Road User Charges (RUC). ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago

  • Supporting whānau out of emergency housing
    Whānau with tamariki growing up in emergency housing motels will be prioritised for social housing starting this week, says Associate Housing Minister Tama Potaka. “Giving these whānau a better opportunity to build healthy stable lives for themselves and future generations is an essential part of the Government’s goal of reducing ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago

  • Tribute to Dave O'Sullivan
    Racing Minister Winston Peters has paid tribute to an icon of the industry with the recent passing of Dave O’Sullivan (OBE). “Our sympathies are with the O’Sullivan family with the sad news of Dave O’Sullivan’s recent passing,” Mr Peters says. “His contribution to racing, initially as a jockey and then ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago

  • Speech – Eid al-Fitr
    Assalaamu alaikum, greetings to you all. Eid Mubarak, everyone! I want to extend my warmest wishes to you and everyone celebrating this joyous occasion. It is a pleasure to be here. I have enjoyed Eid celebrations at Parliament before, but this is my first time joining you as the Minister ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago

  • Government saves access to medicines
    Associate Health Minister David Seymour has announced Pharmac’s largest ever budget of $6.294 billion over four years, fixing a $1.774 billion fiscal cliff.    “Access to medicines is a crucial part of many Kiwis’ lives. We’ve committed to a budget allocation of $1.774 billion over four years so Kiwis are ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago

  • Pharmac Chair appointed
    Hon Paula Bennett has been appointed as member and chair of the Pharmac board, Associate Health Minister David Seymour announced today. "Pharmac is a critical part of New Zealand's health system and plays a significant role in ensuring that Kiwis have the best possible access to medicines,” says Mr Seymour. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago

  • Taking action on Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder
    Hundreds of New Zealand families affected by Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) will benefit from a new Government focus on prevention and treatment, says Health Minister Dr Shane Reti. “We know FASD is a leading cause of preventable intellectual and neurodevelopmental disability in New Zealand,” Dr Reti says.  “Every day, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago

  • New sports complex opens in Kaikohe
    Regional Development Minister Shane Jones today attended the official opening of Kaikohe’s new $14.7 million sports complex. “The completion of the Kaikohe Multi Sports Complex is a fantastic achievement for the Far North,” Mr Jones says. “This facility not only fulfils a long-held dream for local athletes, but also creates ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago

  • Diplomacy needed more than ever
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters’ engagements in Türkiye this week underlined the importance of diplomacy to meet growing global challenges.    “Returning to the Gallipoli Peninsula to represent New Zealand at Anzac commemorations was a sombre reminder of the critical importance of diplomacy for de-escalating conflicts and easing tensions,” Mr Peters ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago

  • Anzac Commemorative Address, Buttes New British Cemetery Belgium
    Ambassador Millar, Burgemeester, Vandepitte, Excellencies, military representatives, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen – good morning and welcome to this sacred Anzac Day dawn service.  It is an honour to be here on behalf of the Government and people of New Zealand at Buttes New British Cemetery, Polygon Wood – a deeply ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago

  • Anzac Commemorative Address – NZ National Service, Chunuk Bair
    Distinguished guests -   It is an honour to return once again to this site which, as the resting place for so many of our war-dead, has become a sacred place for generations of New Zealanders.   Our presence here and at the other special spaces of Gallipoli is made ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago

  • Anzac Commemorative Address – Dawn Service, Gallipoli, Türkiye
    Mai ia tawhiti pamamao, te moana nui a Kiwa, kua tae whakaiti mai matou, ki to koutou papa whenua. No koutou te tapuwae, no matou te tapuwae, kua honoa pumautia.   Ko nga toa kua hinga nei, o te Waipounamu, o te Ika a Maui, he okioki tahi me o ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago

  • PM announces changes to portfolios
    Paul Goldsmith will take on responsibility for the Media and Communications portfolio, while Louise Upston will pick up the Disability Issues portfolio, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon announced today. “Our Government is relentlessly focused on getting New Zealand back on track. As issues change in prominence, I plan to adjust Ministerial ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • New catch limits for unique fishery areas
    Recreational catch limits will be reduced in areas of Fiordland and the Chatham Islands to help keep those fisheries healthy and sustainable, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. The lower recreational daily catch limits for a range of finfish and shellfish species caught in the Fiordland Marine Area and ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Minister welcomes hydrogen milestone
    Energy Minister Simeon Brown has welcomed an important milestone in New Zealand’s hydrogen future, with the opening of the country’s first network of hydrogen refuelling stations in Wiri. “I want to congratulate the team at Hiringa Energy and its partners K one W one (K1W1), Mitsui & Co New Zealand ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Urgent changes to system through first RMA Amendment Bill
    The coalition Government is delivering on its commitment to improve resource management laws and give greater certainty to consent applicants, with a Bill to amend the Resource Management Act (RMA) expected to be introduced to Parliament next month. RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop has today outlined the first RMA Amendment ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Overseas decommissioning models considered
    Overseas models for regulating the oil and gas sector, including their decommissioning regimes, are being carefully scrutinised as a potential template for New Zealand’s own sector, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. The Coalition Government is focused on rebuilding investor confidence in New Zealand’s energy sector as it looks to strengthen ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Release of North Island Severe Weather Event Inquiry
    Emergency Management and Recovery Minister Mark Mitchell has today released the Report of the Government Inquiry into the response to the North Island Severe Weather Events. “The report shows that New Zealand’s emergency management system is not fit-for-purpose and there are some significant gaps we need to address,” Mr Mitchell ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Justice Minister to attend Human Rights Council
    Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith is today travelling to Europe where he’ll update the United Nations Human Rights Council on the Government’s work to restore law and order.  “Attending the Universal Periodic Review in Geneva provides us with an opportunity to present New Zealand’s human rights progress, priorities, and challenges, while ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Patterson reopens world’s largest wool scouring facility
    Associate Agriculture Minister, Mark Patterson, formally reopened the world’s largest wool processing facility today in Awatoto, Napier, following a $50 million rebuild and refurbishment project. “The reopening of this facility will significantly lift the economic opportunities available to New Zealand’s wool sector, which already accounts for 20 per cent of ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Speech to the Southland Otago Regional Engineering Collective Summit, 18 April 2024
    Hon Andrew Bayly, Minister for Small Business and Manufacturing  At the Southland Otago Regional Engineering Collective (SOREC) Summit, 18 April, Dunedin    Ngā mihi nui, Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Ko Whanganui aho    Good Afternoon and thank you for inviting me to open your summit today.    I am delighted ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Government to introduce revised Three Strikes law
    The Government is delivering on its commitment to bring back the Three Strikes legislation, Associate Justice Minister Nicole McKee announced today. “Our Government is committed to restoring law and order and enforcing appropriate consequences on criminals. We are making it clear that repeat serious violent or sexual offending is not ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • New diplomatic appointments
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