National’s week from hell

Written By: - Date published: 8:30 am, July 26th, 2015 - 43 comments
Categories: capitalism, class war, Hekia parata, labour, national, national/act government, Politics, same old national, the praiseworthy and the pitiful, you couldn't make this shit up - Tags:

When historians look back at the records of the fifth National Government I think they will agree that the past week was their worst to date. The weeks when Dirty Politics was released and when Judith Collins’ ministerial career was terminated were bad ones but at least they were able to fight back and bluster as if there was nothing to worry about and they were in control.  This week there has been no effective bluster, no counter attack, just a series of defensive manoeuvres trying to minimise the effect of a series of devastating blows.

Serco has dominated. After a few weeks of devastating bad news and a clear sense that the miracle of private enterprise was not delivering the improved result at a cheaper price the avalanche of bad news was devastating. The death of Nick Evans and the impression he was transferred while dying to a state prison so that he would not hurt the corporate bottom line, evidence of drug taking, alcohol brewing, gang intimidation, the dropping and beating up of inmates, the sense of complete chaos in a prison because corporate interests mean that staffing levels are less than they would be in a State prison, this will hurt.

Even during the past 24 hours there have been further revelations of possible gang rape and of rampant drug taking and the ready access of drugs for sale.  And Serco staff do not seem to care.  They seem to be more interested in not seeing or having to report episodes of violence or drug taking.

The techniques used to smuggle goods into the prison clearly show how cellphones and drugs could have been introduced.  And the filming of the consumption of one

And the sleeper issues are how Serco was considered to be the top performing prison, and how this can be reconciled with data suggesting that the incidence of violent incidents and attacks on prison officers was the highest in the country, not to mention the incidence of inter inmate violence or the fact that a riot was not recorded as being one. You get the feeling that Serco’s management are not recording incidents the way they should be.

Then Hekia Parata’s decision to respond to a recommendation that she close a poorly performing charter school by paying it even more money was publicised. These guys are not amateurs. This decision could have been delayed. Releasing it today suggested a decision was made that things were that bad they may as well dump a few bad news stories and hope that the wash would mean they both disappeared without too much accentuation of the story. But this is a shocker. These guys are meant to be economic and managerial geniuses and they are meant to take no prisoners and let the invisible hand of the market decide. But this decision suggested strongly that they are willing to spend public money to avoid political embarrassment.

The other stories that will hurt are two court decisions. The first was a comprehensive spanking of the Government’s decision to discontinue the Problem Gambling Foundation’s funding.  Sure it had criticised the Government’s decision to legislate to allow Sky City significant gambling concessions but in a democracy this should not be a problem.  Although then National backbencher Tau Henare thought it did.

Tau Henare tweet

Andrew Geddis at Pundit summarises the finding in this way:

So, to summarise, the High Court has just told us that the PGF lost its government contract after being very vocally critical of government policy through a process that;

  1. Changed the ground-rules as to how the contracts would be awarded after organisations had bid for them;
  2. So wrongly assessed the PGF’s application that the apparent result couldn’t be trusted; and
  3. Used people to assess who should get the contract who were at least apparently biased in favour of some applicants over others.

This is, remember, the process that Peter Dunne defended as “robust, independent, it’s been peer reviewed and it’s probably one of the better processes that has been undertaken in this area for a very long time.”

Kind of a different story to that some members of the commetariat were telling at the time, isn’t it?

The decision always had a feeling of a crude political hatchet job and the decision, expressed in the most careful language possible, reinforces that feeling.

And the second case to embarrass the Government and interestingly Tau Henare was the declaration that Tau’s bill removing the rights of prisoners to vote was contrary to the New Zealand Bill of Rights Act.  Unfortunately the decision is no more than that and the law is not changed.  Although there must be a moral imperative for the Government to repeal this particular Act, at least if it was interested in respecting human rights and the rule of law.

Again Andrew Geddis has provided informed and succinct comment on the decision.

In a nutshell, his honour finds not only that the decision to remove the rights of prisoners to vote limits their right to vote (obviously!), but also that this decision cannot be “demonstrably justified in a free and democratic society“. That is to say, the effect of the measure is so arbitrary and inconsistent that it cannot rationally be defended … it is (to put it colloquially) a crappy thing to do.

The decision could be considered a pyrrhic victory as the law is not actually changed by the decision.  But there is now a moral imperative to change the law.  As Geddis puts it:

However, it does mark the judiciary’s formal legal finding that this law (while still the one they have to follow) is BAD LAW. Parliament has done something that a properly functioning legislature simply ought not to do – taken away peoples’ rights without having a good reason for doing so. And the High Court is looking them right in the eye and saying so.

Now, of course, Parliament (or, let’s be honest, the National Government) may stare back and say “so what?” But it shouldn’t. It really shouldn’t. Because this is about more than just getting a political boost by beating up on prisoners (an unfortunate phrase, perhaps, given what we’re learning about Mount Eden … ). It’s about what good government entails, and the way that public power can legitimately be exercised.

In a nutshell, where a Court is expressly telling the lawmakers that they have failed, that shouldn’t be something to just get shrugged off with a brusque “we don’t have to listen to you”. It’s a warning that the Government and Parliament owe it to us to listen to and take very, very seriously.

So in a week where we saw the destruction of National’s privatisation policy of social policy, the spanking of National’s undermining of the Problem Gambling Foundation and the ruling that  National’s legislation removing the rights of some prisoners to vote was a breach of the country’s human rights we can safely conclude that this was the week from hell for National.

May they have many more.

43 comments on “National’s week from hell ”

  1. dukeofurl 1

    Is there electoral advantage for national in removing non national voting blocks off the electoral map.
    Did they not care about prisoners voting until Nikki Kaye won Auckland Central?
    If theres around 1000 in MT Eden thats a fair chunk, along with 1000 in Rimutaka and 950 in Christchurch.
    Other prisons could be in swing seats

    • b waghorn 1.1

      Shouldn’t there vote be counted in the electorate that they class as home.

    • Flashing Light 1.2

      Is there electoral advantage for national in removing non national voting blocks off the electoral map.

      No – prisoners are not be considered “residents” of the electorate that the prison is in as they do not “choose” to make it their residence. See Arthur Taylor’s electoral petition against John Key (where the Court found that his being imprisoned in Paremoremo did not make him a resident of Helensville)

      The issue is purely symbolic. National used it to look “tough on crime”, while setting a trap for Labour/Greens (“why do they want to give criminals the vote?”). It is cynical wedge politics of the worst sort.

      • dukeofurl 1.2.1

        Wasnt his situation AFTER the law was changed not to allow votes for prisoners.

        So the court said he wasn’t a resident but if they were allowed to vote isnt the only qualification that you have been living at that address for a minimum of one month.

        Not choosing to live there is a new one for me, does the law say that or is it the way the judge looked at it to give the ‘right answer’
        I could think of 18 year old who live at home, not choosing to live there, but just because their parents do too.

        • Flashing Light 1.2.1.1

          Electoral Act 1993, s.72(3): “A person resides at the place where that person chooses to make his or her home by reason of family or personal relations, or for other domestic or personal reasons.”

          Section 72(5) then states: “A person who is detained in any prison or hospital by virtue of any enactment shall not, by reason only of that detention, be treated for the purpose of subsection (3) as residing there.”

          • dukeofurl 1.2.1.1.1

            The 1993 change tells it all really . National didnt want rural prisons affecting their rural seats

  2. Kate Lang 2

    Hell! May they have many more! The crash is coming.

  3. tangled_up 3

    3News-Reid Research poll to be released tonight.

    • dv 3.1

      The Conservatives on 0.7% a drop of 3.4% from election night.

      http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11486938

      I suspect that will bleed to the Nats

      • Lanthanide 3.1.1

        Still running the ridiculous line that the sauna interview had something to do with the disintegration of the party, and not that Craig was a massive hypocritical, egotistical liar.

      • McGrath 3.1.2

        I suspect that National’s (and Labour’s) polling will remain largely unchanged.

        If there were major shifts with either party, 3news would have put out much better “teaser trailer” (for lack of a better description) than “Conservatives gone”.

        • Colonial Viper 3.1.2.1

          this will be the first poll measuring the full impact of Labour’s ‘Chinese’ ploy. It will be interesting, to say the least.

          • Paul 3.1.2.1.1

            Do you actually want a change of government?
            Sometimes I wonder.

            • cricklewood 3.1.2.1.1.1

              A change yes, a change to Nat lite not so much…

              • leftie

                @cricklewood

                It is either National led or Labour led. Labour would be way better than National any day.

                • cricklewood

                  That’s true… but if you’re looking for real fundamental change in how our society operates Labour in the last few years hasn’t been offering a lot in comparison to earlier Labour governments…

            • leftie 3.1.2.1.1.2

              @Paul.

              +1

          • McGrath 3.1.2.1.2

            My prophecy was bang on the money!

            Now if only I could apply it to Lotto…

  4. trendy lefty 4

    A Pyrrhic victory is “a victory that inflicts such a devastating toll on the victor that it is tantamount to defeat”. So this isn’t an example of a Pyrrhic victory at all. Just a finding by the courts that doesn’t change anything because the legislation referred to doesn’t create any offences or penalties.

    Jussayin’.

  5. indiana 5

    If this is a week of hell for National, does that mean that Labour has been have a week in heaven?

  6. Smilin 6

    Another show for the billing from the rockstar economy
    Berco Serco (excuse the spelling) and its amazing magic on performance
    Yes bullshit has now become a credible term being upheld by this overview govt that it would seem can never being held accountable for any of its actions

  7. hoom 7

    Given how much corrupt/incompetent/outrageously extreme rightwing stuff they have gotten away with already I see no reason that this week will make any difference.

  8. Keith 8

    It is incredible that until the Kelvin Davis exposé of Mt Eden prisons hourly life of abuse and extreme violence, that this dirty little secret remained firmly between Serco and the National Party and no other. Such is Nationals control over anything that may harm their bullshit image and such is the neutered or compromised media we have today, that apart from vague rumours New Zealand was unaware.

    I am realistic enough to know that the types that love and call Newstalk ZB and their hosts complaining of how jails are nothing more than 5 star hotels will be impressed and think National are doing a fine job. But really this inhumanity is the stuff of a bygone Dickens era, not 2015 and that National knew or as they put it, chose not to know is unbelievable.

    However on the subject of prisoners voter rights and Charter Schools with pay-off’s to go quietly , this will remain beltway material. Making annoying people go away by giving them contracts or otherwise is a hallmark of this National government and for many the obvious lack of ethics or morals and for all intents and purposes, corruption, is to complex to think about. And very few give a thought to prisoners rights.

  9. Incognito 9

    Perhaps this was the Government’s “week from hell”. However, National – the party – may ‘suffer’ one or two points in the polls as a consequence – who knows for sure why polls fluctuate – while the country or segments of the population are already suffering! So today, I cannot ‘rejoice’ in the utter incompetence of some Ministers and the awful mismanagement displayed by Cabinet and it is my wish and hope that the Government “may not have many more”.

  10. McGrath 10

    It might be a bad week, but it’s on subjects that the vast masses do not really care, or have little sympathy for.

    Prisoners having a hard time of it elicits minimal sympathy. I’d say most people would rather prefer if prisoners had no voting privileges at all (or suffer more ‘treatment’) regardless of the bill of rights. The government stepping in also looks as if they’re being decisive, whereas the blame is coming across as all Serco

    I doubt Labour will push too hard on the prisoner welfare issue, at the fear of being seen as ‘soft on prisoners’. Focus will remain on the Corrections minister though, who does look way out of his depth.

    • Tracey 10.1

      the PGF decision makes, or should make, Dunne feel embarrassed and consider whether he is up to these roles. the PGF have been proven correct in their assertions at the time.

      MOST importantly money has been diverted from assisting problem gamblers, into a flawed process which now has to be redone, legal fees on both sides , salaries/fees to those with predisposed biases (and who appointed them with that knowledge) and time and probably jobs and expertise in PGF.

      still righties support such waste and incompetence with ” their” taxes.

      • McGrath 10.1.1

        I don’t know much about the background behind the PGF decision. What I will mention is that society is a lot less caring these days. By accident or design (or both), a fair chunk of voters care only about the immediate impact of decisions upon themselves or their immediate families. It is why prisoners rights, prisoners treatment, or problem gamblers register lower on the ‘do I care’ scale.

        I’m not saying that it’s right, just what it is.

        • Tracey 10.1.1.1

          It’s a strange thing though McGrath because the kiwis I meet mainly do care and give a shit. Its like John Key is like ABBA in the 70’s… everyone had the records but no one admitted to liking ABBA…

          But mostly don’t we reflect our leadership to a greater or lesser extent, and this current government and a few before it have sent a strong message that money is the measure of everything, getting more is the goal, anything less and you are worthless.

    • Brian Smith 10.2

      And those very same people who’d prefer no voting privileges for prisoners will probably blame the Corrections minister because he is not ‘white’ and is therefore incompetent. John Key however, will be unaffected, because these people want to be like him- hence the drip-feeding of his lifestyle and what his family get up to!! Sick

  11. My advice to Labour and Andrew Little is don’t back down on your stance on Auckland’s immigration problems.

    Dave and John have a telephone conversation.

  12. Nick Morris 12

    Bad weeks for the administration may encourage opposition activists but to influence voters other rules apply.
    Calm assurance and sure-footed confidence in the suggestion that there are obvious, simple things that can and should be done is one attribute.Suggesting that the current government has strayed from the essence of what constitutes Kiwi values is helpful. Scornful rejection of the status quo is another. Lastly,the promotion of your leader as both an attractive personality and the voice of the people will also crank up the ratings.
    Policy both good and bad are relatively unimportant and over emphasis on those areas will mostly lose you votes.
    People are voting for an assured hand on the tiller, not a policy menu.
    Individual causes celebres may attract attention, but when you have that attention, see above.
    This is not entirely irrational. For the most part, governments are dealing with unforseen events.
    So we need not be too concerned about transitory polls, but we might consider worrying if we do not see enough of….see above.

  13. Penny Bright 13

    GREAT demo today (Sunday 26 July 2015) outside the Auckland Sky City Casino (where the National Party were having their 79th Conference)
    exposing the CORRUPT ‘conflict of interest’ of NZ Prime Minister John Key being a shareholder in the Bank of America!

    Working for US or the U$?

    HINT – follow the dollar …….

    Our TPPA – WALK AWAY protest was filmed by Maori TV, TVNZ and TV3.

    Let’s see what makes it on tonight’s news!

    https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=1079589375387087&set=ms.c.eJxF0NlxBDAIA9COMhI3~%3BTeWmA3s7xuBsInsQMIqWeH6wz~%3BwZtK1or4QELi6csFRKX~_YC6YzUpfQT0IuQX~_JRi8gB3gJzI6W3YHmqw1goWwSdpA2LbWXInSgbcH5QBELWgPsA5mlLQvyWhJbW10yYLIQPeB~_4O~%3BSlFjwmkR8QV6t4UYsBsgFzRmpPPiMyI2ITUtcgtNCXAvn~_Wb~%3Bz6~_KfCMlBz4~%3B5tCFzx1O~%3BgI9gWs7.bps.a.852990618046965.1073741825.100000081045781&type=1&theater

  14. Sable 14

    I’m sure their well placed acolytes in the MSM will play it all down as they always do. Seems no level of grime and failure on the part of the nasty Nats is ever condemned…..

  15. Matthew Hooton 15

    Yep, a bad week for National. But it ends with another poll showing Labour’s racist attack on people with “Chinese sounding names” has failed.

    • Paul 15.1

      Spinspinspinspinspin……………………

    • Anne 15.2

      And National’s attempt to distort and misconstrue the issue (aka Hooton and Slater and their friends) have even more miserably failed.

    • Paul 15.3

      Advertising is legalized lying.
      H. G. Wells

    • Paul 15.4

      Bill Hicks on marketing and advertising.
      http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-5LEYG5TqaI

    • Nordy 15.5

      Right on cue another apologist for the ‘shameful rabble’ of a government we have, trotting out words they don’t really understand (or is it don’t want to understand?), like ‘racist’, and ‘attack’, in yet another attempt to divert from the obvious; that this government has been exposed for what it is; completely and utterly compromised by the avarice it both supports and enables.

      The fact that MH both knows and understands the logical basis for the ‘estimation’ of ethnicity undertaken that was then tested against real data for validity (assuming of course he has read the widely available description of it), of course simply underlines how compromised he really is when it comes to his ‘comments’.

      The following quote from Rob S from his Public Address item on 23 July about the analysis behind the numbers is instructive:

      “First, and to get it out of the way, these data to not – repeat, not – 100% prove the residency status of any particular buyer. Everyone agrees on that.
      But the standard for using data in policy debates has never been: “you’ve got 100% proof at an individual level, or you’ve got nothing.” If it were, then we would have nothing pretty much all the time. Opinion polls, for example, never prove anything at the individual level, but it’s quite the nihilist who says they don’t provide any helpful information.”

    • Redbaiter 15.6

      It just shows the ideological bankruptcy on the so called NZ “right” that they so easily fall into left wing attack strategies.

      1) Racism is a Marxist construct designed to divide and weaken our society so that it is more easily deconstructed.

      2) It does not naturally follow that disagreement with any aspect of any immigration policy is racist, but that is the implication of your criticism, David Farrar’s criticism and Cameron Slater’s criticism, and you’re not only wrong you’re weak as piss for name calling rather than actually arguing the point.

      3) There are too many immigrants arriving in NZ from the PRC and its a problem related to events in the PRC. They need bolt holes for their cash and they’re choosing Western real estate as a solution.

      4) Auckland if it dropped everything it was doing and focused on housing it could maybe generate 70,000 homes in a few years. The projection is the actual numbers needed will be closer to 400,000 homes or more.

      Its just madness to expect NZ to cope with this kind of demand.

  16. Save NZ 16

    +1 – however the Nats week of hell is nothing compared to the hell they have put the NZ people through, Pike river, Serco, state houses, power assets sales, mass spying, constant deficits, removal of democracy, auckland super city, mass hikes in costs of building materials and cost of living, zero public transport, extreme cronyism, using SIS and others to gain political advantage, destruction of our planet through global warming, increased mining, decreasing water quality, etc etc

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    TL;DR: The key events to watch in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the week to March 18 include:China’s Foreign Minister visiting Wellington today;A post-cabinet news conference this afternoon; the resumption of Parliament on Tuesday for two weeks before Easter;retiring former Labour Finance Minister Grant Robertson gives his valedictory speech in Parliament; ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago
  • Bitter and angry; Winston First
    New Zealand First Leader Winston Peters’s state-of-the-nation speech on Sunday was really a state-of-Winston-First speech. He barely mentioned any of the Government’s key policies and could not even wholly endorse its signature income tax cuts. Instead, he rehearsed all of his complaints about the Ardern Government, including an extraordinary claim ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    2 days ago
  • 2024 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #11
    A listing of 35 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, March 10, 2024 thru Sat, March 16, 2024. Story of the week This week we'll give you a little glimpse into how we collect links to share and ...
    2 days ago
  • 2024 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #11
    A listing of 35 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, March 10, 2024 thru Sat, March 16, 2024. Story of the week This week we'll give you a little glimpse into how we collect links to share and ...
    2 days ago
  • Out of Touch.
    “I’ve been internalising a really complicated situation in my head.”When they kept telling us we should wait until we get to know him, were they taking the piss? Was it a case of, if you think this is bad, wait till you get to know the real Christopher, after the ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    3 days ago
  • Bring out your Dad
    Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago
  • Bring out your Dad
    Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago
  • Bring out your Dad
    Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago
  • The bewildering world of Chris Luxon – Guns for all, not no lunch for kids
    .“$10 and a target that bleeds” - Bleeding Targets for Under $10!.Thanks for reading Frankly Speaking ! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.This government appears hell-bent on either scrapping life-saving legislation or reintroducing things that - frustrated critics insist - will be dangerous and likely ...
    Frankly SpeakingBy Frank Macskasy
    3 days ago
  • Expert Opinion: Ageing Boomers, Laurie & Les, Talk Politics.
    It hardly strikes me as fair to criticise a government for doing exactly what it said it was going to do. For actually keeping its promises.”THUNDER WAS PLAYING TAG with lightning flashes amongst the distant peaks. Its rolling cadences interrupted by the here-I-come-here-I-go Doppler effect of the occasional passing car. ...
    3 days ago
  • Manufacturing The Truth.
    Subversive & Disruptive Technologies: Just as happened with that other great regulator of the masses, the Medieval Church, the advent of a new and hard-to-control technology – the Internet –  is weakening the ties that bind. Then, and now, those who enjoy a monopoly on the dissemination of lies, cannot and will ...
    3 days ago
  • A Powerful Sensation of Déjà Vu.
    Been Here Before: To find the precedents for what this Coalition Government is proposing, it is necessary to return to the “glory days” of Muldoonism.THE COALITION GOVERNMENT has celebrated its first 100 days in office by checking-off the last of its listed commitments. It remains, however, an angry government. It ...
    3 days ago
  • Can you guess where world attention is focussed (according to Greenpeace)? It’s focussed on an EPA...
    Bob Edlin writes –  And what is the world watching today…? The email newsletter from Associated Press which landed in our mailbox early this morning advised: In the news today: The father of a school shooter has been found guilty of involuntary manslaughter; prosecutors in Trump’s hush-money case ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    3 days ago
  • Further integrity problems for the Greens in suspending MP Darleen Tana
    Bryce Edwards writes – Is another Green MP on their way out? And are the Greens severely tarnished by another integrity scandal? For the second time in three months, the Green Party has secretly suspended an MP over integrity issues. Mystery is surrounding the party’s decision to ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    3 days ago
  • Jacqui Van Der Kaay: Greens’ transparency missing in action
    For the last few years, the Green Party has been the party that has managed to avoid the plague of multiple scandals that have beleaguered other political parties. It appears that their luck has run out with a second scandal which, unfortunately for them, coincided with Golraz Ghahraman, the focus ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    4 days ago
  • Bernard’s Dawn Chorus with six newsey things at 6:46am for Saturday, March 16
    TL;DR: The six newsey things that stood out to me as of 6:46am on Saturday, March 16.Andy Foster has accidentally allowed a Labour/Green amendment to cut road user chargers for plug-in hybrid vehicles, which the Government might accept; NZ Herald Thomas Coughlan Simeon Brown has rejected a plea from Westport ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • How Did FTX Crash?
    What seemed a booming success a couple of years ago has collapsed into fraud convictions.I looked at the crash of FTX (short for ‘Futures Exchange’) in November 2022 to see whether it would impact on the financial system as a whole. Fortunately there was barely a ripple, probably because it ...
    PunditBy Brian Easton
    4 days ago
  • Elections in Russia and Ukraine
    Anybody following the situation in Ukraine and Russia would probably have been amused by a recent Tweet on X NATO seems to be putting in an awful lot of effort to influence what is, at least according to them, a sham election in an autocracy.When do the Ukrainians go to ...
    4 days ago
  • Bernard’s six stack of substacks at 6pm on March 15
    TL;DR: Shaun Baker on Wynyard Quarter's transformation. Magdalene Taylor on the problem with smart phones. How private equity are now all over reinsurance. Dylan Cleaver on rugby and CTE. Emily Atkin on ‘Big Meat’ looking like ‘Big Oil’.Bernard’s six-stack of substacks at 6pm on March 15Photo by Jeppe Hove Jensen ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • Buzz from the Beehive Finance Minister Nicola Willis had plenty to say when addressing the Auckland Business Chamber on the economic growth that (she tells us) is flagging more than we thought. But the government intends to put new life into it:  We want our country to be a ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    4 days ago
  • National’s clean car tax advances
    The Transport and Infrastructure Committee has reported back on the Road User Charges (Light Electric RUC Vehicles) Amendment Bill, basicly rubberstamping it. While there was widespread support among submitters for the principle that EV and PHEV drivers should pay their fair share for the roads, they also overwhelmingly disagreed with ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    4 days ago
  • Government funding bailouts
    Peter Dunne writes – This week’s government bailout – the fifth in the last eighteen months – of the financially troubled Ruapehu Alpine Lifts company would have pleased many in the central North Island ski industry. The government’s stated rationale for the $7 million funding was that it ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • Two offenders, different treatments.
    See if you can spot the difference. An Iranian born female MP from a progressive party is accused of serial shoplifting. Her name is leaked to the media, which goes into a pack frenzy even before the Police launch an … Continue reading ...
    KiwipoliticoBy Pablo
    4 days ago
  • Treaty references omitted
    Ele Ludemann writes  – The government is omitting general Treaty references from legislation : The growth of Treaty of Waitangi clauses in legislation caused so much worry that a special oversight group was set up by the last Government in a bid to get greater coherence in the public service on Treaty ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • The Ghahraman Conflict
    What was that judge thinking? Peter Williams writes –  That Golriz Ghahraman and District Court Judge Maria Pecotic were once lawyer colleagues is incontrovertible. There is published evidence that they took at least one case to the Court of Appeal together. There was a report on ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • Bernard's Top 10 @ 10 'pick 'n' mix' for March 15
    TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: Climate Scorpion – the sting is in the tail. Introducing planetary solvency. A paper via the University of Exeter’s Institute and Faculty of Actuaries.Local scoop: Kāinga Ora starts pulling out of its Auckland projects and selling land RNZ ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • The day Wellington up-zoned its future
    Wellington’s massively upzoned District Plan adds the opportunity for tens of thousands of new homes not just in the central city (such as these Webb St new builds) but also close to the CBD and public transport links. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Wellington gave itself the chance of ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • Weekly Roundup 15-March-2024
    It’s Friday and we’re halfway through March Madness. Here’s some of the things that caught our attention this week. This Week in Greater Auckland On Monday Matt asked how we can get better event trains and an option for grade separating Morningside Dr. On Tuesday Matt looked into ...
    Greater AucklandBy Greater Auckland
    5 days ago
  • That Word.
    Something you might not know about me is that I’m quite a stubborn person. No, really. I don’t much care for criticism I think’s unfair or that I disagree with. Few of us do I suppose.Back when I was a drinker I’d sometimes respond defensively, even angrily. There are things ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago
  • The Hoon around the week to March 15
    Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The five things that mattered in Aotearoa’s political economy that we wrote and spoke about via The Kākā and elsewhere for paying subscribers in the last week included:PM Christopher Luxon said the reversal of interest deductibility for landlords was done to help renters, who ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • Labour’s policy gap
    It was not so much the Labour Party but really the Chris Hipkins party yesterday at Labour’s caucus retreat in Martinborough. The former Prime Minister was more or less consistent on wealth tax, which he was at best equivocal about, and social insurance, which he was not willing to revisit. ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    5 days ago
  • Skeptical Science New Research for Week #11 2024
    Open access notables A Glimpse into the Future: The 2023 Ocean Temperature and Sea Ice Extremes in the Context of Longer-Term Climate Change, Kuhlbrodt et al., Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society: In the year 2023, we have seen extraordinary extrema in high sea surface temperature (SST) in the North Atlantic and in ...
    5 days ago
  • Melissa remains mute on media matters but has something to say (at a sporting event) about economic ...
     Buzz from the Beehive   The text reproduced above appears on a page which records all the media statements and speeches posted on the government’s official website by Melissa Lee as Minister of Media and Communications and/or by Jenny Marcroft, her Parliamentary Under-secretary.  It can be quickly analysed ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    5 days ago
  • The return of Muldoon
    For forty years, Robert Muldoon has been a dirty word in our politics. His style of government was so repulsive and authoritarian that the backlash to it helped set and entrench our constitutional norms. His pig-headedness over forcing through Think Big eventually gave us the RMA, with its participation and ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    5 days ago
  • Will the rental tax cut improve life for renters or landlords?
    Bryce Edwards writes –  Is the new government reducing tax on rental properties to benefit landlords or to cut the cost of rents? That’s the big question this week, after Associate Finance Minister David Seymour announced on Sunday that the Government would be reversing the Labour Government’s removal ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • Geoffrey Miller: What Saudi Arabia’s rapid changes mean for New Zealand
    Saudi Arabia is rarely far from the international spotlight. The war in Gaza has brought new scrutiny to Saudi plans to normalise relations with Israel, while the fifth anniversary of the controversial killing of Jamal Khashoggi was marked shortly before the war began on October 7. And as the home ...
    Democracy ProjectBy Geoffrey Miller
    5 days ago
  • Racism’s double standards
    Questions need to be asked on both sides of the world Peter Williams writes –   The NRL Judiciary hands down an eight week suspension to Sydney Roosters forward Spencer Leniu , an Auckland-born Samoan, after he calls Ezra Mam, Sydney-orn but of Aboriginal and Torres Strait ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • It’s not a tax break
    Ele Ludemann writes – Contrary to what many headlines and news stories are saying, residential landlords are not getting a tax break. The government is simply restoring to them the tax deductibility of interest they had until the previous government removed it. There is no logical reason ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • The Plastic Pig Collective and Chris' Imaginary Friends.
    I can't remember when it was goodMoments of happiness in bloomMaybe I just misunderstoodAll of the love we left behindWatching our flashbacks intertwineMemories I will never findIn spite of whatever you becomeForget that reckless thing turned onI think our lives have just begunI think our lives have just begunDoes anyone ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago
  • Who is responsible for young offenders?
    Michael Bassett writes – At first reading, a front-page story in the New Zealand Herald on 13 March was bizarre. A group of severely intellectually limited teenagers, with little understanding of the law, have been pleading to the Justice Select Committee not to pass a bill dealing with ram ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • Gordon Campbell on National’s fantasy trip to La La Landlord Land
    How much political capital is Christopher Luxon willing to burn through in order to deliver his $2.9 billion gift to landlords? Evidently, Luxon is: (a) unable to cost the policy accurately. As Anna Burns-Francis pointed out to him on Breakfast TV, the original ”rock solid” $2.1 billion cost he was ...
    6 days ago
  • Bernard's Top 10 @ 10 'pick 'n' mix' for March 14
    TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: Jonathon Porritt calling bullshit in his own blog post on mainstream climate science as ‘The New Denialism’.Local scoop: The Wellington City Council’s list of proposed changes to the IHP recommendations to be debated later today was leaked this ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    6 days ago
  • No, Prime Minister, rents don’t rise or fall with landlords’ costs
    TL;DR: Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said yesterday tenants should be grateful for the reinstatement of interest deductibility because landlords would pass on their lower tax costs in the form of lower rents. That would be true if landlords were regulated monopolies such as Transpower or Auckland Airport1, but they’re not, ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    6 days ago
  • Cartoons: ‘At least I didn’t make things awkward’
    This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Tom Toro Tom Toro is a cartoonist and author. He has published over 200 cartoons in The New Yorker since 2010. His cartoons appear in Playboy, the Paris Review, the New York Times, American Bystander, and elsewhere. Related: What 10 EV lovers ...
    6 days ago
  • Solving traffic congestion with Richard Prebble
    The business section of the NZ Herald is full of opinion. Among the more opinionated of all is the ex-Minister of Transport, ex-Minister of Railways, ex MP for Auckland Central (1975-93, Labour), Wellington Central (1996-99, ACT, then list-2005), ex-leader of the ACT Party, uncle to actor Antonia, the veritable granddaddy ...
    Greater AucklandBy Patrick Reynolds
    6 days ago
  • I Think I'm Done Flying Boeing
    Hi,Just quickly — I’m blown away by the stories you’ve shared with me over the last week since I put out the ‘Gary’ podcast, where I told you about the time my friend’s flatmate killed the neighbour.And you keep telling me stories — in the comments section, and in my ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    6 days ago
  • Invoking Aristotle: Of Rings of Power, Stones, and Ships
    The first season of Rings of Power was not awful. It was thoroughly underwhelming, yes, and left a lingering sense of disappointment, but it was more expensive mediocrity than catastrophe. I wrote at length about the series as it came out (see the Review section of the blog, and go ...
    6 days ago
  • Van Velden brings free-market approach to changing labour laws – but her colleagues stick to distr...
    Buzz from the Beehive Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Brooke van Velden told Auckland Business Chamber members they were the first audience to hear her priorities as a minister in a government committed to cutting red tape and regulations. She brandished her liberalising credentials, saying Flexible labour markets are the ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago
  • Why Newshub failed
    Chris Trotter writes – TO UNDERSTAND WHY NEWSHUB FAILED, it is necessary to understand how TVNZ changed. Up until 1989, the state broadcaster had been funded by a broadcasting licence fee, collected from every citizen in possession of a television set, supplemented by a relatively modest (compared ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago
  • Māori Party on the warpath against landlords and seabed miners – let’s see if mystical creature...
    Bob Edlin writes  –  The Māori Party has been busy issuing a mix of warnings and threats as its expresses its opposition to interest deductibility for landlords and the plans of seabed miners. It remains to be seen whether they  follow the example of indigenous litigants in Australia, ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago

  • Government moves to quickly ratify the NZ-EU FTA
    "The Government is moving quickly to realise an additional $46 million in tariff savings in the EU market this season for Kiwi exporters,” Minister for Trade and Agriculture, Todd McClay says. Parliament is set, this week, to complete the final legislative processes required to bring the New Zealand – European ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 hours ago
  • Positive progress for social worker workforce
    New Zealand’s social workers are qualified, experienced, and more representative of the communities they serve, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “I want to acknowledge and applaud New Zealand’s social workers for the hard work they do, providing invaluable support for our most vulnerable. “To coincide with World ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    11 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
    13 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
    14 hours ago
  • NZ and Chinese Foreign Ministers hold official talks
    Minister of Foreign Affairs Winston Peters met with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Wellington today. “It was a pleasure to host Foreign Minister Wang Yi during his first official visit to New Zealand since 2017. Our discussions were wide-ranging and enabled engagement on many facets of New Zealand’s relationship with China, including trade, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Kāinga Ora instructed to end Sustaining Tenancies
    Kāinga Ora – Homes & Communities has been instructed to end the Sustaining Tenancies Framework and take stronger measures against persistent antisocial behaviour by tenants, says Housing Minister Chris Bishop. “Earlier today Finance Minister Nicola Willis and I sent an interim Letter of Expectations to the Board of Kāinga Ora. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Speech to Auckland Business Chamber: Growth is the answer
    Tēna koutou katoa. Greetings everyone. Thank you to the Auckland Chamber of Commerce and the Honourable Simon Bridges for hosting this address today. I acknowledge the business leaders in this room, the leaders and governors, the employers, the entrepreneurs, the investors, and the wealth creators. The coalition Government shares your ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Singapore rounds out regional trip
    Minister Winston Peters completed the final leg of his visit to South and South East Asia in Singapore today, where he focused on enhancing one of New Zealand’s indispensable strategic partnerships.      “Singapore is our most important defence partner in South East Asia, our fourth-largest trading partner and a ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Minister van Velden represents New Zealand at International Democracy Summit
    Minister of Internal Affairs and Workplace Relations and Safety, Hon. Brooke van Velden, will travel to the Republic of Korea to represent New Zealand at the Third Summit for Democracy on 18 March. The summit, hosted by the Republic of Korea, was first convened by the United States in 2021, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Insurance Council of NZ Speech, 7 March 2024, Auckland
    ICNZ Speech 7 March 2024, Auckland  Acknowledgements and opening  Mōrena, ngā mihi nui. Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Nor Whanganui aho.  Good morning, it’s a privilege to be here to open the ICNZ annual conference, thank you to Mark for the Mihi Whakatau  My thanks to Tim Grafton for inviting me ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Five-year anniversary of Christchurch terror attacks
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Lead Coordination Minister Judith Collins have expressed their deepest sympathy on the five-year anniversary of the Christchurch terror attacks. “March 15, 2019, was a day when families, communities and the country came together both in sorrow and solidarity,” Mr Luxon says.  “Today we pay our respects to the 51 shuhada ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Speech for Financial Advice NZ Conference 5 March 2024
    Speech for Financial Advice NZ Conference 5 March 2024  Acknowledgements and opening  Morena, Nga Mihi Nui.  Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Nor Whanganui aho. Thanks Nate for your Mihi Whakatau  Good morning. It’s a pleasure to formally open your conference this morning. What a lovely day in Wellington, What a great ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Early visit to Indonesia strengthens ties
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters held discussions in Jakarta today about the future of relations between New Zealand and South East Asia’s most populous country.   “We are in Jakarta so early in our new government’s term to reflect the huge importance we place on our relationship with Indonesia and South ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • China Foreign Minister to visit
    Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Winston Peters has announced that the Foreign Minister of China, Wang Yi, will visit New Zealand next week.  “We look forward to re-engaging with Foreign Minister Wang Yi and discussing the full breadth of the bilateral relationship, which is one of New Zealand’s ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Minister opens new Auckland Rail Operations Centre
    Transport Minister Simeon Brown has today opened the new Auckland Rail Operations Centre, which will bring together KiwiRail, Auckland Transport, and Auckland One Rail to improve service reliability for Aucklanders. “The recent train disruptions in Auckland have highlighted how important it is KiwiRail and Auckland’s rail agencies work together to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Celebrating 10 years of Crankworx Rotorua
    The Government is proud to support the 10th edition of Crankworx Rotorua as the Crankworx World Tour returns to Rotorua from 16-24 March 2024, says Minister for Economic Development Melissa Lee.  “Over the past 10 years as Crankworx Rotorua has grown, so too have the economic and social benefits that ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Government delivering on tax commitments
    Legislation implementing coalition Government tax commitments and addressing long-standing tax anomalies will be progressed in Parliament next week, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The legislation is contained in an Amendment Paper to the Taxation (Annual Rates for 2023–24, Multinational Tax, and Remedial Matters) Bill issued today.  “The Amendment Paper represents ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Significant Natural Areas requirement to be suspended
    Associate Environment Minister Andrew Hoggard has today announced that the Government has agreed to suspend the requirement for councils to comply with the Significant Natural Areas (SNA) provisions of the National Policy Statement for Indigenous Biodiversity for three years, while it replaces the Resource Management Act (RMA).“As it stands, SNAs ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Government classifies drought conditions in Top of the South as medium-scale adverse event
    Agriculture Minister Todd McClay has classified the drought conditions in the Marlborough, Tasman, and Nelson districts as a medium-scale adverse event, acknowledging the challenging conditions facing farmers and growers in the district. “Parts of Marlborough, Tasman, and Nelson districts are in the grip of an intense dry spell. I know ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Government partnership to tackle $332m facial eczema problem
    The Government is helping farmers eradicate the significant impact of facial eczema (FE) in pastoral animals, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay announced.  “A $20 million partnership jointly funded by Beef + Lamb NZ, the Government, and the primary sector will save farmers an estimated NZD$332 million per year, and aims to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • NZ, India chart path to enhanced relationship
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters has completed a successful visit to India, saying it was an important step in taking the relationship between the two countries to the next level.   “We have laid a strong foundation for the Coalition Government’s priority of enhancing New Zealand-India relations to generate significant future benefit for both countries,” says Mr Peters, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Ruapehu Alpine Lifts bailout the last, say Ministers
    Cabinet has agreed to provide $7 million to ensure the 2024 ski season can go ahead on the Whakapapa ski field in the central North Island but has told the operator Ruapehu Alpine Lifts it is the last financial support it will receive from taxpayers. Cabinet also agreed to provide ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Govt takes action to drive better cancer services
    Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says the launch of a new mobile breast screening unit in Counties Manukau reinforces the coalition Government’s commitment to drive better cancer services for all New Zealanders. Speaking at the launch of the new mobile clinic, Dr Reti says it’s a great example of taking ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Govt takes action to drive better cancer services
    Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says the launch of a new mobile breast screening unit in Counties Manukau reinforces the coalition Government’s commitment to drive better cancer services for all New Zealanders. Speaking at the launch of the new mobile clinic, Dr Reti says it’s a great example of taking ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Work begins on SH29 upgrades near Tauriko
    Unlocking economic growth and land for housing are critical elements of the Government’s plan for our transport network, and planned upgrades to State Highway 29 (SH29) near Tauriko will deliver strongly on those priorities, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “The SH29 upgrades near Tauriko will improve safety at the intersections ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Work begins on SH29 upgrades near Tauriko
    Unlocking economic growth and land for housing are critical elements of the Government’s plan for our transport network, and planned upgrades to State Highway 29 (SH29) near Tauriko will deliver strongly on those priorities, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “The SH29 upgrades near Tauriko will improve safety at the intersections ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Fresh produce price drop welcome
    Lower fruit and vegetable prices are welcome news for New Zealanders who have been doing it tough at the supermarket, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. Stats NZ reported today the price of fruit and vegetables has dropped 9.3 percent in the 12 months to February 2024.  “Lower fruit and vege ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Statement to the 68th United Nations Commission on the Status of Women
    Tēnā koutou katoa and greetings to you all.  Chair, I am honoured to address the sixty-eighth session of the Commission on the Status of Women. I acknowledge the many crises impacting the rights of women and girls. Heightened global tensions, war, climate related and humanitarian disasters, and price inflation all ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Speech to the 68th United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (CSW68)
    Tēnā koutou katoa and greetings to you all.  Chair, I am honoured to address the 68th session of the Commission on the Status of Women. I acknowledge the many crises impacting the rights of women and girls. Heightened global tensions, war, climate related and humanitarian disasters, and price inflation all ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Government backs rural led catchment projects
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    7 days ago
  • Speech to Auckland Business Chamber
    Good evening everyone and thank you for that lovely introduction.   Thank you also to the Honourable Simon Bridges for the invitation to address your members. Since being sworn in, this coalition Government has hit the ground running with our 100-day plan, delivering the changes that New Zealanders expect of us. ...
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    1 week ago
  • Commission’s advice on ETS settings tabled
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  • Government lowering building costs
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  • Trustee tax change welcomed
    Proposed changes to tax legislation to prevent the over-taxation of low-earning trusts are welcome, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The changes have been recommended by Parliament’s Finance and Expenditure Committee following consideration of submissions on the Taxation (Annual Rates for 2023–24, Multinational Tax, and Remedial Matters) Bill. “One of the ...
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    1 week ago
  • Minister’s Ramadan message
    Assalaamu alaikum. السَّلَام عليكم In light of the holy month of Ramadan, I want to extend my warmest wishes to our Muslim community in New Zealand. Ramadan is a time for spiritual reflection, renewed devotion, perseverance, generosity, and forgiveness.  It’s a time to strengthen our bonds and appreciate the diversity ...
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    1 week ago
  • Minister appoints new NZTA Chair
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    1 week ago
  • Speech to Life Sciences Summit
    Good morning all, it is a pleasure to be here as Minister of Science, Innovation and Technology.  It is fantastic to see how connected and collaborative the life science and biotechnology industry is here in New Zealand. I would like to thank BioTechNZ and NZTech for the invitation to address ...
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  • Progress continues apace on water storage
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  • Minister to attend World Anti-Doping Agency Symposium
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