Open mike 01/02/2013

Written By: - Date published: 6:00 am, February 1st, 2013 - 80 comments
Categories: open mike - Tags:

Open mike is your post. For announcements, general discussion, whatever you choose.

The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the link to Policy in the banner).

Step right up to the mike…

80 comments on “Open mike 01/02/2013 ”

  1. KhandallaViper 1

    The Trevor and Shearer thing! God give us patience!

    Shearer (correctly) complains that he should be consulted on the selection of a New Speaker.
    Then Shearer back’s Trevor’s attempt to become speaker by the ruse of hoping the other side are not there to vote because they are not aware he is running.

    Let us for one moment imagine Trevor had won via this childish ruse. What message about Labour would it have sent to country?
    That we are clever dicks who can sneak around procedure?
    That we say on thing and do the opposite?
    That we can win and bugger the consequences?

    We have seen in these pages some of Trevor’s proxies and Mike Smith put forward procedural reasons why the Leadership Selection should not go the the Members and Unions. We will see more of this nonsense.

    Stupid is what stupid does. What little credibility Trevor had has now been flushed away. And this man is our Leader’s Chief Strategist!

    No wonder we can’t budge our poll number despite Key and his mob’s antics.

    • just saying 1.1

      It’s certainly symptomatic of a serious disconnect.

      It reminds me of when the ministerial “perks” were revealed to the public. The leadership team (and many on here) never really ‘got’ what those receipts revealed about the Labour Party to the public, and the damage done.

      They never got that Labour is supposed to be different. Labour ministers living ‘lifestyles of the rich and famous, feeling completely entitled, endlessly explaining and whining and feeling aggrieved that National doing the same weren’t getting anywhere near the stick for it. Well newsflash, National troughers were being completely true to their actual values, and everyone knew it. Labour was and is supposed to be representing something different. Something better actually.

  2. Elizabeth Bourchier Real Labour 3

    ” Labour was and is supposed to be representing something different. Something better actually”

    Spot on, Just Saying. Certainly “symptomatic”!

    There is a small group that just does not get it. Their removal is critical for the party to get out of the rut is is in. Roll on a member and union engagement in the leadership selection. Only that “hui” will lance the boil.

  3. karol 4

    Sir Paul Holmes; gone.

    Condolences to his family and friends.

    • Pete 4.1

      RIP, Sir Paul. He certainly had an impact on NZ.

    • bad12 4.2

      My bog-Irish Gran born into what was little more than a mud hut in County Clare bless Her soul admonished me as a child never to speak ill of the dead,

      So i wont, but believe me i have to overcome some strong internal urges to stay true to what She taught me…

      • Draco T Bastard 4.2.1

        I was taught that as well but I’ve never really understood why. If some one was an arsehole then obviously it would be better to accept that truth than to try to hide from it.

        • Lanthanide 4.2.1.1

          Agreed.

          After Jock Hobbs died, everyone went on about how he was such a great rugby player, blah blah blah. Narry a mention of his shady business dealings, from wikipedia:

          He was also a director of finance company Strategic Finance, which was placed in receivership in March 2010. The Financial Markets Authority is investigating the records of this company.[4] The Financial Markets Authority stopped its probe into Mr Hobbs role after medical information provided on behalf of Mr Hobbs disclosed the extent of his illness; the investigation into other living parties involved with Strategic Finance continues.

          • MrSmith 4.2.1.1.1

            What a hypocrite Lanthanide, you are so quick to correct people here yet have no trouble slandering someone else ‘now dead’ with unsubstantiated allegations.

            • Lanthanide 4.2.1.1.1.1

              Being under investigation doesn’t happen to just anyone, you know. A lot of people lost money by investing in the company he was a director of.

              Did he have any personal culpability? Looks like we’ll never know for sure, since they called off the investigation in his dealings, although it continues for the other directors.

              Compare the complete lack of mention of this about Jock Hobbs with the 4-minute recap I saw on Holmes last night, where they played the audio of him calling Kofi Annan a cheeky darkie. The treatment of Holmes was balanced, the treatment of Jock was not.

              • MrSmith

                “Being under investigation doesn’t happen to just anyone, you know.”

                There you go again, what’s that meant to mean? if your under investigation your guilty? or must be you know?

                All I know is your slandering a dead man that can no longer defend himself, throwing stones at people that can’t defend themselves is cowardly.

                And talking about Balance in the media is also a joke, who pays the medias wages? The marketers/advertisers thats who, what do they want? Consumers to buy their products, but first they need there attention, how do they get there attention. Sensationalism not balance.

        • rosy 4.2.1.2

          It’s a timing thing, I reckon. Mostly because the family needs a bit of time to grieve for the person they loved before having people start up with the negative.

        • bad12 4.2.1.3

          Ah, in the small closed village atmosphere of my Gran’s time word of what you had said would quickly spread and you would be in danger of making enemies among the family of the deceased where befor you only had friends,

          My Gran was full of interesting takes on historical events which She would impart freely after a few gins in Her thickest of Irish accents,

          Included among these pearls of wisdom was Her swearing oaths that the current Royal family has in it’s fairly recent gene pool the off-spring born from the loins of an Irish chamber maid, brought into such ‘service’ because a particular Queen seemed unable to deliver to the King a son,

          Who would have thunk it, the descendants of an Irish ‘piss-pot emptier’ sitting on the Royal throne of all the Britt’s…

          • Draco T Bastard 4.2.1.3.1

            Ah, in the small closed village atmosphere of my Gran’s time word of what you had said would quickly spread and you would be in danger of making enemies among the family of the deceased where befor you only had friends,

            Dunno why. I would have said exactly the same thing before they died. And that is the point: Why say something different after they died? That just comes across as dishonest and craven.

            • bad12 4.2.1.3.1.1

              LOLZ luckily you didn’t come across the old girl in Her prime then, according to my Mother (who had first hand experience) the Gran could and did brawl like a man and would happily go toe to toe with anyone, insinuating that She was craven or dishonest to Her face would have been to run the risk of Her inflicting some serious damage to your’s…

              • Draco T Bastard

                If she couldn’t say the same thing about a person before and after that person died then the brawling would just show how weak she was.

            • karol 4.2.1.3.1.2

              Well in my initial comment above, I certainly didn’t contradict anything I have said or thought previously about Holmes. I think there is a time for criticism, and right now is the time for his friends and family.

              s I get older, I am very aware of more and more people dying who are younger than me, – Holmes was a fraction younger than me. It kind of shocks me, and makes me feel sad when people go relatively young (Steve Jobs, Whitney Houston, various teenagers killed in car crashes, over doses, natural disasters, etc.)

              It also reminds me we all live under a death sentence.

              For a public personality or achiever who I respected and valued, I would have been more likely to write a post commemorating their life, rather than just express condolences. Very often, it is what is not said that is significant.

              • CV - Real Labour

                It also reminds me we all live under a death sentence.

                We are all born under a death sentence. Usually with no knowledge whatsoever of when it will be carried out.

        • Vicky32 4.2.1.4

          “I was taught that as well but I’ve never really understood why.”

          Exactly! To me, it’s just hypocrisy. It was my Scottish mother who taught me the same, but her hypocrisy made me vomit at my father’s funeral – “No, we never had a cross word” she said in a syrupy voice. I think everyone present knew differently.

          Paul Holmes was not a great guy. I am sorry that he’s dead at such a young age, but that doesn’t suddenly make him a plaster saint.

    • Treetop 4.3

      I shed a tear on the passing of Sir Paul Holmes. There is a family link of sorts.

      My deepest and sincere condolence to his immediate and extended family.

  4. just saying 5

    With Labour’s leadership vote due to happen on Monday, I’ve been thinking about writing to my local MP. I realise this is a touchy subject, and I don’t want my lobbying to be counter-productive, so it will need to be customised. I find it all the more difficult knowing that he and his colleagues consider people like me to be extremist nutters, and this will colour his reception of my words.

    When I wrote to him previously on another matter, his first response was to ignore me. I recently reread that whole correspondance with a view to doing better in the future. Although by email number three he was no longer simply trying to fob me off, I came away from reviewing the emails feeling angry that it was so hard to engage him in the first place. My original (ignored) email was polite, self-disclosing, and heart felt. I told him how I had been hurt by the issue at hand. He never should have ignored it, and I wonder how I could have gotten him to listen – not necessarily agree, but to hear me out. It feels a little bit like trying to communicate with a family member who has joined a closed cult, in the sense that having closed ranks against people like me, any effort I make could be so easily elicit a counterproductive defensive rearguard re-action.

    • Dr Terry 5.1

      just saying – without going into all the details I have every reason to empathise with your personal and painful experience. It is these so-called “little matters” that really count in the end.

  5. Chris 6

    john key told Shearer to put a bell on Cunliffe so he can hear him coming(much mirth from the girls and boys in blue) methinks he should do the same to s joyce who seems to be making himself over.Less condescension,less snarling,perhaps a hair style change(hard to tell that one but it looks a little different) maybe lost a little weight,engaging in conversation on radio instead of shooting down etc. Dunno,he just seems different.Going for the statesman persona? Listen for the bell key!

    • chris73 6.1

      Snigger

    • Chris 6.2

      The question is though how long does John Key actually want the job? More likely is he is helping groom Joyce to take over.

    • Gotta agree with you Chris, i thought after seeing Joyce on tv that he had softened his
      know all attitude and intimidating ways to one of smoking a peace pipe elequently in so
      far as actually listening to what people say with regards to the happless novapay saga.
      I wouldn’t like to be in the shoes of those idiots inside the nact govt that signed it off,
      knowing full well it was a broken system and a dog,according to Joyce.
      The ministers that signed it off should pay for the cost of fixing it or establishing a new system,deduct their salaries,or fire them.
      Joyce next Nact leader then ?

      • McFlock 6.3.1

        yep, is my guess. I reckon sometime this year or early next, to try and reinvigorate the nats before the next election. They’re sinking and they need a flotation device.

  6. Andre 7

    Nats going to feel some real pain soon re Novopay the twitasphere is digesting the infodump released today. Alas i feel Mr Key will swear in public soon and poof its all gone…

  7. aerobubble 8

    Many murderers do not serve out their sentence, dying in
    prison, many do not lose all kin, many do not lose
    all wealth, many do not lose the opportunity to have
    kids when young, but David Bain has lost all that,
    and more, publicity will dog him for the rest of his
    life, but worse, he was also found NOT GUILTY.

    Key panders to the nastiness in all of us, Key is making
    us a nastier nation, Key has no conscience. The principle
    is clear, a civil standard does not attract a prison sentence.
    Justice Binnie declare David Bain innocent on balance.
    Justice Minister has obviously allowed her own political
    needs to infer in my opinion, and the opinion of many.
    Even Rodney Hide points out 12 errors in the Police
    collection of evidence. The idea that any freedom loving
    country could jail someone for that long, without a fail trial,
    frustrate in their appeals, and now hounded even more some
    modest compensation – has Key seen the prices of housing!!!

  8. Rogue Trooper 9

    want to play. Blind Mans’ Bluff mice
    read ’em and weep around those deckchairs
    Magogs and Golgothas cross swords once more
    earwigs around The Faraway Tree
    thread the Stradavarian bow
    beneath those Nikau charms of doubtful sounds
    know our Peking pedigree. Hells Bells.suite
    The Judge is standing at the door;
    that’s a guarantee. No no no Leppard
    He’s a pinball Wizard, there has to be a trick

    (been weeding. Whats for lunch.Dock? dandelion roots tea)
    from the Ark Ives- http://www.storytime.net.nz/product/66998-TeRongoaMaoriMaoriMedicine-9780143011361.

    -pre Fab sprout (ride the 3:10 to Yuma)

    0bit
    gone gently into that good night
    fashionably flying at speed by light
    seven pointed bulletin filed in Time

  9. Kevin Welsh 10

    I have a question for the more financially literate out there. Is the value of the New Zealand dollar based on the amount of currency in circulation OR the amount of currency in total? eg: hypothetically $1 Billion in circulation, OR $500 million in circulation + $500 million in reserve.

    If it is the 500 + 500 version, what is to stop the government printing money to drive the value down, but not putting it into circulation?

    • Chris 10.1

      Forgive my ignorance, but how will not putting the currency in circulation make any impact on the value of the currency?

    • CV - Real Labour 10.2

      NB the value of the NZD is not overly driven by supply, it is driven mostly by speculative expectations and (non trade) demand.

      Forgive my ignorance, but how will not putting the currency in circulation make any impact on the value of the currency?

      It’s a psychology thing – if people know that a flood of supply might be released shortly, it will suppress pricing.

      Like the Government announcing an immediate build of 100,000 houses. House prices can be suppressed before earth for the 1st house is even broken. (As long as the build announcement is credible of course).

    • bad12 10.3

      OK now your asking for a lecture, but, rather than me sit here typing for the next 3 days read this link below 3 or 4 times very slowly,

      http://www.rualnewsgroup.co.nz/…news/why-does-the-new-zealand-dollar...

      Ok, the NZ$ is based upon our exports which have now taken the place of gold as the standard,one of it’s problems is that as a small currency it is not pegged to the major currencies of the major economies a situation brought about by Sir(spit)Roger Douglas in all His Neo-Liberal wisdom,(none evident),

      The NZ$ is thus a free floating dollar which besides being valued as per what the link above says is also valued by ‘demand’, so, as most of what we export is sold into the international markets on the basis of US$,s to bring this money back to New Zealand it must be then converted to NZ$,s,

      In step the international Banksters who when demand for NZ produce goes up and prices of that produce rise have already got in first and bought up NZ$,s and as demand for them increases the price NZ producers must pay to convert US$,s to NZ$,s rises, thus the international banking cartels ‘clip the ticket’ of all our exports via the free floating NZ$,

      The same banking cartels, as much of this trade in produce is bought and sold on ‘forward contracts’ also get to play with such produce on the demand side by simply bidding up the price of such produce six months or a year ahead of it’s actual production such cartels then have the inside knowledge of what the demand for the NZ$ will be in 12 months time and only need wait for a dip in the price of the NZ$,s by as little as 1 cent to make millions of dollars from both the actual purchase of future production and by purchasing the right amount of NZ$,s well ahead of the actual production having taken place,

      The NZ$ is hence the 10th most traded currency of all the worlds currencies and there seems to be only 2 solutions apparent, the first being to ‘fix’ the value of the NZ$ against the worlds major currencies, or, print and spend into the local NZ economy amounts of money which gradually increase the supply of NZ$,s by producing assets such as housing that remain in NZ as opposed to attempting to produce even more product for sale on the international markets which would simply lead to more of the same,

      Such dilution of the NZ$ could easily be accomplished by simply diluting the NZ$ by the spending of printed monies into the NZ economy at such a rate so as to hold inflation within the Reserve Banks inflationary target band of 1 to 3% inflation in any given year, not rocket science for the bean counters….

      • Rogue Trooper 10.3.1

        not wanting to speak ill of dead cows yet when I grazed the cheapest supermarket this week for some protein, the cheapest beef that was unprocessed (other than mince) was stir-fry at 19-something dollars a freakin kilo: I went with free range eggs, 3 meals from a dozen!

        • Kevin Welsh 10.3.1.1

          Interesting. My boss and his wife have just come back from a holiday in Vanuatu where one of their biggest exports is beef. Now, we constantly get lectured how we must ‘pay the international price’ for things like dairy products and met, so I was wondering just how my boss got away with paying $19/kg for fillet steak?

          Not discounted. Normal supermarket price.

          In fact, ALL the meat was well below the prices we pay here in NZ.

        • bad12 10.3.1.2

          LOLZ you been robbed bro, Pack and Slave where i did the weekly on Wednesday had 1.1KG of corned beef for $6.80 and along with that i got a 500gram prime beef rolled roast for 11 bucks,

          That’s about the day i listened to the bloke from the Fed say that farmers in Canterbury and the East coast of the North Island were de-stocking in the face of drought conditions,

          ill spoken of dead cows seems to be wherever you are uncalled for wishing the same fate upon the owners of said market would seem to be more to the point…

        • Vicky32 10.3.1.3

          “not wanting to speak ill of dead cows yet when I grazed the cheapest supermarket this week for some protein”

          Never have I been so happy that I don’t eat meat!

          (I bought some for my son’s visit a while back only to discover that I needn’t have bothered, he doesn’t either! 🙂 )

      • Kevin Welsh 10.3.2

        Thanks bad, most appreciated.

        • bad12 10.3.2.1

          Welcome, just as a afterthought, the scale of the field upon which this little money go round is played is easily ‘seen’ when we consider that the total export market is some 40 billion dollars a year,

          I havn’t got the figures for current values/volumes of dairy products on hand but even if that were half of total exports you can then see how easy for the banking cartels it is to insinuate themselves into the middle of the equation to make a buck from essentially doing nothing,

          Just one of them Goldman Saches (sacks of gold man) has a reported 100 billion languishing in the tank in the basement on any given day…

    • mikesh 10.4

      When you say “value of the NZ dollar” do you mean locally or in relation to other currencies. A dollar will always be worth a dollar locally, but how much you can buy with that dollar will depend on inflation. However the value in terms of other currencies, or the3 “exchange rate” depends on the supply and demand for NZ dollars and may bear no relation to its local value.

  10. Colonial Weka 11

    February. If I were a member of the Labour party I would be asking these questions,

    1. when is the caucus leadership vote likely to happen? (a ballpark idea is ok if there is no set date)

    2. what processes will be used to ensure the vote is confidential?

    3. will the numbers be released to the members? The public?

    • CV - Real Labour 11.1

      1. when is the caucus leadership vote likely to happen? (a ballpark idea is ok if there is no set date)

      Monday.

      2. what processes will be used to ensure the vote is confidential?

      Hmmmm I think thats confidential. The President or the Gen Sec will probably be involved in the balloting process.

      3. will the numbers be released to the members? The public?

      Uh, being a secret ballot, they’re not supposed to be made public. However, we know how this has gone in the past.

      • Colonial Weka 11.1.1

        Secret ballot? How come people have been saying that Shearer will get 100% support then? (if no-one is supposed to know).

        • CV - Real Labour 11.1.1.1

          Well since the vote hasn’t actually been held yet claims of a 100% vote are of course speculative.

          Nevertheless, the secret ballot held after Conference last year gave Shearer 100% support (how did that number get out?), and nothing dramatic has changed since then.

  11. Pascal's bookie 12

    And what’s this all about?

    https://twitter.com/Garner_Live/status/297204001630470146

    Duncan Garner

    ‏@Garner_Live

    Brownlee hangs up on air during political head to head with Grant Robertson @radioliveNZ Drive – Dennis Connoresque? Bit sooky? Come back GB

    • bad12 12.1

      Snigger, the word FAILURE when said in conjunction with Slippery’s National Government seems to have hit a substantial nerve,

      Brownlee is so sensitive as FAILURE is a hard word to wrap some spin around…

  12. chris73 13

    http://www.whaleoil.co.nz/2013/02/january-2013-blog-stats/

    Don’t give up guys, one day you’ll be half as popular if you keep going 🙂

    • bad12 13.1

      Should have stayed there at Blubber-boys sewer, coming over here talking s**t is just begging for a permanent ticket to travel…

    • fatty 13.2

      justin bieber is popular too…what’s your point?

      • chris73 13.2.1

        More people read his views (nearly three times as many) then these ones is all I’m saying

        • David H 13.2.1.1

          Its because blubber boy pads his numbers with guns, and dirty girls , and bullshit stories about BK, in the search engines. Most normal people run screaming for the shower, after reading one page of his vitriol, and hate mongering.

    • CV - Real Labour 13.3

      Add Whaleoil and KiwiBlog together and it seems like the Right have 5x the page views of The Standard.

      • fenderviper 13.3.1

        It’s probably just people clicking Refresh in an effort to make that shit make sense second time around.

        • Marty 13.3.1.1

          Ha. Good one.

        • chris73 13.3.1.2

          So only 2.5x the amount then…

          • McFlock 13.3.1.2.1

            so why do you have to tout and linkwhore for him?
            Methinks you doth protest to much.

            Best case, the tory blogsites are indeed using stats consistent with reality, but you have such low self esteem you need to wander of here and swing your dick around.
            Worst case, the stats are full of shit or comparing the popularity of actual debate with tory tripe.

            • chris73 13.3.1.2.1.1

              Best case, the tory blogsites are indeed using stats consistent with reality, but you have such low self esteem you need to wander of here and swing your dick around.
              – Jealousy will get you nowhere

              Worst case, the stats are full of shit or comparing the popularity of actual debate with tory tripe
              -There seems to be something about lefties and not accepting poll results if they go against them…

              • McFlock

                Just pointing out that people who have a low level of self-esteem sometimes compensate by gloating about a perceived superiority over others.

                Going “ha ha, we’re on the winning team” at kiwiblog would be one thing. Coming here suggests that we’re not the only people you’re trying to prove a point to.

      • Vicky32 13.3.2

        “like the Right have 5x the page views of The Standard.”

        Maybe it’s because The Standard is so good at driving people away! (I am back for the 1st time in 5 months, since QoT banned me temporarily. I discovered then how much more peaceful I felt without the daily nastiness here.)

        Now I am back, I am not staying!

        It’s as if no time has passed – everyone still hates Shearer, and everyone is still so relentlessly middle class.

    • Murray Olsen 13.4

      I’m guessing WhaleSpew gets so many clicks because it puts everything in very simple terms, offers absolutely no analysis, and makes anyone who posts more than three consecutive words feel like a mental giant. His contributions are all cut and paste, with a bit of gun porn thrown in, and some crap now and then about how tough he is. Usage of insults like “cocksmoker” also goes down well with his audience, as do calls to be tougher on crims, bring back the death sentence, and calling anyone he disagrees with a “dud root”. His political philosophy is about as sophisticated as Forrest Gump’s, except that in his case the “wisdom” comes from daddy. In fact, he reminds a lot of a Forrest Gump who took up eating instead of running. In short, it’s a place for keyboard warriors to air their prejudices now that they might get called on it in wider society. It’s not as easy to spout off about mowrees, queers, dykes, and boongers in public bars as it used to be, and thank Cloacina for that.
      The Standard, on the other hand, has some very thoughtful and well constructed posts, with not much cutting and pasting at all. Even though most of the posters here are a bit to my right, I can always make sense of what they post and appreciate the thought that’s gone into their contribution. Then there are Chris73 and King Kong, probably both dud roots and/or cocksmokers, to put it in language they’d understand.

      • Colonial Weka 13.4.1

        Lprent’s analysis from last year

        http://thestandard.org.nz/too-far-3/#comment-504329

      • chris73 13.4.2

        Yeah you keep telling yourself that enough times and maybe you’ll believe it yourself

      • lprent 13.4.3

        I suspect it is simply because we don’t bother just pushing pages and especially images to overseas audiences. We have a almost entirely and steadily growing NZ audience of humans.

        I just find it curious that WO got about 800k page views in December, and then suddenly in the slowest month in the year; Jan; he gets a 20% increase? FFS the humans in NZ are somnolent f most of the month and barely near a computer.

        It could happen I guess if you spent time pushing stuff on Digg or something similar to an overseas audience. But who could really be bothered pushing NZ politics though the SEO

        I suppose WO is more concerned with pushing the advertising revenue than anything else. By it is meaningless otherwise.

  13. North 14

    Alabama Drama. Five Year Old Held Hostage. Survivalist. Tea Party. Dangerous NRA Fuckwits.

    Thank Christ America Has Obama. Because That Means America Is Not Totally Fascist And Insane.

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    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    7 hours ago
  • Bernard's Top 10 @ 10 'pick 'n' mix' at 10:10am on Tuesday, March 19
    TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: Gavin Jacobson talks to Thomas Piketty 10 years on from Capital in the 21st Century The SalvoLocal scoop: Green MP’s business being investigated over migrant exploitation claims Stuff Steve KilgallonLocal deep-dive: The commercial contractors making money from School ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    7 hours ago
  • Bernard's six newsy things on Tuesday, March 19
    It’s a home - but Kāinga Ora tenants accused of “abusing the privilege” may lose it. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The Government announced a crackdown on Kāinga Ora tenants who were unruly and/or behind on their rent, with Housing Minister Chris Bishop saying a place in a state ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    9 hours ago
  • New Life for Light Rail
    This is a guest post by Connor Sharp of Surface Light Rail  Light rail in Auckland: A way forward sooner than you think With the coup de grâce of Auckland Light Rail (ALR) earlier this year, and the shift of the government’s priorities to roads, roads, and more roads, it ...
    Greater AucklandBy Guest Post
    10 hours ago
  • Why Are Bosses Nearly All Buffoons?
    Note: As a paid-up Webworm member, I’ve recorded this Webworm as a mini-podcast for you as well. Some of you said you liked this option - so I aim to provide it when I get a chance to record! Read more ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    12 hours ago
  • Bernard’s six-stack of substacks at 6.06 pm on March 18
    TL;DR: In my ‘six-stack’ of substacks at 6.06pm on Monday, March 18:IKEA is accused of planting big forests in New Zealand to green-wash; REDD-MonitorA City for People takes a well-deserved victory lap over Wellington’s pro-YIMBY District Plan votes; A City for PeopleSteven Anastasiou takes a close look at the sticky ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    24 hours ago
  • Peters holds his ground on co-governance, but Willis wriggles on those tax cuts and SNA suspension l...
    Buzz from the Beehive Here’s hoping for a lively post-cabinet press conference when the PM and – perhaps – some of his ministers tell us what was discussed at their meeting today. Until then, Point of Order has precious little Beehive news to report after its latest monitoring of the ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    1 day ago
  • Labour’s final report card
    David Farrar writes –  We now have almost all 2023 data in, which has allowed me to update my annual table of how  went against its promises. This is basically their final report card. The promise The result Build 100,000 affordable homes over 10 ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    1 day ago
  • “Drunk Uncle at a Wedding”
    I’m a bit worried that I’ve started a previous newsletter with the words “just when you think they couldn’t get any worse…” Seems lately that I could begin pretty much every issue with that opening. Such is the nature of our coalition government that they seem to be outdoing each ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    1 day ago
  • Wang Yi’s perfectly-timed, Aukus-themed visit to New Zealand
    Geoffrey Miller writes – Timing is everything. And from China’s perspective, this week’s visit by its foreign minister to New Zealand could be coming at just the right moment. The visit by Wang Yi to Wellington will be his first since 2017. Anniversaries are important to Beijing. ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    1 day ago
  • Gordon Campbell on Dune 2, and images of Islam
    Depictions of Islam in Western popular culture have rarely been positive, even before 9/11. Five years on from the mosque shootings, this is one of the cultural headwinds that the Muslim community has to battle against. Whatever messages of tolerance and inclusion are offered in daylight, much of our culture ...
    1 day ago
  • New Rail Operations Centre Promises Better Train Services
    Last week Transport Minster Simeon Brown and Mayor Wayne Brown opened the new Auckland Rail Operations Centre. The new train control centre will see teams from KiwiRail, Auckland Transport and Auckland One Rail working more closely together to improve train services across the city. The Auckland Rail Operations Centre in ...
    1 day ago
  • Bernard's six newsy things at 6.36am on Monday, March 18
    Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Retiring former Labour Finance Minister Grant Robertson said in an exit interview with Q+A yesterday the Government can and should sustain more debt to invest in infrastructure for future generations. Elsewhere in the news in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy at 6:36am: Read more ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 day ago
  • Geoffrey Miller: Wang Yi’s perfectly-timed, Aukus-themed visit to New Zealand
    Timing is everything. And from China’s perspective, this week’s visit by its foreign minister to New Zealand could be coming at just the right moment. The visit by Wang Yi to Wellington will be his first since 2017. Anniversaries are important to Beijing. It is more than just a happy ...
    Democracy ProjectBy Geoffrey Miller
    1 day ago
  • The Kaka’s diary for the week to March 25 and beyond
    TL;DR: The key events to watch in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the week to March 18 include:China’s Foreign Minister visiting Wellington today;A post-cabinet news conference this afternoon; the resumption of Parliament on Tuesday for two weeks before Easter;retiring former Labour Finance Minister Grant Robertson gives his valedictory speech in Parliament; ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 day ago
  • Bitter and angry; Winston First
    New Zealand First Leader Winston Peters’s state-of-the-nation speech on Sunday was really a state-of-Winston-First speech. He barely mentioned any of the Government’s key policies and could not even wholly endorse its signature income tax cuts. Instead, he rehearsed all of his complaints about the Ardern Government, including an extraordinary claim ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    2 days ago
  • 2024 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #11
    A listing of 35 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, March 10, 2024 thru Sat, March 16, 2024. Story of the week This week we'll give you a little glimpse into how we collect links to share and ...
    2 days ago
  • 2024 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #11
    A listing of 35 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, March 10, 2024 thru Sat, March 16, 2024. Story of the week This week we'll give you a little glimpse into how we collect links to share and ...
    2 days ago
  • Out of Touch.
    “I’ve been internalising a really complicated situation in my head.”When they kept telling us we should wait until we get to know him, were they taking the piss? Was it a case of, if you think this is bad, wait till you get to know the real Christopher, after the ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    2 days ago
  • Bring out your Dad
    Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    2 days ago
  • Bring out your Dad
    Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    2 days ago
  • Bring out your Dad
    Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    2 days ago
  • The bewildering world of Chris Luxon – Guns for all, not no lunch for kids
    .“$10 and a target that bleeds” - Bleeding Targets for Under $10!.Thanks for reading Frankly Speaking ! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.This government appears hell-bent on either scrapping life-saving legislation or reintroducing things that - frustrated critics insist - will be dangerous and likely ...
    Frankly SpeakingBy Frank Macskasy
    3 days ago
  • Expert Opinion: Ageing Boomers, Laurie & Les, Talk Politics.
    It hardly strikes me as fair to criticise a government for doing exactly what it said it was going to do. For actually keeping its promises.”THUNDER WAS PLAYING TAG with lightning flashes amongst the distant peaks. Its rolling cadences interrupted by the here-I-come-here-I-go Doppler effect of the occasional passing car. ...
    3 days ago
  • Manufacturing The Truth.
    Subversive & Disruptive Technologies: Just as happened with that other great regulator of the masses, the Medieval Church, the advent of a new and hard-to-control technology – the Internet –  is weakening the ties that bind. Then, and now, those who enjoy a monopoly on the dissemination of lies, cannot and will ...
    3 days ago
  • A Powerful Sensation of Déjà Vu.
    Been Here Before: To find the precedents for what this Coalition Government is proposing, it is necessary to return to the “glory days” of Muldoonism.THE COALITION GOVERNMENT has celebrated its first 100 days in office by checking-off the last of its listed commitments. It remains, however, an angry government. It ...
    3 days ago
  • Can you guess where world attention is focussed (according to Greenpeace)? It’s focussed on an EPA...
    Bob Edlin writes –  And what is the world watching today…? The email newsletter from Associated Press which landed in our mailbox early this morning advised: In the news today: The father of a school shooter has been found guilty of involuntary manslaughter; prosecutors in Trump’s hush-money case ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    3 days ago
  • Further integrity problems for the Greens in suspending MP Darleen Tana
    Bryce Edwards writes – Is another Green MP on their way out? And are the Greens severely tarnished by another integrity scandal? For the second time in three months, the Green Party has secretly suspended an MP over integrity issues. Mystery is surrounding the party’s decision to ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    3 days ago
  • Jacqui Van Der Kaay: Greens’ transparency missing in action
    For the last few years, the Green Party has been the party that has managed to avoid the plague of multiple scandals that have beleaguered other political parties. It appears that their luck has run out with a second scandal which, unfortunately for them, coincided with Golraz Ghahraman, the focus ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    3 days ago
  • Bernard’s Dawn Chorus with six newsey things at 6:46am for Saturday, March 16
    TL;DR: The six newsey things that stood out to me as of 6:46am on Saturday, March 16.Andy Foster has accidentally allowed a Labour/Green amendment to cut road user chargers for plug-in hybrid vehicles, which the Government might accept; NZ Herald Thomas Coughlan Simeon Brown has rejected a plea from Westport ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago
  • How Did FTX Crash?
    What seemed a booming success a couple of years ago has collapsed into fraud convictions.I looked at the crash of FTX (short for ‘Futures Exchange’) in November 2022 to see whether it would impact on the financial system as a whole. Fortunately there was barely a ripple, probably because it ...
    PunditBy Brian Easton
    4 days ago
  • Elections in Russia and Ukraine
    Anybody following the situation in Ukraine and Russia would probably have been amused by a recent Tweet on X NATO seems to be putting in an awful lot of effort to influence what is, at least according to them, a sham election in an autocracy.When do the Ukrainians go to ...
    4 days ago
  • Bernard’s six stack of substacks at 6pm on March 15
    TL;DR: Shaun Baker on Wynyard Quarter's transformation. Magdalene Taylor on the problem with smart phones. How private equity are now all over reinsurance. Dylan Cleaver on rugby and CTE. Emily Atkin on ‘Big Meat’ looking like ‘Big Oil’.Bernard’s six-stack of substacks at 6pm on March 15Photo by Jeppe Hove Jensen ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • Buzz from the Beehive Finance Minister Nicola Willis had plenty to say when addressing the Auckland Business Chamber on the economic growth that (she tells us) is flagging more than we thought. But the government intends to put new life into it:  We want our country to be a ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    4 days ago
  • National’s clean car tax advances
    The Transport and Infrastructure Committee has reported back on the Road User Charges (Light Electric RUC Vehicles) Amendment Bill, basicly rubberstamping it. While there was widespread support among submitters for the principle that EV and PHEV drivers should pay their fair share for the roads, they also overwhelmingly disagreed with ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    4 days ago
  • Government funding bailouts
    Peter Dunne writes – This week’s government bailout – the fifth in the last eighteen months – of the financially troubled Ruapehu Alpine Lifts company would have pleased many in the central North Island ski industry. The government’s stated rationale for the $7 million funding was that it ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • Two offenders, different treatments.
    See if you can spot the difference. An Iranian born female MP from a progressive party is accused of serial shoplifting. Her name is leaked to the media, which goes into a pack frenzy even before the Police launch an … Continue reading ...
    KiwipoliticoBy Pablo
    4 days ago
  • Treaty references omitted
    Ele Ludemann writes  – The government is omitting general Treaty references from legislation : The growth of Treaty of Waitangi clauses in legislation caused so much worry that a special oversight group was set up by the last Government in a bid to get greater coherence in the public service on Treaty ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • The Ghahraman Conflict
    What was that judge thinking? Peter Williams writes –  That Golriz Ghahraman and District Court Judge Maria Pecotic were once lawyer colleagues is incontrovertible. There is published evidence that they took at least one case to the Court of Appeal together. There was a report on ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • Bernard's Top 10 @ 10 'pick 'n' mix' for March 15
    TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: Climate Scorpion – the sting is in the tail. Introducing planetary solvency. A paper via the University of Exeter’s Institute and Faculty of Actuaries.Local scoop: Kāinga Ora starts pulling out of its Auckland projects and selling land RNZ ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • The day Wellington up-zoned its future
    Wellington’s massively upzoned District Plan adds the opportunity for tens of thousands of new homes not just in the central city (such as these Webb St new builds) but also close to the CBD and public transport links. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Wellington gave itself the chance of ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • Weekly Roundup 15-March-2024
    It’s Friday and we’re halfway through March Madness. Here’s some of the things that caught our attention this week. This Week in Greater Auckland On Monday Matt asked how we can get better event trains and an option for grade separating Morningside Dr. On Tuesday Matt looked into ...
    Greater AucklandBy Greater Auckland
    4 days ago
  • That Word.
    Something you might not know about me is that I’m quite a stubborn person. No, really. I don’t much care for criticism I think’s unfair or that I disagree with. Few of us do I suppose.Back when I was a drinker I’d sometimes respond defensively, even angrily. There are things ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    4 days ago
  • The Hoon around the week to March 15
    Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The five things that mattered in Aotearoa’s political economy that we wrote and spoke about via The Kākā and elsewhere for paying subscribers in the last week included:PM Christopher Luxon said the reversal of interest deductibility for landlords was done to help renters, who ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • Labour’s policy gap
    It was not so much the Labour Party but really the Chris Hipkins party yesterday at Labour’s caucus retreat in Martinborough. The former Prime Minister was more or less consistent on wealth tax, which he was at best equivocal about, and social insurance, which he was not willing to revisit. ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    5 days ago
  • Skeptical Science New Research for Week #11 2024
    Open access notables A Glimpse into the Future: The 2023 Ocean Temperature and Sea Ice Extremes in the Context of Longer-Term Climate Change, Kuhlbrodt et al., Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society: In the year 2023, we have seen extraordinary extrema in high sea surface temperature (SST) in the North Atlantic and in ...
    5 days ago
  • Melissa remains mute on media matters but has something to say (at a sporting event) about economic ...
     Buzz from the Beehive   The text reproduced above appears on a page which records all the media statements and speeches posted on the government’s official website by Melissa Lee as Minister of Media and Communications and/or by Jenny Marcroft, her Parliamentary Under-secretary.  It can be quickly analysed ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    5 days ago
  • The return of Muldoon
    For forty years, Robert Muldoon has been a dirty word in our politics. His style of government was so repulsive and authoritarian that the backlash to it helped set and entrench our constitutional norms. His pig-headedness over forcing through Think Big eventually gave us the RMA, with its participation and ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    5 days ago
  • Will the rental tax cut improve life for renters or landlords?
    Bryce Edwards writes –  Is the new government reducing tax on rental properties to benefit landlords or to cut the cost of rents? That’s the big question this week, after Associate Finance Minister David Seymour announced on Sunday that the Government would be reversing the Labour Government’s removal ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • Geoffrey Miller: What Saudi Arabia’s rapid changes mean for New Zealand
    Saudi Arabia is rarely far from the international spotlight. The war in Gaza has brought new scrutiny to Saudi plans to normalise relations with Israel, while the fifth anniversary of the controversial killing of Jamal Khashoggi was marked shortly before the war began on October 7. And as the home ...
    Democracy ProjectBy Geoffrey Miller
    5 days ago
  • Racism’s double standards
    Questions need to be asked on both sides of the world Peter Williams writes –   The NRL Judiciary hands down an eight week suspension to Sydney Roosters forward Spencer Leniu , an Auckland-born Samoan, after he calls Ezra Mam, Sydney-orn but of Aboriginal and Torres Strait ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • It’s not a tax break
    Ele Ludemann writes – Contrary to what many headlines and news stories are saying, residential landlords are not getting a tax break. The government is simply restoring to them the tax deductibility of interest they had until the previous government removed it. There is no logical reason ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • The Plastic Pig Collective and Chris' Imaginary Friends.
    I can't remember when it was goodMoments of happiness in bloomMaybe I just misunderstoodAll of the love we left behindWatching our flashbacks intertwineMemories I will never findIn spite of whatever you becomeForget that reckless thing turned onI think our lives have just begunI think our lives have just begunDoes anyone ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago
  • Who is responsible for young offenders?
    Michael Bassett writes – At first reading, a front-page story in the New Zealand Herald on 13 March was bizarre. A group of severely intellectually limited teenagers, with little understanding of the law, have been pleading to the Justice Select Committee not to pass a bill dealing with ram ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • Gordon Campbell on National’s fantasy trip to La La Landlord Land
    How much political capital is Christopher Luxon willing to burn through in order to deliver his $2.9 billion gift to landlords? Evidently, Luxon is: (a) unable to cost the policy accurately. As Anna Burns-Francis pointed out to him on Breakfast TV, the original ”rock solid” $2.1 billion cost he was ...
    5 days ago
  • Bernard's Top 10 @ 10 'pick 'n' mix' for March 14
    TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: Jonathon Porritt calling bullshit in his own blog post on mainstream climate science as ‘The New Denialism’.Local scoop: The Wellington City Council’s list of proposed changes to the IHP recommendations to be debated later today was leaked this ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • No, Prime Minister, rents don’t rise or fall with landlords’ costs
    TL;DR: Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said yesterday tenants should be grateful for the reinstatement of interest deductibility because landlords would pass on their lower tax costs in the form of lower rents. That would be true if landlords were regulated monopolies such as Transpower or Auckland Airport1, but they’re not, ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • Cartoons: ‘At least I didn’t make things awkward’
    This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Tom Toro Tom Toro is a cartoonist and author. He has published over 200 cartoons in The New Yorker since 2010. His cartoons appear in Playboy, the Paris Review, the New York Times, American Bystander, and elsewhere. Related: What 10 EV lovers ...
    5 days ago
  • Solving traffic congestion with Richard Prebble
    The business section of the NZ Herald is full of opinion. Among the more opinionated of all is the ex-Minister of Transport, ex-Minister of Railways, ex MP for Auckland Central (1975-93, Labour), Wellington Central (1996-99, ACT, then list-2005), ex-leader of the ACT Party, uncle to actor Antonia, the veritable granddaddy ...
    Greater AucklandBy Patrick Reynolds
    5 days ago
  • I Think I'm Done Flying Boeing
    Hi,Just quickly — I’m blown away by the stories you’ve shared with me over the last week since I put out the ‘Gary’ podcast, where I told you about the time my friend’s flatmate killed the neighbour.And you keep telling me stories — in the comments section, and in my ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    5 days ago
  • Invoking Aristotle: Of Rings of Power, Stones, and Ships
    The first season of Rings of Power was not awful. It was thoroughly underwhelming, yes, and left a lingering sense of disappointment, but it was more expensive mediocrity than catastrophe. I wrote at length about the series as it came out (see the Review section of the blog, and go ...
    6 days ago
  • Van Velden brings free-market approach to changing labour laws – but her colleagues stick to distr...
    Buzz from the Beehive Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Brooke van Velden told Auckland Business Chamber members they were the first audience to hear her priorities as a minister in a government committed to cutting red tape and regulations. She brandished her liberalising credentials, saying Flexible labour markets are the ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago
  • Why Newshub failed
    Chris Trotter writes – TO UNDERSTAND WHY NEWSHUB FAILED, it is necessary to understand how TVNZ changed. Up until 1989, the state broadcaster had been funded by a broadcasting licence fee, collected from every citizen in possession of a television set, supplemented by a relatively modest (compared ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago
  • Māori Party on the warpath against landlords and seabed miners – let’s see if mystical creature...
    Bob Edlin writes  –  The Māori Party has been busy issuing a mix of warnings and threats as its expresses its opposition to interest deductibility for landlords and the plans of seabed miners. It remains to be seen whether they  follow the example of indigenous litigants in Australia, ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago
  • There’s a name for this
    Every year, in the Budget, Parliament forks out money to government agencies to do certain things. And every year, as part of the annual review cycle, those agencies are meant to report on whether they have done the things Parliament gave them that money for. Agencies which consistently fail to ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    6 days ago
  • Echoes of 1968 in 2024?  Pocock on the repetitive problems of the New Left
    Mike Grimshaw writes – Recent events in American universities point to an underlying crisis of coherent thinking, an issue that increasingly affects the progressive left across the Western world. This of course is nothing new as anyone who can either remember or has read of the late ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago

  • Positive progress for social worker workforce
    New Zealand’s social workers are qualified, experienced, and more representative of the communities they serve, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “I want to acknowledge and applaud New Zealand’s social workers for the hard work they do, providing invaluable support for our most vulnerable. “To coincide with World ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 hours ago
  • Minister confirms reduced RUC rate for PHEVs
    Cabinet has agreed to a reduced road user charge (RUC) rate for plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs), Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. Owners of PHEVs will be eligible for a reduced rate of $38 per 1,000km once all light electric vehicles (EVs) move into the RUC system from 1 April.  ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 hours ago
  • Trade access to overseas markets creates jobs
    Minister of Agriculture and Trade, Todd McClay, says that today’s opening of Riverland Foods manufacturing plant in Christchurch is a great example of how trade access to overseas markets creates jobs in New Zealand.  Speaking at the official opening of this state-of-the-art pet food factory the Minister noted that exports ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    8 hours ago
  • NZ and Chinese Foreign Ministers hold official talks
    Minister of Foreign Affairs Winston Peters met with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Wellington today. “It was a pleasure to host Foreign Minister Wang Yi during his first official visit to New Zealand since 2017. Our discussions were wide-ranging and enabled engagement on many facets of New Zealand’s relationship with China, including trade, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    21 hours ago
  • Kāinga Ora instructed to end Sustaining Tenancies
    Kāinga Ora – Homes & Communities has been instructed to end the Sustaining Tenancies Framework and take stronger measures against persistent antisocial behaviour by tenants, says Housing Minister Chris Bishop. “Earlier today Finance Minister Nicola Willis and I sent an interim Letter of Expectations to the Board of Kāinga Ora. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Speech to Auckland Business Chamber: Growth is the answer
    Tēna koutou katoa. Greetings everyone. Thank you to the Auckland Chamber of Commerce and the Honourable Simon Bridges for hosting this address today. I acknowledge the business leaders in this room, the leaders and governors, the employers, the entrepreneurs, the investors, and the wealth creators. The coalition Government shares your ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Singapore rounds out regional trip
    Minister Winston Peters completed the final leg of his visit to South and South East Asia in Singapore today, where he focused on enhancing one of New Zealand’s indispensable strategic partnerships.      “Singapore is our most important defence partner in South East Asia, our fourth-largest trading partner and a ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Minister van Velden represents New Zealand at International Democracy Summit
    Minister of Internal Affairs and Workplace Relations and Safety, Hon. Brooke van Velden, will travel to the Republic of Korea to represent New Zealand at the Third Summit for Democracy on 18 March. The summit, hosted by the Republic of Korea, was first convened by the United States in 2021, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Insurance Council of NZ Speech, 7 March 2024, Auckland
    ICNZ Speech 7 March 2024, Auckland  Acknowledgements and opening  Mōrena, ngā mihi nui. Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Nor Whanganui aho.  Good morning, it’s a privilege to be here to open the ICNZ annual conference, thank you to Mark for the Mihi Whakatau  My thanks to Tim Grafton for inviting me ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Five-year anniversary of Christchurch terror attacks
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Lead Coordination Minister Judith Collins have expressed their deepest sympathy on the five-year anniversary of the Christchurch terror attacks. “March 15, 2019, was a day when families, communities and the country came together both in sorrow and solidarity,” Mr Luxon says.  “Today we pay our respects to the 51 shuhada ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Speech for Financial Advice NZ Conference 5 March 2024
    Speech for Financial Advice NZ Conference 5 March 2024  Acknowledgements and opening  Morena, Nga Mihi Nui.  Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Nor Whanganui aho. Thanks Nate for your Mihi Whakatau  Good morning. It’s a pleasure to formally open your conference this morning. What a lovely day in Wellington, What a great ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Early visit to Indonesia strengthens ties
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters held discussions in Jakarta today about the future of relations between New Zealand and South East Asia’s most populous country.   “We are in Jakarta so early in our new government’s term to reflect the huge importance we place on our relationship with Indonesia and South ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • China Foreign Minister to visit
    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
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