Open mike 02/07/2012

Written By: - Date published: 6:00 am, July 2nd, 2012 - 67 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…

67 comments on “Open mike 02/07/2012 ”

    • Te Reo Putake 1.1

      Yep, continuing trouble for Key, steady improvement for Labour and the Greens. The next election can’t come too soon, especially with Granny echoing the Tory decline in this morning’s poll result.

      http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10816761

      • chris73 1.1.1

        Well the poll put National up more then Labour and Greens combined but I agree National would like to be higher (mind you so would every party)

        • Te Reo Putake 1.1.1.1

          The real problem for National is the lack of mates. They only lead the Government because of the dirty deals in Epsom and Ohariu and the backing of the Maori party. Lose any of those seats and it is Labour with the best chance of forming a coalition.
           
          Good news for Shearer in the Herald poll, too. NZ seems to be warming to him.

          • muzza 1.1.1.1.1

            “Good news for Shearer in the Herald poll, too. NZ seems to be warming to him”

            –Wonder what will happen if Shearer becomes PM, and gets exposed as the plant that he also is, just like Key…

            Obama comes to mind, and the “hope” that came with him, violently crushed in front of the eyes of those who were fooled by their desperation for “change”

            Didn’t work out too well did it!

            • Te Reo Putake 1.1.1.1.1.1

              What will happen? Shearer will prove himself and competent and capable leader of a progressive, environmentally savvy Government and the good times will come back. However, a small minority of confused NWO conspiriacy theorists will continue to be frustrated when there is no sign that Goldfinger, Dr Evil or KAOS are immimently planning to use death rays from Mars to take over the world.

              • muzza

                Voice if you are right about Shearer and the NZ government going forward, not only will I personally be very happy about it, but I will also be very surprised!

                Your reference to silly characters from movies is childish, and does nothing to cover up the obvious truth that there are entities which control the planet…here are a couple of blatant ones for you to relate to.

                1: The war machine
                2: The banking system

                Nothing hiding in the shadows with those two, and very real global control, between them they have the majority of the world by the throat!

                Both are capable of committing genocide, and currently are doing just that. If you want to ignore that, then so be it, but, by pretending that the elephant, is not in the room, you are endorsing the status quo, and the progressively worse off everyone will become!

                Thanks!

              • vto

                Putake, don’t tell me you are one of these people that doesn’t believe conspiring is part of the human condition and, even more, that conspiring doesn’t exist in the world of politics and power?

                • Te Reo Putake

                  I’m all for a good conspiracy theory, VTO, but I know that its objective truth that collusion goes on at the highest levels, sometimes for good, sometimes for not so good. But I refuse to put aside the day to day struggles to make NZ and the world a better place just because some people think the fix is in.

                  • muzza

                    “But I refuse to put aside the day to day struggles to make NZ and the world a better place just because some people think the fix is in”

                    –Voice, that is fine and well, and I agree!

                    The problem is that people are flying blind in the way that they are trying to make the world a “better place”, we are being robbed of the better place, or the way to go about achieving it, because the “fix is in”.

                    In order that people can have the best chance to achieve a positive outcome, like a sports team, you have to understand your opposition, otherwise how is the positive result expected to be achieved. Hit and hope is all it becomes, and defeat is the only outcome!

                    Thats is why, to me at least, it is important that people have some awareness of what we are all up against, see it for what it is, and when that happens, we will have the best chance of impacting the “genuine change”, which only collective understanding can achieve.

    • KhandallahMan 1.2

      Labour at 32% is still behind the 33% when it LOST the 2008 election.  Labour is NOT improving its position. 4 years of mushy pathetic leadership continues.  They replaced Goff with Sherarer and achhieved what? What?  

      • AnnaLiviaPluraBella 1.2.1

        Give Shearer more time, he has not offended anyone.
          
        If the ratings are still below the 38% level by mid 2013 then it will be time for clean-out of the whole top-tier and their “strategists”! 
         

      • bad12 1.2.2

        Remember these things,(polls),have a margin of error of around 3.5%, if you consider that they might be being deliberately or otherwise mistakenly being read from the high end of the margin in the case of the present Government and having what could be considered the other option Labour/Green/NZFirst continually attributed the % from the low end of the margin if you then reverse that an entirely different picture emerges,

        Consider recently what we have seen of the Prime Minister, smile’n’wave seems to have deserted the Slippery one and in the last month we have been able to catch glimpses of out-right sniveling from Key,

        This has degenerated into the Prime Minister rightly or wrongly feeling under attack from the media beginning to react with anger when pressed by media interviewers on sensitive issues, this hasn’t as yet manifested in our-right abuse from the PM but i can see the point coming where unable to match it with one interviewer or another on an intellectual level Slippery will descend into His form of condescending abuse on one of the national TV channels,

        He ain’t in the sort of ugly little grump of a hissy fit mood recently because everything is going swimmingly for National in the polls and by that i mean National’s own internal polling,

        To understand the point i am making just consider NZFirst for a moment, in that party’s darkest hour, racked by National’s allegations of scandalous behaviour at the 2008 election NZFirst gained 4% of the vote,

        Since that point in time not 1 of the polls broadcast in the mainstream media has put the NZFirst support at more then 3 odd %, yet at the 2011 election NZFirst polled over 6% and there is no logical reason, (except for using the lower % of the margin of error), why NZFirst would be polling less than 5% and i put there support at 5-6%,

        If i reverse the margin of error on the 3 main opposition party’s i can attribute 51% of the vote between them with NZFirst a definite 5%+,

        I have National polling at 43-47% and that is definitely in the realm of being kind to dumb animals as the Tories little gambling site/poll has National tracking far lower,

        Winston probably already knows this but the ‘wild-card’ at and after the next election will probably be for NZFirst dealt off the pack with the name Horan attached, the wannbe next leader of NZFirst with the fake smile switched on and off for the TV cameras has all the attributes of a toy tosser should in the future He not get His way and the opportunity to further Himself via a palace coup present itself…

    • Draco T Bastard 1.3

      Roy Morgan results.

      Today’s New Zealand Roy Morgan Poll shows a rise in support for Prime Minister John Key’s National Party 47.5% (up 1.5% since May 28 — June 7, 2012). Support for Key’s Coalition partners has barely changed with the Maori Party 1.5% (unchanged), United Future 0.5% (unchanged) and ACT NZ 0.5% (up 0.5%).

      • Te Reo Putake 1.3.1

        Draco, you left out the bit where Labour’s vote increased and Shearer continued his rise as preferred PM. This is the sixth Roy Morgan in a row to have a Labour/Green Government as just as likely, or more likely, than another Tory term.

  1. Kim Dotcom is the gift that keeps on giving.  The Herald has obtained emails suggesting that “[t]he Prime Minister’s office was involved in shutting down information showing one government department tipping off another over FBI interest in internet magnate Kim Dotcom long before he was arrested.”

    It appears that the action occurred after Kim was arrested.

    I suspect there is a killer punch somewhere, some evidence that suggests that Key knew about Kimdotcom since well before the day before the arrest as has been reported

    After all the application was significant enough for the FBI to leak information to the DOL and was then used by Simon Power to decline Dotcom’s application to buy sensitive land.

    Are they really suggesting that the PM and Minister in charge of the SIS would not have been told about Kimmy at the same time? 

  2. belladonna 3

    Considering everything the Nats have been doing I would have thought that Labour should be streets ahead in the polls. I am still not confident about Shearer’s ability to lead Labour.

    • Blue 3.1

      I still hear the same thing I heard from people before the last election. They don’t like Key and National but they feel there is no one else to vote for.

      They ignore Labour as an alternative. If they are left they mutter about the Greens, if they are conservative they mutter about NZ First, and if they hate both Winston and the Greens they go back to National as a default position.

      National are shooting themselves in the foot right now, but unless Labour steps up, National will win 2014.

    • AnnaLiviaPluraBella 3.2

      It is worrying Belladonna. And I get very frustrated with the inhabitants of “The Standard” who think that we should rejoice because the joint opposition has a one seat advantage on the polls!

      Think back to the various trip-ups there were during Clark’s last term. Then the Natz hammered the bejaysus out of Labour and inflicted fatal body blows.  They managed to convince people that Helen lacked integrity! 

      Is  the current Leadership duo connecting with the people of NZ and inflicting injuries on Key?  Given the magnitude of the series of GUBU moments (Grotesque, Unbelievable, Bizarre and Unprecedented), the Nats are having a filed day.  
      What do we have to do?
       

      • Te Reo Putake 3.2.1

        What do we have to do? Keep the faith, keep connected with our communities and stop mithering. The next Government is going to be Labour led, unless we talk ourselves out of it.

        • gobsmacked 3.2.1.1

          It’s the leadership who are “mithering” (great word!).

          The next Government should not just be Labour-led, but Labour/Green. It’s quite achievable, with 40/10, or 35/15, or whatever combo you prefer.

          So when Winston Peters attacks Chinese immigrants, should the Labour leader respond:

          1) You’re wrong, Winston.
          2) I like Winston.

          I want to hear 1). But Shearer says 2). That is Labour’s problem, right there. Hoping to cobble something together, with anyone who’s available, rather than saying … “This is US. These are OUR values.”

          To coin a phrase, Hope and Change. Not “ooh, let’s see”.

          • Populuxe1 3.2.1.1.1

            Show me exactly where Peters “attacked” Chinese migrants? Really?

  3. The coiffured one grows a pair and comes out calling the decision to shut down TVNZ 7 “short sighted”.  Shame it did not happen a week earlier.

    http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/political/109651/commercial-station-contract-extended

    • Te Reo Putake 4.1

      Crikey. If only there was someone on teh blogs willing to take credit for Dunne’s occasional flashes of belated common sense 😉

      • mickysavage 4.1.1

        Come back Petey all is forgiven!!

        • deuto 4.1.1.1

          No, no, no ….. please, no

        • yeshe 4.1.1.2

          has he gone, really ??

          • Te Reo Putake 4.1.1.2.1

            A week’s ban for a particularly lame bit of self promotion. I expect he’ll be counting down the minutes till he can start waffling again on the place on earth where he gets taken anywhere near seriously.

      • felix 4.1.2

        TRP I think it’s a mistake to label it as “belated common sense”. It’s more a deliberate positioning strategy.

        All the ambiguity around his position on asset sales, and his absence from parliament during all the debates and votes, was designed to allow him to later position himself whichever way the wind happens to be blowing at the time and with a minimal media trail to avoid being bitten in the arse by his own soundbites.

        Having (more or less, outside of political circles) succeeded at this, the strategy now is to make lots of noise about TV7 (something National couldn’t give a fuck about either way) so in the buildup to 2014 he’s positioned as ‘the guy who spoke out against National a couple of years ago when they started selling everything’.

        It seems an absurdly transparent and impossibly hopeful strategy, relying as it does on the perfect storm of an uninformed public, a bland featureless forgettable public figure and a lazy fourth estate, but 28 consecutive years in parliament does learn you a bit of meteorology.

        • prism 4.1.2.1

          Felix – You have such a way with words! 😀 And so has UnFrocked Dunne, the spoken ones that is. He has a very nice delivery in a semi-bass tone and sounds So Sincere and Authoritative. I thought Russel Norman was beginning to sound a bit stretched and high the other day. If he wants to get on he could do worse than study what St Peter Dunne.

          • felix 4.1.2.1.1

            Yes he definitely has his “Serious Important Person Voice” down pat.

          • Anne 4.1.2.1.2

            @ prism
            Felix not only has a way with words, his insight is remarkable.

            Meteorology is the art of observing the pros and cons of the atmosphere, and figuring out how it might apply to the actual weather. Its not easy, and relies on many years of practise. But in the end, Nature will always prevail. A weather forecaster’s best hope is that they agree with Nature more often than they disagree.

            Peter Dunne has learnt to apply the same technique to parliament and politics. He’s been very successful thus far, but will it suffice him into old age? I think not.

            To be satisfied with an outcome is to know you have made a difference in whatever field of activity you choose to operate. Peter Dunne will have no such satisfaction. He has not contributed one iota to the betterment of his compatriots. Rather, as Te Reo Putake says (below) he has no ambition beyond the personal. As long as he’s financially rewarded and gets thrown a few political crumbs that his dreary support base can laud as acheivements, he”ll never be caught playing hardball.

            History will very quickly forget he ever existed!

        • Te Reo Putake 4.1.2.2

          Quite right, felix. There’s a cynical element to Dunne that I overlooked completely. He has always had the power to save TVNZ7. If he’d said his asset sales vote depended on it, there would be no need for this post. The thing is, he has no ambition beyond the personal. As long as he’s financially rewarded and gets thrown a few political crumbs that his dreary support base can laud as acheivements, he”ll never be caught playing hardball.

    • felix 4.2

      Actually Dunne has spoken in support of TV7 several times that I’ve noticed, most recently on the final Backbenches.

      BUT – and it’s a huge but – it’s all bullshit and lip service. He still voted for the budget and he still backs National to shut down any TV channel they wish to.

      His one-and-a-half supporters (Pete and Monique) might think it’s nice that he says nice things about TV7 but he’s part of the government that killed it, which, just like all the times he spoke about keeping our water assets before he voted to sell them, renders his words entirely hollow.

    • John M 4.3

      And now they’re off to the Ombudsman. That’s really socking it to them. TVNZ must be shitting itself.

  4. Glg 5

    “a plan, I don’t need a plan, I have confidence!” Who said this, John Key or the king from Penguins of Madasgar?

  5. vto 6

    I see Nick Smith has finally and probably inadvertantly blurted out the true reason for sacking Ecan.

    At a federated farmers meeting in the weekend in commenting on proposed new structures for Ecan he said that going back to the past model of purely elected members would lead to the previous urban-rural division which was to blame for the problems.

    So there we have it. The sacking was not because Ecan hadn’t sorted out its water plan it was because the water plan did not suit the rural irrigators. Ecan was sacked because the poor farmers weren’t getting their way with water. Once again the National Party and farmers are proved to have lied and deceived to line their greedy pockets with more money.

  6. What is Colin Craig’s stance on asset sales? Does the Conservative Party leader…

    (A) oppose asset sales, as it states on his party website:

    -Conservative Party: http://www.conservativeparty.org.nz

    (B) oppose asset sales, but wouldn’t let that get in the way of a coalition with National if it meant keeping the centre-right in power?

    -NBR Staff: “Conservative Party’s Craig willing to stand in Epsom, ally with National” National Business Review: 07.05.2012.

    -”Colin Craig determined to keep National in power” 3 News: 07.05.2012.

    (C) opposes asset sales, and backs the Labour/Green CIR petition against asset sales, even given that that’s the core of National’s social spending and government finance policies?

    -Colin Craig: “Binding Referenda can’t come soon enough” Scoop: 27.06.2012.

    Apparently, all three. That is, depending on which month it is, and whether its core objective of binding citizens referenda can be advanced to support its primary aim,, which is the enforcment of sectarian fundamentalist religious social conservatism… and nothing else matters.

    This isn’t serious politics, it’s the mythical Tudor “Vicar of Wakefield“, who changed his denominational affiliation every successive reign- from Catholicism (Henry VII) to Anglicanism (Henry VIII and Edward VI) to Catholicism (Mary I) and back to Anglicanism again (Elizabeth I).

    • prism 7.1

      Well Colin Craig should know that business people don’t like you and give you the cold shoulder if they think you might have difficulties at certain times of the month. He had better get himself sorted if he wants to be seated in the member’s stand.

  7. gobsmacked 8

    There is nothing impressive about Labour’s result in the Herald poll. Looking at the details (such as we have), Labour are still well behind even among women voters. When you consider that National’s message for the past few months has been “Women, fuck off” (I paraphrase!), on everything from parental leave to class sizes to ECE to the environment, it takes remarkable incompetence not to attract more of their votes away from the government. How many more free gifts do Labour want?

    But why would we be surprised? David Shearer has had several chances to make a speech setting out his vision, to connect with actual voters (not caucus hacks), and when he made such a speech, his big headline was … (drum roll) …

    to agree with National on suspending payments to the Cullen find.

    The strategy is Mallard/Pagani, therefore a proven failure. The leader is nice, but so far a failure, and he has squandered his best asset – the freshness of the outsider. He is mouthing other people’s words, so he is not convincing, so the voters are not convinced. This is entirely predictable.

    Yes, Key and National will probably lose the next election. But who to?

    The Labour leader needs to stand for something, or stand aside.

    • prism 8.1

      gobsmacked
      Good line The Labour leader needs to stand for something, or stand aside

      • Bill 8.1.1

        “The Labour leader needs to stand for something, or stand aside.”

        Or maybe he should just front up and talk the words: “I stand before you as an aside.” And then we can all speculate on who’s thoughts are being conveyed to us…

  8. BillODrees 9

    Gobsmacked, is it really disappointing that Labour has not cut it among women. Perhaps Jacinda Ardern needs to be “augmented” by Lianne Dalziel, an electorate MP?
    How mant more opportunities does Jacinda need to make take a role in the minds of the public as the defender of things that are important to women? 

    • belladonna 9.1

      If I remember correctly Jacinda was taking a swipe at beneficiaries during the last election campaign,
      not the sort of person I want in the Labour Party at all. Methinks it is her good looks that appeal to males rather than any sort of appeal to women.

      • Anne 9.1.1

        You do not remember correctly! There is no way Jacinda would do such a thing. Either you lie belladonna or you have been badly misinformed.

        • belladonna 9.1.1.1

          I do not lie. I am fairly sure I heard her have a crack at beneficiaries during the election campaign and how disappointed I was. I would rather be wrong than right in this instance though.
          I think I also heard David Shearer having a crack at them also during the same campaign.

          • Anne 9.1.1.1.1

            You did not hear correctly then. David Shearer was not the leader of the Labour Party at the time of the election campaign and he was not the spokesperson for Social Welfare issues. He was the shadow minister for the Sciences, Research and Development. As for Jacinda, whatever you heard her say, you must have misunderstood her words. There is no way she would have a crack at beneficiaries

  9. The LIBOR stand for the basic interest rate on which the entire global banking system is based and it appears that not only Barclay’s bank but the Bank of England and the entire to big to fail system banking system has been rigging them for several decades and not just between 2005 and 2009.

    This means that every country, Corporation and second tier bank in the world has been ripped off and fleeced for trillions of dollars. I would have thought that a banker such as John Key who now presides over one of those countries would want to get to the bottom of this?

    Here are some questions I would like to ask John Key about the LIBOR rigging scandal? 

  10. John M 11

    Murdoch’s calling somebody else “evil”:

    http://www.stuff.co.nz/world/7204857/Murdoch-attacks-Cruise-creepy-Scientology

    And since when is what an owner of a newspaper says news, anyway? If there’s any news in it at all it should be the irony in the fact Murdoch’s calling somebody else “evil”.

  11. captain hook 12

    read todays dimpost.
    half the the op-ed page is about tom cruise and his spouse and the real news about asian mudflats gets tucked away in Bob Brockies column.
    thats where the newspapers are at these days.

    • Draco T Bastard 12.1

      Yep, saw a huge herald article the other day about a rugby player doing up his home. Shit that just isn’t worth reporting is getting greater and greater coverage.

  12. With the announcement that beneficiaries will have to take drug tests and if the refuse they will loose their benefits and if they fail the will loose them too I thought I’d put in proposal what I think the tests our public servants should undergo before being allowed in the political arena!

  13. captain hook 14

    hey Ev, what is really freaky is it might be that the ‘only’ way banks can make a profit is to rig the market.
    If that is the case then the world is really in sh*t street.

    • No, the banks are up shit creek and the sooner we understand that the sooner we can get rid of them, Total jubilee and no more interest on loans created out of thin air.

    • bad12 14.2

      Aha to both those hypothesis, up the creek without a paddle as far as the Global free market goes and in most entities where ‘manufacturing production’ has been farmed out to ‘other economies’ profit has simply been exhibited by either the outright fraud of Ponzi-scams or by including what is owed as actual money in the bank…

    • Draco T Bastard 14.3

      The only way to make a profit is to rig the market.

  14. Carol 15

    Hmmm… complications for the government’s asset sales agenda….. but I’m not sure a tug-of-war between some Iwi and power companies will benefit the average Kiwi tax payer, Maori or Pakeha.

    http://www.3news.co.nz/Iwi-should-claim-ownership-of-riverbeds—Turia/tabid/1607/articleID/259865/Default.aspx

    Maori party co-leader Tariana Turia is calling on iwi to investigate claiming the ownership of riverbeds around the country.
    [..]
    Her call follows a ruling the Supreme Court made last week about a stretch of the Waikato River at Pouakani, near Mangakino. The ruling declared Crown ownership of the riverbed was null and void, which means ownership could be open to claims by Whanganui tribes.

    Law professor David Williams says the ruling could set a precedent for other rivers.

    “The Supreme Court has essentially blown out of the water the crown’s unambiguous claim to title to the riverbed,” he says.
    […]
    Mighty River Power is the first asset for sale and has eight dams and nine power stations along the Waikato River, three dams of which are within the area of the current claim. Genesis energy is next up, and relies on water from the Whanganui River.

    Such uncertainty about the ownership of the riverbeds critical to the first two asset sales could not have possibly come at a more inconvenient time for the government.

    • millsy 15.1

      Cool, the good old kiwi tradition of a swim down at the swimming hole — gone by lunchtime.

  15. Conclusive proof that “green” and sustainable business works. Chasing fossil fuels will only lead us down a dead end road, the future for Aotearoa is elsewhere Mr Key!
    http://localbodies-bsprout.blogspot.co.nz/2012/07/two-business-stories-about-sustainable.html

Recent Comments

Recent Posts

  • EV road user charges bill passes
    Transport Minister Simeon Brown has welcomed the passing of legislation to move light electric vehicles (EVs) and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) into the road user charges system from 1 April.  “It was always intended that EVs and PHEVs would be exempt from road user charges until they reached two ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    21 hours ago
  • Bill targets illegal, unregulated fishing in international waters
    New Zealand is strengthening its ability to combat illegal fishing outside its domestic waters and beef up regulation for its own commercial fishers in international waters through a Bill which had its first reading in Parliament today. The Fisheries (International Fishing and Other Matters) Amendment Bill 2023 sets out stronger ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    22 hours ago
  • Reserve Bank appointments
    Economists Carl Hansen and Professor Prasanna Gai have been appointed to the Reserve Bank Monetary Policy Committee, Finance Minister Nicola Willis announced today. The Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) is the independent decision-making body that sets the Official Cash Rate which determines interest rates.  Carl Hansen, the executive director of Capital ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    23 hours ago
  • Stronger protections for apartment owners
    Apartment owners and buyers will soon have greater protections as further changes to the law on unit titles come into effect, Housing Minister Chris Bishop says. “The Unit Titles (Strengthening Body Corporate Governance and Other Matters) Amendment Act had already introduced some changes in December 2022 and May 2023, and ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Travel focused on traditional partners and Middle East
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters will travel to Egypt and Europe from this weekend.    “This travel will focus on a range of New Zealand’s traditional diplomatic and security partnerships while enabling broad engagement on the urgent situation in Gaza,” Mr Peters says.   Mr Peters will attend the NATO Foreign ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Keep safe on our roads this Easter
    Transport Minister Simeon Brown is encouraging all road users to stay safe, plan their journeys ahead of time, and be patient with other drivers while travelling around this Easter long weekend. “Road safety is a responsibility we all share, and with increased traffic on our roads expected this Easter we ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Cost of living support for over 1.4 million Kiwis
    About 1.4 million New Zealanders will receive cost of living relief through increased government assistance from April 1 909,000 pensioners get a boost to Superannuation, including 5000 veterans 371,000 working-age beneficiaries will get higher payments 45,000 students will see an increase in their allowance Over a quarter of New Zealanders ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Tenancy reviews for social housing restart
    Ensuring social housing is being provided to those with the greatest needs is front of mind as the Government restarts social housing tenancy reviews, Associate Housing Minister Tama Potaka says. “Our relentless focus on building a strong economy is to ensure we can deliver better public services such as social ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Kermadec Ocean Sanctuary plan halted
    The Kermadec Ocean Sanctuary will not go ahead, with Cabinet deciding to stop work on the proposed reserve and remove the Bill that would have established it from Parliament’s order paper. “The Kermadec Ocean Sanctuary Bill would have created a 620,000 sq km economic no-go zone,” Oceans and Fisheries Minister ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Cutting all that dam red tape
    Dam safety regulations are being amended so that smaller dams won’t be subject to excessive compliance costs, Minister for Building and Construction Chris Penk says. “The coalition Government is focused on reducing costs and removing unnecessary red tape so we can get the economy back on track.  “Dam safety regulations ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Drought support extended to parts of North Island
    The coalition Government is expanding the medium-scale adverse event classification to parts of the North Island as dry weather conditions persist, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay announced today. “I have made the decision to expand the medium-scale adverse event classification already in place for parts of the South Island to also cover the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Passage of major tax bill welcomed
    The passing of legislation giving effect to coalition Government tax commitments has been welcomed by Finance Minister Nicola Willis.  “The Taxation (Annual Rates for 2023–24, Multinational Tax, and Remedial Matters) Bill will help place New Zealand on a more secure economic footing, improve outcomes for New Zealanders, and make our tax system ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Lifting economy through science, tertiary sectors
    Science, Innovation and Technology Minister Judith Collins and Tertiary Education and Skills Minister Penny Simmonds today announced plans to transform our science and university sectors to boost the economy. Two advisory groups, chaired by Professor Sir Peter Gluckman, will advise the Government on how these sectors can play a greater ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Government announces Budget priorities
    The Budget will deliver urgently-needed tax relief to hard-working New Zealanders while putting the government’s finances back on a sustainable track, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says.  The Finance Minister made the comments at the release of the Budget Policy Statement setting out the Government’s Budget objectives. “The coalition Government intends ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Government to consider accommodation solution
    The coalition Government will look at options to address a zoning issue that limits how much financial support Queenstown residents can get for accommodation. Cabinet has agreed on a response to the Petitions Committee, which had recommended the geographic information MSD uses to determine how much accommodation supplement can be ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Government approves extension to Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care
    Cabinet has agreed to a short extension to the final reporting timeframe for the Royal Commission into Abuse in Care from 28 March 2024 to 26 June 2024, Internal Affairs Minister Brooke van Velden says.                                         “The Royal Commission wrote to me on 16 February 2024, requesting that I consider an ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • $18m boost for Kiwis travelling to health treatment
    The coalition Government is delivering an $18 million boost to New Zealanders needing to travel for specialist health treatment, Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says.   “These changes are long overdue – the National Travel Assistance (NTA) scheme saw its last increase to mileage and accommodation rates way back in 2009.  ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • PM’s Prizes for Space to showcase sector’s talent
    The Government is recognising the innovative and rising talent in New Zealand’s growing space sector, with the Prime Minister and Space Minister Judith Collins announcing the new Prime Minister’s Prizes for Space today. “New Zealand has a growing reputation as a high-value partner for space missions and research. I am ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Concerns conveyed to China over cyber activity
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters has confirmed New Zealand’s concerns about cyber activity have been conveyed directly to the Chinese Government.     “The Prime Minister and Minister Collins have expressed concerns today about malicious cyber activity, attributed to groups sponsored by the Chinese Government, targeting democratic institutions in both New ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Independent Reviewers appointed for School Property Inquiry
    Independent Reviewers appointed for School Property Inquiry Education Minister Erica Stanford today announced the appointment of three independent reviewers to lead the Ministerial Inquiry into the Ministry of Education’s School Property Function.  The Inquiry will be led by former Minister of Foreign Affairs Murray McCully. “There is a clear need ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Brynderwyns open for Easter
    State Highway 1 across the Brynderwyns will be open for Easter weekend, with work currently underway to ensure the resilience of this critical route being paused for Easter Weekend to allow holiday makers to travel north, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Today I visited the Brynderwyn Hills construction site, where ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Speech to the Infrastructure Funding & Financing Conference
    Introduction Good morning to you all, and thanks for having me bright and early today. I am absolutely delighted to be the Minister for Infrastructure alongside the Minister of Housing and Resource Management Reform. I know the Prime Minister sees the three roles as closely connected and he wants me ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Parliamentary network breached by the PRC
    New Zealand stands with the United Kingdom in its condemnation of People’s Republic of China (PRC) state-backed malicious cyber activity impacting its Electoral Commission and targeting Members of the UK Parliament. “The use of cyber-enabled espionage operations to interfere with democratic institutions and processes anywhere is unacceptable,” Minister Responsible for ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • NZ to provide support for Solomon Islands election
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters and Defence Minister Judith Collins today announced New Zealand will provide logistics support for the upcoming Solomon Islands election. “We’re sending a team of New Zealand Defence Force personnel and two NH90 helicopters to provide logistics support for the election on 17 April, at the request ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • NZ-EU FTA gains Royal Assent for 1 May entry to force
    The European Union Free Trade Agreement Legislation Amendment Bill received Royal Assent today, completing the process for New Zealand’s ratification of its free trade agreement with the European Union.    “I am pleased to announce that today, in a small ceremony at the Beehive, New Zealand notified the European Union ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • COVID-19 inquiry attracts 11,000 submissions
    Public consultation on the terms of reference for the Royal Commission into COVID-19 Lessons has concluded, Internal Affairs Minister Hon Brooke van Velden says.  “I have been advised that there were over 11,000 submissions made through the Royal Commission’s online consultation portal.” Expanding the scope of the Royal Commission of ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Families to receive up to $75 a week help with ECE fees
    Hardworking families are set to benefit from a new credit to help them meet their early childcare education (ECE) costs, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. From 1 July, parents and caregivers of young children will be supported to manage the rising cost of living with a partial reimbursement of their ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Unlocking a sustainable, low-emissions future
    A specialised Independent Technical Advisory Group (ITAG) tasked with preparing and publishing independent non-binding advice on the design of a "green" (sustainable finance) taxonomy rulebook is being established, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says.  “Comprising experts and market participants, the ITAG's primary goal is to deliver comprehensive recommendations to the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Chief of Army thanked for his service
    Defence Minister Judith Collins has thanked the Chief of Army, Major General John Boswell, DSD, for his service as he leaves the Army after 40 years. “I would like to thank Major General Boswell for his contribution to the Army and the wider New Zealand Defence Force, undertaking many different ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Minister to meet Australian counterparts and Manufacturing Industry Leaders
    25 March 2024 Minister to meet Australian counterparts and Manufacturing Industry Leaders Small Business, Manufacturing, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly will travel to Australia for a series of bi-lateral meetings and manufacturing visits. During the visit, Minister Bayly will meet with his Australian counterparts, Senator Tim Ayres, Ed ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Government commits nearly $3 million for period products in schools
    Government commits almost $3 million for period products in schools The Coalition Government has committed $2.9 million to ensure intermediate and secondary schools continue providing period products to those who need them, Minister of Education Erica Stanford announced today. “This is an issue of dignity and ensuring young women don’t ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Speech – Making it easier to build.
    Good morning, it’s great to be here.   First, I would like to acknowledge the New Zealand Institute of Building Surveyors and thank you for the opportunity to be here this morning.  I would like to use this opportunity to outline the Government’s ambitious plan and what we hope to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Pacific youth to shine from boost to Polyfest
    Minister for Pacific Peoples Dr Shane Reti has announced the Government’s commitment to the Auckland Secondary Schools Māori and Pacific Islands Cultural Festival, more commonly known as Polyfest. “The Ministry for Pacific Peoples is a longtime supporter of Polyfest and, as it celebrates 49 years in 2024, I’m proud to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago
  • 2024 Ngarimu VC and 28th (Māori) Battalion Memorial Scholarships announced
    ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago
  • Speech to Breast Cancer Foundation – Insights Conference
    Before moving onto the substance of today’s address, I want to recognise the very significant and ongoing contribution the Breast Cancer Foundation makes to support the lives of New Zealand women and their families living with breast cancer. I very much enjoy working with you. I also want to recognise ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Kiwi research soars to International Space Station
    New Zealand has notched up a first with the launch of University of Canterbury research to the International Space Station, Science, Innovation and Technology and Space Minister Judith Collins says. The hardware, developed by Dr Sarah Kessans, is designed to operate autonomously in orbit, allowing scientists on Earth to study ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Speech to the New Zealand Planning Institute
    Introduction Thank you for inviting me to speak with you today and I’m sorry I can’t be there in person. Yesterday I started in Wellington for Breakfast TV, spoke to a property conference in Auckland, and finished the day speaking to local government in Christchurch, so it would have been ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Support for Northland emergency response centre
    The Coalition Government is contributing more than $1 million to support the establishment of an emergency multi-agency coordination centre in Northland. Emergency Management and Recovery Minister Mark Mitchell announced the contribution today during a visit of the Whangārei site where the facility will be constructed.  “Northland has faced a number ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Celebrating 20 years of Whakaata Māori
    New Zealanders have enjoyed a broader range of voices telling the story of Aotearoa thanks to the creation of Whakaata Māori 20 years ago, says Māori Development Minister Tama Potaka. The minister spoke at a celebration marking the national indigenous media organisation’s 20th anniversary at their studio in Auckland on ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Some commercial fishery catch limits increased
    Commercial catch limits for some fisheries have been increased following a review showing stocks are healthy and abundant, Ocean and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. The changes, along with some other catch limit changes and management settings, begin coming into effect from 1 April 2024. "Regular biannual reviews of fish ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

Page generated in The Standard by Wordpress at 2024-03-29T01:36:56+00:00