Open mike 05/07/2015

Written By: - Date published: 6:00 am, July 5th, 2015 - 49 comments
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49 comments on “Open mike 05/07/2015 ”

  1. Paul 1

    Just another piece of evidence to show how bad the supermarket duopoly is.
    We are being literally and metaphorically being milked.

    http://www.nzherald.co.nz/opinion/news/article.cfm?c_id=466&objectid=11475457

  2. les 2

    would blame Fonterra for this.International mkt price down,rinse old faithful domestic consumer.p.s and lay off a few hundred workers…whats the big cheese salary band again?

  3. Morrissey 3

    “Well look this is a tinder-dry area and extraordinarily, errr, ancestral in nature.”
    Winston Peters’ fatuous comments about Gaza

    Native Affairs, Māori Television, Monday 29 June 2015

    Last Monday night, Māori Television’s normally excellent Native Affairs programme did what the other channels here have lacked the courage and the conscience to do: it invited people on to talk about the latest incident of Israeli piracy in international waters.

    It was a promising idea—the programme was, after all, fronted by the excellent Mihingarangi Forbes. Unfortunately, however, after a brief introductory discussion with Kia Ora Gaza’s Roger Fowler, it was all down-hill. The other guests were all politicians, most of whom did not seem more than vaguely familiar with the situation in Gaza. Even the best of the four on offer, Greens co-leader Metiria Turei, resolutely steered away from mentioning that the blockade was illegal.

    Māori Party leader Te Ururoa Flavell and Labour’s Nanaia Mahuta made some comments supportive of the peace protestors, but neither of them seemed to have much knowledge of the situation.

    At the 6:38 mark, it was the turn of the New Zealand First leader to demonstrate the depth and seriousness of his research into the matter at hand. Unfortunately, he doesn’t seem to have read anything, let alone given it more than a passing thought….

    MIHINGARANGI FORBES: Winston, should New Zealand recognize Palestine as an independent state? Currently around a hundred and thirty-five U.N. countries do; we don’t.

    WINSTON PETERS: Well look this is a tinder-dry area and it’s extraordinarily, errr, ancestral in nature. Uh, there ARE people working on a long-term solution, errr, that wi- would be acceptable to both sides, but in the middle of it has come this event, for which none of us is seriously briefed, and, ahh, I’m not going to jump into an argument without knowing the details on both sides, but this will not be, would not resolve THIS matter. Ahh, there ARE people trying to get past the present impasse that’s gone on now for decades, and trying to bring it to a resolution, and that’s what we in New Zealand First and I believe, indeed, the Government supports.

    After that grim exercise in saying nothing, it was turn of the Labour Party representative. She was almost as mealy-mouthed and vague as Peters….

    NANAIA MAHUTA: Well New Zealand’s long played a role in international peace-keeping and also, ah, supporting humanitarian aid, ah so that’s an important role that we have to continue on the Security Council. On the particular, though, it’s the — the first priority though must go to those who have been detained, and in particular, those New Zealanders who are over there. Ah, and I’m sure that the Government will have eyes on this particular situation. It IS a tinderbox, so we’re going into a live area. It is a sensitive situation, it will require negotiation. But we cannot get away from the fact that an independent Palestinian state, which Labour HAS supported, I think we first voiced it in 2005, is a matter of negotiation, and it will require, uh, an ongoing effort to look for a solution there in Gaza. …..

    http://www.maoritelevision.com/news/national/native-affairs-political-panel-pt1-gaza?utm_source=brightcove&utm_medium=button&utm_campaign=share%20this%20video

  4. Morrissey 4

    Holocaust survivors condemn Israel for Gaza massacre, call for boycott

    In response to Elie Wiesel’s bizarre advertisement comparing Hamas to Nazis, 327 Jewish Holocaust survivors and descendants published a New York Times ad accusing Israel of ‘ongoing massacre of the Palestinian people.’

    http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/1.612072

    When Elie Wiesel spoke at Saint Louis University on December 1, 2009, three women challenged him to break his silence about Gaza and to travel with them on the Gaza Freedom March to see for himself the devastation caused by Israel’s Operation Cast Lead in December 2008 and the ongoing siege.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w4wkR1IUUE8

    Five years later, and the old hypocrite has still not gone to Gaza.

  5. AmaKiwi 5

    It’s time to put some cold, hard cash under the mattress.

    In the 2008-09 financial meltdown there was a deadly serious danger NZ banks would freeze up. We borrow heavily. Two-thirds of the money we borrow comes from outside the country. If NZ banks can’t borrow, they can’t pay us. Funds frozen!

    Let’s assume last week’s 30% crash in Chinese shares and/or the Greek Euro crisis equals a 5% probability international finance markets will seize up, blocking your unfettered access to your bank accounts.

    If the risk is 5%, NZ banks should be paying you at least 7% or 8% interest to risk leaving your money with them. They don’t.

    It’s called risk/reward ratio. Today your risk is hugely greater than the possible reward.

    The logical thing is to withdraw your money as cash . . . . NOW.

    • Lanthanide 5.1

      So on the basis of a 5% number you just made up, we should take our money out of the banks?

      What if the chances of this happening is now 0.1%, and previously was 0.01%.

      Then the 3-4% interest the banks are paying is still reasonable reward for the risk, correct?

    • Draco T Bastard 5.2

      NZ banks can always borrow from the RBNZ as the Lender of Last Resort. The problem Greece has is that the ECB is no longer loaning to Greek banks so as to punish the Greeks for what the private banks in Germany and elsewhere did.

      • mikesh 5.2.1

        “the ECB is no longer loaning to Greek banks so as to punish the Greeks for what the private banks in Germany and elsewhere did.”

        And also for having the temerity to elect a left wing government.

  6. FAB Mouse 6

    Joyce on “The Nation” said something like “Dairy is not that big, its 5% … Kiwifruit is 2%”. Paddy tried to say its 20% but Joyce stuck to his 5%. Should Paddy have clarified what it was a percentage of?
    Joyce doesn’t appear to be comparing apples with apples as Dairy is approx $11 billion and Kiwifruit about $1 billion (from a very quick google search). Has Kiwifruit increased recently to $4 billion? Why didn’t Joyce just say Kiwifruit is 30% of GDP (and leave out that that figure is for the Bay of Plenty)? Who would challenge him?

    • AmaKiwi 6.1

      “Who would challenge him?”

      Not the MSM. Spineless, useless, entertainment for profit.

      The entire Washington Press Corps knew Ronald Regan did not have a functioning brain. Questions for his “press conferences” were submitted 24 hours in advance. They were numbered and the “lucky” reporters whose questions had been chosen for an answer were told which number their question would be and told it must be asked precisely as it was submitted. There were never follow-up questions. Then Regan read the answers from a teleprompter.

      20 years later we were told Ronnie is dead. Died of Alzheimers.

      He had Alzheimers when he was POTUS and NO ONE said a word. They didn’t want to be tossed out of Washington for telling the truth that everyone in Washington already knew!

      The so-called “most powerful man in the world” was brain dead!

      John Campbell was lethal because he asked the questions by showing examples, not by confronting ministers head-on.

      • greywarshark 6.1.1

        Amakiwi
        Have you a link to that piece on Ronald Reagan’s head. It always seemed to be that he was a good one liner, or joker, and indeed there is a recurring photo with him and a lot of suits falling about in high glee, or for a photo shoot! That seemed to be his main pulling power.

        • AmaKiwi 6.1.1.1

          “In August 1994, at the age of 83, Reagan was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease,[289] an incurable neurological disorder which destroys brain cells and ultimately causes death.[289][290] In November, he informed the nation through a handwritten letter.”

          https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ronald_Reagan#Alzheimer.27s_disease

          Any critical biography of Reagen will cite numerous examples of his diminished mental capacity which became obvious during his second term.

    • b waghorn 6.2

      Dairy is 20% of exports and 5% of GDP is how I understood it.
      The interesting thing I noted is the “don’t talk it down” meme ,Paul Henry was chucking that line about last week , he obviously had been handed his instructions on what to say. just in case we needed more proof of his being a PR man for national.

  7. greywarshark 7

    User-pays for burial costs in Auckland must go up to match the contractors costs. Some well spoken woman explains this in a TINA tone. This should be a service that is subsidised if necessary. When you view it objectively, user cannot pay, and if the family and connections have little money how are they to manage? Cold hearted, money-mad Auckland council. The pits of NZ.

    2009 costs went up.
    (Note the unsuitable council department making cemetery policy!)

    http://www.stuff.co.nz/auckland/local-news/central-leader/2333960/Burial-costs-going-up
    The Auckland City Council’s arts, culture and recreation committee voted last Wednesday to raise the charges over the 2009/2010financial year.
    The three council cemeteries are Hillsborough, Waikaraka and Otahuhu.
    An adult plot now costs $1027, with another $507 in digging fees.
    With the increase, the total cost will go up to $1917.
    There are also other costs to take into account when burying loved ones.
    Being buried on a Saturday can already add $195 to $377, a public holiday burial currently costs an extra $377 and reopening an occupied plot costs an extra $130.
    Those fees will all go up….
    Councillor Cathy Casey told the meeting she was concerned the increase is to be applied to all the cemeteries, when some were “five star” and some were “one star”.
    She moved an amendment for a 2.6 percent price increase instead. A 25 percent increase in the first year is outrageous in the current climate. When someone dies it’s a huge expense,” she said.

    2015 costs go up.
    Fees for burial plots across the Auckland region increased by an average 22 per cent, fees for ash plots by 14 per cent, and internment fees by 132 per cent…
    An example of the impact of the fees rise was at Manukau Memorial Gardens, where a burial plot cost had gone up 15 per cent from $3464 to $4000, plus interment fee of $1072.
    A Papakura burial plot went up 19 per cent from $1678 to $2000 and interment went up by $857 to $1400 or a 158 per cent rise.
    At Waikumete, a fee for the ash plot garden rose 48 per cent from $1708 to $2533 plus interment of $300.
    Funeral Directors Association CE Mrs Shanks said that Work and Income provides funeral grants of up to $2008 to cover burial, plot and cremation charges but this would not cover costs, she said.

    Where is the empathy for poor people in grief from family deaths? Perhaps there needs to be a paupers area as in the past when we actually acknowledged that poverty existed.
    And the recession impacting as much now as then, or worse, while costs continue to rise in excess of income.
    Interesting how culture is against cremation.

    The council has earmarked $46.5 million to expand cemetery areas in the next 10 years in view of more than 70 per cent of people favouring burial over cremation.

  8. Philip Ferguson 8

    Many people are aware of the 1951 waterfront lockout, when the National Party government of Sid Holland brought in draconian legislation and imposed six months of strong-arm state tactics to defeat the wharfies and their allies who comprised the vanguard of the organised labour movement and wider woring class. Much less well-known, however – even though it was very much one of the precursors of 1951 – is the 1949 Auckland carpenters’ dispute in which the union was deregistered by the first Labour government as part of its sustained assault on the most progressive sections of the union movement. . .

    full at: https://rdln.wordpress.com/2015/06/02/1949-auckland-carpenters-dispute-labour-bosses-versus-the-workers/

  9. Philip Ferguson 9

    As is usual with lay-offs here, the Fonterra ones seem to be meeting with no opposition. Below are a small collection of articles about when workers actually fight, most particularly a series of workplace occupations. Among the pieces are an interview I did with a spokesperson for the Vio.me factory occupation in Thessaloniki in Greece:
    https://rdln.wordpress.com/2015/02/06/when-workers-occupy/

  10. Philip Ferguson 10

    Today, Greek voters take part in a referendum on whether to accept or reject the austerity measures the troika (IMF, European Central Bank, and EU Commission) wish to impose on them.

    Below is a summary from information we received from a prominent source within Syriza about where things stand: https://rdln.wordpress.com/2015/07/02/eyewitness-in-greece-we-need-a-no-vote/

    And here’s an article by a central committee member on the way forward in Greece: https://rdln.wordpress.com/2015/03/11/the-road-forward-for-syriza-a-view-from-a-central-committee-member/

    Phil

  11. Draco T Bastard 11

    OXI – An Act of Resistance

    The film is a direct response to the current crisis, being imposed on European countries under the name ‘AUSTERITY’. It also addresses many of the misperceptions of Greek culture and history that are promoted as part of a program of destructive propaganda against the country and its people.

    Some people may find it interesting.

  12. Molly 12

    Apologies if I’ve missed any previous comments on this article, but just got back from coffee with a friend who pointed it out from yesterday’s Herald:

    Violence charges against police officer withdrawn

    From reading through it seems that the violence was considerable and on-going for several years. The police officer was one of four family members, and had charges laid separately from the other three defendants.

    The Crown applied to have the officer stand trial with the other three but in February Judge Anna Johns ruled there would have to be two trials because the allegations against the policeman were separate from the others.

    The judge said there was no suggestion anyone else was present during his reported attacks, which the victim said happenned up to twice a week.

    “To have the defendant’s matters heard with the others would unduly prejudice his trial, especially as allegations of prolonged family abuse would lead to feelings of disgust with members of the jury,” his lawyer James Maddox said.

    Judge Johns agreed.

    The trial for the three other accused – on 18 charges between them – will start in November and the Crown eventually decided in May that “public interest points away from proceeding against [the police officer].

    Four charges of assault with a weapon and one of assaulting a child were withdrawn.”

    I’ve ended up posting most of the article, but the reason given by the Crown Prosecutor seem fairly weak, and what has been reported seem extreme to dismiss so cavalierly.

    “”The Crown is of the view the child’s wellbeing may be jeopardised by a second set of proceedings. That is a risk the Crown is not willing to take,” prosecutor Eliza Walker said.

    But both defence counsel and the judge said there was no evidence of any great emotional toll on the young girl.

    “I see keeping [him] separate as not ultimately putting any additional stress on the complainant,” Judge Johns said.

    Court documents alleged that between 2012 and 2014 the cop also used his police belt as a weapon against the girl.

    The complainant told interviewers that in one instance he “whacked” her five times and punched her as she lay on the ground, before dragging her along the floor by her legging and striking her again with the belt.

    But the court recognised the allegations against the other three defendants as being more serious.

    The Crown outlined the most serious incident, which allegedly began with the girl being punched, hit with a stick and sat on.

    The police summary said she was held down while someone grabbed an electric bread knife from the kitchen in a bid to cut off her nipple.

    “Fortunately, the knife did not work.”

    Further incidents allegedly saw the young relative dragged around the house by her hair, with such force clumps were pulled out.

    And she also reported times when she was punched and had her head smashed into a brick wall outside the church they all attended.”

    • Charles 12.1

      Difficult to untangle what legal jugglings went on in that one. The cop had some charges withdrawn, then the story quickly goes into description of someone else’s offences, then jumps back to him. It finishes up by saying although the Crown withdrew charges, the court may re-lay them. My understanding of “In the public interest” is to avoid unsettling the population, e.g. We can’t have cops being seen to be the bad guys, or, to avoid exposing personal details (personal privacy issues) the public don’t need to know. Which is contradicted by the final sentence which says charges may be re-laid. I don’t know how they go about their decisions. From here, the cop doesn’t sound like the kind of guy you want wandering around freely or in the Police, and the court saying “She doesn’t appear to under extra stress…” just sounds ignorant/absurd. Big bad World out there.

  13. Draco T Bastard 13

    Tax: The Facts

    The problem is the sophisticated lobby of the wealthy. American elections are now multi million dollar affairs. Aspiring politicians try to outdo each other in the size of their campaign war chests. Politicians of all shades become beholden to the wealthy who can liberally fund election campaigns. And the lobbying continues right up to the next election.

    Oligarchs keep their riches out of state coffers through what Winters calls the ‘Wealth Defense Industry.’ This is the cadre of professionals hired to lobby government and advise ways of hiding wealth, often through keeping it in tax havens. The Wealth Defence Industry represents an army of lawyers, accounting firms, and high paid lobbyists.

    The same can, no doubt, be said of NZ politics.

  14. Chooky 14

    Some are calling for a new Left Party …as Labour seems to be failing and is not making any headway going it alone… (see ‘Guest Post – What is Little’s vision for New Zealand?’)

    However rather than start a yet another new left party …better and more practical to use the existing ‘left’ opposition parties with their structures and existing politicians but have an overall ‘Left Umbrella Coalition’:

    1.)…so that co-operation is the order of the day and NOT knee-capping

    2.)…the objective being to get rid of this present government …this should over-ride all other objectives!

    ….with Metiria Turei at the helm of this coalition:

    1.)…. Metiria Turei is an experienced Left and environmental politician with an impeccable record.

    2.)…..she has already shown she can work with Mana/Int and Labour and NZF….

    3.)…she is attractive to the 50% women vote and the Maori vote, as well as the Left vote

    4.)… she is fair and balanced and has mana

    • Grant 14.1

      We could call it the Alliance. Oh, hang on…

      • Chooky 14.1.1

        @ Grant…excuse me that is NOT what I meant!

        The Alliance was a new left startup party in opposition to neolib Labour and neolib National

        …I thought i made it quite clear that a ‘Left Umbrella Coalition’ would NOT REPLACE existing parties…rather co-ordinate so they can work co-operatively

        …ie there would be representatives from each of the existing parties who would be part of this organisation…which would work with the objective of collectively ousting this present government…not in competition to knee-cap each other…hence killing the opposition and letting jonkey nactional in

        • Draco T Bastard 14.1.1.1

          The Alliance was a new left startup party in opposition to neolib Labour and neolib National

          No it wasn’t. It was an alliance of left parties including the Greens, New Labour and a few others.

          • Chooky 14.1.1.1.1

            yes but they were all newbies…and the Alliance did not cooperate with Labour and Helen Clark to win an election…letting National win…so NOT what I meant

            … i suggest a model more like the FOL ie a loose knit group of unions

    • Charles 14.2

      Sounds like a good idea – present the coalition to the public before the election. Fair, open, no hidden uncertainties. Terribly unorthodox. That’d put the wind up them.

    • b waghorn 14.3

      If you saw Ron marks on the nation I think its clear that the nats are nzfs natural home.

      • Chooky 14.3.1

        @ b waghorn re – NZF’s “natural home” is with National

        1) Ron Marks does not run NZF….Winston does ( NZF on sale of State Assets?…more aligned with Labour and the Greens…as with many other issues eg overseas ownership of NZ land and housing)

        2 ) Ron Marks wants NZ troops withdrawn from Iraq….so questionable “nats are NZF’s natural home”

        3.) NZF has spent more time in successful coalition with Helen Clark’s Labour Party Government than with National …which NZF pulled the plug on and forced out of office after a very short time and on the continued sale of State Assets

        http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/68856819/call-to-withdraw-new-zealand-troops-from-iraq

  15. Philip Ferguson 15

    Just like in New Zealand –

    “Each year, when the Pride march in London comes around, the claims that it has become commercialised and separated from its roots get stronger. This year was no different, with the movement becoming more splintered than ever – the divisions are clearer between its traditional left support and the newer, corporate-sponsored wing. . . ”

    full at: https://rdln.wordpress.com/2015/07/04/pride-in-london-lgbt-incorporation-and-commercialisation/

  16. Jenny Kirk 16

    I can’t get over just how trivial both the Saturday Herald and Sunday Star-Times have become. We bought one of each this weekend for the first time in a very long while (we needed them to help light the fire!) and the only decent things I found to read were Rod Oram’s column in SST and John Armstrong in the Herald. The rest was light and fluffy – for a wet weekend, not much reading in ’em at all ! !

    • BM 16.1

      I find paper useless for lighting the fire these days.

      The water proof inks they use now has made the paper pretty much fire proof.

      Best bet is to go get some of those budget fire lighters, so much more effective.

  17. Jenny Kirk 17

    It sounds like you’re saying, BM, that the Herald and SST are of no use whatsoever ? Not even for lighting fires.

  18. Penny Bright 18

    FYI – former Labour Party President Mike Williams view – supporting the Hawkes Bay amalgamation.

    Interesting that Labour MP Stuart Nash is strongly and actively opposing the Hawkes Bay amalgamation.

    Where’s the ‘cost-benefit’ analysis of the disastrous forced Auckland ‘Supercity for the 1%’ amalgamation?

    “What couldn’t be predicted was the release of the final report of the Local Government Commission on the proposed amalgamation of the five councils that make up Hawke’s Bay. You’d have to be living under a large boulder if you don’t know what that was, and what happens next.

    Although amalgamation plans for Northland and the Wellington region were dropped, the Local Government Commission found sufficient local support in Hawke’s Bay to confirm their (slightly) revised proposal.

    From an outsider who grew up in Hawke’s Bay, loves the place and visits often, this seems a very heartening next step and I hope that local people who will make the final decision in a referendum grab the opportunity for unity. …”

    What is needed, in my view, is the proper implementation of the Public Records Act 2005, and the completion of ‘transparency templates’ – which establish ‘costs datums’ available for public scrutiny, so the public can see where exactly public rates monies are being spent on Council services and regulatory functions.

    It’s time to OPEN THE BOOKS so that citizens and ratepayers can ‘follow the dollar’ …..

    Penny Bright

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    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
    6 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
    8 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
    22 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
    The Government is proud to support the 10th edition of Crankworx Rotorua as the Crankworx World Tour returns to Rotorua from 16-24 March 2024, says Minister for Economic Development Melissa Lee.  “Over the past 10 years as Crankworx Rotorua has grown, so too have the economic and social benefits that ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Government delivering on tax commitments
    Legislation implementing coalition Government tax commitments and addressing long-standing tax anomalies will be progressed in Parliament next week, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The legislation is contained in an Amendment Paper to the Taxation (Annual Rates for 2023–24, Multinational Tax, and Remedial Matters) Bill issued today.  “The Amendment Paper represents ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Significant Natural Areas requirement to be suspended
    Associate Environment Minister Andrew Hoggard has today announced that the Government has agreed to suspend the requirement for councils to comply with the Significant Natural Areas (SNA) provisions of the National Policy Statement for Indigenous Biodiversity for three years, while it replaces the Resource Management Act (RMA).“As it stands, SNAs ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Government classifies drought conditions in Top of the South as medium-scale adverse event
    Agriculture Minister Todd McClay has classified the drought conditions in the Marlborough, Tasman, and Nelson districts as a medium-scale adverse event, acknowledging the challenging conditions facing farmers and growers in the district. “Parts of Marlborough, Tasman, and Nelson districts are in the grip of an intense dry spell. I know ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Government partnership to tackle $332m facial eczema problem
    The Government is helping farmers eradicate the significant impact of facial eczema (FE) in pastoral animals, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay announced.  “A $20 million partnership jointly funded by Beef + Lamb NZ, the Government, and the primary sector will save farmers an estimated NZD$332 million per year, and aims to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • NZ, India chart path to enhanced relationship
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters has completed a successful visit to India, saying it was an important step in taking the relationship between the two countries to the next level.   “We have laid a strong foundation for the Coalition Government’s priority of enhancing New Zealand-India relations to generate significant future benefit for both countries,” says Mr Peters, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Ruapehu Alpine Lifts bailout the last, say Ministers
    Cabinet has agreed to provide $7 million to ensure the 2024 ski season can go ahead on the Whakapapa ski field in the central North Island but has told the operator Ruapehu Alpine Lifts it is the last financial support it will receive from taxpayers. Cabinet also agreed to provide ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Govt takes action to drive better cancer services
    Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says the launch of a new mobile breast screening unit in Counties Manukau reinforces the coalition Government’s commitment to drive better cancer services for all New Zealanders. Speaking at the launch of the new mobile clinic, Dr Reti says it’s a great example of taking ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Govt takes action to drive better cancer services
    Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says the launch of a new mobile breast screening unit in Counties Manukau reinforces the coalition Government’s commitment to drive better cancer services for all New Zealanders. Speaking at the launch of the new mobile clinic, Dr Reti says it’s a great example of taking ...
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    6 days ago
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