Open mike 07/09/2011

Written By: - Date published: 6:00 am, September 7th, 2011 - 64 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…

64 comments on “Open mike 07/09/2011 ”

  • Comments are now closed

  2. logie97 2
    7 September 2011 at 7:29 am

    Congratulations must go to our government and media.
    The man who holds the most important role in the world,
    someone who is asked by the whole world to lead them is
    in New Zealand.

    What was the amount of publicity given to his coming here?
    Where was Joky Hen?

    Seems the World famous in New Zealand RWC was more important
    an event.

    Welcome to New Zealand Ban Ki Moon.

  3. travellerev 3
    7 September 2011 at 8:23 am

    Nobody seems to notice,nobody seems to care.
    Ladies and Gentlemen I give you George Carlin in what is arguably one of his finest moments: The American dream, you have to be asleep to believe it!!
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wV1lZMTCqf8&feature=related

    • marsman 3.1
      7 September 2011 at 9:41 am

      Excellent video clip!

    • uke 3.2
      7 September 2011 at 2:55 pm

      Yeah, he’s to the point – but isn’t it all a bit weird with the well-dressed audience cheering away and whistling. Shouldn’t they be getting angry? Guess they’re not that touched by the recession yet. I wonder how a hungry crowd at a Detroit tent city would respond to the same spiel. 

  4. Peter 4
    7 September 2011 at 9:12 am

    Fracking Hawke’s Bay

    Oil and gas exploration throughout Hawkes Bay announced

    http://www.hawkesbaytoday.co.nz/news/search-for-bays-black-gold/1092929/

    Possible issues include water contamination from unknown commercially sensitive chemicals and skin disease.

    • aerobubble 4.1
      7 September 2011 at 9:38 am

      Its a give away. Pretty much anyone with any integrity knows oil is running down,
      so in a decade or two when these oil and gas wells are at maximum capacity
      we’re be wanting to lynch the b@stards who sold it so cheap. These resources
      should be government owned since after all when the mistakes do happen the
      tax payer is going to have to pay for the cleanup.

    • prism 4.2
      7 September 2011 at 9:38 am

      @Peter – ” unknown commercially sensitive chemicals and skin disease.That is an interesting point.” Not to be even able to get information on what is causing the trouble, and the possible downstream further troubles from some process. Well that leaves us as unknowing and helpless as the heritage tribes in forests and jungles having the rich smart guys utilising the natural resources around without a second thought, after the first one “I can make money from this.”

    • uke 4.3
      7 September 2011 at 2:56 pm

      Interesting there’s a fracking apologist popping up in the comments to that HBT article with a gas industry website link and all.

  5. Rijab 5
    7 September 2011 at 9:34 am

    Anyone else notice the brilliant display of journalism on stuff re:Carter’s departure?

    http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/5575001/Former-Labour-MPs-farewell-swipe-at-Goff

    Headline: “Former Labour MP’s farewell swipe at Goff”

    Only reference in the entire article: “He did not name Mr Goff, but after a reference to the qualities that make for strong leadership, he said loyalty was “a two way process. It is earned and not an automatic right”.

    • prism 5.1
      7 September 2011 at 9:42 am

      @Rijab – That isn’t good reporting or journalism that’s playing pin the tail on the donkey, once the blindfolded one gets near the target, chooses the spot and then checks whether he found the arse-end, the rest of the donkey doesn’t count.

    • prism 5.2
      7 September 2011 at 12:29 pm

      @Rijab – Yes poor journalism from the school of sports and sensation – will Carter sock Goff on the jaw? And the easy reference to overspending on travel. He was criticised but undertook that as part of his role didn’t he? Before the rise of outraged taxpayers baying for politicians blood. Politicians do have to know what the world is up to, here at the bottom of the world. Who do the citizens hate today?

    • Puddleglum 5.3
      7 September 2011 at 10:16 pm

      I heard the National Radio political reporter saying that all the journalists went along to see Carter take a swipe at Goff but, to the Nat Rad journalist’s credit, he noted that Carter did not.

      He also noted that the only point in the speech that you could in any way read a swipe at Goff was the quote you’ve just noted that stuff picked up on. His view was that you’d have to be really stretching to read that into it. In his words, that phrase was only a ‘swipe’:

      “If you tried desperately to look for a hidden shot at Phil Goff” (obviously the stuff journalist was feeling a bit desperate)

      but

      “you would have to draw a long bow to see anything bitter in that”

      (those quotes start about 1min 40secs into the interview).

      Here’s the interview here 

  6. prism 6
    7 September 2011 at 10:06 am

    Bullying in school. Extremely bad. Not dealt with by Board of Trustees or Principal. Not reported to the police or authorities. Neither controlled by teachers who were afraid of retaliation, or by the school management with action against it such as suspension with social workers dealing with the family of the bully, an agreed anti-bullying program in school spelling out acceptable behaviour, approaches to help counteract it first personally, and then with backing from a supportive team in the school. Also looking at personal standards and respect and then showing respect for others.

    The Ombudsman has found serious examples of bullying at Hutt Valley High School out of Wellington. These came to a head in December 2007. This revelation confirms my opinion that Tomorrow’s Schools policy has a serious flaw in leaving all matters relating to a school in the control of trustees.

    Ultimately we as a nation want our children educated, and in behaviours that are at a higher level than for a life short and brutish, as well as facts and symbols and methods of learning we need to know for a complex ‘advanced’ society. The government through its Ministry of Education should be on the scene fast to ensure a change of direction when things go wrong, not come reluctantly after serious damage is done to students self-image and psychology, and that refers to both the bullied and the bullies.

    Young people who break the invisible barriers of personal control and responsibility, and find they can disrespect others with impunity have learned a toxic skill that they may go on to use for their advancement and personal satisfaction throughout life. But amoral people in society are destructive to the fabric of a good society that relies on trust, though we usually don’t recognise this. There has been work done on measuring possible levels of psychopathology in businesses. The detrimental things that such people initiate have become very noticeable over the years.

    And the methods used in the police raid on Tuhoe show a definite psychopathic tendency by police management, even if the ‘grunts’ were simply under orders. But my remark on the continuing effects of successful bullying on the bully would apply to most of those police officers, who have broken the barriers of reasonable behaviour in their treatment of other citizens.

    • NickS 6.1
      7 September 2011 at 11:58 am

      http://tvnz.co.nz/national-news/pupils-subjected-torture-and-sexual-abuse-report-4388462

      And what makes it even worse is that the media once again avoid the “rape” word, because males can’t possibly be raped…

      • freedom 6.1.1
        7 September 2011 at 12:12 pm

        personallty i find it of serious concern that the lack of action against the offenders was occuring under the nose of a senior CYF staffer who was also Chairwoman of the School Board. Forget about the conflict of interst crap, why wasn’t she dealing with an obvious problem with the fullness of her resources and capabilities?

        • vto 6.1.1.1
          7 September 2011 at 12:20 pm

          Because they were all quite rightly terrified of the Mongrel Mob dogs who were the parents of the offending teenagers.

          You can hardly blame a bunch of teachers for being scared of these animals. Dealing with such a situation would surely be beyond the scope of any teacher’s abilities or requirements. But that doesn’t mean someone capable of dealing with this situation, like the Police, could not have been brought in.

          Why do we put up with the Mongrel Mob?

          • freedom 6.1.1.1.1
            7 September 2011 at 1:14 pm

            I did not mention teachers. I referred to the Board Chairwoman who is also a CYF staffer. A person you would think is uniquely qualified in a community to bridge the three fields of Community, School and Police. I have no knowledge of any details in the reported complaint, nor do i care at this juncture. What i am concerned with is the apparent failure to employ resources that would be available to her position and the failure of all the adults that allowed it to continue.

            The lack of will to acknowledge and act against violence is all too common in our society.
            It may be more disturbing than the details of the assaults themselves.

            • vto 6.1.1.1.1.1
              7 September 2011 at 1:31 pm

              Oh yes, so you didn’t. Nevertheless perhaps the person you describe was also scared to death of the deadly mongrel mob. I agree with your point about the failure to deal with crime being more disturbing than the actual crime itself. And perhaps it is this which permits the mob to think they can intimidate great swathes of the community, in the Hutt and elsewhere in NZ, with impunity.

        • prism 6.1.1.2
          7 September 2011 at 1:16 pm

          One mother of a bullied Year 9 girl thinking of suing the education authorities as has been done in Australia.
          http://tvnz.co.nz/national-news/bully-victim-s-mother-considers-suing-school-4247418

          Sounds like a good idea as nothing but a monetary sanction seems to have any impact on these callous people in authority. I think this quote from the school trustees president prompts thought of what their attitudes are to the principle of respect for all people in a society that either considers itself classless despite evidence, or doesn’t care provided they are near the top.

          School Trustees Association president Lorraine Kerr said the Australian case might set a precedent but “bullying is bigger than you, me and our schools”.
          “We need to consider whose problem is it really.”
          The whole community needed to get together to deliver a coordinated response, because principals were busy.

      • Lanthanide 6.1.2
        7 September 2011 at 1:16 pm

        It doesn’t look like any of them were actually raped, though, so using the word ‘rape’ wouldn’t be correct anyway.

        • prism 6.1.2.1
          7 September 2011 at 1:41 pm

          @Lanthanide – I think that the word rape should be precisely used, not just used as a descriptive term for every abhorrent act. Do you think that it’s serious meaning of sexual penetration without consent is lessened when it’s used by the public to refer to any sexual violation?

        • NickS 6.1.2.2
          7 September 2011 at 1:57 pm

          How is it that forcibly penetrating another person’s anus without their consent in a way that leaves little doubt in my mind that it involves sexualisation not rape?

          [insert feminist rant about “sexual assault” here].

          /grumble.

          • McFlock 6.1.2.2.1
            7 September 2011 at 2:15 pm

            legally, “rape” involves a penis: “the penetration of person B’s genitalia by person A’s penis” (Crimes Act 1961 s128). Otherwise it’s “unlawful sexual connection”. However, they are both classed as “sexual violation” which has a 20 year maximum (s128b).

            • NickS 6.1.2.2.1.1
              7 September 2011 at 2:26 pm

              Which is utter shit, as it basically proclaims rape as only something a (intact, not with a strap-on…) male can do, and effectively makes male on male rape not rape…

              /sigh

              Eh, at least it seems they carry similar legal penalties though…

          • prism 6.1.2.2.2
            7 September 2011 at 4:17 pm

            @NickS Penetration with anything front or back, should be regarded as rape I think. It’s an abuse against the person whatever.

    • prism 6.2
      7 September 2011 at 12:37 pm

      Great sounding ideals, but empty words at the time the attacks happened. They have a new principal now. Wonder where the previous one went to and whether he has learned to cope with this toxic behaviour now. And I notice it has 1750 students, a big school, it may be that this size leads to unmanageability and isolation of management from knowing the students. There has in the past been a belief that having girls in a secondary school provide a saner more balanced level of behaviour. Seems not now!

      Welcome to the web site of Hutt Valley High School. Since 1926 we have been a leading school in our region.
      Hutt Valley High is a co-educational, decile 8 state school of 1750 students for Years 9 to 13. As a well established school, it has a very pleasant campus and excellent facilities and operates an enrolment scheme. It has great pride in its past and strong hopes and aspirations for its future.

      The School is committed to doing the very best for its students. It seeks to provide them with many opportunities for development, to offer a programme that allows each student to experience success, and to instil in them enthusiasm for life-long learning.
      “To inspire and lead our students to develop their academic, cultural and sporting abilities and to grow their skills, knowledge, values and character to enable each student to be the best that they can be. To be the school of choice within the Hutt community.”

  7. rd 7
    7 September 2011 at 11:14 am

    Provost jumps into political sharks’ tank

    Auditor-General Lyn Provost and Prime Minister John Key may find themselves at loggerheads over just who is really to blame for the $1.78 billion the taxpayer stumped up to bail out depositors in the failed South Canterbury Finance.

    http://www.nzherald.co.nz/opinion/news/article.cfm?c_id=466&objectid=10749902

    This will be interesting.

    • marsman 7.1
      7 September 2011 at 6:20 pm

      If Bill English is found to be to blame will he go to jail ? The Double Dipper Double Bunking ?

  8. vto 8
    7 September 2011 at 12:04 pm

    So Hutt Valley High School suffered terrible bullying. Transpires that the bullies were children of Mongrel Mob, who intimidated all and sundry at the time.

    And three female tenants at that place also in the Hutt who have been the subject of eviction notices and court action (as far as the Supreme Court no less) were associates of the Mongrel Mob, and were well versed in the art of initimidation.

    And the shooting at the rugby match in Wairoa two weekends ago was also by Mongrel Mob.

    So what is being done about these rodent dogs? Why do we let them co-exist with us? Are even the police scared of them? Politically scared? Physically scared? Why does our community not come down on them and somehow drive them out? Why do we put up with it?

    • Mutante 8.1
      7 September 2011 at 12:44 pm

      Well we’ve already seen that heavily armed anti-terrorist squads prefer to terrorise remote settlements in the Ureweras. You’re not going to get your expensive Blake’s 7 shock trooper outfit dirty waving automatic weapons at kids.

      Surely you’re not suggesting that these brave boys be deployed against real trouble who might, heavens forbid, get a bit stroppy.

      • vto 8.1.1
        7 September 2011 at 1:01 pm

        I don’t know the answer mr mutante, but the current situation is very bad and not sustainable.

        • Mutante 8.1.1.1
          7 September 2011 at 3:59 pm

          I grew up in a neighbourhood known for gang violence. I’m usually mister peace and understanding but I’d send in the tanks on those guys.

  9. joe90 9
    7 September 2011 at 12:37 pm

    Nassim Nicholas Taleb and Mark Spitznagel: The great bank robbery.

    For the American economy – and for many other developed economies – the elephant in the room is the amount of money paid to bankers over the last five years. In the United States, the sum stands at an astounding $2.2 trillion. Extrapolating over the coming decade, the numbers would approach $5 trillion, an amount vastly larger than what both President Barack Obama’s administration and his Republican opponents seem willing to cut from further government deficits.

  10. marsman 10
    7 September 2011 at 1:04 pm

    If a Hollow Man (Richard Long) praises another Hollow Man (John Key) is it Hollow Praise or Hollow Words ?

  11. Jum 11
    7 September 2011 at 1:43 pm

    Question at Parliament today. Let’s see how many people can be ignored – 14,000 people or none?

    ” CLARE CURRAN to the Chairperson of the Transport and Industrial Relations Committee: Has he requested any written submissions on the petition of George Laird, signed by nearly 14,000 people, calling the Government to retain the Hillside and Woburn workshops? ”

    What value the worker? What value the New Zealander quality of workmanship that trains are built in foreign countries even though they could have been built here in a time of huge unemployment?

  12. The Voice of Reason 12
    7 September 2011 at 2:14 pm

    I’d hate to pre-empt the Jackal, but here’s my candidate for arsehole of the week. This week or any week, actually. I saw his partner at a service station in Whanganui many years ago and the tattoo is the most horrific thing I think I have ever seen. Not at all unlike the tattooing of concentration camp prisoners in both affect and intent. I hope the prick puts up a fight when he’s found and there aren’t tazers handy, just guns.

    • Tiger Mountain 12.1
      7 September 2011 at 2:45 pm

      A highly unsavory character for sure VOTR. And you can squiggle off the hook of cheering the police on as you have seen the chilling sight of this thugs handiwork. It is understandable for families of victims to want capital punishment, vigilantism etc but it is not for the rest of us.

      The NZ cops are happy enough to execute people, but it is not usually for being extremely unpleasant or even an extensive criminal record. It is usually for non compliance i.e. “put down that hammer”, no? bang, heart shot. Or being mentally ill, or young and polynesian and in the wrong place. Or being chased at high speed till driver error results in a fatal crash.

      • The Voice of Reason 12.1.1
        7 September 2011 at 3:14 pm

        I’ve actually been in vigilante mode for this guy ever since I saw the tattoo. He wasn’t with her at the service station or else I’d have taken to him then and there. No kidding, I looked for him in the servo, but she eventually drove off alone. It was just that bad, TM, and it’s just so hard to describe. You know that painting in the AK Art Gallery ‘to the victor the spoils’? That bad.
         
        I’ve seen some pretty awful things in my time, but nothing even close to that and I guess you can tell it has had a long lasting affect on me. It really pisses me off that he had to kill her to go to jail, the tattoo alone should have been good for a long stretch.
         
         

    • grumpy 12.2
      7 September 2011 at 2:58 pm

      vto

      Q.E.D.

  13. Joe Bloggs 13
    7 September 2011 at 4:14 pm

    .

    What the hell’s Sue Moroney thinking?!Slagging off National for Labour’s failure at Hutt Valley High School?

    • ropata 13.1
      7 September 2011 at 10:59 pm

      This egregious story shows that National Stds are a total red herring when schools have serious issues like this to deal with.
      What parent would give a f#$& about their kid knowing the capital of Kazakhstan, when they are subjected to serious abuse and violation

  14. Draco T Bastard 14
    7 September 2011 at 9:21 pm

    Seems that it’s not just me that’s been noticing increasing attacks on democracy from the Right Wing Authoritarians.

    The first of these was by far the most blunt. At the conservative website “American Thinker,” Matthew Vadum argued on September 1 that “registering the poor to vote is Un-American:”

    Registering them to vote is like handing out burglary tools to criminals. It is profoundly antisocial and un-American to empower the nonproductive segments of the population to destroy the country — which is precisely why Barack Obama zealously supports registering welfare recipients to vote.

    On September 4, libertarian news site “The Daily Bell” published an interview with influential investment advisor Doug Casey. The interview provides a wide-ranging discussion of coming social and economic apocalypse (and how you can invest now!), and in the midst of it we get the following:

    Daily Bell: Is democracy a good thing?

    Doug Casey: No. Democracy is just mob rule, dressed up in a coat and tie.

    • millsy 14.1
      7 September 2011 at 9:49 pm

      IMO the growing calls for restricting the franchise is rather disturbing.

      I always thought that Paul Quinn’s nasty little bill was a the thin end of the wedge for me. Personally I dont think prisoners really care about whether they can vote or not (too busy trying to avoid being stuck with home made knives), but once you start taking voting rights of people, it gets very hard to stop.

      • Colonial Viper 14.1.1
        7 September 2011 at 9:53 pm

        Only white, property owning, Christian men should be permitted to vote, just as it rightfully once was the case.

        BTW whether or not a prisoner cares to vote is beside the point (as I am sure you know). For instance, a lot of 18 year olds couldn’t care less about voting for a bunch of useless old gits in limos far far away either, but that does not mean they deserve the franchise any less.

  15. millsy 15
    7 September 2011 at 9:45 pm

    I see in the news that a survey by the slum-lords union, aka the Property Investors Federation showed that most landlords intended to raise rents by 3-5% this year.

    I dont know about anyone else here, but I tend to wonder if it was, say our trade unions wanting a 3-5% payrise for their members during a recession (in which the poor and the workers have been expected to make the biggest sacrifices), the government and their supporters in the media (and on the blogosphere, etc) would be screaming blue bloody murder. Indeed they did when the PPTA seeked a 4% payrise last year.

    If only people who call for workers to show wage restraint could tell the same to our landlords as well.

    As an aside, this news comes as eligibility for state housing is being massively tightened, with thousands of families being dumped off the list, and driven into the arms of the slum-lords.

    • Colonial Viper 15.1
      7 September 2011 at 9:54 pm

      Apart from Auckland, landlords have no hope on collecting on such a rent increase. In Auckland…bad luck fellas.

  16. logie97 16
    7 September 2011 at 9:51 pm

    In 2007, the Nats opposed dietary supplement control. Today they announce legislation to do it …

  17. RTM 17
    8 September 2011 at 2:55 pm

    It’s Tongan Language Week, but government policies are perpetuating linguistic imperialism:
    http://readingthemaps.blogspot.com/2011/09/language-lessons.html

Recent Comments

Recent Posts

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

  • New diplomatic appointments
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters has today announced four new diplomatic appointments for New Zealand’s overseas missions.   “Our diplomats have a vital role in maintaining and protecting New Zealand’s interests around the world,” Mr Peters says.    “I am pleased to announce the appointment of these senior diplomats from the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago

  • Humanitarian support for Ethiopia and Somalia
    New Zealand is contributing NZ$7 million to support communities affected by severe food insecurity and other urgent humanitarian needs in Ethiopia and Somalia, Foreign Minister Rt Hon Winston Peters announced today.   “Over 21 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance across Ethiopia, with a further 6.9 million people ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago

  • Arts Minister congratulates Mataaho Collective
    Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage Paul Goldsmith is congratulating Mataaho Collective for winning the Golden Lion for best participant in the main exhibition at the Venice Biennale. "Congratulations to the Mataaho Collective for winning one of the world's most prestigious art prizes at the Venice Biennale.  “It is good ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago

  • Supporting better financial outcomes for Kiwis
    The Government is reforming financial services to improve access to home loans and other lending, and strengthen customer protections, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly and Housing Minister Chris Bishop announced today. “Our coalition Government is committed to rebuilding the economy and making life simpler by cutting red tape. We are ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago

  • Trade relationship with China remains strong
    “China remains a strong commercial opportunity for Kiwi exporters as Chinese businesses and consumers continue to value our high-quality safe produce,” Trade and Agriculture Minister Todd McClay says.   Mr McClay has returned to New Zealand following visits to Beijing, Harbin and Shanghai where he met ministers, governors and mayors and engaged in trade and agricultural events with the New ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago

  • PM’s South East Asia mission does the business
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has completed a successful trip to Singapore, Thailand and the Philippines, deepening relationships and capitalising on opportunities. Mr Luxon was accompanied by a business delegation and says the choice of countries represents the priority the New Zealand Government places on South East Asia, and our relationships in ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago

  • $41m to support clean energy in South East Asia
    New Zealand is demonstrating its commitment to reducing global greenhouse emissions, and supporting clean energy transition in South East Asia, through a contribution of NZ$41 million (US$25 million) in climate finance to the Asian Development Bank (ADB)-led Energy Transition Mechanism (ETM). Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Climate Change Minister Simon Watts announced ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago

  • Minister releases Fast-track stakeholder list
    The Government is today releasing a list of organisations who received letters about the Fast-track applications process, says RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop. “Recently Ministers and agencies have received a series of OIA requests for a list of organisations to whom I wrote with information on applying to have a ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago

  • Judicial appointments announced
    Attorney-General Judith Collins today announced the appointment of Wellington Barrister David Jonathan Boldt as a Judge of the High Court, and the Honourable Justice Matthew Palmer as a Judge of the Court of Appeal. Justice Boldt graduated with an LLB from Victoria University of Wellington in 1990, and also holds ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago

  • Education Minister heads to major teaching summit in Singapore
    Education Minister Erica Stanford will lead the New Zealand delegation at the 2024 International Summit on the Teaching Profession (ISTP) held in Singapore. The delegation includes representatives from the Post Primary Teachers’ Association (PPTA) Te Wehengarua and the New Zealand Educational Institute (NZEI) Te Riu Roa.  The summit is co-hosted ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago

  • Value of stopbank project proven during cyclone
    A stopbank upgrade project in Tairawhiti partly funded by the Government has increased flood resilience for around 7000ha of residential and horticultural land so far, Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones today attended a dawn service in Gisborne to mark the end of the first stage of the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago

  • Anzac commemorations, Türkiye relationship focus of visit
    Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters will represent the Government at Anzac Day commemorations on the Gallipoli Peninsula next week and engage with senior representatives of the Turkish government in Istanbul.    “The Gallipoli campaign is a defining event in our history. It will be a privilege to share the occasion ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago

  • Minister to Europe for OECD meeting, Anzac Day
    Science, Innovation and Technology and Defence Minister Judith Collins will next week attend the OECD Science and Technology Ministerial conference in Paris and Anzac Day commemorations in Belgium. “Science, innovation and technology have a major role to play in rebuilding our economy and achieving better health, environmental and social outcomes ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago

  • Comprehensive Partnership the goal for NZ and the Philippines
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon held a bilateral meeting today with the President of the Philippines, Ferdinand Marcos Jr.  The Prime Minister was accompanied by MP Paulo Garcia, the first Filipino to be elected to a legislature outside the Philippines. During today’s meeting, Prime Minister Luxon and President Marcos Jr discussed opportunities to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago

  • Government commits $20m to Westport flood protection
    The Government has announced that $20 million in funding will be made available to Westport to fund much needed flood protection around the town. This measure will significantly improve the resilience of the community, says Local Government Minister Simeon Brown. “The Westport community has already been allocated almost $3 million ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago

  • Taupō takes pole position
    The Government is proud to support the first ever Repco Supercars Championship event in Taupō as up to 70,000 motorsport fans attend the Taupō International Motorsport Park this weekend, says Economic Development Minister Melissa Lee. “Anticipation for the ITM Taupō Super400 is huge, with tickets and accommodation selling out weeks ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago

  • Cost of living support for low-income homeowners
    Local Government Minister Simeon Brown has announced an increase to the Rates Rebate Scheme, putting money back into the pockets of low-income homeowners.  “The coalition Government is committed to bringing down the cost of living for New Zealanders. That includes targeted support for those Kiwis who are doing things tough, such ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago

  • Government backing mussel spat project
    The Coalition Government is investing in a project to boost survival rates of New Zealand mussels and grow the industry, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones has announced. “This project seeks to increase the resilience of our mussels and significantly boost the sector’s productivity,” Mr Jones says. “The project - ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago

  • Government focused on getting people into work
    Benefit figures released today underscore the importance of the Government’s plan to rebuild the economy and have 50,000 fewer people on Jobseeker Support, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “Benefit numbers are still significantly higher than when National was last in government, when there was about 70,000 fewer ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago

  • Clean energy key driver to reducing emissions
    The Government’s commitment to doubling New Zealand’s renewable energy capacity is backed by new data showing that clean energy has helped the country reach its lowest annual gross emissions since 1999, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. New Zealand’s latest Greenhouse Gas Inventory (1990-2022) published today, shows gross emissions fell ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago

  • Earthquake-prone buildings review brought forward
    The Government is bringing the earthquake-prone building review forward, with work to start immediately, and extending the deadline for remediations by four years, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says. “Our Government is focused on rebuilding the economy. A key part of our plan is to cut red tape that ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Thailand and NZ to agree to Strategic Partnership
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and his Thai counterpart, Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin, have today agreed that New Zealand and the Kingdom of Thailand will upgrade the bilateral relationship to a Strategic Partnership by 2026. “New Zealand and Thailand have a lot to offer each other. We have a strong mutual desire to build ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Government consults on extending coastal permits for ports
    RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop and Transport Minister Simeon Brown have today announced the Coalition Government’s intention to extend port coastal permits for a further 20 years, providing port operators with certainty to continue their operations. “The introduction of the Resource Management Act in 1991 required ports to obtain coastal ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Inflation coming down, but more work to do
    Today’s announcement that inflation is down to 4 per cent is encouraging news for Kiwis, but there is more work to be done - underlining the importance of the Government’s plan to get the economy back on track, acting Finance Minister Chris Bishop says. “Inflation is now at 4 per ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • School attendance restored as a priority in health advice
    Refreshed health guidance released today will help parents and schools make informed decisions about whether their child needs to be in school, addressing one of the key issues affecting school attendance, says Associate Education Minister David Seymour. In recent years, consistently across all school terms, short-term illness or medical reasons ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Unnecessary bureaucracy cut in oceans sector
    Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones is streamlining high-level oceans management while maintaining a focus on supporting the sector’s role in the export-led recovery of the economy. “I am working to realise the untapped potential of our fishing and aquaculture sector. To achieve that we need to be smarter with ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Patterson promoting NZ’s wool sector at International Congress
    Associate Agriculture Minister Mark Patterson is speaking at the International Wool Textile Organisation Congress in Adelaide, promoting New Zealand wool, and outlining the coalition Government’s support for the revitalisation the sector.    "New Zealand’s wool exports reached $400 million in the year to 30 June 2023, and the coalition Government ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Removing red tape to help early learners thrive
    The Government is making legislative changes to make it easier for new early learning services to be established, and for existing services to operate, Associate Education Minister David Seymour says. The changes involve repealing the network approval provisions that apply when someone wants to establish a new early learning service, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • RMA changes to cut coal mining consent red tape
    Changes to the Resource Management Act will align consenting for coal mining to other forms of mining to reduce barriers that are holding back economic development, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. “The inconsistent treatment of coal mining compared with other extractive activities is burdensome red tape that fails to acknowledge ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • McClay reaffirms strong NZ-China trade relationship
    Trade, Agriculture and Forestry Minister Todd McClay has concluded productive discussions with ministerial counterparts in Beijing today, in support of the New Zealand-China trade and economic relationship. “My meeting with Commerce Minister Wang Wentao reaffirmed the complementary nature of the bilateral trade relationship, with our Free Trade Agreement at its ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

Page generated in The Standard by Wordpress at 2024-04-24T19:58:31+00:00