Open mike 15/12/2014

Written By: - Date published: 6:08 am, December 15th, 2014 - 84 comments
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84 comments on “Open mike 15/12/2014 ”

  1. b waghorn 1

    Out of the ‘stories that should of been done pre election file’ tv3 have had the guy who runs one of the big property websites in Asia saying NZ is high on investors hit list because of our lack of capital gains and controls on foreign ownership.

    • Once wasTim 1.1

      yes – out of the horse’s mouth. How is this going to be spun do you think?

      • Clemgeopin 1.1.1

        This government primarily works for the wealthy, with a few good social policies from previous Labour government kept for political cunning expediency. We the people that vote such a government in are really dumb. It isn’t the fault of the rich foreign property buyers.

        • phillip ure 1.1.1.1

          “..We the people that vote such a government in are really dumb..”

          + 1..

          ..as in really really fucken ‘dumb’..

          • Paul 1.1.1.1.1

            You gotta ask…what will wake them up?

            • phillip ure 1.1.1.1.1.1

              dunno..the fucken idiots vote time and time again for the bastards who are screwing them/the planet over..

              ..hard to see/get past such bone-headed stupidity..

              ..and yes..politicians are lying bastards..

              ..the media are complicit clowns..

              ..and the people are really really fucken dumb..

              ..’tis an unholy trifecta..

              ..and i dunno what ‘will wake them up’..

      • b waghorn 1.1.2

        They don’t need to when Len brown came on straight after and rabbited on about how many low cost house’s were being built (how under 500k is classed as low cost has me buggered) and how many consents have been issued.

    • Rosie 1.2

      http://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-14122014/#comment-939953

      Hi b waghorn. I hope you received this reply I left you on yesterday’s Open Mike

  2. Manuka AOR 2

    “Children suffer: Welfare’s outdated ideas on relationships”

    Excerpt:
    “New Zealand’s social security framework is based on outdated ideas of the nature of relationships and too often fails to protect the needs of children in the 21st century, says Child Poverty Action Group.”

    “There are major inconsistencies in the use of relationship in the welfare system. It is difficult to justify a policy that pays less to a couple than to two individuals who share accommodation and costs. ”

    “The report finds that tests for the degree of financial interdependence and emotional commitment, needed for the relationship to be treated as ‘in the nature of marriage’, are subjective and inconsistent. There is often a degree of surveillance that is far from open and transparent. Moreover the appeal processes for anyone accused of being in a relationship are very unsatisfactory. A sole parent may even be given a prison sentence with scant regard to the impact on her children.

    Susan St John says, “it is worrying to see how often sole mothers face both imprisonment and a lifetime of repayments.” ” http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO1412/S00165/children-suffer-welfares-outdated-ideas-on-relationships.htm

    • AsleepWhileWalking 2.1

      SSJ makes a good point about someone flatting having the same costs as someone in a relationship.

      I’d like to point out that section 20C of the Social Securities Act, Sole Parent Support: split custody (this is when one or more of the children from a relationship live with one parent, and the others live with the other parent) only provides benefit support to one parent.

      In working terms this ususally means the person who applied first, not necessarily the most in need, and can fail children who are caught in the middle of two bewildered parents who didn’t realise this was the case or who are using the benefit system to get back at an ex partner and the children who chose to live with them. Nasty stuff.

  3. mr sellout on the tpp..and the minister for doing nothing about climatechange..groser..

    ..on the telly spinning for all his worth..

    .denying the fact that groser/nz was on the side of the villains in peru..

    ..lining up with the other big-polluters to argue against them having to cut their polluting at all..

    ..lying/spinning bastard…

  4. AsleepWhileWalking 4

    Bricking over the lower windows of the Fed + survival kits ordered. Something catastrophic about to happen in the US?

    http://www.brotherjohnf.com/archives/356927

    • vto 4.1

      They’re pulling up the drawbridge …….

      These federal reserve outfits have the most power of all. They direct the things that happen in the world and hence they know better than any what is likely to occur next.

      • phillip ure 4.1.1

        and john key is our ‘man from the fed’..

        ..and him becoming prime minister..

        ..must rank as one of their most successful placements/trojan-horse-operations..ever..

  5. the editor from metro doing a mea culpa over slagging little as a possible/viable leader for labour..

    ..i wd like to note that i went on the record at the same time as that metro-slagging…supporting little for the role..

    ..purely on the grounds that we had not yet seen what he had to offer..

    ..whereas with robertson and parker…we already had..

  6. Manuka AOR 6

    In about 6 months time the first review is due to get underway of NZ’s Security and Intelligence Agencies. One aspect that I hope is looked into is the extent that citizens who are concerned about the environment are being subjected to surveillance, in their search for what Mr Finlayson has called “Eco-terrorism”. He was being questioned on TV One’s Q&A program a week ago, then in regard to unwarranted surveillance.

    From what he said, it seems to be the call of whoever is doing the surveillance do decide whether those under surveillance are wanting to protest against something, or may “cross the line into eco-terrorism.”

    Corin repeatedly asked, “Who draws the line?”
    And each time, he failed to give a clear answer.
    http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO1412/S00095/definition-of-foreign-fighters-is-tolerably-clear.htm

  7. i was wondering if anyone else who watched the final of the nation yesterday..

    ..also suffered from spontaneous gastric-reflux every time ‘squeeg’ gower referrred/spoke to those two rightwing trouts nash and marks..

    ..as ‘stuey’..and ‘ronnie’..

    ..i know i did..

    • Tiger Mountain 7.1

      that gushing–yeah yeah yeah–we’re teamsters! we know how it really is…

      • phillip ure 7.1.1

        yeah..the ‘in-crowd’ feel of the whole thing was also nausea-inducing..

        ..it’s all just a game..

        ..and we are the ones who are being ‘played’..

  8. vto 8

    So Phil Goff, I guess on behalf of the Labour Party, says yesterday in the SST that we should stop people going to fight for organisations like ISIS that commit crimes against humanity.

    How does Phil Goff square that away with joining the US when the US also commits crimes against humanity?

    And, is Dick Cheney the biggest joke on the planet?

    • phil goff has us standing alongside the torturers..

      ..phil goff was a major driver for us to go to afgnanistan to be spear-carriers for the americans..

      ..our troops captured afghanis..

      ..and handed them over to be tortured..

      ..we help the drones with their targeting..(of innocent men/women/children..at a rate of 28 innocents killed for every ‘terrorist’..)

      ..how the fuck can phil goff come within a bulls roar of taking the/any high moral ground on this..?

      ..his hands are stained with the blood of the tortured..

      ..and of the bombed/killed innocents…

    • Tracey 8.2

      Gof, like Collins, is writing on behalf of Goff.

      The SST seems to get their brief mixed up

      “we need someone from the far left to make it a balance against crusher”

      “what about Goff?”

      “oh thats a better idea, get someone kinda sorta on the left but on the far right of Labour and who wants to be auckland mayor then we dont upset the advertisers, hell they may increase”

    • RedLogix 8.3

      There are some boundaries NZ politicians are not allowed to step over.

      • vto 8.3.1

        Why? What would happen?

        • RedLogix 8.3.1.1

          We know the US (or it’s proxies) runs operations all over the planet to destabilise regimes they don’t like or are inconvenient. This is a matter of historical fact.

          What makes anyone think NZ is somehow immune? I can think of at least one local example within the last decade.

          • Paul 8.3.1.1.1

            Gough Whitlam in the 70s was unseated

          • tinfoilhat 8.3.1.1.2

            What’s that I can’t recall anything local……. although my memory sure isn’t what it used to be.

          • vto 8.3.1.1.3

            Hmmm. That brings up the very simple and age old dilemma so aptly illustrated by Shakespeare’s “to be or not to be”.

            Do we turn a blind eye to suffering and accept the stolen treasures?

            Or do we stand up for what is right despite the fact it may lead to our own detriment?

            Do we remain like our dirty stained Aussie ‘cousins’? Or do we become a happy and good Cuba?

            It is no wonder the USA is so hated by so many and is on such a steep downward trajectory on every front in the eyes of the rest.

    • Exactly. Not to mention that the US (and their Saudi allies) stoked up Islamic fundamentalism in the first place as a counter to secular, progressive forces in the Arab world and in Afghanistan.

      After the Cold War, the fundamentalists struck out on their own, biting the hand that fed them. Still, by doing so, they provided successive US administrations with a new enemy against which to try to cohere fragmenting American society and the west in general under US leadership. Not that it’s working out all that well for the US ruling elite. . .

      Phil

  9. Chooky 9

    John Minto good on Morning Report on where to now for the Mana Party

    …personally I am sorry the Internet part or Party has been dropped for now…I think Mana will be the poorer for it…especially as an Internet Party is being established in the USA… Minto says he has no regrets as regards the Internet Party coalition..it was a risk worth taking ( imo it certainly focused issues for intelligent New Zealanders)

    MInto, always a clear and concise communicator , gave good reasons as to why Internet/Mana did not make it into Parliament

    …Labour Party and other parties in cahoots with Nactional ganged up on Hone, found Int/Mana party and all it stood for it too threatening

    ….and a concerted msm attack on Dotcom….SHAME! ( I hope the msm attacks can be catalogued for future historians and generations to see exposed)

    5 weeks out from the Election Internet/mana was doing very well indeed and could have had 3-4 seats in parliament

    http://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/morningreport/audio/20161080/back-to-the-drawing-board-for-mana-movement-and-internet-party

    • it’s not minto..it’s um! um! ah! ah! david slack..

      ..and he’s um! um! ah! ah! spouting simplistic shit…

    • The Al1en 9.2

      “I think Mana will be the poorer for it”

      And Laila Harre

      “an Internet Party is being established in the USA”

      Couldn’t buy NZ voters so lets try with the yanks.

      “it was a risk worth taking”

      Really?

      “Labour Party and other parties in cahoots with Nactional ganged up on Hone, found Int/Mana party and all it stood for it too threatening”

      1.5% of those who voted must be right. All the other must just be scaredy cats. 🙄

      “and a concerted msm attack on Dotcom”

      As forecast and quite predictable really, so no point crying about it. If a dunce like me got it right, why did no one in mana?

      “5 weeks out from the Election Internet/mana was doing very well indeed and could have had 3-4 seats in parliament”

      That’s what happens when you count chickens before they hatch like one does with millions of dollars of donations.
      The joint campaign was a bit of a disaster with mixed messages and puffed up little shit episodes. It was bound to end in tears and did.

  10. millsy 10

    I dont like using this analogy, but the Internet-Mana party has been officially strangled at birth, now that it has been de-registered.

    Thank you, politcal establishment, with special mention to the mistakes made by several people on IM’s part.

    And meanwhile the Chinese contine to buy the National party and noone bats an eyelid.

    • that was the real big lie they got away with..(one of them..)

      ..that dotcom was ‘money influencing politics’..

      ..whereas national are owned lock stock and barrel by ..’money’..

      ..and have always been that way..

      ..key must deserve an acting award for pushing that one..and being able to still maintain a straight face..

    • Chooky 10.2

      the best thing about Internet /Mana is that it gave those at the bottom of the heap a Party with a sophisticated futurist look..they were winners and tech savvy and concerned with democracy and internet freedom… and it was a foil / counter to corporate controlled culture with a permanent underclass

      …it gave lie to the Nact myth that those at the bottom of the heap are no- hopers

      …and a socialist type party is dead and in the past history

      ….Int/Mana was ahead of its time and ahead of the game

      ….as it is now the under-thirties ( the intelligent, dynamic and beautiful) who John key Nact and corporate right wing govts around the world are now making the new underclass …with huge tertiary loans, insecure and poorly paid work and no hope of ever owning a home … i see Mana combined with an Internet Party as the way of the future

      ….Dotcom and Mana are to be congratulated for trying….and next TIME your time will have come !

  11. KJS0ne 11

    Dan Carlin had some very interesting talking points about CIA Torture & the related political lines given, especially the way Obama was elected to change the excesses of the Bush administration, and then proceeded to double down on them. See Common Sense 285 – Torturing our values
    http://www.dancarlin.com/common-sense-home-landing-page/

    If you haven’t listened to his podcast before, you’re in for a treat, Carlin is easily one of the best political commentators on the left (the real left) in the USA. He is incisive, cuts through the noise, analyses situations and compares them to the historical context.

  12. millsy 12

    It looks like iwi are going to charge people to enter 90 mile beach. Coupled with the recent locking out of hunters out of the Ureweras it is another reason why the left should oppose the handing over of conservation land to iwi because they WILL restrict access.

    • Tiger Mountain 12.1

      Well, it is about time for some entity to ‘control’ access to 90 Mile (Te Oneroa-a-Tōhē).

      It takes a hammering daily from large tourist buses travelling at 100kmh, the drivers know the conditions well and it is hammer down. You just have to be on the beach to feel it. It is about reasonable access and use.

    • Puckish Rogue 12.2

      Yes, this is something that cuts across party lines

    • KJS0ne 12.3

      I wonder why Tuhoe want to restrict Hunters from killing game on their historic territory, and land that they hold pretty sacred, their sanctuary, the place they retreated when the colonial army came to slaughter them for not rolling over and coming to the table.

      Tuhoe never signed the Treaty of Waitangi. Their land was systematically stolen from them. They still hold the Ureweras to be their land. How is it any different from a hunter coming on to your land and shooting your ducks? Restricting hunting hardly seems like the crime of the century.

      Context is important here. But on another note, I totally disagree with Maori, or anyone for that matter restricting access to beaches, or charging members of the public to use their tracks to the beach. It’s important though, that everyone treats their land with respect, afaik the Iwi just want to charge commercial operators, the same guys who drive big buses across their land, it’s not a big ask for commercial operators who are making money off of bringing tourists across private owned land to be asked to pay a small fee for entry.

      • Molly 12.3.1

        Thanks for context. Makes a big difference to discussion.

        There was an interesting piece on Native Affairs this year about the charge for commercial operators for taking tourists through the “hole in the rock”.

        Of course, the operators continued the line that although it was private land “above”, the “hole” was not owned by anyone and therefore no fees needed to be paid.

        …if this is true, then tourist operators should be able to set up large flying foxes across the volcanic cones of Auckland, – taking money from those who want to do close flyovers of the residences of the 1%.

        I have no doubt the framing of public access and private property would be entirely different to that which is trotted out whenever iwi land is involved.

    • Murray Rawshark 12.4

      Are they looking at charging people, or charging cars? Particularly with tourist companies making money from trips up and down the beach, why shouldn’t the locals get something?
      As for Tuhoe, I read what they’d decided at the time and agreed with them. It isn’t so much a lockout, but a reorganisation of licensing.
      Of course if you want Kiwi not Iwi, move to Epsom and your vote will be counted.

  13. In the wake of the OECD report there has been some discussion on tax and GST. While tax havens have been around for some time, there has certainly been a big growth of them in recent years – part of the process where capital can move freely (and hide) while workers are locked into national frontiers (and can’t hide for long from the immigration police).

    Anyway, here’s an interesting article on tax havens: https://rdln.wordpress.com/2013/08/16/tax-havens-natural-and-inescapable-product-of-capitalism/

    And here’s an article on the roles of direct and indirect tax under capitalism and why capitalists like indirect tax: https://rdln.wordpress.com/2011/08/08/understanding-gst-and-tax-policy/

    Phil

  14. Saarbo 14

    OMG, Mathew Hooten (on Nine to Noon) is suggesting to break Fonterra into TWO organisations to COMPETE? Why does RNZ continue to have this very silly man on. I don’t even know where to start.
    He can have a go at Fonterra, but not for that reason…Fonterra has critical mass, which is its major strength. Maybe he should put his free market ideology aside and challenge whether Fonterra’s “GDT” system is losing NZ dairy farmers value???

    • Puckish Rogue 14.1

      What he should be suggesting is the NZs beef and lamb producers get together and create something like Fonterra

      But too many egos involved for that to happen I guess…

    • Chooky 14.2

      well I dont think Fonterra is doing that good a job for dairy farmers…they should have another co-op that sells to Russia…so agree with Possum Hooton on this

  15. Skinny 15

    Terrorists holding hostages in Sydney coffee shop outlines exactly why we should completely stay out of The Middle Eastern Wars. Make that call John Key show some leadership before we stuff a similar fate here in New Zealand.

    • Draco T Bastard 15.1

      IMO, John Key and National would use such an incident to increase surveillance on the populace. In other words, he’d see such an incident as an opportunity rather than the failure on his and National’s part that it would be.

    • Chooky 15.2

      +100 Skinny

    • Murray Rawshark 15.3

      We don’t actually know yet who the guy holding people hostage is. It’s a very strange sort of terrorist act. They usually commit random acts of violence, designed to shock and scare people. Hours of a hostage situation is more like an armed robbery gone wrong. We might know in about 30 years.

  16. Brutus Iscariot 16

    Civil liberties going to zero in 3…2…1

  17. Draco T Bastard 17

    The 4th Estate and Dirty Politics.

    But here is the thing. Overall, an individual journalist may be doing a great job. An individual’s stories may be fair, balanced, insightful. But the impression given by a publication as a whole may not be. Where are those stories placed? What is the overall “tone” of a publication? In short, editorial choices can do plenty to undermine the content of a story.

    Raises some interesting questions about our MSM.

  18. Tracey 18

    I hope those who railed at the ethics of hager publishing and maybe profitting from, stolen emails are now railing at fairfax and apn for using some of those hacks to sell newspapers and online ads

  19. greywarshark 19

    Good journalism awards from Bruce Jesson Foundation..
    Bruce Jesson Awards:
    Max Rashbrooke & Chloe Winter

    The Bruce Jesson Foundation recently announced its 2014 Journalism Awards:
    The Senior Journalism Award of $4000 for a proposed work of “critical, informed, analytical and creative journalism or writing that will contribute to public debate in NZ on an important issue or issues” was awarded to Max Rashbrooke for an e-book on wealth inequality in NZ;
    About – http://www.maxrashbrooke.org.nz/about-me/
    http://www.bwb.co.nz/books/the-inequality-debate ebook $14.99
    Inequality: A NZ Crisis ebook $39.99

    The Emerging Journalism Award of $1000 for “outstanding published work of critical, informed, analytical and creative journalism or writing by NZ print journalism students which will contribute to public debate in New Zealand on an important issue or issues” was awarded to Chloe Winter of Massey University, Wellington, for her article “War against killers we face at work”, published in the Herald on Sunday on 3 November 2013.
    http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11150665

    For Mike Joy’s speech (and other annual ones from people of renown)
    go here http://www.brucejesson.com/?page_id=349

    The 2014 Bruce Jesson Lecture Mike Joy – Paradise Squandered; New Zealand’s Environmental Asset Stripping
    Posted on 10 October 2014 by bjf_admin
    New Zealand’s lakes, rivers and most of our groundwater are in a critical state. Decades of misguided regulation and a free-for-all on diffuse pollution have encouraged agricultural intensification and driven our increasing reliance on imported feed and fertiliser.
    The inevitable consequences have been devastating environmental impacts as well as increasing economic and biosecurity risks.

    The solutions are many but require a paradigm shift; a move away from dependence on imported feed and fertiliser to keeping nutrients on farm and adding value to products, and strong leadership to move away from short-term thinking that accepts the massive ecological debt we are running up.

  20. les 20

    ‘David Bain’s legal team has been in confidential discussions with the Minister of Justice over his bid for compensation.’…hope Adams has got the steel to stand up to the Bain industry.

  21. Colonial Rawshark 21

    When did household income peak in the USA? For many counties, it was at least 15 years ago…

    http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2014-12-14/when-income-peaked-americans-best-days-are-behind-them

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

  • Government moves to quickly ratify the NZ-EU FTA
    "The Government is moving quickly to realise an additional $46 million in tariff savings in the EU market this season for Kiwi exporters,” Minister for Trade and Agriculture, Todd McClay says. Parliament is set, this week, to complete the final legislative processes required to bring the New Zealand – European ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 hours ago
  • Positive progress for social worker workforce
    New Zealand’s social workers are qualified, experienced, and more representative of the communities they serve, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “I want to acknowledge and applaud New Zealand’s social workers for the hard work they do, providing invaluable support for our most vulnerable. “To coincide with World ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    12 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
    14 hours ago
  • Trade access to overseas markets creates jobs
    Minister of Agriculture and Trade, Todd McClay, says that today’s opening of Riverland Foods manufacturing plant in Christchurch is a great example of how trade access to overseas markets creates jobs in New Zealand.  Speaking at the official opening of this state-of-the-art pet food factory the Minister noted that exports ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    14 hours ago
  • NZ and Chinese Foreign Ministers hold official talks
    Minister of Foreign Affairs Winston Peters met with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Wellington today. “It was a pleasure to host Foreign Minister Wang Yi during his first official visit to New Zealand since 2017. Our discussions were wide-ranging and enabled engagement on many facets of New Zealand’s relationship with China, including trade, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Kāinga Ora instructed to end Sustaining Tenancies
    Kāinga Ora – Homes & Communities has been instructed to end the Sustaining Tenancies Framework and take stronger measures against persistent antisocial behaviour by tenants, says Housing Minister Chris Bishop. “Earlier today Finance Minister Nicola Willis and I sent an interim Letter of Expectations to the Board of Kāinga Ora. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Speech to Auckland Business Chamber: Growth is the answer
    Tēna koutou katoa. Greetings everyone. Thank you to the Auckland Chamber of Commerce and the Honourable Simon Bridges for hosting this address today. I acknowledge the business leaders in this room, the leaders and governors, the employers, the entrepreneurs, the investors, and the wealth creators. The coalition Government shares your ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Singapore rounds out regional trip
    Minister Winston Peters completed the final leg of his visit to South and South East Asia in Singapore today, where he focused on enhancing one of New Zealand’s indispensable strategic partnerships.      “Singapore is our most important defence partner in South East Asia, our fourth-largest trading partner and a ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Minister van Velden represents New Zealand at International Democracy Summit
    Minister of Internal Affairs and Workplace Relations and Safety, Hon. Brooke van Velden, will travel to the Republic of Korea to represent New Zealand at the Third Summit for Democracy on 18 March. The summit, hosted by the Republic of Korea, was first convened by the United States in 2021, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Insurance Council of NZ Speech, 7 March 2024, Auckland
    ICNZ Speech 7 March 2024, Auckland  Acknowledgements and opening  Mōrena, ngā mihi nui. Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Nor Whanganui aho.  Good morning, it’s a privilege to be here to open the ICNZ annual conference, thank you to Mark for the Mihi Whakatau  My thanks to Tim Grafton for inviting me ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Five-year anniversary of Christchurch terror attacks
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Lead Coordination Minister Judith Collins have expressed their deepest sympathy on the five-year anniversary of the Christchurch terror attacks. “March 15, 2019, was a day when families, communities and the country came together both in sorrow and solidarity,” Mr Luxon says.  “Today we pay our respects to the 51 shuhada ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Speech for Financial Advice NZ Conference 5 March 2024
    Speech for Financial Advice NZ Conference 5 March 2024  Acknowledgements and opening  Morena, Nga Mihi Nui.  Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Nor Whanganui aho. Thanks Nate for your Mihi Whakatau  Good morning. It’s a pleasure to formally open your conference this morning. What a lovely day in Wellington, What a great ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Early visit to Indonesia strengthens ties
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters held discussions in Jakarta today about the future of relations between New Zealand and South East Asia’s most populous country.   “We are in Jakarta so early in our new government’s term to reflect the huge importance we place on our relationship with Indonesia and South ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • China Foreign Minister to visit
    Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Winston Peters has announced that the Foreign Minister of China, Wang Yi, will visit New Zealand next week.  “We look forward to re-engaging with Foreign Minister Wang Yi and discussing the full breadth of the bilateral relationship, which is one of New Zealand’s ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Minister opens new Auckland Rail Operations Centre
    Transport Minister Simeon Brown has today opened the new Auckland Rail Operations Centre, which will bring together KiwiRail, Auckland Transport, and Auckland One Rail to improve service reliability for Aucklanders. “The recent train disruptions in Auckland have highlighted how important it is KiwiRail and Auckland’s rail agencies work together to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Celebrating 10 years of Crankworx Rotorua
    The Government is proud to support the 10th edition of Crankworx Rotorua as the Crankworx World Tour returns to Rotorua from 16-24 March 2024, says Minister for Economic Development Melissa Lee.  “Over the past 10 years as Crankworx Rotorua has grown, so too have the economic and social benefits that ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Government delivering on tax commitments
    Legislation implementing coalition Government tax commitments and addressing long-standing tax anomalies will be progressed in Parliament next week, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The legislation is contained in an Amendment Paper to the Taxation (Annual Rates for 2023–24, Multinational Tax, and Remedial Matters) Bill issued today.  “The Amendment Paper represents ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Significant Natural Areas requirement to be suspended
    Associate Environment Minister Andrew Hoggard has today announced that the Government has agreed to suspend the requirement for councils to comply with the Significant Natural Areas (SNA) provisions of the National Policy Statement for Indigenous Biodiversity for three years, while it replaces the Resource Management Act (RMA).“As it stands, SNAs ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Government classifies drought conditions in Top of the South as medium-scale adverse event
    Agriculture Minister Todd McClay has classified the drought conditions in the Marlborough, Tasman, and Nelson districts as a medium-scale adverse event, acknowledging the challenging conditions facing farmers and growers in the district. “Parts of Marlborough, Tasman, and Nelson districts are in the grip of an intense dry spell. I know ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Government partnership to tackle $332m facial eczema problem
    The Government is helping farmers eradicate the significant impact of facial eczema (FE) in pastoral animals, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay announced.  “A $20 million partnership jointly funded by Beef + Lamb NZ, the Government, and the primary sector will save farmers an estimated NZD$332 million per year, and aims to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • NZ, India chart path to enhanced relationship
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters has completed a successful visit to India, saying it was an important step in taking the relationship between the two countries to the next level.   “We have laid a strong foundation for the Coalition Government’s priority of enhancing New Zealand-India relations to generate significant future benefit for both countries,” says Mr Peters, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Ruapehu Alpine Lifts bailout the last, say Ministers
    Cabinet has agreed to provide $7 million to ensure the 2024 ski season can go ahead on the Whakapapa ski field in the central North Island but has told the operator Ruapehu Alpine Lifts it is the last financial support it will receive from taxpayers. Cabinet also agreed to provide ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Govt takes action to drive better cancer services
    Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says the launch of a new mobile breast screening unit in Counties Manukau reinforces the coalition Government’s commitment to drive better cancer services for all New Zealanders. Speaking at the launch of the new mobile clinic, Dr Reti says it’s a great example of taking ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Govt takes action to drive better cancer services
    Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says the launch of a new mobile breast screening unit in Counties Manukau reinforces the coalition Government’s commitment to drive better cancer services for all New Zealanders. Speaking at the launch of the new mobile clinic, Dr Reti says it’s a great example of taking ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
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  • Work begins on SH29 upgrades near Tauriko
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  • Work begins on SH29 upgrades near Tauriko
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    6 days ago
  • Fresh produce price drop welcome
    Lower fruit and vegetable prices are welcome news for New Zealanders who have been doing it tough at the supermarket, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. Stats NZ reported today the price of fruit and vegetables has dropped 9.3 percent in the 12 months to February 2024.  “Lower fruit and vege ...
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  • Statement to the 68th United Nations Commission on the Status of Women
    Tēnā koutou katoa and greetings to you all.  Chair, I am honoured to address the sixty-eighth session of the Commission on the Status of Women. I acknowledge the many crises impacting the rights of women and girls. Heightened global tensions, war, climate related and humanitarian disasters, and price inflation all ...
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  • Speech to the 68th United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (CSW68)
    Tēnā koutou katoa and greetings to you all.  Chair, I am honoured to address the 68th session of the Commission on the Status of Women. I acknowledge the many crises impacting the rights of women and girls. Heightened global tensions, war, climate related and humanitarian disasters, and price inflation all ...
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    7 days ago
  • Government backs rural led catchment projects
    The coalition Government is supporting farmers to enhance land management practices by investing $3.3 million in locally led catchment groups, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay announced. “Farmers and growers deliver significant prosperity for New Zealand and it’s vital their ongoing efforts to improve land management practices and water quality are supported,” ...
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  • Speech to Auckland Business Chamber
    Good evening everyone and thank you for that lovely introduction.   Thank you also to the Honourable Simon Bridges for the invitation to address your members. Since being sworn in, this coalition Government has hit the ground running with our 100-day plan, delivering the changes that New Zealanders expect of us. ...
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  • Commission’s advice on ETS settings tabled
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  • Government lowering building costs
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  • Trustee tax change welcomed
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  • Minister’s Ramadan message
    Assalaamu alaikum. السَّلَام عليكم In light of the holy month of Ramadan, I want to extend my warmest wishes to our Muslim community in New Zealand. Ramadan is a time for spiritual reflection, renewed devotion, perseverance, generosity, and forgiveness.  It’s a time to strengthen our bonds and appreciate the diversity ...
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  • Minister appoints new NZTA Chair
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  • Speech to Life Sciences Summit
    Good morning all, it is a pleasure to be here as Minister of Science, Innovation and Technology.  It is fantastic to see how connected and collaborative the life science and biotechnology industry is here in New Zealand. I would like to thank BioTechNZ and NZTech for the invitation to address ...
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  • Progress continues apace on water storage
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  • Government agrees to restore interest deductions
    Associate Finance Minister David Seymour has today announced that the Government has agreed to restore deductibility for mortgage interest on residential investment properties. “Help is on the way for landlords and renters alike. The Government’s restoration of interest deductibility will ease pressure on rents and simplify the tax code,” says ...
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  • Minister to attend World Anti-Doping Agency Symposium
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