Opinion pieces on Labour

Written By: - Date published: 12:29 pm, April 17th, 2016 - 51 comments
Categories: Andrew Little, journalism, labour, the praiseworthy and the pitiful - Tags: , ,

Largely prompted by our ongoing need to construct narratives out of the margin of error, there have been two opinion pieces on Labour this weekend. Audrey Young:

Labour’s new focus is all about the leader

I’m not sure the headline is correct, but never mind.

Frustration at fall in polls will blow over and party’s best shot at recovery lies with Andrew Little.

I’m in agreement there.

In another era, Labour’s poll dive this week would have sent the party into a spin. A whispering frenzy would have ensued about Andrew Little, who is the fifth Labour leader to hold the office to National’s one.

He should be more aggressive, some would have said.
He should be less aggressive.
He should go for John Key’s jugular.
He should avoid personal attacks on Key.
He should get rid of that lefty schemer Matt McCarten.
He should bring back that Australian strategist Mike Richards to put a bomb under everyone.
We need to cover our left flank. We need to move to the centre.
What do we stand for? Where are we going?

All these conversations took place this week but among the media, tweeters and observers, not in the Labour caucus. The caucus was disappointed at the poll but it was not spooked.

Little is the best leader the party has had since Helen Clark because he has controlled the factions.

This I think is a good assessment of Little’s major contribution, and the platform for moving forward. Little was sold as a negotiator and a unifier, and he has delivered.

The quickest way to deal with Labour’s identity problems over policy is to forget the policy and make it about the leader.

But here I disagree. Labour needs to deliver an coherent and positive vision and set of policies for NZ (preferably in conjunction with The Greens as a government in waiting). Labour’s recent focus on The Future of Work (and the role of Grant Robertson) is an example of this.

Establishing a negative impression of Key is everything; nuance is non-existent and facts are a luxury in this new clobbering approach of Little’s.

Oh please. Up against Key’s full scale embrace of dirty politics, Little’s “clobbering approach” is small-scale push back, and it won’t win any elections. As above, Labour needs the vision and the policies.

Let’s leave Young there and cross live to Heather du Plessis-Allan:

Labour needs a hero and a cause

Trouble’s brewing in the Labour Party. They’re talking of cutting Grant Robertson. They’re talking of cutting the chief of staff. Watch this space. That was two weeks ago. That was before the party hit 28 per cent in the latest poll. You can only imagine the plots being hatched involving Little, the candlestick and the drawing room.

HdPA bases this on a couple of claimed conversations, but I think Young has a better informed take!

Your problem is, despite many changes at the top, many years in Opposition, you are still completely unsure of what you believe in.

Oh bollocks – see below.

Labour has it tough. Labour parties across the world have it tough. These were parties formed to save workers from unjust working conditions. The parties have mostly succeeded. Workplaces and employment legislation is a million times better now than in 1916. So what does a political party do when its mission is accomplished?

That’s about as daft a piece of political “analysis” as I have ever heard. The struggle to protect workers is ongoing (see Talley’s and Bunnings for two current examples). And the changing nature of work is going to create huge challenges for the future (hence Labour’s Future of Work focus). Labour’s original mission is as valid as it ever was.

Unfortunately it’s all down hill from there. After some nonsense on the flag fiasco:

Labour told us it stood for free tertiary education for all. But, that just sounded like a crappier version of Helen Clark’s interest-free student loans.

Labour told us it stood for keeping Indian restaurant chef jobs for Kiwis. We pondered why we had never seriously considered a career as a chef in an Indian restaurant.

Being authentic is a difficult and brave thing to do. If it was easy, Labour would have nailed it. And yet it’s as simple as this: at its heart, Labour in 1916 stood for making things fairer. Labour in 2016 should also stand for making things fairer.

Gee thanks for the advice! Perhaps you might like to have a look at Labour’s Policy patform, which begins: “Chapter 1: Labour’s values 1.1 Labour’s values are enduring values. Our Party was formed in 1916 by working New Zealanders determined that the contribution of all people to our nation should be respected and valued. They strove then, as we do now, for a fair share for all, support for the vulnerable, and hope for a better tomorrow”…

Free Tertiary education, supporting NZ workers for NZ jobs, both things that you just finished making fun of, are also aspects of working for fairness, if only you could see it.

In the past fortnight, we found out how unfair tax is. Rich people with links to the Panama Papers dodge tax, Facebook pays us less than $50,000 tax in a year. The Government shrugs and looks away. There you go, Labour. Try fixing the age-old inequalities in tax. There’s something you can stand for.

I guess that’s why Labour is calling for crackdowns on tax havens, capital gains tax and the like. Sigh.

In closing, I have some suggestions for the media (fair’s fair eh!). Stop covering politics as if it was a horse race, praising “winners” no matter what their tactics and what the cost. Look outside the game to the purpose of the game, to the state of the county and the world. Less clickbait, more analysis of evidence. We as a country would be better served by better journalism.

51 comments on “Opinion pieces on Labour ”

  1. amirite 1

    It must be that the Nats’ internal polling isn’t that flash and that’s why their lapdogs in the media are on a coordinated attack on Labour.

    • Heather Grimwood 1.1

      to amirite: I have thought he same, and also, especially in the last fortnight, in the House.

    • Hanswurst 1.2

      … or simply that they don’t regard around 50% of the vote a bit over a year out from the next election as a position of safety, and thus are keen to keep Labour on the back foot.

  2. The Outrider 2

    The laziness and blatant inaccuracy of the HdPA piece in particular are indicative of the rapidly sinking standard of journalism in this country. By labelling it as opinion she has given herself license to report rumours as if they were fact. Name the insider and the heavy hitter. Now that would be fun to see. Until then I won’t be swallowing any of your inanilism, HdPA and co.

    • Brendon Harre -Left wing Liberal 2.1

      +1.

    • Saarbo 2.2

      +1

      I struggle to see how National will lose many of its 47% – 50% support as long as it has NZME (Herald and 1ZB) doing its PR for it. Impossible for Labour to combat this.

    • NZJester 2.3

      I bet the insider and heavy hitter she got all the info from is HdPA herself.
      By insider she means she once saw a Labor party pamphlet in her mailbox that she never read and just tossed out and considers herself a heavy hitter.

    • Rodel 2.4

      I read this. Would anyone, even right wingers, take her thoughts (sic) seriously?

  3. mickysavage 3

    Good post. My blood also boiled when I read this. Labour has never wanted for policy and HDPA’s comments seem to be completely bereft of any understanding of this.

    • Reddelusion 3.1

      Don’t blame the messenger. Like it or not HDA opinion is that which is held by many sensible kiwis, hence the poll results’ wether you like it or not or your blood boils is irrelevant.

      • RedLogix 3.1.1

        When ‘sensible kiwi’s’ form their opinions based on reading inane, lying shit like this … what does that really make them?

    • Keith 3.2

      HDPA seems embarrasingly light weight all of the time. Her analysis made me think she has no idea what is going on out there with Labour. But who can blame her for being so ill informed and ignorant, the very media she is part of have swooned around Key for years and when they could be bothered simply looked down their noses at the alternatives.

    • TC 3.3

      She works for murky marks mediawonks mickey as such a natural extension of the DP/CT spin factory.

      Her and hubby from red neck radio ZB baz probably get briefed as a couple to save tIme

  4. newsense 4

    Do you think HDPA writes that? Worse for me was Newshub, major policy announcement: tax, no opposition take at all. Little on Shewin. No opposition visuals, flick to Key, it’s all crap he says. 5 mins, 2-3 mins of Key optics. Bill English in parliament and we get an uncaptioned Labour MP in parliament, no interview. That’s a problem. Nats as normal dominant. No or little opposition

  5. Atiawa 5

    The greatest loss for the modern day Labour Party occurred in 1991 when the Employment Contracts Act was passed. That Act seriously wounded organised labour by abolishing compulsory unionism.
    I don’t blame the last Labour Government for not reintroducing compulsion as the idea of forcing people to belong to a movement regardless of it’s value to those it represented would not be appreciated or understood by a work force who are obsessed by the mantra of individual choice (see smacking your children, light bulbs & shower heads if you have doubts), which has become further ingrained into peoples thinking through new communications technology, modern day media and advertising.
    The labour movement was the Labour Party’s infantry prior to 1991. Sure, a few of the troops were missing in action or turned traitor and went to the other side, but if for example house prices went out of kilter with incomes, or wages weren’t keeping up with inflation and greater productivity, a well resourced and powerful union movement was there to present the facts and ensure a fair(er) distribution of the country’s wealth.

    • Reddelusion 5.1

      Spare me please with such BS

      [RL: I’m very close to sparing the rest of us by banning you permanently. You contribute little beyond sour, sneering and demeaning drivel. This is the only warning you’re getting.]

      • DoublePlusGood 5.1.1

        Atiawa’s comment is thoughtful and reasonable. If you disagree, say why you diasgree, rather than just denouncing it as BS. Try harder.

      • reason 5.1.2

        Reddelusion should tell us more about the Deranged Key Syndrome that he knows about.

        A disease named after and displaying the symptoms of our prime minister.

        HDPA is a bit of lightweight like Soper and they do exist in the Thorndon bubble … She has to write something or she wont get paid.

    • Mosa 5.2

      The hard right revolution would not have succeeded without the 1991 anti union bill which has done untold damage to workers and those in salaried jobs half way up the ladder.
      2016 marks 100 years scince Labours creation to fight against the same scheisters we have today with a modern face and strangle and steal from kiwis with a smile and reasuring voice and promise a brighter future for those with wealth.
      Now with modern methods they are killing all the opposition in NZ that’s a fact.
      In the past this would have precipitated a revolution but the will to stand up has been taken away and our Lord’s and masters wave money instead of guns.

      • Atiawa 5.2.1

        Yes you are correct. Sword or pen stuff.
        Labour has a great policy to promote post secondary education.

  6. Mosa 6

    What helps keep the status quo is creating the perception that due to negative polling Labour is divided and the leader who ever it is is under threat.
    Its worked a treat,convincing the public that hate disunity that the present govt is safe and stable,yet these polls are suspect in the first place on how they are conducted to skew the figures.
    Labour and the left are trapped.
    When Winston goes up the talk is how National will have to deal with him at the next election which spooks right wing voters to come back and support Key and allow National to govern alone.
    Its manipulation at its best and another reason why you can’t trust the MSM in NZ.

    • ropata 6.1

      Yes, it’s called “class war” and the Nats will continue their dream run until the middle class has been hollowed out. One day Kiwis will finally wake up and realise that “our” country has been colonised by wealthy transnational elites, and all formerly public assets are now for profit enterprises owned by soulless corporations. We still have a mass exodus of young people because there’s no future in NZ for most of them. The govt is replacing them with millionaire migrants and their extended families.

  7. International Rescue 7

    McCarten is a liability. His plan that put together Dotcom’s moment of truth with Labours last election slogan was a miserable failure, and Labour’s rantings about tax dodging look hypocritical while it continues to employ McCarten.

    But Little is an even bigger liability. His political judgement is non-existence, his likability ratings sub-zero, and he the personality to match.

    Beyond that, the problems Labour have a irreparable. They no longer possess a viable message, even more so now that Little is chasing the hard left vote, which is in decline the world over.

    • Draco T Bastard 7.1

      Oh, look at that, another RWNJ giving advise to the Left.

      • Scythe 7.1.1

        The irony of you calling anyone else a nutjob is hilarious.

        TBH the problem is that this site’s brand of 1930s leftism is dead, it lost, those who cling to it are the definition of losers.

        If Labour wants to win another election some time in the next 20 years it needs to strip out anyone who’s been in the party prior to the year 2000, guillotine all the union hacks, the retarded school teachers and the career politicians, and throw up a Kelvin Davis/Jacinda Arden ticket.

        Anything short of that means electoral obscurity for eternity.

        • BM 7.1.1.1

          Stuart Nash is about the only one out of the Labour ranks who’s got a chance of winning 2017 or probably 2020

          Little’s got about as much likability as weeping butt sores.

          • Scythe 7.1.1.1.1

            He’s not brown or female. Gotta tick those diversity boxes for whatever reasons.

            • joe90 7.1.1.1.1.1

              Yeah, man’s work.
              /

            • BM 7.1.1.1.1.2

              All that internal back office shit has crippled Labour.

              Until they remove all the one issue wankers from all the layers of the labour party it’s going nowhere.

        • Draco T Bastard 7.1.1.2

          Did you notice the GFC?

          It was caused by the same policies as the Great Depression.

          What this means is that capitalism fails every time. It’s been failing for 5000 years. Hopefully we can learn that lesson this time and finally get rid of it.

    • Mosa 7.2

      Go back to sleep !

    • John Shears 7.3

      Yawwwwwwnnnnn!!!!!!!

    • ropata 7.4

      Ever thought of turning your penetrating insights on to the current pack of wankers in govt? 200+ documented lies, huge property portfolios, scandal after scandal, and yet somehow beyond criticism in the MSM… ever wondered why?

      • International Rescue 7.4.1

        The ‘lies’ are not lies at all. And you think Labour MP’s have no property? Remember Sue Moroney?

  8. reason 8

    International Rescue likes to have a good rant ….

    reminds me of a wordy Fizziass

    I bet hes a Neville no friends who smells bad

  9. Brendon Harre -Left wing Liberal 9

    I made the below comment on The DailyBlog -but it is worthwhile to consider the environment in which HdPA TV3 NewHub is working in. To consider that the entire Campbell Live team of journalists were replaced. That this sort of retrenchment is endemic in the industry so the control and pressures on the likes of HdPA are extremely high.

    This doesn’t make it acceptable but in some ways knowing the nature of the crisis helps.

    MSM is collapsing in NZ. The media industry is like the UK heavy industry (coal mines, steel, shipbuilding….) in the 70/80s. It is imploding. Readership and viewership numbers who pay for media services have fallen off a cliff. The result is journalists are under constant retrenchment of drop losses, higher workload, more superficial research and analysis, less support in editing and layout, whilst working in smaller teams.

    This stress means traditional media is no longer providing a forum for national conversations -in particular moral conversations -such as Panama Papers/tax haven issue and affordable housing boil down to.

    Moral questions like;

    -do we want to be a tax haven?
    -do we want to everyone to contribute their fair share towards the funding of public services?
    -do we want to continue with being an egalitarian, fair-go, jack is as good as his master sort of country? Or do we want to entrench a system that gives legislative advantage and a sense of entitlement to some groups of kiwis and foreign elites?

    The evidence for my explanation is the difference in coverage MSM has done on the Panama papers. Such as RadioLive’s Political Panel with Chris Trotter and Rodney Hide.
    http://www.radiolive.co.nz/Political-Panel-with-Chris-Trotter-and-Rodney-Hide/tabid/506/articleID/118429/Default.aspx#.Vw-z7C86mB0.twitter (first half)

    And alternative media -Waatea 5th Estate
    http://thedailyblog.co.nz/2016/04/15/waatea-5th-estate-the-ongoing-housing-affordability-crisis/ (the end)
    http://thedailyblog.co.nz/2016/04/16/waatea-5th-estate-friday-political-wrap-up/ (the beggining)

    MSM completely missed the moral conversation whilst alternative media gave a forum for many from the Left

    David Parker, Phil Twyford, Rachel Stewart, Tim Selwyn, Efeso Collins, Ricky Houghton, Dr Wayne Hope and other voices/conversation would have been completely missed if not for alternative media.

    The Left need to support/promote alternative media to get more of NZ to engage in this conversation. Luckily now, unlike a few years ago -kiwis can hear directly the voices of those who most effectively communicate this conversation. This is the great hope.

    – See more at: http://thedailyblog.co.nz/2016/04/16/the-new-black-is-blue-nationals-grip-on-the-electorate-remains-a-strong-as-ever/#sthash.7PDL1eF0.dpuf

    Maybe TheStandard could up its game too? Perhaps it could start a not for profit/voluntary internet radio talkback show? Or talk to some PR people on strategies of how best to engage with the FaceBook generation -to include them in the ‘conversation’.

    • Robertina 9.1

      ”Readership and viewership numbers who pay for media services have fallen off a cliff. ”
      The operative word is ‘pay’ as readership and viewership per se haven’t fallen off a cliff but subscriptions and advertising have.
      You don’t need to look to the 70s and 80s for comparisons – technology is disrupting multiple industries now.
      I think in the next few years NZ’s media as a whole will further resemble the parlous state of radio in which taxpayer funded content is a small dot in a sea of low quality dross.
      NZ On Air looks set to start funding projects/stories in what used to call itself the print media.

      • Brendon Harre -Left wing Liberal 9.1.1

        Agreed Robertina -for us on the Left the only option is to constructively engage with the process and find new ways to communicate with kiwis and on the wider issue -of finding new ways to provide security of employment/income.

        I don’t like what is happening to MSM. I think this is a widely held dislike, but we can’t stop it -certainly not from the opposition benches. Doing nothing is just a recipe for anger, frustration and dissent.

        I believe the only hopefully approach is to constructively engage in finding new communication strategies -new forums to have ‘conversations’ with our fellow kiwis.

        • Robertina 9.1.1.1

          I think there will be journos and mainstream news outlets well into the future; what’s happening is that reporting is becoming in large part a job that’s only viable for 2-4 years before burnout occurs.
          You might be interested in this piece from the Guardian about the current state of play: http://www.theguardian.com/media/2016/apr/17/can-internet-save-printed-press-blendle-lumi

          I think the aged care Kristine Bartlett case was a good and underrated example of how a modern union campaign can operate (effecting the goal of communication that you state). It made use of social media and wide sharing of media coverage of the case (and the previous Caring Counts report) and reached a group that’s often not part of political and economic discussion.
          The whole aged care sector (business, NGOs, residents, carers, unions) has been highly aware of the case.
          A couple of stories I heard was rest-home residents bailing up a visiting politician about caregivers’ pay, and of a union organiser offering members the chance to chat to Labour politicians about the case, only to be looked at blankly as they didn’t know who the MPs were.
          Unfortunately discussion of the caregiver pay issue on the Standard has traditionally been dominated by male commenters running the ‘why’d she choose that job then’ line, so it hasn’t been a particularly fruitful discussion here.

  10. maui 10

    At least it’s clear now that if du Plessis Allan wants to moonlight as a troll on the Standard she would fit in seamlessly. It’s also no wonder that the public opinion of journalists is plummeting when some represent bias, junk reporting and are effectively working as PR people for certain powerful interests.

    • Kat 10.1

      Agree maui, du Plessis Allan played the cunning smoke and mirrors game of establishing a good rep with the public through that TV3 firearms illegally buying on-line beat up, similar to Rodney Hides smoke screen perk buster, get tough on crims image.

      Then sniping from a perceived high moral ground they attack with their corrosive opinion pieces.

  11. Barry Crosbie 11

    I feel the problem for Labour is easy to identify but hard to change. In general people have been lead to believe National is better at handling the economy than Labour is and facts to the contrary take time to explain and process and most people aren’t willing to take the time. We are still getting reports of the precarious nature of the world recovery, higher levels of unemployment internationally, Europe seems to be constantly at the edge of tipping over and in the mean time we are told we are doing ok. If you don’t look deeply it is easy to assume this is because of how National is running the books.
    The fact that they inherited a healthy economy with minimal public debt because of Labour’s cautious monetary policy isn’t mentioned. That National were calling for tax cuts in Labour’s second term, which would have put us in dire straights when the GFC hit, isn’t mentioned. National over tripling public debt at a time they are selling assets isn’t mentioned. Even the current surplus seems largely because of the $500 million the reserve bank made through hedging rather than any policy National has put forward.
    But your everyday citizen, head down, working hard and getting by in a world that seems to be precarious to say the least, thinks well things look much worse somewhere else, National must be doing an ok job. I don’t think we will win the next election (the left that is), because there isn’t enough comparative pain for people to want change.

  12. Wainwright 12

    Who cares he’s ‘controling the factions’ – if that’s even true – when the party keeps making no progress. The policy is still too detailed. The strategy is nonexistent. How many international examples do we need of the power of visionary powerful unafraid leftwing leadership before Labour takes notice?

    The usual do-nothing crowd will say Sanders and Corben haven’t won any elections yet. But they haven’t lost them, and Labour have over and over again following boring middle of the road orthodoxy.

    • Atiawa 12.1

      This Government won’t improve peoples lives. Play the long game. Little will be a great Leader for NZ in 2020. Any earlier will be a bonus. We have become slow learners, but ……..

  13. NZJester 13

    National’s MSM stooges are doing the death by a thousand cuts trick they have been doing in the past as part of their dirty politics. Trying to build up little made up stories as facts to slowly build upon with more lies to make out that Labour and it’s leader have no real policy or direction when they do. Meanwhile the real party with with no real policy or direction is getting this country into a deeper debt hole and poor Christchurch is still paying for their major incompetence and tinkering with the rebuilt.

  14. Peter 14

    I don’t think Labour will do any good the way they are going, they seem not to be out there fighting to be the next government just coasting along. But if I was getting 150 grand a year and in a safe seat would I want to be in government.

    • peterlepaysan 14.1

      Your aspirational better future vision is SO inspiring. I am certain that government safe seat holders would happily trade positions with their counterparts.

      No difference?

    • Whateva next? 14.2

      Are you a paid troll? Try getting a worthwhile job mate, something to be proud of when you look back on your life, selling your soul pays back double dividends

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    TL;DR: The key events to watch in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the week to March 18 include:China’s Foreign Minister visiting Wellington today;A post-cabinet news conference this afternoon; the resumption of Parliament on Tuesday for two weeks before Easter;retiring former Labour Finance Minister Grant Robertson gives his valedictory speech in Parliament; ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 day ago
  • Bitter and angry; Winston First
    New Zealand First Leader Winston Peters’s state-of-the-nation speech on Sunday was really a state-of-Winston-First speech. He barely mentioned any of the Government’s key policies and could not even wholly endorse its signature income tax cuts. Instead, he rehearsed all of his complaints about the Ardern Government, including an extraordinary claim ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    1 day 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 ...
    1 day 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 ...
    1 day ago
  • Out of Touch.
    “I’ve been internalising a really complicated situation in my head.”When they kept telling us we should wait until we get to know him, were they taking the piss? Was it a case of, if you think this is bad, wait till you get to know the real Christopher, after the ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    2 days ago
  • Bring out your Dad
    Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    2 days ago
  • Bring out your Dad
    Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    2 days ago
  • Bring out your Dad
    Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    2 days ago
  • The bewildering world of Chris Luxon – Guns for all, not no lunch for kids
    .“$10 and a target that bleeds” - Bleeding Targets for Under $10!.Thanks for reading Frankly Speaking ! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.This government appears hell-bent on either scrapping life-saving legislation or reintroducing things that - frustrated critics insist - will be dangerous and likely ...
    Frankly SpeakingBy Frank Macskasy
    3 days ago
  • Expert Opinion: Ageing Boomers, Laurie & Les, Talk Politics.
    It hardly strikes me as fair to criticise a government for doing exactly what it said it was going to do. For actually keeping its promises.”THUNDER WAS PLAYING TAG with lightning flashes amongst the distant peaks. Its rolling cadences interrupted by the here-I-come-here-I-go Doppler effect of the occasional passing car. ...
    3 days ago
  • Manufacturing The Truth.
    Subversive & Disruptive Technologies: Just as happened with that other great regulator of the masses, the Medieval Church, the advent of a new and hard-to-control technology – the Internet –  is weakening the ties that bind. Then, and now, those who enjoy a monopoly on the dissemination of lies, cannot and will ...
    3 days ago
  • A Powerful Sensation of Déjà Vu.
    Been Here Before: To find the precedents for what this Coalition Government is proposing, it is necessary to return to the “glory days” of Muldoonism.THE COALITION GOVERNMENT has celebrated its first 100 days in office by checking-off the last of its listed commitments. It remains, however, an angry government. It ...
    3 days ago
  • Can you guess where world attention is focussed (according to Greenpeace)? It’s focussed on an EPA...
    Bob Edlin writes –  And what is the world watching today…? The email newsletter from Associated Press which landed in our mailbox early this morning advised: In the news today: The father of a school shooter has been found guilty of involuntary manslaughter; prosecutors in Trump’s hush-money case ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    3 days ago
  • Further integrity problems for the Greens in suspending MP Darleen Tana
    Bryce Edwards writes – Is another Green MP on their way out? And are the Greens severely tarnished by another integrity scandal? For the second time in three months, the Green Party has secretly suspended an MP over integrity issues. Mystery is surrounding the party’s decision to ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    3 days ago
  • Jacqui Van Der Kaay: Greens’ transparency missing in action
    For the last few years, the Green Party has been the party that has managed to avoid the plague of multiple scandals that have beleaguered other political parties. It appears that their luck has run out with a second scandal which, unfortunately for them, coincided with Golraz Ghahraman, the focus ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    3 days ago
  • Bernard’s Dawn Chorus with six newsey things at 6:46am for Saturday, March 16
    TL;DR: The six newsey things that stood out to me as of 6:46am on Saturday, March 16.Andy Foster has accidentally allowed a Labour/Green amendment to cut road user chargers for plug-in hybrid vehicles, which the Government might accept; NZ Herald Thomas Coughlan Simeon Brown has rejected a plea from Westport ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago
  • How Did FTX Crash?
    What seemed a booming success a couple of years ago has collapsed into fraud convictions.I looked at the crash of FTX (short for ‘Futures Exchange’) in November 2022 to see whether it would impact on the financial system as a whole. Fortunately there was barely a ripple, probably because it ...
    PunditBy Brian Easton
    4 days ago
  • Elections in Russia and Ukraine
    Anybody following the situation in Ukraine and Russia would probably have been amused by a recent Tweet on X NATO seems to be putting in an awful lot of effort to influence what is, at least according to them, a sham election in an autocracy.When do the Ukrainians go to ...
    4 days ago
  • Bernard’s six stack of substacks at 6pm on March 15
    TL;DR: Shaun Baker on Wynyard Quarter's transformation. Magdalene Taylor on the problem with smart phones. How private equity are now all over reinsurance. Dylan Cleaver on rugby and CTE. Emily Atkin on ‘Big Meat’ looking like ‘Big Oil’.Bernard’s six-stack of substacks at 6pm on March 15Photo by Jeppe Hove Jensen ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • Buzz from the Beehive Finance Minister Nicola Willis had plenty to say when addressing the Auckland Business Chamber on the economic growth that (she tells us) is flagging more than we thought. But the government intends to put new life into it:  We want our country to be a ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    4 days ago
  • National’s clean car tax advances
    The Transport and Infrastructure Committee has reported back on the Road User Charges (Light Electric RUC Vehicles) Amendment Bill, basicly rubberstamping it. While there was widespread support among submitters for the principle that EV and PHEV drivers should pay their fair share for the roads, they also overwhelmingly disagreed with ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    4 days ago
  • Government funding bailouts
    Peter Dunne writes – This week’s government bailout – the fifth in the last eighteen months – of the financially troubled Ruapehu Alpine Lifts company would have pleased many in the central North Island ski industry. The government’s stated rationale for the $7 million funding was that it ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • Two offenders, different treatments.
    See if you can spot the difference. An Iranian born female MP from a progressive party is accused of serial shoplifting. Her name is leaked to the media, which goes into a pack frenzy even before the Police launch an … Continue reading ...
    KiwipoliticoBy Pablo
    4 days ago
  • Treaty references omitted
    Ele Ludemann writes  – The government is omitting general Treaty references from legislation : The growth of Treaty of Waitangi clauses in legislation caused so much worry that a special oversight group was set up by the last Government in a bid to get greater coherence in the public service on Treaty ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • The Ghahraman Conflict
    What was that judge thinking? Peter Williams writes –  That Golriz Ghahraman and District Court Judge Maria Pecotic were once lawyer colleagues is incontrovertible. There is published evidence that they took at least one case to the Court of Appeal together. There was a report on ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • Bernard's Top 10 @ 10 'pick 'n' mix' for March 15
    TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: Climate Scorpion – the sting is in the tail. Introducing planetary solvency. A paper via the University of Exeter’s Institute and Faculty of Actuaries.Local scoop: Kāinga Ora starts pulling out of its Auckland projects and selling land RNZ ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • The day Wellington up-zoned its future
    Wellington’s massively upzoned District Plan adds the opportunity for tens of thousands of new homes not just in the central city (such as these Webb St new builds) but also close to the CBD and public transport links. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Wellington gave itself the chance of ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • Weekly Roundup 15-March-2024
    It’s Friday and we’re halfway through March Madness. Here’s some of the things that caught our attention this week. This Week in Greater Auckland On Monday Matt asked how we can get better event trains and an option for grade separating Morningside Dr. On Tuesday Matt looked into ...
    Greater AucklandBy Greater Auckland
    4 days ago
  • That Word.
    Something you might not know about me is that I’m quite a stubborn person. No, really. I don’t much care for criticism I think’s unfair or that I disagree with. Few of us do I suppose.Back when I was a drinker I’d sometimes respond defensively, even angrily. There are things ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    4 days ago
  • The Hoon around the week to March 15
    Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The five things that mattered in Aotearoa’s political economy that we wrote and spoke about via The Kākā and elsewhere for paying subscribers in the last week included:PM Christopher Luxon said the reversal of interest deductibility for landlords was done to help renters, who ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 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
    4 days ago
  • Skeptical Science New Research for Week #11 2024
    Open access notables A Glimpse into the Future: The 2023 Ocean Temperature and Sea Ice Extremes in the Context of Longer-Term Climate Change, Kuhlbrodt et al., Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society: In the year 2023, we have seen extraordinary extrema in high sea surface temperature (SST) in the North Atlantic and in ...
    5 days ago
  • Melissa remains mute on media matters but has something to say (at a sporting event) about economic ...
     Buzz from the Beehive   The text reproduced above appears on a page which records all the media statements and speeches posted on the government’s official website by Melissa Lee as Minister of Media and Communications and/or by Jenny Marcroft, her Parliamentary Under-secretary.  It can be quickly analysed ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    5 days ago
  • The return of Muldoon
    For forty years, Robert Muldoon has been a dirty word in our politics. His style of government was so repulsive and authoritarian that the backlash to it helped set and entrench our constitutional norms. His pig-headedness over forcing through Think Big eventually gave us the RMA, with its participation and ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    5 days ago
  • Will the rental tax cut improve life for renters or landlords?
    Bryce Edwards writes –  Is the new government reducing tax on rental properties to benefit landlords or to cut the cost of rents? That’s the big question this week, after Associate Finance Minister David Seymour announced on Sunday that the Government would be reversing the Labour Government’s removal ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • Geoffrey Miller: What Saudi Arabia’s rapid changes mean for New Zealand
    Saudi Arabia is rarely far from the international spotlight. The war in Gaza has brought new scrutiny to Saudi plans to normalise relations with Israel, while the fifth anniversary of the controversial killing of Jamal Khashoggi was marked shortly before the war began on October 7. And as the home ...
    Democracy ProjectBy Geoffrey Miller
    5 days ago
  • Racism’s double standards
    Questions need to be asked on both sides of the world Peter Williams writes –   The NRL Judiciary hands down an eight week suspension to Sydney Roosters forward Spencer Leniu , an Auckland-born Samoan, after he calls Ezra Mam, Sydney-orn but of Aboriginal and Torres Strait ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • It’s not a tax break
    Ele Ludemann writes – Contrary to what many headlines and news stories are saying, residential landlords are not getting a tax break. The government is simply restoring to them the tax deductibility of interest they had until the previous government removed it. There is no logical reason ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • The Plastic Pig Collective and Chris' Imaginary Friends.
    I can't remember when it was goodMoments of happiness in bloomMaybe I just misunderstoodAll of the love we left behindWatching our flashbacks intertwineMemories I will never findIn spite of whatever you becomeForget that reckless thing turned onI think our lives have just begunI think our lives have just begunDoes anyone ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago
  • Who is responsible for young offenders?
    Michael Bassett writes – At first reading, a front-page story in the New Zealand Herald on 13 March was bizarre. A group of severely intellectually limited teenagers, with little understanding of the law, have been pleading to the Justice Select Committee not to pass a bill dealing with ram ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • Gordon Campbell on National’s fantasy trip to La La Landlord Land
    How much political capital is Christopher Luxon willing to burn through in order to deliver his $2.9 billion gift to landlords? Evidently, Luxon is: (a) unable to cost the policy accurately. As Anna Burns-Francis pointed out to him on Breakfast TV, the original ”rock solid” $2.1 billion cost he was ...
    5 days ago
  • Bernard's Top 10 @ 10 'pick 'n' mix' for March 14
    TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: Jonathon Porritt calling bullshit in his own blog post on mainstream climate science as ‘The New Denialism’.Local scoop: The Wellington City Council’s list of proposed changes to the IHP recommendations to be debated later today was leaked this ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • No, Prime Minister, rents don’t rise or fall with landlords’ costs
    TL;DR: Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said yesterday tenants should be grateful for the reinstatement of interest deductibility because landlords would pass on their lower tax costs in the form of lower rents. That would be true if landlords were regulated monopolies such as Transpower or Auckland Airport1, but they’re not, ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • Cartoons: ‘At least I didn’t make things awkward’
    This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Tom Toro Tom Toro is a cartoonist and author. He has published over 200 cartoons in The New Yorker since 2010. His cartoons appear in Playboy, the Paris Review, the New York Times, American Bystander, and elsewhere. Related: What 10 EV lovers ...
    5 days ago
  • Solving traffic congestion with Richard Prebble
    The business section of the NZ Herald is full of opinion. Among the more opinionated of all is the ex-Minister of Transport, ex-Minister of Railways, ex MP for Auckland Central (1975-93, Labour), Wellington Central (1996-99, ACT, then list-2005), ex-leader of the ACT Party, uncle to actor Antonia, the veritable granddaddy ...
    Greater AucklandBy Patrick Reynolds
    5 days ago
  • I Think I'm Done Flying Boeing
    Hi,Just quickly — I’m blown away by the stories you’ve shared with me over the last week since I put out the ‘Gary’ podcast, where I told you about the time my friend’s flatmate killed the neighbour.And you keep telling me stories — in the comments section, and in my ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    5 days ago
  • Invoking Aristotle: Of Rings of Power, Stones, and Ships
    The first season of Rings of Power was not awful. It was thoroughly underwhelming, yes, and left a lingering sense of disappointment, but it was more expensive mediocrity than catastrophe. I wrote at length about the series as it came out (see the Review section of the blog, and go ...
    6 days ago
  • Van Velden brings free-market approach to changing labour laws – but her colleagues stick to distr...
    Buzz from the Beehive Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Brooke van Velden told Auckland Business Chamber members they were the first audience to hear her priorities as a minister in a government committed to cutting red tape and regulations. She brandished her liberalising credentials, saying Flexible labour markets are the ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago
  • Why Newshub failed
    Chris Trotter writes – TO UNDERSTAND WHY NEWSHUB FAILED, it is necessary to understand how TVNZ changed. Up until 1989, the state broadcaster had been funded by a broadcasting licence fee, collected from every citizen in possession of a television set, supplemented by a relatively modest (compared ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago
  • Māori Party on the warpath against landlords and seabed miners – let’s see if mystical creature...
    Bob Edlin writes  –  The Māori Party has been busy issuing a mix of warnings and threats as its expresses its opposition to interest deductibility for landlords and the plans of seabed miners. It remains to be seen whether they  follow the example of indigenous litigants in Australia, ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago
  • There’s a name for this
    Every year, in the Budget, Parliament forks out money to government agencies to do certain things. And every year, as part of the annual review cycle, those agencies are meant to report on whether they have done the things Parliament gave them that money for. Agencies which consistently fail to ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    6 days ago
  • Echoes of 1968 in 2024?  Pocock on the repetitive problems of the New Left
    Mike Grimshaw writes – Recent events in American universities point to an underlying crisis of coherent thinking, an issue that increasingly affects the progressive left across the Western world. This of course is nothing new as anyone who can either remember or has read of the late ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago
  • Two bar blues
    The thing about life’s little victories is that they can be followed by a defeat.Reader Darryl told me on Monday night:Test again Dave. My “head cold” last week became COVID within 24 hours, and is still with me. I hear the new variants take a bit longer to show up ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    6 days ago
  • Bernard's Top 10 @ 10 'pick 'n' mix' for March 13
    TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: Angus Deaton on rethinking his economics IMFLocal scoop: The people behind Tamarind, the firm that left a $500m cleanup bill for taxpayers at Taranaki’s Tui oil well, are back operating in Taranaki under a different company name. Jonathan ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    6 days ago
  • AT Need To Lift Their Game
    Normally when we talk about accessing public transport it’s about improving how easy it is to get to, such as how easy is it to cross roads in a station/stop’s walking catchment, is it possible to cycle to safely, do bus connections work, or even if are there new routes/connections ...
    6 days ago
  • Christopher's Whopper.
    Politicians are not renowned for telling the truth. Some tell us things that are verifiably not true. They offer statements that omit critical pieces of information. Gloss over risks, preferring to offer the best case scenario.Some not truths are quite small, others amusing in their transparency. There are those repeated ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    6 days ago
  • Funding hole for tax cuts growing by the day
    The pressure is mounting on the Government as it finalises its Budget Policy Statement, but yet more predicted revenue ‘goes missing’. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The Climate Commission has delivered another funding blow to the National-ACT-NZ First coalition Government’s tax-cutting plans, potentially carving $1.4 billion off the ‘climate ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    6 days ago
  • Luxon’s brave climate change promise
    The Government now faces the prospect of having to watch another tax raise the price of petrol when, only six days ago, it abolished the Auckland Regional Fuel tax. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon argued that the regional fuel tax imposed costs on lower-income people with less fuel-efficient vehicles  and that ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    6 days ago

  • Positive progress for social worker workforce
    New Zealand’s social workers are qualified, experienced, and more representative of the communities they serve, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “I want to acknowledge and applaud New Zealand’s social workers for the hard work they do, providing invaluable support for our most vulnerable. “To coincide with World ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 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
    5 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
    5 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
    19 hours ago
  • Kāinga Ora instructed to end Sustaining Tenancies
    Kāinga Ora – Homes & Communities has been instructed to end the Sustaining Tenancies Framework and take stronger measures against persistent antisocial behaviour by tenants, says Housing Minister Chris Bishop. “Earlier today Finance Minister Nicola Willis and I sent an interim Letter of Expectations to the Board of Kāinga Ora. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    23 hours ago
  • Speech to Auckland Business Chamber: Growth is the answer
    Tēna koutou katoa. Greetings everyone. Thank you to the Auckland Chamber of Commerce and the Honourable Simon Bridges for hosting this address today. I acknowledge the business leaders in this room, the leaders and governors, the employers, the entrepreneurs, the investors, and the wealth creators. The coalition Government shares your ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Singapore rounds out regional trip
    Minister Winston Peters completed the final leg of his visit to South and South East Asia in Singapore today, where he focused on enhancing one of New Zealand’s indispensable strategic partnerships.      “Singapore is our most important defence partner in South East Asia, our fourth-largest trading partner and a ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Minister van Velden represents New Zealand at International Democracy Summit
    Minister of Internal Affairs and Workplace Relations and Safety, Hon. Brooke van Velden, will travel to the Republic of Korea to represent New Zealand at the Third Summit for Democracy on 18 March. The summit, hosted by the Republic of Korea, was first convened by the United States in 2021, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Insurance Council of NZ Speech, 7 March 2024, Auckland
    ICNZ Speech 7 March 2024, Auckland  Acknowledgements and opening  Mōrena, ngā mihi nui. Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Nor Whanganui aho.  Good morning, it’s a privilege to be here to open the ICNZ annual conference, thank you to Mark for the Mihi Whakatau  My thanks to Tim Grafton for inviting me ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Five-year anniversary of Christchurch terror attacks
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Lead Coordination Minister Judith Collins have expressed their deepest sympathy on the five-year anniversary of the Christchurch terror attacks. “March 15, 2019, was a day when families, communities and the country came together both in sorrow and solidarity,” Mr Luxon says.  “Today we pay our respects to the 51 shuhada ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Speech for Financial Advice NZ Conference 5 March 2024
    Speech for Financial Advice NZ Conference 5 March 2024  Acknowledgements and opening  Morena, Nga Mihi Nui.  Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Nor Whanganui aho. Thanks Nate for your Mihi Whakatau  Good morning. It’s a pleasure to formally open your conference this morning. What a lovely day in Wellington, What a great ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Early visit to Indonesia strengthens ties
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters held discussions in Jakarta today about the future of relations between New Zealand and South East Asia’s most populous country.   “We are in Jakarta so early in our new government’s term to reflect the huge importance we place on our relationship with Indonesia and South ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • China Foreign Minister to visit
    Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Winston Peters has announced that the Foreign Minister of China, Wang Yi, will visit New Zealand next week.  “We look forward to re-engaging with Foreign Minister Wang Yi and discussing the full breadth of the bilateral relationship, which is one of New Zealand’s ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Minister opens new Auckland Rail Operations Centre
    Transport Minister Simeon Brown has today opened the new Auckland Rail Operations Centre, which will bring together KiwiRail, Auckland Transport, and Auckland One Rail to improve service reliability for Aucklanders. “The recent train disruptions in Auckland have highlighted how important it is KiwiRail and Auckland’s rail agencies work together to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Celebrating 10 years of Crankworx Rotorua
    The Government is proud to support the 10th edition of Crankworx Rotorua as the Crankworx World Tour returns to Rotorua from 16-24 March 2024, says Minister for Economic Development Melissa Lee.  “Over the past 10 years as Crankworx Rotorua has grown, so too have the economic and social benefits that ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Government delivering on tax commitments
    Legislation implementing coalition Government tax commitments and addressing long-standing tax anomalies will be progressed in Parliament next week, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The legislation is contained in an Amendment Paper to the Taxation (Annual Rates for 2023–24, Multinational Tax, and Remedial Matters) Bill issued today.  “The Amendment Paper represents ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Significant Natural Areas requirement to be suspended
    Associate Environment Minister Andrew Hoggard has today announced that the Government has agreed to suspend the requirement for councils to comply with the Significant Natural Areas (SNA) provisions of the National Policy Statement for Indigenous Biodiversity for three years, while it replaces the Resource Management Act (RMA).“As it stands, SNAs ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Government classifies drought conditions in Top of the South as medium-scale adverse event
    Agriculture Minister Todd McClay has classified the drought conditions in the Marlborough, Tasman, and Nelson districts as a medium-scale adverse event, acknowledging the challenging conditions facing farmers and growers in the district. “Parts of Marlborough, Tasman, and Nelson districts are in the grip of an intense dry spell. I know ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Government partnership to tackle $332m facial eczema problem
    The Government is helping farmers eradicate the significant impact of facial eczema (FE) in pastoral animals, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay announced.  “A $20 million partnership jointly funded by Beef + Lamb NZ, the Government, and the primary sector will save farmers an estimated NZD$332 million per year, and aims to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • NZ, India chart path to enhanced relationship
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters has completed a successful visit to India, saying it was an important step in taking the relationship between the two countries to the next level.   “We have laid a strong foundation for the Coalition Government’s priority of enhancing New Zealand-India relations to generate significant future benefit for both countries,” says Mr Peters, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 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 ...
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