Oravida and the water that no one owns

Written By: - Date published: 10:44 am, April 21st, 2016 - 86 comments
Categories: john key, national, same old national - Tags: , , ,

Oravida site accessed 04032014_new_20131023_02

Penny Bright will be pleased.  Apparently in New Zealand no one owns water.  We should stop paying our water rates bills immediately.

National has made the claim for a while.  The latest invocation of the belief was made by John Key on his visit to China.  From Stuff:

Key told reporters in Beijing that governments had operated under a “long-standing principle” that water did not belong to anybody, and could not be sold by the Crown.

“The point is that no-one owns water, and if we’re going to start charging for it, then arguably we’d have to be consistent and charge a lot of people.

Prime Minister John Key says only “a very tiny amount” of the water used in New Zealand is bottled and sold overseas.

That means Meridian, when it gets its water and puts it through its hydro schemes, they would need to pay for that water, and Meridian aren’t going to pay the bill, so you the consumer are.”

Key said the access permits were only temporary, while only 0.004 per cent of all water used in New Zealand was bottled and sent overseas.

“It’s worth putting a bit of perspective on it…it’s a very tiny amount.”

Holy false equivalence.  Apparently having water drive turbines on its way down a river or domestic water use is exactly the same as bottling it and selling it overseas.  And it is fundamentally wrong for Iwi to have any rights to water even though water is a taonga that was protected under the Treaty of Waitangi but it is fine for corporates that donate large amounts of money to National to sell it at a profit.

And yes the amount may be only a small proportion of all water in the country but explain that to a Canterbury farmer next time they are suffering from the effects of the latest drought.

It seems that the Government’s enunciation of rights defaults to what is best for business and farmers.  But given its preference for market driven solutions to all problems you wonder why the Government has not considered water pricing.

The Government is currently consulting on the future of fresh water policy.  The Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment in her submission said this:

There is no mention of water pricing, although pricing is the standard way of dealing with such problems.

Pricing incentivises technical efficiency, and it enables trading so thatwater can ‘flow’ to where it is of most value.

It is not surprising that water pricing is controversial – paying for something which Nature provides freely seems wrong and unfair.

But it makes economic sense to price water in catchments where it is scarce (or likely to become so) and it is being used as an input to production.

Embarassingly for the Government it has been disclosed that Oravida has a contractual right to export hundreds of millions of dollars of fresh water at the annual price to the local authority of $500.  John Key is relaxed about it but the optics are not good.  Stone Shi and Julia Xu, directors of Oravida are members of Key’s current delegation to China.   Judith Collins husband is also a director and the company regularly donates to the National Party.  Of course there is nothing to see here and nothing to worry about.

If the issue starts to register in focus group land then no doubt it will be all Labour’s fault.  And some obscure link between a relative of a Labour MP will be used to attack and divert.

86 comments on “Oravida and the water that no one owns ”

  1. roy cartland 1

    And Oravida’s slogan is “Water the way nature intended”.
    Let’s just permanently reset the year to 1984 and be done with it.

  2. save NZ 2

    Absolutely shocking!

    I pay Auckland council, metrowater for water here in Auckland and I’m not paying $500 for $233million worth of water. Oh but I am not an offshore corporation run by Natz family members as directors.

    How about the Maori party, they are the Natz partner, do they agree with millions of dollars of water being shipped off by Natz cronies….

    Quote from norightturn

    “Oravida has a consent to 146 million litres of ground water a year and the regional council says Oravida pays an annual compliance charge of around $500.

    Oravida markets the water at $1.60 a litre, meaning if all 146 million litres were sold it could be worth $233 million a year.

    $500 for a $233 million revenue stream? This is simple plunder. But its a perfect example of why we need to price water: to ensure that we actually benefit from our resources, rather than letting them be effectively stolen from us for beads and blankets.”

    • Draco T Bastard 2.1

      I pay Auckland council, metrowater for water here in Auckland and I’m not paying $500 for $233million worth of water. Oh but I am not an offshore corporation run by Natz family members as directors.

      QFT

    • M. Gray 2.2

      NZ was founded on beads and blankets

    • Rosie 2.3

      “$500 for a $233 million revenue stream? ”

      Kind of like Larry Hagman/ JR/Earl Hagaman (alledgedly, alledgedly, rw’ers) paying $105,000 for a $7.5mil return.

      Easy money honey. NZer’s are paying either through their taxes in the Niue hotel deal or through their resources in the Oravida water deal. WE are creating the profits for these companies

    • Mosa 2.4

      233,000,000 will pay for 13 flag referendums

      • Mosa 2.4.1

        This is a lightening issue that Labour should exploit
        This water issue shows up the National party for what it really is ,unprincipled and beholden to business interests the exspence of New Zealanders own resource being plundered for free profit
        Key and his privileged associates make me sick!

    • Et Tu Brute 2.5

      $500 for a $233 million revenue stream? You know that isn’t how it works right? Once you have the resource consent you still have to build the plant, treat and monitor the water, maintain all the machinery involved, hire staff, fill plastic bottles which all have to be bought, cover insurance, ship the product overseas, market it and finally sell every last drop.

      There is no such thing as quick money.

      As for the comparison to Auckland of course even if the water was ‘free’ you still have to pay for treatment and the cost of getting the water from the source to your home and all the staff and safety people in-between. In that regard Auckland City Council pays the same for the water as this company. Both get it ‘free’ out of the ground. Once it is out, they then have to pay through their teeth to do stuff with it.

      • locus 2.5.1

        It’s more complex and expensive to drill oil, build production facilities, transport, refine, package and distribute oil products. And after all that cost, oil products are sold more cheaply than bottled water.

        So why aren’t the water robber barons treated the same way and made to pay royalties? I’d say between 10 and 30% of revenue from the sale of water would be a fair royalty.
        http://www.loc.gov/law/help/crude-oil-royalty-rates/

  3. Sabine 3

    And Jenny Shipley is on the board of Oravida.

    http://www.oravida.com/ourteam.aspx

  4. tinfoilhat 4

    $27 dollars for 12 x 300ml bottles !

    • miravox 4.1

      $27! That’s an expensive packaging and delivery fee.

      • tinfoilhat 4.1.1

        in fairness i expect the transport into china isn’t cheap – although no doubt their profits are still very very high.

        • miravox 4.1.1.1

          I was being a little cynical.

          If no-one owns water and someone goes into a shop, opens the bottle and drinks the water then replaces the lid, they’re not guilty of theft, right? Also it couldn’t be criminal damage for breaking the seal on the bottle because that was just to protect the free water from contamination and spillage (not an issue if you drink it all).

          I guess a small donation to cover packaging and delivery would be in order. But not for the water – it’s free.

  5. Lanthanide 5

    If no-one owns water, how come people are allowed to own land?

    Is water somehow something provided by nature, and land isn’t?

    • Draco T Bastard 5.1

      Things is, people shouldn’t own land as it cannot be removed from the commons.

      • Stuart Munro 5.1.1

        They can’t – there is a property right in land that the state never cedes – allodium.

        Traditionally this would prevent foreigners and some kinds of corporations buying land – but under the extreme far-right kleptocracy we have at present land sales to foreigners are seen as a good thing. They bring foreign exchange in to prop up the illusion that this failing government is somehow marginally competent, and if the investment fails in a few years so much the better: it can be sold again – more foreign exchange! Genius!

        Never mind that these foreigners displace kiwis, and the jobs they might create – minimum wage flunkey hotel staff – are of little or no interest to the educated successors of a frontier economy.

    • miravox 5.2

      Fair point.

    • William 5.3

      And also compare how oil is treated in NZ. The Govt owns all in ground petroleum and charges a royalty for the right to extract it.
      http://www.nzpam.govt.nz/cms/permit-holders/annual-fees-royalties/royalties

      This year oil royalties are forecast to be $220 million.
      We have the fourth lowest royalty rates in the world, that’s been explained as because the risks of exploration here are greater than in the oil rich states.

      The risks of water exploration here are very very low, so by the same reasoning we should be charging very high royalties for water. 90% would be comparable to oil in Oman, Yemen, Libya. Currently we’re charging zero!

    • how come people are allowed to own land?

      Because without the ownership of ‘real’ property, capitalism and the market could not come to dominate and become the necessary basis of our society. Land that is not privately held (effectively a ‘commons’ ) would allow people to live outside the market.

      This is not permissible and is therefore why the first act of colonisation is always to enclose the commons – from rural England to African colonies it’s always the first move that is made in enclosing society itself within capitalism and a market economy.

  6. Truce 6

    Who is Barbara Yan Grieve? She is listed on the companies register as formerly owning large utility companies I’m New Zealand, with shareholders including Michael Cullen and Annette King; a water company in Vanuatu (set to wipe it’s register clean very shortly under a pretense BTW); and is seemingly the main person or one of thw main people facilitating business for large Chinese provinces and its state in Australia (out of Brisbane)?

    • Draco T Bastard 6.1

      Do you have a point?

    • Et Tu Brute 6.2

      Are you sure Michael Cullen and Annette King didn’t hold the shares as Ministers of the Crown? Did they by any chance ‘sell’ the shares in 2008?

  7. Heather Tanguay 7

    Excellent comments, if no one owns the water – why then are we paying Watercare Services, maybe we should all stop paying.
    Yes, it is so interesting to see the Board of Orivida and seeing the direct Conflict of Interest some people have.
    However, I guess we expect nothing else from this Government and they will remain cumfortible and relaxed. It’s not only Ashburton, it would be very interesting to know how many other companies there are. I know of a big one in Hawkes Bay.

    • Adrian 7.1

      So don’t pay. Just collect your water from the creek and install a composting toilet.

      • Molly 7.1.1

        I’m visit and occasionally comment on this site because I believe in fair solutions for all NZers, not just immediate individual reactions such as the one you (jokingly?) propose.

        You may find that many on here are of similar mind.

    • Rosie 7.2

      There’s a number of companies bottling water all around the country:

      “There’s a New Zealand company with a consent in Northland, Chinese interests in Hawke’s Bay, a company from Finland in Tongariro, Coca-Cola taking water in Putaruru, New Zealanders in Tai Tapu, a Japanese company in Kaiapoi and a New Zealand company has just controversially purchased a consent in Ashburton.”

      Read more: http://www.newshub.co.nz/politics/growing-calls-for-govt-to-put-price-tag-on-water-2016042018#ixzz46Q3ZHMSi

  8. Draco T Bastard 8

    But given its preference for market driven solutions to all problems you wonder why the Government has not considered water pricing.

    Under a market system water should most definitely be priced as it’s an incredibly limited resource – taonga indeed. The problem the Nats have is that the only one that can do the pricing and get the pay out from it is the government and so they go the route of no one owns it and thus it’s free.

    Stone Shi and Julia Xu, directors of Oravida are members of Key’s current delegation to China. Judith Collins husband is also a director and the company regularly donates to the National Party. Of course there is nothing to see here and nothing to worry about.

    So the appearance of even more corruption in and by National. Colour me surprised.

    • Keith 8.1

      If a PM takes relevant objective parties with them on these tours that’s one thing and quite acceptable. But Oravida, with it’s National Psrty connections and it’s rather checkered recent past with a Oravida connected Minister of the Crown doing sneaky promo tours in China for it a couple of years back?

      National do not give a flying shit about conflicts of interest do they?

  9. ianmac 9

    Coal comes from our land and mining has to pay to mine.
    Oil comes from our land and extracting it has to pay to extract.
    Water comes from our land but it is free to anyone who wants to bottle and sell.

  10. Draco T Bastard 10

    The liberty of a democracy is not safe if the people tolerated the growth of private power to a point where it becomes stronger than the democratic state itself. That in its essence is fascism: ownership of government by an individual, by a group, or any controlling private power.

    Franklin D. Roosevelt

    Who owns National?

  11. save NZ 11

    Yep under neoliberalism only the poor, middle class pay for water, if you are super rich then low and behold you can somehow grant yourselves over 2 million dollars of rights for just a handling fee of $500 to the council. It helps if your spouse is a government minister too.

    That is how inequality is growing, locally, nationally and internationally and that is why we are getting deflation in the western world. There is so many rip offs inflicted on so many people and they are so busy working for wages that do not keep up with inflation, that they have nothing left and that is why the panama papers are going to keep going. Journalists have found out where the money went, how it got there and the powerful figures that are funnelling money this way. This is the tip of the ice berg and the largest firms doing this off shore work have not been audited yet.

  12. Colonial Viper 12

    As has already been pointed out. Fresh water will become the most precious commodity in the world within the next 40 or 50 years.

    • Rosie 12.1

      Exactly the reason why we have to hang on to it. We need to future proof our domestic supply not just literally give it away. Giving it away now just weakens our position in the future. We look like a soft touch with our resources.

    • TC 12.2

      Yup and one of the dealers who spotted the sub prime impolsion and bet on it as depicted in ‘the big short’ is now focused on water as his next big money bet.

  13. joe90 13

    Apparently having water drive turbines on its way down a river or domestic water use is exactly the same as bottling it and selling it overseas.

    Gravity huh, you can’t explain it!,
    /

    https://youtu.be/wb3AFMe2OQY?t=2m

  14. Ed 14

    There does seem to be a need for revising the way water consents are granted, based on the use of the water. A grant for a farm for irrigation purposes could recognise that a proportion of the water will return to the river, or seep through to aquifers closer to the coast. A grant for bottling would recognise the loss of water flow as for agricultural purposes – a right to take water within say 1 km of the mouth of the Manawatu River may be more easily granted than one 200 km up a Canterbury river. Timing may also be important – irrigation in January / February may have a bigger effect on water flow in a river than in June/July. It may be that to balance water use, bottling from a particular river needs to be reduced in January (when it may be convenient for staff holidays anyway), and increased in winter. Critical are the competing needs for the resource – if we don’t mind a lot of Canterbury rivers going dry we may only need rationing down the length of the river so farms at the top are not the only ones able to irrigate. If some uses result in degradation of quality there may be charges for use. Some averaging is also needed so that entitlements are not wiped out be the earliest claims taking all that can be used – a change of use from cattle or sheep to dairy should not be stopped because the next door farm got in first. that also suggests that usage rights should not be too long term – as weather conditions change, adjustments may be needed to keep the scheme fair. Balancing water quantity and quality for recreational uses with profit-making use is more complex than can be solved by overturning democracy – scientific advice is needed, and any government should want to balance needs while maximising economic and social good. This government is increasingly entering into long term contracts for private gain with little attention to long term implications – I accept that anyone building a factory will need more than 3 years guarantee of supply, but a robust system should enable confidence with similar certainty to the prospect of rain continuing . . .

    • Draco T Bastard 14.1

      A grant for a farm for irrigation purposes could recognise that a proportion of the water will return to the river, or seep through to aquifers closer to the coast.

      And thus we should be charging them for the pollution.

      Some averaging is also needed so that entitlements are not wiped out be the earliest claims taking all that can be used – a change of use from cattle or sheep to dairy should not be stopped because the next door farm got in first.

      Actually, that’s pretty much exactly what market economics means. If you want to change that then you need to put in place regulations.

      Balancing water quantity and quality for recreational uses with profit-making use is more complex than can be solved by overturning democracy – scientific advice is needed, and any government should want to balance needs while maximising economic and social good.

      You’re assuming that profit making and environmental protection can be balanced in favour of making bigger profits on farms. It can’t be. Or, to be more precise, the balance exists with the amount of farming in NZ declining.

      but a robust system should enable confidence with similar certainty to the prospect of rain continuing . . .

      Climate Change has NZ becoming drier and more susceptible to drought.

      • Ed 14.1.1

        So based on impeccable free market doctrine, and even ignoring the desire for clean water; 500 is not enough for Oravida’s water contract, and the uncertainty of long term rain means that 35 years is too long?

  15. weka 15

    “And yes the amount may be only a small proportion of all water in the country but explain that to a Canterbury farmer next time they are suffering from the effects of the latest drought.”

    Two things here. One is that the proportion of the total water in the country is irrelevant, and Key’s comment reveals him for the complete ecological illiterate that one would expect him to be given National’s policies. We have to look at the take from every individual watershed and assess the impact of that take on not just the water systems but the whole ecosystem in that specific location. What is happening with water take in Ashburton is not relevant to the Waikato.

    The other is that Canterbury farmers are their own worst enemy. The droughts we are experiencing aren’t that bad, it’s that the kind of farming we are doing is just plain wrong for the location and climate. The solution to that isn’t to be concerned about Canty farmers having more access to irrigation, because the irrigation is a huge part of the problem in the first place. If I had to choose between diary farms in Canterbury or Oravida selling capped limit bottled water to China, I’d choose Oravida even knowing full well how evil they are. I think we have to be very careful not to use the wrong arguments politically, and supporting industrial farming is not a useful one.

    • Ed 15.1

      Nobody owns the airwaves, but we found a way of selling of spectrum to interested oligarchs. We also privatised electricity generation which required little capital input in some areas – but we are now providing a return on capital to the artificially generated capital from the sales. Perhaps there should be annual bids for water in some areas?

      • weka 15.1.1

        Or just keep water for essential collective services (drinking water, sewerage, electricity generation, limited irrigation etc) and recreation, and prohibit commericialisation. Far simpler and far far better for the environment.

  16. MARY_A 16

    Is this a case of another (natural) asset being pilfered, to fill the coffers of the wealthy and corrupt foreign corporates with direct government connections?

  17. ianmac 17

    I saw on TV a year or so ago about bottling water in Fiji. It was being exported at huge profit. Fiji changed the rules and the firm had to pay a royalty. A small amount per litre I think. Anyone?

    • ianmac 17.1

      Why not in NZ?
      Aha for Google: “Shortly afterwards, an increase in the tax from one-third of a Fiji cent per liter to 15 cents per liter for producers over 15 million liters/month which at that point in time applied only to Fiji Water, led the company to shut down its Fiji Island offices on November 29, 2010. This raise was to raise Fiji Water’s tax contribution on to the Fiji Government on the F$150 million (AUD 82 million) they exported each year from F$500,000 to F$22.6 million.[9] The next step for the brand was thought to be a move to New Zealand.[10][11][12] However, after threats from the government to give the well to another company,[13] Fiji Water announced its intent to resume operations and accept the new tax levy.[14]
      https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fiji_Water

  18. Atiawa 18

    A Labour led Government will set up a new SOE “NZ Water”.
    The enterprise will become the sole exporter of NZ’s precious natural resource. Four bottling factories will be established, two in the North Is and two in the South. 300 new jobs will be created across the business.
    It is believed that the business will have opportunities to grow substantially over coming years and will contribute significantly to the country’s GDP, which all citizens will benefit from.

    Now. Who would squeal about that Labour/Greens policy?

    • Colonial Viper 18.1

      It will help reduce NZ’s debt and pay for superannuation.

      It will also bring down our trade deficit.

      I think this selling off of our real physical resources for digital numbers is the way of the future.

    • Draco T Bastard 18.2

      Now. Who would squeal about that Labour/Greens policy?

      Me because it’s environmentally destructive.

  19. Matthew Hooton 19

    There should be a price on water and everyone should pay it whether cleaning their teeth, irrigating their farm or exporting it to China – so that the water goes to whoever has the highest and best use for it. We already pay to clean our teeth (in Auckland anyway) so farmers and water exporters should pay too. As it happens, I would expect orivida has a better business model than Fonterra and would end up with the water in question, and good on them. But they should pay.

  20. Gristle 20

    It’s easy enough for the government to differentiate between water going off shore in bottles or tanks and that which is used here.

    Mind you, Fonterra might want to claim a rebate as it extracts water from all that milk powder it exports.

  21. Jack Ramaka 21

    The NZ Natzis are controlled by the USA Natzis, New Zealand needs to wake up to what has been going on the last 100 years, the average New Zealander has been shafted by the system which has been infiltrated by the Natzis and dear I say it The ****** Brotherhood?

    All in the name of greed the Maori People and Hard Working New Zealanders have been shalfted by The Filthy Few, NZ Wealth has been taken by stealth-Fact!!!

  22. Hanswurst 22

    Ah yes, the usual hamfisted reasoning from Mr. Key. On the one hand, it’s all a matter of principle, “No-one owns water”; on the other, it needs to be put in perspective, because it’s just a fraction of a percent of NZ’s water that’s being bottled and sold. You can’t be both principled and pragmatic on the same issue, Mr. Key. Of course, he can get away with it, because his arguments are of the ‘common sense’ variety and NZ collectively prides itself on being a down-to-Earth, common-sense nation. The fact that ‘common sense’ is very often heavily at odds with actual sense is neither here nor there, of course.

    • Draco T Bastard 22.1

      The fact that ‘common sense’ is very often heavily at odds with actual sense is neither here nor there, of course.

      Common sense isn’t.

  23. gnomic 23

    “Nobody owns water” So quoth the leader of the current regime. The person who deals with nobody not highly ethical.

    Quite a number of people seem to get the rights to use water at the expense of the nation at large and the wildlife within it for next to nothing.

    Polluting waterways is also more or less free.

    Refilling aquifers from a heavily polluted river of today. Brilliant! Why didn’t I think of that?

    Flogging off water for private advantage. Not highly ethical?

  24. Incognito 24

    Here’s a thought: the rainwater off your roof and your section of land feeds into the aquifer, the grid, so to speak, and you should be able to claim back against what you’ve taken. You could also store the water in tanks for your own consumption or bottle it. I reckon it tastes heaps better than mains water and comes in all sorts of flavours: possum, bird, bird shit, and even aerial spray. People with a real entrepreneurial spirit and skills could get into distilleries and blending; there’s a huge international market for triple distilled tank water, aged in specially designed tanks (oak barrels?), and it’s all 100% pure and 100% Kiwi. Put a Silver Fern on it and you’ll be a millionaire in no time. The dairy industry will eat its dust.

  25. Hennie van der Merwe 25

    Botswana is a mostly semi-dessert, land-locked country with a relatively small population by African standards yet it is the only country in Africa with a thriving economy. (for years it had the highest per capita foreign reserves in the world)
    When diamonds was discovered by De Beers the then President, Sir Seretse Kgama, on behalf of the government entered into a joint venture 50/50 with De Beers. Botswana had the diamonds and De Beers the capital, infrastructure, market, etc. This agreement ensured that Botswana citizens received their fair share of income from a natural resource that belongs to all of its peoples. It has been a success since inception and both parties have benefitted from the relationship and has enabled Botswana to establish a unique economy in Africa.
    IMO water is like coal, petroleum and all other minerals a natural resource belonging to the peoples of the country. It is government’s responsibility to manage its exploitation/ usage on behalf of the people, not to allow mostly foreign entities to plunder with almost no benefit (in relation to gains made by exploiters) for the peoples. In a post above it was stated that projected oil royalties for the year is $220m – how does that compare with 50% of the profit (before tax dodges and royalties) of the foreign companies involved?
    It would be interesting (if someone can calculate it) what the contribution to government revenue would be if we owned 50% of all companies exporting NZ natural resources.

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Debswana

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    Bryce Edwards writes – Last week former National Party leader Simon Bridges was appointed by the Government as the new chair of the New Zealand Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA). You can read about the appointment in Thomas Coughlan’s article, Simon Bridges to become chair of NZ Transport Agency ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    9 hours ago
  • Bernard's Top 10 @ 10 'pick 'n' mix' at 10:10am on Tuesday, March 19
    TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: Gavin Jacobson talks to Thomas Piketty 10 years on from Capital in the 21st Century The SalvoLocal scoop: Green MP’s business being investigated over migrant exploitation claims Stuff Steve KilgallonLocal deep-dive: The commercial contractors making money from School ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    10 hours ago
  • Bernard's six newsy things on Tuesday, March 19
    It’s a home - but Kāinga Ora tenants accused of “abusing the privilege” may lose it. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The Government announced a crackdown on Kāinga Ora tenants who were unruly and/or behind on their rent, with Housing Minister Chris Bishop saying a place in a state ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    11 hours ago
  • New Life for Light Rail
    This is a guest post by Connor Sharp of Surface Light Rail  Light rail in Auckland: A way forward sooner than you think With the coup de grâce of Auckland Light Rail (ALR) earlier this year, and the shift of the government’s priorities to roads, roads, and more roads, it ...
    Greater AucklandBy Guest Post
    12 hours ago
  • Why Are Bosses Nearly All Buffoons?
    Note: As a paid-up Webworm member, I’ve recorded this Webworm as a mini-podcast for you as well. Some of you said you liked this option - so I aim to provide it when I get a chance to record! Read more ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    14 hours ago
  • Bernard’s six-stack of substacks at 6.06 pm on March 18
    TL;DR: In my ‘six-stack’ of substacks at 6.06pm on Monday, March 18:IKEA is accused of planting big forests in New Zealand to green-wash; REDD-MonitorA City for People takes a well-deserved victory lap over Wellington’s pro-YIMBY District Plan votes; A City for PeopleSteven Anastasiou takes a close look at the sticky ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 day ago
  • Peters holds his ground on co-governance, but Willis wriggles on those tax cuts and SNA suspension l...
    Buzz from the Beehive Here’s hoping for a lively post-cabinet press conference when the PM and – perhaps – some of his ministers tell us what was discussed at their meeting today. Until then, Point of Order has precious little Beehive news to report after its latest monitoring of the ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    1 day ago
  • Labour’s final report card
    David Farrar writes –  We now have almost all 2023 data in, which has allowed me to update my annual table of how  went against its promises. This is basically their final report card. The promise The result Build 100,000 affordable homes over 10 ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    1 day ago
  • “Drunk Uncle at a Wedding”
    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
    1 day 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
    1 day ago
  • Gordon Campbell on Dune 2, and images of Islam
    Depictions of Islam in Western popular culture have rarely been positive, even before 9/11. Five years on from the mosque shootings, this is one of the cultural headwinds that the Muslim community has to battle against. Whatever messages of tolerance and inclusion are offered in daylight, much of our culture ...
    1 day ago
  • New Rail Operations Centre Promises Better Train Services
    Last week Transport Minster Simeon Brown and Mayor Wayne Brown opened the new Auckland Rail Operations Centre. The new train control centre will see teams from KiwiRail, Auckland Transport and Auckland One Rail working more closely together to improve train services across the city. The Auckland Rail Operations Centre in ...
    1 day ago
  • Bernard's six newsy things at 6.36am on Monday, March 18
    Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Retiring former Labour Finance Minister Grant Robertson said in an exit interview with Q+A yesterday the Government can and should sustain more debt to invest in infrastructure for future generations. Elsewhere in the news in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy at 6:36am: Read more ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    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
    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
    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
    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
    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
    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
    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 ...
    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
    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
    2 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
    7 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
    9 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
    10 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
    23 hours ago
  • Kāinga Ora instructed to end Sustaining Tenancies
    Kāinga Ora – Homes & Communities has been instructed to end the Sustaining Tenancies Framework and take stronger measures against persistent antisocial behaviour by tenants, says Housing Minister Chris Bishop. “Earlier today Finance Minister Nicola Willis and I sent an interim Letter of Expectations to the Board of Kāinga Ora. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Speech to Auckland Business Chamber: Growth is the answer
    Tēna koutou katoa. Greetings everyone. Thank you to the Auckland Chamber of Commerce and the Honourable Simon Bridges for hosting this address today. I acknowledge the business leaders in this room, the leaders and governors, the employers, the entrepreneurs, the investors, and the wealth creators. The coalition Government shares your ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Singapore rounds out regional trip
    Minister Winston Peters completed the final leg of his visit to South and South East Asia in Singapore today, where he focused on enhancing one of New Zealand’s indispensable strategic partnerships.      “Singapore is our most important defence partner in South East Asia, our fourth-largest trading partner and a ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Minister van Velden represents New Zealand at International Democracy Summit
    Minister of Internal Affairs and Workplace Relations and Safety, Hon. Brooke van Velden, will travel to the Republic of Korea to represent New Zealand at the Third Summit for Democracy on 18 March. The summit, hosted by the Republic of Korea, was first convened by the United States in 2021, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Insurance Council of NZ Speech, 7 March 2024, Auckland
    ICNZ Speech 7 March 2024, Auckland  Acknowledgements and opening  Mōrena, ngā mihi nui. Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Nor Whanganui aho.  Good morning, it’s a privilege to be here to open the ICNZ annual conference, thank you to Mark for the Mihi Whakatau  My thanks to Tim Grafton for inviting me ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Five-year anniversary of Christchurch terror attacks
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Lead Coordination Minister Judith Collins have expressed their deepest sympathy on the five-year anniversary of the Christchurch terror attacks. “March 15, 2019, was a day when families, communities and the country came together both in sorrow and solidarity,” Mr Luxon says.  “Today we pay our respects to the 51 shuhada ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Speech for Financial Advice NZ Conference 5 March 2024
    Speech for Financial Advice NZ Conference 5 March 2024  Acknowledgements and opening  Morena, Nga Mihi Nui.  Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Nor Whanganui aho. Thanks Nate for your Mihi Whakatau  Good morning. It’s a pleasure to formally open your conference this morning. What a lovely day in Wellington, What a great ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Early visit to Indonesia strengthens ties
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters held discussions in Jakarta today about the future of relations between New Zealand and South East Asia’s most populous country.   “We are in Jakarta so early in our new government’s term to reflect the huge importance we place on our relationship with Indonesia and South ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • China Foreign Minister to visit
    Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Winston Peters has announced that the Foreign Minister of China, Wang Yi, will visit New Zealand next week.  “We look forward to re-engaging with Foreign Minister Wang Yi and discussing the full breadth of the bilateral relationship, which is one of New Zealand’s ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Minister opens new Auckland Rail Operations Centre
    Transport Minister Simeon Brown has today opened the new Auckland Rail Operations Centre, which will bring together KiwiRail, Auckland Transport, and Auckland One Rail to improve service reliability for Aucklanders. “The recent train disruptions in Auckland have highlighted how important it is KiwiRail and Auckland’s rail agencies work together to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Celebrating 10 years of Crankworx Rotorua
    The Government is proud to support the 10th edition of Crankworx Rotorua as the Crankworx World Tour returns to Rotorua from 16-24 March 2024, says Minister for Economic Development Melissa Lee.  “Over the past 10 years as Crankworx Rotorua has grown, so too have the economic and social benefits that ...
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