Owning the news agenda

Written By: - Date published: 8:20 am, May 24th, 2015 - 47 comments
Categories: Abuse of power, journalism, Media, spin - Tags: , ,

He who pays the piper calls the tune. If you own the news organisation then you determine the news agenda. Not day by day and piece by piece of course, but generally and powerfully. Most recent example:

Campbell’s crusades irked TV3 bosses

Pike River mine victims’ spokesman shocked coverage might have contributed to axing.

MediaWorks management viewed Campbell Live’s crusading journalism as a liability that stretched audience patience, company sources say.

The show’s ongoing coverage of Pike River, where 29 men died in a 2010 explosion at a West Coast coal mine, was specifically singled out by management as having led to viewer “fatigue”.

The review by management – which concluded on Thursday with host John Campbell leaving the network and the show facing replacement within the next six weeks – also considered Campbell Live over-emphasised charitable fundraising and coverage of the aftermath of the Christchurch earthquake, GCSB spying and child poverty.

Campbell Live focused on issues that annoyed its bosses at Mediaworks, so out it goes, despite its recent surge to (usually) most popular show. Mediawork’s CEO Mark Weldon happens to be good buddies with John Key – which could of course be a coincidence, but probably isn’t. In short:

…the writing was on the wall as the show was rumoured to be too pink in its persuasion by friends of John Key, high up in the echelons of MediaWorks.

This is consistent with National’s track record in manipulating the media from the top. It happens in the context of many other warnings about control of the media both internationally and in NZ, see:

  • Peter Oborne’s description of The Telegraph scandal,
  • David Fisher on the deterioration of media openness in the public service,
  • Fisher again on being manipulated by National’s dirty politics,
  • and Alistair Thompson on the NZ media’s current bloodbath.

The political right are getting more and more open about controlling the shape and the substance of the media world that we all live in. The political left needs an answer.

UK-media1

47 comments on “Owning the news agenda ”

  1. Jenny Kirk 1

    Okay then – it looks like more people need to get behind Scoop NZ News and keep that media outlet afloat so that we all have access to some “leftie” comment and statements and facts.

  2. whateva next? 2

    Bang on Anthony.
    It was only when Murdoch changed his mind about the Tories in the UK, in particular Thatcher, that after 18 (long) years, they were out on their arses, and Blair (godfather to his son btw) was in.
    Same now, the media (and Crosby/Textor, also Ozzies) decide who WE vote in. Amazing, ?revenge for ancestors being sent to the colonies, fair enough.
    Main tactic is turning the left on itself, while the Right slash and burn, as evidenced by the Standard comments post election/budget, and in UK.
    http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-32858845

    • DS 2.1

      Murdoch switched to Blair (and Obama) because he realised they were going to win, and he didn’t get where he is today by backing losers. He’s evil, not stupid.

      • mike 2.1.1

        When that bastard dies I plan to sing that perfect song from Wizard of Oz: “Ding Dong the witch is dead, Which old witch? the wicked witch”. Then watch his dysfunctional family tear themselves apart over the dough.

  3. Atiawa 3

    The only answer for the political left is for there to be a strong workers movement. The “lefts” industrial arm has become decimated during the last 25 years to the extent that it’s political wing, when in government is relied upon to enact worker friendly legislation supporting & improving minimum conditions of employment.
    Winning four weeks annual leave, five days sick leave and higher minimum hourly pay rates was the domain of unions and their membership. The fifth Labour government – 1999 – 2008, had fertile ground to put in place worker friendly legislation and although they replaced the Employment Contracts Act with the Employment Relations Act they didn’t overly advance the power of workers on the job. Thousands of workers today now rely upon a government to receive a pay increase.
    Of course that government achieved fine things, as previously mentioned and it is difficult to blame them for legislative change that if enforced gave to all workers a better deal then they enjoyed previously.
    The union movement could have used that period of time ( 1999- 2008 ) to consolidate its position by merging together to form NZ Unions Inc.
    A private sector union and a public sector union is all that is required. They should have an industry focus i.e. a transport union would act in the interests of all workers employed in road transport, rail, aviation & shipping. While a health union, for example covers those in the wider health sector – doctors, nurses, lab workers, receptionists etc, as would an education union industry sector act in the interests of teachers, admin, caretakers, teacher asst’s etc.
    The Labour party and the labour movement can’t act in isolation of each other. They have lost their way and need to find each other again. The left can only compete with the might of the msm by organising on the ground. Thats why it’s called the “struggle”.

    • Colonial Rawshark 3.1

      The only answer for the political left is for there to be a strong workers movement.

      Unions and organised labour will be a part of the answer going forwards. But they are a 20th answer for 20th century times. We need new answers in a networked, deindustrialising, financialised, under employment world.

      Also, it was the unions and their leadership who let down NZ in the 1980s and 1990s when there was still time to stop the neoliberal juggernaut in its tracks. Thank Ken Douglas and his ilk.

      • adam 3.1.1

        Trade unions are not working – there are other models to unionise on.

        • Colonial Rawshark 3.1.1.1

          Indeed. They will be civil society organisations of new types, and many won’t be employment unions.

          • Atiawa 3.1.1.1.1

            Good luck with whatever they are.

            If unions weren’t effective why do right wing governments continue to dilute and undermine their relevance?
            They are the only organisation in the world able to deliver for working people. Sure, they aren’t the perfect answer. But I’ll await your reply to find out what replaces them.

            • Colonial Rawshark 3.1.1.1.1.1

              You need to examine the history of the Great Depression to understand that employment unions were only one of many civil society organisations which forced the US Govt to deliver the New Deal.

              In the US the unions have been complicit in destroying terms and conditions for newer younger workers in order to preserve the privilege of senior workers.

              And it hardly needs to be said – but a lot of people aren’t “working” or “employed” any more.

              • Sacha

                Local examples of some new forms of mass organising are Generation Zero and Action Station, neither based around employment relationships.

                • Colonial Rawshark

                  And notice how Grey Power putting the boot in helped remind Labour that trying to cut back on NZ Super was a no-go.

                  • Atiawa

                    Grey Power is just another collective.

                    Maybe we start calling unions Future Grey Power. You know, the same as young Labour or the young Nats or Greens.

  4. Brendon Harre 4

    The cost of setting up ‘media’ due to developments with the internet and social media is at an all time low. Yet kiwis access to quality debate/discussion is also at an all time low. This suits our current government which is not interested in ideas or progress. John Key job is to be the laid back selfie taking public image of a status quo government that only makes changes to reward its mates or to spin and twist the situation to maintain its grip on political power e.g. the compassionate conservative budget.

    The left being the progressive ideas part of the political spectrum need the oxygen of public debate. So this issue is critical for the lefts long term future. I think what the left needs is some centrist websites that do good audio, video and written media where left wing politicians can engage with the public in an intelligent way. This place should also welcome debate from experts in civil society as part of this ‘ideas’ debate. These websites should be accessible from multiple forums -facebook, twitter etc and devices -smartphone, laptop, work computer etc.

    An example might be Julie-Anne Genter on Transportblog

    http://transportblog.co.nz/2015/05/22/submit-on-mill-rd/

    • Colonial Rawshark 4.1

      The Standard represents a fraction of what is needed in NZ. Yet the Left has not got together to create anything more, yet. A miniscule budget of $500K pa would go a long way to setting up an independent left wing volunteer media, one which also helps to support the activities of Scoop and others.

      • Brendon Harre 4.1.1

        500,000 union members @ $1 a year would give you an annual budget of $500K.

  5. joe90 5

    But.. but.. impartial arbiters of the truth…
    /

    So far in the election campaign, 95% of the columns in the Rupert Murdoch-owned tabloid the Sun have been anti-Labour. This is a new record for the rightwing paper, long known for virulent attacks against Labour.
    But this paled in comparison to the Daily Telegraph, a respected conservative broadsheet, which sent out a mass email to its readers urging them to vote Conservative and included a link to the Telegraph’s editorial backing the Tories. (The Guardian has endorsed the Labour party.)

    http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2015/may/07/david-axelrod-uk-media-most-partisan-fox-news

    • Colonial Rawshark 5.1

      Which of these newspapers forced Ed Miliband to unveil his Limestone Policy Tombstone days before the election? Or to back the Tories on opposing Scottish independence and then not follow through on its pre-referendum promises to the Scottish people?

    • Colonial Rawshark 5.2

      I mean, Rupert Murdoch has been a major problem for the Left of politics for decades now. And decades on the Left still have zero answer to him? It’s worse than pitiful. Are we all still going to be bitching about how biased and right wing his media is come the 2020’s.

      • joe90 5.2.1

        And decades on the Left still have zero answer to him?

        While consumers of the news continue to be in thrall of free shit I doubt there is an answer CV.

        • Colonial Rawshark 5.2.1.1

          Then we stay stuck in this loop of deriding the Murdoch media decade after decade after decade.

          • Bill 5.2.1.1.1

            Murdoch backed Blair. Murdoch backed the SNP. Murdoch backed the Tories.

            Murdoch then, supports his back pocket. Again, where people drive the narratives, the Murdoch’s of the world lose their influence and are reduced to publishing purile crap in a desperate attempt to increase sales by publishing stuff that the general populace has already moved way beyond.

            I’ll throw the Sun’s backing of the SNP in its Scottish editions as an example. Did they get a bump in sales? I doubt it. Would their backing have had much influence in an electorate where almost all major media (TV and newspaper) backs Labour? Not really. And look at what happened in spite of the otherwise blanket media support for Labour. One MP.

      • whateva next? 5.2.2

        Right wing made sure there are no Woodwards and Bernsteins these days, and sorted any potential ones by getting rid of John Campbell, despite his popularity. Utterly corrupt now.

  6. Sable 6

    The MSM are a lost cause which may prove to be no bad thing if enough people like myself and others defect to sites like this one and those mainstream outlets not influenced by Western neo cons.

  7. Melanie Scott 7

    I presume everyone commenting here has read Nick Davies’ “Hack Attack”. It is an ABC of political, governmental and big business manipulation, control and disruption of journalism that is deemed critical of them. Welcome to the brave new Murdoch world.
    If the UK with its huge population and supposedly wide political spectrum of able, journalists and commentators and it’s long tradition of vigorous political commentary, can be neutered by one multinational outfit, then what hope has little old NZ?

    • Bill 7.1

      England and Wales, not the UK, is neutered. And there’s a reason for that. The general population in England and Wales are still in the position of being mere spectators. That’s not the case for the entire UK.

  8. Bill 8

    You can’t so easily spin and bullshit people who are engaged.

    NZ society needs a conversation that will engage people. AGW would, I believe, engage people. Engaged people formulate political and cultural narratives that can’t be so easily manipulated or controlled.

    Sometimes, it seems, it can take a long time to pick up the most obvious of lyrics even when the record’s stuck…

    • Colonial Viper 8.1

      AGW has had prominence for 20 years now. Its a discussion which will keep rolling on but it remains at far too abstract a level to really engage many more people. That will only change if the focus switches to strong proposals for concrete change, project by project.

      • Bill 8.1.1

        Yup. That would be right enough if it was true.

        Thing is, I can’t think of any msm – newspaper, magazine or TV article – from the past 20 years that has been honest about AGW. Today, the Guardian’s hand wringing AGW project is awash with falsehoods and pulled punches…everything’s going to be fine duntyaknow?

        meanwhile, there’s nothing abstract about stacking an atmosphere to deliver +2 degrees C…it fucks up just about everything to one degree or another and is easily explained. There’s the climate/biology etc of about 20 million years ago when the atmosphere was last sitting at around 400 ppm that might give us a heads-up of what thrives in that climate.

        But all we hear is that 2 degrees is do-able and that we have no record of these conditions from the past 800 000 years, implying that maybe 900 000 years ago the conditions we have set up now existed. No-one mentions that ice core samples only go back 800 000 years. No-one mentions the seabed samples from 20 million years ago that record, as far as we’re aware, the last time there was a concentration of atmospheric CO2 sitting at 400ppm.

        We went from denial in the msm to celebrating the North West Passage and grapes being grown in SE England or whatever to Carbon Capture and Storage is on the horizon (it isn’t) and how 2 degrees is a realistic target (it isn’t), all washed down with sensational, sans context, reporting of 1 in 100, 1 in 50 year weather events.

        For the past 20 years AGW has been buried and trivialised.

        If you want ‘abstract’ and shrugged shoulders, then tell people all about peak oil as they fill their tanks with $2 a litre petrol. Or tell them about the impending non-availability of rare metals when those rare metals are oozing from their throw-away computer devices and phones.

        Even if ‘peak’ comes, as it must in an economy predicted on growth, it’s way too late in arriving to impact on anything we’re doing to the climate.

        • Colonial Rawshark 8.1.1.1

          It’s easy to explain to people about $2/petrol. Oil is cheap at the moment because the global economy is slow and although demand is low, oil production remains high. But don’t be fooled, that’s just like leaving the taps full on even though the water tank is close to empty.

          But forget about that.

          By concrete change and concrete projects I mean things like the electrification of rail. Free public transport. A popular campaign to ask people to keep using their electronic gadgets until they break before getting another one. Requirements for food to be labelled with ‘food miles.’

          Not comparisons with what climactic conditions were like 800,000 years ago. That’s what I call “abstract.”

          BTW I agree that we’ve long shot past 2 degrees. I won’t see the worst of climate change within my lifetime, but today’s primary school kids are stuffed.

      • weka 8.1.2

        AGW hasn’t had prominence for 20 years. It’s really only in the past 5 or so years that most people accept the reality of it and that it gets regular MSM attention outside of the politics pages and beyond the denier distractions. I think we are at a tipping point now where enough people are concerned that it will spread into the population at large. Bill is right about it being something that can engage people and the time is ripe. Problem is, we don’t have a plan for making that happen. Maybe it will just keep building around social media and MSM coverage.

        • Colonial Rawshark 8.1.2.1

          AGW hasn’t had prominence for 20 years.

          Funny, I remember the hooplah around the Rio Earth Summit well. That was 1992. The Kyoto Protocol was all agreed and signed by 1997. That was headline news.

          So I think 20 years is a fair statement. Time flies, eh.

          • weka 8.1.2.1.1

            Yep, and I know people that were concerned about CC in the 1970s, but that’s not prominence. Rio was a specific event that people (your average NZers) moved on from once it wasn’t in the news, if they took any notice of it at all.

            Have a look at the following links from the Guardian, where in 2015 there are multiple articles on CC every day. That’s relatively new. And then compare it to their last page date from the 90s and work your way forward in time. Even allowing for the fact that they weren’t online as much in the 90s, it’s still a good indicator. It’s not until about 2008 that the articles start increasing, and even then it’s until later that they get really serious about it.

            http://www.theguardian.com/environment/climate-change

            http://www.theguardian.com/environment/climate-change?page=449

  9. Red delusion 9

    Ever consider people don’t want to be engaged, don’t want to be in a union, a political party, a community group. They just want to get on with their life without interference by government or busy bodies who know best, we go on about Msm, most people don’t even give a toss about most of the topics that so enrage the extremes of left and right. they vote once every 3 years as such to maintain status quo barring crisis and not manufactured ones

    • Draco T Bastard 9.1

      They just want to get on with their life without interference by government or busy bodies who know best, we go on about Msm, most people don’t even give a toss about most of the topics that so enrage the extremes of left and right.

      Ah, the usual RWNJ BS.

      The people are the government and if they don’t get engaged then they get bossed around by those that think they know best – the RWNJs such as National and Act.

      • Grantoc 9.1.1

        ‘The people are the government’

        Are they? What people? Your statement seems illogical and meaningless.

        Approximately 40% of voters voted for Labour and the Greens, and they are not the government.

        • Colonial Viper 9.1.1.1

          if you think about it, it becomes very clear: without the support and aquiesence of the people, the government is nothing.

    • Bill 9.2

      Ever consider…

      Yup. And I’ve a fair idea as to why. As you say, the status quo is boring and relentless. People just don’t want it impinging on their time and just want to be left alone to get on with their life.

      Throw a spanner in the works; something that people do give a shit about and things change. That doesn’t mean that people suddenly rush out and join all those institutional structures that contribute to the current deadening of society.

      For those ‘old’ political vehicles, they either adapt and move with the times or die.

      Meanwhile, life for an energised, informed and hopeful populace moves away from that bogged down reality where people are nothing beyond vaguely grumpy spectators to a tedious politics that resembles a run down traveling circus coming around every three years.

      • Tracey 9.2.1

        “the status quo” is safe. Fear is used as a political weapon to get people to want more of the same. People fear change cos it means risk. Look at how Labour and National use fear to defeat the Greens, far more than they use fact or proper discussion/debate.

    • Tracey 9.3

      I consider it, but have you considered that your picture might be a tad patronising?

  10. Mike the Savage One 10

    Owning the news media is just one thing to be concerned about, even if a media outlet or forum is independently owned and run, and tries to be balanced in reporting, there are other challenges and problems to be worried about.

    A program that raises serious issues, that could cost private business, or on the other hand also government departments or so, a loss of reputation, loss of credibility, loss of income and whatsoever, does often “invite” legal experts of the criticised party to knock on the doors of the program’s producers.

    That is another thing many in the media are too mindful of these days, besides of their own commercial interests, based on getting good ratings and thus being a sound vehicle for businesses to advertise on.

    Large corporations, also often being the more generous, large donours to political parties, they do not take lightly any critical reporting, that disturbs their vested business interests, nor do representatives of government agencies.

    So what do they do? They instruct their lawyers to send letters, containing some warnings, that if certain claims are made, the media may have to face them in court. How else can you explain what happened following some revelations about ACC a few years ago, where they exposed their “exit strategy”, designed to get rid of certain costly claimants, on ’60 minutes’? After that program there was no further reporting on the matter, and the public were instead kept busy with getting media report on “privacy breaches”, nothing else.

    So far blogs still have a bit more freedom and leeway, but the day will come, where we will have to be careful with what we write and comment on here.

    Perhaps also that has something to do with Campbell’s loss of favour at Mediaworks?

    • Pat 10.1

      “So far blogs still have a bit more freedom and leeway, but the day will come, where we will have to be careful with what we write and comment on here.”

      that day has been and gone….think back a few weeks when an Aussie DJ was sacked for online comments about ANZAC day….am sure if we looked hard enough there would be similar examples closer to home….1984 revisited

  11. Clemgeopin 11

    Re-posting here as this is a more appropriate thread for my comment:

    Three points:

    (1) I think most of us know/sense that our major big-business-owned newspapers and the media works (TV3), is directly beholden to Steven Joyce and his government for bailing them out of debt. I also suspect that their management appointments, such as Key’s personal friend, Mark Weldon, former NZX boss, etc has been due to the plan/influence executed by this government behind the scenes. Same trick was played for country’s spy chief for GCSB with Key’s childhood friend, Ian Fletcher. The push to get John Campbell out, the country’s ONLY journalistic voice for the voiceless who was holding this crooked government for the wealthy to account was uncomfortable for the National Government’s untrustworthy ‘leaders’. Have you ever noticed or wondered that in the time that Paul Henry has been on the morning breakfast show, Key has gone on his show regularly, probably a half a dozen times or so (I am not sure about the exact number, as I don’t watch it, but from anecdotal or cross news accounts) while Key has not gone to Campbell Live for a very LONG time in spite of many invites to front up! I wonder why not! A coward or does he think John Campbell is a bad journalist or does he think that his government is just not answerable to tough questions?

    (2) I am not sure why the independent blogs as well as the publicly owned TVNZ, RNZ can not hold this dodgy government to account more strenuously? Surely, they need not be afraid?

    (3) Don’t we have any very wealthy but ethical straight up good and honourable fair minded individuals in the country who can start or own some MSM to allow a parallel pro-progressive voice for the common people and the country in competition to the myriad of primarily one sided pro wealthy RW rogue outfits running as media but really constantly playing dirty politics against the progressive parties and their leaders? Time to take the country back from the RW rogues.

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    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
    3 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
    8 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
    10 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
    24 hours ago
  • Kāinga Ora instructed to end Sustaining Tenancies
    Kāinga Ora – Homes & Communities has been instructed to end the Sustaining Tenancies Framework and take stronger measures against persistent antisocial behaviour by tenants, says Housing Minister Chris Bishop. “Earlier today Finance Minister Nicola Willis and I sent an interim Letter of Expectations to the Board of Kāinga Ora. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Speech to Auckland Business Chamber: Growth is the answer
    Tēna koutou katoa. Greetings everyone. Thank you to the Auckland Chamber of Commerce and the Honourable Simon Bridges for hosting this address today. I acknowledge the business leaders in this room, the leaders and governors, the employers, the entrepreneurs, the investors, and the wealth creators. The coalition Government shares your ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Singapore rounds out regional trip
    Minister Winston Peters completed the final leg of his visit to South and South East Asia in Singapore today, where he focused on enhancing one of New Zealand’s indispensable strategic partnerships.      “Singapore is our most important defence partner in South East Asia, our fourth-largest trading partner and a ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Minister van Velden represents New Zealand at International Democracy Summit
    Minister of Internal Affairs and Workplace Relations and Safety, Hon. Brooke van Velden, will travel to the Republic of Korea to represent New Zealand at the Third Summit for Democracy on 18 March. The summit, hosted by the Republic of Korea, was first convened by the United States in 2021, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Insurance Council of NZ Speech, 7 March 2024, Auckland
    ICNZ Speech 7 March 2024, Auckland  Acknowledgements and opening  Mōrena, ngā mihi nui. Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Nor Whanganui aho.  Good morning, it’s a privilege to be here to open the ICNZ annual conference, thank you to Mark for the Mihi Whakatau  My thanks to Tim Grafton for inviting me ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Five-year anniversary of Christchurch terror attacks
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Lead Coordination Minister Judith Collins have expressed their deepest sympathy on the five-year anniversary of the Christchurch terror attacks. “March 15, 2019, was a day when families, communities and the country came together both in sorrow and solidarity,” Mr Luxon says.  “Today we pay our respects to the 51 shuhada ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Speech for Financial Advice NZ Conference 5 March 2024
    Speech for Financial Advice NZ Conference 5 March 2024  Acknowledgements and opening  Morena, Nga Mihi Nui.  Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Nor Whanganui aho. Thanks Nate for your Mihi Whakatau  Good morning. It’s a pleasure to formally open your conference this morning. What a lovely day in Wellington, What a great ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Early visit to Indonesia strengthens ties
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters held discussions in Jakarta today about the future of relations between New Zealand and South East Asia’s most populous country.   “We are in Jakarta so early in our new government’s term to reflect the huge importance we place on our relationship with Indonesia and South ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • China Foreign Minister to visit
    Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Winston Peters has announced that the Foreign Minister of China, Wang Yi, will visit New Zealand next week.  “We look forward to re-engaging with Foreign Minister Wang Yi and discussing the full breadth of the bilateral relationship, which is one of New Zealand’s ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Minister opens new Auckland Rail Operations Centre
    Transport Minister Simeon Brown has today opened the new Auckland Rail Operations Centre, which will bring together KiwiRail, Auckland Transport, and Auckland One Rail to improve service reliability for Aucklanders. “The recent train disruptions in Auckland have highlighted how important it is KiwiRail and Auckland’s rail agencies work together to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Celebrating 10 years of Crankworx Rotorua
    The Government is proud to support the 10th edition of Crankworx Rotorua as the Crankworx World Tour returns to Rotorua from 16-24 March 2024, says Minister for Economic Development Melissa Lee.  “Over the past 10 years as Crankworx Rotorua has grown, so too have the economic and social benefits that ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Government delivering on tax commitments
    Legislation implementing coalition Government tax commitments and addressing long-standing tax anomalies will be progressed in Parliament next week, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The legislation is contained in an Amendment Paper to the Taxation (Annual Rates for 2023–24, Multinational Tax, and Remedial Matters) Bill issued today.  “The Amendment Paper represents ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Significant Natural Areas requirement to be suspended
    Associate Environment Minister Andrew Hoggard has today announced that the Government has agreed to suspend the requirement for councils to comply with the Significant Natural Areas (SNA) provisions of the National Policy Statement for Indigenous Biodiversity for three years, while it replaces the Resource Management Act (RMA).“As it stands, SNAs ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Government classifies drought conditions in Top of the South as medium-scale adverse event
    Agriculture Minister Todd McClay has classified the drought conditions in the Marlborough, Tasman, and Nelson districts as a medium-scale adverse event, acknowledging the challenging conditions facing farmers and growers in the district. “Parts of Marlborough, Tasman, and Nelson districts are in the grip of an intense dry spell. I know ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Government partnership to tackle $332m facial eczema problem
    The Government is helping farmers eradicate the significant impact of facial eczema (FE) in pastoral animals, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay announced.  “A $20 million partnership jointly funded by Beef + Lamb NZ, the Government, and the primary sector will save farmers an estimated NZD$332 million per year, and aims to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • NZ, India chart path to enhanced relationship
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters has completed a successful visit to India, saying it was an important step in taking the relationship between the two countries to the next level.   “We have laid a strong foundation for the Coalition Government’s priority of enhancing New Zealand-India relations to generate significant future benefit for both countries,” says Mr Peters, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Ruapehu Alpine Lifts bailout the last, say Ministers
    Cabinet has agreed to provide $7 million to ensure the 2024 ski season can go ahead on the Whakapapa ski field in the central North Island but has told the operator Ruapehu Alpine Lifts it is the last financial support it will receive from taxpayers. Cabinet also agreed to provide ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Govt takes action to drive better cancer services
    Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says the launch of a new mobile breast screening unit in Counties Manukau reinforces the coalition Government’s commitment to drive better cancer services for all New Zealanders. Speaking at the launch of the new mobile clinic, Dr Reti says it’s a great example of taking ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Govt takes action to drive better cancer services
    Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says the launch of a new mobile breast screening unit in Counties Manukau reinforces the coalition Government’s commitment to drive better cancer services for all New Zealanders. Speaking at the launch of the new mobile clinic, Dr Reti says it’s a great example of taking ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Work begins on SH29 upgrades near Tauriko
    Unlocking economic growth and land for housing are critical elements of the Government’s plan for our transport network, and planned upgrades to State Highway 29 (SH29) near Tauriko will deliver strongly on those priorities, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “The SH29 upgrades near Tauriko will improve safety at the intersections ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Work begins on SH29 upgrades near Tauriko
    Unlocking economic growth and land for housing are critical elements of the Government’s plan for our transport network, and planned upgrades to State Highway 29 (SH29) near Tauriko will deliver strongly on those priorities, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “The SH29 upgrades near Tauriko will improve safety at the intersections ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Fresh produce price drop welcome
    Lower fruit and vegetable prices are welcome news for New Zealanders who have been doing it tough at the supermarket, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. Stats NZ reported today the price of fruit and vegetables has dropped 9.3 percent in the 12 months to February 2024.  “Lower fruit and vege ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Statement to the 68th United Nations Commission on the Status of Women
    Tēnā koutou katoa and greetings to you all.  Chair, I am honoured to address the sixty-eighth session of the Commission on the Status of Women. I acknowledge the many crises impacting the rights of women and girls. Heightened global tensions, war, climate related and humanitarian disasters, and price inflation all ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Speech to the 68th United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (CSW68)
    Tēnā koutou katoa and greetings to you all.  Chair, I am honoured to address the 68th session of the Commission on the Status of Women. I acknowledge the many crises impacting the rights of women and girls. Heightened global tensions, war, climate related and humanitarian disasters, and price inflation all ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Government backs rural led catchment projects
    The coalition Government is supporting farmers to enhance land management practices by investing $3.3 million in locally led catchment groups, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay announced. “Farmers and growers deliver significant prosperity for New Zealand and it’s vital their ongoing efforts to improve land management practices and water quality are supported,” ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Speech to Auckland Business Chamber
    Good evening everyone and thank you for that lovely introduction.   Thank you also to the Honourable Simon Bridges for the invitation to address your members. Since being sworn in, this coalition Government has hit the ground running with our 100-day plan, delivering the changes that New Zealanders expect of us. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Commission’s advice on ETS settings tabled
    Recommendations from the Climate Change Commission for New Zealand on the Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) auction and unit limit settings for the next five years have been tabled in Parliament, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. “The Commission provides advice on the ETS annually. This is the third time the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Government lowering building costs
    The coalition Government is beginning its fight to lower building costs and reduce red tape by exempting minor building work from paying the building levy, says Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk. “Currently, any building project worth $20,444 including GST or more is subject to the building levy which is ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Trustee tax change welcomed
    Proposed changes to tax legislation to prevent the over-taxation of low-earning trusts are welcome, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The changes have been recommended by Parliament’s Finance and Expenditure Committee following consideration of submissions on the Taxation (Annual Rates for 2023–24, Multinational Tax, and Remedial Matters) Bill. “One of the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Minister’s Ramadan message
    Assalaamu alaikum. السَّلَام عليكم In light of the holy month of Ramadan, I want to extend my warmest wishes to our Muslim community in New Zealand. Ramadan is a time for spiritual reflection, renewed devotion, perseverance, generosity, and forgiveness.  It’s a time to strengthen our bonds and appreciate the diversity ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Minister appoints new NZTA Chair
    Former Transport Minister and CEO of the Auckland Business Chamber Hon Simon Bridges has been appointed as the new Board Chair of the New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA) for a three-year term, Transport Minister Simeon Brown announced today. “Simon brings extensive experience and knowledge in transport policy and governance to the role. He will ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Speech to Life Sciences Summit
    Good morning all, it is a pleasure to be here as Minister of Science, Innovation and Technology.  It is fantastic to see how connected and collaborative the life science and biotechnology industry is here in New Zealand. I would like to thank BioTechNZ and NZTech for the invitation to address ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Progress continues apace on water storage
    Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says he is looking forward to the day when three key water projects in Northland are up and running, unlocking the full potential of land in the region. Mr Jones attended a community event at the site of the Otawere reservoir near Kerikeri on Friday. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Government agrees to restore interest deductions
    Associate Finance Minister David Seymour has today announced that the Government has agreed to restore deductibility for mortgage interest on residential investment properties. “Help is on the way for landlords and renters alike. The Government’s restoration of interest deductibility will ease pressure on rents and simplify the tax code,” says ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Minister to attend World Anti-Doping Agency Symposium
    Sport and Recreation Minister Chris Bishop will travel to Switzerland today to attend an Executive Committee meeting and Symposium of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA). Mr Bishop will then travel on to London where he will attend a series of meetings in his capacity as Infrastructure Minister. “New Zealanders believe ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

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