Patricia Grace takes on RONS

Written By: - Date published: 9:29 am, April 1st, 2014 - 48 comments
Categories: activism, business, economy, Maori Issues, same old national, sustainability, transport - Tags:

I have enjoyed some of Patrica Grace’s novels.  The first one I read was Potiki back in the 80s.

Patricia Grace Potiki

Patricia Grace Potiki: from Te Ara

A review:

Plot Summary:
A Maori community on the coast of New Zealand is threatened by a land developer who wants to purchase the community property, move the community meeting hall, and construct many new buildings, including an “underwater zoo.” The story is told in several chapters that switch narrators.

[…]

She relates the growing concern the Maori have about developers coming into their land, and their quiet, concerted efforts to rebel. She details their successes and many painful failures in a sparse, simple prose. The book does not really have a true resolution; instead, Patricia Grace outlines the cultural differences that exist in New Zealand, and the uses and abuses of power, and how it can affect a people.

Very often fiction can predict or precede the reality: most often with science fiction.  The plot line for Potiki, though, was never very far from real life activities back when it was published.

Now Patricia Grace has taken a strong stand against the Transport Agency and the Crown, which are attempting to take her ancestral land.  It was wanted for part of the Kapiti Expressway. Andrea O’Neill reports in Stuff:

It could cost $16 million for the Transport Agency to avoid author Patricia Grace’s land in building the Kapiti Expressway, the Environment Court has been told.

Three days after the writer won a legal battle in the Maori Land Court to exclude her land from the expressway corridor, a separate objection she lodged began its two-day hearing yesterday.

Grace owns a 5770 square metre block of ancestral land in Waikanae that was once the site of Tuku Rakau agricultural village.

Its chief in the mid 19th century was Grace’s great-great-grandfather Wiremu Parata Te Kakakura, a Maori MP and one of the founders of present-day Waikanae.

The Transport Agency is seeking to compulsorily acquire 983sqm of the block to build the McKays Crossing to Peka Peka section of the expressway.

[..]

NZTA gave Grace only the options of selling all or part of her land, she said.

Grace would find it legally difficult to sell her land to anybody outside her family, yet the Crown seemed to have little regard for the legal protection of Maori freehold land, she said.

“The irony is we’re not allowed to disinherit our heirs but the Crown is allowed to disinherit our heirs. This is protection of the land for future generations.”

Of six routes considered for the expressway, the current option affected the smallest amount of Maori and waahi tapu (culturally significant) land, Parker said.

On Friday, the Maori Land Court upheld Grace’s application for her block to become a Maori reserve, which should protect it from expressway bulldozers.

It is yet to be seen whether that decision will stand up against the Environment Court ruling of Judge Craig Thompson and Environment Commissioners Kevin Prime and David Kernohan.

Generation Zero explains why the Kapiti expressway is bad for the local communities and the environment, and does nothing for the economy:

There was a strong public outcry against the Expressway. Residents and urban designers knew it would divide the community, enforce car use over other options, destroy 63 houses, affect 1350, and destroy a wetland and Maori Urupa (burial ground). The public outcry was so strong they made this documentary about it.

Then in 2012, Campbell live received incredible leaked information – an engineering report from BECA consultants projected that although the Kapiti Expressway cost $630 million, it would only deliver $126 million in benefits – a disastrously low benefit-cost ratio of 0.2, well below the threshold of one that’s normally required for NZTA to consider a project.

It’s 100% Possible for us to move beyond fossil fuels, and we need to get started today – yet our public transport systems, cycle networks and rail freight industry are all missing out on vital funding. Somehow, at the same time, we can afford to spend $630 million on an uneconomic motorway, where there are clearly better alternatives available.

The Transport Blog,October 2012, reports on the Campbell Live Report.

Joyce Roadfather

Joyce Roadfather: From Transport Blog

 

TVNZ Te Karere, November 2013.  The video includes a bit about Patricia Grace’s, at that time, up-coming case to be heard at the Maori Land Court (Non-Maori speakers; there is a button at the bottom of the video to turn English captions on).

Published on Nov 14, 2013

The Supreme Court has dismissed the Takamore Trust’s appeal to stop the Kapiti Expressway from being built through their sacred lands. Now it looks as though the trust will have to work with the NZ Transport Association in order for their concerns to be heard in the process.

 

48 comments on “Patricia Grace takes on RONS ”

  1. Draco T Bastard 1

    National: Destroying our economy and cultural heritage for their own aggrandisement in concrete and their road lobby mates.

    • One Anonymous Bloke 1.1

      Not just aggrandisement, material benefits in the form of political donations and company directorships.

    • Chooky 1.2

      +100…..and Patricia Grace is not the only person who is affected by this motorway. There are others who have had their businesses and properties destroyed and been very badly treated without compensation and protracted and unfair negotiations like cat and mouse games …it is a scandal!…i would not be surprised if it has caused the deaths of some of the people affected

      ….and the road is not necessary ….and it will be an eyesore….tourism out the window along with the aesthetics and cultural heritage of that coastline.

      … it only benefits property developers who have links with Nact

      • srylands 1.2.1

        What crap. The road will provide enormous benefits locally, and nationally. New Zealand’s roads a re a disgrace. We have less than 200km of motorways in a country with high dependency on motor vehicles. By comparison South Korea has more than 4,000 km.

        You people have clearly never sat in a traffic jam from Raumati South to Otaki. It is untenable that we have a major transport artery going through towns.

        We should be planning now for a motorway from Wellington to Auckland. I will be working to make that a National Party commitment for the 2017 election. We should also urgently be expanding the Wellington Urban Motorway from 6 lanes to 8 lanes to ameliorate downstream congestion after Transmission Gully is completed.

        Anyway, it is a barren argument. The Kapiti “Expressway” is well underway. It is not going to be stopped.

        On the central premise of the article, last time I checked Maori owned land was not exempt from acquisition under the PWA.

        • Chooky 1.2.1.1

          you are a petrol head….i bet you sniff it too

        • weka 1.2.1.2

          “You people have clearly never sat in a traffic jam from Raumati South to Otaki.”

          What kind of road is that? Workers commuting?

          The solution to what are are naming is better public transport, getting trucks off the road, and re-organising society so that we don’t have to travel so much. Myself, I’d get rid of a big chunk of the million tourists a year too 😈 If you think this all sounds too hard or effort in the wrong direction consider not only the cultural issues, but the the need for a low carbon society in a world facing AGW/PO/GFC. Less traffic has so many additional benefits that its kind of retarded to be arguing for more traffic in this day and age.

          The PWA is an issue. At the moment the Maori Land Court has said no to the sale. If the Environment Court agrees with that, it will be interesting to see NACT/Key override another set of democratic structures within NZ, such as they are. Would be interested to see an opinion from someone who knows the law better.

          • Chooky 1.2.1.2.1

            …all they need to do is upgrade the rail commuting service to Otaki and Palmerston North ….instead they are talking of stopping the rail commuting service to Palmerston North altogether !

        • Draco T Bastard 1.2.1.3

          The road will provide enormous benefits locally, and nationally.

          Yeah, because a Benefit/Cost ratio of 0.2 is just so bloody good. /sarc

          We have less than 200km of motorways in a country with high dependency on motor vehicles.

          Having more motorways isn’t a sign of societal good health. In fact, it’s a sign that the society is failing as it builds the least efficient mode of transport over the most efficient just so that it can boost profits to the rich.

          On the central premise of the article, last time I checked Maori owned land was not exempt from acquisition under the PWA.

          Last time I checked, the PWA doesn’t apply if there’s a better option – which there is as not building it is a better option. The government does, after all, have to prove that it needs the land and it actually doesn’t.

        • Shona 1.2.1.4

          What drivel you write srylands. Traffic in Raumati ? FFS Wellington and it’s region is hicksville. There are f**kall people there.We do get a few real traffic jams in Auckland where there is a noticeable number of people in cars. The problem is the lack of alternative transport i.e. rail that has caused the supposed congestion you witter on about. Clearly you haven’t scoffed your anti delusional meds today! Motorway between Auckland and Wellington. pfft! As if! You are a nutbar!

        • thatguynz 1.2.1.5

          What an absolute pile of drivel. I am a Kapiti Coast local and short of Friday afternoons and public holidays, there is very little motorway congestion – certainly far from what you see further south around Ngauranga Gorge and what is experienced in Auckland. In actual fact the traffic volumes along SH1 in Kapiti have been steadily declining which makes an absolute mockery of the “RONS” and possibly deflates the 0.2 Cost/Benefit ratio further.

          There is no economic benefit to the road whatsoever – it is being constructed purely to placate National voters such as yourself and the roading lobby. Nothing more. It should have stayed as the original council plan intended – a local link road to Waikanae which in turn (if it was required) would have removed local traffic off SH1.

  2. s y d 2

    ask yourself what is at the end of the road and who has bought what lies there?

    • Chooky 2.1

      Labour should call the whole thing off!

      ….just think how much money they would save!…. if they ditched the stupid motorways… which no one wants ….except srylands and other NACT cronies with vested interests

      …it would be a real vote winner!…Labour could put it into retirement at 65…another vote e winner!

  3. Philj 3

    Xox
    The regular public electrified passenger service stops at Waikanae, due to lack if funding. Trucking lobby takes precedence over public transport, at huge cost to the public and the environment.

  4. TightyRighty 4

    ever driven through there? the roads are a disgrace, it needs to be fixed. not just so people can get up the coast, but so that essential industries can move their products to the nearest port. patricia grace may have found money and a nice lifestyle, but the horowhenua and manawatu can use all the help they can get. if part of that help is a new road to wellington, why should one obstinate writer be able to dictate her world view over the wishes of the rest of the community?

    • karol 4.1

      Did you read the generation zero article linked from my post? It explains how there was a betetr alternative.

      • Draco T Bastard 4.1.1

        Of course he didn’t, Tighty doesn’t like facts that contradict him.

    • Macro 4.2

      “so that essential industries can move their products to the nearest port”

      Ever heard of railways?

      But of course not – those are things that other people travel on…

  5. Populuxe1 5

    Very pleased for Patricia and her whanau

  6. Tracey 6

    but but but srylands needs it to get to his imaginary bach from his imaginary job in wellington.

    i like generation zero. just saying

    • srylands 6.1

      It is not a bach. I live there you stupid cow.

      • McFlock 6.1.1

        But you live in australia…

        • Tracey 6.1.1.1

          his imaginary holiday home must be in australia… and he is name calling which he says he doesnt do cos he doesnt care enough about this stuff. he also calls other people rude for name calling.

      • Tracey 6.1.2

        sorry. srylands needs to get to his imaginary house from his imaginary job in wellington. fify

        • Chooky 6.1.2.1

          ‘he’ could be a ‘her’….i think it is a ‘she’

          • Tracey 6.1.2.1.1

            then srylands is a lesbian. srylands claims his wife was a greenie and thats how srylands knew that rob donald was spinning in his grave… all imaginary of course

            • Chooky 6.1.2.1.1.1

              agreed sryslands is a spinner …but methinks a female spinner with big business connections…a jet setter with a ‘bach’ up the coast

            • BM 6.1.2.1.1.2

              Rod Donald.

              • Tracey

                i stand corrected bm.

                and you had him spinning in his grave too… a day or two after srylands had him spinning.

                • BM

                  It was interesting, I went and checked just to make sure it was Rod and came across this page.

                  https://www.greens.org.nz/people/roddonald

                  I didn’t really agree with the Mans politics but I did admire what he did, he certainly walked the walk when it came to environmental matters and I admire him for that.

                  The Greens these days are a feeble shadow of what they were, they’re nothing but the Alliance in green clothing.

                  • Chooky

                    you wish

                  • felix

                    “The Greens these days are a feeble shadow of what they were”

                    You hated them then, you hate them now, and you’ll hate them tomorrow.

                    You’re of no interest in any conversation about the Greens.

            • srylands 6.1.2.1.1.3

              Tracey you are a fool. I worked with Rod Donald while you were still pashing bogans in a drunken stupor in your Hamilton basement. You haven’t changed.

              • weka

                “I worked with Rod Donald”

                Doing what?

              • felix

                I didn’t know Rod worked at The Lie Factory.

              • Murray Olsen

                I’m just making an educated guess here, but I think you’d be better off seeking help for your problems. You show the symptoms of amphetamine or cocaine abuse, where you have two distinct personalities depending on your intake. It would also explain your delusions of grandeur.

      • bad12 6.1.3

        You are a nasty little Nazi SSLands, an exhibition of your true self can be found contained in the last 6 words of that comment…

      • felix 6.1.4

        No you don’t live there srylands. You have previously stated that where you live, GST is 10% i.e. either you live in Australia or you are a visitor from another temporal dimension.

        This is the trouble with using so many different handles, inventing so many characters, and telling so many lies. Eventually you will lose track of what you have said, and as whom.

  7. TightyRighty 7

    @karol, yes I did. It’s obviouy wrong though. But it’s useful idiot type propaganda for those who hate roads

    @macro there is already rail from palmy to Wellington. Regular and well used rail. But it doesn’t work for everyone or every business. But people should take it because you say so right? Remove the option of the road to suit your world view. Selfish prick

    • srylands 7.1

      The train from Palmerston North to Wellington is great. For people who need to arrive in Wellington at 8.15am and leave again at 5.15pm, and who have business within walking distance of Wellington railway station.

      The Kapiti trains are excellent, but door to door they are slower and less convenient than a car. Unless you are forced to travel in peak hours when the train is better – but that is because the roads are fucked.

      On any objective indicator, New Zealand has under invested in roads since the 1970s.

      I don’t get this Green hatred of roads. Most high performing countries have good roads and good PT. I think part of it is a Green hatred of personal freedom. That hatred spills over into transport policy.

      • Draco T Bastard 7.1.1

        On any objective indicator my subjective and ignorant belief, New Zealand has under invested in roads since the 1970s.

        FTFY

      • weka 7.1.2

        “I think part of it is a Green hatred of personal freedom.”

        Don’t be fucking stupid. It’s because the high value on individual car ownership comes at the cost of many other things that lots of people consider more valuable. Plus the little matter of the need to shift to a low carbon state.

        “The train from Palmerston North to Wellington is great. For people who need to arrive in Wellington at 8.15am and leave again at 5.15pm, and who have business within walking distance of Wellington railway station.”

        That’s a public transport issue waiting to be solved.

  8. bad12 8

    This might just get very ‘hot’ very quick, we aren’t just talking Patricia Grace here, even just considering the family name we are talking of a family with a large and diverse range of connections across the motu,

    The Marae connections are even larger and should the Enviroment Court in all its ummm ‘wisdom’ attempt to override the Waitangi Tribunal i should imagine that we might be seeing the genesis of another ‘Bastion Point’ with a probability of a x10 in the level of militancy exhibited by the whanau,hapu and all the Marae in the lower North Island,

    By the way, nice pic of Hongoeka on the books cover, that small Marae, mostly unnoticed, connects directly to Toa Ranagtira o Takupawahia and from there to every Marae in the lower North Island and upper South Island…

    • karol 8.1

      Ah. Thanks for the info, bad. I didn’t know that about the possible impact of the wide connections. Nor did I know that about the image on the book cover.

    • Chooky 8.2

      @ bad12 …i hope it does get “very ‘hot’ very quick, we aren’t just talking Patricia Grace here”….i think this issue would win a lot of support with Maori leading the charge

      …it is a beautiful scenic road ….why sacrifice it for a few Nact crony developers, who will wreck the charm of that area anyway?

      …it is time we stood up for the environment and rail and public transport as they do in other small scenic countries like Switzerland

      ….. these Nact motorways are enormously expensive and only add to NZ’s rising debt in a time when
      petrol and oil costs are rising ( what is more toll roads are exploitative of the ordinary New Zealander and restrict their freedom of movement)

      ….it is a no brainer like most of Nact policies based on cronyist greed

  9. bad12 9

    Lolz Karol, you could say i am full of it, ‘it being home turf to me i know a lot of the family,(although cannot ever remember Patricia),

    Of course the whanau connections spread even further afield, Tariana Turia through Ngati Toa, two of my nieces connected through aunty Tariana and the list goes on into an infinity that would take a 1000 people each reciting a different whakapapa weeks to explain,

    Looking directly across the Porirua Harbor from Hongoeka is Whitireia once a thriving fortified Pa, the particular block of land given to the Church early in the piece on the understanding that a school for the locals was to be built there arrived in the hands of the Crown by the usual dubious means,

    Way befor the more famous events of Bastion Point this land was given back to Ngati Toa who then immediately ‘gifted’ it as a National park, definitely not of an equal with the likes of Ruapehu in terms of magic vistas, its significance to the locals tho was even understood by the likes of Muldoon at the time…

  10. off_with_your_head 10

    I fail to see why we should be celebrating inheritance by birth.

    Make your own way in the world, parasites.

    Estate tax of 100% is the way forward, including Maori land.

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    This may seem like a dumb question– but how come Israel has managed to kill at least 33,000 Palestinian civilians in Gaza, including over 13,000 children? Of course, saturation aerial bombing and artillery shelling of densely populated civilian neighbourhoods will do that. So will the targeting of children by IDF ...
    Gordon CampbellBy ScoopEditor
    2 days ago
  • Total Eclipse of the Mind.
    All that you touch And all that you seeAll that you taste All you feelAnd all that you love And all that you hateAll you distrust All you saveEarly tomorrow morning as the sun is rising in Aotearoa many people across North America, from Mexico to Canada, will be losing ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    2 days ago
  • So why do that degree… here?
    A report – and discussion – from the university front line… Mike Grimshaw writes – I have been involved in numerous curriculum and degree reviews over the decades and in all of them the question always skirted around is: “If you had to leave now with ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    2 days ago
  • The hunt is on for an asterix for farm emissions
    The Government is setting up its own experts group to review the goalposts for farmers to reduce methane emissions. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The six news items of note for me in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy as of 9:06 am on Monday, April 8 are:The Government is setting up ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago
  • Geoffrey Miller: Aukus or not, New Zealand’s foreign policy is being remade
    This could be a watershed week for New Zealand’s international relations. Winston Peters, the foreign minister, is heading to Washington DC for a full week of meetings. The surprisingly lengthy trip just happens to coincide with a major trilateral summit of leaders from the United States, Japan and the Philippines. ...
    Democracy ProjectBy Geoffrey Miller
    2 days ago
  • The Kaka’s diary for the week to April 15 and beyond
    TL;DR: The six key events to watch in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the week to April 15 include:PM Christopher Luxon is scheduled to hold a post-Cabinet news conference at 4 pm today. The Climate Commission will publish advice to the Government this evening.Parliament is sitting from Question Time at 2pm ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago
  • 2024 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #14
    A listing of 34 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, March 31, 2024 thru Sat, April 6, 2024. Story of the week Proxy measurement via Facebook "engagement" suggests a widely welcoming audience for Prof. Andrew Dessler's The Climate ...
    3 days ago
  • Their Money or Your Life.
    Brooke van Velden appeared this morning on Q&A, presumably paying homage to Margaret Thatcher. The robotic one had come in an 80s pink, shoulder-padded jacket, much favoured by the likes of Thatcher or Hosking. She also brought the spirit of Margaret, seemingly occupying her previously vacant soul compartment.Jack asked for ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    3 days ago
  • Truth pulls its boots on
    It's a lot easier to pull off a lie if people don't know much about what you're lying about.Sometimes, watching Christopher Luxon, you get the impression he doesn't know all that much about it, either.​​ That's the charitable interpretation. The other is that he knows full well.He was on the ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    4 days ago
  • Those of a certain vintage in this country will recognise that as a paraphrasing of the much celebrated Paul Holmes sign-off from his nightly current affairs show, yes, he of the “cheekie darkie” comment infamy (that one aimed at then-UN Chief Kofi Annan, and if unfamiliar with what followed in ...
    exhALANtBy exhalantblog
    4 days ago
  • Are You Missing Kindness Yet?
    In my last newsletter I asked how is Luxon this out of touch? Many of you, quite wisely, don’t do the Twitter thing so I thought I’d share a few of the comments from the cross section of humanity that you encounter there.The comment from Clandesdiner@boglyboohoo, not sure if that’s ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    4 days ago
  • How NZ and Taiwan differ in disaster preparedness
    Peter Dunne writes –  Taiwan and New Zealand are two small island states with much in common. Both are vibrant, independent democracies, living in the shadow of an overbearing neighbour. (Admittedly, Taiwan’s overbearing neighbour has far more aggressive tendencies than our at-times overbearing neighbour!) There is a strong ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • Why Shane Jones sunk the Kermadecs Marine Sanctuary
    Bryce Edwards writes – Did vested interests prevent New Zealand from establishing a world-leading environmental marine reserve? There are strong signs that in killing off the proposal for a Kermadec Islands Marine Sanctuary, Shane Jones has been doing the bidding of several industries and groups that he’s closely ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    4 days ago
  • Nearly a month of it
    Hello! There has not been an omnibus for about three weeks because covid and bereavement got in the way.Here’s what you may have missed if you’re not a daily reader.Life’s Little Victories - I think I’ve dodged COVIDTwo Bar Blues - I haven’t Relentlessly Negative - Things seem to be ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    5 days ago
  • Coastal court action flies under the radar
    Graham Adams says NZ’s coastline may end up under iwi control. Former Attorney-General and Minister for Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations Chris Finlayson is known for his forthright and sometimes combative language. In 2022, in discussing opposition to co-governance, he referred to “the sour right” and “the KKK brigade”. Last week, in ...
    Point of OrderBy gadams1000
    5 days ago
  • Does a Fiscal Debt Target Make Sense?
    Do we treat the government finances with the common sense that household’s manage theirs?It is a commonly held view that we should treat the government as if it is a prudent household. We don’t when it comes to its debt. Currently the government says it wants to constrain its net ...
    PunditBy Brian Easton
    5 days ago
  • Bryce Edwards: Why Shane Jones sunk the Kermadecs Marine Sanctuary
    Did vested interests prevent New Zealand from establishing a world-leading environmental marine reserve? There are strong signs that in killing off the proposal for a Kermadec Islands Marine Sanctuary, Shane Jones has been doing the bidding of several industries and groups that he’s closely connected with. As Oceans and Fisheries ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    5 days ago
  • Climate Change: Spite destroys success
    The clean car discount was a real policy success in pushing electrification of transport. It worked so well that EV adoption was running five years ahead of the Climate Commission's targets, giving us a real shot at decarbonising light transport. National killed it out of pure spite. And as expected, ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    5 days ago
  • NCEA and truancy issues are high on the agenda for education ministers while progress is made in rep...
    Buzz from the Beehive The Minister of Education today advised us the Government is to “rephase” the NCEA Change Programme. The coalition Government is making “significant changes” to the NCEA Change Programme and will delay its implementation by two years. At a time of public service culling, we might ask ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    5 days ago
  • And can you tell me, was it worth it?
    1. How long did it take Mr. Fixit Steven Joyce to fix Novopay?a. One day, for $4000 plus GSTb. One week for $20,000 plus GSTc. At least a year, seemed more like three lold. In the end they just sort of fixed it themselves 2. What has been Steven Joyce’s greatest contribution ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    5 days ago
  • How is Luxon this out of touch?
    Recently, at about this time, I’ve rated the week and looked at what Mike Hosking had to say with ratings. But I don’t want to waste time writing about his heartless, entitled reckons - they just seem a bit much today.For those interested, the things he rated highly were the ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago
  • A malevolent authoritarian
    One of the fundamentals of the New Zealand government system is consultation. On a broad scale, policy proposals generally need to go through a consultation process with the public, or at least with key stakeholders. And within government, agencies are required to consult each other, with Cabinet requiring formal checks ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    5 days ago
  • Cuts will only scratch the surface
    Lindsay Mitchell writes – While this morning’s news heralded 134 job losses at the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Social Development has just announced their own plan to achieve the 6.5% savings requested by the new government: We will begin by offering people in some parts of ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • The affluent pathway to Parliament
    Bryce Edwards writes –  Increasingly the New Zealand Parliament is becoming a place for the affluent. New research out today on the socioeconomic and occupational backgrounds of those in the current Parliament shows that MPs are becoming more and more homogenous. Despite diversifying demographics in terms of gender, ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • Support the climate strike
    Today is school strike 4 climate day. There will be protests around the country in support of climate action and a lower voting age, which are expected to attract over a hundred thousand people. There's still a pandemic on, so I can't go (curse the pandemic!). But if you feel ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    5 days ago
  • Weekly Roundup 5-April-2024
    It’s Friday again and here are some articles that caught our attention this week. This Week in Greater Auckland On Monday we ran a post for April Fools that the government were banning walking. It seems it struck a nerve and is already our most viewed post – ...
    Greater AucklandBy Greater Auckland
    5 days ago
  • Dawn Chorus for Friday, April 5
    Just as infrastructure funding is locked up even more, ASB economists warn of a looming infrastructure bill of $1 trillion over the next 30 years. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The six news items of note for me in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy on Friday, April 5 included:Just as the ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • The Worst Urban Myths Never Die
    Hi,I really appreciated what José Andrés wrote in the New York Times this week:“In the worst conditions, after the worst terrorist attack in its history, it’s time for the best of Israel to show up. You cannot save the hostages by bombing every building in Gaza. You cannot win this ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    6 days ago
  • The Hoon around the week to April 5
    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:Confidence in the Government, as measured by Roy Morgan’s ‘Right Track/Wrong Track’ survey, collapsed in March by ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    6 days ago
  • The Song of Saqua: Volume VI
    Time for another D&D update, concerning my Dhampir Sorceror. Session XIII The party departed the tavern, somewhat hungover. Thence we travelled into a forest – home, apparently, of both a fortune-teller and various formidable creatures. Saqua’s experience with forests is of the kelp-variety, so this was all new ...
    6 days ago
  • Mr Peters goes to Washington
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters is now going to Washington next week for talks with US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken. He is currently in Brussels at a NATO summit. The visit, with programmes in New York and Washington D.C., will focus on major global and regional security challenges and includes ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    6 days ago
  • Skeptical Science New Research for Week #14 2024
    Open access notables We need a solid scientific basis for nature-based climate solutions in the United States, Novick et al., Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (perspective): Ambitious NbCS [nature-based climate solutions] programs could deliver benefits for biodiversity, communities, and the climate. Unfortunately, a lack of evidence about specific benefits from specific ...
    6 days ago
  • The Treaty’s role in governance arrangements? Restoration of referendums on Māori wards will be h...
    Buzz from the Beehive There’s good news today for proponents of democracy, or democratic government.  That excludes every MP who voted for the Canterbury Regional Council (Ngāi Tahu Representation) Bill, which enables the tribe’s rūnanga to appoint two councillors with full voting rights to the council. “Appoint” is the key word.  ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago
  • Join us for the weekly Hoon on YouTube Live
    Photo by Anthony Duran on UnsplashIt’s that new day of the week (Thursday rather than Friday) when and I co-host our ‘hoon’ webinar with paying subscribers to The Kākā for an hour at 5 pm. Jump on this link on YouTube Livestream for our chat about the week’s news ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    6 days ago
  • New oil and gas to quadruple by 2030, threatening climate goals
    By the end of the decade, the fossil fuel industry plans to almost quadruple the number of new developments (and the amount of oil and gas extracted) compared with 2023. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Here’s the top six news items of note in climate news for Aotearoa-NZ this ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    6 days ago
  • Let me tell you how I feel about COVID
    Let me tell you how I feel about COVID which decked me three weeks ago and left me stuffed until just two days ago.Let me tell you how I feel about COVID, which has lately been leaving workplaces full of holes where their productive labour units should be.Let me tell ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    6 days ago
  • Climate Change: Making polluters pay
    Climate change threatens human civilization. It threatens to kill a billion people. The costs of stopping it, and of adapting to the damage already done - of moving people and infrastructure to protect them from sea-level rise, and of dealing with the resulting floods, droughts, cyclones, heat-waves, and other extreme ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    6 days ago
  • Too complex
    Max Salmon writes –  How complex is too complex? My new report for the New Zealand Initiative, Cabinet Congestion: The Growth of a Ministerial Maze, poses this question with respect to the executive branch of New Zealand’s Government. New Zealand’s executive is incredibly powerful. Its members control the levers ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago
  • A Parliament of office workers
    Although there are now more farmers than teachers in the country’s 54th Parliament, office work, politics and humanities education are the dominant backgrounds of MPs.   Mark Blackham and Emily Mingins write –  Research released today by Blackland, a PR consultancy, finds that the six most popular ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago
  • Watching Television.
    Some of you might’ve guessed what today’s song is already. As the top comment on YouTube says, “one of the most important records ever made by one of the most underrated bands of all time. Just as relevant today as it was when it was released.”I’d agree with that, I’ve ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    6 days ago
  • Confidence in Government collapses
    A new poll shows women see the country on the wrong track more dramatically than other cohorts, especially older men, and overall confidence collapsed in March. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The six news items of note in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy on Thursday, April 4 included:A Roy Morgan poll ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    6 days ago
  • Bryce Edwards: The Affluent pathway to Parliament
    Increasingly the New Zealand Parliament is becoming a place for the affluent. New research out today on the socioeconomic and occupational backgrounds of those in the current Parliament shows that MPs are becoming more and more homogenous. Despite diversifying demographics in terms of gender, ethnicity, sexuality and so forth, our ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    6 days ago
  • How can I make my retirement plan climate-friendly?
    This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Barbara Grady If you’re worried that your retirement plan might include investments in fossil fuels, here’s what you can do. The first thing you’ll want to do is research what’s in your 401(k). Which stocks and bonds are in the mutual ...
    6 days ago
  • The Maddest March since COVID
    March is now over and so too is March Madness – though public transport will likely stay busy at least until school holidays in a few weeks. So how did PT perform in March …. pretty well it turned out. Just prior to March I wrote about how average weekday ...
    6 days ago
  • Mark Blackham and Emily Mingins: A Parliament of office workers
    Although there’s now more farmers than teachers in the in the 54th Parliament, office work, politics and humanities education are the dominant backgrounds of MPs. Research released today by Blackland, a PR consultancy, finds that the six most popular careers for MPs are (in descending order) managers, elected representatives, ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    6 days ago

  • Freshwater farm plan systems to be improved
    The coalition Government intends to improve freshwater farm plans so that they are more cost-effective and practical for farmers, Associate Environment Minister Andrew Hoggard and Agriculture Minister Todd McClay have announced. “A fit-for-purpose freshwater farm plan system will enable farmers and growers to find the right solutions for their farm ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    8 hours ago
  • New Fast Track Projects advisory group named
    The coalition Government has today announced the expert advisory group who will provide independent recommendations to Ministers on projects to be included in the Fast Track Approvals Bill, say RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop and Regional Development Minister Shane Jones. “Our Fast Track Approval process will make it easier and ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    9 hours ago
  • Pacific and Gaza focus of UN talks
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters says his official talks with the United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres in New York today focused on a shared commitment to partnering with the Pacific Islands region and a common concern about the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza.    “Small states in the Pacific rely on collective ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    14 hours ago
  • Government honours Taranaki Maunga deal
    The Government is honouring commitments made to Taranaki iwi with the Te Pire Whakatupua mō Te Kāhui Tupua/Taranaki Maunga Collective Redress Bill passing its first reading Parliament today, Treaty Negotiations Minister Paul Goldsmith says. “This Bill addresses the commitment the Crown made to the eight iwi of Taranaki to negotiate ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    23 hours ago
  • Enhanced partnership to reduce agricultural emissions
    The Government and four further companies are together committing an additional $18 million towards AgriZeroNZ to boost New Zealand’s efforts to reduce agricultural emissions. Agriculture Minister Todd McClay says the strength of the New Zealand economy relies on us getting effective and affordable emission reduction solutions for New Zealand. “The ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • 110km/h limit proposed for Kāpiti Expressway
    Transport Minister Simeon Brown has welcomed news the NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) will begin consultation this month on raising speed limits for the Kāpiti Expressway to 110km/h. “Boosting economic growth and productivity is a key part of the Government’s plan to rebuild the economy and this proposal supports that outcome ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • New Zealand Biosecurity Awards – Winners announced
    Two New Zealanders who’ve used their unique skills to help fight the exotic caulerpa seaweed are this year’s Biosecurity Awards Supreme Winners, says Biosecurity Minister Andrew Hoggard. “Strong biosecurity is vital and underpins the whole New Zealand economy and our native flora and fauna. These awards celebrate all those in ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Attendance action plan to lift student attendance rates
    The Government is taking action to address the truancy crisis and raise attendance by delivering the attendance action plan, Associate Education Minister David Seymour announced today.   New Zealand attendance rates are low by national and international standards. Regular attendance, defined as being in school over 90 per cent of the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • World must act to halt Gaza catastrophe – Peters
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters has told the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York today that an immediate ceasefire is needed in Gaza to halt the ongoing humanitarian catastrophe.    “Palestinian civilians continue to bear the brunt of Israel’s military actions,” Mr Peters said in his speech to a ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Speech to United Nations General Assembly: 66th plenary meeting, 78th session
    Mr President,   The situation in Gaza is an utter catastrophe.   New Zealand condemns Hamas for its heinous terrorist attacks on 7 October and since, including its barbaric violations of women and children. All of us here must demand that Hamas release all remaining hostages immediately.   At the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Government woolshed roadshow kicks off
    Today the Government Agriculture Ministers started their national woolshed roadshow, kicking off in the Wairarapa. Agriculture Minister Todd McClay said it has been a tough time for farmers over the past few years. The sector has faced high domestic inflation rates, high interest rates, adverse weather events, and increasing farm ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • PM heads to Singapore, Thailand, and Philippines
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon will travel to Singapore, Thailand and the Philippines this week (April 14-20), along with a senior business delegation, signalling the Government’s commitment to deepen New Zealand’s international engagement, especially our relationships in South East Asia. “South East Asia is a region that is more crucial than ever to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Prime Minister launches Government Targets
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has announced further steps to get New Zealand back on track, launching nine ambitious Government Targets to help improve the lives of New Zealanders. “Our Government has a plan that is focused on three key promises we made to New Zealanders – to rebuild the economy, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Natural hydrogen resource should be free of Treaty claims entanglement
    Natural hydrogen could be a game-changing new source of energy for New Zealand but it is essential it is treated as a critical development that benefits all New Zealanders, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones is seeking to give regulatory certainty for those keen to develop natural, or geological, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Government responds to unsustainable net migration
    ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • New Zealand on stage at global Space Symposium
    Space Minister Judith Collins will speak at the Space Symposium in the United States next week, promoting New Zealand’s rapidly growing place in the sector as we work to rebuild the economy. “As one of the largest global space events, attended by more than 10,000 business and government representatives from ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • $4.9m project completed with marae reopening
    A significant marae has reopened in the heart of Rotorua marking the end of renovations for the Ruatāhuna Marae Renovation Cluster, a project that provided much-needed jobs and regional economic stimulus, Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones was at the official reopening of Mātaatua ki Rotorua Marae today. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Pure Tūroa Limited to operate Tūroa ski field
    Ko Tahuarangi te waka – Tahuarangi is the ancestral vessel Ko Rangitukutuku te aho – Rangitukutuku is the fishing line Ko Pikimairawea te matau – Pikimairawea is the hook Ko Hāhā te Whenua te ika kei rō-wai – Hāhā te whenua is the fish (of Māui) whilst under the ocean ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Methane targets to be independently reviewed
    Rebuilding New Zealand’s economy will rely on the valuable agricultural sector working sustainably towards our climate change goals.  Today, the Climate Change and Agriculture Ministers announced that an independent panel of experts will review agricultural biogenic methane science and targets for consistency with no additional warming. Agriculture Minister Todd McClay ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • NZ and Nordics: likeminded partners
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters has highlighted the strong ties that bind New Zealand and the Nordic countries of Northern Europe during a trip to Sweden today.    “There are few countries in the world more likeminded with New Zealand than our friends in Northern Europe,” Mr Peters says.    “We ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • First New Zealand C-130J Hercules takes flight
    The first New Zealand C-130J Hercules to come off the production line in the United States has successfully completed its first test flights, Defence Minister Judith Collins announced today. “These successful flights are a significant milestone for the New Zealand Defence Force, bringing this once-in-a-generation renewal of a critical airlift ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Government to rephase NCEA Change Programme
      The coalition Government is making significant changes to the NCEA Change Programme, delaying the implementation by two years, Minister of Education Erica Stanford announced today. “Ensuring New Zealand’s curriculum is world leading is a vital part of the Government’s plan to deliver better public services and ensure all students ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • New Ngāpuhi investment fund Chair appointed
    Ben Dalton has been appointed the new board Chair of Tupu Tonu, the Ngāpuhi Investment Fund, says Treaty Negotiations Minister Paul Goldsmith and Associate Finance Minister Shane Jones. “Ben brings a wealth of experience in governance and economic development to the position. He will have a strong focus on ensuring ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Education should be prioritised ahead of protesting
    Students should be in school and learning instead of protesting during school hours, Associate Education Minister David Seymour says. “If students feel strongly about sending a message, they could have marched on Tuesday when there was a nationwide teacher only day, or during the upcoming school holidays. It has become ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Delivering on Local Water Done Well
    Cabinet has agreed on key steps to implement Local Water Done Well, the Coalition Government’s plan for financially sustainable locally delivered water infrastructure and services, Local Government Minister Simeon Brown says.  "Councils and voters resoundingly rejected Labour’s expensive and bureaucratic Three Waters regime, and earlier this year the Coalition Government ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Peters to visit New York, Washington D.C.
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters will engage with high-level United States Government and United Nations officials in the United States next week (6-12 April).    The visit, with programmes in New York and Washington D.C., will focus on major global and regional security challenges and includes meetings with US Secretary of ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Security cooperation in challenging world
    New Zealand is committed to working more closely with NATO partners to support collective security in a worsening strategic environment, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says.    “The Coalition Government has made clear the strong emphasis it places on cooperation with New Zealand’s traditional partners, and NATO is a big part ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Construction starts on Queenstown roading upgrades
    Transport Minister Simeon Brown has kicked off construction on $250 million upgrades to State Highway 6/6A (SH6/6A) in Queenstown that will boost economic growth, reduce congestion, and create a safer and more reliable transport network. “With more than 40,000 vehicles passing through each day at peak times, the current SH6/6A Frankton ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • New Zealand “open for business” for Build To Rent
    Associate Finance Ministers David Seymour and Chris Bishop say overseas investment in Build To Rent housing will be welcomed in New Zealand under a new directive letter they have issued to Land Information New Zealand (LINZ), the regulator for the Overseas Investment Act. Build To Rent (BTR) is a type ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Coalition Government to require referendums on Māori wards
    The Coalition Government will restore the rights of communities to determine whether to introduce Māori wards, Local Government Minister Simeon Brown says.  “The Government will introduce a Bill in the coming months that will restore the ability for communities to petition their councils to hold binding polls on Māori ward ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • ERO report confirms need for clearer curriculum
    A report by the Education Review Office (ERO) on Aotearoa New Zealand Histories confirms that teachers need better clarity on curriculum and how to deliver it, Minister of Education Erica Stanford says. “Despite the hard work of teachers, education achievement and attendance have declined significantly in the last few years. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Building products shakeup to lower prices
    The coalition Government is eliminating barriers to the use of overseas building products to make it easier and more affordable to build in New Zealand, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says. “Our Government has a plan to rebuild the economy to help Kiwis get ahead, and part of that plan ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • NZ-NASA research partnerships announced
    Twelve New Zealand research teams will conduct joint six-month feasibility studies looking at Earth observation research with NASA, Science, Innovation and Technology and Space Minister Judith Collins announced today. “The research teams will conduct feasibility studies in environmental monitoring, water and climate modelling, natural hazards, and biodiversity,” Ms Collins says. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Project applications for Fast Track open today
    Applications are now open for projects to be included in the Government’s legislation establishing a one-stop shop fast-track approvals regime, say RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop and Regional Development Minister Shane Jones. “Making it easier and faster to build significant projects is a key part of the Government’s plan to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Government creates establishment board for charter schools
    Associate Education Minister David Seymour has announced the Charter School | Kura Hourua Establishment Board to guide the formation of the charter school model, so that the first schools can open in 2025. “Charter schools will provide educators with greater autonomy, create diversity in New Zealand’s education system, free educators ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Secondary teachers moving to New Zealand fast tracked to residence
    3 April 2024 Secondary teachers moving to New Zealand fast tracked to residence  Secondary teachers moving to New Zealand will be put on a fast track to residency to help address workforce shortages, Immigration and Education Minister Erica Stanford announced today.   “Shortages in secondary teachers, especially those in specific regions ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
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  • United States lifts ban on New Zealand fish exports
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