Rabblerave: New Zealand’s Next Top Model Politician

Written By: - Date published: 10:00 am, December 6th, 2015 - 33 comments
Categories: climate change, Environment, global warming, sustainability - Tags: , ,

Paris-Climate-March

Reprinted with permission from Invisiphilia’s blog Rabblerave 

In 2006 Ben Elton wrote a novel called Chart Throb. It was a hilarious send-up of the all too familiar reality TV show series format in which little-known yet potentially talented individuals get to make their big debut. Sadly I only know one other person that’s read it, so to date Elton’s clever musings have remained mostly locked up in the mental archives of my book club of one.

Elton’s book came to mind when I was reflecting on a couple of political events of last week. Internationally, Climate Change finally got cemented into the mainstream as the big issue of the 21st century.  Sadly, the COP21 delegates assembled on the shadows of the recent terrorist actions by Islamic State fundamentalists. Yet Parisians rose to the challenge, working within security restrictions to create an awe inspiring protest action based on shoes. The shoe installation was arguably a work of high art, with an X factor which brought to our attention that CO2 emissions are not only a major threat to the environment, but also to international security by virtue of the fact that it’s an issue that can’t be confined to state boundaries.

The good news is that essentially we’re entering a new era of collective responsibility. As this notion is so out of step with neo-liberalist philosophy, it means that the reality show of NZ politics that 99 % of us are currently enduring through gritted teeth is soon going to experience a drop in ratings. Those of you who missed the irony of NZ being awarded “fossil of the day” for our inaction on reducing NZ’s transport, energy, and agricultural emissions the day after the rearrangement of the New Zealand Labour Party might want to start paying attention.  Andrew Little’s brutal reshuffle is a political manoeuvre designed to capitalise on the fact that there will be whole new generation of voters enrolled at the next election.  The demotion of David Cunliffe to the backbenches is a sad indictment on the culture of NZ politics, rather than the man himself, which Chris Trotter rightly describes as “the unwarranted triumph of spiteful Fives and Sixes over a much-maligned King of Hearts”.

Shamefully, under the current government, NZ Politics with a capital ‘P’ has become a game between those aspiring to emulate the narcissistic lifestyles of the rich and notorious and those on the outside looking in. In Parliament, members bills aimed at improving people’s circumstances constantly score a frustrating 61-60, thanks to David Seymour and Peter Dunne. The National Party treats it’s detractors with about as much respect as the snivelling rejects in Elton’s book who wail “but I’ve wanted this all my life”, while in the  media, wall to wall male ‘personalities’ scrap over the smallest morsel and create controversy in place of real and intelligent debate.  Fortunately for the author, a source close to home provides regular Tumblr and Facebook updates which indicate that Youth with a capital “why?” are tired of seeing Mum and Dad struggle to pay the bills.

The best thing that came out of last week was the hope that the ridiculous and worn-out image of  Greenies as nothing but sandal wearing, mong bean eaters was finally given a decent burial. However, unfortunately for those of us on the left, we still have another 2 year walk in hand-me-down shoes before we can lie on the couch and allay the ghosts of elections past.  Stay tuned and remember, politics happens while you’re busy making other plans.

33 comments on “Rabblerave: New Zealand’s Next Top Model Politician ”

  1. weka 1

    Sorry, not quite getting what you mean. Labour rearranged itself to suit its careerist ambitions, but we should have hope for 2017? Or do you mean that Ardern being promoted is chasing the younger vote and might be enough to give Labour the election?

    I agree things are changing, and that our best hope is outside of parliament and that parliament will then have to follow.

    • AmaKiwi 1.1

      Weka, that is always true throughout history and across all cultures.

      Legislators are always the LAST to know something needs to be done. By then it’s usually too late.

      Trust the people to know.

      • Invisiphilia 1.1.1

        Hi Amakiwi,

        Thanks for your comment. I’m not sure whether legislators are always the last to know. I think it can fall a few ways…under the current govt we’ve seen the serving of big business interests and with the Climate Change issue it’s reached the point where it’s basically insane to support unsustainable practices and there needed to be a clear signal back to the markets that it was no longer acceptable…money talks.
        There is a theory that every reaction has a reaction and my hope is that we are beginning to experience the reaction to neo-liberalism at a level that will reallly bring about change.

    • Hi Weka,

      I have a personal interest in the lack of voter engagement among youth. My point really was just that the Nats will have been in control of the govt for 9 years by the next election. Essentially this means that there will be an entirely new generation of voters at the next election who have been affected by National Party Policy. Teenagers and young adults have their own world with their own rules so I think it made sense for Little to bring in some faces that are more appealing to youth. Sorry for the delayed reply BTW. I haven’t been published on this site before and forgot to check!

      • weka 1.2.1

        Cheers Invisiphilia. I agree with what you have just said, and I hope that Labour changes its selection processes to encourage more younger candidate in the coming years.

  2. Tautuhi 2

    Unfortunately in NZ MSM are still madly in love with John Key and the NACT Parties, JK is still the most prefered PM ever and is still regarded as a Rock Star leading a Rock Star Economy, however I have seen little evidence of this where I live.

    The only way I can see a certain change is for Labour, Greens and NZF to show some maturity and send a message to the voters that they can work constructively together to form a functional working Government, like MMP is designed to do. Last election they shot each other in the foot. The only other alternative is a National/NZF coalition however that is unlikely to happen after National and Jenny Shipley hijacked NZF after the 1994 Election and a number of NZF MP’s abandoned NZF and sided with National, note these people are no longer in politics.

    They will inherit $105 Billion Debt from NACT and a number of problems to tidy up, however better sooner rather than later.

    • RedLogix 2.1

      The only way I can see a certain change is for Labour, Greens and NZF to show some maturity and send a message to the voters that they can work constructively together to form a functional working Government, like MMP is designed to do.

      And until then John Key will remain PM until he gets terminally bored. This is the hidden weakness of MMP; that a bloc consisting of multiple parties, however close they may appear on paper – will always appear weaker than an opposing bloc united under one name.

      Combine this with the power of the Establishment owned media to screw the scrum, and there is zero chance any actual left-wing govt will ever be elected in NZ. Just waiting for the public to ‘give the other guys a turn’ will only ensure a right-wing Labour govt warms the Treasury benches just long enough to enact some modest reforms — and then the Establishment will put the ‘natural party of government’ back into power. This is the pattern of NZ politics since WW2. We should have spotted it by now.

      Looked at from a cold rational perspective, there are few good options to break this deadlock. The only one I think is accessible relies on two observations:

      1. The MSM has never been so financially weak, fragmented and struggling with falling numbers of eyeballs as ever before.

      2. The Labour Party has no money. It depends entirely on a loyal band of activists to keep it going.

      Work it out from there.

      • greywarshark 2.1.1

        Tautuhi
        That last point you made might be the tipping point for Labour. Little and Robertson should say clearly that NZ under National has now $105 billion debt and growing, which makes us very vulnerable to any downturn in the world. BUT they are still here for NZs. Say the truth that they paid down debt when last in government, and if elected will continue to reduce it slowly to prevent the country having a recession.

        They should say if elected they will keep NZ growing, but ensure that low-income and unemployed have better opportunities and conditions, while at the same time they will slowly reduce both historic debt and current borrowing. They will have a message.that appeals, not to 99%, but the thinking and hurting 75% (my rough estimation).

      • Invisiphilia 2.1.2

        Hi Redlogix,

        Thank you for your comments. In regards to solving numbers 1 and 2 I would say that social media stands a good chance of having a large role to play in the next General Election.

    • Hi Tautuhi,

      I know for a fact that certain members of govt on the left have done a massive amount of soul searching after the last election… we need to ditch the idea that they aren’t a united front as that’s just rehashing the MSM’s gleeful agenda. The local Council elections in 2016 in Auckland are going to provide an interesting forerunner to the General Election.

  3. greywarshark 3

    The best thing that came out of last week was the hope that the ridiculous and worn-out image of Greenies as nothing but sandal wearing, mong bean eaters was finally given a decent burial.

    By triumphing about this sort of put-down finally being put down, you are repeating the unreasoning prejudice and conformity of the style-and-appearance fashion-following, wealth-worshipping, pleasure-seeking, me-first chattering classes.

    Eating mong beans and wearing sandals as daily dress, is not my style, but one of the best people I know fits this description. And when a local primary school took on an ambitious conformist principal of the above description, she weeded out this teacher who didn’t power-dress and conform to her particular principles. He wasn’t up-market and object-oriented enough for her. I think she wanted the business look and possibly a tie, and better tick-boxing to meet her targets.

    And while mentioning teachers I heard on RADIONZ that the government have changed the designation of teachers from public servants to state servants which must have some effect on their roles and treatment.

    • ropata 3.1

      So, teachers will be required to further the NACToid Corp(tm) agenda, against the interests of their community… Iooks like another attack on teachers and a step towards turning schools into another SERCO “success story”

    • Hi Greywarshark,

      I absolutely meant no offence. I actually meant that I’m tired of people dismissing environmentalists as having no value to society. I find the other type of people to be dangerously narcissistic. I just found it interesting that the direction to accept that Climate Change is THE issue has finally come from those who are the “power dressers” of this world. If it makes you feel any better I was a founder of the Hemp Store 🙂 Thanks for your comment.

      • greywarshark 3.2.1

        Invisphilia
        Did I get agitated? How unlike me. Actually I find my nerves a bit raw as each passing day shows further sly slimy omission or commission from those who are charged with doing things of value to the country. And on top of dislocation and disruption of good values in NZ, being drawn into dastardly wars on spurious grounds of long term value etc. etc.

        We are into civil war territory here, with a division developing between friends, between family members. This echoes the one between the carers and watchers and ethically motivated, and the complacent pussies making hay while the sun shines, and shines, and gosh there is a drought, now a torrent and a mudslide, now…. Being able to say I told you so won’t give me any satisfaction at all. Those thoughts explain any little fumarole that I erupt!

        By the way I have read great things about hemp. When are we going to produce it on an economically registering scale and get some grass from the weed, with all its range of uses?

  4. Tautuhi 4

    I guess where this thread is going is that Schools are going to corporatised, where everybody is put into boxes of one size fits all. Next thing we will be following some American type educational model and we will be hiring some American Corporation to run our schools.

    This country has steadily gone downhill since the 1970’s, we used to produce highly skilled tradespeople until we threw out the Apprenticeship Schemes, we had quality education and healthcare, full employment, we owned our State Assets and households could live comfortably on one income. Where did NZ go wrong?

    • RedLogix 4.1

      The failed pig farmer and his enablers.

    • greywarshark 4.2

      Tautuhi
      I don’t think NZ has ever got over the taste of honey after WW2 when I think it was, our wool that was in much demand. We had a glimpse of being wealthy then. But then Britain had to make up its mind whether to join the European Common Market. They still had pretensions of the colonies then. It was hard enough to make the decision to join – France didn’t want them. They couldn’t bring us in with them, as France did with its territories.

      So our PM rushed over and buttered them up and reminded of how we had fought and died for them over there, to the extent that we were exposed ourselves and the USA had to ensure that we didn’t fall to the enemy along with our lovely deep water sheltered ports. (Or we migh have been like Syria, being bombed to hell to save us from the enemy.) We have been going downhill since then. Intelligent economic advisors like Sutch got drowned as we wallowed in anti-communist bogs.

      And then the unions seemed to be wanting to take over and run business down with strikes and demands. So the business leaders decided they could do that better and got their subversives to undermine Labour, and labour, introduced the slavery system again, with a free market and the bully boy of restraint on trade challenge for anything that approached humane treatment of working people,and called it by a flash new name neo liberalism.

      And here we are today, happy as can be, all good friends and jolly good company as we approach the yuletide season, followed by New Year and clasping of hands in the traditional Auld Lang Syne.

      So that’s a potted history of latter day NZ as I see it. Where did we go wrong? Choose your own tipping point. There will be others that will come to others’ minds.
      edited

      • ropata 4.2.1

        where we went wrong

        1970s oil crisis. piggy muldoon thinks a bit too big for his boots. wage/price freezes. strikes all over NZ. country paralysed

        1980s currency crisis. lange sucked in to shilling for GST and rogernomics (mike moore had a go as well), student loans

        1990s great helmsman Bolger limply did nothing as ruthanasia annihilated the working class (scary madam Shipley foments mutiny but is widely hated). employment contracts act, benefit cuts, asset sales

        1999 political scientist Clark gamely tried to steady the ship. public debt goes to zero but housing bubble ensures huge growth of private debt

        2008 money man Key and his dirty politics gang lurch economy to starboard again. housing bubbles and asset sales and disaster capitalism. economy pillaged by the one percent. unprecedented propaganda machine allows the kleptocrats to operate with impunity

        • Tautuhi 4.2.1.1

          Good analysis. So where do we go from here ?

          Interested to know National’s plan for NZ is ? As we are running out of things to sell, and the debt keeps climbing ?

          I guess National hopes we will strike oil somewhere like Jed Clampett did on the Beverly Hillbillies ?

          • Pat 4.2.1.1.1

            a million or two immigrants, preferably in the investor class?…oops,sorry ..you meant a NEW plan?

          • ropata 4.2.1.1.2

            National’s plan for “A Brighter Future” was literal.

            The plan is to brighten our lives by destroying the ozone layer and pumping CO2 like there’s no tomorrow. NZ will benefit from the “Greenhouse effect” because all our crops will grow faster. Also, masses of climate refugees can only help improve Auckland property prices. (Also, all “eco friendly” low-power lightbulbs will be outlawed. SuperBright 1000W bulbs only!)

            What could go wrong with that?

          • greywarshark 4.2.1.1.3

            The Beverly Hillbillies and Key sitting up on the cart with his stack of corny phrases and flash house. Poor kid, done good. About right.

        • greywarshark 4.2.1.2

          Ropata you identified major points I did broad brush.

          Muldoon had everyone hypnotised as has Key. Is that NZs achilles heel? Could we have got together and talked business to labour and got something more beneficial than inflation and wage rises to match it pushing inflation higher?

          • ropata 4.2.1.2.1

            we could have strengthened unions and stimulated demand by raising wages and benefits and investing in public works. investing in education and training and recognising and supporting work that is currently unpaid would have given a massive boost to domestic demand and fixed some of the glaring problems of inequality. but the main thing that is wrong nowadays is housing, there needs to be a serious rethink of tenants’ rights and landlords’ obligations.
            and finally: to really build a fair society we need land value tax… !!

            Pittsburgh is #1 in affordability. Unlike Detroit #2, it's thriving, dense, safe, educated Thanks to 100 yrs of #LVT pic.twitter.com/0qa1cL0it0— Nate (@iddqkfa) December 6, 2015

            https://youtu.be/J5_I6noG0ps

          • ropata 4.2.1.2.2

            you are right that NZ has a national weakness for “strong” authoritarian bastards and they easily gain a cult following among the more thuggish / anti-democracy / regressive elements of the electorate… could be a major worry if we slide towards Trump like idiocy

            • greywarshark 4.2.1.2.2.1

              Ropata
              Having a program of instituting infrastructure and long-term resource investment training and employing the young to do it, and enabling older unemployed with retraining and different skills that took them away from their home turf and introduced them into a different location and people, would have had multiple benefits. But it had to be become automatic at certain trigger points in the economy, and if attempted it would have been done as a stop gap, a sort of pilot scheme despite knowing that there are cycles in the economy which would need time to recover from, and that training schemes and work after would result in an energised, skilled workforce ready to go in new business and enterprise as soon as there was an upturn.

              But the short-term views and lack of commitment to the people and the country of politicians would never let them commit to that level of practical schemes. They could have carried them out, explaining to the country what they hoped to achieve thus providing them with enough backers so they could continue in government, and to guarantee an uproar if another Party tried to reverse such intelligent economic handling.

      • Tautuhi 4.2.2

        And we all lived happily ever after.

  5. I am not convinced. The Republicans are managing to stymie stuff in the U.S. and the Liberals are in government in Australia. These are two parties that fundamentally refuse to acknowledge the existential environmental crisis the world is plunging into at a rate of knots that is truly terrifying.

    One day there will be another Republican President. It could be as early as 20 January 2017 if American paranoia about terrorism lets them be governed by scare mongering rather than reason. If that happens, nothing useful will happen for a decade unless they bury the Tea Party and Freedom Caucus.

    Australia has an even worse problem. Whereas many Republicans are quietly wringing their hands with despair over the Tea Party, the Liberal Party to the core is fundamentally munted.

  6. greywarshark 6

    They have to take courses in Ultimate Fighting over there. That’s why it’s hard for females to get to the top. Too much musclepower, in the ring. The weights aren’t balanced.

  7. Smilin 7

    WELL HOPE DEMOCRATIC SANITY WILL PREVAIL IN 2017
    and we get the govt we all deserve that deals with the way life is for the majority and with real grounded hope built on need and not the BS desires and security for the rich who manipulate our political system for undeserved political bias for themselves and non admittance of their deceit of the people and the peoples right to question and expectancy to be taken notice of to a full and just end
    This has to come to be as this present govt has done the opposite to the people of this nation and we are all paying the price of their abuse of power

  8. Thank you all of your amazing comments. I’m so happy to have been the catalyst for it. Arohanui to you!

Recent Comments

Recent Posts

  • EV road user charges bill passes
    Transport Minister Simeon Brown has welcomed the passing of legislation to move light electric vehicles (EVs) and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) into the road user charges system from 1 April.  “It was always intended that EVs and PHEVs would be exempt from road user charges until they reached two ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    19 hours ago
  • Bill targets illegal, unregulated fishing in international waters
    New Zealand is strengthening its ability to combat illegal fishing outside its domestic waters and beef up regulation for its own commercial fishers in international waters through a Bill which had its first reading in Parliament today. The Fisheries (International Fishing and Other Matters) Amendment Bill 2023 sets out stronger ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    20 hours ago
  • Reserve Bank appointments
    Economists Carl Hansen and Professor Prasanna Gai have been appointed to the Reserve Bank Monetary Policy Committee, Finance Minister Nicola Willis announced today. The Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) is the independent decision-making body that sets the Official Cash Rate which determines interest rates.  Carl Hansen, the executive director of Capital ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    21 hours ago
  • Stronger protections for apartment owners
    Apartment owners and buyers will soon have greater protections as further changes to the law on unit titles come into effect, Housing Minister Chris Bishop says. “The Unit Titles (Strengthening Body Corporate Governance and Other Matters) Amendment Act had already introduced some changes in December 2022 and May 2023, and ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    23 hours ago
  • Travel focused on traditional partners and Middle East
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters will travel to Egypt and Europe from this weekend.    “This travel will focus on a range of New Zealand’s traditional diplomatic and security partnerships while enabling broad engagement on the urgent situation in Gaza,” Mr Peters says.   Mr Peters will attend the NATO Foreign ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    23 hours ago
  • Keep safe on our roads this Easter
    Transport Minister Simeon Brown is encouraging all road users to stay safe, plan their journeys ahead of time, and be patient with other drivers while travelling around this Easter long weekend. “Road safety is a responsibility we all share, and with increased traffic on our roads expected this Easter we ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Cost of living support for over 1.4 million Kiwis
    About 1.4 million New Zealanders will receive cost of living relief through increased government assistance from April 1 909,000 pensioners get a boost to Superannuation, including 5000 veterans 371,000 working-age beneficiaries will get higher payments 45,000 students will see an increase in their allowance Over a quarter of New Zealanders ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Tenancy reviews for social housing restart
    Ensuring social housing is being provided to those with the greatest needs is front of mind as the Government restarts social housing tenancy reviews, Associate Housing Minister Tama Potaka says. “Our relentless focus on building a strong economy is to ensure we can deliver better public services such as social ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Kermadec Ocean Sanctuary plan halted
    The Kermadec Ocean Sanctuary will not go ahead, with Cabinet deciding to stop work on the proposed reserve and remove the Bill that would have established it from Parliament’s order paper. “The Kermadec Ocean Sanctuary Bill would have created a 620,000 sq km economic no-go zone,” Oceans and Fisheries Minister ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Cutting all that dam red tape
    Dam safety regulations are being amended so that smaller dams won’t be subject to excessive compliance costs, Minister for Building and Construction Chris Penk says. “The coalition Government is focused on reducing costs and removing unnecessary red tape so we can get the economy back on track.  “Dam safety regulations ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Drought support extended to parts of North Island
    The coalition Government is expanding the medium-scale adverse event classification to parts of the North Island as dry weather conditions persist, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay announced today. “I have made the decision to expand the medium-scale adverse event classification already in place for parts of the South Island to also cover the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Passage of major tax bill welcomed
    The passing of legislation giving effect to coalition Government tax commitments has been welcomed by Finance Minister Nicola Willis.  “The Taxation (Annual Rates for 2023–24, Multinational Tax, and Remedial Matters) Bill will help place New Zealand on a more secure economic footing, improve outcomes for New Zealanders, and make our tax system ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Lifting economy through science, tertiary sectors
    Science, Innovation and Technology Minister Judith Collins and Tertiary Education and Skills Minister Penny Simmonds today announced plans to transform our science and university sectors to boost the economy. Two advisory groups, chaired by Professor Sir Peter Gluckman, will advise the Government on how these sectors can play a greater ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Government announces Budget priorities
    The Budget will deliver urgently-needed tax relief to hard-working New Zealanders while putting the government’s finances back on a sustainable track, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says.  The Finance Minister made the comments at the release of the Budget Policy Statement setting out the Government’s Budget objectives. “The coalition Government intends ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Government to consider accommodation solution
    The coalition Government will look at options to address a zoning issue that limits how much financial support Queenstown residents can get for accommodation. Cabinet has agreed on a response to the Petitions Committee, which had recommended the geographic information MSD uses to determine how much accommodation supplement can be ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Government approves extension to Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care
    Cabinet has agreed to a short extension to the final reporting timeframe for the Royal Commission into Abuse in Care from 28 March 2024 to 26 June 2024, Internal Affairs Minister Brooke van Velden says.                                         “The Royal Commission wrote to me on 16 February 2024, requesting that I consider an ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • $18m boost for Kiwis travelling to health treatment
    The coalition Government is delivering an $18 million boost to New Zealanders needing to travel for specialist health treatment, Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says.   “These changes are long overdue – the National Travel Assistance (NTA) scheme saw its last increase to mileage and accommodation rates way back in 2009.  ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • PM’s Prizes for Space to showcase sector’s talent
    The Government is recognising the innovative and rising talent in New Zealand’s growing space sector, with the Prime Minister and Space Minister Judith Collins announcing the new Prime Minister’s Prizes for Space today. “New Zealand has a growing reputation as a high-value partner for space missions and research. I am ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Concerns conveyed to China over cyber activity
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters has confirmed New Zealand’s concerns about cyber activity have been conveyed directly to the Chinese Government.     “The Prime Minister and Minister Collins have expressed concerns today about malicious cyber activity, attributed to groups sponsored by the Chinese Government, targeting democratic institutions in both New ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Independent Reviewers appointed for School Property Inquiry
    Independent Reviewers appointed for School Property Inquiry Education Minister Erica Stanford today announced the appointment of three independent reviewers to lead the Ministerial Inquiry into the Ministry of Education’s School Property Function.  The Inquiry will be led by former Minister of Foreign Affairs Murray McCully. “There is a clear need ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Brynderwyns open for Easter
    State Highway 1 across the Brynderwyns will be open for Easter weekend, with work currently underway to ensure the resilience of this critical route being paused for Easter Weekend to allow holiday makers to travel north, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Today I visited the Brynderwyn Hills construction site, where ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Speech to the Infrastructure Funding & Financing Conference
    Introduction Good morning to you all, and thanks for having me bright and early today. I am absolutely delighted to be the Minister for Infrastructure alongside the Minister of Housing and Resource Management Reform. I know the Prime Minister sees the three roles as closely connected and he wants me ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Parliamentary network breached by the PRC
    New Zealand stands with the United Kingdom in its condemnation of People’s Republic of China (PRC) state-backed malicious cyber activity impacting its Electoral Commission and targeting Members of the UK Parliament. “The use of cyber-enabled espionage operations to interfere with democratic institutions and processes anywhere is unacceptable,” Minister Responsible for ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • NZ to provide support for Solomon Islands election
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters and Defence Minister Judith Collins today announced New Zealand will provide logistics support for the upcoming Solomon Islands election. “We’re sending a team of New Zealand Defence Force personnel and two NH90 helicopters to provide logistics support for the election on 17 April, at the request ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • NZ-EU FTA gains Royal Assent for 1 May entry to force
    The European Union Free Trade Agreement Legislation Amendment Bill received Royal Assent today, completing the process for New Zealand’s ratification of its free trade agreement with the European Union.    “I am pleased to announce that today, in a small ceremony at the Beehive, New Zealand notified the European Union ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • COVID-19 inquiry attracts 11,000 submissions
    Public consultation on the terms of reference for the Royal Commission into COVID-19 Lessons has concluded, Internal Affairs Minister Hon Brooke van Velden says.  “I have been advised that there were over 11,000 submissions made through the Royal Commission’s online consultation portal.” Expanding the scope of the Royal Commission of ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Families to receive up to $75 a week help with ECE fees
    Hardworking families are set to benefit from a new credit to help them meet their early childcare education (ECE) costs, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. From 1 July, parents and caregivers of young children will be supported to manage the rising cost of living with a partial reimbursement of their ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Unlocking a sustainable, low-emissions future
    A specialised Independent Technical Advisory Group (ITAG) tasked with preparing and publishing independent non-binding advice on the design of a "green" (sustainable finance) taxonomy rulebook is being established, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says.  “Comprising experts and market participants, the ITAG's primary goal is to deliver comprehensive recommendations to the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Chief of Army thanked for his service
    Defence Minister Judith Collins has thanked the Chief of Army, Major General John Boswell, DSD, for his service as he leaves the Army after 40 years. “I would like to thank Major General Boswell for his contribution to the Army and the wider New Zealand Defence Force, undertaking many different ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Minister to meet Australian counterparts and Manufacturing Industry Leaders
    25 March 2024 Minister to meet Australian counterparts and Manufacturing Industry Leaders Small Business, Manufacturing, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly will travel to Australia for a series of bi-lateral meetings and manufacturing visits. During the visit, Minister Bayly will meet with his Australian counterparts, Senator Tim Ayres, Ed ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Government commits nearly $3 million for period products in schools
    Government commits almost $3 million for period products in schools The Coalition Government has committed $2.9 million to ensure intermediate and secondary schools continue providing period products to those who need them, Minister of Education Erica Stanford announced today. “This is an issue of dignity and ensuring young women don’t ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Speech – Making it easier to build.
    Good morning, it’s great to be here.   First, I would like to acknowledge the New Zealand Institute of Building Surveyors and thank you for the opportunity to be here this morning.  I would like to use this opportunity to outline the Government’s ambitious plan and what we hope to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Pacific youth to shine from boost to Polyfest
    Minister for Pacific Peoples Dr Shane Reti has announced the Government’s commitment to the Auckland Secondary Schools Māori and Pacific Islands Cultural Festival, more commonly known as Polyfest. “The Ministry for Pacific Peoples is a longtime supporter of Polyfest and, as it celebrates 49 years in 2024, I’m proud to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago
  • 2024 Ngarimu VC and 28th (Māori) Battalion Memorial Scholarships announced
    ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago
  • Speech to Breast Cancer Foundation – Insights Conference
    Before moving onto the substance of today’s address, I want to recognise the very significant and ongoing contribution the Breast Cancer Foundation makes to support the lives of New Zealand women and their families living with breast cancer. I very much enjoy working with you. I also want to recognise ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago
  • Kiwi research soars to International Space Station
    New Zealand has notched up a first with the launch of University of Canterbury research to the International Space Station, Science, Innovation and Technology and Space Minister Judith Collins says. The hardware, developed by Dr Sarah Kessans, is designed to operate autonomously in orbit, allowing scientists on Earth to study ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago
  • Speech to the New Zealand Planning Institute
    Introduction Thank you for inviting me to speak with you today and I’m sorry I can’t be there in person. Yesterday I started in Wellington for Breakfast TV, spoke to a property conference in Auckland, and finished the day speaking to local government in Christchurch, so it would have been ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Support for Northland emergency response centre
    The Coalition Government is contributing more than $1 million to support the establishment of an emergency multi-agency coordination centre in Northland. Emergency Management and Recovery Minister Mark Mitchell announced the contribution today during a visit of the Whangārei site where the facility will be constructed.  “Northland has faced a number ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Celebrating 20 years of Whakaata Māori
    New Zealanders have enjoyed a broader range of voices telling the story of Aotearoa thanks to the creation of Whakaata Māori 20 years ago, says Māori Development Minister Tama Potaka. The minister spoke at a celebration marking the national indigenous media organisation’s 20th anniversary at their studio in Auckland on ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Some commercial fishery catch limits increased
    Commercial catch limits for some fisheries have been increased following a review showing stocks are healthy and abundant, Ocean and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. The changes, along with some other catch limit changes and management settings, begin coming into effect from 1 April 2024. "Regular biannual reviews of fish ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

Page generated in The Standard by Wordpress at 2024-03-28T23:37:40+00:00