Review: Fighting to Choose by Alison McCulloch

Written By: - Date published: 7:00 pm, May 8th, 2013 - 61 comments
Categories: abortion, books, feminism, history - Tags:

I struggle to find a properly punchy intro to this review.  Because all I really want to say is, if you have an interest in the history of the reproductive rights struggle in New Zealand, read this book.

If you don’t have an interest in the history of the reproductive rights struggle in New Zealand, also read this book.  Because you’ll develop one.

Abortion has a long and dramatic history in NZ, but it’s not a history we talk about, or remember.  And remembering that history is vital to our continuing push for reproductive rights today.  We need to know how we’ve gotten into this bizarre situation, with a law passed in 1977 which makes pregnant people jump through hoops but functions just well enough that most people carry on under the misapprehension that we have abortion on demand.

Just check out Jami-Lee Ross’ speech on the third reading of the marriage equality bill, when he referred to abortion being legalised.  It isn’t.

Why it isn’t, and who decided it wouldn’t be, and how activists fought hard for it to be, is what this book’s about.  Alison McCulloch, Pulitzer-winning journo and general badass, lays it all out, plain and simple, and being pretty damn even-handed towards the antichoice movement in the process.

This book was a joy to read … and it made me angry.  Angry at chickenshit politicians who folded at the first threat of Catholic voters’ ire.  Angry at a Royal Commission who dared to produce an incoherent, inconsistent report which controls people’s lives to this day, who let antichoicers derail an important moment in our societal debate on reproductive rights.  Angry at the condescension shown toward New Zealand people, particularly women, to this day.

Angry that we still have to fight for this.

But you know, it’s a good anger.  A motivating anger.

And now I’ve added “release helium balloons into the House of Representatives” to my bucket list.

Overall rating: five out of five speculums.

Fighting to Choose is available online from the Victoria University Press.

An abridged excerpt from Chapter Four, covering the opening of the Auckland Medical Aid Trust clinic in 1974, is up on Werewolf.

Prochoicing on the Prochoice Highway

Alison McCulloch is taking the book on tour.  Follow the Prochoice Highway for more information.

Videos from the launch, via the ALRANZ blog.

61 comments on “Review: Fighting to Choose by Alison McCulloch ”

  1. karol 1

    And still many just don’t want to talk about the problems of NZ current conservative abortion law. Meanwhile large numbers of women have to go through degrading hoops to get abortions.

    • pictishmonster 1.1

      Agreed. In her interview with Kim Hill, McCulloch attributed this weird passivity to fear that the situation could get worse if we rocked the boat. But I wonder if that is still true. Is it possible to get accurate polling data on the issue?

      Anyway, she also made the point that if we’re not moving forward we’re moving backward by default – there’s no such thing as standing still. I think that’s true.

    • Populuxe1 1.2

      That rather depends on what sort of abortion you’re talking about. Levonelle-1, the “morning after pill” can be bought over the counter at a pharmacy – I’d hardly call that jumping through hoops.
      In terms of medical abortion, I think there does need to be an amendment to The Crimes Act 1961 to decriminalise termination, but we all know that there is a tacit understanding medical termination doesn’t usually require much beyond the usual consultation for informed consent as per The Health and Disability Commissioners Act 1994 and The Code of Health and Disability
      Services Consumers Rights 1996 based on a consensus that the The Contraception, Sterilisation and Abortion Act 1977 be interpreted very loosely. Basically no woman in New Zealand today is going to be refused an abortion in the first twenty weeks. When was the last time a woman died of a backyard abotion? That’s the foremost issue – protecting women’s lives and reproductive health. I would be very surprised if a single woman in this country has been denied an abortion in the last thirty years.

      • QoT 1.2.1

        I would be very surprised if a single woman in this country has been denied an abortion in the last thirty years.

        Gosh, if only the world worked entirely according to things which would “very much surprise” you, Populuxe. Unfortunately, in this universe, I’m really, really over you shitting all over my thread assuming your half-baked opinions and “I know lots of women so I must be an expert” should rule the day.

  2. kiwi_prometheus 2

    New Zealanders don’t support abortion on demand,and rightly so.

    I guess you crazy Feminists are all hyped up after the successful propaganda campaign to trash marriage, and think you got another ‘win’ coming up.

    • fender 2.1

      You sound like one of those deconstructed kiwis_. Better go get a recon.

      • kiwi_prometheus 2.1.1

        You sound like one of those Social Constructivists that infest the Sociology and Literature Uni Depts.

        Deconstructing social constructionists is fun!

    • joe90 2.2

      I guess you crazy Feminists are all hyped up after the successful propaganda campaign to trash marriage, and think you got another ‘win’ coming up.

      Spotted

      • ghostrider888 2.2.1

        “her” -ga-tory

      • kiwi_prometheus 2.2.2

        Linking to your favourite Feminist propaganda site, joe.

        • ghostrider888 2.2.2.1

          btw, all things being equal, I Flew you some Modern Love yesterday. Thought it might suit your school of thought.

      • QoT 2.2.3

        Well played! But unfortunately you only get points for k_p’s misogynist antichoice views, his deep-seated loathing of women has long been recognised around these parts.

    • QoT 2.3

      Next we’re coming FOR YOUR PENIS.

  3. kiwi_prometheus 3

    At least not all Feminist have been brain washed into the Abortion On Demand stance:

    “the original feminists — understood that the rights of women cannot be built on the broken backs of unborn children. Anthony called abortion “child murder.” Paul, author of the original 1923 Equal Rights Amendment, said that “abortion is the ultimate exploitation of women”… it was the neo-feminists of the 1960s and ’70s who asked women to prize abortion as the pathway to equality.”

    http://ideas.time.com/2013/01/03/viewpoint-pro-life-and-feminism-arent-mutually-exclusive/

    • Roy 3.1

      I would be surprised if any women ‘prize’ abortion, and I suspect that few if any find it an easy option.

      • kiwi_prometheus 3.1.1

        Its exactly what the neo feminists have done, they are obsessed with Abortion On Demand.

        • fender 3.1.1.1

          No I think they just want full control of their own bodies.

          Imagine if you were deprived of being in control of your own body, how would you react if say you were not allowed to perform your favourite pastime of jerking off ?

          • One Anonymous Knucklehead 3.1.1.1.1

            Every sperm is sacred.

          • kiwi_prometheus 3.1.1.1.2

            “No I think they just want full control of their own bodies.”

            Well that has to be balanced by the right to life of the baby.

            Feminasties like the narcissist QofT are peddling an extremist postion.

            [QoT: You have been warned on more than enough occasions not to attack authors. Final warning for this post as at 7:04pm.]

            • One Anonymous Knucklehead 3.1.1.1.2.1

              That has to be balanced by your duty to provide good strong sperm and we’re going to make sure you abide by it, sonny.

              Now get your hands off it and get down on your knees and pray for forgiveness for the insects you have killed, deprived of the gift of life. For the butchers meat on your table, deprived of the gift of life, for the seed you have spilled, for the unbelievable bullshit you construct around QoT.

              • kiwi_prometheus

                “for the unbelievable bullshit you construct around QoT.”

                LOL, you are a Feminist unic.

                • One Anonymous Knucklehead

                  I’m a knucklehead, and you’re an ill-mannered misogynist. What of it?

                  • kiwi_prometheus

                    You are an obedient minion, NO ONE on here dares to contradict the Feminasties and their dogma.

                    [lprent: Go too far down that track and I’ll start demonstrating how much my “feminist” partner, mother, sister, nieces, female relatives of all types mean to me and whom you insult (not to mention me) whenever you’re here with mindless dreck. Fuck “femanasties”. What you have to worry about is a pissed off sysop declaring a personal vendetta on your dickless wonderment.

                    I’ll show you what nasty really means – you misogynist cretin. ]

                    • One Anonymous Knucklehead

                      For the night is dark and full of terrors.

                    • NickS

                      …pissed off sysop..

                      lulz

                      For those who don’t quite understand why this is a bad thing, sysops on websites can see everything you’ve submitted to their website bar your password(s). And generally they have contacts to anti-spam groups, so your details may make their way into a spam blacklist, leading to all sorts of fun across the net.

                      This on top of the usual editing of luser content via disem-vowl-ment, post moderation, luser harassment and final application of the ban-hammer once the luser hath been suitably mocked.

                      (see http://bofh.ntk.net/BOFH/index.php for $fun)

    • Murray Olsen 3.2

      Only a century behind now. That’s progress, I suppose.

  4. kiwi_prometheus 4

    Knucklehead: “For the night is dark and full of terrors.”

    Are you aware of the Feminist belief that E=mc2 is a “sexed equation”, along the same lines as Karol’s hilarious, psuedo intellectual, copy cat number about “the sexing of politics”?

    Yes that’s right, the speed of light has been “privileged” apparently thanks to the “Patriarchy”.

    Or the Feminist belief that Newtons Laws of Physics is a “rape manual”.

    So becareful talking about “night” and “dark”, Knucklehead, or you may find yourself accused by the feminasties of an anti Feminist, privileging, “othering”, heterosexists MAN sin!

    [QoT: A further warning: any future arguments which are uncited and clearly copy-pasted from your favourite men’s rights whinesite (I’m picking you for a Spearhead kinda guy) are being edited, because I’m not having my posts derailed by your shit-flinging trollery any more.]

    • Populuxe1 4.1

      “Are you aware of the Feminist belief that E=mc2 is a “sexed equation”” – I think you are going to have to cite that, and in any case, relying on fringe nonsense isn’t making you look less like a mysogynistic buffoon.

    • karol 4.2

      Please do tell me what I was copying with my p-suede intellectualism. I have never heard of this “E=mc2, sexed equation” before. Do please explain the theory & why it is wrong. Sounds interesting.

      And also please explain what it has to do with abortion law reform.

      • QoT 4.2.1

        Googling raises an argument by Lucy Irigaray, which has clearly become a meme in misogynist / MRA / whinging douchebag circles because it aligns very neatly with their own sexism (i.e. they all think women are stupid and inconstant, and Irigaray pointing out (possibly, I’m not wasting time doing k_p’s citation work for him) that science which privileges “hard” things over “fluid” things reflects this sexist approach cuts too close to the bone.)

        • karol 4.2.1.1

          Oh. OK. Got it.

          In my experience, when I ask k_p to explain his points/abuse/theoretical understanding in any detail/depth, he disappears.

          PS: issues to do with female bodies and reproductive systems are fluid as, and often a cause for squeamishness for those wanting their politics focused on solids.

          • QoT 4.2.1.1.1

            Oh yes. It’s another reason I do quick Googles on his bullshit, as soon as freerepublic.com shows up in the top 5 results it confirms it’s his usual unoriginal material.

            • karol 4.2.1.1.1.1

              He also has a rather quaint notion that all feminists are into abstract theory and of those that are, they are all in agreement and into the same theory – anyone with a knowledge of feminism and/or philosophical theories would know that is so not how it is.

              Especially, when 2nd wave feminism was in full swing, it was more about women’s actual life experiences. I think in the mid-late 70s, when the campaign was under way for abortion in NZ, most feminists would never have heard of a French psychoanalytic theorist like Irigaray.

              It was, and still is (as far as I’m aware) about what happens when safe abortions are not available to all women. In the 70s it was much more about women coming out and telling their own stories of dealing with pregnancies and abortions.

              I imagine it’s still hard for a lot of women to talk publicly about such things.

              But k_p’s preference seems to be to go on about abstract theory, and avoid dealing with people’s actual life experiences.

              • felix

                Oh so you’re an actual-life realitist. How do you reconcile that with your post-bullshit philosophy?

                /in before k_p

                • karol

                  Ah, well I’d turn to (some say) post-structuralist Foucault (himself he didn’t really accept that label).

                  Thought it was a good thing his later theories were a little different from his earlier ones – why work on theory all your life just to keep repeating the same things.

                  And no matter how abstract his theories, the HIV/AIDS got him in the end. And he said some interesting things about fist-fucking…. but little about abortion.

              • Rhinocrates

                But k_p’s preference seems to be to go on about abstract theory

                Well, he “goes on” about it, but he never actually engages with it, let alone real life experience as you say.

                How about just pulling the plug on him? Redbaiter, Dad4Justice, kiwi_procrustes etc need not be dealt with on their own supposed terms – surely the proper arena is psychiatry rather than ideology?

                Their ilk might be amusing at a distance, but their persistent derailing actively blocks real discussion, and I worry that k-p’s aggression prevents some people who might have something constructive to add from contributing – as it is surely meant to.

                Old proverb: “Who defines the terms wins the argument”.

                • karol

                  Yes, it does usually derail.

                  I’d much rather discuss why our conservative abortion law is still standing and not yet been updated.

        • Populuxe1 4.2.1.2

          To be fair, Irigaray did talk a lot of crap about the sciences that actual scientists of both genders would find hysterically funny.

          • QoT 4.2.1.2.1

            Many people talk a lot of crap about many things, yet I still don’t feel the slightest need “to be fair” where k_p’s incessant derailing is involved.

            • Populuxe1 4.2.1.2.1.1

              I was speaking for myself because I value fairness. You can do whatever you like.

    • One Anonymous Knucklehead 4.3

      Yes! I’ll be so upset I’ll cry all the way to the dairy.

  5. Murray Olsen 5

    I certainly thought access to abortion was better than it is. I don’t really know where I got that impression, except maybe from being out of touch with the issue.

    • Populuxe1 5.1

      It is actually easy to access – the issue here would appear to be the letter of the law, not its interpretation by doctors.

      • QoT 5.1.1

        No, it isn’t, Populuxe. Yes, a number of pregnant people are able to access abortion, but we’ve literally only just got to a situation where, for example, people from Invercargill don’t have to travel to Christchurch to get abortions.

        Considering the time involved (and that’s if you have a smooth ride with all five practitioners you have to see), the money to see doctors and travel and get childcare … it really isn’t “easy”, and saying it is just because some lucky people have managed to make our shitty system work isn’t helpful.

        • karol 5.1.1.1

          It seems to me that another problem with the law in NZ as it stands, that, women get abortions now as a result of the goodwill of the medical authorities. That sort of goodwill could be removed. Our current government pressures public services to provide less and less, and to find ways to deny services to more and more people. I think it needs to be inscribed into the law that abortions be available to those women who want them.

          • Populuxe1 5.1.1.1.1

            Given that it was National’s office or Eugenics and Paula Benefit that came up with the idea of free contraception for beneficiaries, I doubt they will be doing that for termination any time soon. But yes, it is shameful that abortion is still criminalised in the letter of the law, and that needs to be changed.

        • Populuxe1 5.1.1.2

          Five practicioners?! The Contraception, Sterilisation and Abortion Act 1977 says TWO! Which can usually be acomplished at the same clinic.Yes, it is good news that there has been since 2011 a termination clinic in Invercargill, however as I don’t imagine being seen entering such an establishment in a small and somewhat traditional community is all that desirable for many of the local women either, I imagine many of them will continue to go to Lyndhurst Hospital for the anonymity – it’s the stigma that needs to be tackled as much as the law. Stop with the “some lucky people” crap, though, unless you can provide me evidence of the overwhelming majority of New Zealand women being refused termination, not being able to get them within a reasonable timeframe, or recieving an unsafe backyard termination out of desperation. Ireland is a shitty system, the US has multiple shitty systems (intravaginal probes for fuck’s sake), we have a system that certainly needs impovement, but is far from shitty. I have held the hands of enough female friends over the years to know what bullshit that is.

          • Pascal's bookie 5.1.1.2.1

            So unless it’s an “overwhelming majority of New Zealand women ” it ain’t no thing?

            • Populuxe1 5.1.1.2.1.1

              No, I was leaving a little room for the possibility of some insane Catholic doctor or something not giving a referral as a one off. There are always exceptions and outliers in every system, no matter how perfect. Try not to be obtuse.

              • Pascal's bookie

                Really?

                You don’t have to scroll up very far to see that what you ended up writing was:

                Stop with the “some lucky people” crap, though, unless you can provide me evidence of the overwhelming majority of New Zealand women being refused termination, not being able to get them within a reasonable timeframe, or recieving an unsafe backyard termination out of desperation. Ireland is a shitty system, the US has multiple shitty systems (intravaginal probes for fuck’s sake), we have a system that certainly needs impovement, but is far from shitty.

                I don’t see how it’s ‘obtuse’ to think you were saying that unless there is an “overwhelming majority of New Zealand women” affected then the system is “far from shitty”.

                In fact, I think you’d have to be pretty obtuse to think that your comment doesn’t directly imply that it’s not a shitty system even if there are many women who do not have easy access to local providers should they choose to use it.

                • Populuxe1

                  In case you hadn’t noticed, dipshit, ANY medical services are hard to obtain in rural centres – nothing termination specific there – anything more complicated than a broken leg usually requires referral to a main centre DHB. In which case it’s the whole NZ medical system that needs the overhaul. It would have to be a pretty fucking unusual and extremely rare situation in which a woman was not able to get a termination, however I like to be precise in my language hence I leave room for outliers – that’s basic statistics. However I am still waiting for a single example of a woman in New Zealand not being able to get an abortion in the last twenty years. I know there is plenty of room for improvement, but this isn’t Ireland where for years you had to fly to London, and just recently a woman DIED because she was refused an abortion. Nor is this the US where some states demand you have a big ultrasound scanner inserted in your vagina so they can show you da widdle fingers and toes etc. The morning after pill is available OVER THE COUNTER. Using language that only a small minority are “lucky” enough to be able to get a termination is bullshit. The law, however, does need rewording, decriminalising termination like a civilised country – a technicality.

                  • Pascal's bookie

                    None of which explains the what you actually said.

                    And QoT did not use “language that only a small minority are “lucky” enough to be able to get a termination”. That’s just another reading misinterpretaion on your part.

                    Check the context, before launching jihad.

                    And no one owes you a single example of anything.

                    And the fact that other places are worse, does not imply that people are wrong to call ours bad, or not good enough, or that it needs change.

                    And if that’s not what you are saying, if your disagreement with QoT, karol, and everyone else is so very minor, then why all the heated aggression? What’s the point of all this Pop?

                    Oh, and Invercargill has a population of over 50,000, it’s not Taihape, ffs.

                    • Populuxe1

                      “None of which explains the what you actually said.”

                      I suppose not if you are going to deliberately ignore it.

                      “And QoT did not use “language that only a small minority are “lucky” enough to be able to get a termination”. That’s just another reading misinterpretaion on your part.”

                      How else is one to interpret phrases like “it really isn’t “easy”, and saying it is just because some lucky people have managed to make our shitty system work isn’t helpful.”?

                      “Check the context, before launching jihad.”

                      What jihad? And apparently unlike you, I do check context.

                      “And no one owes you a single example of anything.”

                      Yes they do or else I can continue to call bullshit. It’s called the burden of proof if you are going to claim something. You might as well say no one owes anyone an abortion. Stupid stupid thing to say.

                      “And the fact that other places are worse, does not imply that people are wrong to call ours bad, or not good enough, or that it needs change.”

                      Only if you really don’t care anything about accurate communication of an idea.

                      “And if that’s not what you are saying, if your disagreement with QoT, karol, and everyone else is so very minor, then why all the heated aggression? What’s the point of all this Pop?”

                      Minor doesn’t make it any less valid, and I think it is pretty important if something as important as the availability of termination in this country is being misrepresented. It’s bad enough when the Pro Life scum do it. And what heated aggression exactly? How do you get that from words on a screen – not enough smileys and lols?

                      “Oh, and Invercargill has a population of over 50,000, it’s not Taihape, ffs.”

                      Good for you for googling, but do a bit more googling – Southalnd hospital has 180 beds to cater to the Southland population of 107,000 and only deals with acute medical, surgical and orthopaedics, an Intensive Care Unit, 24 hour emergency department, paediatrics, maternity plus rehabilitation and therapy services.”

                    • Pascal's bookie

                      Really, you think demanding evidence that an overwhelming majority can’t access abortion services easily, is being precise in language to account for outliers?

          • QoT 5.1.1.2.2

            Five practicioners?! The Contraception, Sterilisation and Abortion Act 1977 says TWO! Which can usually be acomplished at the same clinic.

            Surprise surprise, despite your protestations to the contrary you don’t actually know what the fuck you’re talking about! Good job that this isn’t the 1980s and you can look these things up on the internet.

    • QoT 5.2

      Well, it’s not something you really have to know about until you really, really have to know about it, if you catch my drift.

      • Populuxe1 5.2.1

        This isn’t the 1980s. You can look it up on the internet http://www.abortion.gen.nz/index.html

        • QoT 5.2.1.1

          Yes, Populuxe, and while I realise you’re perfect and know everything about abortion everywhere, most people don’t even have to think about it as a political issue so won’t be actively seeking out information on it. Because they’re not as awesome as you.

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    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 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
    4 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
    4 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
    4 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
    4 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
    4 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
    5 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
    5 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
    5 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
    6 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
    7 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
    1 week ago
  • 2024 Ngarimu VC and 28th (Māori) Battalion Memorial Scholarships announced
    ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week 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
    1 week 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
    1 week 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

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