Shearer signed up for sale

Written By: - Date published: 3:18 pm, March 12th, 2013 - 64 comments
Categories: david shearer, john key, Privatisation - Tags:

On Morning Report this morning there was a clip of John Key (in Brazil) saying that David Shearer had signed up to buy shares in Mighty River Power – and he was welcome at the front of the queue like all New Zealanders.

Shortly after there was a rushed response from a Labour spokesperson to say that no Labour MPs, including David Shearer will be buying shares from National’s asset sales.

But it’s turned out that, yes indeed, someone has signed up David Shearer to the sales process.

This raises a number of issues.

As the government is crowing (and getting more free Herald advertising) about a record 290,000 people having signed up, how many of them are real?

Bill English won’t stop going on about the referendum signing up children (did this really happen? Every collector knows those signatures aren’t worth anything), but how many children are among those 290,000?  Presumably that’s okay.  But how many pets (like Queensland Rail)?  How many multiple sign-ups as people try to game more shares with added bonuses?  How many Mickey Mouses?

It’s very easy to sign up – all you need is a name and an email address and to state an NZ town where you live.  You can even do it without an email address if you phone (but then you’ll presumably need a real address).  After you fill out the short form, it asks if you’d like to sign anyone else up.

This is no rigorous exercise (not like manually collecting signatures of correctly enrolled voters with their correctly enrolled address).

What must be rigorous though is John Key’s data collection – how did they know that David Shearer had signed up?  What privacy do people get when they pre-register?  Is this yet another National privacy breach?

64 comments on “Shearer signed up for sale ”

  1. Lightly 1

    I’ve signed just so I can get the docs to read. I’m not buying shares.

    • Lanthanide 1.1

      But you don’t have to sign up to get the docs. They’re going to be available anyway.

      • Bunji 1.1.1

        But if you just put your email address in, they send you the docs without you having to look for them – easy, eh?

        • Lanthanide 1.1.1.1

          Going out of your way to do something now, vs going out of your way to do something later.

          It’s not like these things are going to be really hard to find later, either. I’m sure they’ll be up on the same site that you go to now to pre-register your interest.

        • Malcolm 1.1.1.2

          They also put your details in to a nice database they can sell on to the v1agr4 sellers.

  2. ad 2

    And now to the moral quandary we’re all about to ask:

    Can one both be against asset sales, and also ask for shares in those same assets?

    • tc 2.1

      Yes, be pragmatic and stop them going offshore but be prepared to give them up if we ever get a gov’t with enough bolllocks to buy them back.

    • Why 2.2

      Of course we can, I am.
      If you want the ownership to stay in NZ and the government won’t listen, is there another way?

      • While in general I’d agree, part of the argument for the sale is predicated on kiwi interest in shares. You’d have to make a decision as to whether you want to possibly help the sale to keep a little bit more assets in our hands. (Not that we risk making this policy TOO popular, but it will help the media spin if there’s a lot of demand from local investors, especially small-scale ones)

        • Ed 2.2.1.1

          That nice Mr Key has told us that a large number of pre-registration interest will indicate stronger interest in the shares, which will in turn influence the price that is likely to be able to be obtained. Clearly that price has to be set before people are asked to commit to an application. So it could be said to be our responsibility to all pre-register – if the assets are sold, let them at least be at the highest price possible.

          The other viewpoint of applying for shares and purchasing in order to ensure that more shares stay in New Zealand is also technically valid but also potentially misleading. Relatively few will have the money to do that anyway, and I suspect there will be a temptation to sell out for a good offer from an overseas investor wanting a higher stake . . ..

          So there is no cost and no risk in pre-registration – and it may even mean that you get sent information by email rather than having to download from a website. I don’t go as far as advocating you sign up all in your address book – I assume whoever signed up Shearer is no friend of Labour (does National have friends with the expertise to have done that?), but perhaps we should be encouraging as many as possible to pre-register.

          I look forward to seeing whether risks that have been identified are all covered in the prospectus – perhaps there would be room for a class action against the now deep pocket Directors if they are found to have missed something out . . .

          Personally I believe the risks outweigh the potential benefits, so I will not be buying any shares. Do others think it a good idea to pick up on Key’s hint that we should ramp the market up to skim a little more from investors? I gather that is the way the world of merchant banking (and National politics? )works.

          I have not yet pre-registered – I can’t make up my mind whether I am prepared to be as dishonest as John Key . . .

    • Enough is Enough 2.3

      I think if you can, you should invest to save dividends being paid to Chinese corporates.

      I would rather invest 10k somewhere else but I will spend it on these shares to defeat Natioanal’s agenda of selling our assets to foreigners.

    • LynWiper 2.4

      Moral quandary indeed. After much thought, I don’t believe so ad, although the argument to buy to keep in NZrs hands is compelling.

      Suppose they held an asset sale and nobody pre-registered to buy them. What clearer message could be sent? The greediest who did would be shamed and outed and of insufficient numbers to allow the sale to proceed. That would indeed be power to the people. Unfortunately greed and the fear of missing out will always prevail.

      • ad 2.4.1

        The “empty register” idea means that China and Canada Pension win, or indeed Blackstone, and the shares go out of the country.

        So should NZSuper not buy them?
        Or ACC?
        Or EQC?
        Or Parliamentary Super?
        That’s at the public New Zealand-owned end.

        Or PSA Super?
        That’s local.

        What about Tower and Fisher, or Infratil not buying them?
        They are locally owned companies.

        Why not me?
        Am I not patriotic?

        Should no one here help, or are they indeed to be thrown to the wolves of the world?

        • State-owned investors should definitely go for it, it will help the argument for buyback/nationalisation if some shares can just be recouped by rebalancing the government’s books.

    • fatty 2.5

      no…when buying shares you are justifying the sale and encouraging more sales of other assets.

    • Pete 2.6

      If people want to get into investing in the share market, I wouldn’t recommend putting all their eggs into the one basket of a power company or even several power companies. A unit trust, with all the diversity that brings would be much wiser. There are loads of banks that offer them for an initial investment of $1000, or $20 in the special case of Bonus Bonds (although the dividend payout lottery is a little unconventional).

      The Reserve Bank offers some really good advice for novice investors here (PDF).

  3. ianmac 3

    ” –how did they know that David Shearer had signed up?”
    A good question. Did he get to read it? Perhaps one of Mr Key’s stooges signed it. Of course anyone can download the forms and could fill in any old names to discredit the cause. Goes with the territory I suppose.

    • Whats the betting that Crosby Tex tor are behind this fraudulent Shearer signing. This should be treated serious and exposed. It shows to what extent Tories will go to keep in power.

      • indiana 3.1.1

        I think you dropped your tin foil hat…

        • Te Reo Putake 3.1.1.1

          Jeez, Indiana, do keep up. Postie is, as usual, on the money. This is the kind of thing that C/T get paid to do. OK, its at the lower end of the scale, but bear in mind that Key knew Shearer had been signed up before it became public knowledge. Assuming he didn’t do it himself, somebody did do it and somebody told Key it had been done; why wouldn’t it be his dirty tricks advisors in both cases?

    • Murray Olsen 3.2

      My guess would be that someone like WhaleSpew had signed up as Shearer and then made sure to tell his masters about it. Otherwise, if someone inside the process is paying enough attention to pick out individual names and pass them on to the Prumsta, there is something really sinister happening.

    • Mike 3.3

      I believe Key knew because the person who signed Shearer up used Key’s parliamentary email address.

      • prism 3.3.1

        How interesting. How strong is your belief Mike?

        • alwyn 3.3.1.1

          He can believe it as much as he likes Prism.
          You don’t pre-register by sending an e-mail.
          You do it by going to a web-site that includes a place to do the activity. You can pre-register even if you don’t have an e-mail address.
          The only e-mail address anyone used was David shearer’s one at Parliament.

    • Shaz 3.4

      Yep – once you have added your name it says – “register someone else” – an almost open invitation to game the system or register someone who does not want to register- no need to provide any ID or anything.

      I’m also very suspicious of the supposed valuation exercise for the shares. It would pre-suppose that there is no communication between the firms involved in the share pricing exercise. They have to price low a) for their own benefit and b) so as not to embarrass the government by a failure to sell sufficient shares to individuals .

      Also the PM “cannot say” what will happen if the requisite no of share are not bid for because it would”contravene the securities commission legislation”. The usual situation if a share issue does not meet the investment level required is either the float fails or someone very rich acts as a cornerstone shareholder. As it would be very embarrassing for the float to fail we can assume that the government would either reopen the NZ super fund very quickly to buy the balance or they would be sold overseas. These are further reasons why the people in the pricing exercise can only recommend a fire sale price.

      The so called market disciplines are already in place on what we own in common,.

      Maybe I’m missing something but can anyone explain how this exercise has any legitimacy whatever (even if you discount the wealth transfer from us all to the already rich).

      • alwyn 3.4.1

        You are wrong about the “usual situation if the share level does not meet … ”
        The usual situation is that there is an underwriter who guarantees to take the shares and then gets rid of them later.
        In this case of course the Government could simply hold onto the shares and sell them later on-market.

  4. bad12 4

    From what i have read all the KiwiSaver providers can sign up all their clients so long as those clients fit the Governments criteria for pre-registration in the Mighty River Power share issue, IRD number, NZ residency etc etc etc,

    Companies might also be able sign up to pre-register so long as the majority of their shareholders also fit the Government criteria along with trusts,

    IF what i have read so far is correct then the KiwiSaver accounts will all sign up their individual members thus accounting for the 290,000+ that have said to have already registered an interest,

    Once the shares are sold and the KiwiSaver providers have control of them on behalf of the individual account holders i would expect that the shares will be held until such time as a bonus for having held these shares for X amount of years is paid out by the Government and after this the international banking cartels will gain possession of Mighty River through offering KiwiSaver Providers share swaps in some other over-inflated asset holding entity reliant upon the derivatives market as it’s asset base…

    • Lanthanide 4.1

      ???

      Pre-registration has nothing to do with actually buying the shares.

      To buy the shares as a retail investor, you need your IRD number. If kiwisaver providers are buying shares, they will be doing it as institutional investors and will therefore not get the long-term holding bonus (whatever it ends up being), as that is only open to retail investors.

      If kiwisaver funds were signing their members up for pre-registration, I am very sure that would be a privacy breach.

    • Enough is Enough 4.2

      From what you have read where?

      I think whatever you have read is wrong…

    • Ed 4.3

      My understanding is that Kiwisaver Funds are pooled investments – the shares would be purchased in the name of the fund; once purchased they are owned proportionately (on something ner to a daily basis) by all Ki9wisaver members investing in that fund.

      I don’t know whether Kiwisaver Funds get an allocation based on number of members – I suspect not – they may have to purchase after the float if they want larger number than the fund is allocated as a single investor.

      • Colonial Viper 4.3.1

        There will be specific allocations for large institutions which are handled separately under different rules to the small retail ‘ma and pa’ clients.

        Remember in this game, institutional buyers looking to pick up tens (or hundreds) of millions of dollars worth of shares get a different priority to those looking to pick up $5000 worth.

  5. Blue 5

    Sounds as if it’s as easy to ‘pre-register’ for these shares as it is to comment on a blog. You could sign the entire Labour caucus up if you were of such a mind to do so.

    Given the total lack of any security/control over this process, I won’t be giving any credence to whatever puffed up numbers John Key spouts.

  6. AsleepWhileWalking 6

    Good on David for doing his bit for keeping it in the country AND trying to stop this ridiculous situation from manifesting in the first place. At least he is adaptable.

  7. gobsmacked 7

    Key to Staffer: “You know what to do. Just don’t tell me.”

    Staffer to Sewer: “Dirty Tricks … we got the Green Light.”

    Sewer goes ahead, pre-registers in names of Shearer, Turei, Norman, etc.

    Key in South America: “Look who’s pre-registered! Ha ha!”

    (is anyone surprised? as if this kind of thing never happened before … )

    • stever 7.1

      And now English is saying is was likely the parties themselves that signed their leaders up as some sort of stunt???? And that it was done in jest??

      http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/political/130237/treasury-says-false-sign-up-of-asset-sales-critics-a-'jest

    • Anne 7.2

      You’re on to it for sure gobsmacked.

      Now lets wait for the MSM to go dig up the details so that everybody can see what a pack of liars and cheats Key et al really are…?

      Nah… John Key will deny it all, and the MSM will say It’s alright it was just coincidence. The prime minister has said so…

      • Anne 7.2.1

        Just seen stever’s link.

        So all the opposition parties got together and collectively decided to sign up their leaders in jest. The sad part is the MSM will probably give it credibility…

        • SpaceMonkey 7.2.1.1

          OIC… the opposition parties signed themselves up so they could create a faux-outrage induced media storm in a desperate attempt for media coverage…

    • Lanthanide 7.3

      Time for someone from Labour to say:
      “Just this morning I pre-registered Daffy Duck and Micky Mouse. National likes to tout their massive number of pre-registrations, but for all we know they’re fictional characters”.

    • Don't worry be happy 7.4

      “Has this kind of dirty trick ever happened before”…let’s start a list shall we?

      National MP John Carter phoning John Banks, now ACT MP then National Party Cabinet Minister’s talk back show.

      John Carter pretended to be a Maori dole bludger called Hone and concocted a whole story along the lines of work dodging dole bludger living in luxury on a benefit with John Banks expressing faux horror.

      In most democracies that would have been the end of that lying little sneak’s political career and Banks as well if it was proven that he was in on the smear.

      Not exactly the same I know but more like than different!

  8. Jamea Thrace 8

    Shearer admitted he had received emails to his parliamentary address. No privacy breach, just mumblefuck making a moletain out of a mounhill.

    • Bunji 8.1

      But Key was clipped yesterday referring to it, and David Shearer admitted it today – maybe Shearer phoned up JK in Brazil to tip him off before he went to the media, but it seems odd…

      • Enough is Enough 8.1.1

        Or Key (or more particularly his office) was the one who signed up Mumblefuck to embarass him.

        We are talking about the compulsive lying and corrupt John Key. He is as dodgy as hell and knows exactly how this happened

    • Anne 8.2

      a moletain out of a mounhill

      Now that’s original.

  9. quartz 9

    I wonder if John Key or any of his MPs have signed up.

  10. rod 10

    Hasn’t John got a blind trust to do it all for him?

  11. ianmac 11

    David Shearer received an email confirming his sign up. Therefore someone had access to his computer?

    • emergency mike 11.1

      No. It shows that someone had access to his email address. Which is openly shown on the Labour website.

      “It’s very easy to sign up – all you need is a name and an email address and to state an NZ town where you live.”

      Some people here are speculating that National done it, and Blinglish is saying that it could be an opposition stunt. The truth is that any drunk munter who thought it was a laugh could have ‘signed up’ Shearer & co.

      Which makes a mockery of NAct’s numbers that they are claiming. And if Key is claiming that Shearer has registered that just shows what a dick he is.

  12. BLiP 12

    So, if I sign up, my name can be used by politicians for publicity / mockery purposes? How very National Ltd™ to make such use of otherwise private information.

  13. jaymam 13

    I have heard that there is an organised campaign for people to sign up for huge amounts of shares they they never intend buying. I imagine that the eventual price will be much lower than what the “experts” are predicting.

    • alwyn 13.1

      This would be a unique case if they did allow you to sign up to buy shares that you are not then going to purchase.
      The normal approach for an IPO requires you to nominate the shares you wish to buy AND forward a cheque for that number of shares, which is then banked. If you are not allocated that number of shares in the IPO the excess money is refunded. If you are allocated the full quantity you have nominated you will have paid for them.
      I don’t know how they are going to work this one but I would assume, in the absence of any specific information that will be like any other IPO.
      Does anyone have any real knowledge of what will happen in detail?

  14. A further question is that Key must have known that this was a spoof entry yet he was willing to basically say an untruth while having a pretty good idea that it was not true. There is a word for that isn’t there?

  15. just saying 15

    It would have been the perfect moment for Shearer to announce opposition plans to renationalise at cost, or at the very least, a strict pricing regimen with penalties for overpricing beyond the public interest.

    But no, for that sort of smart, powerful, principled, and effective politicking you’d need a smart, principled, powerful, and effective politician.

    I think like a lot of people, when I heard the headline, I wasn’t even surprised, and only saw it as a scam when the Green MPs were mentioned.

  16. tracey 17

    Alwyn, check out the quensland float and what happened there.

    • alwyn 17.1

      Tracey – I’ve just noticed this comment.
      I am not sure if I am looking in the right place but I am assuming that you are referring to the Queensland rail float. If not I am not surprised that I am not sure what you are referring to. I didn’t follow this at the time, as I don’t really invest in such areas, but I tried googling it and I don’t see anything special about it. After a year it would appear to have been very good for those who bought the shares as they appear to have gone up from $2.45 to about $3.85 in that time.
      If you have a reference to what went on with it I would be interested.
      If it wasn’t Queensland Rail what was it?

  17. Jackal 18

    Bunji

    Bill English won’t stop going on about the referendum signing up children (did this really happen? Every collector knows those signatures aren’t worth anything), but how many children are among those 290,000? Presumably that’s okay.

    There’s no age limit to signing a petition (PDF), however there’s meant to an age limit for registering an interest in the Mighty River Power share offer.

    I believe a referendum is only open to eligible voters who unlike Nationals registration process are usually people who’ve been properly vetted.

    I’ve seen many politicians incorrectly claim that the signatures of young people on petitions don’t count, but it’s young people who’ll be most adversely affected by the sale of our power companies… National is currently attempting to sell their brighter future.

    • alwyn 18.1

      You are confusing the requirements to sign a petition with those calling for a citizen’s initiated referenda.
      The referenda call, which the asset sale exercise requires that there be the signatures (and addresses etc) of ten percent of the electoral register. There is an implied minimum age of 18 of course but children signing it wouldn’t count. If there are enough valid signatures the referenda must be held.
      A petition to parliament, which you linked to, is a different thing and doesn’t require parliament to do anything at all with it. It would only require a single person to sign it.
      The MRP interest pre-registration, and buying the shares at a later date, has no age limit. Indeed the MRP web-site explains the requirements if you wish to register your children or grand-children.
      The requirement to buy the shares is that you have a NZ address, are in New Zealand and have your own IRD number and NZ bank account. If an individual you have to be a citizen or a permanent resident. There is no minimum age however.

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
    14 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
    15 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
    16 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
    19 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
    19 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
    21 hours 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
    22 hours 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
    22 hours 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
    22 hours 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
    23 hours 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
    7 days 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
    7 days 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
    7 days 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
    7 days ago

Page generated in The Standard by Wordpress at 2024-03-28T18:58:28+00:00