SkyCity a nightmare for the Nats

Written By: - Date published: 11:15 am, January 12th, 2015 - 76 comments
Categories: accountability, business, economy, john key, Steven Joyce - Tags: , , , ,

Thanks to Key’s fast and loose interpretation of proper process, SkyCity have played the government for fools. The Nats probably hoped to sweep the issue under the carpet with the traditional Christmas bad news dump (this year in brand new super-size!). No such luck. Even their most sycophantic commentators are concerned. An anonymous Herald editorial in December sums it up bluntly:

Economic Development Minister Steven Joyce says taxpayers are the Government’s “least preferred” solution to a blowout in the cost of SkyCity’s Auckland convention centre. He should not even think about it. One of the alternatives, he says, is an Auckland Council contribution. He should not think about that either.

Now to kick off the new year, David Fisher has the first of a two part series in The Herald:

Special report: A most unconventional agreement

After two years hammering out the agreement, SkyCity and the Government have yet to agree a design. The original timetable shows a final “detailed design” to be completed by July. The documents the Herald obtained show SkyCity started making changes almost immediately after it secured land from TVNZ in September 2013. The most significant was the placement of a 300-room hotel on the TVNZ land. SkyCity had said for years the land was needed for the convention centre.

At the end of last year, SkyCity said the original $402 million cost had been “revised” to $470-530 million. … Mr Morrison said SkyCity wanted a taxpayer top-up and told Radio NZ: “If New Zealand doesn’t want it … we don’t have to do this.”

There is nothing normal about the SkyCity deal, says international business mentor, management consultant and academic Patrick Rottiers. “Is this about the convention centre or about extending a virtual monopoly? The two are strongly linked from the beginning.”

Long time Standard author Eddie predicted this mess back in 2012 (see lprent’s recent review) – so why was no one in government able to see it?

Far from fading away into the Christmas haze, this looks likely to be one of the defining political issues for 2015. It highlights National’s poor process and the incompetence of two of their leading players, Key and Joyce. They will be desperate to at least avoid coughing up taxpayers’ money for SkyCity’s new demands. But SkyCity have leverage, if they walk away that is a disaster for National too (though good for NZ!). Expect some sort of messy compromise and claims of victory all round.

76 comments on “SkyCity a nightmare for the Nats ”

  1. OhMyGodYes 1

    National = the Banana Republican Party

  2. karol 2

    Yes. Well said, Anthony.

    I’m not sure it’s showing up Key and Joyce’s incompetence, as much as their MO. They didn’t expect to get such media coverage, maybe? Thought they could get away with the public spin, while doing various anti-democratic machinations in the background?

  3. Draco T Bastard 3

    But SkyCity have leverage, if they walk away that is a disaster for National too (though good for NZ!). Expect some sort of messy compromise and claims of victory all round.

    The government should just be annulling the deal and taking back the land – all without compensation due to SkyCity breaking the deal. But, as you say, we’ll probably see some messy stitch-up deal that will end up costing us $600m+ for something that we don’t want and wont be used.

    • Colonial Rawshark 3.1

      Oh I think the Convention Centre will indeed be used – by the National Party annual conference.

      • Draco T Bastard 3.1.1

        And that’ll probably be paid for by us as well.

      • ShoreGirl 3.1.2

        And the Nats have used the well-priced Sky City suites, catering and conference facilities for years. The $10k per table fundraisers, that allowed the Tobacco lobby and others to flow money to the Nats, mostly took place there.

        Sky City has a very advanced, and necessary, HD CC system that allows their large security team to monitor just about everything that goes on in the massive campus.

        I doubt Len was the only guest to be indescrete at Sky City.

        Sky’s management are very well informed.

    • nadis 3.2

      Bear in mind the contract would have been negotiated by MBIE so good luck with the govt finding sympathetic outs. This shambles, and a donation to the next Americas Cup campaign are both a step too far for many people I know.

      • Draco T Bastard 3.2.1

        This was always going to be a shambles because it was a corrupt deal from the very beginning. That said, the government doesn’t actually have to find sympathetic outs as SkyCity has already given them one as it’s them who are set to break the deal by refusing to build it for the agreed price.

  4. Atiawa 4

    SkyCity have the deal of the century – additional pokie machines, a monopoly, Asian tourists who love to gamble and an extended licence period (2040+).
    We were told by the government that this deal was a win – win. SkyCity said jobs would be created and the convention centre would be great for the country & especially Auckland city.
    They should be told to get on and build the place or move them on.

    • One Anonymous Bloke 4.1

      The Left must explain to them in no uncertain terms that future governments will not be bound by bribes accepted by the National Party.

  5. upnorth 5

    Has anyone caught the sickening PR ad’s about how skycity cares for Auckland/workers/sport teams etc that ran pre-xmas??

    Saw one on Maori TV, was stunned at how dishonest it all seemed.

    The PR campaign to steal our money has well and truly begun. The focus seemed to be on “our Auckland” so looks like they are eyeing up the ratepayers funds.

  6. SkyCity a nightmare for the Nats

    Excellent – they’ve worked so hard to earn it.

  7. tracey 7

    And SkyCity used Christmas to launch it’s we are good for Auckland and are kind and benevolent employers, campaign…

    They have a carefully constructed campaign to rort us, first the taxpayers, then the ratepayers and all for their shareholders.

    Auckland
    Christchurch
    Queenstown
    Wellington

    ALL building new international convention centres in a convention market that the Govt report said would struggle to make ONE viable.

    • Sacha 7.1

      As has been pointed out before, the proposed Auckland convention centre is in a different global market because of its size. Even then it seems they are assuming only ten max-sized events each year. The other new centres are rubbish, for sure.

      • tracey 7.1.1

        dont you believe it. Queenstown will get competition from international orgs looking to host in a great place.

        Aucklands convention centre is an excuse for Sky City to expand, nothing more. Aotea centre was the forerunner and it was a bloody white elephant too.

  8. Matthew Hooton 8

    Any government that gets mixed up in deals like this deserves all the blowback this one is getting. Among other things, 1984 was about putting an end to this nonsense.

    • greywarshark 8.1

      MH
      I think Orwell was onto it.

    • Once was Tim 8.2

      Then you’ll have no problem sometime in the future @ Matthew (with 2 ‘t’s for tit and tat) when some forensic accounting is done. Nothing is permanent as they say, and as you’ve agreed in the past on “From the Right ……. and ………From the Right” – a new gubbamint is not constricted by a previous one (indeed even retro legalisms can be fair play).
      I’m just wondering which ‘side’ you’ll be on when compensation is sought (and taken if necessary by way of legislative means). I bet it’ll be the same side as the likes of Rodinus Hydus screaming “property rights and theft” whilst wondering whether trendy-high-fashion-labelled-underwear is still appropriate other than his Jockey y fronts in anything other than white [just so his skid marks don’t show].
      I’m not sure the left has got its shit together enough thus far to see the legitimacy in such a proposal (but as I say – nothing is forever as those damn pesky Murrays have learned – along with their bloody Murray Courts, and their bloody inconvenient decisions, and their bloody Murray Jujizz – they’re all getting a bit earta hen eh? Mat-t-hew/!).
      When it does all come to pass tho’ Ma-t-t-hew – please keep the hissy fit screaming down a peg (such as that regular gal even doesn’t need to feel embarrassed by the proposition; Oik can keep his “tends to agreements” to a respectable level, such that we know he’s at least A BIT Labour ), and the rest of us as an audience can actually engage – without thinking of youse fellas as complete fuckin idiots who’ve become so ‘bubble inflicted’ they’ve lost the capacity to see the BLEEDING OBVIOUS.
      I was thinking (btw) that ‘ole Croz Textor – and even that [pathetic specimen on the Kepti Carz – Croz Walsh – [shadz of that fek checka that regularly pops his gery/beige irrelevant bullshit head up on here sometimes – Pete…. Pete….. oh yes Pete George)] must be worried and thinking about the next load of spinmeistering – especially given gai Pareeeee [could be a game changer eh? ma-t-t-hew??? ]. You’ll be earning your keep pretty soon. Maybe even sooner than soon (You should maybe go back thru’ the archives to check the previous bullshit and see if there is some way in which you can reconcile it all and appear rational)
      Remember tho’ – in any good fascistic operation – you need to keep the people involved in enforcement sweet’.
      You should be proposing bonus payments for the Polis and Army Corporals maybe – and perhaps a few in the SIS and GCSB (but remember they have la famile they gotta keep sweet as well). I note Greg O’C missed out on the “on-us” list this year.
      I suspect this year @ mat-t-hew. just clipping the tukit and adding a bit of jist could ekshly be a but more chellingjing. But then you’ll have had ‘learnings’ (of the Simon Brudjizz koind) from 2014 of course.

      • Shona 8.2.1

        Take a bow Tim,that’s some funny sh** in that rave. Having been driven indoors by the Aussie like heat we’re experiencing at present in the Far North I slump down in front of the Standard to be entertained so brilliantly. You’ve made my day mate!

        • Oncw was Tim 8.2.1.1

          Yea well …. unfortunately my visits here have to be intermittent for various reasons (child-minding duties and often unreliable access to the electronic media). When I do get the chance, The Standard is a sight worth visiting to get a glimpse of how ‘the left’ is thinking.
          It’s not my site and I have no right to make judgements – just observations. One such observation is that whenever the likes of a Hooten or a Mapp, or various others (whether dressed up in a variety of pseudonyms – as is their right) – you can be sure of an agenda.
          I’m considering a self-imposed ban because (as Paul and others have pointed out previously), wading through complete kaka and the bullshit of the ‘diversionaries’ – the Hootens, the Mapps, the Georges, etc., is really rather tedious and frustrating – but of course that’s PART of their agenda. Can’t moan tho’ eh? if we subscribe to the idea (as opposed to the principles) of ‘free speech’. (Those ‘diversionaries’ actually seek to suppress by means of running ‘flak’). I’m actually surprised I haven’t been banned, but as I say, I’ve been considering a self-imposed one. I know I’ve gotten a bit personal at times (such as with Rinny Ryan – the work-life-balanced regular gal, and the Hooten – but I always think …………. what’s source for the goose is sauce for the gandar (and if you did a basic content analysis of an Oik Williams contribution to MSM, you could be excused for thinking he is a neo-lib rat. Similarly if you did same on Natrad/Rinny Ryan’s “From the Right and From the Right” – little Matty’s hissyfits – when proven wrong to the extent they’re ekshly embarrassing go without sanction)

          So yea …….. like 50% of the population – it’s probably easier to just disengage and ignore the fucking lot of them (which is of course what they want). I’d rather use the source for the goose is sauce for the gandar option no matter what the consequence. Fuk em all – the long, the short and the tall

    • Murray Rawshark 8.3

      Yep, that book was indeed prophetic. Having to pay more is just another boot to the face.

      • Paul 8.3.1

        Hooton quoting 1984.
        What a joke!

        • Ovid 8.3.1.1

          I’d hazard Hooton meant the Fourth Labour Government and its ushering in of the Public Finance Act, the State Sector Act and all the other administrative tools shepherded by Sir Geoffrey Palmer for the sound public administration of the country.

          As it happens, Orwell published his book with the title spelled out as Nineteen-Eighty-Four, although some editions do have a numeric title.

          • Lanthanide 8.3.1.1.1

            Yip, pretty clear that’s what Hooton meant.

            “all the other administrative tools shepherded by Sir Geoffrey Palmer for the sound public administration of the country.”

            Unfortunately he didn’t also shepard through legislation to prevent the bullshitting Key and English get up to, such as the supposed decade of deficits (which they’ve now almost realised themselves), fairies at the bottom of the garden printing money, the “tax-switch”, the bollocks that only 30% (or whatever it is) of households pay tax, etc.

  9. Kiwiri - Raided of the Last Shark 9

    I would hate to think how much money SkyCity has been *donating* to the National Party, whether disclosed or through hidden ways.

    • ghostwhowalksnz 9.1

      The best way is using a legitimate company, let say a polling company, lets say Curia.

      You run some market research, polling the public on various things that interest Sky City. but you pay for some extras that interest the national party at the same time.
      Kaching!. lets do this for the next 6 months. kaching kaching.
      Not that Curia would do anything involving a contra deal for National party. Would they ?

      Rinse and repeat for a public relations firm close to the national party.

      Maybe even a ‘social media consultant’ , now who could that be?

      • Kiwiri - Raided of the Last Shark 9.1.1

        “a” social media [vomit: … ] consultant ?

      • tracey 9.1.2

        Hosking too

        • Peter H 9.1.2.1

          What about Paul Henry

          • tracey 9.1.2.1.1

            I was only aware of hoskings being paid by skycity, not henry?

            http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=10795215

            • Peter H 9.1.2.1.1.1

              Google, Henry, Hosking paid by sky city, up it comes, about 50k a year each.That’s the dirty world we live in

                • Paul

                  Other ‘journalists’ compromised by their dealings with Sky City

                  Herald on Sunday columnist Kerre Woodham

                  • tracey

                    swaying the vote with their 1950’s “good ole boy and girl” hankering for the old and white days.

              • tracey

                thanks for the correction Peter… and to think TVNZ sacked someone for holding a LP meeting in a TVNZ room… as opposed to two broadcasters who can sway thousands of votes.

                • Paul

                  From the Herald in 2012.

                  ‘The relationship is a win-win for all involved, but is rarely spoken about. Some of the famous faces perform MC or promotional duties; other ‘ambassadors’ just have to be seen in the casino’s 25 bars and restaurants.
                  Former Warriors captain Steve Price has a lucrative private sponsorship contract with the casino complex. The Breakers basketball team also eat and drink there, as part of a separate sponsorship scheme.
                  Some celebrities have confirmed to the Herald on Sunday that they have been paid a retainer or given a “chairman’s card” that allowed them to dine in-house.
                  The paper has been told of $2000 monthly retainers.
                  One former celebrity “ambassador”, who spoke on condition of anonymity, signed a contract with a strict confidentiality clause. The person received a “chairman’s card” but no cash.
                  In return the source had to be seen at SkyCity twice a week for anything from coffee to accommodation. “I entertained a lot of influential people there. It was a fantastic perk.” ‘

      • Weepus beard 9.1.3

        Would not surprise me if Curia is into National Party money laundering.

        The guy in charge takes an awful lot of holidays and an awful lot of shitty pictures on those holidays…

        …then bores the skid-marks off the readers of his blog with repeated, dull tales.

    • Peter H 9.2

      Find out how many tv ,and radio personal, sky city, are monthly paying, to spread their, and nat party rubish

  10. Macro 10

    Talking of convention centres…..
    I was invited to lunch last friday at Waipuna Lodge …
    Waipuna Lodge is a Convention Centre when if I was asked where would I rather stay – overlooking a very attractive inlet surrounded by garden and quiet walks or stuck in the centre of an amorphous city? – there is only one answer.

    Apart from another couple we occupied the only other table in a very large restaurant.

    Ok I’m sure it was a very unbusy time, and one cannot draw too many conclusions from one observation – but just how busy are these places really?

    There is the real problem that those who promote events and event centres really overcook the benefits that will accrue. We see this time and time again, and still those responsible for consenting to the promoters demands listen to their bullshit and force the “Convention Centre”, Stadium, V8 car race, Yacht race, Sports complex, you name it upon the unfortunate – rate payers, and tax payers, and local inhabitants who are forced to pay the consequences when these “events” fail to realise the phantom benefits their promoters proclaimed would eventuate. The promoters, of course, then walk away, without a buy your leave, leaving the tab to those who did not want it in the first place.

    • tracey 10.1

      Aotea Centre in Auckland was state of the art, we were told, for its time, to give auckland its international convention centre.

      two word

      White
      Elephant

      History is repeating because right governments dont actually dislike government in business they love it, if it is a subsidy, they hate it if it is for pesky things like safety and accountability.

      • Weepus beard 10.1.1

        Yes, rightist ideology loves to sum up their case with the phrase: government has no business in doing business.

        Yet they adore the business elite, which has never been more obvious than when they head-hunted Key from Wall Street. And, they love nothing more than doing deals with Sky City and Peter Jackson using taxpayer funds, interests, and rights.

    • Molly 10.2

      Waipuna Lodge is a blast from the 1980’s past for me. Worked there while at school, and it catered to the locals – family buffets etc, and basic conventions. The hotel – while small, was a money maker for the Mt Wellington Licensing Trust which owned a few venues including the Duke of Wellington, Tainui Tavern and various off-licensing and bottle shops.

      The trust contributed to the walk around the basin that you mentioned, and supported a lot of local facilities (Swimarama) and were instrumental in building the bridge over the estuary (if memory serves).

      Due to series of bungles, including a fast and incomplete renovation for the 1990 Commonwealth Games the Trust was dismantled and the portfolio of businesses sold off.

      I’ve been back a couple of times and seen the emptiness that you have mentioned.

      I have no doubt that the convention centre will be this expensive emptiness for much of the time as well. I don’t think that anyone has yet provided a positive cost/benefit analysis.

  11. Big conference centers are great instantaneous prison facilities in case of public unrest. No other reason to build them here. The Hamilton one just makes a great big loss year after year. In Chili they used football stadiums as torture centers.

    • ghostwhowalksnz 11.1

      It only makes a loss, because the profit is directed elsewhere.
      The hospitality side of things, like food and drink would be under a management contract with another business, who might pay nominal charge for use of expensive equipment but make heaps on selling finger food and grog.

      Same goes for accommodation tie in. Pay a nominal amount to be preferred accommodation supplier and then rake in the money filling your rooms that would mostly be empty

      • tracey 11.1.1

        and is the “profit” first redirected to pay the interest on the millions of capital outlay to build it?

    • fisiani 11.2

      Paranoia. Close to a Godwin.

      • Weepus beard 11.2.1

        Trolling. Close to a(nother) ban.

        When will than be? Perhaps Sky City will take the bet.

        • mac1 11.2.1.1

          Fisiani is a very useful ‘telltale’. When he comes in, I know that the Nats are worried about the topic in question- sort of a go to pitcher for the blue team when the bases are loaded and the scores are tied in the ninth.

          David Fisher looks like he’s batting pretty well at the moment for the Journos on the Herald.

  12. saveNZ 12

    Sky City and Joyce are so arrogant of the general public and think tax payers money is just their personal spending. Predict a bit of attack politics to get the MSM spouting their tune. Joyce is obsessed with ‘convention centres’ again another one in Christchurch too. Not sure how many people are actually going to these convention enters especially since now anyone can be surveilled for 24 hours as soon as you come into this country without a warrant. Yep expect the problems to continue well past this if it gets built and yet another white elephant. Great we can have some more zero hour jobs to encourage gambling too!!! What amazing economists and cronyists the Nats are on their pet projects!

  13. Brutus Iscariot 13

    This is one case where i’d actually advocate nationalising the pricks as punishment for hoodwinking and blackmailing the people of New Zealand. Seize all their assets and offer them as a going concern to the highest bidder, with the proviso that the contract be honoured by the acquiring party. Then we’ll see how much value actually exists in the accommodations made for them!

  14. Treetop 14

    SkyCity are laughing all the way. It is not cheap to take a taxi in Auckland and SkyCity hotel rooms will fill up quicker due to the lowered blood alcohol limit. (Not sure if complimentary transport is run by SkyCity).

    Not sure how profits will affect other hotels/motels in the area.

    Complimentary hotel rooms would entice gambling and not sure if this is part of the agreement/consent.

  15. BLiP 15

    John Key’s lies about the Sky City deal . . .

    the Sky City deal will provide 1000 construction jobs and 800 casino jobs

    all five bidders for the convention centre were treated equally

    my office has had no correspondence, no discussions, no involvement with the Sky City deal

    I did not mislead the House (8)

    I can’t remember what was discussed at my meeting with the SkyCity Chief Executive on 14 May 2009

    I have no record of the 12 November 2009 email from Treasury advising that the SkyCity deal was dodgy and needed to be referred to the Auditor General

    there was nothing improper about the Sky City deal

    SkyCity will only get “a few more” pokie machines at the margins

    any changes to gambling regulations will be subject to a full public submission process

    Sky City has approached TVNZ about the purchase/use of government-owned land

    I did not mislead the House (9)

    this government has been very transparent about all its dealings with SkyCity

    I did not mislead the House (10)

    the Auditor General has fully vindicated National over the Sky City deal

    I did not mislead the House (11)

    the Deputy Auditor General supports the view that there was nothing inappropriate about the Sky City deal

    I did not mislead the House (12)

    I did not breach the confidentiality of the Auditor General’s Report into the Sky City deal

    the Labour Government did exactly the same sort of deal back in 2001

    Labour has promised to not revoke the Sky City legislation

    Are there yet more lies to come?

    • Chch_Chiquita 15.1

      How long will National need to be in govt before they start taking responsibility for what they do instead of using the infantile excuse of ‘Labour did it too’. Why no reporter is asking Key if he has no ideas of his own apart from doing what Labour did without giving it a minute of critical thinking (I’m optimistic maybe this will go through his thick skin).

      • Draco T Bastard 15.1.1

        How long will National need to be in govt before they start taking responsibility for what they do instead of using the infantile excuse of ‘Labour did it too’.

        The political-right never take responsibility for their actions.

  16. Murray Rawshark 16

    This reminds me of how the Mafia ran casinos in Cuba when it was “free”. We really are becoming a kumara republic. Gambling, commodity extraction, and private prisons are running the show. I never thought it would happen so openly. Maybe this is the transparency that Key promised us. We can all see that he is transparently not a Nixon, who definitely wasn’t a crook.

  17. Skinny 17

    How on earth the National Government conned the public that a national convention centre setup with a casino was a good idea astounds me. Revoke their gambling license and shut them down. Labour should be calling for an immediate law change.

    • Paul 17.1

      How on earth Sky city conned the government, more like.
      The public weren’t conned. This was driven against much popular dissent.

      • One Anonymous Bloke 17.1.1

        The National Party made a deal with a money laundering business. “Government” had nothing to do with it.

  18. reason 18

    I like it when Blip drops excerpts from his ever growing lists into the latest developments on subjects that the Nats and John Key have lied to us about before.

    The true story of the Sky city convention center is we have been lied to, conned and bull-shitted at every turn of this sorry saga by Key and the Nats.

    The scope of the dishonesty that has been engaged in by Key and the Nats over the sky city gambling den should by now be the focus of the story if we had a half decent press or independent media in this country.

    The whole thing has the MO and finger prints of those who play Dirty Politics all over it ……………..

  19. Cantabrian 19

    Joyce is the main architect of this disaster. Key may be untouchable but Joyce is not. The left need to target this Machiavellian puppeteer far more effectively.

  20. philj 20

    ” Key may be untouchable …..” You mean he has a disease ? Surely not. Please explain.

  21. fisiani 21

    Sky City will bring down the government. The sky will fall. This really matters to people.

    • Murray Rawshark 21.1

      It should. It obviously doesn’t worry you. You seem to love corruption and incompetence.

    • Paul 21.2

      What the hell matters to you, if this level of crony capitalism doesn’t concern you?
      Please also speak for yourself not other New Zealanders.

  22. Weepus beard 22

    It highlights National’s poor process and the incompetence of two of their leading players, Key and Joyce.

    This needs to be said again. Poor process = Joyce & Key. Clowns, the pair of them.

    Unfortunately, most New Cylinders don’t care.

  23. disturbed 23

    “Key may be untouchable but Joyce is not. The left need to target this Machiavellian puppeteer far more effectively.”

    Yes you are right, Joyce is a dangerous animal and will ride roughshod over due process until as Cantabrian says must happen to put this lizard down before he turns this Country into a banana republic.

    Thank you all those amazing bloggers here today, simply brilliant.

    Funny the usual NatZ trolls aren’t here and I have forgiven Matthew Hooten on this occasion as he did add a plausible blog citing how NatZ should have used the various 1984 Labour party Acts but of course NatZ wont touch anything with Labour attached for fear of getting a case of common sense.

  24. Cantabrian 24

    What I mean is that whatever reason Joe Public loves Key but Joyce is as unelectable as Brash.

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    Last week former National Party leader Simon Bridges was appointed by the Government as the new chair of the New Zealand Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA). You can read about the appointment in Thomas Coughlan’s article, Simon Bridges to become chair of NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi The fact that a ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    10 hours ago
  • Is Simon Bridges’ NZTA appointment a conflict of interest?
    Bryce Edwards writes – Last week former National Party leader Simon Bridges was appointed by the Government as the new chair of the New Zealand Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA). You can read about the appointment in Thomas Coughlan’s article, Simon Bridges to become chair of NZ Transport Agency ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    10 hours ago
  • Bernard's Top 10 @ 10 'pick 'n' mix' at 10:10am on Tuesday, March 19
    TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: Gavin Jacobson talks to Thomas Piketty 10 years on from Capital in the 21st Century The SalvoLocal scoop: Green MP’s business being investigated over migrant exploitation claims Stuff Steve KilgallonLocal deep-dive: The commercial contractors making money from School ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    10 hours ago
  • Bernard's six newsy things on Tuesday, March 19
    It’s a home - but Kāinga Ora tenants accused of “abusing the privilege” may lose it. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The Government announced a crackdown on Kāinga Ora tenants who were unruly and/or behind on their rent, with Housing Minister Chris Bishop saying a place in a state ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    11 hours ago
  • New Life for Light Rail
    This is a guest post by Connor Sharp of Surface Light Rail  Light rail in Auckland: A way forward sooner than you think With the coup de grâce of Auckland Light Rail (ALR) earlier this year, and the shift of the government’s priorities to roads, roads, and more roads, it ...
    Greater AucklandBy Guest Post
    12 hours ago
  • Why Are Bosses Nearly All Buffoons?
    Note: As a paid-up Webworm member, I’ve recorded this Webworm as a mini-podcast for you as well. Some of you said you liked this option - so I aim to provide it when I get a chance to record! Read more ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    14 hours ago
  • Bernard’s six-stack of substacks at 6.06 pm on March 18
    TL;DR: In my ‘six-stack’ of substacks at 6.06pm on Monday, March 18:IKEA is accused of planting big forests in New Zealand to green-wash; REDD-MonitorA City for People takes a well-deserved victory lap over Wellington’s pro-YIMBY District Plan votes; A City for PeopleSteven Anastasiou takes a close look at the sticky ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 day ago
  • Peters holds his ground on co-governance, but Willis wriggles on those tax cuts and SNA suspension l...
    Buzz from the Beehive Here’s hoping for a lively post-cabinet press conference when the PM and – perhaps – some of his ministers tell us what was discussed at their meeting today. Until then, Point of Order has precious little Beehive news to report after its latest monitoring of the ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    1 day ago
  • Labour’s final report card
    David Farrar writes –  We now have almost all 2023 data in, which has allowed me to update my annual table of how  went against its promises. This is basically their final report card. The promise The result Build 100,000 affordable homes over 10 ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    1 day ago
  • “Drunk Uncle at a Wedding”
    I’m a bit worried that I’ve started a previous newsletter with the words “just when you think they couldn’t get any worse…” Seems lately that I could begin pretty much every issue with that opening. Such is the nature of our coalition government that they seem to be outdoing each ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    1 day ago
  • Wang Yi’s perfectly-timed, Aukus-themed visit to New Zealand
    Geoffrey Miller writes – Timing is everything. And from China’s perspective, this week’s visit by its foreign minister to New Zealand could be coming at just the right moment. The visit by Wang Yi to Wellington will be his first since 2017. Anniversaries are important to Beijing. ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    1 day ago
  • Gordon Campbell on Dune 2, and images of Islam
    Depictions of Islam in Western popular culture have rarely been positive, even before 9/11. Five years on from the mosque shootings, this is one of the cultural headwinds that the Muslim community has to battle against. Whatever messages of tolerance and inclusion are offered in daylight, much of our culture ...
    1 day ago
  • New Rail Operations Centre Promises Better Train Services
    Last week Transport Minster Simeon Brown and Mayor Wayne Brown opened the new Auckland Rail Operations Centre. The new train control centre will see teams from KiwiRail, Auckland Transport and Auckland One Rail working more closely together to improve train services across the city. The Auckland Rail Operations Centre in ...
    2 days ago
  • Bernard's six newsy things at 6.36am on Monday, March 18
    Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Retiring former Labour Finance Minister Grant Robertson said in an exit interview with Q+A yesterday the Government can and should sustain more debt to invest in infrastructure for future generations. Elsewhere in the news in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy at 6:36am: Read more ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago
  • Geoffrey Miller: Wang Yi’s perfectly-timed, Aukus-themed visit to New Zealand
    Timing is everything. And from China’s perspective, this week’s visit by its foreign minister to New Zealand could be coming at just the right moment. The visit by Wang Yi to Wellington will be his first since 2017. Anniversaries are important to Beijing. It is more than just a happy ...
    Democracy ProjectBy Geoffrey Miller
    2 days ago
  • The Kaka’s diary for the week to March 25 and beyond
    TL;DR: The key events to watch in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the week to March 18 include:China’s Foreign Minister visiting Wellington today;A post-cabinet news conference this afternoon; the resumption of Parliament on Tuesday for two weeks before Easter;retiring former Labour Finance Minister Grant Robertson gives his valedictory speech in Parliament; ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago
  • Bitter and angry; Winston First
    New Zealand First Leader Winston Peters’s state-of-the-nation speech on Sunday was really a state-of-Winston-First speech. He barely mentioned any of the Government’s key policies and could not even wholly endorse its signature income tax cuts. Instead, he rehearsed all of his complaints about the Ardern Government, including an extraordinary claim ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    2 days ago
  • 2024 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #11
    A listing of 35 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, March 10, 2024 thru Sat, March 16, 2024. Story of the week This week we'll give you a little glimpse into how we collect links to share and ...
    2 days ago
  • 2024 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #11
    A listing of 35 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, March 10, 2024 thru Sat, March 16, 2024. Story of the week This week we'll give you a little glimpse into how we collect links to share and ...
    2 days ago
  • Out of Touch.
    “I’ve been internalising a really complicated situation in my head.”When they kept telling us we should wait until we get to know him, were they taking the piss? Was it a case of, if you think this is bad, wait till you get to know the real Christopher, after the ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    2 days ago
  • Bring out your Dad
    Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago
  • Bring out your Dad
    Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago
  • Bring out your Dad
    Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago
  • The bewildering world of Chris Luxon – Guns for all, not no lunch for kids
    .“$10 and a target that bleeds” - Bleeding Targets for Under $10!.Thanks for reading Frankly Speaking ! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.This government appears hell-bent on either scrapping life-saving legislation or reintroducing things that - frustrated critics insist - will be dangerous and likely ...
    Frankly SpeakingBy Frank Macskasy
    3 days ago
  • Expert Opinion: Ageing Boomers, Laurie & Les, Talk Politics.
    It hardly strikes me as fair to criticise a government for doing exactly what it said it was going to do. For actually keeping its promises.”THUNDER WAS PLAYING TAG with lightning flashes amongst the distant peaks. Its rolling cadences interrupted by the here-I-come-here-I-go Doppler effect of the occasional passing car. ...
    3 days ago
  • Manufacturing The Truth.
    Subversive & Disruptive Technologies: Just as happened with that other great regulator of the masses, the Medieval Church, the advent of a new and hard-to-control technology – the Internet –  is weakening the ties that bind. Then, and now, those who enjoy a monopoly on the dissemination of lies, cannot and will ...
    3 days ago
  • A Powerful Sensation of Déjà Vu.
    Been Here Before: To find the precedents for what this Coalition Government is proposing, it is necessary to return to the “glory days” of Muldoonism.THE COALITION GOVERNMENT has celebrated its first 100 days in office by checking-off the last of its listed commitments. It remains, however, an angry government. It ...
    3 days ago
  • Can you guess where world attention is focussed (according to Greenpeace)? It’s focussed on an EPA...
    Bob Edlin writes –  And what is the world watching today…? The email newsletter from Associated Press which landed in our mailbox early this morning advised: In the news today: The father of a school shooter has been found guilty of involuntary manslaughter; prosecutors in Trump’s hush-money case ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    3 days ago
  • Further integrity problems for the Greens in suspending MP Darleen Tana
    Bryce Edwards writes – Is another Green MP on their way out? And are the Greens severely tarnished by another integrity scandal? For the second time in three months, the Green Party has secretly suspended an MP over integrity issues. Mystery is surrounding the party’s decision to ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    3 days ago
  • Jacqui Van Der Kaay: Greens’ transparency missing in action
    For the last few years, the Green Party has been the party that has managed to avoid the plague of multiple scandals that have beleaguered other political parties. It appears that their luck has run out with a second scandal which, unfortunately for them, coincided with Golraz Ghahraman, the focus ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    3 days ago
  • Bernard’s Dawn Chorus with six newsey things at 6:46am for Saturday, March 16
    TL;DR: The six newsey things that stood out to me as of 6:46am on Saturday, March 16.Andy Foster has accidentally allowed a Labour/Green amendment to cut road user chargers for plug-in hybrid vehicles, which the Government might accept; NZ Herald Thomas Coughlan Simeon Brown has rejected a plea from Westport ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • How Did FTX Crash?
    What seemed a booming success a couple of years ago has collapsed into fraud convictions.I looked at the crash of FTX (short for ‘Futures Exchange’) in November 2022 to see whether it would impact on the financial system as a whole. Fortunately there was barely a ripple, probably because it ...
    PunditBy Brian Easton
    4 days ago
  • Elections in Russia and Ukraine
    Anybody following the situation in Ukraine and Russia would probably have been amused by a recent Tweet on X NATO seems to be putting in an awful lot of effort to influence what is, at least according to them, a sham election in an autocracy.When do the Ukrainians go to ...
    4 days ago
  • Bernard’s six stack of substacks at 6pm on March 15
    TL;DR: Shaun Baker on Wynyard Quarter's transformation. Magdalene Taylor on the problem with smart phones. How private equity are now all over reinsurance. Dylan Cleaver on rugby and CTE. Emily Atkin on ‘Big Meat’ looking like ‘Big Oil’.Bernard’s six-stack of substacks at 6pm on March 15Photo by Jeppe Hove Jensen ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • Buzz from the Beehive Finance Minister Nicola Willis had plenty to say when addressing the Auckland Business Chamber on the economic growth that (she tells us) is flagging more than we thought. But the government intends to put new life into it:  We want our country to be a ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    4 days ago
  • National’s clean car tax advances
    The Transport and Infrastructure Committee has reported back on the Road User Charges (Light Electric RUC Vehicles) Amendment Bill, basicly rubberstamping it. While there was widespread support among submitters for the principle that EV and PHEV drivers should pay their fair share for the roads, they also overwhelmingly disagreed with ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    4 days ago
  • Government funding bailouts
    Peter Dunne writes – This week’s government bailout – the fifth in the last eighteen months – of the financially troubled Ruapehu Alpine Lifts company would have pleased many in the central North Island ski industry. The government’s stated rationale for the $7 million funding was that it ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • Two offenders, different treatments.
    See if you can spot the difference. An Iranian born female MP from a progressive party is accused of serial shoplifting. Her name is leaked to the media, which goes into a pack frenzy even before the Police launch an … Continue reading ...
    KiwipoliticoBy Pablo
    4 days ago
  • Treaty references omitted
    Ele Ludemann writes  – The government is omitting general Treaty references from legislation : The growth of Treaty of Waitangi clauses in legislation caused so much worry that a special oversight group was set up by the last Government in a bid to get greater coherence in the public service on Treaty ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • The Ghahraman Conflict
    What was that judge thinking? Peter Williams writes –  That Golriz Ghahraman and District Court Judge Maria Pecotic were once lawyer colleagues is incontrovertible. There is published evidence that they took at least one case to the Court of Appeal together. There was a report on ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • Bernard's Top 10 @ 10 'pick 'n' mix' for March 15
    TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: Climate Scorpion – the sting is in the tail. Introducing planetary solvency. A paper via the University of Exeter’s Institute and Faculty of Actuaries.Local scoop: Kāinga Ora starts pulling out of its Auckland projects and selling land RNZ ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • The day Wellington up-zoned its future
    Wellington’s massively upzoned District Plan adds the opportunity for tens of thousands of new homes not just in the central city (such as these Webb St new builds) but also close to the CBD and public transport links. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Wellington gave itself the chance of ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • Weekly Roundup 15-March-2024
    It’s Friday and we’re halfway through March Madness. Here’s some of the things that caught our attention this week. This Week in Greater Auckland On Monday Matt asked how we can get better event trains and an option for grade separating Morningside Dr. On Tuesday Matt looked into ...
    Greater AucklandBy Greater Auckland
    5 days ago
  • That Word.
    Something you might not know about me is that I’m quite a stubborn person. No, really. I don’t much care for criticism I think’s unfair or that I disagree with. Few of us do I suppose.Back when I was a drinker I’d sometimes respond defensively, even angrily. There are things ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago
  • The Hoon around the week to March 15
    Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The five things that mattered in Aotearoa’s political economy that we wrote and spoke about via The Kākā and elsewhere for paying subscribers in the last week included:PM Christopher Luxon said the reversal of interest deductibility for landlords was done to help renters, who ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • Labour’s policy gap
    It was not so much the Labour Party but really the Chris Hipkins party yesterday at Labour’s caucus retreat in Martinborough. The former Prime Minister was more or less consistent on wealth tax, which he was at best equivocal about, and social insurance, which he was not willing to revisit. ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    5 days ago
  • Skeptical Science New Research for Week #11 2024
    Open access notables A Glimpse into the Future: The 2023 Ocean Temperature and Sea Ice Extremes in the Context of Longer-Term Climate Change, Kuhlbrodt et al., Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society: In the year 2023, we have seen extraordinary extrema in high sea surface temperature (SST) in the North Atlantic and in ...
    5 days ago
  • Melissa remains mute on media matters but has something to say (at a sporting event) about economic ...
     Buzz from the Beehive   The text reproduced above appears on a page which records all the media statements and speeches posted on the government’s official website by Melissa Lee as Minister of Media and Communications and/or by Jenny Marcroft, her Parliamentary Under-secretary.  It can be quickly analysed ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    5 days ago
  • The return of Muldoon
    For forty years, Robert Muldoon has been a dirty word in our politics. His style of government was so repulsive and authoritarian that the backlash to it helped set and entrench our constitutional norms. His pig-headedness over forcing through Think Big eventually gave us the RMA, with its participation and ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    5 days ago
  • Will the rental tax cut improve life for renters or landlords?
    Bryce Edwards writes –  Is the new government reducing tax on rental properties to benefit landlords or to cut the cost of rents? That’s the big question this week, after Associate Finance Minister David Seymour announced on Sunday that the Government would be reversing the Labour Government’s removal ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • Geoffrey Miller: What Saudi Arabia’s rapid changes mean for New Zealand
    Saudi Arabia is rarely far from the international spotlight. The war in Gaza has brought new scrutiny to Saudi plans to normalise relations with Israel, while the fifth anniversary of the controversial killing of Jamal Khashoggi was marked shortly before the war began on October 7. And as the home ...
    Democracy ProjectBy Geoffrey Miller
    5 days ago
  • Racism’s double standards
    Questions need to be asked on both sides of the world Peter Williams writes –   The NRL Judiciary hands down an eight week suspension to Sydney Roosters forward Spencer Leniu , an Auckland-born Samoan, after he calls Ezra Mam, Sydney-orn but of Aboriginal and Torres Strait ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • It’s not a tax break
    Ele Ludemann writes – Contrary to what many headlines and news stories are saying, residential landlords are not getting a tax break. The government is simply restoring to them the tax deductibility of interest they had until the previous government removed it. There is no logical reason ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • The Plastic Pig Collective and Chris' Imaginary Friends.
    I can't remember when it was goodMoments of happiness in bloomMaybe I just misunderstoodAll of the love we left behindWatching our flashbacks intertwineMemories I will never findIn spite of whatever you becomeForget that reckless thing turned onI think our lives have just begunI think our lives have just begunDoes anyone ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago
  • Who is responsible for young offenders?
    Michael Bassett writes – At first reading, a front-page story in the New Zealand Herald on 13 March was bizarre. A group of severely intellectually limited teenagers, with little understanding of the law, have been pleading to the Justice Select Committee not to pass a bill dealing with ram ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • Gordon Campbell on National’s fantasy trip to La La Landlord Land
    How much political capital is Christopher Luxon willing to burn through in order to deliver his $2.9 billion gift to landlords? Evidently, Luxon is: (a) unable to cost the policy accurately. As Anna Burns-Francis pointed out to him on Breakfast TV, the original ”rock solid” $2.1 billion cost he was ...
    5 days ago
  • Bernard's Top 10 @ 10 'pick 'n' mix' for March 14
    TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: Jonathon Porritt calling bullshit in his own blog post on mainstream climate science as ‘The New Denialism’.Local scoop: The Wellington City Council’s list of proposed changes to the IHP recommendations to be debated later today was leaked this ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • No, Prime Minister, rents don’t rise or fall with landlords’ costs
    TL;DR: Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said yesterday tenants should be grateful for the reinstatement of interest deductibility because landlords would pass on their lower tax costs in the form of lower rents. That would be true if landlords were regulated monopolies such as Transpower or Auckland Airport1, but they’re not, ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • Cartoons: ‘At least I didn’t make things awkward’
    This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Tom Toro Tom Toro is a cartoonist and author. He has published over 200 cartoons in The New Yorker since 2010. His cartoons appear in Playboy, the Paris Review, the New York Times, American Bystander, and elsewhere. Related: What 10 EV lovers ...
    5 days ago
  • Solving traffic congestion with Richard Prebble
    The business section of the NZ Herald is full of opinion. Among the more opinionated of all is the ex-Minister of Transport, ex-Minister of Railways, ex MP for Auckland Central (1975-93, Labour), Wellington Central (1996-99, ACT, then list-2005), ex-leader of the ACT Party, uncle to actor Antonia, the veritable granddaddy ...
    Greater AucklandBy Patrick Reynolds
    6 days ago
  • I Think I'm Done Flying Boeing
    Hi,Just quickly — I’m blown away by the stories you’ve shared with me over the last week since I put out the ‘Gary’ podcast, where I told you about the time my friend’s flatmate killed the neighbour.And you keep telling me stories — in the comments section, and in my ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    6 days ago
  • Invoking Aristotle: Of Rings of Power, Stones, and Ships
    The first season of Rings of Power was not awful. It was thoroughly underwhelming, yes, and left a lingering sense of disappointment, but it was more expensive mediocrity than catastrophe. I wrote at length about the series as it came out (see the Review section of the blog, and go ...
    6 days ago
  • Van Velden brings free-market approach to changing labour laws – but her colleagues stick to distr...
    Buzz from the Beehive Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Brooke van Velden told Auckland Business Chamber members they were the first audience to hear her priorities as a minister in a government committed to cutting red tape and regulations. She brandished her liberalising credentials, saying Flexible labour markets are the ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago
  • Why Newshub failed
    Chris Trotter writes – TO UNDERSTAND WHY NEWSHUB FAILED, it is necessary to understand how TVNZ changed. Up until 1989, the state broadcaster had been funded by a broadcasting licence fee, collected from every citizen in possession of a television set, supplemented by a relatively modest (compared ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago
  • Māori Party on the warpath against landlords and seabed miners – let’s see if mystical creature...
    Bob Edlin writes  –  The Māori Party has been busy issuing a mix of warnings and threats as its expresses its opposition to interest deductibility for landlords and the plans of seabed miners. It remains to be seen whether they  follow the example of indigenous litigants in Australia, ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago

  • Government moves to quickly ratify the NZ-EU FTA
    "The Government is moving quickly to realise an additional $46 million in tariff savings in the EU market this season for Kiwi exporters,” Minister for Trade and Agriculture, Todd McClay says. Parliament is set, this week, to complete the final legislative processes required to bring the New Zealand – European ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 hours ago
  • Positive progress for social worker workforce
    New Zealand’s social workers are qualified, experienced, and more representative of the communities they serve, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “I want to acknowledge and applaud New Zealand’s social workers for the hard work they do, providing invaluable support for our most vulnerable. “To coincide with World ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    8 hours ago
  • Minister confirms reduced RUC rate for PHEVs
    Cabinet has agreed to a reduced road user charge (RUC) rate for plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs), Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. Owners of PHEVs will be eligible for a reduced rate of $38 per 1,000km once all light electric vehicles (EVs) move into the RUC system from 1 April.  ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    10 hours ago
  • Trade access to overseas markets creates jobs
    Minister of Agriculture and Trade, Todd McClay, says that today’s opening of Riverland Foods manufacturing plant in Christchurch is a great example of how trade access to overseas markets creates jobs in New Zealand.  Speaking at the official opening of this state-of-the-art pet food factory the Minister noted that exports ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    10 hours ago
  • NZ and Chinese Foreign Ministers hold official talks
    Minister of Foreign Affairs Winston Peters met with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Wellington today. “It was a pleasure to host Foreign Minister Wang Yi during his first official visit to New Zealand since 2017. Our discussions were wide-ranging and enabled engagement on many facets of New Zealand’s relationship with China, including trade, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    24 hours ago
  • Kāinga Ora instructed to end Sustaining Tenancies
    Kāinga Ora – Homes & Communities has been instructed to end the Sustaining Tenancies Framework and take stronger measures against persistent antisocial behaviour by tenants, says Housing Minister Chris Bishop. “Earlier today Finance Minister Nicola Willis and I sent an interim Letter of Expectations to the Board of Kāinga Ora. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Speech to Auckland Business Chamber: Growth is the answer
    Tēna koutou katoa. Greetings everyone. Thank you to the Auckland Chamber of Commerce and the Honourable Simon Bridges for hosting this address today. I acknowledge the business leaders in this room, the leaders and governors, the employers, the entrepreneurs, the investors, and the wealth creators. The coalition Government shares your ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Singapore rounds out regional trip
    Minister Winston Peters completed the final leg of his visit to South and South East Asia in Singapore today, where he focused on enhancing one of New Zealand’s indispensable strategic partnerships.      “Singapore is our most important defence partner in South East Asia, our fourth-largest trading partner and a ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Minister van Velden represents New Zealand at International Democracy Summit
    Minister of Internal Affairs and Workplace Relations and Safety, Hon. Brooke van Velden, will travel to the Republic of Korea to represent New Zealand at the Third Summit for Democracy on 18 March. The summit, hosted by the Republic of Korea, was first convened by the United States in 2021, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Insurance Council of NZ Speech, 7 March 2024, Auckland
    ICNZ Speech 7 March 2024, Auckland  Acknowledgements and opening  Mōrena, ngā mihi nui. Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Nor Whanganui aho.  Good morning, it’s a privilege to be here to open the ICNZ annual conference, thank you to Mark for the Mihi Whakatau  My thanks to Tim Grafton for inviting me ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Five-year anniversary of Christchurch terror attacks
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Lead Coordination Minister Judith Collins have expressed their deepest sympathy on the five-year anniversary of the Christchurch terror attacks. “March 15, 2019, was a day when families, communities and the country came together both in sorrow and solidarity,” Mr Luxon says.  “Today we pay our respects to the 51 shuhada ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Speech for Financial Advice NZ Conference 5 March 2024
    Speech for Financial Advice NZ Conference 5 March 2024  Acknowledgements and opening  Morena, Nga Mihi Nui.  Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Nor Whanganui aho. Thanks Nate for your Mihi Whakatau  Good morning. It’s a pleasure to formally open your conference this morning. What a lovely day in Wellington, What a great ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Early visit to Indonesia strengthens ties
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters held discussions in Jakarta today about the future of relations between New Zealand and South East Asia’s most populous country.   “We are in Jakarta so early in our new government’s term to reflect the huge importance we place on our relationship with Indonesia and South ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • China Foreign Minister to visit
    Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Winston Peters has announced that the Foreign Minister of China, Wang Yi, will visit New Zealand next week.  “We look forward to re-engaging with Foreign Minister Wang Yi and discussing the full breadth of the bilateral relationship, which is one of New Zealand’s ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Minister opens new Auckland Rail Operations Centre
    Transport Minister Simeon Brown has today opened the new Auckland Rail Operations Centre, which will bring together KiwiRail, Auckland Transport, and Auckland One Rail to improve service reliability for Aucklanders. “The recent train disruptions in Auckland have highlighted how important it is KiwiRail and Auckland’s rail agencies work together to ...
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