Take action on tax haven corruption? NZ says – meh

Written By: - Date published: 3:04 pm, May 14th, 2016 - 51 comments
Categories: capitalism, corruption, john key, Judith Collins, tax - Tags: , , , , ,

In London Cameron’s anti-corruption summit made some modest progress:

World leaders pledge to tackle corruption at London summit

David Cameron and John Kerry have warned that corruption and terrorism are dual threats to the world’s economy and security, at a summit aimed at tackling graft featuring heads of state and business leaders.

Six countries, Britain, Afghanistan, Kenya, France, the Netherlands and Nigeria, have agreed to publish registers of who really owns companies in their territories, a so-called register of beneficial ownership. This is a key goal of anti-corruption groups. Six more, including Australia, will consider doing so.

Eleven countries will join the now 29-strong group where lists of beneficial owners are drawn up and shared between governments, although not publicly. Those countries include Cayman Islands, Jersey, Bermuda, the Isle of Man and the UAE. …

Other coverage here, and here. You can read the declaration here:

Global Declaration Against Corruption

Published 12 May 2016

Corruption is at the heart of so many of the world’s problems. We must overcome it, if our efforts to end poverty, promote prosperity and defeat terrorism and extremism are to succeed.

Today’s Summit has demonstrated the deep commitment of a significant number of countries, businesses and members of civil society to work together to tackle this scourge.

To do this we will build on and implement existing international agreements – but also go much further, making this a top priority at home and abroad and building capacity to tackle the problem.

We commit to expose corruption wherever it is found, to pursue and punish those who perpetrate, facilitate or are complicit in it, to support the communities who have suffered from it, and to ensure it does not fester in our government institutions, businesses and communities. We will fulfil our shared commitment to ‘substantially reduce corruption and bribery in all their forms’.1

1. Corruption should be exposed – ensuring there is nowhere to hide:

By ending the misuse of anonymous companies to hide the proceeds of corruption.
By driving out those lawyers, real estate agents and accountants who facilitate or are complicit in corruption and denying the corrupt the use of legitimate business channels.
By increasing the transparency of government budgets, tax information and procurement to deter tax evasion and expose the theft or misuse of taxpayers’ money.
By making it easier for people to report corruption without fear of reprisal.

2. The corrupt should be pursued and punished and those who have suffered from corruption fully supported:

By actively enforcing anti-corruption laws and working together to pursue the corrupt, prosecute and punish them.
By tracking down stolen assets and returning them safely to their legitimate owners.
By sending a clear message to the corrupt: there will be no impunity. We will restrict their ability to operate in our countries.

3. Corruption should be driven out – wherever it may exist:

By targeting entrenched corruption, linking up institutions and professions around the world to build capacity and foster a shared culture of integrity.
By ensuring transparency and governance in key areas including sport, extractives and the security sector.
By using innovation and new technologies to empower citizens to fight corruption.
By encouraging and supporting the international organisations to increase their focus on fighting corruption and to coordinate their work more effectively.

Sounds pretty good, right? So were does NZ stand? Meh – we’ll think about it:

An anti-corruption summit in London has been assured New Zealand is committed to tackling corruption despite not yet signing up to new international agreements.

All talk no action.

Around 40 nations gathered to put together some kind of agreement and six countries have signed. Police Minister Judith Collins was at the summit but says New Zealand wants to know more. “But we are certainly going down the track of far more transparency particularly around the beneficial ownership,” Ms Collins said.

Are we “going down the track”? When? Does John Key know? He’s been saying we already have full disclosure called the idea of taking action “barking mad“. The Nats are all over the place on this, and they’re trashing our reputation in the process.

51 comments on “Take action on tax haven corruption? NZ says – meh ”

  1. One Two 1

    David Cameron and John Kerry leading on corruption

    Those who control the puppet show must be cracking themselves up by ridiculing the other 7bn inhabitants on planet earth

    The charade is over, it’s finished

  2. Keith 2

    And we piss on the grave of anti corruption by sending Judith Collins. Shows you how serious NZ is!

    Anyway hows Oravida going in Europe?

    • Stuart Munro 2.1

      I guess none of the Madoffs was available.

    • Mosa 2.2

      Sending Judith shows they are not serious in tackling corruption,in fact once again the govt looks like a bunch of clowns,its no wonder we are seen as a joke worldwide.
      It will make Helens pitch for the Secretary Generals UN job just that bit more difficult.
      Money is power and those that have it will always find safe havens to hide it and there will be people like Key to help them do just that.

    • Jack Ramaka 2.3

      And the Swamp Kauri Recovery in Northland ?

  3. Richardrawshark 3

    We really need a constitution i think it should include things like the right to bare arms. Just saying . No particular reason I would want that, none what so ever, honest.

    One must be able to protect themselves from civil unrest and gang members, RW politicians, National, you know everyday safety issues.

  4. Penny Bright 4

    So is NZ Minister of Police Judith Collins going to support the establishing of a genuinely Independent Commission Against Corruption?

    Penny Bright
    2016 Auckland Mayoral candidate.

  5. Penny Bright 5

    PRE-PANAMA PAPERS…..

    The investments that built Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull’s wealth | HeraldSun

    http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/national/the-investments-that-built-prime-minister-malcolm-turnbulls-wealth/news-story/ff0611a70a9a908066229f6d4e5910a5

    “….What could be politically problematic for Mr Turnbull is his millions of dollars tied up in a global tax haven — especially as the Government attempts to force multinational companies to pay their fair share.

    His parliamentary register of interest lists four funds Bowery Opportunity, CVC Global Credit Opportunities, Zebedee Growth & 3G Natural resources — domiciled on the Cayman Islands — where many global hedge funds base themselves to avoid paying capital gains tax.

    …..”

    Penny Bright
    2016 Auckland Mayoral candidate.

  6. North 6

    Well one thing we do know is that on her way back she’ll be popping in for a cup of tea in Beijing.

  7. Reddelusion 7

    So the great left hit job, bigger than Ben hur we where told now attracts 6 comments after only 5 days after the release of the paper, go figure another damp squib

    • Blue 7.1

      Reddelusion, ring the Guinness Book of World Records because you have just created the world’s biggest doughnut by sticking your head up your own arse. Someone must have told you that you had dinner with John Key!

      • Reddelusion 7.1.1

        Interesting proposition Blue requiring a some what disturbed thinking but if it floats your boat……irrespective however I am struggling in logically linking your two premises beyond KDS that requires Jk to be incorporated in every post no matter how tenuous the link

        • Blue 7.1.1.1

          Speaking of tenous links, why do you even bother to comment here? Is you KDS (Key Doughnut Syndrome) clouding your World view? Wouldn’t you be better spending your time saving a breached (suppression order) whale or rescuing an Orivida princess (OMG I hope they don’t notice I don’t have a moral compass) from the Anti-corruption conference/junket. Explaining the demented rantings of the JoKer would seem too easy for you.

    • r0b 7.2

      I get that you personally don’t give a toss about corruption delusion, but you can hardly describe an initiative being led by David Cameron as a “left hit job”.

      • Reddelusion 7.2.1

        Your last paragraph is where you loose it Rob, all we hear is crisis after crisis , jk this jk that , our international reputation…… as per Tory, Trotter eloquently explains most of the comment and postings on this site The amount rhetoric expoused is inversely proportionate to the facts, the public see it, the left do not and are simply lost in a mist of KDS red rage that no one is buying thier Kool aid

        • Stuart Munro 7.2.1.1

          No mate – Key is pure shit. No redeeming features. Not a shred of lingering human DNA – nothing worth saving.

          Bugger your spin and the fake polls – Key is a complete failure as a PM. No growth. No jobs. No houses. No hope. No future unless we make him gone and every slithering sycophant who supports him.

          The protocols of Westminster style democracy, like answering ministerial questions honestly, and resigning for failure or dishonesty are what tells the ordinary person that they have a trustworthy, mature government.

          Under Key we have a vile pack of treacherous weasels who break those rules as often as they breathe. This is not a democracy now – it is totalitarian – and it is profoundly dystopian: “Make NZ abandon the rule of law to facilitate tax evasion by foreign assholes.” You know what – let’s don’t.

          Let’s have a parliament that works. Let’s have a PM that answers questions frankly, and cabinet ministers whose raison d’etre is not to steal public assets.

          As for the Key government – feed them to the gle affina. They are of no value to our society.

          • Chuck 7.2.1.1.1

            At any point in time over the last 7 – 8 years between 44% to 53% of your fellow NZers think John Key and National are pretty dam good.

            Now your comment of “No future unless we make him gone and every slithering sycophant who supports him.” is whats wrong with the rapid left (which you are one) and why support has been and still is falling away for you and your mates. At any point in time up to 50% of the voting public fall into your “slithering sycophant” category.

            Chris Trotter understands this clearly…

          • Molly 7.2.1.1.2

            +100

            • greywarshark 7.2.1.1.2.1

              Molly
              I imagine that your 100+ is for Stuart not Chuck. It is a good idea to put the intended recipient’s name so it is clear. The way that comments get interlaced can often lead to discontinuity.

          • Redelusion 7.2.1.1.3

            Stuart your response simply backs up everything I just said , thank you 😀

          • greywarshark 7.2.1.1.4

            Idly glancing through I saw Redddelusion dissing Stuart so of course I traced back to your comment. Which was direct honest correct and forthright and says it all for the believers in good democracy and government for and by the people, not just the 1% and their ‘comfortable’ entitled servants and hangers-on.

  8. Tory 8

    It’s called Key Derangement Syndrome and it’s alive and well on this site.
    So far the only smoking gun from the “Panama Papers” is the Greens received a dodgy donation, that all on this site (including the author of this post) have somehow ignored. Instead we see post after post about John Key personally responsible for everything and anything.
    Chris Trotter again nails it, but no doubt many on this site will view him as a herotic rather than a commentator who can see through the faux outrage.
    http://bowalleyroad.blogspot.co.nz/2016/05/the-number-of-beast-new-zealand-lefts.html

    • One Anonymous Bloke 8.1

      So now you’re saying there is evidence of wrongdoing. I expect you’ll be clamouring for the IRD investigation to be reopened then. Unless you’re a crim-cuddling hypocrite, that is.

      Nothing to fear, nothing to hide.

    • Drowsy M. Kram 8.2

      KDS have released KDS Neo(con) – you couldn’t make this up!

      http://www.kds.com/ “Beat your competitors”

      The PM’s normalisation of political and corporate corruption is redefining ethical standards, and our corporate politicians are “pretty comfortable with that.”

      “In other words you are very well aware that you are a B**S. There is absolutely nothing that justifies the lies you so routinely spout. Liar, liar, liar.”

      “A lying SOB like you is quite incapable of any honest behaviour.”

  9. Incognito 9

    The über-pragmatic Key will hold off the boat and first see where the wind blows and then only make some soothing sounds, as usual. IMO he has zero inclination to make any real changes to the current situation.

    I am not at all impressed by the ‘policy paper’ Global Declaration Against Corruption. To me, it reads like something between a political propaganda pamphlet and political grandstanding.

    It creates an illusion that corruption is something that should and can “be driven out” by punitive measures and by enforcing strong-handed policies & regulations from top-down. It completely fails to acknowledge that corruption is both a cause and a consequence “of so many of the world’s problems”.

    I’d also imagine there is widespread cynicism about the top-down approach ‘advocated and executed’ by people that have skin in the game; the hypocrisy is oozing out when their lips are moving (I won’t need to exemplify this by naming people).

    I often wonder why so few politicians talk about bottom-up approaches when discussing problems such as corruption. Is it to ‘protect’ the voters from being confronted by inconvenient truths about themselves (paternalism)? Is it because they don’t trust the people to do the right thing and people should therefore not be given (that much) autonomy (vote of no confidence)? Is it because politicians don’t want to relinquish control & power to the people, the same people that they are supposed to represent (selfishness)? Is it politically too sensitive to discuss ethics & morals despite that we and certainly politicians cannot escape it (fear of embarrassment or something else …)! Likely, it is a combination of the above, but regardless, it is not a good situation to be in if (or when?) we’re trying to tackle the problem of corruption or any other major problems for that matter.

    I guess what I’m trying to elucidate is whether corruption is inextricably connected to our current socio-economic and political system. And if so, and if the summit attendees know this – and why wouldn’t they? – are we presented with an elaborate smokescreen (again), a masterpiece of social engineering? Alternatively, do (these) people genuinely believe that the mores of our society are such that corruption can be “driven out” altogether and that society can be ‘cured of this cancer’?

    Personally, I am hugely sceptic about the fight against corruption, which has similarities with the fights against domestic violence and against drug & substance abuse, for example. We don’t seem to make much real progress with these fights either, which begs the question: why not?

    Perhaps it is all to do with “a very human failing” and we do indeed lack the “intellectual” capacity to process it all, which is why we cannot deal with current and coming disasters? [with thanks to greywarshark]

    I am not terribly satisfied with this comment of mine but will post it anyway in the hope of receiving helpful feedback or (well-argued?) opinions from the TS community.

      • Incognito 9.1.1

        That is an excellent read, thank you very much Pat!

        I will follow up the links and references in it plus the 129 comments so far!

        • Pat 9.1.1.1

          your welcome……this may be of interest as well, though not directly related.

          “But if markets are based on exploitation, the rationale for laissez-faire disappears. Indeed, in that case, the battle against entrenched power is not only a battle for democracy; it is also a battle for efficiency and shared prosperity.”

          https://www.theguardian.com/business/2016/may/13/-new-era-monopoly-joseph-stiglitz

          • Incognito 9.1.1.1.1

            Thanks again Pat for a very deep and perceptive article, as you would expect from Joseph Stiglitz.

            The last sentence stood out for me:

            But if markets are based on exploitation, the rationale for laissez-faire disappears. Indeed, in that case, the battle against entrenched power is not only a battle for democracy; it is also a battle for efficiency and shared prosperity.

            So, on the one hand we have the markets that tend towards monopolies and, on the other hand, we have the consumers/voters who believe they (still) live in a (true) democracy. When corporates start to take over whole nations (Brazil?) and to invade and influence the political process (NZ?) through “pretty legal” avenues (ratification of TPPA) I think the latter assumption becomes increasingly untenable, which also means that our elected representatives are in on it (complacent/complicit and thus corrupt or corruptible) or they are as ignorant as most of us (incompetent). Either way, our current system is not set up to ‘fight the enemy within’ just like Reserve Banks cannot cope with deflation. I hope it is not too late before the BorgCorp assimilate us …

          • greywarshark 9.1.1.1.2

            Pat
            Just unpicking a few words from the 12.17 a.m. quote. If markets are based on exploitation and laissez faire is redundant, does that mean that we should all be exploiting each other equally and that produces a fairer system?

            And then having a battle for efficiency and shared prosperity might fit the quote –
            “Be careful what you wish for, you might get it.”
            Which is a warning – which could be against possibly unintended or unconsidered consequences.
            This Mark Twain quote could be an example:
            Be careful about reading health books. You may die of a misprint. Mark Twain
            Read more at: http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/keywords/be_careful.html

            On efficiency, Aldous Huxley commented on George Orwell’s 1984 book and it’s message for the future, and said in his book Brave New World that the idea of importance of efficiency, was the more damning for mankind.

            Huxley to Orwell: My Hellish Vision of the Future is Better Than Yours …
            http://www.openculture.com/…/huxley-to-orwell-my-hellish-vision-of-the-futu...
            Mar 17, 2015 – In 1949, George Orwell received a curious letter from his former high … was none other than Aldous Huxley who taught at Eton for a spell … The change will be brought about as a result of a felt need for increased efficiency.

            Within the next generation I believe that the world’s rulers will discover that infant conditioning and narco-hypnosis are more efficient, as instruments of government, than clubs and prisons, and that the lust for power can be just as completely satisfied by suggesting people into loving their servitude as by flogging and kicking them into obedience.

            In other words, I feel that the nightmare of Nineteen Eighty-Four is destined to modulate into the nightmare of a world having more resemblance to that which I imagined in Brave New World. The change will be brought about as a result of a felt need for increased efficiency. Meanwhile, of course, there may be a large scale biological and atomic war — in which case we shall have nightmares of other and scarcely imaginable kinds.

            There are no simple answers that can be summarised in a few lines of script. And it seems that only people who seek their own and the goodness of others and conserve the world around, kindly, thoughtfully and practically, can carry good humanity forward and protect the values and responses that assist us in controlling our base impulses.
            edited

            • Pat 9.1.1.1.2.1

              “Just unpicking a few words from the 12.17 a.m. quote. If markets are based on exploitation and laissez faire is redundant, does that mean that we should all be exploiting each other equally and that produces a fairer system?”

              I would suggest the words “equally” and “exploitation” are oxymoronic.

              markets do not need to be exploitative….and if all parties truly equal cannot be.

              • greywarshark

                I think you miss the point I am making. The google meaning for exploit is –
                “1. make full use of and derive benefit from (a resource)”.

                People trading with each other are exploiting each other, and if done in a fair and equal way, this will lead to shared prosperity.

                When people can get good wages for their labour, good prices for their produce, then they exploit, derive benefit from their resource, and those buying exploit their resource of cash or items for barter.

                But efficiency doesn’t have to be paramount for shared prosperity. I
                put the warning about efficiency because it leads the way to the recent talk on future work and robotisation referred to in this recent Auckland lecture.
                http://bowalleyroad.blogspot.co.nz/2016/05/a-very-good-reason-to-keep-friday.html

                • Pat

                  fear you may be correct…must have misunderstood as I read it as exploitation…the action or fact of treating someone unfairly in order to benefit from their work.

                  I followed your link and reread the post (i saw it previously) and found myself agreeing with Jack Scrivano’s comment (once I googled Flesch score)…….I like my lectures succinct

                  • greywarshark

                    pat
                    I was confused by the sentence of Stiglitz containing laissez faire which seemed not applicable because of exploitation, which has two levels of meaning. Economists reshaping our financial ideas is one thing, but they have gone further to do so with our human values and understandings of our societies. So I look on them as con-people spinning ideas and us with them, until I know what they are talking about and whether they understand the real effect their statements will have, if the action is carried out. Economists I think, need to be taught the need for humility to prevent a feeling of irresponsible omniscience.

                    Getting an idea of how and what can be done to help ourselves after a crash is on my mind. Also the glowering onset of robotisation and the means of earning/making a living being withheld from us. Were the ‘homelands’ of South Africa a forerunner for a world practice. Are we watching a real reality show in Palestine that the world leaders have no intention of ending fairly because they don’t care to change what is secretly decided is a TINA situation for us all?

                    Thinking how to conduct a citizen-led economy that allows for a degree of diversity in income but ensures that basics are there allowing a simple secure lifestyle with preparations for stress times, harvests before weather change, preparation of the crop for storage, hard winters, high winds, floods, unbearable heat etc. ?

                    Thinking too, if we manage to build our village economies trading with each other, exploiting our and each others resources fairly, of the need also for time for self, family and enjoyable sociability. Also that we don’t appreciate our own individual agency, and usually aren’t encouraged to develop our own initiatives. For example, when I was part of a group seeking ways to find work for older people, a meeting that was supposed to brainstorm was presented with ideas by the leader, that were already fleshed out thus limiting the individuals’ consideration of ideas leading to their own possible initiatives.

    • Olwyn 9.2

      I would go further and say that they will use the public disquiet about corruption to make things uncomfortable for their opponents while increasing “security” to protect their own activities from prying eyes. Take this comment from NZjester on Open Mike, for example, about the impeachment of the Brazilian PM on grounds of corruption, with a clip outlining the moves in a sadly familiar game:
      http://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-14052016/#comment-1173775

      • Incognito 9.2.1

        Thanks Olwyn, today I read an article about Michel Temer in the NZ Herald (actually, syndicated from the Washington Post) and it did not make for happy reading.

  10. Nick 11

    ShonKey has been put in place to protect these Neocon crims and all the other crims as well who have jumped on the offshore hidden trust bandwagon. When he’s not doing that, he’s been told to make more money for them by selling NZ. He’s doing a bloody brilliant job….. And the best way to deal with the right wing natzi foot soldiers who post here is to ignore them completely….. They are here only to bait and annoy, they have no ideas, just like their leader.

  11. mikesh 12

    Peter Dunne is being disingenuous. If clients are not paying the tax, that they owe, to their own governments, then it is tax evasion, not tax avoidance.

  12. Incognito 13

    Meanwhile, IRD is going after the ‘big fish’ student loan defaulters living in Australia.

    http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11637264

    http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/education/79949711/ird-hopes-to-squeeze-extra-100m-a-year-from-student-loan-defaulters-in-Australia

    Where there’s a will, there’s a way, obviously. The immoral inaction of this Government on perceived or alleged corruption and tax havens speaks volumes. I am so happy that Key dobbed in Greenpeace though. [extreme sarcasm alert]

  13. Tautoko Mangō Mata 14

    This article by Frank Macskasy written in May 2012 gives the background on the tax changes in 2011.
    Which is why it totally beggars belief that Key was planning to invite those very same Global Corporatists to New Zealand to set up some kind of “zero tax rated financial services hub”. The proposal was led by banker, Craig Stobo, who told National’s 2009 Jobs Summit that “an economic boost would result if the Government created a zero tax rating for foreign investors who invested in international funds” in New Zealand.

    The then-Economic Development Minister Gerry Brownlee, appointed Stobo as chairman of an advisory group the following year to determine what incentives would draw financial corporates to New Zealand to participate in the proposed “financial hub” proposal. Brownlee paid Stobo’s group fees ranging up to $655 a day, on top of an up-front allocation of $500,000.

  14. Chuck 15

    I admit up until last week to know nothing of the ICIJ…Graeme Wood a very wealthy Australian give them an $1.5 million donation.

    “Sydney philanthropist and businessman Graeme Wood, founder of the online publication The Global Mail, has pledged $1.5 million to ICIJ over the next three years to bolster its cross-border investigative reporting capacity.”

    http://www.smartcompany.com.au/growth/42721-graeme-wood-s-140-million-payday-nine-things-you-didn-t-know-about-the-wotif-founder/

    Funny how many people on TS think if someone is wealthy they are either criminals or scum (or both).

    Wood also gave the largest ever political donation in Australia to the Green Party in 2010 $1.6m.

    I wounder if Graeme Wood has a trust or two…if so then no doubt he will join all the other rich pricks (wealthy, avoid tax, use trusts, etc etc).

    • framu 15.1

      thats the way.

      Ignore argument and detail, focus on the self invented slogan, apply liberally to all and sundry

      you fool no one with such silly and false stereotypes

      • Chuck 15.1.1

        “you fool no one with such silly and false stereotypes” I don’t need to…

  15. Observer (Tokoroa) 16

    .
    . The strange Vanity of the Trotter

    So Trotter has written a piece about poor John Key and how he is suffering like Nero at the hands of Christians. The labour Party is, according to grovelling Trotter, the reincarnation of the catacombic Christians. No less.

    Have you ever heard such total crap in all your life ?

    Comparing tiny New Zealand with Imperial Rome is a monstrous conceit in itself.

    It is not funny witnessing the mental deterioration of Trotter. Anyone who is besotted with Key as is Chris Trotter, is in a piteously weird trap indeed.

    The common man, as distinct from the wealthy man, is evilly being denied resources by many of the Parliaments of the Western World including the parliament of New Zealand.

    And why? So that greedy wealthy misfits like key and Trotter may enjoy a disgusting trough of a life.

  16. I personally think that at the end of the day, the banks and financial institutions want to earn money. If some politically exposed person brings his entire wealth of finances to you, it’s not their prerogative to question whether they’ve done their necessary disclosure to the respective parties or not.

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  • 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
    14 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
    14 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
    15 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
    16 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
    18 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
    2 days 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
    2 days 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
    2 days 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 ...
    2 days 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
    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
  • 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
    4 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
    4 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
    5 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
    5 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 ...
    6 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
    6 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
    6 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 ...
    6 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
    7 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
    12 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
    14 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
    14 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
    1 day 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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Celebrating 10 years of Crankworx Rotorua
    The Government is proud to support the 10th edition of Crankworx Rotorua as the Crankworx World Tour returns to Rotorua from 16-24 March 2024, says Minister for Economic Development Melissa Lee.  “Over the past 10 years as Crankworx Rotorua has grown, so too have the economic and social benefits that ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Government delivering on tax commitments
    Legislation implementing coalition Government tax commitments and addressing long-standing tax anomalies will be progressed in Parliament next week, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The legislation is contained in an Amendment Paper to the Taxation (Annual Rates for 2023–24, Multinational Tax, and Remedial Matters) Bill issued today.  “The Amendment Paper represents ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Significant Natural Areas requirement to be suspended
    Associate Environment Minister Andrew Hoggard has today announced that the Government has agreed to suspend the requirement for councils to comply with the Significant Natural Areas (SNA) provisions of the National Policy Statement for Indigenous Biodiversity for three years, while it replaces the Resource Management Act (RMA).“As it stands, SNAs ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Government classifies drought conditions in Top of the South as medium-scale adverse event
    Agriculture Minister Todd McClay has classified the drought conditions in the Marlborough, Tasman, and Nelson districts as a medium-scale adverse event, acknowledging the challenging conditions facing farmers and growers in the district. “Parts of Marlborough, Tasman, and Nelson districts are in the grip of an intense dry spell. I know ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Government partnership to tackle $332m facial eczema problem
    The Government is helping farmers eradicate the significant impact of facial eczema (FE) in pastoral animals, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay announced.  “A $20 million partnership jointly funded by Beef + Lamb NZ, the Government, and the primary sector will save farmers an estimated NZD$332 million per year, and aims to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • NZ, India chart path to enhanced relationship
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters has completed a successful visit to India, saying it was an important step in taking the relationship between the two countries to the next level.   “We have laid a strong foundation for the Coalition Government’s priority of enhancing New Zealand-India relations to generate significant future benefit for both countries,” says Mr Peters, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Ruapehu Alpine Lifts bailout the last, say Ministers
    Cabinet has agreed to provide $7 million to ensure the 2024 ski season can go ahead on the Whakapapa ski field in the central North Island but has told the operator Ruapehu Alpine Lifts it is the last financial support it will receive from taxpayers. Cabinet also agreed to provide ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Govt takes action to drive better cancer services
    Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says the launch of a new mobile breast screening unit in Counties Manukau reinforces the coalition Government’s commitment to drive better cancer services for all New Zealanders. Speaking at the launch of the new mobile clinic, Dr Reti says it’s a great example of taking ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Govt takes action to drive better cancer services
    Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says the launch of a new mobile breast screening unit in Counties Manukau reinforces the coalition Government’s commitment to drive better cancer services for all New Zealanders. Speaking at the launch of the new mobile clinic, Dr Reti says it’s a great example of taking ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Work begins on SH29 upgrades near Tauriko
    Unlocking economic growth and land for housing are critical elements of the Government’s plan for our transport network, and planned upgrades to State Highway 29 (SH29) near Tauriko will deliver strongly on those priorities, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “The SH29 upgrades near Tauriko will improve safety at the intersections ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Work begins on SH29 upgrades near Tauriko
    Unlocking economic growth and land for housing are critical elements of the Government’s plan for our transport network, and planned upgrades to State Highway 29 (SH29) near Tauriko will deliver strongly on those priorities, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “The SH29 upgrades near Tauriko will improve safety at the intersections ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Fresh produce price drop welcome
    Lower fruit and vegetable prices are welcome news for New Zealanders who have been doing it tough at the supermarket, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. Stats NZ reported today the price of fruit and vegetables has dropped 9.3 percent in the 12 months to February 2024.  “Lower fruit and vege ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Statement to the 68th United Nations Commission on the Status of Women
    Tēnā koutou katoa and greetings to you all.  Chair, I am honoured to address the sixty-eighth session of the Commission on the Status of Women. I acknowledge the many crises impacting the rights of women and girls. Heightened global tensions, war, climate related and humanitarian disasters, and price inflation all ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago
  • Speech to the 68th United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (CSW68)
    Tēnā koutou katoa and greetings to you all.  Chair, I am honoured to address the 68th session of the Commission on the Status of Women. I acknowledge the many crises impacting the rights of women and girls. Heightened global tensions, war, climate related and humanitarian disasters, and price inflation all ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago
  • Government backs rural led catchment projects
    The coalition Government is supporting farmers to enhance land management practices by investing $3.3 million in locally led catchment groups, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay announced. “Farmers and growers deliver significant prosperity for New Zealand and it’s vital their ongoing efforts to improve land management practices and water quality are supported,” ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago
  • Speech to Auckland Business Chamber
    Good evening everyone and thank you for that lovely introduction.   Thank you also to the Honourable Simon Bridges for the invitation to address your members. Since being sworn in, this coalition Government has hit the ground running with our 100-day plan, delivering the changes that New Zealanders expect of us. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Commission’s advice on ETS settings tabled
    Recommendations from the Climate Change Commission for New Zealand on the Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) auction and unit limit settings for the next five years have been tabled in Parliament, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. “The Commission provides advice on the ETS annually. This is the third time the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Government lowering building costs
    The coalition Government is beginning its fight to lower building costs and reduce red tape by exempting minor building work from paying the building levy, says Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk. “Currently, any building project worth $20,444 including GST or more is subject to the building levy which is ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Trustee tax change welcomed
    Proposed changes to tax legislation to prevent the over-taxation of low-earning trusts are welcome, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The changes have been recommended by Parliament’s Finance and Expenditure Committee following consideration of submissions on the Taxation (Annual Rates for 2023–24, Multinational Tax, and Remedial Matters) Bill. “One of the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Minister’s Ramadan message
    Assalaamu alaikum. السَّلَام عليكم In light of the holy month of Ramadan, I want to extend my warmest wishes to our Muslim community in New Zealand. Ramadan is a time for spiritual reflection, renewed devotion, perseverance, generosity, and forgiveness.  It’s a time to strengthen our bonds and appreciate the diversity ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Minister appoints new NZTA Chair
    Former Transport Minister and CEO of the Auckland Business Chamber Hon Simon Bridges has been appointed as the new Board Chair of the New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA) for a three-year term, Transport Minister Simeon Brown announced today. “Simon brings extensive experience and knowledge in transport policy and governance to the role. He will ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Speech to Life Sciences Summit
    Good morning all, it is a pleasure to be here as Minister of Science, Innovation and Technology.  It is fantastic to see how connected and collaborative the life science and biotechnology industry is here in New Zealand. I would like to thank BioTechNZ and NZTech for the invitation to address ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Progress continues apace on water storage
    Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says he is looking forward to the day when three key water projects in Northland are up and running, unlocking the full potential of land in the region. Mr Jones attended a community event at the site of the Otawere reservoir near Kerikeri on Friday. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Government agrees to restore interest deductions
    Associate Finance Minister David Seymour has today announced that the Government has agreed to restore deductibility for mortgage interest on residential investment properties. “Help is on the way for landlords and renters alike. The Government’s restoration of interest deductibility will ease pressure on rents and simplify the tax code,” says ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Minister to attend World Anti-Doping Agency Symposium
    Sport and Recreation Minister Chris Bishop will travel to Switzerland today to attend an Executive Committee meeting and Symposium of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA). Mr Bishop will then travel on to London where he will attend a series of meetings in his capacity as Infrastructure Minister. “New Zealanders believe ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

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