Tax cuts! No! Yes! Maybe! Look over there!

Written By: - Date published: 7:02 am, May 17th, 2016 - 90 comments
Categories: bill english, election 2017, john key, making shit up, spin, tax - Tags: , , ,

No country with record, climbing debt and homeless living in cars should be considering tax cuts. Bill English was right to rule them out for this term:

Budget 2016: Government rules out tax cuts

The Government says tax cuts are now off the table in this year’s Budget and possibly next year’s Budget as well. … “At this point, we’ve prioritised additional debt repayment over setting aside money in Budget 2017 for tax cuts.”

Just to be clear:

Government pours cold water on 2017 tax cut possibility

Because of a larger spending allowance in 2017, up to $2.5b in tax cuts were seen as real possibility in 2017.

However, in a pre-Budget speech in Wellington today Mr English stressed the focus for his government – if it has any spare money – will be paying down debt, not allocating money for tax cuts in 2017…

But what does Bill English know! He’s only the Finance Minister. Here’s Johnny to set him straight:

John Key hints he’ll fight election on $3 billion package tax cuts

Prime Minister John Key has effectively kicked off National’s 2017 election campaign, saying he is confident National could afford up to $3 billion in tax cuts after 2017 and he believes pressure for those tax cuts will grow. …

This isn’t just a case of National’s two top ministers being at odds. English is right, Key is lying and he knows it. But Key would rather we were talking about the mirage of tax cuts (again) than current events like the protection of corrupt tax havens or our homeless living in cars.

90 comments on “Tax cuts! No! Yes! Maybe! Look over there! ”

  1. Fustercluck 1

    Just because it is obvious it does not mean it is ineffective. Expect to hear “tax cut” popping out in completely unrelated bits of news and PR for the foreseeable future.

  2. vto 2

    the slippery snake oil salesman strikes again

    • mary_a 2.1

      @ VTO (2) …

      “the slippery snake oil salesman strikes again”

      He’s been striking repeatedly for almost 8 years now, saturating NZ with his vile venom! And will continue to do so, if he’s not removed from office!

    • Peter 2.2

      …. with the help of radio friend Mike, one of the propagandist looking to control NZ group think …..

  3. vto 3

    asked about the clunky sound in the engine…. the salesman talks about how fast the car will go if you paint it red…..

  4. vto 4

    make something up to fill the gap ……… then just keep talking

  5. vto 5

    the oldest tricks in the book

    oldest tricks in the book

    some bunch of New Zealanders still falling for the oldest tricks in the book

    no wonder we have so many clunky sounding old cars

  6. reason 6

    Tax cuts did not work for boosting Don Brash in the polls …….

    http://www.nzonscreen.com/title/the-hollow-men-2008

    So they went for racism ……… and it almost got them over the line …

    It’s tried and trusted for them ………

  7. mauī 7

    If he’s talking tax cuts why not go the whole hog and launch the “KiwiTrusts” scheme for all NZers based in the Cook’s.

  8. Richardrawshark 8

    there could possibly be tax cuts..i might or might not… exactly

  9. I like this song… its far more sensible than the dark wizardry of John Key.

    Enjoy .

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eBoFyfgTBvE

  10. Wayne 10

    You seem to forget that National believes in moderate taxes. Part of its core ideology. Just to deal with bracket creep/fiscal drag after 7 years requires a tax cut by lifting the thresholds.
    If the left does not think that is a good idea campaign on it.
    Any decent election should offer voters real choice. National inevitably will have a tax package that at least deals with bracket creep. No doubt National will also have a social package as well.
    The left presumably will want to increase taxes, otherwise their various social promises, which will always be larger than National’s, cannot be afforded.
    It could mean the next election will provide a very clear choice.
    Presumably that is what Standardnistas actually want.

    • vto 10.1

      you missed the point of the post Wayne

    • Sabine 10.2

      @ wayne
      The left presumably will want to increase taxes, otherwise their various social promises, which will always be larger than National’s, cannot be afforded.

      absolutly i agree with you.

      Roads? Who needs them?
      Schools? Who needs them?
      Hospitals? Who needs them?
      Surgery? Who needs them?
      Housing? Who needs that?
      Electricity? Who needs it?
      Water? Who needs it?
      Public Broadcasting? Who needs it?
      Libraries? Who needs that?
      ACC? Fuck it
      Unemployment benefits? Loosers not trying hard enough, we don’t need that?
      Working for Families? IF they can’t afford the kids they should not have them!
      Sickness Benefits? Its not my problem if your child, spouse, mother, father or other relative has health issues. Get on with it.

      Yeah, lets abolish taxes, all of them, Income Tax, Paye, GST, Gasoline Tax and whats not.
      If you need to travel a road or two, you will pay for it.
      Your water main is leaking, you will pay for it. Your child needs some education, you will pay for it.
      Your wife will also bring you food to the hospital in which you are – of course you will pay for that too – staying for the duration of your surgery.

      I so totally agree with you, taxes are for left leaning wussies that have no idea about how business function and only national will save us from these left leaning wussies and their social agenda of a well being citizenry being good for everyone. And when everything is a pay as you go we don’t need politicians either anymore, and they can finally get a real job and learn how to work. And they better do work, as there will be of course no unemployment benefit either.

      • Wayne 10.2.1

        Sabine,

        National never offers a binary choice of all tax cuts or all social and infrastructure spending, notwithstanding your caricature.

        Obviously National will offer a blend of the two.

        Just to take the first of your examples; roading. In Auckland everyone is aware of the huge projects on the northwestern motorway and western ring route tunnel. When these are complete next year traffic flows in Auckland will quite dramatically change, freeing up blockages right throughout the city. Many of the existing problems arise from the fact that everyone is forced onto a single motorway route. From next year there will be two routes.

        • Paul 10.2.1.1

          The M25.
          Look it up.

        • Draco T Bastard 10.2.1.2

          In Auckland everyone is aware of the huge projects on the northwestern motorway and western ring route tunnel.

          Yes, we got more bloody roads when the majority of people wanted better public transport.

          When these are complete next year traffic flows in Auckland will quite dramatically change, freeing up blockages right throughout the city.

          Wow, are you truly that delusional?

          We’ve been promised lower congestion from more roads for the 50 years and every time we get more roads we get more congestion.

          Insanity: Doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result.

          From next year there will be two routes.

          And from next year there’s going to be another point of congestion and the pollution level which is killing hundreds of people every year will get worse.

          • Wayne 10.2.1.2.1

            Draco,

            Good road design does actually work. It is now 15 years since the central motorway interchange was rebuilt, increasing its capacity by 50%. Since then it has always flowed more freely than it did prior to the work being done.

            That is why I am confident that the Western ring route will have a major beneficial impact. A lot of the traffic currently going south on the Harbour Bridge will take the western ring route. Similarly airport traffic will be split between the current Epsom suburban routes and the western ring route.

            It probably means a new Harbour crossing can be put back for many years

            Just to take a small example of how intelligent road engineering males a difference. When an additional northern lane was added between Northcote and Esmonde Rd, there was a permanent improvement in traffic flow. If the same could be repeated going south from Esmonde Rd to Northcote this would be a huge advantage. It would avoid the back up on Lake Rd, since the motorway entrance could be two lanes instead of being choked from two lanes into one.

            • Draco T Bastard 10.2.1.2.1.1

              When an additional northern lane was added between Northcote and Esmonde Rd, there was a permanent improvement in traffic flow.

              I think you’ll find that it was the bus lane that did it and not the roading. Or, at least, not the single lane of roading without the rest of it.

        • Sabine 10.2.1.3

          yes dear.

          and also, can i have some of that stuff your are indulging in? cause it is good shit. really. really good.

    • dv 10.4

      “that at least deals with bracket creep

      Ohh you mean the chewing gum tax cuts Wayne!!!

      • dukeofurl 10.4.1

        Thats good , had forgotten about that one.

        And the zinger from Cullen 10 years ago

        “He noted that National did not alter the top personal tax rate during its nine years in government.”

    • Colonial Viper 10.5

      The left presumably will want to increase taxes, otherwise their various social promises, which will always be larger than National’s,

      Or just keep borrowing like the NATs
      Or reacquire the $$$ producing assets that the NATs keep selling off to mates
      Or simply issue new NZD instead of taking them from your savings.

    • Ovid 10.6

      This gives the Left a $3 billion kitty to develop new packages, even without tax increases. The “show me the money” refrain is well out the window.

    • Huginn 10.7

      Wayne:

      Bracket creep happens when inflation pushes everyone into a higher tax bracket.

      We haven’t got inflation; we may actually have deflation.

    • Oh yeah, a 2.5% increase in GST for everyone, the most paid and most regressive tax, is totally a “modest tax.”

      Get off it. National believes in selective tax relief for its mates, hence why they love “tax cuts” instead of permanently adjusting down tax rates.

      The fact is, the difference on the economy and taxes is that left-wing parties manage both better, and right-wing parties just rack up debt.

    • mikes 10.9

      Wayne, National is the tax and spend party, they just increase indirect taxes and fool many people. It is a fact that the best periods of economic growth and prosperity for most western nations have been during periods where the top income tax rates were much higher.

      Regardless, I think you missed the point of the article.

    • Expat 10.10

      Bracket creep only occurs when wages go up, not down.

      It’s a BS argument when the countries experiencing deflation, only those with a limited number of brain cells would fall for this argument.

    • UncookedSelachimorpha 10.11

      New Zealand needs a large increase in tax on the wealthy, to be used to fund increased social and community spending. Good for NZ, good for the economy.

  11. Enough is Enough 11

    r0b

    As I said yesterday this is a good thing for Labour and the left.

    New Zealanders do not want tax cuts.

    Everyone knows that tax cuts are daft as they will lead to the rich getting richer and core public services being cut. If National want to do this then I suggest we quietly allow them to, so that they can be hammered during the election campaign. This a suicidal policy for them which they will be pay for for in the election.

    Labour should campaign on much higher taxes for the rich with a proportionate increase in public spending with a genuine commitment to end child poverty within three years.

    Who will vote against that?

    • Richardrawshark 11.1

      You underestimate the power of the dark side. Tax cuts, the greedy people will vote for tax cuts. They don’t care!

      • Enough is Enough 11.1.1

        If that is what people want then so be it.

        If it is such the bad idea that r0b and I both agree it is, then surely it wont be an issue and people will vote against it in favour of higher taxes and more core publics services.

      • Pat 11.1.2

        if there are a majority that cannot see the perversion in this we are stuffed anyway…

    • BM 11.2

      Middle NZ.

    • OneTrack 11.3

      Exactly how much higher taxes should Labour, the Greens and NZ First campaign on? And how do you define “the rich”? Those on 40K? 50K?

      If it is true that the 1%, has all the money, then you could double/triple the taxation on them, and it still wouldn’t add up to much. Which means you will have to cut into the 99% to fund the promises. I am interested how far into the 99% should be cut.

      • Enough is Enough 11.3.1

        There should be a lot less focus on the top 1% and more focus on the bottom 30%.

        The top 1% are looking after themselves quite nicely at the expense of the poor.

        Quite frankly no one should give a shit what the 1% have to say on tax because they will still be rich if we tax the 80%.

        All our focus should be on the unemployed and working poor. Lets work out what they need. We can work backwards from that point and then tell the rich how much of their fortunes they can keep.

      • mikes 11.3.2

        Exactly. Income tax has no affect on the rich, only those on salaries and wages.

      • UncookedSelachimorpha 11.3.3

        The top 10% own 50% of the nation’s wealth, while the bottom 50% own only 5%.

        So if you change tax on only the top 10%, to transfer only 10% of their wealth to the poorest half of NZ, you would double the wealth of the poorest half.

        If the likes of John Key could get by with $45m instead of $50m, the poorest half of NZ could have double what they currently have – which would give a profound benefit to NZ society and would be of more help to the NZ economy than JK’s extra $5m.

  12. Lanthanide 12

    National and Key have repeatedly said they’ll use the surplus to pay down debt (they said the same thing about the proceeds from the asset sales too). But that day never comes – it’s always used up for tax cuts instead.

    • Colonial Viper 12.1

      Paying down public debt destroys money from circulation out of the economy. It’s a bad idea.

      • Lanthanide 12.1.1

        Paying interest also destroys money from circulation out of the economy. Paying down debt means we don’t have to pay interest.

        • Colonial Viper 12.1.1.1

          You’re thinking like an individual.

          Instead, think like a country or a corporation.

          You never make an out of pocket payment on the interest or the loan principle, you simply roll the debt over and keep it increasing.

          • Lanthanide 12.1.1.1.1

            Eventually your creditors stop wanting to play that game; eg Greece.

            • Colonial Viper 12.1.1.1.1.1

              They’re still giving Greece money.

              Remember that the money the creditors lend to Greece goes to paying off themselves and their mates.

              The alternative of course is to let Greece default.

              But notice how that isn’t being allowed by the creditors?

            • Nic the NZer 12.1.1.1.1.2

              Greece and NZ are fundamentally different. While Greece is in the Eurozone its financially beholden to the EU and their direction of the ECB. Those are the creditors we are discussing.

              In NZ there are no similar creditors. Parliament can modify the reserve bank legislation if it needs. There is no higher institution so NZ can not have the issues of Greece.

            • Nic the NZer 12.1.1.1.1.3

              http://www.slate.com/blogs/moneybox/2016/05/09/donald_trump_says_the_u_s_can_t_default_on_its_debt_because_it_prints_money.html

              Pay careful attention as Donald Trump explains that you (like swathes of the left) have been had for a fool.

          • Stuart Munro 12.1.1.1.2

            Paying down debt isn’t always the best use of money, but it’s better than flying sheep to Saudi or pimping flag referenda. Running up debt to no purpose, as Bill English has done, is not an indicator of competence.

        • Nic the NZer 12.1.1.2

          You have a fundamental missunderstanding. When an institution (say an insurance company) lends to the govt they expect to and do get more than they lend back. In NZ this is basically a risk free investment as the govt can always get the RBNZ to repay the funds by crediting this institutions reserve account (which is why the interest rate here is sometimes referred to as the risk free rate of return).

          The interest the govt pays on its debt does not destroy money (it creates a small amount). The issue is that you are subsidising businesses like insurance and banking by guaranteeing them a risk free investment.

      • If you believe your country is in a boom, (ie. overvaluing economic growth) arguably paying down debt is a very good idea, as reducing the money supply will slow down the economy.

        So there’s the cyclical reason to pay down debt.

        The other reason if if you think you’re overleveraged on resources, paying down debt might slow down the extractive sector slightly. (although that’s a bit of a blunt tool where more precise regulation would probably work better)

  13. Byd0nz 13

    Smash capitalism, stop voting for its bullshit.

    • Colonial Viper 13.1

      What do you want to replace capitalism with

      • BM 13.1.1

        Some system where he/she gets more of other peoples money.

        • Colonial Viper 13.1.1.1

          I must say that I find the term “other peoples money” stupid. Is it your name you see on the dollar notes? Nope, its that of the Reserve Bank of NZ. Is it your face you see on the coins? Nope, its the head of Queen Elizabeth II.

          These things should give you a clue to whose money it is, and who it is that gives that money any worth or acceptability.

          TL/DR: money that you issue or that I issue ain’t gonna be worth shit. The money is issued by and given value by, the government.

          • BM 13.1.1.1.1

            Money is the representation of some persons labour/service or product.

            • vto 13.1.1.1.1.1

              Jeez BM, that is the entire problem with you right wing types – the simplicity you crave just misses entire swathes of reality. Your statement is worthless

            • Draco T Bastard 13.1.1.1.1.2

              Not really. It’s actually the debt that the society owes to the person in resources. This is why private ownership fails.

              The actual money still belongs to the state though.

            • Paul 13.1.1.1.1.3

              You believe that?

              • BM

                It’s what most working people think.

                You work a 40 hour week and in return get $xxxxx amount of dollars, that money received is payment for the hours work.

                You’ve swapped your labour/skills for dollars.

                • Colonial Viper

                  It’s what most working people think.

                  but surely you don’t fall for that?

                  Further the name of the system is “capitalism” – it is capital which makes money, not labour. Labour’s share of income has been falling for decades.

                • Colonial Viper

                  You’ve swapped your labour/skills for dollars.

                  you’ve sold yourself for money, while someone else gets the benefit of your physical production and intellectual output.

                  Hence the original term “wage slavery.”

                  • BM

                    That’s how the system works, I work for whoever they pay me for work done.
                    If I think I’m worth more I can work for my self but that comes with much more risk and uncertainty.

                    This explains why tax is unpopular and tax cuts are popular as the individual has more money in their pocket at the end of the week.

                    • LOL so simplistic.

                      You could also run a business and have other people work for you. (ie. owning capital, hence the name “capitalism”)

                      Tax itself is unpopular, sure. But when you survey people about whether they’d rather pay a higher level of tax and get more public services, more than a simple majority say they would prefer that option. People know that tax buys things and that sometimes the government can get something that they can’t (by being a large enough buyer, or through economies of scale) on an individual level.

                    • BM

                      You lefties terribly over complicate basic stuff, this is why you get no traction with the voter, they just don’t know what you’re on about.

                      If the left ever want to get elected again they have to see stuff through the eyes of the average working New Zealander.

                    • b waghorn

                      “they just don’t know what you’re on about.”

                      Bm suggests that national voters are thick, who would of thought. 🙂

                    • ropata

                      I could support lower income tax, as long as there were commensurate taxes on land & financial transactions / speculation & capital gains.

                    • BM

                      I agree, we all know that taxes are a necessary evil and without them the country wouldn’t function.

                      More indirect taxation is the best approach, income tax and gst are rather in your face and people tend to take notice of those.

                      You want tax people without them knowing they’re getting taxed.

            • UncookedSelachimorpha 13.1.1.1.1.4

              Or rent extraction

      • riffer 13.1.2

        I’d like to replace capitalism with contributionism, a la the Ubuntu model.

        Yes, it would require a complete societal change. I’m good with that.

  14. Jack Ramaka 14

    Red Herrings and Dead Cats are the best bait to get the general population distracted from hotter topics fascinating these are being tossed around with the state of the NZ Economy wallowing in $120 Billion Debt?

  15. Observer (Tokoroa) 15

    .

    The Opposition should promise tax cuts and additional Services because they will have access to real wealth.

    The money will be provided by the very wealthy who over many years have indulged in Tax avoidance and Tax evasion. Evasion and Avoidance are in fact the same thing and are against the spirit of Democracy.

    The first declaration of the Opposition should in fact be the proud and clear enunciation of what a Democracy is. Evaders and Avoiders have no rightful place within a Democracy.

    If people are are unhappy with that, they should seek succour and shelter somewhere else and live under a Despot.

    Greed and lack of care for fellow human beings cannot be tolerated by a Democracy.

    We have witnessed the laziness of a Tory swill. We have witnessed their callous ways. Eight years of selling the assests of our Democracy. Eight years of providing no housing for new born or new arrivals. Eights years for greasing their asses at the expense of others. Eight years of self indulgence on a colossal scale.

    They are the Evaders and the Avoiders. They belong to Despots and not to Democratic Aotearoa.

    • OneTrack 15.1

      And when all of the evaders and “avoiders” have been imprisoned or forced offshore, who will pay the required taxes in Year 2?

      • Gabby 15.1.1

        You reckon they’re irreplaceable?

      • dv 15.1.2

        DUH
        evaders avoider Don’t pay now.

      • Augustus 15.1.3

        The ones who do now, instead of the evaders and avoiders? I’d even wear a GST rise to pay for the prisons

      • mac1 15.1.4

        I reckon it would be a fair deal to offer the people of New Zealand. We will give you $3 billion tax cuts when the evaders ante up with their estimated $7.4 billion annual share.

        “Dob in an evader, and save.”

    • Gabby 15.2

      Course, it could be Ponyboy trying to panic Labour into making dopey promises.

  16. Repateet 16

    And both of them would rather no focus being on the Ministry of Education corruption at Rangiora High.

  17. Policy Parrot 17

    The correct response for those guiding Labour here is to wait: let other groups do all of the talking/criticism. Simply state that “we are working on our tax policy, and will release details in due course.”

    Whether tax cuts are moral or not is not the question here, it is more; “are they politically popular?”, and “are the trade-offs worthwhile?”. If tax cuts become politically toxic, sock the government with their commitment, and if they become popular, think about how to respond in kind, i.e. a “tax cuts plus” type policy.

    Key has pre-announced a number, do some opposition prep and think about the various likely scenarios they would come up with (that would be popular both with middle voters and National’s base), and formulate some counter-proposals, i.e.

    – Tax cuts for lower/middle income earners are kept/similar to proposed Nat package.
    – Reintroduce the 5th threshold (old 39%/38% rate axed by National into 2010)
    – Essentially the message for middle income-voters is that Labour can deliver the same tax cut, but also increase social spending for underfunded areas, i.e. police, education etc.

    Wait for a few weeks after the 2017 budget for media coverage to clear, and then announce a shadow budget, with large contingencies, float ideas, and drip feed non-specific announcements, until campaign proper, and announce final costed plan 10 days out from the election.

  18. Observer (Tokoroa) 18

    .
    . To One Track

    . The wealth of the commoners.

    You see, poor chap that if Greedy Trolls aren’t gathering all the profits for themselves, putting it in hidden undisclosed places, as well as shipping lots overseas to their greedy friends, year two will pay for itsself.

    It sounds to me that you have been unable to understand that wealth goes to relatively few people with excessive cupidity for money and assets.

    If you had stayed at school until you were 7yrs old, you would have understood that babies need housing. Parents need jobs and living wages. They simply cannot afford to have the wealthy take all the resources and money out of the community.

    The resources have gone to wealthy people here and overseas. Which is why Auckland is the cruelest place in the world. Highest Housing costs; highest rentals; lowest relative wages.

  19. NZJester 19

    We could not afford the tax cuts they originally gave the rich when they first became the government, but that did not stop them borrowing us into debt to give them those tax cut.
    They will find the money somewhere for them and I’m betting it will be by flogging something off if they get back into power again. They have been systematically borrowing this country into debt and getting our assets ready to flog off. The making us a tax haven is just the icing on the cake for their rich backers.
    If you could trace where a lot of those anonymous donations to the National Party come from, I doubt much of it comes from New Zealand, as few people here could afford to fund them in the amounts they regularly receive (Makes air quotes gesture and winks) “anonymously”.

  20. Ben 20

    The merits of tax cuts aside, if you read the post slowly you will comprehend that BE stated no tax cuts in 2016 and 2017, and Key stated there was room for tax cuts after 2017.

  21. Ben 21

    The merits of tax cuts aside, if you read the post slowly you will comprehend that BE stated no tax cuts in 2016 & 2017, and Key stated there was room for tax cuts after 2017.

  22. Daveosaurus 22

    I still haven’t seen the ‘north of $50’ the lying fuckers promised me back when. Right before they put my taxes up.

  23. Chuck 23

    Oh my…objective achieved by National. Left in total disarray over possible tax cut for 2017!!

    Like moths to the light.

  24. Jack Ramaka 24

    The tax cuts are purely a ploy to get re-elected whether we can afford them or not.

    • whateva next? 24.1

      just like Thatcher (Rust in Peace) did, trouble is it worked…took everything else, and threw some coins at us…until….the poll tax, I am waiting for the tipping point here, what will it be?

    • ropata 24.2

      yep another bribe to keep their constituency on side and to quell any stray pangs of conscience

  25. I don’t disagree that tax should remain where it is in order for the government to be robust, but the trouble is telling people that they are financing the state when they don’t see where their money is going…

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    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
    7 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
    8 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
    9 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
    11 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
    23 hours 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 ...
    1 day 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
    1 day 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
    1 day 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
    1 day 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
    1 day 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 ...
    1 day 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 ...
    1 day 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
    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
    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
    2 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
    3 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
    4 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
    4 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
    4 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
    4 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
    5 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
    5 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
  • There’s a name for this
    Every year, in the Budget, Parliament forks out money to government agencies to do certain things. And every year, as part of the annual review cycle, those agencies are meant to report on whether they have done the things Parliament gave them that money for. Agencies which consistently fail to ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    6 days ago
  • Echoes of 1968 in 2024?  Pocock on the repetitive problems of the New Left
    Mike Grimshaw writes – Recent events in American universities point to an underlying crisis of coherent thinking, an issue that increasingly affects the progressive left across the Western world. This of course is nothing new as anyone who can either remember or has read of the late ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago
  • Two bar blues
    The thing about life’s little victories is that they can be followed by a defeat.Reader Darryl told me on Monday night:Test again Dave. My “head cold” last week became COVID within 24 hours, and is still with me. I hear the new variants take a bit longer to show up ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    6 days ago
  • Bernard's Top 10 @ 10 'pick 'n' mix' for March 13
    TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: Angus Deaton on rethinking his economics IMFLocal scoop: The people behind Tamarind, the firm that left a $500m cleanup bill for taxpayers at Taranaki’s Tui oil well, are back operating in Taranaki under a different company name. Jonathan ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    6 days 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
    5 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
    6 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
    7 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
    21 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
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  • Minister opens new Auckland Rail Operations Centre
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