The losses keep coming

Written By: - Date published: 12:08 pm, September 24th, 2012 - 54 comments
Categories: jobs, same old national, unemployment - Tags: , ,

Welcome to National’s economy: Kiwirail has just announced 158 infrastructure and engineering job losses, and this afternoon Solid Energy will probably announce the loss of 300 jobs at Spring Creek, and 200-250 elsewhere.  This on top of the swathe of job losses in Huntly and Christchurch Solid Energy announced a month ago.

The Spring Creek miners aren’t going to take it lying down – they march on Parliament tomorrow, to appeal to their bosses bosses: the Government.  The workers plan to give their alternate plan to ministers; they accept 70 job losses to save the rest.

Kiwirail desperately needs more infrastructure and engineering work to get our tracks up to speed. Best put by the RMTU’s Wayne Butson:

“We fought hard to save as many jobs we could. With rotting Peruvian sleepers and hundreds of wooden bridges beyond their centenary of service, the last thing KiwiRail should be doing is laying off skilled workers.”

Vital rail work would not get done or would be delayed which would compromise safety and performance, he said.

“We’ll see more temporary speed restrictions in place and a greater potential for derailments and other critical incidents, with customers and staff paying the true cost of the cuts.”

These are both SOEs, that the government could be putting valuable investment into the economy through, doing vital work that is needed – instead they’re being run-down and parts flogged off.  Valuable jobs are being lost when the economy can least afford them to be; skilled workers are being lost from Aotearoa to Australia.

Great work National – best we pay more people the dole rather than have productive work done by skilled workers.

54 comments on “The losses keep coming ”

  • Comments are now closed

  1. Jokerman 1
    24 September 2012 at 12:40 pm

    MSM-Nuplex plan to close factories in NZ and Oz in next two years

    • mike e 1.1
      24 September 2012 at 4:25 pm

      delta are axing 60 jobs airnz is downsizing govt dept.s continue to down size but increase numbers of consultants

      • Colonial Viper 1.1.1
        24 September 2012 at 9:58 pm

        We have an economy which does not need workers, either skilled or unskilled.

        Let’s go trade some derivatives, that will make NZ wealthy.

  2. Jilly Bee 2
    24 September 2012 at 1:30 pm

    Having travelled on the Trans-Alpine Express two years ago and to Wellington on the Northern Explorer in July – I was appalled by the condition of the tracks – some parts were worse than a badly pot-holed road. I half expected us to derail several times – it was an ordeal to get up to go to the Cafe Car and/or the toilet. I do not recall the tracks being in such a state when travelling on the Limited Express and the Railcar from Rotorua to Auckland, nor on the Auckland – Wellington Express, even though those trips were several years ago.

    • vto 2.1
      24 September 2012 at 1:43 pm

      You can blame ‘Sir’ Michael Fay for that jilly bee.

      They systematically rorted NZ Rail so as to pull out every single cent of available cash for themselves rather than use that cash to maintain the lines, wagons, etc. Ever wonder why you see trains travelling at snails pace sometimes? It is because the lack of maintenance means the train tracks cannot take the trains.

      They basically thieved from NZ Rail.

  3. Poission 3
    24 September 2012 at 1:31 pm

    The transfer of both skilled jobs,and unskilled jobs is becoming more apparent in the difficulty of employers to find staff.One of the foremost issues is the 90 day rule,where employees are reluctant to change.

    Another issue is the inability of employers to provide enhanced on job education with transferable skills.

    The significant problem over the next 3 months will be a decreasing pool of available labour in other regions as CHCH moves into overdrive and the drift is evident now.

    http://s1250.beta.photobucket.com/user/Poission/media/skilllabour_zpsc7661f51.gif.html

    Mobie identified truck drivers as a skill shortage in the SI as an emergent property ( there was an example of a Transport company offering sign on bonuses), very poor decision making to reduce rail development..

    • Tiger Mountain 3.1
      24 September 2012 at 2:02 pm

      Also according to many unionists old fashioned fatigue (rather than the once trendy burnout) is becoming a real problem across industries and the public service. Staff numbers are cut but the work remains to be done and people are just shagged, but try and cling on to their job.

      KiwiRail tops don’t want to do the work anyway it would seem. What kind of country are we meant to be running here? When everything is sold off and only shit service jobs remain what is left–tax haven, US military base….

      • vto 3.1.1
        24 September 2012 at 2:06 pm

        But Tiger Mountain don’t you know that is the way ahead?

        For example in the farming industry, selling the farms to foreigners and working as farm managers and labourers is a proven way to wealth apparently.

        Can you not see this?

        • Tiger Mountain 3.1.1.1
          24 September 2012 at 2:50 pm

          Very droll vto. Not being a “1%er” I do not see this and refuse to, preferring organising and resistance.

    • SpaceMonkey 3.2
      24 September 2012 at 4:20 pm

      I thought that link was a political poll at first… 🙂

    • Jokerman 3.3
      24 September 2012 at 5:48 pm

      “they” cannot source or attract enough engineers to fabricate and maintain manufacturing in the province where i live, and are flogging the one’s they have.
      ( yes, i do flat with a local engineers union organiser if you are wondering)
      they call their H.R person “the knife”
      wotta waste of human control degrees, slashing people’s lives in the back!

      btw, to paraphrase a plinth where i was gardening today-“Work is for people that have not learned to garden yet”

      organic Everything. Thats the way to go, imo. 🙂

  4. burt 4
    24 September 2012 at 6:38 pm

    Kiwirail has just announced 158 infrastructure and engineering job losses

    Makes you wonder why Labour paid twice the market valuation for a lemon… I guess they had to in a bid to make sure National had a hard 6 years so they (Labour) could get back to being a disaster for NZ working people by ruining the economy again implementing failed (but popular) policies like they always do.

    [The govt paid exactly market value for KiwiRail.. the price that the seller and buyer agreed upon. …RL]

    • Draco T Bastard 4.1
      24 September 2012 at 6:51 pm

      They didn’t, they paid market value and it’s not a lemon although NACT are trying their best to portray it as such.

    • Colonial Viper 4.2
      24 September 2012 at 6:51 pm

      National has vandalised a key part of the infrastructure NZ needs to survive the future, simply in order to serve its roading industry mates.

      Trust you to undermine democratic values by suggesting that common sense policies wanted by the people must be opposed by the who? The wealthy elite?

      Piss off shit for brains.

    • Poission 4.3
      24 September 2012 at 7:28 pm

      National did not invest nor did private companies such as pike river,Solid energy invested heavily in the rail infrastructure,and the PR disaster left it with both less coal for the route,and requirements for additional strengthening from both Black swan events.

      This was both a mixture of adverse luck,and under capitalization of the SOE’S The inappropriate level of the “market return” as required by directors left Solid Energy insufficient capital.The so called losses at spring creek,are not operating losses but accounting losses.

      http://www.coalnz.com/index.cfm/1,214,655,0/Agreement-to-move-Pike-River-Coal-by-Rail.html

      • RedLogix 4.3.1
        24 September 2012 at 7:55 pm

        The so called losses at spring creek,are not operating losses but accounting losses.

        Yes. I’ve been encountering this kind of insanity quite a bit lately. Things are perfectly desirable from an engineering point of view are rejected by the bean counters with absolutely specious waffle about ‘opex’ and ‘capex’ and ‘depreciation schedules’ and all sorts of drivel that end up costing money.

        For instance. DoC are required to put a ‘value’ on their visitor assets, the tracks, bridges and huts. Then the govt charges them ‘depreciation’ that has to come out of their ‘opex’ (operations) budget. Then in some crazy money go-round the same money lands back in DoC’s ‘capex’ budget … which can only be spent on ‘new’ assets. Maintenance has to come out of opex.

        So each year as their asset base grows the depreciation charge grows, which means that existing tracks and huts get less and less maintenance. (Not to mention that the biodiversity protection work falls even further down the list of priorities.) At the same time they’ve got biggish lumps of cash to spend on ‘new’ assets that the local community doesn’t want or need. While at the same time DoC are demanding cash and volunteer time from the same community to maintain the older huts and tracks we really DO value.

        This is just one piffling little example of how accounting rules are driving decisions in completely perverse directions.

        • Poission 4.3.1.1
          24 September 2012 at 8:37 pm

          There are two significant problems here,first the over complication of the SOP,which reduces decision making,and secondly the overweight role of BCA and MBA in running organisations with little understanding of flow dynamics or how things work.

          • Colonial Viper 4.3.1.1.1
            24 September 2012 at 9:07 pm

            What you have a is bunch of shitty “managers” who don’t understand operations, value, or leadership, and instead spend their life steering by the numbers.

            And they also tend to get paid the most in this sociopathic society we’ve allowed.

            • RedLogix 4.3.1.1.1.1
              24 September 2012 at 9:20 pm

              Yes. It’s the same story I keep hearing over and over. Our fascination with technology seems to have seduced too many of us into thinking that everything, including leadership, judgement and wisdom can be automated, ie reduced to rigid SOP’s.

              Paperwork and process substituting for experience and skills will always end badly.

            • Poission 4.3.1.1.1.2
              24 September 2012 at 9:27 pm

              This is not a criticism of Don Elder in the SE case,he was constrained from above a board with a deep ideological agenda,this is the deep malignancy of the underlying pathology,and where they try to cure the symptoms and not the causal mechanism,hence it will reoccur with persistence.

              If accountants are the rule,and they are using accounting procedures in say NZ rails case to reduce spending in infrastructure and maintenance,then they should be accountable if in the unfortunate case of an accident that is attributable ie personally accountable such as the directors of the finance companies.

              That may be the ghost of Christmas to come an enhanced risk is always incentive in the decision making process.

              • Jokerman …
                24 September 2012 at 9:30 pm

                apparently it pays ” to believe six impossible things before breakfast”

              • RedLogix …
                24 September 2012 at 9:51 pm

                If you have the interest here is an excellent account of the Cave Creek disaster from a systemic failure perspective. Especially pertinent:

                “The old New Zealand Forest Service seems to have had a carefully structured system using appropriately skilled employees for designing and building quality structures. Those systems are no longer evident within the Department of Conservation and the appropriately skilled employees have either gone or are doing different jobs. I believe that the department was malformed at birth; no place for the necessary systems was ever provided.”

                Cave Creek had a deep impact on not just DoC, but the wider implementation of the 1992 Health and Safety Act across the entire public and private sectors. But as well-intentioned as the designers of the act were; the implementation of it is notoriously bureaucratic and clumsy. Yet despite all of the immense expense involved, twenty years of the the H&S regime has not really seen a major drop in serious harm incidents.

                Again paperwork attempting to substitute for skill.

                • Colonial Viper …
                  24 September 2012 at 9:57 pm

                  Do you want to know how incompetent, corner cutting and badly led this country has become? To me, the opening night of the Rugby World Cup demonstrated it perfectly. Years of planning, hundreds of thousands of management hours, and god knows how many millions upon millions spent in preparation for the opening ceremony.

                  And this country could not even get people across town on time.

                  Absolutely mind numbingly, fucking useless at every single level.

                  God help us if we have to ever do anything of real importance, like say, rebuild a city after a major disaster.

                • Poission …
                  24 September 2012 at 10:07 pm

                  Indeed the reduction of institutional memory and great tomes of Potemkin wallpaper undoubtedly constructed at great expense by legions of highly qualified consultatants

                  Haven’t they done well.

                  http://dol.govt.nz/News/Media/2012/consultation-open.asp

        • Jokerman 4.3.1.2
          24 September 2012 at 9:22 pm

          Jesus Wept!

    • mike e 4.4
      24 September 2012 at 9:06 pm

      burt 4.000 kms of tracks three ferries rolling stock and land less than the cost of one lane of motorway from Auckland harbour bridge to the airport!
      Typical lack of understanding of infrastructure from redneck bean brained bean counter!

    • mike e 4.5
      24 September 2012 at 9:15 pm

      John Banks sold kiwi rail to Fayricwhite and Alan Gibbs who live in Switzerland where all corrupt people hide their ill gotten gains 1.2 billion dollars worth of tax payers investment handed to 3 people for a song that money could have been used to up grade Kiwirail with out us having to borrow to fix the run down asset!

  5. burt 5
    24 September 2012 at 6:44 pm

    Bloody Labour and their Muldoon-esq policies of nationalising everything. It didn’t work for socialist Muldoon and it didn’t work for Labour – but just watch them gain popularity by promising the short memory sheeple they will do it all again.

    • Draco T Bastard 5.1
      24 September 2012 at 6:53 pm

      It didn’t work for Muldoon because he borrowed the money from offshore at interest and he also created bloody great loopholes in the tax base. Don’t do those things and the nationalising of large parts of the economy works. It’s privatisation that doesn’t as the GFC, the Great Depression and every single recession in between and before prove.

    • mike e 5.2
      24 September 2012 at 9:09 pm

      Burt Especially if they think like ewe

    • Colonial Viper 5.3
      24 September 2012 at 9:48 pm

      What was wrong with 1980 Burt? You could raise a family and pay off a home with just a single full time income, and have a parent at home raising the kids too.

      • burt 5.3.1
        24 September 2012 at 11:10 pm

        1984 – that is what was wrong with 1980 – it was unsustainable. Socialist la la land – the same boom and crash bullshit but you only remember the artificial boom created by failed interventionist ideology. You blind adherence to said ideology prohibits you from associating it’s implementation with it’s consequences. Grow up – stop being a child CV – that big scary “National party” monster is the counterbalance your failed ideology requires every 6-9 years. It’s always been that way with socialism, it always will !

        • Colonial Viper 5.3.1.1
          24 September 2012 at 11:19 pm

          Hey dickhead if you want unsustainable just look at the crony capitalist economy created and run by the shadow bankers.

          BTW the reason 1984 happened in such a disastrous way was because of your dickhead neoliberal god Roger Douglas and his mates Prebble Moore etc

        • Draco T Bastard 5.3.1.2
          25 September 2012 at 12:40 am

          burt, reality and what actually happens under capitalism (over accumulation in too few hands, power shifting to those same few, corruption becoming endemic and over use of resources resulting in collapse) is against you. It doesn’t work, it never has done and never will do.

        • mike e 5.3.1.3
          25 September 2012 at 11:08 pm

          45 farmers committed suicide in one year burt our national debt was only $1 billion in 1976 $16billion after think big and SMP’s after Rogernomics the economy the debt grew to $100 billion thats 100 times worse than Norman kirks debt 6 times worse than Muldoons now the debt is over $300 billion yeah burt neo liberal BS

  6. lefty 6
    24 September 2012 at 7:26 pm

    Great work National – best we pay more people the dole rather than have productive work done by skilled workers.

    National has no intention of paying the people it throws out of work the dole. That’s why Bennett is doing her welfare ‘reforms’.

  7. Richard 7
    25 September 2012 at 12:52 am

    If your ideal government is going to dole out taxpayer money to save 500 uneconomic jobs, why these ones? Surely we can find 500 more worthy jobs to save. There must be some teachers, or university staff, or nurses somewhere to save instead.

    Why do railway infrastructure workers and miners get the free jobs?

    • Colonial Viper 7.1
      25 September 2012 at 1:32 am

      Tax payer money is not “doled out” you fucking moron. Your use of the word “dole” deliberate and cruel, completely underestimates the ECONOMIC value of rail and energy infrastructure to NZ. As well as a pathetic and transparent attempt to turn workers against each other.

      The true UNECONOMIC work in NZ is done by the foreign banks and private monopolies.

      Tax their super-profits at 79% and give the masses of resulting money to teachers, university staff, nurses and yes, public railway infrastructure workers and miners.

      Fuck you and the neoliberal disloyal horse you rode in on.

      Your concept of “uneconomic” is any activity which doesn’t make profits for your capitalist money masters. Piss off.

      • Richard 7.1.1
        25 September 2012 at 10:38 pm

        Zzzzzz, wake me up when the revolution comes, comrade.

        Until then, the question remains, how do we decide which worker’s jobs to arbitrarily save?

        It can’t be based on return on investment, since the return on investment for these jobs is, as shown by their being disestablished, negative.

        Social value? I fail to see how the excavation of planet-killing coal is socially valuable.

        Guess we’re in a bit of a pickle, then.

        • McFlock 7.1.1.1
          25 September 2012 at 10:51 pm

          Typical tory bullshit. One-dimensional thinking that thinks short-term selfish gain greed is the same as a long term public good.
                   
          What richard fails to comprehend is that the cards are almost certainly  stacked against him, just like the rest of us. Although the possibility that he’s a friedmanite 0.05%er would be a perfect demonstration that the unrestrained capitalism we face today is not a meritocracy, but a fuckwitocracy.

        • mike e 7.1.1.2
          25 September 2012 at 11:00 pm

          Richard Cranium We should just retrain them all to become Con sultants at $1200 to $1800 an hour!

    • fatty 7.2
      25 September 2012 at 3:00 am

      Richard…can I call you Dick?

      “Why do railway infrastructure workers and miners get the free jobs?”

      If you’re gonna ask a question, can you please make it one that is answerable? Otherwise you look like a Richard.

    • mike e 7.3
      25 September 2012 at 5:10 pm

      achually railways made $ 130 million in profit last year take away the fact that their has been no real investment in infrastructure for 40 years no new engines for sixty years . The fleecing of capital by John Banks and his mates Fay Richwhite ,Alan Gibbs and Wisconsin rail, Who asset stripped the company of equity built up by NZ taxpayers over 150 odd years.

    • Richard 7.4
      25 September 2012 at 10:28 pm

      No one actually had a coherent answer I see. Unsurprising.

      The best one was the “130 million dollar profit”, which as far as I can see, was completely made up since Kiwirail actually made a profit of just 34 million last year, representing a terrible return on capital.

      • Colonial Viper 7.4.1
        25 September 2012 at 10:44 pm

        You certainly don’t have a coherant criticism. Rail enables billions in trade and infrastructure. And it does this efficiently against a very highly subsidised road transport industry.

        representing a terrible return on capital.

        This narrow financialised measure does not even begin to capture the value of rail to this country.

      • mike e 7.4.2
        25 September 2012 at 10:50 pm

        $123million in 2010
        $34 million in 2011 $100 million operating surplus -cost of govt grant. don’t forget Joyce’s forced depreciation value of land. Kiwi rail is expecting a 29% increase in profit this year !if we did the same calculations for road transport most trucking companies would not be profitable as their is no depreciation for the roads they drive on, then road transport is subsidized by car users and taxpayers!
        Then the Canterbury Earthquakes cut profits from the previous year and this year by 30 million plus pike river loss also affected Kiwirails performance not to mention the lack of investment for the last 40 odd years!

  8. Poission 8
    25 September 2012 at 10:42 am

    Gold miner announces 20 job losses today,which is an effect of the high dollar (being unable to capture the increased prices)

    Solid energy had a loss to earnings of 31million after hedging due to the FOREX.

    The arguments that a lower TWI will increase the inputs of NZ manufacturers and producers and decrease the wages of NZ workers is in effect voodoo economics.

    If we use the widely used example ( Joyce) of fuel increases that argument does not hold up with the pump price.As we are paying around the same as the 2008 peak price,when oil was fuel 30% higher and the NZ/US cross rate 7c lower ,someone is making windfall profits.

    The deflater portion of the revalued exchange rate is rarely fully imputed to the sale price,and hence consumers are subsidizing importers.

  9. Georgecom 9
    25 September 2012 at 8:46 pm

    Bung $20 million to a foreign film company and change the law of the country – no problem.
    Change the law for a large corporate gambler – no problem

    Put in $36 million to keep skilled workers employed and keep a provincial town going – nah.

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    Having written, taught and worked for the US government on issues involving unconventional warfare and terrorism for 30-odd years, two things irritate me the most when the subject is discussed in public. The first is the Johnny-come-lately academics-turned-media commentators who … Continue reading → ...
    KiwipoliticoBy Pablo
    19 hours ago

  • Despair – construction consenting edition
    Eric Crampton writes – Kainga Ora is the government’s house building agency. It’s been building a lot of social housing. Kainga Ora has its own (but independent) consenting authority, Consentium. It’s a neat idea. Rather than have to deal with building consents across each different territorial authority, Kainga Ora ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    19 hours ago

  • Coalition promises – will the Govt keep the commitment to keep Kiwis equal before the law?
    Muriel Newman writes – The Coalition Government says it is moving with speed to deliver campaign promises and reverse the damage done by Labour. One of their key commitments is to “defend the principle that New Zealanders are equal before the law.” To achieve this, they have pledged they “will not advance ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    19 hours ago

  • An impermanent public service is a guarantee of very little else but failure
    Chris Trotter writes –  The absence of anything resembling a fightback from the public servants currently losing their jobs is interesting. State-sector workers’ collective fatalism in the face of Coalition cutbacks indicates a surprisingly broad acceptance of impermanence in the workplace. Fifty years ago, lay-offs in the thousands ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    20 hours ago

  • What happens after the war – Mariupol
    Mariupol, on the Azov Sea coast, was one of the first cities to suffer almost complete destruction after the start of the Ukraine War started in late February 2022. We remember the scenes of absolute destruction of the houses and city structures. The deaths of innocent civilians – many of ...
    Open ParachuteBy Ken
    21 hours ago

  • Babies and benefits – no good news
    Lindsay Mitchell writes – Ten years ago, I wrote the following in a Listener column: Every year around one in five new-born babies will be reliant on their caregivers benefit by Christmas. This pattern has persisted from at least 1993. For Maori the number jumps to over one in three.  ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    21 hours ago

  • Should the RBNZ be looking through climate inflation?
    Climate change is expected to generate more and more extreme events, delivering a sort of structural shock to inflation that central banks will have to react to as if they were short-term cyclical issues. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāMy pick of the six newsey things to know from Aotearoa’s ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    21 hours ago

  • Bernard's pick 'n' mix of the news links
    The top six news links I’ve seen elsewhere in the last 24 hours, as of 9:16 am on Thursday, April 18 are:Housing: Tauranga residents living in boats, vans RNZ Checkpoint Louise TernouthHousing: Waikato councillor says wastewater plant issues could hold up Sleepyhead building a massive company town Waikato Times Stephen ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    22 hours ago

  • Gordon Campbell on the public sector carnage, and misogyny as terrorism
    It’s a simple deal. We pay taxes in order to finance the social services we want and need. The carnage now occurring across the public sector though, is breaking that contract. Over 3,000 jobs have been lost so far. Many are in crucial areas like Education where the impact of ...
    Gordon CampbellBy lyndon
    23 hours ago

  • Meeting the Master Baiters
    Hi,A friend had their 40th over the weekend and decided to theme it after Curb Your Enthusiasm fashion icon Susie Greene. Captured in my tiny kitchen before I left the house, I ending up evoking a mix of old lesbian and Hillary Clinton — both unintentional.Me vs Hillary ClintonIf you’re ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    1 day ago

  • How extreme was the Earth's temperature in 2023
    This is a re-post from Andrew Dessler at the Climate Brink blog In 2023, the Earth reached temperature levels unprecedented in modern times. Given that, it’s reasonable to ask: What’s going on? There’s been lots of discussions by scientists about whether this is just the normal progression of global warming or if something ...
    Skeptical Science
    1 day ago

  • Backbone, revisited
    The schools are on holiday and the sun is shining in the seaside village and all day long I have been seeing bunches of bikes; Mums, Dads, teens and toddlers chattering, laughing, happy, having a bloody great time together. Cheers, AT, for the bits of lane you’ve added lately around the ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    2 days ago

  • Ministers are not above the law
    Today in our National-led authoritarian nightmare: Shane Jones thinks Ministers should be above the law: New Zealand First MP Shane Jones is accusing the Waitangi Tribunal of over-stepping its mandate by subpoenaing a minister for its urgent hearing on the Oranga Tamariki claim. The tribunal is looking into the ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    2 days ago

  • What’s the outfit you can hear going down the gurgler? Probably it’s David Parker’s Oceans Sec...
    Buzz from the Beehive Point  of Order first heard of the Oceans Secretariat in June 2021, when David Parker (remember him?) announced a multi-agency approach to protecting New Zealand’s marine ecosystems and fisheries. Parker (holding the Environment, and Oceans and Fisheries portfolios) broke the news at the annual Forest & ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    2 days ago

  • Will politicians let democracy die in the darkness?
    Bryce Edwards writes  – Politicians across the political spectrum are implicated in the New Zealand media’s failing health. Either through neglect or incompetent interventions, successive governments have failed to regulate, foster, and allow a healthy Fourth Estate that can adequately hold politicians and the powerful to account. ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    2 days ago

  • Matt Doocey doubles down on trans “healthcare”
    Citizen Science writes –  Last week saw two significant developments in the debate over the treatment of trans-identifying children and young people – the release in Britain of the final report of Dr Hilary Cass’s review into gender healthcare, and here in New Zealand, the news that the ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    2 days ago

  • A TikTok Prime Minister.
    One night while sleeping in my bed I had a beautiful dreamThat all the people of the world got together on the same wavelengthAnd began helping one anotherNow in this dream, universal love was the theme of the dayPeace and understanding and it happened this wayAfter such an eventful day ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    2 days ago

  • Texas Lessons
    This is a guest post by Oscar Simms who is a housing activist, volunteer for the Coalition for More Homes, and was the Labour Party candidate for Auckland Central at the last election. ...
    Greater AucklandBy Guest Post
    2 days ago

  • Bernard's pick 'n' mix of the news links at 6:06 am
    The top six news links I’ve seen elsewhere in the last 24 hours as of 6:06 am on Wednesday, April 17 are:Must read: Secrecy shrouds which projects might be fast-tracked RNZ Farah HancockScoop: Revealed: Luxon has seven staffers working on social media content - partly paid for by taxpayer Newshub ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago

  • Fighting poverty on the holiday highway
    Turning what Labour called the “holiday highway” into a four-lane expressway from Auckland to Whangarei could bring at least an economic benefit of nearly two billion a year for Northland each year. And it could help bring an end to poverty in one of New Zealand’s most deprived regions. The ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    2 days ago

  • Bernard's six-stack of substacks at 6:26 pm
    Tonight’s six-stack includes: launching his substack with a bunch of his previous documentaries, including this 1992 interview with Dame Whina Cooper. and here crew give climate activists plenty to do, including this call to submit against the Fast Track Approvals bill. writes brilliantly here on his substack ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago

  • At a glance – Is the science settled?
    On February 14, 2023 we announced our Rebuttal Update Project. This included an ask for feedback about the added "At a glance" section in the updated basic rebuttal versions. This weekly blog post series highlights this new section of one of the updated basic rebuttal versions and serves as a ...
    Skeptical Science
    3 days ago

  • Apposite Quotations.
    How Long Is Long Enough? Gaza under Israeli bombardment, July 2014. This posting is exclusive to Bowalley Road. ...
    Bowalley Road
    3 days ago

  • What’s a life worth now?
    You're in the mall when you hear it: some kind of popping sound in the distance, kids with fireworks, maybe. But then a moment of eerie stillness is followed by more of the fireworks sound and there’s also screaming and shrieking and now here come people running for their lives.Does ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago

  • Howling at the Moon
    Karl du Fresne writes –  There’s a crisis in the news media and the media are blaming it on everyone except themselves. Culpability is being deflected elsewhere – mainly to the hapless Minister of Communications, Melissa Lee, and the big social media platforms that are accused of hoovering ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    3 days ago

  • Newshub is Dead.
    I don’t normally send out two newsletters in a day but I figured I’d say something about… the news. If two newsletters is a bit much then maybe just skip one, I don’t want to overload people. Alternatively if you’d be interested in sometimes receiving multiple, smaller updates from me, ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    3 days ago

  • Seymour is chuffed about cutting early-learning red tape – but we hear, too, that Jones has loose...
    Buzz from the Beehive David Seymour and Winston Peters today signalled that at least two ministers of the Crown might be in Wellington today. Seymour (as Associate Minister of Education) announced the removal of more red tape, this time to make it easier for new early learning services to be ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    3 days ago

  • Bryce Edwards: Will politicians let democracy die in the darkness?
    Politicians across the political spectrum are implicated in the New Zealand media’s failing health. Either through neglect or incompetent interventions, successive governments have failed to regulate, foster, and allow a healthy Fourth Estate that can adequately hold politicians and the powerful to account. Our political system is suffering from the ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    3 days ago

  • Was Hawkesby entirely wrong?
    David Farrar  writes –  The Broadcasting Standards Authority ruled: Comments by radio host Kate Hawkesby suggesting Māori and Pacific patients were being prioritised for surgery due to their ethnicity were misleading and discriminatory, the Broadcasting Standards Authority has found. It is a fact such patients are prioritised. ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    3 days ago

  • PRC shadow looms as the Solomons head for election
    PRC and its proxies in Solomons have been preparing for these elections for a long time. A lot of money, effort and intelligence have gone into ensuring an outcome that won’t compromise Beijing’s plans. Cleo Paskall writes – On April 17th the Solomon Islands, a country of ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    3 days ago

  • Climate Change: Criminal ecocide
    We are in the middle of a climate crisis. Last year was (again) the hottest year on record. NOAA has just announced another global coral bleaching event. Floods are threatening UK food security. So naturally, Shane Jones wants to make it easier to mine coal: Resources Minister Shane Jones ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    3 days ago

  • Is saving one minute of a politician's time worth nearly $1 billion?
    Is speeding up the trip to and from Wellington airport by 12 minutes worth spending up more than $10 billion? Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The six news items that stood out to me in the last day to 8:26 am today are:The Lead: Transport Minister Simeon Brown announced ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago

  • Long Tunnel or Long Con?
    Yesterday it was revealed that Transport Minister had asked Waka Kotahi to look at the options for a long tunnel through Wellington. State Highway 1 (SH1) through Wellington City is heavily congested at peak times and while planning continues on the duplicate Mt Victoria Tunnel and Basin Reserve project, the ...
    Greater AucklandBy Matt L
    3 days ago

  • Smoke And Mirrors.
    You're a fraud, and you know itBut it's too good to throw it all awayAnyone would do the sameYou've got 'em goingAnd you're careful not to show itSometimes you even fool yourself a bitIt's like magicBut it's always been a smoke and mirrors gameAnyone would do the sameForty six billion ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    3 days ago

  • What is Mexico doing about climate change?
    This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections The June general election in Mexico could mark a turning point in ensuring that the country’s climate policies better reflect the desire of its citizens to address the climate crisis, with both leading presidential candidates expressing support for renewable energy. Mexico is the ...
    Skeptical Science
    3 days ago

  • State of humanity, 2024
    2024, it feels, keeps presenting us with ever more challenges, ever more dismay.Do you give up yet? It seems to ask.No? How about this? Or this?How about this?When I say 2024 I really mean the state of humanity in 2024.Saturday night, we watched Civil War because that is one terrifying cliff we've ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    4 days ago

  • Govt’s Wellington tunnel vision aims to ease the way to the airport (but zealous promoters of cycl...
    Buzz from the Beehive A pet project and governmental tunnel vision jump out from the latest batch of ministerial announcements. The government is keen to assure us of its concern for the wellbeing of our pets. It will be introducing pet bonds in a change to the Residential Tenancies Act ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    4 days ago

  • The case for cultural connectedness
    A recent report generated from a Growing Up in New Zealand (GUiNZ) survey of 1,224 rangatahi Māori aged 11-12 found: Cultural connectedness was associated with fewer depression symptoms, anxiety symptoms and better quality of life. That sounds cut and dry. But further into the report the following appears: Cultural connectedness is ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago

  • Useful context on public sector job cuts
    David Farrar writes –    The Herald reports: From the gory details of job-cuts news, you’d think the public service was being eviscerated.   While the media’s view of the cuts is incomplete, it’s also true that departments have been leaking the particulars faster than a Wellington ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago

  • Gordon Campbell On When Racism Comes Disguised As Anti-racism
    Remember the good old days, back when New Zealand had a PM who could think and speak calmly and intelligently in whole sentences without blustering? Even while Iran’s drones and missiles were still being launched, Helen Clark was live on TVNZ expertly summing up the latest crisis in the Middle ...
    Gordon CampbellBy lyndon
    4 days ago

  • Govt ignored economic analysis of smokefree reversal
    Costello did not pass on analysis of the benefits of the smokefree reforms to Cabinet, emphasising instead the extra tax revenues of repealing them. Photo: Hagen Hopkins, Getty Images TL;DR: The six news items that stood out to me at 7:26 am today are:The Lead: Casey Costello never passed on ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago

  • True Blue.
    True loveYou're the one I'm dreaming ofYour heart fits me like a gloveAnd I'm gonna be true blueBaby, I love youI’ve written about the job cuts in our news media last week. The impact on individuals, and the loss to Aotearoa of voices covering our news from different angles.That by ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    4 days ago

  • Who is running New Zealand’s foreign policy?
    While commentators, including former Prime Minister Helen Clark, are noting a subtle shift in New Zealand’s foreign policy, which now places more emphasis on the United States, many have missed a key element of the shift. What National said before the election is not what the government is doing now. ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    4 days ago

  • 2024 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #15
    A listing of 31 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, April 7, 2024 thru Sat, April 13, 2024. Story of the week Our story of the week is about adults in the room setting terms and conditions of ...
    Skeptical Science
    4 days ago

  • Feline Friends and Fragile Fauna The Complexities of Cats in New Zealand’s Conservation Efforts

    Cats, with their independent spirit and beguiling purrs, have captured the hearts of humans for millennia. In New Zealand, felines are no exception, boasting the highest national cat ownership rate globally [definition cat nz cat foundation]. An estimated 1.134 million pet cats grace Kiwi households, compared to 683,000 dogs ...

    Gareth’s WorldBy admin
    5 days ago

  • Or is that just they want us to think?
    Nice guy, that Peter Williams. Amiable, a calm air of no-nonsense capability, a winning smile. Everything you look for in a TV presenter and newsreader.I used to see him sometimes when I went to TVNZ to be a talking head or a panellist and we would yarn. Nice guy, that ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    5 days ago

  • Fact Brief – Did global warming stop in 1998?
    Skeptical Science is partnering with Gigafact to produce fact briefs — bite-sized fact checks of trending claims. This fact brief was written by Sue Bin Park in collaboration with members from our Skeptical Science team. You can submit claims you think need checking via the tipline. Did global warming stop in ...
    Skeptical Science
    5 days ago

  • Arguing over a moot point.
    I have been following recent debates in the corporate and social media about whether it is a good idea for NZ to join what is known as “AUKUS Pillar Two.” AUKUS is the Australian-UK-US nuclear submarine building agreement in which … Continue reading → ...
    KiwipoliticoBy Pablo
    6 days ago

  • No Longer Trusted: Ageing Boomers, Laurie & Les, Talk Politics.
    Turning Point: “What has turned me away from the mainstream news media is the very strong message that its been sending out for the last few years.” “And what message might that be?” “That the people who own it, the people who run it, and the people who provide its content, really don’t ...
    Bowalley Road
    6 days ago

  • Mortgage rates at 10% anyone?
    No – nothing about that in PM Luxon’s nine-point plan to improve the lives of New Zealanders. But beyond our shores Jamie Dimon, the long-serving head of global bank J.P. Morgan Chase, reckons that the chances of a goldilocks soft landing for the economy are “a lot lower” than the ...
    Point of OrderBy xtrdnry
    6 days ago

  • Sad tales from the left
    Michael Bassett writes –  Have you noticed the odd way in which the media are handling the government’s crackdown on surplus employees in the Public Service? Very few reporters mention the crazy way in which State Service numbers rocketed ahead by more than 16,000 during Labour’s six years, ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago

  • In Whose Best Interests?
    On The Spot: The question Q+A host, Jack Tame, put to the Workplace & Safety Minister, Act’s Brooke van Velden, was disarmingly simple: “Are income tax cuts right now in the best interests of lowering inflation?”JACK TAME has tested another MP on his Sunday morning current affairs show, Q+A. Minister for Workplace ...
    Bowalley Road
    6 days ago

  • Don’t Question, Don’t Complain.
    It has to start somewhereIt has to start sometimeWhat better place than here?What better time than now?So it turns out that I owe you all an apology.It seems that all of the terrible things this government is doing, impacting the lives of many, aren’t necessarily ‘bad’ per se. Those things ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    6 days ago

  • Auckland faces 25% water inflation shock
    Three Waters became a focus of anti-Government protests under Labour, but its dumping by the new Government hasn’t solved councils’ funding problems and will eventually hit the back pockets of everyone. Photo: Lynn Grieveson/Getty ImagesTL;DR: The six news items that stood out to me at 8:06 am today are:The Government ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    6 days ago

  • Small accomplishments and large ironies
    Hello! Here comes the Saturday edition of More Than A Feilding, catching you up on the past week’s editions.Share Read more ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    6 days ago

  • The Song of Saqua: Volume VII
    In order to catch up to the actual progress of the D&D campaign, I present you with another couple of sessions. These were actually held back to back, on a Monday and Tuesday evening. Session XV Alas, Goatslayer had another lycanthropic transformation… though this time, he ran off into the ...
    A Phuulish FellowBy strda221
    6 days ago

  • Accelerating the Growth Rate?
    There is a constant theme from the economic commentariat that New Zealand needs to lift its economic growth rate, coupled with policies which they are certain will attain that objective. Their prescriptions are usually characterised by two features. First, they tend to be in their advocate’s self-interest. Second, they are ...
    PunditBy Brian Easton
    7 days ago

  • Comprehensive Partnership the goal for NZ and the Philippines
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon held a bilateral meeting today with the President of the Philippines, Ferdinand Marcos Jr.  The Prime Minister was accompanied by MP Paulo Garcia, the first Filipino to be elected to a legislature outside the Philippines. During today’s meeting, Prime Minister Luxon and President Marcos Jr discussed opportunities to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    9 hours ago

  • Government commits $20m to Westport flood protection
    The Government has announced that $20 million in funding will be made available to Westport to fund much needed flood protection around the town. This measure will significantly improve the resilience of the community, says Local Government Minister Simeon Brown. “The Westport community has already been allocated almost $3 million ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    15 hours ago

  • Taupō takes pole position
    The Government is proud to support the first ever Repco Supercars Championship event in Taupō as up to 70,000 motorsport fans attend the Taupō International Motorsport Park this weekend, says Economic Development Minister Melissa Lee. “Anticipation for the ITM Taupō Super400 is huge, with tickets and accommodation selling out weeks ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    16 hours ago

  • Cost of living support for low-income homeowners
    Local Government Minister Simeon Brown has announced an increase to the Rates Rebate Scheme, putting money back into the pockets of low-income homeowners.  “The coalition Government is committed to bringing down the cost of living for New Zealanders. That includes targeted support for those Kiwis who are doing things tough, such ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    18 hours ago

  • Government backing mussel spat project
    The Coalition Government is investing in a project to boost survival rates of New Zealand mussels and grow the industry, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones has announced. “This project seeks to increase the resilience of our mussels and significantly boost the sector’s productivity,” Mr Jones says. “The project - ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    18 hours ago

  • Government focused on getting people into work
    Benefit figures released today underscore the importance of the Government’s plan to rebuild the economy and have 50,000 fewer people on Jobseeker Support, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “Benefit numbers are still significantly higher than when National was last in government, when there was about 70,000 fewer ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    21 hours ago

  • Clean energy key driver to reducing emissions
    The Government’s commitment to doubling New Zealand’s renewable energy capacity is backed by new data showing that clean energy has helped the country reach its lowest annual gross emissions since 1999, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. New Zealand’s latest Greenhouse Gas Inventory (1990-2022) published today, shows gross emissions fell ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    22 hours ago

  • Earthquake-prone buildings review brought forward
    The Government is bringing the earthquake-prone building review forward, with work to start immediately, and extending the deadline for remediations by four years, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says. “Our Government is focused on rebuilding the economy. A key part of our plan is to cut red tape that ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago

  • Thailand and NZ to agree to Strategic Partnership
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and his Thai counterpart, Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin, have today agreed that New Zealand and the Kingdom of Thailand will upgrade the bilateral relationship to a Strategic Partnership by 2026. “New Zealand and Thailand have a lot to offer each other. We have a strong mutual desire to build ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • Government consults on extending coastal permits for ports
    RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop and Transport Minister Simeon Brown have today announced the Coalition Government’s intention to extend port coastal permits for a further 20 years, providing port operators with certainty to continue their operations. “The introduction of the Resource Management Act in 1991 required ports to obtain coastal ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • Inflation coming down, but more work to do
    Today’s announcement that inflation is down to 4 per cent is encouraging news for Kiwis, but there is more work to be done - underlining the importance of the Government’s plan to get the economy back on track, acting Finance Minister Chris Bishop says. “Inflation is now at 4 per ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • School attendance restored as a priority in health advice
    Refreshed health guidance released today will help parents and schools make informed decisions about whether their child needs to be in school, addressing one of the key issues affecting school attendance, says Associate Education Minister David Seymour. In recent years, consistently across all school terms, short-term illness or medical reasons ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • Unnecessary bureaucracy cut in oceans sector
    Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones is streamlining high-level oceans management while maintaining a focus on supporting the sector’s role in the export-led recovery of the economy. “I am working to realise the untapped potential of our fishing and aquaculture sector. To achieve that we need to be smarter with ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • Patterson promoting NZ’s wool sector at International Congress
    Associate Agriculture Minister Mark Patterson is speaking at the International Wool Textile Organisation Congress in Adelaide, promoting New Zealand wool, and outlining the coalition Government’s support for the revitalisation the sector.    "New Zealand’s wool exports reached $400 million in the year to 30 June 2023, and the coalition Government ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago

  • Removing red tape to help early learners thrive
    The Government is making legislative changes to make it easier for new early learning services to be established, and for existing services to operate, Associate Education Minister David Seymour says. The changes involve repealing the network approval provisions that apply when someone wants to establish a new early learning service, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago

  • RMA changes to cut coal mining consent red tape
    Changes to the Resource Management Act will align consenting for coal mining to other forms of mining to reduce barriers that are holding back economic development, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. “The inconsistent treatment of coal mining compared with other extractive activities is burdensome red tape that fails to acknowledge ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago

  • McClay reaffirms strong NZ-China trade relationship
    Trade, Agriculture and Forestry Minister Todd McClay has concluded productive discussions with ministerial counterparts in Beijing today, in support of the New Zealand-China trade and economic relationship. “My meeting with Commerce Minister Wang Wentao reaffirmed the complementary nature of the bilateral trade relationship, with our Free Trade Agreement at its ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago

  • Prime Minister Luxon acknowledges legacy of Singapore Prime Minister Lee
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon today paid tribute to Singapore’s outgoing Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong.   Meeting in Singapore today immediately before Prime Minister Lee announced he was stepping down, Prime Minister Luxon warmly acknowledged his counterpart’s almost twenty years as leader, and the enduring legacy he has left for Singapore and South East ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago

  • PMs Luxon and Lee deepen Singapore-NZ ties
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon held a bilateral meeting today with Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. While in Singapore as part of his visit to South East Asia this week, Prime Minister Luxon also met with Singapore President Tharman Shanmugaratnam and will meet with Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong.  During today’s meeting, Prime Minister Luxon ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago

  • Antarctica New Zealand Board appointments
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters has made further appointments to the Board of Antarctica New Zealand as part of a continued effort to ensure the Scott Base Redevelopment project is delivered in a cost-effective and efficient manner.  The Minister has appointed Neville Harris as a new member of the Board. Mr ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago

  • Finance Minister travels to Washington DC
    Finance Minister Nicola Willis will travel to the United States on Tuesday to attend a meeting of the Five Finance Ministers group, with counterparts from Australia, the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom.  “I am looking forward to meeting with our Five Finance partners on how we can work ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago

  • Pet bonds a win/win for renters and landlords
    The coalition Government has today announced purrfect and pawsitive changes to the Residential Tenancies Act to give tenants with pets greater choice when looking for a rental property, says Housing Minister Chris Bishop. “Pets are important members of many Kiwi families. It’s estimated that around 64 per cent of New ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago

  • Long Tunnel for SH1 Wellington being considered
    State Highway 1 (SH1) through Wellington City is heavily congested at peak times and while planning continues on the duplicate Mt Victoria Tunnel and Basin Reserve project, the Government has also asked NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) to consider and provide advice on a Long Tunnel option, Transport Minister Simeon Brown ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago

  • New Zealand condemns Iranian strikes
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Foreign Minister Winston Peters have condemned Iran’s shocking and illegal strikes against Israel.    “These attacks are a major challenge to peace and stability in a region already under enormous pressure," Mr Luxon says.    "We are deeply concerned that miscalculation on any side could ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago

  • Huge interest in Government’s infrastructure plans
    Hundreds of people in little over a week have turned out in Northland to hear Regional Development Minister Shane Jones speak about plans for boosting the regional economy through infrastructure. About 200 people from the infrastructure and associated sectors attended an event headlined by Mr Jones in Whangarei today. Last ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago

  • Health Minister thanks outgoing Health New Zealand Chair
    Health Minister Dr Shane Reti has today thanked outgoing Health New Zealand – Te Whatu Ora Chair Dame Karen Poutasi for her service on the Board.   “Dame Karen tendered her resignation as Chair and as a member of the Board today,” says Dr Reti.  “I have asked her to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago

  • Roads of National Significance planning underway
    The NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) has signalled their proposed delivery approach for the Government’s 15 Roads of National Significance (RoNS), with the release of the State Highway Investment Proposal (SHIP) today, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says.  “Boosting economic growth and productivity is a key part of the Government’s plan to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago

  • Navigating an unstable global environment
    New Zealand is renewing its connections with a world facing urgent challenges by pursuing an active, energetic foreign policy, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says.   “Our country faces the most unstable global environment in decades,” Mr Peters says at the conclusion of two weeks of engagements in Egypt, Europe and the United States.    “We cannot afford to sit back in splendid ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago

  • NZ welcomes Australian Governor-General
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has announced the Australian Governor-General, His Excellency General The Honourable David Hurley and his wife Her Excellency Mrs Linda Hurley, will make a State visit to New Zealand from Tuesday 16 April to Thursday 18 April. The visit reciprocates the State visit of former Governor-General Dame Patsy Reddy ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago

  • Pseudoephedrine back on shelves for Winter
    Associate Health Minister David Seymour has announced that Medsafe has approved 11 cold and flu medicines containing pseudoephedrine. Pharmaceutical suppliers have indicated they may be able to supply the first products in June. “This is much earlier than the original expectation of medicines being available by 2025. The Government recognised ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago

  • NZ and the US: an ever closer partnership
    New Zealand and the United States have recommitted to their strategic partnership in Washington DC today, pledging to work ever more closely together in support of shared values and interests, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says.    “The strategic environment that New Zealand and the United States face is considerably more ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Joint US and NZ declaration
    April 11, 2024 Joint Declaration by United States Secretary of State the Honorable Antony J. Blinken and New Zealand Minister of Foreign Affairs the Right Honourable Winston Peters We met today in Washington, D.C. to recommit to the historic partnership between our two countries and the principles that underpin it—rule ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • NZ and US to undertake further practical Pacific cooperation
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters has announced further New Zealand cooperation with the United States in the Pacific Islands region through $16.4 million in funding for initiatives in digital connectivity and oceans and fisheries research.   “New Zealand can achieve more in the Pacific if we work together more urgently and ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Government redress for Te Korowai o Wainuiārua
    The Government is continuing the bipartisan effort to restore its relationship with iwi as the Te Korowai o Wainuiārua Claims Settlement Bill passed its first reading in Parliament today, says Treaty Negotiations Minister Paul Goldsmith. “Historical grievances of Te Korowai o Wainuiārua relate to 19th century warfare, land purchased or taken ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Focus on outstanding minerals permit applications
    New Zealand Petroleum and Minerals is working to resolve almost 150 outstanding minerals permit applications by the end of the financial year, enabling valuable mining activity and signalling to the sector that New Zealand is open for business, Resources Minister Shane Jones says.  “While there are no set timeframes for ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Applications open for NZ-Ireland Research Call
    The New Zealand and Irish governments have today announced that applications for the 2024 New Zealand-Ireland Joint Research Call on Agriculture and Climate Change are now open. This is the third research call in the three-year Joint Research Initiative pilot launched in 2022 by the Ministry for Primary Industries and Ireland’s ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Tenancy rules changes to improve rental market
    The coalition Government has today announced changes to the Residential Tenancies Act to encourage landlords back to the rental property market, says Housing Minister Chris Bishop. “The previous Government waged a war on landlords. Many landlords told us this caused them to exit the rental market altogether. It caused worse ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Boosting NZ’s trade and agricultural relationship with China
    Trade and Agriculture Minister Todd McClay will visit China next week, to strengthen relationships, support Kiwi exporters and promote New Zealand businesses on the world stage. “China is one of New Zealand’s most significant trade and economic relationships and remains an important destination for New Zealand’s products, accounting for nearly 22 per cent of our good and ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Freshwater farm plan systems to be improved
    The coalition Government intends to improve freshwater farm plans so that they are more cost-effective and practical for farmers, Associate Environment Minister Andrew Hoggard and Agriculture Minister Todd McClay have announced. “A fit-for-purpose freshwater farm plan system will enable farmers and growers to find the right solutions for their farm ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • New Fast Track Projects advisory group named
    The coalition Government has today announced the expert advisory group who will provide independent recommendations to Ministers on projects to be included in the Fast Track Approvals Bill, say RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop and Regional Development Minister Shane Jones. “Our Fast Track Approval process will make it easier and ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

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