Three speeches on going to war

Written By: - Date published: 8:42 am, February 25th, 2015 - 109 comments
Categories: Andrew Little, democracy under attack, iraq, john key, Parliament, russel norman, war - Tags: , ,

The first three speeches from yesterdays session in Parliament on sending troops to Iraq – John Key, Andrew Little, Russel Norman. Little’s speech is cogent, Norman’s is brilliant.

Russel Norman (0:26):

We’re going to supposedly defend democracy in the Middle East, but the National Party government has just now prevented Parliament from voting on whether New Zealand should go to war. Democracy it seems is a military export and is not for domestic consumption.

109 comments on “Three speeches on going to war ”

  1. Enough is Enough 1

    This is just the start

    We are allowed to shoot to defend ourselves apparently. After the first shot is fired Key will call up reinforcements and we will have hundreds troops on the ground.

    Our boys are coming home in bags so that Key can continue to attend his ‘club’ drinks.

    • Puckish Rogue 1.1

      Don’t be so stupid, the NZ army only has around 7000 members of which roughly 4500

      NZ still needs troops to nominally defend its borders not to mention maintain commitments around the world

      Yes be concerned all you like but hyperbole and histronics to make a point is not the way to go

      • Colonial Rawshark 1.1.1

        Interesting how you are claiming that our involvement in Iraq won’t escalate even as the situation there deteriorates.

        Why would you be against sending more Kiwi soldiers to Iraq if it turns out that our boys over there come under active attacks? Would you simply choose to leave our guys out there to hang it out by themselves?

        Why would you do that? Are you that callous?

        • Puckish Rogue 1.1.1.1

          He/she makes it sound like NZ will be leading the charge, they won’t as due to the numbers they’ll come under a larger force

          Yes more troops may be sent however there is a duty to pretect NZ as well but the big problem i had was with the comment: Key can continue to attend his ‘club’ drinks.

          Thats utter bollix

          • fisiani 1.1.1.1.1

            Agreed, This is just another typical John Key hating post masquerading as opinion. Any reasonable person would agree that ISIS have a world domination plan on a par with the Nazis in 1939. Their barbarity seems to know no bounds and it is the moral duty of the world to stand up to them in the same way that the world stood up to the Nazis. We cannot stand around wishing for “peace in our time” like the morally bankrupt Greens nor posture in parliament pretending to be a pacifist. Grow some guts and let the Army do its duty.

            • thatguynz 1.1.1.1.1.1

              You absolute fucking dickhead. How about you back up your assertion with facts and figures as to comparisons between Nazi Germany and ISIS. Asserting that their plans are congruous overlooks a rather simple notion of capability and capacity.

              Now grow some guts and actually justify your position instead of conjuring up waffle words like your hero leader.

              • Colonial Rawshark

                Let’s just remember that US elite business men and corporations including both heavy industries and banks were major backers of the NAZI regime.

                • thatguynz

                  Valid point but there is still a rather large difference in terms of both scale and capability between the Wehrmacht and ISIS 🙂

                  That being said, I’m acutely aware that those type of distinctions will be lost on fizzanus and he/she will adopt their usual practice of making an asinine comment and disappearing into the ether.

            • One Anonymous Bloke 1.1.1.1.1.2

              Fisiani, you really believe the Iraqi “army” is a good vehicle for our fight against ISIL?

              It’s just that your remarks fall short of supporting this training exercise.

            • JRyan 1.1.1.1.1.3

              Wow common sense on this site for a change. Yes totally agreed. The like minded free world either band together or slowly be converted or havoc spread throughout the nations. And what if in time Indonesia introduced Sharia Law, pressure on the free countries to their south. Would most of these shallow thinkers on this site reject US intervention then? Scamper like rats I’d say and let the normal everyday kiwi battle for their life and country. Some on this site seem to encompass as much hate towards our leaders as the ISIS does against the Western lifestyle. Sick.

              • thatguynz

                What? Methinks you haven’t actually read any of the commentary here.. Who is rejecting US intervention? We may have views on whether the US should intervene or not but I don’t recall seeing any discussion around their role. The discussion has been about whether we (ie. NZ) should be involved..

                Now fuck off and do your shallow thinking elsewhere. Sick.

              • ewingsco

                “And what if in time Indonesia introduced Sharia Law, pressure on the free countries to their south. ”

                Then it would probably be about as relevant to New Zealanders as :

                ‘christianity’ ?

                Islam, Judaism and all the Christianities all share a common origin.

                I mean – do you REALLY believe that Iran is getting

                ‘more religious’

                as the years go by?

                That ‘shouldn’t you worried about sharia law?’ bullshit

                is the very same bullshit that sean hannity and mark steyn

                was trying to ram down western throats YEARS ago.

                Enough !

          • Murray Rawshark 1.1.1.1.2

            “but the big problem i had was with the comment: Key can continue to attend his ‘club’ drinks.”

            I have no problem with that at all. I think it sums up the situation extremely well. It’s the only explanation that fits the events as they have unfolded.

  2. esoteric pineapples 2

    It’s no good New Zealand just saying it is not going to participate in this war. It needs to develop a long term strategy for neutrality and efforts to help end conflicts, that remains consistent from government to government. The present government’s paradigm REQUIRES it to take part in the war. It can’t not do so, while we position ourselves as part of US led block.

    • weka 2.1

      “The present government’s paradigm REQUIRES it to take part in the war. It can’t not do so, while we position ourselves as part of US led block.”

      No reason we can’t say no and develop a neutrality strategy at the same time. Pretty sure if the GP were the govt we wouldn’t be going to war. This isn’t about NZ not knowing what else to do or not having other options. It’s about National being warmongers for the sake of capitalism.

      • Colonial Rawshark 2.1.1

        Well I think that EP has a good point – yes we can say “No” today, but in order to ensure that NZ makes the right decisions going forward in all fields (not just military) we need to know what our place in the world is all about.

        At the moment, close alignment alignment with the colonialism of the US and UK (whether it is through signing anti-terror/mass surveillance legislation or shipping troops off to Iraq) is where our political leaders see us.

        • thatguynz 2.1.1.1

          Nothing like tying ourselves to the apron strings of an empire in its death throes – that’s really aspirational politics. Do I expect more from National, sadly no.

          • Colonial Rawshark 2.1.1.1.1

            China and Russia are going to be Pacific powers of the 21st century that are comparable to the USA in influence and reach. South East asia and India are both going to continue with economic growth over the next 10-20 years while the USA stagnates, monetizes its debt and moves further towards secret centralised government decision making.

            • thatguynz 2.1.1.1.1.1

              Precisely – yet we’re continuing to align ourselves with an axis that is on a self-confessed collision course with the prospective Pacific powers. Colour me simple but that doesn’t sound like a particularly smart move..

        • weka 2.1.1.2

          fair enough CV, but there seems to be a conflating of NZ with the National Party in that argument. Which takes us nowhere particularly useful.

  3. ianmac 3

    The softening up of NZers over months is actually quite effective. Had Key kept quiet and suddenly announced entry into Iraq, the outrage would have swept the country. As it is, we were sort of used to the idea as happened with Asset Sales.
    Cunning, unscrupulous but effective.

    • vto 3.1

      And predictable, as with all times of war and propaganda.

      The other predictable thing is, seemingly, the public’s willingness to believe such proven liars and their propaganda.

      • Colonial Rawshark 3.1.1

        “Manufacturing consent” – a term which is a century old now, and which Chomsky grabbed for the title of his famous book.

        • ianmac 3.1.1.1

          Thanks for that. And I see the term “disambiguation” is used in this context to untangle the meaning of words like “Club” and “No boots on the ground.” John Key needs a lot of media help for that.

          • Wayne 3.1.1.1.1

            ianmac,

            Are you suggesting that the government should not be able to make its case. Surely the Prime Minister is entitled to set out what he proposes, why he is doing it and what outcome he expects to achieve. And of course others will state why he is wrong.

            On the issue of neutrality, it seems clear to me that the Greens and some of Labour would prefer New Zealand to be like Chile. As I have noted in several comments, Chile is a sophisticated and advanced country that is well regarded. But it is never asked to participate in the various western causes (though interestingly Chile is part of TPP). Of course Chile is part of South America, which in general does not take a role in these things. And by and large did not participate in WW2 (and neither did Spain or Portugal).

            I suspect such an approach would place quite a strain on our relations with Australia, but if that is what New Zealand decided I guess they would just accept it.

            But such a shift would require explicit endorsement by the electorate, even if not a such a dramatic shift all at once. Parties could argue for instance that they would never deploy troops unless there was a specific UN authorisation. While the UN has passed several resolutions against ISIS, I don’t think there is a specific Chapter 7 resolution, as was the case in Gulf War 1991. Alternatively they could argue that the only international contributions would be humanitarian assistance, and the provision of truce monitors as in Lebanon and Sinai with the MFO. These matters would rarely, if ever, be the main issues of a political campaign, but the electorate could reasonably expect that the major political parties will have position papers on these issues going into an election.

            The Nats did so in 2008. Murray McCully and I essentially wrote the National Party policy on foreign affairs and defence. We were explicit that we would improve the relationship with the US. We specifically said there would be occasions where troops might be deployed without a UN resolution. I appreciate that these matters were not the main issues of the 2008, or 2011 or 2014 elections. But certainly by 2014 everyone knew National’s position on these things. The GCSB debate ensured that, and the Afghan deployments also reflected that.

            So these thing have been part of the party political contest.

            I would note that It is clear that in many respects New Zealand is no longer part of the inner circle of friends and allies (by our choice), where these decisions are made without much controversy. For instance there was not a drawn out debate in the US, Australia, Canada, the UK or indeed much of Western Europe about militarily acting against ISIS. Neither did the body politic split as it has in New Zealand.

            Though I am sure if Mr Little had been PM he would have made much the same decision as John Key.

            • ianmac 3.1.1.1.1.1

              @Wayne:”Surely the Prime Minister is entitled to set out what he proposes, why he is doing it and what outcome he expects to achieve.”

              Is that what Mr Key did? I thought it mostly waffle, emotional blackmail and no clear aim and no way of evaluating success/failure. The reasons that he did use do not stack up. Suspect that other forces unstated are at work here.

            • DoublePlusGood 3.1.1.1.1.2

              I sure hope you’re willing to apologise personally for writing the National Party policy when troops come home in body bags. And to the people of the Middle East for helping make things worse there. And to the New Zealand public for making us a target for fanatics angered by our presence in the Middle East.

            • freedom 3.1.1.1.1.3

              “But certainly by 2014 everyone knew National’s position on these things. ”

              Is that why, just before the 2014 Election, the Leader of the National Party said very clearly there would not be NZ troops on the ground in Iraq?

              • JRyan

                Situations do change. If nothing is done about this cult of hatred, it would in the end reach our shores. We have no option other than letting others do the dirty work on our behalf.

                • Colonial Rawshark

                  Drivel. The west has directly or indirectly caused the deaths of up to 2 million Iraqis over the last 30 years. That’s the “cult of hatred” right there.

                  If you want to find the callous, murderous “enemy” just take a look in the mirror.

                • ewingsco

                  “We have no option other than letting others do the dirty work on our behalf.”

                  That’s just your opinion. That’s not a – fact –

                  Would this ‘cult of hatred’ reach our shores any sooner

                  were we to enter the conflict’?

                  Wouldn’t entering the conflict certainly ensure a ‘response from ISIS’ ?

                  And if we do ‘enter the conflict’

                  – wouldn’t the people (zionists) trying their level best

                  to blame the problems in South West Asia on ‘religious extremists’

                  – then feel completely free to start attacking New Zealand

                  and the people living on it

                  with false flag acts of terror?

                  – which they would then turn ’round and thinly blame on muslims?

                  … and what do you mean by ‘dirty work’?

            • meconism 3.1.1.1.1.4

              So Wayne, are we allowed to send troops into an environment littered and poisoned by at least ten years use of Depleted Uranium weapons? Does that not contravene our nuclear free status? Or are we not concerned about the long tern health effects of these weapons on our troops? Or do we class Depleted Uranium weapons as merely chemical weapons? And if that is the case are we allowed to submit troops into an environment that uses chemical warfare. Just what are the rules about troops from Nuclear Free States serving in and around Depleted Uranium weapons?

          • Jo 3.1.1.1.2

            Some fruitful searches:
            The Century of the Self – the magnificent four-part BBC documentary by Adam Curtis. One link: http://freedocumentaries.org/documentary/bbc-the-century-of-the-self-happiness-machines-season-1-episode-1

            ‘Sigmund Freud’s work into the bubbling and murky world of the subconscious changed the world. By introducing a technique to probe the unconscious mind, Freud provided useful tools for understanding the secret desires of the masses. Unwittingly, his work served as the precursor to a world full of political spin doctors, marketing moguls, and society’s belief that the pursuit of satisfaction and happiness is man’s ultimate goal.
            Episode One: Happiness Machines

            The story of the relationship between Sigmund Freud and his American nephew, Edward Bernays. Bernays invented the public relations profession in the 1920s and was the first person to take Freud’s ideas to manipulate the masses. He showed American corporations how they could make people want things they didn’t need by systematically linking mass-produced goods to their unconscious desires.

          • Jo 3.1.1.1.3

            Some fruitful searches:
            The Century of the Self – the magnificent four-part BBC documentary by Adam Curtis. One link: http://freedocumentaries.org/documentary/bbc-the-century-of-the-self-happiness-machines-season-1-episode-1

            ‘Sigmund Freud’s work into the bubbling and murky world of the subconscious changed the world. By introducing a technique to probe the unconscious mind, Freud provided useful tools for understanding the secret desires of the masses. Unwittingly, his work served as the precursor to a world full of political spin doctors, marketing moguls, and society’s belief that the pursuit of satisfaction and happiness is man’s ultimate goal.
            Episode One: Happiness Machines

            The story of the relationship between Sigmund Freud and his American nephew, Edward Bernays. Bernays invented the public relations profession in the 1920s and was the first person to take Freud’s ideas to manipulate the masses. He showed American corporations how they could make people want things they didn’t need by systematically linking mass-produced goods to their unconscious desires.

            • Jo 3.1.1.1.3.1

              oops, sent by mistake – Another fruitful search is George Lakeoff and his fantastic writings on framing language, herds of elephants in rooms. ‘Behind the wire’… Will good old Number 8 do it this time?

  4. GregJ 4

    So the NZ forces are being deployed to Taji, smack in the middle of the Sunni triangle. It’s hardly behind the front lines – see here.

    It was originally an Iraqi Republican Guard base during the Saddam era and a center for the manufacture of chemical weapons. It was also the location of the largest tank maintenance facility in Iraq.

    • Colonial Rawshark 4.1

      Yeah pretty much we have been lied to from the start, and we continue to be lied to.

      Amazing how all the right wingers who love to hold government accountable have gone dead quiet.

  5. Jan Rivers 5

    Kennedy Graham’s speech was powerful, principled and highly pertinent. It’s here with a transcript. He mentions that the situation in Iraq/Syria can be linked directly back to the US decision to pursue a ‘war on terror’ rather than a criminal trial for the perpetrators of 11-9 and criticises the use of diplomatic passports as overturning 300 years of diplomatic conventions.

    https://www.greens.org.nz/news/speeches/kennedy-grahams-speech-nzs-deployment-troops-iraq

    • Murray Simmonds 5.1

      Yes, I agree, Graham gave a well-thought-out, intelligent and insightful speech that nicely commented Russel Norman’s earlier speech – which I thought was clearly the best-delivered, most intelligent and most clearly articulated of the lot.

      If Norman decides, eventually, to leave parliament, his presence will be sorely missed.

      There’s a lot to be said for a voice of reason in troubled times.

  6. freedom 6

    And now, ladies and gentlemen, Fifty First State Productions in association with Hegemony Enterprises present the career defining performance of John Key in A Man Who Would Be King

  7. infused 7

    “Norman’s is brilliant.”

    I’ve not seen anyone else say that.

    • ghostwhowalksnz 7.1

      Its true. Im not his biggest fan, but it was outstanding

    • weka 7.2

      I also thought Norman’s speech was very good.

      (You had your chance NZ, now the man is heading in another direction).

      • infused 7.2.1

        Yeah. And look at the polls. Majority support it, just like the majority support National.

      • Puckish Rogue 7.2.2

        NZ saw enough of Key, Cunliffe and Turei/Norman and voted accordingly

        • weka 7.2.2.1

          You’re missing the point. Very few NZers watch parliament tv. Norman is an exceptional politician. When time proves him and the GP right on things like AGW, National voters can sit and burn in their shame. Like I said, we had our chance, quite a long one. Norman is exactly the kind of leader we need going into the coming crises and RW voters like yourself are too stupid or selfish to see what matters (or like Key you just don’t care, because it’s all about the power and the money and the rest of the world be damned).

          • Puckish Rogue 7.2.2.1.1

            You are missing the point (deliberately I suspect) hes been the co-leader since 2006, hes had plenty of time for the public of NZ to get to know him

            Hes had more time as leader then Goff, Shearer and Cunliffe had as leaders put together

            Sure you like him and support what he says and thats cool but the majority of voters don’t support him and don’t agree with what he says

            and when it comes to history it’ll be written that Key was one of the best leaders NZ had

            • One Anonymous Bloke 7.2.2.1.1.1

              🙄

              …und vor allem bleibe bei dem, was du gelogen hast!

            • Macro 7.2.2.1.1.2

              “and when it comes to history it’ll be written that Key was the most deceitful, abusive, corrupt, and amoral leaders NZ ever had.”

              FIFY

            • weka 7.2.2.1.1.3

              “Sure you like him and support what he says and thats cool but the majority of voters don’t support him and don’t agree with what he says”

              Still not getting the point. I said NZers had their chance. They chose Labour, Key, Peters. They were wrong. Time will demonstrate both how we lost the opportunities in mitigating and preparing for AGW/PO/GFC, and how Norman was a sorely needed politician who was never given the chance to help NZ do the right thing. By the time NZ wakes up and realises that the GP were right, Norman may well be gone. We are fools.

            • mac1 7.2.2.1.1.4

              “and when it comes to history it’ll be written that Key was one of the best leaders NZ had”

              Hagiography, please, not history.

              History is to do with facts, research and is a narrative based on objective interpreting of events.

              Anyway I’ll be pleased to read the verdict of history on John Key in 35 years time…………………..

              We’ll compare notes then, Puckish Rogue, eh? 🙂

            • SMILIN 7.2.2.1.1.5

              Your problem is your condescending and sarcastic. the facts are we live in a culture that looks to be saved from having to do what all the other countries under fiscal threat have to do hold their aggressors to account take Iceland even Ireland Greece to name a few who wont kowtow to being fiscally coerced by an oil driven derivative based subprime money printing excuse for an economy wake up we are being used

            • Stuart Munro 7.2.2.1.1.6

              Until the outbreak of narcissism-fuelled arrogance that destroyed his public credibility together with the entire Taji force, ultimately precipitating his trial and public execution.

  8. Chooky 8

    Wow great speech from Russel Norman!….it was quiet, concise, well argued, principled and BRILLIANT!

    ….if only he were New Zealand’s Prime Minister!…left the other speeches for dead…GO GREENS!

    ( Key on radionz with Kathryn Ryan sounded like used car salesman, soft and full of bullshit)

    • Wayne 8.1

      All he has to do is get enough votes.

      • Colonial Rawshark 8.1.1

        ? Is Key now brave enough to put the deployment to a vote in Parliament then?

        • Chooky 8.1.1.1

          no KEY is a coward…cant even put it to a democratic vote in New Zealand Parliament

          …..therefore he should be on the front line leading the brave NZ soldiers and setting an example with his life

          • Puckish Rogue 8.1.1.1.1

            Key is a brave man, making the right decision yet knowing the scoundrels and isolationists will paint this as undemocratic

            Key is a leader and a leader leads even when he knows the decision is unpopular yet needed

            • Chooky 8.1.1.1.1.1

              Key’s loyalties are not to New Zealanders

            • Macro 8.1.1.1.1.2

              You do realise that this decision is against the rules for involvement of troops by a foreign nation as outlined by the UN. It is not true that Iraq have invited NZ troops (only a faction of the Iraqi parliament have voted on this). In other words NZ (and any other foreign troops) are there illegitimately, and are technically “invading”. This is a very poor decision, by a stupid man, who is only concerned with his own grandizement.

            • Lloyd 8.1.1.1.1.3

              Of course it was the RIGHT decision, it just wasn’t the CORRECT decision. Crawling up the backside of the US and the UK has been a right-wing tradition that usually results in NZ getting hurt for little but pats on the head for being a good dog.

        • infused 8.1.1.2

          Like Helen?

      • DoublePlusGood 8.1.2

        Yes, unfortunately people would rather have the flashy showmen, flim-flam merchants and incompetent ministers of your government rather than MPs who know what they are doing, explain the reasoning for their policies clearly, and are principled.
        Shame really.

  9. saveNZ 9

    What a fantastic speech from Russell!

    He nailed it.

  10. mac1 10

    http://gordoncampbell.scoop.co.nz/2015/02/24/gordon-campbell-on-drip-fed-info-about-the-iraq-deployment/

    A clear account of how a fortnight is a very long time in politics.

    And this on the worth of sending troops to Iraq.

    http://gordoncampbell.scoop.co.nz/2015/02/25/gordon-campbell-are-nz-troops-the-least-of-iss-problems/

    and also

    http://gordoncampbell.scoop.co.nz/2015/02/23/gordon-campbell-on-todays-announcement-on-iraq/

    Gordon Campbell seems to write with clarity and insight into the question of sending troops to Iraq way beyond the rhetoric and the rationale for our involvement as being part of the ‘family’ or of the ‘club.”

    Who remembers sending advisers to Viet Nam which became 500,000 troops?

    Who remembers Keith Holyoake’s “guns for butter” rationale for sending a company of NZ troops and artillery into Viet Nam?

    Who sees the parallel between then and now? Key himself said it this morning. It’s the least we can do. It’s the least we can do to keep in good with the club. It’s the least we can do without doing anything, he said.

    So why this level of commitment? Is it like Holyoake who also sent the minimum he could get away with, to curry favour with the Americans?

    What is the effect of this action in the world? Who has respect for New Zealand with this action and especially with this rationale? We are using our good name, our credibility and our reputation for admittedly minimal gain in Iraq and for much approbation in the world.

    We are there, I believe, to give America and its allies credibility as we did in Viet Nam, acting then and now outside the sanctions of the UN and world opinion.

    It is not right. It is not honourable. It is not even good sense, as Gordon Campbell argues above.

    There. That’s my speech. I am sorry for the occasion of having to write it.

    • JanM 10.1

      It is awful – like going back in time to the sixties.
      On the positive side it did wake middle NZ up somewhat and the from the protests many people found a new and more ethical way of thinking and being. Let’s see if the reaction this time will breed another ‘rennaissance’.
      p.s. Holyoake, as a concession, no doubt, to acknowledging that he was sending troops to a war that had no conscience, at least sent only volunteers, if I recall correctly.

    • SMILIN 10.2

      Key is a financier and that the way he is
      Also he is bipolar not just a thief but a liar and a traitor to our traditionally accepted form of action when it comes to sending troops
      WW1 RING A BELL about how NZ changed the rules of engagement for NZers until this bastard Key came along that is
      The nation has been conscripted

  11. greywarshark 11

    esoteric
    Yes we are part of the filling in the hamburger, there’s no show without the cheese being squished into the middle. We are so needed. Without us on our white chargers appearing at the end of the long column of USA fellow travellers in uniform and without (a huge number of USA personnel aren’t soldiers), the parade wouldn’t be complete.

    I heard some one talking the other day on Radionz giving figures for the huge numbers of non-military personnel in Iraq or Middle East. (Does any one have knowledge of that with a link?) Then add the military and WTF are we doing thinking to go there accompanied by some emotional rhetoric about a death that is only one in a shit war being fed by western war hawks producing inhuman behaviour on ALL sides?

    I can’t find the information above myself, but while looking found this stuff that looks interesting for anyone who wants to advance their thinking beyond the political swirl and churn.

    McCully has criticised the UN on poor record. That could lead to something useful happening to vitalise good work there, or not.
    http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/political/266916/mccully-says-un%27s-conflict-record-poor

    I googled this – usa statistics military and non-military personnel in Iraq
    I got first – United States military casualties of war
    then, in another listing the info that:
    Ukrainian troops ride alongside US Marines in Iraq
    then
    Lithuanian Armed Forces
    so the information is not easily to hand.

    Wikipedia has exhaustive information thank goodness as there is little background about the deployment and attacks on Iraq but plenty about relief, refugees and the humanitaritan side resulting.
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Military_intervention_against_the_Islamic_State_of_Iraq_and_the_Levant#Other_foreign_interventions_in_Syria

    I came across this site – http://www.diplosphere.org/
    From Wellington, it seems a very slick site with images that change so fast you can’t read the people identification at the bottom. It looks like a good place to go to get right wing, establishment opinion.

    Then a paper on PMFs and their effect. (Private Military Firms). Useful finding to consider:
    Paradoxically, following the precepts of neo-liberalism results in unintended and conflicting consequences as far as corporate militarism goes. A fundamental precept of neo-liberal economics is that ‘the market’ encompasses all human activity, and that human behaviour can be analysed on the basis of market transactions. However, it is easily demonstrated that there are finite limits to the operation of the market, and so it is impossible for the market to encompass all human activity.

    Here is an internet site bravely helping commerce survive in Iraq.
    http://www.learn4good.com/jobs/language/english/list/country/iraq/

    Procurement notice advertising by United Nations for Iraq.
    http://procurement-notices.undp.org/search.cfm

    Book reviewed 2010 – Michael Otterman: Erasing Iraq.
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FDx1BBgWeME
    http://michaelotterman.com/books/
    Western governments and the mainstream media continue to ignore or play down the human costs of the war on Iraqi citizens This has allowed them to present their role as the benign guardians of Iraqi interests. The authors deconstruct this narrative by presenting a portrait of the total carnage in Iraq today as told by Iraqis and other witnesses who experienced it firsthand.

    Meanwhile Israel still suppurates and no antibiotic can be found that will heal.
    UN political chief warns of ‘increasingly toxic’ Gaza; calls for new talks, international support
    18 February 2015
    Briefing the United Nations Security Council after «another tumultuous and deadly month» in the Middle East, the Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs, Jeffrey Feltman, warned that further escalation remains possible in the conflict between Israelis and Palestinians and could be highly damaging to both parties and to the two-State solution.

    http://www.un.org/en/peacekeeping/news/
    edited

    • Wayne 11.1

      greywarshark

      I am pretty sure that Diplosphere would be regarded as centre left, going by those who have put it together (though admittedly they could be seen as of the establishment).

      Tonight they are putting on a panel discussion on ISIS at Parliament, arranged several weeks ago.

      • Chooky 11.1.1

        “Tonight they are putting on a panel discussion on ISIS at Parliament”….so what?

        Big deal ! …the decision has already been made by John Key to send troops

        • Wayne 11.1.1.1

          At the time they organised it they would not have known the decision was going to be announced the day before.

          Now we know why, when and where deployment is taking place, maybe the panelists will adjust what they say, perhaps on the likelihood of success or analysis of what the coalition is trying to achieve.

          • Colonial Rawshark 11.1.1.1.1

            Why bother analysing the “likelihood of success” once you’ve already committed to boots on the ground. That’s far too late. Such an exercise is no more than a sop to democracy after all the important decisions have been made by a privileged central committee.

            • Lloyd 11.1.1.1.1.1

              They may have been promised but they are not there yet. There may be ways to stop this insanity yet.

      • greywarshark 11.1.2

        @ Wayne
        I blame the earthquakes for what appears to be a seismic shift in what is left or right. TMM the right is indicated by a tendency to be more concerned about style than substance and to be more concerned about efficiency, financiers and investors and dismissive of those who don’t match up to an invisible criteria (probably established in Paul Fussell’s old book called Class which still says useful things today).

        Certainly the site appears to have style, efficiency and the patina that comes with money. The substance could be judged on seeing who it serves, whose best interests short and long term it refers to.

  12. greywarshark 12

    And being closely involved in this Wart – threats on our malls. Perhaps those already chosen are because they have West in their name.

    It seems that it would be wise to change the name of the now Westfield malls in NZ to some other brand name that won’t be a ‘western’ propaganda point for Muslim youth to take out hatred and frustration on.

    Any ideas for the big corporate running them? Something not geographical but more statement-oriented? ModeGalerie or something which sounds upmarket with a flavour of French soigne remniscent of Galeries Lafayette. What’s in a name, and you might well ask this if caught in the downdraught of the fire of conflict.

    Just a change from thinking of yek and qari – two subjects that are as easy to understand as mirror writing.

  13. Tautoko Mangō Mata 13

    I’d like to commend Annette King’s mention of an alternative to sending soldiers. This all or nothing choice painted by John Key is misleading. An humanitarian group sent to Jordan to assist with the refugees was never considered as an option by Key and yet would have probably produced a much better outcome overall. John Key has made it less safe for New Zealanders both overseas and at home. He is a dangerous embarrassment to this country.

    • Chooky 13.1

      +100

    • Sable 13.2

      Agreed.Maybe he could get together with Abbott, Harper and Cameron, do a comedy show “The Political Stooges”. Obama could direct.

      • greywarshark 13.2.1

        @ Sable 😀
        And about those persistent Nact voters – just picture them as big stupid people sitting on baby’s potties gnawing on a piece of wet mushy sloppy biscuit. Easily pleased. That’s their level and that will give lefties a moment of satisfaction when that po-arsed image
        flashes past their brain.

  14. Sable 14

    As usual Russell Norman is right on the money. Little rambles and Key lets the US make decisions for him. What’s worse is people voted for this. Shame on those voters who still feel National will do anything good for this country.

    • Colonial Rawshark 14.1

      The only criteria some of those voters have is – “did my Auckland property portfolio go up in value last quarter.”

      • Macro 14.1.1

        Unfortunately this comment is so true. 🙁
        The sheeple of NZ have a lot to answer for in the future. And pay they will.

  15. Murray Rawshark 15

    Russell Norman was really great. It needed pointing out that this situation is happening because of a slavish allegiance to the US and A, one of the most dangerous failed states of all time.

  16. Kriss X 16

    If war and Western intervention was the answer, then Iraq would be the best place on earth.

    Key is too willing to play along with the US foreign policy, as dictated by the Israel lobby.

    • JanP 16.1

      The assumption made by many is that the goal of the ‘club’ is peace in the region. Instability is possibly the actual goal as outlined in “A Strategy for Israel in the 1980s,” authored by Oded Yinon and the 1996 strategy paper “A Clean Break: A New Strategy for Securing the Realm”.

      More of the same may be what is needed to achieve the desired result.

      The Destabilization Doctrine: ISIS, Proxies and Patsies http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article41093.htm

      • Kriss X 16.1.1

        Very true. This is why the US has supported the rise of radical Islam through out the Middle East, under the guise of regime change. Syria was a stable secular country and one of the better ones, by the standards of the region. Obama has paid hundreds of millions to support the uprising, even though the people he supported declared they wanted Sharia law ! ISIS is the result.

        Why ? That is easy. Israel did not want a strong Arab/Muslim country, that gets on okay with Iran, right next door. They want a weak and divided Arab world.

        I doubt many Jews actually approve of this, or even realize it.

  17. Ad 17

    For those on record supporting sending troops to train other troops – and I’m one of them – we are left in quite a position.
    We defend the deployment, despite:

    – It won’t change much, and is likely to get worse
    – It’s political rationale is to be part of Five Eyes
    – It hasn’t worked before
    – It should have been UN sanctioned, and we’re a member of the UN Security Council
    – It should have been humanitarian not military assistance being provided by the NZ taxpayer
    – The US are the last nation to go in with given their track record
    – Knowing we were likely to get sucked into something as bad or worse than Afghanistan
    – We’re a continuing part of the West’s worst military incursion since World War 2

    And so people like me are left with a fairly tight space to operate in, morally.

    But. I’m confident that when we look back five years from now, we will prefer it that we:
    – did something rather than nothing
    – did it with nations whose militaries we trust, more than others
    – did it now and not later
    – sought to support those at the sharp end against ISL
    – tried to stop something really bad getting worse
    – felt outrage, knowing we were being manipulated by ISL, and still knew responding was right

    Ain’t easy, either way.

    • Colonial Rawshark 17.1

      I frame it like this:

      Supporting the sending of troops supports the actions of our Government lying to, disinforming and manipulating the NZ public. It also supports sending troops into an operational theatre where a sectarian civil war is brewing against a corrupt, incompetent, partisan government in Baghdad, there are no clear or militarily achievable goals where there is no believable military plan for getting there.

      It uses the lives of our troops as a token of pretend morality.

      All in order to try and give ourselves that feel good factor of being on the correct side of truth, justice, and the American way.

  18. Zionist false flag terrorist attack here we come.
    Then – sit back and watch New Zealand’s sheep swallow it hook, line, and sinker when the blame is thinly placed on muslims.

    We’ve all been lied to: ISIS is fake. It’s a proxy weapon – moved around and used against countries like Syria to destroy infrastructure

    – all because they have the ‘wrong’ banking system.

    “ISIS completely fabricated enemy by USA”, former CIA contractor” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P_lN1fPfBkU

    Why doesn’t ISIS attack israel?

    This decision to go into Iraq – in order to fellate our traditional allies – is a big mistake.

  19. swordfish 19

    To some extent, the issue cuts across the political divide – with fairly substantial minorities of Nat/Lab/Green/NZF supporters dissenting (in one form or another) from their own Party’s official stand.

    A few Colmar Brunton breakdowns here…..http://sub-z-p.blogspot.co.nz/

    37% of Nats either Oppose sending troops or Don’t Know.

    44% of Labour supporters, 40% of Greens and 40% of NZF supporters either Support or Don’t Know.

    • weka 19.1

      One problem is, the question is about sending troops to train. That’s not all we are doing. So how would we answer the question? If I didn’t know anything else and thought that sending troops to train meant simply that, I might support it too (well not me, but people I know who would be otherwise opposed).

  20. Ecosse_Maidy 20

    Why is NZ allowing him to do this for this to happen?

    CEO Keys decides we don’t need a vote in the house on sending (or sent already) to Iraq on a peacekeeping/humanitarian mission? Yeah right!
    Also Basra ain’t no joyride, ask the Brits, whom the Yanks tasked to occupy/liberate it. Yanks only off load tasks like that on dispensable allies blood, not their service men and women.

    One of the most onerous tasks of a Govt PM is surely, too send our servicemen and women to a war zone?

    Why are we letting this pass, so easy? Why aren’t we holding this Arse In Chief to account?

    Springboks tour the country on a tour during apartheid and we rage in crowds at it and rightly so!

    A peaceful boat blown up in one of our harbours and we rage as a nation against those that did it and rightly fucking so!

    Yet Clown in Chief sends/sent our people out there, and their is virtually fuck all.

    So in essence he has ordered this, (himself)…. as no one else is holding him accountable and we let him do it.

    Heaven forfend that if anything, happens to our servicemen/women from injury to death, and if so he is solely responsible.

    Is that what it will take, to wake this country up?

    We are more liable to pass a law in the house on the war on fruit flies than and be hacked off about that…..than sending men and women in harms way….

    Shame on you Keys….
    and also Shame on the quiet complaint majority of this country I love.

    • Ecosse_Maidy 21.1

      I heard Keys talk of going over too….That he wasn’t prepared to send any of our troops to a place where he himself wasn’t prepared to go.

      By god I almost had to stand and give him the two fingered salute.

      Perhaps he can put on the uniform and lead the way…

  21. Kriss X 22

    After the last two invasions of Iraq went so well, I think we can all be confident of a similarly successful war this time. Just like the great victory that is Afghanistan.

    • Colonial Rawshark 22.1

      Victory for the corporates and the mercernary companies…

      • Kriss X 22.1.1

        Yes indeed, they were getting nervous about losing revenue as Afghanistan slows down. But Obama has sorted that out and re-started the Cold War as a back up plan.

Recent Comments

Recent Posts

  • At a glance – Does CO2 always correlate with temperature?
    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 ...
    5 mins ago
  • Bernard’s six-stack of substacks at 6.06 pm on Tuesday, March 19
    TL;DR: In today’s ‘six-stack’ of substacks at 6.06pm on Tuesday, March 19:Kāinga Ora’s dry rot The Spinoff DailyBill McKibben on ‘Climate Superfunds’ making Big Oil pay for climate damage The Crucial YearsPreston Mui on returning to 1980s-style productivity growth NoahpinionAndy Boenau on NIMBYs needing unusual bedfellows Urbanism SpeakeasyNed Resnikoff's case ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 hours ago
  • Relentlessly negative
    Negative yesterday, negative today. Negative all year, according to one departing reader telling me I’ve grown strident and predictable. Fair enough. If it’s any help, every time I go to write about a certain topic that begins with C and ends with arrrrs, I do brace myself and ask: Again? Are ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 hours ago
  • Scoring 4.6 out of 10, the new Government is struggling in the polls
    Bryce Edwards writes –  It’s been a tumultuous time in politics in recent months, as the new National-led Government has driven through its “First 100 Day programme”. During this period there’s been a handful of opinion polls, which overall just show a minimal amount of flux in public support ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    3 hours ago
  • Promiscuous Empathy: Chris Trotter Replies To His Critics.
    Inspirational: The Family of Man is a glorious hymn to human equality, but, more than that, it is a clarion call to human freedom. Because equality, unleavened by liberty, is a broken piano, an unstrung harp; upon which the songs of fraternity will never be played. “Somebody must have been telling lies about ...
    3 hours ago
  • Don’t run your business like a criminal enterprise
    The Detail this morning highlights the police's asset forfeiture case against convicted business criminal Ron Salter, who stands to have his business confiscated for systemic violations of health and safety law. Business are crying foul - but not for the reason you'd think. Instead of opposing the post-conviction punishment and ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    3 hours ago
  • Misremembering Justinian’s Taxes.
    Tax Lawyer Barbara Edmonds vs Emperor Justinian I - Nolo Contendere: False historical explanations of pivotal events are very far from being inconsequential.WHEN BARBARA EDMONDS made reference to the Roman Empire, my ears pricked up. It is, lamentably, very rare to hear a politician admit to any kind of familiarity ...
    4 hours ago
  • Bryce Edwards: Scoring 4.6 out of 10, the new Government is struggling in the polls
    It’s been a tumultuous time in politics in recent months, as the new National-led Government has driven through its “First 100 Day programme”. During this period there’s been a handful of opinion polls, which overall just show a minimal amount of flux in public support for the various parties in ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    5 hours ago
  • Bishop scores headlines with crackdown on unwelcome tenants – but Peters scores, too, as tub-thump...
    Buzz from the Beehive Housing Minister Chris Bishop delivered news – packed with the ingredients to enflame political passions – worthy of supplanting Winston Peters in headline writers’ priorities. He popped up at the post-Cabinet press conference to promise a crackdown on unruly and antisocial state housing tenants. His ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 hours ago
  • Will it make the boat go faster?
    Ele Ludemann writes – The Reserve Bank is advertising for a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion advisor. The Bank has one mandate – to keep inflation between one and three percent. It has failed in that and is only slowly getting inflation back down to the upper limit. Will it ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    9 hours ago
  • Bryce Edwards: Is Simon Bridges’ NZTA appointment a conflict of interest?
    Last week former National Party leader Simon Bridges was appointed by the Government as the new chair of the New Zealand Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA). You can read about the appointment in Thomas Coughlan’s article, Simon Bridges to become chair of NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi The fact that a ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    9 hours ago
  • Is Simon Bridges’ NZTA appointment a conflict of interest?
    Bryce Edwards writes – Last week former National Party leader Simon Bridges was appointed by the Government as the new chair of the New Zealand Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA). You can read about the appointment in Thomas Coughlan’s article, Simon Bridges to become chair of NZ Transport Agency ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    9 hours ago
  • Bernard's Top 10 @ 10 'pick 'n' mix' at 10:10am on Tuesday, March 19
    TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: Gavin Jacobson talks to Thomas Piketty 10 years on from Capital in the 21st Century The SalvoLocal scoop: Green MP’s business being investigated over migrant exploitation claims Stuff Steve KilgallonLocal deep-dive: The commercial contractors making money from School ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    9 hours ago
  • Bernard's six newsy things on Tuesday, March 19
    It’s a home - but Kāinga Ora tenants accused of “abusing the privilege” may lose it. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The Government announced a crackdown on Kāinga Ora tenants who were unruly and/or behind on their rent, with Housing Minister Chris Bishop saying a place in a state ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    11 hours ago
  • New Life for Light Rail
    This is a guest post by Connor Sharp of Surface Light Rail  Light rail in Auckland: A way forward sooner than you think With the coup de grâce of Auckland Light Rail (ALR) earlier this year, and the shift of the government’s priorities to roads, roads, and more roads, it ...
    Greater AucklandBy Guest Post
    11 hours ago
  • Why Are Bosses Nearly All Buffoons?
    Note: As a paid-up Webworm member, I’ve recorded this Webworm as a mini-podcast for you as well. Some of you said you liked this option - so I aim to provide it when I get a chance to record! Read more ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    14 hours ago
  • Bernard’s six-stack of substacks at 6.06 pm on March 18
    TL;DR: In my ‘six-stack’ of substacks at 6.06pm on Monday, March 18:IKEA is accused of planting big forests in New Zealand to green-wash; REDD-MonitorA City for People takes a well-deserved victory lap over Wellington’s pro-YIMBY District Plan votes; A City for PeopleSteven Anastasiou takes a close look at the sticky ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 day ago
  • Peters holds his ground on co-governance, but Willis wriggles on those tax cuts and SNA suspension l...
    Buzz from the Beehive Here’s hoping for a lively post-cabinet press conference when the PM and – perhaps – some of his ministers tell us what was discussed at their meeting today. Until then, Point of Order has precious little Beehive news to report after its latest monitoring of the ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    1 day ago
  • Labour’s final report card
    David Farrar writes –  We now have almost all 2023 data in, which has allowed me to update my annual table of how  went against its promises. This is basically their final report card. The promise The result Build 100,000 affordable homes over 10 ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    1 day ago
  • “Drunk Uncle at a Wedding”
    I’m a bit worried that I’ve started a previous newsletter with the words “just when you think they couldn’t get any worse…” Seems lately that I could begin pretty much every issue with that opening. Such is the nature of our coalition government that they seem to be outdoing each ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    1 day ago
  • Wang Yi’s perfectly-timed, Aukus-themed visit to New Zealand
    Geoffrey Miller writes – Timing is everything. And from China’s perspective, this week’s visit by its foreign minister to New Zealand could be coming at just the right moment. The visit by Wang Yi to Wellington will be his first since 2017. Anniversaries are important to Beijing. ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    1 day ago
  • Gordon Campbell on Dune 2, and images of Islam
    Depictions of Islam in Western popular culture have rarely been positive, even before 9/11. Five years on from the mosque shootings, this is one of the cultural headwinds that the Muslim community has to battle against. Whatever messages of tolerance and inclusion are offered in daylight, much of our culture ...
    1 day ago
  • New Rail Operations Centre Promises Better Train Services
    Last week Transport Minster Simeon Brown and Mayor Wayne Brown opened the new Auckland Rail Operations Centre. The new train control centre will see teams from KiwiRail, Auckland Transport and Auckland One Rail working more closely together to improve train services across the city. The Auckland Rail Operations Centre in ...
    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
    2 days ago
  • Geoffrey Miller: Wang Yi’s perfectly-timed, Aukus-themed visit to New Zealand
    Timing is everything. And from China’s perspective, this week’s visit by its foreign minister to New Zealand could be coming at just the right moment. The visit by Wang Yi to Wellington will be his first since 2017. Anniversaries are important to Beijing. It is more than just a happy ...
    Democracy ProjectBy Geoffrey Miller
    2 days ago
  • The Kaka’s diary for the week to March 25 and beyond
    TL;DR: The key events to watch in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the week to March 18 include:China’s Foreign Minister visiting Wellington today;A post-cabinet news conference this afternoon; the resumption of Parliament on Tuesday for two weeks before Easter;retiring former Labour Finance Minister Grant Robertson gives his valedictory speech in Parliament; ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago
  • Bitter and angry; Winston First
    New Zealand First Leader Winston Peters’s state-of-the-nation speech on Sunday was really a state-of-Winston-First speech. He barely mentioned any of the Government’s key policies and could not even wholly endorse its signature income tax cuts. Instead, he rehearsed all of his complaints about the Ardern Government, including an extraordinary claim ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    2 days ago
  • 2024 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #11
    A listing of 35 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, March 10, 2024 thru Sat, March 16, 2024. Story of the week This week we'll give you a little glimpse into how we collect links to share and ...
    2 days ago
  • 2024 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #11
    A listing of 35 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, March 10, 2024 thru Sat, March 16, 2024. Story of the week This week we'll give you a little glimpse into how we collect links to share and ...
    2 days ago
  • Out of Touch.
    “I’ve been internalising a really complicated situation in my head.”When they kept telling us we should wait until we get to know him, were they taking the piss? Was it a case of, if you think this is bad, wait till you get to know the real Christopher, after the ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    2 days ago
  • Bring out your Dad
    Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago
  • Bring out your Dad
    Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago
  • Bring out your Dad
    Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago
  • The bewildering world of Chris Luxon – Guns for all, not no lunch for kids
    .“$10 and a target that bleeds” - Bleeding Targets for Under $10!.Thanks for reading Frankly Speaking ! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.This government appears hell-bent on either scrapping life-saving legislation or reintroducing things that - frustrated critics insist - will be dangerous and likely ...
    Frankly SpeakingBy Frank Macskasy
    3 days ago
  • Expert Opinion: Ageing Boomers, Laurie & Les, Talk Politics.
    It hardly strikes me as fair to criticise a government for doing exactly what it said it was going to do. For actually keeping its promises.”THUNDER WAS PLAYING TAG with lightning flashes amongst the distant peaks. Its rolling cadences interrupted by the here-I-come-here-I-go Doppler effect of the occasional passing car. ...
    3 days ago
  • Manufacturing The Truth.
    Subversive & Disruptive Technologies: Just as happened with that other great regulator of the masses, the Medieval Church, the advent of a new and hard-to-control technology – the Internet –  is weakening the ties that bind. Then, and now, those who enjoy a monopoly on the dissemination of lies, cannot and will ...
    3 days ago
  • A Powerful Sensation of Déjà Vu.
    Been Here Before: To find the precedents for what this Coalition Government is proposing, it is necessary to return to the “glory days” of Muldoonism.THE COALITION GOVERNMENT has celebrated its first 100 days in office by checking-off the last of its listed commitments. It remains, however, an angry government. It ...
    3 days ago
  • Can you guess where world attention is focussed (according to Greenpeace)? It’s focussed on an EPA...
    Bob Edlin writes –  And what is the world watching today…? The email newsletter from Associated Press which landed in our mailbox early this morning advised: In the news today: The father of a school shooter has been found guilty of involuntary manslaughter; prosecutors in Trump’s hush-money case ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    3 days ago
  • Further integrity problems for the Greens in suspending MP Darleen Tana
    Bryce Edwards writes – Is another Green MP on their way out? And are the Greens severely tarnished by another integrity scandal? For the second time in three months, the Green Party has secretly suspended an MP over integrity issues. Mystery is surrounding the party’s decision to ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    3 days ago
  • Jacqui Van Der Kaay: Greens’ transparency missing in action
    For the last few years, the Green Party has been the party that has managed to avoid the plague of multiple scandals that have beleaguered other political parties. It appears that their luck has run out with a second scandal which, unfortunately for them, coincided with Golraz Ghahraman, the focus ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    3 days ago
  • Bernard’s Dawn Chorus with six newsey things at 6:46am for Saturday, March 16
    TL;DR: The six newsey things that stood out to me as of 6:46am on Saturday, March 16.Andy Foster has accidentally allowed a Labour/Green amendment to cut road user chargers for plug-in hybrid vehicles, which the Government might accept; NZ Herald Thomas Coughlan Simeon Brown has rejected a plea from Westport ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • How Did FTX Crash?
    What seemed a booming success a couple of years ago has collapsed into fraud convictions.I looked at the crash of FTX (short for ‘Futures Exchange’) in November 2022 to see whether it would impact on the financial system as a whole. Fortunately there was barely a ripple, probably because it ...
    PunditBy Brian Easton
    4 days ago
  • Elections in Russia and Ukraine
    Anybody following the situation in Ukraine and Russia would probably have been amused by a recent Tweet on X NATO seems to be putting in an awful lot of effort to influence what is, at least according to them, a sham election in an autocracy.When do the Ukrainians go to ...
    4 days ago
  • Bernard’s six stack of substacks at 6pm on March 15
    TL;DR: Shaun Baker on Wynyard Quarter's transformation. Magdalene Taylor on the problem with smart phones. How private equity are now all over reinsurance. Dylan Cleaver on rugby and CTE. Emily Atkin on ‘Big Meat’ looking like ‘Big Oil’.Bernard’s six-stack of substacks at 6pm on March 15Photo by Jeppe Hove Jensen ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • Buzz from the Beehive Finance Minister Nicola Willis had plenty to say when addressing the Auckland Business Chamber on the economic growth that (she tells us) is flagging more than we thought. But the government intends to put new life into it:  We want our country to be a ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    4 days ago
  • National’s clean car tax advances
    The Transport and Infrastructure Committee has reported back on the Road User Charges (Light Electric RUC Vehicles) Amendment Bill, basicly rubberstamping it. While there was widespread support among submitters for the principle that EV and PHEV drivers should pay their fair share for the roads, they also overwhelmingly disagreed with ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    4 days ago
  • Government funding bailouts
    Peter Dunne writes – This week’s government bailout – the fifth in the last eighteen months – of the financially troubled Ruapehu Alpine Lifts company would have pleased many in the central North Island ski industry. The government’s stated rationale for the $7 million funding was that it ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • Two offenders, different treatments.
    See if you can spot the difference. An Iranian born female MP from a progressive party is accused of serial shoplifting. Her name is leaked to the media, which goes into a pack frenzy even before the Police launch an … Continue reading ...
    KiwipoliticoBy Pablo
    4 days ago
  • Treaty references omitted
    Ele Ludemann writes  – The government is omitting general Treaty references from legislation : The growth of Treaty of Waitangi clauses in legislation caused so much worry that a special oversight group was set up by the last Government in a bid to get greater coherence in the public service on Treaty ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • The Ghahraman Conflict
    What was that judge thinking? Peter Williams writes –  That Golriz Ghahraman and District Court Judge Maria Pecotic were once lawyer colleagues is incontrovertible. There is published evidence that they took at least one case to the Court of Appeal together. There was a report on ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • Bernard's Top 10 @ 10 'pick 'n' mix' for March 15
    TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: Climate Scorpion – the sting is in the tail. Introducing planetary solvency. A paper via the University of Exeter’s Institute and Faculty of Actuaries.Local scoop: Kāinga Ora starts pulling out of its Auckland projects and selling land RNZ ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • The day Wellington up-zoned its future
    Wellington’s massively upzoned District Plan adds the opportunity for tens of thousands of new homes not just in the central city (such as these Webb St new builds) but also close to the CBD and public transport links. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Wellington gave itself the chance of ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • Weekly Roundup 15-March-2024
    It’s Friday and we’re halfway through March Madness. Here’s some of the things that caught our attention this week. This Week in Greater Auckland On Monday Matt asked how we can get better event trains and an option for grade separating Morningside Dr. On Tuesday Matt looked into ...
    Greater AucklandBy Greater Auckland
    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
    5 days ago
  • The Hoon around the week to March 15
    Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The five things that mattered in Aotearoa’s political economy that we wrote and spoke about via The Kākā and elsewhere for paying subscribers in the last week included:PM Christopher Luxon said the reversal of interest deductibility for landlords was done to help renters, who ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • Labour’s policy gap
    It was not so much the Labour Party but really the Chris Hipkins party yesterday at Labour’s caucus retreat in Martinborough. The former Prime Minister was more or less consistent on wealth tax, which he was at best equivocal about, and social insurance, which he was not willing to revisit. ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    5 days ago
  • Skeptical Science New Research for Week #11 2024
    Open access notables A Glimpse into the Future: The 2023 Ocean Temperature and Sea Ice Extremes in the Context of Longer-Term Climate Change, Kuhlbrodt et al., Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society: In the year 2023, we have seen extraordinary extrema in high sea surface temperature (SST) in the North Atlantic and in ...
    5 days ago
  • Melissa remains mute on media matters but has something to say (at a sporting event) about economic ...
     Buzz from the Beehive   The text reproduced above appears on a page which records all the media statements and speeches posted on the government’s official website by Melissa Lee as Minister of Media and Communications and/or by Jenny Marcroft, her Parliamentary Under-secretary.  It can be quickly analysed ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    5 days ago
  • The return of Muldoon
    For forty years, Robert Muldoon has been a dirty word in our politics. His style of government was so repulsive and authoritarian that the backlash to it helped set and entrench our constitutional norms. His pig-headedness over forcing through Think Big eventually gave us the RMA, with its participation and ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    5 days ago
  • Will the rental tax cut improve life for renters or landlords?
    Bryce Edwards writes –  Is the new government reducing tax on rental properties to benefit landlords or to cut the cost of rents? That’s the big question this week, after Associate Finance Minister David Seymour announced on Sunday that the Government would be reversing the Labour Government’s removal ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • Geoffrey Miller: What Saudi Arabia’s rapid changes mean for New Zealand
    Saudi Arabia is rarely far from the international spotlight. The war in Gaza has brought new scrutiny to Saudi plans to normalise relations with Israel, while the fifth anniversary of the controversial killing of Jamal Khashoggi was marked shortly before the war began on October 7. And as the home ...
    Democracy ProjectBy Geoffrey Miller
    5 days ago
  • Racism’s double standards
    Questions need to be asked on both sides of the world Peter Williams writes –   The NRL Judiciary hands down an eight week suspension to Sydney Roosters forward Spencer Leniu , an Auckland-born Samoan, after he calls Ezra Mam, Sydney-orn but of Aboriginal and Torres Strait ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • It’s not a tax break
    Ele Ludemann writes – Contrary to what many headlines and news stories are saying, residential landlords are not getting a tax break. The government is simply restoring to them the tax deductibility of interest they had until the previous government removed it. There is no logical reason ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • The Plastic Pig Collective and Chris' Imaginary Friends.
    I can't remember when it was goodMoments of happiness in bloomMaybe I just misunderstoodAll of the love we left behindWatching our flashbacks intertwineMemories I will never findIn spite of whatever you becomeForget that reckless thing turned onI think our lives have just begunI think our lives have just begunDoes anyone ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago
  • Who is responsible for young offenders?
    Michael Bassett writes – At first reading, a front-page story in the New Zealand Herald on 13 March was bizarre. A group of severely intellectually limited teenagers, with little understanding of the law, have been pleading to the Justice Select Committee not to pass a bill dealing with ram ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • Gordon Campbell on National’s fantasy trip to La La Landlord Land
    How much political capital is Christopher Luxon willing to burn through in order to deliver his $2.9 billion gift to landlords? Evidently, Luxon is: (a) unable to cost the policy accurately. As Anna Burns-Francis pointed out to him on Breakfast TV, the original ”rock solid” $2.1 billion cost he was ...
    5 days ago
  • Bernard's Top 10 @ 10 'pick 'n' mix' for March 14
    TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: Jonathon Porritt calling bullshit in his own blog post on mainstream climate science as ‘The New Denialism’.Local scoop: The Wellington City Council’s list of proposed changes to the IHP recommendations to be debated later today was leaked this ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • No, Prime Minister, rents don’t rise or fall with landlords’ costs
    TL;DR: Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said yesterday tenants should be grateful for the reinstatement of interest deductibility because landlords would pass on their lower tax costs in the form of lower rents. That would be true if landlords were regulated monopolies such as Transpower or Auckland Airport1, but they’re not, ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • Cartoons: ‘At least I didn’t make things awkward’
    This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Tom Toro Tom Toro is a cartoonist and author. He has published over 200 cartoons in The New Yorker since 2010. His cartoons appear in Playboy, the Paris Review, the New York Times, American Bystander, and elsewhere. Related: What 10 EV lovers ...
    5 days ago
  • Solving traffic congestion with Richard Prebble
    The business section of the NZ Herald is full of opinion. Among the more opinionated of all is the ex-Minister of Transport, ex-Minister of Railways, ex MP for Auckland Central (1975-93, Labour), Wellington Central (1996-99, ACT, then list-2005), ex-leader of the ACT Party, uncle to actor Antonia, the veritable granddaddy ...
    Greater AucklandBy Patrick Reynolds
    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
    6 days ago
  • Invoking Aristotle: Of Rings of Power, Stones, and Ships
    The first season of Rings of Power was not awful. It was thoroughly underwhelming, yes, and left a lingering sense of disappointment, but it was more expensive mediocrity than catastrophe. I wrote at length about the series as it came out (see the Review section of the blog, and go ...
    6 days ago
  • Van Velden brings free-market approach to changing labour laws – but her colleagues stick to distr...
    Buzz from the Beehive Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Brooke van Velden told Auckland Business Chamber members they were the first audience to hear her priorities as a minister in a government committed to cutting red tape and regulations. She brandished her liberalising credentials, saying Flexible labour markets are the ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago
  • Why Newshub failed
    Chris Trotter writes – TO UNDERSTAND WHY NEWSHUB FAILED, it is necessary to understand how TVNZ changed. Up until 1989, the state broadcaster had been funded by a broadcasting licence fee, collected from every citizen in possession of a television set, supplemented by a relatively modest (compared ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago
  • Māori Party on the warpath against landlords and seabed miners – let’s see if mystical creature...
    Bob Edlin writes  –  The Māori Party has been busy issuing a mix of warnings and threats as its expresses its opposition to interest deductibility for landlords and the plans of seabed miners. It remains to be seen whether they  follow the example of indigenous litigants in Australia, ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago

  • Government moves to quickly ratify the NZ-EU FTA
    "The Government is moving quickly to realise an additional $46 million in tariff savings in the EU market this season for Kiwi exporters,” Minister for Trade and Agriculture, Todd McClay says. Parliament is set, this week, to complete the final legislative processes required to bring the New Zealand – European ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 hours ago
  • Positive progress for social worker workforce
    New Zealand’s social workers are qualified, experienced, and more representative of the communities they serve, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “I want to acknowledge and applaud New Zealand’s social workers for the hard work they do, providing invaluable support for our most vulnerable. “To coincide with World ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 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
    9 hours ago
  • Trade access to overseas markets creates jobs
    Minister of Agriculture and Trade, Todd McClay, says that today’s opening of Riverland Foods manufacturing plant in Christchurch is a great example of how trade access to overseas markets creates jobs in New Zealand.  Speaking at the official opening of this state-of-the-art pet food factory the Minister noted that exports ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    10 hours ago
  • NZ and Chinese Foreign Ministers hold official talks
    Minister of Foreign Affairs Winston Peters met with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Wellington today. “It was a pleasure to host Foreign Minister Wang Yi during his first official visit to New Zealand since 2017. Our discussions were wide-ranging and enabled engagement on many facets of New Zealand’s relationship with China, including trade, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    23 hours ago
  • Kāinga Ora instructed to end Sustaining Tenancies
    Kāinga Ora – Homes & Communities has been instructed to end the Sustaining Tenancies Framework and take stronger measures against persistent antisocial behaviour by tenants, says Housing Minister Chris Bishop. “Earlier today Finance Minister Nicola Willis and I sent an interim Letter of Expectations to the Board of Kāinga Ora. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Speech to Auckland Business Chamber: Growth is the answer
    Tēna koutou katoa. Greetings everyone. Thank you to the Auckland Chamber of Commerce and the Honourable Simon Bridges for hosting this address today. I acknowledge the business leaders in this room, the leaders and governors, the employers, the entrepreneurs, the investors, and the wealth creators. The coalition Government shares your ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Singapore rounds out regional trip
    Minister Winston Peters completed the final leg of his visit to South and South East Asia in Singapore today, where he focused on enhancing one of New Zealand’s indispensable strategic partnerships.      “Singapore is our most important defence partner in South East Asia, our fourth-largest trading partner and a ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Minister van Velden represents New Zealand at International Democracy Summit
    Minister of Internal Affairs and Workplace Relations and Safety, Hon. Brooke van Velden, will travel to the Republic of Korea to represent New Zealand at the Third Summit for Democracy on 18 March. The summit, hosted by the Republic of Korea, was first convened by the United States in 2021, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Insurance Council of NZ Speech, 7 March 2024, Auckland
    ICNZ Speech 7 March 2024, Auckland  Acknowledgements and opening  Mōrena, ngā mihi nui. Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Nor Whanganui aho.  Good morning, it’s a privilege to be here to open the ICNZ annual conference, thank you to Mark for the Mihi Whakatau  My thanks to Tim Grafton for inviting me ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Five-year anniversary of Christchurch terror attacks
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Lead Coordination Minister Judith Collins have expressed their deepest sympathy on the five-year anniversary of the Christchurch terror attacks. “March 15, 2019, was a day when families, communities and the country came together both in sorrow and solidarity,” Mr Luxon says.  “Today we pay our respects to the 51 shuhada ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Speech for Financial Advice NZ Conference 5 March 2024
    Speech for Financial Advice NZ Conference 5 March 2024  Acknowledgements and opening  Morena, Nga Mihi Nui.  Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Nor Whanganui aho. Thanks Nate for your Mihi Whakatau  Good morning. It’s a pleasure to formally open your conference this morning. What a lovely day in Wellington, What a great ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Early visit to Indonesia strengthens ties
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters held discussions in Jakarta today about the future of relations between New Zealand and South East Asia’s most populous country.   “We are in Jakarta so early in our new government’s term to reflect the huge importance we place on our relationship with Indonesia and South ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • China Foreign Minister to visit
    Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Winston Peters has announced that the Foreign Minister of China, Wang Yi, will visit New Zealand next week.  “We look forward to re-engaging with Foreign Minister Wang Yi and discussing the full breadth of the bilateral relationship, which is one of New Zealand’s ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Minister opens new Auckland Rail Operations Centre
    Transport Minister Simeon Brown has today opened the new Auckland Rail Operations Centre, which will bring together KiwiRail, Auckland Transport, and Auckland One Rail to improve service reliability for Aucklanders. “The recent train disruptions in Auckland have highlighted how important it is KiwiRail and Auckland’s rail agencies work together to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Celebrating 10 years of Crankworx Rotorua
    The Government is proud to support the 10th edition of Crankworx Rotorua as the Crankworx World Tour returns to Rotorua from 16-24 March 2024, says Minister for Economic Development Melissa Lee.  “Over the past 10 years as Crankworx Rotorua has grown, so too have the economic and social benefits that ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Government delivering on tax commitments
    Legislation implementing coalition Government tax commitments and addressing long-standing tax anomalies will be progressed in Parliament next week, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The legislation is contained in an Amendment Paper to the Taxation (Annual Rates for 2023–24, Multinational Tax, and Remedial Matters) Bill issued today.  “The Amendment Paper represents ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Significant Natural Areas requirement to be suspended
    Associate Environment Minister Andrew Hoggard has today announced that the Government has agreed to suspend the requirement for councils to comply with the Significant Natural Areas (SNA) provisions of the National Policy Statement for Indigenous Biodiversity for three years, while it replaces the Resource Management Act (RMA).“As it stands, SNAs ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Government classifies drought conditions in Top of the South as medium-scale adverse event
    Agriculture Minister Todd McClay has classified the drought conditions in the Marlborough, Tasman, and Nelson districts as a medium-scale adverse event, acknowledging the challenging conditions facing farmers and growers in the district. “Parts of Marlborough, Tasman, and Nelson districts are in the grip of an intense dry spell. I know ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Government partnership to tackle $332m facial eczema problem
    The Government is helping farmers eradicate the significant impact of facial eczema (FE) in pastoral animals, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay announced.  “A $20 million partnership jointly funded by Beef + Lamb NZ, the Government, and the primary sector will save farmers an estimated NZD$332 million per year, and aims to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • NZ, India chart path to enhanced relationship
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters has completed a successful visit to India, saying it was an important step in taking the relationship between the two countries to the next level.   “We have laid a strong foundation for the Coalition Government’s priority of enhancing New Zealand-India relations to generate significant future benefit for both countries,” says Mr Peters, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Ruapehu Alpine Lifts bailout the last, say Ministers
    Cabinet has agreed to provide $7 million to ensure the 2024 ski season can go ahead on the Whakapapa ski field in the central North Island but has told the operator Ruapehu Alpine Lifts it is the last financial support it will receive from taxpayers. Cabinet also agreed to provide ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Govt takes action to drive better cancer services
    Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says the launch of a new mobile breast screening unit in Counties Manukau reinforces the coalition Government’s commitment to drive better cancer services for all New Zealanders. Speaking at the launch of the new mobile clinic, Dr Reti says it’s a great example of taking ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Govt takes action to drive better cancer services
    Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says the launch of a new mobile breast screening unit in Counties Manukau reinforces the coalition Government’s commitment to drive better cancer services for all New Zealanders. Speaking at the launch of the new mobile clinic, Dr Reti says it’s a great example of taking ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Work begins on SH29 upgrades near Tauriko
    Unlocking economic growth and land for housing are critical elements of the Government’s plan for our transport network, and planned upgrades to State Highway 29 (SH29) near Tauriko will deliver strongly on those priorities, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “The SH29 upgrades near Tauriko will improve safety at the intersections ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Work begins on SH29 upgrades near Tauriko
    Unlocking economic growth and land for housing are critical elements of the Government’s plan for our transport network, and planned upgrades to State Highway 29 (SH29) near Tauriko will deliver strongly on those priorities, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “The SH29 upgrades near Tauriko will improve safety at the intersections ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Fresh produce price drop welcome
    Lower fruit and vegetable prices are welcome news for New Zealanders who have been doing it tough at the supermarket, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. Stats NZ reported today the price of fruit and vegetables has dropped 9.3 percent in the 12 months to February 2024.  “Lower fruit and vege ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Statement to the 68th United Nations Commission on the Status of Women
    Tēnā koutou katoa and greetings to you all.  Chair, I am honoured to address the sixty-eighth session of the Commission on the Status of Women. I acknowledge the many crises impacting the rights of women and girls. Heightened global tensions, war, climate related and humanitarian disasters, and price inflation all ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Speech to the 68th United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (CSW68)
    Tēnā koutou katoa and greetings to you all.  Chair, I am honoured to address the 68th session of the Commission on the Status of Women. I acknowledge the many crises impacting the rights of women and girls. Heightened global tensions, war, climate related and humanitarian disasters, and price inflation all ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Government backs rural led catchment projects
    The coalition Government is supporting farmers to enhance land management practices by investing $3.3 million in locally led catchment groups, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay announced. “Farmers and growers deliver significant prosperity for New Zealand and it’s vital their ongoing efforts to improve land management practices and water quality are supported,” ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Speech to Auckland Business Chamber
    Good evening everyone and thank you for that lovely introduction.   Thank you also to the Honourable Simon Bridges for the invitation to address your members. Since being sworn in, this coalition Government has hit the ground running with our 100-day plan, delivering the changes that New Zealanders expect of us. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Commission’s advice on ETS settings tabled
    Recommendations from the Climate Change Commission for New Zealand on the Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) auction and unit limit settings for the next five years have been tabled in Parliament, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. “The Commission provides advice on the ETS annually. This is the third time the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Government lowering building costs
    The coalition Government is beginning its fight to lower building costs and reduce red tape by exempting minor building work from paying the building levy, says Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk. “Currently, any building project worth $20,444 including GST or more is subject to the building levy which is ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Trustee tax change welcomed
    Proposed changes to tax legislation to prevent the over-taxation of low-earning trusts are welcome, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The changes have been recommended by Parliament’s Finance and Expenditure Committee following consideration of submissions on the Taxation (Annual Rates for 2023–24, Multinational Tax, and Remedial Matters) Bill. “One of the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Minister’s Ramadan message
    Assalaamu alaikum. السَّلَام عليكم In light of the holy month of Ramadan, I want to extend my warmest wishes to our Muslim community in New Zealand. Ramadan is a time for spiritual reflection, renewed devotion, perseverance, generosity, and forgiveness.  It’s a time to strengthen our bonds and appreciate the diversity ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Minister appoints new NZTA Chair
    Former Transport Minister and CEO of the Auckland Business Chamber Hon Simon Bridges has been appointed as the new Board Chair of the New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA) for a three-year term, Transport Minister Simeon Brown announced today. “Simon brings extensive experience and knowledge in transport policy and governance to the role. He will ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Speech to Life Sciences Summit
    Good morning all, it is a pleasure to be here as Minister of Science, Innovation and Technology.  It is fantastic to see how connected and collaborative the life science and biotechnology industry is here in New Zealand. I would like to thank BioTechNZ and NZTech for the invitation to address ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Progress continues apace on water storage
    Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says he is looking forward to the day when three key water projects in Northland are up and running, unlocking the full potential of land in the region. Mr Jones attended a community event at the site of the Otawere reservoir near Kerikeri on Friday. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Government agrees to restore interest deductions
    Associate Finance Minister David Seymour has today announced that the Government has agreed to restore deductibility for mortgage interest on residential investment properties. “Help is on the way for landlords and renters alike. The Government’s restoration of interest deductibility will ease pressure on rents and simplify the tax code,” says ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Minister to attend World Anti-Doping Agency Symposium
    Sport and Recreation Minister Chris Bishop will travel to Switzerland today to attend an Executive Committee meeting and Symposium of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA). Mr Bishop will then travel on to London where he will attend a series of meetings in his capacity as Infrastructure Minister. “New Zealanders believe ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

Page generated in The Standard by Wordpress at 2024-03-19T06:27:53+00:00