Two faced John Key on Pike River

Written By: - Date published: 7:17 am, November 7th, 2012 - 54 comments
Categories: disaster, john key, making shit up, Mining - Tags: , ,

John Key says whatever it is convenient for him to say at the time. Usually he can keep track of his many faces well enough to avoid blatantly contradicting himself. But maybe the strain of his recent string of batshit behaviour is starting to tell, because he’s really blown it this time.

On Monday Key was interviewed by John Campbell. The 3 News article is called “Pike River Coal put profit ahead of safety, says John Key” (video link) – here’s a transcript from the start of the piece:

Campbell: …In short it [the report] says Pikes’s safety was compromised by a drive for coal production before the mine was ready, and the Department of Labour who should have prevented that from becoming deadly lacked focus, resourcing and inspection capacity. … I suggested to the Prime Minister that the report is grim and depressing reading.

Key: Yeah I think that’s a good summary actually John. I mean in the end what this report says is that the company essentially put its profits and its production ahead of the safety and lives of those 29 workers. That the company while it had primary responsibility failed to do its job properly…

Fair enough, that’s what the report says, that is what is now obvious to the whole country, only a fool would try and deny it. But oddly enough, deny it is exactly what Key did (ht NRT) during a discussion of Pike River the very next day in parliament:

Kevin Hague: Does he agree that standard economic theory suggests that profit-maximising firms will always prioritise profitability over safety, unless the Government, as regulator, ensures the safety of workers?

Rt Hon JOHN KEY: I think that is a ridiculous statement. That is saying that a company is prepared to risk the deaths of its employees and the reputation of the company for the sole purpose of making money, and even from the most hardened socialist I find that something difficult to believe. In the case of the Pike River mine, let us argue just for a moment that the Pike River Coal company was halfway through its mining operations, and was a successful operation that was operating well. An explosion of the magnitude that took place back in 2010 would have then completely and utterly collapsed that company. That would have made no economic sense to anyone.

OK, so which of the two faces of John Key should we believe on Pike River? John Key Monday who acknowledged that Pike River Coal put profits ahead of safety, or John Key Tuesday who says that such suggestions are ridiculous? (Given his answer on Monday, does Tuesday constitute lying to Parliament?) Can John Key even remember what he is saying from one day to the next? Does he care?

54 comments on “Two faced John Key on Pike River ”

  1. karol 1

    Good catch, Anthony.  Pity the TV3 and TV One news last night missed it, focusing more on what Key got away with.
     
    The contradiction is because the government is in a bit of a bind: caught between their promotion of deregualted business and the whole freemarket, small government ethos ont he one hand; and trying to shift the blame from the culpability of the government for not regulating business enough.
     
    And, of course, Key’s reasonng in the house yesterday is a muddle of nonsense and accidental truth:
     

    In the case of the Pike River mine, let us argue just for a moment that the Pike River Coal company was halfway through its mining operations, and was a successful operation that was operating well. An explosion of the magnitude that took place back in 2010 would have then completely and utterly collapsed that company. That would have made no economic sense to anyone.

     
    Actually, the company was struggling, and could only operate to reap the kind of profits they wanted, by cutting Health and Safety corners. 
     
    And Key does not seem to have noticed that the explosion did collapse the company – economic sense?  Well neoliberalism doesn’t ultimately make economic sense.  It does require doing destructive things that will evenutally collapse the freemarket system.

    • Jim Nald 1.1

      Agree. “Good catch”, indeed.

      “Usually he can keep track of his many faces well enough to avoid blatantly contradicting himself.”

      Well, we can start to discern what has happened in quick succession within a few days.

      You see, the many faces of John Key include the one who mouths bullshit, and there is the other one that goes with the head which is – quoting the man himself – as thick as batshit.

      With the stresses of various things swirling (some of which he unhelpfully created and added himself) and having to be briefed (needing to resuscitate the bloody bugger of his memory and actually do some brainwork) about how to media-manage himself for the Pike River report and in the House, he cocked up. Usually, he is quite artful at hiding away one face while another yaps away. This time, his political coordination is not as deft.

      *smirk* Does anyone remember Pansy? Wong? Pansy should bring one of the Bian Lian masters over to refresh John mask-changing tricKey skills:

      http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TPefUjQNRQE&feature=related

  2. tinfoilhat 2

    Key and his kronies should suffer the same fate as [no calls for violence please. r0b]

  3. Red Rosa 3

    The Pike River directors need to be grilled too.

    As the PM himself says “I mean in the end what this report says is that the company essentially put its profits and its production ahead of the safety and lives of those 29 workers.”

    So let’s hear a bit more from Dow, Meyer, and Natrass. Who have their story and are sticking to it.

    http://www.stuff.co.nz/the-press/news/7909923/Pike-River-Directors-hit-back

    Not entirely convincing, you’d have to say.

    Glaring failures of maintenance in the UK led to rail crash deaths – and directly as a result of privatisation and deregulation. Criminal proceedings followed. Sounds familiar?

    http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2011/may/13/network-rail-fined-potters-bar

    That was a 3 million pound fine. But Pike River of course is bust.

    Still seems a criminal trial is appropriate.

    • Colonial Viper 3.1

      Forget the fine; custodial time is required.

    • Tracey 3.2

      What were their director and chair fees per annum? I ask because they appear to be distancing themselves on the old chestnut of “that’s operational matters” BUT H & S in a high risk industry ought to be eagerly and regularly enquired upon by the Board, in a civilised country…

  4. Tom Gould 4

    Slippery John up to his old tricks. Tell them what they want to hear, then force a brain fade. Must make his job much easier if he can just make it up as he goes along, knowing the lazy media have an even shorter attention span.

  5. I heard Key in Parliament and that statement immediately jarred.

    Is it that he just makes stuff up whenever he opens his mouth?  Or he forgot what he said the day before?  Or he calculates what he needs to say depending on the time and place and just says it?

    Because he was right first time. It seems clear that Pike River was willing to risk the safety of its workers and its reputation solely to make money.

    And if you need any proof how about the reports of workplace bullying, a report showing gas levels spiked to explosive levels six times in five days a month before the mine exploded, evidence from one former mining operator who left the company fearing the mine could explode at any moment, ”impossible” workloads facing mines inspectors, a lack of enforcement action, plastic bags placed over gas sensors, a lax safety attitude encouraged by production bonuses, potentially flammable gas mixtures in an electrical substation and safety systems inside the mine being bypassed.
     

    • felix 5.1

      This is the one that nearly tripped me up, micky:

      Kevin Hague: Does he agree that the deregulation of occupational health and safety that occurred in the 1990s was the major factor in creating an environment where management at Pike River were able to ignore workers’ calls to improve safety; if not, why not?

      Rt Hon JOHN KEY: No. Let us take a step back. The primary responsibility of any company, when it comes to health and safety issues, rests with that company, so a good employer is always going to make sure that their employees are safe in the workplace. The role of a regulator is someone to ensure that the company is fulfilling its obligations, not to fulfil those obligations for the company. The company itself must do that. In the case of Pike River Coal, the company utterly failed.

      Seems Key just accidentally admitted responsibility.

      • ianmac 5.1.1

        And then there is the fact that Wilkinson canned the attempt to reinstate the mine monitoring. Now they claim it was not about deep underground mining. Mr Mallard can and has refuted that.

    • vto 5.2

      micky, John Key makes everything up as he goes. He doesn’t care what was said previously or whether what he says is consistent.

      This is his training. This is his career. This is his modus operandi. We have seen it for a long time now. We need to stop being surprised and start throwing it back at him. Or simply refer to him as a bullshitter everytime he opens his mouth.

      In my opinion he is the most untrustworthy, lying, deceptive snake of a Prime Minister we have ever had. And most all of New Zealand is waking up to this.

      I think what happenned with this particular episode of bullshitting is that John Campbell actually caught him on the hop. Campbell’s questions were very good and aimed at his underlying political philosophy. When Key came to answer these he had not a clue (because he has no clue around political philosophies and their histories and effects and intents) and blustered along makeing a complete hash of everything he said. I would say he actually believes what he said in Parliament and what he said on Campbell Live accidentally flopped out because he was flummoxed by the interview.

      Key is weak.
      Key is a liar.
      Key is shallow.

      And John Campbell’s interviewing skills are very good. It was interesting to note that Key stayed in Parliament for that remote interview and also that there was no ‘hello John’ at the start nor ‘thank you John’ at the end. There is clear animosity with TV3. The only reason Key agreed to an interview, I would suggest, was because of the magnitude of the event and report.

      • Wychbych 5.2.1

        +100

      • fabregas4 5.2.2

        I was surprised that he fronted at first (given his reluctance to appear at other times) but then it became clear that he did because he thought that his government was blameless and that he could shift the focus to someone else. That he went on to confirm that it is indeed the governments role to ensure that regulations are in place that ensure that employers meet safety standards must be galling to him. If he realises he did that of course.

    • Wychbych 5.3

      Key is tired of being PM. His attention span has gone, and now he’s just talking crap whenever he opens his gob.

      He wants to move on to his tiny planet and forget being held to account for his execrable performance as PM.

      • Enough is Enough 5.3.1

        That is bullshit. He is not tired of the job. He is not even half way through doing what he needs to do to satisfy his masters (i.e. sell New Zealand to those Chinese).

        He will need a third term to complete the job he wants to do. It is up to us to rise up and ensure him and his party are crushed at the next election.

    • Draco T Bastard 5.4

      Or he calculates what he needs to say depending on the time and place and just says it?

      No, he doesn’t do that – that’s what he has spin PR firms for.

      It seems clear that Pike River was willing to risk the safety of its workers and its reputation solely to make money.

      That would be normal operating procedure for capitalist firms and why we had strict regulation in the first place. Regulation that the governments from the 1980s have been systematically removing.

  6. ianmac 6

    “No. Let us take a step back…….”
    Whenever Mr Key prefaces an answer with that phrase you can be sure that what follows will obscure a proper answer. Ding ding ding! Watch out.

    • Jim Nald 6.1

      And be wary of being led astray when he starts on “let us argue just for a moment …”

      • mike e 6.1.1

        Jim lets argue for a moment that I can remember in every detail on most subjects (that crosby textor have prompted me) relating to running the country but when push comes to shove I can’t remember one single mistake I’ve made!
        Narcissism at its best!

  7. Saarbo 7

    Great explanation on Key’s behaviour on http://www.thepoliticalscientist.org . Awesome article if you have not read it already. 

  8. Lanthanide 8

    John Key also assured us that Pike River could operate in OZ and that our mine safety was as good as theirs.

    So, yeah…

  9. Tracey 9

    John Key and his minders know that the Media (firstly) and the public (secondly) have short attention spans… The Herald’s headline the morning after the report was pitiful. Sure it focused on the families but that wasn’t the story…

  10. Enough is Enough 10

    This man is incredible in that he thinks he can get away with this. His time is coming and it will be so sweet when it happens.

    Why can’t the media take a lead from Homebrew and call it like it is.

  11. Roy 11

    Looks like Key has been taking lessons in flipflopping from Mitt Romney.

  12. Draco T Bastard 12

    via twitter

    http://t.co/r8C4KENh

  13. Key is full of “b!*#shit .

  14. Helen Clark has him taped right did’nt she, some of us saw it but so many people just thought he had made a lot of money for himself so he would make them wealthy also.

    But no the only people John Key is interested in making more wealthy is the 1% and American Corporates.

  15. Tracey 15

    A few years ago the sports industry got in a tizzy when an event organiser was found guilty of criminal nuisance. In that case she had put measures in place to prevent accidents, such as road closures, but her communication was poor and this caused some confusion. A cyclist died.

    On appeal she was found not guilty BUT that was an unfortunate culmination of confusion and miscommunication, quite different from Pike River. I would expect, based on that case, to find criminal nuisance charges laid against a number of people including Mr Whittall.

    Section 145 of the Crimes Act 1961 states, that “Every one commits criminal nuisance who does any unlawful act or omits to discharge any legal duty, such act or omission being one which he knew would endanger the lives, safety, or health of the public, or the life, safety, or health of any individual” (Crimes Act 1961).

  16. Treetop 16

    Key is not sincere one bit. When it came to Dotcom losing his livelyhood, Key could not have cared less and he “completely and utterly collapsed that company”. The only time Key cared was when GCSB got caught out. Key apologised to Dotcom and used words like “appalled” and “failed” to justify what had happened under Keys watch.

    The type of mentality Key displays, it would fit in well on the Pike River Coal Board.

    • karol 16.1

      Key is not sincere one bit.


      Indeed.  And Bill English was going on about how David Cunliffe was not sincere, in the General Debate today.  But then, the NActs are always very good at projecting their own faults on to others.

      • Jim Nald 16.1.1

        Billshit is seeing his own ugliness wherever he looks
        He fills up time in the house with his own shit to avoid scrutiny on his sinister cum incompetent management of the country’s finances.

        • mike e 16.1.1.1

          Yes Jim the double dipping dip-shit hasn’t figured out that Austerity leads to a down ward spiral
          Which is leading to a bigger deficit more borrowing higher interest rates which increases the amount of speculation on our dollar which makes us less competitive loosing more jobs and so on the downward spiral continues under Nationals default policy change nothing do nothing blame every body else!
          More Austerity more decline blind leading the blind!

          • SpaceMonkey 16.1.1.1.1

            “the double dipping dip-shit hasn’t figured out that Austerity leads to a down ward spiral.”

            Yes he has… it’s part of the plan. Collapsing economies, the proverbial “race-to-the-bottom”, is all the rage these days. Except rage is all it will end in, and that’s another concern altogether.

  17. Brilliant piece, Anthony!

  18. Steve W 18

    Good job.

    Key should read the DimPost for a brief summary of how diffuse decision making can lead to lethal consequences…….as simply and naturally as the Sun coming up in the morning…and almost as inevitably.

    http://dimpost.wordpress.com/2012/11/07/cognitive-bias-and-self-regulation/

    If no one else in the Beehive has the mental bandwidth and business experience to understand this…..maybe they should get @danylmc in on a retainer.

  19. Tracey 19

    “Local oil and gas company Todd Energy says the practice of ‘fracking’ in New Zealand’s oil and gas wells is safe. ”

    Phew, that’s settled then.

  20. bad12 20

    Ah another bit of clever tongue in cheek from the Slippery Prime Minister attempting to divert attention away from what seems to be the REALITY of Pike River,

    There’s a question begging in the Slippery ones little spiel of bullshit uttered in defense of the indefensible, lets for a moment examine the financial status of the Pike River Coal Company at the time of the mines explosion shall we, only a moment is needed here as to all extents and purposes Pike River Coal at the time of the explosion were in a word BROKE,

    Whittal the CEO had been told by the directors of the company that the parent company would not be investing any more monies and Whittal had been personally tasked with raising the capital necessary to continue mining from ‘other’ interests,

    It is obvious that should Whittal have not found that money the Pike River Coal Company would be forced to cease coal extraction of coal already ordered and would be effectively bankrupt, SO scratch Slippery’s little hypothesis of the profitable coal company, it wasn’t,

    In a way tho, the Slippery little Shyster is right , it wouldn’t make any sense at all to have a highly profitable coal mine blow up in ya face, but, Pike River was anything but profitable,

    It wouldn’t make any sense to have a highly profitable coal mine being worked 40 days prior to it’s explosion with Methane gas levels on 20 of those days sitting within the narrow range of gas/air where methane will explode either,

    Actually it makes no sense whatsoever, nada, zilch, NONE, i dont mean what the Slippery little shyster has to say about Pike River, there can be ONE and only ONE reason why the management of a coal mine would allow it to be worked while methane gas to air levels on 20 out of 40 days are at an explosive level,

    That reason???? COZ THEY WANTED IT TO, explode that is, why else would anyone run a mine they knew was continually at a level of methane gas/air that one spark would explode it,

    This wasn’t an error made against the extraction of highly profitable coal which lead to tragedy, this was a systematic ignoring of the fact that prior to the actual explosion for 20 of the previous 40 days that mine was a bomb waiting for the smallest of sparks,

    This ignoring of the fact that the mine was a ‘bomb’ has to be viewed in the face of the facts that (a), if Whittal couldn’t raise cash from off shore the mine was effectively broke, (b), there was a ship due in a couple of weeks to take away 60,000 tonnes of premium grade coal that had not been mined and in fact did not seem to exist, Pike River in desperation had tried to purchase coal from Solid Energy, and (c), the shareholders from the parent company were demanding payment on their investments,

    For the ‘investors’ the only possible outcome from Pike River where they didn’t lose the lot was in fact the explosion of a coalmine that was reportedly insured for a 100 million dollars,

    SO, in a way the Slippery little Shyster we have as a Prime Minister is right in posing a question of why would a highly profitable mine deliberately allow such a catastrophic outcome,

    Obviously, the short and only answer to that is IT WASN’T and they sure as hell did coz in any sense of basic understanding of mining no one and i mean NO ONE in their right mind would operate a coal mine with methane gas levels directly within the range of explosiveness for 20 out of 40 days unless they WANTED that mine to explode,

    My only real question of Slippery the Prime Minister seeing as he seems to ‘know’ so much about this issue and the question would need be directed at those managing the Pike River Mine at the time as well,

    Did they get tired of waiting??? did they get tired of waiting for the thing to blow up, imagine sitting around for a full 40 days with a coal mine continually reaching a level of methane gas to air where the slightest spark would blow it apart, must have been hell on the nerves,

    The reason for the question above is that i am not fully convinced that the 1st explosion in that mine was in fact a methane gas explosion, it is possible and even highly likely that it was, BUT,

    Methane Gas when combusted is odorless, the first person sent into the Pike River Mine after the explosion a South African electrician with 26 years of experience in mining for coal,gold and other things told the Royal Commission that the place reeked of a smell like burned diesel, in His words the smell was exactly like that given off after the use of AMFRO explosives He had experienced in mines in South Africa….

    • RedLogix 20.1

      Combine this with Bernie Monk telling Kathryn Ryan on this last Monday morning that the families have encountered nothing but obstruction, lies and cover-ups from the company and authorities in seeking to re-enter the mine.

      As the Royal Commission rightly mentions, no-one knows exactly what caused the first explosion because no-one has been allowed to examine the evidence first-hand.

      And certain people seem very keen not to let anyone look either.

      http://www.odt.co.nz/regions/west-coast/176303/pike-river-electrician-feared-he-would-die

      • Tracey 20.1.1

        Agreed, he said the government cut off all communication with the families 18 months ago….

      • bad12 20.1.2

        Yes there is a huge question of there being a ‘safe’ means of entering the Pike River Mine and why those in positions of power have so far refused to entertain such a re-entry,

        My only real question here would be are the levels of Methane gas over 30% of the mines atmosphere across the whole mine including the drive and the coal faces,

        If the levels of Methane gas across the whole interior of the mine are above 30% of atmosphere then i would happily wander about the place with a lighted torch made from petrol soaked rags,

        Methane cannot burn nor explode at levels of 30%+ of an atmosphere, us humans can tolerate an atmosphere of 30% methane in an air atmosphere so says the science,

        Obviously anyone entering the mine would need breathing apparatus and a battery powered torch as the petrol soaked rags would not remain combustible for long in such an atmosphere,

        My view is that at the coal face of the mine there is likely to be a point of combustion active in the form of a smouldering coal seam, the science again says that even were there to be such a source of combustion present at levels of Methane Gas 30%+ of the mines atmosphere there is ZERO chance of further explosion as such a level of Methane Gas will neither burn nor explode…

    • vto 20.2

      hmmmm bad12, tought provoking. was aware of financial problems and things but deliberate?

      • RedLogix 20.2.1

        This is speculation vto. Not proof nor evidence.

        But if I were a detective examining a crime scene, it’s a ‘line of enquiry’ that could not, should not, be overlooked.

        And if one of the main suspects seemed very keen for me not to look …

      • bad12 20.2.2

        VTO, in my definition of deliberate and considering that Whittal and various others from the management of the Pike River Mine Company must have ‘known’ the risk inherent in allowing the mine to be worked while gas levels were within the 4-17% Methane gas to Air band,

        Having allowed the mine to be worked with the gas levels within that explosive range for 20 of the 40 days prior to the mine actually blowing up those managers who must have or ought to have known can now hardly claim the fact that the mine did explode was an ‘accident’

        If once in a 40 day period work were allowed to continue in that mine while the Methane gas/Air levels were such that an explosion ‘could’ occur i could conceivably attach the epithet ‘accidental’ to that singular occurrence,

        However, a singular occurrence this was not and it is reasonably obvious that allowing the mine to be worked in this fashion was the ‘norm’ at Pike River,

        In mining there is one certainty, if a mine were to be continually mined with an atmosphere of Methane Gas/Air of between 4-17% sooner or later something or someone would cause a spark to occur and the smallest of sparks would cause such an atmosphere to explode,

        So deliberation??? my opinion is yes the mine was deliberately mined while gas levels where at an explosive point not by accident but as a ‘norm’ of that mines operation and management did?, should?, or ought to have known the only possible outcome of continually mining in such a fashion was the inevitable explosion of that mine,

        The latter point i make with my query ”did they all get sick of waiting for that mine to explode” is in fact speculation based upon what the South African electrician ‘smelled’ when He was sent into the mine to ascertain what had happened after the initial explosion,

        His description of having smelled a powerful smell of burned diesel was in fact accurate as the mine manager at the time said in His evidence to the Royal Commission that when He exited the mines office some distance away from the actual mine He could smell burned diesel while standing in the car park,

        My understanding of Methane Gas and i will happily be corrected on this point of fact is that it is odorless and when combusted does not give off any smell let alone the powerful smell of burned diesel,

        What the South African electrician told the Royal Commission, and remembering that He had 26 years of experience in South African mines was that it smelled the same as the aftermath of AMFRO explosives having been used in South African mines,

        As a logical conclusion to that if what the South African electrician smelled within the mine on the day of the first explosion was in fact the aftermath of the use of AMFRO explosives then there can be only one answer to any query upon deliberation?,

        My sense of speculation and inquiry are only heightened by the utterly facile remarks made by Slippery the Prime Minister, the evidence given to the Royal Commission clearly showed that Pike River was scrambling to find the cash needed to continue mining, the billions of dollars of premium grade coal supposedly there to be taken wasn’t, and, Pike River could not hope to fill a 60,000 tonne order for premium grade coal for a ship due to dock 2 weeks after the actual mine explosion,

        It is Slippery the Prime Minister who poses the question why would anyone in their right minds deliberately allow a highly profitable coal mine to explode,

        The answer to that of course is what would you do if your supposed golden seam of premium grade coal had materialized to be hardly above the class of dross,your capital from shareholders was exhausted and there was trouble finding a new source of funding and you couldn’t fill a 60,000 tonne order for premium grade coal due in 2 weeks???

        Oh and you had an insurance premium covering the mine reportedly worth 100 million bucks, what would you do….

  21. Tracey 21

    ” Instead of being “prescriptive” as the DoL laments, individual companies were to adopt a “a performance-based approach” and to “to take ‘all practicable steps’ to ensure health and safety, leaving it to the discretion of the duty holder how they achieve that standard“.”

    This precisely what happened in the 1991 and 2004 building Act’s… it went from prescriptive to performance based, same words used… it was an across the board policy which ultimately took those lives at the mines, other lives on numerous work sites across NZ and fucked up homes in Auckland.

    Someone could do a study on how many developers personally suffered financially loss fromt he building changes… almost none. Profits with no downside… the national way

  22. Tracey 22

    Section 145 of the Crimes Act 1961 states, that “Every one commits criminal nuisance who does any unlawful act or omits to discharge any legal duty, such act or omission being one which he knew would endanger the lives, safety, or health of the public, or the life, safety, or health of any individual” (Crimes Act 1961).

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  • Is Simon Bridges’ NZTA appointment a conflict of interest?
    Bryce Edwards writes – Last week former National Party leader Simon Bridges was appointed by the Government as the new chair of the New Zealand Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA). You can read about the appointment in Thomas Coughlan’s article, Simon Bridges to become chair of NZ Transport Agency ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    13 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
    13 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
    14 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
    15 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
    17 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
    2 days ago
  • Gordon Campbell on Dune 2, and images of Islam
    Depictions of Islam in Western popular culture have rarely been positive, even before 9/11. Five years on from the mosque shootings, this is one of the cultural headwinds that the Muslim community has to battle against. Whatever messages of tolerance and inclusion are offered in daylight, much of our culture ...
    2 days ago
  • New Rail Operations Centre Promises Better Train Services
    Last week Transport Minster Simeon Brown and Mayor Wayne Brown opened the new Auckland Rail Operations Centre. The new train control centre will see teams from KiwiRail, Auckland Transport and Auckland One Rail working more closely together to improve train services across the city. The Auckland Rail Operations Centre in ...
    2 days ago
  • Bernard's six newsy things at 6.36am on Monday, March 18
    Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Retiring former Labour Finance Minister Grant Robertson said in an exit interview with Q+A yesterday the Government can and should sustain more debt to invest in infrastructure for future generations. Elsewhere in the news in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy at 6:36am: Read more ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago
  • Geoffrey Miller: Wang Yi’s perfectly-timed, Aukus-themed visit to New Zealand
    Timing is everything. And from China’s perspective, this week’s visit by its foreign minister to New Zealand could be coming at just the right moment. The visit by Wang Yi to Wellington will be his first since 2017. Anniversaries are important to Beijing. It is more than just a happy ...
    Democracy ProjectBy Geoffrey Miller
    2 days ago
  • The Kaka’s diary for the week to March 25 and beyond
    TL;DR: The key events to watch in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the week to March 18 include:China’s Foreign Minister visiting Wellington today;A post-cabinet news conference this afternoon; the resumption of Parliament on Tuesday for two weeks before Easter;retiring former Labour Finance Minister Grant Robertson gives his valedictory speech in Parliament; ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago
  • Bitter and angry; Winston First
    New Zealand First Leader Winston Peters’s state-of-the-nation speech on Sunday was really a state-of-Winston-First speech. He barely mentioned any of the Government’s key policies and could not even wholly endorse its signature income tax cuts. Instead, he rehearsed all of his complaints about the Ardern Government, including an extraordinary claim ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    2 days ago
  • 2024 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #11
    A listing of 35 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, March 10, 2024 thru Sat, March 16, 2024. Story of the week This week we'll give you a little glimpse into how we collect links to share and ...
    2 days ago
  • 2024 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #11
    A listing of 35 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, March 10, 2024 thru Sat, March 16, 2024. Story of the week This week we'll give you a little glimpse into how we collect links to share and ...
    2 days ago
  • Out of Touch.
    “I’ve been internalising a really complicated situation in my head.”When they kept telling us we should wait until we get to know him, were they taking the piss? Was it a case of, if you think this is bad, wait till you get to know the real Christopher, after the ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    3 days ago
  • Bring out your Dad
    Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago
  • Bring out your Dad
    Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago
  • Bring out your Dad
    Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago
  • The bewildering world of Chris Luxon – Guns for all, not no lunch for kids
    .“$10 and a target that bleeds” - Bleeding Targets for Under $10!.Thanks for reading Frankly Speaking ! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.This government appears hell-bent on either scrapping life-saving legislation or reintroducing things that - frustrated critics insist - will be dangerous and likely ...
    Frankly SpeakingBy Frank Macskasy
    3 days ago
  • Expert Opinion: Ageing Boomers, Laurie & Les, Talk Politics.
    It hardly strikes me as fair to criticise a government for doing exactly what it said it was going to do. For actually keeping its promises.”THUNDER WAS PLAYING TAG with lightning flashes amongst the distant peaks. Its rolling cadences interrupted by the here-I-come-here-I-go Doppler effect of the occasional passing car. ...
    3 days ago
  • Manufacturing The Truth.
    Subversive & Disruptive Technologies: Just as happened with that other great regulator of the masses, the Medieval Church, the advent of a new and hard-to-control technology – the Internet –  is weakening the ties that bind. Then, and now, those who enjoy a monopoly on the dissemination of lies, cannot and will ...
    3 days ago
  • A Powerful Sensation of Déjà Vu.
    Been Here Before: To find the precedents for what this Coalition Government is proposing, it is necessary to return to the “glory days” of Muldoonism.THE COALITION GOVERNMENT has celebrated its first 100 days in office by checking-off the last of its listed commitments. It remains, however, an angry government. It ...
    3 days ago
  • Can you guess where world attention is focussed (according to Greenpeace)? It’s focussed on an EPA...
    Bob Edlin writes –  And what is the world watching today…? The email newsletter from Associated Press which landed in our mailbox early this morning advised: In the news today: The father of a school shooter has been found guilty of involuntary manslaughter; prosecutors in Trump’s hush-money case ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    3 days ago
  • Further integrity problems for the Greens in suspending MP Darleen Tana
    Bryce Edwards writes – Is another Green MP on their way out? And are the Greens severely tarnished by another integrity scandal? For the second time in three months, the Green Party has secretly suspended an MP over integrity issues. Mystery is surrounding the party’s decision to ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    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
    4 days ago
  • Bernard’s Dawn Chorus with six newsey things at 6:46am for Saturday, March 16
    TL;DR: The six newsey things that stood out to me as of 6:46am on Saturday, March 16.Andy Foster has accidentally allowed a Labour/Green amendment to cut road user chargers for plug-in hybrid vehicles, which the Government might accept; NZ Herald Thomas Coughlan Simeon Brown has rejected a plea from Westport ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • How Did FTX Crash?
    What seemed a booming success a couple of years ago has collapsed into fraud convictions.I looked at the crash of FTX (short for ‘Futures Exchange’) in November 2022 to see whether it would impact on the financial system as a whole. Fortunately there was barely a ripple, probably because it ...
    PunditBy Brian Easton
    4 days ago
  • Elections in Russia and Ukraine
    Anybody following the situation in Ukraine and Russia would probably have been amused by a recent Tweet on X NATO seems to be putting in an awful lot of effort to influence what is, at least according to them, a sham election in an autocracy.When do the Ukrainians go to ...
    4 days ago
  • Bernard’s six stack of substacks at 6pm on March 15
    TL;DR: Shaun Baker on Wynyard Quarter's transformation. Magdalene Taylor on the problem with smart phones. How private equity are now all over reinsurance. Dylan Cleaver on rugby and CTE. Emily Atkin on ‘Big Meat’ looking like ‘Big Oil’.Bernard’s six-stack of substacks at 6pm on March 15Photo by Jeppe Hove Jensen ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • Buzz from the Beehive Finance Minister Nicola Willis had plenty to say when addressing the Auckland Business Chamber on the economic growth that (she tells us) is flagging more than we thought. But the government intends to put new life into it:  We want our country to be a ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    4 days ago
  • National’s clean car tax advances
    The Transport and Infrastructure Committee has reported back on the Road User Charges (Light Electric RUC Vehicles) Amendment Bill, basicly rubberstamping it. While there was widespread support among submitters for the principle that EV and PHEV drivers should pay their fair share for the roads, they also overwhelmingly disagreed with ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    4 days ago
  • Government funding bailouts
    Peter Dunne writes – This week’s government bailout – the fifth in the last eighteen months – of the financially troubled Ruapehu Alpine Lifts company would have pleased many in the central North Island ski industry. The government’s stated rationale for the $7 million funding was that it ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • Two offenders, different treatments.
    See if you can spot the difference. An Iranian born female MP from a progressive party is accused of serial shoplifting. Her name is leaked to the media, which goes into a pack frenzy even before the Police launch an … Continue reading ...
    KiwipoliticoBy Pablo
    4 days ago
  • Treaty references omitted
    Ele Ludemann writes  – The government is omitting general Treaty references from legislation : The growth of Treaty of Waitangi clauses in legislation caused so much worry that a special oversight group was set up by the last Government in a bid to get greater coherence in the public service on Treaty ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • The Ghahraman Conflict
    What was that judge thinking? Peter Williams writes –  That Golriz Ghahraman and District Court Judge Maria Pecotic were once lawyer colleagues is incontrovertible. There is published evidence that they took at least one case to the Court of Appeal together. There was a report on ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • Bernard's Top 10 @ 10 'pick 'n' mix' for March 15
    TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: Climate Scorpion – the sting is in the tail. Introducing planetary solvency. A paper via the University of Exeter’s Institute and Faculty of Actuaries.Local scoop: Kāinga Ora starts pulling out of its Auckland projects and selling land RNZ ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • The day Wellington up-zoned its future
    Wellington’s massively upzoned District Plan adds the opportunity for tens of thousands of new homes not just in the central city (such as these Webb St new builds) but also close to the CBD and public transport links. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Wellington gave itself the chance of ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • Weekly Roundup 15-March-2024
    It’s Friday and we’re halfway through March Madness. Here’s some of the things that caught our attention this week. This Week in Greater Auckland On Monday Matt asked how we can get better event trains and an option for grade separating Morningside Dr. On Tuesday Matt looked into ...
    Greater AucklandBy Greater Auckland
    5 days ago
  • That Word.
    Something you might not know about me is that I’m quite a stubborn person. No, really. I don’t much care for criticism I think’s unfair or that I disagree with. Few of us do I suppose.Back when I was a drinker I’d sometimes respond defensively, even angrily. There are things ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago
  • The Hoon around the week to March 15
    Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The five things that mattered in Aotearoa’s political economy that we wrote and spoke about via The Kākā and elsewhere for paying subscribers in the last week included:PM Christopher Luxon said the reversal of interest deductibility for landlords was done to help renters, who ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • Labour’s policy gap
    It was not so much the Labour Party but really the Chris Hipkins party yesterday at Labour’s caucus retreat in Martinborough. The former Prime Minister was more or less consistent on wealth tax, which he was at best equivocal about, and social insurance, which he was not willing to revisit. ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    5 days ago
  • Skeptical Science New Research for Week #11 2024
    Open access notables A Glimpse into the Future: The 2023 Ocean Temperature and Sea Ice Extremes in the Context of Longer-Term Climate Change, Kuhlbrodt et al., Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society: In the year 2023, we have seen extraordinary extrema in high sea surface temperature (SST) in the North Atlantic and in ...
    5 days ago
  • Melissa remains mute on media matters but has something to say (at a sporting event) about economic ...
     Buzz from the Beehive   The text reproduced above appears on a page which records all the media statements and speeches posted on the government’s official website by Melissa Lee as Minister of Media and Communications and/or by Jenny Marcroft, her Parliamentary Under-secretary.  It can be quickly analysed ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    5 days ago
  • The return of Muldoon
    For forty years, Robert Muldoon has been a dirty word in our politics. His style of government was so repulsive and authoritarian that the backlash to it helped set and entrench our constitutional norms. His pig-headedness over forcing through Think Big eventually gave us the RMA, with its participation and ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    5 days ago
  • Will the rental tax cut improve life for renters or landlords?
    Bryce Edwards writes –  Is the new government reducing tax on rental properties to benefit landlords or to cut the cost of rents? That’s the big question this week, after Associate Finance Minister David Seymour announced on Sunday that the Government would be reversing the Labour Government’s removal ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • Geoffrey Miller: What Saudi Arabia’s rapid changes mean for New Zealand
    Saudi Arabia is rarely far from the international spotlight. The war in Gaza has brought new scrutiny to Saudi plans to normalise relations with Israel, while the fifth anniversary of the controversial killing of Jamal Khashoggi was marked shortly before the war began on October 7. And as the home ...
    Democracy ProjectBy Geoffrey Miller
    5 days ago
  • Racism’s double standards
    Questions need to be asked on both sides of the world Peter Williams writes –   The NRL Judiciary hands down an eight week suspension to Sydney Roosters forward Spencer Leniu , an Auckland-born Samoan, after he calls Ezra Mam, Sydney-orn but of Aboriginal and Torres Strait ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • It’s not a tax break
    Ele Ludemann writes – Contrary to what many headlines and news stories are saying, residential landlords are not getting a tax break. The government is simply restoring to them the tax deductibility of interest they had until the previous government removed it. There is no logical reason ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • The Plastic Pig Collective and Chris' Imaginary Friends.
    I can't remember when it was goodMoments of happiness in bloomMaybe I just misunderstoodAll of the love we left behindWatching our flashbacks intertwineMemories I will never findIn spite of whatever you becomeForget that reckless thing turned onI think our lives have just begunI think our lives have just begunDoes anyone ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago
  • Who is responsible for young offenders?
    Michael Bassett writes – At first reading, a front-page story in the New Zealand Herald on 13 March was bizarre. A group of severely intellectually limited teenagers, with little understanding of the law, have been pleading to the Justice Select Committee not to pass a bill dealing with ram ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • Gordon Campbell on National’s fantasy trip to La La Landlord Land
    How much political capital is Christopher Luxon willing to burn through in order to deliver his $2.9 billion gift to landlords? Evidently, Luxon is: (a) unable to cost the policy accurately. As Anna Burns-Francis pointed out to him on Breakfast TV, the original ”rock solid” $2.1 billion cost he was ...
    6 days ago
  • Bernard's Top 10 @ 10 'pick 'n' mix' for March 14
    TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: Jonathon Porritt calling bullshit in his own blog post on mainstream climate science as ‘The New Denialism’.Local scoop: The Wellington City Council’s list of proposed changes to the IHP recommendations to be debated later today was leaked this ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    6 days ago
  • No, Prime Minister, rents don’t rise or fall with landlords’ costs
    TL;DR: Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said yesterday tenants should be grateful for the reinstatement of interest deductibility because landlords would pass on their lower tax costs in the form of lower rents. That would be true if landlords were regulated monopolies such as Transpower or Auckland Airport1, but they’re not, ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    6 days ago
  • Cartoons: ‘At least I didn’t make things awkward’
    This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Tom Toro Tom Toro is a cartoonist and author. He has published over 200 cartoons in The New Yorker since 2010. His cartoons appear in Playboy, the Paris Review, the New York Times, American Bystander, and elsewhere. Related: What 10 EV lovers ...
    6 days ago
  • Solving traffic congestion with Richard Prebble
    The business section of the NZ Herald is full of opinion. Among the more opinionated of all is the ex-Minister of Transport, ex-Minister of Railways, ex MP for Auckland Central (1975-93, Labour), Wellington Central (1996-99, ACT, then list-2005), ex-leader of the ACT Party, uncle to actor Antonia, the veritable granddaddy ...
    Greater AucklandBy Patrick Reynolds
    6 days ago
  • I Think I'm Done Flying Boeing
    Hi,Just quickly — I’m blown away by the stories you’ve shared with me over the last week since I put out the ‘Gary’ podcast, where I told you about the time my friend’s flatmate killed the neighbour.And you keep telling me stories — in the comments section, and in my ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    6 days ago
  • Invoking Aristotle: Of Rings of Power, Stones, and Ships
    The first season of Rings of Power was not awful. It was thoroughly underwhelming, yes, and left a lingering sense of disappointment, but it was more expensive mediocrity than catastrophe. I wrote at length about the series as it came out (see the Review section of the blog, and go ...
    6 days ago
  • Van Velden brings free-market approach to changing labour laws – but her colleagues stick to distr...
    Buzz from the Beehive Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Brooke van Velden told Auckland Business Chamber members they were the first audience to hear her priorities as a minister in a government committed to cutting red tape and regulations. She brandished her liberalising credentials, saying Flexible labour markets are the ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago
  • Why Newshub failed
    Chris Trotter writes – TO UNDERSTAND WHY NEWSHUB FAILED, it is necessary to understand how TVNZ changed. Up until 1989, the state broadcaster had been funded by a broadcasting licence fee, collected from every citizen in possession of a television set, supplemented by a relatively modest (compared ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago
  • Māori Party on the warpath against landlords and seabed miners – let’s see if mystical creature...
    Bob Edlin writes  –  The Māori Party has been busy issuing a mix of warnings and threats as its expresses its opposition to interest deductibility for landlords and the plans of seabed miners. It remains to be seen whether they  follow the example of indigenous litigants in Australia, ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago

  • Government moves to quickly ratify the NZ-EU FTA
    "The Government is moving quickly to realise an additional $46 million in tariff savings in the EU market this season for Kiwi exporters,” Minister for Trade and Agriculture, Todd McClay says. Parliament is set, this week, to complete the final legislative processes required to bring the New Zealand – European ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 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
    11 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
    13 hours ago
  • Trade access to overseas markets creates jobs
    Minister of Agriculture and Trade, Todd McClay, says that today’s opening of Riverland Foods manufacturing plant in Christchurch is a great example of how trade access to overseas markets creates jobs in New Zealand.  Speaking at the official opening of this state-of-the-art pet food factory the Minister noted that exports ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    14 hours ago
  • NZ and Chinese Foreign Ministers hold official talks
    Minister of Foreign Affairs Winston Peters met with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Wellington today. “It was a pleasure to host Foreign Minister Wang Yi during his first official visit to New Zealand since 2017. Our discussions were wide-ranging and enabled engagement on many facets of New Zealand’s relationship with China, including trade, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Kāinga Ora instructed to end Sustaining Tenancies
    Kāinga Ora – Homes & Communities has been instructed to end the Sustaining Tenancies Framework and take stronger measures against persistent antisocial behaviour by tenants, says Housing Minister Chris Bishop. “Earlier today Finance Minister Nicola Willis and I sent an interim Letter of Expectations to the Board of Kāinga Ora. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Speech to Auckland Business Chamber: Growth is the answer
    Tēna koutou katoa. Greetings everyone. Thank you to the Auckland Chamber of Commerce and the Honourable Simon Bridges for hosting this address today. I acknowledge the business leaders in this room, the leaders and governors, the employers, the entrepreneurs, the investors, and the wealth creators. The coalition Government shares your ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Singapore rounds out regional trip
    Minister Winston Peters completed the final leg of his visit to South and South East Asia in Singapore today, where he focused on enhancing one of New Zealand’s indispensable strategic partnerships.      “Singapore is our most important defence partner in South East Asia, our fourth-largest trading partner and a ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Minister van Velden represents New Zealand at International Democracy Summit
    Minister of Internal Affairs and Workplace Relations and Safety, Hon. Brooke van Velden, will travel to the Republic of Korea to represent New Zealand at the Third Summit for Democracy on 18 March. The summit, hosted by the Republic of Korea, was first convened by the United States in 2021, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Insurance Council of NZ Speech, 7 March 2024, Auckland
    ICNZ Speech 7 March 2024, Auckland  Acknowledgements and opening  Mōrena, ngā mihi nui. Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Nor Whanganui aho.  Good morning, it’s a privilege to be here to open the ICNZ annual conference, thank you to Mark for the Mihi Whakatau  My thanks to Tim Grafton for inviting me ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Five-year anniversary of Christchurch terror attacks
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Lead Coordination Minister Judith Collins have expressed their deepest sympathy on the five-year anniversary of the Christchurch terror attacks. “March 15, 2019, was a day when families, communities and the country came together both in sorrow and solidarity,” Mr Luxon says.  “Today we pay our respects to the 51 shuhada ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Speech for Financial Advice NZ Conference 5 March 2024
    Speech for Financial Advice NZ Conference 5 March 2024  Acknowledgements and opening  Morena, Nga Mihi Nui.  Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Nor Whanganui aho. Thanks Nate for your Mihi Whakatau  Good morning. It’s a pleasure to formally open your conference this morning. What a lovely day in Wellington, What a great ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Early visit to Indonesia strengthens ties
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters held discussions in Jakarta today about the future of relations between New Zealand and South East Asia’s most populous country.   “We are in Jakarta so early in our new government’s term to reflect the huge importance we place on our relationship with Indonesia and South ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • China Foreign Minister to visit
    Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Winston Peters has announced that the Foreign Minister of China, Wang Yi, will visit New Zealand next week.  “We look forward to re-engaging with Foreign Minister Wang Yi and discussing the full breadth of the bilateral relationship, which is one of New Zealand’s ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Minister opens new Auckland Rail Operations Centre
    Transport Minister Simeon Brown has today opened the new Auckland Rail Operations Centre, which will bring together KiwiRail, Auckland Transport, and Auckland One Rail to improve service reliability for Aucklanders. “The recent train disruptions in Auckland have highlighted how important it is KiwiRail and Auckland’s rail agencies work together to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Celebrating 10 years of Crankworx Rotorua
    The Government is proud to support the 10th edition of Crankworx Rotorua as the Crankworx World Tour returns to Rotorua from 16-24 March 2024, says Minister for Economic Development Melissa Lee.  “Over the past 10 years as Crankworx Rotorua has grown, so too have the economic and social benefits that ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Government delivering on tax commitments
    Legislation implementing coalition Government tax commitments and addressing long-standing tax anomalies will be progressed in Parliament next week, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The legislation is contained in an Amendment Paper to the Taxation (Annual Rates for 2023–24, Multinational Tax, and Remedial Matters) Bill issued today.  “The Amendment Paper represents ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Significant Natural Areas requirement to be suspended
    Associate Environment Minister Andrew Hoggard has today announced that the Government has agreed to suspend the requirement for councils to comply with the Significant Natural Areas (SNA) provisions of the National Policy Statement for Indigenous Biodiversity for three years, while it replaces the Resource Management Act (RMA).“As it stands, SNAs ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Government classifies drought conditions in Top of the South as medium-scale adverse event
    Agriculture Minister Todd McClay has classified the drought conditions in the Marlborough, Tasman, and Nelson districts as a medium-scale adverse event, acknowledging the challenging conditions facing farmers and growers in the district. “Parts of Marlborough, Tasman, and Nelson districts are in the grip of an intense dry spell. I know ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Government partnership to tackle $332m facial eczema problem
    The Government is helping farmers eradicate the significant impact of facial eczema (FE) in pastoral animals, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay announced.  “A $20 million partnership jointly funded by Beef + Lamb NZ, the Government, and the primary sector will save farmers an estimated NZD$332 million per year, and aims to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • NZ, India chart path to enhanced relationship
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters has completed a successful visit to India, saying it was an important step in taking the relationship between the two countries to the next level.   “We have laid a strong foundation for the Coalition Government’s priority of enhancing New Zealand-India relations to generate significant future benefit for both countries,” says Mr Peters, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Ruapehu Alpine Lifts bailout the last, say Ministers
    Cabinet has agreed to provide $7 million to ensure the 2024 ski season can go ahead on the Whakapapa ski field in the central North Island but has told the operator Ruapehu Alpine Lifts it is the last financial support it will receive from taxpayers. Cabinet also agreed to provide ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Govt takes action to drive better cancer services
    Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says the launch of a new mobile breast screening unit in Counties Manukau reinforces the coalition Government’s commitment to drive better cancer services for all New Zealanders. Speaking at the launch of the new mobile clinic, Dr Reti says it’s a great example of taking ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Govt takes action to drive better cancer services
    Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says the launch of a new mobile breast screening unit in Counties Manukau reinforces the coalition Government’s commitment to drive better cancer services for all New Zealanders. Speaking at the launch of the new mobile clinic, Dr Reti says it’s a great example of taking ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Work begins on SH29 upgrades near Tauriko
    Unlocking economic growth and land for housing are critical elements of the Government’s plan for our transport network, and planned upgrades to State Highway 29 (SH29) near Tauriko will deliver strongly on those priorities, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “The SH29 upgrades near Tauriko will improve safety at the intersections ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Work begins on SH29 upgrades near Tauriko
    Unlocking economic growth and land for housing are critical elements of the Government’s plan for our transport network, and planned upgrades to State Highway 29 (SH29) near Tauriko will deliver strongly on those priorities, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “The SH29 upgrades near Tauriko will improve safety at the intersections ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Fresh produce price drop welcome
    Lower fruit and vegetable prices are welcome news for New Zealanders who have been doing it tough at the supermarket, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. Stats NZ reported today the price of fruit and vegetables has dropped 9.3 percent in the 12 months to February 2024.  “Lower fruit and vege ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Statement to the 68th United Nations Commission on the Status of Women
    Tēnā koutou katoa and greetings to you all.  Chair, I am honoured to address the sixty-eighth session of the Commission on the Status of Women. I acknowledge the many crises impacting the rights of women and girls. Heightened global tensions, war, climate related and humanitarian disasters, and price inflation all ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    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
    7 days ago
  • Speech to Auckland Business Chamber
    Good evening everyone and thank you for that lovely introduction.   Thank you also to the Honourable Simon Bridges for the invitation to address your members. Since being sworn in, this coalition Government has hit the ground running with our 100-day plan, delivering the changes that New Zealanders expect of us. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Commission’s advice on ETS settings tabled
    Recommendations from the Climate Change Commission for New Zealand on the Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) auction and unit limit settings for the next five years have been tabled in Parliament, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. “The Commission provides advice on the ETS annually. This is the third time the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Government lowering building costs
    The coalition Government is beginning its fight to lower building costs and reduce red tape by exempting minor building work from paying the building levy, says Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk. “Currently, any building project worth $20,444 including GST or more is subject to the building levy which is ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Trustee tax change welcomed
    Proposed changes to tax legislation to prevent the over-taxation of low-earning trusts are welcome, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The changes have been recommended by Parliament’s Finance and Expenditure Committee following consideration of submissions on the Taxation (Annual Rates for 2023–24, Multinational Tax, and Remedial Matters) Bill. “One of the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Minister’s Ramadan message
    Assalaamu alaikum. السَّلَام عليكم In light of the holy month of Ramadan, I want to extend my warmest wishes to our Muslim community in New Zealand. Ramadan is a time for spiritual reflection, renewed devotion, perseverance, generosity, and forgiveness.  It’s a time to strengthen our bonds and appreciate the diversity ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Minister appoints new NZTA Chair
    Former Transport Minister and CEO of the Auckland Business Chamber Hon Simon Bridges has been appointed as the new Board Chair of the New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA) for a three-year term, Transport Minister Simeon Brown announced today. “Simon brings extensive experience and knowledge in transport policy and governance to the role. He will ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Speech to Life Sciences Summit
    Good morning all, it is a pleasure to be here as Minister of Science, Innovation and Technology.  It is fantastic to see how connected and collaborative the life science and biotechnology industry is here in New Zealand. I would like to thank BioTechNZ and NZTech for the invitation to address ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Progress continues apace on water storage
    Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says he is looking forward to the day when three key water projects in Northland are up and running, unlocking the full potential of land in the region. Mr Jones attended a community event at the site of the Otawere reservoir near Kerikeri on Friday. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Government agrees to restore interest deductions
    Associate Finance Minister David Seymour has today announced that the Government has agreed to restore deductibility for mortgage interest on residential investment properties. “Help is on the way for landlords and renters alike. The Government’s restoration of interest deductibility will ease pressure on rents and simplify the tax code,” says ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Minister to attend World Anti-Doping Agency Symposium
    Sport and Recreation Minister Chris Bishop will travel to Switzerland today to attend an Executive Committee meeting and Symposium of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA). Mr Bishop will then travel on to London where he will attend a series of meetings in his capacity as Infrastructure Minister. “New Zealanders believe ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

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