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Comment: Open mike 13/02/2025
Written By: AB - Date published: 10:12 am, February 13th, 2025
Maybe have a list of the various idiot things done by the Luxon and Key governments that you are going to reverse. Make sure you describe these things as vandalism by an economically illiterate and self-serving elite who despise ordinary people. You could ...Comment: The latest polls suggest a change in Government
Written By: AB - Date published: 11:31 am, February 12th, 2025
If Labour are handed the historic opportunity of a one-term National government, there's a good chance they will stuff it up with a Starmer-like dullness and a refusal to declare the economic status quo dead beyond any revival. Then my guess as to who ...Comment: Open mike 11/02/2025
Written By: AB - Date published: 10:02 am, February 11th, 2025
Great question, but he will answer it by saying he is "incredibly excited" about something or other that is unrelated to the question. And a second question could be added. If the world is awash with all this private investor money looking for a home, is ...Comment: Open mike 11/02/2025
Written By: AB - Date published: 9:52 am, February 11th, 2025
Seymour probably wants it in the bin too and the whole school lunch programme cancelled. Choosing the worst possible provider is a way of accelerating that by gutting consumer enthusiasm for the programme. I expect Compass was hard-nosed enough to realise ...Comment: Caption contest
Written By: AB - Date published: 10:11 pm, February 10th, 2025
Market Leninists begin the February Revolution.Comment: Open mike 09/02/2025
Written By: AB - Date published: 10:36 pm, February 9th, 2025
"Time alone will fill the spaces your going’s opened up like evening shadows stealing into the valleys of the Grey and the Arahura..." From Elegy for Peter Hooper.Comment: Moving beyond wtaf?
Written By: AB - Date published: 10:25 pm, February 7th, 2025
If billionaires cannot be controlled, cannot be taxed out of existence and cannot be prevented from coming into existence, what options are left to secure a democratic polity? Is there only one, and it appalls me to even say it out loud: but are we left ...Comment: New Zealand’s worst leadership speech since 2008
Written By: AB - Date published: 1:15 pm, January 24th, 2025
"I want us to be successful by being successful. I have no idea how yet, so I'm burbling out some totally conventional, upbeat, aspirational hogwash. Then I'm going to find the cheapest, quickest, meanest, dirtiest way of giving it a crack that will have ...Comment: Open mike 22/01/2025
Written By: AB - Date published: 2:08 pm, January 22nd, 2025
Letting people die slowly on a waiting list is a form of "ruthless execution". The phrase describes their policy quite well.Comment: Open mike 22/01/2025
Written By: AB - Date published: 1:58 pm, January 22nd, 2025
If questioned on this, they'll likely claim either or both of: it's just a phasing/timing issue where the rent-reduction effects of the landlord tax cuts haven't kicked in yet (hoping amnesia about the promises they made sets in with the public) that rents ...Comment: The difference between Christopher Luxon and Donald Trump *
Written By: AB - Date published: 1:03 pm, January 22nd, 2025
The agendas are not dissimilar, the political cultures are. There is more than one way to skin a cat, and the cat loses either way.Comment: America would never happen here!
Written By: AB - Date published: 12:57 pm, January 22nd, 2025
As you well know, the issue in the US is judges appointed by politicians, rather than selected and approved by a broad consensus of their professional colleagues. This means that the judiciary can no longer act as any sort of impartial constitutional ...Comment: Open mike 20/01/2025
Written By: AB - Date published: 3:39 pm, January 20th, 2025
That would make sense if universities collectively had the national interest in mind. But they are now profit-seeking enterprises, so of course Waikato wants a med school to drag students away from Otago and Auckland and (maybe) lift their world ranking to ...Comment: Luxon’s panicked reshuffle
Written By: AB - Date published: 3:14 pm, January 20th, 2025
Reti was clearly unable to convincingly sell the Nats' vision on health. The vision is that you can simultaneously cut funding for public health and improve the quality of the services it provides. To ordinary mortals this looks like a simple contradiction ...Comment: Open mike 28/12/2024
Written By: AB - Date published: 12:50 pm, December 28th, 2024
Oh no - people who voted for the populist far right finding out that the forces behind the funny, loud-mouthed, empty vessel guy they voted for actually hate and despise them and will exploit them to the hilt given the sniff of a chance? Life is full of ...Comment: Open mike 27/12/2024
Written By: AB - Date published: 10:43 am, December 27th, 2024
Monsieur Hooton dreaming of La Belle Epoque again?Comment: Open mike 18/12/2024
Written By: AB - Date published: 1:18 pm, December 18th, 2024
It's not like we've never been here before. National have no love of higher wages and a former (now legendary and sanctified) PM apparently said so.Comment: The real purpose of the Ministry for Regulation
Written By: AB - Date published: 4:23 pm, December 16th, 2024
Yes - although when push comes to shove, libertarians will happily deploy the coercive powers of the state to keep their desired order of things in place. They are really closet authoritarians touting a very limited conception of liberty.Comment: The real purpose of the Ministry for Regulation
Written By: AB - Date published: 10:20 am, December 16th, 2024
Standard right-wing MO. Disguise a highly ideological and anti-social intention as a neutral and desirable quality such as 'quality' or 'efficiency', or even 'getting things done'. The ability of the Right to turn its self-seeking machinations into a ...Comment: Open mike 13/12/2024
Written By: AB - Date published: 2:50 pm, December 13th, 2024
a scale of loss that will affect the ability to draft policy, execute policy, draft legislation and enforce regulations Yes - it's working as intended. It's a war on the state doing anything much, other than vigorously enhancing and supporting private ...Comment: Clusterfreak
Written By: AB - Date published: 1:42 pm, December 12th, 2024
She gives Eng Lit graduates a bad name - by her total lack of irony, reflection, sense of ambiguity, doubt, humility, sensitivity to human character or precision with words and meanings.Comment: Unacceptable
Written By: AB - Date published: 12:09 pm, December 7th, 2024
Boot camps are about more than PR. As Incognito noted at 3, they betray some central deformations in right wing thought. These are first, that people are born mostly bad and have the bad tamed and replaced with the good by forms of authoritarian control. ...Comment: Daily review 06/12/2024
Written By: AB - Date published: 7:37 am, December 7th, 2024
Reform ahead of Labour? If true, that happened way more quickly than I expected. And Bastani is correct that Starmer offers no solutions. So Starmer will now use McSweeney to work on offering the appearance of solutions.Comment: Open mike 06/12/2024
Written By: AB - Date published: 1:33 pm, December 6th, 2024
Isn't it great that that Luxon is so 'passionate' about 'outcomes' though? Surely that's the thing to 'celebrate' here? Maybe they are fleeing to attend those extra maths lesson being arranged by the (also extraordinarily 'passionate') Minister Erica ...Comment: Open mike 05/12/2024
Written By: AB - Date published: 10:07 am, December 5th, 2024
They wanted to make the redundancies anyway simply to shrink the size of the state out of a pure ideological fixation. So they sneakily pulled the cost of those redundancies forward one year in order to worsen the deficit, then pointed at that deficit to ...Comment: Luxon Takes A Beating
Written By: AB - Date published: 2:17 pm, December 4th, 2024
Good roundup - thanks. It's good if men are slowly drifting away from the right. It's as though they need to see some concrete evidence of the CoC's destructiveness and weren't able to see it foreshadowed from the start - mainly because of the CoC's ...Comment: Open mike 04/12/2024
Written By: AB - Date published: 9:45 am, December 4th, 2024
Luxon simply wants his preferred ideas about economics to be accepted as immutable, inevitable and above political debate. Economics, unfortunately for Luxon, is a highly contested ideological space and his preferred version of it (small state to avoid ...Comment: Daily review 03/12/2024
Written By: AB - Date published: 10:13 pm, December 3rd, 2024
Yes. The Right's determination to rewrite history has been extraordinary, but not surprising. For the Right, such a clear and recent historical example of the power and success of collective commitment to the common good cannot be allowed to stand. It is a ...Comment: Open mike 03/12/2024
Written By: AB - Date published: 1:49 pm, December 3rd, 2024
The long lunch with Boris Johnson is on today, proceeding in all its magnificence as I write. My invitation failed to materialise. But at least I can be amused by how the rugged, independent, free-thinking, entrepreneurial individualists of the financial ...Comment: Open mike 03/12/2024
Written By: AB - Date published: 12:23 pm, December 3rd, 2024
Not being Deputy PM removes a constraint on Peters going into an election campaign. He will feel better enabled to be critical of Nat-ACT in order to save his own skin. As election years approach, Peters has always been sensitive to where public sentiment ...
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- United States of betrayal
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- Good riddance
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- Oh, Jokerman
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- Govt grasping at economic growth straws
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- The quiet Waitangi that said a lot
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Early morning, the shadows still long, but you can already feel the warmth building. Our motel was across the road from the historic homestead where Henry Williams' family lived. The evening before, we wandered around the gardens, reading the plaques and enjoying the close proximity to the history of the ...1 week ago - Snippets: Backs Turn on Seymour, The USA Coup continues & Employment Falls by the Highest Rates ...
Thanks folks for your feedback, votes and comments this week. I’ll be making the changes soon. Appreciate all your emails, comments and subscriptions too. I know your time is valuable - muchas gracias.A lot is happening both here and around the world - so I want to provide a snippets ...1 week ago - Unemployment climbs above 5%
Data released today by Statistics NZ shows that unemployment rose to 5.1%, with 33,000 more people out of work than last year said NZCTU Te Kauae Kaimahi Economist Craig Renney. “The latest data shows that employment fell in Aotearoa at its fastest rate since the GFC. Unemployment rose in 8 ...1 week ago
- 34,000 unemployed under National
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- Govt to sell billions of dollars worth of state housing land
Boarded up homes in Kilbirnie, where work on a planned development was halted. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāLong stories short, the top six things in our political economy around housing, climate and poverty on Wednesday, February 5 are;Housing Minister Chris Bishop yesterday announced Kāinga Ora would be stripped of ...1 week ago - Trains are back but slower
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- An incoming leader’s onslaught of depredations
Poor old democracy, it really is in a sorry state. It would be easy to put all the blame on the vandals and tyrants presently trashing the White House, but this has been years in the making. It begins with Margaret Thatcher and Ronald Reagan and the spirit of Gordon ...1 week ago - Dear Mum and Dad
The new school lunches came in this week, and they were absolutely scrumptious.I had some, and even though Connor said his tasted like “stodge” and gave him a sore tummy, I myself loved it!Look at the photos - I knew Mr Seymour wouldn’t lie when he told us last year:"It ...1 week ago - An appropriate process?
Back in December Energy Minister Simon Watts appointed John Carnegie and Vijay Goel to the board of the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority. The appointments looked dubious - Carnagie is chief executive of Energy Resources Aotearoa, previously known as the Petroleum Exploration and Production Association of New Zealand: basically, an ...1 week ago
- NZ jobs contracting as Australia’s expands
The tighter sanctions are modelled on ones used in Britain, which did push people off ‘the dole’, but didn’t increase the number of workers, and which evidence has repeatedly shown don’t work. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāLong stories short, the top six things in our political economy around housing, ...1 week ago - NZ mirrors the US in significant ways
Catching you up on the morning’s global news and a quick look at the parallels -GLOBALTariffs are backSharemarkets in the US, UK and Europe have “plunged” in response to Trump’s tariffs. And while Mexico has won a one month reprieve, Canada and China will see their respective 25% and 10% ...1 week ago - Gondolas for mass transit?
This post by Nicolas Reid was originally published on Linked in. It is republished here with permission. Gondolas are often in the news, with manufacturers of ropeway systems proposing them as a modern option for mass transit systems in New Zealand. However, like every next big thing in transport, it’s hard ...1 week ago
- January sets an unexpected temperature record
This is a re-post from The Climate Brink Both 2023 and 2024 were exceptionally warm years, at just below and above 1.5C relative to preindustrial in the WMO composite of surface temperature records, respectively. While we are still working to assess the full set of drivers of this warmth, it is clear that ...1 week ago
- Flooding The Zone With Shit
Hi,I woke up feeling nervous this morning, realising that this weekend Flightless Bird is going to do it’s first ever live show. We’re heading to a sold out (!) show in Seattle to test the format out in front of an audience. If it works, we’ll do more. I want ...1 week ago - There are better ways to get hospitals
From the United-For-Now States of America comes the thrilling news that a New Zealander may be at the very heart of the current coup. Punching above our weight on the world stage once more! Wait, you may be asking, what New Zealander? I speak of Peter Thiel, made street legal ...1 week ago
- Democracy Matters
The Whangarei District Council being forced to fluoridate their local water supply is facing a despotic Soviet-era disgrace. This is not a matter of being pro-fluoride or anti-fluoride. It is a matter of what New Zealanders see and value as democracy in our country. Individual democratically elected Councillors are not ...3 hours ago - Release: Willis’ supermarket announcement all talk, no plan
Nicola Willis’ latest supermarket announcement is painfully weak with no new ideas, no real plan, and no relief for Kiwis struggling with rising grocery costs. ...5 hours ago - Release: Homelessness growing under National
Housing is going in the wrong direction under National, despite promises to build more houses and reduce the social housing waitlist. ...8 hours ago
- Release: More Kiwis are hungry, homeless and out of work
Half of Pacific children sometimes going without food is just one of many heartbreaking lowlights in the Salvation Army’s annual State of the Nation report. ...1 day ago
- Fisheries consultation must put sustainability before profit
The Green Party is urgently calling on the Government to prioritise long-term prosperity of our oceans in its consultation on the Fisheries Act. ...1 day ago - Benefit levels fail to keep families out of poverty
The Salvation Army’s State of the Nation report is a bleak indictment on the failure of Government to take steps to end poverty, with those on benefits, including their children, hit hardest. ...1 day ago
- NZ First Introduces Fluoridation Referendum Bill
New Zealand First has today introduced a Member’s Bill which would restore decision-making power to local communities regarding the fluoridation of drinking water. The ‘Fluoridation (Referendum) Legislation Bill’ seeks to repeal the Health (Fluoridation of Drinking Water) Amendment Act 2021 that granted centralised authority to the Direct General of Health ...2 days ago
- Release: Health system will suffer from ‘let it fail’ strategy
National’s cutting of digital staff in our health system will put patients at risk and leave hospitals vulnerable to cyber-attack. ...3 days ago
- Release: Cuts to school bus routes put Northland kids at risk
The Government is putting cost-cutting ahead of kids’ safety with its decision to cut rural school bus routes in Northland. ...3 days ago
- NZ First Introduces Bill To Fight ‘Woke Banks’
New Zealand First has introduced a Member’s Bill aimed at preventing banks from refusing their services to businesses because of the current “Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) Framework”. “This Bill ensures fairness and prevents ESG standards from perpetuating woke ideology in the banking sector being driven by unelected, globalist, climate ...3 days ago
- Release: Watered down investor visa will fail economy
Erica Stanford has reached peak shortsightedness if today’s announcement is anything to go by, picking apart immigration settings piece by piece to the detriment of the New Zealand economy. ...3 days ago
- Release: Craven silence on ICC conveys consent
New Zealand has long been a member of the International Criminal Court, which impartially prosecutes serious war criminals for atrocities. ...3 days ago
- MP Views: Waitangi Day 2025
Our originating document, the Treaty of Waitangi, was signed on February 6, 1840. An agreement between Māori and the British Crown. Initially inked by Ngā Puhi in Waitangi, further signatures were added as it travelled south. The intention was to establish a colony with the cession of sovereignty to the Crown, ...6 days ago
- Release: Health leadership in disarray while Kiwis miss out
Te Whatu Ora Chief Executive Margie Apa leaving her job four months early is another symptom of this government’s failure to deliver healthcare for New Zealanders. ...6 days ago
- PM must condemn Trump’s ethnic cleansing plan
The Green Party is calling for the Prime Minister to show leadership and be unequivocal about Aotearoa New Zealand’s opposition to a proposal by the US President to remove Palestinians from Gaza. ...6 days ago
- Public Works Act overhaul fails to protect Māori land
The Government’s so-called overhaul of the Public Works Act will fail to prevent further injustices around the confiscation of Māori land. ...1 week ago
- Release: Māori and Pacific people hit hardest by lack of jobs
The latest unemployment figures reveal that job losses are hitting Māori and Pacific people especially hard, with Māori unemployment reaching a staggering 9.7% for the December 2024 quarter and Pasifika unemployment reaching 10.5%. ...1 week ago
- Govt’s lack of a plan shows in soaring unemployment stats
The latest labour market figures confirm unemployment has risen to levels not seen since the height of the Covid-19 pandemic. ...1 week ago
- Release: Unemployment soars as Government fails Kiwis
The latest unemployment figures reveal that job losses are hitting Kiwis hard, with unemployment reaching 5.1%—a four-year high. ...1 week ago
- Waitangi Day must be community and not politically driven – Shane Jones
Waitangi 2025: Waitangi Day must be community and not politically driven - Shane Jones Our originating document, the Treaty of Waitangi, was signed on February 6, 1840. An agreement between Māori and the British Crown. Initially inked by Ngā Puhi in Waitangi, further signatures were added as it travelled south. ...1 week ago
- Release: Still no commitment to build more public houses
Despite being confronted every day with people in genuine need being stopped from accessing emergency housing – National still won’t commit to building more public houses. ...1 week ago
- Government plan fails on growing public housing stock
The Green Party says the Government is giving up on growing the country’s public housing stock, despite overwhelming evidence that we need more affordable houses to solve the housing crisis. ...1 week ago
- MP Views: Tough on crime, water storage, Easter trading laws, and vocational training
Before any thoughts of the New Year and what lies ahead could even be contemplated, New Zealand reeled with the tragedy of Senior Sergeant Lyn Fleming losing her life. For over 38 years she had faithfully served as a front-line Police officer. Working alongside her was Senior Sergeant Adam Ramsay ...2 weeks ago
- Marama Davidson to mark return to politics at Waitangi
Green Party co-leader Marama Davidson will return to politics at Waitangi on Monday the 3rd of February where she will hold a stand up with fellow co-leader Chlöe Swarbrick. ...2 weeks ago
- Our Tamariki Deserve Better than Seymour’s Slop
Te Pāti Māori is appalled by the government's blatant mishandling of the school lunch programme. David Seymour’s ‘cost-saving’ measures have left tamariki across Aotearoa with unidentifiable meals, causing distress and outrage among parents and communities alike. “What’s the difference between providing inedible food, and providing no food at all?” Said ...2 weeks ago
- Release: Mining plan offers false promises with real damage
The Government is doubling down on outdated and volatile fossil fuels, showing how shortsighted and destructive their policies are for working New Zealanders. ...2 weeks ago
- Release: Dunedin wins, hospital build continues
The people of Dunedin have won in an almost year-long battle to have their hospital confirmed, but National’s delays have cost dearly. ...2 weeks ago
- Greens stand with Coromandel locals against Luxon’s destructive mining policy
Green Party MP Steve Abel this morning joined Coromandel locals in Waihi to condemn new mining plans announced by Shane Jones in the pit of the town’s Australian-owned Gold mine. ...2 weeks ago
- Where’s the “culture of yes” on climate ambition?
The Green Party is calling on the Government to strengthen its just-announced 2030-2035 Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) under the Paris Agreement and address its woeful lack of commitment to climate security. ...2 weeks ago
- Taranaki Maunga Granted Legal Personhood
Today marks a historic moment for Taranaki iwi with the passing of the Te Pire Whakatupua mō Te Kāhui Tupua/Taranaki Maunga Collective Redress Bill in Parliament. "Today, we stand together as descendants of Taranaki, and our tūpuna, Taranaki Maunga, is now formally acknowledged by the law as a living tūpuna. ...2 weeks ago
- Release: Frontline providers deserve certainty, not name-calling
Labour is relieved to see Children’s Minister Karen Chhour has woken up to reality and reversed her government’s terrible decisions to cut funding from frontline service providers – temporarily. ...2 weeks ago
- Release: Seymour’s school lunch cuts already failing kids
It is the first week of David Seymour’s school lunch programme and already social media reports are circulating of revolting meals, late deliveries, and mislabelled packaging. ...2 weeks ago
- Open season on renters begins with no-cause evictions
The Green Party says that with no-cause evictions returning from today, the move to allow landlords to end tenancies without reason plunges renters, and particularly families who rent, into insecurity and stress. ...2 weeks ago
- Release: Govt soft on prosecuting migrant exploitation
The National Government’s big talk on combatting the exploitation of migrant workers has been exposed as a sham today. ...2 weeks ago
- Release: More road deaths likely if evidence not followed
Any road deaths as a result of increased speed limits will now be on the Government’s hands. ...2 weeks ago
- Raising speed limits on undivided highways invites trouble
The Government’s move to increase speed limits substantially on dozens of stretches of rural and often undivided highways will result in more serious harm. ...2 weeks ago
- Release: Luxon misleading on the economy
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon is misleading the public by falsely claiming the economy has been in recession for three years. ...2 weeks ago
- Release: Nicola Willis prioritises visitors over everyday Kiwis
In her first announcement as Economic Growth Minister, Nicola Willis chose to loosen restrictions for digital nomads from other countries, rather than focus on everyday Kiwis. ...2 weeks ago
- 98 per cent of potholes repaired within 24 hours
The Government’s commitment to get New Zealand’s roads back on track is delivering strong results, with around 98 per cent of potholes on state highways repaired within 24 hours of identification every month since targets were introduced, Transport Minister Chris Bishop says. “Increasing productivity to help rebuild our economy is ...2 weeks ago - Decision reached on Dunedin Hospital
The former Cadbury factory will be the site of the Inpatient Building for the new Dunedin Hospital and Health Minister Simeon Brown says actions have been taken to get the cost overruns under control. “Today I am giving the people of Dunedin certainty that we will build the new Dunedin ...2 weeks ago
- First Plunket site begins delivering childhood immunisations
From today, Plunket in Whāngarei will be offering childhood immunisations – the first of up to 27 sites nationwide, Health Minister Simeon Brown says. The investment of $1 million into the pilot, announced in October 2024, was made possible due to the Government’s record $16.68 billion investment in health. It ...2 weeks ago
- Government confirms international commitment to disability community
New Zealand’s strong commitment to the rights of disabled people has continued with the response to an important United Nations report, Disability Issues Minister Louise Upston has announced. Of the 63 concluding observations of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD), 47 will be progressed ...2 weeks ago
- Major milestone reached with launch of Minerals Strategy and Critical Minerals List
Resources Minister Shane Jones has launched New Zealand’s national Minerals Strategy and Critical Minerals List, documents that lay a strategic and enduring path for the mineral sector, with the aim of doubling exports to $3 billion by 2035. Mr Jones released the documents, which present the Coalition Government’s transformative vision ...2 weeks ago
- A new direction for the minerals sector to grow the economy
Firstly I want to thank OceanaGold for hosting our event today. Your operation at Waihi is impressive. I want to acknowledge local MP Scott Simpson, local government dignitaries, community stakeholders and all of you who have gathered here today. It’s a privilege to welcome you to the launch of the ...2 weeks ago
- Tax policy proposal would boost NZ racing
Racing Minister, Winston Peters has announced the Government is preparing public consultation on GST policy proposals which would make the New Zealand racing industry more competitive. “The racing industry makes an important economic contribution. New Zealand thoroughbreds are in demand overseas as racehorses and for breeding. The domestic thoroughbred industry ...2 weeks ago
- Business confidence signals progress
Business confidence remains very high and shows the economy is on track to improve, Economic Growth Minister Nicola Willis says. “The latest ANZ Business Outlook survey, released yesterday, shows business confidence and expected own activity are ‘still both very high’.” The survey reports business confidence fell eight points to +54 ...2 weeks ago
- Hawke’s Bay patients to benefit from new and improved radiology and cancer treatment services
Enabling works have begun this week on an expanded radiology unit at Hawke’s Bay Fallen Soldiers’ Memorial Hospital which will double CT scanning capacity in Hawke’s Bay to ensure more locals can benefit from access to timely, quality healthcare, Health Minister Simeon Brown says. This investment of $29.3m in the ...2 weeks ago
- Setting New Zealand’s second international climate target
The Government has today announced New Zealand’s second international climate target under the Paris Agreement, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. New Zealand will reduce emissions by 51 to 55 per cent compared to 2005 levels, by 2035. “We have worked hard to set a target that is both ambitious ...2 weeks ago
- Major negotiations with iwi of Taranaki conclude
Nine years of negotiations between the Crown and iwi of Taranaki have concluded following Te Pire Whakatupua mō Te Kāhui Tupua/the Taranaki Maunga Collective Redress Bill passing its third reading in Parliament today, Treaty Negotiations Minister Paul Goldsmith says. “This Bill addresses the historical grievances endured by the eight iwi ...2 weeks ago
- Relentless focus on literacy & numeracy at school
As schools start back for 2025, there will be a relentless focus on teaching the basics brilliantly so all Kiwi kids grow up with the knowledge, skills and competencies needed to grow the New Zealand of the future, Education Minister Erica Stanford says. “A world-leading education system is a key ...2 weeks ago
- Ministers welcome Kāinga Ora’s revised approach to wool carpets
Housing Minister Chris Bishop and Associate Agriculture Minister Mark Patterson have welcomed Kāinga Ora’s decision to re-open its tender for carpets to allow wool carpet suppliers to bid. “In 2024 Kāinga Ora issued requests for tender (RFTs) seeking bids from suppliers to carpet their properties,” Mr Bishop says. “As part ...2 weeks ago
- New school lunch programme serves up first healthy lunches
Associate Education Minister David Seymour has today visited Otahuhu College where the new school lunch programme has served up healthy lunches to students in the first days of the school year. “As schools open in 2025, the programme will deliver nutritious meals to around 242,000 students, every school day. On ...2 weeks ago
- Barnardos decision reversed
Minister for Children Karen Chhour has intervened in Oranga Tamariki’s review of social service provider contracts to ensure Barnardos can continue to deliver its 0800 What’s Up hotline. “When I found out about the potential impact to this service, I asked Oranga Tamariki for an explanation. Based on the information ...2 weeks ago
- Customs’ levies bill passes first reading
A bill to make revenue collection on imported and exported goods fairer and more effective had its first reading in Parliament, Customs Minister Casey Costello said today. “The Customs (Levies and Other Matters) Amendment Bill modernises the way in which Customs can recover the costs of services that are needed ...2 weeks ago
- Citizenship applications completed up 54 per cent in December
Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says the Department of Internal Affairs [the Department] has achieved significant progress in completing applications for New Zealand citizenship. “December 2024 saw the Department complete 5,661 citizenship applications, the most for any month in 2024. This is a 54 per cent increase compared ...2 weeks ago
- Speed limit reduction reversals begin
Reversals to Labour’s blanket speed limit reductions begin tonight and will be in place by 1 July, says Minister of Transport Chris Bishop. “The previous government was obsessed with slowing New Zealanders down by imposing illogical and untargeted speed limit reductions on state highways and local roads. “National campaigned on ...2 weeks ago
- Budget will be delivered on 22 May
Finance Minister Nicola Willis has announced Budget 2025 – the Growth Budget - will be delivered on Thursday 22 May. “This year’s Budget will drive forward the Government’s plan to grow our economy to improve the incomes of New Zealanders now and in the years ahead. “Budget 2025 will build ...2 weeks ago
- PM emphasises importance of growth in 2025
For the Government, 2025 will bring a relentless focus on unleashing the growth we need to lift incomes, strengthen local businesses and create opportunity. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon today laid out the Government’s growth agenda in his Statement to Parliament. “Just over a year ago this Government was elected by ...2 weeks ago
- Students are back at school
Associate Education Minister David Seymour welcomes students back to school with a call to raise attendance from last year. “The Government encourages all students to attend school every day because there is a clear connection between being present at school and setting yourself up for a bright future,” says Mr ...2 weeks ago
- Going for Growth: New rules for visiting tourists
The Government is relaxing visitor visa requirements to allow tourists to work remotely while visiting New Zealand, Economic Growth Minister Nicola Willis, Immigration Minister Erica Stanford and Tourism Minister Louise Upston say. “The change is part of the Government’s plan to unlock New Zealand’s potential by shifting the country onto ...2 weeks ago
- Housing Minister opens new Epuni development
The opening of Kāinga Ora’s development of 134 homes in Epuni, Lower Hutt will provide much-needed social housing for Hutt families, Housing Minister Chris Bishop says. “I’ve been a strong advocate for social housing on Kāinga Ora’s Epuni site ever since the old earthquake-prone housing was demolished in 2015. I ...2 weeks ago
- Trade and Investment Minister to hold trans-Tasman discussion
Trade and Investment Minister Todd McClay will travel to Australia today for meetings with Australian Trade Minister, Senator Don Farrell, and the Australia New Zealand Leadership Forum (ANZLF). Mr McClay recently hosted Minister Farrell in Rotorua for the annual Closer Economic Relations (CER) Trade Ministers’ meeting, where ANZLF presented on ...3 weeks ago
- New podiatry clinic brings much-needed service to Wairoa
A new monthly podiatry clinic has been launched today in Wairoa and will bring a much-needed service closer to home for the Wairoa community, Health Minister Simeon Brown says.“Health New Zealand has been successful in securing a podiatrist until the end of June this year to meet the needs of ...3 weeks ago
- Civicus Monitor criticises PNG use of cybercrime law to curb free speech
Pacific Media Watch Papua New Guinea’s civic space has been rated as “obstructed” by the Civicus Monitor and the country has been criticised for pushing forward with a controversial media law in spite of strong opposition. Among concerns previously documented by the civil rights watchdog are harassment and threats against ...1 hour ago - MPs to review Parliament’s rules after land rover stunt
MPs are going to take another look at Parliament's rules, after ACT leader David Seymour drove a land rover up the steps outside. ...1 hour ago - Antarctic research has long been hamstrung by reliance on one icebreaker and sporadic funding. That ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jane Younger, Lecturer in Southern Ocean Vertebrate Ecology, Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies, University of Tasmania Australia’s Antarctic territory represents the largest sliver of the ice continent. For decades, Australian scientists have headed to one of our three bases – Mawson, ...1 hour ago
- Indigenous knowledge merges with science to protect people from fish poisoning in Vanuatu
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Meg Parsons, Associate Professor in Historical Geography, University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau Wikimedia/Louisa Cass/AusAID, CC BY-SA Ciguatera fish poisoning is the world’s most frequently reported seafood-borne illness. It poses a serious health risk to tropical coastal communities, with some ...1 hour ago
- ‘A house battery you can drive around’: how a handful of Australians are selling power from thei...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Scott Dwyer, Research Director, Energy Futures, University of Technology Sydney 24K-Productions Our cars sit unused most of the time. If you have an electric vehicle, you might leave it charging at home or work after driving it. But there’s another step ...3 hours ago
- Treaty principles bill hearings, day four: Former PM, former minister say scrap it
Everything you missed from day four of the Treaty principles bill hearings, when the Justice Committee heard two hours of submissions. Read our recaps of the previous hearings here. Parliament’s Room 3 was the same old, same old on Thursday morning for the fourth Treaty principles bill hearing – brown ...3 hours ago - Cook Islands opposition files no-confidence motion against PM
By Melina Etches of the Cook Islands News A motion of no confidence has been filed against the Prime Minister and his Cabinet following the recent fiasco involving the now-abandoned Cook Islands passport proposal and the comprehensive strategic partnership the country will sign with China this week. Cook Islands United ...3 hours ago
- You’re playing (or watching) sport and someone blurts out a racial slur. The next 60 seconds are c...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Aish Ravi, Lecturer in Curriculum, Teaching and Inclusive Education, Monash University In October last year, the Australian Sports Commission (ASC) launched Dealing with the Moment: Anti-Racism in Community Sport, a free online course designed to help community coaches, parents, umpires and players ...3 hours ago
- ‘It’s a house battery you can drive around’ – how a handful of Australians are selling power...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Scott Dwyer, Research Director, Energy Futures, University of Technology Sydney 24K-Productions Our cars sit unused most of the time. If you have an electric vehicle, you might leave it charging at home or work after driving it. But there’s another step ...3 hours ago
- More than 60 jobs to be axed at Callaghan Innovation
Fourteen of the 63 staff losing their jobs are scientists and engineers, a union representative says. ...4 hours ago
- Financial Statements Of The Government Of New Zealand For The Six Months Ended 31 December 2024
The December results are reported against forecasts based on the Half Year Economic and Fiscal Update 2024 (HYEFU 2024), published on 17 December 2024, and the results for the same period for the previous year. ...4 hours ago - Tiny splendid peacock spiders have the fastest known jump among their kin – new study
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ajay Narendra, Associate Professor of Insect Neuroethology, Macquarie University Pranav Joshi Jumping spiders – one of the largest spider families – get their name from the extraordinary jumps they make to hunt prey, to navigate and also to evade predators. Male ...4 hours ago
- Former National minister says Treaty Principles Bill ‘irretrievably flawed’
Hekia Parata told a select committee the bill was "unnecessary" and wasting resources and tolerance. ...5 hours ago
- Winston Peters and Gideon Sa’ar speak on importance of Gaza ceasefire
Both ministers have confirm they shared a phone call on Thursday morning, with the first phase of the Gaza ceasefire agreement due to expire next month. ...5 hours ago
- A review of the new Courtenay Place design
The final designs for the long-awaited Courtenay Place revamp have been released. Joel MacManus takes a closer look at the details. At an embargoed media briefing on Wednesday, Wellington mayor Tory Whanau and a team of council staff showed journalists a 3D-printed model of Courtenay Place. For about an hour, ...6 hours ago
- Watch: Nicola Willis talks supermarket competition as economic forum kicks off
The Economic Growth Minister is targeting increasing competition in the banking, grocery, and electricity sectors for the government to address this year. ...6 hours ago
- Watch: Select Committee hearings on Treaty Principles Bill resume
A former prime minister and a former Cabinet minister are among those set to make submissions today. ...6 hours ago
- Meet the people turning old bikes into new Auckland adventures
Ecomatters Bike Hub has helped 30,000 Aucklanders start cycling. Shanti Mathias rides over to understand the impact of these community bike workshops. When An Na moved with her husband and two kids to Auckland in 2022, it took a while to start learning their way around. “We started taking our ...6 hours ago
- Echo Chamber: Winston Peters v the ‘most constrained’ parliament in the world
Echo Chamber is The Spinoff’s dispatch from the press gallery, recapping sessions in the House. Columns are written by politics reporter Lyric Waiwiri-Smith and Wellington editor Joel MacManus. Labour leader Chris Hipkins is on the war path – the path being the overthrowing of Act leader David Seymour, and hopefully ...6 hours ago
- Axing 63 Roles At Callaghan Innovation Will Drive Essential Skills Out Of The Country
Callaghan Innovation told 63 workers their roles were being made redundant, including 16 commercialisation roles, 14 scientists and engineers, 6 Māori Innovation roles, and others working in data, digital, product design, risk and audit, marketing, government ...7 hours ago
- Watch live: Nicola Willis talks supermarket competition as economic forum kicks off
The finance minister is expected to talk about government efforts to boost competition. ...7 hours ago
- ‘Multiple red flags’: ASIC’s court case against Star executives shows the risks of complacency
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Elizabeth Sheedy, Professor – Risk governance, culture, remuneration, Macquarie University This week the corporate regulator is taking on executives and directors of Star Entertainment in the Federal Court, in a landmark case for Australian corporate governance. ASIC will allege that despite multiple ...8 hours ago
- A new report card shows inequality in Australia isn’t as bad as in the US – but we’re headed i...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Cameron Allen, Senior Research Fellow, Monash University Shutterstock It’s hard to remember a time the United States seemed as tense and divided as it does today. That should serve as a stark reminder of just how important it is to monitor ...8 hours ago
- Help Me Hera: Is Elon Musk the antichrist?
I’m a proud atheist who outgrew my religious upbringing. So why am I getting antsy about the rapture all of a sudden? Want Hera’s help? Email your problem to helpme@thespinoff.co.nz Dear Hera, I’m a proud atheist and since I managed to move past the childhood trauma of my religious upbringing ...8 hours ago
- Cooks and China partner on undersea exploration for lucrative critical minerals
Analysis: A couple of hours ago, Cook Islands prime minister Mark Brown posted a Facebook picture from a visit to China’s National Deep Sea Centre in Qingdao, 700km north of Shanghai. The centre’s crewed submarine ‘Jiaolong’ has just been given a major upgrade and is set for sea trials in March. This is no ...8 hours ago - Removing babies is still harming First Nations families, almost two decades after the apology to Sto...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sam Burrow, PhD candidate, School of Population and Global Health, The University of Western Australia Belinda Howell/Getty Images Today marks 17 years since the apology to Australia’s Indigenous peoples for the forced removal of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children from ...8 hours ago
- Nocturnal basking and deep diving may not be enough to keep crocodiles cool in a warming world
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kaitlin Barham, Wildlife ecology researcher, The University of Queensland Australia Zoo Crocodiles are hardy creatures, capable of adjusting their behaviour to cope with the heat of the tropics. But there’s a limit to their endurance. Our new research shows the ...8 hours ago
- Stan’s Invisible Boys carries the tradition of real, gritty Aussie teen drama, while smashing it i...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Damien O’Meara, Lecturer, School of Media and Communication, RMIT University Stan Stan’s new series Invisible Boys follows four young gay men as they understand and explore their identities while living in Geraldton, a regional town in Western Australia. Charlie Roth ...8 hours ago
- Do parties win elections because of their leaders, or in spite of them? History shows it’s a bit o...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Pandanus Petter, Postdoctoral Research Fellow, School of Politics and International Relations, Australian National University The upcoming federal election will see the incumbent Labor prime minister, Anthony Albanese, face off against Liberal opposition leader, Peter Dutton. We’ll likely see a strong focus on ...8 hours ago
- Watch live: Select Committee hearings on Treaty Principles Bill resume
A former prime minister and a former Cabinet minister are among those set to make submissions today. ...8 hours ago
- 3.5 kilometres underwater, scientists found a staggeringly energetic particle from outer space
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Luke Barnes, Lecturer in Physics, Western Sydney University An artist’s impression of a high-energy particle travelling through the KM3NeT neutrino telescope. KM3NeT Three and a half kilometres beneath the Mediterranean Sea, around 80km off the coast of Sicily, lies half of a ...9 hours ago
- Hate speech on X surged for at least 8 months after Elon Musk takeover – new research
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michael Jensen, Associate professor, Institute for Governance and Policy Analysis, University of Canberra, University of Canberra Kemarrravv13/Shutterstock Hate speech on X was consistently 50% higher for at least eight months after tech billionaire Elon Musk bought the social media platform, new ...9 hours ago
- To achieve real growth, the NZ government needs to relax the rules around housing
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By James Graham, Senior Lecturer in Economics, University of Sydney Ufuk Zivana/Shutterstock Prime Minister Christopher Luxon wants New Zealand to “go for growth”. But his plan, focused on reforming foreign investment, planning and competition laws, as well as boosting the ...9 hours ago
- ‘Winter is coming’: Energy minister says next 150 days will be challenging
Simon Watts has met with gentailers to discuss progress and cooperation ahead of the expected winter energy price spike. ...9 hours ago
- How a planned Wānaka McDonald’s came to be about more than just fast food
‘An economic own-goal’ or a triumph of democracy? Stewart Sowman-Lund explains in today’s edition of The Bulletin. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign up here. No McDonald’s for Wānaka Wānaka ...9 hours ago
- Frontline mental health cash used for controversial fund
Critics say the money would have been better spent training more workers, including much-needed psychiatrists. ...9 hours ago
- Public health experts pitch ‘Swiss cheese model’ for gun reforms
Public health experts say good gun laws require multiple defence layers, advocating for risk management approach called the 'Swiss cheese model'. ...10 hours ago
- Union launches legal action against Health NZ to try to halt job cuts
The PSA filed proceedings with the Employment Relations Authority on Wednesday, seeking an urgent hearing to try to immediately stop any dismissals. ...11 hours ago
- ‘Our tribe was made landless in modern times’
The lead witness in Ngāi Tahu’s freshwater claim says the case raises an “existentialist question” for his people.“My greatest fear is that we will have our connection with our land and waterways extinguished,” Te Maire Tau (Ngāi Tahu/Ngāi Tūāhuriri) said in the Christchurch High Court, before Justice Melanie Harland. The university history ...11 hours ago
- New rules for bosses and workers
New Zealand employers are well-used to the constant evolution of employment and workplace health and safety law – but we think the scope of changes in this area may still surprise in 2025. In our view, the number of changes under active consideration and the potential practical impact of those ...12 hours ago
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