A detailed analysis of Simon Bridges’ state of the nation speech

Written By: - Date published: 4:59 pm, January 30th, 2019 - 88 comments
Categories: Economy, Politics, Simon Bridges, the praiseworthy and the pitiful, you couldn't make this shit up - Tags:

Tax cuts good.

That’s it.

88 comments on “A detailed analysis of Simon Bridges’ state of the nation speech ”

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  1. Nick 1
    30 January 2019 at 5:08 pm

    Blah blah blah… Vote for me

  2. Dv 2
    30 January 2019 at 5:24 pm

    Indexing Taxation to inflation is actually a good idea.

    • Formerly Ross 2.1
      30 January 2019 at 5:33 pm

      So is having a productive high-wage economy. I’m guessing Simon didn’t talk about that. Remember when Key talked about closing the wage gap with Aussie? Yeah it didn’t last long.

      Out of interest, will indexing tax to inflation benefit the poor more than the wealthy? If so, how?

      • Paul Campbell 2.1.1
        30 January 2019 at 6:26 pm

        Richer people will get more back, but for people earning from the start of the (new) top step all the way up to full on billionaires it will be a fixed amount – likely something vaguely in the $1000 range – really we need that top 38-39% tax rate back (I am in that bracket)

    • Paul Campbell 2.2
      30 January 2019 at 6:21 pm

      I agree – it’s been suggested by opposition parties since for about forever, but never implemented when those parties actually get into power.

      If you’re a minister of finance it gives you a few extra % each and every year, and then you can promise a “tax cut” which is really a reindexing of the current steps (as Labour did in 2008 and National did in 2009)

    • Rapunzel 2.3
      30 January 2019 at 7:55 pm

      Less than 10% of the work force will get anything at all.

    • McFlock 2.4
      31 January 2019 at 12:14 am

      I’d actually index it to income medians, not dollar value. Deciles 1-2 (lowest incomes) pay zero, deciles 3 4 & 5 pay low rates, 5 6 & 7 middle rate, and the highest income 30% pay the highest tax rates,

      That way if inflation is kept low because inequality is increasing, the people benefitting from that redistribution pay more..

  3. Fireblade 3
    30 January 2019 at 5:24 pm

    Vote for me. I’m gonna do tax cuts and stuff like this:

    Simon Bridges (Twitter)
    If National is elected in 2020 we will: ☑️ Repeal the Auckland Regional Fuel Tax ☑️ Ensure no increase in petrol taxes during our first term ☑️ Have no new taxes in our first term ☑️ Repeal a Capital Gains Tax

    Simon then asks “how the fuck are we going to pay for it?”

    • Sabine 3.1
      30 January 2019 at 7:33 pm

      by increasing GST and any other tax not mentioned in his tweet.

      Have a good look at what he promises and ask yourself where they main tax revenue comes from.

      also he is repealing a tax we are yet to have.

      • In Vino 3.1.1
        30 January 2019 at 7:52 pm

        Also – revert to deliberate underfunding of all socially important areas like Police, health, education, etc, etc. And then miraculously balance the budget books!

      • Ed1 3.1.2
        30 January 2019 at 9:21 pm

        We do have a capital gains tax – it is just that there are so many exemptions that many individual are not aware of it. If shares or property is bought for investment purposes and traded to realise gains, then prima facie that “income” from capital gains is taxable. I think there is a general exemption for an investors place of residence, or investments bought for long term benefits rather than investment gains – the “bright line” test introduced by National limited the exemption for properties sold soon after being bought – if you buy and sell a house days apart (as some real estate people have managed to do), then “capital gains” profits are taxable. Bridges appears to have promised to remove all capital gains taxes – it would be interesting to know what IRD’s estimate would be if that had applied in say the last year . . .
        (I am not a tax expert! – it would be good to know whether capital gains from share trading in a Kiwisaver Fund are treated the same as in an MPs “arms length” trust fund . . .)

    • mickysavage 3.2
      30 January 2019 at 7:54 pm

      I cannot begin to say how important the regional fuel tax is. Without it Auckland will grind to a halt.

      • Sabine 3.2.1
        30 January 2019 at 9:28 pm

        what labour could do is offer a refund of costs for public transport.

        in the same sense as a business/sole trader etc can claim fuel costs as costs of doing business so could a category be established that allowed public transport users that buy a monthly/annual bus pass and at the end of the year to claim a partial refund.

        it would be fair, and it would be feasable.

        i fully expect labour to not do anything even remotely to encourage people out of the car into the busses, but one reason the car is still the more attractive option is the cost of public transport and all of the other stuff like late buses, over crowded buses, rude drivers, not enough point of sales for bus passes, hop cards etc.

        the fuel tax is literally just bleeding dry those that least can afford it, all the other write it of at the end of the year as an expense of doing business.

        • Nic181 3.2.1.1
          31 January 2019 at 9:07 am

          Labour could counter by introducing a tax cut, if one is required, at the BOTTOM of the tax brackets. Ie, remove tax from the first ten or fifteen thousand. National consistently gives any tax cuts to those at the top of the heap. This could be a real point of difference.

          • Sabine 3.2.1.1.1
            31 January 2019 at 11:23 am

            .

            I think the first $ 25.000 should be earned tax free as that is literally the rent a person has to pay if they would like to live in a house costing 450$ per week.

            But then who would pay the taxes lost? Certainly not our rich tax avoiders.

            Also we could then possibly remove any and all accommodation benefits. 🙂

            But it seems that not one party in NZ, not one will argue for that.

    • SARAH 3.3
      30 January 2019 at 10:16 pm

      Well he’s going to scrap my winter heating payment so any gain I might have made will be gone.

  4. rod 4
    30 January 2019 at 5:27 pm

    The latest Muppet Show . See it on all TV news networks tonight .

  5. Ad 5
    30 January 2019 at 5:35 pm

    Tax is his right angle, but it’s his only rational angle.

    But he doesn’t have a spokesperson with the competence to front it to camera.

  6. Formerly Ross 6
    30 January 2019 at 5:40 pm

    Simon has of course made a huge faux pas. He says he will repeal a CGT. The trouble is we don’t have a CGT. The only way we will have a CGT is if Labour is re-elected in 2020. But that would mean National is defeated. So, Simon, the big reveal from today’s speech is that you’re expecting to be defeated in 2020? Looks like it.

    • Ed1 6.1
      30 January 2019 at 9:23 pm

      See 3.1.2 above – I believe we do have some tax raised on capital gains . . . if it as much as I think it is removing CGT may be a bigger tax cut than any changed to income tax rates. Guess who would benefit from removing CGT?

  7. Daniel Jones 7
    30 January 2019 at 5:50 pm

    That’s unfair. He also floated the radical idea of favouring law abiding citizens over criminals. Perhaps this idea will be fleshed out into some system of punishing criminals using some kind of just legal framework.. I’ll call it the “Criminal Justice System”.

    To be honest, I just don’t know how we’ve managed without these wonderful, radical insights.

  8. te reo putake 8
    30 January 2019 at 6:10 pm

    Worth less than block of cheese to the average worker and easily gazumped by Labour pre-election. Fail.

    • Fireblade 8.1
      30 January 2019 at 7:37 pm

      $8 per week to the average earner in 2021. For someone on $40,000 a year it’s $1 per week.

  9. Tuppence Shrewsbury 9
    30 January 2019 at 6:20 pm

    tax creeps affect the average workers take home pay. Not the top end. The standard should be supporting the abolition of bracket creep and imploring the government to adopt it as policy.

    But what’s important is that any mention of tax cuts gets dismissed so that new taxes can’t be criticized. can’t wait for a CGT announcement.

    and the poll numbers after that

    • Robert Guyton 9.1
      30 January 2019 at 6:23 pm

      When you say, “tax creep”, do you mean … Simon?

      • te reo putake 9.1.1
        30 January 2019 at 6:35 pm

        If MS hadn’t beaten me to it, that was going to be the title of my post on Simon’s idea, Robert. Campaigning on tax is a loser, because you get associated with a perceived negative. And, when you tie yourself to a specific tax change 2 years out from an election, you make yourself a hostage to fortune. As I’ve already commented, it will be easy for Labour to make Simon look unambitious by simply lifting the brackets slightly higher.

      • ianmac 9.1.2
        30 January 2019 at 7:05 pm

        Clever pup you are Robert! Ha.

    • Psycho Milt 9.2
      30 January 2019 at 6:39 pm

      The standard should be supporting the abolition of bracket creep…

      Leaving aside the fact that The Standard isn’t a person, a lot of us on the left do support pinning the tax brackets to inflation. We also remember how Michael Cullen had a go at it and the media had such fun with National’s “chewing-gum tax cut” propaganda that he cancelled it. And how National spent 9 years in government enjoying the benefits of the bracket creep before suddenly realising it was a Bad Thing once it was no longer in power.

      • Shadrach 9.2.1
        30 January 2019 at 6:45 pm

        You’re far to generous to Cullen. He had the ability to give meaningful tax cuts that would have staved off some of the impacts of the GFC and he failed. It simply wasn’t in his DNA. In the event, the recession in NZ came earlier and was deeper than it needed to be.

        • mickysavage 9.2.1.1
          30 January 2019 at 7:57 pm

          Wow so Cullen could have solved America’s problems. He is even more talented than I thought.

          NZ had a pretty benign time during the GFC. Thanks to Helen and Michael. I suspect that you won’t agree …

          • Shadrach 9.2.1.1.1
            31 January 2019 at 12:11 am

            No, I don’t. The reason NZ fared better than others was the strength of our major banks, and the underlying structure of our economy. Of course Cullen played a part in preserving that, by what I’m sure you would call neoliberal policies. However he missed an opportunity to make the recession shallower.

        • Psycho Milt 9.2.1.2
          30 January 2019 at 8:36 pm

          You could give Robert Harris a run for his money when it comes to alternative history fiction. Cullen did indeed protect us from some of the potential effects of the GFC – by using the surpluses to pay down public debt rather than blowing it on tax cuts so the already-wealthy could inflate the property bubble even higher while enjoying more overseas trips. As usual, it’s only historians who’ll give credit where it’s due.

          • Shadrach 9.2.1.2.1
            31 January 2019 at 12:12 am

            Tax cuts are not ‘blowing’ anything. They are a way of stimulating an economy, which is mainstream economics. And btw all taxpayers received tax cuts when they finally came.

            • R.P Mcmurphy 9.2.1.2.1.1
              2 February 2019 at 12:43 pm

              that is bullshine voodoo economics instigated by ronny raygun and his claque back in the eighties last century. It has the same veracity as trickle down economics when the rich pee all over the poor.

          • Nic the NZer 9.2.1.2.2
            31 January 2019 at 7:57 am

            Surpluses don’t protect the govt from anything. The NZ govt literally operates the institution where all the tax and govt spending transactions occur and the only institution able to create the funds they occur in.

            The problem with Cullens record here is that the Finance company sector remained unregulated and was overheating through out and this almost certainly drove the property bubble in several regions. This drove spending up and increased the tax take generating a surplus, however had this been regulated driving fraud and speculation out of the NZ economy the surpluses would likely have evapourated.

  10. Robert Guyton 10
    30 January 2019 at 6:42 pm

    “This is a huge and great announcement.”
    David Farrar Hurrah!

  11. Chris T 11
    30 January 2019 at 7:00 pm

    Of all the Nat policy ideas they could have come up with, I am surprised the left would pick this one to criticise.

    • Sacha 11.1
      30 January 2019 at 7:36 pm

      Deliberately starving govt of funds seems like a basic policy to oppose.

      • Chris T 11.1.1
        30 January 2019 at 7:44 pm

        It is 690 mill’

        In the grand scheme of things it is naff all.

        Just ditch the one years free uni or making it loan and get a year wiped off only if you actually finish the degree would probably do it.

        And or cut Winston’s regional bribery money down a bit.

        There are also massive surpluses at the mo’

    • Michelle 11.2
      31 January 2019 at 10:05 am

      chris they are criticising because there is only enough money for a small burger what about the chips

  12. Andrea 12
    30 January 2019 at 7:01 pm

    To all those who bravely listened/watched – thanks.

    I couldn’t have faced it myself.

    Now. How well are his loyal people carrying the word out to the faithful? Who is hearing it first? Who is being flattered?

    Who is listening for feedback? (Not the razzz. Real words.) And what happens next? Does it live? Or does it die like cycle tracks?

    Who is getting creative with The Leader’s words and offering a different jam for tomorrow?

    Will they have a coup? What if no one turns up? Or offers to be the sacrificial mutton?

    Such fun…

    And – thanks again.

  13. mary_a 13
    30 January 2019 at 7:15 pm

    Natz via Simon, in usual predictable form. Appealing to greed, what it does best! Now where was health, education, infrastructure, social justice etc? Did I miss it?

    IMO, nothing there to address the needs of ordinary Kiwis!

  14. Pete George 14
    30 January 2019 at 7:24 pm

    It could be a smart move by National indexing tax brackets to inflation, especially if Labour go ahead as predicted and apply CGT to increases to assets as a result of inflation (another form of tax increase by stealth).

    But Labour have plenty of time to digest this and review the Tax Working Group report, and then decide on how to implement fair tax reform.

    • Paul Campbell 14.1
      30 January 2019 at 7:46 pm

      we already don’t index tax on interest income to inflation so to be fair we’d have to do the same for a CGT.

      On the other hand I do think it would be fair to discount both by the inflation rate, it would make actually paying tax accurately harder

      I’m also a fan of allowing CGT carryover against real (emphasis on the ‘real’) losses – if you lose money on a CGT-type investment you can write off the tax on future gains, if you actually make gains within a related business activity within a year or two – (business income already works this way, the US taxes capital gains this way) – if you allow this though an inflation rate discount (in multiple years) would be really really difficult to apply

    • Psycho Milt 14.2
      30 January 2019 at 8:42 pm

      It could be a smart move by National indexing tax brackets to inflation…

      Er, National don’t get to index tax brackets to inflation. That’s the whole point of proposing it now they’re in opposition, rather than actually doing it when they were in government and taking the resulting financial hit.

      On the plus side, having shot that bolt now, they’re fucked. Labour can spend the next 18 months examining it, then implement a slightly more generous version just in time for the 2020 election.

      • Pete George 14.2.1
        30 January 2019 at 9:50 pm

        I hope Labour inflation adjust thresholds every year rather than every three years, in response. If they don’t make more reformative adjustments to income tax. A few large range thresholds is an outdated way top do it.

        • Robert Guyton 14.2.1.1
          30 January 2019 at 9:57 pm

          “The amount in tax breaks that National Party leader Simon Bridges plans to leave in the pockets of Kiwi families is equivalent to what that party ridiculed former Labour Finance Minister Michael Cullen for, with his “chewing gum” tax package.

          The hypocrisy of that shouldn’t go unchecked”

        • lprent 14.2.1.2
          30 January 2019 at 10:13 pm

          Think of the implementation.

          There is really fuckall any government can do much that is significiant with the tax system until the IRD finishes upgrading the pile of antique shit that they are currently running.

          As far as I’m aware that isn’t likely to be completed before 2 elections away.

          See here is the approval in 2013 (about 5 years after it was approved in pinciple by the Labour cabinet – those lazy Nats…) when it was expected to take about 10 years.

          http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/8619006/IRD-computer-systems-1-5b-overhaul

          They finally managed to get a supplier in 2015 and at that point it was expected to take between 8 and 10 years. So basically significiant tax changes with high CPU and disk loads should be planned to start about 2025…

      • Chris T 14.2.2
        30 January 2019 at 10:09 pm

        Except it just makes them look like they have to be reactionary and can’t work this out for themselves

  15. Sacha 15
    30 January 2019 at 7:34 pm

    Faithful hack Stacey Kirk dons those kneepads and praises the Nats for boldly boxing the govt into a corner using their flush coffers. https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/opinion/110272126/stacey-kirk-politics-not-tax-the-point-of-simon-bridges-attack-on-income-bracket-creep

  16. SPC 16
    30 January 2019 at 7:53 pm

    Labour should respond by indicating that they were looking at increasing the income at which the current top rate of tax applies from 70,000 to 100,000 (30 cents 48 to 100,000) and finance this with a new top rate of 35 cents. Both the level and rate 70,000 and 33 cents are too low.

  17. DJ Ward 17
    30 January 2019 at 8:20 pm

    All Labour needs to do now is adjust the tax brackets to inflation.

    It is a reasonable idea to do that. If you don’t then the poorest in NZ begin paying more tax as a proportion of there real inflation affected income. IE the average tax on total income increases.

    I think Trump should react in the same way to the left in the US. Introduce a tippy top tax bracket but only a small amount like 10% above present rates.

    Ruin the oppositions proposal by doing similar as your own policy.

    The downside is governments that hold brackets have ever increasing tax take that makes them look good. False in reality. So by holding brackets they get more options for election spending bribes.

    • millsy 17.1
      30 January 2019 at 8:55 pm

      Increasing funding for health, education and other services are not bribes.

      Obviously you want to impose US style health care in this country.

      • DJ Ward 17.1.1
        30 January 2019 at 9:36 pm

        I never said that about health and never will. I think our settings are no to bad. The system is affordable to the government and wealthier NZers have health insurance. Obviously a system permanently in a level of chaos that drives its management towards efficiency.

        I think the US health system is ridiculous. Both from Obamas version and the ideology of insurance supported by Republicans. In effect insurance companies hold Americans hostage.

        The thing about unlimited healthcare is it has no limits.

        • Sacha 17.1.1.1
          30 January 2019 at 10:19 pm

          “a system permanently in a level of chaos that drives its management towards efficiency”

          Fanciful interpretation of how humans actually function.

        • millsy 17.1.1.2
          31 January 2019 at 12:04 am

          From 1990-99 National closed down scores of hospitals to pay for tax cuts. Bill English as health minister cared more about closing down hospitals than about giveing NZers health care.

          • DJ Ward 17.1.1.2.1
            31 January 2019 at 9:16 am

            You can see what your talking about on this graph.

            https://goo.gl/images/TjeEok

            As you can see drastic rebalancing occurred resulting in National balancing the books. This occurred around 93,94. Did they get everything correct, absolutely not. If we did nothing to modernise our ecomony we would be a failed state. You can also see Clarke and Curren switch policy to a private debt, immigration, housing driven economy. The GFC blip and the earthquake spend.
            So with hospitals there is many reasons for the closing of hospitals. Age of the hospitals. The cost per patient of those hospitals. The increased mobility of patients. The catering of the real need at a much lower cost, like 24hr emergency clinic, vs full hospital. Maintenance costs of the hospitals etc.

            The result is greater delivery of healthcare for the dollars spent. If the inefficient spend was continued, if modernisation costs was spent, etc then policy like free doctors visits for kids would not have happened.

    • Ad 17.2
      30 January 2019 at 9:19 pm

      you are not dumb

    • Chris T 17.3
      30 January 2019 at 10:12 pm

      “All Labour needs to do now is adjust the tax brackets to inflation.”

      Again the danger of just looking like they need the Nat’s to tell them what to do after an expensive working group.

      Go of it though. I am sure no one will notice

      It is actually quite a clever preemptive move by the Nats

      • DJ Ward 17.3.1
        31 January 2019 at 8:38 am

        Not really in my mind. It shows a lack of inventiveness. It’s just tweaking of settings rather than a marked difference in policy.

        National would be better focussed on industry and resulting job creation. Similar to Trump, support its base, buisinesses as well as undermining the lefts base of the lower income worker. It can’t win the tertiary student base due to election bribes and indoctrination.

        Plus it needs to seperate conversation from housing as it failed to address private housing debt and immigration as economic drivers, that begun with Clake and Cullen. The narrative and blame has fell on them, and they deserve it, so the voters won’t trust policy from them in that area.

  18. R.P Mcmurphy 18
    31 January 2019 at 12:44 am

    I am still perplexed as to how one can analyse nothing.
    there was nothing in bridges oration of any substance whatsoever and flapping gums and pretending to say something when you are not saying anything is clever enough I suppose but the fact of the matter is the people of New Zealand had a gutsful of key and english and another dose from bridges and his forty thieves is more than the public of New Zealand can stomach.

  19. Craig H 19
    31 January 2019 at 1:11 am

    0% up to $10,000
    15% up to $50,000
    30% up to $80,000
    50% above

    The same income tax raised as currently according to the Treasury Calculator (with the caveat that effects of large changes aren’t easy to forecast accurately), with lower taxes for people earning up to $81,000, and higher for people earning more than that.

    • Stunned Mullet 19.1
      31 January 2019 at 7:06 am

      50% tax rate for salary and wage earners over 80k – tax avoidance advisors would be pleased as would overseas employment agencies for professionals.

      • DJ Ward 19.1.1
        31 January 2019 at 8:49 am

        The affect of the 50% rate is huge. The revenue is small as the numbers are small. A single person who relocates Taxes to Singapore at 22% top rate destroys the gain from probably 10 people. You loose GDP, GST, economic activity from trickle down discretionary spending, and waste education investment.

        I think the self employed might have to buy a new car. It’s 50% off the ticket price. It’s well known tax take drops at some point.

        • millsy 19.1.1.1
          31 January 2019 at 8:53 am

          You cannot cut taxes without cutting services and benefits. Nationals mass closure of hospitals in the 1990’s underlines that.

          What services do you want to see cut Ward? Bearing in mind that services avalible to people now are a lot less than they were 35 years ago.

        • Craig H 19.1.1.2
          31 January 2019 at 10:04 pm

          1. Wage earners have no way of avoiding income tax, and if they relocate to avoid it, the job is still available, and the next person will be paid the same wage, and pay the same tax.

          2. IRD has a high wealth unit, and more than half of the people they monitor report annual income below the top rate so increasing the top rates won’t make them leave.

          3. Self-employed people buy cars, utes etc and claim them as work vehicles all the time – the tax rate makes no difference. GST and a top rate of 33% is already sufficient incentive. The Laffer curve is debatable, but the middle range of estimates for the top rate at which revenue decreases when the rate is increased is 70% – 50% is very unlikely to have that effect.

          • DJ Ward 19.1.1.2.1
            31 January 2019 at 10:34 pm

            Yep there’s definately a very seperate set of rules for the two groups. I think there was some move on the things like cars with fringe benifit taxes but I don’t know how that works.

            When a sole trader, Buisiness spends to increase expenditure, lowering profit they in effect get a discount at the tax rate. For many it is a decision driven by the accountant. We were told to buy new 4 wheelers one year. They hadn’t broken down and unusable but propably only had a few years left. We were told to buy a tractor last year as we needed a new one and we were making too much money.

            So yes people run there buisinesses just making profits while increasing assets. However in some ways it can be false. The person still needs to spend that money in the Buisiness. If they let it be profit, yes they loose the taxes but get absolute freedom on how that after tax profit is spent.

            Obviously the vehicle thing can be taking the piss. Wage earners pay for the vehicle to get to work plus petrol while a buisness person can cliam it all as expenses getting the tax discount. That is clearly unfair.

            That’s the error in people’s thinking regard super high taxes on earnings. Virtually all are able to shift earnings into expenditure. Hence you can encourage avoidance and get less tax.

            • Craig H 19.1.1.2.1.1
              1 February 2019 at 10:41 pm

              FBT has been around a while, and in theory applies to personal use of a business motor vehicle (and other assets above a threshold), but in practice that is ignored by most small business owners.

              Throw in the flash business phone with big mobile plan and laptop (all of which are largely exempt from FBT) and possibly home office expenses, and it’s quite easy to load a decent amount of personal expenditure into business expenditure and lower tax burdens significantly.

              High or low tax rates don’t change this behaviour because when GST is included, it’s always high enough to be worth it, and the specific rates don’t matter. Basically, I agree with you that it doesn’t affect the business owners much because they often don’t pay the top rate anyway. A common plan with higher rates is to run the business as a company, pay company tax, and then leave the cash in the company until National gets in and lowers the rates, then take it out as a windfall.

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  • Gordon Campbell on the coalition’s awful, not good, very bad poll results
    Over the past 36 hours, Christopher Luxon has been dong his best to portray the centre-right’s plummeting poll numbers as a mark of virtue. Allegedly, the negative verdicts are the result of hard economic times, and of a government bravely set out on a perilous rescue mission from which not ...
    Gordon CampbellBy lyndon
    21 hours ago

  • New HOP readers for future payment options
    Auckland Transport have started rolling out new HOP card readers around the network and over the next three months, all of them on buses, at train stations and ferry wharves will be replaced. The change itself is not that remarkable, with the new readers looking similar to what is already ...
    Greater AucklandBy Matt L
    22 hours ago

  • 2024 Reading Summary: April (+ Writing Update)
    Completed reads for April: The Difference Engine, by William Gibson and Bruce Sterling Carnival of Saints, by George Herman The Snow Spider, by Jenny Nimmo Emlyn’s Moon, by Jenny Nimmo The Chestnut Soldier, by Jenny Nimmo Death Comes As the End, by Agatha Christie Lord of the Flies, by ...
    A Phuulish FellowBy strda221
    1 day ago

  • At a glance – Clearing up misconceptions regarding 'hide the decline'
    On February 14, 2023 we announced our Rebuttal Update Project. This included an ask for feedback about the added "At a glance" section in the updated basic rebuttal versions. This weekly blog post series highlights this new section of one of the updated basic rebuttal versions and serves as a ...
    Skeptical Science
    2 days ago

  • Road photos
    Have a story to share about St Paul’s, but today just picturesPopular novels written at this desk by a young man who managed to bootstrap himself out of father’s imprisonment and his own young life in a workhouse Read more ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    2 days ago

  • Bryce Edwards: Paula Bennett’s political appointment will challenge public confidence
    The list of former National Party Ministers being given plum and important roles got longer this week with the appointment of former Deputy Prime Minister Paula Bennett as the chair of Pharmac. The Christopher Luxon-led Government has now made key appointments to Bill English, Simon Bridges, Steven Joyce, Roger Sowry, ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    2 days ago

  • NZDF is still hostile to oversight
    Newsroom has a story today about National's (fortunately failed) effort to disestablish the newly-created Inspector-General of Defence. The creation of this agency was the key recommendation of the Inquiry into Operation Burnham, and a vital means of restoring credibility and social licence to an agency which had been caught lying ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    2 days ago

  • Winding Back The Hands Of History’s Clock.
    Holding On To The Present: The moment a political movement arises that attacks the whole idea of social progress, and announces its intention to wind back the hands of History’s clock, then democracy, along with its unwritten rules, is in mortal danger.IT’S A COMMONPLACE of political speeches, especially those delivered in ...
    Bowalley Road
    2 days ago

  • Sweet Moderation? What Christopher Luxon Could Learn From The Germans.
    Stuck In The Middle With You: As Christopher Luxon feels the hot breath of Act’s and NZ First’s extremists on the back of his neck and, as he reckons with the damage their policies are already inflicting upon a country he’s described as “fragile”, is there not some merit in reaching out ...
    Bowalley Road
    2 days ago

  • A clear warning
    The unpopular coalition government is currently rushing to repeal section 7AA of the Oranga Tamariki Act. The clause is Oranga Tamariki's Treaty clause, and was inserted after its systematic stealing of Māori children became a public scandal and resulted in physical resistance to further abductions. The clause created clear obligations ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    2 days ago

  • Poll results and Waitangi Tribunal report go unmentioned on the Beehive website – where racing tru...
    Buzz  from the Beehive The government’s official website – which Point of Order monitors daily – not for the first time has nothing much to say today about political happenings that are grabbing media headlines. It makes no mention of the latest 1News-Verian poll, for example.  This shows National down ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    2 days ago

  • Listening To The Traffic.
    It Takes A Train To Cry: Surely, there is nothing lonelier in all this world than the long wail of a distant steam locomotive on a cold Winter’s night.AS A CHILD, I would lie awake in my grandfather’s house and listen to the traffic. The big wooden house was only a ...
    Bowalley Road
    2 days ago

  • Comity Be Damned! The State’s Legislative Arm Is Flexing Its Constitutional Muscles.
    Packing A Punch: The election of the present government, including in its ranks politicians dedicated to reasserting the rights of the legislature in shaping and determining the future of Māori and Pakeha in New Zealand, should have alerted the judiciary – including its anomalous appendage, the Waitangi Tribunal – that its ...
    Bowalley Road
    2 days ago

  • Ending The Quest.
    Dead Woman Walking: New Zealand’s media industry had been moving steadily towards disaster for all the years Melissa Lee had been National’s media and communications policy spokesperson, and yet, when the crisis finally broke, on her watch, she had nothing intelligent to offer. Christopher Luxon is a patient man - but he’s not ...
    Bowalley Road
    2 days ago

  • Will political polarisation intensify to the point where ‘normal’ government becomes impossible,...
    Chris Trotter writes –  New Zealand politics is remarkably easy-going: dangerously so, one might even say. With the notable exception of John Key’s flat ruling-out of the NZ First Party in 2008, all parties capable of clearing MMP’s five-percent threshold, or winning one or more electorate seats, tend ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    2 days ago

  • Bernard’s pick 'n' mix for Tuesday, April 30
    TL;DR: Here’s my top 10 ‘pick ‘n’ mix of links to news, analysis and opinion articles as of 10:30am on Tuesday, May 30:Scoop: NZ 'close to the tipping point' of measles epidemic, health experts warn NZ Herald Benjamin PlummerHealth: 'Absurd and totally unacceptable': Man has to wait a year for ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago

  • Why Tory Whanau has the lowest approval rating in the country
    Bryce Edwards writes – Polling shows that Wellington Mayor Tory Whanau has the lowest approval rating of any mayor in the country. Siting at -12 per cent, the proportion of constituents who disapprove of her performance outweighs those who give her the thumbs up. This negative rating is ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    2 days ago

  • Worst poll result for a new Government in MMP history
    Luxon will no doubt put a brave face on it, but there is no escaping the pressure this latest poll will put on him and the government. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: These are the six things that stood out to me in news and commentary on Aotearoa-NZ’s political ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago

  • Pinning down climate change's role in extreme weather
    This is a re-post from The Climate Brink by Andrew Dessler In the wake of any unusual weather event, someone inevitably asks, “Did climate change cause this?” In the most literal sense, that answer is almost always no. Climate change is never the sole cause of hurricanes, heat waves, droughts, or ...
    Skeptical Science
    2 days ago

  • Serving at Seymour's pleasure.
    Something odd happened yesterday, and I’d love to know if there’s more to it. If there was something which preempted what happened, or if it was simply a throwaway line in response to a journalist.Yesterday David Seymour was asked at a press conference what the process would be if the ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    2 days ago

  • Webworm LA Pop-Up
    Hi,From time to time, I want to bring Webworm into the real world. We did it last year with the Jurassic Park event in New Zealand — which was a lot of fun!And so on Saturday May 11th, in Los Angeles, I am hosting a lil’ Webworm pop-up! I’ve been ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    2 days ago

  • “Feel good” school is out
    Education Minister Erica Standford yesterday unveiled a fundamental reform of the way our school pupils are taught. She would not exactly say so, but she is all but dismantling the so-called “inquiry” “feel good” method of teaching, which has ruled in our classrooms since a major review of the New ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    2 days ago

  • 6 Months in, surely our Report Card is “Ignored all warnings: recommend dismissal ASAP”?
    Exactly where are we seriously going with this government and its policies? That is, apart from following what may as well be a Truss-Lite approach on the purported economic “plan“, and Victorian-era regression when it comes to social policy. Oh it’ll work this time of course, we’re basically assured, “the ...
    exhALANtBy exhalantblog
    2 days ago

  • Bread, and how it gets buttered
    Hey Uncle Dave, When the Poms joined the EEC, I wasn't one of those defeatists who said, Well, that’s it for the dairy job. And I was right, eh? The Chinese can’t get enough of our milk powder and eventually, the Poms came to their senses and backed up the ute ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago

  • Bryce Edwards: Why Tory Whanau has the lowest approval rating in the country
    Polling shows that Wellington Mayor Tory Whanau has the lowest approval rating of any mayor in the country. Siting at -12 per cent, the proportion of constituents who disapprove of her performance outweighs those who give her the thumbs up. This negative rating is higher than for any other mayor ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    3 days ago

  • Justice for Gaza?
    The New York Times reports that the International Criminal Court is about to issue arrest warrants for Israeli officials, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, over their genocide in Gaza: Israeli officials increasingly believe that the International Criminal Court is preparing to issue arrest warrants for senior government officials on ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    3 days ago

  • If there has been any fiddling with Pharmac’s funding, we can count on Paula to figure out the fis...
    Buzz from the Beehive Pharmac has been given a financial transfusion and a new chair to oversee its spending in the pharmaceutical business. Associate Health Minister David Seymour described the funding for Pharmac as “its largest ever budget of $6.294 billion over four years, fixing a $1.774 billion fiscal cliff”. ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    3 days ago

  • FastTrackWatch – The case for the Government’s Fast Track Bill
    Bryce Edwards writes – Many criticisms are being made of the Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill, including by this writer. But as with everything in politics, every story has two sides, and both deserve attention. It’s important to understand what the Government is trying to achieve and its ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    3 days ago

  • Bernard’s pick 'n' mix for Monday, April 29
    TL;DR: Here’s my top 10 ‘pick ‘n’ mix of links to news, analysis and opinion articles as of 10:10am on Monday, April 29:Scoop: The children's ward at Rotorua Hospital will be missing a third of its beds as winter hits because Te Whatu Ora halted an upgrade partway through to ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago

  • Gordon Campbell on Iran killing its rappers, and searching for the invisible Dr. Reti
    span class=”dropcap”>As hideous as David Seymour can be, it is worth keeping in mind occasionally that there are even worse political figures (and regimes) out there. Iran for instance, is about to execute the country’s leading hip hop musician Toomaj Salehi, for writing and performing raps that “corrupt” the nation’s ...
    Gordon CampbellBy lyndon
    3 days ago

  • Auckland Rail Electrification 10 years old
    Yesterday marked 10 years since the first electric train carried passengers in Auckland so it’s a good time to look back at it and the impact it has had. A brief history The first proposals for rail electrification in Auckland came in the 1920’s alongside the plans for earlier ...
    Greater AucklandBy Matt L
    3 days ago

  • Coalition's dirge of austerity and uncertainty is driving the economy into a deeper recession
    Right now, in Aotearoa-NZ, our ‘animal spirits’ are darkening towards a winter of discontent, thanks at least partly to a chorus of negative comments and actions from the Government Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: These are the six things that stood out to me in news and commentary on ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago

  • Disability Funding or Tax Cuts.
    You make people evil to punish the paststuck inside a sequel with a rotating castThe following photos haven’t been generated with AI, or modified in any way. They are flesh and blood, human beings. On the left is Galatea Young, a young mum, and her daughter Fiadh who has Angelman ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    3 days ago

  • Of the Goodness of Tolkien’s Eru
    April has been a quiet month at A Phuulish Fellow. I have had an exceptionally good reading month, and a decently productive writing month – for original fiction, anyway – but not much has caught my eye that suggested a blog article. It has been vaguely frustrating, to be honest. ...
    A Phuulish FellowBy strda221
    3 days ago

  • 2024 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #17
    A listing of 31 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, April 21, 2024 thru Sat, April 27, 2024. Story of the week Anthropogenic climate change may be the ultimate shaggy dog story— but with a twist, because here ...
    Skeptical Science
    3 days ago

  • Pastor Who Abused People, Blames People
    Hi,I spent about a year on Webworm reporting on an abusive megachurch called Arise, and it made me want to stab my eyes out with a fork.I don’t regret that reporting in 2022 and 2023 — I am proud of it — but it made me angry.Over three main stories ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    4 days ago

  • Vic Uni shows how under threat free speech is
    The new Victoria University Vice-Chancellor decided to have a forum at the university about free speech and academic freedom as it is obviously a topical issue, and the Government is looking at legislating some carrots or sticks for universities to uphold their obligations under the Education and Training Act. They ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago

  • Winston remembers Gettysburg.
    Do you remember when Melania Trump got caught out using a speech that sounded awfully like one Michelle Obama had given? Uncannily so.Well it turns out that Abraham Lincoln is to Winston Peters as Michelle was to Melania. With the ANZAC speech Uncle Winston gave at Gallipoli having much in ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    4 days ago

  • 25
    She was born 25 years ago today in North Shore hospital. Her eyes were closed tightly shut, her mouth was silently moving. The whole theatre was all quiet intensity as they marked her a 2 on the APGAR test. A one-minute eternity later, she was an 8.  The universe was ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    4 days ago

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

  • Policing protests.
    Images of US students (and others) protesting and setting up tent cities on US university campuses have been broadcast world wide and clearly demonstrate the growing rifts in US society caused by US policy toward Israel and Israel’s prosecution of … Continue reading → ...
    KiwipoliticoBy Pablo
    5 days ago

  • Open letter to Hon Paul Goldsmith
    Barrie Saunders writes – Dear Paul As the new Minister of Media and Communications, you will be inundated with heaps of free advice and special pleading, all in the national interest of course. For what it’s worth here is my assessment: Traditional broadcasting free to air content through ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago

  • Bryce Edwards: FastTrackWatch – The Case for the Government’s Fast Track Bill
    Many criticisms are being made of the Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill, including by this writer. But as with everything in politics, every story has two sides, and both deserve attention. It’s important to understand what the Government is trying to achieve and its arguments for such a bold reform. ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    5 days ago

  • Luxon gets out his butcher’s knife – briefly
    Peter Dunne writes –  The great nineteenth British Prime Minister, William Gladstone, once observed that “the first essential for a Prime Minister is to be a good butcher.” When a later British Prime Minister, Harold Macmillan, sacked a third of his Cabinet in July 1962, in what became ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago

  • More tax for less
    Ele Ludemann writes – New Zealanders had the OECD’s second highest tax increase last year: New Zealanders faced the second-biggest tax raises in the developed world last year, the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) says. The intergovernmental agency said the average change in personal income tax ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago

  • Real News vs Fake News.
    We all know something’s not right with our elections. The spread of misinformation, people being targeted with soundbites and emotional triggers that ignore the facts, even the truth, and influence their votes.The use of technology to produce deep fakes. How can you tell if something is real or not? Can ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago

  • Another way to roll
    Hello! Here comes the Saturday edition of More Than A Feilding, catching you up on the past week’s editions.Share ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    5 days ago

  • Simon Clark: The climate lies you'll hear this year
    This video includes conclusions of the creator climate scientist Dr. Simon Clark. It is presented to our readers as an informed perspective. Please see video description for references (if any). This year you will be lied to! Simon Clark helps prebunk some misleading statements you'll hear about climate. The video includes ...
    Skeptical Science
    5 days ago

  • Cutting the Public Service
    It is all very well cutting the backrooms of public agencies but it may compromise the frontlines. One of the frustrations of the Productivity Commission’s 2017 review of universities is that while it observed that their non-academic staff were increasing faster than their academic staff, it did not bother to ...
    PunditBy Brian Easton
    6 days ago

  • Luxon’s demoted ministers might take comfort from the British politician who bounced back after th...
    Buzz from the Beehive Two speeches delivered by Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters at Anzac Day ceremonies in Turkey are the only new posts on the government’s official website since the PM announced his Cabinet shake-up. In one of the speeches, Peters stated the obvious:  we live in a troubled ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago

  • This is how I roll over
    1. Which of these would you not expect to read in The Waikato Invader?a. Luxon is here to do business, don’t you worry about thatb. Mr KPI expects results, and you better believe itc. This decisive man of action is getting me all hot and excitedd. Melissa Lee is how ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    6 days ago

  • The Waitangi Tribunal is not “a roving Commission”…
    …it has a restricted jurisdiction which must not be abused: it is not an inquisition   NOTE – this article was published before the High Court ruled that Karen Chhour does not have to appear before the Waitangi Tribunal Gary Judd writes –  The High Court ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago

  • Is Oranga Tamariki guilty of neglect?
    Lindsay Mitchell writes – One of reasons Oranga Tamariki exists is to prevent child neglect. But could the organisation itself be guilty of the same? Oranga Tamariki’s statistics show a decrease in the number and age of children in care. “There are less children ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago

  • Three Strikes saw lower reoffending
    David Farrar writes: Graeme Edgeler wrote in 2017: In the first five years after three strikes came into effect 5248 offenders received a ‘first strike’ (that is, a “stage-1 conviction” under the three strikes sentencing regime), and 68 offenders received a ‘second strike’. In the five years prior to ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago

  • Luxon’s ruthless show of strength is perfect for our angry era
    Bryce Edwards writes – Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has surprised everyone with his ruthlessness in sacking two of his ministers from their crucial portfolios. Removing ministers for poor performance after only five months in the job just doesn’t normally happen in politics. That’s refreshing and will be extremely ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago

  • 'Lacks attention to detail and is creating double-standards.'
    TL;DR: These are the six things that stood out to me in news and commentary on Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the two days to 6:06am on Thursday, April 25:Politics: PM Christopher Luxon has set up a dual standard for ministerial competence by demoting two National Cabinet ministers while leaving also-struggling ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    6 days ago

  • One Night Only!
    Hi,Today I mainly want to share some of your thoughts about the recent piece I wrote about success and failure, and the forces that seemingly guide our lives. But first, a quick bit of housekeeping: I am doing a Webworm popup in Los Angeles on Saturday May 11 at 2pm. ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    6 days ago

  • What did Melissa Lee do?
    It is hard to see what Melissa Lee might have done to “save” the media. National went into the election with no public media policy and appears not to have developed one subsequently. Lee claimed that she had prepared a policy paper before the election but it had been decided ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    6 days ago

  • Skeptical Science New Research for Week #17 2024
    Open access notables Ice acceleration and rotation in the Greenland Ice Sheet interior in recent decades, Løkkegaard et al., Communications Earth & Environment: In the past two decades, mass loss from the Greenland ice sheet has accelerated, partly due to the speedup of glaciers. However, uncertainty in speed derived from satellite products ...
    Skeptical Science
    6 days ago

  • Maori Party (with “disgust”) draws attention to Chhour’s race after the High Court rules on Wa...
    Buzz from the Beehive A statement from Children’s Minister Karen Chhour – yet to be posted on the Government’s official website – arrived in Point of Order’s email in-tray last night. It welcomes the High Court ruling on whether the Waitangi Tribunal can demand she appear before it. It does ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    7 days ago

  • Who’s Going Up The Media Mountain?
    Mr Bombastic: Ironically, the media the academic experts wanted is, in many ways, the media they got. In place of the tyrannical editors of yesteryear, advancing without fear or favour the interests of the ruling class; the New Zealand news media of today boasts a troop of enlightened journalists dedicated to ...
    Bowalley Road
    7 days ago

  • “That's how I roll”
    It's hard times try to make a livingYou wake up every morning in the unforgivingOut there somewhere in the cityThere's people living lives without mercy or pityI feel good, yeah I'm feeling fineI feel better then I have for the longest timeI think these pills have been good for meI ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    7 days ago

  • “Comity” versus the rule of law
    In 1974, the US Supreme Court issued its decision in United States v. Nixon, finding that the President was not a King, but was subject to the law and was required to turn over the evidence of his wrongdoing to the courts. It was a landmark decision for the rule ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    1 week ago

  • Aotearoa: a live lab for failed Right-wing socio-economic zombie experiments once more…
    Every day now just seems to bring in more fresh meat for the grinder. In their relentlessly ideological drive to cut back on the “excessive bloat” (as they see it) of the previous Labour-led government, on the mountains of evidence accumulated in such a short period of time do not ...
    exhALANtBy exhalantblog
    1 week ago

  • Water is at the heart of farmers’ struggle to survive in Benin
    This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Megan Valére Sosou Market gardening site of the Itchèléré de Itagui agricultural cooperative in Dassa-Zoumè (Image credit: Megan Valère Sossou) For the residents of Dassa-Zoumè, a city in the West African country of Benin, choosing between drinking water and having enough ...
    Skeptical Science
    1 week ago

  • Minister acknowledges passing of Sir Robert Martin (KNZM)
    New Zealand lost a true legend when internationally renowned disability advocate Sir Robert Martin (KNZM) passed away at his home in Whanganui last night, Disabilities Issues Minister Louise Upston says. “Our Government’s thoughts are with his wife Lynda, family and community, those he has worked with, the disability community in ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    13 hours ago

  • Speech to New Zealand Institute of International Affairs, Parliament – Annual Lecture: Challenges ...
    Good evening –   Before discussing the challenges and opportunities facing New Zealand’s foreign policy, we’d like to first acknowledge the New Zealand Institute of International Affairs. You have contributed to debates about New Zealand foreign policy over a long period of time, and we thank you for hosting us.  ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    13 hours ago

  • Accelerating airport security lines
    From today, passengers travelling internationally from Auckland Airport will be able to keep laptops and liquids in their carry-on bags for security screening thanks to new technology, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Creating a more efficient and seamless travel experience is important for holidaymakers and businesses, enabling faster movement through ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    15 hours ago

  • Community hui to talk about kina barrens
    People with an interest in the health of Northland’s marine ecosystems are invited to a public meeting to discuss how to deal with kina barrens, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones will lead the discussion, which will take place on Friday, 10 May, at Awanui Hotel in ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    21 hours ago

  • Kiwi exporters win as NZ-EU FTA enters into force
    Kiwi exporters are $100 million better off today with the NZ EU FTA entering into force says Trade Minister Todd McClay. “This is all part of our plan to grow the economy. New Zealand's prosperity depends on international trade, making up 60 per cent of the country’s total economic activity. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    21 hours ago

  • Mining resurgence a welcome sign
    There are heartening signs that the extractive sector is once again becoming an attractive prospect for investors and a source of economic prosperity for New Zealand, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. “The beginnings of a resurgence in extractive industries are apparent in media reports of the sector in the past ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    23 hours ago

  • Ō-Rākau Remembrance Bill passes first reading
    The return of the historic Ō-Rākau battle site to the descendants of those who fought there moved one step closer today with the first reading of Te Pire mō Ō-Rākau, Te Pae o Maumahara / The Ō-Rākau Remembrance Bill. The Bill will entrust the 9.7-hectare battle site, five kilometres west ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • Government to boost public EV charging network
    Energy Minister Simeon Brown has announced 25 new high-speed EV charging hubs along key routes between major urban centres and outlined the Government’s plan to supercharge New Zealand’s EV infrastructure.  The hubs will each have several chargers and be capable of charging at least four – and up to 10 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • Residential Property Managers Bill to not progress
    The coalition Government will not proceed with the previous Government’s plans to regulate residential property managers, Housing Minister Chris Bishop says. “I have written to the Chairperson of the Social Services and Community Committee to inform him that the Government does not intend to support the Residential Property Managers Bill ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • Independent review into disability support services
    The Government has announced an independent review into the disability support system funded by the Ministry of Disabled People – Whaikaha. Disability Issues Minister Louise Upston says the review will look at what can be done to strengthen the long-term sustainability of Disability Support Services to provide disabled people and ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • Justice Minister updates UN on law & order plan
    Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith has attended the Universal Periodic Review in Geneva and outlined the Government’s plan to restore law and order. “Speaking to the United Nations Human Rights Council provided us with an opportunity to present New Zealand’s human rights progress, priorities, and challenges, while responding to issues and ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • Ending emergency housing motels in Rotorua
    The Government and Rotorua Lakes Council are committed to working closely together to end the use of contracted emergency housing motels in Rotorua. Associate Minister of Housing (Social Housing) Tama Potaka says the Government remains committed to ending the long-term use of contracted emergency housing motels in Rotorua by the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • Trade Minister travels to Riyadh, OECD, and Dubai
    Trade Minister Todd McClay heads overseas today for high-level trade talks in the Gulf region, and a key OECD meeting in Paris. Mr McClay will travel to Riyadh to meet with counterparts from Saudi Arabia and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). “New Zealand’s goods and services exports to the Gulf region ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago

  • Education priorities focused on lifting achievement
    Education Minister Erica Stanford has outlined six education priorities to deliver a world-leading education system that sets Kiwi kids up for future success. “I’m putting ambition, achievement and outcomes at the heart of our education system. I want every child to be inspired and engaged in their learning so they ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago

  • NZTA App first step towards digital driver licence
    The new NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) App is a secure ‘one stop shop’ to provide the services drivers need, Transport Minister Simeon Brown and Digitising Government Minister Judith Collins say.  “The NZTA App will enable an easier way for Kiwis to pay for Vehicle Registration and Road User Charges (RUC). ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago

  • Supporting whānau out of emergency housing
    Whānau with tamariki growing up in emergency housing motels will be prioritised for social housing starting this week, says Associate Housing Minister Tama Potaka. “Giving these whānau a better opportunity to build healthy stable lives for themselves and future generations is an essential part of the Government’s goal of reducing ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago

  • Tribute to Dave O'Sullivan
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