A little relief.

Written By: - Date published: 2:56 pm, April 16th, 2020 - 66 comments
Categories: covid-19, health, Social issues - Tags:

In recent days I’ve been thinking it would be good if the government allowed for a certain “stretching” of bubbles so that people could be reasonably social. I’m glad to see that the outline for what Level 3 will be allows for bubbles to be stretched.

So now grandparents can see grandchildren and families can offer better support within an exclusive environment that’s larger than has been the case these past few weeks.

This from The Spinoff

People must stay within their immediate household bubble, but can expand this to connect with close family/whanau or bring in caregivers, or support isolated people. This extended bubble should remain exclusive.

And schools will be open, but attendance not mandatory. A sensible move that should work out fine if ‘common sense’ is an actual thing.

Schools (years 1 – 10) and Early Childhood Education centres can safely open, but will have limited capacity. Children should learn at home if possible.

And I guess the idea (also good in my book) is for surfing and such like to be subject to “common sense” too –

Low risk local recreation activities are allowed.

Finally, I’m happy to acknowledge that my levels of cynicism over what the changes might have been in terms of businesses opening up again seem to have been misplaced.

Just this morning, I was suggesting to a friend that “the servants” might be expected to get back to their job of serving the better offs. (Yeah – I did say “cynical”). So I’m relieved to see that the service sector – and I mean that in relation to consumerism – is still more or less shuttered.

Businesses can open premises but cannot physically interact with customers.

What that actually winds up looking like is anyone’s guess. I could imagine some fast food places “trying it on”, but then…I can’t really see such outlets having much in the way of customers, bar for people who might phone in an order for delivery.

And for all of you out there who suffer from “bad hair days”, well…you’re going to have to suffer a while longer, though it’s not as though you have to go out and risk encountering “the Jonse’s” down at the mall or whatever.

Might Level 3 be regarded as what was intended all along, with Level 4 a deliberate overstretch intended to help people be more psychologically prepared for quite serious restrictions on their movements and activities?

It’s certainly easier to move to a hard place if the place you’re coming from has been even harder – the imposition feels like a relief.

66 comments on “A little relief. ”

  1. BArely Here, or There 1

    People must stay within their immediate household bubble, but can expand this to connect with close family/whanau or bring in caregivers, or support isolated people. This extended bubble should remain exclusive.

    This is happening now in my neighbourhood. It never stopped happening. Except for the exclusive part. Also the surfing too. Surf or die, man.

    • Forget now 1.1

      Surf and die, d'ya mean?

      Or more accurately; surf and don't care if other people die!

  2. Ad 2

    If I don't get a haircut soon I'm going to punch a hole in the wall.

    • Janice 2.1

      I'm looking for a couple of rollers to put in the front of my hair, put a scarf around my head and be in "Hilda Ogden" style. Worked for her.

    • Gabby 2.2

      Get a hat.

    • Forget now 2.3

      You said that the other day, yet I imagine that your walls remain undented.

      BTW Have you ever punched through a wall? Protect your knuckles, and make sure that you get a bit between the beams is all I can say! It hurts. Gib's not so bad, but you can really mess your hands up trying it with an old scrim and wallboard villa. Concrete blocks are only for Karete posers who have carefully set up the leverage of that trick beforehand!

  3. Muttonbird 3

    L3 looks like the confused mess that is the Australian system. I'd rather stay at four for another two weeks.

    Schools. It’s voluntary. What the hell is that? Either keep them closed or open them fully.

    • bwaghorn 3.1

      Unfortunately the rightwinge make it impossible to stay in 4 to much longer.

      So much for not politicizing it.

      • xanthe 3.1.1

        I dont think the rightwinge are influencing the decision at all

        but it is possible that an upsurge in rightwinge demand for any particular action could just indicate Jacinda preparing the way for the decision she is about to take.

    • Koff 3.2

      Think you're right. I'm about to be released from quarantine tomorrow so will see for myself what it's like here in Queensland. When I left for Auckland, 6 weeks ago, it was level 0! From what friends have told us, it's not that confused now, perhaps because the state border is closed, the number of deaths is only 5 and very few new cases . It sounds still a far cry from what it was before any restrictions. Think Bill's right in that NZers having already lasted through Level 4 for 4 weeks should be well disposed and prepared for going down to Level 3 with the added responsibilty needed. Jacinda's going to be giving plenty of stern warnings about not wanting to revert to Level 4 because people are irresponsible, too.

    • Gabby 3.3

      Babysitters. Teachers will be thrilled. Teaching kids at school (keeping them 2m apart) while also teaching kids online. Bliss.

      • Muttonbird 3.3.1

        Just a terrible experience for teachers, students at school, and students at home.

        • AB 3.3.1.1

          Have a stressed and demoralised Year 12 in our bubble who wanted to get back to school. I blame the Byzantine complexity of NCEA – which in my (admittedly jaundiced) mind, seems to be the result of the pernicious influence that 'business' has had over education for ages.

          • Muttonbird 3.3.1.1.1

            I know. Let's educate rather than simply get job ready. The latter assumes the jobs available are sacrosanct. Not the path to betterment.

          • Gabby 3.3.1.1.2

            Not to mention the Nigel schools and universities. Poor old NCEA' like a captive of Genghis tied by the limbs to 4 horses.

          • KJT 3.3.1.1.3

            More the Universities, than business. In spades for the tech curriculum, But I know what you mean.

    • Cinny 3.4

      Schools are voluntary for students in year 10 or below, because those children will be under 14 and it's against the law to leave them at home by themselves.

      My plan is to send my youngest to Nana and Pa's boarding school during the week while I work. It's safer than school and she adores her grandparents, one of them is a retired teacher. She could come home in the weekends. They live around 30 mins drive away.

      However Miss 15 isn't allowed back to school, she is absolutely gutted. She excels in her practical subjects, horticulture, outdoor education and dance, so we'll have to come up with a plan.

      I did have a laugh because for years the girls have asked to be home schooled. They've since changed their minds 🙂

      We've an outlook here…. is this the worst thing that has ever happened… no….. so let's just get on with it then, we've the rest of our lives ahead of us.

      • Muttonbird 3.4.1

        Both parents in this household have lost all work for some time so ours are not in the position to have to go to school.

        But I am hugely interested in their schooling and online just isn't cutting it because the schools and teachers are not set up for it.

        Woe betide us when they are because if David Seymour ever gets near the minister of education's chair he will close all schools and there'll be one computer teaching all kids in locked rooms.

        Also I really feel for the teachers, particularly the older ones, who have to be in harms way and struggle already with the online tech.

        • Cinny 3.4.1.1

          Sorry to hear about the loss of work Muttonbird.

          Also I really feel for the teachers, particularly the older ones, who have to be in harms way and struggle already with the online tech.

          Yes, strongly agree.

          However, sadly, some kids are safer at school than they are at home.

          On the upside the skoolbo website is pretty good, my youngest is loving it.

          • bill 3.4.1.1.1

            However, sadly, some kids are safer at school than they are at home.

            What does that say about NZ society? And why is it in any way acceptable? If kids are safer at school than at home, then what is being done to tackle the things that make being at home unsafe?

            I'm going to assume many a social worker knows and 'accepts' such situations because they themselves view the bolt hole of school as some kind of legitimate "solution" for the kids.

            Deeper systemic problems needing tackled? Nah – that's what the "too hard" basket exists for.

            Hell. I wonder how many social workers are actually even aware of how deep systemic dynamics can play out, and how many are only personally equipped to approach such situations on a very superficial level that's informed by ideas about charity and saviours on white horses?

            -rant over-

        • Molly 3.4.1.2

          Sorry to hear about the work situation, muttonbird. I hope that changes for you both soon.

          From the perspective of a long-time home educator, the online courses to date from the Ministry have their failings, boredom inducing being one of them. I used to be on several home-ed committees, including one of the national bodies, and often used to talk to new home-educating parents. At the time, I'm sure most of them thought – what the hell, just tell me what to do. While my philosophy was mostly, you will find your own path at some point. These are possible routes you can take…

          At present, you have a tricky road to navigate. Being a teacher while being a parent. Educating your children at home, vs bringing school into your home. There are successful stories about children being "schooled" at home, but there are also very good outcomes for those who have "unschooled" their children.

          Fortunately access to the internet provides a wide range of quality resources that have not been compiled by educators to fit into curriculum requirements. They are at your family's disposal. Or you can utilise the online site that has been quickly knocked up, and see how you go. (Our personal experience with Te Kura online has not been invigorating, or encouraging, but everyone is different and it might work for you.)

          (BTW, I don't know what the age of your children are, but the standard rule of thumb for new home educators is to DO NOTHING for the same number of months for each year that the child has been attending school. Of course, hardly anyone listens to that advice, because you have a fear that your child will fall behind, but it often takes that long before you find your own groove, and from my observations has proven to be a pretty good yardstick.)

          Joy can be found in learning with and watching your children learn what you both consider important. The challenge is deciding – and agreeing – what is important.

          • Muttonbird 3.4.1.2.1

            I have significantly helped with my older one's work at home over the years. I believed this would help her understand good practice in how to plan, construct, solve and deliver problems and assignments.

            I believe that school should be supplemented in the home where necessary in this way.

            I was constantly reminded by my other half not to do too much but I think it has worked well and the child now lets me know when help is and is not required.

            I really want them to get back to school because it is the best environment for routine and support. Online learning feels a bit loose, and my two are actually pretty good about it. I wonder how other households are coping.

            • Molly 3.4.1.2.1.1

              If you are already practised in delivering education in this way, you are probably one of the better prepared in this situation, and I'm sure you will find a way.

              Not having access to the current online learning, I'd just suggest a caveat, that given the requirement to get something up and running, there is likely to be a noticeable lack of quality delivery. As time passes, this may improve, and probably will. Make the most of it, and that'll probably be good enough.

  4. Treetop 4

    Early childhood centres are usually kindergarten level. When it comes to daycare centres is the PM using the term "early childhood centres" to include day care for children under 3?

    Yay for the grandparents getting a bigger bubble.

    As for a hair cut I only go to the hairdresser for a special occasion. Some DIY haircuts are better than others.

  5. Stunned Mullet 5

    Elective surgery ? Outpatients appointments ?

    …and yes it's fun to make light of haircuts and the like….. unless you're a hairdresser or worse still owner of a salon/barber shop, then I suspect it's not very funny at all.

    • bill 5.1

      My haircuts thing was more a dig at Australia (I was told) deeming hairdressers an essential service or some such.

      And small businesses ought to be given straight up rent relief and such like – not a wage subsidy that might not apply, and that seems (to me) to be as much a way of ensuring WINZ stays a dirty little secret than anything else – though an emergency universal payment through IRD (what I wanted to see and still want to see) would have preserved that secret too 😉

    • bwaghorn 5.2

      Dentists? Got the achs a month ago just managed to get antibiotics out of my dentist but this molars gotta go.

      • Carolyn_Nth 5.2.1

        More to come on Dentists:

        But I think they are already available for emergency work.

        Will dentists and physios open for non-emergency work?

        More detail on non-emergency medical treatment will be provided in the next 48 hours. The prime minister said individual DHBs were doing work on how to treat elective care at different alert levels, and she wanted some consistency across the country.

        • bwaghorn 5.2.1.1

          My one says that emergency treatment only goes as far as giving drugs . She also said dentist s arnt getting ppe.

          It's a tough one as you couldnt get more close contact than climbing into a patient's mouth

          • Carolyn_Nth 5.2.1.1.1

            Well, it seems the same with my GPs. A lot of medical services seem to have stopped because of Covid. An Bloomfield et al say we need to keep contacting medical services for non-Covid health problems.

            I had a throat swab by a GP Monday of last week. Hadn't heard back of results – most likely strep throat & will need more antibiotics after a break from the first course which ended a couple of weeks ago.

            I hadn't been contacted by the GP with result of throat swab, meanwhile the white stiff on my tonsil has grown.

            Had a phone conversation with the nurse today (the GP is not working today), who told me my throat swab has not yet been processed, due to labs being busy with Covid.

            So I have another phone consult booked with GP on Monday. Each phone & in-person consult costs a full fee.

            • Carolyn_Nth 5.2.1.1.1.1

              Oh. Update. The GP who I originally had the phone consult with, just rang, and booked me to come in next week so she can look down my throat. Basically, the lab said they won't process my throat swab cos they're not doing non-Covid ones.

              So, getting non-Covid health issues dealt with is a real problem at the moment.

              The GP thinks it's likely not strep throat/bacterial as the antibiotics didn't clear it. It could be nothing, or it could be a virus – but not Covid cos it's gone on the for so long.

          • Whispering Kate 5.2.1.1.2

            Surely bwaghorn Dentists are a private practice and not part of the DHBs. and therefore should be getting in their own ppe gear. They charge a fortune, enough sometimes to have to mortgage the house. They, if they are whinging can and will pass on the price of the ppe onto the poor long suffering patient anyway.

            • bwaghorn 5.2.1.1.2.1

              She wasn't complaining as such just said they had heaps but wouldn't release it to her.

      • mpledger 5.2.2

        A friend came back from overseas and was in isolation and managed to get a tooth removed while in isolation. I'd try your GP who might refer you to ED and they'll pull it there.

    • Treetop 5.3

      The list is long for not very funny.

      Over 70, an essential worker,are immunocompromised, will be homeless, unemployment, waiting for non urgent elective surgery, have tooth ache …

      My priority is avoiding getting Covid-19 and transmitting it.

    • Gabby 5.4

      But a windfall for telephone sanitisers 2nd class.

  6. RedBaronCV 6

    I commented in open mike – trusting the same companies that couldn't adhere to employment rules to implement distancing rules …

    • bill 6.1

      Well yeah. Since putting the post up, I got to thinking about hell zones like K-Mart that have minimal customer service anyway – and the tight packed line that snakes back from the self service check-outs.

      Maybe there ought to be a requirement for them to provide systems and procedures that preserve distancing. Could the likes of the Warehouse where people 'mill' develop such frameworks? I doubt it.

      Smaller businesses could easily enough limit customer numbers to one as per my local dairy (I'm assuming all dairies have the same procedure in place).

      • adam 6.1.1

        Same with dairies up here, not working to well though.

      • Carolyn_Nth 6.1.2

        What I got from Stuart Nash being interviewed on Checkpoint about alert level 3 a little while ago: stores cannot include staff interacting with customers, plus the 2 meter rule – this basically means online orders and either home delivery or click & collect.

        • bill 6.1.2.1

          I'd like to think it limits shit to on-line orders/home delivery or click & collect.

          But I can see pressure coming from large retailers who will point to supermarket operations and argue they should not be viewed as any different to supermarkets…

          • Graeme 6.1.2.1.1

            Everyone that goes into a supermarket buys something. The transaction, combined with the the security footage allows pretty good contact tracing.

            Not everyone that goes into the Warehouse or Briscoes buys something, so contact tracing falls over. That's why it's currently restricted to supermarkets and dairies who generally have pretty good security cameras.

            Also why you can’t use / they don’t like you to use, cash at dairies and supermarket

            • bill 6.1.2.1.1.1

              Good points. Hadn't thought of how those things are more or less specific to supermarkets.

  7. Barfly 7

    I wish they had announced plans for a tracking app downloadable to peoples phones….and make level 3 conditional on an 80% uptake of it.

  8. lprent 8

    Might Level 3 be regarded as what was intended all along, with Level 4 a deliberate overstretch intended to help people be more psychologically prepared for quite serious restrictions on their movements and activities?

    Nope. Level 4 was what was required to make sure that any infections that occurred within the last 2-2.5 weeks of the lockdown were easily traceable.

    FFS the basic maths of tree infection make that inevitable. Otherwise what happens is that instead of having bubbles of 1 to say 6 people, you have intersecting bubbles. For my partner and I that would easily extend to be more like 50-100 people.

    And that is just starting with my sister, my partners sister, and my partners aunt. Not to mention nieces, great nephews, great nieces, and these are just the ones in Auckland who I see moderately frequently.

    My sister's partner has a close family that has at least 12 people locally (and god knows what their spouses connect to), my partners aunt has a husband with other family up here etc etc… We're lucky – most of our direct family are in different cities because we’re a wandering nation of people.

    A level 4 was designed to stop serial transmission to whole family trees. In my family that wanders out to thousands of people in this country with even limited levels of consanguinity. Or groups of friends and their friends.

    One of the reasons that I’m so anti-social is there are way too many family to get any work done otherwise. Which is what I’m not looking forward to after lockdown…

    Perhaps you could try to concentrate less on conspiracy theories and more on basic population maths. Think of 80+ people infected out of one person in one wedding in bluff. Multiply that by a lot and then think of New York or Northern Italy.

    • bill 8.1

      FFS the basic maths of tree infection make that inevitable. Otherwise what happens is that instead of having bubbles of 1 to say 6 people, you have intersecting bubbles. For my partner and I that would easily extend to be more like 50-100 people.

      Well, no. As cut and pasted into the text of the post in reference to a Level 3 (expanded) bubble – This extended bubble should remain exclusive.

      And I'm fucked if I know where you get the notion of "conspiracy theory" from Lynn. A short term over extension of initial conditions, in order that any actually desired situation is regarded as tolerable and more acceptable is basic fucking psychology.

      edit – And testing, although better than some other countries, is very far from adequate, and a reason why lock-down has to persist.

  9. Brutus Iscariot 9

    "Might Level 3 be regarded as what was intended all along, with Level 4 a deliberate overstretch intended to help people be more psychologically prepared for quite serious restrictions on their movements and activities?"

    Yes. The government has being using textbook fascist-pioneered methods of mass social control.

    wartime imagery/slogans

    constantly invoking fear of the other (amorphous invisible enemy)

    turning citizen against citizen to do the policing work for the state (we now act with revulsion at close encounters with strangers in public, and are encouraged to dob each other in)

    All of the above have a kernel of truth, but have been exaggerated/carried beyond the boundaries of common sense. (Surfing as a burden on the health system? The hospitals have never been emptier!)

    • bill 9.1

      textbook fascist-pioneered methods of mass social control.

      🙄 Nothing fascist about it. Hell, you might say the whole "dobbing in" culture, insofar as it's popular, suggests the possibilities for the rise of an East German Stasi situation…if that was on the cards – if we weren't in the situation of a government just trying to keep people the fuck away from each other because of a massive threat to public health.

      Y'know, you can go back in time and read of partial societal lock downs because of polio outbreaks. And you can read of children being quarantined because of TB. And none of it was "sneaking fascism".

      Bringing the 'floppy boot' down on surfing and other stuff was possibly, as I say, just a deliberate over-reach so that we'd all be happy enough to accept level 3. Now the surfers can surf, the swimmers can swim and whoever else can do whatever else, and we'll generally see it all as some kind of extension or relaxation rather than an imposed restriction. And as a result, we'll probably be more inclined to stay apart and so not spread or contract a virus.

      • Brutus Iscariot 9.1.1

        How's this for perspective – the number of Covid cases has still not yet surpassed the number of Measles cases that New Zealand had in the 2018/2019 outbreak. Measles is a highly virulent disease with an R0 of over 10 and is particularly lethal to infants and children.

        During this outbreak a number of babies in New Zealand were consigned to intensive care, with 2 dying and a number with long term ill effects. As you know, there were also several deaths in Samoa.

        Our response to the outbreak wasn't to shutdown the whole of society, even with the tragedy of kids dying. In fact, it probably didn’t even enter most people’s consciousness.

        • bill 9.1.1.1

          What do you want? Thousands of deaths and a tardis?

          • Brutus Iscariot 9.1.1.1.1

            No, i just want the point made that we have probably over- or mis-reacted based on a data gap and an overzealous cadre of scientists (whose credentials we have no way of assessing until after the fact). In doing so, we've patronised and arguably misinformed the public, along with turning citizen against citizen.

            Independent observers are finding the modelling used to justify the original decisions increasingly flawed – at the time it was presented as gospel. And now we have moderators on this forum banning posters for "undermining the war effort". What more evidence do you need?

            • bill 9.1.1.1.1.1

              So you think there's been an over-reaction because data that did not exist wasn't used to gauge a 'proper' reaction. And world renowned virologists who have roundly lamented the late action and inaction of governments to what they (the virologists) saw coming, are in fact just an "overzealous cadre".

              Modelling is never precise, but a range of possible outcomes. Who are these "independent observers" you speak of? What are their credentials, and what, if any, conflicts of interest might they have?

              I'd agree there are some useless "curtain twitchers" in New Zealand today. But they were here yesterday and in the months and years leading up to now. Maybe now they have sense of purpose they didn't have before – I dunno and don't care.

              Whoever these moderators are handing out bans for "undermining the war effort", well…I'm a moderator, know nothing about "a war effort", haven't banned anyone for any such like, and can't speak for others.

              Though I will just note that from your comment you would seem to identify with that camp (of underminers or whatever) and yet you're still here commenting. – shrug –

            • patricia 9.1.1.1.1.2

              Brutus Iscariot…

              apples and oranges Measles = vaccine Covid-19 No vaccine.
              Do you think Trump got it right? Or Sweden?
              Facism is not health rules in a pandemic.. that is a stretch.

            • Incognito 9.1.1.1.1.3

              You sound … confused or extremely stressed.

              I’m terribly sorry to hear that you’re upset about your brother in arms self-destructing again. He was like a tenacious Terminator and kept coming back with the same denialist behaviour and even using the same false equivalences – you used measles while he used TB. Previously, it was CC and this time, it was the pandemic. He had been been warned so many times and yet …

              Anyway, you’re in Bill’s care now 😉

            • Gabby 9.1.1.1.1.4

              You're probably wrong. Of course we'll never know.

            • Cinny 9.1.1.1.1.5

              Brutus Iscariot, I'd rather we over react and be alive than under react and be dead. What about you?

        • JanM 9.1.1.2

          There is a vaccine for measles

        • Rosemary McDonald 9.1.1.3

          I always have an ironic chuckle when folk start doing the disease one-upmanship thing.

          Shall we throw in the 150-200 deaths per year from rheumatic heart disease?

          Perhaps the truest indicator of the third world living conditions endured by generations of Godzone's children.

          Oh, and BI, you might want to check your measles data as well.😉

        • AXH 9.1.1.4

          There is a vaccine for measles which most of the population have received. Not the same.

    • McFlock 9.2

      Except covid actually kills people, while the fascist "unseen enemy" was a slander against minorities.

      People are being dobbed in for endangering other people.

      Our hospitals are empty-ish because most people have been participating.

      Surfing is a burden on the health system, but also people trying to save a surfer's ass end up possibly being exposed to that fool's undiagnosed covid infection.

      • Ed1 9.2.1

        Our hospitals are empty-ish because they have to plan around being able to shut any ward at short notice, they want to limit the numbers going through Emergency (which is why Testing stations have been set up away from hospitals), and many health staff will want to stay away as much as possible – if an operation is not essential, they don't want either the patients or doctors there!

        But I am not personally involved – and common sense isn't always right . . .

        • Cinny 9.2.1.1

          Ex husbands partner is a lab worker at the hospital. She's flat out. However not all the admin staff are there, for a reason, it's common sense to keep them safe if their work isn't essential.

  10. Jum 10

    https://www.msn.com/en-nz/news/national/covid-19-critical-decision-looms-for-pm-cabinet/ar-BB12KRO3?li=AAFtepJ&ocid=SK2MDHP

    RNZ 'But while it might look safe enough, Ardern still has an intensely difficult decision to make on Monday. A serious outbreak after restrictions have been eased and a frantic return to level 4 would be a disaster, economically and socially, and she won't be absolutely sure that can't happen.

    If it did happen she would risk losing the public support that was so strong in the beginning. She would have made the wrong call.

    The alternative isn't much better. Extending alert level 4 while the situation appears to be under control and improving would severely test public patience. Businesses desperate to get back to work would be hugely disappointed and political unity would probably fracture.

    Earlier this week the Treasury released a set of scenarios which clearly showed the economic impact of staying in lockdown for an extended period, horrifying figures with estimates of unemployment potentially rising to more than 20 per cent. Those scenarios will weigh heavily on the prime minister and her cabinet on Monday. '

    How clever the enemy of Government for the well being of the people is.

    Everyone is doing a superb job of protecting fellow New Zealanders.

    Then, the chatter starts from the dark side about overdoing the lockdown, followed then by the chatter by monied interests of the financial death of the Kiwi if we stay in 4, followed then by the chatter of both on whatever level is decided upon.

    Methinks the dark side would favour the Darwin factor.

  11. North 11

    Nice gathering of perspectives there Bill. I have decided confidence in the circus-free leadership we have.

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    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Tenancy reviews for social housing restart
    Ensuring social housing is being provided to those with the greatest needs is front of mind as the Government restarts social housing tenancy reviews, Associate Housing Minister Tama Potaka says. “Our relentless focus on building a strong economy is to ensure we can deliver better public services such as social ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Kermadec Ocean Sanctuary plan halted
    The Kermadec Ocean Sanctuary will not go ahead, with Cabinet deciding to stop work on the proposed reserve and remove the Bill that would have established it from Parliament’s order paper. “The Kermadec Ocean Sanctuary Bill would have created a 620,000 sq km economic no-go zone,” Oceans and Fisheries Minister ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Cutting all that dam red tape
    Dam safety regulations are being amended so that smaller dams won’t be subject to excessive compliance costs, Minister for Building and Construction Chris Penk says. “The coalition Government is focused on reducing costs and removing unnecessary red tape so we can get the economy back on track.  “Dam safety regulations ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Drought support extended to parts of North Island
    The coalition Government is expanding the medium-scale adverse event classification to parts of the North Island as dry weather conditions persist, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay announced today. “I have made the decision to expand the medium-scale adverse event classification already in place for parts of the South Island to also cover the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Passage of major tax bill welcomed
    The passing of legislation giving effect to coalition Government tax commitments has been welcomed by Finance Minister Nicola Willis.  “The Taxation (Annual Rates for 2023–24, Multinational Tax, and Remedial Matters) Bill will help place New Zealand on a more secure economic footing, improve outcomes for New Zealanders, and make our tax system ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Lifting economy through science, tertiary sectors
    Science, Innovation and Technology Minister Judith Collins and Tertiary Education and Skills Minister Penny Simmonds today announced plans to transform our science and university sectors to boost the economy. Two advisory groups, chaired by Professor Sir Peter Gluckman, will advise the Government on how these sectors can play a greater ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Government announces Budget priorities
    The Budget will deliver urgently-needed tax relief to hard-working New Zealanders while putting the government’s finances back on a sustainable track, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says.  The Finance Minister made the comments at the release of the Budget Policy Statement setting out the Government’s Budget objectives. “The coalition Government intends ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Government to consider accommodation solution
    The coalition Government will look at options to address a zoning issue that limits how much financial support Queenstown residents can get for accommodation. Cabinet has agreed on a response to the Petitions Committee, which had recommended the geographic information MSD uses to determine how much accommodation supplement can be ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Government approves extension to Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care
    Cabinet has agreed to a short extension to the final reporting timeframe for the Royal Commission into Abuse in Care from 28 March 2024 to 26 June 2024, Internal Affairs Minister Brooke van Velden says.                                         “The Royal Commission wrote to me on 16 February 2024, requesting that I consider an ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • $18m boost for Kiwis travelling to health treatment
    The coalition Government is delivering an $18 million boost to New Zealanders needing to travel for specialist health treatment, Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says.   “These changes are long overdue – the National Travel Assistance (NTA) scheme saw its last increase to mileage and accommodation rates way back in 2009.  ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • PM’s Prizes for Space to showcase sector’s talent
    The Government is recognising the innovative and rising talent in New Zealand’s growing space sector, with the Prime Minister and Space Minister Judith Collins announcing the new Prime Minister’s Prizes for Space today. “New Zealand has a growing reputation as a high-value partner for space missions and research. I am ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Concerns conveyed to China over cyber activity
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters has confirmed New Zealand’s concerns about cyber activity have been conveyed directly to the Chinese Government.     “The Prime Minister and Minister Collins have expressed concerns today about malicious cyber activity, attributed to groups sponsored by the Chinese Government, targeting democratic institutions in both New ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Independent Reviewers appointed for School Property Inquiry
    Independent Reviewers appointed for School Property Inquiry Education Minister Erica Stanford today announced the appointment of three independent reviewers to lead the Ministerial Inquiry into the Ministry of Education’s School Property Function.  The Inquiry will be led by former Minister of Foreign Affairs Murray McCully. “There is a clear need ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Brynderwyns open for Easter
    State Highway 1 across the Brynderwyns will be open for Easter weekend, with work currently underway to ensure the resilience of this critical route being paused for Easter Weekend to allow holiday makers to travel north, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Today I visited the Brynderwyn Hills construction site, where ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Speech to the Infrastructure Funding & Financing Conference
    Introduction Good morning to you all, and thanks for having me bright and early today. I am absolutely delighted to be the Minister for Infrastructure alongside the Minister of Housing and Resource Management Reform. I know the Prime Minister sees the three roles as closely connected and he wants me ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Parliamentary network breached by the PRC
    New Zealand stands with the United Kingdom in its condemnation of People’s Republic of China (PRC) state-backed malicious cyber activity impacting its Electoral Commission and targeting Members of the UK Parliament. “The use of cyber-enabled espionage operations to interfere with democratic institutions and processes anywhere is unacceptable,” Minister Responsible for ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • NZ to provide support for Solomon Islands election
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters and Defence Minister Judith Collins today announced New Zealand will provide logistics support for the upcoming Solomon Islands election. “We’re sending a team of New Zealand Defence Force personnel and two NH90 helicopters to provide logistics support for the election on 17 April, at the request ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • NZ-EU FTA gains Royal Assent for 1 May entry to force
    The European Union Free Trade Agreement Legislation Amendment Bill received Royal Assent today, completing the process for New Zealand’s ratification of its free trade agreement with the European Union.    “I am pleased to announce that today, in a small ceremony at the Beehive, New Zealand notified the European Union ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • COVID-19 inquiry attracts 11,000 submissions
    Public consultation on the terms of reference for the Royal Commission into COVID-19 Lessons has concluded, Internal Affairs Minister Hon Brooke van Velden says.  “I have been advised that there were over 11,000 submissions made through the Royal Commission’s online consultation portal.” Expanding the scope of the Royal Commission of ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Families to receive up to $75 a week help with ECE fees
    Hardworking families are set to benefit from a new credit to help them meet their early childcare education (ECE) costs, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. From 1 July, parents and caregivers of young children will be supported to manage the rising cost of living with a partial reimbursement of their ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Unlocking a sustainable, low-emissions future
    A specialised Independent Technical Advisory Group (ITAG) tasked with preparing and publishing independent non-binding advice on the design of a "green" (sustainable finance) taxonomy rulebook is being established, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says.  “Comprising experts and market participants, the ITAG's primary goal is to deliver comprehensive recommendations to the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Chief of Army thanked for his service
    Defence Minister Judith Collins has thanked the Chief of Army, Major General John Boswell, DSD, for his service as he leaves the Army after 40 years. “I would like to thank Major General Boswell for his contribution to the Army and the wider New Zealand Defence Force, undertaking many different ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Minister to meet Australian counterparts and Manufacturing Industry Leaders
    25 March 2024 Minister to meet Australian counterparts and Manufacturing Industry Leaders Small Business, Manufacturing, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly will travel to Australia for a series of bi-lateral meetings and manufacturing visits. During the visit, Minister Bayly will meet with his Australian counterparts, Senator Tim Ayres, Ed ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Government commits nearly $3 million for period products in schools
    Government commits almost $3 million for period products in schools The Coalition Government has committed $2.9 million to ensure intermediate and secondary schools continue providing period products to those who need them, Minister of Education Erica Stanford announced today. “This is an issue of dignity and ensuring young women don’t ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Speech – Making it easier to build.
    Good morning, it’s great to be here.   First, I would like to acknowledge the New Zealand Institute of Building Surveyors and thank you for the opportunity to be here this morning.  I would like to use this opportunity to outline the Government’s ambitious plan and what we hope to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago
  • Pacific youth to shine from boost to Polyfest
    Minister for Pacific Peoples Dr Shane Reti has announced the Government’s commitment to the Auckland Secondary Schools Māori and Pacific Islands Cultural Festival, more commonly known as Polyfest. “The Ministry for Pacific Peoples is a longtime supporter of Polyfest and, as it celebrates 49 years in 2024, I’m proud to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • 2024 Ngarimu VC and 28th (Māori) Battalion Memorial Scholarships announced
    ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Speech to Breast Cancer Foundation – Insights Conference
    Before moving onto the substance of today’s address, I want to recognise the very significant and ongoing contribution the Breast Cancer Foundation makes to support the lives of New Zealand women and their families living with breast cancer. I very much enjoy working with you. I also want to recognise ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Kiwi research soars to International Space Station
    New Zealand has notched up a first with the launch of University of Canterbury research to the International Space Station, Science, Innovation and Technology and Space Minister Judith Collins says. The hardware, developed by Dr Sarah Kessans, is designed to operate autonomously in orbit, allowing scientists on Earth to study ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Speech to the New Zealand Planning Institute
    Introduction Thank you for inviting me to speak with you today and I’m sorry I can’t be there in person. Yesterday I started in Wellington for Breakfast TV, spoke to a property conference in Auckland, and finished the day speaking to local government in Christchurch, so it would have been ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Support for Northland emergency response centre
    The Coalition Government is contributing more than $1 million to support the establishment of an emergency multi-agency coordination centre in Northland. Emergency Management and Recovery Minister Mark Mitchell announced the contribution today during a visit of the Whangārei site where the facility will be constructed.  “Northland has faced a number ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Celebrating 20 years of Whakaata Māori
    New Zealanders have enjoyed a broader range of voices telling the story of Aotearoa thanks to the creation of Whakaata Māori 20 years ago, says Māori Development Minister Tama Potaka. The minister spoke at a celebration marking the national indigenous media organisation’s 20th anniversary at their studio in Auckland on ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Some commercial fishery catch limits increased
    Commercial catch limits for some fisheries have been increased following a review showing stocks are healthy and abundant, Ocean and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. The changes, along with some other catch limit changes and management settings, begin coming into effect from 1 April 2024. "Regular biannual reviews of fish ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

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