A storm is coming

Written By: - Date published: 11:04 am, February 12th, 2018 - 65 comments
Categories: auckland supercity, climate change, Environment, global warming, supercity - Tags:

The Metvuw site currently has the remains of a tropical storm hitting us in about 7 days’ time.

This is the kind of pattern of summer we have grown used to as we become slightly more tropical; New Zealand is often now part of Tonga and Fiji’s rolling storm season.

Nor have we had the kind of concentrated and regular flooding that forced the 300-person town of Kelso to be abandoned in 1980. The entire population was resettled.

Still, it gives one pause, when one reflects on how often Auckland’s Tamaki Drive is going under.

Last week my boss came to work pretty dishevelled when he drove part way past Mission Bay, was stopped due to the road being blocked with the tide, drove back home, pulled on his riding gear and cycled in through it. He was reasonably wet when he finally turned up late into the morning.

Auckland Transport intend to raise bits of Tamaki Drive to assist.

It reminds me of 23 January 2011 when we had a King Tide in the Waitemata Harbour. We also had a storm low hit. Every hectopascal below average air pressure can raise the sea level by a centimetre, and as the 2011 low bore down on Auckland, it shunted ahead of it a tide half a metre higher than predicted.

Around noon, a 4.13-metre storm tide washed over parts of downtown, some eastern suburbs, and Herald Island off Whenuapai. Then it shut down the outside lanes of the north-western motorway. NZTA has now rebuilt the entire northwestern SH16 causeway a little higher since then.

But from the 2011 flood you have to go back to March 1936 for a higher storm tide – 3.99 metres. Auckland sea levels have risen 17 centimetres since 1900.

For years, Auckland City Council had a policy of not requiring sewerage and stormwater to go down separate pipes. So for the last decade every time there’s a storm surge and the flood waters back up, everything just spills onto the beaches. I honestly can’t recall when Auckland Council took a leadership position on anything to do with the environment, let alone climate change as a whole. You can’t swim in a lot of beaches for weeks after any decent rain now.

Now Auckland Council are about to put in further investment into the Waitemata waterfront through the Americas Cup process. For yachting.

By 2050 – just over 30 years away – Auckland can expect to suffer 2011 flooding perhaps yearly. Most New Zealand coastal towns and cities will fare the same. Nobody has dared guess what that means for property values, but either the market or the insurance industry will be the first to tell us. It’s going to be one of the most startling transformations that New Zealand has ever seen (albeit one of many).

In the very short term, watch the tracking of this storm over the next six days. Check your insurance policies. Stock up on bottled water, Dettol, mops, great gumboots, and lots of batteries for the radio. Whether you need it this time or next time, it’s coming.

65 comments on “A storm is coming ”

  • Comments are now closed

  1. Andre 1
    12 February 2018 at 11:09 am

    We always talk about climate in terms of money . This is why the 6 great extinction will happen . We lack the imagination .

    • Andre 1.1
      12 February 2018 at 1:35 pm

      Hi Andre. I’ve been commenting semi-frequently using this handle. While I totally agree with what you’ve said today, now and then I’ll come out with something you might not want to be associated with. Do you want to change your handle, should I change mine, or should we just tag team it and enjoy the occasional confusion?

      • weka 1.1.1
        12 February 2018 at 1:38 pm

        I think you should keep yours, because that’s what most people here are going to know when they see the name, and it goes with a whole set of politics 🙂 I’ll drop a moderator note in in the most recent comment below.

      • Draco T Bastard 1.1.2
        12 February 2018 at 2:45 pm

        you could both set up with Gravatar and have custom icons. You’d be amazed at how much more people recognise a picture rather than a name.

  2. Draco T Bastard 2
    12 February 2018 at 11:35 am

    For years, Auckland City Council had a policy of not requiring sewerage and stormwater to go down separate pipes.

    Which is, of course, the result of everyone complaining that there rates are too high.

    When we demand that the council be cheap then we don’t get to complain when that cheapness comes back to bite us on the arse.

    • Stunned Mullet 2.1
      12 February 2018 at 11:40 am

      Not completely correct – people complain that their rates are being spent on wasteful bullshit rather than worthwhile projects.

    • bwaghorn 2.2
      12 February 2018 at 11:56 am

      It.s not a lack of rates causing the water pollution in Auckland ,it’s the council is stocking to many people to the hectare. Government needs to put in to law a rapid reduction of stocking rates

      • weka 2.2.1
        12 February 2018 at 12:42 pm

        Heh, I might use that.

      • Draco T Bastard 2.2.2
        12 February 2018 at 2:31 pm

        Actually, it’s from not stocking the people high enough. High density population costs less and does less environmental damage. Still, the infrastructure does need to be in place.

        It’s not the same as cows because cows simply don’t think about where they’re shitting.

        • bwaghorn 2.2.2.1
          12 February 2018 at 5:07 pm

          i would bet dollars to donuts most city dwellers don’t think about where there shit goes as soon as they flush , any way i was just having a poke as the silence from the water ranters is deafining around here when its inside the city boundary , big fines for councils polluting would cost rate payers and we all know even the green pollies would be to gutless to push for that ,

    • Herodotus 2.3
      12 February 2018 at 12:57 pm

      I agree with your sentiments in part.
      But would like to add that we have an infrastructure liability. Infrastructure that is beyond its estimate life span, and the prohibitive costs to both: construct new infrastructure as our pop. increases and to replace obsolete or out dated.
      I note you will find much of the obsolete stormwater and sewage is in the cbd or “privileged” areas (no mention of user pays to remedy these areas). Green field developments seperate these 2, and for stormwater ponds are constructed to filter out contaminates and silts.

    • Liberal Realist 2.4
      12 February 2018 at 7:20 pm

      Which is, of course, the result of everyone complaining that there rates are too high.

      Nothing wrong with demanding efficiency and value for money from local government.

      Sure there’ll be plenty of harpering cheapskates wanting it all and wanting to pay nothing for it (e.g. avg RWNJ property investor), however local government isn’t known for focusing on core services it should be providing (e.g. climate change mitigation and appropriate sewerage infrastructure). Auckland CC clearly doesn’t have it’s priorities in order.

      Here in Wellington WCC spends obscene amounts of money on things like commercial property, statues, and plenty of other non-core ‘services’ while not fixing things like stormwater drainage, or improving cycling infrastructure where it really matters. Dealing with WCC for anything beyond a simple clear cut building consent is worse than pulling teeth solo with a pair of pliers and no anesthetic.

      When we demand that the council be cheap then we don’t get to complain when that cheapness comes back to bite us on the arse.

      There shouldn’t be a need to demand anything. If Auckland CC can’t fix the problem with funds available to them, then they should front up with full disclosure as to why.

      • Draco T Bastard 2.4.1
        12 February 2018 at 10:03 pm

        Nothing wrong with demanding efficiency and value for money from local government.

        There’s a difference between demanding efficiency and demanding that rates and taxes go down no matter what.

        however local government isn’t known for focusing on core services it should be providing (e.g. climate change mitigation and appropriate sewerage infrastructure).

        Ah, the ACToid claim of ‘core services’. A council or government doesn’t provide ‘core services’. It has a purpose of ensuring that the people who live there live at a reasonable living standard and that the resources within their borders are well husbanded.

        Restricting a government to ‘core services’ actively prevents them from achieving that purpose.

        If Auckland CC can’t fix the problem with funds available to them, then they should front up with full disclosure as to why.

        Yes but would you believe them?

        Because, due to your use of ACToid memes, I’m pretty sure you wouldn’t.

  3. weka 3
    12 February 2018 at 11:35 am

    Good post.

    As bad as Auckland’s problems are going to be from sea level rise, I still maintain that the motivator here needs to be what happens if we get catastrophic climate change? Having to move much of such a large city is a huge issue, but it pales when compared to not having an environment conducive to growing food.

    As Bill has been pointing out, the mainstream predictions (govt, NIWA etc) are based on IPPC models that include Carbon Capture and Storage tech that doesn’t exist yet and probably won’t work at scale. And we’re not even meeting the targets for those models.

    So yes, do what we need to to get through the next wave of emergencies, but we still have to act on the bigger picture now. That means placing sustainability (in its true sense) as our priority over maintaining our current lifestyles.

    • Ad 3.1
      12 February 2018 at 11:49 am

      Most people react when there’s something really concrete, urgent, and consistently publicised. Climate change is simply too diffuse and long-term for most people to deal with.

      So a set of flood events just one or two years apart, in the same area, that’s about the timeline most people can figure for their own lives. I’m sure it’s not enough; it’s just human.

      • weka 3.1.1
        12 February 2018 at 12:42 pm

        I agree, it’s a very difficult one for the human mind to get to grips with. I think our best bet is if we have more and worse events that push people into realising it’s here now.

        Once a certain percentage of the population accepts that its happening now and not to a later generation, the notion of how bad it is is easier to contemplate. It’s not so distant anymore. Kind of like the Overton Window I guess, the norm of understanding and acceptance in the middle moves (or the middle moves to accept that understanding). That’s also a natural human process I think.

        Also having pathways for people to act. Nothing subverts action like feelings of powerlessness.

    • Molly 3.2
      12 February 2018 at 1:56 pm

      Living in market garden country here, and the current onion crop is suffering from the intermittent heavy rain just as the onions were getting to the stage of dryness that allowed bagging.

      The storm a couple of weeks ago hit particularly hard, and water blew out the banks and we had a river of onions and water cross the road and flow down our driveway.

      Those onions are still in the field and have been drenched and partly dried at least five times since then. It is a hundred acre plot, and still doesn’t look like the farmworkers will be visiting any time soon. I spoke to the grower, and he mentioned that the weather had recently reduced their usual 300 crate harvest of spinach, to 6 crates. A substantial loss, but at least spinach is a fairly fast crop, those onions have been in the field for a few months now.

      And other growers seems to be having the same issues locally.

      • weka 3.2.1
        12 February 2018 at 3:54 pm

        Interesting. So that’s a flood that affects the crop in that moment but also the overall weather pattern for this year?

        What scares me about that is that it will be framed in terms of economic loss. I want to know what’s going to happen when this is happening a lot of the time. Humans are very resilient and adaptable, but we need to be looking at this now (plus the whole prevention of runaway CC thing).

  4. Antoine 4
    12 February 2018 at 1:00 pm

    > By 2050 – just over 30 years away – Auckland can expect to suffer 2011 flooding perhaps yearly

    You’re making that up. You don’t really know what the weather is going to be like in 2050.

    I agree it may be rather different from what it is now, but I’m not going to kid myself into thinking I know _how_ it will be different.

    A.

    • DoublePlusGood 4.1
      12 February 2018 at 1:32 pm

      Except that we have a very good idea of what the mean sea level will be in 2050, and we can just model what happens to our average bad weather now if you raise the sea level by x centimetres. And it means constant flooding along the lines of 2011.

    • weka 4.2
      12 February 2018 at 1:42 pm

      I think it’s pretty clear from Ad’s phrasing that it’s speculative (‘expect’, ‘perhaps’). Looks like an educated guess to me. I’d be interested in what he based that on too, but I suspect your argument is more along the neo-denialist line.

      • Antoine 4.2.1
        12 February 2018 at 1:47 pm

        I worry that people will get the idea that they know what the weather is going to be (based on a couple of events), plan for that set of conditions and ignore other possible contingencies.

        A.

        • weka 4.2.1.1
          12 February 2018 at 1:54 pm

          Ad wasn’t predicting weather, he was predicting a change in climate that would lead to more flooding. Flooding that is a result of multiple factors, some of which he covered in the post.

          I think you want to argue about how to rearrange the deck chairs on the Titanic. There’s enough evidence that Auckland is going to face major infrastructure issues (along with many other low lying towns/cities in NZ). If you believe that we are going through a glitch, and that we will revert back to weather that won’t interact with rising sea levels and other phenomena to cause flooding, then by all means make see if you can make that case.

          • Ad 4.2.1.1.1
            12 February 2018 at 2:37 pm

            I try not to extract this stuff out of my nether regions.

            Citations below. More if required.

        • Draco T Bastard 4.2.1.2
          12 February 2018 at 2:39 pm

          I worry that you’re trying to distract from reality because it makes you feel uncomfortable.

    • Ad 4.3
      12 February 2018 at 2:33 pm

      This was the report on forecast sea level rise for New Zealand, presented to Parliament in 2015:

      http://www.pce.parliament.nz/media/1390/preparing-nz-for-rising-seas-web-small.pdf

      Worth checking all the footnotes and maps inside it.

      This was the Parliamentary Select Committee’s response:

      https://www.parliament.nz/resource/en-NZ/51DBSCH_SCR70990_1/b5c6d63a510e40136ef02401ae99034b826dda40

      There is also a 350 page report on climate change effects commissioned by Auckland Transport, Auckland Council, Panuku, and INWA, but rather than bore you with the details, here’s the headline warnings on floods:

      “Climate change: Auckland to get hotter with upped flooding, superstorm and drought risks”

      http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11954402

      I don’t presume to be an expert in any of this stuff – so I trust the colelctive scientific and professional opinion, which is pretty consistent.

    • Draco T Bastard 4.4
      12 February 2018 at 2:37 pm

      http://www.mfe.govt.nz/climate-change/how-climate-change-affects-nz/how-might-climate-change-affect-my-region/auckland

      What could this mean for Auckland?

      Heavy rain – The capacity of stormwater systems may be exceeded more frequently due to heavy rainfall events which could lead to surface flooding. River flooding and hill country erosion events may also become more frequent.

      Coastal hazards – Coastal roads and infrastructure may face increased risk from coastal erosion and inundation, increased storminess and sea-level rise.

      Drought – By 2090, the time spent in drought ranges from minimal change through to more than double, depending on the climate model and emissions scenario considered. More frequent droughts are likely to lead to water shortages, increased demand for irrigation and increased risk of wild fires. The frequency and intensity of El Niño events, which are associated with periods of drought in Auckland, may increase. Increased drought frequency coupled with windier conditions may lead to an increase in the occurrence of fires.

      Agriculture – Warmer temperatures, a longer growing season and frosts becoming rare could provide opportunities to grow new, sub-tropical crops and farmers might benefit from faster growth of pasture and better crop-growing conditions. However, these benefits may be limited by negative effects of climate change such as water supply issues, prolonged drought, increased flood risk, or greater frequency and intensity of storms.

      Biosecurity – Climate change could result in an increased incidence of invasive pests, affecting both pasture and horticultural crops. Several existing pest species could become more serious pests with even a slight increase in temperature.

      Disease – There may be an increase in the occurrence of summer water-borne and food-borne diseases such as Salmonella. There could also be an increased risk from some vector-borne diseases such as Dengue Fever and Ross River Virus.

      My bold.

      • Antoine 4.4.1
        12 February 2018 at 11:20 pm

        Now that is some actual information, it acknowledges uncertainty and it covers a range of climate issues not just storms.

        (Of course it could still all prove to be wrong)

        A.

        • Draco T Bastard 4.4.1.1
          13 February 2018 at 1:39 pm

          Of course it could still all prove to be wrong

          That would be unlikely. What the scientists that measure the changes in the climate are seeing now is that previous projections were low so, if anything, we could probably expect these projections to be low as well.

  5. Andre2 5
    12 February 2018 at 1:22 pm

    The science is in and the minutiae can be argued till the cows are culled …But .
    IPCC carbon budget that were compiled used presumptions that are not based on correct data . It is far worse than IPCC AR5 political statements suggest . 15 years is left to fuck the future of fix the future . We must choose .We must act . We must get off the friggin couch .
    ‘Delivering on 2 degrees’ Keynote Prof Kevin Anderson – Climate change: … https://youtu.be/9gJ78vDU17Y via @YouTube

    [Andre, there is a long term commenter here called Andre. Can you please change your user name, to avoid confusion? I’ve changed your name in the meantime, but feel free to choose something else, thanks – weka]

    • weka 5.1
      12 February 2018 at 1:36 pm

      Someone needs to put in place some PR support for Anderson. We need short videos explaining the issue, lots of easy to understand graphics, stuff that can be tweeted and put out on FB. Hour long youtube videos are simply not going to be watched by enough people.

      • Pat 5.1.1
        12 February 2018 at 6:30 pm

        Perhaps…but an hour to cover the ground he does is minimal…and I dont get the feeling hes a “marketing’ kind of guy….just the facts maam

        • weka 5.1.1.1
          12 February 2018 at 6:40 pm

          oh I’m not suggesting he stops doing the in depth stuff, that’s incredibly important too. I’m saying *someone else* should pick up his work and put it out there in the world in ways that more people can access. We have no time for such important information to be this inaccessible.

          The Story of Stuff people could probably do something very good with it (they may already have, I’ll go have a look).

    • weka 5.2
      12 February 2018 at 1:40 pm

      Moderator note above for you to respond to, thanks.

    • Bill 5.3
      12 February 2018 at 2:34 pm

      The carbon budgets are based on understandings between CO2 concentrations and a range of temperatures that could result from those concentrations. So, as far as I understand that, it’s not really based on data so much as on theoretical understanding tempered by real world variables that aren’t fully understood (such as cloud cover etc)

      Or am I missing something?

      • Andre Hock 5.3.1
        12 February 2018 at 7:21 pm

        The only way to understand is to invest the time in understanding . Latest report (33 authors) mandated ‘National climate assessment ‘(part 1) report by US Govt Is in the AGU December conference in Vegas. It is accessible on their youtube It confirms past suppositions and reinforces Prof Andersons statements on budgets . Passing 2 C is not conducive with a functioning civilization as we know it today. It will change how all humans will interact and all that entails . https://youtu.be/fDJP5RgKkj4 and the summary Doc NCEA4 https://science2017.globalchange.gov/chapter/executive-summary/

        • Bill 5.3.1.1
          12 February 2018 at 11:09 pm

          I’m questioning your statement about “incorrect data”. What incorrect data? The uncertainty in temperature range for given CO2 concentration is down to acknowledging unknowns that determine climate sensitivity. There is no “incorrect data” per se.

  6. RedLogix 6
    12 February 2018 at 2:05 pm

    The forecast storm track is well visualised here; push forward to next Monday/Tuesday:

    https://www.windy.com/?-27.467,153.050,5

    Look how far south this bugger could get with steady 100km/hr winds! Gusts will be 50% higher.

    Otherwise another very good post Ad. Not too many people understand that with all of it’s at risk infrastructure Local Govt will be the first place climate change will hit with nasty expensive impact.

    • Ad 6.1
      12 February 2018 at 2:36 pm

      Sexy site cheers Redlogix.
      Leaves metvuw graphics for dead with its dataset integration.
      Piece of awesome for my inner weather nerd.

    • Bill 6.2
      12 February 2018 at 2:40 pm

      That looks like, erm…”fun days” if it turns out to be an accurate prediction.

      • Anne 6.2.1
        12 February 2018 at 3:15 pm

        When a cyclone reaches sub-tropical waters they tend to drift towards lower isobaric pressure. So, the weather system to watch will be the ridge of high pressure which is expected to move onto the country mid-week. If it hangs around long enough to include most of the week-end then we should miss the worst of the cyclone and it will toddle past well to the west of NZ without causing too much damage. On the other hand if the high drifts relatively quickly eastward (as apparently depicted on most of the models) then that will allow the bastard to track over the top of us.

        Oh yes, I am (as always) a little ray of sunshine. 🙂

  7. fender 7
    12 February 2018 at 2:44 pm

    ” Most New Zealand coastal towns and cities will fare the same. Nobody has dared guess what that means for property values, but either the market or the insurance industry will be the first to tell us.”

    The Kapiti Coast District Council tried to warn of the future consequences for beachfront properties on LIM reports and got taken to court by upset residents for their troubles.

    • Ad 7.1
      12 February 2018 at 2:52 pm

      Plenty of District Councils have tried.

      Which is why I think people will really “hear it” first from their insurance premiums and real estate agents.

      • RedLogix 7.1.1
        12 February 2018 at 7:40 pm

        There are a number of locations in NZ where I can confirm this is happening already, and it will only get worse as awareness slowly dawns on more and more people.

  8. cleangreen 8
    12 February 2018 at 4:06 pm

    Well after the storm we will know then what to do wont we?

    Get a boat?
    Get a raft?
    Get a house high above the flood plane?
    Get out of Auckland?
    Get away from the coast?
    Get a helicopter?.
    Join me up in the mountains, I am 1600 ft above sea level and I already have a dingy.

  9. timeforacupoftea 9
    12 February 2018 at 5:02 pm

    Wet feet again, nothing new here.

  10. Nick K 10
    12 February 2018 at 10:11 pm

    Storms are very common in a La Niña weather pattern. It has nothing to do with the climate.

    • ropata 10.1
      12 February 2018 at 10:39 pm

      Storms and La Nina has nothing to do with the climate? OK then…

      • Nick K 10.1.1
        13 February 2018 at 8:34 am

        The weather and the climate are not the same.

        This is weather.

        • Ad 10.1.1.1
          13 February 2018 at 2:12 pm

          A storm is coming

        • RedLogix 10.1.1.2
          13 February 2018 at 5:03 pm

          Weather is the high frequency component of climate. Weather is what we experience on a daily basis, while climate changes on a scale of decades and is far too slow for us humans to directly perceive it changing. In this sense weather and climate are indeed different things.

          But climate is low frequency mean of weather. All the important impacts on a large scale, such as the ice caps, oceanic currents, the range of species, sea temperatures, and so on respond to this long term cumulative all weather events, and it’s these indirect changes we are very definitely measuring. In this sense they are exactly the same thing.

          However which way us humans want to play with words, the physics remain the same. Trying to make an argument by pivoting on a selective semantic quibble will cut no mustard here.

  11. Ad 11
    13 February 2018 at 6:35 am

    Still on track to hit New Zealand late Tuesday and then Wednesday.

  12. Ad 12
    13 February 2018 at 4:47 pm

    The highest risks to the New Zealand economy for 2018, according to the World Economic Forum, are out.

    Put together in partnership with the Marsh & McLennan Companies (MMC) Risk Center, the research polls 1000 senior business leaders from the World Economic Forum’s global network.

    The results showed the top five global risks (by likelihood) were perceived to be:

    – extreme weather,
    – natural disaster,
    – cyberattacks,
    – data theft and
    – failure to adapt to climate change.

    http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=11993533

    A storm is coming.

Recent Comments

Recent Posts

  • ROB MacCULLOCH:  Newshub and NZ Herald report misleading garbage about ACT’s van Veldon not follo...
    Rob MacCulloch writes –  In their rush to discredit the new government (which our MainStream Media regard as illegitimate and having no right to enact the democratic will of voters) the NZ Herald and Newshub are arguing ACT’s Deputy Leader Brooke van Veldon is not following Treasury advice ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    2 hours ago

  • Top 10 for Wednesday, December 6
    Even many young people who smoke support smokefree policies, fitting in with previous research showing the large majority of people who smoke regret starting and most want to quit. Photo: Lynn GrievesonTL;DR: Here’s my pick of the top 10 news and analysis links elsewhere on the morning of Wednesday, December ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 hours ago

  • Eleven years of work.
    Well it didn’t take six months, but the leaks have begun. Yes the good ship Coalition has inadvertently released a confidential cabinet paper into the public domain, discussing their axing of Fair Pay Agreements (FPAs).Oops.Just when you were admiring how smoothly things were going for the new government, they’ve had ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    7 hours ago

  • Why we're missing out on sharply lower inflation
    A wave of new and higher fees, rates and charges will ripple out over the economy in the next 18 months as mayors, councillors, heads of department and price-setters for utilities such as gas, electricity, water and parking ramp up charges. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Just when most ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    7 hours ago

  • How Did We Get Here?
    Hi,Kiwis — keep the evening of December 22nd free. I have a meetup planned, and will send out an invite over the next day or so. This sounds sort of crazy to write, but today will be Tony Stamp’s final Totally Normal column of 2023. Somehow we’ve made it to ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    8 hours ago

  • At a glance – Has the greenhouse effect been falsified?
    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
    17 hours ago

  • New Zealaders  have  high expectations of  new  government:  now let’s see if it can deliver?
    The electorate has high expectations of the  new  government.  The question is: can  it  deliver?    Some  might  say  the  signs are not  promising. Protestors   are  already marching in the streets. The  new  Prime Minister has had  little experience of managing  very diverse politicians  in coalition. The economy he  ...
    Point of OrderBy tutere44
    20 hours ago

  • You won't believe some of the numbers you have to pull when you're a Finance Minister
    Nicola of Marsden:Yo, normies! We will fix your cost of living worries by giving you a tax cut of 150 dollars. 150! Cash money! Vote National.Various people who can read and count:Actually that's 150 over a fortnight. Not a week, which is how you usually express these things.And actually, it looks ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    21 hours ago

  • Pushback
    When this government came to power, it did so on an explicitly white supremacist platform. Undermining the Waitangi Tribunal, removing Māori representation in local government, over-riding the courts which had tried to make their foreshore and seabed legislation work, eradicating te reo from public life, and ultimately trying to repudiate ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    21 hours ago

  • Defence ministerial meeting meant Collins missed the Maori Party’s mischief-making capers in Parli...
    Buzz from the Beehive Maybe this is not the best time for our Minister of Defence to have gone overseas. Not when the Maori Party is inviting (or should that be inciting?) its followers to join a revolution in a post which promoted its protest plans with a picture of ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    22 hours ago

  • Threats of war have been followed by an invitation to join the revolution – now let’s see how th...
     A Maori Party post on Instagram invited party followers to ….  Tangata Whenua, Tangata Tiriti, Join the REVOLUTION! & make a stand!  Nationwide Action Day, All details in tiles swipe to see locations.  • This is our 1st hit out and tomorrow Tuesday the 5th is the opening ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    1 day ago

  • Top 10 for Tuesday, December 4
    The RBNZ governor is citing high net migration and profit-led inflation as factors in the bank’s hawkish stance. Photo: Lynn GrievesonTL;DR: Here’s my pick of the top 10 news and analysis links elsewhere on the morning of Tuesday, December 5, including:Reserve Bank Governor Adrian Orr says high net migration and ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 day ago

  • Nicola Willis' 'show me the money' moment
    Willis has accused labour of “economic vandalism’, while Robertson described her comments as a “desperate diversion from somebody who can't make their tax package add up”. There will now be an intense focus on December 20 to see whether her hyperbole is backed up by true surprises. Photo montage: Lynn ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 day ago

  • CRL costs money but also provides huge benefits
    The City Rail Link has been in the headlines a bit recently so I thought I’d look at some of them. First up, yesterday the NZ Herald ran this piece about the ongoing costs of the CRL. Auckland ratepayers will be saddled with an estimated bill of $220 million each ...
    Greater AucklandBy Matt L
    1 day ago

  • And I don't want the world to see us.
    Is this the most shambolic government in the history of New Zealand? Given that parliament hasn’t even opened they’ve managed quite a list of achievements to date.The Smokefree debacle trading lives for tax cuts, the Trumpian claims of bribery in the Media, an International award for indifference, and today the ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    1 day ago

  • Cooking the books
    Finance Minister Nicola Willis late yesterday stopped only slightly short of accusing her predecessor Grant Robertson of cooking the books. She complained that the Half Yearly Economic and Fiscal Update (HYEFU), due to be made public on December 20, would show “fiscal cliffs” that would amount to “billions of ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    1 day ago

  • Most people don’t realize how much progress we’ve made on climate change
    This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections The year was 2015. ‘Uptown Funk’ with Bruno Mars was at the top of the music charts. Jurassic World was the most popular new movie in theaters. And decades of futility in international climate negotiations was about to come to an end in ...
    Skeptical Science
    2 days ago

  • Of Parliamentary Oaths and Clive Boonham
    As a heads-up, I am not one of those people who stay awake at night thinking about weird Culture War nonsense. At least so far as the current Maori/Constitutional arrangements go. In fact, I actually consider it the least important issue facing the day to day lives of New ...
    A Phuulish FellowBy strda221
    2 days ago

  • Bearing True Allegiance?
    Strong Words: “We do not consent, we do not surrender, we do not cede, we do not submit; we, the indigenous, are rising. We do not buy into the colonial fictions this House is built upon. Te Pāti Māori pledges allegiance to our mokopuna, our whenua, and Te Tiriti o ...
    Bowalley Road
    2 days ago

  • You cannot be serious
    Some days it feels like the only thing to say is: Seriously? No, really. Seriously?OneSomeone has used their health department access to share data about vaccinations and patients, and inform the world that New Zealanders have been dying in their hundreds of thousands from the evil vaccine. This of course is pure ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    2 days ago

  • A promise kept: govt pulls the plug on Lake Onslow scheme – but this saving of $16bn is denounced...
    Buzz from the Beehive After $21.8 million was spent on investigations, the plug has been pulled on the Lake Onslow pumped-hydro electricity scheme, The scheme –  that technically could have solved New Zealand’s looming energy shortage, according to its champions – was a key part of the defeated Labour government’s ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    2 days ago

  • CHRIS TROTTER: The Maori Party and Oath of Allegiance
    If those elected to the Māori Seats refuse to take them, then what possible reason could the country have for retaining them?   Chris Trotter writes – Christmas is fast approaching, which, as it does every year, means gearing up for an abstruse general knowledge question. “Who was ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    2 days ago

  • BRIAN EASTON:  Forward to 2017
    The coalition party agreements are mainly about returning to 2017 when National lost power. They show commonalities but also some serious divergencies. Brian Easton writes – The two coalition agreements – one National and ACT, the other National and New Zealand First – are more than policy documents. ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    2 days ago

  • Climate Change: Fossils
    When the new government promised to allow new offshore oil and gas exploration, they were warned that there would be international criticism and reputational damage. Naturally, they arrogantly denied any possibility that that would happen. And then they finally turned up at COP, to criticism from Palau, and a "fossil ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    2 days ago

  • GEOFFREY MILLER:  NZ’s foreign policy resets on AUKUS, Gaza and Ukraine
    Geoffrey Miller writes – New Zealand’s international relations are under new management. And Winston Peters, the new foreign minister, is already setting a change agenda. As expected, this includes a more pro-US positioning when it comes to the Pacific – where Peters will be picking up where he ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    2 days ago

  • Gordon Campbell on the government’s smokefree laws debacle
    The most charitable explanation for National’s behaviour over the smokefree legislation is that they have dutifully fulfilled the wishes of the Big Tobacco lobby and then cast around – incompetently, as it turns out – for excuses that might sell this health policy U-turn to the public. The less charitable ...
    Gordon CampbellBy lyndon
    2 days ago

  • Top 10 links at 10 am for Monday, December 4
    As Deb Te Kawa writes in an op-ed, the new Government seems to have immediately bought itself fights with just about everyone. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Here’s my pick of the top 10 news and analysis links elsewhere as of 10 am on Monday December 4, including:Palau’s President ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago

  • Be Honest.
    Let’s begin today by thinking about job interviews.During my career in Software Development I must have interviewed hundreds of people, hired at least a hundred, but few stick in the memory.I remember one guy who was so laid back he was practically horizontal, leaning back in his chair until his ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    2 days ago

  • Geoffrey Miller: New Zealand’s foreign policy resets on AUKUS, Gaza and Ukraine
    New Zealand’s international relations are under new management. And Winston Peters, the new foreign minister, is already setting a change agenda. As expected, this includes a more pro-US positioning when it comes to the Pacific – where Peters will be picking up where he left off. Peters sought to align ...
    Democracy ProjectBy Geoffrey Miller
    2 days ago

  • Auckland rail tunnel the world’s most expensive
    Auckland’s city rail link is the most expensive rail project in the world per km, and the CRL boss has described the cost of infrastructure construction in Aotearoa as a crisis. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The 3.5 km City Rail Link (CRL) tunnel under Auckland’s CBD has cost ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago

  • First big test coming
    The first big test of the new Government’s approach to Treaty matters is likely to be seen in the return of the Resource Management Act. RMA Minister Chris Bishop has confirmed that he intends to introduce legislation to repeal Labour’s recently passed Natural and Built Environments Act and its ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    2 days ago

  • The Song of Saqua: Volume III
    Time to revisit something I haven’t covered in a while: the D&D campaign, with Saqua the aquatic half-vampire. Last seen in July: https://phuulishfellow.wordpress.com/2023/07/27/the-song-of-saqua-volume-ii/ The delay is understandable, once one realises that the interim saw our DM come down with a life-threatening medical situation. They have since survived to make ...
    A Phuulish FellowBy strda221
    2 days ago

  • Chris Bishop: Smokin’
    Yes. Correct. It was an election result. And now we are the elected government. ...
    My ThinksBy boonman
    3 days ago

  • 2023 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #48
    A chronological listing of news and opinion articles posted on the Skeptical Science  Facebook Page during the past week: Sun, Nov 26, 2023 thru Dec 2, 2023. Story of the Week CO2 readings from Mauna Loa show failure to combat climate change Daily atmospheric carbon dioxide data from Hawaiian volcano more ...
    Skeptical Science
    3 days ago

  • Affirmative Action.
    Affirmative Action was a key theme at this election, although I don’t recall anyone using those particular words during the campaign.They’re positive words, and the way the topic was talked about was anything but. It certainly wasn’t a campaign of saying that Affirmative Action was a good thing, but that, ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    3 days ago

  • 100 days of something
    It was at the end of the Foxton straights, at the end of 1978, at 100km/h, that someone tried to grab me from behind on my Yamaha.They seemed to be yanking my backpack. My first thought was outrage. My second was: but how? Where have they come from? And my ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago

  • Look who’s stepped up to champion Winston
    There’s no news to be gleaned from the government’s official website today  – it contains nothing more than the message about the site being under maintenance. The time this maintenance job is taking and the costs being incurred have us musing on the government’s commitment to an assault on inflation. ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    4 days ago

  • What's The Story?
    Don’t you sometimes wish they’d just tell the truth? No matter how abhorrent or ugly, just straight up tell us the truth?C’mon guys, what you’re doing is bad enough anyway, pretending you’re not is only adding insult to injury.Instead of all this bollocks about the Smokefree changes being to do ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    4 days ago

  • The longest of weeks
    Hello! Here comes the Saturday edition of More Than A Feilding, catching you up on the past week’s editions.Friday Under New Management Week in review, quiz style1. Which of these best describes Aotearoa?a. Progressive nation, proud of its egalitarian spirit and belief in a fair go b. Best little country on the planet c. ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    4 days ago

  • Suggested sessions of EGU24 to submit abstracts to
    Like earlier this year, members from our team will be involved with next year's General Assembly of the European Geosciences Union (EGU). The conference will take place on premise in Vienna as well as online from April 14 to 19, 2024. The session catalog has been available since November 1 ...
    Skeptical Science
    5 days ago

  • Under New Management
    1. Which of these best describes Aotearoa?a. Progressive nation, proud of its egalitarian spirit and belief in a fair go b. Best little country on the planet c. Under New Management 2. Which of these best describes the 100 days of action announced this week by the new government?a. Petulantb. Simplistic and wrongheaded c. ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    5 days ago

  • While we wait patiently, our new Minister of Education is up and going with a 100-day action plan
    Sorry to say, the government’s official website is still out of action. When Point of Order paid its daily visit, the message was the same as it has been for the past week: Site under maintenance Beehive.govt.nz is currently under maintenance. We will be back shortly. Thank you for your ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    5 days ago

  • DAVID FARRAR: Hysterical bullshit
    Radio NZ reports: Te Pāti Māori’s co-leader Debbie Ngarewa-Packer has accused the new government of “deliberate .. systemic genocide” over its policies to roll back the smokefree policy and the Māori Health Authority. The left love hysterical language. If you oppose racial quotas in laws, you are a racist. And now if you sack ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    5 days ago

  • Skeptical Science New Research for Week #48 2023
    Open access notables From this week's government/NGO section, longitudinal data is gold and Leisorowitz, Maibachi et al. continue to mine ore from the US public with Climate Change in the American Mind: Politics & Policy, Fall 2023: Drawing on a representative sample of the U.S. adult population, the authors describe how registered ...
    Skeptical Science
    5 days ago

  • ELE LUDEMANN: It wasn’t just $55 million
    Ele Ludemann writes –  Winston Peters reckons media outlets were bribed by the $55 million Public Interest Journalism Fund. He is not the first to make such an accusation. Last year, the Platform outlined conditions media signed up to in return for funds from the PJIF: . . . ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    5 days ago

  • Weekly Roundup 1-December-2023
    Wow, it’s December already, and it’s a Friday. So here are few things that caught our attention recently. This Week in Greater Auckland On Monday Matt covered the new government’s coalition agreements and what they mean for transport. On Tuesday Matt looked at AT’s plans for fare increases ...
    Greater AucklandBy Greater Auckland
    5 days ago

  • Shane MacGowan Is Gone.
    Late 1996, The Dogs Bollix, Tamaki Makaurau.I’m at the front of the bar yelling my order to the bartender, jostling with other thirsty punters on a Friday night, keen to piss their wages up against a wall letting loose. The black stuff, long luscious pints of creamy goodness. Back down ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago

  • The Hoon around the week to Dec 1
    Nicola Willis, Chris Bishop and other National, ACT and NZ First MPs applaud the signing of the coalition agreements, which included the reversal of anti-smoking measures while accelerating tax cuts for landlords. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The five things that mattered in Aotearoa’s political economy that we wrote ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago

  • 2023 More Reading: November (+ Writing Update)
    Completed reads for November: A Modern Utopia, by H.G. Wells The Vampire (poem), by Heinrich August Ossenfelder The Corpus Hermeticum The Corpus Hermeticum is Mead’s translation. Now, this is indeed a very quiet month for reading. But there is a reason for that… You see, ...
    A Phuulish FellowBy strda221
    6 days ago

  • Forward to 2017
    The coalition party agreements are mainly about returning to 2017 when National lost power. They show commonalities but also some serious divergencies.The two coalition agreements – one National and ACT, the other National and New Zealand First – are more than policy documents. They also describe the processes of the ...
    PunditBy Brian Easton
    6 days ago

  • Questions a nine year old might ask the new Prime Minister
    First QuestionYou’re going to crack down on people ram-raiding dairies, because you say hard-working dairy owners shouldn’t have to worry about getting ram-raided.But once the chemist shops have pseudoephedrine in them again, they're going to get ram-raided all the time. Do chemists not work as hard as dairy owners?Second QuestionYou ...
    More than a fieldingBy David Slack
    6 days ago

  • Questions a nine year old might ask the new Prime Minister
    First QuestionYou’re going to crack down on people ram-raiding dairies, because you say hard-working dairy owners shouldn’t have to worry about getting ram-raided.But once the chemist shops have pseudoephedrine in them again, they're going to get ram-raided all the time. Do chemists not work as hard as dairy owners?Second QuestionYou ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    6 days ago

  • Finally
    Henry Kissinger is finally dead. Good fucking riddance. While Americans loved him, he was a war criminal, responsible for most of the atrocities of the final quarter of the twentieth century. Cambodia. Bangladesh. Chile. East Timor. All Kissinger. Because of these crimes, Americans revere him as a "statesman" (which says ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    6 days ago

  • Government in a hurry – Luxon lists 49 priorities in 100-day plan while Peters pledges to strength...
    Buzz from the Beehive Yes, ministers in the new government are delivering speeches and releasing press statements. But the message on the government’s official website was the same as it has been for the past several days, when Point of Order went looking for news from the Beehive that had ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago

  • DAVID FARRAR: Luxon is absolutely right
    David Farrar writes  –  1 News reports: Christopher Luxon says he was told by some Kiwis on the campaign trail they “didn’t know” the difference between Waka Kotahi, Te Pūkenga and Te Whatu Ora. Speaking to Breakfast, the incoming prime minister said having English first on government agencies will “make sure” ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago

  • Top 10 at 10 am for Thursday, Nov 30
    There are fears that mooted changes to building consent liability could end up driving the building industry into an uninsured hole. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Here’s my pick of the top 10 news and analysis links elsewhere as of 10 am on Thursday, November 30, including:The new Government’s ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    6 days ago

  • Gordon Campbell on how climate change threatens cricket‘s future
    Well that didn’t last long, did it? Mere days after taking on what he called the “awesome responsibility” of being Prime Minister, M Christopher Luxon has started blaming everyone else, and complaining that he has inherited “economic vandalism on an unprecedented scale” – which is how most of us are ...
    Gordon CampbellBy lyndon
    6 days ago

  • We need to talk about Tory.
    The first I knew of the news about Tory Whanau was when a tweet came up in my feed.The sort of tweet that makes you question humanity, or at least why you bother with Twitter. Which is increasingly a cesspit of vile inhabitants who lurk spreading negativity, hate, and every ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    6 days ago

  • Dangling Transport Solutions
    Cable Cars, Gondolas, Ropeways and Aerial Trams are all names for essentially the same technology and the world’s biggest maker of them are here to sell them as an public transport solution. Stuff reports: Austrian cable car company Doppelmayr has launched its case for adding aerial cable cars to New ...
    Greater AucklandBy Matt L
    6 days ago

  • November AMA
    Hi,It’s been awhile since I’ve done an Ask-Me-Anything on here, so today’s the day. Ask anything you like in the comments section, and I’ll be checking in today and tomorrow to answer.Leave a commentNext week I’ll be giving away a bunch of these Mister Organ blu-rays for readers in New ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    6 days ago

  • National’s early moves adding to cost of living pressure
    The cost of living grind continues, and the economic and inflation honeymoon is over before it began. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: PM Christopher Luxon unveiled his 100 day plan yesterday with an avowed focus of reducing cost-of-living pressures, but his Government’s initial moves and promises are actually elevating ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    6 days ago

  • Backwards to the future
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has confirmed that it will be back to the future on planning legislation. This will be just one of a number of moves which will see the new government go backwards as it repeals and cost-cuts its way into power. They will completely repeal one ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    6 days ago

  • New initiatives in science and technology could point the way ahead for Luxon government
    As the new government settles into the Beehive, expectations are high that it can sort out some  of  the  economic issues  confronting  New Zealand. It may take time for some new  ministers to get to grips with the range of their portfolio work and responsibilities before they can launch the  changes that  ...
    Point of OrderBy tutere44
    7 days ago

  • Treaty pledge to secure funding is contentious – but is Peters being pursued by a lynch mob after ...
    TV3 political editor Jenna Lynch was among the corps of political reporters who bridled, when Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters told them what he thinks of them (which is not much). She was unabashed about letting her audience know she had bridled. More usefully, she drew attention to something which ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    7 days ago

  • How long does this last?
    I have a clear memory of every election since 1969 in this plucky little nation of ours. I swear I cannot recall a single one where the question being asked repeatedly in the first week of the new government was: how long do you reckon they’ll last? And that includes all ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    7 days ago

  • National’s giveaway politics
    We already know that national plans to boost smoking rates to collect more tobacco tax so they can give huge tax-cuts to mega-landlords. But this morning that policy got even more obscene - because it turns out that the tax cut is retrospective: Residential landlords will be able to ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    7 days ago

  • CHRIS TROTTER: Who’s driving the right-wing bus?
    Who’s At The Wheel? The electorate’s message, as aggregated in the polling booths on 14 October, turned out to be a conservative political agenda stronger than anything New Zealand has seen in five decades. In 1975, Bill Rowling was run over by just one bus, with Rob Muldoon at the wheel. In 2023, ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    7 days ago

  • GRAHAM ADAMS:  Media knives flashing for Luxon’s government
    The fear and loathing among legacy journalists is astonishing Graham Adams writes – No one is going to die wondering how some of the nation’s most influential journalists personally view the new National-led government. It has become abundantly clear within a few days of the coalition agreements ...
    Point of OrderBy gadams1000
    7 days ago

  • Top 10 news links for Wednesday, Nov 29
    TL;DR: Here’s my pick of top 10 news links elsewhere for Wednesday November 29, including:The early return of interest deductibility for landlords could see rebates paid on previous taxes and the cost increase to $3 billion from National’s initial estimate of $2.1 billion, CTU Economist Craig Renney estimated here last ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago

  • Smokefree Fallout and a High Profile Resignation.
    The day after being sworn in the new cabinet met yesterday, to enjoy their honeymoon phase. You remember, that period after a new government takes power where the country, and the media, are optimistic about them, because they haven’t had a chance to stuff anything about yet.Sadly the nuptials complete ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    1 week ago

  • As Cabinet revs up, building plans go on hold
    Wellington Council hoardings proclaim its preparations for population growth, but around the country councils are putting things on hold in the absence of clear funding pathways for infrastructure, and despite exploding migrant numbers. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Cabinet meets in earnest today to consider the new Government’s 100-day ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago

  • National takes over infrastructure
    Though New Zealand First may have had ambitions to run the infrastructure portfolios, National would seem to have ended up firmly in control of them.  POLITIK has obtained a private memo to members of Infrastructure NZ yesterday, which shows that the peak organisation for infrastructure sees  National MPs Chris ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    1 week ago

  • At a glance – Evidence for global warming
    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
    1 week ago

  • Who’s Driving The Right-Wing Bus?
    Who’s At The Wheel? The electorate’s message, as aggregated in the polling booths on 14 October, turned out to be a conservative political agenda stronger than anything New Zealand has seen in five decades. In 1975, Bill Rowling was run over by just one bus, with Rob Muldoon at the wheel. In ...
    Bowalley Road
    1 week ago

  • Sanity break
    Cheers to reader Deane for this quote from Breakfast TV today:Chloe Swarbrick to Brook van Velden re the coalition agreement: “... an unhinged grab-bag of hot takes from your drunk uncle at Christmas”Cheers also to actual Prime Minister of a country Christopher Luxon for dorking up his swearing-in vows.But that's enough ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    1 week ago

  • PISA results show urgent need to teach the basics
    With 2022 PISA results showing a decline in achievement, Education Minister Erica Stanford is confident that the Coalition Government’s 100-day plan for education will improve outcomes for Kiwi kids.  The 2022 PISA results show a significant decline in the performance of 15-year-old students in maths compared to 2018 and confirms ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    15 hours ago

  • Collins leaves for Pacific defence meeting
    Defence Minister Judith Collins today departed for New Caledonia to attend the 8th annual South Pacific Defence Ministers’ meeting (SPDMM). “This meeting is an excellent opportunity to meet face-to-face with my Pacific counterparts to discuss regional security matters and to demonstrate our ongoing commitment to the Pacific,” Judith Collins says. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • Working for Families gets cost of living boost
    Putting more money in the pockets of hard-working families is a priority of this Coalition Government, starting with an increase to Working for Families, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon says. “We are starting our 100-day plan with a laser focus on bringing down the cost of living, because that is what ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • Lake Onslow pumped hydro scheme scrapped
    The Government has axed the $16 billion Lake Onslow pumped hydro scheme championed by the previous government, Energy Minister Simeon Brown says. “This hugely wasteful project was pouring money down the drain at a time when we need to be reining in spending and focussing on rebuilding the economy and ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago

  • NZ welcomes further pause in fighting in Gaza
    New Zealand welcomes the further one-day extension of the pause in fighting, which will allow the delivery of more urgently-needed humanitarian aid into Gaza and the release of more hostages, Foreign Minister Winston Peters said. “The human cost of the conflict is horrific, and New Zealand wants to see the violence ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago

  • Condolences on passing of Henry Kissinger
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters today expressed on behalf of the New Zealand Government his condolences to the family of former US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, who has passed away at the age of 100 at his home in Connecticut. “While opinions on his legacy are varied, Secretary Kissinger was ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago

  • Backing our kids to learn the basics
    Every child deserves a world-leading education, and the Coalition Government is making that a priority as part of its 100-day plan. Education Minister Erica Stanford says that will start with banning cellphone use at school and ensuring all primary students spend one hour on reading, writing, and maths each day. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago

  • US Business Summit Speech – Regional stability through trade
    I would like to begin by echoing the Prime Minister’s thanks to the organisers of this Summit, Fran O’Sullivan and the Auckland Business Chamber.  I want to also acknowledge the many leading exporters, sector representatives, diplomats, and other leaders we have joining us in the room. In particular, I would like ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago

  • Keynote Address to the United States Business Summit, Auckland
    Good morning. Thank you, Rosemary, for your warm introduction, and to Fran and Simon for this opportunity to make some brief comments about New Zealand’s relationship with the United States.  This is also a chance to acknowledge my colleague, Minister for Trade Todd McClay, Ambassador Tom Udall, Secretary of Foreign ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago

  • India New Zealand Business Council Speech, India as a Strategic Priority
    Good morning, tēnā koutou and namaskar. Many thanks, Michael, for your warm welcome. I would like to acknowledge the work of the India New Zealand Business Council in facilitating today’s event and for the Council’s broader work in supporting a coordinated approach for lifting New Zealand-India relations. I want to also ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago

  • Coalition Government unveils 100-day plan
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has laid out the Coalition Government’s plan for its first 100 days from today. “The last few years have been incredibly tough for so many New Zealanders. People have put their trust in National, ACT and NZ First to steer them towards a better, more prosperous ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago

  • New Zealand welcomes European Parliament vote on the NZ-EU Free Trade Agreement
    A significant milestone in ratifying the NZ-EU Free Trade Agreement (FTA) was reached last night, with 524 of the 705 member European Parliament voting in favour to approve the agreement. “I’m delighted to hear of the successful vote to approve the NZ-EU FTA in the European Parliament overnight. This is ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 weeks ago

  • Further humanitarian support for Gaza, the West Bank and Israel
    The Government is contributing a further $5 million to support the response to urgent humanitarian needs in Gaza, the West Bank and Israel, bringing New Zealand’s total contribution to the humanitarian response so far to $10 million. “New Zealand is deeply saddened by the loss of civilian life and the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 weeks ago

Page generated in The Standard by Wordpress at 2023-12-06T00:12:55+00:00