Absurdistan

Written By: - Date published: 7:09 am, August 2nd, 2015 - 39 comments
Categories: accountability, class war, journalism - Tags: , , ,

An excellent piece by Graham Adams – well worth reading the whole thing in Metro, but here are some extracts:

How bizarre

Is New Zealand becoming the Absurdistan of the South Pacific? Graham Adams reflects on the slow unravelling of a small democracy.

Absurdistan was first used in English in the Spectator in 1989, to describe the bizarre life of Czechs in Czechoslovakia. … Lately, I have begun to feel much the same about New Zealand – that it is becoming an Absurdistan: an odd little South Pacific nation where many things have stopped making sense to many of its citizens, even those normally enthusiastic about its idiosyncratic traits and national character, which has long been marked by tolerance, egalitarianism, a sense of fair play and a willingness to protest against injustice and inequality.

Perhaps what brought it to a head was the strange election in 2014 that saw voters mightily indignant that a trio of famous foreigners came to warn us (in person or by videolink) that we were being spied on by security organisations. Instead of being grateful, many were outraged Glenn Greenwald, Edward Snowden and Julian Assange were meddling in our domestic affairs.

Or perhaps it was the Dance of the Seven Hats later performed by John Key in Parliament, where he claimed to be several people at once and accountable to no one when Opposition politicians wanted to know what contact he’d had with blogger Cameron Slater. It’s possible this approach would go down well in Colombia or Argentina, where there is a tradition of magic realism, but New Zealanders are known to be a nation of pragmatists. However, in Absurd­istan you can assert anything you like, apparently, and make it true.

Increasingly, we are asked to believe a multitude of things we suspect (and sometimes know) to be untrue. These include: there is no bubble in the Auckland housing market; overseas Chinese buyers are not pushing up house prices; anyone can benefit from a university education; education standards are not falling; the Trans-Pacific Partnership will be good for us (but we can’t be told what’s in it, even though 600 mostly business representatives in the US get to examine its proposals); nothing can be done about overseas tourists driving on the wrong side of the road and killing themselves and us; voluntary euthanasia can’t be adopted as a government measure because it is too “divisive” (even though more than 70 per cent of us support it in opinion polls).

Something over the past few decades has happened to New Zealand to dull our spirit for protest and political reform and engagement in our democratic process. … part of the explanation no doubt lies in the news media’s willingness to trivialise important news and indulge in what Britain’s Daily Telegraph recently described as a tendency to prefer “froth to facts; nit-picking to policy”. It doesn’t help that newsroom staff numbers have been repeatedly slashed, with senior journalists laid off in favour of cheaper juniors (and many good journalists being lured into better­-paid PR), with an inevitable drop in editorial stan­dards, including human-interest stories too often replacing analysis. There is also the relentless, senseless noise from parts of the mass media, including by “personalities” such as Mike Hosking, who brings to mind those intellectuals Lenin dubbed “useful idiots”. …

Go read the full article for plenty more!

39 comments on “Absurdistan ”

  1. Rodel 1

    My favourite expressions in Graham Anderson’s article are:
    ‘useful idiots’
    ‘ distinctions in John Key’s mind as suddenly wondrously elastic’

    A good read. Thanks.

  2. les 2

    its now reality T.V politics endorsed and promoted by the MSM.

  3. Charles 3

    Metro is geared towards a certain type of mind/socio-economic group. In order not to blow a foo-foo valve, I have to remember it’s just that kind of magazine, with all that it entails. Not only does his “Cuba doesn’t make sense to tourists!” spell it out in the opening paragraph, but his unexamined list of “…a multitude of things we suspect (and sometimes know) to be untrue…” demonstrates his lack of logical/critical reasoning/ ability and the worldview he holds and promotes. If he was a general commenter here, I wouldn’t bother saying anything about it. Hell, my opinions are as crazy as his but in the alternate extreme. For someone so against “mantras” and ambiguous waffle, he sure lays out a few good kilos of it himself – failing (for whatever reason) to distinguish between (situational) truth and his (and his type) preferences.

    If he wanted to prove the dominant voice/mindset in NZ media/society is absurd, he did it via self-parody. It reminds me of the last Metro article I read, where a writer interviewed his lawnmower and dreamt of picking up litter in the local mangrove estuary. I guess I’m just not well-heeled enough to appreciate the subtle “social conscience” of such allegories.

    So my question is, how do I get a good paying side-line job writing tripe/opinion like his for a well-known magazine? Sounds like fun.

  4. Wayne 4

    No doubt this is how the Hard Left views New Zealand. The clues being the anti-TPP rant and the comments on ISIS.

    Of course in the eyes of the Hard Left it must be really weird that we rank so highly in just about every international indicie around corruption, quality of government, and most important of all quality of life. Most of the measures have New Zealand in the top ten.

    Of course it could be that the Key govt is so cunning that it has successfully perpetrated a giant con, not just on centre-right voters, but on the rest of the world as well.

    • Clemgeopin 4.1

      “Of course in the eyes of the Hard Left it must be really weird that we rank so highly in just about every international indicie around corruption, quality of government, and most important of all quality of life.”

      What do you have to say about the police decision not to prosecute Slater in relation to his behaviour regarding the Labour party website? Do you think that it was not a criminal misdemeanor?

      • hoom 4.1.1

        Those indexes are dependent primarily on News coverage and actual Police prosecutions.

        This means those indexes are incapable of detecting a Dirty media & Police who don’t prosecute with apparent political bias favouring one side of the political scale.

        I do expect those indexes to show rapid reduction of NZ ranking over the next few years though & I believe we already started to slip in most recent releases.

    • freedom 4.2

      “The clues being the anti-TPP rant and the comments on ISIS.”

      Are you suggesting the ISIS mess is not as complicated as the situation on the ground appears to be?
      Are you suggesting Saudi money is not funding ISIS?
      Are you suggesting ISIS did not arise from the detritus of other countries’ disruptive foreign [military] policy in the region? Policies that for over a century have been largely driven by a greed for oil reserves and shrouded by the belief it is the unquestionable responsibility [&the right] of the west to preserve strategic trade and military control of the area?

      More importantly though…
      Are you attempting to promote some perverse idea that people opposing the TPPA are somehow supportive of ISIS?
      ================

      As for “Most of the measures have New Zealand in the top ten.” well in case you forgot, we didn’t get those standings by selling out our people every chance we got. If you haven’t noticed we are slowly losing ground in most of the indices that you put so much stake in.

    • Lanthanide 4.3

      Have you noticed that on stuff.co.nz (and I assume theherald.co.nz) the overwhelming majority of comments on any TPPA story have been against the TPPA?

      Do you think the commentators on those sites represent left-wing NZ, or the mainstream every-day NZer? Because there are certainly a lot of stories on there where the majority of comments would fall squarely on the right of the spectrum of comments here at The Standard.

    • RedBaronCV 4.4

      Okay Wayne according to you we are a minority with severely deluded views about everything you hold dear. ( or James Shaw’s speech must have struck a positive note with people).
      Oh and about TPPA – we are told by the leader that ” nothing to fear nothing to hide” so where are the agreement details again?

      So remind me why do you want to come here to hang out with us?
      Why don’t you want to be with those who think you are great? Or once again is this a job for you? Are you being paid to be here and if so how much and by whom?

      • Lanthanide 4.4.1

        “Or once again is this a job for you? Are you being paid to be here and if so how much and by whom?”

        Ah, this old tired chestnut. I’m pretty confident that 99 times out of a 100 that this accusation is made, the person being accused of being a paid shill, is simply expressing their own opinion for their own purposes and there’s no employment going on at all.

        Basically it’s a form of arrogance – our website is so important, that the opposition is *paid* to come and spread their lies and sow dissent!

        In NZ it is even more woeful a claim to make, because clearly anyone on the right who was willing to spend money to get their own perspective out into the blogosphere, would be paying Whale Oil to do it (and we know that many have).

        • RedBaronCV 4.4.1.1

          I’m sure most of us who do come on here are not paid and are just expressing an opinion sometimes for and sometimes against and sometimes just discussing.
          But we have some people who appear here the minute certain topics are raised, whose views are repeated without any attempt to qualify or really engage in the discussion ( maybe trying out certain spinlines? to see the reactions engendered – using the site as lab rats essentially) but who also promote the view that this site is a tiny minority – which may be correct – do we really know?

          But the point is – that the attitudes and comments feel discontinuous – either TS is small and insignificant, so why bother to comment at all in a relatively ideas hostile enviroment or there is some other less obvious agenda. ( money being one of them). And yes of course WO takes paid content but why confine paid discussion only to that site? Bear in mind that Wayne has a well paid day job so why bother with this site?

          But I take you point maybe I should have asked – what is the hidden agenda ? Not whether there is payment involved.

          • Lanthanide 4.4.1.1.1

            I don’t think there has to be a ‘hidden agenda’ either.

            • RedBaronCV 4.4.1.1.1.1

              I struggle with the idea the an avowed right winger comes over here out of the goodness of his heart to help a bunch of people -whom he seems as generally deluded- find a better intellectual place.

              • Lanthanide

                “I struggle with the idea the an avowed right winger comes over here out of the goodness of his heart to help a bunch of people -whom he seems as generally deluded- find a better intellectual place.”

                I agree, because that would be an agenda.

                I expect people come here to argue and have fun. Some might be to try and expose themselves to other opinions.

                I doubt (m)any of them are coming here with an expectation that they’re going to change other people’s opinions, or sway their opinions in a particular way.

                • RedBaronCV

                  “I doubt (m)any of them are coming here with an expectation that they’re going to change other people’s opinions, or sway their opinions in a particular way.”

                  Which brings me back to the original point – why does he come here?

                  What is the agenda?

                  • I suspect with Wayne it’s because he reads the standard sometimes, and occasionally he thinks “God dammit!! They’re wrong! And I’m going to tell them why!!

                    Which is pretty much like the rest of us.

                    I am glad he comments here. It’s good to have opposing viewpoints (and oblique ones as well!).

                    One thing that often surprises me though, is the shallowness of his arguments and dearth of evidence to support them.
                    But then again, he was minister in a National government so the bar is pretty low 😯

                • ianmac

                  I strongly suspect that some “stirrers” do so because they do get a kick out of throwing molotov cocktails into the discussion and then watch the angry reaction. Rather fun I expect. Puckish Rogue for example has a sense of humour lurking and I can almost hear his chuckle. So does Matthew Hooten though he usually ignores the taunts and insults. Sometimes genuine commentary but he must be amused out the outbursts.

    • Draco T Bastard 4.5

      Of course in the eyes of the Hard Left it must be really weird that we rank so highly in just about every international indicie around corruption, quality of government, and most important of all quality of life.

      Measured as perceptions – perceptions that are driven by a biased MSM and thus not to be taken as truth.

      • Anno1701 4.5.1

        +100 to this !

        its all about “perception” when these indices are put together

        quite often the “quality of life” index is based on the opinions of ex-pats living in said country , hardly your average citizens !

    • What do you mean by hard left?

      My understanding of that term would describe the folks at Redline, but not any of the current political parties in power.

      New Zealand politics run from Far Right (pure laissez faire) in the form of ACT (Nationals very own political sock puppet) through to the Centre Left (Social democrat) of the Greens.

      If you could be so kind as to explain why your understanding of that term differs so much from what it actually means?
      It just looks like you are trying to create an insult by using a term which means one thing to describe something it is not.

      • swordfish 4.6.1

        “What do you mean by hard left ?”

        Wayne’s just very lazily employing the sort of banal rhetorical device much favoured by various Right-leaning media commentators like Jane Clifton, Hosking, Ralston, Leighton Smith etc

        Anyone even remotely to the Left of Phil Goff is instantly labelled “Hard Left” – as in cold, unfeeling, robotic, extreme, unreasonable, dogmatic, doctrinaire.

        Normally, I’d assume that former Cabinet Ministers like Wayne wouldn’t be quite so dishonest or intellectually-lazy. But, then again,…….how to account for Paula Bennett ?

        • Colonial Viper 4.6.1.1

          Wayne does seem to be letting himself down here.

          John Michael Greer contends that a major problem with the western elite now is the “senility” of their leadership. Basically, an inability to connect with reality and a preference to immerse themselves in their own imaginary constructs.

        • Naturesong 4.6.1.2

          It’d be nice to have a couple of Tony Benn’s in parliament though wouldn’t it.

          Make for far more compelling viewing of question time I reckon.

    • emergency mike 4.7

      Wayne, you’d be even more persuasive if you capitalized all the letters in HARD LEFT. Use the caps lock it’s easy.

    • newsense 4.8

      Nothing more hard left than John Roughan and Fran O’Sullivan. And Metro, the magazine of Auckland’s affluenza.

      Wheels coming off. Like McCully talking about 5th columnists all those years ago.

    • newsense 4.9

      Also have talked recently to a centre right voter who I don’t think would ever vote Labour who has a very large sense of betrayal about us not having any reporting or checks on foreign ownership. Used the words ‘I trusted Mr Key’. First time I’ve seen them remotely perturbed about politics.

      • Tracey 4.9.1

        cue a vote for NZF

        • newsense 4.9.1.1

          A loss of innocence, but I think in this case that if they have lost so much faith (and I don’t think they have quite) that they would rather not vote

    • Tracey 4.10

      Don’t be bitter Wayne.

  5. red-blooded 5

    Hey, those rankings aren’t just a product of the last few wondrous years, with our amazing Mr Key. NZ has ranked highly in those lists for decades, spanning both National and Labour led governments. Having said that, we also rank highly in domestic abuse rates (5th in the OECD), levels of imprisonment, obesity, murder rates… Perhaps all of these should also be attributed to the inspiring leadership of the current government?

    In fact, of course, these sorts of complex problems also span across governments of different leanings (although it’s worth noting that many of them are exacerbated by increasing levels of inequality, which as we know is also a measure that NZ loses out by scoring highly in…). As I understand it, inequality rose sharply from the late ’80s on, dipped with the intervention of Working For Families, but is now rising again, especially when the impact of housing costs are factored in.

    http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/national/261349/nz-gap-between-rich-and-poor-growing
    http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/68600911/income-inequality-how-nz-is-one-of-the-worst-in-the-world
    http://www.inequality.org.nz/understand/

  6. Pat 6

    …in addition the corruption index is a measure of the perception of,not demonstrated acts of …I would bet a couple of bottles of plonk to a tug on a ponytail that the domestic perception of corruption over the life of this current government has changed significantly…and not for the better

  7. newsense 7

    Also I do think it is absurd to compare Julie Christie and Goebbels.

    (beat)

    Goebbels was elected.
    Also hated cooking shows, a-not-commonly known fun fact.

    (I of course couldn’t ever tell this joke. Frankie Boyle of NZ where are you?)

Recent Comments

Recent Posts

  • EV road user charges bill passes
    Transport Minister Simeon Brown has welcomed the passing of legislation to move light electric vehicles (EVs) and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) into the road user charges system from 1 April.  “It was always intended that EVs and PHEVs would be exempt from road user charges until they reached two ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    17 hours ago
  • Bill targets illegal, unregulated fishing in international waters
    New Zealand is strengthening its ability to combat illegal fishing outside its domestic waters and beef up regulation for its own commercial fishers in international waters through a Bill which had its first reading in Parliament today. The Fisheries (International Fishing and Other Matters) Amendment Bill 2023 sets out stronger ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    18 hours ago
  • Reserve Bank appointments
    Economists Carl Hansen and Professor Prasanna Gai have been appointed to the Reserve Bank Monetary Policy Committee, Finance Minister Nicola Willis announced today. The Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) is the independent decision-making body that sets the Official Cash Rate which determines interest rates.  Carl Hansen, the executive director of Capital ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    19 hours ago
  • Stronger protections for apartment owners
    Apartment owners and buyers will soon have greater protections as further changes to the law on unit titles come into effect, Housing Minister Chris Bishop says. “The Unit Titles (Strengthening Body Corporate Governance and Other Matters) Amendment Act had already introduced some changes in December 2022 and May 2023, and ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    21 hours ago
  • Travel focused on traditional partners and Middle East
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters will travel to Egypt and Europe from this weekend.    “This travel will focus on a range of New Zealand’s traditional diplomatic and security partnerships while enabling broad engagement on the urgent situation in Gaza,” Mr Peters says.   Mr Peters will attend the NATO Foreign ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    21 hours ago
  • Keep safe on our roads this Easter
    Transport Minister Simeon Brown is encouraging all road users to stay safe, plan their journeys ahead of time, and be patient with other drivers while travelling around this Easter long weekend. “Road safety is a responsibility we all share, and with increased traffic on our roads expected this Easter we ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    24 hours ago
  • Cost of living support for over 1.4 million Kiwis
    About 1.4 million New Zealanders will receive cost of living relief through increased government assistance from April 1 909,000 pensioners get a boost to Superannuation, including 5000 veterans 371,000 working-age beneficiaries will get higher payments 45,000 students will see an increase in their allowance Over a quarter of New Zealanders ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day 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
    1 day 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
    1 day 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
    1 day 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
    1 day 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
    2 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
    2 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
    2 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
    3 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
    3 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
    3 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
    3 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
    3 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
    3 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
    3 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
    4 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
    4 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
    4 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
    5 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
    6 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
    7 days ago
  • 2024 Ngarimu VC and 28th (Māori) Battalion Memorial Scholarships announced
    ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days 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
    7 days 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
    7 days 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
    7 days 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
    7 days 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

Page generated in The Standard by Wordpress at 2024-03-28T21:18:09+00:00