All aboard KiwiRail

Written By: - Date published: 12:10 pm, July 1st, 2008 - 40 comments
Categories: economy, Environment, labour - Tags:

Today marks the launch of KiwiRail. It’s great to have rail back in Kiwi hands, after a decade of asset-stripping. Now comes the task of building up the network so it can provide cheap and clean transport. Businesses are keen to take more freight off the road in the face of skyrocketing fuel prices and long-distance car travel is also getting out of reach for many; KiwiRail will provide an alternative.

For me, the Labour-led Governments’ biggest achievements have been in work rights (ERA, record low unemployment and minimum wage up 9 times in 8 years etc), tackling child poverty (Working for Families, doctors’ fees, 20Free etc) and in building the infrastructure for a sustainable, fair society the Cullen Fund, Kiwibank, Kiwisaver, and, now, KiwiRail. This kind of visionary work is something we only ever see from a leftwing government.

Meanwhile, National has shown how out of touch it is (with economics, the environment, and public opinion) with its pathetic Crosby/Textor line about Cullen buying a ‘train set’.

All the polls and all the conversations I’ve had show that Kiwis recognise that a well-run train service should be the backbone of our transport network. They know this will happen now the trains are back in public ownership.

40 comments on “All aboard KiwiRail ”

  1. Billy 1

    All the polls and all the conversations I’ve had show that Kiwis recognise that a well-run train service should be the backbone of our transport network. They know this will happen now the trains are back in public ownership.

    Why will it happen when the trains are in public ownership? That is certainly not what happened the last time the governemnt owned it.

  2. Billy, well it was much better than it is now, and it could have been done much better if it had been run as a commericial organisation, rather than also being used for job creation.

    Fact is, NZRail was a well-run SOE when it was privitised and asset-stripped. It could be something great by now but a decade of private ownership has redcued it to a shadow of its former self. Now, we can rebuild and do better than before.

    I’m going to write to Bolger and suggest that wee Kiwi soft-toy as official mascot

  3. insider 3

    Yes same old faces on the gravy train again…

    Wonder how much we spent coming up ith that highly original name?

    Wonder also if we’ll find out how much we actually paid for it?

    creepy capcha all Economy

  4. Liam Rutherford 4

    I agree what a smart purchase. It really does show a government that is switched on. The rail service in New Zealand has been a joke since it was sold. This has been a prime example of what can happen if we let the market control what happens.

    I also love the irony of Jim Bolger Kiwirail, i wish him all the best.

    This is going to be great for shifting trucks off the road, and in the future could provide a sensible and cost effective mode of public transport.

  5. Billy 5

    How’s that investment in Air NZ going?

  6. Patrick 6

    Well, given that we still have a national airline, I’d say it’s going pretty well thanks Billy.

  7. gobsmacked 7

    Liam, yes, the irony is wonderful.

    John Key: “The 1990’s don’t matter, old news, never happened, move on, I wasn’t here, ignore the old faces behind me, National are Fresh and New”, etc.

    Jim Bolger: “Hello, everyone, remember me?”

    JK: “Oh, crap …”

  8. Well, Billy, the public has recieved over a quarter of a billion dollars in dividends since the purchase, allowing the govt to buy things that otherwise would have had to be paid for out of tax and, more importantly, we still have an NZ based airline, meaning that we still have flights to smaller regional centres – flights that a less profitable than other routes and would have been the first to be cut if AirNZ had been absorbed into Singapore Airlines.

    Oh and I believe there’s a paper profit on the shares currently too (and it was much bigger before oil rpices took off) but who cares if we’ve got a paper profit of $5 million of $500 million? They’re not up for sale so the value at any one time is only notional.

  9. Lew 9

    The other thing we have is a competitive domestic airline market. You think Pacific Blue would have launched their $39 flight promotion if they’d been the only credible player in town? Think again.

    L

  10. mike 10

    Will nanny sell pies on the trains or just healthy choices with pie’s once a month if the public behave?

    http://www.stuff.co.nz/dominionpost/4602703a23918.html

  11. mike – what does the pie possess in the sentence you’ve written?

    Also, is not selling obesity causing foods the worst thing you can think of that the Government has done in 9 years? And does that really outweigh:

    “work rights (ERA, record low unemployment and minimum wage up 9 times in 8 years etc), tackling child poverty (Working for Families, doctors’ fees, 20Free etc) and in building the infrastructure for a sustainable, fair society the Cullen Fund, Kiwibank, Kiwisaver, and, now, KiwiRail.” and all the rest?

  12. Tane 12

    “pie’s”???

    Sounds like mike could’a done with a bit more learnin’ and a little less pie eatin’ at school.

  13. Steve:”All the polls” so the reccommendation to buy back the trains was made by the governments PR consultants not treasury ?

    [no, the polls after the decision to buy back. And the two aren’t mutually exclusive anyway. Clutching Bryan, clutching. SP]

  14. mike 14

    “Kiwibank, Kiwisaver, and, now, KiwiRail”

    Man I can’t wait for National to change the tacky names of these next year – it makes me cringe. One of Labours many consultants must have advised them that the Kiwi brand is a winner.

  15. bill brown 15

    What do you suggest:

    overseas-capitalist-asset-stripperbank, overseas-capitalist-asset-strippersaver and overseas-capitalist-asset-stripperrail?

  16. gobsmacked 16

    As every third word that John Key uses is “Kiwi”, I wouldn’t get your hopes up, Mike.

    HardWorkingKiwiRail? KiwiFamilySaver? KiwiMumsAndDadsBank?

  17. lprent 17

    Steve:

    …more importantly, we still have an NZ based airline, meaning that we still have flights to smaller regional centres – flights that a less profitable than other routes and would have been the first to be cut if AirNZ had been absorbed into Singapore Airlines.

    More importantly we have a locally based air-freight business. I couldn’t give a damn about passenger traffic, but that air-freight is critical for a number of key export businesses. Some of those are very dependent on having air-freight available at quite specific times.

    Looking at how air-freight lacks continuity elsewhere in the free market, I’m damn glad that the government decided this was strategic. The economic value of the business to NZ business and economy goes far beyond its share price or dividends.

  18. andy 18

    Man I can’t wait for National to change the tacky names of these next year – it makes me cringe. One of Labours many consultants must have advised them that the Kiwi brand is a winner.

    Is that a crosby/textor NZ sucks line?

    Nationalism may be cheesy (oops!) but positivity about your country regardless is quite a nice trait.

  19. Steve: “For me, the Labour-led Governments’ biggest achievements have been….(Working for Families, doctors’ fees, 20Free etc)”

    Yes, all very well, but at the cost of 8 years of declining productivity.

    “The Outcomes of Income Transfers by Australian economist Mark Harrison, estimated that a transfer worth an extra dollar to low-income households could result in an efficiency cost (a loss of national income) at least as high as $2.30 because incentives for productive activity are blunted. Income redistribution is justified to help the genuinely needy, but it inevitably comes at a cost to growth and the risk of welfare dependency.”

    Hmm, s0 we spend $2.30 to get a dollar back. KiwiRail is beginning to look like a bargain.

  20. Steve: “a well-run train service should be the backbone of our transport network.”

    Now I know this quote is for passenger rail services not freight but it is interesting all the same:

    “government transit spending per passenger mile is nearly $0.95, while all government spending on roadways is less than $0.04. Some bias. Transit spending is 25 times highway spending. This does not consider the fact that roads carry a large share of the nation’s freight. Transit carries none.”

  21. Felix 21

    Does anyone even bother to read Bryan Spondre’s comments anymore?

    [lprent: I did because I was interested in a link on productivity. Oh well meaningless charts]

  22. lprent 22

    Bryan:
    How about getting your productivity charts relevant to a useful debate.

    Firstly the detailed graph only shows 6 years not 8 years.

    Secondly the data is so badly sourced as to be unusable. The first question I wanted to know was did it include the whole of the potential working population. Because any productivity measurements just looking at the in-work population are ludicrous as they don’t look at the whole economy. The stated source for these graphs was “Statistics NZ”. That is crap – what figures? Which tables? It could be the change in productivity for people with mental handicaps for all that I know.

    Thirdly. I regard this as another example of how to lie with numbers.

    It is something you frequently bring up with Steve. I think I’m going to pay more attention to these numbers you bring up.

    If you don’t have sources on these charts then they’re really just pissing in the wind for all of the use they are for your side of the argument.

  23. Matthew Pilott 23

    I still read them Bryan’s comments! There’s even the odd one I agree with. Not so here though…

    Bryan, those figures don’t really mean anything for relative cost of transport. Firstly, there’s no source so I can’t tell if it’s even in NZ, I suspect they’re american.

    Second, there’s a comment that says ‘transit carries none’ (transit being an odd (US?) term for public transport) in regards to freight. Is this trying to imply there’s one set of rails for freight trains and another for passenger trains? Or a poorly constructed comment?

    Lastly, you make your all-too-common mistake of looking at something from a market-only perspective, and since the market is an abject failure to internalise its problems, it’s not a useful measure.

    Not a very useful criticism of mass-transit!

  24. Rob 24

    Well Michael Cullen has got his Train set back that labour agreed to sell with National when National was last in Government for 900 million what a bargain not!!
    But wait there’s more he had to rush through an SOP paper today because he forgot all about the poor workers superannuation funds being protected. However not one comment from a union official imagine the Hue and cry if it was National doing this. All it illustrates is that Cullen isn’t capable of doing commercial agreements and the New Zealand Public should never have had to pay so much for so little.

  25. Pita 25

    “How?s that investment in Air NZ going?”

    Good question, the Government owns 82% of Air New Zealand which it purchased at $890 million and whose revised profit forecast still shows a profit of $200 million before tax.

    Kiwirail cost one billion, and will cost much more with no forseeable profit…great comparison, great investment!

  26. Draco TB 26

    Now I know this quote…

    Yes, I can see how a quote about somewhere in the USA applies here…

    /sarcasm

    The economic value of the business to NZ business and economy goes far beyond its share price or dividends.

    This is true of almost all of the SoEs sold. All they needed was a little restructuring and they would have been good either running at break even or at a profit. Hell, Telecom was running at a significant profit in 1985 ($272m) even with all the bad decisions that were being made.

  27. Phil 27

    BB,

    “stripperbank” “strippersaver” “stripperrail”

    I’m so there!

  28. coge 28

    Steve, you claim NZ rail was a well run SOE.
    How can that be when at one stage it was losing 1m a day on average? The facts were, at the time it HAD to be sold.

  29. Matthew:”and since the market is an abject failure to internalise its problems”

    What does this phrase mean ? Why is the market an abject failure to internalise it’s problems ?

    lprent: The Labour Government points to the income redistribution of WFF as a major achievement. My concern is that this has done nothing to increase the wealth generating capacity of the country and simply gives the highly skilled more reason to leave ( as the migration numbers indicate they are).

    To quote Treasury “New Zealand ranks 22nd among the 30 OECD nations
    in terms of labour productivity and this matches the ranking on GDP per
    capita, despite having the fifth highest utilisation of labour in the OECD.”

    “New Zealand’s annual labour productivity growth (5-year moving average)
    slowed from almost 2% in 2003 to around 1% in 2006, the lowest among
    this group of comparators.”

    So as SP is always reminding us unemployment has dropped significantly however all these extra employed people aren’t producing particularly well.

  30. insider 30

    HC said owning rail was a crucial to reducing New Zealand’s carbon footprint.

    The billion or so paid for rail would have funded our kyoto liability.

    So I wonder exactly how much carbon buying rail will save and how much that works out to per tonne? I suspect it will be far more than the $15-$50 per tonne cost of carbon being used in most calculations.

    Sounds like biofuels where consumers will pay more than $100m in additional fuel costs to save something like $17m in carbon.

  31. insider: “HC said owning rail was a crucial to reducing New Zealand’s carbon footprint.”

    Presumably to reduce our carbon foot print using rail means:

    a) completing electrification of the rail network
    b) building additional electrical generation to supply the rail ( or perhaps putting the alum. smelter out of business with the ETS)
    c) subsidising the rail network to the point where it is cheaper than diesel powered trucking ( or restricting trucking via legislation)

  32. Paul Williams 32

    I travel most days by train to and from work. I also tend to take my daugther to childcare by train too. Sydney’s network is significant, not as big as London’s but still pretty wide. There’s been quite a few problems of late, including fatal derailments, however trains still provide transport for a significant number of the city’s workers. I was impressed, when last in Akl, with the Akl network. It’s clearly not large enough and needs double tracking but it’s got to be the way to go. I hope NZ can soon boast a rail system suitable to the population’s need and it’s pretty obvious that wasn’t going to happen under the previous arrangements.

    Re Bolger. I have to say I was anything but a fan during his tenure as PM but he’s clearly become one of NZ leading statemen since.

  33. Will the engines and carriages be painted Liarbour red with the air brushed photo of Miss Clark appearing on each of them?

    Toot toot Helen.

    [lprent: I’ve popped a few of the more irritating misspellings into the moderation stack. I’m tired of reading people bitching about them. Looks like you found one.]

  34. insider 34

    Yes Bryan perhaps back to the old 40mile trucking rule of the 60s/70s?

    More the point, where are the cost/benefit analyses of the ability of rail to deliver such reductions in co2?

  35. lprent 35

    Bryan:

    My concern is that this has done nothing to increase the wealth generating capacity of the country and simply gives the highly skilled more reason to leave ( as the migration numbers indicate they are).

    The migration I’m not really concerned about. It is something that I’ve seen quite a few times before and including the chicken little reactions. Specifically it always happens when aussie has their cyclic mining boom.

    You have to understand that I really don’t give a shit about short-term transient things except where they do impact what I’m interested in. I’m interested in long-term trends. The reason I picked on your productivity figures was because you were saying that the delta was down. What I was interested in was if that was across the whole population, ie including beneficiaries, pensioners, etc.

    The biggest hassle we have is how to get a diminishing workforce to pay for a larger pensioner population over the next 30 years. That is the artefact of the muldoon years. Immigration is unlikely to be able to sustain it long term because the rate of growth in world population is diminishing as affluence levels rise worldwide.

    If the current people in the workforce were paying for the shortfall in their superannuation then they should increase taxes and increase payments into the ‘Cullen’ fund massively.

    An alternate route is to increase local birth rates. The best way to to attack the economic costs of having children – ie WFF.

    However people in NZ seem more intent on having a taxcut and to cut things that alleviate their liabilities. That is effectively trying to shift their debt on to future generations – exactly the same way that Muldoon did. The standard right argument is that increased productivity released from taxcuts would take care of the future liability. But that is irresponsible because a few minutes calculation shows the risk levels involved are incredibly high that you don’t get any productivity increases.

    Besides when you’re looking at how to pay for liabilities you act conservatively, and work how to pay it from known income. If you get a productivity gain then you count it into profit. To do anything else is to go bust as often as an entrepreneur.

    Anyway, I’ve meandered, so I’m heading off for food.

  36. lprent: “The biggest hassle we have is how to get a diminishing workforce to pay for a larger pensioner population over the next 30 years.”

    Agreed and I can see how WFF reduces the financial barrier to reproduction. The wealthier members of society (who probably have fewer children because of the time investment required to earn more) are paying the poorer to breed as an assurance policy for their old age.

    I am less convinced that the increase in migration to Australia is just cyclical. Migration to Australia is linked to Australia having a GDP growth advantage over New Zealand. The RBNZ is forecasting that Australia will have a GDP growth advantage over New Zealand for several more years therefore we are unlikely ( as SP has suggested) to have seen the peak of migration to Australia.

    Furthermore in the May 2008 year 63% of migrants to Australia were between the ages of 15-44. If we don’t do something to improve productivity and growth we are danger of becoming a breeding ground for Australian workers.

  37. Lipper 37

    The Train Set purchase is not only ill-advised, but the price paid is

    a very long way above normal commercial consideration.

    So the Government admits it has paid a premium.

    My question (s) is simple?

    Why did they have to buy it for so much money?

    What is the EBITDA ratio?

    Not like Toll could have taken it with them. The best thing that can

    happen to any railways in the World, is for them to have their tracks

    removed, and levelled for a heavy duty road surface. That way trucks,

    and other heavy units can fully utilise all the land taken up in the infrastructure properly.

    Rather than have a train every 10 minutes, just imagine how much more efficient the countrys logistic would be?

  38. Swampy 38

    What we know about this deal is that it carries a significant load of political baggage along with it. On the same day as the Government announced KiwiRail, they rushed out a secretive announcement of an immediate rise in Road User Charges for trucking firms.

    This follows a predictable pattern which goes something like this:

    1. Labour sees an opportunity for their Government to dominate or control a sector of the marketplace.
    2. Labour sets about, by whatever means possible, getting to that position. (Re)nationalise, bureacratise, whatever.
    3. Cue ritual flogging of private sector providers in that sector.
    4. Having weakened the competition, State control is assured.

    In this case, a multi step approach. Toll could have operated the rail tracks themselves. But the government buys those back giving them a means to back Toll into a corner. As long as the Government was unreasonable about the Track Access Charge they could always force Toll to come to the sale table. Then they buy back Toll and call it Kiwi Rail, a name loaded with political symbolism. Now they have the means to flog the private trucking firms. Why else would you raise the price of RUCs on the same day except to pay for the political largesse that is writ large all over this deal?

    This pattern has been followed heaps of times in all major areas where the Labour Government wants to run some part of the economy or market themselves. Telecommunications, electricity, health, education, you name it. This is an underhand road to communism. Would you accept it if it was spelt out like that? That is why I am waiting for the change of government at the election when Labour loses. Because no matter how much spin or hype can be generated, Labour has managed only to cement up a few thousand votes of the Rail Union employees and their families which will make virtually no difference to their abysmal poll ratings. And so it should be if we want to live in a free country where people recognise that the price of that freedom is small government which does not meddle and interfere unreasonably in the marketplace or seek to nationalise it all into the State.

  39. gobsmacked 39

    Those who see the bigger picture take a different view – a New Zealand to be proud of, as seen from the UK:

    http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2008/jul/03/newzealand.transport

    (insert famous Robert Burns quotation here)

  40. Swampy 40

    “Steve Pierson
    July 1, 2008 at 12:18 pm

    Billy, well it was much better than it is now, and it could have been done much better if it had been run as a commericial organisation, rather than also being used for job creation.

    Fact is, NZRail was a well-run SOE when it was privitised and asset-stripped. It could be something great by now but a decade of private ownership has redcued it to a shadow of its former self. Now, we can rebuild and do better than before.”

    ================================================================

    Fact is, it was not commercial for the same reason it is not going to be commercial now. Labour wants the rail network to be restored to a freight monopoly dominance position again. They haven’t actually stated such a policy yet, but it is in line with their trend in other sectors where they are gradually moving in that direction.

    If Labour were by some total statistical aberration to win the next election, I would expect to see moves to renationalise Contact Energy and Telecom happening in the next term. Labour has already got Telecom on the ropes using the LLU and caused a big loss of value to the business.

    The SOE model is really a smokescreen because it was originally intended to get these businesses ready for privatisation. They are not really that independent at all as long as they remain in government ownership. There have been some changes already to the SOE model and there will be more to bring them more under the control of the relevant Minister.

    NZRail was not a well run SOE. It could not make a commercial profit, even after a billion dollars of debt was written off.

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

Page generated in The Standard by Wordpress at 2024-03-29T13:06:36+00:00