Anatomy of another Key lie

Written By: - Date published: 9:32 am, May 22nd, 2013 - 37 comments
Categories: accountability, energy, john key - Tags: ,

February 25, 2013:

Govt blocked grandiose Solid Energy plans in 2009

The government blocked proposals in 2009 from its coal mining company Solid Energy for a billion-dollar capital injection to allow it to become “the Petrobras of this country”, Prime Minister John Key says.

March 15, 2013:

Key says Govt turned down Solid Energy loan plan

Prime Minister John Key has released papers which he says prove the Government turned Solid Energy down for a capital loan.

Key released the papers today in response to Labour’s accusations that he misled the public in claiming the coal miner had requested a $1 billion investment from the Government. The Prime Minister is adamant that he turned a bid down. …

However, former Solid Energy chairman John Palmer has rejected Key’s suggestion that the company wanted large sums of money to invest in new projects. …

Labour leader David Shearer today reacted to the Prime Minister’s claims by saying that “Key is trying to cover his tracks with false leads on the $1 billion claim”.

“Key has scored an own goal by releasing paperwork to supposedly prove his claim that Solid Energy asked him for a billion dollars, when the documents actually show the company wanted to chase billions of dollars from private investors not the Crown,” he said.

March 15, 2013:

Key Must Front Up With $1 Billion Evidence

John Key must front up with the evidence that Solid Energy formally requested a $1 billion dollar capital injection after the former company chair blew that claim out of the water, says Labour’s SOEs Spokesperson Clayton Cosgrove.

“The Prime Minister has just made it up and he’s been found out. He tried to create the impression he was some kind of white knight riding to the rescue of taxpayers by knocking back a Solid Energy bid for $1 billion capital injection. But that’s now been exposed as just a fantasy in his own mind. Although there is another word for that!

“This is what John Key told Kiwis at a press conference on February 25th: ‘They (Solid Energy) wanted a very large capital injection in the order of $1 billion’.

“But former chairman John Palmer has blown that claim out of the water saying: ‘I cannot recall that we have ever asked him explicitly for $1 billion dollars’.

“So who’s telling the truth? With the Prime Minister’s track record, it’s not likely to be him.

May 22, 2013:

Key’s $1b Solid Energy request in doubt

Newly released papers raise fresh questions over Prime Minister John Key’s claim that Solid Energy asked for $1 billion of taxpayers’ money to fund its transformation into a massive resources company.

Key made the claim earlier this year when it was revealed the state-owned coal miner was on the verge of collapse under the weight of almost $400 million in debt. …

Solid Energy’s business proposal said the Government’s willingness to forgo dividends from Solid Energy and Kupe were essential for the project to proceed, and it would require extra equity of up to $1 billion on top of that to fund the expansion.

However, it did not seek that from the Government in the proposals, saying: “All this can be achieved … without requiring a direct Government equity contribution (other than forgoing dividends from Solid Energy and Kupe for up to 5-10 years).”

This is not just a case of a momentary “brain fade” from Key. He made the claim repeatedly, tried to justify it, but the claim is not true. Once again, John Key has been caught in a lie.

37 comments on “Anatomy of another Key lie ”

  • Comments are now closed

  1. SpaceMonkey 1
    22 May 2013 at 11:04 am

    How much did John Key’s Government extort from Solid Energy in extra/enhanced dividends since becoming PM? Maybe that’s where he’s got his $1 billion from? He is, after all, susceptible to brain fades… easy mistake to make when you suffer from Transient Global Amnesia.

  2. BM 2
    22 May 2013 at 11:40 am

    You left out this bit

    Former chairman John Palmer, who approached the Government with the plan in 2010, denied asking for the money but later said he understood why Mr Key might have said the proposal involved “those sorts of costs”.

    http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=10885264

    • One Anonymous Knucklehead 2.1
      22 May 2013 at 11:46 am

      He’s right. It’s easy to see why Key would tell lies: for political gain.

      • BM 2.1.1
        22 May 2013 at 11:53 am

        Sounds more like this John Palmer is trying to cover his arse.

        • One Anonymous Knucklehead 2.1.1.1
          22 May 2013 at 11:59 am

          Why? Are you saying the lying Prime Minister would retaliate, as a perfect expression of everything he represents?

          • BM 2.1.1.1.1
            22 May 2013 at 12:55 pm

            I think this guy Palmer had a chat with Key and Key said I don’t think so.
            Plan gets canned and destroyed, arse covering moves into over drive as shit starts to hit the fan.
            Wouldn’t be surprised if the money that was asked for was to actually hide the bullshit and provide more time to either escape or for the market to come right.
            Money didn’t eventuate, Solid energy went tits up.

        • paul andersen 2.1.1.2
          23 May 2013 at 10:00 am

          no. you are trying to cover this governments arse. solid energy was debt free and returning a healthy profit to its owner(us) until english put the squeeze on it to increase debt and pay a bigger dividend. then, it was all downhill. so, the national government,who hides behind the fiction of being business savvy have forced what was a heathy taxpayer owned business to the brink of insolvency through greed,foolishness and incompetence.

  3. prism 3
    22 May 2013 at 11:53 am

    This seems an okay place for this quote from Tom Robbins that I just got on goodreads.

    “If every time we choose a turd, society, at a great expense, simply allows us to redeem it for a pepperoni, then not only will we never learn to make smart choices, we will also surrender the freedom to choose, because a choice without consequences is no choice at all.”
    ― Tom Robbins, Half Asleep in Frog Pajamas

    • ghostrider888 3.1
      22 May 2013 at 3:32 pm

      cho. Rizo

    • One Anonymous Knucklehead 3.2
      22 May 2013 at 5:10 pm

      Half Asleep in Frog Pajamas is as close as Tom Robbins gets to Ayn Rand. “Everyone’s got a hard luck story.”

  4. tracey 4
    22 May 2013 at 12:03 pm

    he is becoming our version of Clinton’s “it depends what you mean by ” (fill in the blank Mr Key.

    So much for 2008 a year he peppered the public through media and in person with his accountability, honesty and transparency promises.

    • freedom 4.1
      22 May 2013 at 4:08 pm

      will there be an apology to the nation ?

      • tracey 4.1.1
        22 May 2013 at 4:17 pm

        good god no… and watch him scuttle off to buck house to get his knighthood from the queen when he finally lets go… nothing so tawdry as receiving his honour in NZ amongst NZers.

  5. aerobubble 5
    22 May 2013 at 12:48 pm

    Key sold a 35 year gambling license for 400+ million dollars. There are kids yet born who will be snagged by this gambling law into addition. That’s plain wrong, but it gets worse, the conference center they will build will not be owned by the govt! But wait! There’s more! Under free trade competitors who would have liked to have bid on the gambling-conference center deal have been denied, that’s illegal, what are councils to now so tightly contort contracts that only one developer can possible bid on and leave the council without any power to bid down the contracts – smacks of corruption. The conference center ownership has nothing to do with the gambling license!

    Yet its even worse! It makes a joke of parliament, along with bringing parliament into ridicule when the govt blocked out the legal snarls in the home carers, and the soon to be joke of a Governor General who signs the law into effect only to have the first court who *will* accept the right of a carer to a legal remedy, and will then read the intent of parliament, and then will quite correct (and arguably) dismiss the law as illegal since the MPs could not reasonably consented to it since they did not know the legal risks. Else we are no longer a Nation of LAW.

    Key conference center will become the lightening point for any future revolution.

    • Roy 5.1
      23 May 2013 at 9:13 am

      Out of curiosity, is there any reciprocal requirement for the convention centre to remain open for the 35 year period? What is to stop SkyCity from closing the convention centre after 4 or 5 years while still enjoying their 35 years of privilege with regard to gambling licence?

  6. tracey 6
    22 May 2013 at 12:51 pm

    How proud nat supporters must be that the govt has chosen the selfless relatives of the most vulnerable in society to save money for, amongst other things, its 2009 tax cuts for the top earners

  7. Politically Corrected 7
    22 May 2013 at 12:59 pm

    More lies from #johnnylyingbum

    In his book ‘Dirty Collars’ ex SFO head Charles Sturt says this of the vast powers bestowed on his department,

    “while a person may be compelled to answer questions, these answers may only be used in evidence if the accused subsequently gives evidence inconsistent with their previous statements”

    John Key, did you lie to the Serious Fraud Office & Australia’s National Crime Authority about resigning from Elders Merchant Finance in 1988?

  8. ianmac 8
    22 May 2013 at 1:58 pm

    It is the “bland unconcern” about truthfulness that is a bit hard to stomach. About 1 in 1000 kids are able to do the “bland unconcern” delivery which suggests some sort of anti-social condition. The ones I have in my memory mostly came into conflict with the law though one or two became “successful” businessmen. Perhaps socio-pathic?

  9. tracey 9
    22 May 2013 at 2:56 pm

    not bland unconcern when it was the lowest on their list…. what stuns me is how many of the Nats wanted Gilmore gone for a lie but wont admit their leader lies…

    • Draco T Bastard 9.1
      22 May 2013 at 3:28 pm

      It’s not a surprise once you understand the authoritarian mindset. These people will say that their leader is right no matter what the evidence shows and no matter what the crime was/is.

      • tracey 9.1.1
        22 May 2013 at 4:13 pm

        … for as long as he dangles the hope of further power in front of them.

      • fambo 9.1.2
        22 May 2013 at 4:17 pm

        I call it the “suspension of disbelief syndrome”, the same faculty in the human mind that allows us to enjoy theatre and films by not employing our normal critical judgement. For example, if you are watching a horror movie, you cannot understand why someone doesn’t believe there is some sort of monster murdering everyone, whereas in reality anyone who said there was would be considered mad. Aristotle first proposed the theory.

  10. Mr Interest 10
    22 May 2013 at 4:55 pm

    Values 101

    Cheating in class is a widespread problem. It affects the cheater and all who feel pressured to participate. One person making a decision to be honest can make a big difference as shown in this spot.

    There is tension in the air as children in a classroom are taking a math test. One boy needs help and desperately asks his friend for an answer. The teacher sees the two boys cheating and leaves all of us waiting to know the outcome. Happily…Honesty was the answer.

    http://www.values.com/inspirational-stories-tv-spots/91-Classroom

    Half truths and white lies dont count either…. how about those mum and dad investors a?

  11. tc 11
    22 May 2013 at 8:28 pm

    What’s intruiging is Key’s arrogance that he can keep biting the hand that feeds through sheer laziness and poor planning i.e no hard yards/graft.

    Dumping Palmer/Elder etc in it rather than construct a reasonably credible yarn with them shows to me he doesn’t do any strategic planning about how to manage the scenario and now has put offside the exact element he should be cuddling up to and would do so easily if he wasn’t just a tosser.

  12. SukieDamson 12
    22 May 2013 at 8:42 pm

    Will John Key be remembered as the Bernie Madoff of NZ politics?

  13. Tanz 13
    22 May 2013 at 8:55 pm

    Key makes Muldoon look like a real good sort.

  14. BLiP 14
    22 May 2013 at 9:50 pm

    ‘

    Nice work Anthony. Surprising to see some MSM follow through deliver a refresher on this one, and in the New Zealand Herald no less. This lie came before John Key reorgnanised his Ministry of Truth and its been interesting to observe something of a change in Key since. Is it just me or have others noticed John Key is a lot less definite these days, more often than not prefacing or appending his comments with phrases like “as far as I am aware” and so on?

    The brand managers have been at him, I would say. But, its all too late. The cat is out of the bag when it comes to John Key and his troubled relationship with the truth . . .

    – I promise to always be honest

    – We’re not proposing to change the Employment Relations Act in a way that weakens unions

    – we are not going to sack public servants, the attrition rate will reduce costs

    – there’s no way one in five New Zealanders will lose their jobs

    – we are not going to cut working for families

    – I firmly believe in climate change and always have

    – We seek a 50% reduction in New Zealand’s carbon-equivalent net emissions, as compared to 1990 levels, by 2050. 50 by 50. We will write the target into law.

    – National Ltd™ will provide a consistent incentive for both biofuel and biodiesel by exempting them from excise tax or road user charges

    – I didn’t know about The Bretheren election tactics

    – If they came to us now with that proposal [re trans-Tasman Therapeutic Goods regime], we will sign it

    – I can’t remember my position on the 1981 Springbok Tour

    – Tranzrail shares

    – I did not mislead the House (1)

    – Lord Ashcroft

    – National Ltd™ would not have sent troops into Iraq

    – Standard & Poors credit downgrade

    – the double-down grade doesn’t really matter and its only about private sector debt

    – I did not mislead the House (2)

    – I didn’t say I want wages to drop

    – I can’t remember why I voted against increasing the minimum wage

    – the real rate of inflation is 3.3 percent.

    – the tourism sector has not lost 7,000 jobs

    – no I have never heard of Whitechapel

    – I won’t raise GST

    – people who are on the average wage and have a child are $48 a week better off after the rise in GST

    – the purchase of farmland, by overseas buyers will be limited to ten farms per purchase

    – the Pike River Mine was consented to under a Labour Government

    – no promises were made to get the remains of the miners out of the Pike River mine

    – I did not provide a view on the safety of the Pike River coalmine

    – I did not mislead the House (3)

    – capping, not cutting the public service

    – raising the minimum wage to $15 per hour will cost 6000 jobs

    – north of $50 a week

    – privatisation won’t significantly help the economy

    – wave goodbye to higher taxes, not your loved ones

    – I never offered Brash a diplomatic job in London

    – Tariana Turia is “totally fine” with the Tuhoe Treaty Claim deal

    – Kiwisaver

    – National Ltd™ is not going to radically reorganise the structure of the public sector

    – tax cuts won’t require additional borrowing

    – New Zealand does not have a debt problem

    – New Zealand troops in Afghanistan will only be involved in training, not fighting

    – the wage gap between New Zealand and Australia has closed under my National Ltd™ government

    – It took 9 years for Labour to make a complete and utter mess of the economy

    – National Ltd™ has changed the Overseas Investment Act to include 19 different criteria

    – the price of goods and services has risen by 6 percent since the last election, while the after-tax average wage has actually gone up by 16 percent

    – no, although its a week ago and here I am being interviewed on television about them, I havn’t seen Gerry Brownlee’s comments regarding demolitions in Christchurch and which caused such outrage, but I can talk all about them

    – our SAS soldiers were not involved in the Kabul Hotel gunfight

    – the use of the Vela brother’s helicopter was required so I could attend meetings relating to national/international security concerns

    – the DPS makes the decision about accompanying the Prime Minister or not, I had no choice but to take them on holiday to Hawaii

    – I did not mislead the House (4)

    – oh, maybe our SAS soldiers were in the Kabul hotel gun fight but they weren’t wounded by friendly fire

    – New Zealand has lost $12 billion from GDP due to the Christchurch earthquake . . . oh, it might actually be around $15 billion from GDP due to the Christchurch earthquake . . . Blinglish said what?

    – 10,000 houses will have to be demolished in Christchurch due to the earthquake

    – 14,000 new apprentices will start training over the next five years, over and above the number previously forecast

    – Our amendments to the ETS ensure we will continue to do our fair share internationally

    – we are committed to honouring our Kyoto Protocol obligations

    – any changes to the ETS will be fiscally neutral

    – New Zealand has grown for eight of the last nine quarters”

    – National Ltd™ will tender out the government banking contract

    – we will be back in surplus by 2014-15

    – Nicky Hager’s book “Other People’s Wars” is a work of fiction

    – unemployment is starting to fall

    – we have created 60,000 jobs

    – we have created 45,000 jobs

    – the 2011 Budget will create in the order of 170,000 jobs

    – I don’t know if I own a vineyard

    – no, I did not mislead the House (5)

    – the Isreali spy killed in the Christchurch quake had “only one” passport

    – the Police will not need to make savings by losing jobs

    – first I heard I heard about Kim Dotcom was on 19 January 2012

    – first I heard about the illegal spying on Kim Dotcom was in September

    – I did not mislead the House (6)

    – I voted to keep the drinking age at 20

    – New Zealand is 100% Pure

    – I’ve been prime minister for four years, and it’s really 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year

    – baseball in New Zealand is attracting more government support

    – the decision to buy brand new BMWs was made by the Department of Internal Affairs without reference either to their minister or to me

    – I didn’t have a clue that Ministerial Services, which I am in charge of, was going to buy brand new BMWs

    – even though two of my ministers knew all about it, I didn’t have a clue that brand new BMWs were being bought.

    – even though my Chief of Staff met with officials to discuss purchase of the the brand new BMWs, I didn’t have a clue

    – even though I personally signed papers discussing the matter, I still didn’t have a clue

    – Labour forced us into buying the brand new BMWs, its their fault

    – ummm, look, sorry about that BMW thing , it was because I was so upset about the death of a New Zealand soldier, and Julia Gillard was visiting too

    – the public demanded that we change the labour laws for The Hobbit

    – “The Hobbit” created 3000 new jobs

    – we have delivered 800 extra doctors in the public service

    – I did not mislead the House (7)

    – I wasn’t working at Elders when the sham foreign exchange deals took place

    – I was starting School Certificate exams in 1978

    – I don’t know who arrived on the CIA jet to visit the spies I am responsible for

    – reducing barriers to property developers will increase the availability of affordable housing

    – Labour left the economy in poor shape

    – forecasts show unemployment will fall

    – we have closed the wage gap with Australia by $27

    – Ngati Porou and Whanau Apanui are not opposed to mining

    – I have not had any meetings with Media Works

    – our [NZ’s] terms of trade remain high

    – the TPP is an example of democracy

    – National Ltd™ will use the proceeds of state asset sales to invest in other public assets, like schools and hospitals

    – New Zealand troops will be out of Afghanistan by April 2013

    – overseas investment in New Zealand adds to what New Zealanders can invest on their own

    – overseas investment in New Zealand creates jobs, boosts incomes, and helps the economy grow

    – National Ltd™ will build 2000 houses over the next two years

    – there are only 4 New Zealand SAS soldiers in Bamiyan and all working in the area of logistics and planning only

    – selling state assets will give cash equity to those companies

    – the Sky City deal will provide 900 construction jobs and 800 casino jobs

    – the Sky City deal doesn’t mean more pokies

    – there was nothing improper about the Sky City deal

    – my office has had no correspondence, no discussions, no involvement with the Sky City deal

    – SkyCity will only get “a few more” pokie machines at the margins

    – any changes to gambling regulations will be subject to a full public submission process

    – Sky City has approached TVNZ about the purchase/use of government-owned land

    – I did not mislead the House (8)

    – the Auditor General has fully vindicated National over the Sky City deal

    – there’s a 50/50 chance the Hobbit is going off shore unless we do something

    – David Shearer has signed up for the purchase of shares in Mighty River

    – Solid Energy asked the government for a $1 billion capital investment

    – fracking has been going safely on in Taranaki for the past 30 years without any issues

    – no frontline positions will be lost at DOC

    – Iain Rennie came to me and recommended Fletcher for the GCSB job

    – I told Cabinet that I knew Ian Fletcher

    – I forgot that after I scrapped the shortlist for GCSB job I phoned a life-long friend to tell him to apply for the position

    – I told Iain Rennie I would contact Fletcher

    – for 30 years, or three decades, I didn’t have any dinners or lunches or breakfasts with Ian Fletcher

    – I did not mislead the House (9)

    – No, I did not say we would follow the US and Australia into a war against North Korea

    – I paid for that lunch and I’ve got the credit card bill to prove it

    – I called directory service to get Ian Fletcher’s number

    – I did not mislead the house (10)

    – I am honest and upfront

    – cyber terrorists have attempted to gain access to information about weapons of mass destruction held on New Zealand computers

    – the illegal spying on Kim Dotcom was an isolated incident

    – New Zealand has an arrangement to have asylum seekers processed in Australian detention camps

    – the law which says the GCSB cannot spy on New Zealanders is not clear

    – the only way net new jobs can be created is by private investors putting their money into businesses in New Zealand

    – an increase in the number of people looking for work indicates that confidence is returning to the economy

    – the 10 percent of taxpayers in New Zealand who are the top earners pay 76 percent of all net personal tax.

    – I did not mislead the House (11)

    – the substantial wage growth under Labour was eroded by inflation

    – National Ltd™’s 2010 tax changes were fiscally neutral

    – I did not mislead the House (12)

    – the bulk of New Zealanders earn between $45,000 and $75,000 a year

    – Pike River Coal did not put profits and its production ahead of the safety and lives of those 29 workers.

    – Radio Live had sought advice from the Electoral Commission about my show just before the election

    – it is because of National Ltd™’s policies that the price of fresh fruit and vegetables has dropped.

    – the length-of-the-country cycleway will create 4000 jobs.

    – police training for next year has not been cancelled

    – National Ltd™ has only cut back-office jobs in the health service

    – The Crown’s dividend stream from the Meridians, the Mighty Rivers of the world is large and there is no motivation to sell assets; actually we’re about creating assets not selling assets.”

    – National believes employment law should treat all parties fairly. It should . . . Protect employees and employers.

    – I am not trying to tackle such issues in a “fearful” way ahead of the next election

    – Wellington City is dying.

    – the GCSB has been prevented from carrying out its functions because of the law governing its functions

    – because the opposition is opposed the GCSB law ammendments, parliamentary urgency is required

    – the increasing number of cyber intrusions which I can’t detail or discuss prove that the GCSB laws need to be extended to protect prive enterprise

    – it was always the intent of the GCSB Act to be able to spy on New Zealanders on behalf of the SIS and police

    – National Ltd™ is not explanding the activities of the GCSB with this new law

    – National Ltd™ has been working on a number of things with New Zealand First on a number of things one of which has a financial component but I can’t talk about it

    – the best way to get growth in the economy is to reduce public debt

    – New Zealand mum and dad investors will be our number one priority in the allocation of Mighty River shares

    – we won’t let “cowboy” oil exploration companies operate here in New Zealand.

    – the food in schools programme is in the 2013 budget

    • ghostrider888 14.1
      23 May 2013 at 12:23 am

      What would his Mum think?

      • paul andersen 14.1.1
        23 May 2013 at 1:15 pm

        was that the mum in the soon to be sold off state house?

        • BLiP 14.1.1.1
          23 May 2013 at 4:46 pm

          ‘

          I think it might she be the one who had her personal details released to the media as pay-back for publicly criticising the government . . . oh, wait . . . it might be the one forced to work at McDonalds as in intern to gain work experience . . . oh, wait . . . she might actually be sitting on the waiting list for a hip operation . . .

  15. Tanz 15
    23 May 2013 at 9:34 pm

    but he doesn’t care, he just wanted PM on his CV and he has done that. He never had any integrity to start with, and now even less.

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    The “double shocks” in post Cold War international affairs. The end of the Cold War fundamentally altered the global geostrategic context. In particular, the end of the nuclear “balance of terror” between the USA and USSR, coupled with the relaxation … Continue reading → ...
    KiwipoliticoBy Pablo
    2 days ago
  • Buried deep

    Here's a bike on Manchester St, Feilding. I took this photo on Friday night after a very nice dinner at the very nice Vietnamese restaurant, Saigon, on Manchester Street.I thought to myself, Manchester Street? Bicycle? This could be the very spot.To recap from an earlier edition: on a February night ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    2 days ago
  • Security Politics in Peripheral Democracies, Excerpt Five.

    Military politics as a distinct “partial regime.” Notwithstanding their peripheral status, national defense offers the raison d’être of the combat function, which their relative vulnerability makes apparent, so military forces in small peripheral democracies must be very conscious of events … Continue reading → ...
    KiwipoliticoBy Pablo
    3 days ago
  • Leadership for Dummies

    If you’re going somewhere, do you maybe take a bit of an interest in the place? Read up a bit on the history, current events, places to see - that sort of thing? Presumably, if you’re taking a trip somewhere, it’s for a reason. But what if you’re going somewhere ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    3 days ago
  • Home again

    Hello! Here comes the Saturday edition of More Than A Feilding, catching you up on anything you may have missed. Share Read more ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago
  • Dead even tie for hottest August ever

    Long stories short, here’s the top six news items of note in climate news for Aotearoa-NZ this week, and a discussion above between Bernard Hickey and The Kākā’s climate correspondent Cathrine Dyer:The month of August was 1.49˚C warmer than pre-industrial levels, tying with 2023 for the warmest August ever, according ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago
  • The Hoon around the week to Sept 7

    The podcast above of the weekly ‘Hoon’ webinar for paying subscribers on Thursday night features co-hosts and talking about the week’s news with:The Kākā’s climate correspondent on the latest climate science on rising temperatures and the debate about how to responde to climate disinformation; and special guest ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago
  • Have We an Infrastructure Deficit?

    An Infrastructure New Zealand report says we are keeping up with infrastructure better than we might have thought from the grumbling. But the challenge of providing for the future remains.I was astonished to learn that the quantity of our infrastructure has been keeping up with economic growth. Your paper almost ...
    PunditBy Brian Easton
    4 days ago
  • Councils reject racism

    Last month, National passed a racist law requiring local councils to remove their Māori wards, or hold a referendum on them at the 2025 local body election. The final councils voted today, and the verdict is in: an overwhelming rejection. Only two councils out of 45 supported National's racist agenda ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    4 days ago
  • Homage to Simeon Brown

    Open to all - happy weekend ahead, friends.Today I just want to be petty. It’s the way I imagine this chap is -Not only as a political persona. But his real-deal inner personality, in all its glory - appears to be pure pettiness & populist driven.Sometimes I wonder if Simeon ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    4 days ago
  • Government of deceit

    When National cut health spending and imposed a commissioner on Te Whatu Ora, they claimed that it was necessary because the organisation was bloated and inefficient, with "14 layers of management between the CEO and the patient". But it turns out they were simply lying: Health Minister Shane Reti’s ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    4 days ago
  • The professionals actually think and act like our Government has no fiscal crisis at all

    Treasury staff at work: The demand for a new 12-year Government bond was so strong, Treasury decided to double the amount of bonds it sold. Photo: Lynn GrievesonMōrena. Long stories short; here’s my top six things to note in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, climate and poverty on Friday, September ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • Weekly Roundup 6-September-2024

    Welcome to another Friday and another roundup of stories that caught our eye this week. As always, this and every post is brought to you by the Greater Auckland crew. If you like our work and you’d like to see more of it, we invite you to join our regular ...
    Greater AucklandBy Greater Auckland
    4 days ago
  • Security Politics in Peripheral Democracies; Excerpt Four.

    Internal versus external security. Regardless of who rules, large countries can afford to separate external and internal security functions (even if internal control functions predominate under authoritarian regimes). In fact, given the logic of power concentration and institutional centralization of … Continue reading → ...
    KiwipoliticoBy Pablo
    4 days ago
  • A Hole In The River

    There's a hole in the river where her memory liesFrom the land of the living to the air and skyShe was coming to see him, but something changed her mindDrove her down to the riverThere is no returnSongwriters: Neil Finn/Eddie RaynerThe king is dead; long live the queen!Yesterday was a ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    4 days ago
  • Bright Blue His Jacket Ain’t But I Love This Fellow: A Review and Analysis of The Rings of Power E...

    My conclusion last week was that The Rings of Power season two represented a major improvement in the series. The writing’s just so much better, and honestly, its major problems are less the result of the current episodes and more creatures arising from season one plot-holes. I found episode three ...
    A Phuulish FellowBy strda221
    5 days ago
  • Who should we thank for the defeat of the Nazis

    As a child in the 1950s, I thought the British had won the Second World War because that’s what all our comics said. Later on, the films and comics told me that the Americans won the war. In my late teens, I found out that the Soviet Union ...
    Open ParachuteBy Ken
    5 days ago
  • Skeptical Science New Research for Week #36 2024

    Open access notables Diurnal Temperature Range Trends Differ Below and Above the Melting Point, Pithan & Schatt, Geophysical Research Letters: The globally averaged diurnal temperature range (DTR) has shrunk since the mid-20th century, and climate models project further shrinking. Observations indicate a slowdown or reversal of this trend in recent decades. ...
    Skeptical Science
    5 days ago
  • Media Link: Discussing the NZSIS Security Threat Report.

    I was interviewed by Mike Hosking at NewstalkZB and a few other media outlets about the NZSIS Security Threat Report released recently. I have long advocated for more transparency, accountability and oversight of the NZ Intelligence Community, and although the … Continue reading → ...
    KiwipoliticoBy Pablo
    5 days ago
  • How do I make this better for people who drive Ford Rangers?

    Home, home again to a long warm embrace. Plenty of reasons to be glad to be back.But also, reasons for dejection.You, yes you, Simeon Brown, you odious little oik, you bible thumping petrol-pandering ratfucker weasel. You would be Reason Number One. Well, maybe first among equals with Seymour and Of-Seymour ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    5 days ago
  • A missed opportunity

    The government introduced a pretty big piece of constitutional legislation today: the Parliament Bill. But rather than the contentious constitutional change (four year terms) pushed by Labour, this merely consolidates the existing legislation covering Parliament - currently scattered across four different Acts - into one piece of legislation. While I ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    5 days ago
  • Nicola Willis Seeks New Sidekick To Help Fix NZ’s Economy

    Synopsis:Nicola Willis is seeking a new Treasury Boss after Dr Caralee McLiesh’s tenure ends this month. She didn’t listen to McLiesh. Will she listen to the new one?And why is Atlas Network’s Taxpayers Union chiming in?Please consider subscribing or supporting my work. Thanks, Tui.About CaraleeAt the beginning of July, Newsroom ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    5 days ago
  • Inflation alive and kicking in our land of the long white monopolies

    The golden days of profit continue for the the Foodstuffs (Pak’n’Save and New World) and Woolworths supermarket duopoly. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāMōrena. Long stories short; here’s my top six things to note in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, climate and poverty on Thursday, September 5:The Groceries Commissioner has ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • The thermodynamics of electric vs. internal combustion cars

    This is a re-post from The Climate Brink by Andrew Dessler I love thermodynamics. Thermodynamics is like your mom: it may not tell you what you can do, but it damn well tells you what you can’t do. I’ve written a few previous posts that include thermodynamics, like one on air capture of ...
    Skeptical Science
    5 days ago
  • Security Politics in Peripheral Democracies: Excerpt Three.

    The notion of geopolitical  “periphery.” The concept of periphery used here refers strictly to what can be called the geopolitical periphery. Being on the geopolitical periphery is an analytic virtue because it makes for more visible policy reform in response … Continue reading → ...
    KiwipoliticoBy Pablo
    5 days ago
  • Venus Hum

    Fill me up with soundThe world sings with me a million smiles an hourI can see me dancing on my radioI can hear you singing in the blades of grassYellow dandelions on my way to schoolBig Beautiful Sky!Song: Venus Hum.Good morning, all you lovely people, and welcome to the 700th ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago
  • I Went to a Creed Concert

    Note: The audio attached to this Webworm compliments today’s newsletter. I collected it as I met people attending a Creed concert. Their opinions may differ to mine. Read more ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    5 days ago
  • Government migration policy backfires; thousands of unemployed nurses

    The country has imported literally thousands of nurses over the past few months yet whether they are being employed as nurses is another matter. Just what is going on with HealthNZ and it nurses is, at best, opaque, in that it will not release anything but broad general statistics and ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    5 days ago
  • A Time For Unity.

    Emotional Response: Prime Minister Christopher Luxon addresses mourners at the tangi of King Tuheitia on Turangawaewae Marae on Saturday, 31 August 2024.THE DEATH OF KING TUHEITIA could hardly have come at a worse time for Maoridom. The power of the Kingitanga to unify te iwi Māori was demonstrated powerfully at January’s ...
    Bowalley Road
    6 days ago
  • Climate Change: Failed again

    National's tax cut policies relied on stealing revenue from the ETS (previously used to fund emissions reduction) to fund tax cuts to landlords. So how's that going? Badly. Today's auction failed again, with zero units (of a possible 7.6 million) sold. Which means they have a $456 million hole in ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    6 days ago
  • Security Politics in Peripheral Democracies: Excerpt Two.

    A question of size. Small size generally means large vulnerability. The perception of threat is broader and often more immediate for small countries. The feeling of comparative weakness, of exposure to risk, and of potential intimidation by larger powers often … Continue reading → ...
    KiwipoliticoBy Pablo
    6 days ago
  • Nicola Willis’s Very Unserious Bungling of the Kiwirail Interislander Cancellation

    Open to all with kind thanks to all subscribers and supporters.Today, RNZ revealed that despite MFAT advice to Nicola Willis to be very “careful and deliberate” in her communications with the South Korean government, prior to any public announcement on cancelling Kiwirail’s i-Rex, Willis instead told South Korea 26 minutes ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    6 days ago
  • Satisfying the Minister’s Speed Obsession

    The Minister of Transport’s speed obsession has this week resulted in two new consultations for 110km/h speed limits, one in Auckland and one in Christchurch. There has also been final approval of the Kapiti Expressway to move to 110km/h following an earlier consultation. While the changes will almost certainly see ...
    Greater AucklandBy Matt L
    6 days ago
  • What if we freed up our streets, again?

    This guest post is by Tommy de Silva, a local rangatahi and freelance writer who is passionate about making the urban fabric of Tāmaki Makaurau-Auckland more people-focused and sustainable. New Zealand’s March-April 2020 Level 4 Covid response (aka “lockdown”) was somehow both the best and worst six weeks of ...
    Greater AucklandBy Guest Post
    6 days ago
  • No Alarms And No Surprises

    A heart that's full up like a landfillA job that slowly kills youBruises that won't healYou look so tired, unhappyBring down the governmentThey don't, they don't speak for usI'll take a quiet lifeA handshake of carbon monoxideAnd no alarms and no surprisesThe fabulous English comedian Stewart Lee once wrote a ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    6 days ago
  • Five ingenious ways people could beat the heat without cranking the AC

    This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Daisy Simmons Every summer brings a new spate of headlines about record-breaking heat – for good reason: 2023 was the hottest year on record, in keeping with the upward trend scientists have been clocking for decades. With climate forecasts suggesting that heat waves ...
    Skeptical Science
    6 days ago
  • No new funding for cycling & walking

    Studies show each $1 of spending on walking and cycling infrastructure produces $13 to $35 of economic benefits from higher productivity, lower healthcare costs, less congestion, lower emissions and lower fossil fuel import costs. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāMōrena. Long stories short; here’s my top six things to note ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    6 days ago
  • 99

    Dad turned 99 today.Hell of a lot of candles, eh?He won't be alone for his birthday. He will have the warm attention of my brother, and my sister, and everyone at the rest home, the most thoughtful attentive and considerate people you could ever know. On Saturday there will be ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    1 week ago
  • Open Government: National reneges on beneficial ownership

    One of the achievements of the New Zealand’s Open Government Partnership Fourth National Action Plan was a formal commitment from the government to establish a public beneficial ownership register. Such a register would allow the ultimate owners of companies to be identified - a vital measure in preventing corruption, money ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    1 week ago
  • Security Politics in Peripheral Democracies: Excerpt One.

    This project analyzes security politics in three peripheral democracies (Chile, New Zealand, Portugal) during the 30 years after the end of the Cold War. It argues that changes in the geopolitical landscape and geo-strategic context are interpreted differently by small … Continue reading → ...
    KiwipoliticoBy Pablo
    1 week ago
  • Tea and Toast

    When the skies are looking bad my dearAnd your heart's lost all its hopeAfter dawn there will be sunshineAnd all the dust will goThe skies will clear my darlingNow it's time for you to let goOur girl will wake you up in the mornin'With some tea and toastLyrics: Lucy Spraggan.Good ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    1 week ago
  • NLTP 2024 released – destroying pipeline of shovel ready local projects

    Transport Minister Simeon Brown and Waka Kotahi yesterday released the latest National Land Transport Plan (NLTP) for 2024-27. The NLTP sets out what transport projects will be funded for the next three years, including both central and local government projects. As expected given the government’s extremely ideological transport policy, it’s ...
    Greater AucklandBy Matt L
    1 week ago
  • Can Brown deliver his roads

    The Government’s unveiling of its road-building programme yesterday was ambitious and, many would say, long overdue. But the question will be whether it is too ambitious, whether it is affordable, and, if not, what might be dropped. The big ticket items will be the 17 so-called Roads of National Significance. ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    1 week ago
  • New paper about detecting climate misinformation on Twitter/X

    Together with Cristian Rojas, Frank Algra-Maschio, Mark Andrejevic, Travis Coan, and Yuan-Fang Li, I just published a paper in Nature Communications Earth & Environment where we use the Computer Assisted Recognition of Denial and Skepticism (CARDS) machine learning model to detect climate misinformation in 5 million climate tweets. We find over half ...
    Skeptical Science
    1 week ago
  • Excerpting “Security Politics in Peripheral Democracies.”

    In the late 2000s-early 2010s I was researching and writing a book titled “Security Politics in Peripheral Democracies: Chile, New Zealand and Portugal.” The book was a cross-regional Small-N qualitative comparison of the security strategies and postures of three small … Continue reading → ...
    KiwipoliticoBy Pablo
    1 week ago
  • Hating for the Wrong Reasons: Of Rings of Power, Orcs and Evil

    A few months ago, my fellow countryman, HelloFutureMe, put out a giant YouTube video, dissecting what went wrong with the first season of Rings of Power (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gJ6FRUO0ui0&t=8376s). It’s an exceptionally good video, and though it spans some two and a half hours, it is well worth your time. But ...
    A Phuulish FellowBy strda221
    1 week ago
  • Climate Change: “Least cost” to who?

    On Friday the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment released their submission on National's second Emissions Reduction Plan, ripping the shit out of it as a massive gamble based on wishful thinking. One of the specific issues he focused on was National's idea of "least cost" emissions reduction, pointing out that ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    1 week ago
  • Israeli Lives Matter

    There is no monopoly on common senseOn either side of the political fenceWe share the same biology, regardless of ideologyBelieve me when I say to youI hope the Russians love their children tooLyrics: Sting. Read more ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    1 week ago
  • Luxon Cries

    Over the weekend, I found myself rather irritably reading up about the Treaty of Waitangi. “Do I need to do this?” It’s not my jurisdiction. In any other world, would this be something I choose to do?My answer - no.The Waitangi Tribunal, headed by some of our best legal minds, ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    1 week ago
  • Just one Wellington home being consented for every 10 in Auckland

    A decade of under-building is coming home to roost in Wellington. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāMōrena. Long stories short; here’s my top six things to note in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, climate and poverty on Monday September 2:Wellington’s leaders are wringing their hands over an exodus of skilled ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago
  • Container trucks on local streets: why take the risk?

    This is a guest post by Charmaine Vaughan, who came to transport advocacy via her local Residents Association and a comms role at Bike Auckland. Her enthusiasm to make local streets safer for all is shared by her son Dylan Vaughan, a budding “urban nerd” who provided much of the ...
    Greater AucklandBy Guest Post
    1 week ago
  • 2024 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #35

    A listing of 35 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, August 25, 2024 thru Sat, August 31, 2024. Story of the week After another crammed week of climate news including updates on climate tipping points, increasing threats from rising ...
    Skeptical Science
    1 week ago
  • An Uncanny Valley of Improvement: A Review and Analysis of The Rings of Power, Episodes 1-3 (Season ...

    And thus we come to the second instalment of Amazon’s Rings of Power. The first season, in 2022, was underwhelming, even for someone like myself, who is by nature inclined to approach Tolkien adaptations with charity. The writing was poor, the plot made no sense on its own terms, and ...
    A Phuulish FellowBy strda221
    1 week ago
  • Alcohol debris and Crocodile Tears

    I write to you this morning from scenes of carnage. Around the floor lie young men who only hours earlier were full of life, and cocktails, and now lie silent. Read more ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    1 week ago
  • When Do We Look Away?

    Hi,The first time I saw something that made me recoil on the internet was a visit to Rotten.com. The clue was in the name — but the internet was a new thing to me in the 90s, and no-one really knew what the hell was going on. But somehow I ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    1 week ago
  • The decades just fly by

    You turn your back for a moment and a city can completely transform itself. It was, oh, just the other day I was tripping up to Kuala Lumpur every few months to teach workshops and luxuriate in the tropical warmth and fill my face with Char Kway Teow.It has to ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    1 week ago
  • 2024 Reading Summary: August

    Completed reads for August: Aesop’s Fables (collection), by Aesop Berserk: Volume XXV (manga), by Kentaro Miura Benighted, by J.B. Priestly Berserk: Volume XXVI (manga), by Kentaro Miura Berserk: Volume XXVII (manga), by Kentaro Miura Berserk: Volume XXVIII (manga), by Kentaro Miura Berserk: Volume XXIX (manga), by Kentaro Miura ...
    A Phuulish FellowBy strda221
    1 week ago
  • Is recent global warming part of a natural cycle?

    Skeptical Science is partnering with Gigafact to produce fact briefs — bite-sized fact checks of trending claims. This fact brief was written by Sue Bin Park from the Gigafact team in collaboration with John Mason. You can submit claims you think need checking via the tipline. Is recent global warming part ...
    Skeptical Science
    1 week ago
  • White Noise

    Now here we standWith our hearts in our handsSqueezing out the liesAll that I hearIs a message, unclearWhat else is there to decide?All that I'm hearing from youIs White NoiseLyrics: Christopher John CheneyIs the tide turning?Have we reached the high point of the racist hate and lies from Hobson’s Pledge, ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    1 week ago
  • The Death Of “Big Norm” – Exactly 50 Years Ago Today.

    Norman KirkPrime Minister of New Zealand 1972-1974Born: 6 January 1923 - Died: 31 August 1974Of the working-class, by the working-class, for the working-class.Video courtesy of YouTubeThese elements were posted on Bowalley Road on Saturday, 31 August 2024. ...
    Bowalley Road
    1 week ago
  • Claims and Counter-Claims.

    Whose Foreshore? Whose Seabed? When the Marine and Coastal Area Act was originally passed back in 2011, fears about the coastline becoming off-limits to Pakeha were routinely allayed by National Party politicians pointing out that the tests imposed were so stringent  that only a modest percentage of claims (the then treaty ...
    Bowalley Road
    1 week ago

  • Interim fix to GST adjustment rules to support businesses

    Inland Revenue can begin processing GST returns for businesses affected by a historic legislative drafting error, Revenue Minister Simon Watts says. “Inland Revenue has become aware of a legislative drafting error in the GST adjustment rules after changes were made in 2023 which were meant to simplify the process. This ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 hours ago
  • Strong uptake for cervical screening self-test

    More than 80 per cent of New Zealand women being tested have opted for a world-leading self-test for cervical screening since it became available a year ago. Minister of Health Dr Shane Reti and Associate Minister Casey Costello, in her responsibility for Women’s Health, say it’s fantastic to have such ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 hours ago
  • Ministry for Regulation’s first Strategic Intentions document sets ambitious direction

    Regulation Minister David Seymour welcomes the Ministry for Regulation’s first Strategic Intentions document, which sets out how the Ministry will carry out its work and deliver on its purpose. “I have set up the Ministry for Regulation with three tasks. One, to cut existing red tape with sector reviews. Two, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 hours ago
  • Māori Education Advisory Group established

    The Education Minister has established a Māori Education Ministerial Advisory Group made up of experienced practitioners to help improve outcomes for Māori learners. “This group will provide independent advice on all matters related to Māori education in both English medium and Māori medium settings. It will focus on the most impactful ways we can lift ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 hours ago
  • First of five new Hercules aircraft takes flight

    Defence Minister Judith Collins today welcomed the first of five new C-130J-30 Hercules to arrive in New Zealand at a ceremony at the Royal New Zealand Air Force’s Base Auckland, Whenuapai. “This is an historic day for our New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) and our nation. The new Hercules fleet ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 hours ago
  • Have your say on suicide prevention

    Today, September 10 is World Suicide Prevention Day, a time to reflect on New Zealand’s confronting suicide statistics, Mental Health Minister Matt Doocey says. “Every death by suicide is a tragedy – a tragedy that affects far too many of our families and communities in New Zealand. We must do ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    8 hours ago
  • Action to grow the rural health workforce

    Scholarships awarded to 27 health care students is another positive step forward to boost the future rural health workforce, Associate Health Minister Matt Doocey says. “All New Zealanders deserve timely access to quality health care and this Government is committed to improving health outcomes, particularly for the one in five ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Pharmac delivering more for Kiwis following major funding boost

    Associate Health Minister with responsibility for Pharmac David Seymour has welcomed the increased availability of medicines for Kiwis resulting from the Government’s increased investment in Pharmac. “Pharmac operates independently, but it must work within the budget constraints set by the Government,” says Mr Seymour. “When our Government assumed office, New ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Sport Minister congratulates NZ’s Paralympians

    Sport & Recreation Minister Chris Bishop has congratulated New Zealand's Paralympic Team at the conclusion of the Paralympic Games in Paris.  “The NZ Paralympic Team's success in Paris included fantastic performances, personal best times, New Zealand records and Oceania records all being smashed - and of course, many Kiwis on ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Government progresses response to Abuse in Care recommendations

    A Crown Response Office is being established within the Public Service Commission to drive the Government’s response to the Royal Commission into Abuse in Care. “The creation of an Office within a central Government agency was a key recommendation by the Royal Commission’s final report.  “It will have the mandate ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Passport wait times back on-track

    Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says passport processing has returned to normal, and the Department of Internal Affairs [Department] is now advising customers to allow up to two weeks to receive their passport. “I am pleased that passport processing is back at target service levels and the Department ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • New appointments to the FMA board

    Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister has today announced three new appointments and one reappointment to the Financial Markets Authority (FMA) board. Tracey Berry, Nicholas Hegan and Mariette van Ryn have been appointed for a five-year term ending in August 2029, while Chris Swasbrook, who has served as a board member ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • District Court judges appointed

    Attorney-General Hon Judith Collins today announced the appointment of two new District Court judges. The appointees, who will take up their roles at the Manukau Court and the Auckland Court in the Accident Compensation Appeal Jurisdiction, are: Jacqui Clark Judge Clark was admitted to the bar in 1988 after graduating ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Government makes it faster and easier to invest in New Zealand

    Associate Minister of Finance David Seymour is encouraged by significant improvements to overseas investment decision timeframes, and the enhanced interest from investors as the Government continues to reform overseas investment. “There were about as many foreign direct investment applications in July and August as there was across the six months ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • New Zealand to join Operation Olympic Defender

    New Zealand has accepted an invitation to join US-led multi-national space initiative Operation Olympic Defender, Defence Minister Judith Collins announced today. Operation Olympic Defender is designed to coordinate the space capabilities of member nations, enhance the resilience of space-based systems, deter hostile actions in space and reduce the spread of ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Government commits to ‘stamping out’ foot and mouth disease

    Biosecurity Minister Andrew Hoggard says that a new economic impact analysis report reinforces this government’s commitment to ‘stamp out’ any New Zealand foot and mouth disease incursion. “The new analysis, produced by the New Zealand Institute of Economic Research, shows an incursion of the disease in New Zealand would have ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Improving access to finance for Kiwis

    5 September 2024  The Government is progressing further reforms to financial services to make it easier for Kiwis to access finance when they need it, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly says.  “Financial services are foundational for economic success and are woven throughout our lives. Without access to finance our ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Prime Minister pays tribute to Kiingi Tuheitia

    As Kiingi Tuheitia Pootatau Te Wherowhero VII is laid to rest today, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has paid tribute to a leader whose commitment to Kotahitanga will have a lasting impact on our country. “Kiingi Tuheitia was a humble leader who served his people with wisdom, mana and an unwavering ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Resource Management reform to make forestry rules clearer

    Forestry Minister Todd McClay today announced proposals to reform the resource management system that will provide greater certainty for the forestry sector and help them meet environmental obligations.   “The Government has committed to restoring confidence and certainty across the sector by removing unworkable regulatory burden created by the previous ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • More choice and competition in building products

    A major shake-up of building products which will make it easier and more affordable to build is on the way, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says. “Today we have introduced legislation that will improve access to a wider variety of quality building products from overseas, giving Kiwis more choice and ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
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