Another term of Nats bad news for democracy

Written By: - Date published: 7:01 am, October 13th, 2017 - 64 comments
Categories: accountability, democracy under attack, election 2017 - Tags: , , , , , ,

Another term of the Nats would be bad news for the institutions of democracy. Quite apart from rewarding the tactics of blatant lies and dirty politics, the damage to specific institutions would continue. Consider this recent warning on the justice system:

Chief Justice: ‘We need to be careful’

A powerful speech by the Chief Justice Sian Elias has the country’s judges and lawyers talking – and any new government on notice that the rule of law is under threat, Tim Murphy reports.

Judges don’t engage in politics, which is at times a pity.

They do, however, cry enough-is-enough when politicians and bureaucrats are infringing on fundamental rights and changing the quality of our justice.

A little-noticed speech by the Chief Justice, Dame Sian Elias, has done just that.

With great care in her words, she has raised questions about cost-cutting, ad-hoc, hasty, and non-consultative decision-making and widening devolution of powers to the police rather than the courts that have sounded alarm bells in the legal fraternity.

Towards the end of her speech, the Chief Justice observed: “It is difficult to escape the feeling that some of these apparently ad hoc developments may not have been thought through in terms of fundamental principles such as the impact on the presumption of innocence, the right to silence and the right to legal advice.”

Cost-cutting was obliquely criticised. Uniform, equal and predictable justice “may not be speedy and it is not likely to be cheap. I do not expect criminal justice ever was speedy or cheap. Its careful observance is however best policy for a state that aspires to live under the rule of law.”

Or press freedom:

Press freedoms stifled by cynical use of Official Information Act: Report

Government secrecy is being blamed for New Zealand dropping out of a top 10 ranking of countries that respect media freedom.

Advocacy group Reporters Without Borders has issued its latest report, which places New Zealand at number 13 in the 2017 World Press Freedom Index. It was number five in 2016.

Joanna Norris, Fairfax’s South Island editor in chief and chair of New Zealand’s Media Freedom Committee, said there were several challenges that threatened media freedom. “Among the most serious of these is the consistent and cynical misuse of official information laws which are designed to assist the release of information, but are often used to withhold it,” she said. …

Similar concerns were raised by David Fisher in 2014 about the whole public sector:

David Fisher: The OIA arms race

The difference between when I started 25 years ago and now is astounding when it comes to dealing with the public service. If I was writing a story then which in any way touched on the public’s interaction with government, I would pick up the phone and ring an official. It really was that easy.

Now, the interviews are gone. We speak to public servants when they have something really good to boast about, or really bad to apologise for. There is no in between. We meet only at weddings and funerals, and that’s no way to build a relationship.

There are far darker, grimmer views out there than mine. Simply, we don’t trust you. By commission or ommission, we think many of those who handle our OIA requests don’t have the public interest at heart. We don’t trust the responses we get.

Of course, we may be completely wrong. We may have made a terrible mistake. But how would we know otherwise? You don’t talk to us anymore. You’re too scared to. Caught between the Beehive and the media, you don’t know which to face. …

See also Felix Marwick in a similar vein.

Another term of the Nats is another term of democracy under attack. And it’s starting to feel a lot like 1996 all over again.

64 comments on “Another term of Nats bad news for democracy ”

  1. Keith 1

    National voters are absolutely comfortable with this status quo, as they are with the housing crisis, as they are with our failing health system, as they are with the poverty of our fellow citizens, etc, etc

    And I’ve been reading another article from the Herald regarding National Party MP and most definitely former Chinese spy trainer, at least, Jian Yang, who so conveniently left off his previous work resume when applying for residency and then became a government MP. One assumes the National Party don’t see any issues with the standard of their MP’s.

    But oh the rich irony when Winston goes into partnership with this kind of MP and this kind of no standards party, as I am confident he will do.

    • Ed 1.1

      More of this..

      ‘Jian Yang didn’t disclose Chinese intelligence connections in citizenship application’

      ‘Newly unredacted documents from Jian Yang’s 2004 citizenship application show Yang, who moved to New Zealand in 1999, did not list the 15 years he spent studying and working at the People’s Liberation Air Force Engineering Academy and the Luoyang Foreign Languages Institute from 1978. Both institutions are part of China’s military intelligence apparatus.

      Yang’s links, and subsequent rise to a position of political power in New Zealand, has stoked concerns of our traditional allies over the growing superpower’s soft-influence campaign in the region.’

      http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11932407

      • Gristle 1.1.1

        Can anybody explain the difference.

        A. Students and other visa holders have recently had their visas cancelled and left, via deportation or threat of deportation, once it was found that information on their applications was incorrect (or in one case when their cafe didn’t make as much money as predicted in their business plan.)

        Versus

        B. Jian Yang excludes very interesting sections of his past from a visa application and later moves onto citizenship on the basis of having residency.

        If the visa application was compromised, then isn’t the citizenship application also compromised?

        • Adrian 1.1.1.1

          Is this why Winston is stalling for time? He likes to be able to find somebody to blame , as any good pollie would, for any decisions he makes.
          I think he wants to go with Lab/ Green but will get a lot of static for doing so but if he paints the Nats as careless and too cosy with the Chinese government here he has a great excuse to not team up.

          • Skinny 1.1.1.1.1

            Labour are not stupid, hence they are not overly fussed, who needs who? They are just cornering Peters to the cross benches with National who fancy a rerun of the election and will pin the failure on Peters fluffing around game playing. If we go back to the polls National will fancy their odds of wiping Peters out this time and possibly Flavell gets the Maori party a second life. It will be business as usual if we do go back to the polls.

            There is very little difference between the 2 main parties and China, both indebted and infiltrated within.

            • red-blooded 1.1.1.1.1.1

              Those are very confident predictions, Skinny. I also think they’re rubbish. When you say Labour are just cornering NZF and National to the cross benches, you seem to ignore the fact that National will grab the lifeline of NZF if Labour don’t. Are you actually trying to look ahead, to the outcome of the next election..?

              The comparison with China also seems a bit obscure. Who do you see as having infiltrated Labour? National? China? What evidence to you have to back up your sweeping claim? Are you a member of any of the above, or are you just judging this from the outside?

              • Skinny

                Can anyone be confident knowing which option plays out? There are 4 political parties involved and then there is Peters.

                From what you have come up with shows your a light weight know nothing. National won’t allow NZF to pull the strings from the cross benches. It would be only a matter of time before Peters will cut them and the sideshow is over.

                You need a name change to Blood Hound with all the sniffing around ( and cocking your leg on me spraying) your doing. Here is a simple task for you;

                Who are the 2 MP’s who have raised hundreds of thousands of dollars from the Chinese community in Auckland?

                And what group have they both got ties with?

                I mix and mingle with them all when needed.

                • BM

                  I’m starting to doubt your authenticity Skinny.

                  • Have a sandwich , BM.

                    Settle down.

                    • BM

                      Just pulling his leg, yesterday the story was that the whole negotiation process was a farce and Peters was just toying with National.

                  • Skinny

                    All good BM the chips are in the oven, the fishing has been outstanding today the snapper is ready to fry in in 10.
                    Speaking of which, whatever way you look at it there is little room to wriggle, the ‘big fish will fry’ once the net is closed. 🙂

                • red-blooded

                  Skinny, have a look at what you said in your first comment and compare it with your second:
                  1) “Labour are not stupid, hence they are not overly fussed, who needs who? They are just cornering Peters to the cross benches with National who fancy a rerun of the election and will pin the failure on Peters fluffing around game playing. ..” Here you seem to be saying that Labour don’t really want to be in, this time, and that National will let their arrangement with NZF fall over, so that they can call for a new election. There’s no “I think” or “maybe” – you sound very confident.
                  2) “Can anyone be confident knowing which option plays out?” Well – exactly. That’s what I was asking you earlier. I’m not sure why you got so aggressive about this query or why you felt the need for personal insults. Did I make any personal putdowns in my query to you? Maybe all the bluster is meant to cover up the fact that you actually have no more idea that I or anyone else what’s going on the minds of the negotiators..?

                  Your “Labour opt out, National let the arrangement fall over and then call another election” scenario is possible, of course, but not likely. How would National run their “strong and stable government” line after this kind of political meltdown on their watch? And why would Peters risk his legacy walking away from a governing arrangement at this stage in his career?

                  Please note, I’ve managed to respond to you without any insults or invective. If you respond to this, how about showing the same maturity?

                  • Skinny

                    Ok you have lost all cred I set you a simple task and you have come back with this dribbling rant.

                    Have an early night and come back making sense.

                    • red-blooded

                      Well done, mate. You managed to both avoid addressing the issue (the inconsistencies in your statements) and continue with the nastiness. Oh, and it’s hard to see how I could have “lost all cred” at 9.26 when at 3.15 you were calling me a “lightweight know nothing” and comparing me to a dog!

        • Draco T Bastard 1.1.1.2

          B. Jian Yang excludes very interesting sections of his past from a visa application

          At the request of the Chinese government no less.

          If the visa application was compromised, then isn’t the citizenship application also compromised?

          You would think so. In fact his citizenship should be revoked immediately and he should be deported back to China with all his NZ assets nationalised under the Proceeds of Crime Act.

          • DoublePlusGood 1.1.1.2.1

            So should all of Jian Yang’s communications be OIA’d to see whether anything would constitute Espionage under the Crimes Act 1961?

        • simonm 1.1.1.3

          Metiria Turei voted in the wrong electorate and was hounded out of parliament for it. She got what was coming to her and justice was done.

          Jian Yang was fraudulent in filling his NZ citizenship application (omitting that he was, and possibly still is, a Chinese government spy) and that’s just fine. Move along now everybody, nothing to see here.

  2. cleangreen 2

    NZF must take the moral high ground here as the party stands whily for saving NZ first for New Zealanders it is as simple as that.

    Any media noise would and should be discounted as we knlw they have a hidden agenda as subjects of the global cabal.

    we are in the same position now as Greece was post election and the wholesale destruction of NZ would follow greece if we allow MSM to rule the agrenda here.

    let NZF rule the moral high ground here.

    • mosa 2.1

      No one would know the ” moral high ground ” if they bumped into it by accident.

      • mosa 2.1.1

        I believe National buried the moral high ground under the cycle way or its roads of NATIONAL PARTY significance.

        • tracey 2.1.1.1

          They started burying it when they polled 20ish% in 2002… and completed the hole after the Orewa speech

        • cleangreen 2.1.1.2

          I agree when it comes to National they have no moral fibre in their DNA, like other political parties attempt to have.

          But every Party is only as good as it’s MPs, so you are correct MOSA.

  3. Keith 3

    The Chief Justice has a good point about pre-charge warnings and the system coincidentally came in around the same time this National government did.

    The stated ideals of the system are in summary, not to tie up court time with small offences, leaving it free to deal with much more important matters. This suggests minor offences are not indicative of problems building and are so inconsequential that parliament may as well repeal the Summary Offences Act that deals with minor offences, or Failing to stop for Police, and other offences, as such offences carry only fines or minor punishment in other acts.

    But therein lies the problem. The police become Judge, Jury and executioner. Sure the person suffers no immediate repercussions but as she says, guilty pleas or admissions of guilt gained by way of incentives is not justice. And such a notation on the police system can have repercussions at some point.

    There is another angle that the Chief Justice does not explore and that is before this system and when people went to court, guilty as sin, lawyers milked the legal aid system for all it was worth and there was plenty of that, with unnecessary repeat appearances and billing to match. And to this day the judiciary has almost no control over these so-called respectable officers of the court.

    Let’s just say that the temptation to bypass that vexed long-term problem rather than deal with it and the other giant temptation, to save money, to well I don’t know, pay for tax cuts maybe, was just far too tempting.

    Justice on the cheap, like health, like education, is really just another hallmark of the present day National government. The one Winston is ever so tempted to join up with!

    • greywarshark 3.1

      Perhaps Justices of the Peace could try the minor matters, where violence or threat of violence didn’t occur. Police could be relieved of the target saying they have to cruise at night looking for stolen cars and encouraging the drivers of both to live out some adrenalin raising race. It’s almost entrapment. That would mean that serious crime would come down by percentage points within a year.

      And the stop and breathe into this bag idea processes many people for a few. Let the recidivist drivers be put through some cold turkey recovery retraining before they are allowed out. They are quite cynical and wayward and I believe that the Court process doesn’t even force them to finish a course of rehabilitation driving lessons and a test.

      It is just a futile practice for show to make it appear that government care about having good standards. No, they just go through the motions while they carry out the real project which is to milk and mine and bilk NZ of all spare moneys and assets, while they can. And devil take the hindmost.

  4. Incognito 4

    Too many now view Democracy as a system epitomised by rules & regulations that can and do get in the way of (political) pragmatism and expediency and (‘resulting’ economic) progress. These same people scoff about principles and values as hallmarks of the ignorant and naive who should have no say in running the country and its economy. This divide has been clearly on show since Election Day and will live on and increase in size until we all realise the importance of Democratic Principles for a healthy functioning Democracy or till we all fully succumb to neoliberal selfishness and unfettered capitalism. TINA, as they say, or, as I say, resistance is futile …

    • Psych nurse 4.1

      Thats because too many are comfortable with the concept of a benevolent dictator.

      • Incognito 4.1.1

        Materialism dictates behaviour nowadays and determines identity. As a direct consequence our egos remain underdeveloped and fragile, like that of a child, or they develop in negative ways. To compensate for this some of resort to ‘bad behaviour’ that temporarily fulfils the needs of their little egos, but most of us reach out for more materialism & consumerism (the retail ‘fix’). Either way, it is a downward spiral till we grow up and become liberated (!) and fully human.

      • tracey 4.1.2

        100% I hear many business people say ” we need a benevolent dictator but the masses wont buy it”

        • Psych nurse 4.1.2.1

          The masses are narsistic and intellectualy lazy, look at the mindless crap that now passes as entertainment, the selfies and passivity. Young people today simply would not protest about social injustice.

          • red-blooded 4.1.2.1.1

            That’s a complaint that’s come from older generations throughout the centuries. It’s as untrue now as it’s always been. I teach a lot of young people who are passionate about social justice and do plenty to back up their convictions.

            • In Vino 4.1.2.1.1.1

              +1 Problem is, they are not a big majority…

            • Psych nurse 4.1.2.1.1.2

              I work with a lot of young bright women whose sole topic of conversation over the past weeks has been about the arranged marriages currently being screened on TV. Their mothers and grandmothers were out there fighting for equality, this lot think feminism is a dirty word.

      • Rob 4.1.3

        Yes, que Winston.

  5. vto 5

    Nobody at all seems to have noticed the newly built Justice & Emergency Precinct in Christchurch…

    The separation of government and judiciary is crucial.

    Yet in Chch they are now one and the same.

    In every town and city around NZ the Judiciary and the Police have always operated independently and from separate locations and buildings. For exceptionally good reason, providing one of the main foundation stones of society – the separation of powers.

    In Christchurch the Judiciary and the Police now operate from the same location and building. The police and judiciary are one and the same.

    This is an extraordinary and unprecedented step in NZs history.

    And not a sole has commented on it. Not one politician has explained this massive change.

    It has just been snuck in.

    “Justice & Emergency” Precinct my arse…

    • RedLogix 5.1

      Good to see you back mate!

      That really is an extraordinary development on the face of it. And it also begs the question of exactly where the Crown Law offices might be.

      It would be interesting to hear from the ChCh legal fraternity on this.

      Still you can see the efficiency in all this; how much simpler for the cops obtaining warrants to spy on all those pesky protester types. /sarc

    • Ad 5.2

      The judges have made exactly the same points directly to MoJ. about this facility.

      Limited success.

  6. Michael 6

    Another term for the Nats will indeed be bad for democracy – but would a Labour-led government be any improvement? After all, the sins enumerated by the Chief Justice did not begin to be committed the day the Nats reoccupied the Beehive – and there are many other sins of government in the Rogernomics era (1984-present) that Dame Sian did not mention. While Labour scored much better in the Party Vote stakes this time than anyone expected before Jacinda replaced Andrew Little, the fact remains that its policy platform offered little or no change to that inflicted on us by the Nats since 2008 (apart from a few cosmetic tweaks here are there to put us off our guard). And there’s another big obstacle to real change in our machinery of government (apart from ferocious capitalist hostility to anything resembling fairness, that is). That obstacle is called the PSA: even though the outfit is not affiliated to the Labour Party, many of its members are also Party members and some of them hold Party offices. As a result, the PSA exercises considerable power over the actions of Labour governments (usually in a negative sense). Readers only have to reflect on the damage done to ordinary New Zealanders (formerly Labour’s base) by PSA members working for ACC and MSD, for example, to conclude that Labour in 2017 has no real interest in making government work for the many and not the few.

  7. Brigid 7

    Has the Chief Justice, Dame Sian Elias got her cows out of our river yet?

    http://www.stuff.co.nz/environment/80360205/more-complaints-about-top-judge-dame-sian-elias-cows

  8. Bearded Git 8

    after reading bryce edwards article in the herald today, which is basically the views of a whole series of commentators, i am sure winston will go with labour. i think winston’s comments earler in the week about some people are going to be angry is addressed at the inevitable vicious backlash from liar Joyce et al

    • tracey 8.1

      I thought those commenters were pitching at NZF Board not Peters

    • cleangreen 8.2

      Yes Beaded git,

      I feel the same logic as Winston knows alll these sleezeballs already better than anyone else.

      He wants/deserves his moment i the twylight zone to leave his “legacy” and he knows he won’t ever get it being involved in a National lead Government.

      So labour is the best path forward here for NZF.

      • Once was Tim 8.2.1

        “I feel the same logic as Winston knows alll these sleezeballs already better than anyone else.”
        I agree that he does, but he could also coalesce with the gNats piss and cow shit brigade and take pleasure in picking the buggers off one by one. If he did choose that option though, it wouldn’t bode well for the rest of NZ1.

        Do you know @CleenGreen if Ron Mark is at odds with Winnie? The Mischievous Shit Media (MSM) that I saw somewhere was trying to suggest there was some sort of ‘gap’ between the two in the way they framed their story. ????
        I’m not sure that’s the case because as far as I’m aware they BOTH have a fairly decent understanding of the state of the public service, and of the cronyism and corruption/conflicts of interest that’s become normal under the Natzi junta.
        Of course, the media are doing their best to highlight the idea of factions within all and any of the other parties and minimise those within the gNats

      • Bearded Git 8.2.2

        We got it right Cleangreen!!

  9. CHCOff 9

    What power does National have to govern beyond that of it’s vested interests?

    How much difference does it make that it wasn’t suppose to be Labour’s turn?

    I have some personal notions about that, but as in all things, it will come out in the wash of time to be sure.

  10. Patricia Bremner 10

    Along with bad legislation and cost cutting, and probably unrelated to government moves, it is so sad to lose a “voice” for democracy like Rachel Smalley’s.

    Her ability to cut to the heart of a matter will be missed, as she is lost to the corporate world.

    It is to be hoped she is able to blog at least.

    • Michelle 10.1

      really patricia she ( Rachel small leaf ) is crap just like the rest of our media we have in this country and she will fit in perfectly in the corporate world good riddance another one bites the dust

    • Patricia Bremner 10.2

      10 OMG!!!!! I’ve embarrassed myself. WRONG Rachel. Glad that one (Smalley) has gone “Home” to the Corporates.

      Rachel Stewart, I thought was leaving … My Bad!!!! She is amazing and I need to check more!! So sorry everyone. Brilliant writer so sorry Rachel Stewart.

  11. Ad 11

    Fair for the Chief Justice to make her points, but I don’t see how it would be much different under an alternative government.

    Sure the current government ‘s Ministers have really pushed the OIA, but there are also a lot more “professional requesters” than there used to be, so in my experience the public service is far more cautious and circumspect about release.

    In Police resourcing, both main parties have promised massive new funding. Who knows whether either government would hold to that in the 2018 Budget.

    Since the Judges conference was timed after the election result and before a new government was formed, it would have been more usefull if Dame Elias had not beaten about the bush as much, and addressed her criticisms of the judicial system more clearly and more forthrightly.

    Like the Briefings to Incoming Ministers, this interregnum moment is rare and should have been used by the Chief Justice more bluntly to set out the cases for change to a new government.

    • Michael 11.1

      It will be interesting to read the BIMs after the OIA eventually compels the bureaucrats to disclose them. I bet Mrs Windsor’s not so humble and not so trustworthy public servants have prepared two sets of Briefing Papers: one, fawning obsequiously to the Nats, welcoming the resumption of “business as usual”; the other, toadying to Labour (with a nod to the Greens), exulting in a “change of government”, albeit with exactly the same bureaucrats who served the previous government so tirelessly and so brilliantly. I’m not quite sure how the bureaucrats will grovel to Winston, given that he’s on the warpath after some of them provided dirt to his political enemies which they duly used against him.

      • Once was Tim 11.1.1

        “……….given that he’s on the warpath ………….”

        If they’ve got any sense, some of them would be writing out their resignations now. Fucking sight more dignified than having their dirty laundry dragged down Main Street

  12. ” They’re all going mad out there ” ,… said Uncle Hec when listening to the radio broadcast….

  13. Thinkerr 13

    I saw a chart in one of the papers last week that gave the proportion of NZFirst voters who didn’t want Winston to go with this or that party. Interesting chart. Turned on its head, it can be used to show where the majority of NZFirsts support would lean, if NZ1 wasn’t there.

    Example: the fact that Labour is the party that NZ1 supporters would have the least issue with Winston forming a coalition suggests that, if NZ1 didn’t exist, that’s the most likely party they’d vote for.

    So, while we can still not predict our government for the short term, I think the longer term prediction might be easier.

    Those who recall NZ1’s failed attempt to form a long-term coalition with National will be able to imagine how things will play out if Winston goes with them. He gets on with Bill English, but what if Bill English got rolled in a while and replaced with a new National leader? Could he get along with that person? Could he get along with the National Party machine, which could surely only shed its 30 year love affair with neoliberalism quite slowly? To top it off, the language from National as reported in the press since the election suggests they are looking for a support partner, not an equal partner.

    Last time NZFirst went with National, we had maybe a year of an MMP government before the National party machine reverted to an FPP government, in part by poaching some NZ1 MPs and its not hard to imagine that scenario again. But, it brought NZ1 down and only the force and reputation of Peters himself was able to recover it. Again, campaigning on the basis of “Had Enough” implies a call to those who are looking for change, so it isn’t hard to see this aspect of 1996 repeating itself, also. The difference is that Winston personally wouldn’t have the time or ability to recover that kind of damage a second time.

    So, while I can’t predict what will happen next week, I feel comfortable imagining that, should Winston be captivated by National again, we will see a year or so of coalition, followed by the remaining part of the term as a minority National government, relatively powerless to make sweeping changes, followed by another election in 2020 at the latest where NZ1 voters move to one of the bigger parties. The Herald chart suggests that Labour would be the biggest beneficiary if NZ1 implodes.

    Sooner, rather than latr, I think, there will be the change that Winston Peters promised us. The only question in my mind is whether or not his party will be in the mix when it happens.

  14. Brian Tregaskin 14

    I have a hunch and also read the same on NBR comments that National will try and find a way to force a snap election.
    Can you tell me how they could wangle that? If NZF supports on supply and confidence and they have a big disagreement outside a formal coalition –maybe ?

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    Note: As a paid-up Webworm member, I’ve recorded this Webworm as a mini-podcast for you as well. Some of you said you liked this option - so I aim to provide it when I get a chance to record! Read more ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    11 hours ago
  • Bernard’s six-stack of substacks at 6.06 pm on March 18
    TL;DR: In my ‘six-stack’ of substacks at 6.06pm on Monday, March 18:IKEA is accused of planting big forests in New Zealand to green-wash; REDD-MonitorA City for People takes a well-deserved victory lap over Wellington’s pro-YIMBY District Plan votes; A City for PeopleSteven Anastasiou takes a close look at the sticky ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    22 hours ago
  • Peters holds his ground on co-governance, but Willis wriggles on those tax cuts and SNA suspension l...
    Buzz from the Beehive Here’s hoping for a lively post-cabinet press conference when the PM and – perhaps – some of his ministers tell us what was discussed at their meeting today. Until then, Point of Order has precious little Beehive news to report after its latest monitoring of the ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    1 day ago
  • Labour’s final report card
    David Farrar writes –  We now have almost all 2023 data in, which has allowed me to update my annual table of how  went against its promises. This is basically their final report card. The promise The result Build 100,000 affordable homes over 10 ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    1 day ago
  • “Drunk Uncle at a Wedding”
    I’m a bit worried that I’ve started a previous newsletter with the words “just when you think they couldn’t get any worse…” Seems lately that I could begin pretty much every issue with that opening. Such is the nature of our coalition government that they seem to be outdoing each ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    1 day ago
  • Wang Yi’s perfectly-timed, Aukus-themed visit to New Zealand
    Geoffrey Miller writes – Timing is everything. And from China’s perspective, this week’s visit by its foreign minister to New Zealand could be coming at just the right moment. The visit by Wang Yi to Wellington will be his first since 2017. Anniversaries are important to Beijing. ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    1 day ago
  • Gordon Campbell on Dune 2, and images of Islam
    Depictions of Islam in Western popular culture have rarely been positive, even before 9/11. Five years on from the mosque shootings, this is one of the cultural headwinds that the Muslim community has to battle against. Whatever messages of tolerance and inclusion are offered in daylight, much of our culture ...
    1 day ago
  • New Rail Operations Centre Promises Better Train Services
    Last week Transport Minster Simeon Brown and Mayor Wayne Brown opened the new Auckland Rail Operations Centre. The new train control centre will see teams from KiwiRail, Auckland Transport and Auckland One Rail working more closely together to improve train services across the city. The Auckland Rail Operations Centre in ...
    1 day ago
  • Bernard's six newsy things at 6.36am on Monday, March 18
    Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Retiring former Labour Finance Minister Grant Robertson said in an exit interview with Q+A yesterday the Government can and should sustain more debt to invest in infrastructure for future generations. Elsewhere in the news in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy at 6:36am: Read more ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 day ago
  • Geoffrey Miller: Wang Yi’s perfectly-timed, Aukus-themed visit to New Zealand
    Timing is everything. And from China’s perspective, this week’s visit by its foreign minister to New Zealand could be coming at just the right moment. The visit by Wang Yi to Wellington will be his first since 2017. Anniversaries are important to Beijing. It is more than just a happy ...
    Democracy ProjectBy Geoffrey Miller
    1 day ago
  • The Kaka’s diary for the week to March 25 and beyond
    TL;DR: The key events to watch in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the week to March 18 include:China’s Foreign Minister visiting Wellington today;A post-cabinet news conference this afternoon; the resumption of Parliament on Tuesday for two weeks before Easter;retiring former Labour Finance Minister Grant Robertson gives his valedictory speech in Parliament; ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 day ago
  • Bitter and angry; Winston First
    New Zealand First Leader Winston Peters’s state-of-the-nation speech on Sunday was really a state-of-Winston-First speech. He barely mentioned any of the Government’s key policies and could not even wholly endorse its signature income tax cuts. Instead, he rehearsed all of his complaints about the Ardern Government, including an extraordinary claim ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    1 day ago
  • 2024 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #11
    A listing of 35 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, March 10, 2024 thru Sat, March 16, 2024. Story of the week This week we'll give you a little glimpse into how we collect links to share and ...
    1 day ago
  • 2024 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #11
    A listing of 35 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, March 10, 2024 thru Sat, March 16, 2024. Story of the week This week we'll give you a little glimpse into how we collect links to share and ...
    1 day ago
  • Out of Touch.
    “I’ve been internalising a really complicated situation in my head.”When they kept telling us we should wait until we get to know him, were they taking the piss? Was it a case of, if you think this is bad, wait till you get to know the real Christopher, after the ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    2 days ago
  • Bring out your Dad
    Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    2 days ago
  • Bring out your Dad
    Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    2 days ago
  • Bring out your Dad
    Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    2 days ago
  • The bewildering world of Chris Luxon – Guns for all, not no lunch for kids
    .“$10 and a target that bleeds” - Bleeding Targets for Under $10!.Thanks for reading Frankly Speaking ! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.This government appears hell-bent on either scrapping life-saving legislation or reintroducing things that - frustrated critics insist - will be dangerous and likely ...
    Frankly SpeakingBy Frank Macskasy
    3 days ago
  • Expert Opinion: Ageing Boomers, Laurie & Les, Talk Politics.
    It hardly strikes me as fair to criticise a government for doing exactly what it said it was going to do. For actually keeping its promises.”THUNDER WAS PLAYING TAG with lightning flashes amongst the distant peaks. Its rolling cadences interrupted by the here-I-come-here-I-go Doppler effect of the occasional passing car. ...
    3 days ago
  • Manufacturing The Truth.
    Subversive & Disruptive Technologies: Just as happened with that other great regulator of the masses, the Medieval Church, the advent of a new and hard-to-control technology – the Internet –  is weakening the ties that bind. Then, and now, those who enjoy a monopoly on the dissemination of lies, cannot and will ...
    3 days ago
  • A Powerful Sensation of Déjà Vu.
    Been Here Before: To find the precedents for what this Coalition Government is proposing, it is necessary to return to the “glory days” of Muldoonism.THE COALITION GOVERNMENT has celebrated its first 100 days in office by checking-off the last of its listed commitments. It remains, however, an angry government. It ...
    3 days ago
  • Can you guess where world attention is focussed (according to Greenpeace)? It’s focussed on an EPA...
    Bob Edlin writes –  And what is the world watching today…? The email newsletter from Associated Press which landed in our mailbox early this morning advised: In the news today: The father of a school shooter has been found guilty of involuntary manslaughter; prosecutors in Trump’s hush-money case ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    3 days ago
  • Further integrity problems for the Greens in suspending MP Darleen Tana
    Bryce Edwards writes – Is another Green MP on their way out? And are the Greens severely tarnished by another integrity scandal? For the second time in three months, the Green Party has secretly suspended an MP over integrity issues. Mystery is surrounding the party’s decision to ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    3 days ago
  • Jacqui Van Der Kaay: Greens’ transparency missing in action
    For the last few years, the Green Party has been the party that has managed to avoid the plague of multiple scandals that have beleaguered other political parties. It appears that their luck has run out with a second scandal which, unfortunately for them, coincided with Golraz Ghahraman, the focus ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    3 days ago
  • Bernard’s Dawn Chorus with six newsey things at 6:46am for Saturday, March 16
    TL;DR: The six newsey things that stood out to me as of 6:46am on Saturday, March 16.Andy Foster has accidentally allowed a Labour/Green amendment to cut road user chargers for plug-in hybrid vehicles, which the Government might accept; NZ Herald Thomas Coughlan Simeon Brown has rejected a plea from Westport ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago
  • How Did FTX Crash?
    What seemed a booming success a couple of years ago has collapsed into fraud convictions.I looked at the crash of FTX (short for ‘Futures Exchange’) in November 2022 to see whether it would impact on the financial system as a whole. Fortunately there was barely a ripple, probably because it ...
    PunditBy Brian Easton
    4 days ago
  • Elections in Russia and Ukraine
    Anybody following the situation in Ukraine and Russia would probably have been amused by a recent Tweet on X NATO seems to be putting in an awful lot of effort to influence what is, at least according to them, a sham election in an autocracy.When do the Ukrainians go to ...
    4 days ago
  • Bernard’s six stack of substacks at 6pm on March 15
    TL;DR: Shaun Baker on Wynyard Quarter's transformation. Magdalene Taylor on the problem with smart phones. How private equity are now all over reinsurance. Dylan Cleaver on rugby and CTE. Emily Atkin on ‘Big Meat’ looking like ‘Big Oil’.Bernard’s six-stack of substacks at 6pm on March 15Photo by Jeppe Hove Jensen ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • Buzz from the Beehive Finance Minister Nicola Willis had plenty to say when addressing the Auckland Business Chamber on the economic growth that (she tells us) is flagging more than we thought. But the government intends to put new life into it:  We want our country to be a ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    4 days ago
  • National’s clean car tax advances
    The Transport and Infrastructure Committee has reported back on the Road User Charges (Light Electric RUC Vehicles) Amendment Bill, basicly rubberstamping it. While there was widespread support among submitters for the principle that EV and PHEV drivers should pay their fair share for the roads, they also overwhelmingly disagreed with ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    4 days ago
  • Government funding bailouts
    Peter Dunne writes – This week’s government bailout – the fifth in the last eighteen months – of the financially troubled Ruapehu Alpine Lifts company would have pleased many in the central North Island ski industry. The government’s stated rationale for the $7 million funding was that it ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • Two offenders, different treatments.
    See if you can spot the difference. An Iranian born female MP from a progressive party is accused of serial shoplifting. Her name is leaked to the media, which goes into a pack frenzy even before the Police launch an … Continue reading ...
    KiwipoliticoBy Pablo
    4 days ago
  • Treaty references omitted
    Ele Ludemann writes  – The government is omitting general Treaty references from legislation : The growth of Treaty of Waitangi clauses in legislation caused so much worry that a special oversight group was set up by the last Government in a bid to get greater coherence in the public service on Treaty ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • The Ghahraman Conflict
    What was that judge thinking? Peter Williams writes –  That Golriz Ghahraman and District Court Judge Maria Pecotic were once lawyer colleagues is incontrovertible. There is published evidence that they took at least one case to the Court of Appeal together. There was a report on ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • Bernard's Top 10 @ 10 'pick 'n' mix' for March 15
    TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: Climate Scorpion – the sting is in the tail. Introducing planetary solvency. A paper via the University of Exeter’s Institute and Faculty of Actuaries.Local scoop: Kāinga Ora starts pulling out of its Auckland projects and selling land RNZ ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • The day Wellington up-zoned its future
    Wellington’s massively upzoned District Plan adds the opportunity for tens of thousands of new homes not just in the central city (such as these Webb St new builds) but also close to the CBD and public transport links. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Wellington gave itself the chance of ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • Weekly Roundup 15-March-2024
    It’s Friday and we’re halfway through March Madness. Here’s some of the things that caught our attention this week. This Week in Greater Auckland On Monday Matt asked how we can get better event trains and an option for grade separating Morningside Dr. On Tuesday Matt looked into ...
    Greater AucklandBy Greater Auckland
    4 days ago
  • That Word.
    Something you might not know about me is that I’m quite a stubborn person. No, really. I don’t much care for criticism I think’s unfair or that I disagree with. Few of us do I suppose.Back when I was a drinker I’d sometimes respond defensively, even angrily. There are things ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    4 days ago
  • The Hoon around the week to March 15
    Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The five things that mattered in Aotearoa’s political economy that we wrote and spoke about via The Kākā and elsewhere for paying subscribers in the last week included:PM Christopher Luxon said the reversal of interest deductibility for landlords was done to help renters, who ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • Labour’s policy gap
    It was not so much the Labour Party but really the Chris Hipkins party yesterday at Labour’s caucus retreat in Martinborough. The former Prime Minister was more or less consistent on wealth tax, which he was at best equivocal about, and social insurance, which he was not willing to revisit. ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    4 days ago
  • Skeptical Science New Research for Week #11 2024
    Open access notables A Glimpse into the Future: The 2023 Ocean Temperature and Sea Ice Extremes in the Context of Longer-Term Climate Change, Kuhlbrodt et al., Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society: In the year 2023, we have seen extraordinary extrema in high sea surface temperature (SST) in the North Atlantic and in ...
    5 days ago
  • Melissa remains mute on media matters but has something to say (at a sporting event) about economic ...
     Buzz from the Beehive   The text reproduced above appears on a page which records all the media statements and speeches posted on the government’s official website by Melissa Lee as Minister of Media and Communications and/or by Jenny Marcroft, her Parliamentary Under-secretary.  It can be quickly analysed ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    5 days ago
  • The return of Muldoon
    For forty years, Robert Muldoon has been a dirty word in our politics. His style of government was so repulsive and authoritarian that the backlash to it helped set and entrench our constitutional norms. His pig-headedness over forcing through Think Big eventually gave us the RMA, with its participation and ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    5 days ago
  • Will the rental tax cut improve life for renters or landlords?
    Bryce Edwards writes –  Is the new government reducing tax on rental properties to benefit landlords or to cut the cost of rents? That’s the big question this week, after Associate Finance Minister David Seymour announced on Sunday that the Government would be reversing the Labour Government’s removal ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • Geoffrey Miller: What Saudi Arabia’s rapid changes mean for New Zealand
    Saudi Arabia is rarely far from the international spotlight. The war in Gaza has brought new scrutiny to Saudi plans to normalise relations with Israel, while the fifth anniversary of the controversial killing of Jamal Khashoggi was marked shortly before the war began on October 7. And as the home ...
    Democracy ProjectBy Geoffrey Miller
    5 days ago
  • Racism’s double standards
    Questions need to be asked on both sides of the world Peter Williams writes –   The NRL Judiciary hands down an eight week suspension to Sydney Roosters forward Spencer Leniu , an Auckland-born Samoan, after he calls Ezra Mam, Sydney-orn but of Aboriginal and Torres Strait ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • It’s not a tax break
    Ele Ludemann writes – Contrary to what many headlines and news stories are saying, residential landlords are not getting a tax break. The government is simply restoring to them the tax deductibility of interest they had until the previous government removed it. There is no logical reason ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • The Plastic Pig Collective and Chris' Imaginary Friends.
    I can't remember when it was goodMoments of happiness in bloomMaybe I just misunderstoodAll of the love we left behindWatching our flashbacks intertwineMemories I will never findIn spite of whatever you becomeForget that reckless thing turned onI think our lives have just begunI think our lives have just begunDoes anyone ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago
  • Who is responsible for young offenders?
    Michael Bassett writes – At first reading, a front-page story in the New Zealand Herald on 13 March was bizarre. A group of severely intellectually limited teenagers, with little understanding of the law, have been pleading to the Justice Select Committee not to pass a bill dealing with ram ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • Gordon Campbell on National’s fantasy trip to La La Landlord Land
    How much political capital is Christopher Luxon willing to burn through in order to deliver his $2.9 billion gift to landlords? Evidently, Luxon is: (a) unable to cost the policy accurately. As Anna Burns-Francis pointed out to him on Breakfast TV, the original ”rock solid” $2.1 billion cost he was ...
    5 days ago
  • Bernard's Top 10 @ 10 'pick 'n' mix' for March 14
    TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: Jonathon Porritt calling bullshit in his own blog post on mainstream climate science as ‘The New Denialism’.Local scoop: The Wellington City Council’s list of proposed changes to the IHP recommendations to be debated later today was leaked this ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • No, Prime Minister, rents don’t rise or fall with landlords’ costs
    TL;DR: Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said yesterday tenants should be grateful for the reinstatement of interest deductibility because landlords would pass on their lower tax costs in the form of lower rents. That would be true if landlords were regulated monopolies such as Transpower or Auckland Airport1, but they’re not, ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • Cartoons: ‘At least I didn’t make things awkward’
    This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Tom Toro Tom Toro is a cartoonist and author. He has published over 200 cartoons in The New Yorker since 2010. His cartoons appear in Playboy, the Paris Review, the New York Times, American Bystander, and elsewhere. Related: What 10 EV lovers ...
    5 days ago
  • Solving traffic congestion with Richard Prebble
    The business section of the NZ Herald is full of opinion. Among the more opinionated of all is the ex-Minister of Transport, ex-Minister of Railways, ex MP for Auckland Central (1975-93, Labour), Wellington Central (1996-99, ACT, then list-2005), ex-leader of the ACT Party, uncle to actor Antonia, the veritable granddaddy ...
    Greater AucklandBy Patrick Reynolds
    5 days ago
  • I Think I'm Done Flying Boeing
    Hi,Just quickly — I’m blown away by the stories you’ve shared with me over the last week since I put out the ‘Gary’ podcast, where I told you about the time my friend’s flatmate killed the neighbour.And you keep telling me stories — in the comments section, and in my ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    5 days ago
  • Invoking Aristotle: Of Rings of Power, Stones, and Ships
    The first season of Rings of Power was not awful. It was thoroughly underwhelming, yes, and left a lingering sense of disappointment, but it was more expensive mediocrity than catastrophe. I wrote at length about the series as it came out (see the Review section of the blog, and go ...
    6 days ago
  • Van Velden brings free-market approach to changing labour laws – but her colleagues stick to distr...
    Buzz from the Beehive Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Brooke van Velden told Auckland Business Chamber members they were the first audience to hear her priorities as a minister in a government committed to cutting red tape and regulations. She brandished her liberalising credentials, saying Flexible labour markets are the ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago
  • Why Newshub failed
    Chris Trotter writes – TO UNDERSTAND WHY NEWSHUB FAILED, it is necessary to understand how TVNZ changed. Up until 1989, the state broadcaster had been funded by a broadcasting licence fee, collected from every citizen in possession of a television set, supplemented by a relatively modest (compared ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago
  • Māori Party on the warpath against landlords and seabed miners – let’s see if mystical creature...
    Bob Edlin writes  –  The Māori Party has been busy issuing a mix of warnings and threats as its expresses its opposition to interest deductibility for landlords and the plans of seabed miners. It remains to be seen whether they  follow the example of indigenous litigants in Australia, ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago
  • There’s a name for this
    Every year, in the Budget, Parliament forks out money to government agencies to do certain things. And every year, as part of the annual review cycle, those agencies are meant to report on whether they have done the things Parliament gave them that money for. Agencies which consistently fail to ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    6 days ago
  • Echoes of 1968 in 2024?  Pocock on the repetitive problems of the New Left
    Mike Grimshaw writes – Recent events in American universities point to an underlying crisis of coherent thinking, an issue that increasingly affects the progressive left across the Western world. This of course is nothing new as anyone who can either remember or has read of the late ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago
  • Two bar blues
    The thing about life’s little victories is that they can be followed by a defeat.Reader Darryl told me on Monday night:Test again Dave. My “head cold” last week became COVID within 24 hours, and is still with me. I hear the new variants take a bit longer to show up ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    6 days ago
  • Bernard's Top 10 @ 10 'pick 'n' mix' for March 13
    TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: Angus Deaton on rethinking his economics IMFLocal scoop: The people behind Tamarind, the firm that left a $500m cleanup bill for taxpayers at Taranaki’s Tui oil well, are back operating in Taranaki under a different company name. Jonathan ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    6 days ago

  • Positive progress for social worker workforce
    New Zealand’s social workers are qualified, experienced, and more representative of the communities they serve, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “I want to acknowledge and applaud New Zealand’s social workers for the hard work they do, providing invaluable support for our most vulnerable. “To coincide with World ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 hours ago
  • Minister confirms reduced RUC rate for PHEVs
    Cabinet has agreed to a reduced road user charge (RUC) rate for plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs), Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. Owners of PHEVs will be eligible for a reduced rate of $38 per 1,000km once all light electric vehicles (EVs) move into the RUC system from 1 April.  ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 hours ago
  • Trade access to overseas markets creates jobs
    Minister of Agriculture and Trade, Todd McClay, says that today’s opening of Riverland Foods manufacturing plant in Christchurch is a great example of how trade access to overseas markets creates jobs in New Zealand.  Speaking at the official opening of this state-of-the-art pet food factory the Minister noted that exports ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 hours ago
  • NZ and Chinese Foreign Ministers hold official talks
    Minister of Foreign Affairs Winston Peters met with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Wellington today. “It was a pleasure to host Foreign Minister Wang Yi during his first official visit to New Zealand since 2017. Our discussions were wide-ranging and enabled engagement on many facets of New Zealand’s relationship with China, including trade, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    20 hours ago
  • Kāinga Ora instructed to end Sustaining Tenancies
    Kāinga Ora – Homes & Communities has been instructed to end the Sustaining Tenancies Framework and take stronger measures against persistent antisocial behaviour by tenants, says Housing Minister Chris Bishop. “Earlier today Finance Minister Nicola Willis and I sent an interim Letter of Expectations to the Board of Kāinga Ora. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Speech to Auckland Business Chamber: Growth is the answer
    Tēna koutou katoa. Greetings everyone. Thank you to the Auckland Chamber of Commerce and the Honourable Simon Bridges for hosting this address today. I acknowledge the business leaders in this room, the leaders and governors, the employers, the entrepreneurs, the investors, and the wealth creators. The coalition Government shares your ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Singapore rounds out regional trip
    Minister Winston Peters completed the final leg of his visit to South and South East Asia in Singapore today, where he focused on enhancing one of New Zealand’s indispensable strategic partnerships.      “Singapore is our most important defence partner in South East Asia, our fourth-largest trading partner and a ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Minister van Velden represents New Zealand at International Democracy Summit
    Minister of Internal Affairs and Workplace Relations and Safety, Hon. Brooke van Velden, will travel to the Republic of Korea to represent New Zealand at the Third Summit for Democracy on 18 March. The summit, hosted by the Republic of Korea, was first convened by the United States in 2021, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Insurance Council of NZ Speech, 7 March 2024, Auckland
    ICNZ Speech 7 March 2024, Auckland  Acknowledgements and opening  Mōrena, ngā mihi nui. Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Nor Whanganui aho.  Good morning, it’s a privilege to be here to open the ICNZ annual conference, thank you to Mark for the Mihi Whakatau  My thanks to Tim Grafton for inviting me ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Five-year anniversary of Christchurch terror attacks
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Lead Coordination Minister Judith Collins have expressed their deepest sympathy on the five-year anniversary of the Christchurch terror attacks. “March 15, 2019, was a day when families, communities and the country came together both in sorrow and solidarity,” Mr Luxon says.  “Today we pay our respects to the 51 shuhada ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Speech for Financial Advice NZ Conference 5 March 2024
    Speech for Financial Advice NZ Conference 5 March 2024  Acknowledgements and opening  Morena, Nga Mihi Nui.  Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Nor Whanganui aho. Thanks Nate for your Mihi Whakatau  Good morning. It’s a pleasure to formally open your conference this morning. What a lovely day in Wellington, What a great ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Early visit to Indonesia strengthens ties
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters held discussions in Jakarta today about the future of relations between New Zealand and South East Asia’s most populous country.   “We are in Jakarta so early in our new government’s term to reflect the huge importance we place on our relationship with Indonesia and South ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • China Foreign Minister to visit
    Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Winston Peters has announced that the Foreign Minister of China, Wang Yi, will visit New Zealand next week.  “We look forward to re-engaging with Foreign Minister Wang Yi and discussing the full breadth of the bilateral relationship, which is one of New Zealand’s ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Minister opens new Auckland Rail Operations Centre
    Transport Minister Simeon Brown has today opened the new Auckland Rail Operations Centre, which will bring together KiwiRail, Auckland Transport, and Auckland One Rail to improve service reliability for Aucklanders. “The recent train disruptions in Auckland have highlighted how important it is KiwiRail and Auckland’s rail agencies work together to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Celebrating 10 years of Crankworx Rotorua
    The Government is proud to support the 10th edition of Crankworx Rotorua as the Crankworx World Tour returns to Rotorua from 16-24 March 2024, says Minister for Economic Development Melissa Lee.  “Over the past 10 years as Crankworx Rotorua has grown, so too have the economic and social benefits that ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Government delivering on tax commitments
    Legislation implementing coalition Government tax commitments and addressing long-standing tax anomalies will be progressed in Parliament next week, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The legislation is contained in an Amendment Paper to the Taxation (Annual Rates for 2023–24, Multinational Tax, and Remedial Matters) Bill issued today.  “The Amendment Paper represents ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
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  • Significant Natural Areas requirement to be suspended
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