Are Luxon’s days numbered?

Written By: - Date published: 8:09 am, November 17th, 2022 - 66 comments
Categories: Christopher Luxon, grant robertson, national, nicola willis, politicans - Tags:

If there is one thing that National does not tolerate it is failure.  Their natural role in the order of everything is to be on top.  And when it looks like they will not immediately resume their rightful position then those responsible have hell to pay.

Yesterday was a bad day for Chris Luxon.

It is patently clear that he is not on top of the detail.  He can roll out the former Chief Executive of Air New Zealand talking points but when it comes to detail he flounders.  Yesterday morning he went from insulting teachers to insulting parents to engaging in a policy u turn, then performing a u turn on the policy u turn and then realising that the u turn that was not a u turn was on a different policy.  Everyone, even cheerleaders at the Herald were confused.

Then he had his derriere handed to him on a plate in Parliament by Grant Robertson.  This must be by now a really familiar feeling for him.

Then Nicola Willis set out her credentials for becoming the next National leader by spouting a whole lot of nonsense.

According to Nicola National stands for competitive enterprise, farmers, small business owners, limited government, strong family, strong communities, individual freedom, individual choice, the treaty as long as pakeha maintain their electoral advantage, equal citizenship, ambition and success. And it has a plan! Has anyone seen it?  So many buzz words and so little policy.

But the optics were jarring.  Willis talking about National Party values and Luxon nowhere to be seen.

The polls are not great for National and there is this really, really major feature that the media is not highlighting.   The recent Newshub poll confirmed that Luxon is going backward at a fast rate.  Which is a terrible result for an opposition leader.

The latest Roy Morgan poll suggested that Labour was steady but National dropped by a considerable amount.  And the latest Curia poll also had Luxon in decline although Talbot Mills had him steady and Ardern improving.

Ardern is still performing strongly.  Given the full court press put on her by right wing media I am amazed she has held up so well.  And I suspect her recent increased visibility will help.

But Luxon is in trouble.  Unless he brings things back dramatically in the next couple of months he will be but the latest National leader that proved to be not up to the job of beating Ardern and leading National to the promised land.

66 comments on “Are Luxon’s days numbered? ”

  1. Muttonbird 1

    Another nail in the coffin for baldy; Arnold Rimmer from the ACT Party endorses Luxon's brazen attack on school principals.

    Luxon's answer is more Gestapo truancy officers hounding marginalised and broken families hiding vulnerable kids in mouldy attics. What punitive tools would he give these roving bands in marked white vans to prosecute wayward parents, fines, prison?

    I can't see where Christopher thinks his attack will land with a confused electorate who know that he's not even remotely an expert on the sector. What's his vision? At least you know with Rimmer the end goal is full privatisation of the education industry with schools and teachers fighting and infighting each other for rich, white kids.

    https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/politics/2022/11/truancy-act-leader-david-seymour-backs-christopher-luxon-s-comments-on-principals-amid-criticism.html

  2. Tiger Mountain 2

    Tora Tora Tora …if this particular crazy Bal’head is likely to go down soon it will be a positive development for the working class of this country.

    It may well be that we will see something similar to the USA Mid Term election trends in 2023. New gens will front up, and confound the likes of Mi-cockskin and HDPA.

  3. Red Blooded One 3

    He was a shit CEO of AirNZ. The company he arrived at had a reputation built by Fyfe, he then decimated pay and conditions of staff, to the point they're struggling to entice staff back post covid. He is the typical "knows the cost of everything and the value of nothing" type. If he is rolled he deserves it.

    • Sanctuary 3.1

      Funnily enough, a contractor I know who worked for Luxon at Air NZ described him in exactly those terms – an utterly unimaginative and conscience free cost cutter, who was efficient enough within those terms of reference. He’ll increase shareholder return and drive “efficiencies” but he is likely to destroy the village in the process of saving it as he is of leaving anything salvagable.

    • Anne 3.2

      He is the typical "knows the cost of everything and the value of nothing" type who hides behind a veil of religious-based austerity for the masses.

    • Jenny are we there yet 3.3

      "….he then decimated pay and conditions of staff" Red Blooded

      Must fight wage inflation, must fight wage inflation, must fight wage inflation.

      Growth! Growth! Growth!

      Cancerous

    • That_guy 3.4

      I have also heard that compared to Fyfe he was rubbish, from an extremely long-term employee. And specifically, his decision to give up a landing slot at Heathrow was irreversible and incomprehensible.

  4. Hunter Thompson II 4

    If you want someone to lead your party in Parliament, pick someone with long experience in politics, not a beginner.

    The Natz made the same mistake with Don Brash.

    • Chris 4.1

      That's right, but it was also very close and could've gone either way. Brash also comes across as awkward, whereas Luxon's bumblings are likely to be missed by our generally uninformed red-neck voting public who vote on the basis of giving someone else a go rather than sound policies.

    • James Simpson 4.2

      And John Key who was a disaster for New Zealand

      • observer 4.2.1

        But Key obviously wasn't a mistake … for them. He won.

        That's the premise here, otherwise we don't need any discussion at all. No National leader is going to be good, ever.

        • James Simpson 4.2.1.1

          I'd argue that Key's legacy remains within the National Party which is why they are still unfit to govern and why they are so unpopular.

          He may have been good for them for a bit with his goofy, don't give a shit attitude, but in my view he is the reason why they will be out of power for a generation.

  5. Tony Veitch 5

    Well, I for one, would much prefer Luxon to remain as leader of the Natz. He at least is capable of leading the party to an epic defeat of Bill English proportions!

    Frankly, Nicola Willis scares the socks off me. Not that I think she's of the same calibre as Jacinda, far from it, but letting her anywhere near the control of money would be a disaster.

    She has a voice which could shatter glass, she over-acts for emphasis, she seems to have little empathy for or understanding of, even though she continually refers to them, 'hard-working' New Zealanders, and she, to me, shrieks AUSTERITY!

    God help this country – better the simpering fool (to quote Cam Slater!) (Luxon) than the Ruth Richardson reincarnation.

  6. Sanctuary 6

    I see National as distracted by ACT – they feel their first order of business is to win back half of ACTs vote by feeding beneficiary bashing Ruthenasia to frat boy Randians and the unreconstructed superannuatant Rogernomes of Herne Bay and Milford. The trouble is Luxon is not doing the job and National are not getting any traction, so the voters are staying away from National's Evangelical tinged culture war and 1990's policy revanchism.

    The other thing of course is National feel they can get away with just sloganeering and doublethink because a sympathetic media echo system exists to megaphone them without much criticism.

    I actually think Labour/Greens – with the advantage of incumbency and with a weak opposition leader – will win handily next year.

  7. AB 7

    If he can keep the Nats' polling at or above 33-34% he's likely to be safe. I think he's going to achieve that number through a combination of tribal Nats topped up by the irrational Jacinda-haters who won't be changing their minds in the next 12 months.

    The latter are a strange phenomenon obviously whipped up by the pandemic , but with similarities to populist right-wing movements elsewhere (i.e. against Maori influences in daily or political life, anti-trans, anti-climate change action and pro a self-serving form of 'free speech'). No doubt there are earnest academics somewhere studying the phenomenon looking for more material connections with those offshore variants.

  8. Mike the Lefty 8

    Hopefully Luxon will be there at the next election because it gives Labour a fighting chance, Adern will run rings around Luxon in debates.

    • Chris 8.1

      You've got a point there, but will the election next year be a situation where winning the debates is enough? There's still all the other stuff to overcome: National's lies that the average NZer believe, rampant misogyny and the good old kiwi tradition of "I'm not really one for policies and there's not that much between them so let's just give the other crowd a go".

      • Mike the Lefty 8.1.1

        Agree with you. Winning the debates is cracked up to be much more than it should be, but the media superficiality can sometimes work for you, John Key was a master of spinning media superficiality his way.

        What I would like to see from all parties is POLICY, not slogans.

        I will likely be disappointed.

  9. Anker 9

    luxon needs to go. Willis is better. Reti is great.

    If I was their strategist, I would roll him just before xmas. New year, new start!

    • Red Blooded One 9.1

      Reti is a Grunt, he'll never be Lieutenant. He would be better taking his Magic Underwear back to the frontline of the Medical Community where he is needed more.

      • Anker 9.1.1

        Reti was very clear and articulate on Q and A when talking about the health system and what needs to happen with health.

        But I do agree with the acute shortage of Drs in our country, it does seem a waste to have Drs working in other fields. Even Dr Sharma would be best used working as a medic. And before people screem, "I wouldn't see him he's nuts", just consider this. The way things are going in our health system, any Dr would be better than no Dr.

        • Incognito 9.1.1.1

          Reti would disestablish the Māori Health Authority. National will establish a Māori Health Directorate inside the MoH. It is a strategic directorate setting strategy, which was last effective in Tariana Turia’s hands, according to Reti. Reti referred to the document (?) He Korowai Oranga and I assume he meant this: https://www.health.govt.nz/our-work/populations/maori-health/he-korowai-oranga. Asked by the 7-year shorter life expectancy of Māori Reti said that it [He Korowai Oranga] worked in the past “to some degree. We need to do better, I get that …”. Reti went on to state that it needs targets, it needs accountability, it needs a range of things that is best delivered from a strategic directorate inside the MoH. Although the Association of Salaried Medical Specialists didn’t see targets as a magic bullet (https://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/GE2009/S00090/nationals-health-targets-no-magic-bullet.htm) Reti says that they [targets] work because they focus attention, they focus resources, and they focus accountability. No extra spending if targets are not met; accountability means little else than cutting money in some places to spend it elsewhere to meet those targets. National will raise the health Budget every single year despite the promised tax cuts. In relation to health workforce there are three buckets: 1) off-shore bucket; open pathway to residency; 2) nurses and doctors currently in NZ who cannot get registration; 3) turn on our own home-grown culturally competent pipeline, i.e., increase in med-school intake increase nursing intake. National will stay with Te Whatu Ora Health New Zealand.

          https://www.tvnz.co.nz/shows/q-and-a/clips/dr-shane-reti-why-health-targets-matter, which you left out of your comment, again sad

  10. observer 10

    The various polls (4 in the last week) paint a broadly similar picture: not much between Nat/ACT and Lab/Green, TPM steady and NZF not yet dead.

    The nightmare for National is Luxon single-handedly reviving Winston. 2-3% of the anti-Ardern vote rolling their eyes at Luxon, giving up on him and looking elsewhere.

    Some have suggested National can do a late change, like Little to Ardern in 2017. But if NZF are back in the game, that's too late. He needs to be the dominant leader of the opposition, a PM-in-waiting like Key 2008. So far he's struggling even to be third (behind Seymour and Willis).

  11. Obtrectator 11

    "The recent Newshub poll confirmed that Luxon is going backward at a fast rate. Which is a terrible result for an opposition leader."

    But according to the other figures in that poll, everything else seems to be going the blue crowd's way.

    • observer 11.1

      See my comment above. Talbot Mills, Curia, Roy Morgan. All polls released in the past few days.

      The Newshub poll is the best for the Right, but it's the overall picture that matters. None of the polls show Luxon is becoming more popular.

      Can National win despite Luxon? Possibly. Is it worth the risk? No.

      • Incognito 11.1.1

        By National winning people usually mean that National can form a Government with ACT that has a majority of Seats in Parliament. National would want ACT’s slice to be as small as possible and their own piece to be as big as possible, of course. With Luxon as Leader they are not likely to achieve this.

        • observer 11.1.1.1

          You're right, that is usually overlooked. On 40% National get the dominant role and (crucially) new blood. On 30% they have to handle a bunch of ACT MPs demanding portfolios at the expense of ambitious Nats who, unlike the new ACToids, will have sat frustrated on the opposition benches for years.

        • Mike the Lefty 11.1.1.2

          Yeah.

          Luxon would be a lame duck PM with David Seymour calling the shots.

          Lower wages, reduced public holidays, reduced leave entitlement, benefit cuts, etc. Hope the voters out there know what mad dogs they will have unleashed if they vote in the NACTS.

          Time for Labour to reverse the National election ads for 2014 that showed a Labour/Green boat going in circles. A National/ACT boat will go full tilt over the waterfall.

          • Incognito 11.1.1.2.1

            Hope the voters out there know what mad dogs they will have unleashed if they vote in the NACTS.

            I often hear that voters don’t vote in the Opposition but vote out the sitting lot. This sounds like semantics but it makes a huge difference for PR strategy by either camp, which is exactly what we’re witnessing at the mo.

          • Barfly 11.1.1.2.2

            Nah I reckon one with NACT travelling back in time would be more appropriate.

  12. Thinker 12

    LOL at your Austin Powers comment "… National does not tolerate failure…"

    I've been sitting on the arguable resemblance IMHO between Dr Evil and Luxon, desperately waiting for an article that I could respond to with:

    "… That's Dr Luxon. I didn't spend 5 years in the opposition front bench just to be called "Mr", THANK YOU VERY MUCH"

  13. woodart 13

    luxon is labours secret weapon. he is less popular than his party, and in todays politics, thats fatal. in a straight contest with jacinda, there is no contest. after leading the nats to a glorious second place, he will struggle on, until the nats focus groups find that a woman will be a better bet leading them.

  14. adam 14

    Maybe what national needs is another pony tail pulling misogynist.

    Or more bat shit crazy far right economics, as that worked so well for the POMS.

  15. Maurice 15

    Every Party Leader's days are numbered as each day there is a day nearer the eventual and inevitable dumping … though the NATZ have had far more recent practice at that!

  16. Corey Humm 16

    Doubt it.

    Being so incredibly close to the incumbent pm in preferred pm polling is an achievement, incumbents are always more popular, he's so far been the most popular of the legion of nats who've gone up against her.

    The u turning is embarrassing but so are the tantrums from the left who seem to be defending truancy.

    Rightly or wrongly nzers will think it's nuts kids are roaming the streets attacking and hospitalizing people and not in schools and that military school may prove popular with middle NZ.

    If you talk to working class people about youth crime they will say they think the parents should be in jail, the kids should be in juvie or borstal and will rant about parents not knowing where kids as young as 9 and 10 are while they commit crimes at night should be done for negligence.

    Getting excessively Tough on youth crime and truancy could be a popular populist policy as much as us lefty's don't wanna believe it.

    Still national doesn't have a coherent plan other than a bunch of grievances about labour.

    Nationals messaging is still "labour is useless and hasn't achieved anything in 5 years" but also "labour has embarked on five years of extreme reforms that are ruining NZ"

    If labour actually ran on an already endorsed labour party policy of universal dental which would cost only $1 bill a year they'd easily win the next election with help from the greens.

    Free dental would cost less than the annual consultancy slush fund and it's extremely popular, with all the new spending money coming in from not adjusting the tax brackets labour could use some of that to fund dental and it would be a historical legacy policy that helped poor and working class people and everyone cos it's universal , itd be better than a tax cut and wouldn't be inflationary.

    At $1 billion a year labour can't afford not to run on universal dental next year. People who hate labour will vote for that policy. She'll truly go down in the history books with uni dental.

    Let's tooth this

    • millsy 16.1

      You really are determined to crack down on civil liberties arent you? I bet you choked with glee when George Floyd was excecuted.

      [This is the second time you make this inflammatory comment, for no clear reason, and given your recent warning by another Mod you’ve now earned yourself a red card. Take a month off – Incognito]

      • Incognito 16.1.1

        Mod note

      • Muttonbird 16.1.2

        Lol. I too have a few issues with the comment of self described leftie, Corey Humm.

        So Luxon is a more popular leader than Todd Muller and Judith Collins, so what? Not more popular than Simon Bridges though…

        Rightly or wrongly? What does that mean? What duz Corey think? We might never know…

        We talk to (white) working class people in here all the time. They are racist as fuck and would happily applaud the concept of fining and jailing low income brown parents for negligence.

        Corey's main point seems to be about free dental care. Maybe Corey has bad teeth, That's ok, so do I, and as a parent with bad teeth it's way too hard to find the proper and ease-of-use pathway for my kids to not have the same problems I have.

        More needs to be done earlier and more broadly with dental care policy in NZ.

      • weka 16.1.3

        you're really lucky Incognito saw this before I did, otherwise you'd be on a long ban. You've been warned so many times about this, including recently where you acknowledged the problem. Ball is still in your court and you will eventually cop a long or permanent ban if you don't stop this kind of baiting and flaming.

    • Belladonna 16.2

      While I think that universal dental is a great idea (and, no I don't have particular dental issues).

      I also think that it's entirely impractical.

      Not because of money. But because NZ has nothing like the number of dentists which would be required. We don't train enough to meet the need now – when it costs serious dosh to get your teeth checked – without even needing expensive treatment – so cost is a limiting factor on patient numbers. Introducing universal free dental care, would open the floodgates to the backlog of serious and unmet dental need in the community.

      Dentists would be overwhelmed by demand, and simply close their books to new patients. Meaning that the people currently enrolled with the dentist, who can afford to pay, would get free treatment; while the people not enrolled, and who probably can't afford to pay, would miss out.

      We already see this shortage of dentists happening in some areas, where there is no dental care at all (nearest is a couple of hours away); and dental practices in my Auckland suburb refusing to take on teens – as the government payments are less than they'd make from an adult patient.

      The government is already being caned over lack of access to basic healthcare (try getting on the books at a GP practice in some areas); adding lack of access to dental care to the mix would simply give the opposition a new punching bag.

      After all, there is no point in it being free, if in reality, it's unavailable.

      In an ideal world, yes, dental care should be free. In the imperfect world we live in, political reality intervenes.

    • Obtrectator 16.3

      "Rightly or wrongly nzers will think it's nuts kids are roaming the streets attacking and hospitalizing people and not in schools and that military school may prove popular with middle NZ.

      If you talk to working class people about youth crime they will say they think the parents should be in jail, the kids should be in juvie or borstal and will rant about parents not knowing where kids as young as 9 and 10 are while they commit crimes at night should be done for negligence."

      Has it ever occurred to the hard-liners that lack of control over the kids could be a consequence of the parents being too damn busy and shagged out working two or three jobs to make ends meet in this neolib "paradise" we inhabit?

  17. Incognito 17

    Which big Ozzie bank is looking for a new Chairman any time soon?

  18. Bryn 18

    No. Unless the party vote drops below 30% he will be fine. If Bridges was in caucus he may be in more danger but there is no real challenger. Willis is a better media performer than Luxon but is more liberal and would struggle to get the caucus numbers.

  19. Powerman 19

    It's customary for a member of one's own party to ask patsy questions not for the leader of the opposition asking patsies to the Government.

    [I fixed tiny error in e-mail address and removed URL from your comment – Incognito]

  20. mosa 20

    Christopher Luxon – why not a boot camp for tax dodgers?

    How about a post on that Mickey – Greg.

    " Economist Gareth Morgan believes New Zealand could be missing out on up to 25 percent of total income tax because the rich aren’t paying their fair share. Imagine what we could do with an extra $8 billion each year – fix the health system, build thousands of state houses and invest in public transport.

    $8 billion is massive.

    https://thedailyblog.co.nz/2022/11/18/christopher-luxon-why-not-a-boot-camp-for-tax-dodgers/

    [You keep on drawing unnecessary attention to yourself here (cf. my comment to you here: https://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-16-11-2022/#comment-1921592). Instead of spamming this site with opinions from others, linking to other blogs, and telling Authors here what to write (about) you could write a Guest Post yourself. You should at least re-read the About section of TS, especially this: https://thestandard.org.nz/about/#you_must. This is your warning – Incognito]

  21. mosa 21

    " Ardern is still performing strongly. Given the full court press put on her by right wing media I am amazed she has held up so well. And I suspect her recent increased visibility will help.

    Aden is a fake like you Greg and faced with a strong opposition leader she would be gone mate.

    Performing strongly ! You believe your own propaganda.

    Increased visibility …but no where in the most deprived communities eh Mickey -Greg

  22. mosa 22

    We can’t entirely blame rich pricks for the piddling amounts of tax they pay – politicians relying on big corporate donations have seen to it that the unearned incomes and wealth of this elite are barely touched by tax. With their fat wallets and easy access to the corridors of power they have rigged the system so they pay far smaller proportions of their incomes in tax than the low-income parents of young ram raiders.

    But still they steal.

    Economist Gareth Morgan believes New Zealand could be missing out on up to 25 percent of total income tax because the rich aren’t paying their fair share. Imagine what we could do with an extra $8 billion each year – fix the health system, build thousands of state houses and invest in public transport.

    Well Greg ? where are your NZLP on this !

    • Incognito 22.1

      TS Author is not responsible for NZLP. Leave the personal angle out of your political points.

    • Louis 22.2

      "fix the health system, build thousands of state houses and invest in public transport" Labour are doing that.

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    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 ...
    2 days 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 ...
    2 days 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
    2 days 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
    2 days 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
    2 days 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
    2 days 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 ...
    2 days 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 ...
    2 days 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
    3 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
    3 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
    3 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
    3 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
    4 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
    4 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
    5 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
    5 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
    5 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
    5 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
    5 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
    5 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
    6 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
    6 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 ...
    6 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
    6 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
    6 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

  • Government moves to quickly ratify the NZ-EU FTA
    "The Government is moving quickly to realise an additional $46 million in tariff savings in the EU market this season for Kiwi exporters,” Minister for Trade and Agriculture, Todd McClay says. Parliament is set, this week, to complete the final legislative processes required to bring the New Zealand – European ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 hours 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
    10 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
    12 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
    13 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
    1 day 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
    5 days ago
  • Significant Natural Areas requirement to be suspended
    Associate Environment Minister Andrew Hoggard has today announced that the Government has agreed to suspend the requirement for councils to comply with the Significant Natural Areas (SNA) provisions of the National Policy Statement for Indigenous Biodiversity for three years, while it replaces the Resource Management Act (RMA).“As it stands, SNAs ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Government classifies drought conditions in Top of the South as medium-scale adverse event
    Agriculture Minister Todd McClay has classified the drought conditions in the Marlborough, Tasman, and Nelson districts as a medium-scale adverse event, acknowledging the challenging conditions facing farmers and growers in the district. “Parts of Marlborough, Tasman, and Nelson districts are in the grip of an intense dry spell. I know ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Government partnership to tackle $332m facial eczema problem
    The Government is helping farmers eradicate the significant impact of facial eczema (FE) in pastoral animals, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay announced.  “A $20 million partnership jointly funded by Beef + Lamb NZ, the Government, and the primary sector will save farmers an estimated NZD$332 million per year, and aims to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • NZ, India chart path to enhanced relationship
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters has completed a successful visit to India, saying it was an important step in taking the relationship between the two countries to the next level.   “We have laid a strong foundation for the Coalition Government’s priority of enhancing New Zealand-India relations to generate significant future benefit for both countries,” says Mr Peters, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Ruapehu Alpine Lifts bailout the last, say Ministers
    Cabinet has agreed to provide $7 million to ensure the 2024 ski season can go ahead on the Whakapapa ski field in the central North Island but has told the operator Ruapehu Alpine Lifts it is the last financial support it will receive from taxpayers. Cabinet also agreed to provide ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Govt takes action to drive better cancer services
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  • Statement to the 68th United Nations Commission on the Status of Women
    Tēnā koutou katoa and greetings to you all.  Chair, I am honoured to address the sixty-eighth session of the Commission on the Status of Women. I acknowledge the many crises impacting the rights of women and girls. Heightened global tensions, war, climate related and humanitarian disasters, and price inflation all ...
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  • Speech to Auckland Business Chamber
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  • Speech to Life Sciences Summit
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