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? ”

  • Comments are now closed

  1. Muttonbird 1
    17 November 2022 at 8:38 am

    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
    17 November 2022 at 8:52 am

    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
    17 November 2022 at 8:57 am

    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
      17 November 2022 at 9:30 am

      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
      17 November 2022 at 10:23 am

      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
      20 November 2022 at 7:52 am

      "….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
      20 November 2022 at 12:53 pm

      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
    17 November 2022 at 9:03 am

    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
      17 November 2022 at 9:16 am

      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
      17 November 2022 at 11:42 am

      And John Key who was a disaster for New Zealand

      • observer 4.2.1
        17 November 2022 at 11:54 am

        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
          18 November 2022 at 4:17 pm

          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
    17 November 2022 at 9:23 am

    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
    17 November 2022 at 9:27 am

    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
    17 November 2022 at 10:37 am

    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
    17 November 2022 at 10:40 am

    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
      17 November 2022 at 11:54 am

      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
        17 November 2022 at 4:37 pm

        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
    17 November 2022 at 11:09 am

    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
      17 November 2022 at 11:41 am

      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
        17 November 2022 at 1:02 pm

        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
          17 November 2022 at 2:28 pm

          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
    17 November 2022 at 11:14 am

    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
    17 November 2022 at 12:41 pm

    "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
      17 November 2022 at 12:51 pm

      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
        17 November 2022 at 1:28 pm

        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
          17 November 2022 at 1:39 pm

          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
          17 November 2022 at 4:52 pm

          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
            17 November 2022 at 5:07 pm

            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
            18 November 2022 at 8:40 pm

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

  12. Thinker 12
    17 November 2022 at 1:32 pm

    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
    17 November 2022 at 3:16 pm

    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
    17 November 2022 at 4:19 pm

    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
    17 November 2022 at 7:08 pm

    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
    17 November 2022 at 8:03 pm

    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
      17 November 2022 at 8:10 pm

      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
        17 November 2022 at 8:45 pm

        Mod note

      • Muttonbird 16.1.2
        17 November 2022 at 8:53 pm

        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.

        • Patricia Bremner 16.1.2.1
          18 November 2022 at 4:22 pm

          Fluoride toothpaste and NO sugary drinks (fruit or soft drinks). Probably buying a fightfrown

      • weka 16.1.3
        18 November 2022 at 10:34 am

        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
      18 November 2022 at 4:43 pm

      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
      18 November 2022 at 9:45 pm

      "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
    17 November 2022 at 8:31 pm

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

  18. Bryn 18
    17 November 2022 at 8:45 pm

    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
    18 November 2022 at 11:24 am

    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
    18 November 2022 at 9:54 pm

    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
    18 November 2022 at 10:18 pm

    " 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
    18 November 2022 at 10:33 pm

    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
      19 November 2022 at 8:50 pm

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

    • Louis 22.2
      19 November 2022 at 9:37 pm

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

  • New Zealand Honours Maori King ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    1 week ago
  • The Principles of the Treaty

    Hardly anyone says what are ‘the principles of the treaty’. The courts’ interpretation restrain the New Zealand Government. While they about protecting a particular community, those restraints apply equally to all community in a liberal democracy – including a single person.Treaty principles were introduced into the governance of New Zealand ...
    PunditBy Brian Easton
    1 week ago
  • The Only Other Reliable Vehicle.

    An Elite Leader Awaiting Rotation? Hipkins’ give-National-nothing-to-aim-at strategy will only succeed if the Coalition becomes as unpopular in three years as the British Tories became in fourteen.THE SHAPE OF CHRIS HIPKINS’ THINKING on Labour’s optimum pathway to re-election is emerging steadily. At the core of his strategy is Hipkins’ view ...
    Bowalley Road
    1 week ago
  • A Big F U to this Right Wing Government

    Open to all - deep thanks to those who support and subscribe.One of the things that has got me interested recently is updates about Māori wards.In April, Stuff’s Karanama Ruru reported that ~ 2/3 of our 78 councils had adopted Māori wards in NZ.That meant that under the Coalition repeal ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    1 week ago
  • Climate Change: James Shaw’s legacy keeps paying off

    One of the central planks of the previous Labour-Green government's emissions reduction policy was GIDI (Government Investment in Decarbonising Industry). This was basically using ETS revenue to pay polluters to clean up production, reducing emissions while protecting jobs. Corporate welfare, but it got the job done, and was often a ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    1 week ago
  • Gravity

    Oh twice as much ain't twice as goodAnd can't sustain like one half couldIt's wanting moreThat's gonna send me to my kneesSong: John MayerSome ups and downs from the last week of August ‘24. The good and bad, happy and sad, funny and mad, heroes and cads. The week that ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    1 week ago
  • Ditch the climate double speak and get real

    Long stories short, here’s the top six news items of note in climate news for Aotearoa-NZ this week, and a discussion above between Bernard Hickey and The Kākā’s climate correspondent Cathrine Dyer:The Government announced changes to the Fast-Track Approvals Bill on Sunday, backing off from the contentious proposal to give ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago
  • The Hoon around the week to August 30

    The podcast above of the weekly ‘Hoon’ webinar for paying subscribers on Thursday night features co-hosts and talking about the week’s news with:The Kākā’s climate correspondent on the latest science of changing sea temperatures and which emissions policies actually work; on the latest from Ukraine, Gaza and ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago
  • This Govt’s infrastructure strategy depends on capital gains taxes & new road taxes

    Billions of dollars in value uplift was identified around the Transmission Gully project, but that was captured 100% by landowners and not shared to pay for the project. Now National is saying value capture should be used for similar projects. Photo: Lynn Grieveson/ Getty ImagesMōrena. Long stories short; here’s my ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago
  • Weekly Roundup 30-August-2024

    Kia ora and welcome to the end of another week. Here’s our regular Friday roundup of things that caught our eye, in the realm of cities and transport. If you enjoy these roundups, feel free to join our growing ranks of supporters by making a recurring donation to keep the ...
    Greater AucklandBy Greater Auckland
    1 week ago
  • Table Talk: Ageing Boomers, Laurie & Les, Talk Politics.

    “That’s the sort of constitutional reform he favours: conceived in secret; revolutionary in intent; implemented incrementally without fanfare; and under no circumstances to be placed before the electorate for democratic ratification.”TO SAY IT WAS RAINING would have understated seriously the meteorological conditions. Simply put, it was pissing down. One of ...
    Bowalley Road
    1 week ago
  • Big Norm and Chris Hipkins

    It’s 50 years ago today that “Big Norm” Kirk died of a heart attack in Wellington’s Home of Compassion. Home of Compassion. Although he was Prime Minister for only 623 days, he has an iconic place in New Zealand history, particularly Labour history. When Labour leaders like Jacinda Ardern recite ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    1 week ago

  • Government progresses response to Abuse in Care recommendations

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

    A major shake-up of building products which will make it easier and more affordable to build is on the way, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says. “Today we have introduced legislation that will improve access to a wider variety of quality building products from overseas, giving Kiwis more choice and ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Joint Statement between the Republic of Korea and New Zealand 4 September 2024, Seoul

    On the occasion of the official visit by the Right Honourable Prime Minister Christopher Luxon of New Zealand to the Republic of Korea from 4 to 5 September 2024, a summit meeting was held between His Excellency President Yoon Suk Yeol of the Republic of Korea (hereinafter referred to as ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Comprehensive Strategic Partnership the goal for New Zealand and Korea

    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon held a bilateral meeting today with the President of the Republic of Korea, Yoon Suk Yeol. “Korea and New Zealand are likeminded democracies and natural partners in the Indo Pacific. As such, we have decided to advance discussions on elevating the bilateral relationship to a Comprehensive ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • International tourism continuing to bounce back

    Results released today from the International Visitor Survey (IVS) confirm international tourism is continuing to bounce back, Tourism and Hospitality Minister Matt Doocey says. The IVS results show that in the June quarter, international tourism contributed $2.6 billion to New Zealand’s economy, an increase of 17 per cent on last ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Government confirms RMA reforms to drive primary sector efficiency

    The Government is moving to review and update national level policy directives that impact the primary sector, as part of its work to get Wellington out of farming. “The primary sector has been weighed down by unworkable and costly regulation for too long,” Agriculture Minister Todd McClay says.  “That is ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Weak grocery competition underscores importance of cutting red tape

    The first annual grocery report underscores the need for reforms to cut red tape and promote competition, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly says. “The report paints a concerning picture of the $25 billion grocery sector and reinforces the need for stronger regulatory action, coupled with an ambitious, economy-wide ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Government moves to lessen burden of reliever costs on ECE services

    Associate Education Minister David Seymour says the Government has listened to the early childhood education sector’s calls to simplify paying ECE relief teachers. Today two simple changes that will reduce red tape for ECEs are being announced, in the run-up to larger changes that will come in time from the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Over 2,320 people engage with first sector regulatory review

    Regulation Minister David Seymour says there has been a strong response to the Ministry for Regulation’s public consultation on the early childhood education regulatory review, affirming the need for action in reducing regulatory burden. “Over 2,320 submissions have been received from parents, teachers, centre owners, child advocacy groups, unions, research ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Government backs women in horticulture

    “The Government is empowering women in the horticulture industry by funding an initiative that will support networking and career progression,” Associate Minister of Agriculture, Nicola Grigg says.  “Women currently make up around half of the horticulture workforce, but only 20 per cent of leadership roles which is why initiatives like this ...
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