At the Rubicon

Written By: - Date published: 8:11 am, October 8th, 2013 - 91 comments
Categories: us politics - Tags:

As the US federal government shutdown drags on, an even more crucial point is approaching. The US government will hit its debt ceiling in ten days. If that happens, the results will be cataclysmic. But the Republicans who control congress hardly seem to care. Having gone nuclear already over Obamacare by shutting down the government, they can’t back down over the debt ceiling.

If the ceiling isn’t raised (or abolished) the Treasury won’t be able to issue additional debt to cover the government’s outgoings and raise cash to pay maturing bondholders. The US will be in default. That will trigger a cascade throughout the global financial system, which US Treasury bonds have underpinned for generations. The warnings are that the result would be worse than the Global Financial Crisis.

To avoid default, the US government may have to start issuing scrip, IOUs, to hospitals and other contractors in place of money so that it can use its revenue inflow to keep on paying staff and avoid issuing more bonds. The last time a major economy relied on scrip was post-World War 1 Germany. It’s not exactly a good thing to have the world’s largest government issuing IOUs rather than paying its bills.

And it’s all in the hands of Republicans. Especially the millennialist Tea Partiers. It would be a mistake to think that these people will allow for rational compromise or shy from crisis in the interests of the country. These people believe the end times are upon us and they welcome it.

What’s happening in the US reminds me a lot of what you read about the end of the Roman Republic and its replacement with the Roman Empire. The factions became increasingly willing to use whatever tools they had available to hurt their political opponents. Divisions of power that had been created to preserve the Republic by stopping any one person controlling everything were, instead, used to paralyze the government in the face of disaster to try to force the other side to back down.

The Roman Republic symbolically died when Caesar crossed the Rubicon into Italia with his army, breaking the separation of powers designed to put the stability of the Republic first, so that he could punish his political enemies. In ten days, the Republicans will reach their own Rubicon. Will they cross it?

91 comments on “At the Rubicon ”

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  1. Colonial Viper 1
    8 October 2013 at 8:18 am

    “It’s not exactly a good thing to have the world’s largest government issuing IOUs rather than paying its bills.”

    Uhhhhhh… what do you think a Federal Reserve Note is, if not an IOU? One which these days can no longer itself be redeemed for gold?

    This may finally force the gov to start issuing debt free gov sourced greenbacks, instead of more debt.

    [an IOU would not be legal tender. That’s the difference. MV]

    • Colonial Viper 1.1
      8 October 2013 at 8:46 am

      Thats true. However if required the Treasury could define the new notes (IOUs) as ‘lawful money’ which technically has more senior standing than ‘legal tender’. Regardless, once the IRS, banks etc start accepting the new notes as deposits and as payment of taxes, it will become a de facto currency, one which is still backed by the full faith and credit of the gov. Which admittedly doesn’t mean what it used to…

  2. One Anonymous Knucklehead 2
    8 October 2013 at 8:22 am

    Or will the Democrats peel off enough moderate Republicans to split the GOP? Which outcome would our home-grown wingnuts prefer? Will they stick with their principles and cheer on a debt default, or follow their self interest and advocate a GOP rout?

    • Tamati 2.1
      8 October 2013 at 12:02 pm

      Even if a majority of the house support a ‘clean’ continuing resolution, that doesn’t mean they are able to pass a bill. The Speaker must bring the Bill to the floor and Boehner has said he won’t do so unless a majority of his own party supports the bill. Essentially, the Speaker has a veto on any legislation that comes his way! (Similar to how the Nats vetoed Moroney’s parental leave bill.)

      • Pascal's bookie 2.1.1
        8 October 2013 at 12:09 pm

        there are rumours that the Dems will bring forawrd a clean bill in the senate, which will put GOP senators on the spot. If that passes, it gets shunted down to the house.

        • Tamati 2.1.1.1
          8 October 2013 at 12:21 pm

          And Boehner will add it to the pile of bills passed by the Senate and ignored by the house. The Senate can’t compel the house to vote on a bill, it’s all in the Speaker’s hands.

          • Lanthanide 2.1.1.1.1
            8 October 2013 at 1:17 pm

            Apparently a majority of congresspeople can sign a petition to force the congress to vote on a bill, without the speaker’s acquiescence.

            • One Anonymous Knucklehead 2.1.1.1.1.1
              8 October 2013 at 2:38 pm

              Takes too long…

            • Tamati 2.1.1.1.1.2
              8 October 2013 at 3:58 pm

              The “discharge petition” isn’t supported by a majority anyway and wouldn’t have to be voted on intil the end of Nowember.

  3. BM 3
    8 October 2013 at 8:27 am

    I thought this explained the situation quite well.

  4. muzza 4
    8 October 2013 at 8:29 am

    There is little point is pretending anyone has a clue what is behind all this, but it makes for interesting reading the speculation.

    @CV – There will be no issuing of debt free gov sourced greenbacks, the next step is the expansion of the Cyprian experiment, and the end of the dollar as global reserve currency, resplendent in the chaos that will create.

    Financial dominoes, which will all be taken down, you can bank on that, along more *war*, more false flags, more smoke and mirrors!

    The debt ceiling is not even the issue!

    • Ennui 4.1
      8 October 2013 at 4:04 pm

      The whole thing revolves around confidence. Confidence in securities, confidence that debt will be repaid. Confidence that investment will result in a return. All sorts of confidences.

      We sit atop the greatest debt bubble in history, reflated worldwide around the world to arrest the “GFC” (which some media idiots portray as a past event). We never came out of the GFC, we merely convinced ourselves that the financial chicanery was somehow “real”. Now the piper calls the tune.

      Should confidence disappear all will change in the flash of an eye, the greatest deflation ever will result followed by who knows what. I fear that you will be proven correct.

  5. bad12 5
    8 October 2013 at 8:54 am

    i doubt that the whole of the Republican Senate are all totally insane, that perspective of course is garnered from never having met one of them,

    Shoving a big stick into the machinery of Government in Washington, and to a lesser extent, across the USA, is one thing but deliberately blowing over the house of cards that is the Global Financial Market???,

    The real madness should occur at the point the US Government can no longer service the ‘interest’ on the debt and i am not sure at what point in the future that little crisis will set the fox among the chickens,

    Perhaps the Republicans have done the math and see that there is little to lose by forcing the issue now, rather than have such an ‘interesting’ event occur while they hold the Presidency,

    i doubt it tho, and expect a sudden out-break of peace,love, and happiness to occur across the political divide for the vote on lifting the US debt ceiling…

    • Lightly 5.1
      8 October 2013 at 1:46 pm

      its’ the house, not the senate, that’s got the real tea party nutters.

      Government’s don’t ‘pay interest’ as such. Instead, they issue bonds, a promise to pay a certain amount of money at a specific future date, and people buy them at a discount from face value. It’s the size of the discount/the time to the bonds maturity that creates the ‘interest rate’.

      The problem is that to pay out maturing bonds governments issue new bonds. You need to issue more in face value of the new bonds to get the cash to pay out the old bonds (because of the aforementioned discounting from face value that creates the borrowing rate). And that can’t increase the face value of the bonds on issue once the ceiling is reached, so the US won’t have all the cash needed to pay out maturing bonds by issuing new bonds, which will mean it will default on its promised payments to the maturing bondholders.

      On top of that, the US Federal Government is only taking in $3 in tax for every $4 it spends, so it needs to issue additional bonds for the remaining dollar (or issue IOUs to the people its buying goods and services from)

      • Bob 5.1.1
        8 October 2013 at 3:18 pm

        I’m pretty sure some chap named Ponzi ran a similar scheme, it didn’t work out too well for him in the end.

  6. Pascal's bookie 6
    8 October 2013 at 8:56 am

    To avoid default, the US government may have to start issuing scrip, IOUs, to hospitals and other contractors in place of money so that it can use its revenue inflow to keep on paying staff and avoid issuing more bonds. The last time a major economy relied on scrip was post-World War 1 Germany. It’s not exactly a good thing to have the world’s largest government issuing IOUs rather than paying its bills

    This WaPo piece explains how legally, and practically, hard that will be:

    http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2013/10/07/if-we-hit-the-debt-ceiling-can-obama-choose-which-bills-to-pay-2/

    tl;dr

    the US Treasury has automated systems to pay bills as they come in, which is required by law, the system is either ‘on, or ‘off’. There is no mechanism for the Treasury to pay some bills (like bonds) with tax revenue csahflow, and others, like medicaid bills or contractors, with scrip.

  7. Pete 7
    8 October 2013 at 9:05 am

    I suspect that if the debt ceiling isn’t raised, the Executive will invoke section 4 of the 14th Amendment, which states:

    The validity of the public debt of the United States, authorized by law, including debts incurred for payment of pensions and bounties for services in suppressing insurrection or rebellion, shall not be questioned. But neither the United States nor any state shall assume or pay any debt or obligation incurred in aid of insurrection or rebellion against the United States, or any claim for the loss or emancipation of any slave; but all such debts, obligations and claims shall be held illegal and void.

    It was one of the amendments passed after the Civil War to prevent this kind of trouble making as the former Confederacy was reintegrated.

    • Timmins 7.1
      8 October 2013 at 10:49 am

      As an alternative to invoking the 14th Amenment Obama has the option of minting a $1 trillion platinum coin – minting coinage is a Government privilege – and depositing it with the US Treasury to the Government’s credit.

      Neither the coin nor the 14th Amendment are trouble-free for Obama but they are options. What we still have to see are:

      1. Will the Tea-Party blink first, rather than earning the public odium of causing the US to default? IMHO they won’t as a) a fair number of them are Christian end-days loonies who will merely see they actions as part of the run-up to Armageddon and b) the rest see the chance to make a profit from the inevitable finance chaos, just as many of them did in the GFC,

      2. Will Obama seize the bull by the horns and go for the 14th Amendment/Platinum coin route to show that he won’t be blackmailed and wants to achieve something memorable in his second term – as he acheived nothing in his first term? IMHO he’s shown no sign of it yet.

      3. Is this just kabuki with Obama proceeding with his Great Betrayal of Obamacare etc. on the grounds that the wicked Repubs left him no choice. My bet lies here.

  8. Lanthanide 8
    8 October 2013 at 9:19 am

    I’m pretty sure that they won’t breach the debt limit.

    Yesterday on morning report they spoke to a correspondent in the US who was saying that Nancy Pelosi was working on some sort of petition, where if they get a majority of congresspeople to sign, they can force a vote on a debt bill (against the wishes of the house speaker, a republican). The correspondent said there were 20-40 moderate republicans who would sign the petition and also vote for the bill, which would be a majority and it would pass.

    Even if that doesn’t happen, the executive still has the Platinum Coin Trick that they can use. Faced with default vs not-default, I think it’s pretty easy which option to choose when your back is against the wall.

  9. Richard Christie 9
    8 October 2013 at 10:14 am

    If default is what it takes to permanently end government by ongoing extortion, then it is probably worth the price.

    • blue leopard (Get Lost GCSB Bill) 9.1
      8 October 2013 at 12:25 pm

      @ Richard Christie,

      I agree, wouldn’t defaulting also allow the global financial system to recalibrate and become based on something more real and reliable than money that has no real value (aka the American dollar)?

    • Draco T Bastard 9.2
      8 October 2013 at 5:25 pm

      It wouldn’t end government – it’d end business and representative democracy. What we’d get is anarchy.

      • blue leopard (Get Lost GCSB Bill) 9.2.1
        8 October 2013 at 5:46 pm

        Sorry Draco, but representative democracy is fairly defunct in America now didn’t you realise?

        Two parties with the same backers, could hardly be called choice. Choice is required for democracy to be authentic.

        The people with the most money (as in corporate persons) are the people with the most power in America.

        These ‘people’ were leaders in getting rid of regulations for the banks etc. Lack of rules = anarchy in my book.
        That is what we are seeing now in the financial markets. Anarchy.

        So what is all this about representative democracy being lost and anarchy being introduced in response to America defaulting? These two things are already occurring.

        • Draco T Bastard 9.2.1.1
          8 October 2013 at 7:04 pm

          Lack of rules = anarchy in my book.

          Nope, lack of rules = chaos. Anarchy is a different beast altogether.

          • blue leopard (Get Lost GCSB Bill) 9.2.1.1.1
            8 October 2013 at 10:04 pm

            The link that you leave, leads to an article that relays that anarchy has many different meanings, I took care to define the sense in which I was meaning the word, and that definition is included in your article.

            The article also touches on the definition of freemarket ideology being related to anarchic principles.

            As I was saying this concept is already thriving and democracy is not in America

            So what is your point?

            • Draco T Bastard 9.2.1.1.1.1
              9 October 2013 at 1:15 am

              I took care to define the sense in which I was meaning the word, and that definition is included in your article.

              Yep, right at the beginning where it’s mentioned as a mistaken meaning.

              • blue leopard (Get Lost GCSB Bill) …
                9 October 2013 at 1:11 pm

                Oh is that what “it has surely not impact on the definition” meant. I found that obscure:

                “Anarchy is said to have more than one definition. Some use the term “anarchy” to refer to a society without a publicly enforced government.[1][2] When used in this sense, anarchy may[3] or may not[4] be intended to imply political disorder or lawlessness within a society. But it is only a way to use the term. It has surely no impact on the definition of the term Anarchy” ~ Wikopedia

                So some people use one of the many definitions, but the Wikopedia article states they are wrong to do so.

                Wiktionary clears up my confusion somewhat:

                “Anarchists feel it is inappropriate to use anarchy to mean “a state of chaos or confusion”. However, this has historically been a common use of the word.”~ Wiktionary

                So I was using the word in the common garden way and you are correcting me regarding the technical meaning; which appears to be lack of authority or lack of ruler.

                It is interesting to learn the technical meaning, and I see I confused rulelessness with the lack of enforcing rules.

                I note that in practice these two concepts can have very similar effects.

                The sense of what I was saying still holds even using your definition of the word. The state of government lacking authority is exactly what America effectively has now. They have a government who are captured by big money and the government as a representative of public interest does not effectively exist; holds no authority. Rules that exist in the financial sector are not being enforced or are being removed completely by those acting in that sector. I am specifically talking about the financial sector, here, as I believe this is what this post was about.

                Your first comment states:

                “It wouldn’t end government – it’d end business and representative democracy. What we’d get is anarchy.”~DTB

                You appear to be stating that the government would still exist but it wouldn’t, or the government would have no authority.

                I continue to hold the view that that is the state of their government now.

                What do you mean?

    • greywarbler 9.3
      9 October 2013 at 2:51 pm

      i don’t think rc that you have thought out all the ramifications – after the first second and third big quakes there all the smaller ones thud by thud.

  10. vto 10
    8 October 2013 at 10:24 am

    The system is mad, completely barking mad.

    The GFC was a warning tremor to the main quake coming.

    Don’t say you weren’t warned.

    Our own government recently passed a law permitting bank deposits to be taken if necessary to preserve the system.

    • Sable 10.1
      8 October 2013 at 10:29 am

      Parasites are hard things to get rid of and will try to find novel ways to survive.

      • Ennui 10.1.1
        8 October 2013 at 4:08 pm

        Parasites die when they kill their hosts….that is the unpleasant fact. Wise animals tend to groom themselves in order to keep parasites under control. Mainly they kill them in the process. Nature is wonderful don’t you think?

  11. Sable 11
    8 October 2013 at 10:28 am

    The US has always been a breeding ground for freaks and fanatics. Think about those who settled the place, especially in the Southern states, all the whack jobs and religious extremists the UK didn’t want.

    The US wont fail as such but it is in decline and will not in coming years be the economic powerhouse it once was. Of course, like any dangerous wounded animal its going to do a lot of damage before it accepts its new place in the world much like the UK.

    The danger for us is backwards looking sycophants like Keys buying us a ticket on the sinking ship when we should be looking elsewhere to grow our economy.

    • Chooky 11.1
      8 October 2013 at 1:44 pm

      +1…agree Sable ….look elsewhere to grow our economy…make it more self-sufficient and diversify away from an unhealthy and unsustainable long term reliance on Fonterra monoploy

  12. johnm 12
    8 October 2013 at 10:31 am

    “The Real Crisis Is Not The Government Shutdown”
    “The real crisis is not the “debt ceiling crisis.” The government shutdown is merely a result of the Republicans using the debt limit ceiling to attempt to block the implementation of Obamacare. If the shutdown persists and becomes a problem, Obama has enough power under the various “war on terror” rulings to declare a national emergency and raise the debt ceiling by executive order. An executive branch that has the power to inter citizens indefinitely and to murder them without due process of law, can certainly set aside a ceiling on debt that jeopardizes the government.”

  13. Rogue Trooper 13
    8 October 2013 at 10:31 am

    China, the US’s largest foreign creditor, holds 1,277 Trillion in US Treasury Bonds.

    • Sable 13.1
      8 October 2013 at 10:41 am

      The US is China’s little bitch just like the rest us and with the new leadership coming in China plans to increase restrictions on foreign investment in their domestic market. What that means of the US and EU, well lets wait and see.

    • Pete 13.2
      8 October 2013 at 11:23 am

      That shouldn’t matter. China can’t call in its Treasury Bonds until they mature. So the $1.3 trillion wouldn’t be called in all at once. A bond matures at 20-30 years (as opposed to a Tresury Bill, which matures in 1 year or less and a Treasury Note, wich matures in 2-10 years). These bonds would be “laddered”, so a portion matures this year, another the next year and so on.

      About half of US government debt is held domestically. By other US government departments – Social Security and the Federal Reserve and by private investors – pension funds, investment banks and so on.

      In total, China holds around 1/12th of US public debt.

      • greywarbler 13.2.1
        9 October 2013 at 11:33 am

        That’s a good summary of how it is Pete. Hard to get one’s head around. Are the figures factual or from memory, so as to give a rough concept of the situation?

  14. joe90 14
    8 October 2013 at 10:40 am

    Blazing saddles…

    Failure by the world’s largest borrower to pay its debt — unprecedented in modern history — will devastate stock markets from Brazil to Zurich, halt a $5 trillion lending mechanism for investors who rely on Treasuries, blow up borrowing costs for billions of people and companies, ravage the dollar and throw the U.S. and world economies into a recession that probably would become a depression. Among the dozens of money managers, economists, bankers, traders and former government officials interviewed for this story, few view a U.S. default as anything but a financial apocalypse.

    http://www.bloomberg.com/news/print/2013-10-07/a-u-s-default-seen-as-catastrophe-dwarfing-lehman-s-fall.html

  15. travellerev 15
    8 October 2013 at 10:46 am

    And once again Michael Valley follows the MSM given party line. In this case the : blablablabla republicans blablabla teapartiers blablabla Blood on their hands blablabla line.

    For those of you finding it hard to get a take on what is happening in the US why John Key is chairing the TPP negotiations instead of Obama here are a few points you might want to take into account.

  16. clifford wright 16
    8 October 2013 at 11:16 am

    A very pertinent comment. As an Historian I am continually struck by the parallels between Rome in the 5th century AD and the 21st century USA.
    All the money is going overseas (in both cases largely to China), the armed forces are becoming demoralised and pointless faction in politics is destroying the economy and the whole social fabric.
    The so called “tea party” strike me as the very epitome of selfishness. Have you ever held your nose and watched Fox TV lately?

    Recently there was a programme on TV boasting about new weapons the US forces were getting.
    Talk about the devil in the detail- The new sniper rifle was made in the UK, the helicopter in France and parts for a new armoured vehicle were being made in Eastern Europe.
    This sort of thing is EXACTLY like decadent Rome.
    There massive farms run by slave labour drove small farmers off their land. Wealthy men controlled
    society without responsibility and taxes were levelled on the middle classes to subsidise both the poor and indirectly, the rich.

    • Paul 16.1
      8 October 2013 at 3:48 pm

      Well, we’ve got the same circuses as they had.
      Ever seen a film called the Four Horsemen..here’s the link.
      Watch from 6.28 to 12.25

    • Ennui 16.2
      8 October 2013 at 4:23 pm

      There is a theory of thermodynamics about the failure of Rome. In a nutshell it was that Rome devoured all the resources of the Empire at a greater rate than they could sustain. In the end to keep the supply of energy from the periphery to the centre coming became unsupportable. For example, grain fields in Sicily and Africa became over harvested and lost fertility, the supply of slaves to grow the grain came from further and further away etc etc, then the grain came from further afield. Rome had to expand in the same way our oil based economies did to sustain itself. When the energy invested in returning energy reached a zero balance collapse had to follow. Those lovely barbarians had a different EROEI dynamic, which proved enough to tip the balance against Romes expansion, and then hastened collapse.

      The world oil economy is reaching this point. When we see debt, it represents production of wealth, paid for with the production of wealth in the future. We spend tomorrows wealth in the expectation that tomorrows economy will have grown, and will have a greater energy supply. Finite resources run out…and there are no alternatives to oil despite what techno narcissists, spin doctors, the oil industry etc would have us believe. Rome it is, history does after all repeat.

    • SHG (not Colonial Viper) 16.3
      8 October 2013 at 8:32 pm

      How to destroy an Empire: add Christianity to the government and sit back.

  17. Rich 17
    8 October 2013 at 11:24 am

    The US government could mint the trillion-dollar platinum coin: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trillion_Dollar_Coin

    They’ve said they won’t but it could still happen.

  18. captain hook 18
    8 October 2013 at 11:42 am

    the USA is suffering at the hands of mischief makers at the moment.
    they will soon get blown away but as Robert Kennedy said:”20% are against everything all the time so there must be a valve for these knothead extremists with their very own deathwish.
    they the man who squats behind the man who works the soft machine.

  19. joe90 19
    8 October 2013 at 11:45 am

    FT: China and Japan warn US on default*

    Zhu Guangyao, vice-finance minister, told a media briefing that China has made clear its unease over the political impasse in Washington. In Japan, the Ministry of Finance is very worried about the potential impact on currency markets, according to a senior official. A US default could cause investors to dump the US dollar, which would sharply push up the value of the yen.

    *link goes to google result.

    (hint – when you’ve used up all your free articles google the title and click through the result).

  20. Puckish Rogue 20
    8 October 2013 at 12:55 pm

    Does make me more appreciative of how NZ is run

  22. Tiger Mountain 22
    8 October 2013 at 2:19 pm

    If the yankee devils end up crashing their own government (the public service parts thereof really) for much longer there should be public mobilisations. The 99% movement tried to educate people with the occupations. Failing a spirited reaction one is tempted to think the soda guzzling burger munching idiocracy deserves what it gets.

  23. joe90 23
    8 October 2013 at 4:13 pm

    Bill Moyers.

    “When the president refused to buckle to this extortion, they threw their tantrum,” Bill says. “Like the die-hards of the racist South a century and a half ago, who would destroy the union before giving up their slaves, so would these people burn down the place, sink the ship.” He goes on to tell us where the “reckless ambition” of the Republicans could lead us.

    http://billmoyers.com/segment/bill-moyers-essay-shutdown-showdown/

  24. Draco T Bastard 24
    8 October 2013 at 4:57 pm

    It’s not exactly a good thing to have the world’s largest government issuing IOUs rather than paying its bills.

    /facepalm

    And just what do you think bonds are?

  25. Steve Wrathall 25
    8 October 2013 at 5:40 pm

    But surely all these Obama voters who love big govt so much are stepping forward to fund it voluntarily…aren’t they?

    • Paul 25.1
      8 October 2013 at 6:32 pm

      Was this intended to further the discussion?

    • Colonial Viper 25.2
      9 October 2013 at 1:28 am

      But surely all these Obama voters who love big govt so much are stepping forward to fund it voluntarily…aren’t they?

      Hey Steve, it’s just like you to suggest that the wealthiest 1%, the ones shirking their responsibility for the orderly governing of the nation, should be carried along by ordinary hard working Americans.

    • One Anonymous Knucklehead 25.3
      9 October 2013 at 7:59 am

      But surely all these strawmen add up to something don’t they?

      Nope: they add up to sweet wrathall in fact.

    • Murray Olsen 25.4
      9 October 2013 at 7:07 pm

      They already have funded government – by paying their taxes. Your lot are committing fraud on any and all American taxpayers.

  27. RedBaronCV 27
    9 October 2013 at 7:32 pm

    Apparently Texas can seceede from the USA. Would it solve their problems if the USA pushed it out?
    Would it get rid of enough of the nutbags?

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    Kia ora. These are some stories that caught our eye this week – as always, feel free to share yours in the comments. Our header image this week (via Eke Panuku) shows the planned upgrade for the Karanga Plaza Tidal Swimming Steps. The week in Greater Auckland On ...
    Greater AucklandBy Greater Auckland
    1 day ago
  • God what a relief

    1. What's not to love about the way the Harris campaign is turning things around?a. Nothingb. Love all of itc. God what a reliefd. Not that it will be by any means easye. All of the above 2. Documents released by the Ministry of Health show Associate Health Minister Casey ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    1 day ago
  • Trust In Me

    Trust in me in all you doHave the faith I have in youLove will see us through, if only you trust in meWhy don't you, you trust me?In a week that saw the release of the 3,000 page Abuse in Care report Christopher Luxon was being asked about Boot Camps. ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    1 day ago
  • The Hoon around the week to July 26

    TL;DR: The podcast above of the weekly ‘hoon’ webinar for paying subscribers last night features co-hosts and talking about the Royal Commission Inquiry into Abuse in Care report released this week, and with:The Kākā’s climate correspondent on a UN push to not recognise carbon offset markets and ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 day ago
  • The Kākā’s Journal of Record for Friday, July 26

    TL;DR: As of 6:00 am on Friday, July 26, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:Transport: Simeon Brown announced $802.9 million in funding for 18 new trains on the Wairarapa and Manawatū rail lines, which ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 day ago
  • Radical law changes needed to build road

    The northern expressway extension from Warkworth to Whangarei is likely to require radical changes to legislation if it is going to be built within the foreseeable future. The Government’s powers to purchase land, the planning process and current restrictions on road tolling are all going to need to be changed ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    1 day ago
  • Skeptical Science New Research for Week #30 2024

    Open access notables Could an extremely cold central European winter such as 1963 happen again despite climate change?, Sippel et al., Weather and Climate Dynamics: Here, we first show based on multiple attribution methods that a winter of similar circulation conditions to 1963 would still lead to an extreme seasonal ...
    Skeptical Science
    2 days ago
  • First they came for the Māori

    Text within this block will maintain its original spacing when publishedFirst they came for the doctors But I was confused by the numbers and costs So I didn't speak up Then they came for our police and nurses And I didn't think we could afford those costs anyway So I ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    2 days ago
  • Join us for the weekly Hoon on YouTube Live

    Photo by Joshua J. Cotten on UnsplashWe’re back again after our mid-winter break. We’re still with the ‘new’ day of the week (Thursday rather than Friday) when we have our ‘hoon’ webinar with paying subscribers to The Kākā for an hour at 5 pm.Jump on this link on YouTube Livestream ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago
  • Will the real PM Luxon please stand up?

    Notes: This is a free article. Abuse in Care themes are mentioned. Video is at the bottom.BackgroundYesterday’s report into Abuse in Care revealed that at least 1 in 3 of all who went through state and faith based care were abused - often horrifically. At least, because not all survivors ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    2 days ago
  • Will debt reduction trump abuse in care redress?

    Luxon speaks in Parliament yesterday about the Abuse in Care report. Photo: Hagen Hopkins/Getty ImagesTL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy today are:PM Christopher Luxon said yesterday in tabling the Abuse in Care report in Parliament he wanted to ‘do the ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago
  • Olywhites and Time Bandits

    About a decade ago I worked with a bloke called Steve. He was the grizzled veteran coder, a few years older than me, who knew where the bodies were buried - code wise. Despite his best efforts to be approachable and friendly he could be kind of gruff, through to ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    2 days ago
  • Why were the 1930s so hot in North America?

    This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Jeff Masters and Bob Henson Those who’ve trawled social media during heat waves have likely encountered a tidbit frequently used to brush aside human-caused climate change: Many U.S. states and cities had their single hottest temperature on record during the 1930s, setting incredible heat marks ...
    Skeptical Science
    2 days ago
  • Throwback Thursday – Thinking about Expressways

    Some of the recent announcements from the government have reminded us of posts we’ve written in the past. Here’s one from early 2020. There were plenty of reactions to the government’s infrastructure announcement a few weeks ago which saw them fund a bunch of big roading projects. One of ...
    Greater AucklandBy Greater Auckland
    2 days ago
  • The Kākā’s Pick 'n' Mix for Thursday, July 25

    TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 7:00 am on Thursday, July 25 are:News: Why Electric Kiwi is closing to new customers - and why it matters RNZ’s Susan EdmundsScoop: Government drops ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago
  • The Possum: Demon or Friend?

    Hi,I felt a small wet tongue snaking through one of the holes in my Crocs. It explored my big toe, darting down one side, then the other. “He’s looking for some toe cheese,” said the woman next to me, words that still haunt me to this day.Growing up in New ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    2 days ago
  • Not a story

    Yesterday I happily quoted the Prime Minister without fact-checking him and sure enough, it turns out his numbers were all to hell. It’s not four kg of Royal Commission report, it’s fourteen.My friend and one-time colleague-in-comms Hazel Phillips gently alerted me to my error almost as soon as I’d hit ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    2 days ago
  • The Kākā’s Journal of Record for Thursday, July 25

    TL;DR: As of 6:00 am on Thursday, July 25, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day were:The Abuse in Care Royal Commission of Inquiry published its final report yesterday.PM Christopher Luxon and The Minister responsible for ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago
  • A tougher line on “proactive release”?

    The Official Information Act has always been a battle between requesters seeking information, and governments seeking to control it. Information is power, so Ministers and government agencies want to manage what is released and when, for their own convenience, and legality and democracy be damned. Their most recent tactic for ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    3 days ago
  • 'Let's build a motorway costing $100 million per km, before emissions costs'

    TL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy today are:Transport and Energy Minister Simeon Brown is accelerating plans to spend at least $10 billion through Public Private Partnerships (PPPs) to extend State Highway One as a four-lane ‘Expressway’ from Warkworth to Whangarei ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago
  • Lester's Prescription – Positive Bleeding.

    I live my life (woo-ooh-ooh)With no control in my destinyYea-yeah, yea-yeah (woo-ooh-ooh)I can bleed when I want to bleedSo come on, come on (woo-ooh-ooh)You can bleed when you want to bleedYea-yeah, come on (woo-ooh-ooh)Everybody bleed when they want to bleedCome on and bleedGovernments face tough challenges. Selling unpopular decisions to ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    3 days ago
  • Casey Costello gaslights Labour in the House

    Please note:To skip directly to the- parliamentary footage in the video, scroll to 1:21 To skip to audio please click on the headphone icon on the left hand side of the screenThis video / audio section is under development. ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    3 days ago
  • Why is the Texas grid in such bad shape?

    This is a re-post from the Climate Brink by Andrew Dessler Headline from 2021 The Texas grid, run by ERCOT, has had a rough few years. In 2021, winter storm Uri blacked out much of the state for several days. About a week ago, Hurricane Beryl knocked out ...
    Skeptical Science
    3 days ago
  • Gordon Campbell on a textbook case of spending waste by the Luxon government

    Given the crackdown on wasteful government spending, it behooves me to point to a high profile example of spending by the Luxon government that looks like a big, fat waste of time and money. I’m talking about the deployment of NZDF personnel to support the US-led coalition in the Red ...
    WerewolfBy lyndon
    3 days ago
  • The Kākā’s Pick 'n' Mix for Wednesday, July 24

    TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 7:40 am on Wednesday, July 24 are:Deep Dive: Chipping away at the housing crisis, including my comments RNZ/Newsroom’s The DetailNews: Government softens on asset sales, ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago
  • LXR Takaanini

    As I reported about the city centre, Auckland’s rail network is also going through a difficult and disruptive period which is rapidly approaching a culmination, this will result in a significant upgrade to the whole network. Hallelujah. Also like the city centre this is an upgrade predicated on the City ...
    Greater AucklandBy Patrick Reynolds
    3 days ago
  • Four kilograms of pain

    Today, a 4 kilogram report will be delivered to Parliament. We know this is what the report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in State and Faith-based Care weighs, because our Prime Minister told us so.Some reporter had blindsided him by asking a question about something done by ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago
  • The Kākā’s Journal of Record for Wednesday, July 24

    TL;DR: As of 7:00 am on Wednesday, July 24, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:Beehive: Transport Minister Simeon Brown announced plans to use PPPs to fund, build and run a four-lane expressway between Auckland ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago
  • Luxon gets caught out

    NewstalkZB host Mike Hosking, who can usually be relied on to give Prime Minister Christopher Luxon an easy run, did not do so yesterday when he interviewed him about the HealthNZ deficit. Luxon is trying to use a deficit reported last year by HealthNZ as yet another example of the ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    3 days ago
  • A worrying sign

    Back in January a StatsNZ employee gave a speech at Rātana on behalf of tangata whenua in which he insulted and criticised the government. The speech clearly violated the principle of a neutral public service, and StatsNZ started an investigation. Part of that was getting an external consultant to examine ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    4 days ago
  • Are we fine with 47.9% home-ownership by 2048?

    Renting for life: Shared ownership initiatives are unlikely to slow the slide in home ownership by much. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy today are:A Deloitte report for Westpac has projected Aotearoa’s home-ownership rate will ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • Let's Win This

    You're broken down and tiredOf living life on a merry go roundAnd you can't find the fighterBut I see it in you so we gonna walk it outAnd move mountainsWe gonna walk it outAnd move mountainsAnd I'll rise upI'll rise like the dayI'll rise upI'll rise unafraidI'll rise upAnd I'll ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    4 days ago
  • Waimahara: The Singing Spirit of Water

    There’s been a change in Myers Park. Down the steps from St. Kevin’s Arcade, past the grassy slopes, the children’s playground, the benches and that goat statue, there has been a transformation. The underpass for Mayoral Drive has gone from a barren, grey, concrete tunnel, to a place that thrums ...
    Greater AucklandBy Connor Sharp
    4 days ago
  • A major milestone: Global climate pollution may have just peaked

    This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections Global society may have finally slammed on the brakes for climate-warming pollution released by human fossil fuel combustion. According to the Carbon Monitor Project, the total global climate pollution released between February and May 2024 declined slightly from the amount released during the same ...
    Skeptical Science
    4 days ago
  • The Kākā’s Pick 'n' Mix for Tuesday, July 23

    TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 7:00 am on Tuesday, July 23 are:Deep Dive: Penlink: where tolling rhetoric meets reality BusinessDesk-$$$’s Oliver LewisScoop: Te Pūkenga plans for regional polytechs leak out ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • The Kākā’s Journal of Record for Tuesday, July 23

    TL;DR: As of 6:00 am on Tuesday, July 23, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:Health: Shane Reti announced the Board of Te Whatu Ora- Health New Zealand was being replaced with Commissioner Lester Levy ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • HealthNZ and Luxon at cross purposes over budget blowout

    Health NZ warned the Government at the end of March that it was running over Budget. But the reasons it gave were very different to those offered by the Prime Minister yesterday. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon blamed the “botched merger” of the 20 District Health Boards (DHBs) to create Health ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    4 days ago
  • 2500-3000 more healthcare staff expected to be fired, as Shane Reti blames Labour for a budget defic...

    Long ReadKey Summary: Although National increased the health budget by $1.4 billion in May, they used an old funding model to project health system costs, and never bothered to update their pre-election numbers. They were told during the Health Select Committees earlier in the year their budget amount was deficient, ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    4 days ago
  • Might Kamala Harris be about to get a 'stardust' moment like Jacinda Ardern?

    As a momentous, historic weekend in US politics unfolded, analysts and commentators grasped for precedents and comparisons to help explain the significance and power of the choice Joe Biden had made. The 46th president had swept the Democratic party’s primaries but just over 100 days from the election had chosen ...
    PunditBy Tim Watkin
    5 days ago
  • Solutions Interview: Steven Hail on MMT & ecological economics

    TL;DR: I’m casting around for new ideas and ways of thinking about Aotearoa’s political economy to find a few solutions to our cascading and self-reinforcing housing, poverty and climate crises.Associate Professor runs an online masters degree in the economics of sustainability at Torrens University in Australia and is organising ...
    The KakaBy Steven Hail
    5 days ago
  • Reported back

    The Finance and Expenditure Committee has reported back on National's Local Government (Water Services Preliminary Arrangements) Bill. The bill sets up water for privatisation, and was introduced under urgency, then rammed through select committee with no time even for local councils to make a proper submission. Naturally, national's select committee ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    5 days ago
  • Vandrad the Viking, Christopher Coombes, and Literary Archaeology

    Some years ago, I bought a book at Dunedin’s Regent Booksale for $1.50. As one does. Vandrad the Viking (1898), by J. Storer Clouston, is an obscure book these days – I cannot find a proper online review – but soon it was sitting on my shelf, gathering dust alongside ...
    A Phuulish FellowBy strda221
    5 days ago
  • Gordon Campbell On The Biden Withdrawal

    History is not on the side of the centre-left, when Democratic presidents fall behind in the polls and choose not to run for re-election. On both previous occasions in the past 75 years (Harry Truman in 1952, Lyndon Johnson in 1968) the Democrats proceeded to then lose the White House ...
    WerewolfBy lyndon
    5 days ago
  • Joe Biden's withdrawal puts the spotlight back on Kamala and the USA's complicated relatio...

    This is a free articleCoverageThis morning, US President Joe Biden announced his withdrawal from the Presidential race. And that is genuinely newsworthy. Thanks for your service, President Biden, and all the best to you and yours.However, the media in New Zealand, particularly the 1News nightly bulletin, has been breathlessly covering ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    5 days ago
  • Why we have to challenge our national fiscal assumptions

    A homeless person’s camp beside a blocked-off slipped damage walkway in Freeman’s Bay: we are chasing our tail on our worsening and inter-related housing, poverty and climate crises. Photo: Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • Existential Crisis and Damaged Brains

    What has happened to it all?Crazy, some'd sayWhere is the life that I recognise?(Gone away)But I won't cry for yesterdayThere's an ordinary worldSomehow I have to findAnd as I try to make my wayTo the ordinary worldYesterday morning began as many others - what to write about today? I began ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago
  • A speed limit is not a target, and yet…

    This is a guest post from longtime supporter Mr Plod, whose previous contributions include a proposal that Hamilton become New Zealand’s capital city, and that we should switch which side of the road we drive on. A recent Newsroom article, “Back to school for the Govt’s new speed limit policy“, ...
    Greater AucklandBy Guest Post
    5 days ago
  • The Kākā’s Pick 'n' Mix for Monday, July 22

    TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 7:00 am on Monday, July 22 are:Today’s Must Read: Father and son live in a tent, and have done for four years, in a million ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • The Kākā’s Journal of Record for Monday, July 22

    TL;DR: As of 7:00 am on Monday, July 22, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:US President Joe Biden announced via X this morning he would not stand for a second term.Multinational professional services firm ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • 2024 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #29

    A listing of 32 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, July 14, 2024 thru Sat, July 20, 2024. Story of the week As reflected by preponderance of coverage, our Story of the Week is Project 2025. Until now traveling ...
    Skeptical Science
    6 days ago
  • I'd like to share what I did this weekend

    This weekend, a friend pointed out someone who said they’d like to read my posts, but didn’t want to pay. And my first reaction was sympathy.I’ve already told folks that if they can’t comfortably subscribe, and would like to read, I’d be happy to offer free subscriptions. I don’t want ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    6 days ago
  • For the children – Why mere sentiment can be a misleading force in our lives, and lead to unex...

    National: The Party of ‘Law and Order’ IntroductionThis weekend, the Government formally kicked off one of their flagship policy programs: a military style boot camp that New Zealand has experimented with over the past 50 years. Cartoon credit: Guy BodyIt’s very popular with the National Party’s Law and Order image, ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    6 days ago
  • A friend in uncertain times

    Day one of the solo leg of my long journey home begins with my favourite sound: footfalls in an empty street. 5.00 am and it’s already light and already too warm, almost.If I can make the train that leaves Budapest later this hour I could be in Belgrade by nightfall; ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    6 days ago
  • The Chaotic World of Male Diet Influencers

    Hi,We’ll get to the horrific world of male diet influencers (AKA Beefy Boys) shortly, but first you will be glad to know that since I sent out the Webworm explaining why the assassination attempt on Donald Trump was not a false flag operation, I’ve heard from a load of people ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    6 days ago
  • It's Starting To Look A Lot Like… Y2K

    Do you remember Y2K, the threat that hung over humanity in the closing days of the twentieth century? Horror scenarios of planes falling from the sky, electronic payments failing and ATMs refusing to dispense cash. As for your VCR following instructions and recording your favourite show - forget about it.All ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    1 week ago
  • Bernard’s Saturday Soliloquy for the week to July 20

    Climate Change Minister Simon Watts being questioned by The Kākā’s Bernard Hickey.TL;DR: My top six things to note around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the week to July 20 were:1. A strategy that fails Zero Carbon Act & Paris targetsThe National-ACT-NZ First Coalition Government finally unveiled ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago
  • Pharmac Director, Climate Change Commissioner, Health NZ Directors – The latest to quit this m...

    Summary:As New Zealand loses at least 12 leaders in the public service space of health, climate, and pharmaceuticals, this month alone, directly in response to the Government’s policies and budget choices, what lies ahead may be darker than it appears. Tui examines some of those departures and draws a long ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    1 week ago
  • Flooding Housing Policy

    The Minister of Housing’s ambition is to reduce markedly the ratio of house prices to household incomes. If his strategy works it would transform the housing market, dramatically changing the prospects of housing as an investment.Leaving aside the Minister’s metaphor of ‘flooding the market’ I do not see how the ...
    PunditBy Brian Easton
    1 week ago
  • A Voyage Among the Vandals: Accepted (Again!)

    As previously noted, my historical fantasy piece, set in the fifth-century Mediterranean, was accepted for a Pirate Horror anthology, only for the anthology to later fall through. But in a good bit of news, it turned out that the story could indeed be re-marketed as sword and sorcery. As of ...
    A Phuulish FellowBy strda221
    1 week ago
  • The Kākā's Chorus for Friday, July 19

    An employee of tobacco company Philip Morris International demonstrates a heated tobacco device. Photo: Getty ImagesTL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy on Friday, July 19 are:At a time when the Coalition Government is cutting spending on health, infrastructure, education, housing ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago
  • The Kākā’s Pick 'n' Mix for Friday, July 19

    TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 8:30 am on Friday, July 19 are:Scoop: NZ First Minister Casey Costello orders 50% cut to excise tax on heated tobacco products. The minister has ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago
  • Weekly Roundup 19-July-2024

    Kia ora, it’s time for another Friday roundup, in which we pull together some of the links and stories that caught our eye this week. Feel free to add more in the comments! Our header image this week shows a foggy day in Auckland town, captured by Patrick Reynolds. ...
    Greater AucklandBy Greater Auckland
    1 week ago
  • Weekly Climate Wrap: A market-led plan for failure

    TL;DR : Here’s the top six items climate news for Aotearoa this week, as selected by Bernard Hickey and The Kākā’s climate correspondent Cathrine Dyer. A discussion recorded yesterday is in the video above and the audio of that sent onto the podcast feed.The Government released its draft Emissions Reduction ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago
  • Tobacco First

    Save some money, get rich and old, bring it back to Tobacco Road.Bring that dynamite and a crane, blow it up, start all over again.Roll up. Roll up. Or tailor made, if you prefer...Whether you’re selling ciggies, digging for gold, catching dolphins in your nets, or encouraging folks to flutter ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    1 week ago
  • Trump’s Adopted Son.

    Waiting In The Wings: For truly, if Trump is America’s un-assassinated Caesar, then J.D. Vance is America’s Octavian, the Republic’s youthful undertaker – and its first Emperor.DONALD TRUMP’S SELECTION of James D. Vance as his running-mate bodes ill for the American republic. A fervent supporter of Viktor Orban, the “illiberal” prime ...
    Bowalley Road
    1 week ago
  • The Kākā’s Journal of Record for Friday, July 19

    TL;DR: As of 6:00 am on Friday, July 19, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:The PSA announced the Employment Relations Authority (ERA) had ruled in the PSA’s favour in its case against the Ministry ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago

  • Joint statement from the Prime Ministers of Canada, Australia and New Zealand

    Australia, Canada and New Zealand today issued the following statement on the need for an urgent ceasefire in Gaza and the risk of expanded conflict between Hizballah and Israel. The situation in Gaza is catastrophic. The human suffering is unacceptable. It cannot continue.  We remain unequivocal in our condemnation of ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    19 hours ago
  • AG reminds institutions of legal obligations

    Attorney-General Judith Collins today reminded all State and faith-based institutions of their legal obligation to preserve records relevant to the safety and wellbeing of those in its care. “The Abuse in Care Inquiry’s report has found cases where records of the most vulnerable people in State and faith‑based institutions were ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    21 hours ago
  • More young people learning about digital safety

    Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says the Government’s online safety website for children and young people has reached one million page views.  “It is great to see so many young people and their families accessing the site Keep It Real Online to learn how to stay safe online, and manage ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    22 hours ago
  • Speech to the Conference for General Practice 2024

    Tēnā tātou katoa,  Ngā mihi te rangi, ngā mihi te whenua, ngā mihi ki a koutou, kia ora mai koutou. Thank you for the opportunity to be here and the invitation to speak at this 50th anniversary conference. I acknowledge all those who have gone before us and paved the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    24 hours ago
  • Employers and payroll providers ready for tax changes

    New Zealand’s payroll providers have successfully prepared to ensure 3.5 million individuals will, from Wednesday next week, be able to keep more of what they earn each pay, says Finance Minister Nicola Willis and Revenue Minister Simon Watts.  “The Government's tax policy changes are legally effective from Wednesday. Delivering this tax ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Experimental vineyard futureproofs wine industry

    An experimental vineyard which will help futureproof the wine sector has been opened in Blenheim by Associate Regional Development Minister Mark Patterson. The covered vineyard, based at the New Zealand Wine Centre – Te Pokapū Wāina o Aotearoa, enables controlled environmental conditions. “The research that will be produced at the Experimental ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Funding confirmed for regions affected by North Island Weather Events

    The Coalition Government has confirmed the indicative regional breakdown of North Island Weather Event (NIWE) funding for state highway recovery projects funded through Budget 2024, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Regions in the North Island suffered extensive and devastating damage from Cyclone Gabrielle and the 2023 Auckland Anniversary Floods, and ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Indonesian Foreign Minister to visit

    Indonesia’s Foreign Minister, Retno Marsudi, will visit New Zealand next week, Foreign Minister Winston Peters has announced.   “Indonesia is important to New Zealand’s security and economic interests and is our closest South East Asian neighbour,” says Mr Peters, who is currently in Laos to engage with South East Asian partners. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Strengthening partnership with Ngāti Maniapoto

    He aha te kai a te rangatira? He kōrero, he kōrero, he kōrero. The government has reaffirmed its commitment to supporting the aspirations of Ngāti Maniapoto, Minister for Māori Development Tama Potaka says. “My thanks to Te Nehenehenui Trust – Ngāti Maniapoto for bringing their important kōrero to a ministerial ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Transport Minister thanks outgoing CAA Chair

    Transport Minister Simeon Brown has thanked outgoing Chair of the Civil Aviation Authority, Janice Fredric, for her service to the board.“I have received Ms Fredric’s resignation from the role of Chair of the Civil Aviation Authority,” Mr Brown says.“On behalf of the Government, I want to thank Ms Fredric for ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Test for Customary Marine Title being restored

    The Government is proposing legislation to overturn a Court of Appeal decision and amend the Marine and Coastal Area Act in order to restore Parliament’s test for Customary Marine Title, Treaty Negotiations Minister Paul Goldsmith says.  “Section 58 required an applicant group to prove they have exclusively used and occupied ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Opposition united in bad faith over ECE sector review

    Regulation Minister David Seymour says that opposition parties have united in bad faith, opposing what they claim are ‘dangerous changes’ to the Early Childhood Education sector, despite no changes even being proposed yet.  “Issues with affordability and availability of early childhood education, and the complexity of its regulation, has led ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Kiwis having their say on first regulatory review

    After receiving more than 740 submissions in the first 20 days, Regulation Minister David Seymour is asking the Ministry for Regulation to extend engagement on the early childhood education regulation review by an extra two weeks.  “The level of interest has been very high, and from the conversations I’ve been ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Government upgrading Lower North Island commuter rail

    The Coalition Government is investing $802.9 million into the Wairarapa and Manawatū rail lines as part of a funding agreement with the NZ Transport Agency (NZTA), KiwiRail, and the Greater Wellington and Horizons Regional Councils to deliver more reliable services for commuters in the lower North Island, Transport Minister Simeon ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Government moves to ensure flood protection for Wairoa

    Local Government Minister Simeon Brown has announced his intention to appoint a Crown Manager to both Hawke’s Bay Regional and Wairoa District Councils to speed up the delivery of flood protection work in Wairoa."Recent severe weather events in Wairoa this year, combined with damage from Cyclone Gabrielle in 2023 have ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • PM speech to Parliament – Royal Commission of Inquiry’s Report into Abuse in Care

    Mr Speaker, this is a day that many New Zealanders who were abused in State care never thought would come. It’s the day that this Parliament accepts, with deep sorrow and regret, the Report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care.  At the heart of this report are the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Government acknowledges torture at Lake Alice

    For the first time, the Government is formally acknowledging some children and young people at Lake Alice Psychiatric Hospital experienced torture. The final report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in State and Faith-based Care “Whanaketia – through pain and trauma, from darkness to light,” was tabled in Parliament ...
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    3 days ago
  • Government acknowledges courageous abuse survivors

    The Government has acknowledged the nearly 2,400 courageous survivors who shared their experiences during the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Historical Abuse in State and Faith-Based Care. The final report from the largest and most complex public inquiry ever held in New Zealand, the Royal Commission Inquiry “Whanaketia – through ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Half a million people use tax calculator

    With a week to go before hard-working New Zealanders see personal income tax relief for the first time in fourteen years, 513,000 people have used the Budget tax calculator to see how much they will benefit, says Finance Minister Nicola Willis.  “Tax relief is long overdue. From next Wednesday, personal income ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Paid Parental Leave improvements pass first reading

    Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Brooke van Velden says a bill that has passed its first reading will improve parental leave settings and give non-biological parents more flexibility as primary carer for their child. The Regulatory Systems Amendment Bill (No3), passed its first reading this morning. “It includes a change ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Rebuilding the economy through better regulation

    Two Bills designed to improve regulation and make it easier to do business have passed their first reading in Parliament, says Economic Development Minister Melissa Lee. The Regulatory Systems (Economic Development) Amendment Bill and Regulatory Systems (Immigration and Workforce) Amendment Bill make key changes to legislation administered by the Ministry ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • ‘Open banking’ and ‘open electricity’ on the way

    New legislation paves the way for greater competition in sectors such as banking and electricity, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly says. “Competitive markets boost productivity, create employment opportunities and lift living standards. To support competition, we need good quality regulation but, unfortunately, a recent OECD report ranked New ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Charity lotteries to be permitted to operate online

    Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says lotteries for charitable purposes, such as those run by the Heart Foundation, Coastguard NZ, and local hospices, will soon be allowed to operate online permanently. “Under current laws, these fundraising lotteries are only allowed to operate online until October 2024, after which ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Accelerating Northland Expressway

    The Coalition Government is accelerating work on the new four-lane expressway between Auckland and Whangārei as part of its Roads of National Significance programme, with an accelerated delivery model to deliver this project faster and more efficiently, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “For too long, the lack of resilient transport connections ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Sir Don to travel to Viet Nam as special envoy

    Sir Don McKinnon will travel to Viet Nam this week as a Special Envoy of the Government, Foreign Minister Winston Peters has announced.    “It is important that the Government give due recognition to the significant contributions that General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong made to New Zealand-Viet Nam relations,” Mr ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Grant Illingworth KC appointed as transitional Commissioner to Royal Commission

    Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says newly appointed Commissioner, Grant Illingworth KC, will help deliver the report for the first phase of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into COVID-19 Lessons, due on 28 November 2024.  “I am pleased to announce that Mr Illingworth will commence his appointment as ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • NZ to advance relationships with ASEAN partners

    Foreign Minister Winston Peters travels to Laos this week to participate in a series of Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)-led Ministerial meetings in Vientiane.    “ASEAN plays an important role in supporting a peaceful, stable and prosperous Indo-Pacific,” Mr Peters says.   “This will be our third visit to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Backing mental health services on the West Coast

    Construction of a new mental health facility at Te Nikau Grey Hospital in Greymouth is today one step closer, Mental Health Minister Matt Doocey says. “This $27 million facility shows this Government is delivering on its promise to boost mental health care and improve front line services,” Mr Doocey says. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • NZ support for sustainable Pacific fisheries

    New Zealand is committing nearly $50 million to a package supporting sustainable Pacific fisheries development over the next four years, Foreign Minister Winston Peters and Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones announced today. “This support consisting of a range of initiatives demonstrates New Zealand’s commitment to assisting our Pacific partners ...
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    4 days ago
  • Students’ needs at centre of new charter school adjustments

    Associate Education Minister David Seymour says proposed changes to the Education and Training Amendment Bill will ensure charter schools have more flexibility to negotiate employment agreements and are equipped with the right teaching resources. “Cabinet has agreed to progress an amendment which means unions will not be able to initiate ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Commissioner replaces Health NZ Board

    In response to serious concerns around oversight, overspend and a significant deterioration in financial outlook, the Board of Health New Zealand will be replaced with a Commissioner, Health Minister Dr Shane Reti announced today.  “The previous government’s botched health reforms have created significant financial challenges at Health NZ that, without ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Minister to speak at Australian Space Forum

    Minister for Space and Science, Innovation and Technology Judith Collins will travel to Adelaide tomorrow for space and science engagements, including speaking at the Australian Space Forum.  While there she will also have meetings and visits with a focus on space, biotechnology and innovation.  “New Zealand has a thriving space ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Climate Change Minister to attend climate action meeting in China

    Climate Change Minister Simon Watts will travel to China on Saturday to attend the Ministerial on Climate Action meeting held in Wuhan.  “Attending the Ministerial on Climate Action is an opportunity to advocate for New Zealand climate priorities and engage with our key partners on climate action,” Mr Watts says. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Oceans and Fisheries Minister to Solomons

    Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones is travelling to the Solomon Islands tomorrow for meetings with his counterparts from around the Pacific supporting collective management of the region’s fisheries. The 23rd Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries Committee and the 5th Regional Fisheries Ministers’ Meeting in Honiara from 23 to 26 July ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago
  • Government launches Military Style Academy Pilot

    The Government today launched the Military Style Academy Pilot at Te Au rere a te Tonga Youth Justice residence in Palmerston North, an important part of the Government’s plan to crackdown on youth crime and getting youth offenders back on track, Minister for Children, Karen Chhour said today. “On the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Nine priority bridge replacements to get underway

    The Government has welcomed news the NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) has begun work to replace nine priority bridges across the country to ensure our state highway network remains resilient, reliable, and efficient for road users, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says.“Increasing productivity and economic growth is a key priority for the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Update on global IT outage

    Acting Prime Minister David Seymour has been in contact throughout the evening with senior officials who have coordinated a whole of government response to the global IT outage and can provide an update. The Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet has designated the National Emergency Management Agency as the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • New Zealand, Japan renew Pacific partnership

    New Zealand and Japan will continue to step up their shared engagement with the Pacific, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says.    “New Zealand and Japan have a strong, shared interest in a free, open and stable Pacific Islands region,” Mr Peters says.    “We are pleased to be finding more ways ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • New infrastructure energises BOP forestry towns

    New developments in the heart of North Island forestry country will reinvigorate their communities and boost economic development, Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones visited Kaingaroa and Kawerau in Bay of Plenty today to open a landmark community centre in the former and a new connecting road in ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • 'Pacific Futures'

    President Adeang, fellow Ministers, honourable Diet Member Horii, Ambassadors, distinguished guests.    Minasama, konnichiwa, and good afternoon, everyone.    Distinguished guests, it’s a pleasure to be here with you today to talk about New Zealand’s foreign policy reset, the reasons for it, the values that underpin it, and how it ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

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