Average Joe: Don Brash withdraws from Treaty debate…why?

Written By: - Date published: 12:46 pm, October 11th, 2011 - 51 comments
Categories: act, don brash, Maori Issues, the praiseworthy and the pitiful - Tags:

Pat Brittenden at Average Joe has written insightful post on the level of understanding that Don Brash has about the treaty issues he has been addressing in Act’s “one law for all” policy. 

Dr. Don Brash has pulled out of a debate on Treaty issues to be held on TV3’s ‘The Nation’. The ACT Party and Dr. Brash have been asking TV3 for logistical and editorial details about the debate. It would appear they have not received what they wanted so Dr. Brash was pulled.

I interviewed Dr. Brash for 40 minutes on Saturday along with my co-host comedian Jeremy Elwood on our weekly political podcast, The Slightly Correct Political Show, and on the issue of the Treaty I found Dr. Brash lacking in the depth and knowledge to be making such bold claims as those expressed in ACT’s ‘one law for all’ policy.

I am no expert in the area of the Treaty, but one thing I think would be prudent is that if one was going to comment, legislate and rally against and area in society then they should have in depth knowledge of that area…from both sides of the debate.

If I moved into a foreign culture, a culture where we didn’t understand the language, customs or history, then it would be prudent for me to learn about that culture before commenting on it, to understand the nuances of the language before voicing disagreements. Surely to disagree with something you first need an understanding of it. In the case of the Treaty, Dr. Brash does not have that understanding.

When asked about the main three areas of contention between Maori and non-Maori interpretation of the treaty, Kāwanatanga , Rangatiratanga and Taonga Dr. Brash responded “I can’t answer that question, I’m not an expert on the Maori language” and when asked again Dr. Brash said “I can’t interpret the Maori language nor do I know what that meant at that time”

This is the area of most concern to me. We need to know what was signed at the time, what was agreed to at the time, and how we bring that into 2011 New Zealand.

Dr. Brash was a nice man, but as a politician to me he seemed out of his depth. The ‘one law for all’ rhetoric has not given ACT the ‘bounce’ it gave National in 2004 and I think that ACT are going to move it more to the background over the next 7 weeks and focus on the economy.

Are there issues around the Treaty that we need to address, “Yes!” Are the Treaty settlements running without controversy or people trying to abuse the system, “No!” But it saddens me that this kind of politics still happens in NZ, the kind of ‘populist’ policy to appeal to one sector of society (in this case the much mentioned ‘red-necked’ section) when there is no substance or depth to the conversation.

Don Brash was found wanting yesterday in The Slightly Correct Political Show and he didn’t want to be seen to be foolish in front of a bigger audience, so he withdrew from The Nation.

Pat Brittenden
Just another Average Joe

lprent: This is a area that does require more debate especially when parties put up policy to change one of basics of our legal system. How much variance there is between viewpoints is something I became aware of when I was arguing on the conservative side with a family member (not rocky). Plaudits to The Nation for having the debate, brickbats to Act for avoiding the debate. You could at least send along the person who knows the area well enough to have constructed the policy…. Of course that may be a difficult if they are one of the many who are not really part of Act these days.

51 comments on “Average Joe: Don Brash withdraws from Treaty debate…why? ”

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  1. Jenny 1
    11 October 2011 at 4:13 pm

    The Don of Pakeha privilege.

    Don Brash Demands that the Maori seats are abolished. According to this ignorant bigot the Maori seats are a legacy of privilege.

    At the time the Maori seats were imposed, Maori were the majority in many electorates

    Maori were prevented from joining the general roll. If Maori had been included in the general roll they would have dominated the majority of the electorates in parliament.

    The Maori seats were set up to protect Pakeha privilege and to marginalise Maori in their own country. Having achieved that end:- Now that Maori are a minority Brash seeks to abolish the Maori seats to marginalise Maori even further.

    It may suit Don Brash to claim ignorance of this racist history, but no matter how much he tries to ignore it, Brash is the inheritor of this legacy of racist parliamentary hypocrisy.

    • Draco T Bastard 1.1
      11 October 2011 at 5:34 pm

      …the Maori seats are a legacy of privilege.

      They are – white privilege. Maori didn’t hold land individually but collectively (no individual titles like the English system) which meant that they couldn’t vote as voting was restricted to those who owned land. This was seen as an injustice and against Te Tirity O Waitangi and so the Maori seats were created where Maori could vote without holding land title.

      The Maori seats were set up to protect Pakeha privilege and to marginalise Maori in their own country.

      Probably also true. There was certainly enough of outright theft going on.

      Now that Maori are a minority Brash seeks to abolish the Maori seats to marginalise Maori even further.

      Won’t work as Maori are becoming a greater part of the population.

      Universal enfranchisement, since 1893, has decreased the need for Maori seats. Proportional voting decreases it even more. In fact, I’d say that it really is becoming a Maori privilege now.

      • Jenny 1.1.1
        11 October 2011 at 6:00 pm

        I take it Draco that you are opposed to having Maori seats in parliament?

        Several other countries also have constitutional arrangements that allow marginalised communities or minorities that would otherwise have no voice, a say in parliament. But you seem opposed to this idea, why?

        • Thomas 1.1.1.1
          11 October 2011 at 6:12 pm

          Other countries such as?

          Fiji is probably the best example. Look how their democracy is doing…

          • McFlock 1.1.1.1.1
            11 October 2011 at 6:25 pm

            Canada.

            • Thomas 1.1.1.1.1.1
              11 October 2011 at 6:33 pm

              I’m not aware of Canada having anything like reserved racial seats. And a quick google turns up nothing. Can you give a reference?

                • Thomas …
                  11 October 2011 at 7:00 pm

                  Firstly, that’s not a country; it isn’t even a proper province of Canada.

                  Secondly, there is no mention of special representation. Only that the (ceremonial) commissioner is appointed by the minister of northern development, who is also the minister of indian affairs.

                  Example fail.

                  • alex …
                    11 October 2011 at 8:23 pm

                    Without the Maori seats would the proportion of Maori MPs mirror the population? I’m not sure if it currently does or not, and other factors would have to be taken into account, any answers anyone?

                    • Draco T Bastard …
                      11 October 2011 at 8:35 pm

                      Well, I suppose that would depend upon, in our proportional representation democracy, the Maori voting for Maori parties. If they don’t vote for them then perhaps they feel that those parties don’t represent them.

                      Then again, Labour has a fair few Maori MPs and even National, the home of Old White Guys, has a few. In fact, I believe such representation is increasing across parties (except possibly the party of Old White Guys which does seem to be shrinking back into it core constituency).

                    • Thomas …
                      11 October 2011 at 8:48 pm

                      Maori are well represented in parliament. From memory, 19% of MPs are Maori, while 15% of the population are. Asians are the most underrepresented ethnic group in parliament.

                    • The Voice of Reason …
                      11 October 2011 at 9:07 pm

                      The actual percentages are here. Bars are percentage of population, dots percentages in parliament. Maori are under-represented. Asians are over-represented.

                      Memory fail, Thomas.

                    • Thomas …
                      11 October 2011 at 9:24 pm

                      Voice of Reason: If you actually bothered to read the label on the left of your graph, you would see that it is the other way around. Bars are MPs and dots are population.

                      I was right about Maori being well represented and asians being severely underrepresented. But I admit that I was wrong on the numbers, it is 16% (not 19%) of MPs versus 15% of the population.

                    • The Voice of Reason …
                      11 October 2011 at 9:35 pm

                      Er, yes. I stand corrected.

                    • Adele …
                      12 October 2011 at 1:33 am

                      Representing Māori interests demands more than simply wearing brown skin, and, for that matter, speaking Te Reo. There are Māori in parliament now that actively work against Māori interests.

                      Māori politicians within political parties that do not actively promote Māori interests or who allow Māori interests to be subsumed under majority interests cannot be said to be working for Māori.

                      Those Māori politicians under Labour and National primarily have the interests of Labour and National to the forefront, hence why both versions of the foreshore and seabed legislation is such a low ebb in terms of advancing or protecting Māori interests.

                      Te Tiriti o Waitangi determines the nature of the relationship between the Crown / Govt and Māori, not population proportionality. If the Treaty was honoured than the Māori seats would in effect become a ‘nullity.’

                  • McFlock …
                    11 October 2011 at 11:40 pm

                    “Nunavut elects a single member of the Canadian House of Commons. This makes Nunavut the largest parliamentary riding in the world by area, just ahead of the American state of Alaska.”
                     
                    Paragraph two from the anchor of the above link. And from the very top:
                    “Nunavut /ˈnuːnəvʊt/ (from Inuktitut: ᓄᓇᕗᑦ [ˈnunavut]) is the largest and newest federal territory of Canada; it was separated officially from the Northwest Territories on April 1, 1999, via the Nunavut Act[7] and the Nunavut Land Claims Agreement Act,[8] though the actual boundaries had been established in 1993.”
                      
                     
                    Learn to read.

                    • Thomas …
                      12 October 2011 at 8:31 am

                      McFlock: So there is a territory in Canada where the inuit are the majority. And? Minority-majority electorates are not news.

                      You can’t compare that to having racially reserved seats. If you or I moved to Nunavut, we would be entitled to vote in the same elections for the same candidates as the inuit.

                      I think it is fair to say that Canada does not have anything that compares to the racial electorates in NZ.

                    • McFlock …
                      12 October 2011 at 12:03 pm

                      I can compare it to, for example, Tuhoe and the govt settling a claim by making traditional Tuhoe territory, tweaking the boundaries to match current ethnic population distributions (or as you would say “based on race”), a largely self-governing territory and giving it its own seat in parliament.
                        
                      And don’t slide the thread – we’re not looking for a clones of the NZ system, we’re just pointing out that other countries also have formal mechanisms that guarantee ethnic minorities a basic minimum level of representation in that country’s ruling council.

                       Indeed, the comment that you felt compelled to chip in on was: “Several other countries also have constitutional arrangements that allow marginalised communities or minorities that would otherwise have no voice, a say in parliament. ” So that would also include any country that has mechanisms for the minimum level of representation of women, or of different religions.

                    • Thomas …
                      12 October 2011 at 12:29 pm

                      Suggesting that Nunavut is comparable to our Maori seats is utter nonsense. I’m not asking for a clone of our system. I’m asking for another country with a successful democracy that has (at the national level) special representation for different ethnicities. You have not provided one.

                      The inuit of Nunavut live in isolated communities. They are subject to the same federal laws as the rest of Canada and they get the same level and type of representation as anyone else in Canada. They are hardly comparable to the electors of Tamaki Makaurau.

                      I think you should give up on this non-example.

                    • McFlock …
                      12 October 2011 at 9:17 pm

                      ” I’m asking for another country with a successful democracy that has (at the national level) special representation for different ethnicities. You have not provided one.”
                       
                      Constructing an electorate around a particular minority ethnicity’s area of demographic dominance is providing a seat based on ethnicity. Even if I accept you shifting the goalposts.

                    • Thomas …
                      13 October 2011 at 7:12 am

                      Nunavut is the largest electorate in the world. It’s not like they are specially engineering the borders to accommodate the inuit.

                      Moreover, the inuit of Nunavut are living a semi-traditional lifestyle isolated from the rest of the country. That’s very different to the maori of Auckland living a modern lifestlye integrated into the rest of the country.

                      If that is the best example you have, then I think I can safely claim that no successful democracy encourages racial segregation to the extent we do. If you want to find another country where you and your neighbour vote in different elections based on race, then we need to look at places like Fiji and Zimbabwe. And that’s a club I don’t want to join.

                      Considering that “one law for all” is widely accepted across the globe, I find it funny that Don Brash is labeled extreme when he promotes it.

                    • Colonial Viper …
                      13 October 2011 at 7:35 am

                      Considering that “one law for all” is widely accepted across the globe, I find it funny that Don Brash is labeled extreme when he promotes it.

                      Don Brash doesn’t believe in one law for all.

                      He believes in socialism for the rich and capitalism for the poor.

                    • Thomas …
                      13 October 2011 at 10:05 am

                      CV, you’re just trolling. Your assertion is both baseless and irrelevant to the topic of race relations.

                    • McFlock …
                      13 October 2011 at 12:33 pm

                      “Nunavut is the largest electorate in the world. It’s not like they are specially engineering the borders to accommodate the inuit.”

                      True, after all it’s not like the region was the result of, say, a settlement treaty between the resident indigenous population and the Canadian government – oh, wait.
                       
                      Learn to read, troll.

                    • Thomas …
                      13 October 2011 at 1:57 pm

                      What’s your point? I still don’t see how it compares to Maori seats.

                    • McFlock …
                      13 October 2011 at 4:26 pm

                      !: region defined according to a settlement with an ethnic group based on its traditional habitation area, which is largely devoid of other ethnic groups.

                      2: Region consists of one electorate that creates, by virtue of its borders, a specific electorate majority for an overall ethnic minority.
                       
                      3: Electorate is represented by one seat in the Canadian House of Commons.

                      And you can’t see any connection with our Maori seats?

                      There are none so blind, etc…

                    • Thomas …
                      13 October 2011 at 4:33 pm

                      Ah, I see the connection now. Maori live in an isolated and remote part of the country, which is largely devoid of other ethnic groups. They have a semi-traditional lifestyle and little interaction with the rest of the country. And there is an electorate that creates, by virtue of its borders, a specific electorate majority for an overall ethnic minority.

                      </sarcasm>

                    • McFlock …
                      13 October 2011 at 5:28 pm

                      Oh, so you are looking for any other country that gives parliamentary-equivalent representation to an ethnic minority, but only as long as it’s an exact duplicate of NZ?

                    • Thomas …
                      13 October 2011 at 5:47 pm

                      No. But it should be comparable to NZ, which Nunavut is not. It would be comparable to, say, Maori dominating an electorate in Northland.

                      You can’t compare a minority-majority electorate with electorates that have an explicit racial definition. In NZ your neighbour or workmate might vote in a different election because of his or her ancestry, despite having the same concerns, beliefs, job, income, friends, education, etc.

                      The US has 27 congressional districts with black majorities. Do you think the US also has “constitutional arrangements that allow marginalised communities or minorities that would otherwise have no voice, a say in parliament”?

                    • McFlock …
                      13 October 2011 at 5:58 pm

                      “You can’t compare a minority-majority electorate with electorates that have an explicit racial definition. In NZ your neighbour or workmate might vote in a different election because of his or her ancestry, despite having the same concerns, beliefs, job, income, friends, education, etc.”
                       
                      You can compare geographic electorates with demographic electorates if the geographic boundaries were determined based on demographic facts.

                    • Thomas …
                      13 October 2011 at 6:08 pm

                      By that logic, gerrymandering in the US also counts as minority representation.

                      Maori seats divide our society along racial lines even if we live and work next to each other. The isolated communities of Nunavut are already isolated by geography. That’s the crucial difference.

                      I and any reasonable person laugh at the suggestion that the inhabitants of Nunavut are comparable to the electors of Tamaki Makaurau.

                    • McFlock …
                      13 October 2011 at 6:23 pm

                      Actually, yes, gerrymandering frequently does have a “racial” component – although its objective is usually to lower minority representation, not maintain it. It also has, however, other socioeconomic factors beyond “race”, such as income and previous ballot-booth voting history.

                      “Maori seats divide our society along racial lines even if we live and work next to each other. The isolated communities of Nunavut are already isolated by geography. That’s the crucial difference”
                        
                      Quite a few federal systems are established along ethnic regional lines as well as geography or colonial logistics. Some of these nations are urban. Belgium, for example. But the point is that you look at Maori seats as a “racial” division. They are a legacy of the fact that European settlement here was a cohabitation agreement between two (or several, depending on your perspective) nations. Various factors such as urban drift and geographic mobility make national self-identity a more practical mechanism of representation than plain geography (although the Maori seats do have a geographic element).

                    • Thomas …
                      13 October 2011 at 7:11 pm

                      Sigh, you’re just avoiding my point by pontificating about federalism and geographic mobility. I think we’ll just have to leave it there.

                      To those less dogmatic readers: Think about this.

                      The best example of another successful democracy with racially divided elections in the entire world that McFlock can find is an electorate for isolated inuit communities in Canada. Now McFlock may think that this is a perfect analogue to Maori in Auckland having a separate electorate, but surely you find the comparison tenuous.

                      Now there are plenty of examples of struggling democracies with racially divided elections very similar to ours: Fiji, Iran, Jordan, Zimbabwe (until 1987), Cyprus, Croatia, Belgium. Is that a club you want to join? Belgium is probably the best country on the list and they are still trying for form a government after the 2010 elections—a world record for post-election negotiations.

                      I think that shows how our system looks on the international scale. And that should make you reconsider whether or not it is a good system.

                    • McFlock …
                      13 October 2011 at 9:30 pm

                      So you don’t think Canada is a good example of a democracy similar to NZ’s, but Zimbabwe and Iran are? Seriously?
                       
                      And I’m the “dogmatic” one.

                      [edit, after consideration] You’re a moron.

                    • Thomas …
                      13 October 2011 at 9:57 pm

                      McFlock: You don’t have a clue do you? Canada is similar to NZ in many respects, but that wasn’t the topic of the discussion. The topic was racially divided elections and, in that respect, NZ is closer to Fiji or Belgium than to Canada.

                    • McFlock …
                      13 October 2011 at 11:20 pm

                      The only “racially divided election” in NZ is whenever a tory starts blowing the “preferential treatment” dogwhistle – Orewa springs to mind.
                        
                      I’m wondering whether your insistence on using the “race” phraseology (as opposed to ethnic self-identity, cultural identity or even national identity, given that we’re only here because of a treaty) is some predilection of yours, or whether your vocab is just a bit limited.
                       
                      Belgium… sounds familiar. Ahh, here we are. Belgium’s economy seems to be doing better than ours, but then of course they don’t have National’s brighter future to deal with. Just as an aside.

              • Adele …
                11 October 2011 at 10:22 pm

                Canada has instead – A First Nations – Federal Crown Political Accord on the Recognition and Implementation of First Nation Governments – which appears to be a far more effective mechanism for protecting the inherent rights of its first nations peoples.

        • Draco T Bastard 1.1.1.2
          11 October 2011 at 6:17 pm

          Because they’re just people, the same as everyone else.

  2. ianmac 2
    11 October 2011 at 4:14 pm

    Why did he withdraw from the debate? Because John forbade him!

  3. Jenny 3
    11 October 2011 at 4:43 pm

    On the issue of The Treaty of Waitangi, Don Brash claims it may have been relevant once but is now obsolete.

    Yet in living memory, Ngati Whatua in Orakei were alienated from their last bit of land in Orakei when their whare was burned to the ground and their houses buldozed.

    When Ngati Whatua were driven from their homes Don Brash would have been a young man in his twenties

    Under the laws of land, there was no legal redress for this theft. Not until the Waitangi Tribunal was given legal teeth to take treaty issues into account, were the Ngati Whatua able to get a small bit of their stolen land back.

    Consequently the Ngati Whatua claim was the first ever successful claim to get redress for past injustices through their Treaty claim that no other law afforded.

    This is what really galls Don Brash.

    As well as being the inheritor of racist parliamentary policy towards Maori, Don Brash is the inheritor of a policy of deliberately impoverishing and alienating Maori from their land.

  4. Jenny 4
    11 October 2011 at 4:57 pm

    The hypocrisy of Don Brash is breathtaking.

    Don Brash while railing against “Maori Privilege” seeks to enter parliament through his party winning the seat of the most privileged and wealthiest electorate in New Zealand.

    Don Brash seeks to eliminate the “special Maori franchise” and abolish the Maori seats. According to him they represent “Maori Privilege”. Using the same twisted logic of Don Brash maybe we should be demanding the abolishment of the seat of Epsom and the removal of their ‘special franchise’.

    In fact I think that this would be a good idea. The privileged people of Epsom are a tiny minority, (even smaller than Maori) yet by electing ACT into parliament, Epsom will be setting the policy of the next government down an extreme right wing economic path that only they will be the beneficiaries of.

    Hone Harawira is often quoted as saying that “policies that are good for Maori, are good for all New Zealanders”

    But I don’t think anyone could claim that what is good for the rich people of Epsom is good for all New Zealanders. In fact most would agree that the opposite is the case.

  5. Thomas 5
    11 October 2011 at 5:45 pm

    By your logic, I can’t condemn the Nazis, because I don’t understand the history of early 20th century Germany. By your logic, I can’t condemn Apartheid, because I don’t understand the history of South Africa. By your logic, I can’t condemn Israel’s treatment of the Palestinians, because I don’t understand the history.

    This is a meaningless argument. I usually encounter this non-sequitur in the form of “you can’t reject christianity without studying the bible”.

    • felix 5.1
      11 October 2011 at 9:46 pm

      That’s a fair point you’re making.

      I would say though that if you were making a career out of condemning any of those things without knowing anything about the history, I’d be looking at you a bit sideways.

    • mik e 5.2
      11 October 2011 at 10:33 pm

      Doubting thomasYou can condemn anyone you like by me but be prepared to face the consequences. Maori were herded into 2 seats back in the 1860s because it was feared that they could use their democratic rights to out vote the Europeans of the day as they made up the majority of the population.So this was the original reason but the modern reason is that Maori have been poorly represented and neglected and abused and need to have a hand up to catch up with the rest of NZ because of past denial of democratic,legal ,educational and property rights guaranteed guaranteed to Maori under treaty giving Maori the same rights as a British citizen.Doubting thomas i hear the politics of envy coming from your redneck!

  6. fender 6
    11 October 2011 at 9:03 pm

    Its clear to see these banker wankers dont belong in parliment. I see Simon Power has got himself a banker wanker apprenticeship with westpac. Is that so the tender process for govt banker is compromised I wonder?

  7. Steve Wrathall 7
    11 October 2011 at 11:05 pm

    You don’t need a degree in leprecaunology to disbelieve in leprecauns. Similarly, Dr Brash’s refusal to delve into the fantastical mysticism of separatists, does not in any way invalidate his criticism of separatism.

    • felix 7.1
      11 October 2011 at 11:29 pm

      He’s not refusing to delve into fantastical mysticism though.

      He’s refusing to delve into facts of history and everyday reality.

  8. peteremcc 8
    12 October 2011 at 12:59 am

    From Don’s Facebook:

    I initially agreed to take part in this debate in the belief that the leaders of all or most of the other parties would also be taking part. Early last week, I learnt that Peter Dunne had withdrawn and that the only other leaders taking part were Hone Harawira, Pita Sharples, and Metiria Turei. I am of course entirely comfortable defending my views on the Treaty, and I am fervently committed to there being equal status at law for all New Zealanders, regardless of ethnicity (as provided for in Article III of the Treaty). But I could see a debate between three Maori and me turning into a pretty unseemly scene which carried the risk of taking the ACT Party campaign a long way from what has to be its primary focus right now, on the state of the economy.

    • logie97 8.1
      12 October 2011 at 12:37 pm

      Why should it turn unseemly Don, unless you were going to introduce something controversial into the discussion? Surely your hold on the “facts” should be strong enough to remain calm and reasoned in such a forum. Or are you unsure…?

  9. muzza911 9
    13 October 2011 at 3:54 am

    Brash and the “Old White Men” need to be run out of the country. They are a disgrace, and it is clear the agenda will be to alienate the Maori from the rest of NZ using divide and conquer tactics in years to come. As far the The Old White Men are concerned, Maori are in the way of them selling off more assets, land etc to other Old White Men.

    The old bastards need to be gone, and they will be, its happening. I am european decent, for the record, and having followed these old white men for some years now, they are a disgrace!

    Wake up NZ

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    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
    18 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
    20 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
    21 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
    23 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 ...
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  • Grant Illingworth KC appointed as transitional Commissioner to Royal Commission

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    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 ...
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    7 days ago
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    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 ...
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  • New infrastructure energises BOP forestry towns

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  • '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 ...
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