Benefit fraud vs white collar crime

Written By: - Date published: 7:02 am, July 18th, 2017 - 39 comments
Categories: benefits, class war, crime - Tags: , , , ,

The political hills are echoing with the aftermath of Meteri Turei’s confession of lying to WINZ, and Paula Bennett’s conciliatory and very precisely worded claim of not having done so “deliberately”. A good time to revisit the topic of benefit fraud vs white collar crime / tax evasion.

The institutional hypocrisy in the response to these issues is staggering:

Welfare fraud targeted more than tax evasion

White collar criminals get a better deal than welfare fraudsters because the system is biased before they even get to the courts, a lawyer says.

Research by Victoria University shows 10 times more welfare fraudsters were prosecuted than tax evaders even though tax evasion costs the economy 33 times more.

The research shows tax evasion amounts to at least $1 billion a year compared with $30 million for welfare fraud, but the courts are much harsher in their treatment of welfare fraudsters. …

Here’s a comparison of specific example cases reported only recently. In related news:

Economic crime costs up to $9.4bn

Economic crime is costing New Zealand up to $9.4 billion a year according to a draft Serious Fraud Office (SFO) report obtained by Radio New Zealand. …

Courts tougher on benefit fraud than tax dodging – study

New research reveals tax dodgers are ripping off the country at up to 150 times the rate of welfare fraudsters, but are being jailed much less often.

Last year, tax evaders cheated the country of between $1 and $6 billion, while welfare fraud cost $39 million.

“The problem of tax evasion is at best case scenario 25 to 50 times the financial amount of welfare fraud, and at worst case scenario potentially 100 to 150 times the amount,” says Dr Marriott.

And the latest research from Victoria University suggests our courts are far from equal in their treatment of the two groups.

“For tax evaders, the average offending is about four times as much, but have about a third of the likelihood of receiving a custodial sentence.” …

Tax burden falling on NZ’s working class

Economist Gareth Morgan believes New Zealand could be missing out on up to 25 percent of total income tax because the rich aren’t paying their fair share.

Morgan also told The Nation it is possible to get global corporations like Apple and Facebook to pay more tax on what they earn here.

The Government collects about $30 billion per year in income tax, but Mr Morgan says that take could be much bigger. The figures come from a soon-to-be-published report from the Morgan Foundation. …

Instead of bashing beneficiaries, who are often just trying to feed their kids, shouldn’t the power of the state be turned on the much bigger problem of white collar crime? Use the funding from a crack-down on a more universal and generous benefit system.


Just in passing:

39 comments on “Benefit fraud vs white collar crime ”

  1. One Anonymous Bloke 1

    Don’t forget that so-called benefit “fraud” includes overpayments made because beneficiaries report income after they’ve received it.

    That pie-chart demonstrates that corruption is present in every sector of the economy.

    Obviously the solution is to defund the SFO (pdf).

    On any analysis, and given the rise and sophistication of economic crime, the current budgeted volume of cases (and related funding) means SFO cannot properly address serious financial crime, and has significant challenges to be viable at the lower volume of investigations.

    Treasury, 2011

  2. Ad 2

    Anthony, the political hypocrisy only exists because it perfectly mirrors the hypocrisy of the general public.

    The public of New Zealand want to see the poor punished and the successful simply smudged rather than burnt.

    This is not due to political leadership gently leading the tone downwards. Nor from the mainstream and digital media. Both simply reflect the New Zealand public and their long term economic circumstance.

    This punitive tone is what you get when the great majority of people in New Zealand are going backwards, far more are in poverty, so they make sure that they police and enforce those who are already on the bottom to stay there: the poor are the floor for the declining.

    The truly poor are the class marker that the declining public need. So they hate on them. It’s a New Zealand condition.

    • “The public of New Zealand want to see the poor punished and the successful simply smudged rather than burnt.”

      why do we do that though? Is it that as we pull them down we get uplifted? Is it just fuck them – born from neolib and individualism. Is it the competitive eat anything ethos of capitalism? Embarrassment? Shame? Why do we hate ourselves so much – guilt around the orgy of resource use? Guilt about the pollution, the mess?

      • Incognito 2.1.1

        Good question: why do we do it?

        Even though it might have been rhetorical I’ll bite anyway.

        My basic & simplistic answer is that we look down on the ‘poor’ and up to the ‘rich’.

        We see many moral and personal failings in the poor despite the many more (obvious) qualities.

        We see many qualities in the rich despite the many more (obvious) moral and personal failings.

        It’s our dualistic view of everything that is the root cause.

        Change our view and we’ll change everything and first and foremost ourselves. [Note the dualism in this statement]

      • One Anonymous Bloke 2.1.2

        Fear of losing face, of not being “respected”. Yes, we’re a bunch of fragile cry-babies 😈

      • Kevin 2.1.3

        30+ Years of Neolib bullshit being forced down your that. To many now, that is the only way they know.

    • ‘ The truly poor are the class marker that the declining public need. So they hate on them. It’s a New Zealand condition.’

      I just cant understand that mentality , I have just never understood it.. unless… someone is so full of envy or anxiety about their position in life… but it all seems like such a self imposed prison.

      But man ! – those figures above !!! Wow !!! Even the first opening lines ,…

      ‘ tax evasion costs the economy 33 times more. ( than welfare fraud )

      The research shows tax evasion amounts to at least $1 billion a year compared with $30 million for welfare fraud, but the courts are much harsher in their treatment of welfare fraudsters. …’

      It just seems that poor people are so much more easily badgered and authority’s know they do not have the finance to defend their case . Perhaps this is why they also removed state / court subsidized lawyers for those who have little money to afford one. That is evil.

    • Carolyn_nth 2.3

      Bashing the poor, separating them into deserving and undeserving, has a long history in British culture. British colonisers brought those attitudes with them to NZ.

      It’s been passed on through the generations to a greater or lesser extent.

      When politicians and major/governing political parties compete to get tougher on beneficiaries, it increases the bennie-bashing tendencies. And Labour and Nats have both been competing in that arena for a couple of decades.

      Time to turn the tide and for some left wing party/ies to show leadership in a truly left direction on this.

      • Karen 2.3.1

        +1 Caroline

      • CLEANGREEN 2.3.2

        yes good blog Carolyn we are living in a corrupt time when to lioe is standard practice in administrative circles.

        Only us must comply with honesty it seems..

    • RedLogix 2.4

      Chris Trotter uses the The Emperor’s New Clothes fable to explain:

      The interesting thing about Andersen’s fable is that it’s actually supported by a critical element of scientific fact. If people whose judgment we have no reason to doubt inform us that black is white, most of us will, in an astonishingly short period of time, start disregarding the evidence of our own eyes.

      Even worse, if an authority figure instructs us to administer punishments to people “for their own good” most of us will do so.

      Even when the punishment appears to be causing the recipients intense, even fatal, pain, we will be continue flicking the switch for as long as the authority figure insists that the pain is necessary and that we have no alternative except to proceed. (If you doubt this, just Google “Stanley Milgram”.)

      https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/opinion/94799945/chris-trotter-who-will-cry-out-that-neoliberalisms-new-clothes-are-invisible

      • NZJester 2.4.1

        No need to google that, just look at President Trump in the US and his hypocrisy as a case study.

    • NZJester 2.5

      I don’t think it is the General Public that wants to see the poor punished and the successful simply smudged. It is those that have lied and cheated and stood on the little guy spending money to get the rules written in their favor so they can continue to lie, cheat and step on the little guy without worrying about it affecting them too badly if caught.
      The quality of the layers due to what they can afford to pay tends to get them a better time in court as well being able to block some of the evidence and/or testimony against them because their lawyers have the time to study everything and find the smallest technicality to do that, while the benefit fraudster is normally represented by a lawyer who does not get paid enough to look through all the evidence to find those small technicalities. A good layer also knows how to turn peoples words against them making the testimony of witness look unreliable by using mind games on them by looking into their histories.

  3. Good one Anthony – exactly great timing on this post.

    I cannot imagine anyone not being implicated.

  4. Ad 4

    It was great to see the Labour party this morning focus on smacking down on multinational corporates who conceal their profits.

    Sure hope the IRD are ready for an alternative government to this lot.

    • Cinny 4.1

      Yes ! Super happy about that announcement.

      Well done Labour

    • Indeed. Its game on . In the NZ Herald ;

      Little has written to the leaders of multinational companies setting out his intention if Labour leads the next Government .
      Little has not specified yet how Labour would determine a fair share or what the penalty tax would be , but has announced it would collect an extra $600 million from multinationals over three years .
      If it was introduced, however , the penalty tax would likely be higher than the corporate rate of 28 per cent , as is the case in Britain where , since 2015 , a new diverted profit tax was set at 25 per cent , compared with company tax of 20 per cent . Labour’s extra $600m revenue from the penalty tax has been budgeted to help fund its alternative Budget, which is to be unveiled tomorrow .

      Little said Labour would give the Inland Revenue Department a further $30m in order to collect the extra $600m .

      ” If multinationals aren’t prepared to pay their fair share, Labour will introduce a diverted profits tax , to enable New Zealand tax authorities to impose tax at a penalty rate if they believe that tax has been deliberately avoided . ”

      A diverted profits tax would be an important tool to encourage multinationals to behave appropriately and pay their fair share of tax , like hard-working New Zealanders , Little said . A discussion document issued by the IRD in March estimated that up to $300m of tax a year was being lost because of multinational avoidance . It included proposals that were in line with recommendations from the OECD base erosions and profit-sharing project . Labour said its policy was aimed at collecting all of the $300m .

      …………………………………

      And this is another area beside tax evasion where the pot calls the kettle black when it comes to benefit fraud. There’s good times ahead when Labour gets into power after September 3rd.

      • alwyn 4.2.1

        You state
        “Little has not specified yet how Labour would determine a fair share or what the penalty tax would be , but has announced it would collect an extra $600 million from multinationals over three years .”.
        How is he so clear on how much is the tax going to be without explaining how it is going to be calculated?
        That’s easy. He is simply going to decree the numbers. That is the approach they are taking these days in South Africa. Just say a company owes you whatever amount you feel like. Don’t bother about the rule of law. Andrew has seen a few to many Westerns and loved the line “I am the law here”.

        No doubt you will get a rebate if you make suitable donations to the Labour Party.

        I am not saying that there is no problem with the taxation of multinational companies. It wasn’t so bad when the goods being traded had a physical existence. It is much more complicated when the goods, such as computer software, have no real physical existence and the main value is the Intellectual capital.
        Even so, unilateral action, based on arbitrary claims as Little is proposing is mad. It is essential that we have universal agreement by all countries if the taxation is to work.

        On Little’s silly idea what is there to stop China copying it and claiming that all the income received by Fonterra sales to their country is taxable. Not just the accounting profit but ALL the income.
        Fonterra expects to reach $10bn in Chinese sales by 2020. Suppose that China simply decrees that all the sales were profit and demands 40% in tax? There goes $4bn/year and the dairy industry collapses.That would be in line with the Little fool’s proposal. Just decree some arbitrary profit.
        What do we do then?

        It is essential that we promote the idea of a internationally acceptable way of allocating profits by multinationals to countries. The ridiculous proposal Andrew is proposing may be popular with the economically illiterate part of the population here but it is madness for New Zealand’s real interests.

        • RedLogix 4.2.1.1

          And that makes a very reasonable point alwyn.

        • BM 4.2.1.2

          Well said alwyn.

          Little knows this though and has no intention of following through on any of these proposals like you say the whole thing is just a pitch at the stupid and gullible who have no idea how it all works,

          Pretty dishonest and Trump like if you ask me.

        • Craig H 4.2.1.3

          Political parties are not schools, donee organisations or charities, so there is no rebate for donations to them.

        • McFlock 4.2.1.4

          meh.

          Call it a “windfall tax”, like the UK did. The sky didn’t fall then.

        • So, firstly, on Multinationals that do trade in concrete goods:

          Little is right. Calls to wait for multilateral action have gone nowhere. It’s time to say that unless multinationals voluntarily pay their fair share, we will impose penalties on them. If they want to withdraw their parasitical limbs from our country and let kiwi businesses take over their markets, fine, that just gives more opportunity to our own entrepreneurs.

          I don’t mind if we have to adjust things later to line up with a different, more internationally accepted approach. The point is that it’s critical to start, or there will never be an internationally accepted approach because Serious Fiscal Types will keep arguing that nobody should do it on their own.

          As for digital goods, I think there really does need to be a volume test there. I don’t mind small outfits selling under a foreign tax regime. But if you’re making millions of transactions digitally with New Zealanders, you should probably be subject to New Zealand taxes whether or not you maintain a physical presence here, the trick will be on how to enforce it in the more difficult cases, and whether it would result in unfair double-taxation. (which isn’t to say double-taxation is inherently unfair, just that it might make big digital outlets essentially pay a tariff compared to small ones if double-taxation isn’t sorted) That’s the kind of case where an international agreement actually is appropriate, because the people involved are usually paying tax in their place of business. (unless they’re tax-dodgers and operating out of, say, Ireland, like Facebook)

        • Ad 4.2.1.6

          I have as much sympathy for Fonterra as any multinational.

          Fonterra gets massive scrutiny of its accounts from the farmer suppliers and shareholders. Their profit is not merely decreed.

          And no, you don’t wait for all global rules to be equal before you act.

          What you do is act.

          • alwyn 4.2.1.6.1

            You will note that I didn’t say it would be New Zealand that jumped on Fonterra.
            I said it could be CHINA that did such a thing.
            Also I see that I accidentally put the word South ahead of Africa. It should have been just Africa. The country concerned is in fact Tanzania.

    • Sure hope the IRD are ready for an alternative government to this lot.

      This government has been heavily cutting IRD so probably not.

      156 IRD jobs axed
      Inland Revenue reveals details of how it will slash 1500 jobs

      Can’t go round having enough people to catch the rich defrauding us.

      • CLEANGREEN 4.3.1

        “Can’t go round having enough people to catch the rich defrauding us.”

        Yes they are banking on this too!!!!!

  5. ianmac 5

    There was some sort of documentary a few years ago, about the imbalance of investigators for benefit fraud against the number of investigators for the much larger fraud like tax evasion. I think there was one tax investigator for every ten benefit investigators.
    My brother rented out a house and claimed pots of paint etc as maintenance when he was really making improvements. In a microscopic way that was fraud.
    A farmer friend built a flash 5 bedroom house on the farm but it was tax deductible as it was recorded as a new barn.
    Must be countless examples of big and little fraud.
    The hypocrisy of the big ones makes me angry.

  6. Carolyn_nth 6

    There’s now an #IamMetiria being used on twitter.

    • Bill 6.1

      Nice! 🙂

      Must admit that I’m disappointed in the approach or framing of this post. It suggests there is merely a league table of moral or criminal wrongdoing on the part of individuals.

      In doing that it buries the central point- that the system designed to provide social security is unnecessarily onerous and also immoral.

      • And also, it misses that criminal actions committed to survive under class warfare aren’t simply justified resistance against an immoral law that says it’s okay for the state to abdicate its responsibility to help people survive.

        Yes, some people’s focus is infuriatingly wrong on this issue. But that doesn’t mean we should ever concede that welfare fraud to survive isn’t the right thing to do under the circumstances. I would pick people surviving- Every. Single. Time.

        • Bill 6.1.1.1

          I would pick people surviving- Every. Single. Time.

          Absolutely.

          I guess what I didn’t quite get across in my comment above is that, like stealing food when genuinely hungry, much of what gets sold back to us as “benefit fraud” simply isn’t. Yes, by the letter of the law it may be. But by any reasonable moral or ethical code it just simply isn’t.

          So comparing actions that are necessary for survival (social security indiscretions) to actions that are born of greed or a sense of entitlement (tax avoidance) is contemptible bullshit in my book.

          • Korero Pono 6.1.1.1.1

            +100 looks like the Greens are the only party that understand the hardship beneficiaries experience, it’s good to at last see progressive policy coming out to tackle the last 30 plus years of backward policy. #IamMetiria

          • RedLogix 6.1.1.1.2

            Was this woman caught stealing a loaf of bread? Transport her to the colonies I say !!!

          • Matthew Whitehead 6.1.1.1.3

            Yeah, I thought you were on the right path with your previous post but that it deserved expanding on. It is the refusal to admit that class war exists that is the right’s problem on this issue, and its obviousness to anyone who ever listens with empathy to any beneficiary ever is what makes clear the difference between tax fraud being straightforwardly wrong but benefit fraud sometimes morally fraught but ultimately justifiable when committed out of genuine need. (which isn’t to say there isn’t the rare case out there of people who defraud the benefit system for frivolous reasons or just because they think they can get away with it, the question is whether our over-emphasis on those people has lead to a culture where everyone else on a benefit is treated like dirt)

  7. web-developer 7

    It’s just redic. Most of the $80 million will be ‘fake debt’ which is (due to slow processes) is remarkably difficult to clear. For instance: if you are receiving an accommodation supplement as a job seeker and become employed but are still eligible for an accommodation supplement and the Work and Income person doesn’t change you from a ‘benefit accommodation supplement’ to a ‘non-benefit accommodation supplement’, you rack up a debt to Work and Income. This is despite the fact the non-bene AS is paid at the same rate/amount. The only difference is some background administrative title. So, you start declaring your wages to continue receiving the payments. Then, three months down the track and without explanation, the payments stop and the payments you had received (could be anywhere between $200 and $800) are then classified as a debt, and no doubt ‘beneficiary fraud’. It would be hard for anyone to categorise that as a debt or fraud for which the recipient is liable, yet this ‘fake debt’ is still counted as such.

    If this happens 1/20 times to the 300,000-odd AS recipients, that’s nearly $10 million per year added to the $80 million ‘beneficiary fraud’ total.

  8. Jlo73 8

    If I read this correctly, estimates of tax fraud are $1 billion, but actual benefit fraud convictions are $33 million. Can’t really compare the two.

    Better to compare estimates of tax fraud against estimates of benefit fraud, or actual tax convictions against the $33 mil.

    Also, IRD can gut a person like a fish with with penalties and interest before it goes to court with a conviction.

  9. gsays 9

    I seem to recall banks getting pinged a few times over the last couple of decades.
    Enormous sums, yet they entered into ‘negotiations’ with ird.
    It is sickening compared with how they treat individuals, e.g. compulsory deductions from wages etc.

  10. mosa 10

    English gets caught out claiming tax payers money he should never have been entitled to in the first place and he knew he was ” rorting ” the system and Key remarks that it was ” unfortunate distraction ” that pretty much sums up the National party corporate approach.

    Keep stealing until you get caught.

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    It is not the school holidays yet at Kia Kaha Primary School!It can be any time when you are telling a story.Telling stories about things that happened in the past is how we learn from our mistakes.If we want to.Anyway, it is not the school holidays yet at Kia Kaha ...
    More than a fieldingBy David Slack
    3 days ago
  • Hipkins fires up in leaders’ debate, but has the curtain already fallen on the Labour-led coalitio...
    Labour’s  Chris Hipkins came out firing, in the  leaders’ debate  on Newshub’s evening programme, and most of  the pundits  rated  him the winner against National’s  Christopher Luxon. But will this make any difference when New  Zealanders  start casting their ballots? The problem  for  Hipkins is  that  voters are  all too ...
    Point of OrderBy tutere44
    4 days ago
  • Govt is energising housing projects with solar power – and fuelling the public’s concept of a di...
    Buzz from the Beehive  Not long after Point of Order published data which show the substantial number of New Zealanders (77%) who believe NZ is becoming more divided, government ministers were braying about a programme which distributes some money to “the public” and some to “Maori”. The ministers were dishing ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    4 days ago
  • MIKE GRIMSHAW: Election 2023 – a totemic & charisma failure?
    The D&W analysis Michael Grimshaw writes –  Given the apathy, disengagement, disillusionment, and all-round ennui of this year’s general election, it was considered time to bring in those noted political operatives and spin doctors D&W, the long-established consultancy firm run by Emile Durkheim and Max Weber. Known for ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • FROM BFD: Will Winston be the spectre we think?
    Kissy kissy. Cartoon credit BoomSlang. The BFD. JC writes-  Allow me to preface this contribution with the following statement: If I were asked to express a preference between a National/ACT coalition or a National/ACT/NZF coalition then it would be the former. This week Luxon declared his position, ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • California’s climate disclosure bill could have a huge impact across the U.S.
    This re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Andy Furillo was originally published by Capital & Main and is part of Covering Climate Now, a global journalism collaboration strengthening coverage of the climate story. The California Legislature took a step last week that has the potential to accelerate the fight against climate ...
    4 days ago
  • Untangling South East Queensland’s Public Transport
    This is a cross post Adventures in Transitland by Darren Davis. I recently visited Brisbane and South East Queensland and came away both impressed while also pondering some key changes to make public transport even better in the region. Here goes with my take on things. A bit of ...
    Greater AucklandBy Guest Post
    4 days ago
  • Try A Little Kindness.
    My daughter arrived home from the supermarket yesterday and she seemed a bit worried about something. It turned out she wanted to know if someone could get her bank number from a receipt.We wound the story back.She was in the store and there was a man there who was distressed, ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    4 days ago
  • What makes NZFirst tick
    New Zealand’s longest-running political roadshow rolled into Opotiki yesterday, with New Zealand First leader Winston Peters knowing another poll last night showed he would make it back to Parliament and National would need him and his party if they wanted to form a government. The Newshub Reid Research poll ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    4 days ago
  • September AMA
    Hi,As September draws to a close — I feel it’s probably time to do an Ask Me Anything. You know how it goes: If you have any burning questions, fire away in the comments and I will do my best to answer. You might have questions about Webworm, or podcast ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    4 days ago
  • Bludgers lying in the scratcher making fools of us all
    The mediocrity who stands to be a Prime Minister has a litany.He uses it a bit like a Koru Lounge card. He will brandish it to say: these people are eligible. And more than that, too: These people are deserving. They have earned this policy.They have a right to this policy. What ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    4 days ago
  • More “partnerships” (by the look of it) and redress of over $30 million in Treaty settlement wit...
    Buzz from the Beehive Point of Order has waited until now – 3.45pm – for today’s officially posted government announcements.  There have been none. The only addition to the news on the Beehive’s website was posted later yesterday, after we had published our September 26 Buzz report. It came from ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    5 days ago
  • ALEX HOLLAND: Labour’s spending
    Alex Holland writes –  In 2017 when Labour came to power, crown spending was $76 billion per year. Now in 2023 it is $139 billion per year, which equates to a $63 billion annual increase (over $1 billion extra spend every week!) In 2017, New Zealand’s government debt ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • If not now, then when?
    Labour released its fiscal plan today, promising the same old, same old: "responsibility", balanced books, and of course no new taxes: "Labour will maintain income tax settings to provide consistency and certainty in these volatile times. Now is not the time for additional taxes or to promise billions of ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    5 days ago
  • THE FACTS:  77% of Kiwis believe NZ is becoming more divided
    The Facts has posted –        KEY INSIGHTSOf New Zealander’s polled: Social unity/division 77%believe NZ is becoming more divided (42% ‘much more’ + 35% ‘a little more’) 3%believe NZ is becoming less divided (1% ‘much less’ + 2% ‘a little less’) ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • Gordon Campbell on the cynical brutality of the centre-right’s welfare policies
    The centre-right’s enthusiasm for forcing people off the benefit and into paid work is matched only by the enthusiasm (shared by Treasury and the Reserve Bank) for throwing people out of paid work to curb inflation, and achieve the optimal balance of workers to job seekers deemed to be desirable ...
    5 days ago
  • Wednesday’s Chorus: Arthur Grimes on why building many, many more social houses is so critical
    New research shows that tenants in social housing - such as these Wellington apartments - are just as happy as home owners and much happier than private tenants. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The election campaign took an ugly turn yesterday, and in completely the wrong direction. All three ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • Old habits
    Media awareness about global warming and climate change has grown fairly steadily since 2004. My impression is that journalists today tend to possess a higher climate literacy than before. This increasing awareness and improved knowledge is encouraging, but there are also some common interpretations which could be more nuanced. ...
    Real ClimateBy rasmus
    5 days ago
  • Bennie Bashing.
    If there’s one thing the mob loves more than keeping Māori in their place, more than getting tough on the gangs, maybe even more than tax cuts. It’s a good old round of beneficiary bashing.Are those meanies in the ACT party stealing your votes because they think David Seymour is ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago
  • The kindest cuts
    Labour kicks off the fiscal credibility battle today with the release of its fiscal plan. National is expected to follow, possibly as soon as Thursday, with its own plan, which may (or may not) address the large hole that the problems with its foreign buyers’ ban might open up. ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    5 days ago
  • Green right turn in Britain? Well, a start
    While it may be unlikely to register in New Zealand’s general election, Britain’s PM Rishi Sunak has done something which might just be important in the long run. He’s announced a far-reaching change in his Conservative government’s approach to environmental, and particularly net zero, policy. The starting point – ...
    Point of OrderBy xtrdnry
    5 days ago
  • At a glance – How do human CO2 emissions compare to natural CO2 emissions?
    On February 14, 2023 we announced our Rebuttal Update Project. This included an ask for feedback about the added "At a glance" section in the updated basic rebuttal versions. This weekly blog post series highlights this new section of one of the updated basic rebuttal versions and serves as a ...
    5 days ago
  • How could this happen?
    Canada is in uproar after the exposure that its parliament on September 22 provided a standing ovation to a Nazi veteran who had been invited into the chamber to participate in the parliamentary welcome to Ukrainian President Zelensky. Yaroslav Hunka, 98, a Ukrainian man who volunteered for service in ...
    5 days ago
  • Always Be Campaigning
    The big screen is a great place to lay out the ways of the salesman. He comes ready-made for Panto, ripe for lampooning.This is not to disparage that life. I have known many good people of that kind. But there is a type, brazen as all get out. The camera ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    5 days ago
  • STEPHEN FRANKS: Press seek to publicly shame doctor – we must push back
    The following is a message sent yesterday from lawyer Stephen Franks on behalf of the Free Speech Union. I don’t like to interrupt first thing Monday morning, but we’ve just become aware of a case where we think immediate and overwhelming attention could help turn the tide. It involves someone ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • Competing on cruelty
    The right-wing message calendar is clearly reading "cruelty" today, because both National and NZ First have released beneficiary-bashing policies. National is promising a "traffic light" system to police and kick beneficiaries, which will no doubt be accompanied by arbitrary internal targets to classify people as "orange" or "red" to keep ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    6 days ago
  • Further funding for Pharmac (forgotten in the Budget?) looks like a $1bn appeal from a PM in need of...
    Buzz from the Beehive One Labour plan  – for 3000 more public homes by 2025 – is the most recent to be posted on the government’s official website. Another – a prime ministerial promise of more funding for Pharmac – has been released as a Labour Party press statement. Who ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago
  • Bryce Edwards: The Vested interests shaping National Party policies
    As the National Party gets closer to government, lobbyists and business interests will be lining up for influence and to get policies adopted. It’s therefore in the public interest to have much more scrutiny and transparency about potential conflicts of interests that might arise. One of the key individuals of ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    6 days ago
  • Labour may be on way out of power and NZ First back in – but will Peters go into coalition with Na...
    Voters  are deserting Labour in droves, despite Chris  Hipkins’  valiant  rearguard  action.  So  where  are they  heading?  Clearly  not all of them are going to vote National, which concedes that  the  outcome  will be “close”. To the Right of National, the ACT party just a  few weeks  ago  was ...
    Point of OrderBy tutere44
    6 days ago
  • GRAHAM ADAMS: Will the racists please stand up?
    Accusations of racism by journalists and MPs are being called out. Graham Adams writes –    With the election less than three weeks away, what co-governance means in practice — including in water management, education, planning law and local government — remains largely obscure. Which is hardly ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago
  • Gordon Campbell on whether Winston Peters can be a moderating influence
    As the centre-right has (finally!) been subjected to media interrogation, the polls are indicating that some voters may be starting to have second thoughts about the wisdom of giving National and ACT the power to govern alone. That’s why yesterday’s Newshub/Reid Research poll had the National/ACT combo dropping to 60 ...
    6 days ago
  • Tuesday’s Chorus: RBNZ set to rain on National's victory parade
    ANZ has increased its forecast for house inflation later this year on signs of growing momentum in the market ahead of the election. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: National has campaigned against the Labour Government’s record on inflation and mortgage rates, but there’s now a growing chance the Reserve ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    6 days ago
  • After a Pittsburgh coal processing plant closed, ER visits plummeted
    This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Katie Myers. This story was originally published by Grist and is part of Covering Climate Now, a global journalism collaboration strengthening coverage of the climate story. Pittsburgh, in its founding, was blessed and cursed with two abundant natural resources: free-flowing rivers and a nearby coal seam. ...
    6 days ago
  • September-23 AT Board Meeting
    Today the AT board meet again and once again I’ve taken a look at what’s on the agenda to find the most interesting items. Closed Agenda Interestingly when I first looked at the agendas this paper was there but at the time of writing this post it had been ...
    6 days ago
  • Electorate Watch: West Coast-Tasman
    Continuing my series on interesting electorates, today it’s West Coast-Tasman.A long thin electorate running down the northern half of the west coast of the South Island. Think sand flies, beautiful landscapes, lots of rain, Pike River, alternative lifestylers, whitebaiting, and the spiritual home of the Labour Party. A brief word ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    6 days ago
  • Big money brings Winston back
    National leader Christopher Luxon yesterday morning conceded it and last night’s Newshub poll confirmed it; Winston Peters and NZ First are not only back but highly likely to be part of the next government. It is a remarkable comeback for a party that was tossed out of Parliament in ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    6 days ago
  • 20 days until Election Day, 7 until early voting begins… but what changes will we really see here?
    As this blogger, alongside many others, has already posited in another forum: we all know the National Party’s “budget” (meaning this concept of even adding up numbers properly is doing a lot of heavy, heavy lifting right now) is utter and complete bunk (read hung, drawn and quartered and ...
    exhALANtBy exhalantblog
    6 days ago
  • A night out
    Everyone was asking, Are you nervous? and my response was various forms of God, yes.I've written more speeches than I can count; not much surprises me when the speaker gets to their feet and the room goes quiet.But a play? Never.YOU CAME! THANK YOU! Read more ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    6 days ago
  • A pallid shade of Green III
    Clearly Labour's focus groups are telling it that it needs to pay more attention to climate change - because hot on the heels of their weaksauce energy efficiency pilot programme and not-great-but-better-than-nothing solar grants, they've released a full climate manifesto. Unfortunately, the core policies in it - a second Emissions ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    6 days ago
  • A coalition of racism, cruelty, and chaos
    Today's big political news is that after months of wibbling, National's Chris Luxon has finally confirmed that he is willing to work with Winston Peters to become Prime Minister. Which is expected, but I guess it tells us something about which way the polls are going. Which raises the question: ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    6 days ago
  • More migrant workers should help generate the tax income needed to provide benefits for job seekers
    Buzz from the Beehive Under something described as a “rebalance” of its immigration rules, the Government has adopted four of five recommendations made in an independent review released in July, The fifth, which called on the government to specify criteria for out-of-hours compliance visits similar to those used during ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    7 days ago
  • Letter To Luxon.
    Some of you might know Gerard Otto (G), and his G News platform. This morning he wrote a letter to Christopher Luxon which I particularly enjoyed, and with his agreement I’m sharing it with you in this guest newsletter.If you’d like to make a contribution to support Gerard’s work you ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    7 days ago
  • LINDSAY MITCHELL: Alarming trend in benefit numbers
    Lindsay Mitchell writes –  While there will not be another quarterly release of benefit numbers prior to the election, limited weekly reporting continues and is showing an alarming trend. Because there is a seasonal component to benefit number fluctuations it is crucial to compare like with like. In ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    7 days ago
  • BRIAN EASTON: Has there been external structural change?
    A close analysis of the Treasury assessment of the Medium Term in its PREFU 2023 suggests the economy may be entering a new phase.   Brian Easton writes –  Last week I explained that the forecasts in the just published Treasury Pre-election Economic and Fiscal Update (PREFU 2023) was ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    7 days ago
  • CRL Progress – Sep-23
    It’s been a while since we looked at the latest with the City Rail Link and there’s been some fantastic milestones recently. To start with, and most recently, CRL have released an awesome video showing a full fly-through of one of the tunnels. Come fly with us! You asked for ...
    7 days ago
  • Monday’s Chorus: Not building nearly enough
    We are heading into another period of fast population growth without matching increased home building or infrastructure investment.Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Labour and National detailed their house building and migration approaches over the weekend, with both pledging fast population growth policies without enough house building or infrastructure investment ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    7 days ago
  • Game on; Hipkins comes out punching
    Labour leader Chris Hipkins yesterday took the gloves off and laid into National and its leader Christopher Luxon. For many in Labour – and particularly for some at the top of the caucus and the party — it would not have been a moment too soon. POLITIK is aware ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    7 days ago
  • Tax Cut Austerity Blues.
    The leaders have had their go, they’ve told us the “what?” and the “why?” of their promises. Now it’s the turn of the would be Finance Ministers to tell us the “how?”, the “how much?”, and the “when?”A chance for those competing for the second most powerful job in the ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    1 week ago

  • 100 new public EV chargers to be added to national network
    The public EV charging network has received a significant boost with government co-funding announced today for over 100 EV chargers – with over 200 charging ports altogether – across New Zealand, and many planned to be up and running on key holiday routes by Christmas this year. Minister of Energy ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    11 hours ago
  • Safeguarding Tuvalu language and identity
    Tuvalu is in the spotlight this week as communities across New Zealand celebrate Vaiaso o te Gagana Tuvalu – Tuvalu Language Week. “The Government has a proven record of supporting Pacific communities and ensuring more of our languages are spoken, heard and celebrated,” Pacific Peoples Minister Barbara Edmonds said. “Many ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    18 hours ago
  • New community-level energy projects to support more than 800 Māori households
    Seven more innovative community-scale energy projects will receive government funding through the Māori and Public Housing Renewable Energy Fund to bring more affordable, locally generated clean energy to more than 800 Māori households, Energy and Resources Minister Dr Megan Woods says. “We’ve already funded 42 small-scale clean energy projects that ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Huge boost to Te Tai Tokerau flood resilience
    The Government has approved new funding that will boost resilience and greatly reduce the risk of major flood damage across Te Tai Tokerau. Significant weather events this year caused severe flooding and damage across the region. The $8.9m will be used to provide some of the smaller communities and maraes ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Napier’s largest public housing development comes with solar
    The largest public housing development in Napier for many years has been recently completed and has the added benefit of innovative solar technology, thanks to Government programmes, says Housing Minister Dr Megan Woods. The 24 warm, dry homes are in Seddon Crescent, Marewa and Megan Woods says the whanau living ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Te Whānau a Apanui and the Crown initial Deed of Settlement I Kua waitohua e Te Whānau a Apanui me...
    Māori: Kua waitohua e Te Whānau a Apanui me te Karauna te Whakaaetanga Whakataunga Kua waitohua e Te Whānau a Apanui me te Karauna i tētahi Whakaaetanga Whakataunga hei whakamihi i ō rātou tāhuhu kerēme Tiriti o Waitangi. E tekau mā rua ngā hapū o roto mai o Te Whānau ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Plan for 3,000 more public homes by 2025 – regions set to benefit
    Regions around the country will get significant boosts of public housing in the next two years, as outlined in the latest public housing plan update, released by the Housing Minister, Dr Megan Woods. “We’re delivering the most public homes each year since the Nash government of the 1950s with one ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Immigration settings updates
    Judicial warrant process for out-of-hours compliance visits 2023/24 Recognised Seasonal Employer cap increased by 500 Additional roles for Construction and Infrastructure Sector Agreement More roles added to Green List Three-month extension for onshore Recovery Visa holders The Government has confirmed a number of updates to immigration settings as part of ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Poroporoaki: Tā Patrick (Patu) Wahanga Hohepa
    Tangi ngunguru ana ngā tai ki te wahapū o Hokianga Whakapau Karakia. Tārehu ana ngā pae maunga ki Te Puna o te Ao Marama. Korihi tangi ana ngā manu, kua hinga he kauri nui ki te Wao Nui o Tāne. He Toa. He Pou. He Ahorangi. E papaki tū ana ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Renewable energy fund to support community resilience
    40 solar energy systems on community buildings in regions affected by Cyclone Gabrielle and other severe weather events Virtual capability-building hub to support community organisations get projects off the ground Boost for community-level renewable energy projects across the country At least 40 community buildings used to support the emergency response ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • COVID-19 funding returned to Government
    The lifting of COVID-19 isolation and mask mandates in August has resulted in a return of almost $50m in savings and recovered contingencies, Minister of Health Dr Ayesha Verrall announced today. Following the revocation of mandates and isolation, specialised COVID-19 telehealth and alternative isolation accommodation are among the operational elements ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Appointment of District Court Judge
    Susie Houghton of Auckland has been appointed as a new District Court Judge, to serve on the Family Court, Attorney-General David Parker said today.  Judge Houghton has acted as a lawyer for child for more than 20 years. She has acted on matters relating to the Hague Convention, an international ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Government invests further in Central Hawke’s Bay resilience
    The Government has today confirmed $2.5 million to fund a replace and upgrade a stopbank to protect the Waipawa Drinking Water Treatment Plant. “As a result of Cyclone Gabrielle, the original stopbank protecting the Waipawa Drinking Water Treatment Plant was destroyed. The plant was operational within 6 weeks of the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Govt boost for Hawke’s Bay cyclone waste clean-up
    Another $2.1 million to boost capacity to deal with waste left in Cyclone Gabrielle’s wake. Funds for Hastings District Council, Phoenix Contracting and Hog Fuel NZ to increase local waste-processing infrastructure. The Government is beefing up Hawke’s Bay’s Cyclone Gabrielle clean-up capacity with more support dealing with the massive amount ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 weeks ago
  • Taupō Supercars revs up with Government support
    The future of Supercars events in New Zealand has been secured with new Government support. The Government is getting engines started through the Major Events Fund, a special fund to support high profile events in New Zealand that provide long-term economic, social and cultural benefits. “The Repco Supercars Championship is ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 weeks ago
  • There is no recession in NZ, economy grows nearly 1 percent in June quarter
    The economy has turned a corner with confirmation today New Zealand never was in recession and stronger than expected growth in the June quarter, Finance Minister Grant Robertson said. “The New Zealand economy is doing better than expected,” Grant Robertson said. “It’s continuing to grow, with the latest figures showing ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 weeks ago
  • Highest legal protection for New Zealand’s largest freshwater springs
    The Government has accepted the Environment Court’s recommendation to give special legal protection to New Zealand’s largest freshwater springs, Te Waikoropupū Springs (also known as Pupū Springs), Environment Minister David Parker announced today.   “Te Waikoropupū Springs, near Takaka in Golden Bay, have the second clearest water in New Zealand after ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 weeks ago
  • More support for victims of migrant exploitation
    Temporary package of funding for accommodation and essential living support for victims of migrant exploitation Exploited migrant workers able to apply for a further Migrant Exploitation Protection Visa (MEPV), giving people more time to find a job Free job search assistance to get people back into work Use of 90-day ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 weeks ago
  • Strong export boost as NZ economy turns corner
    An export boost is supporting New Zealand’s economy to grow, adding to signs that the economy has turned a corner and is on a stronger footing as we rebuild from Cyclone Gabrielle and lock in the benefits of multiple new trade deals, Finance Minister Grant Robertson says. “The economy is ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 weeks ago
  • Funding approved for flood resilience work in Te Karaka
    The Government has approved $15 million to raise about 200 homes at risk of future flooding. More than half of this is expected to be spent in the Tairāwhiti settlement of Te Karaka, lifting about 100 homes there. “Te Karaka was badly hit during Cyclone Gabrielle when the Waipāoa River ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 weeks ago
  • Further business support for cyclone-affected regions
    The Government is helping businesses recover from Cyclone Gabrielle and attract more people back into their regions. “Cyclone Gabrielle has caused considerable damage across North Island regions with impacts continuing to be felt by businesses and communities,” Economic Development Minister Barbara Edmonds said. “Building on our earlier business support, this ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 weeks ago
  • New maintenance facility at Burnham Military Camp underway
    Defence Minister Andrew Little has turned the first sod to start construction of a new Maintenance Support Facility (MSF) at Burnham Military Camp today. “This new state-of-art facility replaces Second World War-era buildings and will enable our Defence Force to better maintain and repair equipment,” Andrew Little said. “This Government ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 weeks ago
  • Foreign Minister to attend United Nations General Assembly
    Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta will represent New Zealand at the 78th Session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York this week, before visiting Washington DC for further Pacific focussed meetings. Nanaia Mahuta will be in New York from Wednesday 20 September, and will participate in UNGA leaders ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 weeks ago
  • Midwives’ pay equity offer reached
    Around 1,700 Te Whatu Ora employed midwives and maternity care assistants will soon vote on a proposed pay equity settlement agreed by Te Whatu Ora, the Midwifery Employee Representation and Advisory Service (MERAS) and New Zealand Nurses Association (NZNO), Minister of Health Dr Ayesha Verrall announced today. “Addressing historical pay ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 weeks ago
  • New Zealand provides support to Morocco
    Aotearoa New Zealand will provide humanitarian support to those affected by last week’s earthquake in Morocco, Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta announced today. “We are making a contribution of $1 million to the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) to help meet humanitarian needs,” Nanaia Mahuta said. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 weeks ago
  • Government invests in West Coast’s roading resilience
    The Government is investing over $22 million across 18 projects to improve the resilience of roads in the West Coast that have been affected by recent extreme weather, Prime Minister Chris Hipkins confirmed today.  A dedicated Transport Resilience Fund has been established for early preventative works to protect the state ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 weeks ago
  • Government invests in Greymouth’s future
    The Government has today confirmed a $2 million grant towards the regeneration of Greymouth’s CBD with construction of a new two-level commercial and public facility. “It will include a visitor facility centred around a new library. Additionally, it will include retail outlets on the ground floor, and both outdoor and ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 weeks ago
  • Nanaia Mahuta to attend PIF Foreign Ministers’ Meeting
    Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta will attend the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) Foreign Ministers’ Meeting, in Suva, Fiji alongside New Zealand’s regional counterparts. “Aotearoa New Zealand is deeply committed to working with our pacific whanau to strengthen our cooperation, and share ways to combat the challenges facing the Blue Pacific Continent,” ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 weeks ago
  • PREFU shows no recession, growing economy, more jobs and wages ahead of inflation
    Economy to grow 2.6 percent on average over forecast period Treasury not forecasting a recession Inflation to return to the 1-3 percent target band next year Wages set to grow 4.8 percent a year over forecast period Unemployment to peak below the long-term average Fiscal Rules met - Net debt ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 weeks ago
  • New cancer centre opens in Christchurch
    Prime Minister Chris Hipkins and Minister of Health Dr Ayesha Verrall proudly opened the Canterbury Cancer Centre in Christchurch today. The new facility is the first of its kind and was built with $6.5 million of funding from the Government’s Infrastructure Reference Group scheme for shovel-ready projects allocated in 2020. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 weeks ago

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