Billionaire pledges to pay off class of 2019’s student loans

Written By: - Date published: 7:57 am, May 21st, 2019 - 50 comments
Categories: education, Ethics, schools, tertiary education, us politics - Tags:

This was a graduation ceremony with a difference.

Watch the video showing the end of his speech to see why.

MSN has the details:

Billionaire investor and philanthropist Robert F. Smith was giving the commencement speech at Morehouse College in Atlanta on Sunday, when he deviated from his prepared remarks to make an announcement: ‘‘My family is going to create a grant to eliminate your student loans!’’

‘‘Everyone started crying and jumping for joy,’’ said a spokesperson for Smith, who asked not to be identified. ‘‘It was him speaking from his heart.’’

It’s hard to estimate the cost of Smith’s gift to the 2019 graduates of the all-male historically black college, but it could be in the range of $5 million to $10 million, according to estimates. There are 400 graduates in the class, and Morehouse costs about $26,000 per year, his spokesperson said.

There was celebration at Morehouse as the grads and their parents processed the news.

Tonga Releford, whose son Charles Releford III is a member of the Class of 2019, told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution that her son’s student loans are an estimated $70,000.

‘‘I feel like it’s Mother’s Day all over again,’’ she told the paper.

Graduate Elijah Dormeus, a business administration major, told the newspaper: ‘‘If I could do a backflip I would. I am deeply ecstatic.’’

Dormeus, 22, who is from Harlem, said he has $90,000 in student loans. His mother, Andrea Dormeus, who drives a school bus, came to his graduation with his five siblings.

Moorehouse College is is the alma mater of African-American community and civil leaders such as Martin Luther King Jr.  

And Smith’s request?  That his fellow graduates (he received an honorary degree that day) look after those coming after them.  From the Washington Post:

Now, I know my class will make sure they pay this forward. I want my class to look at these [alumni], these beautiful Morehouse brothers, and let’s make sure every class has the same opportunity going forward, because we are enough to take care of our own community. We are enough to ensure we have all the opportunities of the American Dream.”

This is an outstanding gesture.  But the same result could be achieved by ensuring that the wealthy pay their fair share of tax and insisting that young people receive the education they deserve no matter how poor they are.

50 comments on “Billionaire pledges to pay off class of 2019’s student loans ”

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  1. Sanctuary 1
    21 May 2019 at 8:03 am

    As a general principle, socialism is actually about not having to rely on whatever cash the rich decide they have to spare in order for social mobility to work.

  2. Lucy 2
    21 May 2019 at 8:36 am

    The man is an investment banker so the probability is that some of the people whose loans he paid off have parents or relations made redundant, lost houses or died because of his investment decisions. But he gets to feel good off the misery of others.

    • Muttonbird 2.1
      21 May 2019 at 8:53 am

      +1. The lord giveth and the lord taketh away. In capitalism the wealthy are the lord.

    • Chris T 2.2
      21 May 2019 at 9:00 am

      39 minutes

      Shocking time delay before the anti-any one with money lot pipe in……actually anyone with money who isn't left, as Jacinda being rich and upping taxes on poor people doesn't count

      • higherstandard 2.2.1
        21 May 2019 at 11:12 am

        Lucy must be seething she can't call him on white privilege.

        • Lucy 2.2.1.1
          21 May 2019 at 2:02 pm

          Why do I care what colour he is? I am seething about the fact that he has returned a small percentage of the money he has removed from his community. Wealth does not happen without poverty.

    • A 2.3
      21 May 2019 at 9:26 am

      I think he's made a small dent in his karma in this gesture.

    • fustercluck 2.4
      21 May 2019 at 5:04 pm

      Good God! An African American defies stereotypes and becomes a billionaire and spends $40 million on students at an African American liberal arts university and this is your attitude? Churlish does not begin to describe it.

      • Lucy 2.4.1
        24 May 2019 at 10:47 am

        sigh doesn't matter what he defies. He is a man who has a billion dollars – one does not get to have that much money by being the nice guy. He could have given money to many causes to improve the lives of lots of people. Instead he gives money to upper middle class black men who already have advantage and privilege. Churlish does not begin to describe how I feel – I am angry at every billionaire, no matter what race, I can not get the drugs I need because a profit needs to be made from my disease, my children need to pay for their education so the taxes for the rich can be low, my rent is high so my landlord can make a profit.

  3. Incognito 3
    21 May 2019 at 8:37 am

    Paying your fair share of tax doesn’t get you in the Guardian or WP. Anyway, tax is legalised theft and thus is involuntary, to some (…) wealthy folks that is. The hysterical cries and screams about CGT are still ringing in my ears.

  4. patricia bremner 4
    21 May 2019 at 8:43 am

    There are good people inside every bad system. In America money talks. This will be helpful to this years graduates, and may begin a cycle of less debt. It can not be counted on in planning the future as it depends on the kindness of others, and may not continue at a useful level.

  5. WeTheBleeple 5
    21 May 2019 at 8:51 am

    Is trickle down meant to be voluntary? Do we live at the mercy of greed's good graces?

  6. Dennis Frank 6
    21 May 2019 at 9:14 am

    "But the same result could be achieved by ensuring that the wealthy pay their fair share of tax and insisting that young people receive the education they deserve no matter how poor they are."

    I grew up here in a social system that did that effectively. Despite being a non-believer in socialism, I'm happy to acknowledge the extent to which it has been proven to work in the past, in some countries, for the good of all. Problem is, since the seventies such empirical evidence has become increasingly rare. Can't blame younger generations for having no faith in it, when they can't see a model working properly in the real world.

    So it's reasonable to concede that patronage is being revived as an exemplary model of behaviour for the wealthy. A positive alternative to the `greed is good' ethic that emerged in the eighties. Such altruism is a partial antidote to the social darwinism that market forces create.

  7. A 7
    21 May 2019 at 9:24 am

    That's awesome!!

  8. Macro 8
    21 May 2019 at 9:25 am

    Well I guess he has to find some way to pay the society in which he lives and works. Especially after Don and Mitch gave him that big beautiful tax relief Xmas present. And not just give 62 cent of every tax dollar to the military.

  9. Macro 9
    21 May 2019 at 10:11 am

    The funding of HBCU's such as Moorhouse is reaching crisis levels.

    Nearly half of African-American students who borrowed money defaulted on their loans, according to a recent study. In 2017, the U.S. Department of Education issued a report stating black students with a college degree would owe more than their original student loan balance after 12 years. The report revealed a direct correlation between race and student loans, as well as the need for a solution that addresses those disparities in future education policy. For generations, black students have had to overcome institutionalized and structural barriers to obtain a college degree, only to be sent into a marginalized economy with massive debt that sets them even further behind than their skin color or zip code.

    However Elizabeth Warren has a plan for that! laugh

    https://www.theroot.com/history-lesson-sen-elizabeth-warren-breaks-down-why-h-1834445016

    History Lesson: Sen. Elizabeth Warren Breaks Down Why Her $50 Billion Plan to Fund HBCUs Is Very Necessary

    Warren’s detailed plan addresses racial and socioeconomic disparities to improve the higher education system with five potential policy changes that would be funded by a 2% tax on families earning $50 million income or higher:

    • Create a minimum $50 billion fund for Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and Minority-Serving Institutions (MSIs).
    • Additional federal funding for states that demonstrate substantial improvement in enrollment and graduation rates for lower-income students and students of color.
    • Ban for-profit colleges from receiving any federal dollars while targeting lower-income students, service members, and students of color and leaving them saddled with debt.
    • Require public college audits that identify issues that create shortfalls and propose steps to improve those rates.
    • Prohibit public colleges from considering citizenship status or criminal history in admissions decisions. (Read more about her plan here.)

    In an interview with The Root, Sen. Warren said, “HBCUs have had to do way more with way less, and it is wrong. We have got to face racial discrimination in our education system head on.”

  10. RedLogix 10
    21 May 2019 at 10:15 am

    The USA has a long history of philanthropy. It's not confined to the ultra-wealthy, people of all classes are inclined to donate and contribute in whatever manner they can. When it's on this scale it attracts attention, but 99.99% of it goes largely unreported in the media.

    It's how the Americans do redistribution, they prefer to retain some right to choose who they give to, rather than the receiver have an unconstrained right to it. In practise most countries operate some mix of these two modes. NZ tilts towards the universal right to redistribution, but it's not the only way it can work.

    • WeTheBleeple 10.1
      21 May 2019 at 10:22 am

      Yeah some of my food I grow goes to struggling families close by. But I don't expect a parade for it.

      I'll never forget working on a U2 concert, where tens of thousands of locals shelled out close to a hundred bucks each to see them. During the concert, Bono – oh great philanthropist – entreats the crowd: "get out your cellphones, isn't that beautiful, now, text this number and donate…"

      They had a brand new set design which is apparently the norm to disguise the fact 'The edge' has played the same riff over and over for forty years.

      Philanthropy from the rich is mostly PR and flimsy atonement.

      • RedLogix 10.1.1
        21 May 2019 at 10:36 am

        But I don't expect a parade for it.

        But a thank you is appreciated is it not?

        Culturally us kiwis are always a little uncomfortable with generous donations that are too public, we're always a bit sus around the motives. On the other hand donations that are totally secret arouse questions around what strings might be attached.

        Wealthy people who don't give back to their communities are regarded as selfish and grasping, and if they do give generously they're condemned for 'flimsy atonement'.

        It's all rather inconsistent and confusing.

        • Drowsy M. Kram 10.1.1.1
          21 May 2019 at 11:21 am

          This wonderful philanthropic gesture got me thinking.

          Imagine the positive difference the wealthy could make now if they all took a vow of poverty. For example, we know that the richest 1% owned roughly half of the world's wealth in 2017. Just think of the difference that wealth could make to the lives of the poorest 4 billion people. ‘Trickle down‘ on steroids! [But not in a Trumpian way! https://www.cnbc.com/2016/10/19/clinton-trump-wants-biggest-tax-break-to-wealthy-trickle-down-on-steroids.html ]

          Best of all, we might only have to wait a decade or so to be able to do it all again!

          It would be a very Christian sacrifice, would it not?

          https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Religious_vows

          https://www.cnbc.com/2017/11/14/richest-1-percent-now-own-half-the-worlds-wealth.html

          • RedLogix 10.1.1.1.1
            21 May 2019 at 11:26 am

            Indeed enlightened

            Of course globally the top 1% globally is pretty much includes most people in NZ.

            • Andre 10.1.1.1.1.1
              21 May 2019 at 11:42 am

              Most people in NZ are part of the top 75 million people in the world? I find that very unlikely. In the top 10% or top 750 million maybe. Just add up the populations above us in income rankings:

              https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Median_income

              Hell, Auckland doesn't even make the list of the top 28 cities worldwide ofr numbers of USD millionaires. But places like Alexandria, Nairobi and Lagos do.

              https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Millionaire

            • Drowsy M. Kram 10.1.1.1.1.2
              21 May 2019 at 11:52 am

              Most people in NZ are among the world's wealthiest 1%? Would that be an example of a convenient evidence-free belief?

              "To reach the top 1 percent worldwide in terms of wealth – not just income but all you own – you’d have to possess [US] $770,000 in net worth, which includes everything from the equity in your home to the value of your investments."

              https://www.investopedia.com/articles/personal-finance/050615/are-you-top-one-percent-world.asp

              NZ is certainly a wealthy country, and the recent NZ property price boom will have propelled some home owners into the global 1%, but your provocative assertion is fanciful. However, with a little local redistribution of wealth, who knows?

              Now there’s an idea! How to redistribute personal wealth in NZ to maximise the number of NZers in the world’s wealthiest 1%. Could we get 30% of NZer over the line?

              • RedLogix …
                21 May 2019 at 1:31 pm

                Feel free to shift the goal posts from income distribution to asset distribution if it pleases you; don't expect me to follow.

                Still it would be fair to say that most kiwis are within the top 2% and almost all in the top 5% or so of income distribution.

                Of course the cool thing about lopping off the top 1% and sending them all to the poverty gulag is that you are now left with another fresh top 1% and you can do the same to them. Rinse and repeat until you have proper communism.

                • Drowsy M. Kram …
                  21 May 2019 at 4:03 pm

                  RL, you're not living up to your name. The post is about a billionaire's philantrophic gesture. Does 'billionaire' refers to net wealth, or income?

                  You started the sub-thread @10, mentioning "ultra-wealthy" and "redistribution". No mention of income though. If you meant 'income redistribution', rather than wealth redistribution, then maybe just say so.

                  @10.1.1 you mention "Wealthy people" and "donations", and how you find it "all rather inconsistent and confusing." Still no mention of income.

                  I replied to 10.1.1 @10.1.1.1 (11:52 am), and I didn't mention income either.

                  You replied briefly (@10.1.1.1.1) to me, mentioning “the top 1% globally” – still no mention of ‘income’. My reply (@10.1.1.1.1.2) is now the subject of your “shifting the goalposts” criticism.

                  IMHO it is you who is attempting to shift the goalposts, and I'm happy for others to form their own opinions.

                  • RedLogix …
                    21 May 2019 at 5:29 pm

                    The term 'top 1%' can be defined by income or assets. Logically I had in mind income as the basis for my claim.

                    • Drowsy M. Kram …
                      21 May 2019 at 7:05 pm

                      Was it not clear from my first reply (@10.1.1.1) that I was focussing on personal wealth? If your focus was on income, then you had ample opportunity to make that clear @10, or @10.1.1, or in your reply at @10.1.1.1.1.

                      Whichever way you play it (wealth, or annual income), your original citation-free reckon was wrong – just a genuine mistake? wink

                      As for sending the entire 1% to the 'poverty gulag', well that would be cruel – so unfair to expect the 1% to cope with median living conditions, let alone poverty. A vow of poverty, on the other hand, would be an admirable choice.

              • mike …
                26 May 2019 at 5:58 pm

                paper wealthy only and a shit load of debt to go with it

          • greywarshark 10.1.1.1.2
            21 May 2019 at 11:57 am

            Just tithe themselves 10% from their discretionary budget! But they could never get beyond their road block on that sort of idea and budge it.

        • WeTheBleeple 10.1.1.2
          21 May 2019 at 1:32 pm

          Yeah, I should have put accent on the word mostly:

          Philanthropy from the rich is mostly PR and flimsy atonement.

    • AB 10.2
      21 May 2019 at 10:35 am

      The Americans prefer philanthropy/charity because it contains an the assumption that the original accumulation of wealth is justified – and it is then re-distributed out of 'love' (philo). The right to choose who gets charity maintains the power relationship – there is no surrender or equalising of power between giver and receiver. This lack of equalisation is in fact the opposite of love.

      If on the other hand you don't see this as re-distribution at all – but rather as repatriation of the money to where it should have gone in the first place if markets allocated wealth rationally, then charity doesn't really cut it as a solution.

      • RedLogix 10.2.1
        21 May 2019 at 10:41 am

        The right to choose who gets charity maintains the power relationship

        Right there is the problem that arises when the only political tool you have is 'power relationships' and the implicit assumption that all power is bad and can only be used for tyrannical purposes.

        If that were truly the case, why would you support a left wing party into political 'power'? Surely that would be an innately bad thing also?

        • McFlock 10.2.1.1
          21 May 2019 at 4:21 pm

          Observing that a power relationship exists is not the same as endorsing it.

    • joe90 10.3
      21 May 2019 at 11:06 am

      It's how the Americans do redistribution,

      That, and military Keynesianism.

      According to an analysis by the DoD Office of Economic Adjustment (OEA), the department spent $408 billion on payroll and contracts in Fiscal Year 2015, approximately 2.3 percent of U.S. gross domestic product (GDP).

      http://www.ncsl.org/research/military-and-veterans-affairs/military-s-impact-on-state-economies.aspx

  11. AB 11
    21 May 2019 at 10:19 am

    A good thing for him to do – so well done.

    But it has no structural value whatsoever – what about last year's graduates, or next year's, or those at a different college? And the downside is that it plays into the 'billionaire capitalist saviour' delusion that attaches itself to individuals from time to time (Elon Musk, Bill Gates …) and probably holds us all back from seeking those structural solutions.

    Though it fits well with our superficial contemporary focus on individuals and the idea of celebrity – so it will get a lot of coverage.

  12. Adrian Thornton 12
    21 May 2019 at 10:43 am

    Excellent last sentence there MS, here is a very good conversation on KPFA with author of ' No Such Thing as a Free Gift' Linsey McGoey, well worth a listen to anyone interested in the politics of philanthropy going forward.

    https://kpfa.org/episode/against-the-grain-october-5-2016/

    " In an era of massive cuts to social services, the largesse of the wealthy seems a blessing. But what do the rich get in return for their philanthropy? Linsey McGoey argues that they receive both financial benefits and great influence over policy. She traces the history of philanthropy in the United States and discusses the Gates Foundation’s role in shaping primary and secondary school education, pharmaceutical patents, and more — with very little media scrutiny.

    • Siobhan 12.1
      21 May 2019 at 3:53 pm

      No I have to disagree with you there Adrian, its not a excellent sentence.

      "This is an outstanding gesture. But the same result could be achieved by ensuring that the wealthy pay their fair share of tax"

      If tax was paid properly it would not be THE SAME RESULT, ie one small group benefiting, it would be all students every year.

      An entirely different kettle of fish.

  13. Dennis Frank 13
    21 May 2019 at 10:44 am

    Geoff Robinson is a political historian and lecturer in History and Politics at Deakin University, in Geelong, Australia. "He is currently completing a book on the fate of the Australian left since the fall of European communism." https://theconversation.com/profiles/geoffrey-robinson-7303

    He's had a go at explaining their election result: https://thespinoff.co.nz/politics/20-05-2019/labors-loss-reveals-its-trouble-convincing-australians-it-can-improve-their-lives/

    "Labor’s failure lay in its inability to convince enough voters that its policies could actually improve their material conditions. Labor state governments can provide material things like schools, hospitals and solar panels, and voters delight in these. Federal Labor, meanwhile, claimed that the election was a referendum on wages. This mobilised the left’s mass support base: the unions, public-sector heartland and its remaining private sector outposts. The left created the simulacrum of a social movement: rallies, rallies and rallies, and electoral door-knocking. Outside of the left’s world, however, this appeal failed to strike much of a chord."

    Preaching to the converted is never good electoral politics. Traditional political wisdom always specifies that, where left/right tribal loyalties fail to provide a majority for one or the other, centrists or non-aligned voters create the outcome. Labour has known this in the past – the mystery lies in evaporation of that gnosis on the left. I usually diagnose delusional thinking, but I'd prefer an explanation for why that happens – using deep psychology.

    "Bill Shorten is a “true believer”, one who grounded his politics in Labor traditions and history, rather than an explicit ideology. The left often flees to history, even if for most of its members the history of labour is passé compared to the more exciting fields of culture and identity."

    Maybe he's onto it here. Re-interpreting this, could be traditional gnosis got dispelled by a shift into culture-warfare attitudes. Blaming identity politics doesn't get us understanding – we must go deeper into what drives tribal polarisation.

    • RedLogix 13.1
      21 May 2019 at 10:57 am

      we must go deeper into what drives tribal polarisation.

      It's only 18 minutes:

      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8SOQduoLgRw

      • Dennis Frank 13.1.1
        21 May 2019 at 12:54 pm

        Thanks, that was good. I wasn't very impressed when I read his book about the righteous mind several years ago, but he did better illuminating the psychology of morality in that talk.

    • greywarshark 13.2
      21 May 2019 at 12:00 pm

      This has good points and on similar line with Open Mike 2.1.1, me and Adrian T is going to add more when he has time.

    • Adrian Thornton 13.3
      21 May 2019 at 12:24 pm

      What exactly does he mean when he says.." Bill Shorten is a “true believer”, one who grounded his politics in Labor traditions and history, rather than an explicit ideology"

      The traditional and historical Left Labour is an ideology, you can't supposedly submerge yourself it it's traditions and history without believing and advocating for it's core ideologies.

      If you only appear on the surface as labour but do not promote those beliefs in your manifesto, thereby rejecting it's ideology, then you are only left with the likes of New Labour UK (now defunct), Labour NZ amongst others, parties now struggling (struggled) to find a coherent political voice. Whereas Labour parties and leaders that advocate those old ideologies and have it at the centre of their manifestos are doing just fine..Jeremy Corbyn and Bernie Sanders of course come to mind.

      Now back to work…again.

      • Dennis Frank 13.3.1
        21 May 2019 at 1:10 pm

        Could be he means Shorten is a tribal loyalist rather than a leftist ideologue. Not many people remaining nowadays who cling to the old class-warfare notion, eh?

        Throughout my life I've seen Labour present itself as a vehicle for both working class and middle class simultaneously. Everyone knows labourers aren't middle class. So brand authenticity got ditched long before I was born, and I'll be 70 soon.

        The organised attempt to represent two social classes simultaneously is ambitious, but flawed. It presumes the two share a common-interest view. However proof that middle-class professionals acknowledge solidarity with unionists has never been validated by social science research, as far as I know. Neoliberalism has proved the middle class are aspiring capitalists. The CGT outcome, for instance, shows they feel more of a common-interest view with the upper class than the lower…

        • Adrian Thornton 13.3.1.1
          21 May 2019 at 3:06 pm

          Tribal loyalist..that's a new one to me, tell me what do you think a Labour 'tribal loyalist' actually believes in?

          I think that the CGT analogy is a bit unfair, as if is plainly obvious that Labour never had their heart in it, it was a non starter from the word go with this lot of centerists.

          As far as the middle class goes, I don't think Liberalism proved the middle class to be "aspiring capitalists", but what it did do was unwittingly unleash that most unpleasant and often destructive of human conditions..greed, and therein lays Liberalisms secret power…well IMO anyway.

  14. greywarshark 14
    21 May 2019 at 11:31 am

    This is one good educational idea set up by a black man from the States and it will be ongoing as there is a Trust. Perhaps we could support it. He has gone back to the states to see if he could replicate it there.

    https://inzoneeducation.org.nz/

    The InZone Education Foundation is a New Zealand registered charitable trust that aims to inspire and support Māori and Pasifika youth to take their place in the cultural, economic and civic leadership of Aotearoa New Zealand.

    We do this by providing kāinga (hostels) which are “InZone” for high performing schools and we partner with the schools to ensure students achieve top educational outcomes. Our kāinga enable our students to live and learn in a supportive whānau environment with a Māori and Christian kaupapa. In this environment, we aim to support, inspire and empower our rangatahi to achieve to their full potential.

  15. Andre 15
    21 May 2019 at 11:55 am

    Interesting observation here that this gift sets up a natural economics experiment.

    https://www.vox.com/future-perfect/2019/5/20/18632520/morehouse-college-graduation-class-size-robert-f-smith-billionaire

    And it exposes a bit of detail about Smith's efforts to ensure his personal taxes stay much lower than other people's.

  16. patricia bremner 16
    21 May 2019 at 12:13 pm

    Bill Shorten should have done an Andrew Little. He hung on as an albatross.

    He was a good but uninspiring man. He made Scomo look the better Leader. Along with horrible false ads on facebook etc, about policies, which were drowning the true position.

    Australians turn off any criticism of Trump the war machine or oil and mining. They believe in charities like the Foundation behind Life Flight helicopter service, which is getting less funding as people in Queensland and elsewhere in Australia feel the down turn.
    What people forget is this works in good times but falls over when truly needed.

    While farmers struggle with a drought which is now severely impacting the wheat yield to the point of raising bread prices, the summer fires will be worse and many NZers may decide to return, putting strain on our infrastructure
    and charities.
    Their unemployment rate is increasing and property prices have plummeted, leaving those who leveraged their homes to invest in the stock market teetering on the brink.

    The banking sector has been shown to be lying greedy fecks during the inquiry. That will not change as they foreclose on homes, as they did on farms previously in the last downturn in values caused by drought conditions.

    The gaming of the electoral system to the advantage of the wealthy corporate and lobby interests is almost considered reasonable. "It is their money after all" Nah, it is often taxes they like Trump have gained by gaming the system.

    Further those who vote say it is hard to know who you will get in a close run election as preferences can alter outcomes. Just as here we can get false parties given a safe seat to game numbers, Palmer did that with his $50 million "investment" and gift of preferences to the winning group.

    All this will make life harder for the struggling and the post Feb 1 visa holding New Zealanders resident there.

    Bridges was thrilled when Scomo won and said "Lessons could be learned here"…. so those dirty tactics have started. He has publicly aligned his party with the USA. and guns?…lobbying?…foreign money?….false advertising? ..Charities? The whole nine yards I would think!!

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    Hi,Before we talk about weird schools people choose to send their kids to, a few things on my mind. I adored the Ask Me Anything we did last week. Thanks for taking part. I love answering your weird and nosy questions, even questions about beans.I am excited and scared as Mister ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    10 hours ago

  • Another mother of a budget
    A National government would make spending cuts on a scale not seen since the 1990 – 96 Bolger government.That much was confirmed with the release of their Fiscal Plan on Friday.Government spending is currently high as a percentage of GDP — as high as it was during the Muldoon ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    13 hours ago

  • A crucial week starts as early voting opens in the NZ Elections … it’s been a ride so far. Are y...
    Chris Hipkins down with Covid, at least for 5 days isolation, National continue to obfuscate, ACT continues to double-down on the poor and Winston… well, he’s being Winston really. Voters beware: this week could be even more infuriating than the last. No Party is what they used to be ...
    exhALANtBy exhalantblog
    20 hours ago

  • 2023 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #39
    A chronological listing of news and opinion articles posted on the Skeptical Science Facebook Page during the past week: Sun, Sep 24, 2023 thru Sat, Sep 30, 2023. Story of the Week We’re not doomed yet’: climate scientist Michael Mann on our last chance to save human civilisation The renowned US ...
    Skeptical Science
    1 day ago

  • Clusterf**ck of Chaos.
    On the 11th of April 1945 advancing US forces liberated the Nazi concentration camp of Buchenwald near Weimar in Germany. In the coming days, under the order of General Patton, a thousand nearby residents were forced to march to the camp to see the atrocities that had been committed in ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    1 day ago

  • The party of business deals with the future by pretending it isn’t coming
    Years and years ago, when Helen Clark was Prime Minister and John Key was gunning for her job, I had a conversation with a mate, a trader who knew John Key well enough to paint a helpful picture.It was many drinks ago so it’s not a complete one. But there’s ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    1 day ago

  • 2023 More Reading: September (+ Old Phuul update)
    Completed reads for September: The Lost Continent, by C.J. Cutcliffe Hyne Flatland, by Edwin Abbott All Quiet on the Western Front, by Erich Maria Remarque The Country of the Blind, by H.G. Wells The Day of the Triffids, by John Wyndham A Tale of Two Cities, by Charles ...
    A Phuulish FellowBy strda221
    2 days ago

  • Losing The Left.
    Descending Into The Dark: The ideological cadres currently controlling both Labour and the Greens are forcing “justice”, “participation” and “democracy” to make way for what is “appropriate” and “responsible”. But, where does that leave the people who, for most of their adult lives, have voted for left-wing parties, precisely to ...
    Bowalley Road
    2 days ago

  • The New “Emperor’s New Clothes”.
    “‘BUT HE HASN’T GOT ANYTHING ON,’ a little boy said ….. ‘But he hasn’t got anything on!’ the whole town cried out at last.”On this optimistic note, Hans Christian Andersen brings his cautionary tale of “The Emperor’s New Clothes” to an end.Andersen’s children’s story was written nearly two centuries ago, ...
    Bowalley Road
    2 days ago

  • BRYCE EDWARDS: The vested interests shaping National Party policies
      Bryce Edwards writes – 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 ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    2 days ago

  • LINDSAY MITCHELL: A conundrum for those pushing racist dogma
    Lindsay Mitchell writes – The heavily promoted narrative, which has ramped up over the last six years, is that Maori somehow have special vulnerabilities which arise from outside forces they cannot control; that contemporary society fails to meet their needs. They are not receptive to messages and ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    2 days ago

  • CHRIS TROTTER:  The greater of two evils
    Not Labour: If you’re out to punish the government you once loved, then the last thing you need is to be shown evidence that the opposition parties are much, much worse.   Chris Trotter writes – THE GREATEST VIRTUE of being the Opposition is not being the Government. Only very ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    2 days ago

  • The Hoon around the week to Sept 30
    Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The five things that mattered in Aotearoa’s political economy that we wrote and spoke about via The Kākā and elsewhere for paying subscribers in the last week included:Labour presented a climate manifesto that aimed to claim the high ground on climate action vs National, ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago

  • Litanies, articles of faith, and being a beneficiary
    Hello! Here comes the Saturday edition of More Than A Feilding, catching you up on the past two weeks.Friday 29Play it, ElvisElection Hell special!! This week’s quiz is a bumper edition featuring a few of the more popular questions from last weekend’s show, as well as a few we didn’t ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    2 days ago

  • Litanies, articles of faith, and being a beneficiary
    Hello! Here comes the Saturday edition of More Than A Feilding, catching you up on the past two weeks.Friday 29Play it, ElvisElection Hell special!! This week’s quiz is a bumper edition featuring a few of the more popular questions from last weekend’s show, as well as a few we didn’t ...
    More than a fieldingBy David Slack
    2 days ago

  • The ‘Recession’ Has Been Called Off, But Some Households Are Still Struggling
    While the economy is not doing too badly in output terms, external circumstances are not favourable, and there is probably a sizeable group of households struggling because of rising interest rates.Last week’s announcement of a 0.9 percent increase in volume GDP for the June quarter had the commentariat backing down ...
    PunditBy Brian Easton
    3 days ago

  • Climate Change: The wrong direction
    This week the International Energy Association released its Net Zero Roadmap, intended to guide us towards a liveable climate. The report demanded huge increases in renewable generation, no new gas or oil, and massive cuts to methane emissions. It was positive about our current path, but recommended that countries with ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    3 days ago

  • “Racism” becomes a buzz word on the campaign trail – but our media watchdogs stay muzzled when...
    Buzz from the Beehive  Oh, dear.  We have nothing to report from the Beehive. At least, we have nothing to report from the government’s official website. But the drones have not gone silent.  They are out on the election campaign trail, busy buzzing about this and that in the hope ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    3 days ago

  • Play it, Elvis
    Election Hell special!! This week’s quiz is a bumper edition featuring a few of the more popular questions from last weekend’s show, as well as a few we didn’t have time for. You’re welcome, etc. Let us press on, etc. 1.  What did Christopher Luxon use to his advantage in ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago

  • Pure class warfare
    National unveiled its fiscal policy today, announcing all the usual things which business cares about and I don't. But it did finally tell us how National plans to pay for its handouts to landlords: by effectively cutting benefits: The biggest saving announced on Friday was $2b cut from the ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    3 days ago

  • Ask Me Anything about the week to Sept 29
    Photo by Anna Ogiienko on UnsplashIt’s that time of the week for an ‘Ask Me Anything’ session for paying subscribers about the week that was for an hour, including:duelling fiscal plans from National and Labour;Labour cutting cycling spending while accusing National of being weak on climate;Research showing the need for ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago

  • Weekly Roundup 29-September-2023
    Welcome to Friday and the last one for September. This week in Greater Auckland On Monday, Matt highlighted at the latest with the City Rail Link. On Tuesday, Matt covered the interesting items from Auckland Transport’s latest board meeting agendas. On Thursday, a guest post from Darren Davis ...
    Greater AucklandBy Greater Auckland
    3 days ago

  • Protest at Parliament: The Reunion.
    Brian’s god spoke to him. He, for of course the Lord in Tamaki’s mind was a male god, with a mighty rod, and probably some black leathers. He, told Brian - “you must put a stop to all this love, hope, and kindness”. And it did please the Brian.He said ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    3 days ago

  • Labour cuts $50m from cycleway spending
    Labour is cutting spending on cycling infrastructure while still trying to claim the higher ground on climate. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The Labour Government released a climate manifesto this week to try to claim the high ground against National, despite having ignored the Climate Commission’s advice to toughen ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago

  • The Greater Of Two Evils.
    Not Labour: If you’re out to punish the government you once loved, then the last thing you need is to be shown evidence that the opposition parties are much, much worse.THE GREATEST VIRTUE of being the Opposition is not being the Government. Only very rarely is an opposition party elected ...
    Bowalley Road
    3 days ago

  • Skeptical Science New Research for Week #39 2023
    Open access notables "Net zero is only a distraction— we just have to end fossil fuel emissions." The latter is true but the former isn't, or  not in the real world as it's likely to be in the immediate future. And "just" just doesn't enter into it; we don't have ...
    Skeptical Science
    4 days ago

  • Chris Trotter: Losing the Left
    IN THE CURRENT MIX of electoral alternatives, there is no longer a credible left-wing party. Not when “a credible left-wing party” is defined as: a class-oriented, mass-based, democratically-structured political organisation; dedicated to promoting ideas sharply critical of laissez-faire capitalism; and committed to advancing democratic, egalitarian and emancipatory ideals across the ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    4 days ago

  • Road rage at Kia Kaha Primary School
    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 FeildingBy David Slack
    4 days ago

  • Road rage at Kia Kaha Primary School
    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 FeildingBy David Slack
    4 days ago

  • Road rage at Kia Kaha Primary School
    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
    4 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 ...
    Skeptical Science
    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
    5 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
    5 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
    5 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 ...
    Gordon CampbellBy lyndon
    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

  • 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
    6 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
    6 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 ...
    Skeptical Science
    6 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 ...
    Open ParachuteBy Ken
    6 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
    6 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
    6 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 ...
    Gordon CampbellBy lyndon
    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. ...
    Skeptical Science
    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 ...
    Greater AucklandBy Matt L
    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
    7 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
    7 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
    1 week 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
    1 week ago

  • New Zealand resumes peacekeeping force leadership
    New Zealand will again contribute to the leadership of the Multinational Force and Observers (MFO) in the Sinai Peninsula, Egypt, with a senior New Zealand Defence Force officer returning as Interim Force Commander. Defence Minister Andrew Little and Foreign Affairs Minister Nanaia Mahuta have announced the deployment of New Zealand ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    34 mins ago

  • New national direction provides clarity for development and the environment
    The Government has taken an important step in implementing the new resource management system, by issuing a draft National Planning Framework (NPF) document under the new legislation, Environment Minister David Parker said today. “The NPF consolidates existing national direction, bringing together around 20 existing instruments including policy statements, standards, and ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 hours ago

  • Government shows further commitment to pay equity for healthcare workers
    The Government welcomes the proposed pay equity settlement that will see significant pay increases for around 18,000 Te Whatu Ora Allied, Scientific, and Technical employees, if accepted said Health Minister Ayesha Verrall. The proposal reached between Te Whatu Ora, the New Zealand Public Service Association Te Pūkenga Here Tikanga Mahi ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 hours 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
    1 day 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
    1 day 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
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