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 ”

  1. Sanctuary 1

    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

    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

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

    • Chris T 2.2

      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

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

        • Lucy 2.2.1.1

          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

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

    • fustercluck 2.4

      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

        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

    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

    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

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

  6. Dennis Frank 6

    "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

    That's awesome!!

  8. Macro 8

    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

    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

    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

      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

        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

          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

            Indeed enlightened

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

            • Andre 10.1.1.1.1.1

              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

              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

                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

                  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

                    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

                      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

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

          • greywarshark 10.1.1.1.2

            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

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

          Philanthropy from the rich is mostly PR and flimsy atonement.

    • AB 10.2

      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

        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

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

    • joe90 10.3

      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

    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

    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

      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

    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

      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

        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

      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

      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

        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

          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

    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

    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

    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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    TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: Gavin Jacobson talks to Thomas Piketty 10 years on from Capital in the 21st Century The SalvoLocal scoop: Green MP’s business being investigated over migrant exploitation claims Stuff Steve KilgallonLocal deep-dive: The commercial contractors making money from School ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    10 hours ago
  • Bernard's six newsy things on Tuesday, March 19
    It’s a home - but Kāinga Ora tenants accused of “abusing the privilege” may lose it. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The Government announced a crackdown on Kāinga Ora tenants who were unruly and/or behind on their rent, with Housing Minister Chris Bishop saying a place in a state ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    11 hours ago
  • New Life for Light Rail
    This is a guest post by Connor Sharp of Surface Light Rail  Light rail in Auckland: A way forward sooner than you think With the coup de grâce of Auckland Light Rail (ALR) earlier this year, and the shift of the government’s priorities to roads, roads, and more roads, it ...
    Greater AucklandBy Guest Post
    12 hours ago
  • Why Are Bosses Nearly All Buffoons?
    Note: As a paid-up Webworm member, I’ve recorded this Webworm as a mini-podcast for you as well. Some of you said you liked this option - so I aim to provide it when I get a chance to record! Read more ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    14 hours ago
  • Bernard’s six-stack of substacks at 6.06 pm on March 18
    TL;DR: In my ‘six-stack’ of substacks at 6.06pm on Monday, March 18:IKEA is accused of planting big forests in New Zealand to green-wash; REDD-MonitorA City for People takes a well-deserved victory lap over Wellington’s pro-YIMBY District Plan votes; A City for PeopleSteven Anastasiou takes a close look at the sticky ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 day ago
  • Peters holds his ground on co-governance, but Willis wriggles on those tax cuts and SNA suspension l...
    Buzz from the Beehive Here’s hoping for a lively post-cabinet press conference when the PM and – perhaps – some of his ministers tell us what was discussed at their meeting today. Until then, Point of Order has precious little Beehive news to report after its latest monitoring of the ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    1 day ago
  • Labour’s final report card
    David Farrar writes –  We now have almost all 2023 data in, which has allowed me to update my annual table of how  went against its promises. This is basically their final report card. The promise The result Build 100,000 affordable homes over 10 ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    1 day ago
  • “Drunk Uncle at a Wedding”
    I’m a bit worried that I’ve started a previous newsletter with the words “just when you think they couldn’t get any worse…” Seems lately that I could begin pretty much every issue with that opening. Such is the nature of our coalition government that they seem to be outdoing each ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    1 day ago
  • Wang Yi’s perfectly-timed, Aukus-themed visit to New Zealand
    Geoffrey Miller writes – Timing is everything. And from China’s perspective, this week’s visit by its foreign minister to New Zealand could be coming at just the right moment. The visit by Wang Yi to Wellington will be his first since 2017. Anniversaries are important to Beijing. ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    1 day ago
  • Gordon Campbell on Dune 2, and images of Islam
    Depictions of Islam in Western popular culture have rarely been positive, even before 9/11. Five years on from the mosque shootings, this is one of the cultural headwinds that the Muslim community has to battle against. Whatever messages of tolerance and inclusion are offered in daylight, much of our culture ...
    1 day ago
  • New Rail Operations Centre Promises Better Train Services
    Last week Transport Minster Simeon Brown and Mayor Wayne Brown opened the new Auckland Rail Operations Centre. The new train control centre will see teams from KiwiRail, Auckland Transport and Auckland One Rail working more closely together to improve train services across the city. The Auckland Rail Operations Centre in ...
    2 days ago
  • Bernard's six newsy things at 6.36am on Monday, March 18
    Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Retiring former Labour Finance Minister Grant Robertson said in an exit interview with Q+A yesterday the Government can and should sustain more debt to invest in infrastructure for future generations. Elsewhere in the news in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy at 6:36am: Read more ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago
  • Geoffrey Miller: Wang Yi’s perfectly-timed, Aukus-themed visit to New Zealand
    Timing is everything. And from China’s perspective, this week’s visit by its foreign minister to New Zealand could be coming at just the right moment. The visit by Wang Yi to Wellington will be his first since 2017. Anniversaries are important to Beijing. It is more than just a happy ...
    Democracy ProjectBy Geoffrey Miller
    2 days ago
  • The Kaka’s diary for the week to March 25 and beyond
    TL;DR: The key events to watch in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the week to March 18 include:China’s Foreign Minister visiting Wellington today;A post-cabinet news conference this afternoon; the resumption of Parliament on Tuesday for two weeks before Easter;retiring former Labour Finance Minister Grant Robertson gives his valedictory speech in Parliament; ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago
  • Bitter and angry; Winston First
    New Zealand First Leader Winston Peters’s state-of-the-nation speech on Sunday was really a state-of-Winston-First speech. He barely mentioned any of the Government’s key policies and could not even wholly endorse its signature income tax cuts. Instead, he rehearsed all of his complaints about the Ardern Government, including an extraordinary claim ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    2 days ago
  • 2024 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #11
    A listing of 35 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, March 10, 2024 thru Sat, March 16, 2024. Story of the week This week we'll give you a little glimpse into how we collect links to share and ...
    2 days ago
  • 2024 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #11
    A listing of 35 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, March 10, 2024 thru Sat, March 16, 2024. Story of the week This week we'll give you a little glimpse into how we collect links to share and ...
    2 days ago
  • Out of Touch.
    “I’ve been internalising a really complicated situation in my head.”When they kept telling us we should wait until we get to know him, were they taking the piss? Was it a case of, if you think this is bad, wait till you get to know the real Christopher, after the ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    2 days ago
  • Bring out your Dad
    Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago
  • Bring out your Dad
    Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago
  • Bring out your Dad
    Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago
  • The bewildering world of Chris Luxon – Guns for all, not no lunch for kids
    .“$10 and a target that bleeds” - Bleeding Targets for Under $10!.Thanks for reading Frankly Speaking ! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.This government appears hell-bent on either scrapping life-saving legislation or reintroducing things that - frustrated critics insist - will be dangerous and likely ...
    Frankly SpeakingBy Frank Macskasy
    3 days ago
  • Expert Opinion: Ageing Boomers, Laurie & Les, Talk Politics.
    It hardly strikes me as fair to criticise a government for doing exactly what it said it was going to do. For actually keeping its promises.”THUNDER WAS PLAYING TAG with lightning flashes amongst the distant peaks. Its rolling cadences interrupted by the here-I-come-here-I-go Doppler effect of the occasional passing car. ...
    3 days ago
  • Manufacturing The Truth.
    Subversive & Disruptive Technologies: Just as happened with that other great regulator of the masses, the Medieval Church, the advent of a new and hard-to-control technology – the Internet –  is weakening the ties that bind. Then, and now, those who enjoy a monopoly on the dissemination of lies, cannot and will ...
    3 days ago
  • A Powerful Sensation of Déjà Vu.
    Been Here Before: To find the precedents for what this Coalition Government is proposing, it is necessary to return to the “glory days” of Muldoonism.THE COALITION GOVERNMENT has celebrated its first 100 days in office by checking-off the last of its listed commitments. It remains, however, an angry government. It ...
    3 days ago
  • Can you guess where world attention is focussed (according to Greenpeace)? It’s focussed on an EPA...
    Bob Edlin writes –  And what is the world watching today…? The email newsletter from Associated Press which landed in our mailbox early this morning advised: In the news today: The father of a school shooter has been found guilty of involuntary manslaughter; prosecutors in Trump’s hush-money case ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    3 days ago
  • Further integrity problems for the Greens in suspending MP Darleen Tana
    Bryce Edwards writes – Is another Green MP on their way out? And are the Greens severely tarnished by another integrity scandal? For the second time in three months, the Green Party has secretly suspended an MP over integrity issues. Mystery is surrounding the party’s decision to ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    3 days ago
  • Jacqui Van Der Kaay: Greens’ transparency missing in action
    For the last few years, the Green Party has been the party that has managed to avoid the plague of multiple scandals that have beleaguered other political parties. It appears that their luck has run out with a second scandal which, unfortunately for them, coincided with Golraz Ghahraman, the focus ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    3 days ago
  • Bernard’s Dawn Chorus with six newsey things at 6:46am for Saturday, March 16
    TL;DR: The six newsey things that stood out to me as of 6:46am on Saturday, March 16.Andy Foster has accidentally allowed a Labour/Green amendment to cut road user chargers for plug-in hybrid vehicles, which the Government might accept; NZ Herald Thomas Coughlan Simeon Brown has rejected a plea from Westport ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • How Did FTX Crash?
    What seemed a booming success a couple of years ago has collapsed into fraud convictions.I looked at the crash of FTX (short for ‘Futures Exchange’) in November 2022 to see whether it would impact on the financial system as a whole. Fortunately there was barely a ripple, probably because it ...
    PunditBy Brian Easton
    4 days ago
  • Elections in Russia and Ukraine
    Anybody following the situation in Ukraine and Russia would probably have been amused by a recent Tweet on X NATO seems to be putting in an awful lot of effort to influence what is, at least according to them, a sham election in an autocracy.When do the Ukrainians go to ...
    4 days ago
  • Bernard’s six stack of substacks at 6pm on March 15
    TL;DR: Shaun Baker on Wynyard Quarter's transformation. Magdalene Taylor on the problem with smart phones. How private equity are now all over reinsurance. Dylan Cleaver on rugby and CTE. Emily Atkin on ‘Big Meat’ looking like ‘Big Oil’.Bernard’s six-stack of substacks at 6pm on March 15Photo by Jeppe Hove Jensen ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • Buzz from the Beehive Finance Minister Nicola Willis had plenty to say when addressing the Auckland Business Chamber on the economic growth that (she tells us) is flagging more than we thought. But the government intends to put new life into it:  We want our country to be a ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    4 days ago
  • National’s clean car tax advances
    The Transport and Infrastructure Committee has reported back on the Road User Charges (Light Electric RUC Vehicles) Amendment Bill, basicly rubberstamping it. While there was widespread support among submitters for the principle that EV and PHEV drivers should pay their fair share for the roads, they also overwhelmingly disagreed with ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    4 days ago
  • Government funding bailouts
    Peter Dunne writes – This week’s government bailout – the fifth in the last eighteen months – of the financially troubled Ruapehu Alpine Lifts company would have pleased many in the central North Island ski industry. The government’s stated rationale for the $7 million funding was that it ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • Two offenders, different treatments.
    See if you can spot the difference. An Iranian born female MP from a progressive party is accused of serial shoplifting. Her name is leaked to the media, which goes into a pack frenzy even before the Police launch an … Continue reading ...
    KiwipoliticoBy Pablo
    4 days ago
  • Treaty references omitted
    Ele Ludemann writes  – The government is omitting general Treaty references from legislation : The growth of Treaty of Waitangi clauses in legislation caused so much worry that a special oversight group was set up by the last Government in a bid to get greater coherence in the public service on Treaty ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • The Ghahraman Conflict
    What was that judge thinking? Peter Williams writes –  That Golriz Ghahraman and District Court Judge Maria Pecotic were once lawyer colleagues is incontrovertible. There is published evidence that they took at least one case to the Court of Appeal together. There was a report on ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • Bernard's Top 10 @ 10 'pick 'n' mix' for March 15
    TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: Climate Scorpion – the sting is in the tail. Introducing planetary solvency. A paper via the University of Exeter’s Institute and Faculty of Actuaries.Local scoop: Kāinga Ora starts pulling out of its Auckland projects and selling land RNZ ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • The day Wellington up-zoned its future
    Wellington’s massively upzoned District Plan adds the opportunity for tens of thousands of new homes not just in the central city (such as these Webb St new builds) but also close to the CBD and public transport links. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Wellington gave itself the chance of ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • Weekly Roundup 15-March-2024
    It’s Friday and we’re halfway through March Madness. Here’s some of the things that caught our attention this week. This Week in Greater Auckland On Monday Matt asked how we can get better event trains and an option for grade separating Morningside Dr. On Tuesday Matt looked into ...
    Greater AucklandBy Greater Auckland
    5 days ago
  • That Word.
    Something you might not know about me is that I’m quite a stubborn person. No, really. I don’t much care for criticism I think’s unfair or that I disagree with. Few of us do I suppose.Back when I was a drinker I’d sometimes respond defensively, even angrily. There are things ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago
  • The Hoon around the week to March 15
    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:PM Christopher Luxon said the reversal of interest deductibility for landlords was done to help renters, who ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • Labour’s policy gap
    It was not so much the Labour Party but really the Chris Hipkins party yesterday at Labour’s caucus retreat in Martinborough. The former Prime Minister was more or less consistent on wealth tax, which he was at best equivocal about, and social insurance, which he was not willing to revisit. ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    5 days ago
  • Skeptical Science New Research for Week #11 2024
    Open access notables A Glimpse into the Future: The 2023 Ocean Temperature and Sea Ice Extremes in the Context of Longer-Term Climate Change, Kuhlbrodt et al., Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society: In the year 2023, we have seen extraordinary extrema in high sea surface temperature (SST) in the North Atlantic and in ...
    5 days ago
  • Melissa remains mute on media matters but has something to say (at a sporting event) about economic ...
     Buzz from the Beehive   The text reproduced above appears on a page which records all the media statements and speeches posted on the government’s official website by Melissa Lee as Minister of Media and Communications and/or by Jenny Marcroft, her Parliamentary Under-secretary.  It can be quickly analysed ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    5 days ago
  • The return of Muldoon
    For forty years, Robert Muldoon has been a dirty word in our politics. His style of government was so repulsive and authoritarian that the backlash to it helped set and entrench our constitutional norms. His pig-headedness over forcing through Think Big eventually gave us the RMA, with its participation and ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    5 days ago
  • Will the rental tax cut improve life for renters or landlords?
    Bryce Edwards writes –  Is the new government reducing tax on rental properties to benefit landlords or to cut the cost of rents? That’s the big question this week, after Associate Finance Minister David Seymour announced on Sunday that the Government would be reversing the Labour Government’s removal ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • Geoffrey Miller: What Saudi Arabia’s rapid changes mean for New Zealand
    Saudi Arabia is rarely far from the international spotlight. The war in Gaza has brought new scrutiny to Saudi plans to normalise relations with Israel, while the fifth anniversary of the controversial killing of Jamal Khashoggi was marked shortly before the war began on October 7. And as the home ...
    Democracy ProjectBy Geoffrey Miller
    5 days ago
  • Racism’s double standards
    Questions need to be asked on both sides of the world Peter Williams writes –   The NRL Judiciary hands down an eight week suspension to Sydney Roosters forward Spencer Leniu , an Auckland-born Samoan, after he calls Ezra Mam, Sydney-orn but of Aboriginal and Torres Strait ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • It’s not a tax break
    Ele Ludemann writes – Contrary to what many headlines and news stories are saying, residential landlords are not getting a tax break. The government is simply restoring to them the tax deductibility of interest they had until the previous government removed it. There is no logical reason ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • The Plastic Pig Collective and Chris' Imaginary Friends.
    I can't remember when it was goodMoments of happiness in bloomMaybe I just misunderstoodAll of the love we left behindWatching our flashbacks intertwineMemories I will never findIn spite of whatever you becomeForget that reckless thing turned onI think our lives have just begunI think our lives have just begunDoes anyone ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago
  • Who is responsible for young offenders?
    Michael Bassett writes – At first reading, a front-page story in the New Zealand Herald on 13 March was bizarre. A group of severely intellectually limited teenagers, with little understanding of the law, have been pleading to the Justice Select Committee not to pass a bill dealing with ram ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • Gordon Campbell on National’s fantasy trip to La La Landlord Land
    How much political capital is Christopher Luxon willing to burn through in order to deliver his $2.9 billion gift to landlords? Evidently, Luxon is: (a) unable to cost the policy accurately. As Anna Burns-Francis pointed out to him on Breakfast TV, the original ”rock solid” $2.1 billion cost he was ...
    5 days ago
  • Bernard's Top 10 @ 10 'pick 'n' mix' for March 14
    TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: Jonathon Porritt calling bullshit in his own blog post on mainstream climate science as ‘The New Denialism’.Local scoop: The Wellington City Council’s list of proposed changes to the IHP recommendations to be debated later today was leaked this ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • No, Prime Minister, rents don’t rise or fall with landlords’ costs
    TL;DR: Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said yesterday tenants should be grateful for the reinstatement of interest deductibility because landlords would pass on their lower tax costs in the form of lower rents. That would be true if landlords were regulated monopolies such as Transpower or Auckland Airport1, but they’re not, ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • Cartoons: ‘At least I didn’t make things awkward’
    This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Tom Toro Tom Toro is a cartoonist and author. He has published over 200 cartoons in The New Yorker since 2010. His cartoons appear in Playboy, the Paris Review, the New York Times, American Bystander, and elsewhere. Related: What 10 EV lovers ...
    5 days ago
  • Solving traffic congestion with Richard Prebble
    The business section of the NZ Herald is full of opinion. Among the more opinionated of all is the ex-Minister of Transport, ex-Minister of Railways, ex MP for Auckland Central (1975-93, Labour), Wellington Central (1996-99, ACT, then list-2005), ex-leader of the ACT Party, uncle to actor Antonia, the veritable granddaddy ...
    Greater AucklandBy Patrick Reynolds
    6 days ago
  • I Think I'm Done Flying Boeing
    Hi,Just quickly — I’m blown away by the stories you’ve shared with me over the last week since I put out the ‘Gary’ podcast, where I told you about the time my friend’s flatmate killed the neighbour.And you keep telling me stories — in the comments section, and in my ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    6 days ago
  • Invoking Aristotle: Of Rings of Power, Stones, and Ships
    The first season of Rings of Power was not awful. It was thoroughly underwhelming, yes, and left a lingering sense of disappointment, but it was more expensive mediocrity than catastrophe. I wrote at length about the series as it came out (see the Review section of the blog, and go ...
    6 days ago
  • Van Velden brings free-market approach to changing labour laws – but her colleagues stick to distr...
    Buzz from the Beehive Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Brooke van Velden told Auckland Business Chamber members they were the first audience to hear her priorities as a minister in a government committed to cutting red tape and regulations. She brandished her liberalising credentials, saying Flexible labour markets are the ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago
  • Why Newshub failed
    Chris Trotter writes – TO UNDERSTAND WHY NEWSHUB FAILED, it is necessary to understand how TVNZ changed. Up until 1989, the state broadcaster had been funded by a broadcasting licence fee, collected from every citizen in possession of a television set, supplemented by a relatively modest (compared ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago
  • Māori Party on the warpath against landlords and seabed miners – let’s see if mystical creature...
    Bob Edlin writes  –  The Māori Party has been busy issuing a mix of warnings and threats as its expresses its opposition to interest deductibility for landlords and the plans of seabed miners. It remains to be seen whether they  follow the example of indigenous litigants in Australia, ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago

  • Government moves to quickly ratify the NZ-EU FTA
    "The Government is moving quickly to realise an additional $46 million in tariff savings in the EU market this season for Kiwi exporters,” Minister for Trade and Agriculture, Todd McClay says. Parliament is set, this week, to complete the final legislative processes required to bring the New Zealand – European ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 hours ago
  • Positive progress for social worker workforce
    New Zealand’s social workers are qualified, experienced, and more representative of the communities they serve, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “I want to acknowledge and applaud New Zealand’s social workers for the hard work they do, providing invaluable support for our most vulnerable. “To coincide with World ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    8 hours ago
  • Minister confirms reduced RUC rate for PHEVs
    Cabinet has agreed to a reduced road user charge (RUC) rate for plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs), Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. Owners of PHEVs will be eligible for a reduced rate of $38 per 1,000km once all light electric vehicles (EVs) move into the RUC system from 1 April.  ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    10 hours ago
  • Trade access to overseas markets creates jobs
    Minister of Agriculture and Trade, Todd McClay, says that today’s opening of Riverland Foods manufacturing plant in Christchurch is a great example of how trade access to overseas markets creates jobs in New Zealand.  Speaking at the official opening of this state-of-the-art pet food factory the Minister noted that exports ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    10 hours ago
  • NZ and Chinese Foreign Ministers hold official talks
    Minister of Foreign Affairs Winston Peters met with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Wellington today. “It was a pleasure to host Foreign Minister Wang Yi during his first official visit to New Zealand since 2017. Our discussions were wide-ranging and enabled engagement on many facets of New Zealand’s relationship with China, including trade, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    24 hours ago
  • Kāinga Ora instructed to end Sustaining Tenancies
    Kāinga Ora – Homes & Communities has been instructed to end the Sustaining Tenancies Framework and take stronger measures against persistent antisocial behaviour by tenants, says Housing Minister Chris Bishop. “Earlier today Finance Minister Nicola Willis and I sent an interim Letter of Expectations to the Board of Kāinga Ora. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Speech to Auckland Business Chamber: Growth is the answer
    Tēna koutou katoa. Greetings everyone. Thank you to the Auckland Chamber of Commerce and the Honourable Simon Bridges for hosting this address today. I acknowledge the business leaders in this room, the leaders and governors, the employers, the entrepreneurs, the investors, and the wealth creators. The coalition Government shares your ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Singapore rounds out regional trip
    Minister Winston Peters completed the final leg of his visit to South and South East Asia in Singapore today, where he focused on enhancing one of New Zealand’s indispensable strategic partnerships.      “Singapore is our most important defence partner in South East Asia, our fourth-largest trading partner and a ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Minister van Velden represents New Zealand at International Democracy Summit
    Minister of Internal Affairs and Workplace Relations and Safety, Hon. Brooke van Velden, will travel to the Republic of Korea to represent New Zealand at the Third Summit for Democracy on 18 March. The summit, hosted by the Republic of Korea, was first convened by the United States in 2021, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Insurance Council of NZ Speech, 7 March 2024, Auckland
    ICNZ Speech 7 March 2024, Auckland  Acknowledgements and opening  Mōrena, ngā mihi nui. Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Nor Whanganui aho.  Good morning, it’s a privilege to be here to open the ICNZ annual conference, thank you to Mark for the Mihi Whakatau  My thanks to Tim Grafton for inviting me ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Five-year anniversary of Christchurch terror attacks
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Lead Coordination Minister Judith Collins have expressed their deepest sympathy on the five-year anniversary of the Christchurch terror attacks. “March 15, 2019, was a day when families, communities and the country came together both in sorrow and solidarity,” Mr Luxon says.  “Today we pay our respects to the 51 shuhada ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Speech for Financial Advice NZ Conference 5 March 2024
    Speech for Financial Advice NZ Conference 5 March 2024  Acknowledgements and opening  Morena, Nga Mihi Nui.  Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Nor Whanganui aho. Thanks Nate for your Mihi Whakatau  Good morning. It’s a pleasure to formally open your conference this morning. What a lovely day in Wellington, What a great ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Early visit to Indonesia strengthens ties
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters held discussions in Jakarta today about the future of relations between New Zealand and South East Asia’s most populous country.   “We are in Jakarta so early in our new government’s term to reflect the huge importance we place on our relationship with Indonesia and South ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • China Foreign Minister to visit
    Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Winston Peters has announced that the Foreign Minister of China, Wang Yi, will visit New Zealand next week.  “We look forward to re-engaging with Foreign Minister Wang Yi and discussing the full breadth of the bilateral relationship, which is one of New Zealand’s ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Minister opens new Auckland Rail Operations Centre
    Transport Minister Simeon Brown has today opened the new Auckland Rail Operations Centre, which will bring together KiwiRail, Auckland Transport, and Auckland One Rail to improve service reliability for Aucklanders. “The recent train disruptions in Auckland have highlighted how important it is KiwiRail and Auckland’s rail agencies work together to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Celebrating 10 years of Crankworx Rotorua
    The Government is proud to support the 10th edition of Crankworx Rotorua as the Crankworx World Tour returns to Rotorua from 16-24 March 2024, says Minister for Economic Development Melissa Lee.  “Over the past 10 years as Crankworx Rotorua has grown, so too have the economic and social benefits that ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Government delivering on tax commitments
    Legislation implementing coalition Government tax commitments and addressing long-standing tax anomalies will be progressed in Parliament next week, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The legislation is contained in an Amendment Paper to the Taxation (Annual Rates for 2023–24, Multinational Tax, and Remedial Matters) Bill issued today.  “The Amendment Paper represents ...
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  • Statement to the 68th United Nations Commission on the Status of Women
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  • Speech to Life Sciences Summit
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