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Brian Tamaki really annoys Auckland by adding to traffic congestion

Written By: - Date published: 10:21 am, July 24th, 2022 - 53 comments
Categories: Hannah Tamaki, new conservatives, political parties, politicans, transport, uncategorized - Tags:

Brian and Hannah Tamaki and their supporters decided to disrupt the country in a major protest organised yesterday.  He must have been disappointed with the result.  Because although a few hardy protestors managed to disrupt Auckland by walking onto a motorway and by some others driving slowly.  The thinking behind it is hard to fathom.  There is nothing more likely to get you offside with Aucklanders than adding to congestion.

And looks like the rationale is to have yet another run at the elections next year.  And a mega merger of idiot parties is in the drawing board.  From the Herald:

Tamaki told Radio New Zealand he will soon make an announcement regarding three minor parties forming a coalition.

Tamaki said three minor parties have made the commitment to operate under a new umbrella.

“I’m in talks with others. So it looks like there’s going to be a new party on the block.

“We want to bring reform to this political establishment. It needs changing. We want to get it out of the hands of parties, and into the hands of people.”

Tamaki said he has no interest in personally running for Parliament, preferring to act in an advisory role to the new party.

The reason for the protest was to demand the Government resigns.  Comparisons were drawn with what is happening in Sri Lanka.  There are differences however.  One nation is besieged by debt caused in part by ridiculous tax cuts.  The other nation, Aotearoa, is doing perfectly well thank you very much with remarkably low debt levels given what we have been through in the past couple of years.

The matters Tamaki was protesting against included the high cost of living, understaffing of hospitals, GPs being overworked, education problems, three-waters legislation, a mental health crisis and under-resourced first responders.

It did not matter that there was a great deal of contradiction in their claims.  The high cost of living is predominately an internationally caused phenomenon, understaffing of hospitals and GPs being overworked are in part because we are in a one in 100 year pandemic and groups such as Destiny Church have been actively disrupting preventative measures such as the  vaccination roll out and mask wearing.  The mental health crisis is related.  If he has a better solution for Three Waters he should present it.  Presuming that Tamaki advocates for reduction in government spending to address inflation then this directly contradicts the steps necessary to address all of the other measures.

And for a more reasoned critique of Labour’s performance this year in these areas how about this analysis from Audrey Young in the Herald.  She points to the temporary measures designed to address cost of living pressures.  She reports significant implementation of Health policies.  In education the most important policy initiative that has been achieved in my view is the expansion of the the free healthy school lunches programme from 8,000 to 200,000 children.  And there is significant work being done on improving the plight of first responders.  Rome was not built in a day.

At the last election Vision NZ received 0.1% of the party vote.  I don’t think they pose much of a threat.  Especially if they continue to annoy the population at large with the sort of antics that they engaged in the sorts of antics that occurred on Saturday.

53 comments on “Brian Tamaki really annoys Auckland by adding to traffic congestion ”

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  1. Anne 1
    24 July 2022 at 11:01 am

    Jack Tame interview this morning with Dr Ashley Bloomfield on the eve of his retirement:

    https://www.tvnz.co.nz/shows/q-and-a/live

    The interview starts 19 mins 23 secs in.

    Compare the words of wisdom as uttered by "Bishop" Tamaki yesterday at the protest with Dr. Ashley Bloomfield today. One is a charlatan with a forked tongue and the other is a highly intelligent medical expert – a gentleman of real worth.

  2. Stuart Munro 2
    24 July 2022 at 11:52 am

    I'm not sure that I'd agree that cost of living issues are primarily international in origin, though clearly current inflation is not driven by local demand.

    Major components like cost of housing however, are driven by policies that were, in the long term, untenable, but were endorsed by Brash's zombies at Treasury without Labour demur. Immigration was also a non-trivial contributor to the debacle, together with the toothless (no disrespect to Cressida Cowell's character of that name) useless Commerce Commission.

    Tamaki is a curious pathology – but until real worker voices are structured into policy development it should be expected that increased pressure will find a way to vent through random orifices.

  3. mike 3
    24 July 2022 at 12:25 pm

    To paraphrase Tamaki – We have started a party 'to get out of the hands of parties'. Blimey! Is this guy real. Sadly he is. And, dangerously, the only vision he has for his VisionNZ party is theocracy. That's right, rule by priests. The ultimate aim? Bring back burning at the stake. It's been missed.

  4. Ad 4
    24 July 2022 at 12:29 pm

    They should be treated the same as the several hundred cyclists who took over the same bridge.

    No one on the left called for those cyclists to be arrested.

    The hard right is uniting while the hard left is in disarray. So the last thing the Auckland left would need is a fast dose of hypocrisy.

    • Anne 4.1
      24 July 2022 at 2:30 pm

      No one on the left called for those cyclists to be arrested.

      You reckon? I remember watching the video and feeling very frustrated that the police were standing around and letting it happen. I'll bet I wasn't the only 'leftie' who felt the same way.

    • Herodotus 4.2
      24 July 2022 at 2:32 pm

      Because white middle class wearing Lycra is acceptable, the police/ govt would lose at lot of public support should they have acted in a similar manner as they are proposing here, those middle class need to feel that they can protest take over the harbour bridge with immunity.

    • Incognito 4.3
      24 July 2022 at 2:47 pm

      Was the Tamaki Gang demonstrating for an extra lane on the M-way they walked on?

      Had they announced (e.g. informed Police) they were going to walk on that M-way?

      Is lycra worse than leather when staging a protest?

    • Clive Macann 4.4
      25 July 2022 at 3:54 pm

      "No one on the left called for those cyclists to be arrested."

      Hmm, unless you have SPOKEN and LISTENED to EVERY leftie then you have no right to speak for them ALL.

      Talk about being self entitled, Ad.

  5. Sanctuary 5
    24 July 2022 at 12:36 pm

    Tamaki's rhetoric is getting close to committing treason under the crimes act IMHO.

  6. Barfly 6
    24 July 2022 at 3:02 pm

    If Tamaki was on fire I wouldn't even piss on him.

  7. woodart 7
    24 July 2022 at 3:35 pm

    its a great service that tamaki is doing . he will vacuum up much of the wacko vote that would otherwise gravitate to act . hopefully he will align with a conservative party/ groundswill, and further hoover votes away from act/national. should be entertaining viewing as assorted oddballs jockey for position in this unholy alliance. billy and jl ross should get involved. maybe the corpse of don brash?

    • Ikey 7.1
      24 July 2022 at 9:43 pm

      Conclusion based on your likely scenario is another coalition with Labour, not going to happen.

  8. weka 8
    24 July 2022 at 4:13 pm

    Maybe winning over Aucklanders isn't the point? Maybe the point is to attract the disaffected, and to create more political strife so that the number of disaffected grows? Trumpian. The chaos serves the cause. Even if he never gets anywhere near power, it will help National to have more people hating Labour. I'm sure he prefers a Nat government to a L/G one.

    • roblogic 8.1
      24 July 2022 at 10:44 pm

      It's not an honest political protest, the point is to troll Aucklanders and make the church members feel like they are actually doing something.

      Destiny should stick to its social programs and service to the community, that is a far better ministry than this (heretical) Dominionist political posturing.

      So many scenes from “The Life of Brian” are applicable here. But Tamaki’s movement is not funny, it is taking a dark turn, going down a destructive path of QAnon/MAGA mindfucks

  9. BAW 9
    24 July 2022 at 4:25 pm

    Nat voter here.

    But they won….

    The vax mandates are being shut down, the vax pass is gone, and mask mandates are being ignored.

    If he wants Jacinda gone then he is going to need the Nats. Problem is that his small party will get less than 5% and thus take votes away from the Nats. I see an own goal here. Of course he makes things worse if he tarrs the Nats with his brand.

    • Incognito 9.1
      24 July 2022 at 7:24 pm

      But they won….

      Are you serious?

    • mickysavage 9.2
      24 July 2022 at 8:45 pm

      I hope they get 4.8% of the vote and no electorate seat.

      The christian conservative movement has from my point of view been really successful because it has never won seats in Parliament and has always marooned a number of votes. Long may it continue.

      Of course a major reason has been that the movement is full of hypocrites.

    • Clive Macann 9.3
      25 July 2022 at 3:59 pm

      "They won".

      Seriously, how/why did you come up with that?

      All those things you mentioned were always going to be removed at the time the Govt and Medical advisors were best.

      Had nothing to do with Tamaki and his cohorts. LOL

  10. Anne 10
    24 July 2022 at 4:40 pm

    Bryan Gould says it all:

    "So, now we know for sure. The “protesters” who defiled the grounds of parliament and who (according to their own account) intended to create in three of our major cities “maximum disruption and inconvenience” to other citizens, are not interested in democracy – indeed, quite the contrary. Their objective, quite clearly, is to deny and defy the outcome of a democratic election and to overturn an elected government.

    The issues which they had earlier claimed were those that motivated them – vaccination and other measures to counter the covid pandemic – are no longer live issues. The only remaining issue is their overall hostility to our elected government and their willingness to use any means, including assaults on the rights and freedoms of other citizens, to establish a regime of indeterminate character but which would clearly not be democratic or respectful of the rights of others.

    In some ways, the leaders of the so-called protesters have done us all a favour by making their nefarious objectives so clear. If the issue and choice that now confronts us is to decide between Jacinda Ardern and her elected government on the one hand and Brian Tamaki and his Destiny Church on the other, the response is surely a no-brainer. The “protesters” may have unwittingly shot themselves in the foot by showing their hand so clearly."

    See side-bar for original.

  11. mauī 11
    24 July 2022 at 6:09 pm

    6 years ago many on here were supportive of the TPP protests that caused traffic chaos in the name of sovereignty and freedom… Hmm, sound familiar..

    .https://thestandard.org.nz/daily-review-04022016/

    • Incognito 11.1
      24 July 2022 at 6:15 pm

      You can shove your false equivalences, troll.

      • RedLogix 11.1.1
        24 July 2022 at 7:08 pm

        Tough day?

      • mickysavage 11.1.2
        24 July 2022 at 8:53 pm

        It is a valid point. Happy to let this discussion develop because I do need to understand why one is ok and the other is not.

        • Incognito 11.1.2.1
          24 July 2022 at 9:39 pm

          Sure, but that’s a different set of questions and the presumed equivalence of the causes/goals is irrelevant – we have the right to protest but we don’t have the right to walk on M-ways to cause traffic chaos; it was not hikoi. It is very easy to argue major and fundamental differences between the two protests that make any further comparison a rather strenuous exercise in mental gymnastics, IMO. Would it be valid argument in Court to compare with the TPPA protest, for example, if it were to come to charges?

          I’ll let mauī explain although I doubt anything will be forthcoming from that troll and anyway, this is your Post.

    • Rosemary McDonald 11.2
      24 July 2022 at 6:29 pm

      Those were the days… I wonder how many hanging around here on TS now were actually there in Auckland that day?

      God…I so remember Labour hopefuls during that campaign telling us they'd fight the TPPA to the bitter end.

      What a joke they turned out to be.

      • Anne 11.2.1
        24 July 2022 at 8:21 pm

        Rosemary re-writes history yet again?

        There may have been a small number of LP members who opposed the TPPA , but my recollection is: Labour did not oppose the agreement. However they may have wished to change an aspect or two of it. Labour have been instrumental in negotiating and signing most of the trade treaties we have with other countries.

        • Rosemary McDonald 11.2.1.1
          24 July 2022 at 9:13 pm

          Rosemary re-writes history yet again?

          There may have been a small number of LP members who opposed the TPPA , but my recollection is: Labour did not oppose the agreement.

          All very muddled and confusing at the time it was Anne, and I can see where it might make for difficult remembering…

          https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/opinion/76377266/andrew-little-and-labour-make-a-hash-of-selling-partys-tppa-stance

          Finally, after a caucus retreat in the Wairarapa earlier this week, Little emerged with a clearly-packaged sound bite; the party could not support the TPP as it stood and would vote against any enabling legislation that cut across New Zealand's right to pass laws in its own best interest.

          Some made their stance quite clear….

          Labour has joined the campaign to oppose the deal as the focus turns to the signing in Auckland next week.

          Mr Goff, a former leader and former Trade Minister and now an Auckland mayoral candidate, and David Shearer, also a former Labour leader, last night told the Herald they both still supported the TPP.

          https://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/mps-break-ranks-on-tpp/LQVMCWHJ7QGIW25P3VYKMAPQD4/

          And sometimes there were some quite definite statements made…

          In its minority report, the Labour Party expressed strong opposition to the TPP, saying the Government had failed to effectively represent the long-term interests of New Zealanders.

          "As it stands, we cannot support the ratification of the Trans Pacific Partnership Agreement," the Labour Party said.

          New Zealand had "weakened" its sovereignty for relatively small gains, Labour said.

          The $2.7 billion boost to the economy amounted to a 0.9 per cent lift to GDP in 15 years' time. The New Zealand economy was projected to rise by 47 per cent over this period, Labour said.

          The Green Party and New Zealand First also expressed their opposition to the agreement in their minority reports.

          https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/trade-minister-disappointed-at-labours-tpp-vote/4BZM3GG2Q3U6BRSBHZBZDSRZVY/

          But changes were made… maybe…and Labour happily added a letter or two and signed…https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/politics/2018/01/labour-insists-decision-to-sign-tpp-is-not-a-u-turn.html

          Did we ever get to see the full text? So much secret squirrel stuff going on…

          https://theconversation.com/new-zealand-is-overdue-for-an-open-and-honest-debate-about-21st-century-trade-relations-160922

          Before the 2017 election, with the TPPA’s public support in tatters, the Labour Party was keen to paint itself as part of the increasingly popular movement against corporate-led globalisation.

          Its minority report to the select committee noted:

          The Labour Party wishes to protest in the strongest terms at the government’s failure to effectively represent the long-term interests of New Zealand in the Trans-Pacific Partnership negotiations.

          And yet when the incoming Trump Administration stepped back from the TPPA in early 2017, Labour turned cheerleader for a slightly modified CPTPP agreement.

          In government Labour argued the necessary changes had been made to make the agreement acceptable, but in reality hardly anything had changed.

          • lprent 11.2.1.1.1
            24 July 2022 at 11:57 pm

            Sigh… You really need to look at a timeline for the TPPA.

            Think of it as several different agreements.

            The original TPPA before the US hopped on to it was fine as far as I was concerned.

            The TPPA with the US involved was a useless mess, especially with questions of intellectual property rights including the pharmaceuticals, and in the arbitration regime associated with that. Basically it traded everyone else in the NZ economy off for a minimal access for farmers to the restrictive US farmed goods market.

            We ratified that pile of crap in 2016. Fortunately Trump (as chief idiot of the USA) dumped that version after 2016 by making it clear that he wouldn’t ratify it. Best decision that he could have made for the benefit of the citizens of New Zealand.

            The CPTPP is the agreement that was actually signed. It got rid of most of the issues that I had with the TPPA, That was signed in late 2018 by the more rational states of the TPPA and came in effect at the end of 2018.

            I can live mostly with that agreement. Almost all of the most objectionable clauses in it were removed, albeit with a pious note that they might be negotiated in if the US decided to try to join. Jane Kelsey points out that

            A few provisions, mainly on intellectual property rights, were suspended but not withdrawn, while a series of side letters of questionable legal value meant investors from Australia and Peru could not challenge New Zealand laws or decisions directly in dubious offshore tribunals.

            But that isn’t correct. For the US to come into the CPTPP, they’d have to negotiate those back in, or to get the CPTPP suspended and revert back to the TPPA. As she points out later, there are 11 countries who would have to be convinced

            In short, I would describe your characterisation of Labour position and that of its MPs as a a dumb fantasy by someone who hasn’t bothered to actually followed the negotiations on the TPPA/CPTPP.

            In government Labour argued the necessary changes had been made to make the agreement acceptable, but in reality hardly anything had changed.

            That is a statement that simply indicates that you don’t know anything about the differences between the 2016 TPPA (which I opposed) and the CPTPP that I could live with. The few minor suspensions were exactly the ones that I and many others in the Labour party and many of the business community outside of agriculture opposed.

            The end result of the CPTTP wasn’t that different in effect from some of the previous FTAs between members of the CPTPP. Its effect was to cause a slow reduction in tariffs across the region, with minimal overrides on local laws. The intellectual property restrictions that I viewed to be a active economic constraint on NZ were largely suspended. The investor-state provisions were scaled back as well.

            Prove me wrong – list them and explain what the effect of each of the changes was. There was information about it from 2017-19.

            What Jane Kelsey does have entirely correct is this….

            The CPTPP risks becoming another merry-go-round in the largely secretive circus of free trade agreements. Countries seem willing to climb on board without prior public scrutiny or any compelling rationale.

            It’s time to pull back the curtains and have an open and honest debate about the kind of trade relations New Zealand and other nations really need for the 21st century.

            I had a close look at the TTPA, and as she said – much of it isn’t public. The economic forecasts by MFAT were a work of PR fiction that didn’t appear to have any basis in any commercial world that I know.

            But it really doesn’t help having a lazy person slagging off a political party using links from before 2017. They were all about a agreement that never got implemented.

            TPPA is not the the same as the CPTPP. Which is what your obnoxious and stupid rant appeared to conflate. You sounded exactly like brain dead parrot repeating something that they read back in 2016. Perhaps you should look at the situation that is actually in place now rather than living in the damn past.

            • Rosemary McDonald 11.2.1.1.1.1
              25 July 2022 at 8:27 am

              Sigh… The key word in Anne's comment at https://thestandard.org.nz/brian-tamaki-really-annoys-auckland-by-adding-to-traffic-congestion/#comment-1901894 is "history".

              And the accusation that I was "re writing" the same in saying that in 2016 Labour was opposed to the TPPA .

              I responded with links to just some of the news articles from the time that support my claim.

              And a more recent article from someone who might have a clue or two on the matter.

              Which is what your obnoxious and stupid rant appeared to conflate. You sounded exactly like brain dead parrot repeating something that they read back in 2016. Perhaps you should look at the situation that is actually in place now rather than living in the damn past.

              There seems to be an acceptance of personal attacks on commenters here on TS when there are disagreements…it is clear to see where that culture originates.

              It was a discussion about the anti-TPPA protest in Auckland in 2016 and the stance that Labour took at that time.

              • lprent …
                25 July 2022 at 2:16 pm

                The stance that Labour took at the time was to do with the TPPA. Your links just show that as a parliamentary party they didn't support the TPPA going forward in the form it had at the time.

                They specified the specific parts of the agreement that they had issues with. Which were based around intellectual property provisions, the investor-state form, and some specific issues related to the treaty of Waitangi. All of which were removed, suspended, or significantly changed.

                Yet you highlighted this…

                In government Labour argued the necessary changes had been made to make the agreement acceptable, but in reality hardly anything had changed.

                Why? That was complete bullshit. The Labour parliamentary party had made clear in the select committee minority report exactly what sections of the treaty worried them. Those that caused them to oppose the ratification of the TTPA – something that I can't remember them doing in any previous trade treaty in my lifetime – including problematic ones like CER. Those same sticking points for the TPPA were the exactly the parts that were changed in the CPTTP.

                I can understand Jane Kelsey's position. She doesn't particularly trust any trade treaty from CER onwards – so she highlights the flaws in each treaty, and she does it in detail. Critics of that type of useful.

                But there simply was no 'u-turn' by Labour. Neither you nor Jane Kelsey have managed to or even attempted to make a case for it as far as I can see. You simply projected your desired outcomes and criticised that Labour didn't follow them. Neither of you bothered to look at what Labour members of parliamentarians were worried about and what they objected to.

                For a starter neither of you bothered to even list the things that got changed – against the objections written in the minority select committee report or the stated objections of the Labour party as a whole. You only have to look at what remits got passed at NZLP conferences.

                There seems to be an acceptance of personal attacks on commenters here on TS when there are disagreements…it is clear to see where that culture originates.

                Consider that I spent quite a lot of time working against Labour supporting the TPPA from very early on in the negotiations. Amongst other things I spent a period of time talking to Phil Goff about my objections to it during one of the conferences. I spent time writing about my objections to it here and spending time discussing it. Personally I can't remember you managing to say anything of relevance during that period. basically shouting slogans is the trait of a idiotic parrot rather than someone thinking about the topic.

                I consider that your lying about where the NZLP position was, where it went to by ratification time, and where the CPTPP wound up is a direct personal attack on me and my integrity. As well as for everyone inside Labour who thought about the issue and actively worked on changing the mind of the NZLP and the parliamentary party.

                You have to remember that when TPPA was first opened up to US inclusion that the parliamentary party was largely in favour of it regardless of the potential down sides. It wasn't the mindless career outsiders like Bomber (or yourself probably) who changed their position against the worst aspects of the US TPPA. It was almost entirely opposition by NZLP members, and the dedicated work of researchers like Jane Kelsey who did that.

                Now I'm sure that it was a matter of simple thoughtlessness and laziness that caused you to offend me like that. Besides the stated policy on this side is robust debate. That doesn't preclude stating opinions on someone else position.

                I said for instance

                In short, I would describe your characterisation of Labour position and that of its MPs as a a dumb fantasy by someone who hasn’t bothered to actually followed the negotiations on the TPPA/CPTPP.

                And as anticipated – you clearly had and still have no idea what those positions were during the TPPA debates.

                Prove me wrong – list them and explain what the effect of each of the changes was. There was information about it from 2017-19.

                Ha! Just because you have absolutely no idea what those are, doesn't seem to prevent you from mindlessly insulting those who actually do.

                But it really doesn’t help having a lazy person slagging off a political party using links from before 2017. They were all about a agreement that never got implemented.

                Which you appear to have proved again in your reply.

                You sounded exactly like brain dead parrot repeating something that they read back in 2016. Perhaps you should look at the situation that is actually in place now rather than living in the damn past.

                Well these weren't insults – they appear to be accurate assessments of your comment and your probable level of avoidance / response.

                Perhaps if you simply thought about what you were writing and dealt with criticism of your position without falling into victim mode you'd draw a less robustly nuanced responses.

    • Mike the Lefty 11.3
      25 July 2022 at 8:34 am

      Well Maui the protests you refer to were well organized. The organizers co-ordinated with police to keep the disruption contained. Compare that with Vision NZ supporters who wander all over the road like Brown's cows abusing police and by-standers alike and leaving rubbish everywhere.

      Such nice folks!

  12. Mike the Lefty 12
    24 July 2022 at 10:04 pm

    Vision NZ needs to be renamed "Tunnelvision NZ".

  13. Peter 13
    25 July 2022 at 10:00 am

    I was pleased to hear Phil Goff say of Tamaki's comment "angry, self-entitled dick heads," that Tamaki should look in the mirror.

  14. Barfly 14
    25 July 2022 at 11:18 am

    At this point Tamaki's efforts are a minor annoyance- A future where someone organises a "counter-protest" could well end up in a riot

  15. observer 15
    25 July 2022 at 11:38 am

    The weather in Auckland has been terrible over the past few days (link: looking out the window).

    But it relented briefly, for Brian Scamaki's mob to have a stroll on Saturday. This proves that Old God takes his instructions from Bigger God Brian.

  16. Maurice 16
    25 July 2022 at 11:48 am

    Just wait till Farmers bring their protest to the motorways … and leave manure everywhere!

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    Evaluating the recent crashes of Silicon Valley Bank in the US and Credit Suisse in Switzerland plus two other banks (perhaps more by the time you read this) needs to begin with a review of the inevitable instability in the financial sector. The financial sector is inherently unstable, like military ...
    PunditBy Brian Easton
    2 days ago

  • The week in review
    1. We see here new police minister Ginny Andersen. Which larger than life NZ political figure was her great-uncle?a. Rob Muldoonb. Bill Andersenc. Richard John Seddond. Norman Kirk2. We see here archival footage of Ginny Andersen coming out of her electorate office to ask ex-tobacco lobbyist Chris Bishop if he ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    2 days ago

  • Nash splashes out with a $900,000 investment in the blue economy (or is it more corporate welfare?)
    Buzz from the Beehive Stuart Nash, speaking as Minister of Oceans and Fisheries, one of his remaining portfolios after he was dropped down the Hipkins Government batting order, has drawn attention to the blue economy and its potential. Nash says the government is investing in the blue economy, or – ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    2 days ago

  • Ask Me Anything about the week to March 24
    Photo by Josh Mills on UnsplashIt’s that time of the week for an ‘Ask Me Anything’ session for paying subscribers about the week that was for the next hour, including:The runs on Silicon Valley Bank and First Republic Bank on the west coast of the United States that forced the ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago

  • Weekly Roundup 24-March-2023
    Roundup is back! We skipped last week’s Friday post due to a shortage of person-power – did you notice? Lots going on out there… Our header image this week shows a green street that just happens to be Queen St, by @chamfy from Twitter. This week (and last) in ...
    Greater AucklandBy Greater Auckland
    2 days ago

  • Gordon Campbell on the Keen-Minshull visit
    After threatening Prime Minister Chris Hipkins of consequences if he dared to bar her entry, Kellie-Jay Keen-Minshull has been given her visa, regardless. This will enable her to hold rallies in Auckland and Wellington this weekend, and spread her messages of hostility against an already marginalised trans community. Neo-Nazis may, ...
    Gordon CampbellBy lyndon
    2 days ago

  • BRYCE EDWARDS’ Political Roundup:  NZ needs to distance itself from Australia’s anti-China nucl...
    * Bryce Edwards writes – The New Zealand Government has been silent about Australia’s decision to commit up to $400bn acquiring nuclear submarines, even though this is a significant threat to peace and stability in the Asia Pacific. The deal was struck by the Albanese Labor Government as ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    2 days ago

  • Wayne Brown's #Auxit moment
    Boomers voted him in, but Brown’s Trumpish moments might spook Aucklanders worried about what a change to National nationally might mean. Photo: Lynn Grieveson/Getty ImagesTL;DR: Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown has become our version of Donald Trump and Boris Johnson, except without any of the insatiable appetite for media appearances. He ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago

  • Bryce Edwards: NZ needs to distance itself from Australia’s anti-China nuclear submarines
    The New Zealand Government has been silent about Australia’s decision to commit up to $400bn acquiring nuclear submarines, even though this is a significant threat to peace and stability in the Asia Pacific. The deal was struck by the Albanese Labor Government as part of its Aukus pact with the ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    2 days ago

  • Posie Parker vs Transgender Rights.
    Recently you might have heard of a person called Posie Parker and her visit to Aotearoa. Perhaps you’re not quite sure what it’s all about. So let’s start with who this person is, why their visit is controversial, and what on earth a TERF is.Posie Parker is the super villain ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    2 days ago

  • Select Committee told slow down; you’re moving too fast
    The chair of Parliament’s Select Committee looking at the Government’s resource management legislation wants the bills sent back for more public consultation. The proposal would effectively kill any chance of the bills making it into law before the election. Green MP, Eugenie Sage, stressing that she was speaking as ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    2 days ago

  • Skeptical Science New Research for Week #12 2023
    Open access notables  The United States experienced some historical low temperature records during the just-concluded winter. It's a reminder that climate and weather are quite noisy; with regard to our warming climate,, as with a road ascending a mountain range we may steadily change our conditions but with lots of ...
    Skeptical Science
    3 days ago

  • What becomes of the broken hearted? Nanny State will step in to comfort them
    Buzz from the Beehive The Nanny State has scored some wins (or claimed them) in the past day or two but it faltered when it came to protecting Kiwi citizens from being savaged by one woman armed with a sharp tongue. The wins are recorded by triumphant ministers on the ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    3 days ago

  • Acceptance, decency, road food.
    Sometimes you see your friends making the case so well on social media you think: just copy and share.On acceptance and decency, from Michèle A’CourtA notable thing about anti-trans people is they way they talk about transgender women and men as though they are strangers “over there” when in fact ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago

  • Climate Change: More Labour sabotage
    Not that long ago, things were looking pretty good for climate change policy in Aotearoa. We finally had an ETS, and while it was full of pork and subsidies, it was delivering high and ever-rising carbon prices, sending a clear message to polluters to clean up or shut down. And ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    3 days ago

  • Is bundling restricting electricity competition?
    Comparing (and switching) electricity providers has become easier, but bundling power up with broadband and/or gas makes it more challenging. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The Kākā TL;DR: The new Consumer Advocacy Council set up as a result of the Labour Government’s Electricity Price Review in 2019 has called on either ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago

  • Westland Milk puts heat on competitors as global dairy demand  remains softer for longer
    Hokitika-based Westland Milk Products  has  put the heat on dairy giant Fonterra with  a $120m profit turnaround in 2022, driven by record sales. Westland paid its suppliers a 10c premium above the forecast Fonterra price per kilo, contributing $535m to the West Coast and Canterbury economies. The dairy ...
    Point of OrderBy tutere44
    3 days ago

  • BRYCE EDWARDS’ Political Roundup:  The Beehive’s revolving door and corporate mateship
    * Bryce Edwards writes – New Zealanders are uncomfortable with the high level of influence corporate lobbyists have in New Zealand politics, and demands are growing for greater regulation. A recent poll shows 62 per cent of the public support having a two-year cooling off period between ministers leaving public ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    3 days ago

  • Bryce Edwards: The Beehive’s revolving door and corporate mateship
    New Zealanders are uncomfortable with the high level of influence corporate lobbyists have in New Zealand politics, and demands are growing for greater regulation. A recent poll shows 62 per cent of the public support having a two-year cooling off period between ministers leaving public office and becoming lobbyists and ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    3 days ago

  • A miracle pill for our transport ills
    This is a guest post by accessibility and sustainable transport advocate Tim Adriaansen It originally appeared here.   A friend calls you and asks for your help. They tell you that while out and about nearby, they slipped over and landed arms-first. Now their wrist is swollen, hurting like ...
    Greater AucklandBy Guest Post
    3 days ago

  • The Surprising Power of Floating Wind Turbines
    Floating offshore wind turbines offer incredible opportunities to capture powerful winds far out at sea. By unlocking this wind energy potential, they could be a key weapon in our arsenal in the fight against climate change. But how developed are these climate fighting clean energy giants? And why do I ...
    Skeptical Science
    3 days ago

  • The next Maori challenge
    Over the past two or three weeks, a procession of Maori iwi and hapu in a series of little-noticed appearances before two Select Committees have been asking for more say for Maori over resource management decisions along the co-governance lines of Three Waters. Their submissions and appearances run counter ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    3 days ago

  • Secret “war-crime” warrants by International Criminal Court is mischief-making
    The decision of the International Criminal Court (ICC) to issue war crimes arrest warrants for the Russian President and the Russia Children Ombudsman may have been welcomed by the ideologically committed but otherwise seems to have been greeted with widespread cynicism (see Situation in Ukraine: ICC judges issue arrest warrants ...
    Open ParachuteBy Ken
    4 days ago

  • How to answer Drunk Uncle Kevin's Climate Crisis reckons
    Let’s say you’re clasping your drink at a wedding, or a 40th, or a King’s Birthday Weekend family reunion and Drunk Uncle Kevin has just got going.He’s in an expansive frame of mind because we’re finally rid of that silly girl. But he wants to ask an honest question about ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    4 days ago

  • National’s Luxon may be glum about his poll ratings but has he found a winner in promising to rai...
    National Party leader Christopher Luxon may  be feeling glum about his poll ratings, but  he could be tapping  into  a rich political vein in  describing the current state of education as “alarming”. Luxon said educational achievement has been declining,  with a recent NCEA pilot exposing just how far it has ...
    Point of OrderBy tutere44
    4 days ago

  • Climate Change: More Labour foot-dragging
    Yesterday the IPCC released the final part of its Sixth Assessment Report, warning us that we have very little time left in which to act to prevent catastrophic climate change, but pointing out that it is a problem that we can solve, with existing technology, and that anything we do ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    4 days ago

  • Te Pāti Māori Are Revolutionaries – Not Reformists.
    Way Beyond Reform: Rawiri Waititi and Debbie Ngarewa-Packer have no more interest in remaining permanent members of “New Zealand’s” House of Representatives than did Lenin and Trotsky in remaining permanent members of Tsar Nicolas II’s “democratically-elected” Duma. Like the Bolsheviks, Te Pāti Māori is a party of revolutionaries – not reformists.THE CROWN ...
    Bowalley Road
    4 days ago

  • When does history become “ancient”, on Tinetti’s watch as Minister of Education – and what o...
    Buzz from the Beehive Auckland was wiped off the map, when Education Minister Jan Tinetti delivered her speech of welcome as host of the inaugural Conference of Pacific Education Ministers “here in Tāmaki Makaurau”. But – fair to say – a reference was made later in the speech to a ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    4 days ago

  • Climate Catastrophe, but first rugby.
    Morning mate, how you going?Well, I was watching the news last night and they announced this scientific report on Climate Change. But before they got to it they had a story about the new All Blacks coach.Sounds like important news. It’s a bit of a worry really.Yeah, they were talking ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    4 days ago

  • What the US and European bank rescues mean for us
    Always a bailout: US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said the Government would fully guarantee all savers in all smaller US banks if needed. Photo: Getty ImagesTL;DR: No wonder an entire generation of investors are used to ‘buying the dip’ and ‘holding on for dear life’. US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago

  • Bryce Edwards: Who will drain Wellington’s lobbying swamp?
    Wealthy vested interests have an oversized influence on political decisions in New Zealand. Partly that’s due to their use of corporate lobbyists. Fortunately, the influence lobbyists can have on decisions made by politicians is currently under scrutiny in Guyon Espiner’s in-depth series published by RNZ. Two of Espiner’s research exposés ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    4 days ago

  • It’s Raining Congestion
    Yesterday afternoon it rained and traffic around the region ground to a halt, once again highlighting why it is so important that our city gets on with improving the alternatives to driving. For additional irony, this happened on the same day the IPCC synthesis report landed, putting the focus on ...
    Greater AucklandBy Matt L
    4 days ago

  • Checking The Left: The Dreadful Logic Of Fascism.
    The Beginning: Anti-Co-Governance agitator, Julian Batchelor, addresses the Dargaville stop of his travelling roadshow across New Zealand . Fascism almost always starts small. Sadly, it doesn’t always stay that way. Especially when the Left helps it to grow.THERE IS A DREADFUL LOGIC to the growth of fascism. To begin with, it ...
    Bowalley Road
    4 days ago

  • Good Friends and Terrible Food
    Hi,From an incredibly rainy day in Los Angeles, I just wanted to check in. I guess this is the day Trump may or may not end up in cuffs? I’m attempting a somewhat slower, less frenzied week. I’ve had Unknown Mortal Orchestra’s new record on non-stop, and it’s been a ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    4 days ago

  • At a glance – What evidence is there for the hockey stick?
    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
    5 days ago

  • Carry right on up there, Corporal Espiner
    RNZ has been shining their torch into corners where lobbyists lurk and asking such questions as: Do we like the look of this?and Is this as democratic as it could be?These are most certainly questions worth asking, and every bit as valid as, say:Are we shortchanged democratically by the way ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    5 days ago

  • This smells
    RNZ has continued its look at the role of lobbyists by taking a closer look at the Prime Minister's Chief of Staff Andrew Kirton. He used to work for liquor companies, opposing (among other things) a container refund scheme which would have required them to take responsibility for their own ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    5 days ago

  • Major issues on the table in Mahuta’s  talks in Beijing with China’s new Foreign Minister
    Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta has left for Beijing for the first ministerial visit to China since 2019. Mahuta is  to  meet China’s new foreign minister Qin Gang  where she  might have to call on all the  diplomatic skills  at  her  command. Almost certainly she  will  face  questions  on what  role ...
    Point of OrderBy tutere44
    5 days ago

  • Inside TOP's Teal Card and political strategy
    TL;DR: The Opportunities Party’s Leader Raf Manji is hopeful the party’s new Teal Card, a type of Gold card for under 30s, will be popular with students, and not just in his Ilam electorate where students make up more than a quarter of the voters and where Manji is confident ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago

  • Make Your Empties Go Another Round.
    When I was a kid New Zealand was actually pretty green. We didn’t really have plastic. The fruit and veges came in a cardboard box, the meat was wrapped in paper, milk came in a glass bottle, and even rubbish sacks were made of paper. Today if you sit down ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago

  • Gordon Campbell on how similar Vladimir Putin is to George W. Bush
    Looking back through the names of our Police Ministers down the years, the job has either been done by once or future party Bigfoots – Syd Holland, Richard Prebble, Juduth Collins, Chris Hipkins – or by far lesser lights like Keith Allen, Frank Gill, Ben Couch, Allen McCready, Clem Simich, ...
    Gordon CampbellBy lyndon
    5 days ago

  • CHRIS TROTTER:  Te Pāti Māori’s uncompromising threat to the status quo
    Chris Trotter writes – The Crown is a fickle friend. Any political movement deemed to be colourful but inconsequential is generally permitted to go about its business unmolested. The Crown’s media, RNZ and TVNZ, may even “celebrate” its existence (presumably as proof of Democracy’s broad-minded acceptance of diversity). ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago

  • Bryce Edwards: Shining a bright light on lobbyists in politics
    Four out of the five people who have held the top role of Prime Minister’s Chief of Staff since 2017 have been lobbyists. That’s a fact that should worry anyone who believes vested interests shouldn’t have a place at the centre of decision making. Chris Hipkins’ newly appointed Chief of ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    5 days ago

  • Auckland Council Draft Budget – an unnecessary backwards step
    Feedback on Auckland Council’s draft 2023/24 budget closes on March 28th. You can read the consultation document here, and provide feedback here. Auckland Council is currently consulting on what is one of its most important ever Annual Plans – the ‘budget’ of what it will spend money on between July ...
    Greater AucklandBy Matt L
    5 days ago

  • Talking’ Posey Parker Blues
    by Molten Moira from Motueka If you want to be a woman let me tell you what to do Get a piece of paper and a biro tooWrite down your new identification And boom! You’re now a woman of this nationSpelled W O M A Na real trans woman that isAs opposed ...
    RedlineBy Admin
    6 days ago

  • More Māori words make it into the OED, and polytech boss (with rules on words like “students”) ...
    Buzz from the Beehive   New Zealand Education Minister Jan Tinetti is hosting the inaugural Conference of Pacific Education Ministers for three days from today, welcoming Education Ministers and senior officials from 18 Pacific Island countries and territories, and from Australia. Here’s hoping they have brought translators with them – or ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago

  • Social intercourse with haters and Nazis: an etiquette guide
    Let’s say you’ve come all the way from His Majesty’s United Kingdom to share with the folk of Australia and New Zealand your antipathy towards certain other human beings. And let’s say you call yourself a women’s rights activist.And let’s say 99 out of 100 people who listen to you ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    6 days ago

  • The Greens, Labour, and coalition enforcement
    James Shaw gave the Green party's annual "state of the planet" address over the weekend, in which he expressed frustration with Labour for not doing enough on climate change. His solution is to elect more Green MPs, so they have more power within any government arrangement, and can hold Labour ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    6 days ago

  • This sounds familiar…
    RNZ this morning has the first story another investigative series by Guyon Espiner, this time into political lobbying. The first story focuses on lobbying by government agencies, specifically transpower, Pharmac, and assorted universities, and how they use lobbyists to manipulate public opinion and gather intelligence on the Ministers who oversee ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    6 days ago

  • Letter to the NZ Herald: NCEA pseudoscience – “Mauri is present in all matter”
    Nick Matzke writes –   Dear NZ Herald, I am a Senior Lecturer in the School of Biological Sciences at the University of Auckland. I teach evolutionary biology, but I also have long experience in science education and (especially) political attempts to insert pseudoscience into science curricula in ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago

  • So what would be the point of a Green vote again?
    James Shaw has again said the Greens would be better ‘in the tent’ with Labour than out, despite Labour’s policy bonfire last week torching much of what the Government was doing to reduce emissions. File Photo: Lynn Grieveson/Getty ImagesTL;DR: The Green Party has never been more popular than in some ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    6 days ago

  • Gas stoves pose health risks. Are gas furnaces and other appliances safe to use?
    This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Sarah Wesseler Poor air quality is a long-standing problem in Los Angeles, where the first major outbreak of smog during World War II was so intense that some residents thought the city had been attacked by chemical weapons. Cars were eventually discovered ...
    Skeptical Science
    6 days ago

  • Genetic Heritage and Co Governance
    Yesterday I was reading an excellent newsletter from David Slack, and I started writing a comment “Sounds like some excellent genetic heritage…” and then I stopped.There was something about the phrase genetic heritage that stopped me in tracks. Is that a phrase I want to be saying? It’s kind of ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    6 days ago

  • BRIAN EASTON: Radical Uncertainty
    Brian Easton writes – Two senior economists challenge some of the foundations of current economics. It is easy to criticise economic science by misrepresenting it, by selective quotations, and by ignoring that it progresses, like all sciences, by improving and abandoning old theories. The critics may go ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago

  • Geoffrey Miller: New Zealand’s Middle East strategy, 20 years after the Iraq War
    This week marks the twentieth anniversary of the Iraq War. While it strongly opposed the US-led invasion, New Zealand’s then Labour-led government led by Prime Minister Helen Clark did deploy military engineers to try to help rebuild Iraq in mid-2003. With violence soaring, their 12-month deployment ended without being renewed ...
    Democracy ProjectBy Geoffrey Miller
    6 days ago

  • The motorways are finished
    After seventy years, Auckland’s motorway network is finally finished. In July 1953 the first section of motorway in Auckland was opened between Ellerslie-Panmure Highway and Mt Wellington Highway. The final stage opens to traffic this week with the completion of the motorway part of the Northern Corridor Improvements project. Aucklanders ...
    Greater AucklandBy Matt L
    6 days ago

  • Kicking National’s tyres
    National’s appointment of Todd McClay as Agriculture spokesperson clearly signals that the party is in trouble with the farming vote. McClay was not an obvious choice, but he does have a record as a political scrapper. The party needs that because sources say it has been shedding farming votes ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    6 days ago

  • As long as there is cricket, the world is somehow okay.
    Rays of white light come flooding into my lounge, into my face from over the top of my neighbour’s hedge. I have to look away as the window of the conservatory is awash in light, as if you were driving towards the sun after a rain shower and suddenly blinded. ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    1 week ago

  • So much of what was there remains
    The columnists in Private Eye take pen names, so I have not the least idea who any of them are. But I greatly appreciate their expert insight, especially MD, who writes the medical column, offering informed and often damning critique of the UK health system and the politicians who keep ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    1 week ago

  • 2023 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #11
    A chronological listing of news articles posted on the Skeptical Science Facebook Page during the past week: Sun, Mar 12, 2023 thru Sat, Mar 18, 2023. Story of the Week Guest post: What 13,500 citations reveal about the IPCC’s climate science report   IPCC WG1 AR6 SPM Report Cover - Changing ...
    Skeptical Science
    1 week ago

  • Financial capability services are being bucked up, but Stuart Nash shouldn’t have to see if they c...
    Buzz from the Beehive  The building of financial capability was brought into our considerations when Social Development and Employment Minister Carmel Sepuloni announced she had dipped into the government’s coffers for $3 million for “providers” to help people and families access community-based Building Financial Capability services. That wording suggests some ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    1 week ago

  • Things that make you go Hmmmm.
    Do you ever come across something that makes you go Hmmmm?You mean like the song?No, I wasn’t thinking of the song, but I am now - thanks for that. I was thinking of things you read or hear that make you stop and go Hmmmm.Yeah, I know what you mean, ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    1 week ago

  • The hoon for the week that was to March 19
    By the end of the week, the dramas over Stuart Nash overshadowed Hipkins’ policy bonfire. File photo: Lynn GrieveasonTLDR: This week’s news in geopolitics and the political economy covered on The Kākā included:PM Chris Hipkins’ announcement of the rest of a policy bonfire to save a combined $1.7 billion, but ...
    The KakaBy Peter Bale
    1 week ago

  • Crown apology to Ngāti Kahungunu ki Wairarapa Tāmaki nui-a-Rua
    Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations Minister Andrew Little has delivered the Crown apology to Ngāti Kahungunu ki Wairarapa Tāmaki nui-a-Rua for its historic breaches of Te Tiriti of Waitangi today. The ceremony was held at Queen Elizabeth Park in Masterton, hosted by Ngāti Kahungunu ki Wairarapa Tāmaki nui-a-Rua, with several hundred ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago

  • Minister of Foreign Affairs meets with Chinese counterpart
    Minister of Foreign Affairs Nanaia Mahuta has concluded her visit to China, the first by a New Zealand Foreign Minister since 2018. The Minister met her counterpart, newly appointed State Councilor and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Qin Gang, who also hosted a working dinner. This was the first engagement between the two ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago

  • Government delivering world-class satellite positioning services
    World-class satellite positioning services that will support much safer search and rescue, boost precision farming, and help safety on construction sites through greater accuracy are a significant step closer today, says Land Information Minister Damien O’Connor. Damien O’Connor marked the start of construction on New Zealand’s first uplink centre for ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • District Court Judges appointed
    Attorney-General David Parker has announced the appointment of Christopher John Dellabarca of Wellington, Dr Katie Jane Elkin of Wellington, Caroline Mary Hickman of Napier, Ngaroma Tahana of Rotorua, Tania Rose Williams Blyth of Hamilton and Nicola Jan Wills of Wellington as District Court Judges.  Chris Dellabarca Mr Dellabarca commenced his ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • New project set to supercharge ocean economy in Nelson Tasman
    A new Government-backed project will help ocean-related businesses in the Nelson Tasman region to accelerate their growth and boost jobs. “The Nelson Tasman region is home to more than 400 blue economy businesses, accounting for more than 30 percent of New Zealand’s economic activity in fishing, aquaculture, and seafood processing,” ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago

  • National’s education policy: where’s the funding?
    After three years of COVID-19 disruptions schools are finally settling down and National want to throw that all in the air with major disruption to learning and underinvestment.  “National’s education policy lacks the very thing teachers, parents and students need after a tough couple of years, certainty and stability,” Education ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago

  • Free programme to help older entrepreneurs and inventors
    People aged over 50 with innovative business ideas will now be able to receive support to advance their ideas to the next stage of development, Minister for Seniors Ginny Andersen said today. “Seniors have some great entrepreneurial ideas, and this programme will give them the support to take that next ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago

  • Government target increased to keep powering up the Māori economy
    A cross government target for relevant government procurement contracts for goods and services to be awarded to Māori businesses annually will increase to 8%, after the initial 5% target was exceeded. The progressive procurement policy was introduced in 2020 to increase supplier diversity, starting with Māori businesses, for the estimated ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago

  • Continued progress on reducing poverty in challenging times
    77,000 fewer children living in low income households on the after-housing-costs primary measure since Labour took office Eight of the nine child poverty measures have seen a statistically significant reduction since 2018. All nine have reduced 28,700 fewer children experiencing material hardship since 2018 Measures taken by the Government during ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago

  • Speech at Fiji Investment and Trade Business Forum
    Deputy Prime Minister Kamikamica; distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen. Tēnā koutou katoa, ni sa bula vinaka saka, namaste. Deputy Prime Minister, a very warm welcome to Aotearoa. I trust you have been enjoying your time here and thank you for joining us here today. To all delegates who have travelled to be ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago

  • Government investments boost and diversify local economies in lower South Island
    $2.9 million convertible loan for Scapegrace Distillery to meet growing national and international demand $4.5m underwrite to support Silverlight Studios’ project to establish a film studio in Wanaka Gore’s James Cumming Community Centre and Library to be official opened tomorrow with support of $3m from the COVID-19 Response and Recovery ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago

  • Government future-proofs EV charging
    Transport Minister Michael Wood has today launched the first national EV (electric vehicle) charging strategy, Charging Our Future, which includes plans to provide EV charging stations in almost every town in New Zealand. “Our vision is for Aotearoa New Zealand to have world-class EV charging infrastructure that is accessible, affordable, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago

  • World-leading family harm prevention campaign supports young NZers
    Associate Minister for Social Development and Employment Priyanca Radhakrishnan has today launched the Love Better campaign in a world-leading approach to family harm prevention. Love Better will initially support young people through their experience of break-ups, developing positive and life-long attitudes to dealing with hurt. “Over 1,200 young kiwis told ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago

  • First Chief Clinical Advisor welcomed into Coroners Court
    Hon Rino Tirikatene, Minister for Courts, welcomes the Ministry of Justice’s appointment of Dr Garry Clearwater as New Zealand’s first Chief Clinical Advisor working with the Coroners Court. “This appointment is significant for the Coroners Court and New Zealand’s wider coronial system.” Minister Tirikatene said. Through Budget 2022, the Government ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago

  • Next steps for affected properties post Cyclone and floods
    The Government via the Cyclone Taskforce is working with local government and insurance companies to build a picture of high-risk areas following Cyclone Gabrielle and January floods. “The Taskforce, led by Sir Brian Roche, has been working with insurance companies to undertake an assessment of high-risk areas so we can ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago

  • New appointment to Māori Land Court bench
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