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 ”

  1. Anne 1

    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

    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

    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

    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

      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

      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

      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

      "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

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

  6. Barfly 6

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

  7. woodart 7

    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

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

  8. weka 8

    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

      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

    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

      But they won….

      Are you serious?

    • mickysavage 9.2

      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

      "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

    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

    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

      You can shove your false equivalences, troll.

      • RedLogix 11.1.1

        Tough day?

      • mickysavage 11.1.2

        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

          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

      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

        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

          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

            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

              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

                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

      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

    Vision NZ needs to be renamed "Tunnelvision NZ".

  13. Peter 13

    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

    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

    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

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

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  • 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
    1 day 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
    1 day 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
    1 day 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
    1 day 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 ...
    1 day 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 ...
    1 day 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
    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
    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
    2 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
    3 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
    4 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
    4 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
    4 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
    4 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
    5 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
    5 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
  • There’s a name for this
    Every year, in the Budget, Parliament forks out money to government agencies to do certain things. And every year, as part of the annual review cycle, those agencies are meant to report on whether they have done the things Parliament gave them that money for. Agencies which consistently fail to ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    6 days ago
  • Echoes of 1968 in 2024?  Pocock on the repetitive problems of the New Left
    Mike Grimshaw writes – Recent events in American universities point to an underlying crisis of coherent thinking, an issue that increasingly affects the progressive left across the Western world. This of course is nothing new as anyone who can either remember or has read of the late ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago
  • Two bar blues
    The thing about life’s little victories is that they can be followed by a defeat.Reader Darryl told me on Monday night:Test again Dave. My “head cold” last week became COVID within 24 hours, and is still with me. I hear the new variants take a bit longer to show up ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    6 days ago
  • Bernard's Top 10 @ 10 'pick 'n' mix' for March 13
    TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: Angus Deaton on rethinking his economics IMFLocal scoop: The people behind Tamarind, the firm that left a $500m cleanup bill for taxpayers at Taranaki’s Tui oil well, are back operating in Taranaki under a different company name. Jonathan ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    6 days ago
  • AT Need To Lift Their Game
    Normally when we talk about accessing public transport it’s about improving how easy it is to get to, such as how easy is it to cross roads in a station/stop’s walking catchment, is it possible to cycle to safely, do bus connections work, or even if are there new routes/connections ...
    6 days ago
  • Christopher's Whopper.
    Politicians are not renowned for telling the truth. Some tell us things that are verifiably not true. They offer statements that omit critical pieces of information. Gloss over risks, preferring to offer the best case scenario.Some not truths are quite small, others amusing in their transparency. There are those repeated ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    6 days 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
    4 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
    6 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
    7 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
    20 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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Significant Natural Areas requirement to be suspended
    Associate Environment Minister Andrew Hoggard has today announced that the Government has agreed to suspend the requirement for councils to comply with the Significant Natural Areas (SNA) provisions of the National Policy Statement for Indigenous Biodiversity for three years, while it replaces the Resource Management Act (RMA).“As it stands, SNAs ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Government classifies drought conditions in Top of the South as medium-scale adverse event
    Agriculture Minister Todd McClay has classified the drought conditions in the Marlborough, Tasman, and Nelson districts as a medium-scale adverse event, acknowledging the challenging conditions facing farmers and growers in the district. “Parts of Marlborough, Tasman, and Nelson districts are in the grip of an intense dry spell. I know ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Government partnership to tackle $332m facial eczema problem
    The Government is helping farmers eradicate the significant impact of facial eczema (FE) in pastoral animals, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay announced.  “A $20 million partnership jointly funded by Beef + Lamb NZ, the Government, and the primary sector will save farmers an estimated NZD$332 million per year, and aims to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • NZ, India chart path to enhanced relationship
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters has completed a successful visit to India, saying it was an important step in taking the relationship between the two countries to the next level.   “We have laid a strong foundation for the Coalition Government’s priority of enhancing New Zealand-India relations to generate significant future benefit for both countries,” says Mr Peters, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Ruapehu Alpine Lifts bailout the last, say Ministers
    Cabinet has agreed to provide $7 million to ensure the 2024 ski season can go ahead on the Whakapapa ski field in the central North Island but has told the operator Ruapehu Alpine Lifts it is the last financial support it will receive from taxpayers. Cabinet also agreed to provide ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Govt takes action to drive better cancer services
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  • Statement to the 68th United Nations Commission on the Status of Women
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