Cameron Slater slithers into bankruptcy

Written By: - Date published: 7:15 am, February 27th, 2019 - 51 comments
Categories: blogs, internet, law, Media, Politics, Social issues - Tags: , , , ,

Yesterday Cameron Slater announced on Whaleoil that he was filing for bankruptcy to avoid stress and the three ongoing defamation cases against him (and the Whaleoil blog). His stated reason was based on ill-health and medical advice after a stroke last October.

Yeah right. The problem is, ignoring the whining, that there is a bit of credibility gap when it comes to taking anything that Cameron Slater says at face value. The Court of Appeal appears to have been exploring the medical evidence pretty thoroughly (and coming up short of credible evidence) when examining a judgement from the High Court (suppression order lifted).  Both are really worth reading if you are into dry clear description of facts.

Admittedly I am a trifle jaundiced about Cameron Slater and his behaviour after having to deal with him and his dickhead mates in the social media sphere and court for the last decade and a bit. He is in my opinion simply an self-entitled arsehole of the first order and not even competent at being an effective one. Personally I’ve had a number of issues with his actions against this site or me. A standout for me was reading a comment of his soon afterwards on Whaleoil bemoaning that I hadn’t actually died after having a heart attack in 2011 rather than very nearly. It does tend to constrain any tendency I have towards pity or mercy  on his current medical condition.

But I’m just one person amongst the many where Cameron Slater was involved in dubious ‘campaigns’. Initially this was mainly within the political sphere that our respective sites largely operated in. What was curious in the political sphere from quite early on was the degree of coordinated attacks that he was involved in. But that is part of the nature of politics.

And sadly I wasn’t that interested in the destructive campaigns that were mounted in selections for National party candidates. It was a missed warning sign – and probably did severe damage to the National Party based on the poor quality of those candidates showing up in opposition now.

But gradually many campaigns, outside of the political sphere, simply appeared to be vendettas for commercial gain or for revenge attacks. They popped up in the most curious of places with the attacks on political ‘civilians’ and organisations.

What was interesting to me was the mounting speculation by the recipients of Cameron Slater’s bile about who was involved in feeding the selective information in these disputes. For instance with the contracts for medical laboratory services by the district health boards in Auckland from about 2009-2012 – the subject of some very weird Whaleoil campaigns. 

To me, these sorts of deliberate actions was clearly an abuse of the blogging system. They were well beyond the bounds that could be tolerated both legally and on any ethical or moral grounds. As far as I was concerned using the net to make them made it my problem as well as that of those attacked unfairly.

A few years ago in 2012, amongst many other campaigns, I tracked one against an Matthew Blomfield where the ‘evidence’ of purported evil was at best sketchy using information from a misappropriated and probably stolen hard drive. The posts were massively embellished with obvious lying about what was written and imaginative suppositions. It was a classic revenge campaign being fed by someone other than Cameron Slater. What was astonishing was the level of vindictiveness and persistence of the campaign. It was a pretty obvious paid PR hit.

So after Matthew Blomfield launched the first viable defamation case and got to the point where it was about the role of blogs, a number of bloggers on this site did our personal bits to publicize the facts actually in the public court documents over the last 5-6 years. We did our best to make sure that the case added into the debate on the role of blogging and social media in NZ.

Because there was continued blatant spinning on the case from Cameron Slater on Whaleoil despite the orders from the judges, we also provided some space for Matthew Blomfield to counter the accusations on our site. 

The rogue role of Whaleoil and Cameron Slater became more public the anonymous (and still wanted by the law) ‘rawshark’ hack on the Whaleoil server after Cameron Slater’s “public elation” about the virtues of a death of a “feral” west coaster. The pile of bullshit and sleazy deals, abusing the process of blogging, for his personal gain in attacking political opponents and others often as part of paid campaigns then became public as part of Nicky Hager’s book “Dirty Politics”

So as to today’s news. I very doubt that bankruptcy will achieve whatever Cameron Slater would like it to. The David Fisher article on the announcement in the NZ Herald covered most of the relevant aspects. In particular:-

University of Auckland legal expert Dr Bill Hodge said bankruptcy effectively killed defamation actions.

“Lawyers usually say ‘I won’t get paid and you won’t get costs so why go ahead’. They can’t get anything so why carry on.”

The case would remain active against Social Media Consultants Ltd, which is currently entirely owned by Slater’s wife Juana Atkins

Yeah right. Not in all cases – otherwise few defamation cases would make it to trial. What Bill Hodge doesn’t point out is that typically most defamation cases are settled well before trial as each side lays out their case for the other side and confusion and ambiguity are eliminated, while the risk of liability becomes obvious. 

In this set of cases I rather suspect that getting money off Cameron Slater isn’t that large a priority. Any more than the money expended on a case was for me when one of Cameron Slater’s idiot mates tried a spectacularly failed private prosecution and subsequent appeals against me.

Court costs and any awards are pretty effective punitive tools to prevent future repeated bad behaviour. It really doesn’t matter that much if they do it by emptying the losing treasury or by simply bankrupting losing individuals or liquidating their companies. In effect it disperses or makes unavailable the assets that allowed the problem in the first place.

As Matthew Blomfield points out…

The legal battle waged between Blomfield and Slater began in the Manukau District Court in 2012 and has since involved dozens of hearings.

Blomfield said he had refused to give up after the impact he and his family suffered as a result of the blog posts.

“He assassinated my character, drove my family into hiding, caused untold financial and emotional damage.”

The High Court’s Justice Paul Davison found Slater’s defence “fell well short” of providing facts which supported the accusations printed.

Early in the legal process, Cameron Slater fronted by lawyer Jordan Williams (now of the so-called ‘Taxpayers Union’) proposed a monetary settlement. Which Blomfield turned down for precisely the reason of the effect on his reputation and family. The money wasn’t the issue – it was Cameron Slater’s practices that were so vile that they needed to be purged from public life. I don’t expect that Matthew Blomfield will think any differently now. 

In the defamation case of the medical professionals from Dunedin against Cameron Slater and others, there are bigger reasons at stake than just the money that Dr Bill Hodge thinks so highly of. 

In that case they are  claiming that a similar series of attack posts with some rather alarming professional character assassination were researched and paid for by the grocery council via a PR firm. I’d don’t expect that they’re that interested in Cameron Slater’s money either. It is their reputation and potentially  that of future researchers that they are defending. The idea that a monied interest group can attack people for doing research rather than dealing with the results of the research is reprehensible and something that needs the fact driven public exposure that the court can bring.

As for Colin Craig. Ummm.. who can tell….

To me Cameron Slater’s personal bankruptcy (while leaving the Spanish Bride in control of the Whaleoil blog) just looks like another pretty badly thought through legal maneuver. Just like reading the details of Cameron’s transparent failures to provide the Court of Appeal of proof of his inability to instruct a lawyer was.

“He claimed to have cognitive and language impairment because of his stroke, but the evidence showed he had none.

“He claimed to be too incapacitated to communicate with his lawyers, but he was simultaneously engaging in political discussions in the comments section of the Whale Oil website.”

Blomfield said the Court of Appeal gave Slater until February 22 to provide evidence supporting his claims of ill-health.

“He filed no response at all. Instead, he applied for bankruptcy. He is now saying his proceedings need to be halted for that reason.

“He is doing everything he can to avoid the consequences of his own nefarious actions.”

Blomfield said “this will not work” and a full Court of Appeal hearing next month would rule based on the evidence.

Neither Cameron Slaters ill-health nor his bankruptcy makes any difference to the legal position that either he or the Whaleoil blog are in – which is shit-street as far as I can see.

This is an appeal against a decision already made in the High Court that Cameron Slater hadn’t offered viable defences against the defamation action. He therefore lost the defences he was relying upon. These are delaying actions aren’t going to convince the Court of Appeal to overturn parts of that decision – only facts and clear legal argument could. But it doesn’t look like Cameron Slater is good at either.

And for the Kiwi public that is a very good place for this case to be.

For in the end the Whaleoil blog needs to be put down. Sites that use the types of tactic that caused these defamation cases are an abuse of the legal system, of social processes, of blogging and above all for the networks that I have been involved in since 1979.

I trust that the plaintiffs will continue, and that they will be supported by whoever can help. They will be doing the public a service to deter vile imators. In the meantime Cameron Slater can help with testifying why the social aberration that was his marketing model was able to flourish . In the proper venue – the courts.

51 comments on “Cameron Slater slithers into bankruptcy ”

  1. cleangreen 1

    No surprises here as Slater has a plan obviously to evade paying for his changes against him, as ‘slimy slater’ will ‘slither’away again to israel; – when the scene gets to ‘ hot ‘as he did last time in 2014 remember?

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8bbUsLYD78o

    • Geez, CLEANGREEN ,… why did you have to post that ?

      Three slimebags in a row sleazing their way across our newsmedia.

      Hear no evil, See no evil , and Do no evil.

      The three stooges.

      Just when I was starting to enjoy life without scumbags like Whalebloat, FK Jonkey , and the Dipton Dipper , – here you go shoving it all back in front of us again. It brings the odious scum and the equally as odious lies they told all back in inglorious technicolor. Literally. One of the worst era’s of scandals, lies and corruption in NZ’s political history.

      Bugger. I was having a nice day until , – like a first timer at the Colosseum , – I was tempted to peek to see what was going on and was then instantly revolted.

      Thanks a heap , CLEANGREEN….

      Sheesh.

      • cleangreen 1.1.1

        Thanks for the kind thoughts Wild Katipo.

        I Love you too.

        No sorry – your’e right. I shouldn’t have post the pic,

        But we do know that ‘to be forewarned is to be forearmed.’ according to the free dictionary.

        https://idioms.thefreedictionary.com/forewarned+is+forearmed

        “forewarned is forearmed”
        One can be appropriately prepared if one knows something in advance. Hey, just so you know, the boss is in a really foul mood today. Forewarned is forearmed, right?

        So as to slippery Cameron Slater;
        We don’t want that creep ever as our boss.

  2. Posted in Open Mike but relevant here.

    More claims of incapacitating health and victimhood from vexatious litigants on Whale Oil again yesterday, which not only misrepresents reality. And they think the media publicity was somehow a good thing.

    Nige (blog manager): Just goes to show the influence this site has eh.

    But Whale Oil is not telling it’s readers about the truth of three defamation cases that Cameron Slater is involved in. As a result there are comments like:

    No other journalist in NZ has so many honest people behind him.

    Karma will get them in the end, and the continued growth of WOBH will ensure increasing numbers of people get to hear what’s really going on.

    You might have been temporary lost in some of the battles, but you will win the war.

    Some people are so vindictive they just can’t let go.

    I was wondering how many court cases were still pending and how that was going to be handled. I know you would rather fight on and take it to them, but I’m certain that you are getting the right advice, health comes first.

    You’ve been brutally fearless and a force of nature on the political landscape.
    Stay fearless and apply those traits in your recovery.

    It’s too bad that those responsible for this, the vexatious litigants, will never face the costs they should do.

    As for the litigants not giving extra time, have they not dragged this on for years already?

    The courts have different views.

    [139] It is therefore apparent that the defendants took no heed whatsoever of the description provided by Lang J in his judgment of 18 May 2018 as to the pleading requirements for the defences of truth and honest opinion.

    [140] By adopting this approach, the defendants have entirely failed to plead any facts and circumstances relied on to support their defences of truth and honest opinion.

    [148] Although the effect of my rulings and judgments may appear harsh, this outcome underlines the importance of proper pleading and of compliance with procedural rules and timetable orders. In this case the defendants’ failure to comply with those requirements have resulted in them placing themselves in the situation in which they now find themselves.

    More on facts of the cases that have dragged Slater down: What Whale Oil isn’t telling their readers

    • lprent 2.1

      I do like your post. Especially the quotations and very specific costs from the court that show where the legals delays have been coming from.

      I was thinking about writing a similar one. In the end I had to drop that part through a lack of time.

      Instead I concentrated on why the courts were the proper avenue for dealing with the type of vile crap that has been the Whaleoil stock in trade.

      But really, it is pretty simple to understand. I think that fools like ‘Nige’ need to understand that

      1. It is really expensive and time consuming to bring defamation actions. No-one does it lightly.
      2. Cameron Slater currently has 3 defamation actions running against him simultaneously, all heading towards trial or already past trial and on appeal. I suspect that is a record in NZ history.
      3. Almost all of the cost and time involved in these cases is direct result of Cameron Slater and his rather poor non-legal advisers (like Demon Nottingham) attempting to rort the legal process with stupid delays. It doesn’t work – each poorly argued delay just impacts directly back onto him via stress, time, and costs.
      4. I suspect that each of the inevitable slam-dunk failures he attempts merely makes each plaintiff more determined to proceed against him and his fellow defendants.
    • Darien Fenton 2.2

      Thanks Pete George for this. Seems the WO “family” or “staff” are trying to continue the tradition of this fallen master. We will see.

    • SpaceMonkey 2.3

      “Karma will get them in the end”.

      Seems to me some form of this is exactly what Cameron is experiencing now. What you put out will come back to you. So if he is experiencing ill health (as it wouldn’t surprise me if it’s just another “tactic”) it is because he wished that on so many others.

  3. woodart 3

    as slater has spent years thumbing his nose at various different court orders, I doubt he will get much sympathy from any judge. the police also havent any time for him. all we can hope is that he drags williams back into the slime with him as he re-enters his natural habitat.

  4. dv 4

    I believe Slater has been court ordered to produce medical records, and he has yet to do so. Is that correct?

    And will the court allow bankruptcy on medical ground with out medical proof?

  5. esoteric pineapples 5

    Re image of snake – it is a shame animals are so often used to personify human shortcomings.

    I’d like to see images of animals used for news stories, chocolate boxes etc all charged a small royalty which can go towards saving them. For example, look at how often Australian companies use Koalas to sell products while the koala is rapidly going extinct.

    • Anne 5.1

      I think it was a reference to the expression ‘snake in the grass’ esoteric but I have some sympathy with you.

    • Robert Guyton 5.2

      Yours is an excellent and interesting idea, esoteric pineapples. I wonder though, if you think the same courtesy should be shown to plants 🙂

  6. Among all the commentary on this event, there is little information on blogs or in the MSM on how the bankruptcy will effect the Whaleoil blog and its subscribers,

    My understanding is that if someone becomes bankrupt then the official assignee takes over all of their affairs. The idea is to ascertain what revenue is available for the creditors.

    One assumes the blog is a business, with revenue from subscription and advertising, and it also has some connection with the Whaleoil Meat Company.

    So will this “business” be henceforth run by an Administrator appointed by the Official Assignee, and/ or will it be closed down as a loss making enterprise & therefore of no value to creditors?

    If it is deemed of value, could it be sold off?

    Would guess Slater’s legal team will have done what they could to minimise the effects of his bankruptcy on the blog, but IIRC, the OA can look at what happened in the recent past and reverse any actions taken to hide assets away.

    People who have subscriptions to the blog, or are considering renewing them need answers to these questions. Same goes for meat purchasers.

    • I’d put that in the ‘who gives a fuck’ pile.

      • veutoviper 6.1.1

        So why did you reply?

        I ‘don’t give a fuck’ but I am interested – there is a difference.

        • marty mars 6.1.1.1

          Cos I wanted to. If you care about his subscribers good for you.

          • veutoviper 6.1.1.1.1

            No I don’t ‘care about his subscribers’ at all – but I am interested in what the the legal and financial ramifications will be for both Slater and family, his backers, the WO website and its subscribers etc. Again, a big difference.

            As far as the WO website is concerned I fully agree with lprent that:

            For in the end the Whaleoil blog needs to be put down. Sites that use the types of tactic that caused these defamation cases are an abuse of the legal system, of social processes, of blogging and above all for the networks that I have been involved in since 1979.

          • marty mars 6.1.1.1.2

            Good for you again. Still not sure why you bothered making your comment to me in the first place tbh

        • Unicust 6.1.1.2

          One thing NZ can thank Slater for – he exposed the true character of right wing political thinking and intent here. – WOBF !

    • veutoviper 6.2

      Good questions, RB.

      This is outside my area of expertise, but my understanding is as per yours – that the Official Assignee takes over/examines the bankrupt’s financial affairs. I suspect that a lot of people would love to see what opening the WO books reveals!

      The first link in lprent’s post under the phrase “and coming up short of credible evidence” is to David Fisher’s article in the Herald which includes the following:

      ”… The case would remain active against Social Media Consultants Ltd, which is currently entirely owned by Slater’s wife Juana Atkins.

      The ownership of Social Media Consultants Ltd has changed on a number of occasions in recent years. At the time the defamatory posts were published, it was listed on the Companies Office as owned by a mentor of Slater’s, millionaire and Seventh Day Adventist church leader Paul Honnor.

      Ownership changed with Slater becoming the only shareholder by 2013. In 2015, the majority of shares were transferred to Atkins.

      Then, in early February this year, the remainder of Slater’s shares were transferred to Atkins. This happened just weeks after Slater was registered as the contact person for Social Media Consultants Ltd when it bought, on finance, a late model four-wheel-drive.

      Insolvency specialist Damien Grant said the Official Assignee, which oversees personal insolvency, would check to ensure a fair price was received for any assets – such as shares – which were transferred before bankruptcy.

      He said a bankrupt was not allowed to be a company director or be involved in the management of a company without the permission of the Official Assignee. They were also barred from travelling abroad without permission, and could be obliged to surrender income if they were judged to earn too much.

      Grant said bankruptcy often arrived as a relief for those forced into insolvency.

      “Most of the people I have spoken to who have gone through bankruptcy don’t find the experience that difficult – mainly because they were living crap lives leading up to it.”

      Slater did not respond to a request for comment. On the Whale Oil blog post about his bankruptcy, it stated: “Cam will not be available for media comment and nor will his family.”

      https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12207479

      This doesn’t really cover the situation re donations to WO itself or the Whale Meat Company.

      The website for the latter gives no information re the company itself as to whether it is a limited company, who owns it, directors etc

      https://whalemeat.co.nz/

      However, a quick search of the Companies Register reveals that just a few days ago on 25 Feb 2019, the company was registered as Whale Meat Company Limited

      Company Number 7292558
      NZBN: 9429047295483
      Incorporation Date: 25 Feb 2019
      Company Status: Registered
      Entity type: NZ Limited Company
      Constitution filed: No
      AR filing month: August
      Ultimate holding company No

      Company addresses: Registered Office
      HOWARD TAYLOR – ACCOUNTANT, Apartment 1503 The Metropolis Apartments, 1 Courthouse Lane, Auckland Central, Auckland, 1010 , New Zealand
      Address for service
      HOWARD TAYLOR – ACCOUNTANT, Apartment 1503 The Metropolis Apartments, 1 Courthouse Lane, Auckland Central, Auckland, 1010 , New Zealand

      Directors Showing 1 of 1 directors
      Howard Karl TAYLOR
      Apartment 1503 The Metropolis Apartments, 1 Courthouse Lane, Auckland Central, Auckland, 1010 , New Zealand

      Additional Information

      Industry Classification: M696210
      Business management service nec

      https://app.companiesoffice.govt.nz/companies/app/ui/pages/companies/7292558

      For the heck of it, I also searched for Social Media Consultants Ltd and this is the latest information on that company which confirms Juana Atkins as the only director and has the same business addresses etc as the details for the Whale Meat Company Ltd above:

      [Note – the following was last updated on 22 Feb 2019]

      Company number: 2303831
      NZBN: 9429032012989
      Incorporation Date: 19 Aug 2009
      Company Status: Registered
      Entity type: NZ Limited Company
      Constitution filed: No
      AR filing month: June , last filed on 06 Jun 2018

      Ultimate holding company No
      Company addresses:
      Registered Office
      Howard K TAYLOR – ACCOUNTANT, Apartment 1503 The Metropolis Apartments, 1 Courthouse Lane, Auckland Central, Auckland, 1010 , New Zealand

      Address for service
      Howard K TAYLOR – ACCOUNTANT, Apartment 1503 The Metropolis Apartments, 1 Courthouse Lane, Auckland Central, Auckland, 1010 , New Zealand

      Directors Showing 1 of 1 directors
      Juana Mary ATKINS

      Company record link:http://app.companiesoffice.govt.nz/co/2303831

      https://app.companiesoffice.govt.nz/companies/app/ui/pages/companies/2303831

      Note – There are personal addresses, emails and mobile numbers which I have left out.

      • Redbaiter 6.2.1

        Thanks for the response Veutoviper.

        I’m guessing people would need to be wary about sending any money in the direction of the blog or the meat company until there is some kind of public declaration as to what will happen to these entities under the bankruptcy.

        • veutoviper 6.2.1.1

          Definitely unless they want to see their money disappear into a big black hole. From what I have read on the few occasions I have gone to WO, they seem to have quite a few [select your own word] who donate automatically monthly or so …

          Just did a flying visit and see they are still pushing people to subscribe and also to buy the meat with prize draws etc.

      • veutoviper 6.2.2

        In connection with the above, Howard Karl Taylor is a bit of an interesting accountant.

        First up in a Google search, a PDF of a decision in March 2006 by the Disciplinary Tribunal of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of NZ whereby a certain member pleaded guilty of misconduct in a professional capacity, conduct unbecoming an accountant and breaching the Institute’s Rules and Code of Ethics.
        ,
        https://www.charteredaccountantsanz.com/-/media/11d09e56c93d49a19177d8ab1662a885.ashx

        A long time ago but I am not sure I would pick him for myself, but each to their own.

    • lprent 6.3

      The blog owning company currently has sole shareholder of Slaters wife, after Cameron transferred the shares over. The company is a second defendant.

      So awards and apportioned costs against them will require payment, and liquidation in the event that they cannot pay – which seems likely. The liquidatorwould probably sell off the company assets including the site.

      • Sacha 6.3.1

        Note below that they may have separated the site as an asset: https://thestandard.org.nz/cameron-slater-slithers-into-bankruptcy/#comment-1588395

        • veutoviper 6.3.1.1

          It is interesting that they have set up another separate limited company to the Social Media Consultants Ltd that Slater and Atkins first set up in 2009. in addition to the Whale Meat Company Ltd also set up just a few days ago.

          I presume you saw my comment at 6.2 above with the current details on the NZ Companies Register whereby Juana Atkins is now the sole shareholder/director of Social Media Consultants Ltd as from 22 Feb 2019 and for the Whale Meat Company Limited incorporated/registered on 26 February 2019.

          Re the link to the Register for the WOBH Limited included in your comment below at 9, this shows as a change of name a day earlier on 25 February 2019 with this company originally set up as MADAS 114 Limited on 13 February 2019 if you click on the Previous Names link. All other details ( Company number, etc) on the Company Summary page other than the name itself are the the same for both listings with one exception..

          An interesting anomaly is that the Company Summary listing for WOBH shows the incorporation date as 13 February 2019 but the actual Certificate of Incorporation as 25 February 2019 – ie

          ” This is to certify that MADAS 116 LIMITED was incorporated under the Companies Act 1993 on the 25th day of February 2019
          and changed its name to WHALE MEAT COMPANY LIMITED on the 26th day of February 2019.”

          Re Howard Taylor listed as the only Director of WOBH Ltd, he is also the only Director of the new Whale Meat Company Ltd.

          However, the previous addresses page for Social Media Consultants Ltd shows that Taylor has been associated with Social Media Consultants Ltd with the company’s registered address and address for service being that of Taylor’s Accountancy business since June 2015, ie

          https://app.companiesoffice.govt.nz/companies/app/ui/pages/companies/2303831/addresses

          Taylor has not been, nor is he now, a Director of Social Media Consultants Ltd. Cam Slater and Paul Honnor are the only other previous Directors from the Directors page in the Companies Register.

          So all of this looks a bit like them trying to do some last minute ‘rearrangements’ to try to protect assets etc. If Slater has or is about to declare bankruptcy, probably a little too late as the Official Assignee can look at such rearrangements and reverse any actions taken to hide assets away.

          But has anyone got any proof that he has done so or really is intending to do so? I haven’t seen any to date, and have seen speculation that this is just another attempt to buy time etc.

          (Also see my 6.2.2 above re Taylor).

  7. patricia bremner 7

    He does wood lice no favours.

  8. Anne 8

    I suspect this whole dirty scenario had its origins in the 1990s when we became a fully paid up member of the neoliberal brigade. It unleashed a culture of behaviour that we had not encountered before in NZ.

    In the 1990s there were three publicly revealed break-ins. One involved Judith Tizard’s home and the other two were Auckland-based political headquarters – one Labour and the other the Alliance Party. There was evidence that membership and supporters lists were interfered with. In the case of the Labour break-in, the culprit had the cheek to use the office copying machine to make copies of these lists.

    There could only be one motive for those break-ins and that was to gather information about individuals – information that could be used against them at a later date. That imo was when the Dirty Political machine became operative and eventually evolved into the vicious attacking of individuals that became prevalent from the mid-2000s.

    I know the identity of a couple of people likely involved in those early escapades, and one at least was associated with Cameron Slater in later years.

    • mosa 8.1

      I have no doubt Anne that this illegal activity carried on during Keys tenure.
      It has the smell of water gate all over it but the difference is that no trail led directly back to Key other than Eade being implicated and the PMs dept being involved.
      That was as close as it got to Key and as damning as that was the others took the fall for their boss.
      I noticed this change in our political environment starting in 2004 with Brash being elected leader of the National party.
      That 2005 campaign was a full attack on the Helen and her government.
      I don’t remember the dancing cossacks but from what i have read and watched Muldoon’s tactics in 1975 was probably the start of what we have seen as of late.

      • Anne 8.1.1

        Imo, Key was an enabler but he wasn’t directly involved. After Hager’s book “Dirty Politics” was published he relinquished all ties with the D.P. mob. That marked the beginning of the end for Slater.

        My comment @ 8 was by way of back-ground material which led to D.P.

        And of course there was the attempt by Slater and co. to get into Labour’s computers using the back door. That’s the humorous side of the story. He’s keen to get his hands on other people’s personal material, but when someone does it to him by way of reprisal, he throws tantrums and declares himself the victim.

        • mosa 8.1.1.1

          Yes thanks for the background Anne i always find your input into these things interesting.
          My error was Brash becoming leader in 2004.
          It was in fact October 2003.

        • Jum 8.1.1.2

          Whatever key was, and he was a lot of things, he gained financially and politically from the activities of the dirty politics crims and he should go to gaol and so should they.

    • mpledger 8.2

      There was also the break-in at Don Brash’s home and his “romantic interest” Diane Foreman. She said about who could have done her break-ins – “There are a range of possibilities. I think the culprit is closer to home.”
      [http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/1101/Diane-Foreman-breaks-silence-on-burglaries]

  9. Sacha 9

    More shuffling of the deckchairs, noted yesterday by parliamentary observer Phil Lyth:

    https://twitter.com/philiplyth/status/1100300243118112770

    whaleoil.co.nz now registered to WOBH Ltd – site’s DNR last modified 11pm last night. WOBH Ltd apparently a shelf company, name changed 2am this morning.

    Yep, WOBH Ltd:
    https://app.companiesoffice.govt.nz/companies/app/ui/pages/companies/7271736

    Showing 1 of 1 directors

    Howard Karl TAYLOR
    Apartment 1503 The Metropolis Apartments, 1 Courthouse Lane, Auckland Central, Auckland, 1010 , New Zealand

    • John Key and Judith Collins will bail her out

    • lprent 9.2

      I’m always amused that people think that a domain registry confers ownership.

      1. Domains are effectively owned by the state, and parcelled out via the national registries. Having a domain is a rental – not a ownership right.

      2. In NZ this is pretty obvious. Having a domain only requires 3 things, an admin contact, a technical contact, and a payment. There is nothing in there that confers ownership. In return the register gives you exclusive access provided they decide not to (and the conditions that govern when they may choose to do so are pretty flexible and they aren’t limited).

      3. Not to mention that both the courts and the government have immense powers whenever they choose to exercise them.+

      A company or individual running website is liable for publishing defamatory material. Who is responsible are the organisation or individual running actually the site at the time of publication, as well as the author of the offending material.

      In this case that was either or both of Cameron Slater or the company enjoined currently as second defendant.

      A sale of the assets of the site – which are really the material on the site, its ‘goodwill’, its access to the domain, and its revenue streams have to be properly accounted for to the courts and the official assignee /liquidator on behalf of creditors. What this means is that the any money for the transfer of control/ownership or control of the shelf company come into the resolution on the behalf of creditors.

      Basically, if accurate, this probably means that Cameron & co are just playing shell games for legal positioning. It is just another delaying tactic. Rather pointless.

      //—-

      Looking down, I see that Pete George has done a post on ownership.

      https://yournz.org/2019/02/28/slater-officially-bankrupt-whale-oil-whale-meat-ownership-changes/

      It appears that Mr Taylor is the accountant for a number of the Slater and Atkins ventures.

      • Sacha 9.2.1

        The url is just another asset. If it had no value, why transfer control to a different entity.

      • veutoviper 9.2.2

        Re, your reference to PG’s post today on ownership, I see he mentions Redbaiter’s comment here at 6 above.

        Perhaps you missed my reply to Redbaiter yesterday at 6.2 at 11.51am with full company details for both Social Media Consultants Ltd and the new company set up on 26 February 2019 for Whale Meat Company Ltd. I wasn’t aware of the other new company WOBH Ltd also set up recently (actually as MADAS 114 Ltd on 13 February but changed to WOBH also on 26 February 2019) which Sacha raised at 9 above.

        While you were posting your comment above, I was putting together another comment now at 6.3.1.1 in which I provided information and some links to the Companies Register showing that Howard Taylor has been involved in providing the registered office and office for service to Social Media Consultants Ltd since June 2015, and also now for WOBH Ltd and Whale Meat Company Ltd and is also the only Director for both those latter two new companies.
        Without seeing your comment above, I also commented that I thought that Slater and co were just attempting rearrangements which were not likely to get past the Official Assignee if indeed Slater actually filed for bankruptcy. My view was that until proven that he had or was going to file, this was yet another delaying tactic – as I now see you also thought. LOL

        However, according to PG’s post it now seems Slater has actually filed for bankruptcy so it will be interesting to see what happens vis a vis these last minute manipulations.

        Yesterday at 6.2.2, I also provided a link to a 2009 decision by the Disciplinary Tribunal of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of NZ whereby a certain member (Taylor) pleaded guilty to misconduct in a professional capacity, conduct unbecoming an accountant and breaching the Institute’s Rules and Code of Ethics.

  10. peterlepaysan 10

    I recall, from some years ago, listening to “The Panel” under Jim Moragh, hearing David Farrar extolling Whaleoil as interesting and amusing.

    Interesting what spin doctors say when they are not lying. They sound like politicians.

  11. Infused 11

    It’s a win for everyone

  12. Slater was officially adjudicated bankrupt yesterday.

    I have collated the various ownership changes here:
    https://yournz.org/2019/02/28/slater-officially-bankrupt-whale-oil-whale-meat-ownership-changes/

  13. Jackal 13

    Failed to mount a legal defence… So what else is new?

    Slater must be getting his advice from a complete moron if he thinks that putting assets in his wife’s name and then declaring bankruptcy to avoid costs will work. It won’t and its doubtful Slater’s backers will keep funding such a loser especially when the Assignee opens up his bank accounts. Lawyers always get paid even if it means Slater and his wife have to sell up. After all, they’re personally liable for the costs because it’s their company. Own it mofos!

    Normally I would feel sympathy for someone in Slater’s position but look at all the bile and disinformation he’s spread across the Internet. Scumbags like Slater don’t deserve sympathy!

  14. Sacha 14

    Turgid rightie Liam Hehir minimises years of appalling behaviour:
    https://thespinoff.co.nz/politics/28-02-2019/does-cameron-slaters-departure-from-whale-oil-signal-the-end-of-an-era/

    Cameron Slater, founder of Whale Oil, is stepping away from his creation and has filed for bankruptcy. This follows an earlier announcement that the blogger had suffered a stroke, and that recovery was not coming along easily. Being tangled up in a series of protracted defamation lawsuits at the same time cannot have helped.

    Slater has many enemies. Decent people, however, will be wishing him well. Whatever you think of him, he is a family man. There are people who depend on him. That base level of empathy should trump the feuds of the past.

    Nope. So much for ‘personal responsibility’.

    • BM 14.1

      He’s a revolting cunt, equally hated by all sides of the political spectrum.
      As for the “he’s a family man” what the fuck has that got to do with anything?

      • McFlock 14.1.1

        An attempt to remind people better than slater that trauma to families as collatoral damage should be avoided where possible, rather than regarded as an extra incentive.

        A fair point, but sadly one that fights for air at the rank hypocrisy of pleading that on slater’s behalf, when he was (at best) completely reckless as to the harm he caused others, directly or indirectly.

        But also a point that happily goes by the wayside when his spouse is current owner of the mechanisms by which he use to inflict that harm, and therefore a complicit party in that damage. I don’t know if he has kids. I pity them if he does.

      • McFlock 14.1.2

        btw, I really like cunts. Seems a bit unfair to associate them with slater.

    • Jetal 14.2

      So Liam thinks that blogs have disappeared and we now tweet sarcastic one-liners from Twitter. Yeah so that has increased the depth and value of political debate how?

Recent Comments

Recent Posts

  • At a glance – Does CO2 always correlate with temperature?
    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 ...
    26 mins ago
  • Bernard’s six-stack of substacks at 6.06 pm on Tuesday, March 19
    TL;DR: In today’s ‘six-stack’ of substacks at 6.06pm on Tuesday, March 19:Kāinga Ora’s dry rot The Spinoff DailyBill McKibben on ‘Climate Superfunds’ making Big Oil pay for climate damage The Crucial YearsPreston Mui on returning to 1980s-style productivity growth NoahpinionAndy Boenau on NIMBYs needing unusual bedfellows Urbanism SpeakeasyNed Resnikoff's case ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 hours ago
  • Relentlessly negative
    Negative yesterday, negative today. Negative all year, according to one departing reader telling me I’ve grown strident and predictable. Fair enough. If it’s any help, every time I go to write about a certain topic that begins with C and ends with arrrrs, I do brace myself and ask: Again? Are ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 hours ago
  • Scoring 4.6 out of 10, the new Government is struggling in the polls
    Bryce Edwards writes –  It’s been a tumultuous time in politics in recent months, as the new National-led Government has driven through its “First 100 Day programme”. During this period there’s been a handful of opinion polls, which overall just show a minimal amount of flux in public support ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    3 hours ago
  • Promiscuous Empathy: Chris Trotter Replies To His Critics.
    Inspirational: The Family of Man is a glorious hymn to human equality, but, more than that, it is a clarion call to human freedom. Because equality, unleavened by liberty, is a broken piano, an unstrung harp; upon which the songs of fraternity will never be played. “Somebody must have been telling lies about ...
    4 hours ago
  • Don’t run your business like a criminal enterprise
    The Detail this morning highlights the police's asset forfeiture case against convicted business criminal Ron Salter, who stands to have his business confiscated for systemic violations of health and safety law. Business are crying foul - but not for the reason you'd think. Instead of opposing the post-conviction punishment and ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    4 hours ago
  • Misremembering Justinian’s Taxes.
    Tax Lawyer Barbara Edmonds vs Emperor Justinian I - Nolo Contendere: False historical explanations of pivotal events are very far from being inconsequential.WHEN BARBARA EDMONDS made reference to the Roman Empire, my ears pricked up. It is, lamentably, very rare to hear a politician admit to any kind of familiarity ...
    4 hours ago
  • Bryce Edwards: Scoring 4.6 out of 10, the new Government is struggling in the polls
    It’s been a tumultuous time in politics in recent months, as the new National-led Government has driven through its “First 100 Day programme”. During this period there’s been a handful of opinion polls, which overall just show a minimal amount of flux in public support for the various parties in ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    5 hours ago
  • Bishop scores headlines with crackdown on unwelcome tenants – but Peters scores, too, as tub-thump...
    Buzz from the Beehive Housing Minister Chris Bishop delivered news – packed with the ingredients to enflame political passions – worthy of supplanting Winston Peters in headline writers’ priorities. He popped up at the post-Cabinet press conference to promise a crackdown on unruly and antisocial state housing tenants. His ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 hours ago
  • Will it make the boat go faster?
    Ele Ludemann writes – The Reserve Bank is advertising for a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion advisor. The Bank has one mandate – to keep inflation between one and three percent. It has failed in that and is only slowly getting inflation back down to the upper limit. Will it ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    9 hours ago
  • Bryce Edwards: Is Simon Bridges’ NZTA appointment a conflict of interest?
    Last week former National Party leader Simon Bridges was appointed by the Government as the new chair of the New Zealand Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA). You can read about the appointment in Thomas Coughlan’s article, Simon Bridges to become chair of NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi The fact that a ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    9 hours ago
  • Is Simon Bridges’ NZTA appointment a conflict of interest?
    Bryce Edwards writes – Last week former National Party leader Simon Bridges was appointed by the Government as the new chair of the New Zealand Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA). You can read about the appointment in Thomas Coughlan’s article, Simon Bridges to become chair of NZ Transport Agency ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    9 hours ago
  • Bernard's Top 10 @ 10 'pick 'n' mix' at 10:10am on Tuesday, March 19
    TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: Gavin Jacobson talks to Thomas Piketty 10 years on from Capital in the 21st Century The SalvoLocal scoop: Green MP’s business being investigated over migrant exploitation claims Stuff Steve KilgallonLocal deep-dive: The commercial contractors making money from School ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    10 hours ago
  • Bernard's six newsy things on Tuesday, March 19
    It’s a home - but Kāinga Ora tenants accused of “abusing the privilege” may lose it. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The Government announced a crackdown on Kāinga Ora tenants who were unruly and/or behind on their rent, with Housing Minister Chris Bishop saying a place in a state ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    11 hours ago
  • New Life for Light Rail
    This is a guest post by Connor Sharp of Surface Light Rail  Light rail in Auckland: A way forward sooner than you think With the coup de grâce of Auckland Light Rail (ALR) earlier this year, and the shift of the government’s priorities to roads, roads, and more roads, it ...
    Greater AucklandBy Guest Post
    12 hours ago
  • Why Are Bosses Nearly All Buffoons?
    Note: As a paid-up Webworm member, I’ve recorded this Webworm as a mini-podcast for you as well. Some of you said you liked this option - so I aim to provide it when I get a chance to record! Read more ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    14 hours ago
  • Bernard’s six-stack of substacks at 6.06 pm on March 18
    TL;DR: In my ‘six-stack’ of substacks at 6.06pm on Monday, March 18:IKEA is accused of planting big forests in New Zealand to green-wash; REDD-MonitorA City for People takes a well-deserved victory lap over Wellington’s pro-YIMBY District Plan votes; A City for PeopleSteven Anastasiou takes a close look at the sticky ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 day ago
  • Peters holds his ground on co-governance, but Willis wriggles on those tax cuts and SNA suspension l...
    Buzz from the Beehive Here’s hoping for a lively post-cabinet press conference when the PM and – perhaps – some of his ministers tell us what was discussed at their meeting today. Until then, Point of Order has precious little Beehive news to report after its latest monitoring of the ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    1 day ago
  • Labour’s final report card
    David Farrar writes –  We now have almost all 2023 data in, which has allowed me to update my annual table of how  went against its promises. This is basically their final report card. The promise The result Build 100,000 affordable homes over 10 ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    1 day ago
  • “Drunk Uncle at a Wedding”
    I’m a bit worried that I’ve started a previous newsletter with the words “just when you think they couldn’t get any worse…” Seems lately that I could begin pretty much every issue with that opening. Such is the nature of our coalition government that they seem to be outdoing each ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    1 day ago
  • Wang Yi’s perfectly-timed, Aukus-themed visit to New Zealand
    Geoffrey Miller writes – Timing is everything. And from China’s perspective, this week’s visit by its foreign minister to New Zealand could be coming at just the right moment. The visit by Wang Yi to Wellington will be his first since 2017. Anniversaries are important to Beijing. ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    1 day ago
  • Gordon Campbell on Dune 2, and images of Islam
    Depictions of Islam in Western popular culture have rarely been positive, even before 9/11. Five years on from the mosque shootings, this is one of the cultural headwinds that the Muslim community has to battle against. Whatever messages of tolerance and inclusion are offered in daylight, much of our culture ...
    1 day ago
  • New Rail Operations Centre Promises Better Train Services
    Last week Transport Minster Simeon Brown and Mayor Wayne Brown opened the new Auckland Rail Operations Centre. The new train control centre will see teams from KiwiRail, Auckland Transport and Auckland One Rail working more closely together to improve train services across the city. The Auckland Rail Operations Centre in ...
    1 day ago
  • Bernard's six newsy things at 6.36am on Monday, March 18
    Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Retiring former Labour Finance Minister Grant Robertson said in an exit interview with Q+A yesterday the Government can and should sustain more debt to invest in infrastructure for future generations. Elsewhere in the news in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy at 6:36am: Read more ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago
  • Geoffrey Miller: Wang Yi’s perfectly-timed, Aukus-themed visit to New Zealand
    Timing is everything. And from China’s perspective, this week’s visit by its foreign minister to New Zealand could be coming at just the right moment. The visit by Wang Yi to Wellington will be his first since 2017. Anniversaries are important to Beijing. It is more than just a happy ...
    Democracy ProjectBy Geoffrey Miller
    2 days ago
  • The Kaka’s diary for the week to March 25 and beyond
    TL;DR: The key events to watch in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the week to March 18 include:China’s Foreign Minister visiting Wellington today;A post-cabinet news conference this afternoon; the resumption of Parliament on Tuesday for two weeks before Easter;retiring former Labour Finance Minister Grant Robertson gives his valedictory speech in Parliament; ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago
  • Bitter and angry; Winston First
    New Zealand First Leader Winston Peters’s state-of-the-nation speech on Sunday was really a state-of-Winston-First speech. He barely mentioned any of the Government’s key policies and could not even wholly endorse its signature income tax cuts. Instead, he rehearsed all of his complaints about the Ardern Government, including an extraordinary claim ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    2 days ago
  • 2024 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #11
    A listing of 35 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, March 10, 2024 thru Sat, March 16, 2024. Story of the week This week we'll give you a little glimpse into how we collect links to share and ...
    2 days ago
  • 2024 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #11
    A listing of 35 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, March 10, 2024 thru Sat, March 16, 2024. Story of the week This week we'll give you a little glimpse into how we collect links to share and ...
    2 days ago
  • Out of Touch.
    “I’ve been internalising a really complicated situation in my head.”When they kept telling us we should wait until we get to know him, were they taking the piss? Was it a case of, if you think this is bad, wait till you get to know the real Christopher, after the ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    2 days ago
  • Bring out your Dad
    Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago
  • Bring out your Dad
    Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago
  • Bring out your Dad
    Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago
  • The bewildering world of Chris Luxon – Guns for all, not no lunch for kids
    .“$10 and a target that bleeds” - Bleeding Targets for Under $10!.Thanks for reading Frankly Speaking ! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.This government appears hell-bent on either scrapping life-saving legislation or reintroducing things that - frustrated critics insist - will be dangerous and likely ...
    Frankly SpeakingBy Frank Macskasy
    3 days ago
  • Expert Opinion: Ageing Boomers, Laurie & Les, Talk Politics.
    It hardly strikes me as fair to criticise a government for doing exactly what it said it was going to do. For actually keeping its promises.”THUNDER WAS PLAYING TAG with lightning flashes amongst the distant peaks. Its rolling cadences interrupted by the here-I-come-here-I-go Doppler effect of the occasional passing car. ...
    3 days ago
  • Manufacturing The Truth.
    Subversive & Disruptive Technologies: Just as happened with that other great regulator of the masses, the Medieval Church, the advent of a new and hard-to-control technology – the Internet –  is weakening the ties that bind. Then, and now, those who enjoy a monopoly on the dissemination of lies, cannot and will ...
    3 days ago
  • A Powerful Sensation of Déjà Vu.
    Been Here Before: To find the precedents for what this Coalition Government is proposing, it is necessary to return to the “glory days” of Muldoonism.THE COALITION GOVERNMENT has celebrated its first 100 days in office by checking-off the last of its listed commitments. It remains, however, an angry government. It ...
    3 days ago
  • Can you guess where world attention is focussed (according to Greenpeace)? It’s focussed on an EPA...
    Bob Edlin writes –  And what is the world watching today…? The email newsletter from Associated Press which landed in our mailbox early this morning advised: In the news today: The father of a school shooter has been found guilty of involuntary manslaughter; prosecutors in Trump’s hush-money case ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    3 days ago
  • Further integrity problems for the Greens in suspending MP Darleen Tana
    Bryce Edwards writes – Is another Green MP on their way out? And are the Greens severely tarnished by another integrity scandal? For the second time in three months, the Green Party has secretly suspended an MP over integrity issues. Mystery is surrounding the party’s decision to ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    3 days ago
  • Jacqui Van Der Kaay: Greens’ transparency missing in action
    For the last few years, the Green Party has been the party that has managed to avoid the plague of multiple scandals that have beleaguered other political parties. It appears that their luck has run out with a second scandal which, unfortunately for them, coincided with Golraz Ghahraman, the focus ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    3 days ago
  • Bernard’s Dawn Chorus with six newsey things at 6:46am for Saturday, March 16
    TL;DR: The six newsey things that stood out to me as of 6:46am on Saturday, March 16.Andy Foster has accidentally allowed a Labour/Green amendment to cut road user chargers for plug-in hybrid vehicles, which the Government might accept; NZ Herald Thomas Coughlan Simeon Brown has rejected a plea from Westport ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • How Did FTX Crash?
    What seemed a booming success a couple of years ago has collapsed into fraud convictions.I looked at the crash of FTX (short for ‘Futures Exchange’) in November 2022 to see whether it would impact on the financial system as a whole. Fortunately there was barely a ripple, probably because it ...
    PunditBy Brian Easton
    4 days ago
  • Elections in Russia and Ukraine
    Anybody following the situation in Ukraine and Russia would probably have been amused by a recent Tweet on X NATO seems to be putting in an awful lot of effort to influence what is, at least according to them, a sham election in an autocracy.When do the Ukrainians go to ...
    4 days ago
  • Bernard’s six stack of substacks at 6pm on March 15
    TL;DR: Shaun Baker on Wynyard Quarter's transformation. Magdalene Taylor on the problem with smart phones. How private equity are now all over reinsurance. Dylan Cleaver on rugby and CTE. Emily Atkin on ‘Big Meat’ looking like ‘Big Oil’.Bernard’s six-stack of substacks at 6pm on March 15Photo by Jeppe Hove Jensen ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • Buzz from the Beehive Finance Minister Nicola Willis had plenty to say when addressing the Auckland Business Chamber on the economic growth that (she tells us) is flagging more than we thought. But the government intends to put new life into it:  We want our country to be a ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    4 days ago
  • National’s clean car tax advances
    The Transport and Infrastructure Committee has reported back on the Road User Charges (Light Electric RUC Vehicles) Amendment Bill, basicly rubberstamping it. While there was widespread support among submitters for the principle that EV and PHEV drivers should pay their fair share for the roads, they also overwhelmingly disagreed with ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    4 days ago
  • Government funding bailouts
    Peter Dunne writes – This week’s government bailout – the fifth in the last eighteen months – of the financially troubled Ruapehu Alpine Lifts company would have pleased many in the central North Island ski industry. The government’s stated rationale for the $7 million funding was that it ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • Two offenders, different treatments.
    See if you can spot the difference. An Iranian born female MP from a progressive party is accused of serial shoplifting. Her name is leaked to the media, which goes into a pack frenzy even before the Police launch an … Continue reading ...
    KiwipoliticoBy Pablo
    4 days ago
  • Treaty references omitted
    Ele Ludemann writes  – The government is omitting general Treaty references from legislation : The growth of Treaty of Waitangi clauses in legislation caused so much worry that a special oversight group was set up by the last Government in a bid to get greater coherence in the public service on Treaty ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • The Ghahraman Conflict
    What was that judge thinking? Peter Williams writes –  That Golriz Ghahraman and District Court Judge Maria Pecotic were once lawyer colleagues is incontrovertible. There is published evidence that they took at least one case to the Court of Appeal together. There was a report on ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • Bernard's Top 10 @ 10 'pick 'n' mix' for March 15
    TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: Climate Scorpion – the sting is in the tail. Introducing planetary solvency. A paper via the University of Exeter’s Institute and Faculty of Actuaries.Local scoop: Kāinga Ora starts pulling out of its Auckland projects and selling land RNZ ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • The day Wellington up-zoned its future
    Wellington’s massively upzoned District Plan adds the opportunity for tens of thousands of new homes not just in the central city (such as these Webb St new builds) but also close to the CBD and public transport links. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Wellington gave itself the chance of ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • Weekly Roundup 15-March-2024
    It’s Friday and we’re halfway through March Madness. Here’s some of the things that caught our attention this week. This Week in Greater Auckland On Monday Matt asked how we can get better event trains and an option for grade separating Morningside Dr. On Tuesday Matt looked into ...
    Greater AucklandBy Greater Auckland
    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
    5 days ago
  • The Hoon around the week to March 15
    Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The five things that mattered in Aotearoa’s political economy that we wrote and spoke about via The Kākā and elsewhere for paying subscribers in the last week included:PM Christopher Luxon said the reversal of interest deductibility for landlords was done to help renters, who ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • Labour’s policy gap
    It was not so much the Labour Party but really the Chris Hipkins party yesterday at Labour’s caucus retreat in Martinborough. The former Prime Minister was more or less consistent on wealth tax, which he was at best equivocal about, and social insurance, which he was not willing to revisit. ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    5 days ago
  • Skeptical Science New Research for Week #11 2024
    Open access notables A Glimpse into the Future: The 2023 Ocean Temperature and Sea Ice Extremes in the Context of Longer-Term Climate Change, Kuhlbrodt et al., Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society: In the year 2023, we have seen extraordinary extrema in high sea surface temperature (SST) in the North Atlantic and in ...
    5 days ago
  • Melissa remains mute on media matters but has something to say (at a sporting event) about economic ...
     Buzz from the Beehive   The text reproduced above appears on a page which records all the media statements and speeches posted on the government’s official website by Melissa Lee as Minister of Media and Communications and/or by Jenny Marcroft, her Parliamentary Under-secretary.  It can be quickly analysed ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    5 days ago
  • The return of Muldoon
    For forty years, Robert Muldoon has been a dirty word in our politics. His style of government was so repulsive and authoritarian that the backlash to it helped set and entrench our constitutional norms. His pig-headedness over forcing through Think Big eventually gave us the RMA, with its participation and ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    5 days ago
  • Will the rental tax cut improve life for renters or landlords?
    Bryce Edwards writes –  Is the new government reducing tax on rental properties to benefit landlords or to cut the cost of rents? That’s the big question this week, after Associate Finance Minister David Seymour announced on Sunday that the Government would be reversing the Labour Government’s removal ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • Geoffrey Miller: What Saudi Arabia’s rapid changes mean for New Zealand
    Saudi Arabia is rarely far from the international spotlight. The war in Gaza has brought new scrutiny to Saudi plans to normalise relations with Israel, while the fifth anniversary of the controversial killing of Jamal Khashoggi was marked shortly before the war began on October 7. And as the home ...
    Democracy ProjectBy Geoffrey Miller
    5 days ago
  • Racism’s double standards
    Questions need to be asked on both sides of the world Peter Williams writes –   The NRL Judiciary hands down an eight week suspension to Sydney Roosters forward Spencer Leniu , an Auckland-born Samoan, after he calls Ezra Mam, Sydney-orn but of Aboriginal and Torres Strait ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • It’s not a tax break
    Ele Ludemann writes – Contrary to what many headlines and news stories are saying, residential landlords are not getting a tax break. The government is simply restoring to them the tax deductibility of interest they had until the previous government removed it. There is no logical reason ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • The Plastic Pig Collective and Chris' Imaginary Friends.
    I can't remember when it was goodMoments of happiness in bloomMaybe I just misunderstoodAll of the love we left behindWatching our flashbacks intertwineMemories I will never findIn spite of whatever you becomeForget that reckless thing turned onI think our lives have just begunI think our lives have just begunDoes anyone ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago
  • Who is responsible for young offenders?
    Michael Bassett writes – At first reading, a front-page story in the New Zealand Herald on 13 March was bizarre. A group of severely intellectually limited teenagers, with little understanding of the law, have been pleading to the Justice Select Committee not to pass a bill dealing with ram ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • Gordon Campbell on National’s fantasy trip to La La Landlord Land
    How much political capital is Christopher Luxon willing to burn through in order to deliver his $2.9 billion gift to landlords? Evidently, Luxon is: (a) unable to cost the policy accurately. As Anna Burns-Francis pointed out to him on Breakfast TV, the original ”rock solid” $2.1 billion cost he was ...
    5 days ago
  • Bernard's Top 10 @ 10 'pick 'n' mix' for March 14
    TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: Jonathon Porritt calling bullshit in his own blog post on mainstream climate science as ‘The New Denialism’.Local scoop: The Wellington City Council’s list of proposed changes to the IHP recommendations to be debated later today was leaked this ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • No, Prime Minister, rents don’t rise or fall with landlords’ costs
    TL;DR: Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said yesterday tenants should be grateful for the reinstatement of interest deductibility because landlords would pass on their lower tax costs in the form of lower rents. That would be true if landlords were regulated monopolies such as Transpower or Auckland Airport1, but they’re not, ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • Cartoons: ‘At least I didn’t make things awkward’
    This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Tom Toro Tom Toro is a cartoonist and author. He has published over 200 cartoons in The New Yorker since 2010. His cartoons appear in Playboy, the Paris Review, the New York Times, American Bystander, and elsewhere. Related: What 10 EV lovers ...
    5 days ago
  • Solving traffic congestion with Richard Prebble
    The business section of the NZ Herald is full of opinion. Among the more opinionated of all is the ex-Minister of Transport, ex-Minister of Railways, ex MP for Auckland Central (1975-93, Labour), Wellington Central (1996-99, ACT, then list-2005), ex-leader of the ACT Party, uncle to actor Antonia, the veritable granddaddy ...
    Greater AucklandBy Patrick Reynolds
    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
    6 days ago
  • Invoking Aristotle: Of Rings of Power, Stones, and Ships
    The first season of Rings of Power was not awful. It was thoroughly underwhelming, yes, and left a lingering sense of disappointment, but it was more expensive mediocrity than catastrophe. I wrote at length about the series as it came out (see the Review section of the blog, and go ...
    6 days ago
  • Van Velden brings free-market approach to changing labour laws – but her colleagues stick to distr...
    Buzz from the Beehive Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Brooke van Velden told Auckland Business Chamber members they were the first audience to hear her priorities as a minister in a government committed to cutting red tape and regulations. She brandished her liberalising credentials, saying Flexible labour markets are the ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago
  • Why Newshub failed
    Chris Trotter writes – TO UNDERSTAND WHY NEWSHUB FAILED, it is necessary to understand how TVNZ changed. Up until 1989, the state broadcaster had been funded by a broadcasting licence fee, collected from every citizen in possession of a television set, supplemented by a relatively modest (compared ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago
  • Māori Party on the warpath against landlords and seabed miners – let’s see if mystical creature...
    Bob Edlin writes  –  The Māori Party has been busy issuing a mix of warnings and threats as its expresses its opposition to interest deductibility for landlords and the plans of seabed miners. It remains to be seen whether they  follow the example of indigenous litigants in Australia, ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago

  • Government moves to quickly ratify the NZ-EU FTA
    "The Government is moving quickly to realise an additional $46 million in tariff savings in the EU market this season for Kiwi exporters,” Minister for Trade and Agriculture, Todd McClay says. Parliament is set, this week, to complete the final legislative processes required to bring the New Zealand – European ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 hours ago
  • Positive progress for social worker workforce
    New Zealand’s social workers are qualified, experienced, and more representative of the communities they serve, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “I want to acknowledge and applaud New Zealand’s social workers for the hard work they do, providing invaluable support for our most vulnerable. “To coincide with World ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    8 hours ago
  • Minister confirms reduced RUC rate for PHEVs
    Cabinet has agreed to a reduced road user charge (RUC) rate for plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs), Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. Owners of PHEVs will be eligible for a reduced rate of $38 per 1,000km once all light electric vehicles (EVs) move into the RUC system from 1 April.  ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    10 hours ago
  • Trade access to overseas markets creates jobs
    Minister of Agriculture and Trade, Todd McClay, says that today’s opening of Riverland Foods manufacturing plant in Christchurch is a great example of how trade access to overseas markets creates jobs in New Zealand.  Speaking at the official opening of this state-of-the-art pet food factory the Minister noted that exports ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    10 hours ago
  • NZ and Chinese Foreign Ministers hold official talks
    Minister of Foreign Affairs Winston Peters met with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Wellington today. “It was a pleasure to host Foreign Minister Wang Yi during his first official visit to New Zealand since 2017. Our discussions were wide-ranging and enabled engagement on many facets of New Zealand’s relationship with China, including trade, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    24 hours ago
  • Kāinga Ora instructed to end Sustaining Tenancies
    Kāinga Ora – Homes & Communities has been instructed to end the Sustaining Tenancies Framework and take stronger measures against persistent antisocial behaviour by tenants, says Housing Minister Chris Bishop. “Earlier today Finance Minister Nicola Willis and I sent an interim Letter of Expectations to the Board of Kāinga Ora. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Speech to Auckland Business Chamber: Growth is the answer
    Tēna koutou katoa. Greetings everyone. Thank you to the Auckland Chamber of Commerce and the Honourable Simon Bridges for hosting this address today. I acknowledge the business leaders in this room, the leaders and governors, the employers, the entrepreneurs, the investors, and the wealth creators. The coalition Government shares your ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Singapore rounds out regional trip
    Minister Winston Peters completed the final leg of his visit to South and South East Asia in Singapore today, where he focused on enhancing one of New Zealand’s indispensable strategic partnerships.      “Singapore is our most important defence partner in South East Asia, our fourth-largest trading partner and a ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Minister van Velden represents New Zealand at International Democracy Summit
    Minister of Internal Affairs and Workplace Relations and Safety, Hon. Brooke van Velden, will travel to the Republic of Korea to represent New Zealand at the Third Summit for Democracy on 18 March. The summit, hosted by the Republic of Korea, was first convened by the United States in 2021, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Insurance Council of NZ Speech, 7 March 2024, Auckland
    ICNZ Speech 7 March 2024, Auckland  Acknowledgements and opening  Mōrena, ngā mihi nui. Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Nor Whanganui aho.  Good morning, it’s a privilege to be here to open the ICNZ annual conference, thank you to Mark for the Mihi Whakatau  My thanks to Tim Grafton for inviting me ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Five-year anniversary of Christchurch terror attacks
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Lead Coordination Minister Judith Collins have expressed their deepest sympathy on the five-year anniversary of the Christchurch terror attacks. “March 15, 2019, was a day when families, communities and the country came together both in sorrow and solidarity,” Mr Luxon says.  “Today we pay our respects to the 51 shuhada ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Speech for Financial Advice NZ Conference 5 March 2024
    Speech for Financial Advice NZ Conference 5 March 2024  Acknowledgements and opening  Morena, Nga Mihi Nui.  Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Nor Whanganui aho. Thanks Nate for your Mihi Whakatau  Good morning. It’s a pleasure to formally open your conference this morning. What a lovely day in Wellington, What a great ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Early visit to Indonesia strengthens ties
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters held discussions in Jakarta today about the future of relations between New Zealand and South East Asia’s most populous country.   “We are in Jakarta so early in our new government’s term to reflect the huge importance we place on our relationship with Indonesia and South ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • China Foreign Minister to visit
    Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Winston Peters has announced that the Foreign Minister of China, Wang Yi, will visit New Zealand next week.  “We look forward to re-engaging with Foreign Minister Wang Yi and discussing the full breadth of the bilateral relationship, which is one of New Zealand’s ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Minister opens new Auckland Rail Operations Centre
    Transport Minister Simeon Brown has today opened the new Auckland Rail Operations Centre, which will bring together KiwiRail, Auckland Transport, and Auckland One Rail to improve service reliability for Aucklanders. “The recent train disruptions in Auckland have highlighted how important it is KiwiRail and Auckland’s rail agencies work together to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Celebrating 10 years of Crankworx Rotorua
    The Government is proud to support the 10th edition of Crankworx Rotorua as the Crankworx World Tour returns to Rotorua from 16-24 March 2024, says Minister for Economic Development Melissa Lee.  “Over the past 10 years as Crankworx Rotorua has grown, so too have the economic and social benefits that ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Government delivering on tax commitments
    Legislation implementing coalition Government tax commitments and addressing long-standing tax anomalies will be progressed in Parliament next week, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The legislation is contained in an Amendment Paper to the Taxation (Annual Rates for 2023–24, Multinational Tax, and Remedial Matters) Bill issued today.  “The Amendment Paper represents ...
    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
    6 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
    Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says the launch of a new mobile breast screening unit in Counties Manukau reinforces the coalition Government’s commitment to drive better cancer services for all New Zealanders. Speaking at the launch of the new mobile clinic, Dr Reti says it’s a great example of taking ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Govt takes action to drive better cancer services
    Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says the launch of a new mobile breast screening unit in Counties Manukau reinforces the coalition Government’s commitment to drive better cancer services for all New Zealanders. Speaking at the launch of the new mobile clinic, Dr Reti says it’s a great example of taking ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Work begins on SH29 upgrades near Tauriko
    Unlocking economic growth and land for housing are critical elements of the Government’s plan for our transport network, and planned upgrades to State Highway 29 (SH29) near Tauriko will deliver strongly on those priorities, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “The SH29 upgrades near Tauriko will improve safety at the intersections ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Work begins on SH29 upgrades near Tauriko
    Unlocking economic growth and land for housing are critical elements of the Government’s plan for our transport network, and planned upgrades to State Highway 29 (SH29) near Tauriko will deliver strongly on those priorities, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “The SH29 upgrades near Tauriko will improve safety at the intersections ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Fresh produce price drop welcome
    Lower fruit and vegetable prices are welcome news for New Zealanders who have been doing it tough at the supermarket, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. Stats NZ reported today the price of fruit and vegetables has dropped 9.3 percent in the 12 months to February 2024.  “Lower fruit and vege ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Statement to the 68th United Nations Commission on the Status of Women
    Tēnā koutou katoa and greetings to you all.  Chair, I am honoured to address the sixty-eighth session of the Commission on the Status of Women. I acknowledge the many crises impacting the rights of women and girls. Heightened global tensions, war, climate related and humanitarian disasters, and price inflation all ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Speech to the 68th United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (CSW68)
    Tēnā koutou katoa and greetings to you all.  Chair, I am honoured to address the 68th session of the Commission on the Status of Women. I acknowledge the many crises impacting the rights of women and girls. Heightened global tensions, war, climate related and humanitarian disasters, and price inflation all ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Government backs rural led catchment projects
    The coalition Government is supporting farmers to enhance land management practices by investing $3.3 million in locally led catchment groups, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay announced. “Farmers and growers deliver significant prosperity for New Zealand and it’s vital their ongoing efforts to improve land management practices and water quality are supported,” ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Speech to Auckland Business Chamber
    Good evening everyone and thank you for that lovely introduction.   Thank you also to the Honourable Simon Bridges for the invitation to address your members. Since being sworn in, this coalition Government has hit the ground running with our 100-day plan, delivering the changes that New Zealanders expect of us. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Commission’s advice on ETS settings tabled
    Recommendations from the Climate Change Commission for New Zealand on the Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) auction and unit limit settings for the next five years have been tabled in Parliament, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. “The Commission provides advice on the ETS annually. This is the third time the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Government lowering building costs
    The coalition Government is beginning its fight to lower building costs and reduce red tape by exempting minor building work from paying the building levy, says Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk. “Currently, any building project worth $20,444 including GST or more is subject to the building levy which is ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Trustee tax change welcomed
    Proposed changes to tax legislation to prevent the over-taxation of low-earning trusts are welcome, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The changes have been recommended by Parliament’s Finance and Expenditure Committee following consideration of submissions on the Taxation (Annual Rates for 2023–24, Multinational Tax, and Remedial Matters) Bill. “One of the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Minister’s Ramadan message
    Assalaamu alaikum. السَّلَام عليكم In light of the holy month of Ramadan, I want to extend my warmest wishes to our Muslim community in New Zealand. Ramadan is a time for spiritual reflection, renewed devotion, perseverance, generosity, and forgiveness.  It’s a time to strengthen our bonds and appreciate the diversity ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Minister appoints new NZTA Chair
    Former Transport Minister and CEO of the Auckland Business Chamber Hon Simon Bridges has been appointed as the new Board Chair of the New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA) for a three-year term, Transport Minister Simeon Brown announced today. “Simon brings extensive experience and knowledge in transport policy and governance to the role. He will ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Speech to Life Sciences Summit
    Good morning all, it is a pleasure to be here as Minister of Science, Innovation and Technology.  It is fantastic to see how connected and collaborative the life science and biotechnology industry is here in New Zealand. I would like to thank BioTechNZ and NZTech for the invitation to address ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Progress continues apace on water storage
    Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says he is looking forward to the day when three key water projects in Northland are up and running, unlocking the full potential of land in the region. Mr Jones attended a community event at the site of the Otawere reservoir near Kerikeri on Friday. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Government agrees to restore interest deductions
    Associate Finance Minister David Seymour has today announced that the Government has agreed to restore deductibility for mortgage interest on residential investment properties. “Help is on the way for landlords and renters alike. The Government’s restoration of interest deductibility will ease pressure on rents and simplify the tax code,” says ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Minister to attend World Anti-Doping Agency Symposium
    Sport and Recreation Minister Chris Bishop will travel to Switzerland today to attend an Executive Committee meeting and Symposium of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA). Mr Bishop will then travel on to London where he will attend a series of meetings in his capacity as Infrastructure Minister. “New Zealanders believe ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

Page generated in The Standard by Wordpress at 2024-03-19T06:48:38+00:00