CGT as a Charitable Donation

Written By: - Date published: 12:44 pm, March 2nd, 2019 - 31 comments
Categories: capital gains, Deep stuff, poverty, socialism, tax - Tags: , , , ,

The Government has dropped the ball [hat tip to Ad] with the report from the Tax Working Group and left a narrative void till April, or May, or till they do something substantial and relevant (…). This void is filled up with attack tweets from the Leader of the Opposition and the usual MSM noise. Don’t get me wrong, these tweets are not attacking in their own right but they are about the Government, or rather the recommendations of the TWG, attacking ordinary Kiwis going about their ordinary lives. The tweets themselves are masterpieces of irony, hypocrisy, tone deafness, and comedy and are as harmless and funny as a flying rubber sex aid hitting an unmovable object.

We hate paying tax. Even though we all know it’s necessary for a functioning society and we all benefit tremendously from taxes paid throughout our lives we seem to have this in-built negative reaction to paying taxes and nearly die from tax increases or even just thinking about it. The objections span a wide range but often objectors mention that our taxes are being used for stuff that they don’t agree with but they have no say in, no control over. This is particularly common among neo-liberals who carry high up in their flags personal control and self-responsibility, especially in their own affairs.

Contrast this with charity, donations, and voluntary work, for example. People love giving, freely. People love helping others, from the goodness of their hearts. The rich – some of them – don’t mind showing their largesse by donating large sums of money to the cause of their choice. A little bit of attention and positive PR (AKA being in the limelight) does help. It suits their egos and they generally have large egos. They are becoming a separate class of citizens (often domiciled overseas) who have to be admired, wowed, and lauded with gongs: philanthropists.

However, we might not need their largesse if we were to tax the rich and seriously and not so seriously wealthy at rates that are more appropriate. This argument could include any large taxes that are infrequent and unpredictable like a CGT. If we were to legalise for a part of any CGT to be donated to a charity of your choice, with all the fanfare and largesse on show, it could well change something we hate into something we love – the line between love and hate is a fine one at the best of times.

We would get to have a choice, we get to do something good that we love doing! It might take some practice, some getting used to, but I reckon it could work. Imagine this, you’ve just sold one of your rental properties and netted a CG (profit, if you like, or good luck or windfall) of $1 million and you have to hand your fair share, say $300,000, to society. You organise a big charity fundraiser (e.g. a BBQ sizzler with a blind auction of donated goods to keep up with the trendy Kondomania hype) with friends and family and raise another $50,000. The sum total of $350,000 will be donated as you wish. The media will be there because they like feel-good easy stories and you and your friends and family get the feeling of enormous satisfaction, compassion, love and happiness – it might even spark joy! I reckon this could be a winner!

What do you reckon?

31 comments on “CGT as a Charitable Donation ”

  • Comments are now closed

  1. Sam 1
    2 March 2019 at 1:44 pm

    I would hope that Jacinda and her cabinet would err on the side of pragmatism and balance its budget and not raid welfare to the poor and disabled because the opposition will take that as if you vote for the opposition they will not take those things from our taxes but from the down trodden.

  2. arkie 2
    2 March 2019 at 1:58 pm

    It would be a good move to stop taxing welfare as income, raise to the tax-free threshold to a 40-hr week at minimum wage and tie the tax brackets to minimum wage increases. CGT is just a matter of fairness and that’s the real ‘kiwi way’.

    • Sam 2.1
      2 March 2019 at 2:03 pm

      Also it’s a right wing policy to try and privatise the tax system through philanthropy. It’s the worst parts of trickle down economics which has been thoroughly debunked.

  3. Andre 3
    2 March 2019 at 2:14 pm

    I’ve got a really cynical view of the entire charity sector.

    Far too many of them are run as enterprises for the benefit of the executives, doing the bare minimum of “good works” to plausibly maintain their charitable status.

    Far too many of them have really offensive strings attached to their “giving”. Whether they’re of a religious nature or some other kind of social engineering, it’s still about trying to exert control.

    Charitable giving is often about powerful control freaks wanting to boost their particular hobby-horses, rather than things that benefit society as a whole.

    Whereas when the government undertakes the “good works” charities ostensibly do, there’s at least some chance those activities will be done as some sort of co-ordinated plan with some kind of rational prioritisation of resources.

    So nah, screw the charities. I’m all for going even a step further and taking away their tax-deductible status. Those donors so full of themselves that think they’re better than full-time government professionals specifically tasked with balancing priorities for the nation as a whole can express their control-freakery out of after-tax money.

    • left_forward 3.1
      2 March 2019 at 4:34 pm

      Sounds like you know very little about the charities sector. You are not the sort of person I would go to to seek policy advice on for sure.
      This is like blaming all companies by saying there are far too many of them who have shonkey practices. – Nah lets screw all companies because of these few.

      • Andre 3.1.1
        2 March 2019 at 6:10 pm

        Let’s start with tax-privileged charitable organisations of the type run by Density Church, or Scientologists, or even the competitive advantage enjoyed by the likes of Sanitarium. You want to defend those? As far as I’m concerned, the mere existence of those kinds of models shows the underlying principle of that particular tax-privileged sector is deeply flawed.

        Then there’s the next tier that’s not quite such a comprehensive rort, but where the executives of a charity indulge themselves in shameful extravagance with charity money. Buffoon Bradbury talks about one example of it here:

        https://thedailyblog.co.nz/2017/12/13/are-we-really-sad-kidscan-is-getting-dumped-really/

        Occasionally there’s a charity comes along whose stated goals I agree with and as far as I know are careful with their management spending in order for as much as possible of the donated money to go to the intended purpose. I’m sometimes momentarily tempted to donate. But these purposes always end up being things I strongly believe the state should be doing, and if the charity ends up even doing a mediocre job it gives the government cover to abdicate its responsibilities.

        So I think in the end it’s much better for that money to go directly to the state rather than a charity. Because, for example, I think it’s much better for how much resource gets allocated to cancer care is determined by careful professionals balancing the costs and benefits across the entire health care spend, rather than how successfully the Cancer Society can pull heartstrings.

        Then there’s the fundraising companies that charities employ that take their very substantial cuts:

        https://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/ninetonoon/audio/20169204/should-fundraising-companies-disclose-how-much-of-our-donations-they-keep

        • RedLogix 3.1.1.1
          2 March 2019 at 6:17 pm

          Your faith in big government is touching …

          Big govt welfare does indeed work, but we also know it tends to be a crude, dehumanising instrument. What we have evolved in the West is a hybrid system, one that relies on the state to provide a ‘one size fits all’, bare bones safety net; complemented by networks of varied charities which can more flexibly target specific areas that interest them.

          It’s not a perfect system, but I struggle to point to an example of anything better.

          • Andre 3.1.1.1.1
            2 March 2019 at 6:25 pm

            Your faith in big government is touching …

            It’s probably more a case of the depths of my cynicism about what the charity industry has become over the last few decades, and how parasites have taken over to suck out most of what was once good about charities.

            • RedLogix 3.1.1.1.1.1
              2 March 2019 at 6:54 pm

              Without gainsaying your legitimate point there; I could also suggest that much of this negative change was driven by the charities moving to contractual models forced on them by big govt departments …

          • KJT 3.1.1.1.2
            3 March 2019 at 12:55 pm

            Targeted, big Government welfare isn’t working because, since Richardson, it has been deliberately punitive. And underfunded. The well off had, to have their tax cuts.

            Largely untargeted, where it allows human dignity, such as the super, have been remarkably effective.

        • left_forward 3.1.1.2
          2 March 2019 at 7:04 pm

          Well, there is a lot that I agree with there.

          However, you have missed something important.
          When a community wishes to act as a collective to provide local services in a manner that is responsive to a community need, a Charitable Trust entity is a pretty good vehicle for that, and I have seen and been involved with many examples.

  4. RedLogix 4
    2 March 2019 at 2:34 pm

    Contrast this with charity, donations, and voluntary work, for example. People love giving, freely. People love helping others, from the goodness of their hearts. The rich – some of them – don’t mind showing their largesse by donating large sums of money to the cause of their choice. A little bit of attention and positive PR (AKA being in the limelight) does help.

    The left has always been suspicious of charity and philanthropy, sometimes not without good reason. Yet this critique misses one essential difference between the generosity of the individual and that of the state. Individual welfare is essentially a personal matter, it can be shaped and targeted in a manner that enhances the life of the recipient and moves them out of the poverty trap they are often in.

    At it’s height the Islamic world had a practice which is pertinent here. Every Friday after prayers it was an ethical expectation that the poor and the wealthy of the congregation would meet on the steps of the mosque to distribute alms. In a world completely absent any notion of the welfare state, this had the immediate effect of assisting those in dire need.

    But there was also a more persistent, powerful effect. Because the transaction was personal it had some interesting psychological impacts. For one it kept the human face of poverty live and real in the minds of the more fortunate. It tended to minimise the isolation of the elites from the realities of life for the masses. It also created an incentive for the donor to find ways, beyond the mere giving of money, to help the poor find ways to move out of their poverty trap. Set them up in small businesses, find employment, basic social networking at a very intimate organic level.

    For the recipients it meant having to personally face your donor and make your case. While the Faith created a right to be there, a right to be helped, it also created a responsibility to find your own specific way out of dire poverty if you possibly could.

    The modern welfare state transforms this into a faceless, bureaucratic function that corrodes away this sense of personal connection and trust, making the experience for both donor (taxpayer) and recipient (beneficiary) both demeaning and diminishing. The taxpayer feels little sense of the value of their personal contribution, while the beneficiary feels devalued and reduced to a second class of citizen.

    In the modern context it would be foolhardy to suggest we return directly to such a model; and I’m not doing so. But a deeper understanding of the emotional drivers and needs, that underpin our concept of welfare, is certainly worth discussing if we are going to devise better ways to do it.

    • Incognito 4.1
      3 March 2019 at 11:57 am

      I think you captured it very well, thank you. There are other ways and they can only come to the fore in a wide-ranging general inclusive discussion in which many will and do participate.

      • RedLogix 4.1.1
        3 March 2019 at 12:17 pm

        Thank you. Sometimes its discouraging to have a comments like this ignored; while others stalk the comment threads sniffing out the slightest impurity to get outraged about.

        The longer I participate here the more convinced I am that the primary problems we face are no longer so amenable to classic left wing class/economic analysis. The big challenges are psychological/spiritual in nature.

        NZ is a country wealthy enough so that none of it’s citizens need suffer from physical or economic want. So why not? What holds us back?

        Just ranting about the greed and selfishness of the already fortunate and wealthy, while emotionally satisfying for some fleeting moments, manifestly changes nothing. It’s a dead end.

        • Incognito 4.1.1.1
          3 March 2019 at 12:33 pm

          I know what you’re saying and paradoxically I tend to avoid reading let alone replying to the comments on the posts I write. However, today I felt differently and I’m glad I did.

          The longer I participate here the more convinced I am that the primary problems we face are no longer so amenable to classic left wing class/economic analysis. The big challenges are psychological/spiritual in nature.

          Indeed, same for me and the older I get the more I realise that “It’s the economy, stupid” needs to be kicked off its pedestal in contemporary politics and discussions about society.

          Our big challenges (still) are and always have been psychological/spiritual in nature. What makes this time in human history so interesting is that right now we don’t seem to have a clue or any answers that we can apply. Or at least, that’s what we think is the case.

          In the last few weeks there have been a couple of posts and a few comments here on TS that really stimulated my thinking but I’m not ready yet to put it into a post. Let’s just say for now that I’m optimistic about the future but that it’ll be a hell of a ride (but not to Hell!).

        • KJT 4.1.1.2
          3 March 2019 at 12:43 pm

          The big challenge remains the same.

          The conflict between, those who give back to the society that nurtures them.
          And those who are simply out for all they can get.

          We tend to call the first left and the latter, right wing.
          Not always fair differentiation. There are people like Marilyn Waring on the right wing. And a lot of anti democracy, we know better on the “academic” left.

          • RedLogix 4.1.1.2.1
            3 March 2019 at 2:43 pm

            The conflict between, those who give back to the society that nurtures them. And those who are simply out for all they can get.

            That is our view as left wingers; but you do realise that right wingers hold exactly the same view as well?

            • KJT 4.1.1.2.1.1
              3 March 2019 at 4:43 pm

              No. They damn well don’t. See Gosman, on people expecting a return for compassion.

              • RedLogix …
                3 March 2019 at 5:27 pm

                lol … can I kindly suggest you missed my point by quite a lot.

                Absolutely the right will underpin’s their value system differently to the left. When we see tax dodgers, they see beneficiaries dodging responsibility for their lives. Where we see capitalists leeching off the sweat of the workers brow, they see the innovator and risk taker generating wealth and prosperity. And so on.

                Reflect for a moment and run those words through the lens of a right winger if you can, and see what it means to them. You don’t have to agree or like it, but I’m asking if you can understand.

                Explicitly I’m not trying to say the two systems are equivalent; nor am I suggesting to anyone here we can abdicate those innate values which make us who we are. Remain authentic to who you are.

                But if we want to lay claim to who we are as left wingers, we must at the same time acknowledge the legitimate claims of those who are on the right. Endlessly demonising them is … so 20th century.

            • KJT 4.1.1.2.1.2
              3 March 2019 at 5:00 pm

              https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-wealth-reduces-compassion/

              “Who is more likely to lie, cheat, and steal—the poor person or the rich one? It’s temping to think that the wealthier you are, the more likely you are to act fairly. After all, if you already have enough for yourself, it’s easier to think about what others may need. But research suggests the opposite is true: as people climb the social ladder, their compassionate feelings towards other people decline”.

    • KJT 4.3
      3 March 2019 at 5:15 pm

      Sort of true.

      When I describe the individual circumstances of someone I know of, to a well off person in my social circle. Such as the women who looks after her two mentally retarded brothers, they say “we should help them”. I answer, “then we need to pay taxes”. The answer is usually, ” but there are all these people who made poor choices” or ” solo Mum’s breeding for a living”, “I don’t mind paying for your example however”.

      The deserving and undeserving poor.

      But, almost all the poor are like my example.

      Caught in circumstances beyond their control. Just look at the mental effects of growing up in a family that is always under stress, through not knowing if they can pay for tomorrow..

      All the false propaganda memes seem to have taken root. So the greedy can feel less uncomfortable about poor people. Unfortunately they have biased many people who could be compassionate.

  5. CHCoff 5
    2 March 2019 at 3:34 pm

    https://www.msn.com/en-nz/news/national/pm-wants-to-hear-from-people-who-dont-have-a-column-in-the-herald/ar-BBUgH7F?li=BBqdk7Q&ocid=mailsignout

    How can a capital gains tax be done effectively, if there can’t be a discussion on a FTT (financial transaction tax)?

    A well rounded CGT has to be looked at in terms of a FTT, as to look at one without the other, is a blind spot basically in implementation of either. It might be common practise elsewhere, but then how can greater elsewhere resulting or related problems then potentially be avoided?

    A good sustainable govt. should be careful to not build up a sustainable case against itself to anyone thing in particular to the mind of common prejudice, in the absence of reasoned debate also.

    Finally, if giving the natia something relevant to talk about for election, why not make it useful as well?

    • xanthe 5.1
      2 March 2019 at 6:17 pm

      Would also like to see more discusssion and awareness of FTT as a useful tool for a rairer taxatiom system is there any mention in the tax working group report (which shamefully i have not read!)

    • Incognito 5.2
      3 March 2019 at 11:53 am

      Good comment, thanks.

      CGT is an entirely different beast and may therefore trigger a different (emotional) response than FTT, or GST for that matter.

      My point is that the main problem around tax in general and CGT in particular is an emotional one, an attitude issue. This is why it is so easy for opponents to avoid any meaningful debate by simply generating mass hysteria and irrational fear mongering.

      As RedLogix said @ 4, we need to understand the emotional drivers and needs and include this into a (holistic) discussion about welfare. The debate and associated narrative theme(s) should focus on welfare (giving and taking care of) rather than on tax (taking); two sides of the same coin but approached from opposite perspectives.

      • KJT 5.2.1
        3 March 2019 at 5:19 pm

        Labour put themselves on the back foot, when they fail to put their efforts into explaining why we need taxes, and the value we get in our public services.

        I suspect because some in Labour are still Neo-liberals at heart.

        National didn’t even bother. Just put in 18 new taxes and raised GST, to pay for reducing the top rate, without any public discussion whatsoever.

    • Incognito 6.1
      3 March 2019 at 7:21 pm

      Not quite the same category as ordinary Kiwis who (might) donate a (minor) portion of their CGT to IRD or a charity of their choice. This doesn’t make them philanthropists per se but there’s nothing to stop them donating more than they have to. In fact, I’m pretty sure that many people who’d object to the introduction of a CGT do donate to charities and other good causes. That paradox could be exploited, if you like.

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    If those elected to the Māori Seats refuse to take them, then what possible reason could the country have for retaining them?   Chris Trotter writes – Christmas is fast approaching, which, as it does every year, means gearing up for an abstruse general knowledge question. “Who was ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    3 days ago

  • BRIAN EASTON:  Forward to 2017
    The coalition party agreements are mainly about returning to 2017 when National lost power. They show commonalities but also some serious divergencies. Brian Easton writes – The two coalition agreements – one National and ACT, the other National and New Zealand First – are more than policy documents. ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    3 days ago

  • Climate Change: Fossils
    When the new government promised to allow new offshore oil and gas exploration, they were warned that there would be international criticism and reputational damage. Naturally, they arrogantly denied any possibility that that would happen. And then they finally turned up at COP, to criticism from Palau, and a "fossil ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    3 days ago

  • GEOFFREY MILLER:  NZ’s foreign policy resets on AUKUS, Gaza and Ukraine
    Geoffrey Miller writes – New Zealand’s international relations are under new management. And Winston Peters, the new foreign minister, is already setting a change agenda. As expected, this includes a more pro-US positioning when it comes to the Pacific – where Peters will be picking up where he ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    3 days ago

  • Gordon Campbell on the government’s smokefree laws debacle
    The most charitable explanation for National’s behaviour over the smokefree legislation is that they have dutifully fulfilled the wishes of the Big Tobacco lobby and then cast around – incompetently, as it turns out – for excuses that might sell this health policy U-turn to the public. The less charitable ...
    Gordon CampbellBy lyndon
    3 days ago

  • Top 10 links at 10 am for Monday, December 4
    As Deb Te Kawa writes in an op-ed, the new Government seems to have immediately bought itself fights with just about everyone. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Here’s my pick of the top 10 news and analysis links elsewhere as of 10 am on Monday December 4, including:Palau’s President ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago

  • Be Honest.
    Let’s begin today by thinking about job interviews.During my career in Software Development I must have interviewed hundreds of people, hired at least a hundred, but few stick in the memory.I remember one guy who was so laid back he was practically horizontal, leaning back in his chair until his ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    3 days ago

  • Geoffrey Miller: New Zealand’s foreign policy resets on AUKUS, Gaza and Ukraine
    New Zealand’s international relations are under new management. And Winston Peters, the new foreign minister, is already setting a change agenda. As expected, this includes a more pro-US positioning when it comes to the Pacific – where Peters will be picking up where he left off. Peters sought to align ...
    Democracy ProjectBy Geoffrey Miller
    3 days ago

  • Auckland rail tunnel the world’s most expensive
    Auckland’s city rail link is the most expensive rail project in the world per km, and the CRL boss has described the cost of infrastructure construction in Aotearoa as a crisis. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The 3.5 km City Rail Link (CRL) tunnel under Auckland’s CBD has cost ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago

  • First big test coming
    The first big test of the new Government’s approach to Treaty matters is likely to be seen in the return of the Resource Management Act. RMA Minister Chris Bishop has confirmed that he intends to introduce legislation to repeal Labour’s recently passed Natural and Built Environments Act and its ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    3 days ago

  • The Song of Saqua: Volume III
    Time to revisit something I haven’t covered in a while: the D&D campaign, with Saqua the aquatic half-vampire. Last seen in July: https://phuulishfellow.wordpress.com/2023/07/27/the-song-of-saqua-volume-ii/ The delay is understandable, once one realises that the interim saw our DM come down with a life-threatening medical situation. They have since survived to make ...
    A Phuulish FellowBy strda221
    3 days ago

  • Chris Bishop: Smokin’
    Yes. Correct. It was an election result. And now we are the elected government. ...
    My ThinksBy boonman
    4 days ago

  • 2023 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #48
    A chronological listing of news and opinion articles posted on the Skeptical Science  Facebook Page during the past week: Sun, Nov 26, 2023 thru Dec 2, 2023. Story of the Week CO2 readings from Mauna Loa show failure to combat climate change Daily atmospheric carbon dioxide data from Hawaiian volcano more ...
    Skeptical Science
    4 days ago

  • Affirmative Action.
    Affirmative Action was a key theme at this election, although I don’t recall anyone using those particular words during the campaign.They’re positive words, and the way the topic was talked about was anything but. It certainly wasn’t a campaign of saying that Affirmative Action was a good thing, but that, ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    4 days ago

  • 100 days of something
    It was at the end of the Foxton straights, at the end of 1978, at 100km/h, that someone tried to grab me from behind on my Yamaha.They seemed to be yanking my backpack. My first thought was outrage. My second was: but how? Where have they come from? And my ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    4 days ago

  • Look who’s stepped up to champion Winston
    There’s no news to be gleaned from the government’s official website today  – it contains nothing more than the message about the site being under maintenance. The time this maintenance job is taking and the costs being incurred have us musing on the government’s commitment to an assault on inflation. ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    5 days ago

  • What's The Story?
    Don’t you sometimes wish they’d just tell the truth? No matter how abhorrent or ugly, just straight up tell us the truth?C’mon guys, what you’re doing is bad enough anyway, pretending you’re not is only adding insult to injury.Instead of all this bollocks about the Smokefree changes being to do ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago

  • The longest of weeks
    Hello! Here comes the Saturday edition of More Than A Feilding, catching you up on the past week’s editions.Friday Under New Management Week in review, quiz style1. Which of these best describes Aotearoa?a. Progressive nation, proud of its egalitarian spirit and belief in a fair go b. Best little country on the planet c. ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    5 days ago

  • Suggested sessions of EGU24 to submit abstracts to
    Like earlier this year, members from our team will be involved with next year's General Assembly of the European Geosciences Union (EGU). The conference will take place on premise in Vienna as well as online from April 14 to 19, 2024. The session catalog has been available since November 1 ...
    Skeptical Science
    5 days ago

  • Under New Management
    1. Which of these best describes Aotearoa?a. Progressive nation, proud of its egalitarian spirit and belief in a fair go b. Best little country on the planet c. Under New Management 2. Which of these best describes the 100 days of action announced this week by the new government?a. Petulantb. Simplistic and wrongheaded c. ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    6 days ago

  • While we wait patiently, our new Minister of Education is up and going with a 100-day action plan
    Sorry to say, the government’s official website is still out of action. When Point of Order paid its daily visit, the message was the same as it has been for the past week: Site under maintenance Beehive.govt.nz is currently under maintenance. We will be back shortly. Thank you for your ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago

  • DAVID FARRAR: Hysterical bullshit
    Radio NZ reports: Te Pāti Māori’s co-leader Debbie Ngarewa-Packer has accused the new government of “deliberate .. systemic genocide” over its policies to roll back the smokefree policy and the Māori Health Authority. The left love hysterical language. If you oppose racial quotas in laws, you are a racist. And now if you sack ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago

  • Skeptical Science New Research for Week #48 2023
    Open access notables From this week's government/NGO section, longitudinal data is gold and Leisorowitz, Maibachi et al. continue to mine ore from the US public with Climate Change in the American Mind: Politics & Policy, Fall 2023: Drawing on a representative sample of the U.S. adult population, the authors describe how registered ...
    Skeptical Science
    6 days ago

  • ELE LUDEMANN: It wasn’t just $55 million
    Ele Ludemann writes –  Winston Peters reckons media outlets were bribed by the $55 million Public Interest Journalism Fund. He is not the first to make such an accusation. Last year, the Platform outlined conditions media signed up to in return for funds from the PJIF: . . . ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago

  • Weekly Roundup 1-December-2023
    Wow, it’s December already, and it’s a Friday. So here are few things that caught our attention recently. This Week in Greater Auckland On Monday Matt covered the new government’s coalition agreements and what they mean for transport. On Tuesday Matt looked at AT’s plans for fare increases ...
    Greater AucklandBy Greater Auckland
    6 days ago

  • Shane MacGowan Is Gone.
    Late 1996, The Dogs Bollix, Tamaki Makaurau.I’m at the front of the bar yelling my order to the bartender, jostling with other thirsty punters on a Friday night, keen to piss their wages up against a wall letting loose. The black stuff, long luscious pints of creamy goodness. Back down ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    6 days ago

  • The Hoon around the week to Dec 1
    Nicola Willis, Chris Bishop and other National, ACT and NZ First MPs applaud the signing of the coalition agreements, which included the reversal of anti-smoking measures while accelerating tax cuts for landlords. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The five things that mattered in Aotearoa’s political economy that we wrote ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    6 days ago

  • 2023 More Reading: November (+ Writing Update)
    Completed reads for November: A Modern Utopia, by H.G. Wells The Vampire (poem), by Heinrich August Ossenfelder The Corpus Hermeticum The Corpus Hermeticum is Mead’s translation. Now, this is indeed a very quiet month for reading. But there is a reason for that… You see, ...
    A Phuulish FellowBy strda221
    6 days ago

  • Forward to 2017
    The coalition party agreements are mainly about returning to 2017 when National lost power. They show commonalities but also some serious divergencies.The two coalition agreements – one National and ACT, the other National and New Zealand First – are more than policy documents. They also describe the processes of the ...
    PunditBy Brian Easton
    6 days ago

  • Questions a nine year old might ask the new Prime Minister
    First QuestionYou’re going to crack down on people ram-raiding dairies, because you say hard-working dairy owners shouldn’t have to worry about getting ram-raided.But once the chemist shops have pseudoephedrine in them again, they're going to get ram-raided all the time. Do chemists not work as hard as dairy owners?Second QuestionYou ...
    More than a fieldingBy David Slack
    7 days ago

  • Questions a nine year old might ask the new Prime Minister
    First QuestionYou’re going to crack down on people ram-raiding dairies, because you say hard-working dairy owners shouldn’t have to worry about getting ram-raided.But once the chemist shops have pseudoephedrine in them again, they're going to get ram-raided all the time. Do chemists not work as hard as dairy owners?Second QuestionYou ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    7 days ago

  • Finally
    Henry Kissinger is finally dead. Good fucking riddance. While Americans loved him, he was a war criminal, responsible for most of the atrocities of the final quarter of the twentieth century. Cambodia. Bangladesh. Chile. East Timor. All Kissinger. Because of these crimes, Americans revere him as a "statesman" (which says ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    7 days ago

  • Government in a hurry – Luxon lists 49 priorities in 100-day plan while Peters pledges to strength...
    Buzz from the Beehive Yes, ministers in the new government are delivering speeches and releasing press statements. But the message on the government’s official website was the same as it has been for the past several days, when Point of Order went looking for news from the Beehive that had ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    7 days ago

  • DAVID FARRAR: Luxon is absolutely right
    David Farrar writes  –  1 News reports: Christopher Luxon says he was told by some Kiwis on the campaign trail they “didn’t know” the difference between Waka Kotahi, Te Pūkenga and Te Whatu Ora. Speaking to Breakfast, the incoming prime minister said having English first on government agencies will “make sure” ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    7 days ago

  • Top 10 at 10 am for Thursday, Nov 30
    There are fears that mooted changes to building consent liability could end up driving the building industry into an uninsured hole. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Here’s my pick of the top 10 news and analysis links elsewhere as of 10 am on Thursday, November 30, including:The new Government’s ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    7 days ago

  • Gordon Campbell on how climate change threatens cricket‘s future
    Well that didn’t last long, did it? Mere days after taking on what he called the “awesome responsibility” of being Prime Minister, M Christopher Luxon has started blaming everyone else, and complaining that he has inherited “economic vandalism on an unprecedented scale” – which is how most of us are ...
    Gordon CampbellBy lyndon
    7 days ago

  • We need to talk about Tory.
    The first I knew of the news about Tory Whanau was when a tweet came up in my feed.The sort of tweet that makes you question humanity, or at least why you bother with Twitter. Which is increasingly a cesspit of vile inhabitants who lurk spreading negativity, hate, and every ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    7 days ago

  • Dangling Transport Solutions
    Cable Cars, Gondolas, Ropeways and Aerial Trams are all names for essentially the same technology and the world’s biggest maker of them are here to sell them as an public transport solution. Stuff reports: Austrian cable car company Doppelmayr has launched its case for adding aerial cable cars to New ...
    Greater AucklandBy Matt L
    7 days ago

  • November AMA
    Hi,It’s been awhile since I’ve done an Ask-Me-Anything on here, so today’s the day. Ask anything you like in the comments section, and I’ll be checking in today and tomorrow to answer.Leave a commentNext week I’ll be giving away a bunch of these Mister Organ blu-rays for readers in New ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    7 days ago

  • National’s early moves adding to cost of living pressure
    The cost of living grind continues, and the economic and inflation honeymoon is over before it began. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: PM Christopher Luxon unveiled his 100 day plan yesterday with an avowed focus of reducing cost-of-living pressures, but his Government’s initial moves and promises are actually elevating ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    7 days ago

  • Backwards to the future
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has confirmed that it will be back to the future on planning legislation. This will be just one of a number of moves which will see the new government go backwards as it repeals and cost-cuts its way into power. They will completely repeal one ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    1 week ago

  • New initiatives in science and technology could point the way ahead for Luxon government
    As the new government settles into the Beehive, expectations are high that it can sort out some  of  the  economic issues  confronting  New Zealand. It may take time for some new  ministers to get to grips with the range of their portfolio work and responsibilities before they can launch the  changes that  ...
    Point of OrderBy tutere44
    1 week ago

  • Treaty pledge to secure funding is contentious – but is Peters being pursued by a lynch mob after ...
    TV3 political editor Jenna Lynch was among the corps of political reporters who bridled, when Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters told them what he thinks of them (which is not much). She was unabashed about letting her audience know she had bridled. More usefully, she drew attention to something which ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    1 week ago

  • How long does this last?
    I have a clear memory of every election since 1969 in this plucky little nation of ours. I swear I cannot recall a single one where the question being asked repeatedly in the first week of the new government was: how long do you reckon they’ll last? And that includes all ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    1 week ago

  • National’s giveaway politics
    We already know that national plans to boost smoking rates to collect more tobacco tax so they can give huge tax-cuts to mega-landlords. But this morning that policy got even more obscene - because it turns out that the tax cut is retrospective: Residential landlords will be able to ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    1 week ago

  • CHRIS TROTTER: Who’s driving the right-wing bus?
    Who’s At The Wheel? The electorate’s message, as aggregated in the polling booths on 14 October, turned out to be a conservative political agenda stronger than anything New Zealand has seen in five decades. In 1975, Bill Rowling was run over by just one bus, with Rob Muldoon at the wheel. In 2023, ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    1 week ago

  • Minister sets expectations of Commissioner
    Today I met with Police Commissioner Andrew Coster to set out my expectations, which he has agreed to, says Police Minister Mark Mitchell. Under section 16(1) of the Policing Act 2008, the Minister can expect the Police Commissioner to deliver on the Government’s direction and priorities, as now outlined in ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    11 hours ago

  • New Zealand needs a strong and stable ETS
    New Zealand needs a strong and stable Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) that is well placed for the future, after emission units failed to sell for the fourth and final auction of the year, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says.  At today’s auction, 15 million New Zealand units (NZUs) – each ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    13 hours ago

  • PISA results show urgent need to teach the basics
    With 2022 PISA results showing a decline in achievement, Education Minister Erica Stanford is confident that the Coalition Government’s 100-day plan for education will improve outcomes for Kiwi kids.  The 2022 PISA results show a significant decline in the performance of 15-year-old students in maths compared to 2018 and confirms ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago

  • Collins leaves for Pacific defence meeting
    Defence Minister Judith Collins today departed for New Caledonia to attend the 8th annual South Pacific Defence Ministers’ meeting (SPDMM). “This meeting is an excellent opportunity to meet face-to-face with my Pacific counterparts to discuss regional security matters and to demonstrate our ongoing commitment to the Pacific,” Judith Collins says. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago

  • Working for Families gets cost of living boost
    Putting more money in the pockets of hard-working families is a priority of this Coalition Government, starting with an increase to Working for Families, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon says. “We are starting our 100-day plan with a laser focus on bringing down the cost of living, because that is what ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago

  • Lake Onslow pumped hydro scheme scrapped
    The Government has axed the $16 billion Lake Onslow pumped hydro scheme championed by the previous government, Energy Minister Simeon Brown says. “This hugely wasteful project was pouring money down the drain at a time when we need to be reining in spending and focussing on rebuilding the economy and ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago

  • NZ welcomes further pause in fighting in Gaza
    New Zealand welcomes the further one-day extension of the pause in fighting, which will allow the delivery of more urgently-needed humanitarian aid into Gaza and the release of more hostages, Foreign Minister Winston Peters said. “The human cost of the conflict is horrific, and New Zealand wants to see the violence ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago

  • Condolences on passing of Henry Kissinger
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters today expressed on behalf of the New Zealand Government his condolences to the family of former US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, who has passed away at the age of 100 at his home in Connecticut. “While opinions on his legacy are varied, Secretary Kissinger was ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago

  • Backing our kids to learn the basics
    Every child deserves a world-leading education, and the Coalition Government is making that a priority as part of its 100-day plan. Education Minister Erica Stanford says that will start with banning cellphone use at school and ensuring all primary students spend one hour on reading, writing, and maths each day. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago

  • US Business Summit Speech – Regional stability through trade
    I would like to begin by echoing the Prime Minister’s thanks to the organisers of this Summit, Fran O’Sullivan and the Auckland Business Chamber.  I want to also acknowledge the many leading exporters, sector representatives, diplomats, and other leaders we have joining us in the room. In particular, I would like ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago

  • Keynote Address to the United States Business Summit, Auckland
    Good morning. Thank you, Rosemary, for your warm introduction, and to Fran and Simon for this opportunity to make some brief comments about New Zealand’s relationship with the United States.  This is also a chance to acknowledge my colleague, Minister for Trade Todd McClay, Ambassador Tom Udall, Secretary of Foreign ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago

  • India New Zealand Business Council Speech, India as a Strategic Priority
    Good morning, tēnā koutou and namaskar. Many thanks, Michael, for your warm welcome. I would like to acknowledge the work of the India New Zealand Business Council in facilitating today’s event and for the Council’s broader work in supporting a coordinated approach for lifting New Zealand-India relations. I want to also ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Coalition Government unveils 100-day plan
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has laid out the Coalition Government’s plan for its first 100 days from today. “The last few years have been incredibly tough for so many New Zealanders. People have put their trust in National, ACT and NZ First to steer them towards a better, more prosperous ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • New Zealand welcomes European Parliament vote on the NZ-EU Free Trade Agreement
    A significant milestone in ratifying the NZ-EU Free Trade Agreement (FTA) was reached last night, with 524 of the 705 member European Parliament voting in favour to approve the agreement. “I’m delighted to hear of the successful vote to approve the NZ-EU FTA in the European Parliament overnight. This is ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 weeks ago

  • Further humanitarian support for Gaza, the West Bank and Israel
    The Government is contributing a further $5 million to support the response to urgent humanitarian needs in Gaza, the West Bank and Israel, bringing New Zealand’s total contribution to the humanitarian response so far to $10 million. “New Zealand is deeply saddened by the loss of civilian life and the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 weeks ago

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