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Daily review 21/06/2019

Written By: - Date published: 5:50 pm, June 21st, 2019 - 61 comments
Categories: Daily review - Tags:

Happy birthday to you …

Daily review is also your post.

This provides Standardistas the opportunity to review events of the day.

The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the Policy).

Don’t forget to be kind to each other …

61 comments on “Daily review 21/06/2019”

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  1. Muttonbird 1
    21 June 2019 at 6:08 pm

    The wife of former ANZ New Zealand boss David Hisco bought the couple’s Auckland family home from her husband’s employer for substantially less than its capital valuation in 2017.

    Deborah Walsh paid $6.9 million in July of that year for the lavish St Heliers property, less than the $7.55m ANZ paid when it bought the house in early 2011.

    Valuations service QV put the property’s 2017 capital value at $10.75m.

    Nearly $4m discount!

    This sale went through in July 2017, 2 months after Jong Kee joined the ANZ board. Surely he must have signed off on this, but then it's all just monopoly money to them, isn't it?

    https://i.stuff.co.nz/business/113661929/anz-bought-75m-beachside-auckland-property-for-david-hisco

    • Peter 1.1
      21 June 2019 at 6:56 pm

      In case people don't read the link – you show the value of the property going up dramatically but didn't mention the fact that the ANZ paid for big refurbishments to the property as well while Hisco lived there.

      The bank can admit their practices were sloppy or say Hisco was sloppy with his paperwork but an ordinary peasant person like me thinking in the vernacular is likely to come up with expressions like "rip-off merchant."  

      The level of entitlement, or greed, or morals or the sense of removal from the 'real world' should be bewildering but it isn't. That's the way some classes act. And of course they are those who often use that expression, telling us to get into the 'real world.'

    • mickysavage 1.2
      21 June 2019 at 8:10 pm

      Ha I wonder if this was because of exceptionally good work by a reporter or a strategic leak?  Methinks the latter.

      Pretty brutal …

    • Instauration 1.3
      21 June 2019 at 11:46 pm

      Furnished and submitted documents over many years to the Companies Office say that the residential address of David Hisco is at 29 Albert Street Auckland  – between levels 29 – 32 . These filings may render David Hisco incongruous with the requirements of Section 215 of the 1993 Companies Act.

      No mention of St Heliers or Kohimarama

      Oddly current listings state; "Held By Registrar, Auckland, 1010 , New Zealand "

      Never seen that before.

       

    • Muttonbird 1.4
      22 June 2019 at 12:44 pm

      Further, the huge discount provided to Mrs Hisco when she bought the house from the ANZ for approx $3.5m less than it was valued seems to have been indirectly or directly passed on to John and Bronagh Key.

      The sale of the St Heliers house for far less than it was worth was basically a gift of $3.5m to the Hiscos from the shareholders, staff and customers of the ANZ, including me! 🤬

      This 'gift' in July 2017 then goes on to fund the purchase of John and Bronagh Key's beach house at 43 Success Place, Omaha in February 2018 for, coincidentally, about $3.5m.

      Question being, how much was John Key involved in the process which ended up him receiving funds procured under a cloud (the cheap sale of the St Heliers house), for the sale of his beach house?

      Key mentioned under questioning at that press conference that they had a house to sell and the Hiscos bought it, “and that’s it”. But really, the Hiscos received a huge windfall of pretty much the same amount as the sale just months before from the very ANZ Key was a board member of…

    • Muttonbird 1.5
      22 June 2019 at 1:02 pm

      More quite staggering actions and statements at the press conference last week.

      Many watched this spectacle in astonishment. There was disbelief among reporters at the press conference when Key denied there was a link between Hisco finding his head on the block and the severe embarrassment the bank and its board suffered at the hands of the Reserve Bank just a week before Hisco initially went on leave.

      Hisco held one of the biggest jobs in the country and was being taken down publicly, humiliatingly, over a relatively small expense when compared with his hefty yearly expense claim and salary. Key went so far as to speak on Hisco's behalf, airily claiming that, "David would say he did not meet the standards he set for the rest of our staff and for himself".

      Legal commentators said it was unusual. Usually these sensitive matters are dealt with quietly to avoid the potential reputational damage to both parties. 

      But here was Key, not stabbing Hisco quietly in the back and sliding him off into early retirement, rather parading Hisco's failure around like a trophy, only missing Hisco himself to fully complete the public flogging.

      https://i.stuff.co.nz/business/113641865/the-fall-of-anz-chief-executive-david-hisco

       

  2. Gabby 2
    21 June 2019 at 6:20 pm

    Davy certainly has an eye for a bargain doesn't he.

  3. Muttonbird 3
    21 June 2019 at 6:31 pm

    President Donald Trump approved retaliatory military strikes against Iran on Thursday before changing his mind, US media reports.

    https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-48714414

    Anyone get the idea the orange piece of crap doesn't have the faintest idea what he's doing?

    • adam 3.1
      21 June 2019 at 6:46 pm

      I think they thought they could get away with the drone crap, after the other lies. When someone in the white house actually asked around how the world felt – it must have shocked them into a retraction. 

       

      Watch them keep amping this up. 

      • McFlock 3.1.1
        21 June 2019 at 6:58 pm

        I don't even think it went to overseas opinion, or even domestic.

        Even odds that Bolton or another hawk persuaded dolt45 to launch a "retaliatory" strike, and then someone who isn't a warmongering piece of shit heard about it and managed to talk him out of it because it was more than 30sec later and his attention had drifted.

        • Macro 3.1.1.1
          21 June 2019 at 9:28 pm

          That's about it I reckon. 

          Bolton and Pompeo are pushing like mad to start another war, but fortunately there are a couple of others who are a little more sane. Just how long it will last however is another matter. 

          Mind you tRump can contradict himself from one sentence to the next. He just opens his mouth and words come out.

    • WeTheBleeple 3.2
      21 June 2019 at 7:16 pm

      For desperate want of a better word: isn't this a cultivated image – him not knowing what he's doing merely a decoy. It's hard not to think of him as the world's biggest idiot. But there he is, siphoning off the world's largest economy for a select few companies. Blatantly law breaking, bribing, coercing, dominating and shitting on anyone and everyone – and getting away with it. Shrewd cunning only?  

       And check out those Proud Boys, they must make him chubby. Very fine people indeed. I reckon they can't wait to get issued some shiny new jackboots and he can't wait to issue them. New boots for the poor! They'll polish them every day on minorities heads. You see they're convenient to keep the leftist commie rabble at home in line or cages while he burns the world.

      Insane doesn't mean stupid, nor does crass, insensitive or cruel. I wish he was a moron…

      Trolling the entire planet – he might get an Oscar for this show. 

    • A 3.3
      21 June 2019 at 9:28 pm

      Glad he changed his mind.  Even the victor loses in war

    • WeTheBleeple 4.1
      21 June 2019 at 8:49 pm

      After Panama Papers I'd say there's more than a smidgen of truth to it.

      It'll be global in scope. Shifting offices, shifting sands.

      • greywarshark 4.1.1
        21 June 2019 at 10:17 pm

        That is an amazing info. dated January 2019.  Checking on other sites where info re Gordon B appears seem dodgy.   I think that he needs to keep his records and himself safe as he must be a liability to many people.  

        I was reminded of a fictional story I have recently read about The South Sea Bubble called Sea Change by Robert Goddard.   If you like convoluted plots this is one for you.   That was a very widely spread scam.

  5. CHCoff 5
    21 June 2019 at 8:26 pm

    Happy birthday to baby Neve

    & bring on the terrible 2s when she'll be ready to start filling in with the parliamentary debates

  6. Pat 6
    21 June 2019 at 8:59 pm

    An open and honest politician!…..worth the listen

    https://www.rnz.co.nz/audio/player?audio_id=2018700800

  7. Ad 7
    21 June 2019 at 9:03 pm

    Very interesting move by President Trump to countermand his own order issuing military response against Iran. 

    Neither Obama nor GW Bush would have done that. 

    The global oil price, and much of the world, live another day. 

    But it shows the Pentagon are on the brink.

    Today only Trump stands between peace and the US military. Which honestly is a bit of a mindfuck. 

    • RedLogix 7.1
      21 June 2019 at 9:37 pm

      At this point our old friend CV might be having one of his 'I told you so moments'.  The obdurate failure of the left to understand what they were really up against in Trump speaks to largely to a desire to have something to whine resentfully about.

      • Anne 7.1.1
        21 June 2019 at 9:46 pm

        Well no Redlogix. Not all of us. It was precisely because we knew what we were up against in Trump which spoke volumes to our deep concern at his rise to power. In that regard he hasn't let me down and my concern over his presidency only increases as time goes on.

        • RedLogix 7.1.1.1
          22 June 2019 at 7:18 am

          I get that, and I accept this from you in good faith. 

          In general however the correct response to losing is to retreat with dignity, work out exactly what you did wrong and then fix it. The exact opposite of what the Dems did and more than a few around here.

        • marty mars 7.1.1.2
          22 June 2019 at 7:25 am

          Yes Anne – we all realised that except for the t.rump acolytes like cv. The democrats aren't the left although they may be a small subset of the left I suppose.

          • RedLogix 7.1.1.2.1
            22 June 2019 at 7:32 am

            Why do you think spelling Trump's name incorrectly will help? 

            • marty mars 7.1.1.2.1.1
              22 June 2019 at 7:51 am

              no one cares except for you – why do you care? It's ok I know why and it's very cute lol

              • RedLogix …
                22 June 2019 at 8:02 am

                If nobody cares, then why do you do it? And all the other childish name calling? 

                Do you think it would persuade anyone to not vote for Trump, or change their minds for the better? 

                • marty mars …
                  22 June 2019 at 8:28 am

                  grow up – you're opinions are really silly – childish is an older guy like you defending trump against people making fun of his name – pathetic – get onto the talk show hosts there 'patricia' and shut them down too cos they are mean – lol

                   

                   

                  • Morrissey …
                    22 June 2019 at 8:30 am

                    Marty, pointing out the grave failure of the "Democrats"—or precisely the right wing faction of that party led by the doomed Hillary Clinton—is not "defending Trump."

                    • marty mars …
                      22 June 2019 at 8:48 am

                      who said it was

                      what about complaining about the spelling of his arsehole name – got anything to say on that?

            • Sabine 7.1.1.2.1.2
              22 June 2019 at 3:05 pm

              i agree it should be spelled orange shart cannon.

               

               

      • Macro 7.1.2
        21 June 2019 at 9:59 pm

        Reported today:

        The attorneys who recently visited the facility near El Paso told The Associated Press that three girls, ages 10 to 15, said they had been taking turns watching over a sick 2-year-old boy because there was no one else to look after him.

        When the lawyers saw the boy, he wasn’t wearing a diaper and had wet his pants, and his shirt was smeared in mucus. They said at least 15 children at the facility had the flu, and some were kept in medical quarantine.

        The children told lawyers that they were fed uncooked frozen food or rice and had gone weeks without bathing or a clean change of clothes at the facility in Clint, in the desert scrubland some 25 miles southeast of El Paso.

        “In my 22 years of doing visits with children in detention I have never heard of this level of inhumanity,” said Holly Cooper, an attorney who represents detained youth. “Seeing our country at this crucible moment where we have forsaken children and failed to see them as human is hopefully a wake up for this country to move toward change.”

        https://apnews.com/46da2dbe04f54adbb875cfbc06bbc615

        This is what Trump represents. There is nothing wonderful in his Presidency at all.

         

        • RedLogix 7.1.2.1
          21 June 2019 at 10:58 pm

          If I was to turn up at LAX illegally, got detained and horribly treated, there would be no sympathy at all. Even less if I'd been stupid enough to involve my children.

          Of course the story above is appalling, but hand-wringing without offering a concrete solution doesn't help.

          Americans don’t like whiners much; it’s why so many of them voted for Trump even when they knew damn well all his shortcomings and flaws.

          • marty mars 7.1.2.1.1
            22 June 2019 at 7:27 am

            nice – suffer the little children and all that eh – wonder what jesus would have done – probably thrown you lot from the temple to start with lol

            • RedLogix 7.1.2.1.1.1
              22 June 2019 at 7:35 am

              Are you saying that parents are not responsible for their children?

              • marty mars …
                22 June 2019 at 7:48 am

                lol is that what jesus said 

                • RedLogix …
                  22 June 2019 at 7:58 am

                  "Render unto Caesar what is Caesar's".

                  Is that the line you are thinking of?

                  • marty mars …
                    22 June 2019 at 8:23 am

                    I'm sure as a person with a difficult upbringing and doubts about who his dad was, he would be very concerned about the children – sadly more than a few of his followers have discarded any deep caring for others for the extreme self centred me me me attitude displayed – a bit like like you do?

                    • RedLogix …
                      22 June 2019 at 8:35 am

                      At the same time did Jesus tell his followers it was OK to break the laws of the land?  That God would ensure they would escape any bad consequences for doing so?

                      If you actually cared about these children, as distinct from just using them as an opportunity to vent, you might ask the hard questions about why their parents put them into such peril in the first place. 

                      And if you really want to argue for open borders and unconstrained migration then do so honestly.

                    • marty mars …
                      22 June 2019 at 8:46 am

                      If he was around today you'd be laughing at him as some dick refugee and you know it

                       

                    • RedLogix …
                      22 June 2019 at 11:14 am

                      When you make a reasoned argument I always respond in good faith, but the personal attack is all you seem to have. Haven't you noticed by now how weak they make you?

                    • marty mars …
                      22 June 2019 at 11:36 am

                      I know they drop me to your level but that is the price I pay to fight bigotry.

                      I detest your fake reasonableness – I'm commenting on a LEFT wing blog as a left wing activist – you can bullshit as much as you like I just don't care for your attitudes and opinions.

          • greywarshark 7.1.2.1.2
            22 June 2019 at 11:07 am

            RKL 7 1 2 1 … (hand-wringing without offering a concrete solution doesn’t help.)

            USA likes concrete solutions.    They make floors and walls out of it to keep helpless children in who are separated from their parents.   This is a country that lauds the family in public but behind the scenes….

          • Drowsy M. Kram 7.1.2.1.3
            22 June 2019 at 11:50 am

            The report posted by Macro didn't mention adults or parents – the report did describe consequences of inhumane treatment of the very young.

            Yes, hold parents responsible, but please treat children/infants humanely.  It's not rational, or moral, to mistreat children because of poor 'decisions' made by their parents.  The mistreatment in this case seems quite deliberate, punitive even, if attorney Holly Cooper's comment is anything to go by.

            I’ll stop wringing my hands now.

        • RedLogix 7.1.2.2
          22 June 2019 at 7:15 am

          There is nothing wonderful in his Presidency at all.

          Why is it that if I'm not having a whiny hissy fit about Trump that I must therefore think he is 'wonderful'. This binary for us/against us thinking is weak and ineffective.

          I'll say it one more time … Trump only won because the Dems so comprehensively lost the unlosable election. 

          I'm active in the tramping community; every year there are people who die in our mountains because they didn't take them seriously. The game is dangerous, and losing it can be fatal. 

          Same with not taking Trump seriously. He's dangerous and playing 'who can come up with the most crackbrained insult' is an irritating distraction.

      • The Al1en 7.1.3
        21 June 2019 at 11:57 pm

        Not a friend of mine. Not since he turned weird, and definitely not when I heard him make a record of my personal info during a phone conversation we had.

        Wouldn't trust him with a treasonous barge pole.

        • greywarshark 7.1.3.1
          22 June 2019 at 11:12 am

          The Allen doesn't like Trump? since he turned weird.     People do that sometimes, as you get to know more about them.    I'm not sure about Red Logix now.

          • The Al1en 7.1.3.1.1
            22 June 2019 at 11:26 am

            I thought it was pretty clear. Obviously I'll have to reduce my future contributions to reflect what lowest common denominator actually means. 

            And it's still Mr Al1en, to you. 😉

    • Macro 7.2
      21 June 2019 at 9:43 pm

      If he actually knew what he was doing – he wouldn't have made the order in the first place. It was probably pointed out to him that such an order was against the Constitution anyway, and he is already fighting off a load of shit. 

      On second thoughts he probably has no cognisance of what legal jeopardy he is in already, and adding further to his unconstitutional behaviour is the last thing on his mind.

      They probably gave him some crayons and a few airplane pictures to colour in. He would enjoy that.

    • Muttonbird 7.3
      21 June 2019 at 9:53 pm

      Trump appointed those who wish to wage war. That he's having second thoughts now shows how little control he has over his own philosophy.

      • McFlock 7.3.1
        21 June 2019 at 10:09 pm

        Exactly.

        In 1962 it was the presidential staff vs the Pentagon. In 2019, whomever happens to be in the oval office at the time manipulates the president into doing what they want.

         

        Not that the Pentagon doesn't have hawks these days, but they're hawks who actually have to deal with their resource constraints, and are much more interested in building more expensive projects and retiring into industry than they are in running a difficult war. And the generals who do want to send troops in don't have enough troops to do it.

  9. A 9
    21 June 2019 at 9:33 pm

    Would you still want to keep your money in an Australian owned bank if you knew that funds from NZ depositors could be used to bail out the banks in Australia?

    10.30 mins in

    • Ad 9.1
      21 June 2019 at 10:10 pm

      We currently have more commissions, royal commissions, reports, and working groups operating at the behest of this government than under any other government we've ever had. 

      Most of them have achieved nothing and will achieve nothing. 

      So no, we don't need another one.

      • Pat 9.1.1
        21 June 2019 at 10:13 pm

        Oh we need one alright, but as noted in the podcast one with the right people and the right terms of reference…and we know that aint gonna happen

    • Pat 9.2
      21 June 2019 at 10:11 pm

      good post…and watch the first 10 mins as well

      Orr has gotta stick to his guns

      • Ad 9.2.1
        22 June 2019 at 7:10 am

        We have a cultural sickness that means we are up to our necks in debt from mortgages … and people get rich off it. 

        The fault's ours, not the banks.

        • Pat 9.2.1.1
          22 June 2019 at 8:00 am

          Banks have been gifted the privalege of determining the level of debt for society (and their own wealth) and with privalege comes responsibility……and ground zero for the cultural sickness resides in their house.

        • greywarshark 9.2.1.2
          22 June 2019 at 11:20 am

          Oh Ad you are so harsh.    We have been flexible and run along the channels that have been made for us to follow – we thought prosperity was like water which we had in abundance.    We have practically given water away happily because there was plenty more where that came from.   We haven't understood what we were doing with our water, nor with making money from the influx of demand for houses, (there are more houses etc).

          Water and houses – we didn't see what we were doing.    We are like lambs to the slaughter really, we never have been taught to question and think about our situation, discuss matters over the dinner table, after dinner before watching television, assess and analyse.   Forgive us for we know not what we do, great Ad.

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    Dame Tariana Turia with former PM John KeyWhat is it about Tariana Turia’s grudge against the Labour Party? Not content with attacking the Government over Whānau Ora funding, which was increased by $80 million in 2019, she has now made it personal by saying that Jacinda Ardern is out of her ...
    The Jackal
    6 days ago

  • What are the recent fluoride-IQ studies really saying about community water fluoridation?
    Scaremongering graphic currently being promoted by Declan Waugh who is well known for misrepresenting the fluoride science This graphic is typical of current anti-fluoride propaganda. It is scare-mongering, in that it is aimed at undermining community ...
    Open ParachuteBy Ken
    7 days ago

  • Skeptical Science New Research for Week #3, 2020
    Biography of a policy metric Bård Lahn performs a sweeping literature review to present the history of our notion of a "global carbon budget" and how this number has come  to encapsulate a massive amount of scientific research into a useful, easily grasped tool in our policy skill set.  A ...
    Skeptical Science
    7 days ago

  • Oxfam Report: Time to Care – Unpaid and underpaid care work and the global inequality crisis
    January 2020 Economic inequality is out of control. In 2019, the world’s billionaires, only 2,153 people, had more wealth than 4.6 billion people. This great divide is based on a flawed and sexist economic system that values the wealth of the privileged few, mostly men, more than the billions of ...
    Closing the GapBy Tracey Sharp
    1 week ago

  • How to avoid being a cunt to hospo workers’
    Working hospo is hard mahi for many reasons, from long hours and gruelling high-volume weekends to customers who treat us as their servants. There are always lovely and polite customers who treat hospo workers with respect and kindness but, throughout my 15-years in the biz, I’ve collected a number of ...
    PosseBy chloeanneking
    1 week ago

  • 2019-nCoV (the new coronavirus): Should we be concerned, and will there be a vaccine?
    Probably yes to both but don’t panic yet. There is a plan. What is this virus? 2019 novel coronavirus, aka 2019-nCoV, belongs to a family of viruses called coronavirus. These are very common viruses that infect a wide range of animals including humans and can cause mild to severe disease, ...
    SciBlogsBy Helen Petousis Harris
    1 week ago

  • The Chinese coronavirus outbreak: what are the options for vaccines and treatments?
    By now you’ve probably heard of the coronavirus outbreak that started in Wuhan City, China. The number of cases is rising, up to about 300 with six deaths. Cases have been reported in several more Chinese cities, including Beijing and Shanghai, as well as in Japan, Thailand, and South Korea. ...
    SciBlogsBy Siouxsie Wiles
    1 week ago

  • Educating New Zealand’s future workforce
    Judy Kavanagh Do you remember your first day at school? The education I received was for a very different world than the world of today. Along with huge social shifts there have been big changes in the New Zealand economy and the work people do. There are occupations unheard of ...
    SciBlogsBy Guest Author
    1 week ago

  • A casual attitude towards transparency
    Back in December, when the government was introducing new secrecy legislation on an almost daily basis, I posted about the Infrastructure Funding and Financing Bill. The Bill establishes a new class of public entity, "special purpose vehicles", which collect and spend public money and enjoy statutory powers. Despite this, they ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    1 week ago

  • Against a carbon bailout
    If we are to avoid making the planet uninhabitable, we need to cut carbon emisisons fast. Which basicly means putting the fossil fuel industry - coal, gas, and oil - out of business. But this means that the banks and other lenders who have bankrolled the industry's environmental destruction will ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    1 week ago

  • Still a criminal industry
    More evidence that the fishing industry suffers from pervasive criminality, with Forest & Bird highlighting some odd numbers in the annual statistics:The Annual Review Report For Highly Migratory Species Fisheries 2018/19 (Pg 4, Table 4) showed only 4% of commercial long lining trips for tuna and swordfish reported non-fish bycatch ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    1 week ago

  • Controversy? Or Manufactroversy?
    A few days ago, New Zealand’s Minister of Education announced the wider release of a resource on climate change, which was initially trialled at a Christchurch school during 2018. According to the Minister, children will learn about “the role science plays in understanding climate change, aids understanding of both the response ...
    SciBlogsBy Alison Campbell
    1 week ago

  • The emerging coronavirus outbreak in China
    By now you’ve probably heard of the new virus causing an outbreak of severe pneumonia in China. The question on most people’s minds is, how worried should we be, especially as hundreds of millions of people will soon be travelling across China and beyond to visit family for the Lunar ...
    SciBlogsBy Siouxsie Wiles
    1 week ago

  • How did climate change get so controversial?
    An excerpt from the book Cranky Uncle vs. Climate Change, released Feb 25. Our human brain is poorly equipped to deal with a threat like climate change. Over millions of years, we’ve evolved to avoid life-threatening dangers like predators jumping out of bushes. We’ve survived by quickly detecting and avoiding immediate, short-term ...
    Skeptical Science
    1 week ago

  • Farmers are ruining Canterbury’s rivers
    Its summer, so people naturally want to go for a swim. But in South Canterbury, you can't, because the rivers are full of toxic goo:As of Monday, the Waihi River at Wilson Street footbridge, Geraldine, the Waihao River at Bradshaws Bridge, and three spots on the Opihi River - at ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    1 week ago

  • Sack Shane Jones
    Late last year, NZ First was caught trying to enrich itself from public office, with a dodgy forestry company linked to a number of NZ First figures sticking its hand out repeatedly for government money. Regional Economic Development Minister shane Jones' "explanations" were patently unconvincing, and his recusal from deciding ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    1 week ago

  • BIG idea physics
    This morning I’ve been having a quick look through some documentation from The Ministry of Education on proposed changes to NCEA Level 1 Science. For those not familiar with the NZ secondary education system, a typical student would complete NCEA level 1 at the end of year 11.  In this ...
    SciBlogsBy Marcus Wilson
    1 week ago

  • Revolution in New Zealand? Not Even Close!
    No Fires Thanks, We're Kiwis: For the moment, in those close-to-home places where revolutions are born, there may be tetchiness and resentment, frustration and complaint, but nowhere is anybody uttering the cry that will bring a New Zealand revolution into being: “We have found the way to make tomorrow better ...
    Bowalley Road
    1 week ago

  • 2020 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming Digest #3
    Story of the Week... Editorial of the Week... Toon of the Week... Quote of the Week... Graphic of the Week... Coming Soon on SkS... Climate Feedback Claim Reviews... SkS Week in Review... Poster of the Week... Story of the Week... 'It's heart-wrenching': 80% of Blue Mountains and 50% of ...
    Skeptical Science
    1 week ago

  • Britain exits the European Union and takes a sharp right turn
    by John Smith  Britain’s exit from the imperialist bloc known as the European Union (EU) is now irreversible. The crushing electoral defeat of the Labour Party has dismayed many workers and youth who had placed their hopes in Jeremy Corbyn, its left-wing leader. This article assesses these historic events, neither of which ...
    RedlineBy Daphna
    1 week ago

  • 2020 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #3
    A chronological listing of news articles linked to on the Skeptical Science Facebook Page during the past week, i.e., Sun, Jan 12, 2020 through Sat, Jan 18, 2020 Editor's Pick The Past and the Future of the Earth’s Oldest Trees Bristlecone pines have survived various catastrophes over the millennia, and they ...
    Skeptical Science
    2 weeks ago

  • How climate change influenced Australia’s unprecedented fires
    This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections, and has been adapted into a new myth rebuttal on climate-wildfire connections with the short URL sks.to/wildfires Australia’s frightening bushfires, which kicked off an early fire season in September 2019, have already had cataclysmic effects, and the continent is still just in the early ...
    Skeptical Science
    2 weeks ago

  • Gender Identity Ideology – A Partial Bibliography of Online Coverage
    This great resource has been contributed to Redline by Janie Doebuck. Janie made some notes on the bibliography: 1) It is by no means exhaustive. There are tons more gender critical posts, essays, articles, podcasts, youtube videos, etc. online. 2) There are links in the bibliography that are behind paywalls. There ...
    RedlineBy Daphna
    2 weeks ago

  • About those biased Oscar Nominations
    There’s been a lot written about the 2020 Oscar Nominations and their apparent lack of diversity. It’s true, there are in fact no women nominated for the Best Director and very few nominees of colour across the board. But is this a result of a biased process or a symptom ...
    The Jackal
    2 weeks ago

  • How New Zealand media reports chronic pain
    Hemakumar Devan Around three million New Zealanders access news media (both paper and online) every week. Yes, you heard that right! So, the potential for news media to shape public health beliefs is common sense. As chronic pain affects one in five New Zealanders, we wanted to find out how ...
    SciBlogsBy Guest Author
    2 weeks ago

  • Still Waiting For American Democracy.
    Unfinished Republic: Though the United States' crimes against democracy are legion, most Americans are blissfully unaware of them. The brutal realities of American life: the officially sanctioned violence; the refusal to hold racists accountable for their actions; the seemingly endless tragedy of African-American suffering; of which White America is the ...
    Bowalley Road
    2 weeks ago

  • In Outrage Over Its Bunk Science, Goop Finds Fuel for Growth
    Michael Schulson For years, experts have said that Goop, the wellness and lifestyle brand founded by the actor and entrepreneur Gwyneth Paltrow, markets pseudoscience and overblown cures. And for years, despite the criticism, Goop has just kept growing. Now the company, which was valued at $250 million in 2018, ...
    SciBlogsBy Guest Author
    2 weeks ago

  • Tobacco Excise Taxes and the Smokefree 2025 Goal: Some Ways Forward
    Janet Hoek, Richard Edwards, George Thomson, Andrew Waa, Nick Wilson Debate over tobacco tax increases has intensified as research indicates potentially conflicting policy directions. On the one hand, excise tax increases continue to stimulate quit attempts among smokers yet, on the other hand, they may lead to financial hardship for ...
    SciBlogsBy Public Health Expert
    2 weeks ago

  • Skeptical Science New Research for Week #2, 2020
    Conflation and how to fix it VIa AMS,  Raul Lejano looks at what in a layperson's thinking would be called conflation— confusion and blending of entirely different topics— when people think about climate change. Ideology and the Narrative of Skepticism  (open access) starts with some arguably frightening false connections between the science and ...
    Skeptical Science
    2 weeks ago

  • ‘Cranky Uncle’ smart phone game will show you how to disarm climate deniers
    This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Bud Ward (Image: Courtesy of John Cook) When it comes to climate change, it seems every family has its own version of the proverbial Cranky Uncle. An uncle, cousin, grandparent, in-law, neighbor, whatever. Just think back to the recent holiday season’s large ...
    Skeptical Science
    2 weeks ago

  • Science in the ’20s – part 1
      Outrageous, immoral or downright dangerous. That’s a description of the lifestyle of women “flappers” in the 1920s. Could it apply to science (and scientists) in the 2020s? Actually, you could look back at the past decade and see those, or similar terms, used about some science and scientists. Sometimes ...
    SciBlogsBy Robert Hickson
    2 weeks ago

  • Postscript: Citizenship Granted.
    I am pleased to say that I have been granted NZ citizenship. I need to do the ceremony for things to be official, but the application was a success. I now join my son as a dual NZ-US citizen. To be fair, very little will change other than the fact ...
    KiwipoliticoBy Pablo
    2 weeks ago

  • Hard News: Music: Morales is coming
    It will be no secret to longtime readers that I, Russell Brown, love the disco.   So I'm pretty excited by the fact that one of the greats of the game is returning this summer – and also pleased to say I have tickets to give away.Legendary mixer and DJ ...
    Public Address
    2 weeks ago

  • The WHO Vaccine Safety Summit – from someone who was actually there
    The conspiracy I saw a new conspiracy theory flying around the other day. According to the conspiracy (that seems to originate from Del Bigtree), the World Health Organization have been ‘caught on camera’ questioning the safety of vaccines. Gosh this sounds as though someone was a mole at a ...
    SciBlogsBy Helen Petousis Harris
    2 weeks ago

  • The timely death of the British Labour Party
    Below is an article submitted to Redline by Alec Abbott  At its inception, the British Labour Party was a vehicle for the propagation of racist and imperialist views within the working-class. Such views are still widespread in the party, as they are in Europe’s Social-Democratic parties, though, in the case of ...
    RedlineBy Daphna
    2 weeks ago

  • Mystery China pneumonia outbreak likely caused by new human coronavirus
    Connor Bamford, Queen’s University Belfast Since December 2019, there has been a cluster of 59 cases of pneumonia in Wuhan, eastern China. The pneumonia is associated with a previously unidentified coronavirus related to the deadly SARS virus. Seven of those cases are thought to be serious, and one person – ...
    SciBlogsBy Guest Author
    2 weeks ago

  • Yes, koalas are cute – but should we bring them to NZ? Errm, no
    It’s been hard to miss the extreme fires raging across Australia and the tragic plight of the animals – human and otherwise – affected by the fires’ insatiable spread. I know I’ve been captivated and concerned by the tales of how Australia’s famous wildlife has been coping. Koalas approaching cyclists ...
    SciBlogsBy Sarah-Jane O'Connor
    2 weeks ago

  • National’s negative campaigning
    Anybody who looked into the Dirty Politics saga knows all too well that honesty is often in short supply within the National Party. You would think that after the exposure the John Key government received over their untruthful attack politics, the National Party would learn from its "mistakes" and leave ...
    The Jackal
    2 weeks ago

  • Ending the government’s charade over water
    For the past decade, the government has been responding to the obvious Treaty issues raised by water allocation with the mantra that "no-one owns water". But last year, the Waitangi Tribunal ruled that actually, Māori owned it, and that those rights had never been extinguished. They recommended that iwi bring ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    2 weeks ago

  • Northern Ireland joins the civilised world
    Same-sex marriage has finally become legal in Northern Ireland. But not through any decision of the Northern Irish Executive or Assembly, which has only just reformed after a three year walkout by the DUP; instead, Westminster made that decision for them. I've talked before about the constitutional impropriety of this, ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    2 weeks ago

  • I had an intense conversation at work today.
    Claire Cohen-Norris volunteers with Citizens Climate Lobby as a chapter founder and leader in rural New York. Her climate advocacy sprung from her drive to provide a secure, joyful and fulfilling life for her two wonderful children. It has become a life’s mission, shared with her like-minded husband and partner. Claire ...
    Skeptical Science
    2 weeks ago

  • French transport workers take on Macron over pension reform
    by John Edmundson Starting on December 5th, 2019 workers in the Parisian rail network commenced an open-ended strike in opposition to French President Emmanuel Macron’s proposed changes to their pension scheme. Rail workers in the Metro Underground have, for decades, had retirement conditions that compensate them for the low wages, ...
    RedlineBy Admin
    2 weeks ago

  • What a difference the decimal point makes
    I’m back at work following a nearly three-week break over Christmas. We were fortunate to be offered a house to stay in for a week over Christmas, which enabled us to have a holiday in Dunedin and see the extended family reasonably cheaply. But the house came with a catch:  ...
    SciBlogsBy Marcus Wilson
    2 weeks ago

  • Who’s Going To Stop Him?
    Blank And Pitiless: Having ordered the assassination of the Iranian General, Qasem Soleimani, President Donald Trump promised to reduce the cultural monuments of Iran’s 3,000 year-old civilisation to rubble if a revenge attack was mounted. A breach of international law? Certainly. A war crime? Indisputably. Who’s going to stop him? Nobody.WHAT ...
    Bowalley Road
    2 weeks ago

  • A worker’s story
    This interview is from Aotearoa Workers Solidarity Movement (AWSM) and is the first of an ongoing series of interviews they plan to do with workers from various sectors who are having their well being and livelihoods damaged. They begin with an educator in Southland. Due to the attitude and actions ...
    RedlineBy Daphna
    2 weeks ago

  • 2020 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #2
    A chronological listing of news articles linked to on the Skeptical Science Facebook Page during the past week, i.e., Sun, Jan 5, 2020 through Sat, Jan 11, 2020 Editor's Pick Debunked Australian Bushfire Conspiracy Theories Were Pushed by Alex Jones, Murdoch Media   As unusually intense and widespread bushfires have ...
    Skeptical Science
    3 weeks ago

  • J.K. Rowling, the Seattle Library, and the Issue That Must Not Be Named
    This article was submitted to Redline by Seattle-based activist Lucinda Stoan J.K. Rowling recognizes repression when she sees it.  That’s why the author of the wildly popular Harry Potter books recently tweeted in defense of Maya Forstater. Forstater lost her job for stating that sex is real and immutable. A judge ...
    RedlineBy Daphna
    3 weeks ago

  • Rules of Empire: Laws simply do not apply and “National Security” excuses all else.
    Empires rise and fall, and the American Empire is absolutely no different. But while an Empire, in order to further the footprint, it seems to pay to do one primary thing above all else: project that everything – everything – is “simply for the good of the world” at large, ...
    exhALANtBy exhalantblog
    3 weeks ago

  • Indian lessons for NZ workers – the January 8 general strike
                    by Phil Duncan On Wednesday (January 8) another massive general strike took place in India.  Some 250 million industrial workers, white-collar workers, agricultural labourers struck against the government’s economic policies and attacks on the Muslim population through new proposed citizenship rules. This ...
    RedlineBy Admin
    3 weeks ago

  • Climate Change: The action that counts
    Over on Newsroom, Professor Jacqueline Beggs writes about the action she is taking on climate change. Its the usual list: reduce meat, don't fly, consume less. I'm doing some of this myself, and none of it hurts - but the way our economic system is constructed means the impact of ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    3 weeks ago

  • Fossil fuel political giving outdistances renewables 13 to one
    This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Karin Kirk Corporations, special interest groups, and individuals inject billions of dollars into the American political system every year. Much of the financial support in politics is concealed from public view, as some rules – and loopholes – allow “dark money” and ...
    Skeptical Science
    3 weeks ago

  • FAQ – Everything you need to know about the Big New Zealand Upgrade
    Today, our Government announced the biggest infrastructure investment in a generation. We’re investing $12 billion to upgrade and build rail, roads, schools and hospitals across the country – modernising our infrastructure, preparing for climate change and helping to future-proof our economy. Find out everything you need to know about the ...
    Labour Blog
    12 hours ago

  • Week That Was: 2020
    We are back for 2020! From changes to Family Funded Care, to a record high number of Kiwis in construction in the trades - we're already back making progress on those long-term challenges. Read all about it and more ...
    Labour Blog
    5 days ago

  • Winston Peters: “Ihumātao deal still a long way off”
    Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters told Mike Hosking that a settlement deal regarding Ihumātao in Auckland is still a long way off. The Maori King's flag was lowered at the site near Auckland Airport yesterday, sparking suggestions an announcement of a deal could be made by Waitangi Day. Pania Newton, ...
    NZ First News
    7 days ago

  • Winston Peters accuses Gerry Brownlee of ‘politicising’ Holocaust memorial
    Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters is accusing Gerry Brownlee of "politicising" a Holocaust memorial event after the National MP questioned the lack of Kiwi representation there. The Yad Vashem World Holocaust Remembrance Centre in Jerusalem, Israel, is holding the World Holocaust Forum on January 23 to mark 75 years since ...
    NZ First News
    7 days ago

  • Provincial Growth Fund to help Waipukurau Pā sites attract thousands of tourists
    The Ngā Ara Tipuna - Waipukurau Pā Site Interpretation project is receiving $2.798 million from the Provincial Growth Fund. It is is expected to boost the town's employment and tourism, creating sixteen new jobs once completed and attract up to 15,000 visitors a year. Parliamentary Under-Secretary for Regional Economic Development ...
    NZ First News
    1 week ago

  • “Common sense will prevail, not extremism” Winston Peters backs Shane Jones’ pro-meat stance
    New Zealand First leader Winston Peters is backing his MPs who have spoken out against a new climate change teaching resource that advises students to eat less meat to save the planet. The new teaching resource, announced by Education Minister Chris Hipkins and Climate Change Minister James Shaw, tells students ...
    NZ First News
    1 week ago

  • Violent assault on paramedic highlights need for law change
    Darroch Ball MP, Spokesperson for Justice Today’s horrific violent assault of an on-duty female paramedic which rendered her unconscious is truly unsettling. “Our thoughts are with the paramedic, her loved ones and the St John’s team at Warkworth Station,” says New Zealand First Justice Spokesperson Darroch Ball. “Harsher penalties for perpetrators ...
    NZ First Press Release
    1 week ago

  • Acting PM Winston Peters confirms NZDF troops in Iraq not hit by Iranian attacks
    Acting Prime Minister Winston Peters called for calm and diplomacy following Iranian missile strikes on bases housing United States troops in Iraq, but confirmed New Zealand's base in the country was not hit. The New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) was earlier today investigating claims New Zealand's base in Iraq had ...
    NZ First News
    1 week ago

  • Kaikōura $10.88 million boost in tourism & business
    Fletcher Tabuteau MP, Parliamentary Undersecretary for Regional Economic Development The Provincial Growth Fund (PGF) is investing $10.88 million to boost business and tourism opportunities in Kaikōura, Parliamentary Undersecretary for Regional Economic Development, Fletcher Tabuteau announced today. As part of the Kaikōura Marina Development Programme, the following two projects will receive ...
    NZ First Press Release
    2 weeks ago

  • Delivering a stable water supply to Wairarapa
    Hon. Ron Mark, New Zealand First List MP based in Wairarapa The Provincial Growth Fund (PGF) is investing $7.11 million to create a sustainable water supply for the Wairarapa. The PGF will provide a $7 million investment to Wairarapa Water Limited to progress the Wairarapa Water Storage Scheme towards procurement, consenting, ...
    NZ First Press Release
    2 weeks ago

  • Housing consents hit highest level since 1974
    Housing consents have hit a 45-year high, as Statistics NZ data shows a total of 37,010 residential consents were issued in the year to November --- the first time they have breached the 37,000 mark since the mid-1970s. Statistics NZ said the trend had been rising since late 2011, when ...
    NZ First News
    2 weeks ago

  • Darroch Ball MP: “Violence against first responders is a problem on the rise”
    New Zealand First MP Darroch Ball says that a paramedic being kicked unconscious last night in an attempted burglary in Warkworth, north of Auckland, is a symptom of a larger problem. "Incidents like this are becoming more and more frequent...and it’s getting worse," Mr Ball said. The MP is pushing for ...
    NZ First News
    2 weeks ago

  • Statement on evacuation of New Zealanders from Wuhan
    “I spoke with Prime Minister Morrison again this afternoon and we have confirmed that we will work together on a joint ANZAC assisted departure of Australians and New Zealanders from Wuhan,” Jacinda Ardern said. “Specific details of the evacuation plan, including the medical protocols that will be applied to returning ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    9 hours ago

  • The New Zealand Upgrade Programme
    Rail, roads, schools and hospitals will be built and upgraded across the country under the new $12 billion New Zealand Upgrade Programme announced by Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern. The programme: Includes investments in roads, rail, hospitals and schools to future-proof the economy Will give a $10 billion boost to New ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    13 hours ago

  • School infrastructure upgrades ramping up
    The New Zealand Upgrade Programme is already underway, with schools busy getting building work started over the Christmas break. The Coalition Government announced just before the end of last year $400 million in new funding for most state schools to invest locally in building companies and tradies to fix leaking ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    13 hours ago

  • Flicking the switch on a clean powered public service
    Our Government’s programme to upgrade infrastructure and modernise the economy will help more communities to be part of the solution to climate change through a clean-powered public service. Minister for Climate Change James Shaw today announced the first group of projects from the New Zealand Upgrade Programme’s clean powered public ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    13 hours ago

  • Government of Infrastructure delivers for New Zealanders
    Infrastructure and Regional Economic Development Minister Shane Jones says today’s capital investment announcements show the Coalition Government is the Government of Infrastructure. $7 billion in projects have been announced today as part of the Government’s $12 billion New Zealand Upgrade Programme, which will see capital spending at its highest rate ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    13 hours ago

  • Boost for child, maternity and mental health
    $300 million dollar capital investment in health, divided among four focus areas: Child and maternal health - $83 million Mental health and addiction - $96 million Regional and rural service projects – $26 million Upgrading and fixing aging hospital facilities - $75 million Contingency of $20 million The New Zealand ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    13 hours ago

  • Transport infrastructure upgrades to get NZ moving and prepared for the future
    $6.8 billion for transport infrastructure in out six main growth areas - Auckland, Waikato, Bay of Plenty, Wellington, Canterbury and Queenstown. $1.1 billion for rail. $2.2 billion for new roads in Auckland. The Government’s programme of new investments in roads and rail will help future proof the economy, get our ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    13 hours ago

  • Growing and modernising the NZ economy
    A new programme to build and upgrade roads, rail, schools and hospitals will prepare the New Zealand economy for the future, Finance Minister Grant Robertson says. “The $12 billion New Zealand Upgrade Programme uses our capacity to boost growth by making targeted investments around the country, supporting businesses and local ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    13 hours ago

  • Future proofing New Zealand’s rail
    Minister for State Owned Enterprises Winston Peters says the funding of four major rail projects under the New Zealand Upgrade Programme is yet another step in the right direction for New Zealand’s long-term rail infrastructure. “This Government has a bold vision for rail. We said we would address the appalling ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    13 hours ago

  • Delivering infrastructure for a modern NZ
    Roads, rail, schools and hospitals will be built and upgraded across the country under the $12 billion New Zealand Upgrade Programme announced today, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern says. “This is a once in a lifetime opportunity to invest in New Zealand – modernising our infrastructure, preparing for climate change and ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    13 hours ago

  • $1.55m support for Hawke’s Bay three waters services review
    The Government is pleased to announce a $1.55 million funding contribution to assist Hawke’s Bay investigate voluntary changes to the region’s three waters service delivery arrangements. “Over the last 18 months, the five Hawke’s Bay councils have been collaborating to identify opportunities for greater coordination in three waters service delivery across ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    14 hours ago

  • Minister welcomes report of nation’s household plastic rubbish, recycling practices
    A new report on New Zealand’s plastic rubbish and recycling practices is being welcomed by the Associate Minister for the Environment Eugenie Sage.  “The report by WasteMINZ provides a valuable insight into what’s ending up in household rubbish and recycling bins around the country. It highlights the value of much ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    15 hours ago

  • Government considers retirement income policy review recommendations
    The Government is now considering the recommendations of the Retirement Commissioner’s review into New Zealand’s retirement income policies. “The review raises a number of important issues in relation to New Zealanders’ wellbeing and financial independence in retirement, particularly for vulnerable people,” the Minister for Commerce and Consumer Affairs, Kris Faafoi, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    19 hours ago

  • PM announces election date as September 19
    The 2020 General Election will be held on Saturday 19 September, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced today. “I will be asking New Zealanders to continue to support my leadership and the current direction of the Government, which is grounded in stability, a strong economy and progress on the long term ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago

  • Provincial Growth Fund supports Waikato youth into constructionProvincial Growth Fund supports Waika...
    Two projects focussed on supporting Waikato youth into the construction industry have been given combined funding of just over $1 million from the Te Ara Mahi allocation of the Provincial Growth Fund, Undersecretary for Regional Economic Development, Fletcher Tabuteau announced today.  The two Te Ara Mahi PGF projects announced are: ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • Provincial Growth Fund supports Waikato youth into construction
    Two projects focussed on supporting Waikato youth into the construction industry have been given combined funding of just over $1 million from the Te Ara Mahi allocation of the Provincial Growth Fund, Undersecretary for Regional Economic Development, Fletcher Tabuteau announced today.  The two Te Ara Mahi PGF projects announced are: ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • New Zealand to support Pacific Public Sector Hub
    Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters today announced New Zealand’s support for a Pacific-led hub that will strengthen public services across the region. “Strengthening public services is a core focus of New Zealand’s Pacific Reset, as efforts to improve democratic governance in the Pacific contributes to a strong, stable and more ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • Minister pays tribute to journalist, author and broadcaster, Gordon McLauchlan
    The Minister of Broadcasting, Communications and Digital Media, Kris Faafoi, has paid tribute to well-known New Zealand author, journalist and broadcaster, Gordon McLauchlan, following Mr McLauchlan’s death today. “Gordon held a statesman-like place in New Zealand’s media, which was fittingly acknowledged in last year’s Queen’s Birthday Honours, when he was ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • Minister wishes best of luck to those heading back to school
    As Kiwi kids and teachers return to classrooms over the coming weeks, the families of around 428,000 students will feel a bit less of a financial pinch than in previous years, Education Minister Chris Hipkins said today. “The Government’s decision to increase funding for schools that don’t ask parents for ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago

  • Health staff to meet flights from China as precautionary measure
    Public health staff will begin meeting flights from China from tomorrow, to actively look for signs of the novel coronavirus and provide advice, information and reassurance to passengers. Health Minister Dr David Clark says the additional measures are being taken following the arrival of the disease in Australia, via flights ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago

  • National Yearling Sales 2020
    National Yearling Sales at Karaka   26 January 2020    [CHECK AGAINST DELIVERY] Good morning. It is a pleasure to be here on opening day of the 2020 National Yearling Sales Series. Let us all acknowledge Sir Peter Vela and the Vela family for their outstanding contribution to the New ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago

  • Government and construction industry to build big, lift productivity with Transformation Plan
    Delivering the workforce and productivity gains required to build the houses, schools, roads, rail and hospitals New Zealand needs will become easier with the Government-industry Construction Sector Transformation Plan launched today, Minister for Building and Construction Jenny Salesa says. “The action plan launched today delivers on the Government’s Construction Sector ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago

  • Log trains to begin on Wairoa-Napier line
    Log trains are about to start running between Wairoa and Napier following Provincial Growth Fund investment to reopen the rail line, Regional Economic Development Minister Shane Jones says. The Government invested $6.2 million to reopen the mothballed rail line which was closed after significant storm damage in 2012. “With PGF ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago

  • Minister of Defence concludes successful visit with his US counterpart
    Minister of Defence Ron Mark met with United States Secretary of Defense Mark Esper today. “This was an excellent opportunity to meet with one of our closest security partners,” Ron Mark said. “The main focus of the meeting was to discuss challenges that New Zealand and the United States share ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago

  • New Zealand acknowledges ICJ decision on Myanmar
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters today acknowledged the ruling of the International Court of Justice in relation to the Rohingya people in Myanmar. The ruling ordered the Government of Myanmar to take all measures within its power to prevent the commission of acts of genocide in relation to members of the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago

  • NZ’s trade aims advanced at Davos meetings
    A proposal to cut “trade and production-distorting subsidies” in the agricultural sector by 2030 has set out important measures to ensure a fair agricultural trading system.  Speaking after attending meetings of trade ministers in Davos, Switzerland, Minister for Trade and Export Growth David Parker welcomed the joint proposal from the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago

  • Great news for New Zealanders with cystic fibrosis
    Health Minister Dr David Clark says he is delighted that PHARMAC has struck a provisional deal to fund Kalydeco – a medicine which is set to improve the quality of life for about 30 New Zealand children and adults with cystic fibrosis. “While rare, cystic fibrosis is an awful inherited ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago

  • New Zealand least corrupt country in the world
    New Zealand has regained its position as the least corrupt country in the world for the second time under this Coalition Government, says Justice Minister Andrew Little. “New Zealanders can be proud that our reputation as one of the least corrupt countries in the world has been restored,” says Andrew ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago

  • Boost for Rēkohu/Wharekauri/Chatham Islands Community Conservation
    Community conservation in Rēkohu/Wharekauri/the Chatham Islands is receiving a boost, with grants to support local projects announced today by Minister of Conservation Eugenie Sage. “Rēkohu/Wharekauri/ the Chatham Islands are home to 20 per cent of New Zealand’s threatened bird species and 11 per cent of New Zealand’s threatened plant species. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago

  • Rātana Pā goes high-tech with UFB
    Iwi, hapu and visitors to Rātana Pā near Whanganui now have access to ultra-fast broadband following its connection, completed in time for annual Rātana celebrations, Regional Economic Development Minister Shane Jones says. The connection and associated hardware were funded from the Provincial Growth Fund’s $21 million Marae Digital Connectivity programme, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago

  • Govt’s strong financial management acknowledged
    The Government’s strong financial management and plan to future proof the economy with new infrastructure investment has gained further recognition from an international ratings agency. Credit rating agency Fitch has upgraded one of its main metrics assessing the Government’s books, lifting its foreign currency AA rating outlook to ‘positive’ from ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago

  • Boost in Whānau Ora funding to keep changing lives
    Whānau throughout New Zealand are set to benefit from an extra three million dollars that will go directly to Whānau Ora Commissioning Agencies, the Minister for Whānau Ora Peeni Henare announced today.  Including previous funding boosts, the Agencies will now receive $87 million this year between them.  In Budget 2019 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago

  • More people getting into work
    The December quarter benefit numbers released today show the Government’s plan to get people off the benefit and into work is starting to pay off,” Social Development Minister Carmel Sepuloni said.   “Nearly 19,000 people cancelled their benefit and went into work in the last few months of the year – ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago

  • Wairoa gets up to $6.1m to rebuild heart of CBD
    The Provincial Growth Fund (PGF) is investing up to $6.1 million to revitalise business and tourism opportunities in Wairoa, Parliamentary Under-Secretary for Regional Economic Development Fletcher Tabuteau announced today. The PGF is funding: Up to $4.8 million for the Wairoa Integrated Business and Tourism Facility Up to $960,000 for the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Major Events support for creative and cultural events
    Creative and cultural events that highlight New Zealand’s diverse culture and build national pride are set to get a funding boost through the Major Events Fund, Economic Development Minister Phil Twyford said today. The new Creative and Cultural Events Incubator, which is funded through the Major Events Fund, will open ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Classroom internet in hundreds of schools to get a boost
    The Government has begun a massive IT upgrade to provide more seamless internet access to 200 schools around the country. Te Mana Tūhono – Technology in Schools work programme will launch with a pilot of 10 smaller state schools early this year. IT equipment that gives students access to the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Construction workforce, apprenticeships hit record highs
    Working with industry and committing to rebuild New Zealand’s infrastructure has produced a record high number of Kiwis working in the construction industry and learning trades, says Minister for Building and Construction Jenny Salesa. New figures available today from the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment and the Tertiary Education ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • NZ concludes digital economy trade talks with Singapore and Chile
    A new trade agreement concluded today helps New Zealand exporters and consumers take advantage of opportunities from digital trade.    Minister for Trade and Export Growth David Parker together with Chile’s Vice Minister of Trade Rodrigo Yañez and Singapore’s Minister of Trade and Industry Chan Chun Sing, have announced conclusion of ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Provincial Growth Fund to fund Waipukurau cultural development and tourism
    The Ngā Ara Tipuna -  Waipukurau Pā Site Interpretation project will receive $2.798 million from the Provincial Growth Fund to create an authentic cultural tourism experience, Under-Secretary for Regional Economic Development Fletcher Tabuteau announced today “The project will inform visitors about the history of six pā sites in Waipukurau with a combination ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • 21 new judges boost diversity, improve access to justice
    Twenty-one new District Court judges have been appointed in a move that will improve access to justice and boost diversity on the bench. The new judges include replacements for retirements and 10 new positions. Attorney-General David Parker today announced the 14 judges who can immediately be named, with the remainder ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

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