Daily Review 22/06/2017

Written By: - Date published: 5:30 pm, June 22nd, 2017 - 53 comments
Categories: Daily review - Tags:

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 …

53 comments on “Daily Review 22/06/2017 ”

  1. repateet 1

    If a group intent on Dirty Politics signed up in the Labour Party determined to be wooden horses to destroy the party’s election chances from the inside, they could hardly do better than the ‘intern’ shambles in Auckland today.

    In soccer they have own goals. This is standing up and booting the ball into your own goal again and again.

    • billmurray 1.1

      repateet, well said.
      To his credit Andrew Little has came out and ‘accepted ‘ the debacle. What he didn’t do is sack McCarten. What McCarten has not done is resign. The fuck up festers.
      The Maori party and Winnie have come out with strong condemnation and this is telling with about 3 months until
      ‘D’ day.
      IMO legal action has a good chance of happening.
      The Greens, so far, are silent but I doubt this will do much for MoU solidarity, particularly if this hits the Courts or litigation payments ensue.
      Any apologists on these pages for McCartens plan will do little to restore this mess, it will damage and maybe destroy Labour.

      • Draco T Bastard 1.1.1

        To his credit Andrew Little has came out and ‘accepted ‘ the debacle. What he didn’t do is sack McCarten. What McCarten has not done is resign.

        What could he sack him from?
        What could McCarten resign from considering that he’s already left?

        McCarten is Andrew Little’s former Chief of Staff and resigned two weeks ago from running Labour’s campaign office in Auckland.

      • ScottGN 1.1.2

        You’re either ignorant or wilfully ignoring the realities of the news cycle. This will be gone by tomorrow. The Barclay debacle has abruptly ended the phoney campaign around the election. Expect the usual proxies to start to try and fill the airwaves with one scandalous exclusive after another.

  2. Pat 2

    what brain deads within Labour thought this could possibly be a good idea?…..own goal doesn’t begin to describe it…

  3. Ed 3

    For a wonderful take on UK politics, there’s noone better than George Galloway.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=baMvUb908m8

    • RedLogix 3.1

      Fuck me Galloway doesn’t hold back. Old fashioned oratory whatever you feel about it. Only need to listen to the first 10 min.

  4. infused 4

    No post today I see on Labours shameful bs.

    [you just copped a ban in OM. But know criticising authors here for what they don’t write is also against the rules. – weka]

  5. Anne 5

    Labour is not responsible for an outside organisation inviting young people to come to NZ and help out during the election campaign. That this organisation let it all get out of hand is NOT the fault of the Labour Party. It’s the Labour Party who are stepping in to sort the mess out.

    Now we have the ludicrous claim by a crackpot and hysterical MSM (and I’m sorry to say John Campbell is one of them), that these youngsters are “immigrants” and then use it to accuse Labour of “hypocrisy”.

    THEY ARE NOT IMMIGRANTS. They are visitors and are only here for a matter of weeks.

    If Andrew Little doesn’t get off his back-side and tear strips off all of them for the bullshit they’re currently spouting, then he lets us down in a big way. This is one time when “Angry Andy” needs to pull out all the stops!

    • BM 5.1

      Copied from another site

      http://www.trademe.co.nz/Community/MessageBoard/Messages.aspx?id=1702958&topic=7

      Proof Labour’s name all over slave labour scheme.

      Going right back to at least February (date of first link from Michigan University)

      https://umichpicsannouncements.wordpress.com/2017/02/24/labo
      ur-party-campaign-fellowship-in-new-zealand/

      https://casit.illinoisstate.edu/sites/pol/2017/04/12/2017-la
      bour-campaign-fellowship/

      https://www.tilburguniversity.edu/students/news/show/news-labour-campaign-fellowship/

      Dutch University links:

      http://stage.wp.hum.uu.nl/170424-2-new-zealand-labour-party-2017-campaign-fellowship/

      https://bskstage.weblog.leidenuniv.nl/2017/05/12/internship-
      2017-labour-campaign-fellowship-new-zealand/

      https://www.tilburguniversity.edu/students/news/show/news-la
      bour-campaign-fellowship/

      [Calling what’s happened to the interns ‘slave labour’ in the way you just did is trolling. If you think that you’re going to be able to troll like that going towards the election you are wrong. Expect a hefty ban. I haven’t caught up with the whole thing properly yet, but I’m smelling Dirty Politics here, and I’ve got less than zero tolerance for trolling under those conditions. By all means make your points, but you know well enough now where the line is. Please acknowledge you have read this note – weka]

    • Keith 5.2

      He certainly didn’t describe this shambles the way you have Anne, on RNZ tonight!

      What idiot ever ever thought using unpaid migrants as campaign assistants stuffing them in poor living conditions was a good idea?

      And what idiots thought it such a good idea not to monitor and micro manage all initiatives to avoid such a fuck up?

    • Bill 5.3

      Anne. It was NZ Labour seeking the help through a so-called fellowship programme. Those things are standard enough. Where I’m having some problem is in the misleading marketing of those fellowships. Labour said in its literature that NZ would be great place to be given the “global political climate” – as though NZ Labour was a part of the resurgence of social democracy 🙄

      It’s not. And any (say) Sanders supporter who came here hoping to a part of some Sanders or Corbyn or Menchalon or SNP thing would be bitterly disappointed.

      That being by the by and even putting the clusterfuck of non-organisation that Matt McCarten put in place to one side too.

      If a person on a fellowship is not an immigrant because they are here for a set amount of time, then why does NZ Labour consider international students to be immigrants when they too are here for a set amount of time?

      I’d like to hear Andrew Little square that circle he created tonight on Checkpoint.

      • weka 5.3.1

        Maybe someone in Labour was trying to be subversive bring in Sandernistas or Corbynites 😉

        • Bill 5.3.1.1

          I actually don’t think they’re above that level of stupidity. But more likely just simply putting out a pitch they thought would get peoples’ attention. Certainly seems to have worked. I wonder how many fellows they’d normally expect?

          • weka 5.3.1.1.1

            I’ve yet to see a write up of the whole thing that I trust, and not sure I can be bothered going and parsing past all the bullshit tbh. The background stinks of dirty politics and mostly it looks like something that should have died away as Little said yep, this isn’t good and we’re going to sort it.

            • Bill 5.3.1.1.1.1

              Nope. It’s a clusterfuck. Forget the nonsense about the door hinges and all that guff. Could be a parting “fuck you” from McCarten, or just sheer incompetence, or whatever. But it ain’t dirty politics.

              • McFlock

                the fuckup, if the bulk of the reports are accurate, isn’t dirty politics.

                The timing of the break stinks of, at the very least, “media management”.

              • weka

                That’s not the dirty politics. It’s what the right are doing while the left are busy bashing their own. The ‘slave labour’ meme arose very quickly. And the whole cupboard hinge thing is important, because people aren’t willing to talk about what is actually wrong (the larger numbers and the disorganisation) because on its own it won’t be a scandal, so they’re pointing to every little possible thing. FFS, sleeping dorms on a Marae is a hardship? Really? And there were people on social media calling that a slum. The nasty is big on this one.

                From what I can tell McCarten and some Labour bods set up a scheme outside of Labour and fucked it up, and there are some students from overseas who probably rightfully feel ripped off. But it’s not in any way comparable to what National have done over a long period of time re Clutha Southland. As far as I can tell the reaction to the intern thing is out of proportion and the left are falling for it all over again. Bash Labour and see how that helps with changing the govt.

                • Draco T Bastard

                  The ‘slave labour’ meme arose very quickly.

                  If they were that concerned about ‘slave labour’ you’d think that they’d be raising a massive fuss about the businesses that really are abusing imported labour. But they tend to defend those people instead.

                • Bill

                  Of course “slave labour” became the go-to term! Why wouldn’t it? It requires about zero thought, isn’t accurate, but is good for shits and giggles among a given set of political what-evers.

                  That’s not ‘dirty politics’.

                  Hone Harawira highlighted this back in April but was poo pooed by Labour and Labour supporters. And no, it wasn’t set up outside of Labour. They may have been kept in the dark in the latter stages, but then that just raises questions about their internal structures of accountability and communication.

                  I think it is quite a big thing to entice people into New Zealand for political campaigning when the literature used can reasonably be held up as being mis-leading btw. (ie – the literature suggested rather strongly that NZ Labour was a part of the resurgence of social democracy.)

                  As for comparisons – not interested, if that implies only commenting on the worst excesses of politicians if they happen to be from ‘the right’ party. Labour may need to be in government if we aren’t going to have another three years of National, but that doesn’t make them left. And it doesn’t mean they get a free pass on shit (not that they would, even if they were).

                  This being a political blog, apart from the few who have made a conscious decision to not vote, anyone reading here is going to vote. The overwhelming majority will vote in a way that runs counter to the interests of the National Party. And they have options. (eg – if not Labour, then perhaps Green)

                  edit – yes, it’s entirely possible someone sat on this until it could be used to deflect heat away from National. That’s not dirty politics either – just strategy.

                  • weka

                    Like I said, bash Labour and see how that helps to change the govt. Lots of people won’t vote Green for various reasons, so that leaves Labour, NZF or not voting. The last two won’t help change the govt. If the left can’t figure out how to do constructive criticism instead of bashing its own then maybe it’s ok with handing National a 4th term, or settle for a centrist L/NZF govt.

                    • Bill

                      Well, if you think that having genuine questions and making reasonable observations is ‘bashing’, or buying into some dastardly plot, then hey, we’ll just have to agree to disagree.

                      Some people are looking at TOPs and others at MANA btw. So there’s potential beyond these Labour or Green or NZF or nothing set of options you propose.

                      And picking the timing for something is what every political party does. It’s ‘management’ (as McFlock termed it) and it certainly isn’t a ‘dead cat’ – that’s when you throw out shit about your own side to shift the conversation.

                    • weka

                      I don’t think asking genuine questions and making reasonable observations is bashing. I’ve already differentiated between bashing and constructive critique.

                      Mana and TOP votes might also cost the left the election. So a narrative of Labour are shit for the next 3 months leading to 1.5% and 3.5% of the left vote going to Mana and TOP is not helping to change the govt.

                      And picking the timing for something is what every political party does. It’s ‘management’ (as McFlock termed it) and it certainly isn’t a ‘dead cat’ – that’s when you throw out shit about your own side to shift the conversation.

                      Pretty interesting seeing you minimise the dirty shit from the right as if it’s just par for the course political strategy.

                    • Bill

                      Pretty interesting seeing you minimise the dirty shit from the right as if it’s just par for the course political strategy.

                      Yeah. Timing releases for maximum effect is what every political party does. Pulling in contacts for penetration is also what every political party does. So unless you’re suggesting or claiming that “Politik” is an updated incarnation of “whaleoil” seeding msm with stories from the National Party…

                      Throwing lots of shit at a target in the hope some sticks so that any stink from the original story increases is also just par for the course. If you think that’s the preserve of National or anything to do with what Nicky Hagar was on about, then you didn’t understand the issues raised in his book.

                      Meanwhile, it seems the timing was just the timing on this issue. From ‘stuff’.

                      General Secretary of the Labour Party Andrew Kirton heard about the problems with the scheme late last week and flew up on Monday to sort things out.

                      and

                      Earlier this week the Labour Party Head Office contacted me (Matt McCarten) about these issues and requested to take the programme over so that it could resolve them. I have agreed to this and am no longer involved in the programme.”

                      So shit happened and shit was reported in pretty quick succession.

                    • weka

                      Yes, saying that nasty shit in politics is what everyone does and is par for the course, is minimising what just happened.

                      “Timing releases for maximum effect is what every political party does.”

                      It’s not just a release though, it’s lies. Every political party doesn’t do that. There’s a difference between using truth to criticise one’s opponent and using lies. We see this on TS too and moderate for it. The left parties might cross the line sometimes but generally they don’t use blatant mistruth to smear National. And they don’t have a whole system set up to do that on multiple fronts.

                      There’s another thing here too, The Chairman is doing this on today’s OM, which is that no-one is allowed to make mistakes. Labour or any party should be allowed to fuck up and then make amends. If that’s not true then we’re basically fucked. But it is still true, and so there is a need to push back against the moves that will condemn out of proportion to the offence and the response to the offence.

                      So yeah, minimising. You appear to be ok with that culture, I’m not.

                    • Peter

                      ( If the left can’t figure out how to do constructive criticism instead of bashing its own )
                      In MHO they aren’t on the left what left party would ask people to travel from another country and work for nothing and complain about young people working for shit wages here. Shit wages is better than no wages. Bunch of fucking tory lite

                    • weka

                      @Peter, who will you vote for, and do you want to change the government?

                    • Bill

                      What just happened Weka?

                      An organisational disaster, that began as a Labour Party Fellowship Programme, which then became some weird (and failed) “Campaign for Change” that sits very oddly with NZ Labour’s immigration policy, and that raises multiple questions about NZ Labours internal structures for accountability and communication in general?

                      Or was people running around referring to fellowship volunteers as interns and slaves what happened?

                      You seem to be suggesting that the latter is what happened and that the former is just some incidental detail not worth mentioning.

                      Yes, saying that nasty shit in politics is what everyone does and is par for the course, is minimising what just happened.

                      I’ll add that I didn’t say anything even remotely like “nasty shit in politics is what everyone does”. I said that people will throw shit (mud, if you prefer) at a target.

                      What is the “blatant mistruth” you suggest that the National Party have told about Labour? And what is this “whole system set up to do that (smear and spread lies) on multiple fronts” that you imagine National to have these days?

                    • weka

                      Both those things happened, and I’ll just note the minimising again.

                      Go follow Hooton on twitter for a while, that’s a reasonably good indicator of the lines being run, the degree of nasty, and the attempt to undermine via smear and mistruth rather than actual critique. And rather than me responding to a request about my imagination I’ll just say that I find it extremely unlikely that National and co have stopped Dirty Politics. You can prevaricate over semantics, but it looks to me like the machine still runs.

                    • Bill

                      That would be funny if you yourself weren’t running around seeking to shut down worthwhile critique by ignoring and sidestepping the substantive issues that arise in comments from this Fellowship debacle (read above), as well as hectoring people for not discussing whatever fallout from what the likes of Hooton are discussing, and generally getting all wavy armed and stompy booted when you don’t like people’s criticisism of NZ Labour and all because, it seems, the election! The election!!

                      The framework and structures that Nicky Hagar wrote about are gone.

                    • McFlock

                      The framework and structures that Nicky Hagar wrote about are gone.

                      You sure about that? This volunteer thing seems to have been going on for a while, and it all blows up the very day after Barclay trips on his own sword. Almost like a very convenient distraction.

                      Some of the nodes of the old network are defunct, but a new network with different nodes could be there. The timing could just be spectacularly bad luck, but… I’m a bit suspicious

                    • Bill

                      The NZ Labour Party/McCarten thing blew itself apart on Monday through Tuesday. It was reported on on the Wednesday. NZ Labour decided when to pull the plug – no-one else. And the timing’s really nice for National.

                      I wrote that the framework Hagar wrote about is gone. Do I think National and Labour and the Greens et al have media networks they can utilise? Yes.

                      Do I think National has stories and lines being spun by Bill English’s office that are then fed to bloggers who feed it all back through msm? No.

                  • weka

                    Different thread, it’s inconceivable that the timing of this is coincidence. There’s a grey area between strategy and out and out two track, Hager-documented dirty politics, but I think this is easily towards the nasty shit end of the spectrum. Call it a dead cat. Whatever, this is bullshit and the left is playing right into it.

                    Calling something slavery is a highly political act (esp as I’m guessing some of the students are from the US). As you’ve pointed out this is a political space. People aren’t unthinking, they know exactly what they are doing.

  6. ianmac 7

    The origin of the complaints may be because of inter tribal warfare over the use of that marae. Others reject its use largely for hosting visitors I think so it may not be as bad as it sounds. The issue timing is very convenient indeed.

  7. ianmac 8

    John Campbell interviews Bill English at a visit today. John’s repeated point was “If it was OK for Barclay to continue last year, what makes it necessary for him to resign now? What changed?” Clip is 7minutes long.
    Bill’s broad grin becomes lost in his growing frown.
    http://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/checkpoint/audio/201848531/pm-rejects-national-cover-up-allegation-over-todd-barclay

  8. Draco T Bastard 9

    Grenfell exposes the true face of deregulation

    In part, Grenfell Tower is a testimony of the government’s ideological obsession with deregulation. In 2000 the government was warned that current guidance “may not be adequate for the purposes of ensuring the safety of external cladding systems in a fire”. Recommendations from the inquest into the 2009 fire were also ignored, while in 2013, the all All-Party Parliamentary Fire Safety and Rescue Group issued a report on the safety of tower blocks yet the minister refused to meet them. In March 2014, the all-party group wrote to the minister to say “Surely… when you already have credible evidence to justify updating… the guidance… which will lead to saving of lives, you don’t need to wait another three years in addition to the two already spent since the research findings were updated, in order to take action?”

    There is no doubt that the reason for government inaction was anti-regulatory zeal. Brandon Lewis, the Tory housing minister between 2014 and 2016, warned against increasing fire safety regulations to include sprinklers in 2014 because it could discourage house building. He told MPs: “We believe that it is the responsibility of the fire industry, rather than the Government, to market fire sprinkler systems effectively and to encourage their wider installation.” He said the Tory Government had committed to being the first to reduce regulations nationwide. Lewis added: “The cost of fitting a fire sprinkler system may affect house building – something we want to encourage – so we must wait to see what impact that regulation has.”

    This is how capitalism kills. Cutting corners, not building to high enough standards all so that a few people can make higher profits and supported by the scum in parliament.

  9. ianmac 10

    Not sure if this has been covered re Labour’s Fellowship Campaign. The good side.
    http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11880781
    “An American student taking part in a “fellowship” programme for the Labour Party campaign has defended it, saying most of the 85 interns on it are happy.

    She believed the complaints and leaks to the media were driven by one or two interns who had a beef with the programme. She claimed one was dropped from a leadership position on the programme after allegedly taking bottles of wine from Labour MP Jenny Salesa’s house after Salesa hosted a meal for them.”

  10. ianmac 11

    And this appeared late Thursday 22.00:
    Former National staffer Glenys Dickson says MP Todd Barclay should have resigned immediately. First she has spoken since the original interview.

    http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/93991790/former-national-staffer-glenys-dickson-says-mp-todd-barclay-should-have-resigned-immediately

  11. ianmac 12

    And this,”English today indicated that Barclay didn’t know his recording of a staffer’s conversations could be illegal until a police investigation was launched.”
    In spite of the Tea Party? Really? 9:31pm
    http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11880796

  12. Draco T Bastard 13

    The old Tory order is crumbling – it’s taken Grenfell for us to really see it

    Britain’s old order is crumbling. Those who sense this most acutely, such as the rightwing press, are its defenders. This week, The Sun was reduced to begging its readers to see the evils of socialism. They are right to panic when 30% of its readers ended up voting for Jeremy Corbyn’s Labour party. Right to reflect that, according to a new YouGov poll, 43% of people believe a “genuinely socialist government” would make Britain a “better place to live” and just 36% say the reverse. Those who represent the future – younger Britons, particularly younger working-class voters – are decisively plumping for Corbyn’s new Labour party.

    now to engineer the same collapse of the Tories here. Including those in Labour.

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    Depictions of Islam in Western popular culture have rarely been positive, even before 9/11. Five years on from the mosque shootings, this is one of the cultural headwinds that the Muslim community has to battle against. Whatever messages of tolerance and inclusion are offered in daylight, much of our culture ...
    1 day ago
  • New Rail Operations Centre Promises Better Train Services
    Last week Transport Minster Simeon Brown and Mayor Wayne Brown opened the new Auckland Rail Operations Centre. The new train control centre will see teams from KiwiRail, Auckland Transport and Auckland One Rail working more closely together to improve train services across the city. The Auckland Rail Operations Centre in ...
    1 day ago
  • Bernard's six newsy things at 6.36am on Monday, March 18
    Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Retiring former Labour Finance Minister Grant Robertson said in an exit interview with Q+A yesterday the Government can and should sustain more debt to invest in infrastructure for future generations. Elsewhere in the news in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy at 6:36am: Read more ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago
  • Geoffrey Miller: Wang Yi’s perfectly-timed, Aukus-themed visit to New Zealand
    Timing is everything. And from China’s perspective, this week’s visit by its foreign minister to New Zealand could be coming at just the right moment. The visit by Wang Yi to Wellington will be his first since 2017. Anniversaries are important to Beijing. It is more than just a happy ...
    Democracy ProjectBy Geoffrey Miller
    2 days ago
  • The Kaka’s diary for the week to March 25 and beyond
    TL;DR: The key events to watch in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the week to March 18 include:China’s Foreign Minister visiting Wellington today;A post-cabinet news conference this afternoon; the resumption of Parliament on Tuesday for two weeks before Easter;retiring former Labour Finance Minister Grant Robertson gives his valedictory speech in Parliament; ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago
  • Bitter and angry; Winston First
    New Zealand First Leader Winston Peters’s state-of-the-nation speech on Sunday was really a state-of-Winston-First speech. He barely mentioned any of the Government’s key policies and could not even wholly endorse its signature income tax cuts. Instead, he rehearsed all of his complaints about the Ardern Government, including an extraordinary claim ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    2 days ago
  • 2024 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #11
    A listing of 35 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, March 10, 2024 thru Sat, March 16, 2024. Story of the week This week we'll give you a little glimpse into how we collect links to share and ...
    2 days ago
  • 2024 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #11
    A listing of 35 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, March 10, 2024 thru Sat, March 16, 2024. Story of the week This week we'll give you a little glimpse into how we collect links to share and ...
    2 days ago
  • Out of Touch.
    “I’ve been internalising a really complicated situation in my head.”When they kept telling us we should wait until we get to know him, were they taking the piss? Was it a case of, if you think this is bad, wait till you get to know the real Christopher, after the ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    2 days ago
  • Bring out your Dad
    Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago
  • Bring out your Dad
    Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago
  • Bring out your Dad
    Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago
  • The bewildering world of Chris Luxon – Guns for all, not no lunch for kids
    .“$10 and a target that bleeds” - Bleeding Targets for Under $10!.Thanks for reading Frankly Speaking ! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.This government appears hell-bent on either scrapping life-saving legislation or reintroducing things that - frustrated critics insist - will be dangerous and likely ...
    Frankly SpeakingBy Frank Macskasy
    3 days ago
  • Expert Opinion: Ageing Boomers, Laurie & Les, Talk Politics.
    It hardly strikes me as fair to criticise a government for doing exactly what it said it was going to do. For actually keeping its promises.”THUNDER WAS PLAYING TAG with lightning flashes amongst the distant peaks. Its rolling cadences interrupted by the here-I-come-here-I-go Doppler effect of the occasional passing car. ...
    3 days ago
  • Manufacturing The Truth.
    Subversive & Disruptive Technologies: Just as happened with that other great regulator of the masses, the Medieval Church, the advent of a new and hard-to-control technology – the Internet –  is weakening the ties that bind. Then, and now, those who enjoy a monopoly on the dissemination of lies, cannot and will ...
    3 days ago
  • A Powerful Sensation of Déjà Vu.
    Been Here Before: To find the precedents for what this Coalition Government is proposing, it is necessary to return to the “glory days” of Muldoonism.THE COALITION GOVERNMENT has celebrated its first 100 days in office by checking-off the last of its listed commitments. It remains, however, an angry government. It ...
    3 days ago
  • Can you guess where world attention is focussed (according to Greenpeace)? It’s focussed on an EPA...
    Bob Edlin writes –  And what is the world watching today…? The email newsletter from Associated Press which landed in our mailbox early this morning advised: In the news today: The father of a school shooter has been found guilty of involuntary manslaughter; prosecutors in Trump’s hush-money case ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    3 days ago
  • Further integrity problems for the Greens in suspending MP Darleen Tana
    Bryce Edwards writes – Is another Green MP on their way out? And are the Greens severely tarnished by another integrity scandal? For the second time in three months, the Green Party has secretly suspended an MP over integrity issues. Mystery is surrounding the party’s decision to ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    3 days ago
  • Jacqui Van Der Kaay: Greens’ transparency missing in action
    For the last few years, the Green Party has been the party that has managed to avoid the plague of multiple scandals that have beleaguered other political parties. It appears that their luck has run out with a second scandal which, unfortunately for them, coincided with Golraz Ghahraman, the focus ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    3 days ago
  • Bernard’s Dawn Chorus with six newsey things at 6:46am for Saturday, March 16
    TL;DR: The six newsey things that stood out to me as of 6:46am on Saturday, March 16.Andy Foster has accidentally allowed a Labour/Green amendment to cut road user chargers for plug-in hybrid vehicles, which the Government might accept; NZ Herald Thomas Coughlan Simeon Brown has rejected a plea from Westport ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • How Did FTX Crash?
    What seemed a booming success a couple of years ago has collapsed into fraud convictions.I looked at the crash of FTX (short for ‘Futures Exchange’) in November 2022 to see whether it would impact on the financial system as a whole. Fortunately there was barely a ripple, probably because it ...
    PunditBy Brian Easton
    4 days ago
  • Elections in Russia and Ukraine
    Anybody following the situation in Ukraine and Russia would probably have been amused by a recent Tweet on X NATO seems to be putting in an awful lot of effort to influence what is, at least according to them, a sham election in an autocracy.When do the Ukrainians go to ...
    4 days ago
  • Bernard’s six stack of substacks at 6pm on March 15
    TL;DR: Shaun Baker on Wynyard Quarter's transformation. Magdalene Taylor on the problem with smart phones. How private equity are now all over reinsurance. Dylan Cleaver on rugby and CTE. Emily Atkin on ‘Big Meat’ looking like ‘Big Oil’.Bernard’s six-stack of substacks at 6pm on March 15Photo by Jeppe Hove Jensen ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • Buzz from the Beehive Finance Minister Nicola Willis had plenty to say when addressing the Auckland Business Chamber on the economic growth that (she tells us) is flagging more than we thought. But the government intends to put new life into it:  We want our country to be a ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    4 days ago
  • National’s clean car tax advances
    The Transport and Infrastructure Committee has reported back on the Road User Charges (Light Electric RUC Vehicles) Amendment Bill, basicly rubberstamping it. While there was widespread support among submitters for the principle that EV and PHEV drivers should pay their fair share for the roads, they also overwhelmingly disagreed with ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    4 days ago
  • Government funding bailouts
    Peter Dunne writes – This week’s government bailout – the fifth in the last eighteen months – of the financially troubled Ruapehu Alpine Lifts company would have pleased many in the central North Island ski industry. The government’s stated rationale for the $7 million funding was that it ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • Two offenders, different treatments.
    See if you can spot the difference. An Iranian born female MP from a progressive party is accused of serial shoplifting. Her name is leaked to the media, which goes into a pack frenzy even before the Police launch an … Continue reading ...
    KiwipoliticoBy Pablo
    4 days ago
  • Treaty references omitted
    Ele Ludemann writes  – The government is omitting general Treaty references from legislation : The growth of Treaty of Waitangi clauses in legislation caused so much worry that a special oversight group was set up by the last Government in a bid to get greater coherence in the public service on Treaty ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • The Ghahraman Conflict
    What was that judge thinking? Peter Williams writes –  That Golriz Ghahraman and District Court Judge Maria Pecotic were once lawyer colleagues is incontrovertible. There is published evidence that they took at least one case to the Court of Appeal together. There was a report on ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • Bernard's Top 10 @ 10 'pick 'n' mix' for March 15
    TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: Climate Scorpion – the sting is in the tail. Introducing planetary solvency. A paper via the University of Exeter’s Institute and Faculty of Actuaries.Local scoop: Kāinga Ora starts pulling out of its Auckland projects and selling land RNZ ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • The day Wellington up-zoned its future
    Wellington’s massively upzoned District Plan adds the opportunity for tens of thousands of new homes not just in the central city (such as these Webb St new builds) but also close to the CBD and public transport links. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Wellington gave itself the chance of ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • Weekly Roundup 15-March-2024
    It’s Friday and we’re halfway through March Madness. Here’s some of the things that caught our attention this week. This Week in Greater Auckland On Monday Matt asked how we can get better event trains and an option for grade separating Morningside Dr. On Tuesday Matt looked into ...
    Greater AucklandBy Greater Auckland
    4 days ago
  • That Word.
    Something you might not know about me is that I’m quite a stubborn person. No, really. I don’t much care for criticism I think’s unfair or that I disagree with. Few of us do I suppose.Back when I was a drinker I’d sometimes respond defensively, even angrily. There are things ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago
  • The Hoon around the week to March 15
    Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The five things that mattered in Aotearoa’s political economy that we wrote and spoke about via The Kākā and elsewhere for paying subscribers in the last week included:PM Christopher Luxon said the reversal of interest deductibility for landlords was done to help renters, who ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • Labour’s policy gap
    It was not so much the Labour Party but really the Chris Hipkins party yesterday at Labour’s caucus retreat in Martinborough. The former Prime Minister was more or less consistent on wealth tax, which he was at best equivocal about, and social insurance, which he was not willing to revisit. ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    5 days ago
  • Skeptical Science New Research for Week #11 2024
    Open access notables A Glimpse into the Future: The 2023 Ocean Temperature and Sea Ice Extremes in the Context of Longer-Term Climate Change, Kuhlbrodt et al., Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society: In the year 2023, we have seen extraordinary extrema in high sea surface temperature (SST) in the North Atlantic and in ...
    5 days ago
  • Melissa remains mute on media matters but has something to say (at a sporting event) about economic ...
     Buzz from the Beehive   The text reproduced above appears on a page which records all the media statements and speeches posted on the government’s official website by Melissa Lee as Minister of Media and Communications and/or by Jenny Marcroft, her Parliamentary Under-secretary.  It can be quickly analysed ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    5 days ago
  • The return of Muldoon
    For forty years, Robert Muldoon has been a dirty word in our politics. His style of government was so repulsive and authoritarian that the backlash to it helped set and entrench our constitutional norms. His pig-headedness over forcing through Think Big eventually gave us the RMA, with its participation and ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    5 days ago
  • Will the rental tax cut improve life for renters or landlords?
    Bryce Edwards writes –  Is the new government reducing tax on rental properties to benefit landlords or to cut the cost of rents? That’s the big question this week, after Associate Finance Minister David Seymour announced on Sunday that the Government would be reversing the Labour Government’s removal ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • Geoffrey Miller: What Saudi Arabia’s rapid changes mean for New Zealand
    Saudi Arabia is rarely far from the international spotlight. The war in Gaza has brought new scrutiny to Saudi plans to normalise relations with Israel, while the fifth anniversary of the controversial killing of Jamal Khashoggi was marked shortly before the war began on October 7. And as the home ...
    Democracy ProjectBy Geoffrey Miller
    5 days ago
  • Racism’s double standards
    Questions need to be asked on both sides of the world Peter Williams writes –   The NRL Judiciary hands down an eight week suspension to Sydney Roosters forward Spencer Leniu , an Auckland-born Samoan, after he calls Ezra Mam, Sydney-orn but of Aboriginal and Torres Strait ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • It’s not a tax break
    Ele Ludemann writes – Contrary to what many headlines and news stories are saying, residential landlords are not getting a tax break. The government is simply restoring to them the tax deductibility of interest they had until the previous government removed it. There is no logical reason ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • The Plastic Pig Collective and Chris' Imaginary Friends.
    I can't remember when it was goodMoments of happiness in bloomMaybe I just misunderstoodAll of the love we left behindWatching our flashbacks intertwineMemories I will never findIn spite of whatever you becomeForget that reckless thing turned onI think our lives have just begunI think our lives have just begunDoes anyone ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago
  • Who is responsible for young offenders?
    Michael Bassett writes – At first reading, a front-page story in the New Zealand Herald on 13 March was bizarre. A group of severely intellectually limited teenagers, with little understanding of the law, have been pleading to the Justice Select Committee not to pass a bill dealing with ram ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • Gordon Campbell on National’s fantasy trip to La La Landlord Land
    How much political capital is Christopher Luxon willing to burn through in order to deliver his $2.9 billion gift to landlords? Evidently, Luxon is: (a) unable to cost the policy accurately. As Anna Burns-Francis pointed out to him on Breakfast TV, the original ”rock solid” $2.1 billion cost he was ...
    5 days ago
  • Bernard's Top 10 @ 10 'pick 'n' mix' for March 14
    TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: Jonathon Porritt calling bullshit in his own blog post on mainstream climate science as ‘The New Denialism’.Local scoop: The Wellington City Council’s list of proposed changes to the IHP recommendations to be debated later today was leaked this ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • No, Prime Minister, rents don’t rise or fall with landlords’ costs
    TL;DR: Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said yesterday tenants should be grateful for the reinstatement of interest deductibility because landlords would pass on their lower tax costs in the form of lower rents. That would be true if landlords were regulated monopolies such as Transpower or Auckland Airport1, but they’re not, ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • Cartoons: ‘At least I didn’t make things awkward’
    This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Tom Toro Tom Toro is a cartoonist and author. He has published over 200 cartoons in The New Yorker since 2010. His cartoons appear in Playboy, the Paris Review, the New York Times, American Bystander, and elsewhere. Related: What 10 EV lovers ...
    5 days ago
  • Solving traffic congestion with Richard Prebble
    The business section of the NZ Herald is full of opinion. Among the more opinionated of all is the ex-Minister of Transport, ex-Minister of Railways, ex MP for Auckland Central (1975-93, Labour), Wellington Central (1996-99, ACT, then list-2005), ex-leader of the ACT Party, uncle to actor Antonia, the veritable granddaddy ...
    Greater AucklandBy Patrick Reynolds
    5 days ago
  • I Think I'm Done Flying Boeing
    Hi,Just quickly — I’m blown away by the stories you’ve shared with me over the last week since I put out the ‘Gary’ podcast, where I told you about the time my friend’s flatmate killed the neighbour.And you keep telling me stories — in the comments section, and in my ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    6 days ago
  • Invoking Aristotle: Of Rings of Power, Stones, and Ships
    The first season of Rings of Power was not awful. It was thoroughly underwhelming, yes, and left a lingering sense of disappointment, but it was more expensive mediocrity than catastrophe. I wrote at length about the series as it came out (see the Review section of the blog, and go ...
    6 days ago
  • Van Velden brings free-market approach to changing labour laws – but her colleagues stick to distr...
    Buzz from the Beehive Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Brooke van Velden told Auckland Business Chamber members they were the first audience to hear her priorities as a minister in a government committed to cutting red tape and regulations. She brandished her liberalising credentials, saying Flexible labour markets are the ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago
  • Why Newshub failed
    Chris Trotter writes – TO UNDERSTAND WHY NEWSHUB FAILED, it is necessary to understand how TVNZ changed. Up until 1989, the state broadcaster had been funded by a broadcasting licence fee, collected from every citizen in possession of a television set, supplemented by a relatively modest (compared ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago
  • Māori Party on the warpath against landlords and seabed miners – let’s see if mystical creature...
    Bob Edlin writes  –  The Māori Party has been busy issuing a mix of warnings and threats as its expresses its opposition to interest deductibility for landlords and the plans of seabed miners. It remains to be seen whether they  follow the example of indigenous litigants in Australia, ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago

  • Government moves to quickly ratify the NZ-EU FTA
    "The Government is moving quickly to realise an additional $46 million in tariff savings in the EU market this season for Kiwi exporters,” Minister for Trade and Agriculture, Todd McClay says. Parliament is set, this week, to complete the final legislative processes required to bring the New Zealand – European ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 hours ago
  • Positive progress for social worker workforce
    New Zealand’s social workers are qualified, experienced, and more representative of the communities they serve, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “I want to acknowledge and applaud New Zealand’s social workers for the hard work they do, providing invaluable support for our most vulnerable. “To coincide with World ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 hours ago
  • Minister confirms reduced RUC rate for PHEVs
    Cabinet has agreed to a reduced road user charge (RUC) rate for plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs), Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. Owners of PHEVs will be eligible for a reduced rate of $38 per 1,000km once all light electric vehicles (EVs) move into the RUC system from 1 April.  ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    9 hours ago
  • Trade access to overseas markets creates jobs
    Minister of Agriculture and Trade, Todd McClay, says that today’s opening of Riverland Foods manufacturing plant in Christchurch is a great example of how trade access to overseas markets creates jobs in New Zealand.  Speaking at the official opening of this state-of-the-art pet food factory the Minister noted that exports ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    10 hours ago
  • NZ and Chinese Foreign Ministers hold official talks
    Minister of Foreign Affairs Winston Peters met with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Wellington today. “It was a pleasure to host Foreign Minister Wang Yi during his first official visit to New Zealand since 2017. Our discussions were wide-ranging and enabled engagement on many facets of New Zealand’s relationship with China, including trade, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    23 hours ago
  • Kāinga Ora instructed to end Sustaining Tenancies
    Kāinga Ora – Homes & Communities has been instructed to end the Sustaining Tenancies Framework and take stronger measures against persistent antisocial behaviour by tenants, says Housing Minister Chris Bishop. “Earlier today Finance Minister Nicola Willis and I sent an interim Letter of Expectations to the Board of Kāinga Ora. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Speech to Auckland Business Chamber: Growth is the answer
    Tēna koutou katoa. Greetings everyone. Thank you to the Auckland Chamber of Commerce and the Honourable Simon Bridges for hosting this address today. I acknowledge the business leaders in this room, the leaders and governors, the employers, the entrepreneurs, the investors, and the wealth creators. The coalition Government shares your ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Singapore rounds out regional trip
    Minister Winston Peters completed the final leg of his visit to South and South East Asia in Singapore today, where he focused on enhancing one of New Zealand’s indispensable strategic partnerships.      “Singapore is our most important defence partner in South East Asia, our fourth-largest trading partner and a ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Minister van Velden represents New Zealand at International Democracy Summit
    Minister of Internal Affairs and Workplace Relations and Safety, Hon. Brooke van Velden, will travel to the Republic of Korea to represent New Zealand at the Third Summit for Democracy on 18 March. The summit, hosted by the Republic of Korea, was first convened by the United States in 2021, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Insurance Council of NZ Speech, 7 March 2024, Auckland
    ICNZ Speech 7 March 2024, Auckland  Acknowledgements and opening  Mōrena, ngā mihi nui. Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Nor Whanganui aho.  Good morning, it’s a privilege to be here to open the ICNZ annual conference, thank you to Mark for the Mihi Whakatau  My thanks to Tim Grafton for inviting me ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Five-year anniversary of Christchurch terror attacks
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Lead Coordination Minister Judith Collins have expressed their deepest sympathy on the five-year anniversary of the Christchurch terror attacks. “March 15, 2019, was a day when families, communities and the country came together both in sorrow and solidarity,” Mr Luxon says.  “Today we pay our respects to the 51 shuhada ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Speech for Financial Advice NZ Conference 5 March 2024
    Speech for Financial Advice NZ Conference 5 March 2024  Acknowledgements and opening  Morena, Nga Mihi Nui.  Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Nor Whanganui aho. Thanks Nate for your Mihi Whakatau  Good morning. It’s a pleasure to formally open your conference this morning. What a lovely day in Wellington, What a great ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Early visit to Indonesia strengthens ties
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters held discussions in Jakarta today about the future of relations between New Zealand and South East Asia’s most populous country.   “We are in Jakarta so early in our new government’s term to reflect the huge importance we place on our relationship with Indonesia and South ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • China Foreign Minister to visit
    Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Winston Peters has announced that the Foreign Minister of China, Wang Yi, will visit New Zealand next week.  “We look forward to re-engaging with Foreign Minister Wang Yi and discussing the full breadth of the bilateral relationship, which is one of New Zealand’s ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Minister opens new Auckland Rail Operations Centre
    Transport Minister Simeon Brown has today opened the new Auckland Rail Operations Centre, which will bring together KiwiRail, Auckland Transport, and Auckland One Rail to improve service reliability for Aucklanders. “The recent train disruptions in Auckland have highlighted how important it is KiwiRail and Auckland’s rail agencies work together to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Celebrating 10 years of Crankworx Rotorua
    The Government is proud to support the 10th edition of Crankworx Rotorua as the Crankworx World Tour returns to Rotorua from 16-24 March 2024, says Minister for Economic Development Melissa Lee.  “Over the past 10 years as Crankworx Rotorua has grown, so too have the economic and social benefits that ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Government delivering on tax commitments
    Legislation implementing coalition Government tax commitments and addressing long-standing tax anomalies will be progressed in Parliament next week, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The legislation is contained in an Amendment Paper to the Taxation (Annual Rates for 2023–24, Multinational Tax, and Remedial Matters) Bill issued today.  “The Amendment Paper represents ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Significant Natural Areas requirement to be suspended
    Associate Environment Minister Andrew Hoggard has today announced that the Government has agreed to suspend the requirement for councils to comply with the Significant Natural Areas (SNA) provisions of the National Policy Statement for Indigenous Biodiversity for three years, while it replaces the Resource Management Act (RMA).“As it stands, SNAs ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Government classifies drought conditions in Top of the South as medium-scale adverse event
    Agriculture Minister Todd McClay has classified the drought conditions in the Marlborough, Tasman, and Nelson districts as a medium-scale adverse event, acknowledging the challenging conditions facing farmers and growers in the district. “Parts of Marlborough, Tasman, and Nelson districts are in the grip of an intense dry spell. I know ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Government partnership to tackle $332m facial eczema problem
    The Government is helping farmers eradicate the significant impact of facial eczema (FE) in pastoral animals, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay announced.  “A $20 million partnership jointly funded by Beef + Lamb NZ, the Government, and the primary sector will save farmers an estimated NZD$332 million per year, and aims to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • NZ, India chart path to enhanced relationship
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters has completed a successful visit to India, saying it was an important step in taking the relationship between the two countries to the next level.   “We have laid a strong foundation for the Coalition Government’s priority of enhancing New Zealand-India relations to generate significant future benefit for both countries,” says Mr Peters, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Ruapehu Alpine Lifts bailout the last, say Ministers
    Cabinet has agreed to provide $7 million to ensure the 2024 ski season can go ahead on the Whakapapa ski field in the central North Island but has told the operator Ruapehu Alpine Lifts it is the last financial support it will receive from taxpayers. Cabinet also agreed to provide ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Govt takes action to drive better cancer services
    Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says the launch of a new mobile breast screening unit in Counties Manukau reinforces the coalition Government’s commitment to drive better cancer services for all New Zealanders. Speaking at the launch of the new mobile clinic, Dr Reti says it’s a great example of taking ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Govt takes action to drive better cancer services
    Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says the launch of a new mobile breast screening unit in Counties Manukau reinforces the coalition Government’s commitment to drive better cancer services for all New Zealanders. Speaking at the launch of the new mobile clinic, Dr Reti says it’s a great example of taking ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Work begins on SH29 upgrades near Tauriko
    Unlocking economic growth and land for housing are critical elements of the Government’s plan for our transport network, and planned upgrades to State Highway 29 (SH29) near Tauriko will deliver strongly on those priorities, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “The SH29 upgrades near Tauriko will improve safety at the intersections ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Work begins on SH29 upgrades near Tauriko
    Unlocking economic growth and land for housing are critical elements of the Government’s plan for our transport network, and planned upgrades to State Highway 29 (SH29) near Tauriko will deliver strongly on those priorities, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “The SH29 upgrades near Tauriko will improve safety at the intersections ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Fresh produce price drop welcome
    Lower fruit and vegetable prices are welcome news for New Zealanders who have been doing it tough at the supermarket, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. Stats NZ reported today the price of fruit and vegetables has dropped 9.3 percent in the 12 months to February 2024.  “Lower fruit and vege ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Statement to the 68th United Nations Commission on the Status of Women
    Tēnā koutou katoa and greetings to you all.  Chair, I am honoured to address the sixty-eighth session of the Commission on the Status of Women. I acknowledge the many crises impacting the rights of women and girls. Heightened global tensions, war, climate related and humanitarian disasters, and price inflation all ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Speech to the 68th United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (CSW68)
    Tēnā koutou katoa and greetings to you all.  Chair, I am honoured to address the 68th session of the Commission on the Status of Women. I acknowledge the many crises impacting the rights of women and girls. Heightened global tensions, war, climate related and humanitarian disasters, and price inflation all ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Government backs rural led catchment projects
    The coalition Government is supporting farmers to enhance land management practices by investing $3.3 million in locally led catchment groups, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay announced. “Farmers and growers deliver significant prosperity for New Zealand and it’s vital their ongoing efforts to improve land management practices and water quality are supported,” ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Speech to Auckland Business Chamber
    Good evening everyone and thank you for that lovely introduction.   Thank you also to the Honourable Simon Bridges for the invitation to address your members. Since being sworn in, this coalition Government has hit the ground running with our 100-day plan, delivering the changes that New Zealanders expect of us. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Commission’s advice on ETS settings tabled
    Recommendations from the Climate Change Commission for New Zealand on the Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) auction and unit limit settings for the next five years have been tabled in Parliament, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. “The Commission provides advice on the ETS annually. This is the third time the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Government lowering building costs
    The coalition Government is beginning its fight to lower building costs and reduce red tape by exempting minor building work from paying the building levy, says Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk. “Currently, any building project worth $20,444 including GST or more is subject to the building levy which is ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Trustee tax change welcomed
    Proposed changes to tax legislation to prevent the over-taxation of low-earning trusts are welcome, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The changes have been recommended by Parliament’s Finance and Expenditure Committee following consideration of submissions on the Taxation (Annual Rates for 2023–24, Multinational Tax, and Remedial Matters) Bill. “One of the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Minister’s Ramadan message
    Assalaamu alaikum. السَّلَام عليكم In light of the holy month of Ramadan, I want to extend my warmest wishes to our Muslim community in New Zealand. Ramadan is a time for spiritual reflection, renewed devotion, perseverance, generosity, and forgiveness.  It’s a time to strengthen our bonds and appreciate the diversity ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Minister appoints new NZTA Chair
    Former Transport Minister and CEO of the Auckland Business Chamber Hon Simon Bridges has been appointed as the new Board Chair of the New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA) for a three-year term, Transport Minister Simeon Brown announced today. “Simon brings extensive experience and knowledge in transport policy and governance to the role. He will ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Speech to Life Sciences Summit
    Good morning all, it is a pleasure to be here as Minister of Science, Innovation and Technology.  It is fantastic to see how connected and collaborative the life science and biotechnology industry is here in New Zealand. I would like to thank BioTechNZ and NZTech for the invitation to address ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Progress continues apace on water storage
    Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says he is looking forward to the day when three key water projects in Northland are up and running, unlocking the full potential of land in the region. Mr Jones attended a community event at the site of the Otawere reservoir near Kerikeri on Friday. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Government agrees to restore interest deductions
    Associate Finance Minister David Seymour has today announced that the Government has agreed to restore deductibility for mortgage interest on residential investment properties. “Help is on the way for landlords and renters alike. The Government’s restoration of interest deductibility will ease pressure on rents and simplify the tax code,” says ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Minister to attend World Anti-Doping Agency Symposium
    Sport and Recreation Minister Chris Bishop will travel to Switzerland today to attend an Executive Committee meeting and Symposium of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA). Mr Bishop will then travel on to London where he will attend a series of meetings in his capacity as Infrastructure Minister. “New Zealanders believe ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

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