David Farrar has no idea about business nor apparently the role of government for business.

Written By: - Date published: 1:38 pm, September 18th, 2017 - 44 comments
Categories: blogs, David Farrar, Politics - Tags:

I see that David Farrar, the National parties favourite polling poodle, is trying to spin up the old line about politicians not being business people. He is a blithering idiot.

As a died in the wool private sector advocate who only works in the private sector, who specialises in exporting, who has had extensive arms length political experience, and who has done all of those things for more decades than Farrar has been alive – I’d say that Farrar is full of billshit.

The two roles are and should be pretty distinct and work at different timescales. One is concerned with making income for shareholders in a 2-5 year timescale, and the other is responsible for providing resources over much longer timescales. The most useful measure for that is the 20 years it takes for raising a child from birth to when they start getting productive in the economy and society.

This spin line of his in particular I found extraordinary

I was once like many MPs, thinking I understood business. I had worked for a charity doing their finances so thought I understood profit, loss etc. But then I worked for a small struggling advertising agency and found out first hand how hard it is. It isn’t just about your paper profit. It is about managaing cashflow, creditors, the IRD etc. It is about the business owners sometimes paying themselves less than the receptionist, so the firm survives.

David Farrar as far as I can see runs what I can only describe as being a petty small crony capitalist business that largely sells services to the National Party, some government contracts, and hopefully he also has a few private sector contracts as well. He has never had to export anything (apart from himself off on holiday), has never run anything that involved more than a handful of permanent employees, and as far as I am aware has never managed to make a single dollop of the overseas income that this country is so dependent upon.

It also doesn’t to my eye particularly involve any degree of risk outside of his own incompetence. But we can probably forgive his ignorance about business. He also clearly doesn’t have any training in how to run a business. He obviously lacks the clarity on how to structure business systems and projects.

I do. I come from a family who manage things, usually for other people. Traditionally these have been factories with hundreds of employees, and generally for ones that export. But we’re pretty good at managing anything. From nightclubs to programmer teams. We generally don’t bother owning business because that isn’t the interesting part of business.

As much as we love our entrepreneurs who like the thought of owning stuff and come up with the daftest things that occasionally work, they miss out on all of the fun bits of business. In my opinion, their bloated egos usually get in the way of making sure that everything that is currently there works and completes with the least amount of effort possible. We’re interested in making things work. But like everything else in business, it isn’t the individual that counts. It is how they work together to form something that is greater than the sum of its parts. Different skillsets working together works just as effectively in business as having disciplined

I am the black sheep of the family. These days I write code because that is what I like to make work. Today, I usually I mostly write it for networked devices, designed here, that is then sold and exported into vertical niche markets world wide.

The code that I write usually takes years to build and can have small or large teams working on it. I’m always a core part of the team on the software side because my expertise is in making sure that the millions of dollars of investment and thousands or work hours actually achieve the desired results. I have done this for decades for everything from small startup companies that I have helped found to corporates building a next generation product of their decades old system. My expertise usually involves being aware of all parts of the supply chain from the components to how the support team the customer finds it working. It also involves some pretty high degrees of risk and it only requires a single mistake early in the process to cause major issues. But it is also a hell of lot of fun.

But I didn’t start there. I got an extensive education in how government could distort rational business practices early.

Back in 1981, I came out of a earth science + business degree and started working at Ceramco at the crony capitalistic heyday of Robert Muldoon – when the number of our head office staff was dwarfed by the number of our lobbyists in Wellington fighting to keep the tariff barriers that made our profit high. The first projects I was involved with were putting tonnes of refractories into the Think Big projects. Neither the projects, nor my part in them really made much sense to me. As a country we were trying to build an industrial infrastructure that really didn’t use any particular advantages of our country.

While we were producing adequate refractory products. They simply weren’t up to the grade for what was required – we mostly wound up importing and selling all of the important high end components. The company was in it to make a buck. But I don’t think that I met a single person that thought the projects were much use beyond that. The freight costs and delivery times from NZ meant that the projects would always be marginal and our internal population was too small to adsorb even a fraction of the output.

After doing 4 years, I decided that I was simply missing something. So I managed to get into Otago’s MBA programme to train more intensively.

In my opinion, the most useful thing about business training isn’t what you learn. Most of that tends to fall into the blindingly obvious category of knowledge was you have a good introduction to it.

It is about becoming aware of all of the bits that you need to know about, but will never know well enough, all of the things that you have to depend upon in a business. So I learnt about the financial accounting, marketing, economics, and law along with a myriad of other interconnected pieces. But you learnt about the interconnections between these things through the innumerable case studies that explored these issues and the nascent business simulations of the day.

A decade later I led the team that commercially produced one of those business ‘games’, Mike Bikes and its assorted offspring, that several generations of business students locally and worldwide have had to endure over the net as an important part of their course work.

But one area that piqued my interest during my academic stint was the utter dependence of businesses on the supporting role of government. As well as utter dependence of government on the revenues gained directly or indirectly from business. I even grew to understand why Muldoon’s government was doing the weird things that they had done in the later 1970s and early 80s, and the forced but rather excessive response by the 4th Labour government.

Despite my start as the kind of government disliking business fool of the type that David Farrar is now trying to rile up for this election, presumably for the purposes of his pocketbook, I grew interested enough in politics to start studying it.

I have spent the last 30 years involved in one way or another with politics, while making sure damn sure that I didn’t spoil my own working fun by actually getting drawn into the maelstrom. It is a interest, albeit an important one in my life, that makes me help run this blog as a talking ground for political debate. Of course you can see my skills in it. It runs for $134 per month, is long lived, and I don’t do much of the heavy lifting – the authors and commenters do. 🙂 I’m a manager – my job is to enable others.

Frankly from my perspective, any business person with skills that are greater than their ego or greed wouldn’t want to get involved in politics. Too messy, too long term, and simply not that much fun. What you will get and what you’d expect to get are the people untrained in business. In fact they look just like David Farrar. And that is exactly what you see in the National lineup that he describes.

National’s lineup look like those who are parasitic on the internal economy and have little of no exposure directly to the world economy that many if not most people working for the productive sectors of business now work in. The problem is that they also appear to be pretty untrained and don’t understand their role either.

MPs are there to provide the infrastructures, both physical and legal, that the business community relies apon to build businesses over the long term. The skills that are required for that task are not those that the business community is any good at providing, nor is it something that they are trained in, and it is sure as hell not something that they are good at. The time scales are far longer than the business community are used to dealing with. And business people have a really bad habit in politics of doing special favours for their mates and themselves. You don’t have to look too far to see this. Start with Steven Joyce or with the farmers.

We don’t need or want crony capitalism in politics. It is far too expensive for the country as Muldoon successfully demonstrated in the 1980s, and as some of the MPs of the 4th Labour government (most of whom departed to Act) demonstrated leter in the 1980s.

Politics and government doesn’t mean giving special favours for little groups and shielding them from the world economy. If all of the urban businesses and residents directly pay for water and water treatment, then farmers should learn the costs of their ‘free’ resource as well. It is part of the cost of doing business, and you don’t want to waste it. I pay $1200 for my household of two annually and the businesses I work for pay far more. It is treated like a resource that can’t be squandered.

Having business amateurs like David Farrar trying to speak for the people who actually know how real non-crony businesses operate is somewhat insulting to those hard workers who generally stay out of politics, provide most of the underlying employment in the country, and who focus on the world economy that most of us are involved in. We don’t need the advice of a business parasite.

In government, business needs people who understand and can work with the long time scales of government and the physical legal infrastructures that we depend upon. Productive businesses working on a world stage don’t need or even want business failures like crony capitalists playing favourites there.

44 comments on “David Farrar has no idea about business nor apparently the role of government for business. ”

  • Comments are now closed

  1. Pete 1
    18 September 2017 at 2:02 pm

    He and his site contributors commonly regard those who do not work for themselves, run businesses or something similar as a lower species.

    Anyone who works for the Government or is paid by the public purse are some sort of non-people not living in the real world.

    Farrar’s cobbers want to go to private medical practitioners and have private schooling. If they could have shares in the company running the service, they’d want the Police to be a private business.

    Public servants are scum, who don’t know anything, don’t contribute and an evil, unfortunately a necessary one.

    Of course that is where much of the odium about teachers comes from, they can’t stand anyone knowing more than them.

    Ignorant snobs. Farrar is a good mouthpiece for them.

    • tracey 1.1
      18 September 2017 at 2:08 pm

      Yes they hate bureaucrats except when they are the means for corporate welfare.

    • Carolyn_nth 1.2
      18 September 2017 at 4:44 pm

      It’s always struck me as dd that right wingers see the world ofthe private sector as “reality”and that those working in the public sector, like teachers don’t know anything about the “real” world.

      Yet, teachers and many other public sector workers, engage with a range of people from communities – they see first hand the reality of many people’s lives, unlike people sitting behind desks, looking at spreadsheets, in the private sector.

      • lprent 1.2.1
        18 September 2017 at 6:43 pm

        It depends what you are looking at/for and what you find important. Personally I find people to be easy to read and they hold little relatively little interest to me.

        What I find interesting is what could be best described as levels of risk and the strategies required to deal with it. When I’m talking to people, I can never find the interest in what peoples personal issues are except as they affect the projects I’m doing. The reality is that people have horrible tendencies of doing the same daft crap over and over again without either observing what happened last time or looking at the results of what happened to others.

        I get extremely interested in any systematic issues that look like they could need fixes. Often you can only fix things that you can ‘see’ and the only way you can fix systematic issues is when you can see the patterns with numerical analysis. Anecdote is a poor substitute and usually heavily flavoured with how people choose how to represent themselves. Spreadsheets and stats work to focus attention fairly where mere stories do not.

        I’d also point out that the few times I’ve been around the public sector have typically been when I have been most glad at my abilities to read and analyse things rapidly. They appear to drown in it, often pointlessly.

        • In Vino 1.2.1.1
          18 September 2017 at 8:12 pm

          People who are dedicated to a vocation may not have your convenient flexibility, and may also be willing to fight long-term against a failing system run by vicious profit-gougers. I think people like Carolyn_nth deserve a little more recognition than you appear to allow.

        • Carolyn_nth 1.2.1.2
          18 September 2017 at 8:36 pm

          Statistical data and analysis have their place – like a road map telling you how to find your way through a landscape. But they also tend to be reductive, missing the nuances and fine detail of long term community engagement.

          Being on the front line is about engaging with a range of people in a community. There are patterns that can become discernible from that, and these can be subjected to analysis. But that engagement also gives a feel of what people value, and of how diverse lives interact.

          And you can see directly the struggles and humanity of people’s daily lives. That’s not so easily discernible from spreadsheets.

          I wouldn’t underestimate the importance of the multi-sensory impact of experiencing people’s daily lives. It IS important to hear and see what people have to say in their own voice, not always filtered through someone else’s abstractions.

          When people and communities are reduced to data, it is through a process when someone, with all their own pre-conceived notions, selects details that they consider to be important. There is always bias in the process of converting human activities to numerical data.

          And it’s too easy to write some people’s lives off as being relatively insignificant when they are presented as part of numbers, rather than people engaged with.

        • John Stone 1.2.1.3
          19 September 2017 at 12:33 am

          I agree with you to some extent on the National line up, but I see Labour as worse. Who gives you confidence in Labour?

    • reason 1.3
      18 September 2017 at 7:13 pm

      What spinners and Swirllers like Farrar never mention is the amount of wealth and money that private ‘enterprise’ can destroy or waste …..

      Take our ex-prime minister and the firm he worked for and made his money at …

      “Merrill Lynch is a case study in `corporate misgovernance.”^1…. insider trading and the works ….

      It vaporized and destroyed 44 Billion of money in eye watering quick time …..

      “by mid-December, Merrill Lynch’s pretax quarterly loss had ballooned to $21 billion”,….

      “the write-downs taken by Merrill Lynch ultimately surpassed $46 billion —
      incredibly, more than double the entire profit the firm earned over the four-year period preceding” ……

      Such efficiency in destroying wealth rests with the private sector ….

      The Governments bail them out ……………….. http://securities.stanford.edu/filings-documents/1038/MER_01/2009727_r01c_07CV09633.pdf

  2. tracey 2
    18 September 2017 at 2:04 pm

    MPs also need to be good listeners, advocate for others, listen more and know when to bow to experts. In my experience most business owners had an idea and made it pay. Many grow and find themselves having to lead when they are not leaders and so on.

    Businesses and business owners a part of society not above it. We are all in this together. Business owners rarely thrive without employees. Farmers do not thrive without some indirect support from taxpayers. Help when flood or drought hits. Support by way of taxpayer funded R and D.

    This them and us shit has to stop and so does the habit of some businesses to only adhere to the requirement to return to shareholders as much money as possible at the expense of everything else.

    Bill English has never been in the business world. Treasury bureaucrat and then MP. But no one throws that at him. And nor should they.

  3. alwyn 3
    18 September 2017 at 2:13 pm

    I hadn’t realised you were quite so mature Lynn.

    “As a died in the wool private sector advocate who only works in the private sector, who specialises in exporting, who has had extensive arms length political experience, and who has done all of those things for more decades than Farrar has been alive”

    Given that David Farrar has just had his 50th birthday that must make you at least old enough to be a recipient of Winston’s Gold Card.
    Welcome to the club.
    I am quite prepared to believe you were involved in politics in 1967 I find it hard to believe you were into exporting quite so early.
    Did you e-mail Winston him and say thank you?

    • tracey 3.1
      18 September 2017 at 2:21 pm

      Cos that was the most important part of the post, how old is Lynn Prentice.

      Am laughing that you know Farrar just had his 50th.

    • lprent 3.2
      18 September 2017 at 3:13 pm

      Born 1959. Pretty obvious if my first post uni job was in 1981.

      Have the born in 1959 tee-shirt. My partner got it for me. The young engineers I work with seem to find it as amusing as she did.

  4. greywarshark 4
    18 September 2017 at 2:29 pm

    alwyn
    There are a lot of things you don’t realise and you never will.

  5. Ad 5
    18 September 2017 at 2:57 pm

    I would agree with you that you need politicians who understand where all the elements join up. Farrar is making cheap shots, but this is the week to make cheap shots back and not get quite so caught up in the nuances.

    The people standing for election are standing for the public sector, not the private sector.

    Jacinda Ardern – Plenty of experience at the top end of 2 ruling Labour governments. Leadership of which is what she is applying for. Qualified.

    Kelvin Davis – Plenty of public sector experience. Qualified.

    Andrew Little – Massive union and employment experience as negotiator and as litigator, for public and private sector industries.

    Grant Robertson – Plenty of public sector experience.

    Phil Twyford – plenty of public sector experience including internationally, and knows how to deal to lobbyists because he was one. Qualified.

    Megan Woods – massive academic and practical experience in economic development. Qualified.

    Chris Hipkins – plenty of public sector experience. Qualified.

    Carmel Sepuloni – public and NGO experience in social welfare. Qualified.

    David Clark – experience in Treasury. Qualified.

    Think about that. Credibility and qualifications for applying for public sector jobs.

    Now compare that to the top nine for National.

    Bill English – tenant farmer of depressed and shrinking Southland village. Sound grounding in Treasury and achieved steady downward path for 80% of NZ population.

    Paula Bennett – disqualified by misusing public information, otherwise got a Churchill Fellowship as a perk of being a Minister. No policy contributions of any note in 9 years.

    Steven Joyce – No public sector experience. Messed up the Sky City deal, in charge of our largest purpose-built business-focused Ministry for 9 years and altered the productive economy not one inch.

    Gerry Brownlee – Public sector experience as woodwork teacher. Put in charge of the largest-ever building project in New Zealand history that has by every account ensured that Christchurch will never, ever recover despite having unlimited taxpayer, City, and insurance money to make it happen.

    Simon Bridges – qualified at taking over Labour’s projects (including Labour’s Len Brown City Rail Link project) and making them happen.

    Amy Adams – No public sector experience. As a result achieved fuck all in 9 years.

    Jonathan Coleman – General Practitioner and business consultant who by every measure of societal illness has made the health system worse

    Chris FInlayson – lawyer who did a lot of good despite being more neurotic than a Sharpei crossed with a Sheltie.

    Michael Woodhouse – No public sector experience. As a result stuck his face on the fire hydrant of immigration and couldn’t figure out how to turn the water off

  6. tc 6
    18 September 2017 at 3:03 pm

    Ouch the logic it burns almost as much as DPF’s hypocracy…excellent Post Lynn.

    A parasite who is sucking taxpayer money and also doing national party polling so an audit of his segregation/chinese walls seems in order.

    If he’s such a legend in business he’s got nothing to fear has he and in such a high profile position he can’t say it’s not deserved…..but he’ll whine like all national manchildren do when made accountable.

  7. Sans Cle 7
    18 September 2017 at 3:04 pm

    And lest we forget the insidious role he played over last nine years, John Campbell on Farrar/Key:
    “On election night 12 years later, having just been made prime minister for a third term, Key triumphantly thanked his pollster, David Farrar, by name: the country’s “best”, he declared, admitting, as the New Zealand Herald reported, that he had rung Farrar “night after night, even though he wasn’t supposed to”.

    The man who’d entered Parliament declaring a belief in something better than poll-driven politics had subverted himself. Gamekeeper turned pollster.”

    That Key chose to thank Farrar and Slater post 2014 election should NEVER be forgotten.

    • alwyn 7.1
      18 September 2017 at 7:43 pm

      “That Key chose to thank …….. Slater post 2014 election.
      Really? Do you have any evidence at all for that?
      Or is it a fake memory that you are propagating?
      They are quite common you know, and this looks like one of them.

      • Muttonbird 7.1.1
        18 September 2017 at 7:46 pm

        Farrar and Slater are identical in terms of their dirty politics. Key freely admitted consulting Slater and refused to show the correspondence.

      • Sans Cle 7.1.2
        18 September 2017 at 8:58 pm

        I recall Key saying “cheers Cam” at the end of a speech. I recall being appalled at the time, as it was after Dirty Politics was published. I don’t think it’s a fake memory.

  8. adam 8
    18 September 2017 at 3:07 pm

    We live in a country with so many mythological narratives going on, it is no wonder some one like Farrar spins the way he does.

    On top of the more classical ones, like ‘rugged men who built this country’. The new myths which accompanied the 4th labour government and beyond, have created a space in the sphere of politics, which is almost devoid of any attachment to reality.

    So big up’s lprent, for peeling back some of that mythology with this post.

    • popexplosion 8.1
      18 September 2017 at 3:40 pm

      In order to sell more milk to provide for the demand in China, Key rushed to help dairy conversions. Now basic economics teachers if we sell something we get lots of foreign currency to distribute and buy stuff from overseas, balance of payments etc. Another way to divest NZ of the burden of a windfall is to trade currency at a loss to yourself in a foreign country. Aka where Farrar enters the fray, distorting the group think and keep attention away from how actually we can afford to invest in the future.

  9. greywarshark 9
    18 September 2017 at 3:21 pm

    David Farrar’s expose’ of his difficult circumstances learning about business, reminds me of the one from Theotherside? recently about how hard it is to manage on over $100,000 for a family.

    Now they have true difficulties but these people are hung up on getting their soup ladle into the finest ice cream because they deserve it, while the majority merely go for the cheapest, and feel satisfied to have something reasonable.

  10. Scotty 10
    18 September 2017 at 3:42 pm

    Farrar on the RNZ panel today with Ganesh Nana.

  11. Centre Forward 11
    18 September 2017 at 4:10 pm

    As best as I can ascertain, the author of this post is not standing for election, so his/her credentials are irrelevant. What is relevant, is that the author has completely failed to address the key point of Farrar’s post, which was summed up as follows:

    “So anyway I thought it would be interesting to look at how many Labour front bench MPs have worked in the private sector. 87% of all jobs in New Zealand are in the private sector. Now some of those are non-profit jobs but I’d estimate around 75% of jobs would be in the for-profit sector.”

    So, let me paraphrase something this author wrote:

    [deleted]

    [lprent: I didn’t say that. Banned for 1 month for lying about what an author actually wrote. Read the policy. Trying to tell us what we actually said by ‘paraphrasing’ is still just being a really dumb liar. You can quote or you can explain your viewpoint. You may not tell me what I wrote.

    I guess you are a brown-nosing arse licking acolyte of Farrar. he is fond about lying about what other people actually are saying as well. ]

    • lprent 11.1
      18 September 2017 at 4:16 pm

      As best as I can ascertain, the author of this post is not standing for election, so his/her credentials are irrelevant.

      David Farrar isn’t standing for election, but feels the need to comment on something that he knows fuck all about. I see that you follow in his example – being a blithering idiot.

      In my much better informed view, there are no business people in National’s front-bench. There appear to be some crony capitalists who don’t understand much about productive business or government. Try reading the post again.

      You won’t be able to comment because “paraphrasing” what authors or even commenters actually say is a very fast way to get banned. It is a cheap trick tactic that deserves contempt on the fools that use it. Usually Actoids who all seem to have had the same indoctrination.

  12. Sanctuary 12
    18 September 2017 at 4:25 pm

    Farrar is on the panel – again – today. When Labour wins, and the new minister of broadcasting calls in the head of RNZ to distribute the extra cash for TV etc, I hope they have a quiet exchange of views on Mr. Mora’s show and his guests.

  13. ropata 13
    18 September 2017 at 4:38 pm

    Crony capitalism is long standing National tradition. Remember the German company who set up in competition to NZ Gib board? A superior product and cheaper. But they could not operate here because the big suppliers have the market sewn up.

    Oravida is a much more egregious example. And it seems the road construction industry owns the National party purse strings. The “Roger Awards” demonstrate how big corps in NZ tend to operate.

    Private sector “credentials” in the little fish pond of NZ don’t mean jack

  14. simonm 14
    18 September 2017 at 5:22 pm

    “David Farrar, as far as I can see, runs what I can only describe as being a petty small crony capitalist business that largely sells services to the National Party…”

    Well he has to do something for a living. No-one’s likely to offer him a modelling contract anytime soon, are they?

  15. ES Skeptic 15
    18 September 2017 at 6:01 pm

    Nothing like a good old fashioned dick measuring competition. Farrer wins for having one.

  16. riffer 16
    18 September 2017 at 6:04 pm

    Sorry, I worked at the same struggling ad agency as David. He was a snivelling Nats sycophant then, and he still is. He’s completely full of shit. Useless worker too.

  17. Incognito 17
    18 September 2017 at 9:29 pm

    But one area that piqued my interest during my academic stint was the utter dependence of businesses on the supporting role of government. As well as utter dependence of government on the revenues gained directly or indirectly from business.

    The invisible hand in the velvet glove that form the iron fist that has been pounding the environment and us into surrender, subordination and slavery. Is it finally starting to lose its grip?

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    The government has a problem: lots of people want information from it all the time. Information about benefits, about superannuation, ACC coverage and healthcare, taxes, jury service, immigration - and that's just the routine stuff. Responding to all of those queries takes a lot of time and costs a lot ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    1 day ago
  • Christopher Luxon: A Man of “Faith” and “Compassion” Speaks on the Treaty Pr...

    Synopsis: Today - we explore two different realities. One where National lost. And another - which is the one we are living with here. Note: the footnote on increased fees/taxes may be of interest to some readers.Article open.Subscribe nowIt’s an alternate timeline.Yesterday as news broke that the central North Island ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    1 day ago
  • Member’s Day

    Today is a Member's Day. First up is the third reading of Dan Bidois' Fair Trading (Gift Card Expiry) Amendment Bill, which will be followed by the committee stage of Deborah Russell's Family Proceedings (Dissolution for Family Violence) Amendment Bill. This will be followed by the second readings of Katie ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    1 day ago
  • Northern Expressway Boondoggle

    Transport Minister Simeon Brown has been soaring high with his hubris of getting on and building motorways but some uncomfortable realities are starting to creep in. Back in July he announced that the government was pushing on with a Northland Expressway using an “accelerated delivery strategy” The Coalition Government is ...
    Greater AucklandBy Matt L
    1 day ago
  • Never Enough

    However much I'm falling downNever enoughHowever much I'm falling outNever, never enough!Whatever smile I smile the mostNever enoughHowever I smile I smile the mostSongwriters: Robert James Smith / Simon Gallup / Boris Williams / Porl ThompsonToday in Nick’s Kōrero:A death in the Emergency Department at Rotorua Hospital.A sad homecoming and ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    1 day ago
  • Question Two of The Kākā Project of 2026 for 2050 (TKP 26/50)

    Kia ora.Last month I proposed restarting The Kākā Project work done before the 2023 election as The Kākā Project of 2026 for 2050 (TKP 26/50), aiming to be up and running before the 2025 Local Government elections, and then in a finalised form by the 2026 General Elections.A couple of ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 day ago
  • Why is God Obsessed with Spanking?

    Hi,If you’ve read Webworm for a while, you’ll be aware that I’ve spent a lot of time writing about horrific, corrupt megachurches and the shitty men who lead them.And in all of this writing, I think some people have this idea that I hate Christians or Christianity. As I explain ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    2 days ago
  • Inside the public service

    In 2023, there were 63,117 full-time public servants earning, on average, $97,200 a year each. All up, that is a cost to the Government of $6.1 billion a year. It’s little wonder, then, that the public service has become a political whipping boy castigated by the Prime Minister and members ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    2 days ago
  • New Models Show Stronger Atlantic Hurricanes, and More of Them

    This is a re-post from This is Not Cool Here’s an example of some of the best kind of climate reporting, especially in that it relates to impacts that will directly affect the audience. WFLA in Tampa conducted a study in collaboration with the Department of Energy, analyzing trends in ...
    Skeptical Science
    2 days ago
  • Where ever do they find these people?

    A riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma, is how Winston Churchill described the Soviet Union in 1939.  How might the great man have described the 2024 government of New Zealand, do we think? I can't imagine he would have thought them all that mysterious or enigmatic. I think ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    2 days ago
  • Motorway madness

    How mad is National's obsession with roads? One of their pet projects - a truck highway to Whangārei - is going to eat 10% of our total infrastructure budget for the next 25 years: Official advice from the Infrastructure Commission shows the government could be set to spend 10 ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    2 days ago
  • Our transport planning system is fundamentally broken

    Ever since Wayne Brown became mayor (nearly two years ago now) he’s been wanting to progress an “integrated transport plan” with the government – which sounded a lot like the previous Auckland Transport Alignment Project (ATAP) with just a different name. It seems like a fair bit of work progressed ...
    Greater AucklandBy Matt L
    2 days ago
  • Thou Shalt Not Steal

    And they taught usWhoa-oh, black woman, thou shalt not stealI said, hey, yeah, black man, thou shalt not stealWe're gonna civilise your black barbaric livesAnd we teach you how to kneelBut your history couldn't hide the genocideThe hypocrisy to us was realFor your Jesus said you're supposed to giveThe oppressed ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    2 days ago
  • How mismanagement, not wind and solar energy, causes blackouts

    This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections In February 2021, several severe storms swept across the United States, culminating with one that the Weather Channel unofficially named Winter Storm Uri. In Texas, Uri knocked out power to over 4.5 million homes and 10 million people. Hundreds of Texans died as a ...
    Skeptical Science
    2 days ago
  • The ‘Infra Boys’ Highway to Budget Hell

    Chris Bishop has enthusiastically dubbed himself and Simeon Brown “the Infra Boys”, but they need to take note of the sums around their roading dreams. Photo: Lynn GrievesonMōrena. Long stories short, here’s my top six things to note in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, climate and poverty on Tuesday, September ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago
  • Media Link: “AVFA” on the politics of desperation.

    In this podcast Selwyn Manning and I talk about what appears to be a particular type of end-game in the long transition to systemic realignment in international affairs, in which the move to a new multipolar order with different characteristics … Continue reading → ...
    KiwipoliticoBy Pablo
    3 days ago
  • The cost of flying blind

    Just over two years ago, when worries about immediate mass-death from covid had waned, and people started to talk about covid becoming "endemic", I asked various government agencies what work they'd done on the costs of that - and particularly, on the cost of Long Covid. The answer was that ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    3 days ago
  • Seymour vs The Clergy

    For paid subscribers“Aotearoa is not as malleable as they think,” Lynette wrote last week on Homage to Simeon Brown:In my heart/mind, that phrase ricocheted over the next days, translating out to “We are not so malleable.”It gave me comfort. I always felt that we were given an advantage in New ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    3 days ago
  • Unstoppable Minister McKee

    All smiles, I know what it takes to fool this townI'll do it 'til the sun goes downAnd all through the nighttimeOh, yeahOh, yeah, I'll tell you what you wanna hearLeave my sunglasses on while I shed a tearIt's never the right timeYeah, yeahSong by SiaLast night there was a ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    3 days ago
  • Could outdoor dining revitalise Queen Street?

    This is a guest post by Ben van Bruggen of The Urban Room,.An earlier version of this post appeared on LinkedIn. All images are by Ben. Have you noticed that there’s almost nowhere on Queen Street that invites you to stop, sit outside and enjoy a coffee, let alone ...
    Greater AucklandBy Guest Post
    3 days ago
  • Hipkins challenges long-held Labour view Government must stay below 30% of GDP

    Hipkins says when considering tax settings and the size of government, the big question mark is over what happens with the balance between the size of the working-age population and the growing number of Kiwis over the age of 65. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāMōrena. Long stories short; here’s ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago
  • Your invite to Webworm Chat (a bit like Reddit)

    Hi,One of the things I love the most about Webworm is, well, you. The community that’s gathered around this lil’ newsletter isn’t something I ever expected when I started writing it four years ago — now the comments section is one of my favourite places on the internet. The comments ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    4 days ago
  • Seymour’s Treaty bill making Nats nervous

    A delay in reappointing a top civil servant may indicate a growing nervousness within the National Party about the potential consequences of David Seymour’s Treaty Principles Bill. Dave Samuels is waiting for reappointment as the Chief Executive of Te Puni Kokiri, but POLITIK understands that what should have been a ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    4 days ago
  • 2024 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #36

    A listing of 34 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, September 1, 2024 thru Sat, September 7, 2024. Story of the week Our Story of the Week is about how peopele are not born stupid but can be fooled ...
    Skeptical Science
    4 days ago
  • Time for a Change

    You act as thoughYou are a blind manWho's crying, crying 'boutAll the virgins that are dyingIn your habitual dreams, you knowSeems you need more sleepBut like a parrot in a flaming treeI know it's pretty hard to seeI'm beginning to wonderIf it's time for a changeSong: Phil JuddThe next line ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    4 days ago
  • Security Politics in Peripheral Democracies: Excerpt Six.

    The “double shocks” in post Cold War international affairs. The end of the Cold War fundamentally altered the global geostrategic context. In particular, the end of the nuclear “balance of terror” between the USA and USSR, coupled with the relaxation … Continue reading → ...
    KiwipoliticoBy Pablo
    4 days ago
  • Buried deep

    Here's a bike on Manchester St, Feilding. I took this photo on Friday night after a very nice dinner at the very nice Vietnamese restaurant, Saigon, on Manchester Street.I thought to myself, Manchester Street? Bicycle? This could be the very spot.To recap from an earlier edition: on a February night ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    5 days ago
  • Security Politics in Peripheral Democracies, Excerpt Five.

    Military politics as a distinct “partial regime.” Notwithstanding their peripheral status, national defense offers the raison d’être of the combat function, which their relative vulnerability makes apparent, so military forces in small peripheral democracies must be very conscious of events … Continue reading → ...
    KiwipoliticoBy Pablo
    5 days ago
  • Leadership for Dummies

    If you’re going somewhere, do you maybe take a bit of an interest in the place? Read up a bit on the history, current events, places to see - that sort of thing? Presumably, if you’re taking a trip somewhere, it’s for a reason. But what if you’re going somewhere ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago
  • Home again

    Hello! Here comes the Saturday edition of More Than A Feilding, catching you up on anything you may have missed. Share Read more ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    5 days ago
  • Dead even tie for hottest August ever

    Long stories short, here’s the top six news items of note in climate news for Aotearoa-NZ this week, and a discussion above between Bernard Hickey and The Kākā’s climate correspondent Cathrine Dyer:The month of August was 1.49˚C warmer than pre-industrial levels, tying with 2023 for the warmest August ever, according ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    6 days ago
  • The Hoon around the week to Sept 7

    The podcast above of the weekly ‘Hoon’ webinar for paying subscribers on Thursday night features co-hosts and talking about the week’s news with:The Kākā’s climate correspondent on the latest climate science on rising temperatures and the debate about how to responde to climate disinformation; and special guest ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    6 days ago
  • Have We an Infrastructure Deficit?

    An Infrastructure New Zealand report says we are keeping up with infrastructure better than we might have thought from the grumbling. But the challenge of providing for the future remains.I was astonished to learn that the quantity of our infrastructure has been keeping up with economic growth. Your paper almost ...
    PunditBy Brian Easton
    6 days ago
  • Councils reject racism

    Last month, National passed a racist law requiring local councils to remove their Māori wards, or hold a referendum on them at the 2025 local body election. The final councils voted today, and the verdict is in: an overwhelming rejection. Only two councils out of 45 supported National's racist agenda ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    6 days ago
  • Homage to Simeon Brown

    Open to all - happy weekend ahead, friends.Today I just want to be petty. It’s the way I imagine this chap is -Not only as a political persona. But his real-deal inner personality, in all its glory - appears to be pure pettiness & populist driven.Sometimes I wonder if Simeon ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    6 days ago
  • Government of deceit

    When National cut health spending and imposed a commissioner on Te Whatu Ora, they claimed that it was necessary because the organisation was bloated and inefficient, with "14 layers of management between the CEO and the patient". But it turns out they were simply lying: Health Minister Shane Reti’s ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    6 days ago
  • The professionals actually think and act like our Government has no fiscal crisis at all

    Treasury staff at work: The demand for a new 12-year Government bond was so strong, Treasury decided to double the amount of bonds it sold. Photo: Lynn GrievesonMōrena. Long stories short; here’s my top six things to note in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, climate and poverty on Friday, September ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    6 days ago
  • Weekly Roundup 6-September-2024

    Welcome to another Friday and another roundup of stories that caught our eye this week. As always, this and every post is brought to you by the Greater Auckland crew. If you like our work and you’d like to see more of it, we invite you to join our regular ...
    Greater AucklandBy Greater Auckland
    6 days ago
  • Security Politics in Peripheral Democracies; Excerpt Four.

    Internal versus external security. Regardless of who rules, large countries can afford to separate external and internal security functions (even if internal control functions predominate under authoritarian regimes). In fact, given the logic of power concentration and institutional centralization of … Continue reading → ...
    KiwipoliticoBy Pablo
    6 days ago
  • A Hole In The River

    There's a hole in the river where her memory liesFrom the land of the living to the air and skyShe was coming to see him, but something changed her mindDrove her down to the riverThere is no returnSongwriters: Neil Finn/Eddie RaynerThe king is dead; long live the queen!Yesterday was a ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    6 days ago
  • Bright Blue His Jacket Ain’t But I Love This Fellow: A Review and Analysis of The Rings of Power E...

    My conclusion last week was that The Rings of Power season two represented a major improvement in the series. The writing’s just so much better, and honestly, its major problems are less the result of the current episodes and more creatures arising from season one plot-holes. I found episode three ...
    A Phuulish FellowBy strda221
    7 days ago
  • Who should we thank for the defeat of the Nazis

    As a child in the 1950s, I thought the British had won the Second World War because that’s what all our comics said. Later on, the films and comics told me that the Americans won the war. In my late teens, I found out that the Soviet Union ...
    Open ParachuteBy Ken
    7 days ago
  • Skeptical Science New Research for Week #36 2024

    Open access notables Diurnal Temperature Range Trends Differ Below and Above the Melting Point, Pithan & Schatt, Geophysical Research Letters: The globally averaged diurnal temperature range (DTR) has shrunk since the mid-20th century, and climate models project further shrinking. Observations indicate a slowdown or reversal of this trend in recent decades. ...
    Skeptical Science
    1 week ago
  • Join us for the weekly Hoon on YouTube Live at 5pm

    Photo by Jenny Bess on UnsplashCome and join us for our weekly ‘Hoon’ webinar with paying subscribers to The Kākā for an hour at 5 pm.Jump on this link on YouTube Livestream for our chat about the week’s news with special guests:5.00 pm - 5.10 pm - Bernard and ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago
  • Media Link: Discussing the NZSIS Security Threat Report.

    I was interviewed by Mike Hosking at NewstalkZB and a few other media outlets about the NZSIS Security Threat Report released recently. I have long advocated for more transparency, accountability and oversight of the NZ Intelligence Community, and although the … Continue reading → ...
    KiwipoliticoBy Pablo
    1 week ago
  • How do I make this better for people who drive Ford Rangers?

    Home, home again to a long warm embrace. Plenty of reasons to be glad to be back.But also, reasons for dejection.You, yes you, Simeon Brown, you odious little oik, you bible thumping petrol-pandering ratfucker weasel. You would be Reason Number One. Well, maybe first among equals with Seymour and Of-Seymour ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    1 week ago
  • A missed opportunity

    The government introduced a pretty big piece of constitutional legislation today: the Parliament Bill. But rather than the contentious constitutional change (four year terms) pushed by Labour, this merely consolidates the existing legislation covering Parliament - currently scattered across four different Acts - into one piece of legislation. While I ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    1 week ago
  • Nicola Willis Seeks New Sidekick To Help Fix NZ’s Economy

    Synopsis:Nicola Willis is seeking a new Treasury Boss after Dr Caralee McLiesh’s tenure ends this month. She didn’t listen to McLiesh. Will she listen to the new one?And why is Atlas Network’s Taxpayers Union chiming in?Please consider subscribing or supporting my work. Thanks, Tui.About CaraleeAt the beginning of July, Newsroom ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    1 week ago
  • Inflation alive and kicking in our land of the long white monopolies

    The golden days of profit continue for the the Foodstuffs (Pak’n’Save and New World) and Woolworths supermarket duopoly. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāMōrena. Long stories short; here’s my top six things to note in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, climate and poverty on Thursday, September 5:The Groceries Commissioner has ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago
  • The thermodynamics of electric vs. internal combustion cars

    This is a re-post from The Climate Brink by Andrew Dessler I love thermodynamics. Thermodynamics is like your mom: it may not tell you what you can do, but it damn well tells you what you can’t do. I’ve written a few previous posts that include thermodynamics, like one on air capture of ...
    Skeptical Science
    1 week ago
  • Security Politics in Peripheral Democracies: Excerpt Three.

    The notion of geopolitical  “periphery.” The concept of periphery used here refers strictly to what can be called the geopolitical periphery. Being on the geopolitical periphery is an analytic virtue because it makes for more visible policy reform in response … Continue reading → ...
    KiwipoliticoBy Pablo
    1 week ago
  • Venus Hum

    Fill me up with soundThe world sings with me a million smiles an hourI can see me dancing on my radioI can hear you singing in the blades of grassYellow dandelions on my way to schoolBig Beautiful Sky!Song: Venus Hum.Good morning, all you lovely people, and welcome to the 700th ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    1 week ago
  • I Went to a Creed Concert

    Note: The audio attached to this Webworm compliments today’s newsletter. I collected it as I met people attending a Creed concert. Their opinions may differ to mine. Read more ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    1 week ago
  • Government migration policy backfires; thousands of unemployed nurses

    The country has imported literally thousands of nurses over the past few months yet whether they are being employed as nurses is another matter. Just what is going on with HealthNZ and it nurses is, at best, opaque, in that it will not release anything but broad general statistics and ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    1 week ago
  • A Time For Unity.

    Emotional Response: Prime Minister Christopher Luxon addresses mourners at the tangi of King Tuheitia on Turangawaewae Marae on Saturday, 31 August 2024.THE DEATH OF KING TUHEITIA could hardly have come at a worse time for Maoridom. The power of the Kingitanga to unify te iwi Māori was demonstrated powerfully at January’s ...
    Bowalley Road
    1 week ago
  • Climate Change: Failed again

    National's tax cut policies relied on stealing revenue from the ETS (previously used to fund emissions reduction) to fund tax cuts to landlords. So how's that going? Badly. Today's auction failed again, with zero units (of a possible 7.6 million) sold. Which means they have a $456 million hole in ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    1 week ago
  • Security Politics in Peripheral Democracies: Excerpt Two.

    A question of size. Small size generally means large vulnerability. The perception of threat is broader and often more immediate for small countries. The feeling of comparative weakness, of exposure to risk, and of potential intimidation by larger powers often … Continue reading → ...
    KiwipoliticoBy Pablo
    1 week ago
  • Nicola Willis’s Very Unserious Bungling of the Kiwirail Interislander Cancellation

    Open to all with kind thanks to all subscribers and supporters.Today, RNZ revealed that despite MFAT advice to Nicola Willis to be very “careful and deliberate” in her communications with the South Korean government, prior to any public announcement on cancelling Kiwirail’s i-Rex, Willis instead told South Korea 26 minutes ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    1 week ago
  • Satisfying the Minister’s Speed Obsession

    The Minister of Transport’s speed obsession has this week resulted in two new consultations for 110km/h speed limits, one in Auckland and one in Christchurch. There has also been final approval of the Kapiti Expressway to move to 110km/h following an earlier consultation. While the changes will almost certainly see ...
    Greater AucklandBy Matt L
    1 week ago
  • What if we freed up our streets, again?

    This guest post is by Tommy de Silva, a local rangatahi and freelance writer who is passionate about making the urban fabric of Tāmaki Makaurau-Auckland more people-focused and sustainable. New Zealand’s March-April 2020 Level 4 Covid response (aka “lockdown”) was somehow both the best and worst six weeks of ...
    Greater AucklandBy Guest Post
    1 week ago
  • No Alarms And No Surprises

    A heart that's full up like a landfillA job that slowly kills youBruises that won't healYou look so tired, unhappyBring down the governmentThey don't, they don't speak for usI'll take a quiet lifeA handshake of carbon monoxideAnd no alarms and no surprisesThe fabulous English comedian Stewart Lee once wrote a ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    1 week ago
  • Five ingenious ways people could beat the heat without cranking the AC

    This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Daisy Simmons Every summer brings a new spate of headlines about record-breaking heat – for good reason: 2023 was the hottest year on record, in keeping with the upward trend scientists have been clocking for decades. With climate forecasts suggesting that heat waves ...
    Skeptical Science
    1 week ago

  • New Bill to crack down on youth vaping

    The coalition Government has introduced legislation to tackle youth vaping, Associate Health Minister Casey Costello announced today. “The Smokefree Environments and Regulated Products Amendment Bill (No 2) is aimed at preventing youth vaping.  “While vaping has contributed to a significant fall in our smoking rates, the rise in youth vaping ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 hour ago
  • Interest in agricultural and horticultural products regulatory review welcomed

    Regulation Minister David Seymour, Environment Minister Penny Simmonds, and Food Safety Minister Andrew Hoggard have welcomed interest in the agricultural and horticultural products regulatory review. The review by the Ministry for Regulation is looking at how to speed up the process to get farmers and growers access to the safe, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 hours ago
  • Bill to allow online charity lotteries passes first reading

    Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says the Government is moving at pace to ensure lotteries for charitable purposes are allowed to operate online permanently. Charities fundraising online, such as those run by the Heart Foundation, Coastguard NZ, Auckland Rescue Helicopter Trust and local hospices will continue to do ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 hours ago
  • Tax exempt threshold changes to benefit startups

    Technology companies are among the startups which will benefit from increases to current thresholds of exempt employee share schemes, Science, Innovation and Technology Minister Judith Collins and Revenue Minister Simon Watts say. Tax exempt thresholds for the schemes are increasing as part of the Taxation (Annual Rates for 2024-25, Emergency ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 hours ago
  • Getting the healthcare you need, when you need it

    The path to faster cancer treatment, an increase in immunisation rates, shorter stays in emergency departments and quick assessment and treatments when you are sick has been laid out today. Health Minister Dr Shane Reti has revealed details of how the ambitious health targets the Government has set will be ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 hours ago
  • Targeted supports to accelerate reading

    The coalition Government is delivering targeted and structured literacy supports to accelerate learning for struggling readers. From Term 1 2025, $33 million of funding for Reading Recovery and Early Literacy Support will be reprioritised to interventions which align with structured approaches to teaching. “Structured literacy will change the way children ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 hours ago
  • Survivors invited to Abuse in Care national apology

    With two months until the national apology to survivors of abuse in care, expressions of interest have opened for survivors wanting to attend. “The Prime Minister will deliver a national apology on Tuesday 12 November in Parliament. It will be a very significant day for survivors, their families, whānau and ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    9 hours ago
  • Rangatahi inspire at Ngā Manu Kōrero final

    Ehara taku toa i te toa takitahi, engari he toa takitini kē - My success is not mine alone but is the from the strength of the many. Aotearoa New Zealand’s top young speakers are an inspiration for all New Zealanders to learn more about the depth and beauty conveyed ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    10 hours ago
  • Driving structured literacy in schools

    The coalition Government is driving confidence in reading and writing in the first years of schooling. “From the first time children step into the classroom, we’re equipping them and teachers with the tools they need to be brilliant in literacy. “From 1 October, schools and kura with Years 0-3 will receive ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Labour’s misleading information is disappointing

    Labour’s misinformation about firearms law is dangerous and disappointing, Associate Justice Minister Nicole McKee says.   “Labour and Ginny Andersen have repeatedly said over the past few days that the previous Labour Government completely banned semi-automatic firearms in 2019 and that the Coalition Government is planning to ‘reintroduce’ them.   ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Govt takes action on mpox response, widens access to vaccine

    The Government is taking immediate action on a number of steps around New Zealand’s response to mpox, including improving access to vaccine availability so people who need it can do so more easily, Health Minister Dr Shane Reti and Associate Health Minister David Seymour announced today. “Mpox is obviously a ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Next steps agreed for Treaty Principles Bill

    Associate Justice Minister David Seymour says Cabinet has agreed to the next steps for the Treaty Principles Bill. “The Treaty Principles Bill provides an opportunity for Parliament, rather than the courts, to define the principles of the Treaty, including establishing that every person is equal before the law,” says Mr Seymour. “Parliament ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Government unlocking potential of AI

    Science, Innovation and Technology Minister Judith Collins today announced a programme to drive Artificial Intelligence (AI) uptake among New Zealand businesses. “The AI Activator will unlock the potential of AI for New Zealand businesses through a range of support, including access to AI research experts, technical assistance, AI tools and resources, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Government releases Wairoa flood review findings

    The independent rapid review into the Wairoa flooding event on 26 June 2024 has been released, Environment Minister Penny Simmonds, Local Government Minister Simeon Brown and Emergency Management and Recovery Minister Mark Mitchell announced today. “We welcome the review’s findings and recommendations to strengthen Wairoa's resilience against future events,” Ms ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Promoting faster payment times for government

    The Government is sending a clear message to central government agencies that they must prioritise paying invoices in a timely manner, Small Business and Manufacturing Minister Andrew Bayly says. Data released today promotes transparency by publishing the payment times of each central government agency. This data will be published quarterly ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Acknowledgement to Kīngi Tuheitia speech

    E te māngai o te Whare Pāremata, kua riro māku te whakaputa i te waka ki waho moana. E te Pirimia tēnā koe.Mr Speaker, it is my privilege to take this adjournment kōrero forward.  Prime Minister – thank you for your leadership. Taupiri te maunga Waikato te awa Te Wherowhero ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Interim fix to GST adjustment rules to support businesses

    Inland Revenue can begin processing GST returns for businesses affected by a historic legislative drafting error, Revenue Minister Simon Watts says. “Inland Revenue has become aware of a legislative drafting error in the GST adjustment rules after changes were made in 2023 which were meant to simplify the process. This ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Strong uptake for cervical screening self-test

    More than 80 per cent of New Zealand women being tested have opted for a world-leading self-test for cervical screening since it became available a year ago. Minister of Health Dr Shane Reti and Associate Minister Casey Costello, in her responsibility for Women’s Health, say it’s fantastic to have such ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Ministry for Regulation’s first Strategic Intentions document sets ambitious direction

    Regulation Minister David Seymour welcomes the Ministry for Regulation’s first Strategic Intentions document, which sets out how the Ministry will carry out its work and deliver on its purpose. “I have set up the Ministry for Regulation with three tasks. One, to cut existing red tape with sector reviews. Two, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
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  • Māori Education Advisory Group established

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