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Denier dissected 2

Written By: - Date published: 3:30 pm, September 27th, 2010 - 38 comments
Categories: climate change - Tags: ,

Christopher Monckton has been one of the “highest profile” climate change deniers. We’ve written about him here once or twice (or more). Well, it looks like his days as poster pinup for the denier movement are well and truly over. He’s busted:

‘Chemical nonsense’: Leading scientists refute Lord Monckton’s attack on climate science

Nine ‘profoundly wrong’ claims made by Ukip deputy leader refuted by climate experts in a document filed with US Congress

A coalition of leading climate scientists yesterday filed a 48-page document to the US Congress refuting an attack on climate science made earlier this year by the Ukip deputy leader, Lord Christopher Monckton.

The detailed rebuttal addresses nine key scientific claims made by Monckton, a prominent climate sceptic, to a house select committee hearing in May. It includes the responses of 21 climate scientists who variously conclude that Monckton’s assertions are “very misleading”, “profoundly wrong”, “simply false”, “chemical nonsense”, and “cannot be supported by climate physics”. …

“For those without some familiarity with climate science, [Monckton’s] testimony may appear to have scientific validity,” said yesterday’s response to Monckton’s claims . “We have therefore undertaken the task of soliciting responses from highly qualified climate scientists in each of the areas touched upon in Monckton’s testimony … In all cases, Monckton’s assertions are shown to be without merit – they are based on a thorough misunderstanding of the science of climate change.” …

Oh – and just by the way:

During his congressional testimony in May, Monckton was mocked by a Democratic congressman for claiming that he was a member of the House of Lords during a previous committee hearing appearance in 2009. Last month, the clerk of the parliaments, wrote to Monckton, a hereditary peer, stressing that he should stop referring to himself as a member of the House of Lords.

Monckton is now shown to be a liar at every level. Let’s hope that’s the last that we ever hear of him.

38 comments on “Denier dissected 2 ”

  1. Monckton is now shown to be a liar at every level. Let’s hope that’s the last that we ever hear of him.

    I sort of agree although I will miss those twisted calculated misrepresentations of the science and the utterly conclusive responses issued in response.

  2. rich 2

    I think he’s cruising for a beheading.

    The 1325 law that allows for headlopping of bogus peers was never really repealed, y’know. I can hear the squelch now.

  3. Ten Miles Over 3

    It always pays to discount the outliers. Monckton on one side, Gore on the other. I’ve always considered them mirror images. It appears to be startling symmetry – IIRC a judge ruled there were 9 errors in Gore’s Inconvenient Truth.
    As with all issues, the truth is usually nearer the middle than the extremes.

    • So where is the “middle of the extremes”?

      That our world will be stuffed in 100 years if we do not take urgent action rather than in 50?

      • Ten Miles Over 3.1.1

        There is the real question… take what action? Start carbon trading? Given we’ve (maybe) just come out of a global financial crisis based on trading made-up commodities how could we have any expectation that creating another commodity market would have a good outcome?

        • nzfp 3.1.1.1

          Hey Ten Miles Over.
          Your question “take what action”? Well consider my post below and have a read of this article Sustainable Energy Development: How Costs Can Be Cut In Half”.

          The best way to resolve the enviroment question is to resolve the economic question which is at the root of all of our social problems.

          Resolving the economic quetion is easy. Stop voting National or Labour until they start promoting real alternatives to neo-liberal Washington consensus monetarism along with real tax reform.

    • Draco T Bastard 3.2

      Actually, I don’t think the truth is ever in the middle. Normally it’s fairly extreme from the consensus view. The existence of Climate Change only appears extreme from where our culture sits in its greed and destruction of the environment. Stopping that greed in destruction is seen as extreme and yet it is no less than simple fact.

      • nzfp 3.2.1

        “Stopping that greed in destruction is seen as extreme and yet it is no less than simple fact.” absolutely!

        It has been demonstrated by many economists and politcal economic commentators that in our current neo-liberal economic climate it is an economic imperative to be as wasteful and destructive as possible. without waste we cannot have growth and without growth we cannot sustain our current economic activity.

        I assert that the solution to the problem of ecological destruction would start with a fundamental change to our economic paradigm. Anything else (Al Gores ETS scheming) is simply window dressing and small patches and will achieve nothing more then the shift of wealth from labour to the wealthy.

        It is well past the time of debating whether or not Climate Change exists or doesn’t exist, whether it is human caused or not. What we do know, and is undeniable is that our current human activity is destructive to the environment and must be addressed.

        The manufactured dichotomy of AGW proponents (Gore) vs Climate Change deniers (Monckton) is another media led distraction, like Maori vs Pakeha, White vs Black to keep us distracted from the solution – a change in economics.

    • NickS 3.3

      /facepalm

      The errors in Gore’s docu were minor compared to the multitude of fractally wrong crap Monckton et al have produced. To even call them similar is so utterly stupid I’m having trouble understanding how you can use a computer without destroying it.

      As for extremes, the research to date on positive feedback loops in climate change is worrying simply because they’re very real, rather than conjectures waiting to be tested. The only thing against them is further research to gauge the forcing and account for any negative feed-back loops that are or may occur to continue to refine the climate change models we have. But besides all that, the present models all posit 2-4 degree temperature increases, with sea levels dependent on what happens to Greenland + West Antarctic Ice sheets, leading to sea level increases of anywhere from 30cm upwards towards 14m+ for the worst case scenarios. So really, taking the middle in this case, as in many others is merely a sign of your own laziness and inability to think, on top of it also being an informal fallacy.

      • mickysavage 3.3.1

        The errors in Gore’s docu were minor compared to the multitude of fractally wrong crap Monckton et al have produced

        Agreed NickS. I was trying to suggest that the notion of “balance” meant that we are still going to hell, just not as fast as some are saying we are …

      • nzfp 3.3.2

        NickS grow and put your “/facepalm” rubbish in the bin where it belongs.

      • Ten Miles Over 3.3.3

        Yeah, whatever. Fractals are so vitally important to the debate I guess.

  4. deemac 4

    Ten Miles Over seems confused; there is no equivalence between (1) being wrong on the science (Monckton) and (2) making a few descriptive errors (Gore).

    • Ten Miles Over 4.1

      deemac – there are plenty of more credible hero’s than Gore. Come on, this is the guy who said the earth is millions of degrees inside. Why do you think he doesn’t take audience questions? He’s a front man, the face not the brains.

  5. MrSmith 5

    Unfortunately there is another Monckton just around the corner, I blame most of the denial over climate change on religion, I fair chunk of the worlds people still think that they can do whatever they like with the environment, as the earth was created as there play thing and what ever happens the big man will come and straighten it all out for them in the end. Here is a quote I picked up from Hot topic that I like. “In short, this is what denialism is – a willful refusal to rationally consider the evidence and draw the appropriate conclusions”. This quote nicely describes most religious people for my mind.

    • Redlogix 5.1

      This quote nicely describes most religious people for my mind.

      Describes virtually all fundamentalists…who in my book understand neither the science, nor their religion at all well.

      • Anne 5.1.1

        Hear hear. Fundamentalists of all kinds are loopheads, nutcases extraordinaire. They should be herded together and incarcerated on islands where they can scream and holler to their hearts content and nobody can hear them. The rest of us can then get on with saving the planet.

        I’m only half joking 😉

        anti-spam: contribution.

      • Clarke 5.1.2

        Religious fundamentalism – of whatever stripe – should be treated as the mental illness that it so clearly is.

  6. Kevin Campbell 6

    What crap you lot talk. Are you left wing or something?

    • Maynard J 6.1

      Phew, that’s pursuasive, k-dog. Maybe Climate Change is a myth after all.

      This guy is good.

      • billy fish 6.1.1

        Sold me totally on the idea – I’m off to burn some fossil fuel while pissing toxins into the water supply

  7. Anne 7

    Kevin Campbell has just proved the point 😀

  8. Kevin Campbell 8

    The warm climate change is good, its the cold climate change we can see coming I am worried about.

  9. Kevin Campbell 9

    He takes a well earned bow 🙂

  10. billy fish 10

    Can I recomend you all have a check of
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yKUPUznJZoE

    For one of the best statements ever on climate change.
    Nicely sums a lot of the PR issues up

  11. Corey 11

    What a load of bollox the hysterical claims of suicidal anthropomorphic climate change is.

    I’ll give you the benefit of the doubt and assume it is happening…

    How can we be so sure it will result in disastrous effects predicted? Weather/climate forecasters dont know whats happening next week let alone in 100 years! Is global warming even a bad thing? Some very significant scientific and moral questions are still very much unanswered.

    This “debate” has been hijacked to the point where any skeptical view is shredded and discounted without considering the facts of that view. This is anti-Enlightenment and anti-scientific. Its the behaviour of cults and fanatical groups to discount any criticism without giving it proper consideration. No wonder people like Monckton have to appeal to (their own) extremes.

    • lprent 11.1

      The main reason most skeptics get dissected is because they don’t understand the basic science, and are running arguments based on faith aimed at discrediting the science. That is clearly tbe case with the silly peer who is argues without any understanding of the basis of earth sciences (I did a degree in it, makes it easy to recognize ignorant blowhards). Science is based around skepticism and rechecking. However it isn’t based around taking entertaining comedians like monckton too seriously when they can’t offer anything apart from their opinion and a habit of producing meaningless munged graphs.

      • Corey 11.1.1

        Thanks for taking the time to reply.

        My opinion on this is that the truth is somewhere in the middle of both extremes.

        Having said that, I was hoping you could respond to my point about weather/climate forecasting as you are a custodian of the sciences. I will give you the moral high ground to start with by admitting that my field, economics, is not a science.

        When it comes to forecasting, not even the most complex models in economics can predict how an economy will have grown in 6 months time. Given the complexity and inter-relatedness of the eco-system (which I compare in complexity with a nation’s macroeconomy) how can we have any faith at all in climate forecasting in 100 years? Without knowing the statistics behind climate modelling I can only imagine the errors are so large that the exact opposite climate impacts could be equally likely to occur.

        I must say that I will sit firmly on the fence while others tear their hair out about alarmist projections. I think the very same critiques a number of posters make here about economics are equally valid for climate change.

        • NickS 11.1.1.1

          /groan

          1) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Argument_to_moderation
          – basically to determine the factual nature of a scientific argument etc, you actually need to understand the evidence, instead of merely being lazy and going for the easy route of the middle ground. It also helps to understand how science works, instead of merely only paying attention to news and denialist blogs.

          2) Climate Modelling is Not Economics Modelling.
          – Two very different systems, of which economics is still a very much dismal science, which has failed to actually critically examine it’s various “foundational” assumptions. Indeed, I’d argue economics is closer to ecology, in which we can already and do predict what’s going to happen, or may happen under different variables in terms of population change, species interactions and nutrient/energy flows.

          – Anyhow, your argument is effectively one from ignorance, as you fail to even bother considering, let alone reading up on climate modelling, and I doubt very much if I started to mention absorption spectra and basic quantum physics behind why greenhouse gases are greenhouse gases that you’d be able to understand it. But also not be able to manage the all important trick of integrating it with other knowledge, something which is vital to understanding complex science properly and not at ye olde “C’s get degrees” levels.

          – As for long term modelling, climate models look at the long term average, not the yearly, decadal or multi-decade climate cycles, unless they impact on climate change mechanisms. Leading to relatively robust long-term predictions, simply because they average out all the noise. And for fucks sake, they can also model 5 year averages if aforementioned climate cycles are added into the models. Which Mann et al showed back in the 90s, and earlier mechanistic fluid models before the advent of powerful computers also gave fairly decent predictions.

          3) Fuck morals.
          – Show us well evidenced scientific arguments, or better yet, go read the key papers, or even the wikipedia bits and then come back here. Because after years of dealing with creationists and watching other types of denialists, it’s readily apparent that morality is used as an excuse to not bother with the whole evidence thing. There’s a wealth of free papers out there, from the major journals like Nature and Science, and a large pool of climate science bloggers with either the intelligence or the scientific background to understand and explain climate change in all it’s wondrous complexity, and utterly simple core.

          4) Lastly:
          – The same argument schema your using, if applied to economics, or to say the well evidence science of Biological Evolution, or even HIV causing AIDS, would get you laughed at within the science-based community, and more so if you tried to use such a schema in court, or in an academic setting. So why the fuck are even bothering with it, as you should have the academic training to be able to notice it’s wrong in the first place. Although this maybe misplaced optimism on my part, given the number of science grads one can causally observe making dumb, to fractally wrong arguments.

          __________________________
          Yes, the writing bug is coming back to me! Muwahahahahaha.

          • Corey 11.1.1.1.1

            “basically to determine the factual nature of a scientific argument etc, you actually need to understand the evidence, instead of merely being lazy and going for the easy route of the middle ground.”

            http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Falsifiability

            “Anyhow, your argument is effectively one from ignorance, as you fail to even bother considering, let alone reading up on climate modelling, and I doubt very much if I started to mention absorption spectra and basic quantum physics behind why greenhouse gases are greenhouse gases that you’d be able to understand it.”

            – that’s a rather bold claim to make given you have absolutely no idea who I am don’t you think? I wonder if you have an opinion on anything which you haven’t received some sort of qualification for?

            A moral question I had in mind was something like: “Do we as a species have a moral obligation to maintain the atmosphere at a steady-state level such that the temperature over a long-term period does not change at all. Similarly, if we were in an anthropomorphic period of global cooling, should we deliberately heat the atmosphere to maintain a flat-line temperature?

            Note that I’ve never said that I’m a climate denier. I just have a hard time accepting the validity of alarmist projections as I think they are justified to (often) support ideological biases.

            http://itia.ntua.gr/en/docinfo/864/

            (Here is something I have read and understood which you may or may not choose to respond to. I liked the references it has to Popperian falsifiability)

        • lprent 11.1.1.2

          I don’t work in science these days, but I program a lot of simulations for various reasons from economic to traffic control. Generally in most modeling, longer term trends in complex systems are easier to model than short term chaotic effects. That is as true in economics as it is in climate science. It is extremely difficult to predict the market in the next few days, but relatively easy to predict a 5 year trend.

          In climate science the minimum period that is worth looking at is about a decade because that evens out all of the chaotic noise of weather and short term cyclic effects. As I keep pointing out, weather is not climate.

          We pretty sure that we know the major drivers for climate, and there are a lot of people refining that knowledge by looking into the present and far past. So far everything points to raising greenhouse gases gives you very fast (in geological terms) changes in tempatures. It has happened in the past. The only real question is how fast it will go – natural sources of change aren’t as extreme as what has happened over the last couple of hundred years

          As for it being better – it is very unlikely to be so. The entirety of our current agricultural technology arose during a very stable climatic period over the last 10 k years. It is founded on climate stability and when that stability fails we have famines. Even under tbe most optimistic projections like the IPCC, we’re likely to 2 degree average shifts in tempatures worldwide by the end of the century with the associated shifts in climate patterns. But that is an average. The polar and near polar regions are likely to shift more like 5-10 degrees, continental climates more like 4 degrees, and maritime and ocean regions a degree or less. That means we’re going to get quite rapid climatic and weather pattern shifts that our agricultural systems don’t know how to handle. With our current population, we’re pretty borderline on our food now.

          Whatever way it goes, sitting on the fence isn’t going go be an option. Either we change our polluting behaviors now and reduce the effects, or we don’t do enough and get the larger die backs later this century. Either way you can expect to get an increasingly chaotic economic system with the wars and disruption over diminishing resources. The only question is how much

    • Draco T Bastard 11.2

      Monckton appeals to his own extremes because he doesn’t believe in reality. The scientists are actually doing the science – Monckton is just lying.

    • KJT 11.3

      We can predict climate change over time better than we can predict daily weather for the same reason we can predict how a thousand people will react better than we can predict how one will behave.

      When every known indicator s that we have shows steadily rising average temperatures over time correlating to a rise in greenhouse gases. Simple physics says greenhouse gases are the reason why earth is warmer. You can show it yourself on a kitchen table experiment. Without them we would be frozen. It is proven that an increase will warm the earth. In fact the IPCC is optimistic. Most of the temperature indicators say we are warming faster than the models used until recently.

      The best scientific knowledge we have at the moment say AGW is happening. Those who deny it have a vested interest in doing so or have their heads in the sand.

      The scary part is what we do not know. What temperature is a tipping point where warming runs away altogether.

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    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    3 days ago
  • It’s Raining Congestion
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    3 days ago
  • Checking The Left: The Dreadful Logic Of Fascism.
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    3 days ago
  • Good Friends and Terrible Food
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    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    3 days ago
  • At a glance – What evidence is there for the hockey stick?
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    4 days ago
  • Carry right on up there, Corporal Espiner
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    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    4 days ago
  • This smells
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    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    4 days ago
  • Major issues on the table in Mahuta’s  talks in Beijing with China’s new Foreign Minister
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    Point of OrderBy tutere44
    4 days ago
  • Inside TOP's Teal Card and political strategy
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    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • Make Your Empties Go Another Round.
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    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    4 days ago
  • Gordon Campbell on how similar Vladimir Putin is to George W. Bush
    Looking back through the names of our Police Ministers down the years, the job has either been done by once or future party Bigfoots – Syd Holland, Richard Prebble, Juduth Collins, Chris Hipkins – or by far lesser lights like Keith Allen, Frank Gill, Ben Couch, Allen McCready, Clem Simich, ...
    4 days ago
  • CHRIS TROTTER:  Te Pāti Māori’s uncompromising threat to the status quo
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    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • Bryce Edwards: Shining a bright light on lobbyists in politics
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    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    4 days ago
  • Auckland Council Draft Budget – an unnecessary backwards step
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    4 days ago
  • Talking’ Posey Parker Blues
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    4 days ago
  • More Māori words make it into the OED, and polytech boss (with rules on words like “students”) ...
    Buzz from the Beehive   New Zealand Education Minister Jan Tinetti is hosting the inaugural Conference of Pacific Education Ministers for three days from today, welcoming Education Ministers and senior officials from 18 Pacific Island countries and territories, and from Australia. Here’s hoping they have brought translators with them – or ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    5 days ago
  • Social intercourse with haters and Nazis: an etiquette guide
    Let’s say you’ve come all the way from His Majesty’s United Kingdom to share with the folk of Australia and New Zealand your antipathy towards certain other human beings. And let’s say you call yourself a women’s rights activist.And let’s say 99 out of 100 people who listen to you ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    5 days ago
  • The Greens, Labour, and coalition enforcement
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    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    5 days ago
  • This sounds familiar…
    RNZ this morning has the first story another investigative series by Guyon Espiner, this time into political lobbying. The first story focuses on lobbying by government agencies, specifically transpower, Pharmac, and assorted universities, and how they use lobbyists to manipulate public opinion and gather intelligence on the Ministers who oversee ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    5 days ago
  • Letter to the NZ Herald: NCEA pseudoscience – “Mauri is present in all matter”
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    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • So what would be the point of a Green vote again?
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    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • Gas stoves pose health risks. Are gas furnaces and other appliances safe to use?
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    5 days ago
  • Genetic Heritage and Co Governance
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    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago
  • BRIAN EASTON: Radical Uncertainty
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    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • Geoffrey Miller: New Zealand’s Middle East strategy, 20 years after the Iraq War
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    Democracy ProjectBy Geoffrey Miller
    5 days ago
  • The motorways are finished
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    5 days ago
  • Kicking National’s tyres
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    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    5 days ago
  • As long as there is cricket, the world is somehow okay.
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    6 days ago
  • So much of what was there remains
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    6 days ago
  • 2023 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #11
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    6 days ago
  • Financial capability services are being bucked up, but Stuart Nash shouldn’t have to see if they c...
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    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    7 days ago
  • Things that make you go Hmmmm.
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    7 days ago
  • The hoon for the week that was to March 19
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    The KakaBy Peter Bale
    1 week ago
  • Saving Stuart Nash: Explaining Chris Hipkins' unexpected political calculation
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    PunditBy Tim Watkin
    1 week ago
  • Radical Uncertainty
    Two senior economists challenge some of the foundations of current economics. It is easy to criticise economic science by misrepresenting it, by selective quotations, and by ignoring that it progresses, like all sciences, by improving and abandoning old theories. The critics may go on to attack physics by citing Newton.So ...
    PunditBy Brian Easton
    1 week ago
  • Jump onto the weekly hoon on Riverside at 5pm
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    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago
  • The Dream of Florian Neame: Accepted
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    1 week ago
  • Snakes and leaders
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    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    1 week ago
  • This station is Karanga-a-Hape, Chur!
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    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    1 week ago
  • Greens don’t shy from promoting a candidate’s queerness but are quiet about govt announcement on...
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    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    1 week ago
  • Ask Me Anything about the week to March 17
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    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
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  • Slow consenting could create $16b climate liability by 2050
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    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago

  • District Court Judges appointed
    Attorney-General David Parker has announced the appointment of Christopher John Dellabarca of Wellington, Dr Katie Jane Elkin of Wellington, Caroline Mary Hickman of Napier, Ngaroma Tahana of Rotorua, Tania Rose Williams Blyth of Hamilton and Nicola Jan Wills of Wellington as District Court Judges.  Chris Dellabarca Mr Dellabarca commenced his ...
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    19 hours ago
  • New project set to supercharge ocean economy in Nelson Tasman
    A new Government-backed project will help ocean-related businesses in the Nelson Tasman region to accelerate their growth and boost jobs. “The Nelson Tasman region is home to more than 400 blue economy businesses, accounting for more than 30 percent of New Zealand’s economic activity in fishing, aquaculture, and seafood processing,” ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • National’s education policy: where’s the funding?
    After three years of COVID-19 disruptions schools are finally settling down and National want to throw that all in the air with major disruption to learning and underinvestment.  “National’s education policy lacks the very thing teachers, parents and students need after a tough couple of years, certainty and stability,” Education ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Free programme to help older entrepreneurs and inventors
    People aged over 50 with innovative business ideas will now be able to receive support to advance their ideas to the next stage of development, Minister for Seniors Ginny Andersen said today. “Seniors have some great entrepreneurial ideas, and this programme will give them the support to take that next ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Government target increased to keep powering up the Māori economy
    A cross government target for relevant government procurement contracts for goods and services to be awarded to Māori businesses annually will increase to 8%, after the initial 5% target was exceeded. The progressive procurement policy was introduced in 2020 to increase supplier diversity, starting with Māori businesses, for the estimated ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Continued progress on reducing poverty in challenging times
    77,000 fewer children living in low income households on the after-housing-costs primary measure since Labour took office Eight of the nine child poverty measures have seen a statistically significant reduction since 2018. All nine have reduced 28,700 fewer children experiencing material hardship since 2018 Measures taken by the Government during ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Speech at Fiji Investment and Trade Business Forum
    Deputy Prime Minister Kamikamica; distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen. Tēnā koutou katoa, ni sa bula vinaka saka, namaste. Deputy Prime Minister, a very warm welcome to Aotearoa. I trust you have been enjoying your time here and thank you for joining us here today. To all delegates who have travelled to be ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Government investments boost and diversify local economies in lower South Island
    $2.9 million convertible loan for Scapegrace Distillery to meet growing national and international demand $4.5m underwrite to support Silverlight Studios’ project to establish a film studio in Wanaka Gore’s James Cumming Community Centre and Library to be official opened tomorrow with support of $3m from the COVID-19 Response and Recovery ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Government future-proofs EV charging
    Transport Minister Michael Wood has today launched the first national EV (electric vehicle) charging strategy, Charging Our Future, which includes plans to provide EV charging stations in almost every town in New Zealand. “Our vision is for Aotearoa New Zealand to have world-class EV charging infrastructure that is accessible, affordable, ...
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    3 days ago
  • World-leading family harm prevention campaign supports young NZers
    Associate Minister for Social Development and Employment Priyanca Radhakrishnan has today launched the Love Better campaign in a world-leading approach to family harm prevention. Love Better will initially support young people through their experience of break-ups, developing positive and life-long attitudes to dealing with hurt. “Over 1,200 young kiwis told ...
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    3 days ago
  • First Chief Clinical Advisor welcomed into Coroners Court
    Hon Rino Tirikatene, Minister for Courts, welcomes the Ministry of Justice’s appointment of Dr Garry Clearwater as New Zealand’s first Chief Clinical Advisor working with the Coroners Court. “This appointment is significant for the Coroners Court and New Zealand’s wider coronial system.” Minister Tirikatene said. Through Budget 2022, the Government ...
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    3 days ago
  • Next steps for affected properties post Cyclone and floods
    The Government via the Cyclone Taskforce is working with local government and insurance companies to build a picture of high-risk areas following Cyclone Gabrielle and January floods. “The Taskforce, led by Sir Brian Roche, has been working with insurance companies to undertake an assessment of high-risk areas so we can ...
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    3 days ago
  • New appointment to Māori Land Court bench
    E te huia kaimanawa, ko Ngāpuhi e whakahari ana i tau aupikinga ki te tihi o te maunga. Ko te Ao Māori hoki e whakanui ana i a koe te whakaihu waka o te reo Māori i roto i te Ao Ture. (To the prized treasure, it is Ngāpuhi who ...
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    3 days ago
  • Government focus on jobs sees record number of New Zealanders move from Benefits into work
    113,400 exits into work in the year to June 2022 Young people are moving off Benefit faster than after the Global Financial Crisis Two reports released today by the Ministry of Social Development show the Government’s investment in the COVID-19 response helped drive record numbers of people off Benefits and ...
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    3 days ago
  • Vertical farming partnership has upward momentum
    The Government’s priority to keep New Zealand at the cutting edge of food production and lift our sustainability credentials continues by backing the next steps of a hi-tech vertical farming venture that uses up to 95 per cent less water, is climate resilient, and pesticide-free. Agriculture Minister Damien O’Connor visited ...
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    4 days ago
  • Conference of Pacific Education Ministers – Keynote Address
    E nga mana, e nga iwi, e nga reo, e nga hau e wha, tena koutou, tena koutou, tena koutou kātoa. Warm Pacific greetings to all. It is an honour to host the inaugural Conference of Pacific Education Ministers here in Tāmaki Makaurau. Aotearoa is delighted to be hosting you ...
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    4 days ago
  • New $13m renal unit supports Taranaki patients
    The new renal unit at Taranaki Base Hospital has been officially opened by the Minister of Health Dr Ayesha Verrall this afternoon. Te Huhi Raupō received around $13 million in government funding as part of Project Maunga Stage 2, the redevelopment of the Taranaki Base Hospital campus. “It’s an honour ...
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    4 days ago
  • Second Poseidon aircraft on home soil
    Defence Minister Andrew Little has marked the arrival of the country’s second P-8A Poseidon aircraft alongside personnel at the Royal New Zealand Air Force’s Base at Ohakea today. “With two of the four P-8A Poseidons now on home soil this marks another significant milestone in the Government’s historic investment in ...
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    4 days ago
  • Further humanitarian aid for Türkiye and Syria
    Aotearoa New Zealand will provide further humanitarian support to those seriously affected by last month’s deadly earthquakes in Türkiye and Syria, says Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta. “The 6 February earthquakes have had devastating consequences, with almost 18 million people affected. More than 53,000 people have died and tens of thousands more ...
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    4 days ago
  • Community voice to help shape immigration policy
    Migrant communities across New Zealand are represented in the new Migrant Community Reference Group that will help shape immigration policy going forward, Immigration Minister Michael Wood announced today.  “Since becoming Minister, a reoccurring message I have heard from migrants is the feeling their voice has often been missing around policy ...
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    4 days ago
  • State Highway 3 project to deliver safer journeys, better travel connections for Taranaki
    Construction has begun on major works that will deliver significant safety improvements on State Highway 3 from Waitara to Bell Block, Associate Minister of Transport Kiri Allan announced today. “This is an important route for communities, freight and visitors to Taranaki but too many people have lost their lives or ...
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    4 days ago
  • Ginny Andersen appointed as Minister of Police
    Prime Minister Chris Hipkins has today appointed Ginny Andersen as Minister of Police. “Ginny Andersen has a strong and relevant background in this important portfolio,” Chris Hipkins said. “Ginny Andersen worked for the Police as a non-sworn staff member for around 10 years and has more recently been chair of ...
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    5 days ago
  • Government confirms vital roading reconnections
    Six further bailey bridge sites confirmed Four additional bridge sites under consideration 91 per cent of damaged state highways reopened Recovery Dashboards for impacted regions released The Government has responded quickly to restore lifeline routes after Cyclone Gabrielle and can today confirm that an additional six bailey bridges will ...
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    5 days ago
  • Foreign Minister Mahuta to meet with China’s new Foreign Minister
    Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta departs for China tomorrow, where she will meet with her counterpart, State Councillor and Foreign Minister Qin Gang, in Beijing. This will be the first visit by a New Zealand Minister to China since 2019, and follows the easing of COVID-19 travel restrictions between New Zealand and China. ...
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    5 days ago
  • Education Ministers from across the Pacific gather in Aotearoa
    Education Ministers from across the Pacific will gather in Tāmaki Makaurau this week to share their collective knowledge and strategic vision, for the benefit of ākonga across the region. New Zealand Education Minister Jan Tinetti will host the inaugural Conference of Pacific Education Ministers (CPEM) for three days from today, ...
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    5 days ago
  • State Highway 5 reopens between Napier and Taupō following Cyclone Gabrielle
    A vital transport link for communities and local businesses has been restored following Cyclone Gabrielle with the reopening of State Highway 5 (SH5) between Napier and Taupō, Associate Minister of Transport Kiri Allan says. SH5 reopened to all traffic between 7am and 7pm from today, with closure points at SH2 (Kaimata ...
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    5 days ago
  • Special Lotto draw raises $11.7 million for Cyclone Gabrielle recovery
    Internal Affairs Minister Barbara Edmonds has thanked generous New Zealanders who took part in the special Lotto draw for communities affected by Cyclone Gabrielle. Held on Saturday night, the draw raised $11.7 million with half of all ticket sales going towards recovery efforts. “In a time of need, New Zealanders ...
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    6 days ago
  • Government delivers a $3 million funding boost for Building Financial Capability services
    The Government has announced funding of $3 million for providers to help people, and whānau access community-based Building Financial Capability services. “Demand for Financial Capability Services is growing as people face cost of living pressures. Those pressures are increasing further in areas affected by flooding and Cyclone Gabrielle,” Minister for ...
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    1 week ago
  • Education New Zealand | Manapou ki te Ao – new Chair and member
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  • Scholarships honouring Ngarimu VC and the 28th (Māori) Battalion announced
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    1 week ago
  • Appointment of Judge of the Court of Appeal and Judge of the High Court
    High Court Judge Jillian Maree Mallon has been appointed a Judge of the Court of Appeal, and District Court Judge Andrew John Becroft QSO has been appointed a Judge of the High Court, Attorney‑General David Parker announced today. Justice Mallon graduated from Otago University in 1988 with an LLB (Hons), and with ...
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  • NZ still well placed to meet global challenges
    The economy has continued to show its resilience despite today’s GDP figures showing a modest decline in the December quarter, leaving the Government well positioned to help New Zealanders face cost of living pressures in a challenging global environment. “The economy had grown strongly in the two quarters before this ...
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    1 week ago
  • Western Ring Route Complete
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  • Briefings to Incoming Ministers
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  • Teaming up for a stronger, more resilient Fiji
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    1 week ago
  • Investment in blue highway a lifeline for regional economies and cyclone recovery
    The Government is delivering a coastal shipping lifeline for businesses, residents and the primary sector in the cyclone-stricken regions of Hawkes Bay and Tairāwhiti, Regional Development Minister Kiri Allan announced today. The Rangitata vessel has been chartered for an emergency coastal shipping route between Gisborne and Napier, with potential for ...
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