web analytics

Does the National Party really not understand how unions work?

Written By: - Date published: 5:30 pm, April 14th, 2014 - 64 comments
Categories: don brash, Unions, wages - Tags:

This article in the Herald gave me a giggle today. It refers to a cash payment being made to Parliamentary Services staff who are part of their workplace collective employment agreement. Similar cash payments have been denounced by National in the past – when it happened under Labour – and are being denounced by Don Brash now – because it’s happening under National.

The line that’s being run is that this is “bizarre”. That it makes no sense to “incentivise” people to belong to the union. That National have decided, mysteriously, of their own free will, to just randomly “give” more money to union members than to non-union members of staff.

Does Don Brash – and John Weekes of the Herald – actually not understand that this is exactly how union membership works? You get together as a group to bargain collectively with your employer. This means you have more power to get a better deal. And sometimes, this deal involves cash payments – usually because employers, including Parliamentary Services, don’t want to agree to an actual, or sizeable, payrise. (The Parliamentary Services agreement hasn’t included a payrise in six years!)

And yes. It is truly, completely fair that non-union members of staff don’t get the same payment. They’re not part of the union. They don’t take part in the same negotiations as the union members. They don’t have the same leverage as a collective group does.

That’s pretty much the basic, founding principle of unionism. Strength in numbers. Power against the powerful.

Of course, the reason for the outrage is simple: the right do not want word to get out that being a union member works. They’ve put a lot of effort into dividing workers from each other, making us look at our co-workers as enemies, as competition. We’re meant to believe that if we keep to ourselves and work one-on-one with the boss, we’ll get the best deal.

And you know, that probably does work for some people – people who are already in highly-paid, highly-specialised roles. For security guards, cleaners, receptionists? Not so much.

This story is the proof. By joining forces and working together, the union members at Parliamentary Services have got a better deal. And it terrifies people like Don Brash.

64 comments on “Does the National Party really not understand how unions work? ”

  • Comments are now closed

  1. KINTO 1
    14 April 2014 at 5:57 pm

    More to the point, if an individual chooses to stand on their own against a massive employer, why should we have any sympathy when that employer succeeds in what they meant to do, generate maximum revenue at minimum cost.

  2. captain hook 2
    14 April 2014 at 6:12 pm

    Any one who has read JK Galbraith knows that the goal of any legitimate enterprise is to ensure its long run existence. Only in new zealand is it to terrify the workers, grab as much money as you can in the shortest posiible time and then bugger off to the south of France. You know. That sunny place for shady people. Of course National knows how unions work that is why they oppose them because they stand in the way of garnishing opportunistic windfall profits.

  3. Stephanie Rodgers 3
    14 April 2014 at 6:31 pm

    I’ve been informed that Rodney Hide has also covered this topic: hilariously, he thinks (or pretends to think) that cash payments are a “union rort”:
    http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11237268

    The irony of this of course is that cash payments benefit employers, because it keeps the base rate of wages low. I look forward to Brash and Hide campaigning strongly to end this terrible system – and ensure that all workers get real pay increases.

    • Tracey 3.1
      14 April 2014 at 6:54 pm

      as opposed to when telecom was giving a grand to those who didnt join the union… that was the free market principles.

    • big bruv 3.2
      14 April 2014 at 7:36 pm

      Of course it is a union rort. All one has to do is read Hide’s article to see that.

      Face it, Kiwis don’t see a need to belong to the corrupt union movement, only the moronic would want to give people like Matt McCarten their money given he has a relaxed view toward paying his taxes.
      Unions are never going to be as influential as they once were (and thank goodness for that) a return to 1970’s mass industrial action will never be tolerated by the workers let alone the bosses.

      • Stephanie Rodgers 3.2.1
        14 April 2014 at 8:06 pm

        I did read Hide’s article, bruv. And he makes a lot of silly accusations with no basis to them. The math doesn’t add up, the alleged payments to the Labour Party don’t happen (the PSA isn’t affiliated to the Labour Party!), and the idea that this is some Labour Party-initiated bribe makes no sense (cash payments in lieu of pay rises are entirely routine in collective agreement negotiations – because they’re more attractive to employers than across-the-board pay increases.)

        Clearly, many Kiwis do see a need to belong to a democratic union movement which provides significant benefits and protections to them in their working life. And the whole reason Brash and Hide are kicking up a fuss about this situation is because it refutes every anti-union lie the right has spouted over the past 25 years.

      • felix 3.2.2
        14 April 2014 at 8:11 pm

        Where’s the rort? It’s part of the remuneration package they negotiated for doing their fucking jobs you idiot.

        • RedLogix 3.2.2.1
          14 April 2014 at 8:35 pm

          In bb’s world – ordinary people getting paid anything at all is a rort. If you look about the trends in the last few years – slavery is making a very real comeback in the form of internships.

          I was next to three smart, capable sounding young engineering graduates talking on the train this evening – all three of them have been doing internships for more than two years now and the penny is dropping for them that they will never, ever get a paying job.

          Within a few decades the world will be fully owned by a few thousand billionaires. Full-time employment as we have known it since WW2 will vanish. Welcome to neo-fuedalism.

          • geoff 3.2.2.1.1
            14 April 2014 at 8:45 pm

            You’re in Oz, right?
            What’s your impression of the job market there?

            • RedLogix 3.2.2.1.1.1
              14 April 2014 at 9:17 pm

              It’s not flash the mining downturn, the cynical shutdown of the car industry, the refusal to support local industry, the blatant assault on the unions, the pitiful shambles that is the NBN rollout, the ‘end of the age of entitlement’, the cutbacks on public broadcasting, the string of broken election promises – and the threat of a ‘Black Hole” budget in May – all add up to a bleak picture.

              Tony Abbott’s govt is going to be an appalling disaster for Australia, he’s a sort of an amalgam of Don Brash, Roger Douglas and Tony Blair. But still Australia has only really had six months of this toxic shit, NZ has had thirty years of it.

              The job market largely holds up because the unions are still a potent force, but wages have been stagnating for some time now. The days of hopping on a plane to Perth or Melbourne and having two job offers before you got off it are over. Company reps are telling me that that they’ve never seen things so tight. It reminds me of NZ in the early 90’s.

              But for all this, Aus at the moment is still way better than NZ. And we are really enjoying living in the regional Victorian town we have settled in.

              The big difference between Aus and NZ is that Abbott’s polling is awful. Just six months into his govt and if an election was held today they’d be thrashed. I put this down to two things, the first is the strength of public broadcasting over here, the second is the strength of the unions.

              • geoff …
                14 April 2014 at 9:57 pm

                Cheers, RL that’s quite interesting.
                And what of your industry? You’re an engineer of some variety are you not? Do you know what sort of engineers the interns you overheard were?

              • big bruv …
                15 April 2014 at 8:02 am

                ” the second is the strength of the unions.”

                Would they be the same unions who are so corrupt that there is to be an official investigation into their practices?

                • Tracey …
                  15 April 2014 at 8:33 am

                  as opposed tot he string of convictions for highly paid directors of finance companies?

                  banks and brash took big fees to be directors of Hujlich, and then pleaded ignorance of just about everything… sounds corrupt to me… one is still a MP.

                  • big bruv …
                    15 April 2014 at 8:40 am

                    Or using your union credit card to make cash withdrawals and hire hookers?

                    We need the same type of investigation into unions in NZ. They could start with Matt McCarten.

                    • Draco T Bastard …
                      15 April 2014 at 8:52 am

                      Or using your union credit card to make cash withdrawals and hire hookers?

                      I find that far les corrupt than being supplied with $1000/hour hookers to help close a deal – the culture that applied on Wall Street just before the GFC.

                    • RedLogix …
                      15 April 2014 at 12:27 pm

                      The union corruption enquiries in Australia are a transparent political gambit by Abbott.

                      Everyone knows.

                      The allegations so far are pretty much confined to the construction industry, and that’s always been a hard-ball game in Aus. Very much on both sides of the business. So much so that Abbott was forced to concede that the scope of the enquiry would have to include corporate corruption as well.

                      Ironically enough one of the corruption first scalps will be Arthur Sinodinos (Lib) whose testimony to a commission last week demonstrated a remarkable paucity of memory around certain important details.

                • Draco T Bastard …
                  15 April 2014 at 8:50 am

                  Corruption happens pretty much everywhere but apparently far more in the business world.

                  • big bruv …
                    15 April 2014 at 10:01 am

                    “I find that far les corrupt”

                    So it’s OK if the unions or anybody from the left does it?

                    • One Anonymous Bloke …
                      15 April 2014 at 10:05 am

                      No, the problem here is English comprehension.

                      “Far less corrupt” ≠ “OK”.

                      Personally though I think neither example represents corruption as perfectly as Graham Capill and David Garrett.

                    • big bruv …
                      15 April 2014 at 10:57 am

                      Or Darren Hughes, Helen Clark, Philip Field, Chris Carter?

                    • Draco T Bastard …
                      15 April 2014 at 11:19 am

                      Well, Darren Hughes and Helen Clark didn’t do anything wrong and Philip Field and Chris Carter both got kicked out of labour. Philip Field went to prison for his crimes.

                      So, you still don’t have a point.

                    • One Anonymous Bloke …
                      15 April 2014 at 11:24 am

                      Bruv sounds like Penny Bright 😆

                    • MaxFletcher …
                      15 April 2014 at 11:32 am

                      Not sure you could say Hughes did nothing wrong. A person was found naked in the street and a complaint was made so at least one party felt aggrieved. Not being convicted due to lack of evidence doesn’t mean nothing happened.

                    • One Anonymous Bloke …
                      15 April 2014 at 11:39 am

                      Actually you’ll find it was charges that were lacking, not a conviction. Sorry to spoil your dishonest framing, but it helps your credibility if you don’t dabble in transparently deceitful rhetoric.

                      The problem is that you’re completely shit at it.

                    • MaxFletcher …
                      15 April 2014 at 11:59 am

                      Someone running away from someone else while naked and then laying a compliant of a sexual nature tends to speak to something untoward going on.

                    • One Anonymous Bloke …
                      15 April 2014 at 12:07 pm

                      I can accept that in your mind this is the equivalent of a criminal conviction such as the other examples cited upthread, but that speaks to your personal struggle with reality, and nothing else.

                      Or perhaps you are merely seeking to minimise the scale of Capill’s offending by pretending equivalence?

                    • Tracey …
                      15 April 2014 at 1:32 pm

                      max, do you consider that every male who ever made a rejected advance on a woman leading her to run from him, and go to the police but no charges result, has done something wrong?

                    • MaxFletcher …
                      15 April 2014 at 2:08 pm

                      There is no comparison to Capill.

                  • Naturesong …
                    15 April 2014 at 1:33 pm

                    Here’s the thing. Unions are democratic institutions, and like all institutions they can become corrupted if there are poor governance structures in place, and even then if you get one or more corrupt individuals in positions of power.

                    You see the same type of corruption infect businesses (corporations are particularly prone – CEO’s which harvest a company, generating slightly inflated year over year profits, claiming massive bonuses and then leaving the company fighting for its life once they leave – following HP from 1999 when Carly Fiorina took over through to Mark Hurd in 2010 can be particularly instructive – as can Mark Hurds time at the head of NCR prior to him joining HP), local councils, NGO’s and governments (the current National government is collecting quite a paper trail of corruption of process, conflict of interest, egregious examples of acting against both the wishes and interests of the New Zealand electorate as a whole) can all become infected by corruption.

                    Unions aren’t inherently corrupt.
                    Like othe institutions it’s whether or not it has robust governance structures, has transparent processes and is accountable to it’s membership.

                    • Tracey …
                      15 April 2014 at 1:38 pm

                      yup but one or two wrong doings by a union official or beneficiary are heinous affronts to social justice and the people of new zealand. a few directors taking fees for not overseeing their company, their employees or the funds held on behalf, or ignoring health and safety leading to death and injury of employees is unfortunate but not representative of all.

                    • Draco T Bastard …
                      15 April 2014 at 2:00 pm

                      +111

                    • Naturesong …
                      15 April 2014 at 2:07 pm

                      In reply to Tracey

                      My argument is not that they are representative of all institutions.
                      But that the same weaknesses which allow corruption to gain a foothold in unions, are also present in other institutions.

                      One of the constant refrains I hear in the media (Rodney Hyde, Herald Article, all the attacks over the last 4 years on NZEI and PPTA) and some people who absorb the propaganda wholesale, is that unions are inherently bad things, that unions are by definition corrupt.

                      Not only is it factually wrong, but by seeking marginalise these institutions which represent so many people, it undermines democracy in New Zealand.

              • Tracey …
                15 April 2014 at 8:32 am

                and third Rudd’s ego.

          • Draco T Bastard 3.2.2.1.2
            14 April 2014 at 8:48 pm

            +1

            That is what all this privatisation is all about: Turning us back into a feudal state but one that spans the globe.

            • srylands 3.2.2.1.2.1
              15 April 2014 at 1:46 pm

              No it is about promoting prosperity and getting better lives for the poor and the disadvantaged, people that get screwed by fiscal disasters caused by inefficient state run businesses.

              • Draco T Bastard …
                15 April 2014 at 1:52 pm

                No it is about promoting prosperity and getting better lives for the poor and the disadvantaged,

                It can’t possibly be about that as it does the exact opposite.

                people that get screwed by fiscal disasters caused by inefficient state run businesses.

                The evidence is in:

                When was the last time you actually saw a study proving government is inefficient? In general that’s just a talking point to obscure the fact that government is often much more efficient than business (this is especially true the bigger the company is) and corporate efficiency is a myth.

                The state runs businesses better than the private sector.

                • fender …
                  15 April 2014 at 2:58 pm

                  Roger Douglas Srylands will go to the grave having blind faith in the private sector being the saviour..

        • Tracey 3.2.2.2
          15 April 2014 at 8:31 am

          when someone refers to Hide’s opinion piece in an election year to form their views no response is needed. It’s like BM checking WO each day before he knows what to think about “stuff”/

      • Tracey 3.2.3
        15 April 2014 at 8:30 am

        this is the same rodney hide who thinks that weather is climate, right?

        He would have championed paying workers bonuses to not join unions though?

    • Tracey 3.3
      15 April 2014 at 1:28 pm

      stephanie

      do you know if the gap between rich and poor was bigger or smaller when we had compulsory unions?

      was unemployment higher or lower than today.

      was the median wage relativel higher or lower than now?

      • Dave_1924 3.3.1
        15 April 2014 at 3:42 pm

        I know when we had compulsory unionism in NZ the ferries were always under threat of strike at Easter, Tracey.

        I am personally in favour of unions – why? Because the little guy needs protection from desk jockey managers who are on power trips, the ability for unified action in the face of safety issues, having back up when your getting screwed over by your employer and to ensure the negotiations of pay & conditions happen between reasonably equal parties.

        BUT – you knew there was a BUT coming – Unions abused their power in the 1970’s and early 80’s in NZ. Strikes to harm the export sector to drive a big wage packet, Wharf unions protecting their members from action to curb their pillaging, Unions threatening strikes at Xmas and Easter to extort high benefits by threatening chaos to joe punters holiday plans.

        Frankly if Unions hadn’t over played their hand they maybe in a better place now in terms of membership.

    • Antonina 3.4
      15 April 2014 at 3:19 pm

      T

  4. red blooded 4
    14 April 2014 at 6:57 pm

    …bonus payments can be a way around this problem. Good on the parliamentary services union (the PSA?) for finding a way of focusing the benefits of their work on their own members.

  5. captain hook 5
    14 April 2014 at 7:05 pm

    what free market. didnt you read last weeks dompost outligning how forex currency traders fix the market.
    every market is fixed dum dum

  6. In Vino 6
    14 April 2014 at 7:41 pm

    It’s not that they don’t understand – they do. But they hate unions, and deliberately put their dishonest spin on it, to bring the public to hate unions just like ‘cheating’ beneficiaries.

    For the biggest load of arrant nonsense, check out Rodney Hide’s Sunday Herald column on exactly this topic. How do people swallow such cacklemush?

    Look at the comments, and you will find as many supporting as dissenting. Sad.

    • Draco T Bastard 6.1
      14 April 2014 at 8:39 pm

      But they hate unions, and deliberately put their dishonest spin on it, to bring the public to hate unions just like ‘cheating’ beneficiaries.

      Well, actually, they only hate workers unions. They’re quite happy about their unions.

      • RedLogix 6.1.1
        14 April 2014 at 8:56 pm

        Personally I think unions took a wrong turning when they went down the all-comers, mass-membership model.

        The older idea of the guild which had a definite skill-based barrier to entry, and a sense of protecting the value of the trade (and there is no such thing as unskilled labour) has some real merits. It’s also why the dismantling of the apprenticeship system was so destructive to workers – because it starved off the entry level to a progressing into the business.

        • Murray Olsen 6.1.1.1
          15 April 2014 at 5:08 am

          Compulsory unionism enforced by the state signalled the death sentence for unions. It allowed bureaucracies to spring up which often ended up cosying up to the state rather than building the fighting strength of their members. Industrial muscles not being used atrophied to the extent that when the state removed the compulsion, the muscles had disappeared and there was no fight. We saw such betrayals as Peter Denny fighting for the Nissan Way. Ken Douglas did get on a lot of boards, though, along with a few others.

        • Tracey 6.1.1.2
          15 April 2014 at 8:38 am

          surely what you call mass membership model is the membership of “unskilled” people… who didn’t fit into a traditional guild. EG people on factory lines, cleaners etc… retail service workers and so on.

          I suspect the mass membership model was also to counter the campaigns by large employers to defeat small unions. Pooling membership fees into fewer organisations gave more money for education, campaigns etc?

          • Draco T Bastard 6.1.1.2.1
            15 April 2014 at 8:48 am

            Economies of scale would certainly apply as far as hiring the full time administration that the union would need. Would also bring more power to bear when a dispute was in progress.

      • Tracey 6.1.2
        15 April 2014 at 8:34 am

        PLUS 1

  7. Psycho Milt 7
    15 April 2014 at 6:35 am

    Brash, Hide, DPF et al are intelligent men – they know very well how unions work. They’re just quite happy to pretend they don’t for propaganda purposes, because they hate collective bargaining with a passion.

    • Tracey 7.1
      15 April 2014 at 8:35 am

      they know unionised workers get paid more than non unionised workers and have better protections. It really is that simple. They are anti union cos they want to pay their workforces less and have less workplace protections in place.

  8. Zeroque 8
    15 April 2014 at 10:21 am

    It’s ironic that collectivism is acceptable to neoliberals when it doesn’t involve workers collectivising to set their wages but involves corporations teaming up to further their interests. That’s a double standard and is unfair. It will be some time yet before the neoliberals accept unions as a legitimate part of the market again. Unions provide part of the solution to stemming growing inequality. When it comes down to it, inequality isn’t something that business has a strong interest in addressing. What we see at Parliamentary Services is surprising in so far as the employer apparently hasn’t, as most do, neutralise the union gains by handing the full union settlement to non-union workers. This is usually done under the guise of fairness and equity and is almost unpreventable by unions and relies upon agreement between union and employer.

    What is it about unions that Hide and Brash don’t understand? Very little of the macro view I’d say but it’s what they don’t like about unions that is telling of their character.

    • aerobubble 8.1
      16 April 2014 at 4:09 pm

      Well look at power. We all buy power but we can’t collectivize our purchasing power. We all buy potatos, we could quite easily collectivize our purchases, so why not power???? I should have to personal switch power companies, I should be able to buy my power from a non-profit collective who bulk buy power.

  9. vto 9
    15 April 2014 at 10:21 am

    Unions play an essential part in our world, just as capital does.

    Anyone who does not understand this basic tenet of human operation is just bloody thick and poorly read. Like big bruv – what a frikkin’ dunce …

  10. vto 10
    15 April 2014 at 10:25 am

    Capitalism makes full use of cooperative / socialist behaviour itself. I mean, what the fuck is a limited liability company if not a form of 100% pure cooperative to achieve an end? And look at our two biggest businesses – Fonterra and Foodstuffs, full blown cooperatives, just like unions and all other cooperatives.

    That capitalists claim otherwise is just further evidence of their dishonesty (and self-defeating ignorance).

    • Phil 10.1
      15 April 2014 at 12:56 pm

      what the fuck is a limited liability company if not a form of 100% pure cooperative to achieve an end?

      Incorrect.

      The formation a limited liability company creates a ‘person’ in the sense that the owners cease to have individual responsibility for losses over and above the equity invested in the firm. The company becomes an individual.

  11. Rosie 11
    15 April 2014 at 1:36 pm

    Completely unsurprising face palm from Brash there. To be expected.

    What I would question is the timing of such a press statement. The second reading reading of the Employment Relations Amendment Act was passed approximately three weeks or so ago and is due for it’s third reading. This is the Bill we have the employer lobby to thank for and Simon Bridges for being the puppet that gave it life. With this Bill, National and Co are returning to finish the work they started on the ECA back in 1991.

    This is the Bill that removes our right to a rest break.

    This is the Bill that will allow employer’s to walk away from negotiations. A court order can declare bargaining over – you can forget about the duty to conclude.

    This is the bill that will make it even more difficult to go out on strike – the employer can challenge the Union on technical points.

    There are other changes, all of them anti Union, anti worker. Ultimately, the way I see it, the proposals in the bill are designed to wipe away Good Faith bargaining, the cornerstone of the ERA 2000.

    So, kind of convenient for Brash and Co to do a bit of Union bashing right about now, I reckon. Just pour some petrol onto the fire, make it burn a little brighter.

  12. tricledrown 12
    15 April 2014 at 11:27 pm

    5sspylad
    So your Talking about Nationals $1.6 billion bailout of SCF.

  13. aerobubble 13
    16 April 2014 at 4:05 pm

    National attacks employees ability to bargain high wages and now National desperation to see wages rise to keep pace with living costs, petrol, insurance, heating, etc so they find lip service…

    …trust them employers will pay more.

    • Zeroque 13.1
      17 April 2014 at 2:20 pm

      Yes, Aerobubble that irony wasn’t lost on me either. It’s akin to knowingly having removed a fairly important part from a machine and expecting it to still function satisfactorily.

Recent Comments

Recent Posts

  • The hoon for the week that was to March 25
    This week’s UN IPCC report warned climate emissions will need to be cut by almost half by 2030, if warming is to be limited to 1.5°C. Bronwyn Hayward points out in The Hoon podcast how far behind NZ’s government and councils are now on climate action compared to the rest ...
    The KakaBy Peter Bale
    2 hours ago

  • The big question for Labour: Will Hipkins have any more success than Ardern did with the top priorit...
    Chris  Hipkins,  after  he became prime minister, committed  to defeating the  cost-of- living crisis. He  proceeded to make a  bonfire of policies  that were at  the  heart of Jacinda Ardern’s administration.  But, as   Richard Prebble pointed out this week, “the government has not just U-turned, it has repudiated the ...
    Point of OrderBy tutere44
    14 hours ago

  • Reality check.
    There are some wellness, crystal-gazing, holistic spiritual guidance types in my disaster-hit coastal community who insist that the power of positive thinking will overcome the physical and material damages incurred by the community. They object to restrictions on road travel … Continue reading → ...
    KiwipoliticoBy Pablo
    15 hours ago

  • High Performance Instability in the Financial Sector
    Evaluating the recent crashes of Silicon Valley Bank in the US and Credit Suisse in Switzerland plus two other banks (perhaps more by the time you read this) needs to begin with a review of the inevitable instability in the financial sector. The financial sector is inherently unstable, like military ...
    PunditBy Brian Easton
    16 hours ago

  • The week in review
    1. We see here new police minister Ginny Andersen. Which larger than life NZ political figure was her great-uncle?a. Rob Muldoonb. Bill Andersenc. Richard John Seddond. Norman Kirk2. We see here archival footage of Ginny Andersen coming out of her electorate office to ask ex-tobacco lobbyist Chris Bishop if he ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    18 hours ago

  • Nash splashes out with a $900,000 investment in the blue economy (or is it more corporate welfare?)
    Buzz from the Beehive Stuart Nash, speaking as Minister of Oceans and Fisheries, one of his remaining portfolios after he was dropped down the Hipkins Government batting order, has drawn attention to the blue economy and its potential. Nash says the government is investing in the blue economy, or – ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    19 hours ago

  • Ask Me Anything about the week to March 24
    Photo by Josh Mills on UnsplashIt’s that time of the week for an ‘Ask Me Anything’ session for paying subscribers about the week that was for the next hour, including:The runs on Silicon Valley Bank and First Republic Bank on the west coast of the United States that forced the ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    21 hours ago

  • Weekly Roundup 24-March-2023
    Roundup is back! We skipped last week’s Friday post due to a shortage of person-power – did you notice? Lots going on out there… Our header image this week shows a green street that just happens to be Queen St, by @chamfy from Twitter. This week (and last) in ...
    Greater AucklandBy Greater Auckland
    22 hours ago

  • Gordon Campbell on the Keen-Minshull visit
    After threatening Prime Minister Chris Hipkins of consequences if he dared to bar her entry, Kellie-Jay Keen-Minshull has been given her visa, regardless. This will enable her to hold rallies in Auckland and Wellington this weekend, and spread her messages of hostility against an already marginalised trans community. Neo-Nazis may, ...
    Gordon CampbellBy lyndon
    23 hours ago

  • BRYCE EDWARDS’ Political Roundup:  NZ needs to distance itself from Australia’s anti-China nucl...
    * Bryce Edwards writes – The New Zealand Government has been silent about Australia’s decision to commit up to $400bn acquiring nuclear submarines, even though this is a significant threat to peace and stability in the Asia Pacific. The deal was struck by the Albanese Labor Government as ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    23 hours ago

  • Wayne Brown's #Auxit moment
    Boomers voted him in, but Brown’s Trumpish moments might spook Aucklanders worried about what a change to National nationally might mean. Photo: Lynn Grieveson/Getty ImagesTL;DR: Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown has become our version of Donald Trump and Boris Johnson, except without any of the insatiable appetite for media appearances. He ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    24 hours ago

  • Bryce Edwards: NZ needs to distance itself from Australia’s anti-China nuclear submarines
    The New Zealand Government has been silent about Australia’s decision to commit up to $400bn acquiring nuclear submarines, even though this is a significant threat to peace and stability in the Asia Pacific. The deal was struck by the Albanese Labor Government as part of its Aukus pact with the ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    24 hours ago

  • Posie Parker vs Transgender Rights.
    Recently you might have heard of a person called Posie Parker and her visit to Aotearoa. Perhaps you’re not quite sure what it’s all about. So let’s start with who this person is, why their visit is controversial, and what on earth a TERF is.Posie Parker is the super villain ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    1 day ago

  • Select Committee told slow down; you’re moving too fast
    The chair of Parliament’s Select Committee looking at the Government’s resource management legislation wants the bills sent back for more public consultation. The proposal would effectively kill any chance of the bills making it into law before the election. Green MP, Eugenie Sage, stressing that she was speaking as ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    1 day ago

  • Skeptical Science New Research for Week #12 2023
    Open access notables  The United States experienced some historical low temperature records during the just-concluded winter. It's a reminder that climate and weather are quite noisy; with regard to our warming climate,, as with a road ascending a mountain range we may steadily change our conditions but with lots of ...
    Skeptical Science
    2 days ago

  • What becomes of the broken hearted? Nanny State will step in to comfort them
    Buzz from the Beehive The Nanny State has scored some wins (or claimed them) in the past day or two but it faltered when it came to protecting Kiwi citizens from being savaged by one woman armed with a sharp tongue. The wins are recorded by triumphant ministers on the ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    2 days ago

  • Acceptance, decency, road food.
    Sometimes you see your friends making the case so well on social media you think: just copy and share.On acceptance and decency, from Michèle A’CourtA notable thing about anti-trans people is they way they talk about transgender women and men as though they are strangers “over there” when in fact ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    2 days ago

  • Climate Change: More Labour sabotage
    Not that long ago, things were looking pretty good for climate change policy in Aotearoa. We finally had an ETS, and while it was full of pork and subsidies, it was delivering high and ever-rising carbon prices, sending a clear message to polluters to clean up or shut down. And ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    2 days ago

  • Is bundling restricting electricity competition?
    Comparing (and switching) electricity providers has become easier, but bundling power up with broadband and/or gas makes it more challenging. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The Kākā TL;DR: The new Consumer Advocacy Council set up as a result of the Labour Government’s Electricity Price Review in 2019 has called on either ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago

  • Westland Milk puts heat on competitors as global dairy demand  remains softer for longer
    Hokitika-based Westland Milk Products  has  put the heat on dairy giant Fonterra with  a $120m profit turnaround in 2022, driven by record sales. Westland paid its suppliers a 10c premium above the forecast Fonterra price per kilo, contributing $535m to the West Coast and Canterbury economies. The dairy ...
    Point of OrderBy tutere44
    2 days ago

  • BRYCE EDWARDS’ Political Roundup:  The Beehive’s revolving door and corporate mateship
    * Bryce Edwards writes – New Zealanders are uncomfortable with the high level of influence corporate lobbyists have in New Zealand politics, and demands are growing for greater regulation. A recent poll shows 62 per cent of the public support having a two-year cooling off period between ministers leaving public ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    2 days ago

  • Bryce Edwards: The Beehive’s revolving door and corporate mateship
    New Zealanders are uncomfortable with the high level of influence corporate lobbyists have in New Zealand politics, and demands are growing for greater regulation. A recent poll shows 62 per cent of the public support having a two-year cooling off period between ministers leaving public office and becoming lobbyists and ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    2 days ago

  • A miracle pill for our transport ills
    This is a guest post by accessibility and sustainable transport advocate Tim Adriaansen It originally appeared here.   A friend calls you and asks for your help. They tell you that while out and about nearby, they slipped over and landed arms-first. Now their wrist is swollen, hurting like ...
    Greater AucklandBy Guest Post
    2 days ago

  • The Surprising Power of Floating Wind Turbines
    Floating offshore wind turbines offer incredible opportunities to capture powerful winds far out at sea. By unlocking this wind energy potential, they could be a key weapon in our arsenal in the fight against climate change. But how developed are these climate fighting clean energy giants? And why do I ...
    Skeptical Science
    2 days ago

  • The next Maori challenge
    Over the past two or three weeks, a procession of Maori iwi and hapu in a series of little-noticed appearances before two Select Committees have been asking for more say for Maori over resource management decisions along the co-governance lines of Three Waters. Their submissions and appearances run counter ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    2 days ago

  • Secret “war-crime” warrants by International Criminal Court is mischief-making
    The decision of the International Criminal Court (ICC) to issue war crimes arrest warrants for the Russian President and the Russia Children Ombudsman may have been welcomed by the ideologically committed but otherwise seems to have been greeted with widespread cynicism (see Situation in Ukraine: ICC judges issue arrest warrants ...
    Open ParachuteBy Ken
    3 days ago

  • How to answer Drunk Uncle Kevin's Climate Crisis reckons
    Let’s say you’re clasping your drink at a wedding, or a 40th, or a King’s Birthday Weekend family reunion and Drunk Uncle Kevin has just got going.He’s in an expansive frame of mind because we’re finally rid of that silly girl. But he wants to ask an honest question about ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago

  • National’s Luxon may be glum about his poll ratings but has he found a winner in promising to rai...
    National Party leader Christopher Luxon may  be feeling glum about his poll ratings, but  he could be tapping  into  a rich political vein in  describing the current state of education as “alarming”. Luxon said educational achievement has been declining,  with a recent NCEA pilot exposing just how far it has ...
    Point of OrderBy tutere44
    3 days ago

  • Climate Change: More Labour foot-dragging
    Yesterday the IPCC released the final part of its Sixth Assessment Report, warning us that we have very little time left in which to act to prevent catastrophic climate change, but pointing out that it is a problem that we can solve, with existing technology, and that anything we do ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    3 days ago

  • Te Pāti Māori Are Revolutionaries – Not Reformists.
    Way Beyond Reform: Rawiri Waititi and Debbie Ngarewa-Packer have no more interest in remaining permanent members of “New Zealand’s” House of Representatives than did Lenin and Trotsky in remaining permanent members of Tsar Nicolas II’s “democratically-elected” Duma. Like the Bolsheviks, Te Pāti Māori is a party of revolutionaries – not reformists.THE CROWN ...
    Bowalley Road
    3 days ago

  • When does history become “ancient”, on Tinetti’s watch as Minister of Education – and what o...
    Buzz from the Beehive Auckland was wiped off the map, when Education Minister Jan Tinetti delivered her speech of welcome as host of the inaugural Conference of Pacific Education Ministers “here in Tāmaki Makaurau”. But – fair to say – a reference was made later in the speech to a ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    3 days ago

  • Climate Catastrophe, but first rugby.
    Morning mate, how you going?Well, I was watching the news last night and they announced this scientific report on Climate Change. But before they got to it they had a story about the new All Blacks coach.Sounds like important news. It’s a bit of a worry really.Yeah, they were talking ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    3 days ago

  • What the US and European bank rescues mean for us
    Always a bailout: US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said the Government would fully guarantee all savers in all smaller US banks if needed. Photo: Getty ImagesTL;DR: No wonder an entire generation of investors are used to ‘buying the dip’ and ‘holding on for dear life’. US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago

  • Bryce Edwards: Who will drain Wellington’s lobbying swamp?
    Wealthy vested interests have an oversized influence on political decisions in New Zealand. Partly that’s due to their use of corporate lobbyists. Fortunately, the influence lobbyists can have on decisions made by politicians is currently under scrutiny in Guyon Espiner’s in-depth series published by RNZ. Two of Espiner’s research exposés ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    3 days ago

  • It’s Raining Congestion
    Yesterday afternoon it rained and traffic around the region ground to a halt, once again highlighting why it is so important that our city gets on with improving the alternatives to driving. For additional irony, this happened on the same day the IPCC synthesis report landed, putting the focus on ...
    Greater AucklandBy Matt L
    3 days ago

  • Checking The Left: The Dreadful Logic Of Fascism.
    The Beginning: Anti-Co-Governance agitator, Julian Batchelor, addresses the Dargaville stop of his travelling roadshow across New Zealand . Fascism almost always starts small. Sadly, it doesn’t always stay that way. Especially when the Left helps it to grow.THERE IS A DREADFUL LOGIC to the growth of fascism. To begin with, it ...
    Bowalley Road
    3 days ago

  • Good Friends and Terrible Food
    Hi,From an incredibly rainy day in Los Angeles, I just wanted to check in. I guess this is the day Trump may or may not end up in cuffs? I’m attempting a somewhat slower, less frenzied week. I’ve had Unknown Mortal Orchestra’s new record on non-stop, and it’s been a ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    3 days ago

  • At a glance – What evidence is there for the hockey stick?
    On February 14, 2023 we announced our Rebuttal Update Project. This included an ask for feedback about the added "At a glance" section in the updated basic rebuttal versions. This weekly blog post series highlights this new section of one of the updated basic rebuttal versions and serves as a ...
    Skeptical Science
    4 days ago

  • Carry right on up there, Corporal Espiner
    RNZ has been shining their torch into corners where lobbyists lurk and asking such questions as: Do we like the look of this?and Is this as democratic as it could be?These are most certainly questions worth asking, and every bit as valid as, say:Are we shortchanged democratically by the way ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    4 days ago

  • This smells
    RNZ has continued its look at the role of lobbyists by taking a closer look at the Prime Minister's Chief of Staff Andrew Kirton. He used to work for liquor companies, opposing (among other things) a container refund scheme which would have required them to take responsibility for their own ...
    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
    Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta has left for Beijing for the first ministerial visit to China since 2019. Mahuta is  to  meet China’s new foreign minister Qin Gang  where she  might have to call on all the  diplomatic skills  at  her  command. Almost certainly she  will  face  questions  on what  role ...
    Point of OrderBy tutere44
    4 days ago

  • Inside TOP's Teal Card and political strategy
    TL;DR: The Opportunities Party’s Leader Raf Manji is hopeful the party’s new Teal Card, a type of Gold card for under 30s, will be popular with students, and not just in his Ilam electorate where students make up more than a quarter of the voters and where Manji is confident ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago

  • Make Your Empties Go Another Round.
    When I was a kid New Zealand was actually pretty green. We didn’t really have plastic. The fruit and veges came in a cardboard box, the meat was wrapped in paper, milk came in a glass bottle, and even rubbish sacks were made of paper. Today if you sit down ...
    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, ...
    Gordon CampbellBy lyndon
    4 days ago

  • CHRIS TROTTER:  Te Pāti Māori’s uncompromising threat to the status quo
    Chris Trotter writes – The Crown is a fickle friend. Any political movement deemed to be colourful but inconsequential is generally permitted to go about its business unmolested. The Crown’s media, RNZ and TVNZ, may even “celebrate” its existence (presumably as proof of Democracy’s broad-minded acceptance of diversity). ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago

  • Bryce Edwards: Shining a bright light on lobbyists in politics
    Four out of the five people who have held the top role of Prime Minister’s Chief of Staff since 2017 have been lobbyists. That’s a fact that should worry anyone who believes vested interests shouldn’t have a place at the centre of decision making. Chris Hipkins’ newly appointed Chief of ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    4 days ago

  • Auckland Council Draft Budget – an unnecessary backwards step
    Feedback on Auckland Council’s draft 2023/24 budget closes on March 28th. You can read the consultation document here, and provide feedback here. Auckland Council is currently consulting on what is one of its most important ever Annual Plans – the ‘budget’ of what it will spend money on between July ...
    Greater AucklandBy Matt L
    4 days ago

  • Talking’ Posey Parker Blues
    by Molten Moira from Motueka If you want to be a woman let me tell you what to do Get a piece of paper and a biro tooWrite down your new identification And boom! You’re now a woman of this nationSpelled W O M A Na real trans woman that isAs opposed ...
    RedlineBy Admin
    5 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
    James Shaw gave the Green party's annual "state of the planet" address over the weekend, in which he expressed frustration with Labour for not doing enough on climate change. His solution is to elect more Green MPs, so they have more power within any government arrangement, and can hold Labour ...
    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”
    Nick Matzke writes –   Dear NZ Herald, I am a Senior Lecturer in the School of Biological Sciences at the University of Auckland. I teach evolutionary biology, but I also have long experience in science education and (especially) political attempts to insert pseudoscience into science curricula in ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago

  • So what would be the point of a Green vote again?
    James Shaw has again said the Greens would be better ‘in the tent’ with Labour than out, despite Labour’s policy bonfire last week torching much of what the Government was doing to reduce emissions. File Photo: Lynn Grieveson/Getty ImagesTL;DR: The Green Party has never been more popular than in some ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago

  • Gas stoves pose health risks. Are gas furnaces and other appliances safe to use?
    This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Sarah Wesseler Poor air quality is a long-standing problem in Los Angeles, where the first major outbreak of smog during World War II was so intense that some residents thought the city had been attacked by chemical weapons. Cars were eventually discovered ...
    Skeptical Science
    5 days ago

  • Genetic Heritage and Co Governance
    Yesterday I was reading an excellent newsletter from David Slack, and I started writing a comment “Sounds like some excellent genetic heritage…” and then I stopped.There was something about the phrase genetic heritage that stopped me in tracks. Is that a phrase I want to be saying? It’s kind of ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago

  • BRIAN EASTON: Radical Uncertainty
    Brian Easton writes – 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 ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago

  • Geoffrey Miller: New Zealand’s Middle East strategy, 20 years after the Iraq War
    This week marks the twentieth anniversary of the Iraq War. While it strongly opposed the US-led invasion, New Zealand’s then Labour-led government led by Prime Minister Helen Clark did deploy military engineers to try to help rebuild Iraq in mid-2003. With violence soaring, their 12-month deployment ended without being renewed ...
    Democracy ProjectBy Geoffrey Miller
    5 days ago

  • The motorways are finished
    After seventy years, Auckland’s motorway network is finally finished. In July 1953 the first section of motorway in Auckland was opened between Ellerslie-Panmure Highway and Mt Wellington Highway. The final stage opens to traffic this week with the completion of the motorway part of the Northern Corridor Improvements project. Aucklanders ...
    Greater AucklandBy Matt L
    5 days ago

  • Kicking National’s tyres
    National’s appointment of Todd McClay as Agriculture spokesperson clearly signals that the party is in trouble with the farming vote. McClay was not an obvious choice, but he does have a record as a political scrapper. The party needs that because sources say it has been shedding farming votes ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    5 days ago

  • As long as there is cricket, the world is somehow okay.
    Rays of white light come flooding into my lounge, into my face from over the top of my neighbour’s hedge. I have to look away as the window of the conservatory is awash in light, as if you were driving towards the sun after a rain shower and suddenly blinded. ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    6 days ago

  • So much of what was there remains
    The columnists in Private Eye take pen names, so I have not the least idea who any of them are. But I greatly appreciate their expert insight, especially MD, who writes the medical column, offering informed and often damning critique of the UK health system and the politicians who keep ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    6 days ago

  • 2023 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #11
    A chronological listing of news articles posted on the Skeptical Science Facebook Page during the past week: Sun, Mar 12, 2023 thru Sat, Mar 18, 2023. Story of the Week Guest post: What 13,500 citations reveal about the IPCC’s climate science report   IPCC WG1 AR6 SPM Report Cover - Changing ...
    Skeptical Science
    6 days ago

  • Financial capability services are being bucked up, but Stuart Nash shouldn’t have to see if they c...
    Buzz from the Beehive  The building of financial capability was brought into our considerations when Social Development and Employment Minister Carmel Sepuloni announced she had dipped into the government’s coffers for $3 million for “providers” to help people and families access community-based Building Financial Capability services. That wording suggests some ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    7 days ago

  • Things that make you go Hmmmm.
    Do you ever come across something that makes you go Hmmmm?You mean like the song?No, I wasn’t thinking of the song, but I am now - thanks for that. I was thinking of things you read or hear that make you stop and go Hmmmm.Yeah, I know what you mean, ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    7 days ago

  • The hoon for the week that was to March 19
    By the end of the week, the dramas over Stuart Nash overshadowed Hipkins’ policy bonfire. File photo: Lynn GrieveasonTLDR: This week’s news in geopolitics and the political economy covered on The Kākā included:PM Chris Hipkins’ announcement of the rest of a policy bonfire to save a combined $1.7 billion, but ...
    The KakaBy Peter Bale
    1 week ago

  • Saving Stuart Nash: Explaining Chris Hipkins' unexpected political calculation
    When word went out that Prime Minister Chris Hipkins would be making an announcement about Stuart Nash on the tiles at parliament at 2:45pm yesterday, the assumption was that it was over. That we had reached tipping point for Nash’s time as minister. But by 3pm - when, coincidentally, the ...
    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
    Photo by Walker Fenton on UnsplashIt’s that time of the week again when and I co-host our ‘hoon’ webinar with paying subscribers to The Kaka for an hour at 5 pm. Jump on this link on Riverside (we’ve moved from Zoom) for our chat about the week’s news with ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago

  • The Dream of Florian Neame: Accepted
    In a nice bit of news, my 2550-word deindustrial science-fiction piece, The Dream of Florian Neame, has been accepted for publication at New Maps Magazine (https://www.new-maps.com/). I have published there before, of course, with Of Tin and Tintagel coming out last year. While I still await the ...
    A Phuulish FellowBy strda221
    1 week ago

  • Snakes and leaders
    And so this is Friday, and what have we learned?It was a week with all the usual luggage: minister brags and then he quits, Hollywood red carpet is full of twits. And all the while, hanging over the trivial stuff: existential dread, and portents of doom.Depending on who you read ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    1 week ago

  • This station is Karanga-a-Hape, Chur!
    When I changed the name of this newsletter from The Daily Read to Nick’s Kōrero I was a bit worried whether people would know what Kōrero meant or not. I added a definition when I announced the change and kind of assumed people who weren’t familiar with it would get ...
    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...
    There was a time when a political party’s publicity people would counsel against promoting a candidate as queer. No matter which of two dictionary meanings the voting public might choose to apply – the old meaning of odd, strange, weird, or aberrant, or the more recent meaning of gay, homosexual ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    1 week ago

  • Ask Me Anything about the week to March 17
    Photo by Joakim Honkasalo on UnsplashIt’s that time of the week for an ‘Ask Me Anything’ session for paying subscribers about the week that was for the next hour, including:PM Chris Hipkins announcement of the rest of a policy bonfire to save a combined $1.7 billion, but which blew up ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago

  • Slow consenting could create $16b climate liability by 2050
    Even though concern over the climate change threat is becoming more mainstream, our governments continue to opt out of the difficult decisions at the expense of time, and cost for future generations. Photo: Lynn Grieveson/Getty ImagesTLDR: Now we have a climate liability number to measure the potential failure of the ...
    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    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, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    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. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    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, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Education New Zealand | Manapou ki te Ao – new Chair and member
    Minister of Education, Hon Jan Tinetti, has announced appointments to the Board of Education New Zealand | Manapou ki te Ao. Tracey Bridges is joining the Board as the new Chair and Dr Therese Arseneau will be a new member. Current members Dr Linda Sissons CNZM and Daniel Wilson have ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Scholarships honouring Ngarimu VC and the 28th (Māori) Battalion announced
    Fifteen ākonga Māori from across Aotearoa have been awarded the prestigious Ngarimu VC and 28th (Māori) Battalion Memorial Scholarships and Awards for 2023, Associate Education Minister and Ngarimu Board Chair, Kelvin Davis announced today.  The recipients include doctoral, masters’ and undergraduate students. Three vocational training students and five wharekura students, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • 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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Western Ring Route Complete
    Aucklanders now have more ways to get around as Transport Minister Michael Wood opened the direct State Highway 1 (SH1) to State Highway 18 (SH18) underpass today, marking the completion of the 48-kilometre Western Ring Route (WRR). “The Government is upgrading New Zealand’s transport system to make it safer, more ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Briefings to Incoming Ministers
    This section contains briefings received by incoming ministers following changes to Cabinet in January. Some information may have been withheld in accordance with the Official Information Act 1982. Where information has been withheld that is indicated within the document. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Teaming up for a stronger, more resilient Fiji
    Aotearoa New Zealand Foreign Affairs Minister Nanaia Mahuta reaffirmed her commitment to working together with the new Government of Fiji on issues of shared importance, including on the prioritisation of climate change and sustainability, at a meeting today, in Nadi. Fiji and Aotearoa New Zealand’s close relationship is underpinned by the Duavata ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Next steps developing clean energy for NZ
    The Government will progress to the next stage of the NZ Battery Project, looking at the viability of pumped hydro as well as an alternative, multi-technology approach as part of the Government’s long term-plan to build a resilient, affordable, secure and decarbonised energy system in New Zealand, Energy and Resources ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Statement from the Prime Minister on Stuart Nash
    This morning I was made aware of a media interview in which Minister Stuart Nash criticised a decision of the Court and said he had contacted the Police Commissioner to suggest the Police appeal the decision. The phone call took place in 2021 when he was not the Police Minister. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • CPTPP Trade Ministers coming to Auckland
    The Government’s sharp focus on trade continues with Aotearoa New Zealand set to host Trade Ministers and delegations from 10 Asia Pacific economies at a meeting of Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) Commission members in July, Minister for Trade and Export Growth Damien O’Connor announced today. “New Zealand ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Govt approves $25 million extension for cyclone-affected businesses
    $25 million boost to support more businesses with clean-up in cyclone affected regions, taking total business support to more than $50 million Demand for grants has been strong, with estimates showing applications will exceed the initial $25 million business support package Grants of up to a maximum of $40,000 per ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

Page generated in The Standard by Wordpress at 2023-03-24T20:03:04+00:00