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Does the West Coast Regional Council Exist?

Written By: - Date published: 3:14 pm, January 29th, 2019 - 48 comments
Categories: capitalism, class war, climate change, Conservation, disaster, Environment, Mining, science - Tags: , ,

SUBMISSION:  Zero Carbon Bill

In my submission on the Zero Carbon Bill (ZCB), which I believe appears to be well-intentioned, I’m going to focus on fairness and justice for a largely remote region dependent on mining, farming and forestry.

That region is, of course, New Zealand.

To ask the people of New Zealand to keep subsidising the West Coast the evidence proving intelligent life in the West Coast Regional Council must be presented, and proven beyond reasonable doubt.

 

Coal being mined at Stockton Open Pit mine, the largest in New Zealand, 500 metres above sea level in the Buller Coalfield.
STACY SQUIRES/STUFF
The inside of a WCRC Councillor’s brain. Note fat deposits where functioning brain cells once lived.

 Implementing the Zero Carbon Bill is likely to result in substantial costs to New Zealand, as well as changes to the growing industry of tourism. If we are going to ask tourists, even rowdy ones, to turn right once they leave the ferry at Picton, we are going to have to convince them that there is a chance of bumping into sentient human beings.

I’ve checked with the West Coast Regional Council and they have been unable to offer any proof that anybody representing them has half a brain.

Sadly, the discovery that there is apparently little or no intelligent life in the council building in Paroa will also have impacts on day-to-day life for communities living in that remote, rural region.

If they exist, that is.

The scientific jury is still out on whether the region is real and it could be that the whole West Coast is a giant hoax perpetrated by the Illuminati.

 

Mine owner and West Coast District councillor Allan Birchfield, wearing a Make America Great Again hat, strongly opposes climate change.

BREEN/DaisyCutterSports

West Coast man wins farting competition against local cows.

 My submission is that no further tax dollars should go to the West Coast to prevent flooding in Greymouth, forest flattening storms in Haast and sea front erosion in Granity until there is a scientific consensus that the West Coast Regional Council actually exists and, if it does, that there are homo sapiens to be found there who have progressed beyond eating lumps of coal and grunting about Donald Trump.

ENDS

 

(Hat tip to David Tong @Davidxvx)

 

48 comments on “Does the West Coast Regional Council Exist? ”

  1. rata 1

    The West coast does not start at Picton and end at Okarito.
    Just like the East coast does not start in Coromandel and end in Napier.
    People who think that are idiots.
    Wanna look at a map of New Zealand occasionally.
    The West coast starts at Cape Reinga
    to Raglan to Kawhia to Mokau New Plymouth Opunake
    Wanganui Foxton Waikanae Paraparaumu Wellington.
    Then Te Moana -o- Raukawa.
    Even then the South island West coast does not begin in Picton
    It starts at Puponga and ends at the bottom of Rakiura

  2. patricia bremner 2

    LOL A tad harsh. This region has had many tragedies, like the Buller mine deaths, the Pike River mine deaths and hardship as industries and came and went.

    They live in rugged country and have explosive weather, perhaps the higher tides and problems with exceptional rainfall have clouded their vision.

    Their statements about not having the expertise…. Well now, perhaps a government appointee could help run a programme of education and community efforts which would receive funding.

    Some suggestions that the community and visitors could take part in with their council.

    Tree planting tourist experience before the rapid ride. Leave the West as one of the best. Plant a native tree.

    Visit the local farm and see mitigation efforts to control emissions. science on the farm.

    Travel by horse and buggy to see the forest as the early people who lived here did. The famous beeches and the forestry museum.

    Meet for a hearty meal and a brew with the locals, and a civic welcome by the Mayor.

    Visit the climate change centre. Make a choice for the level of carbon, an interactive explanation of what could happen. Did you survive?

    Toboggan down the flume, to the green stone carving viewing.

    All proceeds go into mitigation of carbon. (My suggestions are free.)

    I sincerely hope they do something

  3. One Two 3

    Regions which have relied on mining, should be provided with guidance on transition options and future sustainable industry…

    Councils should be financially incentivized (carrot not stick) to do so by way of ensuring the well being of people in the area, and to attract others to live and work…

    Mocking and ridiculing the councils rejection is not the level of dialogue needed on CC, or any other matter…

    There is a genuine opportunity which should not be missed…

    • patricia bremner 3.1

      Oh sorry if you feel the “tongue in cheek” banter makes light of climate change. That was far from the intention, and in a light hearted way I was suggesting there should be funding incentives for change and that probably should come from Government, especially for mining areas. PS I come from miners… my dad said they were the cobblers of old, and needed to learn and change.

      • One Two 3.1.1

        My comment was a response to the article…not to your comment patricia..

        That yourself and Peter believe I was responding to you makes me think perhaps my comment was indeed nested as a reply…

        It does not look as though I replied to you…from what I can see…the numbering sequence confirms as much…

    • Peter 3.2

      OFFS get a life its a joke, no wonder they say people on the left are to PC.

      • One Two 3.2.1

        Calm down, Peter…and slow down…

        Have a look at the numbering sequence…I had not replied to a comment…

        I had replied to the article…

  4. Exkiwiforces 4

    Well it’s not surprising when you have a member of Birchfield family on the WRC aka “Alan Birchfield“ which the Birchfield family picked up the former SOE assets of Solid Energy for a song and there is another miner along with mine historian which I can’t remember their names.

    The Birchfield family were once a proud Labour family on the coast and now looks like they gone full Monty towards the “No Mates Party”.

    Oh well more floods, damaged roads and critical infrastructure damage due to CC effects. Might have to pull a pew and crack open a Monty’s and watch these silly muppets, Shell backs complain about the weather, lack of money because they have keep fixing roads, power supply issues etc.

    • patricia bremner 4.1

      Oh thanks Ex Kiwi forces. So being obdurate has foundations huh?

      • Exkiwiforces 4.1.1

        Well I was going to quote the late BSM William’s

        “No dear, How sad, Never mind.”

        But I don’t think anyone would get my sense of humour, when one considers the how damaging CC is going to be in the long term.

        But seeing Alan wearing old Chumps hat really says it all, I’m alright Jack or up your’s baby,etc etc.

        Shellbacks is a Military slang for old farts who won’t or can’t change with the times usually given to old crusty SNCO’s, WOFF’s or Officers.

        I really don’t have the time for some on the Coast and yes the coal on the coast along with the other stuff they dig up or cut down is some of the finest quality products in world, but they really need to slowly step away from it.

        Tourism is on Coast is really not the answer, as there needs to be manufactureing on the coast like wind turbines on Cape Foulwind something besides digging up or cutting down the country side.

  5. millsy 5

    Sack the whole lot. WCRC, Buller DC, Westland DC and Grey DC. Appointment commissioners to run all 4 councils. The whole point of having these reigonal councils is to protect the environment. Seems that these hacks are protecting the profits of the extractive industries.

  6. Roy 6

    Just when you thought NZ couldn’t embarrass itself any more with its willful stupidity.

    Denying global warming during a record heatwave…

    • Ian 6.1

      Could you please supply data to back up your opinion that we are experiencing a record heat wave. I think you are telling porkies.

      • McFlock 6.1.1

        Premature, maybe, but hardly a porkie. We’ve had record temps in some places, and the heat is forecast through to the end of the week, so it’s not exactly a misleading statement.

        Oh look, a NIWA meteorologist used the “h” word.

        • Ian 6.1.1.1

          Total bull shit and totally misleading.What is the official definition of a heatwave ?

          • Roy 6.1.1.1.1

            Wow: “What’s a heatwave?”

            Sigh. An uncommonly warm spell of weather where many places reached their highest temps on record. No, I’m not going to link, it was even on the evening news.

            Honestly, I wish I could just unscience it all away like you can, truly.

          • McFlock 6.1.1.1.2

            As opposed to how the meteorology official used it officially?

            lol the point point is that it’s not bullshit. Whether it’s an “iofficial” heatwave that breaks heatwave records, or an official heatwave with local records being broken, or an unofficial heatwave breaking local records, it’s still funny that WCRC is choosing now to continue pleading ignorance.

            That’s the funny bit.

            The fact they’re pleading ignorance at all is idiotic. That they are doing so when the properties of some of their ratepayers are literally disappearing is borderline negligent. And if they’re doing so to continue their own dirty businesses, the word is “corrupt”.

          • Macro 6.1.1.1.3

            The World Meteorological Organization defines a heat wave as five or more consecutive days during which the daily maximum temperature surpasses the average maximum temperature by 5 °C

            • lprent 6.1.1.1.3.1

              ie most likely by the end of the week. Except for Nelson and Banks Peninsula, who I suspect will have it a few days earlier.

              Of course everyone will be aware of the heatwave well before that because the dratted nighttime temperatures are so high. So they either cook slowly as they toss and turn or they pay for some expensive power bills.

              In the case of Ian, the heat appears to be making him more less insane as his question seems to me to have been almost sensible. (I’m not going to consider the alternate explanation for that latter viewpoint because that would involve confronting my recent lack of good sleep.)

          • Ian B 6.1.1.1.4

            You can find the definition on the Metservice website

            A heat wave, as defined by the World Meteorological Organisation , occurs when the daily maximum temperature exceeds the average maximum temperature by five degrees or more for five consecutive days.

            You’re welcome

      • Cinny 6.1.2

        Sure…..

        ” forecast sweltering heatwave is gripping the country, breaking long-time records and pushing temperatures close to 40C in places.”

        https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12197391

        The weather can be defined as a heatwave because a number of places throughout the country meet the threshold of one, McInnes said.

        As defined by the World Meteorological Organisation, five consecutive days with maximum temperatures 5C above average is a heatwave.”

        🚨 BREAKING NEWS: All-Time Temperature Record Set! 🚨

        The minimum temperature in Richmond only reached 24.3°C this morning!🔥

        That is a new ALL-TIME warm minimum temperature record for the Wider Nelson region. Records began there 157 years ago!

        The previous record was 23.7°C pic.twitter.com/thAbSSVjsM

        • Adrian 6.1.2.1

          So who stayed up all night with a candle to see what the minimum temp in Richmond was in 1886 because as sure as shit it wasn’t downloaded on to an online graph. A lot of 150 year old records have to be taken with a large container of salt.
          Does anyone know what a Stevenson Screen is anyway ?.

      • joe90 6.1.3

        Meanwhile, the gibbering shit-weasel opines.

    • flow in 6.2

      it was 18 – 22 degrees on the coast during the ‘heatwave’. Indeed, only a single place in NZ actually recorded a heatwave at all, not that NIWA will show that with their images of a country on fire. Its called SUMMER

  7. Cinny 7

    Old white men denying climate change because it would lower their personal incomes and gains.

    Wondering how the average Coaster feels about it.

  8. Descendant Of Smith 8

    They could build a nuclear power station on the West Coast. Build enough of these around the world we could reduce carbon emissions quite quickly, have plenty of energy and remove a few dams in NZ anyway to put water back into our wetlands and rivers.

    • Jenny - How to get there? 8.1

      This might not be such a good idea. Climate change fueled Super Storms like Sandy have struck much further North and South, than their traditional rather narrow mid tropic range, and this trend is likely to continue and deepen. But at least you are thinking.

    • roy cartland 8.2

      Nukes need carbon emissions to mine the fuel though, unfortunately. And the waste disposal/transportation is inherently risky, especially in a quakey country.

      Just transition from looting to creation. I.e., from mining (inlc. farming and forestry, which mines nutrient wealth from the land) to solar panel / wind turbine construction and installation.

      (Oh, of course ‘mining is in the blood’ and it’s what they’ve ‘always done’; but hell, wouldn’t it be great if the rest of the world could just subsidise us all do the job we felt like…)

      • dv 8.2.1

        It seems to me that solar, wind (especially offshore) and tidal generation should go a long way to getting rid of coal etc.
        And continuing the EV push with determination.

      • Descendant Of Smith 8.2.2

        Ironically most of the carbon emissions are from the oil based processes needed to get things up and running e.g. trucks, transportation.

        http://theconversation.com/is-nuclear-power-zero-emission-no-but-it-isnt-high-emission-either-41615

        I do wonder however whether once the first one is built then some of those emissions can then be transferred to electricity from the first plant e.g. electric vehicles. I also wonder whether the modelling takes into account New Zealand’s lower cost electrical generation from hydro as opposed to some of the higher cost generation elsewhere.

        I also believe some of he newer reactors use bead like systems rather than rods which make things like shutdowns redundant and waste more useable and manageable.

        Regardless the generation of nuclear power does seem to mean substantial less carbon emission.

        https://bravenewclimate.com/2012/05/06/carbon-offsetting-uranium-mines/

    • greywarshark 8.3

      Nuclear waste and safe storage is a bit of a problem often not factored in is it. Perhaps saving all the hot air that gets talked by politicians and piped for later use, could at least give them lighting for an hour at night while they get ready for bed.

      http://www.greystar.co.nz/news/lead/regional-council-wants-proof-of-climate-change/
      This is a marvellous example of groupthink. They as a group support each other in making a statement that would reveal an individual as so ignorant and unable to process information that he would have trouble with his shoelaces and be unsuitable for any job of importance, even operating a rubbish truck with on-board compacting machinery. But together; We stand proudly us Regional Councillors and dare anyone to contradict us as to our utter stupidity. US rules OK!

      Development on the West Coast – apparently trying.
      https://www.dwc.org.nz/business/business

      Mayor Kokshoorn seethes but not always to good effect.
      https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/106682156/mayor-seething-over-development-west-coasts-lack-of-action
      A $124 million trust set up to grow the West Coast economy has been slammed for squirrelling money away while businesses struggle to retain jobs.

      Development West Coast (DWC) was set up in 2001 with $92m Government money to offset the impact of the end of native timber milling on the West Coast economy.
      Its most recent annual report shows the fund has grown to $124m. However, last year it only gave out $2.66m in loans to nine businesses, down from $12m the year before while growing profits by $5.2m.
      (Tourism seems to be the mainstay.)

      DWC also co-funded four feasibility studies, a GNS Science Geothermal Study, the Minerals Research Institute and allocated over $500k to Tourism West Coast’s marketing initiatives.

      It isn’t easy getting a business going since Treasury and NZ Government abandoned our country’s domestic economy and enterprises in favour of importing cheap substitutes from world sources.

      The SI West Coast tried a sock factory and that didn’t work out and they lost confidence after that. They used to have Postie Plus operating from there with a garment business and trying to find replacement business that would provide steady jobs was a laudable aim. But in the end everybody lost their socks with the failure of the socks venture, including the entrepreneurs.

      Ratepayers lose out as West Coast Socks firm closes
      https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=3549580
      https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=3550284

      Were they/are they our Treasury and our Government or….?
      Can we say that though they are bastards, at least they are our bastards?
      (It’s okay, someone important said that and created a precedent:
      [Roosevelt’s] Secretary of State, Sumner Welles, once said “Somoza’s a bastard!” And Roosevelt replied, “Yes, but he’s our bastard.
      https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Talk:Franklin_D._Roosevelt)

    • greywarshark 8.4

      Look they tried a sock factory and that didn’t work out. They lost confidence after that. Nuclear waste and safe storage is a bit of a problem often not factored in is it. Perhaps saving all the hot air that gets talked by politicians and piped for later use, could at least give them lighting for an hour at night while they get ready for bed.

      http://www.greystar.co.nz/news/lead/regional-council-wants-proof-of-climate-change/
      This is a marvellous example of groupthink. They as a group support each other in making a statement that would reveal an individual as so ignorant and unable to process information that he would have trouble with his shoelaces and be unsuitable for any job of importance, even operating a rubbish truck with on-board compacting machinery. But together; We stand proudly us Regional Councillors and dare anyone to contradict us as to our utter stupidity. US rules OK!

      Development on the West Coast – apparently trying.
      https://www.dwc.org.nz/business/business

      Mayor Kokshoorn seethes but not always to good effect.
      https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/106682156/mayor-seething-over-development-west-coasts-lack-of-action
      A $124 million trust set up to grow the West Coast economy has been slammed for squirrelling money away while businesses struggle to retain jobs.

      Development West Coast (DWC) was set up in 2001 with $92m Government money to offset the impact of the end of native timber milling on the West Coast economy.
      Its most recent annual report shows the fund has grown to $124m. However, last year it only gave out $2.66m in loans to nine businesses, down from $12m the year before while growing profits by $5.2m.
      (Tourism seems to be the mainstay.)

      DWC also co-funded four feasibility studies, a GNS Science Geothermal Study, the Minerals Research Institute and allocated over $500k to Tourism West Coast’s marketing initiatives.

      It isn’t easy getting a business going since Treasury and NZ Government abandoned our country’s domestic economy and enterprises in favour of importing cheap substitutes from world sources. Everybody lost their socks with the failure of this venture, including the entrepreneurs.
      Ratepayers lose out as West Coast Socks firm closes
      https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=3549580
      https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=3550284

      Were they/are they our Treasury and our Government or….?
      Can we say that though they are bastards, at least they are our bastards?
      (It’s okay, someone important said that and created a precedent:
      [Roosevelt’s] Secretary of State, Sumner Welles, once said “Somoza’s a bastard!” And Roosevelt replied, “Yes, but he’s our bastard.
      https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Talk:Franklin_D._Roosevelt)

    • flow in 8.5

      or, we could count the huge native forests towards our carbon tax. 86% of our land is forest, you know. We’ve already built the hydro.

  9. Cinny 9

    Electric car manufacturing plant….. come on coasters break away from coal and the old boys running your region.

  10. greywarshark 10

    A thought. Are regional councils any good any more? Are they now proving more costly for less effectiveness than was the case when set up?

    Could a panel of business experts with environmental and future thinking nous plus government adminstration experience or training (at Uni of Wellington etc.) be appointed to have annual meetings with ordinary Councils to help them get a fix on what their region needs, and so bring to them a larger and less embedded view and information than a regional council does. Ordinary Councils would have a department that kept a watching brief on planning and policy and implementation of regional matters, and be working in co-operation with neighbouring Councils.

    The panel would not be chosen because they used to be top sportsmen etc. – they would have to have the background of experience and academia to do it. So no Old Boys/Girls/Network or retired politicians locally or nationally, no WCRC bunch of white boys grown older but not wiser, no Chris Laidlaw or other choice sporting offering – unless they had put themselves through required training which would not just be MBA or the like but include real personal business entrepreneurship experience, and academia including Development courses.

    Sounds like a dose of objective good business sense visiting Councils and having Council-wide meetings and workshops, and offering citizens the opportunity to contribute in brain storming sessions and then following through one idea to a plan and implementation system, and cost/benefit analysis to see how to do that task. A learning experience for all, that would be. Break the ‘helpless’ ignorance of communities and those in sectors with historical thought patterns that need changing.

  11. R.P Mcmurphy 11

    they been whingeing for years.

  12. flow in 12

    I find it amazing everyone gets upset because WCRC asked for proof of AGW before agreeing to beggar the entire region.

    Its a simple thing. Just some proof.

    The Scientific method sure means we have that by now?

    But, no. No proof. All model predictions have been falsified, every time. There is more disproof of the hypothesis (Co2 causes global warming) than disproof of the null (it doesn’t cause global warming).

    It is a good question.

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    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
    3 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
    3 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
    3 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
    3 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
    3 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 ...
    3 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
    3 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 ...
    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 ...
    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
    4 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
    4 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
    4 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
    4 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 ...
    4 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 ...
    4 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
    4 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 ...
    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
    5 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
    5 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, ...
    5 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
    5 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
    5 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 ...
    5 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
    6 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
    6 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 ...
    6 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
    6 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
    6 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
    6 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 ...
    6 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
    6 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
    7 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
    7 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 ...
    7 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
    1 week 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
    1 week 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 ...
    1 week ago

  • Crown apology to Ngāti Kahungunu ki Wairarapa Tāmaki nui-a-Rua
    Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations Minister Andrew Little has delivered the Crown apology to Ngāti Kahungunu ki Wairarapa Tāmaki nui-a-Rua for its historic breaches of Te Tiriti of Waitangi today. The ceremony was held at Queen Elizabeth Park in Masterton, hosted by Ngāti Kahungunu ki Wairarapa Tāmaki nui-a-Rua, with several hundred ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    13 hours ago
  • Minister of Foreign Affairs meets with Chinese counterpart
    Minister of Foreign Affairs Nanaia Mahuta has concluded her visit to China, the first by a New Zealand Foreign Minister since 2018. The Minister met her counterpart, newly appointed State Councilor and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Qin Gang, who also hosted a working dinner. This was the first engagement between the two ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    14 hours ago
  • Government delivering world-class satellite positioning services
    World-class satellite positioning services that will support much safer search and rescue, boost precision farming, and help safety on construction sites through greater accuracy are a significant step closer today, says Land Information Minister Damien O’Connor. Damien O’Connor marked the start of construction on New Zealand’s first uplink centre for ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day 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
    2 days 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
    3 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
    3 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
    3 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
    3 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
    3 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
    3 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
    4 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
    4 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
    5 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
    5 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
    5 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
    5 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
    6 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
    6 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
    7 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

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