Down the Gurgler.

Written By: - Date published: 4:18 pm, March 27th, 2017 - 69 comments
Categories: Abuse of power, capitalism, Economy, Environment, Politics, water - Tags: , ,

Eleanor Ainge Roy (Dunedin based writer)  has a piece in the Guardian referring yet another ‘rip shit and fuck you’ water scheme being prepared for NZ.

An export company is proposing to collect 800m litres a month of the “untapped” glacial waters of Lake Greaney (photo link) and Lake Minim Mere (photo link),  mountainous dams that are fed by rainfall on the Southern Alps.

The pristine water, which the company Alpine Pure calls “untouched by man” would be pumped 20km downhill through an underground pipeline to a reservoir at Jackson Bay on the West Coast, where it would be processed.

From there, it would travel through a two-kilometre pipeline laid on the seafloor to a mooring, where 100,000-tonne tanker ships would be waiting to transport it in bulk to overseas markets in China, India and the Middle East.

The company already has permission to extract the water and is going through the process of getting resource consent from the Westland District Council for the pipeline.

A 20km pipeline and a 2 km pipeline, all the construction and ongoing maintenance with that, plus however many 100 000 tonne tankers every month, doesn’t quite stack up alongside notions of ‘pristine’ to my mind. But hey, investors and such like are of a different persuasion…

 

“We’ve had a lot of interest in this proposal from overseas companies, and a couple of times we’ve started chilling the champagne,” said Bruce Nisbet, managing director.

“Pristine water has been falling on the Southern Alps for a million years, and it would usually be wasted by flowing directly out to sea. The amount we want to take is very small.”

You get that? Water is ‘wasted’ if it ain’t in a plastic bottle on a supermarket shelf…800 million plastic bottles worth of it every month in this case.

And the Prime Minister? Well….

 

Prime minister Bill English has now announced the government would ask an expert water panel to investigate whether water destined for overseas exports should be charged, after mounting public pressure.

“We do accept there’s growing public concern about it, that’s why we want to refer it off to this group to look at what if any reasonable options there are,” he said.

You want to know what’s reasonable Bill? Leave. It. Alone. There you go. No need to line your mate’s pockets with ‘consultation’ fees.

69 comments on “Down the Gurgler. ”

  1. Greg 1

    Tory looting at its best not satisfied with stealing our power companies Tory scum are after the water as well this government has to go

  2. Barfly 2

    20 cents a litre tax – f all to the retail price but an insane amount of revenue

    after all if a litre of milk takes 400 liters of water 20 cents a litre for exporting water sounds like economic nirvana

    if they don’t / can’t pay bad luck leave it where it is

    oh 800 million litres a month = 160 million a month at that tax rate

    lets build some houses maybe…or food in schools or……

    • bwaghorn 2.1

      yep i could go with that , as long as locals aren’t drinking sheep shit water like in havelock north while the pure aquifer is being sold off.

      • RedBaronCV 2.1.1

        And the locals are seriously upset about it too. They have been on water restrictions for months in Hastings. With that plus the GM I can see Nact taking a tumble up there.

    • Bill 2.2

      Nah. Let’s not.

      The monetisation of “everything” has gone far enough…too far. Time to attach notions of worth to intrinsic value rather than scabby $ signs.

      • marty mars 2.2.1

        Yep + 1 Bill – commodification of water has to stop – it literally is killing us.

      • Woody 2.2.2

        This is a long bow but I was talking about monetisation the other day and noted that we had a PM who made his fortune in the monetisation of money I know that sounds nuts but money sole purpose is to oil commerce it’s not a commodity if people can monetise money then we are doomed

  3. Glenn 3

    Tax it the same as “Fiji Water” otherwise tell them to eff off. In fact tax all of our water exports the same as Fiji. We are being taken for suckers.

    “an increase in the tax from one-third of a Fiji cent per liter to 15 cents per liter for producers over 15 million liters/month which at that point in time applied only to Fiji Water, led the company to shut down its Fiji Island offices on November 29, 2010. This raise was to raise Fiji Water’s tax contribution on to the Fiji Government on the F$150 million (AUD 82 million) they exported each year from F$500,000 to F$22.6 million.[17] The next step for the brand was thought to be a move to New Zealand.[18][19][20] However, after threats from the government to give the well to another company,[21] Fiji Water announced its intent to resume operations and accept the new tax levy.[22”]

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fiji_Water

  4. McFlock 4

    That’s up to 8 ships a month. just FYI.

    But the entire “if it ends up in the ocean it’s wasted” thing also pisses me off. If it ends up in the ocean it’s done its job of maintaining the waterway for migratory fish, local flora and fauna, and local residents to use.

    • Bill 4.1

      At least eight per month depending on what that 100 000 tonne figure’s referring to (net or gross tonnage) – guessing net.

    • NZJester 4.2

      I think the “if it ends up in the ocean it’s wasted” statement is a big lie also that covers up so much of what good it really does for this country as it flows to the ocean. We have no way of knowing either what damage to the environment might be done by the removal of all that water at the source. It may or may not affect the migratory fish, local flora and fauna, but as there is no study to say either way who can tell. We will not know if it is safe to take that much water unless a long-term study is done. You can bet if it is found to be doing damage once they start taking the water they will not put any of those profits back into this country to fix it. They will be away laughing with their pockets stuffed full of money leaving us to pay for any cleanup bill.

  5. NZJester 5

    A lot of places in New Zealand suffer drought and they want to ship a lot of the clean water out of the country and in this case not even offer New Zealand some trivial jobs of bottling and transporting of the water.
    That water is not going to waste as it flows down and nourishes the natural land around the rivers it feeds. Removing large amounts of that water could affect some of the downstream ecosystems. As we don’t have any data we can’t say for sure.
    The National Government is letting them rob New Zealand of a valuable resource.

  6. weka 6

    I’m pretty fucked off at the number of people who have jumped on the ‘if they’re going to take it they should pay for it’ wagon, including the Greens. In complete agreement we should just leave it the fuck alone. Te mana o te wai.

    On the other hand, clean green NZ should get in and use the glaciers while they’re still there, right? /perverse irony.

    Show me the carbon footprint.

    • Bill 6.1

      Carbon footprint…heh.

      Okay. Let’s start with the 22km of pipe. What’s the carbon embedded in its manufacture and transport?
      +
      Then there’s the carbon involved with it’s installation.
      +
      Eight tankers per month running on bunker fuel traversing the Pacific.
      +
      800 000 000 plastic containers every month (assuming 1l bottles) – what’s the carbon cost of their manufacture and transport?
      +
      The carbon involved in the distribution from port to warehouse to supermarket to home.
      +
      The disposal of those 800 000 000 bottles every month
      +
      Want to throw in all the flights to business meetings and sales meetings associated with the company?
      +
      What about the carbon profligate lifestyle the $ from this would enable for those out to make that quick buck?
      +
      And the flow on effects of that? (Because carbon profligacy demands carbon hungry services…restaurants, hotels, airports – maids, waiters,cleaners, maintenance workers, chefs and what not travelling to and from those places of work that might only exist because of high carbon users)
      +
      all the other stuff I’ve doubtless missed.

      • weka 6.1.1

        And that’s not getting the rest of the ecological footprint. I remember a high profile breast cancer activist in the US years ago talking about being against water filters for households because what it meant was we said we can pollute our water and some people can take out the bad stuff before drinking, but the rest of us are going to still be drinking the toxins. There’s also the issue of what to do with the used filters, which generally go into landfills and often contaminate groundwater. If we get honest with ourselves and drink the water as it is we are more likely to act to preserve it.

        I pretty sure that bottled water is in the same kind of loop (plastics are endocrine disrupters, not just for humans but for many species that get exposed, especially via water, etc). Can’t bring myself to go look that up that the moment.

        That 800,000,000 bottles per month is pretty mind blowing. I just keep seeing the Pacific Gyre.

        This one is really doing my head in.

    • saveNZ 6.2

      Totally agree Weka.

      We should just leave it the fuck alone. Te mana o te wai.

      Fuck off user pays thinking.

      I don’t like this new neoliberal Green approach by the Greens – go back to environmentalism!

      Some things have intrinsic value. There is no price to put on pure water. It is priceless.

    • AsleepWhileWalking 6.3

      I dunno what’s happened to the Greens but they are sort of fading rapidly.

      Yeh, leave it alone.

      • gsays 6.3.1

        Aww, I think in matters such as this the greens would rather be called the aquas.

        I agree with bill and others, leave the water alone.

        Come to think of it, the Tory folk that come up with these ideas are wasted.
        They could be compost under a rhubarb plant, far better use of those nutrients.

      • Once etc 6.3.2

        I’ve noticed James with the corporate background seems to be fronting everything these days whereas MT (supposedly ‘co-leader) appears to be missing in action. Is this correct, and if so, is there a reason for it?

        • weka 6.3.2.1

          I don’t think so, I see MT doing plenty of things, as well as the other MPs.

          • Once etc. 6.3.2.1.1

            I agree @weka. MT is doing PLENTY of things as my email inbox attests, and as she always has.
            It just seems to me that whilst she is doing all the leg-work and stuff and things we’d expect from a green party, James is fronting the media and turning the party turquoise – in tune with his corporate background.
            And as far as those media blips go, MT is a far better image for the Greens than JS will ever be (despite that hideous green tie)
            In any event, unless MT starts fronting and we see less of Jesus Christ and more of MT, I’ll continue to ignore the inbox and consider other options cum election time (going forward)

            • weka 6.3.2.1.1.1

              I really don’t understand this. How do you think NZ will ever do the right things by the environment especially cc, if they don’t have good working relationships with the various business communities including the corporate world?

              You can write off Shaw because he’s a suit, but it’s really just a form of prejudice. He’s got Green credentials, maybe look them up some time.

              “In any event, unless MT starts fronting and we see less of Jesus Christ and more of MT, I’ll continue to ignore the inbox and consider other options cum election time (going forward)”

              That just makes me suspicious of your politics then. Because the Greens have the most left wing policies of any party in govt, and the most sound and progressive policies too. Vote Labour if you want (which is full of suits), and we can change the govt, but if you really want real change then the Greens having as many MPs as possible is critical.

              • Once etc.

                And I agree once again @Weka that the Greens have the most left wing policies etc etc etc.
                What worries me however is JS’s commitment to them.

                I worked in a corporate environment long enough to know just how much all that goes with it rubs off, and from what I’ve seen of JS – a fair amount – even if he wants to dress it up as pragmatism

                Suffice to say, Greens would probably get my party vote in a heartbeat if MT was solely at the helm.

                • Antoine

                  And probably mine if Shaw was sole leader.

                • weka

                  “I worked in a corporate environment long enough to know just how much all that goes with it rubs off, and from what I’ve seen of JS – a fair amount – even if he wants to dress it up as pragmatism”

                  Can you give some examples of what has rubbed off?

                  “Suffice to say, Greens would probably get my party vote in a heartbeat if MT was solely at the helm.”

                  Can I ask who you will vote for then?

  7. saveNZ 7

    Great post!!!

  8. Draco T Bastard 8

    You get that? Water is ‘wasted’ if it ain’t in a plastic bottle on a supermarket shelf…800 million plastic bottles worth of it every month in this case.

    Anything that doesn’t increase the income for rich people is wasted according to the Nats:- minerals, food, water, people.

    They don’t, and won’t, accept that that water is needed for the rivers that it flows into to keep life going.

  9. saveNZ 9

    Hypothetical conversation

    ACT – We need to charge for water, user pays is necessary.
    NAT – Steady on there ACT, our cronies want water for free, giving stuff away to industry is our only idea of running the economy. We have people literally FLOCKING here under our free to industry policies and are getting eye watering prices for bankrupted farms or small holdings.
    TMP- well we co-own the water and are hoping to transfer Maori land to a CEO structure so yes we’re in, anything to make a $ for whanau.
    LAB- yes you have a point there ACT and NAT – we have to think about industry.
    GREEN – well to appease the BLUE GREEN crowd we’ll think about user pays for water but we want rental rights in return.
    NAT – done! as long as we do the deal before the election and you can say it was your solution of user pays for water and rental rights.
    LAB-GREEN – no problem!

    MANA -WTF!!

  10. Pristine water has been falling on the Southern Alps for a million years, and it would usually be wasted by flowing directly out to sea.

    Maybe someone should send this guy back to finish primary school, so he can learn about the water cycle.

  11. greywarshark 11

    By all means Bill – listen to Bill. LEAVE. IT. ALONE.

  12. Graeme 12

    I’d say the economics of this proposal are pretty marginal. The idea of shipping water around in tankers disappeared about the time desalination plants got really good. These produce water for about $0.50 / cubic metre. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Desalination

    • Yes. It’s so cheap now that Kuwait doesn’t even charge for water, and almost all its water comes from desalination. I’d see maids out hosing down the driveway with this water that oil had been burned to produce. And of course, most ex-pats wouldn’t drink it – used to drive me nuts, they’d all be down the supermarket buying cases of bottled water every week and throwing the bottles in the bin afterwards (no recycling in Kuwait). I horrified a number of people who saw me drinking water from the tap.

    • Draco T Bastard 12.2

      It’s the branding that will bring in the dollars. Not that it’s water.

  13. roy cartland 13

    If this continues, someone from anonymous could well put out a video saying they’ll pee in every 50th batch. That would be outrageous of course. They might even sticker some bottles in supermarkets with a message saying so. I’d really, really, really be against such behaviour. Imagine the damage it would do to the water-exporting business. It could collapse it overnight and no one would trust our water ever again! We’d be sunk; the extraction companies would go under.

    • Wensleydale 13.1

      “May contain traces of urine and faeces.”

      That’s how you know it’s genuine New Zealand water.

    • Bill 13.2

      Alternatively send Mr Nisbet a polite letter (his contact details are through the ‘Alpine Pure’ link provided in the post).

      And if you live up near Manurewa, then you just might pass him on the street, and of course you could enter into a polite face to face conversation with him.

      This is Mr Nisbet. (Yes, he’s a director of more than one company)

      And this is his mate who owns half of the shares in ‘Alpine Pure’. (And he’s also a director in more then…yeah, you get the story)

    • gsays 13.3

      Hi Roy, I think the ptb have thought that one through.
      There are statutes dealing with what you are describing:
      They fall into a terrorism area, you know, being a threat to profits, or putting a dampener to another’s rampant greed.

  14. inspider 14

    There have been proposals to pull water from Deep Cove for about 30 years. None of them have been economic, and it’s hard to see how this could complete with a simple bore well and a bottling plant.

    • Draco T Bastard 14.1

      The price of labour has been dropping in New Zealand for the last thirty years.

  15. Antoine 15

    Puzzling why the DIstrict Council would give resource consent for the take of water, or moreso the pipeline…

      • Antoine 15.1.1

        Can you be more specific? Who pays the $$$ to who??

        • One Anonymous Bloke 15.1.1.1

          Google really is your friend, you know. See if you can find one of the recent articles describing the financial arrangements in question. You can do it.

          Or take Weka’s word for it. Either will serve you equally well.

  16. adam 16

    One axe, and we’d have a new river.

    • weka 16.1

      I can think of better uses for the axe though.

      • adam 16.1.1

        One earthquack

        • Robert Guyton 16.1.1.1

          On Opening Day for the duck hunting season – poetry!

          • Antoine 16.1.1.1.1

            Robert since you’re here, do you know the answer to my question above?

            • Robert Guyton 16.1.1.1.1.1

              Your District Council question?
              I’m a Regional Councillor (Environment Southland) and regional councils provide consents for water extraction for various reasons and those are usually linked to industry; farming etc. Regional councils are charged with resource management and the definition of that is a source of constant debate. I’m inclined to believe that should mean protection, but others who sit on regional councils appear to see opportunities for industry as a higher priority; it’s a constant tension, with the “protectors” generally losing out to the “exploiters”, in my opinion.
              I think weka meant that the recipient of the consent profits monetarily from being granted consent to extract water and that is the motivation for applying ; weka is right, imo.

              • Antoine

                I’m sure they seek the consent to gain money, that’s clear, but wasn’t sure why the consent would be granted. Thanks for your answer on why this could be!

                • weka

                  I also meant that the council in questions is pro-business making $ over protection (as RG clarified). ‘Bring prosperity to the region’ kind of thing. Not sure if the council also gets direct benefit, I’m guessing they do.

                  It’s just wasted water otherwise right? May as well make money. It’s tied into old paradigm ideas about job creation too, where industry and investment are seen as the backbone of people making a living and then we do what we can get away with in terms of the environment. I also think that some people (mostly men of a certain class and disposition) just get a kick out building projects like this. That’s why it will have some support in the community too.

                  Other than environmental grounds, that whole approach doesn’t serve locals particularly well, as most of the money made will go elsewhere. What we want is wellbeing being generated. So that’s income, but also future-proofing, security, and community development which would be better served by supporting the local economy.

                  • Antoine

                    What direct benefit are you guessing that the council gets?

                    • weka

                      Increased rates, fees associated with applications, presumably $ from the water take if that’s where we are headed now, I’m sure there are others including non-monetary ones. I’m not suggesting anything nefarious, just that that whole set up is a business now, so of course things that are good for the business are going to be looked on favourably.

                    • Antoine

                      Robert does that ring any bells?

                  • Draco T Bastard

                    What we want is wellbeing being generated. So that’s income

                    One of the things we should have learned over the last few centuries is that increased income does not equal more well being. In fact, IMO, increased income results in worse well-being because of the degradation of community and the environment that comes with it.

                    Increased productivity within environmental limits and maintaining community would result in more well-being but that’s not what we’re doing.

                    • weka

                      I didn’t say income = wellbeing (and please don’t selectively quote my words). What I was talking about is that people need to have income or a way of making a living in order to have wellbeing. In our system that usually means work for $, but it’s not limited to that. I’m also not talking about increased income, I’m talking about having the wherewith all to have shelter, food, health etc needs taken care of, and enough extra to have a quality of life beyond survival.

                      “increased productivity” is another piece of language that could easily be taken out of context. Just saying.

                  • Draco T Bastard

                    I didn’t say income = wellbeing (and please don’t selectively quote my words).

                    Yeah, actually, you did and I quoted all that was necessary to show that. You yourself placed the comma there that gave that meaning.

                    In our system that usually means work for $, but it’s not limited to that. I’m also not talking about increased income, I’m talking about having the wherewith all to have shelter, food, health etc needs taken care of, and enough extra to have a quality of life beyond survival.

                    And in the context of the present system that usually means increased income. Look at how we almost always discuss increased benefits for getting people out of poverty.

                    “increased productivity” is another piece of language that could easily be taken out of context. Just saying.

                    In what way?

                    • McFlock

                      So 2=7?
                      Or does 2+1+4=7?

                      So that’s income, but also future-proofing, security, and community development which would be better served by supporting the local economy.

                    • Draco T Bastard

                      Nothing after the comma changes the meaning because it ends with “supporting the local economy”.

                      English != maths

                    • Antoine

                      Draco you’re being a dork. Anyone can see that weka was referring to income as being ONE of the forms of well-being being generated, along with “future-proofing, security” and etc.

                    • McFlock

                      Three meaningless bits in the middle of a sentence? Golly.

                      In which case maybe you should ask the perpetrator of such a grammatical crime whether they intended to muddy a sentence by three objects without meaning, or maybe they don’t have the same grammatical precision as you.

                      Or you could go off half-cocked.

                    • Draco T Bastard

                      Anyone can see that weka was referring to income as being ONE of the forms of well-being being generated, along with “future-proofing, security” and etc.

                      And how was that future-proofing and security going to be founded?

                      Oh, that’s right, by “supporting the local economy” which really does translate into higher incomes.

                      Which, as I point out, is actually part of the problem.

                      We have cars because of higher incomes.
                      We throw out huge amounts of food because of higher incomes.
                      We have massive inequality because of higher incomes.

                      We have to change it so that people can’t afford to own cars, can’t afford throw food out and can’t afford to buy shares in a company so as to become bludgers.

                    • Antoine

                      > We have to change it so that people can’t afford to own cars, can’t afford throw food out and can’t afford to buy shares in a company so as to become bludgers.

                      You seem insane.

                      A.

                    • McFlock

                      And how was that future-proofing and security going to be founded?

                      Oh, that’s right, by “supporting the local economy” which really does translate into higher incomes.

                      Although the oxford comma suggests otherwise.

                      Giving all of your subsequent degrees of worst-case extrapolation (“supporting the local economy” does not necessarily mean “increased incomes” exclusively or in part) extremely doubtful grounds upon which to lose your shit.

                    • weka

                      Draco, I have some sympathy for the general point you are making here, I just wish you would stop misusing my comments to make it. Whatever you are interpreting in what I wrote, it’s not what I believe and you are distorting my intent. You don’t have to do that to make your own points and your own points would stand up better if you didn’t.

        • weka 16.1.1.2

          I think people living on the West Coast have to have a pretty high level of cognitive dissonance on that one. They’re the ones that are going to get hit really hard when the Fault shifts, loss of a pipeline is probably not going to be anything close to a priority.

          It would be interesting to see a flood risk assessment.

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  • Why Are Bosses Nearly All Buffoons?
    Note: As a paid-up Webworm member, I’ve recorded this Webworm as a mini-podcast for you as well. Some of you said you liked this option - so I aim to provide it when I get a chance to record! Read more ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    16 hours ago
  • Bernard’s six-stack of substacks at 6.06 pm on March 18
    TL;DR: In my ‘six-stack’ of substacks at 6.06pm on Monday, March 18:IKEA is accused of planting big forests in New Zealand to green-wash; REDD-MonitorA City for People takes a well-deserved victory lap over Wellington’s pro-YIMBY District Plan votes; A City for PeopleSteven Anastasiou takes a close look at the sticky ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 day ago
  • Peters holds his ground on co-governance, but Willis wriggles on those tax cuts and SNA suspension l...
    Buzz from the Beehive Here’s hoping for a lively post-cabinet press conference when the PM and – perhaps – some of his ministers tell us what was discussed at their meeting today. Until then, Point of Order has precious little Beehive news to report after its latest monitoring of the ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    1 day ago
  • Labour’s final report card
    David Farrar writes –  We now have almost all 2023 data in, which has allowed me to update my annual table of how  went against its promises. This is basically their final report card. The promise The result Build 100,000 affordable homes over 10 ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    1 day ago
  • “Drunk Uncle at a Wedding”
    I’m a bit worried that I’ve started a previous newsletter with the words “just when you think they couldn’t get any worse…” Seems lately that I could begin pretty much every issue with that opening. Such is the nature of our coalition government that they seem to be outdoing each ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    1 day ago
  • Wang Yi’s perfectly-timed, Aukus-themed visit to New Zealand
    Geoffrey Miller writes – Timing is everything. And from China’s perspective, this week’s visit by its foreign minister to New Zealand could be coming at just the right moment. The visit by Wang Yi to Wellington will be his first since 2017. Anniversaries are important to Beijing. ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    1 day ago
  • Gordon Campbell on Dune 2, and images of Islam
    Depictions of Islam in Western popular culture have rarely been positive, even before 9/11. Five years on from the mosque shootings, this is one of the cultural headwinds that the Muslim community has to battle against. Whatever messages of tolerance and inclusion are offered in daylight, much of our culture ...
    1 day ago
  • New Rail Operations Centre Promises Better Train Services
    Last week Transport Minster Simeon Brown and Mayor Wayne Brown opened the new Auckland Rail Operations Centre. The new train control centre will see teams from KiwiRail, Auckland Transport and Auckland One Rail working more closely together to improve train services across the city. The Auckland Rail Operations Centre in ...
    2 days ago
  • Bernard's six newsy things at 6.36am on Monday, March 18
    Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Retiring former Labour Finance Minister Grant Robertson said in an exit interview with Q+A yesterday the Government can and should sustain more debt to invest in infrastructure for future generations. Elsewhere in the news in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy at 6:36am: Read more ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago
  • Geoffrey Miller: Wang Yi’s perfectly-timed, Aukus-themed visit to New Zealand
    Timing is everything. And from China’s perspective, this week’s visit by its foreign minister to New Zealand could be coming at just the right moment. The visit by Wang Yi to Wellington will be his first since 2017. Anniversaries are important to Beijing. It is more than just a happy ...
    Democracy ProjectBy Geoffrey Miller
    2 days ago
  • The Kaka’s diary for the week to March 25 and beyond
    TL;DR: The key events to watch in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the week to March 18 include:China’s Foreign Minister visiting Wellington today;A post-cabinet news conference this afternoon; the resumption of Parliament on Tuesday for two weeks before Easter;retiring former Labour Finance Minister Grant Robertson gives his valedictory speech in Parliament; ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago
  • Bitter and angry; Winston First
    New Zealand First Leader Winston Peters’s state-of-the-nation speech on Sunday was really a state-of-Winston-First speech. He barely mentioned any of the Government’s key policies and could not even wholly endorse its signature income tax cuts. Instead, he rehearsed all of his complaints about the Ardern Government, including an extraordinary claim ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    2 days ago
  • 2024 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #11
    A listing of 35 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, March 10, 2024 thru Sat, March 16, 2024. Story of the week This week we'll give you a little glimpse into how we collect links to share and ...
    2 days ago
  • 2024 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #11
    A listing of 35 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, March 10, 2024 thru Sat, March 16, 2024. Story of the week This week we'll give you a little glimpse into how we collect links to share and ...
    2 days ago
  • Out of Touch.
    “I’ve been internalising a really complicated situation in my head.”When they kept telling us we should wait until we get to know him, were they taking the piss? Was it a case of, if you think this is bad, wait till you get to know the real Christopher, after the ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    2 days ago
  • Bring out your Dad
    Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago
  • Bring out your Dad
    Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago
  • Bring out your Dad
    Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago
  • The bewildering world of Chris Luxon – Guns for all, not no lunch for kids
    .“$10 and a target that bleeds” - Bleeding Targets for Under $10!.Thanks for reading Frankly Speaking ! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.This government appears hell-bent on either scrapping life-saving legislation or reintroducing things that - frustrated critics insist - will be dangerous and likely ...
    Frankly SpeakingBy Frank Macskasy
    3 days ago
  • Expert Opinion: Ageing Boomers, Laurie & Les, Talk Politics.
    It hardly strikes me as fair to criticise a government for doing exactly what it said it was going to do. For actually keeping its promises.”THUNDER WAS PLAYING TAG with lightning flashes amongst the distant peaks. Its rolling cadences interrupted by the here-I-come-here-I-go Doppler effect of the occasional passing car. ...
    3 days ago
  • Manufacturing The Truth.
    Subversive & Disruptive Technologies: Just as happened with that other great regulator of the masses, the Medieval Church, the advent of a new and hard-to-control technology – the Internet –  is weakening the ties that bind. Then, and now, those who enjoy a monopoly on the dissemination of lies, cannot and will ...
    3 days ago
  • A Powerful Sensation of Déjà Vu.
    Been Here Before: To find the precedents for what this Coalition Government is proposing, it is necessary to return to the “glory days” of Muldoonism.THE COALITION GOVERNMENT has celebrated its first 100 days in office by checking-off the last of its listed commitments. It remains, however, an angry government. It ...
    3 days ago
  • Can you guess where world attention is focussed (according to Greenpeace)? It’s focussed on an EPA...
    Bob Edlin writes –  And what is the world watching today…? The email newsletter from Associated Press which landed in our mailbox early this morning advised: In the news today: The father of a school shooter has been found guilty of involuntary manslaughter; prosecutors in Trump’s hush-money case ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    3 days ago
  • Further integrity problems for the Greens in suspending MP Darleen Tana
    Bryce Edwards writes – Is another Green MP on their way out? And are the Greens severely tarnished by another integrity scandal? For the second time in three months, the Green Party has secretly suspended an MP over integrity issues. Mystery is surrounding the party’s decision to ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    3 days ago
  • Jacqui Van Der Kaay: Greens’ transparency missing in action
    For the last few years, the Green Party has been the party that has managed to avoid the plague of multiple scandals that have beleaguered other political parties. It appears that their luck has run out with a second scandal which, unfortunately for them, coincided with Golraz Ghahraman, the focus ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    4 days ago
  • Bernard’s Dawn Chorus with six newsey things at 6:46am for Saturday, March 16
    TL;DR: The six newsey things that stood out to me as of 6:46am on Saturday, March 16.Andy Foster has accidentally allowed a Labour/Green amendment to cut road user chargers for plug-in hybrid vehicles, which the Government might accept; NZ Herald Thomas Coughlan Simeon Brown has rejected a plea from Westport ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • How Did FTX Crash?
    What seemed a booming success a couple of years ago has collapsed into fraud convictions.I looked at the crash of FTX (short for ‘Futures Exchange’) in November 2022 to see whether it would impact on the financial system as a whole. Fortunately there was barely a ripple, probably because it ...
    PunditBy Brian Easton
    4 days ago
  • Elections in Russia and Ukraine
    Anybody following the situation in Ukraine and Russia would probably have been amused by a recent Tweet on X NATO seems to be putting in an awful lot of effort to influence what is, at least according to them, a sham election in an autocracy.When do the Ukrainians go to ...
    4 days ago
  • Bernard’s six stack of substacks at 6pm on March 15
    TL;DR: Shaun Baker on Wynyard Quarter's transformation. Magdalene Taylor on the problem with smart phones. How private equity are now all over reinsurance. Dylan Cleaver on rugby and CTE. Emily Atkin on ‘Big Meat’ looking like ‘Big Oil’.Bernard’s six-stack of substacks at 6pm on March 15Photo by Jeppe Hove Jensen ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • Buzz from the Beehive Finance Minister Nicola Willis had plenty to say when addressing the Auckland Business Chamber on the economic growth that (she tells us) is flagging more than we thought. But the government intends to put new life into it:  We want our country to be a ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    4 days ago
  • National’s clean car tax advances
    The Transport and Infrastructure Committee has reported back on the Road User Charges (Light Electric RUC Vehicles) Amendment Bill, basicly rubberstamping it. While there was widespread support among submitters for the principle that EV and PHEV drivers should pay their fair share for the roads, they also overwhelmingly disagreed with ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    4 days ago
  • Government funding bailouts
    Peter Dunne writes – This week’s government bailout – the fifth in the last eighteen months – of the financially troubled Ruapehu Alpine Lifts company would have pleased many in the central North Island ski industry. The government’s stated rationale for the $7 million funding was that it ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • Two offenders, different treatments.
    See if you can spot the difference. An Iranian born female MP from a progressive party is accused of serial shoplifting. Her name is leaked to the media, which goes into a pack frenzy even before the Police launch an … Continue reading ...
    KiwipoliticoBy Pablo
    4 days ago
  • Treaty references omitted
    Ele Ludemann writes  – The government is omitting general Treaty references from legislation : The growth of Treaty of Waitangi clauses in legislation caused so much worry that a special oversight group was set up by the last Government in a bid to get greater coherence in the public service on Treaty ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • The Ghahraman Conflict
    What was that judge thinking? Peter Williams writes –  That Golriz Ghahraman and District Court Judge Maria Pecotic were once lawyer colleagues is incontrovertible. There is published evidence that they took at least one case to the Court of Appeal together. There was a report on ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • Bernard's Top 10 @ 10 'pick 'n' mix' for March 15
    TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: Climate Scorpion – the sting is in the tail. Introducing planetary solvency. A paper via the University of Exeter’s Institute and Faculty of Actuaries.Local scoop: Kāinga Ora starts pulling out of its Auckland projects and selling land RNZ ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • The day Wellington up-zoned its future
    Wellington’s massively upzoned District Plan adds the opportunity for tens of thousands of new homes not just in the central city (such as these Webb St new builds) but also close to the CBD and public transport links. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Wellington gave itself the chance of ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • Weekly Roundup 15-March-2024
    It’s Friday and we’re halfway through March Madness. Here’s some of the things that caught our attention this week. This Week in Greater Auckland On Monday Matt asked how we can get better event trains and an option for grade separating Morningside Dr. On Tuesday Matt looked into ...
    Greater AucklandBy Greater Auckland
    5 days ago
  • That Word.
    Something you might not know about me is that I’m quite a stubborn person. No, really. I don’t much care for criticism I think’s unfair or that I disagree with. Few of us do I suppose.Back when I was a drinker I’d sometimes respond defensively, even angrily. There are things ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago
  • The Hoon around the week to March 15
    Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The five things that mattered in Aotearoa’s political economy that we wrote and spoke about via The Kākā and elsewhere for paying subscribers in the last week included:PM Christopher Luxon said the reversal of interest deductibility for landlords was done to help renters, who ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • Labour’s policy gap
    It was not so much the Labour Party but really the Chris Hipkins party yesterday at Labour’s caucus retreat in Martinborough. The former Prime Minister was more or less consistent on wealth tax, which he was at best equivocal about, and social insurance, which he was not willing to revisit. ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    5 days ago
  • Skeptical Science New Research for Week #11 2024
    Open access notables A Glimpse into the Future: The 2023 Ocean Temperature and Sea Ice Extremes in the Context of Longer-Term Climate Change, Kuhlbrodt et al., Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society: In the year 2023, we have seen extraordinary extrema in high sea surface temperature (SST) in the North Atlantic and in ...
    5 days ago
  • Melissa remains mute on media matters but has something to say (at a sporting event) about economic ...
     Buzz from the Beehive   The text reproduced above appears on a page which records all the media statements and speeches posted on the government’s official website by Melissa Lee as Minister of Media and Communications and/or by Jenny Marcroft, her Parliamentary Under-secretary.  It can be quickly analysed ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    5 days ago
  • The return of Muldoon
    For forty years, Robert Muldoon has been a dirty word in our politics. His style of government was so repulsive and authoritarian that the backlash to it helped set and entrench our constitutional norms. His pig-headedness over forcing through Think Big eventually gave us the RMA, with its participation and ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    5 days ago
  • Will the rental tax cut improve life for renters or landlords?
    Bryce Edwards writes –  Is the new government reducing tax on rental properties to benefit landlords or to cut the cost of rents? That’s the big question this week, after Associate Finance Minister David Seymour announced on Sunday that the Government would be reversing the Labour Government’s removal ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • Geoffrey Miller: What Saudi Arabia’s rapid changes mean for New Zealand
    Saudi Arabia is rarely far from the international spotlight. The war in Gaza has brought new scrutiny to Saudi plans to normalise relations with Israel, while the fifth anniversary of the controversial killing of Jamal Khashoggi was marked shortly before the war began on October 7. And as the home ...
    Democracy ProjectBy Geoffrey Miller
    5 days ago
  • Racism’s double standards
    Questions need to be asked on both sides of the world Peter Williams writes –   The NRL Judiciary hands down an eight week suspension to Sydney Roosters forward Spencer Leniu , an Auckland-born Samoan, after he calls Ezra Mam, Sydney-orn but of Aboriginal and Torres Strait ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • It’s not a tax break
    Ele Ludemann writes – Contrary to what many headlines and news stories are saying, residential landlords are not getting a tax break. The government is simply restoring to them the tax deductibility of interest they had until the previous government removed it. There is no logical reason ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • The Plastic Pig Collective and Chris' Imaginary Friends.
    I can't remember when it was goodMoments of happiness in bloomMaybe I just misunderstoodAll of the love we left behindWatching our flashbacks intertwineMemories I will never findIn spite of whatever you becomeForget that reckless thing turned onI think our lives have just begunI think our lives have just begunDoes anyone ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago
  • Who is responsible for young offenders?
    Michael Bassett writes – At first reading, a front-page story in the New Zealand Herald on 13 March was bizarre. A group of severely intellectually limited teenagers, with little understanding of the law, have been pleading to the Justice Select Committee not to pass a bill dealing with ram ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • Gordon Campbell on National’s fantasy trip to La La Landlord Land
    How much political capital is Christopher Luxon willing to burn through in order to deliver his $2.9 billion gift to landlords? Evidently, Luxon is: (a) unable to cost the policy accurately. As Anna Burns-Francis pointed out to him on Breakfast TV, the original ”rock solid” $2.1 billion cost he was ...
    5 days ago
  • Bernard's Top 10 @ 10 'pick 'n' mix' for March 14
    TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: Jonathon Porritt calling bullshit in his own blog post on mainstream climate science as ‘The New Denialism’.Local scoop: The Wellington City Council’s list of proposed changes to the IHP recommendations to be debated later today was leaked this ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • No, Prime Minister, rents don’t rise or fall with landlords’ costs
    TL;DR: Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said yesterday tenants should be grateful for the reinstatement of interest deductibility because landlords would pass on their lower tax costs in the form of lower rents. That would be true if landlords were regulated monopolies such as Transpower or Auckland Airport1, but they’re not, ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    6 days ago
  • Cartoons: ‘At least I didn’t make things awkward’
    This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Tom Toro Tom Toro is a cartoonist and author. He has published over 200 cartoons in The New Yorker since 2010. His cartoons appear in Playboy, the Paris Review, the New York Times, American Bystander, and elsewhere. Related: What 10 EV lovers ...
    6 days ago
  • Solving traffic congestion with Richard Prebble
    The business section of the NZ Herald is full of opinion. Among the more opinionated of all is the ex-Minister of Transport, ex-Minister of Railways, ex MP for Auckland Central (1975-93, Labour), Wellington Central (1996-99, ACT, then list-2005), ex-leader of the ACT Party, uncle to actor Antonia, the veritable granddaddy ...
    Greater AucklandBy Patrick Reynolds
    6 days ago
  • I Think I'm Done Flying Boeing
    Hi,Just quickly — I’m blown away by the stories you’ve shared with me over the last week since I put out the ‘Gary’ podcast, where I told you about the time my friend’s flatmate killed the neighbour.And you keep telling me stories — in the comments section, and in my ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    6 days ago
  • Invoking Aristotle: Of Rings of Power, Stones, and Ships
    The first season of Rings of Power was not awful. It was thoroughly underwhelming, yes, and left a lingering sense of disappointment, but it was more expensive mediocrity than catastrophe. I wrote at length about the series as it came out (see the Review section of the blog, and go ...
    6 days ago
  • Van Velden brings free-market approach to changing labour laws – but her colleagues stick to distr...
    Buzz from the Beehive Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Brooke van Velden told Auckland Business Chamber members they were the first audience to hear her priorities as a minister in a government committed to cutting red tape and regulations. She brandished her liberalising credentials, saying Flexible labour markets are the ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago
  • Why Newshub failed
    Chris Trotter writes – TO UNDERSTAND WHY NEWSHUB FAILED, it is necessary to understand how TVNZ changed. Up until 1989, the state broadcaster had been funded by a broadcasting licence fee, collected from every citizen in possession of a television set, supplemented by a relatively modest (compared ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago
  • Māori Party on the warpath against landlords and seabed miners – let’s see if mystical creature...
    Bob Edlin writes  –  The Māori Party has been busy issuing a mix of warnings and threats as its expresses its opposition to interest deductibility for landlords and the plans of seabed miners. It remains to be seen whether they  follow the example of indigenous litigants in Australia, ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago

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

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