First, manufacture a crisis…

Written By: - Date published: 9:00 am, October 12th, 2009 - 49 comments
Categories: ACC, privatisation - Tags:

acc-undermine-200The first thing you need to understand is ACC is not spending more money than it is taking in through levies. It is not going bust. It is not ‘making a loss’ despite what Nick Smith writes and the media faithfully repeats, but, then, they got taken in by this same trick six months ago.

What is happening is that ACC is building up a huge amount of assets, savings. These savings are to pay for the entire future cost of claims that are being made now and that is turning out to be a more difficult process than expected. Here’s ACC’s very good explanation:

Until 1999, ACC operated under a ‘pay-as-you-go’ basis, collecting only enough levies each year to cover the cost of claims for that particular year. In 1999 the Government decided to change ACC from ‘pay-as-you-go’ to a ‘fully funded’ way of operating. That means we now collect enough money during each levy year to cover the full lifetime costs of every claim that occurs in that year.

Some people who are injured need ACC’s help for 30 years or more, so significant reserves must be built up to fund these future costs. This money is invested and earns interest that helps pay the cost of claims.

This fully funded model is fairer for levy payers. Future generations of levy payers won’t be paying for injuries that happened years before as the cost of those claims will already have been collected.

In the future, being fully-funded will mean ACC levies will be lower than they otherwise would be. For now, they are higher because as ACC is transitioning from ‘pay as you go’ to fully funded’ it needs to build up a pool of billions to cover the future costs of current claims and its assets are less at the moment, as ACC explains:

The Scheme’s claim liability (the future cost of existing claims) now stands at $23.8 billion against current net assets (the money ACC has ‘in the bank’ to cover those future costs) of $11 billion.

But that’s basically just a book-keeping/cost-spreading exercise (most of ACC’s assets are actually government bonds, so the government (Treasury) owes itself (ACC) money).

ACC isn’t losing money. Its revenues were $4.5 billion – $1.5 billion more than it spent on claims this year. $500 million of that extra is operating costs, the other $1 billion was added to ACC’s investments but changes to predictions of the future costs of current claims pushed out that target even further – by $5.7 billion. So, getting to being fully funded is $4.8 billion further away than it was before.

There’s no actual crisis. Despite Nick Smith’s hysterics over ‘increased costs’, the cost of new claims isn’t rising (steady at $1.7 billion for the last 2 years). ACC is making enough money. The ‘crisis’ is just modelling changes for a bookkeeping exercise that has no effect other than to make levies higher now so they won’t have to be as high later.

It’s not the end of the world. ACC isn’t broken.

Now, it is going to be harder to complete the move to being fully funded by 2014, which is the Government’s target, without increases to levies. Pretty simple solution to that, push back the date. Labour was going to move the date back to 2019 and the Government has just announced it will adopt that idea. Take ten years to move to fully funded rather than doing it in five. It makes no real difference except there’s no need for big levy hikes.

That hasn’t stopped all the amateur dramatics from Nick Smith. He was on RNZ this morning still confusing the issue by claiming that the rising target to being fully funded is due to entitlements. He made no attempt to explain to people that ACC is safe and functioning perfectly well, fully funded or not. But, if he did that he wouldn’t get to paint ACC as mired in crisis. And, if he couldn’t create a false air of crisis, how would he soften the public up for privatisation?

49 comments on “First, manufacture a crisis… ”

  • Comments are now closed

  1. mickysavage 1
    12 October 2009 at 9:12 am

    Why is it that left Governments are cautious, financially prudent and take a long term view and the right are reckless, short sighted and either unbelievably stupid or cynical in the extreme in the way they seek to undermine public institutions.

    Their hatred of anything collective borders on the psychopathic.

    Interesting that the Nats refused leave to David Parker to introduce Parker’s member’s bill titled Injury Prevention, Rehabilitation and Compensation (Change of Date for Full Funding) Amendment Bill earlier in the year.

    This bill would have extended the time required for full funding of ACC liabilities to 2019, just as Smith is proposing today to do.

  2. toad 2
    12 October 2009 at 9:44 am

    micky, if they had allowed Parker’s bill to be introduced and passed, they wouldn’t have a crisis.

    I’ve never really got the bit about fully funding future entitlements on current claims anyway. What was wrong with pay-as-you-go?

    I guess full funding gives predictability over levies, but I wouldn’t have thought levies would fluctuate wildly from year to year in any case.

  3. ghostwhowalksnz 3
    12 October 2009 at 9:47 am

    Yet when Labour introduced a measure of ‘pre funding ‘ for super National called a halt to that within months of coming into office. This means that super too will face a funding ‘crisis’ . I can imagine the answer to that will be cut the entitlements as well

  4. ben 4
    12 October 2009 at 10:03 am

    Marty, precisely because you are saying there is no crisis, and because it is in your interest to do so (Labour is wearing the political cost of this fiasco) I will proceed by assuming there is a major problem. I agree the $4.8 billion is the product of accounting decisions about timing of expenses – but that doesa not mean there is no problem.

    It would be nice if you would explain what allows you to tell the difference bewteen a $4.8 billion deficit that is not a product of fundamental problems, and a $4.8 billion deficit that is. Based on the level of argument at the The Standard, I believe the main criteria for that decision would be the colour of the logo of the political party most responsible. Which, I have to say, does not give me confidence.

    ACC’s fundamentals look dodgy. Nobody disputes entitlements under ACC have increased very substantially over the last few years. Nobody disputes those entitlements have increased faster than inflation and that they have increased faster than increases in fees collected. So the question is why shouldn’t we think that $4.8 billion – rougly 3% of GDP, an enormous number for one organisation to inflict on people – isn’t something to be worried about?

    What is truly absurd about all this is that the main effect of this deficit will be to substantially increase the cost of driving a motor vehicle and to hire a worker. Which has almost nothing to do with the cause of the deficit in the first place.

    • snoozer 4.1
      12 October 2009 at 10:07 am

      Whoo, someone got up on the wrong side of bed.

      ACC is taking in more money than it is spending. It accumulated a further billion dollars of assets this past year. The only problem is that revisions to the predicted futures costs of existing claims have risen faster. So what? Just take longer to go to fully funded.

      The whole idea of going to fully funded is to spread the cost of claims fairly over generations. If in doing that we need to put an unfair amount of cost on people right now as we both fully fund and pay past costs, well that’s not fair. Let’s just take our time instead and spread the transition cost over a longer time frame.

      • ieuan 4.1.1
        12 October 2009 at 10:18 am

        snoozer, such well balanced common sense has no place in politics.

        I do think Labour probably went too far in the entitlements ACC covers and some of this could be pulled back to help reduce the cost.

        However there is too much political capital to be made here by National by scaremongering about increases in levies for them not to milk this for all it is worth. Sad really.

        • Daveo 4.1.1.1
          12 October 2009 at 10:24 am

          What makes you think Labour went ‘too far’ in entitlements? That argument is reliant on accepting Nick Smith’s figures, which we all know are based on lies.

          • ieuan 4.1.1.1.1
            12 October 2009 at 10:53 am

            Well there was the free provision of physio that resulted in an explosion of physio providers.

            ACC is a good scheme but there is a fine balance between providing free medical care for those that need it and providing free care and the system being abused.

            I think there should be no such thing as ‘free’ with even small charges to remind people that there is a cost and someone has to pay.

            • Sean 4.1.1.1.1.1
              12 October 2009 at 11:02 am

              Exactly right ieuan. Most people who read up a little on the ACC situation will know that the scheme is not insolvent, nor any other extreme claims that are being made. However, there is an unbelievable rorting of the system going on and that is because people think that using the system is free. Bring in small charges for some of the services and you might bring some balance back into the system.

            • Pascal's bookie 4.1.1.1.1.2
              12 October 2009 at 11:28 am

              So who’s rorting? Providers or consumers? I’d say the former primarily, so targetting the latter is a mugs game. Make the charge high enough to deter, and some people won’t get treated when they should.

              Why not random audits with providers caught rorting being done for fraud?

  5. tsmithfield 5
    12 October 2009 at 10:15 am

    Remember Labour promised to cut ACC levies prior to the last election.

    What was that all about?

    • snoozer 5.1
      12 October 2009 at 10:33 am

      they were going to push out the fully-funded date so, under the costings at the time, they would have been able to cut levies.

  6. Victor 6
    12 October 2009 at 10:16 am

    The problem is our inability as a country to have a reasoned conversation about these long-term issues. The hsyteria over ACC is pathetic.

    The ACC Annual Report is interesting reading. Their 17 year return is 9.97%, their NZ equity return is 12.45%. Much better than the Super Fund. There is no crisis, just provide a capital injection, which the government could do by injecting government bonds into ACC. No big deal. Their returns will cover the cost (clearly they have an impressive investment management team). And the amounts we are talking about are trivial relative to the global financial crisis, and what the UK or US governments have injected into banks and insurance companies.

    Nick Smith is hysterical about ACC. Well, what is the fully funded cost of the guarantees on the finance companies, including South Canterbury Finance? But hang on, those are the National Party’s mates aren’t they?

  7. Lew 7
    12 October 2009 at 10:35 am

    Marty, this is an excellent analysis. Thank you.

    What interests me is how ACC and the minister are trying to pass off two separate things as one: the changes to sexual abuse claim criteria and the overall restriction of entitlements. The SCU changes are framed as clinical best practice — the argument that they’re a cost-cutting measure has been strenuously denied — and yet they’re encapsulated within an overall ‘we must cut costs and this is how’ narrative by redefining ‘clinical best practice’ to a standard which just happens to substantially cut patient entitlements. Rationally, it’s a matter of figuring out which of these imperatives is the stronger: improve the standard of care and adhere to clinical best practice, or save money.

    Given that the strategy is to undermine public confidence in the ACC system to build public support for a (gradual) privatisation endgame, I don’t think it’s rocket science to figure out.

    L

    • George D 7.1
      12 October 2009 at 1:03 pm

      This is beyond depressing.

      The only consolation is that National are making themselves a lot of enemies very quickly, so they might not get away with what they want.

      • Lew 7.1.1
        12 October 2009 at 4:03 pm

        George,

        Well, yes and no. Depends on what you consider that they want. They want to privatise ACC in order to get it off the books and shore up the insurance industry, but I think electoral success is going to be the priority, and any programme of privatisation only get underway once a second term is in the bag, and a new and stronger mandate for change has been achieved.

        As far as I see, the prime danger for them is in moving too quickly or too soon, resulting in an abortive privatisation attempt, as last time. This is why the building of public intolerance of the ACC system is critical to the strategy. Deny enough patients cover, starve the bureaucracy to depress standards of service, and massage the books to make it look like they’re dysfunctional and insolvent as well as stingy and incompetent, get the electorate hating ACC hard enough, and they’ll beg the government to sell it to insurers for a song.

        For this to work for the government, it’s critical that the impetus for these changes comes from within the operational hierarchy of ACC, rather than the ministerial level. This puts opponents to the changes — such as the NZAP — in an invidious position of having to support ACC in the abstract, while attacking its operational decisions. ACC’s opponents need to fight the changes at the political and ministerial level, because by criticising ACC they may end up winning battles while endangering the war. Nick Smith’s ability to stand up in the house and say ‘it’s an operational matter’ is a powerful tool in turning privatisation’s opponents against their own cause. All criticism of ACC must be crystal clear: we do not oppose the system, we oppose the government who has set it up to fail.

        L

  8. Brett 8
    12 October 2009 at 11:43 am

    I will be a happy man when reintroduce competition.
    Acc levies ups my tax rate by around 10%

    • Daveo 8.1
      12 October 2009 at 11:45 am

      Brett, all the independent evidence says introducing private competitors would make accident compensation more expensive.

    • Draco T Bastard 8.2
      12 October 2009 at 1:10 pm

      Right, so you think that introducing competition to replace the best and cheapest form of accident compensation in the world will make you better off?

      Just another delusional RWNJ.

      Clue: Competition is inherently more expensive.

  9. randal 9
    12 October 2009 at 12:00 pm

    so its okay for geeks to do themselves in on the rugby field and have a few months off but not for the workers. also I was not impressed by red hootons support of lax safety standards in industry as a tradeoff for no tort law on rnz this morning.

  10. HitchensFan 10
    12 October 2009 at 12:02 pm

    Let’s pray you don’t need accident insurance cover in your future then. Do you think private insurance companies have any incentive to pay out on your claim? Good luck in fighting them in the Courts, hope you’ve got lots of spare cash for paying your lawyer……

    • Craig Glen Eden 10.1
      12 October 2009 at 12:13 pm

      Exactly HF I can tell you as a business owner there is no way I would go with the private insurer.For one when the private insurer decides that they are not going to pay out they create huge barriers which leaves the employee stranded and the employer not being able to do anything or risk a court case with the Insurer.

      While ACC is not perfect it actually works very well. If you wondered who funded Nationals campaign out side of the trucking lobby and Closed Brethern take a good look who would benefit out of this hysteria that Key and Smith are creating.

  11. Brett 11
    12 October 2009 at 12:03 pm

    Daveo

    Back in 1990’s,when the introduced the option of getting private cover the cost compared to ACC was about 60% cheaper.
    I remember the Sallies begging Clarke and Cullen not to change it back to a government monopoly as they were saving so much money on their premiums.
    No offence Daveo, but I struggle to believe this independent evidence.

    • IrishBill 11.1
      12 October 2009 at 12:13 pm

      And I remember BP oil pointing out during the inquiry in ’99 that nobody but the insurance companies would win unless it was changed back. I also remember HIH collapsing not long after the scheme was renationalised. Before that they had something like 40% of workplace cover in NZ. If we hadn’t changed by then that would have been a disaster for hundred if not thousands of workers and their employers.

    • ghostwhowalksnz 11.2
      12 October 2009 at 12:14 pm

      They didnt have a chance to find out what their claims service would be like.
      Tell your wife you have found the cheapest home and contents around and see the reaction
      Plus that system only lasted a year so once you signed up they would hit you with big increases . Sound familiar

    • Craig Glen Eden 11.3
      12 October 2009 at 12:25 pm

      So you don’t believe the independent advice but you believe Key and Smith?

      Ok Brett, good on ya mate!

    • snoozer 11.4
      12 October 2009 at 1:02 pm

      Brett – ACC is 10% of your tax?

      I just did the formula, if 10% of your tax is the ACC levy (1.511 cents in the dollar) it means your income is $16K a year and you’re only paying $240 a year on your ACC, not too shabby for a no-fault insurance policy covering medical costs and income.

  12. jen 12
    12 October 2009 at 12:08 pm

    Brett, not only would privatising increase the cost but there is a risk that if/when things get tough for them, such insurance companies just up and leave, go into liquidation or whatever leaving the insured person without cover. I heard of at least one instance of this relating to the National Govts previous experiment with private providers. Even if there was a remedy for this person, he certainly didn’t know what it was, had no claim against ACC for that period and was left permanently injured and without compensation.

  13. Mach1 13
    12 October 2009 at 12:22 pm

    My ACC levy, Utility network construction and maintenance services $2.01.

    Now, if Brett can point me to a cheaper option I’m all ears.

  14. George D 14
    12 October 2009 at 1:05 pm

    National takes money from the insurance industry, and promises them results. They’re engaged in corruption of a far worse type than Field ever was involved in.

  15. HitchensFan 15
    12 October 2009 at 1:09 pm

    I went to a conference on the future of ACC earlier in the year, thinking it would be a celebration of the Woodhouse principles and a discussion of where things could be improved, without compromising the fundamental social contract underlying the scheme. I left after half a day in disgust because it was filled with representatives of the insurance industry drooling about how much money privatisation was going to make their companies. It was just downright sickening.

  16. Brett 16
    12 October 2009 at 1:20 pm

    Sorry must have got that wrong.
    One year which wasn’t particularly good, I paid $2000 dollars in ACC premiums on a gross income of $20k.
    You are obviously more of a maths whiz than me, so I will let you work that one out.
    I can tell you know getting hit with that sort of premium really hurts especially when you don’t get a choice also getting threatened with debt collection if you can’t pay really sucks.

  17. mickysavage 17
    12 October 2009 at 8:16 pm

    Which planet are you currently residing on?

  18. Swampy 18
    14 October 2009 at 11:28 pm

    You claim “the media got taken in by the same trick six months ago”. The only reference I can find dated back six months is this one:

    http://www.nzherald.co.nz/politics/news/article.cfm?c_id=280&objectid=10559739

    The facts are plain: the shortfall in the earners’ account is not some sort of creative accounting invention as you seem to imply. That shortfall actually does exist.

    • BLiP 18.1
      15 October 2009 at 12:04 am

      In that case the same applies to anyone who has a mortgage. Your logic is flawed. So is National Ltd®’s

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    The absolute brass neck of this guy.We want more medical doctors, not more spin doctors, Luxon was saying a couple of weeks ago, and now we’re told the guy has seven salaried adults on TikTok duty. Sorry, doing social media. The absolute brass neck of it. The irony that the ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    24 hours ago

  • Jones finds $410,000 to help the government muscle in on a spat project
    Buzz from the Beehive Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones relishes spatting and eagerly takes issue with environmentalists who criticise his enthusiasm for resource development. He relishes helping the fishing industry too. And so today, while the media are making much of the latest culling in the public service to ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    1 day ago

  • Again, hate crimes are not necessarily terrorism.
    Having written, taught and worked for the US government on issues involving unconventional warfare and terrorism for 30-odd years, two things irritate me the most when the subject is discussed in public. The first is the Johnny-come-lately academics-turned-media commentators who … Continue reading → ...
    KiwipoliticoBy Pablo
    1 day ago

  • Despair – construction consenting edition
    Eric Crampton writes – Kainga Ora is the government’s house building agency. It’s been building a lot of social housing. Kainga Ora has its own (but independent) consenting authority, Consentium. It’s a neat idea. Rather than have to deal with building consents across each different territorial authority, Kainga Ora ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    1 day ago

  • Coalition promises – will the Govt keep the commitment to keep Kiwis equal before the law?
    Muriel Newman writes – The Coalition Government says it is moving with speed to deliver campaign promises and reverse the damage done by Labour. One of their key commitments is to “defend the principle that New Zealanders are equal before the law.” To achieve this, they have pledged they “will not advance ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    1 day ago

  • An impermanent public service is a guarantee of very little else but failure
    Chris Trotter writes –  The absence of anything resembling a fightback from the public servants currently losing their jobs is interesting. State-sector workers’ collective fatalism in the face of Coalition cutbacks indicates a surprisingly broad acceptance of impermanence in the workplace. Fifty years ago, lay-offs in the thousands ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    1 day ago

  • What happens after the war – Mariupol
    Mariupol, on the Azov Sea coast, was one of the first cities to suffer almost complete destruction after the start of the Ukraine War started in late February 2022. We remember the scenes of absolute destruction of the houses and city structures. The deaths of innocent civilians – many of ...
    Open ParachuteBy Ken
    1 day ago

  • Babies and benefits – no good news
    Lindsay Mitchell writes – Ten years ago, I wrote the following in a Listener column: Every year around one in five new-born babies will be reliant on their caregivers benefit by Christmas. This pattern has persisted from at least 1993. For Maori the number jumps to over one in three.  ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    1 day ago

  • Should the RBNZ be looking through climate inflation?
    Climate change is expected to generate more and more extreme events, delivering a sort of structural shock to inflation that central banks will have to react to as if they were short-term cyclical issues. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāMy pick of the six newsey things to know from Aotearoa’s ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 day ago

  • Bernard's pick 'n' mix of the news links
    The top six news links I’ve seen elsewhere in the last 24 hours, as of 9:16 am on Thursday, April 18 are:Housing: Tauranga residents living in boats, vans RNZ Checkpoint Louise TernouthHousing: Waikato councillor says wastewater plant issues could hold up Sleepyhead building a massive company town Waikato Times Stephen ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 day ago

  • Gordon Campbell on the public sector carnage, and misogyny as terrorism
    It’s a simple deal. We pay taxes in order to finance the social services we want and need. The carnage now occurring across the public sector though, is breaking that contract. Over 3,000 jobs have been lost so far. Many are in crucial areas like Education where the impact of ...
    Gordon CampbellBy lyndon
    1 day ago

  • Meeting the Master Baiters
    Hi,A friend had their 40th over the weekend and decided to theme it after Curb Your Enthusiasm fashion icon Susie Greene. Captured in my tiny kitchen before I left the house, I ending up evoking a mix of old lesbian and Hillary Clinton — both unintentional.Me vs Hillary ClintonIf you’re ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    1 day ago

  • How extreme was the Earth's temperature in 2023
    This is a re-post from Andrew Dessler at the Climate Brink blog In 2023, the Earth reached temperature levels unprecedented in modern times. Given that, it’s reasonable to ask: What’s going on? There’s been lots of discussions by scientists about whether this is just the normal progression of global warming or if something ...
    Skeptical Science
    2 days ago

  • Backbone, revisited
    The schools are on holiday and the sun is shining in the seaside village and all day long I have been seeing bunches of bikes; Mums, Dads, teens and toddlers chattering, laughing, happy, having a bloody great time together. Cheers, AT, for the bits of lane you’ve added lately around the ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    2 days ago

  • Ministers are not above the law
    Today in our National-led authoritarian nightmare: Shane Jones thinks Ministers should be above the law: New Zealand First MP Shane Jones is accusing the Waitangi Tribunal of over-stepping its mandate by subpoenaing a minister for its urgent hearing on the Oranga Tamariki claim. The tribunal is looking into the ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    2 days ago

  • What’s the outfit you can hear going down the gurgler? Probably it’s David Parker’s Oceans Sec...
    Buzz from the Beehive Point  of Order first heard of the Oceans Secretariat in June 2021, when David Parker (remember him?) announced a multi-agency approach to protecting New Zealand’s marine ecosystems and fisheries. Parker (holding the Environment, and Oceans and Fisheries portfolios) broke the news at the annual Forest & ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    2 days ago

  • Will politicians let democracy die in the darkness?
    Bryce Edwards writes  – Politicians across the political spectrum are implicated in the New Zealand media’s failing health. Either through neglect or incompetent interventions, successive governments have failed to regulate, foster, and allow a healthy Fourth Estate that can adequately hold politicians and the powerful to account. ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    2 days ago

  • Matt Doocey doubles down on trans “healthcare”
    Citizen Science writes –  Last week saw two significant developments in the debate over the treatment of trans-identifying children and young people – the release in Britain of the final report of Dr Hilary Cass’s review into gender healthcare, and here in New Zealand, the news that the ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    2 days ago

  • A TikTok Prime Minister.
    One night while sleeping in my bed I had a beautiful dreamThat all the people of the world got together on the same wavelengthAnd began helping one anotherNow in this dream, universal love was the theme of the dayPeace and understanding and it happened this wayAfter such an eventful day ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    2 days ago

  • Texas Lessons
    This is a guest post by Oscar Simms who is a housing activist, volunteer for the Coalition for More Homes, and was the Labour Party candidate for Auckland Central at the last election. ...
    Greater AucklandBy Guest Post
    2 days ago

  • Bernard's pick 'n' mix of the news links at 6:06 am
    The top six news links I’ve seen elsewhere in the last 24 hours as of 6:06 am on Wednesday, April 17 are:Must read: Secrecy shrouds which projects might be fast-tracked RNZ Farah HancockScoop: Revealed: Luxon has seven staffers working on social media content - partly paid for by taxpayer Newshub ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago

  • Fighting poverty on the holiday highway
    Turning what Labour called the “holiday highway” into a four-lane expressway from Auckland to Whangarei could bring at least an economic benefit of nearly two billion a year for Northland each year. And it could help bring an end to poverty in one of New Zealand’s most deprived regions. The ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    2 days ago

  • Bernard's six-stack of substacks at 6:26 pm
    Tonight’s six-stack includes: launching his substack with a bunch of his previous documentaries, including this 1992 interview with Dame Whina Cooper. and here crew give climate activists plenty to do, including this call to submit against the Fast Track Approvals bill. writes brilliantly here on his substack ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago

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

  • Apposite Quotations.
    How Long Is Long Enough? Gaza under Israeli bombardment, July 2014. This posting is exclusive to Bowalley Road. ...
    Bowalley Road
    3 days ago

  • What’s a life worth now?
    You're in the mall when you hear it: some kind of popping sound in the distance, kids with fireworks, maybe. But then a moment of eerie stillness is followed by more of the fireworks sound and there’s also screaming and shrieking and now here come people running for their lives.Does ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago

  • Howling at the Moon
    Karl du Fresne writes –  There’s a crisis in the news media and the media are blaming it on everyone except themselves. Culpability is being deflected elsewhere – mainly to the hapless Minister of Communications, Melissa Lee, and the big social media platforms that are accused of hoovering ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    3 days ago

  • Newshub is Dead.
    I don’t normally send out two newsletters in a day but I figured I’d say something about… the news. If two newsletters is a bit much then maybe just skip one, I don’t want to overload people. Alternatively if you’d be interested in sometimes receiving multiple, smaller updates from me, ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    3 days ago

  • Seymour is chuffed about cutting early-learning red tape – but we hear, too, that Jones has loose...
    Buzz from the Beehive David Seymour and Winston Peters today signalled that at least two ministers of the Crown might be in Wellington today. Seymour (as Associate Minister of Education) announced the removal of more red tape, this time to make it easier for new early learning services to be ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    3 days ago

  • Bryce Edwards: Will politicians let democracy die in the darkness?
    Politicians across the political spectrum are implicated in the New Zealand media’s failing health. Either through neglect or incompetent interventions, successive governments have failed to regulate, foster, and allow a healthy Fourth Estate that can adequately hold politicians and the powerful to account. Our political system is suffering from the ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    3 days ago

  • Was Hawkesby entirely wrong?
    David Farrar  writes –  The Broadcasting Standards Authority ruled: Comments by radio host Kate Hawkesby suggesting Māori and Pacific patients were being prioritised for surgery due to their ethnicity were misleading and discriminatory, the Broadcasting Standards Authority has found. It is a fact such patients are prioritised. ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    3 days ago

  • PRC shadow looms as the Solomons head for election
    PRC and its proxies in Solomons have been preparing for these elections for a long time. A lot of money, effort and intelligence have gone into ensuring an outcome that won’t compromise Beijing’s plans. Cleo Paskall writes – On April 17th the Solomon Islands, a country of ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    3 days ago

  • Climate Change: Criminal ecocide
    We are in the middle of a climate crisis. Last year was (again) the hottest year on record. NOAA has just announced another global coral bleaching event. Floods are threatening UK food security. So naturally, Shane Jones wants to make it easier to mine coal: Resources Minister Shane Jones ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    3 days ago

  • Is saving one minute of a politician's time worth nearly $1 billion?
    Is speeding up the trip to and from Wellington airport by 12 minutes worth spending up more than $10 billion? Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The six news items that stood out to me in the last day to 8:26 am today are:The Lead: Transport Minister Simeon Brown announced ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago

  • Long Tunnel or Long Con?
    Yesterday it was revealed that Transport Minister had asked Waka Kotahi to look at the options for a long tunnel through Wellington. State Highway 1 (SH1) through Wellington City is heavily congested at peak times and while planning continues on the duplicate Mt Victoria Tunnel and Basin Reserve project, the ...
    Greater AucklandBy Matt L
    3 days ago

  • Smoke And Mirrors.
    You're a fraud, and you know itBut it's too good to throw it all awayAnyone would do the sameYou've got 'em goingAnd you're careful not to show itSometimes you even fool yourself a bitIt's like magicBut it's always been a smoke and mirrors gameAnyone would do the sameForty six billion ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    3 days ago

  • What is Mexico doing about climate change?
    This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections The June general election in Mexico could mark a turning point in ensuring that the country’s climate policies better reflect the desire of its citizens to address the climate crisis, with both leading presidential candidates expressing support for renewable energy. Mexico is the ...
    Skeptical Science
    3 days ago

  • State of humanity, 2024
    2024, it feels, keeps presenting us with ever more challenges, ever more dismay.Do you give up yet? It seems to ask.No? How about this? Or this?How about this?When I say 2024 I really mean the state of humanity in 2024.Saturday night, we watched Civil War because that is one terrifying cliff we've ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    4 days ago

  • Govt’s Wellington tunnel vision aims to ease the way to the airport (but zealous promoters of cycl...
    Buzz from the Beehive A pet project and governmental tunnel vision jump out from the latest batch of ministerial announcements. The government is keen to assure us of its concern for the wellbeing of our pets. It will be introducing pet bonds in a change to the Residential Tenancies Act ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    4 days ago

  • The case for cultural connectedness
    A recent report generated from a Growing Up in New Zealand (GUiNZ) survey of 1,224 rangatahi Māori aged 11-12 found: Cultural connectedness was associated with fewer depression symptoms, anxiety symptoms and better quality of life. That sounds cut and dry. But further into the report the following appears: Cultural connectedness is ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago

  • Useful context on public sector job cuts
    David Farrar writes –    The Herald reports: From the gory details of job-cuts news, you’d think the public service was being eviscerated.   While the media’s view of the cuts is incomplete, it’s also true that departments have been leaking the particulars faster than a Wellington ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago

  • Gordon Campbell On When Racism Comes Disguised As Anti-racism
    Remember the good old days, back when New Zealand had a PM who could think and speak calmly and intelligently in whole sentences without blustering? Even while Iran’s drones and missiles were still being launched, Helen Clark was live on TVNZ expertly summing up the latest crisis in the Middle ...
    Gordon CampbellBy lyndon
    4 days ago

  • Govt ignored economic analysis of smokefree reversal
    Costello did not pass on analysis of the benefits of the smokefree reforms to Cabinet, emphasising instead the extra tax revenues of repealing them. Photo: Hagen Hopkins, Getty Images TL;DR: The six news items that stood out to me at 7:26 am today are:The Lead: Casey Costello never passed on ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago

  • True Blue.
    True loveYou're the one I'm dreaming ofYour heart fits me like a gloveAnd I'm gonna be true blueBaby, I love youI’ve written about the job cuts in our news media last week. The impact on individuals, and the loss to Aotearoa of voices covering our news from different angles.That by ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    4 days ago

  • Who is running New Zealand’s foreign policy?
    While commentators, including former Prime Minister Helen Clark, are noting a subtle shift in New Zealand’s foreign policy, which now places more emphasis on the United States, many have missed a key element of the shift. What National said before the election is not what the government is doing now. ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    4 days ago

  • 2024 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #15
    A listing of 31 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, April 7, 2024 thru Sat, April 13, 2024. Story of the week Our story of the week is about adults in the room setting terms and conditions of ...
    Skeptical Science
    5 days ago

  • Feline Friends and Fragile Fauna The Complexities of Cats in New Zealand’s Conservation Efforts

    Cats, with their independent spirit and beguiling purrs, have captured the hearts of humans for millennia. In New Zealand, felines are no exception, boasting the highest national cat ownership rate globally [definition cat nz cat foundation]. An estimated 1.134 million pet cats grace Kiwi households, compared to 683,000 dogs ...

    Gareth’s WorldBy admin
    5 days ago

  • Or is that just they want us to think?
    Nice guy, that Peter Williams. Amiable, a calm air of no-nonsense capability, a winning smile. Everything you look for in a TV presenter and newsreader.I used to see him sometimes when I went to TVNZ to be a talking head or a panellist and we would yarn. Nice guy, that ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    5 days ago

  • Fact Brief – Did global warming stop in 1998?
    Skeptical Science is partnering with Gigafact to produce fact briefs — bite-sized fact checks of trending claims. This fact brief was written by Sue Bin Park in collaboration with members from our Skeptical Science team. You can submit claims you think need checking via the tipline. Did global warming stop in ...
    Skeptical Science
    6 days ago

  • Arguing over a moot point.
    I have been following recent debates in the corporate and social media about whether it is a good idea for NZ to join what is known as “AUKUS Pillar Two.” AUKUS is the Australian-UK-US nuclear submarine building agreement in which … Continue reading → ...
    KiwipoliticoBy Pablo
    6 days ago

  • No Longer Trusted: Ageing Boomers, Laurie & Les, Talk Politics.
    Turning Point: “What has turned me away from the mainstream news media is the very strong message that its been sending out for the last few years.” “And what message might that be?” “That the people who own it, the people who run it, and the people who provide its content, really don’t ...
    Bowalley Road
    6 days ago

  • Minister releases Fast-track stakeholder list
    The Government is today releasing a list of organisations who received letters about the Fast-track applications process, says RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop. “Recently Ministers and agencies have received a series of OIA requests for a list of organisations to whom I wrote with information on applying to have a ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 hours ago

  • Judicial appointments announced
    Attorney-General Judith Collins today announced the appointment of Wellington Barrister David Jonathan Boldt as a Judge of the High Court, and the Honourable Justice Matthew Palmer as a Judge of the Court of Appeal. Justice Boldt graduated with an LLB from Victoria University of Wellington in 1990, and also holds ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 hours ago

  • Education Minister heads to major teaching summit in Singapore
    Education Minister Erica Stanford will lead the New Zealand delegation at the 2024 International Summit on the Teaching Profession (ISTP) held in Singapore. The delegation includes representatives from the Post Primary Teachers’ Association (PPTA) Te Wehengarua and the New Zealand Educational Institute (NZEI) Te Riu Roa.  The summit is co-hosted ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 hours ago

  • Value of stopbank project proven during cyclone
    A stopbank upgrade project in Tairawhiti partly funded by the Government has increased flood resilience for around 7000ha of residential and horticultural land so far, Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones today attended a dawn service in Gisborne to mark the end of the first stage of the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 hours ago

  • Anzac commemorations, Türkiye relationship focus of visit
    Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters will represent the Government at Anzac Day commemorations on the Gallipoli Peninsula next week and engage with senior representatives of the Turkish government in Istanbul.    “The Gallipoli campaign is a defining event in our history. It will be a privilege to share the occasion ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 hours ago

  • Minister to Europe for OECD meeting, Anzac Day
    Science, Innovation and Technology and Defence Minister Judith Collins will next week attend the OECD Science and Technology Ministerial conference in Paris and Anzac Day commemorations in Belgium. “Science, innovation and technology have a major role to play in rebuilding our economy and achieving better health, environmental and social outcomes ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 hours ago

  • Comprehensive Partnership the goal for NZ and the Philippines
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon held a bilateral meeting today with the President of the Philippines, Ferdinand Marcos Jr.  The Prime Minister was accompanied by MP Paulo Garcia, the first Filipino to be elected to a legislature outside the Philippines. During today’s meeting, Prime Minister Luxon and President Marcos Jr discussed opportunities to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    18 hours ago

  • Government commits $20m to Westport flood protection
    The Government has announced that $20 million in funding will be made available to Westport to fund much needed flood protection around the town. This measure will significantly improve the resilience of the community, says Local Government Minister Simeon Brown. “The Westport community has already been allocated almost $3 million ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    24 hours ago

  • Taupō takes pole position
    The Government is proud to support the first ever Repco Supercars Championship event in Taupō as up to 70,000 motorsport fans attend the Taupō International Motorsport Park this weekend, says Economic Development Minister Melissa Lee. “Anticipation for the ITM Taupō Super400 is huge, with tickets and accommodation selling out weeks ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago

  • Cost of living support for low-income homeowners
    Local Government Minister Simeon Brown has announced an increase to the Rates Rebate Scheme, putting money back into the pockets of low-income homeowners.  “The coalition Government is committed to bringing down the cost of living for New Zealanders. That includes targeted support for those Kiwis who are doing things tough, such ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago

  • Government backing mussel spat project
    The Coalition Government is investing in a project to boost survival rates of New Zealand mussels and grow the industry, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones has announced. “This project seeks to increase the resilience of our mussels and significantly boost the sector’s productivity,” Mr Jones says. “The project - ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago

  • Government focused on getting people into work
    Benefit figures released today underscore the importance of the Government’s plan to rebuild the economy and have 50,000 fewer people on Jobseeker Support, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “Benefit numbers are still significantly higher than when National was last in government, when there was about 70,000 fewer ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago

  • Clean energy key driver to reducing emissions
    The Government’s commitment to doubling New Zealand’s renewable energy capacity is backed by new data showing that clean energy has helped the country reach its lowest annual gross emissions since 1999, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. New Zealand’s latest Greenhouse Gas Inventory (1990-2022) published today, shows gross emissions fell ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago

  • Earthquake-prone buildings review brought forward
    The Government is bringing the earthquake-prone building review forward, with work to start immediately, and extending the deadline for remediations by four years, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says. “Our Government is focused on rebuilding the economy. A key part of our plan is to cut red tape that ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago

  • Thailand and NZ to agree to Strategic Partnership
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and his Thai counterpart, Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin, have today agreed that New Zealand and the Kingdom of Thailand will upgrade the bilateral relationship to a Strategic Partnership by 2026. “New Zealand and Thailand have a lot to offer each other. We have a strong mutual desire to build ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • Government consults on extending coastal permits for ports
    RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop and Transport Minister Simeon Brown have today announced the Coalition Government’s intention to extend port coastal permits for a further 20 years, providing port operators with certainty to continue their operations. “The introduction of the Resource Management Act in 1991 required ports to obtain coastal ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • Inflation coming down, but more work to do
    Today’s announcement that inflation is down to 4 per cent is encouraging news for Kiwis, but there is more work to be done - underlining the importance of the Government’s plan to get the economy back on track, acting Finance Minister Chris Bishop says. “Inflation is now at 4 per ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • School attendance restored as a priority in health advice
    Refreshed health guidance released today will help parents and schools make informed decisions about whether their child needs to be in school, addressing one of the key issues affecting school attendance, says Associate Education Minister David Seymour. In recent years, consistently across all school terms, short-term illness or medical reasons ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • Unnecessary bureaucracy cut in oceans sector
    Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones is streamlining high-level oceans management while maintaining a focus on supporting the sector’s role in the export-led recovery of the economy. “I am working to realise the untapped potential of our fishing and aquaculture sector. To achieve that we need to be smarter with ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • Patterson promoting NZ’s wool sector at International Congress
    Associate Agriculture Minister Mark Patterson is speaking at the International Wool Textile Organisation Congress in Adelaide, promoting New Zealand wool, and outlining the coalition Government’s support for the revitalisation the sector.    "New Zealand’s wool exports reached $400 million in the year to 30 June 2023, and the coalition Government ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago

  • Removing red tape to help early learners thrive
    The Government is making legislative changes to make it easier for new early learning services to be established, and for existing services to operate, Associate Education Minister David Seymour says. The changes involve repealing the network approval provisions that apply when someone wants to establish a new early learning service, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago

  • RMA changes to cut coal mining consent red tape
    Changes to the Resource Management Act will align consenting for coal mining to other forms of mining to reduce barriers that are holding back economic development, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. “The inconsistent treatment of coal mining compared with other extractive activities is burdensome red tape that fails to acknowledge ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago

  • McClay reaffirms strong NZ-China trade relationship
    Trade, Agriculture and Forestry Minister Todd McClay has concluded productive discussions with ministerial counterparts in Beijing today, in support of the New Zealand-China trade and economic relationship. “My meeting with Commerce Minister Wang Wentao reaffirmed the complementary nature of the bilateral trade relationship, with our Free Trade Agreement at its ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago

  • Prime Minister Luxon acknowledges legacy of Singapore Prime Minister Lee
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon today paid tribute to Singapore’s outgoing Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong.   Meeting in Singapore today immediately before Prime Minister Lee announced he was stepping down, Prime Minister Luxon warmly acknowledged his counterpart’s almost twenty years as leader, and the enduring legacy he has left for Singapore and South East ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago

  • PMs Luxon and Lee deepen Singapore-NZ ties
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon held a bilateral meeting today with Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. While in Singapore as part of his visit to South East Asia this week, Prime Minister Luxon also met with Singapore President Tharman Shanmugaratnam and will meet with Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong.  During today’s meeting, Prime Minister Luxon ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago

  • Antarctica New Zealand Board appointments
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters has made further appointments to the Board of Antarctica New Zealand as part of a continued effort to ensure the Scott Base Redevelopment project is delivered in a cost-effective and efficient manner.  The Minister has appointed Neville Harris as a new member of the Board. Mr ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago

  • Finance Minister travels to Washington DC
    Finance Minister Nicola Willis will travel to the United States on Tuesday to attend a meeting of the Five Finance Ministers group, with counterparts from Australia, the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom.  “I am looking forward to meeting with our Five Finance partners on how we can work ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago

  • Pet bonds a win/win for renters and landlords
    The coalition Government has today announced purrfect and pawsitive changes to the Residential Tenancies Act to give tenants with pets greater choice when looking for a rental property, says Housing Minister Chris Bishop. “Pets are important members of many Kiwi families. It’s estimated that around 64 per cent of New ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago

  • Long Tunnel for SH1 Wellington being considered
    State Highway 1 (SH1) through Wellington City is heavily congested at peak times and while planning continues on the duplicate Mt Victoria Tunnel and Basin Reserve project, the Government has also asked NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) to consider and provide advice on a Long Tunnel option, Transport Minister Simeon Brown ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago

  • New Zealand condemns Iranian strikes
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Foreign Minister Winston Peters have condemned Iran’s shocking and illegal strikes against Israel.    “These attacks are a major challenge to peace and stability in a region already under enormous pressure," Mr Luxon says.    "We are deeply concerned that miscalculation on any side could ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago

  • Huge interest in Government’s infrastructure plans
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