FiveEyes on our elections

Written By: - Date published: 3:56 am, June 12th, 2019 - 94 comments
Categories: Andrew Little, australian politics, China, election 2017, elections, Russia, Spying, uk politics, us politics - Tags:

Andrew Little’s letter to the Select Committee on election interference puzzled me – it seemed to be out of the blue and not particularly relevant to our system. Then I read about a meeting on the Gold Coast last year and it became clear as to why – FiveEyes pressure.

In August 2018, FiveEyes Ministers

agreed to respond jointly to “severe” foreign interference and call out the nations responsible amid concern in the West over Russian and Chinese government influence.

In a joint statement, the ministers said foreign governments, ­actors and their proxies were involved in “coercive, deceptive and clandestine activities” to “sow discord, manipulate public discourse, bias the development of policy, or disrupt markets”.

The so-called Russia-gate was always a beat-up, driven mostly by the need to find an excuse for the debacle that was the Democrat campaign, and also to draw attention away from the activities of the FBI and CIA that are now coming into the limelight.

And the attack on the Democratic committee emails is another hack-versus-leak issue. Political parties always prefer to talk about hacks as it implies outside interference rather than insider dissatisfaction. Boris Johnson is now claiming credit for the removal of Russian diplomats over the Skripal affair as his great diplomatic triumph. Whatever else you might say about the Skripals, it is certainly true that the Russians didn’t make them die but the British have made them disappear. I’ve commented earlier about how the Inquiry provided an opportunity for another attack on China.

However when it came to New Zealand, the SIS and GCSB told the Select Committee that they found no evidence of such interference in our election.

So why did Andrew Little feel he should raise the issue in New Zealand? Just following the crowd?

For there are serious issues at stake. The United States war on Russia and China has now moved from the back page to the front page – more on that in another post. We absolutely must stay independent. This  FiveEyes lock-step is a worrying sign that we could be drawn into the US camp by default.

Andrew Little is the responsible Minister. We need to be sure that he is responsible for our independence. We could lose a lot of what we have in our culture and polity that is unique and valuable, if we get sucked into these great power games.

 

Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton, Canada’s Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale, New Zealand Justice Minister Andrew Little, British Home Secretary Sajid Javid, and US Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen on the Gold Coast.

94 comments on “FiveEyes on our elections ”

  1. Jenny - How to Get there? 1

    We absolutely must stay independent.

    Mike Smith

    It could well be argued, (by supporters and detractors of this state of affairs), that we have never been independent. First as a satrap and colonial outpost of the British Empire, and with the decline of that empire, with that of the US.

    ANZUK to ANZUS

    Since the founding of this nation, there is hardly a foreign conflict engaged by either of these two global hegemons UK and the US that New Zealand yaforces to. From the Boer War to the Dardenals campaign, to the Malaya Crisis, to the Korean and Vietnam wars, to Iraq to Afghanistan. Not to mention Waihopai and even Five Eyes itself, which is part of the Western global intelligence gathering network, and which despite initial denials even spies on New Zealanders, information which is shared with the US hegemon. This focus on threats to US imperialism more than explains our intelligence agencies blind spot towards French terrorists and white supremacists.

    What independence we do have achieved has been hard fought for and been opposed all the way by these same agencies, The anti-nuclear status for one example.

    The bending or our legal system to fit US demands for Dotcom’s extradition agaiinst all existing NZ legal norms is another example of our subservience and lack of independence.

    That is just two of the most obvious examples of our lack of independence, I am sure that others can provide many more.

    • Jenny - How to Get there? 1.1

      Just how much are we in lockstep with the US?

      The $20 billion increase for the NZ military was announced around the same time as a $200 billion increase for the Australian military and the $750 billion increase in US military spending.

      Coincidence?

      Or evidence of preparations to loyally serve US's military interests in their next big war of choice?

      • Exkiwiforces 1.1.1

        Actually you might want to this article https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-06-12/climate-change-hazards-global-peace-index-report/11198144

        Also of note September this yr will be the 20th Anniversary of INTERFET booting out the TNI and pretty much all of the equipment in yesterday’s updated DCP would’ve been very handy if the NZDF had access to that equipment. I’m going to be there if will a enough as I had a run back down rabbit hole 8 wks ago and I would like to see you there to show you what Peacekeeping is all about especially now that CC is pretty going to a effect the Peace and Wellbeing in the Asia Pacific region.

      • Jenny - How to Get there? 1.1.2

        What if they gave a war, and nobody came?

        The Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was in Tehran trying to help ease rising tensions between the United States and Iran.

        A Japanese owned vessel is then struck with 'flying objects'.

        Coincidence?

        Probably not.

        Who was the culprit?

        What was their motive?

        Was it false flag attack by the Americans on their Japanese ally, pinned on the Iranians. to force the Japanese to cut their ties with Iran?

        Was it a false, false flag attack, by the Iranians, blamed on the Americans, to strengthen Japanese ties with Iran?

        The US claim it was the Iranians

        The Us have video from the scene, which the US claims show Irainian revolutionary guards removing unexploded limpet mines from the ship.

        The world now knows the US claim of limpet mines is false.

        The Japanese ship owner says it is not obvious from looking at it, that the ship was Japanese, which means that someone would have had to have pre-knowledge that it was Japanese. That is, if that was the reason it was targeted.

        The Japanese owner says the ship's cargo of 25,000 tons of highly flammable methanol did not catch fire. This would indicate that the 'flying objects', whatever they were, did not carry exploding warheads. The removal of war heads normally fitted to flying missiles/objects indicates that the attack was premeditated, and that the attackers, whoever they were, did not intend to sink or destroy the Japanese vessel, instead wanted to send a warning, or create political damage.

        “Flying objects” damaged Japanese tanker during attack in Gulf of Oman

        By Junko Fujita 13 hrs ago

        TOKYO, June 14 (Reuters) – Two “flying objects” damaged a Japanese tanker owned by Kokuka Sangyo Co in an attack on Thursday in the Gulf of Oman, but there was no damage to the cargo of methanol, the company president said on Friday.

        https://www.msn.com/en-nz/news/world/flying-objects-damaged-japanese-tanker-during-attack-in-gulf-of-oman/ar-AACSxVh?ocid=spartanntp

  2. fustercluck 2

    If not within the sphere of the USA, then what? I cannot imagine that anyone capable of reading would suggest that aligning with China is in NZ's best interests and Russia is simply not a player in the South Pacific. The USA is far from perfect but at least there is a functioning constitution that enshrines human rights, a flawed but extant democracy, etc. NZ is incapable of securing its future as an independent entity in a world where many nations can project sufficient power to overwhelm our military resources. Finally, the USA economy is growing and there is abundant opportunity to sell our products. Apart from the "orange man bad" mantra, why exactly is not a good idea to be aligned to at least some extent with the USA?

    • WeTheBleeple 2.1

      "NZ is incapable of securing its future as an independent entity in a world where many nations can project sufficient power to overwhelm our military resources"

      Jeepers, best we stockpile some nukes and get in bed with a murderous bully then. The only reason anyone pays any heed to these bullies is cowardice. Fear of losing a dollar, that's it.

      Fear as a motivating factor. And you know the merchants wont be anywhere near the front line. They'll be safely ensconsed in hotels on the other side of the world. The cowardly billionaire gun running set and their minions.

      I notice warmongers always trot out trade like it belongs in the same paragraph with war. Gun to the head sales shouldn't really earn any bonuses. The salesmen should all be sacked.

      We're looking at the bullies in the schoolyard and saying, enough is enough. These adult children, likewise, deserve no encouragement.

      But right wing voters love war: Halliburton shares, Lockheed Martin… aye.

      They invest in war when it's not even on the horizon. They pray to Plutus & Kratos.

      • fustercluck 2.1.1

        Murderous bully?

        Is this a Tiananmen Square reference? If not, please cite a specific example of murder.

          • fustercluck 2.1.1.1.1

            It is interesting to note that USA drone strikes have dropped since 2016. It is also interesting to note that black unemployment is now at historically low levels in the USA. And let us not forget that Khashoggi was deeply involved in the Muslim Brotherhood which some consider to be a terrorist organisation.

            • Drowsy M. Kram 2.1.1.1.1.1

              "those claiming Khashoggi’s Brotherhood sympathies as some kind of black mark reveal nothing so much as their ignorance of the kingdom, the region, and its history."

              https://www.brookings.edu/blog/order-from-chaos/2018/10/19/on-jamal-khashoggi-the-muslim-brotherhood-and-saudi-arabia/

            • Dukeofurl 2.1.1.1.1.2

              Says Donald Trump?

              Khashoggi was deeply involved with the Saudi Royal Family ..until he wasnt.

              Being a writer for the Washington Post doesnt mean hes 'deeply involved' with Muslim Brotherhood

              • Gabby

                Hey. He was muslim. He had brothers. Case proved. Best evidence in the history of the WORLD.

              • reason

                Khashoggi seems to have been a deceptive journalist for hire…. at least some of the time.

                Notably he took $ 100,000 of stolen money to write PR puff pieces for the Kleptocrats and crooks who stole billions from the Malaysian people in the 1MDB fraud.

                The proposal was for Khashoggi to provide a major front page interview, plus a smaller interview with Rosmah followed by a series of two or three editorials to be written by Khashoggi. Tarek ends by saying “using your very influential name and writings in the domestic market will make a big difference on how widespread and successful this media project will ultimately be”

                The employment of Mr Khashoggi in this context raises ethical issues. USD100,000 is off the scale in terms of normal freelance payments for a story – more than most journalists earn in a year.

                the articles about Najib and Rosmah (paid for from 1MDB cash) were specifically designed to polish their image in Saudi Arabia, Malaysia and elsewhere.

                http://www.sarawakreport.org/2018/12/treat-with-caution-the-tales-from-tarek-obaid/

                http://www.sarawakreport.org/2015/02/managing-the-media-and-then-foreign-policy-how-jho-low-took-over/

                The five eyes network seems consistently blind , or at least quiet ,,,, on all the mega frauds and thefts …… the five eyes white english speaking club, launders and hides money for.

            • Gabby 2.1.1.1.1.3

              Reported drone strikes flucky.

            • greywarshark 2.1.1.1.1.4

              And where did those facts arise re the USA.? I would like the official source link, or which think tank put them forward.

        • greywarshark 2.1.1.2

          fustercluck

          We should not have to educate you on what examples of any nation being a murderous bully there are. Do that yourself. If you want to comment on these important matters you should already know all the relevant factors. Neither ignorance or determined ignorance will be of help in a discussion about our hopeful future as a thriving nation, and one that is not just a basically poor nation making a virtue out of necessity, providing mercenaries to avoid punishment from bellicose nations' trade sanctions.

        • Blazer 2.1.1.3

          The U.S is not a one trick pony reliant on 'bombing people back to the Stone Age'…they can also oblige in …'making the economy scream'!

    • francesca 2.2

      There are countries in the world that mange to survive despite being non aligned/neutral and despite not having a standing army.

      I think we could do more than survive if we spent the billions earmarked for the military on programs for the public good…our housing crisis poses a bigger threat than any imaginary enemy

      • fustercluck 2.2.1

        Per capita, NZ has pretty much the largest resource area to police and specific responsibilities with regards to its Pacific Island relationships. Without a military our seas could be plundered with impunity, our Pacific neighbours would suffer from an inability to respond to disaster, and we would be unable to participate in international military projects. Further, the history of world war is not so distant as to be able to ignore it. Weakness invites attack and exploitation. A modest military absent big ticket force projection resources or a nuclear deterrent seems to me to be a reasonable minimum to maintain.

        • francesca 2.2.1.1

          Why should we continue to participate in US military adventurism to shore up their

          corporate hegemony. What are we doing dropping white phosphorus in civilian areas of Mosul?

          Lets by all means help our Pacific neighbours after climate disasters, but do we really need to be buying field tested weapons (Gaza) from Israel to help reconstruction in the islands

          Do we need to have a military grade Navy rather than a modified coastguard to protect our fisheries?

          You say "weakness invites attack"

          When was Costa Rica last attacked?

          Liechtenstein?

          Or Iceland for that matter

          I'm all for a well provisioned civil defence unit….a killing machine?

          Not so much

          • RedLogix 2.2.1.1.1

            a killing machine

            It is a fundamental right of all humans to defend themselves, otherwise the most violent, cruel and despotic would always dominate.

            In the modern nation state we delegate that right to the nation state in two distinct ways. We have police, courts and prisons to deal with internal threats, while we have military forces to face external ones. This is an efficient because it frees up each individual from needed to do the task themselves, as once their ancestors had to do, and get on with other more productive specialisations.

            But we cannot forget as Orwell memorably put it “People sleep peaceably in their beds at night only because rough men stand ready to do violence on their behalf.”

            Note also an important difference between police and military. Because police ordinarily dominate the civilian population they serve, it is not necessary for them to be heavily armed. The same is not true for the military, because no single nation state can dominate all others this necessarily ensures a competitive arms race resulting in massive over capacity … or as you say they become 'killing machines'.

            There is only one solution to this problem, but we are a little ways off realising it.

            • francesca 2.2.1.1.1.1

              My feeling is its because we are aligned with the US militarily, we are inevitably more of a target than if we were non aligned….and possibly playing off the US and China as our Pacific cousins do might be a smarter move.

              I'm also reminded of Fiji.

              When Fijian peacekeepers were captured on the Golan Heights by AQ, and later released, they came home complaining of how ill equipped they were to defend themselves.

              Russia sends container loads of defence equipment.

              https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/foreign-affairs/fiji-looks-to-russia-for-arms-as-aid-flows/news-story/b43540befb3938eb41cd9d4495e5c080

              Key shrugs his shoulders, says Fiji's allowed to do what it likes,

              "Australian officials are downplaying the significance of the Russian donations, while New Zealand Prime Minister John Key said arms deals were “a matter for (Fiji)”.

              but the next thing McCully is despatched with a lot of huff and puff and warnings of arms being used to stifle dissent

              "Negations are underway for a second consignment of weapons from Russia, as Fiji's relationship with Russia and China continues to cause ripples in Washington and Western Europe."

              NZ bolsters military aid to Fiji, taking it "to a new level"

              "https://www.interest.co.nz/news/98391/winston-peters-commits-giving-fijian-military-more-support-countries-engage-reinvigorated"

              I'm sure this can be done in other fields like trade and investment

            • WeTheBleeple 2.2.1.1.1.2

              If people were looked after, rather than manipulated, used, and lied to; they'd not be listening to the calls for war from leadership hell bent on power and dominance. They'd not be looking externally for people to blame if the narrative weren't 9 parts bullshit.

              Human needs are relatively simple. But we've been sold the lie that a Maserati makes us more manly, a boob-job more desirable, a cache of weapons enough to destroy the world many times over more secure.

              Yes, there's enough little guys to tell the bullies to sod off. That's why we should stop kneeling before their false idols… and tell them to sod off.

              • francesca

                Totally WTB

                But I fear we've crossed the line.

                If we can't transcend our primitive natures now, we really are out of here, taking most of the living world with us

                This stupid arms race can't go on.

                What a monumental waste of resources, all to perpetuate paranoid delusions, and to deflect from the biggest threat humanity has ever faced..climate catastrophe ..food web breakdown

              • RedLogix

                And the good news is that generally we are trending in that direction. For the average person the world is considerably less violent than it was just generations ago. Pinker is the best known person to make this case.

                Yet I've made the case that regardless of how 'peaceful' society is, some form of armed and coercive force will always be necessary. All humans are capable of evil, and the possibility of them engaging with it must always be guarded against.

                The important question is, what is the most efficient means to do this? Ideally you want to be able to achieve sufficient order with the minimum force necessary. Globally the force available to military forces greatly exceeds what is necessary, which represents not only an unacceptable risk of escalation, but an amoral misallocation of resources much needed elsewhere.

                • francesca

                  But Red, how is it that more and more money is being spent on weapon manufacture and sales?

                  I can certainly go along with a police force, and a strong civil defence, but chumming up with any of the major players (US/Russia/China/France/UK/Saudi Arabia/Turkey…all of whom have large military budgets) offends my moral sense.

                  Do we have to forget about morality now?

                  • RedLogix

                    Do we have to forget about morality now?

                    Well in my usual plodding fashion that is exactly the case I'm building, that over time the 'moral' direction humans have been moving has been to delegate our 'right to defense' to ever broader circles of human social cooperation, AND relinquish the 'right to attack'.

                    Over 10,000 years of very bumpy progress we have reached the stage where the nation state is the highest level of social cooperation we have implemented at least in terms of political and military cooperation. There are treaty alliances that step somewhat past that limit, but none are stable and enduring.

                    Yet in every other respect economically, socially and in so many practical ways we live in a globalised society. Globalisation has become an 'unstoppable human project', but we have yet to lay down the moral foundations on which it can be enduringly built. That is my essential thesis here, that as long as we remain trapped into nation-state silo thinking, we cannot progress globalisation into a harmonious system.

                    • greywarshark

                      Oh give us a break I am sick of pompous history of 10,000 years ago whether it relates to climate change or human history. As far as history goes, it shows us moving in cycles and we always destroy much of what we have created. Climate change similarly on a long grand scale, as a rule. 300 years seems a long time, but that cycle with its Southern mountains earthquake is about to happen again.

                      As if we didn't have to think twice as hard against all sorts of looming disruptions. We have to zoom in from 10,000 years.

                    • RedLogix

                      Cripes, human history goes back at least 2 million years, the past 10,000 is an eye blink. And within that time there have been many societies and empires which have come and gone; on that I agree with you.

                      But that period has been characterised by at least two important features; the first was agriculture, tools, written languages and our increasingly sophisticated ability to for abstraction. And while each time a society rose and collapsed, we tended to reach a higher water mark than the time previous. Gradually what rose out of each collapse was something just a little larger and more complex than what proceeded it, yes there was much destruction, but also much that we achieved.

                      But around the middle of the 1800's something new happened; we embarked on our first attempt at globalisation. Instead of history being the story of societies and empires rising and falling, each largely isolated from each other … suddenly they had all become neighbours connected to each other globally. For the first time ever it became possible to think of the world as one country, with one human race it's citizens.

                      That 10,000 year supercycle, from the invention of agriculture, to the globalisation of humanity is coming to an end. The next cycle takes us beyond the childhood of humanity; it takes us beyond separation, difference, rivalry and war. It is when we set aside these childish things and take up our responsibilities as a species. Within just another millenia we will reach the limit of our planetary evolution and reach out to the stars. We will unfold unsuspected capacities within our nature we can only imagine at present.

                      I find this a tremendously optimistic vision, it inspires me because I realise how little I know, and how very much further our children will travel. I'm sorry if you find it pompous; maybe I hung out with too many geologists when I was younger and it’s distorted my sense of time 🙂

              • Lucy

                “there's enough little guys to tell the bullies to sod off.” We have so many people in NZ being bullied – and no one does anything about it. In fact how many people are bullied by the bully then the rest of the people round pile in? We do not have a past that supports the bullied so I do not think that we would tell anyone to sod off. Andrew Little is someone who has previously stood up, so if he is raising an issue of interference then it is because he knows five eyes wont. He previously raised the issue that five eyes had no idea about any of the right wing terrorists.

            • Gabby 2.2.1.1.1.3

              I don't remember Orwell saying that rodlog. Where did you find that 'quote'?

                • Gabby

                  So he didn't then. It was someone defending a war crime.

                  • RedLogix

                    That is not what my reference says:

                    In conclusion, QI believes that this saying was introduced by Richard Grenier who was attempting to provide a pithy representation of an idea he ascribed to George Orwell. Later writers and speakers turned his phrase into a quotation and directly attached it to Orwell.

                    I'm quite aware of the uncertain providence of it, but conciseness won the day. It's a well known quote that's indelibly linked with Orwell's name, rightly or wrongly.

          • lprent 2.2.1.1.2

            What are we doing dropping white phosphorus in civilian areas of Mosul?

            Perhaps you'd like to provide a verifiable link to our military actually doing that.

            Bearing in mind that we have no attack aircraft, we don't send our choppers offshore, and using unarmoured transport aircraft to do that kind of mission in a combat zone at low level is tantamount to committing suicide. Not to mention that as far as I am aware we don’t stockpile white phosphorous

            Until then, I'll just have to consider you to be a simpleton liar and treat everything you say as being the same as that statement – complete and utter bullshit.

            FFS: grow up and stop playing with your genitals – it appears to make your brain live in an alternate LSD inspired universe.

            • francesca 2.2.1.1.2.1

              God you're offensive IPrent

              Can you get your message across without the vile genital references and slurs on a commenter's intelligence

              please?

              "Brigadier General McAslan told NPR: "We have utilised white phosphorous to screen areas within west Mosul to get civilians out safely".

              Note the "we"

              Take it up with the Brigadier

              "We have utilized white phosphorus to screen areas within west Mosul to get civilians out safely," New Zealand Brig. Gen. Hugh McAslan tells NPR. He estimates that around 28,000 civilians have managed to make the dangerous crossing out of Islamic State territory in the past few days alone."

              I guess he ascertained all of this while confined to the training barracks in Taji

              As part of the US led coalition we do have shared culpability in the kind of weaponry used in civilian areas. Whether its specifically our planes dropping white phosphorous or not.

              As you can see, by his own admission , our very own Brigadier is happy to use the term "we"

              "We" were involved in an exercise that drew the criticism of humanitarian Human rights watch and Amnesty

              "However, the deployment of the chemical was criticised by Human Rights Watch.

              “No matter how white phosphorus is used, it poses a high risk of horrific and long-lasting harm in crowded cities like Raqqa and Mosul and any other areas with concentrations of civilians,” said Steve Goose, arms director at Human Rights Watch. “US-led forces should take all feasible precautions to minimise civilian harm when using white phosphorus in Iraq and Syria.”

              FFS take a breather

              • francesca

                And a closer reading will show you that I did not specifically mention the NZ air force, you were the one who specified that, your assumption, your mistake

              • WeTheBleeple

                Think I'll find somewhere else to write, that asshole attacks readers at whim.

                • RedLogix

                  francesca unwittingly stepped on one of his corns. Lynn served in our armed forces for a period, and over the years I've seen him act very protective of their reputation. We all have our buttons even if, as in this instance, I wish he'd been a little more moderate in how he expressed it.

                  • francesca

                    I hear corn removal is a pretty simple op
                    Thanks for the heads up
                    We all do identify pretty closely with our areas of expertise I suppose
                    Its his ugly way of dispute that temporarily raises my hack

                • francesca

                  WTB

                  I've taken a few breaths and returned to equilibrium

                  World Peace sure seems like a wan little hope if we can't even manage civil discourse

                  Stay here please, I appreciate all your comments and your knowledge of living systems is pretty special

                • Gabby

                  Wot, no more bleepy pomes?

                • greywarshark

                  lprent feels strongly as you do about your special concerns and personally built programs WtB. I suggest we be as kind to him as we would be to someone with Tourettes. He really goes off in a fiery way sometimes as Red Logix has noted and explained. He is a bloke with a very full life, fitting everything in, including this little beaut blog, bit stretched often stressed, and doesn't mince words.

            • WeTheBleeple 2.2.1.1.2.2

              To be fair, we're part of the team dropping said phosphorus. Guilt by association? Or innocent?

              A bit of both methinks.

            • One Two 2.2.1.1.2.3

              Until then, I'll just have to consider you to be a simpleton liar and treat everything you say as being the same as that statement – complete and utter bullshit.

              FFS: grow up and stop playing with your genitals – it appears to make your brain live in an alternate LSD inspired universe.

              Pure projection.

              You need to stop the degrading and disgusting insults Lprent.

              And if you are unable to control yourself…get some help.

              • greywarshark

                You are inclined to over-stating things too 1-2 and been asked to control yourself. But its always on for you to hand out wise advice to others. Possibly reading some of your cant has brought on outbursts in the past.

            • fustercluck 2.2.1.1.2.4

              I'd be very interested in getting that white phosphorus citation too. There is a world of difference between white phosphorus smoke munitions which are essentially canisters with felt/fabric impregnated with white phosphorus and actual white phosphorus weapons. While there is nothing nice about white phosphorus smoke, and you'd get a nasty burn from an actually combusting piece of the material, these smoke munitions are nothing like the horrific WP weapons that are outside of the laws of war. To suggest our military used such weapons is a serious slur on our armed forces. Further, such an assertion is simply absurd…where in our defence force budget is there sufficient space to hide the procurement, training, and deployment of such a munition?

        • RedLogix 2.2.1.2

          Independence does not imply isolation. While everyone can name the top three nations that are oriented toward hegemony and expansion China, USA, Russia, that leaves a hell of a lot of other nations who have an vital interest in collective security.

          While each nation may be powerless militarily on it's own, collectively we are capable of matching any single one of the the big bad three. Nor do we have to necessarily match them militarily. Between us we are a significant weight diplomatically and economically.

          At the very least NZ must wake up, smell the uranium, and realise that any serious military capacity we may be able to project is inevitably linked with Australia.

  3. mac1 3

    We might well be concerned about American intervention in our politics but read who interferes in US politics. $31 million to help Trump win. Annual income of $312 million with 5 million members (same as our entire population!). The NRA.

    Now under the hammer for being a "cabal of cronyism", for mis-spending and dodgy dealings, for familial favouritism.

    https://www.stuff.co.nz/world/americas/113359993/nra-money-flowed-to-board-members-amid-allegedly-lavish-spending

    What influence do they gain through their successful support for Trump?

    What influence here especially considering our government's reaction to March 15?

    • fustercluck 3.1

      And yet exactly zero NRA members have committed a mass shooting.

      https://dcstatesman.com/including-tx-church-shooting-guess-many-mass-shooters-nra-members/

      Maybe the problem is not the legal gun owners.

      • RedLogix 3.1.1

        The set of 'NRA members' is not the same as 'legal gun owners'

        • Dukeofurl 3.1.1.1

          The list of NRA members would be secret and they dont volunteer names when they would find one.

          Some researchers caterorgise mass ‘shootings’ ( not just deaths, but multiple people shot as

          Family Killers:Perpetrators are typically White, middle-aged males who target their spouse or intimate partner, children, and other relatives

          felony Killers:Perpetrators of felony mass murders tend to be young black or Hispanic males with extensive criminal records

          Public Mass murders ( the most reported ones): Public murderers are often stereotyped as middle-aged white men who have suffered a series of failures in different areas of life

          There would definitely be NRA members in the Family killers and Public shooters . Just the NRA doesnt talk about it

  4. WeTheBleeple 4

    The world will move on from these purveyors of mass destruction, or it will be destroyed.

    Now the fearful grasping right wing of the west have pissed off everybody else they're afraid: not realising their own countrymen have had a gutsful of them too. They keep pushing their doctrine of fear, of imagined threats, of historical events wrapped in rhetoric…

    It became unfashionable to bang on about a Muslim threat, now it's China?

    We are not innocent of war crime and shitty leadership either. But right now we've got a real leader who is not likely to take sides out of fear.

    We could maintain relationships with other countries without being drawn into war, and when they hold a gun to our heads and say we must contribute to death, call them out on the international stage.

    Warmongers deserve no respect. Soldiers deserve better leaders.

  5. WeTheBleeple 5

    There are alternative futures where, having wrest control from Disaster Capitalism, we move forward.

    https://futurism.com/the-byte/nyt-automated-luxury-communism

  6. Dukeofurl 6

    While the effects of Russian involvment in the election was minor. The DNC servers were hacked by the Russians.

    Even more startling as Mueller report mentioned

    At a July 27, 2016, campaign rally, Mr. Trump said, “Russia, if you’re listening, I hope you’re able to find the 30,000 emails that are missing” — referring to Clinton emails reportedly stored on a personal server. “Within approximately five hours” of Mr. Trump’s remarks, according to the Mueller report, Russian military intelligence began a cyberattack against “Clinton’s personal office.” (VOLUME I, PP. 49, 62-63)

    • Grumpy 6.1

      This is bullshit. There is more likelihood of the "DNC hack" being a "DNC leak". The murder of Seth Rich is a sinister incident that has been ruthlessly suppressed.

      • Dukeofurl 6.1.1

        The emails were released by the Russians to Wikileaks.

        The methods used were well documented

        eg:

        On June 15, 2016, CrowdStrike, a private computer security company working for the Democratic National Committee, announced that it had detected Russian malware on the DNC’s computer server. The next day, a self-described Romanian hacker, Guccifer 2.0, claimed he was a WikiLeaks source and had hacked the DNC’s server. He then posted online DNC computer files that contained metadata that indicated Russian involvement in the hack.

        On July 22, 2016, just days before the Democratic National Convention, WikiLeaks published approximately 20,000 DNC emails.

        of course it was hardly election winning news that the DNC favoured Clinton as a cnadidate before the Convention. She was miles ahead on the primarys that had direct election.

        • mauī 6.1.1.1

          Not quite as clear cut as that:

          • June 12: Assange tells Britain’s ITV that another round of Democratic Party disclosures is on the way: “We have upcoming leaks in relation to Hillary Clinton, which is great. WikiLeaks is having a very big year.”
          • June 14: The Democratic National Committee accuses Russia of hacking its computers.
          • June 15: Guccifer 2.0 claims credit for the hack. “The main part of the papers, thousands of files and mails, I gave to WikiLeaks ,” he brags. “They will publish them soon.”
          • June 22: WikiLeaks tells Guccifer via email: “Send any new material here for us to review and it will have a much higher impact than what you are doing.”
          • July 6: WikiLeaks sends Guccifer another email: “if you have anything hillary related we want it in the next tweo [sic] days prefable [sic] because the DNC [Democratic National Convention] is approaching and she will solidify bernie supporters behind her after.”Replies Guccifer: “ok . . . i
          • July 14: Guccifer sends WikiLeaks an encrypted file titled “wk dnc link1.txt.gpg.”
          • July 18: WikiLeaks confirms it has opened “the 1Gb or so archive” and will release documents “this week.”
          • July 22: WikiLeaks releases more than 20,000 DNC emails and 8,000 other attachments.

          https://consortiumnews.com/2019/04/18/the-guccifer-2-0-gaps-in-muellers-full-report/

          The metadata was also independently analysed and found to be consistent with a local download instead of a Russian troll farm hack.

    • mauī 6.2

      Please don't post conspiracy theories here.

  7. greywarshark 7

    We definitely need a military that is equipped effectively to provide border defence and to support Pacific Islanders, at the minimum. Otherwise we are sitting ducks. How useful to the country and world stability it is for us to be off providing a mirage of support in the USA's ventures is debatable. Which is happening here at present. So that's good.

    We also need to understand the concept of Perpetual War.* The concept was used by Trần Văn Đôn, a general in the Army of the Republic of Vietnam, in his book Our Endless War: Inside Vietnam (1978).[3]…

    American historian James Chace argues in his book Endless War: How we got involved in Central America (1983)[4] that US policy in Central America is based upon the assumption that US hegemony is threatened within the region.
    *https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perpetual_war

    This from 2011 – https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2011/05/how-perpetual-war-became-us-ideology/238600/
    Ideological Domination:
    Neoconservatives of both parties urge war to spread American ideals, seeing it as the duty of a great nation.

    Liberal interventionists see individuals, not states, as the key global actor and have deemed a Responsibility to Protect those in danger from their own governments, particularly when an international consensus to intervene can be forged.

    Traditional Realists, meanwhile, initially reject most interventions but are frequently drawn in by arguments that the national interest will be put at risk if the situation spirals out of control.

  8. Ad 8

    This post is pretty similar to Paul Keating just before the Australian election who accused security agencies including ASIO and ASIS of running Australia's foreign policy and called for Bill Shorten to "clean them out" if he wins the election.

    "The nutters are in charge," Mr Keating told the ABC after Labor's 2019 campaign launch in May."They've lost their strategic bearings, these organisations."

    Of course, he had been appointed to the international advisory council for the China Development Bank. So he doubled down: "You know, China, whatever you think, China is a great state. It's always been a great state and now has the second-largest economy, soon the largest economy in the world."

    That's a charming defence of a totalitarian state. $$ beats all.

    Unlike Keating, Andrew Little actually read the multiple reports in the last two years showing how and why Australian politics was far too open to the influences of Chinese money to bend their elections.

    Plenty of lessons from NZ as a tiny weak state from our big brother who has had to actually live through it. And you don't get access to such lessons in international intelligence unless you have very strong agreements of intelligence sharing. Like Five Eyes.

    As for President Trump, well he's making it far easier for NZ to stay in Five Eyes. He's withdrawing troops left right and centre, refuses to take on new wars, is otherwise telling his allies to pay their fair share – and in case we all missed it he's the only President in a century to hold all the intelligence agencies in complete contempt. It's like he's following the hard left playbook.

    And through all that, it's pretty evident that our own little intelligence agencies need all the help they can get, as noted yesterday by Prime Minister Ardern and Ministers Nash and Mark:

    http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA1906/S00076/nz-confirms-ongoing-part-in-operation-gallant-phoenix.htm

    Before we try throwing our intelligence allegiances away, it would be worth bearing in mind that the attacker who killed 50 of our people was Australian. Because of that, the shakeup that is occurring will be on their side of the Tasman as well as ours.

    We have a Royal Commission doing hearings on intelligence failings for that very reason. I would bet that one of the outcomes would be a strengthened intelligence relationship with Australia, and with the rest of Five Eyes, as a result.

    The state should keep us safe at prayer, and at the voting booth.

    Nothing should be more sacred to our state.

    • greywarshark 8.1

      Don't be too high and mighty about the totalitarian state v democracy Ad. Our trust in the ways of the democratic state have been severely tested by the workings of capitalism which is the basis of all the democracies we are closest to. Democracy and capitalism go together like love and marriage, or that was what we had been taught.

      It seems that the totalitarian state is harsh and controlling and can result in mass deaths; democracies close to us rely on propaganda and denial for misdemeanours against the people, usually with one hand on the Bible which, outside Court is divided up into pieces that carefully cut and pasted will excuse anything. Inside the peoples' Judicial Court, the Bible homilies must be adhered to in whatever way the local law has pronounced.

      • Ad 8.1.1

        If only we could be either High or even Mighty about our little state.

        There's no automatic upward trajectory for virtue or democracy or anything good either here or in the entire world.

        You might want to have a chat with the people of Hong Kong. After the handover from the UK they were promised a series of cast-iron rights. Now, with China asserting more and more power, any protester will be able to be extradited to mainland China for trial.

        https://www.dw.com/en/hong-kong-citizens-stage-huge-rally-against-china-extradition-plan/a-49117508

        Plenty of people get to protest here and in the US.

        In Hong Kong they are fighting for their last vestiges of actual rights against China.

        30 years ago a similar protest in mainland China was literally crushed to death under tanks.

        • greywarshark 8.1.1.1

          The China crush. Was that Tianneman Square? If so I was a subject of propaganda with that because I believed that the tank crushed to death the student in photos. Now I am told that it was not so. So can you advise who was crushed to death referred to in 8 1 1 please? I would really like the info.

          • joe90 8.1.1.1.1

            More than a few.

            Male, 21, student at China Youth University of Political Studies. From: Xianyang City, Shaanxi Province.

            At around 6 a.m. on June 4, 1989, Wang was carrying a flag in the front row of a group of students retreating from Tiananmen Square. They marched north on North Xinhua Street, east of Liubukou, and turned onto West Chang’an Avenue, taking the bicycle lane along the north side of the street, to head west. Three tanks came from the direction of Tiananmen Square, firing toxic gas as they chased the retreating marchers at high speed. Wang was run over by a tank at Liubukou, his body crushed to pieces. He was one of the reported 11 people crushed to death by tanks at that spot.

            Wang’s family has never spoken out about his death.

            https://truth30.hrichina.org/wang_peiwen.html

            https://truth30.hrichina.org/unforgotten.html

            • Mark 8.1.1.1.1.1

              There was no deliberate slaughter of students. What happened is things got out of hand, students torched military vehicles and there was a response.

              The famous tank man incident clearly demonstrates that there were no orders to deliberately go out and kill people. The tank tried to go round the guy, and the guy even climbed up on the tank and had a chat with the tank commander.

              This photo by Western photographers of over 20 armoured personnel carriers destroyed by demonstrators surely shows that the typical Western narrative about the protests is far from the full truth:

              https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2019/06/02/asia-pacific/chinese-defense-minister-labels-tiananmen-crackdown-correct-decision/

              • Stuart Munro.

                That's not a credible characterization. Those in power had brought in a military unit prepared to use deadly force, having previously removed commanders who were disinclined to fire on unarmed civilians.

                The crisis of legitimacy within the arms of the state themselves which had been gathering force, particularly in the latter half of the decade, was ‘so severe that in the spring of 1989, it was unclear whether the army would respond to the political leadership’ (Dittmer, 1989: 3). ‘One of the PLA’s elite units, the 38th, [near Beijing] initially demonstrated reluctance to participate in putting down the student demonstrations. The 38th’s commander …was removed, along with a number of his subordinate leaders’

                https://www.researchgate.net/publication/327129365_China_-_the_Tiananmen_Square_massacre_of_1989

            • greywarshark 8.1.1.1.1.2

              Thanks joe 90. What do you make of Mark – seems too nicey. If everything was so friendly it would be all over youtube. Good propaganda.

        • Mark 8.1.1.2

          Now, with China asserting more and more power, any protester will be able to be extradited to mainland China for trial.

          What an absolute load of bollocks. The proposed changes to the law are about people committing crimes inside mainland China (or another jurisdiction), being able to be extradited back to China to be tried. The law changes were brought about because of a Hong Kong citizen who went to Taiwan, murdered his girlfriend there, came back to Hong Kong and admitted to the crime, but there was no avenue to extradite him back to Taiwan for trial. That's what 'extradition' means.

          Crimes committed in Hong Kong are dealt with under Hong Kong laws, not mainland Chinese laws. And will continue to be.

          The proposed changes to the extradition laws specifically exludes crimes of a political nature and is limited to serious criminal offenses. Again none of this applies to crimes committed inside of Hong Kong, but in other jurisdictions. Again that’s what extradition is all about.

          There is so much misinformation and hysteria in Hong Kong over this, much of it whipped up by irresponsible politicians and media egged on by foreign players. This of course shows that Hong Kong's traditional 'freedoms' are well and truly alive and being protected.

    • RedLogix 8.2

      I linked to this one a few days back, but worth repeating in this context:

      But surely that independent stance is about to be called? Neither Trump nor Xi look the sort to have patience with irritating do-gooders from tiny countries of zero geopolitical significance. Pick a side and pull your head in, will be the story.

      At least that seems the developing narrative. Yet surprisingly, New Zealand's foreign policy community isn't having any of it.

      https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/113097493/caught-between-china-and-the-us-the-kiwi-place-in-a-newly-confrontational-world

      • Ad 8.2.1

        It's ok to pick a side. It's never easy.

        Even Spain and Ireland managed to sidestep WW2.

        I would rather we face up to evil, and good, and figure who has the greater balance of both.

        • RedLogix 8.2.1.1

          I would rather we face up to evil, and good, and figure who has the greater balance of both.

          That is a very pragmatic argument and one most likely to prevail. But these days making the choice isn't as clear cut as it was a few decades ago. While I utterly abhor the unrepentented Stalinism and Maoism of those authoritarian states, since the invasion of Iraq (if not earlier) the West has been writing one long suicide note on it's own moral authority.

          It has become an impossible equation to solve; the only way forward is to think about the problem differently.

          Edit:

          The greatest fallacy permeating geopolitical discourse today is the notion that the 21st century world must choose between American or Chinese leadership. The world has already voted, and the winner is neither. America’s share of the global economy and trade is shrinking, its military is overstretched, and its credibility is in tatters due to a combination of the Iraq War, financial crisis and Donald Trump.

          But that doesn’t mean China is taking over. In 1945, when the U.S. emerged from World War II as the world’s sole superpower, it represented fully 50 percent of the world economy. Today, China represents barely 15 percent of global gross domestic product and its economy is decelerating and its population plateauing. India is already growing more quickly than China and its younger population will soon be larger than China’s. Simply put: China is rising into a world that is already multipolar; it doesn’t displace incumbent powers such as America and Europe—whose economies are still equal or larger than China’s—and cannot prevent the rise of India nor easily subdue Japan, South Korea or Australia.

          https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2019/04/30/washington-is-dismissing-chinas-belt-and-road-thats-a-huge-strategic-mistake-226759

          • Ad 8.2.1.1.1

            I disagree with Politico's view. Unfortunately so does US foreign policy.

            China is re-aligning polarities by deepening partnerships with Russia.

            All other major alliances are changing into new groups.

            Most groupings are forming into new kinds of cross-nationalism.

            We have to refresh the choices we made in the 1940s and 1970s, because the world is certainly changing. The polarities and alliances matter, and the world will choose for us if we don't.

        • AJ 8.2.1.2

          Franco offered to join the Axis Powers but the government itself was divided. Troops did fight for the Germans on the Eastern Front. So it wasn't a complete sidestep

      • francesca 8.2.2

        I'm not so sure that our geopolitical influence is necessarily zero.

        We're part of FiveEyes for one thing

        And we have a once deserved reputation for integrity and fairness, which is why the US likes to have our miniscule forces trundle along with their own military misadventures…as a sort of PR endorsement.

  9. WeTheBleeple 9

    Is it possible that we could interact with other nations outside of a military capacity?

    Do we really need guns with our iPhones?

    Self defense is all good. Part of a wider defense network – depends who they are.

    See if I'm wearing a gang patch, and my fellow patch member happens to start shooting at another gang, I am most definitely a target for retaliation.

    We are not a US nor a Chinese state. We are New Zealand.

    • francesca 9.1

      WTB

      Is it possible that we could interact with other nations outside of a military capacity?

      Surely it has to be possible, if we can rid ourselves of the paranoid mindset, and realise that the world has got to a dangerous place and we're all in this together

      But that takes a huge shift in consciousness, similar to but more massive than the Renaissance

  10. Gabby 10

    Sweden isn't aligned. Do you reckon Sweden's defence spending is higher or lower than ours?

  11. Stuart Munro. 11

    It's very difficult to maintain a coherent military foreign policy in our sphere of interest when governments alternate between blithering idiots cheerfully kowtowing to US lines and unpredictable humanitarian enthusiasts given to chasing the issues of the day. NZ handling of Fijian relations has consequently been lamentable, the smart sanctions proving to be more about being smartarses than enhancing long term relationships.

    Superpower influences are never entirely benign, and the entry of Russia to Fiji is in no way desirable. To a large extent NZ and Oz created that opportunity for them by poor choices handling the coup aftermaths. That said however, Russia habitually plays a very dirty game, and their activity in the region needs to be carefully watched.

    • francesca 11.1

      Well, its ok for us to have a "sphere of influence"is it ?

      We're geographically close

      OK for the US to have a "sphere of influence" in Latin America too?

      Right in its neighbourhood

      What about Russia's "sphere of influence" around its borders?

      • Stuart Munro. 11.1.1

        It all rather depends how we manage our sphere of influence.

        If we manage it by aid and disaster relief and educational and other support, which has traditionally been part of our Pacific engagement, then our neighbours have no cause for complaint – rather the reverse in fact.

        Had the US curtailed its antidemocratic interventions and the CIA backed activities of the United Fruit Company, it too would have had legitimate relationships with its neighbours.

        As for Russia, given its predilection for murdering its neighbours, poisoning detractors, running large scale insurgencies, supplying and facilitating the use of chemical weapons, genocide and so forth – and that's only under the current president – their influence is not remotely benign and must be strenuously resisted at every opportunity.

        • francesca 11.1.1.1

          oh yeah, I get it Stuart

          The Russians are definitely the bad actors in the World

          My god , the number of bases they have stretched over the globe is ginormous!.I think the US should just nuke 'em like Churchill advised.

          Then we could all be good guys together and live happily ever after

          • Stuart Munro. 11.1.1.1.1

            I don't think you get it at all Francesca, but then you probably don't know journalists who covered the Chechen genocide at considerable personal risk, or sheltered Chechen refugees in Moscow.

            Golunov has been remarkably lucky – he might as readily have been killed or ruined as Warmbier was in North Korea. Bad actor though the US is, that's not quite normal for them. Yet.

            • francesca 11.1.1.1.1.1

              I do think Russia is a bit of a wild west, but the its not just the big old bad monolithic Kremlin you can blame for everything

              In the Golunov case, there appears to have been an element in the police aligned to Russian mafia, who wanted to put Golunov out of action , because of his exposes of corruption.

              Its not the behaviour of an out and out dictator to have the charges dismissed , and the police made the subject of an investigation.

              I have no illusions about Russian saintliness,I'm just a little tired of the unrelenting and rather comical casting of it as a vaudeville villain

              And as for the States, I'm not sure young black men feel their situation is much different from dissidents in Russia, Ukraine, China or NKorea.

              Shot in their cars while sleeping, shot while running away, shot for answering the door, killed while selling cigarettes. The only successful prosecution for a killer cop I've heard of in recent times is when a Somali Cop killed a white woman .

              That record of racism takes some beating

              • Stuart Munro.

                You're assuming the police element aligned to the mafia was not also aligned to the state. It wasn't an explicitly state actor that murdered Politkovskaya either – just a Putin sympathizing ultra gang. It wasn't an explicitly centrally organized Kremlin gang that ran the cheating when Putin was first elected either – just old pseudodemocrats, former party guys who made it happen. That's how it works, same with Nemtsov's killer, disavowable.

                Golunov is the exception – the rule is straight out of the Okhrana playbook. There is no sign of that habit clearing up, and you need to be aware – they murder their own at the drop of a hat – how scrupulously do you suppose they behave toward outsiders? Salisbury was typical, it didn't stand out at all. So was the murder of Daphne Caruana Galizia.

                You're tired of the vaudeville – but it was a piece of theatre Putin ran to get elected and launch the second Chechen war, the Moscow bombings. Even the wretched Craig Murray wasn't prepared to rubber stamp that.

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  • 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
    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
  • 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
    4 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
    5 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 ...
    6 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
    6 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
    7 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
    12 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
    14 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
    14 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
    6 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
    6 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
    6 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
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    7 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. ...
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    1 week ago
  • Commission’s advice on ETS settings tabled
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  • 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 ...
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  • 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 ...
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    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 ...
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    1 week ago
  • Minister appoints new NZTA Chair
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    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 ...
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  • Progress continues apace on water storage
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  • Minister to attend World Anti-Doping Agency Symposium
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