George on tax

Written By: - Date published: 7:20 am, August 5th, 2011 - 57 comments
Categories: newspapers, tax - Tags: ,

Could somebody please nip outside and check and see if hell has frozen over? I ask because I’m trying to deal with the rather disturbing experience of finding myself in agreement with Garth George.

Well, mostly in agreement, George clearly doesn’t understand the American deficit. In fact his article (on debt) is a confused and rambling piece in general. But he makes up for it at the end:

The other astonishing thing about the US debacle is that the debt limit is to be raised but taxes are not. Surely the obvious way to cap or to reduce debt is to increase income, rather than take the axe to public services.

Why is it that the wealthy, some of whom have more money than they could possibly spend in several lifetimes, refuse to pay their fair share of taxes?

Giving tax breaks to the wealthy makes as much sense as doubling or tripling payments to social-welfare beneficiaries and pensioners.

That, of course, has an echo in New Zealand, where the latest tax cuts, introduced by the Key Government and which benefit mainly high income-earners, are ostensibly being paid for by deep cuts to public services.

Could that, perhaps, explain why New Zealand’s 10 richest Rich Listers managed a 20 per cent increase in their wealth in just 12 months? That this is somehow seen as praiseworthy in some quarters makes me want to puke.

And don’t talk to me about “investment” and “business growth” and the “trickle-down effect”.

If any of those things were anything but mirages, this country and others would not have hundreds of thousands, and in some places millions, of citizens unemployed, living in poverty, riddled with sickness and facing the daily fear, or reality, of hunger if not starvation.

Powerful writing, and as good a critique of right-wing greed as you will find anywhere. I don’t personally have a problem with a few rich folk getting richer, but I join George in puke land when they do so while fighting tooth and claw against paying reasonable taxes to help a country in hard times. It isn’t about envying those with wealth, it is about feeling compassion for those in need. Well done Garth George for speaking up.

57 comments on “George on tax ”

  1. Draco T Bastard 1

    Yeah, sometimes he’s right. Just not often enough to make reading his column a worthwhile objective.

    • aerobubble 1.1

      I disagree, being almost right is far worse than be obviously wrong.

      He framed the reason why the rich have to take their medicine as – having too much money.

      But to emphasis the lie he places the remarks in their own paragraph.

      The explaination why the rich need to take a cold shower is inflation.

      There is too much call on future wealth projected off cheap oil valuations when everyone now knows that oil has peaked.

      So no, the rich don’t have too much money, that’s not entirely true, there’s too many exuberance valuations hanging over the market.

      • Colonial Viper 1.1.1

        Frak these people at the top making a game out of collecting piles of wealth

        Don’t they know that people living within 1km of them are cold and hungry, desperate for even basic livable income?

        So no, the rich don’t have too much money, that’s not entirely true,

        They wouldn’t have too much money if they helped us construct a society where everyone could get by on decent incomes. As it is, its becoming obscene.

        • aerobubble 1.1.1.1

          Rubbiish. Past tense retortic. if only we could have gotten decent incomes.

          We obviously were hoodwinked.

          We assumed that all the exuberance was down to right wing policies like free markets and
          deregulation. That’s where we were wrong. Deregulation allowed for debt to be loaded up
          on society and free markets are not a policy, they are a abstract theory that never can exist.

          What’s chronic about the debate is the framing, how we assume because the media keeps retelling us how it is, that markets work best if we don’t look to carefully at them, don’t
          worry about regulation.

          When its patently absurd. We could never have afforded to pay for much of the infrastructure
          we have now and would not have it, if we’d waited for the market.

          The lies are from people like George who papers over the rot when it doesn’t matter, but come election time will be gunhoe for rightwing dogmatic ideology that harms us all.

          We were told by the talking heads in the media that the right wing view was credible, that
          we should stop worrying about markets because some ivory tower intellectual has this free market theory.

          The solution is actually quite simple. Theres a minimum churn in employment ?3%?.
          Governments should subsidies all employers until the unemployment rate hits 3%.
          That will mean everyone can start a company hire their mates and keep people active
          and working. Not those crappy work schemes goverment creates, that are designed to
          not work. Need people to plant trees? No problem.

          • ropata 1.1.1.1.1

            The lies are from people like George who papers over the rot when it doesn’t matter, but come election time will be gunhoe for rightwing dogmatic ideology that harms us all.

            Ironically, ‘gung-ho’ is a concept from the Chinese communist revolution

            “Gung ho” is an anglicised pronunciation of “gōng hé” (工合), the shortened version and slogan of the “gōngyè hézuòshè” (工業合作社) or Chinese Industrial Cooperatives, which was abbreviated as INDUSCO in English.

            The two Chinese characters forming the word Gung Ho are translated individually as “Work” and “Together”.

          • AAMC 1.1.1.1.2

            ” some ivory tower intellectual has this free market theory.”

            Isn’t it interesting that the Right so often denigrate the left as a bunch of out of touch academics, and yet the Mecca of the last 30 years of their economic thinking is straight out of the Chicago School of Economics.

    • Vicky32 1.2

      Yeah, sometimes he’s right.

      IMO more often than some people think! I have a collection of clippings from the 90s, many of them his columns, he’s keenly interested in justice for the poor…

  2. Afewknowthetruth 2

    ‘I don’t personally have a problem with a few rich folk getting richer’

    I think you should. Almost all wealth is obtained via exploitation of people and exploitation of the environment.

    ‘George clearly doesn’t understand the American deficit. In fact his article (on debt) is a confused and rambling piece in general.’

    That is why his articles are published by the Herald. Their main agenda is to make a profit, and that is best achieved by keeping ‘the proles’ confused and by keeping all the fundamentals flaws in the system well hidden.

    There was a bit of a market meltdown overseas yesterday (most markets down 3 to 5%), just as anyone who understands how the system works has been expecting.

    There will be no economic recovery of the global economic system, just further staggering from one crisis to the next, until the system breaks down completely.

    Those who have will do their best to hang on to their ill-gottten gains and prevent the have-nots from sharing the loot. It has been that way since the dawn of civlisation.

    • KJT 2.1

      While I mostly disagree with Garth George’s conclusions, excepting this article, I have never doubted that his heart is in the right place. A genuine concern for peoples welfare does show.

      He is an example of an old style conservative. The ones who have principles apart from greed.

      Personally I have no problem with someone getting richer if:

      They contribute something to general well being.
      The entrepreneur who develops and markets a 20% more efficient wind generator will deserve whatever wealth he gets from a grateful world.
      The person who starts and builds a useful productive business.
      Those who’s original ideas enhance our lives.
      The skilled, highly trained professionals who look after our health, build our housing and infrastructure.
      Even! politicians, who advocate for the general welfare.

      It is no coincidence that most of those who have genuinely earned are prepared to contribute back into society.

      I do have a problem with those who have unearned wealth.
      People who manage to award themselves earnings way in excess of their contribution.
      Managers and directors who think they add 100’s of times more value than their staff.
      Those with inherited wealth who think they have a natural right to accumulate it further at everyone else’s expense.
      Speculators in assets who never add anything but rising prices.
      Financiers that destroy more wealth than they add.
      Those who use trusts, shelters and transfer pricing to avoid paying their fair share.

      • Afewknowthetruth 2.1.1

        The present economic system is geared to rewarding those who cause the most environmental destruction and those who exploit others.

        Practically all economic activity is predicated on the conversion of fossil fuels into waste -at the expense of the next generation, since that waste is killing the planet.

        Many people who superficially are contribiting to society are in practice wandering around with wrecking balls. But that reality is only visible to those whi understand the complex relationships between energy, pollution and economics.

        • aerobubble 2.1.1.1

          yes, exactly. We need only so much food, heat, social connection, etc each day, its not ‘growing’, there essentially is no extra growth potential past population growth. Everything extra is more productive farmland turned into suburbs, more land dug up for the minerials, more and degraded by industry. Growth is death, a death cult. where’s the wealth in making people self-sufficient, engaged, centered, happy. Not in the ‘pragmatic’ politics of the market driven economy. I’m no communist, and capitalism that leads to self-genocide is stupid.

          • AAMC 2.1.1.1.1

            I wonder how many who chose not to see this are in fact subscribers to the Apocalypse? It seems belief in endless growth requires an anthropocentric faith.

      • Morrissey 2.1.2

        An utterly bizarre comment by KJT…
        I have never doubted that his heart is in the right place. A genuine concern for peoples welfare does show.

        What you have written is perfect nonsense. Clearly you have not read much by Garth George.

        • Vicky32 2.1.2.1

          What you have written is perfect nonsense. Clearly you have not read much by Garth George.

          I am with KJT here. I have read ‘much’ by Garth George, and it’s clear that he does in fact have great concern for people’s welfare…

        • Draco T Bastard 2.1.2.2

          His heart does appear to be in the right place. His problem is his belief that a right-wing government will address those problems.

          • Morrissey 2.1.2.2.1

            His heart does appear to be in the right place.

            Garth George is already infamous for his humiliatingly inept performance on Media 7 last December, when he was exposed by Jon Stephenson to be corrupt, ignorant, and incorrigibly lazy. But that’s not all.

            During the 22-day bombardment and invasion of Gaza in 2008-9, George repeatedly made callous and brutal statements about the victims, even as the death toll climbed way over one thousand. He expressed a sniffy contempt for “the whole lot of them” and opined learnedly that there would “never be an end to it”.

            The evidence that Garth George has a heart, leave alone it being “in the right place”, is about as compelling as the evidence he has read one serious book on Palestine or Afghanistan.

            • Draco T Bastard 2.1.2.2.1.1

              Ah, I should’ve paid more attention to him. Those actions are the actions of a Right Wing Authoritarian. Which is what I thought he was I just didn’t realise he was quite that rabid.

            • Steve Withers 2.1.2.2.1.2

              Garth George embodies the usual mix of human inconsistency and irrationality.

              The most recent example I can think of is the fuss over “Happy Feet” the penguin.

              We might kill a thousand such penguins every year in nets while fishing without any real care or regard…..but when faced with one on the beach in difficulty we will expend serious resource to “save” it and return it to where it came from.

              This is why the planet we know has no real future as a human-habitable place. The problems we create don’t poke us individually in the eye until it’s far too late….and we will happily ignore and deride people to try to warm us before we get our eyes poked.

              It doesn’t mean we don’t care. We just don’t know or understand. We are simply too stupid (functionally – through ignorance) – collectively – to make good choices.

              Pick almost any subject. Collectively NZ society IS ‘Garth George’ in the end.

              This election should see National at 15% in the polls if voters actually understood their policies and what they will result in. They wouldn’t ask “Who else is there..?” They’d vote for ANYONE else.

              But we will “GG” it. That’s just who NZ is – collectively – these days.

          • Vicky32 2.1.2.2.2

            His problem is his belief that a right-wing government will address those problems.

            Where have you got that idea?

             

  3. LynW 3

    Yes, strange times indeed! Who would have thought a Garth George column would cover the tax debate so well. Well said Garth. This election really will tell us about the true character of New Zealanders and I live in hope we will be pleasantly surprised. It is not about change for change sake this time.With asset sales clearly on the agenda, supporting National will give them the mandate to lead New Zealand down the path of no return. Short term gain, long term pain!

    • Afewknowthetruth 3.1

      Lyn.

      NZ was put on the path of ‘no return’ back in the 1980s, by a so-called Labour government. And the pro-globalisation, pro-free trade, pro-multinational corporation, pro-money-lender government of Helen Clark did nothing to take the nation off the road that ultimately leads to catastrophe.

      The outcome of the next election will make no difference to the final outcome -well not if it the next government comprises of any of the following: National, Labour, Act, Green, Maori Party, UF. NZF etc. They are all locked into redundant paradigms which make matters worse. The only variation is the speed at which they make matters worse.

      Industrial society is headed for complete collapse because industrial society is founded on completely unsustainable practices.

  4. Garth is a bit of an enigma.  Most of the time he is bat shit crazy but occasionally very coherent.

    I wonder if Garth is related to Pete? 

  5. vto 5

    The tide is turning. The columnist Hubbard wrote a near identical piece in the SST a couple of weeks ago. And now this fulla Garth George.

    This turning is catching on in my opinion. Even Bernard Hickey, yesterday on Nat Radio, simply stated outright as a matter of fact not opinion that the rich have simply been too greedy in the last decade or two or so.

    Those of you on the left should pick up this turning tide and push it along quick smart. You gonna have to be quick and smart about it though. Key and his troops will no doubt already have a counter-attack ready for launch in defence. Drop the SIS shit Goff and Cunliffe and concentrate all your energies on this. It is far more important.

    Get stuck into them. I wrote a rhyme when Clark first came to power that was ..

    Facsists in Helengrad,
    Born to be bad,
    Encourage the dope and put up the fags,

    Get the bosses, and the bankers,
    And especially all those fucking rich wankers,
    Just do everything, stick ya nose in,
    Tear their guts out, give us more gin,

    On it went. It was actually intended to expose the envy of left politics but now that my own politics has, some decade later, swung back leftish again it seems appropriate in the opposite sense (except perhaps the last bit).

    Expose their greed

  6. vto 6

    gah, moderation… what did I say, what did I say?

  7. Bored 7

    I don’t personally have a problem with a few rich folk getting richer…good, neither do I, in fact I applaud anybody who works hard, takes the risk and creates employment, good and services that we can all partake of.

    Where I differ from the anti tax RWNJs is that I understand that there are lots of anomolies that slant playing fields to the advantage of certain individuals such as inherited wealth, educational privelege, inherited brains etc etc. It is easy to reconcile paying tax. You take responsibility for yourself to make the cash happen using the environment provided by the collective. You then responsibly return back to the collective the cash you dont need or cant use.

    The mindset behind it all is greed and a refusal of the rich person to see himself as anything other than truly exceptional because he has “achieved”. History tells me they are all pretty ordinary, I can think of f**k all wealthy dead NZers of the last 100 years, they join the rest of us in the oblivion of time and memory. Common as the dirt we are cast back to.

  8. seanmaitland 8

    So when are you going to admit that 30% of government revenue being spent on welfare is completely unaffordable? (14 billion out of 48)

    That is the reason we are up the creek – pretending it is because rich people don’t pay tax (when they clearly do) is just FUD and you know it.

    • vto 8.1

      So when are you going to admit that just 1% of the population holding more wealth than the bottom 90% is completely unaffordable?

      That is the reason we are up the creek – pretending it is because poor people need to be given money to buy bread is just FUD but you don’t even know it.

      Wake up and look around mr blinkers.

      • Colonial Viper 8.1.1

        sean is complaining that the super wealthy are now a picked on minority group who need state protection, life is so tough for them.

        Hey Reese, pass me a bottle of the vintage Bollinger, I’m feeling so under-appreciated by society today 😛

    • Lanthanide 8.2

      When are you going to realise that if we had higher tax rates for the wealthy, government revenue would be much greater than “48” and therefore the welfare bill would cease to be 30% of it.

      Seems pretty obvious really.

    • bbfloyd 8.3

      sean… there are so many reasons why your comment is lacking any kind of substance i won’t even bother to start.. (having no wish to exceed your attention span).

      just understand one simple truth, to remove the welfare net would create exponentially greater cost to the very fabric of what we laughably refer to as “society”… case in point…. without that network(created by the labour movement, who fought and died for the rights we take for granted), unless you were born into the aristocracy, then you wouldn’t be sitting in front of your computer making facile comment now…. you would, if you even existed, be working for no more than enough food to get you back to whatever task is dictated by your owners, and shelter to keep you from freezing to death until you get too old to be of use… then you’d be on your own…

      do some thought… do some historical research… come back with comments that show knowledge that isn’t just what you have had put right in front of you…

  9. Morrissey 9

    In fact his article (on debt) is a confused and rambling piece in general. But he makes up for it at the end…

    A (rare) lucid paragraph doesn’t compensate for George’s standard mode of bad-tempered bewilderment. He’s an intellectually lazy, incurious commentator on a par with Paul Holmes and Leighton Smith. Searching for dregs of gold amidst the dross he turns out is largely a futile exercise.

    Don’t encourage the old fool.

    • AAMC 9.1

      But as a byproduct of his usual commentary, he will have readers who would not usually have that argument put in front of them, especially from one of their own.

    • Vicky32 9.2

      He’s an intellectually lazy, incurious commentator on a par with Paul Holmes and Leighton Smith. Searching for dregs of gold amidst the dross he turns out is largely a futile exercise.

      I absolutely could not agree less! What is the issue so many people have with GG? He has one thing in his favour that neither Smith nor Holmes have – honesty!
      Almost no one is always wrong all the time (I’d make an exception for Key and Dubya). Even the egregiously awful Frank Haden, defended solo mothers to the hilt, for which I wrote and thanked him. (Years ago, obviously). GG is not a ‘right wing fundamentalist’, he’d blench at the very idea – he’s a Catholic, and they tend to be leftish…

      • Draco T Bastard 9.2.1

        He may have honesty but that doesn’t mean to say that he knows what he’s talking about. In fact, the total lack of fact in his columns proves beyond doubt that he doesn’t have a clue.

      • KJT 9.2.2

        Never thought I would be defending GG.

        I disagree with Garth George a lot of the time. Especially his conservative Catholic views on sex, the role of women and abortion.
        But he has the, equally Catholic views, which I do agree with, on working for the good of the poor and disadvantaged.

        His views come from a background of caring, not the Neo-liberal ones of taking what you can get.

      • Morrissey 9.2.3

        …he’s a Catholic, and they tend to be leftish…

        Actually, Vicky, the opposite is true. Certainly, there is a strong tradition of left wing Catholicism, in New Zealand and Australia as well as in the U.K. and the United States. It was a group of brave Catholic activists that worked for the release of the democratic Algerian parliamentarian-cum-refugee Ahmed Zaoui, to the fury of Helen Clark. And it was a group of Catholic activists who popped that obscene carbuncle in Marlborough, once again to the fury of Helen Clark. Catholic activists have taken the lead in attacking, with hammers, U.S. and British war planes in the U.S. and in Ireland.

        But despite this, the Church is usually an extremely reactionary institution. Garth George belongs firmly to that deeply smug, complacent, reactionary tradition.

        • Vicky32 9.2.3.1

          It was a group of brave Catholic activists that worked for the release of the democratic Algerian parliamentarian-cum-refugee Ahmed Zaoui,

          I know, I was one of them! 
          I remain convinced that you’re doing GG a dis-service. I’d like to point out that he will never support abortion as a woman’s right, and neither will I, and in fact, it’s a dreadful error that so many people use that as their only criterion whereas it’s a ‘right’ most women actually don’t want – but that the man does want…
          (Tangentially relevant, Peter Hitchens, in an ill-tempered book I read last week, admitted that very thing – that he felt it himself, the reluctance of the man to allow his life to change – and the powerful temptation to ask for an abortion instead.)
           

          • Morrissey 9.2.3.1.1

            I know, I was one of them!

            Gosh, Vicky, my opinion of you, already a very high one, has gone up even more!

            I remain convinced that you’re doing GG a dis-service.

            I’m judging him on his public utterances, whether on Jim Mora’s show (where he likes to say he is a “curmudgeon”), or glibly repeating Army propaganda in print and on television, or writing brutally ignorant attacks on the victims of war crimes.

            I’d like to point out that he will never support abortion as a woman’s right, and neither will I, and in fact, it’s a dreadful error that so many people use that as their only criterion whereas it’s a ‘right’ most women actually don’t want – but that the man does want…

            His opinions on abortion have nothing to do with my assessment of him. I condemn Garth George for his laziness and his adamantine refusal to do the decent thing and apologize for his corrupt practice, even when confronted with this by Jon Stephenson on television.

  10. Terry 10

    This the best I have seen frm George (which does not say much!) Even he seems to be “getting the message” and should that be the case maybe there is still hope for us all!

  11. ak 11

    This is quite a major. A near-deathbed epiphany. As vto points out, part of a swelling tide, today’s global stock shock another mini-tsunami.

    Ironically, we can thank the manipulated polls: no Goffy/Helenhate fear to kill the mind, the view becomes clearer.

    “Reds under the beds” sustained insanity for four decades, but has been ebbing since wallfall 1989: “maorification” on its last legs ever since Key needed the Maori Party for his ACT balancing.

    One by one the straw men collapse, the god of greed and his slippery moneychanging minions exposed.

    Smiling assassins; gilded geldings; grin without chin, and the tide’s coming in.

    • Colonial Viper 11.1

      This equities crash is gonna be a bad one. Watch Europe when it opens later today.

      In 2008 the US Govt had a chance of regulating all the bad out of the system to get it moving again.

      Instead they got it moving again by pumping the bad players full of free cash from the Federal Reserve, in essence letting the bad players go back to their old games with much more (tax payer provided) money.

      Watch Bank of America self-destruct.

    • ChrisH 11.2

      @Ak very well put, you should be a ranter poet.

    • AAMC 11.3

      We have to topple the baby boomers before the reds will cease to be under the beds!

      Although they conveniently chose not to acknkwledge that their capitalist system is being underwritten by Communist China.

    • vto 11.4

      oh you hae a turn of phrase, mr ak

  12. Jan 12

    Garth said “And don’t talk to me about ” … the “trickle-down effect”.

    Yep – As Margaret Atwood said in 2008 Payback: Debt and the Shadow Side of Wealth” http://www.cbc.ca/ideas/massey-archives/2008/11/06/massey-lectures-2008-payback-debt-and-the-shadow-side-of-wealth/
    ” There’s a reason its called trickle down” than rather than gush, flow or flood!!

    • Colonial Viper 12.1

      That warm trickle down you feel from the Super-Rich pitter-pattering down on top of your working class head…

      it’s not money.

  13. If Garth George can see the neo-liberals are full of crap, maybe there is hope after all.

    What amazes me is no one in the MSM has made the connection between what Bush and the GOP did to US finances between 2001 and 2008….and what happening here right now.

    Cut the taxes. Allow time for the deficit to explode…then say you need to cut spending to fix the deficit you made with your tax cuts. Talk about how a house needs to balance the grocery budget…..blah blah.

    The plebs fell for it in America…and they fell for it here, too.

    I thought Kiwis were smarter than that.

    • aerobubble 13.1

      What’s astonishing is our economy, schools declare their students all need mobile devices!
      Wifi could be free everywhere and we would need this energy rich mobile devices, we could have a lot of standard PC available everywhere connected freely to wifi. But no, the markets rigged, there should be no need for dial up, every town should have a backbone of free slightly low broadband if there was a free market. i.e. a market response ease to get to all consumers is a huge payoff and
      would wipe our lots of retailers.

      We have nothing like a free market, nothing close at all that resembles it.

  14. Steve 14

    *What* is going on with Garth George lately??!! He also wrote a (mostly) agreeable piece on school breakfasts last week. If people like that grouch are waking up to the greed and lunacy of right-wing ‘trickle down’ economics there is considerable hope for the left 🙂

  15. felix 15

    I’m with vto and ak, the tide is turning and the “greed is good” mentality personified by Key is going out of fashion.

    Fast enough? Dunno. But it’s on the way out and there’s nothing they can do about it.

    It’s in the wind.

  16. billy fish 16

    I was listening to Dan Carlin’s podcast today, his latest one was commenting on the whole manufactured debt debacle in the states.
    One of the points he made – at length – is the way to solve a debt “crisis” is not to reduce spending or increases taxes. Its to increase the wage of MOST people across the board and do a big FU to the liberal capitalist globalisation lie that we must compete in a global free market with no barriers. As he correctly pointed out, your government should be working FOR your country, not for a theory.

    Worth listening to the man, I do not agree with a fair bit of what he says but he does put forward a good debating point and is a great insite into US politics.

  17. Jum 17

    Garth George was so intent on getting rid of a woman Prime Minister that he was quite happy to sell the rest of New Zealand out; now he regrets it. Boo hoo.

    He’s only interested in people’s welfare on his terms and you can forget about women’s rights on his agenda. Far too many people lied or misled or left out information that could have kept this rightwing government in check and now they’re bleating about the back to the future crap that’s now occurring.

    Garth George can also take part responsibility for the further loss of our sovereignty and assets.

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  • Winding back the hands of history’s clock
    Chris Trotter writes – IT’S A COMMONPLACE of political speeches, especially those delivered in acknowledgement of electoral victory: “We’ll govern for all New Zealanders.” On the face of it, the pledge is a strange one. Why would any political leader govern in ways that advantaged the huge ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    21 hours ago
  • Paula Bennett’s political appointment will challenge public confidence
     Bryce Edwards writes – The list of former National Party Ministers being given plum and important roles got longer this week with the appointment of former Deputy Prime Minister Paula Bennett as the chair of Pharmac. The Christopher Luxon-led Government has now made key appointments to Bill ...
    Point of OrderBy xtrdnry
    21 hours ago
  • Business confidence sliding into winter of discontent
    TL;DR: These are the six things that stood out to me in news and commentary on Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy at 10:06am on Wednesday, May 1:The Lead: Business confidence fell across the board in April, falling in some areas to levels last seen during the lockdowns because of a collapse in ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    23 hours ago
  • Gordon Campbell on the coalition’s awful, not good, very bad poll results
    Over the past 36 hours, Christopher Luxon has been dong his best to portray the centre-right’s plummeting poll numbers as a mark of virtue. Allegedly, the negative verdicts are the result of hard economic times, and of a government bravely set out on a perilous rescue mission from which not ...
    1 day ago
  • New HOP readers for future payment options
    Auckland Transport have started rolling out new HOP card readers around the network and over the next three months, all of them on buses, at train stations and ferry wharves will be replaced. The change itself is not that remarkable, with the new readers looking similar to what is already ...
    1 day ago
  • 2024 Reading Summary: April (+ Writing Update)
    Completed reads for April: The Difference Engine, by William Gibson and Bruce Sterling Carnival of Saints, by George Herman The Snow Spider, by Jenny Nimmo Emlyn’s Moon, by Jenny Nimmo The Chestnut Soldier, by Jenny Nimmo Death Comes As the End, by Agatha Christie Lord of the Flies, by ...
    2 days ago
  • At a glance – Clearing up misconceptions regarding 'hide the decline'
    On February 14, 2023 we announced our Rebuttal Update Project. This included an ask for feedback about the added "At a glance" section in the updated basic rebuttal versions. This weekly blog post series highlights this new section of one of the updated basic rebuttal versions and serves as a ...
    2 days ago
  • Road photos
    Have a story to share about St Paul’s, but today just picturesPopular novels written at this desk by a young man who managed to bootstrap himself out of father’s imprisonment and his own young life in a workhouse Read more ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    2 days ago
  • Bryce Edwards: Paula Bennett’s political appointment will challenge public confidence
    The list of former National Party Ministers being given plum and important roles got longer this week with the appointment of former Deputy Prime Minister Paula Bennett as the chair of Pharmac. The Christopher Luxon-led Government has now made key appointments to Bill English, Simon Bridges, Steven Joyce, Roger Sowry, ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    2 days ago
  • NZDF is still hostile to oversight
    Newsroom has a story today about National's (fortunately failed) effort to disestablish the newly-created Inspector-General of Defence. The creation of this agency was the key recommendation of the Inquiry into Operation Burnham, and a vital means of restoring credibility and social licence to an agency which had been caught lying ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    2 days ago
  • Winding Back The Hands Of History’s Clock.
    Holding On To The Present: The moment a political movement arises that attacks the whole idea of social progress, and announces its intention to wind back the hands of History’s clock, then democracy, along with its unwritten rules, is in mortal danger.IT’S A COMMONPLACE of political speeches, especially those delivered in ...
    2 days ago
  • Sweet Moderation? What Christopher Luxon Could Learn From The Germans.
    Stuck In The Middle With You: As Christopher Luxon feels the hot breath of Act’s and NZ First’s extremists on the back of his neck and, as he reckons with the damage their policies are already inflicting upon a country he’s described as “fragile”, is there not some merit in reaching out ...
    2 days ago
  • A clear warning
    The unpopular coalition government is currently rushing to repeal section 7AA of the Oranga Tamariki Act. The clause is Oranga Tamariki's Treaty clause, and was inserted after its systematic stealing of Māori children became a public scandal and resulted in physical resistance to further abductions. The clause created clear obligations ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    2 days ago
  • Poll results and Waitangi Tribunal report go unmentioned on the Beehive website – where racing tru...
    Buzz  from the Beehive The government’s official website – which Point of Order monitors daily – not for the first time has nothing much to say today about political happenings that are grabbing media headlines. It makes no mention of the latest 1News-Verian poll, for example.  This shows National down ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    2 days ago
  • Listening To The Traffic.
    It Takes A Train To Cry: Surely, there is nothing lonelier in all this world than the long wail of a distant steam locomotive on a cold Winter’s night.AS A CHILD, I would lie awake in my grandfather’s house and listen to the traffic. The big wooden house was only a ...
    2 days ago
  • Comity Be Damned! The State’s Legislative Arm Is Flexing Its Constitutional Muscles.
    Packing A Punch: The election of the present government, including in its ranks politicians dedicated to reasserting the rights of the legislature in shaping and determining the future of Māori and Pakeha in New Zealand, should have alerted the judiciary – including its anomalous appendage, the Waitangi Tribunal – that its ...
    2 days ago
  • Ending The Quest.
    Dead Woman Walking: New Zealand’s media industry had been moving steadily towards disaster for all the years Melissa Lee had been National’s media and communications policy spokesperson, and yet, when the crisis finally broke, on her watch, she had nothing intelligent to offer. Christopher Luxon is a patient man - but he’s not ...
    2 days ago
  • Will political polarisation intensify to the point where ‘normal’ government becomes impossible,...
    Chris Trotter writes –  New Zealand politics is remarkably easy-going: dangerously so, one might even say. With the notable exception of John Key’s flat ruling-out of the NZ First Party in 2008, all parties capable of clearing MMP’s five-percent threshold, or winning one or more electorate seats, tend ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    2 days ago
  • Bernard’s pick 'n' mix for Tuesday, April 30
    TL;DR: Here’s my top 10 ‘pick ‘n’ mix of links to news, analysis and opinion articles as of 10:30am on Tuesday, May 30:Scoop: NZ 'close to the tipping point' of measles epidemic, health experts warn NZ Herald Benjamin PlummerHealth: 'Absurd and totally unacceptable': Man has to wait a year for ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago
  • Why Tory Whanau has the lowest approval rating in the country
    Bryce Edwards writes – Polling shows that Wellington Mayor Tory Whanau has the lowest approval rating of any mayor in the country. Siting at -12 per cent, the proportion of constituents who disapprove of her performance outweighs those who give her the thumbs up. This negative rating is ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    2 days ago
  • Worst poll result for a new Government in MMP history
    Luxon will no doubt put a brave face on it, but there is no escaping the pressure this latest poll will put on him and the government. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: These are the six things that stood out to me in news and commentary on Aotearoa-NZ’s political ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago
  • Pinning down climate change's role in extreme weather
    This is a re-post from The Climate Brink by Andrew Dessler In the wake of any unusual weather event, someone inevitably asks, “Did climate change cause this?” In the most literal sense, that answer is almost always no. Climate change is never the sole cause of hurricanes, heat waves, droughts, or ...
    2 days ago
  • Serving at Seymour's pleasure.
    Something odd happened yesterday, and I’d love to know if there’s more to it. If there was something which preempted what happened, or if it was simply a throwaway line in response to a journalist.Yesterday David Seymour was asked at a press conference what the process would be if the ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    2 days ago
  • Webworm LA Pop-Up
    Hi,From time to time, I want to bring Webworm into the real world. We did it last year with the Jurassic Park event in New Zealand — which was a lot of fun!And so on Saturday May 11th, in Los Angeles, I am hosting a lil’ Webworm pop-up! I’ve been ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    2 days ago
  • “Feel good” school is out
    Education Minister Erica Standford yesterday unveiled a fundamental reform of the way our school pupils are taught. She would not exactly say so, but she is all but dismantling the so-called “inquiry” “feel good” method of teaching, which has ruled in our classrooms since a major review of the New ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    2 days ago
  • 6 Months in, surely our Report Card is “Ignored all warnings: recommend dismissal ASAP”?
    Exactly where are we seriously going with this government and its policies? That is, apart from following what may as well be a Truss-Lite approach on the purported economic plan, and Victorian-era regression when it comes to social policy. Oh it’ll work this time of course, we’re basically assured, “the ...
    exhALANtBy exhalantblog
    2 days ago
  • Bread, and how it gets buttered
    Hey Uncle Dave, When the Poms joined the EEC, I wasn't one of those defeatists who said, Well, that’s it for the dairy job. And I was right, eh? The Chinese can’t get enough of our milk powder and eventually, the Poms came to their senses and backed up the ute ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago
  • Bryce Edwards: Why Tory Whanau has the lowest approval rating in the country
    Polling shows that Wellington Mayor Tory Whanau has the lowest approval rating of any mayor in the country. Siting at -12 per cent, the proportion of constituents who disapprove of her performance outweighs those who give her the thumbs up. This negative rating is higher than for any other mayor ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    3 days ago
  • Justice for Gaza?
    The New York Times reports that the International Criminal Court is about to issue arrest warrants for Israeli officials, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, over their genocide in Gaza: Israeli officials increasingly believe that the International Criminal Court is preparing to issue arrest warrants for senior government officials on ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    3 days ago
  • If there has been any fiddling with Pharmac’s funding, we can count on Paula to figure out the fis...
    Buzz from the Beehive Pharmac has been given a financial transfusion and a new chair to oversee its spending in the pharmaceutical business. Associate Health Minister David Seymour described the funding for Pharmac as “its largest ever budget of $6.294 billion over four years, fixing a $1.774 billion fiscal cliff”. ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    3 days ago
  • FastTrackWatch – The case for the Government’s Fast Track Bill
    Bryce Edwards writes – Many criticisms are being made of the Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill, including by this writer. But as with everything in politics, every story has two sides, and both deserve attention. It’s important to understand what the Government is trying to achieve and its ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    3 days ago
  • Bernard’s pick 'n' mix for Monday, April 29
    TL;DR: Here’s my top 10 ‘pick ‘n’ mix of links to news, analysis and opinion articles as of 10:10am on Monday, April 29:Scoop: The children's ward at Rotorua Hospital will be missing a third of its beds as winter hits because Te Whatu Ora halted an upgrade partway through to ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago
  • Gordon Campbell on Iran killing its rappers, and searching for the invisible Dr. Reti
    span class=”dropcap”>As hideous as David Seymour can be, it is worth keeping in mind occasionally that there are even worse political figures (and regimes) out there. Iran for instance, is about to execute the country’s leading hip hop musician Toomaj Salehi, for writing and performing raps that “corrupt” the nation’s ...
    3 days ago
  • Auckland Rail Electrification 10 years old
    Yesterday marked 10 years since the first electric train carried passengers in Auckland so it’s a good time to look back at it and the impact it has had. A brief history The first proposals for rail electrification in Auckland came in the 1920’s alongside the plans for earlier ...
    3 days ago
  • Coalition's dirge of austerity and uncertainty is driving the economy into a deeper recession
    Right now, in Aotearoa-NZ, our ‘animal spirits’ are darkening towards a winter of discontent, thanks at least partly to a chorus of negative comments and actions from the Government Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: These are the six things that stood out to me in news and commentary on ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago
  • Disability Funding or Tax Cuts.
    You make people evil to punish the paststuck inside a sequel with a rotating castThe following photos haven’t been generated with AI, or modified in any way. They are flesh and blood, human beings. On the left is Galatea Young, a young mum, and her daughter Fiadh who has Angelman ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    3 days ago
  • Of the Goodness of Tolkien’s Eru
    April has been a quiet month at A Phuulish Fellow. I have had an exceptionally good reading month, and a decently productive writing month – for original fiction, anyway – but not much has caught my eye that suggested a blog article. It has been vaguely frustrating, to be honest. ...
    3 days ago
  • 2024 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #17
    A listing of 31 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, April 21, 2024 thru Sat, April 27, 2024. Story of the week Anthropogenic climate change may be the ultimate shaggy dog story— but with a twist, because here ...
    4 days ago
  • Pastor Who Abused People, Blames People
    Hi,I spent about a year on Webworm reporting on an abusive megachurch called Arise, and it made me want to stab my eyes out with a fork.I don’t regret that reporting in 2022 and 2023 — I am proud of it — but it made me angry.Over three main stories ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    4 days ago
  • Vic Uni shows how under threat free speech is
    The new Victoria University Vice-Chancellor decided to have a forum at the university about free speech and academic freedom as it is obviously a topical issue, and the Government is looking at legislating some carrots or sticks for universities to uphold their obligations under the Education and Training Act. They ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • Winston remembers Gettysburg.
    Do you remember when Melania Trump got caught out using a speech that sounded awfully like one Michelle Obama had given? Uncannily so.Well it turns out that Abraham Lincoln is to Winston Peters as Michelle was to Melania. With the ANZAC speech Uncle Winston gave at Gallipoli having much in ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    4 days ago
  • 25
    She was born 25 years ago today in North Shore hospital. Her eyes were closed tightly shut, her mouth was silently moving. The whole theatre was all quiet intensity as they marked her a 2 on the APGAR test. A one-minute eternity later, she was an 8.  The universe was ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    4 days ago
  • Fact Brief – Is Antarctica gaining land ice?
    Skeptical Science is partnering with Gigafact to produce fact briefs — bite-sized fact checks of trending claims. This fact brief was written by Sue Bin Park in collaboration with members from our Skeptical Science team. You can submit claims you think need checking via the tipline. Is Antarctica gaining land ice? ...
    5 days ago
  • Policing protests.
    Images of US students (and others) protesting and setting up tent cities on US university campuses have been broadcast world wide and clearly demonstrate the growing rifts in US society caused by US policy toward Israel and Israel’s prosecution of … Continue reading ...
    KiwipoliticoBy Pablo
    5 days ago
  • Open letter to Hon Paul Goldsmith
    Barrie Saunders writes – Dear Paul As the new Minister of Media and Communications, you will be inundated with heaps of free advice and special pleading, all in the national interest of course. For what it’s worth here is my assessment: Traditional broadcasting free to air content through ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • Bryce Edwards: FastTrackWatch – The Case for the Government’s Fast Track Bill
    Many criticisms are being made of the Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill, including by this writer. But as with everything in politics, every story has two sides, and both deserve attention. It’s important to understand what the Government is trying to achieve and its arguments for such a bold reform. ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    5 days ago
  • Luxon gets out his butcher’s knife – briefly
    Peter Dunne writes –  The great nineteenth British Prime Minister, William Gladstone, once observed that “the first essential for a Prime Minister is to be a good butcher.” When a later British Prime Minister, Harold Macmillan, sacked a third of his Cabinet in July 1962, in what became ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • More tax for less
    Ele Ludemann writes – New Zealanders had the OECD’s second highest tax increase last year: New Zealanders faced the second-biggest tax raises in the developed world last year, the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) says. The intergovernmental agency said the average change in personal income tax ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • Real News vs Fake News.
    We all know something’s not right with our elections. The spread of misinformation, people being targeted with soundbites and emotional triggers that ignore the facts, even the truth, and influence their votes.The use of technology to produce deep fakes. How can you tell if something is real or not? Can ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago
  • Another way to roll
    Hello! Here comes the Saturday edition of More Than A Feilding, catching you up on the past week’s editions.Share ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    5 days ago
  • Simon Clark: The climate lies you'll hear this year
    This video includes conclusions of the creator climate scientist Dr. Simon Clark. It is presented to our readers as an informed perspective. Please see video description for references (if any). This year you will be lied to! Simon Clark helps prebunk some misleading statements you'll hear about climate. The video includes ...
    5 days ago
  • Cutting the Public Service
    It is all very well cutting the backrooms of public agencies but it may compromise the frontlines. One of the frustrations of the Productivity Commission’s 2017 review of universities is that while it observed that their non-academic staff were increasing faster than their academic staff, it did not bother to ...
    PunditBy Brian Easton
    6 days ago
  • Luxon’s demoted ministers might take comfort from the British politician who bounced back after th...
    Buzz from the Beehive Two speeches delivered by Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters at Anzac Day ceremonies in Turkey are the only new posts on the government’s official website since the PM announced his Cabinet shake-up. In one of the speeches, Peters stated the obvious:  we live in a troubled ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago
  • This is how I roll over
    1. Which of these would you not expect to read in The Waikato Invader?a. Luxon is here to do business, don’t you worry about thatb. Mr KPI expects results, and you better believe itc. This decisive man of action is getting me all hot and excitedd. Melissa Lee is how ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    6 days ago
  • The Waitangi Tribunal is not “a roving Commission”…
    …it has a restricted jurisdiction which must not be abused: it is not an inquisition   NOTE – this article was published before the High Court ruled that Karen Chhour does not have to appear before the Waitangi Tribunal Gary Judd writes –  The High Court ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago
  • Is Oranga Tamariki guilty of neglect?
    Lindsay Mitchell writes – One of reasons Oranga Tamariki exists is to prevent child neglect. But could the organisation itself be guilty of the same? Oranga Tamariki’s statistics show a decrease in the number and age of children in care. “There are less children ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago
  • Three Strikes saw lower reoffending
    David Farrar writes: Graeme Edgeler wrote in 2017: In the first five years after three strikes came into effect 5248 offenders received a ‘first strike’ (that is, a “stage-1 conviction” under the three strikes sentencing regime), and 68 offenders received a ‘second strike’. In the five years prior to ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago
  • Luxon’s ruthless show of strength is perfect for our angry era
    Bryce Edwards writes – Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has surprised everyone with his ruthlessness in sacking two of his ministers from their crucial portfolios. Removing ministers for poor performance after only five months in the job just doesn’t normally happen in politics. That’s refreshing and will be extremely ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago
  • 'Lacks attention to detail and is creating double-standards.'
    TL;DR: These are the six things that stood out to me in news and commentary on Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the two days to 6:06am on Thursday, April 25:Politics: PM Christopher Luxon has set up a dual standard for ministerial competence by demoting two National Cabinet ministers while leaving also-struggling ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    6 days ago
  • One Night Only!
    Hi,Today I mainly want to share some of your thoughts about the recent piece I wrote about success and failure, and the forces that seemingly guide our lives. But first, a quick bit of housekeeping: I am doing a Webworm popup in Los Angeles on Saturday May 11 at 2pm. ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    6 days ago
  • What did Melissa Lee do?
    It is hard to see what Melissa Lee might have done to “save” the media. National went into the election with no public media policy and appears not to have developed one subsequently. Lee claimed that she had prepared a policy paper before the election but it had been decided ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    6 days ago
  • Skeptical Science New Research for Week #17 2024
    Open access notables Ice acceleration and rotation in the Greenland Ice Sheet interior in recent decades, Løkkegaard et al., Communications Earth & Environment: In the past two decades, mass loss from the Greenland ice sheet has accelerated, partly due to the speedup of glaciers. However, uncertainty in speed derived from satellite products ...
    7 days ago
  • Maori Party (with “disgust”) draws attention to Chhour’s race after the High Court rules on Wa...
    Buzz from the Beehive A statement from Children’s Minister Karen Chhour – yet to be posted on the Government’s official website – arrived in Point of Order’s email in-tray last night. It welcomes the High Court ruling on whether the Waitangi Tribunal can demand she appear before it. It does ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    7 days ago
  • Who’s Going Up The Media Mountain?
    Mr Bombastic: Ironically, the media the academic experts wanted is, in many ways, the media they got. In place of the tyrannical editors of yesteryear, advancing without fear or favour the interests of the ruling class; the New Zealand news media of today boasts a troop of enlightened journalists dedicated to ...
    7 days ago
  • “That's how I roll”
    It's hard times try to make a livingYou wake up every morning in the unforgivingOut there somewhere in the cityThere's people living lives without mercy or pityI feel good, yeah I'm feeling fineI feel better then I have for the longest timeI think these pills have been good for meI ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    1 week ago
  • “Comity” versus the rule of law
    In 1974, the US Supreme Court issued its decision in United States v. Nixon, finding that the President was not a King, but was subject to the law and was required to turn over the evidence of his wrongdoing to the courts. It was a landmark decision for the rule ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    1 week ago
  • Aotearoa: a live lab for failed Right-wing socio-economic zombie experiments once more…
    Every day now just seems to bring in more fresh meat for the grinder. In their relentlessly ideological drive to cut back on the “excessive bloat” (as they see it) of the previous Labour-led government, on the mountains of evidence accumulated in such a short period of time do not ...
    exhALANtBy exhalantblog
    1 week ago

  • Minister acknowledges passing of Sir Robert Martin (KNZM)
    New Zealand lost a true legend when internationally renowned disability advocate Sir Robert Martin (KNZM) passed away at his home in Whanganui last night, Disabilities Issues Minister Louise Upston says. “Our Government’s thoughts are with his wife Lynda, family and community, those he has worked with, the disability community in ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    15 hours ago
  • Speech to New Zealand Institute of International Affairs, Parliament – Annual Lecture: Challenges ...
    Good evening –   Before discussing the challenges and opportunities facing New Zealand’s foreign policy, we’d like to first acknowledge the New Zealand Institute of International Affairs. You have contributed to debates about New Zealand foreign policy over a long period of time, and we thank you for hosting us.  ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    16 hours ago
  • Accelerating airport security lines
    From today, passengers travelling internationally from Auckland Airport will be able to keep laptops and liquids in their carry-on bags for security screening thanks to new technology, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Creating a more efficient and seamless travel experience is important for holidaymakers and businesses, enabling faster movement through ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    18 hours ago
  • Community hui to talk about kina barrens
    People with an interest in the health of Northland’s marine ecosystems are invited to a public meeting to discuss how to deal with kina barrens, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones will lead the discussion, which will take place on Friday, 10 May, at Awanui Hotel in ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    23 hours ago
  • Kiwi exporters win as NZ-EU FTA enters into force
    Kiwi exporters are $100 million better off today with the NZ EU FTA entering into force says Trade Minister Todd McClay. “This is all part of our plan to grow the economy. New Zealand's prosperity depends on international trade, making up 60 per cent of the country’s total economic activity. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    24 hours ago
  • Mining resurgence a welcome sign
    There are heartening signs that the extractive sector is once again becoming an attractive prospect for investors and a source of economic prosperity for New Zealand, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. “The beginnings of a resurgence in extractive industries are apparent in media reports of the sector in the past ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Ō-Rākau Remembrance Bill passes first reading
    The return of the historic Ō-Rākau battle site to the descendants of those who fought there moved one step closer today with the first reading of Te Pire mō Ō-Rākau, Te Pae o Maumahara / The Ō-Rākau Remembrance Bill. The Bill will entrust the 9.7-hectare battle site, five kilometres west ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Government to boost public EV charging network
    Energy Minister Simeon Brown has announced 25 new high-speed EV charging hubs along key routes between major urban centres and outlined the Government’s plan to supercharge New Zealand’s EV infrastructure.  The hubs will each have several chargers and be capable of charging at least four – and up to 10 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Residential Property Managers Bill to not progress
    The coalition Government will not proceed with the previous Government’s plans to regulate residential property managers, Housing Minister Chris Bishop says. “I have written to the Chairperson of the Social Services and Community Committee to inform him that the Government does not intend to support the Residential Property Managers Bill ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Independent review into disability support services
    The Government has announced an independent review into the disability support system funded by the Ministry of Disabled People – Whaikaha. Disability Issues Minister Louise Upston says the review will look at what can be done to strengthen the long-term sustainability of Disability Support Services to provide disabled people and ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Justice Minister updates UN on law & order plan
    Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith has attended the Universal Periodic Review in Geneva and outlined the Government’s plan to restore law and order. “Speaking to the United Nations Human Rights Council provided us with an opportunity to present New Zealand’s human rights progress, priorities, and challenges, while responding to issues and ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Ending emergency housing motels in Rotorua
    The Government and Rotorua Lakes Council are committed to working closely together to end the use of contracted emergency housing motels in Rotorua. Associate Minister of Housing (Social Housing) Tama Potaka says the Government remains committed to ending the long-term use of contracted emergency housing motels in Rotorua by the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Trade Minister travels to Riyadh, OECD, and Dubai
    Trade Minister Todd McClay heads overseas today for high-level trade talks in the Gulf region, and a key OECD meeting in Paris. Mr McClay will travel to Riyadh to meet with counterparts from Saudi Arabia and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). “New Zealand’s goods and services exports to the Gulf region ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Education priorities focused on lifting achievement
    Education Minister Erica Stanford has outlined six education priorities to deliver a world-leading education system that sets Kiwi kids up for future success. “I’m putting ambition, achievement and outcomes at the heart of our education system. I want every child to be inspired and engaged in their learning so they ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • NZTA App first step towards digital driver licence
    The new NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) App is a secure ‘one stop shop’ to provide the services drivers need, Transport Minister Simeon Brown and Digitising Government Minister Judith Collins say.  “The NZTA App will enable an easier way for Kiwis to pay for Vehicle Registration and Road User Charges (RUC). ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Supporting whānau out of emergency housing
    Whānau with tamariki growing up in emergency housing motels will be prioritised for social housing starting this week, says Associate Housing Minister Tama Potaka. “Giving these whānau a better opportunity to build healthy stable lives for themselves and future generations is an essential part of the Government’s goal of reducing ...
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