Give peace a chance

Written By: - Date published: 8:17 am, October 10th, 2009 - 40 comments
Categories: International, obama - Tags:

So President Obama has been awarded the Nobel Peace prize:

OSLO – President Barack Obama on Friday won the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize for “his extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples,” the Norwegian Nobel Committee said. “Only very rarely has a person to the same extent as Obama captured the world’s attention and given its people hope for a better future,” the committee said.

I must admit that this award surprises me. Yes Obama appears to be committed to reductions in nuclear weapons, and yes that is hugely significant. But on the other hand the Peace Prize does not exactly sit easily with America’s current wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. In many people’s eyes the Obama administration is indistinguishable from the preceding Bush regime when it comes to the exercising of American military power. Obama supporters who hoped for more are increasingly angry.

High profile anti-war campaigner Cindy Sheehan (who lost a son in Iraq) expresses this sense of betrayal and anger in one of her open letters to Obama:

President Obama,

I know that you are only fulfilling your campaign promises to increase the violence in Afghanistan and Pakistan and I notice that not a significant amount of troops have been withdrawn from Iraq. However, even with your hostile rhetoric and promises to escalate the violence, many people voted for you because they believed you were the peace candidate.

Since the election, you have betrayed the progressive base that gave you victory on many occasions already, but the cause that keeps many of us motivated is the continued carnage in the Middle East. What bothers me even more, especially, is the fact that the so-called anti-war movement has given you a nine-month free pass and thousands of people have died, including hundreds of our own troops.

Since you took office, 125 of our irreplaceable young have been killed in what you called a ‘dumb war’ in Iraq and 223 in what I call the “other dumb war,’ Afghanistan. I have been waiting for a mother of one of those needlessly killed troops to demand a meeting with you to ask you: for ‘What Noble Cause?’ her child was sacrificed. …

Count me among the disappointed. I hoped for more from Obama than a continuation of American wars. I can’t square that with a Peace Prize. He didn’t deserve it.

40 comments on “Give peace a chance ”

  • Comments are now closed

  1. shaun 1
    10 October 2009 at 8:41 am

    It’s a joke. These are Obama’s achievements:
    – Troops are still dying in Iraq
    – Troops are still dying in Afghanistan
    – More troops are in Pakistan
    – America is more divided than it has ever been (Democrats vs. Republicans)
    – Iran is still well on its way to obtaining nuclear weapons

    & he beats Mandela (a man who truly united a nation).

    • sk 1.1
      10 October 2009 at 9:21 am

      It is shocking he beat Mandela. And the irony is that Obama’s victory speech in Chicago borrowed heavily from Mandela’s speech on election day in 1992 . ..

      • sk 1.1.1
        10 October 2009 at 6:05 pm

        Correction:Of course Mandela won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1993. It was Morgan Tsvangirai who was in the running this time.

  2. Tom Semmens 2
    10 October 2009 at 8:57 am

    Well, he got the Nobel Prize for not being George Bush, which only goes to show how pleased everyone was to see the back of that war criminal and economic dunce. Good on him. Let’s hope it spurs him to achieve more than just that though.

  3. gitmo 3
    10 October 2009 at 9:07 am

    I might be wrong but isn’t the peace prize the only one of the prizes decided upon by “non experts” and is the most political of the awards which why you get laughable results like Obama this year and Gore a few years back.

  4. marty mars 4
    10 October 2009 at 9:42 am

    the antichristobama camp are going to have fits – I expect that now that all of their greatest fears are realised, the reaction will be brutal

  5. Tom Semmens 5
    10 October 2009 at 9:53 am

    marty mars: Yes, the Nobel committee have gifted us hours of fun as we read the reaction. Already the KBR are unilaterally declaring war on Norway and pronouncing the Nobel prize an irrelevant frippery.

    Obama got the prize because he isn’t George W. Bush which in itself is revealing of how deeply loathed the criminal Bush/Cheney regime was amongst practically all the Western intelligensia. No doubt about it, this prize is at least partially a poke in the eye and a hearty ‘fuck off’ to those two from the Europeans.

    But there is no doubt that Obama’s ‘hope’ message resonated powerfully across the world and was a perfectly pitched message after the nadir of the United States international reputation under the Bush/Cheney regime. The importance of hope and the goodwill that can engender should not be underestimated as a power for change in human affairs. Maybe the restoration of the American reputation to its Iraq ante bellum level alone does justify winning the prize.

    I read that Obama may reject McChrystal’s call for more troops in Afghanistan and instead seek a political accomodation with the Taliban. No doubt that is correct, and the mere fact it is even being discussed represents a staggering departure for US foreign policy. If Obama does actually manage to pull off some sort of compromise with the Taliban in Afghanistan that gets American troops out of that place and guarantees the security of his homeland it would be a staggering triumph for common sense and a huge strategic victory for the United States.

    Of course for paranoid birthers and militia types in Montana and on kiwiblog, frothing at the threat of gun control imposed by the illuminati, this will just confirm their fears of a secret world government conspiracy via the Trojan horse of climate change.

    But those people never got past their stupidity, racism and nascent fascism to hope for anything in the first place anyway.

  6. Westminster 6
    10 October 2009 at 10:23 am

    Well, the Peace is and probably always will be a bit of theatrical nonsense. The list of laureates is a list of popular figures of their time involved in international affairs. Like pretty much everyone, I see this as a joke. But at least it gives us hours and hours and hours of entertainment watching the Right (just check out Boss Limbaugh and the RNC or the wild rantings of the Kiwiblog Right) go into hysterics. I am just disappointed it’s not a joint prize with Fidel Castro. I suspect widespread apoplexy.

  7. Bill 7
    10 October 2009 at 11:07 am

    Reduction in nuclear weapons my arse!

    “Although one of the hottest stories of the year was reported by the Inter Press Service last week, the U.S. plan for new nuclear weapons production was completely ignored in the mainstream media. That Obama allocated $55 million for nuclear weapons production runs directly contrary to the myth that the U.S. fulfills its international legal obligations, while punishing “rogue regimes” for violating international law. This story, however, was dead on arrival when it was first reported by the Inter Press Service (IPS) on Wednesday, September 30th.

    The IPS report states that “despite the statements by Barack Obama that he wants to see the world reduce and eventually eliminate nuclear weapons, the U.S. Department of Energy continues to push forward on a program called Complex Modernization, which would expand two existing nuclear plants to allow them to produce new plutonium pits and new bomb parts out of enriched uranium for use in a possible new generation of nuclear bombs.” The story’s timing is particularly ironic considering that the U.S. is openly admitting to reconstituting nuclear weapons, while there is currently no physical evidence that Iran is running a nuclear weapons program.”

  8. aj 8
    10 October 2009 at 11:26 am

    My first reaction was it’s just a joke too, but realistically Obama can’t turn things around in a time frame of less than a year. He is dealing with a deeply entrenched military & industrial elite who have great clout. I won’t use too many words but the gun culture runs very very deep in the USA.

    Captcha ‘mad’

  9. Bill 9
    10 October 2009 at 11:26 am

    Oh. And. Nominations closed when Barak had been in office for….wait for it…..two weeks.

    So the Nobel Peace Prize winner is

    1. thinking of cranking it up in Afghanistan

    2. adding to and modernising US nuclear arsenal

    3. supportive of the military coup in Honduras in the face of democratic opposition

    4. likely going to turn a blind eye to a pre-emptive strike by Israel against Iran in the near future (the bogus nuclear talk is merely preparing the pretext)

    5. being a good corporate soldier in the class war in opposition to democratic aspirations

  10. RedLogix 10
    10 October 2009 at 11:29 am

    Obama inherits a pig’s arse of a mess from the Bush/Cheney criminals; a mess not likely to be cleaned up quickly and easily by anyone, regardless their good intentions. Comparisons are made with Mandela, but even the nation he united decades later, still has much, much progress to be made.

    Entropy works this way; breaking things is relatively quick and easy, fixing them is a far harder task. The Bush administration had eight long years to screw up the Middle East, it’s wholly unreasonable to imagine that Obama could have made all things new with a hasty, unilateral withdrawal over the space of a few short months.

    I have to agree though, this will make the Obama-haters utterly apoplectic with rage. Priceless.

  11. Bill 11
    10 October 2009 at 11:40 am

    “The Bush administration had eight long years to screw up the Middle East…”

    What? How far we want to go here in the screwing up process? Days of the British Empire in the 1800’s?
    1953 and the ascendancy of the Shah?
    Sadam Hussien being backed to power by the US?
    Long running support for the dictatorships of Saudi Arabia, UAE and so on?
    Maybe the establishment of Israel?

    Democracy might be a solution…but democracy and the US have never been bedfellows.

    • Ari 11.1
      10 October 2009 at 4:24 pm

      Depends whether you define “democracy” in the old, FPP-style American conservative sense, or the new, more proportional social-democratic sense.

      In the former (and less representative) sense, America is one of the most democratic nations in the world. 😛

      • Bill 11.1.1
        10 October 2009 at 5:25 pm

        Neither of those definitions for democracy strike me as particularly democratic or worthwhile….any country that measures it’s democratic credentials against any benchmark arising from or inherent to those definitions is, in my view, measuring levels of sham; not democracy.

        So the US becomes one of the most shambolic nations in the world? Now, that sounds more like it, don’t you think?

        • gitmo 11.1.1.1
          10 October 2009 at 5:27 pm

          Go on then give us an example of a “good” democracy.

          • BLiP 11.1.1.1.1
            10 October 2009 at 5:33 pm

            No such thing. “Good democracy” is like the “free market” – neither exist except on the pages of 101 university course text books.

            • Quoth the Raven 11.1.1.1.1.1
              10 October 2009 at 5:53 pm

              BLip – Just because something doesn’t exist doesn’t mean it can’t be brought about. It’s attitudes like yours that are a barrier to the progress of humanity.

            • BLiP 11.1.1.1.1.2
              10 October 2009 at 6:24 pm

              Where exactly did I say that “good democracy” doesn’t exist AND people shouldn’t strive to achieve such a concept?

          • Bill 11.1.1.1.2
            10 October 2009 at 6:05 pm

            Nope

            By ‘good’, I take it you mean substantive. Nation states and market economies work against the formation of substantive democratic institutions. They (nation states and market economies) could not exist in a truly democratic environment and by the same dint, democracy struggles in the their environment; surviving in smaller scale initiatives on the fringes.

  12. Paul 12
    10 October 2009 at 1:48 pm

    I’m honestly amazed – I’d love for him to earn and receive the peace prize – but I think that giving it up front does rather reduce the incentive

  13. Quoth the Raven 13
    10 October 2009 at 4:01 pm

    Yes Obama appears to be committed to reductions in nuclear weapons, and yes that is hugely significant.

    r0b – If you believe that I’ve got a bridge to sell you.
    Here:

    President Obama has reaffirmed a 4-decade-old secret understanding that has allowed Israel to keep a nuclear arsenal without opening it to international inspections, three officials familiar with the understanding said.

    The officials, who spoke on the condition that they not be named because they were discussing private conversations, said Mr. Obama pledged to maintain the agreement when he first hosted Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House in May.

    Under the understanding, the U.S. has not pressured Israel to disclose its nuclear weapons or to sign the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), which could require Israel to give up its estimated several hundred nuclear bombs.

    • RedLogix 13.1
      10 October 2009 at 5:34 pm

      President Obama has reaffirmed a 4-decade-old secret understanding that has allowed Israel to keep a nuclear arsenal without opening it to international inspections,

      Out of genuine interest, when was the last that any US President said anything that was critical of Israel, or more importantly, acted against it’s interests?

      So why is anyone expecting Obama to be different? He certainly never campaigned that he was going to pressure Israel to open it’s nuclear arsenal to inspection. The simple fact is that no-one reaches any significant level of political power in the US if there is any hint that they do not fully understand what Israel requires of them.

      • Quoth the Raven 13.1.1
        10 October 2009 at 5:47 pm

        Your point? My point is that it puts a lie to talk of him being “commited to reductions in nuclear weapons.”

        • RedLogix 13.1.1.1
          10 October 2009 at 6:09 pm

          There is more to nuclear weapons than the relatively small (albeit politically important) arsenal that Israel has. But again, realistically after 60 years of these weapons proliferating and deeply embedding themselves into the balance of power in the world, exactly what magic wand are you expecting Obama to wave here?

          Any useful reduction in arsenals (their elimination is not likely unless some massive catastophe compelled the world to act decisively), will be the result of many years of multiparty negotiations.

          Nor is a ‘modernisation program’ necessarily incompatible with this goal. Like all hi-tech equipment, these things have a limited lifespan and require updating on a regular basis. The general pattern has been to see the retirement of large numbers of obsolete weapons being replaced by fewer modern ones. It amounts to a desirable reduction in warhead numbers, even if it falls short of the ultimate desire of eliminating them altogether. And at present, that is politically impossible for any President to achieve.

          • Quoth the Raven 13.1.1.1.1
            11 October 2009 at 12:14 am

            As the world goes Israel has a large nuclear arsenal – over a hundred as Jimmy Carter told the world. Probably many hundreds. Either way it’s not near Russia or the US but it is many more than Pakistan or India, for instance.

            You are trying to say that he is achieving something and I’m giving you an example where he is not even making an effort. I’m not expecting him to wave a magic wand I’m expecting him to make some sort of effort and as Bill shows above he’s making moves contrary to his rhetoric in his own country.

        • Bill 13.1.1.2
          10 October 2009 at 6:11 pm

          Maybe your point would have been better made by pointing to his intention with regards to the US nuclear arsenal rather than his posturings with a client state?

          My comment above (from 11:07) links to the fact he is investing and modernising the US nuclear arsenal.

          • RedLogix 13.1.1.2.1
            10 October 2009 at 6:20 pm

            All nations with nuclear weapons are committed to an on-going cycle of modernisation. At some point they all become technically obsolete and must be retired and replaced with new ones.

            Not replacing them, as much as you and I would wish for it, is not a political option open to Obama at present.

            • Bill 13.1.1.2.1.1
              11 October 2009 at 9:08 am

              He’s not replacing. He’s upgrading.

              Meanwhile the non proliferation treaty…I believe the US are a party?….requires the dismantling of stockpiles.

              Obama cannot honour US nuclear related obligations, why?

              And he is allowed by the media to posture over Iran, which has no weapons grade uranium, and is probably only at worst developing a latent potential, why?

            • RedLogix 13.1.1.2.1.2
              11 October 2009 at 10:47 am

              He’s not replacing. He’s upgrading.

              Replacing, upgrading… semantics. My understanding is that the while actual warheads themselves have a relatively long lifecycle, there are many components of their access, control and guidance systems that become obsolete relatively quickly.

              Most of the current US warheads were built in the 70’s and 80’s, designed for use in Cold War scenarios. Military technology tends to be quite conservative in any case, and has very long design and production cycles… so the technology in most of these systems is now very dated. As each decade passes it becomes increasingly difficult to maintain these systems in a safe and reliable state.

              The issues are covered in more depth here.

              If they are going to be retained, upgrading obsolete sub-systems is inevitable. The general pattern is that advances in technology will be incorporated to allow for better security, reliability and flexibility in use, while at the same time the total number of warheads is reduced.

              And he is allowed by the media to posture over Iran, which has no weapons grade uranium, and is probably only at worst developing a latent potential, why?

              As I said above, all US politicians understand exactly what Israel requires of them… or they simply never make it into office.

  14. Quoth the Raven 14
    11 October 2009 at 12:15 am

    Not replacing them, as much as you and I would wish for it, is not a political option open to Obama at present.

    This is called being an apologist.

    • RedLogix 14.1
      11 October 2009 at 10:23 am

      If the provision of a genuine public health care option is apparently beyond the powers of the US President, you are dreaming if you think he could achieve a unilateral nuclear disarmament.

      Asking the impossible and then condemning Obama for not achieving it, is scarcely reasonable.

      • Quoth the Raven 14.1.1
        11 October 2009 at 1:15 pm

        You think unilateral nuclear disarmament is impossible? He’s hardly even making an effort Red, whether unilateral or not, that’s the point. The same with healthcare it’s never been about providing a “genuine public health care option”. A cursory glance at the plans should show one that.

  15. Pascal's bookie 15
    11 October 2009 at 11:51 am

    I’m still laughing about this.

    The only thing that could make it more betterer would be for Kissinger to send his back in protest.

  16. felix 16
    11 October 2009 at 4:00 pm

    Jeebers fucking Christ.

    Can I have a Nobel Science Prize please?

    See I’m working on this thing, well it’s more of an idea for a thing. I mix these two compounds that I’m trying to synthesize and when you drink it, it cures aids. And if you didn’t have aids, it makes you, um, a bit taller or something. Probably.

    I’ve got a fair bit of work to do on it, by which I mean I need to go to uni and do some sciencey papers or something, but fuck it’s gonna be awesome! It’ll change the whole world. Well not the whole world, but definitely the aidsy bits.

    So can I have my prize now plox?

  17. Cal 17
    12 October 2009 at 3:00 pm

    Here’s another perspective on it
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uCCWH5f8DA8&feature=channel_page
    They are a “progressive” news commentary show, they do a lot of weird stories but some of them are really informative. I don’t fully agree with what they say here, but I just thought it’d be interesting to bring to the table

Recent Comments

Recent Posts

  • PM announces changes to portfolios
    Paul Goldsmith will take on responsibility for the Media and Communications portfolio, while Louise Upston will pick up the Disability Issues portfolio, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon announced today. “Our Government is relentlessly focused on getting New Zealand back on track. As issues change in prominence, I plan to adjust Ministerial ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    13 hours ago

  • New catch limits for unique fishery areas
    Recreational catch limits will be reduced in areas of Fiordland and the Chatham Islands to help keep those fisheries healthy and sustainable, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. The lower recreational daily catch limits for a range of finfish and shellfish species caught in the Fiordland Marine Area and ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    17 hours ago

  • Minister welcomes hydrogen milestone
    Energy Minister Simeon Brown has welcomed an important milestone in New Zealand’s hydrogen future, with the opening of the country’s first network of hydrogen refuelling stations in Wiri. “I want to congratulate the team at Hiringa Energy and its partners K one W one (K1W1), Mitsui & Co New Zealand ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago

  • Urgent changes to system through first RMA Amendment Bill
    The coalition Government is delivering on its commitment to improve resource management laws and give greater certainty to consent applicants, with a Bill to amend the Resource Management Act (RMA) expected to be introduced to Parliament next month. RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop has today outlined the first RMA Amendment ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • Overseas decommissioning models considered
    Overseas models for regulating the oil and gas sector, including their decommissioning regimes, are being carefully scrutinised as a potential template for New Zealand’s own sector, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. The Coalition Government is focused on rebuilding investor confidence in New Zealand’s energy sector as it looks to strengthen ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • Release of North Island Severe Weather Event Inquiry
    Emergency Management and Recovery Minister Mark Mitchell has today released the Report of the Government Inquiry into the response to the North Island Severe Weather Events. “The report shows that New Zealand’s emergency management system is not fit-for-purpose and there are some significant gaps we need to address,” Mr Mitchell ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • Justice Minister to attend Human Rights Council
    Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith is today travelling to Europe where he’ll update the United Nations Human Rights Council on the Government’s work to restore law and order.  “Attending the Universal Periodic Review in Geneva provides us with an opportunity to present New Zealand’s human rights progress, priorities, and challenges, while ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • Patterson reopens world’s largest wool scouring facility
    Associate Agriculture Minister, Mark Patterson, formally reopened the world’s largest wool processing facility today in Awatoto, Napier, following a $50 million rebuild and refurbishment project. “The reopening of this facility will significantly lift the economic opportunities available to New Zealand’s wool sector, which already accounts for 20 per cent of ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • Speech to the Southland Otago Regional Engineering Collective Summit, 18 April 2024
    Hon Andrew Bayly, Minister for Small Business and Manufacturing  At the Southland Otago Regional Engineering Collective (SOREC) Summit, 18 April, Dunedin    Ngā mihi nui, Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Ko Whanganui aho    Good Afternoon and thank you for inviting me to open your summit today.    I am delighted ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago

  • Government to introduce revised Three Strikes law
    The Government is delivering on its commitment to bring back the Three Strikes legislation, Associate Justice Minister Nicole McKee announced today. “Our Government is committed to restoring law and order and enforcing appropriate consequences on criminals. We are making it clear that repeat serious violent or sexual offending is not ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago

  • New diplomatic appointments
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters has today announced four new diplomatic appointments for New Zealand’s overseas missions.   “Our diplomats have a vital role in maintaining and protecting New Zealand’s interests around the world,” Mr Peters says.    “I am pleased to announce the appointment of these senior diplomats from the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago

  • Humanitarian support for Ethiopia and Somalia
    New Zealand is contributing NZ$7 million to support communities affected by severe food insecurity and other urgent humanitarian needs in Ethiopia and Somalia, Foreign Minister Rt Hon Winston Peters announced today.   “Over 21 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance across Ethiopia, with a further 6.9 million people ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago

  • Arts Minister congratulates Mataaho Collective
    Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage Paul Goldsmith is congratulating Mataaho Collective for winning the Golden Lion for best participant in the main exhibition at the Venice Biennale. "Congratulations to the Mataaho Collective for winning one of the world's most prestigious art prizes at the Venice Biennale.  “It is good ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago

  • Supporting better financial outcomes for Kiwis
    The Government is reforming financial services to improve access to home loans and other lending, and strengthen customer protections, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly and Housing Minister Chris Bishop announced today. “Our coalition Government is committed to rebuilding the economy and making life simpler by cutting red tape. We are ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago

  • Trade relationship with China remains strong
    “China remains a strong commercial opportunity for Kiwi exporters as Chinese businesses and consumers continue to value our high-quality safe produce,” Trade and Agriculture Minister Todd McClay says.   Mr McClay has returned to New Zealand following visits to Beijing, Harbin and Shanghai where he met ministers, governors and mayors and engaged in trade and agricultural events with the New ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago

  • PM’s South East Asia mission does the business
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has completed a successful trip to Singapore, Thailand and the Philippines, deepening relationships and capitalising on opportunities. Mr Luxon was accompanied by a business delegation and says the choice of countries represents the priority the New Zealand Government places on South East Asia, and our relationships in ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago

  • $41m to support clean energy in South East Asia
    New Zealand is demonstrating its commitment to reducing global greenhouse emissions, and supporting clean energy transition in South East Asia, through a contribution of NZ$41 million (US$25 million) in climate finance to the Asian Development Bank (ADB)-led Energy Transition Mechanism (ETM). Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Climate Change Minister Simon Watts announced ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Page generated in The Standard by Wordpress at 2024-04-24T13:58:22+00:00