Goff on the year ahead

Written By: - Date published: 11:19 am, January 4th, 2011 - 38 comments
Categories: election 2011, phil goff - Tags:

Following Key’s ‘I’ll have a hissy fit and quit if you don’t re-elect me’ interview yesterday, the Herald has an interview with Phil Goff. The contrast is stark between smile and wave’s self-centred answers and Goff’s focus on delivering real results for NZ.

In terms of policy formation, where are you looking for inspiration, can we expect surprises and when will we see the results?
We’re looking at active management of the New Zealand economy to perform better for New Zealanders, to lift wages and to create jobs, none of which the Government has done. We are looking at other small countries that have done so much better than New Zealand in their economic development – Denmark, Finland, Singapore, Israel – smart economies. We will be looking at skill development, at R&D, at better savings and investment track records and being a clean, green clever economy, by contrast to what the Government has done. The closer we get to the election, the more you’ll see the detail, but a lot of that will be in the broad campaign period, the last three months.

Smart, green, innovative, hands on. Those are the key words for a successful government’s management of the economy in the peak oil world. Not just for the good of the country but for the electoral durability of the government. If the link between petrol prices and government support continues to hold, then governments will be at the mercy of future oil shocks. A smart party will be focused on lessening Kiwis oil dependency for its own good as well as the country’s.

Your predictions for an election date?
If the Government goes before November it will be a vote of no confidence in the All Blacks and that would be unwise, or a sign of panic that the economy is failing to deliver. So I’m predicting the election should be when it normally should be – at the end of the year.

Nice framing from Goff here (and Farrar’s already bought it too). But, unless Key thinks there’s a good chance he’ll lose and so wants to make the term as long as possible for maximum smiling and waving time, I don’t see why he would wait until November. Going before the World Cup is surely fairer on the public and a safer bet for the incumbent – riding the pre-Cup buoyant mood, rather than risking any backlash if the outcomes go wrong.

Your prediction for the Rugby World Cup?
We’ll win.

Are you conflicted in your hopes for the All Blacks, given the potential voters will take a loss out on the Government?
No, no conflict at all. I want the All Blacks to win. I don’t believe we’ve peaked too early.

I think some research has shown that All Blacks results don’t really affect voting but I would think how the event as a whole goes might. Petrol prices will be a bigger element (they’ll also affect how many foreigners come for the Cup and how much discretionary spending they have here)

John Key has predicted you will be rolled before the election. Do you have a prediction for him?
Well, that’s wishful thinking by Mr Key. [For him] that smiling and waving won’t be enough to actually make a difference for New Zealanders in terms of their living standards and hopes for the future.

But… smiling and waving is all he’s got.

38 comments on “Goff on the year ahead ”

  • Comments are now closed

  1. Colonial Viper 1
    4 January 2011 at 11:31 am

    The Left is better positioned with ideas and policy now than NAT was after 9 long years groping around in exile.

    Labour in 2011, Phil Goff for PM. Bring the message to people, one by one. Time to let John Key use his well considered exit plan – he clearly wants his life back 😀

    Also a plea – remember Actors Equity has shown us how *not* to communicate workers’ interests with the public.

  2. Deadly_NZ 2
    4 January 2011 at 12:06 pm

    Finally something from the Labour Govt.

    and yes this country has to do something smarter than smiling and waving.

    maybe look at Alternate fuels.
    geo thermal for power generation.
    Get Marsden point running properly to refine our Own oil and stop selling it to the open market.
    Maybe look at old landfils that have not been devoloped to dig them up and recycle that whats been buried for years or put in Methane stations.

    Because when the oil finally runs out there will not be time to do it then. We NZ need to start to act as if there will be no oil and stop saying “our desendants can sort it out”
    There is some smart thinking needed. And the Greens do have some good ideas too.

    Basically this country cannot afford another 3 years of the NACTS or I am sorry all skilled people will have headed to greener pastures and those that are left will be exploited unmercilessly by the NACTS. Also the brain Drain has to stop another fail for the NACTS.

    The last thing we need is another 3 years of the fucking cycle way policies!!!

    • Lanthanide 2.1
      4 January 2011 at 1:30 pm

      Upgrading marsden point is a mis-direction.

      The oil we get out of our fields is very light and sweet, very high quality stuff. It is worth a lot on the open market. What marsden point buys and refines into gasoline etc is lower quality stuff. There’s no point investing $$$ so that our refinery can refine our own stuff locally, when we can simply sell it overseas and buy cheaper oil for our domestic use, pocketing the difference in the process.

      In a case where the world goes to hell in a hand-basket in terms of oil, we will still be able to find a market for our high quality crude, and if worst comes to worst can simply barter it for a greater volume of lower-quality crude that we can refine locally.

      Now, if we had a huge oil industry, enough to supply more than our countries daily usage, investing in our own refineries for our domestic use and exporting the remainder finished product would make sense. But we don’t live in that world, so there’s no point making investment decisions as if we do.

      • bbfloyd 2.1.1
        5 January 2011 at 9:02 am

        still pushing the tired old paradigms ? if oil production becomes an issue overseas, then what lunatic would sell off what we have left? surely, if we can supply our own needs without having to import, then that would take priority surely..

        what sense is there in selling off the last of our own supplies when it’s running out everywhere else…

  3. Treetop 3
    4 January 2011 at 12:55 pm

    A big issue for me in 2011 is the eroding of cancer treatment services, ongoing at Capital Coast Health, (CCH) for children and now at Midcentral Health, (MCH) for 14 cancers.

    The money used for the glamorous tax cuts in 2010 surely would have prevented the eroding cancer treatment services at CCH and at MCH.

    http://www.stuff.co.nz/manawatu-standard/news/4510848/Call-to-fight-cancer-cuts

    This link will not remain for to many days and I do not know how to Pdf.

    Good to see leadership from Iain Lees-Galloway, one of the few provincial Labour MPs

  4. M 4
    4 January 2011 at 1:04 pm

    Phil said Key is only good for smiling and waving? LOL, too much!

    I think Phil has pitched his answers just right about working smarter, focus on jobs, R & D – he must now man up and talk about peak oil and offer solutions to this problem knocking on the door because the truth plus some solutions with the concomitant job creation could really add some lustre to his campaign. He has shown his support for the ABs and shown he’s not superstitious about supposed links between rugby and election wins.

    Keep going Phil; Greens fess up about the real starkness of peak oil.

    • Lanthanide 4.1
      4 January 2011 at 1:34 pm

      No politician is going to publicly speak of peak oil until the writing is clearly on the wall.

      Even before then, we’re probably going to get (more) oil shocks, and the rhetoric will be about high oil prices and oil dependency, not about ‘peak oil’. What I’m saying is that politicians will talk about the effects of peak oil (and how to mitigate them) before they ever talk about the causes of it, because NZ in particular is pretty powerless when it comes to peak oil so there’s no point scaring the public and potentially crashing the economy prematurely.

      • Colonial Viper 4.1.1
        4 January 2011 at 1:36 pm

        Funny thing though, the Greens talk about peak oil a lot.

        • Lanthanide 4.1.1.1
          4 January 2011 at 5:14 pm

          The Greens still haven’t actually been in government yet, or setting any policy.

          It seems the Maori Party were more serious about Peak Oil than the Greens were back in 2005 also.

      • M 4.1.2
        4 January 2011 at 9:54 pm

        I concede that no politician wants to bring up the subject but if is raised then infrastructure for a post peak world has some chance of being implemented. The retro fitting of homes with insulation I reckon is some preparation, admittedly by stealth, but if the truth were to be spelt out, then a wartime mentality for the common good would eventually prevail as people would see year by year their futures becoming ever more bleak and realise that only by collective effort and sacrifice could some mitigation of this event occur. People accepted rationing in WWII because they understood the enemy was Hitler (now it’s PO) and were mobilised for the war effort and the cost of rationing was borne by all.

        Maybe Phil or any other party cannot bring themselves to broach the subject of PO, but if most of the public feel they’ve been duped I’d predict that those political parties who didn’t speak up wouldn’t be returned to office.

        Anti-spam: addressing

    • pollywog 4.2
      5 January 2011 at 1:24 pm

      He has shown his support for the ABs and shown he’s not superstitious about supposed links between rugby and election wins.

      Someone needs to interview Dan Carter and ask him what it feels like to hold the future of NZ, through its gov’t selection, in his hands ?…without Dan Carter we lose the Rugby World Cup. Without the world cup National lose !!!

      The lesson in politics and in rugby, especially at crunch time, is to “play the man, not the ball’.

      Hobble the guy who runs the team and the team falls over.

  5. Alwyn 5
    4 January 2011 at 1:37 pm

    Poor old Phil. His claims about the ratio of his photo to Key’s in the Herald are about on a par as most of the b.s that he comes out with.
    Phil’s claim. 520 of John Key and only 2 of poor little me.
    Unfortunately The Herald has the figures and published them. 110 of Key and 27 of Phil.
    That’s a lot more of Phil than I would have expected give he’s a fill-in leader of the opposition and Key is the Prime Minister.
    Phil’s claim is of course in line with most of the spin he comes out with. Remember how the Skyhawks were sold just before the 2002 election, and again before the 2005 election and then a third time before the 2008 election?
    Never happened did it?

    • Colonial Viper 5.1
      4 January 2011 at 1:44 pm

      Poor old Phil. His claims about the ratio of his photo to Key’s in the Herald are about on a par as most of the b.s that he comes out with.

      Hehehe dude Phil said it tongue in cheek! And he said it was “unscientific” to boot. The Herald has been held to account and that is great.

      Now, moving to serious election promises and BS, do you remember hearing something about “National will NOT be raising GST”?

    • Draco T Bastard 5.2
      4 January 2011 at 1:49 pm

      Phil’s claim is of course in line with most of the spin he comes out with. Remember how the Skyhawks were sold just before the 2002 election, and again before the 2005 election and then a third time before the 2008 election?
      Never happened did it?

      They had buyers but they had to get permission from the US which wasn’t forthcoming fast enough. Can’t blame that on Labour or Goff.

      • Herodotus 5.2.1
        4 January 2011 at 2:11 pm

        Can’t blame that on Labour or Goff.- Sorry DTB where do you get that. Phil was the Min involved, part of a tentative sale is also vetting the purchasor and that there are were no road blocks, and if so clearing them. Having the US state dept approve such purchases and that the coy was literally a $100 setup were more than just minor issues. It is called Spin. many in business do not recognise a sale until the cash is collected- in this case it was not.
        http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10601860
        http://tvnz.co.nz/national-news/skyhawk-sale-saga-continues-3104809
        So the middle class is to be looked after, we are to become net savers and vastly increase our wages and wealth. I look forward to the details as to how and in what time line. Also why was this not done when Lab got a second chance after 05 Get out of Jail card was used.

        • Draco T Bastard 5.2.1.1
          4 January 2011 at 5:23 pm

          So, the US, in 2009, finally got around to saying that we could sell them to it’s contractor? You do know that the US reserves to right to veto any sale of military hardware made by them don’t you? and that veto extends to them doing their own due diligence upon the buyer after the seller finds one?

          And this is the 5th Labour governments fault how?

          And the buyer may or may not be able to finance them but I’m sure enough due diligence was done to ascertain that he would be in a position to do and, considering that he is a flight trainer for the US government, he probably can.

          • Herodotus 5.2.1.1.1
            4 January 2011 at 6:48 pm

            And this is the 5th Labour governments fault how?
            By over selling the spin- Lab disestablished our stike force-(Protecting the country from invasion) then after using a broker to sell (I wonder if we paid out to the broker?), or that any depssit was made? found 1 potential tentitive purchasor- and as said before over sold the issue. created high expectations that were not met. On an aside I wonder if the “sale” was recorded in the balance sheet-like student loans recorded as a current asset?
            http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/4149581/Skyhawk-giveaway-after-failed-sale

            • Draco T Bastard 5.2.1.1.1.1
              4 January 2011 at 9:32 pm

              That still doesn’t make it Labours fault.

              Sure, they over sold it but that doesn’t make the fact that the deal didn’t go through their fault. Personally, I would have just slagged them.

              BTW, Labour are right about the air-strike force – it’s expensive and useless. We didn’t have enough of aircraft to make it a credible deterrent, they were getting bloody old (read as outclassed), and their limited combat range meant that any invasion force would have been in range of NZ before we could hit back.

              Of course, they didn’t do what was necessary to replace them which was to develop and produce long range missiles here.

              • Herodotus …
                4 January 2011 at 9:52 pm

                They were also part of our film history. How impressive it was watching Sleeping Dogs and seeing our stike force “bomb” the rebel camp.
                Thanks to Helen we are now vunerable to those of the evil empire.
                On an aside why do we have an airforce- no strike planes, 757’s never available, Iroquois gone-with replacements still years away.
                The govt still sent out media reports of The Sale, there was no sale. Did Phil Goff not know the difference of tentitive, conditional and unconditional?
                Now as the sale has not proceeded, we are left with planes wrapped up in condoms.

                • bbfloyd …
                  5 January 2011 at 9:31 am

                  H.. you omit an important point… namely that the current administration, now that there is no political capitol to be made, actually agree that an air strike force is beyond our reach, and therefore a pointless waste of money.

                  and which evil empire are you dribbling on about this time? australia? the united states?… or is china going to become the bogeyman for all good nats now?

    • bbfloyd 5.3
      5 January 2011 at 9:10 am

      Alwyn..they are paying you too much. unless your job description is to demonstrate just how shallow and childish it is possible to get when others attempt to discuss grownup stuff.

      • Alwyn 5.3.1
        5 January 2011 at 11:34 am

        There, there diddums.
        When you lose the argument abuse the opposition.
        Mind you. A number of the current Labour MPs have made careeres out of that.

  6. tsmithfield 6
    4 January 2011 at 4:55 pm

    So if Phil loses the next election and resigns as leader, will that be a case of “smile and walk away” as well?

    • Zorr 6.1
      4 January 2011 at 5:00 pm

      Major difference between “resigning as leader” and “leaving politics”

    • Eddie 6.2
      4 January 2011 at 5:01 pm

      goff hasn’t threatened to quit politics if he loses. He’ll probably be rolled or step down from the leadership if he loses but he won’t have a tanty and quit the cause he believes in to go live in his hawaii mansion.

    • Colonial Viper 6.3
      4 January 2011 at 5:51 pm

      Key, our 0.7 term PM, has announced that he has thought through his exit plan and given conditions which suit his needs, will leave the job for bigger and better things than NZ politics. Good of him to be so honest eh.

    • bbfloyd 6.4
      5 January 2011 at 9:13 am

      no… key’s the only petulant one in this instance.. goff has demonstrated more than enough substance over the years.. he will behave like a man. which is much more than key is capable of.

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    Good morning, folks. Another wee note from a chilly Rotorua morning that looks much clearer than yesterday. As I write, the pink glow in the east is slowly growing, and soon, the palest of blue skies should become a bit more royal.A couple of people mentioned yesterday that I should ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    4 days ago
  • Make it make sense: why axe valuable local projects?

    Last week, Matt looked at how the government wants to pour a huge chunk of civic infrastructure funding for a generation  into one mega-road up North, at huge cost and huge opportunity cost. A smaller but no less important feature of the National Land Transport Plan devised by Minister of Transport ...
    Greater AucklandBy Jolisa
    4 days ago
  • Driving blind at higher speeds

    An open letter by experts about plans to raise speed limits warns the “tragic consequence will be more New Zealanders losing their lives or suffering severe injury, along with a substantial burden on the nation's healthcare and rehabilitation services”. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāKia ora. Long stories short, here’s ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • 2024’s unusually persistent warmth

    This is a re-post from The Climate Brink My inaugural post on The Climate Brink 18 months ago looked at the year 2024, and found that it was likely to be the warmest year on record on the back of a (than forecast) El Nino event. I suggested “there is a real chance ...
    Skeptical Science
    4 days ago
  • National plan for 2000 more Kiwis a year in prison

    Open for allYesterday, Luxon congratulated his government on a job well done with emergency housing numbers, but advocates have been saying it‘s likely many are on the streets and sleeping in cars.Q&A featured some of the folks this weekend - homeless and in cars. Yes.The government’s also confirmed they stopped ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    4 days ago
  • I Found a Note in a Tree

    Hi,On most days I try to go on a walk through nature to clear my head from the horrors of life. Because as much as I like people, I also think it’s incredibly important to get very far away from them. To be reminded that there are also birds, lizards, ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    4 days ago
  • Jacqui Van Der Kaay: Politicians need to lift their game

    Declining trust in New Zealand politicians should be a warning to them to lift their game. Results from the New Zealand Election Study for the 2023 election show that the level of trust in politicians has once again declined. Perhaps it is not surprising that the results, shared as part ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    4 days ago
  • Police say they won’t respond to bomb threats anymore as ‘it’s never anything’

    Police Commissioner Andrew Coster says that New Zealand’s police force will no longer respond to bomb threats, in an attempt to cut costs and redirect police resources to less boring activities. Coster said that threat response and bomb disposal was a “fairly obvious” area for downsizing, as bomb threats are ...
    The CivilianBy Ben Uffindell
    4 days ago
  • A dysfunctional watchdog

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    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    5 days ago
  • Climate Change: The threat of a good example

    Since taking office, the climate-denier National government has gutted agricultural emissions pricing, ended the clean car discount, repealed water quality standards which would have reduced agricultural emissions, gutted the clean car standard, killed the GIDI scheme, and reversed efforts to reduce pollution subsidies in the ETS - basically every significant ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    5 days ago
  • Vegas Baby

    Good morning, lovely people. Don’t worry. This isn’t really a newsletter, just a quick note. I’m sitting in our lounge, looking out over a gloomy sky. Although being Rotorua, the view is periodically interrupted by steam bursting from pipes and dispersing—like an Eastern European industrial hellscape during the Cold War.Drinking ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago
  • Why Entrust Needs New Leadership

    I am part of a new team running in the Entrust election in October. Entrust is a community electricity trust representing a significant part of Auckland, set up to serve the community. It is governed by five trustees are elected every three years in an election the trust itself oversees. ...
    Greater AucklandBy Patrick Reynolds
    5 days ago
  • London Bridge is falling down

    In the UK, London is the latest of council groups to signal potential bankruptcy.That’s after Birmingham, Britain’s second largest city, went bankrupt in June, resulting in reduced sanitation services, libraries cut, and dimmed streetlights.Some in the city described things as “Dickens” like.Please, Sir, Can I have some more?For families with ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    5 days ago
  • Govt may kick elderly out of hospitals

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    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • Getting the nephs off the couch

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    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    5 days ago
  • De moralibus orcorum: Sargon of Akkad, Rings of Power, Evil, and George R.R. Martin

    I have noted before that The Rings of Power has attracted its unfortunate share of culture war obsessives. Essentially, for a certain type of individual, railing on about the Wokery of Modern Media is a means of making themselves a online livelihood. Clicks and views and advertising revenue, and all ...
    A Phuulish FellowBy strda221
    5 days ago
  • 2024 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #37

    A listing of 31 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, September 8, 2024 thru Sat, September 14, 2024. Story of the week From time to time we like to make our Story of the Week all about us— and ...
    Skeptical Science
    5 days ago
  • Salvation For Us All

    Yesterday, I ruminated about the effects of being a political follower.And, within politics, David Seymour was smart enough on Friday to divert attention from “race blind” policies [what about gender blind I thought - thinking of maternity wards] and cutting school lunches by throwing meat to the media. Teachers were ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    6 days ago
  • A warm embrace

    Far, far away from here lives our King. Some of his subjects can be quite the forelock tuggers, but plenty of us are not like that, and why don't I wheel out my favourite old story once more about Kiwi soldiers in the North African desert?Field Marshal Montgomery takes offence ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    6 days ago
  • Literal clowns are running the place, we must put a timeout on this stupidity… right Aotearoa?

    These people are inept on every level. They’re inept to the detriment of our internal politics, cohesion and increasingly our international reputation. And they are reveling in the fact they are getting away with it. We cannot even have “respectful debate” with a government that clearly rejects the very ...
    exhALANtBy exhalantblog
    6 days ago
  • Fact brief – Does manmade CO2 have any detectable fingerprint?

    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 from the Gigafact team in collaboration with John Mason. You can submit claims you think need checking via the tipline. Does manmade CO2 have any ...
    Skeptical Science
    6 days ago
  • Judge Not.

    Judge not, that ye be not judged. For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again. Matthew 7:1-2FOUR HUNDRED AND FORTY men and women professing the Christian faith would appear to have imperilled their immortal souls. ...
    Bowalley Road
    7 days ago
  • Managed Democracy: Letting The People Decide, But Only When They Can Be Relied Upon To Give the Righ...

    Uh-uh! Not So Fast, Citizens! The power to initiate systemic change remains where it has always been in New Zealand’s representative democracy – in Parliament. To order a binding referendum, the House of Representatives must first to be persuaded that, on the question proposed, sharing its decision-making power with the people ...
    Bowalley Road
    7 days ago
  • Looking For Labour’s Vital Signs.

    Flatlining: With no evidence of a genuine policy disruptor at work in Labour’s ranks, New Zealand’s wealthiest citizens can sleep easy.PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN has walked a picket-line. Presidential candidate Kamala Harris has threatened “price-gauging” grocery retailers with price control. The Democratic Party’s 2024 platform situates it well to the left of Sir ...
    Bowalley Road
    7 days ago
  • Forty Years Of Remembering To Forget.

    The Beginning of the End: Rogernomics became the short-hand descriptor for all the radical changes that swept away New Zealand’s social-democratic economy and society between 1984 and 1990. In the bitterest of ironies, those changes were introduced by the very same party which had entrenched New Zealand social-democracy 50 years earlier. ...
    Bowalley Road
    7 days ago
  • Kōrero Mai – Speak to Me.

    Good morning all you lovely people. 🙂I woke up this morning, and it felt a bit like the last day of school. You might recall from earlier in the week that I’m heading home to Rotorua to see an old friend who doesn’t have much time. A sad journey, but ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    7 days ago
  • Winning ways

    Hello! Here comes the Saturday edition of More Than A Feilding, catching you up on anything you may have missed. Street architecture adjustment, KolkataShare Read more ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    7 days ago
  • 48 seconds on a plan that would reverberate for a million years

    Despite fears that Trump presidency would be disastrous for progress on climate change, the topic barely rated a mention in the Presidential debate. Photo: Getty ImagesLong stories short, here’s the top six news items of note in climate news for Aotearoa-NZ this week, and a discussion above between Bernard Hickey ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    7 days ago
  • Using blunt instruments and magical thinking to ignore evidence of harm

    The abrupt cancellations and suspensions of Government spending also caused private sector hiring, spending, and investment to freeze up for the first six months of the year. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāThis week we learned:The new National/ACT/NZ First Coalition Government ignored advice from Treasury that it didn’t have to ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    7 days ago
  • Is This A Dagger Which I See Before Me: A Review and Analysis of The Rings of Power Episode 5 (Seaso...

    Another week of The Rings of Power, season two, and another confirmation that things are definitely coming together for the show. The fifth Episode of season one represented the nadir of the series. Now? Amid the firmer footing of 2024, Episode Five represents further a further step towards excellent Tolkien ...
    A Phuulish FellowBy strda221
    1 week ago
  • In Open Seas; A Book

    The background to In Open Seas: How the New Zealand Labour Government Went Wrong:2017-2023Not in Narrow Seas: The Economic History of Aotearoa New Zealand, published in 2020, proved more successful than either I or the publisher (VUP, now Te Herenga Waka University Press) expected. I had expected that it would ...
    PunditBy Brian Easton
    1 week ago
  • The Hoon around the week to Sept 13

    The podcast above of the weekly ‘Hoon’ webinar for paying subscribers on Thursday night features co-hosts and talking about the week’s news with:The Kākā’s climate correspondent on the latest climate science on rising temperatures and the climate implications of the US Presidential elections; and special guests Janet ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago
  • Do or do not. There is no try

    1. Upon receiving evidence that school lunches were doing a marvellous job of improving outcomes for students, David Seymour did what?a. Declared we need much more of this sort of good news and poured extra resources and funding into them b. Emailed Atlas network to ask what to do next c. Cut ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    1 week ago
  • Dangerous ground

    The Waitangi Tribunal has reported back on National's proposed changes to gut the Marine and Coastal Area Act and steal the foreshore and seabed for its greedy fishing-industry donors, and declared it to be another huge violation of ti Tiriti: The Waitangi Tribunal has found government changes to the ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    1 week ago
  • Climate Change: National wants to cheat on Paris

    In 2016, the then-National government signed the Paris Agreement, committing Aotearoa to a 30 (later 50) percent reduction in emissions by 2030. When questioned about how they intended to meet that target with their complete absence of effective climate policy, they made a lot of noise about how it was ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    1 week ago
  • Treasury warned Govt lower debt limits meant less ‘productivity-enhancing investment’

    Treasury’s advice to Cabinet was that the new Government could actually prudently carry net core Crown debt of up to 50% of GDP. But Luxon and Willis instead chose to portray the Government’s finances as in such a mess they had no choice but to carve 6.5% to 7.5% off ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago
  • Is the Media Complicit?

    This is a long read. Open to all.SYNOPSIS: Traditional media is at a cross roads. There is a need for those in the media landscape, as it stands, to earn enough to stay afloat, but also come across as balanced and neutral to keep its audiences.In America, NYT’s liberal leaning ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    1 week ago
  • Black Friday

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    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    1 week ago
  • Weekly Roundup 13-September-2024

    Ooh, Friday the thirteenth. Spooky! Is that why certain zombie ideas have been stalking the landscape this week, like the Mayor’s brainwave for a motorway bridge from Kauri Point to Point Chev? Read on and find out. This roundup, like all our coverage, is brought to you by the Greater ...
    Greater AucklandBy Greater Auckland
    1 week ago

  • Tourism on the table for Pacific Ministers’ meet-up

    Tourism and Hospitality Minister Matt Doocey will meet with Trade and Tourism Minister of Australia Don Farrell and Fiji Deputy Prime Minister Manoa Kamikamica in Rotorua this weekend for a trilateral tourism discussion. “Like in New Zealand, tourism plays a significant role in Australia and Fiji’s economy, contributing massively to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    13 hours ago
  • Young people report on family and sexual violence

    The Te Puna Aonui Expert Advisory Group for Children and Young People has presented its report today on improving family and sexual violence outcomes for young people, to the Minister for the Prevention of Family and Sexual Violence, Karen Chhour.  The presentation at the Auckland event was an opportunity for ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    13 hours ago
  • $18 million being invested in the victims of crime

    The Government is putting more than $18 million towards improving the experience of the criminal justice system for victims, Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith and Minister for Children Karen Chhour say. “No one should experience crime, but for those who through no fault of their own become victims, they need to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    14 hours ago
  • Landmark phonics check in te reo Māori

    For the first time, schools can use a purpose-built tool to check how a child is progressing in reading through te reo Māori. “Around 45 schools are trialling a New Zealand first te reo Māori phonics check, known as Hihira Weteoro. It will help kaiako (teachers) focus on what ākonga ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    15 hours ago
  • New sea walls safeguard Ōpōtiki’s transformation

    Two new breakwater walls at Pākihikura (Ōpōtiki) Harbour will provide boats with safe harbour access to support the continued growth of aquaculture in Bay of Plenty, Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters and Regional Development Minister Shane Jones say. The Ministers and leaders from Tē Tāwharau o Te Whakatōhea and other ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    17 hours ago
  • Kitmap to improve access to science infrastructure

    Science, Innovation and Technology Minister Judith Collins today announced an online platform to optimise the use of New Zealand’s science and technology research infrastructure and to link the public and private sector. “This country is home to world-class science, technology, and engineering expertise. Kitmap is set to empower Kiwi innovators, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    17 hours ago
  • Driving the uptake of low emission heavy vehicles

    The Government has launched the Low Emissions Heavy Vehicle Fund (LEHVF) to promote innovation and offset the cost of hundreds of heavy vehicles powered by clean technologies, Energy Minister Simeon Brown and Climate Change Minister Simon Watts say. “Boosting economic growth and productivity is a key part of the Government’s plan ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    17 hours ago
  • Speech on replacing the Resource Management Act

    Replacing the RMA Hon Chris Bishop: Good morning, it is great to be with you. Can I first acknowledge the Resource Management Law Association for hosting us here today. Can I also acknowledge my Parliamentary Under-Secretary, Simon Court, who is on stage with me. He has assisted me in establishing the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    18 hours ago
  • Replacement for the Resource Management Act takes shape

    Two new laws will be developed to replace the Resource Management Act (RMA), with the enjoyment of property rights as their guiding principle, RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop and Parliamentary Under-Secretary Simon Court say. “The RMA was passed with good intentions in 1991 but has proved a failure in practice. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    19 hours ago
  • Tough laws pass to make gang life uncomfortable

    Legislation passed through Parliament today will provide police and the courts with additional tools to crack down on gangs that peddle misery and intimidation throughout New Zealand, Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith says. “From November 21, gang insignia will be banned in all public places, courts will be able to issue non-consorting orders, and ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • New levy rates set to ensure continued funding of FENZ

    Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says the Government has agreed to the rates for the redesigned levy that will fund Fire and Emergency New Zealand (FENZ) from July 2026.  “Earlier this year FENZ consulted publicly on a 5.2 percent increase to the levy. I was not convinced that ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Police allocate Officers to Beat and Gang Units

    The Coalition Government welcomes Police’s announcement today to deploy more police on the beat and staff to Gang Disruption Units.  An additional 70 officers will be allocated to Community Beat Teams across towns and regional centres.  This builds on the deployment of beat officers in Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch CBDs ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Consultation begins on significant updates to the biosecurity system

    Proposals to strengthen the country’s vital biosecurity system, including higher fines for passengers bringing in undeclared high-risk goods, greater flexibility around importing requirements, and fairer cost sharing for biosecurity responses have been released today for public consultation. Biosecurity Minister Andrew Hoggard says “The future is about resilience and the 30-year-old ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Wānaka community to benefit from new overnight health service

    Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says an Overnight Acute Care Service opening in October will provide people in Wānaka and the surrounding area with the assurance of quality overnight care closer to home.  “When I was in Wānaka earlier this year, I announced funding for an overnight health service – ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Preventing potholes with data-driven technology

    The Government is rolling out data collection vans across the country to better understand the condition of our road network to prevent potholes from forming in the first place, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says.  “Increasing productivity to help rebuild our economy is a key priority for the Government and increasing ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • GDP data shows effect of high interest rates

    Gross Domestic Product (GDP) data for the quarter to June 2024 reinforces how an extended period of high interest rates has meant tough times for families, businesses, and communities, but recent indications show the economy is starting to bounce back, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. Stats NZ data released today ...
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    2 days ago
  • NZ to host first Fiji, Australia trilateral trade Ministers’ meeting in Rotorua

    Trade Minister Todd McClay will host Fijian Deputy Prime Minister Manoa Kamikamica and Australian Trade Minister Don Farrell for trilateral trade talks in Rotorua this weekend. “Fiji is one of the largest economies in the Pacific and is a respected partner for Australia and New Zealand,” Mr McClay says. Australia and New Zealand ...
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    2 days ago
  • NZ hosts Annual CER Trade Ministers’ meeting in Rotorua

    Trade Minister Todd McClay will meet with Australian Trade Minister Don Farrell for the annual Closer Economic Relations (CER) Trade Ministers’ meeting in Rotorua this weekend.  “CER is our most comprehensive agreement covering trade, labour mobility, harmonisation of standards and political cooperation. It underpins an important trading relationship worth $32 ...
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    2 days ago
  • Government proposing changes to jury trials

    The Government is seeking the public’s feedback on two major changes to jury trials in order to improve court timeliness, Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith says. “The first proposal would increase the offence threshold at which a defendant can decide to have their case heard by a jury. “The second is ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Business key to regional economic dialogue

    Local businesses and industries need to be front and centre in conversations about how regions plan to grow their economies, Regional Development Shane Jones says. The nationwide series of summits aims to facilitate conversations about regional economic growth and opportunities to drive productivity, prosperity and resilience through the Coalition Government’s Regional ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • More funding for Growing Up in New Zealand study

    The Government is investing $16.8 million over the next four years to extend the Growing Up in New Zealand (GUiNZ) Longitudinal Study. GUiNZ is New Zealand’s largest longitudinal study of child health and wellbeing and has followed the lives of more than 6000 children born in 2009 and 2010, and ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Tough targets for charter schools will raise achievement

    Associate Education Minister David Seymour says that Charter Schools will face a combination of minimum performance thresholds and stretch targets for achievement, attendance and financial sustainability. “Charter schools will be given greater freedom to respond to diverse student needs in innovative ways, but they will be held to a much ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • NZ votes for Middle East resolution at UN

    New Zealand has voted for a United Nations resolution on Israel’s presence in occupied Palestinian Territory with some caveats, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says.    “New Zealand’s yes vote is fundamentally a signal of our strong support for international law and the need for a two-state solution,” Mr Peters says.    “The Israel-Palestine ...
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    2 days ago
  • Honouring the legacy of New Zealand’s suffragists

    Suffrage Day is an opportunity to reaffirm New Zealand’s commitment to ensuring we continue to be a world leader in gender equality, Minister for Women Nicola Grigg says. “On 19 September, 131 years ago, New Zealand became the first nation in the world where women gained the right to vote. ...
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    2 days ago
  • Foreign Minister to travel to New York, French Polynesia

    Foreign Minister Winston Peters is travelling to New York next week to attend the 79th session of the United Nations General Assembly, followed by a visit to French Polynesia. “In the context of the myriad regional and global crises, our engagements in New York will demonstrate New Zealand’s strong support for ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Thanking social workers on their national day

    “Today, on Aotearoa New Zealand Social Workers’ Day, I would like to recognise the tremendous effort social workers make not just today, but every day,” Children’s Minister and Minister for the Prevention of Family and Sexual Violence Karen Chhour says. “I thank all those working on the front line for ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Minister of State for Trade heads to Laos for ASEAN meetings

    Minister of State for Trade Nicola Grigg will travel to Laos this week to attend the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Economic Ministers’ Meetings in Vientiane.   “The Government is committed to strengthening our relationship with ASEAN,” Ms Grigg says. “With next year marking 50 years since New Zealand became ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Members appointed to retail crime MAG

    The Government has appointed four members to the Ministerial Advisory Group for victims of retail crime, Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith and Associate Justice Minister Nicole McKee say. “I am delighted to appoint Michael Hill’s national retail manager Michael Bell to the group, as well as Waikato community advocate and business ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Speech to the New Zealand Nurses Organisation AGM and Conference 2024

    It’s my pleasure to be here to join the opening of the NZNO AGM and Conference for 2024.  First, I’d like to thank NZNO Kaiwhakahaere Kerri Nuku, NZNO President, Anne Daniels, and Chief Execuitve Paul Gaulter for inviting me to speak today.  Thank you also to all the NZNO members ...
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    3 days ago
  • Improvements for New Zealand authors

    Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says changes to the Public Lending Right [PLR] scheme will help benefit both the National Library and authors who have books available in New Zealand libraries. “I am amending the regulations so that eligible authors will no longer have to reapply every year ...
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    4 days ago
  • Minister commends Police for gang operation

    Police Minister Mark Mitchell congratulates Police for the outstanding result of their most recent operation, targeting the Comancheros. “That Police have been able to round up the majority of the Comancheros leadership, and many of their patched members and prospects, shows not only the capability of Police, but also shows ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • New appointments to the EPA board

    Environment Minister Penny Simmonds has announced a major refresh of the Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) board with four new appointments and one reappointment.   The new board members are Barry O’Neil, Jennifer Scoular, Alison Stewart and Nancy Tuaine, who have been appointed for a three-year term ending in August 2027.  “I would ...
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    4 days ago
  • Enabling rural recovery works in Hawke’s Bay

    Cabinet has approved an Order in Council to enable severe weather recovery works to continue in the Hawke’s Bay, Environment Minister Penny Simmonds and Minister for Emergency Management and Recovery Mark Mitchell say. “Cyclone Gabrielle and the other severe weather events in early 2023 caused significant loss and damage to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • FamilyBoost childcare payment registrations open

    From today, low-to-middle-income families with young children can register for the new FamilyBoost payment, to help them meet early childhood education (ECE) costs. The scheme was introduced as part of the Government’s tax relief plan to help Kiwis who are doing it tough. “FamilyBoost is one of the ways we ...
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    4 days ago
  • Prioritising victims with tougher sentences

    The Government has today agreed to introduce sentencing reforms to Parliament this week that will ensure criminals face real consequences for crime and victims are prioritised, Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith says. "In recent years, there has been a concerning trend where the courts have imposed fewer and shorter prison sentences ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Targets data confirms rise in violent crime

    The first quarterly report on progress against the nine public service targets show promising results in some areas and the scale of the challenge in others, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon says. “Our Government reinstated targets to focus our public sector on driving better results for New Zealanders in health, education, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Asia Foundation Board appointments announced

    Foreign Minister Winston Peters has announced the appointments of Hone McGregor, Professor David Capie, and John Boswell to the Board of the Asia New Zealand Foundation.  Bede Corry, Secretary of Foreign Affairs and Trade, has also been appointed as an ex-officio member. The new trustees join Dame Fran Wilde (Chair), ...
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    5 days ago
  • Endeavour Fund projects for economic growth

    New Zealand’s largest contestable science fund is investing in 72 new projects to address challenges, develop new technology and support communities, Science, Innovation and Technology Minister Judith Collins says. “This Endeavour Fund round being funded is focused on economic growth and commercial outputs,” Ms Collins says. “It involves funding of more ...
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    5 days ago
  • Social Services Providers Whakamanawa National Conference 16 September 2024

    Thank you for the introduction and the invitation to speak to you here today. I am honoured to be here in my capacity as Minister for the Prevention of Family and Sexual Violence, and Minister for Children. Thank you for creating a space where we can all listen and learn, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Parihaka infrastructure upgrades funded

    The Government will provide a $5.8 million grant to improve water infrastructure at Parihaka in Taranaki, Regional Development Minister Shane Jones and Māori Development Minister Tama Potaka say. “This grant from the Regional Infrastructure Fund will have a multitude of benefits for this hugely significant cultural site, including keeping local ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago

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