Gough 1916-2014

Written By: - Date published: 11:49 am, October 21st, 2014 - 46 comments
Categories: democracy under attack, history, International, leadership, Left, social democracy, vision - Tags:

I remember Aussie in Gough’s time as PM, when I visited on holiday.  It was a time when people were looking forward to a more inclusive, caring, and egalitarian society: a time of hope.

Gough Whitlam

That was all ended with his controversial sacking by the governor general.  Many in Austrialia saw this as a US-CIA-backed coup.

The Guardian obituary today:

Gough Whitlam, who was prime minister for just three years but became a defining political figure of modern Australia, has died aged 98.

[…]

The election of his government on 2 December 1972, with the famous “It’s time” election campaign, ended 23 years of conservative rule and its dismissal by the governor general Sir John Kerr on 11 December 1975 remains one of the most controversial events in Australian political history.

But in just three years the Whitlam government instituted sweeping changes that transformed Australian society as the baby boomer generation came of age.

In a rapid program of reform it called “the program”, the Whitlam government created Australia’s national health insurance scheme, Medibank; abolished university fees; introduced state aid to independent schools and needs-based school funding; returned traditional lands in the Northern Territory to the Gurindji people; drafted (although did not enact) the first commonwealth lands right act; established diplomatic relations with China, withdrew the remaining Australian troops from Vietnam; introduced no-fault divorce laws; passed the Racial Discrimination Act; blocked moves to allow oil drilling on the Great Barrier Reef; introduced environmental protection legislation; and removed God Save the Queen as the national anthem.

Now that is truly aspirational!

This image accompanies Julia Gillard’s article today in The Guardian: “Julia Gillard on Gough Whitlam: a giant of his era, he will live on in our nation

Gough Whitlam Its Time

 

Well, it is of its time.

An inspirational Labor leader.

46 comments on “Gough 1916-2014 ”

  1. adam 1

    He sure was, Probably the last of, and the greatest.

  2. Te Reo Putake 2

    A good website history of the Whitlam era here: http://whitlamdismissal.com/

    And a nice song about him from a band named after him:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dnj68nq2n4c

  3. Not a PS Shark Sashimi 3

    He spoke at a business conference I attended in Cairns in 1994 or 95. He was past his prime I’d guess.

    My memories are that he spoke and spoke: he liked the sound of his own voice.

    The bit that really jarred with me was that he spent a huge amount of time explaining why Australians were NOT racist toward Aborigines. it was really odd.

    • Murray Rawshark 3.1

      He was also dead against letting Vietnamese refugees into Australia, on the basis that they’d be conservative and vote Liberal. It was Malcolm Fraser who let them in, and also enacted a few of Whitlam’s proposals. I saw a tv program about the two of them a couple of years back. It rammed home to me how different politics was 40 years ago, when the Liberals were close to Labor. These days, Labor are close to the Liberals.

  4. Chooky 4

    +100% Great post Karol …thanks!

    He truly was a “giant of his era”…a great Australian …and a revolutionary and visionary Labour Leader !

    ( and I too was in Australia when he was Prime Minister ….and even saw him in Canberra flash past in the back of his black limousine)

  5. Ad 5

    So. Political counterfactual of the day:

    In terms of changing Australia for the better, was it better to burn out (like Whitlam), than to fade away (as most others do)?

  6. Tracey 6

    add in rupert murdochs directive to his editors to politically kill whitlam. sound familiar?

  7. SHG 7

    Whitlam’s achievements and his aspirations for Australia will live long after his failings are forgotten.

    RIP.

  8. “..it was a time when people were looking forward to a more inclusive, caring, and egalitarian society: a time of hope..”

    a bit like that brief period when cunliffe ran labour..?

    • Tracey 8.1

      nothing like that…

      • phillip ure 8.1.1

        i dunno about you..but when he was at the stage when he was walking the streets of new lynn whistling ‘the internationale’..

        ..and talking about taking labour back to its’ roots..

        ..i thought he was promising something like that..

        ..if not that..what..?

        • Tracey 8.1.1.1

          this is a thread about whitlams legacy. those were words from cunliffe, whitlam had actions to show for his words

          In a rapid program of reform it called “the program”, the Whitlam government created Australia’s national health insurance scheme, Medibank; abolished university fees; introduced state aid to independent schools and needs-based school funding; returned traditional lands in the Northern Territory to the Gurindji people; drafted (although did not enact) the first commonwealth lands right act; established diplomatic relations with China, withdrew the remaining Australian troops from Vietnam; introduced no-fault divorce laws; passed the Racial Discrimination Act; blocked moves to allow oil drilling on the Great Barrier Reef; introduced environmental protection legislation; and removed God Save the Queen as the national anthem.

          • phillip ure 8.1.1.1.1

            and a special hair-splitting award for you..

            ..i clearly wasn’t talking about his record..he has none..

            ..i was noting an air of expectation i had noted..

            ..nothing more..nothing less..

            ..(an ‘air of expectation’ that has now vanished..like a puff of smoke..)

            ..and would you like me to get you a ladder..?

            ..so you can get down from yr high-horse..?

            ..you do seem to have climbed up there all by yrslf..

            ..and for no good reason..eh..?

            • phillip ure 8.1.1.1.1.1

              ‘cos..y’see..i was there in those ‘heady’ whitlam yrs..

              ..blatting around in a monaro..and taking lots of psychedelics..

              ..sometimes both at the same time..

              ..(it was the 70’s..eh..?..almost de rigeur at the time..and unlike most..i cd still drive even when twisted on acid..so i was usually the designated-driver..but not as you know the modern incarnation of that beast..)

              ..and funny story..!..we used to have all nite acid/dope-parties..

              ..in a house right next door to the home of the then minister of customs…

              ..i’m not quite sure how we managed to get away with that..

              • Tracey

                you do surprise me…

                you were a great driver on acid.

                what a guy…

                how quickly the thread becomes about you rather than a,man who stood up, fronted up, changed his world and made life better for others…

                sorry for distracting you from raving about you.

                • sheesh..!..have a (vegan) kit-kat/go and smoke a joint..!..eh..?

                  ..do something..!

                  ..bitter..?..much..?

                  ..you must be more fun than a barrel of monkeys..in person..

                  ..and did law-school leach out yr s.o.h..?

                  ..i just made an observation comparing the moods of the times..(both of which i lived thru….u r the one who made the case out of it..eh..?

                  ..(see what i did with the ‘case’ law-reference there..?..)

                  ..and i don’t think i was alone in having that hope/anticipation re cunliffe..

                  ..that he was (finally!) going to break labour out of its’ neo-lib ideological-straightjacket..

                  ..many in labour..esp those new members..i am sure felt the same way..

                  ..but now..?..yeah..nah..eh..?

                  • Chooky

                    lol..you should have been a lawyer pu…to get away with so much bullshit

                    • nah..tracey is the pettifogger here…

                    • Tracey

                      he has a fixation with my qualification…

                      second only to his fixation with his own views

                      RIP gough whitlam, a man of the people

                    • Chooky

                      @ Tracey …he is probably jealous…and Gough Whitlam was a lawyer …but a special sort

                    • but on a serious note..

                      ..it was a great time to be in yr twenties..

                      ..surrounded by boundless optimism that we were heading for a better world..it was a ‘given’..

                      ..so different than how it is now for people in their twenties..

                      ..ruled by a generation that doesn’t seem to care about their future..

                      ..and is doing nothing about the real/impending threats to their future..

                      ..and are just hell-bent on making the situation even worse..

                      ..and that is beyond kinda sad..

                    • Chooky

                      @ pu…yes well said ..it was a time of hope and a time of hidden menace

                      now we are not quite so hopeful…but the menace is no longer so hidden either

  9. fambo 9

    Reminds of Norm Kirk, George McGovern in the US, President Allende in Chile – funnily enough it didn’t end well for any of them.

    • Chooky 9.1

      yes although these others were Left politicians of this time ..i think Whitlam was out on his own for flair and wit and sheer Australian audacity

      …the others were worthy and noble and brave …but Whitlam was brilliant!…and of course he attracted the ire of the CIA.

      (..and the GG was used against him ( i dont think Queenie had anything to do with it!)

      • Murray Rawshark 9.1.1

        I’d take Big Norm ahead of Whitlam. He stopped a racist rugby tour and sent a frigate to Mururoa. I think he went out on a limb more than Whitlam. He was also a better speaker.

        Allende was also incredibly brave. At the end he died with a submachine gun in his hands, defending La Casa da la Moneda against Pinochet’s thugs.

        Whitlam was probably the last “leftish” Labor PM, which gives him his place in history. Subsequent Labor PMs have been timid wee things, more intent on keeping Murdoch happy than anything else.

        • Colonial Rawshark 9.1.1.1

          And out of those, only Tony Blair has done particularly well (for himself). Although Helen Clark is really proving the true, uh, statesperson in her UN role. While Blair private jets around making millions in corporate consulting fees.

          • Murray Rawshark 9.1.1.1.1

            I was thinking Labor only, but adding Labour to the mix doesn’t change much.

    • Anne 10.1

      Haven’t had time to read the links but I vividly remember the crisis in the mid 1970s.

      That the CIA was implicated is beyond question. You have to remember it happened during the height of the Cold War years. Paranoia was rife among the western nations and “progressive” governments everywhere were held in the deepest of suspicion. The western establishments saw Reds under the beds, in the closets and behind every curtain – especially darkened curtains. They were stark raving mad, but so was the other side.

      From memory there was a theory that Governor General Kerr was blackmailed into assisting the plotters and (effectively) forced to sack Gough Whitlam. If there is any truth to it, then one has to wonder what they were blackmailing him about. I bet there was a woman (or 2 or 3) in there somewhere. There usually is. 🙂

    • les 10.2

      fascinating links…all conspiracy theories of course.

  10. greywarshark 11

    There was an opposition and press attack on Jim Cairns Deputy PM to Gough Whitlam’s government at this time. It had hints of sex and a beautiful ‘exotic’ woman given preferential treatment, this in an era where women hadn’t quite got out of the kitchen and off the bed in Australian men’s eyes.

    Then her husband might have been seeking a business advantage so there could have been, might have been, fraud. The press spun and it stayed alive in the news for ages.
    This was another tool to be used to bash the Whitlam government.
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Junie_Morosi

    • the 10 min video-summary of whitlam in that link is particularly tidy..

      ..and should be required-viewing for all the labour party leadership candidates..

      ..to show them what a labour leader is/does..

  11. Shona 13

    The reforms of the Whitlam Labor government made a huge difference to the quality of healthcare I received for free thanks to medibank ,when I resided across the ditch. Working conditions were excellent over there in the late 70’s and early 80’s. He reformed the Labor party and made several seats in Victoria Labor seats for the first time. Australia was still in shock after the coup by the Liberals when i went over there to live.
    Fraser his successor,seems like a left wing reformer now compared to our present day NZ Labour leaders.
    Whitlam made Australia a much better country for workers to live in.
    He was brilliant!

    • and fraser now is particularly ‘left’/challenging of the current paradigm…

      ..he has turned into a sort of ‘good guy’..

      ..whodathunkit..?

  12. tc 14

    From one ex labour mp and midnight oils frontman…..Gough was tough till he hit the rough, uncle sam and john (kerr) were quite enough.

    Rip gough, true believer, reformer, a truly great ozzie bloke.

  13. Ad 15

    You could also argue that Whitlam’s political mismanagement and policy overreach burnt Labor from retiring for many, many terms at Federal level.

    Surely the Hawke model proved superior in its duration, and thorough acceptance of Labor across all levels of government.

  14. Scott Chris 16

    Whitlam personifies Australia. Australia has an amazing history.

    Good innings mate.

  15. joe90 17

    It will always be time.

    robcorr @_robcorr

    I’ve read a few people remarking that Whitlam permanently changed Australia – but Abbott is working hard to make it temporary.
    7:20 PM – 21 Oct 2014

    I’m about to spam you with a list of Whitlam’s great achievements and the Abbott government’s response to them.
    7:20 PM – 21 Oct 2014

    https://storify.com/robcorr/it-will-always-be-time

  16. Neil 18

    Big Gough was a real intellect, a man with big ideas.Unfortunately as a leader he was quite deficient. Like so many left wing progressives his cabinet was full of unionists,teachers and social misfits. People like Jim Cairns,Rex Connor and others. About the only sane person in his cabinet was ex-GG Bill Hayden. They had no idea of the value of money- free this free that courtesy of the Australian taxpayer.
    At one stage early in Labour’s term they had a cabinet of only two Whitlam and Lance Barnard.
    One thing Whitlam’s government could do was turning on the spending spigot. When oil prices spiralled out of control increasing inflationary pressures Whitlam surged ahead spending even more,
    What really finished Whitlam was after Cyclone Tracy in Darwin 1974 when Whitlam flew home from the ruins of Athens to Darwin stayed for three hours and flew back to more intellectually stimulating studies in Greece. He left the dirty work in Darwin to Jim Cairns.;
    However he did open Australia up to new ideas something the Liberals and Menzies had never done.
    I was in Australia when he was in power and the dinkum Aussie didn’t rate Gough very highly- both Gough and Margaret didn’t suffer ordinary folks easily.

    • Murray Rawshark 18.1

      The dinkum Aussies being the ones who hate union “thugs”, think Australian is a language, education is dangerous, and Howard was the greatest PM ever. Yeah, they wouldn’t have liked Gough at all. He was in fact renowned for his ability to relate to anyone with respect. I think you’re looking at this through a bright blue lens.

  17. greywarshark 19

    @ neil
    Thats quite a hatchet job on Gough. Sounds very much in the RW tradition and like a thumbnail sketch of your personally jaundiced opinion, as if you were one of the types of more ordinary folks that he didn’t warm to. As thumbnails go, I think it was a bit dirty.

    Like so many left wing progressives his cabinet was full of unionists,teachers and social misfits.
    They had no idea of the value of money- free this free that courtesy of the Australian taxpayer.
    When oil prices spiralled out of control increasing inflationary pressures Whitlam surged ahead spending even more,
    both Gough and Margaret didn’t suffer ordinary folks easily.

    • Neil 19.1

      Don’t agree. Whitlam failed as a leader,as a purveyor of socoal change he would get a pass.
      Hardly think LW are pure and virtuous when discussing rw politicians.
      Of course left wing bloggers never spread dirt do they !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

      • greywarshark 19.1.1

        Neil
        You misunderstand me, which I think is probably general in your reading of any form of analysis. I thought your opinions lacked rationality, were more emotional opinion. I made the comment that your thumbnail sketch was dirty as a pun, not that there was political dirt. But the nuance went over your head.

  18. Maisie 20

    Pilger’s article in the Asia Times is well worth a look for an analysis of the CIA interference and role in his dismissal.

Recent Comments

Recent Posts

  • EV road user charges bill passes
    Transport Minister Simeon Brown has welcomed the passing of legislation to move light electric vehicles (EVs) and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) into the road user charges system from 1 April.  “It was always intended that EVs and PHEVs would be exempt from road user charges until they reached two ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    13 hours ago
  • Bill targets illegal, unregulated fishing in international waters
    New Zealand is strengthening its ability to combat illegal fishing outside its domestic waters and beef up regulation for its own commercial fishers in international waters through a Bill which had its first reading in Parliament today. The Fisheries (International Fishing and Other Matters) Amendment Bill 2023 sets out stronger ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    14 hours ago
  • Reserve Bank appointments
    Economists Carl Hansen and Professor Prasanna Gai have been appointed to the Reserve Bank Monetary Policy Committee, Finance Minister Nicola Willis announced today. The Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) is the independent decision-making body that sets the Official Cash Rate which determines interest rates.  Carl Hansen, the executive director of Capital ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    15 hours ago
  • Stronger protections for apartment owners
    Apartment owners and buyers will soon have greater protections as further changes to the law on unit titles come into effect, Housing Minister Chris Bishop says. “The Unit Titles (Strengthening Body Corporate Governance and Other Matters) Amendment Act had already introduced some changes in December 2022 and May 2023, and ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    17 hours ago
  • Travel focused on traditional partners and Middle East
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters will travel to Egypt and Europe from this weekend.    “This travel will focus on a range of New Zealand’s traditional diplomatic and security partnerships while enabling broad engagement on the urgent situation in Gaza,” Mr Peters says.   Mr Peters will attend the NATO Foreign ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    17 hours ago
  • Keep safe on our roads this Easter
    Transport Minister Simeon Brown is encouraging all road users to stay safe, plan their journeys ahead of time, and be patient with other drivers while travelling around this Easter long weekend. “Road safety is a responsibility we all share, and with increased traffic on our roads expected this Easter we ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    20 hours ago
  • Cost of living support for over 1.4 million Kiwis
    About 1.4 million New Zealanders will receive cost of living relief through increased government assistance from April 1 909,000 pensioners get a boost to Superannuation, including 5000 veterans 371,000 working-age beneficiaries will get higher payments 45,000 students will see an increase in their allowance Over a quarter of New Zealanders ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    20 hours ago
  • Tenancy reviews for social housing restart
    Ensuring social housing is being provided to those with the greatest needs is front of mind as the Government restarts social housing tenancy reviews, Associate Housing Minister Tama Potaka says. “Our relentless focus on building a strong economy is to ensure we can deliver better public services such as social ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    20 hours ago
  • Kermadec Ocean Sanctuary plan halted
    The Kermadec Ocean Sanctuary will not go ahead, with Cabinet deciding to stop work on the proposed reserve and remove the Bill that would have established it from Parliament’s order paper. “The Kermadec Ocean Sanctuary Bill would have created a 620,000 sq km economic no-go zone,” Oceans and Fisheries Minister ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    21 hours ago
  • Cutting all that dam red tape
    Dam safety regulations are being amended so that smaller dams won’t be subject to excessive compliance costs, Minister for Building and Construction Chris Penk says. “The coalition Government is focused on reducing costs and removing unnecessary red tape so we can get the economy back on track.  “Dam safety regulations ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    21 hours ago
  • Drought support extended to parts of North Island
    The coalition Government is expanding the medium-scale adverse event classification to parts of the North Island as dry weather conditions persist, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay announced today. “I have made the decision to expand the medium-scale adverse event classification already in place for parts of the South Island to also cover the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    22 hours ago
  • Passage of major tax bill welcomed
    The passing of legislation giving effect to coalition Government tax commitments has been welcomed by Finance Minister Nicola Willis.  “The Taxation (Annual Rates for 2023–24, Multinational Tax, and Remedial Matters) Bill will help place New Zealand on a more secure economic footing, improve outcomes for New Zealanders, and make our tax system ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Lifting economy through science, tertiary sectors
    Science, Innovation and Technology Minister Judith Collins and Tertiary Education and Skills Minister Penny Simmonds today announced plans to transform our science and university sectors to boost the economy. Two advisory groups, chaired by Professor Sir Peter Gluckman, will advise the Government on how these sectors can play a greater ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Government announces Budget priorities
    The Budget will deliver urgently-needed tax relief to hard-working New Zealanders while putting the government’s finances back on a sustainable track, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says.  The Finance Minister made the comments at the release of the Budget Policy Statement setting out the Government’s Budget objectives. “The coalition Government intends ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Government to consider accommodation solution
    The coalition Government will look at options to address a zoning issue that limits how much financial support Queenstown residents can get for accommodation. Cabinet has agreed on a response to the Petitions Committee, which had recommended the geographic information MSD uses to determine how much accommodation supplement can be ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Government approves extension to Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care
    Cabinet has agreed to a short extension to the final reporting timeframe for the Royal Commission into Abuse in Care from 28 March 2024 to 26 June 2024, Internal Affairs Minister Brooke van Velden says.                                         “The Royal Commission wrote to me on 16 February 2024, requesting that I consider an ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • $18m boost for Kiwis travelling to health treatment
    The coalition Government is delivering an $18 million boost to New Zealanders needing to travel for specialist health treatment, Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says.   “These changes are long overdue – the National Travel Assistance (NTA) scheme saw its last increase to mileage and accommodation rates way back in 2009.  ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • PM’s Prizes for Space to showcase sector’s talent
    The Government is recognising the innovative and rising talent in New Zealand’s growing space sector, with the Prime Minister and Space Minister Judith Collins announcing the new Prime Minister’s Prizes for Space today. “New Zealand has a growing reputation as a high-value partner for space missions and research. I am ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Concerns conveyed to China over cyber activity
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters has confirmed New Zealand’s concerns about cyber activity have been conveyed directly to the Chinese Government.     “The Prime Minister and Minister Collins have expressed concerns today about malicious cyber activity, attributed to groups sponsored by the Chinese Government, targeting democratic institutions in both New ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Independent Reviewers appointed for School Property Inquiry
    Independent Reviewers appointed for School Property Inquiry Education Minister Erica Stanford today announced the appointment of three independent reviewers to lead the Ministerial Inquiry into the Ministry of Education’s School Property Function.  The Inquiry will be led by former Minister of Foreign Affairs Murray McCully. “There is a clear need ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Brynderwyns open for Easter
    State Highway 1 across the Brynderwyns will be open for Easter weekend, with work currently underway to ensure the resilience of this critical route being paused for Easter Weekend to allow holiday makers to travel north, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Today I visited the Brynderwyn Hills construction site, where ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Speech to the Infrastructure Funding & Financing Conference
    Introduction Good morning to you all, and thanks for having me bright and early today. I am absolutely delighted to be the Minister for Infrastructure alongside the Minister of Housing and Resource Management Reform. I know the Prime Minister sees the three roles as closely connected and he wants me ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Parliamentary network breached by the PRC
    New Zealand stands with the United Kingdom in its condemnation of People’s Republic of China (PRC) state-backed malicious cyber activity impacting its Electoral Commission and targeting Members of the UK Parliament. “The use of cyber-enabled espionage operations to interfere with democratic institutions and processes anywhere is unacceptable,” Minister Responsible for ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • NZ to provide support for Solomon Islands election
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters and Defence Minister Judith Collins today announced New Zealand will provide logistics support for the upcoming Solomon Islands election. “We’re sending a team of New Zealand Defence Force personnel and two NH90 helicopters to provide logistics support for the election on 17 April, at the request ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • NZ-EU FTA gains Royal Assent for 1 May entry to force
    The European Union Free Trade Agreement Legislation Amendment Bill received Royal Assent today, completing the process for New Zealand’s ratification of its free trade agreement with the European Union.    “I am pleased to announce that today, in a small ceremony at the Beehive, New Zealand notified the European Union ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • COVID-19 inquiry attracts 11,000 submissions
    Public consultation on the terms of reference for the Royal Commission into COVID-19 Lessons has concluded, Internal Affairs Minister Hon Brooke van Velden says.  “I have been advised that there were over 11,000 submissions made through the Royal Commission’s online consultation portal.” Expanding the scope of the Royal Commission of ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Families to receive up to $75 a week help with ECE fees
    Hardworking families are set to benefit from a new credit to help them meet their early childcare education (ECE) costs, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. From 1 July, parents and caregivers of young children will be supported to manage the rising cost of living with a partial reimbursement of their ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Unlocking a sustainable, low-emissions future
    A specialised Independent Technical Advisory Group (ITAG) tasked with preparing and publishing independent non-binding advice on the design of a "green" (sustainable finance) taxonomy rulebook is being established, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says.  “Comprising experts and market participants, the ITAG's primary goal is to deliver comprehensive recommendations to the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Chief of Army thanked for his service
    Defence Minister Judith Collins has thanked the Chief of Army, Major General John Boswell, DSD, for his service as he leaves the Army after 40 years. “I would like to thank Major General Boswell for his contribution to the Army and the wider New Zealand Defence Force, undertaking many different ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Minister to meet Australian counterparts and Manufacturing Industry Leaders
    25 March 2024 Minister to meet Australian counterparts and Manufacturing Industry Leaders Small Business, Manufacturing, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly will travel to Australia for a series of bi-lateral meetings and manufacturing visits. During the visit, Minister Bayly will meet with his Australian counterparts, Senator Tim Ayres, Ed ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Government commits nearly $3 million for period products in schools
    Government commits almost $3 million for period products in schools The Coalition Government has committed $2.9 million to ensure intermediate and secondary schools continue providing period products to those who need them, Minister of Education Erica Stanford announced today. “This is an issue of dignity and ensuring young women don’t ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Speech – Making it easier to build.
    Good morning, it’s great to be here.   First, I would like to acknowledge the New Zealand Institute of Building Surveyors and thank you for the opportunity to be here this morning.  I would like to use this opportunity to outline the Government’s ambitious plan and what we hope to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Pacific youth to shine from boost to Polyfest
    Minister for Pacific Peoples Dr Shane Reti has announced the Government’s commitment to the Auckland Secondary Schools Māori and Pacific Islands Cultural Festival, more commonly known as Polyfest. “The Ministry for Pacific Peoples is a longtime supporter of Polyfest and, as it celebrates 49 years in 2024, I’m proud to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago
  • 2024 Ngarimu VC and 28th (Māori) Battalion Memorial Scholarships announced
    ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago
  • Speech to Breast Cancer Foundation – Insights Conference
    Before moving onto the substance of today’s address, I want to recognise the very significant and ongoing contribution the Breast Cancer Foundation makes to support the lives of New Zealand women and their families living with breast cancer. I very much enjoy working with you. I also want to recognise ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago
  • Kiwi research soars to International Space Station
    New Zealand has notched up a first with the launch of University of Canterbury research to the International Space Station, Science, Innovation and Technology and Space Minister Judith Collins says. The hardware, developed by Dr Sarah Kessans, is designed to operate autonomously in orbit, allowing scientists on Earth to study ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago
  • Speech to the New Zealand Planning Institute
    Introduction Thank you for inviting me to speak with you today and I’m sorry I can’t be there in person. Yesterday I started in Wellington for Breakfast TV, spoke to a property conference in Auckland, and finished the day speaking to local government in Christchurch, so it would have been ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago
  • Support for Northland emergency response centre
    The Coalition Government is contributing more than $1 million to support the establishment of an emergency multi-agency coordination centre in Northland. Emergency Management and Recovery Minister Mark Mitchell announced the contribution today during a visit of the Whangārei site where the facility will be constructed.  “Northland has faced a number ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago
  • Celebrating 20 years of Whakaata Māori
    New Zealanders have enjoyed a broader range of voices telling the story of Aotearoa thanks to the creation of Whakaata Māori 20 years ago, says Māori Development Minister Tama Potaka. The minister spoke at a celebration marking the national indigenous media organisation’s 20th anniversary at their studio in Auckland on ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago
  • Some commercial fishery catch limits increased
    Commercial catch limits for some fisheries have been increased following a review showing stocks are healthy and abundant, Ocean and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. The changes, along with some other catch limit changes and management settings, begin coming into effect from 1 April 2024. "Regular biannual reviews of fish ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago

Page generated in The Standard by Wordpress at 2024-03-28T17:24:46+00:00