Greenpeace on braided rivers and govt-funded pollution

Written By: - Date published: 8:00 am, February 11th, 2017 - 45 comments
Categories: Environment, farming, water - Tags: , ,

Nathan Guy, Minister for Primary Industries: For the sake of our rivers, our land, our climate and farmers, I call on you to cancel any further plans to fund industrial scale irrigation.

Sign the petition here.

Industrial dairying is failing. It’s failing people who want to swim in clean rivers, its failing our tourism industry, it’s failing our climate and it’s failing farmers.

The industrial dairying model requires vast amounts of water and chemical fertiliser to grow more grass to feed ever growing herds of cows. All to produce more and more tonnes of low value milk powder to ship offshore.

This degrades our land, pollutes our rivers, increases our climate emissions and puts farmers into debt.

And it’s about to get a whole lot worse. Right now, two huge, costly new irrigation schemes are planned. Ruataniwha in the North Island and Central Plains Water in Canterbury.

And who is funding it? You are.

These dirty great polluting multi-million dollar schemes are only possible because local and central government are handing over millions of dollars of public money to subsidise them.

Clean, green farming is much better for our rivers, our land and our international reputation. It’s this that the government should be backing, not some failed industrial dairying model.

Sign the petition now to stop government funding of industrial irrigation schemes.

 

45 comments on “Greenpeace on braided rivers and govt-funded pollution ”

  1. Nick 1

    Link to the petition is not working

  2. reason 2

    if foreigners had snuck into new zealand …….. poisoning our waterways like the nats with their cow economy ……… We’d call them terrorists

    All those who support this poisoning of nz ….. should be tied to a post

    and made to drink this water …..

    ……………. while wearing white disco pants of course

  3. keepcalmcarryon 3

    Surely there is opportunity here for labour to stand up and define what they will do to limit or wind back Nationals disastrous policy of dairy intensification at all costs?
    Its got to be the biggest free hit waiting to be taken, there is massive public anxiety about particularly dairy pollution, this shouldnt just be left for the greens to campaign on.
    There are no votes to lose, farmers will vote national until they drown in effluent run off, time to put the environment first we all have to live in it after all.
    Go on Andrew little i dare you to come out and define how you will fix this.

    • weka 3.1

      I just tried to look up their most recent press release on river quality and their website search is buggy (ffs Labour, you have to sort this shit out already). I was going to hazard a guess that there is some positioning with Labour and the Greens where Labour can let the Greens carry more of the load on environmental issues, but hard to make that argument when I can’t even find their bloody statements.

      • Antoine 3.1.1

        > I was going to hazard a guess that there is some positioning with Labour and the Greens where Labour can let the Greens carry more of the load on environmental issues

        thats a charitable interpretation perhaps 😉

        A.

      • Sacha 3.1.2

        If Labour intend to keep to a small number of policy themes for the election then it makes sense to leave some to the Greens, yes. Here’s hope they both leave railing at migrants to Winston.

    • BM 3.2

      I agree Labour should go after the Farmers, plenty of votes to be had if done properly.

      Unfortunately, I don’t think the left have the skills to carry it off, though, they’ll take the most extreme position, the nutbar contingent will appear front and centre and then rant on about how all farmers are these evil environmental monsters hell bent on destroying the country for monetary gain.

      Voters will just roll their eyes, turn off and a major opportunity will be lost.

      [if you’d made any attempt to relate your trolling to the post I would probably have ignored it. But a Notices and Features post about an issue of national importance isn’t the place for you to push your anti-left astroturfing. As far as I can tell you just piggy-backed off someone else’s on-topic comment in order to yet again bash the left. As Stephanie says, it’s boring. It’s also election year. You are quite capable of making actual non-trolling political points, so I suggest that if you want to be here, up your game. Banned from the site for the weekend – weka]

      [additional note. BM, I’ve now gone back and looked at previous warnings and moderations and there is a clear pattern of behaviour to your trolling. You’ve been warned enough. If I see this again after your ban ends expect to be out until after the election. If you don’t understand what I mean I suggest you do some homework and go back and look at previous warnings because it’s been explained enough. I’m putting you in premod, so that when your ban ends you will need to make a comment acknowledging you have seen this moderation note for your comments to be released – weka]

      • God you’re boring.

        • AB 3.2.1.1

          Yes – but it’s all very strategic. What RW commentators constantly do is try to set the boundaries of what it is permissible for the left to do or think. Concede some space for slightly leftish opinion, but not very much. It’s about maintaining the current position of Overton’s Window.

          • weka 3.2.1.1.1

            I agree, it looks intentional to me and it’s been going on too long. I’ve had enough, the last thing I want to be doing is spending my Saturday morning moderating, so I’m happy to just keep giving bigger and bigger bans for this shit from now on. I’m pretty sure I’ve warned BM about this before, will look that up later and use that as a guide for the next ban.

          • UncookedSelachimorpha 3.2.1.1.2

            Hadn’t heard of Overton’s Window. Looked it up, interesting and makes sense. Thanks!

      • reason 3.2.2

        Helping farmers not pollute and cleaning up the waterways will only work when there is genuine co-operation and help between govt and farmers ….

        Don’t be such a dick pic blow arse clown BM

        “Attacking them farmers …. was the speculative high land prices ….. which almost demanded high intensity ( and unsustainable ) farming practices to ….’ maximise returns’

        We’re also contributing to animal cruelty , human exploitation, species death and deforestation ………… In that special way everything our departed sub prime prime minister touches soon turns to shit …

        Johhny made-off ……………… cowboy or ponzi ??? ……

        A derivative of both…. Filth and fakery everywhere

    • UncookedSelachimorpha 3.3

      Unfortunately the rate of expansion of dairy was similar under the previous Clark government also, this isn’t just a Nact problem (although the concentration of the benefit to the owners, rather than the workers, is probably worse with the Nacts).

      http://www.teara.govt.nz/en/graph/17632/dairy-cattle-numbers

      Both the Nats and Labour have to change their tunes on this one – I can’t see the Nacts ever doing that, maybe Labour will, especially with the help of the Greens.

      • weka 3.3.1

        True however a couple of things.

        One is that Labour appear to be changing. Not enough, but they’re starting to take notice.

        The other is that National have as their core policy that it’s ok for our rivers to be so polluted that the standard is wadable. That’s a recipe for ecosystem collapse. In other words, they are intending to cause that much destruction across the country for the sake of profit. I don’t think we can say that is true of Labour.

        The numbers of cattle per se isn’t the issue, nor is the rise. It’s the numbers in relation to the land base, how fast the rise has happened, and that virtually none of it is being done sustainably let alone regeneratively (there are some notable exceptions).

        The additional figures from the last decade,

        https://dairy.ahdb.org.uk/media/1272837/nz_estimates_graph_497x300.jpg

    • weka 4.1

      Might come back later and critique this more in depth, but basically it’s an opinion piece from a Fed Farmers dude that is full of straw men and potent ignorance about regenerative agriculture. You’d think these people would have better PR by now.

    • The article Jimmy wants us to take seriously begins:
      “All farmers, not just those in dairy, have recently been told that the world will be better off if we just switch to ecological farming.”
      Bullsh*t. Right from the get go. Let’s read on…

    • Perhaps I’ve mis-represented Jimmy – he may be providing us with the opportunity to look into the industry’s “brain” in the form of Andrew Hoggard’s dull view – Hoggard says, of ecological farming, “When I read about so-called ecological farming, I can only view it as subsistence farming.”, saying so much about his inability to research, think, learn, you know, all of those things that lead to understanding and realisation. Mr Hoggard should refrain from commenting, I believe, until he’s mastered thinking outside of his own little square. Andrew, btw, is pictured, looking scornful, wearing his fluro vest against a background of cows. His RD1 beanie speaks volumes.

      • Jimmy 4.3.1

        Yes you have misrepresented me Robert, I simply provided a link to encourage the “thinking” you are so into, I never suggested it should be taken in any particular way.
        Perhaps some thinking on this link and suggestions would be helpful, have a great evening.
        https://www.dairynz.co.nz/environment/

        • Robert Guyton 4.3.1.1

          Yes, sorry Jimmy. I remembered, eventually, your comments past and remembered how good they were. It is worth reading your link, if only to see how shallow the commentary from Dairy NZ – appalling really and not worthy of publication. I’ll read your second link now and try to be more careful in my response 🙂

        • Robert Guyton 4.3.1.2

          Regarding your link to the DairyNZ website, Jimmy, I’d say they are promoting themselves very well, within their own framework/story – that is, they’ll do what they define as farming, well, by their own standards. They are, in my experience, not able to see beyond their programme to profit from dairy farming. They’ll not accommodate/tolerate suggestions that their whole kaupapa is misplaced/wrong.

      • weka 4.3.2

        It’s not like we don’t have this thing called the internet. He’s chosen self-serving ignorance to underpin the spin.

        I am curious if they have been told about ecological farming and if so by whom. Is that a term used by the biodynamic people?

        • Jimmy 4.3.2.1

          Yes I know you all have the internet, this link was included in the article that I originally linked too. So it seemed relevant.

          Especially that it provides information on what the dairy industry is trying to achieve environmentally, which is what everyone is concerned about right?

          I’m pretty sure that an industry the size of NZ dairy, which includes university research teams has a fair understanding of all methods of agriculture.

          Andrew Hoggards writing style may not be for everyone, but he is just one man, not an entire industry.

          • Robert Guyton 4.3.2.1.1

            DairyNZ should’ve vetted Hoggard’s piece – it’s appalling.

          • Robert Guyton 4.3.2.1.2

            Wendell Berry on soil;
            “Soil is the recurring image in these essays. Again and again, Berry worries away at the question of topsoil. This is both a writer’s metaphor and a farmer’s reality, and for Wendell Berry, metaphors always come second to reality. ‘No use talking about getting enlightened or saving your soul’, he wrote to his friend, the poet Gary Snyder, in 1980, ‘if you can’t keep the topsoil from washing away.’ Over the last century, by some estimates, over half the world’s topsoil has been washed away by the war on nature which we call industrial farming. We may have perhaps fifty or sixty years of topsoil left if we continue to erode, poison and lay waste to it at this rate. As the human population continues to burgeon, the topsoil in which it grows its food continues to collapse. It is perhaps the least sexy environmental issue in the world, but for the future of human civilisation, which continues to depend upon farmers whether it knows it or not, it may be the most important.”
            http://dark-mountain.net/blog/the-world-ending-fire/

        • Robert Guyton 4.3.2.2

          The “ecological farming people” are well organised and well researched, from what I’ve seen, having been to several presentations by various practitioners – in fact, I’d describe them as acutely tuned to the needs of agriculture in whatever future it might have. Mr Hoggard would probably struggle to understand the concepts that the ecological farmers are working with and has chosen to attack out of ignorance, using dismissive terms to cover his own ignorance. I found the depth of understanding of soil and its importance shown by the ecological farmers vastly superior to that shown by conventional farmers in general, certainly those who thrill to Mr Hoggard’s way of thinking.

        • Robert Guyton 4.3.2.3

          “Wendell Berry’s formula for a good life and a good community is simple and pleasingly unoriginal. Slow down. Pay attention. Do good work. Love your neighbours. Love your place. Stay in your place. Settle for less, enjoy it more.”

          Oh, yes.

          • Jimmy 4.3.2.3.1

            Robert while systems like you promote are no doubt great ways to farm, and I would suggest that a lot of the current dairy farmers would enjoy running a farm on an organic/ecological system.

            The problem that the current batch of farmers, especially young farmers and sharemilkers have, is indebtedness to banks.

            This pretty much forces them into conventional farming practices simply because it returns a higher profit than systems you would promote.
            And when the bankers come knocking to find out why you are not meeting your mortgage payments, they are not going to suggest you carry on with your organic farming system.

            The other contributing problem, is consumers demand from farmers, a safe and high quality product at a cheaper and cheaper price.

            You have seen plenty of commentary where the consumer it sure they are being ripped off for dairy products.

            Try telling them they need to pay more for it if they want environmentally sound products, they will say they will.
            But when offered the choice of cheap but status quo or expensive and environmentally sound, most go for cheap every time, and then go home and write on internet blogs what a bunch of polluting rip of bastards farmers are.

            • Robert Guyton 4.3.2.3.1.1

              Jimmy – yes, what you say makes sense, but only if we “forget” what we know about the bigger picture: the degrading condition of the whole shebang. Conventional farming will feed us,right up till the point where everything collapses; the environment we live in can’t take that sort of treatment for much longer, so arguing to keep going with it, even with improvements by the industry, is not sensible, to my way of thinking. An “ecological” approach is an improvement, in terms of the bigger picture, but still threatens to destroy the place eventually, in my view. An even more courageous and well thought out “system” has to be adopted, soon, in order that we don’t bugger the place up for ourselves and a lot of other life forms. Banks, mortgages, sure, those are factors forcing the situation but they’re not reason enough to continue wrecking the joint, just as “jobs for the miners” isn’t reason enough to continue extracting coal, imo.

              • Jimmy

                Ok sounds good, but what is this new system exactly?
                How can indebted farmers convert to organic/ecological systems, without losing the shirt off their backs?
                How can we convince consumers to happily pay more for organic dairy products?
                Until these questions are answered in a way that suits all party’s only the status quo will reign.
                And the greens and the farmers will continue to butt heads, and the bigger picture will not be realised.

                • Indebted farmers will do it hard, but if keeping the status quo means eventual collapse, we’d be mad to do it, yes? Your greens .v. farmers is a false dichotomy; many farmers are green, many greens are farmers. Describing the way through this, the steps needed to get to a position that’s sustainable, isn’t easy but the ecological/regenerative farming people have some very good ideas for just that and the likes of Hoggard and his low-brow criticisms are endangering us all, “us” being living things.
                  Edit: at the council I constantly hear farmers who baulk at regulation, say, “show farmers the problem and let them find the solutions” – well, the problem is a dead-end practice – let’s hear their solutions, please.

  4. Foreign waka 5

    The land gentry has once more pulled the wool over the eyes of the many and just stole some more land that is close to the river (SI news story this week) without any regard that the irrigation will pollute the water upstream and thus the drinking water for the rest of the people further down. And down they are in their opinion it seems.
    Oh well, NZlanders with their “she’ll be right” attitude wont be doing anything about it anyway. Hence it is regarded as a silent approval. Let them drink Coke.

      • Foreign waka 5.1.1

        Yes, and what is going to be done about it? This is sanctioned theft and those who are doing it are effectively sheltered by all levels of government alike.
        Similarity, where are the Maori voices?
        So in other words one just can take land at will. And it is absolute wrong to say that the boundaries are difficult to pinpoint. Rates are based on these – so it should be very clear. Oh and here comes the best part, farmers are such good conservationists. They look after the land….. yeah we can see now what they mean.

        “But the areas taken over for farming were gone for good, Ms Miller said.
        Federated Farmers environment spokesperson Chris Allen said land titles adjacent to rivers were notoriously complicated, and he urged farmers to stick within the law if they planned on doing any work there.
        “I would say it is a good time to have a good, clear discussion as to what the current law and regulation actually is, before we decide as a community do we have adequate protections currently under the laws.”
        Mr Allen said he was not in a position to describe what those adequate protections might be.”

  5. simbit 6

    By ‘Maori’ you mean Ngai Tahu (if we’re talking about braided rivers along the East coast of the South Island) though any Maori (individual or collective) can venture an opinion of course.

  6. Foreign waka 7

    Simbit, this is the kind of answer that really proves my point- doesn’t it.

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    PunditBy Brian Easton
    4 days ago
  • Elections in Russia and Ukraine
    Anybody following the situation in Ukraine and Russia would probably have been amused by a recent Tweet on X NATO seems to be putting in an awful lot of effort to influence what is, at least according to them, a sham election in an autocracy.When do the Ukrainians go to ...
    4 days ago
  • Bernard’s six stack of substacks at 6pm on March 15
    TL;DR: Shaun Baker on Wynyard Quarter's transformation. Magdalene Taylor on the problem with smart phones. How private equity are now all over reinsurance. Dylan Cleaver on rugby and CTE. Emily Atkin on ‘Big Meat’ looking like ‘Big Oil’.Bernard’s six-stack of substacks at 6pm on March 15Photo by Jeppe Hove Jensen ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • Buzz from the Beehive Finance Minister Nicola Willis had plenty to say when addressing the Auckland Business Chamber on the economic growth that (she tells us) is flagging more than we thought. But the government intends to put new life into it:  We want our country to be a ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    4 days ago
  • National’s clean car tax advances
    The Transport and Infrastructure Committee has reported back on the Road User Charges (Light Electric RUC Vehicles) Amendment Bill, basicly rubberstamping it. While there was widespread support among submitters for the principle that EV and PHEV drivers should pay their fair share for the roads, they also overwhelmingly disagreed with ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    4 days ago
  • Government funding bailouts
    Peter Dunne writes – This week’s government bailout – the fifth in the last eighteen months – of the financially troubled Ruapehu Alpine Lifts company would have pleased many in the central North Island ski industry. The government’s stated rationale for the $7 million funding was that it ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • Two offenders, different treatments.
    See if you can spot the difference. An Iranian born female MP from a progressive party is accused of serial shoplifting. Her name is leaked to the media, which goes into a pack frenzy even before the Police launch an … Continue reading ...
    KiwipoliticoBy Pablo
    4 days ago
  • Treaty references omitted
    Ele Ludemann writes  – The government is omitting general Treaty references from legislation : The growth of Treaty of Waitangi clauses in legislation caused so much worry that a special oversight group was set up by the last Government in a bid to get greater coherence in the public service on Treaty ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • The Ghahraman Conflict
    What was that judge thinking? Peter Williams writes –  That Golriz Ghahraman and District Court Judge Maria Pecotic were once lawyer colleagues is incontrovertible. There is published evidence that they took at least one case to the Court of Appeal together. There was a report on ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • Bernard's Top 10 @ 10 'pick 'n' mix' for March 15
    TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: Climate Scorpion – the sting is in the tail. Introducing planetary solvency. A paper via the University of Exeter’s Institute and Faculty of Actuaries.Local scoop: Kāinga Ora starts pulling out of its Auckland projects and selling land RNZ ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • The day Wellington up-zoned its future
    Wellington’s massively upzoned District Plan adds the opportunity for tens of thousands of new homes not just in the central city (such as these Webb St new builds) but also close to the CBD and public transport links. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Wellington gave itself the chance of ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • Weekly Roundup 15-March-2024
    It’s Friday and we’re halfway through March Madness. Here’s some of the things that caught our attention this week. This Week in Greater Auckland On Monday Matt asked how we can get better event trains and an option for grade separating Morningside Dr. On Tuesday Matt looked into ...
    Greater AucklandBy Greater Auckland
    4 days ago
  • That Word.
    Something you might not know about me is that I’m quite a stubborn person. No, really. I don’t much care for criticism I think’s unfair or that I disagree with. Few of us do I suppose.Back when I was a drinker I’d sometimes respond defensively, even angrily. There are things ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    4 days ago
  • The Hoon around the week to March 15
    Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The five things that mattered in Aotearoa’s political economy that we wrote and spoke about via The Kākā and elsewhere for paying subscribers in the last week included:PM Christopher Luxon said the reversal of interest deductibility for landlords was done to help renters, who ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • Labour’s policy gap
    It was not so much the Labour Party but really the Chris Hipkins party yesterday at Labour’s caucus retreat in Martinborough. The former Prime Minister was more or less consistent on wealth tax, which he was at best equivocal about, and social insurance, which he was not willing to revisit. ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    4 days ago
  • Skeptical Science New Research for Week #11 2024
    Open access notables A Glimpse into the Future: The 2023 Ocean Temperature and Sea Ice Extremes in the Context of Longer-Term Climate Change, Kuhlbrodt et al., Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society: In the year 2023, we have seen extraordinary extrema in high sea surface temperature (SST) in the North Atlantic and in ...
    5 days ago
  • Melissa remains mute on media matters but has something to say (at a sporting event) about economic ...
     Buzz from the Beehive   The text reproduced above appears on a page which records all the media statements and speeches posted on the government’s official website by Melissa Lee as Minister of Media and Communications and/or by Jenny Marcroft, her Parliamentary Under-secretary.  It can be quickly analysed ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    5 days ago
  • The return of Muldoon
    For forty years, Robert Muldoon has been a dirty word in our politics. His style of government was so repulsive and authoritarian that the backlash to it helped set and entrench our constitutional norms. His pig-headedness over forcing through Think Big eventually gave us the RMA, with its participation and ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    5 days ago
  • Will the rental tax cut improve life for renters or landlords?
    Bryce Edwards writes –  Is the new government reducing tax on rental properties to benefit landlords or to cut the cost of rents? That’s the big question this week, after Associate Finance Minister David Seymour announced on Sunday that the Government would be reversing the Labour Government’s removal ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • Geoffrey Miller: What Saudi Arabia’s rapid changes mean for New Zealand
    Saudi Arabia is rarely far from the international spotlight. The war in Gaza has brought new scrutiny to Saudi plans to normalise relations with Israel, while the fifth anniversary of the controversial killing of Jamal Khashoggi was marked shortly before the war began on October 7. And as the home ...
    Democracy ProjectBy Geoffrey Miller
    5 days ago
  • Racism’s double standards
    Questions need to be asked on both sides of the world Peter Williams writes –   The NRL Judiciary hands down an eight week suspension to Sydney Roosters forward Spencer Leniu , an Auckland-born Samoan, after he calls Ezra Mam, Sydney-orn but of Aboriginal and Torres Strait ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • It’s not a tax break
    Ele Ludemann writes – Contrary to what many headlines and news stories are saying, residential landlords are not getting a tax break. The government is simply restoring to them the tax deductibility of interest they had until the previous government removed it. There is no logical reason ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • The Plastic Pig Collective and Chris' Imaginary Friends.
    I can't remember when it was goodMoments of happiness in bloomMaybe I just misunderstoodAll of the love we left behindWatching our flashbacks intertwineMemories I will never findIn spite of whatever you becomeForget that reckless thing turned onI think our lives have just begunI think our lives have just begunDoes anyone ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago
  • Who is responsible for young offenders?
    Michael Bassett writes – At first reading, a front-page story in the New Zealand Herald on 13 March was bizarre. A group of severely intellectually limited teenagers, with little understanding of the law, have been pleading to the Justice Select Committee not to pass a bill dealing with ram ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • Gordon Campbell on National’s fantasy trip to La La Landlord Land
    How much political capital is Christopher Luxon willing to burn through in order to deliver his $2.9 billion gift to landlords? Evidently, Luxon is: (a) unable to cost the policy accurately. As Anna Burns-Francis pointed out to him on Breakfast TV, the original ”rock solid” $2.1 billion cost he was ...
    5 days ago
  • Bernard's Top 10 @ 10 'pick 'n' mix' for March 14
    TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: Jonathon Porritt calling bullshit in his own blog post on mainstream climate science as ‘The New Denialism’.Local scoop: The Wellington City Council’s list of proposed changes to the IHP recommendations to be debated later today was leaked this ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • No, Prime Minister, rents don’t rise or fall with landlords’ costs
    TL;DR: Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said yesterday tenants should be grateful for the reinstatement of interest deductibility because landlords would pass on their lower tax costs in the form of lower rents. That would be true if landlords were regulated monopolies such as Transpower or Auckland Airport1, but they’re not, ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • Cartoons: ‘At least I didn’t make things awkward’
    This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Tom Toro Tom Toro is a cartoonist and author. He has published over 200 cartoons in The New Yorker since 2010. His cartoons appear in Playboy, the Paris Review, the New York Times, American Bystander, and elsewhere. Related: What 10 EV lovers ...
    5 days ago
  • Solving traffic congestion with Richard Prebble
    The business section of the NZ Herald is full of opinion. Among the more opinionated of all is the ex-Minister of Transport, ex-Minister of Railways, ex MP for Auckland Central (1975-93, Labour), Wellington Central (1996-99, ACT, then list-2005), ex-leader of the ACT Party, uncle to actor Antonia, the veritable granddaddy ...
    Greater AucklandBy Patrick Reynolds
    5 days ago
  • I Think I'm Done Flying Boeing
    Hi,Just quickly — I’m blown away by the stories you’ve shared with me over the last week since I put out the ‘Gary’ podcast, where I told you about the time my friend’s flatmate killed the neighbour.And you keep telling me stories — in the comments section, and in my ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    5 days ago
  • Invoking Aristotle: Of Rings of Power, Stones, and Ships
    The first season of Rings of Power was not awful. It was thoroughly underwhelming, yes, and left a lingering sense of disappointment, but it was more expensive mediocrity than catastrophe. I wrote at length about the series as it came out (see the Review section of the blog, and go ...
    6 days ago
  • Van Velden brings free-market approach to changing labour laws – but her colleagues stick to distr...
    Buzz from the Beehive Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Brooke van Velden told Auckland Business Chamber members they were the first audience to hear her priorities as a minister in a government committed to cutting red tape and regulations. She brandished her liberalising credentials, saying Flexible labour markets are the ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago
  • Why Newshub failed
    Chris Trotter writes – TO UNDERSTAND WHY NEWSHUB FAILED, it is necessary to understand how TVNZ changed. Up until 1989, the state broadcaster had been funded by a broadcasting licence fee, collected from every citizen in possession of a television set, supplemented by a relatively modest (compared ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago
  • Māori Party on the warpath against landlords and seabed miners – let’s see if mystical creature...
    Bob Edlin writes  –  The Māori Party has been busy issuing a mix of warnings and threats as its expresses its opposition to interest deductibility for landlords and the plans of seabed miners. It remains to be seen whether they  follow the example of indigenous litigants in Australia, ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago
  • There’s a name for this
    Every year, in the Budget, Parliament forks out money to government agencies to do certain things. And every year, as part of the annual review cycle, those agencies are meant to report on whether they have done the things Parliament gave them that money for. Agencies which consistently fail to ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    6 days ago
  • Echoes of 1968 in 2024?  Pocock on the repetitive problems of the New Left
    Mike Grimshaw writes – Recent events in American universities point to an underlying crisis of coherent thinking, an issue that increasingly affects the progressive left across the Western world. This of course is nothing new as anyone who can either remember or has read of the late ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago
  • Two bar blues
    The thing about life’s little victories is that they can be followed by a defeat.Reader Darryl told me on Monday night:Test again Dave. My “head cold” last week became COVID within 24 hours, and is still with me. I hear the new variants take a bit longer to show up ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    6 days ago
  • Bernard's Top 10 @ 10 'pick 'n' mix' for March 13
    TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: Angus Deaton on rethinking his economics IMFLocal scoop: The people behind Tamarind, the firm that left a $500m cleanup bill for taxpayers at Taranaki’s Tui oil well, are back operating in Taranaki under a different company name. Jonathan ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    6 days ago
  • AT Need To Lift Their Game
    Normally when we talk about accessing public transport it’s about improving how easy it is to get to, such as how easy is it to cross roads in a station/stop’s walking catchment, is it possible to cycle to safely, do bus connections work, or even if are there new routes/connections ...
    6 days ago
  • Christopher's Whopper.
    Politicians are not renowned for telling the truth. Some tell us things that are verifiably not true. They offer statements that omit critical pieces of information. Gloss over risks, preferring to offer the best case scenario.Some not truths are quite small, others amusing in their transparency. There are those repeated ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    6 days ago
  • Funding hole for tax cuts growing by the day
    The pressure is mounting on the Government as it finalises its Budget Policy Statement, but yet more predicted revenue ‘goes missing’. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The Climate Commission has delivered another funding blow to the National-ACT-NZ First coalition Government’s tax-cutting plans, potentially carving $1.4 billion off the ‘climate ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    6 days ago

  • Positive progress for social worker workforce
    New Zealand’s social workers are qualified, experienced, and more representative of the communities they serve, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “I want to acknowledge and applaud New Zealand’s social workers for the hard work they do, providing invaluable support for our most vulnerable. “To coincide with World ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 hours ago
  • Minister confirms reduced RUC rate for PHEVs
    Cabinet has agreed to a reduced road user charge (RUC) rate for plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs), Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. Owners of PHEVs will be eligible for a reduced rate of $38 per 1,000km once all light electric vehicles (EVs) move into the RUC system from 1 April.  ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 hours ago
  • Trade access to overseas markets creates jobs
    Minister of Agriculture and Trade, Todd McClay, says that today’s opening of Riverland Foods manufacturing plant in Christchurch is a great example of how trade access to overseas markets creates jobs in New Zealand.  Speaking at the official opening of this state-of-the-art pet food factory the Minister noted that exports ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 hours ago
  • NZ and Chinese Foreign Ministers hold official talks
    Minister of Foreign Affairs Winston Peters met with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Wellington today. “It was a pleasure to host Foreign Minister Wang Yi during his first official visit to New Zealand since 2017. Our discussions were wide-ranging and enabled engagement on many facets of New Zealand’s relationship with China, including trade, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    19 hours ago
  • Kāinga Ora instructed to end Sustaining Tenancies
    Kāinga Ora – Homes & Communities has been instructed to end the Sustaining Tenancies Framework and take stronger measures against persistent antisocial behaviour by tenants, says Housing Minister Chris Bishop. “Earlier today Finance Minister Nicola Willis and I sent an interim Letter of Expectations to the Board of Kāinga Ora. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    23 hours ago
  • Speech to Auckland Business Chamber: Growth is the answer
    Tēna koutou katoa. Greetings everyone. Thank you to the Auckland Chamber of Commerce and the Honourable Simon Bridges for hosting this address today. I acknowledge the business leaders in this room, the leaders and governors, the employers, the entrepreneurs, the investors, and the wealth creators. The coalition Government shares your ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Singapore rounds out regional trip
    Minister Winston Peters completed the final leg of his visit to South and South East Asia in Singapore today, where he focused on enhancing one of New Zealand’s indispensable strategic partnerships.      “Singapore is our most important defence partner in South East Asia, our fourth-largest trading partner and a ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Minister van Velden represents New Zealand at International Democracy Summit
    Minister of Internal Affairs and Workplace Relations and Safety, Hon. Brooke van Velden, will travel to the Republic of Korea to represent New Zealand at the Third Summit for Democracy on 18 March. The summit, hosted by the Republic of Korea, was first convened by the United States in 2021, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Insurance Council of NZ Speech, 7 March 2024, Auckland
    ICNZ Speech 7 March 2024, Auckland  Acknowledgements and opening  Mōrena, ngā mihi nui. Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Nor Whanganui aho.  Good morning, it’s a privilege to be here to open the ICNZ annual conference, thank you to Mark for the Mihi Whakatau  My thanks to Tim Grafton for inviting me ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Five-year anniversary of Christchurch terror attacks
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Lead Coordination Minister Judith Collins have expressed their deepest sympathy on the five-year anniversary of the Christchurch terror attacks. “March 15, 2019, was a day when families, communities and the country came together both in sorrow and solidarity,” Mr Luxon says.  “Today we pay our respects to the 51 shuhada ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Speech for Financial Advice NZ Conference 5 March 2024
    Speech for Financial Advice NZ Conference 5 March 2024  Acknowledgements and opening  Morena, Nga Mihi Nui.  Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Nor Whanganui aho. Thanks Nate for your Mihi Whakatau  Good morning. It’s a pleasure to formally open your conference this morning. What a lovely day in Wellington, What a great ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Early visit to Indonesia strengthens ties
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters held discussions in Jakarta today about the future of relations between New Zealand and South East Asia’s most populous country.   “We are in Jakarta so early in our new government’s term to reflect the huge importance we place on our relationship with Indonesia and South ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • China Foreign Minister to visit
    Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Winston Peters has announced that the Foreign Minister of China, Wang Yi, will visit New Zealand next week.  “We look forward to re-engaging with Foreign Minister Wang Yi and discussing the full breadth of the bilateral relationship, which is one of New Zealand’s ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Minister opens new Auckland Rail Operations Centre
    Transport Minister Simeon Brown has today opened the new Auckland Rail Operations Centre, which will bring together KiwiRail, Auckland Transport, and Auckland One Rail to improve service reliability for Aucklanders. “The recent train disruptions in Auckland have highlighted how important it is KiwiRail and Auckland’s rail agencies work together to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Celebrating 10 years of Crankworx Rotorua
    The Government is proud to support the 10th edition of Crankworx Rotorua as the Crankworx World Tour returns to Rotorua from 16-24 March 2024, says Minister for Economic Development Melissa Lee.  “Over the past 10 years as Crankworx Rotorua has grown, so too have the economic and social benefits that ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Government delivering on tax commitments
    Legislation implementing coalition Government tax commitments and addressing long-standing tax anomalies will be progressed in Parliament next week, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The legislation is contained in an Amendment Paper to the Taxation (Annual Rates for 2023–24, Multinational Tax, and Remedial Matters) Bill issued today.  “The Amendment Paper represents ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Significant Natural Areas requirement to be suspended
    Associate Environment Minister Andrew Hoggard has today announced that the Government has agreed to suspend the requirement for councils to comply with the Significant Natural Areas (SNA) provisions of the National Policy Statement for Indigenous Biodiversity for three years, while it replaces the Resource Management Act (RMA).“As it stands, SNAs ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Government classifies drought conditions in Top of the South as medium-scale adverse event
    Agriculture Minister Todd McClay has classified the drought conditions in the Marlborough, Tasman, and Nelson districts as a medium-scale adverse event, acknowledging the challenging conditions facing farmers and growers in the district. “Parts of Marlborough, Tasman, and Nelson districts are in the grip of an intense dry spell. I know ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Government partnership to tackle $332m facial eczema problem
    The Government is helping farmers eradicate the significant impact of facial eczema (FE) in pastoral animals, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay announced.  “A $20 million partnership jointly funded by Beef + Lamb NZ, the Government, and the primary sector will save farmers an estimated NZD$332 million per year, and aims to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • NZ, India chart path to enhanced relationship
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters has completed a successful visit to India, saying it was an important step in taking the relationship between the two countries to the next level.   “We have laid a strong foundation for the Coalition Government’s priority of enhancing New Zealand-India relations to generate significant future benefit for both countries,” says Mr Peters, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Ruapehu Alpine Lifts bailout the last, say Ministers
    Cabinet has agreed to provide $7 million to ensure the 2024 ski season can go ahead on the Whakapapa ski field in the central North Island but has told the operator Ruapehu Alpine Lifts it is the last financial support it will receive from taxpayers. Cabinet also agreed to provide ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Govt takes action to drive better cancer services
    Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says the launch of a new mobile breast screening unit in Counties Manukau reinforces the coalition Government’s commitment to drive better cancer services for all New Zealanders. Speaking at the launch of the new mobile clinic, Dr Reti says it’s a great example of taking ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Govt takes action to drive better cancer services
    Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says the launch of a new mobile breast screening unit in Counties Manukau reinforces the coalition Government’s commitment to drive better cancer services for all New Zealanders. Speaking at the launch of the new mobile clinic, Dr Reti says it’s a great example of taking ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Work begins on SH29 upgrades near Tauriko
    Unlocking economic growth and land for housing are critical elements of the Government’s plan for our transport network, and planned upgrades to State Highway 29 (SH29) near Tauriko will deliver strongly on those priorities, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “The SH29 upgrades near Tauriko will improve safety at the intersections ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Work begins on SH29 upgrades near Tauriko
    Unlocking economic growth and land for housing are critical elements of the Government’s plan for our transport network, and planned upgrades to State Highway 29 (SH29) near Tauriko will deliver strongly on those priorities, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “The SH29 upgrades near Tauriko will improve safety at the intersections ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Fresh produce price drop welcome
    Lower fruit and vegetable prices are welcome news for New Zealanders who have been doing it tough at the supermarket, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. Stats NZ reported today the price of fruit and vegetables has dropped 9.3 percent in the 12 months to February 2024.  “Lower fruit and vege ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Speech to the 68th United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (CSW68)
    Tēnā koutou katoa and greetings to you all.  Chair, I am honoured to address the 68th session of the Commission on the Status of Women. I acknowledge the many crises impacting the rights of women and girls. Heightened global tensions, war, climate related and humanitarian disasters, and price inflation all ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Statement to the 68th United Nations Commission on the Status of Women
    Tēnā koutou katoa and greetings to you all.  Chair, I am honoured to address the sixty-eighth session of the Commission on the Status of Women. I acknowledge the many crises impacting the rights of women and girls. Heightened global tensions, war, climate related and humanitarian disasters, and price inflation all ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Government backs rural led catchment projects
    The coalition Government is supporting farmers to enhance land management practices by investing $3.3 million in locally led catchment groups, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay announced. “Farmers and growers deliver significant prosperity for New Zealand and it’s vital their ongoing efforts to improve land management practices and water quality are supported,” ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Speech to Auckland Business Chamber
    Good evening everyone and thank you for that lovely introduction.   Thank you also to the Honourable Simon Bridges for the invitation to address your members. Since being sworn in, this coalition Government has hit the ground running with our 100-day plan, delivering the changes that New Zealanders expect of us. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago
  • Commission’s advice on ETS settings tabled
    Recommendations from the Climate Change Commission for New Zealand on the Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) auction and unit limit settings for the next five years have been tabled in Parliament, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. “The Commission provides advice on the ETS annually. This is the third time the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Government lowering building costs
    The coalition Government is beginning its fight to lower building costs and reduce red tape by exempting minor building work from paying the building levy, says Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk. “Currently, any building project worth $20,444 including GST or more is subject to the building levy which is ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Trustee tax change welcomed
    Proposed changes to tax legislation to prevent the over-taxation of low-earning trusts are welcome, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The changes have been recommended by Parliament’s Finance and Expenditure Committee following consideration of submissions on the Taxation (Annual Rates for 2023–24, Multinational Tax, and Remedial Matters) Bill. “One of the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Minister’s Ramadan message
    Assalaamu alaikum. السَّلَام عليكم In light of the holy month of Ramadan, I want to extend my warmest wishes to our Muslim community in New Zealand. Ramadan is a time for spiritual reflection, renewed devotion, perseverance, generosity, and forgiveness.  It’s a time to strengthen our bonds and appreciate the diversity ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Minister appoints new NZTA Chair
    Former Transport Minister and CEO of the Auckland Business Chamber Hon Simon Bridges has been appointed as the new Board Chair of the New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA) for a three-year term, Transport Minister Simeon Brown announced today. “Simon brings extensive experience and knowledge in transport policy and governance to the role. He will ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Speech to Life Sciences Summit
    Good morning all, it is a pleasure to be here as Minister of Science, Innovation and Technology.  It is fantastic to see how connected and collaborative the life science and biotechnology industry is here in New Zealand. I would like to thank BioTechNZ and NZTech for the invitation to address ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Progress continues apace on water storage
    Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says he is looking forward to the day when three key water projects in Northland are up and running, unlocking the full potential of land in the region. Mr Jones attended a community event at the site of the Otawere reservoir near Kerikeri on Friday. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Government agrees to restore interest deductions
    Associate Finance Minister David Seymour has today announced that the Government has agreed to restore deductibility for mortgage interest on residential investment properties. “Help is on the way for landlords and renters alike. The Government’s restoration of interest deductibility will ease pressure on rents and simplify the tax code,” says ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Minister to attend World Anti-Doping Agency Symposium
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