Guest post – Bucking the trend at ECAN

Written By: - Date published: 8:47 am, July 10th, 2019 - 26 comments
Categories: christchurch earthquake, climate change, democracy under attack, national, same old national - Tags:

Environment Canterbury (ECAN for short) is going through something of an existential crisis. The Board should be the vanguard for those promoting environmental concerns (after all, it’s in the name). And yet, for almost a decade there has been little ‘walk’ to go with the ‘talk’.

It began in 2010, when the National Government overthrew the democratically elected Council; arguing that it was so dysfunctional that it was no longer capable of doing its core function. Of course, the real reason was that a majority of the Council had dared to oppose the intensification of dairy farming and irrigation schemes in Canterbury. In place of elected Councillors, National put a team of Commissioners in, who gleefully proceeded to ensure that the irrigation and dairying interests got precedence over environmental issues.

Fast forward to 2016 when a partial democracy was put in place. This was itself a broken promise by National, who had pledged to restore full democracy that year. But under the guise of structural stress supposedly arising from the quakes, Key’s mob determined that we weren’t yet ready to make our own decisions. Faced with seasoned Commissioners, and a senior ECAN staff in thrall with the Commissioners’ direction, the newly elected Councillors struggled to make any meaningful difference to the environmental damage in Canterbury’s waterways and country-side. They also failed to get any traction around any integrated public transport plan. Things got so bad that Extinction Rebellion staged a major sit in to force ECAN to consider declaring a Climate emergency. No amount of subsequent talking points by ECAN can disguise the ongoing lack of leadership on climate change from the very local body tasked with providing it.

No such trouble down the road at the Christchurch City Council. There the Council has taken a lead on promoting environmental issues. And one of the strongest voices has been ex-Mayor, and current Councillor Vicki Buck. Unlike the erstwhile Councillors of ECAN, Vicki has thundered against a raft of policy failures she has seen coming out of the Tuam Street HQ. Water quality; air quality; declaring a climate emergency; promoting an EV bus fleet: Councillor Buck has been a leading voice for them all.

But now the thunder has reached a new level. In a recent public post, Vicki Buck has castigated ECAN and its Councillors over the decision to allow nitrate to leech into Canterbury’s aquifers. I quote:

Ecan – and nitrates coming into your drinking aquifer with their blessing
• Those bloody nitrates … sometimes it’s impossible to read Ecan’s agenda and not explode !!!

Plan change 7 is coming up at Ecan’s meeting this Thursday (11 July 2019).

Its the one which allows nitrates to leach under the Waimakariri River4 and into our aquifer …from which we draw your drinking water .

The current level is about 0.4mg/l . Their proposal is to take it to 10 times that amount !!!! And they seem to have ( well I cant see it anywhere ) nothing that penalises any farmer that doesnt meet the requisite standard. But they are allowing a decade before the first lot of reductions kick in , and then its only 15% and then another decade before the next lot ( also 15% ) does .

On page 74 of their agenda ( although it would be hard to identify cos plain English is not what its written in the issue of Plan Change 7 . https://api.ecan.govt.nz/trimpub…/documents/download/3665272

The attachments , sadly , are not in the agenda … apparently we’re just supposed to take them at their word …

Then they want to have it all done and dusted this side of the election because then it seems you can only appeal on a point of law … whereas the fundamental issue here is the protection of a city’s drinking aquifer which has been completely excluded from the consideration in the report that was consulted on !!! Christchurch City Council is not on the Waimakariri Zone Committee.

So we are all only going to get a month for submissions …from July 20th by the look of it ..

The City Council has submitted in total opposition to any increase in nitrates on this – and , as you can see- been totally ignored. Just as the Waimakariri ZIPA report on which its based didn’t even think to consider the cost to everyone in the City of damage to its drinking water aquifer .

It considered the cost to farmers in the affected Waimakariri area – but nothing in the economics about the city …or your health . Ecan argue constantly that the nitrates are “in the post “ but they are taking action incredibly slowly to restrict them . They could go much much faster .

Then just to add insult to injury they suggest ( p111) that there should be more research done by the Government about the harm nitrates cause and they are going to write and suggest it !!! Well… .bugger me …if you’re not sure how much harm they cause -despite a lot of research why the hell are you letting them come into our drinking water !!!!

Be ready to do some serious submissions… cos this is -in a word – revolting!

Vicki’s post is getting a lot of public support, and it’s easy to see why. The current elected Councillors seem no more effective in standing up for the environmental crisis facing Canterbury than the Commissioners who did the damage in the first place.

For ten years the trend at ECAN has been to prioritise short term commercial gain over the damage to our local environment. Cantabrians elected people in 2016 to change that. But, as Vicki is so forcefully arguing, on issue after issue they aren’t delivering it.

When it comes to leadership on Climate Change in Canterbury, we’re seeing it from Vicki and the City Councillors who are supporting her: including Turner, Cotter, Johanson, Livingston, Galloway, Chen and Clearwater (never a more apt name!)

Vicki is retiring from the City Council this term: but I doubt she’ll be retiring from supporting Climate Change. Maybe she’ll put her hat in the ECAN ring, or maybe she’ll be on the side-lines. But what Vicki won’t be is silent. She’s been the leader we’ve needed at ECAN but haven’t had. Thank Heaven she’s bucked that trend.

If you’re in Otatauhi this Thursday morning, join Vicki and Extinction Rebellion as they challenge ECAN to overturn this disastrous decision and stop nitrate leeching into our waterways.

Anthony Rimell

26 comments on “Guest post – Bucking the trend at ECAN ”

  • Comments are now closed

  1. Kevin 1
    10 July 2019 at 8:57 am

    Does the current government have any plans to restore full democratically elected representatives to ECAN?

    • Anthony Rimell 1.1
      10 July 2019 at 9:14 am

      This year the ECAN Board will be fully elected. It's time for a change there, that's for sure!

      • greywarshark 1.1.1
        10 July 2019 at 10:19 am

        Edit
        I hope that means that the ECAN Board will be fully 'ejected', and those few who are seasoned battlers against the vandals with the National imprimatur will be returned with other elected people ready to bear the right responsibilities to good governance.

        ECAN (National decadent and redundant type) – Exterminate, Exterminate. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O-9M69-rdE8

        Those in Christchurch who believe in good conservation and careful distribution practices regarding water, and the environment generally must for Christchurch's sake, be sure to vote and elect really ethical, responsible, knowledgable people. Then ECANT will drop its cant and be ECAN!

    • Rosemary McDonald 1.2
      10 July 2019 at 9:18 am

      Does the current government have any plans to restore full democratically elected representatives to ECAN?

      Now that is a very, very good question. It would be a true indicator of the Coalition's commitment to democracy.

      • Dukeofurl 1.2.1
        10 July 2019 at 2:02 pm

        Nationals 2016 Environment Canterbury Transitional Governance Arrangements Act non democratic members expires this year.

        "Under the Environment Canterbury (Transitional Governance Arrangements) Act 2016 the Council has completed a representation review for the 2019 elections and must now return Environment Canterbury to a fully democratically elected Council. "
        The biggest change is Christchurch now has 8 members rather than previously 4
        https://ecan.govt.nz/about-us/your-council/elections/

        There seems to still be restrictions on appeals that are different to other regional councils

  2. Ad 2
    10 July 2019 at 9:40 am

    Who intends to stand there this year?

    Would Vicki Buck have a go? Or is that the intent of her post?

  3. WeTheBleeple 3
    10 July 2019 at 9:44 am

    The research is already in. Nitrate, nitrite and ammonia are all poisonous to aquatic species. The fact ANY nitrate is present in the water suggests the natural systems are already overwhelmed.

    I have a tank here that reads 0 nitrate. This after twenty years stocked with fish. These are the readings I would expect to see in 'clean' waterways, where plant extraction = fish excretion.

    But in their model there appears to be excrement in the council dishing out excrement in policy to deliver excrement in the water supply – it's a shit show.

    A poison supply is handy if you want to sell expensive bottled water. Also if you're keen on privatising and profiting from health – toxic water would be a boon for business.

    As for the koura, kokopu, inanga, eels, arthropods, amphipods and more… They're merely an abstraction to accountants.

    The so called call for more research is typical smoke and mirrors BS where a direct cause-effect relationship might be questioned e.g. nitrate – cancer. But when you dig deeper it is a serious issue.

    "Nitrate per se does not appear to be carcinogenic in animals or humans in typical exposure scenarios, but a significant portion (∼20%) of ingested nitrate is endogenously reduced to nitrite, which can then undergo nitrosation in the stomach with amines and amides to form N-nitroso compounds. 3,4 Nitrosation may also occur in the large intestine and the bladder. 4 N-nitroso compounds are some of the strongest known carcinogens, 2 can act systemically, 5 and have been found to induce cancer in a variety of organs in more than 40 animal species including higher primates.

    And that's the back-door for mealy mouthed shits who propagate the spreading of shit.

    "Nitrate per se does not appear to be carcinogenic in animals or humans." < = How criminally dishonest people read the above paragraph.

    • RedLogix 3.1
      10 July 2019 at 9:56 am

      Yes I've seen this in Australia where it's common to use chloramines to disinfect town water supplies instead of straight chlorine as we do here. If you have an aquarium and use straight town water the fish die within 24 hrs.

      Also relates to aquaponics where there is a continuous cycle of fish excreting nitrates then the bacteria/algae converting it to nitrites which the plants then use as their food supply. The clean water is then recycled back to the fish. There are lots of variations on this idea, but I've always regarded it as very cool tech indeed.

      • WeTheBleeple 3.1.1
        10 July 2019 at 10:50 am

        My tank I describe is one of the first aquaponic systems. I am one of a handful of pioneers and claim this distinction cos I worked f'n hard at it and spread the knowledge through Aussie and US websites and publications. I did not bother promoting the technology here in NZ as with our rainfall back then it seemed a superflous white elephant. Watching how crap our zoos are at keeping native fish alive they could do with some help – but have you ever tried to help an 'expert'…

        Besides, there were a myriad other things to be explored.

        Mine is possibly the first ever (well stocked) system to not require cleaning for decades. First to breed kokopu in captivity!

        NZ has enormous potential for aquaculture via iterations of this concept.

        Check dams on drainage systems. Food chains off the nitrate. Aquaculture off the food chains…

        Thinking required.

        P.S. The cycling from fish waste is: ammonia – nitrite – nitrate.

    • Kevin 3.2
      10 July 2019 at 10:18 am

      FFS, that is disturbing reading.

  4. ECantabrian 4
    10 July 2019 at 9:55 am

    A pity the elected councillors from Christchurch have not been up to the task – here I mean Steve Lowndes (Chair), Cynthia Roberts, and Lan Pham. ECan needs a total clean out.

    • Sacha 4.1
      10 July 2019 at 12:15 pm

      https://www.stuff.co.nz/environment/109312967/ecan-approves-higher-level-of-nitrates-in-christchurch-drinking-water

      Christchurch drinking water will be able to contain more nitrates from pollution for the next 50 to 100 years, Environment Canterbury (ECan) has decided.

      The elevated level of 3.8 milligrams of nitrates per litre of water was proposed by the Waimakariri Water Zone Committee, due to polluted water flowing into aquifers from North Canterbury dairy farms.

      ECan councillors Lan Pham​ and Iaean Cranwell voted against the proposal at Thursday afternoon's meeting.

      • Grumpy 4.1.1
        10 July 2019 at 12:45 pm

        Thanks Sacha, a good link that reinforces my point made below. In my experience high nitrate levels normally occur when the ground surface is disturbed, allowing surface nitrates to enter the higher aquifers. Large scale development for housing or roading (including dairy conversions) would account for this. Note the photo in the article of a nitrate barrier under construction that would act as a surface filter.

    • greywarshark 4.2
      10 July 2019 at 3:21 pm

      You may be too harsh. It is hard as a minority trying to hold the line.

  5. Philj 5
    10 July 2019 at 11:41 am

    Thanks for posting. What ECAN needs is a good enema. Followed by a drip feed into the near dead corpse of dumocruptcy. The folk of Canterbury have been cheated. Good on Vicky and other caring humans. This is excrement.

  6. Grumpy 6
    10 July 2019 at 11:42 am

    The current level for Nitrates set by ECAN is 11.3g/m3. The level for USA is 10g/m3.

    As far as I am aware ECAN is looking at reducing the allowable level to match other countries such as USA.

    I suspect this is a beatup.

    • Grumpy 6.1
      10 July 2019 at 11:50 am

      Looks like ECAN is looking to reduce it's limit from 11.3g/m3 to 4g/m3, surely a move that should be applauded. The current reading according to the post is 0.4g/m3, extremely low by any standards,

      • ianmac 6.1.1
        10 July 2019 at 2:05 pm

        Not so Grumpy. One of the Canterbury rivers, (Rangitata or Selwyn?) ECan wants to increase the limit to 14 or 15g/m3. (Not sure of the facts just that recently they intend to increase limits.)

        • Grumpy 6.1.1.1
          10 July 2019 at 2:18 pm

          You may be correct about that. I have several shallow wells by the Selwyn. When we built the new house I had the water tested and it was 11.7g/m3. The well was only 8m with a standing level of 1m. On the theory that the nitrates were a result of site works we pumped for several hours and obtained a test of much less. After building the house, I put the well down to 25m and got a very good test. The Selwyn and Rangitata have high nitrates, the Ashburton area particularly. In discussions with Ecan and Selwyn DC I would be surprised and shocked if they changed the limits upwards, high nitrates seem to be associated with shallow wells, the solution is just to go deeper.

          My earlier comments relate to the Christchurch water from the Waimakariri.

          • ianmac 6.1.1.1.1
            10 July 2019 at 3:34 pm

            Very interesting Grumpy. Good to have some real data. You are right about the Waimakariri and there will be an ongoing problem because of the "lag effect." I can't find what I thought was being discussed about raising the limits but see that Christchurch has voted for a limit of 3.8 and is building filters to protect the City water supply. Hope a new Elected ECan committee is created.

          • WeTheBleeple 6.1.1.1.2
            10 July 2019 at 5:13 pm

            The solution is not to go deeper. WTF?

            The solution is to stop the pollution entering the waterways in the first place. Your shallow well readings show they have failed in this regard.

            It's not just about your well water but ecological health, biodiversity, conservation of threatened species, clean green image/marketing, and the Treaty of Waitangi.

            • Dukeofurl 6.1.1.1.2.1
              10 July 2019 at 5:33 pm

              Yes thats right . Once the shallow wells would have been OK . A simple view would see the nitates going deeper over time as I understand the artesian flow has a time based component as you go deeper

          • Ian 6.1.1.1.3
            11 July 2019 at 3:30 am

            The Rangitata has minimal nitrate levels .Managed Aquifer Recharge trials have been highly successful in reducing groundwater nitrates and groundwater levels using Rangitata water.

            • WeTheBleeple 6.1.1.1.3.1
              11 July 2019 at 8:49 am

              Using alpine water for aquifer recharge has got stuff all to do with farm pollutants in Canterbury waterways and is a red herring from the actual topic. Note they don't recharge during rain events, as the runoff from farms is still problematic.

              Good on them for recharging the aquifer. It's still poor compared to retrieval. Added to this, why is ECAN paying for all this when it's the farmers and industry draining it?

              All that engineering.

              One word, myriad uses to the environment: Wetlands.

  7. Gabby 7
    10 July 2019 at 5:31 pm

    So does Bill Bayfield have the ceo position in a death grip?

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    As Deb Te Kawa writes in an op-ed, the new Government seems to have immediately bought itself fights with just about everyone. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Here’s my pick of the top 10 news and analysis links elsewhere as of 10 am on Monday December 4, including:Palau’s President ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago

  • Be Honest.
    Let’s begin today by thinking about job interviews.During my career in Software Development I must have interviewed hundreds of people, hired at least a hundred, but few stick in the memory.I remember one guy who was so laid back he was practically horizontal, leaning back in his chair until his ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    3 days ago

  • Geoffrey Miller: New Zealand’s foreign policy resets on AUKUS, Gaza and Ukraine
    New Zealand’s international relations are under new management. And Winston Peters, the new foreign minister, is already setting a change agenda. As expected, this includes a more pro-US positioning when it comes to the Pacific – where Peters will be picking up where he left off. Peters sought to align ...
    Democracy ProjectBy Geoffrey Miller
    3 days ago

  • Auckland rail tunnel the world’s most expensive
    Auckland’s city rail link is the most expensive rail project in the world per km, and the CRL boss has described the cost of infrastructure construction in Aotearoa as a crisis. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The 3.5 km City Rail Link (CRL) tunnel under Auckland’s CBD has cost ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago

  • First big test coming
    The first big test of the new Government’s approach to Treaty matters is likely to be seen in the return of the Resource Management Act. RMA Minister Chris Bishop has confirmed that he intends to introduce legislation to repeal Labour’s recently passed Natural and Built Environments Act and its ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    3 days ago

  • The Song of Saqua: Volume III
    Time to revisit something I haven’t covered in a while: the D&D campaign, with Saqua the aquatic half-vampire. Last seen in July: https://phuulishfellow.wordpress.com/2023/07/27/the-song-of-saqua-volume-ii/ The delay is understandable, once one realises that the interim saw our DM come down with a life-threatening medical situation. They have since survived to make ...
    A Phuulish FellowBy strda221
    3 days ago

  • Chris Bishop: Smokin’
    Yes. Correct. It was an election result. And now we are the elected government. ...
    My ThinksBy boonman
    4 days ago

  • 2023 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #48
    A chronological listing of news and opinion articles posted on the Skeptical Science  Facebook Page during the past week: Sun, Nov 26, 2023 thru Dec 2, 2023. Story of the Week CO2 readings from Mauna Loa show failure to combat climate change Daily atmospheric carbon dioxide data from Hawaiian volcano more ...
    Skeptical Science
    4 days ago

  • Affirmative Action.
    Affirmative Action was a key theme at this election, although I don’t recall anyone using those particular words during the campaign.They’re positive words, and the way the topic was talked about was anything but. It certainly wasn’t a campaign of saying that Affirmative Action was a good thing, but that, ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    4 days ago

  • 100 days of something
    It was at the end of the Foxton straights, at the end of 1978, at 100km/h, that someone tried to grab me from behind on my Yamaha.They seemed to be yanking my backpack. My first thought was outrage. My second was: but how? Where have they come from? And my ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    4 days ago

  • Look who’s stepped up to champion Winston
    There’s no news to be gleaned from the government’s official website today  – it contains nothing more than the message about the site being under maintenance. The time this maintenance job is taking and the costs being incurred have us musing on the government’s commitment to an assault on inflation. ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    5 days ago

  • What's The Story?
    Don’t you sometimes wish they’d just tell the truth? No matter how abhorrent or ugly, just straight up tell us the truth?C’mon guys, what you’re doing is bad enough anyway, pretending you’re not is only adding insult to injury.Instead of all this bollocks about the Smokefree changes being to do ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago

  • The longest of weeks
    Hello! Here comes the Saturday edition of More Than A Feilding, catching you up on the past week’s editions.Friday Under New Management Week in review, quiz style1. Which of these best describes Aotearoa?a. Progressive nation, proud of its egalitarian spirit and belief in a fair go b. Best little country on the planet c. ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    5 days ago

  • Suggested sessions of EGU24 to submit abstracts to
    Like earlier this year, members from our team will be involved with next year's General Assembly of the European Geosciences Union (EGU). The conference will take place on premise in Vienna as well as online from April 14 to 19, 2024. The session catalog has been available since November 1 ...
    Skeptical Science
    5 days ago

  • Under New Management
    1. Which of these best describes Aotearoa?a. Progressive nation, proud of its egalitarian spirit and belief in a fair go b. Best little country on the planet c. Under New Management 2. Which of these best describes the 100 days of action announced this week by the new government?a. Petulantb. Simplistic and wrongheaded c. ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    6 days ago

  • While we wait patiently, our new Minister of Education is up and going with a 100-day action plan
    Sorry to say, the government’s official website is still out of action. When Point of Order paid its daily visit, the message was the same as it has been for the past week: Site under maintenance Beehive.govt.nz is currently under maintenance. We will be back shortly. Thank you for your ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago

  • DAVID FARRAR: Hysterical bullshit
    Radio NZ reports: Te Pāti Māori’s co-leader Debbie Ngarewa-Packer has accused the new government of “deliberate .. systemic genocide” over its policies to roll back the smokefree policy and the Māori Health Authority. The left love hysterical language. If you oppose racial quotas in laws, you are a racist. And now if you sack ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago

  • Skeptical Science New Research for Week #48 2023
    Open access notables From this week's government/NGO section, longitudinal data is gold and Leisorowitz, Maibachi et al. continue to mine ore from the US public with Climate Change in the American Mind: Politics & Policy, Fall 2023: Drawing on a representative sample of the U.S. adult population, the authors describe how registered ...
    Skeptical Science
    6 days ago

  • ELE LUDEMANN: It wasn’t just $55 million
    Ele Ludemann writes –  Winston Peters reckons media outlets were bribed by the $55 million Public Interest Journalism Fund. He is not the first to make such an accusation. Last year, the Platform outlined conditions media signed up to in return for funds from the PJIF: . . . ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago

  • Weekly Roundup 1-December-2023
    Wow, it’s December already, and it’s a Friday. So here are few things that caught our attention recently. This Week in Greater Auckland On Monday Matt covered the new government’s coalition agreements and what they mean for transport. On Tuesday Matt looked at AT’s plans for fare increases ...
    Greater AucklandBy Greater Auckland
    6 days ago

  • Shane MacGowan Is Gone.
    Late 1996, The Dogs Bollix, Tamaki Makaurau.I’m at the front of the bar yelling my order to the bartender, jostling with other thirsty punters on a Friday night, keen to piss their wages up against a wall letting loose. The black stuff, long luscious pints of creamy goodness. Back down ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    6 days ago

  • The Hoon around the week to Dec 1
    Nicola Willis, Chris Bishop and other National, ACT and NZ First MPs applaud the signing of the coalition agreements, which included the reversal of anti-smoking measures while accelerating tax cuts for landlords. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The five things that mattered in Aotearoa’s political economy that we wrote ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    6 days ago

  • 2023 More Reading: November (+ Writing Update)
    Completed reads for November: A Modern Utopia, by H.G. Wells The Vampire (poem), by Heinrich August Ossenfelder The Corpus Hermeticum The Corpus Hermeticum is Mead’s translation. Now, this is indeed a very quiet month for reading. But there is a reason for that… You see, ...
    A Phuulish FellowBy strda221
    6 days ago

  • Forward to 2017
    The coalition party agreements are mainly about returning to 2017 when National lost power. They show commonalities but also some serious divergencies.The two coalition agreements – one National and ACT, the other National and New Zealand First – are more than policy documents. They also describe the processes of the ...
    PunditBy Brian Easton
    7 days ago

  • Questions a nine year old might ask the new Prime Minister
    First QuestionYou’re going to crack down on people ram-raiding dairies, because you say hard-working dairy owners shouldn’t have to worry about getting ram-raided.But once the chemist shops have pseudoephedrine in them again, they're going to get ram-raided all the time. Do chemists not work as hard as dairy owners?Second QuestionYou ...
    More than a fieldingBy David Slack
    7 days ago

  • Questions a nine year old might ask the new Prime Minister
    First QuestionYou’re going to crack down on people ram-raiding dairies, because you say hard-working dairy owners shouldn’t have to worry about getting ram-raided.But once the chemist shops have pseudoephedrine in them again, they're going to get ram-raided all the time. Do chemists not work as hard as dairy owners?Second QuestionYou ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    7 days ago

  • Finally
    Henry Kissinger is finally dead. Good fucking riddance. While Americans loved him, he was a war criminal, responsible for most of the atrocities of the final quarter of the twentieth century. Cambodia. Bangladesh. Chile. East Timor. All Kissinger. Because of these crimes, Americans revere him as a "statesman" (which says ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    7 days ago

  • Government in a hurry – Luxon lists 49 priorities in 100-day plan while Peters pledges to strength...
    Buzz from the Beehive Yes, ministers in the new government are delivering speeches and releasing press statements. But the message on the government’s official website was the same as it has been for the past several days, when Point of Order went looking for news from the Beehive that had ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    7 days ago

  • DAVID FARRAR: Luxon is absolutely right
    David Farrar writes  –  1 News reports: Christopher Luxon says he was told by some Kiwis on the campaign trail they “didn’t know” the difference between Waka Kotahi, Te Pūkenga and Te Whatu Ora. Speaking to Breakfast, the incoming prime minister said having English first on government agencies will “make sure” ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    7 days ago

  • Top 10 at 10 am for Thursday, Nov 30
    There are fears that mooted changes to building consent liability could end up driving the building industry into an uninsured hole. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Here’s my pick of the top 10 news and analysis links elsewhere as of 10 am on Thursday, November 30, including:The new Government’s ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    7 days ago

  • Gordon Campbell on how climate change threatens cricket‘s future
    Well that didn’t last long, did it? Mere days after taking on what he called the “awesome responsibility” of being Prime Minister, M Christopher Luxon has started blaming everyone else, and complaining that he has inherited “economic vandalism on an unprecedented scale” – which is how most of us are ...
    Gordon CampbellBy lyndon
    7 days ago

  • We need to talk about Tory.
    The first I knew of the news about Tory Whanau was when a tweet came up in my feed.The sort of tweet that makes you question humanity, or at least why you bother with Twitter. Which is increasingly a cesspit of vile inhabitants who lurk spreading negativity, hate, and every ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    7 days ago

  • Dangling Transport Solutions
    Cable Cars, Gondolas, Ropeways and Aerial Trams are all names for essentially the same technology and the world’s biggest maker of them are here to sell them as an public transport solution. Stuff reports: Austrian cable car company Doppelmayr has launched its case for adding aerial cable cars to New ...
    Greater AucklandBy Matt L
    7 days ago

  • November AMA
    Hi,It’s been awhile since I’ve done an Ask-Me-Anything on here, so today’s the day. Ask anything you like in the comments section, and I’ll be checking in today and tomorrow to answer.Leave a commentNext week I’ll be giving away a bunch of these Mister Organ blu-rays for readers in New ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    1 week ago

  • National’s early moves adding to cost of living pressure
    The cost of living grind continues, and the economic and inflation honeymoon is over before it began. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: PM Christopher Luxon unveiled his 100 day plan yesterday with an avowed focus of reducing cost-of-living pressures, but his Government’s initial moves and promises are actually elevating ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago

  • Backwards to the future
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has confirmed that it will be back to the future on planning legislation. This will be just one of a number of moves which will see the new government go backwards as it repeals and cost-cuts its way into power. They will completely repeal one ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    1 week ago

  • New initiatives in science and technology could point the way ahead for Luxon government
    As the new government settles into the Beehive, expectations are high that it can sort out some  of  the  economic issues  confronting  New Zealand. It may take time for some new  ministers to get to grips with the range of their portfolio work and responsibilities before they can launch the  changes that  ...
    Point of OrderBy tutere44
    1 week ago

  • Treaty pledge to secure funding is contentious – but is Peters being pursued by a lynch mob after ...
    TV3 political editor Jenna Lynch was among the corps of political reporters who bridled, when Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters told them what he thinks of them (which is not much). She was unabashed about letting her audience know she had bridled. More usefully, she drew attention to something which ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    1 week ago

  • How long does this last?
    I have a clear memory of every election since 1969 in this plucky little nation of ours. I swear I cannot recall a single one where the question being asked repeatedly in the first week of the new government was: how long do you reckon they’ll last? And that includes all ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    1 week ago

  • National’s giveaway politics
    We already know that national plans to boost smoking rates to collect more tobacco tax so they can give huge tax-cuts to mega-landlords. But this morning that policy got even more obscene - because it turns out that the tax cut is retrospective: Residential landlords will be able to ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    1 week ago

  • Minister sets expectations of Commissioner
    Today I met with Police Commissioner Andrew Coster to set out my expectations, which he has agreed to, says Police Minister Mark Mitchell. Under section 16(1) of the Policing Act 2008, the Minister can expect the Police Commissioner to deliver on the Government’s direction and priorities, as now outlined in ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    12 hours ago

  • New Zealand needs a strong and stable ETS
    New Zealand needs a strong and stable Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) that is well placed for the future, after emission units failed to sell for the fourth and final auction of the year, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says.  At today’s auction, 15 million New Zealand units (NZUs) – each ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    13 hours ago

  • PISA results show urgent need to teach the basics
    With 2022 PISA results showing a decline in achievement, Education Minister Erica Stanford is confident that the Coalition Government’s 100-day plan for education will improve outcomes for Kiwi kids.  The 2022 PISA results show a significant decline in the performance of 15-year-old students in maths compared to 2018 and confirms ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago

  • Collins leaves for Pacific defence meeting
    Defence Minister Judith Collins today departed for New Caledonia to attend the 8th annual South Pacific Defence Ministers’ meeting (SPDMM). “This meeting is an excellent opportunity to meet face-to-face with my Pacific counterparts to discuss regional security matters and to demonstrate our ongoing commitment to the Pacific,” Judith Collins says. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago

  • Working for Families gets cost of living boost
    Putting more money in the pockets of hard-working families is a priority of this Coalition Government, starting with an increase to Working for Families, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon says. “We are starting our 100-day plan with a laser focus on bringing down the cost of living, because that is what ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago

  • Lake Onslow pumped hydro scheme scrapped
    The Government has axed the $16 billion Lake Onslow pumped hydro scheme championed by the previous government, Energy Minister Simeon Brown says. “This hugely wasteful project was pouring money down the drain at a time when we need to be reining in spending and focussing on rebuilding the economy and ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago

  • NZ welcomes further pause in fighting in Gaza
    New Zealand welcomes the further one-day extension of the pause in fighting, which will allow the delivery of more urgently-needed humanitarian aid into Gaza and the release of more hostages, Foreign Minister Winston Peters said. “The human cost of the conflict is horrific, and New Zealand wants to see the violence ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago

  • Condolences on passing of Henry Kissinger
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters today expressed on behalf of the New Zealand Government his condolences to the family of former US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, who has passed away at the age of 100 at his home in Connecticut. “While opinions on his legacy are varied, Secretary Kissinger was ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago

  • Backing our kids to learn the basics
    Every child deserves a world-leading education, and the Coalition Government is making that a priority as part of its 100-day plan. Education Minister Erica Stanford says that will start with banning cellphone use at school and ensuring all primary students spend one hour on reading, writing, and maths each day. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago

  • US Business Summit Speech – Regional stability through trade
    I would like to begin by echoing the Prime Minister’s thanks to the organisers of this Summit, Fran O’Sullivan and the Auckland Business Chamber.  I want to also acknowledge the many leading exporters, sector representatives, diplomats, and other leaders we have joining us in the room. In particular, I would like ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago

  • Keynote Address to the United States Business Summit, Auckland
    Good morning. Thank you, Rosemary, for your warm introduction, and to Fran and Simon for this opportunity to make some brief comments about New Zealand’s relationship with the United States.  This is also a chance to acknowledge my colleague, Minister for Trade Todd McClay, Ambassador Tom Udall, Secretary of Foreign ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago

  • India New Zealand Business Council Speech, India as a Strategic Priority
    Good morning, tēnā koutou and namaskar. Many thanks, Michael, for your warm welcome. I would like to acknowledge the work of the India New Zealand Business Council in facilitating today’s event and for the Council’s broader work in supporting a coordinated approach for lifting New Zealand-India relations. I want to also ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Coalition Government unveils 100-day plan
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has laid out the Coalition Government’s plan for its first 100 days from today. “The last few years have been incredibly tough for so many New Zealanders. People have put their trust in National, ACT and NZ First to steer them towards a better, more prosperous ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • New Zealand welcomes European Parliament vote on the NZ-EU Free Trade Agreement
    A significant milestone in ratifying the NZ-EU Free Trade Agreement (FTA) was reached last night, with 524 of the 705 member European Parliament voting in favour to approve the agreement. “I’m delighted to hear of the successful vote to approve the NZ-EU FTA in the European Parliament overnight. This is ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 weeks ago

  • Further humanitarian support for Gaza, the West Bank and Israel
    The Government is contributing a further $5 million to support the response to urgent humanitarian needs in Gaza, the West Bank and Israel, bringing New Zealand’s total contribution to the humanitarian response so far to $10 million. “New Zealand is deeply saddened by the loss of civilian life and the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 weeks ago

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