Health & safety of workers is apparently about Cones

Written By: - Date published: 11:19 am, June 15th, 2024 - 37 comments
Categories: act, health and safety, workers' rights - Tags:

ACT MP and Minister for Employment and Safety, Brooke van Velden has announced a “consultation” on our Health & Safety laws, saying this :

Our health and safety culture can be summed up by the sea of orange road cones that have taken over the country. From Santa parades to property development, you can’t get a lot done without having to set up a barricade of cones.”

And.

Businesses and community organisations spend a huge amount of money trying to keep people safe, but it’s worthwhile asking: are the rules and expectations proportionate to the actual risks, and when should common sense prevail?”

She says she is travelling up and down the country in her consultation. Betcha she won’t meet with unions, or workers, or visit a meat works, or forestry, or a mine, or a construction site.

To say this has triggered me is putting it mildly. She has never had to represent a worker who had a meat hook in his head, she has never gone to a tangi for a worker who died in a freezer, or sat with the forestry families as yet another one of their whanau are killed and mourned to this day.

She certainly never went near Pike River Mine where the memories, tragedies and unresolved issues still remain – and which gave rise to our current Health & Safety law.

She has never had to talk to a truck driver’s family who has driven off the road because they were exhausted and worked too many hours.

She has never had to mourn a workmate who fell off a scaffold because the railings were scrimped upon, or another who was injured permanently.

We all know the government is a disgrace, but putting this privileged woman in charge of health & safety, when she has never been out of a well-paid office makes me sick. I never, ever thought we would have this battle all over again.

But of course it’s about business, not people.

37 comments on “Health & safety of workers is apparently about Cones ”

  1. Rodel 1
    15 June 2024 at 11:34 am

    Van Velden and Seymor epitomize the theme in a 1959 movie, 'I'm alright Jack' where the worker who climbs the corporate ladder and lands a well paid job says, ' .Pull up the ladder,- I'm OK' ( except I doubt that either of them have ever been a real worker. To critics of 'lazy' road workers I say, ' So was it different when you worked on the roads?'

    Reply
  2. roblogic 2
    15 June 2024 at 11:45 am

    ChatGPT, please draw me a picture of Seymour and crew speeding through road works at 120 km/h and yelling "work harder!" out of the window, while the underpaid workers are getting messages from mates in Australia telling them to leave this abusive relationship

    Reply
  3. Anne 3
    15 June 2024 at 11:52 am

    I stand with you Darien.

    Its not just a disgrace. It's an insult to every working man and woman in this country to have such a mind-blowingly ignorant, shallow individual as Minister for Employment and Safety. Her knowledge and experience appears not to extend beyond the presence of orange and red cones which are there for a purpose – to prevent accidents occurring.

    She's an embarrassment!

    Reply
    • cathyo 3.1
      15 June 2024 at 12:32 pm

      but is there anyone else in this business people's government who is more qualified? i think they have all worked behind a desk all their life

      Reply
      • Belladonna 3.1.1
        17 June 2024 at 10:20 am

        I would say that this is true for 98%+ of all NZ politicians – from all political parties.

        I can't think of one who's been a truck driver, a scrub nurse, a road worker, or a cleaner. Even those with pre-parliamentary careers tend to have been lawyers, political analysts, unionists, teachers, or business owners – all 'behind the desk' jobs.

        Reply
    • kejo 3.2
      15 June 2024 at 12:40 pm

      Yes, but it,s more personal for her. She finds orange cones an inconvenience and unsightly.

      Reply
    • Michael P 3.3
      15 June 2024 at 10:27 pm

      "…to every working man and woman in this country to have such a mind-blowingly ignorant…"

      Speak for yourself please. Myself and I'm certain a majority of working men and women understand what this is actually about.

      Health and safety requirements in many areas have gone far beyond appropriate, effective and common sense requirements. There are now a myriad of requirements that are essentially box ticking and arse covering lists. A huge amount of money is now soaked throughout the health and safety industry (that is what it is) so will be difficult to change.

      You have to wonder how we ever survived or got things done more than 20 years ago.

      As for cones…. Don't get me started. Firstly if you don't live in and drive a lot in Auckland then you simply won't understand.

      Secondly.. Again, how did we ever survive or get anything done before cones became a 'necessity', and before PPE?

      Thirdly.. I really wish I had been as forward looking as the person who started manufacturing traffic cones and managed to get their use written into laws requiring them on everything. I bet he/she is a multi millionaire many times over!!

      Fourthly.. (gasp) .. I don't know what you do for a living Anne or whether you live in Auckland, but in the trades and industries where physical and manual work is done, the rules and regulations around health and safety have become ridiculously excessive, costly and hugely expensive.

      Yes we need health and safety laws and rules. Yes, industries must do everything they can to try and ensure the safety of workers and yes there should be minimum standards that have to be met in many areas. But you'd have to be completely out of touch if you thought that in Auckland, the invasion of traffic cones wasn't a serious issue for the working class…..

      Reply
      • Rodel 3.3.1
        16 June 2024 at 2:16 am

        'You have to wonder how we ever survived or got things done more than 20 years ago.'Spoken like a true blue tory.

        We got things done by killing at least two workers a week in ndustrial accidents usually but not always men with a .family of kids. Yeah let's go back to the good old days.

        Reply
      • Anne 3.3.2
        16 June 2024 at 10:41 am

        .. I don't know what you do for a living Anne or whether you live in Auckland, but in the trades and industries where physical and manual work is done, the rules and regulations around health and safety have become ridiculously excessive, costly and hugely expensive.

        I live in Auckland but, unlike you, I know the work presently being undertaken – and all the safety precautions that are in place – are there to keep the workers safe from people like you. I also have the ability to see beyond the cones etc. – which is more than you can say for that "mind blowingly" stupid minister – and that the end result will be bigger and better infrastructure to cater for the rapidly increasing population. It's called "forward planning' and it comes at a cost.

        The amusing aspect of this conversation is: it will be the Micheal Ps of this world who will rant ad infinitum over the lack of adequate infrastructure should the powers that be do nothing.

        Reply
      • mpledger 3.3.3
        16 June 2024 at 11:53 am

        When people do Health and Safety right then all it becomes is form filling and ticking boxing but that because Health and Safety has become ingrained into the work culture and normalised. But to make Health and Safety become second nature, the rules and guidelines have to be put in place and followed first.

        Health and Safety is the thing you realise you need when you no longer have it.

        Reply
      • Vivie 3.3.4
        16 June 2024 at 3:52 pm

        The Government's review of health and safety laws seems to be a strategy to help distract and deflect from unpopular policies, National's broken funding promises in the budget, the negative impact on many NZers – particularly on low and middle income workers, beneficiaries and young people, rapidly rising unemployment and huge cuts to public service staff numbers and related services. This is being reflected in the Government's fall in popularity.

        Michael P: re your comment "But you'd have to be completely out of touch if you thought that in Auckland, the invasion of traffic cones wasn't a serious issue for the working class…..". What do you mean?

        Brooke van Velden comes across as superficial. The Right's absurd focus on road cones, and insinuations that people's rights were being restricted, helped stir up anti-Labour sentiment during the election campaign, built up anger and resentment towards road construction workers, and people working in other dangerous areas – e.g. on building sites, public electricity and water supply repairs and maintenance services, with road cones placed to help protect people from risk of injury.

        I live in Auckland and, like many people, I understand that road cones are in place to protect the public and workers during road construction and maintenance work. The cones unfortunately don't stop some drivers speeding through road works with total disregard for the safety of others, as evidenced by injuries, sometimes fatal, to road workers.

        This is how the Right function – encourage division and resentment in society, by implying that people's rights and freedoms to do as they please are being eroded. I'm sure many voters regret being taken in by the cheap tactics of the parties now in Government.

        Reply
      • Descendant Of Smith 3.3.5
        16 June 2024 at 11:20 pm

        Was at a car rally when some people were moaning about modern health and safety rules came up. As they were bitching and moaning an 80+ year old came up to them who had been listening. The firm he owned in back in the day stopped working on a local and well known building after their third worker died. He simply refused to take the job. He told them while it may seem excessive it really wasn't and when they have to go and tell a staff members wife their husband had been killed, let alone more than once, they may view things differently. His biggest regret was not stopping taking the contract after the first death.

        The other side of this government of course is that at the same time they will be also exerting the power of the state to take these jobs.

        As I've noted before this government thinks there's been a plague.

        Rather than supply some of the needed labor themselves, landowners turned to solutions that might produce the kind of world they were capable of imagining. In England they created first the Ordinance (1349) and then the Statute (1351) of Labourers, which froze wages at pre-plague levels, compelled workers not otherwise engaged in fixed, long-term employment into year-long contracts with the first employer who demanded it, and established penalties to ensure compliance.

        https://history.wustl.edu/news/how-black-death-made-life-better

        "With many state governments reducing unemployment benefits to push workers to fill open jobs, the aim, like England after the Black Death, is to reinstate and reinforce previous social and labor hierarchies, regardless of whose work has actually been “essential” over the past 16 months. "

        Reply
  4. Mike the Lefty 4
    15 June 2024 at 12:37 pm

    It is just another part of the National Party spin, that capitalises on the general hatred of road cones that one can see in social media.

    The cones are a red herring, they are not the real problem, just something the political right have worked themselves up about through social media.

    The problems with road works are the poor organisation for roadworks and poor traffic control, poor planning and time management. Taking away road cones by itself won't change that – but of course the baying right wing dog pack can't understand that.

    Reply
    • Michael P 4.1
      15 June 2024 at 10:35 pm

      "The cones are a red herring, they are not the real problem…"

      Ummm, Yeah, of course not. The problem is the excessive rules and regulations which the lobbyists for PPE, Training course providers, Consultants, etc have convinced Governments to implement.

      For example Sitesafe. You pretty much can't get on a site these days without Sitesafe certification / qualifications. Does having a sitesafe certification make you behave any differently on a job site (apart from wearing the PPE and filling out the required paperwork?).

      Whoever created sitesafe and similar organizations is either a genius or is very good at convincing politicians to make their ticket a legal and / or employment requirement..

      Reply
      • Mike the Lefty 4.1.1
        16 June 2024 at 12:41 pm

        All of which begs the question what will National do to make work sites safer?

        Probably nothing.

        Reply
  6. Ad 6
    15 June 2024 at 2:11 pm

    NZTA officially shifting from the COPTTM to "risk based approach" to temporary works, together with Minister of Transport unilaterally raising road speeds via legislation, will cause measurable increased death and injury.

    MoT in particular ought to be publishing the evidence, regularly and fearlessly, not folding like origami.

    Worksafe needs to shout its independence from foolish "common sense" knuckledragging.

    Reply
    • Michael P 6.1
      15 June 2024 at 10:40 pm

      "ought to be publishing the evidence…."

      They would if any evidence existed…..

      “…foolish “common sense” knuckledragging…”

      (sigh)…

      Reply
      • Ad 6.1.1
        16 June 2024 at 3:03 pm

        Clearly this is the peer reviewed paper you need to read:

        https://acrs.org.au/files/papers/arsc/2022/Understanding-the-role-of-Speeding_33-1.pdf

        It has the evidence for the following:

        – Speeding is substantially under-estimated as a factor in serious crashes in New Zealand’s crash data, and elsewhere

        – Under-reporting of speeding in crashes contributes to under-appreciation of speeding risk by media, community and decision-makers

        – Combining data sources indicates that speeding is involved in around 60% of fatal crashes in New Zealand

        – Speeding kills more people each year in New Zealand than homicides

        – Different data sources on speed and crashes appear inconsistent because they address different questions

        Then there's the direct evidence out of Auckland Transport which found that

        "where speed limits were lowered on 30 June 2020 have experienced a 47 per cent reduction in deaths* in the 18-months following the changes, a reduction in all injury crashes of more than 25 per cent and greater than a 15 per cent reduction in serious injuries on these roads."

        And also found that:

        "Rural roads where speeds were changed on 30 June 2020 have seen a 71 per cent reduction in deaths and more than a 25 per cent reduction in serious injuries."

        https://at.govt.nz/about-us/news-events/evidence-shows-safe-speeds-are-saving-lives#:~:text=%E2%80%9CInternational%20research%20shows%20us%20that,cent%2C%E2%80%9D%20Mr%20Ellison%20says.

        And here's the interim report.

        https://at.govt.nz/media/1990901/aukland-transport-report-24-month-safe-speeds-tranche-1-monitoring.pdf

        Do not EVER come back commenting to me about road safety and road injury and death unless you have better evidence than this and do not waste my fucking time when you are diminishing pain and family damage on this scale.

        Reply
      • Obtrectator 6.1.2
        16 June 2024 at 11:10 pm

        What Ad said.

        One of the first questions put to the class when I attended my defensive driving course was: what's the main factor affecting stopping distance? With my scientist's understanding of dynamics, the answer seemed blindingly obvious. It was horrifying to see the number who guessed the condition of the road, the weather, the efficiency of your brakes, etc, etc.

        The speed one is going at didn’t seem to occur to many at all.

        Awareness would appear not to have improved much in the intervening 40 years.

        Reply
    • Bearded Git 6.2
      16 June 2024 at 11:35 am

      +100 Ad.

      Reply
  7. Incognito 7
    15 June 2024 at 2:14 pm

    Common sense doesn’t necessarily make sense and sometimes it makes no sense.

    https://www.worksafe.govt.nz/about-us/news-and-media/use-common-sense-a-poor-approach-to-health-and-safety/

    Reply
    • Michael P 7.1
      15 June 2024 at 10:47 pm

      worksafe has now introduced a whole new super duper framework called SafePlus, with it's own training courses, assessors, analysts, software, etc, etc, etc..

      Does anyone not stop to think that this is just a huge revenue generating scam? Either that or the rules, regulations, certifications, training, frameworks, etc they had before SafePlus must have been really reaaly shit if it can be such a huge improvement…

      "use-common-sense-a-poor-approach-to-health-and-safety.."

      Said no sensible person……ever..

      Reply
      • Michael P 7.1.1
        16 June 2024 at 1:28 am

        Replying to my own comment….coz I can..

        Just the word SafePlus is interesting. It's like they're saying there is 'Safe' and then the 'Plus' indicates there is something beyond that 'Safe', something more than just 'Safe', something better than 'Safe', something Safer….

        As if there is such a thing as safer than safe. You're either safe or you're not, there's no grey area.

        So prior to SafePlus, what they were promoting wasn't safe?

        Worksafe is a complete scam / rort designed to gather in shitloads of money. Government buy-in comes first, thereby giving business (especially big corporations due to their public profiles) no choice but to toe the line.

        Reply
      • Ad 7.1.2
        16 June 2024 at 3:10 pm

        You are a fucking moron with zero credibility.

        I have lived through the trauma of major health and safety incidents including broken bones, loss of sight, near-death, mashed tendons, multiple deaths, media scorching, mass firings, prosecutions, and more. In fact my company deals with it every fucking week.

        And yes, we are one of the best in the business. Our scale means we are held up as an exemplar – as we should be.

        If you are the owner of a company ie are a PCBU and you have an attitude to your workers like that, then I hope you go bankrupt and lose your house and everything in it.

        The fact that this government is trying to start reversing a health and safety culture that has taken neraly a decade to reverse should be enough to have them

        You fucking disgust me.

        Reply
  8. adam 8
    15 June 2024 at 3:13 pm

    Class war

    I sound like a broken record, but FFS people.

    This is what it looks like, they don't give a rats about who dies or who is hurt. As long as their corporate lords feel their greed being feed.

    Reply
  9. Binders full of women 9
    15 June 2024 at 8:34 pm

    Speaking of worker's rights, Luxon needs to hurry up and release the report on Dharleen Tana!! Parliament needs her back asap.

    Reply
    • Bearded Git 9.1
      16 June 2024 at 11:42 am

      Binders-Has Luxon really got that report? I didn't know for one.

      If that is the case he will be dragging it out as long as possible, in the same way that the as-yet-unproven-and-denied claims about TMP using census data illegally has been orchestrated into a major issue and in the same way that the the concerted attack against one of the New Zealand parliament's best performing members for 13 years (Julia-Anne Genter) has also been orchestrated.

      Reply
  10. roblogic 10
    16 June 2024 at 5:35 pm

    This is 100% the opposite of the culture of Air New Zealand – "Safety is paramount and non negotiable"

    Will Luxon say anything?

    Reply
  11. tsmithfield 11
    17 June 2024 at 11:07 am

    From someone who runs a small to medium sized business, I think there needs to be changes to make health and safety more workable for smaller businesses.

    We have ISO 45001. But it has cost us around $100k over the last five years to impliment and maintain the policy. So, to do it properly isn't cheap for small businesses.

    I think the fines regime is fine for larger businesses. But, I think that should be applicable to smaller businesses in the case that they have been reckless with respect to health and safety. If smaller businesses are doing what they can, given their much smaller budget, to manage health and safety, then they should be treated differently within the health and safety system. Small businesses simply don't have the resources or capability to meet health and safety requirements to the same degree as large corporates.

    The big problem is that, however careful and diligent businesses are, if something goes wrong, then someone examining exteranally will be able to find something that could have been done better. And a fine becomes inevitable.

    Reply

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    A Phuulish FellowBy strda221
    4 days ago

  • 2024 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #24
    A listing of 35 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, June 9, 2024 thru Sat, June 15, 2024. Story of the week A glance at this week's inventory of what experts tell us is extreme weather mayhem juiced by ...
    Skeptical Science
    4 days ago

  • Sunday Morning Chat
    After a busy week it’s a good day to relax. Clear blues skies here in Tamaki Makaurau, very peaceful but for my dogs sleeping heavily. In the absence of a full newsletter I thought I’d send out a brief update and share a couple of posts that popped up in ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago

  • The Book of Henry
    Now in the land of Angus beef and the mighty ABsWhere the steaks were juicy and the rivers did run foulIt would often be said,This meal is terrible,andNo, for real this is legit the worst thing I've ever eatenBut this was an thing said only to others at the table,not ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    5 days ago

  • Fact Brief – Is ocean acidification from human activities enough to impact marine ecosystems?
    Skeptical Science is partnering with Gigafact to produce fact briefs — bite-sized fact checks of trending claims. This fact brief was written by Sue Bin Park in collaboration with members from the Skeptical Science team. You can submit claims you think need checking via the tipline. Is ocean acidification from human ...
    Skeptical Science
    5 days ago

  • Happiness is a Warm Gun
    She's not a girl who misses muchDo do do do do do, oh yeahShe's well-acquainted with the touch of the velvet handLike a lizard on a window paneI wouldn’t associate ACT with warmth, other than a certain fabled, notoriously hot, destination where surely they’re heading and many would like them ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago

  • Still doing a good 20
    Hello! Here comes the Saturday edition of More Than A Feilding, catching you up on the past somewhat interrupted week. Still on the move!Share Read more ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    6 days ago

  • Coalition of the Unwilling?
    What does Budget 2024 tell us about the current government? Muddle on?Coalition governments are not new. About 50 percent of the time since the first MMP election, there has been a minority government, usually with allied parties holding ministerial portfolios outside cabinets. For 10 percent of the time there was ...
    PunditBy Brian Easton
    6 days ago

  • Of red flags and warning signs in comments on social media
    Somewhat surprisingly for what is regarded as a network of professionals, climate science misinformation is getting shared on LinkedIn, joining other channels where this is happening. Several of our recent posts published on LinkedIn have attracted the ire of various commenters who apparently are in denial about human-caused climate change. Based ...
    Skeptical Science
    6 days ago

  • All good, still
    1. On what subject is Paul Henry even remotely worth giving the time of day?a. The state of our nationb. The state of the ACT partyc. How to freak out potential buyers of your gin palace by baking the remains of your deceased parent into its fittings2. Now that New ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    6 days ago

  • The looting is the point
    Last time National was in power, they looted the state, privatising public assets and signing hugely wasteful public-private partnership (PPP) contracts which saw foreign consortiums provide substandard infrastructure while gouging us for profits. You only have to look at the ongoing fiasco of Transmission Gully to see how it was ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    6 days ago

  • The Illusion of Power: How Local Government Bureaucrats Overawe Democratically-Elected Councillors..
    The Democratic Façade Of Local Government: Our district and city councillors are democratically elected to govern their communities on one very strict condition – that they never, ever, under any circumstances, attempt to do so.A DISINTEGRATION OF LOYALTIES on the Wellington City Council has left Mayor Tory Whanau without a ...
    Bowalley Road
    7 days ago

  • Lowlights & Bright Spots
    I can feel the lowlights coming over meI can feel the lowlights, from the state I’m inI can see the light now even thought it’s dimA little glow on the horizonAnother week of lowlights from our government, with the odd bright spot and a glow on the horizon. The light ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    7 days ago

  • Weekly Roundup 14-June-2024
    Another week, another roundup of things that caught our eye on our favourite topics of transport, housing and how to make cities a little bit greater. This Week in Greater Auckland On Monday, Connor wrote about Kāinga Ora’s role as an urban development agency Tuesday’s guest post by ...
    Greater AucklandBy Greater Auckland
    7 days ago

  • The Hoon around the week to June 14
    Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The podcast above of the weekly ‘hoon’ webinar for paying subscribers features co-hosts and talking with:The Kākā’s climate correspondent about the National-ACT-NZ First Government’s moves this week to take farming out of the ETS and encourage more mining and oil and ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    7 days ago

  • Climate policy axed in broad daylight, while taxpayer liabilities grow in the dark
    In 2019, Shane Jones addressed the “50 Shades of Green” protest at Parliament: Now he is part of a government giving those farmers a pass on becoming part of the ETS, as well as threatening to lock in offshore oil exploration and mining for decades. Photo: Lynn GrievesonTL;DR: Here’s the ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    7 days ago

  • Rage Bait!
    Hi,Today’s newsletter is all about how easy it is to get sucked into “rage bait” online, and how easy it is to get played.But first I wanted to share something that elicited the exact opposite of rage in me — something that made me feel incredibly proud, whilst also making ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    7 days ago

  • Bernard's Dawn Chorus and pick 'n' mix for Friday, June 14
    Seymour said lower speed limits “drained the joy from life as people were forced to follow rules they knew made no sense.” File Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: My six things to note in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy around housing, climate and poverty on Friday, June 14 were:The National/ACT/NZ First ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    7 days ago

  • Friendly but frank talks with China Premier
    It sounded like the best word to describe yesterday’s talks between Chinese Premier Li Qiang and his heavyweight delegation of Ministers and officials and Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and New Zealand Ministers and officials was “frank.” But it was the kind of frankness that friends can indulge in. It ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    7 days ago

  • Skeptical Science New Research for Week #24 2024
    Open access notables Wildfire smoke impacts lake ecosystems, Farruggia et al., Global Change Biology: We introduce the concept of the lake smoke-day, or the number of days any given lake is exposed to smoke in any given fire season, and quantify the total lake smoke-day exposure in North America from 2019 ...
    Skeptical Science
    1 week ago

  • Join us for the weekly Hoon on YouTube Live
    Photo by Mathias Elle on UnsplashIt’s that new day of the week (Thursday rather than Friday) when we have our ‘hoon’ webinar with paying subscribers to The Kākā for an hour at 5 pm.Jump on this link on YouTube Livestream for our chat about the week’s news with special guests:5.00 ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago

  • Geoffrey Miller: China’s message to New Zealand – don’t put it all at risk
    Don’t put it all at risk. That’s likely to be the take-home message for New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon in his meetings with Li Qiang, the Chinese Premier. Li’s visit to Wellington this week is the highest-ranking visit by a Chinese official since 2017. The trip down under – ...
    Democracy ProjectBy Geoffrey Miller
    1 week ago

  • The Real Thing
    I know the feelingIt is the real thingThe essence of the soulThe perfect momentThat golden momentI know you feel it tooI know the feelingIt is the real thingYou can't refuse the embraceNo?Sometimes we face the things we most dislike. A phobia or fear that must be confronted so it doesn’t ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    1 week ago

  • Gordon Campbell on how moderates empower the political right
    Struth, what a week. Having made sure the rural sector won’t have to pay any time soon for its pollution, PM Christopher Luxon yesterday chose Fieldays 2024 to launch a parliamentary inquiry into rural banking services, to see how the banks have been treating farmers faced with high interest rates. ...
    Gordon CampbellBy lyndon
    1 week ago

  • Bernard's Dawn Chorus and pick 'n' mix for Thursday, June 13
    In April, 17,656 people left Aotearoa-NZ to live overseas, averaging 588 a day, with just over half of those likely to have gone to Australia. Photo: Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: My six things to note in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy around housing, climate and poverty on Thursday, June 13 ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago

  • Our guide to having your say on the draft RLTP 2024
    Auckland’s draft Regional Land Transport Plan (RLTP) 2024 is open for feedback – and you only have until Monday 17 June to submit. Do it! Join the thousands of Aucklanders who are speaking up for wise strategic investment that will dig us out of traffic and give us easy and ...
    Greater AucklandBy Connor Sharp
    1 week ago

  • The China puzzle
    Chinese Premier Li Qiang arrives in Wellington today for a three-day visit to the country. The visit will take place amid uncertainty about the future of the New Zealand-China relationship. Li hosted a formal welcome and then lunch for then-Prime Minister Chris Hipkins in Beijing a year ago. The pair ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    1 week ago

  • Fossil fuels are shredding our democracy
    This is a re-post of an article from the Climate Brink by Andrew Dessler published on June 3, 2024. I have an oped in the New York Times (gift link) about this. For a long time, a common refrain about the energy transition was that renewable energy needed to become ...
    Skeptical Science
    1 week ago

  • Life at 20 kilometres an hour
    We are still in France, getting from A to B.Possibly for only another week, though; Switzerland and Germany are looming now. On we pedal, towards Budapest, at about 20 km per hour.What are are mostly doing is inhaling a country, loving its ways and its food. Rolling, talking, quietly thinking. ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    1 week ago

  • Hipkins is still useless
    The big problem with the last Labour government was that they were chickenshits who did nothing with the absolute majority we had given them. They governed as if they were scared of their own shadows, afraid of making decisions lest it upset someone - usually someone who would never have ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    1 week ago

  • Exercising with the IDF.
    This morning I did something I seldom do, I looked at the Twitter newsfeed. Normally I take the approach of something that I’m not sure is an American urban legend, or genuinely something kids do over there. The infamous bag of dog poo on the front porch, set it on ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    1 week ago

  • Helm Hammerhand Anime: First Pictures and an Old English ‘Hera’
    We have some news on the upcoming War of the Rohirrim anime. It will apparently be two and a half hours in length, with Peter Jackson as Executive Producer, and Helm’s daughter Hera will be the main character. Also, pictures: The bloke in the middle picture is Freca’s ...
    A Phuulish FellowBy strda221
    1 week ago

  • Farmers get free pass on climate AND get subsidies
    The cows will keep burping and farting and climate change will keep accelerating - but farmers can stop worrying about being included in the ETS. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: My six things to note in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy around housing, climate and poverty on Wednesday, June 12 were:The ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago

  • Six ideas to secure Te Huia’s Future
    This is a guest post by our friend Darren Davis. It originally appeared on his excellent blog, Adventures in Transitland, which features “musings about public transport and other cool stuff in Aotearoa/ New Zealand and around the globe.” With Te Huia now having funding secure through to 2026, now is ...
    Greater AucklandBy Darren Davis
    1 week ago

  • The methane waka sinks
    In some ways, there may be less than meets the eye to the Government announcement yesterday that the He Waka Eke Noa proposal for farmers to pay for greenhouse gas emissions has been scrapped. The spectre of farmers still having to pay at some point in the future remains. That, ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    1 week ago

  • At a glance – Does positive feedback necessarily mean runaway warming?
    On February 14, 2023 we announced our Rebuttal Update Project. This included an ask for feedback about the added "At a glance" section in the updated basic rebuttal versions. This weekly blog post series highlights this new section of one of the updated basic rebuttal versions and serves as a ...
    Skeptical Science
    1 week ago

  • Climate Change: Farmers get what they wanted – for now
    Since entering office, National has unravelled practically every climate policy, leaving us with no effective way of reducing emissions or meeting our emissions budgets beyond magical thinking around the ETS. And today they've announced another step: removing agriculture entirely. At present, following the complete failure of he waka eka noa, ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    1 week ago

  • Presumed Innocent?
    The blue billionaireDistraction no interactionOr movement outside these glazed over eyesThe new great divideFew fight the tide to be glorifiedBut will he be satisfied?Can we accept this without zoom?The elephant in the roomNot much happens in politics on a Monday. Bugger all in fact. Although yesterday Christopher Luxon found he ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    1 week ago

  • Gordon Campbell on our doomed love affair with oil and gas
    What if New Zealand threw a fossil fuel party, and nobody came? On the weekend, Resources Minister Shane Jones sent out the invitations and strung up the balloons, but will anyone really want to invest big time in resuming oil and gas exploration in our corner of the planet? Yes, ...
    WerewolfBy lyndon
    1 week ago

  • Building better housing insights
    This is a guest post by Meredith Dale, senior urban designer and strategist at The Urban Advisory. There’s a saying that goes something like: ‘what you measure is what you value’. An RNZ article last week claimed that Auckland was ‘hurting’ because of a more affordable supply of homes, particularly townhouses ...
    Greater AucklandBy Guest Post
    1 week ago

  • Putin would be proud of them
    A Prime Minister directs his public service to inquire into the actions of the opposition political party which is his harshest critic. Something from Orban's Hungary, or Putin's Russia? No, its happening right here in Aotearoa: Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has announced the Public Service Commission will launch an ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    1 week ago

  • Resources for debunking common solar and wind myths
    This is a repost from a Yale Climate Connections article by SueEllen Campbell published on June 3, 2024. The articles listed can help you tell fact from fiction when it comes to solar and wind energy. Some statements you hear about solar and wind energy are just plain false. ...
    Skeptical Science
    1 week ago

  • Juggernaut
    Politics were going on all around us yesterday, and we barely noticed, rolling along canal paths, eating baguettes. It wasn’t until my mate got to the headlines last night that we learned there had been a dismayingly strong far right result in the EU elections and Macron had called a ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    1 week ago

  • Numbers Game.
    Respect Existence, Or Expect Resistance? There may well have been 50,000 pairs of feet “Marching For Nature” down Auckland’s Queen Street on Saturday afternoon, but the figure that impresses the Coalition Government is the 1,450,000 pairs of Auckland feet that were somewhere else.IN THE ERA OF DRONES and Artificial Intelligence, ...
    Bowalley Road
    1 week ago

  • Media Link: AVFA on post-colonial blowback.
    Selwyn Manning and I discuss varieties of post colonial blowback and the implications its has for the rise of the Global South. Counties discussed include Palestine/Israel, France/New Caledonia, England/India, apartheid/post-apartheid South Africa and post-colonial New Zealand. It is a bit … Continue reading → ...
    KiwipoliticoBy Pablo
    1 week ago

  • Policy by panic
    Back in March, Ombudsman Peter Boshier resigned when he hit the statutory retirement age of 72, leaving the country in the awkward (and legally questionable) position of having him continue as a temporay appointee. It apparently took the entire political system by surprise - as evinced by Labour's dick move ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    1 week ago

  • School attendance increases
    School attendance data released today shows an increase in the number of students regularly attending school to 61.7 per cent in term one. This compares to 59.5 per cent in term one last year and 53.6 per cent in term four. “It is encouraging to see more children getting to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    11 hours ago

  • Record investment in public transport services
    The Government has announced a record 41 per cent increase in indicative funding for public transport services and operations, and confirmed the rollout of the National Ticketing Solution (NTS) that will enable contactless debit and credit card payments starting this year in Auckland, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says.“This Government is ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    11 hours ago

  • GDP data shows need to strengthen and grow the economy
    GDP figures for the March quarter reinforce the importance of restoring fiscal discipline to public spending and driving more economic growth, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says.  Data released today by Stats NZ shows GDP has risen 0.2 per cent for the quarter to March.   “While today’s data is technically in ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    12 hours ago

  • Women continue to make up over 50 per cent on public sector boards
    Women’s representation on public sector boards and committees has reached 50 per cent or above for the fourth consecutive year, with women holding 53.9 per cent of public sector board roles, Acting Minister for Women Louise Upston says. “This is a fantastic achievement, but the work is not done. To ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    15 hours ago

  • Government supporting Māori business success
    The Coalition Government is supporting Māori to boost development and the Māori economy through investment in projects that benefit the regions, Regional Development Minister Shane Jones and Māori Development Minister Tama Potaka say. “As the Regional Development Minister, I am focused on supporting Māori to succeed. The Provincial Growth Fund ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    16 hours ago

  • Better solutions for earthquake-prone buildings
    Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk has announced that the review into better managing the risks of earthquake-prone buildings has commenced. “The terms of reference published today demonstrate the Government’s commitment to ensuring we get the balance right between public safety and costs to building owners,” Mr Penk says.  “The Government ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    17 hours ago

  • Prime Minister wraps up visit to Japan
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has just finished a successful three-day visit to Japan, where he strengthened political relationships and boosted business links. Mr Luxon’s visit culminated in a bilateral meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Kishida Fumio followed by a state dinner. “It was important for me to meet Prime Minister Kishida in person ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago

  • Major business deals signed on PM’s Japan trip
    Significant business deals have been closed during the visit of Prime Minister Christopher Luxon to Japan this week, including in the areas of space, renewable energy and investment.  “Commercial deals like this demonstrate that we don’t just export high-quality agricultural products to Japan, but also our world-class technology, expertise, and ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago

  • Strategic Security speech, Tokyo
    Minasan, konnichiwa, kia ora and good afternoon everyone. Thank you for the invitation to speak to you today and thank you to our friends at the Institute for International Socio-Economic Studies and NEC for making this event possible today.  It gives me great pleasure to be here today, speaking with ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago

  • National Infrastructure Pipeline worth over $120 billion
    The National Infrastructure Pipeline, which provides a national view of current or planned infrastructure projects, from roads, to water infrastructure, to schools, and more, has climbed above $120 billion, Infrastructure Minister Chris Bishop says. “Our Government is investing a record amount in modern infrastructure that Kiwis can rely on as ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago

  • Making it easier to build infrastructure
    The Government is modernising the Public Works Act to make it easier to build infrastructure, Minister for Land Information Chris Penk announced today. An independent panel will undertake an eight-week review of the Act and advise on common sense changes to enable large scale public works to be built faster and ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • NZ enhances North Korea sanctions monitoring
    New Zealand will enhance its defence contributions to monitoring violations of sanctions against North Korea, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon announced today.  The enhancement will see the New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) increase its contributions to North Korea sanctions monitoring, operating out of Japan. “This increase reflects the importance New Zealand ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • Speech to Safeguard National Health and Safety Conference
    Good afternoon everyone. It’s great to be with you all today before we wrap up Day One of the annual Safeguard National Health and Safety Conference. Thank you to the organisers and sponsors of this conference, for the chance to talk to you about the upcoming health and safety consultation. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • Ōtaki to north of Levin alliance agreements signed
    Transport Minister Simeon Brown has welcomed an important milestone for the Ōtaki to north of Levin Road of National Significance (RoNS), following the NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) signing interim alliance agreements with two design and construction teams who will develop and ultimately build the new expressway.“The Government’s priority for transport ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • Improvements to stopping Digital Child Exploitation
    The Department of Internal Affairs [Department] is making a significant upgrade to their Digital Child Exploitation Filtering System, which blocks access to websites known to host child sexual abuse material, says Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden.  “The Department will incorporate the up-to-date lists of websites hosting child sexual ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago

  • New vaccine research aims to combat prevalent bovine disease
    A vaccine to prevent an infectious disease that costs New Zealand cattle farmers more than $190 million each year could radically improve the health of our cows and boost on-farm productivity, Associate Agriculture Minister Andrew Hoggard says. The Ministry for Primary Industries is backing a project that aims to develop ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago

  • Making it easier to build granny flats
    The Government has today announced that it is making it easier for people to build granny flats, Acting Prime Minister Winston Peters and RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop say. “Making it easier to build granny flats will make it more affordable for families to live the way that suits them ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago

  • High Court Judge appointed
    Attorney-General Judith Collins today announced the appointment of Auckland King’s Counsel Gregory Peter Blanchard as a High Court Judge. Justice Blanchard attended the University of Auckland from 1991 to 1995, graduating with an LLB (Honours) and Bachelor of Arts (English). He was a solicitor with the firm that is now Dentons ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago

  • Health workforce numbers rise
    Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says new data released today shows encouraging growth in the health workforce, with a continued increase in the numbers of doctors, nurses and midwives joining Health New Zealand. “Frontline healthcare workers are the beating heart of the healthcare system. Increasing and retaining our health workforce ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago

  • Government to overhaul firearms laws
    Associate Justice Minister Nicole McKee has today announced a comprehensive programme to reform New Zealand's outdated and complicated firearms laws. “The Arms Act has been in place for over 40 years. It has been amended several times – in a piecemeal, and sometimes rushed way. This has resulted in outdated ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago

  • Government delivers landmark specialist schools investment
    The coalition Government is delivering record levels of targeted investment in specialist schools so children with additional needs can thrive. As part of Budget 24, $89 million has been ringfenced to redevelop specialist facilities and increase satellite classrooms for students with high needs. This includes: $63 million in depreciation funding ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago

  • Major health and safety consultation begins
    A substantial consultation on work health and safety will begin today with a roadshow across the regions over the coming months, says Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Brooke van Velden.  This the first step to deliver on the commitment to reforming health and safety law and regulations, set out in ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago

  • Growing the potential of New Zealand’s forestry sector in partnership
    Forestry Minister Todd McClay, today announced the start of the Government’s plan to restore certainty and confidence in the forestry and wood processing sector. “This government will drive investment to unlock the industry’s economic potential for growth,” Mr McClay says. “Forestry’s success is critical to rebuilding New Zealand’s economy, boosting ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago

  • Government cancels forestry ETS annual service charges for 2023-24
    Annual service charges in the forestry Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) will be cancelled for 2023/24, Forestry Minister Todd McClay says. “The sector has told me the costs imposed on forestry owners by the previous government were excessive and unreasonable and I agree,” Mr McClay says. “They have said that there ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago

  • Speech to the LGNZ Infrastructure Symposium
    Introduction Thank you for having me here today and welcome to Wellington, the home of the Hurricanes, the next Super Rugby champions. Infrastructure – the challenge This government has inherited a series of big challenges in infrastructure. I don’t need to tell an audience as smart as this one that ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago

  • Government boosts Agriculture and food trade with China
    Trade and Agriculture Minister Todd McClay and Food Safety Minister Andrew Hoggard welcomed outcomes to boost agricultural and food trade between New Zealand and China. A number of documents were signed today at Government House that will improve the business environment between New Zealand and China, and help reduce barriers, including on infant formula ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • NZ and China launch Services Trade Negotiations
    Trade Minister Todd McClay, and China’s Commerce Minister Wang Wentao, today announced the official launch of Negotiations on Services Trade between the two countries.  “The Government is focused on opening doors for services exporters to grow the New Zealand’s economy,” Mr McClay says.  As part of the 2022 New Zealand-China Free Trade Agreement Upgrade ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Prime Minister Luxon meets with Premier Li
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon met with Chinese Premier Li Qiang at Government House in Wellington today.  “I was pleased to welcome Premier Li to Wellington for his first official visit, which marks 10 years since New Zealand and China established a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership,” Mr Luxon says. “The Premier and ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Government and business tackling gender pay gap
    The coalition Government is taking action to reduce the gender pay gap in New Zealand through the development of a voluntary calculation tool. “Gender pay gaps have impacted women for decades, which is why we need to continue to drive change in New Zealand,” Acting Minister for Women Louise Upston ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Funding Boost for Rural Support Trusts
    The coalition Government is boosting funding for Rural Support Trusts to provide more help to farmers and growers under pressure, Rural Communities Minister Mark Patterson announced today. “A strong and thriving agricultural sector is crucial to the New Zealand economy and one of the ways to support it is to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Latest data shows size of public service decreasing
    Spending on contractors and consultants continues to fall and the size of the Public Service workforce has started to decrease after years of growth, according to the latest data released today by the Public Service Commission. Workforce data for the quarter from 31 December 23 to 31 March 24 shows ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Speech to the Law Association
    Thank you to the Law Association for inviting me to speak this morning. As a former president under its previous name — the Auckland District Law Society — I take particular satisfaction in seeing this organisation, and its members, in such good heart. As Attorney-General, I am grateful for these ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • 25 years on, NZ reaffirms enduring friendship with Timor Leste
    New Zealand is committed to working closely with Timor-Leste to support its prosperity and resilience, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says.   “This year is the 25th anniversary of New Zealand sending peacekeepers to Timor-Leste, who contributed to the country’s stabilisation and ultimately its independence,” Mr Peters says.    “A quarter ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Inquiry requested into rural banking
    Promoting robust competition in the banking sector is vital to rebuilding the economy, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says.  “New Zealanders deserve a banking sector that is as competitive as possible. Banking services play an important role in our communities and in the economy. Kiwis rely on access to lending when ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Ministry for Regulation targets red tape to keep farmers and growers competitive
    Regulation Minister David Seymour, Environment Minister Penny Simmonds, and Food Safety Minister Andrew Hoggard have today announced a regulatory sector review on the approval process for new agricultural and horticultural products.    “Red tape stops farmers and growers from getting access to products that have been approved by other OECD countries. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Government to reverse blanket speed limit reductions
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