Hipkins in China

Written By: - Date published: 8:39 am, June 27th, 2023 - 38 comments
Categories: uncategorized - Tags:

A weakened Russia is a Russia made more dependent on China. New Zealand is also deeply reliant on China.

I suspect Prime Minister Hipkins is at the realist end of the spectrum of engagement with China. China’s The Global Times certainly thinks so. Its feature on Hipkins’ visit said “New Zealand’s “proactive” diplomacy and actions with respect to China set “an example for other Western countries.”

“Despite the changing international situation, China and New Zealand have continuously promoted the institutionalized construction of their bilateral relationship, laying a solid foundation of political mutual trust,” wrote Qin Sheng, a research fellow at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.

“Against the backdrop of increasingly fierce great power competition and escalating geopolitical risks, the stable development of China-New Zealand relations has important and exemplary significance in the international community.”

The article certainly noticed that Hipkins declined to join with US President Biden in calling Xi Jinping a dictator

He showed a basic quality that a political leader should have – knowing how to respect other countries.”

In realpolitik land, we just don’t have a choice.

We are going to have to continue to respect governments that we privately loathe. China is our largest trading partner, taking nearly 30% of our exports of goods and services. We are not as reliant on China as we once were on the United Kingdom, but it’s getting up there. We simply could not survive a trade embargo against us from China.

There is no sign that this reliance is decreasing.

Prime Minister Hipkins will meet with President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Qiang while in Beijing, and will also attend a World Economic Forum event in Tianjin. Prime Minister Albanese of Australia has an ‘in principle’ invitation but no date yet.

Leading delegations of our traders with others in the world is a basic job of being a Prime Minister, but doubly so as we seek to grind our way out of COVID and climate crises. We need to front up and deal.

The war in Ukraine is in some senses good for China: a Russia bled white by its own aggression will need China to lead Fortress Eurasia. China’s imports from Russia, mostly oil and gas, rose 49% last year to US$76.4 billion.

So we have a common path dependence.

China is the common centre of commercial gravity for both Russia and New Zealand. We both have mercantilist relationships as declining countries to a growing Chinese centre. New Zealand’s pure form of democracy is going to be increasingly an oddity in the rise of a coalition of Eurasian autocracies linked by geographic proximity to one another and geopolitical hostility to the West. And we are going to need them.

Shorn of Ardern’s idealism, Hipkins’ approach is ‘keep our heads down and stay trading’, and that is the realistic choice for us to make.

38 comments on “Hipkins in China ”

  • Comments are now closed

  1. tsmithfield 1
    27 June 2023 at 9:22 am

    I don't think it is a comfortable position for us to be in being so reliant on China.

    Firstly, we are likely to be heavily impacted by any economic issues in China. And, it seems that the chickens may be coming home to roost in that respect.

    Secondly, we lack the independence to criticize human rights abuses, independence of Taiwan, and other issues that would normally be things we would make strong stands against.

    And, finally, we are very exposed should military conflict erupt due to China seeking to invade Taiwan etc.

    So, we really need to be diversifying as fast as possible. Many international companies are exiting China right now for similar reasons. The quicker we can diversify the better.

    • SPC 1.1
      27 June 2023 at 9:37 am

      Limiting trading with a nation, so as to be free to criticise them, is a form of sanctions policy.

      If there is war over Taiwan trade would be impacted, so it is right to have a plan for our exports in that eventuality and sure that would require some diversification in the here and now. And in the mean time promote a diplomatic solution to that issue.

      • tsmithfield 1.1.1
        27 June 2023 at 9:50 am

        I don't mean intentionally limiting trade. But, rather, ensuring we are actively seeking new markets rather than focussing as much effort marketing to China. So, diversifying our marketing effort so that China isn't such a high percentage of the mix.

        I think, at the moment, China is 2.5 x our next biggest trading partner which is Australia. And, as Ad points out, about 30% of total trade.

        Not only nations, but also for companies, having so many eggs in one basket increases vulnerability should something happen with the biggest customer. So, diversifying is usually a good strategic option.

        • SPC 1.1.1.1
          27 June 2023 at 9:57 am

          Sure, but in diplomacy land there needs to be care as to how one explains the policy.

          • tsmithfield 1.1.1.1.1
            27 June 2023 at 10:16 am

            I don't see this as government policy. But more akin to wise decisions for individual businesses to make.

            Similar decisions to what many Western businesses manufacturing right now. For instance, many are setting up manufacturing in countries such as India rather than further investing in China.

            I think a lot of businesses have become spooked about having all their eggs in one basket after the likes of Covid, the Ukraine invasion, and the prospect of conflict with China.

            • SPC 1.1.1.1.1.1
              27 June 2023 at 10:34 am

              There is a lot of value in preventing a GFC, pandemics and wars (Iraq, Ukraine and any new one – conflict with trading partners in general) and working together on global warming.

              • tsmithfield …
                27 June 2023 at 2:10 pm

                Yes, it would be a wonderful world if we could all work together on those sorts of issues rather than fighting needless wars.

    • Stephen D 1.2
      27 June 2023 at 5:45 pm

      I’m beginning to wonder if our business community is all that fussed about diversifying away from China.

      Labour has led delegations to Europe and the UK. Yet the growth in those markets is not growing that rapidly.

      Why?

      • Ad 1.2.1
        27 June 2023 at 6:20 pm

        Well we've had a Free Trade Agreement with China for about 20 years, and the European one only got signed this year, and the UK one only got signed this year.

        Since you asked.

  2. Dennis Frank 2
    27 June 2023 at 9:25 am

    Seems a reasonable appraisal given most folk accept neoliberalism as a perpetual norm. Is co-dependency with bad guys a good idea? Bit of a gamble, eh?

    Could work if they are only bad guys part of the time & do a nimble switch to being good guys the other part of the time. This is the two-hat theory of geopolitics – in contrast to de Bono's six-hat theory.

    Resilience & sustainability require a state to be sufficiently self-organising to achieve dynamic stability in its ecosystemic relations. You reckon our suit-wearing duopoly are up to that level of expertise? Not a snow-ball's chance in hell!

    So yeah, the old default into foreign trade dependency will persist. Addiction syndromes have plenty of inertia. Hipkins the dealer…

    • Patricia Bremner 2.1
      27 June 2023 at 11:49 am

      "The baddies"

      We have had shoddy treatment by our other trading partners, and this "China is the baddie" is a bit childish in view of Britain's past attitude to us, Australia's purloining of our best and brightest as if we don't exist, plus sending criminal gang members back here on the most tenuous basis. We have worked over years to change these aspects of our relationships with some success.

      We have been played by our own here in NZ where some encouraged here by past Governments were involved in some very shady dealings with property and trusts.

      China is the base of much of the material to make drugs which is a concern for us. Mr Six name may come up. So, yes there are baddies in all countries.

      The geopolitical moves mean any larger country would use us as a jumping off place. We are a wee player in the "Big boys playground" and behave accordingly.

      By being sincere, practising what we preach, and favouring "rule of law" we have standing in the International scheme of things beyond our size. We do take quite definite stances on issues which we believe in. We are trying to reach consensus on international law and sustainability. Big goals worth trying for.

      We export more than we import from China, and more added value needs to be developed. That takes agreement by the World Bank and friends, the players of no country who could sue if unhappy.

      The delegation has many things to consider, some of them truly difficult. There are few Goodies.

      We align with India in spite of it's odious caste system because it is "Democratic" and we would use them as a foil against dependency on China accordingly, but they have huge problems looming and few answers.

      To equate PM Hipkins as a "Dealer". That is an egregious slur of a metaphor. What would you call Key then? If you meant wheeler dealer in trade sense you should say so. imo

      • Dennis Frank 2.1.1
        27 June 2023 at 12:02 pm

        Yep, Key played the neolib dealer role just like Hipkins. Left=right on that. Pragmatism is a useful default & I get why so many find it appealing. I just feel it is bad to be dependent on any dealer. I kept away from them in the old days when they were so trendy and grow your own became even more trendy so I wasn't alone.

        I also get why many folks feel captured by the system – in the globalised world we can only survive via a subservient stance, they think. I don't blame Labour for being that weak. I just prefer a positive alternative.

        • Patricia Bremner 2.1.1.1
          27 June 2023 at 12:28 pm

          What 'positive alternative' Frank?

          • Dennis Frank 2.1.1.1.1
            27 June 2023 at 12:39 pm

            Back in the '90s the Greens adopted an economic policy based on sustainability as the primary principle. I was part of the working group (led by Jeanette Fitzsimons) that co-designed the draft policy pre-Alliance.

            When I took a look at it in 2015 on the party website I satisfied myself that the main elements we had agreed were still incorporated. Your being unaware of it is due to the current bunch of Green parliamentarians being too timid to inform the public (as were the earlier bunch in the prior decade, as were Jeanette & co when they entered parliament). People talk about resilience as if it were the right thing to do – they just don't actually do it. Incompetence…

            • Patricia Bremner 2.1.1.1.1.1
              27 June 2023 at 1:03 pm

              Thanks for the reply. Yes I am aware, I just was checking where your comments were coming from.yes

              • Dennis Frank …
                27 June 2023 at 1:59 pm

                Oh good. There's times when I find myself thinking "So we did all that work for nothing??" If they fail to front it during this campaign I'll have to dismiss them as a lost cause.

      • Anne 2.1.2
        27 June 2023 at 11:06 pm

        Excellent stuff Patricia.

        And it looks like Hipkin's approach has paid off:

        https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/politics/chris-hipkins-makes-his-way-to-tiananmen-square-for-meeting-with-president-xi-jinping/3DSFO3UP2JGH3DXDCZN5AZWJ3I/

        Something that needs to be remembered too. Many decased ago two Kiwis laid the ground work for the good relationship with China. First there was Rewi Alley who do so much for the

        • Anne 2.1.2.1
          27 June 2023 at 11:37 pm

          Please ignore my last comment. 🙁

          The full version:

          Excellent stuff Patricia @ 2.1

          And it looks like Hipkin's approach has paid off:

          https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/politics/chris-hipkins-makes-his-way-to-tiananmen-square-for-meeting-with-president-xi-jinping/3DSFO3UP2JGH3DXDCZN5AZWJ3I/

          Something that needs to be remembered. Many decades ago two Kiwis laid the ground work for the good relationship NZ has with China. First there was Rewi Alley who did so much for the Chinese people over the decades, and the Chinese formerly recognised him as an important foreigner in their country. The second was Warren Freer, a former Labour Minister in the 1970s. He had long recognised the huge trade potential that existed and he visited China many times in his efforts to set up dialogue with their trade officials. He was derided and accused of being a communist by his own party leader, and others, and sent to coventry for a period of time.

          But one person understood what he was trying to do and encouraged him behind the scenes. It was the PM and National Party leader, Keith Holyoake.

          It was officially recognised in the early 2000s that their attempts to bring about a good relationship, saw China sign the first trade agreement ever (the FTA) with a western country. I believe that good will still exists today.

          • Patricia Bremner 2.1.2.1.1
            28 June 2023 at 3:34 am

            Yes Anne, (I'm up with a pinched nerve in my neck..Proper pain in the neckwink)

            Many past Socialists saw the Chinese as developing differently to Russia, and a suitable trading partner when Britain and USA became protectionist. Given the Opium Wars it is amazing they accepted us. The Chinese are pragmatic.

            We lost sight of balance and sustainable practice, and chased the timber dried milk and beef wagon plus uncontrolled tourism..

            This has damaged our environment. We have to be smarter. The Gaming, Natural beauty products Cultural and Educational exchanges, and other added value products are part of this Delegation, along with traditional fare.

            Rewi Alley discovered a people willing to work collectively to help improve lives. He laid groundwork for the trust and sharing of ideas. The Chinese think in thousands of years, and their terraced gardens protected against soil loss many hundreds of years before we rabbited on about sustainability.

            They have single mindedly tried to pull their people out of poverty, with some success. Their current Leader is a smart but bullish character. So that needs watching as their system is the opposite of ours, and each has flaws.

            Cheers Anne. Keep wellsmiley

  3. SPC 3
    27 June 2023 at 9:27 am

    On the diplomacy side of it, it would be a good time to give the Chinese some advance notice of a future (public) decision to become part AUKUS 2.

    On the economic side, possibly seeking investment partners to local funds in building long term rental accommodation.

    Another area of interest to us would be lowering our construction costs (alternate supply lines to the local monopolies and maybe even partnerships in factory built homes (some here and some there).

    And after Simon Upton's pro Onslow project opine sound them out as to partnership in the build (also to lower the cost).

    Then there are Auckland projects etc.

  4. Tiger Mountain 4
    27 June 2023 at 12:54 pm

    “Reliant” and “Realism” are not necessarily the models this sparsely populated country should maintain.

    Mutually beneficial bilateral trade and cultural relations are where it is at if NZ aims to give “Washington, Moscow and Beijing” the swerve in terms of being subservient to imperialist powers of any stripe. Although India seems close to joining that three also.

    The Non Aligned Movement of nations would be great for Aotearoa NZ if it could be revived.

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Non-Aligned_Movement

    AO/NZ cannot have a truly independent foreign policy while we are tied to 5 Eyes security arrangement, and the Anglosphere generally.

    • Ad 4.1
      27 June 2023 at 2:50 pm

      Thank God one commentator still has a pulse.

      Holy Jesus where would we be with a full Realist foreign policy.

      • Tiger Mountain 4.1.1
        28 June 2023 at 10:40 am

        n.b. feel free to use the <sarc> tag in future…so more readers can fully experience your devastating wit

    • SPC 4.2
      27 June 2023 at 3:48 pm

      Does any nation have a truly independent foreign policy?

      The term foreign policy implies in relation to others.

      • Ad 4.2.1
        27 June 2023 at 4:30 pm

        As if cosmically timed, on the same day Hipkins is in China doubling down on our most important foreign policy – the NZ-China Free Trade Agreement – our previous most important foreign policy becomes relevant:

        "Even before Japan announced its decision in April 2021, Pacific states, meeting for the first time in December 2020 as States Parties to the South Pacific Nuclear Free Zone Treaty (Treaty of Rarotonga), “recalled concerns about the environmental impact of the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Reactor accident in 2011 and urged Japan to take all steps necessary to address any potential harm to the Pacific”.

        They “called on States to take all appropriate measures within their territory, jurisdiction or control to prevent significant transboundary harm to the territory of another state, as required under international law”.

        These important statements stem from key international legal rules and principles, including the unique obligation placed by the Rarotonga Treaty on Pacific states to “Prevent Dumping” (Article 7), in view of our nuclear testing legacy and its permanent impacts on our peoples’ health, environment and human rights.

        Pacific states therefore have a legal obligation “to prevent the dumping of radioactive wastes and other radioactive matter by anyone” and “not to take any action to assist or encourage the dumping by anyone of radioactive wastes and other radioactive matter at sea anywhere within the South Pacific Nuclear Free Zone”.

        https://www.forumsec.org/2023/06/26/statement-pacific-islands-forum-secretary-general-henry-puna-on-the-fukushima-treated-nuclear-wastewater/

      • Tiger Mountain 4.2.2
        28 June 2023 at 8:53 am

        Possibly not, independent need not infer isolationist as we all exist in the same world, it means not consistently being “under the thumb” of larger powers when political decisions are made by smaller nations.

  5. Patricia Bremner 5
    28 June 2023 at 8:18 am

    Dennis Frank @ 2.111Do you still look at your personal use of Trade Dennis?( To be self sufficient is difficult.)

    I have, and I use a product from Belgium, plus products from India which are currently keeping me alive. My masks are NZ and China, vaccines from USA. (We could make two of those items at far greater cost, which would reflect their environmental cost.) The others… No.

    My point is, the players of “no country” have turned trade and production into chess. We are a pawn, trying to be a Knight.
    I got an error sign, then this detached sorry.

    • Dennis Frank 5.1
      28 June 2023 at 9:07 am

      I'm more pragmatic than ideological Patricia, so yes, I do use products of trade. When in Rome, do as the Romans do. I'm not into purist aversion to trade. It's a question of balance around dependency. As a nation, we depend on foreign trade for our standard of living. We can reduce that by strategic import replacement.

      The right are averse to that since they interpret it as subsidies for local-made stuff, so tariffs don't get used. The left have gone along with that since Roger Douglas made it happen. Well, a shift back towards socialism could succeed if the cost-structure were designed to produce a nationwide consensus that resilience makes it worthwhile…

  6. Adrian Thornton 6
    28 June 2023 at 8:49 am

    "We are going to have to continue to respect governments that we privately loathe"…..I assume you are implying the country in realpoitik land that most of the world regard as the primary existential threat to world peace..therefore stability…the USA..

    People Worldwide Name US as a Major Threat to World Peace. Here’s Why.

    https://truthout.org/articles/people-worldwide-name-us-as-a-major-threat-to-world-peace-heres-why/

    • Ad 6.1
      28 June 2023 at 12:17 pm

      The weak and small loathe the powerful. Often privately.

      • Adrian Thornton 6.1.1
        28 June 2023 at 2:24 pm

        The small and downtrodden often rise up and cut the heads off the powerful too…

        • Ad 6.1.1.1
          28 June 2023 at 2:32 pm

          Unless they can make deals.

          Which is what we've done. Reasonably well.

          • Adrian Thornton 6.1.1.1.1
            28 June 2023 at 3:57 pm

            Yes I agree NZ has done pretty well negotiating the dangerous waters between the rising trading giant of China and the unhinged specter looming menacingly over the globe of the USA as it desperately clings onto is fast fading hegemony….all the while edging the entire planet ever closer to catastrophe.

            Too bad our own media can't negotiate the nuances of geo-politics as finely as our govt has done in this particular engagement.

  7. Mike the Lefty 7
    28 June 2023 at 1:51 pm

    A fact of human existence is that sometimes you have to make pacts with the devil because he has a lot more to offer than the angels.

    • Adrian Thornton 7.1
      28 June 2023 at 2:26 pm

      You lie down with dogs you get up with fleas my friend…and remember the tiny little flea can sometimes be carrier of the plague.

Recent Comments

Recent Posts

  • Let Them Eat Sausage Rolls: Hipkins Tries to Kill Labour Again
    Sometimes you despair. You really do. Fresh off leading Labour to its ugliest election result since 1990,* Chris Hipkins has decided to misdiagnose matters, because the Government he led cannot possibly have been wrong about anything. *In 2011 and 2014, people were willing to save Labour’s electorate ...
    A Phuulish FellowBy strda221
    3 hours ago

  • Clued Up: Ageing Boomers, Laurie & Les, Talk Politics.
    “But, that’s the thing, mate, isn’t it? We showed ourselves to be nothing more useful than a bunch of angry old men, shaking our fists at the sky. Were we really that angry at Labour and the Greens? Or was it just the inescapable fact of our own growing irrelevancy ...
    Bowalley Road
    8 hours ago

  • JERRY COYNE: A powerful University dean in New Zealand touts merging higher education with indigeno...
    Jerry Coyne writes –  This article from New Zealand’s Newsroom site was written by Julie Rowland,  the deputy dean of the Faculty of Science at the University of Auckland as well as a geologist and the Director of the Ngā Ara Whetū | Centre for Climate, Biodiversity & Society. In other ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    12 hours ago

  • Ain't nobody gonna steal this heart away.
    Ain't nobody gonna steal this heart away.For the last couple of weeks its felt as though all the good things in our beautiful land are under attack.These isles in the southern Pacific. The home of the Māori people. A land of easy going friendliness, openness, and she’ll be right. A ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    17 hours ago

  • Speaking for the future
    Hello! Here comes the Saturday edition of More Than A Feilding, catching you up on the past week’s editions.MondayYou cannot be seriousOne might think, god, people who are seeing all this must be regretting their vote.But one might be mistaken.There are people whose chief priority is not wanting to be ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    17 hours ago

  • How Should We Organise a Modern Economy?
    Alan Bollard, formerly Treasury Secretary, Reserve Bank Governor and Chairman of APEC, has written an insightful book exploring command vs demand approaches to the economy. The Cold War included a conflict about ideas; many were economic. Alan Bollard’s latest book Economists in the Cold War focuses on the contribution of ...
    PunditBy Brian Easton
    1 day ago

  • Willis fails a taxing app-titude test but govt supporters will cheer moves on Te Pukenga and the Hum...
    Buzz from the Beehive The Minister of Defence has returned from Noumea to announce New Zealand will host next year’s South Pacific Defence Ministers’ Meeting and (wearing another ministerial hat) to condemn malicious cyber activity conducted by the Russian Government. A bigger cheer from people who voted for the Luxon ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    1 day ago

  • ELIZABETH RATA: In defence of the liberal university and against indigenisation
    The suppression of individual thought in our universities spills over into society, threatening free speech everywhere. Elizabeth Rata writes –  Indigenising New Zealand’s universities is well underway, presumably with the agreement of University Councils and despite the absence of public discussion. Indigenising, under the broader umbrella of decolonisation, ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    1 day ago

  • Gordon Campbell on the skewed media coverage of Gaza
    Now that he’s back as Foreign Minister, maybe Winston Peters should start reading the MFAT website. If he did, Peters would find MFAT celebrating the 25th anniversary of how New Zealand alerted the rest of the world to the genocide developing in Rwanda. Quote: New Zealand played an important role ...
    Gordon CampbellBy lyndon
    2 days ago

  • “Your Circus, Your Clowns.”
    It must have been a hard first couple of weeks for National voters, since the coalition was announced. Seeing their party make so many concessions to New Zealand First and ACT that there seems little remains of their own policies, other than the dwindling dream of tax cuts and the ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    2 days ago

  • Weekly Roundup 8-December-2023
    It’s Friday again and Christmas is fast approaching. Here’s some of the stories that caught our attention. This week in Greater Auckland On Tuesday Matt covered some of the recent talk around the costs, benefits and challenges with the City Rail Link. On Thursday Matt looked at how ...
    Greater AucklandBy Greater Auckland
    2 days ago

  • End-of-week escapism
    Amsterdam to Hong Kong William McCartney16,000 kilometres41 days18 trains13 countries11 currencies6 long-distance taxis4 taxi apps4 buses3 sim cards2 ferries1 tram0 medical events (surprisingly)Episode 4Whether the Sofia-Istanbul Express really qualifies to be called an express is debatable, but it’s another one of those likeably old and slow trains tha… ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    2 days ago

  • The Hoon around the week to Dec 8
    Governor-General Dame Cindy Kiro arrives for the State Opening of Parliament (Photo: Hagen Hopkins/Getty Images)TL;DR: The five things that mattered in Aotearoa’s political economy that we wrote and spoke about via The Kākā and elsewhere for paying subscribers in the last week included:New Finance Minister Nicola Willis set herself a ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago

  • New Zealand’s Witchcraft Laws: 1840/1858-1961/1962
    Sometimes one gets morbidly curious about the oddities of one’s own legal system. Sometimes one writes entire essays on New Zealand’s experience with Blasphemous Libel: https://phuulishfellow.wordpress.com/2017/05/09/blasphemous-libel-new-zealand-politics/ And sometimes one follows up the exact historical status of witchcraft law in New Zealand. As one does, of course. ...
    A Phuulish FellowBy strda221
    2 days ago

  • No surprises
    Don’t expect any fiscal shocks or surprises when the books are opened on December 20 with the unveiling of the Half Yearly Economic and Fiscal Update (HYEFU). That was the message yesterday from Westpac in an economic commentary. But the bank’s analysis did not include any changes to capital ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    2 days ago

  • Skeptical Science New Research for Week #49 2023
    113 articles in 48 journals by 674 contributing authors Physical science of climate change, effects Diversity of Lagged Relationships in Global Means of Surface Temperatures and Radiative Budgets for CMIP6 piControl Simulations, Tsuchida et al., Journal of Climate 10.1175/jcli-d-23-0045.1 Do abrupt cryosphere events in High Mountain Asia indicate earlier tipping ...
    Skeptical Science
    2 days ago

  • Phone calls at Kia Kaha primary
    It is quiet reading time in Room 13! It is so quiet you can hear the Tui outside. It is so quiet you can hear the Fulton Hogan crew.It is so quiet you can hear old Mr Grant and old Mr Bradbury standing by the roadworks and counting the conesand going on ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    2 days ago

  • A question of confidence is raised by the Minister of Police, but he had to be questioned by RNZ to ...
    It looks like the new ministerial press secretaries have quickly learned the art of camouflaging exactly what their ministers are saying – or, at least, of keeping the hard news  out of the headlines and/or the opening sentences of the statements they post on the home page of the governments ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    2 days ago

  • Xmas  good  cheer  for the dairy industry  as Fonterra lifts its forecast
    The big dairy co-op Fonterra  had  some Christmas  cheer to offer  its farmers this week, increasing its forecast farmgate milk price and earnings guidance for  the year after what it calls a strong start to the year. The forecast  midpoint for the 2023/24 season is up 25cs to $7.50 per ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    2 days ago

  • MICHAEL BASSETT: Modern Maori myths
    Michael Bassett writes – Many of the comments about the Coalition’s determination to wind back the dramatic Maorification of New Zealand of the last three years would have you believe the new government is engaged in a full-scale attack on Maori. In reality, all that is happening ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    3 days ago

  • Dreams of eternal sunshine at a spotless COP28
    Mary Robinson asked Al Jaber a series of very simple, direct and highly pertinent questions and he responded with a high-octane public meltdown. Photos: Getty Images / montage: Lynn GrievesonTL;DR The hygiene effects of direct sunshine are making some inroads, perhaps for the very first time, on the normalised ‘deficit ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago

  • LINDSAY MITCHELL: Oh, the irony
    Lindsay Mitchell writes – Appointed by new Labour PM Jacinda Ardern in 2018, Cindy Kiro headed the Welfare Expert Advisory Group (WEAG) tasked with reviewing and recommending reforms to the welfare system. Kiro had been Children’s Commissioner during Helen Clark’s Labour government but returned to academia subsequently. ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    3 days ago

  • Transport Agencies don’t want Harbour Tunnels
    It seems even our transport agencies don’t want Labour’s harbour crossing plans. In August the previous government and Waka Kotahi announced their absurd preferred option the new harbour crossing that at the time was estimated to cost $35-45 billion. It included both road tunnels and a wiggly light rail tunnel ...
    Greater AucklandBy Matt L
    3 days ago

  • Webworm Presents: Jurassic Park on 35mm
    Hi,Paying Webworm members such as yourself keep this thing running, so as 2023 draws to close, I wanted to do two things to say a giant, loud “THANKS”. Firstly — I’m giving away 10 Mister Organ blu-rays in New Zealand, and another 10 in America. More details down below.Secondly — ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    3 days ago

  • The Prime Minister's Dream.
    Yesterday saw the State Opening of Parliament, the Speech from the Throne, and then Prime Minister Christopher Luxon’s dream for Aotearoa in his first address. But first the pomp and ceremony, the arrival of the Governor General.Dame Cindy Kiro arrived on the forecourt outside of parliament to a Māori welcome. ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    3 days ago

  • National’s new MP; the proud part-Maori boy raised in a state house
    Probably not since 1975 have we seen a government take office up against such a wall of protest and complaint. That was highlighted yesterday, the day that the new Parliament was sworn in, with news that King Tuheitia has called a national hui for late January to develop a ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    3 days ago

  • Climate Adam: Battlefield Earth – How War Fuels Climate Catastrophe
    This video includes conclusions of the creator climate scientist Dr. Adam Levy. It is presented to our readers as an informed perspective. Please see video description for references (if any). War, conflict and climate change are tearing apart lives across the world. But these aren't separate harms - they're intricately connected. ...
    Skeptical Science
    3 days ago

  • They do not speak for us, and they do not speak for the future
    These dire woeful and intolerant people have been so determinedly going about their small and petulant business, it’s hard to keep up. At the end of the new government’s first woeful week, Audrey Young took the time to count off its various acts of denigration of Te Ao Māori:Review the ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago

  • Another attack on te reo
    The new white supremacist government made attacking te reo a key part of its platform, promising to rename government agencies and force them to "communicate primarily in English" (which they already do). But today they've gone further, by trying to cut the pay of public servants who speak te reo: ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    3 days ago

  • For the record, the Beehive buzz can now be regarded as “official”
    Buzz from the Beehive The biggest buzz we bring you from the Beehive today is that the government’s official website is up and going after being out of action for more than a week. The latest press statement came  from  Education Minister  Eric Stanford, who seized on the 2022 PISA ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    3 days ago

  • Climate Change: Failed again
    There was another ETS auction this morning. and like all the other ones this year, it failed to clear - meaning that 23 million tons of carbon (15 million ordinary units plus 8 million in the cost containment reserve) went up in smoke. Or rather, they didn't. Being unsold at ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    3 days ago

  • Gordon Campbell On The Government’s Assault On Maori
    This isn’t news, but the National-led coalition is mounting a sustained assault on Treaty rights and obligations. Even so, Christopher Luxon has described yesterday’s nationwide protests by Maori as “pretty unfair.” Poor thing. In the NZ Herald, Audrey Young has compiled a useful list of the many, many ways that ...
    Gordon CampbellBy lyndon
    3 days ago

  • Rising costs hit farmers hard, but  there’s more  positive news  for  them this  week 
    New Zealand’s dairy industry, the mainstay of the country’s export trade, has  been under  pressure  from rising  costs. Down on the  farm, this  has  been  hitting  hard. But there  was more positive news this week,  first   from the latest Fonterra GDT auction where  prices  rose,  and  then from  a  report ...
    Point of OrderBy tutere44
    3 days ago

  • ROB MacCULLOCH:  Newshub and NZ Herald report misleading garbage about ACT’s van Veldon not follo...
    Rob MacCulloch writes –  In their rush to discredit the new government (which our MainStream Media regard as illegitimate and having no right to enact the democratic will of voters) the NZ Herald and Newshub are arguing ACT’s Deputy Leader Brooke van Veldon is not following Treasury advice ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago

  • Top 10 for Wednesday, December 6
    Even many young people who smoke support smokefree policies, fitting in with previous research showing the large majority of people who smoke regret starting and most want to quit. Photo: Lynn GrievesonTL;DR: Here’s my pick of the top 10 news and analysis links elsewhere on the morning of Wednesday, December ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago

  • Eleven years of work.
    Well it didn’t take six months, but the leaks have begun. Yes the good ship Coalition has inadvertently released a confidential cabinet paper into the public domain, discussing their axing of Fair Pay Agreements (FPAs).Oops.Just when you were admiring how smoothly things were going for the new government, they’ve had ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    4 days ago

  • Why we're missing out on sharply lower inflation
    A wave of new and higher fees, rates and charges will ripple out over the economy in the next 18 months as mayors, councillors, heads of department and price-setters for utilities such as gas, electricity, water and parking ramp up charges. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Just when most ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago

  • How Did We Get Here?
    Hi,Kiwis — keep the evening of December 22nd free. I have a meetup planned, and will send out an invite over the next day or so. This sounds sort of crazy to write, but today will be Tony Stamp’s final Totally Normal column of 2023. Somehow we’ve made it to ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    4 days ago

  • At a glance – Has the greenhouse effect been falsified?
    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
    4 days ago

  • New Zealaders  have  high expectations of  new  government:  now let’s see if it can deliver?
    The electorate has high expectations of the  new  government.  The question is: can  it  deliver?    Some  might  say  the  signs are not  promising. Protestors   are  already marching in the streets. The  new  Prime Minister has had  little experience of managing  very diverse politicians  in coalition. The economy he  ...
    Point of OrderBy tutere44
    4 days ago

  • You won't believe some of the numbers you have to pull when you're a Finance Minister
    Nicola of Marsden:Yo, normies! We will fix your cost of living worries by giving you a tax cut of 150 dollars. 150! Cash money! Vote National.Various people who can read and count:Actually that's 150 over a fortnight. Not a week, which is how you usually express these things.And actually, it looks ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    4 days ago

  • Pushback
    When this government came to power, it did so on an explicitly white supremacist platform. Undermining the Waitangi Tribunal, removing Māori representation in local government, over-riding the courts which had tried to make their foreshore and seabed legislation work, eradicating te reo from public life, and ultimately trying to repudiate ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    4 days ago

  • Defence ministerial meeting meant Collins missed the Maori Party’s mischief-making capers in Parli...
    Buzz from the Beehive Maybe this is not the best time for our Minister of Defence to have gone overseas. Not when the Maori Party is inviting (or should that be inciting?) its followers to join a revolution in a post which promoted its protest plans with a picture of ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    4 days ago

  • Threats of war have been followed by an invitation to join the revolution – now let’s see how th...
     A Maori Party post on Instagram invited party followers to ….  Tangata Whenua, Tangata Tiriti, Join the REVOLUTION! & make a stand!  Nationwide Action Day, All details in tiles swipe to see locations.  • This is our 1st hit out and tomorrow Tuesday the 5th is the opening ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago

  • Top 10 for Tuesday, December 4
    The RBNZ governor is citing high net migration and profit-led inflation as factors in the bank’s hawkish stance. Photo: Lynn GrievesonTL;DR: Here’s my pick of the top 10 news and analysis links elsewhere on the morning of Tuesday, December 5, including:Reserve Bank Governor Adrian Orr says high net migration and ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago

  • Nicola Willis' 'show me the money' moment
    Willis has accused labour of “economic vandalism’, while Robertson described her comments as a “desperate diversion from somebody who can't make their tax package add up”. There will now be an intense focus on December 20 to see whether her hyperbole is backed up by true surprises. Photo montage: Lynn ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago

  • CRL costs money but also provides huge benefits
    The City Rail Link has been in the headlines a bit recently so I thought I’d look at some of them. First up, yesterday the NZ Herald ran this piece about the ongoing costs of the CRL. Auckland ratepayers will be saddled with an estimated bill of $220 million each ...
    Greater AucklandBy Matt L
    5 days ago

  • And I don't want the world to see us.
    Is this the most shambolic government in the history of New Zealand? Given that parliament hasn’t even opened they’ve managed quite a list of achievements to date.The Smokefree debacle trading lives for tax cuts, the Trumpian claims of bribery in the Media, an International award for indifference, and today the ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago

  • Cooking the books
    Finance Minister Nicola Willis late yesterday stopped only slightly short of accusing her predecessor Grant Robertson of cooking the books. She complained that the Half Yearly Economic and Fiscal Update (HYEFU), due to be made public on December 20, would show “fiscal cliffs” that would amount to “billions of ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    5 days ago

  • Most people don’t realize how much progress we’ve made on climate change
    This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections The year was 2015. ‘Uptown Funk’ with Bruno Mars was at the top of the music charts. Jurassic World was the most popular new movie in theaters. And decades of futility in international climate negotiations was about to come to an end in ...
    Skeptical Science
    5 days ago

  • Of Parliamentary Oaths and Clive Boonham
    As a heads-up, I am not one of those people who stay awake at night thinking about weird Culture War nonsense. At least so far as the current Maori/Constitutional arrangements go. In fact, I actually consider it the least important issue facing the day to day lives of New ...
    A Phuulish FellowBy strda221
    5 days ago

  • Bearing True Allegiance?
    Strong Words: “We do not consent, we do not surrender, we do not cede, we do not submit; we, the indigenous, are rising. We do not buy into the colonial fictions this House is built upon. Te Pāti Māori pledges allegiance to our mokopuna, our whenua, and Te Tiriti o ...
    Bowalley Road
    5 days ago

  • You cannot be serious
    Some days it feels like the only thing to say is: Seriously? No, really. Seriously?OneSomeone has used their health department access to share data about vaccinations and patients, and inform the world that New Zealanders have been dying in their hundreds of thousands from the evil vaccine. This of course is pure ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    5 days ago

  • A promise kept: govt pulls the plug on Lake Onslow scheme – but this saving of $16bn is denounced...
    Buzz from the Beehive After $21.8 million was spent on investigations, the plug has been pulled on the Lake Onslow pumped-hydro electricity scheme, The scheme –  that technically could have solved New Zealand’s looming energy shortage, according to its champions – was a key part of the defeated Labour government’s ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    5 days ago

  • CHRIS TROTTER: The Maori Party and Oath of Allegiance
    If those elected to the Māori Seats refuse to take them, then what possible reason could the country have for retaining them?   Chris Trotter writes – Christmas is fast approaching, which, as it does every year, means gearing up for an abstruse general knowledge question. “Who was ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    5 days ago

  • BRIAN EASTON:  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. Brian Easton writes – The two coalition agreements – one National and ACT, the other National and New Zealand First – are more than policy documents. ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago

  • Climate Change: Fossils
    When the new government promised to allow new offshore oil and gas exploration, they were warned that there would be international criticism and reputational damage. Naturally, they arrogantly denied any possibility that that would happen. And then they finally turned up at COP, to criticism from Palau, and a "fossil ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    6 days ago

  • GEOFFREY MILLER:  NZ’s foreign policy resets on AUKUS, Gaza and Ukraine
    Geoffrey Miller writes – 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 ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago

  • Gordon Campbell on the government’s smokefree laws debacle
    The most charitable explanation for National’s behaviour over the smokefree legislation is that they have dutifully fulfilled the wishes of the Big Tobacco lobby and then cast around – incompetently, as it turns out – for excuses that might sell this health policy U-turn to the public. The less charitable ...
    Gordon CampbellBy lyndon
    6 days ago

  • Top 10 links at 10 am for Monday, December 4
    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
    6 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
    6 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
    6 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
    6 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
    6 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
    6 days ago

  • Chris Bishop: Smokin’
    Yes. Correct. It was an election result. And now we are the elected government. ...
    My ThinksBy boonman
    6 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
    7 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
    7 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
    7 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
    1 week 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
    1 week 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
    1 week 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
    1 week 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
    1 week 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
    1 week ago

  • Ministers visit Hawke’s Bay to grasp recovery needs
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon joined Cyclone Recovery Minister Mark Mitchell and Transport and Local Government Minister Simeon Brown, to meet leaders of cyclone and flood-affected regions in the Hawke’s Bay. The visit reinforced the coalition Government’s commitment to support the region and better understand its ongoing requirements, Mr Mitchell says.  ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago

  • New Zealand condemns malicious cyber activity
    New Zealand has joined the UK and other partners in condemning malicious cyber activity conducted by the Russian Government, Minister Responsible for the Government Communications Security Bureau Judith Collins says. The statement follows the UK’s attribution today of malicious cyber activity impacting its domestic democratic institutions and processes, as well ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • Disestablishment of Te Pūkenga begins
    The Government has begun the process of disestablishing Te Pūkenga as part of its 100-day plan, Minister for Tertiary Education and Skills Penny Simmonds says.  “I have started putting that plan into action and have met with the chair and chief Executive of Te Pūkenga to advise them of my ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • Climate Change Minister to attend COP28 in Dubai
    Climate Change Minister Simon Watts will be leaving for Dubai today to attend COP28, the 28th annual UN climate summit, this week. Simon Watts says he will push for accelerated action towards the goals of the Paris Agreement, deliver New Zealand’s national statement and connect with partner countries, private sector leaders ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • New Zealand to host 2024 Pacific defence meeting
    Defence Minister Judith Collins yesterday announced New Zealand will host next year’s South Pacific Defence Ministers’ Meeting (SPDMM). “Having just returned from this year’s meeting in Nouméa, I witnessed first-hand the value of meeting with my Pacific counterparts to discuss regional security and defence matters. I welcome the opportunity to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • Study shows need to remove distractions in class
    The Government is committed to lifting school achievement in the basics and that starts with removing distractions so young people can focus on their learning, Education Minister Erica Stanford says.   The 2022 PISA results released this week found that Kiwi kids ranked 5th in the world for being distracted ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days 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
    3 days 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
    3 days 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
    4 days 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
    5 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
    5 days ago

  • Post-Cabinet press conference
    Most weeks, following Cabinet, the Prime Minister holds a press conference for members of the Parliamentary Press Gallery. This page contains the transcripts from those press conferences, which are supplied by Hansard to the Office of the Prime Minister. It is important to note that the transcripts have not been edited ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 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
    7 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
    1 week 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
    1 week 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
    1 week 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
    1 week 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
    1 week 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

Page generated in The Standard by Wordpress at 2023-12-09T11:22:55+00:00