Hollowing out the regions

Written By: - Date published: 10:58 am, August 28th, 2016 - 44 comments
Categories: business, quality of life, useless - Tags: , , , ,

Nat spin is that the ecnomy is “booming”. It isn’t, we have the illusion of growth due to population gain (and the Christchurch rebuild), but per capita growth is dismal. The weakness of the real economy is reflected in the continuing hollowing out of the regions:

Westpac closures reflect bigger trend affecting small town New Zealand

Regional towns are facing “death by a thousand cuts” as banks shut up shop.

Their residents will need to live off the grid as communities become increasingly cut off from services, economist Shamubeel Eaqub said.

Earlier this month First Union said Westpac was proposing to close up to 19 mostly rural bank branches, resulting in more than 70 jobs losses.
…
Eaqub said the proposed closures were part of a bigger story of the decline of small-town New Zealand. Small towns did not have large enough populations with enough business and transactions to warrant a bank’s presence, he said. “Do the banks have a particular moral obligation to be there, I don’t think so,” Eaqub said.

Rural populations were ageing as were their businesses and advancements in technology had been driving a long-term trend towards urbanisation, he said. “It’s death by a thousand cuts. …

People depend on regional services, e.g. Elderly face 180km journey if bank closes. Many are angry at the Westpac closures:

Protesters let Westpac know their feelings about branch closures
…
Around small town New Zealand on Friday afternoon people gathered to oppose Westpac bank’s proposal to shut down 19 branches, due to a drastic drop in over-the-counter transactions as bankers flock to online banking.
…
For them, and another 50 or so Waikanae, Kapiti Coast residents – some who came on mobility scooters, others with walkers, but many under their own steam – banking is still about the personal touch.

Some held “shame Westpac” placards, others chatted. As far as protests go it was a sedate affair. No police presence was required. To Waikanae’s elderly, Westpac’s proposal to close their town’ Westpac branch is missing points that don’t show on a balance sheet. …

Speaking of balance sheets, Australian owned Wespac had a $920 Million profit last year – our banking sector is a disaster for NZ.

Neglecting Northland cost the Nats the last by election. Neglecting regional NZ as a whole might cost them the next general.

44 comments on “Hollowing out the regions ”

  • Comments are now closed

  1. Ad 1
    28 August 2016 at 11:17 am

    Even though I just hate banks with some irrational-scale loathing, most NZ regional decline and depopulation is generated by much larger dynamics than one shop closing.
    And I’m not even going to bemoan their decline.

    Far better to look at the regions that have reinvented themselves, and ask, “How did they do that? Could we do that?” Every issue of LIfe and Leisure magazine seems to have a dozen stories of people who walked out on city life, or London life, or Hong Kong life, and decided to make a business happen in some far-flung and obscure little 1-garage 1-hall hamlet.

    • b waghorn 1.1
      28 August 2016 at 11:50 am

      Jobs Ad is what is needed jobs for people that just want to live a quiet little life in a quiet community with their family close at hand, and government is the only outfit that could make the sort of jobs that some need , the one thing that go getter high achievers fail to grasp is many a neither capable of or want to pursue big things.

    • weka 1.2
      28 August 2016 at 11:58 am

      Far better to look at the regions that have reinvented themselves, and ask, “How did they do that? Could we do that?” Every issue of LIfe and Leisure magazine seems to have a dozen stories of people who walked out on city life, or London life, or Hong Kong life, and decided to make a business happen in some far-flung and obscure little 1-garage 1-hall hamlet.

      Those aren’t the people to be concerned about Ad. They can go anywhere and set themselves up and be ok. It’s the people already living there, who will struggle with yet another loss of service, and someone new coming in and setting up a cafe down the road won’t actually help them access banking if they don’t have a decent internet connection. The solutions here aren’t going to come from plucky individuals, what’s needed is socialism. People working for the collective good.

      One thing that stuck in my mind was didn’t we go through this already? Remember all those bank closures post-80s? Which makes me wonder what it is about these places/situations where banking worked through the previous cutbacks and not it doesn’t.

      • Craig H 1.2.1
        28 August 2016 at 12:15 pm

        One relatively recent change is the lowering and elimination of fees – they went up for a while, and banks made profits off them, but now the banks make less off fees so feel the need to find other ways to economize. Online banking and Kiwibank have a lot to do with that.

        With Kiwibank, the government has options, but this one probably won’t exercise them.

      • Ad 1.2.2
        28 August 2016 at 2:18 pm

        I would agree I wouldn’t be anxious about highly mobile people, except that, they are the only people in reality who are going to pull declining regions out of decline.

        We have never had enough capital to do it ourselves. We have by and large remained quarry-enclave economies rather than high value-add townships.

        So when in a little village ten or twelve highly motivated people setting up something new, and get publicity for it, and attract further service industries, well, the loss of one brick-and-mortar low-wage capital-extractive bank branch begins to get less and less important.

        The example I’m really thinking about is Otago, which is pushing new spirit and capital into its furthest hinterlands. Even Kaitangata has more jobs than it has people. Even those tiny hamlets deep down the South Otago coast are full of new initiative. This drive is greatly assisted by Aucklanders, and the internationals flying in direct to Queenstown Airport.

  2. Richard McGrath 2
    28 August 2016 at 1:38 pm

    Why don’t these little towns start their own community-owned banks?

    • Henry Filth 2.1
      28 August 2016 at 1:44 pm

      Insufficient capital.

      Next question. . .

    • Lanthanide 2.2
      28 August 2016 at 1:52 pm

      Unless the community-owned banks are going to do all the services offered by a big bank, it’s not really a solution, is it?

      Community-owned banks are hardly going to be in a position to lend for mortgages, for example.

      • dukeofurl 2.2.1
        28 August 2016 at 3:13 pm

        They can just act like a mortgage broker to a larger institution who do the lending

      • dukeofurl 2.2.2
        28 August 2016 at 3:15 pm

        “In what Sam Moore, head of Bendigo Bank’s Community Bank Model Development, calls a “self-organizing” response, a number of rural municipalities appealed to Bendigo Bank to reestablish a banking presence in their midst. Bendigo Bank sensed an opportunity, but at the same time realized that a new banking model would be required with mechanisms to address the financial viability issues in communities where other banks had so recently found it unprofitable to operate. First, to assure Bendigo Bank of greater support from communities it was agreed that this would need to be a partnership, where both partners shared in the efforts and rewards. And to address the economic decline many of these communities were experiencing, it was agreed that a percentage of each Community Bank Branch’s profits would be allocated on a permanent basis to community-directed grant making. ”

        This is where kiwibank can step in to offer a local partnership. I can bet national wont be letting them touch this with a bargepole.

        “The Community Bank Branches operate under what is essentially a franchise model. Revenue is split between Bendigo Bank and the local community enterprise on a 50/50 basis on basic banking products. For more complex products Bendigo Bank’s share of revenues is higher. In return Bendigo Bank is responsible for IT, products, capital, and regulatory and compliance issues for the bank, and undertakes staff training. “

      • alwyn 2.2.3
        28 August 2016 at 4:37 pm

        Doesn’t TSB offer mortgages?
        I thought that was there main stock in trade.

        • alwyn 2.2.3.1
          28 August 2016 at 4:50 pm

          From the TSB website. Yes they do offer mortgages.
          http://www.tsbbank.co.nz/Loans/Default.aspx

        • Macro 2.2.3.2
          28 August 2016 at 5:05 pm

          Yes they do.
          Have been with TSB for years now after I decided I no longer wanted anything to do with an aussie bank.
          Best banking decision I ever made.
          But they do not have many branches in rural communities outside of the Taranaki. I don’t live anywhere near New Plymouth and indeed never even entered a TSB bank to set up my accounts.
          Actually I hardly ever cross a banks door these days – all my banking is on line and if I need assistance TSB’s help desk is only a phone call away and very very efficient.
          Where I can see a problem for small towns with the loss of banking facilities – and it is a very real one – is the loss of a safe deposit for large amounts of cash. Small towns still need to have some place to get and store cash. (local markets galas etc all run on cash). It should not be the responsibility of the local grocer or dairy owner.
          I like the Dukes suggestion of the Bendigo model. Obviously aussie has been down this track before us and it seems a very viable solution.

        • Lanthanide 2.2.3.3
          29 August 2016 at 9:41 am

          If each community, the size of Fairlie (population 700), started their own bank, how many mortgages do you think they’d be able to offer? Where is the capital coming from?

    • millsy 2.3
      28 August 2016 at 9:45 pm

      We did have. They were called savings/trustee banks. Then Roger came and folded them all together, and they got sold off to…….Westpac.

    • jcuknz 2.4
      29 August 2016 at 8:42 am

      My thoughts too but to answer Henry F the solution is existing business sharing counters as I notice my local Kiwibank has done with a separate counter for Post and Banking if needed. Agencies instead of full blown banks and of course better web connections to the far reaches of the country.

  3. RedBaronCV 3
    28 August 2016 at 2:03 pm

    It’s not just the regions – try counting the number of Westpac banks around central Wellington, or for that matter service stations.

    But the banks have other people doing their work for them and they are charging them for it – businesses that have to pay the bank through the nose to deposit cash and who do then do “cash withdrawals” to customers so the bank doesn’t have to pay tellers.

    All this online banking may be just fine if you have the money for computers, the connections, the ceaseless software upgrades etc. and the ability to access decent line speeds which cuts out a fair chunk of rural New Zealand and also to assume the level of liability that the bank stick you with for online transactions that go wrong.
    Then there is the crowd who want to stop cash being used or cheques being used. And look at the mess when all the IT goes down as happens from time to time. We are mad unless we retain a residual off line system to take the place of an online system when it’s hacked and destroyed.

    But there is an answer – to be bank in NZ you need a banking license and these need to come with a truckload more conditions about service levels. Credit card companies need the same treatment. The Reserve Bank should get onto it.

    Everything from
    – ensuring that all transaction processing takes place onshore so we are not at the mercy of cable failure, we are not handing out our sensitive personal data overseas and for local jobs ( and that it still works even if we are isolated as a country.)
    – that non online services are available within a certain distance for various populations clusters ( make the banks bid and compete to offer the remoter services in a sort of reverse auction where their license fees go up and up the fewer of these services they provide)
    – insist that a residual non IT system still works ( leave cash alone – what are remote communities supposed to do under the current system – barter for FFS? a lamb for a load of firewood??)
    – keep and fund the local competition – Kiwibank etc.

  4. alwyn 4
    28 August 2016 at 2:05 pm

    I can feel very little sympathy for the people in Waikanae. These are the ones covered in the story about people being angry at the Westpac closers linked to in this posting.

    There are, within a one minute walk of the Westpac bank, branches of BNZ, ANZ and Kiwibank. It isn’t really that hard for people to change banks. I have done it on a couple of occasions without any trouble.
    There is, of course, a reduction in competition. Many of the people who comment on this site are actually in favour of that. They really want nationalisation of the banks and the total removal of competition after all.

    Places where there is only a single bank are a different matter. However the main thing causing it is the ever increasing use of internet banking. I know plenty of people who say they haven’t been in a bank for years. Are you one of them? Start using your bank branch again. There may be a few extra fees but you’ll have to accept that you must pay the extra cost of providing the service if you expect the bank to provide it.
    About all that can be done to help the people in the shrinking rural centres is to provide them with high speed reliable broadband. This seems to be being achieved.
    However people who live there aren’t that interested in supporting local businesses. Most small town dwellers will make a weekly journey to buy their groceries at a large supermarket in a town, rather than pay higher prices at a local store with much less range. They can hardly complain when the small local businesses close down can they?

    • RedBaronCV 4.1
      28 August 2016 at 2:14 pm

      If we go into a branch for service we shouldn’t be paying any extra costs as there were no fee reductions when so many services went online.

    • RedBaronCV 4.2
      28 August 2016 at 2:19 pm

      And the taxpayer should pay for all the rural reliable broadband so the bank’s can make more money? Really?? Change the government, stop allowing corporate freeloading on the taxpayer

    • Lanthanide 4.3
      28 August 2016 at 3:42 pm

      “About all that can be done to help the people in the shrinking rural centres is to provide them with high speed reliable broadband. This seems to be being achieved.”

      If you mean UFB, then no, it’s not being achieved. UFB is only being rolled out to the 33 largest towns and cities in NZ.

      Places like Fairlie are definitely not in that top 33 bracket – which is why the bank is shutting up shop after all.

      This illustrates that the government got the UFB rollout backwards – they are focusing on the urban areas, which are already well-served with telecommunications, instead of the rural areas, which need an economic boost up. It’s particularly silly to have dairy farmers operating on dial-up modems because they can’t get any cost-effective alternative.

      • dukeofurl 4.3.1
        28 August 2016 at 4:33 pm

        Yes
        “Because UFB isn’t feasible for every rural community, broadband internet with peak speeds of at least 5Mbps (megabits per second) is being provided to more than 90 per cent of homes and businesses outside of UFB areas.”

        5MB/s !
        Allthough other sites mention getting Wireless 4G

        • alwyn 4.3.1.1
          28 August 2016 at 4:45 pm

          5MB/s would provide a lot more speed than you will really need for Internet banking. I used to use it with dial up, although not for very long.
          What it does not provide is sufficient speed for video which is where most of the demand is these days.

    • jcuknz 4.4
      29 August 2016 at 8:47 am

      I support as far as I can my local dairy for that reason ALWYN …. another closure in the future … they have already lost their NZ Post agency…. B’ Big Business run from Auckland 🙁

  5. Colonial Viper 5
    28 August 2016 at 2:19 pm

    Westpac only makes a billion or two dollars profit in NZ. So they need to close these branches in order to fulfill their shareholder responsibilities to make a satisfactory return.

  6. Keith 6
    28 August 2016 at 2:53 pm

    The Nats lost Northland because of the reason their former MP resigned, that National knew all along but covered it up and that there was a tolerable alternative to vote for.

    Honestly the National Party routinely ignore their electorates and get rewarded by increased majorities. Just wait, Craig Foss will be returned in spades even though Hawkes Bay has diseased drinking water and Nats did stuff all during Havelock North crisis to help them.

  7. ScottGN 7
    28 August 2016 at 3:25 pm

    It will never happen because of competition and the current mindset between the big banks but what if the big 4 banks plus Kiwibank banded together and opened omnibus branches in the towns that apparently aren’t big enough to support a single bank branch? What if we had a government that cared enough to try and facilitate this?

    • Incognito 7.1
      28 August 2016 at 8:21 pm

      I was thinking a similar thing. It occurred to me that there’s fierce competition in the (international) airline industry but they do codeshare flights and by and large it seems to work well. Sometimes competition means that it makes sense, from a business perspective, to join forces & services, without actual merging and/or acquisition. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Codeshare_agreement

  8. KJT 8
    28 August 2016 at 3:59 pm

    I am sure that if Kiwibank opened a branch in these smaller places, even as a franchise in a local store, the other banks would move back.

    However National’s politicians have to much of a fixation on their, after politics, rewards from the banks, like a recent National retiree, to allow Kiwibank to keep the others honest.

    • dukeofurl 8.1
      28 August 2016 at 4:34 pm

      Yes thats whats happening in Australia with Bendigo Bank and its Community Bank network

    • Reddelusion 8.2
      28 August 2016 at 4:40 pm

      I suggest not, people who actually go physically to a bank weekly I suggest are very high cost cutomers so I doubt it really has any material impact at all I can’t see the issue here, online banking is not difficult, no ATM in town is a bit rough though, saying that your housing is cheap thus pros and cons to small town living

    • Chooky 8.3
      28 August 2016 at 6:54 pm

      +100 KJT

      KiwiBank, the peoples bank, should fill the void left by Westpac….which is afterall an Australian bank and takes profits out of the country

      and many older rural people including quite wealthy people don’t trust online banking

      …they will vote with their feet if given a choice to go to KiwiBank and if not given the choice they will vote against jonkey nactional as well

  9. Paul 9
    28 August 2016 at 4:27 pm

    Money as debt.

    • Lanthanide 9.1
      28 August 2016 at 5:29 pm

      And…? What?

      People post this video like it’s some amazing problem with our society – and I don’t necessarily disagree – but there’s no suggestion as to what we should do instead, or how that alternative economy would work in practice.

      • Reddelusion 9.1.1
        28 August 2016 at 5:52 pm

        agree no big secret fractional banking, it does talk about nationalising banking with no interest and money created based on govt spending and consumer need, not debt, with inflation and deflation controlled via tax and govt spending, also proposed all bank interest could be redistributed as a UBI, thus no bank interest or profit in reality. The real issue is how you, and the cost of transition from our old system to new, can a country go alone in such a financially globally connected world likewise, no critique if such a system would work or not, downside upside, unintended consequences hence an interesting documentary but vary incomplete and just another cut and paste bomb by Paul

        • reason 9.1.1.1
          28 August 2016 at 10:33 pm

          Good to see you took the time to visit and watch Pauls link RedD … 🙂

          ….. derivative money men like our Prime minister don’t worry about debt …. they call it leverage.

          The Nacts are leveraging our country to exciting new levels …… and although the results have appeared like inflating a cow-pat …….. you do get these bubbles that inflate on the surface …… and then go pop with fecal matter being projected out to splatter on nearby things.

          A good way to think is imagine New Zealand as being like a Hotel room ….. and the nacts economy as a Rock-star ….

          The fans pay for the trashed room ……………..

  10. millsy 10
    28 August 2016 at 9:44 pm

    There is no reason why a mobile banking service cannot be set up. We do have the technology after all.

  11. Andrea 11
    29 August 2016 at 9:44 pm

    A bank bus. A dentistry bus. An optometry bus and mail order glasses. Even a travelling medical service to cover a district.

    Couldn’t be any worse than the current ‘wait forever for an appointment’ services we have now.

    If we can push house prices sky high – why not a geo-stationary satellite to improve communication and internet connection?

Recent Comments

Recent Posts

  • Bernard’s Dawn Chorus and pick ‘n’ mix for Thursday, May 16
    Half of Christchurch City Holdings Ltd’s directors and its chair resigned en masse last night in protest at Christchurch City Council’s demand to front-load dividends File Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The chair of Christchurch City Council’s investment company and four of its independent directors resigned in protest last ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    16 mins ago

  • Controversial proposal could threaten coalition
    The University of Waikato has reworded an advertisement that begins the tender process for its new $300 million-plus medical school even though the Government still needs to approve it. However, even the reworded ad contains an architect’s visualisations of what the school might look like. ACT leader David Seymour told ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    3 hours ago

  • Of Rings of Power Annatar, Dramatic Irony, and Disguises
    As a follow-up to the Rings of Power trailer discussion, I thought I needed to add something. There has been some online mockery about the use of the same actor for both the Halbrand and Annatar incarnations of Sauron. The reasoning is that Halbrand with a shave and a new ...
    A Phuulish FellowBy strda221
    9 hours ago

  • The future of Nick's Kōrero.
    This isn’t quite as dramatic as the title might suggest. I’m not going anywhere, but there is something I wanted to talk to you about.Let’s start with a typical day.Most days I send out a newsletter in the morning. If I’ve written a lot the previous evening it might be ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    13 hours ago

  • The PM promises tax relief in the Budget – but will it be enough to satisfy the Taxpayers’ Union...
    Buzz from the Beehive The promise of tax relief loomed large in his considerations when  the PM delivered a pre-Budget speech to the Auckland Business Chamber. The job back in Wellington is getting government spending back under control, he said, bandying figures which show that in per capita terms, the ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    16 hours ago

  • Fucking useless
    Yesterday de facto Prime Minister David Seymour announced that his glove puppet government would be re-introducing charter schools, throwing $150 million at his pet quacks, donors and cronies and introducing an entire new government agency to oversee them (the existing Education Review Office, which actually knows how to review schools, ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    17 hours ago

  • Setting things straight.
    Seeing that, in order to discredit the figures and achieve moral superiority while attempting to deflect attention away from the military assault on Rafa, Israel supporters in NZ have seized on reports that casualty numbers in Gaza may be inflated … Continue reading → ...
    KiwipoliticoBy Pablo
    17 hours ago

  • Far too light a sentence
    David Farrar writes – Newstalk ZB report: The man responsible for a horror hit and run in central Wellington last year was on a suspended licence and was so drunk he later asked police, “Did I kill someone?” Jason Tuitama injured two women when he ran a red ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    19 hours ago

  • Unwinding Labour’s Agenda
    Muriel Newman writes –  Former US President Ronald Reagan once said, “Freedom is a fragile thing and it’s never more than one generation away from extinction. It is not ours by way of inheritance; it must be fought for and defended constantly by each generation.” The fight for ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    20 hours ago

  • Sequel to “Real reason Waitangi Tribunal could not summons Chhour”
    Why Courts should have said Waitangi Tribunal could not summons Karen Chhour Gary Judd writes – In the High Court, Justice Isacs declined to uphold the witness summons issued by the Waitangi Tribunal to compel Minister for Children, Karen Chhour, to appear before it to be ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    20 hours ago

  • The Govt’s Fast-Track is being demolished by submissions to Parliament
    Bryce Edwards writes –  The number of voices raising concerns about the Government’s Fast-Track Approvals Bill is rapidly growing. This is especially apparent now that Parliament’s select committee is listening to submissions from the public to evaluate the proposed legislation. Twenty-seven thousand submissions have been made to Parliament ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    20 hours ago

  • A generation is leaving at a rate of one A320-load per day
    An average of 166 New Zealand citizens left the country every day during the March quarter, up 54% from a year ago.Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The economy and housing market is sinking into a longer recession through the winter after a slump in business and consumer confidence in ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    22 hours ago

  • NZUP RORS back to life
    The government has made it abundantly clear they’re addicted to the smell of new asphalt. On Tuesday they introduced a new term to the country’s roading lexicon, the Roads of Regional Significance (RoRS), a little brother for the Roads of National (Party) Significance (RoNS). Driving ahead with Roads of Regional ...
    Greater AucklandBy Matt L
    24 hours ago

  • School Is Out.
    School is outAnd I walk the empty hallwaysI walk aloneAlone as alwaysThere's so many lucky penniesLying on the floorBut where the hell are all the lucky peopleI can't see them any moreYesterday morning, I’d just sent out my newsletter on Tama Potaka, and I was struggling to make the coffee. ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    1 day ago

  • How Are You Doing?
    Hi,I wanted to check in and ask how you’re doing.This is perhaps a selfish act, of attempting to find others feeling a similar way to me — that is to say, a little hopeless at the moment.Misery loves company, that sort of deal.Some context.I wish I could say I got ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    1 day ago

  • The Rings of Power: Season Two Teaser Trailer
    I have hitherto been fairly quiet on the new season of Rings of Power, on the basis that the underwhelming first season did not exactly build excitement – and the rumours were fairly daft. The only real thing of substance to come out has been that they have re-cast Adar ...
    A Phuulish FellowBy strda221
    1 day ago

  • At a glance – What ended the Little ice Age?
    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
    2 days ago

  • Talking Reo with the PM
    “The thing is,” Chris Luxon says, leaning forward to make his point, “this has always been my thing.”“This goes all the way back to the first multinational I worked for. I was saying exactly the same thing back then. The name of our business needs to be more clear; people ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    2 days ago

  • Waitangi Tribunal’s authority in Chhour case is upheld – but bill’s introduction to Parliament...
    Buzz from the Beehive It’s been a momentous few days for Children’s Minister Karen Chhour.  The Court of Appeal has overturned a High Court decision which blocked a summons order from the Waitangi Tribunal for her. And today she has announced the Government is putting children first by introducing to ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    2 days ago

  • Australia jails another whistleblower
    In 2014 former Australian army lawyer David McBride leaked classified military documents about Australian war crimes to the ABC. Dubbed "The Afghan Files", the documents led to an explosive report on Australian war crimes, the disbanding of an entire SAS unit, and multiple ongoing prosecutions. The journalist who wrote the ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    2 days ago

  • Some “scrutiny”!
    Back in February I blogged about another secret OIA "consultation" by the Ministry of Justice. This one was on Aotearoa's commitment in its Open Government Partnership Action Plan to "strengthen scrutiny of Official Information Act exemption clauses in legislation" (AKA secrecy clauses). Their consultation paper on the issue focused on ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    2 days ago

  • TVNZ is loss-making, serves no public service due to bias, and should be liquidated
    Rob MacCulloch writes –  According to the respected Pew Research Centre, “In seven of eight [European] countries surveyed, the most trusted news outlet asked about is the public news organization in each country”. For example, “in Sweden, an overwhelming majority (90%) say they trust the public broadcaster SVT”. ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    2 days ago

  • The conflicted Covid Chair
    David Farrar writes –  Kata MacNamara reports:    Details of Tony Blakely’s involvement in the New Zealand Government’s response to the pandemic raise serious questions about the work of the Covid-19 Royal Commission of Inquiry over which he presides. It has long been clear that Blakely, a ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    2 days ago

  • Attacking the smartest and most resilient people in the room is never a good idea
    Chris Trotter writes – Are you a Brahmin or a Merchant? Or, are you merely one of those whose lives are profoundly influenced by the decisions of Brahmins and Merchants? Those are the questions that are currently shaping the politics of New Zealand and the entire West. ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    2 days ago

  • A fortune-telling failure, surely, if the tarot cards can’t see a bulldozer coming
    RNZ reports –  It’s supposed to be a haven of healing and spiritual awakening but residents of the Kawai Purapura community say they’ve been hurt and deceived. It’s the successor to the former Centrepoint commune, and has been on the bush block opposite Albany shopping centre since 2008. It ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    2 days ago

  • The climate battleground heats up
    TL;DR : Here’s the top six items climate news for Aotearoa-NZ this week, as selected by Bernard Hickey and The Kākā’s climate correspondent Cathrine Dyer. Usually we have a video chat to go with this wrap, but were unable to do one this week. We’ll be back next week.Several reports ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago

  • Bernard’ s Dawn Chorus & Pick ‘n’ Mix for Tuesday, May 14
    The Transport Minister has set a hard 'fiscal envelope' of $6.54 billion for transport capital spending. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The economy is settling into a state of suspended animation as the Government’s funding freezes and job cuts chill confidence and combine with stubbornly high interest rates to ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago

  • Gordon Campbell on why anti-Zionism is not anti-Semitic
    To be precise, the term “anti- Zionism” refers to (a) criticism of the political movement that created a modern Jewish state on the historical land of Israel, and to (b)the subjugation of Palestinians by the Israeli state. By contrast, the term “anti-Semitism” means bigotry and racism directed at Jewish people, ...
    Gordon CampbellBy lyndon
    2 days ago

  • Climate change is making hurricanes more destructive
    This is a re-post from the Climate Brink by Andrew Dessler Because hurricanes are one of the big-ticket weather disasters that humanity has to face, climate misinformers spend a lot of effort muddying the waters on whether climate change is making hurricanes more damaging. With the official start to the hurricane ...
    Skeptical Science
    2 days ago

  • Wayne Brown’s PT Plan
    Yesterday the Mayor released what he calls his “plan to save public transport” which is part of his final proposal for the Council’s Long Term Plan (LTP). This comes following consultation on the draft version that occurred in March which showed, once again, that people want more done on transport, especially ...
    Greater AucklandBy Matt L
    2 days ago

  • Potaka's Private Universe.
    And it's a pleasure that I have knownAnd it's a treasure that I have gainedAotearoa’s coalition government is fragile. It’s held together by the obsequious sycophancy of Christopher Luxon, who willingly contorts his party into the fringe positions of his junior coalition partners and is unwilling to contradict them. The ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    2 days ago

  • Our slow regional councils
    The Select Committee hearing submissions on the fast-track consenting legislation is starting to become a beat-up of regional councils. The inflexibility and slow workings of the Councils were prominent in two submissions yesterday. One, from the Coromandel Marine Farmers Association, simply said that the Waikato Regional Council’s planning decisions were ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    2 days ago

  • Ministers are not above the law after all
    Back in April, the High Court surprised everyone by ruling that Ministers are above the law, at least as far as the Waitangi Tribunal is concerned. The reason for this ruling was "comity" - the idea that the different branches of government shouldn't interfere with each other's functions. Which makes ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    3 days ago

  • NZTA takes the wheel after govt gives it the road map for regional roads (and puts a speed governor ...
    Buzz from the Beehive  Tolling was mentioned when Transport Minister Simeon Brown announced the government was re-introducing the Roads of National Significance (RoNS) programme, with 15 “crucial” projects to support economic growth and regional development across New Zealand. All RoNS would be four-laned, grade-separated highways, and all funding, financing, and ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    3 days ago

  • Change in Catalonia?
    or the past 14 years, ever since the Spanish government cheated on an autonomy deal, Catalonia has reliably given pro-independence parties a majority of seats in their regional parliament. But now that seems to be over. Catalans went to the polls yesterday, and stripped the Catalan parties of their majority. ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    3 days ago

  • Having an enrolment date is not depriving anyone of a vote
    David Farrar writes –  Radio NZ report: Labour Party leader Chris Hipkins said the Electoral Commission should make sure the system ran smoothly and “taking away the right of thousands of people to vote” was not the answer. “Thousands of people enroled and voted on the day. If ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    3 days ago

  • Perhaps house prices don’t always go up
    Don Brash writes –  There was a rather revealing headline in the Herald on Sunday today (12 May). It read “One in 8 Auckland homes on market were bought during boom, may now sell for loss”. The first line of text noted that “New data shows one in ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    3 days ago

  • Can’t read, can’t write, can’t comprehend – and won’t think…?
    Mike Grimshaw writes –  At a time when universities are understandably nervous regarding the establishment of the University Advisory Group (UAG) and the Science System Advisory Group (SSAG) it may seem strange – or even fool-hardy – to state that there are long-standing issues in the tertiary sector ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    3 days ago

  • Time for some perspective
    Lindsay Mitchell writes –  A lack of perspective can make something quite large or important seem small or irrelevant. Against a backdrop of high-profile, negative statistics it is easy to overlook the positive. For instance, the fact that 64 percent of Maori are employed is rarely reported. For ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    3 days ago

  • Will NZ Herald’s ‘poor journalism’ cost lives?
    Earlier this year, the Herald ran a series of articles amounting to a sustained campaign against raised pedestrian crossings, by reporter Bernard Orsman. A key part of that campaign concerned the raised crossings being installed as part of the Pt Chevalier to Westmere project, with at least 10 articles over ...
    Greater AucklandBy Matt L
    3 days ago

  • The Kaka’s diary for the week to May 19 and beyond
    TL;DR: The six key events to watch in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the week to May 19 include:PM Christopher Luxon is expected to hold his weekly post-cabinet news conference at 4:00pm on Monday.Parliament is not sitting this week. It resumes next week for a two-week sitting session up to and ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago

  • Webworm Popup Photos!
    Hi,Thanks to all the beautiful Worms who came to the LA Webworm popup on Saturday.It was a way to celebrate the online store we launched last week — and it was super special.As I talk about a lot, I really value our community here — and it was a BLAST ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    3 days ago

  • 2024 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #19
    A listing of 35 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, May 5, 2024 thru Sat, May 11, 2024. (Unfortunate) Story of the week "Grief that stops at despair is an ending that I and many others, most notably ...
    Skeptical Science
    4 days ago

  • The Gods Must Be Woke.
    Last night the largest solar storm in decades resulted in Aurorae being seen across Aotearoa, causing many to ask why?Why was the sky pink? What was all this stuff about the power grid? Have we, as so many have wondered since the election, reached the end of days?I had a ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    4 days ago

  • More road
    We have been on the road in England, squeezing down narrow lanes, flying up the M6, loving hedgerows and villages and cathedrals, liking the 21st century less.There have been moments when it’s felt like a movie trope. The pub in Exford, lovely seventeenth century bar, almost more dogs than people, ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    4 days ago

  • Seeing the Aurora Australis
    There’s a solar-storm on at the moment, and since the South Island is having a day and night with clear skies, that means Aurorae. I have just got back from a midnight visit to Tunnel Beach – southwards-looking over the Sea, and without the light pollution. Quite a few others ...
    A Phuulish FellowBy strda221
    4 days ago

  • Welcome to the current welfare mess
    Michael Bassett writes – I’m not sure that it’s much comfort to anyone to know that the post-Covid surge in violent crimes, gang activity, ram raids, random shootings, thuggery and stabbings is occurring in other countries as well as New Zealand. These days, wagging school, out-of-control welfare and ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago

  • A shovel-ready autopsy
    Oliver Hartwich writes –  Cast your mind back to mid-December. A new Prime Minister had just been sworn in, the new Government started its 100-day programme, and Christmas was only days away.Amid all the haste, a report landed that would have deserved our attention.I am talking about the ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago

  • Why we almost blacked out and how to fix it
    TL;DR: An unseasonally early icy blast at the same time as some long-overdue maintenance almost caused Aotearoa-NZ’s electricity system to black out this week. That’s because a quadropoly of gentailers1 have prioritised paying dividends from their rising profits and adding debt over investing in 1.5 GigaWatts of new wind farms ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago

  • What Is Instagram Trying To Sell Us?
    Hi,Before we crack into today’s Webworm, I wanted to acknowledge the fact that Israel is pushing into Rafah. Over 100,000 Palestinians are now attempting to flee the one place that was deemed “safe”.Trouble is, the place they’re fleeing to is already destroyed. Total annihilation is the end goal here.“Israel is ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    5 days ago

  • Precious Little Excitement: Warner Brothers, Peter Jackson, and Gollum
    Back in February 2023, I made the cardinal mistake of getting my hopes up. Warner Brothers declared that fresh Middle-earth movies were in the works: https://phuulishfellow.wordpress.com/2023/02/24/it-never-rains-but-it-pours-warner-brothers-and-impending-tolkien-adaptations/ My assumption, based on which rights were available, and what had already been done, was that this was a stab at either the Angmar ...
    A Phuulish FellowBy strda221
    6 days ago

  • Do We Need a Population Census?
    ‘It has been said that figures rule the world. Maybe. I am quite sure that it is figures which show us whether it is being ruled well or badly.’ GoetheI was struck at a recent conference on equity for the elderly, how many presenters implicitly relied upon Statistics New Zealand. ...
    PunditBy Brian Easton
    6 days ago

  • No, the govt will not be cutting back on every budget – and the Defence vote is among those to be ...
    Buzz from the Beehive Reporting on defence spending late last year, RNZ said the coalition government will have to make some tough calls this term to help the force address staff shortages and ageing infrastructure. “These are huge, huge amounts of government spending. It’s a significant proportion of the government’s ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago

  • The Treasury and productivity
    Late last week The Treasury released a new 40 page report on “The productivity slowdown: implications for the Treasury’s forecasts and projections” (productivity forecasts and projections that is, rather than any possible fiscal implications – the latter will, I guess, be articulated in the Budget documents). In short, if (as it has) ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago

  • The Controller and Auditor-General’s role
    Peter Dunne writes –  I am always wary when I hear that the Controller and Auditor-General has commented on or made recommendations to the government about an issue of public policy that does not relate strictly to public expenditure. According to the legislation, the role of the Controller ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago

  • More harm than good
    How Labour’s and National’s failure to move beyond neoliberalism has brought NZ to the brink of economic and cultural chaos   Chris Trotter writes –  TO START LOSING, so soon after you won, requires a special kind of political incompetence. At the heart of this Coalition ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago

  • Real reason Waitangi Tribunal could not summons Chhour
    And why did the Crown not challenge the Tribunal’s jurisdiction?   Gary Judd writes –  Retired District Court Judge, David Harvey, has posted on his A Halflings View Substack an excellent summary of Justice Isacs’ judgment declining to uphold the witness summons issued by the Waitangi Tribunal ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago

  • Losing confidence in the integrity of NZ elections
    Bryce Edwards writes – Do you believe New Zealand runs its general elections fairly and competently? As a voter, can you be confident that the votes on your ballot will be counted towards the final result?As a political scientist, I’ve been asked these questions many times and ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago

  • Macklemore's Pro-Palestinian Protest.
    Macklemore isn’t someone I’d usually think about. Sure I liked his big hit from a few years back, everybody did it was catchy and cool with some memorable lines. But if I was going to think of artists who might speak out on political matters or world events, he wouldn’t ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    6 days ago

  • Gordon Campbell on miserly school lunches, and the banning of TikTok’s Gaza coverage
    Another week goes by in the Luxon government’s efforts to roll back the past 70 years of social progress. The school lunches programme is to be downgraded by $107 million, and women need bother their heads no longer about pay equity, let alone expect ACC to provide adequate sexual violence ...
    Gordon CampbellBy lyndon
    6 days ago

  • Weekly Roundup 10-May-2024
    Brrr, the first cold snap of the year. Hope you’re rugged up nice and warm. Here are some stories that caught our eye this week… This Week on Greater Auckland On Monday, we had a post from a new contributor, Connor Sharp, who dug into the public feedback ...
    Greater AucklandBy Greater Auckland
    6 days ago

  • The Hoon around the week to May 10
    Almost all of the Wellington City Council’s recommended zoning changes to allow many more apartments and townhouses in its inner-suburbs have been approved.Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The podcast above of the weekly ‘hoon’ webinar for subscribers features co-hosts and , along with regular guest on geopolitics, ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    6 days ago

  • Skeptical Science New Research for Week #19 2024
    Open access notables A Global Increase in Nearshore Tropical Cyclone Intensification, Balaguru et al., Earth's Future: Tropical Cyclones (TCs) inflict substantial coastal damages, making it pertinent to understand changing storm characteristics in the important nearshore region. Past work examined several aspects of TCs relevant for impacts in coastal regions. However, ...
    Skeptical Science
    6 days ago

  • Bryce Edwards: Losing confidence in the integrity of NZ elections
    Do you believe New Zealand runs its general elections fairly and competently? As a voter, can you be confident that the votes on your ballot will be counted towards the final result? As a political scientist, I’ve been asked these questions many times and always answered “yes”, with very few ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    6 days ago

  • The Song of Saqua: Volume VIII
    Thus far May has followed on from a quiet April in the blogging department, but in fairness, it has been another case of doing what I am supposed to be doing, namely writing original fiction. Plus reading. So don’t worry – I have been productive. But in order to reassure ...
    A Phuulish FellowBy strda221
    7 days ago

  • Pretending to talk other people’s languages
    Fakes can come in many forms.A Rolex, for instance.A tan can be fake. Read more ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    7 days ago

  • What’s new? A social agency with an emphasis on “investment” instead of “wellbeing” – b...
    Buzz from the Beehive A new government agency will open for business on July 1 – the Social Investment Agency. As a new standalone central agency effective from 1 July, it will lead the development of social investment across Government, helping ministers understand who they need to invest in, what ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    7 days ago

  • Following the political money
    Bryce Edwards writes –    “Follow the money” is the classic directive to journalists trying to understand where power and influence lie in society. In terms of uncovering who influences various New Zealand political parties and governments, it therefore pays to look at who is funding them. The ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    7 days ago

  • Hipkins would rather no one remember that he was Minister of Education
    Alwyn Poole writes –  After being elected to Parliament in 2008 the maiden speech of Hipkins was substantially around education policy. He was Labour’s spokesperson for education 2011 – 2017. He was Minister for Education from 2017 until February 2023. This is approximately 88% of the time Labour ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    7 days ago

  • Fashionable follies
    Eric Crampton writes –  A fashion industry group is lobbying for protections. They make the usual arguments and a newer one. None of it makes sense. An industry group says it pumped $7.8 billion into the economy last year – that’s 1.9 percent of New Zealand’s GDP. ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    7 days ago

  • Justice for Bainimarama!
    In December 2006, Fiji's military leader Voreqe Bainimarama overthrew the elected government in a coup. He ruled Fiji for the next 16 years, first as dictator, then as "elected" Prime Minister. But now, he's finally been sent to jail where he belongs. Sadly, this isn't for his real crime of ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    7 days ago

  • March for Nature in June
    Don't like National's corrupt Muldoonist "fast-track" law? Aotearoa's environmental NGO's - Greenpeace, Forest & Bird, WWF, Coromandel Watchdog, Coal Action Network Aotearoa, Kiwis Against Seabed Mining, and others - have announced a joint march against it in Auckland in June: When: 13:00, 8 June, 2024 Where: Aotea Square, Auckland You ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    7 days ago

  • Bernard’ s Dawn Chorus & Pick ‘n’ Mix for Thursday May 9
    Seymour describes sushi as too woke for school meals. There are no fish sushi meals recommended by the School Lunches programme. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / Getty ImagesTL;DR: The Government will swap out hot meals for packaged sandwiches to save $107 million on school lunches for poor kids. MSD has pulled ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    7 days ago

  • The non-woke $3 Lunch.
    I don't mind stealin' bread from the mouths of decadenceBut I can't feed on the powerless when my cup's already overfilled, yeahBut it's on the table, the fire's cookin'And they're farmin' babies, while slaves are workin'The blood is on the table and the mouths are chokin'But I'm goin' hungry, yeahSome ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    7 days ago

  • Labour’s chickens come home to roost
    The Ardern Government’s chickens came home to roost yesterday with the news that the country is short of natural gas. In 2018, Labour banned offshore petroleum exploration, and industry executives say that the attendant loss of confidence by the industry impacted overall investment in onshore gas fields. Energy Resources Minister ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    1 week ago

  • Pre-Budget speech to Auckland Business Chamber
    Ka nui te mihi kia koutou. Kia ora and good afternoon, everyone. Thank you so much for having me here in the lead up to my Government’s first Budget. Before I get started can I acknowledge: Simon Bridges – Auckland Business Chamber CEO. Steve Jurkovich – Kiwibank CEO. Kids born ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    18 hours ago

  • New Zealand and Vanuatu to deepen collaboration
    New Zealand and Vanuatu will enhance collaboration on issues of mutual interest, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says.    “It is important to return to Port Vila this week with a broad, high-level political delegation which demonstrates our deep commitment to New Zealand’s relationship with Vanuatu,” Mr Peters says.    “This ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    19 hours ago

  • Penk travels to Peru for trade meetings
    Minister for Land Information, Chris Penk will travel to Peru this week to represent New Zealand at a meeting of trade ministers from the Asia-Pacific region on behalf of Trade Minister Todd McClay. The annual Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Ministers Responsible for Trade meeting will be held on 17-18 May ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    21 hours ago

  • Minister attends global education conferences
    Minister of Education Erica Stanford will head to the United Kingdom this week to participate in the 22nd Conference of Commonwealth Education Ministers (CCEM) and the 2024 Education World Forum (EWF). “I am looking forward to sharing this Government’s education priorities, such as introducing a knowledge-rich curriculum, implementing an evidence-based ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    22 hours ago

  • Education Minister thanks outgoing NZQA Chair
    Minister of Education Erica Stanford has today thanked outgoing New Zealand Qualifications Authority Chair, Hon Tracey Martin. “Tracey Martin tendered her resignation late last month in order to take up a new role,” Ms Stanford says. Ms Martin will relinquish the role of Chair on 10 May and current Deputy ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    22 hours ago

  • Joint statement of Christopher Luxon and Emmanuel Macron: Launch of the Christchurch Call Foundation
    New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and President Emmanuel Macron of France today announced a new non-governmental organisation, the Christchurch Call Foundation, to coordinate the Christchurch Call’s work to eliminate terrorist and violent extremist content online.   This change gives effect to the outcomes of the November 2023 Call Leaders’ Summit, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • Panel announced for review into disability services
    Distinguished public servant and former diplomat Sir Maarten Wevers will lead the independent review into the disability support services administered by the Ministry of Disabled People – Whaikaha. The review was announced by Disability Issues Minister Louise Upston a fortnight ago to examine what could be done to strengthen the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • Minister welcomes Police gang unit
    Today’s announcement by Police Commissioner Andrew Coster of a National Gang Unit and district Gang Disruption Units will help deliver on the coalition Government’s pledge to restore law and order and crack down on criminal gangs, Police Minister Mark Mitchell says. “The National Gang Unit and Gang Disruption Units will ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • New Zealand expresses regret at North Korea’s aggressive rhetoric
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters has today expressed regret at North Korea’s aggressive rhetoric towards New Zealand and its international partners.  “New Zealand proudly stands with the international community in upholding the rules-based order through its monitoring and surveillance deployments, which it has been regularly doing alongside partners since 2018,” Mr ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • New Chief of Defence Force appointed
    Air Vice-Marshal Tony Davies MNZM is the new Chief of Defence Force, Defence Minister Judith Collins announced today. The Chief of Defence Force commands the Navy, Army and Air Force and is the principal military advisor to the Defence Minister and other Ministers with relevant portfolio responsibilities in the defence ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • Government puts children first by repealing 7AA
    Legislation to repeal section 7AA of the Oranga Tamariki Act has been introduced to Parliament. The Bill’s introduction reaffirms the Coalition Government’s commitment to the safety of children in care, says Minister for Children, Karen Chhour. “While section 7AA was introduced with good intentions, it creates a conflict for Oranga ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • Defence Minister to meet counterparts in UK, Italy
    Defence Minister Judith Collins will this week travel to the UK and Italy to meet with her defence counterparts, and to attend Battles of Cassino commemorations. “I am humbled to be able to represent the New Zealand Government in Italy at the commemorations for the 80th anniversary of what was ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • Charter schools to lift educational outcomes
    The upcoming Budget will include funding for up to 50 charter schools to help lift declining educational performance, Associate Education Minister David Seymour announced today. $153 million in new funding will be provided over four years to establish and operate up to 15 new charter schools and convert 35 state ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • COVID-19 Inquiry terms of reference consultation results received
    “The results of the public consultation on the terms of reference for the Royal Commission into COVID-19 Lessons has now been received, with results indicating over 13,000 submissions were made from members of the public,” Internal Affairs Minister Brooke van Velden says. “We heard feedback about the extended lockdowns in ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • The Pacific family of nations – the changing security outlook
    Foreign Minister, Defence Minister, other Members of Parliament Acting Chief of Defence Force, Secretary of Defence Distinguished Guests  Defence and Diplomatic Colleagues  Ladies and Gentlemen,  Good afternoon, tēna koutou, apinun tru    It’s a pleasure to be back in Port Moresby today, and to speak here at the Kumul Leadership ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago

  • NZ and Papua New Guinea to work more closely together
    Health, infrastructure, renewable energy, and stability are among the themes of the current visit to Papua New Guinea by a New Zealand political delegation, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says.   “Papua New Guinea carries serious weight in the Pacific, and New Zealand deeply values our relationship with it,” Mr Peters ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago

  • Driving ahead with Roads of Regional Significance
    The coalition Government is launching Roads of Regional Significance to sit alongside Roads of National Significance as part of its plan to deliver priority roading projects across the country, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says.  “The Roads of National Significance (RoNS) built by the previous National Government are some of New Zealand’s ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago

  • New Zealand congratulates new Solomon Islands government
    A high-level New Zealand political delegation in Honiara today congratulated the new Government of Solomon Islands, led by Jeremiah Manele, on taking office.    “We are privileged to meet the new Prime Minister and members of his Cabinet during his government’s first ten days in office,” Deputy Prime Minister and ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago

  • New Zealand supports UN Palestine resolution
    New Zealand voted in favour of a resolution broadening Palestine’s participation at the United Nations General Assembly overnight, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says.    “The resolution enhances the rights of Palestine to participate in the work of the UN General Assembly while stopping short of admitting Palestine as a full ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago

  • Speech to the 2024 Infrastructure Symposium
    Introduction Good morning. It’s a great privilege to be here at the 2024 Infrastructure Symposium. I was extremely happy when the Prime Minister asked me to be his Minister for Infrastructure. It is one of the great barriers holding the New Zealand economy back from achieving its potential. Building high ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago

  • $571 million for Defence pay and projects
    Defence Minister Judith Collins today announced the upcoming Budget will include new funding of $571 million for Defence Force pay and projects. “Our servicemen and women do New Zealand proud throughout the world and this funding will help ensure we retain their services and expertise as we navigate an increasingly ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago

  • Climate change – mitigating the risks and costs
    New Zealand’s ability to cope with climate change will be strengthened as part of the Government’s focus to build resilience as we rebuild the economy, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. “An enduring and long-term approach is needed to provide New Zealanders and the economy with certainty as the climate ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago

  • Getting new job seekers on the pathway to work
    Jobseeker beneficiaries who have work obligations must now meet with MSD within two weeks of their benefit starting to determine their next step towards finding a job, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “A key part of the coalition Government’s plan to have 50,000 fewer people on Jobseeker ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago

  • Accelerating Social Investment
    A new standalone Social Investment Agency will power-up the social investment approach, driving positive change for our most vulnerable New Zealanders, Social Investment Minister Nicola Willis says.  “Despite the Government currently investing more than $70 billion every year into social services, we are not seeing the outcomes we want for ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago

  • Getting Back on Track
    Check against delivery Good morning. It is a pleasure to be with you to outline the Coalition Government’s approach to our first Budget. Thank you Mark Skelly, President of the Hutt Valley Chamber of Commerce, together with  your Board and team, for hosting me.   I’d like to acknowledge His Worship ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • NZ – European Union ties more critical than ever
    Your Excellency Ambassador Meredith,   Members of the Diplomatic Corps and Ambassadors from European Union Member States,   Ministerial colleagues, Members of Parliament, and other distinguished guests, Thank you everyone for joining us.   Ladies and gentlemen -    In diplomacy, we often speak of ‘close’ and ‘long-standing’ relations.   ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Therapeutic Products Act to be repealed
    The Therapeutic Products Act (TPA) will be repealed this year so that a better regime can be put in place to provide New Zealanders safe and timely access to medicines, medical devices and health products, Associate Health Minister Casey Costello announced today. “The medicines and products we are talking about ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Decisions on Wellington City Council’s District Plan
    The Minister Responsible for RMA Reform, Chris Bishop, today released his decision on twenty recommendations referred to him by the Wellington City Council relating to its Intensification Planning Instrument, after the Council rejected those recommendations of the Independent Hearings Panel and made alternative recommendations. “Wellington notified its District Plan on ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Rape Awareness Week: Government committed to action on sexual violence
    Rape Awareness Week (6-10 May) is an important opportunity to acknowledge the continued effort required by government and communities to ensure that all New Zealanders can live free from violence, say Ministers Karen Chhour and Louise Upston.  “With 1 in 3 women and 1 in 8 men experiencing sexual violence ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Smarter lunch programme feeds more, costs less
    Associate Education Minister David Seymour has today announced that the Government will be delivering a more efficient Healthy School Lunches Programme, saving taxpayers approximately $107 million a year compared to how Labour funded it, by embracing innovation and commercial expertise. “We are delivering on our commitment to treat taxpayers’ money ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Report provides insights into marine recovery
    New research on the impacts of extreme weather on coastal marine habitats in Tairāwhiti and Hawke’s Bay will help fishery managers plan for and respond to any future events, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. A report released today on research by Niwa on behalf of Fisheries New Zealand ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • NZ to send political delegation to the Pacific
    Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Winston Peters will lead a broad political delegation on a five-stop Pacific tour next week to strengthen New Zealand’s engagement with the region.   The delegation will visit Solomon Islands, Papua New Guinea, Vanuatu, New Caledonia, and Tuvalu.    “New Zealand has deep and ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Low gas production threatens energy security
    There has been a material decline in gas production according to figures released today by the Gas Industry Co.  Figures released by the Gas Industry Company show that there was a 12.5 per cent reduction in gas production during 2023, and a 27.8 per cent reduction in gas production in the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Defence industry talent, commitment recognised
    Defence Minister Judith Collins tonight announced the recipients of the Minister of Defence Awards of Excellence for Industry, saying they all contribute to New Zealanders’ security and wellbeing. “Congratulations to this year’s recipients, whose innovative products and services play a critical role in the delivery of New Zealand’s defence capabilities, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Speech to the Minister of Defence Awards of Excellence for Industry
    Welcome to you all - it is a pleasure to be here this evening.I would like to start by thanking Greg Lowe, Chair of the New Zealand Defence Industry Advisory Council, for co-hosting this reception with me. This evening is about recognising businesses from across New Zealand and overseas who in ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Speech to the Sixth Annual New Zealand Government Data Summit
    It is a pleasure to be speaking to you as the Minister for Digitising Government.  I would like to thank Akolade for the invitation to address this Summit, and to acknowledge the great effort you are making to grow New Zealand’s digital future. Today, we stand at the cusp of ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Ceasefire agreement needed now: Peters
    New Zealand is urging both Israel and Hamas to agree to an immediate ceasefire to avoid the further humanitarian catastrophe that military action in Rafah would unleash, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says.   “The immense suffering in Gaza cannot be allowed to worsen further. Both sides have a responsibility to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Daily school attendance data now available
    A new online data dashboard released today as part of the Government’s school attendance action plan makes more timely daily attendance data available to the public and parents, says Associate Education Minister David Seymour.  The interactive dashboard will be updated once a week to show a national average of how ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Ambassador to United States appointed
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters has announced Rosemary Banks will be New Zealand’s next Ambassador to the United States of America.    “Our relationship with the United States is crucial for New Zealand in strategic, security and economic terms,” Mr Peters says.    “New Zealand and the United States have a ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • New permit proposed for recreational gold mining
    The Government is considering creating a new tier of minerals permitting that will make it easier for hobby miners to prospect for gold. “New Zealand was built on gold, it’s in our DNA. Our gold deposits, particularly in regions such as Otago and the West Coast have always attracted fortune-hunters. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

Page generated in The Standard by Wordpress at 2024-05-15T19:39:19+00:00