web analytics

How big were the TPPA gimmes, John?

Written By: - Date published: 7:14 pm, January 16th, 2014 - 82 comments
Categories: uncategorized - Tags:

News of today’s leak of the TPPA’s weak environmental text reminded me how John Key gave Barack Obama his third putt in their Hawaii golf photo-op.  Golfers call it a “gimme,” usually only given for very short putts. A White House press report at the time said  the two leaders “reaffirmed our continued work together to deepen our trade relationship, enhance regional security, and support the democratic values that the United States and New Zealand share.”

So we can be certain that the TPPA was discussed. Key’s invitation to golf and talk with Obama comes after the Singapore round of negotiations in December, where  the US adopted very heavy-handed negotiating tactics, giving very few concessions, and before the next meeting of Ministers in January.

John Key has previously been Barack Obama’s stalking horse, chairing the TPPA discussions in Bali when Obama was delayed in the US by the budget stand-off, and reported back to Obama. I have absolutely no doubt that as principals in the TPPA negotiation the leaders will have discussed bottom lines. Key will have made some concessions, but with his record of accommodating American interest one can only hope he will not turn out to have given too much away on Pharmac and other crucial issues   and become New Zealand’s Judas Goat. It certainly looked like Obama was in the driving seat on the golf course.

But as the negotiations are conducted in secret, we will not know the answer till its all over. It is all the more imperative that the negotiating documents are released; citizens have arguably more interest in the outcomes than do governments. Hopefully Key will questioned more closely by our media when he returns from Hawaii than was the case in the photo-op.

82 comments on “How big were the TPPA gimmes, John? ”

  • Comments are now closed

  1. vto 1
    16 January 2014 at 8:47 pm

    John Key cannot be trusted. That is what all of New Zealand has learned about him.

    God knows what the hell he has given away or what he wants to do.

    Who the fuck would know.

    Hands up who would trust him in this TPP shit?

    • Arfamo 1.1
      16 January 2014 at 9:00 pm

      I trust that he’s selling us out to his mates in the US.

      • Draco T Bastard 1.1.1
        16 January 2014 at 9:49 pm

        +1^666

      • AmaKiwi 1.1.2
        17 January 2014 at 9:14 pm

        “I trust that he’s selling us out to his mates in the US.”

        No. His mates in big business.

        The American people are also getting screwed by TPPA.

        TPPA is about creating and protecting monopolies.

        • Arfamo 1.1.2.1
          19 January 2014 at 1:17 am

          No. His mates in big business.

          He doesn’t really have any mates. If he went bankrupt overnight every powerful prick he flatters and mingles with would pretend they’d never heard of him. A few of them would probably have flunkies bill him for anything they’d given him for nothing. The first bill in would probably be from Buckingham Palace. Winz would be on the phone demanding to know how many job interviews he’d had this week.

  2. floyd 2
    16 January 2014 at 8:59 pm

    those photos of key with obama were hysterical. At no stage (in the photos) was there any eye contact and no sign of any verbal exchange. key did that constipated grimace that he does when he knows he is out of his depth. No way were they there for a friendly game and a lovely chat at the 19th. And by the way he definitely does not need a goon squad to protect him as he definitely does not stand out in a crowd. Even a crowd of two. Totally protected by his absolutely nondescript appearance. Which one again???? That one!! Are you sure??? Isn’t he a PA or something??

  3. philj 3
    16 January 2014 at 9:03 pm

    JK is a very smart, devious narcissist. He is an entrepreneur masquerading as a pry minister.

    • SpaceMonkey 3.1
      17 January 2014 at 10:59 am

      Entrepreneur…???? He is a bankster masquerading… FYIY

    • Mike S 3.2
      18 January 2014 at 10:22 am

      He’s not an entrepreneur. Entrepreneurs generally add value to an economy. He’s an ex parasitic currency speculator. He’s also very probably psychopathic.

  4. Wayne 4
    16 January 2014 at 9:05 pm

    vto, I do.

    But I know that on this site there is universal opposition to TPP. Of course that is the Green/Internet/Mana/Maori Party/NZF position, as well as most Labour left activists.

    But it is not the Labour Party/National/Act/UF position. And of course that is the majority of Parliament.

    So in the next few months we will see.

    • Draco T Bastard 4.1
      16 January 2014 at 9:53 pm

      Only sociopaths trust proven liars.

      But it is not the Labour Party/National/Act/UF position. And of course that is the majority of Parliament.

      I really, really, hope that Labour support National in this. It will be their end and we can then get on with some serious change.

      • Enough is Enough 4.1.1
        17 January 2014 at 4:24 pm

        Absolutley agree Draco.

        Labour has been such a dissapointment for 30 years now. And with Parker lining up to control the purse strings that dissapointment is set to continue.

        For the sake of this country a new real Labour party needs to establish itself that stands for the interests of workers, not capitalists.

        When will that day come?

    • Sacha 4.2
      16 January 2014 at 10:56 pm

      If this government trusted us to know what it’s signing off in the TPP, how many New Zealanders would support or oppose it?

    • newsense 4.3
      17 January 2014 at 7:15 am

      No Wayne, that is not correct.

      But also we don’t like to write blank cheques trusting folk who have played dodgy maths with our country being more equal and our tax sytem more progressive.

      In short we don’t know what the TPPA is, so until it pops out of its wooden horse we will treat it with the suspicion it deserves. We don’t know what it is.

      What is it that you are giving universal approval to? There is no finished text. Is the universal approval merely for doing whatever the US wants, whatever the cost?

      Would you have sent NZ troops to Iraq, Dr Mapp?

      • Paul 4.3.1
        17 January 2014 at 7:27 am

        Wayne envies what the Republicans have archived in the US.

      • Lantahnide 4.3.2
        17 January 2014 at 9:05 am

        I was going to write a similar reply but you’ve said it better than I could manage.

        I don’t necessarily oppose the TPPA, just it seems like a dodgy deal that probably will hurt us more than it helps. But it’s all secret so we can’t know for sure.

      • Molly 4.3.3
        18 January 2014 at 9:42 am

        I don’t know about Dr Mapp but do know that Dr Paul Hutchinson would have.

        Attended an ANZAC ceremony – (one of my last while my son was in scouts) just after Helen Clark confirmed that we would not have NZ active combat units in Iraq.

        To my disgust – Dr Hutchinson used this occasion to launch into a ten minute tirade against this decision – and how the National Party would “support their allies” if they were in government.

        So, fast forward to a time when everyone else was becoming appalled at the lies, debacle and behaviour of the invading armies (or as I think of them, taxpayer funded security services for oil and gas), we committed our servicemen and women to Afghanistan in active combat duty.

        And have lost ten of them.

        The sacrifice of some of our sons and daughters needs to be considered with much more care.

    • vto 4.4
      17 January 2014 at 7:31 am

      Really Wayne? Why do you trust him? Particularly when he has been shown countless times to be untrustworthy (tranzrail shares by just one example)?

      Why do you trust John Key Wayne?

      Tell us, do…

      • Wayne 4.4.1
        17 January 2014 at 11:32 am

        vto,

        As many on this site know, I was actually in cabinet with him. So yes I do trust him. In fact one of the most important points for John Key was to deliver on the things we had promised the electorate. And we had to that notwithstanding the GFC.

        The GFC did mean we had to borrow heavily to keep things going. From time to time this is a point of criticism on this site, but name one OECD govt that didn’t borrow during the GFC.

        And the public do get that, so that sort of criticism is seen as a bit ridiculous.

        And generally the economic news has been looking pretty good, and I reckon that will be the main issue in the election.

        And it will play well for John Key, since in my view many of the gains can be attributed to building, in a large number of measures, a better economic climate. Each of them may be quite small, but collectively they add up.

        It is less a grand vision, as Derek Handley might want, and more about being competent and focussed on getting a whole lot of smaller things right.

        For instance RMA reform, workplace reform, building regulations, tax reform, ACC being sorted, sorting out the plethora of tertiary qualifications, getting polytechnics in a better shape, encouraging oil and gas, reducing the size of govt a bit, balancing the books, focusing on FTA’s, roads of national significance, focused expenditure on business innovation, etc,etc.

        Now I know the Left oppose most of these things, but hey thats the Left/Right divide to be debated this year.

        • thatguynz 4.4.1.1
          17 January 2014 at 1:42 pm

          Couple of factual inaccuracies there Wayne.

          We did not have to borrow heavily to weather the storm of the GFC – we had to borrow heavily to subsidise the budget hole left by the unaffordable tax cuts. That is of course perpetuating the asinine status quo whereby as a sovereign nation we don’t have control of our own money supply and shouldn’t actually need to borrow from the “international marketplace” but possibly best that that conversation is left for another day. I can just see you winding up the obvious yet still incorrect counter-argument of supposed inflationary pressure..

        • vto 4.4.1.2
          17 January 2014 at 5:12 pm

          Well thanks Wayne, your reply is appreciated, even though it ignored the question at hand – around why you put trust in John Key. “Because you were in cabinet with him” is you sole and brief explanation. That’s it. No further elaboration, no further dissemination, no further complexity, nothing added around ‘factual inconsistencies’, nothing, nada, zip, diddly …..

          That’s a fail imo. \

          It may work in front of the tele Wayne but you aint convinced me nothing. In fact, your pathetic reply convinces me more otherwise i.e. the scant and weak-arsed reply implies that you agree with me and the zero credibility that Key has …..

          • Tracey 4.4.1.2.1
            17 January 2014 at 5:31 pm

            I suspect Wayne was probably once in cabinet with John banks and Doug Graham too… and one has proven a lack of integrity or taking money for false pretences (director fees when not having sufficient knowledge to be a director of that company) and the other is facing charges, his defence of which is that he didnt read an important document ( a lawyer would never make such a mistake aye Wayne?) (also took fees as an Executive Director and then claimed no responsibility for the failure to disclose by Huljich).

            And then there is Wayne, who wants to commit us to a TPPA agreement he has never read.

        • vto 4.4.1.3
          17 January 2014 at 5:16 pm

          Oh and wayne, I can’t resist noting the irony around having to take on debt to deal with a problem caused by taking on debt (GFC).

          The money / credit system is a ponzi system groaning at the end of its life-cycle. The money factories have your National Party (and Labour it seems) wound around their little pinkies. You should show some guts in this arena…

          Would you agree?

        • Tracey 4.4.1.4
          17 January 2014 at 5:28 pm

          “And generally the economic news has been looking pretty good,”

          Thanks for the party political broadcast Wayne. Nice concise use of slogans and soundbites, but one question remains unanswered

          How do you think this “good news” will be different from similar good news over the last 30+ years? Please be specific with explantions of why this time and not the last few times over the past 30-40 years. A credible answer is not a version of “well, it would be worse without it”, because the man you say delivers on his promises didnt promise to not make things worse he promised a brighter future.

          I have been observing this “economic good news” on and off for the last thirty to forty years and it doesnt close the gap between rich and poor, it doesnt reduce domestic violence, it doesn’t lead to full employment, it doesnt lead to greater workplace safety, it doesn’t lead to National raising the minimum wage.

          How do you think this “good news” will be different from similar good news over the last 30+ years?

      • geoff 4.4.2
        17 January 2014 at 4:04 pm

        Wayne trusts Johnny because Johnny has Wayne’s closest interests at heart….his investment portfolio.

        As Stewie says(I don’t expect Wayne to get the reference)…it’s good to own land(and buildings and businesses and shares and money and…)

        Ain’t that right Wayne? At least have the balls to admit you cheer lead for National because you’re wealthy and well..basically…sod anyone else who isn’t.

    • geoff 4.5
      17 January 2014 at 1:49 pm

      Wayne said:But I know that on this site there is universal opposition to TPP.

      Probably because they’ve watched the vids of you debating Jane Kelsey.

      TPPA: Kelsey vs Mapp debate

      One the one hand was Jane who knew about the specific problems with the TPPA and then on the other we had you, Wayne, contributing essentially nothing of value whatsoever. Your defense of the TPPA consisted almost entirely of irrelevant generalities.
      Little wonder that the majority of informed people would oppose the TPPA.

    • Enough is Enough 4.6
      17 January 2014 at 2:50 pm

      Does David Parker support it?

  5. [email protected] 5
    16 January 2014 at 9:23 pm

    Forgive me if I’ve got this wrong, but even after the TPP is ratified, which, if it is passed under National, it will be, aren’t the contents of it supposed to be kept secret for upto 4 years, so in the event of National being re-elected, we’re f**ked.
    Not trying to stir, but that’s how I remember how things are supposed to play out.

    • Draco T Bastard 5.1
      16 January 2014 at 9:56 pm

      Yep, that’s it exactly. We won’t get to see everything until all necessary law changes have been made. We may not even know which law changes are specifically for the TPP.

    • Matthew Hooton 5.2
      17 January 2014 at 5:58 am

      Yes, you have that wrong. The whole thing is public before ratification. Although I think this is all academic. It never will be ratified by the US Congress and so will nervy come into force, even if it is agreed.

      • northshoredoc 5.2.1
        17 January 2014 at 7:39 am

        Correct US congress will veto any loosening of access to the USA agricultural market. If the rest of the countries had any sense they’d just exclude the USA and get on with it themselves.

        • Lantahnide 5.2.1.1
          17 January 2014 at 9:07 am

          Yip.

          I don’t know why the TPPA let the US into their treehouse, when it’s obvious the US would come in with a fixed agenda and only self-serving ‘compromises’.

      • Tracey 5.2.2
        17 January 2014 at 5:33 pm

        How much money do you reckon the Labour and National Governments have wasted pursuing this TPP which you suspect will never happen? And why are they doing it? To get close to and form relationships with other parties?

    • Wayne 5.3
      17 January 2014 at 9:45 am

      No that would not be correct. As soon as it is finalized it will be public, and presumably a lot of background information. Which in truth is already occurring.

      But I can understand why at this sensitive stage in the negotiations why every draft and every negotiating position is not public. To do so would almost certainly make each nations compromises more difficult. And each country will have to compromise their position in order for all to agree.

      • Tracey 5.3.1
        17 January 2014 at 5:35 pm

        “Which in truth is already occurring. ”

        Do you see any irony in you being able to reach your position of support of the TPP on the back of Edward Snowden? Do you support his leaks?

        “But I can understand why at this sensitive stage in the negotiations why every draft and every negotiating position is not public. To do so would almost certainly make each nations compromises more difficult. And each country will have to compromise their position in order for all to agree.
        ”

        After all these years and in particular the realisdation that the USA has been spying on its allies, including trade organisations, do you say with a straight face that nations still have positions unknown to each other?

        Can you explain why corporations, who can exploit the knowledge, can have access but not the people YOU claim will benefit, and whom the so-called main negotiators represent?

        Would you recommend a client let you sign a document on their behalf which they have never seen, impacts them greatly, and take your word for it?

        • Sacha 5.3.1.1
          18 January 2014 at 10:54 am

          It’s not helpful that big business has had ongoing access to the draft texts, but no civic organisations have. Pretty clear in whose interests this thing is being negotiated when you look who’s allowed in the room.

  6. Lloyd 6
    16 January 2014 at 9:50 pm

    New Zealand should be insisting that all countries in TPP have an equivalent of Pharmac. We could also charge for the intellectual property.

    • Draco T Bastard 6.1
      16 January 2014 at 9:55 pm

      Better to give it away.

    • [email protected] 6.2
      16 January 2014 at 10:28 pm

      The American Pharmaceutical Companies want it gone. Key and co will initially offer subsidies to those on prescriptions, but new patients will miss out. Over time, those being subsidized will see their subsides fall behind the actual cost of the prescriptions, much like the “great GST/tax switch” was a fraud.

      • northshoredoc 6.2.1
        17 January 2014 at 7:37 am

        Nope, the majority of the volume of rX pharmaceuticals in NZ are now very cheap as they are tendered three yearly I can’t see how anything within a TPP that will have any effect on these products at all.

        • mickysavage 6.2.1.1
          17 January 2014 at 8:24 am

          What about after the three year contracts end NSD, what then?

          • northshoredoc 6.2.1.1.1
            17 January 2014 at 9:31 am

            They re-tender Mickey these medications are all out of patent

            • Sacha 6.2.1.1.1.1
              18 January 2014 at 10:49 am

              Doesn’t the TPP agreement aim to extend drug patent lifetimes, according to the leaked IP chapter? Bye bye generics for Pharmac or anyone else to buy cheap.

              And Groser’s reassuring noises about the form of Pharmac not changing doesn’t mean much if the drugs cost more.

        • bad12 6.2.1.2
          17 January 2014 at 8:44 am

          Your’s is simply a comment of stupidity when measured against the numerous media reports that one of the ‘sticking’ points in the TPP negotiations thus far is in fact attached to the question Pharmac V the international pharmacutical giants…

          • northshoredoc 6.2.1.2.1
            17 January 2014 at 9:33 am

            Nah not really, it’s all red herring stuff. There are now plenty of PHARMAC type operations throughout the world. International Pharma in NZ is tiny and staffed and run by buffoons.

            • Bearded Git 6.2.1.2.1.1
              17 January 2014 at 10:53 am

              I thought, from numerous reports over the last few years, that there was a general consensus that Pharmac is a huge success, saving the NZ public a billion dollars a year in medicine bills. (And yes it was set up by Labour.)

              While they may have made the odd mistake, this doesn’t sound like there is a bunch of buffoons in charge.

              • northshoredoc …
                17 January 2014 at 1:14 pm

                PHARMAC is successful in keeping the prices down if you actually read what I wrote I stated that

                “International Pharma in NZ is tiny and staffed and run by buffoons.”

            • ghostwhowalksnz 6.2.1.2.1.2
              17 January 2014 at 10:57 am

              Oh really ! Buffons ?. The researched Medicines Association would say that too !

              This is another view .

              “Grattan Institute Health Program released a report titled “Australia’s bad drug deal” by Dr Stephen Duckett, in which he states that Australia’s Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme pays at least $1.3 billion a year too much for prescription drugs. New Zealand, which has capped its budget and appointed independent experts to make decisions, pays a sixth as much as the PBS for the same drugs. Public hospitals in two Australian states pay much lower prices than the PBS. In one case,the prices are just a sixth of PBS prices. In one extreme example the report states that “The price of one drug, Olanzapine, is 64 times higher on the PBS than in Western Australian public hospitals”
              http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pharmaceutical_Benefits_Scheme

              • northshoredoc …
                17 January 2014 at 1:13 pm

                I think you misunderstood why I wrote.

                “International Pharma in NZ is tiny and staffed and run by buffoons.”

                The RMI is the industry body for said group of buffoons and they are well stacked with morons.

                PHARMAC certainly do a good job in NZ keeping the prices down, the PBS in Australia could do a much better job as much of the cost over there is going in enormous profits to the pharmacy owners.

            • dave 6.2.1.2.1.3
              18 January 2014 at 6:07 am

              asia doesnt need a phamac they just generic the drugs!

    • northshoredoc 6.3
      17 January 2014 at 7:33 am

      What intellectual property ?

    • TightyRighty 6.4
      17 January 2014 at 11:14 am

      great idea. really good idea. it’d require kiwis to run it overseas as well though. it’s a prime target for corruption

  7. infused 7
    17 January 2014 at 9:52 am

    1) You don’t know shit, so why say you do?

    2) TTPA will never get passed, so why keep whining about it? No sorry – continue.

  8. karol 8
    17 January 2014 at 11:26 am

    As usual, a very good analysis from Jane Kelsey of the latest leaks.

    She points out how the environment chapter is a bit of a sop, is weak, and can be over-ridden by the chapters that give more power of vetos to corporates.

    She also strips back some of the layers of evidence and misinformation to show that there is a lot of gaming going on: the US trying to force things the way Obama wants, and other coutnries with misgivings about the proposals, trying to push back through whateer means possible – including leaking chapters they are unhappy about eg the environment one.

    • Tracey 8.1
      17 January 2014 at 5:40 pm

      She is just a crazy for believing we are a part of an ecosystem, not apart of it. Humans are defying nature and can rip, shit and bust the ecosystem as long as it makes some money for a few, and many others believe they will make money too, soon.

  9. Tracey 9
    17 January 2014 at 1:53 pm

    Infused

    How much money you reckon our govts have wasted on a tpp that will never happen? Labour and nat govts. You reckon we are in millions… tens of mills or more?

    • Wayne 9.1
      17 January 2014 at 4:34 pm

      Just because Matthew Hooton says TPP won’t happen does not mean it won’t.

      From what I can see the Congress is becoming a bit more realistic about making deals. The Republicans by and large favor TPP. Quite a lot of Democrats will as well. I therefore suspect there will be a majority in favor.

      The big political battles in Congress will not be fought over TPP. There are plenty of other issues over which those battles can occur.

      And there will be a lot of awareness in the US that if they scuttle TPP, they will have given a huge advantage to China. The RCEP is the other big trade negotiation and most TPP nations (but not the US) are also in the RCEP negotiations. If TPP fails, but RCEP goes ahead, the US is essentially cut out.

      • geoff 9.1.1
        17 January 2014 at 4:55 pm

        Yeah cos the US Congress is the epitome of realism.

        This message brought to by Wayne’s World!*

        *A subsidiary of Planet Key

      • Tracey 9.1.2
        17 January 2014 at 5:44 pm

        I can understand your optimism Wayne. The USA, have done well under their trade agreements.

        “Nearly two decades after NAFTA was implemented, the goals and promises of the agreement remain unrealized. In fact, quite the opposite has resulted. NAFTA has been devastating to the U.S. trade deficit and has resulted in massive job losses—particularly in the manufacturing sector. Between 1994 and 2010, U.S. trade deficits with Mexico totaled $97.2 billion and displaced an estimated 682,900 U.S. jobs. Nearly all of the losses were in manufacturing.

        Job losses play a role in the flow of illegal immigrants into the United States as well. Since NAFTA began, nearly 300,000 family farms in Mexico have been put out of business. The lack of work is forcing Mexican workers to seek employment and better opportunities elsewhere to support their families. The United States is where they set their sights; the number of Mexicans migrating each year to our country has more than doubled. In 1993, there was an estimated 3.9 million illegal immigrants in the U.S. By 2011, that number exploded to an estimated 23 million.”

        • Wayne 9.1.2.1
          17 January 2014 at 8:43 pm

          So Tracey, both the US lost out and the Mexicans lost out. A bit counter intuitive: a trade deal where everyone lost out. I don’t think you would find a single reputable economist who would agree with that.

          I can understand the argument that there are nations that are winners and losers, especially if they have heavily protected sectors. But I have never heard the theory that the higher the barriers, the better the economy.

          Mind you thats how the NZ manufacturing sector ran from 1938 to 1984. It was of course dependent on a successful agricultural sector to pay the cost of it. Once the UK joined the EU that was the end of that. This failure was of course the reason for Rogernomics. The country was going broke PDQ. Agriculture didn’t really do well until Asian markets took over from the 1990’s. And look at the gains for NZ since the China FTA. A hugely important factor in the current economy (third highest growth in the OECD).

          Mind you just about everyone on The Standard opposed the China FTA back in 2008, (although I understand Iprent was a supporter). So based on precedent, I am inclined to disbelieve the opponents to TPP.

          And seriously, why does anyone think that this has anything to do with my personal assets, (which are pretty much as one might expect from residents of a large part of Bayswater – nothing exceptional there I assure you).

          • Draco T Bastard 9.1.2.1.1
            17 January 2014 at 9:37 pm

            Mind you thats how the NZ manufacturing sector ran from 1938 to 1984. It was of course dependent on a successful agricultural sector to pay the cost of it.

            See, this is actually a load of bollocks.

            If we’d been running our economy correctly we would have stopped expanding our farms once we had enough to feed our population. Increased productivity due to farming frees up enough people to do other stuff such as finding and mining minerals, manufacturing using those materials and, of course, R&D.

            All money would have been created by government and spent into the economy to produce this general effect.

            Instead we built our economy to benefit the foreign bankers. Loaning money from them at interest which necessitated massive, unrestrained growth with a focus on what we already knew – farming. This inevitably led to NZ becoming nearly bankrupt which brought about the neo-liberal reforms of the 4th Labour government. Reforms that, for a short period, slightly rebalanced the economy but since that ended an ever increasing amount of private debt necessitating ever more sales of NZs assets (Land, companies, etc) all of which are taking ever further into debt. The result of which will be serfdom for the majority of NZers as the country gets sold out beneath them.

          • [email protected] 9.1.2.1.2
            17 January 2014 at 10:49 pm

            Wayne – Stop blowing hot air out of your a**e!!
            The reason New Zealand was in the s**t was simply that the think big projects were implemented at the wrong time, cost too much, and because so many happened at the same time, we were unable to pay for them in a lump sum. That’s simplistic, but in a nutshell, the debt from think big overwhelmed the economy.
            We borrowed too much, at a time when interest rates were going up.
            As for trade deals, they really only work in favour of the majority shareholder, i.e. the larger player. China ever only entered this “free trade agreement” as an experiment to see how it would deal with the rest of the world, meanwhile we see our jobs head off-shore at an alarmingly faster rate.
            With the exception of Fiji, how much “cheap” clothing was imported into New Zealand, and where exactly from, before the rise of China in the mid-90’s? Some from Taiwan, Malaysia, and Singapore, but very little from elsewhere.
            As for agriculture, the big turn around has been the change to dairying, where essentially, the country is subsidizing the Australian banks who are the big winners with the inflated costs of land and dairy stock – all paid for by humungous leveraging of debt. The Aussies are having the biggest laugh.

          • Tracey 9.1.2.1.3
            19 January 2014 at 1:32 pm

            Were my questions too hard Wayne? I notice how you cherry pick which questions to answer and ignore others, which itself, can speak volumes.

      • Paul 9.1.3
        17 January 2014 at 5:46 pm

        Trade deals in the US highly unpopular after they signed NAFTA and lost all their manufacturing jobs.
        Wayne’s share portfolio more important than a country’s sovereignty though.
        Quisling.

        • vto 9.1.3.1
          17 January 2014 at 5:49 pm

          .

          Now we are getting to the nub, thanks Paul…..

          .

          SHARE PORTFOLIO IS WORTH MORE

          .

          This is the driver for “trade agreements”

          .

  10. Draco T Bastard 10
    17 January 2014 at 10:50 pm

    Partnership or Putsch?

    In reality, the one thing that non-democratic regimes can never tolerate is independent workers’ organizations. That is why trade unionists were the first through the gates of Dachau, and why Poland’s Solidarity movement posed an existential threat to Communist power throughout the former Soviet bloc.

    This struck me really powerfully as our present government seems to be doing it’s damnedest to get rid of unions. Then there was the closing statement:

    As a political scientist, I am sometimes asked how it is possible for democracies to enact laws that run counter to the interests of the vast majority of voters. They do so, in part, by shunning any commitment to democracy itself. There is no clearer example of this than the TPP, which almost certainly constitutes the single biggest threat to the preservation – or creation – of any signatory country’s middle class.

    And that to we see from this government. An absolute and total shunning of democracy. They got rid of ECan, they implemented the SuperCity by removing the need for a referendum and now they’re negotiating the TPPA in secret.

  11. dave 11
    18 January 2014 at 6:14 am

    waynes world there is no housing problem ,there is no income inequality ,there is no unemployment ,there is no farmers destroying water ways , there is no gcsb , waynes world freedom is defined as the free movement of capital.

  12. RedBaronCV 12
    18 January 2014 at 9:26 am

    Is the TPPA Wayne’s allocated beat?. As far as I know he has no official position with respect to TPPA and doesn’t contribute links, analysis or anything other than repeating ‘it’s a good thing, it’s a good thing..”. Other contributors discuss the effects, outcomes, what other countries have disclosed etc, etc.

    This is the only thing that Wayne really contributes on here on TS. So is he doing this out of the goodness of his heart or some other reason …?

    And do we want to be part of China and the USA eyeing each otehr across the pacific. Might us smaller nations be better just in a group together?

  13. veutoviper 13
    18 January 2014 at 1:58 pm

    From the last paragraph of the post:

    But as the negotiations are conducted in secret, we will not know the answer till its all over. It is all the more imperative that the negotiating documents are released; citizens have arguably more interest in the outcomes than do governments. Hopefully Key will questioned more closely by our media when he returns from Hawaii than was the case in the photo-op.

    I have not had time to focus on this post or the comments in the last week, but from a link KDC posted a week ago, I found a link to the US Senate Committee on Finance press release on the fast track bipartisan Bill introduced on TPP.

    http://www.finance.senate.gov/newsroom/chairman/release/?id=7cd1c188-87f1-4a0b-8856-3fc139121ca9

    A couple of extracts, but the full press release is well worth reading to get a better feel for the overall intentions of the Bill.

    The Bipartisan Congressional Trade Priorities Act of 2014 establishes 21st century Congressional negotiating objectives and rules for the Administration to follow when engaged in trade talks, including strict requirements for Congressional consultations and access to information. Provided the Administration follows the rules, special procedures apply when moving a negotiated deal that satisfies the objectives through the Senate and House of Representatives.
    …
    TPA-2014 also provides greater transparency and gives Congress greater oversight of the Administration’s trade negotiations.

    The press release also includes links to a one page summary and the full text

    http://www.finance.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/TPA%20One%20Pager.pdf
    http://www.finance.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/TPA%20bill%20text.pdf

    I have no strong feeling as to whether or not TPP will be passed by Congress as per Hooten and Wayne’s opposing opinions above.

    Putting aside justifiable (IMO) concerns re US protectionism, and TPP not being in the interests of the other parties to TPPA etc, another aspect of the Bill really stood out to me from reading the press release and the one pager.

    That is – the completely different stance that Congress is taking on transparency and the involvement of Congress at all stages of the negotiation by the US adminstration of trade agreements; compared to the lack of similar processes here in NZ (including the BS we are being fed by Groser and other Ministers on the need for secrecy on the TPPA.)

    The two extracts above from the press release above give a little feel for this aspect.

    The one pager goes into more detail.

    Strengthens and Improves Existing Law: TPA-2014 includes three main components.

     Directs the Administration to pursue Congressional prerogatives through Congressionally-mandated negotiating objectives;

     Establishes robust consultation and access to information requirements before, during, and after negotiations that ensure an open and transparent process for Members and the public; and

     Preserves Congressional prerogatives and gives Congress the final say in approving trade agreements through procedures providing for an up-or-down vote on the final implementing bills without amendment.
    …

    Strengthens Consultations with Congress and the Public: New and expanded provisions empower Congress and ensure it plays a meaningful role in negotiations.
     Ensures Access to Text: Statutorily ensures that every Member of Congress has access to negotiating text.
     Strengthens Congressional Consultations: Requires USTR to meet and consult with any interested Member of Congress, at any time. Expands scope of consultation requirements before, during, and after negotiations.
     Allows All Members to Participate in Negotiating Process: Allows any Member of Congress to be designated as a Congressional Adviser and accredited to attend negotiating rounds.
     Establishes House and Senate Advisory Groups on Negotiations: Creates House and Senate Advisory Groups on Negotiations to oversee ongoing trade talks and requires regular, scheduled meetings. Provides for any Member of Congress to submit views.
     Enhances Transparency and Coordination with the Public and Advisory Committees: Requires transparency, as well as processes for public participation and collaboration through written guidelines on public engagement and on information-sharing with advisory committees.

    Keeps Congress in Control of Implementing Bills: New and expanded provisions ensure that Congress retains control over implementing legislation and provides rules for consideration without amendment.

     Provides Robust Reporting Requirements: Expands reporting requirements on the effects of trade agreements. Requires that all reports be made public.

    This so different from what we have here in NZ currently vis a vis the role of Parliament, and the claimed need for secrecy on TPPA, that I thought it was well worth raising in the context of this post and the discussion.

    Sorry about the length of the comment – and I have no run out of time as I have an appointment. But I have been trying to find the time to post on this and I am very interested in other’s views on this aspect.

  14. Tracey 14
    18 January 2014 at 3:14 pm

    Wayne

    I see you skipped over all my questions to comment on a further post. Were my questions unclear?

  15. Huginn 15
    19 January 2014 at 3:13 am

    Sorry about the lengthy cut&paste, but . . .

    Major Political Donors Have Access to TPP Documents. Everyone Else? Not So Much.

    Aside from select members of the Administration, the only people with full access to the working documents on the TPP negotiations are the members of the United States Trade Representative’s (USTR) trade advisory system, including the 18-member Industry Trade Advisory Committee on Intellectual Property Rights (ITAC-15). Members of ITAC-15 include representatives from businesses and industry groups like the Recording Industry Association of America, Verizon, and Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America; no public-interest groups, academics, or other non-industry experts serve on the committee.

    The industry trade advisory system was created by Congress, and membership is partly based on recommendations made from senators and representatives. The organizations represented on ITAC-15 include several top political spenders, who combined have given millions of dollars to members of Congress in recent years.

    Data: MapLight analysis of campaign contributions to current members of the Senate and House of Representatives from Political Action Committees (PACs) and employees of organizations represented by the Industry Trade Advisory Committee on Intellectual Property Rights (ITAC-15), from Jan. 1, 2003 – Dec. 31, 2012. Data source: OpenSecrets.org

    The 18 organizations represented by ITAC-15 gave nearly $24 million to current members of Congress from Jan. 1, 2003 – Dec. 31, 2012.
    AT&T has given more than $8 million to current members of Congress, more than any other organization represented by ITAC-15.
    House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, has received $433,350 from organizations represented by ITAC-15, more than any other member of Congress.
    Democrats in Congress have received $11.4 million from organizations represented by ITAC-15, while Republicans in Congress have received $12.6 million.
    The members of Congress sponsoring fast-track legislation, which would allow the President to block Congress from submitting amendments to the TPP, have received a combined $758,295 from organizations represented by ITAC-15. They include Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus ($140,601), Senate Finance Committee Ranking Members Orrin Hatch ($178,850), House Ways and Means Committee Chairman David Camp ($216,250), House Ways and Means Subcommittee on Trade Chairman Devin Nunes ($86,000), and House Rules Committee Chairman Pete Sessions ($136,594).

    http://maplight.org/content/73378

  16. Tracey 16
    28 January 2014 at 4:24 pm

    New court documents show that in chasing down associates of Freedom Hosting, the FBI managed to download the entire email database of TorMail.

    And now it’s using that information to take on the Darknet.

    It’s unknown exactly how many users or how much data is in the TorMail network, but we do know that the FBI has it all.

    The agency obtained a search warrant for a TorMail account connected to a Florida man accused of stealing credit card numbers in order to search its own copy of the database.

    It appears that the FBI acquired the database while using malware to investigate Freedom Hosting last year.

    As Wired put it: “The tactic suggests the FBI is adapting to the age of big-data with an NSA-style collect-everything approach, gathering information into a virtual lock box, and leaving it there until it can obtain specific authority to tap it later.”

Recent Comments

Recent Posts

  • The hoon for the week that was to March 25
    This week’s UN IPCC report warned climate emissions will need to be cut by almost half by 2030, if warming is to be limited to 1.5°C. Bronwyn Hayward points out in The Hoon podcast how far behind NZ’s government and councils are now on climate action compared to the rest ...
    The KakaBy Peter Bale
    1 hour ago

  • The big question for Labour: Will Hipkins have any more success than Ardern did with the top priorit...
    Chris  Hipkins,  after  he became prime minister, committed  to defeating the  cost-of- living crisis. He  proceeded to make a  bonfire of policies  that were at  the  heart of Jacinda Ardern’s administration.  But, as   Richard Prebble pointed out this week, “the government has not just U-turned, it has repudiated the ...
    Point of OrderBy tutere44
    14 hours ago

  • Reality check.
    There are some wellness, crystal-gazing, holistic spiritual guidance types in my disaster-hit coastal community who insist that the power of positive thinking will overcome the physical and material damages incurred by the community. They object to restrictions on road travel … Continue reading → ...
    KiwipoliticoBy Pablo
    15 hours ago

  • High Performance Instability in the Financial Sector
    Evaluating the recent crashes of Silicon Valley Bank in the US and Credit Suisse in Switzerland plus two other banks (perhaps more by the time you read this) needs to begin with a review of the inevitable instability in the financial sector. The financial sector is inherently unstable, like military ...
    PunditBy Brian Easton
    15 hours ago

  • The week in review
    1. We see here new police minister Ginny Andersen. Which larger than life NZ political figure was her great-uncle?a. Rob Muldoonb. Bill Andersenc. Richard John Seddond. Norman Kirk2. We see here archival footage of Ginny Andersen coming out of her electorate office to ask ex-tobacco lobbyist Chris Bishop if he ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    17 hours ago

  • Nash splashes out with a $900,000 investment in the blue economy (or is it more corporate welfare?)
    Buzz from the Beehive Stuart Nash, speaking as Minister of Oceans and Fisheries, one of his remaining portfolios after he was dropped down the Hipkins Government batting order, has drawn attention to the blue economy and its potential. Nash says the government is investing in the blue economy, or – ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    19 hours ago

  • Ask Me Anything about the week to March 24
    Photo by Josh Mills on UnsplashIt’s that time of the week for an ‘Ask Me Anything’ session for paying subscribers about the week that was for the next hour, including:The runs on Silicon Valley Bank and First Republic Bank on the west coast of the United States that forced the ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    21 hours ago

  • Weekly Roundup 24-March-2023
    Roundup is back! We skipped last week’s Friday post due to a shortage of person-power – did you notice? Lots going on out there… Our header image this week shows a green street that just happens to be Queen St, by @chamfy from Twitter. This week (and last) in ...
    Greater AucklandBy Greater Auckland
    22 hours ago

  • Gordon Campbell on the Keen-Minshull visit
    After threatening Prime Minister Chris Hipkins of consequences if he dared to bar her entry, Kellie-Jay Keen-Minshull has been given her visa, regardless. This will enable her to hold rallies in Auckland and Wellington this weekend, and spread her messages of hostility against an already marginalised trans community. Neo-Nazis may, ...
    Gordon CampbellBy lyndon
    22 hours ago

  • BRYCE EDWARDS’ Political Roundup:  NZ needs to distance itself from Australia’s anti-China nucl...
    * Bryce Edwards writes – The New Zealand Government has been silent about Australia’s decision to commit up to $400bn acquiring nuclear submarines, even though this is a significant threat to peace and stability in the Asia Pacific. The deal was struck by the Albanese Labor Government as ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    23 hours ago

  • Wayne Brown's #Auxit moment
    Boomers voted him in, but Brown’s Trumpish moments might spook Aucklanders worried about what a change to National nationally might mean. Photo: Lynn Grieveson/Getty ImagesTL;DR: Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown has become our version of Donald Trump and Boris Johnson, except without any of the insatiable appetite for media appearances. He ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    23 hours ago

  • Bryce Edwards: NZ needs to distance itself from Australia’s anti-China nuclear submarines
    The New Zealand Government has been silent about Australia’s decision to commit up to $400bn acquiring nuclear submarines, even though this is a significant threat to peace and stability in the Asia Pacific. The deal was struck by the Albanese Labor Government as part of its Aukus pact with the ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    24 hours ago

  • Posie Parker vs Transgender Rights.
    Recently you might have heard of a person called Posie Parker and her visit to Aotearoa. Perhaps you’re not quite sure what it’s all about. So let’s start with who this person is, why their visit is controversial, and what on earth a TERF is.Posie Parker is the super villain ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    1 day ago

  • Select Committee told slow down; you’re moving too fast
    The chair of Parliament’s Select Committee looking at the Government’s resource management legislation wants the bills sent back for more public consultation. The proposal would effectively kill any chance of the bills making it into law before the election. Green MP, Eugenie Sage, stressing that she was speaking as ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    1 day ago

  • Skeptical Science New Research for Week #12 2023
    Open access notables  The United States experienced some historical low temperature records during the just-concluded winter. It's a reminder that climate and weather are quite noisy; with regard to our warming climate,, as with a road ascending a mountain range we may steadily change our conditions but with lots of ...
    Skeptical Science
    2 days ago

  • What becomes of the broken hearted? Nanny State will step in to comfort them
    Buzz from the Beehive The Nanny State has scored some wins (or claimed them) in the past day or two but it faltered when it came to protecting Kiwi citizens from being savaged by one woman armed with a sharp tongue. The wins are recorded by triumphant ministers on the ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    2 days ago

  • Acceptance, decency, road food.
    Sometimes you see your friends making the case so well on social media you think: just copy and share.On acceptance and decency, from Michèle A’CourtA notable thing about anti-trans people is they way they talk about transgender women and men as though they are strangers “over there” when in fact ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    2 days ago

  • Climate Change: More Labour sabotage
    Not that long ago, things were looking pretty good for climate change policy in Aotearoa. We finally had an ETS, and while it was full of pork and subsidies, it was delivering high and ever-rising carbon prices, sending a clear message to polluters to clean up or shut down. And ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    2 days ago

  • Is bundling restricting electricity competition?
    Comparing (and switching) electricity providers has become easier, but bundling power up with broadband and/or gas makes it more challenging. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The Kākā TL;DR: The new Consumer Advocacy Council set up as a result of the Labour Government’s Electricity Price Review in 2019 has called on either ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago

  • Westland Milk puts heat on competitors as global dairy demand  remains softer for longer
    Hokitika-based Westland Milk Products  has  put the heat on dairy giant Fonterra with  a $120m profit turnaround in 2022, driven by record sales. Westland paid its suppliers a 10c premium above the forecast Fonterra price per kilo, contributing $535m to the West Coast and Canterbury economies. The dairy ...
    Point of OrderBy tutere44
    2 days ago

  • BRYCE EDWARDS’ Political Roundup:  The Beehive’s revolving door and corporate mateship
    * Bryce Edwards writes – New Zealanders are uncomfortable with the high level of influence corporate lobbyists have in New Zealand politics, and demands are growing for greater regulation. A recent poll shows 62 per cent of the public support having a two-year cooling off period between ministers leaving public ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    2 days ago

  • Bryce Edwards: The Beehive’s revolving door and corporate mateship
    New Zealanders are uncomfortable with the high level of influence corporate lobbyists have in New Zealand politics, and demands are growing for greater regulation. A recent poll shows 62 per cent of the public support having a two-year cooling off period between ministers leaving public office and becoming lobbyists and ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    2 days ago

  • A miracle pill for our transport ills
    This is a guest post by accessibility and sustainable transport advocate Tim Adriaansen It originally appeared here.   A friend calls you and asks for your help. They tell you that while out and about nearby, they slipped over and landed arms-first. Now their wrist is swollen, hurting like ...
    Greater AucklandBy Guest Post
    2 days ago

  • The Surprising Power of Floating Wind Turbines
    Floating offshore wind turbines offer incredible opportunities to capture powerful winds far out at sea. By unlocking this wind energy potential, they could be a key weapon in our arsenal in the fight against climate change. But how developed are these climate fighting clean energy giants? And why do I ...
    Skeptical Science
    2 days ago

  • The next Maori challenge
    Over the past two or three weeks, a procession of Maori iwi and hapu in a series of little-noticed appearances before two Select Committees have been asking for more say for Maori over resource management decisions along the co-governance lines of Three Waters. Their submissions and appearances run counter ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    2 days ago

  • Secret “war-crime” warrants by International Criminal Court is mischief-making
    The decision of the International Criminal Court (ICC) to issue war crimes arrest warrants for the Russian President and the Russia Children Ombudsman may have been welcomed by the ideologically committed but otherwise seems to have been greeted with widespread cynicism (see Situation in Ukraine: ICC judges issue arrest warrants ...
    Open ParachuteBy Ken
    3 days ago

  • How to answer Drunk Uncle Kevin's Climate Crisis reckons
    Let’s say you’re clasping your drink at a wedding, or a 40th, or a King’s Birthday Weekend family reunion and Drunk Uncle Kevin has just got going.He’s in an expansive frame of mind because we’re finally rid of that silly girl. But he wants to ask an honest question about ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago

  • National’s Luxon may be glum about his poll ratings but has he found a winner in promising to rai...
    National Party leader Christopher Luxon may  be feeling glum about his poll ratings, but  he could be tapping  into  a rich political vein in  describing the current state of education as “alarming”. Luxon said educational achievement has been declining,  with a recent NCEA pilot exposing just how far it has ...
    Point of OrderBy tutere44
    3 days ago

  • Climate Change: More Labour foot-dragging
    Yesterday the IPCC released the final part of its Sixth Assessment Report, warning us that we have very little time left in which to act to prevent catastrophic climate change, but pointing out that it is a problem that we can solve, with existing technology, and that anything we do ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    3 days ago

  • Te Pāti Māori Are Revolutionaries – Not Reformists.
    Way Beyond Reform: Rawiri Waititi and Debbie Ngarewa-Packer have no more interest in remaining permanent members of “New Zealand’s” House of Representatives than did Lenin and Trotsky in remaining permanent members of Tsar Nicolas II’s “democratically-elected” Duma. Like the Bolsheviks, Te Pāti Māori is a party of revolutionaries – not reformists.THE CROWN ...
    Bowalley Road
    3 days ago

  • When does history become “ancient”, on Tinetti’s watch as Minister of Education – and what o...
    Buzz from the Beehive Auckland was wiped off the map, when Education Minister Jan Tinetti delivered her speech of welcome as host of the inaugural Conference of Pacific Education Ministers “here in Tāmaki Makaurau”. But – fair to say – a reference was made later in the speech to a ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    3 days ago

  • Climate Catastrophe, but first rugby.
    Morning mate, how you going?Well, I was watching the news last night and they announced this scientific report on Climate Change. But before they got to it they had a story about the new All Blacks coach.Sounds like important news. It’s a bit of a worry really.Yeah, they were talking ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    3 days ago

  • What the US and European bank rescues mean for us
    Always a bailout: US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said the Government would fully guarantee all savers in all smaller US banks if needed. Photo: Getty ImagesTL;DR: No wonder an entire generation of investors are used to ‘buying the dip’ and ‘holding on for dear life’. US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago

  • Bryce Edwards: Who will drain Wellington’s lobbying swamp?
    Wealthy vested interests have an oversized influence on political decisions in New Zealand. Partly that’s due to their use of corporate lobbyists. Fortunately, the influence lobbyists can have on decisions made by politicians is currently under scrutiny in Guyon Espiner’s in-depth series published by RNZ. Two of Espiner’s research exposés ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    3 days ago

  • It’s Raining Congestion
    Yesterday afternoon it rained and traffic around the region ground to a halt, once again highlighting why it is so important that our city gets on with improving the alternatives to driving. For additional irony, this happened on the same day the IPCC synthesis report landed, putting the focus on ...
    Greater AucklandBy Matt L
    3 days ago

  • Checking The Left: The Dreadful Logic Of Fascism.
    The Beginning: Anti-Co-Governance agitator, Julian Batchelor, addresses the Dargaville stop of his travelling roadshow across New Zealand . Fascism almost always starts small. Sadly, it doesn’t always stay that way. Especially when the Left helps it to grow.THERE IS A DREADFUL LOGIC to the growth of fascism. To begin with, it ...
    Bowalley Road
    3 days ago

  • Good Friends and Terrible Food
    Hi,From an incredibly rainy day in Los Angeles, I just wanted to check in. I guess this is the day Trump may or may not end up in cuffs? I’m attempting a somewhat slower, less frenzied week. I’ve had Unknown Mortal Orchestra’s new record on non-stop, and it’s been a ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    3 days ago

  • At a glance – What evidence is there for the hockey stick?
    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

  • Carry right on up there, Corporal Espiner
    RNZ has been shining their torch into corners where lobbyists lurk and asking such questions as: Do we like the look of this?and Is this as democratic as it could be?These are most certainly questions worth asking, and every bit as valid as, say:Are we shortchanged democratically by the way ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    4 days ago

  • This smells
    RNZ has continued its look at the role of lobbyists by taking a closer look at the Prime Minister's Chief of Staff Andrew Kirton. He used to work for liquor companies, opposing (among other things) a container refund scheme which would have required them to take responsibility for their own ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    4 days ago

  • Major issues on the table in Mahuta’s  talks in Beijing with China’s new Foreign Minister
    Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta has left for Beijing for the first ministerial visit to China since 2019. Mahuta is  to  meet China’s new foreign minister Qin Gang  where she  might have to call on all the  diplomatic skills  at  her  command. Almost certainly she  will  face  questions  on what  role ...
    Point of OrderBy tutere44
    4 days ago

  • Inside TOP's Teal Card and political strategy
    TL;DR: The Opportunities Party’s Leader Raf Manji is hopeful the party’s new Teal Card, a type of Gold card for under 30s, will be popular with students, and not just in his Ilam electorate where students make up more than a quarter of the voters and where Manji is confident ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago

  • Make Your Empties Go Another Round.
    When I was a kid New Zealand was actually pretty green. We didn’t really have plastic. The fruit and veges came in a cardboard box, the meat was wrapped in paper, milk came in a glass bottle, and even rubbish sacks were made of paper. Today if you sit down ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    4 days ago

  • Gordon Campbell on how similar Vladimir Putin is to George W. Bush
    Looking back through the names of our Police Ministers down the years, the job has either been done by once or future party Bigfoots – Syd Holland, Richard Prebble, Juduth Collins, Chris Hipkins – or by far lesser lights like Keith Allen, Frank Gill, Ben Couch, Allen McCready, Clem Simich, ...
    Gordon CampbellBy lyndon
    4 days ago

  • CHRIS TROTTER:  Te Pāti Māori’s uncompromising threat to the status quo
    Chris Trotter writes – The Crown is a fickle friend. Any political movement deemed to be colourful but inconsequential is generally permitted to go about its business unmolested. The Crown’s media, RNZ and TVNZ, may even “celebrate” its existence (presumably as proof of Democracy’s broad-minded acceptance of diversity). ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago

  • Bryce Edwards: Shining a bright light on lobbyists in politics
    Four out of the five people who have held the top role of Prime Minister’s Chief of Staff since 2017 have been lobbyists. That’s a fact that should worry anyone who believes vested interests shouldn’t have a place at the centre of decision making. Chris Hipkins’ newly appointed Chief of ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    4 days ago

  • Auckland Council Draft Budget – an unnecessary backwards step
    Feedback on Auckland Council’s draft 2023/24 budget closes on March 28th. You can read the consultation document here, and provide feedback here. Auckland Council is currently consulting on what is one of its most important ever Annual Plans – the ‘budget’ of what it will spend money on between July ...
    Greater AucklandBy Matt L
    4 days ago

  • Talking’ Posey Parker Blues
    by Molten Moira from Motueka If you want to be a woman let me tell you what to do Get a piece of paper and a biro tooWrite down your new identification And boom! You’re now a woman of this nationSpelled W O M A Na real trans woman that isAs opposed ...
    RedlineBy Admin
    4 days ago

  • More Māori words make it into the OED, and polytech boss (with rules on words like “students”) ...
    Buzz from the Beehive   New Zealand Education Minister Jan Tinetti is hosting the inaugural Conference of Pacific Education Ministers for three days from today, welcoming Education Ministers and senior officials from 18 Pacific Island countries and territories, and from Australia. Here’s hoping they have brought translators with them – or ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    5 days ago

  • Social intercourse with haters and Nazis: an etiquette guide
    Let’s say you’ve come all the way from His Majesty’s United Kingdom to share with the folk of Australia and New Zealand your antipathy towards certain other human beings. And let’s say you call yourself a women’s rights activist.And let’s say 99 out of 100 people who listen to you ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    5 days ago

  • The Greens, Labour, and coalition enforcement
    James Shaw gave the Green party's annual "state of the planet" address over the weekend, in which he expressed frustration with Labour for not doing enough on climate change. His solution is to elect more Green MPs, so they have more power within any government arrangement, and can hold Labour ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    5 days ago

  • This sounds familiar…
    RNZ this morning has the first story another investigative series by Guyon Espiner, this time into political lobbying. The first story focuses on lobbying by government agencies, specifically transpower, Pharmac, and assorted universities, and how they use lobbyists to manipulate public opinion and gather intelligence on the Ministers who oversee ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    5 days ago

  • Letter to the NZ Herald: NCEA pseudoscience – “Mauri is present in all matter”
    Nick Matzke writes –   Dear NZ Herald, I am a Senior Lecturer in the School of Biological Sciences at the University of Auckland. I teach evolutionary biology, but I also have long experience in science education and (especially) political attempts to insert pseudoscience into science curricula in ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago

  • So what would be the point of a Green vote again?
    James Shaw has again said the Greens would be better ‘in the tent’ with Labour than out, despite Labour’s policy bonfire last week torching much of what the Government was doing to reduce emissions. File Photo: Lynn Grieveson/Getty ImagesTL;DR: The Green Party has never been more popular than in some ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago

  • Gas stoves pose health risks. Are gas furnaces and other appliances safe to use?
    This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Sarah Wesseler Poor air quality is a long-standing problem in Los Angeles, where the first major outbreak of smog during World War II was so intense that some residents thought the city had been attacked by chemical weapons. Cars were eventually discovered ...
    Skeptical Science
    5 days ago

  • Genetic Heritage and Co Governance
    Yesterday I was reading an excellent newsletter from David Slack, and I started writing a comment “Sounds like some excellent genetic heritage…” and then I stopped.There was something about the phrase genetic heritage that stopped me in tracks. Is that a phrase I want to be saying? It’s kind of ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago

  • BRIAN EASTON: Radical Uncertainty
    Brian Easton writes – Two senior economists challenge some of the foundations of current economics. It is easy to criticise economic science by misrepresenting it, by selective quotations, and by ignoring that it progresses, like all sciences, by improving and abandoning old theories. The critics may go ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago

  • Geoffrey Miller: New Zealand’s Middle East strategy, 20 years after the Iraq War
    This week marks the twentieth anniversary of the Iraq War. While it strongly opposed the US-led invasion, New Zealand’s then Labour-led government led by Prime Minister Helen Clark did deploy military engineers to try to help rebuild Iraq in mid-2003. With violence soaring, their 12-month deployment ended without being renewed ...
    Democracy ProjectBy Geoffrey Miller
    5 days ago

  • The motorways are finished
    After seventy years, Auckland’s motorway network is finally finished. In July 1953 the first section of motorway in Auckland was opened between Ellerslie-Panmure Highway and Mt Wellington Highway. The final stage opens to traffic this week with the completion of the motorway part of the Northern Corridor Improvements project. Aucklanders ...
    Greater AucklandBy Matt L
    5 days ago

  • Kicking National’s tyres
    National’s appointment of Todd McClay as Agriculture spokesperson clearly signals that the party is in trouble with the farming vote. McClay was not an obvious choice, but he does have a record as a political scrapper. The party needs that because sources say it has been shedding farming votes ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    5 days ago

  • As long as there is cricket, the world is somehow okay.
    Rays of white light come flooding into my lounge, into my face from over the top of my neighbour’s hedge. I have to look away as the window of the conservatory is awash in light, as if you were driving towards the sun after a rain shower and suddenly blinded. ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    6 days ago

  • So much of what was there remains
    The columnists in Private Eye take pen names, so I have not the least idea who any of them are. But I greatly appreciate their expert insight, especially MD, who writes the medical column, offering informed and often damning critique of the UK health system and the politicians who keep ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    6 days ago

  • 2023 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #11
    A chronological listing of news articles posted on the Skeptical Science Facebook Page during the past week: Sun, Mar 12, 2023 thru Sat, Mar 18, 2023. Story of the Week Guest post: What 13,500 citations reveal about the IPCC’s climate science report   IPCC WG1 AR6 SPM Report Cover - Changing ...
    Skeptical Science
    6 days ago

  • Financial capability services are being bucked up, but Stuart Nash shouldn’t have to see if they c...
    Buzz from the Beehive  The building of financial capability was brought into our considerations when Social Development and Employment Minister Carmel Sepuloni announced she had dipped into the government’s coffers for $3 million for “providers” to help people and families access community-based Building Financial Capability services. That wording suggests some ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    7 days ago

  • Things that make you go Hmmmm.
    Do you ever come across something that makes you go Hmmmm?You mean like the song?No, I wasn’t thinking of the song, but I am now - thanks for that. I was thinking of things you read or hear that make you stop and go Hmmmm.Yeah, I know what you mean, ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    7 days ago

  • The hoon for the week that was to March 19
    By the end of the week, the dramas over Stuart Nash overshadowed Hipkins’ policy bonfire. File photo: Lynn GrieveasonTLDR: This week’s news in geopolitics and the political economy covered on The Kākā included:PM Chris Hipkins’ announcement of the rest of a policy bonfire to save a combined $1.7 billion, but ...
    The KakaBy Peter Bale
    1 week ago

  • Saving Stuart Nash: Explaining Chris Hipkins' unexpected political calculation
    When word went out that Prime Minister Chris Hipkins would be making an announcement about Stuart Nash on the tiles at parliament at 2:45pm yesterday, the assumption was that it was over. That we had reached tipping point for Nash’s time as minister. But by 3pm - when, coincidentally, the ...
    PunditBy Tim Watkin
    1 week ago

  • Radical Uncertainty
    Two senior economists challenge some of the foundations of current economics. It is easy to criticise economic science by misrepresenting it, by selective quotations, and by ignoring that it progresses, like all sciences, by improving and abandoning old theories. The critics may go on to attack physics by citing Newton.So ...
    PunditBy Brian Easton
    1 week ago

  • Jump onto the weekly hoon on Riverside at 5pm
    Photo by Walker Fenton on UnsplashIt’s that time of the week again when and I co-host our ‘hoon’ webinar with paying subscribers to The Kaka for an hour at 5 pm. Jump on this link on Riverside (we’ve moved from Zoom) for our chat about the week’s news with ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago

  • The Dream of Florian Neame: Accepted
    In a nice bit of news, my 2550-word deindustrial science-fiction piece, The Dream of Florian Neame, has been accepted for publication at New Maps Magazine (https://www.new-maps.com/). I have published there before, of course, with Of Tin and Tintagel coming out last year. While I still await the ...
    A Phuulish FellowBy strda221
    1 week ago

  • Snakes and leaders
    And so this is Friday, and what have we learned?It was a week with all the usual luggage: minister brags and then he quits, Hollywood red carpet is full of twits. And all the while, hanging over the trivial stuff: existential dread, and portents of doom.Depending on who you read ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    1 week ago

  • This station is Karanga-a-Hape, Chur!
    When I changed the name of this newsletter from The Daily Read to Nick’s Kōrero I was a bit worried whether people would know what Kōrero meant or not. I added a definition when I announced the change and kind of assumed people who weren’t familiar with it would get ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    1 week ago

  • Greens don’t shy from promoting a candidate’s queerness but are quiet about govt announcement on...
    There was a time when a political party’s publicity people would counsel against promoting a candidate as queer. No matter which of two dictionary meanings the voting public might choose to apply – the old meaning of odd, strange, weird, or aberrant, or the more recent meaning of gay, homosexual ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    1 week ago

  • Ask Me Anything about the week to March 17
    Photo by Joakim Honkasalo on UnsplashIt’s that time of the week for an ‘Ask Me Anything’ session for paying subscribers about the week that was for the next hour, including:PM Chris Hipkins announcement of the rest of a policy bonfire to save a combined $1.7 billion, but which blew up ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago

  • Slow consenting could create $16b climate liability by 2050
    Even though concern over the climate change threat is becoming more mainstream, our governments continue to opt out of the difficult decisions at the expense of time, and cost for future generations. Photo: Lynn Grieveson/Getty ImagesTLDR: Now we have a climate liability number to measure the potential failure of the ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago

  • District Court Judges appointed
    Attorney-General David Parker has announced the appointment of Christopher John Dellabarca of Wellington, Dr Katie Jane Elkin of Wellington, Caroline Mary Hickman of Napier, Ngaroma Tahana of Rotorua, Tania Rose Williams Blyth of Hamilton and Nicola Jan Wills of Wellington as District Court Judges.  Chris Dellabarca Mr Dellabarca commenced his ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    19 hours ago

  • New project set to supercharge ocean economy in Nelson Tasman
    A new Government-backed project will help ocean-related businesses in the Nelson Tasman region to accelerate their growth and boost jobs. “The Nelson Tasman region is home to more than 400 blue economy businesses, accounting for more than 30 percent of New Zealand’s economic activity in fishing, aquaculture, and seafood processing,” ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • National’s education policy: where’s the funding?
    After three years of COVID-19 disruptions schools are finally settling down and National want to throw that all in the air with major disruption to learning and underinvestment.  “National’s education policy lacks the very thing teachers, parents and students need after a tough couple of years, certainty and stability,” Education ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • Free programme to help older entrepreneurs and inventors
    People aged over 50 with innovative business ideas will now be able to receive support to advance their ideas to the next stage of development, Minister for Seniors Ginny Andersen said today. “Seniors have some great entrepreneurial ideas, and this programme will give them the support to take that next ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • Government target increased to keep powering up the Māori economy
    A cross government target for relevant government procurement contracts for goods and services to be awarded to Māori businesses annually will increase to 8%, after the initial 5% target was exceeded. The progressive procurement policy was introduced in 2020 to increase supplier diversity, starting with Māori businesses, for the estimated ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • Continued progress on reducing poverty in challenging times
    77,000 fewer children living in low income households on the after-housing-costs primary measure since Labour took office Eight of the nine child poverty measures have seen a statistically significant reduction since 2018. All nine have reduced 28,700 fewer children experiencing material hardship since 2018 Measures taken by the Government during ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • Speech at Fiji Investment and Trade Business Forum
    Deputy Prime Minister Kamikamica; distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen. Tēnā koutou katoa, ni sa bula vinaka saka, namaste. Deputy Prime Minister, a very warm welcome to Aotearoa. I trust you have been enjoying your time here and thank you for joining us here today. To all delegates who have travelled to be ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • Government investments boost and diversify local economies in lower South Island
    $2.9 million convertible loan for Scapegrace Distillery to meet growing national and international demand $4.5m underwrite to support Silverlight Studios’ project to establish a film studio in Wanaka Gore’s James Cumming Community Centre and Library to be official opened tomorrow with support of $3m from the COVID-19 Response and Recovery ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • Government future-proofs EV charging
    Transport Minister Michael Wood has today launched the first national EV (electric vehicle) charging strategy, Charging Our Future, which includes plans to provide EV charging stations in almost every town in New Zealand. “Our vision is for Aotearoa New Zealand to have world-class EV charging infrastructure that is accessible, affordable, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago

  • World-leading family harm prevention campaign supports young NZers
    Associate Minister for Social Development and Employment Priyanca Radhakrishnan has today launched the Love Better campaign in a world-leading approach to family harm prevention. Love Better will initially support young people through their experience of break-ups, developing positive and life-long attitudes to dealing with hurt. “Over 1,200 young kiwis told ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago

  • First Chief Clinical Advisor welcomed into Coroners Court
    Hon Rino Tirikatene, Minister for Courts, welcomes the Ministry of Justice’s appointment of Dr Garry Clearwater as New Zealand’s first Chief Clinical Advisor working with the Coroners Court. “This appointment is significant for the Coroners Court and New Zealand’s wider coronial system.” Minister Tirikatene said. Through Budget 2022, the Government ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago

  • Next steps for affected properties post Cyclone and floods
    The Government via the Cyclone Taskforce is working with local government and insurance companies to build a picture of high-risk areas following Cyclone Gabrielle and January floods. “The Taskforce, led by Sir Brian Roche, has been working with insurance companies to undertake an assessment of high-risk areas so we can ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago

  • New appointment to Māori Land Court bench
    E te huia kaimanawa, ko Ngāpuhi e whakahari ana i tau aupikinga ki te tihi o te maunga. Ko te Ao Māori hoki e whakanui ana i a koe te whakaihu waka o te reo Māori i roto i te Ao Ture. (To the prized treasure, it is Ngāpuhi who ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago

  • Government focus on jobs sees record number of New Zealanders move from Benefits into work
    113,400 exits into work in the year to June 2022 Young people are moving off Benefit faster than after the Global Financial Crisis Two reports released today by the Ministry of Social Development show the Government’s investment in the COVID-19 response helped drive record numbers of people off Benefits and ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago

  • Vertical farming partnership has upward momentum
    The Government’s priority to keep New Zealand at the cutting edge of food production and lift our sustainability credentials continues by backing the next steps of a hi-tech vertical farming venture that uses up to 95 per cent less water, is climate resilient, and pesticide-free. Agriculture Minister Damien O’Connor visited ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago

  • Conference of Pacific Education Ministers – Keynote Address
    E nga mana, e nga iwi, e nga reo, e nga hau e wha, tena koutou, tena koutou, tena koutou kātoa. Warm Pacific greetings to all. It is an honour to host the inaugural Conference of Pacific Education Ministers here in Tāmaki Makaurau. Aotearoa is delighted to be hosting you ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago

  • New $13m renal unit supports Taranaki patients
    The new renal unit at Taranaki Base Hospital has been officially opened by the Minister of Health Dr Ayesha Verrall this afternoon. Te Huhi Raupō received around $13 million in government funding as part of Project Maunga Stage 2, the redevelopment of the Taranaki Base Hospital campus. “It’s an honour ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago

  • Second Poseidon aircraft on home soil
    Defence Minister Andrew Little has marked the arrival of the country’s second P-8A Poseidon aircraft alongside personnel at the Royal New Zealand Air Force’s Base at Ohakea today. “With two of the four P-8A Poseidons now on home soil this marks another significant milestone in the Government’s historic investment in ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago

  • Further humanitarian aid for Türkiye and Syria
    Aotearoa New Zealand will provide further humanitarian support to those seriously affected by last month’s deadly earthquakes in Türkiye and Syria, says Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta. “The 6 February earthquakes have had devastating consequences, with almost 18 million people affected. More than 53,000 people have died and tens of thousands more ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago

  • Community voice to help shape immigration policy
    Migrant communities across New Zealand are represented in the new Migrant Community Reference Group that will help shape immigration policy going forward, Immigration Minister Michael Wood announced today.  “Since becoming Minister, a reoccurring message I have heard from migrants is the feeling their voice has often been missing around policy ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago

  • State Highway 3 project to deliver safer journeys, better travel connections for Taranaki
    Construction has begun on major works that will deliver significant safety improvements on State Highway 3 from Waitara to Bell Block, Associate Minister of Transport Kiri Allan announced today. “This is an important route for communities, freight and visitors to Taranaki but too many people have lost their lives or ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago

  • Ginny Andersen appointed as Minister of Police
    Prime Minister Chris Hipkins has today appointed Ginny Andersen as Minister of Police. “Ginny Andersen has a strong and relevant background in this important portfolio,” Chris Hipkins said. “Ginny Andersen worked for the Police as a non-sworn staff member for around 10 years and has more recently been chair of ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago

  • Government confirms vital roading reconnections
    Six further bailey bridge sites confirmed Four additional bridge sites under consideration 91 per cent of damaged state highways reopened Recovery Dashboards for impacted regions released The Government has responded quickly to restore lifeline routes after Cyclone Gabrielle and can today confirm that an additional six bailey bridges will ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago

  • Foreign Minister Mahuta to meet with China’s new Foreign Minister
    Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta departs for China tomorrow, where she will meet with her counterpart, State Councillor and Foreign Minister Qin Gang, in Beijing. This will be the first visit by a New Zealand Minister to China since 2019, and follows the easing of COVID-19 travel restrictions between New Zealand and China. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago

  • Education Ministers from across the Pacific gather in Aotearoa
    Education Ministers from across the Pacific will gather in Tāmaki Makaurau this week to share their collective knowledge and strategic vision, for the benefit of ākonga across the region. New Zealand Education Minister Jan Tinetti will host the inaugural Conference of Pacific Education Ministers (CPEM) for three days from today, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago

  • State Highway 5 reopens between Napier and Taupō following Cyclone Gabrielle
    A vital transport link for communities and local businesses has been restored following Cyclone Gabrielle with the reopening of State Highway 5 (SH5) between Napier and Taupō, Associate Minister of Transport Kiri Allan says. SH5 reopened to all traffic between 7am and 7pm from today, with closure points at SH2 (Kaimata ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago

  • Special Lotto draw raises $11.7 million for Cyclone Gabrielle recovery
    Internal Affairs Minister Barbara Edmonds has thanked generous New Zealanders who took part in the special Lotto draw for communities affected by Cyclone Gabrielle. Held on Saturday night, the draw raised $11.7 million with half of all ticket sales going towards recovery efforts. “In a time of need, New Zealanders ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago

  • Government delivers a $3 million funding boost for Building Financial Capability services
    The Government has announced funding of $3 million for providers to help people, and whānau access community-based Building Financial Capability services. “Demand for Financial Capability Services is growing as people face cost of living pressures. Those pressures are increasing further in areas affected by flooding and Cyclone Gabrielle,” Minister for ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Education New Zealand | Manapou ki te Ao – new Chair and member
    Minister of Education, Hon Jan Tinetti, has announced appointments to the Board of Education New Zealand | Manapou ki te Ao. Tracey Bridges is joining the Board as the new Chair and Dr Therese Arseneau will be a new member. Current members Dr Linda Sissons CNZM and Daniel Wilson have ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Scholarships honouring Ngarimu VC and the 28th (Māori) Battalion announced
    Fifteen ākonga Māori from across Aotearoa have been awarded the prestigious Ngarimu VC and 28th (Māori) Battalion Memorial Scholarships and Awards for 2023, Associate Education Minister and Ngarimu Board Chair, Kelvin Davis announced today.  The recipients include doctoral, masters’ and undergraduate students. Three vocational training students and five wharekura students, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Appointment of Judge of the Court of Appeal and Judge of the High Court
    High Court Judge Jillian Maree Mallon has been appointed a Judge of the Court of Appeal, and District Court Judge Andrew John Becroft QSO has been appointed a Judge of the High Court, Attorney‑General David Parker announced today. Justice Mallon graduated from Otago University in 1988 with an LLB (Hons), and with ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • NZ still well placed to meet global challenges
    The economy has continued to show its resilience despite today’s GDP figures showing a modest decline in the December quarter, leaving the Government well positioned to help New Zealanders face cost of living pressures in a challenging global environment. “The economy had grown strongly in the two quarters before this ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Western Ring Route Complete
    Aucklanders now have more ways to get around as Transport Minister Michael Wood opened the direct State Highway 1 (SH1) to State Highway 18 (SH18) underpass today, marking the completion of the 48-kilometre Western Ring Route (WRR). “The Government is upgrading New Zealand’s transport system to make it safer, more ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Briefings to Incoming Ministers
    This section contains briefings received by incoming ministers following changes to Cabinet in January. Some information may have been withheld in accordance with the Official Information Act 1982. Where information has been withheld that is indicated within the document. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Teaming up for a stronger, more resilient Fiji
    Aotearoa New Zealand Foreign Affairs Minister Nanaia Mahuta reaffirmed her commitment to working together with the new Government of Fiji on issues of shared importance, including on the prioritisation of climate change and sustainability, at a meeting today, in Nadi. Fiji and Aotearoa New Zealand’s close relationship is underpinned by the Duavata ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Investment in blue highway a lifeline for regional economies and cyclone recovery
    The Government is delivering a coastal shipping lifeline for businesses, residents and the primary sector in the cyclone-stricken regions of Hawkes Bay and Tairāwhiti, Regional Development Minister Kiri Allan announced today. The Rangitata vessel has been chartered for an emergency coastal shipping route between Gisborne and Napier, with potential for ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Next steps developing clean energy for NZ
    The Government will progress to the next stage of the NZ Battery Project, looking at the viability of pumped hydro as well as an alternative, multi-technology approach as part of the Government’s long term-plan to build a resilient, affordable, secure and decarbonised energy system in New Zealand, Energy and Resources ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Statement from the Prime Minister on Stuart Nash
    This morning I was made aware of a media interview in which Minister Stuart Nash criticised a decision of the Court and said he had contacted the Police Commissioner to suggest the Police appeal the decision. The phone call took place in 2021 when he was not the Police Minister. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • CPTPP Trade Ministers coming to Auckland
    The Government’s sharp focus on trade continues with Aotearoa New Zealand set to host Trade Ministers and delegations from 10 Asia Pacific economies at a meeting of Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) Commission members in July, Minister for Trade and Export Growth Damien O’Connor announced today. “New Zealand ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Govt approves $25 million extension for cyclone-affected businesses
    $25 million boost to support more businesses with clean-up in cyclone affected regions, taking total business support to more than $50 million Demand for grants has been strong, with estimates showing applications will exceed the initial $25 million business support package Grants of up to a maximum of $40,000 per ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

Page generated in The Standard by Wordpress at 2023-03-24T19:46:32+00:00