How does the government handle a pandemic induced world recession?

Written By: - Date published: 8:54 am, March 13th, 2020 - 152 comments
Categories: capitalism, Donald Trump, economy, Simon Bridges, uk politics, uncategorized, us politics - Tags:

So Coronavirus is working its way through the world.  And put to one side the human misery the virus is causing, the effect on the world’s economy is terrifying.

Political leadership has not helped.  In the United States within days Donald Trump has gone from downplaying the threat and suggesting that everything was fine to banning travel from Europe, at least the non English speaking part. And it seems clear that he at least mispoke, and caused a great deal of consternation by doing so.

The stock markets have responded appropriately.  This morning the Dow Jones crashed by 10% in initial trading and in the United Kingdom the FTSE 100 had its worst day since the 1987 stock market crash.  It really makes you wonder about Trump’s viability given he has always seen the stock market as an indicator of his performance as President.

Professional sport has been affected.  The NBA has suspended its season following positive tests for two players.  In Italy Serie A soccer has been suspended for a month.  When soccer is suspended in Italy you know things are dire. There is even talk about the Tokyo Olympics being postponed.

And in Thailand hordes of monkeys normally fed by tourists have taken to rioting as the food runs out.

To me recent events highlights two features, the world’s economy is so finely tuned to consumption that when there is a temporary blip to the flow of new Iphones and flat screen TVs or overseas holidays then significant effects to the world’s economy happens.

And pure market economies do not provide the best response.  Either in terms of their testing and management of the crisis.  Or who they choose to support to make sure that the effects are minimised.  China and Hong Kong have managed to slow down the spread of the virus and testing is common. They are also able to maintain rigorous curfews the likes of which may not be possible in Western nations. 

Testing is important. In South Korea the testing rate is 6,692 per million people.  In the United States the rate is 23.  No wonder community spread is so prevalent in the United States. Current reported rates must be only the tip of the iceberg.

Oil prices have crashed.  This has placed the shale industry, already a very inefficient way of producing oil well and truly into the red.  Trump has responded by promising relief.  From the Washington Post:

The White House is strongly considering pushing federal assistance for oil and natural gas producers hit by plummeting oil prices amid the coronavirus outbreak, as industry officials close to the administration clamor for help, according to four people familiar with internal deliberations. President Trump has touted the growth of oil and natural gas production under his administration, celebrating their rise in politically crucial swing states such as Pennsylvania. But many oil and gas firms were hammered Monday by the price war that broke out between Saudi Arabia and Russia, driving oil prices down in their steepest one-day drop in almost 30 years.

For ordinary people the prospects of relief are not so good.  From the Hill:

Senate Republicans say they will not be rushed into accepting a House Democratic bill to provide paid sick leave and a variety of other safety-net aid to people affected by the coronavirus.

“I don’t think we ought to be stampeded into doing something that we wouldn’t otherwise think is a good idea. We need to respond in an appropriate way and in a targeted way, not just throw money at the problem,” said Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas).

Cornyn said the House bill appears to be an effort by Democratic leaders to “score political points”  by pressuring GOP lawmakers to accept an array of welfare spending that they know would be tough for conservatives to swallow.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) on Tuesday morning panned the House bill as “an ideological wish list that was not tailored closely to the circumstances.

“Instead of focusing on immediate relief to affected individuals, families and businesses, the House Democrats chose to wander into various areas of policy that are barely related if at all to the issue before us,” McConnell said.

In New Zealand we are fortunate so far.  There is no sign of community spread, current numbers of infections are stable, and we have a health system that works well usually. The Government has a series of measures that will be announced next week. It is likely they will include help for certain sectors as well as a stimulus package. Maybe they should think about a Universal Basic Income.

And I cannot believe how poorly the opposition has handled the crisis.  Their responses so far appear to be to demand minimum wage increases not be implemented, to play politics with an issue that demands responsible political leadership, and to promise a bonfire of regulations, including presumably those designed to protect health, speaks volumes.  This is Trump quality leadership right here in Aotearoa.

But don’t take my word for this.  How about this from Matthew Hooton in the Herald:

When a party’s first response to a global pandemic is to demand looser health regulations, we must ask if it is a serious player.

National’s announcement on Monday of a “bonfire of regulations” was inane. Like the party’s overarching “economic plan” released a month ago, this week’s effort was entirely devoid of substantial content, consisting mainly of social-media slogans.

While the party’s finance spokesman Paul Goldsmith continues to make considered contributions, Simon Bridges and his brains trust of Paula Bennett and Todd McClay seem to have decided the election can be won by empty sloganeering and praying the Ardern regime implodes.

More travel restrictions are anticipated to be announced today.  The Government’s response to the first appearance of local community spread and to pressures on the economy could be the determining issues of this year’s election campaign. We certainly live in interesting times …

152 comments on “How does the government handle a pandemic induced world recession? ”

  1. observer 1

    A common flaw in politicians (and by extension, those of us who comment on or are involved in politics) is go on auto-pilot. To repeat some set response, instead of reflecting and realizing that something is new. "We already know the answers, now what is the question?".

    That's what Bridges has done on Covid-19. "Cut red tape" was obviously a line prepared well before Coronavirus dominated the news. Unfortunately for him, the question has changed – massively so. But he just repeated the answer to the one nobody is asking now.

    In the last couple of days he's toned it down a bit, probably because of the widespread criticism. Too late.

    • tc 1.1

      If we had a half decent media Simon would be grilled over his govt's 30% underfunding of our health system which all but collapsed mental health to keep other bits semi afloat.

      It's not like this gov't's had 3 terms to effect change like his did.

  2. MrCans 2

    Simon Bridges is an analogue politician in a digital environment.

    If Aotearoa goes a week without a new case, it'll be remarkable – and mark us out as a country that;

    a) has significantly differing factors in terms of virus vectors to those countries bearing the brunt of it

    b) learned a lot from the measles outbreak last year

    c) has ALSO been incredibly lucky thus far

    Every day that passes that we prevent new cases, avoid community transmission etc, is a day that we get closer to a vaccine etc.

    • McFlock 2.1

      The measles outbreak was community-established from the get go, because that's how measles rolls (R0 of something like 12-18).

      NZ has limited ports of entry, and anything other than plane has an extended lead time for symptoms to develop en route (e.g. yachties and cruises). And we've been good at identifying and dealing stopping direct air transport from the least-controlled countries (outbreak-wise).

      But yeah, luck counts too.

    • We still don't have a vaccine for SARS, the previous serious coronavirus outbreak (~20 years ago), it's unlikely we'll have a vaccine this year, maybe not even next. We have to plan on not having one, most of us will get it until we build up a herd immunity, so slowing the virus is really all we can do so that the fewest people possible die.

  3. Christopher Randal 3

    National will lie as much as possible to retain the Treasury benches.

    Simple Soimon is very much out of the Trump mold.

  4. Andre 4

    You know it's become serious when Hair Farce One bans white people from visiting.

    • Anne 4.1

      Yeah, but they speak different. They got weird languages that nobody understands. Sure they're white, but they're real backward compared to us Americans. You only gotta look at their weird looking houses n'things.

  5. Tel 5

    The first thing the government needs to do to handle a likely recession is close our border to all international travellers now. Australia is a ticking time bomb on our back doorstep. We're currently seeing a spike in numbers of infected in Australia… will this be the Milan of the south pacific? The one card we have up our sleeve is we're an Island(s) and with that isolation means we can at least weather the storm and avoid the illness getting here and overloading our hospital system. That's a huge amount of resources, money, time, and importantly lives saved.

    Next thing to do is for everyone to stop being selfish, lower our expectations, be more compassionate, and hopefully with the help of government that cares about it's citizens and their health as much or more than our wealth we'll come out of all this without members of our families or friends dead.

    All I see from Labour currently is complacency. That's not a good plan, never is. Maybe it is a time for a change of government here?

    • observer 5.1

      Change to what?

      I really don't think that listening to public health officials constitutes "complacency".

    • mickysavage 5.2

      If you think that a change in government will result in a less selfish more compassionate leadership that cares about people then I am afraid I have some bad news for you.

      • Rosemary McDonald 5.2.1

        The predominant message from this government at the moment seems to be around mitigating negative impacts on the economy.

        Idiot me would have thought it more important for our Health Minister to be visiting /skyping his Aussie offside rather than our Finance Minister.

        If it's all about 'compassionate leadership and caring about people…'?

        Not that the Other Mob would be any different.

        • Ad 5.2.1.1

          The response to economic shock is completely appropriate because that is where the primary impact to New Zealand is, and probably will be.

        • McFlock 5.2.1.2

          Health ministers don't need to coordinate. Aussie has its own unique issues in dealing with an outbreak, so do we. There is limited crossover.

          Technical engagement at lower levels is important, definitely. And that happens not just with Aus, but across the board. Revision of case definitions, research about the virus, vaccines, tests, and treatments, all of that is already happening.

          Finance, on the other hand, can work at cross-purposes. Country A loosen controls or whatevs, countries from country B have protections that give them an advantage. The other thing is that this is a new phenomenon – it's largely a real economic issue, not overstimulated manbabies suddenly getting less confident about the price that other overstimulated manbabies will pay for abstractions like stocks or futures. That takes higher-level discussion to figure out how to approach it.

          We're talking about literally not being able to work because your tools and supplies aren't being produced or imported into NZ. Went into the Warehouse today, no needle files at that store. Is that a stock issue, or are 70% of the world's needle files made in Wuhan? Who knows.

    • RedLogix 5.3

      I'm expecting a total international travel ban within two weeks, if not from NZ's perspective but perhaps globally.

      Puts me in a bit of a quandry; I need to travel back to NZ within a few weeks for important family reasons … but if getting to NZ is doubtful, getting back to Aus feels like a forlorn hope. There will be millions of individual decisions like this …

      • Stunned Mullet 5.3.1

        What's the point of a total international travel ban when the virus is already circulating on all continents apart from Antartica ?

        • RedLogix 5.3.1.1

          In the long run, or at least until an effective vaccine/treatment is available, everyone will be exposed and at least 60% or more will be infected. I agree we are probably past containment because virtually all govts around the world have wasted four weeks of opportunity with ill-advised complacency.

          Now our best hope is to slow down the rate of new infections so that the 10 – 20% of people who develop a serious case do not overwhelm our health system. This has a big impact on the ultimate death rate. People you know will die of this, it's just a case of how many now.

        • Macro 5.3.1.2

          It's called "Flattening The Curve"

          Here is an explanation of what that means, and how it will help:

          https://www.nbcnews.com/science/science-news/what-flatten-curve-chart-shows-how-critical-it-everyone-fight-n1155636

  6. Ad 6

    It's already evident that the global economic impact to New Zealand is going to be far worse than the local health impact.

    So it is completely appropriate for our Minister of Finance to align the NZ government response to the Australian one as the two Treasurers meet. A bit of luck that the Minister of Finance had already put into place a $12 billion infrastructure package that will keep the construction sector afloat for at least 7-8 years.

    I also see the Prime Ministers' measured and carefully calibrated response being a textbook example of how to reduce panic and to lead with calm and clarity.

    Also the health officials are being remarkably steady and well informed.

    We are currently looking like one of the best-positioned states to handle this impact.

  7. Graeme 7

    We've got tourists from US and Europe arriving in New Zealand daily and I'm starting to see, mainly in visitors from US, some symptoms. Yesterday I had a woman, probably in her 70's with a very persistent dry cough, and a complete inability to ask a coherent question, across the gallery counter for 5 minutes over minor purchase. The incoherence isn't that uncommon for the demographic, usually from the meds, but this woman wasn't well. I was left wondering what's going to happen to her.

    It's only a matter of time, and probably not very much, before ALL travellers, anywhere are subject to 14 days quarantine. We need it here very soon or we won't have a functional health system. There's community transmission in Australia and US now, we should have restrictions.

    To me, Trumps statement was an invitation, and licence, for all countries to do the same and impose 'retaliatory' travel restrictions. I'm open as to whether this leadership was intentional.

    • Sacha 7.1

      The incoherence isn't that uncommon for the demographic, usually from the meds, but this woman wasn't well. I was left wondering what's going to happen to her.

      Cabinet post in the Chump administration.

    • Robert Guyton 7.2

      I've long suspected that Queenstown will be the rent in our health fabric.

      • Graeme 7.2.1

        I'm surprised / impressed that we haven't got cases here already. But visitors are going to Riverton as well. Cases in US appear to be in the top end of town, New Rochelle, well that's very much top end of NY, and Tom Hanks, who may have spread it around the top end of Sydney. These are people who will travel independently and widely when they are here.

        Medical profession in Queenstown has been on full alert for a couple of weeks, very different process going to doctor now.

        • RedLogix 7.2.1.1

          very different process going to doctor now.

          I had to visit my GP here yesterday for several minor matters, and to my relief found the waiting room empty and all the patients standing outside (fortunately under shelter as it was pissing down) waiting for their turn.

  8. Sacha 8

    In New Zealand we are fortunate so far. There is no sign of community spread, current numbers of infections are stable, and we have a health system that works well usually.

    Let's not get complacent about our remarkably low number of reported cases so far. Actual numbers infected will be higher already.

    Detailed post graphing numbers like that from around the world: https://medium.com/@tomaspueyo/coronavirus-act-today-or-people-will-die-f4d3d9cd99ca

    A recommended read.

    • mickysavage 8.1

      Yep good read. The optimistic interpretation is that no community spread means that it is not entrenched here. The pessimistic interpretation is that we have not detected it so far.

  9. RedBaronCV 9

    In managing the immediate health aspects I'd like to see more common sense advice spread. A lot of companies are probably already doing this but cutting out hot desking if possible and sanitising everything on site regularly, getting anyone who can work from home to do so, and chopping out larger gatherings. And also looking at a longer term outlook. Even if we stop it spreading drug treatment /vaccine is some way off so what contact do we have with each other? Is there a community signal that people who may need help can use? I believe that during the spanish flu, a teatowel tied to the front gate signaled for assistance. What is the modern update? Can we use people who have had it for any useful activity? some advice around eftpost machines ATMs etc?

    On the economic side better research for articles would help? Yes tourism will take a hit but it is a sector with Yoyo money in it comes in and goes straight back out again. So what is the net effect of this – might be smaller than the headlines.

    How do we support people who can't work from home but who should stay home. Do we look at some form of UBI but with a tax surcharge for 2021 so that it is clawed back from those who don't need it longer term so they either don't sign up or have to pay the amount back.

    Do we extend paid sick leave minimums ( & suggest CEO pay decreases for large workplaces to offset the cost) plus some help for smaller workplaces.

  10. RedBaronCV 10

    And two more things –

    what access do we give the billionaire boltholers to NZ on a private jet to our health system

    Kiwisaver funds – some have over 65 money which can be taken out at will and people who want to change from aggressive to balanced funds. I'd like to think the Reserve bank is in discussion with them so that if withdrawals exceed a certain % or if the switch demands do the same then under certain circumstances the Reserve bank will open a liquidity window for them so that they can pledge certain holdings and receive cash in exchange if needed – bank managed funds may not need this. Panic selling is not great for investors.

    In the 2008 crisis a lot of reasonably well managed finance companies went illiquid with the result that investors lost all their money and when the mess had died off a little the mortgages were acquired for cents in the $ by bigger/bank players who then received repayments over time largely in full. Instead they chucked a bundle at South canterbury finance benefitting only a few.

    • mickysavage 10.1

      Thanks to the last Government one of them, a member of Trump's cabinet, has an automatic entry to the country.

      • Andre 10.1.1

        If you're thinking of "Young Blood Transfusions" Thiel, he isn't a member of Cabinet. The closest he's been to actually being a part of the administration was the transition team, and some sort of advisory group thing.

        But I'd imagine any kind of advisory group came to a rapid end when Genghis Don made it obvious the only advice he is interested in is his own. Which wouldn't go down well with the overstuffed egos that infest those kinds of groups.

        If it's someone else that actually is a cabinet member, do tell.

      • Incognito 10.1.2

        Chris Liddell?

    • joe90 10.2

      I'd hope they bring their own shit.

      A luxe bunker, it seems, can take many forms.

      Dr. Stein said that another Sollis member, an heiress in Southampton, N.Y., built a medical isolation room complete with a ventilation system.

      The word “room,” however, hardly captures it. Dr. Stein said it is equipped with a negative pressure system to restrict the circulation of pathogens, and is basically an isolated guest wing consisting of a bedroom and kitchen stocked with IV hydration, medicines, lab supplies, gloves, gowns, masks, oxygen and food, as well as a set of dishes and linens.

      In certain pockets of Silicon Valley, where tech-elite survivalists drool over abandoned missile silos that were converted into luxury bunkers, coronavirus is precisely the doomsday scenario they’ve been preparing for.

      Marvin Liao, a former partner at the venture capital firm 500 Startups, has been stocking up on canned food, water, hand sanitizer and toilet paper in anticipation of an outbreak, and has lately been scoping out a high-end air purifier called Molekule Air, which costs $799.

      “I don’t know if you’re ever ready for this,” Mr. Liao said of coronavirus. “But I think that you’re probably better prepared than a lot of people, because at least you’ve thought about it and at least you’ve stocked up. Worse comes to worse you’ll have a lot more cushion than a lot more people out there.”

      Jon Stokes, a former Silicon Valley prepper who left Silicon Valley for prepping reasons (he lives in Colorado now), echoed that sentiment. He said that he had stockpiled about four months’ worth of food, and recently purchased a stethoscope and a pulse oximeter that measures the oxygen saturation in red blood cells to monitor his family for signs of the virus.

      http://archive.li/MTEO9

  11. Jimmy 11

    It amazes me that we still only have 5 cases of the virus. I thought it would have been more by now as once it gets in it seems very hard to stop.

  12. A poorly understood underlying issue with COVID 19 is it's unusual silent transmission pattern, people being infective anywhere from 2 – 14 days before they show any symptoms. In some cases, no symptoms at all.

    This creates a very unusual problem for societies to manage, one that we are not instinctively wired to manage well. It means we tend to either under or over react to the problem. As an automation engineer, when I'm closing a feedback loop (which is directly analogous to responding to an epidemic) something called transport delay, or deadtime, is always the hardest feature to manage. It means that when you make a change to the system, in this case imposing, or removing, control mechanisms like quarantines, travel restrictions, social isolation, closing schools and workplaces … there is a typically five day delay before you see a response.

    If you move your control too far or too quickly, there is a very real chance that you will overdo it, and suddenly the system response overshoots badly five days afterwards. The same in the other direction, we've already seen govts fail to understand this delay characteristic properly, and have wasted weeks while it was silently moving about the community.

    This is going to be the hardest aspect for govts to deal with effectively. If we are careless enough to get this wrong, we could see a whole year of wave after wave of COVID 19 scything through our communities.

    • Poission 12.1

      those being tested were infected two weeks ago,some nice analysis (and analogy with the second half of the chessboard approaching)

      https://necsi.edu/gradually-then-suddenly

      If you wanted to accelerate the spread of SARS-CoV-2 quickly and cheaply you’d be well advised to encourage mass gatherings.

      If, on the other hand, you want to do the opposite you’d encourage ‘social distancing’, increased hand washing as well as other personal hygiene measures. Because they are — hopefully — ‘leverage points’ these may well make a much bigger difference than we might intuitively believe.

      • alwyn 12.1.1

        "you’d be well advised to encourage mass gatherings.".

        Oh dear. That sounds rather like the fabled "measles parties" from the days before we had vaccines for the disease. I had measles as a child but I certainly wasn't deliberately exposed. Does anyone know for a fact that they really did exist?

  13. Adrian 13

    For fucks sake, its the flu, a nasty one but it's not the Black Plague, we have seen it before with SARS.

    And if the Black Plague arose again now its effects would be a fraction of what they were 500 years ago simply because of scientific knowledge.

    I understand already in the States Anti-Vaxxers are devastated that there isn't a vaccine they can refuse to take!.

    • RedLogix 13.2

      Why you shouldn't listen to any random person on the internet with an opinion. And why a strong global health system is essential.

      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fqw-9yMV0sI

    • tc 13.3

      Sars/mers had over twice the fatality rate and was a lot harder to transmit/catch, containment worked as it wasn't as contagious.

      Covid-19 spreads with ease and I wonder how many people got it through no eye protection thinking the mouth/nose mask was enough.

      Science doesn't save you, applying it's learnings do so, that's for leadership.

      Liverpool V althetico Madrid occurred with thousands of supporters travelling to the UK yesterday, Anfield was packed.
      PSG V Borrusia was at least behind closed doors however the Paris police gave PSG fans permission to gather outside anyway.

      Leadership fail ! That's inviting it over for it to be spread around,

  14. Aaron 14

    What do you mean our health system works well usually? It had 9 years of underfunding by the National government and Labour/NZ First have continued the tradition, there are constant articles in the media about problems caused by this chronic underfunding and that's before we even mention the mental health system.

    Basically it's bursting at the seams and has no capacity to increase it's workload. If the government doesn't put huge quarantine procedures in place to slow down the rate of infection our health system will be completely swamped and the death rate will head into 4% territory that Italy is experiencing.

    • RedLogix 14.1

      What do you mean our health system works well usually?

      Hang about and you might get to see what happens when it doesn't work at all.

    • Incognito 14.2

      Sure, not all is well in and with our healthcare system. However, not all healthcare is the same. For example, a waiting list for cataract operations is not the same as a queue for angioplasty.

      I have no idea what you mean by “huge quarantine procedures”. Quarantine whom, based on what, where, and for how long, for example.

      Death rate from COVID-19 is > 6% in Italy, AFAIK.

      • Aaron 14.2.1

        @Incognito you seem to be just sniping around the edges of my argument rather than dealing with the core issue but I'll answer anyway:

        The countries that took the virus seriously and instituted serious quarantine procedures (and these are are well known) have had a death rate of below 1%. Places like Italy where they didn't act with urgency have had (as you say) rates of 6%.

        My point was that feeling complacent because we have a good quality health system is not a wise move at this stage. Even if it was the best in the world it might still not cope with a fast moving pandemic

        • Incognito 14.2.1.1

          Ok, let’s ignore the ‘rough edges’ of your argument and look at your core issue, which is to put quarantine measures in place now. Rather than giving an unconditional and unqualified answer, I think it is fair to ask what you have in mind. For example, all of those measures (“and these are are well known” [sic] is too vague IMO), immediately here in NZ? I believe that so far the measured and balanced step-wise response by and from Government has been adequate and in-line with evidence. It has put or at least tried to put much of the responsibility on the people. Infections happen in the community and likewise, effective prevention needs to take place at community level. If people ignore expert advice then there’s nothing (a) Government can do. In any case, the community (i.e. the people) and Government need to work together, hand-in-hand so to speak, to do the best they can under the circumstances. For example, Government might increase travel bans and people can change their (personal hygiene) habits.

    • Louis 14.3

      @ Aaron. Did you think it would all be fixed up in just 2 years? Contrary to what you think, this government are funding health in the billions.

      https://www.labour.org.nz/what_we_re_doing_in_health

      • Aaron 14.3.1

        @Louis, thanks for the party political broadcast but my point was the system is over-stretched right now and not able to handle an extra load – just as it's about to get one. Labour Party talking points are not going to be any use if the system gets overloaded.

    • mickysavage 14.4

      My dad and my partner have had to use the health system over the past few years. It is bloody good. All strength to the people involved making it work. Sure funding needs to be increased which the Government has done over the past couple of years.

      It worked well for them. We do have to make it work better.

      • pat 14.4.1

        "parts" of the health system work very well….others barely function

      • KJT 14.4.2

        The staff are generally excellent, in my experience.

        However the underfunding cracks are showing. Papered over by staff dedication.

        Like, our local hospital running out of beds on a normal Monday night.

        Those I spoke to hope that the onset, which they regard as inevitable, is slowed down enough so they can cope.

  15. ianmac 15

    Doesn't seem to be any news out of Africa.

    No cases?

    Under reporting?

    Huge spread?

  16. swordfish 16

    .

    More travel restrictions are anticipated to be announced today.

    Yeah, pity they weren't as decisive weeks ago when it was needed … but that would've required foresight & backbone.

    The Government’s response to the first appearance of local community spread … could be the determining issues of this year’s election campaign.

    Once again, re-active rather than pro-active.

    You don't wait for community spread to happen before reacting … you do everything in your power to prevent it & you do it early … the kind of urgent & exhaustive measures that we haven't bothered with … an attitude exemplified, I have to say, by the pompous preening pontificating comfortably-off ID Politics virtue-signallers here (what might be called the Clintonista Shill-Boys) … 2 weeks ago they were as casual as fuck about COVID-19 … now they've suddenly woken up … unfortunately about a month too late.

    Meanwhile … as I replied to Ad on Open Mike:

    Whereas we are 5 infections

    ;
    Many more than that, I'd say.

    Silent spread from Pre-symptomatic, Asymptomatic & Mild cases … but like the US & various other Western nations … we're in the Don't Test / Don't Tell phase where the economy is prioritised over human life… as opposed to taking urgent & decisive action to slow it down & prevent overwhelmed hospitals & needless death.

    (Note: Pre-symptomatic (100% of those infected with COVID-19 go through Pre-Symptomatic incubation period of up to 2 weeks),
    Asymptomatic (around 20% of infected experience zero symptoms)
    Mild cases (around 60% of those infected experience symptoms similar to a cold)

    • joe90 16.1

      2 weeks ago they were as casual as fuck about COVID-19

      Who was as casual as fuck about COVID-19?

      • Incognito 16.1.1

        https://www.who.int/docs/default-source/coronaviruse/situation-reports/20200121-sitrep-1-2019-ncov.pdf?sfvrsn=20a99c10_4

        The Event highlights from 31 December 2019 to 20 January 2020 at the top give an insight into the chronology.

        • joe90 16.1.1.1

          Who were the Clintonista Shill-Boy[s] being as casual as fuck about COVID-19?

          • Incognito 16.1.1.1.1

            A figment of imagination, perhaps? I don’t quite see the connection, but hey, if it tickles one’s fancy.

            On that note, some commenters here have literally surprised me lately with some of their comments, by the tone or content. Under the circumstances it can be hard to remain objective, rational, or stoic even, and maybe it shows an undercurrent of deep-felt emotion welling up and piling into TS. If so, it is not necessarily a bad thing, but it would mean that the nature of commentary and debate will change, which is something Moderators should be alert to. I digress …

            • SPC 16.1.1.1.1.1

              The worry is that insecurity and fear has a rightward tinge to it.

              Then there are the calls for government to act

              This can lead to banning crowds at sports (people watch in crowded bars where spread is more likely) …

              • KJT

                Unfortunately the false confidence, simplistic solutions, oft parroted memes and narcissism of right wing "leaders" gives the illusion of "knowing what to do" in times of fear.

              • Sacha

                Why would banning crowds be a right-wing thing? Standard public health response.

                If left is collective and right is individual then the response we need to get through this is the former.

                • SPC

                  Do people get infected at outdoor events?

                  UVB light kills the virus (flu in summertime much) , people are more at risk indoors.

                  Evidence based works best.

                  The sick isolate and those at risk avoid public gatherings.

                • KJT

                  "The answer is, tax cuts, subsidies to banks and business, wage cuts, selling assets, cutting state spending".

                  "What was the question, again?"

  17. Anne 17

    2 weeks ago they were as casual as fuck about COVID-19

    If you're referring to the jokes about the toilet paper panic Swordfish that's unfair. A bit of light hearted fun over a specific circumstance does not equate to being dismissive of the virus.

  18. Sabine 18

    @MickeySavage

    In New Zealand we are fortunate so far. There is no sign of community spread, current numbers of infections are stable, and we have a health system that works well usually. The Government has a series of measures that will be announced next week. It is likely they will include help for certain sectors as well as a stimulus package. Maybe they should think about a Universal Basic Income.

    half the police force of Rotorua is currently in 'self isolation' as an inmate tested positive.

    https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12316211

    i would suggest that this – should the worst come to happen – may qualify for 'community spread'.

    the first thing the government can and should do – and maybe should have done so a few days ago is sending a food voucher to our beneficiaries.

    then they should look at a mortgage / rent holiday in case of a lock down, self isolation. And no 'talk to your bank' is the bs that comes from a man who literally has no idea about how Jo and Jane Sixpack live.

    testing, there is a nice nifty drive trough test available in South Korea, German etc and i would like to know if we are going to have something like this available. I heard that Germany has offered its finding to other goverments, also that China made any findings about the virus publicly available.

    heating allowance, for all low wage income earner, family with children, and beneficiaries. At least we can try to prevent the usual surge of respiratory illnesses that we have regularly in winter due to no money for heating, lack of insulation and mold.

    The chinese government welded the doors shut on Apartment buildings in January, please tell me that our government saw that and like many realised that this might not be a simply flu.

    I can't see how and why governments the world over are collapsing their economies for a simply flu. So yeah, i hope our government will finally kick into action and offer some precise assistance to take some of the stress away for those that are not in a high income group of people.

    • bwaghorn 18.1

      The aussie government sent all it people on benefits $750 I believe.

    • SPC 18.2

      If he had tested positive the numbers here would now be 6, still 5 …

      • Sabine 18.2.1

        Well you tell that to the police force in Rotorua – who is currently self isolating.

        Seriously, don't give me that type of shit, cause i am not the one making shit up.

        This is happening right now in Rotorua.

        And yeah, we only have 5 cases in NZ and there is a fullah in Tauranga who has some Bridges in Northland on sale. IF you are really quick you gonna get one real cheap.

        • SPC 18.2.1.1

          Your source – Herald story – only says that someone who had been to Hong Kong had symptoms and was thus tested – they wait a day for a result. And those in contact go into isolation while they wait for the test result.

        • peterh 18.2.1.2

          cleared Scare mongering

          [lprent: I thought that the political application of simple minded scare mongering was copyrighted to Simon (no) Bridges. BTW: learn to be articulate enough explain what you mean around here. Otherwise we can help you to interpret your incoherent trolling blatherings. ]

          • peterh 18.2.1.2.1

            If you say someone in Rotorua is positive, and found to be not be true, on a very sensitive issue like this what do we call these types of statements

        • Sacha 18.2.1.3

          i am not the one making shit up

          Seems that way. What would help you feel less anxious about this topic?

    • peterh 18.3

      Where did you get positive from

  19. Sabine 19

    Manila has shut down.

    India has effectively shut its borders to any non citizens.

    Our world is going to look very very different in a few month.

    • Adrian 19.1

      Bullshit. The major problem is panic merchants, and why hasn't it spread in Africa maybe because as said weeks ago by a virologist, in summer heat the virus dries up very quickly in open air. For the last few months both China and Lombardy are cold ,wet ,foggy and miserable perfect transmission areas for pathogens such as these.

  20. Jackel 20

    This is as bad as it gets. I'm sure Ardern and her government know they have to front foot this. All we can do now is lessen the damage and impact of the fall to New Zealand. Fortunately our Government and our Reserve Bank have a bit of ammo to fight this and we have an ok health system. Which is more than can be said for a number of countries.

    • SPC 20.1

      The health professionals are like fighter pilots in 1940 (kept safe for the island security role).

      1. separate testing regime – set up containers/caravans in car parks (no contaminated spaces) and home visit those without cars.

      2. reserve safety equipment for medical professionals

      3. deliver from the chemist to those with symptoms (protect the pharmacists)

      4. maximise flu vaccine uptake (no one wants a double dose of flu and coronavirus)

      Poverty

      Extend the Power Income Supplement to those on WFF tax credits/CSC (already beneficiaries and those on super) – warmer homes better sleep stronger immune systems.

      Have as many Work and Income appointments by phone as possible – poor people having to be there risks spread to vulnerable poor (and some sick) people and staff.

  21. Adam Ash 21

    …and meanwhile in a small town near the bottom of the South Island, a friend happily tells us face to face (Thank you very much!!) that they have just had a nice long visit from a close friend of theirs who has just recently enjoyed the company of NZ's Case #1! Fk!

  22. David Mac 22

    Tourism is being brought to it's knees the world over. Cafe's, rental cars, Airbnbs and demand for wine.

    It's such an important sector here, so many dependent. There are strategic advantages to keeping our infection levels low beyond our physical health. As the fear subsides, our island location and hopefully minimal infection levels could be just the medicine to kick-start a crippled industry.

    • weka 22.1

      possibly, but then tourism is a driver of the somewhat slower crisis of climate change. Better that we wean ourselves off mass tourism now while we can do it more easily. We can still have some, just don't make ourselves so resilient on it.

  23. Nic the NZer 23

    Two posts on how the government should design its response to the economic impacts of the virus.

    http://bilbo.economicoutlook.net/blog/?p=44484

    http://bilbo.economicoutlook.net/blog/?p=44488

    In considering how much concern the govt ought to have for economic impacts we should also consider how people are likely to respond to the threat to their income and employment. Supporting the economy may facilitate a better response to the virus by the country.

  24. David Mac 24

    Observant and diligent vigilance is called for. So far, I think Jacinda's mob are on a pass mark.

    I fear 13 months ago I could of been heard to say "There will be no nutbars letting loose with an auto weapon in a NZ mosque."

  25. David Mac 25

    The coal-face doctor utube type reports that worry me are those that indicate "The staff are starting to get sick."

    If it was a nastier virus… I think that is where our systems would first start to develop life changing cracks. When those trained to help the inflicted are too weak to help.

  26. David Mac 26

    Decades ago, the Aussie health and safety squad insisted I provide a positive filtered air suit for the guy that was spraying the poison laden 2-pack paint at my clients' cars.

    Why aren't we doing that? Disposable impervious suit, head gear with a pipe pumping air into it. Either plugged into an overhead tracking purified air system or bottles for 45 mins on their backs.

    If we get a nasty virus, being a nurse should not be a kamikaze role.

    If that happens…is there any better invitation for anarchy? I love Mad Max but I'm not keen on living it.

  27. pat 27

    Black swan…there is no plan for

    • David Mac 28.1

      I think there is much to be said for putting the 'CLOSED' sign in the window for 3-4 weeks.

      The bitter reality is that most of us can't afford to say that and vote for the 'OPEN' side of the sign.

      As trade slowly slides, from the dairy on the corner to the dairy into China our Govt will be obliged to run around with a box of 1000 Johnson and Johnson band-aids.

      I wonder if a government funded 'Closed' sign out front for a month could work in our favour in the long run?

    • McFlock 28.2

      lolwut?

      You're pulling an "if we follow a similar trend" based on the initial datapoint approximated from a chart?

      Show me the 60-orWhatevs countries with c-19, numbers as bars on the right axis and rates as lines from the left axis, all starting from initial cases, and maybe we could get an idea.

      Population stats fall down with small numbers. What we do seem to have in NZ are border controls implemented before it got a decent footing. Maybe in a month we'll all be on lockdown, but that's not something predictable from that sort of chart at this stage for us.

      If we look at infection patterns, Italy started with 46 cases. We're more like France, which had a couple of periods of just getting three or five cases weeks apart, before they obviously caught the last one too late (five cases found towards end of feb after zero for weeks, twenty three cases found a couple of days later). Germany is similar to France.

      Basically, we can't really say "we're at point X of a chart". Nope, all we can say is that as far as we're pretty sure (and we've been looking) that it hasn't gotten away on us yet, but the odds are that sooner or later it will.

      Might find a dozen new probable-then-confirmed cases tomorrow.

      Might not happen until October.

      Slim chance it might never happen (really slim, tiny, microscopic).

      • joe90 28.2.1

        WTBF, 5th form maths were a fucking nightmare so I've had to settle for arithmetic.

        Anyhoo, how do we compare our infection rates – infections /M pop? – and does our low pop affect the exponential rate of infection?

        • McFlock 28.2.1.1

          Kind of is my field – I'm shit at math, but good at swearing computers into counting correctly.

          The problem isn't getting a rate – that's just numberofcases/population*ratemagnitude. So for NZ its:

          5/5million*100000 = 0.1 per 100k.

          The trouble is that we don't know how accurate that count is. There might be 5, there might be 50, there might be 5 misdiagnoses. So that's when the mathematicians and biostatisticians figure out which of the gazillion trend analysis or confidence interval formulae are most appropriate for our small number. Totally not my field.

          But then we're also trying to calculate how far we are behind Italy based on a chart, not their actual data. The size of the data symbols, whether it's been scaled fairly, that can all be misleading, and we might be off by a factor of two. So that's a doubling period we might be out by. And why did they pick those nations to compare? As opposed to a global index?

          But the main thing is that we also have to look at the mechanism and plausibility, not just the numbers. When we have a few days without cases, the question is "why"? Are there some hidden cases lurking in the general population, all ready to be detected when we find a community and focus attention on it? Or are we essentially clear, until the next unsuspected case walks off the plane at some unknown time?

          Nobody knows that last bit. That's why the folks who want to call the army out and shut the nation down right now might be Cassandras cursed to be ignored when they warn of tragedy, or they might actually be calling for needless harm.

          I wouldn't be surprised if we have a few more cases of vulnerable people found dead weeks or months after they pass, not directly because of covid-19 but because nobody from the local church or seniors' group missed them because those gatherings had all been cancelled.

  28. David Mac 29

    Stiff measures align well with our message for the adventurous wanderlust world.

    Make the front page of the world press by rolling down the shutters at Auckland International Airport for a month. Pay 'Duty Free Madness' the overhead/profit they claimed for the month last year.

    Swap out the '100% Pure' billboards for 'Still 100% Pure' billboards May 1st.

  29. Adam Ash 30

    An essential read for understanding the numbers. In particular it shows how prompt firm action (like close everything but emergency services, essential industries and groceries, everybody else stays close at home) can reduce infections and deaths by factors of ten.

    We may be too late already… Please read.

    Coronavirus: Why You Must Act Now

    • SPC 30.1

      The essential is to ensure the health system is able to cope – which means the "lockdown" approach when threat to it emerges.

      The problem when doing this when the number cases is still low is that this number of low instances will recur and recur. – so how often does one lockdown?

      In China they have replaced societal lockdown with more targeted hyper activity to stop spread (which we are doing at the moment).

    • pat 30.2

      and how long would you like this lockdown to continue?….forever perhaps?

      ….for as the virus now exists we either develop herd immunity or quarantine indefinitely

  30. Grumpy 31

    Spoke to a friend in Denmark last night. They have 1000 serious cases and only 300 ventilators. Those who get ventilators will live, they are being rationed and not by age.

    He asked how many cases in New Zealand and I said 5. He replied “we only had 5 a week ago”.

    • Incognito 31.1

      That must have been evolving rapidly then.

      Over 800 cases nationwide now

      According to the latest figures from the State Serum Institute, 801 Danes have been confirmed to have the coronavirus.

      Of the 801, 23 have been admitted to hospital and four are in critical condition. So far, nobody has died, although an 80-year-old man with heart problems died on Thursday at Aalborg University Hospital of heart failure and subsequently tested positive.

      So far, 3,998 Danes have been tested for the coronavirus.

      This was updated on 13 March, 15.00 (local time, I presume).

      http://cphpost.dk/?p=111178

  31. Janet 32

    We are an Island nation , a remote island nation. We have lived with the handicap of that since production and trading began in New Zealand. We could have again. We could have closed our border early to all travellers. We could have continued on with our lives in NZ fairly normally. The new business ‘s that developed on the tourists back could have sat tight and waited while their staff went off to do something actually constructive, like government funded pest control for example. But no we try to stay global, and we risk all.

  32. Ad 33

    Excellent move by our prime Minister to require everyone – other than from Pacific islands – to self-isolate for 14 days.

    • Stunned Mullet 33.1

      I think you mean excellent move by the MoH advisors and endorsed by the PM and cabinet.

      Would like to know what 'other than pacific islands' means in reality ?

      Also how do we ensure people self isolate ? Devil in the detail and all that…

      • Ad 33.1.1

        The Prime Minister is provided with advice, and the Prime Minister leads it with the media. That's the way government runs.

        The next step – if we are to sustain "Stamp Out" mode – is compulsory testing of all inbound visitors.

        Instead of naming 'dirty' countries, one would name 'clean' countries whose passengers don't require testing.

        It's also been good to see the Mayors of Auckland and Christchurch making big calls that assist in mass crowd control.

        • Stunned Mullet 33.1.1.1

          Compulsory testing of all inbound visitors why if you believe they will self isolate for a fortnight and if you don't believe that how exactly do you propose it's achieved – phlebotomists stationed at all ports of entry ?

          • SPC 33.1.1.1.1

            The Asian method is to identify their cell phone and track its location.

          • Graeme 33.1.1.1.2

            The PM's language around that gave me the impression that government was requiring voluntary isolation, but there would be a lot of checking up. Pretty easy, ring them up and locate the device. Can do it now with 111 calls, and it's pretty accurate.

            • Stunned Mullet 33.1.1.1.2.1

              Maybe ?

              I still can't see how voluntary isolation is amongst the toughest border rules in the world when theoretically we could still see people coming to NZ from anywhere in the world apart from China and Iran (? South Korea).

              • Graeme

                Only take police in bio hazard suits to very publicly round up a random miscreant and the message would be all over social media. How China and Korea did it.

                • Stunned Mullet

                  Sure would – let's see what starts happening at the airports as of Monday – I'm sure the media will be out and about.

                  • Incognito

                    The media won’t be doing those close-up in-your-face interviews with people who have just come off the plane and told they need to self-isolate for a fortnight. Although, the temptation must be strong with some …

                    Personally, I would not enjoy watching some poor sod at the airport being harassed interviewed by cringy reporters but then again, I don’t watch TV so I’ll be right.

              • SPC

                Problems with forced quarantine

                1. do we have the spare property? (homeless much)

                2. how do we ensure those who are infected do not infect others in such a facility?

              • Incognito

                So, your hang up is about “toughest” and “voluntary”?

                • Stunned Mullet

                  No just questioning how effective it'll be, apart from stopping cruise ships all the new measures are dependent on everyone coming into the country following instructions.

                  • Stunned Mullet

                    Reading online I note that Israel took similar measures at the beginning of the month, wonder what success they've had in getting people to self isolate ?

                  • Incognito

                    I couldn’t and still can’t quite work out your line of questioning. Is it about voluntary compliance or about enforcement? Is it about individual or government complacency?

                    It is almost guaranteed that not 100% of the target people will follow the instructions or will follow them correctly. With these measures, the ‘herd effect’ plays a role too.

                    I’d imagine that the people arriving from Sunday night onwards will be told of the consequences of non-compliance with a Government quarantine order but I don’t know if this may involve penalties or other legal repercussions. One would hope (!) that most people would apply common sense.

    • Graeme 33.2

      Good move, were getting some symptoms showing in tourists in last week. Hopefully not too late to prevent it getting too far out into community.

      Tuesday's economic package will be interesting. Needs to be provision that people don't have to go to work when they shouldn't, along with support to cover those who have had their businesses thrown under the bus by this event. Tourism and hospitality will be pretty much buggered but the timing's within the range for end of season, early end but mid March is a normal quietish year.

      Looking around Queenstown I'm concerned about half a dozen hotel / apartment projects that are between just out of the ground coming up for settlement. Interesting times. Some of them are quite large and off-shore principal / financed.

      • Rosemary McDonald 33.2.1

        @Graeme. These apartments…they're part of the much needed plan to address the severe shortage of low cost housing in Queenstown, hot bedding capital of NZ???

        What's left of the tourism industry will be truly screwed if the much -valued hospo staff have to do another winter sleeping in their cars.

        • Graeme 33.2.1.1

          This'll send a chill wind through the property market here. A lot of people will have to leave town because they can't pay the mortgage, happens every downturn. You can see it's going to happen, but don't know when or how until the black swan flies across the sun.

          There will be some good opportunities for buyers but the rental market will go to bits from the demand side because there's no jobs, rather than new supply.

          We'll keep going on domestic visitors until there's community spread, then it will stop.

          • Ad 33.2.1.1.1

            Graeme, how long have you lived there?

            I'd like to hear more detail about what life was like in 2008-9.

            What happens to retailers and restauranteurs – do lots of them go under?

            Would you see this as a good time to buy there in say 6 months once the impact us at its highest?

            In this kind of event, what social networks are the most resilient in the Queenstown area in your experience?

            I've sometimes had a little anxiety that some of the smaller towns could end up like Macetown or Lawrence after the gold rush had exhausted itself.

            • Graeme 33.2.1.1.1.1

              I've been here since mid 80's, my partner came here in early 70's.

              There's quite a turnover in tourism businesses each downturn, but there's a lot that handle it fine. There's a lot of turnover without a downturn too. Our gallery goes back to early 70's through two generations.

              The construction / property industry is another story. Every time there's carnage, and painful carnage at a personal level. In tourism most of the redundant are renting and can just gather up their stuff and move on, construction family will have contracts with liability clauses and a million dollar mortgage in Shotover Country. Most of those affected in both industries would have been here less than a cycle.

              For social networks the town seems to stratify into cohorts around when you arrived, so these tend to shrink with time. I probably live in a 'town / village' of 200 people, but that's pretty solid. You don't really have much to do with recent arrivals, high likelihood they'll be gone tomorrow.

              Sometimes there's property bargains to be had in the pain, but you've got to be on the spot with the cash. We picked up a section and house kitset for $45K in '88, in two deals over a month. In 2008 there were enough people with the chequebook at 4pm on Friday to hold the market up enough, more that very little sold and prices plateaued for several years.

              I'm expecting Wanaka to get hit hard this time, there's too much tension over there even without a downturn. If the airshow gets canned next month you might have fun in the fallout with a good chequebook.

              Whakatipu will endure and make it's people stronger, but it can be a difficult master.

  33. aj 34

    I get weary hearing commentators talking about everyone 'working from home'. That's just not possible in all service industries and a few other beside. Only for a lucky few.

    • A 34.1

      I hear you as this was my concern too. Saw something earlier today…a study showing only 25% of the population isolate the contagion shows a surprising slow down. So maybe if we have a sizeable chunk of people staying home this will be enough to prevent the hospital breakdown in Italy + no doubt Spain.

      Sorry I can’t find the page reference but it was titled something like “what you need to know”

      • Graeme 34.1.1

        Saw a number like that in one of Dr John Campbell's videos, today's or yesterday. It's about spreading the peak wave and reducing the infected population so health services can cope, not necessary to totally eliminate it. With our stretched and spread health service every bit will be essential.

  34. A 35

    A big tick from me with the new self isolation rules, cruise ships until end of June, etc etc. #FlattenTheCurve.

    To prioritize "the economy" now would merely delay the inevitable disaster of greater magnitude later. My respect for our leadership is growing with each new step they take. Well done.

  35. observer 36

    As leader of the Stalinist Libertarians I want to complain that the government is doing far too little, and far too much, and far too late, and far too soon, and is putting the economy ahead of health, or our health ahead of the economy, whatever …

    We reserve the right to switch from "nanny state!" to "nanny, protect us!" and back again, as the mood takes us.

    We have a consistent approach, based on strong principles, namely:

    1. We hate Jacinda, regardless of anything the government does. Even if we have called for it. Especially if we have been calling for it.

    2. See no. 1

    Vote for us. You know it makes (non)sense.

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  • Geoffrey Miller: Wang Yi’s perfectly-timed, Aukus-themed visit to New Zealand
    Timing is everything. And from China’s perspective, this week’s visit by its foreign minister to New Zealand could be coming at just the right moment. The visit by Wang Yi to Wellington will be his first since 2017. Anniversaries are important to Beijing. It is more than just a happy ...
    Democracy ProjectBy Geoffrey Miller
    1 day ago
  • The Kaka’s diary for the week to March 25 and beyond
    TL;DR: The key events to watch in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the week to March 18 include:China’s Foreign Minister visiting Wellington today;A post-cabinet news conference this afternoon; the resumption of Parliament on Tuesday for two weeks before Easter;retiring former Labour Finance Minister Grant Robertson gives his valedictory speech in Parliament; ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 day ago
  • Bitter and angry; Winston First
    New Zealand First Leader Winston Peters’s state-of-the-nation speech on Sunday was really a state-of-Winston-First speech. He barely mentioned any of the Government’s key policies and could not even wholly endorse its signature income tax cuts. Instead, he rehearsed all of his complaints about the Ardern Government, including an extraordinary claim ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    1 day ago
  • 2024 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #11
    A listing of 35 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, March 10, 2024 thru Sat, March 16, 2024. Story of the week This week we'll give you a little glimpse into how we collect links to share and ...
    2 days ago
  • 2024 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #11
    A listing of 35 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, March 10, 2024 thru Sat, March 16, 2024. Story of the week This week we'll give you a little glimpse into how we collect links to share and ...
    2 days ago
  • Out of Touch.
    “I’ve been internalising a really complicated situation in my head.”When they kept telling us we should wait until we get to know him, were they taking the piss? Was it a case of, if you think this is bad, wait till you get to know the real Christopher, after the ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    2 days ago
  • Bring out your Dad
    Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    2 days ago
  • Bring out your Dad
    Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    2 days ago
  • Bring out your Dad
    Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    2 days ago
  • The bewildering world of Chris Luxon – Guns for all, not no lunch for kids
    .“$10 and a target that bleeds” - Bleeding Targets for Under $10!.Thanks for reading Frankly Speaking ! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.This government appears hell-bent on either scrapping life-saving legislation or reintroducing things that - frustrated critics insist - will be dangerous and likely ...
    Frankly SpeakingBy Frank Macskasy
    3 days ago
  • Expert Opinion: Ageing Boomers, Laurie & Les, Talk Politics.
    It hardly strikes me as fair to criticise a government for doing exactly what it said it was going to do. For actually keeping its promises.”THUNDER WAS PLAYING TAG with lightning flashes amongst the distant peaks. Its rolling cadences interrupted by the here-I-come-here-I-go Doppler effect of the occasional passing car. ...
    3 days ago
  • Manufacturing The Truth.
    Subversive & Disruptive Technologies: Just as happened with that other great regulator of the masses, the Medieval Church, the advent of a new and hard-to-control technology – the Internet –  is weakening the ties that bind. Then, and now, those who enjoy a monopoly on the dissemination of lies, cannot and will ...
    3 days ago
  • A Powerful Sensation of Déjà Vu.
    Been Here Before: To find the precedents for what this Coalition Government is proposing, it is necessary to return to the “glory days” of Muldoonism.THE COALITION GOVERNMENT has celebrated its first 100 days in office by checking-off the last of its listed commitments. It remains, however, an angry government. It ...
    3 days ago
  • Can you guess where world attention is focussed (according to Greenpeace)? It’s focussed on an EPA...
    Bob Edlin writes –  And what is the world watching today…? The email newsletter from Associated Press which landed in our mailbox early this morning advised: In the news today: The father of a school shooter has been found guilty of involuntary manslaughter; prosecutors in Trump’s hush-money case ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    3 days ago
  • Further integrity problems for the Greens in suspending MP Darleen Tana
    Bryce Edwards writes – Is another Green MP on their way out? And are the Greens severely tarnished by another integrity scandal? For the second time in three months, the Green Party has secretly suspended an MP over integrity issues. Mystery is surrounding the party’s decision to ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    3 days ago
  • Jacqui Van Der Kaay: Greens’ transparency missing in action
    For the last few years, the Green Party has been the party that has managed to avoid the plague of multiple scandals that have beleaguered other political parties. It appears that their luck has run out with a second scandal which, unfortunately for them, coincided with Golraz Ghahraman, the focus ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    3 days ago
  • Bernard’s Dawn Chorus with six newsey things at 6:46am for Saturday, March 16
    TL;DR: The six newsey things that stood out to me as of 6:46am on Saturday, March 16.Andy Foster has accidentally allowed a Labour/Green amendment to cut road user chargers for plug-in hybrid vehicles, which the Government might accept; NZ Herald Thomas Coughlan Simeon Brown has rejected a plea from Westport ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago
  • How Did FTX Crash?
    What seemed a booming success a couple of years ago has collapsed into fraud convictions.I looked at the crash of FTX (short for ‘Futures Exchange’) in November 2022 to see whether it would impact on the financial system as a whole. Fortunately there was barely a ripple, probably because it ...
    PunditBy Brian Easton
    4 days ago
  • Elections in Russia and Ukraine
    Anybody following the situation in Ukraine and Russia would probably have been amused by a recent Tweet on X NATO seems to be putting in an awful lot of effort to influence what is, at least according to them, a sham election in an autocracy.When do the Ukrainians go to ...
    4 days ago
  • Bernard’s six stack of substacks at 6pm on March 15
    TL;DR: Shaun Baker on Wynyard Quarter's transformation. Magdalene Taylor on the problem with smart phones. How private equity are now all over reinsurance. Dylan Cleaver on rugby and CTE. Emily Atkin on ‘Big Meat’ looking like ‘Big Oil’.Bernard’s six-stack of substacks at 6pm on March 15Photo by Jeppe Hove Jensen ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • Buzz from the Beehive Finance Minister Nicola Willis had plenty to say when addressing the Auckland Business Chamber on the economic growth that (she tells us) is flagging more than we thought. But the government intends to put new life into it:  We want our country to be a ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    4 days ago
  • National’s clean car tax advances
    The Transport and Infrastructure Committee has reported back on the Road User Charges (Light Electric RUC Vehicles) Amendment Bill, basicly rubberstamping it. While there was widespread support among submitters for the principle that EV and PHEV drivers should pay their fair share for the roads, they also overwhelmingly disagreed with ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    4 days ago
  • Government funding bailouts
    Peter Dunne writes – This week’s government bailout – the fifth in the last eighteen months – of the financially troubled Ruapehu Alpine Lifts company would have pleased many in the central North Island ski industry. The government’s stated rationale for the $7 million funding was that it ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • Two offenders, different treatments.
    See if you can spot the difference. An Iranian born female MP from a progressive party is accused of serial shoplifting. Her name is leaked to the media, which goes into a pack frenzy even before the Police launch an … Continue reading ...
    KiwipoliticoBy Pablo
    4 days ago
  • Treaty references omitted
    Ele Ludemann writes  – The government is omitting general Treaty references from legislation : The growth of Treaty of Waitangi clauses in legislation caused so much worry that a special oversight group was set up by the last Government in a bid to get greater coherence in the public service on Treaty ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • The Ghahraman Conflict
    What was that judge thinking? Peter Williams writes –  That Golriz Ghahraman and District Court Judge Maria Pecotic were once lawyer colleagues is incontrovertible. There is published evidence that they took at least one case to the Court of Appeal together. There was a report on ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • Bernard's Top 10 @ 10 'pick 'n' mix' for March 15
    TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: Climate Scorpion – the sting is in the tail. Introducing planetary solvency. A paper via the University of Exeter’s Institute and Faculty of Actuaries.Local scoop: Kāinga Ora starts pulling out of its Auckland projects and selling land RNZ ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • The day Wellington up-zoned its future
    Wellington’s massively upzoned District Plan adds the opportunity for tens of thousands of new homes not just in the central city (such as these Webb St new builds) but also close to the CBD and public transport links. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Wellington gave itself the chance of ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • Weekly Roundup 15-March-2024
    It’s Friday and we’re halfway through March Madness. Here’s some of the things that caught our attention this week. This Week in Greater Auckland On Monday Matt asked how we can get better event trains and an option for grade separating Morningside Dr. On Tuesday Matt looked into ...
    Greater AucklandBy Greater Auckland
    4 days ago
  • That Word.
    Something you might not know about me is that I’m quite a stubborn person. No, really. I don’t much care for criticism I think’s unfair or that I disagree with. Few of us do I suppose.Back when I was a drinker I’d sometimes respond defensively, even angrily. There are things ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    4 days ago
  • The Hoon around the week to March 15
    Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The five things that mattered in Aotearoa’s political economy that we wrote and spoke about via The Kākā and elsewhere for paying subscribers in the last week included:PM Christopher Luxon said the reversal of interest deductibility for landlords was done to help renters, who ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • Labour’s policy gap
    It was not so much the Labour Party but really the Chris Hipkins party yesterday at Labour’s caucus retreat in Martinborough. The former Prime Minister was more or less consistent on wealth tax, which he was at best equivocal about, and social insurance, which he was not willing to revisit. ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    4 days ago
  • Skeptical Science New Research for Week #11 2024
    Open access notables A Glimpse into the Future: The 2023 Ocean Temperature and Sea Ice Extremes in the Context of Longer-Term Climate Change, Kuhlbrodt et al., Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society: In the year 2023, we have seen extraordinary extrema in high sea surface temperature (SST) in the North Atlantic and in ...
    5 days ago
  • Melissa remains mute on media matters but has something to say (at a sporting event) about economic ...
     Buzz from the Beehive   The text reproduced above appears on a page which records all the media statements and speeches posted on the government’s official website by Melissa Lee as Minister of Media and Communications and/or by Jenny Marcroft, her Parliamentary Under-secretary.  It can be quickly analysed ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    5 days ago
  • The return of Muldoon
    For forty years, Robert Muldoon has been a dirty word in our politics. His style of government was so repulsive and authoritarian that the backlash to it helped set and entrench our constitutional norms. His pig-headedness over forcing through Think Big eventually gave us the RMA, with its participation and ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    5 days ago
  • Will the rental tax cut improve life for renters or landlords?
    Bryce Edwards writes –  Is the new government reducing tax on rental properties to benefit landlords or to cut the cost of rents? That’s the big question this week, after Associate Finance Minister David Seymour announced on Sunday that the Government would be reversing the Labour Government’s removal ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • Geoffrey Miller: What Saudi Arabia’s rapid changes mean for New Zealand
    Saudi Arabia is rarely far from the international spotlight. The war in Gaza has brought new scrutiny to Saudi plans to normalise relations with Israel, while the fifth anniversary of the controversial killing of Jamal Khashoggi was marked shortly before the war began on October 7. And as the home ...
    Democracy ProjectBy Geoffrey Miller
    5 days ago
  • Racism’s double standards
    Questions need to be asked on both sides of the world Peter Williams writes –   The NRL Judiciary hands down an eight week suspension to Sydney Roosters forward Spencer Leniu , an Auckland-born Samoan, after he calls Ezra Mam, Sydney-orn but of Aboriginal and Torres Strait ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • It’s not a tax break
    Ele Ludemann writes – Contrary to what many headlines and news stories are saying, residential landlords are not getting a tax break. The government is simply restoring to them the tax deductibility of interest they had until the previous government removed it. There is no logical reason ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • The Plastic Pig Collective and Chris' Imaginary Friends.
    I can't remember when it was goodMoments of happiness in bloomMaybe I just misunderstoodAll of the love we left behindWatching our flashbacks intertwineMemories I will never findIn spite of whatever you becomeForget that reckless thing turned onI think our lives have just begunI think our lives have just begunDoes anyone ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago
  • Who is responsible for young offenders?
    Michael Bassett writes – At first reading, a front-page story in the New Zealand Herald on 13 March was bizarre. A group of severely intellectually limited teenagers, with little understanding of the law, have been pleading to the Justice Select Committee not to pass a bill dealing with ram ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • Gordon Campbell on National’s fantasy trip to La La Landlord Land
    How much political capital is Christopher Luxon willing to burn through in order to deliver his $2.9 billion gift to landlords? Evidently, Luxon is: (a) unable to cost the policy accurately. As Anna Burns-Francis pointed out to him on Breakfast TV, the original ”rock solid” $2.1 billion cost he was ...
    5 days ago
  • Bernard's Top 10 @ 10 'pick 'n' mix' for March 14
    TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: Jonathon Porritt calling bullshit in his own blog post on mainstream climate science as ‘The New Denialism’.Local scoop: The Wellington City Council’s list of proposed changes to the IHP recommendations to be debated later today was leaked this ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • No, Prime Minister, rents don’t rise or fall with landlords’ costs
    TL;DR: Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said yesterday tenants should be grateful for the reinstatement of interest deductibility because landlords would pass on their lower tax costs in the form of lower rents. That would be true if landlords were regulated monopolies such as Transpower or Auckland Airport1, but they’re not, ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • Cartoons: ‘At least I didn’t make things awkward’
    This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Tom Toro Tom Toro is a cartoonist and author. He has published over 200 cartoons in The New Yorker since 2010. His cartoons appear in Playboy, the Paris Review, the New York Times, American Bystander, and elsewhere. Related: What 10 EV lovers ...
    5 days ago
  • Solving traffic congestion with Richard Prebble
    The business section of the NZ Herald is full of opinion. Among the more opinionated of all is the ex-Minister of Transport, ex-Minister of Railways, ex MP for Auckland Central (1975-93, Labour), Wellington Central (1996-99, ACT, then list-2005), ex-leader of the ACT Party, uncle to actor Antonia, the veritable granddaddy ...
    Greater AucklandBy Patrick Reynolds
    5 days ago
  • I Think I'm Done Flying Boeing
    Hi,Just quickly — I’m blown away by the stories you’ve shared with me over the last week since I put out the ‘Gary’ podcast, where I told you about the time my friend’s flatmate killed the neighbour.And you keep telling me stories — in the comments section, and in my ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    5 days ago
  • Invoking Aristotle: Of Rings of Power, Stones, and Ships
    The first season of Rings of Power was not awful. It was thoroughly underwhelming, yes, and left a lingering sense of disappointment, but it was more expensive mediocrity than catastrophe. I wrote at length about the series as it came out (see the Review section of the blog, and go ...
    6 days ago
  • Van Velden brings free-market approach to changing labour laws – but her colleagues stick to distr...
    Buzz from the Beehive Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Brooke van Velden told Auckland Business Chamber members they were the first audience to hear her priorities as a minister in a government committed to cutting red tape and regulations. She brandished her liberalising credentials, saying Flexible labour markets are the ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago
  • Why Newshub failed
    Chris Trotter writes – TO UNDERSTAND WHY NEWSHUB FAILED, it is necessary to understand how TVNZ changed. Up until 1989, the state broadcaster had been funded by a broadcasting licence fee, collected from every citizen in possession of a television set, supplemented by a relatively modest (compared ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago
  • Māori Party on the warpath against landlords and seabed miners – let’s see if mystical creature...
    Bob Edlin writes  –  The Māori Party has been busy issuing a mix of warnings and threats as its expresses its opposition to interest deductibility for landlords and the plans of seabed miners. It remains to be seen whether they  follow the example of indigenous litigants in Australia, ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago
  • There’s a name for this
    Every year, in the Budget, Parliament forks out money to government agencies to do certain things. And every year, as part of the annual review cycle, those agencies are meant to report on whether they have done the things Parliament gave them that money for. Agencies which consistently fail to ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    6 days ago
  • Echoes of 1968 in 2024?  Pocock on the repetitive problems of the New Left
    Mike Grimshaw writes – Recent events in American universities point to an underlying crisis of coherent thinking, an issue that increasingly affects the progressive left across the Western world. This of course is nothing new as anyone who can either remember or has read of the late ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago
  • Two bar blues
    The thing about life’s little victories is that they can be followed by a defeat.Reader Darryl told me on Monday night:Test again Dave. My “head cold” last week became COVID within 24 hours, and is still with me. I hear the new variants take a bit longer to show up ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    6 days ago
  • Bernard's Top 10 @ 10 'pick 'n' mix' for March 13
    TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: Angus Deaton on rethinking his economics IMFLocal scoop: The people behind Tamarind, the firm that left a $500m cleanup bill for taxpayers at Taranaki’s Tui oil well, are back operating in Taranaki under a different company name. Jonathan ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    6 days ago

  • Positive progress for social worker workforce
    New Zealand’s social workers are qualified, experienced, and more representative of the communities they serve, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “I want to acknowledge and applaud New Zealand’s social workers for the hard work they do, providing invaluable support for our most vulnerable. “To coincide with World ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 hours ago
  • Minister confirms reduced RUC rate for PHEVs
    Cabinet has agreed to a reduced road user charge (RUC) rate for plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs), Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. Owners of PHEVs will be eligible for a reduced rate of $38 per 1,000km once all light electric vehicles (EVs) move into the RUC system from 1 April.  ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 hours ago
  • Trade access to overseas markets creates jobs
    Minister of Agriculture and Trade, Todd McClay, says that today’s opening of Riverland Foods manufacturing plant in Christchurch is a great example of how trade access to overseas markets creates jobs in New Zealand.  Speaking at the official opening of this state-of-the-art pet food factory the Minister noted that exports ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 hours ago
  • NZ and Chinese Foreign Ministers hold official talks
    Minister of Foreign Affairs Winston Peters met with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Wellington today. “It was a pleasure to host Foreign Minister Wang Yi during his first official visit to New Zealand since 2017. Our discussions were wide-ranging and enabled engagement on many facets of New Zealand’s relationship with China, including trade, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    21 hours ago
  • Kāinga Ora instructed to end Sustaining Tenancies
    Kāinga Ora – Homes & Communities has been instructed to end the Sustaining Tenancies Framework and take stronger measures against persistent antisocial behaviour by tenants, says Housing Minister Chris Bishop. “Earlier today Finance Minister Nicola Willis and I sent an interim Letter of Expectations to the Board of Kāinga Ora. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Speech to Auckland Business Chamber: Growth is the answer
    Tēna koutou katoa. Greetings everyone. Thank you to the Auckland Chamber of Commerce and the Honourable Simon Bridges for hosting this address today. I acknowledge the business leaders in this room, the leaders and governors, the employers, the entrepreneurs, the investors, and the wealth creators. The coalition Government shares your ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Singapore rounds out regional trip
    Minister Winston Peters completed the final leg of his visit to South and South East Asia in Singapore today, where he focused on enhancing one of New Zealand’s indispensable strategic partnerships.      “Singapore is our most important defence partner in South East Asia, our fourth-largest trading partner and a ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Minister van Velden represents New Zealand at International Democracy Summit
    Minister of Internal Affairs and Workplace Relations and Safety, Hon. Brooke van Velden, will travel to the Republic of Korea to represent New Zealand at the Third Summit for Democracy on 18 March. The summit, hosted by the Republic of Korea, was first convened by the United States in 2021, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Insurance Council of NZ Speech, 7 March 2024, Auckland
    ICNZ Speech 7 March 2024, Auckland  Acknowledgements and opening  Mōrena, ngā mihi nui. Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Nor Whanganui aho.  Good morning, it’s a privilege to be here to open the ICNZ annual conference, thank you to Mark for the Mihi Whakatau  My thanks to Tim Grafton for inviting me ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Five-year anniversary of Christchurch terror attacks
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Lead Coordination Minister Judith Collins have expressed their deepest sympathy on the five-year anniversary of the Christchurch terror attacks. “March 15, 2019, was a day when families, communities and the country came together both in sorrow and solidarity,” Mr Luxon says.  “Today we pay our respects to the 51 shuhada ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Speech for Financial Advice NZ Conference 5 March 2024
    Speech for Financial Advice NZ Conference 5 March 2024  Acknowledgements and opening  Morena, Nga Mihi Nui.  Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Nor Whanganui aho. Thanks Nate for your Mihi Whakatau  Good morning. It’s a pleasure to formally open your conference this morning. What a lovely day in Wellington, What a great ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Early visit to Indonesia strengthens ties
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters held discussions in Jakarta today about the future of relations between New Zealand and South East Asia’s most populous country.   “We are in Jakarta so early in our new government’s term to reflect the huge importance we place on our relationship with Indonesia and South ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • China Foreign Minister to visit
    Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Winston Peters has announced that the Foreign Minister of China, Wang Yi, will visit New Zealand next week.  “We look forward to re-engaging with Foreign Minister Wang Yi and discussing the full breadth of the bilateral relationship, which is one of New Zealand’s ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Minister opens new Auckland Rail Operations Centre
    Transport Minister Simeon Brown has today opened the new Auckland Rail Operations Centre, which will bring together KiwiRail, Auckland Transport, and Auckland One Rail to improve service reliability for Aucklanders. “The recent train disruptions in Auckland have highlighted how important it is KiwiRail and Auckland’s rail agencies work together to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Celebrating 10 years of Crankworx Rotorua
    The Government is proud to support the 10th edition of Crankworx Rotorua as the Crankworx World Tour returns to Rotorua from 16-24 March 2024, says Minister for Economic Development Melissa Lee.  “Over the past 10 years as Crankworx Rotorua has grown, so too have the economic and social benefits that ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Government delivering on tax commitments
    Legislation implementing coalition Government tax commitments and addressing long-standing tax anomalies will be progressed in Parliament next week, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The legislation is contained in an Amendment Paper to the Taxation (Annual Rates for 2023–24, Multinational Tax, and Remedial Matters) Bill issued today.  “The Amendment Paper represents ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Significant Natural Areas requirement to be suspended
    Associate Environment Minister Andrew Hoggard has today announced that the Government has agreed to suspend the requirement for councils to comply with the Significant Natural Areas (SNA) provisions of the National Policy Statement for Indigenous Biodiversity for three years, while it replaces the Resource Management Act (RMA).“As it stands, SNAs ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Government classifies drought conditions in Top of the South as medium-scale adverse event
    Agriculture Minister Todd McClay has classified the drought conditions in the Marlborough, Tasman, and Nelson districts as a medium-scale adverse event, acknowledging the challenging conditions facing farmers and growers in the district. “Parts of Marlborough, Tasman, and Nelson districts are in the grip of an intense dry spell. I know ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Government partnership to tackle $332m facial eczema problem
    The Government is helping farmers eradicate the significant impact of facial eczema (FE) in pastoral animals, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay announced.  “A $20 million partnership jointly funded by Beef + Lamb NZ, the Government, and the primary sector will save farmers an estimated NZD$332 million per year, and aims to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • NZ, India chart path to enhanced relationship
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters has completed a successful visit to India, saying it was an important step in taking the relationship between the two countries to the next level.   “We have laid a strong foundation for the Coalition Government’s priority of enhancing New Zealand-India relations to generate significant future benefit for both countries,” says Mr Peters, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Ruapehu Alpine Lifts bailout the last, say Ministers
    Cabinet has agreed to provide $7 million to ensure the 2024 ski season can go ahead on the Whakapapa ski field in the central North Island but has told the operator Ruapehu Alpine Lifts it is the last financial support it will receive from taxpayers. Cabinet also agreed to provide ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Govt takes action to drive better cancer services
    Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says the launch of a new mobile breast screening unit in Counties Manukau reinforces the coalition Government’s commitment to drive better cancer services for all New Zealanders. Speaking at the launch of the new mobile clinic, Dr Reti says it’s a great example of taking ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Govt takes action to drive better cancer services
    Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says the launch of a new mobile breast screening unit in Counties Manukau reinforces the coalition Government’s commitment to drive better cancer services for all New Zealanders. Speaking at the launch of the new mobile clinic, Dr Reti says it’s a great example of taking ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Work begins on SH29 upgrades near Tauriko
    Unlocking economic growth and land for housing are critical elements of the Government’s plan for our transport network, and planned upgrades to State Highway 29 (SH29) near Tauriko will deliver strongly on those priorities, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “The SH29 upgrades near Tauriko will improve safety at the intersections ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Work begins on SH29 upgrades near Tauriko
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  • Statement to the 68th United Nations Commission on the Status of Women
    Tēnā koutou katoa and greetings to you all.  Chair, I am honoured to address the sixty-eighth session of the Commission on the Status of Women. I acknowledge the many crises impacting the rights of women and girls. Heightened global tensions, war, climate related and humanitarian disasters, and price inflation all ...
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