How low can Simon Bridges go?

Written By: - Date published: 3:12 pm, June 22nd, 2018 - 90 comments
Categories: Media, national, Simon Bridges, the praiseworthy and the pitiful, you couldn't make this shit up - Tags:

Simon Bridges has a major problem. He is not John Key. He is not quick on his feet and he is not the least bit funny.

His attempts to be the lad with talkback radio have misfired badly. Like this attempt on Radio Hauraki that has just been reported on in Stuff.

He was asked if it seemed politically correct to have a female baby.  His response was:

Only under a Labour government.”

He was then asked if the baby should be considered genderfluid at this point and replied:

She should be going to school like in boy’s clothes right?”

It gets worse.

The hosts then check if he Bridges thinks the baby has already cost the taxpayer much money – she was born in a public hospital. Bridges agreed.

Some generic sounds of a baby crying are then played, while the two hosts and Bridges try to guess whether the baby is saying “capital gains tax” or “governing by committee.”

Bridges is asked how he will make sure the baby votes for National when it turns 18.

“Here’s the deal. See her parents I reckon were solid blue, I mean he’s a cop right, cops vote blue. They know we’re strong on law and order,” Bridges said.

And he wants to alienate the vote of anyone with a degree.

“Jacinda went to uni. She got some funny ideas.”

And the worst thing is that he thinks no one will notice his comments.

You know why I’m saying these things right now? Because I know that nothing I say is going to make the news in the next like seven days,” Bridges told the Hauraki hosts.

“I’m in a complete news vacuum.”

Not if what he said is embarrassingly unfunny and is spread far and wide.

Long may Simon Bridges continue to be National leader.  Because while he is there they will not get any traction.

90 comments on “How low can Simon Bridges go? ”

  • Comments are now closed

  1. Anne 1
    22 June 2018 at 3:27 pm

    He may have thought he was being funny but in point off fact he is revealing the cretinous mindset of your average Nat MP and many of their supporters. He’s politically finished if this crap is publicised.

    • Draco T Bastard 1.1
      22 June 2018 at 4:16 pm

      Maybe 6 months to the next National leadership change?

      • Martick 1.1.1
        25 June 2018 at 9:04 am

        One thing I know is that not one govt MP would have made any similar reference to the new addition to the Bridge’s family or any of their children, ie that they would go to school wearing a blue suit and tie or some other jibe or so-called joke. Too many associated to the National Party incl MPs have a frequent problem with social media references and then have to apologise, that alone shows how shallow and ill-equipped they are to represent or give comprehensive service to a nation.

        • One Anonymous Bloke 1.1.1.1
          25 June 2018 at 9:25 am

          Look, that’s not a very nice thing to say about them, but if they get upset, just explain you were joking and ask them why they’re being so sensitive.

      • Michelle 1.1.2
        25 June 2018 at 10:26 am

        yeah agree Draco and then another 6 months for the next one they will do the same as labour did and long may it last

    • Frankie and Benjie 1.2
      24 June 2018 at 5:39 pm

      “…he is revealing the cretinous mindset of your average Nat MP and many of their supporters.”
      He may also be showing what they are fearing at the moment. What he might be thinking is “Please, please don’t try to actually find out what socialism is. They might agree with some of its ideas!!! …and stop voting blindly for blueteam..”
      Actually thinking can give you “..Some funny ideas.”
      David Farrar’s tweet about socialism killing millions may show the same fear… “Please, don’t think, please don’t think….” just repeat “Red team bad, redteam bad, ..”

  2. tc 2
    22 June 2018 at 3:28 pm

    Cue up the ‘it’s only banter’ etc memes from the shills. As you say mickey long may he continue to be National leader.

  3. Stuart Munro 3
    22 June 2018 at 3:47 pm

    He’s a typical Gnat – he could get under a worm’s belly in a wheel rut without losing any Brylcreem.

  4. Gabby 4
    22 June 2018 at 4:04 pm

    I guess Slick got his law degree by mail order and that’s why he didn’t get funny ideas.

  5. Draco T Bastard 5
    22 June 2018 at 4:15 pm

    Jacinda went to uni. She got some funny ideas.

    Yes, having some idea as to how the world really works compared to the delusional ideas of National is definitely ‘funny’.

  6. marty mars 6
    22 June 2018 at 4:44 pm

    He only has to get through to pension acquisition time then he be gone imo. He likes to play thick and is really good at it. The gnats are a mess – they got nothing.

  7. Kat 7
    22 June 2018 at 5:32 pm

    At this rate National are out for three terms, minimum. Not even that old rag the Herald can make Bridges look like a PM in waiting. There is no one else in the ranks any better at the moment either. Wouldn’t be surprised if Hosking didn’t get a tap on the shoulder at some point, he would really enjoy the helicopter ride.

  8. Hanswurst 8
    22 June 2018 at 5:46 pm

    He is not John Key. He is not quick on his feet and he is not the least bit funny.

    It’s almost as though you wrote the same sentence twice.

  9. DS 9
    22 June 2018 at 5:56 pm

    Key was not the least bit funny either.

  10. Ad 10
    22 June 2018 at 6:10 pm

    I really feel for him.

    Not easy being in a complete political vacuum.

    2024 is so, so hard for him.

    Honestly I just totally just feel.

  11. Ankerrawshark 11
    22 June 2018 at 6:59 pm

    What a complete idiot. Surely not even a diehard Nat supporter could think that was ok. I notice no sign of Alywyn et al on this thread. Even they must be cringing

  12. Timeforacupoftea 12
    22 June 2018 at 8:46 pm

    For Gods sake bring on Judith Collins, anybody, Simple Simon is a complete plonker.
    At least Key was kinda funny, but not quite as funny as George Bush though.

  13. Tricledrown 13
    22 June 2018 at 11:49 pm

    Slimy Simon has to slip in a nasty backhander.
    Ugly hearted slime ball.

  14. R.P Mcmurphy 14
    23 June 2018 at 9:18 am

    mean spiritedness from a wanna be police prosecutor without a warrant but still dumping on anyone he can get his horrible little hands on

  15. Obtrectator 15
    23 June 2018 at 9:41 am

    Caption for the photo: “The bulls**t comes from the other end, Simon!”

  16. Chris T 16
    23 June 2018 at 12:49 pm

    He is a bit wrong for the role but tbf he is right about the news vacuum.

  17. JustMe 17
    23 June 2018 at 1:16 pm

    In their race to the bottom of the barrel I would say Simon Bridges is doing quite a good job. So my advice to Simon is “keep up the good work. With your help the NZ National Party will cease to exist in record time”.:
    John Key and then Bill English started the ball rolling in destroying a political party and it’s up to Simon Bridges to finish off the good work of Key and English.
    It’s quite obvious that the aforementioned other two were ONLY interested in ego trips, photo opportunities, opportunistic financial gain etc and afterwards a knighthood.
    Simon Bridges appears to have been thrown into the deep end of a political party with no future and no value when it comes to ordinary NZers.

  18. clare howe elliott 18
    23 June 2018 at 1:59 pm

    I pray he stays as Nat.leader-The sight of Judith Collins sneering at the governments best efforts daily would repulse me-she cannot even look her interviewer in the eye-the sideways eye ,eye rolling and eye brow squiggling is simply repulsive-and thats before she opens her mouth-no,long may slick remain,in his puddle of grease.

  19. Sabine 19
    23 June 2018 at 2:26 pm

    he will go as low as his enablers and money donors want him to go.

    When told low enough he’ll stop.

  20. Ankerawshark 20
    23 June 2018 at 7:53 pm

    Of all people Tova O’Brien has written a scathing article on Simon’s sayings on radio hauraki. Will try and post the link

    • mac1 20.1
      23 June 2018 at 10:04 pm

      https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/politics/2018/06/tova-o-brien-simon-bridges-has-some-apologising-to-do.html

      “But ridiculing people because of their identity and their gender is not okay.

      Simon Bridges will argue it was all just light-hearted banter, but there are children and people all over the country struggling with their identity because of the stigma and shame perpetuated by ignorance.

      Casual discrimination can be incredibly hurtful and incredibly damaging. When the country’s leaders do it, it’s even worse,” wrote Tova O’Brien.

      Bridges is not a comedian. He has neither the wit nor the timing. He should stick to bonding with bulls; though the bull above looks somewhat discombobullated………

  21. Philj 21
    25 June 2018 at 4:23 am

    Never write an opponent off. Remember Trump, Corbyn, Australia at The World Cup…

  22. Frank Macskasy 22
    25 June 2018 at 10:33 am

    It’s his utter lack of awareness and political nous that has many gobsmacked (as well as his offensiveness).

    No; one cannot dismiss inappropriate behaviour or insults as “lighthearted banter”. He wouldn’t accept it if directed at his wife or children. A measure of common sense and empathy should indicate where those boundaries lie.

    By refusing to apologise and move on, he has made this a greater issue and may be developing an unfortunate reputation for foot-in-mouth – just as Key was lampooned for his “failing memory” and brain farts (and later on, outright lying).

    If this is how National defines it’s moral compass and values, then their “base camp” in the Opposition benches may become a semi-permanent settlement. (In other words, get used to Opposition, boys and girls.)

    Crass, Mr Bridges, just crass.

    • Pat 22.1
      25 June 2018 at 10:41 am

      Bridges is fulfilling his role as interim National Party leader

    • Baba Yaga 22.2
      25 June 2018 at 2:27 pm

      Crass?

      Not as crass as shutting down an entire industry without consultation or even a business case.

      Not as crass as Andrew Little describing a sexual assault as just a pinch on the bottom.

      Not as crass as David Parker’s attempt to exempt one company from a law banning foreign house buyers.

      Not as crass on Labour’s little hit on democracy here https://norightturn.blogspot.com/2018/06/a-childish-tantrum.html.

      Not as crass as the inept manner in which the house is being run by the government. https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/104874267/greens-leave-oral-question-blank-as-more-resignations-hit-backroom-office

      Not as crass as the hypocrisy displayed over PPP’s. https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/104702124/doublebunking-and-a-ppp-wasnt-what-kelvin-davis-had-in-mind-for-waikeria

      I could go on. How does it feel now that you have the government of your choice to find it so inept and corrupt?

      • Stuart Munro 22.2.1
        25 June 2018 at 3:05 pm

        ” How does it feel now that you have the government of your choice to find it so inept and corrupt?”

        They’re not everything that we had hoped. But they are lightyears ahead of their predecessors.

        The Gnats were so fucking hopeless they never even tried to resolve problems like housing – didn’t even go through the motions of governing.

        Inept and corrupt? Never heard a dickie bird from you, sonny, over Key’s railway shares, over Brownlee’s CERA and Southern Response rorts, over Methcon or any of the other cons that proliferated under National.

        Your manufactured outrage is contemptible even by the lower-than-a worm’s-soul standard that represents the apogee of troll thought.

        • Baba Yaga 22.2.1.1
          25 June 2018 at 4:03 pm

          “But they are lightyears ahead of their predecessors.”

          No, they simply aren’t. They are more corrupt, more dishonest and more incompetent.

          • Stuart Munro 22.2.1.1.1
            25 June 2018 at 4:20 pm

            You’d have a tough job to proving that claim.

            This is a white bread government – bland, pasty, but not especially corrupt.

            “More corrupt” – than the team who featured in the Panama Papers? Nope.

            “More dishonest” than Key the liar: https://thestandard.org.nz/the-great-big-list-of-john-keys-big-fat-lies-updated/ Nope.

            “More incompetent” Than the party that floated Nick Smith as a housing minister, but had to take it off him because even their supporters didn’t believe he was doing anything. More incompetent that Brownlee – the ruins of Christchurch tell a different tale. More incompetent that Bill English – the fool who for nine long years failed to get growth ex migration over 1%.

            Whoever writes your schtick needs a better set of lies.

            • Baba Yaga 22.2.1.1.1.1
              25 June 2018 at 4:48 pm

              It’s actually a really easy job. My list above is just a start. Collapsing business confidence, the failure of kiwibuild, the $1b provincial slush fund…and we’re less than a year in!

              And you mention growth! When Labour is even turning that sour!

              • Stuart Munro …
                25 June 2018 at 6:10 pm

                Business confidence is, like job ads, neither here nor there. They were always going to sulk once they had to start obeying the laws again.

                Growth – under Bill English was among the worst in the OECD – under 1%.

                Kiwibuild doesn’t look especially promising – but Nick Smith did nothing whatsoever. You’re on a hiding to nothing there.

                So – we’ve gone from a government that was a screaming joke on its best day, to a bunch who are rebuilding capacity destroyed by the epic fuckwittery of the Key kleptocracy.

                It must be obvious even to the meanest intelligence that this is a vast improvement.

                • Baba Yaga …
                  25 June 2018 at 6:21 pm

                  It’s easy to deride business confidence when it suits you Robert, but it is businesses who employ people, pay taxes that keep your socialist schemes going, and generally earn the country it’s living standards. Of course you wouldn’t understand that.

                  • Robert Guyton …
                    25 June 2018 at 6:23 pm

                    You mean “Stuart”, I presume, given you replied to …Stuart. Slow down, Baba – you’ve gone into a troll-spin!

                    • Baba Yaga …
                      25 June 2018 at 6:25 pm

                      Sometimes its hard to tell you apart!!

                    • Robert Guyton …
                      25 June 2018 at 6:27 pm

                      I’ve noticed you have trouble differentiating things: fact and fiction, for example. You good with day and night? Up and down?

                  • Stuart Munro …
                    25 June 2018 at 6:34 pm

                    I’m not Robert, muppet.

                    Actually I know quite a few business people.The ones who are aggressively politically involved are on the whole the less skillful. Trying to obtain gains by flapping their gums instead of productive enterprise is typical of uncompetitive exploiting monopolists who make up the non-performing rump of NZ society.

                    Of course their confidence is falling – their rorts are being wound up. Some of them may be compelled to do an honest day’s work for the first time in their trivial lives. Entrepreneurs they ain’t, nor do they deserve a shred of public respect.

                    It would be more concerning were their reaction to government the complacency with which they treated Key, confident that no activity, however corrupt, would ever be investigated or regulated.

                    • Robert Guyton …
                      25 June 2018 at 6:36 pm

                      Man! Wish I’d said that!

                    • Stuart Munro …
                      25 June 2018 at 6:40 pm

                      It was kind of a failure as an insult too – had he mistaken me for Gosman I’d’ve been cut to the bone.

                    • Robert Guyton …
                      25 June 2018 at 6:50 pm

                      He may be Gosman, for all we know. Baba seems to be unravelling a bit tonight; his spirit broken, I’m guessing; maybe maintaining too many alter-egos, maybe just drunk, who knows. In any case, he’s a spent force.

                    • babayaga …
                      25 June 2018 at 7:36 pm

                      Stuart how do you know it is only the gum flappers whose confidence is waning? Do you do your own surveys?

                      The reason business confidence is waning is because this government is incompetent. It shuts industries without consultation and against sound advice. It is multiplying costs into the economy. It is imposing a minimum wage regime that will cost jobs. It is borrowing more to fund it’s overspending. It is failing to control wage inflation, and industrial action. And it is already slowing growth. Now those are remarkable achievements. Almost as remarkable as Labour having the country sliding into recession before the GFC.

                    • Stuart Munro …
                      25 June 2018 at 7:41 pm

                      I don’t imagine you’ll read it, but the whole “business confidence” thing is a PR campaign – there’s no objective truth in it.

                      https://krugman.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/09/13/the-death-of-the-confidence-fairy/

                  • Graeme …
                    25 June 2018 at 6:50 pm

                    Business, and especially the upper echelons of New Zealand business are also exceptionally skilful at loosing money or “making poor choices”, in other works fucking up.

                    Fletchers and Fontera have poured around 4 billion down the dunny in recent times, and how much of a generation’s savings went “poof” between 2005 and 2009, and in the ’87 crash.

                    I think you’ll find New Zealand gets along despite of the business community, not because of it.

                    • babayaga …
                      25 June 2018 at 7:37 pm

                      Funny then that businesses pay so much tax!

                      “I think you’ll find New Zealand gets along despite of the business community, not because of it.”

                      So if there is no business, no-one is employed, because without tax income, even the government cant employ. Without employment there is no tax, and without tax there is no…well you get it. Or maybe you just don’t.

                    • Graeme …
                      25 June 2018 at 8:26 pm

                      Oh come on. Business taxation amounted to 13% of government income in 2013/14. Personal taxation was 41% and GST accounted for 33%. OK, so a small amount of the GST is paid by business, around 15% of their profit, so we can put the total at a bit less than 20%.

                      So 80% of taxation is from the non-business sector, that’s the workers. (withholding and indirect taxes generally fall on the non-business sector too)

                      https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taxation_in_New_Zealand#/media/File:New_Zealand_tax_revenue_2013-14.png

                      Please get your facts right or go back to your cave, and mind you don’t bang your knuckles on the step on the way out.

          • Robert Guyton 22.2.1.1.2
            25 June 2018 at 4:22 pm

            Pure trollery from Baba Yaga; not saying anything but “I don’t like them. I want to badmouth them”.
            Trolling 101.

            • Baba Yaga 22.2.1.1.2.1
              25 June 2018 at 4:52 pm

              It’s not badmouthing, its stating the facts. How do you feel about Twyford having to use the private sector to build his ‘kiwibuild’ homes eh? Or Parker trying to exempt a ‘pet’ company from the foreign buyers ban? Or Little’s pinch on the bottom? Or the hypocrisy over PPP’s? Seriously try answering to just one of those. Less than a year old, and already corrupt and incompetent.

              • Robert Guyton …
                25 June 2018 at 5:49 pm

                Yours are not facts, Baba Yaga; they’re overheated, unsubstantiated opinion, troll-pinion, I call it.
                “Seriously try answering to just one of those. ”
                Parker doesn’t have a “pet” company; your argument fails at the first jump.
                Replying, “He does! He does!” and stamping your tiny foot is not “stating the facts”.

                • Baba Yaga …
                  25 June 2018 at 6:01 pm

                  “Parker doesn’t have a “pet” company;”
                  https://www.nzherald.co.nz/politics/news/article.cfm?c_id=280&objectid=12075267

                  Next.

                  • Robert Guyton …
                    25 June 2018 at 6:19 pm

                    A link (which I’ll not read) is your argument?
                    Next.

                    • Baba Yaga …
                      25 June 2018 at 6:22 pm

                      Because you don’t want to actually learn anything.

                      Next.

                    • Robert Guyton …
                      25 June 2018 at 6:26 pm

                      Because a link, uncommented upon, is not an argument, troll. If you want to discuss facts, Baba Yaga, provide some. You are thus-far, quite boring.

                    • babayaga …
                      25 June 2018 at 7:38 pm

                      The link speaks for itself. Unless you can’t be bothered reading it because you’re afraid of an inconvenient truth.

                    • Robert Guyton …
                      25 June 2018 at 7:42 pm

                      Meh, link-schmink! If you’re to idle to express yourself, I’m not going to bother with some reading you might recommend. Can’t stand lazy debaters! If you’ve a valid point, baba, make it! Don’t hide behind your bad form, boo-hooing “he won’t read my link; my link!!!

                    • One Anonymous Bloke …
                      25 June 2018 at 7:46 pm

                      But but but the link is compelling! You should’ve read it: it demonstrates that Hornetinthegaga is dishonest as well as lame and lazy.

                    • Robert Guyton …
                      25 June 2018 at 7:52 pm

                      I ought to have posted another link in reply to Baba’s powerful read-my-link argument, but I was spoiled for choice. Of course his link proved him wrong, I could guess that without reading it; every factual presentation proves Baba wrong. And dishonest, you say, OAB? That diminishes him even further, making him barely visible and to all intents and purposes, mute. Bad night for Baba, all up!

          • Tricledrown 22.2.1.1.3
            25 June 2018 at 4:33 pm

            Nasty National babygaga trying to shift the blame.
            Sorry seems to be the hardest thing to say.

      • Tricledrown 22.2.2
        25 June 2018 at 3:09 pm

        Baby gaga when you read your links they tell a different story to your propaganda.
        The greens hand over their question time to National.

        • Baba Yaga 22.2.2.1
          25 June 2018 at 4:05 pm

          Ah no.

          “”We didn’t file it on time. And because of that we also didn’t have time to hand it over to National,” Davidson said.”

          They really are inept.

      • ankerawshark 22.2.3
        25 June 2018 at 3:15 pm

        Bullshit Baba

          • One Anonymous Bloke 22.2.3.1.1
            25 June 2018 at 5:46 pm

            Yeah, kids not getting burdened by debt before they even start work doesn’t count, because reasons.

            To misquote Frank Zappa, if your parents ever discover how lame you are, they’ll murder you in your sleep.

            • Baba Yaga 22.2.3.1.1.1
              25 June 2018 at 5:54 pm

              It hasn’t worked, OAB. It is a failure.

              “Chris Whelan, executive director of University New Zealand, spoke with Larry Williams about the numbers.
              He says the numbers suggest the fee frees policy has not worked, and that money was not a major factor for kids.
              “Kids are either going to university or they are not. There’s not many people who are not academically ready or motivated who are really going to change their minds because there’s an additional $6,000 of fee frees on the table.”
              Whelan says the money should have gone towards funding universities, and hopes the Government rethinks the policy. ”
              http://www.newstalkzb.co.nz/on-air/larry-williams-drive/audio/chris-whelan-fees-free-policy-has-little-impact/

              “…money was not a major factor for kids.”

              Oh dear, that rather shoots much of the bs you’ve been spouting out of the water.

              • adam …
                25 June 2018 at 6:00 pm

                DUMB, dumb, dumb.

                Huges quotes from a link you already put up makes you look crass, bit like your mate Bridges.

                • Baba Yaga …
                  25 June 2018 at 6:04 pm

                  Quoting from a link is common. Surely you’re not running interference for OAB?

                  • adam …
                    25 June 2018 at 7:49 pm

                    Your defense is not one, are you deliberately misleading what I wrote, or indeed something equally crass like your mate simon bridges?

                    • Baba Yaga …
                      26 June 2018 at 10:15 am

                      You said “quotes from a link you already put up makes you look crass,”. Quoting from a link is common. As I said.

                    • adam …
                      26 June 2018 at 10:21 am

                      Here a napkin, wipe up your dribble, go back and read what I said.

                      My goodness, please only respond when you have some basic comprehension.

              • One Anonymous Bloke …
                25 June 2018 at 7:36 pm

                No, it rather doesn’t.

      • Gabby 22.2.4
        25 June 2018 at 6:14 pm

        What’s this industry that’s shutting down babby gagga? Foreign trust farming?

    • Tricledrown 22.3
      25 June 2018 at 4:27 pm

      Bridges continues to use dehumanising rhetoric

  23. JohnR 23
    25 June 2018 at 11:05 am

    I spent 35 years as a cop and I don’t vote National. The one thing that most cops know, even if they don’t admit it publicly, is that policing only ever advances under Labour governments.

Recent Comments

Recent Posts

  • PM announces changes to portfolios
    Paul Goldsmith will take on responsibility for the Media and Communications portfolio, while Louise Upston will pick up the Disability Issues portfolio, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon announced today. “Our Government is relentlessly focused on getting New Zealand back on track. As issues change in prominence, I plan to adjust Ministerial ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    10 hours ago

  • New catch limits for unique fishery areas
    Recreational catch limits will be reduced in areas of Fiordland and the Chatham Islands to help keep those fisheries healthy and sustainable, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. The lower recreational daily catch limits for a range of finfish and shellfish species caught in the Fiordland Marine Area and ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    14 hours ago

  • Minister welcomes hydrogen milestone
    Energy Minister Simeon Brown has welcomed an important milestone in New Zealand’s hydrogen future, with the opening of the country’s first network of hydrogen refuelling stations in Wiri. “I want to congratulate the team at Hiringa Energy and its partners K one W one (K1W1), Mitsui & Co New Zealand ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago

  • Urgent changes to system through first RMA Amendment Bill
    The coalition Government is delivering on its commitment to improve resource management laws and give greater certainty to consent applicants, with a Bill to amend the Resource Management Act (RMA) expected to be introduced to Parliament next month. RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop has today outlined the first RMA Amendment ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • Overseas decommissioning models considered
    Overseas models for regulating the oil and gas sector, including their decommissioning regimes, are being carefully scrutinised as a potential template for New Zealand’s own sector, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. The Coalition Government is focused on rebuilding investor confidence in New Zealand’s energy sector as it looks to strengthen ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • Release of North Island Severe Weather Event Inquiry
    Emergency Management and Recovery Minister Mark Mitchell has today released the Report of the Government Inquiry into the response to the North Island Severe Weather Events. “The report shows that New Zealand’s emergency management system is not fit-for-purpose and there are some significant gaps we need to address,” Mr Mitchell ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • Justice Minister to attend Human Rights Council
    Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith is today travelling to Europe where he’ll update the United Nations Human Rights Council on the Government’s work to restore law and order.  “Attending the Universal Periodic Review in Geneva provides us with an opportunity to present New Zealand’s human rights progress, priorities, and challenges, while ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • Patterson reopens world’s largest wool scouring facility
    Associate Agriculture Minister, Mark Patterson, formally reopened the world’s largest wool processing facility today in Awatoto, Napier, following a $50 million rebuild and refurbishment project. “The reopening of this facility will significantly lift the economic opportunities available to New Zealand’s wool sector, which already accounts for 20 per cent of ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • Speech to the Southland Otago Regional Engineering Collective Summit, 18 April 2024
    Hon Andrew Bayly, Minister for Small Business and Manufacturing  At the Southland Otago Regional Engineering Collective (SOREC) Summit, 18 April, Dunedin    Ngā mihi nui, Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Ko Whanganui aho    Good Afternoon and thank you for inviting me to open your summit today.    I am delighted ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • Government to introduce revised Three Strikes law
    The Government is delivering on its commitment to bring back the Three Strikes legislation, Associate Justice Minister Nicole McKee announced today. “Our Government is committed to restoring law and order and enforcing appropriate consequences on criminals. We are making it clear that repeat serious violent or sexual offending is not ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • New diplomatic appointments
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters has today announced four new diplomatic appointments for New Zealand’s overseas missions.   “Our diplomats have a vital role in maintaining and protecting New Zealand’s interests around the world,” Mr Peters says.    “I am pleased to announce the appointment of these senior diplomats from the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • Humanitarian support for Ethiopia and Somalia
    New Zealand is contributing NZ$7 million to support communities affected by severe food insecurity and other urgent humanitarian needs in Ethiopia and Somalia, Foreign Minister Rt Hon Winston Peters announced today.   “Over 21 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance across Ethiopia, with a further 6.9 million people ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • Arts Minister congratulates Mataaho Collective
    Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage Paul Goldsmith is congratulating Mataaho Collective for winning the Golden Lion for best participant in the main exhibition at the Venice Biennale. "Congratulations to the Mataaho Collective for winning one of the world's most prestigious art prizes at the Venice Biennale.  “It is good ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago

  • Supporting better financial outcomes for Kiwis
    The Government is reforming financial services to improve access to home loans and other lending, and strengthen customer protections, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly and Housing Minister Chris Bishop announced today. “Our coalition Government is committed to rebuilding the economy and making life simpler by cutting red tape. We are ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago

  • Trade relationship with China remains strong
    “China remains a strong commercial opportunity for Kiwi exporters as Chinese businesses and consumers continue to value our high-quality safe produce,” Trade and Agriculture Minister Todd McClay says.   Mr McClay has returned to New Zealand following visits to Beijing, Harbin and Shanghai where he met ministers, governors and mayors and engaged in trade and agricultural events with the New ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago

  • PM’s South East Asia mission does the business
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has completed a successful trip to Singapore, Thailand and the Philippines, deepening relationships and capitalising on opportunities. Mr Luxon was accompanied by a business delegation and says the choice of countries represents the priority the New Zealand Government places on South East Asia, and our relationships in ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago

  • $41m to support clean energy in South East Asia
    New Zealand is demonstrating its commitment to reducing global greenhouse emissions, and supporting clean energy transition in South East Asia, through a contribution of NZ$41 million (US$25 million) in climate finance to the Asian Development Bank (ADB)-led Energy Transition Mechanism (ETM). Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Climate Change Minister Simon Watts announced ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago

  • Minister releases Fast-track stakeholder list
    The Government is today releasing a list of organisations who received letters about the Fast-track applications process, says RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop. “Recently Ministers and agencies have received a series of OIA requests for a list of organisations to whom I wrote with information on applying to have a ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago

  • Judicial appointments announced
    Attorney-General Judith Collins today announced the appointment of Wellington Barrister David Jonathan Boldt as a Judge of the High Court, and the Honourable Justice Matthew Palmer as a Judge of the Court of Appeal. Justice Boldt graduated with an LLB from Victoria University of Wellington in 1990, and also holds ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago

  • Education Minister heads to major teaching summit in Singapore
    Education Minister Erica Stanford will lead the New Zealand delegation at the 2024 International Summit on the Teaching Profession (ISTP) held in Singapore. The delegation includes representatives from the Post Primary Teachers’ Association (PPTA) Te Wehengarua and the New Zealand Educational Institute (NZEI) Te Riu Roa.  The summit is co-hosted ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago

  • Value of stopbank project proven during cyclone
    A stopbank upgrade project in Tairawhiti partly funded by the Government has increased flood resilience for around 7000ha of residential and horticultural land so far, Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones today attended a dawn service in Gisborne to mark the end of the first stage of the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago

  • Anzac commemorations, Türkiye relationship focus of visit
    Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters will represent the Government at Anzac Day commemorations on the Gallipoli Peninsula next week and engage with senior representatives of the Turkish government in Istanbul.    “The Gallipoli campaign is a defining event in our history. It will be a privilege to share the occasion ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago

  • Minister to Europe for OECD meeting, Anzac Day
    Science, Innovation and Technology and Defence Minister Judith Collins will next week attend the OECD Science and Technology Ministerial conference in Paris and Anzac Day commemorations in Belgium. “Science, innovation and technology have a major role to play in rebuilding our economy and achieving better health, environmental and social outcomes ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago

  • Comprehensive Partnership the goal for NZ and the Philippines
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon held a bilateral meeting today with the President of the Philippines, Ferdinand Marcos Jr.  The Prime Minister was accompanied by MP Paulo Garcia, the first Filipino to be elected to a legislature outside the Philippines. During today’s meeting, Prime Minister Luxon and President Marcos Jr discussed opportunities to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago

  • Government commits $20m to Westport flood protection
    The Government has announced that $20 million in funding will be made available to Westport to fund much needed flood protection around the town. This measure will significantly improve the resilience of the community, says Local Government Minister Simeon Brown. “The Westport community has already been allocated almost $3 million ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago

  • Taupō takes pole position
    The Government is proud to support the first ever Repco Supercars Championship event in Taupō as up to 70,000 motorsport fans attend the Taupō International Motorsport Park this weekend, says Economic Development Minister Melissa Lee. “Anticipation for the ITM Taupō Super400 is huge, with tickets and accommodation selling out weeks ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago

  • Cost of living support for low-income homeowners
    Local Government Minister Simeon Brown has announced an increase to the Rates Rebate Scheme, putting money back into the pockets of low-income homeowners.  “The coalition Government is committed to bringing down the cost of living for New Zealanders. That includes targeted support for those Kiwis who are doing things tough, such ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago

  • Government backing mussel spat project
    The Coalition Government is investing in a project to boost survival rates of New Zealand mussels and grow the industry, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones has announced. “This project seeks to increase the resilience of our mussels and significantly boost the sector’s productivity,” Mr Jones says. “The project - ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago

  • Government focused on getting people into work
    Benefit figures released today underscore the importance of the Government’s plan to rebuild the economy and have 50,000 fewer people on Jobseeker Support, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “Benefit numbers are still significantly higher than when National was last in government, when there was about 70,000 fewer ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago

  • Clean energy key driver to reducing emissions
    The Government’s commitment to doubling New Zealand’s renewable energy capacity is backed by new data showing that clean energy has helped the country reach its lowest annual gross emissions since 1999, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. New Zealand’s latest Greenhouse Gas Inventory (1990-2022) published today, shows gross emissions fell ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago

  • Earthquake-prone buildings review brought forward
    The Government is bringing the earthquake-prone building review forward, with work to start immediately, and extending the deadline for remediations by four years, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says. “Our Government is focused on rebuilding the economy. A key part of our plan is to cut red tape that ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago

  • Thailand and NZ to agree to Strategic Partnership
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and his Thai counterpart, Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin, have today agreed that New Zealand and the Kingdom of Thailand will upgrade the bilateral relationship to a Strategic Partnership by 2026. “New Zealand and Thailand have a lot to offer each other. We have a strong mutual desire to build ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Government consults on extending coastal permits for ports
    RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop and Transport Minister Simeon Brown have today announced the Coalition Government’s intention to extend port coastal permits for a further 20 years, providing port operators with certainty to continue their operations. “The introduction of the Resource Management Act in 1991 required ports to obtain coastal ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Inflation coming down, but more work to do
    Today’s announcement that inflation is down to 4 per cent is encouraging news for Kiwis, but there is more work to be done - underlining the importance of the Government’s plan to get the economy back on track, acting Finance Minister Chris Bishop says. “Inflation is now at 4 per ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • School attendance restored as a priority in health advice
    Refreshed health guidance released today will help parents and schools make informed decisions about whether their child needs to be in school, addressing one of the key issues affecting school attendance, says Associate Education Minister David Seymour. In recent years, consistently across all school terms, short-term illness or medical reasons ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Unnecessary bureaucracy cut in oceans sector
    Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones is streamlining high-level oceans management while maintaining a focus on supporting the sector’s role in the export-led recovery of the economy. “I am working to realise the untapped potential of our fishing and aquaculture sector. To achieve that we need to be smarter with ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Patterson promoting NZ’s wool sector at International Congress
    Associate Agriculture Minister Mark Patterson is speaking at the International Wool Textile Organisation Congress in Adelaide, promoting New Zealand wool, and outlining the coalition Government’s support for the revitalisation the sector.    "New Zealand’s wool exports reached $400 million in the year to 30 June 2023, and the coalition Government ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Removing red tape to help early learners thrive
    The Government is making legislative changes to make it easier for new early learning services to be established, and for existing services to operate, Associate Education Minister David Seymour says. The changes involve repealing the network approval provisions that apply when someone wants to establish a new early learning service, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • RMA changes to cut coal mining consent red tape
    Changes to the Resource Management Act will align consenting for coal mining to other forms of mining to reduce barriers that are holding back economic development, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. “The inconsistent treatment of coal mining compared with other extractive activities is burdensome red tape that fails to acknowledge ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • McClay reaffirms strong NZ-China trade relationship
    Trade, Agriculture and Forestry Minister Todd McClay has concluded productive discussions with ministerial counterparts in Beijing today, in support of the New Zealand-China trade and economic relationship. “My meeting with Commerce Minister Wang Wentao reaffirmed the complementary nature of the bilateral trade relationship, with our Free Trade Agreement at its ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

Page generated in The Standard by Wordpress at 2024-04-24T10:50:10+00:00