If National wins the hope for clean water and swimmable rivers will be gone by lunchtime

Written By: - Date published: 8:03 am, August 27th, 2020 - 40 comments
Categories: Economy, Environment, farming, Judith Collins, national, same old national, water - Tags:

In an unfortunate choice of words National’s David Bennett has promised that if National is elected then the Government’s water reforms will be “gone by lunchtime”.

From Jason Walls at the Herald:

National has come under fire from the Government’s agriculture and environmental Ministers for “stupid” and “reckless” comments about its freshwater policies.

This comes after National committed to scrapping some of the new “draconian rules” within the Government’s freshwater regulations if it’s elected to Government.

“They’re gone by lunchtime,” the party’s agriculture spokesman David Bennett said in a Facebook Live last night, talking about the water policy.

His leader, Judith Collins, was critical of what she saw as bureaucrats in Wellington making all the rules when it comes to farmers, particularly in Southland.

She was sick of these people “bossing everyone else around”.

“We should just boss out those regulations.”

In a statement this afternoon, however, National clarified that it would only repeal or review nine regulations announced by the Government, such as the removal of stock from natural wetlands.

The choice of phrase is unfortunate.  It was previously used by Don Brash who in 2005 famously said that the country’s anti nuclear law would be gone by lunchtime if National was elected into power.  Thankfully National was not and the law remains.  John Key thought it wiser to leave it alone.

There were some problems with the implementation of the rules in Southland where the perceived requirement to get a resource consent for winter grazing where plugging occurred was thought to be excessive.  But a quick change to the rules has addressed this problem.

The rules have been supported by Fonterra and the process of formulating the rules has been going on for years and was started by National.  This is petty politics and National is pandering to its base.

It is clear what would happen if National gained power.  They would buckle to farming pressure and change the rules to allow the trashing of our waterways to continue.  The Government’s intent to have clean water and swimmable rivers would be gone by lunchtime.

40 comments on “If National wins the hope for clean water and swimmable rivers will be gone by lunchtime ”

  • Comments are now closed

  1. vto 1
    27 August 2020 at 8:09 am

    The history of New Zealands primary sector:

    Keep taking the kauri forest until stopped by others before all taken

    Keep taking the seals until stopped by others before all taken

    Keep taking the whales until stopped by others before all taken

    Keep taking all the hoki until stopped by others before all taken

    Keep taking all the west coast bush until stopped by others before all taken

    Keep taking all the rivers until stopped by others before all taken

    National represents the primary sector. They have no history in saving anything – their history is solely one of take… take take take

  2. Robert Guyton 2
    27 August 2020 at 8:11 am

    pugging

  3. Macro 3
    27 August 2020 at 8:18 am

    She was sick of these people “bossing everyone else around”.

    Yeah. Judith wants to boss everyone around.

  4. Robert Guyton 4
    27 August 2020 at 8:19 am

    The Southland Federated Farmers president led the charge, calling for Southland farmers to ignore the law requiring them to protect the environment during the winter time. Collins doubled-down.

    • Stephen D 4.1
      27 August 2020 at 8:21 am

      The townie that I am asks, if the ground gets so badly pugged up during winter, is it suitable land for cattle farming?

      • Robert Guyton 4.1.1
        27 August 2020 at 8:38 am

        That's the very question, Stephen. Hoofed animals in a high-rainfall, soft-soil environment inevitably equals degradation, imo.

        • RosieLee 4.1.1.1
          27 August 2020 at 9:03 am

          Especially when the land is way overstocked to factory farming levels. Just like the Waikato.

        • Stephen D 4.1.1.2
          27 August 2020 at 10:04 am

          Thanks Robert, and excuse my ignorance, but who authorises dairy farming in Southland and the Mackenzie Basin?

          • Robert Guyton 4.1.1.2.1
            27 August 2020 at 10:56 am

            Their associated regional councils and the councillors who sit on those, the majority of whom are farmers. Despite the best efforts of some individual councillors, lax rules are set, imo. smiley Central Governments too, set rules, some appropriately, some not so much.

  5. Stuart Munro 5
    27 August 2020 at 8:24 am

    Not much hope of a river cleanup under what the coalition passed unfortunately.

    The government needs to set a credible nitrate level that will penalize overstocking and nitrogenous fertiliser use in areas where streams or groundwater are contaminated.

    Industry practice has outpaced regulation – there is a feedlot near Timaru complete with manure lakes now. It is a serial breacher of even the weak regulations we have at present, and, like Comalco, is likely at some point to offload its pollution burden to a shell company, or go bankrupt, leaving the toxic burden to ratepayers and the state.

    If the legalize cannabis referendum goes through, one useful consequence might be to redirect police resources presently dealing with that plant, to enforcing environmental regulations that councils, concerned not to antagonize voters, have tended to neglect.

    • Robert Guyton 5.1
      27 August 2020 at 8:40 am

      Or mean cow-country converted to cannabis cultivation.

      • Stuart Munro 5.1.1
        27 August 2020 at 10:06 am

        Well not all of it – but according to a mate (long buried alas) it's a gross feeder – just the think to suck up excess nitrates before they reach the creek.

        Paul was a great bloke – his epitaph by the Waitati library reads "Give a man a pile of rubbish and he will build you a castle.” Last time I checked his stone wall was still there too – the council wouldn't permit it, so he put an axle through it and claimed it was a vehicle. What kind of vehicle, the council wanted to know? "It's a time machine he said – come back in a hundred years and it will still be there.”

    • Draco T Bastard 5.2
      27 August 2020 at 1:10 pm

      is likely at some point to offload its pollution burden to a shell company, or go bankrupt, leaving the toxic burden to ratepayers and the state.

      Inevitable that it will do that. Profit comes at a huge expense usually paid for by the community.

      Meanwhile, these people will all be talking about personal responsibility as they avoid taking any responsibility at all.

      one useful consequence might be to redirect police resources presently dealing with that plant, to enforcing environmental regulations that councils, concerned not to antagonize voters, have tended to neglect.

      It would be good to have the police investigating something that's actually dangerous.

  6. Ad 6
    27 August 2020 at 8:37 am

    National are not going to win those desperately needed fresh votes with this move.

    It's not as if they were going to lose Southland.

  7. tc 7
    27 August 2020 at 8:37 am

    The choice of phrase from the odious Bennett is deliberate imo.

    Remind the rural folk who supports them stem the crushing tide.

    • In Vino 7.1
      27 August 2020 at 10:00 am

      Isn't Bennett supposed to be part of the 'strong team'?

      That's twice now that the party has had to back-peddle after a dopey statement of his. I seem to recall him making a statement that encouraged panic buying during early levels of first lockdown. Probably thought it clever to encourage problems for the Govt…

      Strong team? Tui moment.

  8. esoteric pineapples 8
    27 August 2020 at 8:49 am

    "They would buckle to farming pressure" – I don't think it would even be a case of "buckling" since they are the political wing of the farming industry

  9. Reality 9
    27 August 2020 at 8:55 am

    What a stupid statement by David Bennett to appease Southland farmers, with Collins sitting smugly beside him. He looked and sounded stupid. Talking of "bossing" – a case of the pot calling the kettle black.

    There has been loads of publicity about our polluted waterways and in particular young people who are very environmentally aware are the ones in the future who will have to deal with this. Will they vote National?

  10. Shanreagh 10
    27 August 2020 at 9:30 am

    Lazy farmers after the big buck. Of course they could provide hard standing or they could provide shelter but guess what that does? It takes $$$$ from the wrong (ie their) side of the ledger. Some of these Southland farmers are cashing in on the saying of 'all grass wintering' which was only attributable in the olden days to sheep. So Southland was the home of all grass stock systems for sheep. The growth of dairying in Sthld has put pressure on all manner of things, water supplies being another. It has brought socio changes as well. There are all manner of portable houses plonked down with no attempt at landscaping or having suitable grounds around the houses. Existing houses have had fences and gardens ripped out, some gardens were notable & well planted over generations, so cows can graze right up to the decks/verandahs. I kid you not. I say sometimes only partly sarcastically, if they could fed out on/from the decks of their homes they would. Hedges and shelter belts removed so the big irrigators can move around to get rid of the by-products of having to use lots of water for hygiene.

    Factory farming to contribute to the exporting of commodities at its best.

    It does not have to be like this

    https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/country/416143/regenerative-agriculture-how-a-dairy-farmer-learned-to-trust-his-instincts

    • Robert Guyton 10.1
      27 August 2020 at 9:35 am

      It's a very bleak outlook from inside some of those "plonked" houses, Shanreagh! The suicide rate is high in the farming community, we are told, and I suspect the "scorched" landscapes contribute to feelings of despair, especially for partners bound to those houses while the other mucks in on farm.

      • Shanreagh 10.1.1
        27 August 2020 at 9:55 am

        Many partners would be working on these farms as well. I can see why the curtains are never drawn back perhaps looking out onto this bleak landscape. Children grow up playing in curtained rooms.

        The plonked houses are not designed for farm living conditions, have inadequate porches, accessible from the outside toilets and bathrooms, lack storage. Many of these factory farms rely on imported labour who find these living conditions to be a big step up from the living conditions they had in their home countries eg Philippines but are they attractive enough to encourage younger folk resident here in NZ to pursue a career in farming?

        As a generalisation rurally based councils are really not up to speed with the intrinsic value of landscape per se, or the big picture, judging by this and also what has happened in the Mackenzie basin to destroy tussock landscapes to chase the $$$$$.

        All grass wintering systems is the phrase used in the days when Southland sheep farms & pastures were the envy of many other farmers in other districts. Still need supplementary feeding but sheep could be in pastures that grew grass and not wall to wall mud.

    • Draco T Bastard 10.2
      27 August 2020 at 1:19 pm

      It does not have to be like this

      It should not be like this.

      Damaging industries need regulation so as to minimise the damage that they do. Unfortunately, we've had several centuries where farming wasn't considered damaging but having a native forest was.

      Its the economy

      As the saying goes but most have never really understood that the native forest is part of the economy and that we need its services more than we need that of the farm.

  11. Shanreagh 11
    27 August 2020 at 10:08 am

    Just tried to edit to provide another comment about the workers from the Phillipines…often the spouses provide wonderful care and support to our older folk in the towns in the dairying areas. Another job that is important and should be available to younger folk if they wanted to work there in rural towns. But again an industry with unattractive working conditions eg some have crazy shiftwork systems and poor pay especially lacking in travel time payments etc.

    • Draco T Bastard 11.1
      27 August 2020 at 1:23 pm

      Another job that is important and should be available to younger folk if they wanted to work there in rural towns.

      • I'm amazed that anybody wants to live there. Dirty, smelly and with a serious lack of basic services.
      • As more machinery is brought into farming there will be less people working there and so there is a decreasing choice to work there
      • Shanreagh 11.1.1
        27 August 2020 at 5:01 pm

        It used to be more honourable than it is now and was a pathway for young people who wanted to go farming to work on dairy farms then sharemilk at various percentages and then get their own dairy farm. Now we have company farms, with company ethics. Huge buying up and aggregating of 'suitable' dairy land in Southland.

        Some of the places in the newer dairying areas are dreadful. Effluent is sprayed onto land that has a high water table or is so water logged because of climatic conditions. I will never forget travelling by bus through the Mackenzie country where cattle were being so-called (very incompetently) break fed close to the road. One of the little irrigation what-sies that sit like little toadstools in the paddocks, had been knocked over, presumably through pressure of stock, and the effluent was running free across the paddocks and down the fenceline into a handy creek. The bus went over the bridge over the creek and we could all see the creek was no longer pristine.

        These people are 'cowboys' in the very worst sense of the word.

        Farmers generally need to 'own' these colleagues and call them out.

        Again as has been said already

        'pigs will fly' before we see that happening in any but a wet bus ticket way.

        Such farmers have been given a boost by a silly ill-thought out policy from National. Let's hope it backfires big time and that Safe can get these appalling pictures into all the papers and on social media.

  12. Hunter Thompson II 12
    27 August 2020 at 10:50 am

    If the government put as much time and money into preserving our "100% Pure" environment as it did into propping up the economy, we would all be a lot better off.

    So too would future generations.

    Pigs will sprout wings before that happens.

  13. Shanreagh 13
    27 August 2020 at 4:43 pm

    "They' never learn. Dairy farmers around Lumsden & Mossburn in this case are raising the ire of those concern with over stocking, cattle being held in inhumane conditions. The treatment of sentient beings such as cows is appalling. How can it be good for any animal to spend days in wall to wall mud and forced to give birth in those conditions as well. Many farmers who are good stock people know when their animals are to give birth and move them, but not this person. Calving is a means to an end, to get the cows in milk and not valued for its own sake, bobby calves, the unwanted products of calving are often also treated very cruelly.

    Hopefully the farmer owning these cattle will be held to account. Sheer greed.

    Some graphic and sad pictures here below.

    https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/farming/122578744/appalling-footage-shows-cows-calving-in-mud-in-southland

  14. Ken 14
    27 August 2020 at 6:36 pm

    It's far more likely that after the election, Judith will be "gone by lunchtime".

  15. PsyclingLeft.Always 15
    29 August 2020 at 8:01 am

    But Jacquie Dean! Nat "Enviro Carer"….(NOT)

    And there was this : )….

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jacqui_Dean#Dihydrogen_monoxide_hoax

    All that supposed blue/green shite. Is just that. Waterways filled with cow shite/nitrates….

    • Ken 15.1
      29 August 2020 at 6:01 pm

      The only thing "blue green" about the Nats will be the toxic algae that would overrun our waterways if they had their way.

  16. Austringer 16
    29 August 2020 at 6:56 pm

    the blum is October, October, of all our years months October, has most October recorded history, good and bad.

  17. Austringer 17
    1 September 2020 at 7:01 pm

    Long time been crying foul our rivers, one Green cat listened, he now gone to the Birds.

    There was once a musician called Alex Harvey, he invented his alter ego Vambo, who had Ten RULES second, Don!t Piss in your Water.
    Now without sounding daft, the Methane dispensers have been shitting with the Chemical induced land Fertiliser for the past 15 or so years so much that the Methane Dispenser OUT NUMBER the sheep on the land in this land of ours, unbelievable but true, and not only their shit but also the same chemical feed in the land they fodder off like them flows from the land into our rivers, 15 years its taken exploitive greed for short term profit to pollute our rivers, and if some fool says Five Ten years will clean them what fool believes that, it will take our Children!s children!s GENERATION TO BE ABLE TO SWIM FREE IN OUR RIVERS WITHOUT FEAR OF HEALTH HARM. That we used to.

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    4 days ago

  • Hipkins fires up in leaders’ debate, but has the curtain already fallen on the Labour-led coalitio...
    Labour’s  Chris Hipkins came out firing, in the  leaders’ debate  on Newshub’s evening programme, and most of  the pundits  rated  him the winner against National’s  Christopher Luxon. But will this make any difference when New  Zealanders  start casting their ballots? The problem  for  Hipkins is  that  voters are  all too ...
    Point of OrderBy tutere44
    4 days ago

  • Govt is energising housing projects with solar power – and fuelling the public’s concept of a di...
    Buzz from the Beehive  Not long after Point of Order published data which show the substantial number of New Zealanders (77%) who believe NZ is becoming more divided, government ministers were braying about a programme which distributes some money to “the public” and some to “Maori”. The ministers were dishing ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    4 days ago

  • MIKE GRIMSHAW: Election 2023 – a totemic & charisma failure?
    The D&W analysis Michael Grimshaw writes –  Given the apathy, disengagement, disillusionment, and all-round ennui of this year’s general election, it was considered time to bring in those noted political operatives and spin doctors D&W, the long-established consultancy firm run by Emile Durkheim and Max Weber. Known for ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago

  • FROM BFD: Will Winston be the spectre we think?
    Kissy kissy. Cartoon credit BoomSlang. The BFD. JC writes-  Allow me to preface this contribution with the following statement: If I were asked to express a preference between a National/ACT coalition or a National/ACT/NZF coalition then it would be the former. This week Luxon declared his position, ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago

  • California’s climate disclosure bill could have a huge impact across the U.S.
    This re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Andy Furillo was originally published by Capital & Main and is part of Covering Climate Now, a global journalism collaboration strengthening coverage of the climate story. The California Legislature took a step last week that has the potential to accelerate the fight against climate ...
    Skeptical Science
    4 days ago

  • Untangling South East Queensland’s Public Transport
    This is a cross post Adventures in Transitland by Darren Davis. I recently visited Brisbane and South East Queensland and came away both impressed while also pondering some key changes to make public transport even better in the region. Here goes with my take on things. A bit of ...
    Greater AucklandBy Guest Post
    4 days ago

  • Try A Little Kindness.
    My daughter arrived home from the supermarket yesterday and she seemed a bit worried about something. It turned out she wanted to know if someone could get her bank number from a receipt.We wound the story back.She was in the store and there was a man there who was distressed, ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    4 days ago

  • What makes NZFirst tick
    New Zealand’s longest-running political roadshow rolled into Opotiki yesterday, with New Zealand First leader Winston Peters knowing another poll last night showed he would make it back to Parliament and National would need him and his party if they wanted to form a government. The Newshub Reid Research poll ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    5 days ago

  • September AMA
    Hi,As September draws to a close — I feel it’s probably time to do an Ask Me Anything. You know how it goes: If you have any burning questions, fire away in the comments and I will do my best to answer. You might have questions about Webworm, or podcast ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    5 days ago

  • Bludgers lying in the scratcher making fools of us all
    The mediocrity who stands to be a Prime Minister has a litany.He uses it a bit like a Koru Lounge card. He will brandish it to say: these people are eligible. And more than that, too: These people are deserving. They have earned this policy.They have a right to this policy. What ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    5 days ago

  • More “partnerships” (by the look of it) and redress of over $30 million in Treaty settlement wit...
    Buzz from the Beehive Point of Order has waited until now – 3.45pm – for today’s officially posted government announcements.  There have been none. The only addition to the news on the Beehive’s website was posted later yesterday, after we had published our September 26 Buzz report. It came from ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    5 days ago

  • ALEX HOLLAND: Labour’s spending
    Alex Holland writes –  In 2017 when Labour came to power, crown spending was $76 billion per year. Now in 2023 it is $139 billion per year, which equates to a $63 billion annual increase (over $1 billion extra spend every week!) In 2017, New Zealand’s government debt ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago

  • If not now, then when?
    Labour released its fiscal plan today, promising the same old, same old: "responsibility", balanced books, and of course no new taxes: "Labour will maintain income tax settings to provide consistency and certainty in these volatile times. Now is not the time for additional taxes or to promise billions of ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    5 days ago

  • THE FACTS:  77% of Kiwis believe NZ is becoming more divided
    The Facts has posted –        KEY INSIGHTSOf New Zealander’s polled: Social unity/division 77%believe NZ is becoming more divided (42% ‘much more’ + 35% ‘a little more’) 3%believe NZ is becoming less divided (1% ‘much less’ + 2% ‘a little less’) ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago

  • Gordon Campbell on the cynical brutality of the centre-right’s welfare policies
    The centre-right’s enthusiasm for forcing people off the benefit and into paid work is matched only by the enthusiasm (shared by Treasury and the Reserve Bank) for throwing people out of paid work to curb inflation, and achieve the optimal balance of workers to job seekers deemed to be desirable ...
    Gordon CampbellBy lyndon
    5 days ago

  • Wednesday’s Chorus: Arthur Grimes on why building many, many more social houses is so critical
    New research shows that tenants in social housing - such as these Wellington apartments - are just as happy as home owners and much happier than private tenants. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The election campaign took an ugly turn yesterday, and in completely the wrong direction. All three ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago

  • Bennie Bashing.
    If there’s one thing the mob loves more than keeping Māori in their place, more than getting tough on the gangs, maybe even more than tax cuts. It’s a good old round of beneficiary bashing.Are those meanies in the ACT party stealing your votes because they think David Seymour is ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago

  • The kindest cuts
    Labour kicks off the fiscal credibility battle today with the release of its fiscal plan. National is expected to follow, possibly as soon as Thursday, with its own plan, which may (or may not) address the large hole that the problems with its foreign buyers’ ban might open up. ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    6 days ago

  • Green right turn in Britain? Well, a start
    While it may be unlikely to register in New Zealand’s general election, Britain’s PM Rishi Sunak has done something which might just be important in the long run. He’s announced a far-reaching change in his Conservative government’s approach to environmental, and particularly net zero, policy. The starting point – ...
    Point of OrderBy xtrdnry
    6 days ago

  • At a glance – How do human CO2 emissions compare to natural CO2 emissions?
    On February 14, 2023 we announced our Rebuttal Update Project. This included an ask for feedback about the added "At a glance" section in the updated basic rebuttal versions. This weekly blog post series highlights this new section of one of the updated basic rebuttal versions and serves as a ...
    Skeptical Science
    6 days ago

  • How could this happen?
    Canada is in uproar after the exposure that its parliament on September 22 provided a standing ovation to a Nazi veteran who had been invited into the chamber to participate in the parliamentary welcome to Ukrainian President Zelensky. Yaroslav Hunka, 98, a Ukrainian man who volunteered for service in ...
    Open ParachuteBy Ken
    6 days ago

  • Always Be Campaigning
    The big screen is a great place to lay out the ways of the salesman. He comes ready-made for Panto, ripe for lampooning.This is not to disparage that life. I have known many good people of that kind. But there is a type, brazen as all get out. The camera ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    6 days ago

  • STEPHEN FRANKS: Press seek to publicly shame doctor – we must push back
    The following is a message sent yesterday from lawyer Stephen Franks on behalf of the Free Speech Union. I don’t like to interrupt first thing Monday morning, but we’ve just become aware of a case where we think immediate and overwhelming attention could help turn the tide. It involves someone ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago

  • Competing on cruelty
    The right-wing message calendar is clearly reading "cruelty" today, because both National and NZ First have released beneficiary-bashing policies. National is promising a "traffic light" system to police and kick beneficiaries, which will no doubt be accompanied by arbitrary internal targets to classify people as "orange" or "red" to keep ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    6 days ago

  • Further funding for Pharmac (forgotten in the Budget?) looks like a $1bn appeal from a PM in need of...
    Buzz from the Beehive One Labour plan  – for 3000 more public homes by 2025 – is the most recent to be posted on the government’s official website. Another – a prime ministerial promise of more funding for Pharmac – has been released as a Labour Party press statement. Who ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago

  • Bryce Edwards: The Vested interests shaping National Party policies
    As the National Party gets closer to government, lobbyists and business interests will be lining up for influence and to get policies adopted. It’s therefore in the public interest to have much more scrutiny and transparency about potential conflicts of interests that might arise. One of the key individuals of ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    6 days ago

  • Labour may be on way out of power and NZ First back in – but will Peters go into coalition with Na...
    Voters  are deserting Labour in droves, despite Chris  Hipkins’  valiant  rearguard  action.  So  where  are they  heading?  Clearly  not all of them are going to vote National, which concedes that  the  outcome  will be “close”. To the Right of National, the ACT party just a  few weeks  ago  was ...
    Point of OrderBy tutere44
    6 days ago

  • GRAHAM ADAMS: Will the racists please stand up?
    Accusations of racism by journalists and MPs are being called out. Graham Adams writes –    With the election less than three weeks away, what co-governance means in practice — including in water management, education, planning law and local government — remains largely obscure. Which is hardly ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago

  • Gordon Campbell on whether Winston Peters can be a moderating influence
    As the centre-right has (finally!) been subjected to media interrogation, the polls are indicating that some voters may be starting to have second thoughts about the wisdom of giving National and ACT the power to govern alone. That’s why yesterday’s Newshub/Reid Research poll had the National/ACT combo dropping to 60 ...
    Gordon CampbellBy lyndon
    6 days ago

  • Tuesday’s Chorus: RBNZ set to rain on National's victory parade
    ANZ has increased its forecast for house inflation later this year on signs of growing momentum in the market ahead of the election. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: National has campaigned against the Labour Government’s record on inflation and mortgage rates, but there’s now a growing chance the Reserve ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    6 days ago

  • After a Pittsburgh coal processing plant closed, ER visits plummeted
    This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Katie Myers. This story was originally published by Grist and is part of Covering Climate Now, a global journalism collaboration strengthening coverage of the climate story. Pittsburgh, in its founding, was blessed and cursed with two abundant natural resources: free-flowing rivers and a nearby coal seam. ...
    Skeptical Science
    6 days ago

  • September-23 AT Board Meeting
    Today the AT board meet again and once again I’ve taken a look at what’s on the agenda to find the most interesting items. Closed Agenda Interestingly when I first looked at the agendas this paper was there but at the time of writing this post it had been ...
    Greater AucklandBy Matt L
    6 days ago

  • Electorate Watch: West Coast-Tasman
    Continuing my series on interesting electorates, today it’s West Coast-Tasman.A long thin electorate running down the northern half of the west coast of the South Island. Think sand flies, beautiful landscapes, lots of rain, Pike River, alternative lifestylers, whitebaiting, and the spiritual home of the Labour Party. A brief word ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    6 days ago

  • Big money brings Winston back
    National leader Christopher Luxon yesterday morning conceded it and last night’s Newshub poll confirmed it; Winston Peters and NZ First are not only back but highly likely to be part of the next government. It is a remarkable comeback for a party that was tossed out of Parliament in ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    7 days ago

  • 20 days until Election Day, 7 until early voting begins… but what changes will we really see here?
    As this blogger, alongside many others, has already posited in another forum: we all know the National Party’s “budget” (meaning this concept of even adding up numbers properly is doing a lot of heavy, heavy lifting right now) is utter and complete bunk (read hung, drawn and quartered and ...
    exhALANtBy exhalantblog
    7 days ago

  • A night out
    Everyone was asking, Are you nervous? and my response was various forms of God, yes.I've written more speeches than I can count; not much surprises me when the speaker gets to their feet and the room goes quiet.But a play? Never.YOU CAME! THANK YOU! Read more ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    1 week ago

  • A pallid shade of Green III
    Clearly Labour's focus groups are telling it that it needs to pay more attention to climate change - because hot on the heels of their weaksauce energy efficiency pilot programme and not-great-but-better-than-nothing solar grants, they've released a full climate manifesto. Unfortunately, the core policies in it - a second Emissions ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    1 week ago

  • New Zealand resumes peacekeeping force leadership
    New Zealand will again contribute to the leadership of the Multinational Force and Observers (MFO) in the Sinai Peninsula, Egypt, with a senior New Zealand Defence Force officer returning as Interim Force Commander. Defence Minister Andrew Little and Foreign Affairs Minister Nanaia Mahuta have announced the deployment of New Zealand ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    24 mins ago

  • New national direction provides clarity for development and the environment
    The Government has taken an important step in implementing the new resource management system, by issuing a draft National Planning Framework (NPF) document under the new legislation, Environment Minister David Parker said today. “The NPF consolidates existing national direction, bringing together around 20 existing instruments including policy statements, standards, and ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 hours ago

  • Government shows further commitment to pay equity for healthcare workers
    The Government welcomes the proposed pay equity settlement that will see significant pay increases for around 18,000 Te Whatu Ora Allied, Scientific, and Technical employees, if accepted said Health Minister Ayesha Verrall. The proposal reached between Te Whatu Ora, the New Zealand Public Service Association Te Pūkenga Here Tikanga Mahi ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 hours ago

  • 100 new public EV chargers to be added to national network
    The public EV charging network has received a significant boost with government co-funding announced today for over 100 EV chargers – with over 200 charging ports altogether – across New Zealand, and many planned to be up and running on key holiday routes by Christmas this year. Minister of Energy ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago

  • Safeguarding Tuvalu language and identity
    Tuvalu is in the spotlight this week as communities across New Zealand celebrate Vaiaso o te Gagana Tuvalu – Tuvalu Language Week. “The Government has a proven record of supporting Pacific communities and ensuring more of our languages are spoken, heard and celebrated,” Pacific Peoples Minister Barbara Edmonds said. “Many ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago

  • New community-level energy projects to support more than 800 Māori households
    Seven more innovative community-scale energy projects will receive government funding through the Māori and Public Housing Renewable Energy Fund to bring more affordable, locally generated clean energy to more than 800 Māori households, Energy and Resources Minister Dr Megan Woods says. “We’ve already funded 42 small-scale clean energy projects that ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago

  • Huge boost to Te Tai Tokerau flood resilience
    The Government has approved new funding that will boost resilience and greatly reduce the risk of major flood damage across Te Tai Tokerau. Significant weather events this year caused severe flooding and damage across the region. The $8.9m will be used to provide some of the smaller communities and maraes ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago

  • Napier’s largest public housing development comes with solar
    The largest public housing development in Napier for many years has been recently completed and has the added benefit of innovative solar technology, thanks to Government programmes, says Housing Minister Dr Megan Woods. The 24 warm, dry homes are in Seddon Crescent, Marewa and Megan Woods says the whanau living ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago

  • Te Whānau a Apanui and the Crown initial Deed of Settlement I Kua waitohua e Te Whānau a Apanui me...
    Māori: Kua waitohua e Te Whānau a Apanui me te Karauna te Whakaaetanga Whakataunga Kua waitohua e Te Whānau a Apanui me te Karauna i tētahi Whakaaetanga Whakataunga hei whakamihi i ō rātou tāhuhu kerēme Tiriti o Waitangi. E tekau mā rua ngā hapū o roto mai o Te Whānau ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago

  • Plan for 3,000 more public homes by 2025 – regions set to benefit
    Regions around the country will get significant boosts of public housing in the next two years, as outlined in the latest public housing plan update, released by the Housing Minister, Dr Megan Woods. “We’re delivering the most public homes each year since the Nash government of the 1950s with one ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Immigration settings updates
    Judicial warrant process for out-of-hours compliance visits 2023/24 Recognised Seasonal Employer cap increased by 500 Additional roles for Construction and Infrastructure Sector Agreement More roles added to Green List Three-month extension for onshore Recovery Visa holders The Government has confirmed a number of updates to immigration settings as part of ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Poroporoaki: Tā Patrick (Patu) Wahanga Hohepa
    Tangi ngunguru ana ngā tai ki te wahapū o Hokianga Whakapau Karakia. Tārehu ana ngā pae maunga ki Te Puna o te Ao Marama. Korihi tangi ana ngā manu, kua hinga he kauri nui ki te Wao Nui o Tāne. He Toa. He Pou. He Ahorangi. E papaki tū ana ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Renewable energy fund to support community resilience
    40 solar energy systems on community buildings in regions affected by Cyclone Gabrielle and other severe weather events Virtual capability-building hub to support community organisations get projects off the ground Boost for community-level renewable energy projects across the country At least 40 community buildings used to support the emergency response ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • COVID-19 funding returned to Government
    The lifting of COVID-19 isolation and mask mandates in August has resulted in a return of almost $50m in savings and recovered contingencies, Minister of Health Dr Ayesha Verrall announced today. Following the revocation of mandates and isolation, specialised COVID-19 telehealth and alternative isolation accommodation are among the operational elements ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Appointment of District Court Judge
    Susie Houghton of Auckland has been appointed as a new District Court Judge, to serve on the Family Court, Attorney-General David Parker said today.  Judge Houghton has acted as a lawyer for child for more than 20 years. She has acted on matters relating to the Hague Convention, an international ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Government invests further in Central Hawke’s Bay resilience
    The Government has today confirmed $2.5 million to fund a replace and upgrade a stopbank to protect the Waipawa Drinking Water Treatment Plant. “As a result of Cyclone Gabrielle, the original stopbank protecting the Waipawa Drinking Water Treatment Plant was destroyed. The plant was operational within 6 weeks of the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 weeks ago

  • Govt boost for Hawke’s Bay cyclone waste clean-up
    Another $2.1 million to boost capacity to deal with waste left in Cyclone Gabrielle’s wake. Funds for Hastings District Council, Phoenix Contracting and Hog Fuel NZ to increase local waste-processing infrastructure. The Government is beefing up Hawke’s Bay’s Cyclone Gabrielle clean-up capacity with more support dealing with the massive amount ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 weeks ago

  • Taupō Supercars revs up with Government support
    The future of Supercars events in New Zealand has been secured with new Government support. The Government is getting engines started through the Major Events Fund, a special fund to support high profile events in New Zealand that provide long-term economic, social and cultural benefits. “The Repco Supercars Championship is ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 weeks ago

  • There is no recession in NZ, economy grows nearly 1 percent in June quarter
    The economy has turned a corner with confirmation today New Zealand never was in recession and stronger than expected growth in the June quarter, Finance Minister Grant Robertson said. “The New Zealand economy is doing better than expected,” Grant Robertson said. “It’s continuing to grow, with the latest figures showing ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 weeks ago

  • Highest legal protection for New Zealand’s largest freshwater springs
    The Government has accepted the Environment Court’s recommendation to give special legal protection to New Zealand’s largest freshwater springs, Te Waikoropupū Springs (also known as Pupū Springs), Environment Minister David Parker announced today.   “Te Waikoropupū Springs, near Takaka in Golden Bay, have the second clearest water in New Zealand after ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 weeks ago

  • More support for victims of migrant exploitation
    Temporary package of funding for accommodation and essential living support for victims of migrant exploitation Exploited migrant workers able to apply for a further Migrant Exploitation Protection Visa (MEPV), giving people more time to find a job Free job search assistance to get people back into work Use of 90-day ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 weeks ago

  • Strong export boost as NZ economy turns corner
    An export boost is supporting New Zealand’s economy to grow, adding to signs that the economy has turned a corner and is on a stronger footing as we rebuild from Cyclone Gabrielle and lock in the benefits of multiple new trade deals, Finance Minister Grant Robertson says. “The economy is ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 weeks ago

  • Funding approved for flood resilience work in Te Karaka
    The Government has approved $15 million to raise about 200 homes at risk of future flooding. More than half of this is expected to be spent in the Tairāwhiti settlement of Te Karaka, lifting about 100 homes there. “Te Karaka was badly hit during Cyclone Gabrielle when the Waipāoa River ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 weeks ago

  • Further business support for cyclone-affected regions
    The Government is helping businesses recover from Cyclone Gabrielle and attract more people back into their regions. “Cyclone Gabrielle has caused considerable damage across North Island regions with impacts continuing to be felt by businesses and communities,” Economic Development Minister Barbara Edmonds said. “Building on our earlier business support, this ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 weeks ago

  • New maintenance facility at Burnham Military Camp underway
    Defence Minister Andrew Little has turned the first sod to start construction of a new Maintenance Support Facility (MSF) at Burnham Military Camp today. “This new state-of-art facility replaces Second World War-era buildings and will enable our Defence Force to better maintain and repair equipment,” Andrew Little said. “This Government ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 weeks ago

  • Foreign Minister to attend United Nations General Assembly
    Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta will represent New Zealand at the 78th Session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York this week, before visiting Washington DC for further Pacific focussed meetings. Nanaia Mahuta will be in New York from Wednesday 20 September, and will participate in UNGA leaders ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 weeks ago

  • Midwives’ pay equity offer reached
    Around 1,700 Te Whatu Ora employed midwives and maternity care assistants will soon vote on a proposed pay equity settlement agreed by Te Whatu Ora, the Midwifery Employee Representation and Advisory Service (MERAS) and New Zealand Nurses Association (NZNO), Minister of Health Dr Ayesha Verrall announced today. “Addressing historical pay ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 weeks ago

  • New Zealand provides support to Morocco
    Aotearoa New Zealand will provide humanitarian support to those affected by last week’s earthquake in Morocco, Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta announced today. “We are making a contribution of $1 million to the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) to help meet humanitarian needs,” Nanaia Mahuta said. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 weeks ago

  • Government invests in West Coast’s roading resilience
    The Government is investing over $22 million across 18 projects to improve the resilience of roads in the West Coast that have been affected by recent extreme weather, Prime Minister Chris Hipkins confirmed today.  A dedicated Transport Resilience Fund has been established for early preventative works to protect the state ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 weeks ago

  • Government invests in Greymouth’s future
    The Government has today confirmed a $2 million grant towards the regeneration of Greymouth’s CBD with construction of a new two-level commercial and public facility. “It will include a visitor facility centred around a new library. Additionally, it will include retail outlets on the ground floor, and both outdoor and ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 weeks ago

  • Nanaia Mahuta to attend PIF Foreign Ministers’ Meeting
    Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta will attend the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) Foreign Ministers’ Meeting, in Suva, Fiji alongside New Zealand’s regional counterparts. “Aotearoa New Zealand is deeply committed to working with our pacific whanau to strengthen our cooperation, and share ways to combat the challenges facing the Blue Pacific Continent,” ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 weeks ago

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