I’m So Dizzy

Written By: - Date published: 8:00 am, August 9th, 2010 - 44 comments
Categories: economy, employment, gst, spin, unemployment, wages, workers' rights - Tags:

So the latest unemployment figures aren’t 0.8% up and 19,000 more unemployed (and many more jobless), they’re 0.3% down (from the worst peak since National were last in power). Besides, somehow John Key believes that our employment percentage is better than Oz. I’m sure those 19,000 families who’ve lost a breadwinner will be comforted.

The wage gap with Australia hasn’t risen $40/week since National came into power, no, it’s better than it was under a Labour government… before Labour made some serious progress in reversing the damage National did last they were in power.

We’re repeatedly told about the 9 years of Labour’s economic mismanagement – that left the economy in such good shape National felt justified dropping tax rates in a recession (albeit with only their rich mates as true winners).

Removing worker’s rights is good for workers – as long as they want a chance at a low wage, no conditions job in a high unemployment economy.

It’s hard to keep up. What’s next? Moving neurology away from Dunedin will be good for patients and the training of our doctors? Reducing state housing will decrease the numbers of kiwis in need of affordable, good quality housing? We’ll all be better off after they raise GST? Oh wait, they’ve already claimed that…

44 comments on “I’m So Dizzy ”

  1. Carol 1

    What’s next? Welfare “reform”?

    http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/4003372/Warning-of-50b-bill-on-welfare

    Sue Bradford on Nat Rad as I type talking about how this “reform” is being ideologically driven & that the “government is manufacturing a crisis” and that the problem is a rise in unemployment, and a need for more jobs.

    Bradford has been great lately. Glad she is onto this new NACT initiative immediately.

    • Anthony C 1.1

      A point that popped up in their report that gave me a WTF moment was:

      Most people on a benefit have little or no focus on paid work, with a growing number “locked into” the system for years.

      How did they justify that statement?

      • Carol 1.1.1

        Most people on a benefit have little or no focus on paid work, with a growing number “locked into’ the system for years.

        I think this was clarified by the woman responsible for that report, Paula Rebstock, when she was interviewed by Kathryn Ryan this morning:

        http://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/ninetonoon

        In fact, it seems that quote was refering to the people on sickness and invalid benefit – about 15%, as I recall, who have been long term on sickness/invalid benefit. And, overtime, they will cost $50 billion.

        Rebstock argued that once they are classified as sick/invalid and unable to work, they continue to be considered unsuited for work.

        So, I think the newspaper article kind of misrepresents the research.

        Also, as I recall, Ryan pointed out that, the average amount of time spent on sickness/invalid benefit was between 1 & 2 years.

        • Adrian 1.1.1.1

          That’s 1-2 years before they die. The lazy bastards, work ’em till they drop and the by the way, floggings will continue until morale improves.

        • Ed 1.1.1.2

          The “Warning of $50b bill on welfare’ article by John Hartevelt says:
          “In 1960, only 2 per cent of the working-age population was receiving benefits. Now, the figure is around 13 per cent and roughly one in five of Kiwi children live in benefit-dependent families.”

          Now we don’t quite know what is meant by ‘benefits’ here – in 1960 I suspect we still had ‘child benefit’ – which I am would have expected meant that more than 2% of the working population was “receiving benefits”. Are we comparing apples with pears? Perhaps in 1960 2 percent were receiving more than one benefit?

          The article also says:
          “In 2008-09, benefit payments cost about $6.5 billion. If everyone already on a benefit stayed on it for life, it would cost on average, $140,000 per benefit and $50 billion in total.’

          Now we know of course that not everyone on a benefit will even stay on the benefit until next month, let alone for life; if the total payments are $50 billion then that may be able to be generated from a much lower current capital sum if we allow for any investment income. It is a meaningless figure if all current hospital patients stayed for life how much would that cost?

          “Rebstock argued that once they are classified as sick/invalid and unable to work, they continue to be considered unsuited for work.’

          It is true that some (but not all) of those who are classified as sick/invalid for a long time may never become suited for work, but it is wrong to imply that this say that this will always happen once a sick/invalid classification has been made even those who have been sick/invalid for a long time will be periodically re-assessed; and those that can be brought back into the workforce are encouraged to do so. Whether the sloppy writing is the result of sloppy journalism, or sloppy statements by Rebstock uncritically reported is not clear.

          • Pete 1.1.1.2.1

            “Whether the sloppy writing is the result of sloppy journalism, or sloppy statements by Rebstock uncritically reported is not clear.”

            I’d say it’s (as Sue Bradford has said) it’s all about manufacturing a crisis (ACC anyone?) by Rebstock and co, and the (expected) sloppy reporting by Hartvealt in the article on Stuff.

            Nowhere in the article does it say that we have 13% of the working-age population receiving a benefit, and that if current trends continue that “16 percent of the working age population could be on a benefit by 2050”. An increase of 3% (over 40 years with an aging population – some of whom will rightly need to get assistance with sickness or disability) – quite a crisis.

            I’d be interested to see what the parties on the left have up their sleeve in response

  2. jcuknz 2

    Yes she did sound on the ball this morning … good for her …

  3. jbanks 3

    New Zealand thinks that National are doing a great job. But they’re all ignorant fools compared to you guys huh?

    Gary Morgan says:

    “Today’s New Zealand Roy Morgan Poll shows a strengthening National vote (53%, up 2.5%) extending the lead of the National-led Government (58.5%, up 3%) over the Opposition Parties (41.5%, down 3%) — now at its widest since late 2009.

    “Revelations about inappropriate credit card spending over recent years by many Labour MPs while in Government released under the ‘Official Information Act’ are clearly having an impact on the Labour Party’s electoral appeal and appear to be behind the fall in the Labour vote (29%, down 4%) — now at its lowest in 2010.’

    [lprent: The most recent Morgan poll on July 27th had this to say

    “The latest New Zealand Roy Morgan Poll shows support for John Key’s National-led Government has weakened to 54.5% (down 4%), comprising National Party 49% (down 4%), Maori Party 3% (unchanged), ACT NZ 2% (unchanged) and United Future 0.5% (unchanged) — these declines follow a second consecutive monthly fall in the ANZ-Roy Morgan New Zealand Consumer Confidence Index — now at 115.6 (down 6.4pts in July 2010) and the lowest since August 2009 (112.3).”

    You can see why banksie was so eager to use one from earlier this year – in fact from June 9th…

    I think he has earned a weeks ban for being persistently inaccurate and not providing links to help check his facts. Hopefully that will encourage him to check in future. ]

    • ghostwhowalksnz 3.1

      Which are contradicted by TVNZs latest poll which has labours vote strengthened.
      They both cant be right.
      I love this sort of thing but when pollsters call Im not interested in spending 40min on circular questions

      • jbanks 3.1.1

        You mean the one where Nationals support hasn’t gone down at all?

        The one where only 47% of Labour voters think that Labour can win the next election?

        • mickysavage 3.1.1.1

          What poll are you reading?

          The last Roy Morgan had Labour up to 33.5%.

          The link is at http://www.roymorgan.com/news/polls/2010/4549/

          You are looking at the poll for July 9.

          Time to get up with the game banksie.

          • lprent 3.1.1.1.1

            I wondered about that earlier when I saw his figures…. Ummm I think I will adjust his comment to reflect reality.

            • loota 3.1.1.1.1.1

              Are you sure that’s wise? Reality has a clear left leaning liberal bias and should be avoided at all costs.

          • The Voice of Reason 3.1.1.1.2

            Just an aside, but I don’t like jbanks as a handle. I think it’s unnecessarily confusing and in a blogging context is bordering on identity theft. It’s not like the real John Banks knows he has no chance of winning the SuperMayoralty and is now just spending his days making shit up on political blogs. Unless …

    • Fisiani 3.2

      jbanks This is the blog of the true faith believers. National are always evil. They really hate ordinary people. Any supporters are just deluded fools who cannot see this truth.
      Don’t let the facts get in the way of faith and blinkered idealogical purity.
      It does not matter that the economy is improving. It does not matter that there are steady improvements across the board in health, education, housing, ACC, welfare and justice. It does not matter that the decade of deficits inherited after 9 years of mismanagement are being addressed.
      It does not matter that the politically non educated see pragmatic caution and care and garnering public support rather than woffle and spin.
      This does not fit with the creed of ultimate National evil. Everything that National does is wrong. Everything that Labour does or ever has done in Nirvana.
      You get more belly laughs, reading this blog than any other.

      • Cnr Joe (withasparemoment) 3.2.1

        phukk the tories fizzy!

      • Pete 3.2.2

        ‘Faith’ is what I perceive the government have in spades mate, faith that the market will be self-correcting (despite history), faith that the New Zealand economy will ‘grow aggressively out of the recession’ (despite evidence to the contrary), faith that we will catch Autralia (ditto), faith that the cycleway will create enough jobs to lower unemployment (oh, and already-budgetted infrastructure programmes re-packaged and re-announced), faith that the polls mean that spin equals mandate (because ‘politically uneducated is always a good thing!), faith in ‘trickle-down’ and faith that cutting services past the point of logic will mean ‘everyone is better off’.

        Please give us one example for each of your ‘facts’ that show “the economy is improving” and “that there are steady improvements across the board in health, education, housing, ACC, welfare and justice” – go on – let’s get those facts on the table and change some minds here.

        And, for the record, what you often get here at The Standard is criticism for both ends of the spectrum, with a typically ‘leftist’ view by most commentors. Some support Labour, some the Greens and some no party at all. But you can come here for political discussion, sometimes emotive, sometimes empirical. If National does something worthwhile it will either be discussed as ‘good’ or simply not mentioned. But as a ‘leftist’ blog you can expect that there will be criticism of those policies and proposals that left thinkers oppose (for a whole spectrum of reasons depending on the personal perspective of the individual).

        Unfortunately we have those like you and jbanks and burt having a “you guys say ‘National=bad’, ‘Labour=Good'” tanty – at least tsmithfield and gosman sometimes have a point to make (even if we disagree almost all of the time).

        Why don’t you try to back up your shit rather than repeating the same sad spin we hear every day, or just GTFO and have a cry somewhere else?

        • Fisiani 3.2.2.1

          OK Pete
          http://www.national.org.nz/budget2010/BudgetInBrief.pdf
          a few excerpts
          Growth rate expected 3.2% in next year
          2016 budget returning to surplus 3 years early.
          1.8billion dollars of wasteful spending redirected
          increased and targeted funding for health 2.1B, education 1.4B Research321mBroadband 248m. ie Better faster more efficent service

          AND
          The number of physio visits by ACC clients has dropped by a third from one and a quarter million to 850,00.

          ACC’s total expenditure has almost halved from $50 million to around $26 million.
          “We don’t think those who genuinely need treatment are missing out. We’ve seen no evidence of that,’ says Ms Kettle

          • Pete 3.2.2.1.1

            Thanks for confirming your level of critical thought Fisiani, appreciated.

            So the data about projected economic growth is fact? And how does this compare with actual growth over the past few years? (tip – don’t link to what the Minister of Finance says in the House and call it fact – it may not be so…).

            And, has spending considered ‘wasteful’ has been independently verified as ‘wasteful’? Or is this, perhaps, subjective depending on ideology, and what one group or individual considers important (i.e. I believe tax cuts for the wealthy are very important for job creation).

            How has the spending you mention ‘increased’ in real dollar terms (i.e. with consideration for inflation etc), and how does this compare to funding cuts in Budget ’09? And how much of this spending is repackaged spending from the Labour budgets of yore?

            And how is fewer physio visits a ‘good thing’? Where is the data to support that this cut was a medically sound decision (i.e. if this was in fact necessary for the individuals)? Also missing from the equation Fisiani, what other services have been cut from ACC to allow the so-called savings (e.g. sexual abuse counselling)? Is this a ‘good thing’? And can your comment attributed to Gail Kettle be associated with empirical medical data showing that her statement is one of fact?

            No need to respond Fisiani, but I’ve just written these down as some things to quietly ponder when and if you attempt to respond to these types of questions.

            Thanks for confirming the premise of the post – that spin (and general mendacity) is replacing reality for parts of the population

          • Macro 3.2.2.1.2

            What ever you do Fis – DON”T HAVE A CAR ACCIDENT and sustain a head injury. (or maybe you have already) coz there ain’t no specialist after care for brain injuries out there anymore – it’s now all done with trained monkeys. All the specialists have left for Oz.

      • mickysavage 3.2.3

        Hey Fisi

        Don’t let the facts get in the way of faith and blinkered idealogical purity.

        jbanks certainly did not …

    • gingercrush 3.3

      Roy Morgan has been doing the same fluctuations for months and as I said in its last poll that the results will reverse. As they will do next Roy Morgan poll. Though in particular one really has to wonder whether the July 5-18 poll didn’t somehow manage to capture a number of NZ First voters hence why they artificially went to 4.5% for one poll and are now back to 2%.

    • jbanks 3.4

      My mistake, I should have linked to the month I was referring to, though this is the first time I’ve failed to.

      As ginger crush said “Roy Morgan has been doing the same fluctuations for months”

      [lprent: If you have a look at the overall trend lines in the Morgan poll for this year you’ll find despite the 2 weekly noise (as each poll jumps around quite a lot), the overall trend isn’t all that favorable for the government. The question is if they can hold out until election time. You caused a scratching of the heads and then look it up, which was a waste of peoples time because you didn’t put in a link.

      In particular it was a waste of my time…. Come back next week. ]

  4. loota 4

    whether the July 5-18 poll didn’t somehow manage to capture a number of NZ First voters hence why they artificially went to 4.5% for one poll and are now back to 2%.

    That’s what you get for surveying only one street in Tauranga…

    • felix 4.1

      …with a couple of retirement villages on it

      • Rex Widerstrom 4.1.1

        “Alright, if you’re going to vote NZF, raise your hands now”

        (sotto voce) “Alright nurse, wheel out the ones that didn’t raise their hands. They’re dead”.

        😀

  5. Cnr Joe 5

    Ummm, BUNGJI,
    I believe that would be getting run over BY a zebra crossing
    oh and fuck the tories – god luvs a trier, but this mob ain’t even trying any more

    • loota 5.1

      Can over half the citizens in our fine country still think the Tories are doing a good job?

      There are some underlying issues to be dug up and examined when the gap between Govt performance and perception is wider than the Grand Canyon.

  6. randal 6

    in the brave new world of rightwing polt6ics we have been given the BRUSHOFF!

  7. tc 7

    Rebstock’s commerce commission created the supermarket duopoly, allowed fletchers to further consolidate an already uncompetitive building sector via acquisition, and reduced free to air TV choice by letting sky take out prime just to name a few examples.

    She’s chosen for this role because she doesn’t give an F about fairness for the end user, just find some confusing rhetoric to hide the agenda behind.

  8. randal 8

    well the answer is that fletchers is owned by a morgan bank in america and has been for a long time and everything esle we treasure as national icons is owned by absentee rentiers then we are probably getting off lightly.
    what I object to is the snivelling crawling of the supposedly objective media who are all in there looking for the main chance.

  9. Rex Widerstrom 9

    As someone who daily wrestles with his conscience while writing what most would call “spin” posts such as this bother me.

    I have one rule – I won’t knowingly aid a client to lie. If I know they’re going to close a hospital I won’t be a part of saying they’re not going to do it so as to get re-elected, then handily finding “new information” that allows them to “change their mind”.

    But if they’ve decided to close a hospital then it’s my duty to help them explain why they think that’s a good idea. If I don’t think it’s a good idea I’ll say so. And if I think most people will agree with me, I’ll tell them that too.

    But the bottom line is that they were democratically elected and have the power to do what they wish to do – including making stupid decisions. And naturally they’re going to want to paint their actions in the best possible light. Just as those opposing them will predict the imminent end of all that is good in the world as a result, even if it’s not that bad a decision (or even, sometimes, if it’s the same decision they’d have taken themselves).

    That’s human nature. We’re not going to do something and at the same time attribute bad faith to ourselves, are we?!

    Take out everything that’s dismissed as “spin” and we’d have dry policy statements, backed by no explanation, being thrown back and forth.

    I happen to believe the public can deconstruct this stuff. Not all can be bothered of course, but it’s not hard. The fact that my imaginary client is going to close a hospital is extracted easily from the spin. Then the competing spin is analysed and parsed according to an individual’s prejudices, experiences and knowledge and they reach their own conclusion.

    While blatant, dishonest spin is certainly annoying I’d argue it’s also counterproductive, and not something we need get as vexed about as we do in terms of it being a threat to democracy.

    • Pascal's bookie 9.1

      While blatant, dishonest spin is certainly annoying I’d argue it’s also counterproductive, and not something we need get as vexed about as we do in terms of it being a threat to democracy.

      While I can certainly agree with the thrust of what you are saying in theory, and I’m certainly not saying anything against what you do, I will say, umm.

      45 Minutes,
      aluminium tubes,
      “The British Government has learned that Saddam Hussein recently sought…”,
      Enhanced interrogation techniques,
      A few bad apples,
      Illegals,
      The worst of the worst,
      Babies overboard.

      I’ll agree that eventually these (or at least some of them) have caught up with the spinners. But that doesn’t mean they didn’t achieve exactly what they were meant to achieve.

      • Rex Widerstrom 9.1.1

        And a lot of them are lies. Children weren’t thrown overboard. Saddam didn’t have nukes. There’s nothing illegal about applying for refugee status, even if you come by boat. Etc.

        That’s not the “spin” I’m talking about. When you come down to semantics… “enhanced interrogation techniques”… then it can get greyer. But that example clearly falls on the wrong side of spin, IMHO, given that we’re talking about inflicting pain on another human being, regardless of how you label it. No self-respecting “spin doctor” should have a bar of it.

        You’ve cited some of the worst examples of the spin doctor’s dark arts, and I wouldn’t argue with you that most are beyond the pale.

        But they’re not the sort of (primarily positive) “spin” I’m defending above. Saying you’re closing one hospital to save money and improve services at another is more what I’m talking about (provided that is genuinely your intent). You’re hardly likely to leave off what you see as the benfits of your decision.

    • Puddleglum 9.2

      The ‘spin’ you describe can very easily be lying, Rex.

      Think about it in terms of necessary and sufficient conditions to do something. If I want to close a hospital because I need to close lots of things to afford tax cuts and I know that is my necessary and sufficient motive (i.e., I wouldn’t close it if tax cuts weren’t my goal and having tax cuts as my goal is sufficient reason for me to do it – i.e., even if no other reasons existed) then I lie if I claim other factors were behind the decision or were even important enough in my decision making process to push me one way or the other.

      This is the classic ‘spin’ – “there’s a multitude of reasons I’ve done ‘X'”; but all those reasons were conjured up after the decision was, in effect, made and the actual motive is either not mentioned at all or only given some marginal significance.

      Now, I may have an argument for why tax cuts are needed but, to avoid lying, I need to be clear that that is why the cut is happening – not something else like the need to consolidate high-tech services to improve the quality of provision, blah, blah, blah. I need to be honest about my motive.

      If I’m confused about my own motives and can’t do the simple ‘necessary or sufficient reason’ test, you could argue that I’m not lying (i.e., I might claim that I don’t really know what the necessary and sufficient reasons are in my decision making – I just kind of came to a decision.). There has to be a point, however, where ‘I don’t really know why I’m doing this, really’ makes advocating ANY action or policy position a lie – and surely even the terminally confused can understand the morality of that? (Hint: not to lie in this situation would be not to give reasons and to say that you don’t really have any reasons to give that convince even you.)

      To lie – by commission or omission – about your motives is to lie. ‘What we aim to do’ and ‘why we are doing it’ both matter to those on the receiving end of our decisions, for different reasons. In being honest about what we aim to do it is still possible to lie about why we are doing it. In fact, I’d argue that lying about motives can often be the more egregious form of lying, especially in the multi-layered strategic morass that is politics (since it can result in longer term harm being visited on those lied to about the motive for a particular decision).

      If you’re worried about being complicit in lying, you’d better inspect your conscience again in dealing with your clients.

      To paraphrase Malcolm Fraser – nobody said being honest was meant to be easy.

      • Rex Widerstrom 9.2.1

        Excellent comment, Puddleglum. Does my imaginary Health Minister really believe that by closing one hospital and consolidating capital equipment and staff on the site of a second hospital he is bringing about a better service?

        I can generally tell if he’s making it up (they’re not very good at hiding how damn clever they think they are, these politicians).

        But as you posit, what if he’s deluded himself? What if all Ministers have been told to slash X percent off their budgets (to afford tax cuts, repay debt, or whatever the imperative) and he’s convinced himself that he can do so without lowering standards of patient care?

        Or what if he’s out of his depth and has been convinced by some “Sir Humphrey”, or by a dictatorial PM, that closing the hospital is the right thing to do and he’s clinging to that belief in the sincere hope it’s right?

        AFAIK I’ve never been complicit in lying. The evidence being that I’m poor 😉 And that I walked out of a very nice career in NZF rather then be complicit in Lhaws’ lhies.

        If I’d worked for the corporate sector I’d be far better off than I am but would inevitably have been expected to lie. I’ve stuck to politics, NGOs and the like in the hope that they have more to lose by lying, and are starting off with greater integrity.

        I can, however, cite cases where I’ve arrived at a different conclusion tha the client, based on the same data, but have duitfully “spun” their reasoning, only to see them proved wrong. And in a surprising (to many here) number of such cases, I have seen genuine remorse.

    • Draco T Bastard 9.3

      I’ll take the dry, factual, policy statements thanx.

      “Spin” is a polite word for lying.

    • Craig Glen Eden 10.1

      Yes Cookie it does appear that when things look bad for this Government they bring out the beneficiary for a kicking. Same old Nats same mode of operation.

  10. tea 11

    how do they get away with these lies?

    It feels like we are returning to the dark ages.

    Wave after wave of remorseless attack on civilised society- contempt of parliament, dismissal of our welfare system with bullshit assumptions (like they did for ACC) and on and on…

    Where they are held back in one battle like over mining in schedule four land or temporarily over National Radio- they just attack again somewhere else- health, education, state housing, work rights…

    Not my country.

    • Draco T Bastard 11.1

      They’re getting away with it because they own the 4th estate which is supposed to be holding them to account and informing people of the lies, misdirections and the complete and total lack of fact in NACTs statements.

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    It’s a home - but Kāinga Ora tenants accused of “abusing the privilege” may lose it. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The Government announced a crackdown on Kāinga Ora tenants who were unruly and/or behind on their rent, with Housing Minister Chris Bishop saying a place in a state ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    11 hours ago
  • New Life for Light Rail
    This is a guest post by Connor Sharp of Surface Light Rail  Light rail in Auckland: A way forward sooner than you think With the coup de grâce of Auckland Light Rail (ALR) earlier this year, and the shift of the government’s priorities to roads, roads, and more roads, it ...
    Greater AucklandBy Guest Post
    12 hours ago
  • Why Are Bosses Nearly All Buffoons?
    Note: As a paid-up Webworm member, I’ve recorded this Webworm as a mini-podcast for you as well. Some of you said you liked this option - so I aim to provide it when I get a chance to record! Read more ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    14 hours ago
  • Bernard’s six-stack of substacks at 6.06 pm on March 18
    TL;DR: In my ‘six-stack’ of substacks at 6.06pm on Monday, March 18:IKEA is accused of planting big forests in New Zealand to green-wash; REDD-MonitorA City for People takes a well-deserved victory lap over Wellington’s pro-YIMBY District Plan votes; A City for PeopleSteven Anastasiou takes a close look at the sticky ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 day ago
  • Peters holds his ground on co-governance, but Willis wriggles on those tax cuts and SNA suspension l...
    Buzz from the Beehive Here’s hoping for a lively post-cabinet press conference when the PM and – perhaps – some of his ministers tell us what was discussed at their meeting today. Until then, Point of Order has precious little Beehive news to report after its latest monitoring of the ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    1 day ago
  • Labour’s final report card
    David Farrar writes –  We now have almost all 2023 data in, which has allowed me to update my annual table of how  went against its promises. This is basically their final report card. The promise The result Build 100,000 affordable homes over 10 ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    1 day ago
  • “Drunk Uncle at a Wedding”
    I’m a bit worried that I’ve started a previous newsletter with the words “just when you think they couldn’t get any worse…” Seems lately that I could begin pretty much every issue with that opening. Such is the nature of our coalition government that they seem to be outdoing each ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    1 day ago
  • Wang Yi’s perfectly-timed, Aukus-themed visit to New Zealand
    Geoffrey Miller writes – 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. ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    1 day ago
  • Gordon Campbell on Dune 2, and images of Islam
    Depictions of Islam in Western popular culture have rarely been positive, even before 9/11. Five years on from the mosque shootings, this is one of the cultural headwinds that the Muslim community has to battle against. Whatever messages of tolerance and inclusion are offered in daylight, much of our culture ...
    1 day ago
  • New Rail Operations Centre Promises Better Train Services
    Last week Transport Minster Simeon Brown and Mayor Wayne Brown opened the new Auckland Rail Operations Centre. The new train control centre will see teams from KiwiRail, Auckland Transport and Auckland One Rail working more closely together to improve train services across the city. The Auckland Rail Operations Centre in ...
    2 days ago
  • Bernard's six newsy things at 6.36am on Monday, March 18
    Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Retiring former Labour Finance Minister Grant Robertson said in an exit interview with Q+A yesterday the Government can and should sustain more debt to invest in infrastructure for future generations. Elsewhere in the news in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy at 6:36am: Read more ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago
  • 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
    2 days 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
    2 days 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
    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
  • 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
    3 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
    3 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
    3 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
    4 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
    5 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
    5 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
    5 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
    5 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
    6 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
    6 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

  • Government moves to quickly ratify the NZ-EU FTA
    "The Government is moving quickly to realise an additional $46 million in tariff savings in the EU market this season for Kiwi exporters,” Minister for Trade and Agriculture, Todd McClay says. Parliament is set, this week, to complete the final legislative processes required to bring the New Zealand – European ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 hours 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
    8 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
    10 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
    10 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
    24 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
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  • Government classifies drought conditions in Top of the South as medium-scale adverse event
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