In praise of Michael Hudson

Written By: - Date published: 3:32 pm, November 3rd, 2022 - 39 comments
Categories: capitalism, China, debt / deficit, Diplomacy, Economy, Environment, Europe, Financial markets, Globalisation, history, jobs, monetary policy, Russia, socialism, Ukraine, us politics, war, welfare - Tags:

82-year old polymath Michael Hudson is my favourite economist. He currently lectures in China to million-strong audiences. His latest book is The Destiny of Civilisation: Finance Capitalism, Industrial Capitalism or Socialism. His latest article is well worth a read.

Titled Germany’s Position in America’s New World Order, it was originally published on the German e-site bravenewworld.com, and republished on the blogs Naked Capitalism and The Vineyard of the Saker. He previously identified the US objectives of the Ukraine war being to split Germany and the rest of Europe from the rising east. He outlines the stakes:

Germany has become an economic satellite of America’s New Cold War with Russia, China and the rest of Eurasia. Germany and other NATO countries have been told to impose trade and investment sanctions upon themselves that will outlast today’s proxy war in Ukraine. U.S. President Biden and his State Department spokesmen have explained that Ukraine is just the opening arena in a much broader dynamic that is splitting the world into two opposing sets of economic alliances. This global fracture promises to be a ten- or twenty-year struggle to determine whether the world economy will be a unipolar U.S.-centered dollarized economy, or a multipolar, multi-currency world centered on the Eurasian heartland with mixed public/private economies.

The whole article is well worth spending the time on. As stated, Hudson is a polymath: financial analyst, historian, political activist, economist. He explains the current geopolitical dynamic by reference to the medieval battles between the popes and the holy roman Empire for supremacy and tribute. He understands the destructive power of debt, and played akey role in the Jubilee 2000 campaign which resulted in massive debt relief for third-world countries.

A favourite book of mine is his and forgive them their debts, where he traces the history of debt forgiveness jubilees in Mesopotamia. Its not an easy read, but his opinion that Jesus was delivered up for execution by the Scribes and Pharisees because of his preaching against the rabbi Hillel’s workaround against the prohibition of usury resonates with me. It certainly explains the relevance of the cleansing of the Temple account in the synoptic gospels.

A nice touch occurred in the comments on Naked Capitalism cited above when he was asked by a commenter using the pseudonym Gramsci to clarify a somewhat obscure sentence in the item. I was grateful to the questioner as I couldn’t parse it either. No trouble, Hudson is humble, and back came a better explanation:

In practice, U.S. rhetoric accuses China of being autocratic in regulating its economy to promote its own economic growth and living standards, above all by keeping finance and banking as public utilities to promote the tangible production-and-consumption economy.

We are currently debating the relationship between finance capital and living standards in Aotearoa/New Zealand. In terms of the split between economic alliances, whether we like it or not we are being drawn/pushed/forced into the unipolar U.S.-centered dollarized economy.

Hudson outlines what is at stake:

What basically is at issue is whether economies will be planned by banking centers to create financial wealth – by privatizing basic infrastructure, public utilities and social services such as health care into monopolies – or by raising living standards and prosperity by keeping banking and money creation, public health, education, transportation and communications in public hands.

Michael Hudson and I will quite likely not be here in ten years’ time. I think the future of our families in Aotearoa/New Zealand and the world will be much better if all are playing a full part in a multi-polar, multi-currency world, following the second option.

 

39 comments on “In praise of Michael Hudson ”

  1. Woolly Mammoth 1

    Well done, Mike Smith.

    Hudson is a brilliant analyst. Many a commenter here would do well to read his 'Saker' and 'Naked Capitalism' columns and then see if they still support the official western narratives around China and Russia.

    Would recommend 'J is for Junk Economics', an evisceration of neoliberalism as Orwellian doublethink.

  2. Ad 2

    I would in turn recommend you read "Debt: The First 5000 Years" by David Graeber.

    This is the free PDF:

    graeber-debt_the_first_5000_years.pdf (warwick.ac.uk)

    Bit of a grind and nearly 400 pages but enlightening.

    New Zealand and Australia have done exceedingly well over three decades to balance and pivot between their interests in both China and the United States. Maybe Mr Hudson could pop down here to see how it's done.

    • satty 2.1

      Agreed. Other David Graeber (R.I.P.) books worth reading:

      • Bullshit Jobs
      • The Utopia of Rules (On technology, stupidity and the secret joys of bureaucracy)
  3. Jenny are we there yet 3

    Where Michael Hudson goes off the rails, is when he refers to, "today’s proxy war in Ukraine".

    Proxy means acting for someone else.

    https://thewordcounter.com/meaning-of-proxy/

    The fact is Russia is the aggressor and invader, in a war of choice.

    Ukraine is defending itself against Russian aggression.

    It's hard to be a proxy for someone else, when you are defending yourself.

    • mikesh 3.1

      Correction: It's hard to think of yourself as a proxy if you are defending yourself. Nevertheless America seems to have its grubby paws in a lot of pies around the world, including the Ukranian one. Could this war have continued without the continued supply of American military hardware. But as long as the Ukrainian "heroes" are fighting Russia, America will "nobly" back them all the way.

      I feel sorry for the Ukrainian people, who have been sucked into this horrible predicament through international political manipulations, and by the grandiose ambitions of their nationalist army.

      • Jenny are we there yet 3.1.1

        Jenny are we there yet

        …..It's hard to be a proxy for someone else, when you are defending yourself.

        Reply

        • mikesh

          Correction: It's hard to think of yourself as a proxy if you are defending yourself…..

        Good to see that you accept that Ukraine are defending themselves,, mikesh. There is hope for you yet.

        The point being mikesh, if someone attacks you, you have no choice but to defend yourself either that or submit and risk being beaten to a pulp, (or worse). And if your attacker is bigger and stronger than you, you also have no choice but to ask others for help.

        • mikesh 3.1.1.1

          Good to see that you accept that Ukraine are defending themselves,, mikesh. There is hope for you yet.

          I never doubted it. But they are merely pawns in the USA vs Russia chess game. One might defend a pawn in a chess game, but it is only a small part of the game. In this case it is the proxy battle that really matters.

          It’s good that they are defending themselves but their country is being destroyed in the process. they would be better off seeking peace.

          • Scud 3.1.1.1.1

            The Ukrainians would rather die fighting against Tsar Poot's Russia than seek Peace.

            The Ukrainian's remember Holodomor after it's 1st independence, also post WW2 under Stalin & even more recently Chernobyl.

            In there 2nd independence from Russia they voluntary gave up its Strategic Wpns under the Lisbon Protocol & Budapest Memorandum in return for Russian guarantees to respect Ukraine's Sovereignty and it's rights to make its own decisions IRT it's security & economic well-being. Which Tsar Poot's rip up when he sent his little green when his lackey got the boot.

            There is no way in hell & even if hell freezes over would Ukraine negotiate with Russia would be no!

            Because Ukraine has been burnt twice by Russia & this time they would go down fighting bastards than surrender nor negotiate with bastards!!

            All the expat Ukrainian's that I've met since this stupid war started by Tsar Poot's. Both young & old, have all said Ukrainian's would rather eat grass, starve & live in burnt out buildings than surrender or negotiate with those bastards from Russia.

            • mikesh 3.1.1.1.1.1

              Because Ukraine has been burnt twice by Russia & this time they would go down fighting bastards than surrender nor negotiate with bastards!!

              Which of course is music to Uncle Sam's ears!

              • Scud

                Because Russian guarantees are like Herr Hitler's guarantees not worth the paper they are written on.

                Which has left Ukraine, with no option but to go down swinging. Because they don't want to live under Russia Yoke/Rule again or are you in denial of Russian/ USSR treatment of Ukraine & it's people over the centuries?

                Yes the West isn't actually saints either, but Imperial Russia & later USSR Russia went to a whole different level.

                • mikesh

                  You are saying, in other words, that the Ukranians are Xenophobic. Holding grudges over centuries is stupid. I doubt there would even be many in Ukraine with direct experience of Holodomir. And in any case the Russians are not the only nation to have ruled Ukraine. At different times they have been ruled by Poles, Lithuanians and, I think, Hungarians.

                  • Scud

                    Do you actually read & or understand Eastern European History outside of your Anti Western/ US bubble?

                    Holodomor happened between the 20's & until the start of WW2. So most Ukrainian's these days would either a direct or indirect link to Stalin's famine.

                    Which Stalin's USSR made dammed sure to destroyed Ukrainian's written & oral History during Holodomor.

                    The most successful peace the UkR has ever had was during the Polish Lithuania Ukranian Commonwealth before Imperial Russia dismembered the Polish Lithuania Ukranian Commonwealth.

                    Eastern Europe is always going to be an enigma for people like you & yes their oral History is always going to be strong. Because when you have countries like Russia, who want to wipe any traces of written, Cultural & physical History so they won't/ can't ever rise up again to threaten Russia.

                    It's a shame you are not here in Adelaide atm? As I would take U to both the Ukrainian Catholic Church & the Ukrainian Orthodox Church for an Education in Ukrainian History!

                    If you think Ukraine bad for holding a grudge against Russia? Wait until the Poles, Baltic States & Finland rise up against Russia!

                    Especially the Poles & the Baltic States as they don't trust Russia's guarantees! Thence they asked to join NATO & the EU when they got the opportunity to do so.

                    • mikesh

                      Stalin died 70 years go, and his successor, Nikita Kruschev, was in fact Ukrainian. I still think it stupid to hold a grudge because of what Stalin did. You can present me with as much history as you like, but I will still think them stupid to hold a grudge because of someone who died 70 years ago.

                    • Scud []

                      Well you are going to have a hard time convincing them that they are stupid for holding a grudge against Russia. Oh btw do you do the same for Maori with ToW?

                      Eastern Europe (I'll throw the Greeks & Turks in as will because they like a fight as well) is always going to be a riddle/ enigma for people like you? Unless you are not prepared to understand it's History & it's culture.

                      Just like the arrogant Yanks in the Sandpit & that Muppet Blair who destroyed/ disbanded FCO Arabian Dept as well. Who failed to understand the History & Cultural/ Religious History of the Sandpit

                      Even most countries with Asia Pacific Region are wary of China's true intentions for the Region given centuries conflict by China & they are just as wary as the Japanese & US the intentions as well. But They also know that the US & Japan are Democracies & are less likely to rage war than authoritarian regimes like China, Russia & Nth Korea as these countries hold a grudge against the West & there fellow Asiatic Nations. Just like the Eastern European Countries have against Russia, as authoritarian are more likely to go to war than a democratic country expect for the Stupid Yanks.

                      There well be no peace in Eastern Europe until Tsar Poot's is removed from office, because he is a arrogant Slavic Male that thinks the world owns him a place in the world. Until then every Eastern European Countries would be looking East, because Russia is still the same Authoritarian Imperialist backwards looking country that has a bigger grudge than everyone else.

                      Which Russia will always be a that Eastern Europe riddle & enigma in Europe or words to that effect IRT one of Churchill quotes.

                    • mikesh

                      I may well have difficulty persuading the Ukrainians of their foolishness. So what.

                    • Scud []

                      Because you are a arrogant twat, who's thinks only that stupid Yanks & the Western imperialists goes round Invading other countries or understand what the late USSR & its Lackeys did in Eastern post WW2 until the end of the CW.

                      Well hello Russia & China are just as bad as the West. When they are given the opportunity too do the same a well.

          • Stuart Munro 3.1.1.1.2

            They are seeking peace – there is no security to be had from agreements with Russia however, so they are obliged to win it the hard way.

            It is Russia that needs to seek peace – while they still have a younger generation.

  4. Jenny are we there yet 4

    As a theorist and economist, Michael Hudson is absolutely right, debt is a tool of neo-imperialist subjugation and oppression of smaller nations by bigger ones. (Russia and China are as guilty of this practice as much as any Western neo-imperialist powers)

    But as a commentator on current events, Michael Hudson gets it wrong, when he refers to, "today’s proxy war in Ukraine".

    Proxy means acting for someone else.

    https://thewordcounter.com/meaning-of-proxy/

    The fact is Russia is the aggressor and invader, in a war of choice.

    Ukraine is defending itself against Russian aggression.

    It's hard to be a proxy for someone else, when you are defending yourself.

    • Tricledrown 4.1

      Hudson wouldn't be able to lecture in China if he had told the truth about China and Russia imperial ambitions

    • mikesh 4.2

      “(Russia and China are as guilty of this practice as much as any Western neo-imperialist powers)”

      What Hudson is talking about is the use of finance and debt as economic weapons. I don't think the Russians are guilty of this, preferring instead to employ good, honest warfare to achieve their ends – just like that "evil" chap, Abraham Lincoln, did in 1860. China, on the other hand, is more subtle, preferring to employ diplomacy.

      America's aims seem to be based on a theory advanced by one, Halford McKinder, who believed that whichever country controls the "heartland" would control the world. The heartland seems to be the area around the Black Sea.

      • Jenny are we there yet 4.2.1

        All imperial powers use 'Soft Power. But violence and war are always their fallback position. When Soft Power is not enough to get the sort of submission the imperial power practicing it wants from the subject nation, then the use of Hard Power, is the next logical step for a bigger country to impose their will on a smaller one.
        Often Soft Power and Hard Power are wielded together.

        China uses Soft Power to gain access to resources and port facilities in Pacific Island countries and then shores this up with warship visits as a warning to rival powers like the US not to intervene.
        This is how Soft Power Rivalry can turn into Hard Power clashes.

        So far the US and Australia have responded to Chinese expansion in the South Pacific, with diplomatic pressure and greater investment to counter Chinese Soft Power.

        A global recession, will heighten the tension and raise the stakes. China will not want to relinquish their gains. The US and Australia will not want to them keep them.

        War between them is inevitable.

        • mikesh 4.2.1.1

          War between them is inevitable.

          Just so. The Ukrainian war is just a preliminary skirmish.

          • Scud 4.2.1.1.1

            The Ukrainian War is only the beginning of the end or the opening prelude to Wagner's ring cycle & we all know how that ends?

          • Jenny are we there yet 4.2.1.1.2

            A skirmish can be prevented from turning into a full scale war, if it can be thoroughly repulsed.

            Slava Ukraine

        • Scud 4.2.1.2

          Nicely put Jerry, as I've said countless times here we are slowly sleep walking towards war weather we want it or not & eventually NZ would have to pick a side as Neutrality is not an option given the rundown state of the NZDF since the 90's.

          As I don't think the average punter in NZ, would to see a massive increase in funding & rebuilding lost NZDF Capabilities of last 3-4 decades without more funding in Health, Education, social security & Rail etc etc.

  5. Jenny are we there yet 5

    Classic imperialism.

    Calling himself a 'Marxist' Michael Hudson is right in identifying the mechanisms of modern imperialism., I think where he falls down is in ascribing these practices to the big Western capitalist powers of Europe the US Britain etc. and ignores the reality that every country with a capitalist economy predicated on endless growth, either need to expand their influence and control or suffer contraction and recession. Big countries will prey on smaller countries. Smaller countries will resist.

    Neo-imperialism

    …..Speaking to the Los Angeles Times, Tsinghua University law professor, Xu Zhangrun, asked some pertinent questions:

    “Why is China, a country with over 100 million people who are still living below the poverty line, playing at being the flashy big-spender? How can such wanton generosity be allowed?”

    ….according to economic analysts, China’s neverending loans could lead Africa down a slippery slope of unpayable debt. In the last 18 years, China has pumped more than $124 billion into Africa, while the International Monetary Fund has warned of increasing debt distress in 15 African countries.

    China’s new ‘Silk Road’ has run into problems surrounding mounting debt and cries of neo-colonialism.

    ……In August of this year, Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, abruptly cancelled China-funded projects, stating:

    “We do not want a situation where there is a new version of colonialism happening because poor countries are unable to compete with rich countries.”

    Unfortunately, poorer countries are often too eager to get their hands on the money. Take Sri Lanka for example; the nation snapped up a Chinese loan which has now resulted in debt exceeding $13 billion.

    Unable to settle its ever-growing debt, thanks to burgeoning inflation rates, the small island nation was, in effect, forced to sell Hambantota port to the Chinese.

    The port, which was constructed by the Chinese, with the use of Chinese funds and labour, is now a Chinese-controlled naval base on foreign soil…..

    https://www.thesouthafrican.com/news/debt-colonialism-china-africa-resources/

  6. mikesh 6

    As you say, the Sri Lankan port was built with Chinese labour and money, so I doubt whether exploitation was actually the original objective. China seems to be endeavoring to to match the US's array of bases around the world.

  7. I wish the churches would highlight the economic part of Jesus' message a lot more. This is intriguing:

    Jesus was delivered up for execution by the Scribes and Pharisees because of his preaching against the rabbi Hillel’s workaround against the prohibition of usury

    but it lines up with JC's other teachings about Money (aka Mammon). He talked about the love of money quite a lot, as we mortals are inordinately fond of the stuff.

    But as Chris Hedges has pointed out in the past, the American churches have led the way in excising the idea of economic justice from the Gospel, instead establishing a disgusting money grubbing cult that is totally in thrall to corporate America

    • Jenny are we there yet 7.1

      Chris Hedges is a worthy commentator. Like Abby Martin, Chris Hedges is one of those principled RT hosts who broke with the Russian Government news channel over the Russian Federation invasion and war against Ukraine.

  8. aj 8

    I don't think he 'broke', that's an unusual term to use when his show was a victim of censorship.

    YouTube has deleted the entire archive of “On Contact,” an Emmy-nominated television show by Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Chris Hedges which was hosted on the Russian government-funded news channel RT America. We speak with Hedges, who connects the YouTube censorship of his show to a growing crackdown on dissenting voices in American media. “There’s less and less space for those who are willing to seriously challenge and question entrenched power,” says Hedges, who says “opaque entities” like YouTube shouldn’t have the power to take down outlets like RT America, despite the channel’s source of funding. “Are we better off not hearing what Russia has to say?” asks Hedges.

    https://www.democracynow.org/2022/4/1/on_contact_chris_hedges_youtube_russia

    • Jenny are we there yet 8.1

      Hedges said he "might have paid with" his job for making negative comments about the war in Ukraine, "but at least for those six days", after the invasion, he remained in post.[63]….

      In a March 2022 piece for the Salon website, Hedges wrote that the Russian invasion of Ukraine was "a criminal war of aggression",….

      ….Hedges called for an immediate ceasefire and "a moratorium on arms shipments to Ukraine and the withdrawal of Russian troops from the country."[88]

      In his 2022 book The Greatest Evil is War, Hedges writes:

      Preemptive war, whether in Iraq or Ukraine, is a war crime.

      https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chris_Hedges

      Preemptive war, is a war crime. Chapter VII Article 39 of the UN charter.

      Action with Respect to Threats to the Peace, Breaches of the Peace, and Acts of Aggression

      Article 39

      The Security Council shall determine the existence of any threat to the peace, breach of the peace, or act of aggression and shall make recommendations, or decide what measures shall be taken in accordance with Articles 41 and 42, to maintain or restore international peace and security.

      • mikesh 8.1.1

        Preemptive war, whether in Iraq or Ukraine, is a war crime.

        He's wrong of course. He cannot generalise like that. There would surely have to be exceptions. He is trying to prove Russia is committing a war crime using faulty logic i.e.:

        All preemptive attacks are war crimes. Russia has launched a preemptive attack. Therefor Russia is a war criminal.

        It doesn't work because the first premise is invalid.

  9. aj 10

    Incognito: yes, taken aboard, sorry.

    Chris Hedges is a worthy commentator.

    Who articulates his views very well, and a person whose views on both sides of the current conflict are shared, I think, with a number of commentators here that you spar with. I certainly agree with his take.

    He also believes it is a proxy war:

    I have covered enough wars to know that once you open that Pandora’s box, the many evils that pour out are beyond anyone’s control. War accelerates the whirlwind of industrial killing. The longer any war continues, the closer and closer each side comes to self-annihilation. Unless it is stopped, the proxy war between Russia and the U.S. in Ukraine all but guarantees direct confrontation with Russia and, with it, the very real possibility of nuclear war.

    https://consortiumnews.com/2022/10/25/chris-hedges-stop-worrying-love-the-bomb/

  10. The comments under this post exemplify the problem faced by Michael Hudson & fellow critics of the Capitalist Death Cult.

    Kleptocratic governments (East and West) commonly use great power geopolitics, crisis narratives, and disinfo tactics to keep the masses confused and distracted.

    Any time that class consciousness begins to break out, witness the character assassinations (Assange, Corbyn) or actual assassinations of inconvenient witnesses (Epstein). War (or warlike rhetoric) is a reliable way to keep the workers compliant and scared. Hence we have the red herrings in this comment section.

    I suspect that Elon Musk (a great pal of Peter Thiel) has parachuted in to Twitter to stop real democracy or class solidarity from taking place in America.

    Power to the people.

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    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 ...
    1 day 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
    1 day 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
    3 days ago
  • How Did FTX Crash?
    What seemed a booming success a couple of years ago has collapsed into fraud convictions.I looked at the crash of FTX (short for ‘Futures Exchange’) in November 2022 to see whether it would impact on the financial system as a whole. Fortunately there was barely a ripple, probably because it ...
    PunditBy Brian Easton
    4 days ago
  • Elections in Russia and Ukraine
    Anybody following the situation in Ukraine and Russia would probably have been amused by a recent Tweet on X NATO seems to be putting in an awful lot of effort to influence what is, at least according to them, a sham election in an autocracy.When do the Ukrainians go to ...
    4 days ago
  • Bernard’s six stack of substacks at 6pm on March 15
    TL;DR: Shaun Baker on Wynyard Quarter's transformation. Magdalene Taylor on the problem with smart phones. How private equity are now all over reinsurance. Dylan Cleaver on rugby and CTE. Emily Atkin on ‘Big Meat’ looking like ‘Big Oil’.Bernard’s six-stack of substacks at 6pm on March 15Photo by Jeppe Hove Jensen ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • Buzz from the Beehive Finance Minister Nicola Willis had plenty to say when addressing the Auckland Business Chamber on the economic growth that (she tells us) is flagging more than we thought. But the government intends to put new life into it:  We want our country to be a ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    4 days ago
  • National’s clean car tax advances
    The Transport and Infrastructure Committee has reported back on the Road User Charges (Light Electric RUC Vehicles) Amendment Bill, basicly rubberstamping it. While there was widespread support among submitters for the principle that EV and PHEV drivers should pay their fair share for the roads, they also overwhelmingly disagreed with ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    4 days ago
  • Government funding bailouts
    Peter Dunne writes – This week’s government bailout – the fifth in the last eighteen months – of the financially troubled Ruapehu Alpine Lifts company would have pleased many in the central North Island ski industry. The government’s stated rationale for the $7 million funding was that it ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • Two offenders, different treatments.
    See if you can spot the difference. An Iranian born female MP from a progressive party is accused of serial shoplifting. Her name is leaked to the media, which goes into a pack frenzy even before the Police launch an … Continue reading ...
    KiwipoliticoBy Pablo
    4 days ago
  • Treaty references omitted
    Ele Ludemann writes  – The government is omitting general Treaty references from legislation : The growth of Treaty of Waitangi clauses in legislation caused so much worry that a special oversight group was set up by the last Government in a bid to get greater coherence in the public service on Treaty ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • The Ghahraman Conflict
    What was that judge thinking? Peter Williams writes –  That Golriz Ghahraman and District Court Judge Maria Pecotic were once lawyer colleagues is incontrovertible. There is published evidence that they took at least one case to the Court of Appeal together. There was a report on ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • Bernard's Top 10 @ 10 'pick 'n' mix' for March 15
    TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: Climate Scorpion – the sting is in the tail. Introducing planetary solvency. A paper via the University of Exeter’s Institute and Faculty of Actuaries.Local scoop: Kāinga Ora starts pulling out of its Auckland projects and selling land RNZ ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • The day Wellington up-zoned its future
    Wellington’s massively upzoned District Plan adds the opportunity for tens of thousands of new homes not just in the central city (such as these Webb St new builds) but also close to the CBD and public transport links. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Wellington gave itself the chance of ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • Weekly Roundup 15-March-2024
    It’s Friday and we’re halfway through March Madness. Here’s some of the things that caught our attention this week. This Week in Greater Auckland On Monday Matt asked how we can get better event trains and an option for grade separating Morningside Dr. On Tuesday Matt looked into ...
    Greater AucklandBy Greater Auckland
    4 days ago
  • That Word.
    Something you might not know about me is that I’m quite a stubborn person. No, really. I don’t much care for criticism I think’s unfair or that I disagree with. Few of us do I suppose.Back when I was a drinker I’d sometimes respond defensively, even angrily. There are things ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    4 days ago
  • The Hoon around the week to March 15
    Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The five things that mattered in Aotearoa’s political economy that we wrote and spoke about via The Kākā and elsewhere for paying subscribers in the last week included:PM Christopher Luxon said the reversal of interest deductibility for landlords was done to help renters, who ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    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
    5 days ago
  • I Think I'm Done Flying Boeing
    Hi,Just quickly — I’m blown away by the stories you’ve shared with me over the last week since I put out the ‘Gary’ podcast, where I told you about the time my friend’s flatmate killed the neighbour.And you keep telling me stories — in the comments section, and in my ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    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
  • There’s a name for this
    Every year, in the Budget, Parliament forks out money to government agencies to do certain things. And every year, as part of the annual review cycle, those agencies are meant to report on whether they have done the things Parliament gave them that money for. Agencies which consistently fail to ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    6 days ago

  • 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
    1 hour 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
    6 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
    8 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
    9 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
    22 hours ago
  • Kāinga Ora instructed to end Sustaining Tenancies
    Kāinga Ora – Homes & Communities has been instructed to end the Sustaining Tenancies Framework and take stronger measures against persistent antisocial behaviour by tenants, says Housing Minister Chris Bishop. “Earlier today Finance Minister Nicola Willis and I sent an interim Letter of Expectations to the Board of Kāinga Ora. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Speech to Auckland Business Chamber: Growth is the answer
    Tēna koutou katoa. Greetings everyone. Thank you to the Auckland Chamber of Commerce and the Honourable Simon Bridges for hosting this address today. I acknowledge the business leaders in this room, the leaders and governors, the employers, the entrepreneurs, the investors, and the wealth creators. The coalition Government shares your ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Singapore rounds out regional trip
    Minister Winston Peters completed the final leg of his visit to South and South East Asia in Singapore today, where he focused on enhancing one of New Zealand’s indispensable strategic partnerships.      “Singapore is our most important defence partner in South East Asia, our fourth-largest trading partner and a ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Minister van Velden represents New Zealand at International Democracy Summit
    Minister of Internal Affairs and Workplace Relations and Safety, Hon. Brooke van Velden, will travel to the Republic of Korea to represent New Zealand at the Third Summit for Democracy on 18 March. The summit, hosted by the Republic of Korea, was first convened by the United States in 2021, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Insurance Council of NZ Speech, 7 March 2024, Auckland
    ICNZ Speech 7 March 2024, Auckland  Acknowledgements and opening  Mōrena, ngā mihi nui. Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Nor Whanganui aho.  Good morning, it’s a privilege to be here to open the ICNZ annual conference, thank you to Mark for the Mihi Whakatau  My thanks to Tim Grafton for inviting me ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Five-year anniversary of Christchurch terror attacks
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Lead Coordination Minister Judith Collins have expressed their deepest sympathy on the five-year anniversary of the Christchurch terror attacks. “March 15, 2019, was a day when families, communities and the country came together both in sorrow and solidarity,” Mr Luxon says.  “Today we pay our respects to the 51 shuhada ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Speech for Financial Advice NZ Conference 5 March 2024
    Speech for Financial Advice NZ Conference 5 March 2024  Acknowledgements and opening  Morena, Nga Mihi Nui.  Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Nor Whanganui aho. Thanks Nate for your Mihi Whakatau  Good morning. It’s a pleasure to formally open your conference this morning. What a lovely day in Wellington, What a great ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Early visit to Indonesia strengthens ties
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters held discussions in Jakarta today about the future of relations between New Zealand and South East Asia’s most populous country.   “We are in Jakarta so early in our new government’s term to reflect the huge importance we place on our relationship with Indonesia and South ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • China Foreign Minister to visit
    Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Winston Peters has announced that the Foreign Minister of China, Wang Yi, will visit New Zealand next week.  “We look forward to re-engaging with Foreign Minister Wang Yi and discussing the full breadth of the bilateral relationship, which is one of New Zealand’s ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Minister opens new Auckland Rail Operations Centre
    Transport Minister Simeon Brown has today opened the new Auckland Rail Operations Centre, which will bring together KiwiRail, Auckland Transport, and Auckland One Rail to improve service reliability for Aucklanders. “The recent train disruptions in Auckland have highlighted how important it is KiwiRail and Auckland’s rail agencies work together to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Celebrating 10 years of Crankworx Rotorua
    The Government is proud to support the 10th edition of Crankworx Rotorua as the Crankworx World Tour returns to Rotorua from 16-24 March 2024, says Minister for Economic Development Melissa Lee.  “Over the past 10 years as Crankworx Rotorua has grown, so too have the economic and social benefits that ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Government delivering on tax commitments
    Legislation implementing coalition Government tax commitments and addressing long-standing tax anomalies will be progressed in Parliament next week, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The legislation is contained in an Amendment Paper to the Taxation (Annual Rates for 2023–24, Multinational Tax, and Remedial Matters) Bill issued today.  “The Amendment Paper represents ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Significant Natural Areas requirement to be suspended
    Associate Environment Minister Andrew Hoggard has today announced that the Government has agreed to suspend the requirement for councils to comply with the Significant Natural Areas (SNA) provisions of the National Policy Statement for Indigenous Biodiversity for three years, while it replaces the Resource Management Act (RMA).“As it stands, SNAs ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Government classifies drought conditions in Top of the South as medium-scale adverse event
    Agriculture Minister Todd McClay has classified the drought conditions in the Marlborough, Tasman, and Nelson districts as a medium-scale adverse event, acknowledging the challenging conditions facing farmers and growers in the district. “Parts of Marlborough, Tasman, and Nelson districts are in the grip of an intense dry spell. I know ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Government partnership to tackle $332m facial eczema problem
    The Government is helping farmers eradicate the significant impact of facial eczema (FE) in pastoral animals, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay announced.  “A $20 million partnership jointly funded by Beef + Lamb NZ, the Government, and the primary sector will save farmers an estimated NZD$332 million per year, and aims to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • NZ, India chart path to enhanced relationship
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters has completed a successful visit to India, saying it was an important step in taking the relationship between the two countries to the next level.   “We have laid a strong foundation for the Coalition Government’s priority of enhancing New Zealand-India relations to generate significant future benefit for both countries,” says Mr Peters, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Ruapehu Alpine Lifts bailout the last, say Ministers
    Cabinet has agreed to provide $7 million to ensure the 2024 ski season can go ahead on the Whakapapa ski field in the central North Island but has told the operator Ruapehu Alpine Lifts it is the last financial support it will receive from taxpayers. Cabinet also agreed to provide ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Govt takes action to drive better cancer services
    Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says the launch of a new mobile breast screening unit in Counties Manukau reinforces the coalition Government’s commitment to drive better cancer services for all New Zealanders. Speaking at the launch of the new mobile clinic, Dr Reti says it’s a great example of taking ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Govt takes action to drive better cancer services
    Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says the launch of a new mobile breast screening unit in Counties Manukau reinforces the coalition Government’s commitment to drive better cancer services for all New Zealanders. Speaking at the launch of the new mobile clinic, Dr Reti says it’s a great example of taking ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Work begins on SH29 upgrades near Tauriko
    Unlocking economic growth and land for housing are critical elements of the Government’s plan for our transport network, and planned upgrades to State Highway 29 (SH29) near Tauriko will deliver strongly on those priorities, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “The SH29 upgrades near Tauriko will improve safety at the intersections ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Work begins on SH29 upgrades near Tauriko
    Unlocking economic growth and land for housing are critical elements of the Government’s plan for our transport network, and planned upgrades to State Highway 29 (SH29) near Tauriko will deliver strongly on those priorities, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “The SH29 upgrades near Tauriko will improve safety at the intersections ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Fresh produce price drop welcome
    Lower fruit and vegetable prices are welcome news for New Zealanders who have been doing it tough at the supermarket, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. Stats NZ reported today the price of fruit and vegetables has dropped 9.3 percent in the 12 months to February 2024.  “Lower fruit and vege ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Statement to the 68th United Nations Commission on the Status of Women
    Tēnā koutou katoa and greetings to you all.  Chair, I am honoured to address the sixty-eighth session of the Commission on the Status of Women. I acknowledge the many crises impacting the rights of women and girls. Heightened global tensions, war, climate related and humanitarian disasters, and price inflation all ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Speech to the 68th United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (CSW68)
    Tēnā koutou katoa and greetings to you all.  Chair, I am honoured to address the 68th session of the Commission on the Status of Women. I acknowledge the many crises impacting the rights of women and girls. Heightened global tensions, war, climate related and humanitarian disasters, and price inflation all ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Government backs rural led catchment projects
    The coalition Government is supporting farmers to enhance land management practices by investing $3.3 million in locally led catchment groups, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay announced. “Farmers and growers deliver significant prosperity for New Zealand and it’s vital their ongoing efforts to improve land management practices and water quality are supported,” ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Speech to Auckland Business Chamber
    Good evening everyone and thank you for that lovely introduction.   Thank you also to the Honourable Simon Bridges for the invitation to address your members. Since being sworn in, this coalition Government has hit the ground running with our 100-day plan, delivering the changes that New Zealanders expect of us. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Commission’s advice on ETS settings tabled
    Recommendations from the Climate Change Commission for New Zealand on the Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) auction and unit limit settings for the next five years have been tabled in Parliament, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. “The Commission provides advice on the ETS annually. This is the third time the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Government lowering building costs
    The coalition Government is beginning its fight to lower building costs and reduce red tape by exempting minor building work from paying the building levy, says Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk. “Currently, any building project worth $20,444 including GST or more is subject to the building levy which is ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Trustee tax change welcomed
    Proposed changes to tax legislation to prevent the over-taxation of low-earning trusts are welcome, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The changes have been recommended by Parliament’s Finance and Expenditure Committee following consideration of submissions on the Taxation (Annual Rates for 2023–24, Multinational Tax, and Remedial Matters) Bill. “One of the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Minister’s Ramadan message
    Assalaamu alaikum. السَّلَام عليكم In light of the holy month of Ramadan, I want to extend my warmest wishes to our Muslim community in New Zealand. Ramadan is a time for spiritual reflection, renewed devotion, perseverance, generosity, and forgiveness.  It’s a time to strengthen our bonds and appreciate the diversity ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Minister appoints new NZTA Chair
    Former Transport Minister and CEO of the Auckland Business Chamber Hon Simon Bridges has been appointed as the new Board Chair of the New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA) for a three-year term, Transport Minister Simeon Brown announced today. “Simon brings extensive experience and knowledge in transport policy and governance to the role. He will ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Speech to Life Sciences Summit
    Good morning all, it is a pleasure to be here as Minister of Science, Innovation and Technology.  It is fantastic to see how connected and collaborative the life science and biotechnology industry is here in New Zealand. I would like to thank BioTechNZ and NZTech for the invitation to address ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Progress continues apace on water storage
    Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says he is looking forward to the day when three key water projects in Northland are up and running, unlocking the full potential of land in the region. Mr Jones attended a community event at the site of the Otawere reservoir near Kerikeri on Friday. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Government agrees to restore interest deductions
    Associate Finance Minister David Seymour has today announced that the Government has agreed to restore deductibility for mortgage interest on residential investment properties. “Help is on the way for landlords and renters alike. The Government’s restoration of interest deductibility will ease pressure on rents and simplify the tax code,” says ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Minister to attend World Anti-Doping Agency Symposium
    Sport and Recreation Minister Chris Bishop will travel to Switzerland today to attend an Executive Committee meeting and Symposium of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA). Mr Bishop will then travel on to London where he will attend a series of meetings in his capacity as Infrastructure Minister. “New Zealanders believe ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

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