In support of Nanaia Mahuta

Written By: - Date published: 8:11 am, November 6th, 2020 - 70 comments
Categories: International, labour, Nanaia Mahuta, the praiseworthy and the pitiful - Tags:

Some elements of the right as well as Comrade Chris Trotter have decided to attack Nanaia Mahuta’s appointment as Foreign Affairs minister.

I can understand the attacks from the right.  They are motivated by distaste because not only is she not a man but she is not one of them, her skin colour is not quite right as far as they are concerned and they still harbour views that were last century and which are well and truly past their use by date .  But the attack by Comrade Trotter is to be frank well misplaced.

At the Daily Blog he said this:

No amount of fluffing-up the elevation of Nanaia Mahuta to Minister of Foreign Affairs – “the first woman in our nation’s history appointed to hold the portfolio” – can disguise the sheer awfulness and irresponsibility of Ardern’s decision.

The job should have gone to David Parker: not only because he has earned it many times over, but also because, in the years between now and the next election, New Zealand is going to need a truly outstanding Foreign Minister. Regardless of who wins the 3 November presidential election, the conflict between the USA and China is going to ramp-up into something with the potential to inflict huge damage on this country and its economy. New Zealand needs a Foreign Minister of vision, courage, verbal felicity and real, on-the-ground, experience. Mahuta, sadly, has not distinguished herself as a person over-endowed with any of these qualities.

I would beg to differ with Comrade Chris.  Mahuta has displayed heaps of courage, for instance when she opposed the Foreshore and Seabed legislation, has an outstanding ability to present and critique ideas and her ability to ride the complexity of Maori politics leaves her well placed to do the same with International politics.

Mahuta has a proud history in the Labour Party.  She has been an MP since 1996.  I got to know her in 2011 during the Labour leadership contest that year when she stood for the deputy leadership in partnership with David Cunliffe.  The two of them toured the country and wowed the membership.  The caucus decided to support David Shearer but I can say confidently that large parts of the membership did not see it that way.

Nanaia was a star.  I saw her speak at a couple of meetings and her speech was straight from the heart, presented a complex view of the world, and made me think about things.  Her world view was expansive and complex.  She provided a distinct and welcome alternative to the other speeches being given.  And the David Nanaia partnership was perfect.  Male female, Pakeha Maori.

She was first elected to Parliament in 1996.  She survived the foreshore and seabed difficulties that the party faced.  She sought and received permission to vote against the bill.  In 2005 which was a good year for Labour but a bad year for Labour’s Maori MPs she was returned to Parliament.  Since then she has won the seat very comfortably.  Maori have a very sophisticated and complex understanding of the political process.  Mahuta’s continued success shows that she is tuned into what it happening within her community.

The increasing strength of the Maori and Pacifica caucuses in Labour are reasons for celebration.  Their sense of Manaakitanga is something that every leftie should endorse.  If you are looking for the left faction in Labour’s caucus this is it.

Shane Te Pou, who is going from strength to strength as a political commentator also considers that Nanaia’s appointment is a worthy one.  In this morning’s Herald he says this:

Ardern has recognised Mahuta as one of her most reliable ministers — she gets the job done, she keeps people onside, and she doesn’t create negative headlines. In other words, perfect attributes for a Minister of Foreign Affairs.

Nanaia Mahuta has built her 24-year career as an MP by being a quiet achiever. She connects to communities and stakeholders, builds consensus, fixes problems without a fuss, without a splash. She constantly surpasses expectations.

I was on the selection panel when Mahuta put her name forward to be a Labour candidate in 1996. I’ll confess, she wasn’t the top candidate in my mind, until she came and spoke to us.

Her research and knowledge was impeccable, her vision was impressive. Already in 1996, she was thinking about the post-Treaty settlement future that we’re only just starting to grapple with now.

She won that selection and has gone on to win eight successive electorate races. Through the foreshore and seabed controversy, when she voted against the bill in its first two readings, she decided the best course was to stay with Labour and be part of rebuilding the Māori voice in the party. She went back to her people and made the case for staying with Labour, and she won re-election — one of only two Māori seats Labour held in 2008.

People underestimate Mahuta at their peril. They think that because she’s not all over the news she’s not doing much, but that’s a mistake. Not every minister needs to be a star or a show-off. Getting things done is more important than producing a lot of sound and fury, signifying nothing.

His conclusion is outstanding:

The best bit is the old grumps and racists moaning about it. It just shows how out of touch and irrelevant they are. It’s the 21st century — the days when grey men in suits were in charge are long gone. It’s time for the people of Aotearoa to be proud of who we are and display what makes us unique. A skilful, consensus-building wāhine with a moko kauae is the perfect voice for NZ’s place in the world.

He rākau taumatua he huinga manu — it’s not a wāhine leadership of one but it’s about the tree in the forest where all the birds turn up for a sing and a kōrero. A trusted and important tree in Te Wao nui a Tane, just as she is now a trusted and important politician in the current Government.

Maori woman with a moko representing us to world leaders?  Hell yeah.

70 comments on “In support of Nanaia Mahuta ”

  1. Antonina 1

    well said Micky and thank you for writing this.

  2. Robert Guyton 2

    "I can understand the attacks from the right. They are motivated by distaste …"

    Poor lambs!

    I applaud the appointment.

  3. Tiger Mountain 3

    Nice piece. Do some of the critics even know what the Kingitanga is one wonders? This woman is definitely someone of status.

    Nanaia and Peeni replacing the reactionaries from NZ First are an opportunity for new approaches. Solidarity networks for the likes of Palestinians and West Papua need to move fast though, because 5 Eyes, internal security agencies and Israeli supporters, will already be trying to capture these two.

    It will be interesting when Nanaia meets some US State Dept. types and drops into the conversation–“so where is it all at with Standing Rock?”

  4. JanM 4

    Chris Trotter has some trouble understanding that white men no longer rule as of right. I feel as though I have hurtled back to the history department of the 60s when I read him sometimes. I personally am proud and happy that Nanaia Mahuta gets to represent us on the international stage. Kia kotahi!

    [Removed spurious text from e-mail address]

    • greywarshark 4.1

      JanM I think you have trouble understanding discussion and critiquing in general, wanting a rose-strewn path with feminine/feminist bias all the time. Women need to be watched and checked and evaluated as with all candidates for anything, to ensure they are trustworthy and capable. Women and Maori as two groups who have been backgrounded for a long time, can not be indulged with have-a-go, or rah rah, it's your time. It should be a case of equal opportunity, with a recognition of whom is ready and capable to do the job. There should also be a willingness, a desire to have a greater representation of society among those ready to carry out the task. To ensure this all should have an opportunity to learn skills and shine especially those who have not been considered in the past. They must have opportunities to build the skills and abilities, and have places set aside at training institutions, whether in university or practical social work courses. Then equality must be evident in choosing personnel, and thinking widely, we might then see more NZs in positions with aurthoritu instead of the present influx of overseas high flyers.

      It seems that Ms Mahuta's talents can stand any amount of critiquing and comparison with David Parker. It is not unreasonable of Chris Trotter to discuss and test the case.

      • JanM 4.1.1

        Are your comments about what I said wilful ignorance or just an excuse to hang your hat on a convenient peg?

        • greywarshark 4.1.1.1

          Jibes at anyone who doesn't follow your line of thinking which has superior authority is your style it appears.

      • CrimsonGhost 4.1.2

        Yeah nah, Chris is just becoming reactionary in his old age & bummed that his tidbit feeder Parker didn't get the role and be able to provide him with more tidbits LOL.

    • tc 4.2

      "…I have hurtled back to the history department of the 60s when I read him.." +100

      Trotter's a tame lefty media rent a quote goto they turn to as he doesn't scare the 'horses' like pagani etc. They have to pay the piper eventually.

  5. Patricia Bremner 5

    Nanaia will represent us with dignity and knowledge. She is a believer in the rule of law and a great communicator and listener. She is able to network, and has confidence in her role and is a team player. The World Trade people she met through her Associate Minister of Trade role, congratulated her on her new role and gave a glimpse of the warm relationships and respect in which she is held. I am pleased for her, but more pleased for us. Jacinda Ardern is a very astute leader, and shows that once again.

  6. swordfish 6

    I can understand the attacks from the right. They are motivated by distaste because not only is she not a man but she is not one of them, her skin colour is not quite right as far as they are concerned

    Ohhh, Poor Little Rich Girl.

    Mission of the Political Right: Maintaining power for the Christ College / Whanganui Collegiate Old Boys Network

    Mission of the Woke "Cultural Left": Empowering & ostentatiously celebrating the spoiled, privileged elites of ID demographics deemed "marginalised" … from Old Money Pakeha Woodford House Girls to Blue Blood Indigenous Aristocracy …

    All very emotionally moving for the sort of Upper-Middle Professionals (imbued with a kind of Romantic Paternalism) now firmly in control of supposedly "Left"-leaning Parties.

    Elitist to its very core.

    • RedLogix 6.1

      Blue Blood Indigenous Aristocracy

      Indeed, most pakeha are quite blind to how very elitist and precisely calibrated are the class distinctions in Maori society.

      Nonetheless, if she is as competent as the OP paints her to be, then this is all that really matters to me.

      • left_forward 6.1.1

        … very elitist and precisely calibrated…

        If you are pakeha, then the irony of your view is how dangerously close to intellectual elitism and racist it is.

        If you are maori, then I recommend that you look for the deeper nuances within your whanaunga.

        • Redlogix 6.1.1.1

          Whakapapa. While it is usually explained as genealogy and connection to your past ancestors, there is also no doubt that it very precisely places each individual into a complex hierarchy in the present.

          And that hierarchy has both it's good and oppressive aspects. None of this is terribly controversial, all human societies do this to some degree.

    • left_forward 6.2

      Sorry – don't understand anything you have written here – too many codified phrases – what are you actually saying?

    • Matthew Whitehead 6.3

      Happy to discuss elitism within Labour or the Left generally, but what exactly are you citing as evidence here that either Minister Mahuta herself or her appointment is a result of elitism? So far you've just thrown the accusation without really backing it up.

    • mickysavage 6.4

      Interesting comment Swordfish. The broad left have discussed for a few decades now the competing arguments of class, race and gender.

      Some see things in class terms only, others in gender terms, others in race terms.

      For me I see class and race as being closely linked. Gender perhaps less so.

      It is a valid argument but one that tends to blow up every time the left has it …

      • swordfish 6.4.1

        For me I see class and race as being closely linked.

        That's your problem right there.

  7. left_forward 7

    Yes I entirely agree – the critique is completely unwarranted and ignorant.

  8. Matthew Whitehead 8

    Most of the criticism I've seen of this falls into one of three categories:

    a) Obvious racism. I don't think we need to waste time discussing that nonsense, and it discredits anyone who tries it. I'm sure to some degree other critiques are motivated by unconscious racism, and that one's a bit more insidious to get at.

    b) Objecting to how "quiet" Mahuta is- I think you covered this well in the post. There is no reason a Minister has to be flashy, in fact from the PM's perspective there is some benefit to surprising the public or your opponents with everything they've done because they're plugging away in the background. Frankly, being able to sit back and say "this room already has all the questions I want to ask covered, I will observe and report later" or even just "this isn't my area yet, I will be quiet and learn for now" is an underrated political skill, and it is telling that political liches like Stephen Franks think it's disqualifying.

    c) Fetishizing experience- I think Trotter's objection that Parker is more qualified fits in here. There are other ways to be qualified than just the sorts of obvious things you'll have checked in a job interview, although the Minister has some of those as a previous Minister for Trade, too, and I'm willing to take Ardern at her word that she's impressed in that portfolio. (And you know me, I will be skeptical as all hell when there's evidence behind doing so!) Also, Parker may frankly not want MFAT, and is almost certainly the type who will be pleased for Mahuta's promotion. It is uncharitable to push him as an alternative to her given their presumably still close working relationship.

    Mahuta comes from a tradition that is deeply appropriate to this role, and even Pakeha like me can see she's built up an impressive amount of mana for Labour in general and herself in particular, that will be of great value in MFAT. Not only is it past time we gave roles this senior to women, a wahine Māori perspective will be extremely valuable in MFAT and hopefully build new and useful values into the future. And she was actually very impressive in the Labour leadership shuffle debates.

    I think on paper she's a particularly brilliant pick, but obviously as with all Cabinets, we do have to wait and see to a degree whether theory becomes reality. I'm frankly surprised that it's Mahuta that most of the ire has fallen upon, as she seems for less controversial to me than re-appointing Clark, or promoting Jackson.

    • Drowsy M. Kram 8.1

      Great comment Matthew. Can't recall the last time the appointment of a NZ Foreign Affairs minister engendered such angst.

      Looking at a photo of Mahuta, it's easy to fully understand the origin of that angst in some, but why not give her a fair go – her decisions and actions in this portfolio will be scrutinised as never before; literally like no other.

  9. Darien Fenton 9

    I am so proud of this appointment. I agree what you are seeing is the traditional old boys bullshit that woman have no place in the "real" jobs of the government. It shows NZ is growing up at last.

  10. Brigid 10

    She withdrew from the Labour list after the seabed and foreshore legislation and stood only as an electorate candidate in Hauraki-Waikato at the next election to truly test the feeling of the electorate. Hows that for courage and strength? How many other politicians have similarly risked their job?

    None.

    Chris Trotter, this time, is so wrong. And why does he think Parker is more fit for the role anyway?

    • tc 10.1

      manufacturing dissent as he is a media poodle. No doubt he’s got a snoozefest of an article to back up his thoughts.

  11. Brendan 11

    Nat voter here.

    NZ's Foreign policy is basically the same under Team Blue or Team Red with a different flavour. I.e sell more stuff and don't have a war. I don't see a major change in foreign affairs – other than trying to do as much as possible with possibly smaller budgets due to COVID cuts.

    She has been around for a while in Parliment so she will know how things work. And she will have had lots of practice doing buisness with us whities, which will help with the job. Foreign Affairs will be there to handle the finer protocol details that otherwise might be missed.

    And overseas Ministries of Foreign affairs are be proffessional organizations who just want to get on with buisness (And they know that foreigners like Nanaia are different anyway so they expect them not to act like them).

    All the best for the next 3 years – although she might get sick of airports and air travel once COVID ends.

    • left_forward 11.1

      Is that all that foreign policy is to a Nat voter? Money and war?

      • Wensleydale 11.1.1

        That's all foreign policy is to the entire human race, generally speaking. Money, power, resources, and war. The latter is simply one means of acquiring the former.

        • left_forward 11.1.1.1

          Doesn’t humanitarianism hold any value across the 'entire' human race?

          • Wensleydale 11.1.1.1.1

            Sure it does. But self-interest is a huge aspect of what goes on. Human nature is funny like that.

          • Gabby 11.1.1.1.2

            That would be the presence of money and the absence of war.

            • greywarshark 11.1.1.1.2.1

              No I don't think so. It has been found that war is a great wealth creator for some. The spending of nations on armaments and just grenades is tremendous. Diana, Princess of Wales was onto that.

              War is a problem to those who get caught up in it as attackers or the attacked, but isn't so terrible for the organisers and those at home who may be just inconvenienced. Ir has proved to be something terrible, that someone is always prepared to countenance; the mind skips over it and Anzac Day has lost the depth of meaning.

              And the fancy equipment and gear development and then the building costs a fortune, and gives a fortune to the businesses involved. So war and money go well together. Wensleydale is right on the button.

  12. Rosemary McDonald 12

    If you all remember…in 2017 Nanaia Mahuta made a staunch stand in Hauraki / Waikato against the Maori Party candidate endorsed by King Tuheitea.

    She held her seat, despite having to go up against the Kingitanga's Chosen One.

    "I never take an election for granted. I've been clear in this election about the issues that Labour would seek to implement to improve the lives of whānau that I represent. And they've heard that message, and they've spoken, and they've returned me back to Parliament for three years,"

    https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/97172406/labours-nanaia-mahuta-defeats-rahui-papa-in-haurakiwaikato

    I've always admired Nanaia Mahuta, and given the space she'll represent Aotearoa on the world stage with intelligence and grace.

  13. Reality 13

    Great to see a quiet and respected achiever is being recognised and that men in suits are having to learn these roles can be held by women.

    Jacinda's diverse caucus is in stark contrast to Judith's, as we saw with post election photos of the two caucuses.

  14. Stuart Munro 14

    I haven't followed her particularly closely, and I am not a fan of facial tats.

    But her rep is very strong. The last Maori we had doing foreign affairs did a great job. And it's a wakeup call to countries that have put less effort into supporting their indigenous peoples.

    I imagine she'll shine, and good on her.

  15. Anne 15

    Around 2012 Nanaia came to my electorate to put the local active membership through a special exercise. She divided us into teams of 5-10 people and gave each team a political circumstance to solve. It could have ended up a bit of a battle ground but it didn't. Nanaia handled the occasion brilliantly and I was very impressed with the way she was able to engage with each of us regardless of our backgrounds and level of importance in the party.

    I think that ability will stand her in very good stead no matter who she is negotiating with. She also comes across to me as a woman of infinite patience too, which could be sorely needed in the times ahead.

  16. Siobhan 16

    "Maori have a very sophisticated and complex understanding of the political process."…qudos for noticing that Maori, like all humans, are inherently political I guess, but what on earth does that mean? and as opposed to whom exactly?..you perchance? or Pakeha (all of them..seeing as were going for broad racial stereotypes today).
    It would be good to read a bit more about Nanaia’s actions as an individual political force rather than so heavily pigeonholing her…and her critics..

    • greywarshark 16.1

      You're looking for a stern but fair assessment. Fair enough. What Anne says above may be heartening and answer some of your queries?

      • Siobhan 16.1.1

        Yes..thank you. Annes comment is more what i'm interested in. And more. I'm all for the 'stern but fair assessment' of Labour and its members even though some people interpret such things as being one step away from some sort of Communist style show trial.

        • greywarshark 16.1.1.1

          You set up the questions well Siobhan, and we throw the balls at the figures in the sideshow. And everyone gets to participate, and who knows who is winning but the idea is to have a try, and the show rolls on with good attendance. Which is what we want I think.

    • weka 16.2

      Not all cultures are the same. Māori have a particular cultural way of approaching politics. Why does this have to be understood in opposition to something, instead of looking at it in its own right?

      • Siobhan 16.2.1

        Not all cultures are the same. Then again not all people within each culture are the same….Not all people of any particular gender are the same. Not all people of any generation are the same…yet do we feel the need to point this out on every comment about every individual and their approach to politics?

        …any way..my point was that this piece seemed to lack any real information as to Nanaias particular skills and suitability for the job.,which at the end of the day would the best argument as to her suitability..rather than a tit for tat about 'grumpy old white men' vs 'Maori', let alone the implication that Maori and Pasifika people are somehow inherently the Leftist faction in Labour.

        • weka 16.2.1.1

          I felt the need to point it out because you seemed confused about Māori politics.

          We must have read different posts. The one I read is full of Mahuta's skills and suitability for the job.

  17. bwaghorn 17

    So we have a woman pm ,a maori woman foreign affairs minister, the nats had a Maori leader and a Maori woman DP in bennet ( correct me if I'm wrong on that)

    Sounds like maybe we need to stop with the nz is a racist sexist country palaver.

  18. AB 18

    I think Chris gives the game away by accusing Mahuta of lacking "verbal felicity". This is the thing that really bothers him, the other stuff about 'courage' etc. he can't possibly know. For a certain type of educated Pakeha (I'd plead guilty here too), this skill of "verbal felicity" is a marker of intelligence. And Trotter illustrates what he perceives as Mahuta's lack of it, by showing off his own through the very use of this phrase. I wouldn't call it racist, but it's very bound up with one particular cultural perspective.

  19. Heather Grimwood 19

    Nanaia most certainly has courage Micky ! and not only over Seabed and Seashore. She has dealt with attitudes to capable women prevailing in her early years of activism, with sadness, with producing and raising children while an M.P., characteristically without fanfare and undoubted racial slights with seeming equanimity.
    I first recognised her earnestness at LP conferences….always on tasks at sessions and in between, always friendly and capable, and through the years always answering emails. I remember at a LP conference in Dunedin, The little family sitting quietly at dinner when Nanaia must have been exhausted.
    I wish her well
    Yes, Pat Bremner, Nanaia “has dignity and knowledge.”
    Yes, Tiger Mountain, Nanaia “is definitely a woman of status.”
    Yes, Matthew Whitehead ( at 8 par 3 ), David Parker is most “certainly the type who will be pleased for Nanaia’s promotion. “

  20. Ad 20

    I would evaluate her on her work.

    The policy work she has done on freshwater governance over the last two years could have been an explosion of poop all over the place. Instead she has subtly tilted the field of discourse towards "of course" and "totally necessary".

    Fresh water governance reform is of course driving policy deep in to rural local government heartland, which is code word for National. All those tiresome fifedoms of farmers electing each other up. But what's coming their way is a shift towards amalgamation of water entities that will require greater common accountability from larger regions for water reliability and water quality. That's Mahuta's work.

    She's formed a very firm bed for policy change that will enable Ardern to have a bit more courage when it comes to water price reform. Which runs of course straight into mana whenua kaitiaki and Treaty claim issues. It would be bonkers not to replace her with a Maori Labour leader in this area. Note again near silence from Maori on water at the moment. That's Mahuta's work.

    The field of policy work that is most strongly open to her in Foreign Affairs is the Pacific Islands Forum, COVID-19 economic development recovery response, and pacific islands regional development. New Zealand frankly needs a te reo speaker there because putting up a Pakeha – no matter how skilled – inevitably has a parochial tint to it. It certainly is an advantage that she comes from the prestigious Mahuta line, and with very strong Kingitanga understanding.

    We have never done a convincing job on this forum, and the testosterone levels within the Melanseian Spearhead Group are quite something. Frankly it needs a female Maori leader to engage on this well. None other have her standing.

    Many Pacific Islands have been proven over COVID19 lockdown to be totally dependent upon tourism trade from ourselves and Australia. She will be an excellent asset landing the new health protocols that will enable flights to re-start, and in dong so re-start the devastated economies of our Realm countries and further afield.

    Often Foreign Affairs is the position you give to the Minister most likely to form a coup against you.

    Instead she has sent one of her most competent, most Pacifika-smart, most relationship-nuanced Cabinet Ministers.

    It's a strong choice.

    • RedLogix 20.1

      Thanks for filling out some details. She is a bold choice that was always going to attract some comment. No question she will be under considerable scrutiny to deliver in what is going to be a critical Ministry role in the next few years.

      Like most others here I wish her the best.

    • Patricia Bremner 20.2

      Thanks Ad, a good summary.
      I was impressed with her dignified inclusive manner, and this action shows we colonials have begun to cringe less, and have developed pride in our own.

    • mickysavage 20.3

      Thanks Ad.

      Agreed entirely about water. This is the big, really big issue for the country. This summer parts of Tamaki Makaurau are going to face severe pressures, worse than last year.

      The Waikato river and Tainui (kia ora) are helping but this is not sustainable.

      And te wai must be clearly in the centre of article two of the Treaty of Waitangi.

      This is a bit of a downer for some but once the Crown makes an agreement it should stick to it.

  21. mary_a 21

    Well done Labour and Jacinda for appointing Nanaia Mahuta as our Minister of Foreign Affairs.

    I could not be prouder than to have Nanaia represent NZ's interests overseas. Nanaia is a woman with mana and dignity, possessing the necessary ability to calmly draw people together. She will serve our country well.

  22. Heather Grimwood 22

    [Hopefully fixed. There was some stray text in your name field – MS]

  23. Dot 23

    Mary -a, you have expressed my thinking well.
    I feel very proud to have Nanaia Mahuta as Aotearoa’s Foreign Minister .

  24. Jae 24

    Thanks for writing this, couldn't agree more.

  25. PsyclingLeft.Always 25

    Nanaia seems to have a quiet, measured dignity. Is gravitas the appropriate word? Best Wishes Nanaia !.

    (and I did look this up)….

    Kia kaha, kia maia, kia manawanui

  26. Grafton Gully 26

    "There are approximately 476 million Indigenous Peoples worldwide, in over 90 countries."

    https://www.worldbank.org/en/topic/indigenouspeoples#:~:text=There%20are%20approximately%20476%20million,percent%20of%20the%20extreme%20poor

    We now have an Indigenous Person as Foreign Minister, who will become known to the 476 million as a woman of Aotearoa/New Zealand. 90 countries is potentially a lot of influence.

    • RedLogix 26.1

      We now have an Indigenous Person as Foreign Minister

      What was the ethnicity of the previous FM again?

  27. peterlepaysan 27

    Interesting I cannot find a reference to Nanaia on on either trotters or bradbury's sites.

    • weka 27.1

      If you make even a minor change to your username or email address the system treats you as a new person and you get caught in the spam filter. I've adjusted your username back to what its been historically onsite. Mods *strongly prefer people to use the same name (choose one name and stick to it).

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  • Bryce Edwards: Scoring 4.6 out of 10, the new Government is struggling in the polls
    It’s been a tumultuous time in politics in recent months, as the new National-led Government has driven through its “First 100 Day programme”. During this period there’s been a handful of opinion polls, which overall just show a minimal amount of flux in public support for the various parties in ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    9 hours ago
  • Bishop scores headlines with crackdown on unwelcome tenants – but Peters scores, too, as tub-thump...
    Buzz from the Beehive Housing Minister Chris Bishop delivered news – packed with the ingredients to enflame political passions – worthy of supplanting Winston Peters in headline writers’ priorities. He popped up at the post-Cabinet press conference to promise a crackdown on unruly and antisocial state housing tenants. His ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    10 hours ago
  • Will it make the boat go faster?
    Ele Ludemann writes – The Reserve Bank is advertising for a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion advisor. The Bank has one mandate – to keep inflation between one and three percent. It has failed in that and is only slowly getting inflation back down to the upper limit. Will it ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    13 hours ago
  • Bryce Edwards: Is Simon Bridges’ NZTA appointment a conflict of interest?
    Last week former National Party leader Simon Bridges was appointed by the Government as the new chair of the New Zealand Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA). You can read about the appointment in Thomas Coughlan’s article, Simon Bridges to become chair of NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi The fact that a ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    13 hours ago
  • Is Simon Bridges’ NZTA appointment a conflict of interest?
    Bryce Edwards writes – Last week former National Party leader Simon Bridges was appointed by the Government as the new chair of the New Zealand Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA). You can read about the appointment in Thomas Coughlan’s article, Simon Bridges to become chair of NZ Transport Agency ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    14 hours ago
  • Bernard's Top 10 @ 10 'pick 'n' mix' at 10:10am on Tuesday, March 19
    TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: Gavin Jacobson talks to Thomas Piketty 10 years on from Capital in the 21st Century The SalvoLocal scoop: Green MP’s business being investigated over migrant exploitation claims Stuff Steve KilgallonLocal deep-dive: The commercial contractors making money from School ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    14 hours ago
  • Bernard's six newsy things on Tuesday, March 19
    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
    15 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
    16 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
    18 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
    2 days 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
    2 days 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
    2 days 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 ...
    2 days 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
    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
  • 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
    4 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
    4 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
    5 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
    5 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 ...
    6 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
    6 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
    6 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 ...
    6 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
    7 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
    12 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
    14 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
    14 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
    1 day 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
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  • Speech for Financial Advice NZ Conference 5 March 2024
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