Is This The New State We Want?

Written By: - Date published: 12:02 pm, November 19th, 2021 - 24 comments
Categories: Economy, kiwisaver, Privatisation, social democracy, Social issues, superannuation, uncategorized - Tags:

The New Zealand state is gaining power again, but is it what we want?

Some, just a few, may still remember a grey old time when central government was simple and huge. It provided you with electricity and gas, insurance, postal and banking services, local-focused tourist hotels and holidays, all the television and almost all the radio, highly subsidised if simple housing, a solid but uninspiring job, in a great singular circular economy of high taxes and a rosy optimism. It did everything but brush your teeth for you.

A few more will recall most of that being corporatized and sold off by Labour and National in the 1980s and 1990s, into a narrow, poorer, and bitter little country.

Then deeper still in the late 1990s, government forced the corporatisation and sale of local bus fleets, regionally-owned banks, and much more besides. New Zealand went from being a high-tax, high public ownership, low-inequality country to one where the entire public sector owned very little. What it retained in the public register was controlled by corporate boards. Easton and Jesson wrote on this extensively.

This is the kind of state most New Zealanders 50 years and younger will understand now, insofar as they register the state as a thing.

But growing and accelerating in the new millennium, the state generated new public entities to do specific things.

There was Kiwibank, an outgrowth of NZPost.

There was Crown Fibre Holdings, which has now expanded into Crown Infrastructure Partners.

There was the NZSuperFund (and others), now a behemoth of public capital and helping other Crown entities build huge infrastructure, as well as keeping future oldies supplied with Chocolate Wheatens.

There were all the entities formed to rebuild Christchurch, guided by specific legislation that empowered them, and tightly coordinated by central government.

There were entities that evolved to generate innovative spinoff companies, like NZVIF and Callaghan Innovation.

There was Hobsonville Land Company, merged into HLC, then expanded inside Kainga Ora.

Then still more state entities in the form of alliances such as the Supporting Growth Alliance and City Rail Link.

That’s just a small sample of the unexpected expansion of state agencies and state power across our country since the early 2000s, many of them having a decade or two to evolve. Some like the irrigation one had a term or two then died. But they represent billions upon billions of dollars, many thousands of workers, and not a whole bunch of accountability.

Then we get to the 2017 Labour government, and the state really starts taking the steroids by the cupful.

They merge all of New Zealand’s polytechs into one, by legislation.

They are now well on the way to merging all the District Health Boards into one.

The Three Waters policy programme that had rumbled along under DIA for several terms is now preparing to strip management power of all water away from local government and put it in the hands of just a handful of new entities.

And now, under COVID, there’s a huge story to be told about the massive interventions into the economy that the government has made over the last 18 months. Particularly the integration of Health, Police, Customs, Immigration, NZDF, and Education into an integrated state command. There’s not often the call for lots of entities to ‘stand up’ together, outside of Commonwealth Games or Rugby World Cup event.

The formation of the new Crown entities over the last 20 years had no particularly strong common ideology to them: it was often just the state reacting to exigency, and at other times the state realising it didn’t have an existing agency with enough focus or expertise to roll out the policy it needed. You can guarantee serious agency redesign out of this latest crisis.

And no, there’s no secret intergenerational cabal of deep-state warriors who play poker and figure the perpetual expansion and redesign of state governance and instrumentality.

Oftentimes agency reintegration is, borne within crisis, pretty useful for a time. That’s where commercial alliances between corporates and state agencies help. Also, practically, small states dominated by no more than a dozen oligopolies can’t afford to annoy too many corporates at once. New Zealand’s government is still really a weak regulator and a small presence in our country, other than in extreme moments.

But there is a pattern to the recent centralised reaggregation of power all the same: locals lose out, customers lose out, human rights lose out, central government absorbs the remaining agency of local government instead of really hitting specific market dominators hard, and no timetable in which any of the powers that the citizen has lost will ever be given back. Also, no ideological shape to any of it to make any collective sense let alone collective benefit to them all.

Sure, the state is back and with scale and speed.

But is this what we want?

24 comments on “Is This The New State We Want? ”

  • Comments are now closed

  1. roblogic 1
    19 November 2021 at 12:13 pm

    Better a Leviathan State serving the public good, than huge unaccountable corporations running rampant in the name of Capital.

    • Ad 1.1
      19 November 2021 at 12:28 pm

      False binary.

      Ours is hardly a Leviathan State.

      Such state as we now have now primarily consists of (public) corporations and massive NGO contracts.

  2. Blazer 2
    19 November 2021 at 12:37 pm

    When state assets are privatised for pennies on the dollar as occurred in the 80's-90's …locals and customers sure lost out.

    A large proportion of NZ's rich list reaped the benefits.

    There is no evidence to support the much vaunted efficiency of private business.

    The 'going rate for talent',is a load of b/s.

    All vital utilities should be run for the benefit of a country's citizens, not to enrich a few born to rule capitalists that get first use of credit creation.

    Politicians are virtually bought and paid for by corporate interests these days.

    I like Trotters recent article about the downfall of the Whitlam Govt when it threatened the status quo….that magic show ,the hamsters in the wheel are meant to…embrace.

    • millsy 2.1
      19 November 2021 at 1:30 pm

      The biggest irony is that Whitlam's goverment was already starting to soften its stances prior to its overthrow. The radicals in his cabinet (ie Jim Cairns, etc) had been thrown out and replaced by more moderate figures and a more restrained budget had been drawn up.

  3. Visubversa 3
    19 November 2021 at 12:46 pm

    I don't want the State favouring and promoting an ideology. We separated Church and State decades ago after centuries of abuse. However, we have increasingly seen this government being prepared to use the levers of the State to promote gender ideology.

  4. Tricledrown 4
    19 November 2021 at 12:51 pm

    Being a western first World Democracy requires a protection racket of the Economic Elite global corporations.

    Our economy is just a drop in the bucket if we stray off the path of neoliberalist economics plus modern day calvinism, we will be treated like Allendes Chile.

    Throw the peasants a few crumbs off the table a bit of tinkering around the edges.is the best we can hope for.

  5. Tiger Mountain 5
    19 November 2021 at 3:07 pm

    “We” want? what about we need. With 50% of the population owning just 2% of the wealth, and people locked into renting overpriced dumps for life, and living rough, the children of Roger’n’Ruth and their descendants certainly do need a stronger state. Just not a neo liberal corporatist one such as we have had for almost 40 years. With fifth columnist senior public service officials putting the spanner in and leaking.

    Asset sales of public infrastructure are gifts to the capitalist class–theft some would say. Electricity generation and supply is case number one for full public ownership to be restored and there are many others. Sadistic WINZ/MSD needs to be retired forthwith and a basic income instituted for all citizens paid via IRD.

    There are around a dozen devolved Govt. agencies with responsibility one way or another for food safety. Got a nasty touch of Campylobacter after that COVID level change dinner–who would you call? SirKey’s term saw increased powers granted to the State Security and surveillance agencies–warrantless activity, life time immunity for operatives, powers extended to Govt.Ministries and contracting out okayed. Be nice to have the Kiwitea St lot eat that.

    So yes Ad, there is ample room for increased state activity. But it will not happen in a class left way until there is community organisation and direct action demanding it. This is quite possible with new gen voters in the ascendency.

    • Kiwijoker 5.1
      20 November 2021 at 7:33 am

      Got it in spades TM!

    • Gezza 5.2
      20 November 2021 at 9:06 am

      “Sadistic WINZ/MSD needs to be retired forthwith”

      Yep, a monolithic organisation that behaves like an unfeeling behemoth that Sepulono seems almost captured by, tho.

      She was on tv 1 the other night on an item pointing out how MSD penalising those who don’t turn up for their scheduled Court appearances – by cutting their benefits – just inceases the already existing financial stress on them, their whanau & especially their tamariki.

      Sepuloni was basically pleading that work is already going on in MSD to do something about it, but it all unfortunately takes a lot of time to make any changes. Very vague.

      “and a basic income instituted for all citizens paid via IRD.”

      I’m not convinced / not sold on the UBI idea. I think too much risk of creating a large number of freeloaders other working taxpayers will come to strongly resent. A UBI will be a frequent target for Opposition parties & will likely be dumped if introduced by the next change of government.

      “So yes Ad, there is ample room for increased state activity. But it will not happen in a class left way until there is community organisation and direct action demanding it. This is quite possible with new gen voters in the ascendency.”

      Maybe. I was part of the hippy/Woodstock/stop the Vietnam War/No nukes generation that rejected many of the money-accumulating values of business & corporations & wasteful consumerism. We thought we were going to change the world. What we actually did was let neoliberalism in the door & it frackin took over Western Society completely.

      New gen voters are encouraged by a thousand social media means to be self-absorbed & selfish BUT to THINK they are acting in accordance with higher values than their parents or the generation born the decade before them. They might turn out to be as ineffective as my generation was at changing the world for the better. But I agree it’s the STRIVING for a better world that we cannot & should not do without.

      • Tiger Mountain 5.2.1
        20 November 2021 at 4:16 pm

        My take is Carmel Sepuloni has been well captured by senior officials at MSD.

        With precarious employment for so many, would other taxpayers really care given that Basic Income recipients would also be able to work and pay tax?

        The new voters may vote in patterns similar to other generations is the standard right wing response. I am not so sure given the numbers paying off thumping great student loans and extortionate rents for dumps.

  6. McFlock 6
    19 November 2021 at 3:12 pm

    I'm ok with it.

    Conflation of covid responses with things like kiwibank and Callaghan Innovation is a bit misleading, imo.

    Infection control measures always need to be somewhat draconian, because some people have a tendency to be morons. This doesn't go back to youtube, or even the 1918 pandemic, but even to the black death. For every village of Eyam, where everyone took conscious steps to avoid spreading the literal plague, there are thousands of refugees or quarantine-relaxers for the sake of commerce (today known as "plan B" aficionados).

    But these measures tend to pass as the emergency passes. Sometimes too quickly, as in the current unpleasantness.

  7. Patricia Bremner 7
    19 November 2021 at 3:25 pm

    I am happy Education is not a commodity being sold to overseas students ahead of our own. My relatives in Australia also say their children have attained courses usually crowded with overseas paying students.

    The State may be " a drop in the ocean" but if it is working for our wellbeing, good.

    Ok, last time the State let Corporates run things after the Christchurch Earthquakes, we had shoddy builders doing repairs willy nilly. The take up of water rights given to huge factory type dairy farms for irrigation has been a huge mistake. That was done to generate wealth, and people who wanted wellbeing were gradually shut down. MBIE grew out of that. Four Ministries amalgamated. That did not improve housing, innovation or employment, but did benefit business.

    No ideological shape? I disagree.

    We have the perception of Safety and Wellbeing as drivers. A Collective goal of covid conduct and vaccinations to regain as many of the old freedoms as is possible in a Pandemic.

    Climate change may also impinge on freedoms to a greater or lesser degree in the near future. So yes I am happy for the State to have a larger role in the Governance of the three waters, as Councils have largely failed to provide for the necessary Capital Expenditure, have few ways to raise it so have been ignoring the many signals of failure, broken pipes sewerage in rivers and on beaches.

    A coordinated approach to Health has exposed a few cranks in its midst who were counterproductive. Those not practicing from a sound basis are not what is needed.

    There are fundamentals in Health and Education that begin with equity for our Treaty Partner. This is so accepted now, no one is querying the extra funding needed to achieve this. We are growing up.

    A State that is effective working beside business to achieve better lives for all. If that means better oversite of rules regulations and taxes, yes. We all have a stake in this.

  8. DS 8
    19 November 2021 at 3:40 pm

    Sure, the state is back and with scale and speed.

    But is this what we want?

    Yes?

  9. Stuart Munro 9
    19 November 2021 at 3:44 pm

    It's a pertinent question, and I think that the left inevitably desires a little more state than the right might prefer. That would be because only a state is equipped to deter or pursue plutocratic excesses like slave ship operators or wage thieves, or dairy intensification taken to poisonous extremes.

    Laissez faire being one of the descriptors of letting business do whatsoever it choses, the existence of at least equally powerful regulatory forces is a public interest necessity. Unhappily it is far from clear that any increases in state power under neoliberalism have been directed towards that end. Too often they provide cosy sinecures, dubious bonuses, or unprofessional excesses like the helicopter time bill NZMA ran up over the wreck of the Rena, or the obstructiveness of Callahan Innovation that drives folk unfortunate enough to have to deal with them to ranting.

    It is in the nature of the human species that we do not stand still. We evolve or decline – there is no point of inflection. Human societies must aspire and strive if they are to prosper, and the increasingly unequal rewards of work as people are casualised and rack-rented do not cultivate a culture that rewards productivity, only a cynical group that exploit vulnerable labour.

    There is great scope then for an enlightened and diligent civil service – but little or no sign of such values in contemporary practice.

  10. James 2 10
    19 November 2021 at 7:39 pm

    Holy smoke. Something I might agree with.

    Because surely, the state never did wrong in the name of good? No state in the 20th century did horrendous things under good intentions.

    Locking up Muslims because they just could be terrorists is of course completely different to wanting to lock up and exclude anyone anti-vaccine or even against vaccine mandates and passports. Public Health as a concept has of course never been abused by 'experts', such as supporting compulsory sterilisation.

    Oh…wait…

    The state is power, often monopolistic power. It can and does do good, but often very bad.

    What we have now is ideological hegemony combined with massive expanded state power. That is bad, and especially for democracy in a heavily unitary and centralised system.

    Add on the fact our cultural and government institutions speak from a massively homogeneous view on social matters and the media has a mass injection of Government funding and unprecedented advertising dollars.

    And then Covid hit. Human Rights are now selfish. Government controlling everywhere I go, and what I can do, is just normal. If I speak against it, I'm just a raving selfish neo-liberal because health. Nuance is lost.

    These days it is a hell of a lot easier to just shut up and smile.

    • peter sim 10.1
      19 November 2021 at 7:49 pm

      Diddumssmiley

    • DS 10.2
      19 November 2021 at 9:29 pm

      Nature abhors a vacuum, mate. Without a strong state… you get the space filled by other entities. Corporations, and so forth.

      The Neoliberal Right have spent half a century (and billions of dollars) trying to spread the notion that the State is counterproductive at best, and a villain at worst. No need to do their work for them.

    • McFlock 10.3
      20 November 2021 at 1:07 am

      The state should have a monopoly of some types of power.

      Proactive use of force to gain compliance, for example. The ability to levy taxes and fines without consent. The ability to restrict freedoms where the expression of those freedoms would clash with the public good. The determination of property rights.

      I sure wouldn't want my employer or supermarket to be able to exercise those powers, even if sometimes they might be necessary for the protection and orderly operation of society.

    • KJT 10.4
      20 November 2021 at 8:01 am

      The "anti state power advocates" are the first to call the police when "their property rights" are threatened.

      They sat silently while State overreach such as National's Search and survaillance bill was enacted.

      At present also loudly calling for more state money.

      It is not State control they are against. Masseys Cassocks assaulting workers was fine. It is Democratic control that is good for ordinary people, not the Oligarchy.

      The State, in a Democracy, is us!

      The solution to State overreach, is more citizen control. Democracy.

      • Hunter Thompson II 10.4.1
        20 November 2021 at 9:41 am

        Your first comment is bang on. A good definition of a liberal is a conservative who has just been arrested.

        Same applies to tax dodgers – once they are injured in a car crash, they expect instant (and free) treatment in a public hospital.

  11. Castro 11
    20 November 2021 at 6:00 am

    Your use of the word citizen underscores the damage done to No Zealand under neo-liberalism, and highlights the damaging, and ultimately failed-state-inducing aspects that you neglect to mention. Foreign residents have both voting and property rights in No Zealand. Oh, they're 'citizens' too? Madness. No Zealand is a (not so) slow motion runaway train of a failed state waiting to happen.

  12. pat 12
    20 November 2021 at 1:40 pm

    The sad reality is neither the private sector (in NZ) nor the state having the required capability or capacity for that required….nor do we have the time to redevelop it.

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    1 day ago

  • What happens after the war – Mariupol
    Mariupol, on the Azov Sea coast, was one of the first cities to suffer almost complete destruction after the start of the Ukraine War started in late February 2022. We remember the scenes of absolute destruction of the houses and city structures. The deaths of innocent civilians – many of ...
    Open ParachuteBy Ken
    1 day ago

  • Babies and benefits – no good news
    Lindsay Mitchell writes – Ten years ago, I wrote the following in a Listener column: Every year around one in five new-born babies will be reliant on their caregivers benefit by Christmas. This pattern has persisted from at least 1993. For Maori the number jumps to over one in three.  ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    1 day ago

  • Should the RBNZ be looking through climate inflation?
    Climate change is expected to generate more and more extreme events, delivering a sort of structural shock to inflation that central banks will have to react to as if they were short-term cyclical issues. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāMy pick of the six newsey things to know from Aotearoa’s ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 day ago

  • Bernard's pick 'n' mix of the news links
    The top six news links I’ve seen elsewhere in the last 24 hours, as of 9:16 am on Thursday, April 18 are:Housing: Tauranga residents living in boats, vans RNZ Checkpoint Louise TernouthHousing: Waikato councillor says wastewater plant issues could hold up Sleepyhead building a massive company town Waikato Times Stephen ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 day ago

  • Gordon Campbell on the public sector carnage, and misogyny as terrorism
    It’s a simple deal. We pay taxes in order to finance the social services we want and need. The carnage now occurring across the public sector though, is breaking that contract. Over 3,000 jobs have been lost so far. Many are in crucial areas like Education where the impact of ...
    Gordon CampbellBy lyndon
    1 day ago

  • Meeting the Master Baiters
    Hi,A friend had their 40th over the weekend and decided to theme it after Curb Your Enthusiasm fashion icon Susie Greene. Captured in my tiny kitchen before I left the house, I ending up evoking a mix of old lesbian and Hillary Clinton — both unintentional.Me vs Hillary ClintonIf you’re ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    1 day ago

  • How extreme was the Earth's temperature in 2023
    This is a re-post from Andrew Dessler at the Climate Brink blog In 2023, the Earth reached temperature levels unprecedented in modern times. Given that, it’s reasonable to ask: What’s going on? There’s been lots of discussions by scientists about whether this is just the normal progression of global warming or if something ...
    Skeptical Science
    1 day ago

  • Backbone, revisited
    The schools are on holiday and the sun is shining in the seaside village and all day long I have been seeing bunches of bikes; Mums, Dads, teens and toddlers chattering, laughing, happy, having a bloody great time together. Cheers, AT, for the bits of lane you’ve added lately around the ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    2 days ago

  • Ministers are not above the law
    Today in our National-led authoritarian nightmare: Shane Jones thinks Ministers should be above the law: New Zealand First MP Shane Jones is accusing the Waitangi Tribunal of over-stepping its mandate by subpoenaing a minister for its urgent hearing on the Oranga Tamariki claim. The tribunal is looking into the ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    2 days ago

  • What’s the outfit you can hear going down the gurgler? Probably it’s David Parker’s Oceans Sec...
    Buzz from the Beehive Point  of Order first heard of the Oceans Secretariat in June 2021, when David Parker (remember him?) announced a multi-agency approach to protecting New Zealand’s marine ecosystems and fisheries. Parker (holding the Environment, and Oceans and Fisheries portfolios) broke the news at the annual Forest & ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    2 days ago

  • Will politicians let democracy die in the darkness?
    Bryce Edwards writes  – Politicians across the political spectrum are implicated in the New Zealand media’s failing health. Either through neglect or incompetent interventions, successive governments have failed to regulate, foster, and allow a healthy Fourth Estate that can adequately hold politicians and the powerful to account. ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    2 days ago

  • Matt Doocey doubles down on trans “healthcare”
    Citizen Science writes –  Last week saw two significant developments in the debate over the treatment of trans-identifying children and young people – the release in Britain of the final report of Dr Hilary Cass’s review into gender healthcare, and here in New Zealand, the news that the ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    2 days ago

  • A TikTok Prime Minister.
    One night while sleeping in my bed I had a beautiful dreamThat all the people of the world got together on the same wavelengthAnd began helping one anotherNow in this dream, universal love was the theme of the dayPeace and understanding and it happened this wayAfter such an eventful day ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    2 days ago

  • Texas Lessons
    This is a guest post by Oscar Simms who is a housing activist, volunteer for the Coalition for More Homes, and was the Labour Party candidate for Auckland Central at the last election. ...
    Greater AucklandBy Guest Post
    2 days ago

  • Bernard's pick 'n' mix of the news links at 6:06 am
    The top six news links I’ve seen elsewhere in the last 24 hours as of 6:06 am on Wednesday, April 17 are:Must read: Secrecy shrouds which projects might be fast-tracked RNZ Farah HancockScoop: Revealed: Luxon has seven staffers working on social media content - partly paid for by taxpayer Newshub ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago

  • Fighting poverty on the holiday highway
    Turning what Labour called the “holiday highway” into a four-lane expressway from Auckland to Whangarei could bring at least an economic benefit of nearly two billion a year for Northland each year. And it could help bring an end to poverty in one of New Zealand’s most deprived regions. The ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    2 days ago

  • Bernard's six-stack of substacks at 6:26 pm
    Tonight’s six-stack includes: launching his substack with a bunch of his previous documentaries, including this 1992 interview with Dame Whina Cooper. and here crew give climate activists plenty to do, including this call to submit against the Fast Track Approvals bill. writes brilliantly here on his substack ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago

  • At a glance – Is the science settled?
    On February 14, 2023 we announced our Rebuttal Update Project. This included an ask for feedback about the added "At a glance" section in the updated basic rebuttal versions. This weekly blog post series highlights this new section of one of the updated basic rebuttal versions and serves as a ...
    Skeptical Science
    3 days ago

  • Apposite Quotations.
    How Long Is Long Enough? Gaza under Israeli bombardment, July 2014. This posting is exclusive to Bowalley Road. ...
    Bowalley Road
    3 days ago

  • What’s a life worth now?
    You're in the mall when you hear it: some kind of popping sound in the distance, kids with fireworks, maybe. But then a moment of eerie stillness is followed by more of the fireworks sound and there’s also screaming and shrieking and now here come people running for their lives.Does ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago

  • Howling at the Moon
    Karl du Fresne writes –  There’s a crisis in the news media and the media are blaming it on everyone except themselves. Culpability is being deflected elsewhere – mainly to the hapless Minister of Communications, Melissa Lee, and the big social media platforms that are accused of hoovering ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    3 days ago

  • Newshub is Dead.
    I don’t normally send out two newsletters in a day but I figured I’d say something about… the news. If two newsletters is a bit much then maybe just skip one, I don’t want to overload people. Alternatively if you’d be interested in sometimes receiving multiple, smaller updates from me, ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    3 days ago

  • Seymour is chuffed about cutting early-learning red tape – but we hear, too, that Jones has loose...
    Buzz from the Beehive David Seymour and Winston Peters today signalled that at least two ministers of the Crown might be in Wellington today. Seymour (as Associate Minister of Education) announced the removal of more red tape, this time to make it easier for new early learning services to be ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    3 days ago

  • Bryce Edwards: Will politicians let democracy die in the darkness?
    Politicians across the political spectrum are implicated in the New Zealand media’s failing health. Either through neglect or incompetent interventions, successive governments have failed to regulate, foster, and allow a healthy Fourth Estate that can adequately hold politicians and the powerful to account. Our political system is suffering from the ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    3 days ago

  • Was Hawkesby entirely wrong?
    David Farrar  writes –  The Broadcasting Standards Authority ruled: Comments by radio host Kate Hawkesby suggesting Māori and Pacific patients were being prioritised for surgery due to their ethnicity were misleading and discriminatory, the Broadcasting Standards Authority has found. It is a fact such patients are prioritised. ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    3 days ago

  • PRC shadow looms as the Solomons head for election
    PRC and its proxies in Solomons have been preparing for these elections for a long time. A lot of money, effort and intelligence have gone into ensuring an outcome that won’t compromise Beijing’s plans. Cleo Paskall writes – On April 17th the Solomon Islands, a country of ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    3 days ago

  • Climate Change: Criminal ecocide
    We are in the middle of a climate crisis. Last year was (again) the hottest year on record. NOAA has just announced another global coral bleaching event. Floods are threatening UK food security. So naturally, Shane Jones wants to make it easier to mine coal: Resources Minister Shane Jones ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    3 days ago

  • Is saving one minute of a politician's time worth nearly $1 billion?
    Is speeding up the trip to and from Wellington airport by 12 minutes worth spending up more than $10 billion? Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The six news items that stood out to me in the last day to 8:26 am today are:The Lead: Transport Minister Simeon Brown announced ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago

  • Long Tunnel or Long Con?
    Yesterday it was revealed that Transport Minister had asked Waka Kotahi to look at the options for a long tunnel through Wellington. State Highway 1 (SH1) through Wellington City is heavily congested at peak times and while planning continues on the duplicate Mt Victoria Tunnel and Basin Reserve project, the ...
    Greater AucklandBy Matt L
    3 days ago

  • Smoke And Mirrors.
    You're a fraud, and you know itBut it's too good to throw it all awayAnyone would do the sameYou've got 'em goingAnd you're careful not to show itSometimes you even fool yourself a bitIt's like magicBut it's always been a smoke and mirrors gameAnyone would do the sameForty six billion ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    3 days ago

  • What is Mexico doing about climate change?
    This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections The June general election in Mexico could mark a turning point in ensuring that the country’s climate policies better reflect the desire of its citizens to address the climate crisis, with both leading presidential candidates expressing support for renewable energy. Mexico is the ...
    Skeptical Science
    3 days ago

  • State of humanity, 2024
    2024, it feels, keeps presenting us with ever more challenges, ever more dismay.Do you give up yet? It seems to ask.No? How about this? Or this?How about this?When I say 2024 I really mean the state of humanity in 2024.Saturday night, we watched Civil War because that is one terrifying cliff we've ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    4 days ago

  • Govt’s Wellington tunnel vision aims to ease the way to the airport (but zealous promoters of cycl...
    Buzz from the Beehive A pet project and governmental tunnel vision jump out from the latest batch of ministerial announcements. The government is keen to assure us of its concern for the wellbeing of our pets. It will be introducing pet bonds in a change to the Residential Tenancies Act ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    4 days ago

  • The case for cultural connectedness
    A recent report generated from a Growing Up in New Zealand (GUiNZ) survey of 1,224 rangatahi Māori aged 11-12 found: Cultural connectedness was associated with fewer depression symptoms, anxiety symptoms and better quality of life. That sounds cut and dry. But further into the report the following appears: Cultural connectedness is ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago

  • Useful context on public sector job cuts
    David Farrar writes –    The Herald reports: From the gory details of job-cuts news, you’d think the public service was being eviscerated.   While the media’s view of the cuts is incomplete, it’s also true that departments have been leaking the particulars faster than a Wellington ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago

  • Gordon Campbell On When Racism Comes Disguised As Anti-racism
    Remember the good old days, back when New Zealand had a PM who could think and speak calmly and intelligently in whole sentences without blustering? Even while Iran’s drones and missiles were still being launched, Helen Clark was live on TVNZ expertly summing up the latest crisis in the Middle ...
    Gordon CampbellBy lyndon
    4 days ago

  • Govt ignored economic analysis of smokefree reversal
    Costello did not pass on analysis of the benefits of the smokefree reforms to Cabinet, emphasising instead the extra tax revenues of repealing them. Photo: Hagen Hopkins, Getty Images TL;DR: The six news items that stood out to me at 7:26 am today are:The Lead: Casey Costello never passed on ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago

  • True Blue.
    True loveYou're the one I'm dreaming ofYour heart fits me like a gloveAnd I'm gonna be true blueBaby, I love youI’ve written about the job cuts in our news media last week. The impact on individuals, and the loss to Aotearoa of voices covering our news from different angles.That by ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    4 days ago

  • Who is running New Zealand’s foreign policy?
    While commentators, including former Prime Minister Helen Clark, are noting a subtle shift in New Zealand’s foreign policy, which now places more emphasis on the United States, many have missed a key element of the shift. What National said before the election is not what the government is doing now. ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    4 days ago

  • 2024 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #15
    A listing of 31 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, April 7, 2024 thru Sat, April 13, 2024. Story of the week Our story of the week is about adults in the room setting terms and conditions of ...
    Skeptical Science
    5 days ago

  • Feline Friends and Fragile Fauna The Complexities of Cats in New Zealand’s Conservation Efforts

    Cats, with their independent spirit and beguiling purrs, have captured the hearts of humans for millennia. In New Zealand, felines are no exception, boasting the highest national cat ownership rate globally [definition cat nz cat foundation]. An estimated 1.134 million pet cats grace Kiwi households, compared to 683,000 dogs ...

    Gareth’s WorldBy admin
    5 days ago

  • Or is that just they want us to think?
    Nice guy, that Peter Williams. Amiable, a calm air of no-nonsense capability, a winning smile. Everything you look for in a TV presenter and newsreader.I used to see him sometimes when I went to TVNZ to be a talking head or a panellist and we would yarn. Nice guy, that ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    5 days ago

  • Fact Brief – Did global warming stop in 1998?
    Skeptical Science is partnering with Gigafact to produce fact briefs — bite-sized fact checks of trending claims. This fact brief was written by Sue Bin Park in collaboration with members from our Skeptical Science team. You can submit claims you think need checking via the tipline. Did global warming stop in ...
    Skeptical Science
    6 days ago

  • Arguing over a moot point.
    I have been following recent debates in the corporate and social media about whether it is a good idea for NZ to join what is known as “AUKUS Pillar Two.” AUKUS is the Australian-UK-US nuclear submarine building agreement in which … Continue reading → ...
    KiwipoliticoBy Pablo
    6 days ago

  • No Longer Trusted: Ageing Boomers, Laurie & Les, Talk Politics.
    Turning Point: “What has turned me away from the mainstream news media is the very strong message that its been sending out for the last few years.” “And what message might that be?” “That the people who own it, the people who run it, and the people who provide its content, really don’t ...
    Bowalley Road
    6 days ago

  • Mortgage rates at 10% anyone?
    No – nothing about that in PM Luxon’s nine-point plan to improve the lives of New Zealanders. But beyond our shores Jamie Dimon, the long-serving head of global bank J.P. Morgan Chase, reckons that the chances of a goldilocks soft landing for the economy are “a lot lower” than the ...
    Point of OrderBy xtrdnry
    6 days ago

  • Sad tales from the left
    Michael Bassett writes –  Have you noticed the odd way in which the media are handling the government’s crackdown on surplus employees in the Public Service? Very few reporters mention the crazy way in which State Service numbers rocketed ahead by more than 16,000 during Labour’s six years, ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

  • Prime Minister Luxon acknowledges legacy of Singapore Prime Minister Lee
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon today paid tribute to Singapore’s outgoing Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong.   Meeting in Singapore today immediately before Prime Minister Lee announced he was stepping down, Prime Minister Luxon warmly acknowledged his counterpart’s almost twenty years as leader, and the enduring legacy he has left for Singapore and South East ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago

  • PMs Luxon and Lee deepen Singapore-NZ ties
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon held a bilateral meeting today with Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. While in Singapore as part of his visit to South East Asia this week, Prime Minister Luxon also met with Singapore President Tharman Shanmugaratnam and will meet with Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong.  During today’s meeting, Prime Minister Luxon ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago

  • Antarctica New Zealand Board appointments
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters has made further appointments to the Board of Antarctica New Zealand as part of a continued effort to ensure the Scott Base Redevelopment project is delivered in a cost-effective and efficient manner.  The Minister has appointed Neville Harris as a new member of the Board. Mr ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago

  • Finance Minister travels to Washington DC
    Finance Minister Nicola Willis will travel to the United States on Tuesday to attend a meeting of the Five Finance Ministers group, with counterparts from Australia, the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom.  “I am looking forward to meeting with our Five Finance partners on how we can work ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago

  • Pet bonds a win/win for renters and landlords
    The coalition Government has today announced purrfect and pawsitive changes to the Residential Tenancies Act to give tenants with pets greater choice when looking for a rental property, says Housing Minister Chris Bishop. “Pets are important members of many Kiwi families. It’s estimated that around 64 per cent of New ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago

  • Long Tunnel for SH1 Wellington being considered
    State Highway 1 (SH1) through Wellington City is heavily congested at peak times and while planning continues on the duplicate Mt Victoria Tunnel and Basin Reserve project, the Government has also asked NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) to consider and provide advice on a Long Tunnel option, Transport Minister Simeon Brown ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago

  • New Zealand condemns Iranian strikes
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Foreign Minister Winston Peters have condemned Iran’s shocking and illegal strikes against Israel.    “These attacks are a major challenge to peace and stability in a region already under enormous pressure," Mr Luxon says.    "We are deeply concerned that miscalculation on any side could ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago

  • Huge interest in Government’s infrastructure plans
    Hundreds of people in little over a week have turned out in Northland to hear Regional Development Minister Shane Jones speak about plans for boosting the regional economy through infrastructure. About 200 people from the infrastructure and associated sectors attended an event headlined by Mr Jones in Whangarei today. Last ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago

  • Health Minister thanks outgoing Health New Zealand Chair
    Health Minister Dr Shane Reti has today thanked outgoing Health New Zealand – Te Whatu Ora Chair Dame Karen Poutasi for her service on the Board.   “Dame Karen tendered her resignation as Chair and as a member of the Board today,” says Dr Reti.  “I have asked her to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago

  • Roads of National Significance planning underway
    The NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) has signalled their proposed delivery approach for the Government’s 15 Roads of National Significance (RoNS), with the release of the State Highway Investment Proposal (SHIP) today, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says.  “Boosting economic growth and productivity is a key part of the Government’s plan to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago

  • Navigating an unstable global environment
    New Zealand is renewing its connections with a world facing urgent challenges by pursuing an active, energetic foreign policy, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says.   “Our country faces the most unstable global environment in decades,” Mr Peters says at the conclusion of two weeks of engagements in Egypt, Europe and the United States.    “We cannot afford to sit back in splendid ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago

  • NZ welcomes Australian Governor-General
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has announced the Australian Governor-General, His Excellency General The Honourable David Hurley and his wife Her Excellency Mrs Linda Hurley, will make a State visit to New Zealand from Tuesday 16 April to Thursday 18 April. The visit reciprocates the State visit of former Governor-General Dame Patsy Reddy ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Pseudoephedrine back on shelves for Winter
    Associate Health Minister David Seymour has announced that Medsafe has approved 11 cold and flu medicines containing pseudoephedrine. Pharmaceutical suppliers have indicated they may be able to supply the first products in June. “This is much earlier than the original expectation of medicines being available by 2025. The Government recognised ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • NZ and the US: an ever closer partnership
    New Zealand and the United States have recommitted to their strategic partnership in Washington DC today, pledging to work ever more closely together in support of shared values and interests, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says.    “The strategic environment that New Zealand and the United States face is considerably more ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Joint US and NZ declaration
    April 11, 2024 Joint Declaration by United States Secretary of State the Honorable Antony J. Blinken and New Zealand Minister of Foreign Affairs the Right Honourable Winston Peters We met today in Washington, D.C. to recommit to the historic partnership between our two countries and the principles that underpin it—rule ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • NZ and US to undertake further practical Pacific cooperation
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  • Government redress for Te Korowai o Wainuiārua
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  • Tenancy rules changes to improve rental market
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  • Boosting NZ’s trade and agricultural relationship with China
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