Israel and Saudi Arabia

Written By: - Date published: 8:40 am, October 10th, 2023 - 28 comments
Categories: International, israel, war - Tags:

I don’t want to talk about Saudi Arabia but it’s time.

On Saturday, after the Hamas assault, the Saudi Foreign Ministry released a statement that did not explicitly denounce the Hamas attack on Israel and instead made it clear that the Saudi government had repeatedly warned “ of the danger of the explosion of the situation as a result of the continued occupation, the deprivation of the Palestinian people and their legitimate rights and the repetition of systematic provocations against its sanctities.”

Qatar said roughly the same thing, as did Egypt.

The Syrian foreign ministry doubled down on that line and called the Hamas operation an “honourable achievement that proves the only way for Palestinians to obtain their legitimate rights is resistance in all its forms.”

Iran was basically bouncing up and down with glee.

Whereas in the United States, President Biden’s top aides scrambled on Sunday to reaffirm their commitment to the idea of potential normalisation of diplomatic ties between Saudi Arabia and Israel, even as Israel prepares for a full-scale war against Palestinian militants.

On several American talk shows, Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken cast normalization as a choice between regional peace and the terrorism carried out by Hamas, the militant group in Gaza.

“It would really change the prospects of the entire region far into the future,” Mr. Blinken said on CBS News of Israel’s broadening of relations with Arab countries, including Saudi Arabia, the most powerful Sunni Muslim nation in the region.

“Now, who’s opposed to that? Hamas, Hezbollah, Iran. So, I think that speaks volumes. And there are really two paths before the region.”

Mr. Blinken added an important caveat, which was that the drive for a diplomatic deal between Israel and Saudi Arabia could not be a substitute for a two-state solution to address the needs of the Palestinians.

I think it’s reasonable to assume that normalisation effort is on hold as of now.

What will likely occur from Israel is a counterattack sufficient in scale, as they usually hope, to serve a deterrent purpose and yet also weirdly keep Hamas in power. According to a 2017 research brief by the Rand Corporation, Israel has the military capacity to wipe out Hamas, but doesn’t for fear that an even more extreme organisation could come into power. As such, Rand’s study says, Israel’s grand strategy became “’mowing the grass’ – accepting its inability to permanently solve the problem and instead repeatedly targeting the leadership of Palestinian militant organisations to keep violence manageable.”

Well that didn’t work. So the likelihood of a big ground attack would now be pretty high even if Netanyahu tried restraint – which he now has little political cause to do so.

The opportunity within Saudi Arabia and Israel normalising relationships is very, very high.

Equally the elements for normalising relations between Israel and Saudi Arabia are not small. Saudi Arabia would get formalised security guarantees and US support and cooperation for the development of a Saudi civilian nuclear programme. In parallel, Saudi Arabia and the United States are expected to require Israeli concessions that minimally provide benefits to the Palestinians and that maximally reinforce the shared Saudi and US position of preserving the possibility of a two-state solution to the Israel-Palestinian conflict.

For the US, the benefit is essentially expanding its military security command over the Middle East as never before, all the while creating opportunity to push back on China’s rising influence in the region.

For Israel’s part, normalisation with the Saudis would not only bring untapped economic benefits, but also fundamentally reshape its place in the region and potentially in the broader Islamic world.

So, much to play for.

Unfortunately it’s pretty hard to see that surviving what happens next.

On the other hand the 1979 Israel-Egypt Peace Treaty saw them hand back the entire Sinai Peninsula through 1982. That is the scale of enduring peace that can be achieved in the Middle East.

What high wisdom does Netanyahu have to game through this Hamas outrage?

And what finger will the Saudi royal family hold up to stay this violence and restore the pathway to enduring peace?

28 comments on “Israel and Saudi Arabia ”

  • Comments are now closed

  1. Bearded Git 1
    10 October 2023 at 9:38 am

    UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres said this today in response to Israel cutting off food, water and electricity from more than two million civilians in Gaza at the same time conducting a series of bombing attacks on Gaza:

    "While I recognise Israel’s legitimate security concerns, I also remind Israel that military operations must be conducted in strict accordance with international humanitarian law. Civilians must be respected and protected at all times. Civilian infrastructure must never be a target.

    The reality is that it grows out of a longstanding conflict with a 56-year-long occupation and no political end in sight. It’s time to end this vicious circle of bloodshed, hatred and polarisation."

  2. Anne 2
    10 October 2023 at 10:02 am

    I'm no student of Middle Eastern politics but it seems to me that no solution will ever be forthcoming while both Israel and Palestine choose to elect extreme governments – extreme Right on the one hand and extreme Left on the other. Not that simple I know but it would be a start.

  3. Dennis Frank 3
    10 October 2023 at 10:22 am

    there are really two paths before the region.

    Pathways to the future given binary framing ought to instead be thought of in a triadic relation to context or any negotiation process. The most relevant triad has been used in the region for two millennia: the vesica piscis, which is fundamental to christian art & architecture. Used to represent Christ as changemaker, it takes contemporary form as a generic formula.

    So in secular society we get world & better world represented by the two fish symbols within the holistic symbol composite. The overlap, central between these two mental realms, represents the transition to be made by the changemaker. Iconology 1.01

    Anyway, google vesica piscis to see contemporary presentations of this ancient symbol, then images… https://www.google.com/search?client=firefox-b-d&q=vesica+piscis

  4. Sanctuary 4
    10 October 2023 at 11:49 am

    "…But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away…" – Isaiah 64:6

    And isn't it a fetching set of rags the Israeli government and the west are wearing at the moment.

    One worries though that when the Israeli defence minister, announcing a full siege on Gaza including "no electricity, no food, no fuel" and tells us that "We are fighting human animals and we are acting accordingly" explicitly dehumanising his victims as beasts while announcing a war crime whilst all along our media barely bats an eyelid and our governments offer unqualified support if we are reaching a point where Israel thinks they can stop even needing rags. And as Hannah Arendt tells us, when evil stops being a temptation and becomes a policy you know all is lost.

    In any event, I think Mouin Rabbani's analysis will do for me for now:

    "…So what is Operation Al-Aqsa Storm meant to achieve? It appears that the movement concluded, some time ago, that a repeat of previous confrontations with Israel, such as during the 2021 Unity Intifada, the first that Hamas rather than Israel initiated, would be insufficient to break the logjam, and that only a spectacle on the scale of what we witnessed on 7 October would serve to concentrate minds in Israel and other relevant capitals. In other words, the main objective would seem to be to render the status quo obsolete and put paid to the Israeli-Egyptian blockade, entirely or at least in its current form. Secondly, Hamas appears determined to free Palestinian prisoners from Israeli jails, and additionally use those it has captured and abducted as leverage in negotiations on other matters, including for example those relating to the Haram al-Sharif.

    It is highly unlikely that undermining Saudi-Israeli diplomacy formed an important motivation, because the proposed deal faces too many insurmountable obstacles in Washington and Israel, and both Hamas and its allies understand this…"

    https://www.jadaliyya.com/Details/45375/Operation-Al-Aqsa-Storm-How,-Why,-and-Where-To

    • Dennis Frank 4.1
      10 October 2023 at 12:14 pm

      On RNZ news just now, Hamas will start televised execution of Israeli captives the moment Israel bombs families in Gaza.

      This tit for tat strategy obtains more leverage via extension, just like any physical lever. UN chief complains, but peacemaking can't happen without incentives to resolve conflict. Can't expect a bureaucrat to know that, to be fair!

      • SPC 4.1.1
        10 October 2023 at 2:24 pm

        Hamas behaving like Islamic state would undermine the Tet offensive narrative and lead to a do unto them what was done to Islamic State alternative.

    • Ad 4.2
      10 October 2023 at 1:30 pm

      It doesn't matter what Hamas want because they aren't going to get anything out of it.

      Rabbani's commentary is typically pessimistic but that's what you get when you're just not one of the players in a complex diplomatic equation.

      What matters is the kind of Israel that emerges out of this.

      If Israel really do manage to near-permanently wipe out Hamas as a terrorist organisation, the the road back to an economic-political reconstruction plan for Gaza will be open. It's pretty hard to see any Gazan being allowed to work in Israel for a long, long time, but eventually Egypt, the Palestinian Authority, Israel and Saudi Arabia will sit down again afterwards.

      There will be a plan if there is no Hamas. The 2.2 million Palestinians in the Gaza Strip deserve lives of peace and dignity. Hamas rule since June 2007 has brought them terrible misery and poverty.

      The question for Israel is whether this finishes Netanyahu and his government. He is not a partner for any constructive plan in the region. His government is sick with ultra-nationalistic and messianic ideas, lack of experience, and inferior intellectual capacity.

      This needs to finish Hamas and it also needs to finish Netanyahu. That would be the start of a start.

      • SPC 4.2.1
        10 October 2023 at 2:22 pm

        A grand coalition is possible and one way to remove the religious zionists (actually a combine of ultra nationalists/fascists no one else has time for, formed by BN to realise a majority). Whether it would ease BN out is another matter.

        Whether the UN (nation building), or the PA would want to replace Hamas government in Gaza is another matter. The most obvious gain would be PA elections and administration unity – something for the SA to sponsor as part of getting a security deal.

        • Ad 4.2.1.1
          10 October 2023 at 3:48 pm

          I look back on dudes who could deal for peace like Yitzak Rabin even that old bastard Shimon Perez, and holy mackerel Israel such a long way from that era or from those kinds of leaders.

          I had hoped to make a pilgrimage to Jerusalem next year but dammit that just went.

          • SPC 4.2.1.1.1
            10 October 2023 at 4:03 pm

            The last peace effort was 2000 by Barak (who ended BN's first term after Rabin's assassination), since then it declined to disengagement Sharon-Olmert and onto BN's return and a de facto annexation governance via PA proxy of the WB.

            The peace ready left (shrunk to 5%) was replaced by a secular (Lapid's) and blue and white nationalist (centre-right anyone but BN) alternative to Likud's god and mammon axis with religious Jews.

            Given the state of the western economy, SA buying security via assistance to PA was the best option going sans BN finally facing that last political stake/end of his political career. Like Putin and perhaps Xi, the ambition for legacy is destructive to civil society.

            PS – yeah avoid the Hizbollah fireworks response to the Gaza war mark 3.

      • Anne 4.2.2
        10 October 2023 at 3:13 pm

        "This needs to finish Hamas and it also needs to finish Netanyahu. That would be the start of a start."

        yes yes

    • SPC 4.3
      10 October 2023 at 2:31 pm

      It's reasonable opine, except for the fact that Hamas (and its ties to Iran) was one obstacle to the SA-Israel deal and this roadblock is about to be dismantled.

      Another one, the presence of ultra-nationalists in the current Israeli government might be short-lived, as their removal would be a requirement for a grand coalition.

  5. Roy Cartland 5
    10 October 2023 at 12:07 pm

    Benjamin Netanyahu said. “What we will do to our enemies in the coming days will reverberate with them for generations.”

    Openly declaring collective punishment.

  6. adam 6
    10 October 2023 at 1:29 pm

    Far right fucks doing what they do best, killing people.

  7. Tricledrown 7
    10 October 2023 at 1:35 pm

    This conflict will spread Iran on Putins side is another escalation between the Putin puppets and the Western powers.This will take away the spotlight on the Ukraine.

  8. KJT 8
    10 October 2023 at 2:41 pm

    Who are the "Terrorists" again?

    Israeli bombing

    Settlers

  9. Mike the Lefty 9
    10 October 2023 at 3:00 pm

    The haters and wreckers on both sides have got what they want – war.

    New Zealand's should use its reputation as an international peacekeeper nation to try and halt the violence against civilians, whomever commits it, and ensure that people in New Zealand with connections to either side are not targeted by association.

    National once again show their unfitness for government by verbally charging into the fray before getting their facts straight.

  10. Anne 10
    10 October 2023 at 3:16 pm

    New Zealand's should use its reputation as an international peacekeeper nation to try and halt the violence against civilians, whomever commits it, and ensure that people in New Zealand with connections to either side are not targeted by association.

    This. Needs to be writ in lights.

  12. Peter Bradley 12
    10 October 2023 at 5:25 pm

    The situation is an almost too perfect salve for Netanyahu's government in resolving divisions in Israel and unpopularity with the hard right shift in government power. These divisions will now evaporate as the country shifts to a war footing and focuses on a land invasion of Gaza in pursuit of Hamas military assets and personal.

    A state of long term insecurity is extremely useful politically and economically as we saw with the US occupation of Iraq and Afghanistan – a conclusive outcome was never the goal but rather a state of permanent instability requiring ever larger sums of domestic spending on weapons and manpower.

    This is what I like to think of as a form of Keynesian economics such that the state provides a massive input of spending into the domestic economy without the annoyance of providing public services.

    Israel will now benefit from this political and economic shift in addition to a unified and subdued population as long as the threat of Palestinian attacks can be maintained.

  13. Roy Cartland 13
    10 October 2023 at 5:51 pm

    It seems the medias ATM are doing a surprisingly ok job of separating the monstrous Hamas from the citizens of Palestine, who do deserve our compassion. And also criticizing Netenyahu's response. I hoped it wouldn't just be wall to wall 'righteous Israel' propaganda, like we've seen on past wars.

    • SPC 13.1
      10 October 2023 at 6:19 pm

      It would be a hard sell given Israel has chosen not to warn where it will bomb so civilians can leave the area/areas.

      • Roy Cartland 13.1.1
        10 October 2023 at 6:53 pm

        They've been telling citizens to leave, but sealed all the exits and are firing from the sea. Hearing the correspondent on Checkpoint was harrowing.

  14. GreenBus 14
    10 October 2023 at 6:28 pm

    This will be the USA offramp to Ukraine. Probably the cause and reason.

  15. Anne 15
    10 October 2023 at 6:46 pm

    Perhaps I'm looking in the wrong places, but I am surprised there has been little to no comment in the MSM as to the likely consequences for NZ if this war continues for any length of time. Apart from the obvious (petrol prices will soar beyond the means of half the population) there will surely be numerous other equally concerning outcomes. For example, the possibility/probability of copy-cat type incidents against ethnicities from both sides of the battle ground. That would seem to me to be a very real threat, yet the media is strangely quiet.

    • In Vino 15.1
      10 October 2023 at 9:26 pm

      Anne, I think the market-based rating systems aimed at maximised advertising income have bred all intelligence out of our media. Ratings and advertising are all that matter to the marketing people currently in charge, and I don't think they would recognise an intellectual challenge with important implications if it kicked them in the derriere.

      I have also heard that the profit-seeking nature of the USA military-industrial complex has caused too much focus on financial gain, to the cost of the efficiency of the weapons being made. Western super-weapons have yet to prove dominance over the Russian primitive but practical weapons in the Ukraine fiasco..

      The great advance of the Market Economy may well be starting to show its failings.

      And good ol' NZ went further with that Market Economy nonsense than most other countries, and I think our news media became one of the most commercialised in the world.

      A sure recipe for failure?

      The market can be a very good servant, but I think we are now learning that it makes a very poor master.

      • Anne 15.1.1
        11 October 2023 at 11:05 am

        I don't think they would recognise an intellectual challenge with important implications if it kicked them in the derriere.

        I concur with that. Having watched many media stand-ups over the years, it never fails to amaze me how incredibly puerile some of the questions they ask of those being interviewed. Either they assume the general public are total morons or their own level of comprehension is verging on the moronic.

Recent Comments

Recent Posts

  • Taking action on Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder
    Hundreds of New Zealand families affected by Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) will benefit from a new Government focus on prevention and treatment, says Health Minister Dr Shane Reti. “We know FASD is a leading cause of preventable intellectual and neurodevelopmental disability in New Zealand,” Dr Reti says.  “Every day, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    22 hours ago

  • New sports complex opens in Kaikohe
    Regional Development Minister Shane Jones today attended the official opening of Kaikohe’s new $14.7 million sports complex. “The completion of the Kaikohe Multi Sports Complex is a fantastic achievement for the Far North,” Mr Jones says. “This facility not only fulfils a long-held dream for local athletes, but also creates ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago

  • Diplomacy needed more than ever
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters’ engagements in Türkiye this week underlined the importance of diplomacy to meet growing global challenges.    “Returning to the Gallipoli Peninsula to represent New Zealand at Anzac commemorations was a sombre reminder of the critical importance of diplomacy for de-escalating conflicts and easing tensions,” Mr Peters ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago

  • Anzac Commemorative Address, Buttes New British Cemetery Belgium
    Ambassador Millar, Burgemeester, Vandepitte, Excellencies, military representatives, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen – good morning and welcome to this sacred Anzac Day dawn service.  It is an honour to be here on behalf of the Government and people of New Zealand at Buttes New British Cemetery, Polygon Wood – a deeply ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • Anzac Commemorative Address – NZ National Service, Chunuk Bair
    Distinguished guests -   It is an honour to return once again to this site which, as the resting place for so many of our war-dead, has become a sacred place for generations of New Zealanders.   Our presence here and at the other special spaces of Gallipoli is made ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago

  • Anzac Commemorative Address – Dawn Service, Gallipoli, Türkiye
    Mai ia tawhiti pamamao, te moana nui a Kiwa, kua tae whakaiti mai matou, ki to koutou papa whenua. No koutou te tapuwae, no matou te tapuwae, kua honoa pumautia.   Ko nga toa kua hinga nei, o te Waipounamu, o te Ika a Maui, he okioki tahi me o ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago

  • PM announces changes to portfolios
    Paul Goldsmith will take on responsibility for the Media and Communications portfolio, while Louise Upston will pick up the Disability Issues portfolio, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon announced today. “Our Government is relentlessly focused on getting New Zealand back on track. As issues change in prominence, I plan to adjust Ministerial ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago

  • New catch limits for unique fishery areas
    Recreational catch limits will be reduced in areas of Fiordland and the Chatham Islands to help keep those fisheries healthy and sustainable, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. The lower recreational daily catch limits for a range of finfish and shellfish species caught in the Fiordland Marine Area and ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago

  • Minister welcomes hydrogen milestone
    Energy Minister Simeon Brown has welcomed an important milestone in New Zealand’s hydrogen future, with the opening of the country’s first network of hydrogen refuelling stations in Wiri. “I want to congratulate the team at Hiringa Energy and its partners K one W one (K1W1), Mitsui & Co New Zealand ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago

  • Urgent changes to system through first RMA Amendment Bill
    The coalition Government is delivering on its commitment to improve resource management laws and give greater certainty to consent applicants, with a Bill to amend the Resource Management Act (RMA) expected to be introduced to Parliament next month. RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop has today outlined the first RMA Amendment ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago

  • Overseas decommissioning models considered
    Overseas models for regulating the oil and gas sector, including their decommissioning regimes, are being carefully scrutinised as a potential template for New Zealand’s own sector, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. The Coalition Government is focused on rebuilding investor confidence in New Zealand’s energy sector as it looks to strengthen ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago

  • Release of North Island Severe Weather Event Inquiry
    Emergency Management and Recovery Minister Mark Mitchell has today released the Report of the Government Inquiry into the response to the North Island Severe Weather Events. “The report shows that New Zealand’s emergency management system is not fit-for-purpose and there are some significant gaps we need to address,” Mr Mitchell ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago

  • Justice Minister to attend Human Rights Council
    Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith is today travelling to Europe where he’ll update the United Nations Human Rights Council on the Government’s work to restore law and order.  “Attending the Universal Periodic Review in Geneva provides us with an opportunity to present New Zealand’s human rights progress, priorities, and challenges, while ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago

  • Patterson reopens world’s largest wool scouring facility
    Associate Agriculture Minister, Mark Patterson, formally reopened the world’s largest wool processing facility today in Awatoto, Napier, following a $50 million rebuild and refurbishment project. “The reopening of this facility will significantly lift the economic opportunities available to New Zealand’s wool sector, which already accounts for 20 per cent of ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago

  • Speech to the Southland Otago Regional Engineering Collective Summit, 18 April 2024
    Hon Andrew Bayly, Minister for Small Business and Manufacturing  At the Southland Otago Regional Engineering Collective (SOREC) Summit, 18 April, Dunedin    Ngā mihi nui, Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Ko Whanganui aho    Good Afternoon and thank you for inviting me to open your summit today.    I am delighted ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago

  • Government to introduce revised Three Strikes law
    The Government is delivering on its commitment to bring back the Three Strikes legislation, Associate Justice Minister Nicole McKee announced today. “Our Government is committed to restoring law and order and enforcing appropriate consequences on criminals. We are making it clear that repeat serious violent or sexual offending is not ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago

  • New diplomatic appointments
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters has today announced four new diplomatic appointments for New Zealand’s overseas missions.   “Our diplomats have a vital role in maintaining and protecting New Zealand’s interests around the world,” Mr Peters says.    “I am pleased to announce the appointment of these senior diplomats from the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago

  • Humanitarian support for Ethiopia and Somalia
    New Zealand is contributing NZ$7 million to support communities affected by severe food insecurity and other urgent humanitarian needs in Ethiopia and Somalia, Foreign Minister Rt Hon Winston Peters announced today.   “Over 21 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance across Ethiopia, with a further 6.9 million people ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago

  • Arts Minister congratulates Mataaho Collective
    Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage Paul Goldsmith is congratulating Mataaho Collective for winning the Golden Lion for best participant in the main exhibition at the Venice Biennale. "Congratulations to the Mataaho Collective for winning one of the world's most prestigious art prizes at the Venice Biennale.  “It is good ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago

  • Supporting better financial outcomes for Kiwis
    The Government is reforming financial services to improve access to home loans and other lending, and strengthen customer protections, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly and Housing Minister Chris Bishop announced today. “Our coalition Government is committed to rebuilding the economy and making life simpler by cutting red tape. We are ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Trade relationship with China remains strong
    “China remains a strong commercial opportunity for Kiwi exporters as Chinese businesses and consumers continue to value our high-quality safe produce,” Trade and Agriculture Minister Todd McClay says.   Mr McClay has returned to New Zealand following visits to Beijing, Harbin and Shanghai where he met ministers, governors and mayors and engaged in trade and agricultural events with the New ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • PM’s South East Asia mission does the business
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has completed a successful trip to Singapore, Thailand and the Philippines, deepening relationships and capitalising on opportunities. Mr Luxon was accompanied by a business delegation and says the choice of countries represents the priority the New Zealand Government places on South East Asia, and our relationships in ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • $41m to support clean energy in South East Asia
    New Zealand is demonstrating its commitment to reducing global greenhouse emissions, and supporting clean energy transition in South East Asia, through a contribution of NZ$41 million (US$25 million) in climate finance to the Asian Development Bank (ADB)-led Energy Transition Mechanism (ETM). Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Climate Change Minister Simon Watts announced ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Minister releases Fast-track stakeholder list
    The Government is today releasing a list of organisations who received letters about the Fast-track applications process, says RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop. “Recently Ministers and agencies have received a series of OIA requests for a list of organisations to whom I wrote with information on applying to have a ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Judicial appointments announced
    Attorney-General Judith Collins today announced the appointment of Wellington Barrister David Jonathan Boldt as a Judge of the High Court, and the Honourable Justice Matthew Palmer as a Judge of the Court of Appeal. Justice Boldt graduated with an LLB from Victoria University of Wellington in 1990, and also holds ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Education Minister heads to major teaching summit in Singapore
    Education Minister Erica Stanford will lead the New Zealand delegation at the 2024 International Summit on the Teaching Profession (ISTP) held in Singapore. The delegation includes representatives from the Post Primary Teachers’ Association (PPTA) Te Wehengarua and the New Zealand Educational Institute (NZEI) Te Riu Roa.  The summit is co-hosted ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Value of stopbank project proven during cyclone
    A stopbank upgrade project in Tairawhiti partly funded by the Government has increased flood resilience for around 7000ha of residential and horticultural land so far, Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones today attended a dawn service in Gisborne to mark the end of the first stage of the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Anzac commemorations, Türkiye relationship focus of visit
    Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters will represent the Government at Anzac Day commemorations on the Gallipoli Peninsula next week and engage with senior representatives of the Turkish government in Istanbul.    “The Gallipoli campaign is a defining event in our history. It will be a privilege to share the occasion ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week 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
    1 week 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
    1 week 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
    1 week 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
    1 week 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
    1 week 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
    1 week 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 week 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 week 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 week 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 weeks 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 weeks 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 weeks ago

Page generated in The Standard by Wordpress at 2024-04-27T21:29:33+00:00