It will be Chippy for PM

Written By: - Date published: 10:36 am, January 21st, 2023 - 101 comments
Categories: chris hipkins, jacinda ardern, labour, political parties, Politics, uncategorized - Tags:

From Stuff Live

Chris Hipkins is now set to become prime minister, and Stuff political editor Luke Malpass and political reporter Anna Whyte have the story:

Chris Hipkins is set to become New Zealand’s next prime minister, after being confirmed as the only nominee for the Labour Party leadership. Barring any last minute caucus shifts, he will be endorsed and confirmed by the Labour Party caucus in Wellington on Sunday.

“The Labour Party caucus will meet at 1pm on Sunday to endorse the nomination and confirm Chris Hipkins as Party Leader,” Labour Party chief whip Duncan Webb said in a statement.

It comes after Stuff revealed on Saturday morning a deal was struck for caucus to get behind him as a consensus candidate and put him into the top job uncontested following two days of MPs hitting the phones.

If the two-thirds of the caucus did not reach agreement on the new leader, it would have gone out to Labour’s electoral college made of caucus, party members and affiliated unions. The caucus was keen to avoid that scenario.

It follows two days of intense discussions after Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern revealed on Thursday that she would be resigning from the top job no later than 7 February.

Stuff: “Live: Chris Hipkins to become PM, only nominee for Labour leadership

I rather expected that would be the likely outcome. I suspect that this should be a good decision for the election campaign. His wikipedia bio just emphasises his political experience, he is damn good on a podium, and also inside caucus. That experience in being a whip for 6 years helps in corralling clarity in the house.

If nothing else it will quiet down the revolting misogynist arseholes of the conservatives right and left on the net for a while.

Those dickheads with their inadequacy issues are a problem that needs addressing – preferably in easily accessible law. I’m really tired of listening to them, and I suspect that way more than half of the countries population are as well. While they may not have been the central issue leading to the decision by Jacinda Ardern to resign. It would definitely have been a background that discourages woman from entering politics and other professions.

Time to deal with it.

Feel free to discuss Chris Hipkin’s new role… BTW the image is from 2012..

101 comments on “It will be Chippy for PM ”

  1. Ovid 1

    Good luck to him. He’s always struck me as good-humoured, personable, smart and across his portfolios. So he will be a good PM and a good campaigner.

  2. Reality 2

    Chris Hipkins was my pick for PM. He has personality and a sense of humour, is smart and handles the media well. He can also give a sharp response when needed (and this year that will be needed to counter all that will be thrown at him by the toxic types).

    He has a young family so being a Wellington region MP will mean a bit less constant travel for him.

    Kiri Allan for Deputy?

  3. One of the Ministers I worked for had a saying that if a person had a twinkle in their eye they were worthy of further communication.

    Rough rule of thumb but it excludes Michael Woodhouse and John Key.

    It includes Judith Collins.

    Chippy has it in bucket-loads!

  4. aj 4

    I'll never forget this covid presser in a park about a year ago when he walked down a track through bush into a clearing where the reporters were. I think he was late because his mother wanted to make sure he was dressed properly. Not shown in this video was a moment when the camera panned to two of his children who came to him after the press conference finished. Brought a tear to my eye at the time as I thought about how exhausted the covid team must have been. By 'covid team', I meant the govt decision makers, every soul in health, MIQ, police, lab work, police, in short a big number of people.

    This clip and the little story that bookends it encapsulates why he is such a good pick for PM

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vbkcGDrkSD4

    • Peter 4.1

      From the other end of your human perspective …

      Work out how minutes before you see vicious comments about him.

      That unbelievable idiot David Farrar already has Chris is a "likeable nice guy, but he is also willing to play the man, not the ball." Well, not unbelievable.

      And one of his cretinous posters has it, "What jobs has he had in the real world? Ever owned a business?" Naturally all the problems with and issues in education according to that site are his fault.

  5. observer 5

    With Grant Robertson adamant that he doesn't want it, Hipkins is the best choice for leader. Michael Wood is impressive and his time will come, but not now.

    It will be fun to watch the frothers try and play the man (sic) instead of the ball. Now that they no longer have an evil commie witch dictator to fantasise about, they might have to talk about … real policy. Oo er!

    Obviously Hipkins will eat Luxon's lunch, but so would anyone who can manage a coherent sentence and avoid the weekly walkback.

  6. Mac1 6

    I lost a reply into the ether but Shanreagh, Reality, observer and Ovid have said what I wanted.

    I also would add that a big hat tip of honour should go to the caucus as a whole but the contenders especially for their acumen, their selflessness and their recognition of their time and place in the political firmament.

    The Greens via Shaw also recognised his qualities immediately.

    Hipkins has also an essential cheekiness, Seymour's best attribute, and his sense of humour shows his humility, his mental quickness and a willingness to engage as a communicator and negotiator.

    Compared with ……….? Bring on the election!

  7. SPC 7

    He would have preferred going from summer shorts to trousers c2025 (as per English after Key), whether he has more than this year to be PM will depend on making a difference in terms of perception in realising delivery (administrative competence) and then of coordinating a centre-left programme with Greens and MP that 50% can accept (pre-election).

    My first advice, adopt a tax revenue neutral approach – the Greens wealth tax (for post 2023 application) used to reduce income tax. 5% pay more 95% pay less – and otherwise tax revenues sustained for investment in infrastructure and social delivery (health/housing/welfare). All while debt is managed downward as a share of GDP.

  8. It behoves us all to re-read his maiden speech. I found it reassuring. yes

  9. Kat 9

    Chippy is bound to be an excellent PM, he has what it takes, has the experience, the backing of the party, is on top with the detail and delivers in clear concise language.

    Look out Luxon, the Chris's are about to cross and we all know which one will be crossed out.

    Jacinda is a great PM, however she is also something much more. If we had our own monarchy she would be queen, if we were a republic she would be president. The world remains that much more a beautiful place while she is in it.

  10. Reality 10

    Two Chris's – one an interesting and astute one and the other a very boring one (who needs his hand held by Nicola/advisors most of the time).

  11. UncookedSelachimorpha 11

    I think he could do well – gift of the gab, decent person and a sense of humour.

    While Labour is completely neoliberal, it is very important to avoid a NAct government which would be massively worse – and Hipkins gives a good chance of that I hope.

    Good luck Chris Hipkins!!!

    • tinderdry6 11.1

      The core tenets of neo-liberalism are free market capitalism, deregulation and cuts to government spending. To describe today's NZ Labour Party as "completely neoliberal" is more than a stretch.

      • UncookedSelachimorpha 11.1.1

        free market capitalism, deregulation and cuts to government spending

        The outcome of all of these is inequality, which NZ has in spades. Labour leaves the majority of wealth untaxed (or very lightly taxed) and is locked to user pays (=regressive tax) at every opportunity. Access to health care and education depends very much on your wealth in NZ (I know lots of examples, personally).

        I am not saying Labour doesn't make very small moves in the right direction – but given the extent of the problem (50% of NZ owns less than 5% of the wealth) – Labour's moves will not shift the dial in any meaningful way (e.g. doubling that 5% to 10%).

        • tinderdry6 11.1.1.1

          "The outcome of all of these is inequality, "

          If analysed by its extremes, socialism also produces inequality, perhaps more so. But that's not the point. The current Labour Party in government is not completely neo-liberal, far from it.

          • UncookedSelachimorpha 11.1.1.1.1

            I wouldn't advocate extremes.

            But 50% of the country having less than 5% of the wealth – is extreme. Moving that to say 10% of the wealth, would be considered "extreme" by some I suppose.

          • gsays 11.1.1.1.2

            Can you point to a reform from Labour that undoes or is a step away from neo-liberalism?

            Little's rebranding of the Health System is a wonderful opportunity to do so but they got an accounting firm (Ernst Young) to lead it. Says it all.

            • lprent 11.1.1.1.2.1

              Can you point to a reform from Labour that undoes or is a step away from neo-liberalism?

              Just offhand…

              New Zealand has just passed a law that will revolutionise workers’ rights. It probably won’t last

              Perhaps you’d like to point out how that doesn’t unwind significiant parts of the Employment Contracts Act? Or are you just being a useless critic longing for a first-past-the-post dictatorship that Muldoon and Douglas used so badly.

              Legislation that is worth having takes time to build. It is easy to be critical of the poorly written legislation of FPP. These days under MMP and coalition politics it requires agreement with the likes of NZF. It requires consideration amongst interested bodies – which you can see in Henry Cookes article.

              What it does need is a dictatorial government or a critic who appears to hanker for a dictatorial government capable of making arbitrary changes.

            • tinderdry6 11.1.1.1.2.2
              1. Labour have implemented a substantial increase in government expenditure.
              1. Labour have paved the way for significant increases in state house building, including increasing Kainga Ora's borrowing ability from crown financing as recently as November 2022.
              2. Labour have increased the highest marginal tax rate, and implemented multiple new taxes or levies, including an effective 55% increase in individual tax bills.

              I could quote a number of other examples. The left criticise Labour for being neo-liberal, while the right criticise them for being only marginally to the right of Stalin. Perhaps it's a kiwi disease.

              [Pray tell us, what specifically did Labour implement other than the introduction of the top tax bracket of 39% for incomes over $180,000 per 1 April 2021 that contributed to the 55% increase since 2017? I cannot tell from the link that you provided, so I assume you are telling porkies – Incognito]

              • Incognito

                Mod note

                • tinderdry6

                  Labour have implemented a policy of not inflation indexing tax brackets. As the article states:

                  "inflation pushing people into higher tax brackets has generated about three-and-a-half times as much revenue as the new 39% income tax rate.”

                  Did you not read the article?

                  [Are you kidding me? You are saying that Labour implemented a policy of/by not implementing a policy?? Has there been such a policy of indexing income tax brackets in NZ in recent times? AFAIK, tax bracket creep is not caused by a specific policy, so I ask you again: what specifically did Labour implement other than the introduction of the top tax bracket of 39% for incomes over $180,000 per 1 April 2021 that contributed to the 55% increase since 2017? Don’t waste my time again – Incognito]

                  • Incognito

                    Mod note

                  • tinderdry6

                    "You are saying that Labour implemented a policy of/by not implementing a policy??"

                    Yes.

                    The word implement means to put (a decision, plan, agreement, etc.) into effect.

                    Not indexing tax brackets is a conscious policy decision. In fact the options for such a policy decision are specifically discussed in a report from the Tax Working Group in 2018.

                    Also, I quote from this article "Tax commentator Terry Baucher said 12 years was too long to leave the tax brackets as they were." The language is very clear that 'leaving' the tax brackets is a conscious decision.

                    “Has there been such a policy of indexing income tax brackets in NZ in recent times?”

                    Yes.

                    1. National adjusted the tax thresholds through a series of changes between 2008/09 through 2010/11.
                    2. It was National policy as recently as 2019.
                    3. It was supported by ACT in 2017, and Steven Joyce said at the time that National was "open to the idea of indexing income tax thresholds to Consumer Price Index inflation to soften the 'bracket creep' that inexorably increases effective tax rates as wages rise."

                    “AFAIK, tax bracket creep is not caused by a specific policy,”

                    Well, you're wrong.

                    [You are really trying my patience and wasting my time, so this is your last chance to keep your commenting privileges on this site.

                    Not doing something is indeed a choice but it is not the same as actively implementing a policy, as you implied. For every existing and implemented policy, there is an infinite number of non-implemented ones, which just shows the absurdity of your argument and that you were indeed telling porkies.

                    A couple of ad hoc tax adjustments, whilst increasing GST, is not indexing tax brackets. However, it shows that tax bracket creep is nothing new and not caused by a policy implemented by this Labour Government, as you implied. You are digging a deeper hole for yourself.

                    Having indexing tax brackets as policy proposals is not the same as implementing them as actual policy. This is a red herring.

                    You need to back up your claim that I’m wrong and tell us which specific policy is causing tax bracket creep – Incognito]

                    • Incognito

                      Mod note

                    • tinderdry6

                      "Not doing something is indeed a choice but it is not the same as actively implementing a policy, as you implied."

                      Not doing something is absolutely implementing a policy when the Tax Working Group lays it out as a policy option, and when the now Finance Minister is on record as specifically ruling it out. It is rejecting the arguments for or premise of that policy. For example, not increasing benefits during some years of previous National governments was a policy decision.

                      "For every existing and implemented policy, there is an infinite number of non-implemented ones,"

                      Yep, and not implementing those are policy decisions. They are decisions on policy; to implement or not. Those decisions may be made for a host of reasons, but they are decisions nonetheless.

                      "Having indexing tax brackets as policy proposals is not the same as implementing them as actual policy. This is a red herring."

                      You didn't ask about implementing them. You asked about whether there had been a policy of indexing income txax brackets. Here's you exact quote “Has there been such a policy of indexing income tax brackets in NZ in recent times?”

                      "A couple of ad hoc tax adjustments, whilst increasing GST, is not indexing tax brackets."

                      Well I could get dragged down that rabbit hole, but it's irrelevant. You didn't ask for examples of implementation, you asked for examples of policy. I gave them to you. Including some that were implemented.

                      However, it shows that tax bracket creep is nothing new and not caused by a policy implemented by this Labour Government, as you implied. You are digging a deeper hole for yourself.

                      Where did I say it was new? Bracket creep is as old as tax and inflation. And it is caused by a deliberate policy decision to not inflation index tax brackets. Decisions made by both national and Labour governments over the years. That is demonstrated very clearly by Grant Robertsons own words:

                      “Look, we’ll see what happens, but I doubt it. That’s not our focus. We’ve been very clear that, at the moment, there is a significant need in our community to be able to invest in health, to be able deal with some of the really specific issues.”

                      Robertson made a conscious policy decision to not index tax brackets so that the government had sufficient money for other priorities. I invite you to look back at the original comment, and my responses to the claim that Labour were 'completely neoliberal' and you'll understand.

                      “You need to back up your claim that I’m wrong and tell us which specific policy is causing tax bracket creep”
                      Not indexing tax brackets for inflation. You are wrong if you think otherwise, and I’ve well and truly demonstrated that.

        • Bearded Git 11.1.1.2

          Agreed uncooked.

          Hopkins is eloquent and smart but he is from the right side of the party. This will push the left to vote Green or MP.

          The ideal election result would be a Lab/Gr coalition where the Greens demand a Wealth Tax as a bottom line.

  12. Mike the Lefty 12

    The right-wing media apologists like Bryce Edwards are crowing that Labour has effectively given up the next election with the (presumed) election of Hipkins as PM.

    I think the political right were hoping that Labour would elect Kiri Allan or Nanaia Mahuta so they could be both racist and misogynist, with Jacinda they could only do the latter.

    • tinderdry6 12.1

      The Herald are reporting Carmel Sepuloni will be deputy PM, so if you're right they still have plenty to work with.

      • Mike the Lefty 12.1.1

        It won't be as satisfying for them though because deputy doesn't have quite the status of the top job.

        Still I suppose the right think that any excuse to be nasty and vindictive is a good excuse.

  13. bwaghorn 13

    Let's hope his party get behind him, he doesn't appear to be ordained by the previous leader like English and Goff where,which seemed to cause endless ructions.

  14. Corey Humm 14

    Bugger.

    Hes a good minister in the background but an absolutely horrible communicator (remember that awfully awkward 10 minutes he waited to get answers to his own COVID rules at a press conference), He comes off as smug, robotic and smarmy and he was a part of the highly dysfunctional, abc faction that leaked like a 90s build home and he was an awful party whip.

    I was truly hoping it'd be someone exciting like Kiri Allen but maybe kiri would be best saved for 2029.

    I wish him the best because national/act is terrifying economically but he's just another boring centerist middle management arse hole like Goff and he'll probably get the same result as a Goff.

    Labours only hope now is doing a quiet electorate deal with TOP (what's more offensive, strategic voting or being in opposition and losing to a bunch of Ayn Rand stans) not running in all or some of the Maori electorates thus allowing the Maori party to cause an overhang, and hoping like hell the greens make Chloe a co-leader (and perhaps another mou with the greens).

    Hipkins could also hit the ground running with a cgt and other policies Ardern had ruled out and marijuana decriminalization (49.7% of NZ did vote for legalization), they could offer student loan forgiveness, first $20 k tax free and universal dental all of which would be insanely popular but given Hipkins political history as someone on the bog standard center of the party I imagine he'll aim to be another boring middle of the road poli.

    Bugger.

    Just bugger.

    • Mike the Lefty 14.1

      Hipkins is good except when he comes under pressure. This he needs to learn to deal with and he will surely get plenty. Jacinda will be a very good tutor I am sure.

    • tinderdry6 14.2

      The only poll I'm aware of comparing some of the potential Labour PM's (Taxpayers Union/Curia) shows he is the best option electorally for Labour.

      That same poll shows some key policies of the government are deeply unpopular, most notably 3Waters. It will be interesting to see whether Hipkins walks some of those policies back.

    • Sabine 14.3

      Hipkins could also hit the ground running with a cgt and other policies Ardern had ruled out and marijuana decriminalization (49.7% of NZ did vote for legalization), they could offer student loan forgiveness, first $20 k tax free and universal dental all of which would be insanely popular but given Hipkins political history as someone on the bog standard center of the party I imagine he'll aim to be another boring middle of the road poli.

      All of this under Ardern would have given them great praise and would have put them on a good footing for the upcoming elections. Couple that with a 51% majority, the Greens supporting most if not all of your points, and it should have been a cakewalk.

      Yet, here we are.

    • SPC 14.4

      There is already a 10 year bright line test on residential property. The Greens wealth tax is better.

      Not requiring health and education sector workers to pay back TD while working here, is smarter than a write off for those who now live overseas.

      First $10,000 tax free (or 10 cents to $20,000) allows more money for other adjustments (such as families).

      Free dental would require rationing access to (limited number) dentists.

      • Sabine 14.4.1

        free education for medical personal in exchange for working in NZ health for a few years.

        first 25 grand tax free – would cover median rentals, and fwiw, should find grace with the right.

        free dental – you could start with free 6 monthly checkups – to prevent decay etc and roll that out further, also see above – free education for medical personal in exchange for working in NZ health

        All of these things have been asked for many many times on this blog, in person at meetings with MP's and such, yet there is no hope of any of it coming into play.

        2.5 years with a full majority, support from the Greens, probably support from Te Pati Maori in regards to a few of these items and yet my bet is that the Labour Party will not do a thing.

        And this is why the Labour today is exactly where they are.

        • Chess Player 14.4.1.1

          The reason none of this 'free' stuff comes into play is that it is not 'free'.

          Someone has to pay.

          And while Labour tries to keep power, it doesn't have much option but to try be the middle ground party, as it lost its original ethos back in the 80s and now the Greens carry that mantle.

          Repeatedly, big talk has turned into cowardice, as a 'don't scare the horses' approach has been considered more important than the promises made in order to get elected.

          At the end of the day, I don't think it matters who the leader is, it's still just the Labour party, and the temporary boost from Ardern as leader will vanish when the electorate realises that.

      • Nic the NZer 14.4.2

        Its one of Ardern's more clever plays actually. By accepting the bright-line test being in effect a CGT, adopting the National government terminology and having said she would not introduce a CGT, she got a lot of resistance out the way without fuss.

        If Hipkins decides to re-start a policy battle already won, I would have to question his strategic thinking.

        I couldn't find CGT tax policy statements on the Green party web-site, so I think they have drawn the same conclusion and moved on to their wealth tax policy.

      • We are already rationing access to primary health care due to a limited number of GPs

    • weka 14.5

      Let's play this out. Labour let TOP win Ilam. Labour don't get enough votes or coalition partners to form govt. National can form govt with ACT but throw a sop to TOP like they did with TPM. TOP get some concessions on a UBI trial, and thus we have UBI introduced into NZ within a neoliberal RW frame.

      Nact use this to further demolish welfare (and it's a condition of ACT's support), which TOP are ok with because they hate welfare, their UBI policy was designed by a RW libertarian and still reflects this despite updates in recent years, and TOP decide that any influence is better than none. Because they don't have a good grasp of welfare and how it works, they support NACT pulling apart some of the core bits.

      How does this help the left?

      • weka 14.5.1

        this is off topic, am happy to shift to OM Lynn.

      • Sabine 14.5.2

        It does not. And it is about time that people actually start thinking in these terms.

      • observer 14.5.3

        A deal in Ilam wouldn't work. Epsom is unusual, in that the party vote is rock solid for one party and the voters do what they are told for that party. The Nats (i.e. party voters) know that their vote for Hide/Banks/Seymour will only ever be used to benefit National.

        There are few if any comparable electorates. And TOP is not perceived as a guaranteed supporter for Labour, which is the only way these deals can work.

        • alwyn 14.5.3.1

          Your reasoning is spot on. To say that Labour could let TOP win Ilam is simply dreaming. It went Labour only once since its creation back in 1996. I personally don't believe that Labour, no matter how hard they try, can retain Ilam, much less gift it to a very minor party like TOP.

        • weka 14.5.3.2

          yeah, I think TOP's unspoken position is they will support Labour if they can, and if they can't they'll take a deal from Nat. Who is going to trust that after Peters? And what advantage is there to Labour anyway?

  15. newsense 15

    Capable boy. Let’s see. Wouldn’t be expecting a CGT 🤣

  16. Maurice 16

    One chippy replaced with another …

    How long before the right wing attack women resort to misandry?

  17. Incognito 17

    But is he lucky?

    Hipkins will stay on [the same] course – the Labour Party policy re-set & re-calibration will continue mostly unchanged, IMO – but details such as his personal style (he is likeable) could and will hopefully make enough of a difference on 14 Oct. For example, his personal trademarks may not be “kindness” and “compassion” per se.

    Lately, calls for radical transformative change have increased, which is not surprising given the current socio-economic climate and the fact that it is Election Year. Hipkins will be aware of this and not necessarily and/or ideologically opposed to it, far from it, but he also knows that politics is the art of the possible, i.e., the how determines whether one gets there at all or not – it is not like scaling Mount Everest and then inevitably having to come down again, but it is also not anything like staying in the ‘middle of the road’ and being some kind of dogmatic ‘centrist’.

    Chris Hipkins, an Ardern lieutenant with multiple briefs including education, likewise insists that the aim is not just “tinkering around the edges of the neoliberal model.” Rather than being content with fixing a few “market failures,” ministers recognise that “the state does have a role in public services, that public service is different from the market, and that market decisions don’t always apply in the public sector.”

    In her pragmatic and often under-theorised way, Ardern wants to reset the terms of political trade. But even if change is far-reaching, it will not be rapid. Her ally Hipkins stoutly defends the idea of “radical incrementalism.” Previous governments have, in his view, adopted one of two models: “crash-through” change in the 1980s, when New Zealand out-Thatchered Thatcher, or the muddle-through of more recent administrations, which have shied away from spelling out any end goals, lest it frighten the horses.

    Radical incrementalism, on the other hand, involves small steps towards an explicitly transformative goal. “If we want to make a long-term shift, we have got to do that in a considered and deliberative way,” Hipkins says. “You can,” he insists, “do big change, and bring people with you, if you explain what that big change looks like.” The Ardern administration, in other words, is gambling that the public will relax once they see that the initial moves don’t bring disaster.

    https://www.wgtn.ac.nz/igps/commentaries/1741419-jacinda-ardern-transforms-new-zealand [by Max Rashbrooke, 3 April 2019, i.e., before the pandemic]

    • pat 17.1

      "Hipkins will stay on [the same] course – the Labour Party policy re-set & re-calibration will continue mostly unchanged, IMO "

      Agree he will with perhaps some marginal differences….it is worth remembering that Robertson will likely remain Finance Minister…..if he dosnt, then that indicates more substantial policy change.

  18. UncookedSelachimorpha 18

    Just watched the last half of Chris Hipkin's opening press conference. I thought he came across very well, and far more human and credible than Luxon (to me at least).

    I am optimistic (but worried) about the next election!

    • observer 18.1

      Yes, he was very good. Like Ardern, his verbal clarity comes from mental clarity. In other words, he knows what he believes and is happy to share it.

      Whereas Luxon also knows what he believes but is terrified of sharing it. Hence the blather and bluster.

      • ianmac 18.1.1

        In one of the columns today it was said that a Leader without a sense of humour will be poor leader. Chris Hipkins has a visible sense of humour and a twinkle in his eyes. Chris Luxon has neither. So…

      • left for dead 18.1.2

        yes True that statement..observer

  19. SDCLFC 19

    I know the choice of deputy is often strategic, and often about securing the support of large groups within the party.
    But an idea I like for Sepuloni is it could be setting a trap for Luxon/Willis during the campaign on Social Development when they continue to attack Beneficiaries.
    Not sure I know too much about what she is like and how good of a political operator she is, but maybe Labour fancy National trying to attack them there, and Sepuloni leading the response. National will secure their safe vote on the issue but in the process come off very cold and stale to middle New Zealand

  20. tsmithfield 20

    Congratulations to Chippie.

    I think he comes across as a very genuine person, and a heck of a nice guy. I also like the way he is always prepared to front up, regardless of how tough the interviewer is, and always seems cheerful, and offers a logical, considered response.

    A pity he is with the wrong party. LOL.

    I just hope that it is realised he has been given a hospital pass, and that he won't be dumped if Labour lose this time around.

    • mpledger 20.1

      National haven't opened their mouths yet so there is nothing to put people off yet. Once they start trying to talk people into their ideas, I think people will go "You tried that, it failed, haven't you got anything new?" and the tide will gently swing back.

  21. Tiger Mountain 21

    A big mistake, the only bigger one would be the ineffective Ms Sepuloni as Deputy dog. WEAG anyone?…the MSD tops must just laugh.

    Mr Wood is the man who has actually delivered for working class people with FPAs and the return of NZ Coastal Shipping.

    • observer 21.1

      If Michael Wood thought so, it would be a contested election.

      • Chess Player 21.1.1

        Wood knows the chances of winning later this year are not great – he’ll be banking on Hipkins losing and resigning, then taking over from there.

        Hipkin’s already been there 15 years so it has to be either up, or out, for him at this point otherwise he’ll never achieve his dream to be PM.

        Trying to be PM later, means Hipkins will need to first become leader of Labour, and the opportunity may not present again for a while – even if it does, by then he’ll be considered stale goods, just as Little and Davis now are.

    • Anne 21.2

      Perhaps not quite ready yet TM and I suspect he knows it which is why he pulled out. He probably wants a bit more of a ‘hands-on the political chess-game and how to play it' experience under his belt. Barring some unforeseen circumstance I believe he will be Party leader and PM one day.

      • Tiger Mountain 21.2.1

        You are probably right Anne, I am just impatient as the clock ticks down. Labour still has a total MMP majority until October, and a feisty Wood could have reset things, but not to be.

        I was at a Labour Party public! meeting in Kelston a few years back when Andrew Little was leader, and Chris Hipkins was there with various others including Carmel Sepuloni–fair enough as she was a recognised West Auckland campaigner–and he was fine, but he toes the conservative Caucus line when it comes down to it.

        I hope enough women, like in the US midterms, flex their power in the 2023 General Election over the treatment of Jacinda Ardern and keep the Natzos and ACT out of office.

    • Bearded Git 21.3

      Agreed Tiger but see my post above….it may work out ok.

      • Tiger Mountain 21.3.1

        Finally got back to your post Git and see your point!

        I am old school and like to see members and affiliates involved (not many of the latter left) but Labour did the right thing tactically here in the situation with a quick resolution. The pundits would have had great fun with a contested replacement for PM.

  22. Ad 22

    Appropriate nightwatch batters letting Wood and Kiri remain protected for rising in the aftermath.

  23. Reality 23

    Facetiously, wonder if Chris Hipkins had hired a Mercedes to get him to Parliament today for his anointing as PM?

  24. mary_a 24

    Well done Chippie. The best person for the job as new Labour leader and PM in my opinion. He has strong political experience and is familiar with how the system works. Also he is amiable and is a good communicator, a big plus for political leaders, along with the fact he is very intelligent and is not a ditherer when it comes to policy making.

    The upcoming election debates will be entertaining. I can see Chippie knocking Luxon off his perch. Come to think of it, haven't heard much from the Nat leader today … hmm … strange, considering Chippie is making news in the majority of NZ media outlets today!

    Stock up on popcorn folks for later on in the year. I'm picking Hipkins will get Labour over the line come October 14.

    • yes Yes Mary_a. He doesn't see it as a hospital pass. The re-set of Deputy will be interesting, plus Policy planks. We need to fund raise like mad and get our teams up and running.

    • observer 24.2

      Yes, more than over the line I expect.

      It's amazing how little some people seem to learn from history. There are countless examples of leaders/parties winning elections from starting positions far worse than this one for Labour, in democracies all around the world. It's the endless hamster wheel of punditry … polls say X, predictions are made, predictions then proved wrong, then five minutes later we're back to the polls saying Y and pretending the past never happened.

      In 1991 President Bush (the first) had an astonishing approval rating of 90%. The Democrats basically gave up. In 1992 … he lost.

  25. Stuart Munro 25

    A good choice, and good luck to him.

    No doubt prewritten poison pen opinions await editing even now, as the so-called journalists take the weekend off to work on their spleen.

  26. bwaghorn 26

    https://i.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/131030961/becoming-pm-the-biggest-responsibility-and-the-biggest-privilege-of-my-life-says-chris-hipkins

    Reading couple of his uttering about aspiration and hard work , if I didn't know he was labour I would have said he was a nat.

    • UncookedSelachimorpha 26.1

      I noticed that too. Uncomfortably close to dividing into deserving and undeserving – and the lie that with hard work, we can all be billionaires.

    • newsense 26.2

      Wait- how did you think all those essential things essential workers do get done? Every deeply red person I know usually worked two jobs, plus community work such as sports coaching. The pay wasn’t the biggest factor.

      Nats inheritance is yet guy who got the dole over summer and spent it on his dad’s boat. The complaints keep the handouts coming, tax free to those who don’t need them.

      • bwaghorn 26.2.1

        Ya probably right, but aspirational was keynoccios catch phrase,so had a little chill run down my spine

  27. Christopher Randal 27

    The first thing the new PM should do is implement, in it's entirety, the recommendation of the Tax enquiry that Labour instigated then ignored.

    The second thing is to get really serious about fixing the Health system

    The third thing is to cancel Auckland Light Rail and use the money around the country to fix the roads.

    • lprent 27.1

      Another fool speaks… But yes, I’d like to see a extended and better Capital Gains Tax.

      But this one…

      The third thing is to cancel Auckland Light Rail and use the money around the country to fix the roads.

      Even in NZTA, fixing roads is a different budget to putting in new transport links. It is paid from funds levied from vehicle owners and drivers via fuel taxes, road users charges, and some sundry taxes. If more money is required for fixing roads than is in the levies – then we really need to raise levies on road vehicles. Probably via the fuel tax or RUC.

      Since most of damage to the roads comes from loaded trucks. So the appropriate levy to significantly raise is the road user charges on loaded vehicles. Or possibly add a tax on diesel to reduce its emissions as well as having an economic effect.

      • bwaghorn 27.1.1

        Is that the same trucks that carry already to expensive food to your door ,? Taxing them more will only make food more expensive.

  28. Peter 28

    While it will be Chippy for PM, I think it is most likely later in the year it will also be Chippy for leader of the Opposition.

    • observer 28.1

      Only if you think National can get through a year without saying anything.

      There is no evidence at all of a shift to the right. There is a shift to "opposition". That's a very different thing.

      With the usual exception of crime (which always favours the right) the public mood on climate change, health sector, education etc is for the government to do more, not less.

      Luxon wants to do less. He just hasn't said so out loud. Only David Seymour has.

      • lprent 28.1.1

        I think that it is time to start stating National party policy. Since they don’t appear to have anything that isn’t just criticism of Labour policy, a slogan promise, and absolutely no detail – I think that it time to attribute National’s policy as being that of ACT.

        After all in a NAct government if it arrives, that appears to be their platform.

        • adam 28.1.1.1

          They Godless leading the greedy – NAct

        • Mike the Lefty 28.1.1.2

          Jacinda's closing act of fixing the election date of October 14 must have caught the NACTS a bit by surprise and it will certainly make National's lack of policy more glaringly obvious with every week that goes by.

          It is a kind of political tradition in NZ that the main opposition party keeps their policies fairly close to their chest in election year so that the government doesn't have the opportunity to counter argument, but that carries its own risk.

          Unless of course they don't have any policies, in which case they had better come up with some fairly quickly unless they think that they can sleep walk over the line.

          And no, I don't regard building more roads and more prisons as genuine policies, they are more like National default settings.

  29. Grant Cairncross 29

    This article is an extremely well referenced take down of all the bollocks the NZ MSM has been dishing up. Dishonestly at that.
    Distribute it widely and tell those people to distribute it widely etc,etc too.
    They have lied to you.
    Shamelessly.
    Click on the links. They all go to the OECD and other highly respected sources.
    NZ is doing very well in an extremely difficult global environment.
    Get. The. Message. Out.

    https://michaelwest.com.au/murdochs-wailing-old-white-man-scribes-get-jacinda-ardern-dead-wrong-again/

    [lprent: The accurate tag for this is

    As the world is thanking Jacinda Ardern profoundly for her 14 years in New Zealand’s Parliament and more than five as prime minister, a large number of white male scribes have joined in a frenzy of extraordinarily bitter attacks. Alan Austin reports on her economic performance.

    So it is relevant because it looks at claims and then provides data and links.

    The comment itself had my anti-troll instincts up. It pays to write about the content to say what it is about. Waffle doing promotion just resonates as trolling – please correct this in future. ]

  30. Muttonbird 30

    This is great. RW pundits are whacking themselves off something stupid over Chris Hipkins as some sort of saviour delivering NZ from total Māori control.

    How does egg-head fight this?

    • Anne 30.1

      Egg Head was on TV1 news at 6pm.

      He said something along the lines:

      "It doesn't matter who is PM because they have done nothing. Nothing at all. We are going to do something."

      But he didn't say what the something was.

      He looked like he had just eaten a lemon. Not a happy chappie. smiley

      • ianmac 30.1.1

        Was it because they did too much or not enough. He can't have it both ways.

        • Anne 30.1.1.1

          He was claiming that in their 5 plus years in office Labour have done nothing.

          That's a mind boggling statement given everything that has happened in the past 5 years. He looked anxious and pissed off. I wonder why. 😉

      • fender 30.1.2

        "But he didn't say what the something was"

        He'll have to do whatever he's told by the ACT party in order to have any chance of becoming PM. And just like that new House Speaker in the U.S he'll do whatever it takes to fulfill his egotistical ambition for the title.

  31. Reality 31

    I think our new PM will deal very effectively with Luxon and challenge him. While I have the utmost admiration for Jacinda, I felt with all the toxicity and venom being thrown at her, there needed to be sharper responses towards that. Chris H can do that well I suspect as long as he doesn't descend to their level.

  32. SPC 33

    If Ch(ristopher) Hip(kins) does not like the known nickname Chippy, can we call him by his secret name "Rusty O'Pherkins"?

  33. newsense 34

    Geez I tell you what, listening to her articulate the situation, could we bring her in as a guest PM for a couple of weeks or something?

    Thanks for staying in such great shape PM Clark! It makes the rest of us feel a lot younger…we don’t have to reminisce about when you were on the TV making us feel so happy to be Kiwis, as Jacinda has done. You still do! Fantastic to see you laughing and enjoying things. You don’t realise how important to the mental health it is to feel proud of and happy with your PM until you might lose them from the position.

    You’re confident in Chippy, how about the rest of us? Are we doing okay too? Heh.

    TVNZ breakfast interviews Helen Clark

Recent Comments

Recent Posts

  • At a glance – Does CO2 always correlate with temperature?
    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 ...
    2 hours ago
  • Bernard’s six-stack of substacks at 6.06 pm on Tuesday, March 19
    TL;DR: In today’s ‘six-stack’ of substacks at 6.06pm on Tuesday, March 19:Kāinga Ora’s dry rot The Spinoff DailyBill McKibben on ‘Climate Superfunds’ making Big Oil pay for climate damage The Crucial YearsPreston Mui on returning to 1980s-style productivity growth NoahpinionAndy Boenau on NIMBYs needing unusual bedfellows Urbanism SpeakeasyNed Resnikoff's case ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 hours ago
  • Relentlessly negative
    Negative yesterday, negative today. Negative all year, according to one departing reader telling me I’ve grown strident and predictable. Fair enough. If it’s any help, every time I go to write about a certain topic that begins with C and ends with arrrrs, I do brace myself and ask: Again? Are ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    5 hours ago
  • Scoring 4.6 out of 10, the new Government is struggling in the polls
    Bryce Edwards writes –  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 ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 hours ago
  • Promiscuous Empathy: Chris Trotter Replies To His Critics.
    Inspirational: The Family of Man is a glorious hymn to human equality, but, more than that, it is a clarion call to human freedom. Because equality, unleavened by liberty, is a broken piano, an unstrung harp; upon which the songs of fraternity will never be played. “Somebody must have been telling lies about ...
    5 hours ago
  • Don’t run your business like a criminal enterprise
    The Detail this morning highlights the police's asset forfeiture case against convicted business criminal Ron Salter, who stands to have his business confiscated for systemic violations of health and safety law. Business are crying foul - but not for the reason you'd think. Instead of opposing the post-conviction punishment and ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    5 hours ago
  • Misremembering Justinian’s Taxes.
    Tax Lawyer Barbara Edmonds vs Emperor Justinian I - Nolo Contendere: False historical explanations of pivotal events are very far from being inconsequential.WHEN BARBARA EDMONDS made reference to the Roman Empire, my ears pricked up. It is, lamentably, very rare to hear a politician admit to any kind of familiarity ...
    6 hours ago
  • 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
    7 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
    8 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
    11 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
    11 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
    11 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
    11 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
    12 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
    13 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
    16 hours ago
  • Bernard’s six-stack of substacks at 6.06 pm on March 18
    TL;DR: In my ‘six-stack’ of substacks at 6.06pm on Monday, March 18:IKEA is accused of planting big forests in New Zealand to green-wash; REDD-MonitorA City for People takes a well-deserved victory lap over Wellington’s pro-YIMBY District Plan votes; A City for PeopleSteven Anastasiou takes a close look at the sticky ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 day ago
  • Peters holds his ground on co-governance, but Willis wriggles on those tax cuts and SNA suspension l...
    Buzz from the Beehive Here’s hoping for a lively post-cabinet press conference when the PM and – perhaps – some of his ministers tell us what was discussed at their meeting today. Until then, Point of Order has precious little Beehive news to report after its latest monitoring of the ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    1 day ago
  • Labour’s final report card
    David Farrar writes –  We now have almost all 2023 data in, which has allowed me to update my annual table of how  went against its promises. This is basically their final report card. The promise The result Build 100,000 affordable homes over 10 ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    1 day ago
  • “Drunk Uncle at a Wedding”
    I’m a bit worried that I’ve started a previous newsletter with the words “just when you think they couldn’t get any worse…” Seems lately that I could begin pretty much every issue with that opening. Such is the nature of our coalition government that they seem to be outdoing each ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    1 day ago
  • Wang Yi’s perfectly-timed, Aukus-themed visit to New Zealand
    Geoffrey Miller writes – Timing is everything. And from China’s perspective, this week’s visit by its foreign minister to New Zealand could be coming at just the right moment. The visit by Wang Yi to Wellington will be his first since 2017. Anniversaries are important to Beijing. ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    1 day ago
  • Gordon Campbell on Dune 2, and images of Islam
    Depictions of Islam in Western popular culture have rarely been positive, even before 9/11. Five years on from the mosque shootings, this is one of the cultural headwinds that the Muslim community has to battle against. Whatever messages of tolerance and inclusion are offered in daylight, much of our culture ...
    1 day ago
  • New Rail Operations Centre Promises Better Train Services
    Last week Transport Minster Simeon Brown and Mayor Wayne Brown opened the new Auckland Rail Operations Centre. The new train control centre will see teams from KiwiRail, Auckland Transport and Auckland One Rail working more closely together to improve train services across the city. The Auckland Rail Operations Centre in ...
    2 days ago
  • Bernard's six newsy things at 6.36am on Monday, March 18
    Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Retiring former Labour Finance Minister Grant Robertson said in an exit interview with Q+A yesterday the Government can and should sustain more debt to invest in infrastructure for future generations. Elsewhere in the news in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy at 6:36am: Read more ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago
  • Geoffrey Miller: Wang Yi’s perfectly-timed, Aukus-themed visit to New Zealand
    Timing is everything. And from China’s perspective, this week’s visit by its foreign minister to New Zealand could be coming at just the right moment. The visit by Wang Yi to Wellington will be his first since 2017. Anniversaries are important to Beijing. It is more than just a happy ...
    Democracy ProjectBy Geoffrey Miller
    2 days ago
  • The Kaka’s diary for the week to March 25 and beyond
    TL;DR: The key events to watch in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the week to March 18 include:China’s Foreign Minister visiting Wellington today;A post-cabinet news conference this afternoon; the resumption of Parliament on Tuesday for two weeks before Easter;retiring former Labour Finance Minister Grant Robertson gives his valedictory speech in Parliament; ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago
  • Bitter and angry; Winston First
    New Zealand First Leader Winston Peters’s state-of-the-nation speech on Sunday was really a state-of-Winston-First speech. He barely mentioned any of the Government’s key policies and could not even wholly endorse its signature income tax cuts. Instead, he rehearsed all of his complaints about the Ardern Government, including an extraordinary claim ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    2 days ago
  • 2024 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #11
    A listing of 35 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, March 10, 2024 thru Sat, March 16, 2024. Story of the week This week we'll give you a little glimpse into how we collect links to share and ...
    2 days ago
  • 2024 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #11
    A listing of 35 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, March 10, 2024 thru Sat, March 16, 2024. Story of the week This week we'll give you a little glimpse into how we collect links to share and ...
    2 days ago
  • Out of Touch.
    “I’ve been internalising a really complicated situation in my head.”When they kept telling us we should wait until we get to know him, were they taking the piss? Was it a case of, if you think this is bad, wait till you get to know the real Christopher, after the ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    2 days ago
  • Bring out your Dad
    Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago
  • Bring out your Dad
    Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago
  • Bring out your Dad
    Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago
  • The bewildering world of Chris Luxon – Guns for all, not no lunch for kids
    .“$10 and a target that bleeds” - Bleeding Targets for Under $10!.Thanks for reading Frankly Speaking ! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.This government appears hell-bent on either scrapping life-saving legislation or reintroducing things that - frustrated critics insist - will be dangerous and likely ...
    Frankly SpeakingBy Frank Macskasy
    3 days ago
  • Expert Opinion: Ageing Boomers, Laurie & Les, Talk Politics.
    It hardly strikes me as fair to criticise a government for doing exactly what it said it was going to do. For actually keeping its promises.”THUNDER WAS PLAYING TAG with lightning flashes amongst the distant peaks. Its rolling cadences interrupted by the here-I-come-here-I-go Doppler effect of the occasional passing car. ...
    3 days ago
  • Manufacturing The Truth.
    Subversive & Disruptive Technologies: Just as happened with that other great regulator of the masses, the Medieval Church, the advent of a new and hard-to-control technology – the Internet –  is weakening the ties that bind. Then, and now, those who enjoy a monopoly on the dissemination of lies, cannot and will ...
    3 days ago
  • A Powerful Sensation of Déjà Vu.
    Been Here Before: To find the precedents for what this Coalition Government is proposing, it is necessary to return to the “glory days” of Muldoonism.THE COALITION GOVERNMENT has celebrated its first 100 days in office by checking-off the last of its listed commitments. It remains, however, an angry government. It ...
    3 days ago
  • Can you guess where world attention is focussed (according to Greenpeace)? It’s focussed on an EPA...
    Bob Edlin writes –  And what is the world watching today…? The email newsletter from Associated Press which landed in our mailbox early this morning advised: In the news today: The father of a school shooter has been found guilty of involuntary manslaughter; prosecutors in Trump’s hush-money case ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    3 days ago
  • Further integrity problems for the Greens in suspending MP Darleen Tana
    Bryce Edwards writes – Is another Green MP on their way out? And are the Greens severely tarnished by another integrity scandal? For the second time in three months, the Green Party has secretly suspended an MP over integrity issues. Mystery is surrounding the party’s decision to ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    3 days ago
  • Jacqui Van Der Kaay: Greens’ transparency missing in action
    For the last few years, the Green Party has been the party that has managed to avoid the plague of multiple scandals that have beleaguered other political parties. It appears that their luck has run out with a second scandal which, unfortunately for them, coincided with Golraz Ghahraman, the focus ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    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
    4 days ago
  • The day Wellington up-zoned its future
    Wellington’s massively upzoned District Plan adds the opportunity for tens of thousands of new homes not just in the central city (such as these Webb St new builds) but also close to the CBD and public transport links. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Wellington gave itself the chance of ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    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 ...
    5 days ago
  • Bernard's Top 10 @ 10 'pick 'n' mix' for March 14
    TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: Jonathon Porritt calling bullshit in his own blog post on mainstream climate science as ‘The New Denialism’.Local scoop: The Wellington City Council’s list of proposed changes to the IHP recommendations to be debated later today was leaked this ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • No, Prime Minister, rents don’t rise or fall with landlords’ costs
    TL;DR: Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said yesterday tenants should be grateful for the reinstatement of interest deductibility because landlords would pass on their lower tax costs in the form of lower rents. That would be true if landlords were regulated monopolies such as Transpower or Auckland Airport1, but they’re not, ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    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
    4 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
    9 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
    11 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
    12 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
    4 days ago
  • Speech for Financial Advice NZ Conference 5 March 2024
    Speech for Financial Advice NZ Conference 5 March 2024  Acknowledgements and opening  Morena, Nga Mihi Nui.  Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Nor Whanganui aho. Thanks Nate for your Mihi Whakatau  Good morning. It’s a pleasure to formally open your conference this morning. What a lovely day in Wellington, What a great ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Early visit to Indonesia strengthens ties
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters held discussions in Jakarta today about the future of relations between New Zealand and South East Asia’s most populous country.   “We are in Jakarta so early in our new government’s term to reflect the huge importance we place on our relationship with Indonesia and South ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • China Foreign Minister to visit
    Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Winston Peters has announced that the Foreign Minister of China, Wang Yi, will visit New Zealand next week.  “We look forward to re-engaging with Foreign Minister Wang Yi and discussing the full breadth of the bilateral relationship, which is one of New Zealand’s ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Minister opens new Auckland Rail Operations Centre
    Transport Minister Simeon Brown has today opened the new Auckland Rail Operations Centre, which will bring together KiwiRail, Auckland Transport, and Auckland One Rail to improve service reliability for Aucklanders. “The recent train disruptions in Auckland have highlighted how important it is KiwiRail and Auckland’s rail agencies work together to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Celebrating 10 years of Crankworx Rotorua
    The Government is proud to support the 10th edition of Crankworx Rotorua as the Crankworx World Tour returns to Rotorua from 16-24 March 2024, says Minister for Economic Development Melissa Lee.  “Over the past 10 years as Crankworx Rotorua has grown, so too have the economic and social benefits that ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Government delivering on tax commitments
    Legislation implementing coalition Government tax commitments and addressing long-standing tax anomalies will be progressed in Parliament next week, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The legislation is contained in an Amendment Paper to the Taxation (Annual Rates for 2023–24, Multinational Tax, and Remedial Matters) Bill issued today.  “The Amendment Paper represents ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Significant Natural Areas requirement to be suspended
    Associate Environment Minister Andrew Hoggard has today announced that the Government has agreed to suspend the requirement for councils to comply with the Significant Natural Areas (SNA) provisions of the National Policy Statement for Indigenous Biodiversity for three years, while it replaces the Resource Management Act (RMA).“As it stands, SNAs ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Government classifies drought conditions in Top of the South as medium-scale adverse event
    Agriculture Minister Todd McClay has classified the drought conditions in the Marlborough, Tasman, and Nelson districts as a medium-scale adverse event, acknowledging the challenging conditions facing farmers and growers in the district. “Parts of Marlborough, Tasman, and Nelson districts are in the grip of an intense dry spell. I know ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Government partnership to tackle $332m facial eczema problem
    The Government is helping farmers eradicate the significant impact of facial eczema (FE) in pastoral animals, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay announced.  “A $20 million partnership jointly funded by Beef + Lamb NZ, the Government, and the primary sector will save farmers an estimated NZD$332 million per year, and aims to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • NZ, India chart path to enhanced relationship
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters has completed a successful visit to India, saying it was an important step in taking the relationship between the two countries to the next level.   “We have laid a strong foundation for the Coalition Government’s priority of enhancing New Zealand-India relations to generate significant future benefit for both countries,” says Mr Peters, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Ruapehu Alpine Lifts bailout the last, say Ministers
    Cabinet has agreed to provide $7 million to ensure the 2024 ski season can go ahead on the Whakapapa ski field in the central North Island but has told the operator Ruapehu Alpine Lifts it is the last financial support it will receive from taxpayers. Cabinet also agreed to provide ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Govt takes action to drive better cancer services
    Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says the launch of a new mobile breast screening unit in Counties Manukau reinforces the coalition Government’s commitment to drive better cancer services for all New Zealanders. Speaking at the launch of the new mobile clinic, Dr Reti says it’s a great example of taking ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Govt takes action to drive better cancer services
    Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says the launch of a new mobile breast screening unit in Counties Manukau reinforces the coalition Government’s commitment to drive better cancer services for all New Zealanders. Speaking at the launch of the new mobile clinic, Dr Reti says it’s a great example of taking ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Work begins on SH29 upgrades near Tauriko
    Unlocking economic growth and land for housing are critical elements of the Government’s plan for our transport network, and planned upgrades to State Highway 29 (SH29) near Tauriko will deliver strongly on those priorities, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “The SH29 upgrades near Tauriko will improve safety at the intersections ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Work begins on SH29 upgrades near Tauriko
    Unlocking economic growth and land for housing are critical elements of the Government’s plan for our transport network, and planned upgrades to State Highway 29 (SH29) near Tauriko will deliver strongly on those priorities, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “The SH29 upgrades near Tauriko will improve safety at the intersections ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Fresh produce price drop welcome
    Lower fruit and vegetable prices are welcome news for New Zealanders who have been doing it tough at the supermarket, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. Stats NZ reported today the price of fruit and vegetables has dropped 9.3 percent in the 12 months to February 2024.  “Lower fruit and vege ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Statement to the 68th United Nations Commission on the Status of Women
    Tēnā koutou katoa and greetings to you all.  Chair, I am honoured to address the sixty-eighth session of the Commission on the Status of Women. I acknowledge the many crises impacting the rights of women and girls. Heightened global tensions, war, climate related and humanitarian disasters, and price inflation all ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Speech to the 68th United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (CSW68)
    Tēnā koutou katoa and greetings to you all.  Chair, I am honoured to address the 68th session of the Commission on the Status of Women. I acknowledge the many crises impacting the rights of women and girls. Heightened global tensions, war, climate related and humanitarian disasters, and price inflation all ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Government backs rural led catchment projects
    The coalition Government is supporting farmers to enhance land management practices by investing $3.3 million in locally led catchment groups, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay announced. “Farmers and growers deliver significant prosperity for New Zealand and it’s vital their ongoing efforts to improve land management practices and water quality are supported,” ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Speech to Auckland Business Chamber
    Good evening everyone and thank you for that lovely introduction.   Thank you also to the Honourable Simon Bridges for the invitation to address your members. Since being sworn in, this coalition Government has hit the ground running with our 100-day plan, delivering the changes that New Zealanders expect of us. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Commission’s advice on ETS settings tabled
    Recommendations from the Climate Change Commission for New Zealand on the Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) auction and unit limit settings for the next five years have been tabled in Parliament, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. “The Commission provides advice on the ETS annually. This is the third time the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Government lowering building costs
    The coalition Government is beginning its fight to lower building costs and reduce red tape by exempting minor building work from paying the building levy, says Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk. “Currently, any building project worth $20,444 including GST or more is subject to the building levy which is ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Trustee tax change welcomed
    Proposed changes to tax legislation to prevent the over-taxation of low-earning trusts are welcome, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The changes have been recommended by Parliament’s Finance and Expenditure Committee following consideration of submissions on the Taxation (Annual Rates for 2023–24, Multinational Tax, and Remedial Matters) Bill. “One of the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Minister’s Ramadan message
    Assalaamu alaikum. السَّلَام عليكم In light of the holy month of Ramadan, I want to extend my warmest wishes to our Muslim community in New Zealand. Ramadan is a time for spiritual reflection, renewed devotion, perseverance, generosity, and forgiveness.  It’s a time to strengthen our bonds and appreciate the diversity ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Minister appoints new NZTA Chair
    Former Transport Minister and CEO of the Auckland Business Chamber Hon Simon Bridges has been appointed as the new Board Chair of the New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA) for a three-year term, Transport Minister Simeon Brown announced today. “Simon brings extensive experience and knowledge in transport policy and governance to the role. He will ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Speech to Life Sciences Summit
    Good morning all, it is a pleasure to be here as Minister of Science, Innovation and Technology.  It is fantastic to see how connected and collaborative the life science and biotechnology industry is here in New Zealand. I would like to thank BioTechNZ and NZTech for the invitation to address ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Progress continues apace on water storage
    Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says he is looking forward to the day when three key water projects in Northland are up and running, unlocking the full potential of land in the region. Mr Jones attended a community event at the site of the Otawere reservoir near Kerikeri on Friday. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Government agrees to restore interest deductions
    Associate Finance Minister David Seymour has today announced that the Government has agreed to restore deductibility for mortgage interest on residential investment properties. “Help is on the way for landlords and renters alike. The Government’s restoration of interest deductibility will ease pressure on rents and simplify the tax code,” says ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Minister to attend World Anti-Doping Agency Symposium
    Sport and Recreation Minister Chris Bishop will travel to Switzerland today to attend an Executive Committee meeting and Symposium of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA). Mr Bishop will then travel on to London where he will attend a series of meetings in his capacity as Infrastructure Minister. “New Zealanders believe ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

Page generated in The Standard by Wordpress at 2024-03-19T08:24:50+00:00