John Key: let me eat cake

Written By: - Date published: 12:00 pm, April 8th, 2011 - 68 comments
Categories: class war, cost of living, election 2011, john key, labour, national - Tags: ,

As I move around the Wairarapa electorate people are telling me the same story. They are struggling just to make ends meet. It is something I am aware of personally. My Subaru costs me around $110 to fill the tank. Last year it cost only around $68. For a lot of people this is a struggle in itself. One woman told me that her grocery bill has now gone up by $60 more than it did before last years budget. Labour wants to help these families that’s why Labour undertakes to remove GST from fresh fruit and vegetables. Two weeks ago pensioner after pensioner told me the same thing. No matter how hard they try they cannot make ends meet.

National laughs at this – that is not surprising they are out of touch but who can blame them? The Prime Minister for example is a man of immense personal wealth. High earning people like him get the most from tax-cuts. The irony is that he obtained his wealth while working as a wheeler-dealer at Merrill Lynch, one of those business houses implicated in the global financial crisis. But he got out with $50 million before it hit the fan. At a time when a large number of Kiwis are struggling to put food on the table our leader thinks nothing of paying $14,000 for himself and his wife to enjoy a six-course dinner prepared by British chef Heston Blumenthal. Worth noting is that a pensioner’s annual income is only $14529 to $19425 before tax. This only serves to underscore the real separation between National and real people. John Key smiles and waves for the cameras in Christchurch then jumps on a plane to Cape Kidnappers to spend the equivalent of a pensioner’s yearly income on one-off novelty dining with his wife – you can’t get more different than that.

National’s plans for asset sales are dangerous. The private sector got us into the global financial crisis and to flog off wealth creating assets to the private sector who will have to rely on borrowing to purchase the assets is folly. To talk about the size of total debt, then to advocate a policy of privatization which will involve the incurring of more debt is nuts. Further if the offer to buy is for New Zealand investors only, they will be sold at a discount as the prospective market of purchasers will be artificially reduced. As I have said previously we just can’t trust National that only 49 percent of each asset will be flogged off, after all National promised they would not raise GST in the first term.

It is seductively easy to overstate the scale and imminence of economic threats and then exaggerate “shock doctrine” arguments for instant radical change. That’s where Think Big, Rogernomics, Ruthenasia and the current reversal of the Welfare State come from. The essence of this approach is to laud the existence and inherent wisdom of the market economy. Yet in reality it was this same unrestrained market that created the global financial crisis in the first place.

The upshot of all this borrowing is now whenever our economy looks like recovering, the benefits of any growth are to be shipped offshore as profits and dividends from now foreign-owned assets, and as interest payments on the debt incurred over the last decade. Last year, New Zealand paid $15.5 billion in profits and interest payments to foreign investors and creditors. Only $3.3 billion was reinvested. That is unsustainable. National has no plan for growth, they are divorced from the every day reality of New Zealanders. Labour put New Zealand in a sound position to weather the financial crisis and only Labour will provide a way out of the mire that National has created.

Michael Bott – Labour’s Candidate for Wairarapa

68 comments on “John Key: let me eat cake ”

  • Comments are now closed

  1. higherstandard 1
    8 April 2011 at 12:13 pm

    http://wairarapalabour.org/

    Ye Gods a DPF doppelganger

  2. Daveski 2
    8 April 2011 at 12:28 pm

    He’d should have climbed African mountains because that’s what the working class do, eh comrades!

  3. Robb 3
    8 April 2011 at 12:38 pm

    Some valid points for sure, but a 61% increase in costs to fill his Subaru. I know fuels going up and it hurts but hell that can’t be right.

    • Lanthanide 3.1
      8 April 2011 at 1:06 pm

      Yeah, unless he was talking about the very start of last year or something. Petrol going from $1.70 to $2.18/l is an increase of 28%.

      • Colonial Viper 3.1.1
        8 April 2011 at 7:10 pm

        Petrol was hovering just over $1.40/L at the start of last year. Amazing huh. Started climbing fast and vicious soon after that. And yes it did sit through a lot of the year around $1.70.
         
        $1.40 to $2.20 that’s a more than 50% increase and almost matches the OP’s numbers.

  4. the sprout 4
    8 April 2011 at 12:45 pm

    [Key] paying $14,000 for himself and his wife to enjoy a six-course dinner prepared by British chef Heston Blumenthal…. a pensioner’s annual income is only $14,529

    disgusting isn’t it. yep, that dinner is going to cost Key a lot of votes

    • fizzleplug 4.1
      8 April 2011 at 12:58 pm

      I can’t see why it should. It’s his money, he can spend it how he wants. Or does it not work like that?

      • Bright Red 4.1.1
        8 April 2011 at 1:04 pm

        gee. do you have the same attitude to poor people drinking and smoking?
        And, remember, Key voted himself at least $23,000 of tax cuts so far. All borrowed money. So, whose money was he really spending?

        • the sprout 4.1.1.1
          8 April 2011 at 1:17 pm

          I can’t see why it should

          i’m sure you can’t. i’m sure Key can’t either.
          but there are many thousands of voters who can

          • fizzleplug 4.1.1.1.1
            8 April 2011 at 5:29 pm

            So now we should approve what everyone spends their (private) money on? Because it’s certainly sounding like you are advocating for that.
             
            Had he charged it to his ministerial credit card, then yes, justifiable anger. But his own money? Envy.
             
            And to Bright Red – if poor people want to drink and smoke, it’s up to them. But if they do, they shouldn’t complain when they have no money to eat every night. And the “voted himself tax cuts” refrain gets rather tiresome. He voted every other member of Parliament, and a number of people outside Parliament, tax cuts as well. But I don’t actually think there’s any point trying to make you think outside your narrow world view – and it is a narrow world view. So go fuck yourselves, the lot of you.

            • Tangled up in blue 4.1.1.1.1.1
              8 April 2011 at 6:24 pm

              I’m against tax cuts for the rich, but yes, people should be able to spend their own money as they see fit. (On things legal of course)

            • RobC 4.1.1.1.1.2
              8 April 2011 at 6:39 pm

              No need to go and fuck myself when the Govt is taking care of my needs in that area.

              ASW: lay 😀

            • Galeandra 4.1.1.1.1.3
              8 April 2011 at 7:05 pm

              But his own money? Envy.

              No, fizzleplug, not envy but legitimate anger in my case. The rich are easily able to manipulate the game in order  to protect and to further increase their wealth- the RW think tanks and phony institutes in the States give clear examples of how. The wealth gap everywhere  has widened enormously and conspicuously excessive  consumption is not reasonable or ethical when there are others in the community who are materially far to the wrong side of poverty lines.
              The invitation to ‘go fuck yourselves’ shows why any response to your complacent willful ignorance is without point except that 
              what  you unintentionally  offer  is to illustrate the kind of mindset that infects the me-at-any-cost greed of NZ’s petit bourgeoisie. So hang around and troll some more.

            • Colonial Viper 4.1.1.1.1.4
              8 April 2011 at 7:12 pm

              Had he charged it to his ministerial credit card, then yes, justifiable anger. But his own money? Envy.

              Envy? Fuck off mate its anger quite a different thing. Anger at the inequality in this society and anger at how our leaders are so comfortable in the lap of luxury even as their subjects are cold and hungry.

              Ah I love it, rule for the rich by the rich. If you have money good on you, do what you like no matter how indecent or outrageous, the paupers can eat cake.
               
              I think that was the point of the post, no?

              • PeteG …
                8 April 2011 at 7:24 pm

                If money is so important to you you should channel that anger into earning and saving more. It does need a bit of determination though.

                • Draco T Bastard …
                  8 April 2011 at 8:18 pm

                  Better distribution of the wealth would be far better. John Key really isn’t worth $50m. He’s not produced any wealth at ever in his life.

                • Mac1 …
                  8 April 2011 at 8:32 pm

                  Justifiable anger drives political change. It is the channelling of this liberated energy which drives me into political action. That needs determination. PeteG, beyond a certain necessary amount, some people don’t get that interested in the process of making money. Most of what I do in the community is free/gratis- including the politics. Screw the money. It is people, it is people, it is people. And people need money to do the necessary things. When they are denied, short-changed, screwed; then that is anger-making.

                  This anger and political action is partly for me. To do nothing would be personally shameful. I don’t want to live in a world where I don’t give a stuff, care and do something to help my fellow. And injustice fuels anger, as does waste. Having too much while others starve is unjust.

                  Envy is another emotion. I have no envy for a rich man. There is a lifetime of difference between envy and anger.

                  • Carol …
                    8 April 2011 at 9:06 pm

                    Well said, Mac1.  I’ve never understood why some people seem to want so much money. There’s far more important things to do, than focusing on gaining excesssive money.  I’ve pretty much always felt I’ve had enough, and am happy with a modest income, while also having done and achieved some things that are important to me, and some that I have felt have been an attempt to make a contribution to society, or to helping others.  But, it’s a real indictment on our society that many people are struggling just to survive.

                    • M …
                      8 April 2011 at 11:56 pm

                      Carol

                      On the same page with you regarding having loads of money – why? Content with my small house and a bit of land my one desire would be to have a bit put by to cover my funeral expenses and something on hand for a rainy day. Increasing food prices mean that a little more income would be welcomed.

                      I tend to be quite wary of those with loads of money because often it is used as an unfair leverage against others. I have female friends who dream of meeting some rich guy whereas I’m the complete opposite and would be concerned with the potential for control and abuse that money seems to inculcate in some men. I’m a listening ear to a friend at the moment whose guy is controlling her with money as she’s out of work and of course can’t tell her what to do but just say to her that I’d be outta there in a heartbeat.

                      If you dare voice that you’re mostly content with your lot people tend to look at you funny and ask why you don’t want to be wealthy as though it’s a character flaw.

                • Colonial Viper …
                  8 April 2011 at 9:19 pm

                  If money is so important to you you should channel that anger into earning and saving more. It does need a bit of determination though.

                  Uh Pete, in case you haven’t heard, I married into significant wealth.
                  I get a decent (although not stupendous) monthly allowance from the in-laws, and anything else I happen to come across during the week is just a bonus to be blown on a fancy Michelin chef cooked meal.

            • The Economic Illiteracy Support Group 4.1.1.1.1.5
              8 April 2011 at 7:27 pm

              That continual tugging of the forelock to your betters must be getting pretty painful, fizzleplug, ‘cos you’ve had to do a heck of a lot of it since Key was elected.

            • Draco T Bastard 4.1.1.1.1.6
              8 April 2011 at 8:12 pm

              Had he charged it to his ministerial credit card, then yes, justifiable anger. But his own money? Envy.

              No, not envy, disgust that anyone would waste so much on something so little.

            • Gina 4.1.1.1.1.7
              9 April 2011 at 3:13 pm

              Key can do whatever he likes with his money true but some voters will be repelled and do whatever they like with their votes simple. He hasn’t done anything illegal but struggling kiwis won’t like hearing about this sort of grossly wasteful indulgence escpecially when the Nats preach belt tightening to the rest of us.

      • Deadly_NZ 4.1.2
        8 April 2011 at 7:05 pm

        It’s not the money (as far as most of us are concerned he can spend his money any way he likes.)  It’s the hipocracy Here he, and Blinglish are spouting all the platitudes about belt tightening YADA YADA YADA.  Also the fact that he rips off the taxpayer of NZ for thousands with the great tax switch.  So it goes Tax Switch, Platitudes, Excessive spending.  And now it seems that it’s not just his personal hipocracy it’s the whole NACTS Hipocracy Preach belt tightening whilst bailing out yet another company thats backed its self into a corner.

    • the pink postman 4.2
      8 April 2011 at 3:58 pm

      well I certainly hope so Sprout ,but how get this out to the voters.
      The Daily papers will not have a word about this . It should be front page news, so tell me how do we educate the mainstream votes on such titbits.

  5. todd 5
    8 April 2011 at 12:52 pm

    $120 to fill my Subaru, same time last year it was $80 for a better octane… So the calculation isn’t far off for me.

    • Draco T Bastard 5.1
      8 April 2011 at 2:47 pm

      Yes, but why are you running a Subaru? They’re one of the least economic cars on the market.

      • todd 5.1.1
        8 April 2011 at 6:46 pm

        I run three vehicles. I got the Subaru for safety reasons, the comparison to that vehicle seemed most relevant. If anybody feels like giving me enough money to replace it with a hybrid, I would be happy to accept.

  6. infused 6
    8 April 2011 at 12:57 pm

    Downsize then. Time to get a better car eh? National are not increasing the price of food. It is increasing world wide. GST hasn’t gone up %15, it’s gone up %2.5 That doesn’t add $60 to your food bill.

    So much shit talk here. There are other facts at play rather than national. Dropping GST on fruit and veg will cost more. It’s a nightmare in aussie and will be here.

    • Pascal's bookie 6.1
      8 April 2011 at 1:10 pm

      hahahaha. Sucks being in government huh. Resign.

    • Kaplan 6.2
      8 April 2011 at 1:19 pm

      The Titanic struck an iceberg and sunk but the proximate cause of most of the deaths was too much faith in a badly designed ship and a lack of life boats.

      Do you see the similarities between that and the economic situation we are in? 

      In short, National actually need to do something about our problems, not just sit back and blame everything on them.

      • Bright Red 6.2.1
        8 April 2011 at 2:41 pm

        actually the iceberg was the proximate (direct, immeidate) cause but the fundamental cause “was too much faith in a badly designed ship and a lack of life boats”

    • todd 6.3
      8 April 2011 at 3:45 pm

      Unfortunately most shops used the rise in GST to also increase their prices. It is not as simple as changing vehicles. My Subaru is already economical to run, in relative terms. I have no problem with changing my lifestyle to use less but this comes at a cost, a cost that is unaffordable while the cost of living inhibits people from saving to make a change to lower usage vehicles etc.
       
      Thinking that the price of our food should be relative to what overseas markets pay when there are less transportation costs involved seems rather silly. We’re paying in more than one way as it is our environment that is being polluted by these industries. National has increased the price of food along with nearly everything else.
       
      Subsidizing good foods like fruit and vegetables will do more than just making them affordable so people wont need to go to food banks. Whether this is through taking GST off or imposing measures to remove market dominance is irrelevant to the fact that people will eat more food that is good for them. This will reduce our obesity epidemic and many other associated diseases.
       
      The only shit talk here is yours infused and your blame the victim meme that pervades right wing thinking.

      • Draco T Bastard 6.3.1
        8 April 2011 at 4:35 pm

        Subsidizing good foods…

        Doesn’t need to be subsidised – just a ban on selling the first x amount produced here overseas. This would force prices down to cost price on the local market but farmers would still be able to sell the excess overseas for the global price.

      • Vicky32 6.3.2
        8 April 2011 at 6:02 pm

        Unfortunately most shops used the rise in GST to also increase their prices

        That’s certainly true. Everything’s gone up by much more than 2.5%..

  7. ianmac 7
    8 April 2011 at 1:56 pm

    “National made the promise that things would be better with National. John Key you promised. Well we are worse off than ever! I don’t want excuses. Unemployment. Petrol. Food. milk. Democracy. John Key has let us down!”
    That’s what I hear anyway.”

    • PeteG 7.1
      8 April 2011 at 2:12 pm

      Yeah, damned right. Key secretly used Ken Ring predictions and timed his run at PM to coincide with likely earthquakes. He set in place the 2008 crash while he was working in NY. He revs his car at the lights and has run the world short of petrol. He leaves food on his plate while Africans (and some Kiwis) starve. He’s let us all down. Bastard!

      • Bright Red 7.1.1
        8 April 2011 at 2:42 pm

        don’t make promises you can’t keep.
        The earthquakes didn’t put us in this hole, unsustainable tax cuts did. The earthquakes just made it deeper.

        • PeteG 7.1.1.1
          8 April 2011 at 2:54 pm

          Ah, so Labour are to blame too. What did Key have to do with that, did he make Cullen do it?

          • Lanthanide 7.1.1.1.1
            8 April 2011 at 3:27 pm

            Labour’s tax cuts were unwise, yes, but National’s are far worse. Labour’s were spread pretty equally across all income earners whereas National’s were skewed heavily towards the top end income earners.
             
            Of course you know all this and you’re just trolling.

          • mickysavage 7.1.1.1.2
            8 April 2011 at 4:08 pm

            The word for today is unsustainable.
             
            The country’s current experiences really vindicate actions taken by Michael Cullen as Minister of Finance.
             
            Don’t you miss him PeteG?
             

            • PeteG 7.1.1.1.2.1
              8 April 2011 at 4:23 pm

              If you think combined tax cuts were not affordable and should be rolled back should consideration be given to rolling back some of WFF?
               
              Or is that an ideological no go zone?

              • Draco T Bastard …
                8 April 2011 at 4:38 pm

                I’d be more than happy to drop WfF as it’s a subsidy to businesses that don’t pay enough in wages. We’d have to make sure, after dropping WfF, that people are paid enough. I would suggest a Universal Income.

                • todd …
                  8 April 2011 at 5:22 pm

                  What gets me is all this talk of us being broke and having to cut all these things that help our poor and society in general and then National come up with billions of dollars to bail out their rich mates.

      • Draco T Bastard 7.1.2
        8 April 2011 at 2:50 pm

        He set in place the 2008 crash while he was working in NY.

        Yes, that’s right, he did. He was in charge of overseeing the toxic assets that caused the GFC for one bank.

  8. Bill 8
    8 April 2011 at 4:20 pm

    National has no plan for growth, they are divorced from the every day reality of New Zealanders.

    The essence of this approach is to laud the existence and inherent wisdom of the market economy

    Labour put New Zealand in a sound position to weather the financial crisis

    The essence of this approach is to laud the existence and inherent wisdom of the market economy

    Sorry. That’s a slightly dishonest cut and paste. But only slightly.
    Yes, Rogernomics and Think Big and all the rest of it is essentially lauding the existence of the market economy. But all governments essentially laud the existence of the market economy.
    And all political parties are out of touch because all political parties have a central focus of managing a market economy. If all political parties had a central focus on…oh, I don’t know…developing software programmes, then they would be no more or less out of touch than at present.
    Government has become a preserve of rather elite economic managers and might as well be the preserve of rather elite geeks as far as all those strange ‘others’ (whose stories aid the privilaged and out of touch to gain an intellectual understanding of struggle) are concerned.

  9. lefty 9
    8 April 2011 at 5:03 pm

    OK. We get the point about National. But what is Labour going to do?
    How are they going to reduce the price of oil or food?
    What are they going to do to stop profits being shipped offshore?
    How will they create more jobs?
    Will they encourage and support workers to strike for decent pay instead of giving WFF subsidies to employers?
    Will they repudiate free trade deals and refuse to sign anymore?
    Will they get rid of the Reserve Bank Act and take control of our currency?
    Will they start taking climate change seriously instead of pissing around with emissions trading or carbon taxes?
    Ah! So many questions.

    • mickysavage 9.1
      8 April 2011 at 7:29 pm

      Good questions Lefty.  IMHO:

      1.  They will not reduce the price of oil.  They will hopefully put policies in place so that good quality food will be supplied but this may take more than the invisible hand of the market.
      2.  By preventing the further sale of strategic assets overseas they will accomplish this.  And the Cullen fund could have stemmed the tide.
      3.  They will create jobs in the same way they have been in the past.  By being active.
      4.  Yes.  WFF was a stop gap measure.
      5.  Not sure.
      6.  They will change the Reserve Bank Act.  There will no longer be a preoccupation with inflation.
      7.  Yes, as far as their coalition partners will allow.

      • PeteG 9.1.1
        8 April 2011 at 7:49 pm

        3.  They will create jobs in the same way they have been in the past.

        50% extra jobs in the public service again?

  10. Peter Bains 10
    8 April 2011 at 5:07 pm

    I have done well since 2008, my salary has gone from $83K to $96 now. I also enjoy my tax cuts and my mortgage will be paid off by October. So I know where I will be voting.

    The economy was always going to be rough from 2008 because of the GFC. However, it will get better from 2012, not because Labour will be in, that is when National will do what they should have done in 2008, stayed with ACT and revive the economy.

    Come 2014 we will be in a better position with a growing economy and jobs better due to Chch plus other exports such as mined products. (This will increase wages as well).

    On Key’s dinner, it was his money, not yours or mine. Something the left do not seem to get at all.

    • LynW 10.1
      8 April 2011 at 5:26 pm

      Could I quote logie97?

      ‘might just come down to how much the voter has become more selfless or selfish in his/her approach to the world – traditional left/right ne ce pas.’

      anti-spam word   revealing!

    • Draco T Bastard 10.2
      8 April 2011 at 6:30 pm

      You obviously didn’t notice that we’ve gone back into recession (if we ever actually left it) due to NACTs bad fiscal management. If NACT get back in they’ll make it even worse.

    • Galeandra 10.3
      8 April 2011 at 7:13 pm

      Something the left do not seem to get at all.

      Something like 96K a year and a paid off mortgage.

      Don’t look too hard in the mirror. Maybe your ethical skin will be thickening at the same rate as your waistline. Guess you could always help out at a local food bank to find out how the other 80% lives.

      • Peter Bains 10.3.1
        8 April 2011 at 9:31 pm

        I have a 7 year old Autistic son to help look after so people at the food bank are better off as most of them have a fully functioning brain. Whether they use these functions or not is another issue………….. Hence I need to be selfish and think of my sons future once I am gone. Anyone fancy to swap my position?

        • McFlock 10.3.1.1
          8 April 2011 at 11:19 pm

          “Anyone fancy to swap my position?”
          Someone who has an autistic son but isn’t on $96k a year?

    • Carol 10.4
      8 April 2011 at 7:31 pm

      Something the right don’t seem to get is that people don’t always get paid what they deserve, and some people get money they don’t deserve, through swindling, paying their workers wages that are too low etc.  How did Key get rich?  Not by producing anything useful, but by gaming the system, at NZ’s expense.  Is it all really HIS money?
       
      Workers have tended to work harder than ever over the last 30 years, and yet the rich have got richer and the poor have got poorer.  So where did all that excessive money come from that is now in the hands of the wealthy?

    • Colonial Viper 10.5
      8 April 2011 at 9:22 pm

      On Key’s dinner, it was his money, not yours or mine. Something the left do not seem to get at all.

      His money? So you are saying that he can just waste it or use it to shit all over the poor and hungry in this country, just to show us that he can?
      Nice to know.

      • Peter Bains 10.5.1
        8 April 2011 at 9:26 pm

        Yes he can CV. Just like you can spend your money on anything you like.

  11. Samuel Hill 11
    8 April 2011 at 5:31 pm

    Mass protests during World Cup has got to be the go.

  12. Vicky32 12
    8 April 2011 at 5:40 pm

    Ironically, from what I have seen on his TV show, Heston Blumenthal’s food is rubbish! (Every time I see his programme, it makes me further determined to move from semi-veg to vegetarian…)
    Yes, the inequality is simply appalling.
    Vicky

  13. Tanz 13
    8 April 2011 at 6:40 pm

    Cat food anyone? While Key dines like a king, many people are survivng on noodles, soup, or worse.

    It is his money yes, but what decadance to spend so much on one dinner while his country men/women and children look on. Bad taste in the extreme? I hope it does cost him many votes.

    Finally, it’s only money and he can’t take it with him. Éye of the Needle…

    • todd 13.1
      8 April 2011 at 6:56 pm

      I hope he chokes.

      • Mac1 13.1.1
        8 April 2011 at 11:02 pm

        I  don’t. I want him to see the repudiation of his ethics and philosophy, such as it is, on November 26.  And the people on noodles, soup or worse have to be energised to see that happen; as do we who are better off lest we become like John Key- bereft, barren and to be pitied.

    • rosy 13.2
      8 April 2011 at 7:22 pm

      I see the Brit PM has the message that he needs to pretend we’re all in this together…  appearances count At least we can get a laugh out of knowing that all that money can’t be used when you’re preaching austerity to others.

  14. red rhebelghirly 14
    8 April 2011 at 10:08 pm

    The point I would say is the hypocrisy of Key and his flamboyant spending whilst pensioners and others are barely surviving..
    The Government tax cuts which only benefit those on higher Income.The increasing costs.. (subaru or no subaru) that are hitting the lower income earners..
    The selling off of our countries private assets.. to Large overseas capitalist Corporations.. which as Mr Bott pointed out is indicative of keys background.
    The fact that keys said gst would not go up and that he would not be selling off N.Z assets.. shows keys and his government for who they really are….
    Nice hat Mr Bott
     

  15. BevanJS 15
    9 April 2011 at 5:45 pm

    “One woman told me that her grocery bill has now gone up by $60 more than it did before last years budget. Labour wants to help these families that’s why Labour undertakes to remove GST from fresh fruit and vegetables.”

    I wonder if she spends more than $30 per week on fresh fruit and veg? My wife and I don’t usually and we’re vegetarians.
    0.15 * 30 = Go Labour, build a system at what expense to give her $5 back?  I believe she said she was missing $60.
    Oh that’s right, it’d create completely non-productive public service jobs – wonder who that sector typically votes for?

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    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    8 hours ago
  • Kamala Harris Did Something Unthinkable

    Hi,Yesterday me and a bunch of friends gathered in front of the TV, ate tortillas, drank wine, and watched the debate between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump.Some of you may have joined in on the live Webworm chat where we shared thoughts, jokes and memes — and a basic glee ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    8 hours ago
  • Kamala Harris Did Something Unthinkable

    Hi,Yesterday me and a bunch of friends gathered in front of the TV, ate tortillas, drank wine, and watched the debate between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump.Some of you may have joined in on the live Webworm chat where we shared thoughts, jokes and memes — and a basic glee ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    8 hours ago
  • David Seymour is such a loser

    For paid subscribersNot content with siphoning off $230,000,000 of taxpayers money for his hobby projects - and telling everyone his passion is education and early childcare - an intersection painfully coincidental to the interests of wealthy private families like Sean Plunkett’s1 backers, the Wright Family, Seymour is back in the ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    8 hours ago
  • Cross-party consensus: there’s no pipeline without good faith

    There’s been a lot of talk recently about a cross-party agreement to develop a pipeline for infrastructure, including transport. Last month, outgoing CRL boss Sean Sweeney talked about the importance of securing an enduring infrastructure programme. He outlined the high costs of the relentless political flip-flopping of priorities, which drives ...
    Greater AucklandBy Connor Sharp
    13 hours ago
  • Voters love this climate policy they’ve never heard of

    This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Karin Kirk The Inflation Reduction Act is the Biden administration’s signature climate law and the largest U.S. government investment in reducing climate pollution to date. Among climate advocates, the policy is well-known and celebrated, but beyond that, only a minority of Americans ...
    Skeptical Science
    13 hours ago
  • ACC wants to administer inflation at more than double the RBNZ’s target rate

    ACC levies are set to rise at more than double the inflation rate targeted by the RBNZ. Photo: Lynn GrievesonKia ora. Long stories short, here’s my top six things to note in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, climate and poverty on Thursday, September 12:The state-owned monopoly for accident insurance wants ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    13 hours ago
  • Harris vs Trump

    We’ve been selected to rock your asses 'til midnightThis is my term, I've shaved off my perm, but it's alrightI solemnly swear to uphold the ConstitutionGot a rock 'n' roll problem? Well we got a solutionLet us be who we am, and let us kick out the jams, yeahKick out ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    14 hours ago
  • Treaty Bill “a political stunt”

    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon appears to have given ACT Leader David Seymour more than he has been admitting in the proposals to go forward with a Treaty Principles Bill.All along, Luxon has maintained that the Government is proceeding with the Bill to honour the coalition agreement.But that is quite specific.It ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    16 hours ago
  • An average 219 NZers migrated each day in July

    Kia ora. Long stories short, here’s my top six things to note in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, climate and poverty on Wednesday, September 11:Annual migration of New Zealanders rose to a record-high 80,963 in the year to the end of July, which is more than double its pre-Covid levels.Two ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 day ago
  • What you’re wanting to win more than anything is The Narrative

    Hubris is sitting down on election day 2016 to watch that pig Trump get his ass handed to him, and watching the New York Times needle hover for a while over Hillary and then move across to Trump where it remains all night to your gathering horror and dismay. You're ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    1 day ago
  • National’s automated lie machine

    The government has a problem: lots of people want information from it all the time. Information about benefits, about superannuation, ACC coverage and healthcare, taxes, jury service, immigration - and that's just the routine stuff. Responding to all of those queries takes a lot of time and costs a lot ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    1 day ago
  • Christopher Luxon: A Man of “Faith” and “Compassion” Speaks on the Treaty Pr...

    Synopsis: Today - we explore two different realities. One where National lost. And another - which is the one we are living with here. Note: the footnote on increased fees/taxes may be of interest to some readers.Article open.Subscribe nowIt’s an alternate timeline.Yesterday as news broke that the central North Island ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    1 day ago
  • Member’s Day

    Today is a Member's Day. First up is the third reading of Dan Bidois' Fair Trading (Gift Card Expiry) Amendment Bill, which will be followed by the committee stage of Deborah Russell's Family Proceedings (Dissolution for Family Violence) Amendment Bill. This will be followed by the second readings of Katie ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    1 day ago
  • Northern Expressway Boondoggle

    Transport Minister Simeon Brown has been soaring high with his hubris of getting on and building motorways but some uncomfortable realities are starting to creep in. Back in July he announced that the government was pushing on with a Northland Expressway using an “accelerated delivery strategy” The Coalition Government is ...
    Greater AucklandBy Matt L
    2 days ago
  • Never Enough

    However much I'm falling downNever enoughHowever much I'm falling outNever, never enough!Whatever smile I smile the mostNever enoughHowever I smile I smile the mostSongwriters: Robert James Smith / Simon Gallup / Boris Williams / Porl ThompsonToday in Nick’s Kōrero:A death in the Emergency Department at Rotorua Hospital.A sad homecoming and ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    2 days ago
  • Question Two of The Kākā Project of 2026 for 2050 (TKP 26/50)

    Kia ora.Last month I proposed restarting The Kākā Project work done before the 2023 election as The Kākā Project of 2026 for 2050 (TKP 26/50), aiming to be up and running before the 2025 Local Government elections, and then in a finalised form by the 2026 General Elections.A couple of ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago
  • Why is God Obsessed with Spanking?

    Hi,If you’ve read Webworm for a while, you’ll be aware that I’ve spent a lot of time writing about horrific, corrupt megachurches and the shitty men who lead them.And in all of this writing, I think some people have this idea that I hate Christians or Christianity. As I explain ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    2 days ago
  • Inside the public service

    In 2023, there were 63,117 full-time public servants earning, on average, $97,200 a year each. All up, that is a cost to the Government of $6.1 billion a year. It’s little wonder, then, that the public service has become a political whipping boy castigated by the Prime Minister and members ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    2 days ago
  • New Models Show Stronger Atlantic Hurricanes, and More of Them

    This is a re-post from This is Not Cool Here’s an example of some of the best kind of climate reporting, especially in that it relates to impacts that will directly affect the audience. WFLA in Tampa conducted a study in collaboration with the Department of Energy, analyzing trends in ...
    Skeptical Science
    2 days ago
  • Where ever do they find these people?

    A riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma, is how Winston Churchill described the Soviet Union in 1939.  How might the great man have described the 2024 government of New Zealand, do we think? I can't imagine he would have thought them all that mysterious or enigmatic. I think ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    2 days ago
  • Motorway madness

    How mad is National's obsession with roads? One of their pet projects - a truck highway to Whangārei - is going to eat 10% of our total infrastructure budget for the next 25 years: Official advice from the Infrastructure Commission shows the government could be set to spend 10 ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    2 days ago
  • Our transport planning system is fundamentally broken

    Ever since Wayne Brown became mayor (nearly two years ago now) he’s been wanting to progress an “integrated transport plan” with the government – which sounded a lot like the previous Auckland Transport Alignment Project (ATAP) with just a different name. It seems like a fair bit of work progressed ...
    Greater AucklandBy Matt L
    3 days ago
  • Thou Shalt Not Steal

    And they taught usWhoa-oh, black woman, thou shalt not stealI said, hey, yeah, black man, thou shalt not stealWe're gonna civilise your black barbaric livesAnd we teach you how to kneelBut your history couldn't hide the genocideThe hypocrisy to us was realFor your Jesus said you're supposed to giveThe oppressed ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    3 days ago
  • How mismanagement, not wind and solar energy, causes blackouts

    This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections In February 2021, several severe storms swept across the United States, culminating with one that the Weather Channel unofficially named Winter Storm Uri. In Texas, Uri knocked out power to over 4.5 million homes and 10 million people. Hundreds of Texans died as a ...
    Skeptical Science
    3 days ago
  • The ‘Infra Boys’ Highway to Budget Hell

    Chris Bishop has enthusiastically dubbed himself and Simeon Brown “the Infra Boys”, but they need to take note of the sums around their roading dreams. Photo: Lynn GrievesonMōrena. Long stories short, here’s my top six things to note in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, climate and poverty on Tuesday, September ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago
  • Media Link: “AVFA” on the politics of desperation.

    In this podcast Selwyn Manning and I talk about what appears to be a particular type of end-game in the long transition to systemic realignment in international affairs, in which the move to a new multipolar order with different characteristics … Continue reading → ...
    KiwipoliticoBy Pablo
    3 days ago
  • The cost of flying blind

    Just over two years ago, when worries about immediate mass-death from covid had waned, and people started to talk about covid becoming "endemic", I asked various government agencies what work they'd done on the costs of that - and particularly, on the cost of Long Covid. The answer was that ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    3 days ago
  • Seymour vs The Clergy

    For paid subscribers“Aotearoa is not as malleable as they think,” Lynette wrote last week on Homage to Simeon Brown:In my heart/mind, that phrase ricocheted over the next days, translating out to “We are not so malleable.”It gave me comfort. I always felt that we were given an advantage in New ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    3 days ago
  • Unstoppable Minister McKee

    All smiles, I know what it takes to fool this townI'll do it 'til the sun goes downAnd all through the nighttimeOh, yeahOh, yeah, I'll tell you what you wanna hearLeave my sunglasses on while I shed a tearIt's never the right timeYeah, yeahSong by SiaLast night there was a ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    3 days ago
  • Could outdoor dining revitalise Queen Street?

    This is a guest post by Ben van Bruggen of The Urban Room,.An earlier version of this post appeared on LinkedIn. All images are by Ben. Have you noticed that there’s almost nowhere on Queen Street that invites you to stop, sit outside and enjoy a coffee, let alone ...
    Greater AucklandBy Guest Post
    4 days ago
  • Hipkins challenges long-held Labour view Government must stay below 30% of GDP

    Hipkins says when considering tax settings and the size of government, the big question mark is over what happens with the balance between the size of the working-age population and the growing number of Kiwis over the age of 65. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāMōrena. Long stories short; here’s ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • Your invite to Webworm Chat (a bit like Reddit)

    Hi,One of the things I love the most about Webworm is, well, you. The community that’s gathered around this lil’ newsletter isn’t something I ever expected when I started writing it four years ago — now the comments section is one of my favourite places on the internet. The comments ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    4 days ago
  • Seymour’s Treaty bill making Nats nervous

    A delay in reappointing a top civil servant may indicate a growing nervousness within the National Party about the potential consequences of David Seymour’s Treaty Principles Bill. Dave Samuels is waiting for reappointment as the Chief Executive of Te Puni Kokiri, but POLITIK understands that what should have been a ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    4 days ago
  • 2024 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #36

    A listing of 34 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, September 1, 2024 thru Sat, September 7, 2024. Story of the week Our Story of the Week is about how peopele are not born stupid but can be fooled ...
    Skeptical Science
    4 days ago
  • Time for a Change

    You act as thoughYou are a blind manWho's crying, crying 'boutAll the virgins that are dyingIn your habitual dreams, you knowSeems you need more sleepBut like a parrot in a flaming treeI know it's pretty hard to seeI'm beginning to wonderIf it's time for a changeSong: Phil JuddThe next line ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    4 days ago
  • Security Politics in Peripheral Democracies: Excerpt Six.

    The “double shocks” in post Cold War international affairs. The end of the Cold War fundamentally altered the global geostrategic context. In particular, the end of the nuclear “balance of terror” between the USA and USSR, coupled with the relaxation … Continue reading → ...
    KiwipoliticoBy Pablo
    4 days ago
  • Buried deep

    Here's a bike on Manchester St, Feilding. I took this photo on Friday night after a very nice dinner at the very nice Vietnamese restaurant, Saigon, on Manchester Street.I thought to myself, Manchester Street? Bicycle? This could be the very spot.To recap from an earlier edition: on a February night ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    5 days ago
  • Security Politics in Peripheral Democracies, Excerpt Five.

    Military politics as a distinct “partial regime.” Notwithstanding their peripheral status, national defense offers the raison d’être of the combat function, which their relative vulnerability makes apparent, so military forces in small peripheral democracies must be very conscious of events … Continue reading → ...
    KiwipoliticoBy Pablo
    5 days ago
  • Leadership for Dummies

    If you’re going somewhere, do you maybe take a bit of an interest in the place? Read up a bit on the history, current events, places to see - that sort of thing? Presumably, if you’re taking a trip somewhere, it’s for a reason. But what if you’re going somewhere ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago
  • Home again

    Hello! Here comes the Saturday edition of More Than A Feilding, catching you up on anything you may have missed. Share Read more ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    6 days ago
  • Dead even tie for hottest August ever

    Long stories short, here’s the top six news items of note in climate news for Aotearoa-NZ this week, and a discussion above between Bernard Hickey and The Kākā’s climate correspondent Cathrine Dyer:The month of August was 1.49˚C warmer than pre-industrial levels, tying with 2023 for the warmest August ever, according ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    6 days ago
  • The Hoon around the week to Sept 7

    The podcast above of the weekly ‘Hoon’ webinar for paying subscribers on Thursday night features co-hosts and talking about the week’s news with:The Kākā’s climate correspondent on the latest climate science on rising temperatures and the debate about how to responde to climate disinformation; and special guest ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    6 days ago
  • Have We an Infrastructure Deficit?

    An Infrastructure New Zealand report says we are keeping up with infrastructure better than we might have thought from the grumbling. But the challenge of providing for the future remains.I was astonished to learn that the quantity of our infrastructure has been keeping up with economic growth. Your paper almost ...
    PunditBy Brian Easton
    6 days ago
  • Councils reject racism

    Last month, National passed a racist law requiring local councils to remove their Māori wards, or hold a referendum on them at the 2025 local body election. The final councils voted today, and the verdict is in: an overwhelming rejection. Only two councils out of 45 supported National's racist agenda ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    6 days ago
  • Homage to Simeon Brown

    Open to all - happy weekend ahead, friends.Today I just want to be petty. It’s the way I imagine this chap is -Not only as a political persona. But his real-deal inner personality, in all its glory - appears to be pure pettiness & populist driven.Sometimes I wonder if Simeon ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    6 days ago
  • Government of deceit

    When National cut health spending and imposed a commissioner on Te Whatu Ora, they claimed that it was necessary because the organisation was bloated and inefficient, with "14 layers of management between the CEO and the patient". But it turns out they were simply lying: Health Minister Shane Reti’s ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    6 days ago
  • The professionals actually think and act like our Government has no fiscal crisis at all

    Treasury staff at work: The demand for a new 12-year Government bond was so strong, Treasury decided to double the amount of bonds it sold. Photo: Lynn GrievesonMōrena. Long stories short; here’s my top six things to note in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, climate and poverty on Friday, September ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    6 days ago
  • Weekly Roundup 6-September-2024

    Welcome to another Friday and another roundup of stories that caught our eye this week. As always, this and every post is brought to you by the Greater Auckland crew. If you like our work and you’d like to see more of it, we invite you to join our regular ...
    Greater AucklandBy Greater Auckland
    7 days ago
  • Security Politics in Peripheral Democracies; Excerpt Four.

    Internal versus external security. Regardless of who rules, large countries can afford to separate external and internal security functions (even if internal control functions predominate under authoritarian regimes). In fact, given the logic of power concentration and institutional centralization of … Continue reading → ...
    KiwipoliticoBy Pablo
    7 days ago
  • A Hole In The River

    There's a hole in the river where her memory liesFrom the land of the living to the air and skyShe was coming to see him, but something changed her mindDrove her down to the riverThere is no returnSongwriters: Neil Finn/Eddie RaynerThe king is dead; long live the queen!Yesterday was a ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    7 days ago
  • Bright Blue His Jacket Ain’t But I Love This Fellow: A Review and Analysis of The Rings of Power E...

    My conclusion last week was that The Rings of Power season two represented a major improvement in the series. The writing’s just so much better, and honestly, its major problems are less the result of the current episodes and more creatures arising from season one plot-holes. I found episode three ...
    A Phuulish FellowBy strda221
    7 days ago
  • Who should we thank for the defeat of the Nazis

    As a child in the 1950s, I thought the British had won the Second World War because that’s what all our comics said. Later on, the films and comics told me that the Americans won the war. In my late teens, I found out that the Soviet Union ...
    Open ParachuteBy Ken
    1 week ago
  • Skeptical Science New Research for Week #36 2024

    Open access notables Diurnal Temperature Range Trends Differ Below and Above the Melting Point, Pithan & Schatt, Geophysical Research Letters: The globally averaged diurnal temperature range (DTR) has shrunk since the mid-20th century, and climate models project further shrinking. Observations indicate a slowdown or reversal of this trend in recent decades. ...
    Skeptical Science
    1 week ago
  • Join us for the weekly Hoon on YouTube Live at 5pm

    Photo by Jenny Bess on UnsplashCome and join us for our weekly ‘Hoon’ webinar with paying subscribers to The Kākā for an hour at 5 pm.Jump on this link on YouTube Livestream for our chat about the week’s news with special guests:5.00 pm - 5.10 pm - Bernard and ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago
  • Media Link: Discussing the NZSIS Security Threat Report.

    I was interviewed by Mike Hosking at NewstalkZB and a few other media outlets about the NZSIS Security Threat Report released recently. I have long advocated for more transparency, accountability and oversight of the NZ Intelligence Community, and although the … Continue reading → ...
    KiwipoliticoBy Pablo
    1 week ago
  • How do I make this better for people who drive Ford Rangers?

    Home, home again to a long warm embrace. Plenty of reasons to be glad to be back.But also, reasons for dejection.You, yes you, Simeon Brown, you odious little oik, you bible thumping petrol-pandering ratfucker weasel. You would be Reason Number One. Well, maybe first among equals with Seymour and Of-Seymour ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    1 week ago
  • A missed opportunity

    The government introduced a pretty big piece of constitutional legislation today: the Parliament Bill. But rather than the contentious constitutional change (four year terms) pushed by Labour, this merely consolidates the existing legislation covering Parliament - currently scattered across four different Acts - into one piece of legislation. While I ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    1 week ago
  • Nicola Willis Seeks New Sidekick To Help Fix NZ’s Economy

    Synopsis:Nicola Willis is seeking a new Treasury Boss after Dr Caralee McLiesh’s tenure ends this month. She didn’t listen to McLiesh. Will she listen to the new one?And why is Atlas Network’s Taxpayers Union chiming in?Please consider subscribing or supporting my work. Thanks, Tui.About CaraleeAt the beginning of July, Newsroom ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    1 week ago
  • Inflation alive and kicking in our land of the long white monopolies

    The golden days of profit continue for the the Foodstuffs (Pak’n’Save and New World) and Woolworths supermarket duopoly. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāMōrena. Long stories short; here’s my top six things to note in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, climate and poverty on Thursday, September 5:The Groceries Commissioner has ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago
  • The thermodynamics of electric vs. internal combustion cars

    This is a re-post from The Climate Brink by Andrew Dessler I love thermodynamics. Thermodynamics is like your mom: it may not tell you what you can do, but it damn well tells you what you can’t do. I’ve written a few previous posts that include thermodynamics, like one on air capture of ...
    Skeptical Science
    1 week ago
  • Security Politics in Peripheral Democracies: Excerpt Three.

    The notion of geopolitical  “periphery.” The concept of periphery used here refers strictly to what can be called the geopolitical periphery. Being on the geopolitical periphery is an analytic virtue because it makes for more visible policy reform in response … Continue reading → ...
    KiwipoliticoBy Pablo
    1 week ago
  • Venus Hum

    Fill me up with soundThe world sings with me a million smiles an hourI can see me dancing on my radioI can hear you singing in the blades of grassYellow dandelions on my way to schoolBig Beautiful Sky!Song: Venus Hum.Good morning, all you lovely people, and welcome to the 700th ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    1 week ago
  • I Went to a Creed Concert

    Note: The audio attached to this Webworm compliments today’s newsletter. I collected it as I met people attending a Creed concert. Their opinions may differ to mine. Read more ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    1 week ago
  • Government migration policy backfires; thousands of unemployed nurses

    The country has imported literally thousands of nurses over the past few months yet whether they are being employed as nurses is another matter. Just what is going on with HealthNZ and it nurses is, at best, opaque, in that it will not release anything but broad general statistics and ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    1 week ago
  • A Time For Unity.

    Emotional Response: Prime Minister Christopher Luxon addresses mourners at the tangi of King Tuheitia on Turangawaewae Marae on Saturday, 31 August 2024.THE DEATH OF KING TUHEITIA could hardly have come at a worse time for Maoridom. The power of the Kingitanga to unify te iwi Māori was demonstrated powerfully at January’s ...
    Bowalley Road
    1 week ago
  • Climate Change: Failed again

    National's tax cut policies relied on stealing revenue from the ETS (previously used to fund emissions reduction) to fund tax cuts to landlords. So how's that going? Badly. Today's auction failed again, with zero units (of a possible 7.6 million) sold. Which means they have a $456 million hole in ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    1 week ago
  • Security Politics in Peripheral Democracies: Excerpt Two.

    A question of size. Small size generally means large vulnerability. The perception of threat is broader and often more immediate for small countries. The feeling of comparative weakness, of exposure to risk, and of potential intimidation by larger powers often … Continue reading → ...
    KiwipoliticoBy Pablo
    1 week ago
  • Nicola Willis’s Very Unserious Bungling of the Kiwirail Interislander Cancellation

    Open to all with kind thanks to all subscribers and supporters.Today, RNZ revealed that despite MFAT advice to Nicola Willis to be very “careful and deliberate” in her communications with the South Korean government, prior to any public announcement on cancelling Kiwirail’s i-Rex, Willis instead told South Korea 26 minutes ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    1 week ago
  • Satisfying the Minister’s Speed Obsession

    The Minister of Transport’s speed obsession has this week resulted in two new consultations for 110km/h speed limits, one in Auckland and one in Christchurch. There has also been final approval of the Kapiti Expressway to move to 110km/h following an earlier consultation. While the changes will almost certainly see ...
    Greater AucklandBy Matt L
    1 week ago
  • What if we freed up our streets, again?

    This guest post is by Tommy de Silva, a local rangatahi and freelance writer who is passionate about making the urban fabric of Tāmaki Makaurau-Auckland more people-focused and sustainable. New Zealand’s March-April 2020 Level 4 Covid response (aka “lockdown”) was somehow both the best and worst six weeks of ...
    Greater AucklandBy Guest Post
    1 week ago

  • New Bill to crack down on youth vaping

    The coalition Government has introduced legislation to tackle youth vaping, Associate Health Minister Casey Costello announced today. “The Smokefree Environments and Regulated Products Amendment Bill (No 2) is aimed at preventing youth vaping.  “While vaping has contributed to a significant fall in our smoking rates, the rise in youth vaping ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 hours ago
  • Interest in agricultural and horticultural products regulatory review welcomed

    Regulation Minister David Seymour, Environment Minister Penny Simmonds, and Food Safety Minister Andrew Hoggard have welcomed interest in the agricultural and horticultural products regulatory review. The review by the Ministry for Regulation is looking at how to speed up the process to get farmers and growers access to the safe, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 hours ago
  • Bill to allow online charity lotteries passes first reading

    Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says the Government is moving at pace to ensure lotteries for charitable purposes are allowed to operate online permanently. Charities fundraising online, such as those run by the Heart Foundation, Coastguard NZ, Auckland Rescue Helicopter Trust and local hospices will continue to do ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 hours ago
  • Tax exempt threshold changes to benefit startups

    Technology companies are among the startups which will benefit from increases to current thresholds of exempt employee share schemes, Science, Innovation and Technology Minister Judith Collins and Revenue Minister Simon Watts say. Tax exempt thresholds for the schemes are increasing as part of the Taxation (Annual Rates for 2024-25, Emergency ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 hours ago
  • Getting the healthcare you need, when you need it

    The path to faster cancer treatment, an increase in immunisation rates, shorter stays in emergency departments and quick assessment and treatments when you are sick has been laid out today. Health Minister Dr Shane Reti has revealed details of how the ambitious health targets the Government has set will be ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    8 hours ago
  • Targeted supports to accelerate reading

    The coalition Government is delivering targeted and structured literacy supports to accelerate learning for struggling readers. From Term 1 2025, $33 million of funding for Reading Recovery and Early Literacy Support will be reprioritised to interventions which align with structured approaches to teaching. “Structured literacy will change the way children ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    9 hours ago
  • Survivors invited to Abuse in Care national apology

    With two months until the national apology to survivors of abuse in care, expressions of interest have opened for survivors wanting to attend. “The Prime Minister will deliver a national apology on Tuesday 12 November in Parliament. It will be a very significant day for survivors, their families, whānau and ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    11 hours ago
  • Rangatahi inspire at Ngā Manu Kōrero final

    Ehara taku toa i te toa takitahi, engari he toa takitini kē - My success is not mine alone but is the from the strength of the many. Aotearoa New Zealand’s top young speakers are an inspiration for all New Zealanders to learn more about the depth and beauty conveyed ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    12 hours ago
  • Driving structured literacy in schools

    The coalition Government is driving confidence in reading and writing in the first years of schooling. “From the first time children step into the classroom, we’re equipping them and teachers with the tools they need to be brilliant in literacy. “From 1 October, schools and kura with Years 0-3 will receive ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Labour’s misleading information is disappointing

    Labour’s misinformation about firearms law is dangerous and disappointing, Associate Justice Minister Nicole McKee says.   “Labour and Ginny Andersen have repeatedly said over the past few days that the previous Labour Government completely banned semi-automatic firearms in 2019 and that the Coalition Government is planning to ‘reintroduce’ them.   ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Govt takes action on mpox response, widens access to vaccine

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