John Key’s Top Ten

Written By: - Date published: 5:01 pm, November 8th, 2011 - 79 comments
Categories: Economy, john key, national, phil goff - Tags: ,

It may not be as fun as a Letterman Top Ten, but John Key deserves to be judged on his record as all prime-ministers are:

  1. Unemployment has increased by 50 per cent, leaving 157,000 New Zealanders out of work. 
    (Source: Statistics New Zealand, Household Labour Force Survey)
  2. 100,000 New Zealanders have left for Australia after he promised he would stop the brain drain.
    (Source: Statistics New Zealand, International Travel and Migration)
  3. Prices have gone up nearly four times faster than incomes over the past 3 years. John Key increased prices by hiking GST after promising not to.
    (Source: Statistics New Zealand, New Zealand Income Survey and Consumer Price Index)
  4. The first credit rating downgrade in 13 years and a double downgrade at that.
    (Source: Westpac, Weekly Commentary: Sign of the times, 3 October 2011)
  5. There are 60,000 more people on benefits costing an extra $1 billion a year.
    (Sources: MSD, National Benefit Factsheet and Monthly Benefit Data; and Treasury, Pre-election Economic and Fiscal Update 2011)
  6. The wage gap with Australia has increased by $32 a week.
    (Sources: Statistics New Zealand, Quarterly Employment Survey and Australian Bureau of Statistics, Average Weekly Earnings, PPP adjusted)
  7. There are 55,200 15 to 24 year olds not in education, employment or training and the number of young people on the unemployment benefit long term has increased by over 700 per cent.
    (Sources: Statistics New Zealand, Household Labour Force Survey, NEETs and Hon Paula Bennett, Question for Written Answer 6058 )
  8. The economy has grown by just 0.4 per cent since John Key took office.
    (Source: Statistics New Zealand, Gross Domestic Product)
  9. National’s tax cuts for the most well off were supposed to be paid for with the GST. They actually cost an extra $1.1 billion in their first nine months.
    (Source: Treasury, Financial Statements of the Government of New Zealand for the year ended 30 June 2011)
  10. The underclass has grown with the number of children living in benefit dependent households increasing by over 32,000 in the past 3 years.
    (Source: New Zealand Council of Christian Social Services, Vulnerability Report, Sept 2009 and Sept 2011)

h/t Phil Goff

Although this post should be covered by the opinion section of electoral law and shouldn’t need authorisation, here’s mine anyway, just to be safe:
Authorised by Ben Clark, 54 Aramoana Ave, Devonport

 

 

 

79 comments on “John Key’s Top Ten ”

  1. DS 1

    Whoa. That’s depressing.

  2. randal 2

    according to the msm news link to the herald kweewee claims The next Prime Minister is in denial. that is just lies. Phil Goff and Labour have a programme but all key can do is criticise. He has no plan of his own except to sell the states assets and piss off back to where he came from clutching his jobbers turn.

    • marsman 2.1

      When we boot John Key out don’t give him a knighthood give him the bill for the damage he’s done to this country.

      • Jim Nald 2.1.1

        That would be too kind.
        He needs to be dragged kicking and screaming before an Economic & Financial Crimes Tribunal.

        • seeker 2.1.1.1

          @ Jim Nald 8.53pm

          “He needs to be dragged kicking and screaming before an Economic & Financial Crimes Tribunal.”

          Agreed, but the times they are a’changing for Key and his like, their time is nearly up,please god.

          http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2011/nov/07/one-per-cent-wealth-destroyers

          “This is now changing. On Sunday evening I witnessed a remarkable thing: a debate on the steps of St Paul’s Cathedral between Stuart Fraser, chairman of the Corporation of the City of London, another official from the corporation, the turbulent priest Father William Taylor, John Christensen of the Tax Justice Network and the people of Occupy London. It had something of the flavour of the Putney debates of 1647. For the first time in decades – and all credit to the corporation officials for turning up – financial power was obliged to answer directly to the people.

          It felt like history being made. The undeserving rich are now in the frame, and the rest of us want our money back.” George Monbiot .7-11-11

      • Hami Shearlie 2.1.2

        Don’t think $50 million would cover that huge bill, do you?

  3. exitlane 3

    “The economy has grown by just 0.4 per cent since John Key took office.
    (Source: Statistics New Zealand, Gross Domestic Product)”

    so have we seen the end of “growth”. The end of cheap oil and extreme levels of debt worldwide suggest we have.

    Time for Labour and the Greens (“green growth”) to face the new economic reality.

  4. ianmac 4

    Funny how the Herald mentions 3 in short form then closes.
    Stuff does at least list the 10 but in shortened form without the references. Funny that.
    Must mean that there is no market for facts or else we the people are being treated as stupid.

  5. Dv 5

    Just WHO is in denial?

    • Tom Gould 5.1

      Who is in denial? The arch-Tories who run the National Herald and Fairfox, for starters. Or maybe Johnboy really means the hungry kids are the ones in denial? Maybe they are not hungry or cold at all? They just imagine they are and need to get real?

  6. Rodel 6

    Two points:
    1] A brilliant analysis by Goff and Co. But NZ voters, floating voters in particular are less influenced by facts than by feelings. Labour has to tap into these if it wants their votes.

    2] As in the last election Labour is being sucked into focusing on Key. Just what National want.
    The real culprit stuffing our country is Bill English together with the shadowy figures like Joyce and Smith who hide behind the Key facade.The real culprits are the National so called ‘team’, not the celebrity turkey.
    Labour has a real team. And they are showing it.
    and
    A question : I’ve heard Key being described as an accountant as if he’s qualified in something. Is he?

    • lulu 6.1

      John Key attended Aorangi School, then Burnside High School, and earned a Bachelor of Commerce degree in accounting from the University of Canterbury in 1981.[3][5] He has attended management studies courses at Harvard University.[6]

      Before politics Key’s first job was in 1982, as an auditor at McCulloch Menzies, and he then moved to be a project manager at Christchurch-based clothing manufacturer Lane Walker Rudkin for two years.[7] Key began working as a foreign exchange dealer at Elders Finance in Wellington, and rose to the position of head foreign exchange trader two years later, then moved to Auckland-based Bankers Trust in 1988.[3]

  7. Tigger 7

    John Key in response to the list :”I work 19 hours a day, seven days a week to try and make New Zealand a better country.”

    Really John, 19 hours every single day of every week? Someone’s in denial about how hard he works. I’m not saying he doesn’t work hard, righties, I’m saying this is egging his real hours. If a worker lied about his hours it would be fraud, btw…

    • Carol 7.1

      This includes RWC matches and award ceremonies, hosting Radio shows talking about his cat, time in make-up for the latest photo ops? It’s not the hours put in, but the quality of the tasks done.

    • Dv 7.2

      AND its not working John.

    • newsense 7.3

      some one has to drink that RWC wine. If JK is prime minister (his reasoning must go) then when he brushes his teeth he’s working to make the prime ministers teeth cleaner and thus a better country…

  8. randal 8

    Joyce is free with the truth as well. I saw him on Teevee telling people that when the ufb is rolled out they will be able to download anything they want for free, nudge nudge wink wink. Now that is theft pure and simple.

    • Zorr 8.1

      Not just that but the reason for data limits in New Zealand is due to the lack of quality connections to other countries. The bandwidth is precious, and so therefore becomes valuable.

  9. aj 9

    vis Stuff: “On Goff’s top 10 list, his view was that “most of them are either rubbish or as I say they are in denial of the international circumstances we face”

    I can’t wait for the MSN to go through these one by one with Key to find the the ones that are rubbish…yeah, right

  10. tsmithfield 10

    Yawn.

    Nothing said about a global recession, a series of earthquakes etc. Nothing said about what Goff would have done better. Nothing said about the fact that we are not like Europe or the US in terms of unemployment or debt.

    Goff is a joke, and his popularity rating suggests that most people realise that.

    • KJT 10.1

      The so called Journalists are a joke.

      Running Goff’s comments with a voice-over by Key.

      Partisan Not!

      If they investigated Key’s record properly, he would be lynched.

    • fender 10.2

      Goff is a man with values and substance, something we don’t need anymore eh tsmithfield. His popularity reflects the importance N.Z.rs seem to place on celebrity rather than policy wouldn’t you say? He’s leading the party that has all the ideas designed to restore fairness and dignity in N.Z. But that isn’t something we want either is it.

  11. randal 11

    thats right aj. garner and gluon have made a living by not asking questions. and if national get in then he will be the mainman at RNZ. Watchout.

  12. fender 12

    Can’t even watch the sports news without seeing donKey there as well, after seeing him last week at TAB, today he was at Chch horse races, some gamblers don’t know when to quit.

  13. KJT 13

    Don’t forget the median wage decreased by $82/week.

  14. John Dalley 14

    So Shonkey thinks smiling and waving is work, well i never.

  15. Draco T Bastard 15

    Well, National does seem to be concerned about #10. They’ve now decided that people who are deemed a danger to society will be detained indefinitely beyond their sentence.

    That authoritarianism of theirs is showing stronger everyday.

  16. newsense 16

    Herald didn’t properly report it only reporting two, then linked to a video of Key and Nick Smith.

    Now they’re reporting Key’s reaction.

  17. newsense 17

    “So for Prime Minister John Key to insist that 65 is sustainable, provided we stick with National’s economic strategy, is as fatuous as it is self-serving.” Herald economics editor.

    http://www.nzherald.co.nz/brian-fallow-on-the-economy/news/article.cfm?c_id=1502863&objectid=10763443

    How do people keep thinking Key has credibility on the economy ?

    The Herald must be one odd place to work right now….

    Labours numbers add up:

    cue polls on CGT, retirement age, and asset sales

    (backing music: and you know that it’s right/we have got to get it together now…)

  18. newsense 18

    Ha just realised- if they aren’t reporting it properly must mean it is good- get this list out there!

  19. Who can blame kiwi’s from leaving this backward country. Jobless everywhere and the scum of the earth pricks want a f##king election?

    What a sick country run by selfish ego misfits!!!  Only a pathetic creature would trust a politician.Why vote for more rotten lying filth?

  20. seeker 20

    @ Newsense 9.54pm

    Posted this link earlier on” Economic Credibility……”

    I think the link might help answer yur question :

    How do people keep thinking Key has credibility on the economy?

    George Monbiot in the Guardian today:
    http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2011/nov/07/one-per-cent-wealth-destroyers

    Here is a quote from the link:

    “The claims that the ultra-rich 1% make for themselves – that they are possessed of unique intelligence or creativity or drive – are examples of the self-attribution fallacy. This means crediting yourself with outcomes for which you weren’t responsible. Many of those who are rich today got there because they were able to capture certain jobs. This capture owes less to talent and intelligence than to a combination of the ruthless exploitation of others and accidents of birth, as such jobs are taken disproportionately by people born in certain places and into certain classes.

    The findings of the psychologist Daniel Kahneman, winner of a Nobel economics prize, are devastating to the beliefs that financial high-fliers entertain about themselves. He discovered that their apparent success is a cognitive illusion. For example, he studied the results achieved by 25 wealth advisers across eight years. He found that the consistency of their performance was zero. “The results resembled what you would expect from a dice-rolling contest, not a game of skill.” Those who received the biggest bonuses had simply got lucky.

    Such results have been widely replicated. They show that traders and fund managers throughout Wall Street receive their massive remuneration for doing no better than would a chimpanzee flipping a coin. When Kahneman tried to point this out, they blanked him. “The illusion of skill … is deeply ingrained in their culture.” George Monbiot U.K. Guardian 7-11-11

    Does this mean that Key is suffering from “self-attribution fallacy” and that he is a “cognitive illusion.”

    • Hami Shearlie 20.1

      So John the chimp flipped a coin! No wonder he said he’s a monkey’s uncle!

      • seeker 20.1.1

        Exactly Hami.rofl. Then remembered that unfortunately Unkey Munkey is our ‘leader’ and sobered up very quickly
        .
        How do we prise the dewy eyes open of the slimily seduced love- John- a -lot partisans who don’t realise they are following someone as clueless as a chimpanzee to their and ultimately our (New Zealand ‘s) financial doom.

        I am beyond worry that this chimp will sell our assets and ultimately our independence as a sovereign nation ( as we will be eventually be dependent on some foreign investor for our power, so no longer self sufficient) because he is mentally ill.

        He must be away with the fairies to :
        a) sell our assets when they bring in far more continous revenue than a one off fire sale http://www.nzherald.co.nz/best-of-political-analysis/news/article.cfm?c_id=1502734&jectid=10764657
        b) sell them when to do so will give up our self sufficiency if the rest of the world goes under in these precarious times
        c)not worry that he is putting an extra burden on the poor and struggling when prices go up to give shareholders good profits

        And idiots will let him, even when most Kiwis don’t want him to sell and he has given them no good reason to sell- just because of Love Potion Number 9, sorry 666!

        • Hami Shearlie 20.1.1.1

          Finally – the only explanation that makes sense!!

          • seeker 20.1.1.1.1

            Cheers Hami. I still don’t know what to do about it though – apart from pray!! Oh and question and call out Key at public meetings to prevent him brainwashing more of the gullible, perhaps even wake some of the national faithful out of their comas.- especially the Grey Power national/ act groupies

            Waking/wising up to Key’s selfish, short sighted slimy, spin is the least they can do for New Zealand and the young before they pop their clogs and have no use for all the money they spent their life idolising and now have to explain to the Almighty just why they selfishly wasted their life doing just that.
            At the very least voting in anyone but National/act/uf who are going to sell our assets might earn these aging Nact groupies a reprieve from the Almighty for thinking of our most precious resource- future young Kiwis, rather than thinking of anyone but themselves and money or, idolising Key,

    • Something else to share with your John Key voting friends

    • In Vino Veritas 20.3

      Thanks seeker. I note they make this comment:

      “This is not to suggest that all executives are psychopaths”

      I reiterate, where is the diagnosis that Key is a psychopath? Just because he was working in currency trading doesnt make him one.

      • seeker 20.3.1

        @ In vino veritas
        “The psychopathic traits on which the bosses scored so highly, Board and Fritzon point out, closely resemble the characteristics that companies look for. Those who have these traits often possess great skill in flattering and manipulating powerful people. Egocentricity, a strong sense of entitlement, a readiness to exploit others and a lack of empathy and conscience are also unlikely to damage their prospects in many corporations.”

        Mr.Key appears to possess all these traits judging by his behaviour and words over the last three and a half years.

        “In their book Snakes in Suits, Paul Babiak and Robert Hare point out that as the old corporate bureaucracies have been replaced by flexible, ever-changing structures, and as team players are deemed less valuable than competitive risk-takers, psychopathic traits are more likely to be selected and rewarded…….

        But maybe it is not just psychopathic traits Mr. Key displays.but the traits of a predator (or assassin ) which ‘in reality is actually’ a parasite!

        This is not to suggest that all executives are psychopaths. It is to suggest that the economy has been rewarding the wrong skills. As the bosses have shaken off the trade unions and captured both regulators and tax authorities, the distinction between the productive and rentier upper classes has broken down. Chief executives” and Prime Ministers “now behave like dukes, extracting from their financial estates sums out of all proportion to the work they do or the value they generate, sums that sometimes exhaust the businesses they parasitise. They are no more deserving of the share of wealth they’ve captured than oil sheikhs
        The rest of us are invited, by governments and by fawning interviews in the press, to subscribe to their myth of election: the belief that they are possessed of superhuman talents. The very rich are often described as wealth creators.” (by PMs giving whopping 5% tax cuts to the already wealthy and taxing by stealth and lies with GST and ETS the poor.)
        “But they have preyed on the earth’s natural wealth and their workers’ labour and creativity, impoverishing both people and planet. Now they have almost bankrupted us. The wealth creators of neoliberal mythology are some of the most effective wealth destroyers the world has ever seen.”

        See how this neoliberal ideology has corrupted us In Vino Veritas. By rewarding and lauding dysfunctional personality traits it’s poison has “trickled down” to infect the 70 % who see a shallow, empty, PM as a hero wealth creator for themselves, and possibly New Zealand, as an after thought, if they could only touch the hem of his right trouser leg!
        John Key is a prime example of a wealthy money trader with a bad attack of “self attribution fallacy” whose apparent financial success, intelligence and hard work so proclaimed by litle miss -gets- everything -wrong Michelle Boag, blind Nat.followers and a sycophantic partisan MSM is really a cognitive illusion. For the outcome of his 3 year throat slitting performance has been a big fat zero-and that is inflated. The emperor had no clothes all along – and he knew it. However his real skill lies in deception and that’s what he has worked hard to achieve for himself and his business masters, I am sorry to say.

        • In Vino Veritas 20.3.1.1

          seeker, I’m sure you mean well, and I’m certainly no psychologist and therefore have no particular view on this research. However, I’m still not sure how you can tell Key is a psychopath. I havent seen “egocentricity, a strong sense of entitlement, a readiness to exploit others and a lack of empathy and conscience” from him, well no more than Phil Goff. Unless you’ve sat the guy on a couch and spoken to him (as opposed to a few sound bites on radio and TV and a couple of debates) how can you possible tell?

          Surely this is just your opinion of him, rather than a fact?

          • Joe 20.3.1.1.1

            All politicians, if they want to get anywhere, have to be egocentric and have a readiness to exploit others. It’s how they beat all the other politicians in the popularity contest we call elections

  21. tc 21

    Yet again the MSM shows it can’t simply report but intervene and judge by interjecting one polly over another.
    Basic journalism is you leave it out there verbatim with references and let the other party pick it apart, not do it for them or assist them.
    Then there’s the fixation with polls rather than focus on issues and whats actually being released as policy and said.
    It’s another Eason folk flee to Oz, the Playing fields level and the reforms of hawke keating the right don’t dare touch…..cgt, fbt, compulsory super.

  22. In Vino Veritas 22

    I see Mr Goff has told another lie. In the leaders debate he claimed NZ’s “best and brightest” were leaving NZ for Australia. The analysis he has used for the 100,000 above, actually shows the movement is mainly in those who are low\unskilled. I guess you could say “worst and dumbest”

    • In which case the remaining smarty pants should read this and vote the bastard out.

      Unless you think a psychopathic asshole is a good idea as a PM!

      • In Vino Veritas 22.1.1

        traveller, on what basis do you conclude that the PM is a psychopath? Surely you must be qualified in this field to make such a comment, so I’m interested in your diagnosis.

        • seeker 22.1.1.1

          @In Vino Veritas

          read this link
          :
          http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2011/nov/07/one-per-cent-wealth-destroyers

          and see if you can discern why traveller, and others, might conclude that the PM “is a psychopath” or at the very least has psychopathic traits. One clue is his self-attribution fallacy, where he credits himself (desperately) with outcomes for which he was not responsible,and produces embellished, and ever exaggerated falsehoods to tarnish others achievements. It’s very worrying.

    • tc 22.2

      I wouldn’t call tradespeople ‘worst and dumbest’ which where alot of that is coming from genius.

    • Anne 22.3

      Got it wrong In Vino Veritas @ 8:29am. Just been listening to a Massey University professor (Radio NZ) who has done research into the types of people moving to Aussie. It turns out they are mostly skilled workers who a taking up jobs well below their skill levels, but which still give them an income significantly higher than they were earning in NZ.

    • seeker 22.4

      Goff doesn’t lie – in the political sense that is.Now John Key…………

  23. Deadly_NZ 23

    I am just waiting until Campaign has him on for questions, this sunday at 8.30pm on Sky News or replayed on Prime at 10:40 last week they had Goff on and he did well but it all depends if Soper and co give him a grilling, or just the usual sycophantic easy questions.

    • Hami Shearlie 23.1

      Hope we don’t hear all about Mummy and the state house again, it’s making me nauseous!. They should put his feet to the fire for a change! But I’m mega-doubtful it will happen. Who owns Sky/Prime – JK’ s buddies!

  24. In Vino Veritas 24

    I direct you all to

    http://www.treasurt.govt.nz/budget/forecasts/eff2008/00.htm

    Funnily enough, Labour and Goff were privy to all this and yet act surprised that it has come to pass, for example, unemployment forecast for 2011 – 6.2% (worst case scenario 7.2%) and yet they blame Key for it. Now that’s hypocrisy. Oh, and lies by omission.

    Did I mention Labour’s 10 years of deficits ahead comment in 08?

    • Colonial Viper 24.1

      the only hypocritical thing here is that when the NATs were in power and they knew all this, they just sailed NZ straight into it.

      Labour would have acted, and when we take power, we will use the power of Government in the economy, to act. And not leave it to market failure to dictate NZ direction.

    • Draco T Bastard 24.2

      Did I mention Labour’s 10 years of deficits ahead comment in 08?

      That was a projection and projections can be changed by acting on the causes of the initial projection – just as Labour promised to do. What we got instead was the NAct coalition that increased the deficits beyond what the projections were to give their rich mates more money for nothing while also holding NZ in recession.

  25. Interesting 25

    Sounds like you all forget the shitty position the long term Labour government left the country in, or the massive GFC, or that Christchurch cost the country, and will cost the country for generations.

    But you are right, none of that matters.
    It would all have been sunshine and carebears had a Labour govenrment been in power.

    • seeker 25.1

      @ Interesting

      “Sounds like you all forget the shitty position the long term Labour government left the country in..”

      Who told you this? And Colonial Viper @ 4.37pm virtually addressed your other points.

    • Hami Shearlie 25.2

      9 years Labour – no government debt, 3 years National – mega public debt! For the poor in NZ John Key has the perfect present – Leave The Cupboards Bear!!

      • In Vino Veritas 25.2.1

        9 years Labour under the best economic conditions for a generation and the country had no cash in the bank since it was all spent. And economy nosediving into a recession thanks to a global crisis. Oh, and future government saddled with things like bloated bureaucracy, interest free student loans and over 40% of households being net beneficiaries.

        3 years National saddled with prior governments gross overspending, confronting a global recession followed by the destruction of Christchurch.

        But why let the facts get in the way of rabid idealogical nastiness?

        • mickysavage 25.2.1.1

          IVV
           
          You are full of it.
           
          In 2008 after 9 years of surplusses and Cullen paying off debt New Zealand got into credit for the first time in many decades.
           
          The 2008 Prefu did say after that there would be a decade of deficits.
           
          This is because Key and his ilk at firms like Merryll and Lynch mob stuffed up the world’s economy with their greed.  Treasury said that tax income would drop because of the hit businesses would take and suddenly more money would need to be spent than would come in because of the change.
           
          Reality does not stop you spinning.
           
          But finding the truth is not what you want to do is it?  Youjust want to have a yelling match so that the gullible do not see what a shocking job Key and co are doing.

    • Draco T Bastard 25.3

      Another attempt by a RWNJ to re-write history:

      1.) The last Labour led government left the country in a fairly good state (financially)
      2.) The GFC was caused by the policies that NAct want to implement
      3.) Chch did cost the country, NAct has cost it far more
      4.) Well, it would have been better than having the psychopathic National Party in government.

      • In Vino Veritas 25.3.1

        Draco, as with most of your posts, you have plenty to say, with no substance. Let me help you with a few questions so that you can flesh out your drivel:

        (1) Please provide details of “fairly good state”. Do not forget, it was so good, they were forecasting 10 years of deficits.
        (2) Which policies specifically are you referring to?
        (3) In what way has National cost the country more than ChCh has cost the country?
        (4) How can an entity that is not alive be psychopathic?

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    Bryce Edwards writes – Last week former National Party leader Simon Bridges was appointed by the Government as the new chair of the New Zealand Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA). You can read about the appointment in Thomas Coughlan’s article, Simon Bridges to become chair of NZ Transport Agency ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    14 hours ago
  • Bernard's Top 10 @ 10 'pick 'n' mix' at 10:10am on Tuesday, March 19
    TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: Gavin Jacobson talks to Thomas Piketty 10 years on from Capital in the 21st Century The SalvoLocal scoop: Green MP’s business being investigated over migrant exploitation claims Stuff Steve KilgallonLocal deep-dive: The commercial contractors making money from School ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    14 hours ago
  • Bernard's six newsy things on Tuesday, March 19
    It’s a home - but Kāinga Ora tenants accused of “abusing the privilege” may lose it. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The Government announced a crackdown on Kāinga Ora tenants who were unruly and/or behind on their rent, with Housing Minister Chris Bishop saying a place in a state ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    15 hours ago
  • New Life for Light Rail
    This is a guest post by Connor Sharp of Surface Light Rail  Light rail in Auckland: A way forward sooner than you think With the coup de grâce of Auckland Light Rail (ALR) earlier this year, and the shift of the government’s priorities to roads, roads, and more roads, it ...
    Greater AucklandBy Guest Post
    16 hours ago
  • Why Are Bosses Nearly All Buffoons?
    Note: As a paid-up Webworm member, I’ve recorded this Webworm as a mini-podcast for you as well. Some of you said you liked this option - so I aim to provide it when I get a chance to record! Read more ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    18 hours ago
  • Bernard’s six-stack of substacks at 6.06 pm on March 18
    TL;DR: In my ‘six-stack’ of substacks at 6.06pm on Monday, March 18:IKEA is accused of planting big forests in New Zealand to green-wash; REDD-MonitorA City for People takes a well-deserved victory lap over Wellington’s pro-YIMBY District Plan votes; A City for PeopleSteven Anastasiou takes a close look at the sticky ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 day ago
  • Peters holds his ground on co-governance, but Willis wriggles on those tax cuts and SNA suspension l...
    Buzz from the Beehive Here’s hoping for a lively post-cabinet press conference when the PM and – perhaps – some of his ministers tell us what was discussed at their meeting today. Until then, Point of Order has precious little Beehive news to report after its latest monitoring of the ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    1 day ago
  • Labour’s final report card
    David Farrar writes –  We now have almost all 2023 data in, which has allowed me to update my annual table of how  went against its promises. This is basically their final report card. The promise The result Build 100,000 affordable homes over 10 ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    2 days ago
  • “Drunk Uncle at a Wedding”
    I’m a bit worried that I’ve started a previous newsletter with the words “just when you think they couldn’t get any worse…” Seems lately that I could begin pretty much every issue with that opening. Such is the nature of our coalition government that they seem to be outdoing each ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    2 days ago
  • Wang Yi’s perfectly-timed, Aukus-themed visit to New Zealand
    Geoffrey Miller writes – Timing is everything. And from China’s perspective, this week’s visit by its foreign minister to New Zealand could be coming at just the right moment. The visit by Wang Yi to Wellington will be his first since 2017. Anniversaries are important to Beijing. ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    2 days ago
  • Gordon Campbell on Dune 2, and images of Islam
    Depictions of Islam in Western popular culture have rarely been positive, even before 9/11. Five years on from the mosque shootings, this is one of the cultural headwinds that the Muslim community has to battle against. Whatever messages of tolerance and inclusion are offered in daylight, much of our culture ...
    2 days ago
  • New Rail Operations Centre Promises Better Train Services
    Last week Transport Minster Simeon Brown and Mayor Wayne Brown opened the new Auckland Rail Operations Centre. The new train control centre will see teams from KiwiRail, Auckland Transport and Auckland One Rail working more closely together to improve train services across the city. The Auckland Rail Operations Centre in ...
    2 days ago
  • Bernard's six newsy things at 6.36am on Monday, March 18
    Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Retiring former Labour Finance Minister Grant Robertson said in an exit interview with Q+A yesterday the Government can and should sustain more debt to invest in infrastructure for future generations. Elsewhere in the news in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy at 6:36am: Read more ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago
  • Geoffrey Miller: Wang Yi’s perfectly-timed, Aukus-themed visit to New Zealand
    Timing is everything. And from China’s perspective, this week’s visit by its foreign minister to New Zealand could be coming at just the right moment. The visit by Wang Yi to Wellington will be his first since 2017. Anniversaries are important to Beijing. It is more than just a happy ...
    Democracy ProjectBy Geoffrey Miller
    2 days ago
  • The Kaka’s diary for the week to March 25 and beyond
    TL;DR: The key events to watch in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the week to March 18 include:China’s Foreign Minister visiting Wellington today;A post-cabinet news conference this afternoon; the resumption of Parliament on Tuesday for two weeks before Easter;retiring former Labour Finance Minister Grant Robertson gives his valedictory speech in Parliament; ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago
  • Bitter and angry; Winston First
    New Zealand First Leader Winston Peters’s state-of-the-nation speech on Sunday was really a state-of-Winston-First speech. He barely mentioned any of the Government’s key policies and could not even wholly endorse its signature income tax cuts. Instead, he rehearsed all of his complaints about the Ardern Government, including an extraordinary claim ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    2 days ago
  • 2024 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #11
    A listing of 35 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, March 10, 2024 thru Sat, March 16, 2024. Story of the week This week we'll give you a little glimpse into how we collect links to share and ...
    2 days ago
  • 2024 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #11
    A listing of 35 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, March 10, 2024 thru Sat, March 16, 2024. Story of the week This week we'll give you a little glimpse into how we collect links to share and ...
    2 days ago
  • Out of Touch.
    “I’ve been internalising a really complicated situation in my head.”When they kept telling us we should wait until we get to know him, were they taking the piss? Was it a case of, if you think this is bad, wait till you get to know the real Christopher, after the ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    3 days ago
  • Bring out your Dad
    Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago
  • Bring out your Dad
    Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago
  • Bring out your Dad
    Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago
  • The bewildering world of Chris Luxon – Guns for all, not no lunch for kids
    .“$10 and a target that bleeds” - Bleeding Targets for Under $10!.Thanks for reading Frankly Speaking ! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.This government appears hell-bent on either scrapping life-saving legislation or reintroducing things that - frustrated critics insist - will be dangerous and likely ...
    Frankly SpeakingBy Frank Macskasy
    3 days ago
  • Expert Opinion: Ageing Boomers, Laurie & Les, Talk Politics.
    It hardly strikes me as fair to criticise a government for doing exactly what it said it was going to do. For actually keeping its promises.”THUNDER WAS PLAYING TAG with lightning flashes amongst the distant peaks. Its rolling cadences interrupted by the here-I-come-here-I-go Doppler effect of the occasional passing car. ...
    3 days ago
  • Manufacturing The Truth.
    Subversive & Disruptive Technologies: Just as happened with that other great regulator of the masses, the Medieval Church, the advent of a new and hard-to-control technology – the Internet –  is weakening the ties that bind. Then, and now, those who enjoy a monopoly on the dissemination of lies, cannot and will ...
    3 days ago
  • A Powerful Sensation of Déjà Vu.
    Been Here Before: To find the precedents for what this Coalition Government is proposing, it is necessary to return to the “glory days” of Muldoonism.THE COALITION GOVERNMENT has celebrated its first 100 days in office by checking-off the last of its listed commitments. It remains, however, an angry government. It ...
    3 days ago
  • Can you guess where world attention is focussed (according to Greenpeace)? It’s focussed on an EPA...
    Bob Edlin writes –  And what is the world watching today…? The email newsletter from Associated Press which landed in our mailbox early this morning advised: In the news today: The father of a school shooter has been found guilty of involuntary manslaughter; prosecutors in Trump’s hush-money case ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    3 days ago
  • Further integrity problems for the Greens in suspending MP Darleen Tana
    Bryce Edwards writes – Is another Green MP on their way out? And are the Greens severely tarnished by another integrity scandal? For the second time in three months, the Green Party has secretly suspended an MP over integrity issues. Mystery is surrounding the party’s decision to ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • Jacqui Van Der Kaay: Greens’ transparency missing in action
    For the last few years, the Green Party has been the party that has managed to avoid the plague of multiple scandals that have beleaguered other political parties. It appears that their luck has run out with a second scandal which, unfortunately for them, coincided with Golraz Ghahraman, the focus ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    4 days ago
  • Bernard’s Dawn Chorus with six newsey things at 6:46am for Saturday, March 16
    TL;DR: The six newsey things that stood out to me as of 6:46am on Saturday, March 16.Andy Foster has accidentally allowed a Labour/Green amendment to cut road user chargers for plug-in hybrid vehicles, which the Government might accept; NZ Herald Thomas Coughlan Simeon Brown has rejected a plea from Westport ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • How Did FTX Crash?
    What seemed a booming success a couple of years ago has collapsed into fraud convictions.I looked at the crash of FTX (short for ‘Futures Exchange’) in November 2022 to see whether it would impact on the financial system as a whole. Fortunately there was barely a ripple, probably because it ...
    PunditBy Brian Easton
    4 days ago
  • Elections in Russia and Ukraine
    Anybody following the situation in Ukraine and Russia would probably have been amused by a recent Tweet on X NATO seems to be putting in an awful lot of effort to influence what is, at least according to them, a sham election in an autocracy.When do the Ukrainians go to ...
    4 days ago
  • Bernard’s six stack of substacks at 6pm on March 15
    TL;DR: Shaun Baker on Wynyard Quarter's transformation. Magdalene Taylor on the problem with smart phones. How private equity are now all over reinsurance. Dylan Cleaver on rugby and CTE. Emily Atkin on ‘Big Meat’ looking like ‘Big Oil’.Bernard’s six-stack of substacks at 6pm on March 15Photo by Jeppe Hove Jensen ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • Buzz from the Beehive Finance Minister Nicola Willis had plenty to say when addressing the Auckland Business Chamber on the economic growth that (she tells us) is flagging more than we thought. But the government intends to put new life into it:  We want our country to be a ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    4 days ago
  • National’s clean car tax advances
    The Transport and Infrastructure Committee has reported back on the Road User Charges (Light Electric RUC Vehicles) Amendment Bill, basicly rubberstamping it. While there was widespread support among submitters for the principle that EV and PHEV drivers should pay their fair share for the roads, they also overwhelmingly disagreed with ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    4 days ago
  • Government funding bailouts
    Peter Dunne writes – This week’s government bailout – the fifth in the last eighteen months – of the financially troubled Ruapehu Alpine Lifts company would have pleased many in the central North Island ski industry. The government’s stated rationale for the $7 million funding was that it ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • Two offenders, different treatments.
    See if you can spot the difference. An Iranian born female MP from a progressive party is accused of serial shoplifting. Her name is leaked to the media, which goes into a pack frenzy even before the Police launch an … Continue reading ...
    KiwipoliticoBy Pablo
    4 days ago
  • Treaty references omitted
    Ele Ludemann writes  – The government is omitting general Treaty references from legislation : The growth of Treaty of Waitangi clauses in legislation caused so much worry that a special oversight group was set up by the last Government in a bid to get greater coherence in the public service on Treaty ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • The Ghahraman Conflict
    What was that judge thinking? Peter Williams writes –  That Golriz Ghahraman and District Court Judge Maria Pecotic were once lawyer colleagues is incontrovertible. There is published evidence that they took at least one case to the Court of Appeal together. There was a report on ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • Bernard's Top 10 @ 10 'pick 'n' mix' for March 15
    TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: Climate Scorpion – the sting is in the tail. Introducing planetary solvency. A paper via the University of Exeter’s Institute and Faculty of Actuaries.Local scoop: Kāinga Ora starts pulling out of its Auckland projects and selling land RNZ ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • The day Wellington up-zoned its future
    Wellington’s massively upzoned District Plan adds the opportunity for tens of thousands of new homes not just in the central city (such as these Webb St new builds) but also close to the CBD and public transport links. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Wellington gave itself the chance of ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • Weekly Roundup 15-March-2024
    It’s Friday and we’re halfway through March Madness. Here’s some of the things that caught our attention this week. This Week in Greater Auckland On Monday Matt asked how we can get better event trains and an option for grade separating Morningside Dr. On Tuesday Matt looked into ...
    Greater AucklandBy Greater Auckland
    5 days ago
  • That Word.
    Something you might not know about me is that I’m quite a stubborn person. No, really. I don’t much care for criticism I think’s unfair or that I disagree with. Few of us do I suppose.Back when I was a drinker I’d sometimes respond defensively, even angrily. There are things ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago
  • The Hoon around the week to March 15
    Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The five things that mattered in Aotearoa’s political economy that we wrote and spoke about via The Kākā and elsewhere for paying subscribers in the last week included:PM Christopher Luxon said the reversal of interest deductibility for landlords was done to help renters, who ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • Labour’s policy gap
    It was not so much the Labour Party but really the Chris Hipkins party yesterday at Labour’s caucus retreat in Martinborough. The former Prime Minister was more or less consistent on wealth tax, which he was at best equivocal about, and social insurance, which he was not willing to revisit. ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    5 days ago
  • Skeptical Science New Research for Week #11 2024
    Open access notables A Glimpse into the Future: The 2023 Ocean Temperature and Sea Ice Extremes in the Context of Longer-Term Climate Change, Kuhlbrodt et al., Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society: In the year 2023, we have seen extraordinary extrema in high sea surface temperature (SST) in the North Atlantic and in ...
    5 days ago
  • Melissa remains mute on media matters but has something to say (at a sporting event) about economic ...
     Buzz from the Beehive   The text reproduced above appears on a page which records all the media statements and speeches posted on the government’s official website by Melissa Lee as Minister of Media and Communications and/or by Jenny Marcroft, her Parliamentary Under-secretary.  It can be quickly analysed ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    5 days ago
  • The return of Muldoon
    For forty years, Robert Muldoon has been a dirty word in our politics. His style of government was so repulsive and authoritarian that the backlash to it helped set and entrench our constitutional norms. His pig-headedness over forcing through Think Big eventually gave us the RMA, with its participation and ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    5 days ago
  • Will the rental tax cut improve life for renters or landlords?
    Bryce Edwards writes –  Is the new government reducing tax on rental properties to benefit landlords or to cut the cost of rents? That’s the big question this week, after Associate Finance Minister David Seymour announced on Sunday that the Government would be reversing the Labour Government’s removal ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • Geoffrey Miller: What Saudi Arabia’s rapid changes mean for New Zealand
    Saudi Arabia is rarely far from the international spotlight. The war in Gaza has brought new scrutiny to Saudi plans to normalise relations with Israel, while the fifth anniversary of the controversial killing of Jamal Khashoggi was marked shortly before the war began on October 7. And as the home ...
    Democracy ProjectBy Geoffrey Miller
    5 days ago
  • Racism’s double standards
    Questions need to be asked on both sides of the world Peter Williams writes –   The NRL Judiciary hands down an eight week suspension to Sydney Roosters forward Spencer Leniu , an Auckland-born Samoan, after he calls Ezra Mam, Sydney-orn but of Aboriginal and Torres Strait ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • It’s not a tax break
    Ele Ludemann writes – Contrary to what many headlines and news stories are saying, residential landlords are not getting a tax break. The government is simply restoring to them the tax deductibility of interest they had until the previous government removed it. There is no logical reason ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • The Plastic Pig Collective and Chris' Imaginary Friends.
    I can't remember when it was goodMoments of happiness in bloomMaybe I just misunderstoodAll of the love we left behindWatching our flashbacks intertwineMemories I will never findIn spite of whatever you becomeForget that reckless thing turned onI think our lives have just begunI think our lives have just begunDoes anyone ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago
  • Who is responsible for young offenders?
    Michael Bassett writes – At first reading, a front-page story in the New Zealand Herald on 13 March was bizarre. A group of severely intellectually limited teenagers, with little understanding of the law, have been pleading to the Justice Select Committee not to pass a bill dealing with ram ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • Gordon Campbell on National’s fantasy trip to La La Landlord Land
    How much political capital is Christopher Luxon willing to burn through in order to deliver his $2.9 billion gift to landlords? Evidently, Luxon is: (a) unable to cost the policy accurately. As Anna Burns-Francis pointed out to him on Breakfast TV, the original ”rock solid” $2.1 billion cost he was ...
    6 days ago
  • Bernard's Top 10 @ 10 'pick 'n' mix' for March 14
    TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: Jonathon Porritt calling bullshit in his own blog post on mainstream climate science as ‘The New Denialism’.Local scoop: The Wellington City Council’s list of proposed changes to the IHP recommendations to be debated later today was leaked this ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    6 days ago
  • No, Prime Minister, rents don’t rise or fall with landlords’ costs
    TL;DR: Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said yesterday tenants should be grateful for the reinstatement of interest deductibility because landlords would pass on their lower tax costs in the form of lower rents. That would be true if landlords were regulated monopolies such as Transpower or Auckland Airport1, but they’re not, ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    6 days ago
  • Cartoons: ‘At least I didn’t make things awkward’
    This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Tom Toro Tom Toro is a cartoonist and author. He has published over 200 cartoons in The New Yorker since 2010. His cartoons appear in Playboy, the Paris Review, the New York Times, American Bystander, and elsewhere. Related: What 10 EV lovers ...
    6 days ago
  • Solving traffic congestion with Richard Prebble
    The business section of the NZ Herald is full of opinion. Among the more opinionated of all is the ex-Minister of Transport, ex-Minister of Railways, ex MP for Auckland Central (1975-93, Labour), Wellington Central (1996-99, ACT, then list-2005), ex-leader of the ACT Party, uncle to actor Antonia, the veritable granddaddy ...
    Greater AucklandBy Patrick Reynolds
    6 days ago
  • I Think I'm Done Flying Boeing
    Hi,Just quickly — I’m blown away by the stories you’ve shared with me over the last week since I put out the ‘Gary’ podcast, where I told you about the time my friend’s flatmate killed the neighbour.And you keep telling me stories — in the comments section, and in my ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    6 days ago
  • Invoking Aristotle: Of Rings of Power, Stones, and Ships
    The first season of Rings of Power was not awful. It was thoroughly underwhelming, yes, and left a lingering sense of disappointment, but it was more expensive mediocrity than catastrophe. I wrote at length about the series as it came out (see the Review section of the blog, and go ...
    6 days ago
  • Van Velden brings free-market approach to changing labour laws – but her colleagues stick to distr...
    Buzz from the Beehive Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Brooke van Velden told Auckland Business Chamber members they were the first audience to hear her priorities as a minister in a government committed to cutting red tape and regulations. She brandished her liberalising credentials, saying Flexible labour markets are the ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago
  • Why Newshub failed
    Chris Trotter writes – TO UNDERSTAND WHY NEWSHUB FAILED, it is necessary to understand how TVNZ changed. Up until 1989, the state broadcaster had been funded by a broadcasting licence fee, collected from every citizen in possession of a television set, supplemented by a relatively modest (compared ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago
  • Māori Party on the warpath against landlords and seabed miners – let’s see if mystical creature...
    Bob Edlin writes  –  The Māori Party has been busy issuing a mix of warnings and threats as its expresses its opposition to interest deductibility for landlords and the plans of seabed miners. It remains to be seen whether they  follow the example of indigenous litigants in Australia, ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago

  • Government moves to quickly ratify the NZ-EU FTA
    "The Government is moving quickly to realise an additional $46 million in tariff savings in the EU market this season for Kiwi exporters,” Minister for Trade and Agriculture, Todd McClay says. Parliament is set, this week, to complete the final legislative processes required to bring the New Zealand – European ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 hours ago
  • Positive progress for social worker workforce
    New Zealand’s social workers are qualified, experienced, and more representative of the communities they serve, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “I want to acknowledge and applaud New Zealand’s social workers for the hard work they do, providing invaluable support for our most vulnerable. “To coincide with World ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    12 hours ago
  • Minister confirms reduced RUC rate for PHEVs
    Cabinet has agreed to a reduced road user charge (RUC) rate for plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs), Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. Owners of PHEVs will be eligible for a reduced rate of $38 per 1,000km once all light electric vehicles (EVs) move into the RUC system from 1 April.  ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    14 hours ago
  • Trade access to overseas markets creates jobs
    Minister of Agriculture and Trade, Todd McClay, says that today’s opening of Riverland Foods manufacturing plant in Christchurch is a great example of how trade access to overseas markets creates jobs in New Zealand.  Speaking at the official opening of this state-of-the-art pet food factory the Minister noted that exports ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    14 hours ago
  • NZ and Chinese Foreign Ministers hold official talks
    Minister of Foreign Affairs Winston Peters met with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Wellington today. “It was a pleasure to host Foreign Minister Wang Yi during his first official visit to New Zealand since 2017. Our discussions were wide-ranging and enabled engagement on many facets of New Zealand’s relationship with China, including trade, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Kāinga Ora instructed to end Sustaining Tenancies
    Kāinga Ora – Homes & Communities has been instructed to end the Sustaining Tenancies Framework and take stronger measures against persistent antisocial behaviour by tenants, says Housing Minister Chris Bishop. “Earlier today Finance Minister Nicola Willis and I sent an interim Letter of Expectations to the Board of Kāinga Ora. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Speech to Auckland Business Chamber: Growth is the answer
    Tēna koutou katoa. Greetings everyone. Thank you to the Auckland Chamber of Commerce and the Honourable Simon Bridges for hosting this address today. I acknowledge the business leaders in this room, the leaders and governors, the employers, the entrepreneurs, the investors, and the wealth creators. The coalition Government shares your ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Singapore rounds out regional trip
    Minister Winston Peters completed the final leg of his visit to South and South East Asia in Singapore today, where he focused on enhancing one of New Zealand’s indispensable strategic partnerships.      “Singapore is our most important defence partner in South East Asia, our fourth-largest trading partner and a ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Minister van Velden represents New Zealand at International Democracy Summit
    Minister of Internal Affairs and Workplace Relations and Safety, Hon. Brooke van Velden, will travel to the Republic of Korea to represent New Zealand at the Third Summit for Democracy on 18 March. The summit, hosted by the Republic of Korea, was first convened by the United States in 2021, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Insurance Council of NZ Speech, 7 March 2024, Auckland
    ICNZ Speech 7 March 2024, Auckland  Acknowledgements and opening  Mōrena, ngā mihi nui. Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Nor Whanganui aho.  Good morning, it’s a privilege to be here to open the ICNZ annual conference, thank you to Mark for the Mihi Whakatau  My thanks to Tim Grafton for inviting me ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Five-year anniversary of Christchurch terror attacks
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Lead Coordination Minister Judith Collins have expressed their deepest sympathy on the five-year anniversary of the Christchurch terror attacks. “March 15, 2019, was a day when families, communities and the country came together both in sorrow and solidarity,” Mr Luxon says.  “Today we pay our respects to the 51 shuhada ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    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 ...
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    5 days ago
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