Justice for Shaireen

Written By: - Date published: 12:11 pm, May 16th, 2022 - 30 comments
Categories: International, israel, war - Tags:

The spotlight is again on Israel after the senseless shooting of Al Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Akleh allegedly by an Israeli army sniper and on the subsequent disruption of her funeral by Israeli defence forces.

The Guardian provides this background:

Shireen Abu Aqleh, the Al Jazeera correspondent who has been shot and killed in Jenin in the West Bank, was a veteran observer of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, renowned across the Arab world as an authoritative voice on the region’s most contested story.

The 51-year-old joint Palestinian and US citizen had reported from nearly every flashpoint in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem over three decades, during which she regularly crisscrossed between both sides telling the stories of Palestinians and Israelis from homes, battlegrounds and the drawing rooms of leaders.

She covered the second intifada, the Israeli siege of Jenin in 2002, the death of Yasser Arafat, numerous West Bank raids and faltering attempts to find a sustainable peace.

Abu Aqleh was highly regarded throughout the region and seen as one of the network’s pre-eminent talents, whose coverage faced the intense scrutiny of vested interests on both sides of the conflict since she made her on-screen debut in 1997.

Israel has tried to suggest that she was shot by Palestinian fire.  But this has been hotly disputed by Ali al-Samoudi another journalist who was wounded at the same time and by Shatha Hanaysha, a local journalist standing next to her when she was shot.  From Al Jazeera:

Al-Samoudi and other journalists at the scene said there were no Palestinian fighters present when the journalists were shot, directly disputing an Israeli statement referencing the possibility that it was Palestinian fire.

“We were going to film the Israeli army operation and suddenly they shot us without asking us to leave or stop filming,” said al-Samoudi.

“The first bullet hit me and the second bullet hit Shireen … there was no Palestinian military resistance at all at the scene.”

Shatha Hanaysha, a local journalist who was standing next to Abu Akleh when she was shot, also told Al Jazeera that there had been no confrontations between Palestinian fighters and the Israeli army. She said the group of journalists had been directly targeted.

“We were four journalists, we were all wearing vests, all wearing helmets,” Hanaysha said. “The [Israeli] occupation army did not stop firing even after she collapsed. I couldn’t even extend my arm to pull her because of the shots being fired. The army was adamant on shooting to kill.”

Al Jazeera did not hold back on its criticism of Israel:

In a blatant murder, violating international laws and norms, the Israeli occupation forces assassinated in cold blood Al Jazeera’s correspondent in Palestine, Shireen Abu Akleh, targeting her with live fire early this morning, Wednesday, May 11, 2022, while conducting her journalistic duty, clearly wearing a press jacket that identifies her a journalist, covering the Israeli occupation forces storming of Jenin refugee camp in the West Bank.

In the light of the senseless shooting of a respected journalist what is the most insensitive disgraceful think that the Israeli Forces could do?  How about disrupt her funeral and attack her coffin because there were Palestinian flags there?

The claims of stone throwing at forces appears to have as much legitimacy as the earlier claims that she was shot by Palestinian fire.

Locally a plan to light up the Michael Fowler Centre with Palestinian colours was vetoed by Wellington Mayor Andy Foster.

From Stuff:

Wellington Mayor Andy Foster vetoed a plan to light up the Michael Fowler Centre in the colours of the Palestinian flag after the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (Mfat) expressed concerns about Israeli sensitivities.

The projection, driven by Wellington City councillor Tamatha Paul, was to mark a national commemoration of Palestine, and had been ready to go ahead on Monday until Foster took advice from Mfat and was told the act “could be construed as state recognition” of Palestine.

Nakba​ Day, which means catastrophe in Arabic, commemorates the estimated 700,000 people who fled or were driven from their homes in what is now Israel during the 1948 war. New Zealand does not officially recognise Palestine as a state.

Foster stood by his decision on Sunday and said Mfat told him displaying the Palestinian colours could result in complaints from the Israeli ambassador and other Israeli groups. Mfat made it clear it was his choice but strongly urged him to cancel the projection.

I am all for the expression of support for the people of the Ukraine.  The people of Palestine also deserve our support.

30 comments on “Justice for Shaireen ”

  1. Jenny how to get there 1

    On the natural death of King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia at the age of 90, our city lowered the flag on our iconic Auckland Harbour Bridge to half mast in honour of this murderous autocrat.

    On the tragic killing of Shireen Abu Akleh at the age of 51, after receiving a request from the representatives of the Auckland Palestinian community to do the same as a sign of respect to mark the tragic death of this world renowned journalist, Mayor Phil Goff flatly refused.

    What does this tell us about ourselves as city and a people?

    https://www.newstalkzb.co.nz/news/auckland/auckland-acknowledges-saudi-kings-death/

    • SPC 1.1
      1. Aucklanders loved their petrol driven cars, but need to learn to love EV's …
      2. There were Saudi students at Auckland University, and the city loves people with money.
      • Jenny how to get there 1.1.1

        SPC

        16 May 2022 at 3:08 pm

        …There were Saudi students at Auckland University, and the city loves people with money.

        And we all know that after 74 years of robbery and murder and expulsion, the Palestinians have none.

        New Zealand's war on the poor goes international

  2. Jenny how to get there 2

    Following the the tragic killing of renowned Palestinian journalist Shireen Abu Akleh, there was an outpouring of condemnation from nations around the world, Even staunch supporters of Israel, America and Britain issued statements condemning the killing and offered the Palestinian people their condolences at their loss. And also expressed their "dismay" at the desecration of Shireen Akleh's funeral procession.

    But the New Zealand government has kept its silence over the killing of Shireen Abu Akleh, and the abuse of the her pall bearers, neither issuing a statement of condemnation, or offering the Palestinians our condolences.

    What does this tell the world about ourselves as a people and a nation?

    • mickysavage 2.1

      I did not see this but it was posted before this post went up.

      https://twitter.com/NanaiaMahuta/status/1525969882495430656

      • Jenny how to get there 2.1.1

        I didn't see it either. My apologies to the Minister. Unfortunately her belated statement never made it into mainstream the news cycle.

        But that could change if the government decided to issue a follow up press statement backing the Palestinian Authority's call for Shireen Akleh's death to be investigated by the ICC under the Statute of Rome agreement. Which allows for the ICC to carrry out independent investigations with the permission of the internationally recognised local legal authority, Which in the Westbank is not Israel, but the PA.

        • Incognito 2.1.1.1

          Unfortunately her belated statement never made it into mainstream the news cycle.

          Correction: https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/politics/2022/05/nanaia-mahuta-s-statement-on-death-of-shireen-abu-akleh-criticised-as-too-passive.html

          • Jenny how to get there 2.1.1.1.1

            Sorry, I didn't see this either, Maybe I should have been clearer, but by news cycle I meant the TVNZ, TV3 6pm news cycle. I watched both to make sure. And Prime News as well. Zip.

            Too little, too late perhaps, to be newsworthy?

            I also notice that the newshub report was not very complimentary, noting the belated nature of the tweet, compared to other countries.

            And even more telling, Newshub took the Minister to task for not "condemning" the killing of American/Palestinian journalist Shireen Akleh when so many countries had done so, and comparing this hesitancy to condemn Shireen's killing to when the government had not hesitated to condenm the killing of Egyptian/American journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

            News hub then gave a list of all the countries that 'had' condemned the killing.

            The United States ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield "strongly condemned" Abu Akleh's death on Twitter.

            "I strongly condemn the death of American journalist Shireen Abu Akleh – who I had the chance to meet in Ramallah last November, and I send my deepest condolences to her family."

            US State Department spokesperson Ned Price condemned her death too.

            "We are heartbroken by and strongly condemn the killing of American journalist Shireen Abu Akleh in the West Bank."

            Foreign Ministries in Egypt, Kuwait, Afghanistan and Pakistan have also condemned her killing.

            Newshub also questioned the Minister's use of the word violence that she was saddened to see at the funeral. Such mealy mouthed use of words gives the impression that violence was engaged in, but not that it was a one sided unprovoked attack on the mourners. by the Israelis.

            The Minister needs to try again. Forget about the Israeli exceptionalism, As I said in an earlier comment regarding Russia's invasion of Ukraine, because the German Nazis robbed and killed and oppressed millions of your people, is not some sort of moral credit you can draw on to rob and kill and oppress others.

            In my view to recover the situation, and get out of the moral swamp they are wading through, our government needs to issue a statement supporting the Palestinian Authoritie's call for an independent investigation by International Criminal Court into the murder of Shireen Abu Akleh.

            Could that really be too much to ask?

            Afterall the EU has already made such a call and supported the Palestinians in calling for ICC to investigate this crime.

            Let's do it. Let's try to recover from this shame, let's stop being a hypocrite in our international relations.

            if we can stand up to Russia over their invasion and killing in Ukraine, we can stand up to Israel over their occupation and killing in Palestine.

            Newshub asked Mahuta’s office if she would go further and condemn Abu Akleh’s killing, but we were referred to the minister’s tweet.

    • SPC 2.2

      We have weekends.

      • Jenny how to get there 2.2.1

        Other countries have weekends. Six days is not a weekend, it is a weakexcuse.

  3. joe90 3

    Israel has tried to suggest that she was shot by Palestinian fire.

    Tl.dr: – open source evidence not quite 100% but supports eye-witness claims fingering the IDF.

    The Open Source Summary

    While the open source video evidence currently available does not detail the exact moment or shot that killed Abu Akleh, multiple witness testimonies place the blame on IDF soldiers. The available video evidence does not provide good grounds to doubt their accounts — indeed, it appears to support them.

    As the open source video evidence shows, when IDF soldiers and an armed group were engaged in fighting on the street where Abu Akleh eventually fell, the IDF position had a clear trajectory and was closer to the spot where she was shot. This is in contrast to the more obstructed and more distant positions of the armed groups. The leading vehicle in the IDF armoured vehicle convoy seen in the bodycam footage was located approximately 190 metres from the spot where Abu Akleh was shot. In contrast, the armed group seen firing down the street in Video Three was located some 300 metres away.

    Preliminary forensic audio analysis of a video captured in the aftermath of Abu Akleh’s killing also appears to suggest the gunfire originated roughly 177 to 184 metres away, assuming that the weapon and round used are consistent with those seen being used by the IDF and armed Palestinian groups in the area. This estimate more closely aligns with the approximate distance between the IDF position and the site of the journalist’s killing than between the latter and the location of the armed groups

    https://www.bellingcat.com/news/mena/2022/05/14/unravelling-the-killing-of-shireen-abu-akleh/

  4. Adrian Thornton 4

    The whole Western World and it's media stood by while the IDF murdered scores and wounded hundreds of unarmed Palestinian protesters including reporters and medical staff during the 2018 Great March of Return…the apartheid state of Israel proved during that public slaughter, that they can and will murder anyone they so wish with total impunity….and they have just shown us all that right out in the open once again…when a country has protection from the mafia state of America then they are untouchable…end of story.

    Gaza: The Palestinians who died during the Great March of Return

    https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/gaza-palestinians-who-died-during-great-march-return

    • SPC 4.1

      And what actually happened.

      General Assembly Adopts Resolution on Protecting Palestinian Civilians Following Rejection of United States Amendment to Condemn Hamas Rocket Fire

      By the text titled “Protection of the Palestinian civilian population” — adopted by a vote of 120 in favour to 8 against with 45 abstentions —

      the Assembly demanded that Israel refrain from such actions and fully abide by its legal obligations under the Fourth Geneva Convention relating to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War, of 12 August 1949.

      The representative of Australia said the resolution failed to refer to Hamas by name or its role in the Gaza protests. It also failed to mention Israel’s legitimate security concerns, while its reference to an international mechanism could raise expectations unrealistically. For those reasons, Australia had voted against the resolution, but it remained committed to a two-State solution.

      The representative of Czechia said her delegation had abstained because the text would not contribute to a much-need de-escalation of the situation. An unbalanced message which did not mention the destructive role of Hamas would also not bring Israelis and Palestinians closer to the negotiating table, she added.

      The representative of New Zealand said his delegation voted in favour of the L.23 because it was deeply concerned about the high numbers of civilian deaths in Gaza. However, Hamas must be held accountable for its actions.

      The representative of United Kingdom said while her delegation had abstained, it supported the two-State solution. However, the draft was imbalanced. She did not agree with the procedural decisions, noting that the majority of Member States had voted to condemn the actions of Hamas.

      The representative of Canada expressed concern that the resolution did not explicitly refer to Hamas and its role in recent violence. For that reason, Canada had supported the United States’ amendment. On the main text, he had hoped that it would have more clearly reflected the situation on the ground, and therefore he had abstained.

      https://www.un.org/press/en/2018/ga12028.doc.htm

  5. Stuart Munro 5

    Israel is typically recalcitrant in dealing properly with this kind of thing. The NZ government might give some thought as to what kind of sanctions to impose in the event of an inadequate Israeli response. I've always favoured plagues of frogs myself, but inflicting some of our senior civil servants on them would probably be harder to endure.

    • SPC 5.1

      There is a template.

      Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters and Minister Trade and Export Growth David Parker say the New Zealand Government continues to condemn in the strongest possible terms the killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi by Saudi operatives.

      Saudi authorities have arrested 18 Saudi nationals and have dismissed several senior officials following an initial investigation of the Khashoggi case.

      “With the confirmation of the death we express our deepest condolences to Mr Khashoggi’s family and friends. Those responsible for his death must be held accountable,” Mr Peters said in a statement this afternoon.

      “While this is an important admission, the killing by government operatives is deeply disturbing. Many questions remain unanswered," he said.

      “We look forward to the results of the investigation being led by Turkey and we urge Saudi Arabia to implement its undertaking to participate openly and transparently in that investigation."

      https://www.1news.co.nz/2018/10/21/nz-government-says-killing-of-journalist-by-saudi-operatives-deeply-disturbing/

      New Zealand of course caught two DGSE operatives back in the 1980's, they were acting under orders from on high – at least as far as the Defence Minister Hernu of Mitterand's government (as to relevance the Crown Prince of Riyadh).

      In this case, it’s a gun and a bullet matching to provide some sort of evidence of an individual culpability.

      • Stuart Munro 5.1.1

        I'm not sure the Saudi process is so robust that it provides a desirable template. The word is that it was the king that said "Who will rid me of this turbulent journalist?", and thus far I'm unaware of any sanction meted out to him.

        Perhaps someone should offer some journalism scholarships for young Palestinians – and get Bellingcat to sift the data for the sniper – though the guilt of his or her commander would seem to be pretty unassailable.

        Appointing Winston as ambassador to Israel might prove amusing however.

        • SPC 5.1.1.1

          There was no known link to the King, just the Crown Prince.

          A collaborative effort by nations to provide scholarships is a good idea of itself and also a useful deterrent.

          PS Having the journalists kitted out in blue (Israeli colours, + the word media presumably so that they would not be shot by IDF soldiers) clearly did not work. But leaves open the possibly that it was not an act by someone of the IDF. And not necessarily a rogue Palestinian gunman either. But a deliberate act by militant operatives of either side (of which PA and Israeli civilian government may not be complicit).

    • Jenny how to get there 5.2

      The NZ government might give some thought as to what kind of sanctions to impose….

      Our government can't even bring itself to condemn the killing or offer its condolences to the bereaved.

    • Jenny how to get there 5.3

      In her statement on our behalf the Minister didn't condemn the killing, or offer her condolences to the bereaved, But she did say we (Aotearoa) are saddened.

      It's not about us.

      As Adrian Thornton pointed out above, we (Aotearoa), or at least our government representatives on our behalf, weren't saddened by the killing of scores of unarmed Palestinian protesters by Israeli snipers.

      So why are we (Aotearoa) belatedly saddened this time?

      Are we, (Aotearoa) saddened at the cruel murder of Shireen Abu Akleh?

      Or are we, (Aotearoa), saddened that this cruel crime and its aftermath were caught on camera for the whole world to see?

      Are we saddened that we actually had to say something about it?

      The Minister on our behalf, needs to try again,

      Come on Minister, you are better than this. Back up the EU's call for the ICC to carry out an independent investigation into this murder.

      It's the very least, we (Aotearoa), can do.

  6. aj 6

    WTF. Must not do anything to upset the tender dears.

    …. expressed concerns about Israeli sensitivities.

  7. aom 7

    Hopefully Wellington's Mayor will apologise for his acceptance of MFAT's mind-boggling advice that flew in the face of the expectation that NZ doesn't have its policies dictated by a racist, Zionist, apartheid government in the Middle East.

    Not only did Foster refuse to have a council building lit up to acknowledge the plight of Palestinians after having no problems in showing support for less worthy causes he undoubtably stoked the insecurity of those of the Jewish community who have no truck with the virulent racism and policies of Israel.

    On the positive side, Te Papa hosted not only the colours of Palestine but the image of Shireen Abu Akleh thanks to a pro-Palestinian guerilla group.

    https://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/news/wellington/128655028/guerilla-palestine-protest-at-te-papa-after-mayor-blocks-council-building-use

  8. Jenny how to get there 8

    More footage of Israeli police attacks on Shireen Abu Akleh funeral entourage emerge. Taken from CCTV security cameras inside the St. Josephs Hospital, the footage alegedly shows police storming the hospital and beating those inside .

  9. Jenny how to get there 9

    The shocking scenes at the funeral, and the death of the 51-year-old Palestinian American journalist, drew worldwide condemnation….

    https://www.dailysabah.com/world/mid-east/outcry-condemnations-at-israeli-crackdown-on-journalist-funeral

    Except in New Zealand. Now we know why New Zealand is left off world maps.

  10. It's good to be outraged. However it has not been proven that the IDF shot the journalist and the Palestinian Authority refuses to hand over the bullet, There were Palestinian armed groups operating at the time in clear contradiction of the Al Jazeera journalists and they would have a greater motive to kill her than the IDF would.

    • joe90 10.1

      Rule ##, don't cooperate with your oppressor's efforts to exonerate themselves.

      /

    • aom 10.2

      Oh really? Which planet do you live on Cantabrian? Do you really believe film and eye witness accounts mean nothing until a sniper's bullet is handed over for the Israeli authorities to dispose of it?

      For once, even the UN Security Council are unanimous in not accepting the usual Israeli bullshit at face value as reported by The Times of Israel'

    • Jenny how to get there 10.3

      To suggest that the Palestinians killed Shireen Abu Akleh to discredit Israel, is an obscene misdirection, suggesting that Palestinians are evil plotters willing to kill their own even a highly respected and world renowned journalist, who is a household name throughout the Arab world.

      We saw the same vile misdirection by the Russian media which accused the Syrian opposition to Assad of gassing their own civilians in the liberated territory to discredit the Assad regime..

      Cantabrian, in your vile racist effort to smear the Palestinian people, you just can't bring yourself to name Abu Akleh can you, it might humanise her.

      Repeat her name; Shireen Abu Akleh.

      Don’t forget Shireen’s name, Cantabrian, or again try to bury her memory, or the memory of all the other journalists deliberately killed and maimed in the illegally occcupied Palestinian territories, by the Israeli armed forces, they were targetted for attempting to bear witness to Israel’s racist atrocities and slow genocide and dispossion of the Palestian people in their own land.

      • Professor Longhair 10.3.1

        accused the Syrian opposition

        You're talking about the Al Nusra Front. Also known as ISIS.

        to Assad of gassing their own civilians in the liberated territory to discredit the Assad regime..

        Unlike the evidence against the Israeli regime, there is no credible case against the Syrian government. Your attempt to smear Syria by associating it with a real and documented crime of another government is, at best, ill advised.

        In its probe of an alleged chemical attack in the Syrian city of Douma, the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) shunned the critical investigative area of forensic pathology, leaks obtained by The Grayzone reveal.

        Forensic pathology – the study of the cause and manner of death – could have helped solve the mystery surrounding dozens of civilians who died in Douma. Instead, senior OPCW officials thwarted any attempt to deploy the science and suppressed an internal recommendation that it be pursued.

        During the probe’s first weeks, leaked emails show, a senior OPCW official turned down a proposal to consult with a forensic pathologist at the Netherlands Forensic Institute (NFI), a top laboratory based nearby in The Hague. Denied this critical input, the Douma team’s original report then called for “an expert in forensic pathology… to provide an authoritative assessment.”

        Read more…

        https://thegrayzone.com/2021/12/06/corrupting-science-part2/

        • Macro 10.3.1.1

          WTF!

          Why would anyone, with any sense, read anything from that webshite – harbinger of misinformation, and RT propaganda.

          Good name though gray zone makes one think of gray water – full of detritus.

          But I guess you are a dedicated follower. sad

        • Jenny how to get there 10.3.1.2

          Greyzone is published by Max Blumenthal, a completely pro-Assad partisan source.

          Professor Longhair, when in comes to laundering irrefutable evidence of war crimes committed by oppressive regimes like Syria, (or Israel, or Russia). Personally, I think the opinion of a real professor, carries more weight than a pseudononymous, one, or an imbedded regime propagandist, like Bumenthal.

          Junket journalism in the shadow of genocide

          What a visit of a group of journalists and activists to Damascus can tell us about ‘laundering’ genocidal regimes.

          Muhammad Idrees Ahmad

          • Muhammad Idrees Ahmad is Lecturer in Digital Journalism at the University of Stirling.

          https://www.the-tls.co.uk/articles/max-blumenthal-assad-syria-verso/

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

  • Government moves to quickly ratify the NZ-EU FTA
    "The Government is moving quickly to realise an additional $46 million in tariff savings in the EU market this season for Kiwi exporters,” Minister for Trade and Agriculture, Todd McClay says. Parliament is set, this week, to complete the final legislative processes required to bring the New Zealand – European ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 hours ago
  • Positive progress for social worker workforce
    New Zealand’s social workers are qualified, experienced, and more representative of the communities they serve, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “I want to acknowledge and applaud New Zealand’s social workers for the hard work they do, providing invaluable support for our most vulnerable. “To coincide with World ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    9 hours ago
  • Minister confirms reduced RUC rate for PHEVs
    Cabinet has agreed to a reduced road user charge (RUC) rate for plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs), Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. Owners of PHEVs will be eligible for a reduced rate of $38 per 1,000km once all light electric vehicles (EVs) move into the RUC system from 1 April.  ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    11 hours ago
  • Trade access to overseas markets creates jobs
    Minister of Agriculture and Trade, Todd McClay, says that today’s opening of Riverland Foods manufacturing plant in Christchurch is a great example of how trade access to overseas markets creates jobs in New Zealand.  Speaking at the official opening of this state-of-the-art pet food factory the Minister noted that exports ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    12 hours ago
  • NZ and Chinese Foreign Ministers hold official talks
    Minister of Foreign Affairs Winston Peters met with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Wellington today. “It was a pleasure to host Foreign Minister Wang Yi during his first official visit to New Zealand since 2017. Our discussions were wide-ranging and enabled engagement on many facets of New Zealand’s relationship with China, including trade, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Kāinga Ora instructed to end Sustaining Tenancies
    Kāinga Ora – Homes & Communities has been instructed to end the Sustaining Tenancies Framework and take stronger measures against persistent antisocial behaviour by tenants, says Housing Minister Chris Bishop. “Earlier today Finance Minister Nicola Willis and I sent an interim Letter of Expectations to the Board of Kāinga Ora. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Speech to Auckland Business Chamber: Growth is the answer
    Tēna koutou katoa. Greetings everyone. Thank you to the Auckland Chamber of Commerce and the Honourable Simon Bridges for hosting this address today. I acknowledge the business leaders in this room, the leaders and governors, the employers, the entrepreneurs, the investors, and the wealth creators. The coalition Government shares your ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Singapore rounds out regional trip
    Minister Winston Peters completed the final leg of his visit to South and South East Asia in Singapore today, where he focused on enhancing one of New Zealand’s indispensable strategic partnerships.      “Singapore is our most important defence partner in South East Asia, our fourth-largest trading partner and a ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Minister van Velden represents New Zealand at International Democracy Summit
    Minister of Internal Affairs and Workplace Relations and Safety, Hon. Brooke van Velden, will travel to the Republic of Korea to represent New Zealand at the Third Summit for Democracy on 18 March. The summit, hosted by the Republic of Korea, was first convened by the United States in 2021, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Insurance Council of NZ Speech, 7 March 2024, Auckland
    ICNZ Speech 7 March 2024, Auckland  Acknowledgements and opening  Mōrena, ngā mihi nui. Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Nor Whanganui aho.  Good morning, it’s a privilege to be here to open the ICNZ annual conference, thank you to Mark for the Mihi Whakatau  My thanks to Tim Grafton for inviting me ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Five-year anniversary of Christchurch terror attacks
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Lead Coordination Minister Judith Collins have expressed their deepest sympathy on the five-year anniversary of the Christchurch terror attacks. “March 15, 2019, was a day when families, communities and the country came together both in sorrow and solidarity,” Mr Luxon says.  “Today we pay our respects to the 51 shuhada ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Speech for Financial Advice NZ Conference 5 March 2024
    Speech for Financial Advice NZ Conference 5 March 2024  Acknowledgements and opening  Morena, Nga Mihi Nui.  Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Nor Whanganui aho. Thanks Nate for your Mihi Whakatau  Good morning. It’s a pleasure to formally open your conference this morning. What a lovely day in Wellington, What a great ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Early visit to Indonesia strengthens ties
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters held discussions in Jakarta today about the future of relations between New Zealand and South East Asia’s most populous country.   “We are in Jakarta so early in our new government’s term to reflect the huge importance we place on our relationship with Indonesia and South ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • China Foreign Minister to visit
    Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Winston Peters has announced that the Foreign Minister of China, Wang Yi, will visit New Zealand next week.  “We look forward to re-engaging with Foreign Minister Wang Yi and discussing the full breadth of the bilateral relationship, which is one of New Zealand’s ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Minister opens new Auckland Rail Operations Centre
    Transport Minister Simeon Brown has today opened the new Auckland Rail Operations Centre, which will bring together KiwiRail, Auckland Transport, and Auckland One Rail to improve service reliability for Aucklanders. “The recent train disruptions in Auckland have highlighted how important it is KiwiRail and Auckland’s rail agencies work together to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Celebrating 10 years of Crankworx Rotorua
    The Government is proud to support the 10th edition of Crankworx Rotorua as the Crankworx World Tour returns to Rotorua from 16-24 March 2024, says Minister for Economic Development Melissa Lee.  “Over the past 10 years as Crankworx Rotorua has grown, so too have the economic and social benefits that ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Government delivering on tax commitments
    Legislation implementing coalition Government tax commitments and addressing long-standing tax anomalies will be progressed in Parliament next week, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The legislation is contained in an Amendment Paper to the Taxation (Annual Rates for 2023–24, Multinational Tax, and Remedial Matters) Bill issued today.  “The Amendment Paper represents ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Significant Natural Areas requirement to be suspended
    Associate Environment Minister Andrew Hoggard has today announced that the Government has agreed to suspend the requirement for councils to comply with the Significant Natural Areas (SNA) provisions of the National Policy Statement for Indigenous Biodiversity for three years, while it replaces the Resource Management Act (RMA).“As it stands, SNAs ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Government classifies drought conditions in Top of the South as medium-scale adverse event
    Agriculture Minister Todd McClay has classified the drought conditions in the Marlborough, Tasman, and Nelson districts as a medium-scale adverse event, acknowledging the challenging conditions facing farmers and growers in the district. “Parts of Marlborough, Tasman, and Nelson districts are in the grip of an intense dry spell. I know ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Government partnership to tackle $332m facial eczema problem
    The Government is helping farmers eradicate the significant impact of facial eczema (FE) in pastoral animals, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay announced.  “A $20 million partnership jointly funded by Beef + Lamb NZ, the Government, and the primary sector will save farmers an estimated NZD$332 million per year, and aims to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • NZ, India chart path to enhanced relationship
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters has completed a successful visit to India, saying it was an important step in taking the relationship between the two countries to the next level.   “We have laid a strong foundation for the Coalition Government’s priority of enhancing New Zealand-India relations to generate significant future benefit for both countries,” says Mr Peters, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Ruapehu Alpine Lifts bailout the last, say Ministers
    Cabinet has agreed to provide $7 million to ensure the 2024 ski season can go ahead on the Whakapapa ski field in the central North Island but has told the operator Ruapehu Alpine Lifts it is the last financial support it will receive from taxpayers. Cabinet also agreed to provide ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Govt takes action to drive better cancer services
    Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says the launch of a new mobile breast screening unit in Counties Manukau reinforces the coalition Government’s commitment to drive better cancer services for all New Zealanders. Speaking at the launch of the new mobile clinic, Dr Reti says it’s a great example of taking ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Govt takes action to drive better cancer services
    Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says the launch of a new mobile breast screening unit in Counties Manukau reinforces the coalition Government’s commitment to drive better cancer services for all New Zealanders. Speaking at the launch of the new mobile clinic, Dr Reti says it’s a great example of taking ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
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  • Work begins on SH29 upgrades near Tauriko
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  • Work begins on SH29 upgrades near Tauriko
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    6 days ago
  • Fresh produce price drop welcome
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  • Statement to the 68th United Nations Commission on the Status of Women
    Tēnā koutou katoa and greetings to you all.  Chair, I am honoured to address the sixty-eighth session of the Commission on the Status of Women. I acknowledge the many crises impacting the rights of women and girls. Heightened global tensions, war, climate related and humanitarian disasters, and price inflation all ...
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  • Speech to the 68th United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (CSW68)
    Tēnā koutou katoa and greetings to you all.  Chair, I am honoured to address the 68th session of the Commission on the Status of Women. I acknowledge the many crises impacting the rights of women and girls. Heightened global tensions, war, climate related and humanitarian disasters, and price inflation all ...
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  • Government backs rural led catchment projects
    The coalition Government is supporting farmers to enhance land management practices by investing $3.3 million in locally led catchment groups, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay announced. “Farmers and growers deliver significant prosperity for New Zealand and it’s vital their ongoing efforts to improve land management practices and water quality are supported,” ...
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  • Speech to Auckland Business Chamber
    Good evening everyone and thank you for that lovely introduction.   Thank you also to the Honourable Simon Bridges for the invitation to address your members. Since being sworn in, this coalition Government has hit the ground running with our 100-day plan, delivering the changes that New Zealanders expect of us. ...
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  • Commission’s advice on ETS settings tabled
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  • Government lowering building costs
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  • Trustee tax change welcomed
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  • Minister’s Ramadan message
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  • Minister appoints new NZTA Chair
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  • Speech to Life Sciences Summit
    Good morning all, it is a pleasure to be here as Minister of Science, Innovation and Technology.  It is fantastic to see how connected and collaborative the life science and biotechnology industry is here in New Zealand. I would like to thank BioTechNZ and NZTech for the invitation to address ...
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  • Progress continues apace on water storage
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  • Government agrees to restore interest deductions
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  • Minister to attend World Anti-Doping Agency Symposium
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