Key, Brownlee: Not Auckland’s friends

Written By: - Date published: 9:26 am, July 1st, 2013 - 41 comments
Categories: accountability, auckland supercity, Gerry Brownlee, infrastructure, john key, labour, national/act government, Privatisation, privatisation, public transport, quality of life, sustainability - Tags:

There was a big fanfare about John Key’s u-turn embrace of the Auckland City Rail Link.  But, as usual with dear leader, it was all smoke, mirrors and sleight of hand stealth of the common good.

The construction of the Central Rail Link is so far in the future, Key will be long gone and won’t have to account for its funding; there’s more immediate funding and planning going into to work on the road system; and now the pressure starts for Auckland to sell its assets (first on the block most likely the Ports of Auckland).  I urge Len Brown to hold his ground on this:

Auckland Council wants to fund its half of the project through rates rises, road charges or a combination of both, but Mayor Len Brown has ruled out selling shares in Auckland Airport and Ports of Auckland.

And I urge Phil Twyford to stay focused and to keep exposing the distortions, diversions and anti-democratic maneuverings of Key and his ministers.  Last Thursday Twyford stated,

It will take more than a U-turn on the City Rail Link to turn around the Key Government’s difficult relationship with Auckland, says Labour’s Auckland Issues spokesperson Phil Twyford.

[…]

“This survey also highlights the fact that the majority of Aucklanders  don’t believe the Government listens to them, nor do they trust it.

“The Government’s adoption of Labour’s policy on the City Rail Link was a final capitulation to common sense after three years of obstructing and denigrating Mayor Len Brown’s flagship project.

“The survey results indicate there is clearly something rotten in the Government’s relationship with Auckland.

I hope Twyford gives the government’s transport package the sort of examination that is being done on The Auckland Transport Blog (ATB).

Like Twyford they welcome the government u-turn, but posters on the ATB are far from impressed.   Matt L looks at “the good, the bad and the ugly” of the “transport package”; welcomes the U-turn on the CRL, but is less than happy with some of the planned road projects. For instance, Matt looks at the planned the AMETI/East-West Link project, that is

 a series of projects between Panmure and Botany – most crucially including a full busway from Botany to Pakuranga and onto Panmure.

Matt sums up this project, thus,

For this reason the East West Link actually reminds me quite a lot of the Puhoi to Wellsford project. In both cases there’s a definite problem that needs to be solved but in both cases smaller scale improvements that may deliver really significant benefits are being completely ignored in favour of massively expensive and destructive motorway options – seemingly for political reasons only.

And following detailed and informative analysis, with helpful graphs and images, he ends the post with this:

Overall, as I said at the start of the post there are useful bits of the announcements (CRL aside which is obviously a massive positive) in that we might see a Northern busway extension and an AMETI busway happen faster now. But there’s also a whole heaps of “over the top” projects which are pretty unlikely to achieve lasting benefits or could be replaced by far far cheaper projects which would deliver most of the benefits at a fraction of the price.

Patrick Reynold’s post today on the ATB focuses on the funding implications. Patrick begins by outlining the scope of Auckland Transport’s Integrated Transport Plan (linked to the councils, Auckland Plan), which the government now supports.  He argues that the ITP (Integrated Transport Plan) is total “rubbish”, with the result being that,

even with the eye-watering price tag of $60+ billion the transport network’s performance gets considerably worse over the next 30 years.

The underlying reason he gives for this is that most of the funding goes to road projects.  He graphically argues that the result will be:

  • more congestion
  • an increase in Greenhouse Gas emissions 
  • little increase in use of public transport to the CBD at peak times
  • little increase in “non-car modeshare during the AM peak period across the city”

Patrick argues that under-funding public transport and related infrastructure will have negative impacts: the costs of traveling on public transport will be higher than the cost of driving, public transport journeys will take too long, and too many jobs will not be within a 60 minute public transport journey.

He finishes the post stating that over the nest few weeks “we” are going to present an alternative, environmentally-friendly plan for Auckland transport, called the Congestion Free Network.  It will cost around the same as the government’s transport package and the ITP, but will have “superior outcomes”.

Key’s Auckland Transport “U-turn” is just a new slippery strategy for over-riding Auckland democracy, selling assets, and controlling the city for the road-loving, asset stripping, profiteering 2%.  And as Anthony Robbins said:

SHOW US THE MONEY!

And on top of that, show us a plan that will use the money effectively to provide a comprehensive transport system and related infrastructure: a system that works for the good of all Aucklanders and the environment we all live in; and without selling the assets that benefit us all, for the enrichment of the 2%.

41 comments on “Key, Brownlee: Not Auckland’s friends ”

  1. Wayne 1

    Ah well Karol, this is a good Green approach to Auckland transport, but how influential will the Greens be?

    I wonder where Labour stands on the roading projects? I would be surprised if Phil Twyford signs up to Patrick Reynold’s analysis of the Auckland Transport ITP.

    With so much political capital now invested in the ITP by Mayor Len and the Govt, it looks pretty much unstoppable. Maybe a little bit of change around the edges, and on timing, but that would be all.

    It would certainly be a big call for Phil Twyford (as opposed to the Greens) to back the alternative “Congestion Free Network” as opposed to the ITP.

    And in any event, is a “Congestion Free Network” a believable promise? You had better think of a more salelable title!

    • North 1.1

      What you’re really saying Wayne Boy is this:

      “Hahaha……..my old boss has stolen a march. He’s got them Catch 22…….they’re buggered whether they do or they don’t. All going according to plan. Hahaha !”

    • lprent 1.2

      The basic problem is that almost all of the transport funding for Auckland is going into roading in an area that is already congested. Problem with putting in new roads is that merely having them means that within a few years they will fill with private cars running with a single driver to beyond capacity.

      Whereas putting in an effective public transport system pulls private cars off the road, reduces or constrains congestion, and means that the major investment in roads including all of the pain of building the frigging things (a cause of congestion in its own right) is removed.

      That isn’t a ‘green’ position – that is a statement of observed fact visible in every city that has congestion problems. You can observe it quite clearly in the traffic numbers going over the Harbour Bridge right outside my door at work. The opening of northern busway stopped the rise in congestion and the reduced the numbers of instances of massive car park on the bridge that happened every other day when I was last travelling in a car over the bridge.

      So yeah, Phil Twyford and every other Auckland Labour MP will be getting the message from me that I’m going to be very unhappy if they fall for this silly deferral play from National. All it does is to cause the required public transport upgrades we need to be deferred for most of a decade and wastes money on roading that will not come close to solving the actual transport issues. What it looks like is another subsidy to the truckers and road construction industry.

      • lprent 1.2.1

        I see that I forgot the most important point in there whilst doing the polemic.

        It isn’t about “green” issues. It is about being able to get to work without it taking hours or costing a bomb.

        Roads aren’t going to help as every Aucklander not wedded to their cars is now aware. The public transport has been steadily inching towards an improvement over the last decade and a half. Even those who literally work on the other side of the city (a friend of mine is currently living in Owera and works in Onehunga – lousy for PT commutes) would prefer to have fewer other people on the roads and in buses or trains during the rush hours.

        Exactly why National is committed to putting in more roads in Auckland is a interesting question. Perhaps you can explain their religious obsession with it? Personally I’ve always put it down to a bankroll issue for the party.

        • Rob 1.2.1.1

          Its not only people that require transport. There is a huge issue of getting raw materials and finished products in and out of businesses. If you consider that requirement that underpins a successful manufacturing environment then you will start considering other requirements outside the CRL. Its amazing that the left can hold seminars on how to boost manufacturing but do not once start to even consider the blindingly obvious issue of material logistics.

          • karol 1.2.1.1.1

            Rob: Its not only people that require transport. There is a huge issue of getting raw materials and finished products in and out of businesses. […] Its amazing that the left can hold seminars on how to boost manufacturing but do not once start to even consider the blindingly obvious issue of material logistics.

            Says who? Please do some research before you make claims about what the left is or isn’t considering.

            Green MP, Julie Anne Genter, from her post on The Daily Blog, 18 June 2013, about the proposed light rail for Wellington:

            We haven’t had the option of comparing the motorway against a real alternative. What needs to be investigated is the eminently reasonable option of safety and maintenance improvements to the existing roads in the region and investment in high quality public transport options like light rail and increased commuter trains, which move more people at peak and free up the existing roads for freight and those who drive. – See more at: http://thedailyblog.co.nz/2013/06/18/trainspotting-with-julie-anne-genter-light-rail-for-wellington/#sthash.LSoU1Tjj.dpuf

            Julie Anne Genter, during Question for Oral Answer to Bill English, on Auckland’s Transport, 16 April 2013:

            Julie Anne Genter: Given that road users and freight will benefit most from the city rail link according to all the numerous studies that have been done on this project, because it is the best option to reduce congestion, why will his Government not make it a priority, instead of its election promises to the provinces?

            Bill replied it wasn’t a government priority but discussions were continuing.

            Genter again:

            Julie Anne Genter: Given that Auckland is expected to grow by more than the entire population of Wellington by 2031, why is his Government not prioritising smart infrastructure like this city rail link, which will unlock the capacity of our existing rail asset and take tens of thousands of cars off the road at peak time, giving Aucklanders real choices and freeing up the roads for freight and commercial traffic?

    • karol 1.3

      Wayne, anything other than a congestion free network is short sighted. It may seem to people on the North Shore, still focused on extended spaces of quarter acre sections, that a few road upgrades and a second harbour crossing will do the trick.

      Here in the west, we are seeing the increasing need for compact housing with the necessary infrastructure and easy commutes to accessible jobs. Only a comprehensive plan, including less focus on cars and more focus on affordable public transport, will do the trick.

      These days I think twice about a trip into Auckland CBD, and mainly only do so in conjunction with work. It’s time-consuming, expensive (with or without the car) and public transport (my preferred option) is way to slow and uncertain to be fit for the future.

      With the focus on New Lynn as a hub and transport-centre; and the intensification of the Massey area, there is a major need for investment in public transport, plus the infrastrsucture that supports walking and cycling.

      And there also should be a parallel focus on revitalising the regions, rather than just going with the idea of the inevitable exponential growth of Auckland.

      • lprent 1.3.1

        Fixing the ticketing systems on the train stations would be a good start from the sound of it. But there are a quite a few people out that way using the train these days.

        But at present, I’m just hanging out for the integrated ticketing system aka AT Hop to get on buses. Steven Joyce screwing up the introduction of it by intervening in favour of his mates at Infratil and then them managing to “fail” to integrate while they recovered their software investment in Snapper has delayed a integrated ticketing system by several years. One of those classic boondoggles of corporate whining and a useless and ineffective minister that listened rather than using their brains.

        I’m tired of carrying cash as being the only way I can jump around public transport

        • Draco T Bastard 1.3.1.1

          Steven Joyce screwing up the introduction of it by intervening in favour of his mates at Infratil and then them managing to “fail” to integrate while they recovered their software investment in Snapper has delayed a integrated ticketing system by several years.

          It was a balls up and Joyce should have been fired for it but the AT Hop should be on buses this year.

          The bit that’s irritating me about it is that the government isn’t declaring the AT Hop as a national, and open, standard. Doing that would ensure that the card could be used around the country.

          I’m tired of carrying cash as being the only way I can jump around public transport

          The more I think about it the more I think cash has come to the end of its use.

  2. North 2

    ShonKey Python to his masters: “Trust me gentlemen – we’ll deliver you up New Zealand. It may not happen overnight but it will happen.”

    http://www.nzherald.co.nz/politics/news/article.cfm?c_id=280&objectid=10893978

    To the following idiots:

    – aspirationalists

    – cargo-cultists

    – “I’m alright Jack”

    – entitled “I’m better than you” snobs

    – beneficiary bashers

    – “Maori and Poly should get off their arse”

    – “sovereignty” is extreme Left

    – “democracy is well served in a triennial ritual”

    – “nothing to hide nothing to fear”

    – vainglorious while docile media

    All of you are to blame.

    All of you have been clipped. All of you have rolled over to the disingenuous, effete smile of a calculated liar.

    So when the heisters take the loot and fuck off to Hawaii with their knighthoods, when you too feel the cruel consequences, you’d better not redouble your morally indefensible reflex to demonise those down the food chain, the poor, the vulnerable.

    You do that and you’ll get it back in your face, hard. And you’ll richly deserve it.

    “It may not happen overnight but it will happen !”

    • muzza 2.1

      One way or another, the owners of the monetary system, the ultimate owners of all the debt, both private, and public, will get hold of, everything!

      Its a mathematical certainty, the variable, as North points out, is time!

      The constitutional revue, will tell a little more about how some of the *native barriers*, will be removed.

      NZ has shown that it will roll over, and indeed that is what is going on, right now.

      This country, is now so far into dangerous territory, damage control, is about the most there is left to fight for.

      Most don’t even know they’re in the scap yet!

    • Tim 2.2

      @ North – beautifully expressed!

  3. All this expensive transport infrastructure is bullshit facing global warming.
    Tunnels flood, motorways drown. Capitalist hubris.
    What’s needed are dykes and canals.

    • karol 3.1

      This dyke reporting for duty, rr.

      But, on the serious side, I think it’s a pity they never followed through the old plan to put a canal through Auckland (from around Green Bay, I think?) to the east coast.

      • Draco T Bastard 3.1.1

        You’re thinking of Portage Road where boats used to be portaged across from one side to the other. I suspect shipping advances outstripped the plan to turn it into a canal and the Manukau Harbour is somewhat dangerous for shipping due to all the moving sandbanks.

        • karol 3.1.1.1

          Well the Portage route would be the shortest route. I’m not sure why it was not followed through, but I think it was maybe cost and the fact that roads and rail started to take off back in the early 20th century.

          I wasn’t thinking of it being use for shipping, but for smaller craft – public transport and freight.

  4. BLiP 4

    You gotta bear in mind with John Key that every portfolio he has, he’s fucked it up and lied about it, from the full-length of the country concrete cycleway to SkyCity, from BMWs to GCSB.

  5. fambo 5

    National man talk with forked tongue (apologies to Indigenous Americans and snakes)

  6. North 6

    Get Brownlee masquerading as Sergeant Schultz. Good enough for an Oscar except that Schultz was generally short on bombast.

    http://www.nzherald.co.nz/politics/news/article.cfm?c_id=280&objectid=10893978

  7. Coronial Typer 7

    So you’ve got $10 billion to spend.

    How would you transform Auckland better than this?

    Be entrepeneurial. Imagine anything you like.

    • QoT 7.1

      Subway system, pedestrian-and-tram-only Queen Street, commuter ferries from downtown to Mission Bay/Takapuna/Te Atatu. Symonds/Hobson/Nelson to form a public transport loop, congestion charge for private commuter vehicles within that zone.

      And free entry to Kelly Tarltons.

      Disclaimer: haven’t been an Aucklander for some years now …

      • karol 7.1.1

        I like the car-less Queen Street idea.

        More buses connecting with the trains.

        Just more focus on public transport, and pedestrians before cars, instead of motor traffic being given the main consideration.

        I am pretty sick of having to go all around the houses, and wait at a series of traffic lights, to get to a train station. And busy streets with no crossings near a bus station on the other side of the street.

        And why are there no change machines? I have used them in other countries.

        As Lynn indicates @ 1.3.1 above when I travel on buses it’s hard to always have the right change.

        See the article in the NZ Herald about the whole big note and bus issue. I’ve had a bad reaction from a bus driver when I’ve produced a $20 note. Sometimes it’s all the cash you have.

        At the weekend, waiting for a bus at a transport centre, there was a guy going around all the other people waiting, asking for change for a $20 note. No-one seemed to have spare change of that amount.

        There should be a change machine at every transport centre, even with a working transferable Hop card system.

        • QoT 7.1.1.1

          Oooh, transferable fare cards are a definite must. Especially ones which can be topped up en route (trying to find a Snapper top-up place in some parts of Wellington is a nightmare.)

  8. Wayne (a different one) 8

    “Gazumped” yet again – the left looking totally bewildered..

    • karol 8.1

      Actually, John Key’s attempt to spin his dodgy transport package, with it’s yawning gaps, and diversionary claims, is a sign of him being in panic mode because he knows Aucklanders want better public transport.

      • McFlock 8.1.1

        To tell the truth, though, I was a bit bewildered – by Wayne’s comment.
        Each to their own reality, I guess…

  9. tsmithfield 9

    Given the timing of the projects, Key doesn’t have to show the money at all. In fact, if the left believe that they will be in power at that point, maybe the left should be explaining how the projects will be paid for.

    • Murray Olsen 9.1

      Thank you for making your double standard explicit. I propose a free Parnell mansion for everyone, within the next year. If the right believe they will be in power during that time, they have to explain how they’re going to pay for it. Ooh, I like this silly game.

      • tsmithfield 9.1.1

        The fact is there is enough money to pay for the projects over the time span of the projects (unlike the rather silly example you gave). It is just a matter of determining priorities.

        So, would the left pay for the projects by shifting existing money around, or would they borrow more and tax more to pay for the projects. Or would they dump them altogether, or substantially modify them?

        • felix 9.1.1.1

          So does Key have to say how he’d pay for it or not?

          • tsmithfield 9.1.1.1.1

            No.

            • felix 9.1.1.1.1.1

              But Labour does?

              • tsmithfield

                The left appear to see the difficulties in funding the projects. By implication, they will have difficulty funding with projects within their own set of priorities. So, if they anticipate being in government at the time of the projects, they should be saying what they will do about them and how they will fund them.

                Anyway, I have already heard Key say, in a general sense, how they will be paid for. Given the projects are projected to start in 2020, it is silly to try and be more specific than that.

                • felix

                  So that’s a “yes” then.

                  National don’t have to say how they’ll fund things, Labour do. Righto.

                  • tsmithfield

                    Sigh….

                    I would be quite satisfied if the left were to say something like:

                    “given the length of time to the project, and the duration over which they take place, it is unrealistic to put firm numbers to the project at this stage. However, it would be our intention to follow through with the projects which would be funded through a combination of taxes and borrowing.”

                    I heard Key say pretty much exactly that on the radio the other day, and is no more than I would expect from any political party given the time frames being considered.

                    However, if the left are demanding a precise explanation of how the projects are to be funded, then they should show how they would do it, or if they would do it at all. If they can’t do this, then why are they carping on at National?

                    • felix

                      You said Key doesn’t have to say how he’ll pay for his spending promise.

                      Then you said Labour does have to.

                      Dress it up however you like, facts is facts.

                    • tsmithfield

                      National has already given an adequate statement about this IMO. They don’t need to say it again. If Labour wants to commit on a similar basis, then fine. However, if they want to demand more of National, they should be prepared to put up themselves first.

  10. karol 10

    Excellent post by Julie Anne Genter just up on The Daily Blog, and on the government’s Auckland transport plan.

    Some points she makes relevant to the discussions above:

    At an expensive luncheon put on by the Chamber of Commerce (held at Sky City, of course) the PM announced that central government would be getting behind most of the transport projects in the Auckland Plan. The vast majority are expensive, and unhelpful, highway projects.

    How any of these projects will be funded has still not been explained, and rail still isn’t the priority. Key and Brownlee are talking about a 2020 start date. Never mind that buses will be over capacity by 2021 without the CRL. National hope to take credit for a popular project, without actually committing any funding to make it happen.

    This is clearly a vote-winning exercise, done to placate the big Auckland business interests who will benefit from the project. Unfortunately, they still haven’t grasped the critical paradigm shift – spending billions on new highway capacity isn’t going to help congestion or reduce transport costs. It will make things worse.

    Today at an Auckland Mayoral Conversation event, Edward Glaeser, a Harvard economist (not known for being left wing or an environmental extremist) made exactly this point. The fundamental law of road congestion is that if you build more highway lanes, people drive more. This incurs all sorts of additional costs, including but not limited to: congestion, forced vehicle ownership, need for parking, high fuel use, associated environmental costs and crashes.

    […]
    Freight only makes up about 7% of vehicles at any given time, and 1% at peak. We have plenty of roads for freight and other commercial vehicles, the issue is commuters.
    What about buses? Don’t they need roads? Obviously buses don’t need extra highway capacity – they need priority on our existing roads. And if we make them reliable and effective, we won’t need as much highway capacity.

    Aucklanders aren’t wedded to their cars – it’s an abusive relationship they have been consigned to by successive decades of car-centric transport policy.
    […]

    John Key and the National Government still do not seem any closer to providing real transport choice, even if they have realised that rail might be popular in Auckland. Their concession is a win for rational transport in the public discourse, but to get the urgent rail investment we need, New Zealanders will almost certainly need to vote in a new government next year. – See more at: http://thedailyblog.co.nz/2013/07/02/national-the-new-champions-of-auckland-rail/#sthash.R5jXRgL0.dpuf

Recent Comments

Recent Posts

  • EV road user charges bill passes
    Transport Minister Simeon Brown has welcomed the passing of legislation to move light electric vehicles (EVs) and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) into the road user charges system from 1 April.  “It was always intended that EVs and PHEVs would be exempt from road user charges until they reached two ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    12 hours ago
  • Bill targets illegal, unregulated fishing in international waters
    New Zealand is strengthening its ability to combat illegal fishing outside its domestic waters and beef up regulation for its own commercial fishers in international waters through a Bill which had its first reading in Parliament today. The Fisheries (International Fishing and Other Matters) Amendment Bill 2023 sets out stronger ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    13 hours ago
  • Reserve Bank appointments
    Economists Carl Hansen and Professor Prasanna Gai have been appointed to the Reserve Bank Monetary Policy Committee, Finance Minister Nicola Willis announced today. The Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) is the independent decision-making body that sets the Official Cash Rate which determines interest rates.  Carl Hansen, the executive director of Capital ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    14 hours ago
  • Stronger protections for apartment owners
    Apartment owners and buyers will soon have greater protections as further changes to the law on unit titles come into effect, Housing Minister Chris Bishop says. “The Unit Titles (Strengthening Body Corporate Governance and Other Matters) Amendment Act had already introduced some changes in December 2022 and May 2023, and ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    17 hours ago
  • Travel focused on traditional partners and Middle East
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters will travel to Egypt and Europe from this weekend.    “This travel will focus on a range of New Zealand’s traditional diplomatic and security partnerships while enabling broad engagement on the urgent situation in Gaza,” Mr Peters says.   Mr Peters will attend the NATO Foreign ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    17 hours ago
  • Keep safe on our roads this Easter
    Transport Minister Simeon Brown is encouraging all road users to stay safe, plan their journeys ahead of time, and be patient with other drivers while travelling around this Easter long weekend. “Road safety is a responsibility we all share, and with increased traffic on our roads expected this Easter we ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    19 hours ago
  • Cost of living support for over 1.4 million Kiwis
    About 1.4 million New Zealanders will receive cost of living relief through increased government assistance from April 1 909,000 pensioners get a boost to Superannuation, including 5000 veterans 371,000 working-age beneficiaries will get higher payments 45,000 students will see an increase in their allowance Over a quarter of New Zealanders ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    20 hours ago
  • Tenancy reviews for social housing restart
    Ensuring social housing is being provided to those with the greatest needs is front of mind as the Government restarts social housing tenancy reviews, Associate Housing Minister Tama Potaka says. “Our relentless focus on building a strong economy is to ensure we can deliver better public services such as social ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    20 hours ago
  • Kermadec Ocean Sanctuary plan halted
    The Kermadec Ocean Sanctuary will not go ahead, with Cabinet deciding to stop work on the proposed reserve and remove the Bill that would have established it from Parliament’s order paper. “The Kermadec Ocean Sanctuary Bill would have created a 620,000 sq km economic no-go zone,” Oceans and Fisheries Minister ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    20 hours ago
  • Cutting all that dam red tape
    Dam safety regulations are being amended so that smaller dams won’t be subject to excessive compliance costs, Minister for Building and Construction Chris Penk says. “The coalition Government is focused on reducing costs and removing unnecessary red tape so we can get the economy back on track.  “Dam safety regulations ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    21 hours ago
  • Drought support extended to parts of North Island
    The coalition Government is expanding the medium-scale adverse event classification to parts of the North Island as dry weather conditions persist, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay announced today. “I have made the decision to expand the medium-scale adverse event classification already in place for parts of the South Island to also cover the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    22 hours ago
  • Passage of major tax bill welcomed
    The passing of legislation giving effect to coalition Government tax commitments has been welcomed by Finance Minister Nicola Willis.  “The Taxation (Annual Rates for 2023–24, Multinational Tax, and Remedial Matters) Bill will help place New Zealand on a more secure economic footing, improve outcomes for New Zealanders, and make our tax system ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Lifting economy through science, tertiary sectors
    Science, Innovation and Technology Minister Judith Collins and Tertiary Education and Skills Minister Penny Simmonds today announced plans to transform our science and university sectors to boost the economy. Two advisory groups, chaired by Professor Sir Peter Gluckman, will advise the Government on how these sectors can play a greater ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Government announces Budget priorities
    The Budget will deliver urgently-needed tax relief to hard-working New Zealanders while putting the government’s finances back on a sustainable track, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says.  The Finance Minister made the comments at the release of the Budget Policy Statement setting out the Government’s Budget objectives. “The coalition Government intends ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Government to consider accommodation solution
    The coalition Government will look at options to address a zoning issue that limits how much financial support Queenstown residents can get for accommodation. Cabinet has agreed on a response to the Petitions Committee, which had recommended the geographic information MSD uses to determine how much accommodation supplement can be ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Government approves extension to Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care
    Cabinet has agreed to a short extension to the final reporting timeframe for the Royal Commission into Abuse in Care from 28 March 2024 to 26 June 2024, Internal Affairs Minister Brooke van Velden says.                                         “The Royal Commission wrote to me on 16 February 2024, requesting that I consider an ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • $18m boost for Kiwis travelling to health treatment
    The coalition Government is delivering an $18 million boost to New Zealanders needing to travel for specialist health treatment, Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says.   “These changes are long overdue – the National Travel Assistance (NTA) scheme saw its last increase to mileage and accommodation rates way back in 2009.  ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • PM’s Prizes for Space to showcase sector’s talent
    The Government is recognising the innovative and rising talent in New Zealand’s growing space sector, with the Prime Minister and Space Minister Judith Collins announcing the new Prime Minister’s Prizes for Space today. “New Zealand has a growing reputation as a high-value partner for space missions and research. I am ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Concerns conveyed to China over cyber activity
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters has confirmed New Zealand’s concerns about cyber activity have been conveyed directly to the Chinese Government.     “The Prime Minister and Minister Collins have expressed concerns today about malicious cyber activity, attributed to groups sponsored by the Chinese Government, targeting democratic institutions in both New ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Independent Reviewers appointed for School Property Inquiry
    Independent Reviewers appointed for School Property Inquiry Education Minister Erica Stanford today announced the appointment of three independent reviewers to lead the Ministerial Inquiry into the Ministry of Education’s School Property Function.  The Inquiry will be led by former Minister of Foreign Affairs Murray McCully. “There is a clear need ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Brynderwyns open for Easter
    State Highway 1 across the Brynderwyns will be open for Easter weekend, with work currently underway to ensure the resilience of this critical route being paused for Easter Weekend to allow holiday makers to travel north, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Today I visited the Brynderwyn Hills construction site, where ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Speech to the Infrastructure Funding & Financing Conference
    Introduction Good morning to you all, and thanks for having me bright and early today. I am absolutely delighted to be the Minister for Infrastructure alongside the Minister of Housing and Resource Management Reform. I know the Prime Minister sees the three roles as closely connected and he wants me ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Parliamentary network breached by the PRC
    New Zealand stands with the United Kingdom in its condemnation of People’s Republic of China (PRC) state-backed malicious cyber activity impacting its Electoral Commission and targeting Members of the UK Parliament. “The use of cyber-enabled espionage operations to interfere with democratic institutions and processes anywhere is unacceptable,” Minister Responsible for ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • NZ to provide support for Solomon Islands election
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters and Defence Minister Judith Collins today announced New Zealand will provide logistics support for the upcoming Solomon Islands election. “We’re sending a team of New Zealand Defence Force personnel and two NH90 helicopters to provide logistics support for the election on 17 April, at the request ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • NZ-EU FTA gains Royal Assent for 1 May entry to force
    The European Union Free Trade Agreement Legislation Amendment Bill received Royal Assent today, completing the process for New Zealand’s ratification of its free trade agreement with the European Union.    “I am pleased to announce that today, in a small ceremony at the Beehive, New Zealand notified the European Union ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • COVID-19 inquiry attracts 11,000 submissions
    Public consultation on the terms of reference for the Royal Commission into COVID-19 Lessons has concluded, Internal Affairs Minister Hon Brooke van Velden says.  “I have been advised that there were over 11,000 submissions made through the Royal Commission’s online consultation portal.” Expanding the scope of the Royal Commission of ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Families to receive up to $75 a week help with ECE fees
    Hardworking families are set to benefit from a new credit to help them meet their early childcare education (ECE) costs, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. From 1 July, parents and caregivers of young children will be supported to manage the rising cost of living with a partial reimbursement of their ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Unlocking a sustainable, low-emissions future
    A specialised Independent Technical Advisory Group (ITAG) tasked with preparing and publishing independent non-binding advice on the design of a "green" (sustainable finance) taxonomy rulebook is being established, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says.  “Comprising experts and market participants, the ITAG's primary goal is to deliver comprehensive recommendations to the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Chief of Army thanked for his service
    Defence Minister Judith Collins has thanked the Chief of Army, Major General John Boswell, DSD, for his service as he leaves the Army after 40 years. “I would like to thank Major General Boswell for his contribution to the Army and the wider New Zealand Defence Force, undertaking many different ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Minister to meet Australian counterparts and Manufacturing Industry Leaders
    25 March 2024 Minister to meet Australian counterparts and Manufacturing Industry Leaders Small Business, Manufacturing, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly will travel to Australia for a series of bi-lateral meetings and manufacturing visits. During the visit, Minister Bayly will meet with his Australian counterparts, Senator Tim Ayres, Ed ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Government commits nearly $3 million for period products in schools
    Government commits almost $3 million for period products in schools The Coalition Government has committed $2.9 million to ensure intermediate and secondary schools continue providing period products to those who need them, Minister of Education Erica Stanford announced today. “This is an issue of dignity and ensuring young women don’t ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Speech – Making it easier to build.
    Good morning, it’s great to be here.   First, I would like to acknowledge the New Zealand Institute of Building Surveyors and thank you for the opportunity to be here this morning.  I would like to use this opportunity to outline the Government’s ambitious plan and what we hope to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Pacific youth to shine from boost to Polyfest
    Minister for Pacific Peoples Dr Shane Reti has announced the Government’s commitment to the Auckland Secondary Schools Māori and Pacific Islands Cultural Festival, more commonly known as Polyfest. “The Ministry for Pacific Peoples is a longtime supporter of Polyfest and, as it celebrates 49 years in 2024, I’m proud to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago
  • 2024 Ngarimu VC and 28th (Māori) Battalion Memorial Scholarships announced
    ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago
  • Speech to Breast Cancer Foundation – Insights Conference
    Before moving onto the substance of today’s address, I want to recognise the very significant and ongoing contribution the Breast Cancer Foundation makes to support the lives of New Zealand women and their families living with breast cancer. I very much enjoy working with you. I also want to recognise ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago
  • Kiwi research soars to International Space Station
    New Zealand has notched up a first with the launch of University of Canterbury research to the International Space Station, Science, Innovation and Technology and Space Minister Judith Collins says. The hardware, developed by Dr Sarah Kessans, is designed to operate autonomously in orbit, allowing scientists on Earth to study ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago
  • Speech to the New Zealand Planning Institute
    Introduction Thank you for inviting me to speak with you today and I’m sorry I can’t be there in person. Yesterday I started in Wellington for Breakfast TV, spoke to a property conference in Auckland, and finished the day speaking to local government in Christchurch, so it would have been ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago
  • Support for Northland emergency response centre
    The Coalition Government is contributing more than $1 million to support the establishment of an emergency multi-agency coordination centre in Northland. Emergency Management and Recovery Minister Mark Mitchell announced the contribution today during a visit of the Whangārei site where the facility will be constructed.  “Northland has faced a number ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago
  • Celebrating 20 years of Whakaata Māori
    New Zealanders have enjoyed a broader range of voices telling the story of Aotearoa thanks to the creation of Whakaata Māori 20 years ago, says Māori Development Minister Tama Potaka. The minister spoke at a celebration marking the national indigenous media organisation’s 20th anniversary at their studio in Auckland on ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago
  • Some commercial fishery catch limits increased
    Commercial catch limits for some fisheries have been increased following a review showing stocks are healthy and abundant, Ocean and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. The changes, along with some other catch limit changes and management settings, begin coming into effect from 1 April 2024. "Regular biannual reviews of fish ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago

Page generated in The Standard by Wordpress at 2024-03-28T16:52:52+00:00