Key’s statement to Parliament

Written By: Marty G - Date published: 2:34 pm, February 9th, 2010 - 59 comments
Categories: john key, national/act government, Parliament - Tags:

Very little specific so far.

According to Stuff, National will increase GST to ‘up to’ 15% – which I take to mean 15%.

He has ruled out a land tax, capital gains tax, or tax on risk-free rate of return. That leaves just closing the loopholes that allow landlords to offset losses on investment properties against income tax.

Key says any income tax cuts will be across the board, but there are no details.

He claims that will allow New Zealanders to keep more of their income… but the changes are revenue-neutral, so don’t know what he’s talking about there.

He’s talking about using science and technology to generate more high-tech jobs but, again, no details – apart from some changes to how science funding is allocated. Seems like tinkering. He promises some more money for research in the budget.

Now, he comes to what I suspect is the meat of his speech – mining. ‘unlocking resources’. He says restrictions on mining will be weakened or removed, and encourage oil. Publicly-owned land will be removed from Schedule 4, allowing private companies to come and mine it.

Problem is, the result will just be foreign-owned companies coming in, digging up our national parks and making off with the profits. There’s no plan for keeping the profits in New Zealand. Mining is not a jobs intensive industry.

He is ‘intrigued’ by the idea of NZ becoming a hub for high finance. I’m not sure we want to be putting our eggs in that basket. But he’s a currency trader after all.

A real lack of vision here. Nothing big, nothing that is going to make a real difference to the economy.

He’s alluding to changes to the secondary school system. I didn’t quite catch the importance, but I bet there’s some fish-hooks in there.

In comes the beneficiary bashing, which has been presaged by all those anti-beneficiary stories the government has been leaking over the last few months. The rules for getting benefits will be tightened. That doesn’t do anything to eliminate poverty, of course. We know the vast majority of people don’t choose to be on benefits, but turn to the benefit in desperation. Denying them that safety-net will just make them poorer.

Very very weak. No big ideas. Talk of a step change but no notion of how to do it. I really thought he would have something up his sleeve.

No serious plan for jobs creation, not even lip service. Pretty sure Key didn’t even speak for his full allocated 20 minutes.

Hide and Turia aren’t speaking in support of Key’s ‘plan’, just going on about their own issues. Ouch, that’s not a vote of confidence.

59 comments on “Key’s statement to Parliament ”

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Brett Dale 1

9 February 2010 at 2:36 pm

Up to 15%, that could be anything?
Brett Dale 2

9 February 2010 at 2:39 pm

When does he release the actual details?
- Lanthanide 2.1
  
  9 February 2010 at 2:44 pm
  
  Budget 2010.
mickysavage 3

9 February 2010 at 2:40 pm

He has confirmed that Government is “considering” an increase and has ruled out the other taxes. I am not sure why, no matter how it is dressed up an increase in GST will do nothing more but hurt large families.
Brett Dale 4

9 February 2010 at 2:41 pm

WELL perhaps the Labour government when they bought in GST should of made sure that GST wouldn’t be added basics like bread, milk and veges.
- mickysavage 4.1
  
  9 February 2010 at 2:49 pm
  
  Or caviar or fine French wine?
  - Lanthanide 4.1.1
    
    9 February 2010 at 3:12 pm
    
    Where does ‘caviar’ and ‘fine French wine’ fit into “bread, milk and veges”.
    
    Yes excluding certain food groups isn’t as simple as snapping your fingers, but that’s not the point.
    - mickysavage 4.1.1.1
      
      9 February 2010 at 3:34 pm
      
      You should try defining food types and seeing how easy it is to apply tax to one and not to the other.
      
      Fish a basic? Then why not fish eggs?
      - Lanthanide 4.1.1.1.1
        
        9 February 2010 at 3:47 pm
        
        I acknowledged it was difficult. That’s not the point. Lots of policy decisions are difficult. It doesn’t mean they aren’t sensible or worth doing.
- Sam 4.2
  
  9 February 2010 at 2:50 pm
  
  WELL perhaps some times shit that seems cool in the 80s isn’t really so cool 30 years later.
  
  That is quite frankly a retarded comment.
- SHG 4.3
  
  9 February 2010 at 4:56 pm
  
  Speaking as a resident of Australia, where fierce lobbying from various special interest groups DID result in various GST exemptions, I can say that it’s fucking retarded. An across-the-board GST is the best aspect of NZ’s implementation.
mickysavage 5

9 February 2010 at 2:48 pm

Ooh “benefit reform” aka beneficiary bashing is promised.
- Loco 5.1
  
  9 February 2010 at 3:13 pm
  
  “Welfare, Crime and other Social Disfunctions” – Key
  
  Well we see how Key views those his government has thrown on the unemployment heap, he offers no solutions…… no new ideas…… nothing but denigration.
Kevin Welsh 6

9 February 2010 at 2:54 pm

This should be mana from heaven for Labour. Typical National Ltd in the end, they can’t help themselves and revert to type.

Looking forward to those on the left getting stuck in. But I am sure the Maori Party will put a positive spin on it.
ak 7

9 February 2010 at 2:55 pm

Bash the bennies, bulldoze the bush and milk the poor further via GST (polls willing). NACT as usual. Yawn.
- kiwiteen123 7.1
  
  9 February 2010 at 3:38 pm
  
  @ak
  Do you seriously think that?
  Have you thought about the ordinary NZer?
  Have you ever thought about anyone else in this country except the “bennies” and poor people?
  We are one country. One people. This sort of comment is stupid, arrogant and not helpful to anyone else.
  - mickysavage 7.1.1
    
    9 February 2010 at 3:40 pm
    
    KT
    
    Did you listen to the speech? I thought ak’s comment was a very succint synopsis of what Key said.
    - kiwiteen123 7.1.1.1
      
      9 February 2010 at 3:50 pm
      
      @Micky
      I have not listened to the speech yet.
      What ever Key said you and ak would say he was “bennie bashing”.
      - mickysavage 7.1.1.1.1
        
        9 February 2010 at 3:57 pm
        
        So KT let me get this right?
        
        You are defending Key for not saying something in a speech that you have not heard?
        
        kiwiteen123 7.1.1.1.1.1
        
        9 February 2010 at 4:00 pm
        
        I’m not defending Key.
        Even if Key said everything that ak quoted his comment was still silly.
        
        kiwiteen123 …
        
        9 February 2010 at 4:05 pm
        
        I have now skimmed over the speech.
        I can’t see any bennie bashing.
        
        mickysavage …
        
        9 February 2010 at 4:05 pm
        
        So would Key’s speech also have been silly in that case?
        
        kiwiteen123 …
        
        9 February 2010 at 4:09 pm
        
        It would be silly for John Key to say the things that ak has quoted him as saying.
        
        mickysavage …
        
        9 February 2010 at 4:13 pm
        
        What Key said to Parliament is a different thing to his prepared speech but what about this?
        
        I need to be able to look taxpayers in the eye and assure them that their hard-earned wages are not being used to support those who lack the will or desire to work as hard for their living as their fellow New Zealanders.
        
        …
        
        for most people, a benefit should only provide temporary support until they can return to work…
        
        Our benefit reforms will therefore be squarely focused on helping people get back to work as soon as possible, and ensuring that they do so.
        
        These reforms will include adjustments to the criteria and testing for a Sickness Benefit, to ensure it only goes to those people who are genuinely too sick to work.
        
        The number of people receiving a Sickness or Invalids Benefit in particular has been allowed to grow out of control in recent times. Without any fundamental changes, this number is expected to keep growing over the longer term, by perhaps 50 percent over the next 15 years.
        
        … We owe it to our children, the taxpayers of the future, to bring welfare rolls back under control.
        
        Accordingly, this year the Government will appoint a working group of experts to recommend ways in which we can reduce long-term welfare dependency and thereby reduce the welfare bill future generations will face.
        
        Pure dogwhistle.
        
        kiwiteen123 …
        
        9 February 2010 at 4:15 pm
        
        @Micky
        How so?
        This is not bashing.
        
        mickysavage …
        
        9 February 2010 at 4:21 pm
        
        It is pure benefit bashing. It suggests that the only cause of increased benefit numbers lies with the beneficiaries themselves and that all that is required is a bit of “tough love” to make things better.
        
        It is insulting to the many thousands who have lost their jobs that they are at fault, not the economic situation. It is an insult to our aging population who find incresingly that they are gettiung sick that they are to blame.
        
        It suggests that most people who receive a benefit are bludgers whereas the vast majority are either over the age of 65 or genuinely in need of state help.
        
        Do you not hear the dog whistle?
        
        Rex Widerstrom …
        
        9 February 2010 at 5:06 pm
        
        mickey:
        
        He didn’t ascribe unemployment to any cause other than beneficiaries “lack[ing] the will or desire to work”?!
        
        Much of the reason for rising unemployment is simply beyond the control of the government of a nation as small as NZ, so I’m not implying he should have accepted all of the blame, either.
        
        But if he’s swallowed the Paula Bennett / Christina Rankin view of beneficiaries hook, line and sinker I suspect the report from his “group of experts” will meet the same fate as that of the Royal Commission on Social Policy.
the sprout 8

9 February 2010 at 3:02 pm

Jake Quinn points out an excellent own goal from Key

“National leader John Key said told (sic) a press conference this morning that if National is elected and does a “half decent job’ at growing the economy, then increasing GST and the top tax rate will not be necessary.’

http://lifeandpolitics.wordpress.com/2010/02/09/key-admits-to-doing-less-than-a-half-decent-job/
- kiwiteen123 8.1
  
  9 February 2010 at 3:41 pm
  
  @the sprout
  Hey, where have you been??
  Obviously they have not done a half-decent job but a good job.
  - Lanthanide 8.1.1
    
    9 February 2010 at 3:49 pm
    
    Much like Xeno’s paradox of the flying arrow, you cannot do a good job without first doing a half-decent one, which he has admitted they haven’t done. Q.E.D.
  - lprent 8.1.2
    
    9 February 2010 at 3:51 pm
    
    Obviously they have not done a half-decent job but a good job.
    
    …of raising unemployment.
    
    I can’t quite see how that is a good thing unless you’re like Brash and considered that a high unemployment rate was a good thing for the economy…
  - Draco T Bastard 8.1.3
    
    9 February 2010 at 6:49 pm
    
    Ah, the delusional ramblings of the RWNJ.
Loco 9

9 February 2010 at 3:08 pm

Poor speaking style from Key today, not up to his usual standard.
Very reliant on his papers, stumbled many times and had trouble with his statistics.
Boring and offered nothing new, nothing smart, nothing that will work.

Anti-spam: ‘doubtful’ – indeed
- Clarke 9.1
  
  9 February 2010 at 3:32 pm
  
  I agree – and if you’re relying on style rather than content, you end up being a bit stuffed when the style deserts you!
- kiwiteen123 9.2
  
  9 February 2010 at 3:41 pm
  
  He’s never been very good. Haven’t had a look at his speech yet but speaking is not one of his skills.
  - Clarke 9.2.1
    
    9 February 2010 at 4:47 pm
    
    Based on the evidence to date, managing the economy isn’t one of his skills either.
mickysavage 10

9 February 2010 at 3:12 pm

Excellent speech by Goff. He is really hitting his straps this year.
- kiwiteen123 10.1
  
  9 February 2010 at 3:42 pm
  
  @Micky
  You would say that though.
  - mickysavage 10.1.1
    
    9 February 2010 at 3:44 pm
    
    Actually if you check through my comments I have said on a number of occasions that he was not doing so well last year. He is doing well now.
    
    But you would say that though …
    - kiwiteen123 10.1.1.1
      
      9 February 2010 at 3:46 pm
      
      Soon enough you were going to come back running to Goff and Labour. It was going to happen well before next election. You chose the moment now.
tc 11

9 February 2010 at 3:17 pm

And they’re off and running in the race for election 2011…….Goff needs to make some tough calls after the first parliamaentary term as to who belongs on his bench if he wants the PM’s job.

He’s got it all over Key but has to convince the electorate to elect his team which contains some geniune albatrosses like Mr bash and the blonde battleaxe.

Take note Goff……fresh is best, look what the nodding dogs around Key have done to him, look and learn phil…….NZ really can’t afford any more of this do nothing, dismantle the past cause it wasn’t done by us dogma so please make more of an effort by genuinely refreshing the front bench and letting them go toe to toe with their opposites.
ParkDrive 12

9 February 2010 at 3:31 pm

If they do make changes to the rental property system, they need to ignore those who have a 1+1 style (house+rental) arrangement, otherwise they be losing a lot of votes.

Many people have a rental property for their retirement after being shysted out of the markets post 87.

It’s those with more than 1 rental property that need to be targeted. No way of being able to dress it up as can easily make law so that those whose names are on a deed have it counted as 1 house in their name – irrespective of whether there’s 2 or 200 people on a deed to a house.
- BLiP 12.1
  
  9 February 2010 at 6:01 pm
  
  Hi gitmofo.
  - kiwiteen123 12.1.1
    
    9 February 2010 at 6:02 pm
    
    classy…
    - BLiP 12.1.1.1
      
      9 February 2010 at 9:51 pm
      
      I found that site you were looking for.
  - ParkDrive 12.1.2
    
    9 February 2010 at 9:17 pm
    
    Fail BLiP.
    - BLiP 12.1.2.1
      
      9 February 2010 at 11:24 pm
      
      Ooops.
tracey 13

9 February 2010 at 3:32 pm

Goff should never have tried to “out sweet” Key. Today he looked tougher, mentally more acute and invigorated. Key read his notes, stumbled (no aut-cue for him as at the Halberg Awards), The Nats are so poll driven… this one will lead to more polling before the final Budget is set in concrete…. and any chance for proper reform of the tax system, the loopholes (of which there are SO many) and the property investors, are gone again because the Nats are LOVING power again, and they will do anything )or not do anything in this case) to keep it.

My brother is a former ACT voter and national voter, he told me on Sunday that if Key didnt do something with this speech he’s had enough and wont be voting Nats next time.
- Clarke 13.1
  
  9 February 2010 at 3:36 pm
  
  It’s taken a while, but I think his speech was pretty much the death-rattle for his honeymoon with the New Zealand electorate.
tracey 14

9 February 2010 at 3:33 pm

ParkDrive

I couldn’t agree with you more, a portfolio isn’t “one”.
Brett Dale 15

9 February 2010 at 3:58 pm

Milk and bread should be basics.
BLiP 16

9 February 2010 at 4:26 pm

I’ve really got to learn to drive the tv remote.

There I was excited after the big build up and ready to hear the Prime Minister of Aotearoa address the nation with a vision for the future based on equity – a firm plan to raise our sights above the over the daily grind and set sail for a brighter more optimistic future for us all.

Got the wrong channel, didn’t I. I ended up watching some worn down, clapped out mid-level manager named Don Key reluctantly mumble his way through a presentation to the accounts receiveable department at McDonalds’ HQ.
gingercrush 17

9 February 2010 at 4:26 pm

Adequate speech. The left are screaming murder and the far right are also screaming murder. Its always a good sign when these two groups agree on the same thing. For that reason I give his speech an A.
- Clarke 17.1
  
  9 February 2010 at 4:50 pm
  
  An “A”? But “mediocre” doesn’t begin with the letter A ….
  - gingercrush 17.1.1
    
    9 February 2010 at 5:06 pm
    
    Well I don’t see it as mediocre. But then I’m partisan as fuck. Where I believe it has its good points is that it doesn’t piss off everyone but does annoy the political left and the far-right. It still achieves some tax reform in regards to consumption but doesn’t do it to the extent it’ll hurt average tax-payers.
    
    Its very middle-of-the-road and very National. Much like the 1990s after Ruth Richardson. Standard conservative National government. The same National government we’ve had since the days of Holyoake.
    - felix 17.1.1.1
      
      9 February 2010 at 6:27 pm
      
      Sorry to be a pedant but I don’t think you’ll find his speech “achieves some tax reform” or achieves anything else for that matter.
mickysavage 18

9 February 2010 at 4:40 pm

Good comment by David Cunliffe.

“Is that it?”
pollywog 19

9 February 2010 at 10:57 pm

…and still the elephant in the room is the maori party voters who didnt vote their party in to share power with a nat gov’t that will raise GST.

if there is gonna be a serious backlash that’ll force Turia and co back to their electorates for a mandate to continue, this budget and the lead up to it will be it.

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TVHE » Key’s tax speech: posted on 9 February 2010 at 4:59 pm

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The Government can head off to the holidays, entitled to assure itself that it has done more or less what it said it would do. The campaign last year promised to “get New Zealand back on track.” When you look at the basic promises—to trim back Government expenditure, toughen up ...

PolitikBy Richard Harman

1 week ago
Skeptical Science New Research for Week #51 2024

Open access notables An intensification of surface Earth’s energy imbalance since the late 20th century, Li et al., Communications Earth & Environment: Tracking the energy balance of the Earth system is a key method for studying the contribution of human activities to climate change. However, accurately estimating the surface energy balance ...

Skeptical Science

1 week ago
Join us at 5pm for 2024’s last Hoon

Photo by Mauricio Fanfa on UnsplashKia oraCome and join us for our weekly ‘Hoon’ webinar with paying subscribers to The Kākā for an hour at 5 pm today.Jump on this link on YouTube Livestream for our chat about the week’s news with myself , plus regular guests and , ...

The KakaBy Bernard Hickey

1 week ago
Christmas Gifts: Ageing Boomers, Laurie & Les, Talk Politics.

“Like you said, I’m an unreconstructed socialist. Everybody deserves to get something for Christmas.”“ONE OF THOSE had better be for me!” Hannah grinned, fascinated, as Laurie made his way, gingerly, to the bar, his arms full of gift-wrapped packages.“Of course!”, beamed Laurie. Depositing his armful on the bar-top and selecting ...

Bowalley Road

1 week ago
GDP Figures No Christmas Present for New Zealand

Data released by Statistics New Zealand today showed a significant slowdown in the economy over the past six months, with GDP falling by 1% in September, and 1.1% in June said CTU Economist Craig Renney. “The data shows that the size of the economy in GDP terms is now smaller ...

NZCTUBy Stella Whitfield

1 week ago
Cheeseburgers and Stunt Monkeys

One last thing before I quitI never wanted any moreThan I could fit into my headI still remember every single word you saidAnd all the shit that somehow came along with itStill, there's one thing that comforts meSince I was always caged and now I'm freeSongwriters: David Grohl / Georg ...

Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel

1 week ago
MSD rejecting 220 pleas for food grants each day

Sparse offerings outside a Te Kauwhata church. Meanwhile, the Government is cutting spending in ways that make thousands of hungry children even hungrier, while also cutting funding for the charities that help them. It’s also doing that while winding back new building of affordable housing that would allow parents to ...

The KakaBy Bernard Hickey

1 week ago
The Wing Parties’ Economic Policies.

It is difficult to make sense of the Luxon Coalition Government’s economic management.This end-of-year review about the state of economic management – the state of the economy was last week – is not going to cover the National Party contribution. Frankly, like every other careful observer, I cannot make up ...

PunditBy Brian Easton

1 week ago
Back on Track

This morning I awoke to the lovely news that we are firmly back on track, that is if the scale was reversed.NZ ranks low in global economic comparisonsNew Zealand's economy has been ranked 33rd out of 37 in an international comparison of which have done best in 2024.Economies were ranked ...

Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tūī

1 week ago
Book Review: How Big Things Get Done

This is a guest post by George Weeks, reviewing a book called How Big Things Get Done by Bent Flyvbjerg and Dan Gardner Want to know how to do something big? Ask someone who has done it before! Professor Bent Flyvbjerg has spent his career studying megaprojects. In 2023, ...

Greater AucklandBy Guest Post

1 week ago
Gordon Campbell On Why We Can’t Survive Two More Years Of This

Remember those silent movies where the heroine is tied to the railway tracks or going over the waterfall in a barrel? Finance Minister Nicola Willis seems intent on portraying herself as that damsel in distress. According to Willis, this country’s current economic problems have all been caused by the spending ...

WerewolfBy ScoopEditor

1 week ago
Dragging our way towards the finish line, the end of this year can’t come soon enough for many…

Similar to the cuts and the austerity drive imposed by Ruth Richardson in the 1990’s, an era which to all intents and purposes we’ve largely fiddled around the edges with fixing in the time since – over, to be fair, several administrations – whilst trying our best it seems to ...

exhALANtBy exhalantblog

1 week ago
Handling Democracy.

String-Pulling in the Dark: For the democratic process to be meaningful it must also be public. WITH TRUST AND CONFIDENCE in New Zealand’s politicians and journalists steadily declining, restoring those virtues poses a daunting challenge. Just how daunting is made clear by comparing the way politicians and journalists treated New Zealanders ...

Bowalley Road

1 week ago
Open letter to the Minister of Dwindling Finances

Dear Nicola Willis, thank you for letting us know in so many words that the swingeing austerity hasn't worked.By in so many words I mean the bit where you said, Here is a sea of red ink in which we are drowning after twelve months of savage cost cutting and ...

More Than A FeildingBy David Slack

1 week ago
Open Government: The joke ends

The Open Government Partnership is a multilateral organisation committed to advancing open government. Countries which join are supposed to co-create regular action plans with civil society, committing to making verifiable improvements in transparency, accountability, participation, or technology and innovation for the above. And they're held to account through an Independent ...

No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant

1 week ago
An unusual sort of press conference

Today I tuned into something strange: a press conference that didn’t make my stomach churn or the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end. Which was strange, because it was about the torture of children. It was the announcement by Erica Stanford — on her own, unusually ...

Sapphi’s SubstackBy Sapphi

1 week ago
This substack has talked about this government’s seeming corruption & pro-corporate issues...

This is a must watch, and puts on brilliant and practical display the implications and mechanics of fast-track law corruption and weakness.CLICK HERE: LINK TO WATCH VIDEO Our news media as it is set up is simply not equipped to deal with the brazen disinformation and corruption under this right wing ...

Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tūī

1 week ago
NZCTU: Minister needs to listen to the evidence on engineered stone ban

NZCTU Te Kauae Kaimahi Acting Secretary Erin Polaczuk is welcoming the announcement from Minister of Workplace Relations and Safety Brooke van Velden that she is opening consultation on engineered stone and is calling on her to listen to the evidence and implement a total ban of the product. “We need ...

NZCTUBy Stella Whitfield

1 week ago
Wednesday 18 December

The Government has announced a 1.5% increase in the minimum wage from 1 April 2025, well below forecast inflation of 2.5%. Unions have reacted strongly and denounced it as a real terms cut. PSA and the CTU are opposing a new round of staff cuts at WorkSafe, which they say ...

NZCTUBy Jack McDonald

1 week ago
Can the government change its mind on the ferries?

The decision to unilaterally repudiate the contract for new Cook Strait ferries is beginning to look like one of the stupidest decisions a New Zealand government ever made. While cancelling the ferries and their associated port infrastructure may have made this year's books look good, it means higher costs later, ...

No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant

1 week ago
Notes from Afar: Will Luxon Attend Waitangi Day? And Opposition Calls Out Nicola Willis for “C...

Hi there! I’ve been overseas recently, looking after a situation with a family member. So apologies if there any less than focused posts! Vanuatu has just had a significant 7.3 earthquake. Two MFAT staff are unaccounted for with local fatalities.It’s always sad to hear of such things happening.I think of ...

Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tūī

1 week ago
Member’s morning

Today is a special member's morning, scheduled to make up for the government's theft of member's days throughout the year. First up was the first reading of Greg Fleming's Crimes (Increased Penalties for Slavery Offences) Amendment Bill, which was passed unanimously. Currently the House is debating the third reading of ...

No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant

1 week ago
Going Backwards

We're going backwardsIgnoring the realitiesGoing backwardsAre you counting all the casualties?We are not there yetWhere we need to beWe are still in debtTo our insanitiesSongwriter: Martin Gore Read more ...

Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel

1 week ago
Blaming Treasury & Labour, Willis looks for even more Austerity

Willis blamed Treasury for changing its productivity assumptions and Labour’s spending increases since Covid for the worsening Budget outlook. Photo: Getty ImagesMōrena. Long stories short, the six things that matter in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, climate and poverty on Wednesday, December 18 in The Kākā’s Dawn Chorus podcast above ...

The KakaBy Bernard Hickey

1 week ago
December-24 AT Board Meeting

Today the Auckland Transport board meet for the last time this year. For those interested (and with time to spare), you can follow along via this MS Teams link from 10am. I’ve taken a quick look through the agenda items to see what I think the most interesting aspects are. ...

Greater AucklandBy Matt L

1 week ago
The Making of a Mental Health Rockstar

Hi,If you’re a New Zealander — you know who Mike King is. He is the face of New Zealand’s battle against mental health problems. He can be loud and brash. He raises, and is entrusted with, a lot of cash. Last year his “I Am Hope” charity reported a revenue ...

David FarrierBy David Farrier

1 week ago
It could have been worse

Probably about the only consolation available from yesterday’s unveiling of the Half-Yearly Economic and Fiscal Update (HYEFU) is that it could have been worse. Though Finance Minister Nicola Willis has tightened the screws on future government spending, she has resisted the calls from hard-line academics, fiscal purists and fiscal hawks ...

PolitikBy Richard Harman

1 week ago
The Deep Divisions of Local Government

The right have a stupid saying that is only occasionally true:When is democracy not democracy? When it hasn’t been voted on.While not true in regards to branches of government such as the judiciary, it’s a philosophy that probably should apply to recently-elected local government councillors. Nevertheless, this concept seemed to ...

Sapphi’s SubstackBy Sapphi

1 week ago
Willis’ austerity strategy just isn’t working

Long story short: the Government’s austerity policy has driven the economy into a deeper and longer recession that means it will have to borrow $20 billion more over the next four years than it expected just six months ago. Treasury’s latest forecasts show the National-ACT-NZ First Government’s fiscal strategy of ...

The KakaBy Bernard Hickey

1 week ago
Sabin 33 #7 – Are solar projects hurting farmers and rural communities?

On November 1, 2024 we announced the publication of 33 rebuttals based on the report "Rebutting 33 False Claims About Solar, Wind, and Electric Vehicles" written by Matthew Eisenson, Jacob Elkin, Andy Fitch, Matthew Ard, Kaya Sittinger & Samuel Lavine and published by the Sabin Center for Climate Change Law at Columbia ...

Skeptical Science

1 week ago
Join us for a pop-up Hoon at 5pm on HYEFU

Come and join myself and CTU Chief Economist for a pop-up ‘Hoon’ webinar on the Government’s Half Yearly Economic and Fiscal Update (HYEFU) with paying subscribers to The Kākā for 30 minutes at 5 pm today.Jump on this link on YouTube Livestream to watch our chat. Don’t worry if ...

The KakaBy Bernard Hickey

1 week ago
‘Ideas Worth Saving’: A Call for Papers

Some years ago, I found myself pondering the power of literature to endure. Or at least the power of some of it to endure, while the rest vanishes in mere decades: https://phuulishfellow.wordpress.com/2019/08/07/look-on-my-works-ye-mighty-and-despair-the-literary-future/. I have similarly had fun with the subject in some of my short stories, such as Another Alexandria ...

A Phuulish FellowBy strda221

1 week ago
Corrections is torturing prisoners again

In 1998, in the wake of the Paremoremo Prison riot, the Department of Corrections established the "Behaviour Management Regime". Prisoners were locked in their cells for 22 or 23 hours a day, with no fresh air, no exercise, no social contact, no entertainment, and in some cases no clothes and ...

No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant

1 week ago
HYEFU and BPS data shows New Zealand is way off track

New data released by the Treasury shows that the economic policies of this Government have made things worse in the year since they took office, said NZCTU Economist Craig Renney. “Our fiscal indicators are all heading in the wrong direction – with higher levels of debt, a higher deficit, and ...

NZCTUBy Jack McDonald

1 week ago
“Better economic management”

At the 2023 election, National basically ran on a platform of being better economic managers. So how'd that turn out for us? In just one year, they've fucked us for two full political terms: The government's books are set to remain deeply in the red for the near term ...

No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant

1 week ago
Shameless, clueless

AUSTERITYText within this block will maintain its original spacing when publishedMy spreadsheet insists This pain leads straight to glory (File not found) Read more ...

More Than A FeildingBy David Slack

1 week ago
Minimum wage ‘increase’ is an effective cut

The NZCTU Te Kauae Kaimahi are saying that the Government should do the right thing and deliver minimum wage increases that don’t see workers fall further behind, in response to today’s announcement that the minimum wage will only be increased by 1.5%, well short of forecast inflation. “With inflation forecast ...

NZCTUBy Jack McDonald

1 week ago
Crazy ’bout a Sharp-dressed Man

Oh, I weptFor daysFilled my eyesWith silly tearsOh, yeaBut I don'tCare no moreI don't care ifMy eyes get soreSongwriters: Paul Rodgers / Paul Kossoff. Read more ...

Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel

1 week ago
How much should you worry about a collapse of the Atlantic conveyor belt?

This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Bob Henson In this aerial view, fingers of meltwater flow from the melting Isunnguata Sermia glacier descending from the Greenland Ice Sheet on July 11, 2024, near Kangerlussuaq, Greenland. According to the Programme for Monitoring of the Greenland Ice Sheet (PROMICE), the ...

Skeptical Science

1 week ago
8% ACT Party Creates One Ring To Rule Them All

In August, I wrote an article about David Seymour 1 with a video of his testimony, to warn that there were grave dangers to his Ministry of Regulation:David Seymour's Ministry of Slush Hides Far Greater RisksWhy Seymour's exorbitant waste of taxpayers' money could be the least of concernThe money for Seymour ...

Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tūī

1 week ago

National’s Greatest Misses 2023-4

National has only been in power for a year, but everywhere you look, its choices are taking New Zealand a long way backwards. In no particular order, here are the National Government's Top 50 Greatest Misses of its first year in power. ...

Labour Blog

1 week ago
Release: Minister’s plan for tertiary sector a backwards step

Returning to the model that was failing for most polytechnics and Institutes of Technology is not the answer. ...

Labour Blog

1 week ago
Release: National buries 1019 planned homes

It’s been revealed that National has cancelled 60 percent of its housing projects planned before mid-2025 amidst housing woes. ...

Labour Blog

1 week ago
Release: Rule-Czar bill a right-wing power grab

The Government is quietly undertaking consultation on the dangerous Regulatory Standards Bill over the Christmas period to avoid too much attention. ...

Labour Blog

1 week ago
Release: Why not both? Luxon shuns Waitangi celebrations

Prime Minister Christopher Luxon is running away from problems of his own creation, with his decision not to go to Waitangi. ...

Labour Blog

1 week ago
Govt’s ‘free speech’ legislation stokes fear, not freedom

The Government’s planned changes to the freedom of speech obligations of universities is little more than a front for stoking the political fires of disinformation and fear, placing teachers and students in the crosshairs. ...

Greens

1 week ago
Release: Nicola Willis spirals country deeper into recession

The economy shrank 1% this quarter and New Zealand has tumbled into the depths of a recession of Nicola Willis’ making. ...

Labour Blog

1 week ago
Release: Hikes for company directors but not ordinary Kiwis

Working people are going backwards while company directors are being given huge pay hikes. ...

Labour Blog

1 week ago
ECE no place to cut corners

The Ministry of Regulation’s report into Early Childhood Education (ECE) in Aotearoa raises serious concerns about the possibility of lowering qualification requirements, undermining quality and risking worse outcomes for tamariki, whānau, and kaiako. ...

Greens

1 week ago
Release: Strengthening Justice Services for New Zealanders

A Bill to modernise the role of Justices of the Peace (JP), ensuring they remain active in their communities and connected with other JPs, has been put into the ballot. ...

Labour Blog

1 week ago
Release: Labour will continue fight against destructive projects

Labour will continue to fight unsustainable and destructive projects that are able to leap-frog environment protection under National’s Fast-track Approvals Bill. ...

Labour Blog

1 week ago
Green Government will revoke dodgy fast-track projects

The Green Party has warned that a Green Government will revoke the consents of companies who override environmental protections as part of Fast-Track legislation being passed today. ...

Greens

1 week ago
Government for the wealthy keeps pushing austerity

The Green Party says the Half Year Economic and Fiscal Update shows how the Government is failing to address the massive social and infrastructure deficits our country faces. ...

Greens

1 week ago
Release: Visa changes let migrant workers be paid less

The Government’s latest move to reduce the earnings of migrant workers will not only hurt migrants but it will drive down the wages of Kiwi workers. ...

Labour Blog

1 week ago
Release: Nightmare before Christmas for Nicola Willis

With more debt and a larger deficit, Nicola Willis’ reputation is in tatters after her failure to return the Government’s books to surplus. ...

Labour Blog

1 week ago
Warning to Fast-Track Applicants – ‘Exploit the Whenua, Face the Consequences’

Te Pāti Māori has this morning issued a stern warning to Fast-Track applicants with interests in mining, pledging to hold them accountable through retrospective liability and to immediately revoke Fast-Track consents under a future Te Pāti Māori government. This warning comes ahead of today’s third reading of the Fast-Track Approvals ...

Māori Party

1 week ago
Release: Govt cuts wages for lowest paid NZers… again

For the second year running, the government has effectively cut wages for the lowest paid workers in New Zealand. ...

Labour Blog

1 week ago
Govt’s miserly 1.5% minimum wage will take workers backwards

The Government’s announcement today of a 1.5 per cent increase to minimum wage is another blow for workers, with inflation projected to exceed the increase, meaning it’s a real terms pay reduction for many. ...

Greens

1 week ago
Release: Govt shirking responsibility for rate hikes

All the Government has achieved from its announcement today is to continue to push responsibility back on councils for its own lack of action to help bring down skyrocketing rates. ...

Labour Blog

1 week ago
Luxon’s ‘localism’ strikes again

The Government has used its final post-Cabinet press conference of the year to punch down on local government without offering any credible solutions to the issues our councils are facing. ...

Greens

2 weeks ago
Release: Govt breaks promise on EV chargers

The Government has failed to keep its promise to ‘super charge’ the EV network, delivering just 292 chargers - less than half of the 670 chargers needed to meet its target. ...

Labour Blog

2 weeks ago
Greens call for end to subsidies for Methanex

The Green Party is calling for the Government to stop subsidising the largest user of the country’s gas supplies, Methanex, following a report highlighting the multi-national’s disproportionate influence on energy prices in Aotearoa. ...

Greens

2 weeks ago
Govt child poverty targets allow for increase in poverty

The Green Party is appalled with the Government’s new child poverty targets that are based on a new ‘persistent poverty’ measure that could be met even with an increase in child poverty. ...

Greens

2 weeks ago
Release: Four weeks annual leave under threat

The Government’s attack on workers continues with news it is scrapping work on the Holidays Act. ...

Labour Blog

2 weeks ago
Govt’s emissions plan for measly 1% reduction

New independent analysis has revealed that the Government’s Emissions Reduction Plan (ERP) will reduce emissions by a measly 1 per cent by 2030, failing to set us up for the future and meeting upcoming targets. ...

Greens

2 weeks ago
Greens stand in solidarity with Whakaata Māori on sad day

The loss of 27 kaimahi at Whakaata Māori and the end of its daily news bulletin is a sad day for Māori media and another step backwards for Te Tiriti o Waitangi justice. ...

Greens

2 weeks ago
Sanctions regime to create more hardship for families

Yesterday the Government passed cruel legislation through first reading to establish a new beneficiary sanction regime that will ultimately mean more households cannot afford the basic essentials. ...

Greens

2 weeks ago
Govt gifts renters housing anxiety for Christmas

Today's passing of the Government's Residential Tenancies Amendment Bill–which allows landlords to end tenancies with no reason–ignores the voice of the people and leaves renters in limbo ahead of the festive season. ...

Greens

2 weeks ago
Release: National Party urged to support modern slavery legislation

Labour is urging the Prime Minister to walk the talk and support legislation combating modern slavery. ...

Labour Blog

2 weeks ago
Release: Labour has lost confidence in the Speaker

The Speaker of the New Zealand Parliament made an unprecedented decision on the government amendment to the Fast Track Approvals Bill last night. ...

Labour Blog

2 weeks ago
One year on, still no progress on new ferries

Today’s announcement from the Government on its plan for new ferries throws more uncertainty on the future of the country’s rail network. ...

Greens

2 weeks ago
Release: Nicola Willis’ smaller ferries will cost more

After wasting a year, Nicola Willis has delivered a worse deal for the Cook Strait ferries that will end up being more expensive and take longer to arrive. ...

Labour Blog

2 weeks ago
Bill to sanction unlawful occupation of Palestine

Green Party co-leader Chlöe Swarbrick has today launched a Member’s Bill to sanction Israel for its unlawful presence in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, as the All Out For Gaza rally reaches Parliament. ...

Greens

2 weeks ago
Release: Labour fully supports greyhound racing ban

The Government has done the right thing in moving to ban greyhound racing. ...

Labour Blog

2 weeks ago
Greyhound racing industry ban marks new era for animal welfare

After years of advocacy, the Green Party is very happy to hear the Government has listened to our collective voices and announced the closure of the greyhound racing industry, by 1 August 2026. ...

Greens

2 weeks ago
Rangatahi voices must be centred in Government’s Relationship and Sexuality Education refresh

In response to a new report from ERO, the Government has acknowledged the urgent need for consistency across the curriculum for Relationship and Sexuality Education (RSE) in schools. ...

Greens

2 weeks ago
Govt introduces archaic anti-worker legislation

The Green Party is appalled at the Government introducing legislation that will make it easier to penalise workers fighting for better pay and conditions. ...

Greens

3 weeks ago
Winston Peters – Kinleith Mill Speech

Thank you for the invitation to speak with you tonight on behalf of the political party I belong to - which is New Zealand First. As we have heard before this evening the Kinleith Mill is proposing to reduce operations by focusing on pulp and discontinuing “lossmaking paper production”. They say that they are currently consulting on the plan to permanently shut ...

NZ First Press Release

3 weeks ago
Swarbrick calls on Auckland Mayor to end delay of revival of St James Theatre

Auckland Central MP, Chlöe Swarbrick, has written to Mayor Wayne Brown requesting he stop the unnecessary delays on St James Theatre’s restoration. ...

Greens

3 weeks ago
He Ara Anamata: Greens launch Emissions Reduction Plan

Today, the Green Party of Aotearoa proudly unveils its new Emissions Reduction Plan–He Ara Anamata–a blueprint reimagining our collective future. ...

Greens

3 weeks ago

Act on family violence and sexual violence over the summer season

“As we head into one of the busiest times of the year for Police, and family violence and sexual violence response services, it’s a good time to remind everyone what to do if they experience violence or are worried about others,” Minister for the Prevention of Family and Sexual Violence ...

BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz

3 hours ago
Be wise around water this summer

Kiwis planning a swim or heading out on a boat this summer should remember to stop and think about water safety, Sport & Recreation Minister Chris Bishop and ACC and Associate Transport Minister Matt Doocey say. “New Zealand’s beaches, lakes and rivers are some of the most beautiful in the ...

BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz

4 days ago
Drive safely this summer

The Government is urging Kiwis to drive safely this summer and reminding motorists that Police will be out in force to enforce the road rules, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says.“This time of year can be stressful and result in poor decision-making on our roads. Whether you are travelling to see ...

BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz

4 days ago
Internationally-trained doctors jump at chance to boost health workforce

Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says Health New Zealand will move swiftly to support dozens of internationally-trained doctors already in New Zealand on their journey to employment here, after a tripling of sought-after examination places. “The Medical Council has delivered great news for hardworking overseas doctors who want to contribute ...

BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz

5 days ago
PM appoints business leader to APEC Business Advisory Council

Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has appointed Sarah Ottrey to the APEC Business Advisory Council (ABAC). “At my first APEC Summit in Lima, I experienced firsthand the role that ABAC plays in guaranteeing political leaders hear the voice of business,” Mr Luxon says. “New Zealand’s ABAC representatives are very well respected and ...

BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz

1 week ago
New intelligence oversight appointments

Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has announced four appointments to New Zealand’s intelligence oversight functions. The Honourable Robert Dobson KC has been appointed Chief Commissioner of Intelligence Warrants, and the Honourable Brendan Brown KC has been appointed as a Commissioner of Intelligence Warrants. The appointments of Hon Robert Dobson and Hon ...

BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz

1 week ago
New housing developments able to progress more quickly

Improvements in the average time it takes to process survey and title applications means housing developments can progress more quickly, Minister for Land Information Chris Penk says. “The government is resolutely focused on improving the building and construction pipeline,” Mr Penk says. “Applications to issue titles and subdivide land are ...

BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz

1 week ago
Actions to speed up air travel delivering results

The Government’s measures to reduce airport wait times, and better transparency around flight disruptions is delivering encouraging early results for passengers ahead of the busy summer period, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Improving the efficiency of air travel is a priority for the Government to give passengers a smoother, more reliable ...

BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz

1 week ago
Ending contracted emergency housing in Rotorua

The Government today announced the intended closure of the Apollo Hotel as Contracted Emergency Housing (CEH) in Rotorua, Associate Housing Minister Tama Potaka says. This follows a 30 per cent reduction in the number of households in CEH in Rotorua since National came into Government. “Our focus is on ending CEH in the Whakarewarewa area starting ...

BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz

1 week ago
Vocational education and training decisions support return to regions

The Government will reshape vocational education and training to return decision making to regions and enable greater industry input into work-based learning Tertiary Education and Skills Minister, Penny Simmonds says. “The redesigned system will better meet the needs of learners, industry, and the economy. It includes re-establishing regional polytechnics that ...

BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz

1 week ago
Reducing the environmental impact of synthetic refrigerants

The Government is taking action to better manage synthetic refrigerants and reduce emissions caused by greenhouse gases found in heating and cooling products, Environment Minister Penny Simmonds says. “Regulations will be drafted to support a product stewardship scheme for synthetic refrigerants, Ms. Simmonds says. “Synthetic refrigerants are found in a ...

BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz

1 week ago
Ngāruawāhia section of Waikato Expressway back to 4 lanes for Christmas

People travelling on State Highway 1 north of Hamilton will be relieved that remedial works and safety improvements on the Ngāruawāhia section of the Waikato Expressway were finished today, with all lanes now open to traffic, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says.“I would like to acknowledge the patience of road users ...

BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz

1 week ago
Appointments to the ENZ board

Tertiary Education and Skills Minister, Penny Simmonds, has announced a new appointment to the board of Education New Zealand (ENZ). Dr Erik Lithander has been appointed as a new member of the ENZ board for a three-year term until 30 January 2028. “I would like to welcome Dr Erik Lithander to the ...

BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz

1 week ago
Government to celebrate Waitangi Day around NZ

The Government will have senior representatives at Waitangi Day events around the country, including at the Waitangi Treaty Grounds, but next year Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has chosen to take part in celebrations elsewhere. “It has always been my intention to celebrate Waitangi Day around the country with different ...

BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz

1 week ago
More gangs added to Gangs Act list

Two more criminal gangs will be subject to the raft of laws passed by the Coalition Government that give Police more powers to disrupt gang activity, and the intimidation they impose in our communities, Police Minister Mark Mitchell says. Following an Order passed by Cabinet, from 3 February 2025 the ...

BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz

1 week ago
Judicial appointment announced

Attorney-General Judith Collins today announced the appointment of Justice Christian Whata as a Judge of the Court of Appeal. Justice Whata’s appointment as a Judge of the Court of Appeal will take effect on 1 August 2025 and fill a vacancy created by the retirement of Hon Justice David Goddard on ...

BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz

1 week ago
GDP data highlights importance of growth

The latest economic figures highlight the importance of the steps the Government has taken to restore respect for taxpayers’ money and drive economic growth, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. Data released today by Stats NZ shows Gross Domestic Product fell 1 per cent in the September quarter. “Treasury and most ...

BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz

1 week ago
Strengthening Free Speech in Universities

Tertiary Education and Skills Minister Penny Simmonds and Associate Minister of Education David Seymour today announced legislation changes to strengthen freedom of speech obligations on universities. “Freedom of speech is fundamental to the concept of academic freedom and there is concern that universities seem to be taking a more risk-averse ...

BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz

1 week ago
Launch of Emergency Cellular Priority Service

Police Minister, Mark Mitchell, and Internal Affairs Minister, Brooke van Velden, today launched a further Public Safety Network cellular service that alongside last year’s Cellular Roaming roll-out, puts globally-leading cellular communications capability into the hands of our emergency responders. The Public Safety Network’s new Cellular Priority service means Police, Wellington ...

BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz

1 week ago
Minister reopens Mangamuka Gorge

State Highway 1 through the Mangamuka Gorge has officially reopened today, providing a critical link for Northlanders and offering much-needed relief ahead of the busy summer period, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says.“The Mangamuka Gorge is a vital route for Northland, carrying around 1,300 vehicles per day and connecting the Far ...

BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz

1 week ago
Funding confirmed for second Ashburton Bridge

The Government has welcomed decisions by the NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) and Ashburton District Council confirming funding to boost resilience in the Canterbury region, with construction on a second Ashburton Bridge expected to begin in 2026, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Delivering a second Ashburton Bridge to improve resilience and ...

BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz

1 week ago
Government boosts support for avian influenza response

The Government is backing the response into high pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) in Otago, Biosecurity Minister Andrew Hoggard says. “Cabinet has approved new funding of $20 million to enable MPI to meet unbudgeted ongoing expenses associated with the H7N6 response including rigorous scientific testing of samples at the enhanced PC3 ...

BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz

1 week ago
Levelling the playing field for media advertising

Legislation that will repeal all advertising restrictions for broadcasters on Sundays and public holidays has passed through first reading in Parliament today, Media Minister Paul Goldsmith says. “As a growing share of audiences get their news and entertainment from streaming services, these restrictions have become increasingly redundant. New Zealand on ...

BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz

1 week ago
Inspector-General of Defence appointed

Today the House agreed to Brendan Horsley being appointed Inspector-General of Defence, Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith says. “Mr Horsley’s experience will be invaluable in overseeing the establishment of the new office and its support networks. “He is currently Inspector-General of Intelligence and Security, having held that role since June 2020. ...

BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz

1 week ago
Fire and Emergency New Zealand final levy rates confirmed

Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says the Government has agreed to the final regulations for the levy on insurance contracts that will fund Fire and Emergency New Zealand from July 2026. “Earlier this year the Government agreed to a 2.2 percent increase to the rate of levy. Fire ...

BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz

1 week ago
More AML relief on the way for Kiwi businesses

The Government is delivering regulatory relief for New Zealand businesses through changes to the Anti-Money Laundering and Countering Financing of Terrorism Act. “The Anti-Money Laundering and Countering Financing of Terrorism Amendment Bill, which was introduced today, is the second Bill – the other being the Statutes Amendment Bill - that ...

BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz

1 week ago
Hawke’s Bay Expressway moving at pace

Transport Minister Simeon Brown has welcomed further progress on the Hawke’s Bay Expressway Road of National Significance (RoNS), with the NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) Board approving funding for the detailed design of Stage 1, paving the way for main works construction to begin in late 2025.“The Government is moving at ...

BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz

1 week ago
Government seeks partnerships to plant trees on Crown-owned-land

The Government today released a request for information (RFI) to seeking interest in partnerships to plant trees on Crown-owned land with low farming and conservation value (excluding National Parks) Forestry Minister Todd McClay announced. “Planting trees on Crown-owned land will drive economic growth by creating more forestry jobs in our regions, providing more wood ...

BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz

1 week ago
Wide ranging legislation to make justice system more efficient

Court timeliness, access to justice, and improving the quality of existing regulation are the focus of a series of law changes introduced to Parliament today by Associate Minister of Justice Nicole McKee. The three Bills in the Regulatory Systems (Justice) Amendment Bill package each improve a different part of the ...

BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz

1 week ago
Diverse skills in community trust appointments

A total of 41 appointments and reappointments have been made to the 12 community trusts around New Zealand that serve their regions, Associate Finance Minister Shane Jones says. “These trusts, and the communities they serve from the Far North to the deep south, will benefit from the rich experience, knowledge, ...

BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz

1 week ago
Torture redress for survivors of the Lake Alice Unit

The Government has confirmed how it will provide redress to survivors who were tortured at the Lake Alice Psychiatric Hospital Child and Adolescent Unit (the Lake Alice Unit). “The Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care found that many of the 362 children who went through the Lake Alice Unit between 1972 and ...

BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz

1 week ago
A busy year in the House

It has been a busy, productive year in the House as the coalition Government works hard to get New Zealand back on track, Leader of the House Chris Bishop says. “This Government promised to rebuild the economy, restore law and order and reduce the cost of living. Our record this ...

BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz

1 week ago
Consultation opens on working with engineered stone

“Accelerated silicosis is an emerging occupational disease caused by unsafe work such as engineered stone benchtops. I am running a standalone consultation on engineered stone to understand what the industry is currently doing to manage the risks, and whether further regulatory intervention is needed,” says Workplace Relations and Safety Minister ...

BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz

1 week ago
Greater reporting on Treaty settlement commitments

Mehemea he pai mō te tangata, mahia – if it’s good for the people, get on with it. Enhanced reporting on the public sector’s delivery of Treaty settlement commitments will help improve outcomes for Māori and all New Zealanders, Māori Crown Relations Minister Tama Potaka says. Compiled together for the ...

BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz

1 week ago
New appointments to the Charities Registration Board

Mr Roger Holmes Miller and Ms Tarita Hutchinson have been appointed to the Charities Registration Board, Community and Voluntary Sector Minister Louise Upston says. “I would like to welcome the new members joining the Charities Registration Board. “The appointment of Ms Hutchinson and Mr Miller will strengthen the Board’s capacity ...

BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz

1 week ago
Building consent processing times improve

More building consent and code compliance applications are being processed within the statutory timeframe since the Government required councils to submit quarterly data, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says. “In the midst of a housing shortage we need to look at every step of the build process for efficiencies ...

BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz

1 week ago
Faster access to support through Innovation Fund

Mental Health Minister Matt Doocey is proud to announce the first three recipients of the Government’s $10 million Mental Health and Addiction Community Sector Innovation Fund which will enable more Kiwis faster access to mental health and addiction support. “This fund is part of the Government’s commitment to investing in ...

BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz

1 week ago
New Zealand to assist Vanuatu on earthquake response

New Zealand is providing Vanuatu assistance following yesterday's devastating earthquake, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says. "Vanuatu is a member of our Pacific family and we are supporting it in this time of acute need," Mr Peters says. "Our thoughts are with the people of Vanuatu, and we will be ...

BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz

1 week ago
Government takes steps to reduce card fees for Kiwis

The Government welcomes the Commerce Commission’s plan to reduce card fees for Kiwis by an estimated $260 million a year, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly says.“The Government is relentlessly focused on reducing the cost of living, so Kiwis can keep more of their hard-earned income and live a ...

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1 week ago
Review recommends ECE regulation shakeup

Regulation Minister David Seymour has welcomed the Early Childhood Education (ECE) regulatory review report, the first major report from the Ministry for Regulation. The report makes 15 recommendations to modernise and simplify regulations across ECE so services can get on with what they do best – providing safe, high-quality care ...

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1 week ago

Fiji’s PM dismisses Tabuya as Minister for Women and Children

RNZ Pacific Fiji MP Lynda Tabuya has been dismissed as the country’s Minister for Women, Children and Social Protection. Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka said in a statement that in light of the recent events concerning the conduct of Lynda Tabuya, and in consideration of: the Oath she has taken ...

Evening ReportBy Asia Pacific Report

7 hours ago
‘Block’ resignation over riots recovery plan topples New Caledonia’s government

By Patrick Decloitre, RNZ Pacific correspondent, French Pacific desk New Caledonia’s territorial government has been toppled on Christmas Eve, due to a mass resignation within its ranks. Environment and Sustainable Development Minister Jérémie Katidjo-Monnier said he was resigning from the cabinet, with immediate effect. Katidjo-Monnier was the sole representative from ...

Evening ReportBy Asia Pacific Report

7 hours ago
Like your pet more than people? So did some of the Greco-Romans

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Konstantine Panegyres, McKenzie Postdoctoral Fellow, researching Greco-Roman antiquity, The University of Melbourne Jacques Mossot/Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA The Roman writer Claudius Aelian (2nd–3rd century CE) tells us a curious story about a boy and a pet snake: A boy bought ...

Evening ReportBy The Conversation

10 hours ago
From the Big Bogan to Larry the Lobster, why do towns build Big Things?

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Amy Clarke, Senior Lecturer in History, specialising in built heritage and material culture, University of the Sunshine Coast Big Things first appeared in Australia in the 1960s, beginning with the Big Scotsman (1962) in Medindie, South Australia, the Big Banana (1964) in ...

Evening ReportBy The Conversation

10 hours ago
We don’t all need regular skin cancer screening – but you can know your risk and check yourself

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By H. Peter Soyer, Professor of Dermatology, The University of Queensland Pixel-Shot/Shutterstock Australia has one of the highest skin cancer rates globally, with nearly 19,000 Australians diagnosed with invasive melanoma – the most lethal type of skin cancer – each year. ...

Evening ReportBy The Conversation

10 hours ago
Children can be more vulnerable in the heat. Here’s how to protect them this summer

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Wen-Qiang He, Research Fellow in Biostatistics and Epidemiology, Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of Sydney maxim ibragimov/Shutterstock Extreme heat is increasingly common in Australia and around the world and besides making us uncomfortable, it can harm our health. For example, ...

Evening ReportBy The Conversation

10 hours ago
Dogs and cats get diabetes too. Here’s what to look out for and how to manage it

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jacquie Rand, Emeritus Professor of Companion Animal Health, The University of Queensland Elena Vorman/Shutterstock Learning a pet has diabetes can be a shock. Sadly, about 20% of diabetic cats and dogs are euthanised within a year of diagnosis due to the ...

Evening ReportBy The Conversation

10 hours ago
Sport produces mountains of high-tech waste. We are finding new ways to recycle it

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ali Hadigheh, Senior Lecturer, Structural Engineering, University of Sydney Pavel1964/Shutterstock In the early days of the modern Olympics and Paralympics, athletes competed using heavy, non-aerodynamic equipment. The record for throwing a javelin, for instance, has almost doubled since 1908, when the ...

Evening ReportBy The Conversation

10 hours ago
Regular lessons have paused – but your kids should still practise their swimming this summer

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Amy Peden, NHMRC Research Fellow, School of Population Health & co-founder UNSW Beach Safety Research Group, UNSW Sydney MarKord/Shutterstock Many swimming schools have temporarily closed for the summer holidays. But this doesn’t mean you should take a break from helping ...

Evening ReportBy The Conversation

10 hours ago
From Cleopatra to Wellington, leaders have always taxed beer. But Australia’s system has made beer...

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Anthea Gerrard, Assistant Professor of Law, Bond University ELEVATE/Pexels Beer has existed for thousands of years. It was the drink of choice in ancient Egypt, in northern Europe in the Middle Ages and, of course, remains popular around the world ...

Evening ReportBy The Conversation

10 hours ago
Australia has a remarkable history of outdoor cinema. Here’s why Netflix will never beat it

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ruari Elkington, Senior Lecturer in Creative Industries & Chief Investigator at QUT Digital Media Research Centre (DMRC), Queensland University of Technology Dendy Powerhouse Outdoor Cinema In December 1916, as war raged in Europe, an entrepreneurial pearl diver took a chance on ...

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10 hours ago
‘One hell of a shock’: Why not everyone wants flowers from David Lomas

Alex Casey chats to David Lomas about the art of finding needles in haystacks. The Spinoff needs to double the number of paying members we have to continue telling these kinds of stories. Please read our open letter and sign up to be a member today. There are around 100 ...

The SpinoffBy Alex Casey

12 hours ago
What I write about when I write about mermaids

Summer reissue: Megan Dunn’s mer-moir, The Mermaid Chronicles, is an immersive, moving and funny search for the meaning of mermaids and the anchors of interests and family in the ebb and flow of life. The Spinoff needs to double the number of paying members we have to continue telling these ...

The SpinoffBy Megan Dunn

13 hours ago
Reviewing the very first episode of bro’Town, 20 years on

Summer reissue: The groundbreaking show has had mixed reviews over the past two decades. Madeleine Chapman revisits a classic. The Spinoff needs to double the number of paying members we have to continue telling these kinds of stories. Please read our open letter and sign up to be a member ...

The SpinoffBy Madeleine Chapman

13 hours ago
Can NYC ever live up to the hype?

Summer reissue: After three decades of inhaling American-dominated, disproportionately New York-based media, Sharon Lam’s first time in the city became a traipse through a collage of movie sets rather than any real place. The Spinoff needs to double the number of paying members we have to continue telling these kinds ...

The SpinoffBy Sharon Lam

14 hours ago
Selling security, delivering anxiety: The rise of home surveillance cameras

Summer reissue: Why do so many of us install security cameras – and are they breaching other people’s rights? The Spinoff needs to double the number of paying members we have to continue telling these kinds of stories. Please read our open letter and sign up to be a member ...

The SpinoffBy Gabi Lardies

14 hours ago
Newsroom daily quiz, Friday 27 December

Loading…(function(i,s,o,g,r,a,m){var ql=document.querySelectorAll('A[data-quiz],DIV[data-quiz]'); if(ql){if(ql.length){for(var k=0;k<ql.length;k++){ql[k].id='quiz-embed-'+k;ql[k].href="javascript:var i=document.getElementById('quiz-embed-"+k+"');try{qz.startQuiz(i)}catch(e){i.start=1;i.style.cursor='wait';i.style.opacity='0.5'};void(0);"}}};i['QP']=r;i[r]=i[r]||function(){(i[r].q=i[r].q||[]).push(arguments)},i[r].l=1*new Date();a=s.createElement(o),m=s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];a.async=1;a.src=g;m.parentNode.insertBefore(a,m)})(window,document,'script','https://take.quiz-maker.com/3012/CDN/quiz-embed-v1.js','qp');Got a good quiz question? Send Newsroom your questions.The post Newsroom daily quiz, Friday 27 December appeared first on Newsroom. ...

NewsroomBy Newsroom Puzzles

14 hours ago
Daily crossword, Friday 27 December

The post Daily crossword, Friday 27 December appeared first on Newsroom. ...

NewsroomBy Newsroom Puzzles

14 hours ago
Hopes versus expectations for ALL survivors

This year has been a big one for me personally and professionally. The firm won the Litigation and Disputes Resolution Firm of the year award on November 28 and I was an Excellence Finalist in the category of firm leader for a firm with under 100 staff. I was also ...

NewsroomBy Sonja Cooper

19 hours ago
2024, the year of the election

Opinion: In 2024, 64 countries were scheduled to hold different types of national elections this year for an array of offices.Some of these, of course, were more democratic than others, but it made for a bumper year for election nerds like me.Incumbents had a bad year – more than three ...

NewsroomBy Michael Swanson

19 hours ago
Five journalists killed by Israeli air strike near hospital – media watchdogs condemn killings

Pacific Media Watch Five Palestinian journalists have been killed in a new Israeli strike near a hospital in central Gaza after four reporters were killed last week, reports Al Jazeera citing authorities and media in the besieged enclave. The journalists from the Al-Quds Today channel were covering events near al-Awda ...

Evening ReportBy Asia Pacific Report

21 hours ago
Powerful 7.3 magnitude quake strikes Vanuatu – serious damage in Vila

RNZ Pacific A large 7.3 magnitude earthquake has struck off the coast of Vanuatu’s capital Port Vila , shortly after 3pm NZT today. The US Geological Survey says the quake was recorded at a depth of 10 km (6.21 miles). Locals have been sharing footage of serious damage to infrastructure ...

Evening ReportBy Asia Pacific Report

1 day ago
Cardinal David slams Israel, says Jesus would have been born in Gaza

By Victor Barreiro Jr in Manila Cardinal Pablo Virgilio David, bishop of Kalookan, has condemned the state of Israel on Christmas Eve for its relentless attacks on Gaza that have killed tens of thousands of Palestinians. “I can’t think of any other people in the world who live in darkness ...

Evening ReportBy Asia Pacific Report

1 day ago
Publisher tells of storytelling and its role in shaping Fiji’s identity

By Cheerieann Wilson in Suva Veteran journalist and editor Stanley Simpson has spoken about the enduring power of storytelling and its role in shaping Fiji’s identity. Reflecting on his journey at the launch of FijiNikua, a magazine launched by Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka on Christmas Eve, Simpson shared personal anecdotes ...

Evening ReportBy Asia Pacific Report

1 day ago
All 29 road tunnels in New Zealand ranked from worst to best

Summer reissue: From the unstable and drippy to the hi-tech and pretty, here’s our ranking of all the tunnels you can drive through in this country. The Spinoff needs to double the number of paying members we have to continue telling these kinds of stories. Please read our open letter ...

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1 day ago
A life story

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The SpinoffBy David Hill

1 day ago
‘The mission is clearly possible’: On watching every single Tom Cruise movie ever made

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The SpinoffBy Caroline Shepherd

2 days ago
A trip to the beach with the poo detectives

Summer reissue: In recent years, checking online for a green tick has become a necessary habit for Aucklanders heading to the beach. Shanti Mathias tags along with the team tasked with testing the water for pollution – and figuring out how to stop it. The Spinoff needs to double the ...

The SpinoffBy Shanti Mathias

2 days ago
Who killed the Johnsonville mall?

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The SpinoffBy Joel MacManus

2 days ago
Daily crossword, Thursday 26 December

The post Daily crossword, Thursday 26 December appeared first on Newsroom. ...

NewsroomBy Newsroom Puzzles

2 days ago
Newsroom daily quiz, Thursday 26 December

Loading…(function(i,s,o,g,r,a,m){var ql=document.querySelectorAll('A[data-quiz],DIV[data-quiz]'); if(ql){if(ql.length){for(var k=0;k<ql.length;k++){ql[k].id='quiz-embed-'+k;ql[k].href="javascript:var i=document.getElementById('quiz-embed-"+k+"');try{qz.startQuiz(i)}catch(e){i.start=1;i.style.cursor='wait';i.style.opacity='0.5'};void(0);"}}};i['QP']=r;i[r]=i[r]||function(){(i[r].q=i[r].q||[]).push(arguments)},i[r].l=1*new Date();a=s.createElement(o),m=s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];a.async=1;a.src=g;m.parentNode.insertBefore(a,m)})(window,document,'script','https://take.quiz-maker.com/3012/CDN/quiz-embed-v1.js','qp');Got a good quiz question? Send Newsroom your questions. .wp-block-newspack-blocks-homepage-articles article .entry-title { font-size: 1.2em; } .wp-block-newspack-blocks-homepage-articles .entry-meta { display: flex; flex-wrap: wrap; align-items: center; margin-top: 0.5em; } .wp-block-newspack-blocks-homepage-articles article .entry-meta { font-size: 0.8em; } .wp-block-newspack-blocks-homepage-articles article .avatar { height: 25px; width: ...

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2 days ago
Digging up dirt in our own wee patch

Comment: I’ve been digging up dirt over the past few weekends. I plan to dig up more over summer.As global geo-politics heats up, I’ve impulsively turned to tending my wee patch of the world. The world is complex and messy. But I’m determined my quarter acre won’t be. Apparently, this is ...

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2 days ago
Seymour takes aim at politics, the media, and economic recovery

Winston Peters was 47 when he founded NZ First. David Seymour is 41. “It’s probably unlikely I’ll still be in Parliament when I’m 47,” he tells Newsroom.“I always said, I have no intention of being a Member of Parliament when I’m 70-something.”In saying that, Seymour has already exceeded his own ...

NewsroomBy Laura Walters

2 days ago
Gaza Christians pray for end of Israeli war’s ‘death and destruction’

Asia Pacific Report Silent Night is a well-known Christmas carol that tells of a peaceful and silent night in Bethlehem, referring to the first Christmas more than 2000 years ago. It is now 2024, and it was again a silent night in Bethlehem last night, reports Al Jazeera’s Nisa Ibrahim. ...

Evening ReportBy Asia Pacific Report

2 days ago
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon shares Christmas message

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Radio NZ – political

2 days ago
From dead galaxies to mysterious red dots, here’s what the James Webb telescope has found in just ...

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2 days ago
Returning to a different New Zealand after 32 years away

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The SpinoffBy Loveni S Enari

3 days ago
I survived five hours on Christchurch’s first murder mystery train ride

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3 days ago
The need for speed: What I learnt competing in an online jigsaw puzzle competition

Summer reissue: Speed puzzling is like a marathon for the mind – intense, demanding, surprisingly exhausting. But does turning it into a sport destroy it as a relaxing pastime? The Spinoff needs to double the number of paying members we have to continue telling these kinds of stories. Please read ...

The SpinoffBy Calum Henderson

3 days ago
The complete top 100 NZ TV shows of the 21st Century

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3 days ago

Key’s statement to Parliament

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