Labour crushes election – now what?

Written By: - Date published: 8:58 am, October 18th, 2020 - 79 comments
Categories: greens, jacinda ardern, labour, national - Tags:

This is a truly remarkable result.  Not in my wildest dreams did I think that Labour would gain a majority.  I thought the good old kiwi habit of wanting to share the love around would prevent this from being achieved.

The electorate map is now a sea of red.  Can I claim bragging rights by pointing out that I predicted that National could go down to 25 electorate seats.  They ended up with 26 with Whangarei being, remarkably, still a possible loss.

I thought that Hamilton East, Hamilton West, Invercargill, Northcote, Otaki, and even Upper Harbour could be vulnerable.  Only Invercargill stayed blue.

In the most satisfying result Gerry Brownlee was defeated in Ilam.  Christchurch is now completely red.

The Greens also did well.  Chloe Swarbrick winning Auckland Central.  It seems that a more senior leadership role for her is just a matter of when.  The party gained 10 MPs.  This is especially significant given that it is the only support party to increase its MMP share in the following election in the country’s history.

I do hope they manage to get one more seat so that Steve Abel can make it.  He is just the sort of representative that we need in these times of climate change.

The big issue will be should Labour seek to govern alone or should they enter into a coalition or arrangement with the Greens or the Maori Party?

There is one problem.  The Maori Party seat is not in the bag yet and specials need to be counted.  Last election Tamati Coffey improved his majority by 418 votes after special votes were counted.  Rawiri Waititi’s current majority is 415.  This could be close.  I can’t see Labour wanting to negotiate any support agreement until the result is known.

The Green negotiation will be more complex.  My personal preference is that they enter into a formal coalition.  The Greens will give the Government much needed focus on climate change and transport.

Overall this election was a significant move to the left.  No pressure but Labour and the Greens have the mandate to achieve dramatic and fundamental change.

Micky Savage and the first Labour Government changed New Zealand for the better.

Jacinda Ardern and the sixth Labour and hopefully Green Government now have the mandate to do the same.

Let’s keep moving.

79 comments on “Labour crushes election – now what? ”

  1. Tricledrown 1

    Collins fat shaming was the last straw she has to take personal responsibility for this disaster.

  2. James 2

    I rarely come on here anymore – mainly because it’s the same few people arguing the same things and well, it became very boring.

    but I thought I’d pop in and lose gracefully.

    As a National supporter last night hurt. But wasn’t surprised as the party really did bring this on its self.

    so what next? three years of rebuilding. Although it may take longer – our party is in a mess. I’m picking Mitchell for the next leader.

    Congratulations to Jacinda and team. I don’t like it but wish them the very best and hope they do good for NZ.

    • mickysavage 2.1

      Thanks James. If National sorts itself out it will be back. But it will have to become more urban liberal friendly.

      • Morrissey 2.1.1

        It will have to start supporting popular measures like…. oh, stopping massive farming operations from polluting our water, and supporting fair pay for workers….

    • RosieLee 2.2

      Mitchell's back story is just about on a par with Collins'.

    • Ad 2.3

      James it's great to have your voice here and you're not boring.

      There will be a lot of people really concerned about the policy ambition of a strong Labour-Green government.

      It's up to the PM and her leadership team to ensure they land this well without a note of triumphalism.

    • Morrissey 2.4

      I rarely come on here anymore…

      So where do you go now? Kiwiblog? Not the most upbeat place at the moment, one imagines. crying

    • weka 2.5

      nice one James.

    • Wensleydale 2.6

      There is honour in losing gracefully, James. We've all had to accept our fair share of dead rats over the years, and it's always disheartening. National will be back. Hopefully, their later incarnations will be considerably less unpleasant.

      • Morrissey 2.6.1

        Hopefully, their later incarnations will be considerably less unpleasant.

        Now there's an optimistic statement.

    • roy cartland 2.7

      National could start by becoming an actual "national" party, as in for the good of the whole nation, rather than winners and losers. I'd consider voting for them if they did.

    • Drowsy M. Kram 2.8

      Thanks James – we must never forget that stunning victories like this are only possible because there is an opposition. Enjoy the game.

    • Sacha 2.9

      Thank you.

  3. Tricledrown 3

    Magnanomous James

  4. Anker 4
    • Yes magnanimous James. I think we all know how you are feeling on today.

    mark Mitchell not taking too much responsibility for their own defeat.

    if anyone says that Jacinda got an advantage because of Covid I will scream! It wasn’t covid that got Labour re-elected. It was Jacinda and her teams response to covid that allowed kiwis to see their stunning competence

    • froggleblocks 4.1

      So what you're saying is that they got an advantage because of COVID.

      • Immigrant 4.1.1

        How the government dealt with covid is what they picked the rewards for. Had they not achieved so well, this election would have had a very different outcome….because of covid.

        I suggest that a different government (just imagine Brownlee managing the border!) Would have suffered a huge loss because of covid. (if we'd even had an election)

        Nicky Kay (and others) going on and on about the reason her party lost so dramatically was a result of covid, is ridiculous and o, so simplistic.

  5. ScottGN 5

    Labour majority govt. C & S with the Greens and they get ministries outside cabinet.

    But that means some Labour ministers are going to have to step up real fast.

    • Draco T Bastard 5.1

      Under present conditions if Labour form a government with the Greens then the Greens need ministers inside cabinet. And that would apply even if they're only associate ministers.

  6. Treetop 6

    The policies which align well with Labour and the Green Party will do well.

    The opposition need to start being realistic when it comes to being taken seriously so they are believable and relevant.

    I want to see some changes in the cabinet and for cabinet ministers to be more accessible for people with complex cases where the legislation is not fit for purpose.

  7. swordfish 7

    .
    Advance Vote … Vs … Election Day Vote

    Lab …… 51.0% ……………. 45.2%

    Green … 8.1% ……………… 6.4%

    (L+G) …. 59.1% ……………. 51.6%

    Nat …… 25.5% ……………. 30.3%

    ACT ……. 7.5% ………………. 9.3%

    (N+A) …. 33.0% ……………. 39.6%

    NZF ……. 2.3% ………………. 3.5%

    According to calculations conducted by my own fair hands.

  8. Cricklewood 8

    Let's see now how left this Labour party really is now Winston is out of the picture.

    Start unpicking Rogernomics?

    Unpick the Bradford reforms and nationalize electricity?

    Kick Ruthenasia for touch and restore benefits to a liveable amount?

    Proper tax reform?

    Now is the time and the mandate us clear.

  9. joe90 9

    Results in the true blue booths of south Taranaki and local knobs rocks shows just how unpopular Harete Hipango was in Whanganui.

    https://www.electionresults.govt.nz/statistics/pdf/62_ElectionDay.pdf

  10. Stuart Munro 10

    Well, if Labour were awaiting a mandate they've run out of excuses.

    Particularly pleased to see Chloe made it – gives the Greens a bit more heft.

    Even the resurgence of the Maori party is healthy – the issues dear to their constituency cannot be neglected with impunity.

    Smart transformation for a probably warmer post-Covid world looks like the job. Vanity projects like hydrogen are best shelved, and massive infrastructure concepts like Onslow need to be weighed very carefully – they're not a magic bullet.

    The management of transitions is always challenging. Moving away from a dependence on commodity production and cheap third world labour, and real estate bubbles, to make creative use of our skills and assets. Planning sensible production strategies for a warmer drier climate might be a good investment, as would restoring rivers instead of greenwashing the status quo.

    Above all, avoid tragic compromises.

  11. Was indeed a spectacular win, I had a gut feeling it would go this way, including the Greens gaining around 9-10 seats and Chloe's amazing taking of Auckland Central. But now the work begins on that 'transformational' thing. Has this govt got the consensus and the spine to truly dismantle neo liberalism, – or even its most pernicious aspects? Will it risk forming a coalition purely so the Greens and / or the Maori party can fill the role of scapegoat that was left by NZ Firsts demise from parliament? And one can suspect, if this govt does not fulfill its promises, and merely extends its promises to hope 'sometime in the future',…it risks that being translated into a far less spectacular political appeal at the ballot box in 2023…

  12. Sanctuary 12

    My thoughts

    1/ the end of a style of dirty politics that began with Muldoon and ended with the total rejection of Collins

    2/ The end of the road for the credibility of huge swath of MSM punditry. Too many of the commentariat were shown up to be out of touch and out of time.

    3/ On the MSM in general were big losers. An obsession with horse race politics and gotchas was exposed as totally out of sync with the public mood they pretend to know and interpret. Their should be some serious re-thinking of the click bait driven race to the bottom, heavy on reckons media stytle but the problem then is the business model is no longer viable – so what else?

    4/ 85% or so turn out with on the day enrollment and easy voting means a youthquake most likely happened – Chloe is the best evidence of that but Jacinda surely benefited as well.

    5/ The neoliberal settlement is basically dead. National have to go away and update their policies for the 21st century and permanent austerity and a fetish on doing less with more to fund tax cuts is now no longer politically viable.

    • woodart 12.1

      good post sanctuary. media need to learn they are there to REPORT the news, NOT make the news. good point about a youthquake. will be interesting to see the amount of young voters this election. think the nats have got huge problems going forward with very limited appeal to a changing ,more diverse population.after last night, there lineup is even more pale,stale and male.

      • roy cartland 12.1.1

        Very good points, sanc. Given the youth quake possibility, they should factor this in to their progressive planning. Less need to try to please that fusty 'centre', as millennials (with millennial ideas on climate etc) will be a much more powerful voting bloc in 2023.

    • Draco T Bastard 12.2

      …but the problem then is the business model is no longer viable – so what else?

      Capitalism has the answer – private style MSM dies with a whimper.

      Time to go back to state funded journalism that only reports the truth and the facts. No opinions, no entertainment – just the facts and the research.

      Let the private media try to get by on failing entertainment.

      The neoliberal settlement is basically dead.

      It would be nice if the new government acted on that fact but Labour has shown that neo-liberalism is embedded in its bones despite Ardern saying that capitalism failed.

    • Gabby 12.3

      The Dirty Politickers will take the learnings that they have to lie bigger and smear harder, of course. If Hammish Proz and Democracymuck don't give themselves strokes at the exact same time I will be surprised.

    • newsense 12.4

      Think 1, 2 and 5 are not on the money.

  13. Bazza64 13

    Well done to Jacinda & the team. Act also did well & got my vote, I would have voted for National but thought a lot of what David Seymour did re the euthanasia bill & ensuring we continue to have free speech is worth backing.

    It may be that without Labour needing the greens to pass legislation the new government may be slightly more centrist than if the greens were required. There was some talk of National supporters voting Labour as a strategic vote against the greens, but in reality I think most voters trusted Jacinda & liked the fact that she really connected with the people.

    Judith was just a bit too matronly for most people, but I had to agree with her comment about weight loss being a personal issue.

    The big shock was the rural areas that were always safe for National, so definitely a change in the wind.

    • Draco T Bastard 13.1

      Judith was just a bit too matronly for most people

      Matronly:

      1. of, relating to, or having the characteristics of a matron; maturely dignified; stately.
      2. characteristic of or suitable for a matron.

      Yeah – no. Definitely does not apply to Collins.

      People are just sick of her Dirty Politics.

  14. @Sanctuary

    4/ 85% or so turn out with on the day enrollment and easy voting means a youthquake most likely happened – Chloe is the best evidence of that but Jacinda surely benefited as well.

    If it is true that a youthquake occurred that is wonderful news. That young people have been captured by not only Aderns magnetism and her party but also Chloe Swarbrick and the Greens. It was a magnificent thing to see Swarbricks controlled excitement last night and she demonstrated quite an assertive and insightful determination for the future. I think she will do Auckland Central, and the Greens exceedingly well.

    5/ The neoliberal settlement is basically dead. National have to go away and update their policies for the 21st century and permanent austerity and a fetish on doing less with more to fund tax cuts is now no longer politically viable.

    I sincerely hope you are right. But there will always be those who benefit from those conditions and will donate to ensure the neo liberal consensus is maintained. These are powerful lobby groups like the NZ Initiative who care not which party is in but only if their politico/ fiscal policy's are enacted. They are the 'sharks' circling the waters in the murky depths…

    I see the only way to dismantle neo liberalism is to do exactly what the 4th Labour govt and Douglas did, -in his view, – '' to keep moving quickly so any opposition has no chance of rallying''. Basically to keep any opposition off balance and ineffectual and basically again , – political Blitzkrieg. Ideally, now is the time, but … we will see.

    In fact, this massive win by Labour has now become their own publicly announced litmus test by which they will be judged on. If they don't perform in the manner expected and announced,.. we will indeed see just what the agenda really has been all along.

    • Draco T Bastard 14.1

      Labour/Greens have the mandate (and it is a true mandate) to undo Rogernomics and start making NZ a place where everyone can prosper and not just the few at the top. And, yes, they need to act as fast as the 4th Labour government did in giving us Rogernomics.

      And that change needs to drop the focus on farming that and be a full, integrated, development of the economy across all sectors. Manufacturing from local resources to supply NZ with what it needs and a little extra for export. R&D to ensure ongoing improvements and an educational emphasis that supports the R&D.

      A massive development that sees the destruction of many jobs as they're replaced by automation but comes with a corresponding increase in jobs in education and R&D.

  15. Mika 15

    I really want to see the Labour government take this incredible mandate and do something truly transformative. Health, housing, and poverty are all in desperate need of addressing. We need to grab this opportunity for substantive change without fear.

  16. swordfish 16

    .
    A few Questions for you avant-garde Auckland Types with your fancy Post-modern Hairdos (if you'd be so kind as to reply at your earliest convenience)

    I'm thinking of looking at the geography of the Vote (incl the swing). Amongst other things, I want to break Auckland down into its constituent regions … (1) Central/City …… (2) East …… (3) West …… (4) South …… (5) North Shore.

    Q1: Where the hell does Panmure-Otahuhu go ? I've tentatively stuck it under Central/City … but seems a liitle bit East & a little bit South as well.

    Q2: Upper HarbourNorth Shore or West ? … (have it under NS at moment)

    Q3: Whangaparaoa .. include in NS ? … otherwise would need to go under Upper NI Provincial

    Q4: Papakura = presumably South ? (given overwhelming majority of voters in this seat are located in southern extreme of Urban Auckland). But clearly larger rural component than other Auckland seats.

    Throw this parochial old Wellingtonian a friggin bone for Chrissakes ! Or I’ll have the Rozzers onto ya.

    • Draco T Bastard 16.1

      Thinking about it, we probably need to move away from the compass directions and actually start referring to areas by their names as each area is more diverse than the four points of the compass allow.

    • Molly 16.2

      Replied on the other post, but after reading DTB's comment agree with him that the division is probably unnecessary.

    • The other thing to dug into would be where the votes came from in Rangitata obviously a large part would have come from the farming community.

  17. Just Is 17

    I found Seymours interview with Tova Obrien a bit unusual, he claimed 10% of his support was from disenfranchised Labour voters, I don't have any faith in his mathematic ability when you consider his percentage of the vote coupled with National you end up with 37%, what you would have expected from National alone.

    Act have simply recieved Nats votes, for obvious reasons.

    The most interesting outcome for me was the fact that in all seats won by National, the voters in each electorate chose Labour in a majority for the party vote, that must have hurt, both Pakatanga and Botany had a huge majority for Labour in the party vote but the candidates won the seats.

    Sad to see Winstons lot go by the wayside, I feel it was semi self inflicted, when you complain about the efforts of a Govt that you were a part of, voters become confused about what they stand for which resulted in low support them.

    • Treetop 17.1

      Now that Seymour has a caucus, I gave it some thought on his party leadership being challenged in a couple of years. Interesting times ahead for Act and a laugh or two along the way for an unprecedented number of new MPs in a political party.

    • Andre 17.2

      … in all seats won by National, the voters in each electorate chose Labour in a majority for the party vote …

      Not quite. National won the party vote in Epsom handily, and just squeaked out party vote wins in Taranaki, Waikato, Tamaki. In these last three the margins are just a few dozen to a few hundred, small enough it's not inconceivable that specials will flip one or more to Labour.

  18. newsense 18

    Lot of talking about not taking the new votes for granted.

    Very important to not take your volunteers, members and long standing voters for granted either or they won't turn up to help you next time. Many Labour voters still remember the 80s and have been patient, but new votes gleaned from National shouldn't be given as a reason to sit still.

    You have to lead and take them with you, not leave us behind.

    • RedBaronCV 18.1

      Yep – looks like around 10% have come across from righter pastures – but that still leaves about 50% further over on the left.
      So there is now no excuse for not taking bolder action.

      My list would be:

      -moving the inequality lever back with a focus on higher taxes and employment laws

      -repurposing government welfare payments by cutting costs like power and rents – so house building and electricity market reforms.

  19. RedBaronCV 19

    And we could all look at any other organisations we belong to and challenge any narratives that belong to the neo lib era. And make sure that they are prioritising training our young etc.

  20. veutoviper 20

    The Green negotiation will be more complex. My personal preference is that they enter into a formal coalition. The Greens will give the Government much needed focus on climate change and transport.

    Micky, that may be your preference, but having watched Ardern's press conference this afternoon after her meeting with a number of her main Cabinet colleagues, I suspect that there may well be no formal negotiations with the Greens re coalition or any other form of agreement.

    Ardern made it very clear that she intends to form a Government within the next 2 – 3 weeks before the final results are known as Labour has a clear mandate to do so and she has discussed this with the GG. While she has had a quick talk with the Green leaders and will talk to them further in the next week, she was pretty clear IMO that Labour will be firmly in control of the makeup of the new Government and its direction, policies etc.

    Here is the link to the video of the press conference, but it does not actually start until 15 minutes in, and JA's part runs until about 33 mins when she hands over to Chris Hipkins to answer questions re the new community case of Covid-19 who tested positive yesterday.

    https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/428621/government-will-be-formed-within-the-next-two-to-three-weeks-jacinda-ardern

    • weka 20.1

      if Labour intend to not negotiate with the Greens, why not form govt this week?

      • Mika 20.1.1

        "if Labour intend to not negotiate with the Greens, why not form govt this week?"

        I read situation more about waiting to see if the Maori Party are in or not, rather than around the Greens.

  21. mikesh 21

    I wondered if their might be any appetite in the new parliament for amending the electoral act to lower the threshold. Since it requires a 75% majority in favour National could, holding 35 seats, block such a move, but would they. In 2023 they may need support from ACT, who could fall below 5%.

    I can't see anyone wanting to change the 'coat tails' provision; or wating to get rid of overhangs.

    • Incognito 21.1

      On the current provisional result, it would make no difference even if the threshold was 3% and the same applies to 2017. The Candidate vote is essentially FPP so as long as one beats the other candidate(s) by one vote one gains a seat. Personally, I think this is inconsistent and it should be changed.

      • mikesh 21.1.1

        A 3% threshold may well have brought about different results in 2017 and 2020.

        • Incognito 21.1.1.1

          How do you work that?

          • hanswurst 21.1.1.1.1

            Probably by reasoning that some voters probably saw, for instance, NZ First on 2.5%, and concluded that a vote for them would be wasted. Such a voter might well think differently if the threshold were 3%.

            • Incognito 21.1.1.1.1.1

              In other words, a shift of votes towards minor parties? That would be a good thing IMO. As it stands, we’ll have only five parties in Parliament, and possibly only four, which will be dominated by Labour. In addition, we’re likely to end up with a single-party Government for three years.

    • froggleblocks 21.2

      Just make it a binding referenda. Difficult for National to argue against that.

  22. Stuart Munro 22

    Cullen has come out with a 'let's do nothing' recommendation no mandate to scare the centre. Odd, since little things like mandates have never troubled neolib Labour at all.

    • greywarshark 22.1

      What a disgraceful POV from Sir Michael Cullen. And Geiringer’s view is no doubt strictly legal. But when you are thinking about law-makers then you have to allow some flexibility. Everyone knows you can’t stand in the street yelling out the amendments needed or you’ll just scare the horses. After introducing neolib Labour can’t go all coy and say it wouldn’t be right not to stick strictly to what we said. Do it while you can, you ,,, write your own description!

      KCMGCan either mean "Knight Cross of the Order of St. Micheal and St. George" or
      "Kindly Call Me God"

      (From "Yes, Minister")
      Bernard Woolley: In the service, CMG stands for Call Me God. And KCMG for Kindly Call Me God.
      Hacker: What does GCMG stand for?
      Bernard: God Calls Me God.
      https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=KCMG

      One of the things that we need to do is to limit the number of times that pollies can stand so that they don't start building their own comfort into their action plans. It's not what about the children, it's what about the citizens who give you power and you don't even try to use it on their behalf.

      • Stuart Munro 22.1.1

        Korean presidents get one term. They have to do it now – no second chances. Partly in response to Park's extended term – but in fact a very healthy rule.

    • UncookedSelachimorpha 23.1

      100%.

      I know a few new / young voters who love Ardern and voted Labour, and they honestly thought Labour will alleviate poverty and lessen inequality etc. Most of them were completely unaware of any actual Labour policy, or of Labour's complete rejection of policies to address inequality such as the Wealth Tax etc. These same voters are actually supportive of things like wealth taxes too!

      I hope Labour will deliver better than their apparent policies and beliefs – you can't address poverty, disadvantage and inequality…..without actually doing something about them.

      Ardern and co handled the Mosque murders and Covid 19 admirably – and that is a good reason to give them a vote. But they are certainly not promising to materially alter poverty and disadvantage in NZ, so far as I can see.

      • greywarshark 23.1.2

        PM Ardern seems so trustworthy and caring – the young ones haven't been disillusioned yet. If PM Jacinda can't get anything done by the end of the first year she ought to resign. It's a waste of time her carrying on putting her health and her parenthood at risk otherwise. She will have done her great achievement by winning twice, and then could leave or threaten to, if Labour wants to sit on its fat bum and not atone for its infantile rush to embrace Treasury's cold dogma.

        But a bustling on with the necessary policies putting people at the centre and rational ideas would mend some holes in belief. Srategy plans that have at the top of the page –

        * What is it we want to achieve, and what is the quickest and cheapest way to start a difference?

        * Can we get a monitoring group of citizens from varied and experienced, knowledgable backgro

        * What will make the most difference, and what are the next two lines that would support the first, and make it even more effective? That sort of 'outcome-based' practical grassroots approach would please those concerned I would think.

  23. Peter 24

    For the average punter was it about a 'significant move to the left?'

    I would have thought that for most it was from relief at the Covid handling, the fact that Judith was seen as a bitch, that being 'trusted with the economy and Hooton' was a joke, that on further reflection the Christchurch rebuild and longstanding cock-ups was too much, that some MPs like some Hamilton ones were dorks, that the 'team' they were in was strong and ready one not a rabble, and so on. And the Ardern factor.

    Next time around could it possibly be that merely having a number of those things different there is a parallel significant move to the right?

  24. Jackel 25

    We on the left should know the deal. Without a serious reworking of capitalism, risky for a small nation like NZ to undertake, the structural inequality embedded within society that we seek to remove will remain. Short of this all that can be done is various redistributive policies and attempts to reach ever receding emissions targets. Transformation, real change and delivery, I wouldn't hold your breath.

  25. Naomi 26

    If Labour intends on becoming a watered-down, slightly kinder centrist party determined to pacify those soft National voters at the expense of its left-wing base, then their biggest opposition in 2021-2023 could well be people like myself.

    Labour truly pissed me off during their campaign by outright rejecting (again) both the CGT and the Greens' wealth tax, which are essential to stop the property speculation madness, increase revenue for public services, and redistribute income to the poorest 50% of Kiwis, who collectively own only 2% of the nation's wealth.

    It's a weak excuse to claim there is insufficient support for such a tax – things have moved on since 2020, and now even mainstream economists are arguing strongly in favour of it.

    So for the first time in my life, I gave my party vote to the Greens in a bid to keep Labour honest and progressive, and I'm certainly not regretting that decision this morning. Perhaps other Labour supporters will regret that they didn't tack further left.

    • Mack 26.1

      Exactly Naomi, we need to get rid of those dumb, reactionary, fat, ugly, filthy rich, cigar huffing, mysoginist, capitalist pigs. oh yes. WHITE capitalist pigs.

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    TL;DR: In my ‘six-stack’ of substacks at 6.06pm on Monday, March 18:IKEA is accused of planting big forests in New Zealand to green-wash; REDD-MonitorA City for People takes a well-deserved victory lap over Wellington’s pro-YIMBY District Plan votes; A City for PeopleSteven Anastasiou takes a close look at the sticky ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    21 hours ago
  • Peters holds his ground on co-governance, but Willis wriggles on those tax cuts and SNA suspension l...
    Buzz from the Beehive Here’s hoping for a lively post-cabinet press conference when the PM and – perhaps – some of his ministers tell us what was discussed at their meeting today. Until then, Point of Order has precious little Beehive news to report after its latest monitoring of the ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    1 day ago
  • Labour’s final report card
    David Farrar writes –  We now have almost all 2023 data in, which has allowed me to update my annual table of how  went against its promises. This is basically their final report card. The promise The result Build 100,000 affordable homes over 10 ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    1 day ago
  • “Drunk Uncle at a Wedding”
    I’m a bit worried that I’ve started a previous newsletter with the words “just when you think they couldn’t get any worse…” Seems lately that I could begin pretty much every issue with that opening. Such is the nature of our coalition government that they seem to be outdoing each ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    1 day ago
  • Wang Yi’s perfectly-timed, Aukus-themed visit to New Zealand
    Geoffrey Miller writes – Timing is everything. And from China’s perspective, this week’s visit by its foreign minister to New Zealand could be coming at just the right moment. The visit by Wang Yi to Wellington will be his first since 2017. Anniversaries are important to Beijing. ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    1 day ago
  • Gordon Campbell on Dune 2, and images of Islam
    Depictions of Islam in Western popular culture have rarely been positive, even before 9/11. Five years on from the mosque shootings, this is one of the cultural headwinds that the Muslim community has to battle against. Whatever messages of tolerance and inclusion are offered in daylight, much of our culture ...
    1 day ago
  • New Rail Operations Centre Promises Better Train Services
    Last week Transport Minster Simeon Brown and Mayor Wayne Brown opened the new Auckland Rail Operations Centre. The new train control centre will see teams from KiwiRail, Auckland Transport and Auckland One Rail working more closely together to improve train services across the city. The Auckland Rail Operations Centre in ...
    1 day ago
  • Bernard's six newsy things at 6.36am on Monday, March 18
    Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Retiring former Labour Finance Minister Grant Robertson said in an exit interview with Q+A yesterday the Government can and should sustain more debt to invest in infrastructure for future generations. Elsewhere in the news in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy at 6:36am: Read more ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 day ago
  • Geoffrey Miller: Wang Yi’s perfectly-timed, Aukus-themed visit to New Zealand
    Timing is everything. And from China’s perspective, this week’s visit by its foreign minister to New Zealand could be coming at just the right moment. The visit by Wang Yi to Wellington will be his first since 2017. Anniversaries are important to Beijing. It is more than just a happy ...
    Democracy ProjectBy Geoffrey Miller
    1 day ago
  • The Kaka’s diary for the week to March 25 and beyond
    TL;DR: The key events to watch in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the week to March 18 include:China’s Foreign Minister visiting Wellington today;A post-cabinet news conference this afternoon; the resumption of Parliament on Tuesday for two weeks before Easter;retiring former Labour Finance Minister Grant Robertson gives his valedictory speech in Parliament; ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 day ago
  • Bitter and angry; Winston First
    New Zealand First Leader Winston Peters’s state-of-the-nation speech on Sunday was really a state-of-Winston-First speech. He barely mentioned any of the Government’s key policies and could not even wholly endorse its signature income tax cuts. Instead, he rehearsed all of his complaints about the Ardern Government, including an extraordinary claim ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    1 day ago
  • 2024 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #11
    A listing of 35 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, March 10, 2024 thru Sat, March 16, 2024. Story of the week This week we'll give you a little glimpse into how we collect links to share and ...
    1 day ago
  • 2024 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #11
    A listing of 35 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, March 10, 2024 thru Sat, March 16, 2024. Story of the week This week we'll give you a little glimpse into how we collect links to share and ...
    1 day ago
  • Out of Touch.
    “I’ve been internalising a really complicated situation in my head.”When they kept telling us we should wait until we get to know him, were they taking the piss? Was it a case of, if you think this is bad, wait till you get to know the real Christopher, after the ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    2 days ago
  • Bring out your Dad
    Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    2 days ago
  • Bring out your Dad
    Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    2 days ago
  • Bring out your Dad
    Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    2 days ago
  • The bewildering world of Chris Luxon – Guns for all, not no lunch for kids
    .“$10 and a target that bleeds” - Bleeding Targets for Under $10!.Thanks for reading Frankly Speaking ! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.This government appears hell-bent on either scrapping life-saving legislation or reintroducing things that - frustrated critics insist - will be dangerous and likely ...
    Frankly SpeakingBy Frank Macskasy
    3 days ago
  • Expert Opinion: Ageing Boomers, Laurie & Les, Talk Politics.
    It hardly strikes me as fair to criticise a government for doing exactly what it said it was going to do. For actually keeping its promises.”THUNDER WAS PLAYING TAG with lightning flashes amongst the distant peaks. Its rolling cadences interrupted by the here-I-come-here-I-go Doppler effect of the occasional passing car. ...
    3 days ago
  • Manufacturing The Truth.
    Subversive & Disruptive Technologies: Just as happened with that other great regulator of the masses, the Medieval Church, the advent of a new and hard-to-control technology – the Internet –  is weakening the ties that bind. Then, and now, those who enjoy a monopoly on the dissemination of lies, cannot and will ...
    3 days ago
  • A Powerful Sensation of Déjà Vu.
    Been Here Before: To find the precedents for what this Coalition Government is proposing, it is necessary to return to the “glory days” of Muldoonism.THE COALITION GOVERNMENT has celebrated its first 100 days in office by checking-off the last of its listed commitments. It remains, however, an angry government. It ...
    3 days ago
  • Can you guess where world attention is focussed (according to Greenpeace)? It’s focussed on an EPA...
    Bob Edlin writes –  And what is the world watching today…? The email newsletter from Associated Press which landed in our mailbox early this morning advised: In the news today: The father of a school shooter has been found guilty of involuntary manslaughter; prosecutors in Trump’s hush-money case ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    3 days ago
  • Further integrity problems for the Greens in suspending MP Darleen Tana
    Bryce Edwards writes – Is another Green MP on their way out? And are the Greens severely tarnished by another integrity scandal? For the second time in three months, the Green Party has secretly suspended an MP over integrity issues. Mystery is surrounding the party’s decision to ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    3 days ago
  • Jacqui Van Der Kaay: Greens’ transparency missing in action
    For the last few years, the Green Party has been the party that has managed to avoid the plague of multiple scandals that have beleaguered other political parties. It appears that their luck has run out with a second scandal which, unfortunately for them, coincided with Golraz Ghahraman, the focus ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    3 days ago
  • Bernard’s Dawn Chorus with six newsey things at 6:46am for Saturday, March 16
    TL;DR: The six newsey things that stood out to me as of 6:46am on Saturday, March 16.Andy Foster has accidentally allowed a Labour/Green amendment to cut road user chargers for plug-in hybrid vehicles, which the Government might accept; NZ Herald Thomas Coughlan Simeon Brown has rejected a plea from Westport ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago
  • How Did FTX Crash?
    What seemed a booming success a couple of years ago has collapsed into fraud convictions.I looked at the crash of FTX (short for ‘Futures Exchange’) in November 2022 to see whether it would impact on the financial system as a whole. Fortunately there was barely a ripple, probably because it ...
    PunditBy Brian Easton
    4 days ago
  • Elections in Russia and Ukraine
    Anybody following the situation in Ukraine and Russia would probably have been amused by a recent Tweet on X NATO seems to be putting in an awful lot of effort to influence what is, at least according to them, a sham election in an autocracy.When do the Ukrainians go to ...
    4 days ago
  • Bernard’s six stack of substacks at 6pm on March 15
    TL;DR: Shaun Baker on Wynyard Quarter's transformation. Magdalene Taylor on the problem with smart phones. How private equity are now all over reinsurance. Dylan Cleaver on rugby and CTE. Emily Atkin on ‘Big Meat’ looking like ‘Big Oil’.Bernard’s six-stack of substacks at 6pm on March 15Photo by Jeppe Hove Jensen ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • Buzz from the Beehive Finance Minister Nicola Willis had plenty to say when addressing the Auckland Business Chamber on the economic growth that (she tells us) is flagging more than we thought. But the government intends to put new life into it:  We want our country to be a ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    4 days ago
  • National’s clean car tax advances
    The Transport and Infrastructure Committee has reported back on the Road User Charges (Light Electric RUC Vehicles) Amendment Bill, basicly rubberstamping it. While there was widespread support among submitters for the principle that EV and PHEV drivers should pay their fair share for the roads, they also overwhelmingly disagreed with ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    4 days ago
  • Government funding bailouts
    Peter Dunne writes – This week’s government bailout – the fifth in the last eighteen months – of the financially troubled Ruapehu Alpine Lifts company would have pleased many in the central North Island ski industry. The government’s stated rationale for the $7 million funding was that it ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • Two offenders, different treatments.
    See if you can spot the difference. An Iranian born female MP from a progressive party is accused of serial shoplifting. Her name is leaked to the media, which goes into a pack frenzy even before the Police launch an … Continue reading ...
    KiwipoliticoBy Pablo
    4 days ago
  • Treaty references omitted
    Ele Ludemann writes  – The government is omitting general Treaty references from legislation : The growth of Treaty of Waitangi clauses in legislation caused so much worry that a special oversight group was set up by the last Government in a bid to get greater coherence in the public service on Treaty ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • The Ghahraman Conflict
    What was that judge thinking? Peter Williams writes –  That Golriz Ghahraman and District Court Judge Maria Pecotic were once lawyer colleagues is incontrovertible. There is published evidence that they took at least one case to the Court of Appeal together. There was a report on ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • Bernard's Top 10 @ 10 'pick 'n' mix' for March 15
    TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: Climate Scorpion – the sting is in the tail. Introducing planetary solvency. A paper via the University of Exeter’s Institute and Faculty of Actuaries.Local scoop: Kāinga Ora starts pulling out of its Auckland projects and selling land RNZ ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • The day Wellington up-zoned its future
    Wellington’s massively upzoned District Plan adds the opportunity for tens of thousands of new homes not just in the central city (such as these Webb St new builds) but also close to the CBD and public transport links. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Wellington gave itself the chance of ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • Weekly Roundup 15-March-2024
    It’s Friday and we’re halfway through March Madness. Here’s some of the things that caught our attention this week. This Week in Greater Auckland On Monday Matt asked how we can get better event trains and an option for grade separating Morningside Dr. On Tuesday Matt looked into ...
    Greater AucklandBy Greater Auckland
    4 days ago
  • That Word.
    Something you might not know about me is that I’m quite a stubborn person. No, really. I don’t much care for criticism I think’s unfair or that I disagree with. Few of us do I suppose.Back when I was a drinker I’d sometimes respond defensively, even angrily. There are things ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    4 days ago
  • The Hoon around the week to March 15
    Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The five things that mattered in Aotearoa’s political economy that we wrote and spoke about via The Kākā and elsewhere for paying subscribers in the last week included:PM Christopher Luxon said the reversal of interest deductibility for landlords was done to help renters, who ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • Labour’s policy gap
    It was not so much the Labour Party but really the Chris Hipkins party yesterday at Labour’s caucus retreat in Martinborough. The former Prime Minister was more or less consistent on wealth tax, which he was at best equivocal about, and social insurance, which he was not willing to revisit. ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    4 days ago
  • Skeptical Science New Research for Week #11 2024
    Open access notables A Glimpse into the Future: The 2023 Ocean Temperature and Sea Ice Extremes in the Context of Longer-Term Climate Change, Kuhlbrodt et al., Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society: In the year 2023, we have seen extraordinary extrema in high sea surface temperature (SST) in the North Atlantic and in ...
    5 days ago
  • Melissa remains mute on media matters but has something to say (at a sporting event) about economic ...
     Buzz from the Beehive   The text reproduced above appears on a page which records all the media statements and speeches posted on the government’s official website by Melissa Lee as Minister of Media and Communications and/or by Jenny Marcroft, her Parliamentary Under-secretary.  It can be quickly analysed ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    5 days ago
  • The return of Muldoon
    For forty years, Robert Muldoon has been a dirty word in our politics. His style of government was so repulsive and authoritarian that the backlash to it helped set and entrench our constitutional norms. His pig-headedness over forcing through Think Big eventually gave us the RMA, with its participation and ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    5 days ago
  • Will the rental tax cut improve life for renters or landlords?
    Bryce Edwards writes –  Is the new government reducing tax on rental properties to benefit landlords or to cut the cost of rents? That’s the big question this week, after Associate Finance Minister David Seymour announced on Sunday that the Government would be reversing the Labour Government’s removal ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • Geoffrey Miller: What Saudi Arabia’s rapid changes mean for New Zealand
    Saudi Arabia is rarely far from the international spotlight. The war in Gaza has brought new scrutiny to Saudi plans to normalise relations with Israel, while the fifth anniversary of the controversial killing of Jamal Khashoggi was marked shortly before the war began on October 7. And as the home ...
    Democracy ProjectBy Geoffrey Miller
    5 days ago
  • Racism’s double standards
    Questions need to be asked on both sides of the world Peter Williams writes –   The NRL Judiciary hands down an eight week suspension to Sydney Roosters forward Spencer Leniu , an Auckland-born Samoan, after he calls Ezra Mam, Sydney-orn but of Aboriginal and Torres Strait ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • It’s not a tax break
    Ele Ludemann writes – Contrary to what many headlines and news stories are saying, residential landlords are not getting a tax break. The government is simply restoring to them the tax deductibility of interest they had until the previous government removed it. There is no logical reason ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • The Plastic Pig Collective and Chris' Imaginary Friends.
    I can't remember when it was goodMoments of happiness in bloomMaybe I just misunderstoodAll of the love we left behindWatching our flashbacks intertwineMemories I will never findIn spite of whatever you becomeForget that reckless thing turned onI think our lives have just begunI think our lives have just begunDoes anyone ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago
  • Who is responsible for young offenders?
    Michael Bassett writes – At first reading, a front-page story in the New Zealand Herald on 13 March was bizarre. A group of severely intellectually limited teenagers, with little understanding of the law, have been pleading to the Justice Select Committee not to pass a bill dealing with ram ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • Gordon Campbell on National’s fantasy trip to La La Landlord Land
    How much political capital is Christopher Luxon willing to burn through in order to deliver his $2.9 billion gift to landlords? Evidently, Luxon is: (a) unable to cost the policy accurately. As Anna Burns-Francis pointed out to him on Breakfast TV, the original ”rock solid” $2.1 billion cost he was ...
    5 days ago
  • Bernard's Top 10 @ 10 'pick 'n' mix' for March 14
    TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: Jonathon Porritt calling bullshit in his own blog post on mainstream climate science as ‘The New Denialism’.Local scoop: The Wellington City Council’s list of proposed changes to the IHP recommendations to be debated later today was leaked this ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • No, Prime Minister, rents don’t rise or fall with landlords’ costs
    TL;DR: Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said yesterday tenants should be grateful for the reinstatement of interest deductibility because landlords would pass on their lower tax costs in the form of lower rents. That would be true if landlords were regulated monopolies such as Transpower or Auckland Airport1, but they’re not, ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • Cartoons: ‘At least I didn’t make things awkward’
    This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Tom Toro Tom Toro is a cartoonist and author. He has published over 200 cartoons in The New Yorker since 2010. His cartoons appear in Playboy, the Paris Review, the New York Times, American Bystander, and elsewhere. Related: What 10 EV lovers ...
    5 days ago
  • Solving traffic congestion with Richard Prebble
    The business section of the NZ Herald is full of opinion. Among the more opinionated of all is the ex-Minister of Transport, ex-Minister of Railways, ex MP for Auckland Central (1975-93, Labour), Wellington Central (1996-99, ACT, then list-2005), ex-leader of the ACT Party, uncle to actor Antonia, the veritable granddaddy ...
    Greater AucklandBy Patrick Reynolds
    5 days ago
  • I Think I'm Done Flying Boeing
    Hi,Just quickly — I’m blown away by the stories you’ve shared with me over the last week since I put out the ‘Gary’ podcast, where I told you about the time my friend’s flatmate killed the neighbour.And you keep telling me stories — in the comments section, and in my ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    5 days ago
  • Invoking Aristotle: Of Rings of Power, Stones, and Ships
    The first season of Rings of Power was not awful. It was thoroughly underwhelming, yes, and left a lingering sense of disappointment, but it was more expensive mediocrity than catastrophe. I wrote at length about the series as it came out (see the Review section of the blog, and go ...
    6 days ago
  • Van Velden brings free-market approach to changing labour laws – but her colleagues stick to distr...
    Buzz from the Beehive Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Brooke van Velden told Auckland Business Chamber members they were the first audience to hear her priorities as a minister in a government committed to cutting red tape and regulations. She brandished her liberalising credentials, saying Flexible labour markets are the ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago
  • Why Newshub failed
    Chris Trotter writes – TO UNDERSTAND WHY NEWSHUB FAILED, it is necessary to understand how TVNZ changed. Up until 1989, the state broadcaster had been funded by a broadcasting licence fee, collected from every citizen in possession of a television set, supplemented by a relatively modest (compared ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago
  • Māori Party on the warpath against landlords and seabed miners – let’s see if mystical creature...
    Bob Edlin writes  –  The Māori Party has been busy issuing a mix of warnings and threats as its expresses its opposition to interest deductibility for landlords and the plans of seabed miners. It remains to be seen whether they  follow the example of indigenous litigants in Australia, ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago
  • There’s a name for this
    Every year, in the Budget, Parliament forks out money to government agencies to do certain things. And every year, as part of the annual review cycle, those agencies are meant to report on whether they have done the things Parliament gave them that money for. Agencies which consistently fail to ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    6 days ago
  • Echoes of 1968 in 2024?  Pocock on the repetitive problems of the New Left
    Mike Grimshaw writes – Recent events in American universities point to an underlying crisis of coherent thinking, an issue that increasingly affects the progressive left across the Western world. This of course is nothing new as anyone who can either remember or has read of the late ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago
  • Two bar blues
    The thing about life’s little victories is that they can be followed by a defeat.Reader Darryl told me on Monday night:Test again Dave. My “head cold” last week became COVID within 24 hours, and is still with me. I hear the new variants take a bit longer to show up ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    6 days ago
  • Bernard's Top 10 @ 10 'pick 'n' mix' for March 13
    TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: Angus Deaton on rethinking his economics IMFLocal scoop: The people behind Tamarind, the firm that left a $500m cleanup bill for taxpayers at Taranaki’s Tui oil well, are back operating in Taranaki under a different company name. Jonathan ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    6 days ago
  • AT Need To Lift Their Game
    Normally when we talk about accessing public transport it’s about improving how easy it is to get to, such as how easy is it to cross roads in a station/stop’s walking catchment, is it possible to cycle to safely, do bus connections work, or even if are there new routes/connections ...
    6 days ago
  • Christopher's Whopper.
    Politicians are not renowned for telling the truth. Some tell us things that are verifiably not true. They offer statements that omit critical pieces of information. Gloss over risks, preferring to offer the best case scenario.Some not truths are quite small, others amusing in their transparency. There are those repeated ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    6 days ago
  • Funding hole for tax cuts growing by the day
    The pressure is mounting on the Government as it finalises its Budget Policy Statement, but yet more predicted revenue ‘goes missing’. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The Climate Commission has delivered another funding blow to the National-ACT-NZ First coalition Government’s tax-cutting plans, potentially carving $1.4 billion off the ‘climate ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    6 days ago
  • Luxon’s brave climate change promise
    The Government now faces the prospect of having to watch another tax raise the price of petrol when, only six days ago, it abolished the Auckland Regional Fuel tax. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon argued that the regional fuel tax imposed costs on lower-income people with less fuel-efficient vehicles  and that ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    6 days ago

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