Labour’s momentum – Nat’s fall

Written By: - Date published: 9:12 am, August 18th, 2017 - 87 comments
Categories: election 2017, jacinda ardern, labour, polls - Tags: , , , , ,

Last night’s 1 NEWS Colmar Brunton poll confirmed Labour’s momentum and, crucially, showed a fall for National. Jacinda Ardern and Bill English are tied as preferred PM. It’s anyone’s election.

What Jacinda Ardern has accomplished here is nothing short of astonishing. As a one-off bump in the polls it rivals Brash’s infamous Orewa speech. But Ardern’s rise is based on optimism and positivity rather than than racist dog whistles.

Jacinda Ardern has tapped in to the underlying mood for change, and given it a voice.

The Greens will bounce back. Their message is simply too important to be ignored.

87 comments on “Labour’s momentum – Nat’s fall ”

  1. Gabby 1

    She seems to be steering clear of nat rad at the mo. Maybe justifiably wary of Sniggering Guyon, maybe she’s said ‘sure, but after Bingles, not before Jawsie.’

  2. Heather Grimwood 2

    Yes, the Greens will definitely bounce back…the passion of their commitment to urgencies for ecosystem and poverty can only prosper. and of course reinforce desire of all who care /grieve over these topics. Media hype must not be allowed to exaggerate import of their (Greens) recent poll figures.

    • dukeofurl 2.1

      So , you were saying the same thing when Greens were 15% ?
      ‘Media hype must not be allowed to exaggerate import of their (Greens) recent poll figures.”
      The reality is they have lost a lot of supporters, maybe not below 5%, but that could be around that number.
      BTW the media arent saying it, its a reputable poll thats saying it.

      • DSpare 2.1.1

        dou
        That 15% was indeed treated with some scepticism at the time, in retrospect it was probably a rogue with the base support being closer to 12%. That said, there certainly has been a drop in people committed to supporting the GP in the polling period (12-16 August, immediately after Turei standing down as leader before the relaunch had time to be factored). The margin of error for this result would put the GP current support as likely between 2-6%, but many may have been adopting a wait and see approach to the relaunch (responding as undecided and replacing of of the undecideds who committed to Ardern’s Labour).

        About the only good thing from this poll for the Greens is that the trend line has to improve! As falling from 15 to 13 to 8 to 4% ratings in the space of a month would otherwise have them in negative numbers by election day. I fully expect this to be spun as a victory for the relaunch and Shaw.

        • dukeofurl 2.1.1.1

          No it wasnt a rogue.
          Reid Research 13.5, Newshub 13, One News 15. Those are all within the margin of error for those numbers

          Please dont just make stuff up (‘base support being closer to 12%’) when the average of those numbers is close to 14%

          • Dspare 2.1.1.1.1

            dou
            This graphical summary is a good depiction of how the polls indicated party preferences before Ardern took over Labour:

            https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opinion_polling_for_the_New_Zealand_general_election,_2017#/media/File:NZ_opinion_polls_2014-2017-majorparties.png

            It is much the same as the one in the Original Post, but unlike that one; doesn’t yet include the last weeks polls (and does state a mean polling of 12+/-1% for the GP).

            Your sample is highly selective, and doesn’t control for differences in polling techniques. A better baseline selection for GP support would be to start back when Ardern was named deputy, till she became leader of Labour (March to August). This gives us: Roy Morgan; 13.5, 14.0, 14.0, 13.0 & 14.5 (13.8% mean), Newshub Reid Research; 13, 12.5 & 11.2 (12.2%) , One News Colmar Brunton; 15, 11, 9 & 11 (11.5%). This gives a combined mean of 12.6%; which might be slightly higher than the 12% average since last election (though still within the +/-1% range). But the 15% result is certainly; an outlier, if not definitely a rogue.

      • Heather Grimwood 2.1.2

        to dof at 2.1: The media are repeating ad nauseam the results since first poll …. a very small sample. (I feel guilt in partaking of/furthering the conversation.)

    • popexplosion 2.2

      Polling is irrelevant as they don’t reflect split voting. I.e ACT voter says they vote ACT but vote NAT on the list. Greens who vote Green on the list can vote Lab in the electorate. So a true poll, credible and professional, would have the ability to ask for split voting intention. Duh, otherwise it’s a right-wing poll as it collect minor NAT parties, ACT, UF, MP, yet ignores LAB voters who party vote Green or NF.

      • popexplosion 2.2.1

        Greens are denied acces to power by the establishment just look what biased media has done to their pols, had this Ben any other party… Collins, Bridges, high profile ministers who get into bother and everyone tipstoes around them.

  3. Bob 3

    “Jacinda Ardern has tapped in to the underlying mood for change”
    No, she has simply given Labour long overdue media coverage (by making herself available like John Key did) and has done so with policy announcements rather than complaining about what the other guys are doing constantly.

  4. Bearded Git 4

    It is excellent that, despite all of this volatility, TOP has no momentum at all; stuck at 2%. Vote for Gareth and waste your vote-maybe they should change their leader…….

  5. One Two 5

    Preferred Prime Minister..

    Options.

    A fiddling ex PM, or a lightweight careerist…

    Claytons choice for the personality cultists..

    • Kevin 5.1

      In 2008 you had the choice of a lightweight noob.

      And guess how the country voted.

    • red-blooded 5.2

      Ardern is no lightweight, One Two.

      • One Two 5.2.1

        Adern is a complete lightweight who could potentially become Prime Minister..

        None of ‘them’ are fit to run a country, which is why the country in controlled from offshore by the ‘money masters’..

        Adern is a shiney new wheel, the same way Key was back in 2008.

        Lightweights…all of them…unnecessary, accept to minds which are confined by orthodoxy!

        • simbit 5.2.1.1

          How fucken hard is it to run an isolated, well-received country of under 5 million? Don’t diddle your reimbursement, don’t fiddle with any young kids, don’t get drunk in public, get some good advisers around you. Jeez wayne….

  6. Carolyn_nth 6

    Not a lot being said about the shift in un-decided voters between the last 2 polls – from 20% – 13%.

    So, for poll watchers, wouldn’t that mean, not so much a GP collapse in numbers of votes for them, but that there proportion of votes dropped as Labour picked up a lot of undecideds?

    • ScottGN 6.1

      It still amounts to the same thing C_n. If the Greens are to keep their heads above water they need to be taking some of those undecided voters too.

      • Carolyn_nth 6.1.1

        that’s true. And, more importantly pick up some who have given up voting. It’s not the same as the narrative about already committed voters deserting the GP.

        There is surely likely to be some bounce impact from recent positive media coverage of Ardern, at least in the short term.

        And the trouble with such hasty polls, is they are used by many mainstream journalists to promote their narrative, resulting in the publication of the polls further impacting on public opinion.

        A very good reason for restricting publication of polling during an election period.

        • dukeofurl 6.1.1.1

          Do you realise what you are saying ?

          Just because you would rather remain clueless about what the public is saying defies sanity. If it continued to say Greens 15% of course you would be saying ‘love it’

          • marty mars 6.1.1.1.1

            hang on, you are the clueless one

            “And the trouble with such hasty polls, is they are used by many mainstream journalists to promote their narrative, resulting in the publication of the polls further impacting on public opinion.”

            did you read that? Please reread it because it answers your inane comment.

            • dukeofurl 6.1.1.1.1.1

              That section is too silly for words.
              Hasty ? The last one was three weeks ago

              ‘promote their narrative’ ? Thats their job description ‘ commentators who comment’

              They are only saying what the polls results said- Greens out of parliament-

              They could change to 5.5% closer to the election date , will that make you feel better. In reality you dont want polls at all which show Greens voters have moved to other parties.

              • only the very silly or smarmy think the polls are only a record of events – they are used to push the narrative (this is the narrative they want to push because it fits their perception of things). They are used as evidence of things – when really they show the opposite or are unrelated to that which they are evidence for.

                This is well known 101 stuff – I’m surprised you don’t know or understand this dou.

                You seem wedded to the polls – that is silly – do you look at the map, tracing the route and then go, “well that was a nice tramp” of course not – same thing.

                • Dspare

                  marty mars
                  You are correct about polls being used to; “push the narrative”. The problem is that if polls consistently show the GP below 5% they will lose further support because no one wants to waste their vote. That said, a bounce in the polls can be used by Shaw to sell the narrative of the relaunch being sucessful, and it is hard to see how the next poll can be worse (particularly as it is likely to be the Roy Morgan which historically overrates the the Green vote, compared to be CB which underrates it – except for that one 15% outlier).

    • swordfish 6.2

      Not a lot being said about the shift in un-decided voters between the last 2 polls – from 20% – 13%. So, for poll watchers, wouldn’t that mean, not so much a GP collapse in numbers of votes for them, but that there proportion of votes dropped as Labour picked up a lot of undecideds? …

      … It’s not the same as the narrative about already committed voters deserting the GP.

      You may be indulging in a touch of wishful thinking here

      The Greens have plummeted from 15% down to 4% – trust me – that sort of catastrophic loss aint down to falling Undecideds

      (Undecideds incidentally fell from 16% to 9% – the rest were those who Refused to answer)

  7. Sable 7

    I would take these polls with a grain of salt. I would guess the Greens support is substantially better than this and polls only prove that small samples deliver “small opinions”.

    I’m not a Greens supporter but I do wish them well and hope for a change from last grim 9+ years.

    That said we need an unbiased MSM and in my opinion that’s really not the case in NZ anymore.

    • JanM 7.1

      Never was

    • Phil 7.2

      polls only prove that small samples deliver “small opinions”

      Next time you’re getting a blood test from a doctor, ask them to take it all, rather than just one vial. Just to be sure.

      • DoublePlusGood 7.2.1

        Blood is uniform; people are not. You need a better metaphor.

      • Sable 7.2.2

        Yeah blood is measurable definitive polls as the most recent article on this site proves are anything but……

  8. The decrypter 8

    Still to flock over to the jacindaroller are all the browbeaten “twobob tories” women. Once in the secluded ballet box these unfortunates will seek out their saviour. All Aboard ladies.

  9. Enough is Enough 9

    This increases the chance of a Labour NZ First government which isn’t really the change of government I was looking for.

    Granted – better than what we have but not type of government that in my view will deliver the massive reforms we so desperately need

  10. CLEANGREEN 10

    I am a solid convert to Jacinda Ardern at 72yrs old!!!!!!!!!

    I see another strong leader like Helen Clark here, and I was taken by Helen also, so Jacinda could be our saviour along with Winston who was there the last time Labour booted out the nasty Nat’s.

    My families vote is now pretty well cast on a Labour/NZ First win now.

    Which is about it was when we came back home from Canada in 1999 and joined the Greens to get rid of the Nat’s then.

    Green party was then run by a very intelligent group of Sue Kedgley, Sue Bradford, Rod Donald/ Jeannette Fitzsimmons, and they actually was the remaining support party that helped eject the toxic Nat’s in 1999.

    Pretty much a repeat Election result is now happening again now thankfully.

  11. swordfish 11

    Historically, Nat leaders have a tendency to poll higher (& hold a more commanding lead) in the Colmar Brunton Preferred PMs vis-à-vis Reid Research – so – with it all tied up at 30 / 30 in this latest CB – it would nae entirely surprise me if the next RR has Ardern out in front (quite apart from any further momentum)

    • DSpare 11.1

      swordfish

      Do you have any idea when the next Roy Morgan poll results are due out? They have been usually good at getting them out monthly (compared to Colmar Brunton’s haphazard schedule – I guess as 1News commissions them), maybe they are too busy with Australian politics at the moment to bother with NZ.

      • swordfish 11.1.1

        By Sunday at latest, I suspect (though don’t entirely rule out later today – RM have a bit of a penchant for releasing on a Friday)

  12. lurgee 12

    I’m confused. Are polls reliable this week, or unreliable? They seem to be telling us something we want to hear and something we don’t want to hear. I don’t know whether to attack them or not.

    • marty mars 12.1

      the polls are for people that like polls – they bear some resemblance to reality as a map does to the territory – hmmm terror tory – I like that – might try to mapp that one for wayne on one of his comments lol

      • dukeofurl 12.1.1

        What an idiot you are. They-opinion polls- are used for all sorts of things.
        Yes its a poll 5 weeks from the voting date, but for small parties they are fairly accurate

        • marty mars 12.1.1.1

          oh dear you are really struggling aren’t you lol – have a lie down buster before your fu fu valve bursts again

        • left_forward 12.1.1.2

          Just discuss the issue man – all your name calling distracts from everything else you say.

          • lurgee 12.1.1.2.1

            I’m not sure there really was an issue, other than my wry poke at the way some people are completely inconsistent. Polls I like = valid and robust, polls I don’t like = vile heinous lie-mongering.

            Applies to a lot more than polls, of course.

          • simbit 12.1.1.2.2

            I’m embarrassed no ones called me a name. Anally. Root. The pollsters. And Jim was a Catholic. Hmmm, are you still a virgin if…

    • Tracey 12.2

      You probably need another poll to tell you what to think about polls

  13. james 13

    Its all very interesting.

    I think that any green comeback will be at the cost of (primary) labour.

    Having said that – I think they will only come back a little. I think they will get over 5% – but not by a huge amount. 7-8% feels about right.

    Jacinda – Hard to argue that she isn’t going anything other than a bloody good job at the moment.

    • lurgee 13.1

      It’s a bit of an indictment of our political maturity that replacing Little with Ardern leads to a 13% surge. It isn’t like she’s unleashed oddles of awesome policy or promised everyone a Unicorn.

  14. McFlock 14

    The thought occurs that the dirty politics hounds will next be set on Labour in the full frenzy that attacked the Greens. But Labour probably doesn’t have any obvious nat-bait skeletons in the closet (and they sure as fuck won’t volunteer them now).

    So, with the heat elsewhere the greens will recover – maybe not to 15%, but 8-10% feels reasonable.

    Some of that might be at the expense of Labour, but I suspect the nats will be pushing shit up hill unless they can find some genuine dirt. And the effort they waste on Labour is effort the nats aren’t putting into new policies or campaigning ideas.

    Anyone know if the nats are ripping off the Beatles this time?

    edit: but the hounds won’t attack NZ1, because both sides will probably need Winston…

    • Bearded Git 14.1

      Agreed McFlock…and 40+8= a Lab/Gr government without the need for NZF. This could easily happen.

      • lurgee 14.1.1

        Disagree. Where do the votes come from?

        If Labour is to get to 40% and the Greens recover to 8%, that’s another 7-8% needed. Are they really going to steal most of NZ1st’s votes? Or will a chunk of National’s vote suddenly realise that all this time they supported social democracy and / or the environment.

        I’d like it to happen, but I can’t see how it happens.

        But then, I though Ardern might give Labour a boost of 4 or 5%, so what do I know?

    • marty mars 14.2

      yes the gnats want to drop ardern and labour – they could go, “oh we’re the underdogs now” and try and energise their staid fanbase. I can’t see them attacking Ardern – and I bet that is really irking them. So the Greens will recover a bit. Winnie had better drop the toddbomb soon – those texts need to come out and see the light of day.

  15. I don’t think the Greens have suffered terminal damage. There is too much anger on the left spectrum that I think they will be back, but in reduced size. They might get 10 M.P.’s and shed the difference to Labour. Any loss of M.P.’s from National will probably drift towards N.Z. First.

    Labour can get bigger still, but that will require some bold policy releases, such as – and not necessarily suggesting that these policies happen, but as an indicator of the level needed – renationalizing the electricity sector or electrifying the main trunk line as a matter of priority.

    • Tracey 15.1

      Dont be too sure. English can walk on a beach with his wife and make an awful pizza but he has been English for too long. For years he has been the man shutting the wallet shut but suddenly his ego is involved and it is a monster lolly scramble

      • lurgee 15.1.1

        I don’t think we should under estimate the appeal of English’s dull reliability. When Kelvin Davis compared him to a rock my immediate rection was that rocks have many admirable qualities – enduring, weighty, reliable – and these are also qualities people associate with English. He might not be charismatic, but I think people also quite like that. He comes across dull and dependable. It will take a lot to shake that impression – and a lot of the stuff that political obsessives like us are All Fired Up about are not going to register with the electorate at large.

        They say generals are always ready to fight the last war – and I wonder if Labour have finally found, in Ardern, a candidate that might have been useful against John Key. But Bill English presents a different problem, and I’m not sure, yet, if she will prevail against him.

        • Tracey 15.1.1.1

          That is how it was spun. I understood he said he had tthe personality of a rock

          • lurgee 15.1.1.1.1

            Didn’t need spinning. Like I said, it was my gut reaction when I heard it.

            They’ll be calling him Basalt Bill next.

          • In Vino 15.1.1.1.2

            But it reminds me of 1984 when debating face to face, stolid Muldoon was gracefully outmanoeuvred by eloquent Lange. Jacinda is alive and creative. I think Bill has trouble in both those aspects.

            • lurgee 15.1.1.1.2.1

              Muldoon was clearly bonkers. Basalt Bill is too rock like and impervious to be properly bonkers. Even his religious tendencies are probably a bit dull.

        • WILD KATIPO 15.1.1.2

          lurgee

          … ” He comes across dull and dependable ” …

          Yep ,… just like a cardigan wearing bureaucrat.

          Except that in his case hes not the dull dependable bureaucrat that carry’s on , quietly keeping the wheels turning in the background , – but an out of control hyper one that has aspirations of Lords and Ladies and serfs living in mud huts and tending to the gentry’s every need…

          • lurgee 15.1.1.2.1

            I’m not convinced your analysis is entirely rational, fact based or likely to be shared by the population at large.

            I think the left are so used to being brutalised by John Key’s slick emptiness that we’re looking at his polar opposite and completely underestimating him.

            I have a horrible suspicion that a lot of people will opt for Boring Bill over Jazzy Jacinda this time, deciding she’s too much of a wild card at this time.

            If that happens, may I add, I hope Labour are sensible and realise she’s already done enough to guarantee she retains the leadership until next time, when she can have a proper go at it.

  16. Tracey 16

    So… when people said ” …but there is no alternative to National” they realky meant a leader I like? Just observing tgat it is not about poolicy, not really

  17. Tracey 17

    Didnt NZF halve its support in the previous poll but no headlibes of NZF imploding or ravaged or collapsing

  18. Michael 18

    Labour appears to have taken votes off the Greens, and perhaps NZ First, but there’s no real evidence that Nats are switching over to it. I think the Nats’ base is stronger, in the sense that they are reliable voters, whereas people prepared to switch to Labour from the Greens are more likely not to vote at all (as are disillusioned Labour supporters who don’t like NZ First’s xenophobia). If Labour wants to form a popular, and hence legitimate, government, it needs to come out with a credible, progressive alternative to neoliberalism. So far in this campaign, it hasn’t. As a result people, like me, who loathe neoliberalism, have no reason to vote for Labour under Ardern.

    • UncookedSelachimorpha 18.1

      I too want a complete renunciation of neoliberalism – and this isn’t on offer this election. But less neoliberalism – which the Greens and Labour do offer to a degree, in contrast to NAct, is still better than more neoliberalism. So I hope people get out and vote for the lesser evil (you know, you get less evil that way).

      • WILD KATIPO 18.1.1

        Excellent. And that’s the reality. We have to work with what we’ve got and try and improve on it. Its all got to start somewhere.

    • ScottGN 18.2

      Poll last night showed National dropping 3% which presumably went to the Labour Party.

      • Dspare 18.2.1

        ScottGN
        That 3% could have gone to NZF, and more NZF voters could have gone to Labour (possible via undecideds). It is hard to say for sure from blunt averages.

        • ScottGN 18.2.1.1

          That is absolutely a possibility. However I think it’s more likely soft National urban voters are starting to move to Labour.

      • lurgee 18.2.2

        I’d tend to view the ‘drop’ as variation around the true figure.

        National have been as high as 49% in May and as low as 44% (oh, to be as low as 44%!!) which might suggest the figure is somewhere in between – maybe a touch closer to the 44% end, as intervening CB polls were 47%, and the overall trend seems to be a bit down.

        But National on 45 or 46% could be very tricky for Labour.

  19. greywarshark 19

    Tracy Watkins sounding definite.
    The Green Party has plummeted from 15 to four percent in the latest political poll after the rise of Labour’s Jacinda Ardern and the resignation of Greens co-leader Metiria Turei….

    It’s not just National that’s hurting from the Ardern effect either – the Greens have been crushed, now sitting at 4 per cent. They could be wiped out of Parliament.
    I bet she didn’t foresee the Greens at 15% and why she should be willing the out of Parliament on the basis that there is no volatility before elections, I don’t know.

    Recap: Labour surge, Greens slump in latest poll
    Last updated 20:22, August 17 2017

    Bill English is shown in link having a meal with three undecided voters. They’re obviously not needy Labour voters, he is talking and they are sitting listening with a small tablefull of toothsome dishes in front of each. Hungry Labour voters would be tucking in unceremoniously. Yeah, yeah, right on Mr English. Good one. Have the staff got doggie bags? You could get a lot of good votes that way.

    20 minutes plus
    Chat with Cheesy

  20. Zeroque 20

    I find it difficult to see how a Winston and Labour coalition could work, would be great if it could. Just seems problematic, progressive versus conservative.

    • Naw…. recall the Helen Clark era?… Peters was a Foreign Minister, – and a bloody good one at that.

      • lurgee 20.1.1

        Wasn’t he investigated for massive sleaze? Owen Glenn, who he just happened to back as Honorary Consul? Donations from the Vela family while he was in charge of racing? I can’t even remember how that one turned out.

        Anyone coalescing with Winston should be very careful. He’s entirely highly toxic. You will recall, I’m sure, that after his stint as Foreign Minister Labour lost power and NZ 1st lost their representation in parliament.

        • Tracey 20.1.1.1

          So are Collins and Bennett. They just have better cover and voters who dislike law breaking, self interest and sleave in every other party.

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    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
    2 days ago
  • 2024 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #11
    A listing of 35 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, March 10, 2024 thru Sat, March 16, 2024. Story of the week This week we'll give you a little glimpse into how we collect links to share and ...
    2 days ago
  • 2024 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #11
    A listing of 35 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, March 10, 2024 thru Sat, March 16, 2024. Story of the week This week we'll give you a little glimpse into how we collect links to share and ...
    2 days ago
  • Out of Touch.
    “I’ve been internalising a really complicated situation in my head.”When they kept telling us we should wait until we get to know him, were they taking the piss? Was it a case of, if you think this is bad, wait till you get to know the real Christopher, after the ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    2 days ago
  • Bring out your Dad
    Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    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
    5 days ago
  • Labour’s policy gap
    It was not so much the Labour Party but really the Chris Hipkins party yesterday at Labour’s caucus retreat in Martinborough. The former Prime Minister was more or less consistent on wealth tax, which he was at best equivocal about, and social insurance, which he was not willing to revisit. ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    5 days ago
  • Skeptical Science New Research for Week #11 2024
    Open access notables A Glimpse into the Future: The 2023 Ocean Temperature and Sea Ice Extremes in the Context of Longer-Term Climate Change, Kuhlbrodt et al., Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society: In the year 2023, we have seen extraordinary extrema in high sea surface temperature (SST) in the North Atlantic and in ...
    5 days ago
  • Melissa remains mute on media matters but has something to say (at a sporting event) about economic ...
     Buzz from the Beehive   The text reproduced above appears on a page which records all the media statements and speeches posted on the government’s official website by Melissa Lee as Minister of Media and Communications and/or by Jenny Marcroft, her Parliamentary Under-secretary.  It can be quickly analysed ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    5 days ago
  • The return of Muldoon
    For forty years, Robert Muldoon has been a dirty word in our politics. His style of government was so repulsive and authoritarian that the backlash to it helped set and entrench our constitutional norms. His pig-headedness over forcing through Think Big eventually gave us the RMA, with its participation and ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    5 days ago
  • Will the rental tax cut improve life for renters or landlords?
    Bryce Edwards writes –  Is the new government reducing tax on rental properties to benefit landlords or to cut the cost of rents? That’s the big question this week, after Associate Finance Minister David Seymour announced on Sunday that the Government would be reversing the Labour Government’s removal ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • Geoffrey Miller: What Saudi Arabia’s rapid changes mean for New Zealand
    Saudi Arabia is rarely far from the international spotlight. The war in Gaza has brought new scrutiny to Saudi plans to normalise relations with Israel, while the fifth anniversary of the controversial killing of Jamal Khashoggi was marked shortly before the war began on October 7. And as the home ...
    Democracy ProjectBy Geoffrey Miller
    5 days ago
  • Racism’s double standards
    Questions need to be asked on both sides of the world Peter Williams writes –   The NRL Judiciary hands down an eight week suspension to Sydney Roosters forward Spencer Leniu , an Auckland-born Samoan, after he calls Ezra Mam, Sydney-orn but of Aboriginal and Torres Strait ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • It’s not a tax break
    Ele Ludemann writes – Contrary to what many headlines and news stories are saying, residential landlords are not getting a tax break. The government is simply restoring to them the tax deductibility of interest they had until the previous government removed it. There is no logical reason ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • The Plastic Pig Collective and Chris' Imaginary Friends.
    I can't remember when it was goodMoments of happiness in bloomMaybe I just misunderstoodAll of the love we left behindWatching our flashbacks intertwineMemories I will never findIn spite of whatever you becomeForget that reckless thing turned onI think our lives have just begunI think our lives have just begunDoes anyone ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago
  • Who is responsible for young offenders?
    Michael Bassett writes – At first reading, a front-page story in the New Zealand Herald on 13 March was bizarre. A group of severely intellectually limited teenagers, with little understanding of the law, have been pleading to the Justice Select Committee not to pass a bill dealing with ram ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • Gordon Campbell on National’s fantasy trip to La La Landlord Land
    How much political capital is Christopher Luxon willing to burn through in order to deliver his $2.9 billion gift to landlords? Evidently, Luxon is: (a) unable to cost the policy accurately. As Anna Burns-Francis pointed out to him on Breakfast TV, the original ”rock solid” $2.1 billion cost he was ...
    5 days ago
  • Bernard's Top 10 @ 10 'pick 'n' mix' for March 14
    TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: Jonathon Porritt calling bullshit in his own blog post on mainstream climate science as ‘The New Denialism’.Local scoop: The Wellington City Council’s list of proposed changes to the IHP recommendations to be debated later today was leaked this ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • No, Prime Minister, rents don’t rise or fall with landlords’ costs
    TL;DR: Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said yesterday tenants should be grateful for the reinstatement of interest deductibility because landlords would pass on their lower tax costs in the form of lower rents. That would be true if landlords were regulated monopolies such as Transpower or Auckland Airport1, but they’re not, ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    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

  • 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
    5 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
    7 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
    7 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
    21 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
    1 day ago
  • Speech to Auckland Business Chamber: Growth is the answer
    Tēna koutou katoa. Greetings everyone. Thank you to the Auckland Chamber of Commerce and the Honourable Simon Bridges for hosting this address today. I acknowledge the business leaders in this room, the leaders and governors, the employers, the entrepreneurs, the investors, and the wealth creators. The coalition Government shares your ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Singapore rounds out regional trip
    Minister Winston Peters completed the final leg of his visit to South and South East Asia in Singapore today, where he focused on enhancing one of New Zealand’s indispensable strategic partnerships.      “Singapore is our most important defence partner in South East Asia, our fourth-largest trading partner and a ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Minister van Velden represents New Zealand at International Democracy Summit
    Minister of Internal Affairs and Workplace Relations and Safety, Hon. Brooke van Velden, will travel to the Republic of Korea to represent New Zealand at the Third Summit for Democracy on 18 March. The summit, hosted by the Republic of Korea, was first convened by the United States in 2021, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Insurance Council of NZ Speech, 7 March 2024, Auckland
    ICNZ Speech 7 March 2024, Auckland  Acknowledgements and opening  Mōrena, ngā mihi nui. Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Nor Whanganui aho.  Good morning, it’s a privilege to be here to open the ICNZ annual conference, thank you to Mark for the Mihi Whakatau  My thanks to Tim Grafton for inviting me ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Five-year anniversary of Christchurch terror attacks
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Lead Coordination Minister Judith Collins have expressed their deepest sympathy on the five-year anniversary of the Christchurch terror attacks. “March 15, 2019, was a day when families, communities and the country came together both in sorrow and solidarity,” Mr Luxon says.  “Today we pay our respects to the 51 shuhada ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Speech for Financial Advice NZ Conference 5 March 2024
    Speech for Financial Advice NZ Conference 5 March 2024  Acknowledgements and opening  Morena, Nga Mihi Nui.  Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Nor Whanganui aho. Thanks Nate for your Mihi Whakatau  Good morning. It’s a pleasure to formally open your conference this morning. What a lovely day in Wellington, What a great ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Early visit to Indonesia strengthens ties
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters held discussions in Jakarta today about the future of relations between New Zealand and South East Asia’s most populous country.   “We are in Jakarta so early in our new government’s term to reflect the huge importance we place on our relationship with Indonesia and South ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • China Foreign Minister to visit
    Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Winston Peters has announced that the Foreign Minister of China, Wang Yi, will visit New Zealand next week.  “We look forward to re-engaging with Foreign Minister Wang Yi and discussing the full breadth of the bilateral relationship, which is one of New Zealand’s ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Minister opens new Auckland Rail Operations Centre
    Transport Minister Simeon Brown has today opened the new Auckland Rail Operations Centre, which will bring together KiwiRail, Auckland Transport, and Auckland One Rail to improve service reliability for Aucklanders. “The recent train disruptions in Auckland have highlighted how important it is KiwiRail and Auckland’s rail agencies work together to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Celebrating 10 years of Crankworx Rotorua
    The Government is proud to support the 10th edition of Crankworx Rotorua as the Crankworx World Tour returns to Rotorua from 16-24 March 2024, says Minister for Economic Development Melissa Lee.  “Over the past 10 years as Crankworx Rotorua has grown, so too have the economic and social benefits that ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Government delivering on tax commitments
    Legislation implementing coalition Government tax commitments and addressing long-standing tax anomalies will be progressed in Parliament next week, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The legislation is contained in an Amendment Paper to the Taxation (Annual Rates for 2023–24, Multinational Tax, and Remedial Matters) Bill issued today.  “The Amendment Paper represents ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Significant Natural Areas requirement to be suspended
    Associate Environment Minister Andrew Hoggard has today announced that the Government has agreed to suspend the requirement for councils to comply with the Significant Natural Areas (SNA) provisions of the National Policy Statement for Indigenous Biodiversity for three years, while it replaces the Resource Management Act (RMA).“As it stands, SNAs ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Government classifies drought conditions in Top of the South as medium-scale adverse event
    Agriculture Minister Todd McClay has classified the drought conditions in the Marlborough, Tasman, and Nelson districts as a medium-scale adverse event, acknowledging the challenging conditions facing farmers and growers in the district. “Parts of Marlborough, Tasman, and Nelson districts are in the grip of an intense dry spell. I know ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Government partnership to tackle $332m facial eczema problem
    The Government is helping farmers eradicate the significant impact of facial eczema (FE) in pastoral animals, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay announced.  “A $20 million partnership jointly funded by Beef + Lamb NZ, the Government, and the primary sector will save farmers an estimated NZD$332 million per year, and aims to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • NZ, India chart path to enhanced relationship
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