Land tax – what’s the down side?

Written By: - Date published: 7:22 am, May 12th, 2016 - 75 comments
Categories: class war, housing, tax - Tags: , , , ,

I guess this was predictable:

Land tax off table for now – Housing Minister

Figures released yesterday showed only 3 percent of homes were sold to overseas-registered buyers in the six months between October and March.

Officials have stressed the new figures do not accurately reflect foreign property ownership in New Zealand.

Indeed. Bernard Hickey, based on these figures, puts the rate at somewhere between 3 and 48 percent. Why would anyone base policy decisions on such nonsense figures?

Housing Minister Nick Smith conceded there were some deficiencies in the data, but overall he said the figures showed claims that foreigners were fuelling the overheated market were “simply a diversion”.

A land tax was now off the table for now, he said.

No matter what the rate of foreign ownership is, what’s the downside in a land tax on foreign buyers? It raises revenue. It will have some cooling effect on a melt-down market. It doesn’t disadvantage Kiwis in any way. So why not do it?

I still find it hard to believe, but combined with an unwillingness to take action on our tax haven status, it really does look as if this government cares more about the interests of the international rich than the local Kiwi.

housing-dogy-data

75 comments on “Land tax – what’s the down side? ”

  1. save nz 1

    The government needs to move to ban house and land sales to non residents full stop. As soon as someone is out of the country for more than 6months if they have not lived in NZ for more than 20 years, they need to sell their house or start paying a tax on it. They need to cut down on trusts hiding who owns the property. They also need to crack down on family members and others having houses and property in their name for tax or residency purposes but bought by others.

    Anyone owning a house or land here or a business needs to have IRD visit them each year for 5 years to check they are paying their fair share of taxes. If the main sponsor does not seem to work in NZ but has bought the whole family in then that should be considered a breach of their conditions of residency. If someone is in a million dollar house but does not seem to have an income and not be paying local taxes, questions need to be asked.

    I’m not a big fan of land taxes because it will probably cross over to locals and locals already struggle to pay rates which are a land tax. Rates are a joke, with councils blowing money on bad IT and lawyers as well as conference centers and malls. As an agricultural country a land tax might affect exports.

    I do think a stamp duty might work, because speculation is rife. In spite of the speculator tax people are flipping properties but just not bothering to pay the tax. Capital gains will not work as it is the locals selling and incoming migrants buying, means locals are the ones losing more. It will not effect migrants if they already don’t pay any taxes here and is hard to administer. The migrants I know, do not declare their rents they seem to float happily in the NZ system, taking super and not declaring any rents, and have them in others names anyway and sport multiple passports.

    In my view National are hoping labour will adopt a land tax, like capital gains which I think frightened people last election. And then National can frighten voters next election about higher taxes.

    Taxes should target Non residents who have less than 20 years living in NZ.

    • Ralf Crown 1.1

      It is much simpler than that. Predatory tax governments love land tax, and this is the thin end of the wedge, if they managed to get it in – soon everyone will have to pay land tax, because it is so simple to collect. You don’t pay – they take the house. This means two land taxes by different names. Rates and land tax. The solution is quit easy. Houses and homes are to live in, not investments. You live in the house – no fee – no tax. You rent it out, 80% tax on revenue plus a fixed fee annually on – say -10,000 dollars. If you are overseas or not makes no difference. You don’t rent it out – you pay tax on the value increase as an income. Each family can only own one house. If you sell within 5 years of buying – 95% speculation tax, minimum 25,000 dollars. Simple rules, simple to implement, ordinary people not hit, sharks badly hit.

  2. Lara 2

    With 35% of buyers holding temporary work visas or being foreign students, it looks like the % of foreign sales is way more than 3%.

    Why is this not being more accurately reported in mainstream media?

    Who has to gain by downplaying the % of foreign buyers of our land?

    Answer: those who want to sell for more $$. Which includes this government as they are on the whole owners of property.

  3. Pat 3

    the whole construct was and is nothing more than a delaying strategy to avoid having to take effective and meaningful action…… business as usual.

    • save nz 3.1

      Nope massive immigration has helped the Natz win the election. Newbies come in, read MSM and try to fit in with the dominant discourses, which is what a god John Key is, and how terrible Labour is, how loony the Greens are, the Maori are getting a free ride of welfare via the treaty, InternetMana are criminal radicals etc etc.

      They make donations to the National party and they get awards, partnerships and the path smoothed for them.

      In addition migrants and government policy are displacing poorer Kiwis who might not vote National out of Auckland by the price of houses and rents and the sell off of state housing.

      National has changed the electoral rules to stop marginalised voting, like prisoners (even on remand I think) and that population has swelled to 10,000 (about the amount of votes the Natz won last election by).

      f you look up wiki and election fraud, you can see how many of these devices the Natz have utilised to win.

      If sports people can tweet to vote Natz on election day while those who do a satirical video against Key are prosecuted. Something is wrong.

      Phil Goff smeared by the SIS last election, Cunliffe smeared this election.

      The revelations by dirty politics.

      I just do not think this is acceptable. Maybe instead of Shearer looking at policing other countries elections for fraud, he should look closer afield.

      • John shears 3.1.1

        @SNZ well said

      • Jenny Kirk 3.1.2

        Yes – I’ve been thinking exactly the same as you, save NZ – that the massive immigration is what is helping the Nats stay in government. Not only the brainwashing via MSM but also immigrants “being grateful” to the Nat Govt for letting them come in . All “dirty tricks” by the Nats, and they’re getting away with it.

  4. Sanctary 4

    So I get sick of the rat race, and buy 10 hectares in a valley in the middle of nowhere and go off grid and get self sufficient. I earn enough for the rates. And then the government introduces a land tax, 1%. Costs me an extra $1000 PA but I get then money. Then the farmer next door gets his mates on the district council to put a road through the valley to open up a lake or a beach he has got and, surprise surprise, he has got permission to sub divide. Because of his activity, my land value quadruples and I can’t afford the land tax. IRD bankrupt me.

    I just wanted to be self sufficient and live a sustainable life. But some developer forced up the value of my land and I am forced off my own property. Is that fair?

    • Ad 4.1

      You can never escape the world.

      What you describe is very similar to scenarios in the film ‘Off The Grid’.

      Eventually the line and road networks arrive and make all your sunk investment redundant.

      Eventually people and development get closer and it all changes.

      You’re forced into a perpetual cycle of selling up and retreating for that last pure field of green.

      Fair is an inappropriate word for it.

    • Pat 4.2

      an all too real possibility (or variations of)…..did you really think they’d let you operate outside the system?

  5. weka 5

    “Land tax – what’s the down side?”

    I really think that should read “Foreign Land tax – what’s the down side?”. Because the foreign and domestic issues are different. I know that you specify in the post, but remember the mess when a CGT was discussed and all the confusion around what it would actually include. Lots of people will hear the talk about land taxes and get worried. The pertinent aspect is the foreign ownership bit.

  6. Draco T Bastard 6

    Why would anyone base policy decisions on such nonsense figures?

    Ideology and the need to keep things the way they are rather than changing things for the better.

    • instrider 6.1

      Phil Twyford managed to convince Labour to base part of its housing policy on ‘funny’ sounding names out of the phonebook.

      I think I’ll stick with the numbers which have at least some level of reason about them

      • Draco T Bastard 6.1.1

        What numbers would those be?

        Because the numbers that the government are basing it’s policies on have already been proven to be complete and utter bollocks.

        And, as has been pointed out before, Labour’s research into foreign buyers nationality was quite solid enough to raise questions and say that we need a proper register. National responded to that with a half-arsed one that they could game – which they’re now doing.

      • framu 6.1.2

        “I think I’ll stick with the numbers which have at least some level of reason about them”

        you mean the ones which only show tax residency and which was highlighted as being utterly inaccurate for the purposes of deducing nationality – by the very people who provided the figures?

        whatever

    • Ralf Crown 6.2

      Plus that this with the “foreign” land tax is a path of rhetoric to soften up the mind of the public to introduce higher tax take. Soon it will be just “land tax” and everyone has to pay it. It is the thin edge of a wedge.

      • Draco T Bastard 6.2.1

        Everyone should be paying a land tax anyway. This should go along with land being leased from the government rather than ‘owned’. This is just a different word as the land in private ‘ownership’ is still owned the government.

        • mikesh 6.2.1.1

          Ultimately land is a “common”. If we are going to countenance private ownership such ownership should be in accordance with whatever conditions we as a community decide. One such condition would entail the payment of a land tax.

  7. miravox 7

    We already have a land tax – rates. It applies to all homeowners. I also don’t agree with a separate tax for foreign ownership. Rules like this always have loopholes to be exploited.

    How is a land tax, even if it is applied across the board, superior to a CGT?

    • mikesh 7.1

      Rates are not the same as a land tax. They are paid to local authorities while land tax is paid to central government. If the latter are pondering ways of raising additional revenue there is no reason why they should not consider a land tax. If it works for local government there is no reason it shouldn’t work for central government as well.

      • miravox 7.1.1

        That means there are 2 land taxes, it doesn’t mean that rates is not a land tax.

        Of course a central government land tax should be considered, but there’s not much discussion on why that would be better than a CGT.

        Was a CGT considered by this government, or not – because it was Labour policy? Which is ‘better’? (i.e. meets the set of outcomes that would make it ‘good’ housing policy?) and are these the only options?

        • Colonial Viper 7.1.1.1

          A land tax is better in some ways because a land tax disincentivises the hoarding of large amounts of land regardless of whether or not the market is in a phase of creating capital gains.

          Land tax on your primary residence should be minimal.

          Land tax on a second residence should be very low.

          And then it should climb steeply thereafter, as well as having graduations for large parcels of land.

          • instrider 7.1.1.1.1

            So you’d support property speculation through the tax system? My my.

            • Colonial Viper 7.1.1.1.1.1

              Huh? Read it again. This system disincentivises collecting lots of properties.

          • miravox 7.1.1.1.2

            However, if you did that you’d have to identify which land is hoarded and which land is farmed in some way – especially on boundaries. That’s one of the loopholes I would be worried about.

            • Draco T Bastard 7.1.1.1.2.1

              Nope. The land is taxed whether it generates an income or not. This means that people well let it go rather than keep it.

              The use is that simply hoarding land will cost too much.

              • Draco T Bastard

                Gah, use = idea

              • miravox

                I can see that in theory, except that like with rental investments, there will be exceptions on land investments. Farmers lobbying they can’t make ends meet a seems highly likely example to me.

                With a friendly government they would be excluded from paying until their farm is making a profit. I’m sure you know how that would go…

        • Craig H 7.1.1.2

          Rates are charged on the capital value of the property, not the land value, so they aren’t quite the same.

          Also, another key difference between land tax as it would likely be applied, and rates as actually applied, is that land tax would be the same rate everywhere e.g. 1%, whereas rates vary heavily by location e.g. our rates in Christchurch are lower than in Oamaru, despite property values being much higher in Christchurch.

          • miravox 7.1.1.2.1

            Yes, I know they’re not quite the same, however the base of the rates bill is land value. Hence a component is a land tax.

            Good point re location difference. This probably would make a land tax strongly disproportionate.

            Would a CGT be fairer then?

      • Colonial Viper 7.1.2

        Rates are not the same as a land tax. They are paid to local authorities while land tax is paid to central government.

        Rates are taxes that the central government has given local government the power to set, collect and enforce the collection of.

        Don’t be fooled by the difference in terminology.

        Your “rates” and your “taxes” both become public monies to be spent, supposedly, in the public good.

        • mikesh 7.1.2.1

          Local authorities collect rates, not because government gives them the right, but because they are based on local authority spending. But the main point is that the charging of rates is not a reason for not entertaining the collection of a land tax.

      • Enough is Enough 7.1.3

        Yep and the massive increase in the current Auckland City rates/land tax, have had absolutely no effect on the Auckland market.

        For that reason I struggle to see how a central government land tax would have a different effect.

      • Ralf Crown 7.1.4

        Better to call it a property tax to pay the local corruption. Now they want to shift the playing field a bit so they can add a land tax to fund the greed. It is a tax increase, simply.

  8. Ad 8

    The downside is very simple Rob:

    Taxes on land are regressive; fewer and fewer first-home people will be able to afford the extra costs of building or buying their first home.

    Auckland – and let’s be honest Auckland is the real generator of this problem – will only be solved by precisely the kind of policies that Labour is proposing: banning foreign ownership and an absolutely massive housing build programme.

    • r0b 8.1

      I asked “what’s the downside in a land tax on foreign buyers”?

      • instrider 8.1.1

        It’s probably a really complicated and so expensive way to raise not very much money.

        What are you trying to achieve? If it’s to reduce prices in auckland, then current experience in a number of other overseas cities shows it’s unlikely to work.

        • r0b 8.1.1.1

          What are you trying to achieve?

          Raise revenue – let’s use it for social housing in NZ.

          Cooling effect on market – however slight every bit helps.

          With the data that’s already going to be collected I don’t see that implementing such a tax would cost more than it raises.

          So what’s the downside?

          • instrider 8.1.1.1.1

            Putting aside arguments about these sales numbers, if you accepted there were 1200 property sales to foreigners and taxed them at 1% at an avg price of 500k, you get $6m before any costs of admin taken into account. That’s not a lot and just building and maintaining a reliable database and the bureaucracy underlying it will eat that money very quickly. If those houses are going to be rented then renters may end up paying.

            • Colonial Viper 8.1.1.1.1.1

              You’re talking about a one off stamp duty.

              A land tax would be an annual tax. Like your car rego.

            • r0b 8.1.1.1.1.2

              What happens if you tax them at 20%? (Rhetorical question)

    • mikesh 8.2

      Taken in isolation, land tax may appear to be a hindrance to new home ownership, but one has to consider what other effects may come into play if a land tax were introduced. The extra revenue that it would yield may allow a reduction in income tax for example, or reduce interest rates or property values, all of which would benefit would-be home owners.

  9. slumbergod 9

    Looking after themselves as much as the international rich. These are kiwi parasites feeding off the housing bubble. What it does show is that they believe their mandate as to rule as govt doesn’t need to be adjusted to deal with public outrages.

    • Ad 9.1

      This price boom is enabling thousands of Aucklanders to shift and make way for others. Not all housing boom beneficiaries are parasites.

      • Colonial Viper 9.1.1

        Sure. An Auckland home owner can cash up their house and move on out of the city, and yes, then someone can come in from the provinces and buy that house for $800K or $1M.

        Oh wait, only the 1% from the provinces can afford to do that, given that selling your average freehold house in Dunedin or Napier won’t even net you $400K.

        This is why people find it great financially moving from Auckland to other places in the country.

        Doing the reverse sucks badly.

  10. Bearded Git 10

    The “down side” is the farmers don’t want it the farmers don’t want it the farmers don’t want it….repeat endlessly. This, in conjunction with all the rich pricks who now have massive investments in speculative real estate and because of this also hate Land Tax, means Key will never bring this in.

    This government is (and always will be) in the pocket of society’s top 5-10% of asset holders/earners, the big corporations and the farmers.

    Seems to me that Labour should have a Land Tax etched in stone in its manifesto already.

    • Colonial Viper 10.1

      And most farmers already get massive rates breaks.

      • Bob 10.1.1

        To be fair, most farmers also don’t get footpaths, sewerage, town water supply, street lighting or rubbish collection also

    • mikesh 10.2

      Don,t forget the banks, for whom a land tax would reduce the revenue available, to a borrower, to pay interest. This is why the banks say they would prefer a capital gains tax.

  11. b waghorn 11

    One down side would be that it won’t catch the foreign in investors that are funneling money to their nz resident contacts/ relatives who will be making multiple purchases.

  12. Jack Ramaka 12

    Land Banking which a lot of overseas buyers are doing is not good for the country, it is tying up housing stocks and in future will start tying up productive farmland.

    Also it is pushing prices out of reach for the average New Zealander, however 50% of New Zealanders still think JK is the best thing since sliced bread ?

    • Colonial Viper 12.1

      50% of NZers (actually probably 2/3) have been doing just fine from rising property prices.

      • Richardrawshark 12.1.1

        No, Just Aucklanders mate. Where all the votes are.

        • Colonial Viper 12.1.1.1

          I can’t tell if that’s a facetious comment as Auckland holds only 1/3 of the country’s votes.

          So you’d ignore Christchurch where house prices have been shooting up over the last 10 years?

          And you’d ignore Hamilton? And Tauranga too?

          • Richardrawshark 12.1.1.1.1

            I do CV.

            I live in Tokoroa. my house has been price stagnant for many years, as our town dwindles away. I see all these houses rushing up in price in Auckland and think to myself, the lucky, lucky bastards, I bet they luv national.

            • b waghorn 12.1.1.1.1.1

              Yes I brought in Taumarunui 4 years ago , if I’d had the foresight to by in Auckland I would of
              A , made a hell of a lot more than I have from working
              B, been able to by a small farm by now,
              C not felt like I’m for ever locked out from retiring to a nice coastal town.

              • Richardrawshark

                A costal town may not be such a good idea, with all these polluters ignoring the inevitable.

                I like Tokoroa’s central ness for semi retirement, it’s good for most directions and high up. N far enough from Taupo to get a head start if it goes off, i hope. 🙂

                I plan to retire in Albania where I will live like a King. In a progressive country unspoilt by years of capitalism and opportunities galore. A great climate and wonderful people who still sit around in community groups on an evening and talk, sing dance and make music together laughing in happiness.

                unlike this sad declining country at least I can go there.

            • Naki man 12.1.1.1.1.2

              I do CV.

              “I live in Tokoroa. my house has been price stagnant for many years, as our town dwindles away. I see all these houses rushing up in price in Auckland and think to myself, the lucky, lucky bastards, I bet they luv national”

              Yes i am sure Aucklander’s love National, but as CV says Hamilton and Tauranga have had big increases too. I have seen houses in Hamilton sell for $200k more than they selling for 2 or 3 years ago. lets face it Richardrawshark nobody wants to live in Tokoroa.

              https://www.google.co.nz/#q=doctor+job+200K+SALARY+in+tokoroa

              • Richardrawshark

                Kirkby lol.

                yeah well, I wouldn’t read ANYTHING into that beat up. It was totally TV ratings made for drama.

                We got the medicentre it’s FULL of Dr’s bloody tons of em. Kirkby was a private practise and he’s struggling against the medicentre.

          • Richardrawshark 12.1.1.1.2

            facetious /fəˈsiːʃəs/
            adjective
            adjective: facetious
            treating serious issues with deliberately inappropriate humour; flippant.

            oh YES!!!

            Um apparently I do that. It gets me in trouble as I am bi-polar and also find it hard to differentiate a mood into words and misread things. It’s good to remember that and correct me occasionally.

            Part of the impulsiveness. But I can hold up a good argument/debate.

  13. Richardrawshark 13

    Twyford ruined the whole argument by going on about Chinese sounding names.

    So dumb he should have been sacked.

    Sorry it’s true, every time Labour try to talk sense on the issue we are going to get that thrown in our face. Does he never think?

    idiot.

    • Colonial Viper 13.1

      So dumb he should have been sacked.

      That strategy was reviewed and approved by both Little and Robertson.

      • Richardrawshark 13.1.1

        Really?

        On what planet and drug were they on when the sun rose on that being a great strategy.

        Because the Nats now are skewing figures, which the government can manipulate to show us up.

        Attacking a race gives opponents ammunition to use the race card against us.

        Because without proof you should not make wild accusations that can later be used against you.

        A more statesman like way would be to worry about it, relate your concerns and push for a national register of home buyers.

        • b waghorn 13.1.1.1

          Its been made very clear very quickly that the nats data is rubbish and they will have to fix it, sometimes you got to risk to make change.

          Btw I never thought labours Chinese names angle was racist but I’m a middle aged white boy .

          • Naki man 13.1.1.1.1

            “Its been made very clear very quickly that the nats data is rubbish and they will have to fix it, sometimes you got to risk to make change.

            Btw I never thought labours Chinese names angle was racist but I’m a middle aged white boy ”

            Well i am a middle aged white boy too and that was a racist comment. The incompetance of Twyford, Little and Robertson is astounding.

            • b waghorn 13.1.1.1.1.1

              8 years of national and housing is less affordable, the debt is ballooning and the infrastructure is groaning .
              I call that incompetence.

    • b waghorn 13.2

      It did force the nats into taking some measures to track numbers, .

  14. Bill 14

    …it really does look as if this government cares more about the interests of the international rich than the local Kiwi.

    The Structural Adjustment Programmes (SAPs) of the 1980s and 90s whereby rich countries, with the help of the IMF, forced poor countries to adopt export orientated, trade options that were often based on a single commodity and to sell off public assets, were an early and obvious example of that mind set.

    For some years, trade and manufacturing has been predicated on having the poor in any given country producing for the benefit of rich foreigners…while making the poor even poorer through restrictive labour laws before scrap heaping them via shoving manufacturing to overseas countries with ever lower labour costs.

    Odd why NZ kind of willingly adopted that SAPs export model (dairy) with no real external pressure.

    Only the poor and deluded still live a world hedged by notions of ‘country’ or ‘nation’. The rich have left that world behind and don’t give a shit about it…nothing ‘looks like’ with regards government caring more about globalisation’s rich and powerful. It’s who they’ve been serving and enabling these past 30 odd years in NZ and elsewhere, while keeping you and I mollified and in check with cheap imported goods, claims that there’s no other way, and some (so-called) progressive social policies thrown to shore up that ‘feel good’ factor.

  15. Molly 15

    In order to be effective, a land tax should be applied heavily to land that is currently zoned for residential development but has not been developed.

    That stops the hoarding of land, which is one contribution to rising house prices.

    At present, we essentially “gift” property owners higher values when their properties are rezoned by processes such as the Unitary Plan, or SHA’s. Note: the rezoning will not devalue a property, as the land value component rises as the development potential increases. Other countries charge a “capital uplift” levy that says that when that property is onsold or developed a tax is charged on the increased value. That possibility was raised but dropped fairly early on in the Unitary Plan discussions.

    A land tax on non-developed residential-zoned land would encourage development rather than land-banking. Exemptions should apply to those who prove that the land is being utilised for sustainable production, business or lifestyle.

    Essentially a land tax is a good idea, but it needs to be designed to be effective and target those areas which will have the biggest impact, rather than costing already stretched existing households more money.

    And it should be regarded as only one weapon in the arsenal.

  16. Henry Filth 16

    What do other countries do about land ownership and residency or citizenship requirements?

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    Lindsay Mitchell writes – The heavily promoted narrative, which has ramped up over the last six years, is that Maori somehow have special vulnerabilities which arise from outside forces they cannot control; that contemporary society fails to meet their needs. They are not receptive to messages and ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    2 days ago
  • CHRIS TROTTER:  The greater of two evils
    Not Labour: If you’re out to punish the government you once loved, then the last thing you need is to be shown evidence that the opposition parties are much, much worse.   Chris Trotter writes – THE GREATEST VIRTUE of being the Opposition is not being the Government. Only very ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    2 days ago
  • The Hoon around the week to Sept 30
    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:Labour presented a climate manifesto that aimed to claim the high ground on climate action vs National, ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago
  • Litanies, articles of faith, and being a beneficiary
    Hello! Here comes the Saturday edition of More Than A Feilding, catching you up on the past two weeks.Friday 29Play it, ElvisElection Hell special!! This week’s quiz is a bumper edition featuring a few of the more popular questions from last weekend’s show, as well as a few we didn’t ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    2 days ago
  • Litanies, articles of faith, and being a beneficiary
    Hello! Here comes the Saturday edition of More Than A Feilding, catching you up on the past two weeks.Friday 29Play it, ElvisElection Hell special!! This week’s quiz is a bumper edition featuring a few of the more popular questions from last weekend’s show, as well as a few we didn’t ...
    More than a fieldingBy David Slack
    2 days ago
  • The ‘Recession’ Has Been Called Off, But Some Households Are Still Struggling
    While the economy is not doing too badly in output terms, external circumstances are not favourable, and there is probably a sizeable group of households struggling because of rising interest rates.Last week’s announcement of a 0.9 percent increase in volume GDP for the June quarter had the commentariat backing down ...
    PunditBy Brian Easton
    3 days ago
  • Climate Change: The wrong direction
    This week the International Energy Association released its Net Zero Roadmap, intended to guide us towards a liveable climate. The report demanded huge increases in renewable generation, no new gas or oil, and massive cuts to methane emissions. It was positive about our current path, but recommended that countries with ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    3 days ago
  • “Racism” becomes a buzz word on the campaign trail – but our media watchdogs stay muzzled when...
    Buzz from the Beehive  Oh, dear.  We have nothing to report from the Beehive. At least, we have nothing to report from the government’s official website. But the drones have not gone silent.  They are out on the election campaign trail, busy buzzing about this and that in the hope ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    3 days ago
  • Play it, Elvis
    Election Hell special!! This week’s quiz is a bumper edition featuring a few of the more popular questions from last weekend’s show, as well as a few we didn’t have time for. You’re welcome, etc. Let us press on, etc. 1.  What did Christopher Luxon use to his advantage in ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago
  • Pure class warfare
    National unveiled its fiscal policy today, announcing all the usual things which business cares about and I don't. But it did finally tell us how National plans to pay for its handouts to landlords: by effectively cutting benefits: The biggest saving announced on Friday was $2b cut from the ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    3 days ago
  • Ask Me Anything about the week to Sept 29
    Photo by Anna Ogiienko on UnsplashIt’s that time of the week for an ‘Ask Me Anything’ session for paying subscribers about the week that was for an hour, including:duelling fiscal plans from National and Labour;Labour cutting cycling spending while accusing National of being weak on climate;Research showing the need for ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago
  • Weekly Roundup 29-September-2023
    Welcome to Friday and the last one for September. This week in Greater Auckland On Monday, Matt highlighted at the latest with the City Rail Link. On Tuesday, Matt covered the interesting items from Auckland Transport’s latest board meeting agendas. On Thursday, a guest post from Darren Davis ...
    Greater AucklandBy Greater Auckland
    3 days ago
  • Protest at Parliament: The Reunion.
    Brian’s god spoke to him. He, for of course the Lord in Tamaki’s mind was a male god, with a mighty rod, and probably some black leathers. He, told Brian - “you must put a stop to all this love, hope, and kindness”. And it did please the Brian.He said ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    3 days ago
  • Labour cuts $50m from cycleway spending
    Labour is cutting spending on cycling infrastructure while still trying to claim the higher ground on climate. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The Labour Government released a climate manifesto this week to try to claim the high ground against National, despite having ignored the Climate Commission’s advice to toughen ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago
  • The Greater Of Two Evils.
    Not Labour: If you’re out to punish the government you once loved, then the last thing you need is to be shown evidence that the opposition parties are much, much worse.THE GREATEST VIRTUE of being the Opposition is not being the Government. Only very rarely is an opposition party elected ...
    3 days ago
  • Skeptical Science New Research for Week #39 2023
    Open access notables "Net zero is only a distraction— we just have to end fossil fuel emissions." The latter is true but the former isn't, or  not in the real world as it's likely to be in the immediate future. And "just" just doesn't enter into it; we don't have ...
    4 days ago
  • Chris Trotter: Losing the Left
    IN THE CURRENT MIX of electoral alternatives, there is no longer a credible left-wing party. Not when “a credible left-wing party” is defined as: a class-oriented, mass-based, democratically-structured political organisation; dedicated to promoting ideas sharply critical of laissez-faire capitalism; and committed to advancing democratic, egalitarian and emancipatory ideals across the ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    4 days ago
  • Road rage at Kia Kaha Primary School
    It is not the school holidays yet at Kia Kaha Primary School!It can be any time when you are telling a story.Telling stories about things that happened in the past is how we learn from our mistakes.If we want to.Anyway, it is not the school holidays yet at Kia Kaha ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    4 days ago
  • Road rage at Kia Kaha Primary School
    It is not the school holidays yet at Kia Kaha Primary School!It can be any time when you are telling a story.Telling stories about things that happened in the past is how we learn from our mistakes.If we want to.Anyway, it is not the school holidays yet at Kia Kaha ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    4 days ago
  • Road rage at Kia Kaha Primary School
    It is not the school holidays yet at Kia Kaha Primary School!It can be any time when you are telling a story.Telling stories about things that happened in the past is how we learn from our mistakes.If we want to.Anyway, it is not the school holidays yet at Kia Kaha ...
    More than a fieldingBy David Slack
    4 days ago
  • Hipkins fires up in leaders’ debate, but has the curtain already fallen on the Labour-led coalitio...
    Labour’s  Chris Hipkins came out firing, in the  leaders’ debate  on Newshub’s evening programme, and most of  the pundits  rated  him the winner against National’s  Christopher Luxon. But will this make any difference when New  Zealanders  start casting their ballots? The problem  for  Hipkins is  that  voters are  all too ...
    Point of OrderBy tutere44
    4 days ago
  • Govt is energising housing projects with solar power – and fuelling the public’s concept of a di...
    Buzz from the Beehive  Not long after Point of Order published data which show the substantial number of New Zealanders (77%) who believe NZ is becoming more divided, government ministers were braying about a programme which distributes some money to “the public” and some to “Maori”. The ministers were dishing ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    4 days ago
  • MIKE GRIMSHAW: Election 2023 – a totemic & charisma failure?
    The D&W analysis Michael Grimshaw writes –  Given the apathy, disengagement, disillusionment, and all-round ennui of this year’s general election, it was considered time to bring in those noted political operatives and spin doctors D&W, the long-established consultancy firm run by Emile Durkheim and Max Weber. Known for ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • FROM BFD: Will Winston be the spectre we think?
    Kissy kissy. Cartoon credit BoomSlang. The BFD. JC writes-  Allow me to preface this contribution with the following statement: If I were asked to express a preference between a National/ACT coalition or a National/ACT/NZF coalition then it would be the former. This week Luxon declared his position, ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • California’s climate disclosure bill could have a huge impact across the U.S.
    This re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Andy Furillo was originally published by Capital & Main and is part of Covering Climate Now, a global journalism collaboration strengthening coverage of the climate story. The California Legislature took a step last week that has the potential to accelerate the fight against climate ...
    4 days ago
  • Untangling South East Queensland’s Public Transport
    This is a cross post Adventures in Transitland by Darren Davis. I recently visited Brisbane and South East Queensland and came away both impressed while also pondering some key changes to make public transport even better in the region. Here goes with my take on things. A bit of ...
    Greater AucklandBy Guest Post
    4 days ago
  • Try A Little Kindness.
    My daughter arrived home from the supermarket yesterday and she seemed a bit worried about something. It turned out she wanted to know if someone could get her bank number from a receipt.We wound the story back.She was in the store and there was a man there who was distressed, ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    4 days ago
  • What makes NZFirst tick
    New Zealand’s longest-running political roadshow rolled into Opotiki yesterday, with New Zealand First leader Winston Peters knowing another poll last night showed he would make it back to Parliament and National would need him and his party if they wanted to form a government. The Newshub Reid Research poll ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    4 days ago
  • September AMA
    Hi,As September draws to a close — I feel it’s probably time to do an Ask Me Anything. You know how it goes: If you have any burning questions, fire away in the comments and I will do my best to answer. You might have questions about Webworm, or podcast ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    4 days ago
  • Bludgers lying in the scratcher making fools of us all
    The mediocrity who stands to be a Prime Minister has a litany.He uses it a bit like a Koru Lounge card. He will brandish it to say: these people are eligible. And more than that, too: These people are deserving. They have earned this policy.They have a right to this policy. What ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    5 days ago
  • More “partnerships” (by the look of it) and redress of over $30 million in Treaty settlement wit...
    Buzz from the Beehive Point of Order has waited until now – 3.45pm – for today’s officially posted government announcements.  There have been none. The only addition to the news on the Beehive’s website was posted later yesterday, after we had published our September 26 Buzz report. It came from ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    5 days ago
  • ALEX HOLLAND: Labour’s spending
    Alex Holland writes –  In 2017 when Labour came to power, crown spending was $76 billion per year. Now in 2023 it is $139 billion per year, which equates to a $63 billion annual increase (over $1 billion extra spend every week!) In 2017, New Zealand’s government debt ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • If not now, then when?
    Labour released its fiscal plan today, promising the same old, same old: "responsibility", balanced books, and of course no new taxes: "Labour will maintain income tax settings to provide consistency and certainty in these volatile times. Now is not the time for additional taxes or to promise billions of ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    5 days ago
  • THE FACTS:  77% of Kiwis believe NZ is becoming more divided
    The Facts has posted –        KEY INSIGHTSOf New Zealander’s polled: Social unity/division 77%believe NZ is becoming more divided (42% ‘much more’ + 35% ‘a little more’) 3%believe NZ is becoming less divided (1% ‘much less’ + 2% ‘a little less’) ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • Gordon Campbell on the cynical brutality of the centre-right’s welfare policies
    The centre-right’s enthusiasm for forcing people off the benefit and into paid work is matched only by the enthusiasm (shared by Treasury and the Reserve Bank) for throwing people out of paid work to curb inflation, and achieve the optimal balance of workers to job seekers deemed to be desirable ...
    5 days ago
  • Wednesday’s Chorus: Arthur Grimes on why building many, many more social houses is so critical
    New research shows that tenants in social housing - such as these Wellington apartments - are just as happy as home owners and much happier than private tenants. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The election campaign took an ugly turn yesterday, and in completely the wrong direction. All three ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • Old habits
    Media awareness about global warming and climate change has grown fairly steadily since 2004. My impression is that journalists today tend to possess a higher climate literacy than before. This increasing awareness and improved knowledge is encouraging, but there are also some common interpretations which could be more nuanced. ...
    Real ClimateBy rasmus
    5 days ago
  • Bennie Bashing.
    If there’s one thing the mob loves more than keeping Māori in their place, more than getting tough on the gangs, maybe even more than tax cuts. It’s a good old round of beneficiary bashing.Are those meanies in the ACT party stealing your votes because they think David Seymour is ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago
  • The kindest cuts
    Labour kicks off the fiscal credibility battle today with the release of its fiscal plan. National is expected to follow, possibly as soon as Thursday, with its own plan, which may (or may not) address the large hole that the problems with its foreign buyers’ ban might open up. ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    5 days ago
  • Green right turn in Britain? Well, a start
    While it may be unlikely to register in New Zealand’s general election, Britain’s PM Rishi Sunak has done something which might just be important in the long run. He’s announced a far-reaching change in his Conservative government’s approach to environmental, and particularly net zero, policy. The starting point – ...
    Point of OrderBy xtrdnry
    5 days ago
  • At a glance – How do human CO2 emissions compare to natural CO2 emissions?
    On February 14, 2023 we announced our Rebuttal Update Project. This included an ask for feedback about the added "At a glance" section in the updated basic rebuttal versions. This weekly blog post series highlights this new section of one of the updated basic rebuttal versions and serves as a ...
    6 days ago
  • How could this happen?
    Canada is in uproar after the exposure that its parliament on September 22 provided a standing ovation to a Nazi veteran who had been invited into the chamber to participate in the parliamentary welcome to Ukrainian President Zelensky. Yaroslav Hunka, 98, a Ukrainian man who volunteered for service in ...
    6 days ago
  • Always Be Campaigning
    The big screen is a great place to lay out the ways of the salesman. He comes ready-made for Panto, ripe for lampooning.This is not to disparage that life. I have known many good people of that kind. But there is a type, brazen as all get out. The camera ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    6 days ago
  • STEPHEN FRANKS: Press seek to publicly shame doctor – we must push back
    The following is a message sent yesterday from lawyer Stephen Franks on behalf of the Free Speech Union. I don’t like to interrupt first thing Monday morning, but we’ve just become aware of a case where we think immediate and overwhelming attention could help turn the tide. It involves someone ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago
  • Competing on cruelty
    The right-wing message calendar is clearly reading "cruelty" today, because both National and NZ First have released beneficiary-bashing policies. National is promising a "traffic light" system to police and kick beneficiaries, which will no doubt be accompanied by arbitrary internal targets to classify people as "orange" or "red" to keep ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    6 days ago
  • Further funding for Pharmac (forgotten in the Budget?) looks like a $1bn appeal from a PM in need of...
    Buzz from the Beehive One Labour plan  – for 3000 more public homes by 2025 – is the most recent to be posted on the government’s official website. Another – a prime ministerial promise of more funding for Pharmac – has been released as a Labour Party press statement. Who ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago
  • Bryce Edwards: The Vested interests shaping National Party policies
    As the National Party gets closer to government, lobbyists and business interests will be lining up for influence and to get policies adopted. It’s therefore in the public interest to have much more scrutiny and transparency about potential conflicts of interests that might arise. One of the key individuals of ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    6 days ago
  • Labour may be on way out of power and NZ First back in – but will Peters go into coalition with Na...
    Voters  are deserting Labour in droves, despite Chris  Hipkins’  valiant  rearguard  action.  So  where  are they  heading?  Clearly  not all of them are going to vote National, which concedes that  the  outcome  will be “close”. To the Right of National, the ACT party just a  few weeks  ago  was ...
    Point of OrderBy tutere44
    6 days ago
  • GRAHAM ADAMS: Will the racists please stand up?
    Accusations of racism by journalists and MPs are being called out. Graham Adams writes –    With the election less than three weeks away, what co-governance means in practice — including in water management, education, planning law and local government — remains largely obscure. Which is hardly ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago
  • Gordon Campbell on whether Winston Peters can be a moderating influence
    As the centre-right has (finally!) been subjected to media interrogation, the polls are indicating that some voters may be starting to have second thoughts about the wisdom of giving National and ACT the power to govern alone. That’s why yesterday’s Newshub/Reid Research poll had the National/ACT combo dropping to 60 ...
    6 days ago
  • Tuesday’s Chorus: RBNZ set to rain on National's victory parade
    ANZ has increased its forecast for house inflation later this year on signs of growing momentum in the market ahead of the election. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: National has campaigned against the Labour Government’s record on inflation and mortgage rates, but there’s now a growing chance the Reserve ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    6 days ago
  • After a Pittsburgh coal processing plant closed, ER visits plummeted
    This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Katie Myers. This story was originally published by Grist and is part of Covering Climate Now, a global journalism collaboration strengthening coverage of the climate story. Pittsburgh, in its founding, was blessed and cursed with two abundant natural resources: free-flowing rivers and a nearby coal seam. ...
    6 days ago
  • September-23 AT Board Meeting
    Today the AT board meet again and once again I’ve taken a look at what’s on the agenda to find the most interesting items. Closed Agenda Interestingly when I first looked at the agendas this paper was there but at the time of writing this post it had been ...
    6 days ago
  • Electorate Watch: West Coast-Tasman
    Continuing my series on interesting electorates, today it’s West Coast-Tasman.A long thin electorate running down the northern half of the west coast of the South Island. Think sand flies, beautiful landscapes, lots of rain, Pike River, alternative lifestylers, whitebaiting, and the spiritual home of the Labour Party. A brief word ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    6 days ago
  • Big money brings Winston back
    National leader Christopher Luxon yesterday morning conceded it and last night’s Newshub poll confirmed it; Winston Peters and NZ First are not only back but highly likely to be part of the next government. It is a remarkable comeback for a party that was tossed out of Parliament in ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    6 days ago
  • 20 days until Election Day, 7 until early voting begins… but what changes will we really see here?
    As this blogger, alongside many others, has already posited in another forum: we all know the National Party’s “budget” (meaning this concept of even adding up numbers properly is doing a lot of heavy, heavy lifting right now) is utter and complete bunk (read hung, drawn and quartered and ...
    exhALANtBy exhalantblog
    7 days ago
  • A night out
    Everyone was asking, Are you nervous? and my response was various forms of God, yes.I've written more speeches than I can count; not much surprises me when the speaker gets to their feet and the room goes quiet.But a play? Never.YOU CAME! THANK YOU! Read more ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    7 days ago
  • A pallid shade of Green III
    Clearly Labour's focus groups are telling it that it needs to pay more attention to climate change - because hot on the heels of their weaksauce energy efficiency pilot programme and not-great-but-better-than-nothing solar grants, they've released a full climate manifesto. Unfortunately, the core policies in it - a second Emissions ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    7 days ago
  • A coalition of racism, cruelty, and chaos
    Today's big political news is that after months of wibbling, National's Chris Luxon has finally confirmed that he is willing to work with Winston Peters to become Prime Minister. Which is expected, but I guess it tells us something about which way the polls are going. Which raises the question: ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    7 days ago
  • More migrant workers should help generate the tax income needed to provide benefits for job seekers
    Buzz from the Beehive Under something described as a “rebalance” of its immigration rules, the Government has adopted four of five recommendations made in an independent review released in July, The fifth, which called on the government to specify criteria for out-of-hours compliance visits similar to those used during ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    7 days ago
  • Letter To Luxon.
    Some of you might know Gerard Otto (G), and his G News platform. This morning he wrote a letter to Christopher Luxon which I particularly enjoyed, and with his agreement I’m sharing it with you in this guest newsletter.If you’d like to make a contribution to support Gerard’s work you ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    7 days ago
  • LINDSAY MITCHELL: Alarming trend in benefit numbers
    Lindsay Mitchell writes –  While there will not be another quarterly release of benefit numbers prior to the election, limited weekly reporting continues and is showing an alarming trend. Because there is a seasonal component to benefit number fluctuations it is crucial to compare like with like. In ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    1 week ago
  • BRIAN EASTON: Has there been external structural change?
    A close analysis of the Treasury assessment of the Medium Term in its PREFU 2023 suggests the economy may be entering a new phase.   Brian Easton writes –  Last week I explained that the forecasts in the just published Treasury Pre-election Economic and Fiscal Update (PREFU 2023) was ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    1 week ago

  • 100 new public EV chargers to be added to national network
    The public EV charging network has received a significant boost with government co-funding announced today for over 100 EV chargers – with over 200 charging ports altogether – across New Zealand, and many planned to be up and running on key holiday routes by Christmas this year. Minister of Energy ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    18 hours ago
  • Safeguarding Tuvalu language and identity
    Tuvalu is in the spotlight this week as communities across New Zealand celebrate Vaiaso o te Gagana Tuvalu – Tuvalu Language Week. “The Government has a proven record of supporting Pacific communities and ensuring more of our languages are spoken, heard and celebrated,” Pacific Peoples Minister Barbara Edmonds said. “Many ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • New community-level energy projects to support more than 800 Māori households
    Seven more innovative community-scale energy projects will receive government funding through the Māori and Public Housing Renewable Energy Fund to bring more affordable, locally generated clean energy to more than 800 Māori households, Energy and Resources Minister Dr Megan Woods says. “We’ve already funded 42 small-scale clean energy projects that ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Huge boost to Te Tai Tokerau flood resilience
    The Government has approved new funding that will boost resilience and greatly reduce the risk of major flood damage across Te Tai Tokerau. Significant weather events this year caused severe flooding and damage across the region. The $8.9m will be used to provide some of the smaller communities and maraes ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Napier’s largest public housing development comes with solar
    The largest public housing development in Napier for many years has been recently completed and has the added benefit of innovative solar technology, thanks to Government programmes, says Housing Minister Dr Megan Woods. The 24 warm, dry homes are in Seddon Crescent, Marewa and Megan Woods says the whanau living ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Te Whānau a Apanui and the Crown initial Deed of Settlement I Kua waitohua e Te Whānau a Apanui me...
    Māori: Kua waitohua e Te Whānau a Apanui me te Karauna te Whakaaetanga Whakataunga Kua waitohua e Te Whānau a Apanui me te Karauna i tētahi Whakaaetanga Whakataunga hei whakamihi i ō rātou tāhuhu kerēme Tiriti o Waitangi. E tekau mā rua ngā hapū o roto mai o Te Whānau ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Plan for 3,000 more public homes by 2025 – regions set to benefit
    Regions around the country will get significant boosts of public housing in the next two years, as outlined in the latest public housing plan update, released by the Housing Minister, Dr Megan Woods. “We’re delivering the most public homes each year since the Nash government of the 1950s with one ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Immigration settings updates
    Judicial warrant process for out-of-hours compliance visits 2023/24 Recognised Seasonal Employer cap increased by 500 Additional roles for Construction and Infrastructure Sector Agreement More roles added to Green List Three-month extension for onshore Recovery Visa holders The Government has confirmed a number of updates to immigration settings as part of ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Poroporoaki: Tā Patrick (Patu) Wahanga Hohepa
    Tangi ngunguru ana ngā tai ki te wahapū o Hokianga Whakapau Karakia. Tārehu ana ngā pae maunga ki Te Puna o te Ao Marama. Korihi tangi ana ngā manu, kua hinga he kauri nui ki te Wao Nui o Tāne. He Toa. He Pou. He Ahorangi. E papaki tū ana ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Renewable energy fund to support community resilience
    40 solar energy systems on community buildings in regions affected by Cyclone Gabrielle and other severe weather events Virtual capability-building hub to support community organisations get projects off the ground Boost for community-level renewable energy projects across the country At least 40 community buildings used to support the emergency response ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • COVID-19 funding returned to Government
    The lifting of COVID-19 isolation and mask mandates in August has resulted in a return of almost $50m in savings and recovered contingencies, Minister of Health Dr Ayesha Verrall announced today. Following the revocation of mandates and isolation, specialised COVID-19 telehealth and alternative isolation accommodation are among the operational elements ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Appointment of District Court Judge
    Susie Houghton of Auckland has been appointed as a new District Court Judge, to serve on the Family Court, Attorney-General David Parker said today.  Judge Houghton has acted as a lawyer for child for more than 20 years. She has acted on matters relating to the Hague Convention, an international ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Government invests further in Central Hawke’s Bay resilience
    The Government has today confirmed $2.5 million to fund a replace and upgrade a stopbank to protect the Waipawa Drinking Water Treatment Plant. “As a result of Cyclone Gabrielle, the original stopbank protecting the Waipawa Drinking Water Treatment Plant was destroyed. The plant was operational within 6 weeks of the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 weeks ago
  • Govt boost for Hawke’s Bay cyclone waste clean-up
    Another $2.1 million to boost capacity to deal with waste left in Cyclone Gabrielle’s wake. Funds for Hastings District Council, Phoenix Contracting and Hog Fuel NZ to increase local waste-processing infrastructure. The Government is beefing up Hawke’s Bay’s Cyclone Gabrielle clean-up capacity with more support dealing with the massive amount ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 weeks ago
  • Taupō Supercars revs up with Government support
    The future of Supercars events in New Zealand has been secured with new Government support. The Government is getting engines started through the Major Events Fund, a special fund to support high profile events in New Zealand that provide long-term economic, social and cultural benefits. “The Repco Supercars Championship is ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 weeks ago
  • There is no recession in NZ, economy grows nearly 1 percent in June quarter
    The economy has turned a corner with confirmation today New Zealand never was in recession and stronger than expected growth in the June quarter, Finance Minister Grant Robertson said. “The New Zealand economy is doing better than expected,” Grant Robertson said. “It’s continuing to grow, with the latest figures showing ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 weeks ago
  • Highest legal protection for New Zealand’s largest freshwater springs
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