Last night’s leader debate

Written By: - Date published: 9:21 am, September 23rd, 2020 - 129 comments
Categories: election 2020, jacinda ardern, Judith Collins - Tags: , , ,

That was going to be the whole post.

But then there was this,

I was doing other things while the debate was on, but could hear the sound. I didn’t listen to the content much but did notice the tone. What stood out was how much it sounded like two normal people talking. Ardern and Collins both had their PR-honed approaches of course, but the absence of macho was palpable.

I kept thinking about the relief of not having FJK  in full rabid, bash mode, circa 2014. What I remember most about that election was the debate where Key relentlessly attacked Cunliffe as a person, as a man, and how much Cunliffe at that stage looked like someone who had been repeatedly punched. This was in the context of Cunliffe’s apology to battered women for men’s culture of violence. Oh, and Dirty Politics. The connections aren’t too hard to make.

New Zealand’s brutal underbelly is on a break for a while.

The bits of last night’s debate I did listen to sounded like so many talking points and I got bored. I guess adding aggression to that provides a kind of spectator sport. I prefer my democracy as participatory, thanks MSM. So I’m grateful to have two women on stage, leading in this at least, that we can be human even if the actual policies aren’t.

Ardern’s relentless positivity and compassion framing is taking us in a better direction in terms of political culture. But policy seems stuck in an eddy, and her rhetoric on welfare and housing fell flat. It was really disappointing to see Arden relying on the deserving poor framing (children and working people deserve help, non-working poor and disabled people are swept under the rug). A substantial policy improvement on National, no doubt about it, but it’s not like Labour have plans that will adequately address the housing and welfare crises.

The leaders of our both main parties committed to neoliberalism is another kind of brutality that we seem reluctant to address.

129 comments on “Last night’s leader debate ”

  1. AB 1

    Who gets to operate a brutal machine – good people, or sociopaths? The choice is obvious, though depressing.

    • weka 1.1

      what happens to the good people within a sociopathic system? I do think Arden is changing this, as are the Greens and some of the Labour MPs.

      • Descendant Of Smith 1.1.1

        Nah pretty much the same people are in charge. If there was a change of government they would revert back to the earlier toxic environment with ease. Three terms you might see some real change. There will be those who just thought they would need to wait three years til National were back so normal transmission could resume.

        I was surprised in the debate that non-one asked Judith Collins about the toxic reputation WINZ had (still has?) when National were in power and how she might not let that occur again.

        "What happens to the good people within a sociopathic system?"

        They leave or get demoted or have breakdowns or they become sociopathic themselves.

        The Standford Prison experiment suggests for a significant number the latter occurs.

        https://www.prisonexp.org/

        • weka 1.1.1.1

          did you read the post? Do you know what I am talking about?

        • Draco T Bastard 1.1.1.2

          Three terms you might see some real change.

          Yeah, after three terms you'd maybe see enough of the Old Guard retire and thus get out of the way of necessary changes.

          I was surprised in the debate that non-one asked Judith Collins about the toxic reputation WINZ had (still has?) when National were in power and how she might not let that occur again.

          So toxic it got people killed. And that wasn't the first time that happened under National either.

          Their solution would be the same as it was last time – more minimum wage security guards hired through the private sector and seen as a win-win. Less unemployment and more profits for their funders.

          They leave or get demoted or have breakdowns or they become sociopathic themselves.

          QFT

        • Vague-abond 1.1.1.3

          You know the Stanford Prison Experiment is a load of bollocks, right? Like "vaccines cause autism" or "National are responsible managers of the economy."

          • Draco T Bastard 1.1.1.3.1

            WTF?

            • JohnSelway 1.1.1.3.1.1

              He or she is right actually – recent research has actually debunked the Stanford Prison Experiment

              https://www.vox.com/2018/6/13/17449118/stanford-prison-experiment-fraud-psychology-replication

              • Draco T Bastard

                Ah, thanks.

              • Descendant Of Smith

                Debunked I think is a bit strong. Quite flawed yes as it raises questions such as being told by authority figures to act in certain ways was a factor that wasn't explained/was hidden which changes the why of the behaviour i.e. it wasn't all self driven by circumstance as was portrayed.

                From the paper linked to.

                "Conclusion: Rethinking the relationship between groups, power and tyranny At one level, our study confirms the findings of the SPE. It shows that an understanding of collective conflict and tyranny cannot be achieved simply by looking at individuals but requires an analysis of group processes and intergroup relations. In this sense, we agree with Zimbardo (and many others; e.g. Asch, 1952; Sherif, 1966; Tajfel, 1978) that such phenomena can only be explained through group-level analysis. Our disagreement with prior analysis of the SPE thus relates to the nature of group processes and of the conditions under which they lead to social pathologies. As almost every psychology student (and an unusually large proportion of the general public) knows, the message of the SPE is that the toxic combination of groups and power leads to tyranny. The implications of the BBC prison study are different. In common with recent theoretical developments in social psychology, they contest the premise that group behaviour is necessarily uncontrolled, mindless and antisocial (Ellemers et al., 1999; Oakes et al., 1994; Postmes et al., 2000; Reicher, 1982, 2001; Spears, Oakes, Ellemers, & Haslam, 1997; Turner, 1999). In contrast, the results of the BBC prison study suggest that the way in which members of strong groups behave depends upon the norms and values associated with their specific social identity and may be either anti- or prosocial (Jetten, Spears, & Manstead, 1997). However, based on the present data, we would argue that failing groups almost inevitably create a host of problems for their own members and for others. These problems have a deleterious impact on organization, on individuals’ clinical state, and – most relevant here – on society. For it is when people cannot create a social system for themselves that they will more readily accept extreme solutions proposed by others. It is when groups lack the power to exercise choice that an authoritarian ideology that promises to create order for them appears more seductive. In short, it is the breakdown of groups and powerlessness that creates the conditions under which tyranny can triumph (for related arguments see Kanter, 1979; Pfeffer, 1981; Reynolds & Platow, 2003)"

                In this context we should not be at all surprised at a toxic culture between WINZ and the public, nor the rise of gangs in poor communities – who by both nature and practice are authoritarian.

                The devolution of decision making (along with funding) to local communities is much required.

  2. vto 2

    about as much use to the country as two bozos shouting one-liners at each other in the pub

  3. Lukas 3

    Relentless increases to benefits… who is going to pay for that?

    • I Feel Love 3.1

      We will, whether it's direct benefits to disabled, non workers, working poor etc, or indirectly like social services, police, prisons, more intervention at schools (feeding kids, special needs) mental health, drs visits, etcetc … we all pay anyway.

    • greywarshark 3.2

      Not you Lukas you will be arranging your income to avoid it – going by the shape of your question. Only an ass pays taxes and accepts that they live in a country with other people who the money-accumulators manage to push to the fringes, and call losers.

      Reports from the fringes for today – bad and good:
      https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/426710/wellington-hospital-mental-health-unit-unsafe-for-staff-patients-union
      but also
      https://www.rnz.co.nz/national/programmes/ninetonoon/audio/2018765237/new-project-jobs-for-ex-prisoners-and-improved-water-quality

      • Lukas 3.2.1

        No actually- I’m on PAYE as an employee so pay what I pay, but thanks for the ad hominem abuse.

        • greywarshark 3.2.1.1

          Ad hominem? People are so sensitive over what is said about their points of view. That came from you, whatever you are called, you and your beliefs are one and the same thing to me. I think that isn't the received wisdom but it's how it is in real life.

          So about benefits – you say relentless increase. Do you think that they should never change, do you know that old age pensioners receiving superannuation get automatic rises to allow for inflation, and so have relentless rises. Is that wrong?

          Do you think that other beneficiaries should be driven to desperate proverty, to starve? They already have to beg, borrow, or get loans from WINZ for necessaries.

          When cuts to benefits were orginally made there was about $200 that could be applied for annually to help with extras and was a grant not a loan. That was changed – grant to loan – to grind beneficiaries down further. Is that what you truly believe? A sensitive soul such as yourself would feel pain about that one would think.

          • SPC 3.2.1.1.1

            Super is determined by a net wage figure, so if wages rose and or income taxes were cut then super would rise accordingly. For decades it is benefits that have been increased by the CPI – this has historically been a lower level increase than that for super.

            And given the CPI increase is an average, often the necessities – rent, power and food have gone up faster than the CPI average – resulting in beneficiaries getting worse off year by year.

            The government recently decided to change the way benefit rates move each year to stop this happening. The $25 increase along with the earlier increase by National has mertely moved benefits backed towards the level they were cut to by RR back in the early 1990's – why WEAG wants a further increase. There have effectively been real cuts to benefit levels since then via low rates of annual increase.

            • Descendant Of Smith 3.2.1.1.1.1

              Benefits and NZS used to be exactly the same rates and both linked to 30% of the average wage.

              Ironically a whole lot of low paid workers losing their jobs could lift the average wage and consequently further increase the gap as super rose accordingly.

    • Draco T Bastard 3.3

      If the country cannot afford to keep its people then it is over-populated.

      Or, to put it another way, the country always pays for the upkeep of the people living there. That is inevitable as everything that a country's people need to live comes out of that country's available resources. No amount of trade will change that.

      This is why the government creating money and spending it into the economy works. And why a UBI would also work.

      And, most importantly, why your question is completely meaningless.

      • Rosemary McDonald 3.3.1

        You might want to get in touch with prospective Leaders DTB and pass on your brilliant idea for reducing costs…

        https://thestandard.org.nz/daily-review-11-08-2020/#comment-1739987

      • Janet 3.3.2

        The time of subsidising employers to supplement wages with the arrival of Covid would have been a good moment to go UBI – although I understand there was a lot new and fast happening so maybe not the right moment .

        But tell me we have so many people now losing jobs yet it is considered necessary to allow migrant workers into the country – despite Covid – why ?

        • Foreign waka 3.3.2.1

          Because the billions we paid to corporates have been posted as profits which in turn have been paid out as a dividend a week or so ago. The shares tanked and NZ is billions poorer. Its called Privatizing Profits And Socializing Losses.

          It had nothing to do with preserving jobs. Period.

          Definition:

          How Privatizing Profits And Socializing Losses Works

          The basis of this concept is that profits and losses are treated differently. When companies, even those that are publicly-traded, are profitable, it's the shareholders who reap the rewards. Therefore, only a certain group of people benefit. But when the losses these companies experience are steep, taxpayers must bear the brunt. The idea of privatizing profits and socializing losses generally comes in the form of some type of intervention from governments. This may be through bailouts or any number of subsidies.

          I would hope that the citizen of NZ are being told who the beneficiaries of THEIR money were so that we can avoid them like the pest.

          • Pat 3.3.2.1.1

            The wage subsidy was one method of providing serviceability of the debt while enabling the health response….it was not the only option but I suspect its temporary nature and widespread acceptability made it the easiest option to implement quickly.

        • Stuart Munro 3.3.2.2

          It's a good question – and for folk like the mechanical harvester drivers, it ought to be possible to train New Zealanders in a time not vastly greater than foreign workers would have to spend in isolation.

          • Janet 3.3.2.2.1

            Picking strawberries requires only 5 mins training and a bit of initial supervision!

            • The Al1en 3.3.2.2.1.1

              Being a human crash test dummy would require no training or supervision, just a seat belt, yet I'm not going to be doing that either.

              Real work for real wages or nothing.

  4. Ric Stacey 4

    Two in depth interviews would have been more informative.

  5. Robert Guyton 5

    If we blow hard enough on the embers, will we get a flame?

  6. tc 6

    Jude had the usual rhetoric about tax cuts being great as they get definitely get spent, a point Campbell specifically pinned her on. Fact check that historically occurring whenever you like MSM.

    RMA fixes poverty y'know, Tech's the holy grail, oh those poor farmers (heartland mention tick) and the usual spin on the areas they screwed over for 3 terms leaving an incoming gov't no choice but to spend billions.

    JA looked tired, JC looked every bit the nasty polly NZ knows she can be was the takeout in this household.

    • Lukas 6.1

      But did you notice the question from the City Mission mentioned that people do not have enough disposable income even with jobs and some working two or three jobs… would they not be better off with a tax cut?

      • weka 6.1.1

        no. They'd be better off with a living wage and social security if they lose their jobs and social services like free health care and education. Also, fixing the housing crisis, because many people are struggling now due to rent or mortgage.

        • Lukas 6.1.1.1

          Genuine question- is there data that shows the net pay difference with the tax cuts on current minimum wage versus same tax rates on the living wage based on a standard 40 hour week?

          [Fixed typo in e-mail address]

          • Craig H 6.1.1.1.1

            Not sure about data elsewhere, but for the sake of debate, I have done the calculations:

            National Min wage: $18.90; $39,312.00; $33,285.96; $640.11

            Labour 2021 Min wage: $20.00; $41,600.00; $35,241.76; $677.73

            Living wage: $22.10; $45,968.00; $38,528.80; $740.94

            Not sure how to make a table in this, but the columns are hourly before PAYE, annual before PAYE, annual after PAYE, weekly after PAYE. Annual is based on a 40 hour week i.e. wage x 40 x 52. Have used PAYE which includes tax and ACC earner levies (of 1.39%), rather than just tax, as this is what employees would actually receive.

            I also included the Labour promise to continue with their intention to raise minimum wage to $20/hr since that seemed relevant to these discussions as National's fiscal plan includes a line that they will freeze minimum wage for 12 months, so there is a clear difference there as well.

          • weka 6.1.1.1.2

            Interesting question. Back of the spreadsheet calcs, someone might want to check my maths.

        • The Al1en 6.1.1.2

          Yep, taxes pay for the services we should take for granted. An eight dollars per week tax cut on the minimum wage isn't going to pay for a root canal, for example.

          This housing issue still comes down to the same old problem of property speculators and investors distorting the market and, as Jacinda said in the debate, she'd like one but it's a vote loser.

          • Descendant Of Smith 6.1.1.2.1

            Simply bringing back stamp duty at sale would have a similar effect to a wealth tax. Make it 10% or 15% if you really want to start dampening it down.

      • Macro 6.1.2

        Those having to work 2 to 3 jobs would most likely benefit from being paid a living wage first, and not having to work so many jobs.

        • Draco T Bastard 6.1.2.1

          And if they didn't have to work so many jobs then unemployment would decrease as there'd be more jobs available.

          • Foreign waka 6.1.2.1.1

            Hmm….not necessarily. An employer would counter with automation of as many positions as possible which leaves less jobs for which many people stay in line. Prices would not decrease but profits would be higher.

            I belief Singapore has already a coffee shop where the service is done entirely by robots.

            For any action there is a reaction.

            • Sacha 6.1.2.1.1.1

              If we could get NZ business owners to actually invest in productivity rather than suppressing wages and trousering the lazy profits, the whole economy would be better off.

            • Draco T Bastard 6.1.2.1.1.2

              An employer would counter with automation of as many positions as possible which leaves less jobs for which many people stay in line.

              True, but not immediately.

              In fact, one of the reasons for Penal Rates was to encourage automation. The problem that ran into was that productivity increased enough where working could be reduced or the economy developed but nobody in power wanted to do either and so Penal Rates were abolished and we were expected to progress into a service economy. We kinda got that but it was a low waged, low skill hospitality and tourism rather than the high paid technical stuff.

              What needs to happen is that we get the automation and develop the economy so that we have high paid technical jobs and manufacturing.

              • Sacha

                Most future jobs will be about creativity rather than big machinery. Enablers of productivity will be more about problem-solving and working together well. Training, in other words.

        • indiana 6.1.2.2

          Easy, abolish secondary tax.

          • Sacha 6.1.2.2.1

            Ridiculous that it is still in place.

            • Descendant Of Smith 6.1.2.2.1.1

              Secondary tax is just a stop-gap tax rate until you either apply for a special tax rate or do your tax return. Ultimately at the end of the year you still pay the same amount of tax as anyone else earning the same total income.

              It has to do with PAYE tables.

              If I have one job earning $20,000 then I'll pay tax based on $20,000 and the PAYE tables reflect this.

              In simple terms 10.5 % up to 14,000 then 17.5% to $20,000.

              $1470+$1050=$2520 in tax.

              Now if I have two jobs earning $10,000 each then each employer based on IRD's PAYE table will treat those based as the first $10,000 so I will pay 10.5% on each job.

              $1050+$1050=$2030

              I'll now have a tax bill at the end of the year of $490.

              Secondary tax on a second income ensures you pay enough PAYE so that you don't get a tax bill but you can go to IRD and get a special tax rate on the second income which they will work out so you only pay $2520 and not end up paying too much PAYE.

              I had understood however that the new computer system would now capture all your income sources and make adjustments to your PAYE as you went along based on what your total year earnings would be based on what you were actually earning. This removes the need for secondary tax but does mean your net pay would fluctuate but you would neither get a tax bill for not enough PAYE or a refund for paying too much. Not sure whether this has commenced yet.

              This of course only works if all your income is from wages, salary and maybe interest payments within NZ.

              I've never quite understood this get rid of secondary tax notion except as some sort of nonsensical meme/rallying cry.

              • Draco T Bastard

                I've never quite understood this get rid of secondary tax notion except as some sort of nonsensical meme/rallying cry.

                That's pretty much about it brought about by ignorance of how taxes work and laziness of people not doing their tax returns.

                It's really bad that people actually fell for that rallying cry as it denotes a serious level of ignorance about the governance of our country.

  7. Pat 7

    I know the lack of vision has been a much noted theme but surely even the most timid of politician can see the synergies available in addressing the fundamental causes of all that the overwhelming majority of the electorate care about?….the evidence is otherwise.

    • greywarshark 7.1

      Remember Verdun in WW1. The army leaders kept ….thousands of hapless soldiers pinned down around that point for yonks. Got nowhere, caused a lot of suffering, no new ideas came to mind? If there were any initiatives at all they must have failed and stasis prevailed.

      The battle lasted for 302 days, the longest and one of the most costly in human history.

      In 2000, Hannes Heer and Klaus Naumann calculated that the French suffered 377,231 casualties and the Germans 337,000, a total of 714,231, an average of 70,000 a month.
      In 2014, William Philpott wrote of 976,000 casualties in 1916 and 1,250,000 in the vicinity during the war.

      In France, the battle came to symbolise the determination of the French Army and the destructiveness of the war. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Verdun

      The French seeing it as 'determination'. They have their own special way of thinking about their behaviour favouring esprit de corps over hard-nosed critique. And that is true about neolibs also, whose theories were developed in the USA, which adopted French revolutionary ideals, but all those get pretty dusty after a while.

      If you stand up in NZ and call for "liberty, equality, fraternity" which are still great ideals, you will get funny looks. We have gone further down the grade for humankind and now are begging for human rights to be considered and applied, with the same result – funny looks.

      Our Verdun; when will we be released from this evil spell that holds our minds in a vacuum? Or is it our brains in a sort of Faradays glass ball where neurons endlessly surge, hit enveloping walls, and fall spent to the bottom to recover and try again! And others watch this and call for 'evidence-based' factual proof of what they can see with their own eyes, but where are their minds? Probably looking at more interesting memes like explorations of outer space, (literally), as there is money to be made in that. People, are passe'.

  8. Paapapakaratua 8

    "Patriotism is the last refuge of the scoundrel" according to Samuel Johnson in 1774.

    Does that apply to Nationalism in Aotearoa today?

    • Stuart Munro 8.1

      No. Nationalism acts as a brake on the forces of globalisation, many of which impoverish and marginalize vulnerable groups. And the nation state is the unit of political accountability. Politicians hate and fear accountability, which is why they spend their efforts on globalism instead of making sure our country prospers.

  9. Enough is Enough 9

    Underwhelmed and worried about our future.

    The next two to three years are going to be brutal for those at the bottom. The rich have access to cheap cash and are spending up and taking advantage of the economic environment. From what I saw last night neither party has any bold solutions for this. There was no promise of transformational change.

    Its status quo folks for at least the next 3 years.

    • PsyclingLeft.Always 9.1

      I do try to be Optimistic about Future Labour. Things like the NZ Apprenticeship resuscitation and Health System rebuild give me that. I still feel they need a Green Conscience as well….

      • Enough is Enough 9.1.1

        They need a strong aggressive Green party that makes their support conditional upon Labour doing what a proper left wing party should do.

        The time for blaming the Nats for everything is now over. Get on with it.

  10. Kay 10

    Did disabled even get a mention? Or perhaps it was when I blinked for a split second?

  11. PsyclingLeft.Always 11

    Still a few neolibs on the "left"…pining for the so called "Labour" days of Douglas, Prebble, Caygill et almaybe? Be good to be rid of them….

  12. Grant Insley 12

    "….but it’s not like Labour have plans that will adequately address the housing and welfare crises.but it’s not like Labour have plans that will adequately address the housing and welfare crises."

    Sorry? They actually do have plans, as announced in 2017, they'll take decades to take a long lasting effect. Each year sees an improvement on the previous one. To trivialise such a huge issue with the expectation that a click of the fingers will resolve these issues does nobody any favours.

    • Descendant Of Smith 12.1

      They could set maximum rents in the meantime. After all they can stop exploitation in the loan-sharking finance industry by setting maximum interest rates – why not with rent-sharking landlords?

  13. Byd0nz 13

    If a Labour/ Green Gvt becomes a reality at the election I will expect major changes to happen almost immediately and on going because I think this will be Labour of old with it's original manifesto, I hope to see shades of Big Norm appear. If not Labour/Green will be just another bullshit Capitalist entity and that will be it for me. I only ever vote to keep the Natsis out but I'll just quit voting altogether if they fail my expectations.

    • ianmac 13.1

      I will expect major changes to happen almost immediately

      Which is why it is important that Labour signals significant changes before the vote. Be poor politically to not give a heads up soon.

  14. PsyclingLeft.Always 14

    Bryan Bruce… "For the Greatest Good"

    https://bryanbruce.co.nz/the-lockdown-with-bryan-bruce-day-2/

    Just Yes ! Reset NZ

  15. SPC 15

    children and working people deserve help

    Meals in schools and better quality rentals with only an annual rent increase, increasing the amount someone can earn from part-time work in addition to the benefit before any abatement – single from $90 to $160 a week and from $160 to $250 a week for those with dependent children.

    That and MW to $20 an hour MW next April, the expansion of living wage and the industry awards supposedly coming this term are not nothing. And restration of the TIA.

    On top of the extra $25 a week in mainline benefits, the Power Payment Income Supplement and easier access to grants, real progress.

    And note that National is not offering much resistance, so it is sustainable progressive change – like WFF tax credits and interest free tertiary loans were.

    It is a pity there was not also

    1. at least one free annual check (free clean up) dental visit
    2. an end to repayment of grants until the person gets paid employment (as with tertiary loan repayments)
    3. one year benefit payments to those with working partners (so they can intern or retrain or look for paid work while still financially secure)
    4. a trial of UI for those under 25 outside of FT work and FT study (student allowance is more than ordinary dole level) – this suits the part-time work, casual gig work employment regime around these days better than reporting income while on a benefit.
    5. pay disability at the super rate if single and at the dole rate/UI if living with a working partner.
    • greywarshark 15.1

      Sounds good and practical SPC. Is anyone out there from left government listening – Carmel? Else?

      • Patricia Bremner 15.1.1

        I have heard Jacinda say they would implement all 53 points in the WEAG and had done or begun 23 so far. That is not "nothing".

      • SPC 15.1.2

        These are either things they consider during the second term, or if not done, should be added to their policy for the third term. If all done there are the other recomendations of the WEAG report to consider.

        ATM all we know is they have the WEAG report and are looking at some form of Unemployment Insurance. That can be 12 to 26 to 52 weeks of insurance payout at the rate used recently – $500 a week (twice the normal dole at $250) on losing employment – and thus would include the partner of a working person. As with parental leave the duration can be extended over time after a start at 12 weeks.

    • Draco T Bastard 15.2

      And note that National is not offering much resistance, so it is sustainable progressive change

      National may not be offering much resistance but if they get in power they will be cutting them.

      • SPC 15.2.1

        Sure they need to be questioned closey and directly about their plans before the election. Their squirming will indicate a lot.

      • Kay 15.2.2

        Oh be assured they will, beneficiaries are always their first target but they are certainly not going to make that a pre-election promise!

        Have to say though, they were a bit slow off the mark after 2008, it was 6 months before their 'reforms' kicked in. Getting slack.

      • mac1 15.2.3

        Collins made that pretty clear when she dismissed the reiterated points by Campbell that her tax cuts would only supply $8 pw to the lowest waged. The point that it was the poor who spent the money straight up as a boost to the economy was as well ignored.

        Ask this. Why did not National promise a universal payment as the Labour Government used in 1936 to boost the economy, rather than tax cuts mostly benefitting the wealthy to be spent offshore or paying off loans?

        • At the start of 1936 (following a decision made by the newly elected Labour cabinet in December 1935), a special grant consisting of a week's pay was introduced for the unemployed, together with an additional amount for those in receipt of outdoor relief.

        In 2020, a payment of a minimum week's wage of $750 to 430,000 subsidised workers would be $322,500,000. A similar payment to our unemployed of 4% would cost $83 million to 111,000 workers (figures from early Covid).

        That $400 million would be paid for by taxing the top 2% as proposed by Labour with some left over.

        • greywarshark 15.2.3.1

          That money would act like pumping a hurricane lamp. An injection of fuel to warm up the person spending, goes round in diminishing amounts about 3 times being taxed each time and boosts the economy.

          It's called the 'multiplier' effect. It is in the economic books, it is not as if no-one has yet thought about it, uncovered its wonders, it is just that the government locked into neolib is constipated.

          Will someone give those people a nice healthy laxative please? Prunes are supposed to be good, apples for fibre, some nice clean water to wash out the poisons produced by the undoubted stress of trying to pretend you are attending to the repairs needed because of the state of the nation, after too many years under the National State has left us in a state of maladjustment.

  16. JohnSelway 16

    I watched the debate in its entirety. I thought Collins had the edge this time around but I am sure Ardern will bounce back for the next one.

    • SPC 16.1

      It was a little obvious which one had done the morning radio intereview, which one was PM and which one had to win the debate – and so did all the sniping and the looks and all the giggles – and why the camera was on her more of the time (and with favourable lighting*).

      The thing is National needed the PM needled into responding down at that level, and Ardern was either not interested, or too tired to bother.

      • I have one question, did Collins have advance knowledge of the set questions posed, so she could prepare personable/relateable answers?
      • JohnSelway 16.1.1

        Why would you think Collins had advance knowledge of the topics add who would have given them to her?

    • Anne 16.2

      Agree JohnSelway. No amount of spin can say otherwise. Jacinda didn't seem too well prepped for the type of responses required.

      There is no doubting now that Judith swatted up on Muldoon and is conducting an identical campaign strategy. Anyone who was politically active back in 1975 will see the similarities. Different time and different issues but the formula is the same – constantly playing on people's fears till they come to believe they are true and throw in a huge bribe while they’re doing it.

      It worked then and it will work now unless Labour counter with a bit of nous and (dare I say it) mongrel of their own. It doesn't have to come from Jacinda.

      • JohnSelway 16.2.1

        You're actually the second person who has mentioned to Muldoon angle to me

        • Tiger Mountain 16.2.1.1

          Heh, my partner while watching the debate said “she looks like Muldoon!”

          Agree with various others above, on what happened. Jacinda’s stylist needs a tune up too. And the studio lighting and camera cut aways favoured Collins.

          Snappier answers are needed for a quipper like Judith. “We have a plan” say Nats–“Sure you have you got your figures right?” is an obvious rejoinder. Sarcasm is not JA’s style but more oomph is definitely needed…

          • Dennis Frank 16.2.1.1.1

            You're the fourth or fifth person to mention that here, and Gordon Campbell did likewise on Werewolf. Anyone who has worked to television (or theatre) production knows that lighting the positions talent will occupy onstage is both elementary and traditional craft.

            My career was in tv post-production (editing) but even I know that! Therefore it follows that the lighting set-up was deliberate. Intended to subtly disadvantage the PM. Those here who have a congenital aversion to conspiracy theories will contort themselves via linguistic gymnastics in an attempt to deny this likelihood, so expect to be entertained…

            • Tiger Mountain 16.2.1.1.1.1

              It is hard to conclusively establish that view really, somewhat similarly RNZ seems to sometimes slow down the cadence and rapid fire mode when interviewing Mrs Collins.

              But the lighting last night was so obvious–almost a Nixon/JFK moment–though the Labour leader has to cut it regardless.

              • Dennis Frank

                The person at TVNZ who orchestrated it will get away with it if Labour folk don't put in a formal complaint. Since everyone here knows I'm not a Labour supporter I'm just mentioning the situation as a public service. I've spent a lifetime trying to provide a positive alternative to kiwi idiocy, but I know trying to help Labour folk is too much like pushing shit uphill. Of course it can't be proven. What can be done is to get pro lighting directors to provide their opinion from watching the debate. Ask them to explain the difference. Would the BSA do that? Of course not!

                • Cinny

                  A friend who works in the TV industry said similar. Both the lighting and camera angles were stacked against the PM.

            • Anne 16.2.1.1.1.2

              I worked at AKTV in the late 60s Frank as an audio operator so I can attest to your suspicion.. Even then there were all sorts of ways to give one person a superior TV image that someone else. Camera angles for a start.

              I'll back you on that one.

            • indiana 16.2.1.1.1.3

              Don't they tape and 'X' on the floor and tell the person to stand exactly there?

        • Anne 16.2.1.2

          Oh, and he went to enormous lengths to denigrate Bill Rowling and he succeeded in creating an image of a silly little man who was a grossly a incompetent PM. He was nothing of the sort. But Rowling was a gentleman and like Ardern a thoroughly decent person. He was a former Army Colonel (iirc) so he clearly wasn't an incompetent fool.

          Nobody thought Muldoon could win that 1975t election and he did.

      • tc 16.2.2

        Step up Winnie perhaps, now our never for NZF with their polling and the grand old statesman will be very familiar with piggy's playbook.

  17. Anker 17

    Ok Collins seems to be going full bitch mode “poor wee thing” when referring to Jacinda. She is desperate and has nothing to loose.

    henry cook writes that A group of National MPs have been misquoting the PM from the leaders debate last night"……..watch Nats esculate nastiness for the next three weeksfor the next

  18. Corey Humm 18

    That debate reminded me of Helen Clark v Key in 2008.

    In 2017 Ardern was a brilliant campaigner, who acted bold,excited and spoke with emotion and gave short answers and spoke like a regular person and made announcements on the fly at times and was exciting.

    Last night she sounded like a tired Labour party android academic uni professor (like Clark did in 2008 when asked "what does it mean to be wealthy")

    What the hell happened in the last three years. Constant coaching from the Labour party to never say anything that the party might disagree with? As much as I have issue with Ardern only using her capital to throw left wing policies in the bin , her kinda unproven and roughness and lite populism was what made her a vote winning superstar. She could have been any Labour party drone last night.

    In 2017 she spoke like normal people and would often answer "in a word yes" last night she seemed unwilling to really answer a single question because unlike in 2017 when she had nothing to lose Labour has all these new voters from the nats who they are worried of spooking but what if they are swarming to Ardern because they want bold leadership and bold policies the risk for labour is that being timid and status quo and being status quo might turn off more voters who will stay home than not spooking former Nat voters.

    Ardern needs to come out with something big and bold and answer questions like a human being and address poverty welfare rather than listing cherry picked policy wonked data.

    Otherwise if she's gonna be a Helen Clark she needs to be Helen Clark and actually attack, Clark would have attacked nationals fudged numbers, their leaks, their revolving leadership door in a global crisis Judith's trust and corruption. Honestly last night we had the worst of both worlds

    Labour needs to get people excited. They have more to lose by being timid. They seem to be running on am assumption that people are flocking to a self described bold transformational progressive in the hopes of electing a timid tinkering small c consersative. I think that's a major miscalculation.

    • SPC 18.1

      Partly it was tiredness, partly not wanting to be reduced down to negativity and as to strategy – yeah sure not over-reaching so as to keep the centre on-side.

      Tiredness explains not going beyond the small amount – $8 tax cuts for those on lower incomes (an extra $1.10 a week MW under Labour next April is after all $44 a week).

      The more direct risposte is those still in work and those receiving the benefit of lower mortgage costs on their home and their rental do not need any assistance via tax cuts, and yet these are the people who would get most of the tax cut money.

      • greywarshark 18.1.1

        PM Ardern needs to get rested and have a line or two in hand to give her a boost and Labour, so something memorably positive registers with the hacks and hopefuls. So that Labour wins – just dance around in the ring and let her take some potshots and save your strength for the two points, as a basecourse.

  19. Reality 19

    Feedback I have had – 22 year old granddaughter watched a bit but commented Collins was sooooo smug. Someone else commented she hates Collins. People can see Collins' true nasty nature. She is a female Muldoon and my guess is decent reasonable people are turned off.

    Jacinda will need to be more assertive next time. She can be, and still be that classy person she is. Hopefully lighting, staging etc will be better. She should wear a bright colour too. The darkish lighting and dark jacket shaded her usual vibrant self.

    • tc 19.1

      IMO Punch n Judy were always about shoring up the base. So not appealing to reasonable people I don’t see as an issue that concerns them.

    • RosieLee 19.2

      Yes. My thoughts exactly. She was not well served by tv or her advisors. And she does look tired. Other senior Ministers need to step up, but I'm not holding my breath.

  20. Cinny 20

    Really proud of our PM for not going down that rude condescending path that judith did last night.

    In this mornings media interviews judith came across as arrogant and self centred, like a kid with a lolly jar that won't share.

  21. Brian Tregaskin 21

    Jessica Mutch-McKay –Jess is a very smart operator in her choice of talking to Jennifer Lees-Marshment post debate—come on Jess really?

    Jennifer Lees-Marshment CV

    Informal meetings with New Zealand National Party leader John Key to discuss political marketing 2007-8
    Practice/practically oriented research and advice

    Advised Young Nats about improving their Facebook site in relation to e-marketing principles, New Zealand, June 2013

    Applied research for the New Zealand Act Party. This included a report and Keynote address, at the 2009 ACT Conference

    entitled ‘Political Marketing Plan for Act 2009-2011′ and applied international theory to data conducted and provided by Act including focus groups with voters and interviews with MPs and candidates.

    Applied research for the New Zealand National Party: discussions with Professor Steve Bridges about applying political marketing lessons to the membership provision and a presentation ‘Regional political marketing’ to the National Party Northern Region Conference October 2007

  22. Sacha 22

    The Gordon Campbell article some have mentioned: https://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL2009/S00115/on-last-nights-leaders-debate.htm

    Do political debates change voter intentions, and cause voters to switch sides? According to a 2019 Harvard Business School study conducted across 61 elections in nine countries involving 172,000 respondents, the answer would seem to be a resounding “No.” Political debates have little effect on voter behaviour, let alone on election outcomes.

    Even then, the study found the political debates were less important factors in shaping voter intentions than the media coverage of the campaign and the conversations held among friends.

    In other words, the effect is mainly how the debate is reported afterwards. Including social media.

    And a good point about TVNZ's noticeably biased production setup last night:

    Collins was more energetic, crisper and more confident. She was also more brightly lit and kindly positioned on set, and face on to the camera. Ardern was partly in shadow, and needed to turn to address the camera.

    If that sounds like nit-picking, keep in mind that the example (her “strong finish”) cited approvingly by TVNZ’s expert panel, also happened to be the one time when the camera had Ardern front and centre….although still underlit.

    • Sacha 22.1

      Controlling the message afterwards is more important than what people actually experienced:

      https://twitter.com/FoxyLustyGrover/status/1308599436218572800

      • Incognito 22.1.1

        Those numbers look vaguely familiar.

      • Robert Guyton 22.1.2

        "Controlling the message afterwards is more important than what people actually experienced:"

        100% Sacha. Judith's crew are out and about, translating the debate for National's followers.
        If I was Jacinda's strategist, I'd have advised her to be coy and unremarkable during the first debate, knowing that Judith would be testing just how far she can go with the put-downs; she increased them as the debate progressed. Then in the second, provoke more and more of them, by feigning "softness", something Judith can't abide. It won't take long until Judith oversteps the mark, repeatedly, and the audience, and the media in attendance, seizes upon the Cruella behaviour and translates that into headlines that can't be recovered-from. Judith's nastiness is her Achilles heel; provide every opportunity for her to express herself most fully, I say.

    • Pat 22.2

      "What the Harvard study found was that nearly three quarters of voters have already made their minds up as early as two months before Election Day."

      and 100% of the pundits

      • Incognito 22.2.1

        Isn’t that the definition of “pundit”: someone who knows absolutely and 100% pure that they are right and will only change their mind over their dead body?

        • Pat 22.2.1.1

          pundit = expert

          expert= unknown drip under pressure, or so the saying goes.

          Must admit however that threequarter number is surprising.

  23. Brian Tregaskin 23

    judith-collins-denies-claims-she-dropped-f-bomb-in-tv-debate-as-jacinda-ardern-talked-up-housing-ambitions

    If you listen closely i think Judith also muttered "I love you Ms Ardern"

    Was she trying to emulate Rob Muldoon in the debate against David Lange?

  24. ianmac 24

    Not sure how to link this so I copied it in full. via Philip Matthews.

    Image

  25. Austringer 25

    Time for a back to the future look, and it reminded me of the debates between Bill Rowling and Piggy Muldoon.

  26. Austringer 26

    Debate win or loose, the Day is the Day, best not reply like, no my homes are not mine, their the Trusts. Collins, answering about the homes she owns and the possible Taxation.
    Not the best to say, yet in there the losing , in my opinion.

Recent Comments

Recent Posts

  • At a glance – Does CO2 always correlate with temperature?
    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 ...
    3 hours ago
  • Bernard’s six-stack of substacks at 6.06 pm on Tuesday, March 19
    TL;DR: In today’s ‘six-stack’ of substacks at 6.06pm on Tuesday, March 19:Kāinga Ora’s dry rot The Spinoff DailyBill McKibben on ‘Climate Superfunds’ making Big Oil pay for climate damage The Crucial YearsPreston Mui on returning to 1980s-style productivity growth NoahpinionAndy Boenau on NIMBYs needing unusual bedfellows Urbanism SpeakeasyNed Resnikoff's case ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 hours ago
  • Relentlessly negative
    Negative yesterday, negative today. Negative all year, according to one departing reader telling me I’ve grown strident and predictable. Fair enough. If it’s any help, every time I go to write about a certain topic that begins with C and ends with arrrrs, I do brace myself and ask: Again? Are ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    6 hours ago
  • Scoring 4.6 out of 10, the new Government is struggling in the polls
    Bryce Edwards writes –  It’s been a tumultuous time in politics in recent months, as the new National-led Government has driven through its “First 100 Day programme”. During this period there’s been a handful of opinion polls, which overall just show a minimal amount of flux in public support ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 hours ago
  • Promiscuous Empathy: Chris Trotter Replies To His Critics.
    Inspirational: The Family of Man is a glorious hymn to human equality, but, more than that, it is a clarion call to human freedom. Because equality, unleavened by liberty, is a broken piano, an unstrung harp; upon which the songs of fraternity will never be played. “Somebody must have been telling lies about ...
    7 hours ago
  • Don’t run your business like a criminal enterprise
    The Detail this morning highlights the police's asset forfeiture case against convicted business criminal Ron Salter, who stands to have his business confiscated for systemic violations of health and safety law. Business are crying foul - but not for the reason you'd think. Instead of opposing the post-conviction punishment and ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    7 hours ago
  • Misremembering Justinian’s Taxes.
    Tax Lawyer Barbara Edmonds vs Emperor Justinian I - Nolo Contendere: False historical explanations of pivotal events are very far from being inconsequential.WHEN BARBARA EDMONDS made reference to the Roman Empire, my ears pricked up. It is, lamentably, very rare to hear a politician admit to any kind of familiarity ...
    7 hours ago
  • Bryce Edwards: Scoring 4.6 out of 10, the new Government is struggling in the polls
    It’s been a tumultuous time in politics in recent months, as the new National-led Government has driven through its “First 100 Day programme”. During this period there’s been a handful of opinion polls, which overall just show a minimal amount of flux in public support for the various parties in ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    8 hours ago
  • Bishop scores headlines with crackdown on unwelcome tenants – but Peters scores, too, as tub-thump...
    Buzz from the Beehive Housing Minister Chris Bishop delivered news – packed with the ingredients to enflame political passions – worthy of supplanting Winston Peters in headline writers’ priorities. He popped up at the post-Cabinet press conference to promise a crackdown on unruly and antisocial state housing tenants. His ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    9 hours ago
  • Will it make the boat go faster?
    Ele Ludemann writes – The Reserve Bank is advertising for a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion advisor. The Bank has one mandate – to keep inflation between one and three percent. It has failed in that and is only slowly getting inflation back down to the upper limit. Will it ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    12 hours ago
  • Bryce Edwards: Is Simon Bridges’ NZTA appointment a conflict of interest?
    Last week former National Party leader Simon Bridges was appointed by the Government as the new chair of the New Zealand Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA). You can read about the appointment in Thomas Coughlan’s article, Simon Bridges to become chair of NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi The fact that a ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    12 hours ago
  • Is Simon Bridges’ NZTA appointment a conflict of interest?
    Bryce Edwards writes – Last week former National Party leader Simon Bridges was appointed by the Government as the new chair of the New Zealand Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA). You can read about the appointment in Thomas Coughlan’s article, Simon Bridges to become chair of NZ Transport Agency ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    12 hours ago
  • Bernard's Top 10 @ 10 'pick 'n' mix' at 10:10am on Tuesday, March 19
    TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: Gavin Jacobson talks to Thomas Piketty 10 years on from Capital in the 21st Century The SalvoLocal scoop: Green MP’s business being investigated over migrant exploitation claims Stuff Steve KilgallonLocal deep-dive: The commercial contractors making money from School ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    13 hours ago
  • Bernard's six newsy things on Tuesday, March 19
    It’s a home - but Kāinga Ora tenants accused of “abusing the privilege” may lose it. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The Government announced a crackdown on Kāinga Ora tenants who were unruly and/or behind on their rent, with Housing Minister Chris Bishop saying a place in a state ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    14 hours ago
  • New Life for Light Rail
    This is a guest post by Connor Sharp of Surface Light Rail  Light rail in Auckland: A way forward sooner than you think With the coup de grâce of Auckland Light Rail (ALR) earlier this year, and the shift of the government’s priorities to roads, roads, and more roads, it ...
    Greater AucklandBy Guest Post
    15 hours ago
  • Why Are Bosses Nearly All Buffoons?
    Note: As a paid-up Webworm member, I’ve recorded this Webworm as a mini-podcast for you as well. Some of you said you liked this option - so I aim to provide it when I get a chance to record! Read more ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    17 hours ago
  • Bernard’s six-stack of substacks at 6.06 pm on March 18
    TL;DR: In my ‘six-stack’ of substacks at 6.06pm on Monday, March 18:IKEA is accused of planting big forests in New Zealand to green-wash; REDD-MonitorA City for People takes a well-deserved victory lap over Wellington’s pro-YIMBY District Plan votes; A City for PeopleSteven Anastasiou takes a close look at the sticky ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 day ago
  • Peters holds his ground on co-governance, but Willis wriggles on those tax cuts and SNA suspension l...
    Buzz from the Beehive Here’s hoping for a lively post-cabinet press conference when the PM and – perhaps – some of his ministers tell us what was discussed at their meeting today. Until then, Point of Order has precious little Beehive news to report after its latest monitoring of the ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    1 day ago
  • Labour’s final report card
    David Farrar writes –  We now have almost all 2023 data in, which has allowed me to update my annual table of how  went against its promises. This is basically their final report card. The promise The result Build 100,000 affordable homes over 10 ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    1 day ago
  • “Drunk Uncle at a Wedding”
    I’m a bit worried that I’ve started a previous newsletter with the words “just when you think they couldn’t get any worse…” Seems lately that I could begin pretty much every issue with that opening. Such is the nature of our coalition government that they seem to be outdoing each ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    1 day ago
  • Wang Yi’s perfectly-timed, Aukus-themed visit to New Zealand
    Geoffrey Miller writes – Timing is everything. And from China’s perspective, this week’s visit by its foreign minister to New Zealand could be coming at just the right moment. The visit by Wang Yi to Wellington will be his first since 2017. Anniversaries are important to Beijing. ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    1 day ago
  • Gordon Campbell on Dune 2, and images of Islam
    Depictions of Islam in Western popular culture have rarely been positive, even before 9/11. Five years on from the mosque shootings, this is one of the cultural headwinds that the Muslim community has to battle against. Whatever messages of tolerance and inclusion are offered in daylight, much of our culture ...
    2 days 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 ...
    2 days 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
    2 days 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
    2 days 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
    2 days 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
    3 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
    3 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
    3 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
    3 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
    4 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
    4 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
    5 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
    5 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
    5 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
    5 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 ...
    6 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
    6 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
    6 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 ...
    6 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
    6 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
    6 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

  • Government moves to quickly ratify the NZ-EU FTA
    "The Government is moving quickly to realise an additional $46 million in tariff savings in the EU market this season for Kiwi exporters,” Minister for Trade and Agriculture, Todd McClay says. Parliament is set, this week, to complete the final legislative processes required to bring the New Zealand – European ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 hours 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
    10 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
    12 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
    13 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
    1 day 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
    6 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
    6 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
    6 days ago
  • NZ, India chart path to enhanced relationship
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters has completed a successful visit to India, saying it was an important step in taking the relationship between the two countries to the next level.   “We have laid a strong foundation for the Coalition Government’s priority of enhancing New Zealand-India relations to generate significant future benefit for both countries,” says Mr Peters, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Ruapehu Alpine Lifts bailout the last, say Ministers
    Cabinet has agreed to provide $7 million to ensure the 2024 ski season can go ahead on the Whakapapa ski field in the central North Island but has told the operator Ruapehu Alpine Lifts it is the last financial support it will receive from taxpayers. Cabinet also agreed to provide ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Govt takes action to drive better cancer services
    Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says the launch of a new mobile breast screening unit in Counties Manukau reinforces the coalition Government’s commitment to drive better cancer services for all New Zealanders. Speaking at the launch of the new mobile clinic, Dr Reti says it’s a great example of taking ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Govt takes action to drive better cancer services
    Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says the launch of a new mobile breast screening unit in Counties Manukau reinforces the coalition Government’s commitment to drive better cancer services for all New Zealanders. Speaking at the launch of the new mobile clinic, Dr Reti says it’s a great example of taking ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Work begins on SH29 upgrades near Tauriko
    Unlocking economic growth and land for housing are critical elements of the Government’s plan for our transport network, and planned upgrades to State Highway 29 (SH29) near Tauriko will deliver strongly on those priorities, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “The SH29 upgrades near Tauriko will improve safety at the intersections ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Work begins on SH29 upgrades near Tauriko
    Unlocking economic growth and land for housing are critical elements of the Government’s plan for our transport network, and planned upgrades to State Highway 29 (SH29) near Tauriko will deliver strongly on those priorities, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “The SH29 upgrades near Tauriko will improve safety at the intersections ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Fresh produce price drop welcome
    Lower fruit and vegetable prices are welcome news for New Zealanders who have been doing it tough at the supermarket, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. Stats NZ reported today the price of fruit and vegetables has dropped 9.3 percent in the 12 months to February 2024.  “Lower fruit and vege ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Statement to the 68th United Nations Commission on the Status of Women
    Tēnā koutou katoa and greetings to you all.  Chair, I am honoured to address the sixty-eighth session of the Commission on the Status of Women. I acknowledge the many crises impacting the rights of women and girls. Heightened global tensions, war, climate related and humanitarian disasters, and price inflation all ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Speech to the 68th United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (CSW68)
    Tēnā koutou katoa and greetings to you all.  Chair, I am honoured to address the 68th session of the Commission on the Status of Women. I acknowledge the many crises impacting the rights of women and girls. Heightened global tensions, war, climate related and humanitarian disasters, and price inflation all ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Government backs rural led catchment projects
    The coalition Government is supporting farmers to enhance land management practices by investing $3.3 million in locally led catchment groups, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay announced. “Farmers and growers deliver significant prosperity for New Zealand and it’s vital their ongoing efforts to improve land management practices and water quality are supported,” ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago
  • Speech to Auckland Business Chamber
    Good evening everyone and thank you for that lovely introduction.   Thank you also to the Honourable Simon Bridges for the invitation to address your members. Since being sworn in, this coalition Government has hit the ground running with our 100-day plan, delivering the changes that New Zealanders expect of us. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Commission’s advice on ETS settings tabled
    Recommendations from the Climate Change Commission for New Zealand on the Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) auction and unit limit settings for the next five years have been tabled in Parliament, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. “The Commission provides advice on the ETS annually. This is the third time the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Government lowering building costs
    The coalition Government is beginning its fight to lower building costs and reduce red tape by exempting minor building work from paying the building levy, says Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk. “Currently, any building project worth $20,444 including GST or more is subject to the building levy which is ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Trustee tax change welcomed
    Proposed changes to tax legislation to prevent the over-taxation of low-earning trusts are welcome, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The changes have been recommended by Parliament’s Finance and Expenditure Committee following consideration of submissions on the Taxation (Annual Rates for 2023–24, Multinational Tax, and Remedial Matters) Bill. “One of the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Minister’s Ramadan message
    Assalaamu alaikum. السَّلَام عليكم In light of the holy month of Ramadan, I want to extend my warmest wishes to our Muslim community in New Zealand. Ramadan is a time for spiritual reflection, renewed devotion, perseverance, generosity, and forgiveness.  It’s a time to strengthen our bonds and appreciate the diversity ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Minister appoints new NZTA Chair
    Former Transport Minister and CEO of the Auckland Business Chamber Hon Simon Bridges has been appointed as the new Board Chair of the New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA) for a three-year term, Transport Minister Simeon Brown announced today. “Simon brings extensive experience and knowledge in transport policy and governance to the role. He will ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Speech to Life Sciences Summit
    Good morning all, it is a pleasure to be here as Minister of Science, Innovation and Technology.  It is fantastic to see how connected and collaborative the life science and biotechnology industry is here in New Zealand. I would like to thank BioTechNZ and NZTech for the invitation to address ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Progress continues apace on water storage
    Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says he is looking forward to the day when three key water projects in Northland are up and running, unlocking the full potential of land in the region. Mr Jones attended a community event at the site of the Otawere reservoir near Kerikeri on Friday. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Government agrees to restore interest deductions
    Associate Finance Minister David Seymour has today announced that the Government has agreed to restore deductibility for mortgage interest on residential investment properties. “Help is on the way for landlords and renters alike. The Government’s restoration of interest deductibility will ease pressure on rents and simplify the tax code,” says ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Minister to attend World Anti-Doping Agency Symposium
    Sport and Recreation Minister Chris Bishop will travel to Switzerland today to attend an Executive Committee meeting and Symposium of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA). Mr Bishop will then travel on to London where he will attend a series of meetings in his capacity as Infrastructure Minister. “New Zealanders believe ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

Page generated in The Standard by Wordpress at 2024-03-19T09:43:51+00:00