Lonely on the right side of history?

Written By: - Date published: 11:07 am, April 17th, 2023 - 18 comments
Categories: afghanistan, Austerity, China, Economy, grant robertson - Tags:

Musing after the recent IMF/World Bank meetings, Former White house economist and US Treasury secretary Larry Summers said “it’s looking a bit lonely on the right side of history..as others are increasingly banding together in a whole range of structures.”

Summers has form, too much to go into here, but he’s not wrong about what he has noticed. Summers was speaking on the sidelines of the spring meeting of global finance chiefs in Washington,

where the key theme has been a warning about “fragmentation” of the world economy as the US and rich-world allies aim to reshape supply chains away from China and other strategic competitors.

Summers agreed there was a growing acceptance of fragmentation in the world economy and even more troubling for the US, a growing sense that ‘”ours may not be the best fragment to be in.” he tells an anecdote about someone saying to him when China talks to us we get an airport, when the US talks we get a lecture. We refer your values, but we prefer airports to lectures.”

Deepening links between the Middle East and Russia and China — which recently brokered a rapprochement between Saudi Arabia and Iran — are “a symbol of something that I think is a huge challenge for the United States,” Summers said.

“We are on the right side of history — with our commitment to democracy, with our resistance to aggression in Russia,” he said. “But it’s looking a bit lonely on the right side of history, as those who seem much less on the right side of history are increasingly banding together in a whole range of structures.”

Washington will need to consider how to address this new challenge, he added. The structures of the IMF and World Bank will also be a key longer-term issue, he said. “If the Bretton Woods system is not delivering strongly around the world, there are going to be serious challenges and proposed alternatives.”

The issues in question for the IMF and the World Bank are questions of debt and development, and most importantly in the current geopolitical environment, questions of debt relief for countries such as Sri Lanka and Argentina. These issues also surfaced in the discussions, a theme that played out in Washington DC last week during a high-level sovereign debt round-table on the sidelines of the World Bank and International Monetary Fund Spring meetings in Washington.

In a fascinating dialogue between Radhika Desai and Michael Hudson, Desai outlines the key issues relating to world debt:

RADHIKA DESAI: Well I think that the whole issue of debt, world debt in particular, has become a really important issue at this point, and it’s become an important issue because precisely now China is such a large part of the scene.

I remember going back to the earliest days of the pandemic when Third World debt had also figured as a major issue. Already at that point, the key reason why the debt issues were not going to be settled is because the West could not come to terms with the fact that it had to deal with China, and that it had to deal equitably with China.

Because what the West wants to do is precisely to get China to refinance the debt owed to it so that Third World debt repayments go to private lenders.

And China is basically questioning the terms of all of this, because for example China is saying, “Why should the IMF and the World Bank have priority? Why should its debt not be canceled?”

And the West is saying, “But this has always been so.”

And China is saying, “Well, if you don’t want to reform the IMF and the World Bank, then we are not going to accept their priority. If we have to take a haircut, they will also have to take a haircut.”

They simply do not accept that these institutions, the Bretton Woods institutions, have any sort of priority.

And this is part of the undermining, as you were saying. This is one of the biggest changes since the First World War. And part of these changes is that the world made at the end of the Second World War by the imperialist powers, who are still very powerful, is now increasingly disappearing.

This is the challenge that China is presenting to the so-called ‘rules-based order’ based on Bretton Woods arrangements which favour the rich world.

The whole discussion between Radhika Desai and Michael Hudson, one in a series of fascinating conversations, is well worth reading or listening to. Desai had just been in Russia and pertinent to this post mentions how in some discussions economists were describing the geopolitical shift as one to the “majority.” Also pertinent to Summers’ comment, she says:

All the West has to offer is sticks. Whereas China comes loaded with all the carrots that you can imagine. The juiciest carrots that you can imagine.

All the non-Western world, the World Majority, can see these carrots, they are responding to these carrots. And the other interesting thing is that these carrots are not neoliberal carrots. That is very clear.

In a brainstorming session in which the purpose was to say, Russia is not the Third World, Russia is not the developing world, Russia is part of the post-communist world, so how do we conceive of a single entity of which Russia is now a very active part, and where it is going to be one of the leaders, somebody came up with this idea of the World Majority. Increasingly the Russians are thinking of themselves not as being part of the West, whose attractiveness is shrinking and whose borders are also rather small.

The bulk of the GDP and people in the world are outside the West. The West now accounts for about 30% of world GDP, so the rest is 70%. And it’s only going to grow. Meanwhile, the West’s neoliberal policies are accelerating the decline of its share.

Unthinkable even five year ago, massive changes are  happening all over the world. The dollar is losing its preeminence as the currency of choice, and the world’s majority prefer co-operation and development to endless war and unpayable debt. New organisations are rising and growing: SCO, EAEU, BRI, BRICS+. OPEC+, RCEP, as well as older ones such as ASEAN. NATO wants to come into our backyard, having just withdrawn precipitately from Afghanistan. That last deserves a separate post.

Grant Robertson attended the World Bank meetings. It will be interesting to hear what he took out of the discussions.

In my opinion we also need to give some thought to which side of history we want to be on. We are lucky in that we still have some choices for our future.

18 comments on “Lonely on the right side of history? ”

  • Comments are now closed

  1. Tiger Mountain 1
    17 April 2023 at 11:54 am

    Rich in irony. The international trade orders (WTO, IMF, World Bank etc.) were obviously ushered into existence to shore up Western and US Imperialism in particular.

    When US corporates moved production offshore in the interests of globalisation (cheap wages really, due to Marx and Engels’ prediction of the tendency for the rate of profit to fall) little did they think it would bite them on the arse as it is now doing.

    New Zealand should move on from the Anglosphere, leave 5 Eyes, steer clear of AUKUS & NATO, and do the obvious–become genuinely non aligned and pursue bilateral mutually beneficial trade and cultural agreements with all nations that desire the same.

    The funny thing with China is that the country (generalising) is very patient, with expert tactical and strategic skills. Building infrastructure where ever they go rather than invading has to be a good thing.

    • SPC 1.1
      17 April 2023 at 1:13 pm

      The deconstruction of a global order is the equivalent of libertarianism in nation states.

      Bi-lateral agreements require the stronger party to act in good faith, it does not make for a rules based regime.

      • Tiger Mountain 1.1.1
        17 April 2023 at 1:24 pm

        Don’t get your contention there SPC. The epitome of libertarianism is surely the volumes of rules attached to the likes of the TPPA/TCTPP that were exposed on Wiki links.

        I support rules based for most things including international relations–but once you get to trade and commerce it is really rules for the benefit of private capital and finance capital.

        • SPC 1.1.1.1
          17 April 2023 at 1:36 pm

          Criticism of the multi-lateral trade agreements on those grounds also applies to criticism of nation state governments for operating in the same way. The latter does not delegitimise the worth of nation states.

          WTO rules and other regional trade deals should include labour and environment standards and such things as carbon taxation in trade to encourage a shift to renewable energy.

  2. Ad 2
    17 April 2023 at 12:19 pm

    The weird joy of New Zealand is that it poses itself to be any identity that it needs to: pro-China, pro-Australia, pro-Europe, pro-UK, pro-Pacific, pro-South East Asian.

    New Zealand has the most pronouns of any country.

    This enables New Zealand to trade with the most mercantile of international morality. Prime Minister Fraser would be spinning in his grave at our lack of principle.

    By being a diplomatic palimpsest New Zealand gets less and less influential in any of them, every year. Neutrality is invisibility.

    We stand for nearly nothing other than when war breaks out, so we recede from the world other than through our dozen dominant exporters who intersect meaningfully with the world as trading partners. The Lowy Institute influence rankings show us continuing to recede year after year.

    • Francesca 2.1
      17 April 2023 at 12:49 pm

      Do you honestly think other countrys' trade policies are run on morality lines?

      • Ad 2.1.1
        17 April 2023 at 1:08 pm

        I honestly think New Zealand has nothing but virtue, milk and scenery to sell.

        Others can afford to trade without virtue, but we are one of the countries that is most vulnerable to obeying and sustaining a rules-based order. Which is why our trade deals are way, way more important than any other relationship we are in.

        For all our clean, green, highly moral liberal society, we are decreasing in our influence, in our strength, in our trade, and in our awareness of pressures in our part of the world.

        Whether we are or are not on the right side of history, we are one of the loneliest and by choice one of the least.

        • SPC 2.1.1.1
          17 April 2023 at 1:27 pm

          The problem is our partners gave the fingers to multi-lateralism.

          1. They gave a one party state access to the WTO because of their greed for the China market.
          2. They failed to have a fair contest for POTUS by not completing the recount in Florida.
          3. They rubbed the noses of Russia in the dirt by expanding NATO into eastern Europe.
          4. They betrayed the UNSC when invading Iraq and attacking Libyan government ground forces while operating a no fly zone in Libya.
          5. Their banking deregulaton led to the GFC
          6. Their POTUS tried to undermine the WTO while trashing a FTA with their neighbours.
          7. They advocated for democracy in Hong Kong and forced a Chinese response. Which led to a revaluation of attitudes to the future of Taiwan – given HK was supposed to be a template

          20 or so years of imperial regime incompetence has led us to where we are now.

      • Incognito 2.1.2
        17 April 2023 at 2:18 pm

        No, of course not, who would even make such a silly suggestion??

        https://www.mfat.govt.nz/en/countries-and-regions/europe/ukraine/russian-invasion-of-ukraine/sanctions/

        https://www.mfat.govt.nz/en/peace-rights-and-security/un-sanctions/

        NZ wants to be everybody’s friend with all the benefits that come with such non-committal stance. This only ends well in movies featuring Mila & Justin.

    • Tiger Mountain 2.2
      17 April 2023 at 1:09 pm

      good on you for roaming around the internet, however think tanks are…think tanks…this one with some rather unsavoury links
      https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lowy_Institute

      Aotearoa NZ is a Pacific nation in all reality, bar some elite ties to the Anglosphere–recall that Trumpy would not entertain TPPA/CPTPP let alone NZ dairy access to the US? Time to move on and drop the cringe factor.

    • SPC 2.3
      17 April 2023 at 1:17 pm

      Lowy … the Australians have not won the Bledisloe Cup since some loud mouth said 4 more years in 2003. Not rated for their intelligence.

    • DS 2.4
      20 April 2023 at 6:15 am

      "When the elephants fight, the grass gets trampled."

      Invisibility – and staying out the way – seems an eminently sensible approach for New Zealand.

  3. roblogic 3
    17 April 2023 at 2:53 pm

    You are still more likely to find democracy, the rule of law, and human rights in the western world.

    It is shocking how routine and widespead corruption is in non Western countries, and how low-trust societies are their own worst enemy. As we see from Russia, dysfunction makes progress in anything 10x as slow and expensive.

    The dysfunction includes awful working conditions, deep inequality, failing infrastructure, almost no public services. Healthcare, education, decent transportation are only available to the rich.

    The West needs to rediscover its true social democratic roots and humanistic values if it wants to keep its advantage. Western elites seem to have abandoned these traditions in favour of a pillaging mentality and purchasing bunkers in New Zealand to escape the coming storm.

    • Tiger Mountain 3.1
      17 April 2023 at 3:04 pm

      The USA quite well described there roblogic…

      “The dysfunction includes awful working conditions, deep inequality, failing infrastructure, almost no public services. Healthcare, education, decent transportation are only available to the rich.”

      And sure, if you want to compare Somalia or somewhere the US looks marginally better, but not too much for millions without health insurance etc.

      Agree with your point about rediscovering social democratic roots–but that will take a new political movement.

  4. alwyn 4
    17 April 2023 at 6:25 pm

    Your post quotes Summers as saying "he tells an anecdote about someone saying to him when China talks to us we get an airport, when the US talks we get a lecture."

    Perhaps that is sometimes true but people getting into bed with China should remember what happened to Sri Lanka. They got a port built by the Chinese, called Hambantota. It wasn't economic however and when they couldn't pay the loan the Chinese had made they ended up having to lease it to China for 99 years.

    Please God, don't let Wood get carried away and pay for a foolish light rail exercise in Auckland with Chinese money. Who knows what we would have to hand over when the light rail turns out to be a financial disaster.

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hambantota_International_Port

  5. aj 5
    17 April 2023 at 7:07 pm

    “The USA quite well described there roblogic…The dysfunction includes awful working conditions, deep inequality, failing infrastructure, almost no public services. Healthcare, education, decent transportation are only available to the rich.”

    And in most of those areas China is leading. USA bombs, China builds.

Recent Comments

Recent Posts

  • PM announces changes to portfolios
    Paul Goldsmith will take on responsibility for the Media and Communications portfolio, while Louise Upston will pick up the Disability Issues portfolio, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon announced today. “Our Government is relentlessly focused on getting New Zealand back on track. As issues change in prominence, I plan to adjust Ministerial ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 hours ago

  • New catch limits for unique fishery areas
    Recreational catch limits will be reduced in areas of Fiordland and the Chatham Islands to help keep those fisheries healthy and sustainable, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. The lower recreational daily catch limits for a range of finfish and shellfish species caught in the Fiordland Marine Area and ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 hours ago

  • Minister welcomes hydrogen milestone
    Energy Minister Simeon Brown has welcomed an important milestone in New Zealand’s hydrogen future, with the opening of the country’s first network of hydrogen refuelling stations in Wiri. “I want to congratulate the team at Hiringa Energy and its partners K one W one (K1W1), Mitsui & Co New Zealand ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    22 hours ago

  • Urgent changes to system through first RMA Amendment Bill
    The coalition Government is delivering on its commitment to improve resource management laws and give greater certainty to consent applicants, with a Bill to amend the Resource Management Act (RMA) expected to be introduced to Parliament next month. RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop has today outlined the first RMA Amendment ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago

  • Overseas decommissioning models considered
    Overseas models for regulating the oil and gas sector, including their decommissioning regimes, are being carefully scrutinised as a potential template for New Zealand’s own sector, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. The Coalition Government is focused on rebuilding investor confidence in New Zealand’s energy sector as it looks to strengthen ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago

  • Release of North Island Severe Weather Event Inquiry
    Emergency Management and Recovery Minister Mark Mitchell has today released the Report of the Government Inquiry into the response to the North Island Severe Weather Events. “The report shows that New Zealand’s emergency management system is not fit-for-purpose and there are some significant gaps we need to address,” Mr Mitchell ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago

  • Justice Minister to attend Human Rights Council
    Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith is today travelling to Europe where he’ll update the United Nations Human Rights Council on the Government’s work to restore law and order.  “Attending the Universal Periodic Review in Geneva provides us with an opportunity to present New Zealand’s human rights progress, priorities, and challenges, while ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • Patterson reopens world’s largest wool scouring facility
    Associate Agriculture Minister, Mark Patterson, formally reopened the world’s largest wool processing facility today in Awatoto, Napier, following a $50 million rebuild and refurbishment project. “The reopening of this facility will significantly lift the economic opportunities available to New Zealand’s wool sector, which already accounts for 20 per cent of ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • Speech to the Southland Otago Regional Engineering Collective Summit, 18 April 2024
    Hon Andrew Bayly, Minister for Small Business and Manufacturing  At the Southland Otago Regional Engineering Collective (SOREC) Summit, 18 April, Dunedin    Ngā mihi nui, Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Ko Whanganui aho    Good Afternoon and thank you for inviting me to open your summit today.    I am delighted ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • Government to introduce revised Three Strikes law
    The Government is delivering on its commitment to bring back the Three Strikes legislation, Associate Justice Minister Nicole McKee announced today. “Our Government is committed to restoring law and order and enforcing appropriate consequences on criminals. We are making it clear that repeat serious violent or sexual offending is not ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • New diplomatic appointments
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters has today announced four new diplomatic appointments for New Zealand’s overseas missions.   “Our diplomats have a vital role in maintaining and protecting New Zealand’s interests around the world,” Mr Peters says.    “I am pleased to announce the appointment of these senior diplomats from the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • Humanitarian support for Ethiopia and Somalia
    New Zealand is contributing NZ$7 million to support communities affected by severe food insecurity and other urgent humanitarian needs in Ethiopia and Somalia, Foreign Minister Rt Hon Winston Peters announced today.   “Over 21 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance across Ethiopia, with a further 6.9 million people ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • Arts Minister congratulates Mataaho Collective
    Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage Paul Goldsmith is congratulating Mataaho Collective for winning the Golden Lion for best participant in the main exhibition at the Venice Biennale. "Congratulations to the Mataaho Collective for winning one of the world's most prestigious art prizes at the Venice Biennale.  “It is good ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago

  • Supporting better financial outcomes for Kiwis
    The Government is reforming financial services to improve access to home loans and other lending, and strengthen customer protections, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly and Housing Minister Chris Bishop announced today. “Our coalition Government is committed to rebuilding the economy and making life simpler by cutting red tape. We are ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago

  • Trade relationship with China remains strong
    “China remains a strong commercial opportunity for Kiwi exporters as Chinese businesses and consumers continue to value our high-quality safe produce,” Trade and Agriculture Minister Todd McClay says.   Mr McClay has returned to New Zealand following visits to Beijing, Harbin and Shanghai where he met ministers, governors and mayors and engaged in trade and agricultural events with the New ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago

  • PM’s South East Asia mission does the business
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has completed a successful trip to Singapore, Thailand and the Philippines, deepening relationships and capitalising on opportunities. Mr Luxon was accompanied by a business delegation and says the choice of countries represents the priority the New Zealand Government places on South East Asia, and our relationships in ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago

  • $41m to support clean energy in South East Asia
    New Zealand is demonstrating its commitment to reducing global greenhouse emissions, and supporting clean energy transition in South East Asia, through a contribution of NZ$41 million (US$25 million) in climate finance to the Asian Development Bank (ADB)-led Energy Transition Mechanism (ETM). Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Climate Change Minister Simon Watts announced ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago

  • Minister releases Fast-track stakeholder list
    The Government is today releasing a list of organisations who received letters about the Fast-track applications process, says RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop. “Recently Ministers and agencies have received a series of OIA requests for a list of organisations to whom I wrote with information on applying to have a ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago

  • Judicial appointments announced
    Attorney-General Judith Collins today announced the appointment of Wellington Barrister David Jonathan Boldt as a Judge of the High Court, and the Honourable Justice Matthew Palmer as a Judge of the Court of Appeal. Justice Boldt graduated with an LLB from Victoria University of Wellington in 1990, and also holds ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago

  • Education Minister heads to major teaching summit in Singapore
    Education Minister Erica Stanford will lead the New Zealand delegation at the 2024 International Summit on the Teaching Profession (ISTP) held in Singapore. The delegation includes representatives from the Post Primary Teachers’ Association (PPTA) Te Wehengarua and the New Zealand Educational Institute (NZEI) Te Riu Roa.  The summit is co-hosted ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago

  • Value of stopbank project proven during cyclone
    A stopbank upgrade project in Tairawhiti partly funded by the Government has increased flood resilience for around 7000ha of residential and horticultural land so far, Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones today attended a dawn service in Gisborne to mark the end of the first stage of the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago

  • Anzac commemorations, Türkiye relationship focus of visit
    Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters will represent the Government at Anzac Day commemorations on the Gallipoli Peninsula next week and engage with senior representatives of the Turkish government in Istanbul.    “The Gallipoli campaign is a defining event in our history. It will be a privilege to share the occasion ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago

  • Minister to Europe for OECD meeting, Anzac Day
    Science, Innovation and Technology and Defence Minister Judith Collins will next week attend the OECD Science and Technology Ministerial conference in Paris and Anzac Day commemorations in Belgium. “Science, innovation and technology have a major role to play in rebuilding our economy and achieving better health, environmental and social outcomes ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago

  • Comprehensive Partnership the goal for NZ and the Philippines
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon held a bilateral meeting today with the President of the Philippines, Ferdinand Marcos Jr.  The Prime Minister was accompanied by MP Paulo Garcia, the first Filipino to be elected to a legislature outside the Philippines. During today’s meeting, Prime Minister Luxon and President Marcos Jr discussed opportunities to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago

  • Government commits $20m to Westport flood protection
    The Government has announced that $20 million in funding will be made available to Westport to fund much needed flood protection around the town. This measure will significantly improve the resilience of the community, says Local Government Minister Simeon Brown. “The Westport community has already been allocated almost $3 million ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago

  • Taupō takes pole position
    The Government is proud to support the first ever Repco Supercars Championship event in Taupō as up to 70,000 motorsport fans attend the Taupō International Motorsport Park this weekend, says Economic Development Minister Melissa Lee. “Anticipation for the ITM Taupō Super400 is huge, with tickets and accommodation selling out weeks ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago

  • Cost of living support for low-income homeowners
    Local Government Minister Simeon Brown has announced an increase to the Rates Rebate Scheme, putting money back into the pockets of low-income homeowners.  “The coalition Government is committed to bringing down the cost of living for New Zealanders. That includes targeted support for those Kiwis who are doing things tough, such ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago

  • Government backing mussel spat project
    The Coalition Government is investing in a project to boost survival rates of New Zealand mussels and grow the industry, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones has announced. “This project seeks to increase the resilience of our mussels and significantly boost the sector’s productivity,” Mr Jones says. “The project - ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago

  • Government focused on getting people into work
    Benefit figures released today underscore the importance of the Government’s plan to rebuild the economy and have 50,000 fewer people on Jobseeker Support, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “Benefit numbers are still significantly higher than when National was last in government, when there was about 70,000 fewer ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago

  • Clean energy key driver to reducing emissions
    The Government’s commitment to doubling New Zealand’s renewable energy capacity is backed by new data showing that clean energy has helped the country reach its lowest annual gross emissions since 1999, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. New Zealand’s latest Greenhouse Gas Inventory (1990-2022) published today, shows gross emissions fell ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago

  • Earthquake-prone buildings review brought forward
    The Government is bringing the earthquake-prone building review forward, with work to start immediately, and extending the deadline for remediations by four years, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says. “Our Government is focused on rebuilding the economy. A key part of our plan is to cut red tape that ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago

  • Thailand and NZ to agree to Strategic Partnership
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and his Thai counterpart, Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin, have today agreed that New Zealand and the Kingdom of Thailand will upgrade the bilateral relationship to a Strategic Partnership by 2026. “New Zealand and Thailand have a lot to offer each other. We have a strong mutual desire to build ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago

  • Government consults on extending coastal permits for ports
    RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop and Transport Minister Simeon Brown have today announced the Coalition Government’s intention to extend port coastal permits for a further 20 years, providing port operators with certainty to continue their operations. “The introduction of the Resource Management Act in 1991 required ports to obtain coastal ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Inflation coming down, but more work to do
    Today’s announcement that inflation is down to 4 per cent is encouraging news for Kiwis, but there is more work to be done - underlining the importance of the Government’s plan to get the economy back on track, acting Finance Minister Chris Bishop says. “Inflation is now at 4 per ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • School attendance restored as a priority in health advice
    Refreshed health guidance released today will help parents and schools make informed decisions about whether their child needs to be in school, addressing one of the key issues affecting school attendance, says Associate Education Minister David Seymour. In recent years, consistently across all school terms, short-term illness or medical reasons ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Unnecessary bureaucracy cut in oceans sector
    Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones is streamlining high-level oceans management while maintaining a focus on supporting the sector’s role in the export-led recovery of the economy. “I am working to realise the untapped potential of our fishing and aquaculture sector. To achieve that we need to be smarter with ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Patterson promoting NZ’s wool sector at International Congress
    Associate Agriculture Minister Mark Patterson is speaking at the International Wool Textile Organisation Congress in Adelaide, promoting New Zealand wool, and outlining the coalition Government’s support for the revitalisation the sector.    "New Zealand’s wool exports reached $400 million in the year to 30 June 2023, and the coalition Government ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Removing red tape to help early learners thrive
    The Government is making legislative changes to make it easier for new early learning services to be established, and for existing services to operate, Associate Education Minister David Seymour says. The changes involve repealing the network approval provisions that apply when someone wants to establish a new early learning service, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • RMA changes to cut coal mining consent red tape
    Changes to the Resource Management Act will align consenting for coal mining to other forms of mining to reduce barriers that are holding back economic development, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. “The inconsistent treatment of coal mining compared with other extractive activities is burdensome red tape that fails to acknowledge ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • McClay reaffirms strong NZ-China trade relationship
    Trade, Agriculture and Forestry Minister Todd McClay has concluded productive discussions with ministerial counterparts in Beijing today, in support of the New Zealand-China trade and economic relationship. “My meeting with Commerce Minister Wang Wentao reaffirmed the complementary nature of the bilateral trade relationship, with our Free Trade Agreement at its ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

Page generated in The Standard by Wordpress at 2024-04-24T02:58:39+00:00