Lord of the tax breaks: A history of capital flight threats

Written By: - Date published: 7:53 am, October 27th, 2010 - 90 comments
Categories: capitalism, film, tax - Tags: , , ,

Anyone who thinks that the Actors’ Equity dispute matters is a rube. Hollywood deals with unions all the time, and the Irish and UK film industries are more highly unionised than here. The truth is that this is just the same old trick of the international film industry threatening us with tax breaks if they don’t get what they want.

The 1990s National Government abolished tax breaks for films. But it post-dated the implementation until 2000 and grandfathered the breaks for the Lord of the Rings when Peter Jackson and the producers threatened to take production elsewhere. LOTR got about $200 million in tax breaks.

In 2002, Richard Taylor (Peter Jackson’s Weta co-founder), threatened the government with capital flight if the tax breaks weren’t brought back in:

“Double Oscar winner Richard Taylor says New Zealand might lose out as a film location if the Government refuses to reinstate tax incentives for visiting film productions.”

Michael Cullen wasn’t keen on the taxpayer shelling out, at gunpoint, to one industry but what’s a government to do when a genuinely international industry threatens capital flight? The Large Budget Screen Production Grant was introduced in 2003. The government has paid out about $200 million under this grant, including $45 million for Avatar.

In 2009, Peter Jackson got himself appointed to review the tax break legislation. In July this year, he recommended that big films (ie. his projects) get more tax breaks. Bill English said no.

A couple of months later, a tiny, settled union dispute suddenly becomes a huge ‘crisis’ and Jackson’s latest project stands to get more tax breaks.

Funny that.

This is what the Hollywood does. An international industry, truly global capital, playing us off against other countries.

What are we to do? Ultimately, the way to stop international capital forcing countries into a race to the bottom is to agree international rules between countries. Obviously, that’s not an immediate option. So, we’ll end up paying more to stave off the threat of capital flight because the wider economic benefit makes it worthwhile.

John Key is now desperately trying to talk down how much we can pay and trying to act blase about whether or not the filming happens here. He resembles a middle ages traveler trying to nonchalantly hide some of his jewels from the highwayman. But Key bears responsibility for talking up the ‘crisis’ as an opportunity to cynically put the boot into unions.

It is Key’s responsibility to keep the Hobbit in New Zealand at as little cost as possible, and certainly without some tin-pot dictatorship-style change to employment law.

PS. Funny to see Key, after the meeting, admitting that one of the reasons Warner Bros wants more money from us is the high NZD/USD exchange rate. Key had earlier dismissed that idea when Trevor Mallard raised it. Who’s the money market expert now?

90 comments on “Lord of the tax breaks: A history of capital flight threats ”

  1. Adrian 1

    Spot on, Marty. If only paid “journalists” could be as concise. I have noticed this morning questions are starting to be asked about “kowtowing” and dancing to multi-nationals tune. About time.

    • Marty G 1.1

      I think once this issue is done, the msm journos will need to sit down and ask themselves, once again, if they are too quick to accept the word of authority figures like Jackson and the PM. I doubt it will happen.

      The only independent analysis that hasn’t taken any players’ word for granted that I’ve seen has been here (mostly Irish’s excellent pieces) and Gordon Campbell.

      The way the soft-left liberal elitists like Russell Brown, Lew, and (if he’s feeling left today) Danyl have automatically sided with Jackson because they admire him as an artist just shows that kind of person is not the future of the Left.

      • ghostwhowalksnz 1.1.1

        Russell Brown is more of a producer himself these days. No wonder he threw journalism out of the window.

        • rich 1.1.1.1

          It’s the geek agenda. They’re all very liberal unless it conflicts with their comfortable consumer desires.

          So China is a democracy full of empowered workers churning out Apple kit and flatscreen tellies, etc, etc.

          Employee rights are nothing against the imperative to have a big budget NZ movie that will make Americans respect us on Twitter.

      • Colonial Viper 1.1.2

        The only independent analysis that hasn’t taken any players’ word for granted that I’ve seen has been here (mostly Irish’s excellent pieces)

        Marty, how about you guys set up a media syndication company, and allow your pieces to be picked up under license by both foreign media and local newspapers. For free or for some minimal charge.

        And they will pick it up, even as a space filler, and The Standard will be represented in the otherwise shite MSM.

        Especially since what goes up on The Standard gives a far more complete NZ context and history to current events than any other media pieces ever do.

      • bobo 1.1.3

        As they say never meet your heroes…

  2. IrishBill 2

    The LA times announced the work ban was lifted on the 20th. That’s the 19th our time. The day before it all blew up again: http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/entertainmentnewsbuzz/2010/10/sag-ends-boycott-of-the-hobbit.html

    (just in case anyone still thought the dispute was live at the time)

    • AndyB 2.1

      wouldn’t that be the 21st our time?
      the US are behind us, not ahead.

    • Colonial Viper 2.2

      Yes 21st our time. They are a day behind us. That’s how we get to have movie premiers and iPads first – sometimes.

    • Lanthanide 2.3

      At the bottom of the latest stuff article on the whole thing, PJ says that it was the unions that shot first:

      ” Meanwhile, Sir Peter Jackson today released a letter which he said proved the actors’ unions had already decided to blacklist The Hobbit before requesting a conversation with him.

      The letter, from The International Federation of Actors, was sent to the US directors of production company 3 Foot 7 Ltd on August 17, warning that the federation had instructed its members no to act in the film until the producers had entered into bargaining with the union.

      Sir Peter said that letter was the first time he had been made aware of the issue.

      “It was the first time a meeting was ever requested and it was clear from the letter they had already voted to blacklist us, before even asking for one conversation with me,” he said.”

      http://www.stuff.co.nz/business/industries/4275149/Hobbit-used-to-push-through-law-changes-CTU

      • Blighty 2.3.1

        Lan. For the last time, this is not about some little union, whose dispute is already over.

        You need your head read if you think that a $670 million project that has already spent $100 million here would move over something like that.

        Incidentally, whatever happened the The Dambusters? This isn’t the only Jackson (or ‘PJ’, as Lan lovingly calls him) project that has money woes.

        • Lanthanide 2.3.1.1

          In my opinion, the whole thing was *started* by the union. I agree that it does look like the studio is taking the opportunity to extort extra money out of us, but that doesn’t absolve the union of any blame.

          Also your use of $670M NZ instead of $500M US is telling – the exchange rate really isn’t in our favour at the moment.

          Finally, I wrote “PJ” as a shorthand to save time, not because I have any great affection for the man.

          • Blighty 2.3.1.1.1

            wait, it this all the union’s fault or is it the exchange rate?

            Or are we looking at history of behaviour from Hollywood with the union ‘issue’ just an excuse to try to screw more money from us?

            If you want it to be the union’s fault you have to show causation – how a now settled dispute with a small union could cause a $670 million production to write-off $100 million of investment and move elsewhere.

            • mcflock 2.3.1.1.1.1

              “sorry I mugged you, mate, but they got me so riled up by being reasonable. So actually THEY’RE the ones who mugged you”.

            • Lanthanide 2.3.1.1.1.2

              It’s called “straw that broke the camel’s back”.

              • Colonial Viper

                Jackson’s mishandling of industrial relations in NZ to the extent a boycott was called pissed his US handlers off, and I suggest the fact that they had to become involved to firefight was what ‘broke the camels back’.

                • Lanthanide

                  From my post 2.3, quote of Jackson:

                  “It was the first time a meeting was ever requested and it was clear from the letter they had already voted to blacklist us, before even asking for one conversation with me,” he said.”

                  Yeah, he really mishandled those industrial relations by somehow not reading the unions mind that they wanted a meeting before they started the boycott…

                  • Zorr

                    As has already been pointed out many times Lanth, this industrial spat between actors and producers has been many years in the brewing. Jackson could have always sidestepped any issues by being aware of the employment issues in his native country where he likes to make his films and making sure to engage rather than just react.

                    At the moment though it has boiled down to a “he said, she said argument”. However, the unions have shared their emails, would love to see PJs inbox so that he could verify that his recounting of events is accurate. So far he has only been shown as, at best, an incompetent manager or, at worst, a vicious minion of the American film industry.

          • wtl 2.3.1.1.2

            The flaw in this reasoning is no one knows what REALLY would have happened if the union had not done anything. It is very easy for WB to say, “oh, we would have filmed in NZ if it wasn’t for the boycott in the first place”, but given their record of being misleading (at best), can you really count on this being the truth? I’m betting they would have found some other issue to make a fuss about if it wasn’t for the boycott. Sure, perhaps it would have been more difficult for them get the NZ public on their side but I’m betting that their PR team could have twisted things their way, regardless.

        • William 2.3.1.2

          “Incidentally, whatever happened the The Dambusters?”

          That’s a good question. It’s been confirmed since at least 2006.

          And as an example of their desire to create work for NZers, this story is interesting
          Takeoff looms for Dambusters “It took a large crew a week to put together the replica, which is one of 10 designed by Weta Workshop and built in China out of fibreglass and steel.” Given the NZ expertise in yacht construction with composite materials there must be some special reason they had them built in China. Money perhaps?

  3. Bored 3

    Truly splendid Marty!

    Judge: “Defendant at the Bar: you have been found not guilty of the charges of Treason brought against you and Union members and are free to leave this place”.

    Council for Defense: “What about costs m’lord?”

    Judge: ” $1 and dont come before me again or I wont be this lenient……..”

  4. burt 4

    Michael Cullen wasn’t keen on the taxpayer shelling out, at gunpoint, to one industry but what’s a government to do when a genuinely international industry threatens capital flight?

    Yes nothing has changed since 2003, just the red team don’t clap and cheer the decision because it wasn’t the red team making it.

    • Marty G 4.1

      no. nothing has changed. The logic of Labour reintroducing the tax breaks and National being forced to extend them now is the same – a country with the gun of capital flight to its head.

      I’m not criticising National for looking at extending the tax breaks.

      I am criticising them for trying to use this issue to bash the unions and, in doing so, make the ‘crisis’ worse, which will ultimately increase the cost to us.

      • burt 4.1.1

        The employment terms and conditions that the LOTR movies were made under were obviously acceptable to the unions at the time but clearly something has changed. Other than having a blue team in govt, what makes the unions so determined to change the terms and conditions this time?

        • Colonial Viper 4.1.1.1

          Because the NZ industry is maturing in its complexity and diversity.

          The actors want to be treated on a par with their colleagues in more established, successful, first world filming countries like Australia, US, Canada, UK, Ireland in terms of having industry agreed minimum terms and conditions. Whereas Jackson and the studios want the industrial relations situation in this country to stay the same as it was 10 years ago.

        • Blighty 4.1.1.2

          I’m impressed by burt’s inability to argue in a straight line. He accuses marty of hypocrisy on tax breaks, has it pointed out that there is no hypocrisy because marty’s position is the same, and so he starts going on about the irrelevant union issue.

          the idea that workers demand better pay and conditions merely to embarrass a rightwing government is laughable.

        • Lanthanide 4.1.1.3

          The legal ruling by the supreme court that said even though a contract says you are a ‘contractor’, if you’re actually working as an employee you’re really an employee. That’s what has changed (amongst other things).

          • Adders 4.1.1.3.1

            There’s been case law that has established that for decades, long before the now often cited example from 2005 involving a worker on LOTR. Nothing has changed in that regard.

            • Lanthanide 4.1.1.3.1.1

              Except now it is more obviously visible, and with a supreme court ruling it is more of a precedent.

              Visibility obviously doesn’t change the law, but it does mean Joe Bloggs who is sick of slaving away suddenly thinks “hey, why can’t I sue my employer under breach of employment law” whereas previously they might’ve just resigned.

            • Blighty 4.1.1.3.1.2

              yeah, not sure why that case is being regarded as something new, apart from that it applies directly to the film industry.

              It has always been the case that if you are in fact working as an employee it doesn’t matter if your contract claims you are a contractor

          • Irascible 4.1.1.3.2

            Isn’t this the reason ShonKey told the Herald was the real reason for Warners and Jackson threatening to go elsewhere. The root cause being the Employment court case against Weta which was decided in favour of the employee whose “contractor” status was regarded as a fiction under NZ law. Warners doesn’t like the NZ law so have pressured “Scuttle & Run Key” to change the law in their favour. Bang goes our independence as a Nation.

  5. vto 5

    I would like to produce some goods for selling overseas too. I need a foreign investor to pay for the production of these goods. It will emply many many and be around for a lot longer than one silly movie. Can I get the same tax breaks? If not, why not?

    • Blighty 5.1

      because you can’t take your $670 million investment to another country that will offer better breaks if you don’t get them here.

      international capitalism, baby, you’ve got to love it.

  6. tc 6

    The stage is set for Sideshow to enhance his position, bash some unions, claim he saved the Hobbitt movies and associate it with his minister of tourism mandate….all it’ll cost is a few hundred million taxpayers dollars….jeez just like he’s dealing again, someone else’s money and he can’t lose.

    Wonder how teachers and others feel about this when they can’t even get CPI, maybe they should form a film company and try a different approach.

  7. ianmac 7

    A comment on Morning Report was that many overseas employers admired the NZ way that “a painter could also handle a screw-driver, or change a light bulb.” (A soldier I know did a stint at the American Antarctic base. He said they wowed the Americans because the Kiwis could handle a range of jobs where the Americans were specialists.) This may be a factor in the mix of desirability of the Hobbits here?

    • Carol 7.1

      I thought such comparisons betwen NZ screen industry workers and US ones, had to do with the unionisation of the industry in the US. With the unions came a strong job demarcation ruling in the US. Consequently kiwi crews doing a range of jobs is due to their relative lack of unionisation. eg for US crews, a sfx person can’t lift lighting equipment.

  8. Colonial Viper 8

    “Hobbit folk grovel to feudal movie lords

    “The Hobbit is about a bunch of peasants living simple feudal lives. The way we’re behaving, where else but New Zealand could it be filmed?”

    This is a classic from Rudman in the New Zealand Herald.

    • M 8.1

      CV, an excellent piece by Brian especially his descrptions of Campbell and Holmes. Saw Q+A and wondered which exterminator had sprayed Holmes because he really was crazier than a sprayed roach.

      It’s hard to know who is the better actor Key or Jackson or should that be catamite?

      • Tigger 8.1.1

        “he really was crazier than a sprayed roach” – superb description M. And accurate.

  9. Joe Bloggs 9

    spot on Marty! Great post!

    You’ve adopted an approach that my 7 year old would be proud of. Caught red-handed with the shattered vase “it wasn’t me! It blew off the mantleshelf! There was an earthquake! It overheated and spontaneously shattered!”

    Ever think that the unions maybe, just maybe, fucked up big time and created this situation when they started their collective bargaining by detonating their boycott neutron bomb?

    And bullshit to the colonial asps, lootas, and leftards who claim “but the boycott was called off” – have you ever tried undetonating a neutron bomb?

    • Bright Red 9.1

      Warners, according to Key, are demanding two things:

      1) that contractors can’t become employees, which relates to the 2005 case of a Weta contractor/employee

      2) more tax breaks

      nothing to do with the union.

  10. tsmithfield 10

    Evidence the actors union has been telling porkies

    • Colonial Viper 10.1

      meh. I’m waiting for an independent investigation instead of responding to Jackson’s spinmeister’s timed drips and dribbles.

      • Roflcopter 10.1.1

        Didn’t stop you spouting rubbish for the past week or so, based on the lies of the MEAA, AE and CTU.

        • Colonial Viper 10.1.1.1

          Oh, lies like the NZPA and The Hollywood Reporter saying that they had seen emails discussing an agreement between all the parties days *before* Jackson came out with his PR broadsides?

    • Blighty 10.2

      who gives a crap about the union? This is all about the producers wanting more tax breaks.

    • ianmac 10.3

      Or that the operation was disjointed. With so many factions it would be possible for the message sent not being received by the right people. Stuff-ups rather than deception or conspiracy.

  11. Draco T Bastard 11

    So, we’ll end up paying more to stave off the threat of capital flight because the wider economic benefit makes it worthwhile.

    No, really, it doesn’t. We don’t need the capital as we have enough in NZ already to produce films.

    • Colonial Viper 11.1

      And we’d be better off developing our own contacts in independent film distribution etc, instead of being the third world cocoa bean grower who gets ripped off by the corporates simply because the corporates have the distribution and retail networks.

  12. Bright Red 12

    can’t help but notice the Right has gone a lot quieter. 500+ comments when it was all the union’s fault. Now the truth is out and they’re embarrassed into silence.

    • James 12.1

      Either that or they got sick of arguing with idiots.

    • AndyB 12.2

      oh it’s still the unions fault alright. if the global boycott wasn’t made as a threat to the film none of this would be happening. i suspect that the right are just sick of arguing with blinkered union hacks.

      • Blighty 12.2.1

        rubbish. Jackson was calling for higher tax breaks in July. read the post.

        • AndyB 12.2.1.1

          bollocks …. that has nothing to do with why warners are here now. The threat of moving the movie off shore had nothing at all to do with what you are talking about. It is a DIRECT result of the global boycott.

          boycott lifted, boycott not lifted, lifted on this date, lifted on that date … makes no difference. it is a direct result of the boycott being actioned in the first place.

          • wtl 12.2.1.1.1

            The boycott is the excuse they are using. No one knows for sure what would have happened if there had been no boycott. See 2.3.1.1.2

    • Joe Bloggs 12.3

      can’t help but notice the Right has gone a lot quieter. 500+ comments when it was all the union’s fault. Now the truth is out and they’re embarrassed into silence.

      Nup, it is still the union’s fault – we’re just sick and tired of banging our heads against brick walls over here…

      So why is it the union’s fault? Because they instigated their neutron bomb call for a global boycott on the same day (August 17th) that they first made their request to meet with the producers to discussthe conditions under which performers would be engaged. That’s the truth that Helen Kelly’s been so frugal with.

      All the other talk of conspiracy theories is intellectually bankrupt – signs of a Left in total disarray.

  13. James 13

    Well, on KB, all the idiots usually agree with each other.

  14. Carol 14

    Brent Edwards pointed out, on one of this morning’s Nat Rad news bulletins, that the emails show Warners was pretty happy to accept the unions decision to end actions. BE said the emails show it was Jackson who suggested to Warners not to accept the union decision, and that Jackson has a lot of clout in influencing Warners. BE also said Jackson seems to have a fairly direct line of access to John Key.

    • Zorr 14.1

      And yet the narrative will continue with “Sir” Peter Jackson being NZs Messiah. Can we just get past this bit already and nail him to a tree?

    • Lanthanide 14.2

      That’s very interesting.

    • Colonial Viper 14.3

      Warners execs would probably defer to Jackson’s local knowledge on minor industrial matters.

      Especially if Jackson told Warner he could probably, ahem, influence NZ tax payers out of an extra $20-30M in tax breaks.

      Waiting for evidence of this, direct or circumstantial, to come out. Sir Jackson is no NZ saint, just a NZ capitalist.

      • Jim Nald 14.3.1

        I wonder if I will be soon emailing a certainly newly knighted national (and National?) icon …

        Dear Saruman
        There was a time, when you would walk with us in Wellywood, but now, you have a mind of metal and wheels … and of independent contractor agreements and tax breaks.”

  15. Kevin Welsh 15

    I’m loving how this is playing out today. Finally all of Warners motivations are becoming clear

    I think it’s fair to say on the financial side there’s a fair bit of hardball being played on both sides.

    “We have the capacity to move a little bit, but we don’t have the capacity to write out cheques that we can’t afford to cash.”

    He said if it was “just a matter of dollars and cents” the Government was not prepared to bridge the gap between what other countries offered and the 15 per cent tax breaks available here.

    He said Warner Bros was asking for “lots” and the Government was offering “not lots”.

    And there I was thinking it was down to those pesky bloody unions again and money had nothing to do with it. I wonder if Key has taken a look at the latest Stuff Poll, that great bastion of popular opinion the RWNJ’s so love?

    He (Key) signalled that the Government was almost sure to change the law to clarify when someone was a contractor and when they were an employee, but would not say whether it would apply just to the two Hobbit films, the film sector in general or all workers.

    This must be like manna from heaven to NACT at the moment. How often do you get the opportunity to change the employment law of this country and a large part of the population love you for it?

    • Jim Nald 15.1

      I’ve posted a comment in another context that would equally apply here …

      Our wonderful PM has such great abilities that while he makes love to one party (eg Warner B), the other (eg union) feels fucked.

      Regardless of that, the NZ people will be left holding the cost of the baby (whether tax break or employment law change).

    • jbanks 15.2

      “And there I was thinking it was down to those pesky bloody unions again and money had nothing to do with it.”
      Come on dopey, use your brain. The money isn’t a separate issue from the unions. The unions incompetency forced WB’s hand. WB’s are accountable to their investors.

      As your comrade Colonial Viper pointed out:
      And by the way, what is making industrial action during the filming of the Hobbit illegal going to achieve?

      So tell me again how the Govt fixed a financial risk caused by the union if they haven’t financially covered this risk ?

      • wtl 15.2.1

        No WB would be doing it anyway. The boycott was just an excuse. There would have found a different excuse if it wasn’t for the boycott.

        • jbanks 15.2.1.1

          Unless you have evidence that this process had begun, then it’s just baseless speculation.

          And even if this were true, a WB initiated money grab would have been a totally different ball game and we would not be in the situation where we are obligated to pay them more because of the unions incompetence.

          • Chess Player 15.2.1.1.1

            Amazing isn’t it how most of the people on this blog have these ingrained perceptions…

            Union = unbelievably amazing and right all the time
            Employers = mean spirited sociopaths, out to do us all
            Employees = the only idealogically pure way to provide services to another
            Independent Contractors = dangerous free thinkers
            Unemployed = unlucky
            Government = the saviour of us all

            • lprent 15.2.1.1.1.1

              I think that you’re just in a lazy wish-fufilment mode (like so many on the right). Rather than actually read what people are saying, you simply write what you think that they’re saying.

              I read these comments and posts all of the time and there is a hell of lot of critical analysis that doesn’t follow your daft model.

              However when we get some trolls through (like yourself), it becomes apparent that they are simply missing their comforting dog-whistle security blanket of everyone mindlessly chanting the same thing all of the time. You in particular appear to be incapable of developing and maintaining a coherent argument.

              Which of course is why you get few replies to your comments. There is nothing to debate because it is just idiotic slogans, unsubstantiated assertions, and the rantings of a fool…

          • wtl 15.2.1.1.2

            It is no more baseless than assuming everything would have been just fine if it wasn’t for the boycott.

            WB would have just made up a different excuse, use their PR people (and Peter Jackson) to sell it and we would be in a similar position as we are now.

  16. bobo 16

    I’m angry now that this film will weaken possibly every kiwis worker rights, talk about Key killing 3 Fell beasts with one stone. Whats the bet this will all end up on a hobbit directors cut limited edition bluray extra showing the evil unions (cue slow motion unflattering shot of Helen Kelly) vs the adoring PJ street protests with epic orchestral background track subjectively edited in the post production with monologue by PJ on how the film nearly got canned because of a tiny union.

  17. Betty 17

    Interesting that the government is happy to go offshore for corrections officers’ uniforms and rolling stock for the rail system, yet it dances around Warner Bros like this. Are film makers jobs the only ones they’re trying to save?

  18. just saying 18

    http://liberation.typepad.com/liberation/2010/10/we-are-not-for-the-hobbit-workers-and-we-are-not-against-them-labour-party.html#more

    Bryce Edwards asking why Labour is straddling the fence on the Hobbit situation rather than supporting the unfairly blamed and maligned workers.

    At first I thought it was good that Labour was keeping out of the issue on the grounds of not providing any more fuel to the fire in the hope it would burn itself out. But now it’s looking like more of the same from the party that so recently pledged change.

    On an unrelated note, Edwards is describing Standardista ‘Carol’ as a Labour Party activist, and she might want to have a word….

    • Bright Red 18.1

      Edwards is behind the times as usual. From newsroom:

      “Labour leader Mr Goff said the dispute was all about money and that the unions had walked into a trap.

      He challenged the Government’s position that the actors unions’ aborted boycott of the films and the law around independent contractors and employees was the root of the studio’s concerns and said people should “follow the money”.

      “Let’s be honest about this; we know it’s not about the industrial law, it’s about dollars,” Mr Goff said..

      “It’s about the exchange rate being at 75 cents American. That costs the film company money and it’s about the profit they can make and whether there will be a bigger subsidy from another country than the $60 million New Zealand has offered.”

      The unions had not handled it well and had walked straight into a trap. Their threatened action had been withdrawn and was no longer the issue.

      “They set out to make a negotiating bid and then they were used as a reason for why The Hobbit might be lost to New Zealand. I think the real reason is purely economic; it’s the bottom line for the company.”

      It would be a big mistake for Warners to choose another location because New Zealand had the expertise, experience and proven power to deliver, Mr Goff said.”

      like you say, it did make sense for Labour to stay out, until now.

      • just saying 18.1.1

        Kudos Phil!!

        • just saying 18.1.1.1

          Do you have a link for Goff’s statement Bright Red?
          I’ve been searching all over the place for it – including scoop which usually carries every press release. Nothing on the tele news either

          • Carol 18.1.1.1.1

            Thanks for the tip, just saying. The references to me kind of made me chuckle as I’ve never been a member of any party, and voted Green party last 2 elections.

            Anyway, I’m pleased to see Goff making a statement, along with Mallard and the Greens are questioning the proposed employment law change.

            Goff was on TV3 news a little while ago on this item:
            http://www.3news.co.nz/Warner-Bros-seeks-more-cuts-for-The-Hobbit/tabid/423/articleID/183389/Default.aspx

            But the union found support in Phil Goff – he claimed they walked into a trap.

            “I think they set out to make a negotiating bid, and then they were used as a reason why The Hobbit might be lost from New Zealand. I think the real reason is purely economic. It’s the bottom line for the company,” Goff says.

            • just saying 18.1.1.1.1.1

              Thanks for the link, I’m glad to see Goff doing the right thing, does my heart good.

              My instincts were right – I picked you for a green rather than a Labour voter.

              • Carol

                Heh. Fairly accurate perception, then JS. Generally I’m a leftie and don’t have an a long-term commitment to any party. It depends on what’s on offer, especially with MMP. I might have voted Alliance if I’d been in NZ back then. In the UK I always voted Labour, because voting any other way would have, de facto, been a vote for Thatcher, or Major. I have voted for Laila Harre in the past, too.

  19. I’d tell warners and jackson to take their movie and shove it. Go somewhere else and make it.

    Fuck Key currying their favour with tax breaks. It had nothing to do with him. As soon as the gov’t made noises about tax breaks the producers knew he was an easy mark for it. And of course dipton dipshit will just roll over and let the foreigners scratch his soft underbelly if key says so.

    One good thing is changing labour laws will give the unions a stronger base to argue from in the future as more people will be unwilling to accept shit contractor conditions if it’s spelled out in no uncertain terms what they’re liable for and what they’re not covered by in their employment contracts.

    Hopefully the unions will garner more support now and film workers will band together to negotiate collectively on any future projects and hold out to become employees if they so wish.

  20. Anne 20

    Our very own ‘Porkie’ PM is holding a press conference at 7.20pm this evening. I wonder what lies he’s going to tell us tonight?

    • Carol 20.1

      Hmmm. I wonder if Key will decide his focus groups are not keen on extra financial sweetners, so that he’ll cut Warners loose, blame the unions & change the employment law anyway?

Links to post

Recent Comments

Recent Posts

  • 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 ...
    1 hour 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
    1 hour 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 ...
    2 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
    3 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
    4 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
    6 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
    7 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
    7 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
    7 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
    8 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
    9 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
    11 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
    23 hours ago
  • Peters holds his ground on co-governance, but Willis wriggles on those tax cuts and SNA suspension l...
    Buzz from the Beehive Here’s hoping for a lively post-cabinet press conference when the PM and – perhaps – some of his ministers tell us what was discussed at their meeting today. Until then, Point of Order has precious little Beehive news to report after its latest monitoring of the ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    1 day ago
  • Labour’s final report card
    David Farrar writes –  We now have almost all 2023 data in, which has allowed me to update my annual table of how  went against its promises. This is basically their final report card. The promise The result Build 100,000 affordable homes over 10 ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    1 day ago
  • “Drunk Uncle at a Wedding”
    I’m a bit worried that I’ve started a previous newsletter with the words “just when you think they couldn’t get any worse…” Seems lately that I could begin pretty much every issue with that opening. Such is the nature of our coalition government that they seem to be outdoing each ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    1 day ago
  • Wang Yi’s perfectly-timed, Aukus-themed visit to New Zealand
    Geoffrey Miller writes – Timing is everything. And from China’s perspective, this week’s visit by its foreign minister to New Zealand could be coming at just the right moment. The visit by Wang Yi to Wellington will be his first since 2017. Anniversaries are important to Beijing. ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    1 day ago
  • Gordon Campbell on Dune 2, and images of Islam
    Depictions of Islam in Western popular culture have rarely been positive, even before 9/11. Five years on from the mosque shootings, this is one of the cultural headwinds that the Muslim community has to battle against. Whatever messages of tolerance and inclusion are offered in daylight, much of our culture ...
    1 day ago
  • New Rail Operations Centre Promises Better Train Services
    Last week Transport Minster Simeon Brown and Mayor Wayne Brown opened the new Auckland Rail Operations Centre. The new train control centre will see teams from KiwiRail, Auckland Transport and Auckland One Rail working more closely together to improve train services across the city. The Auckland Rail Operations Centre in ...
    1 day ago
  • Bernard's six newsy things at 6.36am on Monday, March 18
    Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Retiring former Labour Finance Minister Grant Robertson said in an exit interview with Q+A yesterday the Government can and should sustain more debt to invest in infrastructure for future generations. Elsewhere in the news in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy at 6:36am: Read more ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 day ago
  • Geoffrey Miller: Wang Yi’s perfectly-timed, Aukus-themed visit to New Zealand
    Timing is everything. And from China’s perspective, this week’s visit by its foreign minister to New Zealand could be coming at just the right moment. The visit by Wang Yi to Wellington will be his first since 2017. Anniversaries are important to Beijing. It is more than just a happy ...
    Democracy ProjectBy Geoffrey Miller
    1 day ago
  • The Kaka’s diary for the week to March 25 and beyond
    TL;DR: The key events to watch in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the week to March 18 include:China’s Foreign Minister visiting Wellington today;A post-cabinet news conference this afternoon; the resumption of Parliament on Tuesday for two weeks before Easter;retiring former Labour Finance Minister Grant Robertson gives his valedictory speech in Parliament; ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 day ago
  • Bitter and angry; Winston First
    New Zealand First Leader Winston Peters’s state-of-the-nation speech on Sunday was really a state-of-Winston-First speech. He barely mentioned any of the Government’s key policies and could not even wholly endorse its signature income tax cuts. Instead, he rehearsed all of his complaints about the Ardern Government, including an extraordinary claim ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    2 days ago
  • 2024 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #11
    A listing of 35 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, March 10, 2024 thru Sat, March 16, 2024. Story of the week This week we'll give you a little glimpse into how we collect links to share and ...
    2 days ago
  • 2024 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #11
    A listing of 35 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, March 10, 2024 thru Sat, March 16, 2024. Story of the week This week we'll give you a little glimpse into how we collect links to share and ...
    2 days ago
  • Out of Touch.
    “I’ve been internalising a really complicated situation in my head.”When they kept telling us we should wait until we get to know him, were they taking the piss? Was it a case of, if you think this is bad, wait till you get to know the real Christopher, after the ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    2 days ago
  • Bring out your Dad
    Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    2 days ago
  • Bring out your Dad
    Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    2 days ago
  • Bring out your Dad
    Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    2 days ago
  • The bewildering world of Chris Luxon – Guns for all, not no lunch for kids
    .“$10 and a target that bleeds” - Bleeding Targets for Under $10!.Thanks for reading Frankly Speaking ! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.This government appears hell-bent on either scrapping life-saving legislation or reintroducing things that - frustrated critics insist - will be dangerous and likely ...
    Frankly SpeakingBy Frank Macskasy
    3 days ago
  • Expert Opinion: Ageing Boomers, Laurie & Les, Talk Politics.
    It hardly strikes me as fair to criticise a government for doing exactly what it said it was going to do. For actually keeping its promises.”THUNDER WAS PLAYING TAG with lightning flashes amongst the distant peaks. Its rolling cadences interrupted by the here-I-come-here-I-go Doppler effect of the occasional passing car. ...
    3 days ago
  • Manufacturing The Truth.
    Subversive & Disruptive Technologies: Just as happened with that other great regulator of the masses, the Medieval Church, the advent of a new and hard-to-control technology – the Internet –  is weakening the ties that bind. Then, and now, those who enjoy a monopoly on the dissemination of lies, cannot and will ...
    3 days ago
  • A Powerful Sensation of Déjà Vu.
    Been Here Before: To find the precedents for what this Coalition Government is proposing, it is necessary to return to the “glory days” of Muldoonism.THE COALITION GOVERNMENT has celebrated its first 100 days in office by checking-off the last of its listed commitments. It remains, however, an angry government. It ...
    3 days ago
  • Can you guess where world attention is focussed (according to Greenpeace)? It’s focussed on an EPA...
    Bob Edlin writes –  And what is the world watching today…? The email newsletter from Associated Press which landed in our mailbox early this morning advised: In the news today: The father of a school shooter has been found guilty of involuntary manslaughter; prosecutors in Trump’s hush-money case ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    3 days ago
  • Further integrity problems for the Greens in suspending MP Darleen Tana
    Bryce Edwards writes – Is another Green MP on their way out? And are the Greens severely tarnished by another integrity scandal? For the second time in three months, the Green Party has secretly suspended an MP over integrity issues. Mystery is surrounding the party’s decision to ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    3 days ago
  • Jacqui Van Der Kaay: Greens’ transparency missing in action
    For the last few years, the Green Party has been the party that has managed to avoid the plague of multiple scandals that have beleaguered other political parties. It appears that their luck has run out with a second scandal which, unfortunately for them, coincided with Golraz Ghahraman, the focus ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    3 days ago
  • Bernard’s Dawn Chorus with six newsey things at 6:46am for Saturday, March 16
    TL;DR: The six newsey things that stood out to me as of 6:46am on Saturday, March 16.Andy Foster has accidentally allowed a Labour/Green amendment to cut road user chargers for plug-in hybrid vehicles, which the Government might accept; NZ Herald Thomas Coughlan Simeon Brown has rejected a plea from Westport ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago
  • How Did FTX Crash?
    What seemed a booming success a couple of years ago has collapsed into fraud convictions.I looked at the crash of FTX (short for ‘Futures Exchange’) in November 2022 to see whether it would impact on the financial system as a whole. Fortunately there was barely a ripple, probably because it ...
    PunditBy Brian Easton
    4 days ago
  • Elections in Russia and Ukraine
    Anybody following the situation in Ukraine and Russia would probably have been amused by a recent Tweet on X NATO seems to be putting in an awful lot of effort to influence what is, at least according to them, a sham election in an autocracy.When do the Ukrainians go to ...
    4 days ago
  • Bernard’s six stack of substacks at 6pm on March 15
    TL;DR: Shaun Baker on Wynyard Quarter's transformation. Magdalene Taylor on the problem with smart phones. How private equity are now all over reinsurance. Dylan Cleaver on rugby and CTE. Emily Atkin on ‘Big Meat’ looking like ‘Big Oil’.Bernard’s six-stack of substacks at 6pm on March 15Photo by Jeppe Hove Jensen ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • Buzz from the Beehive Finance Minister Nicola Willis had plenty to say when addressing the Auckland Business Chamber on the economic growth that (she tells us) is flagging more than we thought. But the government intends to put new life into it:  We want our country to be a ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    4 days ago
  • National’s clean car tax advances
    The Transport and Infrastructure Committee has reported back on the Road User Charges (Light Electric RUC Vehicles) Amendment Bill, basicly rubberstamping it. While there was widespread support among submitters for the principle that EV and PHEV drivers should pay their fair share for the roads, they also overwhelmingly disagreed with ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    4 days ago
  • Government funding bailouts
    Peter Dunne writes – This week’s government bailout – the fifth in the last eighteen months – of the financially troubled Ruapehu Alpine Lifts company would have pleased many in the central North Island ski industry. The government’s stated rationale for the $7 million funding was that it ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • Two offenders, different treatments.
    See if you can spot the difference. An Iranian born female MP from a progressive party is accused of serial shoplifting. Her name is leaked to the media, which goes into a pack frenzy even before the Police launch an … Continue reading ...
    KiwipoliticoBy Pablo
    4 days ago
  • Treaty references omitted
    Ele Ludemann writes  – The government is omitting general Treaty references from legislation : The growth of Treaty of Waitangi clauses in legislation caused so much worry that a special oversight group was set up by the last Government in a bid to get greater coherence in the public service on Treaty ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • The Ghahraman Conflict
    What was that judge thinking? Peter Williams writes –  That Golriz Ghahraman and District Court Judge Maria Pecotic were once lawyer colleagues is incontrovertible. There is published evidence that they took at least one case to the Court of Appeal together. There was a report on ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • Bernard's Top 10 @ 10 'pick 'n' mix' for March 15
    TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: Climate Scorpion – the sting is in the tail. Introducing planetary solvency. A paper via the University of Exeter’s Institute and Faculty of Actuaries.Local scoop: Kāinga Ora starts pulling out of its Auckland projects and selling land RNZ ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • The day Wellington up-zoned its future
    Wellington’s massively upzoned District Plan adds the opportunity for tens of thousands of new homes not just in the central city (such as these Webb St new builds) but also close to the CBD and public transport links. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Wellington gave itself the chance of ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • Weekly Roundup 15-March-2024
    It’s Friday and we’re halfway through March Madness. Here’s some of the things that caught our attention this week. This Week in Greater Auckland On Monday Matt asked how we can get better event trains and an option for grade separating Morningside Dr. On Tuesday Matt looked into ...
    Greater AucklandBy Greater Auckland
    4 days ago
  • That Word.
    Something you might not know about me is that I’m quite a stubborn person. No, really. I don’t much care for criticism I think’s unfair or that I disagree with. Few of us do I suppose.Back when I was a drinker I’d sometimes respond defensively, even angrily. There are things ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    4 days ago
  • The Hoon around the week to March 15
    Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The five things that mattered in Aotearoa’s political economy that we wrote and spoke about via The Kākā and elsewhere for paying subscribers in the last week included:PM Christopher Luxon said the reversal of interest deductibility for landlords was done to help renters, who ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • Labour’s policy gap
    It was not so much the Labour Party but really the Chris Hipkins party yesterday at Labour’s caucus retreat in Martinborough. The former Prime Minister was more or less consistent on wealth tax, which he was at best equivocal about, and social insurance, which he was not willing to revisit. ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    5 days ago
  • Skeptical Science New Research for Week #11 2024
    Open access notables A Glimpse into the Future: The 2023 Ocean Temperature and Sea Ice Extremes in the Context of Longer-Term Climate Change, Kuhlbrodt et al., Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society: In the year 2023, we have seen extraordinary extrema in high sea surface temperature (SST) in the North Atlantic and in ...
    5 days ago
  • Melissa remains mute on media matters but has something to say (at a sporting event) about economic ...
     Buzz from the Beehive   The text reproduced above appears on a page which records all the media statements and speeches posted on the government’s official website by Melissa Lee as Minister of Media and Communications and/or by Jenny Marcroft, her Parliamentary Under-secretary.  It can be quickly analysed ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    5 days ago
  • The return of Muldoon
    For forty years, Robert Muldoon has been a dirty word in our politics. His style of government was so repulsive and authoritarian that the backlash to it helped set and entrench our constitutional norms. His pig-headedness over forcing through Think Big eventually gave us the RMA, with its participation and ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    5 days ago
  • Will the rental tax cut improve life for renters or landlords?
    Bryce Edwards writes –  Is the new government reducing tax on rental properties to benefit landlords or to cut the cost of rents? That’s the big question this week, after Associate Finance Minister David Seymour announced on Sunday that the Government would be reversing the Labour Government’s removal ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • Geoffrey Miller: What Saudi Arabia’s rapid changes mean for New Zealand
    Saudi Arabia is rarely far from the international spotlight. The war in Gaza has brought new scrutiny to Saudi plans to normalise relations with Israel, while the fifth anniversary of the controversial killing of Jamal Khashoggi was marked shortly before the war began on October 7. And as the home ...
    Democracy ProjectBy Geoffrey Miller
    5 days ago
  • Racism’s double standards
    Questions need to be asked on both sides of the world Peter Williams writes –   The NRL Judiciary hands down an eight week suspension to Sydney Roosters forward Spencer Leniu , an Auckland-born Samoan, after he calls Ezra Mam, Sydney-orn but of Aboriginal and Torres Strait ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • It’s not a tax break
    Ele Ludemann writes – Contrary to what many headlines and news stories are saying, residential landlords are not getting a tax break. The government is simply restoring to them the tax deductibility of interest they had until the previous government removed it. There is no logical reason ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • The Plastic Pig Collective and Chris' Imaginary Friends.
    I can't remember when it was goodMoments of happiness in bloomMaybe I just misunderstoodAll of the love we left behindWatching our flashbacks intertwineMemories I will never findIn spite of whatever you becomeForget that reckless thing turned onI think our lives have just begunI think our lives have just begunDoes anyone ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago
  • Who is responsible for young offenders?
    Michael Bassett writes – At first reading, a front-page story in the New Zealand Herald on 13 March was bizarre. A group of severely intellectually limited teenagers, with little understanding of the law, have been pleading to the Justice Select Committee not to pass a bill dealing with ram ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • Gordon Campbell on National’s fantasy trip to La La Landlord Land
    How much political capital is Christopher Luxon willing to burn through in order to deliver his $2.9 billion gift to landlords? Evidently, Luxon is: (a) unable to cost the policy accurately. As Anna Burns-Francis pointed out to him on Breakfast TV, the original ”rock solid” $2.1 billion cost he was ...
    5 days ago
  • Bernard's Top 10 @ 10 'pick 'n' mix' for March 14
    TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: Jonathon Porritt calling bullshit in his own blog post on mainstream climate science as ‘The New Denialism’.Local scoop: The Wellington City Council’s list of proposed changes to the IHP recommendations to be debated later today was leaked this ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • No, Prime Minister, rents don’t rise or fall with landlords’ costs
    TL;DR: Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said yesterday tenants should be grateful for the reinstatement of interest deductibility because landlords would pass on their lower tax costs in the form of lower rents. That would be true if landlords were regulated monopolies such as Transpower or Auckland Airport1, but they’re not, ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • Cartoons: ‘At least I didn’t make things awkward’
    This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Tom Toro Tom Toro is a cartoonist and author. He has published over 200 cartoons in The New Yorker since 2010. His cartoons appear in Playboy, the Paris Review, the New York Times, American Bystander, and elsewhere. Related: What 10 EV lovers ...
    5 days ago
  • Solving traffic congestion with Richard Prebble
    The business section of the NZ Herald is full of opinion. Among the more opinionated of all is the ex-Minister of Transport, ex-Minister of Railways, ex MP for Auckland Central (1975-93, Labour), Wellington Central (1996-99, ACT, then list-2005), ex-leader of the ACT Party, uncle to actor Antonia, the veritable granddaddy ...
    Greater AucklandBy Patrick Reynolds
    5 days ago
  • I Think I'm Done Flying Boeing
    Hi,Just quickly — I’m blown away by the stories you’ve shared with me over the last week since I put out the ‘Gary’ podcast, where I told you about the time my friend’s flatmate killed the neighbour.And you keep telling me stories — in the comments section, and in my ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    5 days ago
  • Invoking Aristotle: Of Rings of Power, Stones, and Ships
    The first season of Rings of Power was not awful. It was thoroughly underwhelming, yes, and left a lingering sense of disappointment, but it was more expensive mediocrity than catastrophe. I wrote at length about the series as it came out (see the Review section of the blog, and go ...
    6 days ago
  • Van Velden brings free-market approach to changing labour laws – but her colleagues stick to distr...
    Buzz from the Beehive Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Brooke van Velden told Auckland Business Chamber members they were the first audience to hear her priorities as a minister in a government committed to cutting red tape and regulations. She brandished her liberalising credentials, saying Flexible labour markets are the ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago
  • Why Newshub failed
    Chris Trotter writes – TO UNDERSTAND WHY NEWSHUB FAILED, it is necessary to understand how TVNZ changed. Up until 1989, the state broadcaster had been funded by a broadcasting licence fee, collected from every citizen in possession of a television set, supplemented by a relatively modest (compared ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago
  • Māori Party on the warpath against landlords and seabed miners – let’s see if mystical creature...
    Bob Edlin writes  –  The Māori Party has been busy issuing a mix of warnings and threats as its expresses its opposition to interest deductibility for landlords and the plans of seabed miners. It remains to be seen whether they  follow the example of indigenous litigants in Australia, ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago
  • There’s a name for this
    Every year, in the Budget, Parliament forks out money to government agencies to do certain things. And every year, as part of the annual review cycle, those agencies are meant to report on whether they have done the things Parliament gave them that money for. Agencies which consistently fail to ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    6 days ago
  • Echoes of 1968 in 2024?  Pocock on the repetitive problems of the New Left
    Mike Grimshaw writes – Recent events in American universities point to an underlying crisis of coherent thinking, an issue that increasingly affects the progressive left across the Western world. This of course is nothing new as anyone who can either remember or has read of the late ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago
  • Two bar blues
    The thing about life’s little victories is that they can be followed by a defeat.Reader Darryl told me on Monday night:Test again Dave. My “head cold” last week became COVID within 24 hours, and is still with me. I hear the new variants take a bit longer to show up ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    6 days ago
  • Bernard's Top 10 @ 10 'pick 'n' mix' for March 13
    TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: Angus Deaton on rethinking his economics IMFLocal scoop: The people behind Tamarind, the firm that left a $500m cleanup bill for taxpayers at Taranaki’s Tui oil well, are back operating in Taranaki under a different company name. Jonathan ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    6 days ago

  • Positive progress for social worker workforce
    New Zealand’s social workers are qualified, experienced, and more representative of the communities they serve, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “I want to acknowledge and applaud New Zealand’s social workers for the hard work they do, providing invaluable support for our most vulnerable. “To coincide with World ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 hours ago
  • Minister confirms reduced RUC rate for PHEVs
    Cabinet has agreed to a reduced road user charge (RUC) rate for plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs), Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. Owners of PHEVs will be eligible for a reduced rate of $38 per 1,000km once all light electric vehicles (EVs) move into the RUC system from 1 April.  ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 hours ago
  • Trade access to overseas markets creates jobs
    Minister of Agriculture and Trade, Todd McClay, says that today’s opening of Riverland Foods manufacturing plant in Christchurch is a great example of how trade access to overseas markets creates jobs in New Zealand.  Speaking at the official opening of this state-of-the-art pet food factory the Minister noted that exports ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    8 hours ago
  • NZ and Chinese Foreign Ministers hold official talks
    Minister of Foreign Affairs Winston Peters met with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Wellington today. “It was a pleasure to host Foreign Minister Wang Yi during his first official visit to New Zealand since 2017. Our discussions were wide-ranging and enabled engagement on many facets of New Zealand’s relationship with China, including trade, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    21 hours ago
  • Kāinga Ora instructed to end Sustaining Tenancies
    Kāinga Ora – Homes & Communities has been instructed to end the Sustaining Tenancies Framework and take stronger measures against persistent antisocial behaviour by tenants, says Housing Minister Chris Bishop. “Earlier today Finance Minister Nicola Willis and I sent an interim Letter of Expectations to the Board of Kāinga Ora. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Speech to Auckland Business Chamber: Growth is the answer
    Tēna koutou katoa. Greetings everyone. Thank you to the Auckland Chamber of Commerce and the Honourable Simon Bridges for hosting this address today. I acknowledge the business leaders in this room, the leaders and governors, the employers, the entrepreneurs, the investors, and the wealth creators. The coalition Government shares your ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Singapore rounds out regional trip
    Minister Winston Peters completed the final leg of his visit to South and South East Asia in Singapore today, where he focused on enhancing one of New Zealand’s indispensable strategic partnerships.      “Singapore is our most important defence partner in South East Asia, our fourth-largest trading partner and a ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Minister van Velden represents New Zealand at International Democracy Summit
    Minister of Internal Affairs and Workplace Relations and Safety, Hon. Brooke van Velden, will travel to the Republic of Korea to represent New Zealand at the Third Summit for Democracy on 18 March. The summit, hosted by the Republic of Korea, was first convened by the United States in 2021, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Insurance Council of NZ Speech, 7 March 2024, Auckland
    ICNZ Speech 7 March 2024, Auckland  Acknowledgements and opening  Mōrena, ngā mihi nui. Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Nor Whanganui aho.  Good morning, it’s a privilege to be here to open the ICNZ annual conference, thank you to Mark for the Mihi Whakatau  My thanks to Tim Grafton for inviting me ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Five-year anniversary of Christchurch terror attacks
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Lead Coordination Minister Judith Collins have expressed their deepest sympathy on the five-year anniversary of the Christchurch terror attacks. “March 15, 2019, was a day when families, communities and the country came together both in sorrow and solidarity,” Mr Luxon says.  “Today we pay our respects to the 51 shuhada ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Speech for Financial Advice NZ Conference 5 March 2024
    Speech for Financial Advice NZ Conference 5 March 2024  Acknowledgements and opening  Morena, Nga Mihi Nui.  Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Nor Whanganui aho. Thanks Nate for your Mihi Whakatau  Good morning. It’s a pleasure to formally open your conference this morning. What a lovely day in Wellington, What a great ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Early visit to Indonesia strengthens ties
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters held discussions in Jakarta today about the future of relations between New Zealand and South East Asia’s most populous country.   “We are in Jakarta so early in our new government’s term to reflect the huge importance we place on our relationship with Indonesia and South ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • China Foreign Minister to visit
    Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Winston Peters has announced that the Foreign Minister of China, Wang Yi, will visit New Zealand next week.  “We look forward to re-engaging with Foreign Minister Wang Yi and discussing the full breadth of the bilateral relationship, which is one of New Zealand’s ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Minister opens new Auckland Rail Operations Centre
    Transport Minister Simeon Brown has today opened the new Auckland Rail Operations Centre, which will bring together KiwiRail, Auckland Transport, and Auckland One Rail to improve service reliability for Aucklanders. “The recent train disruptions in Auckland have highlighted how important it is KiwiRail and Auckland’s rail agencies work together to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Celebrating 10 years of Crankworx Rotorua
    The Government is proud to support the 10th edition of Crankworx Rotorua as the Crankworx World Tour returns to Rotorua from 16-24 March 2024, says Minister for Economic Development Melissa Lee.  “Over the past 10 years as Crankworx Rotorua has grown, so too have the economic and social benefits that ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Government delivering on tax commitments
    Legislation implementing coalition Government tax commitments and addressing long-standing tax anomalies will be progressed in Parliament next week, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The legislation is contained in an Amendment Paper to the Taxation (Annual Rates for 2023–24, Multinational Tax, and Remedial Matters) Bill issued today.  “The Amendment Paper represents ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Significant Natural Areas requirement to be suspended
    Associate Environment Minister Andrew Hoggard has today announced that the Government has agreed to suspend the requirement for councils to comply with the Significant Natural Areas (SNA) provisions of the National Policy Statement for Indigenous Biodiversity for three years, while it replaces the Resource Management Act (RMA).“As it stands, SNAs ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Government classifies drought conditions in Top of the South as medium-scale adverse event
    Agriculture Minister Todd McClay has classified the drought conditions in the Marlborough, Tasman, and Nelson districts as a medium-scale adverse event, acknowledging the challenging conditions facing farmers and growers in the district. “Parts of Marlborough, Tasman, and Nelson districts are in the grip of an intense dry spell. I know ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Government partnership to tackle $332m facial eczema problem
    The Government is helping farmers eradicate the significant impact of facial eczema (FE) in pastoral animals, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay announced.  “A $20 million partnership jointly funded by Beef + Lamb NZ, the Government, and the primary sector will save farmers an estimated NZD$332 million per year, and aims to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • NZ, India chart path to enhanced relationship
    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
    6 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
    7 days 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
  • Pacific Language Weeks celebrate regional unity
    This year’s Pacific Language Weeks celebrate regional unity and the contribution of Pacific communities to New Zealand culture, says Minister for Pacific Peoples Dr Shane Reti.  Dr Reti announced dates for the 2024 Pacific Language Weeks during a visit to the Pasifika festival in Auckland today and says there’s so ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

Page generated in The Standard by Wordpress at 2024-03-19T04:11:24+00:00