Māori politics – “don’t believe the hype”

Written By: - Date published: 8:42 am, January 24th, 2017 - 81 comments
Categories: election 2017, mana, mana-party, Maori Issues, maori party, Maori seats - Tags: , , , ,

Totally unexpected in an election year, but Te Ururoa Flavell is making a play for the Māori seats. Here’s Mihingarangi Forbes on RNZ:

Flavell: ‘Times have moved on’ from historic Rātana-Labour link

Māori Party co-leader Te Ururoa Flavell has denounced the historic political tie between Rātana and the Labour Party and is proclaiming a new unified Māori movement.

Speaking at Rātana Pā yesterday, Mr Flavell, supported by hundreds from the Kīngitanga, various Māori organisations and Mana leader Hone Harawira, made a direct and convincing play for Rātana’s political support. …

Exactly what he should be doing of course. It involves a political lifeline for Hone Harawira:

Mr Flavell said he was ready for a new unified Māori movement.

“Now is the time for us to make that a reality. One political movement under a Māori Party banner, which will pull back those seats from Labour and stay in kaupapa Māori hands forever.”

Accompanying Te Ururoa Flavell to Rātana was Mana Party leader Hone Harawira. “We started off with an agreement for Tai Tokerau and Waiariki not to stand against one another in those two seats and looking at what’s going to happen in the other seats,” said Mr Harawira.

Message for Mr English:

One thing the two Māori parties agree on is that the Prime Minister should attend Waitangi. “Any man who purports to be the leader of the nation should front at the birthplace of the nation and if he can’t he’ll never really be a leader,” said Mr Harawira.

So is this the dawn of a new day for Māori politics? I’m not qualified to comment in depth, but Morgan Godfery had some thoughts on the matter last month:

Behold, Māori politics’ great realignment. Or, don’t believe the hype

Talk of a resurgent Mana Party, unshackled from Dotcom and buoyed by a Māori Party pact, has prompted suggestions of a new order in Māori politics. Morgan Godfery explains why he’s just not buying it

What most Pākehā don’t understand because they don’t know history and what the Māori Party refuse to acknowledge because it’s inconvenient is Labour has always occupied “the centre” in Māori politics, usually with the conservative and rurally dominated Māori Council to the right and the progressive Māori Women’s Welfare League and trade unions to the left. Sometimes Māori in Labour shift left, as they did under the old trade unionist and legendary radical Matiu Rata, other times they return to the centre as under Koro Wētere and Dover Samuels, and today they occupy the soft left (thanks in part to former Māori Women’s Welfare League life member Parekura Horomia).

Labour understands its place yet the Māori Party is stuck in a tight knot, slumped over the Cabinet table in a cold sweat as its co-leaders figure out how to reconcile the tension of their insider-outsider status. If a “realignment” or “reordering” is happening it will only happen after Flavell and Fox have squared their status as a party of government with their positions outside of Cabinet. It’ll happen when they reconcile their status as leaders of a parliamentary party with the social movement they came from. It’ll happen when they can, as Sir Āpirana Ngata once put it, “reinterpret the Māori point of view to Pākehā power.” …

Plenty more interesting background in that piece. A difficult sell for the Māori party after propping up a destructive National government for so long.

81 comments on “Māori politics – “don’t believe the hype” ”

  1. The realignment is happening and will be presented as such to Māori and anyone else that is interested. Many will like it and vote for it. The past will be reconciled for the future. And of course it will all be seen as shocking by the commentariat. Prob lots of insults and sellout talk which many Māori just smile at because the hypocrisy drips off those who really just want slave votes not partnership votes.

    • Chris 1.1

      “Prob lots of insults and sellout talk which many Māori just smile at because the hypocrisy drips off those who really just want slave votes not partnership votes.”

      But for the arrangement to work doesn’t it still mean the Mp needs to cut itself loose from the nats?

  2. michelle 2

    Its about time Mana and the Maori Party put there differences aside for the sake of our people who are suffering under the Tories. I am a Mana voter and have been since the foreshore and seabed debacle but I always use my vote to get two Maori in parliament so like many other Maori who have worked out MMP I split my vote.
    I am not very happy with our Labour Maori members at the moment I feel they aren’t working hard enough for our people especially when we see Maori such high incarceration rates for our men and women these numbers are disgusting and even English should be concerned but he isn’t despite saying building more prisons is a fiscal and moral failure . Unfortunately under his government these rates have increased as has other disturbing statistics like homelessness and P use amongst our people.
    I see a vote for English as a vote for the same old we have had almost 9 years of them and look at our beautiful country it is in a mess and we are now a very divided nation and I blame this on poor leadership and divisive leaders like Key who sprayed and walked away just like it was nothing after destroying the social fabric of our country and our people.

    • Nick 2.1

      Spray and walk away…. Very funny and so true Michelle. Very hard for Maori party to negotiate with a guy who believes in nothing, at least with English you know where he stands (which is fuck you Maori) …. ShonKey gave all of NZ the middle finger and ran off laughing to Hawaii….maybe middle NZ will realize this before the election.

      • michelle 2.1.1

        Just because I have voted for Hone in the past does not mean I will vote for him in the future if he hasn’t got his shit together and that is exactly how he talks so that’s what I’m saying. If he hasn’t got his act together and he has been a bit quiet as of late I will vote for who I think is best for our country ( based on policy not looks) and it certainly wont be Act or the nasty gnats they have done far too much damage to our country. We seem to have become a very shallow nation when Andrew Little has to change his appearance to appease people. For goodness sake its about policy not looks.

        • Leftie 2.1.1.2

          In what way has Andrew Little changed his appearance?

          • michelle 2.1.1.2.1

            his glasses have gone due to pressure about him being angry and the rhetoric about key being so good looking leftie. Its our NZ media they are nasty stirrers by the way who owns the media ?

            • Leftie 2.1.1.2.1.1

              But he is still wearing his glasses. Just posted to Marty. The photos of Andrew Little standing with Pike River families has him with glasses and one without. But what’s this thing about his appearance anyway? Seems a shallow thing to focus on.

              Maybe you have answered the question on the shallow focus, “Its our NZ media they are nasty stirrers” and probably NP supporters too.

  3. Infused 3

    He’s kidding himself.

  4. weka 4

    Metiria Turei has been selected to stand in Te Tai Tonga for the Greens.

    http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA1701/S00075/metiria-turei-selected-for-te-tai-tonga-electorate.htm

    GP strategy. Turei is not standing in Dunedin North, to let others come through (i.e. the longer term health of the party). Her standing in Te Tai Tonga is about the party vote primarily. The Greens came second in the party vote last time round.

    http://www.electionresults.govt.nz/electionresults_2014/electorate-70.html

    “When I was elected as a Green MP in 2002 I was our first and only Māori MP, now a third of our caucus are Māori, and we will be standing more Māori candidates in this election than ever before.”

    • adam 4.1

      I think if people were smart, Tāmaki Makaurau should be a Green seat. The list MP from there did well on a campaign of not looking for votes.

      The current MP has a inaccessible electoral office in Onehunga. And I’m lost for what he has done as a MP, at a utter loss. Maybe not the worst MP in the house, but just absent from the world in any meaningful manor. Like most of the governments MP’s, is he just turning up to eat lunch?

      • dukeofurl 4.1.1

        Well you are not Maori, so hes invisible to you. Whats wrong with Onehunga, Auckland is a big place and is fairly central.

        • adam 4.1.1.1

          Sorry, did you read what I said? His Onehunga office is inaccessible, do you know what that means? Do you even know he has another office in Glen Eden?

          So what media do you think I watch, read in NZ? Any guesses? Here a hint, they speak the other official language, and do a fair of reporting on Waka Ama. And no it’s not just one channel, or paper either. Try looking, a whole world of news out there that is invisible to those who don’t look. Nothing to do with culture/race. And it was there, I mentioned the absent Mr Henare. I’m not say he is invisible, it’s just hard to remember him saying anything or doing anything in 2016.

          But interesting you think I live in a white only world….I think you may be projecting.

  5. Anno1701 5

    Just more pointless Idpol

    gag…

  6. Stupid little hooking into the Māori Party. Some will never get it – just lost more votes for labour and the greens prob. Little using tactics of old useless strategy – failed then and now.

    • Leftie 6.1

      Can you elaborate on the “Little using tactics of old useless strategy” and “stupid little hooking into the Maori party”?

      • marty mars 6.1.1

        Can’t link, on phone. Little has attacked the MP saying that have done nothing for Māori etc

        He may notice who they are walking with and standing beside today and tomorrow because his spit lands on them too.

        He may consider that the MP are still getting votes from Māori.

        He may even notice the hypocracy of him saying that to Māori.

        IMO Māori aren’t impressed by Fred hair, black clothes and contact lenses.

        • Leftie 6.1.1.1

          Fred hair, black clothes and contact lenses?

          • marty mars 6.1.1.1.1

            He aint the fonz

            • Leftie 6.1.1.1.1.1

              I haven’t seen any recent photos where he looks like the Fonz. The photos of Andrew Little standing with Pike River families has him with glasses and one without. But what’s this thing about his appearance anyway? Seems a shallow thing to focus on.

        • red-blooded 6.1.1.2

          Marty, if Māori are so enamoured with the Māori Party, how come Labour was won back so many of the Māori seats?

          • Leftie 6.1.1.2.1

            Good point Red-Blooded, Labour holds 6 out of the 7 Maori seats. When I pointed that out last year, we had a big fight.

    • michelle 6.2

      yes agree marty mars he should be saying I will work with any party that wants to improve the lot of all NZers and that wants a change of direction and therefore government, he ( Little ) needs to be careful here. Mean while the gnats are busy quietly plotting away( there oppositions demise) as they have done in the last 3 election but their time is up. 3 termitis and a kick in the guts to too many NZers out they go hooray! cant wait for the day.

      • weka 6.2.1

        “yes agree marty mars he should be saying I will work with any party that wants to improve the lot of all NZers and that wants a change of direction and therefore government,”

        I agree. I haven’t seen what Little said yet, but I’m always suprised by this stance from Labour. It took them long enough to get on side with the Greens, you’d think they could apply the same thing here. On the other hand I think Labour feel an ownership of the Māori seats and thus go hard for them. FPP thinking.

        • Leftie 6.2.1.1

          I have posted excerpts from an interview “Waatea 5th Estate – Labour vs NZ First – the fight for Maori votes” @ 6.3.2

      • Tamati Tautuhi 6.2.2

        Try NZF appear to be reasonably balanced.

        • weka 6.2.2.1

          A vote for NZF risks a 4th term National govt.

          • Leftie 6.2.2.1.1

            Will people feel the same about the Maori party?

          • Tamati Tautuhi 6.2.2.1.2

            Highly unlikely Winston will go with National however I believe he will pick up a good percentage of disillusioned former National Party votes. National and Jenny Shipley shafted him after the first MMP Election and I am sure it is still raw in the back of his mind.

            • weka 6.2.2.1.2.1

              Nevertheless, irrespective of what any of us believe about what he will do the only thing we know for certain is that he won’t rule out supporting a 4th National term. So any left winger voting for him is risking that. I don’t see the point unless one is ok with him doing that.

          • James 6.2.2.1.3

            I reckon it almost gaurentees it.

    • bwaghorn 6.3

      What else was he to do when the maori party have stuck to national no matter what , and when the made their highly organised preemptive strike with the nats and that crook tuku yesterday?

      • marty mars 6.3.1

        He didnt need to DO anything. Doing something was too risky unless the result is actually what you wanted.

      • Leftie 6.3.2

        +1 BWaghorn.

        Andrew Little: “Labour has been careful to essentially grade their co-operation based on how willing to oppose the government each party has been, so the Māori Party hasn’t been outright attacked like it was under Clark, but Labour is also saying, we’re not sure a vote for them will change the government”

        Andrew Little: “There cant just be a change of a line up with the National party leading it. There’s got to be a change in government, change in values, a change in real policies, that’s going to deliver more housing, affordable housing, a better education system, a health system where people can get the health care that they need, a police department that can actually do the job of responding to burglaries and keeping people safe…”

        Andrew Little: “I’m saying that we will work with parties that are serious about changing the government and getting a change that’s going to give everybody a better chance including Maori.”

        Willy Jackson: “So you’re not ruling out the Maori party?”

        Andrew Little: “Well, I don’t see that… they’ve been shackled to the National government for the last 8 years… I can’t see.. they don’t represent, to me the Maori party don’t represent change, in the end the voters will decide the make up of parliament, but we will campaign, I will campaign on, if you want to change what’s happening now, you got to change the government, so you’ve got to vote for the party of change”

        (Willy Jackson continually interrupted Andrew Little)

        Andrew Little: “Let the voters decide, but we are the party of change, the Greens are a party of change, that’s what we are committed to, lets see what the voters turn up at the parliament and if we are in a position to do so, we will talk to those interested in fundamentally changing what the story is now.. We know who those parties of change are, right now.”

        Andrew Little: “They’ve [Maori Party] shackled themselves to the National government for the last 8 years, they are as responsible as any National mp for the failure of people to get affordable houses, a decent education and all those other issues.. They’re not, right now if I think about the radar, about the parties of change, they are not on it”

        Waatea 5th Estate – Labour vs NZ First – the fight for Maori votes

        <a href="http://thedailyblog.co.nz/2016/08/30/waatea-5th-estate-labour-vs-nz-first-the-fight-for-maori-votes/

        Tuku Morgan is ex NZ First. Winston Peters didn’t say very nice things about him back in 1998.

        <a href="https://fmacskasy2.files.wordpress.com/2012/09/peters-sorry-about-coalition-nzpa-14-september-1998.jpg

  7. Morrissey 7

    Māori politics can only get better now that THIS waste of space, this wairangi huakore, this hoha is gone….

    http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-4D-i1gbnwuc/UXM5iHqrGwI/AAAAAAAAJFI/ZgXMbyPhX9A/s1600/Tau+Henare+Gone.jpg

  8. Brutus Iscariot 8

    Gareth Morgan just called WP an “Uncle Tom”.

    Faeces hitting spinning blades in 3…2…1

  9. Leftie 9

    “However, it’s hard to shake the feeling they would prefer to pick up where they leave off with the current government.”

    <a href="http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/87761273/Maori-Party-Dynamic-duo-make-some-noise-in-2016-and-stay-on-the-hunt-for-election-year

  10. bwaghorn 10

    What would the mp numbers be for labour if they lost three maori seats but got the same party vote in the GE?

    • weka 10.1

      Afaik the number of list seats just goes up, so the overall numbers stay the same. But it’s the relationship between electorate voting and party voting that’s also important (hence the Greens campaign in some electorates to increase their party vote), and Labour historically have had strong ties to Māoridom via the Māori seats they held.

      • bwaghorn 10.1.1

        cheers
        I just can’t see Hone going with the nats, so all may not be lost if mp /mana get a few seats , lab/greens/mp/mana , would be far better than anything including nzf

        • weka 10.1.1.1

          yep. Which is why Little should have played this one more canny IMO. But maybe it can still work out that way.

          • bwaghorn 10.1.1.1.1

            What did he say that was untrue ? the maori party have gained fuck all and stood mute while their people have stood still at best, no jobs no houses no health , i used to agree with Mr Sharples about being in the tent but being in the tent with key has castrated the mp .

            • BM 10.1.1.1.1.1

              National never needed the Maori party to govern.

              He invited them in because he thought they could help Maori do better.

            • weka 10.1.1.1.1.2

              It’s not that it’s untrue, it’s that I want Labour to build good working relationships with all their potential allies.

              • Leftie

                It appears Labour is building good relationships with it’s allies, but it doesn’t look like Labour see the Maori party as a potential ally though, and the Maori party haven’t helped in that regard either.

                • weka

                  Apart from the Greens, who is Labour building good relationships with?

                  I’m happy to bang Labour and the Mp’s heads together, but I still think there is more onus on Labour to lead on this.

                  • bwaghorn

                    telling the mp they have gained nothing but 8 years of propping up a smoke and mirrors gov is leading , if people choose not to follow that is not Littles fault , sometimes you have to show your teeth, it’s up to the mp to choose their people over having the nats install a tame ruling elite faction of maori , which i bet was how it was done in the 1800’s

                  • Leftie

                    Why more onus on Labour? Would have thought the Maori party has equal responsibility too.

                  • bwaghorn

                    ”that’s all very well until we consider the Māori who voted for them”
                    Isn’t the whole point of electioneering to tell people that the other party they voted for is doing it wrong, it seems you think maori should be wrapped in cotton wool at all times.

                    • weka

                      Someone else said that about me recently, it’s a fundamental misunderstanding of my views.

                      “Isn’t the whole point of electioneering to tell people that the other party they voted for is doing it wrong,”

                      Depends. Would you apply that to Labour and the Greens?

                      IME the Greens prefer to work with people where they can. The whole hate ’em ’til they die thing is very old school.

                      I’m not in or around Māori culture enough to really have an opinion about this, but I also think there is something about loss of mana when you just criticise people all the time or damn them. If Labour want to hang on to the Māori seats at all costs that’s up to them. I think that Pākehā in general have a poor understanding of Māori politics, that Māori politics are not the same as Pākehā, and that we would be better off listening to what Māori are saying and doing and learning from that.

                      Personally, I’d like to see the Mp supporting a LW govt simply for the fact they are the only party in parliament arguing for lakes and rivers to be drinkable. That’s huge.

                    • bwaghorn

                      ” Would you apply that to Labour and the Greens?”
                      Yes it’s how a democracy works. although it’s better if it’s the genuine opposition is doing the attacking not two sides of the same coin fighting.

                      From the little i’ve seen of none political maori politics (ie farm trustees) it is held back by this need to protect mana/face and i’m betting real maori politics is the same.

                    • weka

                      so you don’t approve of the L/G MoU?

                      “Yes it’s how a democracy works. although it’s better if it’s the genuine opposition is doing the attacking not two sides of the same coin fighting.”

                      THat’s not democracy, that’s our parliamentary system. Doesn’t have to be that way, and yep, my point was that the Mp probably aren’t inherently opposed to the left. Let’s see what happens if they get the chance to support a LW govt or sit the next term out or choose National.

                    • bwaghorn

                      I wouldn’t think the mou will stop labour and the greens pulling each other’s policy apart but they also haven’t spent 8 years in support of the nats.
                      If they still hold true to Sharples words they want to be in the tent no matter what, but by lining up with english and the kings cronies the other day it sure looks like we know who’s team they are on.
                      A vote for mp is a vote for national, the lines are drawn imo

        • Leftie 10.1.1.2

          But publicly, it looks like the lines have already been drawn.

          “Opposition parties are today holding political talks at the Ratana Pa, the first big Maori event of the year.

          Labour, Greens the New Zealand First and Gareth Morgan’s Opportunities Party walked onto the pa together.
          The National-led Government and the Maori Party attended the Ratana commemorations yesterday.”

          <a href="http://www.nzherald.co.nz/politics/news/article.cfm?c_id=280&objectid=11787705

  11. Leftie 11

    Audrey Young ‘s “The political dance begins at Ratana celebrations”

    “Labour faced criticism last year from Ratana speakers telling leader Andrew Little that he could not take Ratana for granted.

    Little said he had heeded that and he and the Maori caucus had worked on strengthening the relationship with Ratana.

    He described the Maori Party as “effectively the Maori branch of the National Party.”

    Asked if they would “last cab off the rank” if came to coalition building after this year’s election, he said: “Certainly after Greens and New Zealand[First].

    There’s whole collection, Maori and United Future, if they are still there. So they are certainly down the pecking order, that’s for sure.”

    <a href="http://www.nzherald.co.nz/politics/news/article.cfm?c_id=280&objectid=11786867

  12. Sad state of affairs… I voted for Mana last election,… how its all changed. Then again I also support aspects of NZ First ! and Labour ! ( some of them – not the neo liberals ! ) and the Greens ! There’s good people and policy’s in all of them.

    Hell ! – I even approved of Acts Seymour when he spoke out against govt surveillance of the NZ population – but that was the only time and I DEFINITELY wont ever vote for them !!!

    L0L!

    Basically any group or political party that addresses global neo liberalism and its negative effects on this country. Such a real pity the ‘ Left’ just cant seem to work it out together and reach some sort of consensus . Id like to see them all in somehow and National / Act forever gone !

    And any other vestige of international globalization for that matter.

    • billmurray 12.1

      WILD KATIPO,
      IMO you have hit the nail on the head in your reference to the neo liberals in the Labour party,
      The Maori party is enjoying their time with National and they care little about the accusation of sell-out, they and Tuku Morgan, who is the power behind the Maori King, are both astute enough to know that Labour is controlled by the neo liberal factions and they see little difference in policies between Labour / National. To them both parties are neo liberal policy driven. To them Labour is a National Lite party so why go for Lite when you can get full strength elsewhere.

      Labour has completely failed to show the Maori party and the wider electorate “real points of difference” between themselves and National.
      The Green party, particularly with James Shaw in co-leadership, want to be on government benches, with their feet under the caucus table. Shaw is not a hard left ideologue
      After 2 years, with a new leader, Labour are not making traction and seem to be fiddling while ‘Rome is burning’
      IMO unless Labour get markedly better results than in 2014 then the Maori party will be joined by the Greens with the Maori party policy adoption “feet under the table” as their mantle .

      • Nick 12.1.1

        Well, your guess is as good as everyone else’s Bill…. And that is not saying much.

        • billmurray 12.1.1.1

          Nick,
          well we will probably have to wait until the election, but surely you can agree that Labour need to do better than they are doing now and if 2017 is not markedly better for them, they are finished.
          There are no real ‘point of difference’s’.
          No real election issues firing the people

      • Leftie 12.1.2

        Lol @ BillM.

  13. millsy 13

    What has Labour done for Maori?

    State housing
    Uemployment benefits
    Free secondary education
    Free health care (absent in any iwi run health provider)
    40 hour week
    4 weeks paid leave
    5 days sick leave
    DPB
    Family Benefit
    Housing Corp Mortgages
    Maori Affairs housing loans
    Rural electrification
    Running water
    Sewerage schemes
    A standard of living equal to that of their Pakeha brethren.

    What has the Maori Party done?

    Privatisation
    Austerity

    ??

    • Jenny Kirk 13.1

      +100% Millsy.

      and by the way, why all this bashing of Labour from supposedly left-leaning posters?

      Haven’t you realised yet that Labour is not the enemy. The rightwing Nats with their sycophantic hangers on – Maori Party which now includes Mana – are the spoilers of our country.

Recent Comments

Recent Posts

  • Coalition Circus of Chaos – Verbal gymnasts; an inept Ringmaster, and a helluva lot of clowns
    ..Thanks for reading Frankly Speaking ! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.The Curtain Closes…You have to hand it to Aotearoa - voters don’t do things by halves. People wanted change, and by golly, change they got. Baby, bathwater; rubber ducky - all out.There is something ...
    Frankly SpeakingBy Frank Macskasy
    3 hours ago
  • “Brown-town”: the Wayne & Simeon show
    Last week Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown kicked off what is always the most important thing a Council does every three years – update its ‘Long term plan’. This is the budgeting process for the Council and – unlike central government – the budget has to balance in terms of income ...
    4 hours ago
  • Not To Cast Stones…
    Yeah I changed my wine into waterHad a miracle or four since I saw youSome came on time, some took a whileLocal Water Done Well.One of our new government’s first actions, number 20 on their list of 49 priorities, is the repeal of the previous government’s Water Services Entities Act 2022. Three Waters, ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 hours ago
  • So much noise and so little signal
    Parliament opened with pomp and ceremony, then it was back to politicians shouting at and past each other into the void. Photo: Office of the Clerk, NZ ParliamentTL;DR: It started with pomp, pageantry and a speech from the throne laying out the new National-ACT-NZ First Government’s plan to turn back ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    6 hours ago
  • Lost in the Desert: Accepted
    As noted, November was an exceptionally good writing month for me. Well, in an additional bit of good news for December, one of those November stories, Lost in the Desert, has been accepted by Eternal Haunted Summer (https://eternalhauntedsummer.com/) for their Winter Solstice 2023 issue. At 3,500 words, ...
    13 hours ago
  • This Government and their Rightwing culture-war flanks picked a fight with the country… not the ot...
    ACT and the culture-war warriors of the Right have picked this fight with Te Ao Māori. Ideologically-speaking, as a Party they’ve actually done this since inception, let’s be clear about that. So there is no real need to delve at length into their duplicitous, malignant, hypocritical manipulations. Yes, yes, ...
    exhALANtBy exhalantblog
    15 hours ago
  • 2023 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #49
    A chronological listing of news and opinion articles posted on the Skeptical Science  Facebook Page during the past week: Sun, Dec 3, 2023 thru Sat, Dec 9, 2023. Story of the Week Interactive: The pathways to meeting the Paris Agreement’s 1.5C limit The Paris Agreement’s long-term goal of keeping warming “well below” ...
    22 hours ago
  • LOGAN SAVORY: The planned blessing that has irked councillors
    “I’m struggling to understand why we are having a blessing to bless this site considering it is a scrap metal yard… It just doesn’t make sense to me.” Logan Savory writes- When’s a blessing appropriate and when isn’t it? Some Invercargill City Councillors have questioned whether blessings might ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    23 hours ago
  • Surely it won't happen
    I have prepared a bad news sandwich. That is to say, I'm going to try and make this more agreeable by placing on the top and underneath some cheering things.So let's start with a daughter update, the one who is now half a world away but also never farther out ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    1 day ago
  • Let Them Eat Sausage Rolls: Hipkins Tries to Kill Labour Again
    Sometimes you despair. You really do. Fresh off leading Labour to its ugliest election result since 1990,* Chris Hipkins has decided to misdiagnose matters, because the Government he led cannot possibly have been wrong about anything. *In 2011 and 2014, people were willing to save Labour’s electorate ...
    2 days ago
  • Clued Up: Ageing Boomers, Laurie & Les, Talk Politics.
    “But, that’s the thing, mate, isn’t it? We showed ourselves to be nothing more useful than a bunch of angry old men, shaking our fists at the sky. Were we really that angry at Labour and the Greens? Or was it just the inescapable fact of our own growing irrelevancy ...
    2 days ago
  • JERRY COYNE: A powerful University dean in New Zealand touts merging higher education with indigeno...
    Jerry Coyne writes –  This article from New Zealand’s Newsroom site was written by Julie Rowland,  the deputy dean of the Faculty of Science at the University of Auckland as well as a geologist and the Director of the Ngā Ara Whetū | Centre for Climate, Biodiversity & Society. In other ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    2 days ago
  • Ain't nobody gonna steal this heart away.
    Ain't nobody gonna steal this heart away.For the last couple of weeks its felt as though all the good things in our beautiful land are under attack.These isles in the southern Pacific. The home of the Māori people. A land of easy going friendliness, openness, and she’ll be right. A ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    2 days ago
  • Speaking for the future
    Hello! Here comes the Saturday edition of More Than A Feilding, catching you up on the past week’s editions.MondayYou cannot be seriousOne might think, god, people who are seeing all this must be regretting their vote.But one might be mistaken.There are people whose chief priority is not wanting to be ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    2 days ago
  • How Should We Organise a Modern Economy?
    Alan Bollard, formerly Treasury Secretary, Reserve Bank Governor and Chairman of APEC, has written an insightful book exploring command vs demand approaches to the economy. The Cold War included a conflict about ideas; many were economic. Alan Bollard’s latest book Economists in the Cold War focuses on the contribution of ...
    PunditBy Brian Easton
    3 days ago
  • Willis fails a taxing app-titude test but govt supporters will cheer moves on Te Pukenga and the Hum...
    Buzz from the Beehive The Minister of Defence has returned from Noumea to announce New Zealand will host next year’s South Pacific Defence Ministers’ Meeting and (wearing another ministerial hat) to condemn malicious cyber activity conducted by the Russian Government. A bigger cheer from people who voted for the Luxon ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    3 days ago
  • ELIZABETH RATA: In defence of the liberal university and against indigenisation
    The suppression of individual thought in our universities spills over into society, threatening free speech everywhere. Elizabeth Rata writes –  Indigenising New Zealand’s universities is well underway, presumably with the agreement of University Councils and despite the absence of public discussion. Indigenising, under the broader umbrella of decolonisation, ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    3 days ago
  • Gordon Campbell on the skewed media coverage of Gaza
    Now that he’s back as Foreign Minister, maybe Winston Peters should start reading the MFAT website. If he did, Peters would find MFAT celebrating the 25th anniversary of how New Zealand alerted the rest of the world to the genocide developing in Rwanda. Quote: New Zealand played an important role ...
    3 days ago
  • “Your Circus, Your Clowns.”
    It must have been a hard first couple of weeks for National voters, since the coalition was announced. Seeing their party make so many concessions to New Zealand First and ACT that there seems little remains of their own policies, other than the dwindling dream of tax cuts and the ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    3 days ago
  • Weekly Roundup 8-December-2023
    It’s Friday again and Christmas is fast approaching. Here’s some of the stories that caught our attention. This week in Greater Auckland On Tuesday Matt covered some of the recent talk around the costs, benefits and challenges with the City Rail Link. On Thursday Matt looked at how ...
    Greater AucklandBy Greater Auckland
    3 days ago
  • End-of-week escapism
    Amsterdam to Hong Kong William McCartney16,000 kilometres41 days18 trains13 countries11 currencies6 long-distance taxis4 taxi apps4 buses3 sim cards2 ferries1 tram0 medical events (surprisingly)Episode 4Whether the Sofia-Istanbul Express really qualifies to be called an express is debatable, but it’s another one of those likeably old and slow trains tha… ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago
  • The Hoon around the week to Dec 8
    Governor-General Dame Cindy Kiro arrives for the State Opening of Parliament (Photo: Hagen Hopkins/Getty Images)TL;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:New Finance Minister Nicola Willis set herself a ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago
  • New Zealand’s Witchcraft Laws: 1840/1858-1961/1962
    Sometimes one gets morbidly curious about the oddities of one’s own legal system. Sometimes one writes entire essays on New Zealand’s experience with Blasphemous Libel: https://phuulishfellow.wordpress.com/2017/05/09/blasphemous-libel-new-zealand-politics/ And sometimes one follows up the exact historical status of witchcraft law in New Zealand. As one does, of course. ...
    3 days ago
  • No surprises
    Don’t expect any fiscal shocks or surprises when the books are opened on December 20 with the unveiling of the Half Yearly Economic and Fiscal Update (HYEFU). That was the message yesterday from Westpac in an economic commentary. But the bank’s analysis did not include any changes to capital ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    3 days ago
  • Skeptical Science New Research for Week #49 2023
    113 articles in 48 journals by 674 contributing authors Physical science of climate change, effects Diversity of Lagged Relationships in Global Means of Surface Temperatures and Radiative Budgets for CMIP6 piControl Simulations, Tsuchida et al., Journal of Climate 10.1175/jcli-d-23-0045.1 Do abrupt cryosphere events in High Mountain Asia indicate earlier tipping ...
    4 days ago
  • Phone calls at Kia Kaha primary
    It is quiet reading time in Room 13! It is so quiet you can hear the Tui outside. It is so quiet you can hear the Fulton Hogan crew.It is so quiet you can hear old Mr Grant and old Mr Bradbury standing by the roadworks and counting the conesand going on ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    4 days ago
  • A question of confidence is raised by the Minister of Police, but he had to be questioned by RNZ to ...
    It looks like the new ministerial press secretaries have quickly learned the art of camouflaging exactly what their ministers are saying – or, at least, of keeping the hard news  out of the headlines and/or the opening sentences of the statements they post on the home page of the governments ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    4 days ago
  • Xmas  good  cheer  for the dairy industry  as Fonterra lifts its forecast
    The big dairy co-op Fonterra  had  some Christmas  cheer to offer  its farmers this week, increasing its forecast farmgate milk price and earnings guidance for  the year after what it calls a strong start to the year. The forecast  midpoint for the 2023/24 season is up 25cs to $7.50 per ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • MICHAEL BASSETT: Modern Maori myths
    Michael Bassett writes – Many of the comments about the Coalition’s determination to wind back the dramatic Maorification of New Zealand of the last three years would have you believe the new government is engaged in a full-scale attack on Maori. In reality, all that is happening ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    4 days ago
  • Dreams of eternal sunshine at a spotless COP28
    Mary Robinson asked Al Jaber a series of very simple, direct and highly pertinent questions and he responded with a high-octane public meltdown. Photos: Getty Images / montage: Lynn GrievesonTL;DR The hygiene effects of direct sunshine are making some inroads, perhaps for the very first time, on the normalised ‘deficit ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • LINDSAY MITCHELL: Oh, the irony
    Lindsay Mitchell writes – Appointed by new Labour PM Jacinda Ardern in 2018, Cindy Kiro headed the Welfare Expert Advisory Group (WEAG) tasked with reviewing and recommending reforms to the welfare system. Kiro had been Children’s Commissioner during Helen Clark’s Labour government but returned to academia subsequently. ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • Transport Agencies don’t want Harbour Tunnels
    It seems even our transport agencies don’t want Labour’s harbour crossing plans. In August the previous government and Waka Kotahi announced their absurd preferred option the new harbour crossing that at the time was estimated to cost $35-45 billion. It included both road tunnels and a wiggly light rail tunnel ...
    4 days ago
  • Webworm Presents: Jurassic Park on 35mm
    Hi,Paying Webworm members such as yourself keep this thing running, so as 2023 draws to close, I wanted to do two things to say a giant, loud “THANKS”. Firstly — I’m giving away 10 Mister Organ blu-rays in New Zealand, and another 10 in America. More details down below.Secondly — ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    4 days ago
  • The Prime Minister's Dream.
    Yesterday saw the State Opening of Parliament, the Speech from the Throne, and then Prime Minister Christopher Luxon’s dream for Aotearoa in his first address. But first the pomp and ceremony, the arrival of the Governor General.Dame Cindy Kiro arrived on the forecourt outside of parliament to a Māori welcome. ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    4 days ago
  • National’s new MP; the proud part-Maori boy raised in a state house
    Probably not since 1975 have we seen a government take office up against such a wall of protest and complaint. That was highlighted yesterday, the day that the new Parliament was sworn in, with news that King Tuheitia has called a national hui for late January to develop a ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    4 days ago
  • Climate Adam: Battlefield Earth – How War Fuels Climate Catastrophe
    This video includes conclusions of the creator climate scientist Dr. Adam Levy. It is presented to our readers as an informed perspective. Please see video description for references (if any). War, conflict and climate change are tearing apart lives across the world. But these aren't separate harms - they're intricately connected. ...
    5 days ago
  • They do not speak for us, and they do not speak for the future
    These dire woeful and intolerant people have been so determinedly going about their small and petulant business, it’s hard to keep up. At the end of the new government’s first woeful week, Audrey Young took the time to count off its various acts of denigration of Te Ao Māori:Review the ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    5 days ago
  • Another attack on te reo
    The new white supremacist government made attacking te reo a key part of its platform, promising to rename government agencies and force them to "communicate primarily in English" (which they already do). But today they've gone further, by trying to cut the pay of public servants who speak te reo: ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    5 days ago
  • For the record, the Beehive buzz can now be regarded as “official”
    Buzz from the Beehive The biggest buzz we bring you from the Beehive today is that the government’s official website is up and going after being out of action for more than a week. The latest press statement came  from  Education Minister  Eric Stanford, who seized on the 2022 PISA ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    5 days ago
  • Climate Change: Failed again
    There was another ETS auction this morning. and like all the other ones this year, it failed to clear - meaning that 23 million tons of carbon (15 million ordinary units plus 8 million in the cost containment reserve) went up in smoke. Or rather, they didn't. Being unsold at ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    5 days ago
  • Gordon Campbell On The Government’s Assault On Maori
    This isn’t news, but the National-led coalition is mounting a sustained assault on Treaty rights and obligations. Even so, Christopher Luxon has described yesterday’s nationwide protests by Maori as “pretty unfair.” Poor thing. In the NZ Herald, Audrey Young has compiled a useful list of the many, many ways that ...
    5 days ago
  • Rising costs hit farmers hard, but  there’s more  positive news  for  them this  week 
    New Zealand’s dairy industry, the mainstay of the country’s export trade, has  been under  pressure  from rising  costs. Down on the  farm, this  has  been  hitting  hard. But there  was more positive news this week,  first   from the latest Fonterra GDT auction where  prices  rose,  and  then from  a  report ...
    Point of OrderBy tutere44
    5 days ago
  • ROB MacCULLOCH:  Newshub and NZ Herald report misleading garbage about ACT’s van Veldon not follo...
    Rob MacCulloch writes –  In their rush to discredit the new government (which our MainStream Media regard as illegitimate and having no right to enact the democratic will of voters) the NZ Herald and Newshub are arguing ACT’s Deputy Leader Brooke van Veldon is not following Treasury advice ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • Top 10 for Wednesday, December 6
    Even many young people who smoke support smokefree policies, fitting in with previous research showing the large majority of people who smoke regret starting and most want to quit. Photo: Lynn GrievesonTL;DR: Here’s my pick of the top 10 news and analysis links elsewhere on the morning of Wednesday, December ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • Eleven years of work.
    Well it didn’t take six months, but the leaks have begun. Yes the good ship Coalition has inadvertently released a confidential cabinet paper into the public domain, discussing their axing of Fair Pay Agreements (FPAs).Oops.Just when you were admiring how smoothly things were going for the new government, they’ve had ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago
  • Why we're missing out on sharply lower inflation
    A wave of new and higher fees, rates and charges will ripple out over the economy in the next 18 months as mayors, councillors, heads of department and price-setters for utilities such as gas, electricity, water and parking ramp up charges. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Just when most ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • How Did We Get Here?
    Hi,Kiwis — keep the evening of December 22nd free. I have a meetup planned, and will send out an invite over the next day or so. This sounds sort of crazy to write, but today will be Tony Stamp’s final Totally Normal column of 2023. Somehow we’ve made it to ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    5 days ago
  • At a glance – Has the greenhouse effect been falsified?
    On February 14, 2023 we announced our Rebuttal Update Project. This included an ask for feedback about the added "At a glance" section in the updated basic rebuttal versions. This weekly blog post series highlights this new section of one of the updated basic rebuttal versions and serves as a ...
    6 days ago
  • New Zealaders  have  high expectations of  new  government:  now let’s see if it can deliver?
    The electorate has high expectations of the  new  government.  The question is: can  it  deliver?    Some  might  say  the  signs are not  promising. Protestors   are  already marching in the streets. The  new  Prime Minister has had  little experience of managing  very diverse politicians  in coalition. The economy he  ...
    Point of OrderBy tutere44
    6 days ago
  • You won't believe some of the numbers you have to pull when you're a Finance Minister
    Nicola of Marsden:Yo, normies! We will fix your cost of living worries by giving you a tax cut of 150 dollars. 150! Cash money! Vote National.Various people who can read and count:Actually that's 150 over a fortnight. Not a week, which is how you usually express these things.And actually, it looks ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    6 days ago
  • Pushback
    When this government came to power, it did so on an explicitly white supremacist platform. Undermining the Waitangi Tribunal, removing Māori representation in local government, over-riding the courts which had tried to make their foreshore and seabed legislation work, eradicating te reo from public life, and ultimately trying to repudiate ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    6 days ago
  • Defence ministerial meeting meant Collins missed the Maori Party’s mischief-making capers in Parli...
    Buzz from the Beehive Maybe this is not the best time for our Minister of Defence to have gone overseas. Not when the Maori Party is inviting (or should that be inciting?) its followers to join a revolution in a post which promoted its protest plans with a picture of ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago
  • Threats of war have been followed by an invitation to join the revolution – now let’s see how th...
     A Maori Party post on Instagram invited party followers to ….  Tangata Whenua, Tangata Tiriti, Join the REVOLUTION! & make a stand!  Nationwide Action Day, All details in tiles swipe to see locations.  • This is our 1st hit out and tomorrow Tuesday the 5th is the opening ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago
  • Top 10 for Tuesday, December 4
    The RBNZ governor is citing high net migration and profit-led inflation as factors in the bank’s hawkish stance. Photo: Lynn GrievesonTL;DR: Here’s my pick of the top 10 news and analysis links elsewhere on the morning of Tuesday, December 5, including:Reserve Bank Governor Adrian Orr says high net migration and ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    6 days ago
  • Nicola Willis' 'show me the money' moment
    Willis has accused labour of “economic vandalism’, while Robertson described her comments as a “desperate diversion from somebody who can't make their tax package add up”. There will now be an intense focus on December 20 to see whether her hyperbole is backed up by true surprises. Photo montage: Lynn ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    6 days ago
  • CRL costs money but also provides huge benefits
    The City Rail Link has been in the headlines a bit recently so I thought I’d look at some of them. First up, yesterday the NZ Herald ran this piece about the ongoing costs of the CRL. Auckland ratepayers will be saddled with an estimated bill of $220 million each ...
    6 days ago
  • And I don't want the world to see us.
    Is this the most shambolic government in the history of New Zealand? Given that parliament hasn’t even opened they’ve managed quite a list of achievements to date.The Smokefree debacle trading lives for tax cuts, the Trumpian claims of bribery in the Media, an International award for indifference, and today the ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    6 days ago
  • Cooking the books
    Finance Minister Nicola Willis late yesterday stopped only slightly short of accusing her predecessor Grant Robertson of cooking the books. She complained that the Half Yearly Economic and Fiscal Update (HYEFU), due to be made public on December 20, would show “fiscal cliffs” that would amount to “billions of ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    6 days ago
  • Most people don’t realize how much progress we’ve made on climate change
    This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections The year was 2015. ‘Uptown Funk’ with Bruno Mars was at the top of the music charts. Jurassic World was the most popular new movie in theaters. And decades of futility in international climate negotiations was about to come to an end in ...
    7 days ago
  • Of Parliamentary Oaths and Clive Boonham
    As a heads-up, I am not one of those people who stay awake at night thinking about weird Culture War nonsense. At least so far as the current Maori/Constitutional arrangements go. In fact, I actually consider it the least important issue facing the day to day lives of New ...
    7 days ago
  • Bearing True Allegiance?
    Strong Words: “We do not consent, we do not surrender, we do not cede, we do not submit; we, the indigenous, are rising. We do not buy into the colonial fictions this House is built upon. Te Pāti Māori pledges allegiance to our mokopuna, our whenua, and Te Tiriti o ...
    7 days ago
  • You cannot be serious
    Some days it feels like the only thing to say is: Seriously? No, really. Seriously?OneSomeone has used their health department access to share data about vaccinations and patients, and inform the world that New Zealanders have been dying in their hundreds of thousands from the evil vaccine. This of course is pure ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    7 days ago
  • A promise kept: govt pulls the plug on Lake Onslow scheme – but this saving of $16bn is denounced...
    Buzz from the Beehive After $21.8 million was spent on investigations, the plug has been pulled on the Lake Onslow pumped-hydro electricity scheme, The scheme –  that technically could have solved New Zealand’s looming energy shortage, according to its champions – was a key part of the defeated Labour government’s ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    7 days ago
  • CHRIS TROTTER: The Maori Party and Oath of Allegiance
    If those elected to the Māori Seats refuse to take them, then what possible reason could the country have for retaining them?   Chris Trotter writes – Christmas is fast approaching, which, as it does every year, means gearing up for an abstruse general knowledge question. “Who was ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    7 days ago
  • BRIAN EASTON:  Forward to 2017
    The coalition party agreements are mainly about returning to 2017 when National lost power. They show commonalities but also some serious divergencies. Brian Easton writes The two coalition agreements – one National and ACT, the other National and New Zealand First – are more than policy documents. ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    7 days ago
  • Climate Change: Fossils
    When the new government promised to allow new offshore oil and gas exploration, they were warned that there would be international criticism and reputational damage. Naturally, they arrogantly denied any possibility that that would happen. And then they finally turned up at COP, to criticism from Palau, and a "fossil ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    1 week ago
  • GEOFFREY MILLER:  NZ’s foreign policy resets on AUKUS, Gaza and Ukraine
    Geoffrey Miller writes – New Zealand’s international relations are under new management. And Winston Peters, the new foreign minister, is already setting a change agenda. As expected, this includes a more pro-US positioning when it comes to the Pacific – where Peters will be picking up where he ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    1 week ago
  • Gordon Campbell on the government’s smokefree laws debacle
    The most charitable explanation for National’s behaviour over the smokefree legislation is that they have dutifully fulfilled the wishes of the Big Tobacco lobby and then cast around – incompetently, as it turns out – for excuses that might sell this health policy U-turn to the public. The less charitable ...
    1 week ago
  • Top 10 links at 10 am for Monday, December 4
    As Deb Te Kawa writes in an op-ed, the new Government seems to have immediately bought itself fights with just about everyone. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Here’s my pick of the top 10 news and analysis links elsewhere as of 10 am on Monday December 4, including:Palau’s President ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago
  • Be Honest.
    Let’s begin today by thinking about job interviews.During my career in Software Development I must have interviewed hundreds of people, hired at least a hundred, but few stick in the memory.I remember one guy who was so laid back he was practically horizontal, leaning back in his chair until his ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    1 week ago
  • Geoffrey Miller: New Zealand’s foreign policy resets on AUKUS, Gaza and Ukraine
    New Zealand’s international relations are under new management. And Winston Peters, the new foreign minister, is already setting a change agenda. As expected, this includes a more pro-US positioning when it comes to the Pacific – where Peters will be picking up where he left off. Peters sought to align ...
    Democracy ProjectBy Geoffrey Miller
    1 week ago
  • Auckland rail tunnel the world’s most expensive
    Auckland’s city rail link is the most expensive rail project in the world per km, and the CRL boss has described the cost of infrastructure construction in Aotearoa as a crisis. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The 3.5 km City Rail Link (CRL) tunnel under Auckland’s CBD has cost ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago
  • First big test coming
    The first big test of the new Government’s approach to Treaty matters is likely to be seen in the return of the Resource Management Act. RMA Minister Chris Bishop has confirmed that he intends to introduce legislation to repeal Labour’s recently passed Natural and Built Environments Act and its ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    1 week ago
  • The Song of Saqua: Volume III
    Time to revisit something I haven’t covered in a while: the D&D campaign, with Saqua the aquatic half-vampire. Last seen in July: https://phuulishfellow.wordpress.com/2023/07/27/the-song-of-saqua-volume-ii/ The delay is understandable, once one realises that the interim saw our DM come down with a life-threatening medical situation. They have since survived to make ...
    1 week ago
  • Chris Bishop: Smokin’
    Yes. Correct. It was an election result. And now we are the elected government. ...
    My ThinksBy boonman
    1 week ago

  • Ministers visit Hawke’s Bay to grasp recovery needs
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon joined Cyclone Recovery Minister Mark Mitchell and Transport and Local Government Minister Simeon Brown, to meet leaders of cyclone and flood-affected regions in the Hawke’s Bay. The visit reinforced the coalition Government’s commitment to support the region and better understand its ongoing requirements, Mr Mitchell says.  ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • New Zealand condemns malicious cyber activity
    New Zealand has joined the UK and other partners in condemning malicious cyber activity conducted by the Russian Government, Minister Responsible for the Government Communications Security Bureau Judith Collins says. The statement follows the UK’s attribution today of malicious cyber activity impacting its domestic democratic institutions and processes, as well ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Disestablishment of Te Pūkenga begins
    The Government has begun the process of disestablishing Te Pūkenga as part of its 100-day plan, Minister for Tertiary Education and Skills Penny Simmonds says.  “I have started putting that plan into action and have met with the chair and chief Executive of Te Pūkenga to advise them of my ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Climate Change Minister to attend COP28 in Dubai
    Climate Change Minister Simon Watts will be leaving for Dubai today to attend COP28, the 28th annual UN climate summit, this week. Simon Watts says he will push for accelerated action towards the goals of the Paris Agreement, deliver New Zealand’s national statement and connect with partner countries, private sector leaders ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • New Zealand to host 2024 Pacific defence meeting
    Defence Minister Judith Collins yesterday announced New Zealand will host next year’s South Pacific Defence Ministers’ Meeting (SPDMM). “Having just returned from this year’s meeting in Nouméa, I witnessed first-hand the value of meeting with my Pacific counterparts to discuss regional security and defence matters. I welcome the opportunity to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Study shows need to remove distractions in class
    The Government is committed to lifting school achievement in the basics and that starts with removing distractions so young people can focus on their learning, Education Minister Erica Stanford says.   The 2022 PISA results released this week found that Kiwi kids ranked 5th in the world for being distracted ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Minister sets expectations of Commissioner
    Today I met with Police Commissioner Andrew Coster to set out my expectations, which he has agreed to, says Police Minister Mark Mitchell. Under section 16(1) of the Policing Act 2008, the Minister can expect the Police Commissioner to deliver on the Government’s direction and priorities, as now outlined in ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • New Zealand needs a strong and stable ETS
    New Zealand needs a strong and stable Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) that is well placed for the future, after emission units failed to sell for the fourth and final auction of the year, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says.  At today’s auction, 15 million New Zealand units (NZUs) – each ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • PISA results show urgent need to teach the basics
    With 2022 PISA results showing a decline in achievement, Education Minister Erica Stanford is confident that the Coalition Government’s 100-day plan for education will improve outcomes for Kiwi kids.  The 2022 PISA results show a significant decline in the performance of 15-year-old students in maths compared to 2018 and confirms ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Collins leaves for Pacific defence meeting
    Defence Minister Judith Collins today departed for New Caledonia to attend the 8th annual South Pacific Defence Ministers’ meeting (SPDMM). “This meeting is an excellent opportunity to meet face-to-face with my Pacific counterparts to discuss regional security matters and to demonstrate our ongoing commitment to the Pacific,” Judith Collins says. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago
  • Working for Families gets cost of living boost
    Putting more money in the pockets of hard-working families is a priority of this Coalition Government, starting with an increase to Working for Families, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon says. “We are starting our 100-day plan with a laser focus on bringing down the cost of living, because that is what ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago
  • Post-Cabinet press conference
    Most weeks, following Cabinet, the Prime Minister holds a press conference for members of the Parliamentary Press Gallery. This page contains the transcripts from those press conferences, which are supplied by Hansard to the Office of the Prime Minister. It is important to note that the transcripts have not been edited ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago
  • Lake Onslow pumped hydro scheme scrapped
    The Government has axed the $16 billion Lake Onslow pumped hydro scheme championed by the previous government, Energy Minister Simeon Brown says. “This hugely wasteful project was pouring money down the drain at a time when we need to be reining in spending and focussing on rebuilding the economy and ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • NZ welcomes further pause in fighting in Gaza
    New Zealand welcomes the further one-day extension of the pause in fighting, which will allow the delivery of more urgently-needed humanitarian aid into Gaza and the release of more hostages, Foreign Minister Winston Peters said. “The human cost of the conflict is horrific, and New Zealand wants to see the violence ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Condolences on passing of Henry Kissinger
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters today expressed on behalf of the New Zealand Government his condolences to the family of former US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, who has passed away at the age of 100 at his home in Connecticut. “While opinions on his legacy are varied, Secretary Kissinger was ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Backing our kids to learn the basics
    Every child deserves a world-leading education, and the Coalition Government is making that a priority as part of its 100-day plan. Education Minister Erica Stanford says that will start with banning cellphone use at school and ensuring all primary students spend one hour on reading, writing, and maths each day. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • US Business Summit Speech – Regional stability through trade
    I would like to begin by echoing the Prime Minister’s thanks to the organisers of this Summit, Fran O’Sullivan and the Auckland Business Chamber.  I want to also acknowledge the many leading exporters, sector representatives, diplomats, and other leaders we have joining us in the room. In particular, I would like ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 weeks ago
  • Keynote Address to the United States Business Summit, Auckland
    Good morning. Thank you, Rosemary, for your warm introduction, and to Fran and Simon for this opportunity to make some brief comments about New Zealand’s relationship with the United States.  This is also a chance to acknowledge my colleague, Minister for Trade Todd McClay, Ambassador Tom Udall, Secretary of Foreign ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 weeks ago
  • India New Zealand Business Council Speech, India as a Strategic Priority
    Good morning, tēnā koutou and namaskar. Many thanks, Michael, for your warm welcome. I would like to acknowledge the work of the India New Zealand Business Council in facilitating today’s event and for the Council’s broader work in supporting a coordinated approach for lifting New Zealand-India relations. I want to also ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 weeks ago
  • Coalition Government unveils 100-day plan
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has laid out the Coalition Government’s plan for its first 100 days from today. “The last few years have been incredibly tough for so many New Zealanders. People have put their trust in National, ACT and NZ First to steer them towards a better, more prosperous ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 weeks ago
  • New Zealand welcomes European Parliament vote on the NZ-EU Free Trade Agreement
    A significant milestone in ratifying the NZ-EU Free Trade Agreement (FTA) was reached last night, with 524 of the 705 member European Parliament voting in favour to approve the agreement. “I’m delighted to hear of the successful vote to approve the NZ-EU FTA in the European Parliament overnight. This is ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 weeks ago

Page generated in The Standard by Wordpress at 2023-12-10T23:10:44+00:00