Marketing Clown

Written By: - Date published: 7:10 am, November 27th, 2012 - 70 comments
Categories: Environment, john key - Tags: , ,

There are some similar things between McDonald’s and New Zealand – they’re both currently run by a clown at any rate – but I didn’t think cynical marketing was one of them.

Apparently Key is “lovin’ it” how our rivers and lakes are far from “100% Pure”.  At least he’s not “lovin’ it” all the time, you’ve got to take these things with a pinch of salt you understand.

Is this a new standard of information from the New Zealand Government?  When Key says he didn’t know Dotcom’s name before that day of the MegaRaidTM, he only means most of the time?  Should we take that with a pinch of salt?  What about when he says he’s forgotten most of the facts about Dotcom?  How ‘salty’ was it when he said he voted for the drinking age to stay at 20?  Or those promises to get the Pike River miners‘ bodies out?  Is this all just acceptable marketing, and people don’t expect the truth all the time?

Notably the New Zealand Association of Scientists don’t take their “facts” with a pinch of salt:

“The clear statement is that the potential damage to New Zealand’s reputation, and economic benefit of “big-spending American tourists” outweighs the need for truth in public debate. This is an issue that the association takes very seriously.”

Ah, truth, do we have to be brought back to that?

—

As one of many facts that Key dismisses because he “knows” otherwise, the unemployment rate couldn’t possibly be so high (7.3% – a record since Bill English was last Finance Minister…) because there weren’t enough people on the jobseekers benefit.

And now we have a good example of why: Winz telling eligible beneficiaries they can’t apply because they haven’t yet spent all their (union-negotiated) redundancy and then some…

“They said I have to wait for my redundancy [pay] to run out and then I have to wait another four to six weeks until I have actually gone broke,” she said.

When we won’t even give unemployed people desperately seeking work the unemployment benefit it may be less of a surprise why your stats don’t add up…

70 comments on “Marketing Clown ”

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  1. Descendant Of Smith 1
    27 November 2012 at 7:35 am

    Here’s an earlier post and links to WINZ policy around stand-downs.

    http://thestandard.org.nz/john-key-business-to-blame/#comment-378022

    It’s sad that not only mis-information is floating around but that WINZ staff can’t get their own policies right.

    • Lanthanide 1.1
      27 November 2012 at 10:52 am

      Anyone know if these claims are back-datable?

      My dad got a very hefty redundancy payout from his last job in 2009 and was told by WINZ he wasn’t eligible for unemployment benefit because he had to use it up first. Any chance he could back-claim for that benefit?

      • Descendant Of Smith 1.1.1
        27 November 2012 at 2:24 pm

        It is possible the rules were different then. In the 80s redundancy pay was treated differently and I’m not sure of all the changes since then.

        The policy linked to is the current policy.

        A local advocacy group could find out the policy that applied at the time your father was made redundant. Check too how much of the redundancy was holiday pay retiring leave etc. those count as days still working.

        Also see what evidence exists in your fathers or their records e.g. Record of phone call.

        You generally have 3 months to review but can go outside of that for good reason.

        It is always better to apply and get a decision than simply take verbal advice. That’s the most important advice I ever gave as an advocate. Still holds true.

  2. robertguyton 2
    27 November 2012 at 8:12 am

    Equating ‘Loving it’ and ‘100% Pure’ is classic Key-think, the former being subjective and the latter quantitative, but that doesn’t matter to Key, he can find plenty of other experts who will say the opposite and anyway, a shrug heals all hurts and he’s not bothered.
    The sad thing is that people seem to swallow Key’s bullshit as it it was Farex.

  3. vto 3
    27 November 2012 at 8:30 am

    Yep this government is a total circus.

    Never more so than in Christchurch. Watch as the real people participants in the Christchurch rebuild are beginning to step back and say “lets just wait and let this bozo circus step up to the plate first”. Bozo Brownlee has created himself a millstone that everybody is beginning to notice. The heat is draining away from the blueprint. The people, sidelined, now watch from the sideline content with their hamper and picnic table. They are now used to the lack of a dining table. Less is beginning to happen. Christchurch is on the road to becoming New Zealands largest ever white elephant. It’s biggest donut.

    The bully boy bozos of this government and their contempt for the people of Christchurch and Canterbury are beginning to have an effect and it is not good. Such a shame.

  4. karol 4
    27 November 2012 at 8:38 am

    Good op ed piece from the Manwatu Standard yesterday on branding, marketing and the 100% pure issue.

    Most people understand that advertising is about creating and enhancing desire, pulling a heartstring or two and selling a concept.

    The collision with truth and integrity is where things can get interesting….

    Perfection is a high standard, so it is clever or fortunate that we stay vague about where exactly we’re free of contamination. Completely free, absolutely free – not even a minuscule detectable level of impurity, you understand….

    Well, I do not accept it is to our long-term advantage to promote nonsense, and – even if there is a compelling economic case – integrity is more important.It is also a bad look for any marketing person to lecture anyone else about motives behind messages….

    Talk of Dr Joy being a traitor is silly given that 12-year-old pupils in Palmerston North are capable of coming to the same conclusion he has – that environmental purity has not been achieved in this nation. Nor has it been achieved in any nation, but New Zealand set itself up for a fall by being loose with its language.

    Mr Unsworth was plainly upset Dr Joy dared embarrass the country by questioning a flawed message.
     
    But the negative publicity was inevitable. One way to reduce the chances of being hurt by negative publicity is not to say preposterous things in the first place.

    Grant Miller is the Manawatu Standard’s head of content and a politics junkie.

    • vto 4.1
      27 November 2012 at 8:54 am

      “Well, I do not accept it is to our long-term advantage to promote nonsense, and – even if there is a compelling economic case – integrity is more important.It is also a bad look for any marketing person to lecture anyone else about motives behind messages…. ”

      karol, this part of Grant Miller’s piece would seem to encapsulate the integrity (or lack of) of Unsworth, NZ Herald anonymous editorial, and Minister Tim Groser.

      Their modus operandi is on display for all to see. They cannot be believed again.

      • muzza 4.1.1
        27 November 2012 at 9:15 am

        Their modus operandi is on display for all to see. They cannot be believed again.

        Oh but they will be, its just that “they” will have a different name, perhaps like Norman, Robertson, Parker , pick a name….people will believe/hope/beg for change!

        This country is run on corruption, (it could not be more clear these days), which propagates because these are people who can be controlled. They can be controlled because they have known actions in their pasts/present, which have/is/will be used against them.

        To think this is not happening is to believe in the tooth fairy!

        • vto 4.1.1.1
          27 November 2012 at 10:16 am

          Oh yes you have a point that the last labour lot also ran deception afetr deception to achieve their political ends. There is no doubt.

          But what I see in the current lot is a corruption, as you say, and a deceit that far outstrips the last lot. This National lot are liars and thieves to an extent I don’t think NZ has witnessed probably ever. That is my opinion.

  5. TightyRighty 5
    27 November 2012 at 9:03 am

    So it’s not ok to have a marketing campaign that claims that new zealand is 100% pure, but it is ok for labour to run an election campaign based on promises they can’t possibly fund as stated? “show me the money”

    Fun police, those in glass houses, he that is without sin etc

    • Colonial Viper 5.1
      27 November 2012 at 9:13 am

      Weird how the two are unrelated

      Also weird how Righties have to spread a lack of belief in NZers. This time, claiming that we can’t build a pathetic 10,000 houses per year.

      • Rob 5.1.1
        27 November 2012 at 9:23 am

        Its not the 10K houses pa, we are building 16K pa now. Its the belief that you can pick up 50,000 odd sections in Auckland for $50K a piece. This is the best bit of comedygold to go down in our smoko room for a long time. People in Akl are not idiots and they understand house prices and land costs.

      • TightyRighty 5.1.2
        27 November 2012 at 1:28 pm

        Wierd how marketing for the labour party to attract votes has no possible relationship to NZ trying to attract tourists using marketing? yeah I can see how you might think that. But any excuse to attack the government right? It’s so funny how the traditional labour in opposition attack meme’s just aren’t being used at all. It’s like somehow labour and it’s supporters somehow believe that NZer’s don’t care about education and housing, or is it tacit acceptance that national is doing a good job. Such a good job in fact the only attacks labour and it’s supporters can come up with are only slightly connected to the real issues. Like trying to attack a positive marketing campaign in the middle of a worldwide recession where every country is fighting for tourist dollars. Such a smart move.

        NZ can build 10K of houses in a year, the government can’t. look at the insulation and schools program in australia. also under a labour government.

        • Draco T Bastard 5.1.2.1
          27 November 2012 at 4:14 pm

          It’s like somehow labour and it’s supporters somehow believe that NZer’s don’t care about education and housing, or is it tacit acceptance that national is doing a good job.

          It could be that and I wouldn’t be surprised if it was that. Labour is, after all, a centre-right party that believes in the free-market almost as much as National and Act do. This is why we really need Labour to become a minor party.

          • TheContrarian 5.1.2.1.1
            27 November 2012 at 4:38 pm

            Labour is a centre-left party…I know, I know, you’ll produce that same graph again.

            I tell you what though, what don’t provide some evidence from a political scientist or a professor rather than a graph from peoples unknown?

          • TheContrarian 5.1.2.1.2
            27 November 2012 at 5:51 pm

            For a laff I did the test as I thought most closely resembled Labour’s policies and got well into the left.

    • redfred 5.2
      27 November 2012 at 9:23 am

      You can have any sort of marketing campaign you like, but the facts are NZ environment image is unraveling.

      Dam those reporters and scientist for telling the truth.

      We know Planet Key would have that beached whaleoil heading up the Truth Police and carrying out the promised punishments for breaching the official version of truth & reality.

      The Orwellian nature of Keys fudged reality and Unsworth attack on science should scare the hell out of all of us.

    • Tom Gould 5.3
      27 November 2012 at 9:23 am

      Or a campaign promising a brighter future then driving the economy into the ground and delivering 170,000 out of work? Is that what you mean, Tighty?

    • Ben Clark 5.4
      27 November 2012 at 11:04 am

      a) so your best response is “they did it too” – you admit it is wrong then?
      and
      b) your example is then wrong – labour’s policies were fully costed by independent economists and seen to add up – surplus 1 year later, pay off the debt in the same year.

      Next time, try some facts.

      • TightyRighty 5.4.1
        27 November 2012 at 3:24 pm

        No, my response is that it is marketing but if you are going to nitpick your own marketing should stand up to the same scrutiny.

        If labour’s policies were fully costed and were seen, through rose tinted spectacles, to add up how come Phil Goff couldn’t show us the money?

        • One Tāne Huna 5.4.1.1
          27 November 2012 at 3:30 pm

          I always thought Goff’s best response would have been simply to dump a ream of paper in front of the airhead shill and say: “here’s the money, fool.”

          Or were you taken in by the airhead shill pretending that a government budget can be explained in a soundbite?

        • Draco T Bastard 5.4.1.2
          27 November 2012 at 4:17 pm

          to add up how come Phil Goff couldn’t show us the money?

          He did – just not at the debate. You, being a RWNJ, would have forgotten that minor detail though as it goes against your beliefs.

          • TightyRighty 5.4.1.2.1
            27 November 2012 at 5:28 pm

            None of figures stacked up, no matter how much the fanbois wanted it to. no soundbites for you though, you haven’t passed economics. How much would the much vaunted CGT have raised by now? how many times over was that same amount spent on different things?

            • Draco T Bastard 5.4.1.2.1.1
              27 November 2012 at 8:10 pm

              You do realise that Labour’s CGT wasn’t the money earner don’t you? It was the 39% tax rate. The CGT would raise some income for government but it’s real job was to alter the incentives for investment.

    • Tracey 5.5
      27 November 2012 at 12:15 pm

      what a strange comment. If you really do get upset about campaign promises that can’t or won’t be kept you can’t have voted national for a very long time?

      • TightyRighty 5.5.1
        27 November 2012 at 3:27 pm

        What’s strange about it? I know your intellectual inconsistency, AKA doublethink, allows you to believe that only the national party in government and a marketing campaign thought up by tourism new zealand should be so perfect and correct while the labour party lies it way through an election with a dubious marketing campaign. I at least am being consistent in my criticism of this criticism, as I am with most things.

        • Tracey 5.5.1.1
          27 November 2012 at 3:30 pm

          Are you saying you didn’t vote for National in 2008 and 2011? If so then you are correct to state you are being consistent.

          I didn’t vote for labour or National and do not condone lying by either. That seems to have rather put a fly in the ointment of your knowledge of my intellectual inconsistency. So, simple question, did you vote for National in 2008 and/or 2011 TR?

          • TightyRighty 5.5.1.1.1
            27 November 2012 at 4:10 pm

            I Don’t see how voting National is being inconsistent with my statements today? I accept changes have to be made due to circumstance and not everything promised will be as such. That’s why I can quite rightly critique this criticism. Because it’s bullshit. a cheap and irrelevant attack by individuals and groups grasping at straws. I don’t demand perfection from the opposition, i demand an opposition that has intellectual integrity, I won’t get it till National lose however.

            sanctimony reigns supreme on your posts doesn’t it? Right on

            • Draco T Bastard 5.5.1.1.1.1
              27 November 2012 at 4:21 pm

              I Don’t see how voting National is being inconsistent with my statements today?

              Because by voting National you show that you’re fine with their lying and not keeping of promises.

              i demand an opposition that has intellectual integrity, I won’t get it till National lose however.

              That’s the bit you don’t get and never will because you’re incapable of believing anything negative about your leaders. I’ll spell it out simply for you:

              National have no integrity at all.

              How do you tell if a National MP is lying? Their mouths are moving.

              • TightyRighty …
                27 November 2012 at 5:31 pm

                I am not demanding perfection of every utterance and every campaign from national. I see DPF posted the herald editorial that makes the point that this “academic” totally undoes there academic argument by indulging in hyperbole. which has been my point consistently. Don’t throw stones in glass houses. Trust lefty, right on, fucktards like DTB to not see the orwellian doublethink they are indulging in.

                • Draco T Bastard …
                  27 November 2012 at 8:13 pm

                  I am not demanding perfection of every utterance and every campaign from national.

                  You’re not even demanding mild standards like not lying.

                  Trust lefty, right on, fucktards like DTB to not see the orwellian doublethink they are indulging in.

                  What doublethink?

    • mike e 5.6
      27 November 2012 at 10:37 pm

      !00% pure BS from the Right!Most of it comes from national voting farmers and ends up in our streams rivers lakes and aqua firs!
      $1billion + on AMI bail out!
      $1billion+ on SCF!

  6. Blue 6
    27 November 2012 at 9:36 am

    John Key knows a lot about bullshit marketing. Anyone remember ‘Building a Brighter Future’ or ‘Ambitious for New Zealand?’

    How about ‘Wave goodbye to higher taxes, not your loved ones’?

    Best taken with an entire salt mine I think.

  7. BM 7
    27 November 2012 at 9:38 am

    All it looks like to the average man/woman in the streets is that once again the left are purposely trying to throw spanners into the works in an attempt to make National look bad.

    Who gives a fuck about the amount of money that will get wasted, the lost job opportunities and creation of wealth that’s badly needed in NZ., if political points can be scored against the evil tories.

    I can tell you who do give a fuck though, the NZ voter.

    • vto 7.1
      27 November 2012 at 9:50 am

      Fuck the money.

      I would like to swim in and drink from our rivers. How many rivers and creeks are safe to swim in or to drink from in the developed parts of the North Island?

      Fucking gross man – money money money ….. while living in shit. What would be the point BM?

      • BM 7.1.1
        27 November 2012 at 9:56 am

        You haven’t been able to safely drink water from a NZ stream for a long long time.

        Tourists washing out their water filters put an end to that.

        • freedom 7.1.1.1
          27 November 2012 at 10:07 am

          i guess the millions of tonnes of toxic crap that agricultural/industrial sectors have dumped into our environment over the last fifty years is just a coincidinky then?

        • vto 7.1.1.2
          27 November 2012 at 10:14 am

          “You haven’t been able to safely drink water from a NZ stream for a long long time.”

          Exactly BM. Because people have been dumping the shit from their homes and their businesses into the public estate for far too long. This is now apparent. It is easily fixed but it is not being fixed – especially with the lard arses in this government. It seems you, like them, have no plan to clean up the house.

          So I repeat my question to you “Fucking gross man – money money money ….. while living in shit. What would be the point BM?”

        • Tracey 7.1.1.3
          27 November 2012 at 12:17 pm

          Where DO you get your information? Are you on hallucinogenics?

    • fisiani 7.2
      27 November 2012 at 11:30 am

      Quite right. The NZ voter cannot stand the Hobbit Haters of Labour who will brazenly walk the red carpet as total hypocrites. Grant (…) Robertson will smile and wave and self promote then head for the buffet table and the free wine.
      National is about onwards and progress. Labour is stuck in backwards and nay saying.
      I cannot understand the Labour strategy of constantly bagging every step of New Zealand progress to somehow bring down John Key. It is a spectacular own goal. It is one of the many reasons that the National party vote rose in 2011 from the result in 2008 despite the worst economic circumstances in living memory.
      100% pure is just advertising speak. No one ever dreamed it would be taken literally. The people who did so are perhaps best described as the clowns.

      • Lanthanide 7.2.1
        27 November 2012 at 12:18 pm

        “National is about onwards and progress. Labour is stuck in backwards and nay saying.”

        I see that you really sucked up that silly ad National ran before the last election with the ‘stop’ and ‘go’ road signs.

        • fisiani 7.2.1.1
          27 November 2012 at 12:45 pm

          Mining National GO Labour STOP
          Fishing National GO Labour STOP
          Forestry National GO Labour STOP
          Hobbit National GO Labour STOP
          Tourism National GO Labour STOP
          Reform National GO Labour STOP
          Education National GO Labour STOP

          And you call it a silly ad…… it has turned out to be prophetic.

          • Lanthanide 7.2.1.1.1
            27 November 2012 at 2:53 pm

            🙄

          • thatguynz 7.2.1.1.2
            27 November 2012 at 4:12 pm

            You could write Nationals advertising hoardings for the next election Fisiani.  They wouldn’t actually be factual and would appeal solely to the “reality tv” generation but that would be ok right?

          • mike e 7.2.1.1.3
            27 November 2012 at 10:50 pm

            Mining national 29 dead no new jobs !
            Fishing slaving national not doing anything till 2014!
            Forestry carbon offsets dead in the water!
            hobbit national caved in and paid more than necessary just to break unions!
            Reform means more poverty for more people!
            Education National fuck up education again no benefit for reforms only higher cost to taxpayer!

      • Tracey 7.2.2
        27 November 2012 at 12:18 pm

        “despite the worst economic circumstances in living memory.” Many people are alive who remember the great depression… Or do you not value the elderly?

      • Draco T Bastard 7.2.3
        27 November 2012 at 4:24 pm

        National is about onwards and progress.

        Nope, National is about destroying the environment and society for their own personal gain.

      • mike e 7.2.4
        27 November 2012 at 10:43 pm

        Fishy fool manufacturing the productive sector tourism farming are all down spending is up !
        Housing speculation and shares are heading towards a cliff!

    • Tracey 7.3
      27 November 2012 at 12:16 pm

      There he goes again, speaking on behalf of the people in the streets. Do you work for a living BM, or maybe you are a busker???

  8. redfred 8
    27 November 2012 at 10:14 am

    BM – left right ? political points, what the fuck.

    You mean big business trying to have their cake and eat it too? Then getting nasty when the obvious truth gets pointed out.

    How about safely swimming in the water then? Our lowland rivers are full of fecal matter and other toxic shit directly related to dairy intensification. It is about as far away from PURE as you can get.

    Jobs and a fucked environment don’t need go hand in hand, if the spin was a true and accurate picture of what NZ is about then we would be having this discussion.

    I would like us to measure up to the spin; if we worked towards it that would create jobs and wealth that would be sustainable for generations to come.

    • BM 8.1
      27 November 2012 at 10:59 am

      We never can, think off hand there’s only 5% of native forest left.
      The rest has been cleared for farming(Colonists), hunting Moa, planting Kumera crops(Maori).

      The 100% clean and green has always been BS, but it provides jobs and money for the country.

      • locus 8.1.1
        27 November 2012 at 11:19 am

        unbelievable that supposed ‘marketing’ gurus think it’s okay to say 100% pure and then not give a damn about the environmental degradation going on around them killing their goose. No more golden eggs for NZ tourism.

        Spending a fotune to get here and then finding out your kids get sick if they paddle in the streams, and that you can’t fill your canteen on a bushwalk is news that soon gets around.

        Mind you who gives a damn about tourism if you can increase your profits by not treating the milking shed effluent you’re quietly discharging into the local river.

      • Tracey 8.1.2
        27 November 2012 at 12:21 pm

        You are wrong. There is a river in Marlborough (Wakamarina) which in 2005 was one of 5% of NZ rivers you could drink from according to WHO standards. What you don’t know (which apparently isn’t much) you make up!

      • William 8.1.3
        27 November 2012 at 1:40 pm

        You’re also very wrong on your recollection of 5% native forest cover.

        Ministry for Environment place native land cover as 43.7%.

        That page gives the area in various types of native land cover, native forest itself is about 24%, as stated by this DoC page.

      • fender 8.1.4
        27 November 2012 at 8:54 pm

        You sure have a cheek coming on here making up shit you have no knowledge about B(loody) M(oron).
        So how much land was cleared by the early Maori as they lay in waiting for Moa on the tracks that the huge bird had itself made through the forest?

        I guess this acting the clown was the brighter future we have been patiently waiting for.

  9. BLiP 9
    27 November 2012 at 2:10 pm

    .

    So, where did we get to, John?

    I’m Jewish/Christian/Agnostic
    1981
    Tranzrail shares
    Lord Ashcroft
    National Ltd™ would have sent troops into Iraq
    Standard & Poors
    “I didn’t say I want wages to drop”
    “I won’t raise GST:
    Capping, not cutting the public service,
    “tax cuts north of $50 a week”
    Privatisation won’t significantly help the economy
    Wave goodbye to higher taxes, not your loved ones
    “I never offered Brash a diplomatic job in London”
    National Ltd™ won’t touch Kiwisaver
    National Ltd™ is not going to radically reorganise the structure of the public sector
    Tax cuts won’t require additional borrowing
    National Ltd™ will tender out the government banking contract
    “We [NZ] have grown for eight of the last nine quarters”
    “…we will be back in surplus by 2014-15…”
    “…unemployment is starting to fall…”
    “…we have created 45,000 jobs…”
    “…we are likely to create 170,000 jobs in the next 4 years…”
    “I don’t own a vineyard”
    The Isreali spy killed in the Christchurch quake had “only one” passport
    The Police will not need to make savings by losing jobs
    GCSB x 3 (that we know about)
    “I voted to keep the drinking age at 20″
    New Zealand is 100% pure””

    . . . thanks, dude, I’m lovin’ it.

    • Tracey 9.1
      27 November 2012 at 3:32 pm

      If you took what Fisiani and BM take you would be happy, at least…

    • rosy 9.2
      27 November 2012 at 10:39 pm

      Great list, and it’s not like he doesn’t know what lying is

      Lying is that you knowingly and deceitfully mislead people… I don’t lie about anything. I don’t always give you the answer you might want to hear because that’s prudent. But I don’t lie about things.

      Seems to me there’s a sneaky little transition from ‘lying’ to ‘marketing’ in there as well. I’m lovin’ it too.

  10. unicus 10
    28 November 2012 at 12:58 pm

    Ronald Mc Donald – How apt for a Prime Minister who’s grinning visage screens the activities of the most damaging government since Muldoon’s . Not unlike the real (sic) Ronald smiling and dancing while his corporation destroys the health of children .

  11. gobsmacked 11
    28 November 2012 at 7:52 pm

    MPs don’t read blogs.

    Here’s what happened in Parliament today (from Claire Trevett, Herald):

    Labour’s Annette King managed to get the last word a bit later – reminding Parliament about the Prime Minister’s recent comparison of the 100 per cent Pure campaign to McDonald’s advertisements.

    “That may be true,” Mrs King mused. “Because the thing New Zealand and McDonald’s have in common is that they are both run by clowns.”

    So, MPs don’t read blogs.

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     Bryce Edwards writes – The list of former National Party Ministers being given plum and important roles got longer this week with the appointment of former Deputy Prime Minister Paula Bennett as the chair of Pharmac. The Christopher Luxon-led Government has now made key appointments to Bill ...
    Point of OrderBy xtrdnry
    17 hours ago

  • Business confidence sliding into winter of discontent
    TL;DR: These are the six things that stood out to me in news and commentary on Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy at 10:06am on Wednesday, May 1:The Lead: Business confidence fell across the board in April, falling in some areas to levels last seen during the lockdowns because of a collapse in ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    18 hours ago

  • Gordon Campbell on the coalition’s awful, not good, very bad poll results
    Over the past 36 hours, Christopher Luxon has been dong his best to portray the centre-right’s plummeting poll numbers as a mark of virtue. Allegedly, the negative verdicts are the result of hard economic times, and of a government bravely set out on a perilous rescue mission from which not ...
    Gordon CampbellBy lyndon
    19 hours ago

  • New HOP readers for future payment options
    Auckland Transport have started rolling out new HOP card readers around the network and over the next three months, all of them on buses, at train stations and ferry wharves will be replaced. The change itself is not that remarkable, with the new readers looking similar to what is already ...
    Greater AucklandBy Matt L
    20 hours ago

  • 2024 Reading Summary: April (+ Writing Update)
    Completed reads for April: The Difference Engine, by William Gibson and Bruce Sterling Carnival of Saints, by George Herman The Snow Spider, by Jenny Nimmo Emlyn’s Moon, by Jenny Nimmo The Chestnut Soldier, by Jenny Nimmo Death Comes As the End, by Agatha Christie Lord of the Flies, by ...
    A Phuulish FellowBy strda221
    1 day ago

  • At a glance – Clearing up misconceptions regarding 'hide the decline'
    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 ...
    Skeptical Science
    1 day ago

  • Road photos
    Have a story to share about St Paul’s, but today just picturesPopular novels written at this desk by a young man who managed to bootstrap himself out of father’s imprisonment and his own young life in a workhouse Read more ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    1 day ago

  • Bryce Edwards: Paula Bennett’s political appointment will challenge public confidence
    The list of former National Party Ministers being given plum and important roles got longer this week with the appointment of former Deputy Prime Minister Paula Bennett as the chair of Pharmac. The Christopher Luxon-led Government has now made key appointments to Bill English, Simon Bridges, Steven Joyce, Roger Sowry, ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    1 day ago

  • NZDF is still hostile to oversight
    Newsroom has a story today about National's (fortunately failed) effort to disestablish the newly-created Inspector-General of Defence. The creation of this agency was the key recommendation of the Inquiry into Operation Burnham, and a vital means of restoring credibility and social licence to an agency which had been caught lying ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    1 day ago

  • Winding Back The Hands Of History’s Clock.
    Holding On To The Present: The moment a political movement arises that attacks the whole idea of social progress, and announces its intention to wind back the hands of History’s clock, then democracy, along with its unwritten rules, is in mortal danger.IT’S A COMMONPLACE of political speeches, especially those delivered in ...
    Bowalley Road
    2 days ago

  • Sweet Moderation? What Christopher Luxon Could Learn From The Germans.
    Stuck In The Middle With You: As Christopher Luxon feels the hot breath of Act’s and NZ First’s extremists on the back of his neck and, as he reckons with the damage their policies are already inflicting upon a country he’s described as “fragile”, is there not some merit in reaching out ...
    Bowalley Road
    2 days ago

  • A clear warning
    The unpopular coalition government is currently rushing to repeal section 7AA of the Oranga Tamariki Act. The clause is Oranga Tamariki's Treaty clause, and was inserted after its systematic stealing of Māori children became a public scandal and resulted in physical resistance to further abductions. The clause created clear obligations ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    2 days ago

  • Poll results and Waitangi Tribunal report go unmentioned on the Beehive website – where racing tru...
    Buzz  from the Beehive The government’s official website – which Point of Order monitors daily – not for the first time has nothing much to say today about political happenings that are grabbing media headlines. It makes no mention of the latest 1News-Verian poll, for example.  This shows National down ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    2 days ago

  • Listening To The Traffic.
    It Takes A Train To Cry: Surely, there is nothing lonelier in all this world than the long wail of a distant steam locomotive on a cold Winter’s night.AS A CHILD, I would lie awake in my grandfather’s house and listen to the traffic. The big wooden house was only a ...
    Bowalley Road
    2 days ago

  • Comity Be Damned! The State’s Legislative Arm Is Flexing Its Constitutional Muscles.
    Packing A Punch: The election of the present government, including in its ranks politicians dedicated to reasserting the rights of the legislature in shaping and determining the future of Māori and Pakeha in New Zealand, should have alerted the judiciary – including its anomalous appendage, the Waitangi Tribunal – that its ...
    Bowalley Road
    2 days ago

  • Ending The Quest.
    Dead Woman Walking: New Zealand’s media industry had been moving steadily towards disaster for all the years Melissa Lee had been National’s media and communications policy spokesperson, and yet, when the crisis finally broke, on her watch, she had nothing intelligent to offer. Christopher Luxon is a patient man - but he’s not ...
    Bowalley Road
    2 days ago

  • Will political polarisation intensify to the point where ‘normal’ government becomes impossible,...
    Chris Trotter writes –  New Zealand politics is remarkably easy-going: dangerously so, one might even say. With the notable exception of John Key’s flat ruling-out of the NZ First Party in 2008, all parties capable of clearing MMP’s five-percent threshold, or winning one or more electorate seats, tend ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    2 days ago

  • Bernard’s pick 'n' mix for Tuesday, April 30
    TL;DR: Here’s my top 10 ‘pick ‘n’ mix of links to news, analysis and opinion articles as of 10:30am on Tuesday, May 30:Scoop: NZ 'close to the tipping point' of measles epidemic, health experts warn NZ Herald Benjamin PlummerHealth: 'Absurd and totally unacceptable': Man has to wait a year for ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago

  • Why Tory Whanau has the lowest approval rating in the country
    Bryce Edwards writes – Polling shows that Wellington Mayor Tory Whanau has the lowest approval rating of any mayor in the country. Siting at -12 per cent, the proportion of constituents who disapprove of her performance outweighs those who give her the thumbs up. This negative rating is ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    2 days ago

  • Worst poll result for a new Government in MMP history
    Luxon will no doubt put a brave face on it, but there is no escaping the pressure this latest poll will put on him and the government. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: These are the six things that stood out to me in news and commentary on Aotearoa-NZ’s political ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago

  • Pinning down climate change's role in extreme weather
    This is a re-post from The Climate Brink by Andrew Dessler In the wake of any unusual weather event, someone inevitably asks, “Did climate change cause this?” In the most literal sense, that answer is almost always no. Climate change is never the sole cause of hurricanes, heat waves, droughts, or ...
    Skeptical Science
    2 days ago

  • Serving at Seymour's pleasure.
    Something odd happened yesterday, and I’d love to know if there’s more to it. If there was something which preempted what happened, or if it was simply a throwaway line in response to a journalist.Yesterday David Seymour was asked at a press conference what the process would be if the ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    2 days ago

  • Webworm LA Pop-Up
    Hi,From time to time, I want to bring Webworm into the real world. We did it last year with the Jurassic Park event in New Zealand — which was a lot of fun!And so on Saturday May 11th, in Los Angeles, I am hosting a lil’ Webworm pop-up! I’ve been ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    2 days ago

  • “Feel good” school is out
    Education Minister Erica Standford yesterday unveiled a fundamental reform of the way our school pupils are taught. She would not exactly say so, but she is all but dismantling the so-called “inquiry” “feel good” method of teaching, which has ruled in our classrooms since a major review of the New ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    2 days ago

  • 6 Months in, surely our Report Card is “Ignored all warnings: recommend dismissal ASAP”?
    Exactly where are we seriously going with this government and its policies? That is, apart from following what may as well be a Truss-Lite approach on the purported economic “plan“, and Victorian-era regression when it comes to social policy. Oh it’ll work this time of course, we’re basically assured, “the ...
    exhALANtBy exhalantblog
    2 days ago

  • Bread, and how it gets buttered
    Hey Uncle Dave, When the Poms joined the EEC, I wasn't one of those defeatists who said, Well, that’s it for the dairy job. And I was right, eh? The Chinese can’t get enough of our milk powder and eventually, the Poms came to their senses and backed up the ute ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    2 days ago

  • Bryce Edwards: Why Tory Whanau has the lowest approval rating in the country
    Polling shows that Wellington Mayor Tory Whanau has the lowest approval rating of any mayor in the country. Siting at -12 per cent, the proportion of constituents who disapprove of her performance outweighs those who give her the thumbs up. This negative rating is higher than for any other mayor ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    3 days ago

  • Justice for Gaza?
    The New York Times reports that the International Criminal Court is about to issue arrest warrants for Israeli officials, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, over their genocide in Gaza: Israeli officials increasingly believe that the International Criminal Court is preparing to issue arrest warrants for senior government officials on ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    3 days ago

  • If there has been any fiddling with Pharmac’s funding, we can count on Paula to figure out the fis...
    Buzz from the Beehive Pharmac has been given a financial transfusion and a new chair to oversee its spending in the pharmaceutical business. Associate Health Minister David Seymour described the funding for Pharmac as “its largest ever budget of $6.294 billion over four years, fixing a $1.774 billion fiscal cliff”. ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    3 days ago

  • FastTrackWatch – The case for the Government’s Fast Track Bill
    Bryce Edwards writes – Many criticisms are being made of the Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill, including by this writer. But as with everything in politics, every story has two sides, and both deserve attention. It’s important to understand what the Government is trying to achieve and its ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    3 days ago

  • Bernard’s pick 'n' mix for Monday, April 29
    TL;DR: Here’s my top 10 ‘pick ‘n’ mix of links to news, analysis and opinion articles as of 10:10am on Monday, April 29:Scoop: The children's ward at Rotorua Hospital will be missing a third of its beds as winter hits because Te Whatu Ora halted an upgrade partway through to ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago

  • Gordon Campbell on Iran killing its rappers, and searching for the invisible Dr. Reti
    span class=”dropcap”>As hideous as David Seymour can be, it is worth keeping in mind occasionally that there are even worse political figures (and regimes) out there. Iran for instance, is about to execute the country’s leading hip hop musician Toomaj Salehi, for writing and performing raps that “corrupt” the nation’s ...
    Gordon CampbellBy lyndon
    3 days ago

  • Auckland Rail Electrification 10 years old
    Yesterday marked 10 years since the first electric train carried passengers in Auckland so it’s a good time to look back at it and the impact it has had. A brief history The first proposals for rail electrification in Auckland came in the 1920’s alongside the plans for earlier ...
    Greater AucklandBy Matt L
    3 days ago

  • Coalition's dirge of austerity and uncertainty is driving the economy into a deeper recession
    Right now, in Aotearoa-NZ, our ‘animal spirits’ are darkening towards a winter of discontent, thanks at least partly to a chorus of negative comments and actions from the Government Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: These are the six things that stood out to me in news and commentary on ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago

  • Disability Funding or Tax Cuts.
    You make people evil to punish the paststuck inside a sequel with a rotating castThe following photos haven’t been generated with AI, or modified in any way. They are flesh and blood, human beings. On the left is Galatea Young, a young mum, and her daughter Fiadh who has Angelman ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    3 days ago

  • Of the Goodness of Tolkien’s Eru
    April has been a quiet month at A Phuulish Fellow. I have had an exceptionally good reading month, and a decently productive writing month – for original fiction, anyway – but not much has caught my eye that suggested a blog article. It has been vaguely frustrating, to be honest. ...
    A Phuulish FellowBy strda221
    3 days ago

  • 2024 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #17
    A listing of 31 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, April 21, 2024 thru Sat, April 27, 2024. Story of the week Anthropogenic climate change may be the ultimate shaggy dog story— but with a twist, because here ...
    Skeptical Science
    3 days ago

  • Pastor Who Abused People, Blames People
    Hi,I spent about a year on Webworm reporting on an abusive megachurch called Arise, and it made me want to stab my eyes out with a fork.I don’t regret that reporting in 2022 and 2023 — I am proud of it — but it made me angry.Over three main stories ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    3 days ago

  • Vic Uni shows how under threat free speech is
    The new Victoria University Vice-Chancellor decided to have a forum at the university about free speech and academic freedom as it is obviously a topical issue, and the Government is looking at legislating some carrots or sticks for universities to uphold their obligations under the Education and Training Act. They ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago

  • Winston remembers Gettysburg.
    Do you remember when Melania Trump got caught out using a speech that sounded awfully like one Michelle Obama had given? Uncannily so.Well it turns out that Abraham Lincoln is to Winston Peters as Michelle was to Melania. With the ANZAC speech Uncle Winston gave at Gallipoli having much in ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    4 days ago

  • 25
    She was born 25 years ago today in North Shore hospital. Her eyes were closed tightly shut, her mouth was silently moving. The whole theatre was all quiet intensity as they marked her a 2 on the APGAR test. A one-minute eternity later, she was an 8.  The universe was ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    4 days ago

  • Fact Brief – Is Antarctica gaining land ice?
    Skeptical Science is partnering with Gigafact to produce fact briefs — bite-sized fact checks of trending claims. This fact brief was written by Sue Bin Park in collaboration with members from our Skeptical Science team. You can submit claims you think need checking via the tipline. Is Antarctica gaining land ice? ...
    Skeptical Science
    4 days ago

  • Policing protests.
    Images of US students (and others) protesting and setting up tent cities on US university campuses have been broadcast world wide and clearly demonstrate the growing rifts in US society caused by US policy toward Israel and Israel’s prosecution of … Continue reading → ...
    KiwipoliticoBy Pablo
    5 days ago

  • Open letter to Hon Paul Goldsmith
    Barrie Saunders writes – Dear Paul As the new Minister of Media and Communications, you will be inundated with heaps of free advice and special pleading, all in the national interest of course. For what it’s worth here is my assessment: Traditional broadcasting free to air content through ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago

  • Bryce Edwards: FastTrackWatch – The Case for the Government’s Fast Track Bill
    Many criticisms are being made of the Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill, including by this writer. But as with everything in politics, every story has two sides, and both deserve attention. It’s important to understand what the Government is trying to achieve and its arguments for such a bold reform. ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    5 days ago

  • Luxon gets out his butcher’s knife – briefly
    Peter Dunne writes –  The great nineteenth British Prime Minister, William Gladstone, once observed that “the first essential for a Prime Minister is to be a good butcher.” When a later British Prime Minister, Harold Macmillan, sacked a third of his Cabinet in July 1962, in what became ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago

  • More tax for less
    Ele Ludemann writes – New Zealanders had the OECD’s second highest tax increase last year: New Zealanders faced the second-biggest tax raises in the developed world last year, the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) says. The intergovernmental agency said the average change in personal income tax ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago

  • Real News vs Fake News.
    We all know something’s not right with our elections. The spread of misinformation, people being targeted with soundbites and emotional triggers that ignore the facts, even the truth, and influence their votes.The use of technology to produce deep fakes. How can you tell if something is real or not? Can ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago

  • Another way to roll
    Hello! Here comes the Saturday edition of More Than A Feilding, catching you up on the past week’s editions.Share ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    5 days ago

  • Simon Clark: The climate lies you'll hear this year
    This video includes conclusions of the creator climate scientist Dr. Simon Clark. It is presented to our readers as an informed perspective. Please see video description for references (if any). This year you will be lied to! Simon Clark helps prebunk some misleading statements you'll hear about climate. The video includes ...
    Skeptical Science
    5 days ago

  • Cutting the Public Service
    It is all very well cutting the backrooms of public agencies but it may compromise the frontlines. One of the frustrations of the Productivity Commission’s 2017 review of universities is that while it observed that their non-academic staff were increasing faster than their academic staff, it did not bother to ...
    PunditBy Brian Easton
    5 days ago

  • Luxon’s demoted ministers might take comfort from the British politician who bounced back after th...
    Buzz from the Beehive Two speeches delivered by Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters at Anzac Day ceremonies in Turkey are the only new posts on the government’s official website since the PM announced his Cabinet shake-up. In one of the speeches, Peters stated the obvious:  we live in a troubled ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago

  • This is how I roll over
    1. Which of these would you not expect to read in The Waikato Invader?a. Luxon is here to do business, don’t you worry about thatb. Mr KPI expects results, and you better believe itc. This decisive man of action is getting me all hot and excitedd. Melissa Lee is how ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    6 days ago

  • The Waitangi Tribunal is not “a roving Commission”…
    …it has a restricted jurisdiction which must not be abused: it is not an inquisition   NOTE – this article was published before the High Court ruled that Karen Chhour does not have to appear before the Waitangi Tribunal Gary Judd writes –  The High Court ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago

  • Is Oranga Tamariki guilty of neglect?
    Lindsay Mitchell writes – One of reasons Oranga Tamariki exists is to prevent child neglect. But could the organisation itself be guilty of the same? Oranga Tamariki’s statistics show a decrease in the number and age of children in care. “There are less children ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago

  • Three Strikes saw lower reoffending
    David Farrar writes: Graeme Edgeler wrote in 2017: In the first five years after three strikes came into effect 5248 offenders received a ‘first strike’ (that is, a “stage-1 conviction” under the three strikes sentencing regime), and 68 offenders received a ‘second strike’. In the five years prior to ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago

  • Luxon’s ruthless show of strength is perfect for our angry era
    Bryce Edwards writes – Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has surprised everyone with his ruthlessness in sacking two of his ministers from their crucial portfolios. Removing ministers for poor performance after only five months in the job just doesn’t normally happen in politics. That’s refreshing and will be extremely ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago

  • 'Lacks attention to detail and is creating double-standards.'
    TL;DR: These are the six things that stood out to me in news and commentary on Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the two days to 6:06am on Thursday, April 25:Politics: PM Christopher Luxon has set up a dual standard for ministerial competence by demoting two National Cabinet ministers while leaving also-struggling ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    6 days ago

  • One Night Only!
    Hi,Today I mainly want to share some of your thoughts about the recent piece I wrote about success and failure, and the forces that seemingly guide our lives. But first, a quick bit of housekeeping: I am doing a Webworm popup in Los Angeles on Saturday May 11 at 2pm. ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    6 days ago

  • What did Melissa Lee do?
    It is hard to see what Melissa Lee might have done to “save” the media. National went into the election with no public media policy and appears not to have developed one subsequently. Lee claimed that she had prepared a policy paper before the election but it had been decided ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    6 days ago

  • Skeptical Science New Research for Week #17 2024
    Open access notables Ice acceleration and rotation in the Greenland Ice Sheet interior in recent decades, Løkkegaard et al., Communications Earth & Environment: In the past two decades, mass loss from the Greenland ice sheet has accelerated, partly due to the speedup of glaciers. However, uncertainty in speed derived from satellite products ...
    Skeptical Science
    6 days ago

  • Maori Party (with “disgust”) draws attention to Chhour’s race after the High Court rules on Wa...
    Buzz from the Beehive A statement from Children’s Minister Karen Chhour – yet to be posted on the Government’s official website – arrived in Point of Order’s email in-tray last night. It welcomes the High Court ruling on whether the Waitangi Tribunal can demand she appear before it. It does ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    7 days ago

  • Who’s Going Up The Media Mountain?
    Mr Bombastic: Ironically, the media the academic experts wanted is, in many ways, the media they got. In place of the tyrannical editors of yesteryear, advancing without fear or favour the interests of the ruling class; the New Zealand news media of today boasts a troop of enlightened journalists dedicated to ...
    Bowalley Road
    7 days ago

  • “That's how I roll”
    It's hard times try to make a livingYou wake up every morning in the unforgivingOut there somewhere in the cityThere's people living lives without mercy or pityI feel good, yeah I'm feeling fineI feel better then I have for the longest timeI think these pills have been good for meI ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    7 days ago

  • “Comity” versus the rule of law
    In 1974, the US Supreme Court issued its decision in United States v. Nixon, finding that the President was not a King, but was subject to the law and was required to turn over the evidence of his wrongdoing to the courts. It was a landmark decision for the rule ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    1 week ago

  • Aotearoa: a live lab for failed Right-wing socio-economic zombie experiments once more…
    Every day now just seems to bring in more fresh meat for the grinder. In their relentlessly ideological drive to cut back on the “excessive bloat” (as they see it) of the previous Labour-led government, on the mountains of evidence accumulated in such a short period of time do not ...
    exhALANtBy exhalantblog
    1 week ago

  • Water is at the heart of farmers’ struggle to survive in Benin
    This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Megan Valére Sosou Market gardening site of the Itchèléré de Itagui agricultural cooperative in Dassa-Zoumè (Image credit: Megan Valère Sossou) For the residents of Dassa-Zoumè, a city in the West African country of Benin, choosing between drinking water and having enough ...
    Skeptical Science
    1 week ago

  • At a time of media turmoil, Melissa had nothing to proclaim as Minister – and now she has been dem...
    Buzz from the Beehive   Melissa Lee – as may be discerned from the screenshot above – has not been demoted for doing something seriously wrong as Minister of ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    1 week ago

  • Minister acknowledges passing of Sir Robert Martin (KNZM)
    New Zealand lost a true legend when internationally renowned disability advocate Sir Robert Martin (KNZM) passed away at his home in Whanganui last night, Disabilities Issues Minister Louise Upston says. “Our Government’s thoughts are with his wife Lynda, family and community, those he has worked with, the disability community in ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    11 hours ago

  • Speech to New Zealand Institute of International Affairs, Parliament – Annual Lecture: Challenges ...
    Good evening –   Before discussing the challenges and opportunities facing New Zealand’s foreign policy, we’d like to first acknowledge the New Zealand Institute of International Affairs. You have contributed to debates about New Zealand foreign policy over a long period of time, and we thank you for hosting us.  ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    11 hours ago

  • Accelerating airport security lines
    From today, passengers travelling internationally from Auckland Airport will be able to keep laptops and liquids in their carry-on bags for security screening thanks to new technology, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Creating a more efficient and seamless travel experience is important for holidaymakers and businesses, enabling faster movement through ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    13 hours ago

  • Community hui to talk about kina barrens
    People with an interest in the health of Northland’s marine ecosystems are invited to a public meeting to discuss how to deal with kina barrens, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones will lead the discussion, which will take place on Friday, 10 May, at Awanui Hotel in ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    19 hours ago

  • Kiwi exporters win as NZ-EU FTA enters into force
    Kiwi exporters are $100 million better off today with the NZ EU FTA entering into force says Trade Minister Todd McClay. “This is all part of our plan to grow the economy. New Zealand's prosperity depends on international trade, making up 60 per cent of the country’s total economic activity. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    19 hours ago

  • Mining resurgence a welcome sign
    There are heartening signs that the extractive sector is once again becoming an attractive prospect for investors and a source of economic prosperity for New Zealand, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. “The beginnings of a resurgence in extractive industries are apparent in media reports of the sector in the past ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    21 hours ago

  • Ō-Rākau Remembrance Bill passes first reading
    The return of the historic Ō-Rākau battle site to the descendants of those who fought there moved one step closer today with the first reading of Te Pire mō Ō-Rākau, Te Pae o Maumahara / The Ō-Rākau Remembrance Bill. The Bill will entrust the 9.7-hectare battle site, five kilometres west ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago

  • Government to boost public EV charging network
    Energy Minister Simeon Brown has announced 25 new high-speed EV charging hubs along key routes between major urban centres and outlined the Government’s plan to supercharge New Zealand’s EV infrastructure.  The hubs will each have several chargers and be capable of charging at least four – and up to 10 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago

  • Residential Property Managers Bill to not progress
    The coalition Government will not proceed with the previous Government’s plans to regulate residential property managers, Housing Minister Chris Bishop says. “I have written to the Chairperson of the Social Services and Community Committee to inform him that the Government does not intend to support the Residential Property Managers Bill ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • Independent review into disability support services
    The Government has announced an independent review into the disability support system funded by the Ministry of Disabled People – Whaikaha. Disability Issues Minister Louise Upston says the review will look at what can be done to strengthen the long-term sustainability of Disability Support Services to provide disabled people and ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • Justice Minister updates UN on law & order plan
    Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith has attended the Universal Periodic Review in Geneva and outlined the Government’s plan to restore law and order. “Speaking to the United Nations Human Rights Council provided us with an opportunity to present New Zealand’s human rights progress, priorities, and challenges, while responding to issues and ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • Ending emergency housing motels in Rotorua
    The Government and Rotorua Lakes Council are committed to working closely together to end the use of contracted emergency housing motels in Rotorua. Associate Minister of Housing (Social Housing) Tama Potaka says the Government remains committed to ending the long-term use of contracted emergency housing motels in Rotorua by the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • Trade Minister travels to Riyadh, OECD, and Dubai
    Trade Minister Todd McClay heads overseas today for high-level trade talks in the Gulf region, and a key OECD meeting in Paris. Mr McClay will travel to Riyadh to meet with counterparts from Saudi Arabia and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). “New Zealand’s goods and services exports to the Gulf region ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • Education priorities focused on lifting achievement
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