Minimum wage increase doesn’t meet real costs (the CPI is broken)

Written By: - Date published: 7:02 am, January 25th, 2017 - 53 comments
Categories: class war, cost of living, national, poverty, spin, wages - Tags: , , , , , , ,

Any increase in the minimum wage is better than nothing:

Government to increase minimum wage to $15.75

On 1 April, the adult minimum wage will increase by 50 cents to $15.75 an hour.

Mr Woodhouse said the increase to $15.75 would benefit about 119,500 workers and would increase wages throughout the economy by $65 million per year. The increase was much higher than annual inflation, he said.

“At a time when annual inflation is 0.4 percent, a 3.3 percent increase to the minimum wage will give our lowest paid workers more money in their pockets, without hindering job growth or imposing undue pressure on businesses.” …

Sounds good?* Only because inflation (CPI) doesn’t include major real cost increases, notably in housing.

But Labour’s workplace relations spokesperson, Iain Lees-Galloway, said that was cold comfort to those low-income earners who were struggling to pay their rent.

“The government has sold it as being an increase which is well above the inflation rate but the truth is, when you include housing inflation, it simply doesn’t make up for the enormous additional costs that homeowners and renters are facing.”

Let’s dig in to this further.

The skyrocketing cost of buying an existing house is not included in the CPI (“Inflation is 0.4 percent, and Mr Eaqub calculates that if house price growth was included, inflation would have been 2.5 percent, or more, in each of the last three years”).

The cost of rent is factored into the CPI with a weighting of 10%, in fact for low income earners rent can be 40% to 50% of their income or more (“The report said the lowest 20 percent of earners spent 54 percent of their income on housing in 2015, compared with just 29 percent in the late 1980s”). So the CPI already massively underestimates the real inflation that low income earners face – and rents are rising fast in Auckland and elsewhere.

There are similar issues with other basics like electricity, which is how power prices have risen more quickly than the CPI.

Such problems were identified in a 2013 CPI review:

One-size CPI doesn’t fit all

The consumer price index (CPI) is letting superannuitants, Maori and the poor down.

Last week, it was reported how massive rises in the cost of house insurance were not reflected in the CPI. But it seems homeowners are not the only people who can feel hard done by.

The real experience of inflation for Maori, superannuitants, the poor and some regions is that the national CPI does not reflect their experiences because the it is skewed to reflect the experience of white, middle-income New Zealand.

That has been spelled out by a CPI Review Committee, headed by former retirement commissioner Diana Crossan, which said: “Lower-income households had the highest price change and higher-income households had the lowest price change.”

The current lack of sub- national indexes is not considered to be best practice internationally. The International Labour Organisation says: “Significant differences in the expenditure patterns and/or price movements between specific population groups or regions may exist.” …

In short, the CPI is broken, especially with respect to housing. (Over the last three years we have developed a better measure, why aren’t we using it?). Under National minimum wage increase have failed to keep up with the real cost increases experienced by low income earners. That is why we are seeing the rise of the working poor, and increases in homelessness and poverty. Shame.

 


https://twitter.com/DrJessBerentson/status/824014662643499008


* National’s pet blogger tried to spin the snakeoil on Twitter too – an interesting discussion followed.


Oh – and on that old lie that minimum wage increases are job killers:

Minimum wage increases do not appear to be choking the job market

Critics of raising the minimum wage have long claimed the real victims are the poor, because employers cannot afford to take on new workers. “The Government knows very well that hiking the minimum wage faster than inflation means those most vulnerable are priced out of the job market,” Taxpayers’ Union executive director Jordan Williams said, echoing similar warnings from last year.

But in the third quarter of 2016, unemployment fell below 5 per cent for the first time since 2008. The number of hand written signs on shops and restaurants across New Zealand seeking staff this summer is hardly scientific, but it suggests the constraint many companies face is finding workers, not paying them.

Below 5% is a fudged stat “achieved” by a change in the definition of job seeking, but even so steady increases in the minimum wage of the current magnitude have not caused a problem – we can afford bigger increases.

53 comments on “Minimum wage increase doesn’t meet real costs (the CPI is broken) ”

  1. Carolyn_nth 1

    oh, so looking at the linked twitter debate, DPF is accusing the government’s critics (as indicated in the above post) of presenting “alternative facts”. Yet, it is DPF and the government that is mis-representing the reality for low income people.

    Through the looking glass stuff – government says “poverty is exactly what I say it is”

    • Keith 1.1

      We in NZ have had 8 years of alternative facts from the master himself John Key and his poodle David Farrar. We are now veterans of this 1984 world.

  2. Keith 2

    Honestly, were it not for this pseudo minimum wage rise PR stunt annually, wage growth in this country would be nil, which in reality it is. And the Nat’s know it.

    And I say “pseudo” because National know they have got the immigrant desperation for residency competition level so high it leads to employees accepting of under the table – sub minimum wages, which keeps enough employers/donors happy and makes the minimum wage level a mockery.

    And if you don’t believe that there is enough evidence of the very few, tip of the iceberg, investigations our “officials” carry out into wage and conditions exploitation by employers in the hospitality industry. Of course most are smarter employers still exploiting all the same with the same desperate migrants but balance staff low wages with just enough incentive or even worse disincentive to keep them from doing something about it.

    • Skeptic 2.1

      Yep – between “Labour Hire” companies, decentralised apprenticeship training, low paid immigration workers and temps, and “commissions” for the major rebuild players, no wonder the EQ rebuilds are ripping off the taxpayer big time.

  3. DH 3

    There does look to be a flaw in the way they’re collecting data on rents. The rent index in 2016 was 1233 and that just can not be right. Rents nationwide must have increased by way more than 23.3% since 2006.

  4. jcuknz 4

    I do not trust the figures coming from either side as I know figures can be made to prove anything and have known and seen this happening for decades. The make-up of the CPI has been unrealistic for ever … so it is not broken just assembled incorrectly and has been since it started I guess.

    • Skeptic 4.1

      Quite correct – it was changed in 1991 when the Bolger government was embarrassed by the impact of the Employment Contracts Act

  5. Bob 5

    “Inflation is 0.4 percent, and Mr Eaqub calculates that if house price growth was included, inflation would have been 2.5 percent, or more, in each of the last three years”
    So the fact that National have raised the minimum wage by 3.4%, 3.3% and 3.2% (greater than Mr Eaqub’s adjusted inflation numbers) over this 3 year period is a good thing or a bad thing Anthony?

    You seem to have written a big piece on why the CPI is broken as a measurement, and ignored the fact that minimum wage increases have outstripped even the adjusted CPI rates that you mention.
    Is this actually a covert piece congratulating the National party on looking after the lowest earners in our society?

    • I don’t think the lowest earners in our society are buying a lot of houses. You might need to read it again.

    • saveNZ 5.2

      Don’t forget Mr Eaqub ex Goldman Sachs Group Inc, also advised people for many years not to buy a property as it was a bad investment – since then in Auckland most properties have doubled in price. So personally I’m not going to rely on any of Mr Eaqub’s figures.

      Economists clearly don’t live in the real world or can actually think beyond their own paper based world view. Most of them are the enablers of neoliberalism.

    • UncookedSelachimorpha 5.3

      @Bob.

      Mr Eaqub’s figure of 2.5% relates to national house price growth. It does not capture the cost of housing faced by low-income people i.e. people on the minimum wage.

      If you jump on the reserve bank CPI calculator and choose housing inflation, you can see there has been a 35% increase (10.5% compounded annually) in cost of housing in the three years from Q2 2013 to Q2 2016. Presumably this is across-the-board, and some locations (I guess Auckland) are much higher than this.

      Re-read the original post and note where it says low-income people pay around 54% of their income on housing. So housing alone likely contributes over 5% p.a. (10.5% x 54%) increase in total cost of living, before adding non-housing inflation. The minimum wage increases you mention don’t cover this – in fact will cover less than half the actual increase in cost of living, for many poor people.

      So no, National are watching the poor become much poorer under their watch and are allowing the minimum wage to fall in real terms.

      • DH 5.3.1

        No doubt they’ll have their excuses ready but there’s still a good political angle in that RBNZ CPI calculator. They’re so ashamed of their misleading CPI they don’t even use the CPI data when calculating housing inflation.

        (On that site they’re using the House Price Index from PropertyIQ as a reference)

        • UncookedSelachimorpha 5.3.1.1

          Thanks, good point.

          One question I don’t know the answer to – the degree to which house sales prices and housing rents are linked. Obviously they will be linked, but how closely?

  6. Siobhan 6

    I would like to see a a bigger conversation around the labour income share, or LIS.
    It’s hard work trying to ferret around on the internet and figure out where we actually stand right now. But to me this is the most important factor…’What share of the wealth, what share of the ‘economy’ are the workers, ALL workers, actually getting.

    Personally, if Labour stepped forward and spelt out the numbers, and said we are going to legislate companies into giving workers a decent slice of the economic “cake” I might consider them to be an actual bona fide Labour Party.

    • UncookedSelachimorpha 6.1

      Completely agree!

      This issue is at the heart of rising inequality and social deterioration in the last 30 years. And is a good number for public discussion that many can appreciate and understand.

      Piketty wrote a fair bit about this in his book.

  7. saveNZ 7

    Clearly CPI is not working! Rents are high because property prices are high and all the expenses relating to property are exorbitant and have sky rocketed up, such as insurance and repairs like plumbing or building. Any up grades such as insulation, heat pumps and so forth will set someone back around $10k depending on the size of the house.

    The reason prices are not falling in property are also because it still costs more to build a new house than to buy an old one and inward immigration numbers is at a record high. The density is not working as people are using the rules to build more expensive properties and actually knock the cheaper ones down OR lock people into expensive Body Corporate levys with apartments that are more expensive to build and have much greater expenses that owners can’t control like the BC fees.

    Terraced housing without BC is a better option but in areas where this is happening they are going like hot cakes and the prices are now beyond what a person on an average wage can afford. This should have been what was built on the bare land SHA by the government.

    I still can’t believe why more people are not holding the government to account for the sale of state houses. It is madness and stupidity all in one unless you really are corrupt arseholes.

    It would have been cheaper to upgrade the state houses or make better use of the sites, than to sell them cheap and then subsidise developers selling houses and rocketing the prices of those affordable houses up and selling them to flippers.

    • Siobhan 7.1

      Its mind blowing that landlords can still go out there, buy an overpriced house, charge rents above what the market can afford…and be subsidised to the tune of $2.2 billion a year, not to mention help with insulation and heating etc to bring their investment up to standard.

      Why on earth is the tax payer propping this failed business model?.

      Landlords should step aside, let the market go down, and let working families buy their own homes. Especially in the so called poorer areas. I can’t believe it when people tell me they are buying an investment property in some working class neighborhood, with absolutely no shame over outbidding some poor family who just want to put down roots somewhere.

      • saveNZ 7.1.1

        I think you will find that landlords are stepping aside in Auckland and selling their properties…. that’s why there is a massive shortage of rental properties….

        Apparently even in the small ghost towns of NZ, landlords are getting out of the market and now their is a massive shortage…

        Added to the fact that nobody can afford to pay rent anymore on NZ’s crap wages which is why the government subsidies employers wages with working for families and accommodation supplement.

        If there were loads of landlords then there would be plentiful rentals… there isn’t (in Auckland at least), that’s not happening because over $200,000 people need accommodation here at the current working visa, student visa and migration levels….

        • Siobhan 7.1.1.1

          “Apparently even in the small ghost towns of NZ, landlords are getting out of the market and now their is a massive shortage”

          I’m not sure about that. Think about it logically.
          Are small towns full of empty houses while the population sleeps in their cars??
          That seems odd.
          Why, if there are people in those towns needing a house, are they not buying the houses as the landlords ditch them?? Are the ex landlords pricing their now vacant houses out of the true realistic market??

          • Sabine 7.1.1.1.1

            where my partner and i bought is not quite a ghost town, but on the other side it also has nothing much going for it.
            We bought there as my partner has been shifted by his company to work out of the next larger city and we liked the house/garden.

            Most of the houses that are selling – again like clockwork literally every 12 month, is by out of towners who buy these houses as a batch for their anual holiday and the rest of the year these houses are on book a batch.

            Rentals are very very hard to come by in my little ghost town, and the houses there are now out of reach for locals that work part time, casual or are full time in dairy / other farming.

  8. Skeptic 8

    The problem with this “minimum wage” debate is it’s so constrained by neo-lib/neo-con parameters masquerading under the guise of “Economics 101”. Well, really? Whose economics – Milton Friedman’s? Chicago School economics? The current generation of debaters knows no other and accepts blindly the opinions of Don Brash and his ilk. Regrettably for them (the neo-cons, etc) Friedman’s “Freedom to Choose”, the basis for almost all modern Economics studies – is unfortunately an Americanized version of Adam Smith’s Wealth of Nations (duly updated and modernized by ideology) written in 1776. Like most single track American Professors, Friedman ignored Smith’s earlier work “Theory of Moral Sentiments”. This earlier work postulated that an individual’s life (male or female) is made up of four overlapping influences, family life, community life, personal life and business life, with separate and distinct modes of engagement for each. Characteristics of altruism, selfishness, necessity etc affect individual behaviour in each sphere to varying degrees. Generalities for business are different from and cannot be replicated for family life, nor community or personal life. Friedman was either unaware of this or chose to ignore it; so to do adherents to the Chicago School of Economics and all neo-cons and neo-libs. They also forget there are many, many other types of economies than “free market”, most of which are better. These range from co-ops, collectives, Keynesian, interventionist to name just a few. When looking at the minimum wage in this light, and falsely impressing the “inflation” scare on this, one is merely “thinking inside the box”. Sorry, neo-cons, but just like Friedman, you’re imprisoned within your own argument and ignorance of other economic theories. Anyone who has come across the Mondragon system knows that to prevent extreme income/wealth divergence the lowest income bracket must be tied permanently to a percentage of the highest – this can a ratio range of 1 to 3, to 1 to 7. Any higher than that, the perception of unfairness isolates, marginalizes and excludes sections of the workforce creating inefficiency and disinvolvement. As far as the NZ minimum wage goes, anything less than an independently assessed “livable wage” (currently $19.30/hr) as the absolute minimum is unjust, and unacceptable in a country of just 4.5m. This “livable wage” should be the minimum demanded by every New Zealander as a matter of birthright. The answer is to legislate for a “minimum wage” directly tied to a percentage of the average of the top 10% income bracket (say 20% for example). If this were to happen, two direct consequences would be almost immediate. The top CEOs who cared about NZ would immediately moderate their income packages (the rat bags would squeal like stuck pigs and fuck off – good riddance) and much disharmony in the workforce would disappear as “fairness” would replace “greed”. I have however yet to see any Political Party in this country with the courage to articulate such as policy – will we ever?

    • Wayne 8.1

      Well, Labour has its chance. A minimum wage of $20. An easy to remember figure.

      Probably about $3.50 to $3.75 above what it will be in April 2018, if the current order of increases continues. I am assuming under National (if they are elected) next years announcement would be 50 cents or 75 cents.

      Surely $20 would be enough to prove to Standardnistas that Labour has broken its neo-liberal shackles. Or would it simply show that Labour is keeping neo-liberalism alive by softening its edges?

      • james 8.1.1

        of course they will not do this – because even labour know its unworkable.

        They will gnash and moan, and then do exactly the same thing.

        • Skeptic 8.1.1.1

          “of course they will not do this – because even labour know its unworkable.”

          Sorry James, but google search “Mondragon” and find out – shock horror – it has worked so well for 70 years in Spain that many of the longest lasting and top Corporations in the EU have adopted it. Of course, the UK, USA & Aust are so far behind the EU they’re an insider joke – just like Kiwi employers (you know what EU insiders call Kiwi employers – JACKEs – Just Another Cheapskate Kiwi Employer). I think that about sums up the real reputation of NZ business people overseas – they really should be embarrassed – but I think they’re too egotistical to care.

          • james 8.1.1.1.1

            Just checking you are putting Spain up showing us how to do it correctly and as a working example.

            Lets look at this shall we:
            Spain

            Youth unemployment – 44%
            Unemployment rate – 18.91%
            Government Debt to GDP 99.2 %

            New Zealand
            Youth unemployment – 11.1%
            Unemployment rate – 4.91%
            Government Debt to GDP 24.6 %

            No wonder the EU is stuffed with brilliant insiders like that.

            • Skeptic 8.1.1.1.1.1

              Did you check “Mondragon”? When you do please respond.

              • James

                No I looked up Spain and smart arse EU insiders then laughed at the figures that someone was trying to tell me how well it worked in Spain.

                I’ll quite happily stick with it didn’t work.

                • Skeptic

                  Thought so – you haven’t done your homework (bet you were a lousy student at school too) – FYI Mondragon is an area in Spain where a private co-op started in 1956 with specific rules. They have a dedicated website and their system has been copied in, among other places, Germany, France, UK, USA, Canada and Australia – plus a few small co-ops in NZ. It is now renown for fairness and longevity, something that very, very few private corporations are (LLCs generally last less than 5 years & co-ops between 7 & 10 – Mondragon has lasted 70) I suggest James you do a bit of basic research before posting if you want people to take you seriously and not laugh at you. While you might sneer at the EU, I suggest you also check out a couple of facts about them – like which monetary zone invests the most into other areas and zones (be advised the US does not rank first neither does China) and which supra-national group in the space of 24 hours in 1991 foiled an attempted coup in the former USSR. (again NATO was powerless, but not the EU). To use the southern EU states (Spain, Greece & Italy) with weak economic foundations as reasons to scoff at the most powerful economic zone on the planet merely shows up your ignorance. The relevance to the article is that under the present government, NZ seems wedded to the US/UK/Aust economic ideology – a failed system that is both inefficient and wasteful. There are plenty of better systems tried, tested and proven. A fully integrated and appreciated workforce with a fair wage system outperforms profit driven cowboy corporations every time.

      • Skeptic 8.1.2

        If you were to take the 1984 $NZ and cost of living/ wage structure as a base line (when NZ standard of living was on par with Australia) the minimum wage today would be $33/hr, with the average at $45/hr. That is the real measure of how far NZ living standards have fallen since Rogernomics and Ruthenasia.

        • Chris 8.1.2.1

          Basic benefit rates are even further out of whack, and have been even before the cuts in 1991. Benefit rates haven’t reflected the true cost of living since the 1970s. Annual CPI increases have been meaningless ever since because they’re based on a percentage increase of a figure plucked out of the air. Add the further pressure of maintaining a wage/benefit gap in a climate of low wages and all you get is our ever-burgeoning underclass. Well done to all involved.

      • Chris 8.1.3

        Good to see a neo-con accepting that Labour firmly embraces the neo-liberal model, instead of dog whistling accusations of being “far-left” or “socialist”.

      • The Chairman 8.1.4

        “Surely $20 would be enough…”

        Not if inflation also increases, offsetting the fiscal benefit.

        • Tricledrown 8.1.4.1

          Inflation is only happening in housing and
          Interest rates.
          Elsewhere stagflation.

          • The Chairman 8.1.4.1.1

            If the minimum wage were to increase to $20 per hour, the concern is employers will increase prices to maintain margins. Thus, diminishing the expected fiscal benefit such a wage increase would produce.

          • Chris 8.1.4.1.2

            But the cost of living is still increasing. It’s still harder and harder to get by. Isn’t that the point?

      • Tricledrown 8.1.5

        Labour had coalition partners that prevented the Clark govt from putting more effective poverty reducing policies in place.

        • Chris 8.1.5.1

          What policies do you mean? And which coalition partners prevented the Clark government putting them in place?

      • Sabine 8.1.6

        well some 3.5 years ago labour campaigned on a $ 16 wage/per hour.

        While not quite 20$ it would have been way more then National has achieved so far, considering that even with the current increase they still are well below $ 16.

        so how many terms do you think National will need to achieve $ 20?

        http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11301505

        • UncookedSelachimorpha 8.1.6.1

          “so how many terms do you think National will need to achieve $ 20? ”

          Until inflation makes it worth $14.50 in today’s terms, I am guessing.

          • Wayne 8.1.6.1.1

            Uncooked,

            It seems to me that $15.75 is worth $15.75, so what is the point you are making?

            • Chris 8.1.6.1.1.1

              Perhaps it’s that CPI benefit increases don’t keep up with the real effects of inflation?

        • Wayne 8.1.6.2

          Sabine,

          Well, how about (any political party could pick this up);

          $18 in 2018,
          $19 in 2019,
          $20 in 2020.

          In politics it is best if things are simple and easy to remember (provided there is at least some level of connection with the real world).

          • Sabine 8.1.6.2.1

            so you think that between 2017 and 2018 National would increase the mIn wage by 2.25$?

            you base this on wishful thinking? Or past experience? They have yet to reach 16$.

            • Wayne 8.1.6.2.1.1

              Sabine,

              Probably not. As you point out, too large an initial jump.

              But you never know. No-one predicted the $25 increase in benefit levels.

              • Sabine

                so essentially You just made shit up with nothing to back it up.
                that is so National Party of you.

                However, the Labour party had a policy 3.5 years ago to raise the minimum wage to a higher level then it is today after 3 increases under National.

                ahh, sorry Wayne, Go back to your handlers and get your talking points sorted. You seem very confused by the difference of a ‘benefit’ and ‘ minimum wage’.

              • John up North

                ahhh! yet again the good ol echo chamber BS of the wonderful, caring and ever loving Nat party (under the owesome Key) giving all the poor benes a free hand-out in the form of a $25 upgrade.

                Big time Bull shit! The folks that trot this line out probably also believe we have 10 new bridges in Northland.

  9. Wayne 9

    Skeptic,

    The gap opened up at three points of time.

    The first was the recession of 1987 to 1992. This was very sharp in NZ, but barely touched Australia. The second was 1997 to 1998 with the Asian crisis, which caused a recession in NZ but not in Australia. The third was the early 2000s, when the Aussie economy grew faster than NZ’s.

    The cumulative effect is that Aussie GDP per capita is about 33% larger than NZ. The bulk of that gap occurred in 1987 to 1992, when they had 5 years of growth and we had 5 years of recession. I recall how sharp it was. There was actually less traffic on Auckland’s roads in 1992 than there had been 5 years previously. Unemployment was high, and huge numbers had decamped to Australia.

    Since the GFC, and with the Key govt, the gap has started closing. It is about 5% less than it was in 2008.

    Anyway the gap between Australia and NZ is all very interesting, but a bit irrelevant to the level of the minimum wage as a percentage of average wages. After you can’t legislate that NZ should have the same GDP per capita as Australia. That can only occur in the real economy. Just as it took time to occur, so it will take time to close.

    • Skeptic 9.1

      Essentially correct if a bit simplified on the reasons. Read Dr Shaun Goldfinch’s doctorate dissertation on how the Aust economic review in the 1980s was conducted above board and inclusive to all sectors, while NZ was conducted in secrecy through manipulation and deception by a select few in the Labour Party caucus and in Treasury. I think you’ll reach the same conclusion I did two decades ago – the NZ economic recession was caused directly the two “ACT” governments headed by Lange and Bolger which directly impacted on almost all NZ home grown internal economy, including the wage structure. Overseas factors would have minimal impact if “free market” economics had not been followed. NZ economy was hijacked and we suffered, Aust’s wasn’t and it didn’t. The reasons and data supporting this fact are fully referenced to Cabinet papers in the above dissertation

      • Red 9.1.1

        Not to mention country was bust and had to react to a crisis in contrast to Australia

        • Skeptic 9.1.1.1

          Actually that urban myth perpetuated by neo-cons is long past its use by date. FYI NZ was not bust in 1984 – go study the treasury papers fully, then factor in how large and robust NZ internal economy was. Yes we had significant O/seas debt, but this was mostly private and fluctuated according to currency rates. The only crisis was a manufactured one – a straw man type crisis – a myth started and put out by certain people who over the course of the following decade ripped of the NZ taxpayer big time then got knighted for it. This travesty was documented and exposed in the late 90s. Why are you trying to resurrect it?

  10. Tamati Tautuhi 10

    Obviously housing is not in the Inflation Index as house price inflation in New Zealand is creating an underclass of people here in NZ who can not afford to live in a warm comfortable home.

    The Neoliberal Economic Model has been a disaster, National’s mass immigration policy is causing headaches for everyone.

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  • A crucial week starts as early voting opens in the NZ Elections … it’s been a ride so far. Are y...
    Chris Hipkins down with Covid, at least for 5 days isolation, National continue to obfuscate, ACT continues to double-down on the poor and Winston… well, he’s being Winston really. Voters beware: this week could be even more infuriating than the last. No Party is what they used to be ...
    exhALANtBy exhalantblog
    21 hours ago
  • 2023 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #39
    A chronological listing of news and opinion articles posted on the Skeptical Science Facebook Page during the past week: Sun, Sep 24, 2023 thru Sat, Sep 30, 2023. Story of the Week We’re not doomed yet’: climate scientist Michael Mann on our last chance to save human civilisation The renowned US ...
    1 day ago
  • Clusterf**ck of Chaos.
    On the 11th of April 1945 advancing US forces liberated the Nazi concentration camp of Buchenwald near Weimar in Germany. In the coming days, under the order of General Patton, a thousand nearby residents were forced to march to the camp to see the atrocities that had been committed in ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    1 day ago
  • The party of business deals with the future by pretending it isn’t coming
    Years and years ago, when Helen Clark was Prime Minister and John Key was gunning for her job, I had a conversation with a mate, a trader who knew John Key well enough to paint a helpful picture.It was many drinks ago so it’s not a complete one. But there’s ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    2 days ago
  • 2023 More Reading: September (+ Old Phuul update)
    Completed reads for September: The Lost Continent, by C.J. Cutcliffe Hyne Flatland, by Edwin Abbott All Quiet on the Western Front, by Erich Maria Remarque The Country of the Blind, by H.G. Wells The Day of the Triffids, by John Wyndham A Tale of Two Cities, by Charles ...
    2 days ago
  • Losing The Left.
    Descending Into The Dark: The ideological cadres currently controlling both Labour and the Greens are forcing “justice”, “participation” and “democracy” to make way for what is “appropriate” and “responsible”. But, where does that leave the people who, for most of their adult lives, have voted for left-wing parties, precisely to ...
    2 days ago
  • The New “Emperor’s New Clothes”.
    “‘BUT HE HASN’T GOT ANYTHING ON,’ a little boy said ….. ‘But he hasn’t got anything on!’ the whole town cried out at last.”On this optimistic note, Hans Christian Andersen brings his cautionary tale of “The Emperor’s New Clothes” to an end.Andersen’s children’s story was written nearly two centuries ago, ...
    2 days ago
  • BRYCE EDWARDS: The vested interests shaping National Party policies
      Bryce Edwards writes – As the National Party gets closer to government, lobbyists and business interests will be lining up for influence and to get policies adopted. It’s therefore in the public interest to have much more scrutiny and transparency about potential conflicts of interests that ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    2 days ago
  • LINDSAY MITCHELL: A conundrum for those pushing racist dogma
    Lindsay Mitchell writes – The heavily promoted narrative, which has ramped up over the last six years, is that Maori somehow have special vulnerabilities which arise from outside forces they cannot control; that contemporary society fails to meet their needs. They are not receptive to messages and ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    2 days ago
  • CHRIS TROTTER:  The greater of two evils
    Not Labour: If you’re out to punish the government you once loved, then the last thing you need is to be shown evidence that the opposition parties are much, much worse.   Chris Trotter writes – THE GREATEST VIRTUE of being the Opposition is not being the Government. Only very ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    2 days ago
  • The Hoon around the week to Sept 30
    Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The five things that mattered in Aotearoa’s political economy that we wrote and spoke about via The Kākā and elsewhere for paying subscribers in the last week included:Labour presented a climate manifesto that aimed to claim the high ground on climate action vs National, ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago
  • Litanies, articles of faith, and being a beneficiary
    Hello! Here comes the Saturday edition of More Than A Feilding, catching you up on the past two weeks.Friday 29Play it, ElvisElection Hell special!! This week’s quiz is a bumper edition featuring a few of the more popular questions from last weekend’s show, as well as a few we didn’t ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    2 days ago
  • Litanies, articles of faith, and being a beneficiary
    Hello! Here comes the Saturday edition of More Than A Feilding, catching you up on the past two weeks.Friday 29Play it, ElvisElection Hell special!! This week’s quiz is a bumper edition featuring a few of the more popular questions from last weekend’s show, as well as a few we didn’t ...
    More than a fieldingBy David Slack
    2 days ago
  • The ‘Recession’ Has Been Called Off, But Some Households Are Still Struggling
    While the economy is not doing too badly in output terms, external circumstances are not favourable, and there is probably a sizeable group of households struggling because of rising interest rates.Last week’s announcement of a 0.9 percent increase in volume GDP for the June quarter had the commentariat backing down ...
    PunditBy Brian Easton
    3 days ago
  • Climate Change: The wrong direction
    This week the International Energy Association released its Net Zero Roadmap, intended to guide us towards a liveable climate. The report demanded huge increases in renewable generation, no new gas or oil, and massive cuts to methane emissions. It was positive about our current path, but recommended that countries with ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    3 days ago
  • “Racism” becomes a buzz word on the campaign trail – but our media watchdogs stay muzzled when...
    Buzz from the Beehive  Oh, dear.  We have nothing to report from the Beehive. At least, we have nothing to report from the government’s official website. But the drones have not gone silent.  They are out on the election campaign trail, busy buzzing about this and that in the hope ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    3 days ago
  • Play it, Elvis
    Election Hell special!! This week’s quiz is a bumper edition featuring a few of the more popular questions from last weekend’s show, as well as a few we didn’t have time for. You’re welcome, etc. Let us press on, etc. 1.  What did Christopher Luxon use to his advantage in ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago
  • Pure class warfare
    National unveiled its fiscal policy today, announcing all the usual things which business cares about and I don't. But it did finally tell us how National plans to pay for its handouts to landlords: by effectively cutting benefits: The biggest saving announced on Friday was $2b cut from the ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    3 days ago
  • Ask Me Anything about the week to Sept 29
    Photo by Anna Ogiienko on UnsplashIt’s that time of the week for an ‘Ask Me Anything’ session for paying subscribers about the week that was for an hour, including:duelling fiscal plans from National and Labour;Labour cutting cycling spending while accusing National of being weak on climate;Research showing the need for ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago
  • Weekly Roundup 29-September-2023
    Welcome to Friday and the last one for September. This week in Greater Auckland On Monday, Matt highlighted at the latest with the City Rail Link. On Tuesday, Matt covered the interesting items from Auckland Transport’s latest board meeting agendas. On Thursday, a guest post from Darren Davis ...
    Greater AucklandBy Greater Auckland
    3 days ago
  • Protest at Parliament: The Reunion.
    Brian’s god spoke to him. He, for of course the Lord in Tamaki’s mind was a male god, with a mighty rod, and probably some black leathers. He, told Brian - “you must put a stop to all this love, hope, and kindness”. And it did please the Brian.He said ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    3 days ago
  • Labour cuts $50m from cycleway spending
    Labour is cutting spending on cycling infrastructure while still trying to claim the higher ground on climate. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The Labour Government released a climate manifesto this week to try to claim the high ground against National, despite having ignored the Climate Commission’s advice to toughen ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago
  • The Greater Of Two Evils.
    Not Labour: If you’re out to punish the government you once loved, then the last thing you need is to be shown evidence that the opposition parties are much, much worse.THE GREATEST VIRTUE of being the Opposition is not being the Government. Only very rarely is an opposition party elected ...
    3 days ago
  • Skeptical Science New Research for Week #39 2023
    Open access notables "Net zero is only a distraction— we just have to end fossil fuel emissions." The latter is true but the former isn't, or  not in the real world as it's likely to be in the immediate future. And "just" just doesn't enter into it; we don't have ...
    4 days ago
  • Chris Trotter: Losing the Left
    IN THE CURRENT MIX of electoral alternatives, there is no longer a credible left-wing party. Not when “a credible left-wing party” is defined as: a class-oriented, mass-based, democratically-structured political organisation; dedicated to promoting ideas sharply critical of laissez-faire capitalism; and committed to advancing democratic, egalitarian and emancipatory ideals across the ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    4 days ago
  • Road rage at Kia Kaha Primary School
    It is not the school holidays yet at Kia Kaha Primary School!It can be any time when you are telling a story.Telling stories about things that happened in the past is how we learn from our mistakes.If we want to.Anyway, it is not the school holidays yet at Kia Kaha ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    4 days ago
  • Road rage at Kia Kaha Primary School
    It is not the school holidays yet at Kia Kaha Primary School!It can be any time when you are telling a story.Telling stories about things that happened in the past is how we learn from our mistakes.If we want to.Anyway, it is not the school holidays yet at Kia Kaha ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    4 days ago
  • Road rage at Kia Kaha Primary School
    It is not the school holidays yet at Kia Kaha Primary School!It can be any time when you are telling a story.Telling stories about things that happened in the past is how we learn from our mistakes.If we want to.Anyway, it is not the school holidays yet at Kia Kaha ...
    More than a fieldingBy David Slack
    4 days ago
  • Hipkins fires up in leaders’ debate, but has the curtain already fallen on the Labour-led coalitio...
    Labour’s  Chris Hipkins came out firing, in the  leaders’ debate  on Newshub’s evening programme, and most of  the pundits  rated  him the winner against National’s  Christopher Luxon. But will this make any difference when New  Zealanders  start casting their ballots? The problem  for  Hipkins is  that  voters are  all too ...
    Point of OrderBy tutere44
    4 days ago
  • Govt is energising housing projects with solar power – and fuelling the public’s concept of a di...
    Buzz from the Beehive  Not long after Point of Order published data which show the substantial number of New Zealanders (77%) who believe NZ is becoming more divided, government ministers were braying about a programme which distributes some money to “the public” and some to “Maori”. The ministers were dishing ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    4 days ago
  • MIKE GRIMSHAW: Election 2023 – a totemic & charisma failure?
    The D&W analysis Michael Grimshaw writes –  Given the apathy, disengagement, disillusionment, and all-round ennui of this year’s general election, it was considered time to bring in those noted political operatives and spin doctors D&W, the long-established consultancy firm run by Emile Durkheim and Max Weber. Known for ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • FROM BFD: Will Winston be the spectre we think?
    Kissy kissy. Cartoon credit BoomSlang. The BFD. JC writes-  Allow me to preface this contribution with the following statement: If I were asked to express a preference between a National/ACT coalition or a National/ACT/NZF coalition then it would be the former. This week Luxon declared his position, ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • California’s climate disclosure bill could have a huge impact across the U.S.
    This re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Andy Furillo was originally published by Capital & Main and is part of Covering Climate Now, a global journalism collaboration strengthening coverage of the climate story. The California Legislature took a step last week that has the potential to accelerate the fight against climate ...
    4 days ago
  • Untangling South East Queensland’s Public Transport
    This is a cross post Adventures in Transitland by Darren Davis. I recently visited Brisbane and South East Queensland and came away both impressed while also pondering some key changes to make public transport even better in the region. Here goes with my take on things. A bit of ...
    Greater AucklandBy Guest Post
    4 days ago
  • Try A Little Kindness.
    My daughter arrived home from the supermarket yesterday and she seemed a bit worried about something. It turned out she wanted to know if someone could get her bank number from a receipt.We wound the story back.She was in the store and there was a man there who was distressed, ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    4 days ago
  • What makes NZFirst tick
    New Zealand’s longest-running political roadshow rolled into Opotiki yesterday, with New Zealand First leader Winston Peters knowing another poll last night showed he would make it back to Parliament and National would need him and his party if they wanted to form a government. The Newshub Reid Research poll ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    5 days ago
  • September AMA
    Hi,As September draws to a close — I feel it’s probably time to do an Ask Me Anything. You know how it goes: If you have any burning questions, fire away in the comments and I will do my best to answer. You might have questions about Webworm, or podcast ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    5 days ago
  • Bludgers lying in the scratcher making fools of us all
    The mediocrity who stands to be a Prime Minister has a litany.He uses it a bit like a Koru Lounge card. He will brandish it to say: these people are eligible. And more than that, too: These people are deserving. They have earned this policy.They have a right to this policy. What ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    5 days ago
  • More “partnerships” (by the look of it) and redress of over $30 million in Treaty settlement wit...
    Buzz from the Beehive Point of Order has waited until now – 3.45pm – for today’s officially posted government announcements.  There have been none. The only addition to the news on the Beehive’s website was posted later yesterday, after we had published our September 26 Buzz report. It came from ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    5 days ago
  • ALEX HOLLAND: Labour’s spending
    Alex Holland writes –  In 2017 when Labour came to power, crown spending was $76 billion per year. Now in 2023 it is $139 billion per year, which equates to a $63 billion annual increase (over $1 billion extra spend every week!) In 2017, New Zealand’s government debt ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • If not now, then when?
    Labour released its fiscal plan today, promising the same old, same old: "responsibility", balanced books, and of course no new taxes: "Labour will maintain income tax settings to provide consistency and certainty in these volatile times. Now is not the time for additional taxes or to promise billions of ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    5 days ago
  • THE FACTS:  77% of Kiwis believe NZ is becoming more divided
    The Facts has posted –        KEY INSIGHTSOf New Zealander’s polled: Social unity/division 77%believe NZ is becoming more divided (42% ‘much more’ + 35% ‘a little more’) 3%believe NZ is becoming less divided (1% ‘much less’ + 2% ‘a little less’) ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • Gordon Campbell on the cynical brutality of the centre-right’s welfare policies
    The centre-right’s enthusiasm for forcing people off the benefit and into paid work is matched only by the enthusiasm (shared by Treasury and the Reserve Bank) for throwing people out of paid work to curb inflation, and achieve the optimal balance of workers to job seekers deemed to be desirable ...
    5 days ago
  • Wednesday’s Chorus: Arthur Grimes on why building many, many more social houses is so critical
    New research shows that tenants in social housing - such as these Wellington apartments - are just as happy as home owners and much happier than private tenants. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The election campaign took an ugly turn yesterday, and in completely the wrong direction. All three ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • Bennie Bashing.
    If there’s one thing the mob loves more than keeping Māori in their place, more than getting tough on the gangs, maybe even more than tax cuts. It’s a good old round of beneficiary bashing.Are those meanies in the ACT party stealing your votes because they think David Seymour is ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago
  • The kindest cuts
    Labour kicks off the fiscal credibility battle today with the release of its fiscal plan. National is expected to follow, possibly as soon as Thursday, with its own plan, which may (or may not) address the large hole that the problems with its foreign buyers’ ban might open up. ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    6 days ago
  • Green right turn in Britain? Well, a start
    While it may be unlikely to register in New Zealand’s general election, Britain’s PM Rishi Sunak has done something which might just be important in the long run. He’s announced a far-reaching change in his Conservative government’s approach to environmental, and particularly net zero, policy. The starting point – ...
    Point of OrderBy xtrdnry
    6 days ago
  • At a glance – How do human CO2 emissions compare to natural CO2 emissions?
    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
  • How could this happen?
    Canada is in uproar after the exposure that its parliament on September 22 provided a standing ovation to a Nazi veteran who had been invited into the chamber to participate in the parliamentary welcome to Ukrainian President Zelensky. Yaroslav Hunka, 98, a Ukrainian man who volunteered for service in ...
    6 days ago
  • Always Be Campaigning
    The big screen is a great place to lay out the ways of the salesman. He comes ready-made for Panto, ripe for lampooning.This is not to disparage that life. I have known many good people of that kind. But there is a type, brazen as all get out. The camera ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    6 days ago
  • STEPHEN FRANKS: Press seek to publicly shame doctor – we must push back
    The following is a message sent yesterday from lawyer Stephen Franks on behalf of the Free Speech Union. I don’t like to interrupt first thing Monday morning, but we’ve just become aware of a case where we think immediate and overwhelming attention could help turn the tide. It involves someone ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago
  • Competing on cruelty
    The right-wing message calendar is clearly reading "cruelty" today, because both National and NZ First have released beneficiary-bashing policies. National is promising a "traffic light" system to police and kick beneficiaries, which will no doubt be accompanied by arbitrary internal targets to classify people as "orange" or "red" to keep ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    6 days ago
  • Further funding for Pharmac (forgotten in the Budget?) looks like a $1bn appeal from a PM in need of...
    Buzz from the Beehive One Labour plan  – for 3000 more public homes by 2025 – is the most recent to be posted on the government’s official website. Another – a prime ministerial promise of more funding for Pharmac – has been released as a Labour Party press statement. Who ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago
  • Bryce Edwards: The Vested interests shaping National Party policies
    As the National Party gets closer to government, lobbyists and business interests will be lining up for influence and to get policies adopted. It’s therefore in the public interest to have much more scrutiny and transparency about potential conflicts of interests that might arise. One of the key individuals of ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    6 days ago
  • Labour may be on way out of power and NZ First back in – but will Peters go into coalition with Na...
    Voters  are deserting Labour in droves, despite Chris  Hipkins’  valiant  rearguard  action.  So  where  are they  heading?  Clearly  not all of them are going to vote National, which concedes that  the  outcome  will be “close”. To the Right of National, the ACT party just a  few weeks  ago  was ...
    Point of OrderBy tutere44
    6 days ago
  • GRAHAM ADAMS: Will the racists please stand up?
    Accusations of racism by journalists and MPs are being called out. Graham Adams writes –    With the election less than three weeks away, what co-governance means in practice — including in water management, education, planning law and local government — remains largely obscure. Which is hardly ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago
  • Gordon Campbell on whether Winston Peters can be a moderating influence
    As the centre-right has (finally!) been subjected to media interrogation, the polls are indicating that some voters may be starting to have second thoughts about the wisdom of giving National and ACT the power to govern alone. That’s why yesterday’s Newshub/Reid Research poll had the National/ACT combo dropping to 60 ...
    6 days ago
  • Tuesday’s Chorus: RBNZ set to rain on National's victory parade
    ANZ has increased its forecast for house inflation later this year on signs of growing momentum in the market ahead of the election. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: National has campaigned against the Labour Government’s record on inflation and mortgage rates, but there’s now a growing chance the Reserve ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    6 days ago
  • After a Pittsburgh coal processing plant closed, ER visits plummeted
    This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Katie Myers. This story was originally published by Grist and is part of Covering Climate Now, a global journalism collaboration strengthening coverage of the climate story. Pittsburgh, in its founding, was blessed and cursed with two abundant natural resources: free-flowing rivers and a nearby coal seam. ...
    6 days ago
  • September-23 AT Board Meeting
    Today the AT board meet again and once again I’ve taken a look at what’s on the agenda to find the most interesting items. Closed Agenda Interestingly when I first looked at the agendas this paper was there but at the time of writing this post it had been ...
    6 days ago
  • Electorate Watch: West Coast-Tasman
    Continuing my series on interesting electorates, today it’s West Coast-Tasman.A long thin electorate running down the northern half of the west coast of the South Island. Think sand flies, beautiful landscapes, lots of rain, Pike River, alternative lifestylers, whitebaiting, and the spiritual home of the Labour Party. A brief word ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    6 days ago
  • Big money brings Winston back
    National leader Christopher Luxon yesterday morning conceded it and last night’s Newshub poll confirmed it; Winston Peters and NZ First are not only back but highly likely to be part of the next government. It is a remarkable comeback for a party that was tossed out of Parliament in ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    7 days ago
  • 20 days until Election Day, 7 until early voting begins… but what changes will we really see here?
    As this blogger, alongside many others, has already posited in another forum: we all know the National Party’s “budget” (meaning this concept of even adding up numbers properly is doing a lot of heavy, heavy lifting right now) is utter and complete bunk (read hung, drawn and quartered and ...
    exhALANtBy exhalantblog
    7 days ago
  • A night out
    Everyone was asking, Are you nervous? and my response was various forms of God, yes.I've written more speeches than I can count; not much surprises me when the speaker gets to their feet and the room goes quiet.But a play? Never.YOU CAME! THANK YOU! Read more ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    1 week ago
  • A pallid shade of Green III
    Clearly Labour's focus groups are telling it that it needs to pay more attention to climate change - because hot on the heels of their weaksauce energy efficiency pilot programme and not-great-but-better-than-nothing solar grants, they've released a full climate manifesto. Unfortunately, the core policies in it - a second Emissions ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    1 week ago

  • New Zealand resumes peacekeeping force leadership
    New Zealand will again contribute to the leadership of the Multinational Force and Observers (MFO) in the Sinai Peninsula, Egypt, with a senior New Zealand Defence Force officer returning as Interim Force Commander. Defence Minister Andrew Little and Foreign Affairs Minister Nanaia Mahuta have announced the deployment of New Zealand ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 hour ago
  • New national direction provides clarity for development and the environment
    The Government has taken an important step in implementing the new resource management system, by issuing a draft National Planning Framework (NPF) document under the new legislation, Environment Minister David Parker said today. “The NPF consolidates existing national direction, bringing together around 20 existing instruments including policy statements, standards, and ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 hours ago
  • Government shows further commitment to pay equity for healthcare workers
    The Government welcomes the proposed pay equity settlement that will see significant pay increases for around 18,000 Te Whatu Ora Allied, Scientific, and Technical employees, if accepted said Health Minister Ayesha Verrall. The proposal reached between Te Whatu Ora, the New Zealand Public Service Association Te Pūkenga Here Tikanga Mahi ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 hours ago
  • 100 new public EV chargers to be added to national network
    The public EV charging network has received a significant boost with government co-funding announced today for over 100 EV chargers – with over 200 charging ports altogether – across New Zealand, and many planned to be up and running on key holiday routes by Christmas this year. Minister of Energy ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Safeguarding Tuvalu language and identity
    Tuvalu is in the spotlight this week as communities across New Zealand celebrate Vaiaso o te Gagana Tuvalu – Tuvalu Language Week. “The Government has a proven record of supporting Pacific communities and ensuring more of our languages are spoken, heard and celebrated,” Pacific Peoples Minister Barbara Edmonds said. “Many ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • New community-level energy projects to support more than 800 Māori households
    Seven more innovative community-scale energy projects will receive government funding through the Māori and Public Housing Renewable Energy Fund to bring more affordable, locally generated clean energy to more than 800 Māori households, Energy and Resources Minister Dr Megan Woods says. “We’ve already funded 42 small-scale clean energy projects that ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Huge boost to Te Tai Tokerau flood resilience
    The Government has approved new funding that will boost resilience and greatly reduce the risk of major flood damage across Te Tai Tokerau. Significant weather events this year caused severe flooding and damage across the region. The $8.9m will be used to provide some of the smaller communities and maraes ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Napier’s largest public housing development comes with solar
    The largest public housing development in Napier for many years has been recently completed and has the added benefit of innovative solar technology, thanks to Government programmes, says Housing Minister Dr Megan Woods. The 24 warm, dry homes are in Seddon Crescent, Marewa and Megan Woods says the whanau living ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Te Whānau a Apanui and the Crown initial Deed of Settlement I Kua waitohua e Te Whānau a Apanui me...
    Māori: Kua waitohua e Te Whānau a Apanui me te Karauna te Whakaaetanga Whakataunga Kua waitohua e Te Whānau a Apanui me te Karauna i tētahi Whakaaetanga Whakataunga hei whakamihi i ō rātou tāhuhu kerēme Tiriti o Waitangi. E tekau mā rua ngā hapū o roto mai o Te Whānau ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Plan for 3,000 more public homes by 2025 – regions set to benefit
    Regions around the country will get significant boosts of public housing in the next two years, as outlined in the latest public housing plan update, released by the Housing Minister, Dr Megan Woods. “We’re delivering the most public homes each year since the Nash government of the 1950s with one ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Immigration settings updates
    Judicial warrant process for out-of-hours compliance visits 2023/24 Recognised Seasonal Employer cap increased by 500 Additional roles for Construction and Infrastructure Sector Agreement More roles added to Green List Three-month extension for onshore Recovery Visa holders The Government has confirmed a number of updates to immigration settings as part of ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Poroporoaki: Tā Patrick (Patu) Wahanga Hohepa
    Tangi ngunguru ana ngā tai ki te wahapū o Hokianga Whakapau Karakia. Tārehu ana ngā pae maunga ki Te Puna o te Ao Marama. Korihi tangi ana ngā manu, kua hinga he kauri nui ki te Wao Nui o Tāne. He Toa. He Pou. He Ahorangi. E papaki tū ana ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Renewable energy fund to support community resilience
    40 solar energy systems on community buildings in regions affected by Cyclone Gabrielle and other severe weather events Virtual capability-building hub to support community organisations get projects off the ground Boost for community-level renewable energy projects across the country At least 40 community buildings used to support the emergency response ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • COVID-19 funding returned to Government
    The lifting of COVID-19 isolation and mask mandates in August has resulted in a return of almost $50m in savings and recovered contingencies, Minister of Health Dr Ayesha Verrall announced today. Following the revocation of mandates and isolation, specialised COVID-19 telehealth and alternative isolation accommodation are among the operational elements ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Appointment of District Court Judge
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