Mr Key’s remarkable lack of ambition

Written By: - Date published: 7:01 am, May 21st, 2012 - 59 comments
Categories: budget2012, debt / deficit, economy, jobs - Tags:

Remember ‘ambitious for New Zealand’? Remember ‘brighter future’? At what point did all that get replaced with ‘surplus by 2014/15’? Key and National used to at least say they wanted to do something significant, even if they never had the policies to achieve it. Now, they’re fixed on a simple accounting goal – one that anyone could match.

Whether a government posts a surplus or not in a given year is entirely within its own control (providing it retains the confidence of Parliament). Staying on track to reach some kind of surplus in 2014/15,is a simple matter of looking at Treasury’s projections for revenue and spending, which show you’re nearly on track anyway, and tweaking – a little more tax here, less spending there – to make the OBEGAL greater than zero in 2014/15 (if you’re smart, you would leave a bit of a buffer, given Treasury’s wild over-optimism under National).

And – ta da! – you’re on track to surplus.

But what have you really achieved?

It’s worth remembering that a $250m surplus is closer to a billion dollar deficit than a $2 billion surplus – passing the zero point in and of itself is of no particular significance in the real world beyond National’s spin.

A billion either way is just a drop in the ocean of borrowing that National has undertaken in this country’s biggest ever borrowing binge, much of which the Debt Management Office has to refinance each year. So, a small surplus leaves us no more of less exposed to shocks to the international credit system than a small deficit.

Frankly, with the government borrowing at a record low 3.6% there’s never been a better time to take on some extra debt – if you have something useful to do with the money (like using it to fund worthwhile capital investment, rather than using the revenue gained from selling assets that are returning more than 6% a year in dividends).

And that’s, perhaps, the most disturbing aspect of National’s obsession with the 2014/15 surplus. Its purpose is to paper over the lack of anything useful – any policy programme for real jobs, growth, and economic rebalancing.

Sure, there’s a couple of dirty deals like the pokies for convention centre deal but there’s nothing to provide the 30,000-40,000 new jobs year on year that the economy needs to get unemployment back down to pre-National levels. National promised 36,000 new jobs last year but, with no policy to deliver them, it achieved only 20,000 (interesting how it’s all ‘we’re going to create X many jobs’ when the promise is made but when they don’t appear it’s ‘the private sector creates jobs, not the government’).

There’s also no policy that’s going to lift the country’s growth rate above the pitiful 0.1% per quarter National has averaged so far – Rob Salmond points out this is among the lowest in the non-Euro OECD and well behind Australia, the US, and Canada.

The current account deficit is getting worse while another housing bubble is forming – a clear sign that capital investment is, once again, being directed at house price speculation rather than the productive economy – caused, at least in part, by National’s tax cuts for the rich. What will be in this Budget to do anything about it? Nothing.

The Nats used to talk about ‘line by line’ reviews of the government’s revenue and spending but, the fact is, it has changed little of the big revenue and spending items and what it has changed it has changed for the worse – borrowing $2 billion for the ‘fiscally neutral’ 2010 tax package, $1.7 billion in subsidies to carbon polluters, $400 million for unsustainable irrigation, cutting R&D funding, $14 billion for highways that don’t make sense, increasing the cost of getting an education – from ECE to tertiary, and increasing class sizes.

Will any of those poor quality decisions be reviewed? You know that they won’t be.

National has $70 billion a year to play with to better this country and the best thing they can come up with is making sureoperating revenue exceeds its operating spending by about half a percent in three years time.

How’s that for ‘ambitious for New Zealand’?

59 comments on “Mr Key’s remarkable lack of ambition ”

  1. tc 1

    The ever growing queues into Australia say it all, the hardworking skilled folk aren’t sticking around to watch sideshow John and his dealers drive this country into the dust.

    Brighter future for us wealthy at the top. Austerity, user pays, less public assets to generate govt revenue coupled with a demoralised and much reduced justice, education and health system for you kiwi suckers.

    Would we have PSA decimating our kiwi fruit industry if we hadn’t cut all those frontline MAF staff as one example of that ‘we don’t give a f’ atitude.

  2. Carol 2

    Having conned enough voters to push them over the line so they could form a 2nd government, Key’s NActs are plundering and pillaging as much of the community/tax-payer assets as they can before they get kicked out of office.

    Democracy is more than winning enough votes to form a government. It should also involve on-going consultation with the public on policies and legislation. But this government is just not listening to the public, and is pushing on with their sales of state assets, in the face of all opposition.

    http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/6955858/Councils-get-nudge-on-asset-sales

    The Government has signalled local government should follow its lead and consider selling shares in publicly-owned assets to help fund other projects and control rate rises.

    Local Government Minister David Carter said yesterday that councils who moved to sell assets, such as shares in ports and airports, to maintain their funding levels or pay for other infrastructure projects would get his support.

    What a surprise that the POAL dispute could be leading to sale of the port? Who’da thought?

    Not ambitious for NewZild, but ambitious for the corporate elite, which has run out of ways to build a significant amount of businesses that will provide enough profits to feed their greed – a hunger for profits that has no relationship to building and maintaining productive businesses that will contribute tot the public good.

    They’re nothing but a bunch of pillaging and destructive pirates!

  3. But … but …

    You did not mention the cycleway … 

    • Bored 3.1

      Woke me from my prococurantist ennui there Mickey, yes the cyclew….ay..snooze.

  4. Sam Hall 4

    While your guidelines suggest avoiding unpalatable political comparisons, I think the following would be a helpful historical reminder while conceding to hyperbolic rhetoric;

    Neo-liberal Capitalist Growth Economics-Totalitarian Ideology
    NATIONAL PARTY-NATIONAL socialist PARTY
    Key-Goebbels
    Brownlee-Goring
    Finlayson-Himmler
    Joyce-Speer
    Collins-Bormann
    Carter-Heydrich
    McCully-von Ribbentrop
    Banks-Hess
    English-Funk
    Bennett-Mengele

    Banking and Financial Traders-Schutzstaffel

    But no Fuhrer?

    • Bored 4.1

      Not helpful Sam, the Nazis had a definite agenda and meant to hurt people, Key and his rabble have …..OK you are right.

    • The Gormless Fool formerly known as Oleolebiscuitbarrell 4.2

      Dick

  5. Richard 5

    They could put tolls on the cycleways to recover some costs. Local land owners might be interested.

    • Bored 5.1

      That’s a fine idea, promise something then make the receiving party pay twice….plus give cash to some mates en-route. Very national type ethos (note not ethics).

  6. captain hook 6

    dont forget to subtract the $120,000,000 they need to tell people how wonderful it is that they are stealing the governments assets from under their noses but they should like it anyway.
    just dont tell them that the assets need to be sold so you and I can buy leaf blowers, hardly davidsons and noisy dirty jets so we can holiday in macchu piccu.
    thats progress dude.

  7. I don’t get it? Everybody is sputtering on about a billion here and a billion there while an Associate professor Dr Sue Newberry, from the University of Sydney, told an audience at the University of Auckland’s Business School that government accounts ignore “off-balance sheet exposures” amounting to more than $112 billion in fucking derivatives!!!

    That is not me saying it that is someone who has made her marks in Accounting at a government level.
    Out of the public eye without government oversight she points out that Bill English has authorised borrowing and speculating in derivatives to the value of $112 billion. John key has been very ambitious and he has got NZ where he wants it or do you think Bill English did this on his own initiative?

    That’s were all eyes should be as the globe is collapsing under a $1.2 quadrillion in derivatives. that is 20x more than the entire global GDP. For fuck’s sake get with the program alright!

    NZ is on the hook for $112 BILLION in gambling debts based on borrowed money just like they did in Ireland, Greece, Italy, Spain and Portugal and when it all goes up in smoke you and yours will be paying in perpetuity for what that bastard Johnny “Derivatives” Key did to us for his masters.

  8. The Gormless Fool formerly known as Oleolebiscuitbarrell 8

    Their only purpose was to be popular. This is why they have simply just followed the policies of the last Labour government.

    • McFlock 8.1

      ok, spilled my coffee laughing at that one!
      Definitely outed yourself as a Sacha Baron Cohen-type satirist there 🙂

    • Akldnut 8.2

      Deano answered this one here

      Deano 2.1
      21 May 2012 at 10:17 am
      yeah, I remember how fucked it was – 4% unemployment, zero government debt, 9 years of surpluses, 440,000 jobs added in 9 years, a closing gap between rich and poor.

      What fucked policies we had then, so glad we don’t have them now – spotcha in Aussie digger.

      • The Gormless Fool formerly known as Oleolebiscuitbarrell 8.2.1

        They have changed pretty much nothing. Minor labour law tinkering, very minor WfF tinkering, minor tax tinkering. A non-existent cycleway. A conference centre. And fuck all else.

        • Lanthanide 8.2.1.1

          “minor tax tinkering”

          I wouldn’t call a $2B deficit “minor”.

        • felix 8.2.1.2

          Interesting Ole. What would you like them to do? What changes do you think would make a significant difference?

          Sack even more public sector workers? Abolish the minimum wage? Deregulate the drug trade?

          • The Gormless Fool formerly known as Oleolebiscuitbarrell 8.2.1.2.1

            Before we get onto that, I sense I still have work to do to win you over to my main point. That is, that this is not a particularly right wing government.

            Given that they have not unwound the major policy initiatives of the second and third terms of the last Labour government, I think you could make a pretty good argument that they are more left wing than the 1999-2002 Labour government. We have WfF and Kiwisaver, neither of which we had in 2002. We have, by and large, the same labour law environment. Benefit levels are unchanged. Government is bigger than it was in 2002.

            It is clear that John Key is more left wing that 2002 Michael Cullen.

            • Draco T Bastard 8.2.1.2.1.1

              That is, that this is not a particularly right wing government.

              It’s more right-wing than Labour and Labour is a right-wing party. This government also happens to be authoritarian which comes through loud and clear in the canning of ECan, the establishment of CERA and now John Key’s sneering at protesters.

              • The Gormless Fool formerly known as Oleolebiscuitbarrell

                From your perspective, Draco, everyone is a right wing government.

              • “Labour is a right-wing party”

                Bullshit.

                  • Stunning evidence that.

                    • Draco T Bastard

                      Got a better measuring device and not just your hard right “feelings”?

                    • Jesus fucking Christ, man. This “hard right” paranoia of yours is almost McCarthyism in scale.

                      I’m hard right? Weird. We’ll just ignore the hilarious fact that the same metric you are using here to show Labour is right-wing puts me firmly on the left.

                  • Bored

                    Nice one: I was really please to hear Cunliffe give what equated to a middle of the road Keynesian speech a week or two back. This was widely seen as a return to the old Labour “left”, proving to me how far Labour have gone to the “right”. In my mind Labours “left” should be challenging Cunliffe as a “centrist” as opposed to him being the “left”.

                  • felix

                    Yeah McFlock, you should use proper evidence.

                    It looks like this.

            • felix 8.2.1.2.1.2

              Nah, you’re just looking at isolated points without factoring in time and completely ignoring the direction of change. i.e. you’re comparing Cullen heading left with Key heading right and pretending they’re both standing still.

              Key doesn’t want WfF. He said it was commun1sm. He can’t get rid of it all at once or he’s toast but he’ll continue to weaken it bit by bit along with the rest of the welfare state. Kiwisaver isn’t a good example for you as he’s already chipped away at that.

              But regardless, I totally understand that Key isn’t as far right as you’d like. That’s why I asked the question: What do you want him to do?

      • infused 8.2.2

        In the biggest bubble of all time, any govt would have done the same.

        • Pascal's bookie 8.2.2.1

          I seem to recall that there were people about saying that the govt was paying back debt too fast, that funding infrastructure out of surpluses was intergenerational theft, that we should instead slash taxes and be more like Ireland.

      • mike e 8.2.3

        Derivatives have nothing to do with global economic output they are
        future bets on the value of something commodity currency or derivatives so depending on how many layers of derivatives those figures could be correct!

      • mike e 8.2.4

        Don’t forget free student loans working for families infrastructure catchup an entire rebuild of our run down under national of the armed services which cost $5.5 billion to renew all transport vehicles for the army new helicopters upgrading Hercules and five new navy ships.
        Nationals previous term they continually cut the armed services to shred’s only replacing the two way radios because one of our solders died because of Vietnam era radios.
        National ordered the sea sprite helicopters which have been a disaster.
        remember the lemon carrier.

    • Draco T Bastard 8.3

      But they didn’t just follow the policies of the last Labour led government did they? The last Labour led government would have been investing in NZ rather than selling them off:

      The Berl report, commissioned by the Green Party and released today, says the Government’s partial asset sales programme to build new assets would leave the Crown accounts ”permanently worse off”.

      New Zealand’s sovereign debt, while climbing, is at around 20 per cent of GDP and among the healthiest in the developed world.

      However, private debt at 72 per cent of GDP was ”uncomfortably high,” Nana said.

      This government is purposefully making us worse off.

  9. infused 9

    Aussie is coming down slowly too. Just wait and see.

    I’ve heard from many it’s hard finding work there now and has been for the last year.

    • Colonial Viper 9.1

      Yes, I’ve heard that as well. If you are in one of the capital cities, you need to be in a high demand specialist area to get a permanent job. Otherwise, it is all temporary and short term contracts.

      It would pay to keep a close eye on the developing situation over there.

      • infused 9.1.1

        Yep. I’d say a lot of people will come back. Like you said, it’s all contract work or temp work. Pay is good, but very few hours.

        Guess it’s the life style. If I went it would be for the sun.

  10. Sea Bandit 10

    From Godzone to wankers paradise Pitiful

  11. William Joyce 11

    This period in New Zealand history, of recession and national decline, should be entitled “The Long Winter of Excuses”.
     
    And the budget will be an onslaught of prime time excuses where every bobble-headed, slack-jawed, National party hack will use prepared sound bites (and our money) to convince us that black is white and white is black – link
    Perhaps, this week I will crawl into a sewer and watch re-runs of Gilligan’s Island……on second thought…..I live in Gilligan’s Islands and Gilligan is Prime Minister *sigh* – Time to check the homebrew – I’m gonna need it this week.

    • Bored 11.1

      Im with you William, its very dull when everybody believes in fairy tales. Reality is very inconvenient, pollies hate it, sort of interferes with their flow.

  12. Johnm 12

    Key doesn’t need any more ambition. He’s made his Dinero pile 50mill. And he’s currently figureheading for his classmates to ensure policies to secure their wealth positions. End of story, so eaassyy (Yawn ) Probably retire after this session. Bye!

    • mike e 12.1

      Johnm read latest guardian on who helped Bernie Madoff investment bankers have been Money laundering for such people in the article it claims that the investment banking scene is all about fraud and scams.
      ConManKey
      How many of these investment bankers were floating round when we were unburdened of our last lot of assets.
      Goldman Sachs are mentioned in this article.
      The company setting us up for a lousy $120 million to sell something we already own.
      Is none other than a GSs subsidiary

  13. Jimmie 13

    Key’s ambitious statements showed that his crystal ball was a bit cloudy in not forecasting 2 world wide recessions, the Christchurch Earthquake, the dodgy dealings of SCF, and various other factors that have impacted NZ.

    What he is doing with gradually scaling back government spending is sensible. The purpose of a surplus is to live within your means without having to borrow to survive (credit card syndrome)

    You can argue about the role of partial asset sales, tax increase/decreases, and reducing public spending, however I don’t think anyone in their right mind would argue with running budgetary surpluses – works at home – works in the government.

    As for Labour’s current standing on the left right scale of politics, its quite clear that with the clear and coherent thought/policy coming from Shearer, and all the rest of the Labour caucus, that they have firmly placed themselves to the left (right out) of the government benches.

    • Pascal's bookie 13.1

      I’m not at all convinced that the govt finances are anything like a households finances, and I’m even less convinced that the govts books are like a wage earners within a household. I think the analogy hides more than it illuminates.

      Obviously a household wll prosper if it consistently earns more than it spends over time. But that doesn’t mean they should never take on debt for a time. More importantly, a govt that consistently runs surpluses is doing what? Where is that money coming from? Where is it going to? Why is that smart?

      Whether or not it is wise for a govt to be running a surplus or a deficit, depends on what is happenning in the economy. Sometimes it makes sense to do one, at another time it would be foolish to do the same.

      When a govt is running a surplus, it is simply taxing more than it is spending, it is taking money out of the economy, and cooling it, reducing demand. When it runs a deficit, it is pumping money into the economy, heating it, and providing demand.

      I don’t think it’s sensible to say that either of those policies would always be the right thing to do.

      • Jimmie 13.1.1

        Sounds nice in theory PB but the political reality is once the government starts down the road of increasing spending, the folk they spend the money on get addicted/rely on the government handouts. Then when the government has to reduce spending for whatever reason, the same folk get seriously upset and tend to vote the same government out. (See what would happen if WFF, interest free student loans, and other niceties were scrapped)

        Doesn’t matter that society got along nicely without those handouts for many decades – once it is in place it is hard to get rid of.

        And if you take this to the extreme you end up in the situation that Greece finds itself – bankrupt and a mess.

        What the government should be doing is ensuring that the private sector isn’t strangled by bloating itself unnecessarily during times of plenty (they should be investing large surpluses to deal with long term issues such as superannuation) When times of hardship comes, the government should still run small surpluses (reduced due to tax revenue dropping) and just reduce investment in superannuation.

        The worst thing that can happen for society is to think that the government is the answer to all of its ills. Its not, it is only there to provide essential services and safety nets.
        People need to learn to be more self reliant/sufficient and be free from government oversight as much as possible.

        • felix 13.1.1.1

          “Doesn’t matter that society got along nicely without those handouts for many decades – once it is in place it is hard to get rid of.”

          WfF is a supplement to top up the very low wages that employers are allowed to pay us. We “got along nicely without those handouts for many decades” because we were paid enough to cover the cost of living.

          Ditto student loan interest. We “got along nicely without those handouts for many decades” because we viewed education as a public good and funded it collectively.

        • Pascal's bookie 13.1.1.2

          We seem to be talking past each other a bit, or talking about different things perhaps.

          I agree that the government cannot simply run deficits all the time for example. That’s a straw man, if it’s what you are arguing against.

          And I think Cullen proved that governments can run surpluses, and raise taxes to pay off debt during the good times.

          WFF and the like didn’t come from nowhere. These things come, essentially from market failures. You are right that cancelling wff would be political suicide. But it would also be economically bad news. At the stroke of a pen you would be reducing all that demand from the economy.

          wff is simply a subsidy on wages. Most ‘left’ wing policy of this type serves to de-radicalise the masses. Before we had the government making transfer payments, we had a much more radicalised ‘left’. That’s not a coincidence, it’s the trade off.

          To actually cut the government spending you need to reorganise the wealth distribution in other ways, or else you will see a dramitic drop in demand, and political chaos as a cherry on top.

          Social democratic redistributive policy isn’t a filthy trick to get voters addicted. It really isn’t. It’s protecting the system from the mob.

          Edit: what felix said

          • RedLogix 13.1.1.2.1

            I can rely on your comments to be thought-provoking PB…

            Unfortunately it appears that the absurdly low wages of the ‘working poor’ are being subsidised mainly by taxes on the wages of the ‘decently paid’ upper and middle classes….while the truly well-off are able to avoid paying most of their share.

            • Pascal's bookie 13.1.1.2.1.1

              Thanks, & Yep, & I fear it’s not sustainable.

              I’ve been thinking about Yeats; The Second Coming a fair bit lately. Mostly when reading about the U.S.

              TURNING and turning in the widening gyre
              The falcon cannot hear the falconer;
              Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold;
              Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world,
              The blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhere
              The ceremony of innocence is drowned;
              The best lack all conviction, while the worst
              Are full of passionate intensity.

              Surely some revelation is at hand;
              Surely the Second Coming is at hand.
              The Second Coming! Hardly are those words out
              When a vast image out of Spiritus Mundi
              Troubles my sight: somewhere in sands of the desert
              A shape with lion body and the head of a man,
              A gaze blank and pitiless as the sun,
              Is moving its slow thighs, while all about it
              Reel shadows of the indignant desert birds.
              The darkness drops again; but now I know
              That twenty centuries of stony sleep
              Were vexed to nightmare by a rocking cradle,
              And what rough beast, its hour come round at last,
              Slouches towards Bethlehem to be born?

              that first stanza just is just just shouting from the newspapers some days, innit.

              The centre cannot hold.

        • Draco T Bastard 13.1.1.3

          Hey, Jimmie, private surplus = government deficits. The only reason that private enterprise works at all is because of government spending. If we didn’t have that then all the wealth would accumulate in a few hands and everyone else would be impoverished – which is what we have now.

          The worst thing that can happen for society is to think that the government is the answer to all of its ills.

          Nope, the worst thing that a society can do is start believing that the government is separate from themselves.

    • joe90 13.2

      The centre cannot hold.

      Nope, not a hope in hell.

      Barbara Ehrenreich: Looting the Lives of the Poor

      http://www.tomdispatch.com/authors/barbaraehrenreich/

    • Dv 13.3

      Jimmie
      It was faily clear before the 2008 election that there was going to be a problem. Key was asked about this several times in and could they afford the tax cuts. He said their modelling showed they could.

      SFC they agreed to the finance co protection before the election.BUT then THEY agreed to roll over AFTER being warned a.gainst it.

      Ok give you the earthquakes.

  14. Jimmie 14

    WJ – just curious – why do you use as your handle the real name for Lord Haw Haw?

  15. tracey 15

    Interesting to see the quick spread of aspirational… A word the pm hasnt used since early 2010

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    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    2 days ago
  • Will debt reduction trump abuse in care redress?

    Luxon speaks in Parliament yesterday about the Abuse in Care report. Photo: Hagen Hopkins/Getty ImagesTL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy today are:PM Christopher Luxon said yesterday in tabling the Abuse in Care report in Parliament he wanted to ‘do the ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago
  • Olywhites and Time Bandits

    About a decade ago I worked with a bloke called Steve. He was the grizzled veteran coder, a few years older than me, who knew where the bodies were buried - code wise. Despite his best efforts to be approachable and friendly he could be kind of gruff, through to ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    2 days ago
  • Why were the 1930s so hot in North America?

    This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Jeff Masters and Bob Henson Those who’ve trawled social media during heat waves have likely encountered a tidbit frequently used to brush aside human-caused climate change: Many U.S. states and cities had their single hottest temperature on record during the 1930s, setting incredible heat marks ...
    2 days ago
  • Throwback Thursday – Thinking about Expressways

    Some of the recent announcements from the government have reminded us of posts we’ve written in the past. Here’s one from early 2020. There were plenty of reactions to the government’s infrastructure announcement a few weeks ago which saw them fund a bunch of big roading projects. One of ...
    Greater AucklandBy Greater Auckland
    2 days ago
  • The Kākā’s Pick 'n' Mix for Thursday, July 25

    TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 7:00 am on Thursday, July 25 are:News: Why Electric Kiwi is closing to new customers - and why it matters RNZ’s Susan EdmundsScoop: Government drops ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago
  • The Possum: Demon or Friend?

    Hi,I felt a small wet tongue snaking through one of the holes in my Crocs. It explored my big toe, darting down one side, then the other. “He’s looking for some toe cheese,” said the woman next to me, words that still haunt me to this day.Growing up in New ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    2 days ago
  • Not a story

    Yesterday I happily quoted the Prime Minister without fact-checking him and sure enough, it turns out his numbers were all to hell. It’s not four kg of Royal Commission report, it’s fourteen.My friend and one-time colleague-in-comms Hazel Phillips gently alerted me to my error almost as soon as I’d hit ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    2 days ago
  • The Kākā’s Journal of Record for Thursday, July 25

    TL;DR: As of 6:00 am on Thursday, July 25, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day were:The Abuse in Care Royal Commission of Inquiry published its final report yesterday.PM Christopher Luxon and The Minister responsible for ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago
  • A tougher line on “proactive release”?

    The Official Information Act has always been a battle between requesters seeking information, and governments seeking to control it. Information is power, so Ministers and government agencies want to manage what is released and when, for their own convenience, and legality and democracy be damned. Their most recent tactic for ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    3 days ago
  • 'Let's build a motorway costing $100 million per km, before emissions costs'

    TL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy today are:Transport and Energy Minister Simeon Brown is accelerating plans to spend at least $10 billion through Public Private Partnerships (PPPs) to extend State Highway One as a four-lane ‘Expressway’ from Warkworth to Whangarei ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago
  • Lester's Prescription – Positive Bleeding.

    I live my life (woo-ooh-ooh)With no control in my destinyYea-yeah, yea-yeah (woo-ooh-ooh)I can bleed when I want to bleedSo come on, come on (woo-ooh-ooh)You can bleed when you want to bleedYea-yeah, come on (woo-ooh-ooh)Everybody bleed when they want to bleedCome on and bleedGovernments face tough challenges. Selling unpopular decisions to ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    3 days ago
  • Casey Costello gaslights Labour in the House

    Please note:To skip directly to the- parliamentary footage in the video, scroll to 1:21 To skip to audio please click on the headphone icon on the left hand side of the screenThis video / audio section is under development. ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    3 days ago
  • Why is the Texas grid in such bad shape?

    This is a re-post from the Climate Brink by Andrew Dessler Headline from 2021 The Texas grid, run by ERCOT, has had a rough few years. In 2021, winter storm Uri blacked out much of the state for several days. About a week ago, Hurricane Beryl knocked out ...
    3 days ago
  • Gordon Campbell on a textbook case of spending waste by the Luxon government

    Given the crackdown on wasteful government spending, it behooves me to point to a high profile example of spending by the Luxon government that looks like a big, fat waste of time and money. I’m talking about the deployment of NZDF personnel to support the US-led coalition in the Red ...
    WerewolfBy lyndon
    3 days ago
  • The Kākā’s Pick 'n' Mix for Wednesday, July 24

    TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 7:40 am on Wednesday, July 24 are:Deep Dive: Chipping away at the housing crisis, including my comments RNZ/Newsroom’s The DetailNews: Government softens on asset sales, ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago
  • LXR Takaanini

    As I reported about the city centre, Auckland’s rail network is also going through a difficult and disruptive period which is rapidly approaching a culmination, this will result in a significant upgrade to the whole network. Hallelujah. Also like the city centre this is an upgrade predicated on the City ...
    Greater AucklandBy Patrick Reynolds
    3 days ago
  • Four kilograms of pain

    Today, a 4 kilogram report will be delivered to Parliament. We know this is what the report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in State and Faith-based Care weighs, because our Prime Minister told us so.Some reporter had blindsided him by asking a question about something done by ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago
  • The Kākā’s Journal of Record for Wednesday, July 24

    TL;DR: As of 7:00 am on Wednesday, July 24, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:Beehive: Transport Minister Simeon Brown announced plans to use PPPs to fund, build and run a four-lane expressway between Auckland ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago
  • Luxon gets caught out

    NewstalkZB host Mike Hosking, who can usually be relied on to give Prime Minister Christopher Luxon an easy run, did not do so yesterday when he interviewed him about the HealthNZ deficit. Luxon is trying to use a deficit reported last year by HealthNZ as yet another example of the ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    3 days ago
  • A worrying sign

    Back in January a StatsNZ employee gave a speech at Rātana on behalf of tangata whenua in which he insulted and criticised the government. The speech clearly violated the principle of a neutral public service, and StatsNZ started an investigation. Part of that was getting an external consultant to examine ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    4 days ago
  • Are we fine with 47.9% home-ownership by 2048?

    Renting for life: Shared ownership initiatives are unlikely to slow the slide in home ownership by much. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy today are:A Deloitte report for Westpac has projected Aotearoa’s home-ownership rate will ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • Let's Win This

    You're broken down and tiredOf living life on a merry go roundAnd you can't find the fighterBut I see it in you so we gonna walk it outAnd move mountainsWe gonna walk it outAnd move mountainsAnd I'll rise upI'll rise like the dayI'll rise upI'll rise unafraidI'll rise upAnd I'll ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    4 days ago
  • Waimahara: The Singing Spirit of Water

    There’s been a change in Myers Park. Down the steps from St. Kevin’s Arcade, past the grassy slopes, the children’s playground, the benches and that goat statue, there has been a transformation. The underpass for Mayoral Drive has gone from a barren, grey, concrete tunnel, to a place that thrums ...
    Greater AucklandBy Connor Sharp
    4 days ago
  • A major milestone: Global climate pollution may have just peaked

    This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections Global society may have finally slammed on the brakes for climate-warming pollution released by human fossil fuel combustion. According to the Carbon Monitor Project, the total global climate pollution released between February and May 2024 declined slightly from the amount released during the same ...
    4 days ago
  • The Kākā’s Pick 'n' Mix for Tuesday, July 23

    TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 7:00 am on Tuesday, July 23 are:Deep Dive: Penlink: where tolling rhetoric meets reality BusinessDesk-$$$’s Oliver LewisScoop: Te Pūkenga plans for regional polytechs leak out ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • The Kākā’s Journal of Record for Tuesday, July 23

    TL;DR: As of 6:00 am on Tuesday, July 23, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:Health: Shane Reti announced the Board of Te Whatu Ora- Health New Zealand was being replaced with Commissioner Lester Levy ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • HealthNZ and Luxon at cross purposes over budget blowout

    Health NZ warned the Government at the end of March that it was running over Budget. But the reasons it gave were very different to those offered by the Prime Minister yesterday. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon blamed the “botched merger” of the 20 District Health Boards (DHBs) to create Health ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    4 days ago
  • 2500-3000 more healthcare staff expected to be fired, as Shane Reti blames Labour for a budget defic...

    Long ReadKey Summary: Although National increased the health budget by $1.4 billion in May, they used an old funding model to project health system costs, and never bothered to update their pre-election numbers. They were told during the Health Select Committees earlier in the year their budget amount was deficient, ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    4 days ago
  • Might Kamala Harris be about to get a 'stardust' moment like Jacinda Ardern?

    As a momentous, historic weekend in US politics unfolded, analysts and commentators grasped for precedents and comparisons to help explain the significance and power of the choice Joe Biden had made. The 46th president had swept the Democratic party’s primaries but just over 100 days from the election had chosen ...
    PunditBy Tim Watkin
    5 days ago
  • Solutions Interview: Steven Hail on MMT & ecological economics

    TL;DR: I’m casting around for new ideas and ways of thinking about Aotearoa’s political economy to find a few solutions to our cascading and self-reinforcing housing, poverty and climate crises.Associate Professor runs an online masters degree in the economics of sustainability at Torrens University in Australia and is organising ...
    The KakaBy Steven Hail
    5 days ago
  • Reported back

    The Finance and Expenditure Committee has reported back on National's Local Government (Water Services Preliminary Arrangements) Bill. The bill sets up water for privatisation, and was introduced under urgency, then rammed through select committee with no time even for local councils to make a proper submission. Naturally, national's select committee ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    5 days ago
  • Vandrad the Viking, Christopher Coombes, and Literary Archaeology

    Some years ago, I bought a book at Dunedin’s Regent Booksale for $1.50. As one does. Vandrad the Viking (1898), by J. Storer Clouston, is an obscure book these days – I cannot find a proper online review – but soon it was sitting on my shelf, gathering dust alongside ...
    5 days ago
  • Gordon Campbell On The Biden Withdrawal

    History is not on the side of the centre-left, when Democratic presidents fall behind in the polls and choose not to run for re-election. On both previous occasions in the past 75 years (Harry Truman in 1952, Lyndon Johnson in 1968) the Democrats proceeded to then lose the White House ...
    WerewolfBy lyndon
    5 days ago
  • Joe Biden's withdrawal puts the spotlight back on Kamala and the USA's complicated relatio...

    This is a free articleCoverageThis morning, US President Joe Biden announced his withdrawal from the Presidential race. And that is genuinely newsworthy. Thanks for your service, President Biden, and all the best to you and yours.However, the media in New Zealand, particularly the 1News nightly bulletin, has been breathlessly covering ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    5 days ago
  • Why we have to challenge our national fiscal assumptions

    A homeless person’s camp beside a blocked-off slipped damage walkway in Freeman’s Bay: we are chasing our tail on our worsening and inter-related housing, poverty and climate crises. Photo: Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • Existential Crisis and Damaged Brains

    What has happened to it all?Crazy, some'd sayWhere is the life that I recognise?(Gone away)But I won't cry for yesterdayThere's an ordinary worldSomehow I have to findAnd as I try to make my wayTo the ordinary worldYesterday morning began as many others - what to write about today? I began ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago
  • A speed limit is not a target, and yet…

    This is a guest post from longtime supporter Mr Plod, whose previous contributions include a proposal that Hamilton become New Zealand’s capital city, and that we should switch which side of the road we drive on. A recent Newsroom article, “Back to school for the Govt’s new speed limit policy“, ...
    Greater AucklandBy Guest Post
    5 days ago
  • The Kākā’s Pick 'n' Mix for Monday, July 22

    TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 7:00 am on Monday, July 22 are:Today’s Must Read: Father and son live in a tent, and have done for four years, in a million ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • The Kākā’s Journal of Record for Monday, July 22

    TL;DR: As of 7:00 am on Monday, July 22, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:US President Joe Biden announced via X this morning he would not stand for a second term.Multinational professional services firm ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • 2024 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #29

    A listing of 32 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, July 14, 2024 thru Sat, July 20, 2024. Story of the week As reflected by preponderance of coverage, our Story of the Week is Project 2025. Until now traveling ...
    6 days ago
  • I'd like to share what I did this weekend

    This weekend, a friend pointed out someone who said they’d like to read my posts, but didn’t want to pay. And my first reaction was sympathy.I’ve already told folks that if they can’t comfortably subscribe, and would like to read, I’d be happy to offer free subscriptions. I don’t want ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    6 days ago
  • For the children – Why mere sentiment can be a misleading force in our lives, and lead to unex...

    National: The Party of ‘Law and Order’ IntroductionThis weekend, the Government formally kicked off one of their flagship policy programs: a military style boot camp that New Zealand has experimented with over the past 50 years. Cartoon credit: Guy BodyIt’s very popular with the National Party’s Law and Order image, ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    6 days ago
  • A friend in uncertain times

    Day one of the solo leg of my long journey home begins with my favourite sound: footfalls in an empty street. 5.00 am and it’s already light and already too warm, almost.If I can make the train that leaves Budapest later this hour I could be in Belgrade by nightfall; ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    6 days ago
  • The Chaotic World of Male Diet Influencers

    Hi,We’ll get to the horrific world of male diet influencers (AKA Beefy Boys) shortly, but first you will be glad to know that since I sent out the Webworm explaining why the assassination attempt on Donald Trump was not a false flag operation, I’ve heard from a load of people ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    6 days ago
  • It's Starting To Look A Lot Like… Y2K

    Do you remember Y2K, the threat that hung over humanity in the closing days of the twentieth century? Horror scenarios of planes falling from the sky, electronic payments failing and ATMs refusing to dispense cash. As for your VCR following instructions and recording your favourite show - forget about it.All ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    1 week ago
  • Bernard’s Saturday Soliloquy for the week to July 20

    Climate Change Minister Simon Watts being questioned by The Kākā’s Bernard Hickey.TL;DR: My top six things to note around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the week to July 20 were:1. A strategy that fails Zero Carbon Act & Paris targetsThe National-ACT-NZ First Coalition Government finally unveiled ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago
  • Pharmac Director, Climate Change Commissioner, Health NZ Directors – The latest to quit this m...

    Summary:As New Zealand loses at least 12 leaders in the public service space of health, climate, and pharmaceuticals, this month alone, directly in response to the Government’s policies and budget choices, what lies ahead may be darker than it appears. Tui examines some of those departures and draws a long ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    1 week ago
  • Flooding Housing Policy

    The Minister of Housing’s ambition is to reduce markedly the ratio of house prices to household incomes. If his strategy works it would transform the housing market, dramatically changing the prospects of housing as an investment.Leaving aside the Minister’s metaphor of ‘flooding the market’ I do not see how the ...
    PunditBy Brian Easton
    1 week ago
  • A Voyage Among the Vandals: Accepted (Again!)

    As previously noted, my historical fantasy piece, set in the fifth-century Mediterranean, was accepted for a Pirate Horror anthology, only for the anthology to later fall through. But in a good bit of news, it turned out that the story could indeed be re-marketed as sword and sorcery. As of ...
    1 week ago
  • The Kākā's Chorus for Friday, July 19

    An employee of tobacco company Philip Morris International demonstrates a heated tobacco device. Photo: Getty ImagesTL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy on Friday, July 19 are:At a time when the Coalition Government is cutting spending on health, infrastructure, education, housing ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago
  • The Kākā’s Pick 'n' Mix for Friday, July 19

    TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 8:30 am on Friday, July 19 are:Scoop: NZ First Minister Casey Costello orders 50% cut to excise tax on heated tobacco products. The minister has ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago
  • Weekly Roundup 19-July-2024

    Kia ora, it’s time for another Friday roundup, in which we pull together some of the links and stories that caught our eye this week. Feel free to add more in the comments! Our header image this week shows a foggy day in Auckland town, captured by Patrick Reynolds. ...
    Greater AucklandBy Greater Auckland
    1 week ago
  • Weekly Climate Wrap: A market-led plan for failure

    TL;DR : Here’s the top six items climate news for Aotearoa this week, as selected by Bernard Hickey and The Kākā’s climate correspondent Cathrine Dyer. A discussion recorded yesterday is in the video above and the audio of that sent onto the podcast feed.The Government released its draft Emissions Reduction ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago
  • Tobacco First

    Save some money, get rich and old, bring it back to Tobacco Road.Bring that dynamite and a crane, blow it up, start all over again.Roll up. Roll up. Or tailor made, if you prefer...Whether you’re selling ciggies, digging for gold, catching dolphins in your nets, or encouraging folks to flutter ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    1 week ago
  • Trump’s Adopted Son.

    Waiting In The Wings: For truly, if Trump is America’s un-assassinated Caesar, then J.D. Vance is America’s Octavian, the Republic’s youthful undertaker – and its first Emperor.DONALD TRUMP’S SELECTION of James D. Vance as his running-mate bodes ill for the American republic. A fervent supporter of Viktor Orban, the “illiberal” prime ...
    1 week ago
  • The Kākā’s Journal of Record for Friday, July 19

    TL;DR: As of 6:00 am on Friday, July 19, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:The PSA announced the Employment Relations Authority (ERA) had ruled in the PSA’s favour in its case against the Ministry ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago
  • The Hoon around the week to July 19

    TL;DR: The podcast above of the weekly ‘hoon’ webinar for paying subscribers last night features co-hosts and talking with:The Kākā’s climate correspondent talking about the National-ACT-NZ First Government’s release of its first Emissions Reduction Plan;University of Otago Foreign Relations Professor and special guest Dr Karin von ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago
  • Skeptical Science New Research for Week #29 2024

    Open access notables Improving global temperature datasets to better account for non-uniform warming, Calvert, Quarterly Journal of the Royal Meteorological Society: To better account for spatial non-uniform trends in warming, a new GITD [global instrumental temperature dataset] was created that used maximum likelihood estimation (MLE) to combine the land surface ...
    1 week ago

  • Joint statement from the Prime Ministers of Canada, Australia and New Zealand

    Australia, Canada and New Zealand today issued the following statement on the need for an urgent ceasefire in Gaza and the risk of expanded conflict between Hizballah and Israel. The situation in Gaza is catastrophic. The human suffering is unacceptable. It cannot continue.  We remain unequivocal in our condemnation of ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    16 hours ago
  • AG reminds institutions of legal obligations

    Attorney-General Judith Collins today reminded all State and faith-based institutions of their legal obligation to preserve records relevant to the safety and wellbeing of those in its care. “The Abuse in Care Inquiry’s report has found cases where records of the most vulnerable people in State and faith‑based institutions were ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    19 hours ago
  • More young people learning about digital safety

    Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says the Government’s online safety website for children and young people has reached one million page views.  “It is great to see so many young people and their families accessing the site Keep It Real Online to learn how to stay safe online, and manage ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    20 hours ago
  • Speech to the Conference for General Practice 2024

    Tēnā tātou katoa,  Ngā mihi te rangi, ngā mihi te whenua, ngā mihi ki a koutou, kia ora mai koutou. Thank you for the opportunity to be here and the invitation to speak at this 50th anniversary conference. I acknowledge all those who have gone before us and paved the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    22 hours ago
  • Employers and payroll providers ready for tax changes

    New Zealand’s payroll providers have successfully prepared to ensure 3.5 million individuals will, from Wednesday next week, be able to keep more of what they earn each pay, says Finance Minister Nicola Willis and Revenue Minister Simon Watts.  “The Government's tax policy changes are legally effective from Wednesday. Delivering this tax ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    24 hours ago
  • Experimental vineyard futureproofs wine industry

    An experimental vineyard which will help futureproof the wine sector has been opened in Blenheim by Associate Regional Development Minister Mark Patterson. The covered vineyard, based at the New Zealand Wine Centre – Te Pokapū Wāina o Aotearoa, enables controlled environmental conditions. “The research that will be produced at the Experimental ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Funding confirmed for regions affected by North Island Weather Events

    The Coalition Government has confirmed the indicative regional breakdown of North Island Weather Event (NIWE) funding for state highway recovery projects funded through Budget 2024, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Regions in the North Island suffered extensive and devastating damage from Cyclone Gabrielle and the 2023 Auckland Anniversary Floods, and ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Indonesian Foreign Minister to visit

    Indonesia’s Foreign Minister, Retno Marsudi, will visit New Zealand next week, Foreign Minister Winston Peters has announced.   “Indonesia is important to New Zealand’s security and economic interests and is our closest South East Asian neighbour,” says Mr Peters, who is currently in Laos to engage with South East Asian partners. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Strengthening partnership with Ngāti Maniapoto

    He aha te kai a te rangatira? He kōrero, he kōrero, he kōrero. The government has reaffirmed its commitment to supporting the aspirations of Ngāti Maniapoto, Minister for Māori Development Tama Potaka says. “My thanks to Te Nehenehenui Trust – Ngāti Maniapoto for bringing their important kōrero to a ministerial ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Transport Minister thanks outgoing CAA Chair

    Transport Minister Simeon Brown has thanked outgoing Chair of the Civil Aviation Authority, Janice Fredric, for her service to the board.“I have received Ms Fredric’s resignation from the role of Chair of the Civil Aviation Authority,” Mr Brown says.“On behalf of the Government, I want to thank Ms Fredric for ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Test for Customary Marine Title being restored

    The Government is proposing legislation to overturn a Court of Appeal decision and amend the Marine and Coastal Area Act in order to restore Parliament’s test for Customary Marine Title, Treaty Negotiations Minister Paul Goldsmith says.  “Section 58 required an applicant group to prove they have exclusively used and occupied ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Opposition united in bad faith over ECE sector review

    Regulation Minister David Seymour says that opposition parties have united in bad faith, opposing what they claim are ‘dangerous changes’ to the Early Childhood Education sector, despite no changes even being proposed yet.  “Issues with affordability and availability of early childhood education, and the complexity of its regulation, has led ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Kiwis having their say on first regulatory review

    After receiving more than 740 submissions in the first 20 days, Regulation Minister David Seymour is asking the Ministry for Regulation to extend engagement on the early childhood education regulation review by an extra two weeks.  “The level of interest has been very high, and from the conversations I’ve been ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Government upgrading Lower North Island commuter rail

    The Coalition Government is investing $802.9 million into the Wairarapa and Manawatū rail lines as part of a funding agreement with the NZ Transport Agency (NZTA), KiwiRail, and the Greater Wellington and Horizons Regional Councils to deliver more reliable services for commuters in the lower North Island, Transport Minister Simeon ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Government moves to ensure flood protection for Wairoa

    Local Government Minister Simeon Brown has announced his intention to appoint a Crown Manager to both Hawke’s Bay Regional and Wairoa District Councils to speed up the delivery of flood protection work in Wairoa."Recent severe weather events in Wairoa this year, combined with damage from Cyclone Gabrielle in 2023 have ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • PM speech to Parliament – Royal Commission of Inquiry’s Report into Abuse in Care

    Mr Speaker, this is a day that many New Zealanders who were abused in State care never thought would come. It’s the day that this Parliament accepts, with deep sorrow and regret, the Report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care.  At the heart of this report are the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Government acknowledges torture at Lake Alice

    For the first time, the Government is formally acknowledging some children and young people at Lake Alice Psychiatric Hospital experienced torture. The final report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in State and Faith-based Care “Whanaketia – through pain and trauma, from darkness to light,” was tabled in Parliament ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Government acknowledges courageous abuse survivors

    The Government has acknowledged the nearly 2,400 courageous survivors who shared their experiences during the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Historical Abuse in State and Faith-Based Care. The final report from the largest and most complex public inquiry ever held in New Zealand, the Royal Commission Inquiry “Whanaketia – through ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Half a million people use tax calculator

    With a week to go before hard-working New Zealanders see personal income tax relief for the first time in fourteen years, 513,000 people have used the Budget tax calculator to see how much they will benefit, says Finance Minister Nicola Willis.  “Tax relief is long overdue. From next Wednesday, personal income ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
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  • ‘Open banking’ and ‘open electricity’ on the way

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  • Charity lotteries to be permitted to operate online

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  • Accelerating Northland Expressway

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  • Sir Don to travel to Viet Nam as special envoy

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  • Grant Illingworth KC appointed as transitional Commissioner to Royal Commission

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  • Backing mental health services on the West Coast

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  • NZ support for sustainable Pacific fisheries

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  • Students’ needs at centre of new charter school adjustments

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  • Commissioner replaces Health NZ Board

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  • Minister to speak at Australian Space Forum

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  • Climate Change Minister to attend climate action meeting in China

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  • Oceans and Fisheries Minister to Solomons

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    7 days ago
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  • Update on global IT outage

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  • New Zealand, Japan renew Pacific partnership

    New Zealand and Japan will continue to step up their shared engagement with the Pacific, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says.    “New Zealand and Japan have a strong, shared interest in a free, open and stable Pacific Islands region,” Mr Peters says.    “We are pleased to be finding more ways ...
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  • New infrastructure energises BOP forestry towns

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  • 'Pacific Futures'

    President Adeang, fellow Ministers, honourable Diet Member Horii, Ambassadors, distinguished guests.    Minasama, konnichiwa, and good afternoon, everyone.    Distinguished guests, it’s a pleasure to be here with you today to talk about New Zealand’s foreign policy reset, the reasons for it, the values that underpin it, and how it ...
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