National carrier? National disgrace more like

Written By: - Date published: 10:30 am, May 5th, 2009 - 37 comments
Categories: workers' rights - Tags:

It’s a few days late but last Saturday’s Herald story about Air New Zealand preparing strikebreakers for the Zeal 320 strike this weekend depressed the hell out of me.

What exactly is our national carrier, which is more than 80% publicly owned, doing boasting about how it can break its own workers?

Let me be clear that I am not naive, of course a business is going to try to ameliorate the effects of strike action but to talk about it so openly and boast about how well trained their strike breakers are shows an astounding arrogance.

Strike action is the final option for most workers, especially low paid workers like these. It only comes after they are given no other choice by their employer and it hurts all parties involved.

The deal with the Zeal crew is that they are employed by a holding company, Zeal 320, that Air New Zealand owns and that company has an agreement to staff Air New Zealand flights. They are the only employees of Zeal 320. Every one of their managers is employed by Air NZ.

The result of this arrangement is that they do exactly the same work as Air New Zealand workers while the company can keep them separate from the much better pay rates and conditions of Air New Zealand workers.

And it’s the only reason I can think of that would exempt the airline from the fact that employing strikebreakers from outside is illegal under the Employment Relations Act.

This cynical use of a legal fiction to undercut workers’ pay and conditions is bad enough behaviour from the so-called national carrier but boasting about how they plan to keep this arrangement in place by strikebreaking? That’s disgraceful.

37 comments on “National carrier? National disgrace more like ”

  • Comments are now closed

  1. Kevin Welsh 1
    5 May 2009 at 11:08 am

    I agree Eddie, its bloody disgusting.

    The only reason they are the only employees of Zeal 320, IS to enforce lower pay and conditions.

    They may be employed by Zeal 320, but in a moral reality they are employed by Air New Zealand.

    Is this the beginning of a new type of business in New Zealand? It worked for GM in the 90’s when they spun off their parts division, so why not here?

  2. burt 2
    5 May 2009 at 11:13 am

    So who is the nasty corporate employer who set all this up?

    It’s easy really just boycott Air NZ. The shareholders will wish they never acted in such a greedy way to maximise profit. Pity it’s not publicly owned cause a caring govt would never let this happen Dooooh.

    • Eddie 2.1
      5 May 2009 at 11:16 am

      This doesn’t have anything to do with the government of the day. Labour never intervened in Air New Zealand in the pas so I don’t see how it would be any different if they were in government now.

      I’d like to see it brought under full public ownership and required to have decent employment practices. It’s a disgrace the way they’re operating, and even worse that successive governments have let it continue unchecked.

      • cocamc 2.1.1
        5 May 2009 at 11:23 am

        Eddie
        Air NZ is owned at about 75% buy the Govt (the people).
        Are you advocating that all companies with bad employment practices are brought under public ownership? As you say successive governments have allowed in your words this to continue. What does bringing it under public ownership achieve then?

  3. Daveo 3
    5 May 2009 at 11:14 am

    Yeah it’s disgraceful all right, but I don’t find it surprising. Look at what that fuckwit Fyfe did to airport services and engineering, he’s called Fyfe the Knife for a reason.

  4. burt 4
    5 May 2009 at 11:30 am

    Under full public ownership – waiting lists for flights and special fares for union members. Oh yes lets try and control a commercial enterprise and see how much money we can throw away second guessing agile competition.

  5. bilbo 5
    5 May 2009 at 11:33 am

    I don’t know why you’re so depressed, as the President of the Labour party and secretary of the EPMU says.

    “…… he did not believe the move would pose any safety risk.

    As long as the airline was not recruiting outsiders, it was within its rights in calling for volunteers.”

    Mr Little indicated there was still a chance of avoiding the strike.

    Although the union had dropped a bid for pay parity between the Zeal attendants and other Air NZ cabin crew, it wanted a better deal than the 3.9 per cent wage rise and $350 one-off payment on offer.

  6. Zealgirl 6
    5 May 2009 at 11:40 am

    I work for Zeal320 and I started a blog last week, It shows just how dirty the company is being towards all of the crew, your welcome to check it out.

    I’m very concerned about the crew, as they have been working half of us to the point of fatigue, falling asleep in jump seats while the plane is landing…..”being to scared to call in fatigued or sick as they will not promote you if you have more than 5 of these days on your employement record” or the opposite they’ve been taking work away from particular cabin crew to the point they’re working only 6-10 days in a 28 day roster, so these people won’t be able to afford to strike, if they’re earning $700-800 every two weeks building up to the strike.

    come read my blog there’s more

    • Eddie 6.1
      5 May 2009 at 12:00 pm

      Zealgirl’s posts are eye-opening. http://zealgirl.wordpress.com/

      Fyfe and his gang have started a dirty war of undermining Zeal320 workers before the strike by changing their shifts at short notice, minimising their work time so their incomes are stretched even before striking, and targeting specific workers.

      It’s all designed to lower morale and make standing up for better pay finanically impossible. Hopefully, there’s money in the strike fund to help keep them going when they walk off the job.

  7. burt 7
    5 May 2009 at 11:58 am

    If some self serving muppets didn’t find it an embarrassment to land in other countries without “NZ’ on the plane this wouldn’t be a problem.

    If [xyz-Air ltd.] was treating its staff like this we (the collective we) would boycott them. We (the collective we) are compromised because of the public ownership. So what do we do now spend more public money to make a commercial enterprise behave in the way we want it to? Keep paying higher fares than we can get via the competition to support NZ made ? (even lprent thought that was a silly idea for this blog).

    Labour made a big mistake bailing out a failing commercial venture in a high competition environment. The King of Tonga had to have an airline and look what happened to that. It bankrupt the King and the country – apart from the fact it will take longer because both the NZ economy and Air NZ are bigger than the Tongan economy and Air Tonga why are we any different having a national carrier than Tonga ? It’s a mighty high price we pay to pretend we can support it.

    The EPMU have suddenly woken up to the issues of Air NZ now Labour are not in govt, how predictable was that. Shame on the EPMU for not wanting to ruffle Labour govt feathers and allowing this situation to develop to where it is now. Pity their loyalty to not rocking the Labour party boat was bigger than their loyalty to workers since the time Air NZ was nationalised to save the PM’s face when she landed in Aussie. Different story now National are in govt eh how shallow the self serving lefties look over all of this.

    • Daveo 7.1
      5 May 2009 at 12:02 pm

      Air NZ’s already making fine profits burt, they could afford to give these workers parity just by canning Rob Fyfe’s recent 93% pay rise.

      Oh and the Zeal 320 crew only joined the EPMU last year you fool. They were with the flight attendants’ union before that.

    • Eddie 7.2
      5 May 2009 at 12:08 pm

      Zeal320 staff were not members of the EPMU until recently. Like Daveo says they were previously in the flight attendants’ union and the unionisation rate was much lower. The EPMU has got them organised, got them unionised, and supported them in getting a fair pay rise. Previously, they would have been unorganised and ended up taking whatever the bosses offered (ie nothing)

      So, there goes your conspiracy theory, Burt.

      • burt 7.2.1
        5 May 2009 at 12:18 pm

        Eddie

        Not really, the issue of how it occured and why it suddenly looks unacceptable is an interesting thing.

        But on the other issues I raised: I’m flying to Auckland for a few days in a couple of weeks. I have a choice – Pacific Blue $40 each way or Air NZ $90 each way…

        What would lprent do in this situation ?

      • burt 7.2.2
        5 May 2009 at 12:24 pm

        Eddit

        Previously, they would have been unorganised and ended up taking whatever the bosses offered (ie nothing)

        So the union they were using was useless and the bosses were assholes. Remind me again what percentage of voting rights the govt have on the board?

        • Eddie 7.2.2.1
          5 May 2009 at 12:30 pm

          If you’re saying the govt should use its power as a shareholder to get Fyfe and his crew fired, I’m all with you.

  8. The Voice of Reason 8
    5 May 2009 at 12:22 pm

    Jeez, Burt, most of us re-read and self edit our posts before hitting send, but feel free to carry on with your stream of unconsiousness if you want.

    Daveo has already pointed out the fact that majority of attendants chose to switch to the EPMU only recently and the fact that they are organised now and prepared to fight is a tribute to them and their organiser(s) at the union.

    The EPMU has consistantly battled Air NZ for years, decades even. Most recently, the union spent hundreds of thousands of dollars saving the jobs of aircraft engineers in Ak and Chch. The EPMU in my experiance not only put their money where their mouth is, they follow through on their commitments to members. That’s not the case with some of the other publicly militant unions, I’m afraid.

    All power to the attendants! Yah, boo, sucks to Fyfe and his flying scabs!

  9. burt 9
    5 May 2009 at 12:53 pm

    The Voice of Reason

    The EPMU has consistantly battled Air NZ for years, decades even.

    Do you have any links for that ?

    • Eddie 9.1
      5 May 2009 at 1:30 pm

      I may well be missing some disputes but the last high-profile one I can remember was EPMU fighting for enginneers’ jobs back in 2006 (during a, shock!, labour government) http://www.epmu.org.nz/news/show/132402

      As I understand it there was a period of quite good relations between the workers and the company in the early 1990s, until Fyfe came along. He and his henchmen have cut wages and outsourced wherever they can, antagonising the workers, leading to disputes.

      Don’t forget, of course, that strikes and disputes are just a small part of what unions do, most of it is supporting the rights of individual members when things go wrong.

      Also, the EPMU only formed in the late 1990s but before that there’s a long history of strong unions in the air industry.

      • burt 9.1.1
        5 May 2009 at 1:39 pm

        So no documented history of the EPMU speaking out about Zeal320 prior to the National govt then ?

        • Daveo 9.1.1.1
          5 May 2009 at 1:46 pm

          I see you haven’t taken VoR’s advice burt. The EPMU started speaking out about Zeal320 after its first ever collective negotiations with them broke down and turned into strike action. What’s that got to do with whether Labour or National is in government, and why do you feel the need to politicise this?

        • Daveo 9.1.1.2
          5 May 2009 at 1:58 pm

          Oh my God you’re right burt! The first mention I can find is a news story on the EPMU website on November 14! That’s six days after the election of John Key! Quick, phone the Herald burt, show them this, http://www.epmu.org.nz/news/show/172648

          But before you get ahead of yourself you might want to look through the news stories here, http://www.epmu.org.nz/aviation/

          Anyone would think the EPMU was in conflict with Air NZ at engineering in 2006 (and again in 2008), at ground services and Air Nelson in 2007, with Safe Air in late 2008 and with Zeal in 2008-2009. But that was during a Labour government so it can’t be true, can it burt?

        • Eddie 9.1.1.3
          5 May 2009 at 2:52 pm

          Come on Burt, at least bother to read and remember the responses people give you. It’s like having a conversation with a goldfish.

          • Maynard J 9.1.1.3.1
            5 May 2009 at 3:02 pm

            Eddie, I have it on sound knowledge that during the US Airways dispute, the EPMU did not speak out.

            In fact, as burt so wilfully points out, the EPMU has a shameful history of not speaking out over disputes it has no involvement with. Just disgusting.

  10. The Voice of Reason 10
    5 May 2009 at 1:14 pm

    Nope, Burt, I don’t have any links. Perhaps if any EPMUers are reading this they can give us the full history. My ‘decades’ comment was based on my admittedly hazy memory of the arrest of a couple of Engineers Union officials on the tarmac at Auckland Airport back in the seventies or early eighties.

    I think it was an access rights dispute and one the men was the then Ak secretary Jim Butterworth.

    If I’m close to right about that event, I think my comment stands.

  11. felix 11
    5 May 2009 at 2:21 pm

    Wow, burt. First day back and you’ve wasted no time using your vast store of ignorance to cleverly leverage yourself into a position of looking like a total fucking fool.

    Are you going to be writing a guest post on retrospective validation? I seriously think you should submit one. I bet there are lots of readers who’d like to hear your views on National’s rv vs Labour’s.

    Go on burt, you know you want to.

    • burt 11.1
      5 May 2009 at 2:44 pm

      You bet. I’m going to wait though because Bradley is apparently looking into the situation re purchase advisiors. If Bradley finds that laws were broken I’ll be calling for a court case to sort it all out. Will you be calling move on like last time the ref made a bad call or is it different this time? If so why?

      • Daveo 11.1.1
        5 May 2009 at 2:46 pm

        Burt! I’m still waiting for your reply mate. Are you going to ring the bloody Herald with your scoop or do I have to?

        • burt 11.1.1.1
          5 May 2009 at 2:58 pm

          Daveo

          Your idea, you take the glory.

          • Daveo 11.1.1.1.1
            5 May 2009 at 3:21 pm

            No, seriously burt, the glory on this is all yours. Go on, take it, go call the Herald. Tell them what you’ve found.

      • felix 11.1.2
        5 May 2009 at 3:13 pm

        Not sure what comments of mine you could be referring to, but good on you burt.

  12. The Voice of Reason 12
    5 May 2009 at 3:35 pm

    “Eddie, I have it on sound knowledge that during the US Airways dispute, the EPMU did not speak out.

    In fact, as burt so wilfully points out, the EPMU has a shameful history of not speaking out over disputes it has no involvement with. Just disgusting.”

    -Maynard J

    Does the J stand for joke, Maynard?

    I looked up their news release page and I can confirm that EPMU has also stayed silent on the Ellerslie Flower Show, Dancing with the Stars and the florid state of Nick Smith’s face. So what?

    Is it written somewhere that anytime there is an industrial dispute anywhere in the world, the EPMU must comment? Particularly disputes ‘it has no involvement with’?

    Can you elaborate more on your ‘sound knowledge’ please? Or are you just making it up as you go?

    • felix 12.1
      5 May 2009 at 4:27 pm

      *ahem* I think Maynard might have been taking the piss.

      • The Voice of Reason 12.1.1
        5 May 2009 at 9:01 pm

        Crikey! You might be right, Felix. If so, humble apologies and I’ll recalibrate my bullshit detector accordingly. Mind you, I did ask if the J stood for joke; just didn’t think it’d be on me.

        How about it Maynard? Satire or intense dislike of the EPMU?

  13. zealist 13
    5 May 2009 at 9:25 pm

    thanks for your support (minus burt!) over the zeal320 action 🙂 air nz and its king Rob fyffe are currently getting the designs etc for a new uniform to be unveiled for 2010… so i love how King Fyffe is saying the company cant afford to pay us more and give us better conditions because “we are in the middle of a recession” but they can spend millions on a new uniform….the last new uniform was 2008 and the one before that 2006.
    He also said he was too busy dealing with air nz’s response to the swine flu outbreak for a full 5 days instead of fronting up for the negotiations/mediations etc like the union asked because we wernt getting anywhere with middle management. I hope by now he has found the cure for the strain of swine flu

  14. burt 14
    5 May 2009 at 11:18 pm

    zealist

    It’s not that I don’t support your cause, I do. Please don’t take it personally, I’m pleased that the EPMU has got involved because it certainly seems the flight attendants union was piss useless.

    The problem as I see it is that you are employed off shore, unless I’m to turn around and say “Your fault for signing the contract” I’ve got to look at the Air NZ for putting that in place. Now the problem here is that it’s not as simple as fire Fyfe, if it were that would have been done years ago. It’s obvious the EPMU and therefore Labour were acutely aware of this through Little. People here tell me the EPMU has been all over Air NZ for years.

    So where were the workers rights party who were the majority shareholder of the company while that was being put into place? What were they doing? How profit motivated were they to let this occur?

    I apologise if you thought I was being dispassionate about your cause, I’m not. I’m more reacting to the logic presented here that it’s the companies fault (Air NZ), which it is but no point in shooting the CEO delivering on profit objectives set by the majority shareholder.

    Best of luck to you, I hope it’s sorted so that you are onto a NZ based employment contract, that would also seem like a responsible thing for a state owned business to do in a recession.

Recent Comments

Recent Posts

  • PM announces changes to portfolios
    Paul Goldsmith will take on responsibility for the Media and Communications portfolio, while Louise Upston will pick up the Disability Issues portfolio, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon announced today. “Our Government is relentlessly focused on getting New Zealand back on track. As issues change in prominence, I plan to adjust Ministerial ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    15 hours ago

  • New catch limits for unique fishery areas
    Recreational catch limits will be reduced in areas of Fiordland and the Chatham Islands to help keep those fisheries healthy and sustainable, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. The lower recreational daily catch limits for a range of finfish and shellfish species caught in the Fiordland Marine Area and ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    18 hours ago

  • Minister welcomes hydrogen milestone
    Energy Minister Simeon Brown has welcomed an important milestone in New Zealand’s hydrogen future, with the opening of the country’s first network of hydrogen refuelling stations in Wiri. “I want to congratulate the team at Hiringa Energy and its partners K one W one (K1W1), Mitsui & Co New Zealand ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago

  • Urgent changes to system through first RMA Amendment Bill
    The coalition Government is delivering on its commitment to improve resource management laws and give greater certainty to consent applicants, with a Bill to amend the Resource Management Act (RMA) expected to be introduced to Parliament next month. RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop has today outlined the first RMA Amendment ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • Overseas decommissioning models considered
    Overseas models for regulating the oil and gas sector, including their decommissioning regimes, are being carefully scrutinised as a potential template for New Zealand’s own sector, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. The Coalition Government is focused on rebuilding investor confidence in New Zealand’s energy sector as it looks to strengthen ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • Release of North Island Severe Weather Event Inquiry
    Emergency Management and Recovery Minister Mark Mitchell has today released the Report of the Government Inquiry into the response to the North Island Severe Weather Events. “The report shows that New Zealand’s emergency management system is not fit-for-purpose and there are some significant gaps we need to address,” Mr Mitchell ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • Justice Minister to attend Human Rights Council
    Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith is today travelling to Europe where he’ll update the United Nations Human Rights Council on the Government’s work to restore law and order.  “Attending the Universal Periodic Review in Geneva provides us with an opportunity to present New Zealand’s human rights progress, priorities, and challenges, while ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • Patterson reopens world’s largest wool scouring facility
    Associate Agriculture Minister, Mark Patterson, formally reopened the world’s largest wool processing facility today in Awatoto, Napier, following a $50 million rebuild and refurbishment project. “The reopening of this facility will significantly lift the economic opportunities available to New Zealand’s wool sector, which already accounts for 20 per cent of ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago

  • Speech to the Southland Otago Regional Engineering Collective Summit, 18 April 2024
    Hon Andrew Bayly, Minister for Small Business and Manufacturing  At the Southland Otago Regional Engineering Collective (SOREC) Summit, 18 April, Dunedin    Ngā mihi nui, Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Ko Whanganui aho    Good Afternoon and thank you for inviting me to open your summit today.    I am delighted ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago

  • Government to introduce revised Three Strikes law
    The Government is delivering on its commitment to bring back the Three Strikes legislation, Associate Justice Minister Nicole McKee announced today. “Our Government is committed to restoring law and order and enforcing appropriate consequences on criminals. We are making it clear that repeat serious violent or sexual offending is not ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago

  • New diplomatic appointments
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters has today announced four new diplomatic appointments for New Zealand’s overseas missions.   “Our diplomats have a vital role in maintaining and protecting New Zealand’s interests around the world,” Mr Peters says.    “I am pleased to announce the appointment of these senior diplomats from the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago

  • Humanitarian support for Ethiopia and Somalia
    New Zealand is contributing NZ$7 million to support communities affected by severe food insecurity and other urgent humanitarian needs in Ethiopia and Somalia, Foreign Minister Rt Hon Winston Peters announced today.   “Over 21 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance across Ethiopia, with a further 6.9 million people ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago

  • Arts Minister congratulates Mataaho Collective
    Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage Paul Goldsmith is congratulating Mataaho Collective for winning the Golden Lion for best participant in the main exhibition at the Venice Biennale. "Congratulations to the Mataaho Collective for winning one of the world's most prestigious art prizes at the Venice Biennale.  “It is good ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago

  • Supporting better financial outcomes for Kiwis
    The Government is reforming financial services to improve access to home loans and other lending, and strengthen customer protections, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly and Housing Minister Chris Bishop announced today. “Our coalition Government is committed to rebuilding the economy and making life simpler by cutting red tape. We are ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago

  • Trade relationship with China remains strong
    “China remains a strong commercial opportunity for Kiwi exporters as Chinese businesses and consumers continue to value our high-quality safe produce,” Trade and Agriculture Minister Todd McClay says.   Mr McClay has returned to New Zealand following visits to Beijing, Harbin and Shanghai where he met ministers, governors and mayors and engaged in trade and agricultural events with the New ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago

  • PM’s South East Asia mission does the business
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has completed a successful trip to Singapore, Thailand and the Philippines, deepening relationships and capitalising on opportunities. Mr Luxon was accompanied by a business delegation and says the choice of countries represents the priority the New Zealand Government places on South East Asia, and our relationships in ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago

  • $41m to support clean energy in South East Asia
    New Zealand is demonstrating its commitment to reducing global greenhouse emissions, and supporting clean energy transition in South East Asia, through a contribution of NZ$41 million (US$25 million) in climate finance to the Asian Development Bank (ADB)-led Energy Transition Mechanism (ETM). Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Climate Change Minister Simon Watts announced ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago

  • Minister releases Fast-track stakeholder list
    The Government is today releasing a list of organisations who received letters about the Fast-track applications process, says RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop. “Recently Ministers and agencies have received a series of OIA requests for a list of organisations to whom I wrote with information on applying to have a ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago

  • Judicial appointments announced
    Attorney-General Judith Collins today announced the appointment of Wellington Barrister David Jonathan Boldt as a Judge of the High Court, and the Honourable Justice Matthew Palmer as a Judge of the Court of Appeal. Justice Boldt graduated with an LLB from Victoria University of Wellington in 1990, and also holds ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago

  • Education Minister heads to major teaching summit in Singapore
    Education Minister Erica Stanford will lead the New Zealand delegation at the 2024 International Summit on the Teaching Profession (ISTP) held in Singapore. The delegation includes representatives from the Post Primary Teachers’ Association (PPTA) Te Wehengarua and the New Zealand Educational Institute (NZEI) Te Riu Roa.  The summit is co-hosted ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago

  • Value of stopbank project proven during cyclone
    A stopbank upgrade project in Tairawhiti partly funded by the Government has increased flood resilience for around 7000ha of residential and horticultural land so far, Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones today attended a dawn service in Gisborne to mark the end of the first stage of the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago

  • Anzac commemorations, Türkiye relationship focus of visit
    Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters will represent the Government at Anzac Day commemorations on the Gallipoli Peninsula next week and engage with senior representatives of the Turkish government in Istanbul.    “The Gallipoli campaign is a defining event in our history. It will be a privilege to share the occasion ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago

  • Minister to Europe for OECD meeting, Anzac Day
    Science, Innovation and Technology and Defence Minister Judith Collins will next week attend the OECD Science and Technology Ministerial conference in Paris and Anzac Day commemorations in Belgium. “Science, innovation and technology have a major role to play in rebuilding our economy and achieving better health, environmental and social outcomes ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago

  • Comprehensive Partnership the goal for NZ and the Philippines
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon held a bilateral meeting today with the President of the Philippines, Ferdinand Marcos Jr.  The Prime Minister was accompanied by MP Paulo Garcia, the first Filipino to be elected to a legislature outside the Philippines. During today’s meeting, Prime Minister Luxon and President Marcos Jr discussed opportunities to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago

  • Government commits $20m to Westport flood protection
    The Government has announced that $20 million in funding will be made available to Westport to fund much needed flood protection around the town. This measure will significantly improve the resilience of the community, says Local Government Minister Simeon Brown. “The Westport community has already been allocated almost $3 million ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago

  • Taupō takes pole position
    The Government is proud to support the first ever Repco Supercars Championship event in Taupō as up to 70,000 motorsport fans attend the Taupō International Motorsport Park this weekend, says Economic Development Minister Melissa Lee. “Anticipation for the ITM Taupō Super400 is huge, with tickets and accommodation selling out weeks ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago

  • Cost of living support for low-income homeowners
    Local Government Minister Simeon Brown has announced an increase to the Rates Rebate Scheme, putting money back into the pockets of low-income homeowners.  “The coalition Government is committed to bringing down the cost of living for New Zealanders. That includes targeted support for those Kiwis who are doing things tough, such ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago

  • Government backing mussel spat project
    The Coalition Government is investing in a project to boost survival rates of New Zealand mussels and grow the industry, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones has announced. “This project seeks to increase the resilience of our mussels and significantly boost the sector’s productivity,” Mr Jones says. “The project - ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago

  • Government focused on getting people into work
    Benefit figures released today underscore the importance of the Government’s plan to rebuild the economy and have 50,000 fewer people on Jobseeker Support, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “Benefit numbers are still significantly higher than when National was last in government, when there was about 70,000 fewer ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago

  • Clean energy key driver to reducing emissions
    The Government’s commitment to doubling New Zealand’s renewable energy capacity is backed by new data showing that clean energy has helped the country reach its lowest annual gross emissions since 1999, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. New Zealand’s latest Greenhouse Gas Inventory (1990-2022) published today, shows gross emissions fell ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago

  • Earthquake-prone buildings review brought forward
    The Government is bringing the earthquake-prone building review forward, with work to start immediately, and extending the deadline for remediations by four years, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says. “Our Government is focused on rebuilding the economy. A key part of our plan is to cut red tape that ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago

  • Thailand and NZ to agree to Strategic Partnership
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and his Thai counterpart, Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin, have today agreed that New Zealand and the Kingdom of Thailand will upgrade the bilateral relationship to a Strategic Partnership by 2026. “New Zealand and Thailand have a lot to offer each other. We have a strong mutual desire to build ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Government consults on extending coastal permits for ports
    RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop and Transport Minister Simeon Brown have today announced the Coalition Government’s intention to extend port coastal permits for a further 20 years, providing port operators with certainty to continue their operations. “The introduction of the Resource Management Act in 1991 required ports to obtain coastal ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Inflation coming down, but more work to do
    Today’s announcement that inflation is down to 4 per cent is encouraging news for Kiwis, but there is more work to be done - underlining the importance of the Government’s plan to get the economy back on track, acting Finance Minister Chris Bishop says. “Inflation is now at 4 per ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • School attendance restored as a priority in health advice
    Refreshed health guidance released today will help parents and schools make informed decisions about whether their child needs to be in school, addressing one of the key issues affecting school attendance, says Associate Education Minister David Seymour. In recent years, consistently across all school terms, short-term illness or medical reasons ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Unnecessary bureaucracy cut in oceans sector
    Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones is streamlining high-level oceans management while maintaining a focus on supporting the sector’s role in the export-led recovery of the economy. “I am working to realise the untapped potential of our fishing and aquaculture sector. To achieve that we need to be smarter with ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Patterson promoting NZ’s wool sector at International Congress
    Associate Agriculture Minister Mark Patterson is speaking at the International Wool Textile Organisation Congress in Adelaide, promoting New Zealand wool, and outlining the coalition Government’s support for the revitalisation the sector.    "New Zealand’s wool exports reached $400 million in the year to 30 June 2023, and the coalition Government ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Removing red tape to help early learners thrive
    The Government is making legislative changes to make it easier for new early learning services to be established, and for existing services to operate, Associate Education Minister David Seymour says. The changes involve repealing the network approval provisions that apply when someone wants to establish a new early learning service, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • RMA changes to cut coal mining consent red tape
    Changes to the Resource Management Act will align consenting for coal mining to other forms of mining to reduce barriers that are holding back economic development, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. “The inconsistent treatment of coal mining compared with other extractive activities is burdensome red tape that fails to acknowledge ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • McClay reaffirms strong NZ-China trade relationship
    Trade, Agriculture and Forestry Minister Todd McClay has concluded productive discussions with ministerial counterparts in Beijing today, in support of the New Zealand-China trade and economic relationship. “My meeting with Commerce Minister Wang Wentao reaffirmed the complementary nature of the bilateral trade relationship, with our Free Trade Agreement at its ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

Page generated in The Standard by Wordpress at 2024-04-24T15:09:39+00:00