National intends to sell another strategic asset

Written By: notices and features - Date published: 4:13 pm, September 14th, 2017 - 37 comments
Categories: Abuse of power, assets, Economy, election 2017, farming - Tags: landcorp

Landcorp is a strategic asset, as were the power companies, that should stay in NZ hands and lead best practice https://t.co/ce7PK2f6E3

— Robin Campbell (@robellcampbin) September 14, 2017

Green Party press release:

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Selling off Landcorp farms a backward step for New Zealand farming

Eugenie Sage MP on Thursday, September 14, 2017 – 13:57

Selling off Landcorp farms is a backward step for New Zealand farming that risks our land falling into overseas ownership, and worsening water quality, the Green Party said today.

The comments come on the back of National’s announcement it will sell Landcorp farms.

“As a state-owned enterprise Landcorp is accountable to all New Zealanders, and their farms should stay in the public’s hands” said Green Party environment and primary industries spokesperson Eugenie Sage.

“Selling Landcorp farms risks undoing the good work the state-owned farmer has done in recent years to be leaders; farming with the environment, not against it.

“By forming an Environment Reference Group comprising Dr Mike Joy and Dr Alison Dewes among others, reviewing how it farms and phasing out PKE, Landcorp is showing it is serious about reducing the pollution that harms our waterways and climate, not making excuses for it.

“Landcorp can lead the shift to environmentally sustainable farming. Its farms are a public asset we should be keeping, not selling them for overseas buyers to purchase sometime in the future.

“When National flogged off shares to electricity companies they said Kiwis would buy them, but many went to overseas investors.

“New Zealand’s weak overseas ownership laws mean it’s likely some farms will be sold to offshore agribusiness interests down the line, who are able to pay higher prices than local farming companies.

“The Green Party will keep our public assets including Landcorp farms in public ownership. We must keep control over our means of production to ensure our farms are run in the best interests of New Zealanders and our environment,” said Ms Sage.

______________________________________________________________________________________________

From Stuff,

Green Party environment and primary industries spokeswoman Eugenie Sage said the sales risked land falling into overseas ownership, and worsening water quality.

In recent years Landcorp had focused on improving its farms’ environmental performance by forming an environment reference group which showed it was serious about reducing pollution.

…

Landcorp is New Zealand’s largest farmer, running about 140 farms the length and breadth of the country. It has 700 staff, with an average of six per farm.

Press release from Landcorp (PDF) from the setting up of the Environmental Reference Group in 2015,

Expert group supports Landcorp in putting environment first

Landcorp is bringing strong, independent environmental leadership to its management table by establishing an advisory group of environmental experts.

The Environmental Reference Group (ERG) will guide Landcorp’s environmental focus, taking a leading role in implementing sustainable agricultural strategies that put environmental best practice first across all of Landcorp’s operations.

The group comprises six of the country’s leading primary sector experts across a range of fields – Nelson-based environmental strategy expert Guy Salmon (chairman), sustainable farming adviser and veterinarian Dr Alison Dewes (Cambridge), water quality scientist Dr Mike Joy (Palmerston North), agricultural economist and Maori agribusiness consultant Dr Tanira Kingi (Rotorua), primary sector marketing expert Dave Maslen (Christchurch) and inventor and entrepreneur Angus Robson (Matamata).

…

Mr Carden said the group demonstrated a new model for the primary sector, with environmental leaders collaborating in business decisions. The ERG will directly advise the Landcorp board and Mr Carden, helping Landcorp think about how it can change its farm systems and adopt new technologies in some of the country’s more sensitive farming regions.

It’s easy to see why National wouldn’t be happy with that. Presumably any land sold will then be available for resale including to overseas buyers.

Landcorp started acknowledging the problems with water pollution and industrial dairy. So time for Govt to privatise it #saveOurRivers

— Russel Norman (@RusselNorman) September 14, 2017

37 comments on “National intends to sell another strategic asset ”

Comments are now closed

tracey 1

14 September 2017 at 4:33 pm

[email protected] National making policy on the hoof. Makes you wonder if their rural polls werent looking good hence the Joyce imaginary taxes and stupidity about zero budgets ( given English and Key ran 2 in 2014 and 2015).
- One Anonymous Bloke 1.1
  
  14 September 2017 at 6:58 pm
  
  making policy on the hoof
  
  ~~Selling~~ fencing our stuff to their owners has always been one of their core policies.
  - tracey 1.1.1
    
    15 September 2017 at 12:43 pm
    
    Audrey Young will write about it soon.
Stuff The Politicians 2

14 September 2017 at 4:33 pm

National have been very quite about what they will sell if returned to the treasury benches..

We need the question asked and hear their answer.
I suspect they will not answer with the truth and just fudge around like always.

But we need to know, they are our assets after all.
- tc 2.1
  
  14 September 2017 at 4:38 pm
  
  Why bother they’d lie as they’ve always done.
  - tracey 2.1.1
    
    14 September 2017 at 5:36 pm
    
    Audrey Young is back heading the cheerleading group for Nats. When did she last have an article dedicated to Nationals promises, policies and omissions? English saying Barclay would work thru but he has relented and done a uturn to let him go overseas?
WILD KATIPO 3

14 September 2017 at 5:36 pm

Grrrr… I’ve just spent an hour at my 19 year old nephews place explaining the same things on Hugh Price'( Hugh Price Publishing ) site about asset sales, Roger Douglas , neo liberalism , Keynesianism and various history … real tour de force stuff,… as he was wondering which party to vote , he was veering towards Labour , wasn’t so sure about Greens. Well , he got a fair few things explained and will be reading this :

New Right Fight – Who are the New Right?
http://www.newrightfight.co.nz/pageA.html

But no sooner do I get home ,.. and what do I read FFS ?!!? , – I read this crap about National wanting to sell off more of OUR bloody assets of OUR country ?

Here’s a wee song … all you have to do is exchange ‘ British soldiers’ for ‘ National traitors ‘ and you’ll catch the spirit.

Fuck off National , just fuck off !!!

And fuck your London based Mont Pelerin Society Masters ya bloody lackeys !!!

Irish rebel song GO ON HOME BRITISH SOLDIERS – YouTube
go on home british soldiers youtube▶ 3:13
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1gxQaKYFx-4
srylands 4

14 September 2017 at 6:02 pm

Why should the Government own a farming company? It is simply ridiculous. It is presumably some bizarre accident of history that the company remains in State ownership. The sooner it goes the better.
- WILD KATIPO 4.1
  
  14 September 2017 at 6:09 pm
  
  Typical traitor.
  
  It fucking happens to be owned by the people of THIS country you fucking gimp and it is not up for sale.
- One Anonymous Bloke 4.2
  
  14 September 2017 at 6:11 pm
  
  Idiot blinkered bludger. Support for strategic economic and environmental research and development is a public service.
  - ropata 4.2.1
    
    14 September 2017 at 7:10 pm
    
    Private ownership of farms has turned out to be a pretty shit idea really.
    
    Everything is sacrificed to the profit motive. Bankers are enjoying the massive debts of the rural sector. Farmers are not turning a profit, they are gambling on capital gains. And they are colluding with the Nats to subvert democracy (ECan) and pollute freely
    
    Landcorp is far better behaved.
    
    State ownership of all NZ land would solve a lot of problems. (including the corrupt AKL housing market). Leasehold and LVT is the way of the future
- Stuff The Politicians 4.3
  
  14 September 2017 at 7:56 pm
  
  OK Steve. We know where you stand..
  
  The fact is, we the people do own this..
  Just because the National Govt cant balance their books, is no reason to sell our assets.
  So— the sooner this Government goes the better.
- reason 4.4
  
  15 September 2017 at 8:24 am
  
  The Government used to run research farms, which in conjunction with our agriculture related university departments gave New Zealand farmers an advantage.
  
  Nationals contributions have been flogging our Land and farms to anyone ……. Much of it could be to corrupt money ….. which should mean asset forfeiture ….. and return to New Zealand ownership.
  
  http://www.sarawakreport.org/2017/01/trust-us-new-zealand-can-hide-your-money/ … “Since finance expert Mr John Shewan couldn’t find a single example of a corrupt use of a New Zealand trust fund, Sarawak Report would like to humbly offer him the details of how one such trust was deliberately set up …”
  
  http://www.greenpeace.org/new-zealand/en/reports/the-untouchables/
  
  “In 2016, the OIO approved the sale of 362,132 hectares of freehold rural land and 103,731 hectares of leases and other interests in land to foreigners”…..
  
  “Statistics New Zealand study showed that in 2010, large proportions of the foreign direct investment from the Netherlands, Singapore, Hong Kong and tax havens was in fact from other countries, led by the UK, US, Germany and Canada. In 2016, other tax havens with investments in New Zealand companies include Vanuatu, Channel Islands, Isle of Man, Bermuda and the Bahamas, but the value of their holdings has been suppressed as “confidential”.
  
  http://canterbury.cyberplace.org.nz/community/CAFCA/key-facts.html
  
  There needs to be a proper investigation into the real owners and money sources that have been buying up New Zealand …. nothing to hide would mean nothing to fear for them……
  - tracey 4.4.1
    
    15 September 2017 at 12:46 pm
    
    The government and tax payers still fund research for farmers. I live just roubd the corner from a main one. Farmers forget this when tgey rail about how much we hste them. Actually we all pay for most if not all of their R and D
- tracey 4.5
  
  15 September 2017 at 12:44 pm
  
  If by bizarre accident of history, you mean wealthy interests were over ridden by the desire of a majority of the people, yes.
silvertuatara 5

14 September 2017 at 6:29 pm

Yes, place NZ Landcorp Assets in private ownership and within a generation they will be owned by overseas interests like great slabs of our forestry currently are.If National get reelected the cupboards will be sold bare of any remaining NZ publically owned assets into the back pockets of the 1% in less than 10 years.
- WILD KATIPO 5.1
  
  14 September 2017 at 6:33 pm
  
  Foreign occupation by stealth.
  
  National the party of treason. Vote the bastards out this September 23rd !
- ropata 5.2
  
  14 September 2017 at 7:15 pm
  
  Agreed. Let’s not forget the 257,000 hectares already sold illegally under National with the only penalty being a wet bus ticket from the impotent OIO
  
  Who is National really working for? (h/t @DracoTBastard) https://t.co/O1hs5Tm9wc pic.twitter.com/MTjjbaQzjX— ɥɔsǝdɐd qoɹ (@ropata) September 14, 2017
  - silvertuatara 5.2.1
    
    15 September 2017 at 11:39 am
    
    I also have serious concerns about the long term position of the remaining publicly owned Air NZ shareholding being retained by the NZ Govt given Key’s recent appointment to the Air New Zealand Board.
    
    w.airnewzealand.co.nz/press-release-2017-rt-hon-john-key-joining-board-of-air-new-zealand
    
    http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=11890005
    
    http://www.stuff.co.nz/business/industries/80925380/air-new-zealand-sells-20-per-cent-of-virgin-australia-to-chinese-firm
    
    https://www.airnewzealand.co.nz/alliance-partners-air-china
timeforacupoftea 6

14 September 2017 at 6:39 pm

I know a lot of farmers that will be pleased to see National selling off Landcorp farms.
I don’t mind them selling the dairy farms myself as long as the money goes into sheep, vegetable / market gardening, horticulture, crop, forestry and dairy sheep.
- WILD KATIPO 6.1
  
  14 September 2017 at 6:49 pm
  
  Really ?… its time that question of selling off public SOE’s and lands were put to the NZ public , in a referendum – a binding one.
  
  That’d put the shits right up the treasonous bastards who think they have a God given bloody right to sell off the younger generations inheritance for a fucking song just so they can be enriched.
  
  Until then , – fuck em . They have no right to even think about selling our shit of to their mates for bargain basement prices.
  - silvertuatara 6.1.1
    
    15 September 2017 at 11:37 am
    
    I also have serious concerns about the long term position of the remaining publicly owned Air NZ shareholding being retained by the NZ Govt given Key’s recent appointment to the Air New Zealand Board.
    
    w.airnewzealand.co.nz/press-release-2017-rt-hon-john-key-joining-board-of-air-new-zealand
    
    http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=11890005
    
    http://www.stuff.co.nz/business/industries/80925380/air-new-zealand-sells-20-per-cent-of-virgin-australia-to-chinese-firm
    
    https://www.airnewzealand.co.nz/alliance-partners-air-china
- ropata 6.2
  
  14 September 2017 at 7:18 pm
  
  can’t think of much better definition of treason than selling the sovereign territory of New Zealand to a foreign power
  
  foreign owners should move here or fuck off
- tracey 6.3
  
  15 September 2017 at 12:47 pm
  
  Didnt Nats promise when they did the last sell offs that it would go into a fund for education and health? How is that fund going?
Southern Man 7

14 September 2017 at 6:46 pm

Furthermore, the proposal is to sell the farms at less than market value (see the Jericho Farm dilemma) to 100 of the scions of the squatocracy. Shades of tenure review.
Keith 8

14 September 2017 at 7:21 pm

Nice one National. Not able to sell enough state houses quickly enough to investors they move on to selling our rural land to fuck knows who really. As if these types would ever vote anyone but National anyway!

But think about it. This is the 2017 version of the bullshit “mum and dad” investors of the rural area.

And lets safely assume the land would be low balled, like the power company shares and would be quickly exchange to profits for the few to, oh I don’t know, some “Blue Dragons” perhaps?
Anthony 9

14 September 2017 at 7:30 pm

Excited as I am )both as a kiwi and as a Labour candidate) about the Colmar Brunton poll tonight, this is actually the real news for today.

National selling more of our country’s assets.

Or, more accurately, giving them away.

HNZ houses; huge lan parcels; now our Landcorp farms: is there anything National ISNT giving away?

We must stop them: we must elect a new Government on 23 September.

The choice is stark. The choice is plain.

We’ve got to moblise every vote – now!
- One Anonymous Bloke 9.1
  
  14 September 2017 at 7:38 pm
  
  Entrench the BoRA. Re-nationalise our property.
  
  Going to do either of those things? Let me be clear about this.
WILD KATIPO 10

14 September 2017 at 7:42 pm

If it was my way we would be buying back or simply re nationalizing most of what was sold off , over a ten year or longer period , – and if that meant simply anexing it then negotiations , – so be it. Banks would have to either roll with it or we’d seek new ways,… after that ?… a major push to redevelop industry’s to value added commodity’s for export .

Not just low dollar for primary so some other bastard can utilize what we grow or dig out of the ground , – then bloody sell it back to us at some obscene profits margin for them.

Along with pushing in on the technology wave in the south pacific and carving out our own trading niches. Bugger the rest who just want a global monopoly. We should be seeking to be up there with Europe and Japan, – not languishing in outer Mongolia ffs !!!

A real progressive taxation system , no more foreign speculation , Reserve Bank and Treasury brought back under govt control and regulations , proper govt backed award rates for workers and a large cut back on immigration to put an end to cheap imported labour.

And if some foreign outfit wanted to set up base here? – automatic 25 year lease for the land they set up on to reviewed with inflationary costs as well as mandatory employing of a % of Kiwis – AND a royalty fee / tax on the profits they made.

That’d sort the pirates and the opportunists out and make them think twice before assuming we were a bunch of soft touch pushovers.
Thinkerr 11

14 September 2017 at 9:30 pm

Greens should not just say they will keep Landcorp Farms.

They are an ideal opportunity to carry out agricultural R&D that can be used to aid all farmers.

To get NZ on its feet again, we’re going to have to squeeze every strategic opportunity we can find.

Plus, it might get some more farmers voting green…
- Keepcalmcarryon 11.1
  
  14 September 2017 at 9:45 pm
  
  No thinkrr, selling landcorp farms would be quite popular with most farmers you would find.
  It’s an ideological thing, many of them have forgotten farmings roots here in nz and subscribe to the deserving hard working landowner myth- landcorp runs counter to that.
- WILD KATIPO 11.2
  
  14 September 2017 at 9:46 pm
  
  Indeed.
  - Thinkerr 11.2.1
    
    16 September 2017 at 6:30 am
    
    Useless twats.
    
    The more that foreign firms buy up our farms, the more they own their own supply chain and the less inclined they are to buy from kiwi farmers.
    
    Thats what I dont like about neoliberal policies – they’ll sell off their childrens’ future for a bit of political capital today. Only a handful will get wealthy enough to counter that by creating a family dynasty. The rest either dont see what theyre doing or dont care.
savenz 12

14 September 2017 at 10:33 pm

Unbelievable! Vote them out!
cleangreen 13

14 September 2017 at 11:06 pm

We will get rid of National for sure folks,

NZ First will join other opposition parties to get rid of this Government I feel confident after the Gisborne Public meeting with him he had over 200 attend the meeting tueday as he said we all need to get rid of this Government as he said he was as concerned about what national is doing to us all as we all were.

.
SpaceMonkey 14

15 September 2017 at 6:57 pm

This should not come as a surprise to anyone by now. Privatisation of the commons is their modus operadi. At this point, after three National Governments, if NZ returns these guys to power… there must be a masochistic streak in the NZ psyche.
eco maori 15

15 September 2017 at 7:47 pm

Yes every one with a brain knows Its not wise to sell OUR assets .
National up to there same dum ass tricks i.e we are going to sell the state farms to help young farmers to get in to farm owner ship. This is a smoke screen to cover/cone us so they can sell to there m8 . This is the classic neo liberal mind set live for the now they are so thick they cannot even foresee the different Scenarios that will happen with there fucked up choices . They worship money for the now over everything else and this neo liberal mind set is what is causing all the bad shit happening around OUR WORLD.

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This week’s hoon included Wellington City Councillor Tamatha Paul on the politics of Lets Get Wellington Moving and the great battle for the Thorndon Quay cycle way. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTLDR: The week’s news in Aotearoa’s political economy I covered via The Kākā for subscribers included:The Labour Government’s ...
The KakaBy Tamatha Paul
3 days ago

How do you read substack?
Morning all,I’ve been taking a look at some of the new features Substack have released and I’m keen to find out how you access newsletters. Some of the features are only available on certain platforms.Whether you use a mobile device like a phone or tablet, or a PC or laptop. ...
Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
3 days ago

A genuinely inspiring story about political leaders getting huge things done
Hello! This is the Saturday edition of More Than A Feilding, catching you up on the week.Here’s what you may have missed.Last Sunday’s column had a genuinely inspiring story about political leaders getting huge things done in the face of culture wars and conservative resistance. Readers told me this should ...
More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
3 days ago

Unforced Variations: Jun 2023
This month’s open thread on climate topics. The post Unforced Variations: Jun 2023 first appeared on RealClimate. ...
Real ClimateBy group
4 days ago

What Do Economists Do?
Steven Levitt, famous for his Freakanomics, shows that being an economist is not just mouthing supply and demand.Anyone can call themselves an ‘economist’. Many do, despite having no qualifications in economics and hardly any formal training; they often make elementary errors. That is the result of a conscious decision of ...
PunditBy Brian Easton
4 days ago

Call for help: Update or create translations for updated rebuttals!
Over the years, we've published several calls for help with translations but most of them were rather generalized in nature like last year's blog post published in February 2022. This time around, we are asking for help with a quite specific task, namely to update existing translations for the rebuttals included ...
Skeptical Science
4 days ago

Only a fool believes past performance is any indicator of future performance
1. By what name is this work of art known?a. The Drowning Dog, Francisco Goyab. The Temptation of St Anthony, Hieronymus Boschc. Saturn Devouring His Son Peter, Paul Rubensd. Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown Waves To A Stuff Journalist Through A Window, Stuff Photographer Ricky Wilson2. Who was in the news ...
More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
4 days ago

GRAHAM ADAMS: “Co-governance for your deck!”
An effective campaign against the RMA reforms will be a nightmare for Hipkins. Graham Adams writes – After a Budget that failed to excite voters and a lacklustre party conference where his senior colleagues faintly praised him for his proletarian taste in food, the very last thing Chris Hipkins ...
Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
4 days ago

Code of conduct for school board members is announced by a minister whose grasp of Parliament’s ru...
Buzz from the Beehive Education Minister Jan Tinetti brings news of a book of rules for school board members at the same time as her own grasp of Parliament’s rule book has been brought into question. Tinetti has announced a compulsory code of conduct to “ensure school board members are ...
Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
4 days ago

Ask Me Anything about the week to June 2
Photo by Branden Tate on UnsplashIt’s that time of the week for an ‘Ask Me Anything’ session for paying subscribers about the week that was for an hour from midday (my apologies for the late start today), including:the Government’s vague promise of sharing the costs of cyclone rebuilding and buy-backs ...
The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
4 days ago

Perfect 10?
Last night was a big night for our most celebrated radio presenter.Mike Hosking was named the Sir Paul Holmes Broadcaster of the Year - for the third straight year - as well as Best Talk Presenter (breakfast/drive) at the New Zealand Radio awards. Do you feel proud Aotearoa?In the presenter category ...
Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
4 days ago

Gordon Campbell on how private profits are driving Defence spending
Speak of the devil. The Australian website Crikey has just launched an investigative series about the notorious lobbying firm Crosby Textor, or C/T as it now prefers to be called. It transpires that two clients of C/T’s American subsidiary will benefit greatly from the AUKUS defence pact between the US, ...
Gordon CampbellBy lyndon
4 days ago

The climate change bill arrives and the grown-ups don't want to pay
Aotearoa’s failure to deal with the escalating pace of human-induced climate change was starkly on display yesterday. Lynn Grieveson/Getty ImagesTL;DR: Our planet is now warming and generating extreme climate events faster than our politicians, voters and institutions can agree to reduce the costs and share the burden of those events ...
The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
4 days ago

NZ Politics Daily: 2 June 2023
MEDIA REGULATION AND CODE OF CONDUCT, BROADCASTING Glenn McConnell (Post): ‘The cost will be everyday Kiwis’: New media regulation concerns civil society (paywalled) Jonathan Ayling (Stuff): Media regulation plan – a censor’s greatest dream Shayne Currie (Herald): Media regulation: New super-power government body set to rule over news and social media ...
Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
4 days ago

Weekly Roundup 2-June-2023
It’s Friday and we’ve got a long weekend ahead of us. Here’s our latest roundup of stories that caught our eye this week. The Week in Greater Auckland On Monday Matt reviewed National’s new housing policy. On Tuesday Matt looked at some of the highlights from Auckland Transport’s ...
Greater AucklandBy Greater Auckland
4 days ago

The Commonwealth, cricket and curry
The facts are bald and simple; India is now the most populous country in the world and the fifth largest economy and is on track to becoming the fourth. Despite that, New Zealand’s relationship with India could best be described as in its infancy, even though New Zealand has ...
PolitikBy Richard Harman
5 days ago

Skeptical Science New Research for Week #22 2023
Open access notables Multiple studies indicate changes in the properties of Antarctic bottom water (AABW) over the past half century. These changes involve density and hence will affect both local and distant circulation of the oceans, not least overturning effects that are vital for marine biology but also climate and ...
Skeptical Science
5 days ago

2023 More Reading: May
Completed reads for May: Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea, by Jules Verne Gulliver’s Travels, by Jonathan Swift Journey to the Centre of the Earth, by Jules Verne Round the World in Eighty Days, by Jules Verne The Secret of the Island, by Jules Verne From the Earth ...
A Phuulish FellowBy strda221
5 days ago

Australia’s most-decorated war-criminal
Ben Roberts-Smith is apparently "Australia’s most decorated living soldier", having won a Victoria Cross for killing people in Afghanistan. But today, after a stupendous self-own defamation case, he's also been proven to be a war criminal who committed multiple murders: Ben Roberts-Smith VC, Australia’s most decorated living soldier, has ...
No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
5 days ago

Will the Government come to my rescue?
Hey Uncle Dave, My house got wrecked in the summer floods. Do you know if the government’s got any plans to help me, or are they too busy making bilingual road signs?Noah InsuranceYou picked a good day to ask, Noah, the Govt has just announced there’ll be an offer of ...
More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
5 days ago

Levy on agricultural fertiliser ruled out by farmers in the battle on climate change – but that do...
The government has looked at imposing a tax on nitrogen fertiliser, used heavily in NZ agriculture, but yesterday Agriculture Minister Damien O’Connor conceded he had not convinced farming leaders to go ahead with it. ACT”s Mark Cameron claimed credit in Parliament for “killing” the plan. Both Federated ...
Point of OrderBy tutere44
5 days ago

National commit to fund a mental approach to birth control.
Are women the new Māori?Since Christopher Luxon has been leader National have shown they’re prepared to throw Māori under a bus. Be it not wanting them to have a seat at the table on water management, referring to the Treaty as a “little experiment”, or the monocultural candidate selection polices ...
Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
5 days ago

National commit to fund a mental approach to birth control.
Are women the new Māori?Since Christopher Luxon has been leader National have shown they’re prepared to throw Māori under a bus. Be it not wanting them to have a seat at the table on water management, referring to the Treaty as a “little experiment”, or the monocultural candidate selection polices ...
Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
5 days ago

Verrall enthuses about the beneficial effects of tax breaks while O’Connor muses on a fertiliser t...
Buzz from the Beehive An email from Foreign Affairs Minister Nanaia Mahuta had yet to be posted on the government’s official website, when Point of Order made its morning check on our ministers and what they are (officially) up to. She was providing us with an account – a ...
Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
5 days ago

THOMAS CRANMER: Minister awaits review into DOC funding hole
Multiple reviews are examining options to address a $25M to $40M funding hole in its operating budget and a reported $300M, 70,000 hour maintenance backlog for huts, tracks and visitor assets. Thomas Cranmer writes – Following Friday’s revelation that Budget 2023 has left the Department of Conservation ...
Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
5 days ago

Brighter signs from economy pre-election
Property values fell a further 0.7% in May from April across Aotearoa, but Core Logic sees evidence in the data “the current downturn is winding up.” Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: There are fresh signs this morning the housing market-with-bits-tacked-on economy is brightening up going into winter, and just ...
The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
5 days ago

NZ Politics Daily: 1 June 2023
FOREIGN AFFAIRS, SPY AGENCIES Thomas Manch (Post): New Zealand’s search for security as a new era of great-power competition arrives(paywalled) Thomas Manch (Post): Defence Minister Andrew Little to meet Chinese Defence Minister Li Shangfu in Singapore Alexander Gillespie (North & South): The Awkwardness of AUKUS (preview) Christine Rovoi (Stuff): Pacific takes ...
Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
5 days ago

The future of the Medium Density Residential Standards
This is a cross post by Malcom McCracken at Better things are possible. It was from between when National signalled their change in housing policy but before they announced it but highlights why the Medium Density Residential Standards are important. Yesterday, the leader of the National Party, Christopher Luxon, ...
Greater AucklandBy Matt L
5 days ago

Evaluation of GCM simulations with a regional focus.
Do the global climate models (GCMs) we use for describing future climate change really capture the change and variations in the region that we want to study? There are widely used tools for evaluating global climate models, such as the ESMValTool, but they don’t provide the answers that I ...
Real ClimateBy rasmus
6 days ago

Climate Adam: We're NOT about to pass the 1.5 degree climate change limit
This video includes conclusions of the creator climate scientist Dr. Adam Levy. It is presented to our readers as an informed perspective. Please see video description for references (if any). The world is getting hotter and the headlines are scary. So does climate change mean the world is about to pass ...
Skeptical Science
6 days ago

Climate Change: He waka eke noa is dead, hurrah!
Politik (paywalled) reports that He waka eke noa, the farmers' scam to have the rest of us subsidise their emissions forever, so they can keep on destroying the planet, is dead: Reality appears to be about to shatter Jacinda Ardern's dream that New Zealand could lead the world in ...
No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
6 days ago

Mātauranga Māori will propel Pāpāmoa school kids’ science learning (in te reo) and give lift-o...
Buzz from the Beehive Two ministerial press statements today draw attention to the Government’s incorporation of mātauranga Māori in its science policies and programmes. One of these announced the launch of the national space policy, which will oblige our space boffins to bring indigenous knowledge into their considerations. The ...
Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
6 days ago

The Stations of the Chris
The Stations of the Cross, as all of us know from our devout and Godly ways, is a series of fourteen stations that depict the final hours in the story of Christ our Lord - appearing before Pilate, shouldering the wooden cross, whistling the Monty Python tune, so on and ...
More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
6 days ago

The Stations of the Chris
The Stations of the Cross, as all of us know from our devout and Godly ways, is a series of fourteen stations that depict the final hours in the story of Christ our Lord - appearing before Pilate, shouldering the wooden cross, whistling the Monty Python tune, so on and ...
More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
6 days ago

Trivial, but telling
The Herald reports on a trivial but telling incident from Parliament: Labour Cabinet Minister Kiri Allan read the wrong speech at the third reading of a freedom camping bill in Parliament last night. She re-read almost word for word a speech given at the Self-contained Motor Vehicles Legislation bill’s ...
No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
6 days ago

BARRIE SAUNDERS: Exiting the constitutional rabbit hole
Barrie Saunders writes – Very well-intentioned politicians, judges and others have taken New Zealand down into a Treaty rabbit hole, from which few know how to exit without creating more social divisions. The modern interpretations of the Maori version of Treaty have set aside a common understanding of ...
Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
6 days ago

House prices primed to surge 10-20% if National wins
It’s like deja-vu all over again. House prices are primed to surge 10-20% soon after any clear National-ACT win on October 14. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: There are increasing signs in economists’ forecasts, auction clearance rates, migration rates, divergent tax policies and house building rates that a clear ...
The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
6 days ago

NZ Politics Daily: 31 May 2023
BILINGUAL ROAD SIGNS, TE REO MĀORI Jo Moir (Newsroom): National getting sucked into regressive race debate Glenn McConnell (Stuff): Luxon’s familiar issue: Another awkward week struggling with Māori politics Amelia Wade, Jamie Ensor and Jenna Lynch (Newshub): Watch: ‘His view’s different to mine’ – National MPs react to te reo ...
Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
6 days ago

Removing the Takanini Level Crossings
Another of the interesting items at the Auckland Transport board meeting yesterday was about the plans for removing the remaining four road level crossings on the Southern Line in Takanini at Spartan Rd, Manuroa Rd, Taka St and Walters Rd. The board were asked to approve a business case for ...
Greater AucklandBy Matt L
6 days ago

Hive Talking.
I did something yesterday that I hadn’t done in ages. Watch Oral Questions in parliament. I’m not sure what happened in all the episodes I missed, but nothing much seemed to have changed.For those unfamiliar, Question Time takes place in parliament at 2pm each Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday of the ...
Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
6 days ago

Luxon’s Lack Of Political “Muscle Memory”.
Slow Learner: Effective leaders develop a political “muscle memory” of their own. The National Party should get one.SPEAKING IN PUBLIC tops most people’s list of fearful situations. There are some careers, however, for which public fluency is a non-negotiable pre-requisite. There’s little point in pursuing an acting career, for example, ...
Bowalley Road
7 days ago

Reality shatters Ardern’s dream
Reality appears to be about to shatter Jacinda Ardern’s dream that New Zealand could lead the world in showing how to deal with farm emissions. The Government is facing a breakdown in negotiations over its much-vaunted He Waka Eke Noa deal with farmers to price greenhouse gas emissions and ...
PolitikBy Richard Harman
7 days ago

ERO Looking Into the “Emotional & Physical Safety of All Students” at Bethlehem Coll...
Hi,Webworm won a Voyager media award over the weekend for “Best Team Investigation”! This would not have been possible without readers. Without you. Thank you.Also, there’s a new Flightless Bird out today, where I look at drug rehab clinics in Florida. I talk to three former addicts, and their stories ...
David FarrierBy David Farrier
7 days ago

At a glance – How reliable are climate models?
On February 14, 2023 we announced our Rebuttal Update Project. This included an ask for feedback about the added "At a glance" section in the updated basic rebuttal versions. This weekly blog post series highlights this new section of one of the updated basic rebuttal versions and serves as a ...
Skeptical Science
1 week ago

Greens welcome Government joining the party to deal with disposable vapes
The Green Party are welcoming the Government’s announcement of regulations to curb youth vaping. ...
Greens
3 hours ago

Greens launch rental stories campaign
The Green Party are today launching a campaign asking for people to submit their stories of subpar, substandard and downright awful experiences of renting in Aotearoa. ...
Greens
12 hours ago

Greens call for cross-party support on electoral reform
The Green Party is welcoming the draft report of the Independent Electoral Review and challenging all political parties to commit to implementing its final recommendations after the 2023 general election. ...
Greens
12 hours ago

Tākuta Ferris to stand in Te Tai Tonga
Today, Te Pāti Māori announce Takuta Ferris will contest the Te Tai Tonga seat at this year’s General Election. “Takura ran for the Te Tai Tonga seat for Te Pāti Māori in 2020. It takes tremendous courage and commitment to put your hand up for another round in the ring ...
Māori Party
2 days ago

Repeating Mass Immigration Mistakes For Same Result
Focussed immigration has always been essential to our future, but New Zealanders need to be aware of the immediate dire situation our government is putting us in with a predicted record of one hundred thousand new immigrants moving to New Zealand in this year alone. That means we will have ...
NZ First Press Release
4 days ago

Heather Te-Au Skipworth to stand in the General Seat in Tukituki
Today, President of Te Pāti Māori, John Tamihere has confirmed that Heather Te-Au Skipworth will stand for Te Pāti Māori in the Tukituki electorate this election. ...
Māori Party
4 days ago

New Zealand First Secure 1800 New Frontline Police – Not Labour
During New Zealand First coalition negotiations our policy was to train and resource 1800 new frontline police. We secured this coalition policy win to ensure our streets had a police force that could tackle crime - after years of neglect. Remember those previous nine years of neglect saw a ‘tag ...
NZ First Press Release
5 days ago

STUFF's 'Fact Checking' Is Stuffed
Katie Kenny from Stuff published an article today with a lazy attempt at so-called ‘fact checking’ my recent comments on the World Health Organisation’s concerning new regulations being developed. What is most surprising is that throughout this entire ‘fact checking’ process, Kenny never once rang me asking for my side ...
NZ First Press Release
6 days ago

Greens back striking secondary teachers
The Green Party backs secondary teachers resuming strike action. ...
Greens
6 days ago

Chris Hipkins: Speech to the Labour Party Congress 2023
Chris Hipkins addressed the Labour Party Congress in Wellington. Read the Labour Leader’s speech here. ...
Labour Blog
1 week ago

National’s backtrack forces another visionless, shambolic policy
The National Party has released another confused and rushed policy that will only further worsen the inequality that is driven by unaffordable housing. ...
Greens
1 week ago

Grant Robertson: Speech to the Labour Party Congress 2023
Welcome to sunny and calm Wellington, which I know those of you who are visiting would of course expect to be the case. It’s been a busy week since we put forward the 2023 Budget. Labour MPs have been out across the motu giving the good oil on the Budget. ...
Labour Blog
1 week ago

Carmel Sepuloni: Speech to the Labour Party Congress 2023
Kia orana, Talofa lava, Mālo e lelei, Taloha ni, Fakaalofa lahi atu, Noa’ia e mauri, Ni sa bula vinaka, Kia ora, Tena Koutou Katoa. Labour Party President Jill Day, Prime Minister Hipkins, Party faithful, delegates and comrades, whānau and friends, it’s a privilege to be here today. I begin my ...
Labour Blog
1 week ago

Kelvin Davis: Speech to the Labour Party Congress 2023
One of my kaumātua up North stood before the Waitangi Tribunal and said: ‘He aha kē ahau, te tangata kore hara i mua i te Atua, e tu nei kia whakawaatia e koe, te tangata tāhae, te tangata hara, te tangata kore tikanga? Ko koe kē te tika, kia tū ...
Labour Blog
1 week ago

W.H.O. Director General Seeking Powers To Override Sovereign States
New Zealanders will be highly concerned that the World Health Organisation proposes to effectively take control of independent decision making away from sovereign countries and place control with the Director General. W.H.O International Health Regulations on future outbreaks of disease aim to give the Director General extraordinary and wide-sweeping powers. ...
NZ First Press Release
2 weeks ago

We don’t need to engineer a recession, Government can tax wealth
The Green Party is calling on the Government to take responsibility for reducing inflation by taxing wealth instead of leaving RBNZ to continue hiking the Official Cash Rate. ...
Greens
2 weeks ago

Enough posturing, let’s get on and build enough public housing
The Green Party is urging the Government to take its own advice and come up with a long-term plan to build thousands more public homes. ...
Greens
2 weeks ago

Green Party unveils its list for the 2023 election
The Green Party has released its list of candidates for the 2023 election. With a mix of familiar faces, fresh new talent, and strong tangata whenua voices, this exceptional group of candidates are ready to set the direction of the next Government. ...
Greens
2 weeks ago

Beyond the Farm Gate Lurks Separatism
Thank you for your invitation to be here, after yesterday's budget, and for the opportunity to talk with you. In the economic and social turmoil following the arrival of COVID 19 in New Zealand many concerns emerged. How would we keep our economy going and maintain our exports which are ...
NZ First Press Release
3 weeks ago

Budget 2023: More cost of living support
At the heart of Budget 2023 is a cost of living package, designed to ease the pressure on New Zealanders in the face of global inflation and the challenges of rebuilding from extreme weather events. It provides practical cost of living relief across some of the core expenses facing Kiwis ...
Labour Blog
3 weeks ago

Highlights of Budget 2023
Budget 2023 delivers practical cost of living support for New Zealanders today and makes targeted investments to build a better future. ...
Labour Blog
3 weeks ago

Greens welcome much needed investment but Labour can go further for Te Ao Māori & Pasifika in t...
Today the Green Party’s Te Mātāwaka (Māori and Pasifika) caucus supported the 2023 Budget, but there’s still room for improvement. ...
Greens
3 weeks ago

Free prescriptions important step forward
The Green Party is today welcoming free prescriptions. ...
Greens
3 weeks ago

Long-term commitment needed on public housing
Budget 2023’s investment in public housing falls short of what’s needed. ...
Greens
3 weeks ago

ECE extension Green win nearly 10 years in the making
The Green Party is today celebrating Budget 2023 funding extending free ECE to two year olds. ...
Greens
3 weeks ago

Green initiative addresses both climate and inequality
A long standing Green Party policy has been extended yet again in this year’s Budget. This will deliver warmer homes for thousands of people, lower power bills, and cut climate pollution. ...
Greens
3 weeks ago

Greens on board with more affordable buses and trains
The Green Party is fully on board with free bus and train travel for under 12s and half price travel for under 25s - next stop, free travel for all under 18s, students, and apprentices. ...
Greens
3 weeks ago

Budget 2023 falls short of what’s needed
Today’s Budget makes good progress on climate and inequality, but falls short of what’s needed to fix both. ...
Greens
3 weeks ago

Equal gender representation on public sector boards for third year in a row
Representation for women on public sector boards and committees is the highest it’s ever been with wāhine now making up 53.1 percent of public board and committee members,” Minister for Women Jan Tinetti said. Manatū Wāhine Ministry for Women’s 2022 stocktake of public sector boards and committees shows for the ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
2 hours ago

New law passes on child support to sole parents
A new law enabling sole parents on a benefit to receive child support payments for their tamariki was passed in Parliament today. “This change is estimated to lift as many as 14,000 children out of poverty and give families a median of $20 extra a week,” said Social Development and ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
3 hours ago

New moves to curb youth vaping
Crack down on disposable vapes No new vape shops near schools or marae Restricted descriptions for product flavours The Government is taking action to reduce the number of young people taking up vaping, Health Minister Dr Ayesha Verrall has announced. “Too many young people are vaping, which is why we’re ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
3 hours ago

Fiji Prime Minister Rabuka to visit New Zealand
Fiji Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka will visit New Zealand this week, Prime Minister Chris Hipkins announced today. “Prime Minister Rabuka officially visited New Zealand in 1998, over 25 years ago, and we look forward to welcoming him here once again,” Chris Hipkins said. “New Zealand and Fiji have a long ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
11 hours ago

Sports stars and administrators honoured
The King’s Birthday and Coronation Honours List 2023 includes sporting stars and administrators who reflect the best of New Zealand’s sporting community. Sir Wayne Smith has been knighted for services to rugby. Sir Wayne was Assistant Coach of the All Blacks at the 2011 and 2015 Rugby World Cups and ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
2 days ago

Kapa Haka rangatira amongst those honoured on King’s Birthday
Ehara taku toa i te toa takitahi, engari he toa taki tini ‘My success is not mine alone, but that of the people” The King’s Birthday and Coronation Honours list 2023 celebrates Māori from all walks of life, reflecting the achievements of those who have made a significant contribution to ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
2 days ago

King’s Birthday Honours recognise strength of service to NZ
The strength and diversity of service in New Zealand is a standout feature of today’s King’s Birthday and Coronation Honours list, Prime Minister Chris Hipkins said. “Each of today’s 182 recipients has contributed individually to our country. Viewed collectively, their efforts reflect an overwhelming commitment to service.” Chris Hipkins said. ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
2 days ago

Closer defence cooperation between New Zealand and Japan
The Defence Ministers of New Zealand and Japan have signed a statement of intent for closer defence cooperation between the two Pacific regional partners. Andrew Little and H. E. Yasukazu Hamada met to sign the ‘Statement of Intent on Defence Cooperation in Maritime Security, Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief and ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
2 days ago

SPEECH: To the IISS Shangri-La Dialogue 2023 by the Honourable Andrew Little MP, New Zealand Ministe...
New Zealand’s most recent defence assessment identified climate change and geostrategic competition as the two greatest security challenges to our place in the South Pacific. To the first issue, partners engaging and re-engaging with Pacific Island Countries are finding that climate change is a security and existential threat in our ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
4 days ago

Govt supporting more rangatahi into training and employment opportunities
The government is continuing to support rangatahi in providing more funding into Maori Trades training and new He Poutama Rangatahi programmes across Aotearoa. “We’re backing 30 new by Māori for Māori Kaupapa employment and training programmes, which will help iwi into sustainable employment or progress within their chosen careers” says ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
4 days ago

Energy self-sufficient marae reopens with support of Government investment
Murihiku Marae was officially reopened today, setting a gold standard in sustainable building practices as well as social outcomes for the people of Waihōpai Invercargill, Regional Development Minister Kiri Allan says. “The marae has been a central hub for this community since the 1980’s. With the support of $9.65 million ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
4 days ago

First major Whangārei public housing project in a generation complete
The first major public housing development in Whangārei for decades has reached completion, with 37 new homes opened in the suburb of Maunu today. The project on Tapatahi Crescent and Puriri Park Road, consists of 15 one-bedroom, 4 two-bedroom, 7 three-bedroom, 8 four-bedroom and 3 five-bedroom homes, as well as ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
4 days ago

Trade Minister to represent New Zealand trade interests abroad
Trade and Export Growth Minister Damen O’Connor will depart tomorrow for London to represent New Zealand at the Commonwealth Trade Ministers’ Meeting and then to Paris to vice-chair the OECD Ministerial Council Meeting. “My travel to the United Kingdom is well-timed, with the United Kingdom Free Trade Agreement (UK FTA) ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
4 days ago

Bill to boost national fuel resiliency introduced
The Fuel Industry (Improving Fuel Resilience) Amendment Bill would: boost New Zealand’s fuel supply resilience and economic security enable the minimum stockholding obligation regulations to be adapted as the energy and transport environment evolves. “Last November, I announced a six-point plan to improve the resiliency of our fuel supply from ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
5 days ago

Faster ACC payment top-ups and fairer system
The Government is making sure those on low incomes will no longer have to wait five weeks to get the minimum weekly rate of ACC, and improving the data collected to make the system fairer, Minister for ACC Peeni Henare said today. The Accident Compensation (Access Reporting and Other Matters) ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
5 days ago

Compulsory code of conduct for school boards introduced
A compulsory code of conduct will ensure school board members are crystal clear on their responsibilities and expected standard of behaviour, Minister of Education Jan Tinetti said. It’s the first time a compulsory code of conduct has been published for state and state-integrated school boards and comes into effect on ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
5 days ago

Speech to the New Zealand Federation of Commercial Fishermen annual conference.
Tena koutou katoa and thank you, Mayor Nadine Taylor, for your welcome to Marlborough. Thanks also Doug Saunders-Loder and all of you for inviting me to your annual conference. As you might know, I’m quite new to this job – and I’m particularly pleased that the first organisation I’m giving a ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
5 days ago

Govt to support councils with buyout and better protection of cyclone and flood affected properties
The Government will enter into a funding arrangement with councils in cyclone and flood affected regions to support them to offer a voluntary buyout for owners of Category 3 designated residential properties. It will also co-fund work needed to protect Category 2 designated properties. “From the beginning of this process ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
5 days ago

Government delivers changes to reduce pokies harm
The Government has announced changes to strengthen requirements in venues with pokie (gambling) machines will come into effect from 15 June. “Pokies are one of the most harmful forms of gambling. They can have a detrimental impact on individuals, their friends, whānau and communities,” Internal Affairs Minister Barbara Edmonds said. ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
5 days ago

Government delivers 1800 additional frontline Police
The total Police workforce is now the largest it has ever been. Police constabulary stands at 10,700 officers – an increase of 21% since 2017 Māori officers have increased 40%, Pasifika 83%, Asian 157%, Women 61% Every district has got more Police under this Government The Government has delivered on ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
5 days ago

Minister Mahuta talks Pacific ambitions at the first Korea-Pacific Leaders’ summit
Minister of Foreign Affairs, Hon Nanaia Mahuta met with Korea President Yoon, as well as Pacific Islands Forum Secretary General Henry Puna, during her recent visit to Korea. “It was an honour to represent Aotearoa New Zealand at the first Korea – Pacific Leaders’ Summit. We discussed Pacific ambitions under the ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
5 days ago

Government drives $2 billion of business research and development
The Government’s Research and Development Tax Incentive has supported more than $2 billion of New Zealand business innovation – an increase of around $1 billion in less than nine months. "Research and innovation are essential in helping us meet the biggest challenges and seize opportunities facing New Zealand. It’s fantastic ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
6 days ago

Achieving lift off: National Space Policy launched
The next ‘giant leap’ in New Zealand’s space journey has been taken today with the launch of the National Space Policy, Economic Development Minister Barbara Edmonds announced. “Our space sector is growing rapidly. Each year New Zealand is becoming a more and more attractive place for launches, manufacturing space-related technology ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
6 days ago

New science and creative technologies wharekura announced
A new Year 7-13 designated character wharekura will be built in Pāpāmoa, Associate Minister of Education Kelvin Davis has announced. The wharekura will focus on science, mathematics and creative technologies while connecting ākonga to the whakapapa of the area. The decision follows an application by the Ngā Pōtiki ā Tamapahore ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
6 days ago

Freedom Camping changes a win for the environment
Protecting the environment by establishing a stronger, more consistent system for freedom camping Supporting councils to better manage freedom camping in their region and reduce the financial and social impacts on communities Ensuring that self-contained vehicle owners have time to prepare for the new system The Self-Contained Motor Vehicle ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
6 days ago

Speeding up the family court, reducing stress on families
A new law passed last night could see up to 25 percent of Family Court judges’ workload freed up in order to reduce delays, Minister of Justice Kiri Allan said. The Family Court (Family Court Associates) Legislation Bill will establish a new role known as the Family Court Associate. The ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
6 days ago

UK FTA delivers benefits from today
New Zealand businesses will begin reaping the rewards of our gold-standard free trade agreement with the United Kingdom (UK FTA) from today. “The New Zealand UK FTA enters into force from today, and is one of the seven new or upgraded Free Trade Agreements negotiated by Labour to date,” Prime ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
7 days ago

Next steps to reform outdated surrogacy law
The Government will reform outdated surrogacy laws to improve the experiences of children, surrogates, and the growing number of families formed through surrogacy, by adopting Labour MP Tāmati Coffey’s Member’s Bill as a Government Bill, Minister Kiri Allan has announced. “Surrogacy has become an established method of forming a family ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
1 week ago

Defence Minister to attend Shangri-La Dialogue
Defence Minister Andrew Little departs for Singapore tomorrow to attend the 20th annual Shangri-La Dialogue for Defence Ministers from the Indo-Pacific region. “Shangri-La brings together many countries to speak frankly and express views about defence issues that could affect us all,” Andrew Little said. “New Zealand is a long-standing participant ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
1 week ago

New Zealand–China science relationship affirmed
Research, Science and Innovation Minister Dr Ayesha Verrall and the Chinese Minister of Science and Technology Wang Zhigang met in Wellington today and affirmed the two countries’ long-standing science relationship. Minister Wang was in New Zealand for the 6th New Zealand-China Joint Commission Meeting on Science and Technology Cooperation. Following ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
1 week ago

Supporting a strong future for screen sector
5 percent uplift clearer and simpler to navigate Domestic productions can access more funding sources 20 percent rebate confirmed for post-production, digital and visual effects Qualifying expenditure for post-production, digital and visual effects rebate dropped to $250,000 to encourage more smaller productions The Government is making it easier for the ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
1 week ago

Minister Sepuloni to attend 61st Anniversary of Samoa’s Independence
Deputy Prime Minister and Associate Minister of Foreign Affairs (Pacific Region) Carmel Sepuloni will represent New Zealand at Samoa’s 61st Anniversary of Independence commemorations in Apia. “Aotearoa New Zealand is pleased to share in this significant occasion, alongside other invited Pacific leaders, and congratulates Samoa on the milestone of 61 ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
1 week ago

Govt backs retailers with expansion of fog cannon programme
The Government is continuing to support retailers with additional funding for the highly popular Fog Cannon Subsidy Scheme, Police and Small Business Minister Ginny Andersen announced today. “The Government is committed to improving retailers’ safety,” Ginny Andersen said. “I’ve seen first-hand the difference fog cannons are making. Not only do ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
1 week ago

Government will consider recommendations of Intelligence and Security Act review
The Government has received the first independent review of the Intelligence and Security Act 2017, Prime Minister Chris Hipkins says. The review, considered by the Parliamentary Intelligence and Security Committee, was presented to the House of Representatives today. “Ensuring the safety and security of New Zealanders is of the utmost ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
1 week ago

Govt expresses condolences on the passing of HRH Princess Sui’ilikutapu
Prime Minister Chris Hipkins has expressed condolences on behalf of New Zealand to the Kingdom of Tonga following the death of Her Royal Highness Princess Mele Siu’ilikutapu Kalaniuvalu Fotofili. “New Zealand sends it’s heartfelt condolences to the people of Tonga, and to His Majesty King Tupou VI at this time ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
1 week ago

Govt expresses condolences on the passing of HRH Princess Siu’ilikutapu
Prime Minister Chris Hipkins has expressed condolences on behalf of New Zealand to the Kingdom of Tonga following the death of Her Royal Highness Princess Mele Siu’ilikutapu Kalaniuvalu Fotofili. “New Zealand sends it’s heartfelt condolences to the people of Tonga, and to His Majesty King Tupou VI at this time ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
1 week ago

Security support to Solomon Islands extended
Defence Minister Andrew Little and Foreign Affairs Minister Nanaia Mahuta have today announced the extension of the New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) deployment to Solomon Islands, as part of the regionally-led Solomon Islands International Assistance Force (SIAF). “Aotearoa New Zealand has a long history of working alongside the Royal Solomon ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
1 week ago

Minister Mahuta to attend the first Korea-Pacific Leaders’ Summit
Foreign Affairs Minister Nanaia Mahuta will travel to the Republic of Korea today to attend the Korea–Pacific Leaders’ Summit in Seoul and Busan. “Korea is an important partner for Aotearoa New Zealand and the Pacific region. I am eager for the opportunity to meet and discuss issues that matter to our ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
1 week ago

Agreement between Indo-Pacific partners for supply chain resilience
Trade and Export Growth Minister Damien O’Connor joined ministerial representatives at a meeting in Detroit, USA today to announce substantial conclusion of negotiations of a new regional supply chains agreement among 14 Indo-Pacific countries. The Supply Chains agreement is one of four pillars being negotiated within the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
1 week ago

Celebrating Samoa Language Week 2023
Our most spoken Pacific language is taking centre stage this week with Vaiaso o le Gagana Samoa – Samoa Language Week kicking off around the country. “Understanding and using the Samoan language across our nation is vital to its survival,” Barbara Edmonds said. “The Samoan population in New Zealand are ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
1 week ago

Maxim Insitute Rejects Calls To Lower Voting Age
Maxim Institute respectfully disagrees with He Arotake Potitanga Motuhake – Independent Electoral Review’s interim report insofar as it advocates for lowering the minimum voting age from 18 to 16 years. There are indeed many decisions made by Parliament ...
Scoop politics
54 mins ago

PM stung by his own team falling short
The political radar has been switched off for some in Labour and it's Chris Hipkins’ political capital taking the hit, writes political editor Jo Moir Comment: Even if the Prime Minister had wanted to act quickly to deal with his Transport Minister’s conflicts of interest, he couldn’t because he was ...
Newsroom
1 hour ago

'No time to waste' dropping voting age to 16 – campaigners
A group campaigning to lower the voting age to 16 has been vindicated by an expert review of electoral laws. ...
Radio NZ – political
1 hour ago

Wood had been reminded to dispose of shares ‘half a dozen’ times – PM
The prime minister has faced further questions on Michael Wood’s failure to properly disclose his Auckland Airport shares, saying the transport minister himself “didn’t really have an adequate explanation” for the oversight. Speaking at this afternoon’s post-cabinet press conference, Chris Hipkins said he trusted that Wood, who was earlier today ...
The SpinoffBy Alice Neville
2 hours ago

West Papuan ‘provisional’ government backs full membership of MSG
Asia Pacific Report The self-styled provisional government of the United Liberation Movement of West Papua“with the people” of the Melanesian region have declared political support for full West Papuan membership of the Melanesian Spearhead Group (MSG). In a statement issued in the Vanuatu capital of Port Vila after a meeting ...
Evening ReportBy Asia Pacific Report
3 hours ago

Does competition make us less moral? New research says yes, but only a little bit
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ozan Isler, Research Fellow, School of Economics, The University of Queensland Bao Truong / Unsplash Many of our economic and even social interactions are competitive. We use markets to find jobs, but also dates. What does this mean for our ...
Evening ReportBy The Conversation
3 hours ago

Crackdown on disposable vapes and vape shops near schools announced
The government has announced new vaping restrictions aimed at reducing the number of young people who take up the habit, with a crackdown on cheap disposable vapes, bans on new vape shops near schools and rules around how vaping products can be named. “From August this year, all vaping devices ...
The SpinoffBy Alice Neville
3 hours ago

Crackdown on disposable vapes and vape shops near schools announced
The government has announced new vaping restrictions aimed at reducing the number of young people who take up the habit, with a crackdown on cheap disposable vapes, bans on new vape shops near schools and rules around how vaping products can be named. “From August this year, all vaping devices ...
The SpinoffBy Alice Neville
3 hours ago

Watch: Prime Minister Chris Hipkins, Health Minister Ayesha Verrall speak at post-Cabinet press conf...
The Prime Minister and Health Minister have announced changes to vaping products to try to reduce the number of young people taking it up. ...
Radio NZ – political
3 hours ago

Three shows you should see at this year’s Pacific Dance Festival
The traditional and contemporary intertwine at the first Pacific Dance Festival in three years. After a pandemic-induced absence of three years, Pacific Dance New Zealand’s annual Pacific Dance Festival has returned to Auckland. Opening the three week-long festival last week was Manu Malo by Aloali’i Tapu, with the highly anticipated ...
The SpinoffBy Sela Jane Hopgood
3 hours ago

Three shows you should see at this year’s Pacific Dance Festival
The traditional and contemporary intertwine at the first Pacific Dance Festival in three years. After a pandemic-induced absence of three years, Pacific Dance New Zealand’s annual Pacific Dance Festival has returned to Auckland. Opening the three week-long festival last week was Manu Malo by Aloali’i Tapu, with the highly anticipated ...
The SpinoffBy Sela Jane Hopgood
3 hours ago

Knighthood A Very Special Day For Ngati Porou
“A very special day for Ngati Porou”, was the reaction of Rei Kohere, Deputy Chairman of Te Runanganui o Ngati Porou, on the announcement of the Knighthood bestowed on Selwyn Tanetoa Parata in this year’s King’s Birthday honours. “The KCNZM, ...
Scoop politics
4 hours ago

Strengthening Relations With Thailand
A visit by officials from the Thai Office of Narcotics Control Board (ONCB) is being welcomed as an opportunity to strengthen a key bilateral relationship and support ongoing work to combat the illicit transnational narcotics trade in the Asia-Pacific ...
Scoop politics
4 hours ago

How India’s ‘slum-free’ redevelopment fails residents by ignoring their design insights and ne...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kali Marnane, Honorary Associate Lecturer in Architecture and Urban Design, The University of Queensland Kali Marnane (2023), Author provided I’m in Ahmedabad, India, standing where families once built their homes under the shade of large trees. Today, those houses are ...
Evening ReportBy The Conversation
4 hours ago

Housing and heritage don’t have to be mutually exclusive
How a few basic rules can help get the balance right. Anyone trying to follow the latest political debate over housing, urban intensification and development can be forgiven for feeling confused. The National Party’s newly announced housing policy would allow local councils to opt out of the Medium ...
The SpinoffBy Alexander Gillespie
4 hours ago

Housing and heritage don’t have to be mutually exclusive
How a few basic rules can help get the balance right. Anyone trying to follow the latest political debate over housing, urban intensification and development can be forgiven for feeling confused. The National Party’s newly announced housing policy would allow local councils to opt out of the Medium ...
The SpinoffBy Alexander Gillespie
4 hours ago

Major new research claims smaller-brained _Homo naledi_ made rock art and buried the dead. But the e...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michael Petraglia, Director, Australian Research Centre for Human Evolution, Griffith University Wikimedia, CC BY-SA On September 13 2013, speleologists Rick Hunter and Steven Tucker descended deep into South Africa’s Rising Star cave system and discovered the first evidence of an ...
Evening ReportBy The Conversation
4 hours ago

Wood speaks on losing transport role, Hipkins questioned in house
A key reason for standing down Michael Wood as transport minister was the fact he had told the Cabinet Office his shares in Auckland Airport would be sold, but then they weren’t, Chris Hipkins has said. On his way to question time in parliament this afternoon, soon after he announced ...
The SpinoffBy Alice Neville
4 hours ago

Wood speaks on losing transport role, Hipkins questioned in house
A key reason for standing down Michael Wood as transport minister was the fact he had told the Cabinet Office his shares in Auckland Airport would be sold, but then they weren’t, Chris Hipkins has said. On his way to question time in parliament this afternoon, soon after he announced ...
The SpinoffBy Alice Neville
4 hours ago

Building activity produces 18% of emissions and a shocking 40% of our landfill waste. We must move t...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By M. Reza Hosseini, Senior Lecturer in Construction, Deputy Director, Mediated Intelligence in Design (MInD) Research Lab, Deakin University Shutterstock Architecture, engineering and construction employ 1.2 million people in Australia and account for 9% of GDP. But our biggest services sector ...
Evening ReportBy The Conversation
4 hours ago

Controversial Wongan Hills Feedlot Development Cancelled
SAFE has been notified today that the resource consent application to build four composting barns/feedlots in Kaituna Valley has been withdrawn. The feedlots would have confined 2,200 cows permanently indoors. The controversial proposal faced substantial ...
Scoop politics
4 hours ago

Rich Countries’ Continued Failure To Honour Their Climate Finance Promise Threatens Undermines Cli...
New Zealand still has much more to do to support poorer countries adapt and respond to the climate crisis. Oxfam Aotearoa’s Climate Justice Lead Nick Henry said: “Oxfam’s report reveals that as governments around the world begin negotiations of a new global ...
Scoop politics
4 hours ago

How fudgeywudgeychef mastered the art of chaotic TikTok cooking content
Step aside perfect-looking food content, there’s a new chef in town. Charlotte Muru-Lanning meets fudgeywudgeychef, the Auckland TikTok creator bringing an eccentric edge to cooking videos. This is an excerpt from our weekly food newsletter, The Boil Up. Whenever social media purports to shed its softly-lit, idealised vision of what food, ...
The SpinoffBy Charlotte Muru-Lanning
5 hours ago

The King's Birthday And Coronation Honours List 2023
...
Scoop politics
5 hours ago

Michael Wood stood down as transport minister over airport shares controversy
Michael Wood has been stood down as transport minister after it was revealed he had not properly disclosed owning shares in Auckland Airport. “This morning I spoke with Michael Wood and advised him that he will be stood down as transport minister while any remaining issues around his conflicts are ...
The SpinoffBy Alice Neville
5 hours ago

Transport Minister Michael Wood stood down after airport shares controversy
Michael Wood has been stood down as Transport Minister while any remaining issues around his conflicts are resolved. ...
Radio NZ – political
5 hours ago

PM to update on transport minister’s airport shares controversy this afternoon
Chris Hipkins had yet to decide on the future of transport minister Michael Wood at this morning’s caucus run, after it was revealed Wood had failed to properly disclose shares he owned in Auckland Airport. At the Beehive, the prime minister told media he still hadn’t had a chance to ...
The SpinoffBy Alice Neville
6 hours ago

Housing and heritage aren’t mutually exclusive – a few basic rules can help get the balance righ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Alexander Gillespie, Professor of Law, University of Waikato Getty Images Anyone trying to follow the latest political debate over housing, urban intensification and development can be forgiven for feeling confused. The National Party’s newly announced housing policy would allow local ...
Evening ReportBy The Conversation
6 hours ago

Kathleen Folbigg is free. But people pardoned and exonerated of crimes face unique challenges when r...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Hayley Cullen, Associate lecturer, University of Newcastle In 2003, Kathleen Folbigg was convicted of killing her four children. She has now been released from prison, 20 years later, after being pardoned by the Attorney General of New South Wales. While Folbigg ...
Evening ReportBy The Conversation
6 hours ago

DIA Warns Scammers Over ‘toll’ Scam
Stop what you’re doing and hand yourself in, is the message to scammers responsible for the ‘toll’ scam, from Te Tari Taiwhenua, Department of Internal Affairs (DIA). The ‘NZTA toll’ phishing scam has been circulating Aotearoa New Zealand since ...
Scoop politics
7 hours ago

Wellington wins global prize and funding for cycleways
Wellington has won $650,000 to put towards its rapid bike lane rollout, securing a spot alongside nine other cities on the Bloomberg Initiative for Cycling Infrastructure. Announced late last week, the prize recognises the capital’s Paneke Pōneke bike network plan, which is in the process of increasing 23km of cycleways ...
The SpinoffBy Alice Neville
7 hours ago

Climate-related disasters leave behind trauma and worse mental health. Housing uncertainty is a majo...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ang Li, Research Fellow, NHMRC Centre of Research Excellence in Healthy Housing, Centre for Health Policy, Melbourne School of Population and Global Health, The University of Melbourne Australia, the world’s driest inhabited continent, is particularly vulnerable to climate-related disasters such as droughts, ...
Evening ReportBy The Conversation
7 hours ago

The graphs that show why Police Ten 7 had to go
TVNZ says Police Ten 7 was ‘reflective of the reality of patterns of crime and offending in Aotearoa’. This analysis found otherwise. When TVNZ cancelled reality TV show Police Ten 7 earlier this year, it certainly rattled some law-and-order cages. The show’s former host Graham Bell, who described suspects variously ...
The SpinoffBy Antje Deckert
7 hours ago

Alternative Budget Group Publishes Two Budgets That Avoid Wayne Brown’s ‘Slash And Burn’ Propo...
The group A Better Budget for Auckland, which published an alternative budget for Auckland Council in March, has released two new alternative budgets for councillors that it says will not “slash and burn” services and assets. A Better Budget for ...
Scoop politics
7 hours ago

Party Urges Voters To Put Candidates On The Spot On Women’s Rights
It is Election season and candidates are out on the hustings seeking votes. The Women’s Rights Party is urging voters to turn up to their local election campaign meetings and ask candidates where they stand on issues that affect women’s rights. ...
Scoop politics
7 hours ago

Expert Independent Electoral Law Review Joins Chorus Of Calls Saying The Voting Age Must Be Lowered ...
Today (Tuesday 6 June 2023) the Independent Electoral Law Review, made up of independent experts in New Zealand’s election system, recommended in its interim report that the voting age be lowered to 16. This comes just two weeks after Parliament’s Justice ...
Scoop politics
7 hours ago

Rt Hon Winston Peters – Latest Electoral Review: More Dangerous Woke Nonsense
The Independent Electoral Review out today has included a recommendation to ‘affect the Treaty of Waitangi and its Principles’ and make it one of the Act’s ‘explicit objectives’. What ‘principles’ are they talking about ...
Scoop politics
7 hours ago

The Opportunities Party Calls For A Referendum To Lower The MMP Threshold
Today, the Independent Electoral Review released its interim report which proposes several key updates to the Electoral Act, with a strong focus on enhancing fairness in the electoral system. The Opportunities Party (TOP) is happy to see that many ...
Scoop politics
8 hours ago

Greens urge tenants to share stories to bolster tenancy reform
The Green Party hopes its campaign targeted at renters who have endured substandard accommodation will open the eyes of some MPs. ...
Radio NZ – political
8 hours ago

The race to stop the spread of myrtle rust and save some of our most iconic plants
This invasive fungal pathogen is decimating forests – but research and field trials offer hope. This is an excerpt from our weekly environmental newsletter Future Proof brought to you by Electric Kiwi – sign up here. It’s been six years since myrtle rust was first detected in mainland New Zealand, after ...
The SpinoffBy Ellen Rykers
8 hours ago

The cost of Auckland growing up
Aucklanders have been paying the costs of a city sprawl built for cars for too long. The council’s new Future Development Strategy proposes that the city slows its spread and focuses on growing in existing urban areas.  There’s one tall building that defines Auckland. It looks like a needle, and ...
The SpinoffBy Gabi Lardies
8 hours ago

Government ministry blocks AI technology from staff use
The Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment has banned staff from using artificial intelligence technology such as ChatGPT - citing data and privacy risks. ...
Radio NZ – political
9 hours ago

Independent Electoral Review Releases Interim Report To Make Our Electoral System Fairer, Clearer, A...
The Independent Electoral Review Panel has published its draft recommendations focused on ensuring our electoral system is fairer, clearer, and more accessible so that as many people as possible can take part. The draft recommendations address important ...
Scoop politics
9 hours ago

Te Tai Tokerau Political Candidacy
...
Scoop politics
9 hours ago

Geoffrey Miller’s Political Roundup: How fake AI images could stoke tensions in the Indo-Pacific
Analysis by Geoffrey Miller. Seeing is no longer believing. Image via Wikimedia, by David S. Soriano. Surprisingly realistic – yet fake – images created by Artificial Intelligence (AI) are here. To date, most have seemed more like curiosities than genuine deception attempts. Last month, it was revealed that New Zealand’s ...
Evening ReportBy Bryce Edwards
10 hours ago

Further conversation to be had with transport minister about airport shares, PM says
Prime Minister Chris Hipkins says he is yet to have the chance to get any detail on the controversy surrounding Michael Wood's shares in Auckland Airport. ...
Radio NZ – political
10 hours ago

Newsletter: June 06 2023 – Items of interest and importance today
New Zealand Politics Daily is a collation of the most prominent issues being discussed in New Zealand. It is edited by Dr Bryce Edwards of The Democracy Project. Today’s content ELECTION, PARLIAMENT Matthew Hooton (Patreon): Labour will regret hatchet job on contraception Tracy Watkins (Stuff): How low will this election campaign go? Fran ...
Evening ReportBy Bryce Edwards
10 hours ago

The Bulletin: Fijian PM visiting New Zealand, Hipkins offered chance to meet Zelensky
Fiji’s new prime minister Sitiveni Rabuka has arrived in the country and will spend Wednesday in Wellington where he’ll meet with prime minister Chris Hipkins, foreign affairs minister Nanaia Mahuta and minister for climate change James Shaw. Rabuka became prime minister last year after a tumultuous election, where his party People’s Alliance ...
The SpinoffBy Anna Rawhiti-Connell
10 hours ago

The cost of being: A solo mother in small-town Taranaki
As part of our series exploring how New Zealanders live and our relationship with money, a photographer tells us how she supports herself and three children on a freelance income. Want to contribute? Send us an email briefly describing your situation at [email protected] Gender: Female Age: 42 Ethnicity: NZ Pākehā ...
The SpinoffBy The Cost of Being
10 hours ago

Make it 16 group calls for support over voting age change
The Make it 16 group has welcomed a review of our electoral laws that suggested lowering the voting age. It was part of a swathe of initial recommendations made by the panel, ahead of further public consultation. Read all the top lines from the review here. In a statement, Make ...
The SpinoffBy Stewart Sowman-Lund
10 hours ago

The world’s first flowers were pollinated by insects
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ruby E. Stephens, PhD Candidate, School of Natural Sciences, Macquarie University Ruby E Stephens, Author provided Plants existed on Earth for hundreds of millions of years before the first flowers bloomed. But when flowering plants did evolve, more than 140 ...
Evening ReportBy The Conversation
11 hours ago

‘Too small and carefree’: endangered animals released into the wild may lack the match-fitness t...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Natasha Harrison, PhD Candidate, The University of Western Australia Breeding threatened mammals in fenced, predator-free areas is a common conservation strategy in Australia. The method is designed to protect vulnerable species and breed animals for release into the wild. But our research ...
Evening ReportBy The Conversation
11 hours ago

Hidden carbon: Fungi and their ‘necromass’ absorb one-third of the carbon emitted by burning fos...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Adam Frew, Lecturer and ARC DECRA Fellow, Western Sydney University Mycorrhizal fungi growing with a plant root Dr Yoshihiro Kobae, Author provided Beneath our feet, remarkable networks of fungal filaments stretch out in all directions. These mycorrhizal fungi live in partnership ...
Evening ReportBy The Conversation
11 hours ago

Australian students in rural areas are not ‘behind’ their city peers because of socioeconomic st...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Philip Roberts, Associate professor (Curriculum Inquiry / Rural Education), University of Canberra Shutterstock Major international and national tests show rural students, on average, do not do as well at school as their city peers. This includes lower scores on ...
Evening ReportBy The Conversation
11 hours ago

Labor plans to stamp out the exploitation of migrant workers, but it won’t succeed until we treat ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Brendan Coates, Program Director, Economic Policy, Grattan Institute Shutterstock The exploitation of migrants is widespread in Australia. Our recent report for the Grattan Institute, Short-changed, found that as many as one in six migrant workers are paid less than the ...
Evening ReportBy The Conversation
11 hours ago

From being mildly late to sucking on people’s tears – what is a ‘beige flag’ on TikTok?
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Lisa Portolan, PhD student, Institute for Culture and Society, Western Sydney University TikTok TikTok is one of the most prevalent social media platforms for trend-setting and trend-spotting – particularly within the relationship space. From trends and concepts like #DatingStoryTime to ...
Evening ReportBy The Conversation
11 hours ago

‘I don’t have all the facts’: PM not ready to make call on Michael Wood over airport shares
We’re back after a long weekend and what a morning of news we have today. Another senior MP could end up before the privileges committee and a major review of our electoral laws has recommended changes, including the lowering of the voting age. We’ll start with the former. The Herald ...
The SpinoffBy Stewart Sowman-Lund
11 hours ago

Major changes proposed for our elections
The voting age should be 16, we should have a referendum on extending the parliamentary term and donations to parties should be capped, says the interim report from the Independent Electoral Review, writes Anna Rawhiti-Connell in this excerpt from The Bulletin, The Spinoff’s morning news round-up. To receive The Bulletin ...
The SpinoffBy Anna Rawhiti-Connell
11 hours ago

ACT preens as party in waiting ahead of Election 2023
Power Play - ACT Party leader David Seymour will be patting himself on the back after a sell-out annual conference in central Auckland this weekend. ...
Radio NZ – political
13 hours ago

ACT preens as party in waiting ahead of Election 2023
Power Play - ACT Party leader David Seymour will be patting himself on the back after a sell-out annual conference in central Auckland this weekend. ...
Radio NZ – political
13 hours ago

Electoral system review recommends voting age lowered to 16, party threshold to 3.5%
The independent panel of legal experts which considered public submissions on electoral law also recommended a referendum on a longer Parliamentary term. ...
Radio NZ – political
14 hours ago

Make it 16, and make it 3.5% – the big calls from the electoral review
From voting age to thresholds, from term lengths to coat-tails, the Independent Electoral Review has come in hot in its interim report. Just over a year ago, an independent panel of experts was tasked with a wide-ranging review of New Zealand electoral law – nothing less than a “once-in-a generation ...
The SpinoffBy Toby Manhire
14 hours ago

The case for privatising sperm donation
Overly tight regulation is hurting hundreds of New Zealanders who want a baby but can’t have one the old-fashioned way, argues Amber Older. Deafening silence. Awfully good. Bittersweet. Who doesn’t love an oxymoron? Here’s another one: sperm shortage. Come again? Come again, indeed. And again, and again, while you’re at ...
The SpinoffBy Amber Older
14 hours ago

Self-portrait: Hira Nathan, gratefully
The man behind the number one bestselling gratitude journal tells his story The practice of gratitude didn’t enter my life like a white feather floating peacefully to earth to spread joy and happiness. It was more like a bull forcing the matador to respect it. I was born in ...
Newsroom
14 hours ago

Ruapehu hapū warn Govt against selling ski fields without asking Māori
Descendants of war chief Te Peehi Tūroa vow to fight a sell-off to corporate raiders ...
Newsroom
14 hours ago

US debt decision lifts markets, but job numbers remain key
Wage growth and tight labour markets in the US are making it increasingly likely the Federal Reserve will raise interest rates in June ...
Newsroom
14 hours ago

For small Māori business, together is stronger
Developing a supplier relationship with a $3.7 billion NZX-listed company like Spark as a small Māori business owner can be daunting, but with te ao Māori values at the heart of the relationship, Thomas Netana Wright tells Newsroom how he did it | Content Partnership When indigenous chocolatier Thomas ...
Newsroom
14 hours ago

Counting the benefits of big events
Promises of a huge global television audience, a boost for the profile of women's football, and big spending by fans descending on New Zealand – but do forecasts about the economic benefits of big events actually add up? The FIFA Women's World Cup kicks off here and in Australia from ...
Newsroom
14 hours ago

Electoral review recommends 3.5% threshold, voting age of 16
An independent review of New Zealand's electoral system has concluded a major shake-up of MMP is needed to ensure a fairer and more accessible democracy, Marc Daalder reports In a new draft report, the Independent Electoral Review has recommended wide-ranging changes to the electoral system. If all of the recommendations were ...
Newsroom
14 hours ago

It's crunch time: we need an Auckland digital twin
A full, live, digital replica of the city’s infrastructure is essential for future decision-making and public engagement, says a coalition of Auckland experts. ...
Newsroom
14 hours ago

Alpine Fault quake is coming, ready or not
Inhabitants of the shakiest part of Aotearoa’s shaky isles are readier than ever for the overdue big one West Coasters turned out in their hundreds this week to hear scientists remind them they face disaster when the Alpine Fault decides to rearrange the scenery. The AF8 roadshow has just completed ...
Newsroom
14 hours ago

On the housing crisis Labour and National need to grow up (and grow out)
If housing is ever to be affordable, Labour and Nats must allow cities to grow up, and grow out ...
Newsroom
14 hours ago

Environment Minister wades into river battle
David Parker intervenes in a court case over a water conservation order ...
Newsroom
14 hours ago

Edwards back following that black line in the pool
Swimmer Chelsey Edwards nearly gave the sport away twice, but with help from a pyschologist and a new training environment she's back competing for NZ Just weeks after moving cities for a new training environment, Aquablack Chelsey Edwards is off to her third World Aquatics swimming championships, in Japan, after being ...
Newsroom
14 hours ago

Newsroom daily quiz, Tuesday 6 June
Loading...(function(i,s,o,g,r,a,m){var ql=document.querySelectorAll('A[quiz],DIV[quiz],A[data-quiz],DIV[data-quiz]'); if(ql){if(ql.length){for(var k=0;k<ql.length;k++){ql[k].id='quiz-embed-'+k;ql[k].href="javascript:var i=document.getElementById('quiz-embed-"+k+"');try{qz.startQuiz(i)}catch(e){i.start=1;i.style.cursor='wait';i.style.opacity='0.5'};void(0);"}}};i['QP']=r;i[r]=i[r]||function(){(i[r].q=i[r].q||[]).push(arguments)},i[r].l=1*new Date();a=s.createElement(o),m=s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];a.async=1;a.src=g;m.parentNode.insertBefore(a,m)})(window,document,'script','https://take.quiz-maker.com/3012/CDN/quiz-embed-v1.js','qp'); Got a good quiz question? Send Newsroom your questions. ...
Newsroom
15 hours ago

National intends to sell another strategic asset

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