National wants there to be no unions

Written By: - Date published: 9:06 am, November 30th, 2018 - 76 comments
Categories: capitalism, class war, national, same old national, Unions, workers' rights, you couldn't make this shit up - Tags:

Dan Bidois this week in Parliament confirmed what we have always known, that National want there to be no unions around.  From Hansard:

We need a flexible employment framework for New Zealand’s future. We need unions that really—quite frankly, the New Zealand public have voted with their feet overwhelmingly in favour of no unions, and the employment framework that we want to see, on this side of the House, is a place where no unions are around, where in fact the power is given to the workers of New Zealand rather than to the unions.

National’s obsession with unions is difficult to understand.  The good old days when the Engineers union or the Boilermakers Union could shut down a site at will and did so regularly are long gone. Things have changed that dramatically that the middle class unions like the various Teachers unions and the PSA are now among the strongest.

But National would prefer a union movement that was that weak it could then discard it.

Their crocodile tears about workers rights and being empowered are so transparent.  They are not interested in the rights of workers.  If they were they would not have led the wholesale attack on wages and conditions that they have engaged in since 1990.

Bidois’s honesty was refreshing.  But his willingness to engage in Trump like rhetoric against the Union movement is of deep concern.

76 comments on “National wants there to be no unions ”

  1. millsy 1

    As I said before, don’t be surprised if measures to outlaw trade unions are in Nationals 2020 manifesto.

  2. Michelle 2

    He (Bidios) wont last long he is wet behind the ears and the fact he is a Maori he should be ashamed advocating for individualism and not supporting collectivism does he want to see more people homeless and living on the bread line.

    • tc 2.1

      Ideal national party material. Ticks the ethnicity box whilst smashing unions.

    • Draco T Bastard 2.2

      …does he want to see more people homeless and living on the bread line.

      I thought that was pretty much a pre-requisite for joining National.

    • mary_a 2.3

      Michelle (2) … Well said. Thanks.

      The fact is individualism weakens power, whereas collectivism on the other hand, gives strength and courage in just about every respect. This is something which scares the bejesus out of gutless Natz and their calculating, greedy support base, particularly unscrupulous employers! Hence the reason to break down and destroy a collective workforce.

      • cleangreen 2.3.1

        Well said Mary-A.

        National is all about control, – control – control.

        The National Party want workers rights extinguished so no-one can stop them ‘roting the system’.

  3. mac1 3

    I am sure that he is envisaging a utopian New Zealand where employers are very generous and kind, where wages and conditions are exemplary and health and safety are paramount.

    Surely?

  4. Tiger Mountain 4

    is Mr Bidois unaware of National’s Union busting 1991 Employment Contracts Act? surely not…

    his anti Union views, should be concerning given his previous jobs with OECD, Deloitte, and most recently among the supermarket duopoly of this country as a Foodstuffs Strategy Manager

    Mr Bidois seems rather an aspirational type, with a submerged Māori side–good neo lib material in other words, and piss poor MP material!

  5. Kat 5

    Mr Bidet should be mindful that New Zealanders may very well vote with their feet overwhelmingly in favour of no politicians such as himself.

  6. ianmac 6

    One of the reasons that National is anti-union is that Individual Contracts allow employers to screw down the wage bill. My daughter discovered that she was being paid much less than the person beside her for the same output. Confronting management they were annoyed that she knew the other’s pay.
    A Union forces transparency and most NZers do not want that – don’t you know?

    • Draco T Bastard 6.1

      A Union forces transparency and most NZers do not want that

      That’s what we’ve been trained over the years. Never ask another’s income, never share you own.

      For a market system to work the nation actually needs that transparency. Needs to know what a job is paying so that people can make informed decisions about what work they do.

      But that high transparency doesn’t work well for the bludgers who like to screw wages down.

      • JohnSelway 6.1.1

        Individual incomes are personal and no one should be forced to share what they are being paid but in saying that most salary bands are transparent. It is quite easy to navigate what professions and positions pay – particularly in the public service.

        • ken 6.1.1.1

          Secrecy around wages and salaries plays straight into the employers’ hands.

        • Draco T Bastard 6.1.1.2

          And yet, for some strange reason, women are still paid less than men.

          Perhaps it has to do with all the secrecy.

          And, no, it’s not easy to navigate salary bands to find out how much a job pays.

          • JohnSelway 6.1.1.2.1

            Yet we KNOW woman are paid less than men for a start so no, given we can and have estimated how much women earn less than men it isn’t much of a secret.

            Secondly if you use this awesome website I found called “The Google” you can get a whole range of information about how much you can be expected to earn and what you can earn based on experience and education. Obviously it’s a guide and not specific but it is a handy reference.

            https://www.careers.govt.nz/jobs-database/whats-happening-in-the-job-market/who-earns-what/

            You should really check out The Google. It’s a handy little website that brings up information if you search for it. If you need help, just shout

            • Draco T Bastard 6.1.1.2.1.1

              I didn’t say it wasn’t possible – I said it wasn’t easy.

              Although, that site is looking better than when I last looked at it.

              • JohnSelway

                It was extremely easy – I simply searched “salary bands nz” and it was on the first page along with a ton of other sites.

                So yeah – really easy.

                It’s OK to be wrong sometimes

                • Draco T Bastard

                  /facepalm

                  Finding them isn’t the same as navigating them.

                  • JohnSelway

                    Draco – all it took was a single google search.
                    That’s it. It was very very simple and took me about a minute.

                    I don’t know whh you think it’s at all complicated

                    • Draco T Bastard

                      Finding them isn’t the same as navigating them.

                      Which ones are accurate? Seek? Randstad? WINZ? CareersNZ?

                      They’re all fucken different.

                      Then there’s navigating through them to find the job you’re actually looking at. Many times it’s not listed. There’s a reason why I said the site you linked was better now than before.

                    • JohnSelway

                      I linked to NZ Government site which gets its information from Stats NZ. It is found on the first page of Google and takes two clicks and a search string to find the information you need.

                      I don’t know how much easier to navigate you expect it to be.

                  • Gabby

                    You may have a mild case of the lazy galloways draccy.

                  • Malcolm

                    Draco. The easiest way surely is for the tax dept. to publish everybody’s annual tax return. Job done. (They do this in Norway or Finnland)

          • JohnSelway 6.1.1.2.2

            Gee whiz – look at what I found using The Google. Such a good site.

            http://women.govt.nz/sites/public_files/Empirical%20evidence%20of%20GPG%20in%20NZ%20-%20Mar2017_0.pdf

  7. fender 7

    Goodbye David Farrer and Jordan Williams.., not that you should be allowed to sully the word union anyways..

    • Draco T Bastard 7.1

      They’re not workers but bludgers and their ‘union’ is there to support other bludgers that also vote National.

  8. Draco T Bastard 8

    where in fact the power is given to the workers of New Zealand rather than to the unions.

    Of course, the only way the workers of NZ can express their power is through unions.

    Which means that what National really want is powerless workers who have to do as they’re told by their ‘betters’.

    • Tiger Mountain 8.1

      yep, organised workers have the ability to influence shareholders to hand over some of the loot, “naasty unionsees”…and the Nats typically like high unemployment to put further “downward pressure” on wages

      Bidois is expressing as openly as you will see, the Union busting ideology of the NZ National Party, in earlier times of “unqualified preference” aka compulsory union membership, the Nats were into rewarding “tame cat” more class collaborationist led unions

      but now Unions are 100% voluntary they would prefer to smash them, which is what a lot of the issues in Education were really all about–eradicating the strength of the NZEI and PPTA and associated smaller groups

      all sorts of current settlements including Pay Equity and a stiff rise in Minimum Wage to 2021, will hopefully be well established, and people will be awake to the likes of Mr Bidois and not want to go backwards with National

    • Wensleydale 8.2

      It always makes me howl with laughter when you hear National MPs bemoaning the poor lot of the working man (and woman). Much like their feigned concern for the homeless, the only time you witness these crocodile tears is when they’re in opposition. When they’re in government and actually in a position to do something about these sorts of societal ills, they couldn’t give a toss.

      National – “We care… but only when it’s politically expedient to do so, and only when we can score points against Labour by having a disingenuous whinge about things we don’t really give a shit about.”

      • Draco T Bastard 8.2.1

        /agreed

      • patricia bremner 8.2.2

        Wenslydale, good to hear from you, Yes, Nats anti-union stance was enshrined in law with Bill Birche’s Contracts Act.
        That really screwed wages to the lowest bidder for the contract, plus it took away permanent jobs.

        All wages ‘could be improved if workers raised productivity’
        Guess what, they wanted capital growth to increase their own wealth and did nothing to improve productivity.
        Hence they got rich on capital gains and workers got poorer.

        So Unions are not wanted by the Nats. Bidois is toeing the party line.

  9. Gosman 9

    What I would like to see is proper competition in worker representation. this would mean that any worker could choose which organisation (if any) represented them in negotiating with their employer rather than only having a choice between one Trade Union or nobody.

    • Craig H 9.1

      In theory, the employment relations act allows that now – an employee can have anyone act as their representative if they choose. Likewise, quite a few sectors and employers have multiple unions for employees to choose between.

      • I feel love 9.1.1

        Yes, my workplace has 2 unions, as well as the option to bring someone with me if I don’t belong to a union.

    • Rapunzel 9.2

      How would that work, unless you have money to pay for that there aren’t people hanging around to “represent” workers for free – who are these kindly, benevolent “representers” with the knowledge, expertise and time to do that? The choice other than a “union”, and they are not all trade, IS nobody, unless as I say they can afford can fund the process.

    • Draco T Bastard 9.3

      What I would like to see is proper competition in worker representation.

      Of course you would as that decreases the concentration of worker power and thus helps to keep workers powerless.

      • Tuppence Shrewsbury 9.3.1

        unless you are very good at being a union and then employees decide they should be members.

        Imagine a creative union that brought about group buying for it’s members on things like petrol, electricity, health insurance? as well as making working conditions better and their take home pay higher.

        I couldn’t imagine anyone being stupid enough to not belong to that union.

        But that’s capitalism even though it’s enriching the workers through the benefits of socialism.

        • Draco T Bastard 9.3.1.1

          Unions already do all that.

          But imagine this:

          Instead of being hired by a boss you’re actually hired by the union and the union then contracts out your work to the businesses that require the labour. It could operate as a cooperative as unions already do.

          And because it would have such awesome buying power it could negotiate great rates for purchases and wages.

          See, it’s the latter that the bosses don’t like. The ability of workers to actually have power in negotiations and pull wages up. Which is why National try to destroy them and come up with BS like more competition in unions.

          Such things as the RWNJs suggest destroys a unions power.

          • JohnSelway 9.3.1.1.1

            That’s quite an interesting idea. I’m sure there are pitfalls but worthy of consideration

            • Bewildred 9.3.1.1.1.1

              Falls over like most labour cooperatives as becomes very inefficient in regard cost to control vs other models ie capital structures. , similarly eventually members work out as undrerltying value of cooperative increases new members dilute thier wealth or there is a benefit in restricting numbers with increased barriers to entry to maximise interests those already on the inside No free lunch sorry, capital has proven over time as the most efficient way to structure the firm, nothing stopping union trying though ( sarc)

              • Draco T Bastard

                What a load of cods-wallop.

                All purely based upon the failed ideology of capitalism.

                BTW, what I describe is a guild and they were so successful the capitalists had to go round banning them by law because they couldn’t compete with them.

    • patricia bremner 9.4

      GOS Select someone other than a union rep? Like someone they have to pay hugely as in USA. Riiiiight! Nah don’t think so.

  10. Enough is Enough 10

    You say this like it is a surprise.

    The Nats are, and have always been proudly anti-union. They accept them as a reality of a capitalist society, but would get rid of them tomorrow if they could.

    • Johnr 10.1

      I could tolerate the abandonment of unions if they included ALL of them. I refer to the; legal union, the accounting union, the real estate union,a the financial union, the banking union. Remember all of these “union’s” make and administer their own laws, and be assured they aren’t for Joe Blogs benefit. Then their is another whole can of worms in the form of Fed Farmers, The liquor lobby, The transport lobby, et al

  11. Darien Fenton 11

    Well I suppose Dan Bidois has to make a name for himself somehow as the most junior of all juniors in the National Party caucus. For something that is apparently a hot right wing issue I was surprised at who the National Party put up in this debate. It seemed to me to be digging in the dearth of talent. Not to mention ignorance.

  12. Dorothy Bulling 12

    But it is still ok for Federated Farmers, Maunfacturers Federation, Motor Trade Association, and a host of other sector organisations for employers in that sector? Ok to get rid of them as well? You can’t have one rule for employers and another for employees. In an ideal world all employers would be good, fair employers but as it is not, we must allow both parties to form unions. The employer groups are unions too. Bidois is one of those who would exploit workers right to the end. What they forget is that workers can only buy their products when the wage is sufficient to have a little more than enough for the basics. Will they never learn, these arrogant puffed up nutters who think they are God’s gift to the world?

    • ianmac 12.1

      Many years ago there was a call to set up a Farm Workers Union. Some worked long, inconsistent hours with no protection. In our district the farmers appeared to go with the idea by appointing a very basic local worker as a leader. They encouraged the local Workers to attend but without leadership the group collapsed.
      The farmers said, “There you go. We tried to help them get started but they just didn’t want a Union.”
      Do farm workers have a Union yet decades later?

    • Bewildered 12.2

      Only difference is that much of what labour union do would be illegal for other industry organisation re anti competitive behaviour, collusion on pricing, monopsony etc hence why labour unions distort labour markets and flexibility if to strong and negatively impact long term economic growth and productivity

  13. dV 13

    AND lets have mps individually negotiate THEIR pay etc with the voters in their electorate eh!!!

  14. Sabine 14

    and….did anyone expect anything else from the National Party? After all, its gonna be hard making a profit if you have to pay your slaves…..err workers. Bring back Debtor Prisons, now that is something National could get behind, and of course the Police Union. 🙂

  15. These political neo liberals work by proxy through donations to their party by groups like the NZ Initiative ( formerly the Business Roundtable ). Exemplified by the odious John Key and Bill English. And a big part of why they do it is sweet deals and financial gains, – and , for a time, – enjoying the power and status to keep things as they were…

    Most of them know full well that blue collar workers are too busy and thus too tired to now offer resistance, – they also know that many workers now share a cynicism that unions cannot alleviate their plight. Sad , really , … because if the lackeys were rooted out, they actually could.

    Those from the political far right need to be first taken with a grain of salt. Secondly their absurdities and obvious ulterior motives need to be called for what it is. Thirdly their activity’s, investments and the like need to be monitored. And when discrepancies are found either financially or politically , exposed. Who benefits, where does the money land, – and finally what is the societal end result of their policy’s / activity’s?

    To do that , a proper and realistic official standard of living needs to be established , adjusted by quarterly / annual inflation – starting from those on the LOWEST rung of the ladder. Not the middle, not the higher end earners but those on the LOWEST. When any of these political apes try to implement policy’s that are detrimental to any element in society, … it would then be so easier to expose them. No tinkering, no lies or justifying of pie in the sky ‘future benefits’ like we had under Douglas , Shipley or Richardson… no lies… just a cold hard standard with which to measure by.

    And this is where trade unions could aid and assist that process by fulfilling a ‘watchdog’ role.

    Scary , huh.

    Especially if your a wealthy neo liberal globalist who wants to keep New Zealand and its people as the soft touches that they are currently.

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

  16. Wait, what? New Zealanders voted “with their feet overwhelmingly in favour of no unions”?

    Says you and your Natbot mates Dan. Says you.

    Never belonged to a union, but 100% behind anyone who says that workers should be able to have a means to organize and protect their rights.

  17. SPC 17

    End the collective pay for National MP’s.

    Let each National MP negotiate their pay individually each time they are elected to parliament.

    Leave the collective agreement only for those who choose to support such things.

  18. Ad 18

    With the government’s new labour legislation appearing to be a set of compromises warmly endorsed by all, I would like to hear commentary from unionists on what kind of legislation would actually increase union membership.

    Pretty well established that higher union membership in a country is a very strong correlation to higher wages all round.

  19. patricia bremner 19

    Ad it has been so long, the young need educating. The ability to join a union and a sense of community has to be encouraged. Individualism has sway currently.

  20. Bryan 20

    And then how is it that “Proud To be Union” PSA is instrumental in setting up a scab union for DHBs to attempt to undermine Junior doctors’ tremendous gain in achieving safe staffing and rosters.
    Let’s hear from them how much they spent of their members union funds or did the DHB’s chip in a few dollars

    https://thedailyblog.co.nz/2018/09/12/guest-blog-psa-socialist-psa-betraying-solidarity/

    https://medium.com/health-sector-workers-network/not-another-health-sector-union-potential-to-divide-and-conquer-eefdab41e0da

  21. Malcolm 21

    Draco. The easiest way surely is for the tax dept. to publish everybody’s annual tax return. Job done. (They do this in Norway or Finnland)

  22. JustMe 22

    Perhaps Bidois has that foolish National Party belief that he is a big fish in a little pond. Ego and arrogance are big MATTERS for a political party that is now in decline thanks to the implosion within their very ranks.
    Perhaps this is probably the last time he stands up and makes a speech in parliament.
    Perhaps those low paid low income workers in his electorate will next time vote with their heads and kick the little twerp out.
    No-one wants an MP as their representative who admires the rich and condemns the poor. But that seems to be the track record of so many National Party MPs and even former National MPs.
    John Key, being the odious and nasty little man that he was and probably still is, viewed NZers who protested against the National government with such disdain and hatred that he denigrated NZers time and again.
    National will go down in history as the political party that demeaned and rubbished low income NZers whilst at the same time courting and heaping adulation and praise upon the wealthy especially those from China.

  23. Descendant Of Smith 23

    It’s not a particularly new idea.

    You can know how much your neighbour earns, and how much tax she pays. The practice dates back to the 18th century.

    https://www.ft.com/content/2a9274be-72aa-11e7-93ff-99f383b09ff9

    David Burkus says not knowing leads to market failure

    https://www.ted.com/talks/david_burkus_why_you_should_know_how_much_your_coworkers_get_paid

  24. Observer Tokoroa 24

    level playing field

    As Johnr has pointed out above, the Union Movement exists to try and ensure adequate payment for workers. It is a hell of a job because the wealthy hate paying wages.

    The Capitalists such as the likes of Billy English, Nick Smith, and Paula Bennett, set out boldly to reduce workers income to the level of Poverty. Poverty is their call for New Zealanders.

    John Key’s efforts have caused a horrendous slum of Poverty not previously encountered in Aoteaoroa. He suns himself in the ugly torture of “the low wage worker structure” that he has built. He and National collectively is truly Evil.

    As I see it, Labour on behalf of workers must counter National by making it illegal for any money making Business to Lobby Parliament for whatever reason.

    Additionally, no money making Business may set the wages and conditions of Staff.

  25. cleangreen 25

    Long live the unions!!!

    As Governments cannnot and will not ever change all things for the “good of all” as Governments are a temporary system and have no political will for change as they fear voter kick backs all the time.

    Political Parties only change what they see as a most voter ‘popular policy’

  26. Dean Reynolds 26

    During the recent Northcote by-election which brought Bidois into Parliament, Bidois was quoted on many issues. Everything he said was either contradictory, ill informed, or downright moronic. Not the sharpest knife in National’s drawer.
    The next National PM, (should there ever be one again) is not yet in Parliament

  27. CHCOff 27

    Unions are a more valuable source of inflation to an economy’s value system than speculative bubbles.

    The problems that unions introduce into the price cycles (& the profit motive to signal chains) in turn, could be ameliorated by small to little tax rates on the lower and middle classes.

    Then a jubilee, wiping associated govt. debt for this, at start of every term, and alot of supply & demand failings in modern economic market collapsing forms are significantly reversed.

    The catch being this is all done by decree. !

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    I’m a bit worried that I’ve started a previous newsletter with the words “just when you think they couldn’t get any worse…” Seems lately that I could begin pretty much every issue with that opening. Such is the nature of our coalition government that they seem to be outdoing each ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    1 day ago
  • Wang Yi’s perfectly-timed, Aukus-themed visit to New Zealand
    Geoffrey Miller writes – Timing is everything. And from China’s perspective, this week’s visit by its foreign minister to New Zealand could be coming at just the right moment. The visit by Wang Yi to Wellington will be his first since 2017. Anniversaries are important to Beijing. ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    1 day ago
  • Gordon Campbell on Dune 2, and images of Islam
    Depictions of Islam in Western popular culture have rarely been positive, even before 9/11. Five years on from the mosque shootings, this is one of the cultural headwinds that the Muslim community has to battle against. Whatever messages of tolerance and inclusion are offered in daylight, much of our culture ...
    1 day ago
  • New Rail Operations Centre Promises Better Train Services
    Last week Transport Minster Simeon Brown and Mayor Wayne Brown opened the new Auckland Rail Operations Centre. The new train control centre will see teams from KiwiRail, Auckland Transport and Auckland One Rail working more closely together to improve train services across the city. The Auckland Rail Operations Centre in ...
    2 days ago
  • Bernard's six newsy things at 6.36am on Monday, March 18
    Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Retiring former Labour Finance Minister Grant Robertson said in an exit interview with Q+A yesterday the Government can and should sustain more debt to invest in infrastructure for future generations. Elsewhere in the news in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy at 6:36am: Read more ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago
  • Geoffrey Miller: Wang Yi’s perfectly-timed, Aukus-themed visit to New Zealand
    Timing is everything. And from China’s perspective, this week’s visit by its foreign minister to New Zealand could be coming at just the right moment. The visit by Wang Yi to Wellington will be his first since 2017. Anniversaries are important to Beijing. It is more than just a happy ...
    Democracy ProjectBy Geoffrey Miller
    2 days ago
  • The Kaka’s diary for the week to March 25 and beyond
    TL;DR: The key events to watch in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the week to March 18 include:China’s Foreign Minister visiting Wellington today;A post-cabinet news conference this afternoon; the resumption of Parliament on Tuesday for two weeks before Easter;retiring former Labour Finance Minister Grant Robertson gives his valedictory speech in Parliament; ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago
  • Bitter and angry; Winston First
    New Zealand First Leader Winston Peters’s state-of-the-nation speech on Sunday was really a state-of-Winston-First speech. He barely mentioned any of the Government’s key policies and could not even wholly endorse its signature income tax cuts. Instead, he rehearsed all of his complaints about the Ardern Government, including an extraordinary claim ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    2 days ago
  • 2024 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #11
    A listing of 35 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, March 10, 2024 thru Sat, March 16, 2024. Story of the week This week we'll give you a little glimpse into how we collect links to share and ...
    2 days ago
  • 2024 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #11
    A listing of 35 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, March 10, 2024 thru Sat, March 16, 2024. Story of the week This week we'll give you a little glimpse into how we collect links to share and ...
    2 days ago
  • Out of Touch.
    “I’ve been internalising a really complicated situation in my head.”When they kept telling us we should wait until we get to know him, were they taking the piss? Was it a case of, if you think this is bad, wait till you get to know the real Christopher, after the ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    2 days ago
  • Bring out your Dad
    Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago
  • Bring out your Dad
    Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago
  • Bring out your Dad
    Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago
  • The bewildering world of Chris Luxon – Guns for all, not no lunch for kids
    .“$10 and a target that bleeds” - Bleeding Targets for Under $10!.Thanks for reading Frankly Speaking ! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.This government appears hell-bent on either scrapping life-saving legislation or reintroducing things that - frustrated critics insist - will be dangerous and likely ...
    Frankly SpeakingBy Frank Macskasy
    3 days ago
  • Expert Opinion: Ageing Boomers, Laurie & Les, Talk Politics.
    It hardly strikes me as fair to criticise a government for doing exactly what it said it was going to do. For actually keeping its promises.”THUNDER WAS PLAYING TAG with lightning flashes amongst the distant peaks. Its rolling cadences interrupted by the here-I-come-here-I-go Doppler effect of the occasional passing car. ...
    3 days ago
  • Manufacturing The Truth.
    Subversive & Disruptive Technologies: Just as happened with that other great regulator of the masses, the Medieval Church, the advent of a new and hard-to-control technology – the Internet –  is weakening the ties that bind. Then, and now, those who enjoy a monopoly on the dissemination of lies, cannot and will ...
    3 days ago
  • A Powerful Sensation of Déjà Vu.
    Been Here Before: To find the precedents for what this Coalition Government is proposing, it is necessary to return to the “glory days” of Muldoonism.THE COALITION GOVERNMENT has celebrated its first 100 days in office by checking-off the last of its listed commitments. It remains, however, an angry government. It ...
    3 days ago
  • Can you guess where world attention is focussed (according to Greenpeace)? It’s focussed on an EPA...
    Bob Edlin writes –  And what is the world watching today…? The email newsletter from Associated Press which landed in our mailbox early this morning advised: In the news today: The father of a school shooter has been found guilty of involuntary manslaughter; prosecutors in Trump’s hush-money case ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    3 days ago
  • Further integrity problems for the Greens in suspending MP Darleen Tana
    Bryce Edwards writes – Is another Green MP on their way out? And are the Greens severely tarnished by another integrity scandal? For the second time in three months, the Green Party has secretly suspended an MP over integrity issues. Mystery is surrounding the party’s decision to ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    3 days ago
  • Jacqui Van Der Kaay: Greens’ transparency missing in action
    For the last few years, the Green Party has been the party that has managed to avoid the plague of multiple scandals that have beleaguered other political parties. It appears that their luck has run out with a second scandal which, unfortunately for them, coincided with Golraz Ghahraman, the focus ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    3 days ago
  • Bernard’s Dawn Chorus with six newsey things at 6:46am for Saturday, March 16
    TL;DR: The six newsey things that stood out to me as of 6:46am on Saturday, March 16.Andy Foster has accidentally allowed a Labour/Green amendment to cut road user chargers for plug-in hybrid vehicles, which the Government might accept; NZ Herald Thomas Coughlan Simeon Brown has rejected a plea from Westport ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • How Did FTX Crash?
    What seemed a booming success a couple of years ago has collapsed into fraud convictions.I looked at the crash of FTX (short for ‘Futures Exchange’) in November 2022 to see whether it would impact on the financial system as a whole. Fortunately there was barely a ripple, probably because it ...
    PunditBy Brian Easton
    4 days ago
  • Elections in Russia and Ukraine
    Anybody following the situation in Ukraine and Russia would probably have been amused by a recent Tweet on X NATO seems to be putting in an awful lot of effort to influence what is, at least according to them, a sham election in an autocracy.When do the Ukrainians go to ...
    4 days ago
  • Bernard’s six stack of substacks at 6pm on March 15
    TL;DR: Shaun Baker on Wynyard Quarter's transformation. Magdalene Taylor on the problem with smart phones. How private equity are now all over reinsurance. Dylan Cleaver on rugby and CTE. Emily Atkin on ‘Big Meat’ looking like ‘Big Oil’.Bernard’s six-stack of substacks at 6pm on March 15Photo by Jeppe Hove Jensen ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • Buzz from the Beehive Finance Minister Nicola Willis had plenty to say when addressing the Auckland Business Chamber on the economic growth that (she tells us) is flagging more than we thought. But the government intends to put new life into it:  We want our country to be a ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    4 days ago
  • National’s clean car tax advances
    The Transport and Infrastructure Committee has reported back on the Road User Charges (Light Electric RUC Vehicles) Amendment Bill, basicly rubberstamping it. While there was widespread support among submitters for the principle that EV and PHEV drivers should pay their fair share for the roads, they also overwhelmingly disagreed with ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    4 days ago
  • Government funding bailouts
    Peter Dunne writes – This week’s government bailout – the fifth in the last eighteen months – of the financially troubled Ruapehu Alpine Lifts company would have pleased many in the central North Island ski industry. The government’s stated rationale for the $7 million funding was that it ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • Two offenders, different treatments.
    See if you can spot the difference. An Iranian born female MP from a progressive party is accused of serial shoplifting. Her name is leaked to the media, which goes into a pack frenzy even before the Police launch an … Continue reading ...
    KiwipoliticoBy Pablo
    4 days ago
  • Treaty references omitted
    Ele Ludemann writes  – The government is omitting general Treaty references from legislation : The growth of Treaty of Waitangi clauses in legislation caused so much worry that a special oversight group was set up by the last Government in a bid to get greater coherence in the public service on Treaty ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • The Ghahraman Conflict
    What was that judge thinking? Peter Williams writes –  That Golriz Ghahraman and District Court Judge Maria Pecotic were once lawyer colleagues is incontrovertible. There is published evidence that they took at least one case to the Court of Appeal together. There was a report on ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • Bernard's Top 10 @ 10 'pick 'n' mix' for March 15
    TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: Climate Scorpion – the sting is in the tail. Introducing planetary solvency. A paper via the University of Exeter’s Institute and Faculty of Actuaries.Local scoop: Kāinga Ora starts pulling out of its Auckland projects and selling land RNZ ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • The day Wellington up-zoned its future
    Wellington’s massively upzoned District Plan adds the opportunity for tens of thousands of new homes not just in the central city (such as these Webb St new builds) but also close to the CBD and public transport links. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Wellington gave itself the chance of ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • Weekly Roundup 15-March-2024
    It’s Friday and we’re halfway through March Madness. Here’s some of the things that caught our attention this week. This Week in Greater Auckland On Monday Matt asked how we can get better event trains and an option for grade separating Morningside Dr. On Tuesday Matt looked into ...
    Greater AucklandBy Greater Auckland
    5 days ago
  • That Word.
    Something you might not know about me is that I’m quite a stubborn person. No, really. I don’t much care for criticism I think’s unfair or that I disagree with. Few of us do I suppose.Back when I was a drinker I’d sometimes respond defensively, even angrily. There are things ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago
  • The Hoon around the week to March 15
    Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The five things that mattered in Aotearoa’s political economy that we wrote and spoke about via The Kākā and elsewhere for paying subscribers in the last week included:PM Christopher Luxon said the reversal of interest deductibility for landlords was done to help renters, who ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • Labour’s policy gap
    It was not so much the Labour Party but really the Chris Hipkins party yesterday at Labour’s caucus retreat in Martinborough. The former Prime Minister was more or less consistent on wealth tax, which he was at best equivocal about, and social insurance, which he was not willing to revisit. ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    5 days ago
  • Skeptical Science New Research for Week #11 2024
    Open access notables A Glimpse into the Future: The 2023 Ocean Temperature and Sea Ice Extremes in the Context of Longer-Term Climate Change, Kuhlbrodt et al., Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society: In the year 2023, we have seen extraordinary extrema in high sea surface temperature (SST) in the North Atlantic and in ...
    5 days ago
  • Melissa remains mute on media matters but has something to say (at a sporting event) about economic ...
     Buzz from the Beehive   The text reproduced above appears on a page which records all the media statements and speeches posted on the government’s official website by Melissa Lee as Minister of Media and Communications and/or by Jenny Marcroft, her Parliamentary Under-secretary.  It can be quickly analysed ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    5 days ago
  • The return of Muldoon
    For forty years, Robert Muldoon has been a dirty word in our politics. His style of government was so repulsive and authoritarian that the backlash to it helped set and entrench our constitutional norms. His pig-headedness over forcing through Think Big eventually gave us the RMA, with its participation and ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    5 days ago
  • Will the rental tax cut improve life for renters or landlords?
    Bryce Edwards writes –  Is the new government reducing tax on rental properties to benefit landlords or to cut the cost of rents? That’s the big question this week, after Associate Finance Minister David Seymour announced on Sunday that the Government would be reversing the Labour Government’s removal ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • Geoffrey Miller: What Saudi Arabia’s rapid changes mean for New Zealand
    Saudi Arabia is rarely far from the international spotlight. The war in Gaza has brought new scrutiny to Saudi plans to normalise relations with Israel, while the fifth anniversary of the controversial killing of Jamal Khashoggi was marked shortly before the war began on October 7. And as the home ...
    Democracy ProjectBy Geoffrey Miller
    5 days ago
  • Racism’s double standards
    Questions need to be asked on both sides of the world Peter Williams writes –   The NRL Judiciary hands down an eight week suspension to Sydney Roosters forward Spencer Leniu , an Auckland-born Samoan, after he calls Ezra Mam, Sydney-orn but of Aboriginal and Torres Strait ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • It’s not a tax break
    Ele Ludemann writes – Contrary to what many headlines and news stories are saying, residential landlords are not getting a tax break. The government is simply restoring to them the tax deductibility of interest they had until the previous government removed it. There is no logical reason ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • The Plastic Pig Collective and Chris' Imaginary Friends.
    I can't remember when it was goodMoments of happiness in bloomMaybe I just misunderstoodAll of the love we left behindWatching our flashbacks intertwineMemories I will never findIn spite of whatever you becomeForget that reckless thing turned onI think our lives have just begunI think our lives have just begunDoes anyone ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago
  • Who is responsible for young offenders?
    Michael Bassett writes – At first reading, a front-page story in the New Zealand Herald on 13 March was bizarre. A group of severely intellectually limited teenagers, with little understanding of the law, have been pleading to the Justice Select Committee not to pass a bill dealing with ram ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • Gordon Campbell on National’s fantasy trip to La La Landlord Land
    How much political capital is Christopher Luxon willing to burn through in order to deliver his $2.9 billion gift to landlords? Evidently, Luxon is: (a) unable to cost the policy accurately. As Anna Burns-Francis pointed out to him on Breakfast TV, the original ”rock solid” $2.1 billion cost he was ...
    5 days ago
  • Bernard's Top 10 @ 10 'pick 'n' mix' for March 14
    TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: Jonathon Porritt calling bullshit in his own blog post on mainstream climate science as ‘The New Denialism’.Local scoop: The Wellington City Council’s list of proposed changes to the IHP recommendations to be debated later today was leaked this ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • No, Prime Minister, rents don’t rise or fall with landlords’ costs
    TL;DR: Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said yesterday tenants should be grateful for the reinstatement of interest deductibility because landlords would pass on their lower tax costs in the form of lower rents. That would be true if landlords were regulated monopolies such as Transpower or Auckland Airport1, but they’re not, ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • Cartoons: ‘At least I didn’t make things awkward’
    This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Tom Toro Tom Toro is a cartoonist and author. He has published over 200 cartoons in The New Yorker since 2010. His cartoons appear in Playboy, the Paris Review, the New York Times, American Bystander, and elsewhere. Related: What 10 EV lovers ...
    5 days ago
  • Solving traffic congestion with Richard Prebble
    The business section of the NZ Herald is full of opinion. Among the more opinionated of all is the ex-Minister of Transport, ex-Minister of Railways, ex MP for Auckland Central (1975-93, Labour), Wellington Central (1996-99, ACT, then list-2005), ex-leader of the ACT Party, uncle to actor Antonia, the veritable granddaddy ...
    Greater AucklandBy Patrick Reynolds
    6 days ago
  • I Think I'm Done Flying Boeing
    Hi,Just quickly — I’m blown away by the stories you’ve shared with me over the last week since I put out the ‘Gary’ podcast, where I told you about the time my friend’s flatmate killed the neighbour.And you keep telling me stories — in the comments section, and in my ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    6 days ago
  • Invoking Aristotle: Of Rings of Power, Stones, and Ships
    The first season of Rings of Power was not awful. It was thoroughly underwhelming, yes, and left a lingering sense of disappointment, but it was more expensive mediocrity than catastrophe. I wrote at length about the series as it came out (see the Review section of the blog, and go ...
    6 days ago
  • Van Velden brings free-market approach to changing labour laws – but her colleagues stick to distr...
    Buzz from the Beehive Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Brooke van Velden told Auckland Business Chamber members they were the first audience to hear her priorities as a minister in a government committed to cutting red tape and regulations. She brandished her liberalising credentials, saying Flexible labour markets are the ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago
  • Why Newshub failed
    Chris Trotter writes – TO UNDERSTAND WHY NEWSHUB FAILED, it is necessary to understand how TVNZ changed. Up until 1989, the state broadcaster had been funded by a broadcasting licence fee, collected from every citizen in possession of a television set, supplemented by a relatively modest (compared ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago
  • Māori Party on the warpath against landlords and seabed miners – let’s see if mystical creature...
    Bob Edlin writes  –  The Māori Party has been busy issuing a mix of warnings and threats as its expresses its opposition to interest deductibility for landlords and the plans of seabed miners. It remains to be seen whether they  follow the example of indigenous litigants in Australia, ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago

  • Government moves to quickly ratify the NZ-EU FTA
    "The Government is moving quickly to realise an additional $46 million in tariff savings in the EU market this season for Kiwi exporters,” Minister for Trade and Agriculture, Todd McClay says. Parliament is set, this week, to complete the final legislative processes required to bring the New Zealand – European ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 hours ago
  • Positive progress for social worker workforce
    New Zealand’s social workers are qualified, experienced, and more representative of the communities they serve, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “I want to acknowledge and applaud New Zealand’s social workers for the hard work they do, providing invaluable support for our most vulnerable. “To coincide with World ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    8 hours ago
  • Minister confirms reduced RUC rate for PHEVs
    Cabinet has agreed to a reduced road user charge (RUC) rate for plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs), Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. Owners of PHEVs will be eligible for a reduced rate of $38 per 1,000km once all light electric vehicles (EVs) move into the RUC system from 1 April.  ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    10 hours ago
  • Trade access to overseas markets creates jobs
    Minister of Agriculture and Trade, Todd McClay, says that today’s opening of Riverland Foods manufacturing plant in Christchurch is a great example of how trade access to overseas markets creates jobs in New Zealand.  Speaking at the official opening of this state-of-the-art pet food factory the Minister noted that exports ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    10 hours ago
  • NZ and Chinese Foreign Ministers hold official talks
    Minister of Foreign Affairs Winston Peters met with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Wellington today. “It was a pleasure to host Foreign Minister Wang Yi during his first official visit to New Zealand since 2017. Our discussions were wide-ranging and enabled engagement on many facets of New Zealand’s relationship with China, including trade, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    24 hours ago
  • Kāinga Ora instructed to end Sustaining Tenancies
    Kāinga Ora – Homes & Communities has been instructed to end the Sustaining Tenancies Framework and take stronger measures against persistent antisocial behaviour by tenants, says Housing Minister Chris Bishop. “Earlier today Finance Minister Nicola Willis and I sent an interim Letter of Expectations to the Board of Kāinga Ora. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Speech to Auckland Business Chamber: Growth is the answer
    Tēna koutou katoa. Greetings everyone. Thank you to the Auckland Chamber of Commerce and the Honourable Simon Bridges for hosting this address today. I acknowledge the business leaders in this room, the leaders and governors, the employers, the entrepreneurs, the investors, and the wealth creators. The coalition Government shares your ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Singapore rounds out regional trip
    Minister Winston Peters completed the final leg of his visit to South and South East Asia in Singapore today, where he focused on enhancing one of New Zealand’s indispensable strategic partnerships.      “Singapore is our most important defence partner in South East Asia, our fourth-largest trading partner and a ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Minister van Velden represents New Zealand at International Democracy Summit
    Minister of Internal Affairs and Workplace Relations and Safety, Hon. Brooke van Velden, will travel to the Republic of Korea to represent New Zealand at the Third Summit for Democracy on 18 March. The summit, hosted by the Republic of Korea, was first convened by the United States in 2021, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Insurance Council of NZ Speech, 7 March 2024, Auckland
    ICNZ Speech 7 March 2024, Auckland  Acknowledgements and opening  Mōrena, ngā mihi nui. Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Nor Whanganui aho.  Good morning, it’s a privilege to be here to open the ICNZ annual conference, thank you to Mark for the Mihi Whakatau  My thanks to Tim Grafton for inviting me ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Five-year anniversary of Christchurch terror attacks
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Lead Coordination Minister Judith Collins have expressed their deepest sympathy on the five-year anniversary of the Christchurch terror attacks. “March 15, 2019, was a day when families, communities and the country came together both in sorrow and solidarity,” Mr Luxon says.  “Today we pay our respects to the 51 shuhada ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Speech for Financial Advice NZ Conference 5 March 2024
    Speech for Financial Advice NZ Conference 5 March 2024  Acknowledgements and opening  Morena, Nga Mihi Nui.  Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Nor Whanganui aho. Thanks Nate for your Mihi Whakatau  Good morning. It’s a pleasure to formally open your conference this morning. What a lovely day in Wellington, What a great ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Early visit to Indonesia strengthens ties
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters held discussions in Jakarta today about the future of relations between New Zealand and South East Asia’s most populous country.   “We are in Jakarta so early in our new government’s term to reflect the huge importance we place on our relationship with Indonesia and South ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • China Foreign Minister to visit
    Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Winston Peters has announced that the Foreign Minister of China, Wang Yi, will visit New Zealand next week.  “We look forward to re-engaging with Foreign Minister Wang Yi and discussing the full breadth of the bilateral relationship, which is one of New Zealand’s ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Minister opens new Auckland Rail Operations Centre
    Transport Minister Simeon Brown has today opened the new Auckland Rail Operations Centre, which will bring together KiwiRail, Auckland Transport, and Auckland One Rail to improve service reliability for Aucklanders. “The recent train disruptions in Auckland have highlighted how important it is KiwiRail and Auckland’s rail agencies work together to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Celebrating 10 years of Crankworx Rotorua
    The Government is proud to support the 10th edition of Crankworx Rotorua as the Crankworx World Tour returns to Rotorua from 16-24 March 2024, says Minister for Economic Development Melissa Lee.  “Over the past 10 years as Crankworx Rotorua has grown, so too have the economic and social benefits that ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Government delivering on tax commitments
    Legislation implementing coalition Government tax commitments and addressing long-standing tax anomalies will be progressed in Parliament next week, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The legislation is contained in an Amendment Paper to the Taxation (Annual Rates for 2023–24, Multinational Tax, and Remedial Matters) Bill issued today.  “The Amendment Paper represents ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Significant Natural Areas requirement to be suspended
    Associate Environment Minister Andrew Hoggard has today announced that the Government has agreed to suspend the requirement for councils to comply with the Significant Natural Areas (SNA) provisions of the National Policy Statement for Indigenous Biodiversity for three years, while it replaces the Resource Management Act (RMA).“As it stands, SNAs ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Government classifies drought conditions in Top of the South as medium-scale adverse event
    Agriculture Minister Todd McClay has classified the drought conditions in the Marlborough, Tasman, and Nelson districts as a medium-scale adverse event, acknowledging the challenging conditions facing farmers and growers in the district. “Parts of Marlborough, Tasman, and Nelson districts are in the grip of an intense dry spell. I know ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Government partnership to tackle $332m facial eczema problem
    The Government is helping farmers eradicate the significant impact of facial eczema (FE) in pastoral animals, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay announced.  “A $20 million partnership jointly funded by Beef + Lamb NZ, the Government, and the primary sector will save farmers an estimated NZD$332 million per year, and aims to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • NZ, India chart path to enhanced relationship
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters has completed a successful visit to India, saying it was an important step in taking the relationship between the two countries to the next level.   “We have laid a strong foundation for the Coalition Government’s priority of enhancing New Zealand-India relations to generate significant future benefit for both countries,” says Mr Peters, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Ruapehu Alpine Lifts bailout the last, say Ministers
    Cabinet has agreed to provide $7 million to ensure the 2024 ski season can go ahead on the Whakapapa ski field in the central North Island but has told the operator Ruapehu Alpine Lifts it is the last financial support it will receive from taxpayers. Cabinet also agreed to provide ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Govt takes action to drive better cancer services
    Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says the launch of a new mobile breast screening unit in Counties Manukau reinforces the coalition Government’s commitment to drive better cancer services for all New Zealanders. Speaking at the launch of the new mobile clinic, Dr Reti says it’s a great example of taking ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Govt takes action to drive better cancer services
    Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says the launch of a new mobile breast screening unit in Counties Manukau reinforces the coalition Government’s commitment to drive better cancer services for all New Zealanders. Speaking at the launch of the new mobile clinic, Dr Reti says it’s a great example of taking ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
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  • Work begins on SH29 upgrades near Tauriko
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  • Work begins on SH29 upgrades near Tauriko
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    6 days ago
  • Fresh produce price drop welcome
    Lower fruit and vegetable prices are welcome news for New Zealanders who have been doing it tough at the supermarket, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. Stats NZ reported today the price of fruit and vegetables has dropped 9.3 percent in the 12 months to February 2024.  “Lower fruit and vege ...
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  • Statement to the 68th United Nations Commission on the Status of Women
    Tēnā koutou katoa and greetings to you all.  Chair, I am honoured to address the sixty-eighth session of the Commission on the Status of Women. I acknowledge the many crises impacting the rights of women and girls. Heightened global tensions, war, climate related and humanitarian disasters, and price inflation all ...
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  • Speech to the 68th United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (CSW68)
    Tēnā koutou katoa and greetings to you all.  Chair, I am honoured to address the 68th session of the Commission on the Status of Women. I acknowledge the many crises impacting the rights of women and girls. Heightened global tensions, war, climate related and humanitarian disasters, and price inflation all ...
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  • Government backs rural led catchment projects
    The coalition Government is supporting farmers to enhance land management practices by investing $3.3 million in locally led catchment groups, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay announced. “Farmers and growers deliver significant prosperity for New Zealand and it’s vital their ongoing efforts to improve land management practices and water quality are supported,” ...
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  • Speech to Auckland Business Chamber
    Good evening everyone and thank you for that lovely introduction.   Thank you also to the Honourable Simon Bridges for the invitation to address your members. Since being sworn in, this coalition Government has hit the ground running with our 100-day plan, delivering the changes that New Zealanders expect of us. ...
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  • Commission’s advice on ETS settings tabled
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  • Government lowering building costs
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  • Trustee tax change welcomed
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  • Minister’s Ramadan message
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  • Minister appoints new NZTA Chair
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  • Speech to Life Sciences Summit
    Good morning all, it is a pleasure to be here as Minister of Science, Innovation and Technology.  It is fantastic to see how connected and collaborative the life science and biotechnology industry is here in New Zealand. I would like to thank BioTechNZ and NZTech for the invitation to address ...
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  • Progress continues apace on water storage
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  • Government agrees to restore interest deductions
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  • Minister to attend World Anti-Doping Agency Symposium
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