National’s hoax on unemployed workers

Written By: - Date published: 11:32 am, November 12th, 2007 - 41 comments
Categories: economy, workers' rights - Tags: ,

unemploy small

Last week Stats NZ announced unemployment had dropped to a record low of just 3.5%, after reaching double-digit figures under National in the 90s.

That reminded me of an old press release from Bill English just before the 1999 election where he called unemployment in the range of 3% “a hoax” and suggested 6% might be a more realistic target:

“Labour’s policies will increases taxes, give unions more power in the workplace, make it harder for employers to give young people a chance at a job, and impose extra costs on business. These policies will not help create one job.

“It is business which creates jobs, not the Government. The Government’s job is to create the right conditions for growth. We must support business with lower costs and flexible labour market policies, and do our bit by keeping Government spending down.

“The recent pre-election opening of the books showed that if we continue with National’s policies over the next three years we will be able to create another 115,000 jobs and bring unemployment under 6%. These are realistic targets.

“Labour’s claim that it can bring the unemployment rate down to 3% is also a hoax on all the people who think if they voted Labour they would get a job.

Sound familiar? National hasn’t changed its policies or its rhetoric one bit from the 1990s. There are no fresh ideas here, just a return to the economic policies of low wages and double-digit unemployment. The hoax was always National’s and it’s being played out on ordinary working families. The question is, are we gullible enough to let them do it again?

41 comments on “National’s hoax on unemployed workers ”

  1. Santa Claws 1

    Since you have 8 year old press releases hanging around Tane, perhaps you could look up and post a few extracts on Labour’s policy on Tax Cuts prior to this years conference.

    I see the fear-mongering and demonisation effort is moving into 3rd gear already.

  2. Tane 2

    Santa, nice try at interference, but that meme died here when your side’s dishonesty was exposed:
    http://www.thestandard.org.nz/?p=643

    So how those unemployment stats looking? Which family on your street are you going to throw onto a benefit to pay for those inflationary tax cuts?

  3. dancer 3

    fascinating to see those trends – and i bet Bill is applauding from the sidelines these days (no actually i do mean that – he just won’t be telling anyone that it’s what he really thinks).

    i remember in the 90s the frequent headlines of job losses and redundancies – especially in smaller centres. having the security of a job (and a degree of freedom to move between jobs) is a luxury we shouldn’t take for granted.

  4. Billy 4

    Tane: Which family on your street are you going to throw onto a benefit to pay for those inflationary tax cuts?

    I am confused. I thought you guys were for tax cuts now.

  5. Tane 5

    Billy, subtlety is lost on you mate.

  6. Santa Claws 6

    Tane, what is the point of dredging up 8 year old press releases on such minor points. If you want to bang on about employment, then do it directly. Show me the press release from National saying that they want higher unemployment now, and you might have a point.

    Labour has campaigned for 8 years on not reducing taxes. Making a flip flop now is relevant. Show me the press release from National saying that they want higher unemployment now, and you might have a point.

    Anyway how about Labour’s real hoax on Workers:

    “The Government today introduced legislation to increase the top personal income tax rate to 39 percent for income over $60,000 from April 1, next year. “The increase will affect only about 5 percent of the workforce, those who can most afford to contribute a bit more to the country’s well-being,” Finance and Revenue Minister Michael Cullen said”

    What % is over the threshold now, Tane?

    I’m afraid I can’t understand your point on tax cuts – are you suggesting that the army of Labour functionaries employed in govt departments will be turfed out to pay for tax cuts? Unfortunately leeches of that sort are unlikely to end up on the unemployment benfit.

    Did you miss the statements from Evan Thornley (who your acolytes have promoted on this website, and who spoke at the Labour conference) on how stupid it is to pay for capital improvements out of taxation revenue?

  7. Tane 7

    Santa, I’ve gotta give it to you. When it comes to running interference you do a bang-up job. We’ve talked about tax elsewhere, and we’ll no doubt do so in future too. We can chat about it then. How are those unemployment stats looking? Do you think 6% is a more realistic target? Does it worry you that National are still promoting the same policies with the same faces that led to double digit unemployment?

  8. Santa Claws 8

    Tane, as usual you pick the stats that show the best picture – haven’t forgotten that Twain quote yest have you?

    Is the % unemployed the best measure? Sure it gives a nice headline when its moving the right way. However it can be dishonest, just like quoting the overall crime rate hides the dramatic increase in violent crime under Labour.

    Here’s some more from the stats commentary

    “The number of people in the labour force decreased by 8,000 (0.4 percent) to 2,229,000 in the September 2007 quarter, while the working-age population grew by 7,400 (0.2 percent). This resulted in a drop of 0.5 percentage points in the labour force participation rate to 68.3 percent. The female participation rate dropped 0.9 percentage points to 61.2 percent, while the male participation rate was unchanged at 75.7 percent. The number of people not in the labour force grew strongly by 18,000 (1.8 percent) in the September 2007 quarter, with the majority of growth in this category driven by females.”

    So, you are saying its a good thing that less people are working in NZ?

    Lets note quote 1999 policy from National as its 8 years ago – surely you realise that. Do try and at least quote 2005 policy dear boy.

  9. Tane 9

    Santa, percentage is one measure. I’m happy to look at others. Participation rates still show a far better picture than under National.

    But that’s irrelevant for the purposes of our conversation, because your mate Angry Bill seemed to think percentage was a good enough measure to do a press release on.

    The point with the press release is to show that English had exactly the same policies eight years ago and he was proven wrong. He now wants to inflict those same policies on NZ again. Have a read through again – you could be reading a press release from this morning for all his ideas have changed over time. Does this not concern you?

  10. Sam Dixon 10

    Santa Claws – when you try to spin publically avialable stats, its never going to work. The labour force participation rate dipped last quarter after strong growth the quarter before, its just normal statistical variance.

    You have to look at trends not datum points – and labour force participation is clearly up under Labour – and I know you know that because the figures were right there in the report you just quoted.

    National’s policies were bad for employment, Labour’s are not. In fact, Labour has been so successful at geting people into work that tax has grown and benefit expenditure has dropped sufficently for the Government to afford both major new spending in health, education, infrastructure etc, and across the board tax cuts, all while running a surplus and decreasinf our foreign debt.

  11. Billy 11

    I agree that trends are the most imprtoant thing. Your graph shows that unemployment was dropping under National.

    Which brilliant Labour policy was it which led to our strongest commodity prices for a generation?

  12. Santa Claws 12

    Sambo

    How about you look up the total jobs added under National, and the same figure under Labour?

    Tane – so you are saying that it isn’t business where those new jobs are, but government work? That seems to be your claim, since business obviuosly has nothing to with with improving the unemlpoyment rate??

  13. Matthew Pilott 13

    Billy, if you account for inflation commodity prices aren’t anything special. Or are you talking milkfat production (that’s the only commodity price that’s really shot up) – that was more Fonterra and a tight world market than Labour, but if you want to give them the credit be my guest.

    Oh and if you understand trends, or claim to, I won’t need to elucidate upon the trend of consistently lower unemployment under Labour, you’ll have already got it figured out for yourself.

  14. Tane 14

    Tane – so you are saying that it isn’t business where those new jobs are, but government work? That seems to be your claim, since business obviuosly has nothing to with with improving the unemlpoyment rate??

    Shit, desperation Santy. Clearly jobs reside at businesses. That’s not being argued. But whether jobs are created has a lot to do with a government’s policies. Labour has implemented policies that promote employment. National did not. It’s pretty simple mate.

  15. Billy 15

    “Labour has implemented policies that promote employment.”

    Such as driving all our skilled workers to Australia.

  16. Tane 16

    No Billy, I think you’ll find that’s the wage gap created by National’s Employment Contracts Act.

    Have a look over here:
    http://www.thestandard.org.nz/?p=527

    It’s not Joanna Average, but the figures on this one are actually correct.

    And before you go arguing that we’re ‘overtaxed’, have a look at this one as well:
    http://www.thestandard.org.nz/?p=441

  17. Santa Claws 17

    “Labour has implemented policies that promote employment. National did not. It’s pretty simple mate.”

    So, the drop from 11% to 6% was nothing to do with the National govt of the time, but the drop from 6% to 3.5% is all due to Labour’s policies?

    Pull the other one Tane.

  18. Tane 18

    Santa, the Nats went from 8.5 to just over 6% in their nine years in office. Along the way they let unemployment get to more than 11%, with all the social cost that brings. At the end of it all, 6% unemployment was the best they could imagine – a “realistic target”, Bill said. Getting unemployment down to the 3% range was “a hoax”.

    But it’s been done, and we’re as near to full employment as you can get in an economy where at least 2% will be transitioning between jobs at any one time.

    Of course there are challenges such as underemployment and low pay that are still to be dealt with, the fact remains that National has failed on unemployment, and Labour’s policies have delivered. I know it hurts bro, but learn to deal with it.

  19. Policy Parrot 19

    For Santa Claws, all his Christmases have come at once, with the Herald now tying the National Party banner to its flagmast.

    However, Santa, as you will remember, is simply a creation of the big corporates – Coca Cola – I believe? – and when examined as such, it is not hard to understand why he speaks as he does…

    I’d certainly have second thoughts putting one of my children on his lap…

  20. Santa Claws 20

    Tane – its good that you confirm that National was just as good as Labour in cutting unemployment – an overall drop of 2.5% in both cases.

    Congratulations on proving my point.

    In fact, you could say that National probably did the better job, turning around an increasing trend to a decreasing trend. That’s got be harder.

    Parrot, if you are waiting for Tane to post on the EFB, I think you’ll be waiting a long time.

  21. Matthew Pilott 21

    Claws – brilliant. You almost managed to make it sould good, being in charge as unemployment reached 11%. Only a brainwashed Tory could spin that!

    Having an overall drop of 2.5% is just as easy starting from 8.5% as it is from 6%, right…?

    It’s not like getting rid of the harder, longer-term cases of unemployment is tough, when National had more that a tenth of the workforce unemployed. Diminishing returns Claws? What a cock-up National are, when they’re meant to be driving employment through business!

    Nice try. You could also try some year 9 math and work out for yourself that average unemployment was about 7.5% under National, and 4% under Labour. Bit too much thought required though, aye champ?

    Congratulations on demonstrating just how worthless your ‘points’ are.

  22. Santa Claws 22

    Haha Matthew – off track again. Didn’t you notice that unemployemnt started rising under Labour, and it took National to get it under control. Credit is obviously due to the current Labour government for not making things worse, and continuing to support the trend downwards.

    Its so good to see that you passed year 9 math. Of course anyone with an IQ above 27 could have seen that the average was higher under National. Are you colourblind or did you just not look at Tane’s pretty picture?

    Here’s another way of looking at it.

    In the Dec 1992 quarter (the worst in the chart) the total unemployment was 175,600.

    In the Dec 1999 quarter it had dropped to 116,900, a decrease of 58,700.

    The latest quarter total is 77,200, but the lowest it has been under Labour is 75,000 back in Dec 04. This was a reduction of 41,900.

    So, who has cut unemployment the most?

  23. Tane,

    Given inflation has been running at twice the rate of the 1990s under this Labour Government, and that every credible economic commentator says that out-of-control government spending is a key factor in inflation, it’s telling that you suddenly become obsessed with inflation and tax cuts.

    Yes, unemployment has fallen under Labour. It helps to achieve this by hiring tens of thousands more civil servants. Hell, just last year the IRD hired twenty six people to work on “internal communications”.

    Meanwhile, the sickness and invalid’s beneficiary numbers have risen by 50% under Labour. Despite spending 100% more on our health system, half as many more people are chronically ill than before.

    You’re a hollow man, Tane.

  24. Sam Dixon 24

    Santy – under National unemployment rose to record highs then dropped to just high, then rose again and fell a bit. Labour came in and rapidly unemployment dropped to record lows and stayed there. All your number games around the edges can’t hide that fact.

    (by the way, inyour trawls through the Stats numbers did you notice what’s happened to underemployment since National got turfed out?)

    I had to ask someone what the ‘Sambo’ thing is a reference to – it turns out your a racist too, hmm, I which I could say I was surprised.

    Tane – an interesting number to look at might be long-term unemployed – I think MSD does numbers on how many have been on the UB for more than a year and 3 years – as you say there is a pracitical floor to unemployment becuase of churn in the economy – that churn unemployment is impossible to get rid of but should mostly only generate short term unemployment, long-term unemployment might be seen as unemployment above this inherent minimum ie. all unemployment that good government and good economic conditions canhope to eliminate (i’m pretty sure I remember Burton saying it had gone down 92% under Labour)

  25. Sam,

    Just what economic crises has this Labour Government had to deal with? Let’s see. Oh, yes, the Asian financial crisis. Oh, no, that was 1997, wasn’t it? Oh, the Canterbury droughts. Oh, hang on, that was in 1997 as well, wasn’t it? Dairy prices have taken a tumble–oh, hang on, they’ve been trading at international record highs.

    Labour has “managed” the economy in the warmest economic summer New Zealand has had since the second world war. Eight years of golden weather. A two-year-old could have achieved what Michael Cullen’s done.

  26. Sam Dixon 26

    9/11,

    oh and Sars, Internet bubble, the current credit crunch, the war on terrorism’s impacts on tourism and trade, record oil price run-up, the auckland black-out, food/travel miles…

    every government faces world economic crises and economic threats … you can’t keep making excuses for National’s pitiful record forever.

    The fact is unemployment stayed high and wage stayed low under National because those are National policies. National wants low labour costs, that means low wages, kept low by a large poll of desperate unemployed. Labour and the left in general have full employment as a central tenent of their economic policies.

    (captcha: Reporters believed … whatever comes out of independent poltiicalcommentator DPF’s mouth?)

  27. Matthew Pilott 27

    IP, of course there’s nothing the Government has done in New Zealand to encourage employment and a healthy economy. Nithing at all. No apprenticeships, no encouraging of exports. Nothign a two-year-old wouldn’t ahve thought of anyway, clearly…

    And Clawsie – try and pretend that there is only white, no blue and red – the colours are obviously screwing with your thought process. The first half is erratic, unstable and, if that stat is indicating whether you have a job, probably not that good. This is backed by the quote that 6% was National’s realistic target. Labour must have disagreed, because they’ve shown 3.5% is possible. That’s surely not too hard to accept?

  28. Tane 28

    Sam, it’s like Angry Bill said:

    “We must support business with lower costs and flexible labour market policies”

    That means lower wages and less employment protection… and with the sweetener of 6% unemployment, if you’re lucky. Tell me again why workers would want this guy in charge of the economy?

  29. burt 29

    Tane

    I see today that Dr. Cullen is saying that higer wages not lower taxes will slow down the drift to Aussie.

    OK, I’ll agree with that but there is always a BUT!

    What will happen when wages start rising an average of 10% a year?

    I’m sure most people would enjoy that level of annual increase, the senior MP’s have for the last 8 years.

    But what about inflation? What about the low ‘Rich Bastard’ threshold? If the average wage is $50K and the ‘Rich Bastard’ threshold has been kept low to avoid giving the big tax payers the benefit from tax cuts then just how big will the surplus be then?

  30. Tane 30

    Burt, wages aren’t going to grow at 10% a year in a hurry, I can tell you that. But the answer is to gradually bring wages up to a decent level in a manner that closes the gap with Australia while having a limited inflationary effect.

    The idea that we can never raise wages because there will be an automatic and equal rise in prices is an absurd (and intellectually unsustainable) defence that paints the current unequal distribution of wealth as somehow natural and eternal. I think you righties massively overstate the inflationary effects of wage rises, and you do so for political purposes.

  31. burt 31

    Tane

    I think wages are ridiculously low in NZ. You bluntly side step the reality that some sectors in NZ regularly get 10% increases when you say that 10% increases are not going to happen in a hurry. The problem is Tane that the groups getting the regular 10% increases are already high earners.

    The country’s leaders (both govt & business) denying their workers relativity against their own pay is surely something that grates with a unionist.

    You also sidestepped the issue of keeping tax thresholds low while talking about lifting wages. From the words Cullen used I’m starting to think he wants to keep the $60K threshold at $60K until the median wage is $60K. Gotta love his passion for his ideology.

    Amusing captcha “china pays”

  32. Tane 32

    Burt, yeah I’m talking about the great bulk of workers who get pay rises slightly above inflation if they’re lucky. You’ll remember the shitstorm that went down when the EPMU laid down its 5% benchmark, and the fights those workers had to go through to get that figure. That’s why I’m saying you’re not going to see 10% pay rises in a hurry, even if the money’s there.

    What’s needed is a strengthening of the ERA to allow for effective industry bargaining, which will most likely see a series of modest but decent pay rises that can start to close the gap over the period of a decade or so. It’s not an issue that’s going to be solved overnight.

    If the median wage approached anywhere near $60k then I imagine Cullen (or whoever his successor is) would have to adjust the tax brackets. But as it stands only about 12% are earning that much so it’s not a major issue.

  33. burt 33

    Tane.

    How do you get 12%. Is that the percentage of working age people paying the top tax rate?

    I can see the numbers as at 2006 from here: Heather Roy’s Diary

    The reality is that it was never kept: when the new higher tax rate was introduced the top five percent of taxpayers earned $66,000 and over, not $60,000. By the 2005/06 financial year, nearly 11 percent of taxpayers were being hit with the top tax rate when the threshold should have risen to $79,000 to keep his five percent promise. The figures for the year ended June 30 2007 aren’t available yet, but it’s a fair bet the numbers being overtaxed continue to rise, contributing even more to the burgeoning surpluses.

    While it’s easy to talk in percentages, this sometimes masks the real extent of the problem. In 2000, when the new tax rate kicked in, 194,000 people were paying the 39 percent tax rate. By 2006 the figure had ballooned to 352,000.

    So it was 11% in 2006.

    Strengthen the ERA, eight years not been long enough to do that? Lets get Labour out of here and get a real left wing party that’s not giving high earners and easier tax ride here in NZ compared to Aussie while punishing the low-middle earners – lets find that party and give it our support!

  34. Sam,

    Wow, what an impressive list!

    Except none of the items stack up. There was no impact on New Zealand tourism and trade by SARS, the global credit crunch, the internet bubble, or international terrorism.

    In 1997-1998, at the height of the Asian financial crisis, international visitor arrivals to New Zealand declined by 2.1% and 0.8% respectively, following six years of phenomenal growth, where increases in tourism ranged between 6.5% and 14.5%.

    Despite the so-called crises of SARS, international terrorism, 9/11, the internet bubble, and the global credit crunch, tourism arrivals have risen by between 3% and 11.5% year on year since the end of the Asian financial crisis.

    Commodity prices and good weather have pushed dairy into record-high production, and record high values. Not even you would be silly enough to claim that dairy, which accounts for 20% of our exports, is driven by government policy.

Links to post

Recent Comments

Recent Posts

  • EV road user charges bill passes
    Transport Minister Simeon Brown has welcomed the passing of legislation to move light electric vehicles (EVs) and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) into the road user charges system from 1 April.  “It was always intended that EVs and PHEVs would be exempt from road user charges until they reached two ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    17 hours ago
  • Bill targets illegal, unregulated fishing in international waters
    New Zealand is strengthening its ability to combat illegal fishing outside its domestic waters and beef up regulation for its own commercial fishers in international waters through a Bill which had its first reading in Parliament today. The Fisheries (International Fishing and Other Matters) Amendment Bill 2023 sets out stronger ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    18 hours ago
  • Reserve Bank appointments
    Economists Carl Hansen and Professor Prasanna Gai have been appointed to the Reserve Bank Monetary Policy Committee, Finance Minister Nicola Willis announced today. The Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) is the independent decision-making body that sets the Official Cash Rate which determines interest rates.  Carl Hansen, the executive director of Capital ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    19 hours ago
  • Stronger protections for apartment owners
    Apartment owners and buyers will soon have greater protections as further changes to the law on unit titles come into effect, Housing Minister Chris Bishop says. “The Unit Titles (Strengthening Body Corporate Governance and Other Matters) Amendment Act had already introduced some changes in December 2022 and May 2023, and ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    21 hours ago
  • Travel focused on traditional partners and Middle East
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters will travel to Egypt and Europe from this weekend.    “This travel will focus on a range of New Zealand’s traditional diplomatic and security partnerships while enabling broad engagement on the urgent situation in Gaza,” Mr Peters says.   Mr Peters will attend the NATO Foreign ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    21 hours ago
  • Keep safe on our roads this Easter
    Transport Minister Simeon Brown is encouraging all road users to stay safe, plan their journeys ahead of time, and be patient with other drivers while travelling around this Easter long weekend. “Road safety is a responsibility we all share, and with increased traffic on our roads expected this Easter we ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Cost of living support for over 1.4 million Kiwis
    About 1.4 million New Zealanders will receive cost of living relief through increased government assistance from April 1 909,000 pensioners get a boost to Superannuation, including 5000 veterans 371,000 working-age beneficiaries will get higher payments 45,000 students will see an increase in their allowance Over a quarter of New Zealanders ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Tenancy reviews for social housing restart
    Ensuring social housing is being provided to those with the greatest needs is front of mind as the Government restarts social housing tenancy reviews, Associate Housing Minister Tama Potaka says. “Our relentless focus on building a strong economy is to ensure we can deliver better public services such as social ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Kermadec Ocean Sanctuary plan halted
    The Kermadec Ocean Sanctuary will not go ahead, with Cabinet deciding to stop work on the proposed reserve and remove the Bill that would have established it from Parliament’s order paper. “The Kermadec Ocean Sanctuary Bill would have created a 620,000 sq km economic no-go zone,” Oceans and Fisheries Minister ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Cutting all that dam red tape
    Dam safety regulations are being amended so that smaller dams won’t be subject to excessive compliance costs, Minister for Building and Construction Chris Penk says. “The coalition Government is focused on reducing costs and removing unnecessary red tape so we can get the economy back on track.  “Dam safety regulations ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Drought support extended to parts of North Island
    The coalition Government is expanding the medium-scale adverse event classification to parts of the North Island as dry weather conditions persist, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay announced today. “I have made the decision to expand the medium-scale adverse event classification already in place for parts of the South Island to also cover the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Passage of major tax bill welcomed
    The passing of legislation giving effect to coalition Government tax commitments has been welcomed by Finance Minister Nicola Willis.  “The Taxation (Annual Rates for 2023–24, Multinational Tax, and Remedial Matters) Bill will help place New Zealand on a more secure economic footing, improve outcomes for New Zealanders, and make our tax system ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Lifting economy through science, tertiary sectors
    Science, Innovation and Technology Minister Judith Collins and Tertiary Education and Skills Minister Penny Simmonds today announced plans to transform our science and university sectors to boost the economy. Two advisory groups, chaired by Professor Sir Peter Gluckman, will advise the Government on how these sectors can play a greater ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Government announces Budget priorities
    The Budget will deliver urgently-needed tax relief to hard-working New Zealanders while putting the government’s finances back on a sustainable track, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says.  The Finance Minister made the comments at the release of the Budget Policy Statement setting out the Government’s Budget objectives. “The coalition Government intends ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Government to consider accommodation solution
    The coalition Government will look at options to address a zoning issue that limits how much financial support Queenstown residents can get for accommodation. Cabinet has agreed on a response to the Petitions Committee, which had recommended the geographic information MSD uses to determine how much accommodation supplement can be ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Government approves extension to Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care
    Cabinet has agreed to a short extension to the final reporting timeframe for the Royal Commission into Abuse in Care from 28 March 2024 to 26 June 2024, Internal Affairs Minister Brooke van Velden says.                                         “The Royal Commission wrote to me on 16 February 2024, requesting that I consider an ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • $18m boost for Kiwis travelling to health treatment
    The coalition Government is delivering an $18 million boost to New Zealanders needing to travel for specialist health treatment, Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says.   “These changes are long overdue – the National Travel Assistance (NTA) scheme saw its last increase to mileage and accommodation rates way back in 2009.  ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • PM’s Prizes for Space to showcase sector’s talent
    The Government is recognising the innovative and rising talent in New Zealand’s growing space sector, with the Prime Minister and Space Minister Judith Collins announcing the new Prime Minister’s Prizes for Space today. “New Zealand has a growing reputation as a high-value partner for space missions and research. I am ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Concerns conveyed to China over cyber activity
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters has confirmed New Zealand’s concerns about cyber activity have been conveyed directly to the Chinese Government.     “The Prime Minister and Minister Collins have expressed concerns today about malicious cyber activity, attributed to groups sponsored by the Chinese Government, targeting democratic institutions in both New ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Independent Reviewers appointed for School Property Inquiry
    Independent Reviewers appointed for School Property Inquiry Education Minister Erica Stanford today announced the appointment of three independent reviewers to lead the Ministerial Inquiry into the Ministry of Education’s School Property Function.  The Inquiry will be led by former Minister of Foreign Affairs Murray McCully. “There is a clear need ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Brynderwyns open for Easter
    State Highway 1 across the Brynderwyns will be open for Easter weekend, with work currently underway to ensure the resilience of this critical route being paused for Easter Weekend to allow holiday makers to travel north, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Today I visited the Brynderwyn Hills construction site, where ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Speech to the Infrastructure Funding & Financing Conference
    Introduction Good morning to you all, and thanks for having me bright and early today. I am absolutely delighted to be the Minister for Infrastructure alongside the Minister of Housing and Resource Management Reform. I know the Prime Minister sees the three roles as closely connected and he wants me ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Parliamentary network breached by the PRC
    New Zealand stands with the United Kingdom in its condemnation of People’s Republic of China (PRC) state-backed malicious cyber activity impacting its Electoral Commission and targeting Members of the UK Parliament. “The use of cyber-enabled espionage operations to interfere with democratic institutions and processes anywhere is unacceptable,” Minister Responsible for ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • NZ to provide support for Solomon Islands election
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters and Defence Minister Judith Collins today announced New Zealand will provide logistics support for the upcoming Solomon Islands election. “We’re sending a team of New Zealand Defence Force personnel and two NH90 helicopters to provide logistics support for the election on 17 April, at the request ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • NZ-EU FTA gains Royal Assent for 1 May entry to force
    The European Union Free Trade Agreement Legislation Amendment Bill received Royal Assent today, completing the process for New Zealand’s ratification of its free trade agreement with the European Union.    “I am pleased to announce that today, in a small ceremony at the Beehive, New Zealand notified the European Union ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • COVID-19 inquiry attracts 11,000 submissions
    Public consultation on the terms of reference for the Royal Commission into COVID-19 Lessons has concluded, Internal Affairs Minister Hon Brooke van Velden says.  “I have been advised that there were over 11,000 submissions made through the Royal Commission’s online consultation portal.” Expanding the scope of the Royal Commission of ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Families to receive up to $75 a week help with ECE fees
    Hardworking families are set to benefit from a new credit to help them meet their early childcare education (ECE) costs, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. From 1 July, parents and caregivers of young children will be supported to manage the rising cost of living with a partial reimbursement of their ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Unlocking a sustainable, low-emissions future
    A specialised Independent Technical Advisory Group (ITAG) tasked with preparing and publishing independent non-binding advice on the design of a "green" (sustainable finance) taxonomy rulebook is being established, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says.  “Comprising experts and market participants, the ITAG's primary goal is to deliver comprehensive recommendations to the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Chief of Army thanked for his service
    Defence Minister Judith Collins has thanked the Chief of Army, Major General John Boswell, DSD, for his service as he leaves the Army after 40 years. “I would like to thank Major General Boswell for his contribution to the Army and the wider New Zealand Defence Force, undertaking many different ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Minister to meet Australian counterparts and Manufacturing Industry Leaders
    25 March 2024 Minister to meet Australian counterparts and Manufacturing Industry Leaders Small Business, Manufacturing, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly will travel to Australia for a series of bi-lateral meetings and manufacturing visits. During the visit, Minister Bayly will meet with his Australian counterparts, Senator Tim Ayres, Ed ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Government commits nearly $3 million for period products in schools
    Government commits almost $3 million for period products in schools The Coalition Government has committed $2.9 million to ensure intermediate and secondary schools continue providing period products to those who need them, Minister of Education Erica Stanford announced today. “This is an issue of dignity and ensuring young women don’t ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Speech – Making it easier to build.
    Good morning, it’s great to be here.   First, I would like to acknowledge the New Zealand Institute of Building Surveyors and thank you for the opportunity to be here this morning.  I would like to use this opportunity to outline the Government’s ambitious plan and what we hope to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Pacific youth to shine from boost to Polyfest
    Minister for Pacific Peoples Dr Shane Reti has announced the Government’s commitment to the Auckland Secondary Schools Māori and Pacific Islands Cultural Festival, more commonly known as Polyfest. “The Ministry for Pacific Peoples is a longtime supporter of Polyfest and, as it celebrates 49 years in 2024, I’m proud to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago
  • 2024 Ngarimu VC and 28th (Māori) Battalion Memorial Scholarships announced
    ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago
  • Speech to Breast Cancer Foundation – Insights Conference
    Before moving onto the substance of today’s address, I want to recognise the very significant and ongoing contribution the Breast Cancer Foundation makes to support the lives of New Zealand women and their families living with breast cancer. I very much enjoy working with you. I also want to recognise ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago
  • Kiwi research soars to International Space Station
    New Zealand has notched up a first with the launch of University of Canterbury research to the International Space Station, Science, Innovation and Technology and Space Minister Judith Collins says. The hardware, developed by Dr Sarah Kessans, is designed to operate autonomously in orbit, allowing scientists on Earth to study ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago
  • Speech to the New Zealand Planning Institute
    Introduction Thank you for inviting me to speak with you today and I’m sorry I can’t be there in person. Yesterday I started in Wellington for Breakfast TV, spoke to a property conference in Auckland, and finished the day speaking to local government in Christchurch, so it would have been ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago
  • Support for Northland emergency response centre
    The Coalition Government is contributing more than $1 million to support the establishment of an emergency multi-agency coordination centre in Northland. Emergency Management and Recovery Minister Mark Mitchell announced the contribution today during a visit of the Whangārei site where the facility will be constructed.  “Northland has faced a number ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Celebrating 20 years of Whakaata Māori
    New Zealanders have enjoyed a broader range of voices telling the story of Aotearoa thanks to the creation of Whakaata Māori 20 years ago, says Māori Development Minister Tama Potaka. The minister spoke at a celebration marking the national indigenous media organisation’s 20th anniversary at their studio in Auckland on ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Some commercial fishery catch limits increased
    Commercial catch limits for some fisheries have been increased following a review showing stocks are healthy and abundant, Ocean and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. The changes, along with some other catch limit changes and management settings, begin coming into effect from 1 April 2024. "Regular biannual reviews of fish ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

Page generated in The Standard by Wordpress at 2024-03-28T21:43:04+00:00