National’s irksome incompetence is inexcusable

Written By: - Date published: 6:05 am, June 5th, 2024 - 11 comments
Categories: budget 2024, Christopher Luxon, election 2023, nicola willis, same old national, Shane Reti - Tags: , , , ,

By breaking its election promise to fund 13 new cancer treatments the members of National Party in the coalition government showed a profound lack of integrity and a distinct lack of commitment to follow through with doing the right thing.

The first quality of a politician is integrity.

The election promise was made to feel like a personal promise. This is the dual nature of political promises and pledges, they’re both political, at a party level, and personal, aimed directly at people to sway them to give their vote. And nothing is more personal than promising a cancer patient a lifeline. The fact that National made this insensitive calculating promise shows that they simply don’t care about the plight of others but only about garnering votes, directly and indirectly by the persuasive power of their compassion, and getting into power.

National now is hurting from its self-inflicted PR wound that cannot be stitched up and closed easily by their spin doctors. Let’s have a closer look at some of the feeble excuses that National has trotted out so far to cover up its momentous botch-up.

Fiscal cliff
Nicola Willis has discovered that funding for PHARMAC was time-limited, but rather than accepting this as normal government practice and a consequence of her own incompetence, she painted herself as some kind of self-imagined heroine on a rescue mission.

“In this Budget, we had to find $1.8 billion to rescue the funding of medicines that were left unfunded by the outgoing government,” she said. “Pharmac had been given what we call ‘cliff funding’ so it had been short-funded. So, as of June 1 this year, it would have run out of… money for listed medicines.

“So, our first job was to rescue those medicines and in future Budgets, we want to deliver on that commitment for more cancer drugs.”

The same nonsense was also parroted by Dr Shane Reti, undoubtedly singing from the same PR song sheet sticky-note.

Drug registration
National has managed to pull another rabbit out of the hat, some of the cancer drugs still need to be registered, allegedly.

Time is lives for those waiting on the funding. So, when can Kiwis expect it?

“Soon,” Dr Reti said.

“We’re looking to deploy the cancer drugs that we campaigned on. You’ll understand that some of them are still to be registered, so there’s some work to be done. But, we’re anticipating making announcements soon.

I started having a look on the Medsafe website, as this is the agency that’s responsible for new drug registrations in NZ, and it appears that most if not all of the 13 proposed cancer drugs have already been approved by Medsafe. So pull the other one, Dr Reti! In any case, National made its grandiose promise in August last year. So, nobody […] thought it should register those ‘unregistered’ drugs between then and now?? Please tell the plebs which of the drugs still need to be registered. Why not then fund the ones that are registered now? This is pathetic and insults our intelligence.

Whilst there were some issues signalled with funding of the new cancer drugs in the Briefing to the Incoming Minister of Health November 2023, none of it appeared to be related to those drugs still needing to be registered [cf. page 6 of the linked PDF].

Procurement
In my neck of the woods you make sure the funding is agreed, at least in principle, before you start the procurement process. This process is designed to evaluate all relevant available products or services and to ensure best value for money, in this case for all New Zealanders, not just cancer patients, as also cancer specialists emphasise. For (cancer) medicines this jobs falls to PHARMAC. But Chris Luxon puts the cart before the horse and now tries to blame procurement for not funding the 13 new cancer drugs.

However, on Monday, Luxon said it was the procurement process that was holding up the funding.

“It is taking a little bit more time than we wanted,” Luxon said.

Nobody’s buying it! There are too many articles to cite for this, even just today, but fortunately the pennies are dropping. How much time do you need, Mr Luxon? Is one term enough? It should be because that’s all you should be allowed.

Anyhow, how’s the government going to strong-arm PHARMAC into approving those treatments without the usual due process to satisfy political expediency? The Ministry of Health already raised this in the most diplomatic terms possible in December 2023:

Funding additional cancer drugs within Budget 2024 will have some challenges given the existing legislative settings and decision-making framework for the public funding of medicines. There are additional considerations to enable access to the cancer drugs such as from workforce and system capacity limitations. The initial advice will outline the issues and options to mitigate.

By sabotaging the procurement process led by PHARMAC Luxon has all but guaranteed a sub-optimal outcome.

Strong lobbying is highly likely to force National to backflip on its broken promise. Spare a thought for minor interest groups who don’t have a strong lobby voice by way of multiple charities and experts. Is it right and fair that they’re likely to be poorly served if at all? Nevertheless, the pressure from that particular lobby front will go away and fade from most people’s memories, as if nothing happened and no breach of integrity and accountability had ever occurred.

What should remain as a reminder to us is that this coalition government has no credibility to keep its promises, avoids accountability and taking responsibility for its own goals, and is likely to continue damaging our trust by playing on people’s feelings, fears, and emotions, unless or until the people of New Zealand put a stop to it and take back power to the people. Firstly, by making our representatives stick to their promises, and secondly, by telling our MPs what we need, rather than the other way round and them telling us what we want, supposedly. The only way things will change is when we have democracy in action and (pro)active democracy, not this passive lethargic charade, with the occasional reflexive outburst of momentary dissatisfaction and associated outpour of (negative) emotion in social and mainstream media, and this juvenile circus in Parliament and amateur band in the Beehive.

One final observation is that there’s been no blaming of or finger-pointing at its coalition partners by National for its screw-up, as far as I know. This might suggest that all three coalition parties were fine with dropping the election promise and that no hard-fought negotiating battles were at the heart of it. At the same time, though, I haven’t seen any Ministers from the other two coalition parties jump to the defence of National and its diabolically doomed decision. I’m no expert but I’d assume that Cabinet Collective Responsibility would also include Budget.

Cabinet is an intensely collective form of government: ministers discuss policy, consider options and jointly take responsibility for all cabinet decisions. Under the convention of collective responsibility, once cabinet reaches a decision, all ministers must support that decision and defend it in public. This applies whether or not ministers were present when the decision was taken, and regardless of their personal views on its merits. [my italics]

Looks like National is in a hole by itself and should crawl back under its rock.

11 comments on “National’s irksome incompetence is inexcusable ”

  1. thinker 1
    5 June 2024 at 7:37 am

    I keep wondering:

    When a party isn't in government, it is in opposition, with the job of holding the incumbent government to account.

    So, where was National, when it was supposed to be the people's watchdog?

    How could it have been giving appropriate scrutiny, when it didn't even know which pharmaceuticals were funded and which weren't? And, apparently, that a whole bunch of them weren't registered?

    How could they have missed this apparent $1.8 billion hole such that it was a surprise now?

    This article is about pharmaceuticals, but the same goes for lots of things the now-government never knew about while in opposition.

    Maybe they were busy having long lunches at Bellamy's, which I notice wasn't part of Seymour's drive to save money by scaling back the menu to luncheon-meat sandwiches.

    Reply
  2. SPC 2
    5 June 2024 at 8:50 am

    Willis and Reti are just following after Seymour who saved "food in schools" by providing $3 a meal food supplied by a central provider (a day old sandwich wrapped in plastic with a piece of fruit) rather than a locally provided hot meal ($8).

    An amount they could afford.

    He called the new meal nutritious and delicious. But if there is more waste he will just cancel the programme, another cost saving.

    It was National/COC that decided on a minimal allocation of new spending in their model, Labour had more allocated for new spending (thus could renew the school food programme).

    Reply
  3. SPC 3
    5 June 2024 at 8:53 am

    Short version ACT required National to speed up restoring the landlord tax break, the party of euthanasia and excel spreadsheets.

    Reply
  4. ianmac 4
    5 June 2024 at 8:54 am

    Well said Incognito. Thanks.

    Reply
  5. Bearded Git 5
    5 June 2024 at 9:15 am

    The beauty of the cancer drugs issue is that the MSM has been full of it for several days with numerous people being interviewed on the radio saying "I voted for them because they promised to do this and now I don't trust them".

    It is a discrete issue easily grasped by the voting public and has done incalculable damage to the COC's image, just to save $71m a year. Luxon really has a tin-ear when it comes to politics.

    Another problem is that the government doesn't have much talent or ability among its ministers-listen to Mark Mitchell on RadioNZ this morning (link below) saying that there were now 60% more police on the beat in central Auckland since the COC took power. When Corin Dann asked what the original numbers were that the 60% was derived from he had no idea. So it could be 5 police have been increased to 8 for instance.

    https://www.rnz.co.nz/national/programmes/morningreport/audio/2018941304/police-minister-on-safety-in-auckland-central

    Michell complains several times about how unbalanced RadioNZ’s report was. Look out for ministers refusing to be interviewed on RadioNZ.

    Reply
    • Mike the Lefty 5.1
      5 June 2024 at 11:12 am

      Reflecting over my (many) years observing politics I have concluded that this government would win hands down the award for the least prepared new government ever to take power in New Zealand.

      With most previous governments, whether National or Labour-led there was always a kind of mood in the electorate for change when it happened, but that was positive change. The last election was irrevocably negative in its context and the negativity was calculated by its participants.

      You could say: what else could you expect from a coalition of rural conservatives, rich urban yuppies and conspiracy theorists? but the scale is astounding. Even Muldoon, at his worst, couldn't match the driving relentless negativity that has been the hallmark of the CoC so far.

      They have talked New Zealand to recession, economically and socially. They have stirred up racial division. They have poured scorn on hard fought environmental improvements in our industries and lifestyles. The country is in a feeble depressed state and so many people seem not to give a f.. about anything. The last time I can remember it being so bad was a year or so before the 1990 elections when we were counting down that days before we could get rid of the Rogernomes.

      But that was BEFORE the election, not after.

      It is not surprising that survey after survey paints gloomy pictures of our economy. Business confidence continues to be very low, unemployment climbing rapidly. Street crime, far from reducing from the actions of the new government, appears to be becoming worse. We appear to be in the grip of another outbreak of COVID (I am one of the victims as I write this).

      Folks, this country is a depressed state and it is in a depressed state because we have a three-headed monster governing us that revels in power whilst disdaining the necessary hard work that comes from being in charge. They are like infants in charge of Rolls Royces, way out of their depths.

      Reply
    • Incognito 5.2
      5 June 2024 at 6:04 pm

      Indeed, it has received a lot of attention in MSM, and rightfully so, but you can already see it disappearing from focus; when you flog a horse (too) many times, it dies.

      Today (I wrote the OP yesterday), there are still a few notable mentions in MSM.

      Acting Prime Minister David Seymour says he did anticipate the backlash against the decision not to fund 13 cancer drugs, but that it was a political judgement from the National Party.

      […]

      Seymour said he has done nothing to oppose these drugs being funded.

      https://www.stuff.co.nz/politics/350298087/nz-politics-live-police-minister-wants-remove-three-strikes-policy-boy-racers [odd link, I know]

      The Spinoff has an informative article on how the debacle (for and by National) unfolded.

      https://thespinoff.co.nz/politics/05-06-2024/the-full-timeline-of-nationals-broken-cancer-drugs-promise

      Even the NZ Herald still pays some attention to National’s Cancergate.

      https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/politics/budget-2024-finance-minister-nicola-willis-defends-housing-and-public-sector-cuts-as-cancer-drugs-issue-dogs-government/S2GFUNNZNVC3PFKWUOXVVWKTXA/

      Tim Murphy over at Newsroom sums it up very nicely. And I fully expect Newsroom to keep a close eye on developments and follow up as/when required.

      https://newsroom.co.nz/2024/06/05/a-stage-3-case-of-political-opportunism/

      Reply
      • Bearded Git 5.2.1
        6 June 2024 at 9:33 am

        Incog-that Murphy summary article is excellent as you say.

        This is over promising and not delivering at all. The people who will benefit from the 13 drugs and their friends and relations are of course livid. But such a stupid and obvious broken promise has annoyed the masses.

        As Murphy says, even the 13 drugs list is now in doubt because it is 3 years old and cancer treatment is moving rapidly. Chaos really. Luxon should have given more money to Pharmac and left it to them as experts. But Luxon hates the Labour instigated Pharmac of course.

        Reply
  6. tWig 6
    5 June 2024 at 11:25 am

    Chewie and Pat of Big Hairy News discuss this issue. From 50 min onwards in their youtube show last night.

    Reply
  7. adam 7
    5 June 2024 at 1:48 pm

    To use a term from crypto – this lot are bloody good at the rug pull.

    Reply

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    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    7 days ago

  • Bernard's Dawn Chorus and pick 'n' mix for Friday, June 14
    Seymour said lower speed limits “drained the joy from life as people were forced to follow rules they knew made no sense.” File Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: My six things to note in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy around housing, climate and poverty on Friday, June 14 were:The National/ACT/NZ First ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    7 days ago

  • Friendly but frank talks with China Premier
    It sounded like the best word to describe yesterday’s talks between Chinese Premier Li Qiang and his heavyweight delegation of Ministers and officials and Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and New Zealand Ministers and officials was “frank.” But it was the kind of frankness that friends can indulge in. It ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    7 days ago

  • Skeptical Science New Research for Week #24 2024
    Open access notables Wildfire smoke impacts lake ecosystems, Farruggia et al., Global Change Biology: We introduce the concept of the lake smoke-day, or the number of days any given lake is exposed to smoke in any given fire season, and quantify the total lake smoke-day exposure in North America from 2019 ...
    Skeptical Science
    1 week ago

  • Join us for the weekly Hoon on YouTube Live
    Photo by Mathias Elle on UnsplashIt’s that new day of the week (Thursday rather than Friday) when we have our ‘hoon’ webinar with paying subscribers to The Kākā for an hour at 5 pm.Jump on this link on YouTube Livestream for our chat about the week’s news with special guests:5.00 ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago

  • Geoffrey Miller: China’s message to New Zealand – don’t put it all at risk
    Don’t put it all at risk. That’s likely to be the take-home message for New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon in his meetings with Li Qiang, the Chinese Premier. Li’s visit to Wellington this week is the highest-ranking visit by a Chinese official since 2017. The trip down under – ...
    Democracy ProjectBy Geoffrey Miller
    1 week ago

  • The Real Thing
    I know the feelingIt is the real thingThe essence of the soulThe perfect momentThat golden momentI know you feel it tooI know the feelingIt is the real thingYou can't refuse the embraceNo?Sometimes we face the things we most dislike. A phobia or fear that must be confronted so it doesn’t ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    1 week ago

  • Gordon Campbell on how moderates empower the political right
    Struth, what a week. Having made sure the rural sector won’t have to pay any time soon for its pollution, PM Christopher Luxon yesterday chose Fieldays 2024 to launch a parliamentary inquiry into rural banking services, to see how the banks have been treating farmers faced with high interest rates. ...
    Gordon CampbellBy lyndon
    1 week ago

  • Bernard's Dawn Chorus and pick 'n' mix for Thursday, June 13
    In April, 17,656 people left Aotearoa-NZ to live overseas, averaging 588 a day, with just over half of those likely to have gone to Australia. Photo: Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: My six things to note in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy around housing, climate and poverty on Thursday, June 13 ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago

  • Our guide to having your say on the draft RLTP 2024
    Auckland’s draft Regional Land Transport Plan (RLTP) 2024 is open for feedback – and you only have until Monday 17 June to submit. Do it! Join the thousands of Aucklanders who are speaking up for wise strategic investment that will dig us out of traffic and give us easy and ...
    Greater AucklandBy Connor Sharp
    1 week ago

  • The China puzzle
    Chinese Premier Li Qiang arrives in Wellington today for a three-day visit to the country. The visit will take place amid uncertainty about the future of the New Zealand-China relationship. Li hosted a formal welcome and then lunch for then-Prime Minister Chris Hipkins in Beijing a year ago. The pair ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    1 week ago

  • Fossil fuels are shredding our democracy
    This is a re-post of an article from the Climate Brink by Andrew Dessler published on June 3, 2024. I have an oped in the New York Times (gift link) about this. For a long time, a common refrain about the energy transition was that renewable energy needed to become ...
    Skeptical Science
    1 week ago

  • Life at 20 kilometres an hour
    We are still in France, getting from A to B.Possibly for only another week, though; Switzerland and Germany are looming now. On we pedal, towards Budapest, at about 20 km per hour.What are are mostly doing is inhaling a country, loving its ways and its food. Rolling, talking, quietly thinking. ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    1 week ago

  • Hipkins is still useless
    The big problem with the last Labour government was that they were chickenshits who did nothing with the absolute majority we had given them. They governed as if they were scared of their own shadows, afraid of making decisions lest it upset someone - usually someone who would never have ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    1 week ago

  • Exercising with the IDF.
    This morning I did something I seldom do, I looked at the Twitter newsfeed. Normally I take the approach of something that I’m not sure is an American urban legend, or genuinely something kids do over there. The infamous bag of dog poo on the front porch, set it on ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    1 week ago

  • Helm Hammerhand Anime: First Pictures and an Old English ‘Hera’
    We have some news on the upcoming War of the Rohirrim anime. It will apparently be two and a half hours in length, with Peter Jackson as Executive Producer, and Helm’s daughter Hera will be the main character. Also, pictures: The bloke in the middle picture is Freca’s ...
    A Phuulish FellowBy strda221
    1 week ago

  • Farmers get free pass on climate AND get subsidies
    The cows will keep burping and farting and climate change will keep accelerating - but farmers can stop worrying about being included in the ETS. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: My six things to note in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy around housing, climate and poverty on Wednesday, June 12 were:The ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago

  • Six ideas to secure Te Huia’s Future
    This is a guest post by our friend Darren Davis. It originally appeared on his excellent blog, Adventures in Transitland, which features “musings about public transport and other cool stuff in Aotearoa/ New Zealand and around the globe.” With Te Huia now having funding secure through to 2026, now is ...
    Greater AucklandBy Darren Davis
    1 week ago

  • The methane waka sinks
    In some ways, there may be less than meets the eye to the Government announcement yesterday that the He Waka Eke Noa proposal for farmers to pay for greenhouse gas emissions has been scrapped. The spectre of farmers still having to pay at some point in the future remains. That, ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    1 week ago

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

  • Climate Change: Farmers get what they wanted – for now
    Since entering office, National has unravelled practically every climate policy, leaving us with no effective way of reducing emissions or meeting our emissions budgets beyond magical thinking around the ETS. And today they've announced another step: removing agriculture entirely. At present, following the complete failure of he waka eka noa, ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    1 week ago

  • Presumed Innocent?
    The blue billionaireDistraction no interactionOr movement outside these glazed over eyesThe new great divideFew fight the tide to be glorifiedBut will he be satisfied?Can we accept this without zoom?The elephant in the roomNot much happens in politics on a Monday. Bugger all in fact. Although yesterday Christopher Luxon found he ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    1 week ago

  • Gordon Campbell on our doomed love affair with oil and gas
    What if New Zealand threw a fossil fuel party, and nobody came? On the weekend, Resources Minister Shane Jones sent out the invitations and strung up the balloons, but will anyone really want to invest big time in resuming oil and gas exploration in our corner of the planet? Yes, ...
    WerewolfBy lyndon
    1 week ago

  • Building better housing insights
    This is a guest post by Meredith Dale, senior urban designer and strategist at The Urban Advisory. There’s a saying that goes something like: ‘what you measure is what you value’. An RNZ article last week claimed that Auckland was ‘hurting’ because of a more affordable supply of homes, particularly townhouses ...
    Greater AucklandBy Guest Post
    1 week ago

  • Putin would be proud of them
    A Prime Minister directs his public service to inquire into the actions of the opposition political party which is his harshest critic. Something from Orban's Hungary, or Putin's Russia? No, its happening right here in Aotearoa: Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has announced the Public Service Commission will launch an ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    1 week ago

  • Resources for debunking common solar and wind myths
    This is a repost from a Yale Climate Connections article by SueEllen Campbell published on June 3, 2024. The articles listed can help you tell fact from fiction when it comes to solar and wind energy. Some statements you hear about solar and wind energy are just plain false. ...
    Skeptical Science
    1 week ago

  • Juggernaut
    Politics were going on all around us yesterday, and we barely noticed, rolling along canal paths, eating baguettes. It wasn’t until my mate got to the headlines last night that we learned there had been a dismayingly strong far right result in the EU elections and Macron had called a ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    1 week ago

  • Numbers Game.
    Respect Existence, Or Expect Resistance? There may well have been 50,000 pairs of feet “Marching For Nature” down Auckland’s Queen Street on Saturday afternoon, but the figure that impresses the Coalition Government is the 1,450,000 pairs of Auckland feet that were somewhere else.IN THE ERA OF DRONES and Artificial Intelligence, ...
    Bowalley Road
    1 week ago

  • Media Link: AVFA on post-colonial blowback.
    Selwyn Manning and I discuss varieties of post colonial blowback and the implications its has for the rise of the Global South. Counties discussed include Palestine/Israel, France/New Caledonia, England/India, apartheid/post-apartheid South Africa and post-colonial New Zealand. It is a bit … Continue reading → ...
    KiwipoliticoBy Pablo
    1 week ago

  • Policy by panic
    Back in March, Ombudsman Peter Boshier resigned when he hit the statutory retirement age of 72, leaving the country in the awkward (and legally questionable) position of having him continue as a temporay appointee. It apparently took the entire political system by surprise - as evinced by Labour's dick move ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    1 week ago

  • School attendance increases
    School attendance data released today shows an increase in the number of students regularly attending school to 61.7 per cent in term one. This compares to 59.5 per cent in term one last year and 53.6 per cent in term four. “It is encouraging to see more children getting to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    11 hours ago

  • Record investment in public transport services
    The Government has announced a record 41 per cent increase in indicative funding for public transport services and operations, and confirmed the rollout of the National Ticketing Solution (NTS) that will enable contactless debit and credit card payments starting this year in Auckland, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says.“This Government is ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    11 hours ago

  • GDP data shows need to strengthen and grow the economy
    GDP figures for the March quarter reinforce the importance of restoring fiscal discipline to public spending and driving more economic growth, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says.  Data released today by Stats NZ shows GDP has risen 0.2 per cent for the quarter to March.   “While today’s data is technically in ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    12 hours ago

  • Women continue to make up over 50 per cent on public sector boards
    Women’s representation on public sector boards and committees has reached 50 per cent or above for the fourth consecutive year, with women holding 53.9 per cent of public sector board roles, Acting Minister for Women Louise Upston says. “This is a fantastic achievement, but the work is not done. To ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    15 hours ago

  • Government supporting Māori business success
    The Coalition Government is supporting Māori to boost development and the Māori economy through investment in projects that benefit the regions, Regional Development Minister Shane Jones and Māori Development Minister Tama Potaka say. “As the Regional Development Minister, I am focused on supporting Māori to succeed. The Provincial Growth Fund ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    16 hours ago

  • Better solutions for earthquake-prone buildings
    Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk has announced that the review into better managing the risks of earthquake-prone buildings has commenced. “The terms of reference published today demonstrate the Government’s commitment to ensuring we get the balance right between public safety and costs to building owners,” Mr Penk says.  “The Government ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    17 hours ago

  • Prime Minister wraps up visit to Japan
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has just finished a successful three-day visit to Japan, where he strengthened political relationships and boosted business links. Mr Luxon’s visit culminated in a bilateral meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Kishida Fumio followed by a state dinner. “It was important for me to meet Prime Minister Kishida in person ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago

  • Major business deals signed on PM’s Japan trip
    Significant business deals have been closed during the visit of Prime Minister Christopher Luxon to Japan this week, including in the areas of space, renewable energy and investment.  “Commercial deals like this demonstrate that we don’t just export high-quality agricultural products to Japan, but also our world-class technology, expertise, and ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago

  • Strategic Security speech, Tokyo
    Minasan, konnichiwa, kia ora and good afternoon everyone. Thank you for the invitation to speak to you today and thank you to our friends at the Institute for International Socio-Economic Studies and NEC for making this event possible today.  It gives me great pleasure to be here today, speaking with ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago

  • National Infrastructure Pipeline worth over $120 billion
    The National Infrastructure Pipeline, which provides a national view of current or planned infrastructure projects, from roads, to water infrastructure, to schools, and more, has climbed above $120 billion, Infrastructure Minister Chris Bishop says. “Our Government is investing a record amount in modern infrastructure that Kiwis can rely on as ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago

  • Making it easier to build infrastructure
    The Government is modernising the Public Works Act to make it easier to build infrastructure, Minister for Land Information Chris Penk announced today. An independent panel will undertake an eight-week review of the Act and advise on common sense changes to enable large scale public works to be built faster and ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • NZ enhances North Korea sanctions monitoring
    New Zealand will enhance its defence contributions to monitoring violations of sanctions against North Korea, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon announced today.  The enhancement will see the New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) increase its contributions to North Korea sanctions monitoring, operating out of Japan. “This increase reflects the importance New Zealand ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • Speech to Safeguard National Health and Safety Conference
    Good afternoon everyone. It’s great to be with you all today before we wrap up Day One of the annual Safeguard National Health and Safety Conference. Thank you to the organisers and sponsors of this conference, for the chance to talk to you about the upcoming health and safety consultation. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • Ōtaki to north of Levin alliance agreements signed
    Transport Minister Simeon Brown has welcomed an important milestone for the Ōtaki to north of Levin Road of National Significance (RoNS), following the NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) signing interim alliance agreements with two design and construction teams who will develop and ultimately build the new expressway.“The Government’s priority for transport ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • Improvements to stopping Digital Child Exploitation
    The Department of Internal Affairs [Department] is making a significant upgrade to their Digital Child Exploitation Filtering System, which blocks access to websites known to host child sexual abuse material, says Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden.  “The Department will incorporate the up-to-date lists of websites hosting child sexual ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago

  • New vaccine research aims to combat prevalent bovine disease
    A vaccine to prevent an infectious disease that costs New Zealand cattle farmers more than $190 million each year could radically improve the health of our cows and boost on-farm productivity, Associate Agriculture Minister Andrew Hoggard says. The Ministry for Primary Industries is backing a project that aims to develop ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago

  • Making it easier to build granny flats
    The Government has today announced that it is making it easier for people to build granny flats, Acting Prime Minister Winston Peters and RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop say. “Making it easier to build granny flats will make it more affordable for families to live the way that suits them ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago

  • High Court Judge appointed
    Attorney-General Judith Collins today announced the appointment of Auckland King’s Counsel Gregory Peter Blanchard as a High Court Judge. Justice Blanchard attended the University of Auckland from 1991 to 1995, graduating with an LLB (Honours) and Bachelor of Arts (English). He was a solicitor with the firm that is now Dentons ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago

  • Health workforce numbers rise
    Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says new data released today shows encouraging growth in the health workforce, with a continued increase in the numbers of doctors, nurses and midwives joining Health New Zealand. “Frontline healthcare workers are the beating heart of the healthcare system. Increasing and retaining our health workforce ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago

  • Government to overhaul firearms laws
    Associate Justice Minister Nicole McKee has today announced a comprehensive programme to reform New Zealand's outdated and complicated firearms laws. “The Arms Act has been in place for over 40 years. It has been amended several times – in a piecemeal, and sometimes rushed way. This has resulted in outdated ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago

  • Government delivers landmark specialist schools investment
    The coalition Government is delivering record levels of targeted investment in specialist schools so children with additional needs can thrive. As part of Budget 24, $89 million has been ringfenced to redevelop specialist facilities and increase satellite classrooms for students with high needs. This includes: $63 million in depreciation funding ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago

  • Major health and safety consultation begins
    A substantial consultation on work health and safety will begin today with a roadshow across the regions over the coming months, says Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Brooke van Velden.  This the first step to deliver on the commitment to reforming health and safety law and regulations, set out in ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago

  • Growing the potential of New Zealand’s forestry sector in partnership
    Forestry Minister Todd McClay, today announced the start of the Government’s plan to restore certainty and confidence in the forestry and wood processing sector. “This government will drive investment to unlock the industry’s economic potential for growth,” Mr McClay says. “Forestry’s success is critical to rebuilding New Zealand’s economy, boosting ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago

  • Government cancels forestry ETS annual service charges for 2023-24
    Annual service charges in the forestry Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) will be cancelled for 2023/24, Forestry Minister Todd McClay says. “The sector has told me the costs imposed on forestry owners by the previous government were excessive and unreasonable and I agree,” Mr McClay says. “They have said that there ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago

  • Speech to the LGNZ Infrastructure Symposium
    Introduction Thank you for having me here today and welcome to Wellington, the home of the Hurricanes, the next Super Rugby champions. Infrastructure – the challenge This government has inherited a series of big challenges in infrastructure. I don’t need to tell an audience as smart as this one that ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago

  • Government boosts Agriculture and food trade with China
    Trade and Agriculture Minister Todd McClay and Food Safety Minister Andrew Hoggard welcomed outcomes to boost agricultural and food trade between New Zealand and China. A number of documents were signed today at Government House that will improve the business environment between New Zealand and China, and help reduce barriers, including on infant formula ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • NZ and China launch Services Trade Negotiations
    Trade Minister Todd McClay, and China’s Commerce Minister Wang Wentao, today announced the official launch of Negotiations on Services Trade between the two countries.  “The Government is focused on opening doors for services exporters to grow the New Zealand’s economy,” Mr McClay says.  As part of the 2022 New Zealand-China Free Trade Agreement Upgrade ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Prime Minister Luxon meets with Premier Li
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon met with Chinese Premier Li Qiang at Government House in Wellington today.  “I was pleased to welcome Premier Li to Wellington for his first official visit, which marks 10 years since New Zealand and China established a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership,” Mr Luxon says. “The Premier and ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Government and business tackling gender pay gap
    The coalition Government is taking action to reduce the gender pay gap in New Zealand through the development of a voluntary calculation tool. “Gender pay gaps have impacted women for decades, which is why we need to continue to drive change in New Zealand,” Acting Minister for Women Louise Upston ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Funding Boost for Rural Support Trusts
    The coalition Government is boosting funding for Rural Support Trusts to provide more help to farmers and growers under pressure, Rural Communities Minister Mark Patterson announced today. “A strong and thriving agricultural sector is crucial to the New Zealand economy and one of the ways to support it is to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Latest data shows size of public service decreasing
    Spending on contractors and consultants continues to fall and the size of the Public Service workforce has started to decrease after years of growth, according to the latest data released today by the Public Service Commission. Workforce data for the quarter from 31 December 23 to 31 March 24 shows ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Speech to the Law Association
    Thank you to the Law Association for inviting me to speak this morning. As a former president under its previous name — the Auckland District Law Society — I take particular satisfaction in seeing this organisation, and its members, in such good heart. As Attorney-General, I am grateful for these ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • 25 years on, NZ reaffirms enduring friendship with Timor Leste
    New Zealand is committed to working closely with Timor-Leste to support its prosperity and resilience, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says.   “This year is the 25th anniversary of New Zealand sending peacekeepers to Timor-Leste, who contributed to the country’s stabilisation and ultimately its independence,” Mr Peters says.    “A quarter ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Inquiry requested into rural banking
    Promoting robust competition in the banking sector is vital to rebuilding the economy, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says.  “New Zealanders deserve a banking sector that is as competitive as possible. Banking services play an important role in our communities and in the economy. Kiwis rely on access to lending when ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Ministry for Regulation targets red tape to keep farmers and growers competitive
    Regulation Minister David Seymour, Environment Minister Penny Simmonds, and Food Safety Minister Andrew Hoggard have today announced a regulatory sector review on the approval process for new agricultural and horticultural products.    “Red tape stops farmers and growers from getting access to products that have been approved by other OECD countries. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Government to reverse blanket speed limit reductions
    The Coalition Government will reverse Labour’s blanket speed limit reductions by 1 July 2025 through a new Land Transport Rule released for public consultation today, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says.  The draft speed limit rule will deliver on the National-ACT coalition commitment to reverse the previous government’s blanket speed limit ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Chair appointments for NZSO, CNZ and NZ On Air
    Minister Paul Goldsmith is making major leadership changes within both his Arts and Media portfolios. “I am delighted to announce Carmel Walsh will be officially stepping into the role of Chair of the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra, having been acting Chair since April,” Arts Minister Paul Goldsmith says.  “Carmel is ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Government focus on long-term food, fibre growth
    Food and fibre export revenue is tipped to reach $54.6 billion this year and hit a record $66.6b in 2028 as the Government focuses on getting better access to markets and cutting red tape, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay and Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones say. “This achievement is testament ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Govt consulting on cutting red tape for exporters
    A new export exemption proposal for food businesses demonstrates the coalition Government’s commitment to reducing regulatory barriers for industry and increasing the value of New Zealand exports, which gets safe New Zealand food to more markets, says Food Safety Minister Andrew Hoggard.  “The coalition Government has listened to the concerns ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • New Zealand and Philippines elevating relationship
    New Zealand and Philippines are continuing to elevate our relationship, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says.   “The leaders of New Zealand and Philippines agreed in April 2024 to lift our relationship to a Comprehensive Partnership by 2026,” Mr Peters says. “Our visit to Manila this week has been an excellent ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

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