National’s plan – open and be damned

Written By: - Date published: 9:43 am, October 21st, 2021 - 71 comments
Categories: covid-19, grant robertson, health, Judith Collins, national, same old national, tax - Tags:

Yesterday National released what feels like take 16 of its Covid response plan, this one focussing on business interests and setting a hard timeline for reopening.

The fiscal details were attacked mercilessly by Grant Robertson in the house.

Four bucks a week to workers is a joke and tax cuts for small businesses will only benefit the profitable.  And missing out on the female unemployment figure and getting the Maori unemployment figure is inexcusable.  Robertson’s final comment “bring back Paul Goldsmith” must have hurt.

Sympathetic voices have been amplified in the media to make the announcement sound like a very good thing.  For me it is a desperate recycling of tried and failed right wing dogma.

As an example National’s dine and discover voucher proposal for restaurants is but a desperate rehash of a UK conservative policy that was panned for being instrumental in increasing the spread of Covid by 8% to 17%.

National has also set a line in the sand, December 1 for our own particular version of freedom day, again borrowing from a well used UK Conservative concept.

Back in July 2021 Boris Johnson announced that they would celebrate freedom day.  The Covid death rate has increased ever since.

There are some pretty ugly moral underpinnings to National’s deadline.  It suggests that those who are not vaccinated have only themselves to blame.

This has been repeated by Mike Hosking who shows his complete indifference to his fellow human being in his statement that “[t]here is no good reason for the vast majority of us to be held back by a) the thick; b) the lazy; or c) overarching governments who trade in fear”.

He also praises England’s and New South Wales’s responses to Covid.  Words fail me …

For a more reasoned, careful and more humane analysis can I invite you to read this article by Keith Lynch at Stuff.  His main points:

  • Much as some of us were proud of it long term elimination was not a realistic policy goal.
  • “The end of elimination didn’t necessarily mean failure. Keeping the virus out for so long was a huge win, giving us time to prepare.”
  • “By delaying the arrival of Covid, we’ve been able to watch how things play out overseas, getting a glimpse of our future and enabling us to prepare accordingly.  We can learn how quickly immunity wanes after vaccinations, which will help inform our approach to boosters.”
  • Our death rate is still remarkably low.

National’s plan if implemented would undermine the vaccination effort.  It seems very likely we will hit a 90% vaccination rate.  Declaring victory after that would remove a large amount of the impetus for the final part of our community to be vaccinated.

And as I said earlier Covid does not give a fuck about our plans.  It attacks our weaknesses and an incomplete vaccination programme would be a significant weakness.

I get the need for certainty and predictability.  I hate to say this but Covid is not going to cooperate with our plans, no matter how superficially attractive they are.

71 comments on “National’s plan – open and be damned ”

  1. tc 1

    Certainty over extra suffering. Typical approach from national.

    Yes let's copy the UK and NSW as it's working sooo well for them.

    • lprent 1.1

      The article I read this morning in the Guardian subtitled..

      Health secretary rejects calls for ‘plan B’ measures despite predicting infections could hit 100,000 a day

      Politicians have a responsibility to set an example in the battle against Covid, including wearing masks in crowded spaces, Sajid Javid has suggested as he predicted new infections could hit a record 100,000 a day.

      With the government under mounting pressure to impose measures to control the virus, Javid warned “this pandemic is not over” and insisted he would do “what it takes” to protect the health service. But he said: “We don’t believe that the pressures currently faced by the NHS are unsustainable.”

      Javid urged millions of eligible people to come forward for booster jabs, saying this was key for people being able to “keep their freedoms”, but declined to say how high infection or hospitalisation rates would need to reach before measures are reimposed.

      He was pressed on the risks of mixed messages, with most Conservative MPs declining to wear masks in the House of Commons or in packed cabinet meetings, and the business secretary, Kwasi Kwarteng, encouraging the public to book Christmas parties.

      Yesterday's number of new cases in the UK was 49,139 – up 6,363 since last week. The previous peak was at ~60,000 cases per day.

      Yesterday's vaccinations were 75,669

      The current vaccinations in the UK are at 67.7% for full doses and 73.8% for at least one does – of the whole population.

      The equivalent vaccination rates here are 57% for full dose and 72% for at least one dose.

      We have nowhere near the medical capacity of the NHS – I'd rate us at being under half of their capacity per head of population (probably closer to a third). We simply don't have the capacity to open.

      Especially with the kind of dimwitted MPs like National and Act specialise in going out and helping to supporting Mike Hosking in his two year drive to kill as many people as possible through simple stupidity. It wouldn’t surprise me if those kinds of ignorant fuckwits would try to discourage wearing of masks

      At the least we need to have started vaccinating the under 12s to keep the spread rates down. Hanging out for that approval from Medsafe.

  2. aj 2

    The Keith Lynch article was very refreshing to read. One gets very tired of media catastrophising every aspect of our response to the pandemic.

  3. Stephen D 3

    What I found telling was that it didn’t feature on 1News till 6.35. Hardly a major news item.

  4. Dennis Frank 4

    A reasonable summation. However, what's the bet that Friday will give us the PM announcing a similar plan?!

    This thing about Labour & National copying each other has been going on for more than a generation so it's unreasonable to expect either to break that mold.

    No shame to admit failure: Delta is too clever for humans to defeat. Now that the evidence is out, expect tolerance of restrictions to ebb noticeably. Will the South Island declare independence from Aotearoa? If the PM fails to yield to their demands on Friday, they ought to go for it.

  5. Grumpy 5

    I agree that vaccination rates are far too low to reopen the economy completely.

    The media uncritically parrots the "eligible" vaccination rate, the actual rate is much lower.

    https://ourworldindata.org/covid-vaccinations

    A quick look shows many countries with close to 90% real vaccination rates showing a surge in infection.

    Real rates from above link are;

    Singapore 79.46%, UK 66.56%, NZ 58.38%, Australia 57.21% and USA 55.96%

    • dv 5.1

      And yesterday cases per mill

      Singapore 677

      UK 637

      NZ 20

      Aus 78

      USA 232

      Nos rounded.
      https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/#countries

      • Grumpy 5.1.1

        Shows what it can easily jump to, even with higher vaccination rates than our's.

        We should be better, a small sparsely populated isolated island, we have had every opportunity to ride this out until a better vaccine was developed.

    • Ed1 5.2

      Adding the partially vaccinated give 74%, which is an indication of the likely full vaccination level in a few weeks time. I agree with using the fully vaccinated percentage for targets, but even if we get the two numbers closer I suspect we will get the best balance of economic and death results by waiting for opening up at about 0% to 95%,

  6. I like the Natz plan – give covid-19 an ultimatum! You behave when we get to 85-90% vaccination, or we'll open the country by December 1st and you'd better go away – or else!

    I can see this working really well. /s

  7. Alan 7

    This plan will not be a lot different from the labour plan, give or take a few weeks, Mickey will be spewing at that thought but reality has set in now.

    • Patricia Bremner 7.1

      Micky (no e) “will be spewing” We all are!! ..God Gnats are pathetic, and you pretend to know better lol.

      That "few weeks' will be critical for 20% of our population. The PM said "We will move with slowly with care" from my recollection. They have never!! named an opening date, as they have always said it would depend on high vaccination.

      We are not there yet.

      Those proposing idiotic actions based on faulty figures know they will never have to be accountable, … as the current Government is every day.

      • Grumpy 7.1.1

        "slowly with care" has been abbreviated to just "slowly". The hiatus in vaccination after we thought Covid had been stopped in it's tracks and the jump from "first in the queue for vaccines" to almost last will prove deadly and hard for Labour to shake off.

        We can't wait for the last few percent of recalcitrants to be vaccinated. Everyone has the opportunity and if they prefer not to be vaccinated then that should be looked at as their decision.

        • Tricledrown 7.1.1.1

          Grumpy So your happy for our already over worked Doctor's and nurse's our best and brightest having to put their health at risk because you want a panicked opening.

          We pay $100's of millions in fact $billions for our health system and training,for a few people who are vaccine hesitant or don't have the resources to get to a vaccination location.punishing those who are a last line of defence.

          • Grumpy 7.1.1.1.1

            No, that is not what I want but it will happen sooner or later. There has been plenty of time to increase ICU facilities. The virus will escape and become uncontrolled. The vaccine, as in other countries, will not stop it’s spread. The vaccine take up, despite the spin is low. The results will be severe with the biggest contributors being government incompetence and the unwillingness of a small sector of society’s unwillingness to get vaccinated.

    • Tricledrown 7.2

      Allan 90%+ is going to be a lot safer if a few weeks makes a difference that is a sensible plan.Panicking people by offering a far more dangerous shortcut is not a plan.It is foolhardy and irresponsible idea to try and get a few points in the polls.

  8. Tricledrown 8

    Easy to make up policy when you can't implement or take a hit for the consequences .

    Own goal National not well researched where is the money show us the money .$100's of millions without costings great money management.1,000 hospitalizations a day in the UK.NZ equivalent 85 a day 600 a week 1200 a fortnight our hospital system can not cope.Not to mention the horrific toll Maori would face.

    Collins still flailing around trying to be relevant.

    Panicking is playing into Deltas evasive spread.

    STFU unless you have a viable plan Collins.

    • tc 8.1

      A bi-partisan approach to aid the vax program and neuter the tamakis and tin foil hat brigade is beyond national. They've had plenty of chances.

      Imo she's lost the next election for them already regardless of who leads them into it.

      Long covid etc the reminders will be everywhere.

  9. Ad 9

    102 today in Auckland just makes Collins an idiot.

    And rising.

    • tc 9.1

      Imagine a proper media using that pesky fact drilling into her, bishop, reti etc in a similar manner that cunliffe got drilled over the DP smear.

      Make them wear it which ain't happening with the owned media.

    • Enough is Enough 9.2

      8 of those were in TA which is a bit south of Auckland.

      But your point stands nonetheless

  10. georgecom 10

    interesting to see National actually have a 'plan' or even a policy on something. They have been thin on the ground. Still, I guess it's a step up from previous attempts which amounted to 'open the borders/close the borders/open the borders', homeless men sneaking into MIQ facilities, leaking covid information to the media, squawks about slow vaccination rates with no idea themselves of what to do about it, and stating the obvious.

    daily vaccination rates are interesting post super Saturday. Sort of reminds me of the day after a big do, a big booze saturday night and a very quiet time on sunday getting over a hangover and lack of sleep. Daily first jabs since Saturday have been about 1/3 down from what they were last week, second jabs about the same, down 1/3.

    from a rate of about roughly 100,000 first jabs a week, down to around 66,000 on trends

    from a rate of roughly 350,000 second jabs, down to around 220,000 on trends

    still reasonable, but markedly slower

  11. Lukas 11

    What prep was done?

    From what I can tell- no new ICU capacity has come online and we are scrambling to come up with a plan on how to educate our children? Rules, alert-levels with different steps and pathways been announced with little to no detail.

    What specific prep was done?

    • Enough is Enough 11.1

      From what I can tell the strategy was keep it out until we are vaccinated. Then slowly reopen.

      There was no preparation for what we have now, and what we will experience over the next 12 months. If they did prepare for that scenrio they kept it very quiet.

      In March 2020 there was a call to arms from the government to retired nurses and doctors. They appreciated at that time this could get ugly and we need as much help as possible. Then we eliminated and went back to BAU.

      The fact nurses and doctors are still struggling to get into the country just baffles me.

    • tc 11.2

      No new ICU capacity has come online because this isn't Hogwarts and DHB's aren't run by wizards.

      Much like I didn't see a new harbour bridge pop up either.

      Reality bites in a system run down by key, ryall, English and Coleman over 3 terms that's now in recovery under 1.5 terms of labour.

      Covids been with us now for all of this govts second term. Get real.

      • Enough is Enough 11.2.1

        Tony Ryall is responsble for the government not increasing our ICU capabilities over the past 18 months during a global pandemic where they have borrowed $60B and spent it on other stuff?

        I am not sure where to even start with that.

        If we were in October 2017 I'd be clapping you on, but really.

        • Tricledrown 11.2.1.1

          Enough is Enough it takes years to build capacity .Most hospitals are old and run down the newer hospitals suffering leaky building syndrome may need a complete rebuild.

          Hospitals have been suffering staff shortages for many years.

          National cut health funding by 20% over 9 years. Increasing the amount of money to DHB's by less than 1% per year.Inflation averaged 2% over those 9 years.Then the rapidly aging population increased by 20% over that 9 yr period effectively a 29% cut .not allowing for more expensive materials in hospitals as inflation in the health sector runs at 7% plus per year.

          You got miserly tax cuts at the expense of a run down health system.Tax cuts whom only the well off benefitted ,they can afford private healthcare.

      • Leighton 11.2.2

        Absolutely tc. I'm so sick of the right wing trope that the government should have sonehow rustled up extra permanently staffed ICU beds in the last year and a bit. Anyone can buy a bed and medical equipment but it is no use if there's nobody available to provide the 24/7 care that a patient occupying such a bed would need. ICU medicine and nursing is a specialist discipline, and training a new one takes years. The best that can be done in a crisis is to give people from other areas of the health sector a bit of basic training and redeploy them as backup for surge capacity. Not ideal or anything like a permanent solution, but I'm sure that's what will happen if it comes down to it. The time to actually prep our health system to handle this pandemic was 5-10 years ago. Ship has long since sailed.

        • georgecom 11.2.2.1

          yes, second best time to boost ICU staff capacity is now, that's up to Little. Best time was 5-10 years ago, that was Ryall's responsibility.

    • georgecom 11.3

      I would suspect very very little Lukas. Here is an example to illustrate my skepticism, it may not be reflective of the entire 'plan' but shows the level of thinking in recent times. Collins and Bishop regularly in the media saying how the govt vaccination roll out was slow. So you of course look for what Nationals 'plan' was. A few vague statements about prioritising essential workers and such like. Reasonable point yes. But that was essentially related to distributing the existing vaccines. NO mention of how the National Party would expand the availability of vaccines if they were doing it. No mention of which vaccines, from where, at what cost or how we would gain priority access. So I suspect little prep.

  12. Adrian 12

    Interesting to listen to someone who knows a few days ago on RNZ, about Rapid Antigen spit testing, apparently it is somewhere between 72% and 89% accurateBUT only if done by someone who is trained, if not it drops to 54% +. The balance can have a a huge number of false positives which are very dangerous because someone who takes the test can be led to believe that they are clear when in fact infected and go on to behave as if clear. What pisses me off is that not one journalist I have heard has challenged Bishop and Collins et al about this.

  13. Poission 13

    Singapore with all the bells and whistles,since lessening restrictions has gone into reversal,with cases close to 4k a day.

    Reintroduction of regulatory controls has now extended to late november.

    https://www.channelnewsasia.com/singapore/stabilisation-phase-restrictions-extended-nov-21-dining-social-gatherings-2256766

  14. Ad 14

    My brother in Taranaki finally got his first jab. He's pretty Taranaki hard core.

    Peer pressure at work, rather than employer mandate, is what did the trick.

  15. Andre 15

    National at least has a plan, however inept and misguided and heartless it may be.

    Our government's plan so far appears to be to just cruise along murmuring sweet nothings while keeping Auckland in lockdown until all the vaccine refusers that have zero incentive to actually get vaccinated (because they don't think it will ever affect their lifestyle) somehow see the light.

    Tomorrow's announcement had better be a fucking good one, the need has been obvious for a long long time, and it's not as if the government is short of resources or powers.

    • rod 15.1

      Hi Andre, 'National at least has a plan', yes and they all sound about the same sort of plans that Baldrick used to have. smiley

    • Gypsy 15.2

      So far the governments plan has been to announce on Monday that there will be an announcement on Wednesday about an announcement on Friday. They appear to be as useless as each other.

      • Drowsy M. Kram 15.2.1

        They appear to be as useless as each other.

        yes Such a useless job of containing Delta. Ardern is the worst of all – chilling. The lack of certainty thoughout this pandemic has been appalling – for the first 6 months of the pandemic our govt had no clue when effective vaccines would be available – so useless. Chilling.

        Pressure on PM to set out Auckland's future
        National leader Judith Collins yesterday unveiled her party's proposed plan, including an end to lockdowns and starting to reopen the borders either on December 1 or when the vaccination rate hits 85–90 per cent, whichever was earliest.

        That is the same date Act believes the borders should reopen more, although some have panned it as too risky.

        Collins also criticised the PM for the delay in releasing the Government's plan, saying people needed certainty as soon as possible.

        The solutions are all too obvious – put National and ACT in charge; National really should have been in charge from 2017 on. /sarc

        • Gypsy 15.2.1.1

          "Such a useless job of containing Delta."

          You could have saved yourself another dive into the lowest form of wit if only you'd read my comment in context.

          This thread is about a plan FOR THE FUTURE.

          The comment I was replying to was about a plan FOR THE FUTURE.

          I wasn't making any comment about the job the government has done in containing Delta.

    • Except, their sums don't add up for purpose built MIQ. Short by NZ$150 million, at least.

  16. Leighton 16

    It suggests that those who are not vaccinated have only themselves to blame.

    Come on mate, really? Who else do they still have to blame? I understand that the original rollout was targeted at the "average" (read white middle-class) New Zealander and circumstances/privilege make it easier in practice for some to get vaccinated than others, but for the past six weeks at least the Government and the private sector has been doing everything short of rolling out the red carpet to get people vaccinated. Free taxis to the vaccination clinic, free food when you get there, a wide array of other commercial gimmicks, targeted programs for Maori and Pasifika whose vaccine uptake tends to be below average, community leaders from those groups actively advocating for vaccination, clear messaging and information on why vaccination is important, widespread availability of the vaccine from GPs and pharmacies as well as bespoke vaccination clinics open seven days a week (which from my experience are run with military precision while maintaining human kindness and a professional service mentality).

    I'm sure there are pockets of poverty in isolated rural regions where access remains a genuine issue and that needs to be addressed urgently, but that is nowhere near 15% of the national population. What possible systemic excuse do 11% of Aucklanders, 7% of Wellingtonians and 13% of Hamiltonians and Cantabrians have for not having had a single dose yet? The sad fact is that most (albeit not all) of these people either a) can't be bothered because they think Covid can't/won't get them or their loved ones despite all evidence to the contrary or b) have made an active choice to reject vaccination for reasons which are entirely selfish and/or based on hocus pocus bullshit or conspiracy theories and are impervious to any reasoning to the contrary.

    National's plan is bollocks for many reasons, as it always has been, but it is also time for citizens to start owning their own choices. The focus needs to be on what has to happen to protect those who are vulnerable and DON'T have a choice in the matter (children under 12, the immune compromised who remain vulnerable despite being vaccinated and the very small number who medically cannot receive the Pfizer vaccine). This is what should guide the reopening plan, not indefinitely pandering to those who are giving those vulnerable people two middle fingers.

  17. Nic the NZer 17

    Looks like NSW is going to be running a live experiment in opening up with low-ish vaccination rates. They have apparently reached 70% if eligible population double vaxed, which was a target, so are now in "this is happening" mode. Of course they were already much worse off than NZ and Auckland but something should be inferable from the expected outbreak growth (hope to be completely wrong about this).

    Also of interest are some graphs of vaccine studies of effectiveness, though there is a consensus that one of the later charts is a miss-interpretation of the statistic of a potential 50-50 rate.

    http://bilbo.economicoutlook.net/blog/?p=48546

  18. The coronovirus pandemic is the the equivalent of a world wide war against an invisible airborne invasion.

    I am sick of hearing from whining business moaners about how hard done by they are.

    Since when has a healthy bank balance been more important than a healthy population?

    When did an overwhelmed hospital system become acceptable for "business spokespeople"?

    A pandemic is war. Get used to it. We have had at least two world wars to my knowledge. One of those wars was associated with an influenza pandemic incorrectly related to Spain.

    Immigration and generational shifts in attitudes have left Collins and her adherents rudderless.

    Collins time scale is ludicrous, and it is not even an election year.

  19. Tricledrown 19

    National tax cuts plus saying they are pay down debt faster as well. Does that mean more cuts in health like in the Key era.

    $350 million a week for the tax cuts $billions on other initiatives .

    Collins leadership is a joke changing one finance spokesperson for another incompetent.

    At a time when we need an effective opposition

    Give Reti a go he sounds reasonable .

    • Nic the NZer 19.1

      Actually National can deliver on that. They just get the RBNZ to write off the govt debt they hold. If debt is still above target then just get the RBNZ to buy more and do it again.

  20. Hunter Thompson II 20

    I expect all our nurses and other healthcare staff will be marching in the streets calling for Jacinda to adopt the Natz' plan. It's a real winner – for about 2 days.

    • Leighton 21.1

      100% Frank. If we want to trace back to the point at which our tremendously successful Covid response went down the wrong track for the first time, it was the Government's capitulation to the incessant whining of National and the hospitality/tourism sector to prematurely open an international travel bubble with the proper vaccine rollout only months away. It's hard to imagine a more arrogant middle finger to the virus, and unsurprisingly the virus quickly proved itself to be more than up to the challenge.

  21. Leighton 22

    100% Frank. If we want to trace back to the point at which our tremendously successful Covid response went down the wrong track for the first time, it was the Government's capitulation to the incessant whining of National and the hospitality/tourism sector to prematurely open an international travel bubble with the proper vaccine rollout only months away. It's hard to imagine a more arrogant middle finger to the virus, and unsurprisingly the virus quickly proved itself to be more than up to the challenge. The rest, as they say, is the history we are living through right now.

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    Buzz from the Beehive Here’s hoping for a lively post-cabinet press conference when the PM and – perhaps – some of his ministers tell us what was discussed at their meeting today. Until then, Point of Order has precious little Beehive news to report after its latest monitoring of the ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    1 day ago
  • Labour’s final report card
    David Farrar writes –  We now have almost all 2023 data in, which has allowed me to update my annual table of how  went against its promises. This is basically their final report card. The promise The result Build 100,000 affordable homes over 10 ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    1 day ago
  • “Drunk Uncle at a Wedding”
    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
    4 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 ...
    6 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
    4 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
    9 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
    11 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
    11 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
    1 day 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 ...
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    6 days ago
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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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  • 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 Auckland Business Chamber
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  • Speech to Life Sciences Summit
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