National’s policy platform

Written By: - Date published: 8:35 am, August 5th, 2020 - 45 comments
Categories: business, Economy, economy, education, election 2020, elections, Environment, Judith Collins, national, same old national - Tags:

I thought I would have a dive into National’s announced policies to see what they are proposing.  It did not take me long.  For a party that promised to be a policy factory it was a real disappointment.

They do have a vision statement.

It seems that the only thing that matters to National is the economy.  There is no mention of Covid 19 or the need to keep us safe.  And there is no mention of the tsunami of environmental disasters heading our way.  Or the importance of community or family or aroha.  Nothing but the economy appears to feature in National’s thoughts.

They do have an environmental policy but it is not finished yet and they have no announced policies.

They also acknowledge the importance of community but as yet have no policies.

They also have workplace policies that are as yet not complete.

To be fair they have announced a few policies, scrapping teachers fees, mainly to weaken the Teacher’s Council, restarting international education which most people think in the middle of a pandemic is bonkers, and reversing Labour’s vocational education reforms.

They have announced a lot of infrastructure projects, mostly roads and many of them unfunded.  Crazy stuff like building a road tunnel through the Brynderwyns and Auckland’s East West motorway for when the world has to urgently get away from using cars.

And they have announced a few business policies, letting people buy courier runs with some of their kiwisaver, extra money to businesses to employ people they would probably employ anyway, tweaks to depreciation so businesses can depreciate items more quickly, GST cash refund, and a $100 million package of direct grants for tourism projects aimed at increasing demand for tourism.  They just don’t get it.  Tourism is going nowhere for years if ever.

Judith Collins was on Radio New Zealand this morning and said that the delay is because they are waiting for the release of Treasury’s PREFU.

This is bollocks.  At the same time last election Labour had a fully costed and reviewed set of policies ready to go.  And to those who claim that Labour is also going policy lite can I refer them to this website which contains all you want to know about what Labour is planning.

I have never seen National so messy.  Whether it is mass resignations and retirements, selection controversies, the failure to vet new candidates properly, or the complete lack of a policy platform they are messy, messy, messy.  And I can tell you from door knocking that I have done recently that this is the overwhelming impression that ordinary people have, and some of them were erstwhile National supporters.

Early voting starts in a month.  If this keeps up we could be looking at a 2002 type result for National.

45 comments on “National’s policy platform ”

  1. Sacha 1

    Collins is worried Labour will steal the Nats' ideas if they announce them. Priceless.

    https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/political/422778/judith-collins-on-more-election-policy-announcements

    "There's a whole raft of policies that will be coming out. As you know, if we pop them out too early then the government, who doesn't seem to want to have any policies put out, will maybe just steal them and say gosh there it is."

    • Leighton 1.1

      By Judith's logic, wouldn't Labour also be justified in having no policies at this point because National would steal them if they were announced? She obviously views the world as some kind of game of electoral chicken.

    • Sacha 1.2

      And some lying about numbers, of course, from the same story.

      On their polling figures, she said they were doing "pretty well" along the same lines they had previously indicated of about 40 percent.

    • Incognito 1.3

      Nah, it’s all about controlling the narrative and the black player has the advantage in this game unless …

      Edit: Oops, this is not OM but a new OP. I’d better read it first.

    • Robert Guyton 1.4

      "pop them out"?

    • AB 1.5

      Perhaps Judith sees politics as like some giant wetland – you never mention where the swamp kauri might be – in case someone else gets there first? Maybe this is called ‘bringing business experience’ to government.

  2. tc 2

    You reap what you sow, a 2002 result would be justified.

    They plundered across 3 terms. Smeared, got caught, played through the media…rinse and repeat. Soo many skeletons.

    Kiwis with empathy will choose wisely. Jude's perfect for this gig as her style suits their approach.

    • Robert Guyton 2.1

      Jude's supercilious smirk – is that a winner, do you think?

      • tc 2.1.1

        We shall see, the doubling down approach with crusher out front seems their only choice. Matty's probably charted the course already up to the GE and swum away clear now, no surprises there.

        There's never been any policy just slogans sucking in the swinging sheeple. Will they bleat again or think critically about NZ's future.

  3. Tricledrown 3

    Never underestimate the opposition at the moment we see National reheating their roading policy.

    Goldsmiths pathetic effort on Kiwisaver reduntanxies tax credit with a 60 to 70% failure rate

    It will be interesting the slow striptease now.

  4. Gosman 4

    Agreed. If you want a alternative set of policies to the waste land of both National and Labour you need to look at either The Greens or ACT.

    • Stuart Munro 4.1

      Meh – ACT are a spent force intellectually speaking. And the Greens are headed that way – pious noises till the wheels fall off, not early and substantial corrections are all we will see from either of these. The crunch is going to hurt when it comes.

    • roblogic 4.2

      Labour has policies, all status quo stuff that National would probably be doing

    • mikesh 4.3

      Or Opportunities or Social Credit.

    • Enough is Enough 4.4

      I tend to agree with you Gosman. National and Labour try to portray themselves as polar opposites on the political spectrum. They both claim that the other party will result in disaster while only they can save Aotearoa.

      The reality is they are both conservative central parties where their similarities far outweigh their differences.

      If you want real reform and transformation, you have only two options Green and ACT. If you want more of the same shit, vote Labour or National.

      And to clarify I am not advocating anyone votes for ACT. The Green Party is the only option if you want positive change.

  5. Just Is 5

    This may not be a policy but National released a statement saying that they wouldn't be introducing any TAX cuts.

    In the first 6 months.

    There's probably no need for them produce any visionary policies as the writing is on the wall for them, just going through the motions.

  6. Enough is Enough 6

    I think a 2002 result for National is almost inevitable because National voters will, and already are thinking tactically.

    In 2002 the conservative vote still reached 45%. That year traditional National supporters voted tactically with NZ First and United picking up 17% of the vote between them. Nats had 21 and ACT 7.

    This election something different is happening though. There is less than quiet murmurs from rural New Zealand, that they will do whatever it takes to keeps the Greens from holding too much influence. They are willing to hold their nose and vote Labour to give them an absolute majority. After all what is the point of voting for National if they get 35% max, if you lose the war and have the Greens with a veto vote in Parliament.

    I hope if that happens that Labour will still invite the Green party to cabinet and give them important port folios.

    • Sacha 6.1

      Rural voters are far fewer than persistent national stereotypes suggest. Let them whinge.

      • Enough is Enough 6.1.1

        I don't think they are whinging. They are just going to quietly vote Labour regardless of what National offers them. The question is whether tat sentiment spreads to the urban the National supporters

  7. Dennis Frank 7

    Labour's best policy is continuity (`let's keep moving') as a semblance of business as usual. Trotter framed it yesterday as a `third referendum'. https://thedailyblog.co.nz/2020/08/04/must-read-the-third-referendum/

    JACINDA ARDERN’S STRATEGY for this election is now clear. She will be inviting New Zealanders to vote in three referendums. The referendum on Cannabis. The referendum on Euthanasia. And the referendum on her government’s handling of the Covid-19 Pandemic.

    Many on the Left, caught up in the excitement of a prospective electoral victory so emphatic that Labour may be in a position to govern alone, are imploring the party to seize the time and enact the most comprehensive reform of New Zealand institutions since 1984. All the things the Left was hoping for: the “transformation” promised by Jacinda but countermanded by Winston Peters; will become possible in a House of Representatives dominated by Labour and the Greens.

    The secret of Labour’s survival as a viable political party, and the reason why so many New Zealanders still think of it as “left-wing”, is due to it being the party people vote for to keep the much more recognisably right-wing National Party out of government… In other words, Labour, like National, is defined almost entirely by what it is not. The moment either party abandons this essentially negative function – as Labour did between 1972 and 1975, and National did between 1990 and 1993 – they are instantly perceived as threats.

    The binary straitjacket imposed on both mainstream parties by partisan thinking means bland is good. Having actual policies implies the parties stand for something. Since that something is unpalatable to centrists, and winning requires centrist support, Nat/Lab thinking inevitably converges on the centre ground of the campaign.

    Partisan rhetoric becomes a loser's ploy. So there's a switch-over point in time, when team-building rah-rah messaging gets displaced by cagey smokescreen. The pros can probably even tell you which month in election year the switch gets thrown.

  8. aom 8

    So what infrastructure does National want to give Wellington? Four lanes to the bloody planes and the city's largest and most expensive carpark. What does Wellington need? It needs a light rail system that serves the high housing density spines that are envisaged AND the airport.

    • RobbieWgtn 8.1

      Wgtn will never need light rail at a population of ~200k in the City, even if the additional ~35k forecast over the next 23 years eventuates. There's no light rail in the world that is economically viable with that pop density & you only have to look at the Gold Coast, Edinburgh etc to see how much taxpayer & ratepayer theft is required to sustain these vanity projects. Buses are much less capital intensive, much more able to vary capacity & operational cost to demand.

      Wellington is also 1 decent earthquake away from becoming the NI's Picton – ferry terminal, without the Gov't / Public sector high salaries propping it up as they would easily relocate.

  9. Chris 9

    Key says open up the borders. Is this a patsy for Collins to respond with "oh no, we couldn't possibly risk the health of hard working kiwis when it's unsafe to do so"? Or will Collins agree with Key? It'd be good if it were the latter because what's happening in Victoria is really getting cut-through with the general population on the need to 'maintain health for the sake of the economy' issue, finally.

    So you go Collins, tell us Key's on to it. Fantastic.

    https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/industries/122338065/relax-border-restrictions-to-soften-covid19s-economic-blow-sir-john-key-says

  10. novacastrian 10

    I find it hard to be critical of National in this rare instance, as at least they are tabling policies. Much the same could be said of ACT, New Conservative, Greens and several other smaller parties.

    My own team are pretty much lame in the policy depart, which frankly I find disappointing from Labour, though I always found the whole Jacindamania sideshow very un-Labour like anyway. You can't avoid addressing genuine issues or avoiding having policies by trotting out another baby Neeve story.

    • observer 10.1

      Please link to the baby Neve stories from the last 2 years. The ones Labour have been "trotting out", allegedly.

      She is the least photographed "celebrity" child in NZ. The RW nasties making stuff up on social media is not a source you should rely on.

      • novacastrian 10.1.1

        Just search the Stuff and NZ Herald archives, add to that Baier media publications, and you'll find a plethora of the aforementioned Baby Neve related articles.

        • observer 10.1.1.1

          But you didn't, did you?

          You specifically claim that Labour are "avoiding having policies by trotting out another baby Neeve story"

          This is false.

  11. observer 11

    In fact National announced plenty of policies under Simon Bridges (they may have been bad policies but at least they existed).

    But since he was dumped we just don't know if those policies are null and void. They seem to be both National policy and Definitely-Not National policy (as shown on the website in the OP). Added to the confusion is that Paul Goldsmith has been the Finance spokesman under 3 different leaders, with 3 different messages. All change, no change.

    This was a response to Covid-19. Is it still? Who knows?

    https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/120112824/national-promises-to-scrap-unfit-for-purpose-regulations-if-elected

    • Warren Doney 11.1

      Simon had quite a range of discussion documents up on Nationals website apparently. These have been taken down, and are almost certainly being given a polish, ready to be rolled out at strategic times to take up air. Mathew Hooton was actually working on this before he resigned.

      I don't know why people think National won't have policy ready for their campaign, given it's what they are being criticised for the most. It's not like it's hard to produce, or necessarily accurate, or that they would feel the need to stick to it after being elected.

      Kiwibuild is a prime example of this. Labour would have almost certainly known the targets were impossible to meet without much more public funding and immigrant labour, but probably never expected to win the election.

      I expect most of National's roading announcements are bullshit too, just like the bridges of Northland were. They must know how notorious they are for being all about roads. Perhaps announcing them first is a tactical strategy?

    • georgecom 11.2

      ahhhh the bonfire

      little did National know the thing they would be burning was their political credibility and votes

  12. ianmac 12

    Funny that the headline given to that old-timer John Key on National Radio was so breathtaking. He has figured out that there is more unemployment to come and harder times for business, especially for tourist businesses.

    Thank goodness we have such an erudite man to warn us of these unexpected troubles.

    • tc 12.1

      Great to see a taxpayers funded broadcaster granting national PR airtime.

      A decent media wouldn't bother with him as he's clearly there in a partisan capacity to shore up the brand. RNZ's so fn lame.

      Did he get asked how much he loves Judith ?

      • Gabby 12.1.1

        Did he get asked about Op Burnham?

      • Sacha 12.1.2

        To be fair, the guy is Chair of our biggest bank, reported addressing a business audience (which media can never get enough of).

  13. Policies? When is the election? How many weeks?

    The media is starved of gossip, and bleats. Diddums.

    At least we are spared "opinionsters" boring us to death.

  14. National policy ,apparently, dumb post 05/08/20, headline national will have a new traffic tunnel in Wellington by 2023.

    Reading the item it would unlikely to be off the maps in the next decade.

    The chattering class are making themselves more irrelevant the more they bleat.

    Its called masturbation.

  15. Bloke 15

    Judy and Gerry are going under the wall tonight, they are tunneling their way out of oblivion by announcing forward thinking policies like "roads something something and taxes something something"

    • georgecom 15.1

      yes, and with the roads policy, they can announce the same road 3 or 4 times and pretend it is new and fresh policy each and every time

      sort of like turning your underwear inside out a few times before washing day

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    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • How Did FTX Crash?
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    PunditBy Brian Easton
    4 days ago
  • Elections in Russia and Ukraine
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    4 days ago
  • Bernard’s six stack of substacks at 6pm on March 15
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    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
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    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    4 days ago
  • Government funding bailouts
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    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • Two offenders, different treatments.
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    KiwipoliticoBy Pablo
    4 days ago
  • Treaty references omitted
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    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • The Ghahraman Conflict
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    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
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    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • Weekly Roundup 15-March-2024
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    Greater AucklandBy Greater Auckland
    4 days ago
  • That Word.
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    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    4 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
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    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    5 days ago
  • Skeptical Science New Research for Week #11 2024
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    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
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    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
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    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • It’s not a tax break
    Ele Ludemann writes – Contrary to what many headlines and news stories are saying, residential landlords are not getting a tax break. The government is simply restoring to them the tax deductibility of interest they had until the previous government removed it. There is no logical reason ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • The Plastic Pig Collective and Chris' Imaginary Friends.
    I can't remember when it was goodMoments of happiness in bloomMaybe I just misunderstoodAll of the love we left behindWatching our flashbacks intertwineMemories I will never findIn spite of whatever you becomeForget that reckless thing turned onI think our lives have just begunI think our lives have just begunDoes anyone ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago
  • Who is responsible for young offenders?
    Michael Bassett writes – At first reading, a front-page story in the New Zealand Herald on 13 March was bizarre. A group of severely intellectually limited teenagers, with little understanding of the law, have been pleading to the Justice Select Committee not to pass a bill dealing with ram ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • Gordon Campbell on National’s fantasy trip to La La Landlord Land
    How much political capital is Christopher Luxon willing to burn through in order to deliver his $2.9 billion gift to landlords? Evidently, Luxon is: (a) unable to cost the policy accurately. As Anna Burns-Francis pointed out to him on Breakfast TV, the original ”rock solid” $2.1 billion cost he was ...
    5 days ago
  • Bernard's Top 10 @ 10 'pick 'n' mix' for March 14
    TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: Jonathon Porritt calling bullshit in his own blog post on mainstream climate science as ‘The New Denialism’.Local scoop: The Wellington City Council’s list of proposed changes to the IHP recommendations to be debated later today was leaked this ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • No, Prime Minister, rents don’t rise or fall with landlords’ costs
    TL;DR: Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said yesterday tenants should be grateful for the reinstatement of interest deductibility because landlords would pass on their lower tax costs in the form of lower rents. That would be true if landlords were regulated monopolies such as Transpower or Auckland Airport1, but they’re not, ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • Cartoons: ‘At least I didn’t make things awkward’
    This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Tom Toro Tom Toro is a cartoonist and author. He has published over 200 cartoons in The New Yorker since 2010. His cartoons appear in Playboy, the Paris Review, the New York Times, American Bystander, and elsewhere. Related: What 10 EV lovers ...
    5 days ago
  • Solving traffic congestion with Richard Prebble
    The business section of the NZ Herald is full of opinion. Among the more opinionated of all is the ex-Minister of Transport, ex-Minister of Railways, ex MP for Auckland Central (1975-93, Labour), Wellington Central (1996-99, ACT, then list-2005), ex-leader of the ACT Party, uncle to actor Antonia, the veritable granddaddy ...
    Greater AucklandBy Patrick Reynolds
    5 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 ...
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    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
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    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
  • There’s a name for this
    Every year, in the Budget, Parliament forks out money to government agencies to do certain things. And every year, as part of the annual review cycle, those agencies are meant to report on whether they have done the things Parliament gave them that money for. Agencies which consistently fail to ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    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
    2 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
    7 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
    9 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
    9 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
    23 hours ago
  • Kāinga Ora instructed to end Sustaining Tenancies
    Kāinga Ora – Homes & Communities has been instructed to end the Sustaining Tenancies Framework and take stronger measures against persistent antisocial behaviour by tenants, says Housing Minister Chris Bishop. “Earlier today Finance Minister Nicola Willis and I sent an interim Letter of Expectations to the Board of Kāinga Ora. ...
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    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, ...
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    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
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    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 ...
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    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 ...
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    5 days ago
  • Celebrating 10 years of Crankworx Rotorua
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    5 days ago
  • Government delivering on tax commitments
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    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Significant Natural Areas requirement to be suspended
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    5 days ago
  • Government classifies drought conditions in Top of the South as medium-scale adverse event
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    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 ...
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    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, ...
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    6 days ago
  • Ruapehu Alpine Lifts bailout the last, say Ministers
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    6 days ago
  • Govt takes action to drive better cancer services
    Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says the launch of a new mobile breast screening unit in Counties Manukau reinforces the coalition Government’s commitment to drive better cancer services for all New Zealanders. Speaking at the launch of the new mobile clinic, Dr Reti says it’s a great example of taking ...
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    6 days ago
  • Govt takes action to drive better cancer services
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    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Work begins on SH29 upgrades near Tauriko
    Unlocking economic growth and land for housing are critical elements of the Government’s plan for our transport network, and planned upgrades to State Highway 29 (SH29) near Tauriko will deliver strongly on those priorities, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “The SH29 upgrades near Tauriko will improve safety at the intersections ...
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    6 days ago
  • Work begins on SH29 upgrades near Tauriko
    Unlocking economic growth and land for housing are critical elements of the Government’s plan for our transport network, and planned upgrades to State Highway 29 (SH29) near Tauriko will deliver strongly on those priorities, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “The SH29 upgrades near Tauriko will improve safety at the intersections ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Fresh produce price drop welcome
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    6 days ago
  • Statement to the 68th United Nations Commission on the Status of Women
    Tēnā koutou katoa and greetings to you all.  Chair, I am honoured to address the sixty-eighth session of the Commission on the Status of Women. I acknowledge the many crises impacting the rights of women and girls. Heightened global tensions, war, climate related and humanitarian disasters, and price inflation all ...
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  • Speech to the 68th United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (CSW68)
    Tēnā koutou katoa and greetings to you all.  Chair, I am honoured to address the 68th session of the Commission on the Status of Women. I acknowledge the many crises impacting the rights of women and girls. Heightened global tensions, war, climate related and humanitarian disasters, and price inflation all ...
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    6 days ago
  • Government backs rural led catchment projects
    The coalition Government is supporting farmers to enhance land management practices by investing $3.3 million in locally led catchment groups, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay announced. “Farmers and growers deliver significant prosperity for New Zealand and it’s vital their ongoing efforts to improve land management practices and water quality are supported,” ...
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    6 days ago
  • Speech to Auckland Business Chamber
    Good evening everyone and thank you for that lovely introduction.   Thank you also to the Honourable Simon Bridges for the invitation to address your members. Since being sworn in, this coalition Government has hit the ground running with our 100-day plan, delivering the changes that New Zealanders expect of us. ...
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    1 week ago
  • Commission’s advice on ETS settings tabled
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    1 week ago
  • Government lowering building costs
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    1 week ago
  • Trustee tax change welcomed
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    1 week ago
  • Minister’s Ramadan message
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    1 week ago
  • Minister appoints new NZTA Chair
    Former Transport Minister and CEO of the Auckland Business Chamber Hon Simon Bridges has been appointed as the new Board Chair of the New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA) for a three-year term, Transport Minister Simeon Brown announced today. “Simon brings extensive experience and knowledge in transport policy and governance to the role. He will ...
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    1 week ago
  • Speech to Life Sciences Summit
    Good morning all, it is a pleasure to be here as Minister of Science, Innovation and Technology.  It is fantastic to see how connected and collaborative the life science and biotechnology industry is here in New Zealand. I would like to thank BioTechNZ and NZTech for the invitation to address ...
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    1 week ago
  • Progress continues apace on water storage
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    1 week ago
  • Government agrees to restore interest deductions
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    1 week ago
  • Minister to attend World Anti-Doping Agency Symposium
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    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

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