New Zealand’s Greatest Economic Threat is Fonterra

Written By: - Date published: 7:00 am, August 29th, 2023 - 35 comments
Categories: Deep stuff, Economy, Environment, exports, farming, farming - Tags:

Fonterra represents New Zealand’s largest internal economic threat. And promise.

Fonterra’s milk payout is now forecast to be $6-$7 a kilo of milk solids this season. Outside of interest rate changes, that will be the single largest factor in a depression on our economy and our society.

Fonterra continues to dominate our dairy industry, and our exports.

Fonterra’s revenue at 2022 was over twice that of 18 state owned enterprises and 19 Crown owned entities put together. It has twice the revenue of New Zealand’s only other local business of international scale, Fletcher Building. It and its suppliers are the largest polluter and industrial water user in New Zealand by a country mile. Fonterra’s growth of business dwarfs all other metrics.

The threat and promise Fonterra posed to New Zealand was framed in 2015 by KPMG’s Executive Chairman thus:

Putting it bluntly, our economy is in good shape because of dairy, and in particular Fonterra, and New Zealand needs this to continue.”

In 1998 dairy was worth $4 billion to our economy, and it’s now over $20 billion. Dairy accounts for 1 in 3 of our export dollars, and Fonterra accounts for about 80% of that dairy production and export.

Fonterra as creature of the state has for twenty years required large and sustained support from the state. That support has not been reciprocated with success.

Fonterra was formed because two oligopolistic players and a dairy export regulator demanded that the state legislate their power into a near-monopoly. They convinced the Helen Clark-led Labour administration that only an entity of this scale could take on the giants of Danone, Nestle, and Kerry’s. Having gained that 2001 legislated power, Fonterra had within a decade managed to trash every promise they had made to each other, to the state, to New Zealand and to its overseas partners and customers.

Now, in 2023, New Zealand’s dairy exports are still 80% controlled by Fonterra and are completely reliant on their Chinese markets performing well.  Our economy is simply miserable for it. China’s higher-end food and infant nutrition demands are not recovering and as a result neither is New Zealand. Our environment and water system in particular is also simply miserable for it.

We are in this position because the New Zealand dairy industry begged the state for a free trade agreement with China. The Helen Clark government worked exceedingly hard to break open the burgeoning economy of China with the China-New Zealand Free Trade Agreement. What Helen Clark and Phil Goff achieved there was access for dairy producers that has not been equalled in any subsequent New Zealand free trade agreement.

New Zealand government’s gift to the new Fonterra was for the state to break open the burgeoning economy of China in 2008 with the China-New Zealand Free Trade Agreement.  This was a global first. What it provided was access for dairy producers to a massive new market on a scale that hasn’t been equalled in any other subsequent New Zealand free trade agreement.

Fonterra rewarded the Clark government with catastrophic investments that poisoned 300,000 and killed many people, and lost them hundreds of millions in written-off investment in the Melanin  disaster. Beingmate collapsed, and a full firesale of Fonterra’s international assets occurred through 2019. None of its initial promises to its shareholders to be that great global player have been kept.

The Chairman of the company left after that first set of disasters, and the Chief Executive was replaced.

The 2009 National government doubled down on the Helen Clark formation of Fonterra by rapidly funding a massive expansion of irrigated dairy country throughout the South Island in Canterbury and Otago in particular. This was spending hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars to prop up the industry Fonterra dominated.

Then someone finally did the analysis that told the truth. Fonterra over the whole of its existence just hadn’t worked and in part was barely viable. This is set out by the Chairman of the Fonterra Shareholders Council in their independent assessment of the financial performance of Fonterra since inception. It covered 11 years of analysis.

Current National Deputy leader was employed by Fonterra as their GM Nutrient Management. She was right at the heart of Fonterra for years. National’s Todd Mueller used to be Fonterra’s head of corporate affairs.

Rather than enable the New Zealand economy to diversify, Fonterra has concentrated since 2017 on shrinking right down into a crouch, and strengthening its controlling power within New Zealand.

On the government’s final Fresh Water National Policy Statement, there were no recommendations for measurable and applicable numeric limits on nutrients vital to make the stated goal of cleaner fresh water. Fonterra through DairyNZ had lobbied the hell out of it.

The next field of concern was Fonterra’s place in New Zealand carbon pollution. This became more clearly framed once New Zealand signed onto the 2015 Paris accords.

In September 2017 the advice of James Shaw and MoE officials to bring dairy and agriculture into account for their emissions were overruled by Ardern and Cabinet.

In September 2019 170,000 people marched in New Zealand urging the government to take much stronger steps about climate change, with agricultural emissions at the forefront. This was New Zealand’s second-largest public protest and equated at the time to 3.7% of its entire population. Going into the Carbon Zero Act over 15,000 public submissions were received.

On October 24 Ardern was at the lectern right next to DairyNZ chief executive Tim Mackle at Parliament, and announced that the government would work together with the agriculture industry to design a ‘world first’ pricing system by 2025. If the group failed to make enough progress, agriculture could still be brought into the Emissions Trading System.

In November 2019 New Zealand became the first country to set greenhouse gas reduction targets for agriculture in its new Climate Law. As a result pressure started to pile on Fonterra internationally. They kind-of supported the law but for them even trying to get to the targets required further research and “the agriculture sector will need to deploy a comprehensive package of breakthrough mitigation activities, including some that are not yet technically and commercially viable.” (Fonterra submission to the 2015 Paris Climate Accord).  Fonterra very carefully limited its own emissions target cuts to its operations and processing facilities, even though 90% of its emissions came from its supply chain: the farmers.

Prime Minister Ardern said:

My goal is that we never again have to debate the path that we need to be on as a nation, that we never again see  tractors roll up the front steps of Parliament. This agreement will stick and it means instead of debating what we do, we get on with doing it.

But then came the counter-strike.

In July 2021 farmers and rural supporters responded to the multiple resulting reforms with the nationwide Howl of a Protest involving thousands of tractors.

Ardern rapidly retreated from her “nuclear free moment” from this point.

The government response to Fonterra using DairyNZ as a front to ruin its own centerpiece policy, was a friendly review of the Dairy Industry Restructuring Act. In the 20 years of its existence Fonterra’s local dominance has declined slowly from 96% to 80%. The drive for perpetual volume from the founding legislative requirement for Fonterra to take all milk was removed. The requirement for Fonterra to supply New Zealand competitors with milk so that they could start up was also removed. But the deep lock of Fonterra over New Zealand remained: Fonterra was required to continue supplying Goodman Fielder. Fonterra and Goodman Fielder supply almost all fresh milk products to New Zealanders, and those two supply it to New Zealand’s two overwhelmingly dominant supermarket chains Foodstuffs and Woolworths with an 85% market position between them. Near-duopoly upon duopoly.

Rather than hold Fonterra accountable for its own massive national part in political destruction and environmental destruction, Ardern gave it tiny tweaks to its governance. You can see some of this lobbying into government in this Stuff article.

Agriculture hadn’t fitted in to the New Zealand Emissions Trading System, because farmers claimed that if New Zealand’s farmers had been charged the flat tax but international food producers weren’t, they claimed it would render much of New Zealand’s produce uneconomic.

Agriculture was to have its own system separate from the national Emissions Trading System. It would tax the production of unwanted gases, and use the funding gathered to raise funds to run the system and pay farmers for sequestration of land from intensive farming.

The government received the He Waka Eke Noa report in early 2023, made a few changes as it is wont to do … and … the dairy and broader agricultural industries promptly threw its toys out. He Waka Eke Noa was dead.

You can see more detailed agricultural players lobbying, with RNZ’s analysis here.

We are now at a point where dairying is so uneconomic that dairy farmers and workers are making a loss no matter how hoard or how well they produce milk. But Fonterra is stable in its smaller form.  Fonterra has shrunk from all international ambition and has continued to drag us all down with it.

Fonterra and New Zealand still have such inextricably intertwined fates that at this point it’s hard to separate them. There’s only one land in New Zealand. But we are dominated in our entire economy by one business: Fonterra.

On current polling an ex-executive of Fonterra as the most powerful corporate in New Zealand could be our Deputy Prime Minister.

The question is surely why successive governments have allowed Fonterra to take hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars, exploit our environment, sabotage core public policy, fail in most areas of its business, and get away with it.

Fonterra remains New Zealand’s largest economic threat over New Zealand, and one of our largest political threats as well.

35 comments on “New Zealand’s Greatest Economic Threat is Fonterra ”

  • Comments are now closed

  1. Blazer 1
    29 August 2023 at 9:21 am

    Maybe we can sell it to JPMorgan or Goldman Sachs, when the NZ dollar gets in to the '40s'.

    Fonterra is classic proof that paying ludicrous salaries for executive 'talent' means nothing.

    • Hunter Thompson II 1.1
      29 August 2023 at 4:21 pm

      It has always astounded me that the former Fonterra CEO got an $8 million pa salary for indifferent performance. No-one is worth that amount.

      He also headed an organisation whose shareholders did major damage to our waterways, and continue to do so.

    • Tricledrown 1.2
      30 August 2023 at 6:16 am

      Ludicrous salaries means Fonterra f'd up by doing business with corrupt Chinese partners who added melamine to baby formula the upshot of that is Fonterra can't export value added baby formula other than Judith Collins husbands business for some unbelievable reason.The executive who put the Deal together was on $5 million a year. The damage to Fonterra and the NZ economy in the $100's of millions.

  2. Tricledrown 2
    29 August 2023 at 10:18 am

    Your False claim Helen Clark was responsible for the rapid expansion of Dairy farming in the South Island is not true. Rapid expansion was prevented by Regional councils stopping the expansion of Dairy Farms.Nationals Nick Smith took over the democratically elected Eviroment Canterbury and installing their man allowing unfettered expansion after Ecan had said scientific proof that Canterbury had already reached saturation point with to many Dairy farms also Nick Smiths brothers company was facing large fines for allowing oil from a construction yard they owned flow into the water table after Nick Smiths take over charges were dropped.After the take over of Ecan other Regional councils allowed rapid expansion of Dairying.

    • Ad 2.1
      29 August 2023 at 11:46 am

      "The 2009 National government …"

      Learn to read before pouring your righteous heart into print.

      • Patricia Bremner 2.1.1
        1 September 2023 at 9:52 pm

        Ad I used your essay on Fonterra to convince two friends who were wavering. Cheers.

    • JK 2.2
      30 August 2023 at 6:17 am

      Read it again; it doesn't say that the Clark government expanded dairy in the SI, it says National did.

  3. Tricledrown 3
    29 August 2023 at 10:50 am

    The greatest threat to New Zealands economy is the National Party .Nationals last term in power New Zealands economic growth barely made 1% per annum over 9 years driven largely by record migration.So I fact New Zealands economy shrank for 7 of the 9 years National were in power.That would have been far worse if it had not been for the nearly $65 billion capital injection from the Canterbury earthquakes.National say they are better economic managers for the well off but for the 60 to 70% of not so well off its Austerity. While most the money printed and borrowed to prop up during Covid went to the big 4 overseas owned banks who pay no that is zero tax on record profits,Those banks only lent to speculative investments in mainly property including Dairy Farms which benefited the well off.Who is going to pay all the debt the workers on wages and salaries while the well off are paying only7 to 8% on income while average middle income earners are paying 3 to 4 times that a 30% plus tax

    .National will figure away to give enough crumbs to the swing voters to regain power.They will push house prices to even more un sustainable highs.Put more user pays onto wage and salary workers no wage rises for health workers, teachers , police, etc will see a bigger exodus of desperately needed skills while National will force wages down by breakingunionand replacing existing workers with migrant workers on lower wages .Same old National protecting the Wolves of Wall St while pretending to be in sheep's clothes!

    !

  4. Patricia Bremner 4
    29 August 2023 at 11:53 am

    This is the Fonterra Executive who says she will run the country's books? Ooooh Kaaaay.

    Fiscally smart? No Governing for all? No. Do we want this to continue? No.

    So what happens now? Dairy Farms are losing money and are now costing us in every way. Last thing we need is more of the same.

  5. adam 5
    29 August 2023 at 3:16 pm

    Well said Ad.

    The very kiwi corporate coup d'état.

  6. DS 6
    29 August 2023 at 6:29 pm

    "Breaking open" China is perhaps a bit of a misnomer, in the sense that you make it sound like Beijing was a passive actor here. China bought itself not only milk powder for its middle class, but also bought New Zealand as an economic client – a relationship that is now symbiotic.

    • Ad 6.1
      29 August 2023 at 7:56 pm

      Symbiotic my ass.

      • DS 6.1.1
        29 August 2023 at 11:37 pm

        They buy our dairy, and we buy their manufactured goods. I believe the expression is knowing which side our bread is buttered.

        But short of New Zealand developing a new and massive export industry to replace dairy (which would require many years of work, a good deal of luck and the sort of government economic intervention that went out with Muldoon), Fonterra isn't going anywhere, and neither will our reliance on China.

        • Ad 6.1.1.1
          30 August 2023 at 7:11 am

          We're nothing to China and they could easily replace Fonterra's products.

          China is on course to become the third largest producer of cow milk. Its self-sufficiency rate is around 70-80% so we are very fortunate its hard for them to go higher than that.

          Fonterra is slowly recovering in China after nearly wiping out in 2019. But it now represents more than a third of Fonterra's profit and is only in that position because of a decade of catastrophic global investments.

          Fonterra is consistently sheltered in NZ by our strong MFAT and NZTE effort, when it needs to diversify more elsewhere.

          It may well be too late, at least for 2024.

      • Bud 6.1.2
        31 August 2023 at 12:06 am

        What ab absolute crock.

        Almost took this bullcrapn seriously until I read the words "Prime Minister Adern"

        Means as much as she does now… Absolutely nothing.

  7. Corey 7
    29 August 2023 at 6:59 pm

    Fontera is the NRA of NZ.

    We are destroying our environment (which hurts our tourism industry in the long run) our drinking water and selling out our sovereignty as a nation that holds power to account just so we can sell cheap low grade milk powder.

    Putting all out eggs in china's basket is going to be as big of a mistake as Muldoon getting rid of super, it not worse.

    Where are all nzs sheep btw you never see any? Nz used to be known as a sheep farming nation now we're just cows. Our wool exports are dead, we have destroyed so much for milk powder.

    For decades our useless leaders have said we need to diversify away from just farming and Noone actually ever has…

    The day draws near when dairy of any kind is about as valuable as sand, all around the world, including in China, people are consuming less dairy and more locally made plant based products, what becomes or this milk powder republic on that day?

    Relying so much on agriculture is a sign of a weak, backwards economy and new Zealand very well could become just another poor pacific island nation like the ones whose main industry's are sugar.

    Our indivual wealth has already dropped substantially, the average was in Australia is nearly a hundred k, the average wage in nz is just 60 something k, we're getting poorer and poorer and it's becoming too expensive to live here.

    Unless nz makes massive changes and fast, I either see nz becoming at best a state of Australia or at worst just another poor failed settler state.

    The arguments of nz staying a sovereign nation become less convincing every day, but I doubt aussie would want us if we leave it too late.

    • DS 7.1
      29 August 2023 at 7:14 pm

      We're never becoming a state of Australia (our interests are too different). Frankly, Australia itself is already having the problem of divergent interests between the dominant eastern states and Western Australia.

      New Zealand has always been agricultural. It's why we were set up – to be Britain's farm. Now we're China's farm. We've never properly industralised, and the attempts to change that ended with with Muldoon's Think Big projects.

      (As for sheep? Simple. There's no money in wool these days. If you're farming sheep, it's for the lamb).

  8. Ian 8
    29 August 2023 at 11:11 pm

    What a load of twaddell. Blaming Fonterra for 6 years of Government mismanagement is laughable. Dairy farmers will weather the current storm and come out of it stronger .Global warming is a very big positive for low cost New Zealand milk production in the longer term.

    • Psyclingleft.Always 8.1
      29 August 2023 at 11:24 pm

      Global warming is a very big positive for low cost New Zealand milk production in the longer term.

      Huh ? I'd say that was a load of "twaddell".

      But its really just a load of shit.

    • That_guy 8.2
      30 August 2023 at 11:16 am

      "Global warming is a very big positive for low cost New Zealand milk production in the longer term."

      What

      Ever heard the phrase "extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence".

      The only things that global ecosystem collapse is "a big positive for" are sandbags and bodybags.

      You are on another planet.

  9. B Smith 9
    30 August 2023 at 5:44 pm

    The large corporations in new zealand need to be downsized, they get away with almost anything and manipulate their way to grow stronger bringing down the little people. The mum and dad trying to make a living for their family, from their farm, small business entity, compared to large scale Fonterra, Fletcher etc.

    Bring back support for the SME, the backbones that make these large scales work.

    New Zealand had its own economy in the past which was well sufficient, can be sustained again

  10. Gabriele L. 10
    30 August 2023 at 6:51 pm

    Finally more people can see what's going with the monopolies on New Zealand. Only took 25 years. That's what's dragging New Zealand and it's people down.

  11. Axle 11
    30 August 2023 at 7:15 pm

    Well if the say that they are big as they say they are have they put money aside for a rainy day which it's certainly gonna rain on them or they put all there meat in one basket 🧺

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    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    4 days ago

  • The Song of Saqua: Volume VIII
    Thus far May has followed on from a quiet April in the blogging department, but in fairness, it has been another case of doing what I am supposed to be doing, namely writing original fiction. Plus reading. So don’t worry – I have been productive. But in order to reassure ...
    A Phuulish FellowBy strda221
    4 days ago

  • Pretending to talk other people’s languages
    Fakes can come in many forms.A Rolex, for instance.A tan can be fake. Read more ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    4 days ago

  • What’s new? A social agency with an emphasis on “investment” instead of “wellbeing” – b...
    Buzz from the Beehive A new government agency will open for business on July 1 – the Social Investment Agency. As a new standalone central agency effective from 1 July, it will lead the development of social investment across Government, helping ministers understand who they need to invest in, what ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    4 days ago

  • Following the political money
    Bryce Edwards writes –    “Follow the money” is the classic directive to journalists trying to understand where power and influence lie in society. In terms of uncovering who influences various New Zealand political parties and governments, it therefore pays to look at who is funding them. The ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago

  • Hipkins would rather no one remember that he was Minister of Education
    Alwyn Poole writes –  After being elected to Parliament in 2008 the maiden speech of Hipkins was substantially around education policy. He was Labour’s spokesperson for education 2011 – 2017. He was Minister for Education from 2017 until February 2023. This is approximately 88% of the time Labour ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago

  • Fashionable follies
    Eric Crampton writes –  A fashion industry group is lobbying for protections. They make the usual arguments and a newer one. None of it makes sense. An industry group says it pumped $7.8 billion into the economy last year – that’s 1.9 percent of New Zealand’s GDP. ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago

  • Justice for Bainimarama!
    In December 2006, Fiji's military leader Voreqe Bainimarama overthrew the elected government in a coup. He ruled Fiji for the next 16 years, first as dictator, then as "elected" Prime Minister. But now, he's finally been sent to jail where he belongs. Sadly, this isn't for his real crime of ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    5 days ago

  • March for Nature in June
    Don't like National's corrupt Muldoonist "fast-track" law? Aotearoa's environmental NGO's - Greenpeace, Forest & Bird, WWF, Coromandel Watchdog, Coal Action Network Aotearoa, Kiwis Against Seabed Mining, and others - have announced a joint march against it in Auckland in June: When: 13:00, 8 June, 2024 Where: Aotea Square, Auckland You ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    5 days ago

  • Bernard’ s Dawn Chorus & Pick ‘n’ Mix for Thursday May 9
    Seymour describes sushi as too woke for school meals. There are no fish sushi meals recommended by the School Lunches programme. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / Getty ImagesTL;DR: The Government will swap out hot meals for packaged sandwiches to save $107 million on school lunches for poor kids. MSD has pulled ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago

  • The non-woke $3 Lunch.
    I don't mind stealin' bread from the mouths of decadenceBut I can't feed on the powerless when my cup's already overfilled, yeahBut it's on the table, the fire's cookin'And they're farmin' babies, while slaves are workin'The blood is on the table and the mouths are chokin'But I'm goin' hungry, yeahSome ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago

  • Labour’s chickens come home to roost
    The Ardern Government’s chickens came home to roost yesterday with the news that the country is short of natural gas. In 2018, Labour banned offshore petroleum exploration, and industry executives say that the attendant loss of confidence by the industry impacted overall investment in onshore gas fields. Energy Resources Minister ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    5 days ago

  • Calvin Reviews Lord of The Rings
    Hi,If you’ve been digging through the newly launched Webworm store (orders are being dispatched worldwide as I type!) you’ll have noticed the best model we had was Calvin.This is Calvin.Calvin.Calvin is 7, and is the son of my producer over on Flightless Bird, Rob — aka “Wobby Wob”. Rob also ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    5 days ago

  • Climate Adam: How to visualise Climate Change (ft. Katharine Hayhoe)
    This video includes conclusions of the creator climate scientist Dr. Adam Levy. It is presented to our readers as an informed perspective. Please see video description for references (if any). Climate change is everywhere. And when something's everywhere it can feel like it's nowhere. So how do we get our heads ...
    Skeptical Science
    5 days ago

  • The wrong direction
    Some good news on climate change today: the energy transition away from fossil fuels is picking up speed, and renewables now make up 30% of global electricity supply. Meanwhile, in Aotearoa, we're moving in the opposite direction, with Genesis Energy announcing that it will resume importing Indonesian coal. Their official ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    5 days ago

  • National hates democracy
    Its a law like gravity: whenever a right-wing government is elected, they start attacking democracy. And now, after talking to their Republican and Tory and Fidesz chums at the International Democracy Union forum in Wellington, National is doing it here, announcing plans to remove election-day enrolment. Or, to put it ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    5 days ago

  • No Tikanga Please, We're Lawyers.
    Yesterday Winston Peters focussed his attention on the important matter at hand. Tweeting. Like the former, and quite possibly next, orange POTUS, from whom he takes much of his political strategy, Winston is an avid X’er.His message didn’t resemble an historic address this time. In fact it was more reminiscent ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    6 days ago

  • Member’s Day
    Today is a Member's Day, and it seems we've entered the slowdown as things emerge from select committee. First up is the committee stage of Greg O'Connor's Child Protection (Child Sex Offender Government Agency Registration) (Overseas Travel Reporting) Amendment Bill, which will be followed by the second readings of Stuart ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    6 days ago

  • Hurrah for coal – Shane Jones welcomes Genesis Energy’s import plans as natural gas production s...
    Buzz from the Beehive A significant decline in natural gas production has given Resources Minister Shane Jones an opportunity to reiterate his enthusiasm for the mining and burning of coal. For good measure, he has praised an announcement from Genesis Energy that it will resume importing coal. He and Energy ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago

  • Bryce Edwards: Following the political money
    “Follow the money” is the classic directive to journalists trying to understand where power and influence lie in society. In terms of uncovering who influences various New Zealand political parties and governments, it therefore pays to look at who is funding them. The political parties are legally obliged to make ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    6 days ago

  • A Left-Right ranking of universities in NZ: a practical guide for students and parents
    Rob MacCullough writes – Here is my subjective ranking on a “most-left” to “most-right” scale of most of our major NZ Universities, with some anecdotal (and at times amusing) evidence to back up the claim. Extreme Left   Auckland University of Technology Evidence The ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago

  •  Inflation and GST thresholds
    Eric Crampton writes –  I hadn’t thought about this one until a helpful email showed up in my inbox.It’s pretty obvious that income tax thresholds should automatically index with inflation – whether to anchor the thresholds in percentiles of the income distribution, or to anchor against a real ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago

  • Green Party grapples with persistent scandals
    Jacqui Van Der Kaay writes –  Parliament’s speaker had no option but to refer Green MP Julie Anne Genter to the Privileges Committee for her behaviour in the House last Wednesday evening. The incident, in which she crossed the floor to wave a book and yell at National ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago

  • A law school to be avoided – Auckland University of Technology
    Gary Judd writes – The Dean of the law school at the Auckland University of Technology is someone called Khylee Quince. I have been sent her social media posting in which she has, over the LawNews headline “Senior King’s Counsel files complaint about compulsory tikanga Maori studies for ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago

  • 17 people in Malaita stand in way of China’s takeover of the Solomons
    Cleo Paskal writes – WASHINGTON, D.C.: ‘Many of us have received phone calls from [the opposing camp] telling them if they join the camp they will be given projects for their wards and $300,000 [around US$35,000] each’, says former Malaita Premier Daniel Suidani. The elections in Solomon Islands aren’t ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago

  • Gordon Campbell on the Hamas Ceasefire Offer, and Mark Mitchell’s Incompetence
    With hindsight, it was inevitable that (a) Hamas would agree to the ceasefire deal brokered by Egypt and Qatar and that ( b) Israel would then immediately launch attacks on Rafah, regardless. We might have hoped the concessions made by Hamas would cause Israel to desist from slaughtering thousands more ...
    Gordon CampbellBy lyndon
    6 days ago

  • Bernard’ s Dawn Chorus & Pick ‘n’ Mix for Wednesday May 8
    Placards and mourners outside the Kilbirnie Mosque following the Christchurch terror attack: MSD has terminated the Kaiwhakaoranga service, which has been used by 415 families since the attacks. Photo: Lynn GrievesonTL;DR: The Government’s pledge to only cut ‘back office’ staff rather than ‘frontline’ services is on increasingly shaky ground, with ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    6 days ago

  • A few PT announcements
    There’s been a few smaller public transport announcements over the last week or so that I thought I’d cover in a single post. Fareshare I’ve long called for Auckland Transport to offer a way to enable employer-subsidised public transport options. The need for this took on even more importance ...
    Greater AucklandBy Matt L
    6 days ago

  • Jacqui Van Der Kaay: Green Party grapples with persistent scandals
    Parliament’s speaker had no option but to refer Green MP Julie Anne Genter to the Privileges Committee for her behaviour in the House last Wednesday evening. The incident, in which she crossed the floor to wave a book and yell at National Minister Matt Doocey, reflects poorly on Genter and ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    6 days ago

  • At a glance – Tree ring proxies and the divergence problem
    On February 14, 2023 we announced our Rebuttal Update Project. This included an ask for feedback about the added "At a glance" section in the updated basic rebuttal versions. This weekly blog post series highlights this new section of one of the updated basic rebuttal versions and serves as a ...
    Skeptical Science
    6 days ago

  • Nothing to sneer at
    Who likes being sneered at? Nobody. Worse yet, when the sneerer has their facts all wrong, and might well be an idiot.The sneer in question is The adults are in charge now, and it is a sneer offered in retort to criticism of this new Government, no matter how well ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    6 days ago

  • Still on their bullshit
    When in government, Labour pushed to extend the Parliamentary term to four years, to reduce accountability and our ability to vote out a bad government. And now, they're trying to do it through the member's ballot, with a Four-Year Parliamentary Term Legislation Bill. The bill at least requires a referendum ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    6 days ago

  • Drawn
    A ballot for a single Member's Bill was held today, and the following bill was drawn: Public Works (Prohibition of Compulsory Acquisition of Māori Land) Amendment Bill (Hūhana Lyndon) The bill would prevent the government from stealing Māori land in breach of Te Tiriti o Waitangi. It ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    6 days ago

  • A nod and a wink that will unnecessarily cost Aucklanders tens of millions per year
    Simeon Brown, alongside Wayne Brown, is favouring a political figleaf now in exchange for loading up tens of millions in extra interest costs on Auckland ratepayers. Photo: Lynn GrievesonTL;DR: Ratings agency Standard & Poor’s is pushing back hard at suggestions from Local Government Minister Simeon Brown and Mayor Wayne Brown ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    7 days ago

  • Correcting the Corrections announcement – a fiscal farce that should bother the OECD
     Buzz from the Beehive One headline-grabber from the Beehive yesterday was the OECD’s advice that the government must bring the Budget deficit under control or face higher interest rates. Another was the announcement of a $1.9 billion “investment” in Corrections over the next four years. In the best interests of ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    7 days ago

  •  Like it or not, the Kiwis are either going into ‘Pillar 2’ – or they are going to China
    Chris Trotter writes –  Had Zheng He’s fleet sailed east, not west, in the early Fifteenth Century, how different our world would be. There is little reason to suppose that the sea-going junks of the Ming Dynasty, among the largest and most sophisticated sailing vessels ever constructed, would have failed ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    7 days ago

  • A balanced and an unbalanced article
    David Farrar writes – Two articles give a useful contrast in balance. Both seek to be neutral explainer articles. This one in the Herald on Social Investment covers the pros and cons nicely. It links to critical pieces and talks about aspects that failed and aspects that are more ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    7 days ago

  • Deeply unserious country
    Every bit of this seems insane. And people wonder why productivity is falling through the floor. Energy News reports that the Environment Court finally threw out Allan Crafar’s appeal against a solar farm. From the story: Consent was granted in 2022. Crafar appealed November 2022. On what grounds? That ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    7 days ago

  • Senior King’s Counsel files complaint about compulsory tikanga Māori studies for law students
    The tikanga regulations will compel law students to be taught that a system which does not conform with the rule of law is nevertheless law which should be observed and applied…  Gary Judd KC writes –  I have made a complaint to Parliament’s Regulation ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    7 days ago

  • https://www.greaterauckland.org.nz/?p=77196
    The future of Te Huia, the train between Hamilton and Auckland, has been getting a lot of attention recently as current funding for it is only in place till the end of June. The government initially agreed to a five year trial, through to April 2026, but that was subject ...
    Greater AucklandBy Matt L
    7 days ago

  • Bernard’s pick 'n' mix for Tuesday, May 7
    TL;DR: Hamas has just agreed to Israel’s ceasefire plan. Nelson hospital’s rebuild has been cut back to save money. The OECD suggests New Zealand break up network monopolies, including in electricity. PM Christopher Luxon’s news conference on a prison expansion announcement last night was his messiest yet.Here’s my top six ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    7 days ago

  • HM Prison Aotearoa.
    A homicide in Ponsonby, a manhunt with a killer on the run. The nation’s leader stands before a press conference reassuring a frightened nation that he’ll sort it out, he’ll keep them safe, he’ll build some new prison spaces.Sorry what? There’s a scary dude on the run with a gun ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    7 days ago

  • Get Your Webworm Merch!
    Hi,I know it’s been awhile since there’s been any Webworm merch — and today that all changes!Over the last four months, I’ve been working with New Zealand artist Jess Johnson to create a series of t-shirts, caps and stickers that are infused with Webworm DNA — and as of right ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    7 days ago

  • Top OECD economist puts Willis between a rock and a hard place
    The OECD’s chief economist yesterday laid it on the line for the new Government: bring the deficit under control or face higher Reserve Bank interest rates for longer. And to bring the deficit under control, she meant not borrowing for tax cuts. But there was more. Without policy changes—introducing a ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    7 days ago

  • COVID-19 Inquiry terms of reference consultation results received
    “The results of the public consultation on the terms of reference for the Royal Commission into COVID-19 Lessons has now been received, with results indicating over 13,000 submissions were made from members of the public,” Internal Affairs Minister Brooke van Velden says. “We heard feedback about the extended lockdowns in ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 hours ago

  • The Pacific family of nations – the changing security outlook
    Foreign Minister, Defence Minister, other Members of Parliament Acting Chief of Defence Force, Secretary of Defence Distinguished Guests  Defence and Diplomatic Colleagues  Ladies and Gentlemen,  Good afternoon, tēna koutou, apinun tru    It’s a pleasure to be back in Port Moresby today, and to speak here at the Kumul Leadership ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 hours ago

  • NZ and Papua New Guinea to work more closely together
    Health, infrastructure, renewable energy, and stability are among the themes of the current visit to Papua New Guinea by a New Zealand political delegation, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says.   “Papua New Guinea carries serious weight in the Pacific, and New Zealand deeply values our relationship with it,” Mr Peters ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    9 hours ago

  • Driving ahead with Roads of Regional Significance
    The coalition Government is launching Roads of Regional Significance to sit alongside Roads of National Significance as part of its plan to deliver priority roading projects across the country, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says.  “The Roads of National Significance (RoNS) built by the previous National Government are some of New Zealand’s ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    15 hours ago

  • New Zealand congratulates new Solomon Islands government
    A high-level New Zealand political delegation in Honiara today congratulated the new Government of Solomon Islands, led by Jeremiah Manele, on taking office.    “We are privileged to meet the new Prime Minister and members of his Cabinet during his government’s first ten days in office,” Deputy Prime Minister and ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago

  • New Zealand supports UN Palestine resolution
    New Zealand voted in favour of a resolution broadening Palestine’s participation at the United Nations General Assembly overnight, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says.    “The resolution enhances the rights of Palestine to participate in the work of the UN General Assembly while stopping short of admitting Palestine as a full ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago

  • Speech to the 2024 Infrastructure Symposium
    Introduction Good morning. It’s a great privilege to be here at the 2024 Infrastructure Symposium. I was extremely happy when the Prime Minister asked me to be his Minister for Infrastructure. It is one of the great barriers holding the New Zealand economy back from achieving its potential. Building high ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago

  • $571 million for Defence pay and projects
    Defence Minister Judith Collins today announced the upcoming Budget will include new funding of $571 million for Defence Force pay and projects. “Our servicemen and women do New Zealand proud throughout the world and this funding will help ensure we retain their services and expertise as we navigate an increasingly ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago

  • Climate change – mitigating the risks and costs
    New Zealand’s ability to cope with climate change will be strengthened as part of the Government’s focus to build resilience as we rebuild the economy, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. “An enduring and long-term approach is needed to provide New Zealanders and the economy with certainty as the climate ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago

  • Getting new job seekers on the pathway to work
    Jobseeker beneficiaries who have work obligations must now meet with MSD within two weeks of their benefit starting to determine their next step towards finding a job, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “A key part of the coalition Government’s plan to have 50,000 fewer people on Jobseeker ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago

  • Accelerating Social Investment
    A new standalone Social Investment Agency will power-up the social investment approach, driving positive change for our most vulnerable New Zealanders, Social Investment Minister Nicola Willis says.  “Despite the Government currently investing more than $70 billion every year into social services, we are not seeing the outcomes we want for ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago

  • Getting Back on Track
    Check against delivery Good morning. It is a pleasure to be with you to outline the Coalition Government’s approach to our first Budget. Thank you Mark Skelly, President of the Hutt Valley Chamber of Commerce, together with  your Board and team, for hosting me.   I’d like to acknowledge His Worship ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago

  • NZ – European Union ties more critical than ever
    Your Excellency Ambassador Meredith,   Members of the Diplomatic Corps and Ambassadors from European Union Member States,   Ministerial colleagues, Members of Parliament, and other distinguished guests, Thank you everyone for joining us.   Ladies and gentlemen -    In diplomacy, we often speak of ‘close’ and ‘long-standing’ relations.   ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago

  • Therapeutic Products Act to be repealed
    The Therapeutic Products Act (TPA) will be repealed this year so that a better regime can be put in place to provide New Zealanders safe and timely access to medicines, medical devices and health products, Associate Health Minister Casey Costello announced today. “The medicines and products we are talking about ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago

  • Decisions on Wellington City Council’s District Plan
    The Minister Responsible for RMA Reform, Chris Bishop, today released his decision on twenty recommendations referred to him by the Wellington City Council relating to its Intensification Planning Instrument, after the Council rejected those recommendations of the Independent Hearings Panel and made alternative recommendations. “Wellington notified its District Plan on ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago

  • Rape Awareness Week: Government committed to action on sexual violence
    Rape Awareness Week (6-10 May) is an important opportunity to acknowledge the continued effort required by government and communities to ensure that all New Zealanders can live free from violence, say Ministers Karen Chhour and Louise Upston.  “With 1 in 3 women and 1 in 8 men experiencing sexual violence ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago

  • Smarter lunch programme feeds more, costs less
    Associate Education Minister David Seymour has today announced that the Government will be delivering a more efficient Healthy School Lunches Programme, saving taxpayers approximately $107 million a year compared to how Labour funded it, by embracing innovation and commercial expertise. “We are delivering on our commitment to treat taxpayers’ money ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago

  • Report provides insights into marine recovery
    New research on the impacts of extreme weather on coastal marine habitats in Tairāwhiti and Hawke’s Bay will help fishery managers plan for and respond to any future events, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. A report released today on research by Niwa on behalf of Fisheries New Zealand ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago

  • NZ to send political delegation to the Pacific
    Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Winston Peters will lead a broad political delegation on a five-stop Pacific tour next week to strengthen New Zealand’s engagement with the region.   The delegation will visit Solomon Islands, Papua New Guinea, Vanuatu, New Caledonia, and Tuvalu.    “New Zealand has deep and ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago

  • Low gas production threatens energy security
    There has been a material decline in gas production according to figures released today by the Gas Industry Co.  Figures released by the Gas Industry Company show that there was a 12.5 per cent reduction in gas production during 2023, and a 27.8 per cent reduction in gas production in the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago

  • Defence industry talent, commitment recognised
    Defence Minister Judith Collins tonight announced the recipients of the Minister of Defence Awards of Excellence for Industry, saying they all contribute to New Zealanders’ security and wellbeing. “Congratulations to this year’s recipients, whose innovative products and services play a critical role in the delivery of New Zealand’s defence capabilities, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago

  • Speech to the Minister of Defence Awards of Excellence for Industry
    Welcome to you all - it is a pleasure to be here this evening.I would like to start by thanking Greg Lowe, Chair of the New Zealand Defence Industry Advisory Council, for co-hosting this reception with me. This evening is about recognising businesses from across New Zealand and overseas who in ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago

  • Speech to the Sixth Annual New Zealand Government Data Summit
    It is a pleasure to be speaking to you as the Minister for Digitising Government.  I would like to thank Akolade for the invitation to address this Summit, and to acknowledge the great effort you are making to grow New Zealand’s digital future. Today, we stand at the cusp of ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago

  • Ceasefire agreement needed now: Peters
    New Zealand is urging both Israel and Hamas to agree to an immediate ceasefire to avoid the further humanitarian catastrophe that military action in Rafah would unleash, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says.   “The immense suffering in Gaza cannot be allowed to worsen further. Both sides have a responsibility to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago

  • Daily school attendance data now available
    A new online data dashboard released today as part of the Government’s school attendance action plan makes more timely daily attendance data available to the public and parents, says Associate Education Minister David Seymour.  The interactive dashboard will be updated once a week to show a national average of how ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago

  • Ambassador to United States appointed
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters has announced Rosemary Banks will be New Zealand’s next Ambassador to the United States of America.    “Our relationship with the United States is crucial for New Zealand in strategic, security and economic terms,” Mr Peters says.    “New Zealand and the United States have a ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago

  • New permit proposed for recreational gold mining
    The Government is considering creating a new tier of minerals permitting that will make it easier for hobby miners to prospect for gold. “New Zealand was built on gold, it’s in our DNA. Our gold deposits, particularly in regions such as Otago and the West Coast have always attracted fortune-hunters. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago

  • NZ and the UAE launch FTA negotiations
    Minister for Trade Todd McClay today announced that New Zealand and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) will commence negotiations on a free trade agreement (FTA). Minister McClay met with his counterpart UAE Trade Minister Dr Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi in Dubai, where they announced the launch of negotiations on a ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago

  • New Zealand Sign Language Week an opportunity for anyone to sign
    New Zealand Sign Language Week is an excellent opportunity for all Kiwis to give the language a go, Disabilities Issues Minister Louise Upston says. This week (May 6 to 12) is New Zealand Sign Language (NZSL) Week. The theme is “an Aotearoa where anyone can sign anywhere” and aims to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Next stop NASA for New Zealand students
    Six tertiary students have been selected to work on NASA projects in the US through a New Zealand Space Scholarship, Space Minister Judith Collins announced today. “This is a fantastic opportunity for these talented students. They will undertake internships at NASA’s Ames Research Center or its Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), where ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • $1.9 billion investment to keep NZ safe from crime
    New Zealanders will be safer because of a $1.9 billion investment in more frontline Corrections officers, more support for offenders to turn away from crime, and more prison capacity, Corrections Minister Mark Mitchell says. “Our Government said we would crack down on crime. We promised to restore law and order, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • OECD reinforces need to control spending
    The OECD’s latest report on New Zealand reinforces the importance of bringing Government spending under control, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The OECD conducts country surveys every two years to review its members’ economic policies. The 2024 New Zealand survey was presented in Wellington today by OECD Chief Economist Clare Lombardelli.   ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Agreement delivers Local Water Done Well for Auckland
    The Government has delivered on its election promise to provide a financially sustainable model for Auckland under its Local Water Done Well plan. The plan, which has been unanimously endorsed by Auckland Council’s Governing Body, will see Aucklanders avoid the previously projected 25.8 per cent water rates increases while retaining ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Gaza and the Pacific on the agenda with Germany
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters discussed the need for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, and enhanced cooperation in the Pacific with German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock during her first official visit to New Zealand today.    "New Zealand and Germany enjoy shared interests and values, including the rule of law, democracy, respect for the international system ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Decision allows for housing growth in Western Bay of Plenty
    The Minister Responsible for RMA Reform, Chris Bishop today released his decision on four recommendations referred to him by the Western Bay of Plenty District Council, opening the door to housing growth in the area. The Council’s Plan Change 92 allows more homes to be built in existing and new ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 weeks ago

  • Speech to New Zealand China Council
    Thank you, John McKinnon and the New Zealand China Council for the invitation to speak to you today.    Thank you too, all members of the China Council. Your effort has played an essential role in helping to build, shape, and grow a balanced and resilient relationship between our two ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 weeks ago

  • Modern insurance law will protect Kiwi households
    The Government is modernising insurance law to better protect Kiwis and provide security in the event of a disaster, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly announced today. “These reforms are long overdue. New Zealand’s insurance law is complicated and dated, some of which is more than 100 years old. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 weeks ago

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