No future in English & Brash’s neoliberal plans

Written By: - Date published: 10:57 am, June 7th, 2011 - 14 comments
Categories: bill english, budget 2011, don brash - Tags:

In recent weeks Don Brash has been complaining in the media that the Government has no plan to deal with the number of issues our economy and our society face. Brash of course will argue that he does have the solutions. Bill English set out in the budget what he believes amounts to a plan for New Zealand over the next few years. The reality, I think, is that both have plan however there is little or no future in either plan. Neither Brash nor English have laid out a plan which deals with the present and quite near problems we will face.

There are some important differences to the Brash plan and the English plan. Brash may focus more on meaningful activity whereas the English plan adopts a more cross your fingers and hope attitude. Brash will be more extreme and ideological in his endeavors whereas English tends to be more measured and somewhat more realistic. Those issues aside, the end game for both Brash and English are generally the same. Their plans amount to less government, more free market, deregulation, and lower taxes (with a resultant a transfer of wealth upward) and promotion of the competition state. The pathway there for both may be different but the destination is proximate.

The problems with this plan can be argued on many levels and individual policy settings can be picked apart and criticized. I am going to concentrate on three broad issues which I see as failings of the Brash-English approach (from here on referred as the neo-liberal plan). The plan will be unfit to cope with the challenges we (all collectively) face but actually present some significant future risks to the relative health of society.

The first failure of the neo-liberal plan is growth and a resources constrained future. The plan demands that growth occur and a waterfall effect distributes wealth (unevenly) down the economic food chain. The rising water level raises every boat, albeit with a concentration of wealth in the upper echelons. They get wealthiest but the rest of us get something as well. Due to various resource constraints, real world forecasts for continuous economic growth are not optimistic however. The most immediate crunch may be the global supply of oil however other resource maximization and depletion sit behind. Low or nil economic growth is a challenge for all modes of growth which are growth reliant, Keynesianism approaches included. The significant weakness for the neo-liberal plan is that it relies on a sufficient magnitude of growth to fill the pockets of the wealthiest such that some falls out for the people below. If there is less wealth in circulation then the wealthy need to hang on to more of it to service their essentials of life. There is less for everybody else.

The second failure of the neo-liberal plan is economics. If neo-liberal economics was ever relevant following the global melt-down of 2008, it is not so any more. As much as it pains neo-liberals to face this reality (and they strenuously attempt to deny it), de-regulation and reliance on the proper operations of the market failed. The explanations for this have been well rehearsed by others so I will not attempt to do so yet again. A general observation will suffice. The neo-liberal policy settings facilitated the severing of ties between the enchanted world of money and the real economy. The resultant unstable edifice of credit and debt was typified by various terminology we have heard post 2008 such as ‘derivatives’, ‘fractional lending’, ‘credit swaps’, ‘securitization’, ‘financial bubbles’ and so on.

The third and last failure of the neo-liberal plan is very similar to the first, the creation of wealth, but here pertains to how that wealth is distributed through society. We already have gross distortions between the accumulation of wealth. A process which relies of trickle down as growth is stalling threatens to intensify that inequity. Not only would this be unfair and unacceptable, it could also be dangerous. Declining living standards for the many, as the few maintain or even increase their living standards, would put at risk the fabric of society unless wealth was more evenly spread around. A redistributive political economy would be required to maintain social cohesion in the face of significant challenges. The neo-liberal plan cannot deliver this as it is premised on selfish accumulation of wealth and a maxim of ‘line my pocket first’.

There are no ready-made solutions to these challenges. We do have some of the tools to find a viable future option however it is a work in progress rather than an off the shelf project. The danger, in light of a ready to go solution, is that the likes of Brash and English can continue to pretend for a little while longer that they have the plans we require. Continuing with that option will make it that much harder and more expensive to clean up the mess and then get things right.

– george.com

14 comments on “No future in English & Brash’s neoliberal plans ”

  1. ZeeBop 1

    Wait up but we can always sell the best cuts and milk? well the japanese thought that putting six reactors in a line up against the ocean was safe. The far right-wing is delusional thinking its in control, or has much control now the money (influence) isn’t around. Markets have a habit of taking their own indicators and the staggering naivety of English, Key, Brash, is that there is any political pay off in trying to get out in front and claim a recovery, or competent control of events. We are living through interesting times. What fools are these people who are in government.

    • Colonial Viper 1.1

      Best cuts to the Koreans, best cheese to the Chinese

      New Zealanders can eat cat food.

  2. ropata 2

    Are they fools or are they puppets of the IMF?
    In any case we (the electorate) are suckers.

  3. randal 3

    neo liberals seem to have forgotten what liberalism was originally all about. now they are just grabbers. the only way they can measure themselves against others is by the quantity of their venal acquistiveness which is what theya ll ASPIRE to. I say quantity because ultimately they have no taste or class or discernment but what the market tells them. The only way they can be happy is to get a leaf blower and stick it where the sun dont shine.

    • ZeeBop 3.1

      Cheap energy meant we all let out our belts. The less informed went on a borrowing spree,
      forgetting the old maximum never be a debtor be. The mediocre parasite class appeared that made fees off peddling yet more uninformed nonsense about free markets naturally forming without legislation, that legislation also did not produce winners (them). So cheap energy produced a group think by mediocre thinkers who forgot that diversity of thought is a societies insurance not its enemy, this is now termed as neo-liberalism and is rampant in the right-wing and parts of the left-wing who believe they must sell out to get elected.

      Its the new normal that the elites seem unable to grasp. That energy will continue to get more expensive, that any economic growth will come from saving energy, making our world more efficient, less heating costs, less commuting, local over region, regional over global, grass roots thinking, less pollution because it will cost more to clear up – prohibitively more! So because the crisis is so severe, and delayed dealing with the crisis by fiscal impudence (Bush II – if only Osama had not attacked the twin towers the market crash would have happened for the right reasons – pre-peak oil). So why the road building?

      Janet Frame suffered from ?social phobia?, she was told by an expert psychologist after
      she narrowly escaped a scheduled lobotomy that she should avoid social contact if it made her anxious. Something seemingly bleedingly obvious she was do anyway. Its pretty much the same with John Key Nasty National, they’ve scheduled an economic lobotomy for the NZ economy and all we needed was an expert to tell us that avoiding anxiety causing neo-liberalism, which we were doing already was the proper course. i.e. be happy don’t worry, your not insane, you actually are pretty smart and will go on to create exports of your books and draw tourists to come to see where you lived. Janet Frame was an export winner, and yet Key today would force her into social anxiety creating situations that would have led to her NOT becoming the export winner she was, she returned far more to the taxpayer coffers that all the welfare her and her family received. Unlike Key who can avoid most taxation quite easily.

      Key, English, Brash, the three stooges, are the veneer of desperate men trying to keep up in a sphere of public service they do not have the skill to, or any admitted desire for service, and they know it. Their prescriptions start with the shock doctrine and end with the shock doctrine. Oh, look Brash tried to trip Key up, now English hits himself, and Key falls on his face.

  4. Afewknowthetruth 4

    Capitalism was a short term aberration in the grand scheme of things, and free market neoliberalism was an even shorter term aberration in the grand scheme of things.

    Rule 1. Without energy nothing happens.

    Rule 2. Without a stable global environment you don’t have an economy.

    Capitalsm has been squandering energy capital and degrading the environmenta for hundreds of years, and neoliberlaism put the assualt on the Earth into ‘hyper-drive’.

    Payback time is approaching very quickly.

  5. ropata 5

    I’d love to know what role John Key plays in this book:

    Crash of the Titans: Greed, Hubris, the Fall of Merrill Lynch, and the Near-Collapse of Bank of America

    With one notable exception, the firms that make up what we know as Wall Street have always been part of an inbred, insular culture that most people only vaguely understand. The exception was Merrill Lynch, a firm that revolutionized the stock market by bringing Wall Street to Main Street, setting up offices in far-flung cities and towns long ignored by the giants of finance.

    With its “thundering herd” of financial advisers, perhaps no other business, whether in financial services or elsewhere, so epitomized the American spirit. Merrill Lynch was not only “bullish on America,” it was a big reason why so many average Americans were able to grow wealthy by investing in the stock market.

    Merrill Lynch was an icon. Its sudden decline, collapse, and sale to Bank of America was a shock. How did it happen? Why did it happen? And what does this story of greed, hubris, and incompetence tell us about the culture of Wall Street that continues to this day even though it came close to destroying the American economy? A culture in which the CEO of a firm losing $28 billion pushes hard to be paid a $25 million bonus. A culture in which two Merrill Lynch executives are guaranteed bonuses of $30 million and $40 million for four months’ work, even while the firm is struggling to reduce its losses by firing thousands of employees.

    (H/T Scoopit)

  6. tc 6

    Sideshow played the role laid out for them all……enjoy the ride you’re making a killing, never mind what happens next you’ll be sweet as.

    If you don’t look to hard or ask tough questions then it’s plausible deniability all the way home…..oink oink.

    • Georgecom 6.1

      Thats the Enron economy. Keep talking up the share price even as everything around you starts to unravel.

  7. Craig 7

    Oh, there’s a “future”, all right. But it’s a brutal, dystopian one reminiscent of a retrofitted turbocharged Charles Dickens, with welfare provision privatised, homelessness, family disintegration, youth crime, suicide and drug abuse skyrocketing and…yep, that’s right, the United States after a decade of Bush era neoconservatism. Do we really want to emulate that deeply troubled nation, when the New Right mantras devised there have so manifestly failed?

    • Colonial Viper 7.1

      Do we really want to emulate that deeply troubled nation, when the New Right mantras devised there have so manifestly failed?

      Yeah it’ll be like Dickens over there real soon, problem is that Oliver Twist and his mates didn’t all have semi-auto firearms.

  8. Jenny 8

    This is an intelligent and very well laid out treatise, warning us all of the pressing dangers of Climate change, resource depletion, economic collapse, and the inadequacy of market driven solutions as a solution to this impending multi-headed crisis.

    There is a growing consensus amongst the wider left of the reality of the impending combined crisis, even from those like -george.com, who is obviously close to the Labour Party.

    What is clear from this essay is that even though the Labour Party leadership aren’t mentioned, and the point is never made. The same criticisms of the Brash and English plan, (or lack of plan) to deal with the combined crisis, could just as easily apply to current Labour Party policy too. For Labour to meet the challenges of the combined crisis there will need to be some massive change of policy direction within Labour as well.

    I look forward to many more posts from -george.com to see how he further expounds his views.

    I would genuinely be interested to read his suggestions on the way forward for the Labour Party and the wider left.

    Bravo, a great post and a significant contribution to the ongoing debate, I will be disapointed if there is not more to come.

    • Georgecom 8.1

      Jenny, I am Labour whilst Labour remains the best opportunity to repel the forces of myopia which is the Brash (especially) and English (to a lesser extent perhaps) plan. I am Labour whilst they represent the opportunity for a more positive future. That future is not Labour alone but includes the Green Party and somewhere Mana has to fit in as well. If the Maori Party wants to make a contribution, and even Winston if he makes it back, that is their prerogative however I think the door should be open for them.

      I am encouraged by signs that I am seeing (I think) within labour of a need to rethink the neo-liberal economic consensus. I’ll term this the narrative of the competition state – where a national economy is aligned with maintaining ‘market confidence’ and a ‘competitive economic advantage’ within the global economy of competition states. I have some faith that this rethink is too shortly produce some policies which mark a change in the Labour Party approach. The Clark Government made a significant effort to rebuild the public sector from years of neglect after Douglas-Richardson-and subsequent followers on. It relied on a ‘third way’ approach to do this, maintaining the economic approach of the competition state whilst fixing up some of the social fallout from that project.

      I think I know, in general terms, what a sustainable future might look like. At least I would like to think that I know. There is a wealth of literature expounding on this in far more detail than I am ever able to comprehend however what exactly the future could be is not yet clear to me anyway. I think Peter Conway, CTU economist, has summed things up as eloquently as anyone else I have seen when he stated in a CTU economic bulletin that ‘there is not yet any new ‘ism’ but we need to put forward a political economy which joins the dots between neo-liberalism, globalism, poverty and climate change (I’d add to that resource depletion/limits) and which puts people and the planet first’.

      There is no off the shelf alternative at present to the morass neo-liberal globalised capital has led us into. That alternative political economy narrative is a work in progress. But, some things I will be looking for in the near future, as the start of a progressive left consensus are agreement on a capital gains tax (or other financial speculation, in an ideal world a Tobin type tax, but probably not at this point), a roll out of more energy efficiency programmes (such as the housing insulation programme) and a commitment to cancelling some of the loss making RoNS and investing that money into public transport (the rail tunnel as the litmus test of that commitment but also including other regional PT projects). In the near term, but highly likely not this election, I am hoping to see things like a legislative commitments to promoting urban gardening (on quite a large scale), worker owned collectives, a realistic attitude to dealing with climate change (I am uncertain that a cap and trade approach is going to be successful at mitigating greenhouse gas emissions and am favouring a straight carbon tax. For one reason, it can be recycled back through the economy), a plan for a more equitable spread of wealth through society (a better, simpler WFF type scheme, even maybe a UBI) and a plan to deliver flexicurity of income – a meshing of work and income security.

      That type of future needs the Labour party on board. I am almost finished rereading a book titled “After the Wasteland” – A Democratic Economics for the year 2000″ by radical US economists Bowles, Gordon and Weisskopf. That book deals with the failures of neo-liberal global capitalism and raises several of the solutions above to effect a more negotiated and inclusive economy for the US. The book was written in 1990.

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    New research shows that tenants in social housing - such as these Wellington apartments - are just as happy as home owners and much happier than private tenants. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The election campaign took an ugly turn yesterday, and in completely the wrong direction. All three ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • Old habits
    Media awareness about global warming and climate change has grown fairly steadily since 2004. My impression is that journalists today tend to possess a higher climate literacy than before. This increasing awareness and improved knowledge is encouraging, but there are also some common interpretations which could be more nuanced. ...
    Real ClimateBy rasmus
    4 days ago
  • Bennie Bashing.
    If there’s one thing the mob loves more than keeping Māori in their place, more than getting tough on the gangs, maybe even more than tax cuts. It’s a good old round of beneficiary bashing.Are those meanies in the ACT party stealing your votes because they think David Seymour is ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    4 days ago
  • The kindest cuts
    Labour kicks off the fiscal credibility battle today with the release of its fiscal plan. National is expected to follow, possibly as soon as Thursday, with its own plan, which may (or may not) address the large hole that the problems with its foreign buyers’ ban might open up. ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    4 days ago
  • Green right turn in Britain? Well, a start
    While it may be unlikely to register in New Zealand’s general election, Britain’s PM Rishi Sunak has done something which might just be important in the long run. He’s announced a far-reaching change in his Conservative government’s approach to environmental, and particularly net zero, policy. The starting point – ...
    Point of OrderBy xtrdnry
    5 days ago
  • At a glance – How do human CO2 emissions compare to natural CO2 emissions?
    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 ...
    5 days ago
  • How could this happen?
    Canada is in uproar after the exposure that its parliament on September 22 provided a standing ovation to a Nazi veteran who had been invited into the chamber to participate in the parliamentary welcome to Ukrainian President Zelensky. Yaroslav Hunka, 98, a Ukrainian man who volunteered for service in ...
    5 days ago
  • Always Be Campaigning
    The big screen is a great place to lay out the ways of the salesman. He comes ready-made for Panto, ripe for lampooning.This is not to disparage that life. I have known many good people of that kind. But there is a type, brazen as all get out. The camera ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    5 days ago
  • STEPHEN FRANKS: Press seek to publicly shame doctor – we must push back
    The following is a message sent yesterday from lawyer Stephen Franks on behalf of the Free Speech Union. I don’t like to interrupt first thing Monday morning, but we’ve just become aware of a case where we think immediate and overwhelming attention could help turn the tide. It involves someone ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • Competing on cruelty
    The right-wing message calendar is clearly reading "cruelty" today, because both National and NZ First have released beneficiary-bashing policies. National is promising a "traffic light" system to police and kick beneficiaries, which will no doubt be accompanied by arbitrary internal targets to classify people as "orange" or "red" to keep ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    5 days ago
  • Further funding for Pharmac (forgotten in the Budget?) looks like a $1bn appeal from a PM in need of...
    Buzz from the Beehive One Labour plan  – for 3000 more public homes by 2025 – is the most recent to be posted on the government’s official website. Another – a prime ministerial promise of more funding for Pharmac – has been released as a Labour Party press statement. Who ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    5 days ago
  • Bryce Edwards: The Vested interests shaping National Party policies
    As the National Party gets closer to government, lobbyists and business interests will be lining up for influence and to get policies adopted. It’s therefore in the public interest to have much more scrutiny and transparency about potential conflicts of interests that might arise. One of the key individuals of ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    5 days ago
  • Labour may be on way out of power and NZ First back in – but will Peters go into coalition with Na...
    Voters  are deserting Labour in droves, despite Chris  Hipkins’  valiant  rearguard  action.  So  where  are they  heading?  Clearly  not all of them are going to vote National, which concedes that  the  outcome  will be “close”. To the Right of National, the ACT party just a  few weeks  ago  was ...
    Point of OrderBy tutere44
    5 days ago
  • GRAHAM ADAMS: Will the racists please stand up?
    Accusations of racism by journalists and MPs are being called out. Graham Adams writes –    With the election less than three weeks away, what co-governance means in practice — including in water management, education, planning law and local government — remains largely obscure. Which is hardly ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • Gordon Campbell on whether Winston Peters can be a moderating influence
    As the centre-right has (finally!) been subjected to media interrogation, the polls are indicating that some voters may be starting to have second thoughts about the wisdom of giving National and ACT the power to govern alone. That’s why yesterday’s Newshub/Reid Research poll had the National/ACT combo dropping to 60 ...
    5 days ago
  • Tuesday’s Chorus: RBNZ set to rain on National's victory parade
    ANZ has increased its forecast for house inflation later this year on signs of growing momentum in the market ahead of the election. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: National has campaigned against the Labour Government’s record on inflation and mortgage rates, but there’s now a growing chance the Reserve ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • After a Pittsburgh coal processing plant closed, ER visits plummeted
    This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Katie Myers. This story was originally published by Grist and is part of Covering Climate Now, a global journalism collaboration strengthening coverage of the climate story. Pittsburgh, in its founding, was blessed and cursed with two abundant natural resources: free-flowing rivers and a nearby coal seam. ...
    5 days ago
  • September-23 AT Board Meeting
    Today the AT board meet again and once again I’ve taken a look at what’s on the agenda to find the most interesting items. Closed Agenda Interestingly when I first looked at the agendas this paper was there but at the time of writing this post it had been ...
    5 days ago
  • Electorate Watch: West Coast-Tasman
    Continuing my series on interesting electorates, today it’s West Coast-Tasman.A long thin electorate running down the northern half of the west coast of the South Island. Think sand flies, beautiful landscapes, lots of rain, Pike River, alternative lifestylers, whitebaiting, and the spiritual home of the Labour Party. A brief word ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago
  • Big money brings Winston back
    National leader Christopher Luxon yesterday morning conceded it and last night’s Newshub poll confirmed it; Winston Peters and NZ First are not only back but highly likely to be part of the next government. It is a remarkable comeback for a party that was tossed out of Parliament in ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    5 days ago
  • 20 days until Election Day, 7 until early voting begins… but what changes will we really see here?
    As this blogger, alongside many others, has already posited in another forum: we all know the National Party’s “budget” (meaning this concept of even adding up numbers properly is doing a lot of heavy, heavy lifting right now) is utter and complete bunk (read hung, drawn and quartered and ...
    exhALANtBy exhalantblog
    6 days ago
  • A night out
    Everyone was asking, Are you nervous? and my response was various forms of God, yes.I've written more speeches than I can count; not much surprises me when the speaker gets to their feet and the room goes quiet.But a play? Never.YOU CAME! THANK YOU! Read more ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    6 days ago
  • A pallid shade of Green III
    Clearly Labour's focus groups are telling it that it needs to pay more attention to climate change - because hot on the heels of their weaksauce energy efficiency pilot programme and not-great-but-better-than-nothing solar grants, they've released a full climate manifesto. Unfortunately, the core policies in it - a second Emissions ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    6 days ago
  • A coalition of racism, cruelty, and chaos
    Today's big political news is that after months of wibbling, National's Chris Luxon has finally confirmed that he is willing to work with Winston Peters to become Prime Minister. Which is expected, but I guess it tells us something about which way the polls are going. Which raises the question: ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    6 days ago
  • More migrant workers should help generate the tax income needed to provide benefits for job seekers
    Buzz from the Beehive Under something described as a “rebalance” of its immigration rules, the Government has adopted four of five recommendations made in an independent review released in July, The fifth, which called on the government to specify criteria for out-of-hours compliance visits similar to those used during ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago
  • Letter To Luxon.
    Some of you might know Gerard Otto (G), and his G News platform. This morning he wrote a letter to Christopher Luxon which I particularly enjoyed, and with his agreement I’m sharing it with you in this guest newsletter.If you’d like to make a contribution to support Gerard’s work you ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    6 days ago
  • LINDSAY MITCHELL: Alarming trend in benefit numbers
    Lindsay Mitchell writes –  While there will not be another quarterly release of benefit numbers prior to the election, limited weekly reporting continues and is showing an alarming trend. Because there is a seasonal component to benefit number fluctuations it is crucial to compare like with like. In ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago
  • BRIAN EASTON: Has there been external structural change?
    A close analysis of the Treasury assessment of the Medium Term in its PREFU 2023 suggests the economy may be entering a new phase.   Brian Easton writes –  Last week I explained that the forecasts in the just published Treasury Pre-election Economic and Fiscal Update (PREFU 2023) was ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago
  • CRL Progress – Sep-23
    It’s been a while since we looked at the latest with the City Rail Link and there’s been some fantastic milestones recently. To start with, and most recently, CRL have released an awesome video showing a full fly-through of one of the tunnels. Come fly with us! You asked for ...
    6 days ago
  • Monday’s Chorus: Not building nearly enough
    We are heading into another period of fast population growth without matching increased home building or infrastructure investment.Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Labour and National detailed their house building and migration approaches over the weekend, with both pledging fast population growth policies without enough house building or infrastructure investment ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    6 days ago
  • Game on; Hipkins comes out punching
    Labour leader Chris Hipkins yesterday took the gloves off and laid into National and its leader Christopher Luxon. For many in Labour – and particularly for some at the top of the caucus and the party — it would not have been a moment too soon. POLITIK is aware ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    6 days ago
  • Tax Cut Austerity Blues.
    The leaders have had their go, they’ve told us the “what?” and the “why?” of their promises. Now it’s the turn of the would be Finance Ministers to tell us the “how?”, the “how much?”, and the “when?”A chance for those competing for the second most powerful job in the ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    1 week ago
  • MIKE GRIMSHAW:  It’s the economy – and the spirit – Stupid…
    Mike Grimshaw writes – Over the past 30-odd years it’s become almost an orthodoxy to blame or invoke neoliberalism for the failures of New Zealand society. On the left the usual response goes something like, neoliberalism is the cause of everything that’s gone wrong and the answer ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    1 week ago

  • Safeguarding Tuvalu language and identity
    Tuvalu is in the spotlight this week as communities across New Zealand celebrate Vaiaso o te Gagana Tuvalu – Tuvalu Language Week. “The Government has a proven record of supporting Pacific communities and ensuring more of our languages are spoken, heard and celebrated,” Pacific Peoples Minister Barbara Edmonds said. “Many ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 hours ago
  • New community-level energy projects to support more than 800 Māori households
    Seven more innovative community-scale energy projects will receive government funding through the Māori and Public Housing Renewable Energy Fund to bring more affordable, locally generated clean energy to more than 800 Māori households, Energy and Resources Minister Dr Megan Woods says. “We’ve already funded 42 small-scale clean energy projects that ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Huge boost to Te Tai Tokerau flood resilience
    The Government has approved new funding that will boost resilience and greatly reduce the risk of major flood damage across Te Tai Tokerau. Significant weather events this year caused severe flooding and damage across the region. The $8.9m will be used to provide some of the smaller communities and maraes ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Napier’s largest public housing development comes with solar
    The largest public housing development in Napier for many years has been recently completed and has the added benefit of innovative solar technology, thanks to Government programmes, says Housing Minister Dr Megan Woods. The 24 warm, dry homes are in Seddon Crescent, Marewa and Megan Woods says the whanau living ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Te Whānau a Apanui and the Crown initial Deed of Settlement I Kua waitohua e Te Whānau a Apanui me...
    Māori: Kua waitohua e Te Whānau a Apanui me te Karauna te Whakaaetanga Whakataunga Kua waitohua e Te Whānau a Apanui me te Karauna i tētahi Whakaaetanga Whakataunga hei whakamihi i ō rātou tāhuhu kerēme Tiriti o Waitangi. E tekau mā rua ngā hapū o roto mai o Te Whānau ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Plan for 3,000 more public homes by 2025 – regions set to benefit
    Regions around the country will get significant boosts of public housing in the next two years, as outlined in the latest public housing plan update, released by the Housing Minister, Dr Megan Woods. “We’re delivering the most public homes each year since the Nash government of the 1950s with one ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Immigration settings updates
    Judicial warrant process for out-of-hours compliance visits 2023/24 Recognised Seasonal Employer cap increased by 500 Additional roles for Construction and Infrastructure Sector Agreement More roles added to Green List Three-month extension for onshore Recovery Visa holders The Government has confirmed a number of updates to immigration settings as part of ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Poroporoaki: Tā Patrick (Patu) Wahanga Hohepa
    Tangi ngunguru ana ngā tai ki te wahapū o Hokianga Whakapau Karakia. Tārehu ana ngā pae maunga ki Te Puna o te Ao Marama. Korihi tangi ana ngā manu, kua hinga he kauri nui ki te Wao Nui o Tāne. He Toa. He Pou. He Ahorangi. E papaki tū ana ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Renewable energy fund to support community resilience
    40 solar energy systems on community buildings in regions affected by Cyclone Gabrielle and other severe weather events Virtual capability-building hub to support community organisations get projects off the ground Boost for community-level renewable energy projects across the country At least 40 community buildings used to support the emergency response ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • COVID-19 funding returned to Government
    The lifting of COVID-19 isolation and mask mandates in August has resulted in a return of almost $50m in savings and recovered contingencies, Minister of Health Dr Ayesha Verrall announced today. Following the revocation of mandates and isolation, specialised COVID-19 telehealth and alternative isolation accommodation are among the operational elements ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Appointment of District Court Judge
    Susie Houghton of Auckland has been appointed as a new District Court Judge, to serve on the Family Court, Attorney-General David Parker said today.  Judge Houghton has acted as a lawyer for child for more than 20 years. She has acted on matters relating to the Hague Convention, an international ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Government invests further in Central Hawke’s Bay resilience
    The Government has today confirmed $2.5 million to fund a replace and upgrade a stopbank to protect the Waipawa Drinking Water Treatment Plant. “As a result of Cyclone Gabrielle, the original stopbank protecting the Waipawa Drinking Water Treatment Plant was destroyed. The plant was operational within 6 weeks of the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Govt boost for Hawke’s Bay cyclone waste clean-up
    Another $2.1 million to boost capacity to deal with waste left in Cyclone Gabrielle’s wake. Funds for Hastings District Council, Phoenix Contracting and Hog Fuel NZ to increase local waste-processing infrastructure. The Government is beefing up Hawke’s Bay’s Cyclone Gabrielle clean-up capacity with more support dealing with the massive amount ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Taupō Supercars revs up with Government support
    The future of Supercars events in New Zealand has been secured with new Government support. The Government is getting engines started through the Major Events Fund, a special fund to support high profile events in New Zealand that provide long-term economic, social and cultural benefits. “The Repco Supercars Championship is ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • There is no recession in NZ, economy grows nearly 1 percent in June quarter
    The economy has turned a corner with confirmation today New Zealand never was in recession and stronger than expected growth in the June quarter, Finance Minister Grant Robertson said. “The New Zealand economy is doing better than expected,” Grant Robertson said. “It’s continuing to grow, with the latest figures showing ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Highest legal protection for New Zealand’s largest freshwater springs
    The Government has accepted the Environment Court’s recommendation to give special legal protection to New Zealand’s largest freshwater springs, Te Waikoropupū Springs (also known as Pupū Springs), Environment Minister David Parker announced today.   “Te Waikoropupū Springs, near Takaka in Golden Bay, have the second clearest water in New Zealand after ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • More support for victims of migrant exploitation
    Temporary package of funding for accommodation and essential living support for victims of migrant exploitation Exploited migrant workers able to apply for a further Migrant Exploitation Protection Visa (MEPV), giving people more time to find a job Free job search assistance to get people back into work Use of 90-day ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 weeks ago
  • Strong export boost as NZ economy turns corner
    An export boost is supporting New Zealand’s economy to grow, adding to signs that the economy has turned a corner and is on a stronger footing as we rebuild from Cyclone Gabrielle and lock in the benefits of multiple new trade deals, Finance Minister Grant Robertson says. “The economy is ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 weeks ago
  • Funding approved for flood resilience work in Te Karaka
    The Government has approved $15 million to raise about 200 homes at risk of future flooding. More than half of this is expected to be spent in the Tairāwhiti settlement of Te Karaka, lifting about 100 homes there. “Te Karaka was badly hit during Cyclone Gabrielle when the Waipāoa River ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 weeks ago
  • Further business support for cyclone-affected regions
    The Government is helping businesses recover from Cyclone Gabrielle and attract more people back into their regions. “Cyclone Gabrielle has caused considerable damage across North Island regions with impacts continuing to be felt by businesses and communities,” Economic Development Minister Barbara Edmonds said. “Building on our earlier business support, this ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 weeks ago
  • New maintenance facility at Burnham Military Camp underway
    Defence Minister Andrew Little has turned the first sod to start construction of a new Maintenance Support Facility (MSF) at Burnham Military Camp today. “This new state-of-art facility replaces Second World War-era buildings and will enable our Defence Force to better maintain and repair equipment,” Andrew Little said. “This Government ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 weeks ago
  • Foreign Minister to attend United Nations General Assembly
    Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta will represent New Zealand at the 78th Session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York this week, before visiting Washington DC for further Pacific focussed meetings. Nanaia Mahuta will be in New York from Wednesday 20 September, and will participate in UNGA leaders ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 weeks ago
  • Midwives’ pay equity offer reached
    Around 1,700 Te Whatu Ora employed midwives and maternity care assistants will soon vote on a proposed pay equity settlement agreed by Te Whatu Ora, the Midwifery Employee Representation and Advisory Service (MERAS) and New Zealand Nurses Association (NZNO), Minister of Health Dr Ayesha Verrall announced today. “Addressing historical pay ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 weeks ago
  • New Zealand provides support to Morocco
    Aotearoa New Zealand will provide humanitarian support to those affected by last week’s earthquake in Morocco, Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta announced today. “We are making a contribution of $1 million to the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) to help meet humanitarian needs,” Nanaia Mahuta said. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 weeks ago
  • Government invests in West Coast’s roading resilience
    The Government is investing over $22 million across 18 projects to improve the resilience of roads in the West Coast that have been affected by recent extreme weather, Prime Minister Chris Hipkins confirmed today.  A dedicated Transport Resilience Fund has been established for early preventative works to protect the state ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 weeks ago
  • Government invests in Greymouth’s future
    The Government has today confirmed a $2 million grant towards the regeneration of Greymouth’s CBD with construction of a new two-level commercial and public facility. “It will include a visitor facility centred around a new library. Additionally, it will include retail outlets on the ground floor, and both outdoor and ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 weeks ago
  • Nanaia Mahuta to attend PIF Foreign Ministers’ Meeting
    Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta will attend the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) Foreign Ministers’ Meeting, in Suva, Fiji alongside New Zealand’s regional counterparts. “Aotearoa New Zealand is deeply committed to working with our pacific whanau to strengthen our cooperation, and share ways to combat the challenges facing the Blue Pacific Continent,” ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 weeks ago
  • PREFU shows no recession, growing economy, more jobs and wages ahead of inflation
    Economy to grow 2.6 percent on average over forecast period Treasury not forecasting a recession Inflation to return to the 1-3 percent target band next year Wages set to grow 4.8 percent a year over forecast period Unemployment to peak below the long-term average Fiscal Rules met - Net debt ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 weeks ago
  • New cancer centre opens in Christchurch
    Prime Minister Chris Hipkins and Minister of Health Dr Ayesha Verrall proudly opened the Canterbury Cancer Centre in Christchurch today. The new facility is the first of its kind and was built with $6.5 million of funding from the Government’s Infrastructure Reference Group scheme for shovel-ready projects allocated in 2020. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 weeks ago

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