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November Stuff Poll; Nats Knackered

Written By: - Date published: 9:16 am, November 25th, 2019 - 95 comments
Categories: election 2020, elections, greens, jacinda ardern, labour, national, nz first, Politics, polls, Simon Bridges - Tags: , ,

Stuff have released their latest YouGov political poll. It’s grim reading for the Tories and current leader Simon Bridges.

Labour are on 41%,  3 points ahead of National, who languish on 38%.

 

But that’s not the only bad news for the embattled Bridges; at 8% each, either the Greens or NZ First would be both able to form a two party Government with Labour.

That won’t happen, of course, because Labour are committed to continuing the current three party arrangement. It will, however, make cross party discipline easier to maintain in the next government (Shane Jones, I’m looking at you).

No preferred PM poll, but the YouGov alternative is ‘favourability’. Ardern wins hands down, and her deputy PM also outscores the bumbling Bridges.

 

The big questions for National remain. When to get rid of Simon Bridges and who to replace him with?

 

 
 
 

 

95 comments on “November Stuff Poll; Nats Knackered ”

  1. mango 1

    I Have to say that I am skeptical of all opinion polls. But at least this one counters the false narrative that the msm drew from the last couple of polls.

    • cleangreen 1.1

      Mango How cqn any poll be free of bias when every poll is either run by corporates or finance industry pundits?

      At least Yougov was begun by a UK conservative politician and then listed on the public stock exchange for offer to the public so I am o/k with this pollster.

  2. Anker 2

    terrific. As it should be. Aren’t YouGov known to be very accurate.? Seem to remember exit polling on a British election

    • YouGov use a fixed panel of voters as their base point for polling. They stick with the same people as much as possible and it is the individual changes in views that are reflected in the results. According to YouGov, this allows for a more accurate reflection of changes in voting intention than randomly ringing different people each time as other pollsters do.

      YouGov are regarded as being among the more accurate pollsters in the UK, though none are entirely reliable.

    • Dukeofurl 2.2

      Exit polling in UK election was very accurate

      https://www.wired.co.uk/article/uk-election-exit-poll-2017-what-is-an-exit-poll

      Its worthwhile knowing the difference.

      NZ with MMP and party vote which directly gives party seats in parliament ( excl the 'one seat wonders') is far better than polling for FPP seats on such a regionally diverse electorate like UK.

      as example only Labour could lose seats in London with ( say) 50% vote but gain seats in the country side with that vote and stay stable in other areas.

      [Your user handle contains a piece of text from a previous comment. Could you please deal with it?]

  3. Sanctuary 3

    If this poll is accurate then it represent a huge defeat for the relentlessly negative culture war tactics of the Topham-Guerin social media strategy adopted by Bridges since the unexpected Liberal victory in the Australian federal election.

    You would think alarm bells are ringing in National about strategy, and given how heavily Bridges is identified with the all-out online culture war approach the implications for him personally are dire.

    • cleangreen 3.1

      Yep Sanctuary,

      Alarm bells are obviously ringing over there at National for sure.

      Notice now that Bridges is now not fronting daily the media with his off hand statements about labour loosing their way?

      Interesting times ahead.

      Thanks for the info on the national adopting the Topham-Guerin social media strategy.

  4. mosa 4

    Conservative commentator Peter Hitchens laid out the issue with polling, writing:

    Polls are now the best way to influence public opinion, largely because they’re treated… as impartial oracles of the truth by most people who read them. As readers of the excellent political thrillers of Michael Dobbs (serialised on TV with the incomparable and much-missed Ian Richardson playing the ultra-cynical politician Francis Urqhart) will know, it’s not quite that simple. Dobbs has one of his characters say (roughly) “The thing you must realise about polls is that they are not devices for measuring public opinion – they are devices for influencing it”.

    • observer 4.1

      That is mixing up two very different things:

      1) What the polls are

      2) How the polls are treated

      The media require change, for their headlines. News is – by definition – new.

      Say there's a series of polls which (for example) give NZF 5%, then 6%, then 4%, then 6%. Each of those polls would get a different, shouty headline: "NZF Out! NZF Back!", etc. All spun by the various parties, for and against.

      The real story would be "NZF support steady, over several months, changes statistically insignificant". That is information. But it isn't news.

      Polls are useful. They aren't responsible for what people then do with them.

      • CLEANGREEN 4.1.1

        Yep stuff polls are very accurate.

        We daily observe most faces are smiling as if they are satisfied so we are seeing a labour coalition returned next year for sure.

        • observer 4.1.1.1

          You seem to have posted that in the wrong place, as it has nothing to do with my comment.

          There are no "Stuff polls" (plural), not for years now.

  5. Alan 5

    Have you read the methodology on how the poll operates? It would pay to do that before you get too excited.

    • mosa 5.1

      Too answer your question Alan

      From stuff

      The methodology for the YouGov poll is different to other political polls in New Zealand, which rely on phone-calling or a mix of phone calling and online responses. It is conducted entirely online by a panel of respondents, as other YouGov polls around the world are.

      Also

      It is the first poll published by Stuff from YouGov, a global polling firm which runs regular polls for The Australian, The Times, The Economist, and CBS News.

      • Alan 5.1.1

        and how is that panel selected?

        Any poll that has Winston First on 8% at the moment is highly questionable, perhaps they are having "teething issues" with their methodology.

        Lets see what Reid and Colmar Brunton have to say before getting too ahead of ourselves.

        • Formerly Ross 5.1.1.1

          The poll was taken before the latest controversy about donations to NZF. But seeing as the party got 7.2% of the vote at the last election, 8% is hardly extravagant.

        • observer 5.1.1.2

          8% would be surprising, except that commentators tend to forget how the "bugger the lot of them" vote responds to stories like the NZF foundation.

          It doesn't matter if 90% of voters change their opinion of Winston from "low" to "rock bottom". What does matter is the tiny percentage who say "media beat-up" and consolidate NZF support. They are not at all representative of the wider public – but they don't need to be.

        • mosa 5.1.1.3

          You are correct as this poll is " somewhat out of date "

          The poll was conducted between 7 and 11 November by YouGov, before Stuff published a series of revelations about donations to the NZ First Foundation, so is likely to be slightly out of date.

          • Dukeofurl 5.1.1.3.1

            Silly that they keep the poll results in the cupbaord until now , nearly weeks later.

            Im guessing the CBON comes out this week or next as well (they did one last year for last week on November) and they want to be ahead of the buzz on that.

            • weka 5.1.1.3.1.1

              please check your username before your next comment, this is why you’re getting caught in the mod filter.

              • cleangreen

                Hi Weka, if this was for me yes thanks.

                As I wondered why I dropped off the 'Standard Planet' a week or so ago, so great to be back again.

                • Incognito

                  That was because you had received a two-week ban on 4 Nov. You also received a warning that bans will escalate. Ignore at your leisure or peril, whichever you choose but ignorance is no defence.

                  • cleangreen

                    Incognito I missed the ban notice so can you post it as I looked in my postings and did not spot the warnings.

                    If I did something wrong. then please notify me now, as I am not aware what it was for yet as it seems that Weka's .notice was Check your username before I make a comment. My username is always the same as greengreen?

                    • weka

                      What kind of device are you using to comment on TS cleangreen? Because my comments is clearly a reply to Duke, so I'm not sure why you are thinking it was for you. Can you see the 'nested' comments? Can you see the numbers on each comment? Do you use the Comments tab on the side of the page that shows who is commenting and who they are replying to and under what post?

                    • Incognito

                      Weka’s comment @ 5.1.1.3.1.1 was a direct reply to Dukeofurl\\\"Shaft enough people and they will bite you. @ 5.1.1.3.1. You should know by now how the threading/nesting of comments works here.

                      When you receive a ban, at least one warning usually precedes it.

                      Most moderators leave a reply too to help draw attention to their moderation and to avoid it being ignored missed.

                      If you pay no attention to those replies, you have only yourself to blame. It also begs the question whether you pay attention to replies to your comments at all.

                      For your convenience: https://thestandard.org.nz/dunedins-hillside-rail-workshop/#comment-1664659

                      Please do not litigate that ban because that is a bannable offence in its own right.

      • Phil 5.1.2

        The methodology for the YouGov poll is different to other political polls in New Zealand​​​​

        I always chuckle when people start panicking about whether or not polls are calling cellphones or landlines or sampling on internet panels… when the contact method is at least an order of magnitude less important to the final polling outcome than the weighting and turnout-model methodology (which polling companies very jealously protect and, understandably, refuse to make public).

        • Nic the NZer 5.1.2.1

          Also that the margin of error of the poll doesn't (can't) say how biased (wrong) that modelling error is. The margin of error itself is accurate only if the model and weights are exactly correct.

    • Clive Macann 5.2

      Alan. Explain what you mean. Did you read above about how YouGov derive their info?

      • Alan 5.2.1

        Figure it out for yourself Clive

        • Drowsy M. Kram 5.2.1.1

          Alan, could outline your concerns regarding the accuracy of this poll? Is it primarily the higher than expected % for NZF?

          Are you suggesting that YouGov's polling methodology means that this result is likely to be less accurate than Reid or Colmar Brunton? Whereas some analyses suggests the opposite, and that the YouGov methodology is particularly accurate when it comes to assessing trends in voter intentions.

          Welcome to the new kid on the ‘political poll block’.

          • Dukeofurl\\\\\\\"Shaft enough people and they will bite you. 5.2.1.1.1

            Reid and Colmar also partly use online panels for political polling result

            The main usage is to get the hard to find millenials etc , currently they quickly fill the 50+ quota so have to make lots of calls to get some 25 and under and of course its cheaper for a larger sample.

  6. Sacha 6

    Stuff have released their first YouGov poll, not their 'latest'. Only useful once a trend has built up.

  7. observer 7

    Ardern's 62% approval rating is entirely in line with the most recent TV3 and TV1 polls (Reid Research, Colmar Brunton).

    Polls on party vote can jump around, and especially with minor parties, get over-analysed for statistically insignificant changes. But the approval rating is a very consistent pattern that can't be dismissed as "rogue" or "margin of error" or "name recognition" like preferred PM.

    It makes a mockery of the fantasists whose "evidence" is to say "me and my mates don't think much of her and we're everybody innit?".

  8. Jimmy 8

    Perhaps William Wood will be the next National leader to be prime minister!

    • observer 8.1

      Coming soon: Wood insists Bridges has "my full support" … uh oh.

    • Fireblade 8.2

      Simon will keep the opposition seat warm until baldylocks Luxon takes over, but the 17 year old from Palmerston North will be itching to stab a few boomers in the back.

      • Dukeofurl\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\"Shaft enough people and they will bite you. 8.2.1

        Hes not going to win in Palmerston North…

        • NZJester 8.2.1.1

          That is how we got the current government. National just shafted Winston to many times for him to consider going with them. The knife wounds in his back from National MPs where still fresh after the last Election.

  9. Michelle Gray 9

    If people truly want transformational change they need to give labour more party votes or bump up the Greens Party vote then we truly will see transformation having three parties to appease is not easy too much trade offs

  10. Anne 10

    A general observation:

    Stuff have been doing some good stuff in recent times. Their extended Erebus podcasts (together with RNZ) has been riveting stuff.

  11. Gosman 11

    Good to see ACT making some upward progress.

    • Robert Guyton 11.1

      "Good to see ACT making some upward progress."

      Thanks to Sean Plunket's stirling efforts.

    • observer 11.2

      National's problem is that ACT only add to the "Bridges failing" narrative.

      See the headline on that Stuff story: "Labour ahead … ".

      The media still think FPP, so if ACT gained 3 and National lost 2, a result that would be good for the Right, the headline would be "National down again". Good news would be made bad.

      This is exactly what they do with Labour and the Greens, so I have no sympathy, but it is still stupid.

    • Fireblade 11.3

      ACT are a joke. They're floundering around in margin of error territory.

    • Tiger Mountain 11.4

      Ker-Sploosh!…as another Gosman floater is deposited in the pool…

  12. NZJester 12

    I don't think Simon will be kicked as their leader for a while yet as I think National party members already know they are unlikely to win the next election.

    But his replacement is already set up, they just need him to be elected as an MP before they can dump Simon as their leader. He only still has the job as no one in his party wants it right now.

    Maybe if JLR gets voted in as an independent for the seat it would scuttle their plans or have they put him in on the list at a place to guarantee he will become an MP?

    • Pat 12.1

      Can't see even a desperate National Party anointing a less than one term MP as leader somehow

    • cleangreen 12.2

      NZJester;

      Bang on correct, as JLR is the fly in the national ointment today and perhaps JLR will come back as a push back to the way National tried to destroy him savagely.

    • Peter 12.3

      If JLR gets voted in as an independent I won't care because if that happens cures would've been found for all cancer, there'd everlasting goodwill and peace in the Middle East, drug dependence would've disappeared from New Zealand and Donald Trump would be serving a 23 year prison sentence with all of his scumbag mates.

    • observer 12.4

      If Ross wins Botany, all we get is one more right wing MP in Parliament. An overhang.

      It does not affect National's party vote, or their caucus.

      (MMP, MMP, MMP … 23 years and counting)

      • logie97 12.4.1

        Collins has to roll Bridges now.

        Otherwise Luxon will, post general election, and her chance will be gone.

    • Michelle Gray 12.5

      The replacement we will see

  13. observer 13

    A couple more points on the details:

    1) See the NZ First voters' responses on Ardern and Bridges. Completely squashes the myth that they might favour National over Labour.

    2) The combined vote for ALL "other parties" is 1%. So that's Sustainable NZ (who?), the New Conservatives (who?), the Tamakis (who?), and any other fantasy partner for National.

    And this is after Tava got his headlines from the launch.

    There really is nothing there, and it's high time lazy commentators stopped pretending there is.

  14. roy cartland 14

    I'm sure earlier into this term there was a lot of talk around Simon's mission being purely kamikaze, i.e. with no expectation of winning 2020; just place-holding for someone like Judith to take over and start swinging.

    Is that still a thing? I know Simon himself has to pretend that he means it but does the MSM still need to? Do we?

  15. Fireblade 15

    It's very amusing reading the comments on Kiwiblog and YSB arguing that this poll must be fake. Not only that, but the conservative old fogies can't get their head around a 17 year old standing for the National Party. Add that to their disgust that every Nat MP voted for the Zero Carbon Bill, and I get the impression the wheels are falling off the blue party bus.

    National Party supporters are pissed off and disillusioned.

    • tc 15.1

      'National Party supporters are pissed off and disillusioned.' they didn't need the blue party for that, it's mostly a job done all by themselves .

    • Wensleydale 15.2

      I can't get my head around a 17 year-old standing for the National Party, not because he's 17, but because it's the National Party. Someone should hand that young man a copy of 'The Hollow Men' and 'Dirty Politics'. It's only fair he truly understands the nest of vipers he's getting into bed with.

      • cleangreen 15.2.1

        Wensleydale,

        National has dumbed down the young ones to do what they are told, and not ask questions so that's why they go for the young ones.

      • mac1 15.2.2

        They'll possibly learn. At 17 I was a CQSM in the school cadets. At 19 I registered as a CO. Change can happen. World events and exposure to new ideas and people like I found in the Peace Power and Politics in Asia Conference in Wellington in 1968.

        Best of luck to this young man to find his true morality and awareness.

  16. Dazzer 16

    The responses here are looking a little desperate ie looking for good news.

    I have no idea how the writer can claim this is the latest Stuff YouGov poll given it is as I understand it the first. That surely suggests that regardless of what this specific result says, it is effectively meaningless until a trend can be established based on the methodology.

    However, you will believe what you want it to be

    • observer 16.1

      No need to "believe". Simply read.

      As I've pointed out, there is a trend, and it is across all polls.

      Feel free to rebut specifics, rather than generalise with men of straw.

      • Dazzer 16.1.1

        I don't normally bit but you last sentence is laughable and misses the entire point. This is the first survey – you cannot generalise or indeed draw any conclusions from a single poll. This is the outlier – it could be right, or it could be wrong and it could be the different methodology.

        So how about you address specifics than ignoring the central point I made which is still valid. It is the first poll so on its own is effectively meaningless.

        • observer 16.1.1.1

          I already did at comment 7.

          Data from three different polling organisations, with a consistent pattern across all three.

          • Phil 16.1.1.1.1

            In comment 7 you've claimed that an approval rating can be compared to, or used to validate, a preferred PM rating. And then you've made up garbage about how an approval rating poll is not subject to the same margin of error and name recognition issues as a preferred PM poll.

            You'll have excuse me if I put less than zero faith in your ability to analyse the results.

            • observer 16.1.1.1.1.1

              You seem to have misunderstood. I said that

              "Ardern's 62% approval rating is entirely in line with the most recent TV3 and TV1 polls (Reid Research, Colmar Brunton)."

              Both TV3 and TV1 included the approval rating question in their latest published poll. In both cases it was 62%.

              TV 3 poll

              TV1 poll

              You seem to think I've got it mixed up with "preferred PM". I haven't. That is a different question.

              • Phil

                Ah, sorry, apologies – I hadn't seen the approval question in the One and Three results. I mistakenly assumed they'd only published the pref.PM.

                Nevertheless, the comment you made about approval rating polls not being subject to the same margin of error and name recognition issues as a preferred PM poll is still plain wrong.

            • Drowsy M. Kram 16.1.1.1.1.2

              To express "less than zero faith" in another's ability is nonsensical – "garbage", followed by "less than zero faith" would have been solid jibes, IMHO.

              • Phil

                My rationale was that "zero faith" implies total ambivalence to a statement, and that the statement would not sway my opinion one way or the other.

                I used "less than zero faith" to mean I would take the statement as a warning indicator. I would actively take an opposite path or action – like if your friend who *loves* Taco Bell told you to try out a great new restaurant.

                • Drowsy M. Kram

                  I (mis)interpreted "zero faith" as 'no faith', i.e. an complete absence of faith, and I couldn't think of an instance when I had had less than a complete absence of faith/belief, so was struggling to understand your phrase as anything other than hyperbole.

                  Thanks for your rationale – makes more sense now.

    • Dukeofurl 16.2

      That doesnt mean anything either . Polls dont have memories like you suggest. The only way and I stress the only way to check for accuracy like that is to have an eelction next weekend.

      I have a suspicion Stuff/Dominion Post , a well known Tory media group has tipped off National back when the numbers came in two weeks ago.
      The tip off policy would be called No surprises
      The Nats threw the kitchen sink to boost Bridges profile …they have been releasing policy now …in the run up to Xmas , when that would normally wait to Feb or later in election year.

      My guess is a Colmar Brunton poll will be out tonight or next week and Bridges hopes the results will be OK for him.

      • Phil 16.2.1

        I have a suspicion Stuff/Dominion Post , a well known Tory media group has tipped off National back when the numbers came in two weeks ago.

        Fuck off with this conspiracy theory garbage.

        It's YouGov's first poll. They're experienced operators and they know full well that the first 'live-fire' output needs to be double and tripled checked to make sure all their systems and analysis are robust.

        They've taken the extra week or so because YouGov are prudent and 'small c' conservative with how they treat information. Stuff wouldn't have had access to anything meaningful until very recently.

        • Dukeofurl 16.2.1.1

          Its two full weeks.

          Yougov know all about the polling game , not new like you suggest ( founded in 2000).

          Clearly they use their existing resources in Australia and help from HQ in Britain.

          Checking …please a panel process that runs for 5 days needs 14 days for 'checking'

          I once worked for a large metropolitan Australian paper , stories are often held for some time for various reasons, in those days 'space' was always a factor. Fast breaking political stories , not so much

          And yes political parties have their own favoured sources within the media to give thema heads up on news affecting them in the pipeline.

  17. Paul S 17

    This poll provides a nice positive backdrop to the Labour Party Conference this weekend 😊👍🏽.

  18. AB 18

    I don't really take much notice of polls – they tend to shift focus onto the game of politics itself, rather than onto structural analysis of issues. But the erasure of this poll from mainstream public discourse is certainly impressive – shows what can be achieved when like minds work together..

  19. Karol121 19

    Perhaps compare a similar poll (Stuff) taken in November 2016 (around 9 to 10 months prior to the 2017 election) if one exists, and try to determine just how the 2016 poll equated to the results on the evening of the 2017 election, then extrapolate if you can.

    Still, there appears to be something not so satisfactory with the feel of National right now, and with the three or more faces of Simon Bridges as mugshots appearing so regularly, accompanied with some of his rather interesting comments and statements, (although some may be a little harsher with their descriptions pertaining to such statements), will it get any better for National?

    Is Judith Collins likely to muster more favour as leader perhaps, and will we see a change of captain any time soon. Or might it occur closer to the day, or after the 2020 election, if it occurs? (This presupposes that she has gone from the position of “not interested” in being leader, to “interested” if others support her in relation to such a re position).

    Does anyone really know her that well?

    Would appeasing those further up in political management, and perhaps demonstrating a mission mentality, potentially put her at risk of perilous navigation, or is she in full control with a deliverable and reasoned mission mentality of her very own?

    From the link below, (courtesy of the Morgan Foundation); can anyone determine which one's Judith?

    http://morganfoundation.org.nz/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/1440312729065.jpg

  20. peterlepaysan 20

    I do not have much credence for polls. I am more with Jim Bolger, "bugger the polls, the only that counts is on election day".

    Polls give media layabouts something to blather about, after their employers have paid for the poll.

    All statistics are highly suspect when i used to draw conclusions

    thr

  21. Sanctuary 21

    One of the most interesting aspects of the current UK election is the weaponising of polling as a disinformation channel as a political tactic – the Lib-Dems are particularly guilty of this, but all sorts of dodgy polls – often from reputable firms but with secretive funding – are popping up everywhere.

    • ianmac 21.1

      Maybe there is a case for banning polls within so far of an Election? 90 days perhaps?

      • Sanctuary 21.1.1

        The rise of disinformation, black propaganda and targeted fake news means I would ban all social media advertising and polling for 90 days before an election. Only traditional free to air broadcasting and print media would be allowed. And don't tell me the likes of facebook can't do it. Just change your country setting the Germany, and see how much far right stuff suddenly gets filtered.

        • Phil 21.1.1.1

          I would ban all … polling for 90 days before an election.

          This is a terrible idea that would make our society more poorly informed in virtually every facet.

          One of the key reasons regular political polling is important is that it gives us a natural test of methodology. The fact that polling companies continue to have a pretty good track record of picking most NZ political parties within a few points and/or the margin of error means that they're doing the process and analytical grunt-work right. That fact in turn means that when those same companies come out with a poll saying something like "60% of New Zealanders favour marijuana legalisation" the public can actually have confidence that the figure being quoted is broadly true.

          Otherwise, in a world without the 'test' of polling before an election… who the fuck knows with any confidence what we collectively think?

          • Sanctuary 21.1.1.1.1

            No is stopping them polling, they just can't publish them until after the actual, real polls close.

      • cleangreen 21.1.2

        Ianmac I agree.

    • cleangreen 21.2

      Yes Sanctuary,

      I agree as it is also occurring in the US with the democratic party politics.

      I regard any political Party needs to be treated with suspicion now sadly.

  22. soddenleaf 22

    The right have a problem The facade of economic competence is falling away.

    https://m.slashdot.org/story/363880

    National obvious lying, take prisoner voting, obviously disconnecting criminals from engaging politically feeds gang outlaw identity. They already cannot stand for office, so why totally ban them, and then managing the costs of exclusion, really!

    • Wensleydale 22.1

      It's low-hanging fruit. Many prisoners don't vote, even if they have the right, and how likely are the ones that do vote to vote for National? It's an easy win as far as they're concerned. Throw some red meat to the baying hounds in the form of "tough on crime" rhetoric, and drop the hammer on a group of powerless citizens largely free of consequence. Who cares about prisoners? Or beneficiaries? Or sex workers? It's like kicking a beggar. What are they going to do? File a complaint with the United Nations?

  23. mac1 23

    In fact the argument of economic confidence sits in the government's favour. It's a pity that the business 'doomers' don't read this and take heart.

    https://www.mbie.govt.nz/about/news/nz-ranks-first-for-ease-of-doing-business-for-the-fourth-year/

    Sent out by the local chamber of commerce CEO to its members. At least he gets it.

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    imagine my surprise this week when the National Party, in their infinite wisdom, decided to release an education policy. As you can imagine, this got us so riled up here in the office that we dusted off our Windows XP laptop, waiting 17 hours for all the updates to be ...
    My ThinksBy boonman
    1 day ago
  • Prosperity through Productivity.
    Come on Jess thought Mr Evans come on. He watched the large clock on the wall tick closer to 8:40am. Come on girl.In two minutes he had to submit the class attendance report and with Jess having already been late once that term it’d mean an automatic visit from the ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    1 day ago
  • The hoon for the week that was to March 25
    This week’s UN IPCC report warned climate emissions will need to be cut by almost half by 2030, if warming is to be limited to 1.5°C. Bronwyn Hayward points out in The Hoon podcast how far behind NZ’s government and councils are now on climate action compared to the rest ...
    The KakaBy Peter Bale
    1 day ago
  • The big question for Labour: Will Hipkins have any more success than Ardern did with the top priorit...
    Chris  Hipkins,  after  he became prime minister, committed  to defeating the  cost-of- living crisis. He  proceeded to make a  bonfire of policies  that were at  the  heart of Jacinda Ardern’s administration.  But, as   Richard Prebble pointed out this week, “the government has not just U-turned, it has repudiated the ...
    Point of OrderBy tutere44
    2 days ago
  • Reality check.
    There are some wellness, crystal-gazing, holistic spiritual guidance types in my disaster-hit coastal community who insist that the power of positive thinking will overcome the physical and material damages incurred by the community. They object to restrictions on road travel … Continue reading ...
    KiwipoliticoBy Pablo
    2 days ago
  • High Performance Instability in the Financial Sector
    Evaluating the recent crashes of Silicon Valley Bank in the US and Credit Suisse in Switzerland plus two other banks (perhaps more by the time you read this) needs to begin with a review of the inevitable instability in the financial sector. The financial sector is inherently unstable, like military ...
    PunditBy Brian Easton
    2 days ago
  • The week in review
    1. We see here new police minister Ginny Andersen. Which larger than life NZ political figure was her great-uncle?a. Rob Muldoonb. Bill Andersenc. Richard John Seddond. Norman Kirk2. We see here archival footage of Ginny Andersen coming out of her electorate office to ask ex-tobacco lobbyist Chris Bishop if he ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    2 days ago
  • Nash splashes out with a $900,000 investment in the blue economy (or is it more corporate welfare?)
    Buzz from the Beehive Stuart Nash, speaking as Minister of Oceans and Fisheries, one of his remaining portfolios after he was dropped down the Hipkins Government batting order, has drawn attention to the blue economy and its potential. Nash says the government is investing in the blue economy, or – ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    2 days ago
  • Ask Me Anything about the week to March 24
    Photo by Josh Mills on UnsplashIt’s that time of the week for an ‘Ask Me Anything’ session for paying subscribers about the week that was for the next hour, including:The runs on Silicon Valley Bank and First Republic Bank on the west coast of the United States that forced the ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago
  • Weekly Roundup 24-March-2023
    Roundup is back! We skipped last week’s Friday post due to a shortage of person-power – did you notice? Lots going on out there… Our header image this week shows a green street that just happens to be Queen St, by @chamfy from Twitter. This week (and last) in ...
    Greater AucklandBy Greater Auckland
    2 days ago
  • Gordon Campbell on the Keen-Minshull visit
    After threatening Prime Minister Chris Hipkins of consequences if he dared to bar her entry, Kellie-Jay Keen-Minshull has been given her visa, regardless. This will enable her to hold rallies in Auckland and Wellington this weekend, and spread her messages of hostility against an already marginalised trans community. Neo-Nazis may, ...
    2 days ago
  • BRYCE EDWARDS’ Political Roundup:  NZ needs to distance itself from Australia’s anti-China nucl...
    * Bryce Edwards writes – The New Zealand Government has been silent about Australia’s decision to commit up to $400bn acquiring nuclear submarines, even though this is a significant threat to peace and stability in the Asia Pacific. The deal was struck by the Albanese Labor Government as ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    2 days ago
  • Wayne Brown's #Auxit moment
    Boomers voted him in, but Brown’s Trumpish moments might spook Aucklanders worried about what a change to National nationally might mean. Photo: Lynn Grieveson/Getty ImagesTL;DR: Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown has become our version of Donald Trump and Boris Johnson, except without any of the insatiable appetite for media appearances. He ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago
  • Bryce Edwards: NZ needs to distance itself from Australia’s anti-China nuclear submarines
    The New Zealand Government has been silent about Australia’s decision to commit up to $400bn acquiring nuclear submarines, even though this is a significant threat to peace and stability in the Asia Pacific. The deal was struck by the Albanese Labor Government as part of its Aukus pact with the ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    2 days ago
  • Posie Parker vs Transgender Rights.
    Recently you might have heard of a person called Posie Parker and her visit to Aotearoa. Perhaps you’re not quite sure what it’s all about. So let’s start with who this person is, why their visit is controversial, and what on earth a TERF is.Posie Parker is the super villain ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    2 days ago
  • Select Committee told slow down; you’re moving too fast
    The chair of Parliament’s Select Committee looking at the Government’s resource management legislation wants the bills sent back for more public consultation. The proposal would effectively kill any chance of the bills making it into law before the election. Green MP, Eugenie Sage, stressing that she was speaking as ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    2 days ago
  • Skeptical Science New Research for Week #12 2023
    Open access notables  The United States experienced some historical low temperature records during the just-concluded winter. It's a reminder that climate and weather are quite noisy; with regard to our warming climate,, as with a road ascending a mountain range we may steadily change our conditions but with lots of ...
    3 days ago
  • What becomes of the broken hearted? Nanny State will step in to comfort them
    Buzz from the Beehive The Nanny State has scored some wins (or claimed them) in the past day or two but it faltered when it came to protecting Kiwi citizens from being savaged by one woman armed with a sharp tongue. The wins are recorded by triumphant ministers on the ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    3 days ago
  • Acceptance, decency, road food.
    Sometimes you see your friends making the case so well on social media you think: just copy and share.On acceptance and decency, from Michèle A’CourtA notable thing about anti-trans people is they way they talk about transgender women and men as though they are strangers “over there” when in fact ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago
  • Climate Change: More Labour sabotage
    Not that long ago, things were looking pretty good for climate change policy in Aotearoa. We finally had an ETS, and while it was full of pork and subsidies, it was delivering high and ever-rising carbon prices, sending a clear message to polluters to clean up or shut down. And ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    3 days ago
  • Is bundling restricting electricity competition?
    Comparing (and switching) electricity providers has become easier, but bundling power up with broadband and/or gas makes it more challenging. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The Kākā TL;DR: The new Consumer Advocacy Council set up as a result of the Labour Government’s Electricity Price Review in 2019 has called on either ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago
  • Westland Milk puts heat on competitors as global dairy demand  remains softer for longer
    Hokitika-based Westland Milk Products  has  put the heat on dairy giant Fonterra with  a $120m profit turnaround in 2022, driven by record sales. Westland paid its suppliers a 10c premium above the forecast Fonterra price per kilo, contributing $535m to the West Coast and Canterbury economies. The dairy ...
    Point of OrderBy tutere44
    3 days ago
  • BRYCE EDWARDS’ Political Roundup:  The Beehive’s revolving door and corporate mateship
    * Bryce Edwards writes – New Zealanders are uncomfortable with the high level of influence corporate lobbyists have in New Zealand politics, and demands are growing for greater regulation. A recent poll shows 62 per cent of the public support having a two-year cooling off period between ministers leaving public ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    3 days ago
  • Bryce Edwards: The Beehive’s revolving door and corporate mateship
    New Zealanders are uncomfortable with the high level of influence corporate lobbyists have in New Zealand politics, and demands are growing for greater regulation. A recent poll shows 62 per cent of the public support having a two-year cooling off period between ministers leaving public office and becoming lobbyists and ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    3 days ago
  • A miracle pill for our transport ills
    This is a guest post by accessibility and sustainable transport advocate Tim Adriaansen It originally appeared here.   A friend calls you and asks for your help. They tell you that while out and about nearby, they slipped over and landed arms-first. Now their wrist is swollen, hurting like ...
    Greater AucklandBy Guest Post
    3 days ago
  • The Surprising Power of Floating Wind Turbines
    Floating offshore wind turbines offer incredible opportunities to capture powerful winds far out at sea. By unlocking this wind energy potential, they could be a key weapon in our arsenal in the fight against climate change. But how developed are these climate fighting clean energy giants? And why do I ...
    3 days ago
  • The next Maori challenge
    Over the past two or three weeks, a procession of Maori iwi and hapu in a series of little-noticed appearances before two Select Committees have been asking for more say for Maori over resource management decisions along the co-governance lines of Three Waters. Their submissions and appearances run counter ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    3 days ago
  • Secret “war-crime” warrants by International Criminal Court is mischief-making
    The decision of the International Criminal Court (ICC) to issue war crimes arrest warrants for the Russian President and the Russia Children Ombudsman may have been welcomed by the ideologically committed but otherwise seems to have been greeted with widespread cynicism (see Situation in Ukraine: ICC judges issue arrest warrants ...
    4 days ago
  • How to answer Drunk Uncle Kevin's Climate Crisis reckons
    Let’s say you’re clasping your drink at a wedding, or a 40th, or a King’s Birthday Weekend family reunion and Drunk Uncle Kevin has just got going.He’s in an expansive frame of mind because we’re finally rid of that silly girl. But he wants to ask an honest question about ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    4 days ago
  • National’s Luxon may be glum about his poll ratings but has he found a winner in promising to rai...
    National Party leader Christopher Luxon may  be feeling glum about his poll ratings, but  he could be tapping  into  a rich political vein in  describing the current state of education as “alarming”. Luxon said educational achievement has been declining,  with a recent NCEA pilot exposing just how far it has ...
    Point of OrderBy tutere44
    4 days ago
  • Climate Change: More Labour foot-dragging
    Yesterday the IPCC released the final part of its Sixth Assessment Report, warning us that we have very little time left in which to act to prevent catastrophic climate change, but pointing out that it is a problem that we can solve, with existing technology, and that anything we do ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    4 days ago
  • Te Pāti Māori Are Revolutionaries – Not Reformists.
    Way Beyond Reform: Rawiri Waititi and Debbie Ngarewa-Packer have no more interest in remaining permanent members of “New Zealand’s” House of Representatives than did Lenin and Trotsky in remaining permanent members of Tsar Nicolas II’s “democratically-elected” Duma. Like the Bolsheviks, Te Pāti Māori is a party of revolutionaries – not reformists.THE CROWN ...
    4 days ago
  • When does history become “ancient”, on Tinetti’s watch as Minister of Education – and what o...
    Buzz from the Beehive Auckland was wiped off the map, when Education Minister Jan Tinetti delivered her speech of welcome as host of the inaugural Conference of Pacific Education Ministers “here in Tāmaki Makaurau”. But – fair to say – a reference was made later in the speech to a ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    4 days ago
  • Climate Catastrophe, but first rugby.
    Morning mate, how you going?Well, I was watching the news last night and they announced this scientific report on Climate Change. But before they got to it they had a story about the new All Blacks coach.Sounds like important news. It’s a bit of a worry really.Yeah, they were talking ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    4 days ago
  • What the US and European bank rescues mean for us
    Always a bailout: US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said the Government would fully guarantee all savers in all smaller US banks if needed. Photo: Getty ImagesTL;DR: No wonder an entire generation of investors are used to ‘buying the dip’ and ‘holding on for dear life’. US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • Bryce Edwards: Who will drain Wellington’s lobbying swamp?
    Wealthy vested interests have an oversized influence on political decisions in New Zealand. Partly that’s due to their use of corporate lobbyists. Fortunately, the influence lobbyists can have on decisions made by politicians is currently under scrutiny in Guyon Espiner’s in-depth series published by RNZ. Two of Espiner’s research exposés ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    4 days ago
  • It’s Raining Congestion
    Yesterday afternoon it rained and traffic around the region ground to a halt, once again highlighting why it is so important that our city gets on with improving the alternatives to driving. For additional irony, this happened on the same day the IPCC synthesis report landed, putting the focus on ...
    4 days ago
  • Checking The Left: The Dreadful Logic Of Fascism.
    The Beginning: Anti-Co-Governance agitator, Julian Batchelor, addresses the Dargaville stop of his travelling roadshow across New Zealand . Fascism almost always starts small. Sadly, it doesn’t always stay that way. Especially when the Left helps it to grow.THERE IS A DREADFUL LOGIC to the growth of fascism. To begin with, it ...
    4 days ago
  • Good Friends and Terrible Food
    Hi,From an incredibly rainy day in Los Angeles, I just wanted to check in. I guess this is the day Trump may or may not end up in cuffs? I’m attempting a somewhat slower, less frenzied week. I’ve had Unknown Mortal Orchestra’s new record on non-stop, and it’s been a ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    4 days ago
  • At a glance – What evidence is there for the hockey stick?
    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
  • Carry right on up there, Corporal Espiner
    RNZ has been shining their torch into corners where lobbyists lurk and asking such questions as: Do we like the look of this?and Is this as democratic as it could be?These are most certainly questions worth asking, and every bit as valid as, say:Are we shortchanged democratically by the way ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    5 days ago
  • This smells
    RNZ has continued its look at the role of lobbyists by taking a closer look at the Prime Minister's Chief of Staff Andrew Kirton. He used to work for liquor companies, opposing (among other things) a container refund scheme which would have required them to take responsibility for their own ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    5 days ago
  • Major issues on the table in Mahuta’s  talks in Beijing with China’s new Foreign Minister
    Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta has left for Beijing for the first ministerial visit to China since 2019. Mahuta is  to  meet China’s new foreign minister Qin Gang  where she  might have to call on all the  diplomatic skills  at  her  command. Almost certainly she  will  face  questions  on what  role ...
    Point of OrderBy tutere44
    5 days ago
  • Inside TOP's Teal Card and political strategy
    TL;DR: The Opportunities Party’s Leader Raf Manji is hopeful the party’s new Teal Card, a type of Gold card for under 30s, will be popular with students, and not just in his Ilam electorate where students make up more than a quarter of the voters and where Manji is confident ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • Make Your Empties Go Another Round.
    When I was a kid New Zealand was actually pretty green. We didn’t really have plastic. The fruit and veges came in a cardboard box, the meat was wrapped in paper, milk came in a glass bottle, and even rubbish sacks were made of paper. Today if you sit down ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago
  • Gordon Campbell on how similar Vladimir Putin is to George W. Bush
    Looking back through the names of our Police Ministers down the years, the job has either been done by once or future party Bigfoots – Syd Holland, Richard Prebble, Juduth Collins, Chris Hipkins – or by far lesser lights like Keith Allen, Frank Gill, Ben Couch, Allen McCready, Clem Simich, ...
    5 days ago
  • CHRIS TROTTER:  Te Pāti Māori’s uncompromising threat to the status quo
    Chris Trotter writes – The Crown is a fickle friend. Any political movement deemed to be colourful but inconsequential is generally permitted to go about its business unmolested. The Crown’s media, RNZ and TVNZ, may even “celebrate” its existence (presumably as proof of Democracy’s broad-minded acceptance of diversity). ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • Bryce Edwards: Shining a bright light on lobbyists in politics
    Four out of the five people who have held the top role of Prime Minister’s Chief of Staff since 2017 have been lobbyists. That’s a fact that should worry anyone who believes vested interests shouldn’t have a place at the centre of decision making. Chris Hipkins’ newly appointed Chief of ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    5 days ago
  • Auckland Council Draft Budget – an unnecessary backwards step
    Feedback on Auckland Council’s draft 2023/24 budget closes on March 28th. You can read the consultation document here, and provide feedback here. Auckland Council is currently consulting on what is one of its most important ever Annual Plans – the ‘budget’ of what it will spend money on between July ...
    5 days ago
  • Talking’ Posey Parker Blues
    by Molten Moira from Motueka If you want to be a woman let me tell you what to do Get a piece of paper and a biro tooWrite down your new identification And boom! You’re now a woman of this nationSpelled W O M A Na real trans woman that isAs opposed ...
    RedlineBy Admin
    6 days ago
  • More Māori words make it into the OED, and polytech boss (with rules on words like “students”) ...
    Buzz from the Beehive   New Zealand Education Minister Jan Tinetti is hosting the inaugural Conference of Pacific Education Ministers for three days from today, welcoming Education Ministers and senior officials from 18 Pacific Island countries and territories, and from Australia. Here’s hoping they have brought translators with them – or ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago
  • Social intercourse with haters and Nazis: an etiquette guide
    Let’s say you’ve come all the way from His Majesty’s United Kingdom to share with the folk of Australia and New Zealand your antipathy towards certain other human beings. And let’s say you call yourself a women’s rights activist.And let’s say 99 out of 100 people who listen to you ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    6 days ago
  • The Greens, Labour, and coalition enforcement
    James Shaw gave the Green party's annual "state of the planet" address over the weekend, in which he expressed frustration with Labour for not doing enough on climate change. His solution is to elect more Green MPs, so they have more power within any government arrangement, and can hold Labour ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    6 days ago
  • This sounds familiar…
    RNZ this morning has the first story another investigative series by Guyon Espiner, this time into political lobbying. The first story focuses on lobbying by government agencies, specifically transpower, Pharmac, and assorted universities, and how they use lobbyists to manipulate public opinion and gather intelligence on the Ministers who oversee ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    6 days ago
  • Letter to the NZ Herald: NCEA pseudoscience – “Mauri is present in all matter”
    Nick Matzke writes –   Dear NZ Herald, I am a Senior Lecturer in the School of Biological Sciences at the University of Auckland. I teach evolutionary biology, but I also have long experience in science education and (especially) political attempts to insert pseudoscience into science curricula in ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago
  • So what would be the point of a Green vote again?
    James Shaw has again said the Greens would be better ‘in the tent’ with Labour than out, despite Labour’s policy bonfire last week torching much of what the Government was doing to reduce emissions. File Photo: Lynn Grieveson/Getty ImagesTL;DR: The Green Party has never been more popular than in some ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    6 days ago
  • Gas stoves pose health risks. Are gas furnaces and other appliances safe to use?
    This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Sarah Wesseler Poor air quality is a long-standing problem in Los Angeles, where the first major outbreak of smog during World War II was so intense that some residents thought the city had been attacked by chemical weapons. Cars were eventually discovered ...
    6 days ago
  • Genetic Heritage and Co Governance
    Yesterday I was reading an excellent newsletter from David Slack, and I started writing a comment “Sounds like some excellent genetic heritage…” and then I stopped.There was something about the phrase genetic heritage that stopped me in tracks. Is that a phrase I want to be saying? It’s kind of ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    6 days ago
  • BRIAN EASTON: Radical Uncertainty
    Brian Easton writes – Two senior economists challenge some of the foundations of current economics. It is easy to criticise economic science by misrepresenting it, by selective quotations, and by ignoring that it progresses, like all sciences, by improving and abandoning old theories. The critics may go ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago
  • Geoffrey Miller: New Zealand’s Middle East strategy, 20 years after the Iraq War
    This week marks the twentieth anniversary of the Iraq War. While it strongly opposed the US-led invasion, New Zealand’s then Labour-led government led by Prime Minister Helen Clark did deploy military engineers to try to help rebuild Iraq in mid-2003. With violence soaring, their 12-month deployment ended without being renewed ...
    Democracy ProjectBy Geoffrey Miller
    6 days ago
  • The motorways are finished
    After seventy years, Auckland’s motorway network is finally finished. In July 1953 the first section of motorway in Auckland was opened between Ellerslie-Panmure Highway and Mt Wellington Highway. The final stage opens to traffic this week with the completion of the motorway part of the Northern Corridor Improvements project. Aucklanders ...
    6 days ago
  • Kicking National’s tyres
    National’s appointment of Todd McClay as Agriculture spokesperson clearly signals that the party is in trouble with the farming vote. McClay was not an obvious choice, but he does have a record as a political scrapper. The party needs that because sources say it has been shedding farming votes ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    6 days ago
  • As long as there is cricket, the world is somehow okay.
    Rays of white light come flooding into my lounge, into my face from over the top of my neighbour’s hedge. I have to look away as the window of the conservatory is awash in light, as if you were driving towards the sun after a rain shower and suddenly blinded. ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    1 week ago
  • So much of what was there remains
    The columnists in Private Eye take pen names, so I have not the least idea who any of them are. But I greatly appreciate their expert insight, especially MD, who writes the medical column, offering informed and often damning critique of the UK health system and the politicians who keep ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    1 week ago
  • 2023 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #11
    A chronological listing of news articles posted on the Skeptical Science Facebook Page during the past week: Sun, Mar 12, 2023 thru Sat, Mar 18, 2023. Story of the Week Guest post: What 13,500 citations reveal about the IPCC’s climate science report   IPCC WG1 AR6 SPM Report Cover - Changing ...
    1 week ago
  • Financial capability services are being bucked up, but Stuart Nash shouldn’t have to see if they c...
    Buzz from the Beehive  The building of financial capability was brought into our considerations when Social Development and Employment Minister Carmel Sepuloni announced she had dipped into the government’s coffers for $3 million for “providers” to help people and families access community-based Building Financial Capability services. That wording suggests some ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    1 week ago
  • Things that make you go Hmmmm.
    Do you ever come across something that makes you go Hmmmm?You mean like the song?No, I wasn’t thinking of the song, but I am now - thanks for that. I was thinking of things you read or hear that make you stop and go Hmmmm.Yeah, I know what you mean, ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    1 week ago
  • The hoon for the week that was to March 19
    By the end of the week, the dramas over Stuart Nash overshadowed Hipkins’ policy bonfire. File photo: Lynn GrieveasonTLDR: This week’s news in geopolitics and the political economy covered on The Kākā included:PM Chris Hipkins’ announcement of the rest of a policy bonfire to save a combined $1.7 billion, but ...
    The KakaBy Peter Bale
    1 week ago

  • Crown apology to Ngāti Kahungunu ki Wairarapa Tāmaki nui-a-Rua
    Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations Minister Andrew Little has delivered the Crown apology to Ngāti Kahungunu ki Wairarapa Tāmaki nui-a-Rua for its historic breaches of Te Tiriti of Waitangi today. The ceremony was held at Queen Elizabeth Park in Masterton, hosted by Ngāti Kahungunu ki Wairarapa Tāmaki nui-a-Rua, with several hundred ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Minister of Foreign Affairs meets with Chinese counterpart
    Minister of Foreign Affairs Nanaia Mahuta has concluded her visit to China, the first by a New Zealand Foreign Minister since 2018. The Minister met her counterpart, newly appointed State Councilor and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Qin Gang, who also hosted a working dinner. This was the first engagement between the two ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Government delivering world-class satellite positioning services
    World-class satellite positioning services that will support much safer search and rescue, boost precision farming, and help safety on construction sites through greater accuracy are a significant step closer today, says Land Information Minister Damien O’Connor. Damien O’Connor marked the start of construction on New Zealand’s first uplink centre for ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • District Court Judges appointed
    Attorney-General David Parker has announced the appointment of Christopher John Dellabarca of Wellington, Dr Katie Jane Elkin of Wellington, Caroline Mary Hickman of Napier, Ngaroma Tahana of Rotorua, Tania Rose Williams Blyth of Hamilton and Nicola Jan Wills of Wellington as District Court Judges.  Chris Dellabarca Mr Dellabarca commenced his ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • New project set to supercharge ocean economy in Nelson Tasman
    A new Government-backed project will help ocean-related businesses in the Nelson Tasman region to accelerate their growth and boost jobs. “The Nelson Tasman region is home to more than 400 blue economy businesses, accounting for more than 30 percent of New Zealand’s economic activity in fishing, aquaculture, and seafood processing,” ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • National’s education policy: where’s the funding?
    After three years of COVID-19 disruptions schools are finally settling down and National want to throw that all in the air with major disruption to learning and underinvestment.  “National’s education policy lacks the very thing teachers, parents and students need after a tough couple of years, certainty and stability,” Education ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Free programme to help older entrepreneurs and inventors
    People aged over 50 with innovative business ideas will now be able to receive support to advance their ideas to the next stage of development, Minister for Seniors Ginny Andersen said today. “Seniors have some great entrepreneurial ideas, and this programme will give them the support to take that next ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Government target increased to keep powering up the Māori economy
    A cross government target for relevant government procurement contracts for goods and services to be awarded to Māori businesses annually will increase to 8%, after the initial 5% target was exceeded. The progressive procurement policy was introduced in 2020 to increase supplier diversity, starting with Māori businesses, for the estimated ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Continued progress on reducing poverty in challenging times
    77,000 fewer children living in low income households on the after-housing-costs primary measure since Labour took office Eight of the nine child poverty measures have seen a statistically significant reduction since 2018. All nine have reduced 28,700 fewer children experiencing material hardship since 2018 Measures taken by the Government during ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Speech at Fiji Investment and Trade Business Forum
    Deputy Prime Minister Kamikamica; distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen. Tēnā koutou katoa, ni sa bula vinaka saka, namaste. Deputy Prime Minister, a very warm welcome to Aotearoa. I trust you have been enjoying your time here and thank you for joining us here today. To all delegates who have travelled to be ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Government investments boost and diversify local economies in lower South Island
    $2.9 million convertible loan for Scapegrace Distillery to meet growing national and international demand $4.5m underwrite to support Silverlight Studios’ project to establish a film studio in Wanaka Gore’s James Cumming Community Centre and Library to be official opened tomorrow with support of $3m from the COVID-19 Response and Recovery ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Government future-proofs EV charging
    Transport Minister Michael Wood has today launched the first national EV (electric vehicle) charging strategy, Charging Our Future, which includes plans to provide EV charging stations in almost every town in New Zealand. “Our vision is for Aotearoa New Zealand to have world-class EV charging infrastructure that is accessible, affordable, ...
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