NZ history of voting systems in elections

Written By: - Date published: 12:46 pm, May 13th, 2023 - 33 comments
Categories: Deep stuff, elections, electoral systems, local body elections, MMP - Tags:

This week National Party leader Christopher Luxon reiterated his stance that National will not work with Te Pati Māori, citing for his reaon that he believes that Te Pati Māori policies are divisive and trotting out the phrase “one person, one vote”. Putting aside the hideous race-baiting and a return to the Iwi / Kiwi campaigning that mickysavage wrote about, I thought it was a good idea to look into the ‘one person, one vote’ claim. This isn’t the first time that National has used the phrase, and ACT love to use it as well.

So the question is, when in our nation’s history have we had a situation where ‘one person one vote’ for all over 18 has occurred? A look at our electoral past reveals that this has never been the case and shows that once again National want to live in a world where white privileged men have all the say and the rest of us need to shut up and put up.

Here is the historical proof.

Prior to 1853 we had no elections in Aotearoa New Zealand. In 1840 after the signing of Te Tiriti, Aoterora NZ was a dependency of New South Wales with our laws arranged across the Tasman by the governor of NSW Sir George Gipps and his legislative council. In 1841 we became a separate Crown Colony to New South Wales but with a similar arrangement. William Hobson was ourt first governor and he, along with his legislative council ruled. The legislative council was made up of seven Pākehā men – the Executive Council of the colonial secretary, the attorney-general and the colonial treasurer, three justices of the peace and Hobson himself. Hobson was replaced by Robert FitzRoy in 1843 and then George Grey in 1845.

1853 saw the first general election in Aotearoa New Zealand after the 1852 New Zealand Constitution Act (UK) established a system of representative government. Only European males over 21 who owned, leased or rented property of a certain value. It is decided that elections are to be held every 5 years. No prisoners were eligible to vote until the completion of their sentence.

1867 – All Māori men over 21 become eligible to vote, but only in one of four Māori only electorates. Māori men can also now stand for Parliament. A small number of Māori who owned individal freehold land were still allowed to vote in European electorates.

1879 – “Universal” male suffrage introduced. All European men over 21 can vote regardless of whether they owned or rented property. But an amendment to the Electoral Act meant former prisoners could not register to vote again until 12 months had passed since their sentence had finished – Qualification of Electors Act 1879, s 2(4).

1890 – New Zealand’s first “one man, one vote” election. Electoral law was changed so no one could vote in more than one general electoral district, ending the long-standing practice of ‘plural voting’ by those who owned property in more than one electorate.

1893 – New Zealand women able to vote for the first time. A small number of Māori women –those defined as ‘half-castes’ in the terminology of the time, or those who owned freehold property – could have chosen to enrol in a general electorate and voted on election day of 28 November, but the majority of Māori women voted in the Māori seats which were contested on 20 December 1893. Quick note that although women were able to vote in elections, it took another 26 years before women could stand as candidates for Parliament.

1905 – Special votes are cast for the first time in a general election by registered voters away from their electorate on polling day. This provision did not apply to voters in Māori seats who continued to vote without registration. At the same time, The Electoral Act 1905 changed the scope of prisoner enfranchisement again, denying the right to vote to anyone with a sentence longer than one year’s imprisonment – Electoral Act 1905 s29(1).

1922 – residents of Rēkohu/Wharekauri/Chatham Islands were able to vote for the first time in NZ history. Previous to this they were subject to taxation without representation.

1949 – Māori electoral rolls were used for the first time, which also meant that Māori voters could now cast a special vote if they were away from their electorate on polling day.

1951 – Voting in general seats and Māori seats occurs on the same day for the first time.

1952 – Chinese minorities were finally granted the right to become naturalised NZ citizens, meaning they were finally able to vote and participate in political arenas. Despite first arriving in the 1860s, this right to become citizens are participate in NZ democracy had been denied to them for nearly 100 years.

1956 – The Elctoral Act is amended again and disqualifies all prisoners who are serving a sentence at the time of an election – Electoral Act 1956 s42(1)(b).

1969 – the voting are is lowered from 21 to 20.

1974 – the voting age is lowered to 18.

1975 – a short lived amendment to the Electoral Act 1975 saw the removal the provision that denied prisoners they right to vote. This only lasted to 1977 when the law reverted to the 1956 disqualification from voting for all prisoners.

1996 – NZ’s first general election under the mixed-member proportional (MMP) voting system occurred. This meant that all New Zealanders were able to have two votes, one for the MP to represent them in Parliament and one for the party they wanted to see in government. It also saw the first coalition government since the 1930s.

2023 – currently landlords who own properties in two different parts of the country, or in two different wards or local board areas in one municipality (ie Auckland) can vote in local body elections where they own property. This has been the case since the 1800s, probably since the first local election as voting rights in the 19th century were always tied to how much property a person owned. Bizarrely, even an organisation is eligible to vote under this plural voting rule that covers the ratepayer roll. An organisation – sports clubs, community-owned halls and businesses – that pay rates on a property it owns can nominate someone to cast a vote in council elections on it’s behalf.

In conclusion, as the historical record shows, there has only been one general election where we could claim ‘one person, one vote’ for all people in Aotearoa New Zealand over the age of 18, which was 1975. However, that has never been the case in local body elections. It is time for National to stop the fiction around voting eligibility and start dealing in facts.

Seddonville Miner

33 comments on “NZ history of voting systems in elections ”

  1. DS 1

    1898-1910: Non-ratepayers begin to be able to vote in local elections in urban areas.

    1944: Non-ratepayers in rural council areas can vote in local elections.

    Late 1980s (can't find the specific date): The ratepayer roll (then called the property vote) was abolished for local government elections.

    1991: The ratepayer roll/property vote restored for local government elections.

    Also as a nitpick, New Zealand had coalition governments from Ross Meurant's Right of Centre Party splitting off from National (and then United splitting off from National and Labour) during 1994-1996. So 1996 was not the first coalition government since the 1930s.

  2. DS 2

    1993: Prisoners serving a term of less than three years can vote.

    2010: Prisoners cannot vote, regardless of term, except if they were sentenced prior to 2010.

    2020: Prisoners serving a term of less than three years can vote.

    Bizarrely enough, the 2010 legislation restored the right to vote to murders like Clayton Weatherston, since they had been sentenced prior to 2010, but were serving more than three years.

  3. DS 3

    In conclusion, as the historical record shows, there has only been one general election where we could claim ‘one person, one vote’ for all people in Aotearoa New Zealand over the age of 18, which was 1975.

    Did the 1975 legislation say anything about insane people? If not, then not all over 18s were eligible in 1975 either.

  4. RedLogix 4

    This is the kind of absurdity you get when you view history through the lens of the present.

    The question you have to ask is – by what practical means could you determine who was eligible to vote? Because even today we strictly control this with electoral roles, and careful cross checking to ensure only people with the right to vote do so.

    But in the 1800's the conditions were very different to the present. It may surprise a lot of people to know that we did not have computers or the internet to manage complex electoral roles. Amazingly we did not have passports or border controls, there was no census, no communication between regions other than by shipping. Literally the govt of the day had no idea who was present in this country, and on what basis. So how did you conduct an election under these circumstances?

    As it happened the only reliable records government had at the time were land records – and so they very sensibly used these to determine who was allowed to vote or not. And remarkably enough this idea allowed all Maori males (who in principle all owned land in common) enjoyed universal suffrage a decade or so before all non -Maori. This fact alone utterly debunks the notion of an implacably racist colonial regime determined to disenfranchise Maori at every possible turn.

    As the decades moved on and govt capacity expanded, elections became more sophisticated and universal. To the point now where for all practical purpose every person of age gets the same access to democratic accountability. To argue otherwise is a risible nonsense.

    As for local govt – the same problem applies. How do you determine who is eligible to vote in a local district where people are moving around all the time, with no record of this?

    • DS 4.1

      That wasn't the justification – then or now – for property voting. Britain was having full censuses by the time New Zealand was getting settled.

      The traditional justification was that owning property (specifically land) gave you a stake in governmental decision-making. Government, after all, was fixated on property rights. Non-property owners were considered to be lacking that stake.

      Maori land ownership posed a problem for this system, since they owned land collectively. The solution was the Maori seats, thereby ensuring all men could vote before all Pakeha men.

      • RedLogix 4.1.1

        Britain was having full censuses by the time New Zealand was getting settled.

        New Zealand held it's first census in 1851, but it only covered non-Maori who had a permanent 'household'. And while a census might well be useful for determining the size and location of an electorate – it has never been used for determining electoral eligibility – even today. By convention the two functions were always kept separate.

        https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1851_New_Zealand_census

        And it was not until 1915 were passport introduced, and formal New Zealand citizenship came much later in the 1950's. Again my core point is that many ideas we take utterly for granted today, simply did not apply to the world our ancestors lived in.

        • pat 4.1.1.1

          Indeed….whether the reasons for the voting rights were as stated the fact remains that confirming eligibility was problematic.

        • DS 4.1.1.2

          If they had the ability to run a census, they had an ability to run an electoral roll. Passports have never played a role in the right to vote, and the notion of distinct citizenship is simply a reflection of "New Zealand" separating itself from the wider context of the British Empire. You claimed that property ownership criteria was a mere matter of pragmatism. That was simply not true.

          It was the matter of the "stake."

          Otherwise it would be easy enough for a land-owning rich prick to provide a list of his family and servants, whereupon the servants (or at least the male ones) could vote too. But they couldn't.

          This trend is actually more noticeable in Britain itself, rather than New Zealand:

          • Pre-1832: Only rich landowners could vote (included some women, bizarrely enough).
          • 1832: Well-to-do urban men can vote too.
          • 1867: Part of the working class can vote too.
          • 1884: More of the working class can vote. But women and 40% of men still excluded.
          • 1918: All men can vote, and women over 30.
          • 1928: Universal adult suffrage.

          The trend here is not pragmatism about paperwork. The trend is a transfer of power from the rich pricks to everyone else, with the prospect of French-style Revolution being a threat in 1832, with later Reform Acts being a bidding war between Gladstone and Disraeli, and then 1918 being about the First World War. Every New Zealander who died in the War could at least vote for his Government – but that wasn't true in Britain. After the War, the moral imperative of letting all men vote was overwhelming,

          • pat 4.1.1.2.1

            Passports??…you may wish to consider that the ability to prove identity was somewhat difficult back in the day, not to mention the prevalence of changing name/identity for various reasons…..in those circumstances how can validity of voting rights be confirmed?

            • DS 4.1.1.2.1.1

              The USA was managing it in the 1830s.

              • pat

                Im not sure that citing the USAs record on democratic process is wise….they have considerable difficulty even today , so much so they are described as a flawed democracy.

                https://worldpopulationreview.com/country-rankings/democracy-countries

                Historians have noted the prevalence and relative ease of identity change in early NZ and passports were not in existence here until 1915 and the need to hold one was not commonplace not to mention the difficulty in obtaining birth certificates etc.

          • RedLogix 4.1.1.2.2

            Your argument is blind to the impact of technology on culture. Over and again we see technical progress opening the door for social change to follow.

            Now this does not discount the important work of those who had to advocate and sometimes struggle for important social change – in this case universal suffrage – but it is useless to accuse our ancestors of moral failure without regard for the real world conditions they had to contend with.

            When I read the OP I see a remarkable story of just how quickly we adopted universal suffrage once the conditions to support it became widely available.

            • DS 4.1.1.2.2.1

              Technology was never the issue. The USA was adopting universal male suffrage (for whites) in the 1830s, ditching property qualifications under pressure from Andrew Jackson. Hell, the USA actually had voting systems set up during the Civil War, to allow Union soldiers to vote without returning home.

              The Chartists in Britain were demanding universal male suffrage in the 1830s and 1840s too.

              The technology to implement it in New Zealand (and Britain) was most certainly available. The argument at the time wasn't "we can't check eligibility," but rather "if we let the peasants vote, they'll destroy everything. And next they'll want to give the vote to women."

              • RedLogix

                New Zealand was considerably more remote and less developed than the USA or Britain during this period. It was literally at the far side of the planet, isolated and lacking even basic communications, travel or institutional infrastructure. In this light your own argument inadvertently proves my point.

                And next they'll want to give the vote to women."

                That NZ then famously became the first nation to do this seems utterly lost on you.

                • DS

                  We had efficient, functioning government (multiple ones, actually – this was the era of the provinces), and far less institutional inertia than Britain. There was a reason we were considered the Social Laboratory of the world – something that rather goes against your implication that we were somehow on the Moon so far as technology went.

                  The "next they'll give the vote to women" was famously used by opponents of the Chartists. In 1832, it was even used as a reductio ad absurdum. That was the argument used at the time, in all debates about the franchise. Not practicality.

                  (I also think you'll find that the US state of Wyoming adopted women's suffrage in 1869. Not a nation, of course, but a highly remote location in the context of the time. Again, all that mattered was political will. Not issues of practicality).

                  Your desperation to excuse the wealthy elephant in the room from any political fault is duly noted.

                  • RedLogix

                    If technology is so irrelevant – why did we not have woman's suffrage 10,000 years ago? Why did it all arrive pretty much all at once, in most places in the world, in the immediate period of the Industrial Revolution?

                    • DS

                      It didn't arrive all at once.

                      France didn't have women's suffrage until 1945. Switzerland until 1971.

                      Moreover, democracy itself is a weird fluke in human history. Our species naturally defers to Kings and Priests. The notion that the common people ought to have any say in government would be considered absurd for most of history. And that's not because everyone went "oh, sorry. We just don't have the infrastructure to support it." It's because certain influential people kept appealing to the dangers of mob rule, or to the sanctity of the divine mandate.

      • Ad 4.1.2

        The Treaty of Waitangi is fully focused on property rights, so of course it affects both our concept of what the state is for and our concept of franchise as well.

        Great that franchise was widened out, but property ownership and the role of the state in conferring title is more fundamental to New Zealand than voting.

  5. Mike the Lefty 5

    Interesting and illuminating post Seddonville miner.

    I want to add a few comments about MMP.

    The two main parties, Labour and National, have never really been comfortable with MMP. They were pushed into it in the 1990s because there was a backlash against both parties for pushing their lies and deceit on the people and entrenching lacklustre career politicians in safe seats under FPP. The calls for a referendum became too loud for the National government to ignore and it was forced, largely against its (and Labour's) wishes to hold it. I don't think either Labour or National actually expected MMP to win in the final referendum and it was a profound shock to them both.

    More for National than Labour. Labour shook its head dolefully but then eventually realized that there was potential in MMP to bring in different people than the old white suits to represent the growing migrant, especially asian and pasifika population. National were a lot slower to adapt and continued to select the same old white suit farmer boy professional girl candidates they always had, whilst pouring hatred at anyone different who entered parliament over the other side of the house (think Nandor Tanzos).

    So National's "one person one vote" is actually pointless and meaningless to anyone who thinks about it but as usual National is reaching out to the non-thinking voter, the voter who only takes notice of populist slogans and is incapable of thinking beyond the catchy word play. Unfortunately there are a LOT of such people around.

    Labour should challenge National to say whether this "one person one vote" is a disguised pledge to revert to FPP voting. It probably isn't but it would be a good counter. I don't see any public appetite to return to FPP. Although MMP is not perfect, it certainly gives us a parliament that is far more representative of our society than FFP ever did and I have yet to see any list MPs with paper bags over their heads.

    • DS 5.1

      After 1978 and 1981 – back to back elections where the party getting the most votes lost the election – Labour was at least open to investigating reform. So David Lange – much to the annoyance of his cabinet colleagues – declared there would be a Royal Commission. Which recommended MMP.

      Bolger, to his credit, and again to the annoyance of his colleagues, pushed through the promised referendum.

    • Seddonville Miner 5.2

      Thanks. That is really interesting. I would argue the National still haven't come to terms with what MMP is and how it works. Look at their petty whining in 2017 about being the winners on the night. They argued that because of that they should have the first opportunity to form a government. They don't realise that being ahead on election night is like trying to claim that you won the marathon because you were leading up until the final kilometre, The finish line is the first to get to 61 seats however that occurs.

      • Incognito 5.2.1

        FYI, because you changed your username, your comment was caught in the Spam-trap; if you’d used you pre-approved username then this wouldn’t have happened.

        HTH

      • Ad 5.2.2

        National invented and implemented NZ MMP. They get it.

        • I agree Ad. Key's "cup of tea" for Epsom was their manipulation of MMP.

          They truly "understand", and they are prepared to game the situation for advantage (pun intended).yes

          • Mike the Lefty 5.2.2.1.1

            Don't agree that National invented or implemented MMP, they resisted it strongly but did it hiding behind Peter Shirtcliffe's group. But certainly John Key was the cleverest in realizing how deals could be made with political partners, something that Labour won't do.

        • DS 5.2.2.2

          The Royal Commission of 1986 stole our system of MMP from West Germany. National's only role was Bolger promising a referendum, and then (along with Labour) voting for the Electoral Act 1993.

  6. tWiggle 6

    Since when have residents, as opposed to citizens, had full national voting rights?

  7. Thinker 7

    To me, the problems don't lie with the voting process but campaign processes that ensure that candidates who can afford to mount an election campaign have to owe allegiance to somebody or someone's ideology before they even ask for our vote.

    I include the Auckland mayoralty in that.

    We need a way of holding candidates to come clean about who they associate with and who their backers are. It won't be easy though. L

  8. Ad 8

    So Seddonville is running an argument that Luxon is wrong to critique the form of New Zealand democracy because our democracy is actually far weaker than that in every single election except 1975.

    "Everything you say is shit because everything else every other time was shittier" is not a useful argument either against National or in support of New Zealand democracy.

  9. Stuart Munro 9

    Democracy is old. Much older than the Greeks. It goes back to the consensus democracies of band cultures. Sometimes only men got to vote. Certainly no-one from outside the polity could. Nevertheless these early democracies were much more genuine than one riddled with lobbyists and neutered by non-performing neo-liberal economic hacks.

    One man one vote is an ideal worth working towards – and when, relegated to the opposition benches yet again, National is obliged to subsist on the bitter and nutritious diet of those words, they might learn something from them. The moreso given that TPM mean to impose a feudal upper house with apparent Labour connivance.

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    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    2 days ago
  • 2024 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #11
    A listing of 35 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, March 10, 2024 thru Sat, March 16, 2024. Story of the week This week we'll give you a little glimpse into how we collect links to share and ...
    2 days ago
  • 2024 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #11
    A listing of 35 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, March 10, 2024 thru Sat, March 16, 2024. Story of the week This week we'll give you a little glimpse into how we collect links to share and ...
    2 days ago
  • Out of Touch.
    “I’ve been internalising a really complicated situation in my head.”When they kept telling us we should wait until we get to know him, were they taking the piss? Was it a case of, if you think this is bad, wait till you get to know the real Christopher, after the ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    2 days ago
  • Bring out your Dad
    Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago
  • Bring out your Dad
    Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago
  • Bring out your Dad
    Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago
  • The bewildering world of Chris Luxon – Guns for all, not no lunch for kids
    .“$10 and a target that bleeds” - Bleeding Targets for Under $10!.Thanks for reading Frankly Speaking ! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.This government appears hell-bent on either scrapping life-saving legislation or reintroducing things that - frustrated critics insist - will be dangerous and likely ...
    Frankly SpeakingBy Frank Macskasy
    3 days ago
  • Expert Opinion: Ageing Boomers, Laurie & Les, Talk Politics.
    It hardly strikes me as fair to criticise a government for doing exactly what it said it was going to do. For actually keeping its promises.”THUNDER WAS PLAYING TAG with lightning flashes amongst the distant peaks. Its rolling cadences interrupted by the here-I-come-here-I-go Doppler effect of the occasional passing car. ...
    3 days ago
  • Manufacturing The Truth.
    Subversive & Disruptive Technologies: Just as happened with that other great regulator of the masses, the Medieval Church, the advent of a new and hard-to-control technology – the Internet –  is weakening the ties that bind. Then, and now, those who enjoy a monopoly on the dissemination of lies, cannot and will ...
    3 days ago
  • A Powerful Sensation of Déjà Vu.
    Been Here Before: To find the precedents for what this Coalition Government is proposing, it is necessary to return to the “glory days” of Muldoonism.THE COALITION GOVERNMENT has celebrated its first 100 days in office by checking-off the last of its listed commitments. It remains, however, an angry government. It ...
    3 days ago
  • Can you guess where world attention is focussed (according to Greenpeace)? It’s focussed on an EPA...
    Bob Edlin writes –  And what is the world watching today…? The email newsletter from Associated Press which landed in our mailbox early this morning advised: In the news today: The father of a school shooter has been found guilty of involuntary manslaughter; prosecutors in Trump’s hush-money case ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    3 days ago
  • Further integrity problems for the Greens in suspending MP Darleen Tana
    Bryce Edwards writes – Is another Green MP on their way out? And are the Greens severely tarnished by another integrity scandal? For the second time in three months, the Green Party has secretly suspended an MP over integrity issues. Mystery is surrounding the party’s decision to ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    3 days ago
  • Jacqui Van Der Kaay: Greens’ transparency missing in action
    For the last few years, the Green Party has been the party that has managed to avoid the plague of multiple scandals that have beleaguered other political parties. It appears that their luck has run out with a second scandal which, unfortunately for them, coincided with Golraz Ghahraman, the focus ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    3 days ago
  • Bernard’s Dawn Chorus with six newsey things at 6:46am for Saturday, March 16
    TL;DR: The six newsey things that stood out to me as of 6:46am on Saturday, March 16.Andy Foster has accidentally allowed a Labour/Green amendment to cut road user chargers for plug-in hybrid vehicles, which the Government might accept; NZ Herald Thomas Coughlan Simeon Brown has rejected a plea from Westport ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • How Did FTX Crash?
    What seemed a booming success a couple of years ago has collapsed into fraud convictions.I looked at the crash of FTX (short for ‘Futures Exchange’) in November 2022 to see whether it would impact on the financial system as a whole. Fortunately there was barely a ripple, probably because it ...
    PunditBy Brian Easton
    4 days ago
  • Elections in Russia and Ukraine
    Anybody following the situation in Ukraine and Russia would probably have been amused by a recent Tweet on X NATO seems to be putting in an awful lot of effort to influence what is, at least according to them, a sham election in an autocracy.When do the Ukrainians go to ...
    4 days ago
  • Bernard’s six stack of substacks at 6pm on March 15
    TL;DR: Shaun Baker on Wynyard Quarter's transformation. Magdalene Taylor on the problem with smart phones. How private equity are now all over reinsurance. Dylan Cleaver on rugby and CTE. Emily Atkin on ‘Big Meat’ looking like ‘Big Oil’.Bernard’s six-stack of substacks at 6pm on March 15Photo by Jeppe Hove Jensen ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • Buzz from the Beehive Finance Minister Nicola Willis had plenty to say when addressing the Auckland Business Chamber on the economic growth that (she tells us) is flagging more than we thought. But the government intends to put new life into it:  We want our country to be a ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    4 days ago
  • National’s clean car tax advances
    The Transport and Infrastructure Committee has reported back on the Road User Charges (Light Electric RUC Vehicles) Amendment Bill, basicly rubberstamping it. While there was widespread support among submitters for the principle that EV and PHEV drivers should pay their fair share for the roads, they also overwhelmingly disagreed with ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    4 days ago
  • Government funding bailouts
    Peter Dunne writes – This week’s government bailout – the fifth in the last eighteen months – of the financially troubled Ruapehu Alpine Lifts company would have pleased many in the central North Island ski industry. The government’s stated rationale for the $7 million funding was that it ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • Two offenders, different treatments.
    See if you can spot the difference. An Iranian born female MP from a progressive party is accused of serial shoplifting. Her name is leaked to the media, which goes into a pack frenzy even before the Police launch an … Continue reading ...
    KiwipoliticoBy Pablo
    4 days ago
  • Treaty references omitted
    Ele Ludemann writes  – The government is omitting general Treaty references from legislation : The growth of Treaty of Waitangi clauses in legislation caused so much worry that a special oversight group was set up by the last Government in a bid to get greater coherence in the public service on Treaty ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • The Ghahraman Conflict
    What was that judge thinking? Peter Williams writes –  That Golriz Ghahraman and District Court Judge Maria Pecotic were once lawyer colleagues is incontrovertible. There is published evidence that they took at least one case to the Court of Appeal together. There was a report on ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • Bernard's Top 10 @ 10 'pick 'n' mix' for March 15
    TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: Climate Scorpion – the sting is in the tail. Introducing planetary solvency. A paper via the University of Exeter’s Institute and Faculty of Actuaries.Local scoop: Kāinga Ora starts pulling out of its Auckland projects and selling land RNZ ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • The day Wellington up-zoned its future
    Wellington’s massively upzoned District Plan adds the opportunity for tens of thousands of new homes not just in the central city (such as these Webb St new builds) but also close to the CBD and public transport links. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Wellington gave itself the chance of ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • Weekly Roundup 15-March-2024
    It’s Friday and we’re halfway through March Madness. Here’s some of the things that caught our attention this week. This Week in Greater Auckland On Monday Matt asked how we can get better event trains and an option for grade separating Morningside Dr. On Tuesday Matt looked into ...
    Greater AucklandBy Greater Auckland
    4 days ago
  • That Word.
    Something you might not know about me is that I’m quite a stubborn person. No, really. I don’t much care for criticism I think’s unfair or that I disagree with. Few of us do I suppose.Back when I was a drinker I’d sometimes respond defensively, even angrily. There are things ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago
  • The Hoon around the week to March 15
    Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The five things that mattered in Aotearoa’s political economy that we wrote and spoke about via The Kākā and elsewhere for paying subscribers in the last week included:PM Christopher Luxon said the reversal of interest deductibility for landlords was done to help renters, who ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • Labour’s policy gap
    It was not so much the Labour Party but really the Chris Hipkins party yesterday at Labour’s caucus retreat in Martinborough. The former Prime Minister was more or less consistent on wealth tax, which he was at best equivocal about, and social insurance, which he was not willing to revisit. ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    5 days ago
  • Skeptical Science New Research for Week #11 2024
    Open access notables A Glimpse into the Future: The 2023 Ocean Temperature and Sea Ice Extremes in the Context of Longer-Term Climate Change, Kuhlbrodt et al., Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society: In the year 2023, we have seen extraordinary extrema in high sea surface temperature (SST) in the North Atlantic and in ...
    5 days ago
  • Melissa remains mute on media matters but has something to say (at a sporting event) about economic ...
     Buzz from the Beehive   The text reproduced above appears on a page which records all the media statements and speeches posted on the government’s official website by Melissa Lee as Minister of Media and Communications and/or by Jenny Marcroft, her Parliamentary Under-secretary.  It can be quickly analysed ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    5 days ago
  • The return of Muldoon
    For forty years, Robert Muldoon has been a dirty word in our politics. His style of government was so repulsive and authoritarian that the backlash to it helped set and entrench our constitutional norms. His pig-headedness over forcing through Think Big eventually gave us the RMA, with its participation and ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    5 days ago
  • Will the rental tax cut improve life for renters or landlords?
    Bryce Edwards writes –  Is the new government reducing tax on rental properties to benefit landlords or to cut the cost of rents? That’s the big question this week, after Associate Finance Minister David Seymour announced on Sunday that the Government would be reversing the Labour Government’s removal ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • Geoffrey Miller: What Saudi Arabia’s rapid changes mean for New Zealand
    Saudi Arabia is rarely far from the international spotlight. The war in Gaza has brought new scrutiny to Saudi plans to normalise relations with Israel, while the fifth anniversary of the controversial killing of Jamal Khashoggi was marked shortly before the war began on October 7. And as the home ...
    Democracy ProjectBy Geoffrey Miller
    5 days ago
  • Racism’s double standards
    Questions need to be asked on both sides of the world Peter Williams writes –   The NRL Judiciary hands down an eight week suspension to Sydney Roosters forward Spencer Leniu , an Auckland-born Samoan, after he calls Ezra Mam, Sydney-orn but of Aboriginal and Torres Strait ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • It’s not a tax break
    Ele Ludemann writes – Contrary to what many headlines and news stories are saying, residential landlords are not getting a tax break. The government is simply restoring to them the tax deductibility of interest they had until the previous government removed it. There is no logical reason ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • The Plastic Pig Collective and Chris' Imaginary Friends.
    I can't remember when it was goodMoments of happiness in bloomMaybe I just misunderstoodAll of the love we left behindWatching our flashbacks intertwineMemories I will never findIn spite of whatever you becomeForget that reckless thing turned onI think our lives have just begunI think our lives have just begunDoes anyone ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago
  • Who is responsible for young offenders?
    Michael Bassett writes – At first reading, a front-page story in the New Zealand Herald on 13 March was bizarre. A group of severely intellectually limited teenagers, with little understanding of the law, have been pleading to the Justice Select Committee not to pass a bill dealing with ram ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • Gordon Campbell on National’s fantasy trip to La La Landlord Land
    How much political capital is Christopher Luxon willing to burn through in order to deliver his $2.9 billion gift to landlords? Evidently, Luxon is: (a) unable to cost the policy accurately. As Anna Burns-Francis pointed out to him on Breakfast TV, the original ”rock solid” $2.1 billion cost he was ...
    5 days ago
  • Bernard's Top 10 @ 10 'pick 'n' mix' for March 14
    TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: Jonathon Porritt calling bullshit in his own blog post on mainstream climate science as ‘The New Denialism’.Local scoop: The Wellington City Council’s list of proposed changes to the IHP recommendations to be debated later today was leaked this ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • No, Prime Minister, rents don’t rise or fall with landlords’ costs
    TL;DR: Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said yesterday tenants should be grateful for the reinstatement of interest deductibility because landlords would pass on their lower tax costs in the form of lower rents. That would be true if landlords were regulated monopolies such as Transpower or Auckland Airport1, but they’re not, ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • Cartoons: ‘At least I didn’t make things awkward’
    This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Tom Toro Tom Toro is a cartoonist and author. He has published over 200 cartoons in The New Yorker since 2010. His cartoons appear in Playboy, the Paris Review, the New York Times, American Bystander, and elsewhere. Related: What 10 EV lovers ...
    5 days ago
  • Solving traffic congestion with Richard Prebble
    The business section of the NZ Herald is full of opinion. Among the more opinionated of all is the ex-Minister of Transport, ex-Minister of Railways, ex MP for Auckland Central (1975-93, Labour), Wellington Central (1996-99, ACT, then list-2005), ex-leader of the ACT Party, uncle to actor Antonia, the veritable granddaddy ...
    Greater AucklandBy Patrick Reynolds
    5 days ago
  • I Think I'm Done Flying Boeing
    Hi,Just quickly — I’m blown away by the stories you’ve shared with me over the last week since I put out the ‘Gary’ podcast, where I told you about the time my friend’s flatmate killed the neighbour.And you keep telling me stories — in the comments section, and in my ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    6 days ago
  • Invoking Aristotle: Of Rings of Power, Stones, and Ships
    The first season of Rings of Power was not awful. It was thoroughly underwhelming, yes, and left a lingering sense of disappointment, but it was more expensive mediocrity than catastrophe. I wrote at length about the series as it came out (see the Review section of the blog, and go ...
    6 days ago
  • Van Velden brings free-market approach to changing labour laws – but her colleagues stick to distr...
    Buzz from the Beehive Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Brooke van Velden told Auckland Business Chamber members they were the first audience to hear her priorities as a minister in a government committed to cutting red tape and regulations. She brandished her liberalising credentials, saying Flexible labour markets are the ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago
  • Why Newshub failed
    Chris Trotter writes – TO UNDERSTAND WHY NEWSHUB FAILED, it is necessary to understand how TVNZ changed. Up until 1989, the state broadcaster had been funded by a broadcasting licence fee, collected from every citizen in possession of a television set, supplemented by a relatively modest (compared ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago
  • Māori Party on the warpath against landlords and seabed miners – let’s see if mystical creature...
    Bob Edlin writes  –  The Māori Party has been busy issuing a mix of warnings and threats as its expresses its opposition to interest deductibility for landlords and the plans of seabed miners. It remains to be seen whether they  follow the example of indigenous litigants in Australia, ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago

  • Government moves to quickly ratify the NZ-EU FTA
    "The Government is moving quickly to realise an additional $46 million in tariff savings in the EU market this season for Kiwi exporters,” Minister for Trade and Agriculture, Todd McClay says. Parliament is set, this week, to complete the final legislative processes required to bring the New Zealand – European ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 hours ago
  • Positive progress for social worker workforce
    New Zealand’s social workers are qualified, experienced, and more representative of the communities they serve, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “I want to acknowledge and applaud New Zealand’s social workers for the hard work they do, providing invaluable support for our most vulnerable. “To coincide with World ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    8 hours ago
  • Minister confirms reduced RUC rate for PHEVs
    Cabinet has agreed to a reduced road user charge (RUC) rate for plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs), Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. Owners of PHEVs will be eligible for a reduced rate of $38 per 1,000km once all light electric vehicles (EVs) move into the RUC system from 1 April.  ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    10 hours ago
  • Trade access to overseas markets creates jobs
    Minister of Agriculture and Trade, Todd McClay, says that today’s opening of Riverland Foods manufacturing plant in Christchurch is a great example of how trade access to overseas markets creates jobs in New Zealand.  Speaking at the official opening of this state-of-the-art pet food factory the Minister noted that exports ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    10 hours ago
  • NZ and Chinese Foreign Ministers hold official talks
    Minister of Foreign Affairs Winston Peters met with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Wellington today. “It was a pleasure to host Foreign Minister Wang Yi during his first official visit to New Zealand since 2017. Our discussions were wide-ranging and enabled engagement on many facets of New Zealand’s relationship with China, including trade, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    24 hours ago
  • Kāinga Ora instructed to end Sustaining Tenancies
    Kāinga Ora – Homes & Communities has been instructed to end the Sustaining Tenancies Framework and take stronger measures against persistent antisocial behaviour by tenants, says Housing Minister Chris Bishop. “Earlier today Finance Minister Nicola Willis and I sent an interim Letter of Expectations to the Board of Kāinga Ora. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Speech to Auckland Business Chamber: Growth is the answer
    Tēna koutou katoa. Greetings everyone. Thank you to the Auckland Chamber of Commerce and the Honourable Simon Bridges for hosting this address today. I acknowledge the business leaders in this room, the leaders and governors, the employers, the entrepreneurs, the investors, and the wealth creators. The coalition Government shares your ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Singapore rounds out regional trip
    Minister Winston Peters completed the final leg of his visit to South and South East Asia in Singapore today, where he focused on enhancing one of New Zealand’s indispensable strategic partnerships.      “Singapore is our most important defence partner in South East Asia, our fourth-largest trading partner and a ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Minister van Velden represents New Zealand at International Democracy Summit
    Minister of Internal Affairs and Workplace Relations and Safety, Hon. Brooke van Velden, will travel to the Republic of Korea to represent New Zealand at the Third Summit for Democracy on 18 March. The summit, hosted by the Republic of Korea, was first convened by the United States in 2021, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Insurance Council of NZ Speech, 7 March 2024, Auckland
    ICNZ Speech 7 March 2024, Auckland  Acknowledgements and opening  Mōrena, ngā mihi nui. Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Nor Whanganui aho.  Good morning, it’s a privilege to be here to open the ICNZ annual conference, thank you to Mark for the Mihi Whakatau  My thanks to Tim Grafton for inviting me ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Five-year anniversary of Christchurch terror attacks
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Lead Coordination Minister Judith Collins have expressed their deepest sympathy on the five-year anniversary of the Christchurch terror attacks. “March 15, 2019, was a day when families, communities and the country came together both in sorrow and solidarity,” Mr Luxon says.  “Today we pay our respects to the 51 shuhada ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Speech for Financial Advice NZ Conference 5 March 2024
    Speech for Financial Advice NZ Conference 5 March 2024  Acknowledgements and opening  Morena, Nga Mihi Nui.  Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Nor Whanganui aho. Thanks Nate for your Mihi Whakatau  Good morning. It’s a pleasure to formally open your conference this morning. What a lovely day in Wellington, What a great ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Early visit to Indonesia strengthens ties
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters held discussions in Jakarta today about the future of relations between New Zealand and South East Asia’s most populous country.   “We are in Jakarta so early in our new government’s term to reflect the huge importance we place on our relationship with Indonesia and South ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • China Foreign Minister to visit
    Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Winston Peters has announced that the Foreign Minister of China, Wang Yi, will visit New Zealand next week.  “We look forward to re-engaging with Foreign Minister Wang Yi and discussing the full breadth of the bilateral relationship, which is one of New Zealand’s ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Minister opens new Auckland Rail Operations Centre
    Transport Minister Simeon Brown has today opened the new Auckland Rail Operations Centre, which will bring together KiwiRail, Auckland Transport, and Auckland One Rail to improve service reliability for Aucklanders. “The recent train disruptions in Auckland have highlighted how important it is KiwiRail and Auckland’s rail agencies work together to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Celebrating 10 years of Crankworx Rotorua
    The Government is proud to support the 10th edition of Crankworx Rotorua as the Crankworx World Tour returns to Rotorua from 16-24 March 2024, says Minister for Economic Development Melissa Lee.  “Over the past 10 years as Crankworx Rotorua has grown, so too have the economic and social benefits that ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Government delivering on tax commitments
    Legislation implementing coalition Government tax commitments and addressing long-standing tax anomalies will be progressed in Parliament next week, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The legislation is contained in an Amendment Paper to the Taxation (Annual Rates for 2023–24, Multinational Tax, and Remedial Matters) Bill issued today.  “The Amendment Paper represents ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Significant Natural Areas requirement to be suspended
    Associate Environment Minister Andrew Hoggard has today announced that the Government has agreed to suspend the requirement for councils to comply with the Significant Natural Areas (SNA) provisions of the National Policy Statement for Indigenous Biodiversity for three years, while it replaces the Resource Management Act (RMA).“As it stands, SNAs ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Government classifies drought conditions in Top of the South as medium-scale adverse event
    Agriculture Minister Todd McClay has classified the drought conditions in the Marlborough, Tasman, and Nelson districts as a medium-scale adverse event, acknowledging the challenging conditions facing farmers and growers in the district. “Parts of Marlborough, Tasman, and Nelson districts are in the grip of an intense dry spell. I know ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Government partnership to tackle $332m facial eczema problem
    The Government is helping farmers eradicate the significant impact of facial eczema (FE) in pastoral animals, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay announced.  “A $20 million partnership jointly funded by Beef + Lamb NZ, the Government, and the primary sector will save farmers an estimated NZD$332 million per year, and aims to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • NZ, India chart path to enhanced relationship
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters has completed a successful visit to India, saying it was an important step in taking the relationship between the two countries to the next level.   “We have laid a strong foundation for the Coalition Government’s priority of enhancing New Zealand-India relations to generate significant future benefit for both countries,” says Mr Peters, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Ruapehu Alpine Lifts bailout the last, say Ministers
    Cabinet has agreed to provide $7 million to ensure the 2024 ski season can go ahead on the Whakapapa ski field in the central North Island but has told the operator Ruapehu Alpine Lifts it is the last financial support it will receive from taxpayers. Cabinet also agreed to provide ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Govt takes action to drive better cancer services
    Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says the launch of a new mobile breast screening unit in Counties Manukau reinforces the coalition Government’s commitment to drive better cancer services for all New Zealanders. Speaking at the launch of the new mobile clinic, Dr Reti says it’s a great example of taking ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Govt takes action to drive better cancer services
    Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says the launch of a new mobile breast screening unit in Counties Manukau reinforces the coalition Government’s commitment to drive better cancer services for all New Zealanders. Speaking at the launch of the new mobile clinic, Dr Reti says it’s a great example of taking ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Work begins on SH29 upgrades near Tauriko
    Unlocking economic growth and land for housing are critical elements of the Government’s plan for our transport network, and planned upgrades to State Highway 29 (SH29) near Tauriko will deliver strongly on those priorities, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “The SH29 upgrades near Tauriko will improve safety at the intersections ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Work begins on SH29 upgrades near Tauriko
    Unlocking economic growth and land for housing are critical elements of the Government’s plan for our transport network, and planned upgrades to State Highway 29 (SH29) near Tauriko will deliver strongly on those priorities, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “The SH29 upgrades near Tauriko will improve safety at the intersections ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Fresh produce price drop welcome
    Lower fruit and vegetable prices are welcome news for New Zealanders who have been doing it tough at the supermarket, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. Stats NZ reported today the price of fruit and vegetables has dropped 9.3 percent in the 12 months to February 2024.  “Lower fruit and vege ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Statement to the 68th United Nations Commission on the Status of Women
    Tēnā koutou katoa and greetings to you all.  Chair, I am honoured to address the sixty-eighth session of the Commission on the Status of Women. I acknowledge the many crises impacting the rights of women and girls. Heightened global tensions, war, climate related and humanitarian disasters, and price inflation all ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Speech to the 68th United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (CSW68)
    Tēnā koutou katoa and greetings to you all.  Chair, I am honoured to address the 68th session of the Commission on the Status of Women. I acknowledge the many crises impacting the rights of women and girls. Heightened global tensions, war, climate related and humanitarian disasters, and price inflation all ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Government backs rural led catchment projects
    The coalition Government is supporting farmers to enhance land management practices by investing $3.3 million in locally led catchment groups, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay announced. “Farmers and growers deliver significant prosperity for New Zealand and it’s vital their ongoing efforts to improve land management practices and water quality are supported,” ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Speech to Auckland Business Chamber
    Good evening everyone and thank you for that lovely introduction.   Thank you also to the Honourable Simon Bridges for the invitation to address your members. Since being sworn in, this coalition Government has hit the ground running with our 100-day plan, delivering the changes that New Zealanders expect of us. ...
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  • Commission’s advice on ETS settings tabled
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  • Government lowering building costs
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  • Trustee tax change welcomed
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  • Minister’s Ramadan message
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  • Minister appoints new NZTA Chair
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    1 week ago
  • Speech to Life Sciences Summit
    Good morning all, it is a pleasure to be here as Minister of Science, Innovation and Technology.  It is fantastic to see how connected and collaborative the life science and biotechnology industry is here in New Zealand. I would like to thank BioTechNZ and NZTech for the invitation to address ...
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  • Progress continues apace on water storage
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  • Government agrees to restore interest deductions
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    1 week ago
  • Minister to attend World Anti-Doping Agency Symposium
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