Oh dear.

Written By: - Date published: 4:30 pm, May 4th, 2009 - 36 comments
Categories: mt albert, national - Tags: ,

A while back we heard a rumour that National had already printed its billboards for the Mt Albert campaign – with Melissa Lee as the candidate.

We decided not to run it. It was too implausible to think they would run the risk of doing that before they have their selection process tonight and name her as the candidate. Perhaps we were wrong:

National is holding a meeting in Auckland suburb Mt Albert this evening to select its candidate – but someone in the party has already decided who it is going to be.

The National Party Mainland Conference agenda lists Mt Albert candidate MP Melissa Lee as a speaker. – NZPA

Poor old Ravi. He never stood a chance.

UPDATE: And sure enough, Melissa Lee has been selected.

36 comments on “Oh dear. ”

  1. vidiot 1

    Yep, Ravi suffers the same fate as Phil Twyford, Meg Bates and that other guy Russelll umm err wtf

    • r0b 1.1

      Ravi suffers the same fate

      Really? I missed the part where Labour announced Shearer as the party’s official candidate before the selection process had even taken part.

      The media of course knew that Melissa Lee was a foregone conclusion, eg here:

      Greens co-leader Russel Norman is standing for his party. Labour selects its candidate tomorrow. Melissa Lee is expected to stand for National.

      here:

      List MP, and this country’s first Korean MP Melissa Lee, is expected to get the nod.

      here:

      Nominations for Labour close on April 22, and about eight people have said they are interested. National is expected to stand Melissa Lee.

      and so on. But National effectively announcing it as a done deal before the charade has even taken place really is extraordinary.

      • Jared 1.1.1

        Two can play this game rob

        Here
        “Labour, which will select its candidate tomorrow, has shunned using a list MP. Its front-runner is top-ranking United Nations official David Shearer, who has returned from Baghdad to contest the nomination.”

        And Here

        “David Shearer, a former adviser to Mr Goff, is considered the one to beat for the Labour nomination.”

        Yeah, here too

        “A top-ranking United Nations official in Iraq is returning home to New Zealand to try and win the Labour nomination for the Mt Albert by-election.

        The Herald has learned David Shearer, currently the deputy special representative of the UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon in Iraq, heads a list of up to a dozen possible candidates.”

      • r0b 1.1.2

        You might see no difference in “expected to stand” vs “the one to beat” (I certainly do). But even you must see that National effectively announcing the winner in advance is in a whole new league…

        • Jared 1.1.2.1

          Naively thinking the party meeting tonight would have much if any difference is like thinking the Labour candidate meeting was unbiased. You can harp on till the cows come home about how “democratic” and “fair” the Labour voting system is, but in reality both National and Labour had already decided who they wanted to stand well before their respective meetings.

          • r0b 1.1.2.1.1

            Naively thinking the party meeting tonight would have much if any difference

            OK, you’re comfortable with the Nat process being a charade, good for you.

            is like thinking the Labour candidate meeting was unbiased

            It was a genuine vote for a genuine candidate pool. I’ve been somewhat involved in Labour candidate selection processes in the past – they are genuine exercises in democracy.

            In Labour the central influence is quite explicit, 3 votes out of 7. In National it now seems that the central party just writes the outcome in advance.

    • groobenheimer 1.2

      Sounds just like the Labour ‘selection’.

  2. gingercrush 2

    Same could be said for David Shearer. And even the Greens who we assume are always more democratic than the other parties. These parties can make their selections as democratic as they wish. At the end of the day, party hierachy will take control and ultimately select the candidates they want.

  3. Good to see the party of freedom, democracy and transparency living up to its high standards.

    • groobenheimer 3.1

      You are deluded about Labour and National being any different in this respect.

  4. Andy 4

    Ironically when Lee is named, Labour’s David Shearer will be the only non-MP standing for a party of note and the only one who has a house in the electorate.

    Yeah, he’s spent a lot of time overseas in his career but if he’s a parachute candidate, what does that make the others?

    • groobenheimer 4.1

      you mean he has a rental property in the electorate, bought when kingsland wasn’t actually part of the mt albert electorate. yep that sure is a strong bond with the place.

      • Lindsey 4.1.1

        Some fact might just be useful here. When are you saying David bought his house in Kingsland that it was not part of Mt Albert??
        I bought mine in 1981 and Kingsland was part of the Mt Albert electorate then. It remained so until after the MMP changes when some of it it became Auckland Central in 1996. In 2002 parts of it returned to Mt Albert and some has since gone back to Auckland Central.

  5. gobsmacked 5

    V-Idiot & fellow spinners

    Musuku was the candidate in 2005 and 2008. Labour’s candidate was called Helen Clark.

    I don’t like missing out when I apply for a job. But it sure ain’t the same feeling as being sacked.

    There’s a clear difference here, and I’m sure you know it.

    • gingercrush 5.1

      Why is there a clear difference? You could say Meg Bates was waiting in the wings for the time that Helen Clark vacated her seat. The same could equally be applied to Phil Twyford. The leadership of the Labour party did not want Twyford to stand. That isn’t democratic. Its usual practice for high performing candidates to be pushed into electorates over candidates that have stood in that electorate for years. It isn’t anything new. Both Labour and National have a long history of doing such actions.

      Very few on the right here are defending National’s candidate selection as being democratic. I just don’t know why the Labour supporters continue to try and perpetuate their candidate selection as being democratic.

    • Jared 5.2

      Musuku may have been the candidate in the past 2 elections but it hardly gives him any more entitlement than any other candidate at the present. Mt Albert is a unique seat, one that has been held by Helen Clark for the last 28 years, and considering the conditions it is of tactical importance from all parties to win the seat. For Labour it would indicate either the Mt Albert electorate votes Labour yet again as they have always done, that Labour is clawing back at National, and for National it would indicate if it won the seat that it would solidify its role as the legitimate ruling party in Parliament. So for give me for running on, but getting hung up over a candidate who performed poorly in the last 2 elections and in the most decisive by election is replaced by a stronger candidate is hardly front page material. He has as much right to the seat as any of the unsuccessive Labour candidates.

  6. gobsmacked 6

    He didn’t perform poorly. National now say they can win the seat. He got them there.

    He doesn’t have an automatic right to be the candidate. He does have an absolute right to be told the truth to his face, and not be publicly humiliated by a charade.

  7. Yeh right 7

    yep Ravi was perfectly welcome to bash his head against a brick wall, provided he was going to lose…

    National regard for the local Indian community huh?

    • Jared 7.1

      Since when was this a race discrimination issue?

      • gingercrush 7.1.1

        Actually I think Yeh right has a point. Undoubtedly Musuku has been building up the Indian vote that likely favours National. By choosing to put in Lee those Indian voters may well not vote for National in the future. Its also likely, other local support for National has potentially been lost in the process of pushing aside Musuku.

        • groobenheimer 7.1.1.1

          Ravi was never liked by the Mt Albert indian community because he’s a baptist and made a point of regularly bagging hindisim and other ‘false religions’. that kind of christobigotry didn’t exactly make him a big favourite of the local indian community.

        • Pascal's bookie 7.1.1.2

          that may happen, but I suspect it will only be a small factor.

          Tim Ellis has been going on about the ethnicity aspect a lot, so it’s not just yeh that’s brought it up. But then it was Tim that was waxing so lyrical about the National party’s proud democratic selection process. Phutt.

  8. toad 8

    Wonder if Ravi might want to consider a judicial review.

    There’s a guy called Roger Payne in the Nats he could consult.

  9. Yeh right 9

    You’re right Jared, my apologies.

    National showing this blatant disregard for a hard working candidate in an electorate they used to not give a stuff about, is going to be a popular move amongst the Indian community in Mt Albert.

    Low on the party list, and bumped off now he actually may have a chance of winning.

    used and abused wouldn’t you say Jared?

    • Jared 9.1

      The game has changed dramatically since the last two elections. There was no way Helen was going to lose her seat in 2005 or 2008, and its widely known that fresh candidates are put up in strong seats like Mt Albert to give them experience in an election. Congratulations, yes he has put in work. If we are taking a holistic approach, why have the greens not nominated Jon Carapiet who has stood in the last 2 elections for Mt Albert? Instead opting for a far safer option with Russell Norman. The truth is that just because you put in work in an election, unless you are sitting in that MP spot, you have just as much of a chance of selection as any other candidate. This byelection isn’t “fair”, its tactical.

  10. gobsmacked 10

    There is a clear difference between Goff and Key here, and pretending otherwise just won’t wash.

    Both leaders knew who they wanted. Except, only one was open and honest about it.

    David Shearer is Phil Goff’s man. Everyone knows it. People may or may not support the candidate, but Goff has promoted him, stood by him, and will be judged accordingly.

    Key, of course, does things differently. Why get your hands dirty when you can order somebody else to do the back-stabbing? Keep your distance, and keep smiling. Pretend it’s nothing to do with you. But make damn sure the knife goes in, on your orders. That’s Nice Mr Key.

    Still, the truth is out now.

    • Jared 10.1

      Come on, get with the picture. You know as well as I do that Labour was almost certainly going to pick Shearer, as with National picking Lee. This isn’t about backstabbing, this is about winning a tactical seat. Everyone knew Lee was Key’s preferred candidate, he even said so “National’s possible candidates are led by list MP Melissa Lee, whom Prime Minister John Key yesterday called an “outstanding individual”.”

  11. Nick 11

    @ 1min 20.

    A grassroots Labour supporter furious at the lack of democracy in the selection process and the arrive-by-parachute shennanigans of Goff Shearer.

    • DeeDub 11.1

      Really??? There is a guy ranting on there at 1:26, but where does the piece identify him as a ‘grassroots Labour supporter’? Do you assume that just because Fran Mould says ‘some members’ and then cuts to this guy having his fifteen minutes????

    • gobsmacked 11.2

      So what’s your point, Nick?

      Phil Goff pushed for Shearer to be the candidate. We know this, because he was quite open about it. Some people were unhappy that Shearer was the candidate. We know this, because they were quite open about it.

      So your point is that National have been better at repressing dissent and faking unity, in a sham selection process? Well, whoopi-doo!

  12. gobsmacked 12

    A telling clip on One News tonight, of Ravi Musuku being interviewed by Francesca Mold, and two unsmiling MPs from National’s Goon Squad literally at his shoulder … you could almost see the arm being twisted behind his back.

  13. Nick 13

    True gobsmacked. Just like the TV1 clip I put in above where Andrew Little and Phil Goff are whispering in Shearer’s ear the answers to the interviewers questions.

  14. Pat 14

    Homepaddock posted on this earlier:

    “But it’s the paper (NZ Herald) that’s got it wrong. I’ve got a copy of the official programme and it says:

    Address by Mt Albert’s List MP Melissa Lee.

    Note the difference between Mount Albert candidate which she may or may not be after tonight’s selection, and Mount Albert’s list MP which she is.

    The programme notes her position as buddy MP for the electorate which isn’t represented by National, it’s not second guessing the selection process.”

    Conspiracy theory over, methinks.

    • TripleStandards 14.1

      So many commentators here whinge and moan about the lack of effort that the Herald makes in uncovering the facts, and yet they are so quick to jump on the bandwagon when a false story like this comes out. I would expect a few withdrawals and apologies (am I dreaming?)…lets just see how you guys spin this into either an attack on John Key, or an attack on the Herald.

  15. gingercrush 15

    “We had eight strong nominees vying to keep Mount Albert Labour and we’re proud that our selection process was transparent and democratic.

    You gotta love Darren Hughes. He’s in such self-denial he actually believes that Labour’s process is transparent and democratic. Exactly how is it transparent? And what is so democratic about shutting up members on the floor. I don’t believe National’s selection was democratic. But the hypocrisy and blatant denial of Labour’s selection processes is truly maddening.

  16. Tigger 16

    Look, both National and Labour’s candidacy processes are different examples how MPs gain selection. You can complain about it, you can sling mud, but it’s politics. Get used to it and get over it.

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    The RBNZ governor is citing high net migration and profit-led inflation as factors in the bank’s hawkish stance. Photo: Lynn GrievesonTL;DR: Here’s my pick of the top 10 news and analysis links elsewhere on the morning of Tuesday, December 5, including:Reserve Bank Governor Adrian Orr says high net migration and ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • Nicola Willis' 'show me the money' moment
    Willis has accused labour of “economic vandalism’, while Robertson described her comments as a “desperate diversion from somebody who can't make their tax package add up”. There will now be an intense focus on December 20 to see whether her hyperbole is backed up by true surprises. Photo montage: Lynn ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • CRL costs money but also provides huge benefits
    The City Rail Link has been in the headlines a bit recently so I thought I’d look at some of them. First up, yesterday the NZ Herald ran this piece about the ongoing costs of the CRL. Auckland ratepayers will be saddled with an estimated bill of $220 million each ...
    5 days ago
  • And I don't want the world to see us.
    Is this the most shambolic government in the history of New Zealand? Given that parliament hasn’t even opened they’ve managed quite a list of achievements to date.The Smokefree debacle trading lives for tax cuts, the Trumpian claims of bribery in the Media, an International award for indifference, and today the ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago
  • Cooking the books
    Finance Minister Nicola Willis late yesterday stopped only slightly short of accusing her predecessor Grant Robertson of cooking the books. She complained that the Half Yearly Economic and Fiscal Update (HYEFU), due to be made public on December 20, would show “fiscal cliffs” that would amount to “billions of ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    5 days ago
  • Most people don’t realize how much progress we’ve made on climate change
    This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections The year was 2015. ‘Uptown Funk’ with Bruno Mars was at the top of the music charts. Jurassic World was the most popular new movie in theaters. And decades of futility in international climate negotiations was about to come to an end in ...
    6 days ago
  • Of Parliamentary Oaths and Clive Boonham
    As a heads-up, I am not one of those people who stay awake at night thinking about weird Culture War nonsense. At least so far as the current Maori/Constitutional arrangements go. In fact, I actually consider it the least important issue facing the day to day lives of New ...
    6 days ago
  • Bearing True Allegiance?
    Strong Words: “We do not consent, we do not surrender, we do not cede, we do not submit; we, the indigenous, are rising. We do not buy into the colonial fictions this House is built upon. Te Pāti Māori pledges allegiance to our mokopuna, our whenua, and Te Tiriti o ...
    6 days ago
  • You cannot be serious
    Some days it feels like the only thing to say is: Seriously? No, really. Seriously?OneSomeone has used their health department access to share data about vaccinations and patients, and inform the world that New Zealanders have been dying in their hundreds of thousands from the evil vaccine. This of course is pure ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    6 days ago
  • A promise kept: govt pulls the plug on Lake Onslow scheme – but this saving of $16bn is denounced...
    Buzz from the Beehive After $21.8 million was spent on investigations, the plug has been pulled on the Lake Onslow pumped-hydro electricity scheme, The scheme –  that technically could have solved New Zealand’s looming energy shortage, according to its champions – was a key part of the defeated Labour government’s ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago
  • CHRIS TROTTER: The Maori Party and Oath of Allegiance
    If those elected to the Māori Seats refuse to take them, then what possible reason could the country have for retaining them?   Chris Trotter writes – Christmas is fast approaching, which, as it does every year, means gearing up for an abstruse general knowledge question. “Who was ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago
  • BRIAN EASTON:  Forward to 2017
    The coalition party agreements are mainly about returning to 2017 when National lost power. They show commonalities but also some serious divergencies. Brian Easton writes The two coalition agreements – one National and ACT, the other National and New Zealand First – are more than policy documents. ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago
  • Climate Change: Fossils
    When the new government promised to allow new offshore oil and gas exploration, they were warned that there would be international criticism and reputational damage. Naturally, they arrogantly denied any possibility that that would happen. And then they finally turned up at COP, to criticism from Palau, and a "fossil ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    6 days ago
  • GEOFFREY MILLER:  NZ’s foreign policy resets on AUKUS, Gaza and Ukraine
    Geoffrey Miller writes – New Zealand’s international relations are under new management. And Winston Peters, the new foreign minister, is already setting a change agenda. As expected, this includes a more pro-US positioning when it comes to the Pacific – where Peters will be picking up where he ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago
  • Gordon Campbell on the government’s smokefree laws debacle
    The most charitable explanation for National’s behaviour over the smokefree legislation is that they have dutifully fulfilled the wishes of the Big Tobacco lobby and then cast around – incompetently, as it turns out – for excuses that might sell this health policy U-turn to the public. The less charitable ...
    6 days ago
  • Top 10 links at 10 am for Monday, December 4
    As Deb Te Kawa writes in an op-ed, the new Government seems to have immediately bought itself fights with just about everyone. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Here’s my pick of the top 10 news and analysis links elsewhere as of 10 am on Monday December 4, including:Palau’s President ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    6 days ago
  • Be Honest.
    Let’s begin today by thinking about job interviews.During my career in Software Development I must have interviewed hundreds of people, hired at least a hundred, but few stick in the memory.I remember one guy who was so laid back he was practically horizontal, leaning back in his chair until his ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    6 days ago
  • Geoffrey Miller: New Zealand’s foreign policy resets on AUKUS, Gaza and Ukraine
    New Zealand’s international relations are under new management. And Winston Peters, the new foreign minister, is already setting a change agenda. As expected, this includes a more pro-US positioning when it comes to the Pacific – where Peters will be picking up where he left off. Peters sought to align ...
    Democracy ProjectBy Geoffrey Miller
    6 days ago
  • Auckland rail tunnel the world’s most expensive
    Auckland’s city rail link is the most expensive rail project in the world per km, and the CRL boss has described the cost of infrastructure construction in Aotearoa as a crisis. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The 3.5 km City Rail Link (CRL) tunnel under Auckland’s CBD has cost ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    6 days ago
  • First big test coming
    The first big test of the new Government’s approach to Treaty matters is likely to be seen in the return of the Resource Management Act. RMA Minister Chris Bishop has confirmed that he intends to introduce legislation to repeal Labour’s recently passed Natural and Built Environments Act and its ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    6 days ago
  • The Song of Saqua: Volume III
    Time to revisit something I haven’t covered in a while: the D&D campaign, with Saqua the aquatic half-vampire. Last seen in July: https://phuulishfellow.wordpress.com/2023/07/27/the-song-of-saqua-volume-ii/ The delay is understandable, once one realises that the interim saw our DM come down with a life-threatening medical situation. They have since survived to make ...
    6 days ago
  • Chris Bishop: Smokin’
    Yes. Correct. It was an election result. And now we are the elected government. ...
    My ThinksBy boonman
    1 week ago
  • 2023 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #48
    A chronological listing of news and opinion articles posted on the Skeptical Science  Facebook Page during the past week: Sun, Nov 26, 2023 thru Dec 2, 2023. Story of the Week CO2 readings from Mauna Loa show failure to combat climate change Daily atmospheric carbon dioxide data from Hawaiian volcano more ...
    1 week ago
  • Affirmative Action.
    Affirmative Action was a key theme at this election, although I don’t recall anyone using those particular words during the campaign.They’re positive words, and the way the topic was talked about was anything but. It certainly wasn’t a campaign of saying that Affirmative Action was a good thing, but that, ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    1 week ago
  • 100 days of something
    It was at the end of the Foxton straights, at the end of 1978, at 100km/h, that someone tried to grab me from behind on my Yamaha.They seemed to be yanking my backpack. My first thought was outrage. My second was: but how? Where have they come from? And my ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    1 week ago
  • Look who’s stepped up to champion Winston
    There’s no news to be gleaned from the government’s official website today  – it contains nothing more than the message about the site being under maintenance. The time this maintenance job is taking and the costs being incurred have us musing on the government’s commitment to an assault on inflation. ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    1 week ago
  • What's The Story?
    Don’t you sometimes wish they’d just tell the truth? No matter how abhorrent or ugly, just straight up tell us the truth?C’mon guys, what you’re doing is bad enough anyway, pretending you’re not is only adding insult to injury.Instead of all this bollocks about the Smokefree changes being to do ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    1 week ago
  • The longest of weeks
    Hello! Here comes the Saturday edition of More Than A Feilding, catching you up on the past week’s editions.Friday Under New Management Week in review, quiz style1. Which of these best describes Aotearoa?a. Progressive nation, proud of its egalitarian spirit and belief in a fair go b. Best little country on the planet c. ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    1 week ago
  • Suggested sessions of EGU24 to submit abstracts to
    Like earlier this year, members from our team will be involved with next year's General Assembly of the European Geosciences Union (EGU). The conference will take place on premise in Vienna as well as online from April 14 to 19, 2024. The session catalog has been available since November 1 ...
    1 week ago
  • Under New Management
    1. Which of these best describes Aotearoa?a. Progressive nation, proud of its egalitarian spirit and belief in a fair go b. Best little country on the planet c. Under New Management 2. Which of these best describes the 100 days of action announced this week by the new government?a. Petulantb. Simplistic and wrongheaded c. ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    1 week ago

  • Ministers visit Hawke’s Bay to grasp recovery needs
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon joined Cyclone Recovery Minister Mark Mitchell and Transport and Local Government Minister Simeon Brown, to meet leaders of cyclone and flood-affected regions in the Hawke’s Bay. The visit reinforced the coalition Government’s commitment to support the region and better understand its ongoing requirements, Mr Mitchell says.  ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • New Zealand condemns malicious cyber activity
    New Zealand has joined the UK and other partners in condemning malicious cyber activity conducted by the Russian Government, Minister Responsible for the Government Communications Security Bureau Judith Collins says. The statement follows the UK’s attribution today of malicious cyber activity impacting its domestic democratic institutions and processes, as well ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Disestablishment of Te Pūkenga begins
    The Government has begun the process of disestablishing Te Pūkenga as part of its 100-day plan, Minister for Tertiary Education and Skills Penny Simmonds says.  “I have started putting that plan into action and have met with the chair and chief Executive of Te Pūkenga to advise them of my ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Climate Change Minister to attend COP28 in Dubai
    Climate Change Minister Simon Watts will be leaving for Dubai today to attend COP28, the 28th annual UN climate summit, this week. Simon Watts says he will push for accelerated action towards the goals of the Paris Agreement, deliver New Zealand’s national statement and connect with partner countries, private sector leaders ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • New Zealand to host 2024 Pacific defence meeting
    Defence Minister Judith Collins yesterday announced New Zealand will host next year’s South Pacific Defence Ministers’ Meeting (SPDMM). “Having just returned from this year’s meeting in Nouméa, I witnessed first-hand the value of meeting with my Pacific counterparts to discuss regional security and defence matters. I welcome the opportunity to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Study shows need to remove distractions in class
    The Government is committed to lifting school achievement in the basics and that starts with removing distractions so young people can focus on their learning, Education Minister Erica Stanford says.   The 2022 PISA results released this week found that Kiwi kids ranked 5th in the world for being distracted ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Minister sets expectations of Commissioner
    Today I met with Police Commissioner Andrew Coster to set out my expectations, which he has agreed to, says Police Minister Mark Mitchell. Under section 16(1) of the Policing Act 2008, the Minister can expect the Police Commissioner to deliver on the Government’s direction and priorities, as now outlined in ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • New Zealand needs a strong and stable ETS
    New Zealand needs a strong and stable Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) that is well placed for the future, after emission units failed to sell for the fourth and final auction of the year, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says.  At today’s auction, 15 million New Zealand units (NZUs) – each ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • PISA results show urgent need to teach the basics
    With 2022 PISA results showing a decline in achievement, Education Minister Erica Stanford is confident that the Coalition Government’s 100-day plan for education will improve outcomes for Kiwi kids.  The 2022 PISA results show a significant decline in the performance of 15-year-old students in maths compared to 2018 and confirms ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Collins leaves for Pacific defence meeting
    Defence Minister Judith Collins today departed for New Caledonia to attend the 8th annual South Pacific Defence Ministers’ meeting (SPDMM). “This meeting is an excellent opportunity to meet face-to-face with my Pacific counterparts to discuss regional security matters and to demonstrate our ongoing commitment to the Pacific,” Judith Collins says. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Working for Families gets cost of living boost
    Putting more money in the pockets of hard-working families is a priority of this Coalition Government, starting with an increase to Working for Families, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon says. “We are starting our 100-day plan with a laser focus on bringing down the cost of living, because that is what ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Post-Cabinet press conference
    Most weeks, following Cabinet, the Prime Minister holds a press conference for members of the Parliamentary Press Gallery. This page contains the transcripts from those press conferences, which are supplied by Hansard to the Office of the Prime Minister. It is important to note that the transcripts have not been edited ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Lake Onslow pumped hydro scheme scrapped
    The Government has axed the $16 billion Lake Onslow pumped hydro scheme championed by the previous government, Energy Minister Simeon Brown says. “This hugely wasteful project was pouring money down the drain at a time when we need to be reining in spending and focussing on rebuilding the economy and ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • NZ welcomes further pause in fighting in Gaza
    New Zealand welcomes the further one-day extension of the pause in fighting, which will allow the delivery of more urgently-needed humanitarian aid into Gaza and the release of more hostages, Foreign Minister Winston Peters said. “The human cost of the conflict is horrific, and New Zealand wants to see the violence ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Condolences on passing of Henry Kissinger
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters today expressed on behalf of the New Zealand Government his condolences to the family of former US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, who has passed away at the age of 100 at his home in Connecticut. “While opinions on his legacy are varied, Secretary Kissinger was ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Backing our kids to learn the basics
    Every child deserves a world-leading education, and the Coalition Government is making that a priority as part of its 100-day plan. Education Minister Erica Stanford says that will start with banning cellphone use at school and ensuring all primary students spend one hour on reading, writing, and maths each day. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • US Business Summit Speech – Regional stability through trade
    I would like to begin by echoing the Prime Minister’s thanks to the organisers of this Summit, Fran O’Sullivan and the Auckland Business Chamber.  I want to also acknowledge the many leading exporters, sector representatives, diplomats, and other leaders we have joining us in the room. In particular, I would like ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Keynote Address to the United States Business Summit, Auckland
    Good morning. Thank you, Rosemary, for your warm introduction, and to Fran and Simon for this opportunity to make some brief comments about New Zealand’s relationship with the United States.  This is also a chance to acknowledge my colleague, Minister for Trade Todd McClay, Ambassador Tom Udall, Secretary of Foreign ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • India New Zealand Business Council Speech, India as a Strategic Priority
    Good morning, tēnā koutou and namaskar. Many thanks, Michael, for your warm welcome. I would like to acknowledge the work of the India New Zealand Business Council in facilitating today’s event and for the Council’s broader work in supporting a coordinated approach for lifting New Zealand-India relations. I want to also ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 weeks ago
  • Coalition Government unveils 100-day plan
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has laid out the Coalition Government’s plan for its first 100 days from today. “The last few years have been incredibly tough for so many New Zealanders. People have put their trust in National, ACT and NZ First to steer them towards a better, more prosperous ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 weeks ago
  • New Zealand welcomes European Parliament vote on the NZ-EU Free Trade Agreement
    A significant milestone in ratifying the NZ-EU Free Trade Agreement (FTA) was reached last night, with 524 of the 705 member European Parliament voting in favour to approve the agreement. “I’m delighted to hear of the successful vote to approve the NZ-EU FTA in the European Parliament overnight. This is ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 weeks ago

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