On filibustering and public political meetings

Written By: - Date published: 9:15 am, May 15th, 2009 - 52 comments
Categories: auckland supercity - Tags:

democracy-under-attack1Labour is filibustering in the house on the Auckland super-city enabling legislation. The would-be dictator of Auckland’s future for the next year and a half, says

Mr Hide says the amendments are a waste of time, as the Government has the numbers to defeat them.

Correct for this particular battle. However it is the war that counts.

However Rodney and NACT have been doing everything in their power to avoid debate on the super-city. Most recently by refusing to release the legislation to the opposition until shortly before the bill went into committee under urgency. Presumably this was to ensure that there was insufficient attention paid to the detail of the bill, which must make even hardened National MP’s worry about its scope.

It looks like Labour have done the correct thing for that type of bad parliamentary behaviour both over the bills, and over the rushed and inadequate consideration that NACT have done on the super-city. Hell NACT still haven’t costed the transition costs to what they are proposing in the next two bills.

Labour have made the appropriate response and slowed the pace to allow more consideration within the framework of rules. This will continue for the next 18 months as Aucklanders fight to regain the control of their city that this legislation removes. Rodney, expect a whole lot of submissions to the select committee in the next phase.

Update: The bill is here (PDF)

In the meantime, it looks like National MP’s aren’t that good in public meetings. Here are some to go to and express your mood.

National MPs and the Hon John Carter, Associate Minister of Local Government, are beginning a series of
public meetings to hear your views on the proposed changes to local government in Auckland.

  • Dr Lockwood Smith, 17 May, 4.00pm Stanmore Bay Leisure Centre Brightside Road, Whangaparaoa
  • Paula Bennett, 20 May, 7.00pm, Kelston Community Centre Cnr of Awaroa, Great North Roads, Kelston
  • Nikki Kaye, 19 May, 7.30am, Leys Institute Hall 20 St Marys Road, St Marys Bay
  • Nikki Kaye, 20 May, 12.30pm, Surfdale Community Hall 6 Hamilton Road, Surfdale, Waiheke Island
  • Nikki Kaye, 5 June, 1.30pm, Grey Lynn Community Centre 510 Richmond Road, Grey Lynn
  • Nikki Kaye, 10 June, 7.00pm, Pioneer Women’s Hall, Corner High Street and Freyberg Place, Inner City
  • Dr Jackie Blue, 11 June, 7.00pm, Hillsborough Room, Fickling Centre 546 Mt Albert Road, Three Kings
  • Peseta Sam Lotu-Iiga, 18 May, 7.00pm, Ellerslie War Memorial Hall 138 Main Highway, Ellerslie
  • Peseta Sam Lotu-Iiga, 19 May, 6.00pm, Onehunga Community Centre 83 Church Street, Onehunga
  • Peseta Sam Lotu-Iiga, 25 May, 7.00pm, Panmure Community Hall 7-13 Pilkington Road, Panmure
  • Kanwaljit Singh Bakshi, 9 June, 7.00pm, Papatoetoe Cosmopolitan Club 53 Rangitoto Street, Papatoetoe
  • Dr Paul Hutchison, 25 May, 5.00pm, Hunua Electorate Office 13 West Street, Pukekohe

Have fun…

52 comments on “On filibustering and public political meetings ”

  1. Brad H 1

    Is the North Shore not going to get any meetings?

  2. lprent 2

    Not on the list I have. It appears that they don’t currently consider it important.

    • bilbo 2.1

      Have you seen our mayor and city council………… honestly a group of battery hens sitting around a table would be as much use.

  3. schrodigerscat 3

    Dr Lockwood Smith, 17 May, 4.00pm Stanmore Bay Leisure Centre Brightside Road, Whangaparaoa

  4. Well as we don’t have a say on the first Super-City bill, perhaps we should really focus our efforts on the second one:

    http://www.legislation.govt.nz/bill/government/2009/0036-1/latest/whole.html?search=ts_bill_local+government_resel#DLM2044901

    This bill will set the number of ward councillors versus at large councillors. It will also set the powers of the Local Boards. I think a clause by clause analysis might be necessary, along with suggested changes.

    I think a few questions/points should be made:

    1) Clearly I would want the at large councillors to be eliminated. So all councillors are elected from wards.

    2) How many wards though? Is 20 enough – I tend to think not. It would seem obvious for the number of wards to match the number of local boards, so each area served by a local board also has a ward councillor. The only difficulty here might be dealing with Waiheke & Great Barrier Island.

    3) What powers should the local boards have? I know everyone says that they should have “real” power, but how would that be enshrined in the legislation? I guess some change to Section 11 would be necessary, which reads as follows:

    Status of local boards:
    (1) A local board is an unincorporated body.
    (2) A local board is not a local authority, a community board, or a committee of the Council.
    (3) A local board may not—
    (a) acquire, hold, or dispose of property; or
    (b) appoint, suspend, or remove employees.

    What would be a better way to word this? Perhaps they should be a “community board”?

    4) Section 13 of the bill outlines the functions, duties and powers of the local boards (it’s quite long so I won’t quote it here). What ways could that be improved to actually give the local boards more power?

    5) Then we have the Maori seats issue….

    I do think we need to be constructive here in improving this bill. It has some significant flaws in it – but if the government is true to its word and wants to hear the voices of Aucklanders on the issue we really need to start thinking about how it could be better.

  5. Zaphod Beeblebrox 5

    This is either incredibly brave or incredibly stupid. Is Auckland MP Melissa Lee going to front one of these meetings?
    The roles and powers (and size relative to the wards) are the key issue that needs to be cleared up. There are numerous logistical problems with having an unempowered but elected group who will be responsible for a lot of things over a large area. Keep asking.

  6. Bearhunter 6

    “Dr Lockwood Smith, 17 May, 4.00pm Stanmore Bay Leisure Centre Brightside Road, Whangaparaoa”

    That’s Rodney, not North Shore.

  7. randal 7

    you wanna listen to all the kneejerks on radio ritalin this morning (newstalkszb)
    the world is coming to and end because her majesty’s loyal opposition is demanding an accounting to make up for the fact there was no committee stage and no public consultation on this further example of stealing public assets and flogging them off to pals
    new zealand has once again descended into rabid right wing politics with the agenda hidden by incitement of the masses by the shallowest media in the western hemisphere

  8. Pascal's bookie 8

    “radio ritalin.”

    Gold

  9. Draco T Bastard 9

    Courtesy of The Hand Mirror

    Where are they?

    Let’s break them down by existing TLA boundaries:

    * Rodney – 1 meeting
    * Waitakere City – 1 meeting
    * Auckland City – 8 meetings
    * Manukau City – 1 meeting
    * Franklin – 1 meeting

    North Shore City and Papakura? No mentions.

    • MikeG 9.1

      What about the Tamaki electorate? Peachy isn’t bothering to hold any meetings in his electorate.

  10. Pat 10

    Currently in parliament Labours amendments are going as follows:

    “The Auckland Council shall also be known as the Auckland Supercity Proposal until 28 July 2010”

    and then 27 July 2010 for the next one
    and 26 July 2010 for the next one

    and so on…

    I’m sure Labourites think this is all great fun. Personally I find such a blatant waste of taxpayers money abhorrent.

    Surely Labour risks facing a backlash in the media on this filibustering, and then they turn a positive week for them into a negative.

    • Maynard J 10.1

      If they can the urgency part, tell people what the proposal will cost and give some real details, or put on hold (maybe to one of the dates Labour suggest) until they can, Labour will drop it.

      I don’t think there will be a backlash given the support of their cause. If they do it to the budget or a popular Act then maybe.

    • lprent 10.2

      The point is that NACT hasn’t passed this bill through the usual parliamentary processes designed to modify or stop lousy legislation. They are putting through legislation that is designed to remove the ability of democratic institutions elected in 2007 from functioning in the role that they were elected for. Also NACT gave the bills out incredibly late.

      Labour is reminding them of where this type of behaviour leads. The quality of the amendments is directly related to the lateness of the release of the bills.

      Frankly Hide and Key should be ashamed of themselves for their behaviour over misusing urgency. I’m confident that they won’t want your viewpoint pushed too hard because it leads to question of why this is being done.

      The solution to not having this happen is simple. Let bills go to select committee. Don’t try bulldozing over the protections in parliament against the abuse by government against democracy.

      You note that this is being done completely within the rules of parliament? That is why those rules are there. This is the equivalent of a MAD strategy that is available to all oppositions, including NACT, who did use it periodically.

    • Anita 10.3

      I’m not a Labourite, and I’m not sure it’s “great fun” but I support filibustering as an acceptable way of protesting bad parliamentary procedure.

      FWIW I also supported National’s protest against the last Labour led government removing the quorum to cater for a state dinner and denying the house time for private members bills. The Nats, if my memory serves me, tabled each standing order in turn until Labour agreed to progress the private members bills (in the place of government bills).

  11. Pat 11

    Who disagrees on having one Council? As Jarbury has rightfully posted, the structure and powers of the new Council/Community Boards is the real issue.

    • lprent 11.1

      Few points.

      I personally agree with a single council. I’m also probably in a minority (and aware of it) on that point. Essentially the discussion that is required to bring that to a agreement inside Auckland hasn’t happened. However Rodney is pushing it as it it has and that it is a done deal. That is simply wrong.

      The legislation that has been put forward in the bill that is being ‘debated’ gives draconian powers to the transition board. Essentially they have veto on ANY decisions by my council. Quite simply they could veto the new footpath that has just been put in outside of my house, and I’d have zero recourse. They could stop fixing the potholes in roads for the next 18 months, and there is nothing that could be done about it. The bill is way of the top and simply too simplistic.

      After that there are a lot of issues to do with governance assuming that a single city goes forth. This bill doesn’t give time for those to happen because its time frame is too short. This all has to be done by the time local body election boundaries are set in April next year. Bearing in mind the thousands of submissions that will have to be considered, the bill is totally unrealistic on timeframe.

      None of these things have been considered yet. They haven’t even produced a bloody costing for their proposal, or for that matter for the council resources that the transition authority is going to pull from my rates to do the transition.

      It is completely lousy governance by NACT. Apart from anything else as a ratepayer, they are going to tax me an (unspecified) amount, to do (unspecified) things, while removing my representation to protest against this.

      Civil wars have been fought for less.

  12. Maynard J 12

    I confess I do not know the specifics of the first bill. I gather it curtails the powers of the currently elected counsellors, which strikes me as undemocratic. If they will not let anyone talk about it as is part of due democratic process, Labour should not make it easy for them.

    I gather a few weekends are disrupted. Maybe they will think twice about abusing urgency though they did this before at the start of their term too.

  13. lukas 13

    Anyone else find the smug look on Darren Hughes face rather weird as he spoke in Maori? And anyone else think this is just a blatant waste of time by the opposition?

    • felix 13.1

      It’s an act of protest against the misuse of urgency, lukas.

    • Anita 13.2

      I have this theory that Hughes’ greatest asset is his look of teenage smugness. It winds up his opponents until they behave badly and he brings out his angelic smile.

    • inpassing 13.3

      ta-soh lukas, for such an encouragingly blatant expression of support for use it or lose it..

  14. jarbury 14

    They’re up to April 8….. fascinating viewing 😉

    • Anita 14.1

      Who’s currently chair? It looks like a very grainy Rick Barker but I suspect that’s the graininess 🙂

      • lukas 14.1.1

        I feel sorry for the Clerk and the interpreter

        • Maynard J 14.1.1.1

          How much do they get paid? Better than data entry, and about as challenging 🙂

        • Anita 14.1.1.2

          There are some strong relationships with the interpreters. My hunch is that there’ll have been some conversations and Labour will stop voting in Māori if it causes personal difficulties for the interpreters.

          Actually Labour stopped voting in Māori for a while there (although it was Hipkins right through) so it seems likely they’d agreed to give the interpreter a break.

          Someone could confirm tho.

          • Maynard J 14.1.1.2.1

            I see what you mean – bit crap to keep them in all weekend!

          • Anita 14.1.1.2.2

            It doesn’t help all the other public servants who’re required to stay on tho. I have a vague memory of having to keep private secretaries available during urgency.

            BTW it’s National’s fault as much as Labour’s they could just stop at dinner time today and start again next week.

  15. jarbury 15

    Ooohhh… they’re up to 2nd March now. I wonder if they’ll skip the Xmas holidays?

  16. Anita 16

    Anyone else see Labour just help out the Māori Party? Very cool 🙂 Sometimes cross party stuff actually works, it gives me moments of hope.

    (First raising a point of order to make sure Katene had time to get to the House, then pointing out she’d voted the wrong way by following National’s lead. Gently done too)

  17. jarbury 18

    They were still going at 1am last night. And are back there today.

    I guess the politicians are earning their keep lately 🙂

  18. Felix 19

    If they are filibustering, why aren’t they talking slowly?

    • felix 19.1

      Hey another felix – are you the bizzaro felix?

      Why are they not talking slowly? I think they’ve been popping reds to do the long hours.

  19. Swampy 20

    How many people do you expect to turn up to these meetings? What percentage of the Auckland population will come out to express their views?

  20. Swampy 21

    Well then, if there are a lot of meaningful issues that need to be considered, why has Labour wasted so much time on completely frivolous amendments?

    Like a load of rubbish about paid parental leave when the legislation makes it perfectly clear that terms and conditions of employment are carried over. All the amendments trying to change the name, Labour Party speaker after speaker proposing new names for the Bill etc.

    Now, it is the fact that Labour has wasted so much time on completely frivolous amendments that shows, in reality, that their interest is in keeping this in the public spotlight. It’s the 2010 Auckland Council election campaign opening, and of course Mt Albert.

    • Anita 21.1

      Swampy,

      Parental leave is not a term and condition of employment. It is a statutory entitlement based on continuous employment. Transferring staff from the old structure to the new one will make their employment discontinuous and no mother or father will be entitled to parental leave for six months after the cut over, and their entitlement will be reduced (if not removed) for the six months after that.

      You might find this handy table useful.

  21. Hoolian 22

    Woah? Is anyone else overwhelmed with the total hypocrisy here?

    However Rodney and NACT have been doing everything in their power to avoid debate on the super-city.

    That’s blatantly untrue – there are two bills going through the select committee. Select committees are full of “debate”, so that completely negates that severe untruth. This bill (which has passed incidentally) was merely the creation of the Super City – which Labour supports!

    The point is that NACT hasn’t passed this bill through the usual parliamentary processes designed to modify or stop lousy legislation. They are putting through legislation that is designed to remove the ability of democratic institutions elected in 2007 from functioning in the role that they were elected for. Also NACT gave the bills out incredibly late.

    Um, anyone remember the debate over a bill validating political parties’ election overspend? Hmm, that was done under urgency. Oh and it was lousy.

    Or the ETS? That piece of legislation which was cited as one of the most complicated pieces of law in NZ? Hmm, that was passed under urgency also – with 785 amendments if I recall properly. Also lousy.

    And remember how the Labour-led government put Parliament into urgency so it can pass 13 bills through their remaining stages before the election last year? Definitely lousy.

    So where were your outcries then?

    Bah, this site spends too much of its time defending the indefensible. You have undermined your own argument.

    • r0b 22.1

      That’s blatantly untrue – there are two bills going through the select committee. Select committees are full of “debate’, so that completely negates that severe untruth.

      Rodney Hide has already made it clear that this process will be a sham Hoolian. It’s all been decided and they won’t listen:

      But Mr Hide made it clear those who opposed the plans for the Super City and how it was being structured should prepare to be disappointed.

      Also:

      Auckland Mayor John Banks said Mr Hide was prepared to listen to everyone who had something sound and sensible to add to the debate. “The structure of the proposition won’t change. What will happen now is we’re going to get a coalition of agreement on how we should build more democracy into those community boards.

      Mmmm yes, community boards with no powers. Very democratic. The structure won’t change. No consultation on the powers of the mayor, the local councils, the social issues board – all decided by Rodney and John without consultaiton of any kind – in fact with the opposite of consultation when they threw away the Royal Commission.

      Um, anyone remember the debate over a bill validating political parties’ election overspend? Hmm, that was done under urgency. Oh and it was lousy.

      Oh, and following the advice of Treasury to do so it was supported by all parties in parliament except National and Act (who also overspent).

      And remember how the Labour-led government put Parliament into urgency so it can pass 13 bills through their remaining stages before the election last year? Definitely lousy.

      All governments use urgency on occasion. Only National has so abused the process as to earn a stern rebuke even from their fans at The Herald, which wrote of National’s tactics in its first 100 days:

      It [National] has adopted a bulldozing approach that is disturbingly at odds with democratic Government. Gerry Brownlee would not even name the bills to be passed under urgency, but only the subject areas that they canvassed. Worse, he refused to give Opposition parties advance copies of any of the bills, until just before they were to be debated in Parliament.

      The fact that the matters were being dealt with under urgency already meant that there would be no chance for public submission; there is no room in the action plan for tedious details such as the select committee process, by which interested parties get to express their view about proposed legislation. But the public was denied the opportunity to even see the legislation, because the Nats were producing for debate law that had not been completely drafted and officially tabled and therefore, under Parliament’s rules, cannot be formally published.

      Extraordinarily, it was left to the Greens to scan paper copies and, in a samizdat-style operation reminiscent of the gulag-era Soviet Union, publish them on its own website. It is a state of affairs seriously at odds with the notion of a Parliamentary democracy.

      It is entirely possible that National is in the grip of a first flush of legislative enthusiasm. If so, it will adopt a more measured pace in the new year. If not, there is cause for concern. The Clark administration was often described as taking a “nanny state” approach – but it did consult widely; the Nats, by contrast, are looking remarkably like bullies.

      Sure enough, they’re still at it. “Cause for concern” indeed.

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  • 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
    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
  • 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
    4 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
    5 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
    5 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
    5 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 ...
    6 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
    6 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
    6 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 ...
    6 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
    6 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
    6 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
    11 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
    13 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
    14 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
    1 day 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
    6 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
    6 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
    6 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
    7 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. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Commission’s advice on ETS settings tabled
    Recommendations from the Climate Change Commission for New Zealand on the Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) auction and unit limit settings for the next five years have been tabled in Parliament, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. “The Commission provides advice on the ETS annually. This is the third time the ...
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