One of these things is not like the other IV

Written By: - Date published: 4:00 pm, May 1st, 2009 - 53 comments
Categories: humour, john key - Tags:

bush-key-and-obama

One of these things is not like the other…

One of these things is not quite the same.

Can you guess which one is not like the other…

Can you tell me before I finish the game?

53 comments on “One of these things is not like the other IV ”

  1. Clearly Obama’s the odd one out. The reasons are so numerous….

  2. gobsmacked 2

    Two of them are from Hawaii.

  3. Pat 3

    I fondly recall The Sprout’s first post. He had put so much effort in, even a bit of analysis, trying to support his argument. Those were the days.

    Sigh.

    • the sprout 3.1

      ouch! but a fair call Pat.
      i’m a pretty vacuous vegetable at the best of times and for the past few weeks i’ve been a little distracted by the arrival of a new sproutling.
      will try harder just as soon as i’m able.

  4. FletcherB 4

    One of them has a flag behind them?

  5. jerry 5

    Two US presidents vs one NZ Prime Minister………….

    It will be interesting to see if JK and BO have a similar slide in popularity over time as the one that Bush went through ….. 90% after the WTC attacks to 25% when he left office.

    Edit

    GS

    I thought one had a holiday home in Hawaii and only one was born in the USA ?

  6. Quoth the Raven 6

    They’re all pretty much the same to me. Interchange them and you’d pretty much get the same terrible result.

  7. dad4justice 7

    Boy Bush, Key Boy and Brown Fella? Hard choice no comment. I don’t have much time for pollies. They give me the shits!.

  8. BLiP 8

    Dubya and Goober left of Obama, WTF!

  9. Brett Dale 9

    One of them could turn out to be the greatest and most honest president the USA has ever had.

    One of them always said what he thought and stuck by it, even though it was plainly a bad idea.

    One of them is the Prime Minister of New Zealand who made a lot of money before becoming prime minister and small minded jealous people hate him for it, instead of applauding him for it.

    • BLiP 9.1

      Oh no, there has been applause, its just that the right are the only ones still clapping – like seal puppies.

    • Quoth the Raven 9.2

      Brett – Honest like saying you’ll hire no former Washington lobbyists than turning around and granting yourself an exemption to hire former Washington lobbyists. Honest like campaigning on withdrawing troops from Iraq within 16 months and when in office extending that by months and saying the countdown starts now no I mean now (months later) and even then around 50,000 troops will be left – some withdrawl.
      Great like setting a terrible precedent and not prosecuting the bushites for torture. Great like actually increaseing the military budget in the midst of a recession. Great like enacting the greatest transfer of wealth from the poor to the rich in the form of the bank bailouts. Oh yeah he’s made a few token gestures like closing Gitmo, but that doesn’t close all those other prisons around the world or saying the CIA won’t torture, but not actually stopping them from outsourcing that torture. From a man who’s campaign slogan came from a children’s television show (Bob the Builder) and who renamed the war on terror to the overseas contingency operation could we really ever expect real change?

      Brett I’m sure you’d be one of the first to criticise Labour’s spending, but what about Obama’s profligate spending? Or is it just that the handsome man gives you a tingly feeling?

      And making a lot of money in banking, praiseworthy? You’ll have a hard time convincing many people of that at this time except all those former bankers in Obama’s team (one of the reasons why Obama got more money from Wall st than McCain). I’d rather praise productive people not simply rich people.

  10. Graeme 10

    Two who have been accused of war crimes by Idiot/Savant, vs one who hasn’t?

  11. nup, can’t pick it.

    who is the odd one out sprout?

    is it you? me? brett dale? ; who applauds dickfaces who make money out of other peoples money, always clipping the ticket as it goes past.
    I would suggest as per the debacle’ we now reside in – the smartest guy in the room IS NOT That Nice Smiling Man.
    most delightful captcha: pagoda served. how apt.

  12. Easy, Key is not the ruler of a country that is committing war crimes and genocide in Iraq, Afghanistan and lord knows where else.

    I have just finished reading Pilgers updated “The new rulers of the world” This may not go well for my entire belief system. My head hurts.

  13. John Dalley 13

    The one on the right is not a dozy twat like the two on the left ???

  14. They are all scientifically similar in that they are all male bipedal mammals with an identical number of arms, legs and internal organs. The difference, of course, is that Mr Obama stands for change you can believe in.

    Also, the other two wish they were Obama.

    • jarbury 14.1

      Ah yes I think you’ve hit the nail on the head there micky. Obama is definitely the odd one out in that he actually wants to make the world a better place, not just for his cronies but for everyone.

      For Obama’s critics, it takes a long time to turn an oil tanker around…..

      • Pascal's bookie 14.1.1

        it takes a long time to turn an oil tanker around

        hehe I was thinking the same myself, was going to say.

        I’m not that fussed about what Obama does domestically. Selfish like that, just don’t see it as any of my business. On the torture and the wars, I’m paying attention. Yesterday, in a press conference he took another step, said waterboarding was torture in his opinion. Well fuck-a-doodle-doo. But methods don’t only apply to madness,

        There is a story about Pres Johnson and the civil rights movement. He was meeting with activists, and they were making their case. At the end of it he said words to the effect of, yes, I agree with you, now go make me do it.

        The release of those memo’s was a big deal. There is enormous establishment pressure not to do anything, and it’s good to see a lot of push back from Obama supporters in the states against that.

        Obama himself may be playing it very smart. The absolute last thing I want to see is an investigation get tarred as political payback. That is pretty much the only hope the torturers have. By being visibly reluctant, and yet putting as much info out there as people demand, Obama is countering that narrative. Obama himself cannot prosecute, but by not shutting the debate down, he is allowing the system to work. He called it torture. His justice dept has a legal duty to investigate crimes, and that signal was possibly that he would not stand in the way if Justice, or congress was to take steps. In spite of his rhetoric about moving forward and not looking back. By calling it torture (in his opinion) he has put himself one step more into a box.

        Obama needs to keep well out of it politically. It’s up to Congress to reveal more, putting pressure on Justice to appoint a special prosecutor to investigate.

        There are other pressure points as well. Bybee ( a memo writer) is possibly up for impeachment from his current gig on a california court, That would be a media shit storm, with much more revelations.

        Cheney is demanding the release of supposed documents showing the supposed benefits of the program, but that won’t save him if things turn legal. It’s a purely political play, and in any case, CIA FBI and Military sources have already said his claims are for shit. Arse covering cuts all ways apparently. Also, and too, if Cheney starts to request things be declassified, he is no longer in a position to be doing the cherry picking.

        According to the ACLU, there is plenty of video and transcript evidence of the interrogations. Just saying, Dick.

        The Spanish courts, (despite ignorant reporting to the contrary) are heading towards prosecutions. That will mean requests for the alleged war criminals to be sent to Spain. The American public won’t like that, but may think having criminal investigations themselves to be the best face saving reason for refusal.

        UN officials have already pointed out that by treaty, ratified into US law, there is a duty to investigate allegations of torture.

        drip. drip. drip.

        Coincidently I’m sure, I read somewhere unreliable that Bush snr, last year, bought a large amount of land, complete with spacious housing, in a South American country without an extradition treaty with the US. Probably an urban myth. But the thing with myths is, even though the words is false, they are all about what’s true.

        • BLiP 14.1.1.1

          A+

        • Quoth the Raven 14.1.1.2

          Jarbury – Why don’t you engage some of the points from “Obama’s critics” instead of just coming up with metaphors. If we’re talking about the direction of this ship he’s done so many things facing the same direction as his predecesors one would have to think he hasn’t even touched the wheel.

          Pascal – I get the politics behind leaving it to the Attorney General but really the politics are no real excuse for Obama. He initially wanted to give them immunity and we should remember that. That is absolutely disgusting and it speaks to a deplorable human being. If his equivocating is all down to politics that to me points to cowardly man without principles.

          Cheney is demanding the release of supposed documents showing the supposed benefits of the program, but that won’t save him if things turn legal. It’s a purely political play, and in any case, CIA FBI and Military sources have already said his claims are for shit.

          That’s not what Obama’s Director of National Intelligence, Dennis Blair thinks:

          “High-value information came from interrogations in which those methods were used and provided a deeper understanding of the al-Qaeda organization that was attacking this country,”

          Let’s not forget that the Obama Justice Department has thrown out a case against the NSA brought on behalf of the Americans who had illegal surveilance conducted on them and that they tried to get a case against John Yoo thrown out.

          The absolute last thing I want to see is an investigation get tarred as political payback.
          The absolute last thing I want to see is these people getting away with it.

          • BLiP 14.1.1.2.1

            I agree entirely. The cynical manipulation of war crimes for political ends is abominable, but even torturers deserve due process. Also, the longer Obama lets this play, the more of its filth will be exposed and pressure on the actual enablers and perpetrators intensified. They will be babbling wrecks by the time they face the dock.

          • Pascal's bookie 14.1.1.2.2

            The absolute last thing I want to see is these people getting away with it.

            Quite. I totally hear what you are saying believe me. On all your points.

            Where I disagree I think, is that I think Obama might be playing it a smarter way than an all out assault would be. The politics of what we see as the high road may be disastrous. Does that suck? Oh yes. But that’s the reality.

            If his equivocating is all down to politics that to me points to cowardly man without principles.

            At the end of the day it is going to be politics that gets it done though. If sticking by some principle leads to a higher risk of defeat, then what is the principled thing to do? Especially when the stakes are so high.

            And are you sure that his equivocating is genuine, and not tactical? I’m not yet, and that is my point.

            I’m not really interested in arguing about whether or not so and so is a bad man or what have you. I just want the process to go ahead with the best chance of success. That being defined by the rule of law being upheld, and future presidents being made aware that they are not above the law.

          • jarbury 14.1.1.2.3

            I think it’s worthwhile to give him some time…. that’s the point. It’s not like this is an easy point of time to fix a country that has had 8 years of suffering under possibly their worst president since….. well for a very long time anyway!

            Regarding his foreign policy, clearly nothing is ever particularly easy but I think Obama has taken some good steps forward while at the same time possibly not yet being the ‘saviour’ some hoped him to be. But this is politics, and he has really tried to get cross-party consensus on issues so that the USA can move away from the extremely partisan politics that it has suffered under since the 1970s. Having to shift policies radically away from what Bush did, but at the same time at least try to get some of the republicans on side is no mean feat.

            I don’t think Obama is after short-term fixes – he wants to change US politics and the US economy in a long-term way like FDR did. I am reading “The Conscience of a Liberal” by Paul Krugman at the moment (bloody good book by the way) and it would seem that Obama wants to operate in a way that shifts the average US political view back towards the far greater moderation that we saw in the 1940s-1970s. That would mean you can’t fix everything straight away.

          • Spectator 14.1.1.2.4

            You make very valid points. It is not Obama’s fault – but it is his problem to deal with – that the American public have been dumbed down to such an extent that they have no stomach for anything other than discrete, processed Change McNuggets rather than the real and substantive change necessary for America as it is today to survive.

            And change is absolutely necessary. Some time ago I read a wingnut article somewhere comparing Obama to Gorbachev. Oddly enough, the comparison was valid, although the talking points and conclusions made weren’t. Obama’s problem is that, just like Gorbachev, he has become the leader of a country that is bankrupt, both metaphorically and literally.

            Personally, having a soft spot for capitalism, I’m hoping that Obama succeeds with the USA where Gorbachev very narrowly failed with the USSR. But then, even Gorbachev had some success: that so many countries in Eastern Europe and the former USSR are at least comparatively free today is testament to his hard work.

        • Tim Ellis 14.1.1.3

          While I disagree with some of the points you’ve made here PB, it is a tremendously well-thought out response to what I suspect was a rather flippant and trivial original post.

  15. I forgot to add, two of them are w&%kers …

  16. DS 16

    >>>They are all scientifically similar in that they are all male bipedal mammals with an identical number of arms, legs and internal organs.<<<

    But that would imply that Bush has a brain.

    • DeeDub 16.1

      Fret not DS…

      A male chimpanzee is a (sometimes) bipedal mammal with an identical number of arms, legs and internal organs…

  17. Derek 17

    Two have been heads of state, one is a tosser

  18. Ag 18

    The answer is that all three attended Harvard College, but only Obama (J.D) and Bush (MBA) graduated.

    Key is, in fact, the only one of the three not to possess a graduate degree.

  19. ak 19

    One is the personification of humanity’s progress; a beacon of hope, and possible key to our species’ endurance.

    One is the personification of a chimpanzee; a key and abiding exemplar of historical impediments to progression.

    One is Key. Who gives a rat’s arse.

  20. logie97 20

    it’s in the eyes – the French have an expression “Il rit jaune – it’s a forced smile and the eyes tell a different story. Obama does not look as though he is holding onto a scalpel at the same time, and is genuinely happy to be photographed.

    • Ianmac 20.1

      Too true. Cover that Key smile with your hand and look deeply into his eyes. There ain’t no warmth in there!

  21. charlie 21

    Andrew Sullivan on torture, Jesus Wept.

    More than half of people who attend services at least once a week — 54 percent — said the use of torture against suspected terrorists is “often” or “sometimes” justified. Only 42 percent of people who “seldom or never” go to services agreed, according the analysis released Wednesday by the <a href=http://pewforum.org/docs/?DocID=156.Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life.

  22. Quoth the Raven 22

    Jarbury – The point is I don’t see much change, a couple positive moves, but that doesn’t distinguish him from the likes of Bill Clinton. Better than Bush yes, much better? not really. His bailouts of the banks transferring all that wealth from the poor to the rich is not change from the Bush years it’s just the same old bullshit from the oligarchs. Since he’s been in power he’s ramped up the attacks on Pakistan and he’s going to massively enlarge the operation in Afghanistan. He’s not really even drawing down in Iraq. Leaving 50,000 colonial troops is not much of draw down if you ask me and how much different is that from Bush given that he was going to draw down troop levels as well? To me not much has changed Bush’s war on terror has become Obama’s war on terror. And don’t forget that’s he’s actually increasing the military budget after years and years of ludicrous growth under Bush. When teachers are being laid off because the state’s can’t afford to keep them, when many American’s can’t afford healthcare, when the number of homeless has shot up, Obama is spending more on the military. I’m sorry but this guy doesn’t fill me with hope like he seems to be with some you guys. Comparing Obama to FDR makes me a little quesy. FDR was a fascist corporatist.
    I think debate has shifted so far to the right that what should be reasonable left wingers are supporting Obama along with the conservatives here. It’s sickening to me.

    Pascal – I think it is plainly obvious that Obama didn’t want to prosecute. he said as much himself repeatedly. So we can say the equivocating is not tactical it is genuine. He was pressured into his current position. See this newsweek article linked to from the Obama fan club Huffington post. So once again it disgusts me that he wanted to let these people get away with it.

  23. Irascible 23

    Two are puppets with their strings pulled by their self interested moneyed backers. Two are men whose careers were made of the backs of rumour and manipulation.
    One is a South Pacific Islander with a holiday home in Hawaii who speaks with English but has difficulty speaking it.
    One has a real vision that he has articulated and put into practice on both a local and world stage.

  24. Pascal's bookie 24

    “He was pressured into his current position.”

    “There is a story about Pres Johnson and the civil rights movement. He was meeting with activists, and they were making their case. At the end of it he said words to the effect of, yes, I agree with you, now go make me do it.”

    From your link:

    “One transition source, who asked not to be identified discussing sensitive matters, said that Attorney General-designate Eric Holder may be more inclined than other Obama aides to press the matter.”

    Eric Holder is the only one that matters. Not Obama, and not the chief of staff, who also was on the record against prosecutions. I don’t really want to keep going over this. The reason Obama can’t be the one to start saying ‘prosecute prosecute’ is that he is the president. It’s not his job, just like it wasn’t Bush’s job to be declaring people terrorists without trials. For him to be doing that would be part of the problem.

    It would also make the dynamic immediately politicised in an unhelpful way. The story would become Obama v Bush, Dem v GOP. Rather than The Law v Criminals. It makes the battlefield better for the criminals if that was what happened.

    By saying words to the effect that “I have no personal interest in a fight about this, here is what happened” and letting the process go forward, it helps in making it a legal fight rather than a political one. If he really was against prosecutions, why didn’t he fight to avoid releasing the memo’s? He had a better chance in that case than the one he fought, (and lost, coincidence?) about other state secrets. Also bear in mind that the courts may have redacted much more of the memo’s than Obama did, even if they ruled to release them.

    I’m well aware of what has been said by who. I’m also aware of what actions have been taken, and I’m just reserving judgment as the process plays out. I don’t think that is unreasonable.

    In any case, I doubt we are convincing each other, but that’s my position at the moment. Essentially reserved, pending further actions.

    • ripp0 24.1

      PB,

      Re your opening paragraph — did Johnson borrow that saying (in effect) from FDR.?

      To the blogger/standard — can I respectfully request that at some point when you play a similar exercize please substitute former Senator Phil Gramm for G.W. Bush – I’d be interested to know whether folks make any comparative with the middle pic above.. loosely this would be about mentors.. in the wider sense of events and happenings that career paths are prone to take..

    • Quoth the Raven 24.2

      Pascal – I’ve already said I understand the politics behind it. You make good points. It’s not a matter of convincing each other. The point that you’re not getting is that Obama didn’t want to prosecute. That’s what I’m saying and that’s what is so concerning.
      I hope now that Obama’s been forced to give up his original position that they will be prosecuted, but after the John Yoo case, Jewel v. NSA, Obama’s repeated praise of the CIA, I have doubts that any serious attempts will be made.
      Eric Holder himself said: “It would be unfair to prosecute dedicated men and women working to protect America for conduct that was sanctioned in advance by the Justice Department,”
      The obvious question is why? So you can see why I have little faith in him.
      This article in the huffington post concludes thusly:

      So, what should Obama do about all this? And what he will do? Bush, Cheney and the other leading officials who ordered torture or issued legal opinions supporting it ought to be investigated and if found legally liable, indicted, tried, and, if convicted, punished. But clearly, that’s not going to happen. Obama is not prepared to divide the country still further and take important time and energy away from the effort to end the Bush Depression and establish badly-needed health, energy and education policies, among others. (Maybe Obama should release or pardon the few small fry torturers now being punished since the big fish will get away)

      Congress or somebody else may appoint a commission or two to investigate–but to no prosecutorial end. And, as I’ve written before, no way will Obama permit any Bush officials to be prosecuted abroad. Remember, even the lowliest U.S. private soldier serving abroad is protected by status of forces agreements from being punished by a host country for carrying out official duties. And, however illegal or immoral, torture was an official duty ordered by Bush.

      The most likely outcome of this whole business will be that nobody will be punished (I don’t even think the Senate will try for, much less accomplish, the simplest punitive step, a two-thirds vote to remove Judge Bybee from office). And the failure to punish those responsible for torture will become, for those of us on the left, the equivalent of right-wing complaints against abortion, stem cell research and gay marriage. There will continue to be much fuss, but no satisfaction. I hope I’m wrong.

  25. jarbury 25

    I think you are being a bit unrealistically harsh on Obama Quoth. He didn’t present himself as “the most liberal President the US will ever have”. He presented himself as someone probably to the left of Clinton, but definitely not left enough to scare the American public.

    Remember, the USA has had a pretty damn conservative government since at least 1980. What may seem to be pretty extreme right-wing policies to us (no government funded healthcare) are seen as normal there. It sucks, but it’s the case. I believe that over time Obama will make a significant change to that situation, however it will take him 8 years to do that. If he goes too extreme then he’ll get kicked out in 2012 and we’ll end up with a bloody Republican president again! I would expect Obama to be a little more extreme in the changes he makes if he can win the 2012 election and if there’s a Democrat dominated congress throughout that time.

    I think in some ways Obama’s biggest legacy will be the changed position the USA has on climate change talks. Something might happen now.

  26. Quoth the Raven 26

    Jarbury – You’re right about climate change that has been a great change and there will be many other positive changes. But nevertheless, we must be ruthlessly critical of all people in positions of authority. It saddens me to see many lefties not being critical enough when it comes to Obama. It reminds me of how much the left has lost its way. I’m not being overly harsh on Obama I’m being realistically critical. He’s not that liberal, just a tad more than the last guy and he’s certainly not left wing. There will be positive changes, but the Afghanistan war, Pakistan, the bailouts, Israel-Palestine, military spending, it’s all just a continuation of same old policies, not change, with maybe a bit of window dressing here and there. Lefties would harshly criticise Bush if he did many of the things Obama has done and so Obama should be given the same ruthless treatment. He’s not going to make great changes, no matter how many terms he gets, not because its unfeasible or unpalatable to the American public (just look how much support he’s got there) no its because it’s unpalatable to him, because he is not who you think he is, Jarbury. That’s clearly demonstrable from his actions, not his lack of them, since he’s been in office.

  27. jarbury 27

    I’m not sure whether it’s that possible for Obama to be particularly ‘left’ with regards to foreign policy. US foreign policy is, in many ways, the biggest of big oil tankers to turn around. Their climate change policies are a huge step in the right direction, and I guess I’ll wait and we where he’s at military wise in four years time.

    I’m more heartened by the domestic policies I hope to see from him. Unlike NZ the US is embarking upon a “Green New Deal” and I think that’s a critical step in the right direction. I also have high hopes that Obama will finally do something about US health care – which is an utter embarrassment for a country of that wealth.

  28. rebelrocker 28

    Two of them are bible bashers, one’s not…

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    19 hours ago
  • Bernard’s six-stack of substacks at 6.06 pm on March 18
    TL;DR: In my ‘six-stack’ of substacks at 6.06pm on Monday, March 18:IKEA is accused of planting big forests in New Zealand to green-wash; REDD-MonitorA City for People takes a well-deserved victory lap over Wellington’s pro-YIMBY District Plan votes; A City for PeopleSteven Anastasiou takes a close look at the sticky ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 day ago
  • Peters holds his ground on co-governance, but Willis wriggles on those tax cuts and SNA suspension l...
    Buzz from the Beehive Here’s hoping for a lively post-cabinet press conference when the PM and – perhaps – some of his ministers tell us what was discussed at their meeting today. Until then, Point of Order has precious little Beehive news to report after its latest monitoring of the ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    1 day ago
  • Labour’s final report card
    David Farrar writes –  We now have almost all 2023 data in, which has allowed me to update my annual table of how  went against its promises. This is basically their final report card. The promise The result Build 100,000 affordable homes over 10 ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    2 days ago
  • “Drunk Uncle at a Wedding”
    I’m a bit worried that I’ve started a previous newsletter with the words “just when you think they couldn’t get any worse…” Seems lately that I could begin pretty much every issue with that opening. Such is the nature of our coalition government that they seem to be outdoing each ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    2 days ago
  • Wang Yi’s perfectly-timed, Aukus-themed visit to New Zealand
    Geoffrey Miller writes – Timing is everything. And from China’s perspective, this week’s visit by its foreign minister to New Zealand could be coming at just the right moment. The visit by Wang Yi to Wellington will be his first since 2017. Anniversaries are important to Beijing. ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    2 days ago
  • Gordon Campbell on Dune 2, and images of Islam
    Depictions of Islam in Western popular culture have rarely been positive, even before 9/11. Five years on from the mosque shootings, this is one of the cultural headwinds that the Muslim community has to battle against. Whatever messages of tolerance and inclusion are offered in daylight, much of our culture ...
    2 days ago
  • New Rail Operations Centre Promises Better Train Services
    Last week Transport Minster Simeon Brown and Mayor Wayne Brown opened the new Auckland Rail Operations Centre. The new train control centre will see teams from KiwiRail, Auckland Transport and Auckland One Rail working more closely together to improve train services across the city. The Auckland Rail Operations Centre in ...
    2 days ago
  • Bernard's six newsy things at 6.36am on Monday, March 18
    Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Retiring former Labour Finance Minister Grant Robertson said in an exit interview with Q+A yesterday the Government can and should sustain more debt to invest in infrastructure for future generations. Elsewhere in the news in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy at 6:36am: Read more ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago
  • Geoffrey Miller: Wang Yi’s perfectly-timed, Aukus-themed visit to New Zealand
    Timing is everything. And from China’s perspective, this week’s visit by its foreign minister to New Zealand could be coming at just the right moment. The visit by Wang Yi to Wellington will be his first since 2017. Anniversaries are important to Beijing. It is more than just a happy ...
    Democracy ProjectBy Geoffrey Miller
    2 days ago
  • The Kaka’s diary for the week to March 25 and beyond
    TL;DR: The key events to watch in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the week to March 18 include:China’s Foreign Minister visiting Wellington today;A post-cabinet news conference this afternoon; the resumption of Parliament on Tuesday for two weeks before Easter;retiring former Labour Finance Minister Grant Robertson gives his valedictory speech in Parliament; ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago
  • Bitter and angry; Winston First
    New Zealand First Leader Winston Peters’s state-of-the-nation speech on Sunday was really a state-of-Winston-First speech. He barely mentioned any of the Government’s key policies and could not even wholly endorse its signature income tax cuts. Instead, he rehearsed all of his complaints about the Ardern Government, including an extraordinary claim ...
    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
    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 â€“ 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 DĂŠjĂ  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
    4 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
    6 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
    6 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
    6 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
    7 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
    12 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
    14 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
    15 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
    5 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
    5 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
    5 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
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  • NZ, India chart path to enhanced relationship
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