Open mike 01/06/2023

Written By: - Date published: 6:00 am, June 1st, 2023 - 68 comments
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Open mike is your post.

For announcements, general discussion, whatever you choose.

The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the Policy).

Step up to the mike …

68 comments on “Open mike 01/06/2023 ”

  1. Sanctuary 1

    If the amount of toy throwing tantrums from Wayne Brown, Mautrice "millions of data points" Williamson, and Christine Fletcher in the last few days is any indication their ukelele band of aging boomer duffers on the council don't have their numbers to sell the airport shares or for their slash and burn budget.

    Brown in particular was a complete blathering idiot again by naming the two “left” councillors who he thought got him over the line on the airport share sale. Immediately the heat went on the two councillors in question who then ran a mile from backing the mayor’s proposal. I mean, what did he expect? Then he resorted to crude threats, typical.

    Maurice Williamson and Christine Fletcher were bot on RNZ this morning, Williamson attempting to scare the horses with weary 1990s TINA shroud waving and Christine Fletcher reprising Hyacinth Bucket while kicking the council sataff in the teeth, going so far as claiming she has been seeking “legal advice” about the the briefings from the council staff.

    They are NOT happy. They thought the good old days of the pre-super city Auckland council dominated by C&R fogeys was back with a vengeance.

    • PsyclingLeft.Always 1.1

      If Mayor "buckets" Brown response to the severe flooding was an indication….he should never be near any decision making. Ol' Nat failures Maurice Williamson and Christine Fletcher ditto.

      Hopefully there are enough with sense..and ability, to put a halt to these TINA's….

      IMO….

    • Ad 1.2

      It was good to see Mike Lee come out solidly against the sale of the airport shares.

      https://thedailyblog.co.nz/2023/05/30/guest-blog-mike-lee-councils-airport-share-privatisation-will-disinherit-future-generations-of-aucklanders/

      Still one guy in there with a memory.

      At some point the golf courses are going to have to come back into the frame.

      Selling the council’s golf courses would reduce the ongoing losses from running the courses of over $160 million per year and raise north of $4 billion in an asset sales process, which would lift the combination of avoided losses and interest savings to over $320 million a year.

      Check out the number of councils that are in serious trouble either in governance or in finances or both.

      All is not well.

      • Visubversa 1.2.1

        Unfortunately, the 13 or so golf courses that Auckland Council owns are a bit like Eden Park – they suck up a lot of public $$$$$ but are run by the political elite who have the ability to mount campaigns to ensure that the flow of public money remains unabated.

        Look what happened with Chamberlain Park golf course – unused to the point where Council was having to do everything to keep it going, but the minute there was a suggestion that the course be shared by reducing it to 9 holes and the waterway remediated and opened up for more local use, all hell broke loose.

        The moans that this was the only course available to "working class" people soon vanished beneath a tide of financial support for a Judicial Review (which failed on all counts) and a political campaign (which failed to get any C&R people elected in the relevant Ward).

        However, Covid and a few other things seems to have largely halted the plans for change and one has no faith that they will be pursued under this administration.

        • Ad 1.2.1.1

          I'm aware of that Chamberlain debate, and agree white old people are NZ's most effective lobbyists.

          Political noise ought to be generated about any asset sale.

          But if the airport share sale fails as a budget proposal, the Mayor is going to need a Plan B. And he will need it very fast.

          The Mayor needs to test whether he can get more Councillors to support golf course sales, not airport sales.

          • Belladonna 1.2.1.1.1

            I don't necessarily support golf course sales – in general I don't support selling publicly owned land – you never get it back.
            However, I do, most certainly, support repurposing those areas into more generally accessible parkland, sports and recreation areas and wetland remediation (January has taught us all how valuable these can be)
            It's possible that there might be some housing conversion in some areas – though I'd be highly cautious about this – our green-spaces are too precious to be built over. And, while the air-port shares have been characterized as 'selling the family silver'; in reality, it's our green spaces which are the family silver of our cities.

            Of course, if a private entity and/or community trust wants to purchase one of the golf courses – at full land and improvements value price – with a permanent covenant to prevent it being converted into any other use – I'd be willing to consider this. I note that those wealthy-golf-playing users are highly reluctant to consider this option.

            • Visubversa 1.2.1.1.1.1

              There are some of them which are not suitable for housing development as they are in wet areas – Narrow Neck being the most obvious.

              However they cost a lot to maintain and that includes a shedload of chemicals for weed control, fertalisers etc, so there is an ecological cost as well.

              There is certainly a premium to be obtained for housing that abuts a golf course and in these days of using less, there is nothing scared about 18 holes.

              • Belladonna

                However, if you're selling off the golf course for housing, then there is, no-longer an 18-hole golf course for the housing to abut.

          • Bearded Git 1.2.1.1.2

            The airport sale is not really a "budget proposal". It is a chance for Brown's rich mates to pick up shares that are a surefire bet to appreciate billions. This is what it is all about really.

            I was listening to ZB yesterday (crazy I know but RNZ is boring in the afternoon) where they had a debate on the airport sale. Simon Barnet to his credit was arguing that the airport should be retained by the council. A finance expert texted in and said Auckland Airport was one of the key shares he would always recommend as part a balanced portfolio, along with the banks, power companies etc.

            • tc 1.2.1.1.2.1

              Just like the power generators, shift the dividend from public to private hands with a manufactured 'the sky will fall if we dont'.

              We can all see how that worked out with them shelling out 3bill more in dividends than profit I.e. loading up debt on essential utility entities.

            • higherstandard 1.2.1.1.2.2

              'The airport sale is not really a "budget proposal". It is a chance for Brown's rich mates to pick up shares that are a surefire bet to appreciate billions. This is what it is all about really.'

              The shares are freely tradable on the stock exchange at present they have appreciated by 33% over the last 5 years so hardly stellar returns.

              • Incognito

                The AIA share price tanked in 2020 thanks to the Covid-19 pandemic. So, the comparable performance over the last 5 years with NZ50G, for example, is arguably stellar.

      • higherstandard 1.2.2

        Who are the council going to sell them to ?

        Would the land be covenanted to stop massive in fill housing which will stuff the city even more than its currently being stuffed up ?

  2. Sanctuary 2

    There will end up being a rates rise considerably more than 4.5% but less than 10%, a bit more borrowing, and maybe some shares sold.

    Aything less than total victory for the boomer ukelele band will infuriate the old duffer vote and the spewing in the Herald will be enormously funny to read.

    • Phillip ure 2.1

      There is a mathematical equation around airport shares I am still unclear on..

      As 20% owners of airport shares council is responsible for 20% of the interest paid annually on the large debt the airport owes..

      How much is that each year .?

      And is that separate from or factored into/deducted from the dividend paid out to council..?

      And re council debt…why is a one-off large rate rise a third rail..?

      We are talking about real estate that has had massive increases in value..

      The amount asked for in such a one-off (to clear debt)…would be chump change compared to the profits those owners have enjoyed..

      And why can't commercial rates be amped up to something realistic..?

      Once again this would be chump change in their annual overheads..

      Why the third rail…?

      Is anyone arguing for this..?

      If not..why not…?

  3. Sanctuary 3

    Wayne Brown's lack of tranparency and accountability to the media (except for chosen lackies like Boresman at the Herald) appears to finally be becoming a story:

    https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/local-government/300893959/auckland-mayor-wayne-brown-cherrypicks-journalists-to-best-convey-his-message-on-major-council-budget-update

    The guy has had a dream run with the media, with hagiographic coverage by NZME and a benefit of the doubt approach from the “B” team that is the rest of the MSM. It looks like they've begun to get a bit tired with that “B” team moniker.

    If the non-NZME MSM decide to go to war with the mayor, things will start to get spicey.

    • AB 3.1

      Newshub also have the story – Brown apparently invited only "sensible" media and Newshub were excluded. Brown is using tame media as a propaganda machine and excluding others – he should go now.

        • Phillip ure 3.1.1.1

          I read the orsman piece..

          In it the claim is made that council pays out $100 million each year in interest..and receives back $23 million in dividend…(!)

          If that claim is true..(and I know that in some years no dividend was paid…but you don't get that payout leniency with interest due..do you..?)

          If that is true..it is economic madness for council to continue to own those shares…

          How can it not be..?

          And a breakdown of the last ten years could be useful..

          How much was paid out in interest by council in those years..?

          against how much was paid in dividend to Auckland council..?

          That should bring things more sharply into focus..

        • Visubversa 3.1.1.2

          Bernard would not be pleased when he saw the collection of dingbats and frootloops who were invited as VIP guests. The "Westmere Weirdo Collection" for a start. Lisa Praegar and her mates.

      • Sanctuary 3.1.2

        Holy shambolic ramble batman!

        What was with his press conference? Watch it. Halting delivery, rude, sarcastic and gratuitously nasty. The guy is the complete ugly boomer. What a tosser.

        • Phillip ure 3.1.2.1

          What is the word for a male 'karen' ..?

        • Phillip ure 3.1.2.2

          I saw the highlights reel…

          He slammed Auckland transport for spending $ 11 million in tarting up the vodofone building they decided was their.new hq..plus for the huge annual lease they pay..and told them to get out of there..and move into the council building..

          I don't have any problems with that..

          And he slammed that troughing exercise the heart of the city..for what it is..

          And I don't have any problems with that..

          I would also have no problem with him clearing out the enormous amount of comms staff that council employs…(with them I have long wondered w.t.f. do they actually do all day..?

          And what's with the fucken vehicles they buy…?

          Why do they have to have massive diesel suvs to drive around in..?..suvs that never see mud on their tyres..and are really really expensive/polluting..

          Give them vans…and nissan bloody micras to drive around in..

          And yes…focus on the golf courses…and return them to public use..open spaces open to all..and any building on to be community focused…

          And speaking of troughing..why is former mayor phil trough not in the gun for this blowout..?

          • Visubversa 3.1.2.2.1

            Because the head of the Finance Committee of the previous Council was Councillor Desley Simpson. Former wife of a Nat MP, present wife of the previous National Party President. The finances were in her hands. She is now the Deputy Mayor.

            And Phil Goff returned substantial amounts of his Mayoral Office budget unspent. He was not a profligate Mayor.

            • Phillip ure 3.1.2.2.1.1

              Thank you for clarifying that…

              So she would have approved a.t. spending $11 million on refurbishment..and $6 million (!) in lease payments each year..?

              And the purchase of all those remuera tractors..?

              And if she was running finances how was it not in this crisis situation just before the election..?

              Under her watch…

      • rod 3.1.3

        Lets face it, Brown is just another National Party Poodle.

    • newsense 3.2

      Time to remember that as well as being a cu t, this guy is a proto-fascist, surrounded by people who will help him achieve that way of working , including ex-tobacco industry folk and others with similar moral values.

  4. Sanctuary 4

    According to the story on the radio this morning, Te Whata Ora has inherited 270 middle managers they plan to rationalise to 110 and 200 comms staff they want to slash by a huge amount as well.

    https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/491097/te-whatu-ora-to-decide-fate-of-hundreds-of-jobs-on-friday

    It seems stories of bloated DHB bureaucracies full of overpaid middle managers getting fat on the taxpayer dime may not have been far from the mark.

    Ironic it is a Labour government taking the razor to the PMC when all the hot air on the issue always comes from the right.

  5. Sanctuary 5

    In another item of interest, I read the Ukrainian government has begun turning off all CCTV cameras and blocking mobile phone signals.

    That most likely signals the movement of units from rear areas to forming up points preparatory to an assault.

    • UncookedSelachimorpha 5.1

      Slava Ukaini!

      I wish the Ukrainians the best of luck in throwing out the russian invaders. Unfortunately it will not happen without the loss of many Ukrainian lives, which is appalling. No Ukrainian wanted or asked for this.

  6. Ad 6

    So check out how tight this town is.

    The Mayor is the son of a senior Council official who was ousted and paid out massively, just before the election.

    A major petition calling for the resignation of the Council chief executive was launched by an employee in a company owned by a sitting councillor.

    That same business also employs the Mayor's mother.

    https://www.stuff.co.nz/southland-times/southland-top-stories/132193092/councillors-employee-set-up-petition-calling-for-gore-ceos-resignation

    And of course as a result of no-one talking to each other at the council, they now have to put up their rates with no public consultation.

    That is one divided town.

  7. Mike the Lefty 7

    A repost from yesterday.

    For those interested in the debate over Artificial Intelligence and its probable National Party role in election advertising I urge you to listen to yesterday's "The Detail" programme on RNZ.

    • Sanctuary 7.1

      National would be mad to continue using AI into the election campaign. As it is, they have a credibility problem. Running ads using AI would mean the integrity of National would be what was discussed in the media, not the content of the advertisments.

      • tsmithfield 7.1.1

        I really don't see why people are vexxing about this. Likely, every party will be using it at the next election. I think people are just jealous that National got in first.

        • Incognito 7.1.1.1

          Yeah, right! I was very jealous of Chris Luxon, as not everybody can afford holidaying in Te Puke.

          • tsmithfield 7.1.1.1.1

            From what I have seen, there doesn't appear to be any problem with using that technology. After all, even if real people are used in ads, people often aren't aware if the people actually believe what they are saying.

            It would be a problem though, if AI were used, say to generate video of Hipkins confessing to be a pedo, or similar.

            That is where I think the greatest danger lies, in that it is getting increasingly difficult for people to distinguish what is true and what is false.

            But, I see no problem at all in the context for which it was used in those ads. As I said, everyone will be using it next time.

            • Incognito 7.1.1.1.1.1

              Your reply contains a strawman fallacy, as there are already NZ Laws to protect people against defamation and false allegations.

              You seem to be one of the Three Wise Monkeys.

            • Phillip ure 7.1.1.1.1.2

              I don't see any problem..in this case..of/from using ai images over stock photos…

              Where's the problem..?

              • tsmithfield

                Exactly. As I pointed out below, AI images can be created to exactly match the requirement for the ad or whatever.

                Not always that easy to do with stock images.

                • Mike the Lefty

                  I suppose making up fictitious people saying what you want them to say is cheaper than going out and paying real people to do it, as they said on "The Detail" last night.

                  • Belladonna

                    I suppose making up fictitious people saying what you want them to say

                    Isn't that what all advertising is?

                    How is it morally superior to pay an actor to pose in your advertisement, or pay for a stock image to illustrate your advertisement; rather than using an AI to generate the image?

                    No one supposes that the actor agrees with the content of the advertisement (Does the Briscoes lady really buy everything from that store?) – let alone a stock image – where the actor may not even know their image has been used.

        • adam 7.1.1.2

          The jealous chestnut this early in the election cycle, you tory's are really shitting yourselves 'ant ya.

      • Stuart Munro 7.1.2

        Frankly, artificial intelligence is probably the only intelligence they have access to. It probably has more human qualities and charm than most of their MPs too. Luxon likely feels safer when it's rifling through the barbecue cutlery than when Nicola or Simian are grasping at steak knives.

    • Incognito 7.2

      https://www.newsroom.co.nz/technology/this-election-year-we-need-to-brace-ourselves-for-ai

      Way scarier scenarios than The War of the Worlds (the radio version).

      • tsmithfield 7.2.1

        I am not saying there shouldn't be concern about the use of AI. I think there is a danger we start to lose our sense of humanity.

        For instance, songwriters such as bill Dillan, and Paul Simon wrote songs based on their life experiences and thoughts. It won't be long before the likes of ChatGpt can write content as well as that, but, not based at all on its own thoughts or beliefs.

        • Incognito 7.2.1.1

          You’re deflecting and there’s obviously no point in having a convo with you on this topic.

          • tsmithfield 7.2.1.1.1

            I still am trying to understand why there is a problem in this context. The ads I have seen use AI generated pictures of people. So what? It is probably a lot less complex in terms of getting authorisation to use pictures etc. And certainly no copyright issues as per their experience in previous elections.

            It is really no different than using a face of a real person that hardly anyone recognises.

            Commentators seem to be unconcerned about the way National is using the technology, but rather about its potential to be misused.

            Meanwhile, researchers are concerned that the tools could be used to boost the power of disinformation and misinformation.

            And people don’t seem particularly bothered about the way National is using the technology.

            Most Aucklanders approached by Breakfast yesterday said they were relatively unconcerned by National using AI to create stock images.

            • tsmithfield 7.2.1.1.1.1

              A major advantage with using this sort of technology is that it can be adjusted to create an image with exactly the required expression, and exactly the right context in terms of background etc.

              Having dabbled in projects requiring lots of stock images myself, it isn't that easy to find real content that meets the requirements exactly.

              • Incognito

                A major advantage with using this sort of technology is that it can be adjusted to create an image with exactly the required expression, and exactly the right context in terms of background etc.

                That’s exactly one of the major concerns, i.e., it can be very quickly & easily personalised with personal information that’s already out there, especially on Social Media.

                If you had actually listened to The Detail programme on RNZ (cf. @ 7 with link in article linked @ 7.2) you would have known this and you wouldn’t have wondered “why people are vexxing about this”.

                Why should we engage with you if you don’t engage with us and the material we provide you?

            • Incognito 7.2.1.1.1.2

              sigh

              Selective quotes from selected sources aka confirmation bias.

              In other words, nothing to see here folks, move on aka the Three Wise Monkeys.

              • tsmithfield

                I listened to most of that. And it really isn't saying anything different to what I have already said. That the technology has the capacity to be misused.

                I think the real danger is the technology being used to create pics/video of real people rather than imaginary people.

                I highly doubt that politcal parties will stoop to that level. But there probably is danger from some of the fringe elements because it is so cheap and accessible.

                For instance, if Jacinda was still PM, I could imagine anti-vax crazies creating video of Jacinda stating that she knew the Covid Vaccine was poison, or something like that.

                • tsmithfield

                  I agree that our legisaltion is well behind on that. But, as you have already said, there is current defamation laws etc.

                  We also have advertising rules here that control a lot of what can be broadcast, though the likes of Twitter has its own rules.

                  So long as AI isn't doing anymore than what traditional actors, or stock photos can do, then it should be controlled by existing laws.

                  An interesting situation could be if AI generated say a video of a character that looked very much like Hipkins or Luxon making some sort of imaginary statement in the future.

                  Is that defamatory? Because no-one knows what will happen in the future, as to whether that statement will ever be made or not.

                  • Incognito

                    You seem to be having problems reply to the right comments in the thread!? Why is that?

                    We also have advertising rules here that control a lot of what can be broadcast, though the likes of Twitter has its own rules.

                    Since you’re referring to Twitter and its ‘rules’ I’m taking you even less serious than before.

                    So long as AI isn't doing anymore than what traditional actors, or stock photos can do, then it should be controlled by existing laws.

                    You’re once again completely missing the point; governments and their laws & regulations are always miles behind new IT developments and most definitely with the latest GPT-AI improvements. It was discussed on The Detail. In any case, where have you been hiding and do you follow the news at all?

                    An interesting situation could be if AI generated say a video of a character that looked very much like Hipkins or Luxon making some sort of imaginary statement in the future.

                    You love your hypotheticals, don’t you? But you’re diverting away again from what has already happened, is already happening, and what we have been discussing here all along. Why don’t you stay on topic?

                    Is that defamatory? Because no-one knows what will happen in the future, as to whether that statement will ever be made or not.

                    QED; strawman fallacies galore from you.

                • Incognito

                  I listened to most of that.

                  At what point did you stop and why?

                  And it really isn't saying anything different to what I have already said. That the technology has the capacity to be misused.

                  How do you know if you didn’t listen to all of it? In any case, this is a gross misrepresentation of what was discussed in that episode of The Detail.

                  I think the real danger is the technology being used to create pics/video of real people rather than imaginary people.

                  I highly doubt that politcal parties will stoop to that level.

                  You seem to have glossed over everything that others and we have discussed here, including the mock-up fast and furious 10 movie poster. You tell us with an honest face that those faces don’t resemble the real cast of the fast and the furious?

                  But there probably is danger from some of the fringe elements because it is so cheap and accessible.

                  You’re deflecting again; the National Party is not a ‘fringe element’.

                  For instance, if Jacinda was still PM […]

                  Strawman and red herring fallacies combined in one.

  8. tsmithfield 8

    It looks like the PMs office was advised in late January about attendance data being held up. Interestinger and interestinger.

    Could Hipkins be caught up in a breach of priveledge by extension if it turns out he was aware of the breach and didn't do anything about it?

  9. Ad 9

    700 Hawkes Bay properties to be bought out, thousands more affected.

    https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/300894282/maps-revealing-hawkes-bay-red-zones-released-to-residents

    Aroha out to the people of Hawkes Bay.

  10. Stephen D 10

    Replying to MtL at 7.

    Lianne Dalziel has a very thoughtful column on today’s Newsroom.

    https://www.newsroom.co.nz/fear-and-loathing-on-the-campaign-trail?utm_source=Newsroom&utm_campaign=ec227fb1d5-Daily_Briefing+1.06.2023&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_71de5c4b35-ec227fb1d5-47886425

    ”I have been exploring ChatGPT of late, so I shared the answer it had given to a question about the shortcomings of AI in decision-making:

    ‘AI's limitations in decision-making arise from its lack of common sense, emotional understanding, and creativity. It can perpetuate biases and discrimination due to flawed training data and struggles to handle unforeseen situations. Additionally, AI lacks ethical reasoning and may make decisions that are technically correct but ethically questionable. These limitations highlight the need for human oversight and intervention to ensure responsible and unbiased decision-making in AI systems.’

    It’s well worth a read.

    My own thoughts are that as long as businesses can monetise AI, which they have already, the horse has bolted. We’re just walking behind with a shovel.

    • tsmithfield 10.1

      My own thoughts are that as long as businesses can monetise AI, which they have already, the horse has bolted. We’re just walking behind with a shovel.

      Exactly. It is very difficult, if not impossible to control this as there are lots of places in the world not subject to controls. This sort of stuff popping up on twitter all the time now.

      I think it will be up to individual countries and the various platforms such as twitter to set rules to control how the technology is used within the scope of their authority.

      • Incognito 10.1.1

        Are you kidding us? Elon Musk is going to protect us from mis- and dis-information spreading that’s enormously facilitated by GPT-AI!?

  11. Joe90 11

    Imperialism has always been a criminal enterprise.

    /

    @MargoGontar

    Here you can see russian media Fontanka SPB online bragging how russia gonna sell in St Petersburg the “elite” sweet cherry they stole from Ukrainian city Melitopol they attacked and occupied. All you need to know about russians.

    […]

    @MargoGontar

    They also add it is organized by “Zaporizhzhia authorities” which actually means “russia pawns on occupied territory” . Fkc you russia hope you choke on it

    https://twitter.com/MargoGontar/status/1663965738833461256

  12. tWiggle 12

    The Electoral Commission is investigating Sue Grey's Outdoors&Freedom Party and Brian Tamaki's Vision? Party, after both took $66k from the $4.1mi election advertising budget, then the next day merged into the umbrella Freedoms NZ Party with a third group.

    'Under the Broadcasting Act, each registered party is entitled to a taxpayer-funded allocation for TV and radio advertising during the campaigning period…..But the Broadcasting Act also contains provisions for funding allocations to be delivered to a “group of parties” instead of each distinct party, if the commission deems those parties have joined forces."

    Perhaps if they had merged even a few weeks later, the EC might have let it slide, but the NEXT DAY is a bit obviously pigs in the trough.

    Sue Grey was that noisy lawyer shrieking about Baby W with the heart defect and untainted blood in front of the High Court. She is also under review by the Law Society for releasing the name of a boy who died of other causes, claiming he had died of the 'jab', which upset his family greatly.

    Tamaki, who said 4-5 months ago 'I will not stand in the election…politics is not for me', also claimed that Gisbourne was flooded because of the number of searches from there for 'gay porn' – based on Brian's personal investigation of PornHub.

    Herald article on EC opening investigation

  13. newsense 13

    We’re not allowed to post imbedded YouTube clips?
    Sad.

    any way here’s some external links to reactions other than Simon Bridges’ at Wayne Brown’s diverse meeting yesterday to his budget:

    Inside the Brown meeting

    Johnsons all!

    And here is the Mayor’s speech:

    And who amongst us can argue with that? It is indeed a pity Mayor Brown did not invite children to hear his words…

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    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    5 hours ago
  • Misremembering Justinian’s Taxes.
    Tax Lawyer Barbara Edmonds vs Emperor Justinian I - Nolo Contendere: False historical explanations of pivotal events are very far from being inconsequential.WHEN BARBARA EDMONDS made reference to the Roman Empire, my ears pricked up. It is, lamentably, very rare to hear a politician admit to any kind of familiarity ...
    5 hours ago
  • Bryce Edwards: Scoring 4.6 out of 10, the new Government is struggling in the polls
    It’s been a tumultuous time in politics in recent months, as the new National-led Government has driven through its “First 100 Day programme”. During this period there’s been a handful of opinion polls, which overall just show a minimal amount of flux in public support for the various parties in ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    6 hours ago
  • Bishop scores headlines with crackdown on unwelcome tenants – but Peters scores, too, as tub-thump...
    Buzz from the Beehive Housing Minister Chris Bishop delivered news – packed with the ingredients to enflame political passions – worthy of supplanting Winston Peters in headline writers’ priorities. He popped up at the post-Cabinet press conference to promise a crackdown on unruly and antisocial state housing tenants. His ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    7 hours ago
  • Will it make the boat go faster?
    Ele Ludemann writes – The Reserve Bank is advertising for a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion advisor. The Bank has one mandate – to keep inflation between one and three percent. It has failed in that and is only slowly getting inflation back down to the upper limit. Will it ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    10 hours ago
  • Bryce Edwards: Is Simon Bridges’ NZTA appointment a conflict of interest?
    Last week former National Party leader Simon Bridges was appointed by the Government as the new chair of the New Zealand Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA). You can read about the appointment in Thomas Coughlan’s article, Simon Bridges to become chair of NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi The fact that a ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    10 hours ago
  • Is Simon Bridges’ NZTA appointment a conflict of interest?
    Bryce Edwards writes – Last week former National Party leader Simon Bridges was appointed by the Government as the new chair of the New Zealand Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA). You can read about the appointment in Thomas Coughlan’s article, Simon Bridges to become chair of NZ Transport Agency ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    10 hours ago
  • Bernard's Top 10 @ 10 'pick 'n' mix' at 10:10am on Tuesday, March 19
    TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: Gavin Jacobson talks to Thomas Piketty 10 years on from Capital in the 21st Century The SalvoLocal scoop: Green MP’s business being investigated over migrant exploitation claims Stuff Steve KilgallonLocal deep-dive: The commercial contractors making money from School ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    11 hours ago
  • Bernard's six newsy things on Tuesday, March 19
    It’s a home - but Kāinga Ora tenants accused of “abusing the privilege” may lose it. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The Government announced a crackdown on Kāinga Ora tenants who were unruly and/or behind on their rent, with Housing Minister Chris Bishop saying a place in a state ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    12 hours ago
  • New Life for Light Rail
    This is a guest post by Connor Sharp of Surface Light Rail  Light rail in Auckland: A way forward sooner than you think With the coup de grâce of Auckland Light Rail (ALR) earlier this year, and the shift of the government’s priorities to roads, roads, and more roads, it ...
    Greater AucklandBy Guest Post
    13 hours ago
  • Why Are Bosses Nearly All Buffoons?
    Note: As a paid-up Webworm member, I’ve recorded this Webworm as a mini-podcast for you as well. Some of you said you liked this option - so I aim to provide it when I get a chance to record! Read more ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    15 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
    1 day 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
    1 day 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
    1 day 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 ...
    1 day 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
    2 days ago
  • Bring out your Dad
    Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago
  • Bring out your Dad
    Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago
  • Bring out your Dad
    Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago
  • The bewildering world of Chris Luxon – Guns for all, not no lunch for kids
    .“$10 and a target that bleeds” - Bleeding Targets for Under $10!.Thanks for reading Frankly Speaking ! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.This government appears hell-bent on either scrapping life-saving legislation or reintroducing things that - frustrated critics insist - will be dangerous and likely ...
    Frankly SpeakingBy Frank Macskasy
    3 days ago
  • Expert Opinion: Ageing Boomers, Laurie & Les, Talk Politics.
    It hardly strikes me as fair to criticise a government for doing exactly what it said it was going to do. For actually keeping its promises.”THUNDER WAS PLAYING TAG with lightning flashes amongst the distant peaks. Its rolling cadences interrupted by the here-I-come-here-I-go Doppler effect of the occasional passing car. ...
    3 days ago
  • Manufacturing The Truth.
    Subversive & Disruptive Technologies: Just as happened with that other great regulator of the masses, the Medieval Church, the advent of a new and hard-to-control technology – the Internet –  is weakening the ties that bind. Then, and now, those who enjoy a monopoly on the dissemination of lies, cannot and will ...
    3 days ago
  • A Powerful Sensation of Déjà Vu.
    Been Here Before: To find the precedents for what this Coalition Government is proposing, it is necessary to return to the “glory days” of Muldoonism.THE COALITION GOVERNMENT has celebrated its first 100 days in office by checking-off the last of its listed commitments. It remains, however, an angry government. It ...
    3 days ago
  • Can you guess where world attention is focussed (according to Greenpeace)? It’s focussed on an EPA...
    Bob Edlin writes –  And what is the world watching today…? The email newsletter from Associated Press which landed in our mailbox early this morning advised: In the news today: The father of a school shooter has been found guilty of involuntary manslaughter; prosecutors in Trump’s hush-money case ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    3 days ago
  • Further integrity problems for the Greens in suspending MP Darleen Tana
    Bryce Edwards writes – Is another Green MP on their way out? And are the Greens severely tarnished by another integrity scandal? For the second time in three months, the Green Party has secretly suspended an MP over integrity issues. Mystery is surrounding the party’s decision to ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    3 days ago
  • Jacqui Van Der Kaay: Greens’ transparency missing in action
    For the last few years, the Green Party has been the party that has managed to avoid the plague of multiple scandals that have beleaguered other political parties. It appears that their luck has run out with a second scandal which, unfortunately for them, coincided with Golraz Ghahraman, the focus ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    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
    4 days ago
  • The day Wellington up-zoned its future
    Wellington’s massively upzoned District Plan adds the opportunity for tens of thousands of new homes not just in the central city (such as these Webb St new builds) but also close to the CBD and public transport links. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Wellington gave itself the chance of ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • Weekly Roundup 15-March-2024
    It’s Friday and we’re halfway through March Madness. Here’s some of the things that caught our attention this week. This Week in Greater Auckland On Monday Matt asked how we can get better event trains and an option for grade separating Morningside Dr. On Tuesday Matt looked into ...
    Greater AucklandBy Greater Auckland
    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 ...
    5 days ago
  • Bernard's Top 10 @ 10 'pick 'n' mix' for March 14
    TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: Jonathon Porritt calling bullshit in his own blog post on mainstream climate science as ‘The New Denialism’.Local scoop: The Wellington City Council’s list of proposed changes to the IHP recommendations to be debated later today was leaked this ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • No, Prime Minister, rents don’t rise or fall with landlords’ costs
    TL;DR: Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said yesterday tenants should be grateful for the reinstatement of interest deductibility because landlords would pass on their lower tax costs in the form of lower rents. That would be true if landlords were regulated monopolies such as Transpower or Auckland Airport1, but they’re not, ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • Cartoons: ‘At least I didn’t make things awkward’
    This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Tom Toro Tom Toro is a cartoonist and author. He has published over 200 cartoons in The New Yorker since 2010. His cartoons appear in Playboy, the Paris Review, the New York Times, American Bystander, and elsewhere. Related: What 10 EV lovers ...
    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
    4 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
    9 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
    11 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
    11 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
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