Open mike 04/02/2020

Written By: - Date published: 7:00 am, February 4th, 2020 - 86 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 …

86 comments on “Open mike 04/02/2020 ”

  1. Ad 1

    If this virus does take China down economically for a year or more, it gets New Zealand both directly through tourism, students, and commodity exports, and indirectly pulling down other markets critical to us such as Japan, South Korea, Taiwan and Sungapore.

    Its time our Finance Minister addressed us on the forecast economic impact here.

    • Sabine 1.1

      it is already getting us through tourism.

      here in middle nuzilind where people make money milking cows or tourists the first lay offs have already happened. The hotels are posting vacancy and the eateries are contemplating cutting hours fro staff.

      And its not even been two month.

    • Cinny 1.2

      The Listening Post covered the Corona virus in the weekend. The initial burying of the virus's seriousness by the Chinese govt and their state run media, helped in part to facilitate the spread of misleading information via social media. Sadly the silence from Beijing also led to a lack of public awareness about the virus, thereby encouraging it's spread.

      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AUS-W81mElQ It's the first story up, the other stories that follow are also well worth watching. Good episode.

      I do hope the NZ government is communicating with our exporters and coming up with a plan to avoid false rumours and worry.

      Meanwhile in China there was a truly bizarre effort to soothe the population, the Shanghai Media Group and it's tv stars decided to create and air a music video as a response to the virus. It's weird. You can watch it at the end of the link above.

  2. Rapunzel 2

    Does anyone know why the returns for candidate donations in previous years that were released to the public are no longer on the original Electoral Commission page they were or where to find them?

    https://thestandard.org.nz/the-2017-general-election-electorate-expense-returns/

    I know I've seen them before around the time this story was in The Standard
    https://vote.nz/events/2017-general-election/2017-parties-candidates-and-third-parties/third-party-returns-2017

  3. Ad 3

    Can I just give a big shoutout to the Milford Road Alliance team. Such beauty in that forested valley, such torrential rage.

    You've got a mighty load of road building ahead, crack into it.

    • bwaghorn 3.1

      I predict that in ten years the westcoast will be largely abandoned, this is the 3rd significant road wreacking storm in the last year or so . It will become to expensive to keep open.

      • Ad 3.1.1

        I predict the opposite.

        They may be shrinking but they're the toughest NZer around.

        Continuing huge tourist booms as we get relatively safer with each passing year.

      • Adrian 3.1.2

        They have been saying that for150 years.

  4. Sanctuary 4

    Oh God, Guyon is going on about NZ First again.

    Look Guyon, we all know you got given a spreadsheet by a disgruntled ex-NZ First employee and it gave you a hard-on, but you’ve yet to come up with anything other than breathless “revelations” that amount to not much really.

    Why don’t you do an in depth look at the systemic issue of party funding in NZ, instead of sensationalist bullshit bully pulpit blathering because since you’ve become woke and learnt a bit of Te Reo you are personally affronted at NZ First’s view of how Maori should think?

  5. Sanctuary 5

    Question – has the Standard ever considered going onto Youtube, similar to how Novara Media work?

    You know, start to create an alternative left wing media eco system to the boring crapfest the Morning report has become and the dollar store version of the Daily Mail the NZ Herald is these days?

    Imagine – Advantage talks to Andrew Geddis and Paul Buchanan about party funding for 90 minutes… Or Mickey Savage talks to the editor of Crickey.com.au and Paul Fitzsimmons about Australian politics…

    A little studio is cheap as chips to set up these days!

    • Ad 5.1

      For me that's not until I semiretired to Wanaka.

      Otherwise have a chat with Mickey or Lyn.

    • mauī 5.2

      Here I was thinking you were left? Very tame…

      You need Ed interviewing Rachel Stewart and Craig Murray for starters.

      Then an Ed monologue on how everything can be nationalized.

    • gsays 5.3

      The Sunday gardening, soil/community/resilience building slot would be appointment viewing.

  6. pat 6

    "But did it work?

    The focus on low taxes, skimpy investment in infrastructure, user-pays thinking and the primacy of the individual and the short term over the interests of the state and the long term has left us with hundreds of thousands of kids in poverty, a housing shortage estimated at up to 200,000 homes, an infrastructure deficit estimated at up to $300b and a climate emissions reduction task that is impossible with the current settings."

    https://www.newsroom.co.nz/2020/02/04/1016821/what-another-1989-style-transformation-would-look-like

    Not a bad summation by Bernard Hickey (with a link to Mike Moore's passing) and some practical pathways offered

    • Ad 6.1

      For an MMP government who made generational moves you need only look to the Clark-Cullen administration. Check your Kiwisaver if you're unsure.

      Neither Ardern nor Bridges have a bold bone in their body.

      • Nic the NZer 6.1.1

        Really, Kiwisaver? You have been sold a right crock if you think that is a transformational policy.

        • bwaghorn 6.1.1.1

          Its bloody brilliant is kiwi saver.

          Between a rocky start to life a divorce and being a bit crap with money kiwisaver is my only hope of a decent old age ,unless I hit a lotto win.

          • Nic the NZer 6.1.1.1.1

            Hey, good for you. But that doesn't make it good for everybody. As Pat highlights its probably driving the housing market to some extent.

            • bwaghorn 6.1.1.1.1.1

              Na the biggest drivers of the housing problem are immigration and rental subsidies.

      • pat 6.1.2

        Kiwisaver was not however systemic and it can be argued has assisted house inflation.

        Clark/Cullen were in fact an excellent example of the incremental policy Hickey describes

        • Nic the NZer 6.1.2.1

          That's a very astute observation Pat.

        • Ad 6.1.2.2

          Oh what crap.

          Most of the population are in Kiwisaver.

          I dont have to defend each policy, but the scope of many of them has been massive.

          • Nic the NZer 6.1.2.2.1

            As should be obvious, the underlying idea of Kiwisaver is to shift the burden to saving for retirement off the govt towards user pays.

            Then there are the macro-economic implications which mandate that the housing debt is rising to fill in for that saving. If you don't understand that link you don't understand what Dr Cullen has suggested about Kiwisaver rates being available as an economic policy lever.

  7. Dennis Frank 7

    Democracy in the USA has evolved to the point where only geriatrics are suitable for the top job, according to the system: Trump (73), Biden (77), Sanders (78), Warren (70), Bloomberg (77). Only spring chicken Elizabeth Warren, and Trump, are young enough to be boomers.

    We beat them by a generation – it's now thirty years since a boomer cohort restructured governance in Aotearoa. Time for phase two:

    "So what should Gen X/Y/Zers do if they win power in the next decade? Bernard Hickey argues they should give the Infrastructure and Climate Change Commissions Reserve Bank-like independence and tools to target housing affordability and carbon zero by 2050." https://www.newsroom.co.nz/@politics/2020/02/04/1016821/what-another-1989-style-transformation-would-look-like

    "1989 was year zero in many ways for modern New Zealand. It was also the year tax laws were changed to (accidentally) discourage long term pension investment in businesses and encourage housing investment. It was a cross-party effort". Neoliberalism.

    "A quick look at the demographics of the voting age population shows Generations X,Y and Z will overwhelm the baby boomers in the decade from 2023 to 2033". "So what would alt-control-delete look like? The leaders of the current Labour-led coalition supported by The Greens would say they are doing that 'rewrite' now with the creation of the Zero Carbon Act and proposed amendments to the Reserve Bank Act, the State Sector Act, the Public Finance Act and the Resource Management Act."

    "But the political mathematics of MMP and the legacy of the boomer politicians still in charge of many of the instruments of power and the balance of power means the reforms are incremental at best." Yes, this is a transitional phase. Transformation of the system will be deferred until the demographic shift kicks in.

    "The primacy of this median-voter-driven politics and a 'no surprises' culture that drives a risk-averse approach to ministerial advice and the operation of ministries is rock solid, on both sides of politics."

    Democracy rules, to ensure that our 19th century economic system will keep lurching on into the future like a dysfunctional robot. Muddle through the middle as usual.

    • pat 7.1

      a quick look at the demographics show that the pre boomers could out-vote the boomers-plus now (and have been able to for the last couple of elections) IF they bothered to turn up…implying the change cannot occur until 2023-2033 highlights the fact that there are some pretty simplistic assumptions at play when considering both demographics and voting patterns.

    • Wayne 7.2

      The age range of senior politicos is a curious feature at the moment. Pelosi is also 79.

      Is it just coincidence, after all the US has had plenty of much younger Presidents over the last 60 years. Maybe it is the last gasp of the boomers (or those a bit above) at the top jobs. Just like Dole was the last “greatest generation” candidate. Surely in 2024 we will see a whole swath of younger candidates, probably including some of those who dropped out early in the current race. For instance if Biden or Sanders became President, would they do 2 terms?

      Much of Europe and of course NZ have top leaders in their 30’s or early 40’s. Though does that actually mean better government. One thing that is evident however, is that climate changes policies matter a lot more with younger politicians.

      • Sanctuary 7.2.1

        Systems in decline tend to exhibit the same outward signs of morbidity, including a shuffling gerontocracy. The current US senior leadership looks like the Soviet Politburo at the end of the USSR, glossy animated cadavers shuffling and wheezing and shaking their frail, rheumy fists at each other.

    • Adrian Thornton 7.3

      What the hell does age matter?

      Policies and ideology are all that matter.

      John Key was young….but then again plenty of liberals have exposed themselves lately as being more closely aligned with the ideology of someone like Key than to any actual possible progressive left wing leader that could potentially pop up in NZ….( I wish).

      Bernie 2020! Turn Labour Left!

      • Sanctuary 7.3.1

        Age matters beyond a certain point. Some people can retain a youthful vitality and good mental acuity into their early 70s, but the reality is by the time you get past 75 your best days are well behind you, no matter how age defying you are. Mental flexibility, decision making skills and ability to handle the pressure and the workload all drop off after your mid to late fifties, which is why people still want to retire at 65. We may be living longer, but all that extra life occurs at the wrong end.

        Besides, we are not dealing with a bunch of hyper-fit and agile 60 somethings in the USA, or even sharp and sprightly early 70-year-olds. We are talking a 78 year old Bernie Sanders, a 76 year old Joe Biden, a visibly aging and mentally deteriorating 73 year old Trump, Nancy Pelosi is pushing 80, Mitch McConnell I think is 78. It goes on and on, especially in the senate.

        You'll never convince me a but of neo-octagenarians have mental and workload capacity to run the USA better than politicians 20 years younger.

        • Sacha 7.3.1.1

          Looking at the huge visible toll that particular job takes on younger people, why anyone old would want to hold it is beyond me.

      • AB 7.3.2

        Age is just another ligature point for the choke-hold of identity.

      • Andre 7.3.3

        What Sanc said.

        Also, when it comes to the likes of Corbyn and Sanders proudly proclaiming their socialist cred, there's an ideology problem that the likes of AOC don't have.

        Old geezers have had their views of socialism formed in the 60s and 70s and 80s, and most of what called itself socialism then was intensely disliked by most of those that lived through it. The downsides of that flavour of socialism flung the door wide open to the excesses of the neo-liberalism that came after. So when Corbyn and Sanders proudly flaunt socialist cred, it gives the idea that they want to take us back to the worst of the 70s. Which falls firmly into the basket of "not fkn wanted" for large sectors of the population, including the demographics with the highest voting turnout.

        Whereas when someone much younger such as AOC starts saying "socialist" and talking about what they want, it seems much more likely they are talking about something like the scandinavian social democracies. That's a much more attractive and less threatening prospect.

        • RedLogix 7.3.3.1

          it seems much more likely they are talking about something like the scandinavian social democracies. That's a much more attractive and less threatening prospect.

          Exactly. Keep in mind the USA did all the heavy lifting in the Cold War, and they have long memories of this. The word socialism has a different and much darker connotation to them than it does to us.

          But if we want to sell a modern, social democratic ideal, we have to be clear on where the boundaries are. Because any hint of marxism in the mix will ensure a bad reaction.

        • Sanctuary 7.3.3.2

          I agree about the baggage, smearing Sanders and Corbyn is a piece of cake given their long history.

          Win or lose, this run by Sanders is really all about setting up AOC in 2024. AOC has no baggage. If Sanders wins, even in the USA his age in 2024 (82 to 86 for a second term – with AOC as his VP?) will be a problem. Lose and AOC becomes the shining hope of re-winning the White House, especially when Trump will be a fully deranged 77 year old and in a country where whites are a rapidly declining voter group.

          Whatever happens, I predict AOC will be president of the United States no later than 2028 – and her victory will push the United States into it’s greatest crisis since Lincoln won in 1860.

          • Wayne 7.3.3.2.1

            AOC can’t run till 2028 because of the age restriction of the Constitution. Presidents have to be 36 years old. Buttigieg just scapes in. Kennedy is the youngest President, I think aged 42 when elected.

            • Wayne 7.3.3.2.1.1

              I also think AOC will never be President, unless she moderates her views. The US basically is not a socialist nation. Her views are to the left of Sanders.

              However I also have no doubt she will moderate them enough to become broadly acceptable. I am pretty sure she is no Corbyn and is much more flexible than he ever was.

  8. mac1 8

    Wayne, I've often wondered that. Several factors come to mind. The steps to promotion are controlled by older people? The electorate trusts more the wisdom of age than the energy of the young? The vision of the young is different and challenging? The focus of the young is upon other things? The huge non-vote in the US shows a similar sized disconnect with politics? Politics in the US demands access to large cash resources and is a privilege of the wealthy? Politicians are not hugely respected? Being involved in politics bears a personal cost in terms of employment, social standing, personal safety?

    All of these factors, framed as questions for I am not sure of their actual strong validity, I am sure apply in some way.

    I came into politics as a candidate at age fifty. Before that, I was deeply involved but had job and family commitments. It was first suggested to me at age nearly forty. How long does it take to get into the top of national politics within a party if forty or fifty is the starting age for first engagement?

  9. arkie 9

    So it's official, National plan to follow the example of the Australian Liberal Party in their bid to win an 'unwinnable election'

    National MPs have been schooling up on the campaign tricks that helped Australia Prime Minister Scott Morrison to victory in last year's "unwinnable" election.

    The Liberals drove a brutal campaign that zeroed in on the economy, repeatedly warning that Labor's big policy proposals posed a massive risk to people's wallets.

    "[National] has got a great record from the previous government," Westenberg said. "They've demonstrated that they can deliver, because they did last time."

    Bridges has already signalled an intent to use that line of attack, later telling reporters: "This is a government that doesn't deliver. National will get things done."

    https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/political/408782/nats-take-election-campaign-tips-from-scott-morrison-s-liberals-in-australia

    It's important to remember the Liberals won in part due to numerous untrue claims in advertising. We should be prepared to effectively counter Nationals attempts to repeat this.

    https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2019/may/02/lies-damn-lies-and-campaign-material-the-biggest-fibs-of-the-election-so-far

  10. Sanctuary 10

    I see Chloe Swarbrick is the Green candidate for Auckland Central. For the love of God, Labour please don't run a candidate against her because

    a) she is a really good politician and b) she would probably win if you gave her a clear run, meaning the Greens get an insurance policy that would upset Soimon from Accounts no end.

    • mac1 10.1

      A good ploy. All the likely NZF social conservatives and anti-Greens will flock to vote NZF. They will hope that NZF goes with National (against the pronouncements and the odds) or that NZF gets enough votes to govern with Labour alone, thus leaving the Greens entirely out of it.

  11. Adrian Thornton 11

    Pork Plant Workers Turn Out for Sanders in First Caucus in Iowa

    Bernie 14 Warren 1

    https://theintercept.com/2020/02/03/iowa-first-caucus-satellite-pork-plant-workers/

    Bernie 2020! Turn Labour Left!

  12. Adrian Thornton 12

    Music world pays tribute to Gang Of Four guitarist Andy Gill

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jvJhyJ-OXsU

  13. mosa 13

    This timely post by Christine Rose.

    Some animals are equal but some animals are more equal than others.
    https://thedailyblog.co.nz/2020/02/03/what-if-you-were-a-pig/

    • Dennis Frank 13.1

      Piggy Muldoon was the most equal of them all. Deemed socialist (eventually) by all those straight young guys who voted him into power in '75. Strangely, they never seemed to point out that he was National socialist – perhaps because folks would match that with national socialist. Come '84 nobody was thinking straight…

  14. Thank you for telling it how it is.
    There seem to be quite a few in this thread in a dispicable denial.
    There can be no soft selling the betrayal that this man and his colleagues committed in this country.
    Not only did they rob future generations including my own, the squandered unforgivably the hard work of generations before them.
    No there can be no rose tinted eulogies.
    We will not allow it.

    [The Author of this Post had requested you to stop commenting on this Post, which you have ignored. You seem to have strong views on certain things, which is fine, but your insulting and inflaming language aimed at the Author and another Commenter here are not fine. If you cannot tell the difference between a robust debate and insulting others maybe you should stay away from certain Posts here. I won’t give you a ban but please consider this as a warning – Incognito]

    [TheStandard: A moderator moved this comment to Open Mike as being off topic or irrelevant in the post it was made in. Be more careful in future.]

  15. Ed1 15

    https://www.rnz.co.nz/audio/player?audio_id=2018732152

    An appalling decision, but I did wonder about one of the 'rationalisations' given the chairman. It was stated that the ad was on National's facebook page, but the AS appeared to believe that it would only be seen by people who go to that page or have it referred on to them by people they know. Now I am no expert at marketing using Facebook, but wasn't the problem with the US Presidential campaign that 'other parties' are able to target almost anyone. Is it beyond belief that for example a list of transport operators may be leaked to a National support who, acting totally without the knowledge of the party, sends the ad to that list – or to all posters to all those Kiwiblog posters who may not have otherwise seen it. Wilful ignorance, or incompetence by a group who should but appear not to understand the reality of modern advertising? Or have I got it all wrong?

    • Cinny 15.1

      Dirty politics, the reason the nat's won't sign up to FB's transparency tool, to avoid disclosing their targets.

    • Sacha 15.2

      the AS appeared to believe that it would only be seen by people who go to that page or have it referred on to them by people they know.

      Yes, the regulator lacks even the most basic knowledge. Dangerous clowns.

  16. Exkiwiforces 16

    Has anyone heard if Robert Guyton and the other greenie bloke out Riverton way I think, are ok with Southland’s State of Emergency with all water flowing down there?

    • Incognito 16.1

      I hope so. He posted a comment around 6 PM last night and didn’t mention the weather.

    • Robert Guyton 16.2

      Hi Exkiwiforces – thanks for your concern. The waters here at my place are not a problem, but elsewhere in Southland, there are serious issues. Gore has challenges and the ex-Tiwai aluminium dross stores in sheds there is worrying many; it and water don't mix comfortably. Milford Sound, as you'll know, is in dire straits; the flooding and road damage there is severe. Various roads across Southland are blocked and the rain is still falling.

      • weka 16.2.1

        Glad to year your place is ok Robert. What happens to the Aparima in a big rain? The town is close, but is it high enough to not have flood issues?

        • Robert Guyton 16.2.1.1

          Hi weka – the Aparima runs dirty and swells but we have an estuary to buffer our village. My home is 20 metres above sea level. There will be farms covered but stop banks have been in place for decades. If they fail, the story will change but Environment Southland is confident they won't.

      • millsy 16.2.2

        What's a dross store?

        • Robert Guyton 16.2.2.1

          A sick joke, really. The aluminium smelter produces waste. Someone bought it, promising to convert it into fertiliser. They didn't, instead storing it in an old paper mill beside the Mataura River, which is presently very swollen. The present owners of the stuff has promised the store is secure against flooding. The people of Gore are not resting easy. Dross plus water + ammonia gas.
          When I wrote “dross stores” I meant “dross STORED”

          • Robert Guyton 16.2.2.1.1

            "Media Advisory Flooding in Southland/Fiordland Piopiotahi Number: 10 Date: 4 February 2020 Time: 8.30pm Gore and Mataura residents to prepare for evacuation This is an official message from Emergency Management Southland Modelling data suggests flood levels in the Mataura catchment are likely to reach similar levels to the 1999 floods. Two peaks are expected to pass through Gore tomorrow (Wednesday) – the first at 5.00am and the second at approximately 12.30pm. Existing stop banks have been designed to hold this volume of water. Additional precautions and support, like sandbagging, are being put in place in some areas and residents are being asked to be ready to evacuate if required. People should prepare a grab bag containing medication, clothing and person items, including documents. If you have friends and family outside the potential flood area you can go to, please make those arrangements now. For those needing somewhere to stay, we have set up a welfare centre at the Calvin Community Church in Robertson Street in Gore. Further information about a welfare centre in Mataura will be advised in the morning. Residents will be advised by Council and emergency staff once it is confirmed they need to evacuate but the more prepared they are the better. All schools in the Gore district have been closed for tomorrow. Roads remain closed throughout the region and there is surface flooding on many of those that are still open. Please take care and check the NZTA and local council websites for closures. Emergency Management Southland controller Angus McKay said people should avoid unnecessary travel, check on their neighbours and follow the Civil Defence Southland facebook page and website for updates. Those who have travelled out of the region for events need to be prepared to stay put or check road conditions before setting out. Extreme care is required on all roads. Farmers in low lying areas should consider moving stock and paying extra attention to their effluent storage. Lumsden and Riversdale residents are advised to reduce toilet flushing as the pumps are under significant pressure from the extra water. Trampers in huts in Fiordland have now been evacuated, the remaining 195 tourists in Milford will be evacuated tomorrow morning, weather permitting."

          • weka 16.2.2.1.2

            Bloody hell. How long has that been stored there?

          • Sacha 16.2.2.1.3

            Yep, ammonia. https://embed.scribblelive.com/embed/post.aspx?Id=1184208456&ss=1

            Papermill volunteers driven out by ammonia gas

            A volunteer who was sandbagging inside the Mataura papermill on Wednesday morning says they were driven out by ammonia gas after floodwaters entered the building.

            The volunteers were all safe, and some had sore eyes, but they were told to leave by the Fire Service, Stuff has been told.

            Mataura residents evacuated have been told one of the reasons they were taken from the town was because of the ouvea premix.

            And a woman who has always been outspoken about the premix at Mataura says it was time for Government intervention to remove the hazardous substance from their town.

      • Exkiwiforces 16.2.3

        All good Robert, just wasn't sure what part of the woods you lived in due to the amount of rainfall as it was similar to an event we had here in Darwin about 2wks over a 24hr period.

        Have been following the sorry saga of the NZAS doss waste for a few yrs now and I still can't believe its not been sorted out and especially in the way its been stored of late next to the Mataura River, which can get a bit nasty when there's been a good amount of rainfall in its catchment.

        PS. The Southland Floods even made the 7pm ABC's Darwin News lastnight.

  17. Anne 17

    This is dammed disgusting. And nobody on the bus or the driver saw fit to say anything in support for her.

    https://www.rnz.co.nz/national/programmes/ninetonoon/audio/2018732659/auckland-doctor-told-to-go-home-to-china

    It’s the dumbness and ignorance that gets to me.

    • Macro 17.1

      It’s the dumbness and ignorance that gets to me.

      QFT

      What I find even more depressing is the fact that it is the same the whole world over.

      Just reported now from the Iowa Republican caucus:

      Joe Walsh, a conservative Republican turned Trump critic, dared to play Daniel in the lion’s den. “Republicans!” he entreated “We’ve got to be more decent. We can’t be cruel.”

      A woman shouted in response: “I love our president. I like his tweets.”

      Walsh gamely fought on even as he lost the crowd. “If you send me to the White House, I will enact conservative policies but I make you a promise. I will be decent and I won’t be cruel. I will be honest and I won’t lie.”

      He continued: “Look, if you want four more years of the Donald Trump show…” but was drowned out by angry shouts in the affirmative.

      Walsh said: “Last thing I’ll say. If you want four more years of a president who wakes up every morning and makes every day about himself, then vote for Donald Trump.”

      There was uproar and loud booing. One man, wearing Trump regalia, bellowed: “You’re done!”

      https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/live/2020/feb/03/iowa-caucuses-latest-live-news-democrats-bernie-sanders-joe-biden-elizabeth-warren-buttigieg-updates#block-5e38e3128f086a28115a511f

      You just wonder at the mentality of these people.

  18. mosa 18

    Is this groundhog day or a legitimate insight into how Winston operates ?

    A bet each way.

    https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/political/408843/nz-first-foundation-donor-thought-they-were-giving-to-party

  19. aj 19

    "What's a dross store?"

    Bad News.

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    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
    10 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
    3 hours ago
  • Positive progress for social worker workforce
    New Zealand’s social workers are qualified, experienced, and more representative of the communities they serve, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “I want to acknowledge and applaud New Zealand’s social workers for the hard work they do, providing invaluable support for our most vulnerable. “To coincide with World ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    8 hours ago
  • Minister confirms reduced RUC rate for PHEVs
    Cabinet has agreed to a reduced road user charge (RUC) rate for plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs), Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. Owners of PHEVs will be eligible for a reduced rate of $38 per 1,000km once all light electric vehicles (EVs) move into the RUC system from 1 April.  ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    10 hours ago
  • Trade access to overseas markets creates jobs
    Minister of Agriculture and Trade, Todd McClay, says that today’s opening of Riverland Foods manufacturing plant in Christchurch is a great example of how trade access to overseas markets creates jobs in New Zealand.  Speaking at the official opening of this state-of-the-art pet food factory the Minister noted that exports ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    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
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Lead Coordination Minister Judith Collins have expressed their deepest sympathy on the five-year anniversary of the Christchurch terror attacks. “March 15, 2019, was a day when families, communities and the country came together both in sorrow and solidarity,” Mr Luxon says.  “Today we pay our respects to the 51 shuhada ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Speech for Financial Advice NZ Conference 5 March 2024
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