Open mike 05/06/2023

Written By: - Date published: 6:00 am, June 5th, 2023 - 53 comments
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53 comments on “Open mike 05/06/2023 ”

  1. Ad 1

    Nicky Hager gets an ONZM. In your eye, SIS.

    • Phillip ure 1.1

      Ok…j.ardern deserves recognition for her initial work on the pandemic..

      But for the incrementalist work done on child poverty..(all long since eaten up by the massive increases in rents/cost of living)..?

      Really..?….really..?

      • Ad 1.1.1

        Look she was no Helen Clark, but she was effective in a crisis, and we had plenty.

        Also the actual stats show that child poverty since 2018 went down in 8 of 9 poverty measures.

        https://www.stats.govt.nz/news/child-poverty-statistics-show-no-annual-change-in-the-year-ended-june-2022#:~:text=Child%20poverty%20rates%20for%20the,population%20insights%20Sean%20Broughton%20said.

        And that's not bad for the worst economic crisis we've had since the Great Depression.

        • Stuart Munro 1.1.1.1

          Look she was no Helen Clark,

          Thank God.

          After the black decade of the nineties, when voters held their noses and voted for the Rogergnomic betrayers in the hopes of even modest improvement, Helen did nothing.

          • Phillip ure 1.1.1.1.1

            No..j.ardern wasn't as bad as h.clark..

            H.clark…with her 'deserving' (read working) and 'undeserving' poor…

            I was a sole parent in the clark years…

            Which automatically put me in the 'undeserving' poor category..

            And following the lead given by h.clark..the iteration of winz then waged war against us 'undeserving' poor…and treated us like shit…

            I viewed that state support as a contract I made with the state..for me to do the best I could to fulfill my end of that contract..

            And I was not perfect..but I tried..and the child I raised just got an a-grade for his master's thesis..and has been asked if he will publish it in book form…

            I feel I held up my end of that contract…

            And feel quite bleak towards h.clark…for the state sanctioned abuse she perpetrated/fostered against me..and the other 'undeserving poor'..

            That both h.clark and j.ardern have minor-deity status with labour supporters..kinda sticks in the craw..

            And now j.ardern being honoured for what by any measure she didn't do…just increases that craw-blockage…

            • higherstandard 1.1.1.1.1.1

              Congratulations to your son Phil you must be very proud.

            • bwaghorn 1.1.1.1.1.2

              Clark also transferred huge amounts of prime southern farm land into private ownership so she could chase sheep out of the hills and have them grow Wilding pines instead

            • Patricia Bremner 1.1.1.1.1.3

              Congratulations to your son Phil.

              I wonder have you taken into account the many obstacles Jacinda faced, plus badmouthing and online abuse of the worst kind, which still continues.

              She was unstinting in her work ethic, and many of us are here because of the choices made during her time in office.

              As Ad pointed out, strides were made in the worst of times. Such complaints about her at this stage lack grace imo.

              Rewriting history with bile is rather unfair, as she was one person doing her best 'till she could not offer that any more, and then she said so.

              • Phillip ure

                @patricia..

                I have said here previously that what can never be taken away from j.ardern is the number of citizens lives she saved by her actions early on in the pandemic…this is backed up by international comparisons..

                And the amount of personal hate/abuse she had to endure cannot in any way be excused..it was/is irrational and vile…and I won't have a bar of it..and if I hear it verbalised I call out the speaker..

                I am surprised at you calling what I write on this as "bile'..

                What I am doing is comparing what j.ardern promised so fervently..to do..with what was delivered..or not delivered..in this case..

                You cite 'obstacles' j.ardern faced ..my reply to that is 'walking and chewing gum at the same time'…

                All gummints encounter obstacles..and I fail to see how that excuses those cornerstone policies/promises..not being fulfilled..

                And I would urge you to read/scroll that link that ad provided..it will confirm for you that everything/anything actually done was incremental at best..and that was 2022…and we all know it has only got much worse since then..eh..?

                You cite the work ethic of j.ardern..i have no idea either way on that..but don't see how that excuses inaction on what was promised…

                And I don't think I am 'rewriting history'..

                I am citing history..to make the point..

                (And I haven't even mentioned that other cornerstone ignored.. broken promises on the environment..!!)

                In this case I actually see you as attempting to 'rewrite history'..

                To gloss over such failures to such a degree that j.ardern is praised/cited for doing what she didn't do…is a big lie..

                So..yeah..nah..eh..?

                • In this matter we will agree to disagree.
                  You were supported (poorly) by the state while you parented your child. She gave up 5 years with her child, but is damned because she didn't achieve all.

                  Perspective and grace is needed not abuse.

                  • Phillip ure

                    Show me where I have used 'abuse' against her…

                    And all politicians sacrifice family time..it comes with the job..

                    There is nothing personal in my critique of her time as pm..

                    It is purely political..

          • SPC 1.1.1.1.2

            Those in state houses had their rents based on income not market rate. Those in low wage jobs got increases in the MW. Families on low incomes – WFF tax credits.

            • Phillip ure 1.1.1.1.2.1

              Yes..some things were done..

              (And of course they were better than the meanspirited tories..with their standard 75 cent increases in the minimum wage just one example of how fucked they are..)

              But she didn't do nearly enough..

              And came nowhere near being the 'transformational' that she promised us..

              (Y'see..I believed her at the time..and then looked on in increasing dismay..as milestone after milestone passed by…and the promises weren't delivered on..

              And really..how can anyone defend that after six years of a labour government..we have one in four pacific island children..one quarter of them..living in poverty..

              That is hang head in shame stuff..

              • SPC

                The major flaw has been the lack of a two year rent freeze – 2022-2024.

                Taking in all those migrant workers required some mitigation action of that sort. Rents are too high. They will be higher than mortgages when the rates come back down.

                • Stuart Munro

                  I recall getting a pledge card with a handful of crap on it I neither needed nor wanted, and Labour voices claiming they'd under promised and over delivered. As a consumer of their services I would have characterized their performance rather differently.

        • Phillip ure 1.1.1.2

          @ ad .
          From your link..)

          Just above your quote is a quote from 2022 stating nothing had changed in the previous 12 months..( this with ardern/labour majority govt..)

          And scrolling down in your link brings up the stats for maori/p.i…and they make grim reading..by the markers used one in four/one in five p.i. children live in poverty..

          I think I am past asking 'really?'…re j.arden being hailed in the citation for her gong..for her work on child poverty..

          I am more at 'what a sick effing joke..!'..

          • Tiger Mountain 1.1.1.2.1

            Daniel Stride puts it well…

            https://phuulishfellow.wordpress.com/2023/06/05/kings-birthday-grumpiness-dame-jacinda-ardern/

            Helen Clark bought in the “Jobs Jolt” where by various beneficiaries could have their entitlements cut if they moved to a number of provincial towns or areas. This was on the basis of supposedly less employment opportunities, even if bennies were moving for health or childcare reasons, or just to be closer to family. It was heartless monetarism of the “work will set you free” variety.

            Labour did do a number of incremental reforms but would never go near the Reserve Bank Act or State Sector Act etc.

    • Anne 1.2

      Congratulations Nicky Hager.

      “Good people who, via me and sometimes at considerable personal risk, have helped expose dishonesty, wrongdoing and abuse of power, and who by doing so have helped make a better society.”

      https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/kings-birthday-and-coronation-honours-2023-jacinda-ardern-among-new-dames/3QHWF7HXGNFQZJ2HFFJDNKOK2I/

      Nicky has done a superb job bringing the guilty to the public's attention. But the biggest story has still not been written. I refer to [Sir] Robert Muldoon and his little private band of merry men….

      • Ad 1.2.1

        Go right ahead and tell it.

        • Anne 1.2.1.1

          I can give you one word only for starters – Erebus.

          The rest will hopefully come out in due course.

          • Hunter Thompson II 1.2.1.1.1

            There must be former Air NZ staff still alive who saw exactly what went on in the aftermath of the disaster. Who got the job of destroying the personal notes made by Capt Collins at the pre-flight briefing about the path his aircraft would take?

            Collins’s pocket ringbinder was recovered with the notes intact and the writing clear, as the police recovery team confirmed. Those notes never made it to the Royal Commission.

            • Anne 1.2.1.1.1.1

              Yes Hunter Thompson. I have been researching the Erebus story on and off for years. That was a disgraceful episode the like of which has rarely been seen in this country.

              The oft repeated cliché that NZ is one of the "least corrupt countries in the world" might be generally true, but the period between the mid 1970s and the mid 1980s was a different story. Justice Mahon's observation:

              "It was an orchestrated litany of lies"

              is only part of the truth.

      • Tiger Mountain 1.2.2

        Yes a true national treasure Mr Hager. He shames the official spies with his opaque interview techniques and obtaining information seemingly without leaving a trace.

        “many more projects yet”…excellent news Nicky, though some of those pinged in “The Hollow Men”, “Dirty politics”, NZ Defence and more may be checking their document shredders are still working.

        • Anne 1.2.2.1

          5 June 2023 at 10:43 am

          "…may be checking their document shredders are still working."

          Back in the day, those shredders were likely being well used. laugh

          I will add a little more to my story. Since Nicky had the guts to do it, so should I.

          In my reply to Ad, I was referring to burglaries, break-ins, covert threats, abuse and general violation of certain people's personal and professional lives. In my case it also included violence to pets.

          How I came to be involved is a complex story. Suffice to say I was in the wrong place at the wrong time and became a sort of witness to the criminal activity – not that I knew it at the time.

        • Anne 1.2.2.2

          Since you have mentioned them TM, I should point out that the SIS had nothing to do with the Erebus Affair at the time of the tragedy or in the aftermath. It did not come under their job description. It was the work of a group of insiders plus a few desultory characters who were likely paid for the role they played eg. the break-ins and burglaries et al. I knew one of the participants.

      • Mac1 1.2.3

        Seeing Nicky Hager get this official recognition for his work pits me in mind of another NZ immigrant 'stirrer' who got his recognition in 1936 by being appointed to the Legislative Council as its 'conscience'.

        Mark Briggs MLC. Standing up to the establishment. I honour them both.

        https://nzhistory.govt.nz/media/video/mark-briggs-great-war-story

    • Brilliant, Nicky so deserves that.smiley

  2. Johnr 2

    We are having a holiday for Charlie's birthday. Even though it doesn't occur till November.

    Personally I'd like to trade 3 Charlie's birthdays for one 3 yearly public holiday for election day. It would always need to be on a Wednesday so it doesn't become just another long weekend. Close all retail except maybe eats and ales after 2pm. Rather like Anzac day.

    If it is made an occasion with limited other activities available it may concentrate the mind of non voters and increase participation on what is, to my mind, a far more important event than Charlie's birthday.

    • Tiger Mountain 2.1

      Good idea. Early voting seemed nice at first to up participation, but really it lets employers off the hook, the ones that don’t release workers to vote. Plus if people hold off till voting day it keeps pressure on the various parties to not pull stunts.

      I overheard someone at yesterday’s Kaitaia market say “that Charles is a wanker”, and a stall holder shot back “no he’s not, someone is paid to do it for him!”…

    • Belladonna 2.2

      Yeah, Nah. Losing another public holiday would be just as popular with the electorate as when National proposed ditching Labour weekend to make up for the new Matariki Day.

      Really, workers are happy with their long weekend (or additional pay for working the Monday) – and don't care what the 'reason' is. Also, workers want a long weekend – 3 days off in a row is much more attractive, than 2 day weekend with a day or so at work, then a holiday).

      Having a day off isn't going to encourage people to vote. They either think it's important, or they don't. And, plenty of essential workers won't get the day off in any case (nurses, electricity workers, police) – don't their votes matter?

  3. Stuart Munro 3

    No Joy for voters hoping for improvements in freshwater quality.

  4. fender 4

    You've got to laugh when the party that's always preached the need for small government now wants to increase its size by creating a new "Ministry of Regulation" https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/political/491317/act-party-conference-a-new-ministry-to-sort-jungle-of-red-tape-speaking-out-against-te-tiriti-o-waitangi

    And apparently we need to go back in time to consult the public over the consequences of the creation of the Treaty of Waitangi.

    • Incognito 4.1

      “You’ve got to find a role and in our view that role should effectively become the red tape and regulation police,” he [David Seymour] told the Herald on Sunday.

      https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/politics/red-tape-police-act-to-promise-enhanced-powers-to-ditch-excess-regulation-if-successful-at-election/WOZMX52YYNEWLOIT63PJXBOVIQ/

      The ‘Ministry for Regulation’ has an Orwellian ring to it and coming from the man who calls a discussion document on proposals to make media and online content safer for all New Zealanders “hate speech laws 2.0” it is no longer funny but downright chilling.

      • fender 4.1.1

        There's definitely a chilling core to the class clown exterior he seemingly cultivates.

        If he were honest, he'd name it the Regulation Removal Ministry. It's just not fair that rules and regulations are preventing some from making money at peoples and environmental expense.

    • Ngungukai 4.2

      TOW will be the first to go under ACT, that should start the pot boiling.

    • Tiger Mountain 4.3

      I did a “what the?” when scanning the RNZ news and read that ACT proposes creating a new Ministry to reduce the activity of other Ministries…”red tape” apparently.

      The Epsom Twerker is no less a worry than other would be authoritarians around the globe.

  5. Mike the Lefty 5

    Congratulations to Jacinda Adern and Nicky Hager, amongst others.

    Deserved award winners.

    Jacinda for her stalwart leadership in times of crises.

    Nicky for his refusal to be cowered into silence by the National Party's hit man squad.

  6. mary_a 6

    Cheers and congratulations to Jacinda. Her sometimes unpopular calls saved many Kiwi lives during the Covid pandemic. A great leader in times of crisis.

    Well done and congratulations Nicky Hager. An award well deserved in every respect.

  7. Joe90 7

    sad….

    • fender 7.1

      Nice bit of narcissism there from the delusional idiot. He was just a bit player used by evil minded people in positions of power. They could have easily found some other useful idiot to do their dirty work for them. I doubt those same people have much respect for him, one would hope they feel ashamed for associating themselves with such a hideous creature.

      But at least he's had the sense to put bullets through the only copy ever printed thus erasing it from history hahahahaha

  8. A W….. word comes to mind for Cam!!! Infamous more like!!

    • Phillip ure 9.1

      An interesting look back from c.trotter..

      But I don't share his pessimistic views on the possibility of a mass political movement bringing about great change..

      I think that mass movements worldwide will arise in the face of govts doing not nearly enough about climate change..

      That is where the next mass movements will be coming from..

      And in his nihilistic take.. trotter doesn't even entertain that possibility..

  9. joe90 10

    heh

    .

    The only reasonable way to discuss cancel culture is not “Why are kids these days canceling people?”— it is “Why is this objectively unimportant niche phenomenon suddenly such a large part of mainstream discourse?” The most basic answer is “Because so much of mainstream discourse is produced by a narrow demographic of upper middle class middle aged uncool people who have never worked outside of media or politics or academia or nonprofits and whose nightmare is getting made fun of by college kids.” But on a more fundamental level, it’s that deep yearning for the things that cannot be purchased. Why do Ken Griffin and David Geffen and David Koch spend “charity” money not on feeding the poor, but to plaster their names on public buildings? Because they are thirsty for—above all—that public love. It is a sort of prestige, but not, ironically, the cheap sort of prestige that can be bought; what they desire deep down is the genuine love and respect of humanity. Their performative efforts to earn it are pitiful. But their desire never ebbs. That respect would amount to immortality for them.

    You ain’t gonna get it, fuckers. Though it would seem, rationally, that a bunch of not-rich college kids heckling a guy who makes $100 mil a year would mean nothing to him, that is not the case. The idea of being mocked and shouted down by the unwashed masses strikes fear in the heart of the powerful because it is emblematic of their inability to buy that respect that cannot be bought. This goes not just for moguls and billionaires, but for those who have achieved cultural success—the prestigious newspaper columnists who cannot stop writing dumbass columns about this spectacularly asinine topic because it represents their worst fears. Namely, that a lifetime spent worshiping at the altar of careerism and credentialism was all for nothing. When you have long cultivated a resume that demands respect only to be disrespected by a bunch of nobodies, it can shake you to your core. What was the point of it all, if the cool kids think you suck?

    https://www.hamiltonnolan.com/p/these-vampires-can-have-everything

  10. Anne 11

    For a bit of light relief from the serious stuff… how about Peter Cook and Dudley Moore's take on the birth of Jesus:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lL8_cfi-bCw

    Very funny.

  11. Corey 12

    Huge respect to Helen Clark for abolishing the honours system and then refusing to accept the title of Dame when Key brought it back.

    It's very disappointing but very on brand for Ardern, someone who claims to be a republican, to accept an archaic title from the royal family.

    Hypocrisy has been Arderns brand since the 2017 election where everything from her position on weed reform, welfare reform, tax reform, housing reform, healthcare reform, student loan reform (where is that second free year!?) Mental health reform, public transport all changed the day she became pm so I don't know why Id think she'd stay true to her republican ideals.

    Kings honours should be abolished. Labour members accepting them in 2023 are just … It's yuck.

  12. joe90 13

    The bike club for mathematicians.

  13. joe90 14

    Not everyone, apparently.

    @smdiehl

    We all know what happens to Ponzi schemes when you starve them of cash inflows.

    https://twitter.com/smdiehl/status/1664679805147574273

    @smdiehl

    It's remarkable how quite literally nothing came out of the crypto mania. Tens of billions of dollars invested and no actual companies or products. Probably the largest glut of malinvestment the United States has seen in the modern era.

    https://twitter.com/smdiehl/status/1664557865930031104

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    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
    3 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 ...
    5 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
    10 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
    24 hours ago
  • Kāinga Ora instructed to end Sustaining Tenancies
    Kāinga Ora – Homes & Communities has been instructed to end the Sustaining Tenancies Framework and take stronger measures against persistent antisocial behaviour by tenants, says Housing Minister Chris Bishop. “Earlier today Finance Minister Nicola Willis and I sent an interim Letter of Expectations to the Board of Kāinga Ora. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Speech to Auckland Business Chamber: Growth is the answer
    Tēna koutou katoa. Greetings everyone. Thank you to the Auckland Chamber of Commerce and the Honourable Simon Bridges for hosting this address today. I acknowledge the business leaders in this room, the leaders and governors, the employers, the entrepreneurs, the investors, and the wealth creators. The coalition Government shares your ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Singapore rounds out regional trip
    Minister Winston Peters completed the final leg of his visit to South and South East Asia in Singapore today, where he focused on enhancing one of New Zealand’s indispensable strategic partnerships.      “Singapore is our most important defence partner in South East Asia, our fourth-largest trading partner and a ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Minister van Velden represents New Zealand at International Democracy Summit
    Minister of Internal Affairs and Workplace Relations and Safety, Hon. Brooke van Velden, will travel to the Republic of Korea to represent New Zealand at the Third Summit for Democracy on 18 March. The summit, hosted by the Republic of Korea, was first convened by the United States in 2021, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Insurance Council of NZ Speech, 7 March 2024, Auckland
    ICNZ Speech 7 March 2024, Auckland  Acknowledgements and opening  Mōrena, ngā mihi nui. Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Nor Whanganui aho.  Good morning, it’s a privilege to be here to open the ICNZ annual conference, thank you to Mark for the Mihi Whakatau  My thanks to Tim Grafton for inviting me ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Five-year anniversary of Christchurch terror attacks
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Lead Coordination Minister Judith Collins have expressed their deepest sympathy on the five-year anniversary of the Christchurch terror attacks. “March 15, 2019, was a day when families, communities and the country came together both in sorrow and solidarity,” Mr Luxon says.  “Today we pay our respects to the 51 shuhada ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Speech for Financial Advice NZ Conference 5 March 2024
    Speech for Financial Advice NZ Conference 5 March 2024  Acknowledgements and opening  Morena, Nga Mihi Nui.  Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Nor Whanganui aho. Thanks Nate for your Mihi Whakatau  Good morning. It’s a pleasure to formally open your conference this morning. What a lovely day in Wellington, What a great ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Early visit to Indonesia strengthens ties
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters held discussions in Jakarta today about the future of relations between New Zealand and South East Asia’s most populous country.   “We are in Jakarta so early in our new government’s term to reflect the huge importance we place on our relationship with Indonesia and South ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • China Foreign Minister to visit
    Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Winston Peters has announced that the Foreign Minister of China, Wang Yi, will visit New Zealand next week.  “We look forward to re-engaging with Foreign Minister Wang Yi and discussing the full breadth of the bilateral relationship, which is one of New Zealand’s ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Minister opens new Auckland Rail Operations Centre
    Transport Minister Simeon Brown has today opened the new Auckland Rail Operations Centre, which will bring together KiwiRail, Auckland Transport, and Auckland One Rail to improve service reliability for Aucklanders. “The recent train disruptions in Auckland have highlighted how important it is KiwiRail and Auckland’s rail agencies work together to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Celebrating 10 years of Crankworx Rotorua
    The Government is proud to support the 10th edition of Crankworx Rotorua as the Crankworx World Tour returns to Rotorua from 16-24 March 2024, says Minister for Economic Development Melissa Lee.  “Over the past 10 years as Crankworx Rotorua has grown, so too have the economic and social benefits that ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Government delivering on tax commitments
    Legislation implementing coalition Government tax commitments and addressing long-standing tax anomalies will be progressed in Parliament next week, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The legislation is contained in an Amendment Paper to the Taxation (Annual Rates for 2023–24, Multinational Tax, and Remedial Matters) Bill issued today.  “The Amendment Paper represents ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Significant Natural Areas requirement to be suspended
    Associate Environment Minister Andrew Hoggard has today announced that the Government has agreed to suspend the requirement for councils to comply with the Significant Natural Areas (SNA) provisions of the National Policy Statement for Indigenous Biodiversity for three years, while it replaces the Resource Management Act (RMA).“As it stands, SNAs ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Government classifies drought conditions in Top of the South as medium-scale adverse event
    Agriculture Minister Todd McClay has classified the drought conditions in the Marlborough, Tasman, and Nelson districts as a medium-scale adverse event, acknowledging the challenging conditions facing farmers and growers in the district. “Parts of Marlborough, Tasman, and Nelson districts are in the grip of an intense dry spell. I know ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Government partnership to tackle $332m facial eczema problem
    The Government is helping farmers eradicate the significant impact of facial eczema (FE) in pastoral animals, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay announced.  “A $20 million partnership jointly funded by Beef + Lamb NZ, the Government, and the primary sector will save farmers an estimated NZD$332 million per year, and aims to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • NZ, India chart path to enhanced relationship
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters has completed a successful visit to India, saying it was an important step in taking the relationship between the two countries to the next level.   “We have laid a strong foundation for the Coalition Government’s priority of enhancing New Zealand-India relations to generate significant future benefit for both countries,” says Mr Peters, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Ruapehu Alpine Lifts bailout the last, say Ministers
    Cabinet has agreed to provide $7 million to ensure the 2024 ski season can go ahead on the Whakapapa ski field in the central North Island but has told the operator Ruapehu Alpine Lifts it is the last financial support it will receive from taxpayers. Cabinet also agreed to provide ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Govt takes action to drive better cancer services
    Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says the launch of a new mobile breast screening unit in Counties Manukau reinforces the coalition Government’s commitment to drive better cancer services for all New Zealanders. Speaking at the launch of the new mobile clinic, Dr Reti says it’s a great example of taking ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Govt takes action to drive better cancer services
    Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says the launch of a new mobile breast screening unit in Counties Manukau reinforces the coalition Government’s commitment to drive better cancer services for all New Zealanders. Speaking at the launch of the new mobile clinic, Dr Reti says it’s a great example of taking ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Work begins on SH29 upgrades near Tauriko
    Unlocking economic growth and land for housing are critical elements of the Government’s plan for our transport network, and planned upgrades to State Highway 29 (SH29) near Tauriko will deliver strongly on those priorities, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “The SH29 upgrades near Tauriko will improve safety at the intersections ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Work begins on SH29 upgrades near Tauriko
    Unlocking economic growth and land for housing are critical elements of the Government’s plan for our transport network, and planned upgrades to State Highway 29 (SH29) near Tauriko will deliver strongly on those priorities, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “The SH29 upgrades near Tauriko will improve safety at the intersections ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Fresh produce price drop welcome
    Lower fruit and vegetable prices are welcome news for New Zealanders who have been doing it tough at the supermarket, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. Stats NZ reported today the price of fruit and vegetables has dropped 9.3 percent in the 12 months to February 2024.  “Lower fruit and vege ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Statement to the 68th United Nations Commission on the Status of Women
    Tēnā koutou katoa and greetings to you all.  Chair, I am honoured to address the sixty-eighth session of the Commission on the Status of Women. I acknowledge the many crises impacting the rights of women and girls. Heightened global tensions, war, climate related and humanitarian disasters, and price inflation all ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Speech to the 68th United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (CSW68)
    Tēnā koutou katoa and greetings to you all.  Chair, I am honoured to address the 68th session of the Commission on the Status of Women. I acknowledge the many crises impacting the rights of women and girls. Heightened global tensions, war, climate related and humanitarian disasters, and price inflation all ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Government backs rural led catchment projects
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    6 days ago
  • Speech to Auckland Business Chamber
    Good evening everyone and thank you for that lovely introduction.   Thank you also to the Honourable Simon Bridges for the invitation to address your members. Since being sworn in, this coalition Government has hit the ground running with our 100-day plan, delivering the changes that New Zealanders expect of us. ...
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    1 week ago
  • Commission’s advice on ETS settings tabled
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  • Government lowering building costs
    The coalition Government is beginning its fight to lower building costs and reduce red tape by exempting minor building work from paying the building levy, says Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk. “Currently, any building project worth $20,444 including GST or more is subject to the building levy which is ...
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  • Trustee tax change welcomed
    Proposed changes to tax legislation to prevent the over-taxation of low-earning trusts are welcome, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The changes have been recommended by Parliament’s Finance and Expenditure Committee following consideration of submissions on the Taxation (Annual Rates for 2023–24, Multinational Tax, and Remedial Matters) Bill. “One of the ...
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    1 week ago
  • Minister’s Ramadan message
    Assalaamu alaikum. السَّلَام عليكم In light of the holy month of Ramadan, I want to extend my warmest wishes to our Muslim community in New Zealand. Ramadan is a time for spiritual reflection, renewed devotion, perseverance, generosity, and forgiveness.  It’s a time to strengthen our bonds and appreciate the diversity ...
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    1 week ago
  • Minister appoints new NZTA Chair
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  • Speech to Life Sciences Summit
    Good morning all, it is a pleasure to be here as Minister of Science, Innovation and Technology.  It is fantastic to see how connected and collaborative the life science and biotechnology industry is here in New Zealand. I would like to thank BioTechNZ and NZTech for the invitation to address ...
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  • Progress continues apace on water storage
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  • Government agrees to restore interest deductions
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  • Minister to attend World Anti-Doping Agency Symposium
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