Open mike 05/03/2012

Written By: - Date published: 6:00 am, March 5th, 2012 - 47 comments
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Open mike is your post. For announcements, general discussion, whatever you choose.

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Step right up to the mike…

47 comments on “Open mike 05/03/2012 ”

  1. Kotahi Tane Huna 1

    New Zealand citizens kidnapped and held at gunpoint.

    The Pry Mincer’s office has issued a short statement.

    “This is why we need fewer embassy staff. So that people can be fully responsible for the choices they make.”

    • rosy 1.1

      yeah, who needs ’em… and the embassy staff that are kept will be really good at marketing – because that’s what NZ citizens need – trade! money!… I think I’ve paraphrased McCully correctly.

    • prism 1.2

      It is not unknown for men of the Muslim faith to want to revert to their own country’s and religion’s laws and rights different from those enjoyed by his wife if a western woman. This type of cross-cultural and religious marriage is different from others we have known such as when marrying a Catholic with the demand that any children be brought up as Catholics.

      This is marrying into a society where men have great power over women who are not regarded with respect in the ideas that back male Muslim attitudes. Some men may move away from this, but a western woman would never know if he might choose to revert to the dominance model, especially if he returned to a Muslim country.

      There are many books written about women’s experiences with Muslim husbands – one is told in Not Without My Daughter in this link http://www.aeispeakers.com/Mahmoody-Betty.htm
      In August of 1984, Michigan housewife Betty Mahmoody went to Iran with her husband and four-year-old daughter Mahtob, on a two-week trip to visit his family in Teheran. However, once the two weeks were over, he refused to allow them to leave.

      I wanted to know more about this Algerian man Mr Azzaoui so looked at the link on Kotahi Tane Huna above and this is some basic info. Very sad.

      Mr Azzaoui, 36, won the gold medal in the heavyweight boxing division at the 1999 All-Africa Games and represented Algeria at the 2000 Olympics.
      He first met Ms Puriri in Australia, he told The Northern Advocate in 2006. “I met her in Melbourne after the Olympics … and that’s how I met my wife, she was watching the boxing in the crowd. I liked her straight away and she could speak French and Japanese, which was good for me because my English wasn’t very good.”
      The couple moved to Northland and Mr Azzaoui continued boxing while working in a timber mill and later running a cleaning franchise. He became a New Zealand citizen in 2005.

      • Kotahi Tane Huna 1.2.1

        I support the rights of my Muslim brothers and sisters to live in the ways that they choose, but that does not give them the right to transgress against human rights, nor is this kidnapping and illegal detention justified by the Koran.

        The Algerian government has responded to the ‘Arab Spring’ by lifting martial law. I hope that is an indication that this situation may be resolved.

        But make no mistake – if New Zealand citizens and diplomats are placed at risk, one of the response options involves the SAS. Discuss 🙁

        • Morrissey 1.2.1.1

          …one of the response options involves the SAS.

          Troops from the SAS were bullied and browbeaten by their U.S. “allies” into handing over captives to possible torture and even murder. This was in clear violation of international law, but our brave boys did as they were told.

          The Algerian military would no doubt be shaking in their boots at the prospect of such heroes being set on them.

          • Kotahi Tane Huna 1.2.1.1.1

            Um, yeah, and we also have reports from within that our troops are as concerned as we are about the profligacy and incompetence of US tactics.

            But it’s a good question: can our special forces provide protection in extremis to our citizens abroad? Is that a legitimate role for them?

            I rate their competence somewhat higher than you, but in any case they would be my last port of call.

            • McFlock 1.2.1.1.1.1

              But if we deployed our frigate to the Med to support the operation it could destabilise the entire region!
                   
              To be less sarcastic, I’m not sure a NZ Entebbe is quite within our capabilities.

              • Colonial Viper

                To be less sarcastic, I’m not sure a NZ Entebbe is quite within our capabilities.

                It would be but our special forces are only as good as the logistics, intelligence and support we can provide. Basically we would be reliant on the Australians and the Americans to get our troops into theatre (or embarrasingly, civilian airlines). Nothing worse than having one of your very few operational Orions break down on the tarmac for half a day while you are trying to get somewhere in a hurry.

                • McFlock

                  That’s what I was referring to. SAS are damned good, our global reach isn’t.

                  • Morrissey

                    SAS are damned good…

                    Are they? On what basis do you make that judgement?

                    • McFlock

                      Their training, pedigree, international reputation, and combat history. And the above for the NZ armed forces from which they come.
                            
                      But feel free to walk up to one and call him a pussy, anyway. Not from behind a computer – that would spoil all the fun. 

                    • Morrissey

                      Their training, pedigree, international reputation,

                      In case you have not noticed, their “international reputation” is in tatters, due to their being bullied into handing over captives to probable torture and even summary execution. Needless to say, that constitutes a gross violation of the Geneva Conventions.

                      … and combat history.

                      In Vietnam? What glorious acts of heroism did they carry out there?

                      In Afghanistan? We’re all painfully aware of, and embarrassed about, what they did there. Or more precisely, what they failed to do there.

                      And the above for the NZ armed forces from which they come.

                      And what have NZ armed forces done, exactly?

                      But feel free to walk up to one and call him a pussy, anyway. Not from behind a computer – that would spoil all the fun.

                      The SAS are more than aware of the stain on their reputation that has resulted from their timidity in the face of browbeating by their “allies”. They would no doubt agree with my assessment.

            • Morrissey 1.2.1.1.1.2

              I rate their competence somewhat higher than you,

              Why? What has impressed you about their courage in the face of American bullying?

              … but in any case they would be my last port of call.

              I think you’ve been watching a bit too many videos of The A Team.

  2. Dan 2

    I have a question. I recently attended a speech by John Key at a secondary school. At the end of the speech he asked for questions.
    ” Just ask me anything!” Therein lies the problem. It was never a case of “anything”. All questions had to be submitted to the PM’s department before the visit. There was nothing spontaneous about the questions at all. Effectively his responses were well rehearsed. The patsy questions had little to do with subjects of importance to young people such as student loans or possible asset sales. Why the PM cannot respond off the cuff to questions is beyond me.

    My question: did Helen Clark expect questions to be checked before they were asked at public engagements?

    • tc 2.1

      He can’t respond because he hasn’t rehearsed all the CT spin lines, which is really lazy.

      he’s totally clueless as to what’s actually going on like a lot of CEOs out ahead of an entity that’s been taken over by another business, just front up and smile and wave that’s what your job is Johnny boy leave all this difficult slash and sell off to us we’re experts at it.

      Listening to Nick smith speak in circles and slogans about sustainability is a good example, they don’t give a shit about it but he’s got the spin down pat unlike Sideshow….looky kiddies I can do balloon animals, watch me whip up a brownlee…..aww da funny PM.

    • did Helen Clark expect questions to be checked before they were asked at public engagements?
       
      Nope and she insisted that at the end of public meetings there would be a period of half an hour during which she could go around the room and talk to people.  I helped organise two public meetings where the requirement was the same.
       
      I also saw her in party meetings correct Labour Ministers who did not answer a question completely correctly.  I also saw her answer random questions many times precisely and accurately.
       
      How times have changed …

      • mac1 2.2.1

        Yep, Dan, I saw Helen Clark at my secondary school answer questions for a long time, with no vetting, from the year 13 students. She just sat down amongst the lads and talked with them. They were highly impressed, especially with the breadth and depth of her knowledge.

        Probably why Key needs to know in advance and be prepped.

        • dan1 2.2.1.1

          Whoops! Further investigation reveals the vetting of questions was school based, and not with the PM’s office. Apologies all around.

  3. Uturn 3

    I recently read a comment here about unemployment benefits, which in the spirit of reclaiming the language, I’ll now call social security. I thought it pretty much summed up the problem with politics in NZ. The comment said that it wasn’t fair that someone worked a shit job to pay for the benefit of someone who did not work.

    People like me know that social security, or the various ways of living our lives, have nothing to do with fairness. Fairness is a completely subjective term, usually a word that sums up a philosophy the speaker hasn’t articulated because they assume it is clear to the audience they’re addressing, or they haven’t examined their ideas to form a philosophy or they may not even be aware of their ability to do so. But to condemn what might seem to be intellectual limitations would miss the point. In the same way that people like me know it is not about fair and in the same way that I can never be convinced that another person is worthless unless they are making me or someone else rich, or making me happy in some way, those that believe it is about “fairness” will never be convinced otherwise.

    Both people like me and people of the point of view I describe have no business in the future of politics. We will continually be at war, fighting against each other’s lifetimes of environmental and personality differences, life experiences and sudden changes in mood. One term we will have a less authoritarian government the next term we will have more. It’s pointless.

    What form of government could have no need to use fairness or sociological concepts as a guiding concept, yet still arrive at something closer to a social “truth”. For example, humanity knows for sure that once cities or towns or even social groupings get past a certain size, they start to decay – crime and relationships take a nose dive. We still let them reach that terminal point, but we know the point exists. How would a government attend to infrastructure and social needs without crossing lines that force the people into opposition and civil conflict? How close could we get to the organisational absolute without appearing to be like the political version of a youngster skateboarding down a too steep hill, getting the speed wobbles and crashing? Is it impossible?

    Leaving aside realistic viability for a moment, what would that style of government be called? Does it exist somewhere in part already? Would it be Libertarianism, Kommmunism (word misspelled to save the moderators s some work) traditional old style American Republicanism? When it comes to personal opinions, in theory we know that any of these things might fit the bill if we grin and bear it, but in a NZ present day reality, they have little hope of catching on if presented in their historical form. Do we need a modern day constitution or Declaration of Independence – or were these things haphazard chance events, completed in the moment and now just hyped-up to the point of legend? Were the men and women of old as god-like as we choose to believe or were they actually just as clueless, corrupt and a scared as modern man – rolling the dice and hoping that avarice didn’t win? If they could see and know what we know now, be shown their actions in the light of our modern understanding and see what they have become, would they be ashamed or be happy to do it all again?

    The political solutions we know of all look backwards and were developed for a specific time, place, culture and people. Where would we find people in NZ capable of creating a change that can reconcile the human urge to take, produce, control and consume anything it wants, with a simultaneous and equal urge to preserve and nurture what it already has and turn them both into something new that is widely acceptable? Can we choose to begin a new era now or must we ride out this old war until the ends history says is inevitable?

    What do you think?

    • Colonial Viper 3.1

      Can we choose to begin a new era now or must we ride out this old war until the ends history says is inevitable?

      If there is one thing our current set of political and corporate leaders seem to be good at, its “extend and pretend”.

    • Bored 3.2

      Uturn, your point about reclaiming language is incredibly important. The neo-lib revolution introduced a language that defined itself (as have all major changes). The public service delivers now to clients, not to citizens. Its subtle but it is very important.

      A few years back I found serendipitously a book about a man who fought a large multinational corporation who wished to mine on Skye. He made a point of not engaging in the terms and language of the status quo, it resonated with the power structure of the opponent. To engage in that tongue would be to lose. Ergo to counter attack today we need to adopt “our” language.

      Have a wee Google around Alistair McIntosh (try this http://musings-ems.blogspot.co.nz/2011/11/occupy-london-at-st-pauls-and-economic_18.html ), he is a little religious but the principles he uses are highly effective.

      • Uturn 3.2.1

        Bored, have located his homepage. Will give it a going-over this evening.

      • seeker 3.2.2

        On a similar theme Keith Rankin writes in today’s Herald saying that to find solutions we need to use the right words
        http://www.nzherald.co.nz/opinion/news/article.cfm?c_id=466&objectid=10789734

        While here Chris Hipkins talks about the difference between outcome and outputs and National have their cutting process in the public sector back to front
        http://blog.labour.org.nz/2012/03/04/getting-public-sector-reform-right/

        I too think it is vitally important we reclaim our language from the neo liberal spin cynically used to justify amoral thinking and action.

      • Vicky32 3.2.3

        The public service delivers now to clients, not to citizens. Its subtle but it is very important.

        Oh yes! It made me ropable to be called a ‘client’!
        (As an aside, it makes me sad that being ‘a bit religious’ is something that people feel has to be apologised for.)

        • KJT 3.2.3.1

          It shows they have not really grown up!
           
          Still need a parental figure to avoid responsibility for them selves.

        • Herodotus 3.2.3.2

          Vickey client has become so accepted as a recipient of a social service agency that it is now accepted as one definition world wide
          http://www.thefreedictionary.com/client
          http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/client
          Origin:
          1350–1400; Middle English < Latin client-, stem of cliēns person seeking the protection or influence of someone powerful; perhaps akin to clīnāre to bend ( see incline) .
          The definition above could give some the impression of the "client" being subserviant, Not a good look i.e powerful and the oppressed 😉
          And we worry about the class warfare between middle and blue collar (haves and havenots) most middle class do not realise that they are also part of the have nots, and are only a redundancy notice away.
          And bored the only thing that should be exported from Skye is Talisker 😉

  4. mikesh 4

    I would say that the men of old, whilst not god-like, were not “clueless, corrupt and scared”, but were rational beings, just like us (if we choose to be).

  5. http://whoar.co.nz/2012/commentwhoar-original-cartoon-paula-bennett-the-apostate/

    ed:..this is part of a stable of characters we are building to use as a vehicle for political commentary…

    phil-at-whoar.

  6. Bill 6

    .Has the commentator by the name of Wayne been banned? If so, why? And why have all of his comments been expunged from ‘the standard’?

    [lprent: He picked up a permanent ban for this.

    Despite his evident capabilities, he’d had several warnings but was steadily getting worse as a commentator – not better. And as an ex-territorial I have a particular dislike of the type of idiot who sits drooling over weapons and imagining who’d they’d shoot. My view is that people who hold such views are Darwin award fodder and should be terminated from any discussion without warning to emphasize why it is a bad idea.

    His comments to that point are still on the site. ]

    • Colonial Viper 6.1

      Last comment of his I read was something to do with having beneficiaries’ money paid directly to power companies and landlords.

      He got banned by RL IIRC…but that was days ago…a decade in internet time.

    • Bill 6.2

      Thankyou. I’d been aware of a link to a childish pro-war vid and a comment in the context of global warming where he said that if all Americans died it would be a blessing. And I was aware that those comments upset people and appeared to shade some people’s take on subsequent comments he made.

      The main reason I asked was because there were some comments from him on the ‘Nat revolt over Crafar farm Sales’ thread that were, to all intent and purposes, reasonable but that appeared to have stirred up animosity by referring back to his (again, reasonable) arguments on a previous thread on Crafar where he contended that there was an element of racism feeding into opposition to the Chinese bid.

      On that previous thread he had been threatened with a ban for apparently peddling racism. I had read through his comments there and could only conclude that the threat was based on a gross misunderstanding or interpretation of his argument. (Others were making the same or similar arguments)

      Since his ban seemed to have come in to effect yesterday (and his comments disappeared), I assumed his ban was a follow up to the previous threat made in relation to his comments on the Crafar deal. I’m glad to learn that isn’t the case.

      • lprent 6.2.1

        …I assumed his ban was a follow up to the previous threat.

        I’d been noticing him for a while outside of the Crafar arguments. I’d been moderating the Crafar discussions with a lot of hands off because while they tended to get somewhat heated, they also remained remarkably civil bearing in mind the strength of peoples opinions.

        It is more that I agree with r0b’s statements from a few months ago about posturing violence and having a low tolerance towards people doing it.

    • Morrissey 6.3

      Good riddance to the chump.

      Here’s footage of Lin kicking him off the premises with the chump resplendent in his battle fatigues…
      http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7mucko29v3k

  7. Ianupnorth 7

    Key’s Brighter Future
    http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=10789918

    New Zealand recorded its biggest loss of migrants in a 12-month period since August 2001, as kiwis continued to jump the ditch seeking a better standard of life and higher-paying jobs in Australia.

    Wasn’t it the Tories who were going to flee the country if Labour got in?

    • tc 7.1

      It’s as much the trend folk are seeing, stick around and get shafted by the NACT wrecking crew so leave while you can before your power/water goes through the roof and there’s SFA public transport against peak oil, reduced services etc etc.

      That’s before we look at the employment/income side of the equation and that tax switch.

      • KJT 7.1.1

        LOLO. Most of the people I see leaving are NACT voters.
         
        Lefties, having a community spirit,  are still here trying to fix things.

        • tc 7.1.1.1

          Not the under 30’s dude, they’re leaving in droves and most I speak to don’t have any concept of left/right just that it’s better in Oz.

          • KJT 7.1.1.1.1

            The under 30’s that I know who are leaving voted NACT. Because “Key is such a nice man”.

            They are too young to have seen the connection between right wing policies and economic failure.
             
            It is cynical old buggers like me who can see the con man underneath.

  8. McFlock 8

      The suicide-state theory assumes a single homogenous ruling body. That isn’t Iran.

    It’s the will of the Mullahs that matters – The actual government has surprisingly little power, as the reformist President Mohammad Khātamī found out.

    Yes, the civil branch will always lose a pissing match against the ruling council – but it’s not like the ruling council consists only of cosmic warriors in the fashion of AQ. The internal politics of Iran, what little I’ve read, make my head hurt. They have their share of delusional nutbars, like any totalitarian regime, but there’d be very few apocalyptics on the ruling council. 

    And then there’s the Dome of the Rock also against the Israel option.

    A nuclear strike in Tel Aviv isn’t going to harm the Dome of the Rock.

    True – but multiple strikes against Tel Aviv, Dimona, and so on would be wasted without targetting Jerusalem. That was the lynchpin in 1948, and it will be come WW3. 

    And then there’s the sheer logistics of arranging enough ICBMs capable of hitting continental US before they decide to get pre-emptive.
     
    Supposedly it would be really difficult for a group of terrorists to hijack passenger jets and use them on US targets… Oh wait. Anyway, all it would require is some bloody-minded fanatics to smuggle them into the US. Suicide bombers are just as effective as cruise missiles. It might be a bit 24 but not impossible.

    Oh please – the PFLP were hijacking multiple airliners in the 60s. It was simply a game-changer to use the planes as weapons, rather than simply take hostages (although had been attempted in I believe 1974 and in the 1990s). As soon as the passengers found out the change in script, they foiled the plan.

    Or there could just be a major regional power going nuclear to get ahead of the game as an oil producer in a peak oil world, with the option of dirty bomb materials if they really are that nuts. Which I don’t think they are.
        

    That doesn’t sound all that nuts, and frankly religious extremists like Iran’s mullahs are not exactly known for calm rationality.

    Actually, they are. And a connection with a dirty bomb would have equivalent repercussions to if they really did use nukes.
     

    • KJT 8.1

      And what do you think is more likely to make the nutters prevail. War, or leaving Iran alone to sort themselves out?
       
      I suspect, the last thing they want is a US invasion.
       
      The last US intervention in Iran went so well?? sarc.

  9. Jackal 9

    National has no mandate

    If there was a general election today, National would not be the government…

  10. Kotahi Tane Huna 10

    The teapot has come home to roost. Now the honeymoon is over, the beatings can start.

    • marsman 10.1

      Does that mean John Key will have to reveal his sources when he quotes an email from one of his chums to back up another of his lies? Guess not, their rules never apply to themselves.

      • Kotahi Tane Huna 10.1.1

        This is actually a direct assault on the fourth estate. Oh, except the fourth estate have already muzzled, blinded and deafened themselves, so perhaps they deserve no sympathy whatsoever.

        Still, if the genuine fourth estate were still around I guess this would be a bit of an outrage.

        Ho hum, all rise for the flag salute.

  11. Jackal 11

    Central government vs Local body government

    There is no doubt that National is eroding its core support, and political betrayal is seldom forgiven…

  12. Morrissey 12

    Open Letter to Radio New Zealand National “Nights” host Bryan Crump
    Monday March 5, 2012

    This evening I had the misfortune of hearing the increasingly bewildered Bryan Crump conduct a particularly crass and ignorant interview with the German-domiciled sports correspondent Matt Zuvela. As if to showcase his lack of knowledge, Crump asked him if the “Bayern” in Bayern Munich was a sponsor’s name. Matt Zuvela stifled a derisive laugh and explained patiently that it simply meant “Bavaria.”

    “Ohhhhh”, said Crump. “I never knew that! And what about Borussia Dortmund?…”

    To compound the ignorance, Crump vainly tried to force a little bit of linguistic hegemony on his guest, by continually referring to the game of soccer as “football”. I suspect he was simply (stupidly) following a management directive.

    I just had to send him the following e-mail…

    Dear Bryan,

    Re: Your rude behavior toward Matt Zuvela

    It was fascinating, in a grim way, to hear you trying to force your American-born sports correspondent Matt Zuvela into calling soccer “football”.

    Every time you called it “football”, Matt responded by calling it “soccer.” But you kept on doggedly calling it “football”, in utter disregard of what he was saying. I stopped counting after you’d unsuccessfully tried it ten times.

    At one point you tried a different tack, saying “football, or soccer as it’s called in the United States”. You could have and should have said “soccer as it’s called in the United States and in Australia and New Zealand.”

    I note that many of your RNZ National colleagues have, like other sports commentators, reverted to using the common and popular term “soccer” instead of the ambiguous “football”, which for most of your listeners means Rugby football.

    Why are you still trying to “educate” your listeners, Bryan? Is it a management directive you are obeying?

    Yours in amused wonderment,

    Morrissey Breen
    Northcote Point

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    Greater AucklandBy Guest Post
    11 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
    14 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 ...
    1 day 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 â€“ the Internet –  is weakening the ties that bind. Then, and now, those who enjoy a monopoly on the dissemination of lies, cannot and will ...
    3 days ago
  • A Powerful Sensation of DĂŠjĂ  Vu.
    Been Here Before: To find the precedents for what this Coalition Government is proposing, it is necessary to return to the “glory days” of Muldoonism.THE COALITION GOVERNMENT has celebrated its first 100 days in office by checking-off the last of its listed commitments. It remains, however, an angry government. It ...
    3 days ago
  • Can you guess where world attention is focussed (according to Greenpeace)? It’s focussed on an EPA...
    Bob Edlin writes –  And what is the world watching today…? The email newsletter from Associated Press which landed in our mailbox early this morning advised: In the news today: The father of a school shooter has been found guilty of involuntary manslaughter; prosecutors in Trump’s hush-money case ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    3 days ago
  • Further integrity problems for the Greens in suspending MP Darleen Tana
    Bryce Edwards writes – Is another Green MP on their way out? And are the Greens severely tarnished by another integrity scandal? For the second time in three months, the Green Party has secretly suspended an MP over integrity issues. Mystery is surrounding the party’s decision to ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    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
    4 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
    5 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
    2 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
    7 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
    9 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
    23 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
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