Open mike 06/09/2020

Written By: - Date published: 6:00 am, September 6th, 2020 - 85 comments
Categories: open mike - Tags:

Open mike is your post.

For announcements, general discussion, whatever you choose.

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

Step up to the mike …

85 comments on “Open mike 06/09/2020 ”

  1. Dennis Frank 1

    Quantitative easing has been discussed by a handful of commentators here. The reason most evade the topic is likely due to lack of comprehension.

    Last week the Reserve Bank printed $1.4 billion. That’s the equivalent of 116 Green Schools at the prevailing rate. This was a typical week. No one cared. There were no headlines. No one asked for Adrian Orr to resign… So you may wonder, where is all of this cash going?

    Following the money is real hard. The msm never try to, and rarely even acknowledge that the imaginary money is being made real. Damien Grant has a theory:

    Orr’s money-printing programme is making the rich richer in the hope that they will spend some of this cash on frivolities like restaurant meals and herbal supplements, thus benefiting those minions who provide such services who are able to retain their jobs. This is trickle-down economics.

    Not dead yet? Then Damian outs himself as cynic:

    Under this government and their pliant central banker we are seeing a massive transfer of wealth from the poor and middle class to the 1 per cent. If you want to talk about ‘transformational government’, this is as transformational as it gets.

    Wow! So Jacinda is leading by example, and the example is her Nat predecessor. But don't tell anyone!

    Maybe the Green Party members demanding James Shaw’s head should turn their focus towards this destructive and deeply regressive policy instead.

    Shrill ideologues change their thinking? Hell will freeze over first. Such people could never even think about imaginary money made real, let alone it going to wealthy people, or deduce the political implications.

    The Reserve Bank’s current policy settings are designed to keep people in employment, and he is correct in the short term.

    Socialism in practice. Too bad about increasing the wealth gap…

    https://www.stuff.co.nz/opinion/300098580/the-moneyprinting-programme-helping-the-rich-get-richer

  2. Chris T 2

    Far out.

    Winston's interview on Q and A is a bit of a train crash.

    How many times can you avoid questions and call someone the wrong name?

    Lol

    • Agree Chris T. Finally Winston showed himself up in his true colours. Well done, Jack Tame for keeping the questions flowing even when there were no coherent answers.

      The next guest Simon Thornley was equally frightening. Worrying to hear he thinks COVID is no worse than the 'flu. And that only the elderly, Pacific Island and Maori people are vulnerable so we should all learn to live with it.

      Even worse is that he is teaching at Auckland University.

      • Chris T 2.1.1

        Agree

        I actually felt sorry for Thornley when the interview started as he was obviously nervous being on national tv, and then he went on his flu thing, and my sympathy kind of went away pretty quick.

      • SPC 2.1.2

        A country where old people or poor ethnic people are not seen lest they catch flu and die.

        • Chris T 2.1.2.1

          TBF given the deaths that are happening, I am steering in my opinion to the temporarily shielding the smaller number of most vulnerable over screwing our entire economy every time it will crop up, for everyone else.

          • JanM 2.1.2.1.1

            What a great idea – lock up all us oldies and brown people and get on with it! And this nonsense doesn't even begin to address the ongoing health issues that people who have supposedly recovered from the virus continue to suffer from.

            The so-called 'economy' that we have all been putting up with for far too long is due for a serious makover anyway. Maybe this is our opportunity?

            • Chris T 2.1.2.1.1.1

              By putting up with, do you mean being large enough to cover, our healthe system, WFF, Benefits, super annuation and all the other things like national infrastructure?

          • Andre 2.1.2.1.2

            Can you point to anywhere that has successfully used a model of "temporarily shielding the smaller number of most vulnerable over screwing the entire economy"? Because as best as I can tell, locking down fast to get the quickest control of the virus is also the best for the economy.

            https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/300082211/do-the-health-gains-of-lockdown-20-outweigh-economic-pain

            https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/opinion-analysis/300083404/heres-why-lockdowns-are-the-best-economic-solution-too

            Let alone that's it's not just the deaths, it's also the long term disability and suffering caused among quite a few of those that get it but survive.

            • Chris T 2.1.2.1.2.1

              And then what happens.

              We just have a permanently closed border for an unknown amount of years?

              • Andre

                Given there's already at least 8 vaccines in the final trial stage before approval, at least three of which are credible western efforts following established protocols with open publishing of results, and hundreds more not far behind, plus hundreds of other treatments, I think the reasonable strategy right now is a bit of patience and see what actually works.

                Because right now, only places that have locked down hard and gone for elimination look in any way appealing. Everywhere else just looks like shit.

                If we get to say March next year and it's clear that all the efforts that look promising right now are all fizzers, then it might be appropriate to look for another strategy.

                https://covid-19tracker.milkeninstitute.org/

                https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/health-and-human-body/human-diseases/coronavirus-vaccine-tracker-how-they-work-latest-developments-cvd/

              • Incognito

                Neither you nor Dr Thornley answered Andre’s question although Dr Thornley mentioned Iceland as an example.

                Interestingly, according to the Government Response Stringency index (GRSI), the Auckland region in L2.5 is as stringent as Iceland.

                https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/covid-stringency-index?tab=chart&year=latest&time=2020-01-22..2020-09-03&country=ISL~NZL

                BTW, the NZ border is not closed; your imprecise phrasing is unhelpful.

                • Chris T

                  I have already said I don't agree with Thornley

                  • Incognito

                    Actually, you did not say that you disagreed with Dr Thornley. Your subsequent comments @ 2.1.2.1 and 2.1.2.1.2.1 seemed to suggest that you were actually agreeing with Dr Thornley.

                    Dr Thornley did mutter a lot without answering much but maybe you can tell how we could keep safe an estimated 25% of our population that is deemed vulnerable to infection with Covid-19? These people live among us (i.e. they are interspersed) and in some communities they represent much more than 25% of the total population.

                    • Chris T

                      "

                      Chris T2.1.1

                      6 September 2020 at 10:07 am

                      Agree

                      I actually felt sorry for Thornley when the interview started as he was obviously nervous being on national tv, and then he went on his flu thing, and my sympathy kind of went away pretty quick."

                      What I mean is while I disagree with his comparing it to the flu like an idiot, I am "tending" to think we just can't keep going into level 3 every time something happens, indefinitely, without the country turning to shit.

                      Apologies if I was too vague.

                    • Incognito []

                      No worries and thanks for the clarification.

                      The recent response had to be stringent because the NZ people had been complacent. It has been argued that we can eliminate the virus without the need for lockdowns.

                      https://www.newsroom.co.nz/eliminating-covid-19-without-lockdowns

                    • Andre

                      @Chris T – it's reasonably likely that if the first new case had been the Rydges case, a single case in the community with a clearly plausible connection to the border, then the response would likely have been much less dramatic.

                      But the Americold outbreak was clearly well underway and spreading widely by the time it was detected, and we still don't have evidence for how it got loose. Hence the stringent response.

                      Hopefully we have all learned about things we all need to do differently. So an outbreak won't get as widespread before it's detected.

                      In the community, take it seriously to go get tested as soon as you have symptoms that might be COVID. Track movements. Wear a mask. Test border staff and international aircrew more – don't neglect regular testing on some because they're doing runs to "safe" places or behaving safely on their layovers.

              • McFlock

                Better than thousands of dead.

            • Janet 2.1.2.1.2.2

              And don,t forget our health system could not manage if Covid precautions are loosened up to lighten up on the eonomic effects.

              • Andre

                Well, the fantasy seems to be that it will be managed somehow so that only the young and healthy will magically will end up infected, and they will just shrug it off.

                Nevermind my late-20s nephew in France that was healthy, active, no pre-existing conditions, that got it in March and has yet to recover enough to return to his medical work.

                The idea also seems to be unaware of just how much of the population are dealing with some kind of condition that raises risk. ISTR seeing somewhere a credible estimate that around 25% under the under-65s have some kind of condition that's considered an elevated risk factor for dying of covid.

                • Draco T Bastard

                  The idea also seems to be unaware of just how much of the population are dealing with some kind of condition that raises risk.

                  Perhaps the people right at the top, the ones we can't see, that are suggesting/pushing this policy actually want a 25% die off. It'd be one way to address climate change without addressing the underlying cause which is capitalism.

                  • bwaghorn

                    I've had bronchitis twice pneumonia once and childhood lung problems, I also have someone who needs me around for atleast another 15 years .

                    We need to keep this thing at bay till we have a vaccine or a very good cure .

                  • Incognito

                    It would be better to have a better-targeted cull aimed at the biggest polluters and contributors to CC.

            • solkta 2.1.2.1.2.3

              Yes the probably permanent lung damage and possibility of ongoing Chronic Fatigue Syndrome concern me greatly.

          • Gabby 2.1.2.1.3

            But you're steering arse backwards, why do you think the number of deaths happening, are happening?

          • Adrian 2.1.2.1.4

            There will probably be a treatment but there will not be a vaccine.

            • Andre 2.1.2.1.4.1

              What's your basis for saying that?

              There are very few medications that have been successfully developed against viruses, whereas vaccines against viruses are fairly common and successful.

              There doesn't appear to be anything special about coronaviruses in general that gives reason to believe a vaccine is unlikely to be developed. Indeed, there is a vaccine against a bovine coronavirus in the market now, and has been for years.

              That there aren't yet vaccines against human coronaviruses is because they are either too mild to be bothered developing a vaccine against (cold coronaviruses), have burnt out and disappeared in a short time before a vaccine was developed (SARS), or too rare to inspire much vaccine development effort (MERS, although IIRC one is in trials now).

              • Chris T

                I could be wrong, but I haven't seen any vaccines that have been produced against coronaviruses.

                Even if they develop one in good time, and can prove no side affects, given our success in slowing it down we will probably be one of the last on the list getting supplied it, once they work out how to mass produce it, which will take ages.

                As it will probably go to worst hit countries first, as it should be, and then you have all the weirdos refusing to take it.

                Edit: Apologies Andre. I misread your last paragraph.

                • Andre

                  I gave you a link to an article that talks about a vaccine against a coronavirus that is in production and widely sold right now. It's just that it's for cows, not humans.

                  Since it seems you didn't follow up the hint with a search of your own about a vaccine against the MERS coronavirus, here's a link.

                  https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/04/200422132600.htm

                  That vaccine hasn't had a lot of attention since it's only infected about 2,500 people in the 8 years since it was first detected. Almost all of whom were in the habit of getting up close and personal with camels. So it really wasn't much of a public health priority.

                  As soon as a vaccine is demonstrated to be adequately safe and effective, production is going to ramp up like has never been seen before. It may be that if we're unhappy with how far down the list we are, we may be able to license the recipe and produce it here. We have an animal health industry that's fairly likely to be able to adapt to the challenge if needed.

            • RedBaronCV 2.1.2.1.4.2

              Going on about lockdowns is sort of yesterday isn't it? There are already some spit on the paper etc type tests coming over the horizon that are cheap so can be spread widely and be used at home to indicate infection and even if there are excess false positives the better tests then sort those out.

              Give it another 6 months and this stuff is likely to be widespread so we then won't need the massive lockdowns. A bit of patience for a bit longer, no need to kill the old geezers and we will be there.

              The "we need to have no lockdowns now" should stop preaching their views and be more realistic about the unnecessary death and suffering they would cause with their dated lack of forward thinking

    • mary_a 2.2

      Agree Chris T @ (2) … Winston Peters seemed to be channelling the ghost of his mentor Rob Muldoon to conduct his interview with Jack Tame this morning! Unbelievable!

      • bwaghorn 2.2.1

        Was he puropdly calling him James? Or is he losing it?

        Is bush wacking interviewees normal like jack did? Or do they normally script the questions at these?

        • Chris T 2.2.1.1

          Think he is just losing it tbh.

          I haven't heard of scripted questions in an NZ context. Think some are in the US.

          Edit: Should add Hosking does it to Ardern all the time.

          The difference is she doesn’t go all arsey, remembers his name and answers as best she can.

  3. Nic the NZer 3

    @Dennis Frank. We should probably not attempt to understand the economy through the eyes of Damian Grant. What the QE policy does for the economy is convert the 'cash' recently accumulated in the banking system and convert it into a low risk state which pays a small amount of interest. That cash is generally accumulated by large NZ financial institutions as these provide the bank accounts to people who received recent govt payments in the first place. But if you want to understand who was paid by the govt Grant is looking in completely the wrong place.

    The correct interpretation is that post QE, the govt borrowed money from itself, it paid people with that money as indicated by its fiscal statement, but who ever ended up with that money (many govt payees will have spent it) has it invested in low risk savings form.

    Of course its not necessary for the govt to provide a low risk savings investment to facilitate its spending, but that is the rort here, and you wont ever get that from Damian Grants analysis.

    • Dennis Frank 3.1

      Ah, thanks Nic for that clarification. Since he's a libertarian (hence a likely ideologue) I did wonder if he got the analysis right. I take the point re govt finagling. I don't really understand why they are doing it but will have faith in Orr's judgment provisionally, since it maintains public confidence in the system.

      Also, as a longtime alternative thinker, I do like that the capitalist powers that be have resorted to magical thinking to keep their system trundling along… 😎

      • Draco T Bastard 3.1.1

        Since he's a libertarian (hence a likely ideologue) I did wonder if he got the analysis right.

        I merely assumed that he was lying. Appears I was right to do so.

        When it finally dawns on the people that the government can create money at will, not cause massive inflation and can do it with no interest people are going to start to wonder why we have capitalists. That latter part is why the Damian Grants of this world don't like it when the governments create money as they see the end of their bludging in it.

  4. dv 4

    Why does the Govt need to pay interest on their money creation!!!

    • SPC 4.1

      Why should they call money they created debt they have to pay back?

      By lockdown the government reduced the economy, creating money to pay wages so people can meet their bills is not inflationary.

      And nor is the money borrowed from anyone.

    • Draco T Bastard 4.2

      They don't but they do it to keep up the illusion that people need to pay interest to get money and thus also prop-up the bludging of the capitalists.

  5. KJT 5

    @Dennis.

    Magical according to current mainstream economists, and Grant of course.

    Because they object to "money printing" that doesn't result in more income for banking.

    It is just a complicated way of justifying what is really the same as a monarch minting more gold coins, because there are not enough in circulation to keep trade going.

    The first Labour Government were more honest about it. "Money printing for State housing and infrastructure. Which paid off in so much we still use today.

  6. SPC 6

    “I never imagined that I would live to see our courts condemn the NSA’s activities as unlawful and in the same ruling credit me for exposing them,”

    Snowden after US court finds the mass surveilance he revealed was unlawful.

    the American Civil Liberties Union, which helped bring the case to appeal, welcomed the judges’ verdict on the NSA’s spy program. “Today’s ruling is a victory for our privacy rights,” the ACLU said in a statement, saying it “makes plain that the NSA’s bulk collection of Americans’ phone records violated the Constitution.”

    https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-nsa-spying/u-s-court-mass-surveillance-program-exposed-by-snowden-was-illegal-idUSKBN25T3CK

  7. Nic the NZer 7

    @Dennis, Its not like Orr has a choice. If the govt is going to make it transparent that its funding itself then that decision rests with Robertson (short term) or parliament.

    The magical thinking has been there forever. Think in particular of the following ideas,

    1) the RBNZ can raise and lower inflation rates by lowering and raising the OCR.

    2) in fiddling with the OCR there are no distributional issues, house prices and wages are both effected in the same way by the OCR shift.

    3) in reacting to an unanticipated economic event, an economy which was recently fully employed is equally resiliant to an economy which recently went through a recovery.

    • Pat 7.1

      Agreed Orr dosnt have a choice…he is (successfully) performing his job and we should be thankful of that but he cannot control distributional issues though he has been calling on the government to do so pretty much since he took over the role….they appear to have a hearing problem.

  8. Poission 9

    Do we need a paradigm shift in the understanding (and management ) of certain mental disorders?

    Often paradigm shifts are from researchers outside the field of study,here biological anthropologists have reposed the problems of ADHD and others as evolutionary responses,rather then mental disorders ,

    ADHD is not a disorder, the study authors argue. Rather it is an evolutionary mismatch to the modern learning environment we have constructed. Edward Hagen, professor of evolutionary anthropology at Washington State University and co-author of the study, pointed out in a press release that “there is little in our evolutionary history that accounts for children sitting at desks quietly while watching a teacher do math equations at a board.”

    If ADHD is not a disorder, but a mismatch with a human environment, then suddenly it’s not a medical issue. It’s an issue for educational reform

    https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/shouldstorm/202008/what-if-certain-mental-disorders-are-not-disorders-all

    • weka 9.1

      Yep, really, really pleased to see this. I'd also say that often the start of the paradigm shift comes from within the communities of people most affected. eg the neurodiversity communities have critiqued mainstream framing of neurological conditions, and parents of ADHD kids in alternative sub cultures were doing it before them.

    • ianmac 9.2

      The flaw in the mismatch is that ADHD appears from birth, long before being seated at a desk.

      • Adrian 9.2.1

        Some of the cleverest and most intelligent buggers I've known were at risk of being diagnosed with ADHD. I'm under the impression that they just think faster than others.

        • ianmac 9.2.1.1

          Some very intelligent people are on the continuum. In a school setting they can become unstuck because of their impulsive behaviour, shifting concentration, and often mismatching in social settings. Sadly this can lead to being treated as idiots and made to feel stupid by peers and teachers. Low esteem on tap. Some ADHD kids escape into antisocial/drugs etc.

          One lad I know was scooped up by an IT developer after Uni because these kids think outside the square so solve problems that others cannot even imagine.

    • Stuart Munro 9.3

      It's an encouraging step – I'm afraid contemporary education is built more around institutional convenience than student need. If this creates some pressure for change, so much the better.

      • Patricia Bremner 9.3.1

        Talk and chalk is boring!! Learning by doing is so messy lol

        • Stuart Munro 9.3.1.1

          The problem is, teachers end up being the meat in the sandwich – tasked to produce assessible task-based learning. I had the advantage teaching privately for a while there – if students really are learning, assessment becomes redundant – they can do stuff.

  9. weka 10

    Lord, this was extraordinary. Good on James for putting up the full thing.

    https://twitter.com/jacktame/status/1302404803180392449

    • gsays 10.1

      TBF to the warhorse, there was a smell of Helen Clark v John Campbell 'corngate' to the interview.

      • weka 10.1.1

        You think Tame was unfair on Peters?

        • gsays 10.1.1.1

          Peter's mentioned a couple of times that the 'horse racing industry donations/ NZ First foundation/partner SFO questioning' weren't included in the questions that were going to be asked. therefore questions he had been briefed on.

          He was a lot more coherent about the cow ship sinking/criticising government Covid response questions.

          Don't get me wrong, I would like the questions that James asked, answered. It seemed like Tame's line of questioning had fallen to the 'gotcha' category.

          • weka 10.1.1.1.1

            are Ministers or MPs usually given a set of questions ahead of time and those are the only topics covered?

            • gsays 10.1.1.1.1.1

              I don't know if that is the way of things.

              Often I hear on RNZ the interviewer ask a question that is often prefaced with an expression that acknowledges the question is not related to the topic the interviewee was asked on to the show to speak about.

              Winston implied this was the case too.

              • weka

                I'd be surprised if producers worked off the principle of only pre-arranged questions can be asked, but it would be useful to know in terms of understanding Peters' reactions.

        • sumsuch 10.1.1.2

          Winnie's whole thing is making every interview an attack on him. The dim are persuaded, hence his following.

          For anyone moderately average the device annoys to death. Despite him delivering Left govts regularly.

          Winnie is one long sigh for me, but…

    • Graeme 10.2

      Hey, there's and election happening. Were would we be without a train wreak Winston Peters interview about a month out from the day

      It happens every time. And NZF comes back from the dead nearly every time.

      Not betting on the outcome this time either

  10. Muttonbird 12

    What I really don't like is the continuation of new cases connected to this cluster. Auckland went to L3 on August 12. That is 3 1/2 weeks ago. 25 days. It is assumed everyone isolated at that point and no mixing between family members but we are still seeing new cases.

    I feel that there has been severe breaches with family members mixing when they shouldn't have.

    When is the message going to get through to people that we all need to play by the rules if we are going to get through this?

    • Andre 12.1

      It's not that hard to understand how it could happen even with everyone involved trying to do the right thing. Just keep in mind the high proportion of asymptomatic infections and the long period of presymptomatic infectiousness.

    • Muttonbird 12.2

      To add to that, there is bugger all mask wearing in Auckland. I don't have an issue with no masks outside walking but when you are going inside to a shop makes should be on.

      People aren't doing it!

      I said to the boy we are doing our duty and the more we do it the more acceptable it will become but I feel like we are pushing shit uphill.

      I have an advantage because I naturally hate people so to be distanced from them is natural to me.

      • Andre 12.2.1

        The explanation I've given my kids is that first, it's about trying to stop the entire country from copping the bad-luck Powerball much more than it being about individual risk, and that wearing a mask is about normalising mask-wearing. Kinda like when I was their age nobody wore helmets skiing or bike riding, but now almost everyone does because it's been normalised.

      • Anne 12.2.2

        I think the mask wearing varies in different parts of Auckland. I live in the Belmont/Devonport area and mask wearing is high. The ones who stand out are the non-maskers. I forgot to put mine on once and someone in the local supermarket informed a close relative of mine. I received a bollocking and have never forgotten since.

    • PaddyOT 12.3

      The article link below was 31st August; today Sept 6 like everyday since, the 4 new community cases are still members from this sub cluster church group.

      Supposedly, this church while already having links to the first Americold case, once level 3 lockdown began they literally took the rule of max. of 10 gathering as permission to still meet for evangelism.

      Is it always a government's fault for lockdowns and hardship or are individual's being self gratifying responsible too ?

      https://i.stuff.co.nz/national/health/coronavirus/122617065/coronavirus-church-investigated-over-allegation-meetings-were-held-in-lockdown

    • aj 12.4

      Auckland went to L3 on August 12. That is 3 1/2 weeks ago. 25 days. It is assumed everyone isolated at that point and no mixing between family members but we are still seeing new cases.
      I feel that there has been severe breaches with family members mixing when they shouldn’t have'

      Is it just cascading infection among families who are all in managed isolation? I recall if one family member was infected, say 20 days ago, they moved the whole family into managed isolation, so it's called community transmission but not as we think it is.

  11. observer 13

    Clear majority support for the recent extension of level 2 (2.5) :

    https://www.tvnz.co.nz/one-news/new-zealand/vote-compass-exclusive-numbers-reveal-strong-support-level-extension?auto=6188189093001

    Note that only 41% of National voters are opposed. Even allowing for 'don't know/won't say', that leaves around 30-40% of National voters in favour.

  12. sumsuch 14

    Won't there always be immediate 'importances' to divert from the real ones? Managing the immediate as the Left has done for all its governmental history — its lasting message from its Depression victory — ends us here.

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    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    14 hours ago
  • Is Simon Bridges’ NZTA appointment a conflict of interest?
    Bryce Edwards writes – Last week former National Party leader Simon Bridges was appointed by the Government as the new chair of the New Zealand Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA). You can read about the appointment in Thomas Coughlan’s article, Simon Bridges to become chair of NZ Transport Agency ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    14 hours ago
  • Bernard's Top 10 @ 10 'pick 'n' mix' at 10:10am on Tuesday, March 19
    TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: Gavin Jacobson talks to Thomas Piketty 10 years on from Capital in the 21st Century The SalvoLocal scoop: Green MP’s business being investigated over migrant exploitation claims Stuff Steve KilgallonLocal deep-dive: The commercial contractors making money from School ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    14 hours ago
  • Bernard's six newsy things on Tuesday, March 19
    It’s a home - but Kāinga Ora tenants accused of “abusing the privilege” may lose it. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The Government announced a crackdown on Kāinga Ora tenants who were unruly and/or behind on their rent, with Housing Minister Chris Bishop saying a place in a state ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    15 hours ago
  • New Life for Light Rail
    This is a guest post by Connor Sharp of Surface Light Rail  Light rail in Auckland: A way forward sooner than you think With the coup de grâce of Auckland Light Rail (ALR) earlier this year, and the shift of the government’s priorities to roads, roads, and more roads, it ...
    Greater AucklandBy Guest Post
    16 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
    18 hours ago
  • Bernard’s six-stack of substacks at 6.06 pm on March 18
    TL;DR: In my ‘six-stack’ of substacks at 6.06pm on Monday, March 18:IKEA is accused of planting big forests in New Zealand to green-wash; REDD-MonitorA City for People takes a well-deserved victory lap over Wellington’s pro-YIMBY District Plan votes; A City for PeopleSteven Anastasiou takes a close look at the sticky ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 day ago
  • Peters holds his ground on co-governance, but Willis wriggles on those tax cuts and SNA suspension l...
    Buzz from the Beehive Here’s hoping for a lively post-cabinet press conference when the PM and – perhaps – some of his ministers tell us what was discussed at their meeting today. Until then, Point of Order has precious little Beehive news to report after its latest monitoring of the ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    1 day ago
  • Labour’s final report card
    David Farrar writes –  We now have almost all 2023 data in, which has allowed me to update my annual table of how  went against its promises. This is basically their final report card. The promise The result Build 100,000 affordable homes over 10 ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    2 days ago
  • “Drunk Uncle at a Wedding”
    I’m a bit worried that I’ve started a previous newsletter with the words “just when you think they couldn’t get any worse…” Seems lately that I could begin pretty much every issue with that opening. Such is the nature of our coalition government that they seem to be outdoing each ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    2 days ago
  • Wang Yi’s perfectly-timed, Aukus-themed visit to New Zealand
    Geoffrey Miller writes – Timing is everything. And from China’s perspective, this week’s visit by its foreign minister to New Zealand could be coming at just the right moment. The visit by Wang Yi to Wellington will be his first since 2017. Anniversaries are important to Beijing. ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    2 days ago
  • Gordon Campbell on Dune 2, and images of Islam
    Depictions of Islam in Western popular culture have rarely been positive, even before 9/11. Five years on from the mosque shootings, this is one of the cultural headwinds that the Muslim community has to battle against. Whatever messages of tolerance and inclusion are offered in daylight, much of our culture ...
    2 days ago
  • New Rail Operations Centre Promises Better Train Services
    Last week Transport Minster Simeon Brown and Mayor Wayne Brown opened the new Auckland Rail Operations Centre. The new train control centre will see teams from KiwiRail, Auckland Transport and Auckland One Rail working more closely together to improve train services across the city. The Auckland Rail Operations Centre in ...
    2 days ago
  • Bernard's six newsy things at 6.36am on Monday, March 18
    Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Retiring former Labour Finance Minister Grant Robertson said in an exit interview with Q+A yesterday the Government can and should sustain more debt to invest in infrastructure for future generations. Elsewhere in the news in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy at 6:36am: Read more ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago
  • Geoffrey Miller: Wang Yi’s perfectly-timed, Aukus-themed visit to New Zealand
    Timing is everything. And from China’s perspective, this week’s visit by its foreign minister to New Zealand could be coming at just the right moment. The visit by Wang Yi to Wellington will be his first since 2017. Anniversaries are important to Beijing. It is more than just a happy ...
    Democracy ProjectBy Geoffrey Miller
    2 days ago
  • The Kaka’s diary for the week to March 25 and beyond
    TL;DR: The key events to watch in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the week to March 18 include:China’s Foreign Minister visiting Wellington today;A post-cabinet news conference this afternoon; the resumption of Parliament on Tuesday for two weeks before Easter;retiring former Labour Finance Minister Grant Robertson gives his valedictory speech in Parliament; ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago
  • Bitter and angry; Winston First
    New Zealand First Leader Winston Peters’s state-of-the-nation speech on Sunday was really a state-of-Winston-First speech. He barely mentioned any of the Government’s key policies and could not even wholly endorse its signature income tax cuts. Instead, he rehearsed all of his complaints about the Ardern Government, including an extraordinary claim ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    2 days ago
  • 2024 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #11
    A listing of 35 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, March 10, 2024 thru Sat, March 16, 2024. Story of the week This week we'll give you a little glimpse into how we collect links to share and ...
    2 days ago
  • 2024 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #11
    A listing of 35 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, March 10, 2024 thru Sat, March 16, 2024. Story of the week This week we'll give you a little glimpse into how we collect links to share and ...
    2 days ago
  • Out of Touch.
    “I’ve been internalising a really complicated situation in my head.”When they kept telling us we should wait until we get to know him, were they taking the piss? Was it a case of, if you think this is bad, wait till you get to know the real Christopher, after the ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    3 days ago
  • Bring out your Dad
    Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago
  • Bring out your Dad
    Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago
  • Bring out your Dad
    Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago
  • The bewildering world of Chris Luxon – Guns for all, not no lunch for kids
    .“$10 and a target that bleeds” - Bleeding Targets for Under $10!.Thanks for reading Frankly Speaking ! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.This government appears hell-bent on either scrapping life-saving legislation or reintroducing things that - frustrated critics insist - will be dangerous and likely ...
    Frankly SpeakingBy Frank Macskasy
    3 days ago
  • Expert Opinion: Ageing Boomers, Laurie & Les, Talk Politics.
    It hardly strikes me as fair to criticise a government for doing exactly what it said it was going to do. For actually keeping its promises.”THUNDER WAS PLAYING TAG with lightning flashes amongst the distant peaks. Its rolling cadences interrupted by the here-I-come-here-I-go Doppler effect of the occasional passing car. ...
    3 days ago
  • Manufacturing The Truth.
    Subversive & Disruptive Technologies: Just as happened with that other great regulator of the masses, the Medieval Church, the advent of a new and hard-to-control technology – 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
    4 days ago
  • Jacqui Van Der Kaay: Greens’ transparency missing in action
    For the last few years, the Green Party has been the party that has managed to avoid the plague of multiple scandals that have beleaguered other political parties. It appears that their luck has run out with a second scandal which, unfortunately for them, coincided with Golraz Ghahraman, the focus ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    4 days ago
  • Bernard’s Dawn Chorus with six newsey things at 6:46am for Saturday, March 16
    TL;DR: The six newsey things that stood out to me as of 6:46am on Saturday, March 16.Andy Foster has accidentally allowed a Labour/Green amendment to cut road user chargers for plug-in hybrid vehicles, which the Government might accept; NZ Herald Thomas Coughlan Simeon Brown has rejected a plea from Westport ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • How Did FTX Crash?
    What seemed a booming success a couple of years ago has collapsed into fraud convictions.I looked at the crash of FTX (short for ‘Futures Exchange’) in November 2022 to see whether it would impact on the financial system as a whole. Fortunately there was barely a ripple, probably because it ...
    PunditBy Brian Easton
    4 days ago
  • Elections in Russia and Ukraine
    Anybody following the situation in Ukraine and Russia would probably have been amused by a recent Tweet on X NATO seems to be putting in an awful lot of effort to influence what is, at least according to them, a sham election in an autocracy.When do the Ukrainians go to ...
    4 days ago
  • Bernard’s six stack of substacks at 6pm on March 15
    TL;DR: Shaun Baker on Wynyard Quarter's transformation. Magdalene Taylor on the problem with smart phones. How private equity are now all over reinsurance. Dylan Cleaver on rugby and CTE. Emily Atkin on ‘Big Meat’ looking like ‘Big Oil’.Bernard’s six-stack of substacks at 6pm on March 15Photo by Jeppe Hove Jensen ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • Buzz from the Beehive Finance Minister Nicola Willis had plenty to say when addressing the Auckland Business Chamber on the economic growth that (she tells us) is flagging more than we thought. But the government intends to put new life into it:  We want our country to be a ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    4 days ago
  • National’s clean car tax advances
    The Transport and Infrastructure Committee has reported back on the Road User Charges (Light Electric RUC Vehicles) Amendment Bill, basicly rubberstamping it. While there was widespread support among submitters for the principle that EV and PHEV drivers should pay their fair share for the roads, they also overwhelmingly disagreed with ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    4 days ago
  • Government funding bailouts
    Peter Dunne writes – This week’s government bailout – the fifth in the last eighteen months – of the financially troubled Ruapehu Alpine Lifts company would have pleased many in the central North Island ski industry. The government’s stated rationale for the $7 million funding was that it ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • Two offenders, different treatments.
    See if you can spot the difference. An Iranian born female MP from a progressive party is accused of serial shoplifting. Her name is leaked to the media, which goes into a pack frenzy even before the Police launch an … Continue reading ...
    KiwipoliticoBy Pablo
    4 days ago
  • Treaty references omitted
    Ele Ludemann writes  – The government is omitting general Treaty references from legislation : The growth of Treaty of Waitangi clauses in legislation caused so much worry that a special oversight group was set up by the last Government in a bid to get greater coherence in the public service on Treaty ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • The Ghahraman Conflict
    What was that judge thinking? Peter Williams writes –  That Golriz Ghahraman and District Court Judge Maria Pecotic were once lawyer colleagues is incontrovertible. There is published evidence that they took at least one case to the Court of Appeal together. There was a report on ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • Bernard's Top 10 @ 10 'pick 'n' mix' for March 15
    TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: Climate Scorpion – the sting is in the tail. Introducing planetary solvency. A paper via the University of Exeter’s Institute and Faculty of Actuaries.Local scoop: Kāinga Ora starts pulling out of its Auckland projects and selling land RNZ ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • The day Wellington up-zoned its future
    Wellington’s massively upzoned District Plan adds the opportunity for tens of thousands of new homes not just in the central city (such as these Webb St new builds) but also close to the CBD and public transport links. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Wellington gave itself the chance of ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • Weekly Roundup 15-March-2024
    It’s Friday and we’re halfway through March Madness. Here’s some of the things that caught our attention this week. This Week in Greater Auckland On Monday Matt asked how we can get better event trains and an option for grade separating Morningside Dr. On Tuesday Matt looked into ...
    Greater AucklandBy Greater Auckland
    5 days ago
  • That Word.
    Something you might not know about me is that I’m quite a stubborn person. No, really. I don’t much care for criticism I think’s unfair or that I disagree with. Few of us do I suppose.Back when I was a drinker I’d sometimes respond defensively, even angrily. There are things ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago
  • The Hoon around the week to March 15
    Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The five things that mattered in Aotearoa’s political economy that we wrote and spoke about via The Kākā and elsewhere for paying subscribers in the last week included:PM Christopher Luxon said the reversal of interest deductibility for landlords was done to help renters, who ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • Labour’s policy gap
    It was not so much the Labour Party but really the Chris Hipkins party yesterday at Labour’s caucus retreat in Martinborough. The former Prime Minister was more or less consistent on wealth tax, which he was at best equivocal about, and social insurance, which he was not willing to revisit. ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    5 days ago
  • Skeptical Science New Research for Week #11 2024
    Open access notables A Glimpse into the Future: The 2023 Ocean Temperature and Sea Ice Extremes in the Context of Longer-Term Climate Change, Kuhlbrodt et al., Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society: In the year 2023, we have seen extraordinary extrema in high sea surface temperature (SST) in the North Atlantic and in ...
    5 days ago
  • Melissa remains mute on media matters but has something to say (at a sporting event) about economic ...
     Buzz from the Beehive   The text reproduced above appears on a page which records all the media statements and speeches posted on the government’s official website by Melissa Lee as Minister of Media and Communications and/or by Jenny Marcroft, her Parliamentary Under-secretary.  It can be quickly analysed ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    5 days ago
  • The return of Muldoon
    For forty years, Robert Muldoon has been a dirty word in our politics. His style of government was so repulsive and authoritarian that the backlash to it helped set and entrench our constitutional norms. His pig-headedness over forcing through Think Big eventually gave us the RMA, with its participation and ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    5 days ago
  • Will the rental tax cut improve life for renters or landlords?
    Bryce Edwards writes –  Is the new government reducing tax on rental properties to benefit landlords or to cut the cost of rents? That’s the big question this week, after Associate Finance Minister David Seymour announced on Sunday that the Government would be reversing the Labour Government’s removal ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • Geoffrey Miller: What Saudi Arabia’s rapid changes mean for New Zealand
    Saudi Arabia is rarely far from the international spotlight. The war in Gaza has brought new scrutiny to Saudi plans to normalise relations with Israel, while the fifth anniversary of the controversial killing of Jamal Khashoggi was marked shortly before the war began on October 7. And as the home ...
    Democracy ProjectBy Geoffrey Miller
    5 days ago
  • Racism’s double standards
    Questions need to be asked on both sides of the world Peter Williams writes –   The NRL Judiciary hands down an eight week suspension to Sydney Roosters forward Spencer Leniu , an Auckland-born Samoan, after he calls Ezra Mam, Sydney-orn but of Aboriginal and Torres Strait ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • It’s not a tax break
    Ele Ludemann writes – Contrary to what many headlines and news stories are saying, residential landlords are not getting a tax break. The government is simply restoring to them the tax deductibility of interest they had until the previous government removed it. There is no logical reason ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    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 ...
    6 days ago
  • Bernard's Top 10 @ 10 'pick 'n' mix' for March 14
    TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: Jonathon Porritt calling bullshit in his own blog post on mainstream climate science as ‘The New Denialism’.Local scoop: The Wellington City Council’s list of proposed changes to the IHP recommendations to be debated later today was leaked this ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    6 days ago
  • No, Prime Minister, rents don’t rise or fall with landlords’ costs
    TL;DR: Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said yesterday tenants should be grateful for the reinstatement of interest deductibility because landlords would pass on their lower tax costs in the form of lower rents. That would be true if landlords were regulated monopolies such as Transpower or Auckland Airport1, but they’re not, ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    6 days ago
  • Cartoons: ‘At least I didn’t make things awkward’
    This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Tom Toro Tom Toro is a cartoonist and author. He has published over 200 cartoons in The New Yorker since 2010. His cartoons appear in Playboy, the Paris Review, the New York Times, American Bystander, and elsewhere. Related: What 10 EV lovers ...
    6 days ago
  • Solving traffic congestion with Richard Prebble
    The business section of the NZ Herald is full of opinion. Among the more opinionated of all is the ex-Minister of Transport, ex-Minister of Railways, ex MP for Auckland Central (1975-93, Labour), Wellington Central (1996-99, ACT, then list-2005), ex-leader of the ACT Party, uncle to actor Antonia, the veritable granddaddy ...
    Greater AucklandBy Patrick Reynolds
    6 days ago
  • I Think I'm Done Flying Boeing
    Hi,Just quickly — I’m blown away by the stories you’ve shared with me over the last week since I put out the ‘Gary’ podcast, where I told you about the time my friend’s flatmate killed the neighbour.And you keep telling me stories — in the comments section, and in my ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    6 days ago
  • Invoking Aristotle: Of Rings of Power, Stones, and Ships
    The first season of Rings of Power was not awful. It was thoroughly underwhelming, yes, and left a lingering sense of disappointment, but it was more expensive mediocrity than catastrophe. I wrote at length about the series as it came out (see the Review section of the blog, and go ...
    6 days ago
  • Van Velden brings free-market approach to changing labour laws – but her colleagues stick to distr...
    Buzz from the Beehive Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Brooke van Velden told Auckland Business Chamber members they were the first audience to hear her priorities as a minister in a government committed to cutting red tape and regulations. She brandished her liberalising credentials, saying Flexible labour markets are the ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago
  • Why Newshub failed
    Chris Trotter writes – TO UNDERSTAND WHY NEWSHUB FAILED, it is necessary to understand how TVNZ changed. Up until 1989, the state broadcaster had been funded by a broadcasting licence fee, collected from every citizen in possession of a television set, supplemented by a relatively modest (compared ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago
  • Māori Party on the warpath against landlords and seabed miners – let’s see if mystical creature...
    Bob Edlin writes  –  The Māori Party has been busy issuing a mix of warnings and threats as its expresses its opposition to interest deductibility for landlords and the plans of seabed miners. It remains to be seen whether they  follow the example of indigenous litigants in Australia, ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago

  • Government moves to quickly ratify the NZ-EU FTA
    "The Government is moving quickly to realise an additional $46 million in tariff savings in the EU market this season for Kiwi exporters,” Minister for Trade and Agriculture, Todd McClay says. Parliament is set, this week, to complete the final legislative processes required to bring the New Zealand – European ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 hours ago
  • Positive progress for social worker workforce
    New Zealand’s social workers are qualified, experienced, and more representative of the communities they serve, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “I want to acknowledge and applaud New Zealand’s social workers for the hard work they do, providing invaluable support for our most vulnerable. “To coincide with World ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    12 hours ago
  • Minister confirms reduced RUC rate for PHEVs
    Cabinet has agreed to a reduced road user charge (RUC) rate for plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs), Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. Owners of PHEVs will be eligible for a reduced rate of $38 per 1,000km once all light electric vehicles (EVs) move into the RUC system from 1 April.  ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    14 hours ago
  • Trade access to overseas markets creates jobs
    Minister of Agriculture and Trade, Todd McClay, says that today’s opening of Riverland Foods manufacturing plant in Christchurch is a great example of how trade access to overseas markets creates jobs in New Zealand.  Speaking at the official opening of this state-of-the-art pet food factory the Minister noted that exports ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    14 hours ago
  • NZ and Chinese Foreign Ministers hold official talks
    Minister of Foreign Affairs Winston Peters met with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Wellington today. “It was a pleasure to host Foreign Minister Wang Yi during his first official visit to New Zealand since 2017. Our discussions were wide-ranging and enabled engagement on many facets of New Zealand’s relationship with China, including trade, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Kāinga Ora instructed to end Sustaining Tenancies
    Kāinga Ora – Homes & Communities has been instructed to end the Sustaining Tenancies Framework and take stronger measures against persistent antisocial behaviour by tenants, says Housing Minister Chris Bishop. “Earlier today Finance Minister Nicola Willis and I sent an interim Letter of Expectations to the Board of Kāinga Ora. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Speech to Auckland Business Chamber: Growth is the answer
    Tēna koutou katoa. Greetings everyone. Thank you to the Auckland Chamber of Commerce and the Honourable Simon Bridges for hosting this address today. I acknowledge the business leaders in this room, the leaders and governors, the employers, the entrepreneurs, the investors, and the wealth creators. The coalition Government shares your ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Singapore rounds out regional trip
    Minister Winston Peters completed the final leg of his visit to South and South East Asia in Singapore today, where he focused on enhancing one of New Zealand’s indispensable strategic partnerships.      “Singapore is our most important defence partner in South East Asia, our fourth-largest trading partner and a ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Minister van Velden represents New Zealand at International Democracy Summit
    Minister of Internal Affairs and Workplace Relations and Safety, Hon. Brooke van Velden, will travel to the Republic of Korea to represent New Zealand at the Third Summit for Democracy on 18 March. The summit, hosted by the Republic of Korea, was first convened by the United States in 2021, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Insurance Council of NZ Speech, 7 March 2024, Auckland
    ICNZ Speech 7 March 2024, Auckland  Acknowledgements and opening  Mōrena, ngā mihi nui. Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Nor Whanganui aho.  Good morning, it’s a privilege to be here to open the ICNZ annual conference, thank you to Mark for the Mihi Whakatau  My thanks to Tim Grafton for inviting me ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Five-year anniversary of Christchurch terror attacks
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Lead Coordination Minister Judith Collins have expressed their deepest sympathy on the five-year anniversary of the Christchurch terror attacks. “March 15, 2019, was a day when families, communities and the country came together both in sorrow and solidarity,” Mr Luxon says.  “Today we pay our respects to the 51 shuhada ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Speech for Financial Advice NZ Conference 5 March 2024
    Speech for Financial Advice NZ Conference 5 March 2024  Acknowledgements and opening  Morena, Nga Mihi Nui.  Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Nor Whanganui aho. Thanks Nate for your Mihi Whakatau  Good morning. It’s a pleasure to formally open your conference this morning. What a lovely day in Wellington, What a great ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Early visit to Indonesia strengthens ties
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters held discussions in Jakarta today about the future of relations between New Zealand and South East Asia’s most populous country.   “We are in Jakarta so early in our new government’s term to reflect the huge importance we place on our relationship with Indonesia and South ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • China Foreign Minister to visit
    Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Winston Peters has announced that the Foreign Minister of China, Wang Yi, will visit New Zealand next week.  “We look forward to re-engaging with Foreign Minister Wang Yi and discussing the full breadth of the bilateral relationship, which is one of New Zealand’s ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Minister opens new Auckland Rail Operations Centre
    Transport Minister Simeon Brown has today opened the new Auckland Rail Operations Centre, which will bring together KiwiRail, Auckland Transport, and Auckland One Rail to improve service reliability for Aucklanders. “The recent train disruptions in Auckland have highlighted how important it is KiwiRail and Auckland’s rail agencies work together to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
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