Open Mike 06/10/2017

Written By: - Date published: 6:00 am, October 6th, 2017 - 58 comments
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58 comments on “Open Mike 06/10/2017 ”

  1. Ed 1

    Why we urgently need to investigate Chinese influence over National.

    ‘The shocking reality that the National Party is little more than a front for Chinese business interests demands far more attention than it gained…
    New research paper lays bare China’s influence campaign in New Zealand
    Concerns raised over political donations and directorships offered to former ministers and relatives
    Chinese-owned New Zealand dairy farms said to possibly being used to test advanced missile technology’

    https://thedailyblog.co.nz/2017/10/06/why-we-urgently-need-to-investigate-chinese-influence-over-national/
    http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=11924169

  2. eco Maori/kiwi 2

    Apologizes’s for up setting you all as this was not my intention.
    But that is my reality as the Government system has not displayed any reason for me to trust them to do the right thing YEA RIGHT .This site and our viewers have given us the power to influence changes to our society’s for the better of everything in OUR WORLD.
    I have tried to get life insurance and that was rejected I will be sorting that out later.
    So my words yesterday was my way of insuring my safety as if any thing happens to me these people no that my case will be scrutinized and people held responsible for there actions against me.
    Bigg upps to OUR net ball Lady’s you have improved your game remarkably and we all no you can win against the AUSSIES Kai Kaha Lady’s

  3. Ed 3

    Tory corporate media continues to whinge….,,,,,,

    This time Winston is too quick.
    Watch them drip by drip try to erode MMP.
    There are words for people like that.
    And it’s not journalists.

    http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11930072

  4. reason 4

    Over a year ago, two suicide deaths on the edge of my social circle …. came closer to pushing me into depression or breakdown than at any other point in my life.
    The Grief of those I was close too …. and the indifference of many wealthy but un-civil New Zealanders …. had my emotions going from despair to fury.

    Despite myself & my immediate family doing relatively well in life and circumstances, …. I felt a powerlessness against harms, hardships and stress being put upon our working class citizens … and those at the lower financial end of society.

    Deliberate punitive policy choices made law …. despite knowing full well the results literally kill people….even if not as obvious as trade deals for ( illegal ) war participation…. Job insecurity, housing insecurity, debt for the young, poverty for families … it all cuts and claws at our people.

    Back at the time I copped a ban for abusing Puckish Rouge, who for me was personifying this sickness of indifference … so comfortable in their casual consent for cruelty …..

    saying we are going in the right direction …. even when our numbers increasingly represent a death march … no mercy for stragglers or those left behind.

    James sometimes makes me a bit wild and angry ….. for the same reasons …

    If People feel I sometimes over-react in my rudeness to RW trolls …….I say they get off light …. it’s my sticks and stones …..versus their shit Kills real New Zealanders …

    It’s hurt people I know….

    The two suicide victims impacting upon me did not know of each other ….

    One was a father, Imperfect and flawed like most of us ….. a rugged incredibly hard working forestry man …, fluently Bi-Lingual, knowledgeable in history ,. a talented musician Artist. …. …

    He was made unemployed,…. like just about every other man in his small community …. When the local forestry industry stopped tree felling … during the start of Nationals housing crisis/bubble/shortage…. and when growing numbers of NZ kids… were living in cars… or other substandard, overcrowded and unhealthy accommodation .

    Unemployment , Bennett/Keys sick WINZ culture…. and other attacks against human decency …. throughout his life but particularly at the end ….. broke his spirit….Attacked his pride ….stole his hope.

    With Death, the grief, sadness and anger of those who knew and loved him … metastasizes through and harms all our society . …

    NZ Harder … meaner ……. colder ….. certainly for his children.

    The other victim was a teenage girl, ……talented and tough enough to be selected into regional age rep teams in the most competitive woman s sport in New Zealand …. but who suffered from our un-civil treatment towards her parents, which of course affected her circumstances and home life ….

    ……This coupled with a complete Failure by her school, first with bullying, …. and then in delaying Medical treatment …. turned what was a ‘cry for help’ suicide attempt … into a fatal one. …a needless death of a young, sad, talented, teenager Isolated in her anxietys.

    I strongly suspect a white girl would have been taken more seriously….. and had immediate medical action …. rather than sent too and mucked around at her school sick bay …..as she was.

    Both of the suicide victims did not have easy lives … both had so much talent …. both were loved

    The loss of their sensitivity and humanity …. and the legions of others like them in New Zealand ….. cuts at the very spirit of our society….. they bear the crushed hope of our descent into cruel economic segregation..

    Take the civil out of society and what are we left with ? …. The dreams of the rich result in a nightmare for most.

    I’ll finish this posts with the words and Lyrics of the forestry worker, father … and musician….A small sliver and sample of what was his life ….. in his words …

    Snippets from songs, which had me in tears at times…. knowing the tragic ending.

    N8v child: ( native child ) ….. One of our best Artists …. we never knew we had……

    “Theres no gas in the subey ……. CV’s are about to snap… Motor smokes like doobies
    No warrant or registration …. awww fucken sue me
    Im up to my neck . in debt .. with finacial shit …..
    And the rest of me out-stretched ….. with I.O.U on my chest “

    On drink …..
    “Theres a way to make a shitty day a happy day,
    N8v child get drunk ,, drink sorrows away.
    Nothing can stop you when your in the zone and on your way,
    Wake up…….. everythings on the next day .

    Theres a way to make a shitty day a happy day,
    Square gin, johnny walker, JDs …its all the same.
    Nothing can stop you when your in the zone and on your way,
    Wake up…….. everythings on the next day.”

    Life

    “Hey, I gota risk my life for this shit,
    Felling Pinus-Radiata with a six , six ..and missed”…

    “Like a ghost presence appearing ….you never see me.
    I’m a native Cannabil from Aotearoa ….
    I aint no Kiwi”

    “Dial tone , I’m a little engaged …hard case … Maori or Polynesian
    That just a little reminder …. of theres somebody in the background .. preparing for tomorrow”

    “No matter how hard you try …your left behind .. in your mind”

    “Ashes to dust …Government corruption is such,
    The seas black, .. and they’re still trying to drill and frack the fuck.
    Mother earths had enough ……
    And i’m looking around ,….. and Im looking around alot ,…. you got me looking around …
    trying to find a way out… I’m trying to find my way out.”

    R.I.P … N8v Child …… his truth grows in strength … the music from his heart will always shine.

    https://soundcloud.com/pete-dnanz/vlc-record-2016-05-02-06h39m01s-track-13/stats/plays/2017-09-29/2017-10-05

    https://soundcloud.com/pete-dnanz/truth

    • Jenny Kirk 4.2

      Tautoko, Reason.

    • Thanks for that reason. A loved mother in our community, known to all, killed herself the other day. The ripples just go on and on. Arohanui to everyone struggling out there.

    • Karen 4.4

      Thank you so much for this, Reason, even though it has left me in tears.

      Your stories are but two of thousands of similar stories in this “rock-star economy. The RWNJ who refuse to acknowledge that what is happening in this country is both cruel and unnecessary are despicable IMO.

    • weka 4.5

      Reason, thank-you for this, it’s a beautiful piece of writing that really touches the situation NZ is in now. It would make a fine Guest Post. If you were willing, I can put it up. I would need to edit the ellipses out for readability (and I might want to take out the RW names, but would probably link back to the original comment if people want to see). Have a think about it, and also if you are ok with the families having their story more prominent (on the front page of The Standard and then out via social media).

      • reason 4.5.1

        Thanks for the support and sharing everyone … there’s so much individualized pain as communities unravel ….

        And thankyou Weka,….. I would have to gain permission from N8V childs family as his story is their living heartbreak … I know his children will grow up very proud of him … But its whether his family are ready …..

        To let go of him again, in a way.

        I will ask.

        Soundcloud seems to be playing up … but heres a youtube link to a full n8v child song.

        https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YGFFAIz5FHs

        • weka 4.5.1.1

          I understand. It’s also an option to post it at a later time if they feel better about that, but I also get they may not want that to happen at all.

          I would also want to link to suicide support services at the bottom of the post, and I would moderate comments tightly.

    • McFlock 4.6

      Sorry for your loss.

      What I find stunning is how we almost exist in silos (which I suppose explains to some extent how some people can think the place is going fine).

      I live in Dunedin, a small city more like a large town. I know of only one friend/acquaintance who has committed suicide, almost 20 years ago. I have a friend in south D, she’s been to several funerals this year, and about half a dozen last year. She knew directly several people who committed suicide.

      For some social circles or geographic areas, suicide and other early death is almost at levels seen in war zones, yet for another section of the community life is long and happy. Privilege.

    • Frida 4.7

      Thanks @Reason, I read that with tears. Kia kaha

    • gsays 4.8

      Thanks reason for your words, honesty and insight.
      I, too, have been consoling friends who lost their beautiful early twenties daughter to suicide
      You are right, there is a direct link between this free-market, neo-liberal regime and the real pain folks are feeling.

      Thanks again for your articulate words.

      • greywarshark 4.8.1

        reason
        You say it well for many of us. A moving obituary to the two.

        NZ Harder … meaner ……. colder…

    • tracey 4.9

      Thanks for taking the time to write and share this.

      Kia kaha

    • mary_a 4.10

      @ reason (4) …

      The shocking negligence of families struggling in this country is an absolute disgrace! An indictment on the present uncaring, arrogant government!

      Many thanks for bravely sharing your double tragic loss.

      Kia kaha.

      • reason 4.10.1

        Thankyou everyone ….. but do not feel sorry for me ….. my sadness was for those cut the deepest ….

        As marty mars, Karen, McFlock and gsays have shown …. we are all close to those feeling pain and being hurt … Just reaching out and offering a little help or empathy can mean a lot …

        Humanity is one of our greatest gifts we can give …. relationships, even with a cat or dog, are lifes greatest rewards.

        Weka,… N8v childs family will want his voice heard …. I know for some of them its a mission of respect …. Part of their healing.

        Initially the numbing desolation and pain smothered any thoughts or decision making for his Music…

        His spirit will shine again….

        “Sending aroha to you both Pero & Haam 🙂 may u both be jamming in the after life & jamming beside those who love you and your music in spirit. “got me looking around, trying to find a way out…” Nga mihi aroha, Nga mihi maioha ki a korua xox <3 ma te atua e manaaki – moe mai ra xox <3
        https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t8uQOCW05Vo

        https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t9MdAJ4f7Yk&list=PL35yXrnbIY_Dnr8cjTurN-UEG-FmfQCZv

  5. Zorb6 5

    I am continually amazed as to the apathy people show to being rinsed and ripped by the big 4 Australian banks.Recently they abolished other bank ATM charges in Australia, but offer a spurious,lame excuse as to why they cannot do the same here.In Australia depositors have compulsory insurance guaranteeing their investments.Here we have the opposite-an OBR that allows these banks to give NZ customers a ‘haircut’ should the bank find it has been incompetent or imprudent.With TSB,KIWI BANK,and Co-op Banks available here,there are options!With the increasing frequency of online banking transactions and the closure of many physical stores,what USP do the Australian banks offer anyway?Access to investment capital in NZ is supposedly paramount,yet the National Govt seem determined to stymie Kiwi Bank,The Cullen Fund,and Kiwisaver in favour of exporting billions of profits offshore!Winston seems to appreciate the value of Kiwi Bank at least.

    • tc 5.1

      Oz consumers get reamed more then kiwis do and a banking royal commission is being pushed for against turdbulls wishes, my there’s a surprise.

      What you are seeing is banks pretending they care when in fact they are desperate to avoid a royal commission. It’s been brewing before their last election and banks being banks keep reminding people what vampires they are.

      Between the gouging on transactional fees and their superannuation management fees racket you bet they don’t want the gilt edged platinum goose exposed.

    • millsy 5.2

      Speaking of ATM’s:

      https://www.stuff.co.nz/timaru-herald/news/97447977/dairy-farmer-waits-two-weeks-for-cash-after-atm-fails-to-deliver

      It is a good thing that the guy was a rich farmer who could afford to go without $2000 for 2 weeks. Had this been someone who was living week to week, it would have totally fucked their finances up.

    • savenz 5.3

      Exactly under neoliberalism the NZ government has turned Kiwis into cash cows for mostly foreign owned businesses. That’s the reason that the cost of living is so high. We also pay some of the highest mortgage rates compared to other comparable countries.

      Tried to bank a cheque the other day, found the bank branch had closed down since I last banked a cheque. What are we paying all these fees for?

      Banks make record profits here, but not much interest from government – in fact they cheer them on – like the power companies – who now charge people for solar.

  6. eco Maori/kiwi 6

    My eldest granddaughter has a problem with a skin reaction around her mouths her mother dropped her off about 2 months ago because it takes 10 days to get a doctors appointment where they live.
    So I took her to the doctors in Rotorua and met the Kenyan doctor his proscription was some antibiotics and a lip balm that has all natural ingredients in it so we chose Great Barrier ILand with alo vera and manuka honey and her rash came right but she lost it in a week and when i went back to get more I chose another product which just made her rash worse so two more vist to the doctor more antibiotics an the problem got worst .Yesterday I took her to a skin specialist and they were very help full and referred on to some one else . I remembered the first lip balm we got so I said to my granddaughter that we will go and get one of the first lip balms and If that did not work we would go to the person we were advised to go to as one has to watch his money well we found the product and with in 20 hours her proplem has improved 90 % .
    I was having selfish thoughts like what if the product gets a big run and runs out ect
    But I have over come those thoughts and decided it is to good not to endorse this product and help people with there skin problems P.S I’M going to buy a second lot now and I no that my granddaughter will look after this lip balm now . kai kaha

  7. cleangreen 7

    Watch this as National is driving us quickly to the end.

    Two degrees Point of no return.

    Two Degrees: The Point of No Return (TV Movie 2017) – IMDb

    http://www.imdb.com/title/tt7339080

    Directed by Matthew Braley. – As the Earth’s average temperature rises each year, experts warn that we are nearing a fatal tipping point, 2 degrees Celsius …

  8. patricia bremner 8

    Reason, your grief and anger in the face of government indifference is felt here too.

    I had two lovely friends, a couple, who worked hard all their lives for their family of five

    He developed a mental illness, and wasn’t helped when it made him afraid of the meds

    She developed type 2 diabetes and soon after cancer.

    They were mainly helped by their children. The safety net more holes than net.

    For me, the anger and grief when he was put out of hospital with his meds in his hand.

    And when she was asked as she was dying, “Can you work 15 hours a week?”

    They didn’t live to 65, so no pension. So I voted for no age increase.

    I hear you Reason, and share your grief and pain. The misery inflicted by the comfortable, while they look the other way.

    Our hope is together we can make this a better place. Kia kaha.

    • Heather Grimwood 8.1

      to PB and Reason above : Yes indeed we MUST make this a better place. Let’s trust that present political deliberations enable it.

    • eco Maori/kiwi 8.2

      I Feel for all the people that are unfortunate but please try and use a method I learned which is to look for something positive in our lives if one looks hard they will find it . all the best to you all I AM SURE THINGS ARE ABOUT TO CHANGE FOR THE GOOD OF ALL OF US. my spelling shit hope you had a few laugh’s Kia Kaha

    • reason 8.3

      Hi patricia bremner, and Heather Grimwood…. I’ve just seen and read your post …. sorry for not seeing it and replying earlier.

      So sad and cruel regarding your friends …. Almost literally Worked to death…

      Causalities of The pressures and stress …. from our sick ‘Greed race’ society …

      National rats now being the minority …… means some repairs to to the holes they have gnawed in our society …. may finally be done.

      ButNever trust a blue rat ,,,,,,,,, they are from ‘the Sewer’ family.

  9. savenz 9

    Under a National led Government the New Zealand’s public education system has suffered…

    $35 million gifted to private schools (4% of students).

    $25 million slashed from the Education Ministry (according to assessments it is the worst performing ministry).

    Introduction of new curriculum abandoned and National Standards implemented without trial, against advice and with limited consultation (legislated into law).

    Cost of repairing leaky school buildings over $1.2 billion (after National’s de-regulation of building industry in 1991).

    $400 million wiped from the early childhood budget and the target for qualified teachers dropped to 80% (many centres operating at 100% had massive budget cuts).
    Curriculum narrowed to literacy and numeracy and all other advisors sacked(Science, Technology, Arts…).

    The expectation that schools provide healthy food wiped to allow commercial interests into schools again to sell processed food and fruit in schools scheme slashed.

    Funding for technology teachers in intermediates cut.

    Class sizes over 1:27, 6 more than the OECD average

    Health camps closed.

    Residential schools for behavioural needs closed (one illegally).

    Schools who questioned Standards were threatened with having boards and principals sacked and had PD withheld.

    Christchurch school closures are poorly managed and questioned by an ombudsmen and found wanting by a court decision.

    New Education Ministry head employed from UK with a background in Charter Schools and limited knowledge of New Zealand system.

    Novopay signed off and implemented without a proper trial despite having 147 software faults. Schools are having to devote hours of time every week to deal with past and ongoing problems.

    Charter Schools introduced despite no evidence of need and are given afinancial advantage over public schools. The Civilian’s satirical take on Charter Schools is actually not far from the truth.

    Private schools capture special needs funding over low decile schools.

    Hekia Parata remains in Ministerial role despite poor performance and little respect from the public or the education sector.

    After five years under National, New Zealand’s international ranking plummets to as low as 23rd.

    Internationally regarded research reveals New Zealand schools are suffering serious harm under the National Standards regime.

    The Prime Minister announces that $359 million will be spent on Executive Principals and Teachers who are successful in raising achievement in National Standards. Many question why the money is supporting a corporate management system and isn’t being spent directly to help children with high needs.

    You can add to the list the change to teacher training that allows teachers to train in 6 weeks in the school holidays and then train on the job in one school without varied practicums, just as Teach For America does to bring in low cost, short term, untrained ‘teachers’. (Coincidentally great for charter schools, especially those running for profit.)

    https://saveourschoolsnz.com/2014/03/17/the-list-what-national-has-done-to-new-zealand-education/

    • Molly 9.1

      Add to that horrendous list a further subsidy to private schools via the use of the Aspire scholarships.

      Ballot scholarships paying up to $82.500 per student- most of it as fees to a private school – over a period of five years.

      • savenz 9.1.1

        Yep the government seem to have it all wrong.

        NZ already has a means for special charter in schools and that is independent schools. We don’t need charter schools and public money being siphoned off and used to enrich businesses and banks! If you want a special school you can already do it under independent schools.

    • Bearded Git 9.2

      Great post saveNZ….I thought I followed the news pretty well but I hadn’t put all those things together. This has been a government of 9 years of nasty incremental changes-environment/education/health/maori/housing/taxes…you name it.

      But the 5% are ok, with their private healthcare and private education and their jobs for the boys. They swim in their private pools not in the wadeable rivers.

  10. Morrissey 10

    Another Hollywood scoundrel and faux-liberal Clintonista bites the dust

    predator n., a person who ruthlessly exploits others. “a sexual predator”

    Peter Jackson’s friend Harvey Weinstein has been one of the loudest and most brutal opponents of the open internet. He’s taken sick leave recently. Here’s why….

    https://www.nytimes.com/2017/10/05/us/harvey-weinstein-harassment-allegations.html

    http://www.scpr.org/blogs/economy/2013/01/24/12175/harvey-weinstein-still-thinks-silicon-valley-steal/

  11. savenz 11

    “Auckland ratepayers [are] now paying 6 percent more this year for council salaries. A staggering 52 percent of rates are now used by the council just to pay staff.”

    …Mr Town (CEO)- who got a $34,000 payrise to $690,000…”

    http://www.newshub.co.nz/home/politics/2017/10/bump-in-auckland-council-staff-earning-six-figure-salaries.html

    Note the article attacks democratically elected Phil Goff NOT the unelected CEO Town who earns $690,000 who is supposed to ‘run’ the council.

    Not sure how much the Ports of Auckland CEO gets, or Metrowater CEO’s but probably more than Phil Goff.

    Apparently Auckland council has some unbelievable dissatisfaction rate from ratepayers.

    Before the supercity and the COO structures the council seemed to be better off with just democratically elected councillors and some managers under them. Much cheaper, better services and much more accountability.

  12. adam 13

    Gotta have a giggle with Lee Camp. Some good points from this short video, and funny as well. 7.15

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UknXRayNr_M&mc_cid=94cd1b6202&mc_eid=524e48683c&ab_channel=RedactedTonight

  13. eco Maori/kiwi 14

    savenz I don’t no how these people who have been destroying our grandchildren’s future can even show there face’s in public let a lone on camera and tell there lies . They are a disgrace to NZ and a disgrace to humanity. We all want the best start for our children everyone no’s that start’s with a good education good health as any little setback will greatly affect our young star’s life in a negative way and will prevent them from reaching there full potential . OUR children are OUR future . and national don’t that. I CAN NOT WRAP MY HEAD AROUND THE WAY national people think because there logic does not exist Kia Kaha

    • savenz 14.1

      Thanks Maori/kiwi. I think National have got away their shocking social manipulation for 9 years by targeting vulnerable people like children and bullying schools and doing it in a way so that incrementally it’s just getting worse and worse while having a little back slaps with the MSM and so completely misleading reporting with zero facts is being done about what’s happening in this country.

      Similar to WINZ targeting beneficiaries. Pick on the vulnerable, like kids and beneficiaries who are less able to ask for help so that money can be siphoned off for other causes (Saudi sheep farms or Sky city convention centres). And we have roads, roads, roads, actually the most expensive road in the world being built by National – so money is no object in some cases. Clearly kids or people in general are not considered worth anything in comparison.

  14. tracey 15

    Moko inquiry. Can I say how much I admire Judge, now Childrens Commissioner. Read what this guy writes. He has been trying to be part of solutions for over a decade but so many deaf ears.

    http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11929541

    This is why Wayne Mapp makes me annoyed when he avoids answering valid questions about the “collateral damage” of his preferred ideology. When he is affronted that people might think National has done bad things. They have had their go, for 9 years, of addressing the Mokos and Moko mums and Tanias… like Nat MPs, not evil people but unlike National MPs doing bad things through desperation…

  15. BM 16

    Fuck, you’re an obnoxious wanker.

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

  16. Tracey 17

    Had a chuckle at this short piece of satire in The New Yorker

    “Doctors at the University of Minnesota Medical School, who have been studying the skeletal structures of both Republicans for months, believe that their ability to stand, walk, and even break into a brisk trot when confronted by reporters’ questions is “virtually inexplicable.”

    https://www.newyorker.com/humor/borowitz-report/scientists-baffled-by-mcconnell-and-ryans-ability-to-stand-upright-without-spines

  17. Bill Drees 18

    “When he [Boris Johnson] was lying his way through the referendum campaign, we knew little about what Brexit Britain would look like. Now we are beginning to know more.
    The pound worth less – because of Brexit. Rising prices – because of Brexit.
    Our falling standing in the world – because of Brexit.
    From the top of the G7 growth league to the bottom – because of Brexit.
    The investors making plans to move – because of Brexit.
    EU workers leaving our NHS and our schools and universities, not welcome – because of Brexit.
    Fruit unpicked in East Anglia – because of Brexit.
    The Irish border question unresolved and imperiling stability and peace there – because of Brexit. The rights of millions uncertain – because of Brexit.
    The most complex negotiations imaginable in the hands of a cabinet incapable of meeting for five minutes without splurging their differences through the media to the other side of the negotiating table. ”

    A foreign secretary driven by ego alone; a Prime Minister too weak to deal with it.”
    Alastair Campbell in the NewEuropean.
    He doesn’t miss and hit the wall.

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    Buzz from the Beehive Housing Minister Chris Bishop delivered news – packed with the ingredients to enflame political passions – worthy of supplanting Winston Peters in headline writers’ priorities. He popped up at the post-Cabinet press conference to promise a crackdown on unruly and antisocial state housing tenants. His ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    5 hours ago
  • Will it make the boat go faster?
    Ele Ludemann writes – The Reserve Bank is advertising for a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion advisor. The Bank has one mandate – to keep inflation between one and three percent. It has failed in that and is only slowly getting inflation back down to the upper limit. Will it ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    8 hours ago
  • Bryce Edwards: Is Simon Bridges’ NZTA appointment a conflict of interest?
    Last week former National Party leader Simon Bridges was appointed by the Government as the new chair of the New Zealand Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA). You can read about the appointment in Thomas Coughlan’s article, Simon Bridges to become chair of NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi The fact that a ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    8 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
    8 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
    9 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
    10 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
    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
    13 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 – the Internet –  is weakening the ties that bind. Then, and now, those who enjoy a monopoly on the dissemination of lies, cannot and will ...
    3 days ago
  • A Powerful Sensation of Déjà Vu.
    Been Here Before: To find the precedents for what this Coalition Government is proposing, it is necessary to return to the “glory days” of Muldoonism.THE COALITION GOVERNMENT has celebrated its first 100 days in office by checking-off the last of its listed commitments. It remains, however, an angry government. It ...
    3 days ago
  • Can you guess where world attention is focussed (according to Greenpeace)? It’s focussed on an EPA...
    Bob Edlin writes –  And what is the world watching today…? The email newsletter from Associated Press which landed in our mailbox early this morning advised: In the news today: The father of a school shooter has been found guilty of involuntary manslaughter; prosecutors in Trump’s hush-money case ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    3 days ago
  • Further integrity problems for the Greens in suspending MP Darleen Tana
    Bryce Edwards writes – Is another Green MP on their way out? And are the Greens severely tarnished by another integrity scandal? For the second time in three months, the Green Party has secretly suspended an MP over integrity issues. Mystery is surrounding the party’s decision to ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    3 days ago
  • Jacqui Van Der Kaay: Greens’ transparency missing in action
    For the last few years, the Green Party has been the party that has managed to avoid the plague of multiple scandals that have beleaguered other political parties. It appears that their luck has run out with a second scandal which, unfortunately for them, coincided with Golraz Ghahraman, the focus ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    3 days ago
  • Bernard’s Dawn Chorus with six newsey things at 6:46am for Saturday, March 16
    TL;DR: The six newsey things that stood out to me as of 6:46am on Saturday, March 16.Andy Foster has accidentally allowed a Labour/Green amendment to cut road user chargers for plug-in hybrid vehicles, which the Government might accept; NZ Herald Thomas Coughlan Simeon Brown has rejected a plea from Westport ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 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
    4 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
  • There’s a name for this
    Every year, in the Budget, Parliament forks out money to government agencies to do certain things. And every year, as part of the annual review cycle, those agencies are meant to report on whether they have done the things Parliament gave them that money for. Agencies which consistently fail to ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    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
    1 hour 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
    6 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
    8 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
    9 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
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