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Open mike 07/10/2019

Written By: - Date published: 7:00 am, October 7th, 2019 - 56 comments
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56 comments on “Open mike 07/10/2019”

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  1. Blazer 1
    7 October 2019 at 8:32 am

    NZ FOR SALE…'That showed that six of the 10 biggest landowners are foreign forestry companies and when you look at how the land is spread amongst New Zealanders, about 4,500 people – or 0.1 per cent of the population – own 28 per cent of the land.'

     

    https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/the-detail/116346806/the-detail-forestry-companies-buying-vast-amounts-new-zealand

    • New view 1.1
      7 October 2019 at 6:20 pm

      Well done drawing attention to this insidious sell off of our land in the name of climate change rescue. Most of the commenters on this forum I would have thought might question the sell off to foreign owned entities but it doesn’t seem to be a problem. I wonder what the reaction would be if National was in power with the same agenda. 

      • Stuart Munro. 1.1.1
        7 October 2019 at 11:43 pm

        I doubt many commenters here support the selloffs in any form. Unfortunately the neoliberal buffoons who've parasitized our public service are full steam ahead on selling land offshore, a proposition that a substantial majority of the public oppose, rendering it illegitimate

        "in the name of climate change rescue" – doubtful – that may be an entry on the OIO ledger, but the OIO would be the only clowns credulous enough to believe it.

  2. Sanctuary 2
    7 October 2019 at 8:34 am

    If you want to know why Auckland University has fallen out of the top 200 list of best universities – a decline of over 133 places since arch neo-lib managerialist Stuart McCutcheon got the top job – then look no further than the extraordinary attack on Adrian Orr by the one of the swarm of chancer establishment cronies that have clearly flourished under McCutcheon's intellectual Stalinism.

    A certain Robert MacCulloch, the Professor of Macroeconomics at Auckland University, has attacked the central bank saying Orr is a publicity seeker, the RBNZ now lacks intellectual fire-power and that much of the senior talent has "walked out the door". MacCulloch is playing the role of attack poodle for some clearly rattled gougers in the Aussie owned bank’s glass towers.

    The attack on the RBNZ by MacCulloch well illustrates why neoliberalsm hangs on as a zombie ideology. Neoliberalism is a core ideology of a well paid, well funded and cosy class where totally owned tame friends in well-sponsored and funded right wing university departments give an intellectual veneer to a moth-eaten TINA before moving on to well paid banking jobs themselves. 

    As a marvellous piece of "radical centrism" in action as a neoliberal elite seeks to maintain the supremacy of it's soporific intellectual prescription MacCulloch's piece hard to beat.

    Have a listen – 

    https://www.rnz.co.nz/audio/player?audio_id=2018716504  

    • Nic the NZer 2.1
      7 October 2019 at 8:54 am

      I think he has every right to criticize, in fact an obligation as an academic to do so. But he should come up with a better argument than just, those guys are too thick to run things.

      We have on the other hand a long standing weakness in our democratic processes known as Central Bank Independence. This breaks accountablity with the elected finance minister for his favoured strategy and results in fiscal policy being surpressed in favour of monetary policy.

      Even if he triggers a more broad discussion I dont think what he is saying plays well in public. His arguments only make sense to a small cult like following who have been through an indoctrination program. For most the idea of banks having more skin in the game, similar to other businesses, is a winner.

    • Blazer 2.2
      7 October 2019 at 9:11 am

      Nicely put.

      MacCulloch reminds me of the University hierarchy in the U.S  featured in the doco 'Inside Job'….so aggrieved at conflicts of interest being pointed out .

      .In that case selective articles bought and well paid for that suited the finance industries objectives.

    • ScottGN 2.3
      7 October 2019 at 9:11 am

      The hits on Orr are coming thick and fast. Stuff yesterday had a piece by someone called Kate McNamara attacking the RB Governor. As far as I could see there was no byline attached to the piece to indicate who this person worked for and what her relationship to the banking industry might be. 

      • Sanctuary 2.3.1
        7 October 2019 at 10:08 am

        If this is the same person, then she is a PR person with an interest in banking. She also who seems to be peddling a peculiar form of climate change denialism – see these articles… https://muckrack.com/kate-macnamara/articles

      • tc 2.3.2
        7 October 2019 at 11:01 am

        Must be doing a good job then if the MSM repeaters and shills are blanketing him.

        Ah yes that age old tactic of mysterious unmanned editorials and columns as they've likely been sent from PR Spin central with some  talking points for the other opinionators to riff with.

    • Pat 2.4
      7 October 2019 at 9:37 am

      I seem to recall a fairly prevalent media presence for one Don Brash during his time as Reserve Bank Governor

    • Dukeofurl 2.5
      7 October 2019 at 10:06 am

      MacCulloch writes for the Herald often along the same lines spouting ACT party lines  and Business Round table -NZI nostrums

      https://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=11349608

      https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12209291

      "Although Mr Hosking is already complaining about Labour's looming budget, the National Party never committed to disciplining its own regulation and spending with the use of cost-benefit analysis. I was personally rebuffed by former Prime Minister John Key on this precise issue at the NZ Initiative."

      Must be really scraping the bottom of the barrel for good arguements if he says the RBNZ  under Orr lacks 'firepower'-

      Im sure thats a common idea thrown around the Ivory Towers  where competing views are dismissed with their version of a personal insult – lacking in intellect.

       

    • Psycho Milt 2.6
      7 October 2019 at 10:32 am

      I don't disagree with you on MacCulloch, but NZ universities' tumble down the rankings is to do with the money being spent on universities in China and other developing countries, not any particular ideology – basically, there's much tougher competition for those top rankings than there used to be.  

      • tc 2.6.1
        7 October 2019 at 11:05 am

        Correct and a fair bit of higher ed talent has been crossing the ditch/retiring as the boys club under the VC's takes hold.

        That's been going awhile now since Bovver Boy Joyce took them off  Ayatolley who'd made a pigs ear of the hollowmens runsheet in education.

         

  3. Peter 3
    7 October 2019 at 9:00 am

    At the risk of being accused of attacking the messenger and not addressing his argument … and appreciating that Robert MacCulloch maybe a victim of a pestilential media …

    MacCulloch attacking the central bank saying Orr is a publicity seeker?  Orr is no doubt approached by many to comment. He is supposed to say he won't talk to anyone? He shouldn't talk to anyone?

    And Robert MacCulloch, the same for him? He's in the media – he was approached to comment?  He was supposed to say he wouldn't comment? He shouldn't talk to anyone? Is he just a 'publicity seeker'?

     

    • ianmac 3.1
      7 October 2019 at 9:21 am

      Thank goodness we have Rod Oram to tell us how well we are doing in spite of the negativeness of the Opposition and the Business Surveys.

      Economics and politics are getting rockier and riskier around the world. Yet, New Zealand has never been more confident and capable of gaining from such turbulent times. So, here are six reasons for business optimism in New Zealand, from Rod Oram.

      And the six reasons are told so well even I get it.

      https://www.newsroom.co.nz/2019/10/06/842075/reasons-to-be-cheerful-1  (Can't stop the italics.)

      • Pat 3.1.1
        7 October 2019 at 9:34 am

        By his own admission Oram is an eternal optimist.

        • Dukeofurl 3.1.1.1
          7 October 2019 at 9:42 am

          Thats what Hosking  used to say during the Key government- the glass  was always possible to  get fuller -, however hes  since  been exposed as a partisan hack.

          Rod Oram is certainly not an optimist when  it comes to the likes of Fonterra and other forms of big business. Thats why he was pushed out from  his  weekend newspaper job.

        • ianmac 3.1.1.2
          7 October 2019 at 9:43 am

          Pat. Rod does back his optimism with hard facts. The naysayers do not except to say look at our survey. See? We all think the worst. And we are proud of that.

        • Peter 3.1.1.3
          7 October 2019 at 11:00 am

          Hell, wouldn't it be terrible to have a country full of eternal optimists. Things would be so much better if everyone went around in Negative Nelly mode speaking through acid lips.

          Sort of like the National supporters' mindset of 2018 onwards … 

          • Pat 3.1.1.3.1
            7 October 2019 at 11:14 am

            "Hell, wouldn't it be terrible to have a country full of eternal optimists."

            Yes it would, not to mention dangerous..far more sensible to have a country full of realists though that is not going to happen either. Optimism has its place as does pessimism, neither should be a default.

    • Dukeofurl 3.2
      7 October 2019 at 10:12 am

      Good point.  Orrs job function is seek publicity . Robert MacCulloch  and his acolytes at the NZ Initiative/Business Round Table do the very same thing at the behest of the corporates who fill their doggy bowls.

      https://nzinitiative.org.nz/membership/our-members/

  4. ScottGN 4
    7 October 2019 at 9:03 am

    Trudeau’s Liberal Party is starting to track just ahead of the Conservative Party in CBC’s Canadian Federal Election Poll of Polls. It’s the first time since the beginning of the year (and the start of the SNC Lavalin scandal) that they have had the edge, though well within margin of error, in polling.
    The Liberals have always been favoured to win the most seats due to their vote efficiency under Canada’s FPTP system. Until now though it was assumed that another majority was out of reach for Trudeau and he would have to settle for minority government. Latest polling puts the Liberals on the cusp of majority government with 2 weeks to go.

    https://newsinteractives.cbc.ca/elections/poll-tracker/canada/

    • Dukeofurl 4.1
      7 October 2019 at 9:39 am

      a Liberal party  with New Democrats to make a coalition  government ? Or are they too far apart.

      • ScottGN 4.1.1
        7 October 2019 at 10:13 am

        Coalition government is not popular in Canada.  Usually the party with the largest number of seats runs a minority government. If this is Mr Trudeau’s fate then he will most likely look to both his left and right to get support to pass legislation. The NDP are in something of a crisis at the moment as their support has tanked across the country, especially in their former stronghold of Quebec where they are facing a wipeout on Election Day. It’s very unlikely they would agree to formally prop up a Liberal government.

        Typically in Ottawa opposition parties will give the minority government votes on confidence bills in order to avoid the opprobrium that comes with unnecessarily collapsing the government and sending grumpy voters back to the polls. One unfortunate outcome from this is that minority governments can’t resist the temptation to pass contentious legislation via Omnibus bills where lots of different bills are bundled together and attached to a Budget Supply Bill which automatically tests the confidence of the House.

      • cleangreen 4.1.2
        7 October 2019 at 8:02 pm

        My memory while living in Toronto was the NDP was left centre, so 'something like NZ First'here,  and can marry up again with the liberals rather than the Conservative government.

  5. joe90 5
    7 October 2019 at 1:08 pm

    Now this is a slip.

  6. joe90 6
    7 October 2019 at 1:20 pm

    Marvelous.

    #FilthyPieceOfToeRag

    edit:

  7. Poission 7
    7 October 2019 at 2:13 pm

    Protest season is upon us,now everyone is protesting for different reasons.

    Fertilization of single woman and lesbians in France.

    https://www.france24.com/en/20191006-france-paris-protest-conservatives-extended-procreation-bill-single-lesbian-women

    Georgia with anti govt.

    https://eurasianet.org/protest-season-returns-to-georgia

    The long protests of the yellow jackets (nearly a year) and Hong Kong.

    Plus those from central casting in Wellington, the later whose regular faces from the Aro valley (forgetting they live in a high EQ risk zone,which will look like abbotsford.

     

     

  8. Velcro 8
    7 October 2019 at 6:09 pm

    Who are the real 'denialists'? Those who refuse to consider or debate relevant facts. While CO2 is indeed a greenhouse gas, there is no climate crisis

    [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.]

    [Obviously, you are a slow learner]

  9. Velcro 9
    7 October 2019 at 7:28 pm

    There is no climate 'crisis' – except in the minds of warmist bedwetters. The relationship between atmospheric CO2 concentration and atmospheric temperature is logarithmic. The more CO2 there is, the less effective it becomes as a warming agent because the ability of any one CO2 molecule to absorb IR radiation at 14.5 micron wavelength is being shielded by the increasing number of other CO2 molecules.

    [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.]

  10. Velcro 10
    7 October 2019 at 7:31 pm

    It did not 'fully de-ice' in the last interglacial, the Eemian, which was quite a bit warmer than at present. So why would it do so in this interglacial, which is now nearing its end anyway

    [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.]

    • Stuart Munro. 10.1
      7 October 2019 at 8:01 pm

      The point of following the Greenland melt is that it is a nice hard set of data points – there is little or no prediction involved. As such it serves as a touchstone for predictive models. The melt, by proceeding much faster than has been predicted suggests, as might be expected given the level of activity of climate deniers, that predictions have been conservative, and inclined to err on the low side.

  11. Velcro 11
    7 October 2019 at 7:59 pm

    School strike equates to school bunk-off day. If you don't lose your pay you have not been on strike. Maybe they were missing out on those feared subjects physics and maths, which might have taught them about logic and the scientific method and maybe the principles of Socratic debate. All sadly missing in the 'climate strikers' ' minds.

    [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.]

    • In Vino 11.1
      7 October 2019 at 9:12 pm

      Velcro, I suspect that is your mind that lacks the Socratic debate thing. Nice of you to mention it, but I challenge you to prove that you understand it better than the protestors, whom, to quote George Dubya, you sadly 'misunderestimate'.

  13. Eco maori 13
    9 October 2019 at 8:29 am

    Kia Ora The Breakfast Show. 

    No its national fault  Our higher living cost rents power ect. Now the Papatuanuku is not looking stable so Our government should hold back some putea to weather a storm our government has invested more in social security so most people will be comfortable in Aotearoa hence the fact invest more in the % 99. and the tax take goes up national stop investing in social services and the tax take went down it not ROCKET SCIENCE. The carbon tax was needed to slow down our use of carbon and pay for Green Energy transition. 

    I agree with him shonky denied that there was a PEE problem when he was in power and the problem grew something stinks. Also agree that the gangs get all the blame what about the others that are pushing and using the poison. 

    The farright needs to be brought to heal on the 21 century compunction device. 

    I think it's great that the ban on dogs is the city has been lifted down South Land. 

    Ka kite Ano 

     

  14. Eco maori 14
    9 October 2019 at 2:22 pm

    This App is a awesome idea this will help plant billions of trees if every one joins in the effort to pay for trees to be planted it will capture billions of tonnes of carbon. Also providing jobs in poor countries 

    This app lets you plant trees to fight deforestation

    lanting trees to save the planet just got a whole lot easier – no gardening gloves required.

    A new app from the young people behind the Plant-for-the-Planet Foundation means anyone can now help with the world’s reforestation efforts, in just a few simple clicks.

    The Plant-for-the-Planet app is part of the Trillion Tree Campaign, which grew out of the UN Environment Programme’s Billion Tree Campaign, launched in 2006.

    The app has 50 reforestation projects in developing countries to choose from. For just over $3, you can ‘plant’ a tree in Brazil, or for $108, you can plant 1,000 trees to restore the landscape of Indonesia – and the money goes straight to the tree planters on the ground.

    And if you do want to get your hands dirty, the app also lets you register trees you’ve planted yourself, with photos and locations, as well as organise tree-planting competitions among schools or at work.

    Inger Andersen, UNEP Executive Director, says: “Widespread restoration requires us to reach out to large numbers of people, cost-effectively and quickly. Apps like this can go a long way to boost nature-based solutions for climate action, livelihoods and sustainability Ka kite Ano link below.

    https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2019/10/technology-trees-deforestation-environment-app/

  15. Eco maori 15
    9 October 2019 at 4:17 pm

    The United Nations needs to have money to do their mahi come on. 

    The United Nations may not have en8ough money for staff salaries next month if member states don't pay what they owe, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has warned.

    He told the 193-member UN General Assembly's budget committee that if he had not worked since January to cut spending then "we would not have had the liquidity to support" the annual gathering of world leaders last month.

    "This month, we will reach the deepest deficit of the decade. We risk … entering November without enough cash to cover payrolls," said Guterres.

    The United States is the largest contributor – responsible for 22 per cent of the more than $US3.3 billion ($A4.9 billion) regular budget for 2019, which pays for work including political, humanitarian, disarmament, economic and social affairs and communications.

    Washington owes some $US381 million for prior regular budgets and $US674 million for the 2019 regular budget. The US mission to the United Nations confirmed the figures.

     It did not immediately respond to a request for comment on when it might pay.

    Ka kite Ano link below. 

     

    https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/world/2019/10/united-nations-staff-could-miss-payday-if-member-states-don-t-pay-what-they-owe.html

  16. Eco maori 16
    9 October 2019 at 5:10 pm

    Some Eco Maori Music For The Minute 

     

  17. Eco maori 17
    9 October 2019 at 6:27 pm

    Kia Ora 1 News. 

    I have seen quite a few of those wreckers left on the road I think they can be a distraction to the drivers.????.

    I think some other civil servants have to much independence they have conned previous politicians to give them that saying that if they are to answer to the political establishment they could be used by politicians to gain power YEA RIGHT that just gave them unlimited power answerable to no one. 

    Global Warming has given Tawhirimate heaps of Mana now. 

    Please give heaps of donations for the Christchurch City mission as food is the only discretionary cost people pay rent power and other expenses and have no putea left for food.

    Ka kite Ano 😇

  18. Eco maori 18
    9 October 2019 at 6:49 pm

    Kia Ora Te Ao Maori News. 

    That's good that our government is investing more putea 45 million into NZ Transport so they can improve the safety checks on our vehicle fleet. 

    That's a improvement with less Tuwharetoa tamariki ending up in oranga tamariki.

    He just like playing the low cards string up some people emotionall.  It was not long ago he was waving Te tangata whenua o Aotearoa flag . 

    Mana Wahine that's Awesome that more Wahine are running for local council seats in Te Tairawhiti Maori knows what's best for Maori. 

    Ka kite Ano 😇

     

     

  19. Eco maori 19
    10 October 2019 at 8:36 am

    Kia Ora The Breakfast Show. 

    Its great that our government is investing more in our mental health system the last lot cut their budgets. 

    Some countries have  cycle friendly cities with the E bikes now one can ride bikes even if they are not super fit. I say we should be investing more in electric mass transport we need to stop making the same mistake pouring billion to build highways that are designed to cope with peek rush hour traffic next minute 50 % of the time our highways  are empty work smarter not harder is needed.

    Cold water therapy sounds great one gets better health benefits better circulation that's good for most things and best of all lowering our energy footprint having cold showers. 

    Save Our Kiwi month kia pai Imona that's awesome seeing the Kiwi egg rocking while hatching. 

    I think Pharmac should invest more in finding generic products and or making the drugs in Aotearoa  there are many ways to solve a problem. 

    Ka kite Ano 

     

  20. Eco maori 20
    10 October 2019 at 10:52 am

    Some Eco Maori Music For The Minute. 

  21. Eco maori 21
    10 October 2019 at 2:44 pm

    They new that there products will stuff our environment they let greed override any concerns for our future environment. They stopped the first electric car the Volt. Tangata around the Papatuanuku must start to lower their own carbon footprint if no-one buys their product they will become unprofitable that is the way to leave the stuff in the ground. They will all start investing in Green Energy. 

     

    Fossil fuel companies have been aware of their impact on the planet since at least the 1950s

    Jonathan Watts, Garry Blight and Pablo Gutiérrez

    For more than 50 years, the petroleum industry and politicians have been warned about the climate risks of burning fossil fuels. Yet the top 20 fossil fuel firms have continued to expand and have been behind a third of all carbon emissions since 1965. This timeline shows who knew what and when, and how they communicated or obscured the threat to the public

    Ka kite Ano link below. 

     

    https://www.theguardian.com/environment/ng-interactive/2019/oct/09/half-century-dither-denial-climate-crisis-timeline

  22. Eco maori 22
    10 October 2019 at 6:28 pm

    Kia Ora 1 News. 

    The Spark and TV 1 sports broadcasting deals puts delayed sports matches on free TV like the old days. 

    I was not impressed with the way he handled Kia  Ora. 

    Its good that big tech companies are going to limit the stuff bad people put up on their platforms. 

    The Wahine and tamariki are going to be suffering the most in Syria. 

    United mental health is doing a good job highlighting the Papatuanuku mental health issues this publication let's people know it OK to seek help on this issue as it's a problem many people have suffered. 

    Ka kite Ano 

     

  23. Eco maori 23
    10 October 2019 at 6:52 pm

    Kia Ora Te Ao Maori News. 

    Its good to read that Ngapuhi Wahine voices are going to be heard. 

    I think teaching people to respect themselves by not touching PEE and respecting others is needed to many people have a attitude of who gives a stuff Our Tipuna do.

    Te Ko Tahireo  Pukapuka is a awesome organisation. I want to be able to read all. Tangata Whenua O Aotearoa pukapuka online for free.

    Teaching tamariki about conserving our Tangaroa  the Tahiti keeping their culture strong is good kia kaha.

    Ka kite Ano 

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    Transformers: The disaster of the Great Depression was transformed into a new and fairer society by the democratic socialism of the First Labour Government. The disaster of the Covid-19 Pandemic offers a similar transformative possibility to the Labour-NZ First-Green Government. Seize the time, Jacinda! You will never have a better ...
    Bowalley Road
    3 days ago

  • Skeptical Science New Research for Week #12, 2020
    Tamper with The System? Well, we already are. But there's a difference between accidentally trickling sand into a precision gearbox versus formulating a plan to alter it on the fly with improvements in mind. One action is more or less innocently unscrupulous, the other amenable to earning an easy ...
    Skeptical Science
    3 days ago

  • Avoidable hospitalisations: Helping our health system get through COVID-19
    Associate Prof George Thomson, Louise Delany, Prof Nick Wilson While it is possible that New Zealand can use intense public health controls to eradicate COVID-19 from the country – we must also plan for other scenarios where thousands of New Zealanders are sick – including many urgently hospitalised.1 Better resilience ...
    SciBlogsBy Public Health Expert
    4 days ago

  • Raise the Bar: 10 questions to ask your employer proposing redundancy
    Kia ora my name is Chloe Ann-King* and I am the founder of Raise the Bar, a campaign and non-profit that gives free legal aid, advocacy and tautoko to hospitality workers in Aotearoa. Right now all over our country hospo workers are being fired at will, having shifts cut or being ...
    PosseBy chloeanneking
    4 days ago

  • An equitable way to support business
    The Herald reports that the government is planning to lend billions of dollars to large businesses to keep them operating during the pandemic. As with mortgage relief, this is necessary: we need companies to stay in business, to reduce the economic damage and help things get restarted again when this ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    4 days ago

  • Hard News: Together Alone
    We're about to do something unprecedented as a nation. We hope that by taking this extraordinary action before a single life in New Zealand has been lost to the deadly novel virus we will save tens of thousands of lives. Our  lives. We'll do it together, in households, in isolation ...
    Public Address
    4 days ago

  • Why timing is everything: ‘A time to refrain from embracing’ starts today
    “There is a time for everything,    and a season for every activity under the heavens.”So writes the author of Ecclesiastes, a book in the Old Testament that’s counted as a ‘wisdom’ book and written as if by an unnamed king of Jerusalem. But who would have thought there would be a time ...
    PunditBy Tim Watkin
    4 days ago

  • Dealing with the Covid-19 Tsunami.
    I was surprised when the prime minister described the Economic Response to Covid-19 package as the ‘largest peacetime government spend in New Zealand's history’. Reflecting – checking through history – I realised that the term ‘spend’ was crucial and the package had no income tax cuts. Even so, it has ...
    PunditBy Brian Easton
    5 days ago

  • What about renters?
    The government today announced the latest part of its pandemic relief package: a six-month mortgage holiday for people whose incomes have been affected by the pandemic. Which is great, because these people are going to need help, and that's what the government should be doing. At the same time, it ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    5 days ago

  • Living within our means.
    Years ago the Argentine sociologist Carlos Weisman wrote a book titled “Living within our Means.” It was a critique of Argentine society that focused on the paradoxical question of why, in a land of plenty, there was so much economic instability, inequality, corruption and political turmoil. His conclusion was basically ...
    KiwipoliticoBy Pablo
    5 days ago

  • Transparency and the pandemic
    Parliament will be leading by example and adjourning tomorrow after a special sitting to consider an epidemic notice and state of emergency. Day-to-day oversight of the government will be delegated to a select committee. But that's not the only overight mechanism. The OIA will still be law, and (so far) ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    5 days ago

  • ‘Overjoyed’: a leading health expert on New Zealand’s coronavirus shutdown, and the challengin...
    Michael Baker, University of Otago Overjoyed. That’s not a word epidemiologists normally use, but that’s how I felt after hearing Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern’s announcement about New Zealand’s COVID-19 shutdown of everything except essential services for at least four weeks from midnight on Wednesday. More than anything, I just ...
    SciBlogsBy Public Health Expert
    5 days ago

  • One way to solve the housing crisis
    How much homelessness is caused by house hoarding? We're about to find out. The pandemic has destroyed tourism, which means that house hoarders who put their hoarded properties up as short-term tourist rentals are now offering them on the ordinary rental market:Property investors are pulling properties from Airbnb to offer ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    5 days ago

  • The pros and cons of planting trees to address global warming
    This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Bruce Lieberman It seems like such a simple, straightforward, empowering idea: plant trees – a lot of trees – all over the world, and watch the planet’s temperature fall. Who doesn’t love a tree or two, even far more – the right ...
    Skeptical Science
    5 days ago

  • Not a grand coalition, but a government of national salvation
    According to Newshub, Simon Bridges is open to joining a “grand coalition” with Labour as we hunker down to go into a month long lockdown. The idea is sound. Before now, the role of the opposition was to scrutinise and oppose. In the context of what almost amounts to a ...
    PunditBy Liam Hehir
    6 days ago

  • Raise the Bar: hospitality workers & wage subsidy entitlements
    Kia ora my name is Chloe Ann-King* and I am the founder of Raise the Bar, a campaign and non-profit that gives free legal aid, advocacy and tautoko to hospitality workers in Aotearoa. Right now all over our country hospo workers are being fired at will, having shifts cut or ...
    PosseBy chloeanneking
    6 days ago

  • Lifting our game against COVID-19
    We need to be lifting our game against COVID-19. You and I need to help those working to prevent the spread of COVID-19 while they’re trying to lift the testing and treatment efforts. We don’t want to be playing this game running backwards. Best to play it solidly forward, from ...
    SciBlogsBy Grant Jacobs
    6 days ago

  • The maths and ethics of minimising COVID-19 deaths in NZ
    Prof Tony Blakely, Prof Michael Baker, and Prof Nick Wilson The NZ Government must do more to clearly articulate its COVID-19 strategy: eradication or ‘flattening the curve’ mitigation. But to do so means understanding the maths and ethics of both these strategies. In this blog, we adapt our work for ...
    SciBlogsBy Public Health Expert
    6 days ago

  • All aboard the Covid Train
    A few days ago I was starting to write something about the pandemic, which now seems unconscionable. It took the form of a letter to an agony aunt:“Dear Deidre, I have an ugly confession. I am quite excited by Covid-19.”This is how the piece went:“I’m not a psychopath, honest. Although the ...
    PunditBy Phil Vine
    6 days ago

  • 2020 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming Digest #12
    Story of the Week... Toon of the Week... Climate Feedback Article Review... Coming Soon on SkS... Climate Feedback Claim Reviews... SkS Week in Review... Poster of the Week... Story of the Week... In Just 10 Years, Warming Has Increased the Odds of Disasters The likelihood of extreme events ...
    Skeptical Science
    6 days ago

  • We are all socialists now
    Last week, the government announced a $12 billion initial package to support people during the pandemic. Today, the Reserve Bank is buying government bonds - effectively printing money - to keep up the money supply during the crisis. Normally such moves would have the right apoplectic. Instead, the National Party ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    6 days ago

  • A plea to experts: safeguard your role in public life
    I am a pundit, somebody who opines and comments on the news. There are no real qualifications to punditry though having a rudimentary way with words and good general knowledge helps. That is one reason there is a constant oversupply of would-be pundits and why it is quite hard to ...
    PunditBy Liam Hehir
    7 days ago

  • Enlightenment when?
    I recently encountered the following prescription from a Faculty of Education at a leading New Zealand University. At first I wondered if it was another product of the postmodern generator (http://www.elsewhere.org/journal/pomo/), designed to create gibberish in the postmodern form, but I’m told it is real: The “schooled” society: Towards the ...
    SciBlogsBy Michael Corballis
    7 days ago

  • What the Crisis Can teach Us
    The coronavirus pandemic has of course had a major impact on individual lives and on societies as a whole. But, long after the crisis has passed (assuming it does), we will begin to realise that its real and lasting significance lies in the lessons it has taught us, if only ...
    Bryan GouldBy Bryan Gould
    1 week ago

  • Hammering home measures to stop COVID-19
    COVID-19 has plunged Aotearoa New Zealand (indeed, the world) into territory that, while maybe not totally unprecedented, certainly hasn’t been seen during the lifetimes of most of us here today. Our borders are closed to non-citizens, we’re being told not to gather in groups of more than 500 outside/100 inside, ...
    PunditBy Andrew Geddis
    1 week ago

  • What does ‘level two’ mean – and why does it matter?
    For the last few weeks, I’ve been urging you to prepare yourself, your family, business, and community for Covid-19. Now it’s time for real action.  Yesterday the director-general of health Dr Ashley Bloomfield announced another 13 confirmed cases of Covid-19 in New Zealand, bringing our total to date to 52. ...
    SciBlogsBy Siouxsie Wiles
    1 week ago

  • 2020 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #12
    A chronological listing of news articles linked to on the Skeptical Science Facebook Page during the past week, i.e., Sun, Mar 15, 2020 through Sat, Mar 21, 2020 Editor's Pick Now Isn’t the Time to Forget About Our Climate Change Efforts   Tasha Tilberg, Lindsey Wixson, and Liu Wen photographed ...
    Skeptical Science
    1 week ago

  • Is the Guardian becoming  a real newspaper again?
    by Jan Rivers The article has been corrected to show that it was Ewen MacAskill, former Guardian journalist and not Luke Harding who travelled to meet Edward Snowden with journalist Glenn Greenwald and filmmaker Laura Poitras.  Some of the Guardian’s well-known journalists who did not sign the protest letter are ...
    RedlineBy Daphna
    1 week ago

  • Life asserts itself regardless
    by Cultural Worker Late March 2020 amidst the virus. With gigs crashing and burning all around it was without much hope that I called a long standing rest home booking: “ Hi, I’m supposed to be entertaining at your place this afternoon – is it still on?” “”If you don’t ...
    RedlineBy Daphna
    1 week ago

  • Politics, the possible, and the pandemic
    Whenever people demand real change from their politicians, we're told that "politics is the art of the possible". The implication is that change isn't possible, so we'd better just get used to the sucky status quo. But now that there's a pandemic, a lot of things we were previously told ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    1 week ago

  • The Only Way Through This Crisis Is Together.
    Together: In leading New Zealand through the Covid-19 Pandemic, the Prime Minister could do a lot worse than allow herself to be guided by the spirit of collective sacrifice and co-operation that animated the New Zealanders of 80 years ago. Most Kiwis alive today have had no opportunity to prove their ...
    Bowalley Road
    1 week ago

  • GFC vs Covid-19
    It is said that generals fight the last war. In the case of the early stages of the Global Financial Crisis (GFC) they had learned from the Great Depression of the 1930s and they fought intelligently and successfully. Later their advice would be ignored in favour of the Austerians who ...
    PunditBy Brian Easton
    1 week ago

  • Nobody Left Behind.
    Solidarity Forever: All over the world, the arrival of the Covid-19 virus has exposed the fragility of the walls we erect around ourselves and our loved ones. It has shattered our illusions of autonomy and revealed to us how utterly dependent we all are on other human-beings. Finally, we see ...
    Bowalley Road
    1 week ago

  • Rebuilding a truly “Democratic” counter, or a “moderate Republican” bolt-hol...
    Looking across the various arguments for/against the leading candidates to take the Democratic Nomination, you might honestly be very hard pressed to tell. There are a number of things that have now started happening since Amy Klobuchar and “Mayor Pete” Buttigieg both threw the towel in and immediately (and ...
    exhALANtBy exhalantblog
    1 week ago

  • Abortion law reform a win for women
    by Daphna Whitmore Abortion is no longer in the Crimes Act in New Zealand. The law reform passed yesterday and now abortion is a medical matter between a woman and her doctor. Many women’s groups and progressive people have campaigned for reform for decades. The women’s liberation movement and some ...
    RedlineBy Daphna
    1 week ago

  • How to spot bogus science stories and read the news like a scientist
    Doug Specht, University of Westminster and Julio Gimenez, University of Westminster When fake news, misreporting and alternative facts are everywhere, reading the news can be a challenge. Not only is there plenty of misinformation about the coronavirus pandemic, climate change and other scientific topics floating around social media, you also ...
    SciBlogsBy Guest Author
    1 week ago

  • Why New Zealand needs to continue decisive action to contain coronavirus
    Michael Baker, University of Otago and Nick Wilson, University of Otago With some of the toughest border restrictions and a newly-announced NZ$500 million boost to health services, New Zealand is among a small number of countries with a strategy to contain the COVID-19 pandemic. New Zealand is also fortunate in ...
    SciBlogsBy Public Health Expert
    1 week ago

  • Parliament and the pandemic II
    As expected, the government has introduced a sessional order to allow Parliament to operate during the pandemic. You can read it on the Order Paper here, but the short version is that questions and motions can be filed electronicly, select committees can work remotely, and the the Business Committee can ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    1 week ago

  • When a virus goes viral: pros and cons to the coronavirus spread on social media
    Axel Bruns, Queensland University of Technology; Daniel Angus, Queensland University of Technology; Timothy Graham, Queensland University of Technology, and Tobias R. Keller, Queensland University of Technology News and views about coronavirus has spread via social media in a way that no health emergency has done before. Platforms like Twitter, Facebook, ...
    SciBlogsBy Guest Author
    1 week ago

  • How to survive 14 days of self-isolation
    So you’ve recently returned from overseas, come into contact with someone who tested positive, got a bit of a dry cough yourself or perhaps just want to self isolate for 14 days to avoid other people who might have COVID-19. Here are a few tips and tricks to help get ...
    The Jackal
    1 week ago

  • Abortion Legislation Bill passes third reading
    Some fave speeches:     ...
    Boots TheoryBy Stephanie Rodgers
    1 week ago

  • Why Leadership Matters – More Than Anything.
    Our Good Fortune: Precisely because she has never been an ideologue (she calls herself a “pragmatic idealist”) Jacinda Ardern has a political nimbleness and spontaneity which, when infused with her exceptional emotional intelligence, produces spectacular demonstrations of leadership. Jacinda's empathic political personality contrasts sharply with the less-than-sunny ways of her ...
    Bowalley Road
    1 week ago

  • Skeptical Science New Research for Week #11, 2020
    46 Articles Physical science of global warming & effects Global pattern of short‐term concurrent hot and dry extremes and its relationship to large‐scale climate indices Opposite spatial variability of climate change‐induced surface temperature trends due to soil and atmospheric moisture in tropical/subtropical dry and wet land regions ...
    Skeptical Science
    1 week ago

  • 68-51
    The Abortion Legislation Bill has just passed its third reading, 68-51. NZ First MPs bailed because their referendum amendment didn't pass, but there were plenty of MPs to provide a majority without them. The bill is a long way from perfect - most significantly, it subjects pregnant people who need ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    2 weeks ago

  • The ‘herd immunity’ route to fighting coronavirus is unethical and potentially dangerous
    As most of the world tries to suppress the coronavirus spread, some countries are going it alone – trying to manage the pandemic through so-called “herd immunity”. Herd immunity means letting a large number of people catch a disease, and hence develop immunity to it, to stop the virus spreading. ...
    SciBlogsBy Guest Author
    2 weeks ago

  • Eight new COVID-19 cases today. It’s no surprise when you look at some numbers
    So, as I sit at home with a very, very slight headache (i.e. not at work when I would otherwise be so), the now familiar figure of Ashley Bloomfield reports eight new confirmed cases of COVID-19  including two in Waikato. A surprise, given that we had just twelve yesterday? No. ...
    SciBlogsBy Marcus Wilson
    2 weeks ago

  • The WINZ Paradox versus the new COVID-19 Reality: Get real people, seriously…
    Many who advocated for, and voted for, the current Coalition – particularly those who voted Labour and the Green Party – expected to see a sea change in the reality of social services. A real, deep change of attitude, approach of process through which the system negotiates the difficult and ...
    exhALANtBy exhalantblog
    2 weeks ago

  • The Air New Zealand bailout
    Stuff reports that the government is going to have to throw $2 - 3 billion at Air new Zealand to get it through the pandemic. Good. While international routes are basicly closed, Air New Zealand is a strategic asset which is vital to our tourism industry, not to mentioning airfreight. ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    2 weeks ago

  • Why NZ’s tough coronavirus travel rules are crucial to protecting lives at home and across the Pac...
    New Zealand’s border restrictions will come with significant job and business losses in the tourism sector, both at home and in the Pacific. But the new travel rules are absolutely necessary to protect the health of New Zealanders and people right across Pacific Islands, because New Zealand is a gateway ...
    SciBlogsBy Guest Author
    2 weeks ago

  • The tiniest of teeth
    Back in early 2018, as a shoddy legal tactic to try and avoid the prisoner voting ban being formally declared inconsistent with the BORA by the Supreme Court, Justice Minister Andrew Little floated the idea of greater legal protection for human rights. When the Supreme Court case didn't go the ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    2 weeks ago

  • One simple, common factor to success against COVID-19
    Professor Philip Hill and Associate Professor James Ussher Most infectious diseases have an Achilles heel, the secret is to find it. The question is if we don’t have a drug or a vaccine for COVID-19, is there something else we can do to beat it? Some people estimate that, without ...
    SciBlogsBy Guest Author
    2 weeks ago

  • National should isolate Simon Bridges
    The Coalition Governments $12.1 billion economic package to help combat the financial effects of COVID-19 was generally well received across the board, even amongst many business leaders who would normally be critical of a Labour led Government.However there was one glaringly obvious exception, Simon Bridges. The so-called leader of the ...
    The Jackal
    2 weeks ago

  • How testing for Covid-19 works
    With confirmed cases of Covid-19 in New Zealand up to 12, many influential people are writing open letters and opinion pieces and doing press conferences asking why we aren’t pulling out all the stops and testing thousands of people a day like they are in South Korea. The thing is, ...
    SciBlogsBy Siouxsie Wiles
    2 weeks ago

  • The COVID-19 package and the limits of capitalism
    by Daphna Whitmore The willingness to put human life before business shows that sometimes capitalism is capable of suspending its relentless drive for profit. For a short time it can behave differently. Flatten the curve is the public health message since COVID-19 suddenly overwhelmed the hospital system in northern Italy. ...
    RedlineBy Daphna
    2 weeks ago

  • Black April, May and June?
    Worldwide, the 1918 influenza epidemic – wrongly called ‘Spanish’ flu – lasted about two years. However, it lasted about six weeks in New Zealand (remembered as ‘Black November’, because the dead turned a purplish-black). It is thought about 7000 Pakeha died and 2,500 Maori. The population mortality rate was about ...
    PunditBy Brian Easton
    2 weeks ago

  • COVID 19 has struck… as has a lot of terrible ineptitude from far too many
    In a world and a time when the worst off and most vulnerable have been asked, time and again, to foot the bill for the complete subjugating to the will of the 1% thanks to the GFC, at a point where the world as a whole is now seeing quite ...
    exhALANtBy exhalantblog
    2 weeks ago

  • What’s in the Coronavirus Package?
    With the economy already reeling from a crisis that’s barely begun, the Government today sought to provide reassurance to workers and businesses in the form of a massive phallic pun to insert much-needed cash into the private sector and help fight the looming pandemic. Here are the key components: $5.1 ...
    The CivilianBy admin
    2 weeks ago

  • I just had my benefit suspended during a fucking pandemic
    I am a member of the working poor and so still need state welfare to make rent. So I had booked an appointment for yesterday with my caseworker at Work and Income New Zealand (WINZ) to apply for a transition to work grant. However the current health advice in New ...
    PosseBy chloeanneking
    2 weeks ago

Older posts

  • Tariff concessions on COVID-19 related products
    New Zealand will temporarily remove tariffs on all medical and hygiene imports needed for the COVID-19 response. Trade and Export Growth Minister David Parker and Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Kris Faafoi said today that the New Zealand Customs Service will apply tariff concessions to all diagnostic reagents and testing ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago

  • Clarification of modification to wage subsidy scheme
    Minister of Finance Grant Robertson has clarified that the changes to the wage subsidy scheme announced yesterday mean that employers should be passing on the full subsidy to workers, except in the case where the person’s normal income is less than the level of the subsidy. “We still want employers ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago

  • Face masks flowing to DHBs
    Medical face masks from the national reserve supply are now being distributed to District Health Boards, while at the same time local production is being ramped up. Yesterday more than 640,000 masks were sent to DHBS – that is an immediate two week supply, with more to follow in coming ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • COVID-19: Further steps to protect New Zealanders’ jobs
    The Government has made modifications to the wage subsidy scheme to ensure people don’t lose their jobs during the national lockdown. These changes will soften the impact of COVID-19 on workers, families and businesses, and position them to exit the lockdown and look to recovery, Finance Minister Grant Robertson says. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • Tax relief for Mycoplasma Bovis farmers
    Farmers whose herds were culled in response to the outbreak of Mycoplasma bovis will be able to minimise the tax treatment of their income in some circumstances. Revenue Minister Stuart Nash says Cabinet has agreed to change the law. It means farmers may be eligible to spread their income over ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • $27 million for NGOs and community groups to continue providing essential services
    A $27 million dollar package, effective immediately, is being provided to social sector services and community groups to ensure they can continue to provide essential support to communities as we stay at home as a nation to stop the spread of COVID-19, Minister for Social Development Carmel Sepuloni announced. “At ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago

  • Statement on guilty plea of March 15 terrorist
    “The guilty plea today will provide some relief to the many people whose lives were shattered by what happened on March 15,” Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said. “These guilty pleas and conviction bring accountability for what happened and also save the families who lost loved ones, those who were injured, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago

  • COVID-19 updates
    The Prime Minister is holding daily press conferences to update New Zealanders on the Government's response to COVID-19. Links to videos and transcripts of these updates below. These transcripts also include All of Government press conferences led by Director Ministry of Health's Director-General of Health Dr Ashley Bloomfield. 25 March: Live update from the Prime ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago

  • Police numbers break through 10,000 mark
    Frontline Police numbers have broken through the 10,000 mark for the first time in history as officers step forward to keep the community safe during the COVID19 lockdown. “Two Police graduations in Auckland and Wellington in the past week have been conducted in unprecedented circumstances,” Police Minister Stuart Nash said. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago

  • Urgent tax measures for economic recovery
    Urgent legislation has been passed to support the package of economic and social measures needed to recover from the impact of the coronavirus outbreak. “The COVID-19 Response (Taxation and Social Assistance Urgent Measures) Bill will cushion New Zealanders from the worst economic impacts of the COVID-19 outbreak,” said Revenue Minister ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago

  • Further support for farmers and growers as drought persists
    From tomorrow, Government support for farmers and growers affected by drought will be expanded and extended across the country, with access to Rural Assistance Payments (RAPS) available throughout the North Island, parts of the South Island and the Chatham Islands, Social Development Minister Carmel Sepuloni announced. “These challenging conditions have ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago

  • COVID-19: Temporary changes to Education Act
    Parliament has passed amendments to legislation that give the Secretary of Education stronger powers to act in the fight to limit the spread of COVID-19, Education Minister Chris Hipkins said today. “They are part of a suite of changes passed under the COVID-19 Response (Urgent Management Measures) Legislation Bill,” Chris ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago

  • Canada, Australia, Chile, Brunei and Myanmar join NZ and Singapore in committing to keeping supply a...
    Canada, Australia, Chile, Brunei and Myanmar have joined forces with New Zealand and Singapore by committing to keep supply chains open and remove any existing trade restrictive measures on essential goods, especially medical supplies, in the face of the Covid-19 crisis.  Trade and Export Growth Minister David Parker today welcomed ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago

  • COVID-19: Rent increase freeze and more protection for tenants
    Immediate freeze on rent increases Tenancies will not be terminated during the lock-down period, unless the parties agree, or in limited circumstances Tenants who had previously given notice can stay in their if they need to stay in the tenancy during the lock-down period Tenants will still be able to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago

  • Working together to protect businesses and workers
    As New Zealand unites to lock-down in the fight against COVID-19, the Finance Minister is urging all businesses and workers to stay connected over the next four weeks. “We understand the extreme pressure many businesses are under right now. I know most business owners think of their workers as family ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago

  • State of National Emergency declared to fight COVID-19
    A State of National Emergency has been declared across the country as the Government pulls out all the stops to curtail the spread of COVID-19. “Today we put in place our country’s second ever State of National Emergency as we fight a global pandemic, save New Zealanders’ lives and prevent ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago

  • Prime Minister’s statement on State of National Emergency and Epidemic Notice
    Mr Speaker I wish to make a Ministerial Statement under Standing Order 347 in relation to the recent declaration of a State of National Emergency. Having considered the advice of the Director Civil Defence Emergency Management, the Minister of Civil Defence declared a State of National Emergency for the whole of ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago

  • Deadline for domestic travel extended
    People needing to travel on domestic flights, trains and Cook Strait ferries to get home before the country moves into level 4 lock-down tomorrow night will be able to continue using the passenger services until midnight on Friday, Transport Minister Phil Twyford said today. Domestic passenger services, particularly ferries, have ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago

  • Mortgage holiday and business finance support schemes to cushion COVID impacts
    The Government, retail banks and the Reserve Bank are today announcing a major financial support package for home owners and businesses affected by the economic impacts of COVID-19. The package will include a six month principal and interest payment holiday for mortgage holders and SME customers whose incomes have been ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago

  • Government working to keep air freight moving
    Minister of Transport Phil Twyford has today announced details of the Government’s support package to keep key air freight moving and ensure New Zealanders retain access to essential goods during the four-week level 4 lockdown. “The Government is working with airlines and air freight operators to ensure New Zealand’s key ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago

  • New Zealand moves to COVID-19 Alert Level 3, then Level 4 in 48 hours
    New Zealand moved up to COVID-19 Alert Level 3 – Restrict New Zealand to move up to COVID-19 Alert Level 4 – Eliminate, in 48 hours Two-staged approach to give people and businesses time to prepare  Level 3, from tomorrow Non-essential businesses must close All events and gatherings must be ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago

  • Prime Minister: COVID-19 Alert Level increased
    Good afternoon  The Cabinet met this morning to discuss our next actions in the fight against COVID-19.  Like the rest of the world, we are facing the potential for devastating impacts from this virus. But, through decisive action, and through working together, do we have a small window to get ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago

  • Govt takes significant economic decisions as NZ readies for Alert Level 4 in COVID-19 fight
    The Government is announcing significant further support for the economy, workers and businesses as the country unites to prepare for Alert Level 4 in the fight against COVID-19. Cabinet today agreed to remove the cap on the Government’s wage subsidy scheme, which will inject a further $4 billion into the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago

  • Govt backs RBNZ move to support economy with lower interest rates
    The Government is backing the Reserve Bank’s latest action to support the economy by reducing longer-term interest rates, meaning lower costs for businesses and mortgage holders, and a lower currency to help our exporters. The Minister of Finance has signed a memorandum of understanding and a letter of indemnity with ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago

  • Government statement on commercial cooperation during COVID-19
    The Government has asked the Commerce Commission to take account of the exceptional circumstances created by COVID-19 when monitoring business behaviour in coming weeks.   “The purpose of my request to the Commerce Commission is to make sure businesses can work together in ways that will allow them to provide ...
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    1 week ago

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  • New Zealanders advised not to travel overseas
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