Open mike 07/03/2012

Written By: - Date published: 6:00 am, March 7th, 2012 - 64 comments
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Open mike is your post. For announcements, general discussion, whatever you choose.

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Step right up to the mike…

64 comments on “Open mike 07/03/2012 ”

  1. Logan Edgar disses a few brain cell abusers: Otago not for idiots – OUSA president

    It’s about promoting that if you act like an idiot, cause damage and make us all look bad, then this isn’t really your place in the world.

    But praises most scarfies.

    There is a real culture change happening here at Otago. Year on year, student offences have decreased. Students are increasingly dobbing in fellow students for what they themselves are beginning to view as unacceptable behaviour.

    Your average scarfie is a law-abiding soul. It turns out that, nationally, the Southern Police District, which includes Dunedin, Otago Rural and Southland, has one of the lowest crime rates in our beloved Aotearoa. Better yet, of the three areas, Dunedin has the lowest total crime per head of population. And the lowest rate of public-order offences.

    If you think about the context of 20,000 young people in one place, that tells one hell of a story about how law abiding we basically are.

    So while a few idiots make the headlines most of what happens is good here – and can still be fun.

    • Lanthanide 1.1

      Semi-related, on Morning Report this morning they were talking about Otago’s student union and how they got around the ridiculous legislation passed last year.

      The university contracts out student services to the students association. Students are charged a fee for these services by the university. Membership of the students association is completely free and is now moved to an “opt-out” model.

      UCSA in Canterbury has worked this way for decades at least, so not sure why the other unions didn’t see this as a possible way around the legislation.

      • McFlock 1.1.1

        on the flipside, I’m sure the OUSA president’s new call for harsher penalties to be faced by students who misbehave off campus – as opposed to OUSA’s opposition to the code of conduct since its inception – is in no way related to the fact that OUSA now relies on university goodwill for much of its funding. Pure coincidence.

        • Lanthanide 1.1.1.1

          And fair enough too, that’s a good outcome.

          • McFlock 1.1.1.1.1

            Nah (and I’m not known for my tolerance towards drunken yoooothes).
               
            The role of the association is to provide balance to the calls for excessive punishment and summary use of pepper spray. I can understand removing formal opposition to the coc, because the university declared that a conflict of interest so there were no student reps on appeals boards evaluating students facing exclusion. But going too far the other way smacks of being a company doctor. 
                 
             

        • Puddleglum 1.1.1.2

          Yes.

          One of the oddest things about this ‘liberating’ legislation is that (a) students will still have to pay the university’s service levy (that is, they will still have their money taken off them ‘compulsorily’) but (b) they have, in effect, lost some control over how that money is spent in their interests.

          What is more, while there is the ‘principle’ that no-one should have to belong to an association they don’t want to, I suppose, that was entirely possible previously. And, while students still had to part with their money compulsorily (as now) they, once again, still had some say in how that money got spent (i.e., choose the charity they’d give it to).

          Someone didn’t think this through. 

  2. http://whoar.co.nz/2012/how-ayn-rand-became-the-new-rights-version-of-marx-george-monbiot/

    “…Her psychopathic ideas made billionaires feel like victims –

    – and turned millions of followers into their doormats..”

    you should know that key and many/most around him/most rightwingers are rand-ites..

    ..and why they just ‘don’t care’ ..(apart from about themselves/their class) is explained when you realise their transferral of wealth to the richest/tearing away of support for the poorest/most vulnerable has a (psuedo)-philosophical-base..

    ..and why they seem immune to such imperatives as compassion/commonsense/basic-fairness..

    ..y’see..!..they/the rich/elites are the ‘supermen’…

    ..the rest of us are the leeches…

    ..(know yr enemy..eh..?..)

    ..and i’ll give you a killer one-liner..to stop any randite in their tracks..

    ..a large part of the rand-preaching is that any person taking state support is a ‘leech’..in fact you could call it a pillar of rand-ite belief..

    ..but what most of these rightwingers don’t know…is that after preaching this most of her life…

    ..that rand took state-support..big-time…but hidden/concealed under her husbands’ name..

    ..(a left-equiv. would be news that marx had actually owned/run sweatshops on the side..)

    ..all the anti-rand ammo you will need..is here..

    http://whoar.co.nz/?s=ayn+rand

    phil-at-whoar.

    • rosy 2.1

      Agree Phil, a very good article written by George Monbiot on the anniversary of the death of the high-priestess of those ‘job creators’ who are positioning labour ‘flexibility’ as reasonable; who are attempting to get rid of state-owned anything – even if it means losing money; and of those who believe banking and big corporations need no regulation because the selfishness of the players will create a balance. It’s language that is heard every day now.

      I was particularly impressed with these paragraphs…

      Through her novels (such as Atlas Shrugged) and her nonfiction (such as The Virtue of Selfishness) she explained a philosophy she called Objectivism. This holds that the only moral course is pure self-interest. We owe nothing, she insists, to anyone, even to members of our own families. She described the poor and weak as “refuse” and “parasites”, and excoriated anyone seeking to assist them. Apart from the police, the courts and the armed forces, there should be no role for government: no social security, no public health or education, no public infrastructure or transport, no fire service, no regulations, no income tax.

      The poor die like flies as a result of government programmes and their own sloth and fecklessness. Those who try to help them are gassed. In a notorious passage, she argues that all the passengers in a train filled with poisoned fumes deserved their fate. One, for instance, was a teacher who taught children to be team players; one was a mother married to a civil servant, who cared for her children; one was a housewife “who believed that she had the right to elect politicians, of whom she knew nothing”.

      This is the philosophy of the ‘new right’ and the Tea Party (despite the contradictions) and separates them from the old-time conservatives, who believe in providing a social safety need. There’s not been any talk of the ‘compassionate conservative’ for quite some time. I think I miss it.

    • framu 2.2

      really interesting adam curtis doco on sky at the mo

      “all watched over by machines of loving grace”

      also available here

      only the first bit deals with ayn rand – but highlights the massive holes in her theories – especially when rational objectiveism didnt go her way

      • H.Crown 2.2.1

        In the Adam Curtiss doco it showed that
        Ayn Rand and her Wacko friends including Greenspan met every Saturday night, and called themselves “The Collective” I am now certain with her Wacko idea’s, she was not of this world, and was the Borg.

        • framu 2.2.1.1

          ” called themselves “The Collective””

          yeah – had a chuckle at that

    • Vicky32 2.3

      .all the anti-rand ammo you will need..is here..

      Thanks Phil.. (I have written science fiction reductio ad absurdam about Rand’s beliefs, but it’s good to have non-fiction.)

  3. tc 3

    Dunno which was more disappointing on RNZ just now Blinglish getting the wet bus ticket treatment from a pathetic Robinson or Parker pussying around rather than going for the jugular over the NACTs appalling performance on so many fronts.
    Then lightweight Fafoi given an opportunity on police budget slashes failed to mention thatt they were exposed on this in the election campaign and denied it so another blatant lie……no wonder they treat NZ with contempt, noone is holding them to account.

    • just saying 3.1

      I’d lower your expectations of Labour now tc. It may take the sting out of the feeling of betrayal when the Dalai Shearer starts sharing his “vision”, apparently next week

    • muzza 3.2

      How many times do I have to spell it out….they are on the same team

      Parliamentarians for Global Order! woops, I mean, Action!

      Time to WTFU people!

    • Lanthanide 3.3

      I thought Parker was good.

      Admittedly my alarm wakes me up at 7:20, so I missed out on Bill English’s spot. Small mercy I suppose.

  4. Salsy 4

    John Key: Dishonest or deluded?

    PM without answers, a leader without a vision. A bloke who’s just realised the world he once knew doesn’t exist anymore. And that it won’t be returning.A complete banker, just in the wrong place at the wrong time.

    • muzza 4.1

      “PM without answers, a leader without a vision. A bloke who’s just realised the world he once knew doesn’t exist anymore. And that it won’t be returning.A complete banker, just in the wrong place at the wrong time.”

      At what point I wonder will people start to ask the question that surely stares them right in the eyes, even the really thick ones!

      Jonk Key was been a plant, always was, and still is now. It is no case of wrong place wrong time, its the case of structured positioning of JK into the position he is in, to run with the policies that they are. Simple as that!

      Perhaps the obvious truth is a little too ugly for people!

  5. ScottGN 5

    “Watching the House yesterday was like a blast from the past, circa the Bolger-Shipley government; leaks from public servants, unpopular asset sales, economic woes, and tough cost cutting.”

    Vernon Small likens Key’s administration to shambolic final days of the last National Govt. Actually I reckon history will come to judge Key even more harshly than poor old Jenny Shipley.

    • Uturn 6.1

      If they refuse to strike back they will be poor bastards. This is the first shot of industrial war, now. If they do not strike back, winner take all, they send a signal that they consent to being wiped out. It amazes me that these happenings occur so often yet no one understands it’s the opportunity to change industrial relations in NZ permanently. The employer is effectively trying to starve you to death, you, your family, steal your labour and take your housing. That it happens slowly, under the guise of being questionably legal, makes it feel less dramatic, that there is some sort of hope the aggressor will stop out of the kindness of his heart, that you’re responsibly preserving some wider expression of civil order – but the result is no different than if they walked into your home with jack boots and kicked you out.

      An employer is not god, management are not gods, they are human, flesh and blood, they can be reached. The law does not have final say in the affairs of people – it changes from day to day. The only thing standing in the way of industrial war and employers setting up slave wage conditions is the minds of the workers stuck within cultural norms. Once people stop thinking that life is what you see on TV, it becomes very simple to retaliate effectively.

    • Draco T Bastard 6.2

      But Mr Brown is refusing to take a side in the industrial dispute between the company and union members – saying he is working only for the “people of Auckland”.

      No, really, he isn’t. If he was working for Auckland he would have fired the PoAL management months ago.

      As for the workers, their best option is to emigrate to Australia.

      • Ianupnorth 6.2.1

        Time for a general strike me thinks – everyone out!
         
        POAL will be the first to employ this tactic, closely followed by AFFCO and the Oceania Group.

        • Colonial Viper 6.2.1.1

          Yeah a general strike is the only way to go now. Tax strike, rates stroke, rent strike, mortgage strike.

  6. POAL has just announced that it will continue with casualisation of the workforce.  Existing workers are entitled to apply for jobs with the contracting companies but you can bet that any union activist worth their salt will not get a job.
     
    Time for Len Brown to step up.

    • Jim Nald 7.1

      Len who?

      • Jackal 7.1.1

        Brown! Apparently you get brown when you mix red and green. Not seeing much of those colours from the supposed left wing mayor of the supercity.

    • muzza 7.2

      “Time for Len Brown to step up” – Not a chance!

      This is a real shame, and I hope I am proved wrong!

      • Morrissey 7.2.1

        “Time for Len Brown to step up” – Not a chance!

        I think he’s taking advice from David Shearer’s strategist: do nothing, say nothing, or at least if you DO say something, make sure it’s bland and/or incomprehensible.

    • vto 7.3

      United they stand and divided they fall.

      It is as simple as that. Divide and conquer. Drive down the amount of money paid to the people. Good one (not).

  7. prism 8

    When there are strikes I would like to have a module supplied to the public in extended serious labour disagreements, which would list all the major headings and show what each side is asking for. There would be footnotes at the back to explain the reasons for the requirements. This would bring some clarity to the confusion of information or misinformation drip fed to the public from each side.

  8. Jackal 9

    David Tamihere recall has ulterior motives

    What a complete waste of time and money. There is absolutely no grounds for a recall here, because David Tamihere did not physically go onto the property his parole conditions stipulate are out of bounds…

    • Te Reo Putake 9.1

      Well, if he does go back inside he might use the time to rethink his refusal to help identify where he buried the bodies. And he clearly did breach his parole by returning to the Coromandel, so I’m optimistic he’ll be back inside sooner rather than later. It’s be nice if the TV crew went with him as well for encouraging the breach.

      • Jackal 9.1.1

        The TV crew had no inkling that it would be a breach of the parole conditions, which it isn’t anyway. I bet it didn’t register with Tamihere either. Parole conditions do not routinely include airspace. His conditions state that he is not to enter the bush itself, which he has adhered to. Do you have problems with reality based cognitive reasoning perhaps Te Reo Putake?

        • Te Reo Putake 9.1.1.1

          Jeez, what a wally you are sometimes Jackal. He may be a monster, but I find it hard to believe that Tamihere didn’t realise that going to the Coromandel was going to breach a bail condition that he not go to the Coromandel. But still, feel free to offer your services as his defence lawyer. That should almost certainly guarantee he goes back inside.
           
          Just to remind you who you are supporting, Tamihere murdered a defensless young man who was tied to a tree and then disposed of the body. He then kept a young woman alive for several days, raping her at will. He then killed her and disposed of the body. After ending their lives, he then stole their property and was caught red handed trying to sell the stuff. If it wasn’t for his greed, he may have got away with one of the most brutal crimes in NZ history. He stills owes the family the bodies. He should grow a spine and tell them where their loved ones are, but he won’t because he’s a coward.
           
          By the way, I don’t think he will go back inside for this breach. At a guess, the court will consider the stunt ill thought out and not a deliberate act. The judge will probably accept that he’s too thick to understand that the method of transport to the Coromandel is irrelevant and give him the benefit of the doubt.

          • Jackal 9.1.1.1.1

            All circumstantial evidence Te Reo Putake. No murder weapon, no proper ID, no DNA. Just a few things Tamihere nicked from the car he stole. If you know so much about the case, how much money was he trying to sell their possessions for?

            Tamihere doesn’t “owe the family the bodies,” because Sven Urban Höglin’s body was found in 1991 and Tamihere probably doesn’t know where Heidi Birgitta Paakkonen’s body is located. Comment on something you actually know something about instead of proving your ignorance.

            Tamihere certainly was an easy target for the cops though, who have likely let the real murderer go free all this time. Wouldn’t it make them look bad and cost a shit load of money if that was the case? 20 years in jail for a crime he potentially didn’t commit, no wonder they’re trying to close him down.

            • McFlock 9.1.1.1.1.1

              Personally I think Bain is much more likely guilty than Tamihere.
                 
              Maybe he needs a rich former all black in his corner?

            • Te Reo Putake 9.1.1.1.1.2

              There is not a shred of doubt about the conviction, Jackal. Shame on you for supporting rape and murder. You really should shut up now.

              • Morrissey

                There is not a shred of doubt about the conviction…

                Actually, there is. Not the least of the concerns is the fact that the police investigation was led by the notoriously corrupt John Hughes.

                Shame on you for supporting rape and murder.

                Jackal did not support rape and murder. Such an accusation only makes you look trivial and less than serious.

                • Ianupnorth

                  Having watched the Sunday programme, I at first thought that Tamihere must be guilty, but by the end of it was thinking, yes he isn’t very pleasant, but there are more holes in this case than Swiss Cheese.

                • Te Reo Putake

                  Rubbish. Tamihere tried every legal avenue to escape justice, and lost every appeal. Apart from these murders, he had already killed and had been convicted for other acts of violence. He is a cowardly piece of crap and the coppers did brilliant work putting him away.
                   
                  Anybody that tries to diminish this vicious and unrepentant criminal’s crimes is going to be seen as supportive of them, I’m afraid. I appreciate that the Jackal is too young to have a clue about the facts of the case, what with him not being alive at the time, but that does not make his pandering to this creep any less offensive.

                  • Jackal

                    I don’t support rape and murder Te Reo Putake. Quite the opposite… I support justice, and in this case I don’t think it’s been done. Keep your insults and disgusting baseless accusations to yourself.

                    • Te Reo Putake

                      Happy to be of service, Jackal and good to see you’ve changed your position to one of of opposition to rape and murder. That wasn’t so hard, was it?

                    • Jackal

                      My position has not changed Te Reo Putake. I have never supported rape or murder. Stop being an idiot!

                    • Colonial Viper

                      Have you stopped abusing your children yet.

                  • Morrissey

                    Te Reo,

                    I note with concern that you have an obnoxious habit of putting words into people’s mouths that are the exact opposite of what they in fact think or say.

                    That no doubt gives you the advantage at, say, a workplace (with cringing underlings too afraid to contradict you) or in a pub (people too drunk to argue) but here on the Net, such abuse only makes the abuser look bad.

                    You’re better than that, surely?

                    • Te Reo Putake

                      Ha! I wish my underlings would cringe around me, but I’m not that kind of boss and they’re not that kind of underling. 
                       
                      You probably spotted that the Jackal annoyed me with his half baked support for Tamihere’s lying and disrepectful claims of innocence. But, you are right, I shouldn’t have continued on with that rather sneering comment. I was just trying to hammer home that it is contradictory to be opposed to crimes like Tamihere’s and at the same time suggest he didn’t do them, when the only unexplained matters in the case are whether he acted alone and where the other body is buried. Both things Tamihere could clear up in a hearbeat, if he wasn’t a pathetic excuse for a man.
                       
                      Not everything is a mystery or a conspiracy. Some things are exactly as they seem. This is one of those cases.
                       

                    • Morrissey

                      Ha! I wish my underlings would cringe around me…

                      I’m sure you’re not the kind of boss we see here….
                      http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SrPfhs5WnB4

                    • Te Reo Putake

                      Well, I do have a Basil like tendency to sigh and roll my eyes, but most days I start out thinking I’m Neil but end up David.

                    • Morrissey

                      most days I start out thinking I’m Neil but end up David.

                      As long as you don’t end up like David’s “mate”…

                      http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=59UlFs3QO84

                  • insider

                    Out of interest, is there any good website or resource accessible about this case? Ellis and Bain have a lot but I’ve not found anything on this.

  9. Morrissey 10

    LIAR WATCH No. 4
    NewstalkZB promotions department
    NewstalkZB, March 7, 2012

    1.) “Here at the Radio Network, we strive to uphold the highest standards of broadcasting…”
    – – – – – – – – – ——- – – – – – – – ——– – – – – – –
    If you enjoyed this, you might like to see….

    LIARWATCH No. 1 (Populuxe1):
    http://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-27022012/#comment-441643

    LIARWATCH No. 2 (grumpy):
    http://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-01032012/#comment-442389

    LIAR WATCH No. 3 (Eyes Wide Open):
    http://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-02032012/#comment-442853

  10. Jackal 11

    The disappearing Police complaint

    On 5 September, I wrote to the Police Commissioner Peter Marshall, to make a formal complaint concerning Owen Glenn bribing people to vote for the National or Act parties in the upcoming general election…

  11. Populuxe1 12

    OK. Gedankenexperiment time. Just for the sake of argument, what would happen if the Crown did return Te Urawera to Tūhoe? Total sovereignty – like Lesotho or Vatican City. However with total sovereignty, they would no longer be considered New Zealand citizens and their access to State infrastructure would exist on a significantly reduced basis.

    • Galeandra 12.1

      What a deep and original question. Can we fiind a kiddy toon clip to support this riff and add yet more burnish to your ‘academic’ quals?

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    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 ...
    2 days ago
  • Bernard's six newsy things at 6.36am on Monday, March 18
    Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Retiring former Labour Finance Minister Grant Robertson said in an exit interview with Q+A yesterday the Government can and should sustain more debt to invest in infrastructure for future generations. Elsewhere in the news in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy at 6:36am: Read more ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago
  • Geoffrey Miller: Wang Yi’s perfectly-timed, Aukus-themed visit to New Zealand
    Timing is everything. And from China’s perspective, this week’s visit by its foreign minister to New Zealand could be coming at just the right moment. The visit by Wang Yi to Wellington will be his first since 2017. Anniversaries are important to Beijing. It is more than just a happy ...
    Democracy ProjectBy Geoffrey Miller
    2 days ago
  • The Kaka’s diary for the week to March 25 and beyond
    TL;DR: The key events to watch in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the week to March 18 include:China’s Foreign Minister visiting Wellington today;A post-cabinet news conference this afternoon; the resumption of Parliament on Tuesday for two weeks before Easter;retiring former Labour Finance Minister Grant Robertson gives his valedictory speech in Parliament; ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago
  • Bitter and angry; Winston First
    New Zealand First Leader Winston Peters’s state-of-the-nation speech on Sunday was really a state-of-Winston-First speech. He barely mentioned any of the Government’s key policies and could not even wholly endorse its signature income tax cuts. Instead, he rehearsed all of his complaints about the Ardern Government, including an extraordinary claim ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    2 days ago
  • 2024 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #11
    A listing of 35 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, March 10, 2024 thru Sat, March 16, 2024. Story of the week This week we'll give you a little glimpse into how we collect links to share and ...
    2 days ago
  • 2024 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #11
    A listing of 35 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, March 10, 2024 thru Sat, March 16, 2024. Story of the week This week we'll give you a little glimpse into how we collect links to share and ...
    2 days ago
  • Out of Touch.
    “I’ve been internalising a really complicated situation in my head.”When they kept telling us we should wait until we get to know him, were they taking the piss? Was it a case of, if you think this is bad, wait till you get to know the real Christopher, after the ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    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
    4 days ago
  • Bernard’s Dawn Chorus with six newsey things at 6:46am for Saturday, March 16
    TL;DR: The six newsey things that stood out to me as of 6:46am on Saturday, March 16.Andy Foster has accidentally allowed a Labour/Green amendment to cut road user chargers for plug-in hybrid vehicles, which the Government might accept; NZ Herald Thomas Coughlan Simeon Brown has rejected a plea from Westport ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • How Did FTX Crash?
    What seemed a booming success a couple of years ago has collapsed into fraud convictions.I looked at the crash of FTX (short for ‘Futures Exchange’) in November 2022 to see whether it would impact on the financial system as a whole. Fortunately there was barely a ripple, probably because it ...
    PunditBy Brian Easton
    4 days ago
  • Elections in Russia and Ukraine
    Anybody following the situation in Ukraine and Russia would probably have been amused by a recent Tweet on X NATO seems to be putting in an awful lot of effort to influence what is, at least according to them, a sham election in an autocracy.When do the Ukrainians go to ...
    4 days ago
  • Bernard’s six stack of substacks at 6pm on March 15
    TL;DR: Shaun Baker on Wynyard Quarter's transformation. Magdalene Taylor on the problem with smart phones. How private equity are now all over reinsurance. Dylan Cleaver on rugby and CTE. Emily Atkin on ‘Big Meat’ looking like ‘Big Oil’.Bernard’s six-stack of substacks at 6pm on March 15Photo by Jeppe Hove Jensen ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • Buzz from the Beehive Finance Minister Nicola Willis had plenty to say when addressing the Auckland Business Chamber on the economic growth that (she tells us) is flagging more than we thought. But the government intends to put new life into it:  We want our country to be a ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    4 days ago
  • National’s clean car tax advances
    The Transport and Infrastructure Committee has reported back on the Road User Charges (Light Electric RUC Vehicles) Amendment Bill, basicly rubberstamping it. While there was widespread support among submitters for the principle that EV and PHEV drivers should pay their fair share for the roads, they also overwhelmingly disagreed with ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    4 days ago
  • Government funding bailouts
    Peter Dunne writes – This week’s government bailout – the fifth in the last eighteen months – of the financially troubled Ruapehu Alpine Lifts company would have pleased many in the central North Island ski industry. The government’s stated rationale for the $7 million funding was that it ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • Two offenders, different treatments.
    See if you can spot the difference. An Iranian born female MP from a progressive party is accused of serial shoplifting. Her name is leaked to the media, which goes into a pack frenzy even before the Police launch an … Continue reading ...
    KiwipoliticoBy Pablo
    4 days ago
  • Treaty references omitted
    Ele Ludemann writes  – The government is omitting general Treaty references from legislation : The growth of Treaty of Waitangi clauses in legislation caused so much worry that a special oversight group was set up by the last Government in a bid to get greater coherence in the public service on Treaty ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • The Ghahraman Conflict
    What was that judge thinking? Peter Williams writes –  That Golriz Ghahraman and District Court Judge Maria Pecotic were once lawyer colleagues is incontrovertible. There is published evidence that they took at least one case to the Court of Appeal together. There was a report on ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • Bernard's Top 10 @ 10 'pick 'n' mix' for March 15
    TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: Climate Scorpion – the sting is in the tail. Introducing planetary solvency. A paper via the University of Exeter’s Institute and Faculty of Actuaries.Local scoop: Kāinga Ora starts pulling out of its Auckland projects and selling land RNZ ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • The day Wellington up-zoned its future
    Wellington’s massively upzoned District Plan adds the opportunity for tens of thousands of new homes not just in the central city (such as these Webb St new builds) but also close to the CBD and public transport links. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Wellington gave itself the chance of ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • Weekly Roundup 15-March-2024
    It’s Friday and we’re halfway through March Madness. Here’s some of the things that caught our attention this week. This Week in Greater Auckland On Monday Matt asked how we can get better event trains and an option for grade separating Morningside Dr. On Tuesday Matt looked into ...
    Greater AucklandBy Greater Auckland
    5 days ago
  • That Word.
    Something you might not know about me is that I’m quite a stubborn person. No, really. I don’t much care for criticism I think’s unfair or that I disagree with. Few of us do I suppose.Back when I was a drinker I’d sometimes respond defensively, even angrily. There are things ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago
  • The Hoon around the week to March 15
    Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The five things that mattered in Aotearoa’s political economy that we wrote and spoke about via The Kākā and elsewhere for paying subscribers in the last week included:PM Christopher Luxon said the reversal of interest deductibility for landlords was done to help renters, who ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • Labour’s policy gap
    It was not so much the Labour Party but really the Chris Hipkins party yesterday at Labour’s caucus retreat in Martinborough. The former Prime Minister was more or less consistent on wealth tax, which he was at best equivocal about, and social insurance, which he was not willing to revisit. ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    5 days ago
  • Skeptical Science New Research for Week #11 2024
    Open access notables A Glimpse into the Future: The 2023 Ocean Temperature and Sea Ice Extremes in the Context of Longer-Term Climate Change, Kuhlbrodt et al., Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society: In the year 2023, we have seen extraordinary extrema in high sea surface temperature (SST) in the North Atlantic and in ...
    5 days ago
  • Melissa remains mute on media matters but has something to say (at a sporting event) about economic ...
     Buzz from the Beehive   The text reproduced above appears on a page which records all the media statements and speeches posted on the government’s official website by Melissa Lee as Minister of Media and Communications and/or by Jenny Marcroft, her Parliamentary Under-secretary.  It can be quickly analysed ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    5 days ago
  • The return of Muldoon
    For forty years, Robert Muldoon has been a dirty word in our politics. His style of government was so repulsive and authoritarian that the backlash to it helped set and entrench our constitutional norms. His pig-headedness over forcing through Think Big eventually gave us the RMA, with its participation and ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    5 days ago
  • Will the rental tax cut improve life for renters or landlords?
    Bryce Edwards writes –  Is the new government reducing tax on rental properties to benefit landlords or to cut the cost of rents? That’s the big question this week, after Associate Finance Minister David Seymour announced on Sunday that the Government would be reversing the Labour Government’s removal ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • Geoffrey Miller: What Saudi Arabia’s rapid changes mean for New Zealand
    Saudi Arabia is rarely far from the international spotlight. The war in Gaza has brought new scrutiny to Saudi plans to normalise relations with Israel, while the fifth anniversary of the controversial killing of Jamal Khashoggi was marked shortly before the war began on October 7. And as the home ...
    Democracy ProjectBy Geoffrey Miller
    5 days ago
  • Racism’s double standards
    Questions need to be asked on both sides of the world Peter Williams writes –   The NRL Judiciary hands down an eight week suspension to Sydney Roosters forward Spencer Leniu , an Auckland-born Samoan, after he calls Ezra Mam, Sydney-orn but of Aboriginal and Torres Strait ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • It’s not a tax break
    Ele Ludemann writes – Contrary to what many headlines and news stories are saying, residential landlords are not getting a tax break. The government is simply restoring to them the tax deductibility of interest they had until the previous government removed it. There is no logical reason ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • The Plastic Pig Collective and Chris' Imaginary Friends.
    I can't remember when it was goodMoments of happiness in bloomMaybe I just misunderstoodAll of the love we left behindWatching our flashbacks intertwineMemories I will never findIn spite of whatever you becomeForget that reckless thing turned onI think our lives have just begunI think our lives have just begunDoes anyone ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago
  • Who is responsible for young offenders?
    Michael Bassett writes – At first reading, a front-page story in the New Zealand Herald on 13 March was bizarre. A group of severely intellectually limited teenagers, with little understanding of the law, have been pleading to the Justice Select Committee not to pass a bill dealing with ram ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • Gordon Campbell on National’s fantasy trip to La La Landlord Land
    How much political capital is Christopher Luxon willing to burn through in order to deliver his $2.9 billion gift to landlords? Evidently, Luxon is: (a) unable to cost the policy accurately. As Anna Burns-Francis pointed out to him on Breakfast TV, the original ”rock solid” $2.1 billion cost he was ...
    5 days ago
  • Bernard's Top 10 @ 10 'pick 'n' mix' for March 14
    TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: Jonathon Porritt calling bullshit in his own blog post on mainstream climate science as ‘The New Denialism’.Local scoop: The Wellington City Council’s list of proposed changes to the IHP recommendations to be debated later today was leaked this ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • No, Prime Minister, rents don’t rise or fall with landlords’ costs
    TL;DR: Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said yesterday tenants should be grateful for the reinstatement of interest deductibility because landlords would pass on their lower tax costs in the form of lower rents. That would be true if landlords were regulated monopolies such as Transpower or Auckland Airport1, but they’re not, ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • Cartoons: ‘At least I didn’t make things awkward’
    This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Tom Toro Tom Toro is a cartoonist and author. He has published over 200 cartoons in The New Yorker since 2010. His cartoons appear in Playboy, the Paris Review, the New York Times, American Bystander, and elsewhere. Related: What 10 EV lovers ...
    6 days ago
  • Solving traffic congestion with Richard Prebble
    The business section of the NZ Herald is full of opinion. Among the more opinionated of all is the ex-Minister of Transport, ex-Minister of Railways, ex MP for Auckland Central (1975-93, Labour), Wellington Central (1996-99, ACT, then list-2005), ex-leader of the ACT Party, uncle to actor Antonia, the veritable granddaddy ...
    Greater AucklandBy Patrick Reynolds
    6 days ago
  • I Think I'm Done Flying Boeing
    Hi,Just quickly — I’m blown away by the stories you’ve shared with me over the last week since I put out the ‘Gary’ podcast, where I told you about the time my friend’s flatmate killed the neighbour.And you keep telling me stories — in the comments section, and in my ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    6 days ago
  • Invoking Aristotle: Of Rings of Power, Stones, and Ships
    The first season of Rings of Power was not awful. It was thoroughly underwhelming, yes, and left a lingering sense of disappointment, but it was more expensive mediocrity than catastrophe. I wrote at length about the series as it came out (see the Review section of the blog, and go ...
    6 days ago
  • Van Velden brings free-market approach to changing labour laws – but her colleagues stick to distr...
    Buzz from the Beehive Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Brooke van Velden told Auckland Business Chamber members they were the first audience to hear her priorities as a minister in a government committed to cutting red tape and regulations. She brandished her liberalising credentials, saying Flexible labour markets are the ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago
  • Why Newshub failed
    Chris Trotter writes – TO UNDERSTAND WHY NEWSHUB FAILED, it is necessary to understand how TVNZ changed. Up until 1989, the state broadcaster had been funded by a broadcasting licence fee, collected from every citizen in possession of a television set, supplemented by a relatively modest (compared ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago
  • Māori Party on the warpath against landlords and seabed miners – let’s see if mystical creature...
    Bob Edlin writes  –  The Māori Party has been busy issuing a mix of warnings and threats as its expresses its opposition to interest deductibility for landlords and the plans of seabed miners. It remains to be seen whether they  follow the example of indigenous litigants in Australia, ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago

  • Government moves to quickly ratify the NZ-EU FTA
    "The Government is moving quickly to realise an additional $46 million in tariff savings in the EU market this season for Kiwi exporters,” Minister for Trade and Agriculture, Todd McClay says. Parliament is set, this week, to complete the final legislative processes required to bring the New Zealand – European ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 hours ago
  • Positive progress for social worker workforce
    New Zealand’s social workers are qualified, experienced, and more representative of the communities they serve, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “I want to acknowledge and applaud New Zealand’s social workers for the hard work they do, providing invaluable support for our most vulnerable. “To coincide with World ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    8 hours ago
  • Minister confirms reduced RUC rate for PHEVs
    Cabinet has agreed to a reduced road user charge (RUC) rate for plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs), Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. Owners of PHEVs will be eligible for a reduced rate of $38 per 1,000km once all light electric vehicles (EVs) move into the RUC system from 1 April.  ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    10 hours ago
  • Trade access to overseas markets creates jobs
    Minister of Agriculture and Trade, Todd McClay, says that today’s opening of Riverland Foods manufacturing plant in Christchurch is a great example of how trade access to overseas markets creates jobs in New Zealand.  Speaking at the official opening of this state-of-the-art pet food factory the Minister noted that exports ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    11 hours ago
  • NZ and Chinese Foreign Ministers hold official talks
    Minister of Foreign Affairs Winston Peters met with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Wellington today. “It was a pleasure to host Foreign Minister Wang Yi during his first official visit to New Zealand since 2017. Our discussions were wide-ranging and enabled engagement on many facets of New Zealand’s relationship with China, including trade, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Kāinga Ora instructed to end Sustaining Tenancies
    Kāinga Ora – Homes & Communities has been instructed to end the Sustaining Tenancies Framework and take stronger measures against persistent antisocial behaviour by tenants, says Housing Minister Chris Bishop. “Earlier today Finance Minister Nicola Willis and I sent an interim Letter of Expectations to the Board of Kāinga Ora. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Speech to Auckland Business Chamber: Growth is the answer
    Tēna koutou katoa. Greetings everyone. Thank you to the Auckland Chamber of Commerce and the Honourable Simon Bridges for hosting this address today. I acknowledge the business leaders in this room, the leaders and governors, the employers, the entrepreneurs, the investors, and the wealth creators. The coalition Government shares your ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Singapore rounds out regional trip
    Minister Winston Peters completed the final leg of his visit to South and South East Asia in Singapore today, where he focused on enhancing one of New Zealand’s indispensable strategic partnerships.      “Singapore is our most important defence partner in South East Asia, our fourth-largest trading partner and a ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Minister van Velden represents New Zealand at International Democracy Summit
    Minister of Internal Affairs and Workplace Relations and Safety, Hon. Brooke van Velden, will travel to the Republic of Korea to represent New Zealand at the Third Summit for Democracy on 18 March. The summit, hosted by the Republic of Korea, was first convened by the United States in 2021, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Insurance Council of NZ Speech, 7 March 2024, Auckland
    ICNZ Speech 7 March 2024, Auckland  Acknowledgements and opening  Mōrena, ngā mihi nui. Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Nor Whanganui aho.  Good morning, it’s a privilege to be here to open the ICNZ annual conference, thank you to Mark for the Mihi Whakatau  My thanks to Tim Grafton for inviting me ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Five-year anniversary of Christchurch terror attacks
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Lead Coordination Minister Judith Collins have expressed their deepest sympathy on the five-year anniversary of the Christchurch terror attacks. “March 15, 2019, was a day when families, communities and the country came together both in sorrow and solidarity,” Mr Luxon says.  “Today we pay our respects to the 51 shuhada ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Speech for Financial Advice NZ Conference 5 March 2024
    Speech for Financial Advice NZ Conference 5 March 2024  Acknowledgements and opening  Morena, Nga Mihi Nui.  Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Nor Whanganui aho. Thanks Nate for your Mihi Whakatau  Good morning. It’s a pleasure to formally open your conference this morning. What a lovely day in Wellington, What a great ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Early visit to Indonesia strengthens ties
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters held discussions in Jakarta today about the future of relations between New Zealand and South East Asia’s most populous country.   “We are in Jakarta so early in our new government’s term to reflect the huge importance we place on our relationship with Indonesia and South ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • China Foreign Minister to visit
    Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Winston Peters has announced that the Foreign Minister of China, Wang Yi, will visit New Zealand next week.  “We look forward to re-engaging with Foreign Minister Wang Yi and discussing the full breadth of the bilateral relationship, which is one of New Zealand’s ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Minister opens new Auckland Rail Operations Centre
    Transport Minister Simeon Brown has today opened the new Auckland Rail Operations Centre, which will bring together KiwiRail, Auckland Transport, and Auckland One Rail to improve service reliability for Aucklanders. “The recent train disruptions in Auckland have highlighted how important it is KiwiRail and Auckland’s rail agencies work together to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Celebrating 10 years of Crankworx Rotorua
    The Government is proud to support the 10th edition of Crankworx Rotorua as the Crankworx World Tour returns to Rotorua from 16-24 March 2024, says Minister for Economic Development Melissa Lee.  “Over the past 10 years as Crankworx Rotorua has grown, so too have the economic and social benefits that ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Government delivering on tax commitments
    Legislation implementing coalition Government tax commitments and addressing long-standing tax anomalies will be progressed in Parliament next week, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The legislation is contained in an Amendment Paper to the Taxation (Annual Rates for 2023–24, Multinational Tax, and Remedial Matters) Bill issued today.  “The Amendment Paper represents ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Significant Natural Areas requirement to be suspended
    Associate Environment Minister Andrew Hoggard has today announced that the Government has agreed to suspend the requirement for councils to comply with the Significant Natural Areas (SNA) provisions of the National Policy Statement for Indigenous Biodiversity for three years, while it replaces the Resource Management Act (RMA).“As it stands, SNAs ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Government classifies drought conditions in Top of the South as medium-scale adverse event
    Agriculture Minister Todd McClay has classified the drought conditions in the Marlborough, Tasman, and Nelson districts as a medium-scale adverse event, acknowledging the challenging conditions facing farmers and growers in the district. “Parts of Marlborough, Tasman, and Nelson districts are in the grip of an intense dry spell. I know ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Government partnership to tackle $332m facial eczema problem
    The Government is helping farmers eradicate the significant impact of facial eczema (FE) in pastoral animals, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay announced.  “A $20 million partnership jointly funded by Beef + Lamb NZ, the Government, and the primary sector will save farmers an estimated NZD$332 million per year, and aims to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • NZ, India chart path to enhanced relationship
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters has completed a successful visit to India, saying it was an important step in taking the relationship between the two countries to the next level.   “We have laid a strong foundation for the Coalition Government’s priority of enhancing New Zealand-India relations to generate significant future benefit for both countries,” says Mr Peters, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Ruapehu Alpine Lifts bailout the last, say Ministers
    Cabinet has agreed to provide $7 million to ensure the 2024 ski season can go ahead on the Whakapapa ski field in the central North Island but has told the operator Ruapehu Alpine Lifts it is the last financial support it will receive from taxpayers. Cabinet also agreed to provide ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Govt takes action to drive better cancer services
    Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says the launch of a new mobile breast screening unit in Counties Manukau reinforces the coalition Government’s commitment to drive better cancer services for all New Zealanders. Speaking at the launch of the new mobile clinic, Dr Reti says it’s a great example of taking ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Govt takes action to drive better cancer services
    Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says the launch of a new mobile breast screening unit in Counties Manukau reinforces the coalition Government’s commitment to drive better cancer services for all New Zealanders. Speaking at the launch of the new mobile clinic, Dr Reti says it’s a great example of taking ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Work begins on SH29 upgrades near Tauriko
    Unlocking economic growth and land for housing are critical elements of the Government’s plan for our transport network, and planned upgrades to State Highway 29 (SH29) near Tauriko will deliver strongly on those priorities, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “The SH29 upgrades near Tauriko will improve safety at the intersections ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Work begins on SH29 upgrades near Tauriko
    Unlocking economic growth and land for housing are critical elements of the Government’s plan for our transport network, and planned upgrades to State Highway 29 (SH29) near Tauriko will deliver strongly on those priorities, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “The SH29 upgrades near Tauriko will improve safety at the intersections ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Fresh produce price drop welcome
    Lower fruit and vegetable prices are welcome news for New Zealanders who have been doing it tough at the supermarket, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. Stats NZ reported today the price of fruit and vegetables has dropped 9.3 percent in the 12 months to February 2024.  “Lower fruit and vege ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Statement to the 68th United Nations Commission on the Status of Women
    Tēnā koutou katoa and greetings to you all.  Chair, I am honoured to address the sixty-eighth session of the Commission on the Status of Women. I acknowledge the many crises impacting the rights of women and girls. Heightened global tensions, war, climate related and humanitarian disasters, and price inflation all ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Speech to the 68th United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (CSW68)
    Tēnā koutou katoa and greetings to you all.  Chair, I am honoured to address the 68th session of the Commission on the Status of Women. I acknowledge the many crises impacting the rights of women and girls. Heightened global tensions, war, climate related and humanitarian disasters, and price inflation all ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Government backs rural led catchment projects
    The coalition Government is supporting farmers to enhance land management practices by investing $3.3 million in locally led catchment groups, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay announced. “Farmers and growers deliver significant prosperity for New Zealand and it’s vital their ongoing efforts to improve land management practices and water quality are supported,” ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Speech to Auckland Business Chamber
    Good evening everyone and thank you for that lovely introduction.   Thank you also to the Honourable Simon Bridges for the invitation to address your members. Since being sworn in, this coalition Government has hit the ground running with our 100-day plan, delivering the changes that New Zealanders expect of us. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Commission’s advice on ETS settings tabled
    Recommendations from the Climate Change Commission for New Zealand on the Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) auction and unit limit settings for the next five years have been tabled in Parliament, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. “The Commission provides advice on the ETS annually. This is the third time the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Government lowering building costs
    The coalition Government is beginning its fight to lower building costs and reduce red tape by exempting minor building work from paying the building levy, says Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk. “Currently, any building project worth $20,444 including GST or more is subject to the building levy which is ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Trustee tax change welcomed
    Proposed changes to tax legislation to prevent the over-taxation of low-earning trusts are welcome, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The changes have been recommended by Parliament’s Finance and Expenditure Committee following consideration of submissions on the Taxation (Annual Rates for 2023–24, Multinational Tax, and Remedial Matters) Bill. “One of the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Minister’s Ramadan message
    Assalaamu alaikum. السَّلَام عليكم In light of the holy month of Ramadan, I want to extend my warmest wishes to our Muslim community in New Zealand. Ramadan is a time for spiritual reflection, renewed devotion, perseverance, generosity, and forgiveness.  It’s a time to strengthen our bonds and appreciate the diversity ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Minister appoints new NZTA Chair
    Former Transport Minister and CEO of the Auckland Business Chamber Hon Simon Bridges has been appointed as the new Board Chair of the New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA) for a three-year term, Transport Minister Simeon Brown announced today. “Simon brings extensive experience and knowledge in transport policy and governance to the role. He will ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Speech to Life Sciences Summit
    Good morning all, it is a pleasure to be here as Minister of Science, Innovation and Technology.  It is fantastic to see how connected and collaborative the life science and biotechnology industry is here in New Zealand. I would like to thank BioTechNZ and NZTech for the invitation to address ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Progress continues apace on water storage
    Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says he is looking forward to the day when three key water projects in Northland are up and running, unlocking the full potential of land in the region. Mr Jones attended a community event at the site of the Otawere reservoir near Kerikeri on Friday. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Government agrees to restore interest deductions
    Associate Finance Minister David Seymour has today announced that the Government has agreed to restore deductibility for mortgage interest on residential investment properties. “Help is on the way for landlords and renters alike. The Government’s restoration of interest deductibility will ease pressure on rents and simplify the tax code,” says ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Minister to attend World Anti-Doping Agency Symposium
    Sport and Recreation Minister Chris Bishop will travel to Switzerland today to attend an Executive Committee meeting and Symposium of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA). Mr Bishop will then travel on to London where he will attend a series of meetings in his capacity as Infrastructure Minister. “New Zealanders believe ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

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