Open mike 10/10/2020

Written By: - Date published: 6:00 am, October 10th, 2020 - 51 comments
Categories: open mike - Tags:

Open mike is your post.

For announcements, general discussion, whatever you choose.

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

Step up to the mike …

51 comments on “Open mike 10/10/2020 ”

  1. Dennis Frank 1

    Labour's campaign strategy, according to Danyl McLaughlin:

    Labour will commit to inconsequential climate goals, and continue to frame themselves with rhetorically progressive but deliberately meaningless messaging like “putting people at the heart of everything they do”.

    Ardern has learned from her first term in government that if she promises anything substantive her caucus and the public service will fail to deliver it, so best to promise nothing. https://thespinoff.co.nz/politics/10-10-2020/labour-has-taken-the-centre-is-it-a-trap/

    Labour’s winning strategy is built on rhetoric that seems to promise real change but never quite delivers… Perhaps soon it can give itself permission to do something truly transformational.

    But Danyl fails to come up with anything after his wondering & diagnosis. The Greens, trying to present as in leftist harmony, likewise felt obliged to not promise any specific transformation. If they find themselves in coalition, one would hope that the preceding negotiations do produce mutual commitments to transformation of Aotearoa – spelt out in specific policy declarations of intent!

    They'd still be devoid of a mandate for that transformation, but voters would appreciate the honesty up front. A Labour/Green govt launched on a transformative consensus basis would be auspicious and likely to succeed.

    • mikesh 1.1

      Julie-Anne Genter also confirmed to a small business panel late in September that a Wealth Tax is a “bottom line” for the Green Party in any post-election negotiations with Labour.

      My wife,who is a registered National Party supporter, received an email, from Judith Collins, which contained the above excerpt. Is it true, and would it make any difference anyway.

      • weka 1.1.1

        Genter didn't quite say that, but did make a mistake around the GP position on bottom lines. They don't have any bottom lines, but they do have high priorities and addressing income disparity is one of them (by progressive tax reform).

        Collins is telling porkies.

        • Bearded Git 1.1.1.1

          Weka-the Wealth Tax addresses poverty/wealth distribution/capital disparity rather than income disparity.

          • mikesh 1.1.1.1.1

            Since most taxpayers under the gun with regard to wealth taxes are unlikely to sell off assets in order to meet their tax obligations, the tax would, in effect, amount to an income tax. This is different from a capital gains tax, which would be paid from the proceeds of the sale.

            Those who would count as "asset rich, cash poor" might be an exception.

          • weka 1.1.1.1.2

            hmm, well it directly addresses income disparity because it would fund a GMI.

            Pretty sure that 'income disparity' is the term being used by the Greens in their campaigning currently.

      • KJT 1.1.2

        Semantics.

    • ianmac 1.2

      Had Labour said at the last election that Labour would embark on just an ambitious house building program, then the criticism around the Kiwibuild would not have happened.

      • Dennis Frank 1.2.1

        If Twyford had been competent, he'd have delivered on his promises, and the criticism "would not have happened."

        Danyl believes "Ardern has learned from her first term in government that if she promises anything substantive her caucus and the public service will fail to deliver it".

        Is this true?? She seems intelligent enough to have learnt that from her experience as PM. Can't assume she has though. The public service during that term did achieve a 50% pass rate, eh? Labour usually comes in around that, so we can assume there's a reasonable basis that she would think reliance on bureaucrats is a 50-50 call, and she's comfortable with that.

        Applying that logic to her caucus produces the same result, of course. So she's on a random walk. I'd prefer a destination…

        • greywarshark 1.2.1.1

          edit
          I have a;ways been surprised that individual Ministers can make extravagant statements that are unlikely to result in anything of value to the country and the Party feel satisfied with this dopey system that has been adopted. If there is a caucus, if the Ministers in and out of Cabinet meet and discuss and examine and hear presentations from the Public Service and other approved advisors, how can something like Phil Twyford's bloated figures and hopes get into official Labour pronouncements.

          It seemed obvious that the number of houses could never be completed, and Twyford's (which are also Labour's) pronouncements have taken government and democracy into the realms of a puppet show – our very own Punch and Judy.

          Please Labour stop announcing definite numbers of anything, and replace numbers with a promise to make important and far-reaching changes for the better, and then proceed to do that in a way that is prompt, practical and beneficial to those needing good policy outcomes.

          Also monitor whether the Public Service are carrying out these policies in a positive manner and give them the opportunity to make suggestions for improvement so they have a voice. Explain the approach is all important to achieving success in solving problems and that government services or their contractors are crucial to that.

        • Herodotus 1.2.1.2

          If Twyford and Labour had been honest they would not have increased a extremely difficult Kiwibuild of 50,000 as per 2012 to an impossible 100,000.and if they knew that it was unobtainable then it was a .. LIE 🤫

          and instead of selling off state assets in the guise of Kiwibuild they could have used any land to increase state housing stock. But no let’s build for those poor who can afford a $650k home. Why can many tribal people see the lies the other side tells yet are unable to when their side tells porkies 🤔

        • Patricia Bremner 1.2.1.3

          There are more erudite people in the world who rate our PM.

          "So she's on a random walk".. Lol you really revealed yourself there Dennis.

      • mikesh 1.2.2

        I could be wrong, but I don't think David Shearer's original "kiwibuild" policy included the building of state houses. His suggestion was that houses should be built, sold, and the proceeds used to build more houses. The current version of "kiwibuild" seems to be to build lots of state houses, but not necessarily 10,000 per year.

        • greywarshark 1.2.2.1

          I referred to Twyford, and he must take responsibility for his pronouncements along with the whole of the Labour leading group.

          Here is an example of Labour doing good, saying they want to do better, and that they will keep working on it. Which is the best way to present particulars within the 'transformational' project. PM Ardern listened to people who had been drug users at a meeting in Moerewa in Northland and announced a new program to combat meth addiction.

          https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/political/428009/first-time-i-got-drunk-was-at-the-age-of-nine-pm-told

          Auckland man Lawrence Turner told Ardern how Waipuna Ora was helping him to help others after his stint in jail.
          "You're doing a good job too," Turner told the Labour leader, to the audience's laughter.
          "I seen you when I was stuck in jail, just watching you, [thinking] 'f**k, she's doing all right!'"

          Earlier in the day, Ardern announced Labour would roll out a meth addiction programme to another 4000 people, if re-elected, at a cost of $38 million over four years.
          The Te Ara Oranga programme – piloted under the previous National-led government – has been operating in Northland and seen promising results.

          National has also committed to rolling out an intensive meth treatment programme in 11 locations, as well as putting a meth-detox bed in every DHB.

          Speaking at Moerewa Christian Fellowship Church, Ardern told those gathered she felt the "weight of expectation" on her shoulders to revolutionise the justice system.
          "You are right to put it there. We should all feel it and we do," Ardern said.
          "What we're asking for is more time."

          The people will likely approve of even small, incremental changes which can be expanded after successful pilots. And that is the final test, not just setting up small pockets having good results and waving them like banners for good vibes to the public, but then budgeting for repeats carried out in ways that workers on the ground are satisfied with, and they will produce results or lose their funding.

          And then if the results are achieved, the systems will be locked in, not just chopped and dropped some years later. We will always need certain interventions, and we need to look after the young particularly, from helping parents do a good job, have good standards and pride, to giving them a place in the working society doing something that will receive a salary suitable for living.

      • woodart 1.2.3

        yes, putting numbers up immediatley gives naysayers a target. however few houses they actually built are a lot more than the "no housing crisis nats" built. like ten bridges, its a silly promise.

    • AB 1.3

      "Ardern has learned from her first term in government that if she promises anything substantive her caucus and the public service will fail to deliver it"

      Hmm – haven't her inner circle and the public service just delivered one of the best Covid-responses globally – in quite an agile manner and on the hoof as well? McLaughlin is essentially pitching this as a competence thing – when it clearly isn't. And in fact it's a lame regurgitation of Nat framing.

      Rather, failure to deliver will occur in those areas where band-aids and ambulances at the bottoms of cliffs can't have much effect – but the structural/economic issues that cause the problems to occur are so massive and so entrenched, that they can't be addressed without business and the media screaming the house down.

      And more than just business and the media – solving these problems will also cut across the economic interests of a chunk of the affluent PMC who make up Labour's most articulate and influential support, as well as their MPs. If you removed the possibility of financial insecurity for every single citizen – downstream social problems would melt away to vanishingly low levels. But it is an inconceivably radical thing for Labour to try. I have great regard for Ardern – she is doing what she can in the environment she's been given. It’s nothing to do with competence, it’s about what is ideologically permissible.

    • ianmac 1.4

      It has been reported that when Labour was sorting the Kiwibuild policy, the goal was to be 50,000 houses but the outgoing Annette King said 100,000 sounded much better and hence the impossible figure was set.

      Should have been "as many houses shall be built as we can."

    • sumsuch 1.5

      My cousin in Czechia has said their govt has spent all their money on covid and has no reserves left to deal with climate change. My suspicion about this last period with Labour's prioritizing of 'the art of the possible' over longterm reason. Most importantly, their unwillingness to try and persuade. Seen also in Leftist columnists.

      It's a strange election campaign. This time is not for the innocuous ordinary.

  2. Dennis Frank 2

    Kim Hill is interviewing him at 10 on RNZ: https://www.robgreenfield.org/biography/

    Rob is the creator of The Food Waste Fiasco, a campaign that strives to end food waste and hunger in the U.S. He has dove into more than two thousand dumpsters across the United States to demonstrate how nearly half of all food in the U.S. is wasted while 50 million (1 in 7) Americans are food insecure.

    He had the goal of being a millionaire by age 30. His life took a great turn when at the age of 24 he started to become aware of the environmental and social issues of his generation. He learned through books and documentaries that he was contributing to many of these problems through his daily actions including the food he was eating, the car he was driving, and the stuff he was buying and consuming. At that point he began his transformation from a Drunk Dude to Dude Making a Difference.

    After five years of downsizing and simplifying his life he was down to just 111 possessions, all that fit into his backpack. He then traveled for two years in the service of others.

    In 2016 he landed in Rio, Brazil without a penny in his pocket. He was on a mission to travel to Panama, 7,000 miles and 7 countries away, while relying only on the goodness of humanity. This adventure is a six episode series called Free Ride on Discovery Channel playing worldwide. His travels have taken him to 6 continents and 45 countries.

    • RedLogix 2.1

      Yes. There is an entire way of life emerging of people no longer rooted to one location. They move for all sorts of reasons, work, adventure, seeking and escape. They're tiny house people, van lifers, sailors, surfies, backpackers, woofers and more. They have all manner of networks, often on the net, to facilitate finding places to stay and ways to earn a living. They're not tourists, they're making a new life as global citizens.

      In some ways they're incredibly resilient, in others extremely vulnerable. Some are aimless and indigent, but many do look for ways to give back to the communities around them. Often in quite imaginative ways. Rob is very much one of this tribe, I like him.

      One issue they do encounter is an effective lack of democratic representation, they're usually not able to vote in most of the places they live, and rarely would any political system take account of their concerns. Mostly they accept their outsider status and work within it's limits, but events like covid can expose them badly.

      Nomads like these are an enduring component of humanity, they serve an ancient purpose, cross-pollinating and spreading ideas and experiences across nations and cultures. They modern world both makes it easier in some ways and much harder in others for them, but I believe they should be embraced and celebrated on the whole.

      Cheers

      • Dennis Frank 2.1.1

        an entire way of life emerging of people no longer rooted to one location. They move for all sorts of reasons

        Global citizens. You make a good point. Whereas my consciousness emerged from adolescence into global view (1965) human nature is mostly parochial. I never shifted from global consciousness into global experience, so I admire those motivated to do so, and those few who pioneer it as a resilient lifestyle even more!

        There are no global citizenship rights, so these folk are a precariat. Must use nationality as a resource still. You've noticed that problem & describe it well too.

        In ancient times the stranger was a powerful social archetype. Cross-fertilising between cultures as you mention. Perhaps we're seeing that re-emerge, leading edge. Exemplars of resilience & sustainability. Language building a bridge wherever, if they incorporate it as praxis.

        There's a metaphysical basis for this: triadic structure & function. Mediating two cultures or realms makes the mediator the tertiary function. From one, holism, from two, dualism. Transcendence of dichotomies & polarities requires intervention by a third element/factor/agent. This is fundamental to neuroscience, society, nature.

        Some examples. Two brain hemispheres, joined by the bridge of the corpus callosum, through which they send messages to each other. Triadic structure of time (past/present/future), three dimensions of space (vertical & two horizontal). Reproduction (takes two, then a child).

        So trade emerged as a by-product of strangers travelling. That's why ancient Greeks & Romans empowered Hermes/Mercury. Not merely the messenger of the gods! Shamanic function was primal, but then economies evolved from the function of the archetype…

        • RedLogix 2.1.1.1

          Yes … that's a deep dive into it. Another work that perhaps touched on this triadic was a not very well known book Warrior, Settlers and Nomads written by UK psychologist Terrence Watts. I bought it decades ago, and exchanged emails with him for some time.

          Warriors, Settlers & Nomads (WSN) is a form of parts psychotherapy devised by UK therapist, Terence Watts. It is an astonishingly accurate look at the elements that create our personality traits and is based upon the concept of evolutionary psychology, and it is a method that many therapists and professionals use today. We all display attributes from each 'part', but are usually strongly inclined towards a single part, or sometimes a mix of two. The Warrior is forceful, resolute and organisational; the Settler is sociable, intuitive and adaptable; and the Nomad is restless, charismatic and innovative. There isn't a 'best' or a worst personality type and all have their positive and negative qualities.

          The close parallel with my proposed triadic political model, Conservatives, Socialists and Liberals is intriguing as well.

          So trade emerged as a by-product of strangers travelling.

          My partner likes to say that there really are just two fundamental story plots, an adventurous soul goes on a journey, or a stranger comes to town. devil

    • mikesh 2.2

      Many global warming commentaters (apart from denialists) point out that excess consumption in Western countries is a major driver of global warming. It would seem that third world countries can never catch up with us without throwing the world into global warming turmoil. This would seem to suggest a moral imperative on the part of our politicians to promise a winding down of our economy rather than to promise growth.

      • greywarshark 2.2.1

        We need to bear in mind the exposure off the reality of how government works as revealed in the outstanding Yes Minister et al.

        Sir Humphrey explains that government is not about morality, it is about stability. This is gold, and it explains much in its truth, it isn't just satirical.

        Government is not about morality, it is about stability; keeping things going, preventing anarchy, stopping society falling to bits. Still being here tomorrow.

        The Proper Function of Government:
        https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cIYfiRyPi3o&t=149s 5.30 mins

      • RedLogix 2.2.2

        It would seem that third world countries can never catch up with us without throwing the world into global warming turmoil.

        Are you going to tell the developing countries that they have to remain poor?

        This would seem to suggest a moral imperative on the part of our politicians to promise a winding down of our economy rather than to promise growth.

        Really? Because if the eco-fascists could have one of their dark fantasies fulfilled and the whole developed 1b of the world were to disappear overnight, the other 9b or so people remaining would quickly move to fill the gap.

        And the assumption that it's only the developed world that is damaging the planet is also dead wrong. Poorer developing nations have an impact of a different kind; usually direct deforestation, wildlife and habitat destruction, and over-fishing. China for instance instance is largely responsible for a devastating destruction of fish stocks everywhere their fleet can reach. And collectively the developing nations not only emit a lot of fossil carbon, they're also the group whose emissions are growing the fastest.

        The idea that shutting down the developed world is the solution to environmental change, and that humans will find some kind of stasis on a benign planet is belied by a simple brutal fact … that 99.9% of all species that have ever existed are extinct. The moment a species fails (or refuses in our case) to continue to adapt, it has written it's own extinction warrant.

        Humans are the first post-biological species to face the possibility of making conscious choices around it's own future. You have accurately identified the proximate challenge, that 10b humans cannot continue on the same development path that the first 1b humans took over 200 years to escape poverty. In response a very large fraction of the broader green movement shape the argument as a false binary, either BAU ensures a catastrophic environmental collapse, or unwind our technological development and await extinction by senescence.

        And in both scenarios we exhaust resources in any event, only the timelines differ slightly. Prior to industrialisation the carrying capacity of the planet was under 1b, and a reversion to a world absent mass production will almost certainly collapse the human population something of the same order. Of course morally this a deeply anti-human position, and I reject any plan that implicitly requires a mass die-off of humanity embedded in it's assumptions.

        In short you've identified the problem, but you need a better plan.

      • Draco T Bastard 2.2.3

        This would seem to suggest a moral imperative on the part of our politicians to promise a winding down of our economy rather than to promise growth.

        Yes but, as many have pointed out, who's going to vote for having less even if it does save their children and grandchildren?

  3. swordfish 3

    Preferred PM comparisons

    (TV1 Colmar Brunton Polls 1-2 weeks out from Election):

    2020

    Ardern 50 / Collins 23

    2017

    English 32 / Ardern 34

    2014

    Key 46 / Cunliffe 14

    2011

    Key 53 / Goff 13

    2008

    Clark 37 / Key 38

    2005

    Clark 42 / Brash 30

    2002

    Clark 48 / English 19

    1999

    Shipley 30 / Clark 24

  4. ianmac 4

    US President Donald Trump will appear on an American political talkshow – and undergo a live televised medical evaluation.

    Fox News has announced Trump will give his first on-camera interview since testing positive for Covid-19. He is scheduled to appear on Tucker Carlson Tonight at 1pm NZ time today.

    That could be a make it or break it for Trump.

    • Gabby 4.1

      Is Tuckwit performing the medical evaluation, or are they bringing in Dr Oz?

    • Dennis Frank 4.2

      "Say ah."

      "Wrong guy! That's Biden."

    • Peter 4.3

      It's going to be a full thorough medical check too!smiley

      The doctor will be right onto it with a fully professional examination and report! smiley

      Any fully professional doctor worth their salt would jump at the chance to do it and rubbish any comments about them prostituting themselves.Speaking of the doctor. What if it were a woman, a black woman who conducted and determined the examination without 'advice' from 'outsiders?' If after giving a full and thorough examination she presented a report which was less than favourable and bluntly expressed concern what would the reaction be?

      "What a nasty person you are, you're a disgrace to your profession, you should be ashamed of yourself. Fake news!"

      The report has likely been written already. We could have some Saturday sport writing our own to see how close we can get. In my draft I've already crossed out the 'heart of an 18 year' that Donald wanted and gone for '40 year old.'

      ——-

      (The doctor could take along a specialist colleague to check out Carlson at the same time. A proctologist would be most appropriate.)

      • ianmac 4.3.1

        Said to be Marc Siegel who is the Doctor feeding false information re Covid19 and keeping Trump informed.

        • Peter 4.3.1.1

          I'm shocked! What a surprise! The report will be fair and accurate and professional and objective and …….. well paid for!surprise

  5. weka 6

    World Rugby have just changed their policy on gender and sex regarding participation in sport. They're now saying that the scientific evidence strongly supports that participation should be based on biological sex, not gender identity accompanied by lowering testosterone. This is for safety and fairness reasons. Lowering testosterone appears to give limited or no changes to the physiological advantages that males have over females across a range of aspects.

    The visuals in the second tweet give a good overview.

    https://twitter.com/Scienceofsport/status/1314597068229443586

    • Andre 7.1

      Her e-mails are so appalling I'm so relieved I didn't vote for her this time around. I wouldn't be able to live with myself if I had.

  6. Patricia Bremner 8

    Hey Barfly, voted yes today Cheers.

  7. joe90 10

    Nice uniforms.

    A private security company is recruiting former U.S. military Special Operations personnel to guard polling sites in Minnesota on Election Day, an effort the chairman of the company said is intended to prevent left-wing activists from disrupting the election but that the state attorney general warned would amount to voter intimidation and violate the law.

    The recruiting effort is being done by Atlas Aegis, a private security company based in Tennessee that was formed last year and is run by U.S. military veterans, including people with Special Operations experience, according to its website.

    […]

    In an interview earlier this week, Caudle, the chairman and co-founder of Atlas Aegis, said the client is a “consortium of business owners and concerned citizens” in Minnesota, but he declined to name the group. That consortium hired another unnamed firm licensed in Minnesota as the prime contractor, and Caudle’s company is responsible for staffing the security guards, he said. He declined to say where in Minnesota the guards would operate or how many intend to be out on Election Day.

    https://archive.li/Y3GZk (wapo)

  8. joe90 11

    The best it's Ok when Trump does it to date?

    When Insider asked three antiabortion organizations — the Heritage Foundation, Texas Alliance for Life, and Pro-Life Action League — about the origin of Trump's COVID-19 treatment, they demurred.

    In the past, antiabortion advocates have spoken out against medical treatments that use components derived from aborted fetal tissue at any point in the creation and testing processes, including experimental coronavirus vaccines.

    However, each group told Insider they would not engage in this controversy — some because they said they believed the cells used in testing bore little connection to the 1972 abortion and others because the antibody cocktail itself didn't contain traces of fetal tissue.

    One organization's executive director told Insider they had no criticism of Trump and supported him because he opposes abortion and has vowed to overturn Roe v. Wade, which would remove Americans' automatic right to abortion.

    https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/companies/antiabortion-groups-say-they-stand-behind-trumps-use-of-a-drug-tested-on-cells-derived-from-an-aborted-fetus-because-the-president-was-not-involved-with-that-abortion/ar-BB19SkGB?ocid=st

  9. greywarshark 12

    We have to move on to the next stages of coping with Covid-19, these people need to be given consideration and wise policies that enable them to live in reasonable conditions during this pandemic. And so many people have become new refugees and need a world-wide effort to assist them to reach home where they have a place to live while they face the effects of the disease.

    https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/428037/covid-19-rules-for-ship-crew-it-s-worse-than-being-in-prison
    Crews on ships coming into New Zealand ports are not allowed ashore and must wear PPE gear every time they are on deck.
    This also applies to New Zealand crew.

    Wayne Turner is the master of Capitaine Tasman, a container ship that sails between Mount Maunganui, Auckland, Noumea, Suva and Lautoka – making a 17-day round trip.

    New Zealand, Noumea and Fiji are all countries without community transmission of the virus.
    Turner said effectively the crew were in constant isolation.
    "You've got people that are basically in prison. They can't depart the vessel, they can't go for a walk, get fresh air, they can't get off the vessel.

    and

    https://reliefweb.int/report/world/immediate-action-required-address-needs-vulnerabilities-275m-stranded-migrants

    Geneva - Effective international cooperation is urgently needed to address the circumstances of millions of migrants stranded worldwide due to mobility restrictions imposed to contain the spread of COVID-19, the International Organization for Migration said today.

    A three-month-long COVID-19 Impact on Migrants effort by IOM's Returns Task Force reveals for the first time the scope and complexities of the challenges facing governments and people on the move at a time when at least 2.75 million* migrants are stranded (13 July) worldwide.

  10. greywarshark 13

    This was a good interview on Covid 19 this morning by Kim. This super-spreader affect and the 'going underground' is important to be aware of. Also the 'going underground' which keeping up the sampling-swabbing can control, and the sewerage detection is a valuable method.

    https://www.rnz.co.nz/national/programmes/saturday/audio/2018767777/norman-swan-how-australia-is-coping-with-covid-19

    In July, Victoria's Covid-19 cases rose dramatically and remained stubbornly high. By early August, a stage four lockdown was imposed across Melbourne, while the rest of Victoria moved to stage three.

    Rather than an individual "superspreader" being the cause of the outbreak, Swan said it was more of a case of "superspreading social networks" that led to the situation getting out of control. "You had people going out into the north-west corridor of Melbourne and into large family groups," he said. "Friendly, cohesive families where people were working all over Melbourne, living in relatively overcrowded circumstances, they're working in abattoirs and so on, and they go out and spread it."

    He said the outbreak in Victoria and another recent outbreak in Sydney showed the virus had the potential to "go underground".

    "In Washington state at the beginning of it, it went underground for about six weeks, spreading in probably asymptomatic populations," he said. "When testing rates go down you lose control of the virus."

    The outbreak in Sydney was discovered when virus particles were found during testing of the sewage system. Using the positive samples, officials were able to trace the virus to communities in south-west Sydney, where it was discovered that cases of the Covid-19 had been missed.

  11. sumsuch 15

    Lets get our freedom from a strong govt for the people. Anything else is illusion meaning rich-rule.

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    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    10 hours ago
  • Will it make the boat go faster?
    Ele Ludemann writes – The Reserve Bank is advertising for a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion advisor. The Bank has one mandate – to keep inflation between one and three percent. It has failed in that and is only slowly getting inflation back down to the upper limit. Will it ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    13 hours ago
  • Bryce Edwards: Is Simon Bridges’ NZTA appointment a conflict of interest?
    Last week former National Party leader Simon Bridges was appointed by the Government as the new chair of the New Zealand Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA). You can read about the appointment in Thomas Coughlan’s article, Simon Bridges to become chair of NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi The fact that a ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    13 hours ago
  • Is Simon Bridges’ NZTA appointment a conflict of interest?
    Bryce Edwards writes – Last week former National Party leader Simon Bridges was appointed by the Government as the new chair of the New Zealand Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA). You can read about the appointment in Thomas Coughlan’s article, Simon Bridges to become chair of NZ Transport Agency ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    13 hours ago
  • Bernard's Top 10 @ 10 'pick 'n' mix' at 10:10am on Tuesday, March 19
    TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: Gavin Jacobson talks to Thomas Piketty 10 years on from Capital in the 21st Century The SalvoLocal scoop: Green MP’s business being investigated over migrant exploitation claims Stuff Steve KilgallonLocal deep-dive: The commercial contractors making money from School ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    13 hours ago
  • Bernard's six newsy things on Tuesday, March 19
    It’s a home - but Kāinga Ora tenants accused of “abusing the privilege” may lose it. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The Government announced a crackdown on Kāinga Ora tenants who were unruly and/or behind on their rent, with Housing Minister Chris Bishop saying a place in a state ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    14 hours ago
  • New Life for Light Rail
    This is a guest post by Connor Sharp of Surface Light Rail  Light rail in Auckland: A way forward sooner than you think With the coup de grâce of Auckland Light Rail (ALR) earlier this year, and the shift of the government’s priorities to roads, roads, and more roads, it ...
    Greater AucklandBy Guest Post
    15 hours ago
  • Why Are Bosses Nearly All Buffoons?
    Note: As a paid-up Webworm member, I’ve recorded this Webworm as a mini-podcast for you as well. Some of you said you liked this option - so I aim to provide it when I get a chance to record! Read more ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    18 hours ago
  • Bernard’s six-stack of substacks at 6.06 pm on March 18
    TL;DR: In my ‘six-stack’ of substacks at 6.06pm on Monday, March 18:IKEA is accused of planting big forests in New Zealand to green-wash; REDD-MonitorA City for People takes a well-deserved victory lap over Wellington’s pro-YIMBY District Plan votes; A City for PeopleSteven Anastasiou takes a close look at the sticky ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 day ago
  • Peters holds his ground on co-governance, but Willis wriggles on those tax cuts and SNA suspension l...
    Buzz from the Beehive Here’s hoping for a lively post-cabinet press conference when the PM and – perhaps – some of his ministers tell us what was discussed at their meeting today. Until then, Point of Order has precious little Beehive news to report after its latest monitoring of the ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    1 day ago
  • Labour’s final report card
    David Farrar writes –  We now have almost all 2023 data in, which has allowed me to update my annual table of how  went against its promises. This is basically their final report card. The promise The result Build 100,000 affordable homes over 10 ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    2 days ago
  • “Drunk Uncle at a Wedding”
    I’m a bit worried that I’ve started a previous newsletter with the words “just when you think they couldn’t get any worse…” Seems lately that I could begin pretty much every issue with that opening. Such is the nature of our coalition government that they seem to be outdoing each ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    2 days ago
  • Wang Yi’s perfectly-timed, Aukus-themed visit to New Zealand
    Geoffrey Miller writes – Timing is everything. And from China’s perspective, this week’s visit by its foreign minister to New Zealand could be coming at just the right moment. The visit by Wang Yi to Wellington will be his first since 2017. Anniversaries are important to Beijing. ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    2 days ago
  • Gordon Campbell on Dune 2, and images of Islam
    Depictions of Islam in Western popular culture have rarely been positive, even before 9/11. Five years on from the mosque shootings, this is one of the cultural headwinds that the Muslim community has to battle against. Whatever messages of tolerance and inclusion are offered in daylight, much of our culture ...
    2 days ago
  • New Rail Operations Centre Promises Better Train Services
    Last week Transport Minster Simeon Brown and Mayor Wayne Brown opened the new Auckland Rail Operations Centre. The new train control centre will see teams from KiwiRail, Auckland Transport and Auckland One Rail working more closely together to improve train services across the city. The Auckland Rail Operations Centre in ...
    2 days ago
  • Bernard's six newsy things at 6.36am on Monday, March 18
    Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Retiring former Labour Finance Minister Grant Robertson said in an exit interview with Q+A yesterday the Government can and should sustain more debt to invest in infrastructure for future generations. Elsewhere in the news in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy at 6:36am: Read more ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago
  • Geoffrey Miller: Wang Yi’s perfectly-timed, Aukus-themed visit to New Zealand
    Timing is everything. And from China’s perspective, this week’s visit by its foreign minister to New Zealand could be coming at just the right moment. The visit by Wang Yi to Wellington will be his first since 2017. Anniversaries are important to Beijing. It is more than just a happy ...
    Democracy ProjectBy Geoffrey Miller
    2 days ago
  • The Kaka’s diary for the week to March 25 and beyond
    TL;DR: The key events to watch in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the week to March 18 include:China’s Foreign Minister visiting Wellington today;A post-cabinet news conference this afternoon; the resumption of Parliament on Tuesday for two weeks before Easter;retiring former Labour Finance Minister Grant Robertson gives his valedictory speech in Parliament; ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago
  • Bitter and angry; Winston First
    New Zealand First Leader Winston Peters’s state-of-the-nation speech on Sunday was really a state-of-Winston-First speech. He barely mentioned any of the Government’s key policies and could not even wholly endorse its signature income tax cuts. Instead, he rehearsed all of his complaints about the Ardern Government, including an extraordinary claim ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    2 days ago
  • 2024 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #11
    A listing of 35 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, March 10, 2024 thru Sat, March 16, 2024. Story of the week This week we'll give you a little glimpse into how we collect links to share and ...
    2 days ago
  • 2024 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #11
    A listing of 35 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, March 10, 2024 thru Sat, March 16, 2024. Story of the week This week we'll give you a little glimpse into how we collect links to share and ...
    2 days ago
  • Out of Touch.
    “I’ve been internalising a really complicated situation in my head.”When they kept telling us we should wait until we get to know him, were they taking the piss? Was it a case of, if you think this is bad, wait till you get to know the real Christopher, after the ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    3 days ago
  • Bring out your Dad
    Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago
  • Bring out your Dad
    Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago
  • Bring out your Dad
    Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago
  • The bewildering world of Chris Luxon – Guns for all, not no lunch for kids
    .“$10 and a target that bleeds” - Bleeding Targets for Under $10!.Thanks for reading Frankly Speaking ! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.This government appears hell-bent on either scrapping life-saving legislation or reintroducing things that - frustrated critics insist - will be dangerous and likely ...
    Frankly SpeakingBy Frank Macskasy
    3 days ago
  • Expert Opinion: Ageing Boomers, Laurie & Les, Talk Politics.
    It hardly strikes me as fair to criticise a government for doing exactly what it said it was going to do. For actually keeping its promises.”THUNDER WAS PLAYING TAG with lightning flashes amongst the distant peaks. Its rolling cadences interrupted by the here-I-come-here-I-go Doppler effect of the occasional passing car. ...
    3 days ago
  • Manufacturing The Truth.
    Subversive & Disruptive Technologies: Just as happened with that other great regulator of the masses, the Medieval Church, the advent of a new and hard-to-control technology – the Internet –  is weakening the ties that bind. Then, and now, those who enjoy a monopoly on the dissemination of lies, cannot and will ...
    3 days ago
  • A Powerful Sensation of Déjà Vu.
    Been Here Before: To find the precedents for what this Coalition Government is proposing, it is necessary to return to the “glory days” of Muldoonism.THE COALITION GOVERNMENT has celebrated its first 100 days in office by checking-off the last of its listed commitments. It remains, however, an angry government. It ...
    3 days ago
  • Can you guess where world attention is focussed (according to Greenpeace)? It’s focussed on an EPA...
    Bob Edlin writes –  And what is the world watching today…? The email newsletter from Associated Press which landed in our mailbox early this morning advised: In the news today: The father of a school shooter has been found guilty of involuntary manslaughter; prosecutors in Trump’s hush-money case ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    3 days ago
  • Further integrity problems for the Greens in suspending MP Darleen Tana
    Bryce Edwards writes – Is another Green MP on their way out? And are the Greens severely tarnished by another integrity scandal? For the second time in three months, the Green Party has secretly suspended an MP over integrity issues. Mystery is surrounding the party’s decision to ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    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
    5 days ago
  • The day Wellington up-zoned its future
    Wellington’s massively upzoned District Plan adds the opportunity for tens of thousands of new homes not just in the central city (such as these Webb St new builds) but also close to the CBD and public transport links. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Wellington gave itself the chance of ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • Weekly Roundup 15-March-2024
    It’s Friday and we’re halfway through March Madness. Here’s some of the things that caught our attention this week. This Week in Greater Auckland On Monday Matt asked how we can get better event trains and an option for grade separating Morningside Dr. On Tuesday Matt looked into ...
    Greater AucklandBy Greater Auckland
    5 days ago
  • That Word.
    Something you might not know about me is that I’m quite a stubborn person. No, really. I don’t much care for criticism I think’s unfair or that I disagree with. Few of us do I suppose.Back when I was a drinker I’d sometimes respond defensively, even angrily. There are things ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago
  • The Hoon around the week to March 15
    Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The five things that mattered in Aotearoa’s political economy that we wrote and spoke about via The Kākā and elsewhere for paying subscribers in the last week included:PM Christopher Luxon said the reversal of interest deductibility for landlords was done to help renters, who ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • Labour’s policy gap
    It was not so much the Labour Party but really the Chris Hipkins party yesterday at Labour’s caucus retreat in Martinborough. The former Prime Minister was more or less consistent on wealth tax, which he was at best equivocal about, and social insurance, which he was not willing to revisit. ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    5 days ago
  • Skeptical Science New Research for Week #11 2024
    Open access notables A Glimpse into the Future: The 2023 Ocean Temperature and Sea Ice Extremes in the Context of Longer-Term Climate Change, Kuhlbrodt et al., Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society: In the year 2023, we have seen extraordinary extrema in high sea surface temperature (SST) in the North Atlantic and in ...
    5 days ago
  • Melissa remains mute on media matters but has something to say (at a sporting event) about economic ...
     Buzz from the Beehive   The text reproduced above appears on a page which records all the media statements and speeches posted on the government’s official website by Melissa Lee as Minister of Media and Communications and/or by Jenny Marcroft, her Parliamentary Under-secretary.  It can be quickly analysed ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    5 days ago
  • The return of Muldoon
    For forty years, Robert Muldoon has been a dirty word in our politics. His style of government was so repulsive and authoritarian that the backlash to it helped set and entrench our constitutional norms. His pig-headedness over forcing through Think Big eventually gave us the RMA, with its participation and ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    5 days ago
  • Will the rental tax cut improve life for renters or landlords?
    Bryce Edwards writes –  Is the new government reducing tax on rental properties to benefit landlords or to cut the cost of rents? That’s the big question this week, after Associate Finance Minister David Seymour announced on Sunday that the Government would be reversing the Labour Government’s removal ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • Geoffrey Miller: What Saudi Arabia’s rapid changes mean for New Zealand
    Saudi Arabia is rarely far from the international spotlight. The war in Gaza has brought new scrutiny to Saudi plans to normalise relations with Israel, while the fifth anniversary of the controversial killing of Jamal Khashoggi was marked shortly before the war began on October 7. And as the home ...
    Democracy ProjectBy Geoffrey Miller
    5 days ago
  • Racism’s double standards
    Questions need to be asked on both sides of the world Peter Williams writes –   The NRL Judiciary hands down an eight week suspension to Sydney Roosters forward Spencer Leniu , an Auckland-born Samoan, after he calls Ezra Mam, Sydney-orn but of Aboriginal and Torres Strait ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • It’s not a tax break
    Ele Ludemann writes – Contrary to what many headlines and news stories are saying, residential landlords are not getting a tax break. The government is simply restoring to them the tax deductibility of interest they had until the previous government removed it. There is no logical reason ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • The Plastic Pig Collective and Chris' Imaginary Friends.
    I can't remember when it was goodMoments of happiness in bloomMaybe I just misunderstoodAll of the love we left behindWatching our flashbacks intertwineMemories I will never findIn spite of whatever you becomeForget that reckless thing turned onI think our lives have just begunI think our lives have just begunDoes anyone ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago
  • Who is responsible for young offenders?
    Michael Bassett writes – At first reading, a front-page story in the New Zealand Herald on 13 March was bizarre. A group of severely intellectually limited teenagers, with little understanding of the law, have been pleading to the Justice Select Committee not to pass a bill dealing with ram ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • Gordon Campbell on National’s fantasy trip to La La Landlord Land
    How much political capital is Christopher Luxon willing to burn through in order to deliver his $2.9 billion gift to landlords? Evidently, Luxon is: (a) unable to cost the policy accurately. As Anna Burns-Francis pointed out to him on Breakfast TV, the original ”rock solid” $2.1 billion cost he was ...
    6 days ago
  • Bernard's Top 10 @ 10 'pick 'n' mix' for March 14
    TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: Jonathon Porritt calling bullshit in his own blog post on mainstream climate science as ‘The New Denialism’.Local scoop: The Wellington City Council’s list of proposed changes to the IHP recommendations to be debated later today was leaked this ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    6 days ago
  • No, Prime Minister, rents don’t rise or fall with landlords’ costs
    TL;DR: Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said yesterday tenants should be grateful for the reinstatement of interest deductibility because landlords would pass on their lower tax costs in the form of lower rents. That would be true if landlords were regulated monopolies such as Transpower or Auckland Airport1, but they’re not, ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    6 days ago
  • Cartoons: ‘At least I didn’t make things awkward’
    This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Tom Toro Tom Toro is a cartoonist and author. He has published over 200 cartoons in The New Yorker since 2010. His cartoons appear in Playboy, the Paris Review, the New York Times, American Bystander, and elsewhere. Related: What 10 EV lovers ...
    6 days ago
  • Solving traffic congestion with Richard Prebble
    The business section of the NZ Herald is full of opinion. Among the more opinionated of all is the ex-Minister of Transport, ex-Minister of Railways, ex MP for Auckland Central (1975-93, Labour), Wellington Central (1996-99, ACT, then list-2005), ex-leader of the ACT Party, uncle to actor Antonia, the veritable granddaddy ...
    Greater AucklandBy Patrick Reynolds
    6 days ago
  • I Think I'm Done Flying Boeing
    Hi,Just quickly — I’m blown away by the stories you’ve shared with me over the last week since I put out the ‘Gary’ podcast, where I told you about the time my friend’s flatmate killed the neighbour.And you keep telling me stories — in the comments section, and in my ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    6 days ago
  • Invoking Aristotle: Of Rings of Power, Stones, and Ships
    The first season of Rings of Power was not awful. It was thoroughly underwhelming, yes, and left a lingering sense of disappointment, but it was more expensive mediocrity than catastrophe. I wrote at length about the series as it came out (see the Review section of the blog, and go ...
    6 days ago
  • Van Velden brings free-market approach to changing labour laws – but her colleagues stick to distr...
    Buzz from the Beehive Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Brooke van Velden told Auckland Business Chamber members they were the first audience to hear her priorities as a minister in a government committed to cutting red tape and regulations. She brandished her liberalising credentials, saying Flexible labour markets are the ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago
  • Why Newshub failed
    Chris Trotter writes – TO UNDERSTAND WHY NEWSHUB FAILED, it is necessary to understand how TVNZ changed. Up until 1989, the state broadcaster had been funded by a broadcasting licence fee, collected from every citizen in possession of a television set, supplemented by a relatively modest (compared ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago
  • Māori Party on the warpath against landlords and seabed miners – let’s see if mystical creature...
    Bob Edlin writes  –  The Māori Party has been busy issuing a mix of warnings and threats as its expresses its opposition to interest deductibility for landlords and the plans of seabed miners. It remains to be seen whether they  follow the example of indigenous litigants in Australia, ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago

  • Government moves to quickly ratify the NZ-EU FTA
    "The Government is moving quickly to realise an additional $46 million in tariff savings in the EU market this season for Kiwi exporters,” Minister for Trade and Agriculture, Todd McClay says. Parliament is set, this week, to complete the final legislative processes required to bring the New Zealand – European ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 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
    11 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
    13 hours ago
  • Trade access to overseas markets creates jobs
    Minister of Agriculture and Trade, Todd McClay, says that today’s opening of Riverland Foods manufacturing plant in Christchurch is a great example of how trade access to overseas markets creates jobs in New Zealand.  Speaking at the official opening of this state-of-the-art pet food factory the Minister noted that exports ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    14 hours ago
  • NZ and Chinese Foreign Ministers hold official talks
    Minister of Foreign Affairs Winston Peters met with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Wellington today. “It was a pleasure to host Foreign Minister Wang Yi during his first official visit to New Zealand since 2017. Our discussions were wide-ranging and enabled engagement on many facets of New Zealand’s relationship with China, including trade, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Kāinga Ora instructed to end Sustaining Tenancies
    Kāinga Ora – Homes & Communities has been instructed to end the Sustaining Tenancies Framework and take stronger measures against persistent antisocial behaviour by tenants, says Housing Minister Chris Bishop. “Earlier today Finance Minister Nicola Willis and I sent an interim Letter of Expectations to the Board of Kāinga Ora. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Speech to Auckland Business Chamber: Growth is the answer
    Tēna koutou katoa. Greetings everyone. Thank you to the Auckland Chamber of Commerce and the Honourable Simon Bridges for hosting this address today. I acknowledge the business leaders in this room, the leaders and governors, the employers, the entrepreneurs, the investors, and the wealth creators. The coalition Government shares your ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Singapore rounds out regional trip
    Minister Winston Peters completed the final leg of his visit to South and South East Asia in Singapore today, where he focused on enhancing one of New Zealand’s indispensable strategic partnerships.      “Singapore is our most important defence partner in South East Asia, our fourth-largest trading partner and a ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Minister van Velden represents New Zealand at International Democracy Summit
    Minister of Internal Affairs and Workplace Relations and Safety, Hon. Brooke van Velden, will travel to the Republic of Korea to represent New Zealand at the Third Summit for Democracy on 18 March. The summit, hosted by the Republic of Korea, was first convened by the United States in 2021, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Insurance Council of NZ Speech, 7 March 2024, Auckland
    ICNZ Speech 7 March 2024, Auckland  Acknowledgements and opening  Mōrena, ngā mihi nui. Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Nor Whanganui aho.  Good morning, it’s a privilege to be here to open the ICNZ annual conference, thank you to Mark for the Mihi Whakatau  My thanks to Tim Grafton for inviting me ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    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
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