Open mike 13/09/2021

Written By: - Date published: 6:00 am, September 13th, 2021 - 100 comments
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100 comments on “Open mike 13/09/2021 ”

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  1. Gezza 1
    13 September 2021 at 6:48 am

    The Taliban have announced that women in Afghanistan will be allowed to study at university.

    Speaking at a press conference, higher education minister, Abdul Baqi Haqqani, said women would be allowed to continue their university education, but it would be compulsory to wear a hijab. It was unclear if this meant a headscarf or that women’s faces would have to be covered completely.

    … men and women would have to be taught in separate classrooms. “We will not allow boys and girls to study together,” said Haqqani. “We will not allow co-education.”

    Female students will also only be allowed to be taught by women. Haqqani also said the subjects being taught at universities would be reviewed.
    …
    In a recent interview on the TV channel Tolo News, Taliban spokesman Sayed Zekrullah Hashimi said the role of women was to give birth and raise children, adding that it was “not necessary that women be in the cabinet”.
    …
    Before the fall of Kabul…universities across Afghanistan had been co-educational and women did not have to conform to any dress code. The number of female students in further education had reached record highs, and institutions such as Herat University and Ghalib University in Kabul had boasted more female students than male.
    …
    Heather Barr, co-director of the women’s rights division at Human Rights Watch said the approach of the Taliban was one “where women are, in theory, allowed to continue some of their day-to-day functions, but only under constraints that essentially make them operate in a world that’s almost entirely separate from boys and men”.

    She said: “For many universities, and for many women and girls, it’s not going to be feasible, on a financial level and logistical level, to put these things in place. So the consequence will not be just gender segregation, it will be the exclusion of women and girls. Unfortunately I think that’s probably fine with the Taliban.”

    https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/sep/12/afghan-women-university-female-only-classrooms-taliban-say

    Doesn't sound promising. Either the Taliban leadership are not co-ordinating thinking with each other, or they are connivingly talking out of both sides of their mouths at the same time. Most likely the latter.

  2. Sanctuary 2
    13 September 2021 at 7:37 am

    lol I see Cathy Odgers blog has been taken down; can we assume she has gone to join Jordon, Ani and Cameron in LOTO's office?

  3. dv 3
    13 September 2021 at 8:18 am

    There was a piece in stuff abt 70 woman who had a medical mask exemption. Cant find the link now)

    She was denied access to Countdown.

    What struck me was the lack of help/solutions for her to get her food.

    No one suggested shopping on line and getting food delivered (15$, which is probably bus fare as she travelled on a bus to the store)

    (Yea i know 70, no internet/cards etc)

      • dv 3.1.1
        13 September 2021 at 8:31 am

        Thanks Gezza.

        (Hang my head in shame for an hr)

        • Gezza 3.1.1.1
          13 September 2021 at 8:50 am

          For heaven's sake. Why? Happens to me sometimes. No harm done.

          Point is, you spotted it & you cared. If I see something similar happen I might step in with your suggestion. 👍🏼

            • Gezza 3.1.1.1.1.1
              13 September 2021 at 9:04 am

              And the other thing they could have considered is perhaps invite her to phone her orders in in future. Cash or Eftpos on delivery.

              We need to look after our kaumatua better than this !

              • Sacha …
                13 September 2021 at 9:06 am

                There are also local groups who shop for people – all it takes sometimes is connecting them up.

                • Gezza …
                  13 September 2021 at 9:19 am

                  Yes. I was thinking of phone in if she didn't have internet, but it's just occurred to me there may be an issue paying at the door if it's supposed to be a socially distant, contactless delivery. Possibly not an issue though if she has gloves and/or hand-sanitises before paying.

                  Whatever, either way they should have displayed a little humanity and figured out a solution for a long term, aged customer.

                • Anne …
                  13 September 2021 at 10:49 am

                  Some elderly folk want to go to the supermarket. For many it might be the only time they get to have a legitimate outing during a lock-down. I have joked that my trips to the local sm are the highlight of my week – a demonstration how grim it is under a lengthy lockdown 4.

                  My current gripe is how many people are ignoring the distancing rules inside the supermarket. The main culprits are entitled late 20s to early 40s Mums (got a lot of them in my neck of the woods) who think everybody should get out of their way.

                  I have a cure for that. Position yourself in front of them if you can and pretend to be concentrating on the shelf merchandise – or the waist height fridges – then move backwards straight into their overloaded trolleys. With a bit of luck some of their produce will fall out onto the floor. They soon get out of your way albeit with sullen looks n'all.

                  Best to ensure you are well padded around the rear so as not to injure yourself in the process.

    • Nic the NZer 3.2
      13 September 2021 at 8:58 am

      Looks like a poor decision by the manager.

      Its in no way the same, but I was once followed around a supermarket by security on account of bringing reuseable bags and placing items in them. I made a point of taking them to the checkout and getting the clerk to see the empty bags while repacking (asking because the security supposedly thought I would shop lift).

      Unsurprisingly it never happened again, though I shopped at the same store with the same guard working.

      • JanM 3.2.1
        13 September 2021 at 9:40 am

        Interestingly, whenever I read or hear of poor treatment of customers concerning covid behaviour it is always Countdown. Do you think it could have anything to do with it being an Australian company and therefore not quite on board with the way we do it here?

        • Gezza 3.2.1.1
          13 September 2021 at 10:38 am

          I/m in Tawa, North Welly. I mainly shop at the local New World because it's closest and I find the staff & supervisors generally more chatty & friendly. I get on well with one of the owners, used to phone her to hold made up deli meals for me.

          It's smaller than Countdown, so has a bit more of a village store feel to it. Only downside is they're not always cheaper, and they soon dispense with stock items that don't sell quickly in volume.

          Countdown operation's much larger, so I'll go there for those items. I find it a bit more impersonal & the staff not quite so friendly, but their regulars may have a different take on that.

        • Nic the NZer 3.2.1.2
          13 September 2021 at 12:54 pm

          Mine was not in a NZ supermarket, and I would hardly expect to see it here.

          Just highlighting sometimes another way of dealing with dumb rules is to make it absolutely clear your following them.

    • Anne 3.3
      13 September 2021 at 9:53 am

      Hang on dv. There's plenty of us over 70 who are internet savvy, have cars and cards etc. cool

      • dv 3.3.1
        13 September 2021 at 9:56 am

        Yea I know, but just trying head off some idiot agent commenters

        • Gezza 3.3.1.1
          13 September 2021 at 10:15 am

          “Each Thursday for the last two decades she has caught a bus to shop at Countdown in central Dunedin.”
          …
          I took it that dv was mainly concerned she may not have a car, & possibly has no one to shop for her.

  4. Sacha 4
    13 September 2021 at 8:51 am

    Does this read like a guy impaired after a major stroke?

    https://twitter.com/coughlthom/status/1437151588313755653

    • dv 4.1
      13 September 2021 at 9:01 am

      Yours faithfully

      Yea right

      And how many hours will be needed for such and essential task in the midst of a crisis.

      • Pete 4.1.1
        13 September 2021 at 9:11 am

        We get it all the time from outfits like the Taxpayers' Union about the PM employing a thousand communications staff. They're needed – to attend to the mindless stuff like the Slater request.

      • Tricledrown 4.1.2
        13 September 2021 at 11:40 am

        Probably no time as there maybe no communication other than health related.

        Slater is trying to make himself look like a political mover and shaker again.

    • Tiger Mountain 4.2
      13 September 2021 at 9:10 am

      This steaming pile, assembled in grotesque mockery of the human form, Mr Slater, is back again–seriously?

    • Gezza 4.3
      13 September 2021 at 9:11 am

      No. It looks like a guy temporarily impaired for a probably very short time after a minor stroke from which he has now recovered completely.

      This is sick and ridiculous. Seems no matter how low & despicable he gets, there's always scope for deterioration.

    • Cricklewood 4.4
      13 September 2021 at 9:23 am

      Going by his previous behavior it wont suprise me if his spy has footage of them leaving Judges bay via car.

      He's sitting on it for now hoping to catch the govt out most damage possible…

      • Anne 4.4.1
        13 September 2021 at 10:07 am

        They were on a bicycle ride. You are allowed to go on bicycle rides up to a 5 km radius from your home. That is exactly what Wiles did. It has been demonstrated by Ashley Bloomfield and others that she broke no rules.

        Its my view the PM's office should refuse to supply the information on the grounds of it being prejudicial to national security. Now that would up the stakes enormously and we could enjoy the spectacle of a monumental Slater meltdown from our Lockdown 4 sofas – popcorn optional. devil

        • dv 4.4.1.1
          13 September 2021 at 10:11 am

          National security Yep that's a good idea.

        • alwyn 4.4.1.2
          13 September 2021 at 10:38 am

          "Its my view the PM's office should refuse to supply the information on the grounds of it being prejudicial to national security".

          What would you suggest when an appeal is made to the Ombudsman who then ruled, as he probably would, that there was no matter of National Security involved and ordered that the information should be released?

          That would simply leave the PM up for claims of a cover- up. What on earth is the gain in that? Why make a big story out of nothing?

          • Stuart Munro 4.4.1.2.1
            13 September 2021 at 10:43 am

            Better grounds is vexacious nonsense during a significant national emergency. Transcripts supplied some weeks after lockdown ends.

          • Anne 4.4.1.2.2
            13 September 2021 at 11:20 am

            alwyn, your SoH needs a clean and polish.

            • alwyn 4.4.1.2.2.1
              13 September 2021 at 11:41 am

              Perhaps you are right. You might think I am being too fastidious but I have never found anything humorous at all in the idea that our Government should even consider breaking the law. I consider it to be completely unforgiveable and find people remarking on it being acceptable, even if they claim that they are joking quite appalling.

              To each her own I suppose. If you make it into a position of such power I hope you will change your mind though.

              • woodart …
                13 September 2021 at 4:43 pm

                I think you are being simplistic by thinking of "the government" as a single united entity. its not, and never will be. go and watch the brilliant film"brazil". a single dead fly leads to total anarchy and chaos.

          • Pete 4.4.1.2.3
            13 September 2021 at 11:24 am

            Why make a big story out of nothing? Don't know the answer to that. I'll have to ask Cameron and Judith.

    • Chris 4.5
      13 September 2021 at 1:17 pm

      He's heading towards a cliff, just like last time, the same cliff Judith Collins is hell-bent on throwing herself over.

  5. Cricklewood 5
    13 September 2021 at 9:18 am

    On my daily walk up Mt Eden this morning I was somewhat surprised to see unmasked workman cutting the grass.

    We're in level 4 I just dont see how this can be considered an essential service. The grass isnt overly long its not a fire risk and if its ok does that mean the local mowing contractor can work under level 4?

    • Anne 5.1
      13 September 2021 at 9:58 am

      I think you will find that heavy physical work makes it difficult to wear a mask.

      • Cricklewood 5.1.1
        13 September 2021 at 10:00 am

        Sure, but we're in level 4 in Auckland right?

        • Tricledrown 5.1.1.1
          13 September 2021 at 11:43 am

          So long as they are a safe distance thats not going to pose a risk.keeping grass short stops vermin.

      • KJT 5.1.2
        13 September 2021 at 10:02 am

        It does. But if people loading trucks, trains and ships can wear them………

      • Molly 5.1.3
        13 September 2021 at 10:11 am

        That is true, but businesses and/or management have had a year and a half to work out protocols and manning under different levels. If someone is working in a public place unmasked, there has been a failure somewhere.

        The virus doesn't stop transmission just because the worker prefers to work unmasked for comfort. Either accept reduced productivity or increase manning.

        • Cricklewood 5.1.3.1
          13 September 2021 at 10:16 am

          I dont get why grass cutting is even considered essential under level 4. Makes a mockery of the 'essential' bit especially when say a butcher cant open contractors cant mow grass on private property etc its the lack of consistancy that gets me.

        • Ross 5.1.3.2
          13 September 2021 at 10:36 am

          If someone is working in a public place unmasked, there has been a failure somewhere.

          It’s all about risk. If you can go to the beach sans mask at level 4, then the risk would be similar to working outdoors.

        • alwyn 5.1.3.3
          13 September 2021 at 10:46 am

          " If someone is working in a public place unmasked, there has been a failure somewhere.". Suppose we simply drop the word "working" from this sentence. It really makes no difference to the logic of your complaint and simply leaves you describing Siouxsie Wiles. A beach is a public place after all.

          Now, are you joining the people who are complaining that Dr Wiles should have been taking her own advice and been wearing a mask at the beach?

          If you see some difference between the situations perhaps you can tell me what is is. It certainly won't be a matter of proximity. People who do lawn mowing for a living are extremely careful about keeping very well clear of onlookers.

          • Tricledrown 5.1.3.3.1
            13 September 2021 at 11:59 am

            Alwynger She was wearing a mask and only took it off when no one was anywhere near who wasn't in her bubble.

            • alwyn 5.1.3.3.1.1
              13 September 2021 at 12:35 pm

              Yes, but all I am asking is what is the difference between that and someone mowing lawns? Treat them both equally, since their situation is equal.

              If you think that Siouxsie was behaving acceptably then you should feel the same way about the person doing the mowing. If you regard the mowing gentleman as being at fault you should say the Dr Wiles was as well.

              I am asking Molly whether she is being consistent in her views.

          • Molly 5.1.3.3.2
            13 September 2021 at 1:06 pm

            That's a stretch, Alwyn.

            As you know, I was talking about the responsibility of businesses and employers to ensure their staff, and those they interact with are kept safe, when they are permitted to operate within levels.

            You have instead gone off again on your voyeuristic obsession with two women meeting on a beach within bubble rules.

            Deliberately off topic, and somewhat stalkerish. Unfortunately, I don't think that observation will stop you doing it again. Don't worry, you are still rising to meet my low expectation of your replies.

      • Gezza 5.1.4
        13 September 2021 at 10:25 am

        heavy physical work makes it difficult to wear a mask.

        Dunno about this. I'm sure I've seen workers on building sites in North Welly wearing masks.

        And before Covid hit us I sometimes wore a surgical mask when we had Welly's infernal northerlies blowing pollen off the hills into my face when I was out mowing the lawns with my trusty push-mower for exercise.

        • Cricklewood 5.1.4.1
          13 September 2021 at 10:37 am

          Masks are actually pretty common in a range of trades, for dust especially, handling potting mix is another often very physical work invloved breaking or cutting concrete… no excuse really

          • Gezza 5.1.4.1.1
            13 September 2021 at 10:47 am

            Just on why they're doing it – it's windy & pouring with rain again in Welly. That'll be heading North pretty fast.

            My lawns have been left for well over a month and they now look like prairies – grass is getting nearly a foot long in places.

            Maybe they're just trying to get in before this latest dump of nature's irrigation system arrives? Gonna be a major challenge for a lawnmower here.

            • Cricklewood 5.1.4.1.1.1
              13 September 2021 at 11:14 am

              Nah just Kikuyu on the side of a hill with weed eaters not growing that quick cause its still a touch cold…

              Not causing or close to causing an hazard either…

              • I Feel Love …
                13 September 2021 at 1:41 pm

                Plenty of ppl wearing masks down here in Dunedin, including workers, heavy & light, & ppl just walking outside with no one near them.

            • Stephen D 5.1.4.1.1.2
              13 September 2021 at 2:24 pm

              Prairies, what’s next? Gophers?😀

    • McFlock 5.3
      13 September 2021 at 11:09 am

      Well, how many people want to be within a few metres of someone cutting grass? Largely a solitary activity, in my experience.

      So the mask issue isn't really a go-er. Sure, if you're walking down the street, or might be loitering within a few metres in a park or at the beach, but if you're the only ones in the area masking isn't an issue.

      Going to the depot, loggin in/out, getting equipment – that's where the procedures for contactless transactions and masking needs to be practised.

      As for the cutting itself – yeah, there's probably a fair bit of "essential? really?" in that. But then, if one waits until it actually is a fire hazard, one can't necessarily mow everywhere at once. So keeping all of it trimmed regularly could stop any of the backlog after lockdown becoming a hazard.

      • Poission 5.3.1
        13 September 2021 at 2:50 pm

        Well its not cutting the grass that is so problematic,it is wiping the ass.

        https://twitter.com/DrEricDing/status/1342325491093614592

        • McFlock 5.3.1.1
          13 September 2021 at 4:43 pm

          That's intriguing.

          I didn't even think of the chimnny effect when looking at the top of it – was more thinking that a decent flush would act like a piston, especially for the flats below.

          The other thng that came to mind was that some places have phased out s-bend traps and gone with p-traps. A bit of information that came about when dealing with a particularly obstreperous sink blockage .

    • tc 5.4
      13 September 2021 at 3:29 pm

      Interesting. L4 saw no let up in the top dressing activity which I thought had significant risks.

      Plane take offs/landing's trucks about with fertilizer etc appears essential. Seemed odd.

    • Gabby 5.5
      13 September 2021 at 5:15 pm

      Hopefully you stayed well clear like a responsible citizen.

  6. Joe90 6
    13 September 2021 at 10:01 am

    Jude palin' around with a white nationalist.

  7. McFlock 7
    13 September 2021 at 10:55 am

    lol apparently onenews had some yank on doing the usual chicken little line: NZ's covid policy is unsustainable, yadda yadda, we're not vaxxing quickly enough.

    Actual interview sounds fairly pointless, but a twitter response had a nice chart for all the local doomsayers. "If these trends continue", lol

    https://twitter.com/GodlessLib_CB/status/1437177342779174912/photo/2
    NZ/UK/US 1st dose vax

    • alwyn 7.1
      13 September 2021 at 11:09 am

      Do you have any good reason to explain why you think New Zealand will have a vaccination rate that will continue to accelerate after passing 50% when every other country apparently slows down? Why are we so distinctive, in your opinion.

      Note I say "every other country" without having really checked all of them. Perhaps Luxembourg is different.

      • McFlock 7.1.1
        13 September 2021 at 11:24 am

        Well, uk/usa seemed to have a slowdown at 45%, and we pretty much skipped that.

        But more to the point, my comment was about how doom and gloom merchants at the start of the pandemic were like "ohmagerd we're all screwed", but with other trends they, like you, are more cautious about extrapolating optimism therefrom.

        But hey, I guess we'll see. I do find the relative differences in curves quite interesting, when NZ is measured against the two apparently main countries of origin of tweets concerned about NZ's freedoms, economy, "natural immunity", and other such bullshit.

        • mac1 7.1.1.1
          13 September 2021 at 12:03 pm

          https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/aug/30/even-as-new-zealand-battles-covid-trust-in-government-bucks-global-trend

          Possibly our vaccination rate has not slowed down because of the higher levels of trust and confidence shown in our government's handling of this pandemic.

          The August 2021 Guardian article cited above canvasses this issue in some detail.

          This level of trust has increased whereas countries with lower levels of trust in their government have seen those levels fall further, presumably along with their government's standards of good stewardship and resultant poorer outcomes.

          I suspect what McFlock mentions above as the gloom and doom merchants have a large measure of their disgruntlement as a result of seeing a small, socially cohesive society well governed by an empathetic and left wing government which pays due attention to scientific advice from a credible civil service and trusted public health system.

          I have been in the last decade well served by this health service with several serious issues. I have trust and confidence.

          So does my age cohort as I have been involved with a telephone campaign contacting seniors during lockdown and the responses showed high levels of satisfaction with current practice.

          A confidence rating reaching at its peak in excess of 80% as the Guardian article cites is exceptional globally.

      • AB 7.1.2
        13 September 2021 at 11:49 am

        "Why are we so distinctive, in your opinion?"

        Cultural factors may help us be a relatively high performer – though this is a guess obviously. Things like:

        • The level of shared commitment to elimination in 2020 was unusual. Although "team of 5 million" is a bit cringeworthy, if there wasn't an element of truth to it the phrase wouldn't exist. We also saw that politicians who misread that mood and wanted to elevate some undefined and suspiciously self-interested notion of "the economy" above public health, got badly punished
        • The desire to punch above our weight. Yeah another cliche – but we are tiny and mostly ignored and the desire to be the best at something/anything is strong
        • Some faded remnant of our egalitarian past in which everyone mattered. In real material terms this egalitarianism was trashed from the 1980's. But there are behavioural aspects that I feel linger in the way that people at different levels of the economic and employment hierarchy interact personally.
        • Willingness to listen to and engage with the organisations that represent the interests of the most marginalised – essentially Pacific and Maori people. These are also the people most likely to not get vaccinated for various reasons.
        • Lack of a virulent far-right. We have a very strong (for want of a better phrase) "establishment right" who are determined not to let any socialist principles in the front door. But they are not conspiracist nutters – and in fact they actually want everyone vaccinated so the normal processes of capital accumulation for their benefit can continue undisturbed.

        So here's hoping.

        • Gezza 7.1.2.1
          13 September 2021 at 12:13 pm

          Nice analysis. 👍🏼

        • gsays 7.1.2.3
          13 September 2021 at 1:50 pm

          In regards to the team of 5 million, I thought it was mildly derivative of the 'stadium of 5 (4?) million' that was used here in the 2015 Rugby World Cup.

        • Descendant Of Smith 7.1.2.4
          13 September 2021 at 1:58 pm

          I'd add to that the oral tradition of Maori who well remember their losses from the Spanish influenza epidemic and both the sheer volume of people (60% in some hapu) that were lost – plus all the handed down unwritten knowledge that went with them. Their fast, quick, collective and empathic response this time around laid part of the bed rock for New Zealand's response.

          This was much more a lived response and a collective interest one. Sure their are shades of similar experience in many of our European communities as well – miners, unionism, etc but you can't beat the personal.

          Maori ways of thinking are embedded in our culture – often without us realising it. As Lorde noted with her latest release in Te Reo.

          "Lorde acknowledged in a statement that while she is not Māori, one of her main realizations while making the album is that much of her value system around "caring for and listening to the natural world" comes from traditional Māori principles."

      • Tricledrown 7.1.3
        13 September 2021 at 11:51 am

        Our history of high uptakes of vaccines and the fact we have kept Covid out longer than most countries people know that to have those freedoms we need high rates of vaccination and we are seeing people aren't afraid of vaccines in this country.

    • DukeEll 7.2
      13 September 2021 at 12:26 pm

      So by the mid october we will be at 60% fully vaccinated and 90% with a single jab. Amazing

  8. Tricledrown 8
    13 September 2021 at 11:55 am

    Auckland is doing it tough at the moment with the low rate of testing the govt should hand out food vouchers and food parcels when they roll up to be tested and vaccinated.

    Grant Robertson get the cheque book out. Also Auckland should be given a $ billion for council and another top up for businesses as well as those who have lost their jobs.

  9. Stuart Munro 9
    13 September 2021 at 1:06 pm

    Hope for National – instead of trying to make a new leader out of the odd assemblage of troughers and sow's ears the party has left, they can have a new, smart, attractive leader, and they won't even have to pay her.

    Open the caucus room doors Sophia.

    I'm afraid I can't do that Simon.

    • dv 9.1
      13 September 2021 at 1:08 pm

      Like that Stuart NICE

      • Gezza 9.1.1
        13 September 2021 at 5:46 pm

        I find that robot kinda creepy.

        Aspects of her remind me of Data, of Star Trek Next Generation.

        Actually, aspects of Mark Zuckerberg do the same.

        Dunno where AI learning evolution is going to eventually take us, but one hopes intelligent robots never get to a point where we rely on them to protect our environment & they figure out that at our worst we can be like a plague. 😮

    • Gezza 10.1
      13 September 2021 at 6:51 pm

      A good read. Welly gets a mention or two. Wellington's got excellent commuter rail services from outer suburbs to the CBD (I took the train to & from work for about 30 years).

      Don't know if the inner-suburban bus services are all that crash-hot these days. They were frequent & reliable when I first moved to Te Whanganui-a-Tara from Taranaki in 1974 & flatted initially in Mt Victoria & then Brooklyn, before moving to the Northern Suburbs (Tawa).

      A couple of decades back there were quite a lot of conversions of vacant office blocks into private apartments in places like The Terrace. I expect there are new apartment blocks still going up in the city & the views from most will be good.

      Only problem at the moment is there are a few places I wouldn't even go in daylight in the City Centre because of well-reported issues with abuse of the public & general public misbehaviour of some of the residents recently given inner city emergency housing in the city.

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    Rob MacCulloch writes – Throughout the pandemic, the new Vice-Chancellor-of-Otago-University-on-$629,000 per annum-Can-you-believe-it-and-Former-Finance-Minister Grant Robertson repeated the mantra over and over that he saved “lives and livelihoods”. As we update how this claim is faring over the course of time, the facts are increasingly speaking differently. NZ ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    21 hours ago

  • Winding back the hands of history’s clock
    Chris Trotter writes – IT’S A COMMONPLACE of political speeches, especially those delivered in acknowledgement of electoral victory: “We’ll govern for all New Zealanders.” On the face of it, the pledge is a strange one. Why would any political leader govern in ways that advantaged the huge ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    21 hours ago

  • Paula Bennett’s political appointment will challenge public confidence
     Bryce Edwards writes – The list of former National Party Ministers being given plum and important roles got longer this week with the appointment of former Deputy Prime Minister Paula Bennett as the chair of Pharmac. The Christopher Luxon-led Government has now made key appointments to Bill ...
    Point of OrderBy xtrdnry
    21 hours ago

  • Business confidence sliding into winter of discontent
    TL;DR: These are the six things that stood out to me in news and commentary on Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy at 10:06am on Wednesday, May 1:The Lead: Business confidence fell across the board in April, falling in some areas to levels last seen during the lockdowns because of a collapse in ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    23 hours ago

  • Gordon Campbell on the coalition’s awful, not good, very bad poll results
    Over the past 36 hours, Christopher Luxon has been dong his best to portray the centre-right’s plummeting poll numbers as a mark of virtue. Allegedly, the negative verdicts are the result of hard economic times, and of a government bravely set out on a perilous rescue mission from which not ...
    Gordon CampbellBy lyndon
    1 day ago

  • New HOP readers for future payment options
    Auckland Transport have started rolling out new HOP card readers around the network and over the next three months, all of them on buses, at train stations and ferry wharves will be replaced. The change itself is not that remarkable, with the new readers looking similar to what is already ...
    Greater AucklandBy Matt L
    1 day ago

  • 2024 Reading Summary: April (+ Writing Update)
    Completed reads for April: The Difference Engine, by William Gibson and Bruce Sterling Carnival of Saints, by George Herman The Snow Spider, by Jenny Nimmo Emlyn’s Moon, by Jenny Nimmo The Chestnut Soldier, by Jenny Nimmo Death Comes As the End, by Agatha Christie Lord of the Flies, by ...
    A Phuulish FellowBy strda221
    2 days ago

  • At a glance – Clearing up misconceptions regarding 'hide the decline'
    On February 14, 2023 we announced our Rebuttal Update Project. This included an ask for feedback about the added "At a glance" section in the updated basic rebuttal versions. This weekly blog post series highlights this new section of one of the updated basic rebuttal versions and serves as a ...
    Skeptical Science
    2 days ago

  • Road photos
    Have a story to share about St Paul’s, but today just picturesPopular novels written at this desk by a young man who managed to bootstrap himself out of father’s imprisonment and his own young life in a workhouse Read more ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    2 days ago

  • Bryce Edwards: Paula Bennett’s political appointment will challenge public confidence
    The list of former National Party Ministers being given plum and important roles got longer this week with the appointment of former Deputy Prime Minister Paula Bennett as the chair of Pharmac. The Christopher Luxon-led Government has now made key appointments to Bill English, Simon Bridges, Steven Joyce, Roger Sowry, ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    2 days ago

  • NZDF is still hostile to oversight
    Newsroom has a story today about National's (fortunately failed) effort to disestablish the newly-created Inspector-General of Defence. The creation of this agency was the key recommendation of the Inquiry into Operation Burnham, and a vital means of restoring credibility and social licence to an agency which had been caught lying ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    2 days ago

  • Winding Back The Hands Of History’s Clock.
    Holding On To The Present: The moment a political movement arises that attacks the whole idea of social progress, and announces its intention to wind back the hands of History’s clock, then democracy, along with its unwritten rules, is in mortal danger.IT’S A COMMONPLACE of political speeches, especially those delivered in ...
    Bowalley Road
    2 days ago

  • Sweet Moderation? What Christopher Luxon Could Learn From The Germans.
    Stuck In The Middle With You: As Christopher Luxon feels the hot breath of Act’s and NZ First’s extremists on the back of his neck and, as he reckons with the damage their policies are already inflicting upon a country he’s described as “fragile”, is there not some merit in reaching out ...
    Bowalley Road
    2 days ago

  • A clear warning
    The unpopular coalition government is currently rushing to repeal section 7AA of the Oranga Tamariki Act. The clause is Oranga Tamariki's Treaty clause, and was inserted after its systematic stealing of Māori children became a public scandal and resulted in physical resistance to further abductions. The clause created clear obligations ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    2 days ago

  • Poll results and Waitangi Tribunal report go unmentioned on the Beehive website – where racing tru...
    Buzz  from the Beehive The government’s official website – which Point of Order monitors daily – not for the first time has nothing much to say today about political happenings that are grabbing media headlines. It makes no mention of the latest 1News-Verian poll, for example.  This shows National down ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    2 days ago

  • Listening To The Traffic.
    It Takes A Train To Cry: Surely, there is nothing lonelier in all this world than the long wail of a distant steam locomotive on a cold Winter’s night.AS A CHILD, I would lie awake in my grandfather’s house and listen to the traffic. The big wooden house was only a ...
    Bowalley Road
    2 days ago

  • Comity Be Damned! The State’s Legislative Arm Is Flexing Its Constitutional Muscles.
    Packing A Punch: The election of the present government, including in its ranks politicians dedicated to reasserting the rights of the legislature in shaping and determining the future of Māori and Pakeha in New Zealand, should have alerted the judiciary – including its anomalous appendage, the Waitangi Tribunal – that its ...
    Bowalley Road
    2 days ago

  • Ending The Quest.
    Dead Woman Walking: New Zealand’s media industry had been moving steadily towards disaster for all the years Melissa Lee had been National’s media and communications policy spokesperson, and yet, when the crisis finally broke, on her watch, she had nothing intelligent to offer. Christopher Luxon is a patient man - but he’s not ...
    Bowalley Road
    2 days ago

  • Will political polarisation intensify to the point where ‘normal’ government becomes impossible,...
    Chris Trotter writes –  New Zealand politics is remarkably easy-going: dangerously so, one might even say. With the notable exception of John Key’s flat ruling-out of the NZ First Party in 2008, all parties capable of clearing MMP’s five-percent threshold, or winning one or more electorate seats, tend ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    2 days ago

  • Bernard’s pick 'n' mix for Tuesday, April 30
    TL;DR: Here’s my top 10 ‘pick ‘n’ mix of links to news, analysis and opinion articles as of 10:30am on Tuesday, May 30:Scoop: NZ 'close to the tipping point' of measles epidemic, health experts warn NZ Herald Benjamin PlummerHealth: 'Absurd and totally unacceptable': Man has to wait a year for ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago

  • Why Tory Whanau has the lowest approval rating in the country
    Bryce Edwards writes – Polling shows that Wellington Mayor Tory Whanau has the lowest approval rating of any mayor in the country. Siting at -12 per cent, the proportion of constituents who disapprove of her performance outweighs those who give her the thumbs up. This negative rating is ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    2 days ago

  • Worst poll result for a new Government in MMP history
    Luxon will no doubt put a brave face on it, but there is no escaping the pressure this latest poll will put on him and the government. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: These are the six things that stood out to me in news and commentary on Aotearoa-NZ’s political ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago

  • Pinning down climate change's role in extreme weather
    This is a re-post from The Climate Brink by Andrew Dessler In the wake of any unusual weather event, someone inevitably asks, “Did climate change cause this?” In the most literal sense, that answer is almost always no. Climate change is never the sole cause of hurricanes, heat waves, droughts, or ...
    Skeptical Science
    2 days ago

  • Serving at Seymour's pleasure.
    Something odd happened yesterday, and I’d love to know if there’s more to it. If there was something which preempted what happened, or if it was simply a throwaway line in response to a journalist.Yesterday David Seymour was asked at a press conference what the process would be if the ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    2 days ago

  • Webworm LA Pop-Up
    Hi,From time to time, I want to bring Webworm into the real world. We did it last year with the Jurassic Park event in New Zealand — which was a lot of fun!And so on Saturday May 11th, in Los Angeles, I am hosting a lil’ Webworm pop-up! I’ve been ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    2 days ago

  • “Feel good” school is out
    Education Minister Erica Standford yesterday unveiled a fundamental reform of the way our school pupils are taught. She would not exactly say so, but she is all but dismantling the so-called “inquiry” “feel good” method of teaching, which has ruled in our classrooms since a major review of the New ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    2 days ago

  • 6 Months in, surely our Report Card is “Ignored all warnings: recommend dismissal ASAP”?
    Exactly where are we seriously going with this government and its policies? That is, apart from following what may as well be a Truss-Lite approach on the purported economic “plan“, and Victorian-era regression when it comes to social policy. Oh it’ll work this time of course, we’re basically assured, “the ...
    exhALANtBy exhalantblog
    2 days ago

  • Bread, and how it gets buttered
    Hey Uncle Dave, When the Poms joined the EEC, I wasn't one of those defeatists who said, Well, that’s it for the dairy job. And I was right, eh? The Chinese can’t get enough of our milk powder and eventually, the Poms came to their senses and backed up the ute ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago

  • Bryce Edwards: Why Tory Whanau has the lowest approval rating in the country
    Polling shows that Wellington Mayor Tory Whanau has the lowest approval rating of any mayor in the country. Siting at -12 per cent, the proportion of constituents who disapprove of her performance outweighs those who give her the thumbs up. This negative rating is higher than for any other mayor ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    3 days ago

  • Justice for Gaza?
    The New York Times reports that the International Criminal Court is about to issue arrest warrants for Israeli officials, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, over their genocide in Gaza: Israeli officials increasingly believe that the International Criminal Court is preparing to issue arrest warrants for senior government officials on ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    3 days ago

  • If there has been any fiddling with Pharmac’s funding, we can count on Paula to figure out the fis...
    Buzz from the Beehive Pharmac has been given a financial transfusion and a new chair to oversee its spending in the pharmaceutical business. Associate Health Minister David Seymour described the funding for Pharmac as “its largest ever budget of $6.294 billion over four years, fixing a $1.774 billion fiscal cliff”. ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    3 days ago

  • FastTrackWatch – The case for the Government’s Fast Track Bill
    Bryce Edwards writes – Many criticisms are being made of the Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill, including by this writer. But as with everything in politics, every story has two sides, and both deserve attention. It’s important to understand what the Government is trying to achieve and its ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    3 days ago

  • Bernard’s pick 'n' mix for Monday, April 29
    TL;DR: Here’s my top 10 ‘pick ‘n’ mix of links to news, analysis and opinion articles as of 10:10am on Monday, April 29:Scoop: The children's ward at Rotorua Hospital will be missing a third of its beds as winter hits because Te Whatu Ora halted an upgrade partway through to ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago

  • Gordon Campbell on Iran killing its rappers, and searching for the invisible Dr. Reti
    span class=”dropcap”>As hideous as David Seymour can be, it is worth keeping in mind occasionally that there are even worse political figures (and regimes) out there. Iran for instance, is about to execute the country’s leading hip hop musician Toomaj Salehi, for writing and performing raps that “corrupt” the nation’s ...
    Gordon CampbellBy lyndon
    3 days ago

  • Auckland Rail Electrification 10 years old
    Yesterday marked 10 years since the first electric train carried passengers in Auckland so it’s a good time to look back at it and the impact it has had. A brief history The first proposals for rail electrification in Auckland came in the 1920’s alongside the plans for earlier ...
    Greater AucklandBy Matt L
    3 days ago

  • Coalition's dirge of austerity and uncertainty is driving the economy into a deeper recession
    Right now, in Aotearoa-NZ, our ‘animal spirits’ are darkening towards a winter of discontent, thanks at least partly to a chorus of negative comments and actions from the Government Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: These are the six things that stood out to me in news and commentary on ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago

  • Disability Funding or Tax Cuts.
    You make people evil to punish the paststuck inside a sequel with a rotating castThe following photos haven’t been generated with AI, or modified in any way. They are flesh and blood, human beings. On the left is Galatea Young, a young mum, and her daughter Fiadh who has Angelman ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    3 days ago

  • Of the Goodness of Tolkien’s Eru
    April has been a quiet month at A Phuulish Fellow. I have had an exceptionally good reading month, and a decently productive writing month – for original fiction, anyway – but not much has caught my eye that suggested a blog article. It has been vaguely frustrating, to be honest. ...
    A Phuulish FellowBy strda221
    3 days ago

  • 2024 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #17
    A listing of 31 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, April 21, 2024 thru Sat, April 27, 2024. Story of the week Anthropogenic climate change may be the ultimate shaggy dog story— but with a twist, because here ...
    Skeptical Science
    4 days ago

  • Pastor Who Abused People, Blames People
    Hi,I spent about a year on Webworm reporting on an abusive megachurch called Arise, and it made me want to stab my eyes out with a fork.I don’t regret that reporting in 2022 and 2023 — I am proud of it — but it made me angry.Over three main stories ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    4 days ago

  • Vic Uni shows how under threat free speech is
    The new Victoria University Vice-Chancellor decided to have a forum at the university about free speech and academic freedom as it is obviously a topical issue, and the Government is looking at legislating some carrots or sticks for universities to uphold their obligations under the Education and Training Act. They ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago

  • Winston remembers Gettysburg.
    Do you remember when Melania Trump got caught out using a speech that sounded awfully like one Michelle Obama had given? Uncannily so.Well it turns out that Abraham Lincoln is to Winston Peters as Michelle was to Melania. With the ANZAC speech Uncle Winston gave at Gallipoli having much in ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    4 days ago

  • 25
    She was born 25 years ago today in North Shore hospital. Her eyes were closed tightly shut, her mouth was silently moving. The whole theatre was all quiet intensity as they marked her a 2 on the APGAR test. A one-minute eternity later, she was an 8.  The universe was ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    4 days ago

  • Fact Brief – Is Antarctica gaining land ice?
    Skeptical Science is partnering with Gigafact to produce fact briefs — bite-sized fact checks of trending claims. This fact brief was written by Sue Bin Park in collaboration with members from our Skeptical Science team. You can submit claims you think need checking via the tipline. Is Antarctica gaining land ice? ...
    Skeptical Science
    5 days ago

  • Policing protests.
    Images of US students (and others) protesting and setting up tent cities on US university campuses have been broadcast world wide and clearly demonstrate the growing rifts in US society caused by US policy toward Israel and Israel’s prosecution of … Continue reading → ...
    KiwipoliticoBy Pablo
    5 days ago

  • Open letter to Hon Paul Goldsmith
    Barrie Saunders writes – Dear Paul As the new Minister of Media and Communications, you will be inundated with heaps of free advice and special pleading, all in the national interest of course. For what it’s worth here is my assessment: Traditional broadcasting free to air content through ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago

  • Bryce Edwards: FastTrackWatch – The Case for the Government’s Fast Track Bill
    Many criticisms are being made of the Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill, including by this writer. But as with everything in politics, every story has two sides, and both deserve attention. It’s important to understand what the Government is trying to achieve and its arguments for such a bold reform. ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    5 days ago

  • Luxon gets out his butcher’s knife – briefly
    Peter Dunne writes –  The great nineteenth British Prime Minister, William Gladstone, once observed that “the first essential for a Prime Minister is to be a good butcher.” When a later British Prime Minister, Harold Macmillan, sacked a third of his Cabinet in July 1962, in what became ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago

  • More tax for less
    Ele Ludemann writes – New Zealanders had the OECD’s second highest tax increase last year: New Zealanders faced the second-biggest tax raises in the developed world last year, the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) says. The intergovernmental agency said the average change in personal income tax ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago

  • Real News vs Fake News.
    We all know something’s not right with our elections. The spread of misinformation, people being targeted with soundbites and emotional triggers that ignore the facts, even the truth, and influence their votes.The use of technology to produce deep fakes. How can you tell if something is real or not? Can ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago

  • Another way to roll
    Hello! Here comes the Saturday edition of More Than A Feilding, catching you up on the past week’s editions.Share ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    5 days ago

  • Simon Clark: The climate lies you'll hear this year
    This video includes conclusions of the creator climate scientist Dr. Simon Clark. It is presented to our readers as an informed perspective. Please see video description for references (if any). This year you will be lied to! Simon Clark helps prebunk some misleading statements you'll hear about climate. The video includes ...
    Skeptical Science
    5 days ago

  • Cutting the Public Service
    It is all very well cutting the backrooms of public agencies but it may compromise the frontlines. One of the frustrations of the Productivity Commission’s 2017 review of universities is that while it observed that their non-academic staff were increasing faster than their academic staff, it did not bother to ...
    PunditBy Brian Easton
    6 days ago

  • Luxon’s demoted ministers might take comfort from the British politician who bounced back after th...
    Buzz from the Beehive Two speeches delivered by Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters at Anzac Day ceremonies in Turkey are the only new posts on the government’s official website since the PM announced his Cabinet shake-up. In one of the speeches, Peters stated the obvious:  we live in a troubled ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago

  • This is how I roll over
    1. Which of these would you not expect to read in The Waikato Invader?a. Luxon is here to do business, don’t you worry about thatb. Mr KPI expects results, and you better believe itc. This decisive man of action is getting me all hot and excitedd. Melissa Lee is how ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    6 days ago

  • The Waitangi Tribunal is not “a roving Commission”…
    …it has a restricted jurisdiction which must not be abused: it is not an inquisition   NOTE – this article was published before the High Court ruled that Karen Chhour does not have to appear before the Waitangi Tribunal Gary Judd writes –  The High Court ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago

  • Is Oranga Tamariki guilty of neglect?
    Lindsay Mitchell writes – One of reasons Oranga Tamariki exists is to prevent child neglect. But could the organisation itself be guilty of the same? Oranga Tamariki’s statistics show a decrease in the number and age of children in care. “There are less children ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago

  • Three Strikes saw lower reoffending
    David Farrar writes: Graeme Edgeler wrote in 2017: In the first five years after three strikes came into effect 5248 offenders received a ‘first strike’ (that is, a “stage-1 conviction” under the three strikes sentencing regime), and 68 offenders received a ‘second strike’. In the five years prior to ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago

  • Luxon’s ruthless show of strength is perfect for our angry era
    Bryce Edwards writes – Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has surprised everyone with his ruthlessness in sacking two of his ministers from their crucial portfolios. Removing ministers for poor performance after only five months in the job just doesn’t normally happen in politics. That’s refreshing and will be extremely ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago

  • 'Lacks attention to detail and is creating double-standards.'
    TL;DR: These are the six things that stood out to me in news and commentary on Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the two days to 6:06am on Thursday, April 25:Politics: PM Christopher Luxon has set up a dual standard for ministerial competence by demoting two National Cabinet ministers while leaving also-struggling ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    6 days ago

  • One Night Only!
    Hi,Today I mainly want to share some of your thoughts about the recent piece I wrote about success and failure, and the forces that seemingly guide our lives. But first, a quick bit of housekeeping: I am doing a Webworm popup in Los Angeles on Saturday May 11 at 2pm. ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    6 days ago

  • What did Melissa Lee do?
    It is hard to see what Melissa Lee might have done to “save” the media. National went into the election with no public media policy and appears not to have developed one subsequently. Lee claimed that she had prepared a policy paper before the election but it had been decided ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    6 days ago

  • Skeptical Science New Research for Week #17 2024
    Open access notables Ice acceleration and rotation in the Greenland Ice Sheet interior in recent decades, Løkkegaard et al., Communications Earth & Environment: In the past two decades, mass loss from the Greenland ice sheet has accelerated, partly due to the speedup of glaciers. However, uncertainty in speed derived from satellite products ...
    Skeptical Science
    7 days ago

  • Maori Party (with “disgust”) draws attention to Chhour’s race after the High Court rules on Wa...
    Buzz from the Beehive A statement from Children’s Minister Karen Chhour – yet to be posted on the Government’s official website – arrived in Point of Order’s email in-tray last night. It welcomes the High Court ruling on whether the Waitangi Tribunal can demand she appear before it. It does ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    7 days ago

  • Who’s Going Up The Media Mountain?
    Mr Bombastic: Ironically, the media the academic experts wanted is, in many ways, the media they got. In place of the tyrannical editors of yesteryear, advancing without fear or favour the interests of the ruling class; the New Zealand news media of today boasts a troop of enlightened journalists dedicated to ...
    Bowalley Road
    7 days ago

  • “That's how I roll”
    It's hard times try to make a livingYou wake up every morning in the unforgivingOut there somewhere in the cityThere's people living lives without mercy or pityI feel good, yeah I'm feeling fineI feel better then I have for the longest timeI think these pills have been good for meI ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    1 week ago

  • “Comity” versus the rule of law
    In 1974, the US Supreme Court issued its decision in United States v. Nixon, finding that the President was not a King, but was subject to the law and was required to turn over the evidence of his wrongdoing to the courts. It was a landmark decision for the rule ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    1 week ago

  • Aotearoa: a live lab for failed Right-wing socio-economic zombie experiments once more…
    Every day now just seems to bring in more fresh meat for the grinder. In their relentlessly ideological drive to cut back on the “excessive bloat” (as they see it) of the previous Labour-led government, on the mountains of evidence accumulated in such a short period of time do not ...
    exhALANtBy exhalantblog
    1 week ago

  • Minister acknowledges passing of Sir Robert Martin (KNZM)
    New Zealand lost a true legend when internationally renowned disability advocate Sir Robert Martin (KNZM) passed away at his home in Whanganui last night, Disabilities Issues Minister Louise Upston says. “Our Government’s thoughts are with his wife Lynda, family and community, those he has worked with, the disability community in ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    15 hours ago

  • Speech to New Zealand Institute of International Affairs, Parliament – Annual Lecture: Challenges ...
    Good evening –   Before discussing the challenges and opportunities facing New Zealand’s foreign policy, we’d like to first acknowledge the New Zealand Institute of International Affairs. You have contributed to debates about New Zealand foreign policy over a long period of time, and we thank you for hosting us.  ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    16 hours ago

  • Accelerating airport security lines
    From today, passengers travelling internationally from Auckland Airport will be able to keep laptops and liquids in their carry-on bags for security screening thanks to new technology, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Creating a more efficient and seamless travel experience is important for holidaymakers and businesses, enabling faster movement through ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    18 hours ago

  • Community hui to talk about kina barrens
    People with an interest in the health of Northland’s marine ecosystems are invited to a public meeting to discuss how to deal with kina barrens, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones will lead the discussion, which will take place on Friday, 10 May, at Awanui Hotel in ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    23 hours ago

  • Kiwi exporters win as NZ-EU FTA enters into force
    Kiwi exporters are $100 million better off today with the NZ EU FTA entering into force says Trade Minister Todd McClay. “This is all part of our plan to grow the economy. New Zealand's prosperity depends on international trade, making up 60 per cent of the country’s total economic activity. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    24 hours ago

  • Mining resurgence a welcome sign
    There are heartening signs that the extractive sector is once again becoming an attractive prospect for investors and a source of economic prosperity for New Zealand, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. “The beginnings of a resurgence in extractive industries are apparent in media reports of the sector in the past ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago

  • Ō-Rākau Remembrance Bill passes first reading
    The return of the historic Ō-Rākau battle site to the descendants of those who fought there moved one step closer today with the first reading of Te Pire mō Ō-Rākau, Te Pae o Maumahara / The Ō-Rākau Remembrance Bill. The Bill will entrust the 9.7-hectare battle site, five kilometres west ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • Government to boost public EV charging network
    Energy Minister Simeon Brown has announced 25 new high-speed EV charging hubs along key routes between major urban centres and outlined the Government’s plan to supercharge New Zealand’s EV infrastructure.  The hubs will each have several chargers and be capable of charging at least four – and up to 10 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • Residential Property Managers Bill to not progress
    The coalition Government will not proceed with the previous Government’s plans to regulate residential property managers, Housing Minister Chris Bishop says. “I have written to the Chairperson of the Social Services and Community Committee to inform him that the Government does not intend to support the Residential Property Managers Bill ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • Independent review into disability support services
    The Government has announced an independent review into the disability support system funded by the Ministry of Disabled People – Whaikaha. Disability Issues Minister Louise Upston says the review will look at what can be done to strengthen the long-term sustainability of Disability Support Services to provide disabled people and ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • Justice Minister updates UN on law & order plan
    Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith has attended the Universal Periodic Review in Geneva and outlined the Government’s plan to restore law and order. “Speaking to the United Nations Human Rights Council provided us with an opportunity to present New Zealand’s human rights progress, priorities, and challenges, while responding to issues and ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • Ending emergency housing motels in Rotorua
    The Government and Rotorua Lakes Council are committed to working closely together to end the use of contracted emergency housing motels in Rotorua. Associate Minister of Housing (Social Housing) Tama Potaka says the Government remains committed to ending the long-term use of contracted emergency housing motels in Rotorua by the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • Trade Minister travels to Riyadh, OECD, and Dubai
    Trade Minister Todd McClay heads overseas today for high-level trade talks in the Gulf region, and a key OECD meeting in Paris. Mr McClay will travel to Riyadh to meet with counterparts from Saudi Arabia and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). “New Zealand’s goods and services exports to the Gulf region ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago

  • Education priorities focused on lifting achievement
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