Open Mike 13/10/2017

Written By: - Date published: 6:00 am, October 13th, 2017 - 83 comments
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83 comments on “Open Mike 13/10/2017 ”

  1. Robert Guyton 1

    Rain has begun falling in Riverton, easing what was becoming a very dry spring. My newly potted-up almond trees will be loving it! The rain hasn’t lessened the volume or intensity of the dawn chorus though – those birds are giving full-throat to greeting the day. I’m grafting apple trees today, and writing a column about tadpoles. Did you know…lettuce, boiled for 20 minutes then cooled, is good food for tadpoles, or at least that’s what’s recommended on tadpole-raising sites. They certainly do get stuck into it but last night, as I drifted toward sleep, it occurred to me that duckweed, similarly heat-treated, would excite them as much, so today, I’m giving that a try. I know this isn’t politics, but like most TS readers, I do stuff other than tap the keys and belly-ache over election results and someone might find it interesting 🙂

    • Sans Cle 1.1

      You are going from politics to religion with this “lettuce-spray” 😉

      • Robert Guyton 1.1.1

        Ha!
        I kept away from leeks, too, as those are common in politics. And potatoes, given the several mentions of Jim Bolger on TS lately.

    • Carolyn_nth 1.2

      Well, I guess Auckland has had your share of spring rain. Good that you are getting some today.

      It becomes political whent there’s excessive droughts and fires.

      Not so great in California right now.

    • ScottGN 1.3

      It’s been very dry in Queenstown too Robert, though perhaps it’s more typical for us than it is for you in Riverton. Yesterday morning, up early, I went out to put the sprinkler on the pots on the patio. As the sun came up over the Remarks the temperature dropped from about 4c to just below 0c and I stood in the kitchen watching the water droplets turn to ice as they fell.

      • Robert Guyton 1.3.1

        Scott of the Antarctic! Yeah, the Gibbston Valley was dryasabone when we were there last weekend and chilly first thing but once the sun gets up into the sky, it can bake ya! I was once walking the Nevis in mid summer and got snowed in. Bit sad how the Remarkables got carved by roads and drowned out by the sound of incoming jets, imo. I did enjoy seeing the big hot air balloon drifting across the face though; that’s a technology I support, though I wouldn’t go up in one 🙂

        • mac1 1.3.1.1

          Hot air balloons are magic. I flew in one in Turkey above the unforgettable landscape of Cappadocia. After an hour aloft, the pilot brought us back to within 50 metres of our lift-off point. The only mildly challenging point was when we sailed across the top of a spire which are rather ‘pointy’ when viewed from directly above.

          • ianmac 1.3.1.1.1

            Our balloon trip in Cappadocia was above a man and his donkey trotting off to his market garden. A funny angle to view a donkey.
            Our pilot hugged the ground and slightly misjudged the proximity, and the graunch of the basket scraping a prominent rock added to our fun.
            I wished that he would fly like a skylark but he wouldn’t.

            • Robert Guyton 1.3.1.1.1.1

              Is it true that the skylark is the only bird that sings whilst flying?
              Herons croak in flight, but don’t sing. Blackbirds pipe on the wing, but…

              • ianmac

                Blackbirds screech warnings as they take off. I guess most songbirds sing from a tree or pole. Must watch out.

              • mac1

                “The lark in the morning she rises off her nest
                She goes home in the evening with the dew all on her breast
                And like the jolly ploughboy she whistles and she sings
                She goes home in the evening with the dew all on her wings”.

                I viewed a painting by Colin McCahon in May in Wellington titled “The Lark’s Song”. In my head, the words of “The Lark in the Morning” provided perfect rhythmic accompaniment to his brushwork.

              • Karen

                Rosellas always chatter away while flying – not strictly speaking song I guess. I live on a hill and I hear them coming up the valley well before they get here. I have never seen one on its own – they are usually in a group of six or so – and the only time they are quiet seems to be when they are eating.

                • Robert Guyton

                  Do they have an Aussie accent?

                  • Karen

                    They definitely have Aussie characteristics – loud, brash, colourful and confident.

                    I once saw them attack some Mynas in a rather spectacular fashion. There was a small group of Mynas that would regularly gather in a tree close to my house and then one day a bunch of Rosellas flew up the valley with murderous intent (or so it seemed to me, watching from my kitchen window). There was a huge kerfuffle with lot of shrieking and an astonishing flurry of colourful feathers before the Mynas took off. The amount of gleeful chattering from the Rosellas suggested they had enjoyed the battle immensely. The Mynas have never returned to that tree.

    • cleangreen 1.4

      Hi Robert,

      I spent yesterday repairing fencing on my farm and it was exhausting but I needed to relax after the “mediafast” on the election.

      Now we need to let the process evolve as we do know that NZF has at the centre of ther pocicy the saving of our country from the “National Party policy of wholesale selling of NZ”

      I believe in NZF vision.

      • Robert Guyton 1.4.1

        Good fences, they say, make good neighbours. I guess that’s what negotiations are all about – bridges, sure, but fences, certainly. I’m very hopeful, cleangreen, but like others here who felt the pain of disappointment at the last 3 elections, I am keeping my composure in case I need to be staunch. A good result though, will have me waxing lyrical.

        • Tony Veitch (not etc) 1.4.1.1

          Robert Frost questions that saying, Robert.

          https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/44266/mending-wall

          • Robert Guyton 1.4.1.1.1

            Thanks, Tony, that’s marvelous from Frost (frost too, can bring down walls, stone walls at least). I’m with Mr Frost regarding the saying, though it’s popular enough down here in rural Southland. I believe fences to be the result of wrong-thinking and would have them gone. I’m orchard, you see.

            • weka 1.4.1.1.1.1

              hedgerows?

              • Robert Guyton

                Yes, pervious to people and diverse of makeup. Hedgerows are magic. A hedgerowed New Zealand would be a world Heritage Park right there! And we could feed ourselves from them, just for starters!

                • weka

                  Strange that the Brits didn’t bring that tradition with them.

                  • Tony Veitch (not etc)

                    I think they did – but in the form of gorse!

                    No natural enemies – out of control!

                    • Robert Guyton

                      Hedgerows have to be multicultural, as they are in Britain. Foolishly, and typically, we went for the monoculture version here. We are still holding top that principle; our landscape is essentially ryegrass.
                      Dumb
                      Dumb
                      Dumb.

    • Brigid 1.5

      Collecting tadpoles has been a spring time ritual since I was a kid and so it is with my kids now. One year I sold a few on trademe but stopped as some people wanted to keep them once they’d turned into frogs as pets for their kids. We always just let them hop away out of the container into the bushes when they’re ready.
      Always feed them duck weed, but raw, never saw the need to boil it. They do love commercial fresh water fish flakes too.
      A tiny teeney little frog croaked at me once. So cool.

      Tadpoles are awesome, even though they’re Australian. (The Green Bell frog). Unfortunately we don’t see the native species up here in the north.

      • Robert Guyton 1.5.1

        Hey, Brigid – a fellow tadpoleophile…or something like that! They fascinate me; their endless bumping against the glass, their waving ribbons of tails; I watched last night as in turn, some would drift, motionless, through the medium as if in a trance, while the others continued to go about their pollywog business of grazing algae and bumping into stuff. I find the emergence of their legs; rear. one two, front, three four, to be entrancing. Then the absorption of the tail and the first gulping breath through the mouth and into the newly-created lung – just amazing. Mine are Australians also; Brown Whistling frogs, but I’ve seen natives, though they were inside of plastic; very beautiful, our native frogs and a great travesty to find they are so close to extinct. I’m on the lookout for Golden Bells, but am aware of the need to not move stock around the countryside as that spreads ailments. My whistlers will go back to the site they came from (my neighbourhood) once they’re terrestrial. Once, when I was a boy, on a family holiday to the West Coast of the South Island, we stayed overnight in a motel at Manakaiawa, where we couldn’t sleep for the piping of the whistling frogs! heavenly!

        • Brigid 1.5.1.1

          🙂
          And also interesting is collecting them as eggs and seeing them hatch into the teeniest wriggling speck. Before long they’re big fat tadpole blobs and if you put your hand in the water they rush over to nibble on your fingers.
          And yes when the legs start appearing, it’s an important announcement in this house hold.
          Once fully formed frogs though they become rather aloof and aren’t at all interested in any communication other than with their own kind.

          • Robert Guyton 1.5.1.1.1

            Yes. I collected spawn for this community of tadpoles I’m watching now. Aloof, you say?
            Oh yes, you don’t get fond looks or loving coos from a frog, you just have to love their clammy ways. For me, it’s the leaping of the young whistlers, to land, tongue extended, on a fly – splat would describe that landing well and for the “water-frogs” it’s the way they hang suspended on the surface of the water, arms and legs akimbo, eyes and nostrils breaking the surface. I spent many, many hours as a kid…

            • Brigid 1.5.1.1.1.1

              Interesting stuff here.
              https://teara.govt.nz/en/frogs.
              Rather a lot I didn’t know.

              And
              “The lethal chytrid fungus disease, widespread in Australia, means the southern bell frog faces extinction there, and the green and golden bell frog may also be at risk. New Zealand could have been a refuge for them – but now the fungus has arrived. It was identified in the southern bell frog in Christchurch over the summer of 1999–2000 by researcher Bruce Waldman.”

              We get our eggs from a pond in a new subdivision up the road a bit. But in a few years it will be too polluted to support frogs, as all the others have become in the district;
              We’ll be out of here by then I hope. Just got to get out of Dodge.

      • JanM 1.5.2

        From DOC “The introduced Green and golden bell frog breeds in artificial dune land ponds and some natural seasonal wetlands. While not an indigenous protected
        species in New Zealand, this country is now home to the largest population of
        this species world-wide. With the species now endangered in its native
        Australia, there are international reasons for looking after this frog.”
        I go to the Uretiti DOC camp quite a lot and sometimes hear the frogs croaking away in the ponds that form when there has been a lot of rain

        • Robert Guyton 1.5.2.1

          “this country is now home to the largest population of this species world-wide”
          That’s astonishing!! I’m genuinely taken-aback by that news, thanks, Jan! I know where there is a population of these, not so far from here and bearing in mind the need to conserve and not destroy, I’m going to see if I can improve their chances of expansion. Tomorrow’s mission.

          • beatie 1.5.2.1.1

            I love the sound of the whistling frogs in my flax here on the West Coast. Collecting taddies in jam jars was a favourite childhood pastime. Occasionally a tiny froglet would escape in the bedroom and whistle at night from under the bed. Used to find bullfrog tadpoles too. As a young child, my daughter mentioned that she’d never seen a frog. Sad.

            • Robert Guyton 1.5.2.1.1.1

              Hi beatie – good point about children not knowing about tadpoles and frogs – I’m introducing all of the very young children I know; grandchildren, children of my children’s friends etc, to my tadpoles whenever they visit; they love them! They’ll love them more when they transform into frogs then they’ll understand how the chirpy little fellows come to be all about the neighbourhood.

  2. Satty 2

    Finally. Someone coming up with the obvious about the “car-culture” in NZ:
    http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11932273
    First step to improving the situation is recognising and understanding the problems. Unfortunately, and expected I might add, the article was moved from the “front-page” within minutes.

    • Kevin 2.1

      As a cyclist, road safety has been a hobby horse of mine for a number of years now.

      “Transport policies continue to prioritise traffic flow and reliability for motorists over safety for everyone.”

      No truer word said. The classic case in point is these giant, single lane into two lane roundabout and then back to single lane that predominate now. They seem to be designed to move traffic as fast as possible instead of as safely as possible. They are used more as an overtaking opportunity than as a method to control an intersection.

      100lm/h open highway speeds on roads that would barely qualify for 80km/h in most first world countries yet we drive on them like we are on the Nurburgring.

      Driving used to be a pleasure for me. Now it is something I avoid as much as possible.

      • greywarshark 2.1.1

        Yes Kevin I agree about the fast speeds of 100 on some inadequate state highways. And some motorists seem to be relying too much on the quality of the car to hold to corners, don’t seem to brake at all.

        I once followed a very confident and quick driver on a windy hill road, he braked briefly and then turned into the corner, and accelerated out at the required speed to match the road line and the next corner. But trying to do a steady 100 kmh over many of the roads is scary. There can’t be much safety space left for anything unexpected happening.

        Transport Agency is not controlled by either government or citizens I think. It should be more collaborative. We used to have an option to put in safety ideas for our local area, but this has been dropped.

    • Bill 2.2

      Throw a colouring agent into petrol and diesel such that the exhaust fumes are visible.

      Cars gone by lunchtime.

    • Fred H 2.3

      That means the Road Transport Forum and the AA are our equivalent of the NRA, I think all three should be labelled a terrorist organisation for lives cost annually, arrest all members and hold without charge in gitmo 🙂

  3. The decrypter 3

    Robert, do you have a troll bridge over your tadpole pond,- -high enough for james to hide under?

    • Robert Guyton 3.1

      Wouldn’t need to be very high, td; In fact, I do have such a bridge; I call it the “hump-backed bridge” whenever I lead my grandsons across it and while I don’t press the point, they both know full-well, it’s trolled.

      • The decrypter 3.1.1

        Thanks, I wondered where james was-under your bridge. I suppose with Winston “shagging around like some old woman at a christening ” james is keeping a low profile.

        • James 3.1.1.1

          Nah I’m here. Just not seeing a lot to comment on of late.

          Just lots of people so so so sure that Winston and labour will be the next government- so I’m sitting back and saving myself for the nats – nzf win.

          its going to be very amusing.

          • Robert Guyton 3.1.1.1.1

            James, when you’re out from under my bridge, sniffing around blogs looking to “amuse” yourself, would you mind cleaning up the mess you leave behind? After all, I’m not charging you rent; picking up your empty baked bean cans and pizza boxes is the very least you could do, there’s a good wee troll 🙂

      • weka 3.1.2

        RW online trolls give real trolls a bad name. Although historically trolls have been given a pretty bad rap too (thank-you Tolkien).

        • Robert Guyton 3.1.2.1

          I began my on-line “career” trolling Kiwiblog and I know I should be ashamed, but it was riotously funny, though they soon rounded and became nasty. Farrar booted me off on a trumped-up charge, and I returned under another guise, but style must out and I was booted again and again till I got bored. Trolling is great practice for anyone who likes words, but if you talk too smart, you won’t be understood or appreciated, especially over there on troglodyte blog. Actually, there are some smart cookies commenting there, it’s just that they’re pushed into the shade by the foam-flecked-chin brigade. I see some of “us” there on my occasional visits. What’s happened to Frogblog, I wonder?Great fun was had there in days gone by, supporting the Green kaupapa and wrasslin’ with right-wing trolls and assorted snipers. Big Bruv attracted my barbs and didn’t think much of my smarty-pants ways 🙂

          • weka 3.1.2.1.1

            It’s a shame that the right don’t have a place for intelligent RW debate. Maybe that’s why they bother coming here.

            I was under the impression that the Greens eventually saw their blog as a liability. Better to let greenies go have their own space I think, distanced from parliament. We could do with some more green bloggers here on TS.

    • cleangreen 3.2

      Which James; The decrypter?

      Is it “James” or Green party Co-leader James Shaw????

      Please clearly state this?

    • greywarshark 6.1

      These think tanks – talking it up? The article above on Taiwan and China and USA:

      The US’ arms sales to Taiwan was the biggest factor helping Taiwan to be involved in international politics, but it is unwise for Taiwan and the US to continue increasing arms sales in bilateral relations, Easton said….

      Taiwan’s counterattack capabilities pose a threat to the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA), but it should expand its arsenal of long-range and shoulder-launched missiles, drones, fighter jets and cannons, and deploy weapons with lower lethality in areas closest to China,

      Sounds like he is shilling for some defence/attack armament company.

  4. ianmac 7

    Dr Jan Wright has final words of warning.
    https://www.newsroom.co.nz/2017/10/12/53075/environment-watchdogs-final-words-of-warning.

    Halfway down is an excellent Video: “Lord Deben discusses political and industrial responses to climate change with Rod Oram.”
    He expresses opinions about NZs position and how it is sad that we (National) have let it be a political battle instead of a community problem solving issue.

  5. ianmac 8

    “Former New Zealand First MP Neil Kirton is picking Winston Peters will go into a full coalition with Labour.”

  6. Pete 9

    The process in Wellington is taking so long because Winston is working out if he can work with Jian Yang.

  7. lprent 11

    Have a look at the Party tab on the RSS feeds of the right of the desktop site. This collects whatever Labour and the Greens are pumping out on their sites that is accessible via RSS.

    There are currently 3 items from Labour, the latest from 6 days ago. I guess that they and the Greens have other things on their minds.

    Incidentally before anyone asks, NZ First seems to only use email and the other parties from the centre to the left don’t seem to put anything out via RSS any more.

  8. veutoviper 12

    “Beardy hipster spook”

    Its Friday the 13th, its been a long, long frustrating week, and we still don’t know.

    Having just caught up on things here and noted that there was some discussion on Daily Review last night on the “Beardy hipster spook”. here is a link to more pictures and comments etc from back in August.

    http://www.newshub.co.nz/home/election/2017/08/jacinda-ardern-s-bodyguard-s-beard-amasses-fan-base.html

    If nothing else scroll down to “The PM and the guy who should run the country”.

    Right now I would happily vote for ‘the guy’. LOL

  9. ianmac 13

    There is a lot of talk about Peters “dictating” to the bigger parties and that National should get to negotiate with NZF.
    It could be done by Nat inviting NZF to discuss options for 5-6 days.
    Then NZF could say that there were not satisfied so will now talk to Labour for 5-6days.
    Then NZF could discuss among themselves the pros and cons.
    Then NZF could go back to one or other for details.

    OR

    NZF could discuss policy with NAt and Labour separately for 5-6 days, then retire for caucus discussions.

    Let me see. Which process would be best? Mmmm…

    (Footnote. Seymour could be invited as a consultant.)

  10. The Chairman 14

    In a written statement, a spokeswoman said: “There is no truth to the speculation you’ve reported that we’re about to sign a deal with any company, local or offshore, for thousands of panellised houses. 

    Yet, John Arnold, a New Zealand-based sales agent for Fast House, told Newsroom the company was “close to finalising” a deal with Housing NZ.
    https://www.newsroom.co.nz/2017/10/12/53142/housing-nz-questioned-over-irish-prefab-plans

    • ScottGN 14.1

      It’s apparently a billion dollar deal which you would hope is outside the ambit of the current caretaker government. An incoming administration will probably have other ideas.

      • The Chairman 14.1.1

        Don’t Labour already have plans to bolster the local prefab industry?

        One would expect Winston would want to put NZ companies first.

    • greywarshark 14.2

      Well when under scrutiny the liar can always claim truth if there is one small item in a statement that is incorrect, even if the rest is valid. Possibly the deal is for hundreds of panellised houses, not thousands.

  11. ianmac 15

    Bryce Edwards has put up:” Political Roundup: Signs of a Labour-NZ First government.”
    Some reassuring stuff there after the deluge of Right wing bluster.

    “http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11932628

    • The Chairman 16.1

      Despite the environmental benefits, will lab food (with its GM additives) ever overcome the yuck factor and consumers anti GM sentiment?

  12. Ed 17

    Winston Peters says NZ First board meeting will be on Monday.

    ‘NZ First will hold an all day joint-caucus and board meeting on Monday to decide which party to give their support to.

    Leader Winston Peters told media on Friday that the board members will be flying in to Wellington from all over the country on Sunday evening and Monday morning.

    Peters told media he has a “serious comprehensive dossier” from both parties to take to his caucus and board, promising that a new Government would be decided by next Friday.

    https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/97839780/winston-peters-has-finished-negotiations-but-we-could-be-quite-far-from-a-decision

  13. Robert Guyton 18

    “Brady’s report highlights the numerous former National MPs who have joined the boards of Chinese banks; Ruth Richardson and Chris Tremain are directors of Bank of China in New Zealand; Don Brash chairs the Industrial Bank of China in New Zealand; and former Prime Minister Dame Jenny Shipley chairs the New Zealand subsidiary of the China Construction Bank.’”

    https://yournz.org/2017/10/13/yang-didnt-disclose-chinese-intelligence-connections/

    • Stuart Munro 18.1

      Polyakov is only a cultural attaché, nothing to worry about. And besides, there’s Merlin.

  14. Andre 19

    Not sure why Harold thinks Plunket resigning from the BSA belongs in the Entertainment section …

    http://www.nzherald.co.nz/entertainment/news/article.cfm?c_id=1501119&objectid=11932866

  15. carlite 20

    How could Labour implement such a policy from opposition?

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

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  • Gordon Campbell on Dune 2, and images of Islam
    Depictions of Islam in Western popular culture have rarely been positive, even before 9/11. Five years on from the mosque shootings, this is one of the cultural headwinds that the Muslim community has to battle against. Whatever messages of tolerance and inclusion are offered in daylight, much of our culture ...
    1 day ago
  • New Rail Operations Centre Promises Better Train Services
    Last week Transport Minster Simeon Brown and Mayor Wayne Brown opened the new Auckland Rail Operations Centre. The new train control centre will see teams from KiwiRail, Auckland Transport and Auckland One Rail working more closely together to improve train services across the city. The Auckland Rail Operations Centre in ...
    1 day ago
  • Bernard's six newsy things at 6.36am on Monday, March 18
    Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Retiring former Labour Finance Minister Grant Robertson said in an exit interview with Q+A yesterday the Government can and should sustain more debt to invest in infrastructure for future generations. Elsewhere in the news in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy at 6:36am: Read more ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 day 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
    1 day 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
    1 day ago
  • Bitter and angry; Winston First
    New Zealand First Leader Winston Peters’s state-of-the-nation speech on Sunday was really a state-of-Winston-First speech. He barely mentioned any of the Government’s key policies and could not even wholly endorse its signature income tax cuts. Instead, he rehearsed all of his complaints about the Ardern Government, including an extraordinary claim ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    2 days ago
  • 2024 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #11
    A listing of 35 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, March 10, 2024 thru Sat, March 16, 2024. Story of the week This week we'll give you a little glimpse into how we collect links to share and ...
    2 days ago
  • 2024 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #11
    A listing of 35 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, March 10, 2024 thru Sat, March 16, 2024. Story of the week This week we'll give you a little glimpse into how we collect links to share and ...
    2 days ago
  • Out of Touch.
    “I’ve been internalising a really complicated situation in my head.”When they kept telling us we should wait until we get to know him, were they taking the piss? Was it a case of, if you think this is bad, wait till you get to know the real Christopher, after the ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    2 days ago
  • Bring out your Dad
    Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    2 days ago
  • Bring out your Dad
    Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    2 days ago
  • Bring out your Dad
    Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    2 days ago
  • The bewildering world of Chris Luxon – Guns for all, not no lunch for kids
    .“$10 and a target that bleeds” - Bleeding Targets for Under $10!.Thanks for reading Frankly Speaking ! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.This government appears hell-bent on either scrapping life-saving legislation or reintroducing things that - frustrated critics insist - will be dangerous and likely ...
    Frankly SpeakingBy Frank Macskasy
    3 days ago
  • Expert Opinion: Ageing Boomers, Laurie & Les, Talk Politics.
    It hardly strikes me as fair to criticise a government for doing exactly what it said it was going to do. For actually keeping its promises.”THUNDER WAS PLAYING TAG with lightning flashes amongst the distant peaks. Its rolling cadences interrupted by the here-I-come-here-I-go Doppler effect of the occasional passing car. ...
    3 days ago
  • Manufacturing The Truth.
    Subversive & Disruptive Technologies: Just as happened with that other great regulator of the masses, the Medieval Church, the advent of a new and hard-to-control technology – the Internet –  is weakening the ties that bind. Then, and now, those who enjoy a monopoly on the dissemination of lies, cannot and will ...
    3 days ago
  • A Powerful Sensation of Déjà Vu.
    Been Here Before: To find the precedents for what this Coalition Government is proposing, it is necessary to return to the “glory days” of Muldoonism.THE COALITION GOVERNMENT has celebrated its first 100 days in office by checking-off the last of its listed commitments. It remains, however, an angry government. It ...
    3 days ago
  • Can you guess where world attention is focussed (according to Greenpeace)? It’s focussed on an EPA...
    Bob Edlin writes –  And what is the world watching today…? The email newsletter from Associated Press which landed in our mailbox early this morning advised: In the news today: The father of a school shooter has been found guilty of involuntary manslaughter; prosecutors in Trump’s hush-money case ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    3 days ago
  • Further integrity problems for the Greens in suspending MP Darleen Tana
    Bryce Edwards writes – Is another Green MP on their way out? And are the Greens severely tarnished by another integrity scandal? For the second time in three months, the Green Party has secretly suspended an MP over integrity issues. Mystery is surrounding the party’s decision to ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    3 days ago
  • Jacqui Van Der Kaay: Greens’ transparency missing in action
    For the last few years, the Green Party has been the party that has managed to avoid the plague of multiple scandals that have beleaguered other political parties. It appears that their luck has run out with a second scandal which, unfortunately for them, coincided with Golraz Ghahraman, the focus ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    3 days ago
  • Bernard’s Dawn Chorus with six newsey things at 6:46am for Saturday, March 16
    TL;DR: The six newsey things that stood out to me as of 6:46am on Saturday, March 16.Andy Foster has accidentally allowed a Labour/Green amendment to cut road user chargers for plug-in hybrid vehicles, which the Government might accept; NZ Herald Thomas Coughlan Simeon Brown has rejected a plea from Westport ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago
  • How Did FTX Crash?
    What seemed a booming success a couple of years ago has collapsed into fraud convictions.I looked at the crash of FTX (short for ‘Futures Exchange’) in November 2022 to see whether it would impact on the financial system as a whole. Fortunately there was barely a ripple, probably because it ...
    PunditBy Brian Easton
    4 days ago
  • Elections in Russia and Ukraine
    Anybody following the situation in Ukraine and Russia would probably have been amused by a recent Tweet on X NATO seems to be putting in an awful lot of effort to influence what is, at least according to them, a sham election in an autocracy.When do the Ukrainians go to ...
    4 days ago
  • Bernard’s six stack of substacks at 6pm on March 15
    TL;DR: Shaun Baker on Wynyard Quarter's transformation. Magdalene Taylor on the problem with smart phones. How private equity are now all over reinsurance. Dylan Cleaver on rugby and CTE. Emily Atkin on ‘Big Meat’ looking like ‘Big Oil’.Bernard’s six-stack of substacks at 6pm on March 15Photo by Jeppe Hove Jensen ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • Buzz from the Beehive Finance Minister Nicola Willis had plenty to say when addressing the Auckland Business Chamber on the economic growth that (she tells us) is flagging more than we thought. But the government intends to put new life into it:  We want our country to be a ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    4 days ago
  • National’s clean car tax advances
    The Transport and Infrastructure Committee has reported back on the Road User Charges (Light Electric RUC Vehicles) Amendment Bill, basicly rubberstamping it. While there was widespread support among submitters for the principle that EV and PHEV drivers should pay their fair share for the roads, they also overwhelmingly disagreed with ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    4 days ago
  • Government funding bailouts
    Peter Dunne writes – This week’s government bailout – the fifth in the last eighteen months – of the financially troubled Ruapehu Alpine Lifts company would have pleased many in the central North Island ski industry. The government’s stated rationale for the $7 million funding was that it ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • Two offenders, different treatments.
    See if you can spot the difference. An Iranian born female MP from a progressive party is accused of serial shoplifting. Her name is leaked to the media, which goes into a pack frenzy even before the Police launch an … Continue reading ...
    KiwipoliticoBy Pablo
    4 days ago
  • Treaty references omitted
    Ele Ludemann writes  – The government is omitting general Treaty references from legislation : The growth of Treaty of Waitangi clauses in legislation caused so much worry that a special oversight group was set up by the last Government in a bid to get greater coherence in the public service on Treaty ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • The Ghahraman Conflict
    What was that judge thinking? Peter Williams writes –  That Golriz Ghahraman and District Court Judge Maria Pecotic were once lawyer colleagues is incontrovertible. There is published evidence that they took at least one case to the Court of Appeal together. There was a report on ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • Bernard's Top 10 @ 10 'pick 'n' mix' for March 15
    TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: Climate Scorpion – the sting is in the tail. Introducing planetary solvency. A paper via the University of Exeter’s Institute and Faculty of Actuaries.Local scoop: Kāinga Ora starts pulling out of its Auckland projects and selling land RNZ ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • The day Wellington up-zoned its future
    Wellington’s massively upzoned District Plan adds the opportunity for tens of thousands of new homes not just in the central city (such as these Webb St new builds) but also close to the CBD and public transport links. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Wellington gave itself the chance of ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • Weekly Roundup 15-March-2024
    It’s Friday and we’re halfway through March Madness. Here’s some of the things that caught our attention this week. This Week in Greater Auckland On Monday Matt asked how we can get better event trains and an option for grade separating Morningside Dr. On Tuesday Matt looked into ...
    Greater AucklandBy Greater Auckland
    4 days ago
  • That Word.
    Something you might not know about me is that I’m quite a stubborn person. No, really. I don’t much care for criticism I think’s unfair or that I disagree with. Few of us do I suppose.Back when I was a drinker I’d sometimes respond defensively, even angrily. There are things ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    4 days ago
  • The Hoon around the week to March 15
    Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The five things that mattered in Aotearoa’s political economy that we wrote and spoke about via The Kākā and elsewhere for paying subscribers in the last week included:PM Christopher Luxon said the reversal of interest deductibility for landlords was done to help renters, who ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • Labour’s policy gap
    It was not so much the Labour Party but really the Chris Hipkins party yesterday at Labour’s caucus retreat in Martinborough. The former Prime Minister was more or less consistent on wealth tax, which he was at best equivocal about, and social insurance, which he was not willing to revisit. ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    5 days ago
  • Skeptical Science New Research for Week #11 2024
    Open access notables A Glimpse into the Future: The 2023 Ocean Temperature and Sea Ice Extremes in the Context of Longer-Term Climate Change, Kuhlbrodt et al., Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society: In the year 2023, we have seen extraordinary extrema in high sea surface temperature (SST) in the North Atlantic and in ...
    5 days ago
  • Melissa remains mute on media matters but has something to say (at a sporting event) about economic ...
     Buzz from the Beehive   The text reproduced above appears on a page which records all the media statements and speeches posted on the government’s official website by Melissa Lee as Minister of Media and Communications and/or by Jenny Marcroft, her Parliamentary Under-secretary.  It can be quickly analysed ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    5 days ago
  • The return of Muldoon
    For forty years, Robert Muldoon has been a dirty word in our politics. His style of government was so repulsive and authoritarian that the backlash to it helped set and entrench our constitutional norms. His pig-headedness over forcing through Think Big eventually gave us the RMA, with its participation and ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    5 days ago
  • Will the rental tax cut improve life for renters or landlords?
    Bryce Edwards writes –  Is the new government reducing tax on rental properties to benefit landlords or to cut the cost of rents? That’s the big question this week, after Associate Finance Minister David Seymour announced on Sunday that the Government would be reversing the Labour Government’s removal ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • Geoffrey Miller: What Saudi Arabia’s rapid changes mean for New Zealand
    Saudi Arabia is rarely far from the international spotlight. The war in Gaza has brought new scrutiny to Saudi plans to normalise relations with Israel, while the fifth anniversary of the controversial killing of Jamal Khashoggi was marked shortly before the war began on October 7. And as the home ...
    Democracy ProjectBy Geoffrey Miller
    5 days ago
  • Racism’s double standards
    Questions need to be asked on both sides of the world Peter Williams writes –   The NRL Judiciary hands down an eight week suspension to Sydney Roosters forward Spencer Leniu , an Auckland-born Samoan, after he calls Ezra Mam, Sydney-orn but of Aboriginal and Torres Strait ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • It’s not a tax break
    Ele Ludemann writes – Contrary to what many headlines and news stories are saying, residential landlords are not getting a tax break. The government is simply restoring to them the tax deductibility of interest they had until the previous government removed it. There is no logical reason ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • The Plastic Pig Collective and Chris' Imaginary Friends.
    I can't remember when it was goodMoments of happiness in bloomMaybe I just misunderstoodAll of the love we left behindWatching our flashbacks intertwineMemories I will never findIn spite of whatever you becomeForget that reckless thing turned onI think our lives have just begunI think our lives have just begunDoes anyone ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago
  • Who is responsible for young offenders?
    Michael Bassett writes – At first reading, a front-page story in the New Zealand Herald on 13 March was bizarre. A group of severely intellectually limited teenagers, with little understanding of the law, have been pleading to the Justice Select Committee not to pass a bill dealing with ram ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • Gordon Campbell on National’s fantasy trip to La La Landlord Land
    How much political capital is Christopher Luxon willing to burn through in order to deliver his $2.9 billion gift to landlords? Evidently, Luxon is: (a) unable to cost the policy accurately. As Anna Burns-Francis pointed out to him on Breakfast TV, the original ”rock solid” $2.1 billion cost he was ...
    5 days ago
  • Bernard's Top 10 @ 10 'pick 'n' mix' for March 14
    TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: Jonathon Porritt calling bullshit in his own blog post on mainstream climate science as ‘The New Denialism’.Local scoop: The Wellington City Council’s list of proposed changes to the IHP recommendations to be debated later today was leaked this ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • No, Prime Minister, rents don’t rise or fall with landlords’ costs
    TL;DR: Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said yesterday tenants should be grateful for the reinstatement of interest deductibility because landlords would pass on their lower tax costs in the form of lower rents. That would be true if landlords were regulated monopolies such as Transpower or Auckland Airport1, but they’re not, ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • Cartoons: ‘At least I didn’t make things awkward’
    This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Tom Toro Tom Toro is a cartoonist and author. He has published over 200 cartoons in The New Yorker since 2010. His cartoons appear in Playboy, the Paris Review, the New York Times, American Bystander, and elsewhere. Related: What 10 EV lovers ...
    5 days ago
  • Solving traffic congestion with Richard Prebble
    The business section of the NZ Herald is full of opinion. Among the more opinionated of all is the ex-Minister of Transport, ex-Minister of Railways, ex MP for Auckland Central (1975-93, Labour), Wellington Central (1996-99, ACT, then list-2005), ex-leader of the ACT Party, uncle to actor Antonia, the veritable granddaddy ...
    Greater AucklandBy Patrick Reynolds
    5 days ago
  • I Think I'm Done Flying Boeing
    Hi,Just quickly — I’m blown away by the stories you’ve shared with me over the last week since I put out the ‘Gary’ podcast, where I told you about the time my friend’s flatmate killed the neighbour.And you keep telling me stories — in the comments section, and in my ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    5 days ago
  • Invoking Aristotle: Of Rings of Power, Stones, and Ships
    The first season of Rings of Power was not awful. It was thoroughly underwhelming, yes, and left a lingering sense of disappointment, but it was more expensive mediocrity than catastrophe. I wrote at length about the series as it came out (see the Review section of the blog, and go ...
    6 days ago
  • Van Velden brings free-market approach to changing labour laws – but her colleagues stick to distr...
    Buzz from the Beehive Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Brooke van Velden told Auckland Business Chamber members they were the first audience to hear her priorities as a minister in a government committed to cutting red tape and regulations. She brandished her liberalising credentials, saying Flexible labour markets are the ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago
  • Why Newshub failed
    Chris Trotter writes – TO UNDERSTAND WHY NEWSHUB FAILED, it is necessary to understand how TVNZ changed. Up until 1989, the state broadcaster had been funded by a broadcasting licence fee, collected from every citizen in possession of a television set, supplemented by a relatively modest (compared ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago
  • Māori Party on the warpath against landlords and seabed miners – let’s see if mystical creature...
    Bob Edlin writes  –  The Māori Party has been busy issuing a mix of warnings and threats as its expresses its opposition to interest deductibility for landlords and the plans of seabed miners. It remains to be seen whether they  follow the example of indigenous litigants in Australia, ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago
  • There’s a name for this
    Every year, in the Budget, Parliament forks out money to government agencies to do certain things. And every year, as part of the annual review cycle, those agencies are meant to report on whether they have done the things Parliament gave them that money for. Agencies which consistently fail to ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    6 days ago
  • Echoes of 1968 in 2024?  Pocock on the repetitive problems of the New Left
    Mike Grimshaw writes – Recent events in American universities point to an underlying crisis of coherent thinking, an issue that increasingly affects the progressive left across the Western world. This of course is nothing new as anyone who can either remember or has read of the late ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago
  • Two bar blues
    The thing about life’s little victories is that they can be followed by a defeat.Reader Darryl told me on Monday night:Test again Dave. My “head cold” last week became COVID within 24 hours, and is still with me. I hear the new variants take a bit longer to show up ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    6 days ago
  • Bernard's Top 10 @ 10 'pick 'n' mix' for March 13
    TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: Angus Deaton on rethinking his economics IMFLocal scoop: The people behind Tamarind, the firm that left a $500m cleanup bill for taxpayers at Taranaki’s Tui oil well, are back operating in Taranaki under a different company name. Jonathan ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    6 days 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
    5 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
    7 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
    7 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
    21 hours ago
  • Kāinga Ora instructed to end Sustaining Tenancies
    Kāinga Ora – Homes & Communities has been instructed to end the Sustaining Tenancies Framework and take stronger measures against persistent antisocial behaviour by tenants, says Housing Minister Chris Bishop. “Earlier today Finance Minister Nicola Willis and I sent an interim Letter of Expectations to the Board of Kāinga Ora. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Speech to Auckland Business Chamber: Growth is the answer
    Tēna koutou katoa. Greetings everyone. Thank you to the Auckland Chamber of Commerce and the Honourable Simon Bridges for hosting this address today. I acknowledge the business leaders in this room, the leaders and governors, the employers, the entrepreneurs, the investors, and the wealth creators. The coalition Government shares your ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Singapore rounds out regional trip
    Minister Winston Peters completed the final leg of his visit to South and South East Asia in Singapore today, where he focused on enhancing one of New Zealand’s indispensable strategic partnerships.      “Singapore is our most important defence partner in South East Asia, our fourth-largest trading partner and a ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Minister van Velden represents New Zealand at International Democracy Summit
    Minister of Internal Affairs and Workplace Relations and Safety, Hon. Brooke van Velden, will travel to the Republic of Korea to represent New Zealand at the Third Summit for Democracy on 18 March. The summit, hosted by the Republic of Korea, was first convened by the United States in 2021, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Insurance Council of NZ Speech, 7 March 2024, Auckland
    ICNZ Speech 7 March 2024, Auckland  Acknowledgements and opening  Mōrena, ngā mihi nui. Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Nor Whanganui aho.  Good morning, it’s a privilege to be here to open the ICNZ annual conference, thank you to Mark for the Mihi Whakatau  My thanks to Tim Grafton for inviting me ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Five-year anniversary of Christchurch terror attacks
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Lead Coordination Minister Judith Collins have expressed their deepest sympathy on the five-year anniversary of the Christchurch terror attacks. “March 15, 2019, was a day when families, communities and the country came together both in sorrow and solidarity,” Mr Luxon says.  “Today we pay our respects to the 51 shuhada ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Speech for Financial Advice NZ Conference 5 March 2024
    Speech for Financial Advice NZ Conference 5 March 2024  Acknowledgements and opening  Morena, Nga Mihi Nui.  Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Nor Whanganui aho. Thanks Nate for your Mihi Whakatau  Good morning. It’s a pleasure to formally open your conference this morning. What a lovely day in Wellington, What a great ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Early visit to Indonesia strengthens ties
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters held discussions in Jakarta today about the future of relations between New Zealand and South East Asia’s most populous country.   “We are in Jakarta so early in our new government’s term to reflect the huge importance we place on our relationship with Indonesia and South ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • China Foreign Minister to visit
    Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Winston Peters has announced that the Foreign Minister of China, Wang Yi, will visit New Zealand next week.  “We look forward to re-engaging with Foreign Minister Wang Yi and discussing the full breadth of the bilateral relationship, which is one of New Zealand’s ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Minister opens new Auckland Rail Operations Centre
    Transport Minister Simeon Brown has today opened the new Auckland Rail Operations Centre, which will bring together KiwiRail, Auckland Transport, and Auckland One Rail to improve service reliability for Aucklanders. “The recent train disruptions in Auckland have highlighted how important it is KiwiRail and Auckland’s rail agencies work together to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Celebrating 10 years of Crankworx Rotorua
    The Government is proud to support the 10th edition of Crankworx Rotorua as the Crankworx World Tour returns to Rotorua from 16-24 March 2024, says Minister for Economic Development Melissa Lee.  “Over the past 10 years as Crankworx Rotorua has grown, so too have the economic and social benefits that ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Government delivering on tax commitments
    Legislation implementing coalition Government tax commitments and addressing long-standing tax anomalies will be progressed in Parliament next week, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The legislation is contained in an Amendment Paper to the Taxation (Annual Rates for 2023–24, Multinational Tax, and Remedial Matters) Bill issued today.  “The Amendment Paper represents ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Significant Natural Areas requirement to be suspended
    Associate Environment Minister Andrew Hoggard has today announced that the Government has agreed to suspend the requirement for councils to comply with the Significant Natural Areas (SNA) provisions of the National Policy Statement for Indigenous Biodiversity for three years, while it replaces the Resource Management Act (RMA).“As it stands, SNAs ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Government classifies drought conditions in Top of the South as medium-scale adverse event
    Agriculture Minister Todd McClay has classified the drought conditions in the Marlborough, Tasman, and Nelson districts as a medium-scale adverse event, acknowledging the challenging conditions facing farmers and growers in the district. “Parts of Marlborough, Tasman, and Nelson districts are in the grip of an intense dry spell. I know ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Government partnership to tackle $332m facial eczema problem
    The Government is helping farmers eradicate the significant impact of facial eczema (FE) in pastoral animals, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay announced.  “A $20 million partnership jointly funded by Beef + Lamb NZ, the Government, and the primary sector will save farmers an estimated NZD$332 million per year, and aims to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • NZ, India chart path to enhanced relationship
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters has completed a successful visit to India, saying it was an important step in taking the relationship between the two countries to the next level.   “We have laid a strong foundation for the Coalition Government’s priority of enhancing New Zealand-India relations to generate significant future benefit for both countries,” says Mr Peters, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Ruapehu Alpine Lifts bailout the last, say Ministers
    Cabinet has agreed to provide $7 million to ensure the 2024 ski season can go ahead on the Whakapapa ski field in the central North Island but has told the operator Ruapehu Alpine Lifts it is the last financial support it will receive from taxpayers. Cabinet also agreed to provide ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Govt takes action to drive better cancer services
    Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says the launch of a new mobile breast screening unit in Counties Manukau reinforces the coalition Government’s commitment to drive better cancer services for all New Zealanders. Speaking at the launch of the new mobile clinic, Dr Reti says it’s a great example of taking ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Govt takes action to drive better cancer services
    Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says the launch of a new mobile breast screening unit in Counties Manukau reinforces the coalition Government’s commitment to drive better cancer services for all New Zealanders. Speaking at the launch of the new mobile clinic, Dr Reti says it’s a great example of taking ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Work begins on SH29 upgrades near Tauriko
    Unlocking economic growth and land for housing are critical elements of the Government’s plan for our transport network, and planned upgrades to State Highway 29 (SH29) near Tauriko will deliver strongly on those priorities, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “The SH29 upgrades near Tauriko will improve safety at the intersections ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Work begins on SH29 upgrades near Tauriko
    Unlocking economic growth and land for housing are critical elements of the Government’s plan for our transport network, and planned upgrades to State Highway 29 (SH29) near Tauriko will deliver strongly on those priorities, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “The SH29 upgrades near Tauriko will improve safety at the intersections ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Fresh produce price drop welcome
    Lower fruit and vegetable prices are welcome news for New Zealanders who have been doing it tough at the supermarket, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. Stats NZ reported today the price of fruit and vegetables has dropped 9.3 percent in the 12 months to February 2024.  “Lower fruit and vege ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Statement to the 68th United Nations Commission on the Status of Women
    Tēnā koutou katoa and greetings to you all.  Chair, I am honoured to address the sixty-eighth session of the Commission on the Status of Women. I acknowledge the many crises impacting the rights of women and girls. Heightened global tensions, war, climate related and humanitarian disasters, and price inflation all ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Speech to the 68th United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (CSW68)
    Tēnā koutou katoa and greetings to you all.  Chair, I am honoured to address the 68th session of the Commission on the Status of Women. I acknowledge the many crises impacting the rights of women and girls. Heightened global tensions, war, climate related and humanitarian disasters, and price inflation all ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Government backs rural led catchment projects
    The coalition Government is supporting farmers to enhance land management practices by investing $3.3 million in locally led catchment groups, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay announced. “Farmers and growers deliver significant prosperity for New Zealand and it’s vital their ongoing efforts to improve land management practices and water quality are supported,” ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Speech to Auckland Business Chamber
    Good evening everyone and thank you for that lovely introduction.   Thank you also to the Honourable Simon Bridges for the invitation to address your members. Since being sworn in, this coalition Government has hit the ground running with our 100-day plan, delivering the changes that New Zealanders expect of us. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago
  • Commission’s advice on ETS settings tabled
    Recommendations from the Climate Change Commission for New Zealand on the Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) auction and unit limit settings for the next five years have been tabled in Parliament, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. “The Commission provides advice on the ETS annually. This is the third time the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Government lowering building costs
    The coalition Government is beginning its fight to lower building costs and reduce red tape by exempting minor building work from paying the building levy, says Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk. “Currently, any building project worth $20,444 including GST or more is subject to the building levy which is ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Trustee tax change welcomed
    Proposed changes to tax legislation to prevent the over-taxation of low-earning trusts are welcome, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The changes have been recommended by Parliament’s Finance and Expenditure Committee following consideration of submissions on the Taxation (Annual Rates for 2023–24, Multinational Tax, and Remedial Matters) Bill. “One of the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Minister’s Ramadan message
    Assalaamu alaikum. السَّلَام عليكم In light of the holy month of Ramadan, I want to extend my warmest wishes to our Muslim community in New Zealand. Ramadan is a time for spiritual reflection, renewed devotion, perseverance, generosity, and forgiveness.  It’s a time to strengthen our bonds and appreciate the diversity ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Minister appoints new NZTA Chair
    Former Transport Minister and CEO of the Auckland Business Chamber Hon Simon Bridges has been appointed as the new Board Chair of the New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA) for a three-year term, Transport Minister Simeon Brown announced today. “Simon brings extensive experience and knowledge in transport policy and governance to the role. He will ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Speech to Life Sciences Summit
    Good morning all, it is a pleasure to be here as Minister of Science, Innovation and Technology.  It is fantastic to see how connected and collaborative the life science and biotechnology industry is here in New Zealand. I would like to thank BioTechNZ and NZTech for the invitation to address ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Progress continues apace on water storage
    Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says he is looking forward to the day when three key water projects in Northland are up and running, unlocking the full potential of land in the region. Mr Jones attended a community event at the site of the Otawere reservoir near Kerikeri on Friday. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Government agrees to restore interest deductions
    Associate Finance Minister David Seymour has today announced that the Government has agreed to restore deductibility for mortgage interest on residential investment properties. “Help is on the way for landlords and renters alike. The Government’s restoration of interest deductibility will ease pressure on rents and simplify the tax code,” says ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Minister to attend World Anti-Doping Agency Symposium
    Sport and Recreation Minister Chris Bishop will travel to Switzerland today to attend an Executive Committee meeting and Symposium of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA). Mr Bishop will then travel on to London where he will attend a series of meetings in his capacity as Infrastructure Minister. “New Zealanders believe ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Pacific Language Weeks celebrate regional unity
    This year’s Pacific Language Weeks celebrate regional unity and the contribution of Pacific communities to New Zealand culture, says Minister for Pacific Peoples Dr Shane Reti.  Dr Reti announced dates for the 2024 Pacific Language Weeks during a visit to the Pasifika festival in Auckland today and says there’s so ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

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